USB4 is the latest generation of the Universal Serial Bus specification, opening up the potential for higher bandwidth data transfers, support for higher-resolution displays, better interchangeability with other connectors, and a simplified naming scheme, to boot. First announced in August 2019, the standard has taken a little while to get going, but many USB4 devices are now readily available, making it an exciting new connection option for anyone looking to connect external devices to laptops and desktop PCs.
The USB4 standard is based on the Thunderbolt 3 protocol, and shares many of its best features, including an up to 40 Gbps data transfer rate, the reversible USB-C connector type, the ability to handle video and data at the same time, and the potential for higher wattage power delivery.
USB4 is everything that was great about USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and ratchets it up a notch, making it one of the most versatile connection options available today. Interested? Here’s everything you need to know about USB4.

From USB 1 to USB4

The USB standard is ubiquitous throughout the tech world. After all, “USB” is an acronym for “Universal Serial Bus,” and it’s had more than two decades to do its name proud. The standard has seen its fair share of updates over the 23 years since its introduction, each of which brought higher speeds, new features, and new connection types, and the latest generation is the most exciting and capable of the lot.
The USB standard was introduced in 1996 as a way to standardize peripheral connections under one specification. USB 1.0, the first USB specification, used the traditional, non-reversible Type-A connection on the host and offered transfer speeds up to 12 Mbps. USB 2.0 was introduced in 2001 and was much faster, operating at up to 480 Mbps. USB 2.0 also incorporated new form factors, including the Micro B port (commonly seen on older phones and external hard drives). USB 3.0 brought another speed bump in 2011, offering up to 5 Gbps transfer speeds. USB 3.0 saw a few iterations, primarily USB 3.1 in 2014 (up to 10 Gbps) and USB 3.2 in 2017 (up to 20 Gbps). 3.0 speeds were supported on multiple connector types including the standard A connector, B, and, micro-B, now ubiquitous Type-C connection.
New features were introduced over the generations too, including the ability to transmit video, as well as data, and the option of super-fast charging using USB Power Delivery.
The next update to the USB standard is now here. After officially being announced by the USB Promoter Group on March 4, 2019, USB4 cables and devices are now available and ready for use. But what is USB4? In this article, we will discuss what the new specification brings and highlight its advantages over its predecessor USB 3.2 standard, in all its derivatives.

What are the main advantages of USB4?

The USB4 specification (officially known as “USB4,” written without space) has three key traits, according to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). These include:

1. Two-lane operation with up to 80 Gbps operation (over certified cables), using the USB Type-C connection, though more modest speeds like 40 Gbps, and 20 Gbps, will be more common;
2. More efficient sharing between data and display protocols;
3. Backward compatibility with USB 3.2, USB 3.1, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and even Thunderbolt 3.
4. Faster charging USB Power Delivery at up to 240W
5. Support for up to DisplayPory 2.1 using DisplayPort Alt Mode over USB.

There is also the additional advantage of simplifying the naming scheme for USB. The previous generations of USB 3 grew incredibly confusing over their lifetimes. What began as USB 3, turned into USB 3.1 and USB 3.2, which in turn led to the recategorization of previous versions. They were all ultimately renamed as generations (or Gens) of USB 3.2, so USB 3.0 became USB 3.2 Gen 1, and USB 3.1, became USB 3.2 Gen 2. The maximum performance USB 3.2 version was ultimately called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.
USB4 starts afresh with a new generation of connectors, and though their speed can vary, there is at least a single generation that they are all a part of. All USB4 cables are USB-C, too, so the connector type does not need to be specified.
1. Significantly faster transfer speeds than USB 3.2
The first point is fairly straightforward and might seem like the most obvious advantage of USB4. Until the release of USB4, the fastest USB specification, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, only offered transfer speeds up to 20 Gbps, though its 10 Gbps counterpart is far more common on devices. USB 3.2 Gen 2 transfers data at up to 10 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 1 (and all previous USB 3.0 and 3.1 specifications) operate at up to 5 Gbps.
The original USB4 specification penned its maximum performance at 40 Gbps – the same as the Thunderbolt 3 protocol it is based off of. However, since then the USB Implementer’s Forum has also introduced a new USB 80 Gbps certification, which would grant some active USB4 cables the ability to transmit data at up to 80 Gbps – double that of even Thunderbolt 4. Compatible cables will be labelled with the unique 80 Gbps logo, and those able to deliver higher wattage power delivery to also have unique logos stating their potential wattage.
Like Thunderbolt 3, USB4 uses the USB Type-C connection. USB Type-C is the rounded, reversible connection seen on most modern Android phones and laptops. In addition to data, the USB Type-C construction also allows for display connections, which plays nicely into USB4’s second characteristic: dynamic bandwidth allocation for data and display connections.
2. Improved bandwidth allocation over USB Type-C
While other USB specifications can similarly transfer data and display information, they tend to have trouble with bandwidth allocation, splitting bandwidth evenly between connected devices. For example, if an external storage device and a display are connected to a computer through a USB Type-C dock, bandwidth will be evenly split between the display and the storage device. This can throttle the transfer rate of the storage device.
USB4 doesn’t have those issues because it can dynamically monitor bandwidth requirements for connected displays and save the rest of the bandwidth for data transfer. Previously, data could only be transmitted through the data lane and video could only be sent through the video lane. That means even if a connected display didn’t use an entire lane’s worth of bandwidth (5 or 10Gbps), the unused bandwidth couldn’t be allocated for data transfer and vice versa. Now data and video can share lanes and therefore share the total maximum bandwidth. This makes connecting multiple devices through a dock much more efficient.
3. Backward compatible with USB 2.0 and up
The introduction of the Type-C connector has already caused many consumers enough consternation, and the USB-IF is likely aware of this. So, not to immediately render other USB specifications obsolete, USB4 is backward compatible with everything from USB 2.0 to the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 specifications. That is welcome news to users with legacy USB peripherals, though there is a small catch. While older USB devices will be able to connect to a USB4 port (using an adapter, if needed), the device will only be able to operate at the slower USB standard. For example, a USB 2.0 external hard drive will be able to connect to a USB4 port using an adapter, but transfer speeds will only occur at USB 2.0 speeds (up to 480 Mbps).

USB4 vs. Thunderbolt 3 vs. Thunderbolt 4

The USB-IF made it clear early on that USB4 would be backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3, but there are a few points to note. It is important to understand that the USB4 spec is based on the Thunderbolt 3 protocol, which Intel donated to USB. However, despite it being based on the TB3 protocol, support for TB3 is not mandatory for USB4. USB4 devices will need to be separately certified by Intel as “Thunderbolt 4 certified” to use the Thunderbolt logo. Thunderbolt 3 compatible USB4 ports will then be Thunderbolt 4 ports. This means that not all computers with USB4 will work with Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 peripherals at Thunderbolt 3 or 4 specifications, but will be able to operate at the full potential of that cable within the USB4 specifications.
As such, it is unlikely that Thunderbolt 3 will disappear from the PC landscape. While it’s likely we will see more USB4 desktops and laptops with AMD CPUs, they won’t always have Thunderbolt 3 support since they’d have to get separate Intel certifications. On the other hand, Intel-powered machines with USB4 are more likely to be compatible with Thunderbolt 3 since they’re already using Intel technology. Put simply, USB4 can support Thunderbolt 3, but it doesn’t have to. Consumers should specifically note whether or not a new device supports Thunderbolt 3 via USB4 should they want to connect it to via Thunderbolt 3.
However, for those looking to maximize data transfer rates, the support for Thunderbolt on AMD-based PCs may not matter. USB4’s ability to transfer data at up to 80 Gbps and up to 240W of power, is unparalleled on even the best Thunderbolt 4 connection.

What else can USB4 do?

In addition to higher transfer speeds, improved bandwidth allocation, and backward compatibility, USB4 also offers a much more robust Power Delivery system. The original specification rated it for up to 100 Watts over its USB-C port. However, since then the USB Implementer’s Forum has released its USB4 2.0 specification that not only offers greater bandwidths of up to 80 Gbps on compatible active USB4 cables but also allows for an increase in USB Power Delivery to 240W, which makes for faster charging of even the most high-end of laptops.
Many USB-C ports prior to USB4 already supported some form of Power Delivery, but USB4 raises the potential charging power of the port considerably. Not all USB4 ports support the highest charging abilities, though, and the USB Implementer’s Forum has mandated that cables compatible with specific wattages sport logos to make it clear what they can deliver.
When implemented by the host, USB4 can also use intelligent Power Delivery. This allows a USB4 cable to deliver as much power as a connected device requests, up to 240W Watts. Even better, the Power Delivery over USB4 is bi-directional, allowing power to flow to and from a connected device. That can be particularly useful when it comes to connecting to external displays, as they can then use their main power source to charge a connected laptop.
USB4 uses DisplayPort Alt mode to transmit video to an external display, and can even be used to daisy chain multiple external displays together. Introduced with the USB-C connector in earlier generations of USB technology, USB4 leverages DisplayPort Alt mode in much the same way, although to an advanced standard. The original USB4 specification supported DisplayPort 1.4, but the newer USB4 80Gbps standard unlocks the option of DisplayPort 2.1 support, giving it the ability to transmit 4K video at up to 240Hz, or even handle a single 10K display at up to 60Hz.

