Sorry for the long post...
Hey everyone! I'm curious to know if anyone has ever had symptoms of mold exposure and even tested positive for mycotoxins, but no evidence shows in the home as to where the mold may be?
Back story, my wife has slowly had her health fail over the last 25 years. At first, she was diagnosed with a gluten allergy. We went gluten free and her health did seem to improve quite a bit for approximately 5 years. Since then it seems to be one thing after another, culminating in her pretty much feeling horrible most of the time. Her symptoms can range from gastro to burning arms and legs, coughing after eating, etc....She's told me on many occasions that she feels like she is dying. COVID didn't help our situation and we're still pretty restricted because we can't imagine adding the flu or COVID to how she already feels. When there is an opportunity to do something, she feels too horrible to even consider doing anything other than resting.
We have known for years that she was exposed to mold in her classroom, our first home and second home. We would bring these exposures to the forefront when seeing the multiple doctors we've seen over the years, but all have dismissed mold as a culprit, although they've not had any solutions for her continued failing health. We've spent likely over 200K seeing MD's, specialists, functional doctors and naturopaths. No one has an answer. Typically the relationship with these doctors ends with them thinking she is bringing these symptoms on herself and that she just needs to de-stress, meditate or take depression medication. Spoiler, none of these things have helped.
Fast forward to today. We're now working with a functional chiropractor who ran multiple tests and found that she has elevated Lyme bacteria and is positive for mold mycotoxins. This doctor asked us to run an ERMI test on our current home and it came back showing that there was mold detected, but not elevated. In his words, "Typically not a problem, but for you we should probably remediate." We brought in a mold company and they took air samples. Their air samples showed elevated mold in certain spaces, so they did visual inspections in those areas. No evidence of mold has been physically observed anywhere in our home. We then proceeded to spend 20K for a remediation company to clean our home using the HEPA sandwich method, removing all insulation from our attic space, remediation of that space including phogging and new insulation blown in. We also had a company who specializes in methods to clean mold from HVAC systems come in and clean our entire system.
After remediation we waited 6 weeks and took another ERMI test. Much to our surprise, the results were far worse than when we started. The ERMI now detected high levels of mold in our home. My wife has not felt better and in fact is probably even worse since remediation. She is going through treatment for for mold and so this may be due to herxmi or MCAS. Anyway, after the second ERMI came back worse we had the mold company come back out. Their air samples, again, found elevated mold in certain places. They even cut back dry wall in those spaces and found nothing. In all cases, everyone has said our house looks brand new. We plan to take another ERMI test as we've waited more than 6 months since the last. If this ERMI comes back high, we are considering moving.
So after this very long post, has anyone been down this path before? Where there is no visual evidence of mold in your residence even though testing keeps showing there may be? I understand the challenges with ERMI, air samples, etc...it feels like we are chasing a ghost to be honest. At this point in the process and if we purchased a new home, we will have spent north of 600K trying to figure out if mold is an issue. While I have no issues doing such a thing if needed, how in the world are we ever to know if there is an issue if the issue can never be seen and therefore properly removed?

