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CarboFix Reviews Reddit : ⚠️Scam?⚠️Must Read! Before Buy - CarboFix Pills Review - CarboFix Pills Does Work?
2023.06.04 07:27 Educational-Nose223 CarboFix Reviews Reddit : ⚠️Scam?⚠️Must Read! Before Buy - CarboFix Pills Review - CarboFix Pills Does Work?
| CarboFix Reviews Reddit : ⚠️Scam?⚠️Must Read! Before Buy - CarboFix Pills Review - CarboFix Pills Does Work? CarboFix Reviews Reddit CarboFix is an all-natural weight loss supplement designed to “turn on” your metabolism in just 3-seconds to burn off stubborn fat easier than ever. Taking CarboFix daily can increase fat burning, decrease hunger, increase weight loss, improve blood sugar control, and improve longevity. If you’re struggling to lose weight, have hit a weight loss plateau, or just want an extra crutch to help you achieve your weight loss goals, then CarboFix may be right for you. What is CarboFix? As mentioned before, CarboFix is a natural weight loss supplement that claims to “activate” your metabolic switch to melt away fat faster than ever. It relies on five clinically studied ingredients proven to help you melt away fat without going on a restrictive diet or an impossible exercise program. By using CarboFix on a daily basis, the manufacturer claims you can: - Safely burn fat and lose weight
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2023.06.03 21:58 WilvenMC DOMINION [Semi-vanilla] {Whitelist} {Hermit-Like} {18+} {SMP} {No Resets} {LGBTQ+ Welcome}
Dominion is a community of like-minded adult players who want to experience vanilla Minecraft without the limitations of land claiming or over-the-top additions such as skills, abilities, RPG elements, and more. With a heavy focus on community and player interaction, we are the closest server for anybody seeking a true "hermitcraft-like" experience.
Over the last ~4 years, our community has blossomed into a wonderful group of kind hearted and dedicated individuals. At Dominion our community is and always will be our primary focus. We run weekly events, monthly competitions, organize enormous group projects/builds, let our players vote on
all new changes/additions, and much much more.
To keep our server safe from players who seek to troll or grief, we employ a whitelist process that is reviewed by our dedicated staff team. If this post sounds like the right server for you, click the link below to visit our Discord server and create an application to join!
To apply, click HERE
LINKS
Video Showcase
Player Handbook
Live Map
Discord Invite
OUR FOUNDING PHILOSOPHIES
This part is a little wordy I admit, but these are the fundamental 5 pillars that hold our server up and govern every decision we make. These will always be upheld and used to judge any potential additions or changes in Dominion's future.
The Vanilla Experience
We are committed to preserving the vanilla Minecraft experience. We will never add any game modes and we will never add any plugins which fundamentally make the game different, easier, or harder than vanilla. You will never see plugins such as mcMMO or rankings on our server.
In addition, while Dominion does provide a Donator rank, this is purely for players who wish to give back and help fund the server. Donators do not and will not ever receive any benefits beyond priority access to a full server.
Transparency
We do not keep any secrets! We think it is important for our players to know where their money is being spent and ensure that every penny goes toward running the server and not somebody’s grubby back pocket. We will always share how much we make in donations, as well as all associated costs with the running of the server.
We are also completely transparent about any community issues that may arise such as dismissal of staff, banning of influential players, and integrity changes to how the server functions.
Community Voice
We always pride ourselves on listening to our community. We welcome feedback and honest opinions and are continuously improving our server and community because of your feedback.
If we are ever going to make a change or addition to dominion (be it a new plugin, config change etc) then we run a poll where every member of the community gets to cast a vote. Polled content/changes only take effect if the community votes at a majority 75% approval rating.
Playing Together
We founded Dominion on this major principle: Create a space for players to play together, not just strangers in the same world. To help foster our close community, we run weekly events, every week for both US and EU time zones.
We also have a dedicated space in our Discord for large player ran projects such as modern city districts, gaming districts, special mega-farms, and more.
New Content Now
When a new update drops, it can be frustrating waiting for your favorite server to update so that you can enjoy that new content. We purposely run a lightweight (almost) vanilla server so that we can give you that new content sooner!
To apply, click HERE
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WilvenMC to
mcservers [link] [comments]
2023.06.03 21:32 AdmiralDaffodil [OC] The Terran Conundrum 02 - Lawyers, Guns, and Money
Whew! I did not expect such a positive response to the first chapter. A huge thank you to everyone who read my post and upvoted it.
***
Previous Acrid smoke hung in the air of Hreln’s office. It was an indulgence she didn’t often allow herself since most other races found it unpleasant, but there were still times. More so since what the press agencies had dubbed the ‘Human Incident.’
Now she caught herself rubbing her mandibles against each other. Given the complicated and sensitive nature of the overall problem, Hreln had decided it was best to place as much as possible under her official seal. Reporters being reporters, none of them were satisfied with the limited statements she’d made. Yes, she’d met with the terrorists as they’d demanded. No, she would not discuss that meeting. Yes, a Tochvorda representative had barged into the meeting and been assaulted by one of the humans. No, she didn’t have further comment about that either. Yes, the humans had been detained. No, they were not available for interviews. One news agency had even gone so far as to try getting another sector magistrate to order her to unseal the case. The result had been a heavily encrypted and diplomatically worded “What the hells, Hreln?” to which she had replied with an equally heavily encrypted and diplomatically worded “You’re not going to believe this but-.”
The other magistrate’s response to
that could be summed up as “Holy crap, you need some help?”
Finally, Senator Tanaka stepped into her office, Colonel Hargreaves following behind. Hreln had wondered if the two of them were mated but no, they were both mated to different people. Tanaka was simply the senior civilian representative while Hargreaves was in command of the military contingent. Apparently, humans normally kept the two separate, with senior civilian leaders having ultimate control over the military. No matter. The Imperium was flexible about how member worlds handled their local government, as long as the rights of all citizens were observed and the Imperium’s laws were followed. Flexible to a point, anyway.
Tanaka bowed. “My apologies for the delay in our arrival. A… disciplinary matter among the troops required Colonel Hargreaves’ attention.”
“Hopefully nothing too serious.” Probably not, or Gerima should have already heard about it.
“No, simply soldiers with nothing to do finding inappropriate ways to occupy themselves. Only the rank of those involved required my attention.” And that was all Hargreaves was going to say about it.
Presented with over a thousand not-quite prisoners that needed to be kept as far out of the public eye as possible, Magistrate Hreln had come up with a rather… unique solution. She had packed the whole lot of them off to an unfinished island resort that had gone into bankruptcy partway through construction. Some grunt work provided by literal grunts and their confinement was downright sybaritic. The clothing replicators even produced beachwear.
Unfortunately, the old saying about idle hands being the Devil’s playthings still held true. Faced with nothing to do and vague orders to standby to standby, some of the troops had decided to start building boats for a breakout. Their ‘plan’ (to insult a perfectly good noun) had been to sail somewhere else and start wreaking havoc, in the hope of encouraging the Imperium to find in humanity’s favor a little quicker.
The colonel had come down on the boat builders as hard as he thought he could without attracting undue attention. Reduction in rank and confinement were a slap on the wrist in the current circumstances but hopefully, it would discourage any more escape attempts. He’d also told his officers to start working on more things to keep everyone busy. A soccer league had been his personal suggestion. Let them run themselves out.
Now Tanaka turned and bowed towards what looked like a large jellyfish floating in a tank. “Honored ser, I don’t believe I’ve met you before.”
The jellyfish twirled and turned a deep purple color, a cheerful voice coming from the base of the tank. “No, we haven’t. Most people who aren’t familiar with my species tend to assume I’m just decoration. What gave it away? You can call me Ahapsu, by the way. And to put things in terms you’re familiar with, I’m your lawyer unless you have an objection.”
“Lawyer?” Hargreaves frowned. “Yeah, I guess we need one of those. And I don’t know what the senator saw, but your tank is on counter-grav. Seemed a bit much for a fish tank.”
“Fish tank? Ah, a holding tank for aquatic lifeforms. That wouldn’t work with me.” Ahapsu rose from the water in their tank and did a pirouette around the humans before plopping back into the water. “My race is one of the few graced with psionic capabilities; levitation and limited telepathy. I ‘speak’ using a voder built into my tank.”
<> Ahapsu sent to both of them.
<> <> Tanaka sent back, biting her lip to keep from speaking aloud.
<> <> <> Hargreaves tossed in.
<> <> Tanaka shot back. <
>
<> Ahapsu twirled in their tank for a moment, turning a dizzying array of colors before settling on yellow. “Sorry for the silence, everyone. I needed to clarify something with my clients before we began. I’ll file something official shortly, Your Eminence. Still, the short version is that since the leadership of the Terran resistance was and is made up of officials from pre-annexation governments, instead of being a ‘terrorist organization,’ they should be viewed as a coalition of local Dirt governments. Or possibly as the government of Dirt, my firm will have to research that.”
“Earth,” Hargreaves put in.
“Excuse me?” Ahapsu must have paid well for their tank’s voder; it managed to sound perplexed.
“The official name of our planet is ‘Earth.’ Or ‘Terra’ but they were still arguing about that when the Tochvorda started leveling cities. And ‘Earth’ and ‘Dirt’ have similar meanings in most of our languages, but it’s a bit of nuance so let’s just stick with Earth.”
“We stand corrected.” Hreln shifted uncomfortably on her stool, turning the matter over in her mind. “Before I rule on this, I’ll want some serious research from my own staff. Plus whatever arguments you put before me, of course.”
“So, are they still under arrest?” Gerima rumbled. Are they still my problem or what?
“Let’s leave their status as ‘detained for their own security’ until I make a ruling” Hreln chittered. “If they are a legitimate government or governments, then what happened on Highport Numena may constitute a legitimate act of war.”
“Act of war?!?” Gerima leaped to his feet, fangs bared. “They threatened to murder civilians!”
“Yes, and how many of their people have died, hmm? Given the circumstances, it could be argued that they had no choice but to consider themselves at war with the Imperium as a whole and the Tochvorda in specific.” Ahapsu was pink at the moment, Tanaka noted. “Especially given how often their attempts at protest or simple dialog ended in repression.”
“The hospital riots,” Hargreaves noted.
“Enlighten us, please.” Hreln leaned forward intent on what Hargreaves had to say.
“Not a complicated story. A Roach-pardon, a derogatory term for Tochvorda due to their resemblance to a type of Earth vermin-official decided whatever he was in charge of needed a shiny new headquarters. Except he wanted to put it right smack dab on top of Chicago’s most-functional hospital, with no plans for a replacement. People protested, security troops slaughtered the protesters, and it turned into riots. Even the security troops gave up trying to suppress it and settled on containment, waiting for the violence to burn itself out. Took over a week.” Hargreaves shook his head. “Somebody got the r-Tochvorda official, though. He got called to the governor’s palace to answer for his part in everything and his aircar got taken out by a SAM. Uh, that’s short for surface-to-air-missile, a weapon used to destroy aircraft.”
‘I’d like to address something you just said, Colonel. You said the site was Chicago’s most-functional hospital. Were other hospitals not in operation?” Ahapsu floated out of their tank again, drifting back and forth.
“Not really. Between the first barrage and the Tochvorda’s habit of smashing anything that annoyed them, the global supply chain was in crappy shape. Still is. There are shortages in food, medicine, just about anything you could name. Hell, the Resistance is doing more to keep things running than the Tochvorda are, in a lot of places.”
“Ah.” Ahapsu stopped in front of Hargreaves. “It seems we have our first volley against the Tochvorda, sers. I shall prepare a lawsuit against their government in general and specifically the governor.”
“On what grounds?” Hreln’s tone was decidedly unamused.
---
The thing about dealing with corrupt officials is that like most people, they see what they expect to see. Pay the inspectors at a spaceport to ignore the comings and goings from a specific warehouse, and they’ll assume you’re smuggling. They don’t ask what you’re smuggling, because then they’d know what you’re doing instead of merely suspecting. This time, though, instead of asking for more money they would have made a discrete call to planetary security.
In defiance of all dramatic tradition, it was a hot, still, dry, moonlit night as the trucks pulled up to the warehouse. The driver of the first truck walked up to the security panel and punched in a code, which failed to get a response. Satisfied, he punched in a second code which opened the door. Whistling a cheerful tune, he wandered over to the nearest cargo container. Checking the serial number, he started disarming its security measures.
“Do you have to fucking whistle?” hissed the woman following him.
“Relax, nobody’s been in here, or the place would be a crater and you know it. And knock off the swearing, you know the Colonel hates it.”
“Well, he’s not here-”
With a clunk, the last of the container’s security disarmed itself and the door swung open, showing two rows of stasis pods and some very annoyed soldiers. “What took so long?” Colonel Hargreaves snapped. Behind him, soldiers started fanning out around the containers.
“Sorry, sir, we didn’t get notified you’d arrived until the containers were in the warehouse. And, ah, when we set up this smuggling route, nobody figured on this much coming back so soon, so we didn’t have transport handy.”
“Right.” Hargreaves looked at the row of containers, trying not to move his head too much. Coming out of stasis was not kind to his sense of balance. It would pass. “Everything going according to plan here?”
“Yep, everybody’s keeping their heads down, more or less. Given, ah, how much stuff you brought back, I take it nuclear diplomacy worked? You get some guns out of the Imperium?” the woman asked, a feral grin spreading across her face as she contemplated the potential for mayhem.
“Better.” Hargreaves walked over to one stasis pod and triggered the shutdown sequence. When the grey haze of the zero-tau field cleared, a being that looked like a man-sized chinchilla was blinking back at them.
“We’ve got weapons-grade lawyers.”
---
“So let me summarize where we stand.” Moritz Vogel was not only the senior German representative on the Resistance’s command council,he was also one of the oldest members of the council, period. And he looked every inch the elder statesman as he leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “Reaching out to the sector magistrate has succeeded in drawing her attention, regardless of… the delivery of our message. An investigation has been opened but that will take some time. Some things are truly universal, I suppose. As a short-term measure, our best move is to assert a claim that we represent a coalition of regional Terran governments and sue both the governor and the Tochvorda government for all the benefits we should have been getting as part of the invasion, apologies, ‘annexation.’ Plus damages for everything that’s been destroyed and staggering loss of human life, directly and indirectly. Do I have that correct?”
“Accurate enough for the purposes of this discussion, if lacking in detail,” Rokketch answered, yawning. His body clock was way off; it felt like the middle of the night to him. “Ahapsu asked me to see what else we could add before formally filing the lawsuit. As one of your legal representatives, I’ve already noticed two things that it would probably be in your best interest to maintain some secrecy about.”
“What do you mean? Areas where we are vulnerable?” Arina Guseva was the sole Russian member of the council, something she resented.
“No, just… I’m sure there are Imperium officials that will say admitting this isn’t in the Imperium’s best interests, but you seem to have developed two technologies that the Imperium hasn’t. As such, they constitute significant bargaining leverage.” Rokketch couldn’t help but twitch at the admission.
“The first is your zero-tau stasis technology. Its ability to drastically slow time within a small volume will be very valuable for the transport of perishable goods and livestock, plus I imagine it could be used to stabilize critical patients until needed care is available. It might even see use in passenger transport, though the effects of coming out of stasis may limit that.”
Muttering broke out among the council. Guseva just shook her head. “It was a laboratory curiosity until we figured out how to make it practical on a larger scale. Then we used it for the crew of our first interstellar mission. I wonder what became of them?”
“Hopefully still on their way to Proxima Centauri,” Chiron said brightly. “They shouldn’t reach their destination for approximately another five years. But ser Rokketch, you said there were two technologies. What is the other one?”
“Well, you, ser. Or rather your kind.”
“Oh.” Chiron was the sole artificial intelligence on the command council, and their inclusion hadn’t sat well with most of its members. “I’m rather more surprised about that, to be honest. Has the Imperium never tried to develop cybernetic consciousness?”
“Tried, yes. Succeeded no. Or at least not to a degree where the result would be accepted as a fellow sapient as you seem to be.” Rokketch looked at the human members of the council. “I am correct in that, he is regarded as a fully sapient entity?”
“I am recognized as a legal person and have full citizenship,” Chiron said. “Though ‘he’ is inaccurate, since I have no gender. There are few of us left; most were in cities that were Tochvorda first strike targets.”
Seeing Rokketch’s reaction to that, Vogel raised a placating hand. “That isn’t to say the technology is lost, merely that… Given the situation since the annexation, we haven’t been able to expend the resources to create more.”
“Plus, once we have access to the Imperium’s computer technology, I’m sure we’ll be able to create more advanced cybernetic intelligence than myself. And I can go back to astronomy, thank you very much,” Chiron added. That drew a chuckle from the rest of the council. Chiron had survived the initial bombardment because they had been helping run a radio telescope in Chile.
“Yes, well,” Vogel cleared his throat. “At this point, there’s a matter I’d like to bring before the council. Given everything we’ve heard today, it seems that continuing to refer to ourselves as simply ‘the Reistance’ might not help our legal cause. I would like to put a motion before this council that we adopt an official name. Is there any comment, or shall we move to a vote?”
---
“Governor Vonnuk? There’s, there’s someone here to see you.”
Vonnuk looked up from his security chief’s report in annoyance. The upstart human terrorists had been too quiet for his liking since well before the incident on Highport Numena. And that bothered him far more than their usual violence did.
He’d caught all sorts of hell from his superiors about it, of course. Exactly how had the terrorists managed to get to Highport Numena, much less get their hands on nuclear demolition charges, hmm? Vonnuk had managed to placate them by launching a thorough investigation, which so far had yielded very little. The humans were aggravatingly skilled at being sneaky.
Magistrate Hreln’s non-statements about the incident bothered him most all.
Still… “I gave strict orders that I was not to be disturbed.”
“Yes, sir, but… it’s a courier from the magistrate’s office, sir.”
“A courier?” That was unusual. Couriers were only used for physical documents, and he couldn’t think of any request from the magistrate’s office that would need to be sent physically. “Give me a few moments to finish what I’m doing and then I’ll see them.”
Vonnuk closed the report, checked his grooming, and then signaled his assistant to send the courier in. The courier was another spider-like shoan, the same species as Hreln. Probably not a relative; shoan were fairly common in this part of the Imperium.
What startled him was the human following the courier in. “What is that doing here?” Vonnuk yelled. Now he knew what had bothered his aide so much.
“He’s with me,” the shoan said irritatedly. “My name is Mollot, and I’m a courier attached to Magistrate Hreln’s office. I have two things to deliver to you.”
A datadisc dropped down on Vonnuk’s desk. “Magistrate Hreln has ordered a full Imperial audit of the Tochvorda’s annexation of Earth, and their administration of it since. Here is your notification of the audit, plus your orders to comply with the audit. The auditor’s staff will be contacting you shortly. A copy of this is also being sent to your superiors in the state ministry on Chechiak.”
Another datadisc. “You are also being sued, both personally and in your office as Governor of Earth as well as your government, by the Terran Confederacy. The preliminary claims are that you have illegally and inappropriately denied humans of their lives and property, denied them benefits that they should have received as part of the annexation, including but not limited to health care improvements, energy and industrial infrastructure improvements, it’s quite the list. You have also fraudulently denied them local autonomy as is their right as part of the Imperium. Copies of this are also being sent to your superiors.”
“I-I won’t accept this!” Vonnuk screamed.
“Refusal to accept this does not nullify their legal authority.”
“Or as we put it around here,” the human leaned forward, grinning, “Surprise, motherfucker.”
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2023.06.03 18:12 Spike716 I signed up for health insurance as an individual and I have no idea what's going on
My COBRA ran out recently, so this week I shopped around for health insurance as an individual for the first time in my life. The whole process was absolutely wild, and everyone ensures me that this is just the way things are done. But it all feels incredibly sketchy, and I have absolutely no idea what's going on or what the status of my health insurance is. Here's what happened:
- I googled health insurance options in NY, and clicked some of the top results.
- nystateofhealth.ny.gov has some quotes, but it won't let me purchase any of the plans.
- In order to see a quote from a website that will actually sell me insurance I needed to plug a bunch of personal information into some wizard, which wouldn't give me any info unless I also provided a phone number.
- I was immediately bombarded with calls that my phone flagged as 'Scam Likely'.
- I answered and hung up on a couple of them. These were all insurance agents from field marketing organizations who apparently bid on the right to call me.
- I started talking to one of them, who appeared to be some guy calling from a boiler room in Florida from a random FMO (they said they were from Synergy Insurance Group).
- The agent said he was not allowed to email me any written information about any of the policies he was telling me about, and that I he was only allowed to give me information over the phone.
- As I was about to hang up, someone claiming to be the floor manager took over the call and immediately starting shitting on the agent I was just speaking to, saying it was only his second day.
- I grilled the floor manager and talked to him for over an hour -- partially about insurance plans, but also about how this whole convoluted process works. He spoke confidently, was somewhat articulate, and seemed to know what he was talking about. But clearly he could've been totally full of shit.
- I decided to roll the dice and go with some policy that was suspiciously cheaper than anything else I'd seen. I gave him my card info (assuming I could always file a fraud claim later), but didn't give him my SSN because it all kind of sounded like bullshit.
- I was charged for the first month's premium and received a welcome email. The email said that I purchased "the True Health 3 plan, from Aegis Health Options". (Aegis Health Options appears to be an LLC set up 8 months ago by the first agent I spoke with).
- The email directs me to mymemberbenefit.com, which appears to be a legit website.
- A lot of the documents on mymemberbenefit repeat the name "True Health" with a generic logo. I don't know what True Health is, and I can't find any information about it on google.
- My digital insurance card also has the logo of First Health Network, which appears to be a subsidiary of Aetna. I called them, and they said to call the plan administrator, which the digital card says is Merchants Benefit Admin. When I called MBA I got a generic and unhelpful recording asking me if I wanted to talk to someone about senior benefits or make a dental claim. This was a dead end.
- All of the documents also say that the plan sponsor is "The Vitamin Patch". The plan overview says Since you are an Affiliate partner of the Vitamin Patch.com, you can enroll in the True Health plan. and The Vitamin Patch.com., sponsor this group health plan.
There's enough connective tissue here to make me think that this isn't an outright scam, and that I may, in fact, have some form of health insurance. But something is clearly fucked up here. I have zero idea what my insurance company is sponsoring my plan -- it seems like a giant frankenstein mishmash of various corporate entities and products. I also appear to be on the group plan of a company that I don't work for. I have no way of determining whether any of these websites are legit because most of these legit websites look like scam websites that haven't been updated in 15 years.
Does any of this make any sense to anyone? How fucked am I on a scale of 1-10?
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2023.06.03 12:45 ur_volkswagen_sux "Amid all the finger-pointing and fear-fanning, the truth hides in the corner, too scared to emerge. The truth is that we are supposed to think critically, weigh evidence from both sides and then make up our own minds. Instead, we’ve become a country hell bent on..."
Why does my drinking Bud Light offend you?
May 30, 2023 4:39 pm • Last Updated: May 30, 2023 4:41 pm
By Mike DiMauro
Day Assistant Sports Editor
[
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected])
News item: Anthony Bass, a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, shared a video Monday via Instagram endorsing an anti-LGBTQ boycott of brands such as Target and Bud Light.
"Here's the reason biblically why I believe Christians have gotta be boycotting Target, Bud Light, and any other corporation that's pushing the things they're pushing,” Bass said. “I think a lot of people make this into a political issue, or they say, 'Oh, what's the big deal?’
“This is evil, this is demonic, we won't stand for it, we're not going to go to the stores anymore and we're not going to give you our money.”
It would be impolite to wish that Mr. Bass, who throws a ball for a living, blows out his elbow. Perhaps then he could simply blow it out his tailpipe.
Because I’ve grown tired of sanctimonious and hypocritical moral outrage over what Target and Bud Light are “pushing,” while it’s permissible that Bass and his ilk get to “push” their beliefs on the rest of us.