I'm in the midst of filing my SFOP for the past three years (2023, 2022 and 2021) and have decided to also file 2020 so I can claim the 2020 COVID Stimulus.
However I only now realized that I cannot file my SFOP online and have to print all of the forms I've filled out with ExpatFile and mail them in.
This IRS press release says the deadline to file if you want to receive your 2020 COVID Stimulus is May 17th, 2024.
If this is correct, does that mean the IRS has to receive my SFOP package by the 17th? Or it just has to be mail dated for the 17th?
I've also seen other sites say that June 15th is the deadline because non-residents get an extra month to file not but not sure if this is true and if it applies to the stimulus cheque eligibility or not.
Anyone have any insight into this?

Last week in a post-deleted by the OP, there was discussion about how there is no point in stockpiling antibiotics and any attemps for lay people to practice any form of health care in a widespread grid down disaster.
Myself and some colleagues wrote: Survival and Austere Medicine https://corom.org/survival-austere-medicine/ . We are slowing working on a 4th edition with some new material and minor corrections - but it is taking longer than we thought!
But I thought given the above post, I would take the opportunity to post the introduction - which address the "why bother" question for a major long-term grid down situation. Apologies for the formatting and length
"There is a sense, when considering the issues around survival medicine practice, that everything is overwhelming, that it is impossible for lay people to provide a high level of medical care and maintain a high level of population health.
We don’t think this is the case at all. We believe that intelligent lay people with some basic medical knowledge, skills, and equipment can deliver high quality health care. While it is obviously impossible for lay people to safely and competently deal with every medical problem, and there remain many complicated diagnoses requiring equally complicated or technologically advanced treatments, for 80- 90% of the health problems afflicting humanity, simple things done well are all that is required to preserve life and limb and help alleviate suffering.
Consider the following:
1. Remote Medicine Practice:
Below are the results of one of our author’s experience in the provision of health care in various remote and austere locations (some third world, some first world) to nearly four thousand people over a cumulative 30-month period (spread over 18 years) – with more data there are few minor changes from the 2005 2nd edition, but the list is essentially the same – which is interesting. The record keeping was a bit unreliable at times, but the following summary is reasonably accurate.
Top 20 presentations (representing > 95% of consultations):
1. Minor musculoskeletal injuries - ankle sprains most common, included many minor fractures which didn’t require more than diagnosis and simple care
2. Upper respiratory tract infections
3. Allergic reactions/Hay feveAnaphylactic reactions/Rashes
4. Minor open wounds – included a mix of lacerations needing closure, many needing
cleaning and advice only, and some infected wounds
5. Gastroenteritis/Vomiting/Diarrhoea
6. Mental health problems
7. Sexual health/Contraceptive problems
8. Skin infections/Cellulitis
9. Dental problems
10. Abdominal pain - 4 confirmed acute appendix (2 treated with IV antibiotics and
subsequent delayed appendix removal / 2 required evacuation) + 1 gangrenous gall bladder. Many were "no cause found". Of the remainder with a clear diagnosis the most common were renal or biliary colic)
11. Fever /Viral illness
12. Chest infections
13. Major musculoskeletal injuries (fractures/dislocations)
14. Asthma
15. Ear infections
16. Urinary tract infections
17. Burns – mostly partial thickness within the realms of management in the environment the
patient was in. Several required evacuations. Several required rehabilitation due to location and sub-optimal initial treatment.
18. Chest pain
19. Syncope/Collapse/Faints
20. Early pregnancy problems
Major trauma was uncommon but was seen including several fractured femurs and a dozen cases of multi-system severe trauma resulting in a mix of in-country surgery and evacuations
Top 12 prescribed drugs (representing >90% of medications prescribed):
1. Paracetamol (Acetaminophen)
2. Loratadine (and other assorted antihistamines)
3. Diclofenac (and other assorted antiinflammatories)
4. Combined oral contraceptive
5. Flucloxacillin
6. Throat lozenges
7. Augmentin (Amoxycillin + clavulanic acid)
8. Loperamide
9. Nystatin (and other antifungals)
10. Hydrocortisonecream
11. Ventolininhalers(Salbutamol/Albuterol)
12. Morphine
What is of note here is that the clear majority of problems dealt with are simple and straight forward – there is still potential for serious consequences but there is scope for a well-informed lay person with a basic knowledge and access to a reasonable collection of reference books to provide reasonable care. Equally the vast majority of medication prescribed are from a very narrow well defined list – despite the fact 1000’s of drugs are on the market – the list of core lifesaving or comfort preserving ones is relatively brief.
2. Why children die
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified the following conditions as having contributed to >75% of worldwide deaths in the under 5-year age group (in no particular order):
Pneumonia Pneumonia is an infection of lungs. Prevention of this condition is somewhat limited – although good nutrition, clean and warm housing, and a reduction in the exposure to respiratory irritants (smoke) all can help. However, the most common bacteria which cause pneumonia are frequently sensitive to penicillin – which is discussed later in the book and can be produced in a low-tech environment.
Diarrhea Death from diarrhea (dehydration) is almost 100% preventable with appropriate use of oral rehydration therapy. Dirty water or poor food handling causes much diarrhea – this can be virtually eliminated by proper hygiene practices and care with drinking water.


Pre-term delivery While we are limited in the direct interventions available in an austere environment to mitigate this problem contributing factors to early labor are young age, malnutrition, smoking, poor maternal health, so there is scope for indirect intervention based on optimizing mum’s health and environment. For babies who are born prematurely the necessities of life are warmth and breast milk. With attention to detail for both things, it is possible for infants as young as 33-34 weeks to survive without high-tech intervention.
Malaria. Prevention is better than a cure, knowledge about clearing stagnant water, mosquito nets and long sleeved clothes can significantly reduce the risk. Equally quinine is derived from the bark of the Chincona tree and the Chinese have been using the herb, Artemisinin, effectively for the treatment of Malaria for years. So, while not as easy to treat or prevent as diarrhea, there is still scope for significant reduction in death rates in low-tech ways.
Blood infection Blood infection or septicemia is rapidly fatal. The ability to intervene depends on the cause of the infection and antibiotics available. Broadly, infections causing septicemia can originate from the skin, the lungs, the kidneys or bladder, and the abdominal contents. While specific treatments for these may be lacking in an austere environment – all have prevention strategies and basic low-tech treatments that can be lifesaving when applied appropriately.
Lack of oxygen at birth Of these problems, this is the one with probably the least scope for impact. Unfortunately, even if foetal distress is detected during labor (with heart beat monitoring or signs of distress like meconium), without the ability to deliver the baby quickly options are limited. That said, a caesarian section is not a massively complicated operation (and discussed in Chapter 10), and in parts of the third world is performed by trained lay people with safety and success.
Measles Again, there is limited scope to intervene directly with the disease. Measles is always around and while vaccination reduced the incidence of epidemics, sporadic cases still occur. In the absence of vaccinations epidemics of measles every few years will be inevitable. There is however some scope to minimize the spread during an epidemic with isolation and respiratory precautions during outbreaks. While some of the serious neurological complications are unavoidable in a
Prevention is better than a cure, knowledge about clearing stagnant water, mosquito nets and long sleeved clothes can significantly reduce the risk. Equally quinine is derived from the bark of the Chincona tree and the Chinese have been using the herb, Artemisinin, effectively for the treatment of Malaria for years. So, while not as easy to treat or prevent as diarrhea, there is still scope for significant reduction in death rates in low-tech ways. small number of patients, basic care such as maintaining hydration can also prevent complications such as dehydration.
Neonatal tetanus The prevention of neonatal tetanus is easy. You don’t let the site where the umbilical cord attaches to the baby get dirty. It is as simple as that.
HIV/AIDS Prevention of maternal infection is the key to prevention of infection of newborns. The steps required to prevent exposure to the HIV virus are widely known: abstinence (not undertaking sexual activity), monogamy (maintaining a single sex partner rather than multiple) and if neither is a palatable option, then safe sexual practices.
Most the conditions above have an element of either preventability or the ability to be treated to some degree in an austere environment and significant improvements in mortality and morbidity can be made.

