I am a 24m who's struggled with various addictions over the course of the last ten years. I began smoking weed at 13, cigarettes at 15 and heavy alcohol use at 16. I was the kid who brought a water bottle of vodka into math just to see if I could get away with it, and nobody ever found out. I kept a handle of vodka behind the driver's seat of my car, etc. I have always been very "high functioning," in that I got good grades in high school, got into a very good college, and have since found a fair degree of success out of school. However, the habits that formed a decade ago have not gone away.
I get cross-faded every day, and recently at night, almost like a mantra, I tell myself to stop. That I am destroying my body, that it will catch up to me sooner than I think. I ask what will be the catalyst to change — a health scare? A destroyed relationship? And yet the next night I do the exact same thing.
The thing is, right now my life is pretty good by almost all objective measures. I'm in a healthy relationship with my girlfriend. I support myself financially, although I'm still on my dad's health insurance for another year or so. I have a group of smart, positive friends. And yet when it comes to drinking and smoking it's like my will power vanishes and the demon of habit takes control of my body. I don't know how to stop it.
I've gone through extensive periods of time of daily meditation, which helped me a lot, but I'm not in consistent practice right now. I go to the gym about four times a week. I don't sleep very well, usually going to bed around 3am and waking up around 9am. I also find my addictive tendencies finds other methods of achieving a dopamine rush — daily sports gambling, sometimes wasting full days playing video games, etc.
From the outside I look to be in a very positive, successful position for my age. Inside, I am struggling to stay afloat. I am looking for tools or actionable methods to help bring myself back to my best self. For example, I've tried making a daily schedule for myself in time blocks so that I can stay productive. The problem is I rarely stick to the schedule. I need to train my discipline, will power, something. Any thoughts? (Thank you for reading)

I am a 24m who's struggled with various addictions over the course of the last ten years. I began smoking weed at 13, cigarettes at 15 and heavy alcohol use at 16. I was the kid who brought a water bottle of vodka into math just to see if I could get away with it, and nobody ever found out. I kept a handle of vodka behind the driver's seat of my car, etc. I have always been very "high functioning," in that I got good grades in high school, got into a very good college, and have since found a fair degree of success out of school. However, the habits that formed a decade ago have not gone away.
I get cross-faded every day, and recently at night, almost like a mantra, I tell myself to stop. That I am destroying my body, that it will catch up to me sooner than I think. I ask what will be the catalyst to change — a health scare? A destroyed relationship? And yet the next night I do the exact same thing.
The thing is, right now my life is pretty good by almost all objective measures. I'm in a healthy relationship with my girlfriend. I support myself financially, although I'm still on my dad's health insurance for another year or so. I have a group of smart, positive friends. And yet when it comes to drinking and smoking it's like my will power vanishes and the demon of habit takes control of my body. I don't know how to stop it.
I've gone through extensive periods of time of daily meditation, which helped me a lot, but I'm not in consistent practice right now. I go to the gym about four times a week. I don't sleep very well, usually going to bed around 3am and waking up around 9am. I also find my addictive tendencies finds other methods of achieving a dopamine rush — daily sports gambling, sometimes wasting full days playing video games, etc.
From the outside I look to be in a very positive, successful position for my age. Inside, I am struggling to stay afloat. I am looking for tools or actionable methods to help bring myself back to my best self. For example, I've tried making a daily schedule for myself in time blocks so that I can stay productive. The problem is I rarely stick to the schedule. I need to train my discipline, will power, something. Any thoughts? (Thank you for reading)

I am a 24m who's struggled with various addictions over the course of the last ten years. I began smoking weed at 13, cigarettes at 15 and heavy alcohol use at 16. I was the kid who brought a water bottle of vodka into math just to see if I could get away with it, and nobody ever found out. I kept a handle of vodka behind the driver's seat of my car, etc. I have always been very "high functioning," in that I got good grades in high school, got into a very good college, and have since found a fair degree of success out of school. However, the habits that formed a decade ago have not gone away.
I get cross-faded every day, and recently at night, almost like a mantra, I tell myself to stop. That I am destroying my body, that it will catch up to me sooner than I think. I ask what will be the catalyst to change — a health scare? A destroyed relationship? And yet the next night I do the exact same thing.
The thing is, right now my life is pretty good by almost all objective measures. I'm in a healthy relationship with my girlfriend. I support myself financially, although I'm still on my dad's health insurance for another year or so. I have a group of smart, positive friends. And yet when it comes to drinking and smoking it's like my will power vanishes and the demon of habit takes control of my body. I don't know how to stop it.
I've gone through extensive periods of time of daily meditation, which helped me a lot, but I'm not in consistent practice right now. I go to the gym about four times a week. I don't sleep very well, usually going to bed around 3am and waking up around 9am. I also find my addictive tendencies finds other methods of achieving a dopamine rush — daily sports gambling, sometimes wasting full days playing video games, etc.
From the outside I look to be in a very positive, successful position for my age. Inside, I am struggling to stay afloat. I am looking for tools or actionable methods to help bring myself back to my best self. For example, I've tried making a daily schedule for myself in time blocks so that I can stay productive. The problem is I rarely stick to the schedule. I need to train my discipline, will power, something. Any thoughts? (Thank you for reading)