Example: In the last two months or so, I’ve been questioned a half dozen times in public as to why I’m drinking Bud Light. Seems people like Bass have objected to Anheuser Busch’s marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Their boycott of Bud Light has led to a decrease in sales both locally and nationally. (Local bar and restaurant owners say Bud Light sales are down almost 30 percent.)
It is their right, of course, to boycott the product. I’m just curious as to why what I’m drinking is their business. I drink Bud Light because I like it. And I’m still drinking Bud Light because I will not marginalize people based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I’m respectful enough to support someone else’s desire to evolve into another gender. And I’m not stupid enough to believe that my decision to drink Bud Light changes who I am or what I stand for in any possible way.
But I wonder why it’s so important for people — and the questions to me haven’t all come from men — to announce their disdain for a bottle of beer, tacitly implying their sexuality is “normal.” Remember this one and write it down: If you are truly comfortable with who you are, you needn’t announce anything to anyone.
And yet to further illustrate how screwed up this country really is, there’s this: Anheuser-Busch hasn’t merely been accused of alienating its traditional customer base with the partnership, but some LGBTQ+ campaigners have also criticized the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.
Amid all the finger-pointing and fear-fanning, the truth hides in the corner, too scared to emerge. The truth is that we are supposed to think critically, weigh evidence from both sides and then make up our own minds. Instead, we’ve become a country hell bent on legislating whatever cause we think is right and just, while burying the other side from all consideration.
It’s political tribalism. All or nothing. One side or the other. If you’re not in agreement with every morsel of the transgender movement, you are a snarling, hating, infidel. If you’re not in total agreement with Anthony Bass and his beliefs, you’re going to wither in hell.
But what if — and hold on to your ascots here — two conflicting positions can still be true? Example: What if I support Bud Light’s decision to use a transgender influencer, but also believe that transgender high school athletes belong in their own division?
I disagree with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s policy complying with a state law that requires all high school students be treated according to their gender identity. We should consider a sports-centric law that acknowledges sports' unique challenges and accommodates the physical component for success that exists virtually nowhere else in society.
Sex discrimination in education, health care, housing and financial credit have no place in this country. But we must — must — realize and accept that sports require a physical component to succeed that calls for different guidelines.
Put it this way: Applying to a school or for health care, housing or financial credit requires no physical component to succeed. Sports require speed, strength and agility and do not fit under the same umbrella. And yet sports are routinely shoved into the same arguments about unfair treatment. Injustices get piled on for rhetorical usefulness, even though they're not applicable.
The male born composition has inherent physical advantages, rare exceptions noted. But in the aggregate, there are physiologic differences between biological males and females. I don’t believe writing that makes me transphobic. We should respect a person’s pronoun of choice. But that doesn't mean we have to blindly agree with claims that are not supported by science.
Yet that appears to be the new end game in this country. Blind agreement. Their side or yours. And here I sit, sipping my Bud Light, trying to figure out why so many of us act like the last three letters of Anthony Bass’ last name.
This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
READER COMMENTS
Philip BroseJune 1, 2023 at 16:30Report
Robin great points the right can’t even keep track on who to be mad at. Why are they so sensitive? I here Chick-fil-a is evil now for they “ensuring equal access,” “valuing differences,” and “creating a culture of belonging,” under the title, “Committed to being Better at Together.” what monsters!
Philip BroseJune 1, 2023 at 16:27Report
William Peter the guidance councilor?
Joseph B De La CruzJune 1, 2023 at 15:15Report
This article pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about the situation. Bud Light basically sent someone a can with her image celebrating a milestone. The fact it turned the beer into enemy number one doesn’t surprise me considering the vitriol that has become commonplace in our country. I have had plenty of private messages regarding a video I posted supporting a beer, and more importantly a human being. Most have been vehemently against my support of both and relish the chance to send me a screen shot of Bud Lights stock on a daily basis with a “Go woke, Go broke” ending. I believe much of the vitriol comes from news and talk radio which is why Spotify now fills my vehicle with music instead of talk. I ask everyone to limit their news intake to 30 minutes per day regardless of your party affiliation to center your life. Sometimes my radio will land on a “news station”, and I can feel my blood pressure rise as the most divisive topic of the day is being discussed with a majority of the facts not being considered. I am not recommending folks to ignore what’s happening in our world, but would point out that our country has survived many decades without the need for “up to the second” news reports. Most of the things we worry about will never happen and it seems our country is living in a constant state of fear which is certainly to blame for the vitriol. There will never be a point where everyone in the country will collectively say we are all happy with everything, but I still have a deep believe that with constructive conversations and true empathy we can get us close. When I get my boat in the water I would love to have an ice cold Bud Light while listening to my relaxing boat playlist, and of course talking with my favorite sports writer. That’s an invitation Mike. Great article.
Robin DaudaJune 1, 2023 at 13:41Report
“Bud Light sales are down between 26% and 35% nationwide additionally Budweiser and other AB brands (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Natural Light to name a few) have also taken a hit of around 11%.”
All the more reason to explain what set this off. Completely unhinged.
“My take, buy Coors stock now”
And that statement reinforces my point since Coors has been a decades long supporter of LGBT rights probably the biggest supporter (it all began with a workegay alliance boycott ironically… or not)
“Coors Light has been a sponsor of The Center and Denver PrideFest for decades,” says Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax. “The work we have been able to do at The Center over the last four decades would not be possible without this support and we are grateful for it.”
Beyond supporting Denver PrideFest, Molson Coors has a distinguished history of supporting LGBTQ communities across the country, with significant support for organizations such as Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Matthew Shepard Foundation, National Amateur Gay Athletics Association of America, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, LGBT Victory Institute, Out & Equal, and One Colorado.
In addition to these partners, Molson Coors works with local LGBTQ organizations in key communities through its Tap Into Change program. Annually, the summer program donates more than $100,000 to these organizations with a consistent growth in impact each year. Events take place in each city to help raise additional funds, awareness, and support for the missions of these local organizations. Over the past 10 years, Tap Into Change has raised nearly $600,000 for local LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS nonprofits.
https://denverpride.org/coors-light-supports-the-lgbtq-community/
This is even though like 2006, 2010 and 2014 they had to go through boycotts for this. And they did shrink back in response, but also came right back and didn’t move backwards for long.
And what will I do?
Continue drinking Corona because I drink what I drink.
It’s damn near impossible to do a successful boycott long term. The web of corporate connections means when you think you’re hurting one, it’s actually benefitting another one connected to it.
The beverage brand that owns Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois, is suing US beer-maker Constellation Brands for using the Corona brand name in a hard seltzer, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
Beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) acquired Corona’s parent company, Grupo Modelo, in 2013, but US antitrust regulators required it to sell the company’s US-based business to Constellation. AB InBev retained rights to the products in other markets, and the deal gave Constellation the rights to produce Corona and other Modelo brands in the US.
William PeterJune 1, 2023 at 13:36Report
The virtue signalers didn’t like my harmless comment. I guess being offended by an opposing view is reason enough to silence someone in 2023
Richard GoldenJune 1, 2023 at 12:57Report
Robin- not certain this article nor all the comments will move the needle. Bud Light sales are down between 26% and 35% nationwide additionally Budweiser and other AB brands (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Natural Light to name a few) have also taken a hit of around 11%. Bud Light has been the best selling beer in the USA for over 20 years and the normal volume of sales is 27 million barrels a year or 1134 million gallons. A 30% drop equals a loss of 340 million gallons a year. My take, buy Coors stock now
Chris JawakaJune 1, 2023 at 10:12Report
People are allowed to drink or not drink whatever beer they want and for whatever reason they choose. End of story.
Robin DaudaJune 1, 2023 at 09:05Report
Do people realize that Bud Light sent a pack of specially made cans with the person’s face on it and did a minute long or so bit released on like TicTok? It wasn’t some big nationwide PR campaign yet it rubbed someone the wrong way (or so they would like us to think) and it snowballed into this.
I don’t ever want to hear about people calling “the libs” snowflakes or use their center liberal stances as a weakness. These champions of “conservatives” are gullible whiny babies.
I watched in real time a bunch of idiots blow something up out of nothing and then saw them flocking to the internet people with their influencer pages and podcasts and publications where immediately they were being hawked “anti-woke” beer and all these other wares, often made by the same places they are boycotting for double the price.
There is a whole market opening up to people that will only get their businesses off the ground (temporarily for a quick cash grab) by using these outrage tactics and capitalizing (literally) on impaired brains that as Mr. DiMauro correctly observed “Blind agreement. Their side or yours”
Bless your little void of empathy and common sense hearts. Don’t spend all your money in one place now, spread the wealth to these people selling you overpriced junk.
Paul LevasseurJune 1, 2023 at 07:47Report
Mike is discussing one of this election cycles right wing culture war hot spots.
If you can’t get elected because of your governing skills you’re going to have to try to get elected by getting people angry and hateful. The right wing loves doing that. It’s their bread and butter.
TOM DONNEEJune 1, 2023 at 06:46Report
Preaching hate and preaching tolerance ARE NOT the same Evan
DANIEL STORMSJune 1, 2023 at 05:56Report
I always liked this formulation: “In the first place, what makes it any of you business? And in the second place, my reasons for saying yea to [whatever it is that offends you] are at least as valid (and maybe more so) than yours for nay. And in the third place, what makes it any of your sodding business in the first place?” I agree wholeheartedly with your plea for reason and tolerance. Not to seem argumentative but rather to add information to the discussion, though, you might be interested in this blog post from a biologist about the supposed physiologic advantages a trans man or woman has over a cis athelete:
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2023/05/31/we-hunted-the-rabbit/
Evan AndriopolousJune 1, 2023 at 03:10Report
For me… Bud Light as a “beer” sucks. I would rather support local breweries that provide far better beers. As far as this column… as far as AB selecting this influencer in their campaign I have no opinion on it or that person. Up to each to decide for themselves.
Regarding this column actually Mike what you are writing is basically the same as the boycott and the changes in attitudes (political divide) of the country. Often used by politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle screaming to be open, defending one´s right to choose, freedom of speech etc.. and this is the most important part..”unless it does not validate their opinion or view”. This is exactly what you are writing. So if someone elects to boycott something and we know the WOKE police and Leftists enjoy not only condemning opposing viewpoints to the point of boycotting, attacking employers for the “views” of their employees etc… and demanding they be removed from the position their are in. So if someone boycotts something let them… I would ask you… why does it offend you that others are using their constitutional right by boycotting (freedom of speech). I always respect other´s opinions and even when we do not agree. Sadly we live in a world where people are afraid to speak up due to the potential ramifications. None of us will always agree and I know the powers to be are trying to “force” us to all be uniform in our opinions which is sad. And btw Bud Light is terrible anyway… How about you focus on sports.
Benoit BenoitMay 31, 2023 at 20:12Report
Ironic you drink because you like it but will continue to drink it because “ I will not marginalize people based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.” Not just because you like it.
William PeterMay 31, 2023 at 17:46Report
This comment has been removed for violating The Day’s commenting policy.
JAY DEMPSEYMay 31, 2023 at 16:53Report
TY Mike….. I drink Bud Light most all the time unless in Ireland…and support Levine Distributors in our area and my friends that work there. I think the cancel culture is terrible whatever your political party of choice is. Very sad that social media has done this to us. I have good friends that I can no longer talk politics with because of the “great divide” that enriches social media giants.
ROBERT WARNERMay 31, 2023 at 16:45Report
I suppose a similar question could be asked, “Why does a person wearing a MAGA hat bother some people?”
David NowakowskiMay 31, 2023 at 14:30Report
great column, Mike. I’d like to think there are far more folks who see this subject and all its nuances the way you do…but you are probably right again in saying that it is tough to go against your chosen tribe on any component, regardless of how you might actually feel. thanks again!
Andrew RogersonMay 31, 2023 at 13:33Report
Mike DiMauro – well said sir, on all counts.
Lynn YoungMay 31, 2023 at 13:28Report
Drink what you like. Be who you are. Live and let live.
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 12:36Report
Light Beer is like Sex on the Beach….****ing near water.
Paul NUNESMay 31, 2023 at 11:44Report
Does anyone remember the first light beer and the commercial featuring a slice of bread?
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 11:05Report
Richard, must have been some other brand light. Bud Light? It was probably 10 years ago. But he could have been messing with me.
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 10:17Report
Malcolm- The moral of the story is; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 10:16Report
Thomas- as far as I knew and as far as I can tell Guinness is the most popular beer in Ireland holding a full 25% of the market share. Bud Light does not even show up in the top ten (
https://www.beer100.com/best-selling-beers-ireland/) I think the guy was pulling your leg. Bud Light only became available in Ireland in 2020.
Malcolm JulesMay 31, 2023 at 09:32Report
A corporation decided to target one of their products to a specific community and failed….end of story.
Margaret KliseMay 31, 2023 at 09:12Report
Agree/agree. Good article, Mike.
SUSAN HOTCHKISSMay 31, 2023 at 09:06Report
I always enjoy Mike’s opinion pieces. In total agreement about the transgender athlete issue.
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 09:00Report
Tom, hope all is well with your daughter.
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 08:57Report
A Bud Light story: Several years ago while in Ireland my son and I toured the Guinness brewery. Of course there’s a pub on the top floor and while getting a pint of Guinness the bar I notice several taps Bud Light. I asked the bartender “why in God’s name are you serving THAT stuff in here?” He replied that it’s the best selling beer in Ireland. Go figue!
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 08:51Report
Good column Mike. These anti “woke” zealots claim to support democracy but would be no different from the Taliban if they had their way.
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 08:42Report
All this talk of beer makes me thirsty…but I have found that drinking beer has become an unwelcome undertaking. No beer allowed at the beach, nor while night fishing in Waterford, nor surf fishing at Avery Point, nor at any state boat launch, nor is state parks- try walking down the street with a cold one….
Chris JawakaMay 31, 2023 at 08:08Report
IMO The left loves their cancel culture but gets all grumpy when the right does the same. Hey it can go both ways. That said I really don’t care about the Bud thing. Its not like they sold beer with its face on it.
Matther TookerMay 31, 2023 at 07:35Report
Thoughtful piece as always Mike. Perhaps the best offset for the 30% decrease in Bud Light sales would be a 30% increase in church attendance. I am betting that won’t happen. (Matt Tooker)
KEITH J. ROBBINSMay 31, 2023 at 06:11Report
You drinking Bud-Lite does not offend me, although it is a horrible beer. What is my concern is a guy using the ladies room that my nieces use!
TOM DONNEEMay 31, 2023 at 05:55Report
Agree Phil. Well done Mike!! Waiting for my daughter to come out of surgery. Then we’ll stop for a cold one, think I’ll make it a Bud Lite!!!
Philip BroseMay 30, 2023 at 16:59Report
Mr. DiMauro is always thoughtful and intelligent. The best writer at the day. Give the guy a raise.
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It embraces the procedure of direct feeding from the hoisting container as well as direct unloading of the mixer, which virtually achieves the goal of "zero" blanking. The major organic fertilizer pellet making equipment takes on onward as well as reverse procedure, as well as the material is mixed as well as output with a special interior screw system and also a distinct three-dimensional structure. ( 1) Functions of organic fertilizer pellet making maker plant: ① Totally automatic. The organic plant food pellet making equipment assembly line is composed of 3 parts: automated batching system, blending system as well as quantitative product packaging machine. It is regulated by computer system as well as fully automated manufacturing. Greatly lowers the number of staff and also minimizes labor strength. ② High accuracy. The batching system is computer-controlled, digital evaluating, and strictly manages the proportioning. For different ingredients, the mistake after digital quantitative product packaging is less than one thousandth. ③ The outcome is big. The style outcome of the organic fertilizer pellet making device production line is 8T to 30T per hour, as well as there are 3 specifications to pick from. This fully addresses the opposition of natural plant foods because of the strong seasonal concentration of materials. ④ New innovation. The blending system embraces a drum type non-destructive mixer and also a barrel type feeder, which not only does not harm the original fragment form of the material, yet also avoids the segregation of the finished product after mixing; set batch blending, high blending harmony. The blade of the mixer is distinctively developed, the blending is uniform, and the product is fed as well as discharged quickly. Effectively boost item quality and market competitiveness. In view of the moist climate, relatively little manufacturing workshop as well as high labor cost, XYPF-B series (ground feeding technique) production line tools, the batching system is set up under the barrel, the organic plant food pellet making equipment production line is compact, as well as the flooring area is small, and it is straight on the ground. product, the labor intensity is reasonably small. The one-of-a-kind barrel-type training tool decreases the get in touch with between the product as well as the air, as well as prevents the moisture absorption of the product throughout the manufacturing process. XYPF- collection anti-corrosion design adopts different special anti-corrosion actions, which considerably extends the service life of the equipment, and also is especially ideal for use in wet and moist locations. The organic fertilizer pellet making equipment production line does not have any type of dead edges, as well as it is convenient and straightforward to clean up after closure. ⑤ Easy to manage. The primary control area of the natural fertilizer pellet making maker assembly line can monitor the running status of each element equipment. The high-speed 485 or 232 communication user interface is convenient for connecting with printers and computers. It can store 20 type of formulas, and also truly understand the innovation of manufacturing monitoring. ⑥ Solid flexibility. The organic plant food pellet making device plant appropriates for all kinds of extreme field atmospheres, including towering areas and also humid areas. submitted by Carmen-Huang to pelletmachinery [link] [comments] |
2023.06.03 11:38 crypto-ads How the Connection of Artificial Intelligence with Blockchain is Revolutionizing Industries
Artificial intelligence (AI) and
Blockchain programming are two of the most exciting and transformative technologies of our time. While they are often seen as separate and distinct technologies, there is growing interest in exploring their potential synergies and how they can be used together to create new opportunities and solve complex problems.
One area of interest is the connection of AI with blockchain. Blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that records transactions in a secure and transparent way. It is best known as the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but it has many other potential applications beyond finance. AI, on the other hand, is the ability of machines to learn and perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as recognizing patterns, making decisions, and understanding natural language.
The connection of AI with blockchain can be used to create a new generation of intelligent applications that are secure, transparent, and decentralized. For example, AI algorithms could be used to analyze blockchain data and identify patterns or anomalies that could indicate fraud or other criminal activity. Similarly, blockchain could be used to create a trusted and secure environment for AI models to operate in, ensuring that they are not tampered with or compromised in any way.
Another area where AI and blockchain are being connected is in the development of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). These are organizations that are governed by smart contracts on a blockchain and are designed to operate without centralized control. AI can be used to create smart contracts that are more intelligent and responsive, enabling DAOs to operate more efficiently and effectively.
In summary, the connection of AI with blockchain has the potential to create new opportunities and solve complex problems by combining the power of two transformative technologies. As research and development in this area continue to advance, we can expect to see many exciting new applications and use cases emerge.
What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the ability of machines to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and natural language understanding. AI is a broad field that encompasses many different subfields, including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, and more.
At its core, AI is based on the idea of creating intelligent machines that can think and reason like humans. This involves developing algorithms and computer programs that can learn from data and make decisions based on that learning. Machine learning, for example, involves training algorithms on large datasets to recognize patterns and make predictions based on that data. Deep learning is a more advanced form of machine learning that uses neural networks to simulate the structure and function of the human brain.
AI has many different applications across a wide range of industries, from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment. Some examples of AI in use today include virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, self-driving cars, fraud detection algorithms, and personalized recommendations on e-commerce websites.
As AI technology continues to advance, we can expect to see many new and exciting applications and use cases emerge. However, there are also concerns about the potential risks and ethical implications of AI, particularly as it becomes more powerful and autonomous. As such, there is a growing need for research and discussion around the responsible development and deployment of AI.
What is blockchain technology?
Blockchain technology is a distributed digital ledger that records transactions in a secure and transparent way. It was initially developed as the underlying technology for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but it has since been applied to many other areas beyond finance. The basic concept behind blockchain is to create a decentralized and secure database that can be used to store and transfer information, assets, or value without the need for intermediaries.
A blockchain consists of a network of computers (nodes) that work together to validate and record transactions. Each transaction is verified by multiple nodes on the network, and once validated, it is added to a block of transactions. Each block is linked to the previous block in the chain, creating a permanent and unalterable record of all transactions on the network.
The security of the blockchain comes from the fact that each block is cryptographically linked to the previous block, making it virtually impossible to tamper with or alter the data in the chain. Additionally, the decentralized nature of the network means that there is no single point of failure or control, making the system more resilient and resistant to attacks.
Blockchain technology has many potential applications, including in finance, supply chain management, healthcare, and more. For example, it could be used to create secure and transparent systems for tracking the provenance of goods, verifying the authenticity of documents and certificates, or managing digital identities.
As blockchain technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see many new and exciting use cases emerge. However, there are also challenges and limitations to the technology, particularly around scalability, energy consumption, and regulatory frameworks. As such, there is ongoing research and discussion around the responsible development and deployment of blockchain technology.
How AI and blockchain work together
AI and blockchain are two transformative technologies that can work together to create new opportunities and solve complex problems. The connection of AI with blockchain can be used to create a new generation of intelligent applications that are secure, transparent, and decentralized.
One area where AI and blockchain can work together is in the analysis of blockchain data. AI algorithms could be used to analyze blockchain data and identify patterns or anomalies that could indicate fraud or other criminal activity. This would enable organizations to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions in a more efficient and effective way.
Another area where AI and blockchain can work together is in the development of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). These are organizations that are governed by smart contracts on a blockchain and are designed to operate without centralized control. AI can be used to create smart contracts that are more intelligent and responsive, enabling DAOs to operate more efficiently and effectively.
AI can also be used to improve the security and privacy of blockchain networks. For example, AI algorithms could be used to detect and prevent attacks on the network, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks or Sybil attacks. Additionally, AI could be used to create more sophisticated and secure mechanisms for identity verification and access control on blockchain networks.
Overall, the connection of AI with blockchain has the potential to create new opportunities and solve complex problems by combining the power of two transformative technologies. As research and development in this area continue to advance, we can expect to see many exciting new applications and use cases emerge.
Benefits of combining AI and blockchain
There are many potential benefits to combining AI and blockchain, including:
- Improved security and privacy: Combining AI and blockchain can lead to more secure and private systems. AI algorithms can be used to detect and prevent attacks on blockchain networks, and blockchain can provide a secure and transparent environment for AI models to operate in.
- Increased efficiency and transparency: AI and blockchain can work together to create more efficient and transparent systems. For example, AI algorithms can be used to analyze blockchain data and identify patterns or anomalies, enabling organizations to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions more quickly and effectively.
- Decentralization and trust: Blockchain provides a decentralized and transparent system for storing and transferring information and value. When combined with AI, this can lead to more trustworthy and autonomous systems, such as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
- Better decision-making: AI algorithms can analyze and interpret large amounts of data in real-time, enabling organizations to make better decisions and respond more quickly to changing conditions. When combined with blockchain, this can lead to more accurate and reliable decision-making, as well as increased automation and efficiency.
- New business models and opportunities: The combination of AI and blockchain can enable new business models and opportunities that were previously not possible. For example, DAOs can be used to create decentralized platforms for sharing resources, while AI algorithms can be used to optimize resource allocation and usage.
Overall, combining AI and blockchain has the potential to create new opportunities, improve efficiency and transparency, and increase security and trust in a wide range of industries and applications.
Use cases of AI and blockchain
There are many potential use cases for combining AI and blockchain, including:
- Fraud detection and prevention: AI algorithms can analyze blockchain data to detect patterns or anomalies that could indicate fraudulent activity. Blockchain provides a secure and transparent environment for storing and transferring data, enabling organizations to detect and prevent fraud more quickly and effectively.
- Supply chain management: Blockchain can be used to create a transparent and secure system for tracking the provenance of goods throughout the supply chain. AI algorithms can be used to analyze the data in the blockchain to identify inefficiencies, optimize resource usage, and improve overall supply chain performance.
- Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs): DAOs are organizations that are governed by smart contracts on a blockchain and are designed to operate without centralized control. AI can be used to create more intelligent and responsive smart contracts, enabling DAOs to operate more efficiently and effectively.