3. The greatest advances in medicine
Several years ago the British Medical Journal ran a poll trying to identify top medical advances of the last 200 years. The following is the top 12 from that poll:
Sanitation 1st Antibiotics 2nd Anaesthesia 3rd Vaccines 4th DNA 5th Germ theory 6th = The oral contraceptive 6^th = Evidence based medicine 8th Imaging 9th Computers 10th Oral rehydration therapy 11th Smoking cessation 12th =
Just as with our discussion above about the causes of childhood deaths, this list is introduced to show just how much impact a very basic health care knowledge can have in terms of optimising health in a post-disaster or austere situation.
Of the biggest advances of medicine in the last 200 years, between 7 to 9 (depending on your knowledge and available resources) of the 12 can be applied to care in a austere situation. In particular, the knowledge of sanitation, germ theory, oral rehydration therapy, and simple manufactured antibiotics and anaesthetic agents all have the potential to be able to be continued to be applied in a post-disaster situation and to continue to contribute to a high quality of low-tech health care. In the same way that we can substantially reduce childhood death rates in a low tech post-disaster situation, we can still continue to have access to some of the biggest advances in medicine even at the end of the world.
4. Surgery in the third world
A non-specialist surgeon working at a isolated bush hospital in Papua New Guinea published his experience of Emergency Surgery over a 14 month period (similar articles have been published with similar data):
Emergency Surgery 243
Tendon repair 33 Open orthopaedics 32 Dilation and curettage 31 General surgery 29 Incision and drainage 26 Laceration repair 26 Obstetrics 23 Manipulation under anaesthesia 15 Urology 15 Gynaecology 9 Ear, nose and throat 2
Emergency anaesthesia 243
Ketamine – spontaneous breathing 166 Local anaesthesia 33 Ketamine – ventilated 16 Spinal anaesthesia 12 Propofol / thiopentone 10 Epidural 5 Epidural / GA 1
The point of this reference is to help illustrate what someone can achieve in primitive conditions with no formal surgical training and no dedicated anaesthetist. We are not suggesting that the average layperson can safely practice to this extent or breadth of surgery, but it does demonstrate that a non-surgeon can achieve much. It also shows that most anaesthetics for surgery in an austere situation can be done under local or ketamine anaesthetics.
Why this is relevant?
Each of these four references gives you insights, one way or another, into low-tech austere health care. First, it gives you an insight into the likely clinical problems that you may see in a survival situation, and how much can be dealt with in that sort of austere environment. Second, it demonstrates how medically speaking it is the small things and simple knowledge which save lives and some of the biggest killers can be mitigated with these relatively low level interventions or strategies.
In our opening summary – “Medicine at that end of the world”, we describe a pretty bleak medical reality post-SHTF. Will million’s really die from lack of access to modern heath care as we have alleged?
The short answer is yes – many will die much sooner than they otherwise would have, from disease and injury, which currently are not immediately fatal. But the answer is not nearly that simple nor bleak. The reality is that while cancer, diabetes, malnutrition or serious injury may claim many of its victim’s sooner than with today’s health care, most health problems can be treated or mitigated to a degree in a low- tech environment, with a narrow range of medications and interventions – including some cancers, non- insulin requiring diabetes and many major traumatic injuries.
Most medical problems are relatively mundane and not life threatening. Truly catastrophic problems in medicine are fortunately rare. You should focus on learning and preparing to deal with the common problems, and doing common procedures well, and you will save lives, and possibly also improve the quality of those lives.
There will be a significant change to health care but with knowledge and some preparation it isn’t quite as dire as many (including our own opening paragraph) predict. "

I've been eyeing one for a while and think it's almost that time to pull the trigger on a Tavor.
My only real question : should I go factory SBR, or a stock one and a conversion kit later ? Price wise, it'd be more expensive to buy standard and swap it over, but it also could take a while for a form 4 to clear which could be annoying. Any thoughts? Thanks

By 'something new', it's where I wake up in the middle of the night with an aura. This is the second time this has happened. Previous incident was a few months ago.
The first time was because I forgot to take my medicine for the night, but this morning it happened for seemingly no reason. I vividly remember taking my medicine no more than five hours before this happened.
Woke up with intense feelings of deja vu and confusion, couldn't form coherent thoughts, and I was on top of the fan next to my bed. Would've fallen off of my bed if it wasn't in my way. Almost turned into a grand mal, but I managed to get a grip right before I was too far into the aura.
Don't understand why this started happening. I got diagnosed three years ago and it could really fuck with my life if my sleep keeps getting interrupted like this, especially with how close I've gotten to fully seizing both times. It'll happen eventually if this continues.
Do I need to increase my dosage? I took an additional two pills after both instances, and the auras didn't stop until I did so. I have put on some muscle and lost a lot of fat since the diagnosis, so maybe my body needs more of the medication to compensate for the change?
Currently about ~18 months seizure free, and I would really like to keep it that way.

I had breast surgery almost two years ago and it went all kinds of bad. I had to have multiple corrections, all by the same surgeon. The last one was a skin graft less than a year ago. Now my left breast is half gone and he reduced the other breast to “match”, but I will never be able to fix what has happened.
He doesn’t operate in a hospital, but uses a medical spa in Michigan. He makes everyone sign multiple forms saying we accept whatever happens to use (up to death, etc) but my family still thinks I should try to take him to court for damages and reconstructive surgery through another doctor.
I’m worried that it will just be a waste of time/money since I signed all the forms. Does anyone have insight on this kind of situation?

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Note: I am posting this for a coworkefriend. He knows about this thread changing my life so he wants to hear your judgement about something he has been agonizing over all morning. I gave him my opinion but I guess I am just one woman. I hope this is allowed he does not have Reddit. For reading comfort I will write in I form as he told it to me.
TLDR: I told my girlfriend she often has bad breath and to see a doctor about that on a day she was already feeling down and now I think I am single again.
I 34M have been with my girlfriend 31F for 7months. She is honestly the best and she makes me happy. We never had a fight before and we pride ourself in open honest communication.
Yesterday she stayed over at my place and was feeling down on herself. She has a bit of anxiety and a high pressure job. She had a spell of some mistakes and bad performances that haunted her. She told me she felt like she was letting everybody down and failing. However she had one silver lining. She had a feedback session with her team member who had been under performing and they took some difficult feedback she had for them to heart and thanked her for her honesty. She was happy that went well.
Triggered by the conversation about feedback I also had feedback for her. For a while I have been noticing bad breath. Not terrible but I am pretty sensitive to smells. I tried to figure out the cause so I could help her. But she has perfect teeth, hygiene, doesn’t smoke or eat junk food. As I couldn’t figure it out I assumed it must be a medical issue.
So I told her she often has bad breath and if she is okay with us seeing a doctor about it.
Her heart just broke before my eyes. I apologized that it might have been bad timing on my part. She said that it was okay and thanked me for my honesty… but it obviously was not okay. I saw her fighting back tears. When I asked her if I hurt her she said yes but that she is not angry as it was not my fault that her breath was bad and knowing my sensitivity to smells she felt bad I had to deal with it.
She got very quiet and I asked what the problem was. She said I just gave her another reason to hate herself today and this is the first time anyone ever said this to her. She never felt insecure about it but now wonders when her breath smelled… like all the time? Every moment? If she was the “ bad breath lady” at work. She said she felt gross, worthless. I tried to tell her I love her anyway and kiss her but she didn’t want to be touched especially not kissed.
She went upstairs to brush her teeth and I heard her cry. She climbed into bed with me later but not wanting to cuddle or to be touched.I felt her shaking and crying quietly. We are very physical people so not touching or holding her felt really weird. This morning she got up really early and sneaked out. She usually kisses me goodbye before she goes but she just went. She took most of her stuff. Not even sure if she just broke up with me? I have been trying to figure out how to handle this. She has send me no text and I don’t know what I could do or say. I just don’t understand what happend.
AITAH? Or is she just over reacting?

Hi I was on the old style working tax credit. When it came to renewing them in 2023 I forgot to sign the form. My grandson was in hospital for 4 months and we sadly lost him in April 2023. I was in a mess and collapsed in the July and was admitted to hospital. They couldn't find anything wrong and put it down to stress. In September I had a ruptured brain aneurysm. Obviously I was very ill. I got a letter from dwp saying I owed them almost 4k because I didn't sign the form I rang up and explained my situation and I've now received a letter saying they need proof. Obviously I've got medical records but how do I send proof my grandson passed away? Thanks for reading.