Syria – After the fall of Germany, 9th January 1946 protests erupted in Syria calling for independence, reaching its peak 18th January. France answered by force, eventually killing over a thousand Syrians by January. Shukri al-Quwatli escaped French arrest and contacted Winston Churchill. As the Conference of Foreign Ministers was held in Paris, Syria became a point of discussion also, French military action was condemned by all and by diplomatic means France was forced to retreat from Syria and Lebanon and recognise their independence (15.2.1946). Britain used the crisis to strengthen its influence, however unlike OTL did to directly occupy Syria as events in Syria are at the same time as the Conference in Paris. The British promised the French they would withdraw as well. Syrian independence was officially declared on 14 June 1946.
In 1947 Syria held its first parliamentary election, and a year later Shukri al-Quwatli was re-elected president. Syria had a rocky relationship with neighbouring Hashemite monarchies. Nationalist Quwatli manoeuvred in more and more hostile relations between powers and its interests (US, UK, USSR). Syria opposed the partition of Palestine and co-founded “Arab Liberation Army''. Defeat in Palestine heavily damaged the popularity of Quwatli, he regained some of it by refusing singing of Armistice with Israel (unlike others) and voicing support to anti-American riots (Summer 1949 due to Taft’s recognition of Israel). 28 September 1949 Quwatli demoted army chief Husni al-Za'im and replaced him by Sami al-Hinnawi. Major is shift is that due to American non-intervention the US backed 1949 coup never occurs. Under international pressure an armistice was eventually signed between Syria and Israel in November 1949. No demilitarised zone in Golan Heights as OTL. Syria adopted a neutralist policy, seeking relations both with the British, USSR, India, USA and Yugoslavia, but was most seen as a pro-British state. Syria became close to Egypt after the Egyptian Revolution. In 1952 parliamentary elections brought victory for the oppositional People’s Party and the rise of Ba’ath and SSNP. April 1953 presidential election, as Syrian constitution limited president to two terms, Quwatli handpicked Sabri Al-Asali as his successor.
Egypt – 2-3 November 1945 anti-Jewish riots in Egypt, since it was still during the war, riots were violently put down by the British forces. Since 1946 large anti-British demonstrations and riots. During 1947 negotiations about British withdrawal were held, however collapsed after Winston Churchill’s opposition to withdraw troops as response massive violent anti-British riots erupted (June 1947), forcing Churchill to agree to withdrawal to Suez Canal but keeping there large force, Churchill attempted to sign treaty that would guarantee British presence in Suez, but Egyptians rejected it. By end of 1948, British presence was limited to the Suez area. May to 20 July 1949 (signing of armistice) war in Palestine. After the war anti-British sentiments grew. 3 January 1950 victory of conservative and nationalist Wafd party, Mostafa el-Nahas became the new prime minister. His government refused to push any important reforms and was also very corrupt, further strengthening resentment amongst Egyptian people. Unlike OTL CIA is not attempting to persuade Farouk into reforms (it was codenamed “Fat Fucker” LMAO) 17 November 1951 Nahas unilaterally abrogated the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty, wave of nationalism, Britian refused to leave Suez, tensions escalated into Battle of Ismailia (25 February 1952) – a violent clash between Egyptian militias and British forces. 26 January 1952 news resulted in massive anti-British protests that set Cairo on fire and greatly damaged support of the king and government. Country fell into instability, the government was dismissed and several different ones followed, as in our reality.
The Free Officers Movement (formed already in the 1940s) successfully orchestrated the Egyptian Revolution (23 August 1952). Power was transferred to nine-member Revolution Command Council (RCC), king Farouk abdicated, went into exile and was replaced with regency. RCC launched large scale reforms: land, tax, reducing privileges of government officials. First post-revolutionary prime minister Aly Maher Pasha resigned due to disagreements with the military coming from his traditional political background. He was succeeded by Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri, legal scholar promoting transition to civilian rule (10 October). Political parties were purged, however due to Sanhuri’s influence not banned. During spring 1953, conflict between Sanhuri and Naguib escalated. Camps began to develop, one was represented by Naguib and his loyalists who aligned themselves with Muslim Brotherhood, and other headed by Nasser and Sanhuri, aligned with HADITU and Wafd.
Newly created Provisional National Assembly, approved a new secular constitution, Nasser was named president (18 July 1953) with support of Wafd and HADITU. In summer 1953 Muslim Brotherhood started large riots and demonstrations against the new constitution, they gained outside CIA support, as they were sceptical of Nasser’s alliance with HADITU. Power struggle between Naguib, who still had key positions in RCC continued.
Lebanon – 7 June 1946 withdrawal of French forces, independence declared already in 1943. Around 100,000 Palestinians came to Lebanon after the war. In 1951 prime minister Riad Al Solh survived assassination attempt and remained prime minister until 1952, when he was replaced by Chamoun with Saeb Salam. 18 September 1952 first president Bechara El Khoury forced to step down after anti-corruption protests, 23 September Camille Chamoun became president, under his leadership country experience growth and stability. Chamoun also secured the majority of power in his hands.
(Trans)Jordan– Achieved independence 25 November 1946, as in our reality a large number of Palestinian refugees and annexation of the West Bank. 20 July 1951 king Abdullah was assassinated by Palestinian radical. Prior to his assassination Britain unlike OTL supported Abdullah in promoting his other son Naif to become new heir (due to Britain being more anxious about losing influence, rather favouring openly pro-British monarch) Naif is unpopular amongst people due to being seen just as a British puppet. 1 January 1952 new constitution – Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Iraq – Britain wants to maintain military presence in Iraq and Nuri al-Said his power, since 1946 large left-wing protests and strikes, that resulted in massacre of workers. Government instituted severe repression, banning Communist party and arresting many communists, including leadership. 29 March 1947 Salih Jabr became prime minister, under his rule 15 January 1948 Anglo-Iraqi treaty was signed, making Iraq de-facto British protectorate, Iraqi oil controlled by Iraq Petroleum Company. To protest this treaty massive protests erupted – Al-Wathbah uprising – all Iraqi opposition joined – Communist, Independence parties, Liberal and National Democrats. Salih’s government fell, and the prime minister escaped to London, the new government under Nuri responded with martial law and massive crackdowns, numerous massacres. This timeline demonstrations got so intense that in February British troops entered Iraq to “pacify” them. Parties involved unlike OTL were formally banned after 1948 uprising and Nuri consolidated his power and firm support of Britain. In 1948 Constitutional Union Party was formed by Nuri and it became dominant ruling party. Unlike OTL Nuri remained in position of prime minister since 1948 to 1952. After Palestine war, Nuri expelled all Jews from Iraq (1950). Since 1951 terms of treaty were changed with the new Labour government and Iraq got 50% of its oil revenue.
23 September - 23 December 1952 another major protests inspired by Egyptian revolution and Iranian protests erupted – Iraqi Intifada. Nuri was dismissed by regent Abd al-Ilah and replaced by reformist general Taha al-Hashimi (30 September), who negotiated with protestors. However, under British pressure Taha was ousted and replaced by general Nureddin Mahmud (3 December), who instead rejected negotiated terms, started harsh repressions and crushed the uprising. Power was transferred into civilian leadership after the 29 March 1953 unfree election, independent Mustafa Mahmud al-Umari became the new prime minister, while Nuri still controlled the country from the shadows. In May 1953 Faisal II assumed power as king. Since 1952 the idea of unification of Jordan with Iraq was often discussed.
Saudi Arabia – Nothing to change, post-war rise due to finding of oil revenues, US keeps close relations even under Taft. 9 November 1953 reign of king Saud began.
Oman&Muscat – Nothing significant in this period.
Kingdom of Yemen –failed al-Waziri coup attempt, Iman Yahia was killed (17 February 1948), however Ahmad bin Yahya ascended to the throne instead. Autocratic rule. He was opposed to the British.
British Arab Colonies – 1952 Trucial States Council formed, British supervised body.
Iran
Long Iranian Crisis
Occupied by Allied powers in 1943. Western powers are less keen to withdraw from Iran, due to the stronger Soviet Union (and also due to Churchill). According to treaty all troops shall withdraw after 6 months after the war’s end (10 November 1946). This was approved by the Hamburg conference in May 1946. By November thanks to rising suspicions nobody starts doing that (Soviets would stay anyway as they did in our reality, major change is that West stays too). The Iranian Crisis became a key event showing those deep tensions in the early cold war and it was a great mistake to overlook it. Truman doctrine is also connected to Iran.
United Nations Resolutions pushed by Iran tried to deal with the situation (Autumn 1946), however without success. Another point that almost solved this crisis was Ahmad Qavam’s proposal to give Soviet Union oil rights in Northern Iran and official Iranian proclamation wishing withdrawal of all powers, this was approved by Stalin, but rejected by Pahlavi and the West (November 1946), Qavam was dismissed in January 1948 after election, replaced by Ebrahim Hakimi. With that crisis escalated to the creation of the Azerbaijan People's Government (20 February 1947) and Republic of Mahabad (18 March 1947).
Through 1947 Kurdish and Azerbaijan states in Northern Iran started to emancipate and establish popular support. Situation seemed to develop along the lines of Austria, talks stalled after the US occupation of Greenland. With hostile relations between powers in 1948, Iran continued to be a hotspot of tensions. The Pahlavi regime and separatists both obtained military aid.
In March 1949 US troops withdrew from Iran, during the Geneva Conference (September 1949 to May 1950), states agreed to finally withdraw all troops (Soviets agreed presumably to secure their interests in Germany during negotiations), so Soviets and British finally left in March-June 1950. In 1949 also an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Shah took place (4 February 1949), it was blamed on communists and Tudeh Party was banned and communists persecuted.
Beginning of the North Iran War and British-Iranian Treaty
As Soviets finally withdrew, Shah and prime minister Haj Ali Razmara started offensive operations towards the North (31 August 1950), however separatist states were better equipped, because they received Soviet aid in previous years and thus managed to repeal the first offensive. While fighting against what was presented as continuous Soviet occupation, utilizing nationalist wave as redirection of attention of Iranians from it, Razmara signed the AIOC-Iran agreement, which institutionalised British control over Iranian oil (7 March 1951). However, it still created massive resentment, riots and protests that led to violence. During spring 1951 massive opposition against Razmara, who sought to become a strongman leader, emerged, encompassing everyone from Islamists to liberals and communists. The National Front led by Mohammad Mosaddegh became the main opposition platform.
In April Majlis rejected Razmara’s decree granting him de-facto limited dictatorial powers, which he sought to obtain to “restore order”, so it was dissolved by Shah in response (20 April) and Razmara secured power with declaration of martial law, it was met with Ayatollah Kashani calling for holy war against Razmara and the British, leading to another massive wave of upheaval in April-May 1951, that was brutally repressed with many deaths. 9 June 1951 Razmara was assassinated and killed by radical Islamist member of Fadaiyan e-Islam, Hossein Ala was installed by Shah. Pahlavi used this crisis to boost his own power. National Front was banned in July. These events left great resentments in Iranian society against ruling regime. Tudeh started armed insurgency, it was however between 1952-1953 completely crushed. Mosaddegh escaped to France. In late 1952 to early 1953 an election was held to elect new Majlis, it was rigged and all elected were “independents”.
Through 1951 the front moved in favour of Iran, however separatists with Soviet support continued to hold on. After the Iranian-British Treaty, Stalin began to see Iranian re-conquest of the North as danger for the USSR and provided significant aid, leading to stalemate in 1952.
Afghanistan – Nothing significant in this period, tribal revolts in the 1940s.
Libya – Occupied by the UK and France. 1949 UN resolution about its independence, it was achieved 24 December 1951, it became a constitutional monarchy under king Idris I.
Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria – After the Paris Conference of 1952, voices calling for independence are stronger. Tunisian Habib Bourguiba and Farhat Hached entered negotiations with the Thorez government in June 1952, after which France agreed to immediate widespread autonomy Tunisian and pledging to give it full independence before 1954. The same agreement was reached with Moroccan sultan Mohammed V. More difficult situation was in Algeria. Political party calling for independence National Liberation Front was formed 23 April 1952 led by Ferhat Abbas. Negotiations about Algerian status started, in the next month. This topic was too sensitive in France, so agreement was limited to giving Algeria autonomy as part of France for now with further negotiations about independence being open. Algerians were unhappy, as neighbours got a much better deal. Algeria was still de-facto part of metropolitan France, more power was given to the Algerian Assembly, to which a free election was promised to be held in spring 1953.
Cyprus – After the fall of the mainland, the Kingdom of Greece advocated for union. In 1952 an unofficial referendum about unification with Greece, led by Orthodox Church was held, over 80% voted for union. Unlike OTL Britain was supportive of the idea of union (to strengthen the Greek state), but as it was a viable military base, they did not want to retreat.
British India
On 10-20 November 1945 British and Indian leaders met during Simla Conference; these talks stalled due to question of Muslims. Wavell Plan proposed to Churchill by viceroy Wavell, promoted Indianisation and postwar independence, however, was rejected by Churchill (December 1945). During 1946 elections to central administration were held. After Churchill’s victory, the British prime minister (May 1946) replaced Wavell with Louis Mountbatten (5 August 1946). Summer of 1946 was marked by massive protests for independence, mutinies and violence. In Autumn 1946 Cabinet Mission was sent to discuss granting more autonomy and dominion status. Eventually they planned to create one federal state, however it was strongly opposed by the Indian Muslim League. Hindu-Muslim tensions were escalating with 16 January 1947 “Direct Action Day'' massive Muslim riots and violence. In early 1947 provincial elections were held that resulted in victory of INC or IML according to ethnic and religious lines. Results of the provincial elections clearly show opposition towards British rule.
Inspired by events in Burma and Vietnam, Communist Party of India initiated nationwide anti-British “Indian People’s Liberation Uprising” (May 1947 to 1951), its estimated over 150,000 peasants joining it. Its strength shocked Britain, attempting to crush it; the British relied on local militants and Indian forces. In May 1947 Churchill officially announced that British Raj would be transformed into two dominions. Britain established the Radcliffe Commission that established the borders of two dominions (April to August); the demarcation line was published 18 August 1947. Population transfer in Punjab was organised by Britain from August, however mass migration (that started even before partition itself happened) in other provinces shocked British officials, however Britain quickly took over migration and regulated it (thus it is lesser humanitarian catastrophe, but still it is a huge humanitarian catastrophe, estimated from 100 000 deaths to half million), migration lasted from August 1947 to 1950.
1 January 1948 – two British dominions – India and Pakistan came to existence. British forces remained present here, and the British monarch remained its head of state. British officials spoke about “autonomy within the Empire'' while Indians spoke about Independence. The Kashmir deal proposed by India is also pushed by the UK and is successful (in real life Pakistan rejected it) – All of Kashmir is Pakistani, while Pakistan stops claiming Hyderabad, this nullifies the existence of Sino-Indian War.
Dominion of India – Mountbatten remained a powerful governor-general, and the first Indian prime minister became Jawaharlal Nehru. Radical Hindu nationalist assassinated Gandhi as in our reality (30 January 1948) during the first month of creation of divided dominions. 1948-1949 integration of princely states, in some cases with help of communist rebels. Communist rebellion continues as Dominion of India is considered by them just another British colonial state. Nehru successfully passed the Constitution of India (26 January 1951) and expelled British troops. In April 1951 an agreement was reached with communists to end (already weak) uprising and to participate in political life in democratic independent India. 25 June– 21 October 1952 democratic general election was held, victory of INC, compared to our reality CPN get more support. Neutral foreign policy.
Dominion of Pakistan – First Pakistani prime minister Muhammad Ali Jinnah (position of governor-general, that was much more powerful compared to Canada for example, remained in British hands, was held by Cyril Radcliffe) died 11 September 1948, he was succeeded by Liaquat Ali Khan. Pakistan became pro-British oriented, but also established relations with socialist states. Ali Khan wanted Pakistan to become a parliamentary democracy. Muslim League faced major leftist opposition, in March 1951 socialist attempted coup (Rawalpindi conspiracy), which was exposed and failed. He was assassinated 16 October 1951. The British governor general named Malik Ghulam Muhammad as new prime minister. In August 1951 first elections in Pakistan were held, communists and socialists were not allowed to participate, victory of the United Front (East Bengal). Urdu was the only official language, while all eastern part spoke Bengal. In March 1952 Bengali protesters were massacred by police and military. From February to March 1953 large (in reality anti-Ahmadis, this timeline against British rule) riots in Lahore, ended in bloody military crackdown. In the aftermath of riots Cyril Radcliffe was recalled by Attlee and replaced by Frank Messervy.
Burma – After the surrender of the Japanese in April 1946, military rule was reinstated in Burma. On 27 January 1947 British governor Reginald Dorman-Smith ordered the arrest of Aung San, this led into a massive rebellion of the AFPFL (Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League) and its armed wing People's Volunteer Organization with membership over 100,000 which started the Burmese Emergency. Moderates advocated for the governor to release Aung San and start negotiations, however this was shut down by Churchill, who preferred to use force. British forces failed to deal with the uprising and in 1947 large parts of Burma were controlled by AFPFL. During this uprising period and the arrest of Aung San, communist gained substantial influence. Churchill responded with increasing military presence, however after the eruption of another major anti-colonial rebellion in Malaya, British forces were with priority sent there. In 1950 AFPFL defeated colonial forces in several major engagements. Attlee decided to abandon Burma in favour of Malaya, Aung San was released (7 April 1951) and entered negotiations with Attlee, together with other leaders of the war of independence (June-September) and later negotiations between AFPFL and minorities (12 October, Panglong Agreement). Ceasefire and election on 9 March 1952, that resulted in the victory of AFPFL, Aung San became prime minister and officially declared independence of the Union of Burma (10 March 1952).
Aung San became the first prime minister, while Kyaw Nyein the first president. CPB left AFPFL and became the main opposition (Unlike OTL there is no communist insurgency against Burmese government or split in the communist party). Burma focused on social reforms, welfare state and industrialisation. Burma adopted a neutral foreign policy, however inclining more towards socialist bloc, closer relations with Yugoslavia and surprisingly Israel. Burma still has to deal with KMT remnants in the North and Karen insurgency.