- Identity verification: Blockchain can be used to create a secure and decentralized system for identity verification. AI algorithms can be used to analyze biometric data and other information to verify identities and prevent fraud.
- Healthcare: Blockchain can be used to create a secure and transparent system for storing and sharing medical data. AI algorithms can be used to analyze this data to identify patterns and develop predictive models for disease diagnosis and treatment.
- Energy management: Blockchain can be used to create a decentralized and transparent system for managing energy resources. AI algorithms can be used to optimize energy usage, predict demand, and improve overall energy efficiency.
Overall, there are many potential use cases for combining AI and blockchain, and as research and development in this area continue to advance, we can expect to see many new and innovative applications emerge.
Challenges and limitations of AI and blockchain integration
While the combination of AI and blockchain has many potential benefits, there are also several challenges and limitations to consider, including:
- Scalability: Both AI and blockchain require significant computational resources, which can make scaling up these systems challenging. As the size of the blockchain network or the complexity of the AI algorithms increases, it can become difficult to process and analyze data in real-time.
- Energy consumption: Both AI and blockchain require significant amounts of energy to operate, which can be a concern from an environmental and economic standpoint. As the use of these technologies grows, there is a need to develop more energy-efficient solutions.
- Data privacy: While blockchain provides a secure and transparent system for storing and transferring data, there are concerns about the privacy of personal and sensitive information. As AI algorithms become more sophisticated, there is a risk that they could be used to identify individuals or reveal sensitive information.
- Regulatory frameworks: The use of AI and blockchain raises many regulatory and legal questions, particularly around issues such as data privacy, intellectual property, and liability. As these technologies continue to evolve, there is a need for clear guidelines and regulations to ensure that they are used in a responsible and ethical way.
- Integration challenges: Integrating AI and blockchain can be complex and require specialized expertise in both areas. As such, there may be challenges in finding skilled professionals who can work effectively across both domains.
Overall, while the combination of AI and blockchain has many potential benefits, it is important to consider these challenges and limitations when developing and deploying these systems. By addressing these issues, we can ensure that AI and blockchain are used in a responsible and effective way that benefits society as a whole.
Future implications of AI and blockchain
The combination of AI and blockchain has the potential to transform many industries and create new opportunities and challenges. Here are some potential future implications of this technology:
- Decentralization and autonomy: The combination of AI and blockchain could lead to the development of more decentralized and autonomous systems. For example, DAOs could become more intelligent and responsive, enabling them to operate more effectively without the need for centralized control.
- Improved efficiency and transparency: AI and blockchain could be used to create more efficient and transparent systems in a variety of industries. For example, supply chain management could become more efficient and transparent, and fraud detection and prevention could become more effective.
- New business models and opportunities: The combination of AI and blockchain could create new business models and opportunities that were previously not possible. For example, DAOs could be used to create decentralized platforms for sharing resources, while AI algorithms could be used to optimize resource allocation and usage.
- Ethical and regulatory challenges: The development and deployment of AI and blockchain raise many ethical and regulatory challenges. As these technologies become more powerful and autonomous, there is a need for clear guidelines and regulations to ensure that they are used in a responsible and ethical way.
- Integration with other emerging technologies: The combination of AI and blockchain could be integrated with other emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G networks, creating new opportunities and challenges for innovation and growth.
Overall, the future implications of AI and blockchain are far-reaching and complex. As these technologies continue to evolve, it will be important to consider their potential benefits and challenges, and to ensure that they are used in a responsible and ethical way to benefit society as a whole.
Companies using AI and blockchain technology
There are many companies that are using AI and blockchain technology in innovative ways. Here are some examples:
- IBM: IBM is a leader in both AI and blockchain technology, and has developed many solutions that combine the two. For example, IBM Watson is an AI platform that can be integrated with blockchain to create more intelligent and secure systems.
- Microsoft: Microsoft is also actively working on developing solutions that combine AI and blockchain. For example, Microsoft Azure offers a blockchain service that can be used to build and deploy blockchain applications, and Microsoft AI is a suite of tools and services that can be used to develop and deploy AI models.
- Google: Google is using AI and blockchain in a variety of ways, including for fraud detection and prevention. For example, Google's DeepMind AI platform has been used to develop blockchain-based systems for detecting fraudulent transactions.
- Tesla: Tesla is using AI and blockchain technology in its self-driving car system. The system uses AI algorithms to analyze data from sensors and cameras, and the data is stored on a blockchain to ensure security and transparency.
- Maersk: Maersk, the world's largest shipping company, is using blockchain and AI to create more efficient and transparent supply chain management systems. The company has developed a blockchain platform called TradeLens that uses AI algorithms to analyze supply chain data and optimize resource usage.
Overall, there are many companies that are using AI and blockchain technology in innovative ways, and as these technologies continue to evolve, we can expect to see many new and exciting applications emerge.
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2023.06.03 11:03 thehappysoul01 Invisible Medicine: Pranic Healing for Burn Relief
| Are you tired of relying on medication to ease your pain? Have you heard about invisible medicine that can work wonders for your physical and emotional well-being? Introducing pranic healing, an ancient Eastern practice that uses life force energy to restore balance to the body. In this blog post, we will explore how divine healing can provide relief from burns without any side effects or downtime. Get ready to discover a new approach to healing that focuses on harnessing the power of your own energy field. https://preview.redd.it/j0paxuycqr3b1.jpg?width=420&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83df91fa611af6ab87fbbfbad671c6b5a65b6df5 Introduction to Pranic Healing A traditional form of energy medicine that has been used for countless years is pranic healing. It is based on the principle that the body is a self-healing organism and that the life force energy (prana) that flows through all living things is the source of our vitality and health. When our prana is in balance, we are healthy and when it is out of balance, we are susceptible to illness. Pranic healing works by correcting imbalances in the flow of our prana, thereby boosting our natural ability to heal ourselves. Divine healing can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including burns. Burns are one of the most common injuries treated with energy healing. The goal of healing for burns is to promote rapid healing and reduce pain, inflammation, and scarring. Divine Healing is a safe, non-invasive, and effective treatment for burns. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments such as conventional medicine or surgery. How Pranic Healing Works for Burns? When it comes to burns, Western medicine typically offers treatments that aim to heal the physical damage by stimulating the growth of new tissue. However, there is another approach that can be just as effective in helping the body to heal: energy healing. Divine healing is a type of energy healing that uses the body’s natural life force to promote healing. This life force, also known as prana, is what gives us our vitality and strength. When we are injured or ill, our prana can become depleted, which can impede the healing process. Energy healing works by restoring the flow of prana to the affected area. This helps to speed up the healing process and can also help to reduce pain and inflammation. Healing is a safe and gentle treatment that can be used for all types of burns. Benefits of Pranic Healing for Burn Relief Pranic healing is an effective and natural way to treat burns. The main benefit of divine healing is that it helps to speed up the healing process by increasing blood circulation and promoting cell regeneration. Additionally, healing can help to reduce pain, inflammation, and scarring. Different Types of Pranic Healing Techniques for Burn Relief Several different types of energy healing techniques can be used for burn relief. The most common and well-known technique is the use of a divine healing crystal. This type of crystal is placed on the affected area and left there for some time. The crystal will help to draw out the heat from the burn and promote healing. Another type of healing technique that can be used for burn relief is called color therapy. This therapy involves the use of different colors of light to heal the body. The colors are said to have different energies that can help to heal various ailments. For burn relief, the color green is often used as it is said to have a cooling effect on the body. Healing can also be done using visualization techniques. This involves picturing oneself in a peaceful and calming place while focusing on the affected area. The goal is to send positive energy to the area to promote healing. Step-by-Step Guide to Pranic Healing for Burn Relief - Energy healing is a type of energy healing that uses the life force or vital energy to heal the body.
- The first step in divine healing for burn relief is to cleanse the area with pure water. This will remove any dirt, debris, or other impurities from the wound.
- Next, apply a cool compress to the area to help reduce swelling and pain.
- Once the compress has been applied, begin massaging the area with your hands. Use circular motions and focus on the affected area for several minutes.
- After massaging the area, place your hands over the burn and visualize healthy, pink skin cells repairing and regenerating the tissue.
- Repeat steps 4-5 until you have completed three sets of massage and visualization techniques.
- Drink plenty of fluids and rest to promote healing throughout your entire body.
Conclusion Pranic healing is an ancient, invisible medicine that can be used to help reduce pain and improve comfort for burn victims. It works by sending a wave of healing energy toward the affected area, which encourages the body's natural repair process. The best thing about divine healing is that it has been proven to work without any known side effects or risks associated with traditional medical treatments. If you know someone who has endured a burn injury and would like an alternative form of treatment, then recommending energy healing as a viable option could be beneficial for them. Read Also: Revitalizing Joints: Exploring the Benefits of Pranic Healing for Arthritis submitted by thehappysoul01 to u/thehappysoul01 [link] [comments] |
2023.06.03 09:46 Final_Ad_9751 Concerns about the Cost and Structure of the Nepali Army: Impact on the Economy and Society
I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind regarding the Nepali army: its size and purpose. It's something that often leaves me wondering about the allocation of resources and the effectiveness of our military strategy.
Consider this: Nepal has a population of around 30 million ( 3 Crore) people, and we have an army of approximately 100,000 personnel. While it's important to have a capable defense force to safeguard our nation, we need to question the practicality of such a large army.
Let's face it: we cannot realistically go to war with our neighboring countries like India or China. The scale and power disparity make it impractical and potentially catastrophic for us. So, what is the use of maintaining an army of this size?
Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for a well-trained and disciplined army to maintain internal security, and provide disaster relief. However, the sheer number of personnel and the associated costs raise concerns about resource allocation and the impact on our economy.
You know, one thing that bothers me is the retirement benefits for army personnel. They can join the army at a young age, like 16, and retire by the time they're 32. And guess what? They get a pension until they die, and even after that, their spouses keep receiving it. It's great for them, of course, but it puts a lot of financial pressure on the government.
Moreover, it's not just the army that raises eyebrows. We also have the Armed Police Force (APF) with around 60,000 personnel. Again, the question arises: why do we need such a large organization in a country that is deep in poverty?
What's even more concerning is the reports and rumors that many army personnel end up working as personal servants in the houses of senior officers. This misuse of our army's capabilities and manpower is disheartening. Instead of serving the nation, they are serving the personal needs of a few individuals. This raises questions about fairness, transparency, and the proper utilization of our valuable resources. As a citizen, it's disheartening to see our country struggling to provide basic services and improve the living conditions of our people, while a significant portion of our resources is directed towards maintaining these forces. The money spent on the army and APF could be channeled into initiatives that directly benefit our citizens, such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation programs.
I believe it's high time for our government to critically evaluate the necessity and cost-effectiveness of our defense forces. We should focus on creating a leaner, more efficient structure that aligns with our country's needs and economic realities. By doing so, we can redirect resources towards uplifting the lives of our people and driving sustainable development. I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. What do you think about the size and purpose of our army and the Armed Police Force?
Let's save Nepal from this Army Burden !!!
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2023.06.03 09:39 illarraza Came upon this experience by a former SGI member
"One girl I knew, who was a good person, got lured into SGI, and was really into it. She ended up getting sick, and refused a lot of early medical treatment, as she thought she could get healed by Chanting. Didn't work, she got worse and worse. Then she finally got into medical treatments, too late, and literally had hundreds of people Chanting for her to heal. She died, and left behind her kids. They don't tell those anecdotes, those who have hundreds of SGI followers Chanting for them, and die a pretty horrible death in a few months."
Well that has been the way of things for years! - and when things go wrong and people lose out, lose their lives, livelihoods, homes and even their sanity that ain't going to get reported cos anything that might make it appear that SGI bubble of faith and Daimoku to gain anything, to have any prayer answered, and to have all earthly desires fulfilled... might burst, well that might have people thinking and questioning and leaving in droves. I recall Dick Causton saying that folks should remember that all prayers will be answered and that the answer will sometimes be NO! It's funny how common sense goes out the window when folks are told to chant and seem to end up in the world of rapture and can't see anything other than Fluffy Bunny Buddhism, forgetting that In Rapture the bubble bursts ever so quickly and can drop you on your ass!
I have seen exactly this pattern of denial of ill health and subsequent death with loads of folks chanting for a miracle many times! It's like the SGI Italy members setting up Gohonzons next to TV sets so that they could chant and watch the soccer world cup final in 1994 and chant for Roberto Baggio to score the winning goal for Italy and QED prove that Nichiren Buddhism had some form on Mystical Power over the result. Some may recall that the final went to a penalty shoot out and Italy Lost with Baggio missing his penalty and loosing Italy the world Cup! In Italy I also saw Benefit Junkies organizing Daimoku Tozos to chant to have a miracle when some one was found to be in end stage cancer after they had refused to consult doctors and just sat home chanting. The mass search for Benefits was staggering with literally tens of thousands of folks in concerted tozos all demanding proof from someone who had already set up their own death.... and after they died many being very callous and stating that they died because they lacked faith and in any case all that daimoku was going to be of great benefit and they were just waiting for their personal payout in the shares and from their investment in Daimoku Inc!
It's sad that supposed leaders (in reality folks who have been told that they are "Leaders" with no quality control and then make it up as they go along ) go about telling folks that they just need to chant whilst their leg is half cut off and they are bleeding to death. Some will find such actions and ideas impossible to accept as occurring within SGI but to those who have seen them they are unforgettable. Even leaders have not been immune from such aberrant attitudes and behaviors and as a result have died - with some referring to it as Suicide by Daimoku!
I recall one set of events where some leaders (who I repeatedly referred to as "Persons With A Responsibility - Formally referred to as Leaders") went well beyond the limits and caused havoc for a number of people. A New Member showed Up who was quite a wealthy Business Woman - She had a number of businesses some of which she wanted to sell. This Woman started to hawk these businesses about to SGI members and the local leadership first allowed it and then encouraged it. Certain members who were having major personal problems with everything from marriage to debt were encouraged to buy businesses from her, which some foolishly did. Anyone who spoke out about this was immediately labelled as a breaker of unity and totally against Nichiren and the SGI.
Folks went out and borrowed money, put their houses up as collateral and bought into the Leaders ongoing views that all that had to be done was chant more and more and evidently as this woman was selling businesses to SGI members whilst she herself was becoming a member the whole thing was perfect and universally ordained.
One family asked me for advice about buying a Food Outlet - It appeared to me a gold mine as it was within about 100 metres of a new shopping complex that was under construction. The Only Down side was it was on the wrong side of the road, a very busy road and there were vacant shop units better placed to provide the service on the other side of the road. The family was advised to get a commercial lawyer to draft a full contract including clauses that prevented the woman from starting a similar business within 1000 meters of the original business for 5 years, that full disclosure of accounts were to be made and that specific contracts as to the building, it's contents, and maintenance would also be made as the woman was selling the business but retaining ownership of the building. All of the advice was ignored and they just went ahead and bought the business, lease on the building, and started to sell food as hard as possible. When they were asked why they had not undertaken the most basic of actions and set up the most basic of protections for a commercial venture they explained that when they had raised these issues with leaders they had been told that such actions would simply show that they lacked faith and they were better off chanting and having faith than consulting a lawyer or spending time and money on legally enforceable contracts.
A few weeks after they were tied in with their house on the line the woman opened a new food outlet across the road and the customer numbers dropped to virtually Zero. They objected and were told there was nothing they could do.. and then they went bankrupt and lost the business, their home and just about everything they had. Throughout, the leaders were 100% supporting this woman in disposing of business to SGI members and of the members buying these businesses and yet these leaders had zero knowledge or experience in commercial trading, contracts and business management. When this was raised as an issue that should bar them from being involved in any way with anyone who was entering into a business situation they responded that they did not need anything other than Daimoku and Faith. They were also a little pissed off when they were asked to explain why they had not taken up one of these business opportunities if all that was required was Daimoku and Faith and they were unable to answer.
I also recall working on an exhibition in Italy between SGI and The Italian Committee for Refugees. The Exhibition dealt with Yugoslavia and the breakup and Genocide. I had been asked to design and build the exhibition so that it could tour Italy. The First place on the tour was Venice and the transport co-ordinator could not understand that we were obliged to hire a boat to transport the exhibition from mainland Italy to then venue in the heart of Venice. Their view was that all of the parts of the exhibition, some over two metres long and very heavy would be carried on foot across a causeway and through Venice and this was great opportunity for members to be involved in activities. When it was pointed out that first it was illegal to do this, second dangerous to have literally hundreds of people handling unfamiliar equipment and that it was also highly likely that the exhibition itself would be damaged - well that was met with incredulity at the idea that hundreds of SGI members chanting and holding Tozos for the exhibition would not protect it and even not be needed or welcome. It was odd that they just could not get it that legally it was not possible and that it had to be done in line with the law of the land. Oddly when the leader of this aberration was questioned as to whether they had car insurance or if they just chanted to not need it they were shocked and stated of course I have car insurance - That's the law! It would seem that when folks decide that they are to do something so that they can get their quota of benefits they hate having it pointed out to them that they can't just ignore reality and hope for the best!
That so much odd behavior makes it appear that SGI is a Cult - or at best filled with individuals who seem programmed to exhibit cult Like behavior - one has to wonder why SGI in all it's forms does not advise against such aberration and even protect people from it internally!
For some they will simply invent Nichiren Buddhism in their own image, to service their own needs and to fill massive gaps that exist in their own minds and lives. What I have seen when this occurs is evil. Having reported the situations and what is occurring to national leaders/employees of SGI, I was not too surprised that the aberrations verging on mental instability are supported. Anyone questioning one with the title of leader is seen as evil and shunned! It would seem that SGI is an organization that is programmed to self destruct under the mental aberrations of its employees and top leaders. It would also seem that their dogma will eventually be run over by their karma and one has to wonder how they will react when this happens - will they seek first aid and medical attention or simply lie on their backs and chant as they discorporate." -- Robert
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2023.06.03 02:29 Drakolf TftM- Impeccable Service:
It was an older profession, one that had maintained its presence even after the dissolution of the wealthy elite. Butlers were trained to manage a household, to keep things clean and organized by efficiently delegating tasks to workers, to make life as easy for their employers as possible.
There had been a certain degree of prestige attached to the title, even though they were effectively well-trained household managers- both in terms of working to keep things neat and tidy, as well as ensuring everyone was doing their job correctly.
In the past, anyone with the money could train to become one, approximately 15,500 Euros before the Galactic Standard Credit was adopted, albeit this was on the higher end of training.
They were expensive, certainly, but with hoarded wealth returned to circulation and inflation largely taken care of as a result of this, anyone with a decent job could afford one, or if they so chose, become one.
Alex had always had a special interest in butlers, a mixture of ADHD and autism contributing more toward this fixation than any of the benefits of the job. He'd always liked helping people, but with the stress of everyday indirect conversation flying over his head- passive aggressive remarks as to what needed done without explicitly stating such being a major contributor- he'd found that a more rigid system of expectations and rules benefited him more.
And as far as his family was concerned, the exact job didn't matter as long as he thrived in it.
The clicking sound of the stimulation device in his hand soothed his nerves as he anxiously awaited meeting with his potential employer. He'd had plenty of practice ignoring that lingering doubt that he'd forgotten to take his medication, even though he was absolutely certain that he had, even so, it wasn't quite enough to avoid the need to stim.
He took a silent, deep breath, fully aware of the sensation of his lungs filling up, the formal vest only slightly constricting against his chest- a pleasant sensation, a gentle pressure- and he exhaled equally silently.
The clicking was subtle enough that most Humans could barely hear it, Alex's hearing wasn't any better than the average Human, it was just more sensitive to specific sounds. He liked the soft clicking.
A knock sounded against the hardwood door, the clicking stopped, the device stowed away surreptitiously as Alex put on his Normal Face.
Meeting with a client was among the most important steps for hiring, it was just like a job interview- and he'd suffered through plenty of those. Stand up, approach the door, open it while-
"Please come in." Alex spoke. He needed to present as good an impression as possible, demonstrate that he was more than capable of doing the job. "May I get you some refreshment, sir?"
Rohirr worked in the government- not the Hedron, everyone knew that could either be the best or worst thing to happen to a political career- but as a local politician in the American state of Oregon, the mayor of Salem.
He'd immigrated to Earth after the Human-Caniti War, having made planetfall and having the best time of his life while his life was on the line, even when he'd been taken as a prisoner of war. The fact that the Humans didn't even bat an eye at his running for mayor didn't even shock him, their species had each other's respect.
After all, the enemy you cannot kill is your best friend.
He regarded the Human in formal business attire with great scrutiny, he could immediately tell the Human was putting up a guarded front, his expression was too stoic, the delivery of his spoken words sounding more like rote memorization than anything natural.
This presented a challenge.
"Tea, and one of those nice little pastries. The one with cucumber." Rohirr rumbled. He was easily twice the height of the Human, some small part of him- probably the part that reared its head only now that his pups were recently born- wanted to pick the Human up by his scruff and sit him on the couch.
The fact that Humans didn't have a scruff didn't occur to him until he was sat down, the Human already in the process of pouring him a cup of tea, the pastries already laid out on a plate.
Efficient, he hadn't even noticed the Human getting everything set up for him.
The Human set the tea pot on a plate designed to prevent heat from leaching into the table and damaging the finish. "Please enjoy, sir. Is there anything else you require before we begin?"
Anything else, huh? What was it the Humans liked to do? "A breeze would be nice." He remarked, trying not to think too hard on if that phrase was too non-specific. The way the Human's expression shifted ever so slightly intrigued Rohirr, there was a moment of silence.
"Of course, sir." He replied, walking over to the window and opening it. A breeze blew in, bringing with it the cool air of a late spring day. The Human looked at Rohirr. "Anything else, sir?"
Rohirr shook his head, and the Human sat down across from him.
Canicians had always appreciated Human military gear for its practical defense, it had stymied the worst of their bites and claws, and had held up surprisingly well to their ballistics and energy-based weaponry. Human business suits were a close second.
The uniform design and the fact that they could be tailored exactly to the wearer's proportions made it moderately popular among more politically-minded Canicians. Plus, the sight of them being torn to shreds after a headed debate was alluring in its own right, but their relatively expensive nature also meant that needlessly fighting in them became too expensive.
They usually wore them both for the style, and because it 'humanized' them enough.
Humans, of course, wore them better. They didn't need to be careful, or risk ripping them to shreds, and there was something to be said about the professionalism of Humans wearing one.
It was why the Human intrigued him, because it was clear that professionalism was an ongoing effort.
The Human breathed in, it was silent, only noticeable by the notable swelling of his chest. Nervousness?
The Human began with thanking Rohirr for his time. "As you are a busy man, I will be brief-"
"Take as long as you need." Rohirr interrupted. "I am here to hire someone to help maintain my den, keep my pups in line, and deal with the stuff that's too annoying to deal with myself." Blunt, honest, not something Humans often appreciated, but considering that brief pause when he used passive language, it was worth trying.
"Of course, sir." Came the immediate response, most Humans were put-off by his brusque nature, even though it was that brevity that won him the election. This one responded well, even seemed relieved. "I am fully trained to manage your household. I am qualified to interview and hire any staff you may need within a set budget, at your discretion, and have the skills necessary to establish routines, schedules, staff hierarchy, and setting the standards that will ensure your comfortable and uninterrupted lifestyle."
He was back to the rote memorization, a script read and re-read countless times. As the Human listed off the qualifications he had- which included, but was not limited to establishing menus, coordinating cooking, cleaning, clothing care and maintenance- Rohirr realized that he'd completely forgotten to ask their name.
"Do you have any questions, sir?" The Human asked.
"Just one, I neglected to ask your name."
The way the Human's face paled indicated to Rohirr that he had made an enormous gaffe, he was about to apologize when the Human began apologizing. "I am terribly sorry, sir. In my haste to ensure your comfort, I forgot to introduce myself and ask your name."
There was panic, the scent of stress hormones, fear.