Today I got a call from my agency that my contract was going to be cut short due to a few complaints. I need other nurses’ opinion on this please.
Context: I’m contracted at a rural multi purpose hospital, combined emergency, acute medical and residential care. It’s purely nurse-led with medical officers on call who can get on the telehealth/screen in ED if needed. Plus a doctor who physically visits approx 3x a week in AM shifts.
There’s a senior RN who works casual shifts. We never really got along, although we’ve never had any direct conflict or arguments. She just makes a lot of comments about travel nurses, questioning our ED skills, how we made the nurses accomodation a “pig sty” (even though it’s spotless, no dishes on the sink, always dried and put away on the spot etc). Anyway she complained to the management that I don’t do complete handovers- for example I didn’t hand over to their shift that I gave a slow IV push of digoxin to an ED patient. Another nurse who was in the handover room 100% remembers that I did in fact hand it over including the period of time I took to push the drug in and what time. On top of that, all the drugs given were charted and co signed by us, all available for her to read. But she says I never handed it over.
Number two, there’s a complaint that I argued with the doctor and have “abrupt attitude.” I have never ever argued with anybody there- not the admin, nit the cleaners, not the medical team etc. I have opinions about the people but I always keep it to myself to avoid the work politics. The closest thing I can think of is the doctor DECLINED to see a head injury patient I handed over, because she would rather suture a non urgent wound on the limb in another room. Without asking who, what, how, when, she just replied “I don’t want to see him” with a smile on her face. I said “They’re actually in that other room right now and have timed their arrival to see you.” And she went “Well I’ll be too busy suturing in there.” And that was end. She refused to see him 100%. Fortunately, the same coworker who is vouching I handed over the digoxin also witnessed this interaction. The patient was clinically well and neuro obs okay so he was discharged with a minor traumatic brain injury fact sheet. I explained all the warning signs and to come back if so. He returned the next day unwell and I texted her again to come SEE him, that’s when she finally saw him. And the kid ended up getting a CT scan in a bigger hospital. Luckily, there was no brain bleed. This was an INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS situation and I have so many regrets because I didn’t advocate for that patient enough. Luckily he was okay and he went home. I also had another chest pain patient who presented twice on the same day- I followed protocol, did the ECG and bloods. The dr was giving me attitude that it was clearly non-cardiac and non-urgent, rather mental health related. Regardless, I did my job and followed protocols for chest pain. Then the pharmacy called me asking about a loratadine script not matching the online med chart, and wanted to clarify which drug the doctor wanted. Obviously I was not going to tell her which drug to dispense (as I’m not a doctor) so I passed it on to the doctor. Her response was “This question is so petty. I don’t really care.” As you can see, despite this doctor’s attitude, I’ve been very patient and kept things to myself to remain professionalism. These are the closest interactions I can think of to an “argument.” The only person other than my witness who knew about this interaction was the same RN above who complained about the digoxin
Fourth, we do our own blood pathologies onsite due to being rural. So when I had a chest pain, I placed a 24 gauge IV cannula on a 71 year olds r) forearm SOLELY for the collection of bloods. My thinking was rather than poking her 3x for repeat bloods I would cannulate her to collect from the same cannula (you only need 1 mL or less each time). I already told this to the LPN/LVN who questioned the size of the cannula. I assured her at the event we had to administer IV drugs, it would be given in a bigger cannula on the L) forearm (as I avoid collecting blood from the same IV where drugs and fluids are being pushed into). This is also documented in her acute folder, cannulation form (under reason for cannulation is BLOODS). Anyway this LPN complained that I’m using the wrong IV size. Iwant to clarify NO IV DRUGS were given. Only ORAL. That IV was purely for bloods. But you know what, thinking about it, even if I were to push fluids through there, it wouldn’t be wrong. 24 gauge is used on paediatrics AND elderly AND adults with miniature sensitive veins.
But despite all of this, my contract has been cut shorter by weeks and the agency has asked me not to approach the management. And to finish my contract quietly and in peace. They won’t pass my feedback on out of fear it will cause conflict in their relationship with the client. Additionally, moving forward, they cannot place me in ED contracts anymore until I’ve completed a medical/acute contract and gotten good feedback.
To me this absolute bullshit so I told them this will be the last contract with them (I have other agencies). Did I do the right thing? Was I wrong in any of these scenarios? Please give feedback as I want to improve myself as a nurse…

Do Nuclear and Missile operations officers have to go through another physical similar to that of rated positions. I’ve seen on forms it is and am worried as I know cadets who have been medically disqualified because of these physicals and would rather be safe than sorry

Name: Luke Stratos
Age: 16
Appearance: Tall, broad shoulders, dark brown skin, black hair in a crew cut wave, hazel brown eyes, lean, muscular build, celtic shield knot on his right bicep, a wolf head tattoo on his left forearm, and the Japanese Kanji for wind on his right bicel. Small, faded scars litter most of his body.
Personality: Kind, friendly, helpful, stubborn at times, hardworking, loves his family dearly, dedicated to helping others, can get nervous around girls, tends to be charming without noticing it, gentlemanly, and is a fighter to the very end.
Likes: Martal arts, his mother, his sisters, cooking, heroes, R&B music, country music, singing, desserts, figuring out what he can create with his Quirk, his classmates (sans Bakugo at times), storms, windy days, mythology.
Dislikes: Bullies, his father, villains, anyone who mistreats women, people who fight for no reason, heroes who only care about fame, cameras, extremely cheesy foods, snakes, and waking up super early.
Quirk: Gale Forge- Luke's Quirk allows him to generate, manipulate, and intensify wind currents. This gives Luke the ability to not only manipulate the wind and air around him for simple purposes such as movements and basic attacks but also solidify the air into various constructs, essentially forging objects out of wind. These constructs can range from simple shields and battering rams to more complex shapes like blades, grappling hooks, and even animals. The constructs Luke creates take on a dark, midnight blue shade.
Quirk Drawbacks: Luke's Quirk relies heavily on the air quality around him. If the air is too humid or too wet than his constructs will become virtually unusable. And if Luke's airway or supply becomes shortened or cut off in any way then he won't be able to create anything at all. Overuse of his Quirk can also lead to intense asthma attacks or ruptured blood vessels.
Quirk Supermoves:
Cyclone Lancer: Luke summons numerous, dark blue spears around him that he uses to launch from a distance.
Sky Shot: Luke creates a blue wind bow and fires an arrow at his target. As long as he has eyes on his target, the arrow will follow.
Gale Step: Luke summons concentrated bursts of air from beneath his feet, increasing his speed and mobility.
Vortex Wrath: Luke creates a spinning funnel of wind around his arm and shapes it into a drill.
Breeze Blade: Luke summons a triangular-bladed broadsword that he uses at close range.
Falcon Tempest: Luke summons a cast of wind falcons he uses as either a means of attack or a way to temporarily blind an opponent.
Lupus Storm: Luke summons a pack of wolves that he can use to carry injured people away from the battlefield or attack numerous opponents.
Ryuusepuu (Dragon Whirlwind): Luke creates a swirling, Asian lung Dragon that circles around him before he sends it at his opponent. The Dragon traps the opponent in a massive vortex before biting down on them with full force.
Fujin-ken (Wind God Fist): Luke gathers spinning wind around his right fist that he sends out in a massive burst of wind that sometimes takes the form of an angry Oni head.
Howling Hurricane: Currently Luke's strongest move. He summons a massive amount of wind around him before launching himself into the air. Luke shifts into a flying kick position and condenses the wind around his outstretched leg. The wind transforms themselves into a wolf head which bites down on his target with the full force of hurricane force winds.
Hero Name: Zephyros, The Wind Knight
Hero Costume: Dark blue cargo pants with black tribal markings swirling around the outer edges of it. The pants are tucked into a set of black boots with silver armor protecting his knees and shins. A black and silver belt is around his waist full of different medical supplies, smoke bombs, flashbangs, and other small weapons that Luke uses in the field. He wears a long-sleeved black and blue shirt made of a special material that is bulletproof, tearproof, and fireproof along with protective armor on his forearms and shoulders. His torso is covered by a chest guard with the image of a knight's helm surrounded by streaks of wind on the front area. His chest guard also acts a wind breaker with lighter, cloth material hanging down past his hips along with a hood on the back of his neck. His look is finished off with a mask covering the lower half of his face and a simple mask over his eyes that enhaces his vision through numerous types of filters.
Background: Luke is the only male child of now divorced parents. His father, a real estate tycoon was so focus on his work that he neglected his wife which also led to his infidelity. Luke in turn has four older sisters with two of them being the daughters of women other than his mother. Luke's father was hardly in his life, only seeing the young man a few times a year, leaving him to be raised by his mother and older sisters.
Luke grew up seeing just how hard his family members worked to be able to provide for him and each other. Luke's mother gave him as much love as she could as well as showing him different skills that would help him in the future. As he grew, his sisters succeeded in their careers and became the top of their fields; a respected surgeon, a lawyer, a tech entrepreneur, and even a pop icon. While sometimes being placed in the shadows of his successful siblings, he never felt like he was inferior to them. They all loved him and he loved them, idolizing how much hard work they put in to making their dreams come true.
Luke first became interested in the hero world when he saw a local hero not only save a small time grocery store from getting robbed but also assisting him in getting his business back in working order. Luke realized that being a hero wasn't just about dealing with villains or flashy rescues but also giving the people hope when they felt like they didn't have any. Just like how his family members made him feel when he was at his lowest points.
Luke made it his goal to become a hero, to do some good for the people in this world that felt like nothing good ever happened to them.

Prologue

Hello and welcome to my post. I will subdivide this into two large parts. One will cover my thoughts, feelings, my hopes and dreams...While the other will tell you the specifics of how I pass the time, what topics interest me, what passions do I posses. I believe that at the end of this leap into my inner world, you dear reader, will have all the necessary information to judge whether we are compatible or not.

Part I
I am writing this in the hopes of finding something that I lack. Lately I have had this feeling, this tinge of melancholy within the dephts of my being, this yearning to find a kindred spirit, another Soul, much like mine, to form a bond with. Perhaps Loneliness is the right word for what is bothering me, but to use it seems to carry with it a connotation of ungratefulness. Ungratefulness for the people that I do have in my life, although none of them, of course, have the connection to me that I seek here.

I have found it increasingly necessary to seek in this Life a sort of purity of thought. What I mean is, I have began to undestand what ideas and concepts are ultimately compatible with my inner most Self, ergo what guidelines I have to follow to feel the most whole. Naturally I have likewise realised what I cannot add to my Self and what I will henceforth reject with all the power that I posses.

With this new context in mind, I now follow on the path of self improvement. I will now begin to mold my Self into my perfected idea of how the Self should be. This is certainly a significant undertaking, one that will not be easy to follow through on but one that I ultimately have to do. To me such context is essential. It is akin to a Guiding Star shining in the night. I will follow this Star for without it I am lost in the vast Darkness.

Looking back at my life, it was suboptimal, especially if one compares the way it molded me to how I will now mold myself. I suppose I must look on with a hint of regret at all that time which one might consider to be lost. Still... I try to stave off such decisively negative interpretations, after all, I have ultimately came to these conclusions. That means that somewhere along the line I had to have picked up on enough of such ideas for them to become so cemented in my consciousness. Well, either that or I was always like this, but in that case I can at least thank my life up to this point for not being able to supress such manifestations of my inner most Self.