6’5 mf from bumfuck nowhere COOKS
Kendrick>>>
Demographics

• Gender: male
• Race/Ethnicity: white
• Residence: Rural VA
• Income Bracket: upper-middle
• Type of School: public (somewhat competitive tho, usually abt 1 Ivy+ per year)
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): maybe location? Idk

Intended Major(s): Aerospace Engineering, MechE for places that didn’t have Aero
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 4.0 UW/ 4.53W (4.44 at time of apps)
• Rank (or percentile): 4 (5 during EA)
• Honors/AP/IB/Duel Enrollment/etc.: 6 APs, 9 DEs, 11 Honors, no IB
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Research, AP Art History, DE Calc 1, DE Brit Lit, DE Aerospace Engineering, Honors Physics, Spanish 3

Standardized Testing
List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.

• SAT I: 1520 superscore (two 1510s with 760R 750M and 750R 760M on 3 attempts)
• ACT: Didn’t Take
• 4 on AP Bio and AP Seminar, 5 on AP Lang

Extracurriculars/Activities
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.

1. Internship (12)- Research Lab at T25, Helped create STEM classroom curriculum
2. Debate (11,12)- Team Captain, Top 10 at states in first year (got 2nd place in state after apps 🫠)
3. Scholastic Bowl (9-12) - Team Captain, led team to regionals for first time in years
4. Tennis (10-12) - Team Captain, raised some money
5. Engineering Club (8-12, yeah it’s weird) - VP, member of competition teams
6. Athletic Advisory Board (11-12) - Represented on behalf of academic teams and did community service, raised some money
7. After-school STEM club/daycare? (12) - Voluntarily chaparoned kids, got offered and accepted real job
8. Powerlifting (9-12) - On varsity team in 10 and 11 before it got deleted, started training before and continued after
9. Beta Club (10-12) - Didn’t do much but that’s mostly the officers’ and sponsor’s fault
10. Mentor (11-12) - Mentored other students in magnet school program
11. additional info - Got Best Delegate at my first Model UN competition after apps as a side quest/practice for debate, mentioned on deferral and waitlist replies later

Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.

1. Collegeboard Rural/Small Town National Recognition
2. AP Scholar
3. AP Capstone Diploma
4. Magnet School Diploma Seal (Regional)
5. School award for achievement in Aerospace Engineering class

Letters of Recommendation
Counselor: 7/10. New hire right before my senior year so not much rapport but spoke to her somewhat frequently
History Teacher: 9/10. Bsf. Had him for class in 9th grade and I was the only one who answered during Zoom classes, was my Scholastic Bowl and Debate coach in years following. His writing is not the best tho so not a 10/10
Engineering Teacher: 8/10. Had him for 3 years and was part of his club for all of them. Can speak to my abilities super well. He moved districts before my senior year so didn’t see him for a bit but still pretty good regardless
Professor: 9/10. Interned under him over the summer and he trusted my capabilities a lot. Wrote lots of LORs before and even asked me what I wanted in it.
Interviews

• MIT: 7/10. Virtual. Interested in my research and seemed to vibe quite well. Didn’t talk for very long tho and looking back I didn’t really make as good of an impression as I would’ve wanted or talk about all my stuff as much as I wanted to.

Essays:
Common App: 9/10. Displayed my ability to set really high goals and never be discouraged by failure. Reviewed by friends at Princeton and Stanford, as well as former CMU admissions officer and highly praised
MIT supps: 9/10. Some of my best work. Reused for so many other schools and scholarships because god damn were they beautiful pieces of writing.
General supps: 7/10. Mixed bag. Some really good, some just ok. Spent a decent amount of time and was pretty happy with all of them
Results
Accepted:

• Johns Hopkins (RD)
• Georgia Tech (Deferred EA, accepted RD - committed!!)
• Purdue (EA)
• UMD (EA)
• Penn State - Waitlisted Honors College (EA)
• VT - Waitlisted Honors College (EA)
• UVA (EA)
• Pitt - Honors College (EA)
• George Mason - Honors College (EA)

Waitlisted

• Carnegie Mellon

Rejected

• MIT

Reflection:
GO YELLOW JACKETS WOOOOO
Final record of 9-1-1 (yay!)
Genuinely shocked by CMU waitlist because former admissions officer loved my personal and my supps. Was probably due to lack of insane math talent (displayed on apps that is).
Didn’t really get huge aid from anywhere but was able to cover most of the cost through existing savings and external scholarships (apply for lots of them, especially local ones!!!!)
Start early!! Going EA was super helpful. If you need to miss a school assignment or 2, you can make that up. Sometimes to have to have to wager your present for the sake of your future. This process can really suck at times but it’s manageable in the end.