Let's now delve into Abby's perspective.
Abby's equivalent of the Wyoming Museum is her scenes in the aquarium. I find the choice of this particular ocean biome interesting. Throughout her journey in Seattle, Abby gradually distances herself from the WLF. The aquarium serves as a clandestine refuge where Abby and Owen seek solace away from their WLF responsibilities, a sanctuary amidst the chaos of the city. The ocean represents a hidden world, a sanctuary that other surface animals cannot penetrate, symbolizing a refuge from the conflicts and chaos above. Abby's character in Seattle is symbolized by a crab—outwardly strong yet internally vulnerable, much like herself as depicted by Owen's observation that she appears tough but is soft at heart. This symbolism extends to the imagery of a giant crab adorning the doors leading to the tragic fate of Owen and Mel. Upon her return from the island, blood stains beneath the doors. I think this is supposed to represent how by her actions she brought death to her friends, akin to bearing the weight of guilt or "dirty hands." Throughout her narrative, various other depictions of crabs persistently follows Abby.
Abby's Seattle setting is aquatic, but it wasn't always so. Prior to her father's death, her symbolic habitat was the jungle. In her initial flashback in Salt Lake, she stands at the zoo entrance, surrounded by banners portraying jungle and savanna creatures like tigers, elephants, apes, and antelopes. She can also find a flyer of the zoo ad with the tiger on it. In Santa Barbara, when visiting the Firefly outpost, Lev asks why the children's room depicts animals and a forest. Abby explains that it is a thing parents can do and that her father painted her a jungle in her room when she was little. I think deep within, Abby identifies with a tiger, and she actually re-finds herself with Lev's encounter. The tiger represents her true essence, her totem animal, while the crab represents what she turned into in Seattle. The crab, with its hard exterior and soft interior, also mirrors Abby's hardened exterior developed from her experiences with the WLF.
Yet, subtle hints throughout her narrative suggest a rediscovery of her true self as a tiger that coincide with what she's going throught. One instance that really striked me is the big cartoonish tiger she encounters in a cafe on the road to the hospital, sat in a position of meditation, coinciding with her growing bond with Lev. This moment signifies her gradual return to inner peace and authenticity. Another significant occurrence is the depiction of a tiger hidden behind a counter during her escape from the island with Yara and Lev, labeled with "mean streak." This moment precedes a pivotal confrontation with her former allies, symbolizing Abby's re-embrace of her tiger nature—a resurgence of strength and determination as she confronts her past and fights for her newfound family. The reappearance of the tiger symbolizes Abby's journey of self-discovery and resilience, marking her reclaiming of inner strength and ferocity in the face of adversity.
During the Salt Lake flashback, as Abby finds her father and they continue through the park, they enter the aquatic biome, greeted by a crab facing exactly towards the banner depicting a tiger, symbolizing Abby's future transformation in Seattle. She enters the mouth of a whale, symbolizing her immersion into the aquatic world. In the very next flashback, she will exit from the mouth of a shark, marking her transformation complete.
Owen is symbolized by a spotted seal. The first time they ever entered the aquarium, Owen get out of the water and place himself right in front of a seal depiction named "Oscar", saying some things to Abby. You can see a little crab right under. Hints in dialogues also point at Owen being a seal. During the scene in the aquatic dome underwater, Owen concludes their conversation by expressing his intention to spend some time with the seals. Another subtle clue to Owen's future role as a father is found within the aquarium's main room: a statue depicting a seal and its cub. This imagery hints at Owen's impending journey into parenthood.
I'm going to talk about Tommy in Abby's section because it mostly striked me while doing her parts, with the exception of this dinosaur looking like a horse head in the wyoming museeum as mentionned in my first post. Right after letting Yara at the "Big Fat Crab Shack" to get to the marina, she stumble upon Manny who's being targeted by Tommy. Interestingly, if you look behind Abby, you'll spot the "Big Fat Crab Shack" logo again with its giant crab, while directly in front of her, just a couple of meters away, is an advertising van for "Manke" beer. The logo on the van is a horse, accompanied by the tagline "made with the finest ingredients of southern America," which resonates with Tommy's Texan roots. This van appears again later not far, in the parking lot where Tommy shoots at Abby, instigating an attack from the infected.