To add to the topic of my life, I must admit that not all the battles have yet been won, not all the Demons vanquished, not every Mountain climbed. I want you to keep such things in mind when deciding whether or not to approach me. Many will shy away, I undestand that much, but the pursuit of true Companionship is just another such battle. Having said all that I do believe that being able to overcome hurdles together carries with it a certain appeal. That is to say, what's the fun in joining once the Game is already over?

I don't shy away from such challenges, perhaps to a fault. Certain troubles that I faced in the past carry with them a long shadow over my current health and well being. Still, I intend to change little in this regard other than the proficiency with which I will clash the current of my Will against the cliffs of Life.
Part II
In this part of my post I will tell you about my interests and hobbies, I will try to be thorough, commonality in this regard is rather important to build a relationship
History. I have had an interest in history for almost a decade now, it started back in school and developed from there. Well, now that I think about it one could argue that it started even earlier in my life as I liked watching the odd historic documentary or film aired on television but it wasn't regular back then, I never actively sought it out. I am mostly interested in European history in the period between the 18th-20th century but I sometimes branch out to other time periods and other parts of the world. I watch various channels related to history and read articles and sometimes books. I have recently got a few books on the German revolution of 1848/1849 and a historical magazine on the Thirty Years' War. Besides that I try to visit museums sometimes.
Literature. Especially old novels. I like to immerse myself in the Worlds of these books, I tend to read them while listening to thematically fitting music and take my time with them. One time you are following a troubled Youth in his quest for spiritual understanding of the world, another you see the aged and decrepit Doctor gambling his very Soul on the promises of abtaining satisfaction in earthy pleasures, then again your olfaction notices the most pleasant scent known to man even as the one eminating it has the appearance of a revolting Frog. These and many other stories open up to you once you decide to set foot into the literary World.
Languages. I know three, with one being a bit rusty. I am currently working intently on strengthening it. I believe that if I continue to apply myself in this regard then I should be able to finally conquer it. What language am I working on? Well, if you were to stack all the major works in it they would be as tall as a house... It is fun to go through different works in multiple languages, the same goes for film, games and such.
Games. I recently played Cyberpunk 2077. Well as recently as I played any major story centric game. Now that the dust has settled and the bugs mostly removed...It's not that bad. The main questline at least. Besides that I tried Fallout 76 (Very average, I'm dissapointed with what they made the "RPG" system) and I might give Deus Ex Manking Divided another spin (since it's somewhat similar to Cyberpunk when it comes to its aesthetics). Dark Souls is one of my favorite series, I still haven't beaten Elden Ring though. When it came out I wasn't in the right mindset to invest a hundred hours into it, with all those bosses and difficult locations. I think I'll only consider playing it if I am streaming it to someone. I am generally interested in either streaming games or having the person I am talking to stream them to me. To be specific I mean streaming to a single person while being on call. Besides that I'm a big fan of Paradox strategy games, especially Europa Universalis IV and Heats of Iron IV, I tend to only play single player since I find multiplayer with many people to be rather stressful but on the other hand I have nothing against a co-op game. I'm not the best player though, despite the ammount of hours I have in them. Another great game I would mention would be Dragon's Dogma. A very underrated RPG. I recently beat it again and it was an atmospheric and interesting experience. It is one of those games that feel like they have an endless ammount of depth and constant new secrets to discover.
Anime and Manga. In recent times my interest in them has waned but I still watch the occasional series here and there. Like Cyberpunk Edgerunners (Which I found to be rather mediocre) and the very good first season from the new arc of Bleach. Some of my favourite series include: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Death Note, Fate;Zero, Psycho Pass, Code Geass and Attack on Titan. I wouldn't mind if you were to introduce me to some new series, maybe based on the ones I mentioned. My favourite Manga is Berserk which I still follow, althought I am still not certain on the direction that the new author is taking. I suppose it really is a matter of contention whether a somewhat (or considerably warped) vision is better than an unfinished work. One could argue that a few novels remain unfinished and possess a macabre appeal to them as such.
Music. Classical music has a very special place in my heart. A few of my favourite pieces would be: Clair de Lune, Nocturne Op. 9 No.2, Devil's Trill Sonata, Danse Macabre, Valse Sentimentale, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Alegreto (by Beethoven) and Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20a: I. Scene. Moderato. There are more but these ones always invoke something in me when I listen to them. Besides Classical I also enjoy listening to Synthwave, old Western pop and J-pop, both modern and from the 20th century.
Esotericism. I am interested in things spiritual, mystical, magical and esoteric. I have read religios texts, magical grimoires, introductions to various schools of thought. It is interesting to me.
Epilogue
Hopefully I was able to cast the spotlight upon my inner World in a clear and unequivocal manner. I feel the need to add to the aforementioned that I am rather introverted, which means that I tend to dislike large social gatherings. I managed to condition myself to be able to endure the presense of large groups of people but it isn't something that I would seek out in most cases. Besides that I am neurodivergent and suffer from certain issues with mental health. I have to take medication to keep myself under control. They work well enough but certain days are harder than others. I respect the struggle that others have with mental health but in the context of a relationship I have my limits, no one with BDP for instance. I am also not looking for anything casual. I understand than one cannot demand depth and meaning from a conversation with an absolute stranger, that is akin to trying to build a sand castle right before the waves strike but I ask at least that you enter with a mindset that this might become something of significance. I also do want to say that I am completely Monogamous. My preference? The sickly, pale, intellectual who watches rain droplets slide down the window in Autumn. Lastly, if I enjoy the company of a person I tend to not want to let them go.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and have a good day. I ask that you send a DM instead of a chat and that you give your thoughts on my title in the opening of your message.
Goodbye...Or perhaps untill we meet again