Bonjour,
J'écris ce (long) post parce que je pense que j'ai surtout besoin de me confier et de soutien. Je suis un homme de 29 ans et depuis maintenant 48h j'ai deux chatons d'environs 10 semaines à la maison.
Pour bien situer ma position: j'ai toujours eu un chat depuis assez jeune chez moi, que ce soit chez mes parents ou plus tard quand je me suis installé avec mon ex copine qui avait un chat qui a emménagé avec nous (d'ailleurs on avait fait exprès de chercher un appartement en rez-de-jardin dans un quartier adapté pour qu'il puisse sortir, c'était non négociable). J'ai toujours aimé les chats avec lesquels j'ai vécu, j'ai pris soin d'eux comme d'un membre de la famille.
Cela fait maintenant plus d'un an que je vis seul et depuis peu j'ai emménagé dans un nouveau logement. Depuis ma séparation avec mon ex copine j'ai toujours su que j'allais reprendre un chat lorsque je serais dans une situation stable. J'attendais le bon moment et cela faisait déjà 2-3 mois que j'avais mis les alertes sur le site de la SPA et que je me renseignait sur les différentes associations proches de chez moi jusqu'à il y a 1 mois. (pé <- un des châtons vient d'écrire ça en passant sur le clavier ahah)
Une amie a sauvée 2 chatons proche de son travail, ils avaient été abandonnés par leur mère et elle les as pris sous son aile. À ce moment, je me suis dis que vraiment les étoiles s'étaient alignés, je regardais sérieusement pour adopter un chat, (é"i_çj9k*,7 <- encore le chaton) mais je m'étais aussi dit qu'une portée avec 2 chatons serait idéal pour qu'ils ne se sentent pas seuls, et là, cette connaissance qui se retrouvent dans cette situation, je me suis dit que c'était un signe. Je me suis donc intéressé pour les adopter une fois sevrés.
Avec l'aide d'une association, mon amie les a sevré et s'est merveilleusement bien occupées d'eux (soins vétérinaire, suivis, vaccins, sevrage, etc.) je suis partie à leurs rencontres et je me suis finalement engagé à les prendre après que l'association ait validée mon dossier. J'ai adapté tout mon logement et acheter tout le nécessaire: arbre à chat, carton bricolé avec un plaid, jouets, litières, nourriture de qualités sèche et humide, gamelles, etc.
On arrive à dimanche, jour J pour aller les récupérer, je suis serein, excité mais pas trop parce que je me rend compte que je m'engage quand même dans quelque chose d'important, mon but était avant tout d'offrir un beau foyer à ces 2 loustiques. Le trajet fut stressant pour eux, ils ont miaulés tout du long dans la voiture mais une fois arrivés chez moi, j'ai ouvert le sac de transport et ils ont tout de suite fait les curieux, ils n'ont pas étaient trop craintifs, la soirée s'est très bien passée, ils ont mangés, joués et dormis dans leur arbre à chat. Pour l'instant, afin de me laisser un espace "safe", ils ne sont pas autorisés à venir dans la chambre ce qui me laisse aussi des nuits tranquilles.
On arrive à Lundi et là, c'est l'hécatombe au niveau du moral: je me réveille très fatigué, le moral complétement à plat, une boule au ventre et hyper anxieux. Je n'ai même pas ce plaisir de me dire que je vais ouvrir ma porte de chambre et retrouver ces 2 petits êtres mais au contraire, ça me stresse énormément. J'en pleure carrément parce que je ne comprend pas ce qui m'arrive. Je finis par ouvrir, il m'accueille, heureux de me retrouver, je leur fait des calîns et joue un peu avec eux, je les laisse ensuite faire un peu leur vie puisqu'il s'occupe énormément entre eux deux, je porte tout de même une attention particulière à leur éducation et ne les laisse pas faire ce qu'ils veulent (je leur apprend à faire leurs griffes sur l'arbre à chat et pas sur le canapé, interdiction de monter à certains endroits, etc). Je finis par déjeuner mais ça ne passe pas, moi gros mangeur, je n'ai plus faim, j'ai même des crampes d'estomac et je suis totalement vidé alors que je viens de me lever. Je finis ma journée avec des intervalles de siestes et à chercher à comprendre ce qui m'arrive, et la seule chose qui a véritablement changée dans ma vie, c'est l'arrivée de ces 2 petits êtres, je commence à m'en vouloir énormément et à me poser beaucoup de questions: est-ce que j'ai fais le bon choix ? Étais-je réellement prêt à accueillir ces 2 chats ? Dois-je les rendre ? Est-ce que j'ai réellement envie de bouleverser mon quotidien assez tranquille seul chez moi avec ces 2 chats ? Est-ce que je n'ai pas essayé de palier à quelque chose en prenant ces chats et je me rend compte que finalement ce n'est pas la solution ? Les remords et tout un tas de questions me rongent, un sentiment d'échec et de honte m'envahit à l'idée de vouloir les rendre après à peine 24h... Je finis finalement le soir par retrouver un peu d'appétit après être sortie 1h pour faire des courses, cette heure fut une véritable bouffée d'air frais et m'a redonné de l'énergie, je me dis que je verrais demain comment ça ira.
Ce matin, je me réveille et c'est un peu mieux mais je passe tout de même 10 minutes à pleurer sans raison, je finis par chercher sur internet si un état dépressif (car pour l'avoir déjà vécu, je sais très clairement que c'est ce que je vis de nouveau à ce moment) peut être lié à l'adoption d'animaux et je tombe finalement sur ce terme "puppy/kitty blues" et en lisant les différents articles et témoignages sur les différents forums que je trouve, je me sens moins seul et compris, je déculpabilise en sachant que je ne suis pas le seul à vivre ça.
Cependant, j'avais déjà un peu de mal à vivre certaines choses personnelles dans ma vie avant d'avoir ces chatons et je ne sais pas si aujourd'hui j'aurais la force de tenir le coup très longtemps si je ne vois pas rapidement de l'amélioration de mon état mental. J'ai pleinement conscience qu'il s'agit d'une question de temps, sachant qu'ils sont jeunes et très actifs actuellement ce qui demande beaucoup d'énergie pour les éduquer et les supporter.
Si certains d'entre vous ont vécu la même chose, je suis preneur de toute aide, soutien, conseils svp
Je pense qu'actuellement, n'ayant pas encore signé les papiers d'adoptions (ce qui doit se faire dans la semaine), je vais essayer de voir pour demander un délai d'une semaine pour m'assurer que ça aille mieux dans les jours qui viennent (j'ai pu lire que pour certains ça allait mieux au bout d'une à deux semaines, et sachant que ça allait déjà un petit peu mieux aujourd'hui je préfère attendre avant de prendre une décision rapidement que je pourrais regretter).
Merci pour votre lecture et votre compréhension, svp soyez indulgent avec moi, c'est déjà assez dur à vivre.

Just created a profile on Paradox forums because i see that the devs communicate often with the community , which i find very positive. Im not sure were to submit questions and suggestions tho. Is it only possible to do so in Tinto Talks or there are specific threads that are for suggestions and are visited often by Johan and the devs?
Anyway in the meantime going to post 2 questions of mine here maybe someone is more informed at the moment and could answer here , feel free to copy paste the question to the devs also tho.
1 - The Knights ( Hospitaller , Knights of Malta ) had a short stint at colonization in the Americas in the 1600s century and controlled the Caribbean islands of Saint Christopher, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Croix between 1651 and 1665. This was due to the close ties that the order had with French nobility , some of them in the order's ranks.
The Knights purchased the islands from the bankrupt Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique and in the end the islands were sold to the new formed French West India Company. The short period of Hospitaller occupation is still remembered on the different islands , for example St. Barthélemy coat of arms still has the Maltese cross. An interesting fact related to colonization and the Knights of Malta is that Later in the century, Étienne-François Turgot, a Hospitaller and French colonial administrator, tried unsuccessfully to settle Maltese people in Guiana.
Is it possible to make this some kind of event for the Knights in game ? maybe triggered if the islands ( or one of them ) of Saint Christopher, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Croix are owned by France and other factors decided by national ideas taken from the Knights among other prerequisites ?
2 - In Brazil the colonial clashes between the Portuguese , the French and the Dutch often included the cannibal native tribes that had alliances with the European powers. There were several of these tribes from the Tupi-Guarani culture , for example the Potiguara tribe were close friends of the Portuguese and enemies of the French while the Tupinamba were allied with the French and hated the Portuguese and the Potiguara.
Will Europeans be able to recruit these tribes as Auxiliary forces or any form of alliance with them will come through traditional alliance ? Im curious because these tribes were not on the scale of Aztec , Incas , Mayas ( which would make no sense being auxiliary ) but more like the Tlaxcalans that helped the Spanish against the Aztecs because they believed it was in their interest to do so. I dont see these being mercenaries.