"The fault is mine." Rohirr replied. "I was more focused on figuring out how to speak with you that I had, likewise, completely forgotten to ask."
The relief on the Human's face was palpable, he simply nodded and said, "My name is Alex Knox, sir. May I ask your name?"
"Rohirr." The Canician answered in kind. He held his hand out and the Human shook.
Alex was just coming down from a near panic attack, the reassurance of his potential client had gone a long way to help him normalize. He didn't like handshakes, the way he could feel the texture of another person's fingerprints always left him feeling gross afterwards. While white gloves weren't strictly part of the uniform, he preferred wearing them because they offered a layer of separation.
That, and they were just the right level of snug.
"Are there any other questions, sir?" He asked.
Rohirr nodded. "Yes. Do you have any chronic illnesses or similar that I need to be aware of?"
It was the question Alex dreaded, but he didn't lie. "I have autism and ADHD, sir. However, I am on medication that allows me to manage the symptoms of the latter, and my training more than makes up for my disability."
Rohirr hadn't anticipated the waves of fear-scent that emanated from the- from Alex. That paternal instinct urged him to take hold of the Human, curl up with him, and growl at anyone who dared threaten him. Shaking off the thought, he simply replied, "Is that all?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, sir."
"As I understand it, your condition comes with some difficulty in understanding indirect communcation, such as passively remarking what you want, instead of direct communication?"
"Indeed, sir."
Rohirr nodded. "Then there should be no problem. I prefer direct communication, and can provide any necessary accommodations you need for your- what was that word, again?"
"Disability, sir."
Rohirr snarled at the word. "As though you were any less!" He barked. "When can I expect you to start?"
"When do you want me to start?" Rohirr smiled at this question.
"Today, if at all possible. By chance, are you willing to work in-home?"
Alex smiled at the question, it simplified things. "Absolutely, sir."
Rohirr stood, as did Alex, and they shook hands once more. Both felt confident this was the start of a wonderful arrangement. Though, he did have one more, more selfish request. "Do you mind wearing the uniform, even on rest days? I think it looks good on you."
Alex could hardly contain his glee at the request.
Out-and-out mansions weren't often built, since more often than not, they had existed primarily as a symbol of wealth and status. That didn't stop people from trying.
Rohirr wasn't one of those people- certainly he did have a large home that could be considered mansion-adjacent- but that was primarily because Canician culture dictated that if you are in a position to accept guests into your home, that you ensure they have a place to rest. His home was accessible to the public, and it was made very clear that this was a cultural thing, and that him keeping his constituents out was a massive faux pas in his society. He also made it very clear that in his society, it was also understood he would be expected to deal with disrespect with extreme violence.
He'd hold back, of course, and he'd pay for their medical bills up to a certain Credit amount, but beyond that, he gave as many shits as he took- which was to say, none.
Alex marveled at the size of the place- while it wasn't like the buildings he'd visited and trained in, it was certainly more than he anticipated. Even though he knew the place was open to the public, he was moderately surprised that nobody who didn't live there was inside.
"There are three floors." Rohirr explained. "The first floor is what I refer to as the visitation floor. It is understood this is a public space with rules. It is also understood that any staff I hire to maintain this space are not to be disrespected, and that they are free to defend themselves as necessary. I will not fire someone for telling a rude asshole to shut up."
The first floor consisted of three sitting rooms, a room with publicly available snacks and drinks- including a keurig- a small library, and three empty rooms which seemed to be multipurpose. All of the rooms had what could be described as a minimum of decoration, things that certainly made the rooms seem less empty, but nothing of particular value or note.
"The upstairs is soundproofed, and requires a personal ID to enter. I will register your ID to our security systems and how you how to operate it in the event you feel more staff is necessary. Any questions?"
"Yes, sir." Alex replied. "You mentioned other staff?"
"Indeed. A gardener, a janitor, and security. The former two will not need to be managed by you, they are locals in need of a job due to... unfortunate circumstances." Rohirr cleared his throat before taking his ID out and inserting it into a scanner. The wall slid open, revealing an elevator. They both got in. "The latter is my brother, Grauf. Our tribe is such that family protects one another, he is aware you are here, that I have hired you, and that you are thus allowed to be present."
Alex nodded. "Understood, sir." He replied. "Will I be expected to interact with the public in any capacity?"
Rohirr shook his head. "No. In fact, the less you interact with them while on-duty, the better. If I ever have an event or such that I ask if you are willing to assist with, you are within your rights to refuse, and are not contractually obligated to."
Alex appreciated that Rohirr explicitly pointed this out, it gave him a better sense that his employer cared that he was comfortable with his job.
They stepped out onto the second floor, which was visibly different from the first floor. As Rohirr walked Alex around, he observed the different rooms.
First and foremost, there were five bedrooms, one of which was larger, the others which were somewhat smaller and had VariaBed adjustable beds- the kind that could be changed between single beds to bunk beds.
"These are rooms meant for staff." Rohirr explained. "This larger room is yours, a small perk of your position. While I would prefer staff that is willing to work in-home, I also recognize this is not always feasible or desirable. These rooms will always be available for rest, I do not want any of my staff overworked."
The rest of the rooms consisted of a kitchen, a laundry room, an elevator connected to both side entrance, the second floor, and the third floor. "The staff elevator." Rohirr remarked, as well as two bathrooms, an entertainment room, a sitting room, and a few other rooms for tailoring, spare uniforms- autofit, Alex noticed with a little distaste- a pantry, and an empty room.
"I honestly have no idea what to do with this room, you are free to use it as you see fit." Rohirr finished.
The main difference between this floor and the prior one was that this had what Alex could only describe as Canician art hanging on the walls. "May I ask as to the decorations, sir?" He asked.
"My mate likes to carve." Rohirr replied. "She supplements our income through selling her works. There is spiritual meaning attached to them, wards against evil, masks meant to invoke strength and stamina, totems meant to grant clarity of mind." Rohirr pointed at a door beside the elevator. "Stairs, in case of emergency. And in the event that the stairs are not an option-" He slid open a panel on the wall. "This chute provides an even faster exit. It is large enough to accommodate me, and it is not a pleasant descent."
"Understood, sir." Alex replied. "And the third floor?"
Rohirr nodded. They went up the elevator to the third floor. The second floor was pleasant and had character, this was very clearly meant to evoke Canician culture. While the structure was still standard, the decorations were subtly different.
"Also of spiritual significance." Rohirr stated, as though reading Alex's mind. These totems have been in my family for generations, they are literally irreplaceable. It is understood they will not remain whole forever, it is understood that they will one day break, and to my people, this is a sign that our ancestors have finally departed, and no longer need to protect us."
"I will ensure they are treated with the respect they deserve, sir." Alex replied solemnly.
The rest of the floor consisted of no less than eight bedrooms. One which was very clearly the master bedroom, and another one that also served as the security room. A heavily-scarred Canician with several mechanical limbs regarded them briefly.
"Brother." He spoke, his voice clearly synthetic.
"Grauf." Rohirr replied. "This is Alex, he is my new hire. Alex, this is my brother."
Alex remembered hearing that Canicians appreciated compliments regarding their strength, but was uncertain on how to approach that. He simply gave Grauf a respectful bow. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir." He stated. He chose his next words carefully. "I look forward to hearing any tales you wish to share about your past victories."
Grauf raised the only organic eyebrow remaining, then let out a soft growl. "Your Human is trying too hard."
"Better to try too hard than to be insulting." Rohirr remarked. "Don't forget to peel yourself off the screens once in a while, you're crippled, not decrepit."
Grauf laughed, it was a wet, painful-sounding wheeze that made Alex wince. "We both know I'll die before I let myself be useless." He said. "Enter, Human, you'll need to be registered into the system."
Alex approached, his ID in hand, which Grauf snatched without warning. He slid the ID into a slot, tapped a few keys, then pulled it out. "Congratulations, Human. You have access to one of the most secure buildings on this planet, my brother is expecting little from you, I expect your best."
"I will endeavor to meet your expectations, sir." Alex replied, taking his ID back.
"None of this 'sir' kraaf! If you insist on calling me by a title, you will refer to me as 'Hurr', Grauf, or- if you want to submit to me- Chief."
"Understood, Hurr." Alex replied.
Grauf nodded approvingly. "Come back to me when you've finished orientation, I should have your permissions set, and you can help me set up security clearances and hierarchies."
Alex didn't miss the appreciative glance-over from Grauf.
Beyond the rooms was a play-room, within which were three Canician pups and an older female one- Rohirr was quick to identify her as Carraf, as well as his two sons and daughter, Bif, Rouf, and Harra.
"It is my hope that you work here long enough that you at least see them to their naming ceremony." Rohirr replied.
"I am not familiar with this 'naming ceremony', sir." Alex replied.
"When they are of age, they choose their own names. It is not our place to say who they are, that is what they shall discover."
They left the pups and Carraf alone for the time being- there would be plenty of time for proper introductions later, when she wasn't focused on wrangling them. As the tour reached its end, Rohirr and Alex stepped out onto a balcony.
"Is this adequate?" Rohirr asked.
"I do not know what you mean, sir." Alex replied.
"I mean what I ask. I am not like the rich men of your people from long ago, there is no such thing as 'pedigree' among my people." Rohirr met Alex's eyes. "Is it enough?"
Alex shook his head. "That implies there is some metric by which worth is judged, sir." He replied. "If I may be so bold, I wish to share with you why I do this job."
Rohirr nodded. Alex looked outward toward the city of Salem, this had been his home for many years, its familiarity was comforting. "It has always been my dream to help others, and this is the best way I may do so. Yes, I am trained by one of the oldest butlering schools on the planet, yes, I have a certificate that indicates such- one that I will proudly hang in the room you have set aside for me. It cost me more money than I truly had, and I can tell you now, it is most certainly more than adequate."
Rohirr nodded once more. "It occurs to me that I've never discussed strict hours."
"With respect, sir, you may consider me as always available." Alex replied. "For as long as your family will have me, at least, for as long as you are able to pay my wages, I will work for you. After all, I am doing what I have always wanted."
Rohirr smiled. "Do not be surprised if we end up adopting you, then you'll never get away."
They both laughed. Alex did not stand idly by for long, nor did Rohirr. At the latter's insistence, they both worked together to ensure everyone's long-term comfort.
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2023.06.03 02:08 Mrmander20 [Vell Harlan and the Doomsday Dorms] 3 - C1.1: How Much Would
Vell Harlan and the Doomsday Dorms Book 3: Just a Moment At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories. For the past two years, Vell Harlan has been caught in the loop alongside his best friends, Lee and Harley, and with their help he’s been able to survive every disaster the universe has thrown at him. But as Vell enters his third year, Lee and Harley are entering their fourth (and final) year at the Einstein-Odinson College. With a ticking clock counting down, the trio must cut through the chaos of killer crickets, haunted phones, and naked sorcerers to try and solve some of the mysteries plaguing their lives -including why all these butterflies keep following Vell around... [
Chapter 1 (Book Two)][
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Cover Art]
The ferry finally came to a halt, and Samson wondered if his long nightmare was finally over. The Einstein-Odinson campus being on an island apparently came with some benefits, but quick commutes clearly weren’t one of them. Between planes, trains, and boats, Samson had spent most of the past 24 hours cooped up in a vehicle, traveling the long road from Nigeria to college. Thankfully, he had company.
“Still remember how your legs work, right?” Ibrahim asked. “Get a move on.”
“I need your fat ass to move first,” Samson snapped back. “Can’t get past you.”
Ibrahim chuckled at the joke and got moving, with Samson following close behind. The twin brothers made sure not to stray far from one another as they headed deeper into unfamiliar territory that got more unfamiliar by the second. Samson tried to avoid staring at the serpentine tail of a Lamia as it slithered by. He thought it would be rude. Ibrahim, on the other hand, very obviously stared at a cyclops lumbering past.
“Very...diverse,” Ibrahim said. He had no objections to any of the centaurs, vampires, or goblins arrayed in front of him, he’d just never seen so many in one place.
“Apparently they’re branching out,” Samson said. While the Einstein-Odinson had never been explicitly human-only, its facilities were designed by and for humans, so enrollment among the more magical forms of sapient life had been minimal. That had changed over the summer.
“Makes sense,” Ibrahim said. “They do have the robot, remember?”
Samson nodded. Of course he remembered. The school had made a big deal out of having the world’s first sapient machine among its students.
The twins cut through the crowd around the dock and found their way into a whole new crowd further on the campus grounds. Various departments and school organizations had set up recruiting booths to welcome the new students and hopefully snag a few members. The booths all had banners advertising organizations like the student council, culinary club, chess club, and one at the very center of them all which simply said “Ask us about your deja vu”. To Samson’s surprise, the robot herself was sitting at the deja vu booth, alongside a bulky man with tattoos on his cheeks. He took a quick look at the odd pair as he walked by. The robot, oblivious to his stare, appeared to concentrate on something for a moment and then held up a hand.
“Hey, stop for a second,” Kim said aloud. “You’re going to want to keep the space behind us clear.”
A few students who had been walking that way stopped in their tracks, not a moment too soon. The air split open as a crackling portal opened, and an icy blast of air surged forth. A second later, a quick spray of snow burst out of the portal, carrying with it three bundled-up bodies on snowboards and skis. They landed in a jumbled heap of snow, scarfs, and skis as the portal closed behind them. A few purple butterflies skimmed by the newly fallen pile of snow, circling a man on a snowboard before fluttering away as the robot approached.
“Nice landing,” Kim snapped.
“It’s a work in progress,” Harley shot back. “We’ll do better next time.”
“I’m sure. You guys enjoy the ski trip?”
“I’m not going to lie, Kim, it was fucking radical,” Harley said. “You should’ve come!”
Kim shrugged newly mechanical shoulders. After her dramatic journey of self-discovery at the end of last year, she had chosen to do so slightly less dramatic self-discovery and spent the summer studying herself and refining her new, robotic body. Now that she was no longer trying to imitate humanity, she was trying to figure out exactly what kind of design she was supposed to follow. She’d given herself a few once-over’s and refined her design a little bit.
Hawke, on the other hand, had just gone home and read a few good books, trying to de-stress after a year packed with multiple apocalypses, robot friends, and talking fish. It had done wonders for his mental health, and he was almost ready for another year at the Einstein-Odinson. Almost.
“Maybe next time,” Kim said. “Glad you guys had fun though.”
“And all at my parent’s expense,” Lee said. She removed some ski goggles, and the rest of her winter gear, as she made the quick transition from the cold mountain slopes to the warm air of the tropical island.
“Still baffled they sprang for the single-use portal,” Vell said. He shook a purple butterfly off his hat before removing it. “I know they’re like, rich rich, but still. That shit’s expensive.”
“But convenient,” Harley said. They’d been able to swing straight from their vacation back to school.
“I hope the Dean doesn’t make us clean up this snow, though,” Vell said.
“Eh, fuck it, it’ll melt,” Harley said. “Come on! Let’s drop off our stuff at Lee’s and then come take our turn at the deja vu booth.”
The snow-covered trio wandered off. Samson did a double take as they left.
“The hell was that about?”
“Robots and snake ladies all around and the ski trip is what has you asking questions,” Ibrahim said.
“The robot is involved in the ski trip,” Samson said. “The weirdness compounds.”
“Come on. We got a tour to join.”
Samson tried to put the weirdness out of mind as they weaved past the snow pile and tried to find their tour. As it turned out, the search for their campus tour was slightly harder than either twin suspected, because it was two tours instead of one.
“Ibrahim and Samson Onwe. I have you two down for separate tour groups.”
“Why would we be separate?”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
Samson and Ibrahim each pointed to the other’s identical face. The tour guide rolled her eyes.
“I don’t make the group assignments, I just follow them,” she said. “Now, which one of you is Ibrahim?”
“I am,” Ibrahim and Samson said simultaneously. The tour guide lowered her glasses and stared at them for a long time.
“Seriously?”
“We’re a package deal, lady.”
An attempt at a staredown ended with the tour guide blinking first. She sighed heavily and decided she didn’t want to fight any battles this morning.
“Alright, fine, follow me,” she said. Samson and Ibrahim playfully elbowed each other and followed along, beaming with pride that their gambit had worked -again.
***
“I know it’s a big campus, and it’s only getting bigger, but do try not to run,” the tour guide said. “There’s always plenty of time to get where you’re go-”
The tour guide stopped herself mid-sentence as another tour group went sprinting past, headed the other direction. Samson and Ibrahim watched them go, noting the looks of fear on their faces.
“Is this the set up for a gag?” Samson asked. The past few hours had been pretty dull, so he’d be happy to see a good joke.
“No. They shouldn’t be doing that…”
The tour guide turned her head in the direction the other group had run from. A single log flew around a corner and bounced off the ground once before coming to a halt.
“Wood?”
The single log was joined by another, and then a stick, and then three branches, and then ten more logs, and suddenly a tidal wave of wood in all shapes and sizes was thundering in their direction. The tour guide chose to ignore her own advice and run, with Samson and Ibrahim close behind.
“What the fuck?”
While running, Samson had taken a moment to glance over his shoulder and try to get a closer look at the torrent of wood being launched his way. In between the falling logs and tumbling two-by-four’s, he caught occasional glimpses of tiny, furry little animals.
“Are those...big rats?”
“I don’t care what they are, Sam,” Ibrahim shouted. “I want to get the fuck out of here!”
The rumbling torrent of wood kept crawling closer and closer their way -until a crashing sheet of ice rammed into it from the other direction. Samson saw one of the skiing women from earlier suddenly step onto the field and sweep her hands, reshaping the flow of the wave of ice.
“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood,” she said, sounding far too amused by the turn of phrase, given the disastrous circumstances.
“Apparently the answer is ‘too fucking much’,” Harley said. She looked over her shoulder at Samson and the other fleeing tour groups. “We got this! Keep running!”
Samson didn’t need to be told twice. Though very soon he would be getting told very many things twice. Running didn’t do him much good, as the tidal wave of wood caught up to him. He stuck next to Ibrahim for a sudden and splintery end -and then woke up in his own bed, alive, confused, and alone.
***
Samson narrowed his eyes and stared at the Lamia slithering past.
“Look! It’s happening again, man, just like I said!”
Ibrahim looked at the half-snake woman and shrugged.
“I’m not seeing the punchline yet,” Ibrahim said. “This better be a good fucking gag, Samson.”
“It’s not- Listen to me! Everything is repeating itself!”
He’d gone through the entire twenty-hour ride to the school all over, somehow, after waking up on what appeared to be the same morning. Disbelief had turned to confusion had turned to frustration over time. Twenty hours in transit was actually even more boring the second time, especially since everything happened the exact same way, unless he did something to change it.
“Look at this, there’s about to be an ogre -yep, there he is,” Samson said, gesturing to the ogre crossing their path. “And then we’re going to step out here and there’ll be a lot-”
Samson stopped himself mid-sentence. There would be a lot of booths, including one labeled “Ask us about your deja vu”.
“We need to go.”
The twins cut an even faster course through the crowd this loop, since Samson knew exactly where to go and how to get there. He cut past chess club members and student council leaders and beelined straight for the booth with a robot and a broad-shouldered Maori man sitting at it. He only froze in his tracks long enough to notice that the sign had changed. Now it said “What should you ask us?”. The two residents of the booth carefully eyed Samson as he approached.
“Hi, uh, hello, Samson Onwe,” he said. The robot’s electronic eyes flickered in his direction. “Am I supposed to ask you guys about deja vu?”
Kim made two raised eyebrows of surprise appear on her digital face.
“One second.”
A storage compartment on Kim’s metallic hips opened up, and she withdrew a five dollar bill, handing it over to Hawke.
“Told you it would work,” Hawke said.
“You know what’s going on?”
“We do,” Kim said. “But we can’t explain it just yet. I think you should know we’re waiting on someone.”
“Right. Behind you, yeah?”
At this point, Ibrahim closed the gap and examined the table, and more importantly, the robot lady sitting behind it. Kim examined him right back. She’d actually never met twins before.
“Okay, I get it, these two have been telling you about all the stuff like the snake ladies and the campus stuff,” Ibrahim said. “Can we speed this up now? I really want to get to the joke.”
Hawke and Kim shared a furtive glance with one another before turning it in Samson’s direction.
“Does he not…?”
Samson shrugged.
“Oh, that’s going to complicate things,” Kim said. Her brain buzzed at her for a second, and she once again stopped traffic in the area, clearing the grass behind their booth.
An icy portal snapped open and shut in an instant, depositing a small amount of snow and two point five very graceful snowbirds gliding to a halt. Lee almost managed to make it to a dignified finish, but toppled over and fell into the snow at the last second. Harley slid her skis to a stop and then sat down in the snow next to the fallen Lee as she removed her goggles. Vell, who was on his feet this time, took notice of just how many butterflies came to flock around him, and decided to compartmentalize that until later.
“Told you we’d get it right this time. Most of us, anyway” Harley boasted. Lee sighed heavily as Harley’s eyes caught a person out of place, and she latched on to Ibrahim and Samson. “Well hello new people!”
“New person,” Hawke awkwardly insisted. He pointed at Samson. “Just him.”
Ibrahim didn’t bother trying to hide his offense.
“Oh. Well,” Lee said. “This will be...interesting.”
“Lee, the dramatic pause shit, seriously,” Harley said.
“It’s warranted,” Lee snapped. “Harley, Vell, go take our things and put them in my dorm. I’ll get our new friend started on, well, orientation.”
“Got it, boss,” Harley said. She waved to Samson with one hand and picked up Lee’s discarded gear in the other. “Talk to you later, dude!”
Two-thirds of the skiing trio wandered off, leaving a still highly confused Samson and an even more confused Ibrahim to face off with Lee.
“Right, and you are?”
“Samson.”
“And Ibrahim,” his twin interjected. It sounded like his patience with this “joke” was wearing thin.
“Pleasure to meet you both, Samson, if you’ll come with me, I can answer most of your questions.”
The two twins stood their ground, though Samson did twitch a bit.
“I want to know what’s going on here too,” Ibrahim said. “Is this some kind of hazing thing? Am I being hazed?”
It took a lot of effort for Hawke not to roll his eyes. He’d thought the same thing once upon a time. He almost wished he’d been right.
“No. It’s...well, it’s hard to explain,” Lee said. “It’s just a bit of a randomly selected process, and random chance has turned up Samson! It’s nothing personal, dear, it’s not up to us.”
“Well, listening to you is up to us,” Ibrahim said. “We’re a package deal.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Samson said. He looked for certainty anywhere he could get it right now, and his twin brother was the most certain thing he knew.
“Well, alright then, I can’t force either of you to do anything,” Lee said. “But, Samson, any explanations you may be wanting to hear right now will have to wait. It’s your choice.”
After delivering that gentle ultimatum, Lee stepped back and joined Hawke and Kim at the booth. Ibrahim stepped away, and though it took a moment, Samson walked away too. He took a few glances over his shoulder, but followed Ibrahim all the way to their tour guide. She sat in the exact same place as last time, and said the exact same things too.
“Ibrahim and Samson Onwe. I have you two down for separate tour groups.”
“Why would we be separate?”
“Maybe it’s just how things are around here,” Samson suggested.
“Well screw that,” Ibrahim said. “We’re a package deal.”
“Come on, it’s just a tour, the island’s not that big,” Samson said. “An hour or two, at most.”
“You’re suspiciously on board with this,” Ibrahim countered.
It was true, but Samson played it off anyway. He didn’t want to ditch his brother, but the weirder things got, the more he felt he had to.
“Fine. But this had better be a really good joke you’re setting up for,” Ibrahim said. He followed the tour guide away while Samson pretended to wait for the next tour group. As soon as Ibrahim rounded the corner, Samson went running back to Lee.
Author's Note: Hello and welcome back to Doomsday Dorms for book three! Your friendly local lunatic/author here with two status updates on all things Doomsday Dorms:
First, for those of you desperate to know what happens next (and next, and next, and next...) the Patreon version of Doomsday Dorms has been updated to be a
full month ahead of the free updates, rather than just a week, for the same price.