Reddit Account: u/Thenn_Applicant
Discord Tag: Garin
Name and House: Dorian Merryweather
Age: 49
Cultural Group: Reachman
Appearance: [Dorian's chestnut brown hair has been greying for quite a while, however is short beard retains more color, including a few stray red hairs peppered throughout it. While his features have softened and gained some pudge as he aged past his prime, he remains in overall good shape. This is partly due to his great love of gardening and crop cultivation, which have left his hands and nails rather rough.](Dodin-Bouffant-The-Taste-of-Things-Vest.webp (500×650) (williamjacket.com))
Trait: Numerate
Skills: Avaricious (e), Architect, Administrator, Investor
Talents: Language (High Valyrian) Cooking, Gardening
Negative Trait: N/A
Starting Title: Lord of Longtable
Starting Location: Opening Event
Biography:
It has been said; men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war. As such, it begs the question, what does a man have left when he finally tires of war? In pursuit of an answer, of any answer, one half of Dorian Merryweather’s life was spent. He was the second son of Lord Arthor Merryweather of Longtable. Like many others born in a place of natural abundance, he longed for more, for something greater than a mere provincial estate. The tourneys of Highgarden, the hunts of Horn Hill and the books of Oldtown all called to him, and so he could never ride past his father’s mild and verdant fields fast enough. Dorian counted himself lucky not to be the heir, for that meant he could pick where his future lay, unchained from the uninspiring home of his childhood. Instead it was his older brother, Bennard, who envied his free-flying lifestyle, contriving any excuse to join him on his escapades and agurk lessons and ceremonies he ought to have attended.
Lord Arthor was fairly permissive of this deriliction of duties, as the friendships forced on such journeys were worth more than lessons that could be repeated later, or tasks that could be handed off to lowborn stewards. The boys attended tourneys, balls, hunts and feasts, living the life the bards extolled as the height of reachman’s chivalry. The one time they did not shirk their duties was when their father had the honor of hosting King Mern and his court for a tourney on the Warrior’s day. The Merryweather sons would present the king and his family with silver bowls of dilligrout, a most exquisite stew of capons, white wine and almond milk. They had the joy of tasting it once the Gardeners had their fill, a taste they would never forget. On the tournament field three days later, Mern knighted them both, though Dorian was only sixteen at the time, green as a knight could ever be.
Five years later, as news of Aegon Targaryen and his early conquests spread, the lords of the Reach were summoned to Goldengrove, where they found a veritable forest of Westermen’s banners being planted beside their own. The fall of the Storm Kings had led to a whirlwind of diplomacy between the houses of Gardener and Lannister. The plan was presented to the lords with the two kings sitting beside one another on the dais as though they were brothers. They held up Aegon’s letter of demands, scornfully reading it aloud and then proceeded to tear it up to a roaring acclamation from the hall. Standing there before the hall, Mern could hardly be called the Warrior incarnate. There stood a man well past his prime, old enough to be a grandfather and with no great victories to his name, in battle or on the tourney field. All the same, this man, whom they called their king, always seemed to know exactly what to say to win someone over. If he’d declared war on hell itself that evening, the Merryweather brothers would probably still have marched off with him when the next morning dawned. Bennard and Dorian shouted as loud as anyone, death to the foreign upstart. That evening were betrothed to westerwomen they’d never met before, made plans for a real battle, which they had never fought in before, and drank, ate and sang as though the night would last forever. House Merryweather was not able to secure a command, yet King Mern remembered his stay at Longtable fondly. He gave Bennard and Dorian a place in the vanguard, and even adorned Bennard with a brooch of the order of the green hand the morning before the army Goldengrove, a momentous honor which Bennard would cherish for the remainder of his days. He did not have many left, as it turned out. The Field of Fire began like a dream, as the two brothers rode off at the break of dawn, two out of five thousand sets of gleaming armor atop proud warhorses. By the end of the day it had become a nightmare. Caught up in the maelstrom of battle, Dorian did not see the moment when their loss was assured, but the Gods know he could hear it, the creeping, hungry flames that descended on the reachmen like an army of its own. As hundreds were broiled inside their steel plate and thousands more choked on the inferno’s horrible vanguard of black smoke, Bennard and Dorian broke and fled. They were not far behind the retreating Loren Lannister in their escape, but half a minute made all the difference. The lines of fire fanned out, hunting more living things to devour, and engulfed the two brothers. Dorian could feel how the flames spread from his surcoat to his undershirt, all the way down to the hairs on his chest, beginning to sear his skin. In a desperate act he threw himself in the Blackwater, and would have perished if not for the shoddy work of his squire that morning, which left him able to tear off his plate before he could sink. With bloodied, burn-marked fingers, he clung to the roots of a tree by the riverside, water up to his chest. He was retrieved after some time, how long he could not say. For the next two moons his mind was adrift, distracted from his pains by milk of the poppy. The next two were far worse, as he grew more lucid and realized the extent of the damage. A burn-mark stretched from his right thigh, all the way up his chest and left bicep to the apple of his neck. Many times over, flakes of dead or dying skin had to be peeled off by the maester as the scabs kept bursting with blood and clear liquid. By the end of that year he was able to walk again, though the burn mark would leave a feverish red mark across the front of his body, his new skin settling into twisted lines.
Bennard was far worse for wear, alive yet burned all the way to his face and crippled from a fall off his horse. His nose and ear-lobes had to be cut off, too burned to save, and even his eyelids were permanently scarred, unable to sprout new lashes. The more lucid Bennard became, the deeper his sorrow. Eventually he began refusing food. The new lord of Longtable would not eat anything his cooks set in front of him. In spite of his ever present pains, Dorian began going to the kitchens, reprimanding the cooks for their failings. He knew his brother well and knew his palette, and began ordering them to make his brother’s favorites. When he felt they were making mistakes, he interrupted their work himself. He was a stranger to the kitchen, yet would criticize how things were cut too roughly, spiced too little or too much. He was a terror to the cooks, yet they could not refuse him.
His attempts to intervene were however hampered by a newfound aversion to heat. The sound of the hearth, of boiling and searing, the general sense of warmth around him made him nauseous and caused his movements to seize up. Still, he went to his brother’s bedside every day, and afterwards he forced himself back to the kitchens. His sister, Lydia, tried to stop him at first, but soon found her protes fell on deaf ears, and so joined him, if only to leash him in when he went too far. Finally, there was only one dish they hadn’t tried; the dilligrout they’d once served to the late King Mern. Every time it was made, it came out wrong. It soon turned out the cook who had served them that evening six years ago had since retired, and his exact method had never been recorded or taught to anyone else. Dorian would first invite the man to Longtable, then summon him with armed knights when invitations were refused.
Theomar, the man who appeared before him, was a sorry sight, looking frightened and confused as he was taken to his old workplace. It was explained by his sons that he’d been growing senile even six years ago, often snapping at the kitchen maids under him when his memory failed him. Since then he’d gotten worse, seldom eating, let alone cooking. Something in the old man’s eyes did seem to brighten for a moment when the sounds and smells of his old kitchen surrounded him, and Dorian ordered him to make dilligrout. Before long that faint spark had been drowned out by tears. He would start boiling capon or crushing almonds, only to leave the job half-done whenever he had to fetch something new. Serving maids were put at his disposal to bring him ingredients, yet an ingredient ordered would be met with a reprimand as he seemed to forget which dish he was making every few minutes. Finally Dorian snapped at the man, grabbing him by his collar and shouting accusations of treason against House Merryweather. By the time Lydia could restrain him and try to apologize, the man was a wreck on the floor. After watching it for a while, waiting for the man to get up and continue his work, even Dorian was overcome by pity and shame for what he’d done. The old cook was praying to the gods, begging forgiveness for his failings. Dorian began to realize he’d broken a great man down and would himself beg forgiveness. He offered the man his old cook’s quarters back for the rest of his life, and promised his sons that his maester would tend to the man in his old age, that he would be fed from Longtable’s stores.
At this point, he resolved to make the dilligrout himself. Through it all, Bennard was barely clinging to life, or rather being tethered to it by the will of others. He could only be fed when drugged down by the milk of the poppy, and the more often it was used, the less effective it became. Every day Dorian braved the kitchens, yet he could not recreate the flavor of that wonderful night. It was by the grace of the gods, perhaps with Theomar as their vessel, that Dorian would even come close. The old man could no longer cook, but over time he began to wander into the kitchens and sit down on a chair. At first Dorian thought the man only sought the warmth of the hearth for his weary bones, yet he discovered it to be more than that. Theomar’s eyes were like clouded glass, yet they brightened every now and then, hearing almonds being ground, smelling capons searing in fat, as though it was stirring the kitchenmaster of yore back to life. Eventually Dorian began to walk up to the old cook with his ingredients, bidding him to smell or taste small portions. Sometimes he got simple instructions out of it, ‘too coarse’, ‘too sour’, ‘underdone’. Som times a mere nod or frown was all Theomar managed. Over the course of a couple of days, Dorian put together one final attempt to get the dish made rightWhen he arrived in Bennard’s chamber, he was met with a look which brought forth discomfort that no flame could produce in Dorian. Plainly, raspingly, his brother asked him why he wouldn’t let him die. It was easy, Bennard reasoned. All Dorian needed to do was wait and become lord. The words almost made Dorian throw the dilligrout on the floor. Almost. He placed two bowls on Bennard’s table, the dilligrout and one brimming with milk of the poppy. Dorian told his brother to make his choice. If he sought death, Dorian would let him, but he would not hear that it was an easy thing, watching his brother die. That evening, the milk of the poppy was carried away by the maester, the empty bowl of stew taken to be washed in the kitchens. From then on, Bennard ate what his brother brought him without complaint. He lasted just into the new year, dying on its tenth day. In the predawn gloom of the twelfth, Theomar died in his sleep
Dorian took up his lordly task joylessly. His old wanderlust returned, spurred by the horrible memories that now stained Longtable and the reach itself in his mind. The final straw came when their new Tyrell overlords, insisted on him marrying a lady from a dornish house. His previous betrothal had fallen through, as the parents of his western bride had not wished to draw the ire of the Targaryens by maintaining an old alliance meant to oppose them. Instead of obliging, he boarded a ship from Oldtown going east. It stopped only briefly in Planky Town before going to Tyrosh. Noting him to be a nobleman, a few of the city’s wealthy men would host him for a while, though they quickly lost interest when his lack of knowledge of trade became apparent. After that, he spent time in the markets and squares where the common people lived. His old curiosity was piqued, and he decided to embark on a quest of learning, fashioning himself another Lomas Longstrider. He moved on to Myr, and the experience was much the same in broad strokes, a few rich men showed interest and quickly lost it. As he’d visited the dye markets he went to see the city’s famous artisans at work. One thing was notably different, he met a Tyroshi woman with green-dyed hair, going by the name Maryah. She was a trader, and the two had taken the same ship to Myr. She had been to Myr before and showed him many of its secrets. They spent an entire day in one of the vast delicacy markets so she could show him the many tastes of the city. Having no plans in advance, he asked where she was headed next.