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Hola amigos, les vengo a contar mi historia sobre cómo me estafó un rappi para que no caigan en esta estafa tan pendejamente como yo.
Resulta que mi pareja y yo estábamos en un hotel, íbamos a amanecer y nos dio hambre así que decidimos pedir una pizza a través de Rappi (caba aclarar que no soy mucho de pedir a domicilio y menos a través de esta app). Su costo era de 80 mil pesos aproximadamente sin bebida. Todo bien hasta el momento, nada raro.
Resulta que en la app aparecía que mi rappi estaba entregando otro pedido y luego se dirigiría hacia mí. Esperé al rededor de 30 minutos y no veía la hora que llegara con la pizza. Pensábamos que estaba atendiendo el pedido en bicicleta porque normalmente no tardan tanto los pedidos a través de esta plataforma.
Cuando llegó el man, era un venezolano (lo reconocí por su acento), tenía en sus manos la pizza que pedimos, cuando el man ni saludó y de una me pidió el código de validación para poder entregarme el pedido, se lo di y no le funcionó, se lo volví a dar y nada, le mostré en la app el código que me arrojaba, lo ingresó y nada. Colocó la caja de la pizza en el suelo y me mostraba desde su celular que el código no le ingresaba, incluso me dijo que si quería lo ingresara yo para que comprobara que no funcionaba. Yo confundido no sabía qué hacer porque no tenía más códigos para darle, era el que me arrojaba la app.
Lo curioso que noté es que el man tenía dos celulares, pero encima mantenía el que donde supuestamente debía ingresar el código de mi pedido. Me dijo "Aggg, estas son las cosas que no me gustan, le hacen a uno perder el tiempo y yo apenas comencé". Le dije que qué hacía, me dijo que si quería contactara a soporte. Era sábado en la noche y no respondía nadie, sin embargo envié la evidencia de que el código que el rappi estaba ingresando no le funcionaba.
Me dijo que le colabrara, y yo le pregunté que cómo le iba a colaborar? ya había escrito a soporte pero no respondían. Me dijo que iba a salir un momentico a contactarlos, que es que si él me entregaba la pizza así sin el código y ya con el reporte con soporte, a mí me harían el reembolso pero a él se la cobrarían y le bloquearían la app y que entonces al otro día debía ir a la oficina principal y hacer una no se qué mierda de labor social, algo así le entendí. Y que aparte apenas había salido a trabajar.
Le dije que bueno que contactara a soporte a ver. El man agarró la pizza, salió, todo normal y yo seguía en mi celular esperando que me contactaran de soporte. Cuando veo de repente, cambia el estado de mi pedido a "Tu pedido ha sido entregado, disfrútalo" y aparecía la foto de la caja de mi pizza ahí en el suelo, (no se en qué momento tomó el otro celular y le tomó la foto). Y yo como... "Hpta me estafó". Salí corriendo pero el man ya había arrancado en la moto. Deduje entonces que es que mi código de validación lo estaba ingresando en otro pedido que no era el mío y por eso le aparecía error. Y mi pedido lo tenía en otro teléfono.
Aparte la foto y el nombre del perfil del rappi no coincidían, pues en la app aparecía que era una mujer y tenía una foto borrosa.
Finalmente el soporte de Rappi me respondió pero la respuesta es que no podían hacer nada, que yo di el código sin que me hubieran entregado el pedido y ellos asumían con eso que ya mi pedido había sido entregado y por tanto no me podían hacer un reembolso. Que tuviera más cuidado para la próxima.
No se imaginan la putería que me dio, aparte porque ya tenía bastante hambre y el tema de la gente "viva", aprovechada e injusta me hace hervir la sangre.
Ya saben chamos, no confíen en los venezolanos acá en Colombia (hay pocas excepciones) y nunca, pero nunca den el código de verificación sin tener el pedido en sus manos.

Hope this makes sense, my grammar can be rough and my thoughts tend to be scattered so please ask for clarifications if needed
TL;DR Wife doesn’t want to work unless we moves states to be closer to her family. I might have considered the move were we in a good place, but the relationship was already rough. Any advice on trying to move forward or fix things? Or is it a lost cause?
Me (29F) and my wife (25F) have been together about 4 years, married for 1. There’s been a few ups and downs in our intimate life that caused us to open our relationship up to polyamory about 1.5 years ago. Overall we’ve always been best friends and becoming polyamorous gave a strong but temporary boost to our intimate life. I used to really admire her for her self-work and reflection she would do as part of her addiction recovery. She had goals and passion. She had friends. She could be there to support me, and Id be there to support her.
But after moving in about 2 years with me and out of her sober house it was like she slowly stopped all self-improvement. One day she quit her grocery store job announcing she was interviewing for a job in a recovery center. Of course she didn’t get that one and she was out of work for about 6 months before finally starting to apply again and securing an overnight recovery center job. And I was patient the whole time, not making her pick up extra slack around the house, not nagging her about applying to jobs, none of that.
Well with the new overnight job she started treating me like a human alarm clock because her shift was 12pm-8am. She would change the time she wanted to wake up between 9pm and 11pm. Some days she would tell me 10pm and “snooze” me repeatedly until 11pm. And if I happened to fall asleep because I wake up around 5-6am she would be late and blame me. Eventually she got fired from that job for calling out and being late so often.
After a couple months of being off she wasn’t looking for any new jobs and wasn’t doing any cleaning of any sort around the house. Even if I was asking her nicely to do specific tasks. So when I tried to have a conversation with her about when she’s going to find a new job, and if she can start doing the things I ask her to around the house, she replied with “I’m not going to be applying to any jobs. I’ll only get a job again if we move to Maine(where her family lives). And if you want me to do things around the house you have to tell me, not ask.” I was kind of in awe because this wasn’t the type of answer I expected from her.
Most recently she’s taken to playing Fallout at all hours of the night, and sleeping during the day. She literally goes to bed when I’m coming out to the living room with my breakfast before work (She had readjusted from the night shift schedule before this). So I’m sleeping alone at night, we have no physical intimacy, like we might give each other a small kiss 2-3 times a week, we don’t hug, and even if she did get into bed with me I can’t touch her even just to rest my forehead lightly on a part of her or just rub her back. She’ll do 1 chore a day, but never to 100% completion. And that only started because I threatened to take the Xbox to work with me.
Because we’re poly I’ve floated the idea of de-escalating our relationship in the past where we have our own separate rooms and can be free to find new live-in partners but she’s immediately shot the idea down each time.
I feel like I’ve got a pet roommate. Should I end things and tell her to move back to Maine in with her mom on her own? Or is there any real chance at fixing my marriage at this point? Does anyone think marriage counseling would work? I’m not sure I could even get her to schedule that for us and I’m tired of feeling like I’m the only one putting in effort. Idk where to go from here.