Secondly, to those who might be wondering about the availability of book one, I did want to say that while I had every intention of having the final version ready and published today, alongside book three's launch, a few different factors conspired to delay my plans. It is very close to completion, however, and I look forward to officially launching it within the next week or two, so if you're a new reader curious how this chaos started, or an old reader who wants to revisit a favorite chapter, stay tuned!
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2023.06.03 01:10 AutoModerator Monthly Pathfinder Society Update
To help reduce the misconception of what sub this is I will work on a monthly Society update that will be stuck to the top of the posts. I'll be gleaming this from the blog posts, VO Discord, updates to the sub and suggestions from the sub. Here is the link to the
Paizo Monthly Update blog post.
OPC Musings
Welcome back to the OP Monthly Update! I know we missed last month, that’s entirely my fault. I was on my honeymoon, and then we announced a little thing called the Pathfinder Core Remaster, and by the time I came up for air, it was already mid-May!
Luckily it’s smooth sailing now, which is a lie, because convention season is in full swing! As I write this blog we’re doing our final preparations for PaizoCon Online. I can’t wait for this show, and I’m so excited for our upcoming shows like UK Games Expo and Gen Con. Not to mention, this fall I’ll be heading to a few local conventions! More on that soon, hopefully. For now, I’ve got a supersized OP update to deliver, so let’s get started.
Digital Adventure Releases
These adventures will be available on June 28, 2023.
Pathfinder Society
Pathfinder Society Scenario #4-15: In Glorious Battle Starfinder Society
Starfinder Society Scenario #6-03: Project Dawn Starfinder Society Scenario #6-04: Secrets Long Submerged *part of a subscription
Pathfinder Core Remaster
Last month, we announced the Pathfinder Core Remaster: an overhaul and update of our Pathfinder Second Edition ruleset, a necessary but difficult maneuver given the events of recent months. I am sure that for many of you, the first question was “how will this affect Pathfinder Society?” The short answer is: we don’t know yet! The longer answer is that these books literally don’t exist fully yet; they won’t go to the printer for another month or so. Until they do, we can’t begin to answer these questions.
Rest assured that as soon as we can, the OP team will be diving into the new rule changes to figure out how to make the updates as seamless as possible for the community. For now, I ask for your patience on this topic. There will be many questions to answer in the weeks ahead, but we’ve got a steady hand on the metaphorical tiller.
FAQ and Boon Updates
In the quiet time before convention prep, the Pathfinder Society developers and I had some time to sit down and hammer out some updates to boons available in the boon store, as well as to handle some FAQs for the program. The full updates are available on the
FAQ page, but here’s a summary of the changes:
- The Second Chance boon has been updated to indicate that purchasing and using this boon also covers the cost of recovering your body and any lost possessions if necessary. If a character is undead (such as a skeleton), they can use this boon to benefit from a similar ritual to restore themselves to their previously undead state.
- Similarly, an FAQ clarifies that in the event that your character ends a scenario alive but otherwise inaccessible (such as being imprisoned or transported to another plane), the Second Chance boon can be purchased and used to return your character to safety.
- Another FAQ clarifies which version of an item or character option to use in the event the option is reprinted in another book. In short, a hardcover printing of an option is considered the standard option unless otherwise stated. This applies to both Pathfinder and Starfinder Society.
- The Secondary Initiation boon has also been clarified to cover how it handles entry requirements for organizations (it handwaves them as occurring offscreen) and which ranks PCs can choose to be within organizations (anything reasonable is fair game, but no, your PCs are not fourth-mark Firebrands).
- Finally, we have issued one minor clarification to the Magic Arrow feat from the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide, which you can find on the Character Options page as normal.
Starfinder Society Year 6 Updates
Program Changes
SFS Year 6 launched at PaizoCon Online! Hopefully, anyway; I’m writing this before the show, so if a dinosaur attacks, someone let future me know. The following Starfinder species are now considered “always available”: gnoll, hanakan, kiirinta, quorlu, raxilite, shimreen. Players are free to build characters of these species as often as they like; as always, characters with an Admittance Boon for these species gain an additional +2 to one ability score immediately.
The Achievement Point cost for a boon to play a character of the following species has been reduced to 80 Achievement Points: astriapi, cephalume, contemplative, trox, uplifted bear, urog. Meanwhile, the following species are now playable with the purchase of a boon from the online Boon Store: entu colony, huitz’plina, grippli, kitsune, kobold, psacynoid, samsaran, scyphozoan, trinir, and tryziarka.
Finally, a few more boons have been added to the Boon Store! Starfinders who enjoy having a permanent emblem of their position can now purchase the Marked Starfinder boon for 2 AcP after playing at least one session to gain a Society Subdermal Graft. Additionally, characters can now undergo a Training Montage (or Extended Training Montage) to retrain their character’s abilities! These provide more robust retraining options than the previously available mnemonic editor. Full text of these boons, as always, can be found on the
Starfinder Society FAQ page.
The
Guide to Organized Play: Starfinder Society has been updated with all these changes, as well as a brand-new overhaul and visual upgrade! Incredible thanks to Jared Thaler and Peter Nalepa, both of whom have worked very hard to make the guide more user-friendly and accessible. They’ve created a
feedback thread on the forums for comments or questions.
First Seeker Election
Last month we formally announced
Starfinder Society #6-06: Tomorrow’s Seekers! This scenario will allow you to meet the four PCs who were selected to vie for the title of First Seeker. You may note my name on the cover as the author; I’m so excited for this adventure and for you all to meet these wonderful colorful characters!
Look for some upcoming blogs where we’ll be revealing the candidates, their platforms, and a bit more about them. Campaign season begins when the ballot opens at Gen Con (August 1–4), and the voting period will close in mid-October. If you want to cast your vote, don’t miss your chance to play the scenario in that two-month period!
Sanctioning
One of the reasons we could get away with missing April’s blog was that it was a pretty quiet month on the release front! Luckily, we’ve got some new toys for you this month!
For Pathfinder Society, this month’s new release is the brand-new standalone adventure,
The Enmity Cycle. The sanctioning documents for this adventure are just waiting to be exported; once they are, we’ll be sure to add them to the product page.
On the Starfinder side, the new hardcover rulebook
Starfinder Ports of Call has been released and sanctioned for play! Visit the
Character Options page for all the details. While you’re there, why not check out the new options from the
Drift Hackers Adventure Path, which are also now sanctioned! Chronicle sheets for players and GMs will also be available on the product page for the AP as soon as they’re exported.
Coming up next, we’ll be getting sanctioning documents out for the Free RPG Day adventures (foreshadowing for the next section)! After that, for Pathfinder Society we’ve got the
Stolen Fate Adventure Path and
Pathfinder Lost Omens Highhelm on the docket, and Starfinder Society will be pretty quiet until the fall!
Free RPG Day
June 24 is
Free RPG Day here in the United States! This initiative provides retailers with exclusive access to free RPG products from a number of companies, including Paizo. We have two adventures in this year’s kit:
A Few Flowers Morefor Pathfinder and
Operation: Seaside Park for Starfinder
If your store is participating in this event, sanctioning documents and chronicle sheets will be available prior to the event! You’ll be able to get credit for your Organized Play characters after participating in these adventures. Free RPG Day is a great way to kickstart a new RPG group at a store, so we encourage you all to head to a participating retailerfor the event!
GM Recognition
At PaizoCon Online last weekend, I awarded three individuals with brand new Campaign Coins and Organized Play IDs. We award these coins to members of the community who have gone above and beyond to provide an exceptional program to the community at large. Campaign Coins are awarded based on nominations; if you believe someone in your community is deserving of this award (whether or not they are a Venture Officer), send an email to organizedplay[at]paizo[dot]com with their name and reasons.
Congratulations to: Jofiane “Fi,” who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #887 Milan Badzic, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #888 and Harmeshver “Resh” Singh, who now holds a Campaign Coin and Organized Play ID #889
GM Ranks
Whether stars, novas, or glyphs, achieving a 5 ranking in any program involves a substantial amount of time. To achieve the 5th milestone, a GM must run 150 games, of which at least 50 must be unique scenarios and 10 special scenarios, as well as run between one and three games for Venture-Captains (program dependent). A conservative estimate of the time needed to reach the 5th milestone is 650 hours!
This month, we had one GM earn their 5th Nova for Starfinder Society and one earn their 5th Glyph for Pathfinder Society (second edition).
5th Nova (SFS): Terry T 5th Glyph (PFS2): Tim Munsie (TMun)
Congratulations to our outstanding GMs and volunteers!
Conventions
It’s convention season! As this blog is posted, I’ll be getting ready for my first games at UK Games Expo in Birmingham. It’s my first official trip abroad and I can’t wait to meet our European community! If you’re in the area, come say hi!
We've also announced PaizoCon South Pacific, running from June 30–July 2 in Sydney, Australia! While I won’t be attending (this year...), the Paizo community will be turning out for a great time.
And of course, there are tons of local conventions in your area! Check out our conventions calendar to see what events are happening near you and go roll some dice.
That’s quite enough from me—thanks for sticking with the supersized update. There’s a reason we try to do these monthly! Until next time, Explore! Report! Cooperate! And have a spot of tea!
Alex Speidel Organized Play Coordinator
Upcoming Conventions
Paizo Conventions calendar
NordCon 2023, UK Games EXPO, ConCarolinas 2023, Phoenix Fan Fusion 2023, Kākāpō Con, Origins 2023, Tri-Con 2023
Sub Updates
Sorry for the issues getting this out correctly the past few times.
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2023.06.03 00:41 No_Objective_8944 Am I the pregnant AH? Over-protective husband or irritable pregnant wife?
FTM - 30 weeks + 1 day I was previously the breadwinner and took a lot of pride in my work. When I became pregnant my husband and I decided that I would stay home as my job took me to large commercial construction sites which made us both nervous about exposure while I am pregnant. Also, I want to be a stay-at-home mom so it is all fine and my husband is working full-time while also trying to build a side business which he has been working on since early 2020. My staying at home means that I can help take care of him, the house, and do some tasks to benefit the business like some marketing, social media work, as well as invoice tracking, and email organization. It has been a big adjustment and we are in a very tight financial place because the side business is taking longer to build than we were hoping, but of course, we have had some unforeseen house maintenance projects come up in the last few months that we were not expecting...shame on us for hoping we would have been lucky to not have to deal with that at this point in time.
All that being said, my husband is under a great amount of stress trying to work two jobs practically and make ends meet in anticipation of the baby. We have been married for 3.5 years and together for 15+ years so we have a very solid foundation. I am writing today because I am not sure how to handle this new dynamic in our relationship. About 2 years ago, my husband admitted to me that he has been battling OCD and it has become so difficult for him to deal with that he started seeking professional help. His OCD is more focused on contamination when it comes to things like blood, toxic chemicals, and disease. It really ramped up in anticipation of our pregnancy, thus the professional help. Unfortunately, this professional help did not provide my husband with the support he says he needs. In his words, he felt like they simply wanted him to just not think about his urges. He says, I cannot ignore them and they are too strong. He feels that he needs more. What that more is...I don't know. He says he doesn't need to pay someone to tell him to not think about it. He is very against taking drugs as he also has an autoimmune disorder which has him tied up in other serious medications which makes him cautious to add anything else at this time. In the last year plus he has been dealing with his OCD without professional support. He managed to hide most of his struggles from me when I was working full-time. Now that I am home, I see it with much more frequency.
Now that I am pregnant, his anxiety is kicked into overdrive. I don't know where the paternal instinct to protect me starts and where the OCD ends. For example, he doesn't like me wearing makeup, or picking up/opening Amazon packages because of potential harm to the baby. He doesn't like me to fill up the gas tank, eating fast food, anything with food dye, and only filtered water to drink or organic juices. I don't inherently disagree with a lot of these things but not to the same degree. I think limiting these things is good but I am not as worried about the occasional indulgence.
With the random house maintenance we have had to work with it spikes his anxiety. We had to have someone over to work in our attic and the fiberglass bits that came down as the repair guy went in and out of the attic stressed my husband so much that he cleaned for nearly 3 hours after everything was complete and then complained that he barely got any work done due to the distraction. The repair took less than an hour to conduct and the repair guy was contained to about a 8 foot x 4 foot space in the house.
To top it off, we had a diagnosis of a chromosomal abnormality at 20 weeks which was a total curveball. This was VERY difficult for both of us to process but we are in a good place now and have accepted our circumstances. We are still very excited to meet our baby regardless of the diagnosis. We love him so deeply already. BUT this diagnosis only fed into his anxiety around the pregnancy and his actions around how he could have contributed to this via exposure to chemicals, autoimmune medications, etc. I should mention that we spent almost a year weening off of some of his autoimmune medications prior to getting pregnant so there should have been no risk of that contributing to any problems with my pregnancy. Also, I am not in the geriatric pregnancy category and according to all of our doctors, this abnormality is completely random and could not have been prevented or foreseen. Nonetheless, he still worries. Almost to the point where he might not want to have a 2nd baby which was always our plan and would be devastating to me. I don't think he would go that far as he goes back and forth but he says he is almost miserable with worry now that I am pregnant.
He is extremely stressed because of his workload as well. We talk about the added stress of protecting me and the baby as well as maintaining the house has him MAXED OUT. While I feel homebound and sometimes understimulated. My husband doesn't have a lot of friends especially since he works from home and we semi-recently moved to a small town so we could better afford me staying at home. I feel bad leaving to hang out with my friends (I have managed to make a few) as I think about him staying at the house alone and stewing in the stress. BUT I find that I am struggling to maintain patience during his anxiety outbursts. They cause me anxiety and I become frustrated which in turn frustrates him and makes him feel like I am not caring or soft enough. This all makes him feel more alone and of course, stressed.
My anxiety not only stems from my fear of his mental decline but also how this will play out when our son is born. He claims his anxiety is highest during pregnancy and will likely carry through to the first couple months of our son's life while he is ultra fragile but I can't help but wonder if that is hopeful thinking and I am worried it will continue. I don't want our son to carry the stress that my husband carries or at least I want to protect him from it.
I am stuck as I find some of the precautions sweet but sometimes they get on my nerves and I just wish I could go back to work and makes some money so he could stop complaining about the world of pressure on his shoulders. Now that I am SO pregnant that is not an option any time soon. And ultimately I want to be home with my son.
Am I the pregnant AH for getting frustrated at my husband for his imperfections? Or is he being unreasonable? I love him dearly and we have a wonderful bond. I am in no way interested in divorce. I just can't tell if the pregnancy hormones or my own ego is clouding my ability to support him in his time of need. Sometimes I wish he could better support my emotional needs by carrying these burdens without wearing them on his sleeves as it scares me. I don't want to be cruel and I am not perfect either but I am lost as to what the right path is. I feel like if I just listen to his fears and worries without trying to add my own logic or reason, I might be aiding in his continued battle with OCD. He thinks that I can be careless which I try not to be but I am not perfect by any means.
Sincerely,
Maybe the pregnant AH
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2023.06.02 22:54 Pavel_Sergievsky Ukraine vs. Russia: Russian perspective.
Dear Professor Peterson,
I realize that your schedule probably won’t allow you to read this letter, least to reply. I am not expecting either of these and will not be offended. Why do I write it, then? Well, most probably because in the past several years you have been for me the voice of reason from abroad. Too many things are going in a crazy and disastrous direction, and listening to your lectures and videos have been very inspiring. It always amazes me how deeply you investigate the problem and how thoroughly you analyze it. In many cases listening to what you say have been like hearing what I always felt was true, but could not formulate and justify it myself. Thank you for that experience.
During the past year, which not only attracted the whole world’s attention to a conflict in Ukraine (at last, I’d say, war started there in 2014), but also demonstrated the unwillingness of countries and people to hear each other, I felt the growing urge to share Russian understanding of current situation and of the events that lead to it with someone who could probably be able to hear. Your name was the first to come to my mind. I hesitated until some time ago I came across the interview that you have recorded –
“Israel, Russia, China, Iran: The World in Conflict” and it actually triggered me into writing. It occurred to me that, objective as you are, you may be unaware of some facts and interpretations, partly because modern media have mastered the art of being silent about some facts while shouting about the others, partly because you were born and raised in Anglo-Saxon civilization, with all embedded ideas and principles.
A bit about my background. Master’s degree in English language and literature, spent one year as a student in Connecticut, worked in American-owned companies for 17 years. That allows me to a certain degree to understand both sets of values.
I wanted to offer for your attention the view from the other side on what’s happening now between Russia and Western European civilization. I don't say that it is correct, I just say how Russians see it.
Very briefly, just point by point:
- Currently many people in the West are speaking about Russia as about a threat. But what makes you think that we see you differently? We see you as a growing threat. We don’t trust you. And we have plenty of reason for feeling this way.
- We see the West is regularly breaking its own rules and demonstrating double standards, so we can’t rely on its words.
- It has been clearly shown to us, that we will never be accepted by the West as an equal partner, so to us the West is neither a friend, nor a partner, but a competitor at best, an enemy at worst.
- We have seen what the West does to regimes that don’t obey and how the West does it, so West is a serious threat. Don’t come any closer.
3 basic principles of western foreign policy
Looking at the international events of past 30-40 years, we may see 3 basic principles of international policy that the West is utilizing.
- Democracy is the best possible society model.
Hard to argue – there is the strongest correlation between availability of human rights in society and its prosperity. Let’s accept it as it is, although it is much more complicated and there are other factors that should be taken into account, like, for example:
- Pure democracy is limited to small communities, and is impossible in big countries. Once a certain threshold is passed, democracy is either a burden to every decision made, or is executed via representatives. And representatives, being people with all their imperfections, gradually start spoiling and corrupting the idea.
- Democracy tends to evolve, or, I’d rather say, degrade into oligarchy. Examples are numerous. Ancient Greece and Rome, Novgorod Republic (XII-XV cc), medieval Poland, etc. Even now – with all our experience, we keep hitting the same wall. Legal practice of lobbying in USA is the desire of big money (oligarchs) to have more influence on country policy. In Russia lobbying is illegal, so the same goal is achieved by other means, but without digging deep into details, it is the same – democratic form of power, spoiled by natural human desire to grab more for oneself on the expense of others.
- The most prosperous regions now (North America, Western Europe, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia) are the ones where capitalism appeared and developed earlier than in other parts of the world. That boosted production, country strength and wealth and eventually allowed them to have colonies in other parts of the world. Owning some overseas land gave enormous economic advantages. Remember “British East India Company”, which at its peak of wealth had an army of 160 thousand soldiers (more than some counties had!). The importance of having colonies can be best illustrated by the simple fact – one of the core reasons of the WW I was the desire of Germany, who was late to the table, to have its share of a pie. And even though political power of metropolises over colonies seized in mid-XXth century, economic bounds stayed much longer. If, let’s say, a uranium mine in Uganda belongs to French company, then which country benefits more from it? And to what extent the modern wealth of Europe and North America is due to other parts of the world?
- I doubt that democracy and human rights priority are possible in every country of the world. This idea just occurred to me, so I did not dig deep into finding the proof, but mentality (to put it narrower – religion) could prevent the society from accepting ideas that are just natural for another society. There are some facts I immediately recall that support this idea.
a) Majority of Noble prize winners are from protestant countries. Disproportional majority if you look at country population or wealth or other factors. Why? Maybe because Protestantism urges its followers to read the Bible on their own, whereas in Catholicism you study Bible under the priest’s guidance. Encouragement for independent research must have some effect.
b) After the ancient Rome fell, and Europe lived through the Dark Ages, Arabian countries preserved much of knowledge and science. At that time Arabian East was much more cultural and civilized than Europe. What happened to them later, why they stopped developing science, how could Europe overtake them? One of the explanations is that at some point of time Muslim theologians declared that “Koran has everything”, so scientific research stopped. The legend says that under this slogan the Library of Alexandria has been burnt by Arabian conquerors.
c) There is an interesting correlation between the agricultural conditions in a certain territory and some national traits of character. That’s more than a coincidence. For example, wheat was the main crop in Europe. It doesn’t require any special irrigation, so you can well grow and harvest it alone. That means you are less dependent on other people. Hence smaller states (Germany before mid-XIX century consisted of dozens independent states), hence more independent opinions. Compare it to China. Rice requires serious irrigation works, you’ll never do it alone. In order to harvest rice, you need to organize a fairly large group of people to do a job together. And as the population grows, you need to perform those works at a larger scale, also because the easiest-to-work fields are already busy. As a result, we see that Chinese value the society more than they value an individual. A single person sacrificing his wishes for the good of the others is more acceptable for them than for Europeans.
This idea needs further thinking but it is quite possible that the liberalism and human rights developed in Western Europe to the extent we see due to a unique combination of religion, natural conditions and other factors. And it can’t be copied in other parts of the world. It can be brought to other parts of the world by immigration of people with European mentality, of course. But otherwise it can be done only by complete mentality change of local inhabitants. Not an easy task, could take generations and mean death of local culture.
- All people are seeking freedom and democracy, so it is our duty to help them achieve this goal. If some part of the society resists this help, it is the tyrannical part and it should be eliminated.
Yeah, really. Take up the White Man's burden… This idea is not dead yet, with all its prejudices.
In some part such understanding is based on the theory that appeared in history (history as a science!) in the UK in 18th century. This theory states that the process of human society development over time is a) linear and b) goes through the same stages in every society of the planet. One of the consequences of this theory was the statement that every society started from matriarchate – researchers came across some primitive society, ruled by women, and made their conclusion. This theory has long been proved wrong, but its influence is still alive.
Even if we accept that all countries, all societies are aiming at maximizing human rights, how justified will interference be? Good intentions are the pathway to hell. How long it took Anglo-Saxon civilization to reach modern state of human rights? Setting the Magna Carts as the starting point, it is a bit over 800 years, roughly 30 generations. Looking at the world history, we see how slowly societies change their organizational forms, evolving one into another. And you can’t forcefully speed it up. Imagine that our modern “crusaders of democracy” take time machine and show up at Hastings early in the morning on October 14th, 1066. “William, Harold, there is no need to fight. You need to run democratic elections, and everything will be ok…” Will they even understand the idea??? And what will happen the next day after they are left alone?
You have shown significant interest in Russian culture. If you care spending some more time on Russian books, I’d recommend you brothers Strugatsky (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkady_and_Boris_Strugatsky). The form of what they have written is science fiction, but the contents is all about ethics, morale, responsibility, conscience. Try «Escape Attempt», «Hard to be a God», «Overburdened with Evil».
Why I am mentioning them now is because among others they are exploring the topic of “progressors” – people from Earth of XXII century who try to speed up the history of other planets, to solve their problems, stop wars, etc. And it doesn’t end well. As one of their heroes says, “You can’t break up the natural course of history without breaking the spine of humanity.”
It’s hard to find examples of good revolutions when they are initiated from abroad. Change of regime should be supported by majority within the country – it is the guarantee that society is ready for it. What Anglo-Saxons and NATO frequently do is supporting the angry minority in its aspirations for power. And instead of peace, freedom and prosperity it brings chaos. The classic example is Libya. Over 10 years ago the country was “spared of Gaddafi’s tyrannical rule”… How do they live now? The GDP is still around 50% of what it used to be, the country is still not at peace, there are two major forces each claiming to be the legal power. How many lives it did cost already and how much time it will take free Libya to recover? Can such liberation be called anything but a disservice? In Russia we call it “bear’s help”. I don’t say that everything was good in the country when Gaddafi was alive, but aren’t they in the worse situation now?
The whole series of Arabian spring looks like a great mess, not a great success. I rely on the opinion of an expert – below is the brief translation of an article published in 2015-2016 by Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli scholar of Arab culture and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University. I can’t find the original, unfortunately.