Without a second thought he would join her on a journey to Lys. He soon understood it to be a test. It was not long before she teased him, speculating he’d only joined her for a chance to see the famous pleasure houses. Evening after evening they stayed in the city and Maryah would tease and test him over the matter. Finally he told her he’d renounce his betrothal for her, that there was no one else in his eye. She laughed, replying he would not have to. The next morning, Dorian awoke to find that she was already up, the green washed from her black curls. Maryah had in fact been Joanna Dayne, his dornish bride to be, having traveled the same route as him ever since his ship stopped at Planky Town to refill its food and water. She was already quite familiar with the three closest free cities, having served as a dornish envoy on behalf of its spice traders. As they planned their return to Westeros, Joanna asked him what else in the world he wanted to see. Within a few moons of being wed, they left Westeros, not to return for three years.The journey was what his mind needed, away from the Reach, its knights and tapestries, hunts and tourneys. Ultimately, the lords and knights of his homeland, for all their songs and poetry, lived every day in preparation for war, frivolous though the preparations were. Joanna showed him a different world, the remnants of Old Valyria. War was to be sure inescapable. Wherever they went, there were soldiers, tapestries, contests of arms, and yet the cities housed something else as well, a boundless potential for creation, commerce and growth.
Thanks to Joanna Dayne’s knowledge their stays became far better planned, and they could enjoy the hospitality of wealthy locals far longer. She knew how to talk about the spice trade and similar matters, and Dorian began to pick up on it. On their second stay in Myr, he procured a great deal of fine parchment and began taking notes, everything from negotiation tactics and the prices of cloves or red peppers to court customs, as well as more eclectic pieces of knowledge, details of running an eastern estate, descriptions of technological marvels he had never seen in Westeros, and ingredients in the local food. By the time they neared Qarth he had quite the list of recipes, among other things. There he was even able to learn a few all the way from Yi Ti, as some local cooks catered to merchants from the Golden Empire. On their journey home they’d end up taking the opportunity to see the newly made port of King’s Landing. By that time, a third member had joined their journey, their infant daughter Florys. Having left Longtable in the care of his sister and steward for three years, Dorian finally accepted the responsibility of running his ancestral home.
Longtable was considered to rule over some of the best lands in the Reach, ideally situated along the river with abundant soil which could provide two grain harvests in a year. Having seen the estates which supplied the great cities of the east, Dorian was all too aware of its comparative shortcomings. He found that the abundance of the land had a counterproductive effect, breeding complacency and carelessness. From his grandiose tour of the east, he went on a painstaking tour of his own lands, trying to get an overview of everything he ruled over. He paid the citadel a fee to send him half a dozen maesters in training for a season. These young men, literate and numerate, would serve his own maester in conducting a survey of the land, giving Dorian account of all resources at his disposal as lord. The results were quite varied.
Some peasants were found to have remarkable agricultural insights which they had no way of writing down, entirely reliant on passing the knowledge to their children. Knowing the risks of such a method of transferring knowledge, Dorian ordered such insights recorded. In other places there were farmers and communities who were unwittingly exhausting their soil. Instances of lack of fallow land, excessive grazing by cows and lack of crop rotation were also made note of, followed by edicts against such heedless practices. Septons, sheriffs and tax collectors were given written copies and were obliged to read them to the peasantry wherever it was deemed necessary. It also became part of the obligations of farmers to plant a set amount of clover in their fields and pastures, a practice some had taken up on their own but which had already become a standardized law among the estates belonging to Myr and Volantis. Irrigation was expanded and land inheritance was reformed to prevent the splitting of fields past a certain threshold.
Lord Dorian was not always successful. Some eastern ideas had been useful innovations which improved conditions across the board. In time he learned that the peculiarities of the westerosi system were sometimes necessary for the sake of stability, not merely the misshapen fruits of ignorance. His attempt to enclose part of the common lands proved abortive, as it nearly caused a peasant rebellion. A procession of aggrieved smallfolk headed for Longtable had to be dispersed by knights, armed with wooden clubs to prevent needless bloodshed.Two men were hanged and five sent to the wall, but the reform was thereafter abandoned, leading the populace to calm down. Dorian was not much of a military leader and had not wielded weapons since the Field of Fire. He became aware of his need to bolster his forces, a notion reinforced by the establishment of the Black Roses not long after his return, and again with the Kingswood Catastrophe
In the meantime, he and Joanna raised a family together. Three more daughters would be born healthy, with a couple of miscarriages and a stillbirth in between, also a daughter. Their travels did not entirely come to an end. In 13 AC they would tour the northern free cities of Norvos, Qohor, Pentos, Braavos and Lorath, which they had missed on their original journey. The lion’s share of 17 AC was spent on a journey to the Summer Islands. At other times they would make shorter journeys around the Seven Kingdoms, where they felt more secure in bringing their older children along. Whether it was visiting Joanna’s family in Dorne, tourneys and feasts in the Reach and West or even one trip to see the wall, a nameday wish by Florys, they were often on the move. Like most of their peers, they frequented Oldtown and Highgarden
The growing rift between the two queens and their children was a situation Dorian would watch with dread in his heart, remembering keenly how a generation of young men had been brought to the field of fire. To his mind, the Targaryen rule ought not go to waste. Like Valyria of old, it had begun with fire and blood, yet similarly peace and prosperity had followed in its wake. If only the dragons could stand united, perhaps another long peace like the one the Freehold once enjoyed could again be established. If not, another century of blood was upon them. Under Dorian, Longtable became a place where he sought to bring together people from across the kingdoms and forge unity over the dinner table, an attitude which somewhat vexed and confounded his more militaristic daughter and heiress, Lady Florys. Even amid her questioning of the viability of his peaceful ways when surrounded by those who would make war, a terrible sight would steel his resolve, watching the Mander burning green, every bit as terrible as the flames from twenty one years prior. That night he made a simple vow, never again.
The League of the Cornucopia, he would name his little group, a gallery of lords and ladies whose acquaintances he’d made over the years. With these fellow gourmets he would share the culinary knowledge he’d gleaned from his journeys in the east and west. Most unusual for a lord of his rank, Dorian came to spend a great deal of time in his kitchens, testing out recipes himself. On occasion, the dishes he served to his guests for these small, intimate gatherings would be the work of his own hands. The membership did vary from time to time, both based on who could make it and who he sought to bring together. Rather than a fully closed circle, the League is more like a form of feasting, only it’s done for a much smaller crowd, without the public spectacle. Such occasions allowed for more refined foods which did not need to be served to hundreds and kept constantly warm over the course of hours like some common tavern stew. It also opened up an arena of more intimate diplomacy and negotiation for those who sought it, hosted on neutral ground by a lordly mediator, free from prying eyes.
Timeline:
25BC: Dorian is born, second in line to Longtable
24BC: His sister Lydia is born
9BC: House Merryweather hosts House Gardener for a tourney and feast. Dorian and his older brother Bennard serve the dish of honor to King Mern Gardener and his family. During the subsequent tourney, Mern knights both boys, despite their inexperience and lack of victory in the tourney
9BC-2BC: Dorian spends much time travelling the reach, attending events
1BC: Dorian and Bennard fight in the vanguard at the Field of Fire. Both are burned, Bennard far more severely than Dorian. Lord Merryweather is killed. Traumatized by the battle and his new maimed body, Bennard starts refusing food. Dorian desperately tries to re-create the dish they served King Mern eight years ago. The cook who made it has since gone senile, but eventually manages to help Dorian re-create it. He is given a place at court as apology for his mistreatment at Dorian's hands before this occurred.
1AC: Lord Bennard dies at the beginning of the year, leaving Dorian as lord of Longtable. His sister Lydia fulfills her betrothal to House Tarly, becoming lady of Horn Hill. At the prospect of marrying a Dornishwoman on the King's orders, Dorian decides to leave Westeros to put off his marriage. In Myr, he meets a woman calling herself Maryah, claiming to be a Tyroshi merchant. They fall in love and travel to Lys together. There Dorian promises to set aside his betrothal for her, whereupon she reveals herself as Joanna Dayne, his dornish betrothed.
1AC-4AC: Dorian and Joanna wed at Longtable, then depart on a new journey of the east. They reach as far as Qarth before turning back home. In 3AC, on the way back, their first child, Florys, is born while the couple are in Volantis, on the way home. They return via the newly built port of King's Landing.
4AC-8AC: Using knowledge from the east, Lord Dorian embarks on a project of rationalizing the agriculture of Longtable
5AC: Dorian and Joanna have their second child, a girl named Ellyn
8AC: Their third daughter, Desmera, is born
13AC: Dorian and Joanna spend a year travelling the northern free cities
14AC: Their fourth and final daughter, Gwin, is born
17AC: Dorian and Joanna undertake a journey to the Summer Islands with their children
23AC: The aftermath of the battle of Stonebridge brings back memories of the Field of Fire, as the Merryweathers watch burning slag run down the Mander
25AC: The Merryweathers travel to the celebration of the maturity of Aegon's sons
Family Tree:
Arthor Merryweather (father, d.1BC)
Cerelle Merryweather (pending family connection) (mother, d.20AC)
Bennard Merryweather (brother, d.1AC)
Lydia Merryweather (sister, b.24BC)
Glendon Merryweather (uncle, d.1BC)
Myrcella Pommingham (aunt, d.22AC)
Leo Merryweather (cousin, b.13AC)
Joanna Dayne (wife, b.26AC)
Florys Merryweather (daughter, b.3AC)
Ellyn Merryweather (daughter, b.5AC)
Desmera Merryweather (daughter, b.8AC)
Gwin Merryweather (daughter, b.13AC)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Auxiliary Character:
Name and House: Florys Merryweather
Age: 23
Cultural Group: Reachman
Appearance: [A short, muscular woman with wavy black hair, normally worn in a bun. She has high cheekbones and a proud demeanor. Her rigid strength stands in contrast to the more relaxed nature of the Merryweather court, one she finds overly lax and casual](0_0.png (896×1344) (discordapp.com))
Trait: Hale
Skills: Swords (e), Essosi Blademaster
Talents: Dancing, Fishing, Cooking
Negative Traits: N/A
Starting Title: Heir to Longtable
Starting Location: Opening Event
Timeline:
3AC: Florys is born in Volantis, while her parents are on their way home from Essos
10AC: Florys starts training under Saathos Trevelyan, her father's Master at Arms
13 AC: She joins her parents on a tour of Pentos, Braavos, Norvos and Qohor
17AC: She travels with her parents to the Summer Islands
19AC-23AC: As she comes of age, Florys becomes more critical of her father's desire for peace, viewing it as increasingly far-fetched amid the increasingly controversial regency and the impending succession dispute. She resolves to make the kinds of connections her father seems unwilling to, in case of war
25AC: She accompanies her family to the celebrations
NPCS:
Ser Leo Merryweather (Age: 37, Archetype: Magnate) Lord Merryweather's first cousin, he has become an indispensable agent in the daily running of Longtable. Despite his foppish demeanor and aparent laziness, he is highly capable and loyal in his task of increasing his family's fortune. He remains happily unwed
Saathos Tevelyan: (Age:48, Archetype: Master at Arms) The son of a Lysene father and a Myrish mother, Saathos initially sought a career in amongst Myr's military officers, however his family's relatively low status proved an impediment to further promotion, later compounded by a dispute with a superior. He met Lord Merryweather in 3AC and eventually travelled West to offer his services five years later, finding his career progress stonewalled in his home city. Well into middle age, he still looks firm and imposing as profesisonal a soldier ought to