2.3.5 Controversial views and perceptions of the clinical picture of MCAS
2.3.5.1 Alternative diagnostic criteria ("Consensus-2")
In 2011, the group of authors led by Gerald Molderings from the Institute for Human Genetics at the University Hospital Bonn and Lawrence Afrin published their own approach to the diagnosis of MCAS (51). In contrast to the diagnostic criteria of Valent et al. (1), the focus here is more on clinical symptoms. In 2016, Afrin et al. published a list of the most common symptoms that could indicate MCAS (52). Furthermore a questionnaire was developed and published on a website (53), after the answers to which the suspected diagnosis of MCAS could be supported or ruled out depending on the scores obtained. In a recently published publication, the working group referred to their diagnostic criteria as "Consensus-2" and compared and discussed them with the criteria of Valent et al. from 2016 (so-called "Consensus-1") (51). An important difference to the criteria Valent et al. 2016, the authors consider the symptoms not only as the main main criterion, but also a much wider range of previously unexplained symptoms (111 unexplained symptoms (111 possible symptoms (44)) as the most important indication of a a mast cell-mediated cause (14 symptoms in Valent et al. (1)). As The diagnosis of MCAS is considered confirmed if the main criterion is present together with a secondary criterion and possible alternative diagnoses have been excluded. The secondary criteria, in turn, are based on observations made at the time of the 500 people with suspected MCAS at the time of the first publication (44). Further differences between the two consensuses can be found in the laboratory parameters to be determined. For example, the researchers from different disciplines, which according to their own statements can draw on a wealth of experience of of over 10,000 MCAS patients (diagnosed according to their own criteria, nota bene), consider CgA to be specific for mast cells in addition to tryptase, among other things (44). The counterargument of the lower specificity compared to serum tryptase is granted a certain validity in the addendum to the "Consensus-2" published in 2020 (44), however the differential diagnoses with elevated CgA values should be easy to rule out and other markers are also never 100% specific. However, another group was already able to show in 2017 that CgA should not be used as a marker for mast cell disease(49). Furthermore the group of authors of the "Consensus-2" counts heparin as an important marker for MCAS, which should be determined after venous congestion using a blood pressure cuff (54). This maneuver was reported to cause irritation of excessively activatable mast cells with release of heparin in the congested area. Interestingly, the following section mentions markers such as IL-6 or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) which, due to their lack of specificity, are not used in diagnostics, but only in the evaluation of a successful therapy. The authors of "Consensus-2" criticize "Consensus-1" for, among other things the lack of definitions for a treatment response, whereby the "Consensus-2 does not provide any concrete proposals for evaluating or monitoring the response to therapy. Another point of criticism is the lack of exclusion of other comorbidities or differential diagnoses, such as CFS, EDS and irritable bowel syndrome, as clinical indications of MCAS. [...] In return, the AAAAI expressly points out that there is no evidence to date of a connection between CFS or EDS and MCAS. Overall, the clinical picture of MCAS is so complex and heterogeneous that a precise definition of a diagnostic algorithm is not possible at the present time. Molderings et al. therefore propose the acceptance of both the "Consensus1" according to Valent et al. and their "Consensus-2" until more precise findings are available through research. The resulting disadvantages, such as the the poorer comparability of patient populations in scientific studies would weigh less heavily than those resulting from the rejection of "Consensus-2" (an underdiagnosis due to criteria that are too restrictive according to the authors). On the other hand, the large number of non-specific complaints that are supposedly associated with MCAS harbors the risk of inflationary diagnosis.
2.3.5.2 Presentation in the lay press
An expansion of the MCAS definition with the use of non-validated clinical and laboratory chemical parameters for diagnosis is frequently found in the lay media, above all on websites, but also in the specialist literature. Increasingly, patients with (suspected) MCAS are organizing themselves with commitment and are increasingly organizing themselves into interest groups such as MCAS Hope e.V., which campaigns for the recognition of MCAS "as an independent disease". In addition They also network those affected and their relatives and carry out public relations work, which aims to make the clinical picture known to a broader public. This expansion of the diagnostic criteria described above increases the risk of a misdiagnosis of MCAS and overlooking the underlying disease, which may be easily treatable. On the other hand, such an erroneous diagnosis can also lead to the use of unnecessary or potentially harmful therapies for MCAS and supposed comorbidities (20). Shortly after publication of the review paper "Doctor, I Think I Am Suffering from MCAS: Differential Diagnosis and Separating Facts from Fiction" by Valent et al. a self claimed affected person started an online petition in which she demands the authors and the publishing Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to remove the article (55). Among other things, they criticize the criterion of the tryptase increase, which is too harsh and would therefore prevent many patients from being diagnosed. The clinic also does not typically manifest as anaphylaxis, contrary to what is described in the paper, since mediator release in anaphylactic degranulation differs from that in piecemeal degranulation. Finally, the author of the petition, who sees herself as a "patient spokesperson", reports on personal experiences of frustration and feelings of frustration and rejection that were conveyed to her by doctors in the course of her medical history. The petition has so far reached just under 3,000 of the targeted 5,000 digital signatures (as of December 2020) and shows in particular how emotional the issue of the topic of MCAS is being observed and discussed not only in professional circles, but also among patients. Apparently, some patients find the diagnosis of MCAS to be the last explanation for their multiple non-specific symptoms and hope for more acceptance in scientific circles.
2.3.5.3 Difficulties in making a diagnosis
In recent years, despite the existence of consensus criteria, a (suspected) diagnosis is often made in practice, even though these criteria are insufficiently fulfilled. In some cases, the MCAS diagnosis is also increasingly used for otherwise inexplicable conditions that cannot otherwise be explained. The evaluation of symptoms without a known direct connection with the release of mast cell mediators, for example from the neurological or psychiatric spectrum, as a manifestation of the disease leads to a further dilution of the MCAS diagnosis (43). In the "Bonn" questionnaire, the vast majority of the items asked are not based on the consensus criteria formulated by Valent et al. for example they see the sonographic evidence of an enlarged liver as an indication of the disease (53). The measurement of a tryptase elevation in acute relapse, as required by the diagnostic criteria is difficult to implement in practice, whether for reasons of time, capacity or billing. Targeted therapy trials with maximum specificity with regard to all possible decisive mediators are not possible without prior measurement of urinary metabolites and, in the absence of criteria or measuring instruments often do not produce satisfactory results (43). Last but not least, the wide range of possible differential diagnoses, such as for example from the endocrinological, neurological, psychiatric or cardiovascular area, further complicates the diagnosis (43).
Translated with deep.l
https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/fub188/32749/diss_s.gu.pdf;jsessionid=A575C43E11977D2F576404BF69D6469C?sequence=3

We booked a short cruise to Mexico, and it only has on stop in Ensenada. This stop is on June 2nd, which I found out is election day. I was told that everything may be shut down with regards to restaurants and bars. Is this true? Google translate below in case a Spanish speaker has better answers.
Reservamos un crucero corto a México y solo tiene escala en Ensenada. Esta parada es el 2 de junio, que descubrí que es el día de las elecciones. Me dijeron que es posible que todo esté cerrado en lo que respecta a restaurantes y bares. ¿Es esto cierto?
Edit: I wrote the wrong day. We will be there June 2nd, not May 2nd.

Congratulations, you and Dante have made it to Paradiso. Top level achieved! Now, let's see what there is to see here.
Canto I: Beatrice Knows It All
Dante calls on Apollo to help him explain what he sees, referencing his flaying alive of Marsyas. In Paradiso, the Greeks are the best use of metaphor and inspiration for Dante, which Beatrice calls him out on! The light of God shines more strongly here in heaven than on Earth. They observe the sun and Dante passes "beyond the human" and has no words. Beatrice explains gravity and revolving spheres. We are somewhere in outer reaches of the Ptolemaic universe.
Canto II: Don't Follow Me!
Dante urges us not to follow in his footsteps unless you already are Heaven-ward inclined. Dante and Beatrice visit the first star. The moon has a dark spot that is Cane. Beatrice points out reason's limitations and suggests an experiment with mirrors. They discusses how internal organs correspond with the different celestial bodies.
Canto III: Love You To The Moon (And Back?)
Beatrice mocks Dante's intellect. They look at the moon-a place of broken vows to God and visit with Piccarda Donati, who was abducted from a convent and forced to marry by one of her brothers, Corso (who was also Dante's opponent). Her other brother, Forese was Dante's friend, so this is a very personal story. Unlike in the other realms we visited, the souls are content to rest where they are, as ordained and ordered by God. Although grace rains unequally in Paradise, it doesn't make it less Paradisical. If you want a rabbit hole to explore, here is the story of the life and times of Empress Constanza.
Canto IV: More Moon
Beatrice reads Dante's mind and answers his questions, and they discuss Plato, Justice, Dante's limitations and how the Bible considers how to manifest God's power in a way that is not too uncomfortable. Beatrice discusses Alcmaeon#/media/File:Alcmaeon_killing_his_mother_Eriphyle.jpg), who killed his mother to please his father-a filial act does not erase his crime. Dante wants to know if broken acts can be redressed. Beatrices blinds him with Love.
Canto V: On To Mercury
Beatrice explains her glow and celestial contracts, including foolish ones in history, which obviously require the sacrifice of a beloved daughter, e.g. Iphigenia. Beatrice glows so much, other shades approach to bask in her light. Dante spots Mercury.
Canto VI: Fame!
Mercury contains the righteous who were motivated by...fame! But we're talking legitimate fame and honor, not that lesser stuff. We discuss eagles, Justinian.jpg), Roman conquests, Charlemagne, etc. Dante gets a swipe at domestic politics, again bringing up the Ghibellines and Emperor Charles and the Guelphs. Dante remembers another exile, Romeo [Romieu] de Villeneuve.
Canto VII: Just Vengeance
Still on Mercury, Dante and Beatrice discuss how just vengeance works. Man's good or just works are not enough without God. The sacrifice of Christ means that not only the soul, but the body, which is made of the four pure elements that lead back to God, will be resurrected. Okay?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
See you next week, when we visit even more of Paradiso in Cantos VIII-XV! Questions below.

I Rant, Therefore I Am

​Well bla-de-da-da! What's making your blood boil? What's under your skin? What's making you see red? What's up in your craw? Let's hear your weight loss related rants!
Please consider saving your next rant for this weekly thread every Tuesday.
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Don't forget to comment and interact with other posters here, let's keep the good vibes going!
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Hi everyone, for the summer I would like to try the tererè Barao de Cotegipe Natural, I don't understand what "Natural" stands for.
Maybe for organic? Or for unsmoked? Who knows.
The manufacturer's website does not help, https://www.baraoshop.com/produto/terere-barao-tradicional-500-gr-
So I thought of writing an email to the manufacturer, nothing, the address indicated on the site is not enabled to receive emails (?)
I give up and I don't buy it. In the past I also wrote to other producers to ask for some information like these, nothing absurdly complex , the only ones who responded were those from Kraus.
I can't understand how it's possible not to answer customer questions or to have emails that don't work, but maybe I'm strange...

Warning: I will not message you first. If you were messaged by someone claiming to be me you are in the process of being scammed.