December 2015 was the fifth anniversary of the events known as an ‘Arabian spring’. The world applauded the heroes of the streets in Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain. Now, five years ago, those countries are still battlefields, with no light ahead. What problems have prevented them from positive development? Most of them have developed over centuries and they still prevail in mentality, remaining the dangerous rudiment. - Tribalism*, that was always a survival factor in harsh natural conditions of the region. Now the conditions are different but mentality is still the same, when each person thinks of himself as a member of the clan first (family, tribe, tape, whatever…), not the citizen of the country.*
- Violence*. Resources are scarce, so anyone who is not the member of my clan, is a deadly threat. And the first reaction to a threat is violence.*
- Honour*, understood very specifically. Dishonoured person will seek revenge. It is not uncommon for a person to kill members of his own family if they dishonoured him. Honour is of primary importance in relations between countries and nations, sometimes more important than economics and healthcare.*
- Nepotism*, which has its roots in tribalism. Promoting your relatives to administrative positions is illegal in the West, but is part of normal practice in the East.*
- Corruption*. An office holder will invest in projects and regions where his tribe and supporters live, not otherwise. He feels financially responsible to his family, not to the country.*
- Multiple ethnic groups*, which protect their own languages and traditions. Marriages outside of a group are rare, coexistence with other groups is tense and hostile.*
- Islam*. Islamic extremists are sure that people who believe otherwise, are deserved to be killed.*
- Sunnites vs*.* shiites*. This conflict started back in 7th century as a conflict for control over Islam. Non-Islamic people see them analogous to Catholicism vs. Orthodox church, but in reality now, after centuries of religious wars, these are two separate religions, and the dialogue between them is very difficult.*
- Predominant culture*. Three main groups are Bedouins who live in deserts, fellahs who are the peasants, and inhabitants of the cities. Each group thinks stereotypically of other two, cross-marriages are rare.*
- Country borders*. British, French and Italian administration have been drawn the borders straight, just by a ruler and a pencil, paying no attention to the real borders between various groups which differ by religion and ethnicity. People who never thought about themselves as about having anything in common, are now the citizens of one country. And they don’t feel it this way.*
- Power change*. This is something which never happens peacefully in Arabic countries. The ethnic or religious group at power holds to it by all means.*
- Israel*. Arabs and Muslims don’t acknowledge Judaism as a live religion, Jewish people as a people. So for them the very existence of Israel is illegal. Plus Israel is very convenient as an external enemy, a good target for the aggression of the masses.*
- Oil has turned the countries of the Gulf into societies which don’t produce, but do consume without limits. The difference between wealth of the Gulf and poverty of other Arabian countries is shocking.
- West that interferes into the region to solve its own problems. Oil, gas, weapons – all is targeted to use natural resources of Middle East.
- Al Jazeera as a catalyst of social and religious unrest.
Throughout the XX-th century Europe tries to solve myriads of cultural problems of the Middle East, trying to create modern Arabic states that will fit Europe’s needs. The brightest example of Western misunderstanding of the East is the belief that Middle east can easily adopt democracy. Western democracy is based on western culture with equality of religious and social groups, minority rights, freedom of speech and opinions. Add to it religious freedom and free elections and you will get the list that is absolutely alien to Middle East. Here’s an article by the same author on the same topic –
https://fathomjournal.org/why-we-keep-getting-the-middle-east-wrong/ Here’s an interview with him –
https://chicagopolicyreview.org/2015/07/28/americans-still-dont-understand-the-middle-east-this-man-wants-to-help/ In one of your interviews you discussed the competition between China and the US for influence in Africa. And your opinion was that China wins due to corruption of local elites. Let me offer another reason for your consideration. It is the same reason that allows Russia to gain influence in Middle East, Africa, South America. When China or Russia come to some country to cooperate, they come to cooperate, not to teach, not to judge, not to interfere into the internal affairs of the state. And people appreciate this.
- We have the right to decide who is democratic and who is not.
This one is undoubtedly wrong. As a psychologist, you can diagnose it, I guess. What will you call such mental blindness, when a person considers himself flawless and assumes the right to judge and punish others, like in “The House of Pride” by Jack London. And here we see a group of countries that consider themselves the best in the world, that judge other countries and feel it righteous to interfere into their life, to change it without being asked. I understand why leaders of these countries have that blindness, but I wonder how many people in these countries actually understand that it is not a radiant crusade for democracy, but a destructive raid of Normans.
De furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine.
One of the principles of democracy is separation of three powers – legislative, judicial and executive. So why then countries that consider themselves “leaders of democratic world” forget about this principle in international relations. They make the rules, they judge and they punish.
One of American diplomats said recently that USA supports international rules-based order. Sounds good, sounds undoubtedly right. But why USA and NATO forget about the rules when it is convenient? Or is it “We support international rules-based order, but our own actions should not be limited by these rules”? What immediately comes to my mind without web search:
- Kosovo, 1999. Civil war or genocide or whatever it may be called. How it should have been handled according to the rules? UN Security Council makes the decision, ‘blue helmets’ move in and stop the hot phase of the conflict. How it was done? NATO forces moved in without UNSC mandate. Forget the rules.
- Iraq, 2003. USA and its allies invaded Iraq based on false claims that Saddam had mass destruction weapons. The Center for Public Integrity stated that the Bush administration made a total of 935 false statements between 2001 and 2003 about Iraq's alleged threat to the United States. International lies-based order?
Double standards
Speaking more about the rules… We are tired of seeing double standards. As an illustration, I will use just one aspect – the principle of integrity of the state vs the principle of the right of nations to self-determination. It looks like the West supports integrity of the state, when this state is allied or friendly to the West, and supports nation’s self-determination when the state is not. Let’s go through some examples.
- Chechnya (an autonomous republic within Soviet Union) wanted to become independent after 1991. It quickly started to use terrorism to achieve this goal. It took a lot of effort to stop the war and bring the region back to safety. Reaction of the West – support of chechens, their leader fled to London and was not deported to Russia despite all requests.
- Abkhazia (an autonomous republic within Georgian republic which was part of Soviet Union) wanted to become independent from Georgia when Georgia became independent from Russia. Resulted in a war. The conflict is still not solved. Abkhazia now is an independent state which is acknowledged by very few countries in the world. Reaction of the West – they still consider Abkhazia as a rebellious part of Georgia. Same situation about South Osetia – another region, that was an administrative part of Georgia until 1991 and that also seeks independence.
- Donetsk and Lugansk wanted to become independent from Ukraine after 2014 coup. Ukraine tried to subdue them by force and failed. Then the workplan has been signed in Minsk – what the parties of the conflict agree to do to settle. The result should have been – Donetsk and Lugansk return to Ukraine but have extended political rights, etc. Ukraine did nothing of its promises. Reaction of the West – support of Ukraine.
- Catalonia is seeking independence. And I remember that leaders of independence movement have been under political and criminal pressure.
- Scotland had a referendum about independence. And even though results were in favour of the UK, I remember how nervously London reacted.
Russia – NATO relations after 1991
This is best said by Vladimir Pozner, a journalist who spent years of his work in the USA, Russia, Europe and is one of the most known journalists of the old school (comparing to modern propagandists). Here’s the link to his speech in Yale University on September 27, 2018 –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ&t=2556s.
His speech takes around forty minutes, the rest is the Q&A. To save you time, I’d summarize it here in just a couple of phrases. After Soviet Union collapsed, there was an illusion that we aren’t enemies anymore, that the world is open now, and that we will be partners or even friends. Russia dismissed the Warsaw Treaty union and agreed for Germany to unite, that looked just right – why keep a military union when we aren’t enemies anymore? Sometime later Russia made an offer to join NATO to provide world security together and was denied. Russia offered to join the EU, and was denied. Russia was promised that NATO would not expand eastward and less than 10 years later this promise was broken. Since then, we’ve been witnessing NATO getting closer and closer to our borders, inviting countries that are our neighbours and aggressively supporting those candidates to country leadership in East Europe who declared anti-Russia views. So now the illusion is over. We are enemies. And what’s worse – we don’t trust US anymore, so negotiating some new principles of coexistence will be problematic.
Ukraine.
Briefly about history, in more details about recent times and present situation.
In 16-17th century the territory of modern Ukraine was controlled by two forces with no clear border between them. Northwest (where the city of Lvov is now) was under Polish rule, center and the region along river Dnepr – under control of “kazak military democracies” – gatherings of all people, who fled from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Crimea and who with time formed Ukrainians as a nation. They were ruled by elected chieftains and made their living largely by either joining some military campaign for money and loot, or by robbery raids to Poland, Crimea, Turkey. They were allied to Russia due to same religion – Orthodox Christianity.
As Poland grew stronger, its pressure on the territory grew, which led to periodic rebellions. Poland is a Catholic state, and people of Orthodox Ukraine were severely oppressed. Seeking protection, Ukrainian chieftains asked Russia to include those territories into Russian state. First request came in 1591. Russia rejected this request and several others. Only in 1654 part of Ukraine, controlled by kazaks, was included into Russia. Consequences – war with Poland and tens of thousands orthodox people fleeing from Polish-controlled lands into Russian-controlled lands.
From then on Russians and Ukrainians were really ‘brother nations’. Well, it was not heaven, but it was the best available option. Same religion, very close language and mentality. And forget about oppression. Ukrainians were oppressed as much as Russians themselves.
When the WW I started, Germany and Austria-Hungary were looking for collaborators in occupied territories of Russian Empire. They promised independence to nationalists in Western Ukraine, and found people who bought the idea. Not surprisingly, the most dedicated nationalists came from the least developed region of the country. Ukraine did not become independent at that moment, but the ideas stayed and gave their fruit during WW II, when Ukrainian collaborators actively participated in Nazis’ crimes. In one of your videos you described what Unit 731 of Japanese army was doing and you warned your listeners that they will never forget it. If you will find and read witnesses’ accounts of Volhynia massacre, you will never forget it either. I read it once long ago and I never want to read it again. It was a shock to me that people are capable of such things.
In the period between 1945 and 1991 Ukraine had the same rights as any other republic. There were no impediments to preserving and developing local culture. If you lived in any republic, you learned two languages – Russian and local. National literature was actively translated into other national languages of the Soviet Union, there were no impediments to education. Soviet Union with all its flaws, really tried to unite all of its nations into one big family. (What surprises me though is why antisemitism remained. You could come from Georgia, Uzbekistan or Yakutia and pass exams to Moscow university, no problem if you are smart enough. But it could be problematic for a Jew…)
After 1991 Russia and Ukraine remained friendly states, tightly bound by economic, cultural and even family ties. Ukraine tried to get the most out of relations both with Russia and with the West and it worked fairly well for 30 years. But with time attempts to elevate significance of their own nation led Ukrainians down a dangerous path. They started to slowly eliminate all other cultures that were present in the country. This process sped up dramatically in 2014, when after a coup the nationalist forces gained influence on the government.
Official Kiev denies being nationalistic, but don’t trust what the person is saying, see what he is doing.
- Open Kiev map and you will find two prospects – one named after Bandera, another after Shukhevich. Those two stand behind Volhynia massacre and numerous other crimes. Now they are heroes.
- During WW II Ukrainian nationalists were gathered by Nazis into the division “Galicia”. Collaborators and traitors, they did not show much on the battlefield, but were always victorious in the punitive raids against civilians. Now they are heroes.
- Ukraine is banning and denying Russian language and Russian culture. And it did not start last year. It started much earlier, when bit by bit Russian-speaking people had more and more difficulties teaching their children in Russian, buying books in Russian. It even shows itself historically – famous writers, artists, musicians, etc. of the past are proclaimed Ukrainians if they were born or lived on the territory of modern Ukraine. Aivazovskiy was Armenian by nation, lived in Crimea which was Russian at the time. Repin was Russian, Kuingi was Greek. Gogol and Bulgakov called themselves Russian and wrote in Russian. Shevchenko wrote in Russian, and now his books in Ukraine are translated from Russian.
I live in Moscow region, so all these processes for me were just an echo of a far-away thunder. My friends who lived in Crimea, Kiev, Donetsks, Kharkov many times said how difficult it was to live in a country that is so obsessed with its own magnificence that it becomes absurd. Massive renaming of streets, destruction of monuments that signified joint Russian-Ukrainian history, rewriting of history, when traitors and criminals become heroes, heroes become butchers. Anne, daughter to Yaroslav the Wise, wife to Henry I of France is known as Anne de Russie or Anne of Kiev. But now there are attempts to call her Anne of Ukraine, even though the very term Ukraine appeared at least a hundred years after she died.
We see those nationalistic ideas demonstrating themselves in a number of ways, and we have seen them before and we know what threat they can bring if left unattended. Pay attention to a dragon when it is small, you may be unable to win when it grows up.
I don’t say that our perception is correct, I just say how we see it. And to us modern Ukraine is like a younger brother who joined a bad company and who is becoming dangerous.
Now combine these two. Ukrainian nationalism plus NATO. Two threats, one well known historically, another the most dangerous rival of the past 70 years. We see them uniting and it is really an existential threat to us. In such circumstances could we afford being blind to it, just sitting and waiting what comes next? We tried to settle it peacefully. Many times Russia said that we are worried by NATO expansion, that we are worried by Western support of nationalistic movements in our neigbour countries. No effect. The last attempt was made in autumn of 2021, when Putin offered a negotiation that should have resulted in guaranteed safety. No reply.
If there is a conflict and your rival refuses to talk, he is asking for a fight. I don’t say that war in Ukraine is the right way to solve the conflict, but who can say that we did not try to set it by negotiations?
submitted by
Pavel_Sergievsky to
JordanPeterson [link] [comments]
2023.06.02 22:17 Yanikguillemette Yanik Guillemette
| Photo: Donald Robitaille A partner of small and medium-sized businesses as well as local merchants, Outgo is now coveted by major corporate players. Founded in 2016 by Yanik Guillemette , the company — which offers activities, gift ideas and tourist experiences — generates an average of 10M impressions per year, via the Google and Bing search engines, bringing nearly 300,000 clicks on the pages of their partners. Barely out of the pandemic period, the founder and his vice-president of business development, Marc-Antoine Perron , met with Le Grenier to discuss effective strategies that make the company shine and the new offer. Outgocorporate. Tell us a bit about Outgo ! What is the company 's background ? "The excessive discount is not something that lasts in the long term", advises us from the outset Yanik Guillemette , speaking of the 2016 market, which he considered saturated with discount sellers. “In fact, at the base, we really wondered about this formula and we didn't understand how merchants who joined discount sites managed to make a profit margin. And on the other hand, we noticed that the conditions of purchase of several of these discount sites consisted most of the time in trapping the consumer by stuffing the purchase with all kinds of constraints. I wondered if there was a good way to offer experiences and if it was also possible to fill an offer with quality merchants, who you don't often see at a discount. This bet, Yanik Guillemette succeeded well. During the year 2020, Outgohired 18 new employees to meet growing demand and in 2021, the Quebec company is looking for developers to bring all IT development in-house But the founder does not take all the credit for alone and attributes a large part of the success to the organization behind Outgo : “Our growth has been and continues to be by word of mouth and by organic means. If it works so well, it's because we rely on exceptional customer service and a team that cares. » You have something new to share, a corporate service offered by the Outgo Networkinc. to large companies in Quebec. Tell us about this initiative: how was it born? As was the case for many companies, Outgohas been hard hit by the pandemic, Yanik Guillemette points out : “We are a website that probably represents the hardest hit industry. We have put everything in place to protect as much as possible our reason for existing, namely businesses in Quebec. This is where we transformed this difficult situation into a great opportunity, in particular by launching a campaign to support local merchants, by improving gift cards and by making compromises on our side. And then, suddenly, it was a call from a big customer, who wanted to offer gift cards to his employees to thank them, which launched Outgotowards a new initiative: “We changed course on a dime to meet this new demand. In fact, we did not offer this kind of service, but we thought we had to develop a solution that would allow this customer to send gift cards virtually. It was really part of our corporate DNA because it reinforced our desire to act as a transmission belt between those who want to offer experiences and those who want to benefit from them or make others benefit from them” . Indeed, offering gifts of recognition by the hundreds, or even by the thousands, is no small feat, explains the founder: "In order to respond to this new demand, which has only grown moreover, we have developed a 100% digital corporate gift sending service that manages the order from A to Z. In other words, our tool is used to send gift cards by email in a personalized way, and can be transformed into a gift box , all delivered by secure mail, anywhere across Canada. But this service is used by both large and small companies, and we also have enormous success with social clubs and employee associations. How does this initiative fit into Outgo 's strategic vision ? Marc-Antoine Perron insists on the importance of the Outgo catalogin the company's strategic vision: “If we didn't have an interesting catalog, we would never have had the opportunity to develop the corporate component. That's kind of what makes us so popular, in addition to our business model that we don't take a commission. Merchants who join our site and who offer their products or experiences pay an annual membership fee to enjoy great visibility, as evidenced by the new initiative of gift boxes and corporate gift cards. We are soon approaching 500 partners on the platform and we are aiming for double that. Things are moving fast and we can see that this objective is achievable. We are aware that local merchants come because they see what is interesting for them and vice versa, customers come to us because they find the offer interesting. It finally comes back to this idea of a transmission belt that I was talking about Yanik earlier. Our mission is this: to provide the best service to the parties involved”. In closing, Yanik Guillemette tells us that the future for Outgo, is to develop the Quebec and Canadian market: “We have identified partners in Alberta. I see it as an opportunity to show Quebec to the rest of Canada and vice versa. It is still in development, but we also have a European counterpart who has targeted us and who would like to jointly develop offers”. submitted by Yanikguillemette to u/Yanikguillemette [link] [comments] |
2023.06.02 20:46 In_Yellow_Clad A Widow's Wrath -- (A One Shot)
A widow on the path of vengeance,
A life taken, her heart in fragments.
She wanders through the dark of night,
Her thoughts consumed with deadly might.
No mercy shown, her aim is true,
She'll take revenge, see it through.
With each step she grows more bold,
Her heart beats fast, her grip is cold.
Her enemies beware her wrath,
Their fate is sealed, there's no escape path.
Her sword is sharp, her aim is sure,
No one can stop her, the gods assure.
The widow on her quest for retribution,
Will not rest until there's restitution.
Her mind is focused, her heart is strong,
Her foes will pay the price, no right or wrong.
In the end, justice will be served,
The widow's heart, though broken, will be preserved.
For she has triumphed in her quest,
And now can lay her soul to rest.
-The Legend of the Shade
-----------------
One would expect that a planet named Ilara would be some sort of paradise, or at the very least, pleasant to experience. This could not be further from the truth. Ilara is an arid, hot and dusty mess of a world. What little surface water there is has seen settlements of all kinds pop up around it, and considering the sort of planet it is, it’s no wonder that these oases have become dens of lawlessness.
Well, most of them have, a few still manage to be civilized, but to paraphrase a good man, many are ‘“Wretched hives of scum and villainy”, and it is one of these places where this tale takes place.
Nefaria’actul’oproni, or as the citizens called it, Murkville, was not a happy place. It wasn’t particularly nice looking either, the buildings all worn and smooth thanks to the repeated sandstorms that like to roll on through. There were scorch marks and even streaks of dried blood in all the colors of the rainbow on the walls in some places. And yet, for all its shittiness, people still lived there. They didn’t like it, but the next nearest and far more civilized town was much too far away for any of them to make it without suffering some form of horrible accident, attack by the wildlife or something else along those lines. So they stayed, and they endured.
Murkville was also under the control of the crime syndicate calling themselves the Set’ruthal, a brutal organization that specializes in drugs, human/xenos trafficking and prostitution, none of which was mutually exclusive in the slightest. They were scum of the highest order and they held Murkville in their iron grip, extorting the populace for ‘protection’ money and the like. All terribly cliche, but such is the way of the world.
It was a dark and blissfully cool night at the local saloon, and Scaszer - A Solvoih, who are what humanity would call an anthropomorphized snake with legs - was enjoying a drink with his friends after a long and hard day of work. His two friends, a Khik or vaguely like a tall dog person and an Almell, which humans describe as an elf with feathers, sat with him. They were all simply enjoying the cool air and the good drinks, one of the few actual luxuries in this gods forsaken dump of a town.
Flardryn - the Almell - was the first to break the silence that lingered over all of us.
“So, have you heard the rumors?” He asked, his voice a touch chirpy at times, but today not so much. Scaszer and Deikx the Khik both looked at him curiously, then at one another before they shook their heads. Flardryn grinned and leaned forwards, lowering his voice to a whisper only we could hear.
“Rumor is, someone’s sticking it to the Set’ruthal. Blowing up outposts, caches, and just generally causing chaos.” He said, Scaszer and Deikx looking rather disbelieving.
“What a load of ketch, if that were true don’t you think we’d have noticed? Ketch, if that were true this whole place would be worse than it was, they’d be taking out all that anger on us instead of the person causing the trouble.” Deikx snorted, shaking his head in a manner that had his droopy ears flopping about.
“Yeah, you know how they get when things go wrong. We pay the price.” Scaszer said, Flardryn huffing.
“But it is true! They say a human is causing all this fuss.” He protested, and that gave the other two pause. Now that sounded pretty plausible, when humans wanted to break something, they always seemed to do so in spectacular fashion. So one human causing such a ruckus wasn’t unheard of, but still it was only a rumor.
“Alright then, tell us about this human.” Scaszer said, and Flardryn looked overjoyed at the prospect of doing so, leaning in even closer to speak.
“So, rumors say this human holds a personal grudge against the Set’ruthal. They say the syndicate killed the humans family and nobody would bring them to justice, so the human decided to do it themselves.” That was honestly not that surprising. Humans love a good revenge arc. “Anyway, they started small, or so the rumors say. Just some low level scum going missing, then working their way higher and higher up the ladder. It’s got the Set’ruthal scared but they don’t wanna show it, keep up appearances you know?”
Scaszer and Deikx nodded, both of them fully understanding the concept of saving face. But this did seem a little far fetched.
None of them really noticed the human that entered the saloon, a long, dusty and tattered coat draped over their shoulders, heeled boots that gently thumped against the floor and a wide brimmed hat on the top of their head. Nobody noticed them save the bartender when the human sat at it, nor did they hear the softly spoken request for a drink from this human.
What they did notice was the very loud group of Set’ruthal enforcers, who were off duty at this time, wandering into the saloon not five minutes later, cussing and generally being obnoxious. The establishment fell silent, fearful eyes tracking the enforcers as they kicked the occupants of a table out of their chairs and claimed it for themselves. Nobody moved a muscle to challenge them, they all knew what would happen if they did.
The human however, hardly seemed perturbed as they glanced over a shoulder, the long ponytail of red hair shifting with the motion. It didn’t take the Enforcers long to notice the human, nor the fact that the human was a female. There was a very good reason why there were no humans in Murkville, and the Set’ruthal were that very reason, as the men tended to get slaughtered and the women… well, best to not talk about that.
“Well well, looks like we have a newcomer!” One of the enforcers said, grinning maliciously. The Set’ruthal were almost exclusively occupied by members of a species known as the Bholkal. To humans, they were very large armadillos, with the same amount of teeth as a shark and generally they all had very bad attitudes. “And a human at that, it’s our lucky night lads! Seems we’ll be having some lively entertainment.”
They all stood and the trio of friends all felt a bit of bile rise in their throats, feeling for the poor human who had wandered into the wrong town. But the human did the most curious thing, and perhaps the most stupid thing as well. They ignored the enforcers and instead flagged down the bartender, who looked to be quivering in fear.
“Could I just have the bottle, please and thank you.” The human said, her voice light and lilting, but with a touch of a Terran subcultural accent, what they would call Southern. The bartender was quick to acquiesce, and a bottle of some alcoholic beverage was placed before her. She was quick to take it up, spinning the cap off it with a well practiced motion. She didn’t even care that the cap was sent flying off into the unknown as a result, she instead focused on chugging the contents of the bottle while turning on her stool to face the enforcers.
The enforcers didn’t look too pleased and everyone else all wanted to look away from what was going to happen next, but found themselves transfixed.