However, what puzzles me is why Abby doesn't perceive Tommy as an aquatic animal like she does with others. My only lead on this is that the aquatic version of Tommy is a seahorse. This notion is reinforced by the presence of a seahorse symbol at the Serevena Hotel, where Ellie and Dina encounter men tortured by Tommy. Honestly not 100% convinced on this seahorse part.
Lev is seen as a shark by Abby. A whole section of the aquarium is dedicated to sharks and their importance in the ocean ecosystem ( you can also see a little crab under one of the shark depictions ) When Abby and Yara seek a gift for Lev, they deem a shark plushie as the perfect choice, emphasizing his connection to this creature.
A prominent shark exhibit features a large specimen seemingly poised to attack a diver's cage, adorned with scars on its mouth sides. The image of Lev braving the seas on his boat to rescue his mother on the island further reinforces this association, evoking the image of a shark cutting through the waves with determination.
In Abby's perception, Lev embodies the qualities of a shark, yet he identifies himself with a cat, ( or it's his totem animal ) First and foremost, we can clearly see Lev's agility and fearlessness, particularly evident in his comfort with heights, mirroring a cat's nimbleness and independence. Additionally, Lev expresses fears akin to those of a cat—water and dogs. During Ellie's parts, I found this board on the ancient communication agency swarmed by scars ( in front of the tramway ). There this little text on a board from a meeting to pitch a product, back in the days. It says :
"Client pitch meet ideas - emotional angle - comedy angle - personnification of cat ? "
Even though it might be a bit of a stretch, this corresponds perfectly to what happens between Abby and Lev. She feels pity for him upon learning his story and comes to love him, thus the emotional angle, and Lev also makes some jokes or blunders, like asking Abby what's going on between him and Owen at the worst possible moment, or when he doesn't know certain common words due to his life among the Seraphites.
The more obvious sign that Lev is really a cat can be found in the same cafe where we found the tiger in meditation pose, on the left walls. Just like Owen, we can witness Lev positionning himself right in front of this animal and get some dialogues. He say something like it's weird to represent humans as animals / humans from before were weird doing this. This particular artwork features two cartoonish cats adorned in rock-inspired attire, captured in a lively dancing pose. A male and female, holding hands. This really striked me as being a representaion of Lev's gender duality. Abby mentions Lev's "punk-rock" spirit not long before this, hence the outfits.
Yara is a sea otter, simply because she wears this shirt with a sea otter at the aquarium.
The WLF obviously are wolves but Abby actually sees them as Orcas. Upon awakening at the stadium, Abby is greeted by a rug adorned with an orca motif. Then she gets to the mess hall, there's one wolf banner on one wall but also depictions of orcas adorning pillars and inscriptions proclaiming "Home of the Orcas" on the walls. Orcas are kinda wolves of the seas, share several characteristics with wolves, such as being large predators that hunt in packs, exhibit complex social structures, and are territorial. By associating the WLF with Orcas, Abby's perception elevates them to a level of strength, cunning, and dominance akin to these apex predators of the ocean.
Scars are possibly herons. I found some herons in the wyoming museeum as mentionned in my first post, but also some depictions while Abby is crossing the chinese district to get to martyr's gate. They communicate throught whistling like birds including herons. They also go throught the city by the airs, basically. Theres not much hints, but I do feel like the herons correspond really well to Seraphites due to their way of life and behavior. Firstly, herons are often associated with aquatic areas such as marshes and rivers, where they patiently and strategically hunt their prey. Similarly, the Seraphites have established themselves on an isolated island, resembling a marsh, where they practice an ascetic and contemplative form of living in harmony with nature, living in wooden houses. Furthermore, herons are patient and methodical predators, silently observing their surroundings before taking action ( Remember that arrow in Ellie's shoulder ? ) The Seraphites also exhibit a deliberate approach in their lives and interactions, emphasizing discipline, reflection, and strategic planning.
During the visit to the Chinese district, theres a peculiar creature: the dragon. Numerous depictions of it adorn this area. There might be a connection to the Seraphites, evidenced by the presence of Martyr's Gate and the increased encounters with them following this section. However, it's challenging to pinpoint its exact representation; my guess is that it symbolizes a broader concept rather than a specific character or faction. Might also just be because it's the chinese district.