So I was having a discussion with a friend about the existence of the football teams that play in the ISL as franchise teams since the league started. Ofc, there are teams like BFC who have paid the franchise fee to play or like MBSG, EB who formed mergers to play in the ISL.
But the teams or rather cities that were released as franchises at the start of season 1, can exist as an independent football club and play in the country's top league which has nothing to do with Reliance or FSDL in future?
I want to understand the legal caveats better that's all.
Like in the IPL, the teams won't exist if the IPL doesn't exist and they can't participate in other tournaments not owned or managed by BCCI without permission.
Ofc, the same owners can create a club with the same name and logo to play in a different league but will it be technically be the same club or will they have to create a new organisation?

I want to immigrate to either canada or the netherlands by studying there and because the degree i hold right now isn’t very in demand i can’t apply for jobs so I thought of getting masters program but mostly they will ask for letter of recommendation which idk if i can provide since only two professors reply and they just asked to sent them the form and sign it nothing more i emailed two others and put effort to provide them with some works that I’ve done in their courses and my cv it has been 6 months no reply. Also I honestly feel like most master’s programs for my undergraduate major is very limited or not in demand i have English language degree btw so if you have any advice I would appreciate it -
This’s just a vent maybe idk : I got two programs offer that end with employment rn in my home country which is great cuz i can maybe ask for professional references but they are not related to my undergraduate program also they’re all do urine tests and well… I may start to take medication for my anxiety and probably hopefully not antidepressants soon :( I’m kinda very excited for these two programs

These are my answers, and i'm pretty sure abt them all except the burette one and the air hole one 1ai) measuring cylinder ii) because pipette is used to measure 25 cm3 of liquid but here we only need 20cm3 of the acid iii) slowly pump up the liquid using pipette until it just reaches the 25cm3 mark point iv) burette is used to add the potassium manganate bi) the colour change is more easily observed in this reaction without an indicator (colorless to pink) bii) until we obtain at least two values which have a maximum difference of 0.2cm3
2a) just insert value in the table from the diagram ii) 6.5 degrees iii) the temperature decreases largely in the first 60 seconds and then slowly increases for the rest of the 240 seconds bi) 19.5 the temperature of the mixture would equillibriate and and eventually reach the room temperature (which is the initial temperature of the water) bii) it is stirred so the temperature is same throughout the mixture biii) endothermic, energy is absorbed as the temperature falls from 19.5 to 13.0, it means the reactants absorb energy from the surrounding and cool down ci) take the thermometer reading from eye level to avoid parallax error cii) the thermometer was touching the beaker improvement: make sure to hold the thermometer so it doesnt touch the bottom of the beaker and is measuring the temperature of mixture and not the beaker
3ai) the flame turns yellow ii) so that air can escape (?) iii) carbon dioxide gas is produced which means R has carbonate ions iv) white ppt forms bi) it does not have chloride, bromide or iodide ions bii) (dont remember the question or even whether there was any or not) ci) test: hold damp red litmus paper over the warmed mixture observation: litmus does NOT turn blue cii) sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate d) add dilute nitric acid and aqueous silver nitrate to P. Do the same with the aqueous potassium bromide and potassium chloride in seperate test tubes. Match color of the ppt formed in P with the two test tubes. dii) drew the diagram of conical flask connected to a delivery tube and gas syringe and another of a beaker of limewater with the gas syringe inserted into it explained that the gas is collected using the gas syringe and released into the limewater by dipping the gas syringe into it
4) measure a mass of copper(or was it calcium?) carbonate using top pan balance pour the measured mass into a conical flask and close it with air tight bung. through the gap in the bung, add excess acid and instantly connect it to a delivery tube attached to a gas syringe. make sure the bung is tightly attached to flasks opening so no gas escapes collect the gas

"The specific political distinction to which political actions and motives can be reduced is that between friend and enemy."
— Carl Schmitt
Politics in Nepal, especially politics for change is aimless because they can't identify a enemy to fight against or struggle against and they run around aimless with vague or useless talk about helping everyone and being friends with everyone for "unity". Or a vague word like "corruption"
Of course that's not really how change is brought.
If the current system exists in Nepal then it exists because some people benefit from it. Not because our politicians are "stupid" (If our politicians were stupid how have they held power over us for so long?)
From one problem or another, someone in the country does benefit and profit and with that profit he buys Nepali politicians
Everyone from the private school owner looting students
to the contractor looting the public
to the private hospital owners looting patients
to the only billionaire in the country
All are members and funders of our political parties. They fund the parties and they get returns on their investment in the form of a free hand to exploit and suck people's blood.
Farmers protest because Indian products are displacing their goods, they are forced to throw their products away and protest on the streets. Did it just happen randomly or are their trader capitalists who are benefitting from all this by importing?
Nepal has problems for vast majority of people. But it isn't just because the politicians are incompetent. It is because there are people in Nepal who are benefitting and earning money from all our current problems. If you think about it even unemployment is a source of revenue for those who run the manpower companies.
And then we say stupid things like displace Oli or prachanda. In 20-30 years there will be no Oli or prachanda. But unless you fight the root of the problem. The Oligarchy which profits from the suffering of Nepali people then the problems will remain same.
The man in singhadurbar is a puppet of money and finance,the real ruler's of Nepal are Chaudhary,Agrawal,Golchha etc
If you are earning a healthy profit from importing goods from India and selling Nepali youth abroad it isn't in your interests to allow Nepal to industrialise or allow Nepali farmers to live.
So we can't take all Nepalis together with us and sing happy songs for change. There is a class of Nepalis who love this system and we have to struggle against them
We can't convince them either they are obviously going to defend their loot and exploitation as it's in their interests.
Dutch revolutionary Pannekoek wrote about this and said:
"We cannot convince them, nor is this necessary. Their ideas and convictions, as well as our own, are class ideas, determined by class conditions different from ours by the difference in life conditions and in social function. We have not to convince them by reasoning, but to beat them by power"
Uniharuko benefit xa hamlai dubauna, afno interest ma gariraxan, teso bhaye hami pani afno interest ma lagnu paryo ra uniharu mathi jhamtera ghoda bata jharnuparyo

I love ESO. I really, REALLY do. But every time I return to it and try making it my main MMO, I encounter the same issue. And I'm really not sure how to solve it because I tried everything I can.
Group play is a gigantic mess. The idea of signing up for a dungeon fills me with so much frustration every single time. You can toss a coin and one of two things will happen. A) I get a dungeon I've been to before and it's somewhat fine. Still super hectic but I get it. People run these dungeons since years and they want to get through them as fast as possible. It only becomes a Problem wenn B) happens. I've never been to the dungeon and now I need to be hyper focused on EVERYTHING. Not only myself and the enemies. Where is my party? Do we skip this trash? Why do we skip this trash but not the one before that? Where are people running all of the sudden? Oh damn, my questmarker is somewhere 2 rooms back now because I had no time to wait for the NPC to finish their dialogue. Or wasn't even aware that there was something I had to wait for. And tadaaa I'm standing in the final room. Alone. No hello, no bye, nothing in the chat. It feels like everyone I play with could quiet as well be a group of AI I can hire to play through the content on my terms.
I want to get into ESO group gameplay. Thats my main goal every time I return. But after playing for a while, I'm just so done with everything actual MMO related. This game is so good when playing through story and exploring the world. And then it breaks apart (for me) the moment other people are required.
Chat is constantly ignored by everyone. Even when you type that this is your first time doing this dungeon, and if it's ok that I do the quest. Nothing. Sometimes quests are not finished because we skip something. Or I wasn't aware I needed to wait for an NPC and everyone else was already two rooms further. And since I am a healer, I can't just no follow the group? Or can I? Quest enemies sometimes die before the quest even updated. So that's not working most of the time. What do I do? I get myself a Guild.
Now... Maybe I was incredible unlucky. But the last 3 times I returned, I joined a different PvE guild. And my group chat experience sadly extends to guilds. Ingame chat is mostly ignored. You try forming a group for dungeons in this PvE and beginner friendly guild, but nobody wants to run them. You try getting people together for World Boss runs. Nope, not happening.
This game always feels like a very good single player experience, with an multiplayer aspect most of the community doesn't care for, or actively avoids. I played a lot of solo friendly MMO's, but I never felt so alone and frustrated about everything group play related, than in this game. It starts from simple interactions in random dungeons, and ends at the absolute inability to put groups together in PvE guilds. As I said, maybe the last one was just me being incredible unlucky.
I'm just at a loss again... I want to play ESO. But I really don't understand how this community works or what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I have different expectations or don't understand things fully. But if the extend of playing this game is purely solo gameplay, then I might just as well go back to heavily modded Skyrim and Oblivion. I will stick to it for now, since Gold Road releases soon. And I try to get into an active guild around release. Since that's probably the time most people are playing. Maybe this way I will actually get a satisfying group experience. But if that failes as well, I'm giving up on the group play aspect and treat it as a single player game. What would be damn shame because some of the Veteran dungeons and Trials look sick as fuck.