You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.
Desktop Users: Comment on this post and Click here to start a trade App Users, please include the following in your PM (Remember to comment on this post as well):

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Crypto^4, Paypal^1, Apple Pay, Chime, Cashapp, Varo, Venmo, and Western Union
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Amazon.it	50%	50%
Amazon.jp	30%	30%
Arrow Films	65%	60%
Barnes & Noble	50%	50%
Baskin Robbins	60%	60%
Best Buy	25%	25%
BJ's (not BJ's restaurant)3	60%	NA
Bloomingdales	50%	50%
Burger King4	60%	NA
Clothing Shops (Small Boutique)	contact me	contact me
Dell3	60%	NA
Delta gift cards3	65%	NA
Delta Sky Miles3	PM me	NA
Delta Vouchers3	65%	NA
Dicks Sporting Goods 3	PM me	NA
Disney Plus	PM me	PM me
Dunkin Donuts3	60%	NA
eBay	70%	70%
Fandango3	10%	NA
Five Guys3	60%	NA
Gamestop	60%	60%
Gas Station Cards3	PM me	NA
Gyft	70%	70%
Half Price Books	50%	50%
iTunes3	60%	NA
J crew	40%	40%
JCPenney	25%	25%
Jersey Mike Subs3	60%	NA
KFC3	60%	NA
Khols	30%	30%
Macys	35%	35%
Magazines.com	40%	40%
McDonald's 3	60%	NA
Microsoft3	60%	NA
Moe’s Southwestern Grill3	60%	NA
Nintendo Eshop3	70%	NA
Nordstrom	50%	50%
Panera bread3	60%	NA
PSN3	60	NA
PSN Plus 12 month3	NA	NA
Saks Fifth Avenue	50%	50%
Sears	50%	50%
Sephora	50%	50%
Speedway (must be able to use on fuel)3	80%	NA
Staples	50%	50%
Starbucks US only	55%	55%
Steam3	60%	NA
Subway 3	PM me	NA
Taco Bell	60%	NA
Target	50%	50%
Urban Outfitters	50%	50%
Vudu3	50%	NA
Walmart	60%	60%
Wendys3	60%	NA
Xbox (gift cards)3	60%	NA
Other Clothing Stores, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurant, & Fast Food gift cards	PM me

¹ When paying via PayPal, I can only send payments via Goods and Services, thus you will be charged a fee. If you'd rather not face this fee there are plenty of alternatives. ² Larger denominated gift cards preferred. ³ PayPal is the only payment option. ⁴ All crypto payments come from Coinbase. Any fees associated with it are built into the price.

What I don’t buy:

• Amazon.au
• Bass Pro Shop
• buffalo wild wing
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Canadian tire
• Cold Stone
• Dairy Queen
• Fanatics
• Giant Foods
• Google Play
• Grub Hub
• Gymshark
• Hilton Honors
• Hot Topic
• Krispy Kreme
• old navy/gap/banana republic
• Patxi's pizza
• PSN Canada or UK
• publix
• Raceway
• Scheels
• Shell Gas Stations
• Spotify
• Starbucks Canada
• Tractor supply
• Xbox Canada or UK
• Xbox live gold

Any fees are built into the price.

Selling

I have:
Up to $1000 in Amazon.com (can be broken up into smaller denominations) and am selling at

• 85%: WesternUnion, Wise, Airtm (You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.)
• 90%: LTC

Up to $500 in eBay (can be broken up into smaller denominations) and am selling at

• 90%: WesternUnion, Wise, Airtm (You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.)

Up to $500 in Apple.com ($15 and $50 denomination) and am selling at

• 90%: WesternUnion, Wise, Airtm (You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.)

Important: before you send your codes please make sure your account is secure (if your password is not uniqe it's best to assume your account has already been compromised. Scams where compromised accounts are used to leverage reputation to scam an unsuspecting user, used to steal codes during the middle of the trade, and steal unused gift cards the victim was saving for later are increasingly commonplace. If you have any concerns as to your account's security, please reset your password now and force logout of all sessions. Thanks

Warning: I will not message you first. If you were messaged by someone claiming to be me you are in the process of being scammed.

You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.
Desktop Users: Comment on this post and Click here to start a trade App Users, please include the following in your PM (Remember to comment on this post as well):

• Type of card(s) and amount of each.
• What payment method you accept.
• How you acquired the GC and why you're getting rid of it.

Crypto^4, Paypal^1, Apple Pay, Chime, Cashapp, Varo, Venmo, and Western Union
I only have Steam as a substitute for cash payments in gift card trades.

Want ↓	Cash or a Gift Card ↓	Crypto4 ↓
Apple	60%3	NA
Amazon.ca	50%	50%
Amazon.co.uk	50%	50%
Amazon.com	70%	55%
Amazon.de	50%	50%
Amazon.es	50%	50%
Amazon.fr	50%	50%
Amazon.it	50%	50%
Amazon.jp	30%	30%
Arrow Films	65%	60%
Barnes & Noble	50%	50%
Baskin Robbins	60%	60%
Best Buy	25%	25%
BJ's (not BJ's restaurant)3	60%	NA
Bloomingdales	50%	50%
Burger King4	60%	NA
Clothing Shops (Small Boutique)	contact me	contact me
Dell3	60%	NA
Delta gift cards3	65%	NA
Delta Sky Miles3	PM me	NA
Delta Vouchers3	65%	NA
Dicks Sporting Goods 3	PM me	NA
Disney Plus	PM me	PM me
Dunkin Donuts3	60%	NA
eBay	70%	70%
Fandango3	10%	NA
Five Guys3	60%	NA
Gamestop	60%	60%
Gas Station Cards3	PM me	NA
Gyft	70%	70%
Half Price Books	50%	50%
iTunes3	60%	NA
J crew	40%	40%
JCPenney	25%	25%
Jersey Mike Subs3	60%	NA
KFC3	60%	NA
Khols	30%	30%
Macys	35%	35%
Magazines.com	40%	40%
McDonald's 3	60%	NA
Microsoft3	60%	NA
Moe’s Southwestern Grill3	60%	NA
Nintendo Eshop3	70%	NA
Nordstrom	50%	50%
Panera bread3	60%	NA
PSN3	60	NA
PSN Plus 12 month3	NA	NA
Saks Fifth Avenue	50%	50%
Sears	50%	50%
Sephora	50%	50%
Speedway (must be able to use on fuel)3	80%	NA
Staples	50%	50%
Starbucks US only	55%	55%
Steam3	60%	NA
Subway 3	PM me	NA
Taco Bell	60%	NA
Target	50%	50%
Urban Outfitters	50%	50%
Vudu3	50%	NA
Walmart	60%	60%
Wendys3	60%	NA
Xbox (gift cards)3	60%	NA
Other Clothing Stores, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurant, & Fast Food gift cards	PM me

¹ When paying via PayPal, I can only send payments via Goods and Services, thus you will be charged a fee. If you'd rather not face this fee there are plenty of alternatives. ² Larger denominated gift cards preferred. ³ PayPal is the only payment option. ⁴ All crypto payments come from Coinbase. Any fees associated with it are built into the price.

What I don’t buy:

• Amazon.au
• Bass Pro Shop
• buffalo wild wing
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Canadian tire
• Cold Stone
• Dairy Queen
• Fanatics
• Giant Foods
• Google Play
• Grub Hub
• Gymshark
• Hilton Honors
• Hot Topic
• Krispy Kreme
• old navy/gap/banana republic
• Patxi's pizza
• PSN Canada or UK
• publix
• Raceway
• Scheels
• Shell Gas Stations
• Spotify
• Starbucks Canada
• Tractor supply
• Xbox Canada or UK
• Xbox live gold

Any fees are built into the price.

Selling

I have:
Up to $1000 in Amazon.com (can be broken up into smaller denominations) and am selling at

• 85%: WesternUnion, Wise, Airtm (You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.)
• 90%: LTC

Up to $500 in eBay (can be broken up into smaller denominations) and am selling at

• 90%: WesternUnion, Wise, Airtm (You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.)

Up to $500 in Apple.com ($15 and $50 denomination) and am selling at

• 90%: WesternUnion, Wise, Airtm (You can download the WesternUnion app and send the payment from your phone and I will pay the fees.)