Abby seem to be also linked to whales and octopus, I think each representing one concept. Ellie's collection of cards includes one intriguing card featuring a whale named "Big Blue." The description of the card reads:
"Big Blue is an extra-dimensional entity who has taken on the appearance of a blue whale. First arriving on Earth over a billion years ago to keep watch over nascent life forms, they use their infinite well of knowledge to help guide the human race in times of great need and upheaval. Their unfathomable age has one major drawback: days appear to pass as microseconds. However, this time dilation effect is offset if they hold their breath—which they can do for several years at a time."
The whale, as an entity with ancient wisdom and knowledge, could be seen as a manifestation of destiny itself. Just as the whale has existed since the dawn of life on Earth, destiny is a force that has shaped Abby's life from the very beginning. It has guided her path, leading her to the pivotal moments and encounters that defined her journey. Despite the challenges she faces, destiny continues to steer her toward her ultimate purpose and fate.
In many cultures and mythologies, the octopus is often associated with aspects of mystery, danger, and conflict. Its tentacled appearance and ability to camouflage itself in its environment make it a powerful symbol of the struggle and complexity of human conflicts. In the game, the giant octopus present at the aquarium can be interpreted as a visual representation of the internal and external conflicts that the characters, especially Abby, must face. The octopus's tentacles seem to stretch out and envelop the environment, evoking how conflict can feel omnipresent and difficult to avoid. Furthermore, the octopus is a formidable predator in the marine world, using its tentacles to capture and subdue its prey. This imagery can be associated with how the characters in the game are ensnared in the conflicts surrounding them.
And finally, Abby sees Ellie as a Stingray. Ellie's journey to get to Abby in Seattle final moments is symbolic of her descent into the aquatic world : to get to the hidden crab in the secretive ocean, she must transform as an aquatic animal. As Ellie approaches the aquarium, the challenges intensify, marked by increasingly stormy weather and turbulent seas. Despite the obstacles, Ellie perseveres, ultimately reaching her destination, not before falling into the ocean. Few notes here, first of all there's this outdoor kids' play area, a crab faces towards a whale and a shark, while an orca wing and a seahorse stand behind them. Could be a representation of how Abby is leaving her past behind and her newfound responsibility towards Lev. Next, right before kneeling to get under the fence, a sign featuring a stingray lies on its side, urging one to "become a member today". Further symbolism unfolds as Ellie encounters a shark depiction just before her fall from a broken window, with a stingray positioned EXACTLY on the floor where she lands. On the same note there is a stingray positionned on the floor exactly where Ellie kills Mel & Owen. The cafe section of the aquarium, named "Stingray Bay Cafe," features murals depicting a beach with palm trees, foreshadowing the events to come in Santa Barbara. Abby's exploration of the aquarium with Yara while looking for Lev reveals a section named "Shipwreck Cove," dominated by a giant stingray overhead, further hinting at the impending encounters and sequences involving boats, serving as a metaphor for both characters feeling like shipwrecks by the end of their tumultuous journey.
Also, The use of animal symbolism during Ellie and Abby's confrontations adds a layer of complexity and depth to their dynamic. During their intense fight in the theater, the actions of Ellie and Abby mirror the characteristics of the animals associated with them. Abby's brute force and relentless attacks, smashing Ellie into the floor and causing them to fall to a lower level, hitting her with her fists or grabbing her, align with the symbolism of the crab and its claws. She also headbut Ellie ( bison ). In contrast, Ellie's actions, repeatedly tries spiking Abby with her knife like a stingray hitting its prey, reflect a more tactical and predatory approach. I invite you to re-check their fight at the theater with that in mind, it's really striking.
As we've discussed, these symbols are not merely decorative but serve as powerful storytelling devices, conveying concepts or themes of identity, transformation, and growth. Whether you've noticed these subtle details yourself or are discovering them for the first time, it's clear that the developers at Naughty Dog have crafted a meticulously designed world filled with rich symbolism and meaningful connections.
So, what are your thoughts? Have you spotted any other animal motifs or symbols ? Let me know your theories !