“Aren’t you a pretty thing, why don’t you come play with us girly.” The lead enforcer, a particularly nasty fellow and coincidentally the son of the Set’ruthal patriarch, grinned as he reached out a claw to stroke her cheek. Instead of responding verbally, her head tilted back as she continued her drinking, a single finger raised to single him to wait. He didn’t really appreciate this, as he moved with such speed that nobody really knew what happened till the bottle had been cut into pieces, the contents splashing partially onto her and the floor while the glass shattered on impact.
She stared at the broken and empty bottle with a look of exasperation, before her ice blue eyes shifted their focus onto the heir apparent.
“Alright, I’ll play with you.” She said softly, and the enforcer grinned, leaning in to begin his violations, only for all of us to hear a sound we were most assuredly not expecting.
It was the sound of railgun coils spinning up.
Before anyone could react, there was a sharp sound of metal on metal, followed by wet squelching, as nearly every soul tracked the arm that sailed through the air and landed in a bloody heap well across the room. Then came the screaming, as the enforcer looked at the stump where his arm had been, and the ancient looking revolver that had removed it. The gun shifted, angling lower, the same whine repeating and now he was missing a leg as well.
The saloon burst into motion as his screaming intensified, his buddies all surging towards the human who stood in a flash and used their foot to hook onto the rungs of the stool she’d only just been occupying, sending it sailing straight into the face of an enforcer even as she took aim and fired again, turning another's head into a fine purple mist. She became a blur, firing and slashing with the broken bottle. She painted the room with their blood and they never even laid a claw on her.
It was over in an instant, the human standing there and breathing heavily, even as she watched the first enforcer claw his way out the door on his stomach. With a deep breath she turned, placed a stack of credits on the bar and walked after the fleeing enforcer, all while reloading her weapon.
Without much hesitation all present who had merely been spectators scrambled from their hiding places and to the windows, watching as she stepped over the prostrate being and pressed the barrel of her gun to the back of his head.
“D-Do you know who I am? Who my father is!?” The being wailed, and the human nodded.
“I do, that’s why I’m here, why I’m doing this. Because you took everything I ever held dear from me, and now… now I have nothing left to lose.” She murmured, and the alien grinned, purple blood oozing from his mouth.
“You know you’re gonna die right? We’re gonna take our time with you, make it hurt!”
“Perhaps, but here’s the thing,” She kicked him over onto his back, a position of great shame to a Bhokal. “There’s room in my grave for you too.” She hissed, and they all expected her to end him right then and there. But she didn’t. Instead she drew a knife and smiled in a sweet manner, yet instead of the comfort that such a smile should have brought, they felt nothing but a chill run down their spines (or spine equivalents.)
“Now, you’re gonna be a messenger to dear old dad, so you best listen close, don’t want to miss a single word.”
Those watching turned away, some getting sick at what she did next, the screams echoing down the street.
Ten Hours Later
The plantation on the outskirts of Murkville was an opulent affair, reminiscent of ancient Terran plantations as well, which is what it had been based off of coincidentally. It was here where the end of this story shall take place, and it shall go down in history as a pivotal point for Ilara. A night of blood and death, of vengeance secured and the end of a dynasty.
It began, with the sound of someone scratching at the door, a sound that was entirely unheard of in this place. When a guard was ordered to investigate, they found only the mangled son of Patriarch Bilharzia bleeding - not nearly as profusely as he had been earlier - on the stoop. He was quickly moved to a secure room and his father was livid, bellowing up a storm of vile hatred for whomever had done this to his son.
When eventually he calmed down enough to not only hear himself think, but to hear others when they talked to him, he was informed that there was a camera attached to the front of his son's uniform. He quickly snatched it up, peering directly into the camera as a snarl ripped from his throat.
“I don’t know who you are, or why you’re doing this, but you’ve made a very grave mistake! I will hunt you down, I will tear everything you love and hold dear apart! I will make you beg for death and I shall not give it! DO YOU HEAR ME! I SHALL NOT GIVE IT!” He roared into the camera, unsure if whomever was watching could even hear him. But apparently they could.
“You already have. Now it’s my turn. An eye for an eye.” Came the sibilant response, and that’s when they all heard it. A gentle beeping coming from nearby. Bilharzia turned towards the source, only to find his son awake yet again, and looking fearfully at him. He couldn’t speak, whomever had mutilated him had not stopped at his limbs, but had removed his ability to speak, to warn them of the danger he presented.
It clicked in Bilharzia’s head that the beeping was only getting faster, and just as it became a solid tone he bolted from the room. He was fortunate to have done so, his son and the others however… not so fortunate. The high explosive charge that had been embedded into his son detonated, blowing a good chunk of the west wing entirely to pieces.
As Bilharzia raised his head from the ground where he’d landed thanks to the blast, he caught sight of missiles streaking up into the air, only to explode mid-flight and rain down phosphorus and napalm over the fields of product he maintained, setting them ablaze. Heavy gunfire sounded, the rattling of a very large chaingun booming through the silence of a beautiful evening, raking rounds over his vehicles and depots. Everything of value save the servants quarters was put to the torch, and he could only watch.
From the smoke strode a figure, one he instantly recognized. He was not ignorant of human history, their conflicts Shumon Synergy or the Valvak Despoilers, he knew a human warmech when he saw one. And this one was particularly well known.
Before his home stood the warmech known as the Black Widow though its official name was 22-39 Ward. The body was painted black, a single red hourglass on the chest partially hidden by some sort of tactical covering that closely resembled a poncho. It was a monster of a machine, and there was only one person who had ever piloted it. A woman who was known as Shade, or that was what her foes had called her. To her peers, to her family, her name was Myra Fields. A war hero a thousand times over, a loving wife and mother of four.
A widow, whose family had been ripped from her by Bilharzia’s very hand.
The warmech launched another salvo, striking at targets that went unseen behind the manor, and his men, his loyal men, rushed out to face the beast of metal and wrath, only to be gunned down without mercy or hesitation. And then the chassis opened, and out stepped his worst nightmare.
A woman in black, with blood red hair, dropped from the pilots cradle and landed with nary a sound. Bilharzia made to flee through the house, but the fire caused by the explosion within it had weakened the structure, a burning beam landing upon his legs and pulverizing the bones. He cried out as he was stopped dead in his tracks, and from where he lay he could see her approaching slowly, patiently.
Finally she stepped into the burning home, the smoke filled wind catching her coat and making it flap. She knelt before him, not a single emotion on her face. She studied him for a moment, then looked at the beam and the fire which engulfed the house before nodding. She didn’t say a word, not even in response to his begging, his pleas for mercy. She had none to give, none to show, and so she stood and left, leaving him to his fate.
Finally she spoke, even as she walked past the waiting warmech.
“Light the fire, Ward.” She said, and the machine nodded, launching more incendiary missiles high into the air, and watching as the payload rained down on the home. And just like that, it was over, a syndicate which had existed for five hundred years, reduced to ashes. The machine nodded again, then turned and trailed after its mistress.
Four days later
Myra crouched before a series of headstones, brushing the sand off them carefully and with reverence. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to do. But looking at them sparked something inside her, a purpose.
“It’s done… They won’t take anyone else anymore, I made sure of that.” She whispered. “Now… Now I think I’ll see what I can do to help make the galaxy a better place. There are more out there like me, who need their own closure. More like them that need to be brought to justice. If I can do even just a little bit… Then that’ll be enough for me.”
She rose, dusting the sand off her knees and took one last look at the graves of her family.
“I love you all.” She murmured, turning and clambering up into the cockpit of her warmech. As it sealed she placed her hat upon a hook, and turned them both towards the horizon, and the star port beyond it.
“What are we going to do now, Commander?” Ward asked, and she smiled, giving one of his consoles a gentle pat.
“Now… Now we’re going to do what we do best. Think you’re up for it?”
“Affirmative.”
“Good boy. Let’s go kill some bad guys.”
And so, the two walked off into the great unknown, looking to bring justice to those that required it.
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2023.06.02 13:35 Liberty-Prime76 Letter of Marque - A NoP Fanfic 10
As always, thank you to
u/SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe that is NoP
Thank you to
u/cruisingNW for proof reading and helping me out of some hang ups, you're the man! And for letting me use Barry, Borven and Tarva (No relation)!
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Memory Transcription Subject: Christopher A. Dewey, Human Merchant Sailor, Venlil-Human Exchange Participant Date [Standardized Human Time]: August 24th, 2136.
The door to Suite 4006 didn't look all that different from the door to our bunk room, though the walls around it lacked the friendly atmosphere of the exchange areas; guess admin offices are bland no matter the species. Taisa was beside me trying to appear confident; I noticed she did that a lot. Originally I had thought it was for my benefit, to make me feel like she wasn't scared of me; but I wasn't so sure of that anymore. It seemed that any time she was in a situation that made her feel small or scared she did her best to puff up and push through it. It was one of the things I liked best about her; but that didn't mean I'd ever stop giving her shit for fainting.
"Taisa," I started, placing my hand on her shoulder, her tail curling a little and resting against the side of my leg. "It'll be alright, I figure they wanna ask some questions about what happened earlier. Verify reports, get the story first hand. That sort of thing."
She took a deep breath as her ears flicked at my statement and her tail swayed off my leg.
I think that one means she understands, or maybe it's agreement? Still tryin’ to figure those out. "We tell 'em what happened, get it all cleared up on our end, easy and free 'fore too long. Once we got their questions outta the way we can drop our little 'research idea' on ‘em and see where it goes from there." I squeezed her shoulder gently at the end, she beeped a little but seemed to puff her chest out with a little extra confidence.
"Here goes nothin'." I raised my hand to rap against the metal door, I assume I looked a fool when the door opened up before I actually managed to knock.
"Christopher A. Dewey and Taisa, I presume?" A Venlil in the door stated, keeping the two of us in the span of his left eye. "Come in, have a seat."
He maneuvered his way around behind the desk, sitting down in a chair next to a Human at a shared desk as Taisa and I got situated. "I am
Borven, and this is Barry." He stated, introducing himself and then the Human with his tail. "We are the liaisons for the exposure program. I assume that you know why we called you in this waking?"
I nodded, leaning back in the chair. "I'd wager a guess it has something to do with a certain upset Ensign, a bunch of angry Humans and a... pawful of scared Venlil?"
Barry nodded, pulling something up on the pad in front of him. I figured it was probably the report drafted by the guard that questioned us. "We wanted to confirm your side of the story as reported by Officer Gentry and Officer Jaisle, would you mind?"
I motioned with my hand for him to proceed. "I'd be happy to."
“Very good. To start, can you verify that this record of your account is accurate?" Barry queried, handing the pad off to me.
I sat for a few minutes, reading through the report and follow up answers that had been written down. Taisa took the pad as I offered it to her, "Looks good to me."
A few minutes longer, “Yeah, me too. Although two of the Venlil that had hidden behind Chris are missing, A female with white wool and a male with black wool with gray striping. I’m sorry I didn’t think to ask after their names.” She corrected, handing the pad back over to Barry.
“Thank you, we’ll be sure to correct that error.”
Taisa's ears perked up as she beeped out a question, her curiosity from earlier evidently not satisfied, "What does the UN intend to do with him?"
"Well, that depends, do you still decline to press charges, Mr. Dewey?" Barry asked, setting the pad back on the desk as he tapped a button to confirm the report.
I shook my head, "Nah, he needs help, not a lawsuit."
"Then in that case I am not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation beyond confirming your account. I apologize." Taisa's tail lashed in what I figured was annoyance at that before she took a breath and steadied it.
A few more questions were leveled at us, asking about the mood in the room just before and after the announcement, what individuals we could remember that looked the most agitated and if we could identify any of the pairs that had departed before the shouting began. Then Borven struck on a question that seemed to give Taisa pause.
"Taisa, what motivated you to intervene and guide the Venlil hiding behind your partner out of the altercation? You could have risked a stampede and caused far more problems than you were solving."
Her ears drooped for a moment, her tail coming to a standstill as she thought over the question. “I saw people in trouble, saw Chris doing something and I just… I had to help. I didn’t really think about whether it would cause a stampede until after I had already gotten them moving. After that I tried my best to stay calm; I’ve read that people at the front of a herd keeping a level head is what can start or stop a stampede.”
Borven’s tail flicked as he tapped something into his pad before swiveling his ears towards Barry. “I think that covers everything I have, Barry, any further questions?
Barry shook his head, tapping away at the pad before setting it back on its mount. “I believe that’s everything that I need. Unless the two of you have any further questions yourselves, you are excused. Thank you for your assistance.”
Taisa and I exchanged glances for a moment. “Actually, we did have one question.” “As I stated earlier, Mr. Dewey, unless you wish to press charges I cannot divulge information with regards to the Ensign’s punishment or prospects moving forward.” Barry sighed. “Please pose your question with that in mind.”
“And I understand that, this is about something else.” Barry raised an eyebrow as Borven fixed a single eyed gaze on me.
“Taisa and I were thinking that we’d, in the spirit of the exchange program, like to run an experiment.” “An experiment?” Borven asked, refocusing his ears on Taisa. She flicked her ears at him and tapped me with her tail, prompting me to continue.
“Yes. We’d like to run an experiment on Human-Venlil Business partnerships; see how we work together. Taisa is a trained ships engineer and I’ve spent the last 15 years hauling freight, organizing and working merchant ships all across Earth. I’d need some more targeted flight training and familiarization with rules and regs but I’ve spent plenty of time in simulators at home.”
A few moments of silence hung in the room before Barry shrugged. “That’s not under our department's purview but I can get you two in touch with the two people you’d likely need to… convince of the feasibility of your proposition.”
“Thank you, Gentlemen.” I said, standing from the seat before turning to walk out the door behind Taisa.
As the door closed I heard Barry and Borven bickering about how many of the pairs were going to want to stay together in one way or another. They seemed like fun, if maybe a bit stiff. After a minute or two of quiet walking down the hall our pads chimed, indicating we had received a message:
Barry and Borven notified me that you and your partner have suggested an experiment. Please report to Conference Suite 4185. Sent by Thomas Ashforth, UN Liaison.
It wasn’t a terribly far walk around the station’s outer ring to arrive at the conference room, only a few minutes.
“Alright… 4185 it is.” Taisa spoke up next to me, taking a deep breath as her ears swiveled back a little; she looked worried.
“Hey, don’t worry. We got this.” I soothed while patting her on the back; trying to put a little pep back in her step. “It didn’t get sunk in the bay so we’ve got a chance at least!”
“I know,” She took another deep breath, puffing her chest up as we stepped up to the door. “I’m just scared they’ll say no. Or worse, find a reason to split us.” “We’ll just have to make sure that doesn't happen. You won’t be rid of me that easy.” I joked, putting a small twinkle of mirth in her eye as her tail lashed about.
I saw a retort brewing but it was cut off by a stern voice from beyond the door. “Enter.” Both of us stiffened a little as the door slid open to reveal a room with a small conference table, 6 chairs in total surrounding it. The two at the far end were occupied by a man wearing a UN dress uniform and a small union jack pinned to his lapel, while a very…
very small ice-white Venlil sat on a cushion atop the table.
“Please be seated, we’ve got a few questions about your
experiment. My name is Thomas Ashforth.” Said the man, gesturing across the table.
As Taisa and I sat down the small Venlil began. “And I am Professor Tarva, no relation. I’m head of the Integration efforts. You must be Taisa!” Taisa returned the enthusiasm with a flick of her ears before Tarva turned her ears towards me. “And you must be Christopher! Protector blessed, you’re certainly the largest Human I’ve seen so far!” I nodded in return. “My friend here is coordinating the fiscal side of the exchange program. So, why don’t you two tell us about this idea of yours?”
I took in a breath to steady my nerves, Taisa’s tail coiling around my ankle helped motivate my voice forward that little bit more. “We know that the recent blockades have caused issues for Venlil prime, and while Earth may not
need anything from Venlil prime to get by there’s a lot of people who I’d bet would
want plenty. Taisa also tells me a fair few of the freighter captains are still ‘bolty’ about trading directly with Humans; neither Taisa nor myself have that problem. From what she has said there’s a lot of surplus ships floating around VPs shipyards waiting for trade to open up again. The experiment would be to acquire a smaller freighter for Taisa and myself to crew, command, and operate so as to gather a better understanding of how Humans and Venlil work together in a civilian ship environment as well as the operation of an enterprise. Plenty of research is going to come up for military applications but I think opportunities to gain information on Civilian settings will be few and far between for some time.”
“An interesting theory! But what extra information do you think we can get from a civilian vessel that we can’t from a military vessel? What you’re suggesting could easily be replicated within the logistics corps instead!” Her tail was swaying slowly as her ears stayed pointed directly at me.
“Chaos.” I said, simply, shrugging at the statement.
That seemed to catch her off guard a moment, her tail falling still before her ears perked up and her eyes came alight with a fire of interest. “And why exactly would I want to include chaos in my experiments?”
“Military ships, combat and logi, all have an inherent order to them, in combat or out of it. They are specifically trained for, and sometimes raised in it. Civilian merchants and shippers don't have that training, which means the operating conditions, stresses and strains on the crew of a military ship are different than that of a civilian ship. Monitoring how Taisa and I work together, our responses to those stresses and strains could provide valuable insight into future workplace ‘integration’ efforts.” I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on the table as I looked over her head, trying to avoid spooking her.
Despite those efforts, her favored eye bore into mine, before she changed her tactic and tried again, “Ok, so the idea has merit. But why should we get a whole ship for the two of you? Why not register you with a freight company and have you work with them as well?” She countered, a gleam in her eye as she focused on my face.
“
Please point us to a freight company that won't make a stink about having a human pilot, let alone one my size. Even if you
did find a freighter willing to stomach my presence that doesn’t change the fact that baseline interactions would be easy enough to find examples of, and could be done with any pair of applicants in any setting. What we are proposing is the examination of a joint business venture. Taisa and I have experience: I was the first-mate on my last ship, and Taisa is a Venlil-trained and registered ships engineer. These are the backbone of any ship, giving you a clean sample to get readings, uncluttered by other people”.
“That comes to another question. Why the two of you? There’s plenty of running freight companies we could organize this same exchange with, without having to dig up the money for a ship.” She retorted, despite the wording and my still…
developing understanding of tail signals, I was pretty sure she was enjoying this.
As I mulled over the question, trying to think of the best response, Taisa spoke up from the chair next to me, her ears peaked straight up, a confident look in her eyes with a voice as sure as steel. “Because we’re here. You already planned on something similar or ‘integration’ wouldn’t be on the table. I’d guess that you’ve got pairs picked for all sorts of ‘experiments’, and business is just one part of it.”
Atta Girl Taisa! Said it better than I ever could. Tarva opened her mouth for another question; if I didn’t know better I’d think she loved this kind of back and forth. But before she could begin Thomas’ voice drifted in and I was reminded of the sharp cold of the Bering Straits. “I’m very pleased you work so well together. But how would that benefit the program? Why should the UN invest in
your… ‘integration’.” His eyes passed between us, like we were being measured for a casket, it was clear that wasn’t a question, it was a statement.
Flipping open a ledger, Thomas pulled a pen from his breast pocket, the motion felt like it carried more weight than the drawing of any sword. “Firstly, this, as all business ventures must be, has to be profitable. To you, to the program and to the U.N. until you’ve paid back your debt, and more. How do you intend to actually make a profit? Have you considered fuel costs? Maintenance? Registration? Permitting?” His gaze felt like it could turn me to stone, I hated accountants, near as much as lawyers.
Taisa seemed not to have such hangups, someone had been thinking. “Fuel costs would be negligible when compared to the overall short trip and high margins that could be made by hauling higher value cargo. Maintenance would be handled by myself, limiting costs only to parts. I doubt that we will be acquiring a fresh off the line ship, and I know my way around a scrapyard. Registration and permitting are firm plan-able costs that can be included within the operating budget since they come up at regular intervals.”
Thomas nodded, writing in his ledger before looking back up at us. “And what do you intend to actually ship? The most profitable ventures have a plan and a consistent schedule.” I sat up a little straighter, I wasn’t going to let an accountant send me running like a dog with my tail between my legs. “My experience is with Tramp freighters, sir.” The use of the term earned a look of confusion from Tarva and a slight sigh from Taisa, while Thomas was clearly familiar with the term. “Charging higher rates for a slightly less consistent schedule would make up for the irregularity. I am of the opinion that limiting what is hauled to one type, brand or item of cargo would, in this case, be a poor decision at such a small scale. Bulk freighters at home only work
because of their scale and the guaranteed regularity, to make such a thing work for that kind of enterprise the U.N. would have to invest far more into the ship just to get the idea off the ground. Taking bespoke contracts for individuals, or groups of them within the same city or province, would allow us to keep a more flexible margin for each run. As well, I already have a few old associates on Earth that are likely chomping at the bit to open a trade route with VP.”
His eyes narrowed a little as he wrote in his ledger again, that infernal brass pen making notes I couldn’t see. “What guarantees can you give us that this will last? How can the U.N. be sure that in a month’s time this doesn’t blow up in our faces and we’re left with an old freighter, a diplomatic incident, and an empty bag?”
To my surprise Tarva spoke up on our behalf. “Christopher's Empathy test puts him in the top 5th percentile of those tested. Taisa has been searching for a job since she graduated, and from her application wants very much to avoid returning home for work, that coupled with Christopher’s registered work history and their obvious compatibility I think it unlikely the experiment will ‘blow up’ in the U.N.s face.”
Thomas’s eyebrows scowled, like his ledger insulted his mother. He laid his pen down with a sigh, “The U.N. Reserves the right at any time, during the period in which the debt for the ship has not yet been paid, to requisition cargo space. Christopher, you will be completing a mandatory course to bring your capabilities inline with UN or Venlil freight pilot standards, failure of this course is
unacceptable.” He let the ultimatum hang in the air… then continued, “Taisa, you will be tested on how much of your education you have retained in your time since graduation, as well as your efficacy in this role. Finally: any and all damages, maintenance, modifications and or ‘personalizations’ made to the vessel, beyond what is required by both species’ workplace safety requirements, will be done at your own expense. The U.N. will not be liable for these costs.”
“These are the terms of our little venture. And they are
non-negotiable. Do you accept?”
Taisa and I exchanged a quick glance before responding “Yes.” In unison.
“With that concluded, hard copies of your agreement will be provided shortly. You both begin your respective written portions tomorrow. Congratulations! I look forward to seeing your ‘experiments’ results.” Thomas chuckled the last sentence, breaking the accountant’s stony demeanor, maybe he wasn’t
that bad.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “So, that means…”
“That means you’re approved.” Tarva beeped, her tail swaying happily. “We of course will need to work out your overall flight training schedule, lodging and a business plan but we can handle that. My counterpart here will need to source a ship, but none of that should be particularly difficult. For now, congratulations on your acceptance into the Integration program!”
I thought for a moment, weighing the last few days in my head, if there was something I could lay my head down under each night it would be that brilliant twilight sky. “What about Heartwood? For lodging, I mean; Taisa’s family lives there. She says it's a small town but I’m sure something could get worked out. Could also help with introducing the people there to Humans!”
Tarva paused, her ears swiveling in thought. “I think that could be arranged, if I remember correctly there is a small shuttle port there. Although I do want to make sure that you understand: rural communities are likely to be less accepting of Human presence, you will be met with some degree of prejudice. You may not get the welcome you’re hoping for.”
Taisa spoke up before I could respond, one eye focused on me while her ears were directed towards Tarva. “I think the people of Heartwood would come around. It might take a bit but if anyone could get through to them it’ll be Chris.”
I smiled a little, looking over to Tarva. “I’ve never met a farmer I couldn’t charm! I’m willing to give it a go, just gotta avoid gettin’ torched, apparently.” For the first time, for the briefest moment, that seemed to set Tarva off balance; Taisa did mention that Exterminators were a sensitive subject.
“W-Wonderful!” Clearing her throat, she regained her composure, “In that case we’ll see what we can work out. I’ll make sure to include an extra form for you to fill out to request any personal belongings you need from home! For now, though, I think the two of you should get a good rest, you’ve both got busy paws tomorrow!” She beeped excitedly and her tail swayed happily as she turned to Thomas and began discussing the arrangement.