Important: before you send your codes please make sure your account is secure (if your password is not uniqe it's best to assume your account has already been compromised. Scams where compromised accounts are used to leverage reputation to scam an unsuspecting user, used to steal codes during the middle of the trade, and steal unused gift cards the victim was saving for later are increasingly commonplace. If you have any concerns as to your account's security, please reset your password now and force logout of all sessions. Thanks

Cannabis has now been – at least partially – legal in Germany for a good five weeks. Will there soon be THC drinks in this country? Will Germans then drink less alcohol? And where can the substances actually be consumed? While the answers to this will probably take a while to come, many, including those in the beverage industry, are looking with excitement to Canada, where marijuana has been legal since 2018.
The approval there quickly led to the introduction of a wealth of new mixed drinks. The beverage manufacturer Truss Beverages from the province of Ontario brought non-alcoholic drinks enriched with THC and CBD in a wide variety of, mostly fruity, flavors and different, precisely defined potencies onto the market under the brand names XMG, Little Victory, Mollo and Bedfellows. Truss is a joint venture between brewing company Molson Coors and cannabis company Hexo.
THC drinks soon in Germany too? It's no wonder that, given the opportunities offered by a completely new category, companies in this country are already positioning themselves to be among the pioneers if cannabis extracts are also approved as beverage additives here. For example, the Hamburg company “Good Drinks” is currently discussing whether THC in its drinks could be a useful brand addition, as co-owner Frank Maßen reports.
Good Drinks is currently on the market with vodka and energy drinks, for example. Well-known Hamburg restaurateurs such as Axel Strehlitz and John Schierhorn, both of whom have deep roots in the local club scene, are involved in the start-up. Maßen sees THC as a logical progression for a brand that has partying in its DNA, but “the idea of ​​introducing a THC variant raises a lot of questions, especially in terms of brand image and acceptance,” said Maßen.
Discussions are currently underway internally about how to handle this potential expansion without damaging the essence of the brand, which is strongly linked to the club culture. There are intensive discussions with the licensors of the Hamburg Club Combine, which launched the brand together with Good Drinks to support the local club scene as a social business ( we reported ).
Some THC drinks already on the market in Canada Some THC drinks already on the market in Canada (Product photos: Truss Beverages) Breweries would certainly also be potential manufacturers. But the German Brewers Association considers it unlikely that many breweries could jump on the cannabis bandwagon. “Germany is and remains the country of beer drinkers. With 1,500 breweries and almost 8,000 brands, we have a beer variety that is unique in the world,” says Managing Director Holger Eichele. Beer is still the national drink, although consumption has been declining for years, as in many other European countries.
“Edibles” are still banned under EU law Apart from that, an introduction would not yet be legally possible, because drinks with THC or CBD fall under “edibles” in the EU; This refers to foods and drinks that contain cannabis. They are therefore affected by the Novel Food Regulation, explains the managing director of the Bavarian Cannabis Association, Wenzel Cerveny. This means that they can only be placed on the market once they have been tested as safe by the EU.
“This is something that a small manufacturer cannot do - this test would have to be initiated by a large company,” says Cerveny. He himself is currently working with the small brewery “Unertl” from Haag in Upper Bavaria on an alcohol-free beer with hemp extract. However, without THC or CBD, but with hemp as a special taste.
To provide a more detailed explanation, the EU states that there has been no evidence of any significant consumption of the individual substance CBD (cannabidiol) before May 15, 1997. It is therefore assessed as novel in the European Commission's Novel Food Catalog under the entry “Cannabinoids” and therefore requires its own approval. As long as this does not exist, such products are not marketable. The same applies to products containing THC.
Alcohol consumption in Canada fell after legalization It's not just new products that could affect the German beverage industry if they are allowed in the future. Using Canada as an example, it is clear to see that cannabis consumption has a direct influence on consumers' drinking behavior. A joint study by the University of Manitoba, Memorial University and the University of Toronto has shown that Canadians are drinking significantly less alcohol since they were legally allowed to consume cannabis.
For example, the study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence observed an average monthly decline in beer consumption of 136 hectoliters per 100,000 people after legalization. In this context, the authors speak of a “substitution effect”, in which consumers choose cannabis instead of beer as their intoxicant of choice.
Mixing with alcohol is not advisable Both together are considered by “connoisseurs” to be not very digestible. Even Truss Beverages advises against consuming its THC drinks mixed with alcohol on its website, citing recommendations from the Canadian Health Authority. Again and again, the product description in connection with the dosage is about ensuring a “controlled and predictable consumption experience”.
Clear warnings label drinks containing THC in Canada. Clear warnings label drinks containing THC in Canada. (Photo: Truss Beverages) A look at the 2022/23 financial year shows how strong cannabis legalization can have on the alcohol industry. Accordingly, Canada received more excise tax revenue from cannabis ($660 million) than from wine ($205 million) and beer ($450 million) combined.
It is still completely unclear whether the industry will have to adapt to similar shifts in this country. The German Brewers Association is rather relaxed: It is still far too early to speculate about possible effects, emphasizes DBB boss Eichele. “There are studies from abroad where markets have been examined in more detail. However, these studies cannot be transferred one-to-one to Germany; the starting points are far too different. We don’t expect any visible effects in this country.”
Where smoking is allowed, you can also smoke weed The question of how to deal with marijuana users in the catering industry is already very current; It is being hotly debated all over the country. While the use of the drug indoors is usually prohibited, there is scope for freedom in outdoor areas and, for example, beer gardens.
The German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) says that initial feedback from the industry shows a tendency not to allow the consumption of marijuana. The legal situation varies from federal state to federal state, as Dehoga managing director and legal expert Jürgen Benad knows: “Where smoking is still permitted according to the legal regulations of the federal states, cannabis consumption is also generally permitted.”
But it is also clear: “Every restaurateur is allowed to prohibit guests from consuming cannabis – even in smoking bars – based on their house rules,” says Benad. This also applies to outdoor catering. Cannabis may not be consumed “in the immediate presence” of minors. What this specifically means in the catering industry will not be easy to define in individual cases.
Zero tolerance or laissez-faire? While the beer gardens in Munich, for example, will remain consumption-free until further notice due to Bavaria's zero-tolerance policy, people in Berlin are more open-minded. “Since the cannabis law was approved, the consumption of cannabis in the catering industry has been considered synonymous with the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products,” says Tony Ettelt-Brundiers, managing director of “Zenner”, a cultural and gastronomic ensemble consisting of a vineyard, beer garden and organic ice cream parlor , concert hall, club space and event location in the capital.
“We are not questioning this law,” said Ettelt-Brundiers. “Regardless of what our guests smoke in the Zenner’s outdoor areas, we ask everyone to be considerate, especially if other guests could feel disturbed by someone else’s smoke, regardless of its origin.” This principle of mutuality Consideration has worked surprisingly well in Zenner for more than 200 years, which the aforementioned amendment to the law should not change, according to the managing director.
How much cannabis will ultimately change the beverage industry and social life surrounding beverages is still entirely unknown.
https://getraenke-news.de/cannabis-legalisierung-bald-gras-statt-hopfen/
NOTE: Some of the getraenke-news research goes back a few years and ownership of TRUSS is now 100% owned and operated by Tilray Brands that is also a multi year, In Country producer of German Medical Cannabis.

Hello!
I am doing a research project on the Caribbean diaspora. I am looking to see what would entice diasporans to return to the region, what would entice people to remain in the region, and what makes people stay in the region. There is a USD $25 cash prize in the form of a virtual gift card for four participants which will be chosen at random.
The survey takes approximately five to ten minutes to complete depending on how in depth your answers are.
Thank you for taking the time to do the survey!

Link to Survey

Hallo!
Ik doe een onderzoeksproject over de Caribische diaspora. Ik ben op zoek naar wat de diasporanen zou kunnen verleiden om terug te keren naar de regio, wat mensen zou verleiden om in de regio te blijven, en wat ervoor zorgt dat mensen in de regio blijven. Er is een geldprijs van USD 25,- in de vorm van een virtuele cadeaubon voor vier deelnemers, die willekeurig worden gekozen.
Het invullen van de enquête duurt ongeveer vijf tot tien minuten, afhankelijk van hoe diepgaand uw antwoorden zijn.
Bedankt dat u de tijd heeft genomen om de enquête in te vullen!
Link naar enquête

Hello!
I am doing a research project on the Caribbean diaspora. I am looking to see what would entice diasporans to return to the region, what would entice people to remain in the region, and what makes people stay in the region. There is a USD $25 cash prize in the form of a virtual gift card for four participants which will be chosen at random.
The survey takes approximately five to ten minutes to complete depending on how in depth your answers are.
Thank you for taking the time to do the survey!
Link to Survey
Bonjour!
Je fais un projet de recherche sur la diaspora caribéenne. Je cherche à voir ce qui inciterait les diasporas à revenir dans la région, ce qui inciterait les gens à rester dans la région et ce qui inciterait les gens à rester dans la région. Il y a un prix en espèces de 25 USD sous la forme d'une carte-cadeau virtuelle pour quatre participants qui seront choisis au hasard.
L'enquête prend environ cinq à dix minutes, selon la profondeur de vos réponses.
Merci d'avoir pris le temps de répondre à l'enquête !
L'enquête
Hallo!
Ik doe een onderzoeksproject over de Caribische diaspora. Ik ben op zoek naar wat de diasporanen zou kunnen verleiden om terug te keren naar de regio, wat mensen zou verleiden om in de regio te blijven, en wat ervoor zorgt dat mensen in de regio blijven. Er is een geldprijs van USD 25,- in de vorm van een virtuele cadeaubon voor vier deelnemers, die willekeurig worden gekozen.
Het invullen van de enquête duurt ongeveer vijf tot tien minuten, afhankelijk van hoe diepgaand uw antwoorden zijn.
Bedankt dat u de tijd heeft genomen om de enquête in te vullen!
Link naar enquête