https://preview.redd.it/libhjkes475d1.png?width=1275&format=png&auto=webp&s=2780a285745414e4cc0ff35c8988d5493fa5b6e0
happens about once a month and have to restart it. i have port forwarding on my plex server and static ip

https://santaclarameditation.com/2024/03/15/master-woo-myung-method-for-finding-your-true-self-what-is-the-true-self-santa-clara-meditation/

When debating with a critic who adheres to scientism (someone who believes scientific knowledge is the only truth ie scientism), they often insist that no metaphysical or logical arguments are valid in discovering true things. This post will address the problems with this line of thinking specifically. This is not an attack on any “lack of belief” positions, but against scientism and those who would use it as a refutation of metaphysical arguments.
First, whether or not metaphysical arguments (such as those for the existence of God, substance dualism, etc.) are valid ways to arrive at truth is part of what’s being debated. For the critic to counter such arguments with, “metaphysics can’t get you to truth” is not a fair argument (it just affirms the conclusion of scientism, but that’s what we’re debating) unless he can substantiate the scientism he’s using to refute us. He can’t do so with a metaphysical argument about reality, that would be self-refuting. And the most well-known critique about scientism is that that claim itself isn't a claim of science. Often, the critic will simply assert that any argument establishing substance dualism (for example), is invalid. Why is it invalid? Because the critic says so, pay no mind to whether scientism is even true. I’d recommend this post by u/Archeidos about the null hypothesis to see how that applies to an assertion of scientism.
Consider this quote from Edward Feser’s response to Paul Churchland’s critique of substance dualism

"Of course, Churchland, committed as he is to a Quinean form of scientism, thinks that all good theories must in some sense be empirical scientific theories. He rejects the traditional conception of metaphysics as a rational field of study distinct from and more fundamental than physics, chemistry, biology, and the like, and would deny that there is any such thing as sound metaphysical reasoning that is not in some way a mere extension of empirical hypothesis formation. But he cannot simply assume all of this in the present context without begging the question, because this sort of scientism is precisely (part of) what the dualist denies."

This leads to the next problem: critics who use scientism as their position often misapply scientific critique to metaphysical arguments. When dualism or theism is established via metaphysical demonstration, the critic will critique it as if it’s a scientific hypothesis, looking for the “best explanation” of empirical evidence. But this is not what the metaphysician is doing. Whether the dualist (or theist) establishes the mind as immaterial, for instance, depends on the truth of the premises and the logical validity of the conclusion. If the critic responds with Ockham's Razor or other scientific criteria, they miss the point and make a category mistake.
From the same response:

"When Andrew Wiles first claimed – correctly, as it turned out – to have proven Fermat’s Last Theorem, it would have been ridiculous to evaluate his purported proof by asking whether it best accounts for the empirical evidence, or is the 'best explanation' among all the alternatives, or comports with Ockham’s razor. Anyone who asked such questions would simply be making a category mistake, and showing himself to be uninformed about the nature of mathematical reasoning. It is equally ridiculous, equally uninformed, equally a category mistake, to respond to Plato’s affinity argument, or Aristotle’s and Aquinas’s argument from the nature of knowledge, or Descartes’ clear and distinct perception argument, or the Cartesian-Leibnizian-Kantian unity of consciousness argument, or Swinburne’s or Hart’s modal arguments, or James Ross’s argument from the indeterminacy of the physical , by asking such questions. As with a purported mathematical demonstration, one can reasonably attempt to show that one or more of the premises of such metaphysical arguments are false, or that the conclusion does not follow. But doing so will not involve the sorts of considerations one might bring to bear on the evaluation of a hypothesis in chemistry or biology."

The same is true if the critic says, “Well why can’t we touch/test/examine xyz thing,” or, “This conclusion is only probably true, but will only be ‘verified’ after it's subjected to empirical testing.” That isn’t how deduction works. The conclusion isn’t conditional (as long as it follows logically). If we reach the conclusion, that’s the end of it. It isn’t “probably true.” This also applies to the misuse of the term “God of the gaps” as a catch-all argument against theistic positions. "God of the gaps" is a specific fallacy, not a universal rebuttal.
Whether the metaphysician has established their conclusion depends on the argument presented, not on the stipulations of the critic. Scientism is not a default (metaphysical) position we should adopt without question. Unless the critic can show why their position is correct (in a non-question-begging way), they cannot dictate which forms of knowledge are valid to undermine metaphysical arguments without properly addressing them.
The scientistic (kind of rightfully) is worried about how to falsify metaphysical arguments, “if it can't be falsified (they mean by empiricism specifically) then it doesn't matter.” But that isn't the way to falsify metaphysical arguments, you have to critique the logical structure and truth of the premises. In other words, study your metaphysics and play up.
I’ll conclude with another quote from Feser (yes there is a pattern):