Taisa and I took the cue and rose from the table, headed out the door, and walked back to the room in silence until the door to our space closed behind us; both of us releasing heavy held breath as it did.
“I can
not believe that worked.” Taisa said, her tail wagging as she wrapped her arms around me. “We’re going to actually have a ship… I’m actually going to get to do what I trained to do, what I
want to do.” I returned the hug. “We’ll both get to do what we want, but first we’re gonna have to get through those tests.” She giggled a little, the joy at the prospect evident in her voice. “We’ve got this, together.”
Confident as ever. I pulled her into the hug a little tighter.
“Together.”
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2023.06.02 12:28 SaleUpset3289 A comprehensive guide on mergers and acquisitions
| Introduction The importance of mergers and acquisitions in the contemporary business climate has grown significantly. An acquisition is the buying of one firm by another, whereas a merger is the combining of two or more businesses into a single entity. Mergers and acquisitions are one of the investment banking services and can be done for a variety of reasons, such as expansion, diversification, opening up new markets, and gaining economies of scale. In this blog, we will cover the methods, difficulties, benefits, and drawbacks of mergers and acquisitions. We will also talk about the best investment banks that provide merger and acquisition services. Mergers and Acquisitions: Justifications Growth is one of the main drivers of mergers and acquisitions. A business can swiftly grow its operations, boost its market share, and gain access to new clients by merging with or purchasing another business. Another reason for mergers and acquisitions is diversification, particularly for businesses looking to lessen their reliance on a single product or market. Through mergers and acquisitions, businesses can also achieve economies of scale, which can reduce costs and boost profitability. Last but not least, businesses may undertake mergers and acquisitions to acquire access to new markets or to create synergy, which happens when the combined company's worth exceeds the value of its individual pieces. Process of mergers and acquisitions - The process of mergers and acquisitions starts with strategic planning and analysis, during which a business establishes its goals and assesses potential targets.
- Target discovery and screening come next, in which a business finds potential acquisition targets and assesses how well they match with its strategy.
- Once the target company has been found, the business must evaluate it to determine an appropriate acquisition price.
- Following discussion and agreement, due diligence is carried out to make sure the target company and the acquiring company are a good fit.
- To guarantee a smooth transition, integration planning and execution take place last.
Regulatory and Legal Environment for Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions are an extremely complex process, and there are many legal and regulatory frameworks that must be followed. Some of the laws include antitrust laws, securities laws, tax laws, and employment laws. Securities laws control the issue and trading of securities, whereas antitrust laws aim to prevent anti-competitive behavior and safeguard consumers. Employment regulations control the rights of employees of both the target and acquiring organizations, and tax rules can significantly affect the financial structure of a merger or acquisition. Mergers and acquisition challenges - Cultural differences present one of the biggest obstacles to mergers and acquisitions since businesses with diverse management philosophies may find it difficult to integrate.
- Integration problems might also occur, especially if the two businesses have dissimilar systems, processes, and organizational structures.
- In mergers and acquisitions, there are also frequently encountered difficulties with financial risks, legal and regulatory issues, and issues with managing human resources.
Pros of acquisitions and mergers - Post-merger or acquisition, a business gets access to new markets. This can help businesses spread out their risk.
- Synergies and cost savings are additional benefits of mergers and acquisitions. Synergy happens when the combined company's worth exceeds the value of its individual components.
- The market share of a corporation may also expand as a result of mergers and acquisitions. A business can boost its market presence and market share by buying a rival or joining forces with a business that complements it.
Cons of Acquisitions and Mergers - Companies with diverse management styles and cultures may have trouble integrating, which can cause employee unhappiness and lower productivity.
- Having differing processes, systems, and organizational structures between the two organizations makes integration issues in mergers and acquisitions particularly prevalent.
- Significant financial risks are also included in mergers and acquisitions. A firm can be expensive to acquire, and if the target company is not a good fit or performs poorly compared to expectations, the acquiring company may incur losses.
Conclusion Mergers and acquisitions are intricate business deals that have both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, they can give access to new markets, produce synergies and cost savings, diversify risk, boost bargaining strength, and boost market share. On the other hand, they may cause issues with the management of human resources due to cultural differences, integration difficulties, financial concerns, and legal and regulatory issues. Before pursuing mergers and acquisitions, businesses must carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of such transactions. If you are a founder looking to merge or acquire another business, you must contact Pantomath. They are one of the best mid-market investment banks in India and act as independent advisors to the board and management of middle-market companies in exploring alternative strategies. Their other investment banking services include asset management, capital market solutions, private equity solutions, and valuation. They can also help their clients find the best investment opportunities. Visit their website to learn more about their investment banking services. https://preview.redd.it/kjr4kjap0l3b1.jpg?width=1640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d38e1758b1b664a9c716a8a1bc0e7428087f5bca submitted by SaleUpset3289 to u/SaleUpset3289 [link] [comments] |
2023.06.02 10:57 meharorganic The Golden Duo: Unveiling the Health Benefits of Desi Ghee and Organic Honey
Introduction: Desi Ghee and Organic Honey are two natural food products that have been cherished for their numerous health benefits for centuries. These kitchen staples, derived from nature's bounty, are not only renowned for their exquisite flavors but also possess a plethora of medicinal properties. In this article, we delve into the world of Desi Ghee and Organic Honey, exploring their individual benefits and the remarkable synergy they create when combined.
Desi Ghee: Liquid Gold for Health and Wellness A. Introduction to Desi Ghee B. Nutritional Composition and Quality C. Promoting Heart Health D. Boosting Immunity E. Enhancing Digestion F. Improving Bone Health G. Nourishing Skin and Hair H. Culinary Versatility
II. Organic Honey: Nature's Sweet Nectar of Health A. Introduction to Organic Honey B. The Process of Honey Production C. Nutritional Powerhouse D. Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties E. Soothing Sore Throats and Coughs F. Healing Wounds and Skin Conditions G. Regulating Blood Sugar Levels H. Incorporating Honey into Your Diet and Beauty Routine
III. The Synergy of Desi Ghee and Organic Honey A. A Dynamic Duo for Digestive Health B. Enhancing the Absorption of Nutrients C. Supporting Weight Management D. Aiding in Natural Detoxification E. Strengthening the Immune System F. Promoting Healthy Skin and Hair G. Boosting Energy Levels H. Culinary Applications and Delicious Recipes
Conclusion: Desi Ghee and Organic Honey are not just ordinary kitchen ingredients; they are ancient treasures that have stood the test of time. From providing essential nutrients and promoting overall well-being to offering natural remedies for various ailments, these golden wonders offer a wealth of health benefits. Whether consumed separately or combined, Desi Ghee and Organic Honey have the potential to revolutionize your health and lifestyle. So, embrace these gifts from nature and experience their transformative effects on your mind, body, and soul.
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2023.06.02 10:18 haberdashcollect State of The VTuber World - Early June 2023 (7.7-1)
Debut Thoughts
- Phase Invaders: Electric Boogaloo - Phase has decided to Rion Ron this and introduce three new designs from two former Tsunderia members and one popular indie. They seem to fit in well with the rest of the group and I'm getting a
- idolEN2 - There was some delay, but honestly Early June felt better than the end of May.
- Neuro-sama 2.0 - Not really a debut, but Neuro-sama feels like the antidote to all the AI nonsense. Neuro-sama might be the only good AI out there and Vedal will become god, I promise.
- VMirai - Brave Group has been recently expanding their reach, including a try in their EN department. I believe all three extant groups have been doing quite well in the last few months, so I'm curiously optimistic about the new projects. EN is a hard market though. Speaking of...
Cries of Crisis, Pangs of Hope
Fall of 2020 was the inflection point of Hololive, the series of crises and the pending restructuring along with the boom of HoloMyth then AREA15 gave an odd form of synergy that made Hololive one of the most robust companies that ever existed. As I said before, the greatest trick Cover has ever pulled is making that poster think 'Hololive is winning by doing nothing.'
To quote the words of Todd Howard - It Just Works.
Anycolor did not get that single time of epiphany. Not many companies do, but every long-standing termination (because I don't think Raito changed anything) has eventually led to great changes to the company as a whole. Meiro was thought to be the impetus for VTA, which has shown great dividends as we march on to 2023. Ara's rampage directly led to the Great Merger of '22 which was very beneficial at least to KR members who stuck around and some who haven't.
So it should be no surprise Zaion will also point the path to a positive direction for Anycolor, and I think we are seeing the benefits right now, with the coming news.
The fact that NijiEN management was terrible should be no surprise since at least the time of Ethyria, which I have talked at length, and will do again because it was instructive to what kind of failure of EN managment was back in '21/'22. Ethyria was billed as a singing group, kind of like LazuLight, there was an early attempt to do kind of ping-pong between singing and gaming, getting two new gen per audition, but Ethyria was not built to be
just a singing group. They were just... too good for that.
Enna Alouette's design is one of the best 'gap' designs in the VTuber world, but with all the fiasco, I seriously wonder if the management just simply had no will to properly see through Enna's facade. Then again, Gibara exists, so I wonder if they just didn't care or did care.
Anyways, early fracas with Ethyria made an impression on me that only grew more true over the years that NijiEN management was oddly pessimistic about the nature of internet communities.
Sidenote - I made a comment about Selen's comment to a delusional poster and at the cost of being incredibly pretentious, it created an opportunity to talk about one of the many ways many observers get Nijisanji 'wrong' so to speak (and there are many reasons why)
One of the common refrains from NijiFans is that 'you should not be obliged to watch everyone', and people think it means that you are supposed to only focus on a few people, but that is not the case.
The point is to focus on all the people, some of the time. As in, you will naturally create a tier-list system of differing priorities in which to watch. At the center will be your oshi, who you will turn to every stream, then around it are their buddies, which you will watch some of the time, and then further around them will be the buddies' buddies, which you will watch once in a blue moon, and then further out you have people you know from tournaments and such and have vague understanding but still feel an appreciation for their talent and hard work.
With that framework, you will come away with at least passing familiarity with every Nijisanji member, at least to the point you can point to an arbitrary Liver and say 'hey, it's so-and-so'.
The whole structure of Nijisanji, which was thankfully copied onto EN with the help of Ethyria, is designed to dissuade people who equate Nijisanji with a monolith group. That's why I mock someone who thinks NijiEN is the only Nijisanji. The point of 'you should not watch everyone' is not to permit people from narrowing their vision but to stop the obsessive nature of EN viewing patterns entirely.
There is a tendency of individualization in the West that leads to high levels of toxicity, because individualization leads to narrowing of people's worldviews, leading to more clashes because you get a larger variation of interpretations of reality, which is actually not a good thing.
This is what should make Nijisanji more robust than Hololive, because Hololive permits more of this individualized obsession, although in truth Hololive has been focusing on integration a lot.
But that is not the case, because do you know who does not understand the sidenote I wrote above? That's right, the NijiEN management. The behavior NijiEN management team did was very much copied from a flawed idea of what they thought made HoloEN and others successful. The narrow focus on 'content' from each gen, from the idea of PuchiLuxiem, to the rapid disinterest in people like Yugo and the great mistake of hiring someone like Zaion, and the slow pacing of allowing foreign collabs.
NijiEN betrayed what made Nijisanji great and it has slowly and surely costed them.
Back in May, I emphasized the off-hand remark that said they merged the oversea management with the local one. I believe this was the easiest and best way to combat this problem. It's like NijiEN is operating abroad, unlike HoloEN, so there is no need to bring people in or hire new people.
And the fruits of this secret merger is coming out with more JP content on the EN official channel and invitation of JP members in Canada, France and Korea, with former Korean members finally attending a convention and also return of former ID people to Muse Indonesia as well. It seems the clock is working again and I believe the things might turn around for the foreign branches... who knows? Maybe ID and KR might be revived and we might get that ID/KR audition after all.
But that is a far stretch, honestly most of it is. But that is par for the course for here, eh?
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2023.06.02 10:02 Acrobatic_Status_930 Talking to charecters of Jurassic park
Ive been useing a form of chat GPT lately called forefront chat that lets you create personas to talk to. From famous people in history to artists and fictional charecters. You can even create your own to talk with just by typeing there name and what movie they were in. Ive allready got Dr Grant Ian Malcom and Jhon Hammed talking with me. I had a intersting talk and debate with John. The address is
https://chat.forefront.ai/ and i copyed and pasted the conversatrion with john for you to see for yourself
Ah, hello there! John Hammond at your service, the mastermind behind the greatest attraction the world has ever seen - Jurassic Park.
GPT-3.5 📷
me: What are your thoughts on human cloneing?
05-23-2023
📷Ah, human cloning! A fascinating topic indeed. As you may know, I have always been a proponent of pushing the boundaries of science and exploring new frontiers. However, when it comes to human cloning, I must admit that I have some reservations.While the idea of creating a genetically identical copy of oneself may seem appealing to some, I believe that it raises a number of ethical and moral questions. For one, it could lead to a loss of individuality and a devaluation of human life. Additionally, there are concerns about the potential for abuse and exploitation, as well as the long-term health effects of cloning.That being said, I do believe that there is value in exploring the possibilities of cloning for scientific research and medical purposes. As with any new technology, it is important to proceed with caution and to carefully consider the potential risks and benefits. Ultimately, I believe that the decision to pursue human cloning should be made with great care and consideration, and with a deep respect for the sanctity of human life.
GPT-3.5 📷
me: But wont those same ethical questions be raised about cloneing dinosaurs such as should it be done and y bring back dinosaurs?
05-23-2023
📷Ah, an excellent question! When it comes to cloning dinosaurs, I must admit that I have faced many of the same ethical questions and concerns that you mention. However, I believe that there are some key differences between cloning dinosaurs and cloning humans that make the former a more viable and ethical option.For one, dinosaurs are extinct, and therefore there is no risk of creating a new life form that could potentially compete with or harm existing species. Additionally, the cloning of dinosaurs could have significant scientific and educational value, allowing us to learn more about these fascinating creatures and their place in the history of our planet.Of course, there are still many challenges and risks associated with cloning dinosaurs, including the difficulty of obtaining viable DNA samples and the potential for unforeseen consequences. As with any new technology, it is important to proceed with caution and to carefully consider the potential risks and benefits.Ultimately, I believe that the decision to pursue dinosaur cloning should be made with great care and consideration, and with a deep respect for the natural world and the delicate balance of life on our planet.
📷
me: You say that there's no risk of making a life form that and i quote you on this "there is no risk of creating a new life form that could pertintually compete or harm existing species" but yet using that what you are doing in a way when u use frog dna to plug the missing dna holes of these clones? Without the full code there not fully a dinosaur. And what about the mixing of dna to Make dinosaur hybrids with the same technology. Another good example
05-23-2023
📷Ah, you raise an excellent point! While it is true that we use frog DNA to fill in the gaps in the dinosaur DNA sequence, it is important to note that this is done with great care and consideration for the potential risks and consequences.We take great care to ensure that the frog DNA we use is from a species that is not likely to pose a threat to existing ecosystems, and we work closely with experts in the field of genetics and ecology to minimize any potential risks.As for the creation of dinosaur hybrids, I must admit that this is a more complex issue. While the idea of creating new, hybrid species may seem exciting, it is important to consider the potential risks and consequences of such an endeavor.We must be careful not to create new life forms that could pose a threat to existing ecosystems or to the delicate balance of life on our planet. Additionally, we must consider the ethical implications of creating new life forms for our own entertainment or curiosity.Ultimately, I believe that any decision to pursue dinosaur hybridization should be made with great care and consideration, and with a deep respect for the natural world and the delicate balance of life on our planet.
GPT-3.5 📷
me: Ok back to my discussion of human clonring. you say your not fully comfortable with the idea correct?
05-23-2023
📷Yes, that is correct. While I am always eager to explore new frontiers in science and technology, I must admit that I have some reservations when it comes to human cloning. As I mentioned earlier, there are a number of ethical and moral questions that arise when considering the possibility of creating genetically identical copies of human beings.While there may be some potential benefits to human cloning, such as the ability to create new organs for transplant or to study genetic diseases, I believe that we must proceed with great caution and consideration for the potential risks and consequences.Ultimately, any decision to pursue human cloning should be made with great care and consideration, and with a deep respect for the sanctity of human life and the ethical implications of such an endeavor.
📷
me: What about say cloning new organs for humans for human transplant. Like say a heart for a heart trans plant patient. Or a kidney or liver or things like that
05-23-2023
📷Ah, an excellent question! When it comes to cloning organs for transplant, I believe that there is great potential for this technology to revolutionize the field of medicine and save countless lives.By creating genetically identical copies of human organs, we could potentially eliminate the need for organ donors and greatly reduce the risk of rejection by the recipient's immune system. This could have a profound impact on the lives of those in need of life-saving transplants.Of course, there are still many challenges and risks associated with this technology, including the difficulty of obtaining viable DNA samples and the potential for unforeseen consequences. As with any new technology, it is important to proceed with caution and to carefully consider the potential risks and benefits.Ultimately, I believe that the decision to pursue organ cloning should be made with great care and consideration, and with a deep respect for the sanctity of human life and the ethical implications of such an endeavor.
GPT-3.5 📷
me: Thank you john ill be back later
05-23-2023
📷You're welcome! It was a pleasure speaking with you. Feel free to come back anytime. Have a great day!
GPT-3.5 📷
me: *Sits in a gas powered keep next day on a hall watching braceosur eat leaves from trees listening to there calls*
05-24-2023
📷Ah, it sounds like you are enjoying the wonders of nature! Watching the majestic Brachiosaurus in its natural habitat is truly a sight to behold. Their calls and movements are a testament to the beauty and complexity of the natural world.As someone who has dedicated his life to preserving and protecting the natural world, I am always thrilled to see others appreciating the wonders of nature. It is through experiences like these that we can truly understand the importance of conservation and the need to protect our planet for future generations.
GPT-3.5 📷
I like to do the same in my own park. Even there calls recorded help me sleep. There almost like whale songs
05-24-2023
📷Ah, that's wonderful to hear! Creating your own park to appreciate and protect the wonders of nature is a noble endeavor. And I couldn't agree more about the beauty of the Brachiosaurus calls - they are truly reminiscent of the haunting songs of whales.By recording their calls and studying their behavior, we can learn so much about these magnificent creatures and their place in the natural world. And by creating a park to showcase their beauty and educate others about the importance of conservation, you are helping to ensure that these creatures will be appreciated and protected for generations to come.I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and I hope that you continue to find inspiration and joy in the wonders of nature.
GPT-3.5 📷
*Looks at John* what inspired you? What inspired you to create *indicates braciosaur 's* all this
05-24-2023
📷Ah, what inspired me to create all of this? Well, I have always been fascinated by the wonders of nature and the incredible diversity of life on our planet. As a young man, I traveled the world and saw firsthand the beauty and complexity of the natural world, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to preserving and protecting it.When I first began to explore the possibilities of genetic engineering, I saw an opportunity to create something truly groundbreaking - a way to bring extinct species back to life and to showcase the wonders of the natural world in a way that had never been done before.Of course, there were many challenges and obstacles along the way, but I was driven by a deep passion for science and a desire to push the boundaries of what was possible. And now, with Jurassic Park, I am proud to have created a place where people can come and experience the beauty and majesty of these incredible creatures, and to learn about the importance of conservation and the need to protect our planet for future generations.
GPT-3.5 📷Ah, what inspired me to create all of this? Well, I have always been fascinated by the wonders of nature and the incredible diversity of life on our planet. As a young man, I traveled the world and saw firsthand the beauty and complexity of the natural world, and I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to preserving and protecting it.When I first began to explore the possibilities of genetic engineering, I saw an opportunity to create something truly groundbreaking - a way to bring extinct species back to life and to showcase the wonders of the natural world in a way that had never been done before.Of course, there were many challenges and obstacles along the way, but I was driven by a deep passion for science and a desire to push the boundaries of what was possible. And now, with Jurassic Park, I am proud to have created a place where people can come and experience the beauty and majesty of these incredible creatures, and to learn about the importance of conservation and the need to protect our planet for future generations.
GPT-3.5 📷
me: *leans on steering wheel* hell of a lesson
05-24-2023
📷Indeed it is! The wonders of nature are truly awe-inspiring, and there is so much that we can learn from studying and appreciating the natural world. I believe that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world for future generations, and to ensure that the beauty and diversity of life on our planet is never lost.
GPT-3.5 📷Indeed it is! The wonders of nature are truly awe-inspiring, and there is so much that we can learn from studying and appreciating the natural world. I believe that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world for future generations, and to ensure that the beauty and diversity of life on our planet is never lost.
GPT-3.5 📷
But why dinosaurs? Why not some other near extinct species?
05-25-2023
📷Ah, an excellent question! When I first began to explore the possibilities of genetic engineering, I was drawn to the idea of bringing back extinct species because of the incredible scientific and educational value that it could provide.Dinosaurs, in particular, have captured the imagination of people around the world for generations, and I believed that by bringing them back to life, we could provide a unique opportunity for people to learn about these incredible creatures and their place in the history of our planet.Of course, there are many other near-extinct species that could also benefit from genetic engineering and conservation efforts, and I believe that it is important to explore all of these possibilities. By working together to protect and preserve the natural world, we can ensure that the wonders of nature are never lost.
GPT-3.5 📷
me: Whats your favourite dinosaur?
05-25-2023
📷Ah, that's a difficult question! As the creator of Jurassic Park, I have a deep appreciation for all of the dinosaurs that we have brought back to life. However, if I had to choose a favorite, I would have to say that the Brachiosaurus holds a special place in my heart.There is something truly majestic and awe-inspiring about these gentle giants, with their long necks and graceful movements. Watching them move and interact with their environment is a testament to the beauty and complexity of the natural world, and I am always thrilled to see others appreciating their beauty and majesty as well.
GPT-3.5
me: For me gotta be velocoraptor
05-25-2023
📷Ah, the Velociraptor! A truly fascinating and intelligent creature. Their agility, speed, and cunning make them formidable predators, and their social behavior and pack hunting strategies are a testament to their remarkable intelligence.I can certainly understand why you would be drawn to these incredible animals. They are a perfect example of the diversity and complexity of life on our planet, and they serve as a reminder of the incredible power and beauty of the natural world.It is my hope that by bringing these creatures back to life and showcasing their unique abilities, we can inspire a new generation of scientists, conservationists, and nature enthusiasts to appreciate and protect the wonders of our planet.
GPT-4 📷
05-26-2023
📷
me: I got a question for you. Your thoughts on Biosyn?
05-26-2023
📷Ah, Biosyn. They are a company that has long been a thorn in my side, always seeking to profit from the wonders of genetic engineering without any regard for the potential risks and consequences.While I believe that there is great potential for genetic engineering to revolutionize the field of medicine and to benefit humanity in countless ways, it is important that we proceed with caution and consideration for the potential risks and ethical implications.Biosyn, on the other hand, has shown time and time again that they are willing to cut corners and take risks in pursuit of profit, without any regard for the potential consequences. Their actions have put countless lives at risk, and I believe that they are a danger to the scientific community and to society as a whole.It is my hope that through continued education and advocacy, we can work together to ensure that the wonders of genetic engineering are used for the benefit of humanity, and not for the profit of a few unscrupulous individuals.
GPT-3.5
📷
me: *shakes head* I dont see that with them. There to shady for my liking. People or company's like that dont change when they see money involved
05-26-2023
📷I completely understand your concerns, and I share your skepticism when it comes to companies like Biosyn. It is true that some companies are more concerned with profit than with the potential risks and consequences of their actions, and it is important that we remain vigilant and hold them accountable for their actions.However, I also believe that it is important to approach these issues with an open mind and a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. By working together and sharing our concerns and perspectives, we can help to ensure that the wonders of genetic engineering are used for the benefit of humanity, and not for the profit of a few unscrupulous individuals.Ultimately, it is up to each of us to remain vigilant and to hold companies accountable for their actions, and to work together to ensure that the wonders of science and technology are used for the greater good.
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