"New Atheist types will insist that there can be no rationally acceptable and testable arguments that are not empirical scientific arguments, but this just begs the question. The Scholastic claims to have given such arguments, and to show that he is wrong, it does not suffice merely to stomp one’s feet and insist dogmatically that it can’t be done. The critic has to show precisely where such arguments are in error—exactly which premise or premises are false, or exactly where there is a fallacy committed in the reasoning. Moreover, as we have seen, the New Atheist refutes himself in claiming that only the methods of natural science are legitimate, for this assertion itself has no non-question-begging scientific justification. It is merely one piece of metaphysics among others. The difference between the New Atheist metaphysician and the Scholastic metaphysician is that the Scholastic knows that he is doing metaphysics and presents arguments for his metaphysical positions which are open to rational evaluation."

Here is a post of an atheist demonstrating the first way from Aquinas. Throughout the post and in the replies OP defends the argument and why he doesn't ultimately accept it by using his metaphysics. This is the way.
But so far as the scientism proponent won't (or cannot) debate the metaphysics in this way, he cannot affirm his own position as a kind of refutation, or even worse, as a default position.

Everyone tells me I'm doing a wonderful job as a mother, but I feel like I'm messing things up big time, primarily because in the 26 months I've been raising my son we have not managed to find a way to get him to sleep that works for everyone.
I guess I'll post a timeline of major things that happened, with some explanation.
Prior to having my son I had zero experience with babies or children. I am the only one of my peers who has had a child and I have had zero practical help or even advice from family. I really had no clue. I wanted to co-sleep but after a 4 day failed home birth I transferred to a hospital, where they made us watch a video that basically said if we tried to cosleep we'd roll onto the baby... and I was sleep deprived enough to be scared senseless.
So here's how sleep went, with no awareness of baby sleep and no plan;
0-4.5 months - very tough time because I didn't realize they couldn't self-soothe, so I was nursing him to sleep, unable to unlatch without waking him, and struggling to know how to sleep myself or do anything other than nurse!
4.5 months - I was connected with a mother of 6 who casually told me the only way she could get her kids to sleep was to let them CIO. After almost 5 months of not sleeping myself, this seemed like the only solution. I went on the internet to find out how to do it and read lots of people's experiences saying "I found checking made them more upset" so I decided to do extinction. My husband checked on our son twice the first night. Within three nights he was sleeping. I feel SO guilty about this because I have since read in every parenting book I come across that you should meet every need in a baby under age 1. That same mother later told me "Oh, I never did it that young". I really can't seem to let go of the guilt, particularly as I ended up separating for in similarly cold ways later.
Just after sleep training "successfully" we moved, and our son was distraught being put to sleep in his new room the first night. After that my instincts finally seemed to kick in and I decided to cosleep.
5-7 months - coslept except I wasn't really sleeping because my son moves around A LOT and I was still paranoid I would squash him. So come 7.5 months (and another move) I began sleeping in his bed until he was asleep and returned to nurse 2-3 times per night.
10 months - around this time I was still so sleep deprived, with no family or friends offering to take care of my son for an hour or two, no babysitters etc., despite trying to find some help (husband doing his best but working long hours out of the home) I basically wasn't sleeping or resting. So there were two separate days where my son fought his naps/ bedtime and I just ended up walking out of his room leaving him crying. Again, I feel majorly guilty for this - I was not coping well.
13 months decided to night-wean and did it in a gentle way (Dr Jay Gordon) and followed it with sleep training by basically doing CIO with check-ins every 10 mins.
This seemed to work until we moved again.
We then had the same old problems, so we had to sleep train again at 16 months. Same way as above, with check ins.
We moved one more time when he was 18 months, finally finding a long-term rental. I stayed in his room for a few weeks until he got used to it and began to phase myself out using something akin to the chair method. I then began asking him if he would like me to come back and check on him, and we eventually got to a pretty good place where he would tell me he wanted to be alone after our bedtime routine and happily babble, and I would check in every so often to give a cuddle.
That is until two weeks ago where I left the house before bedtime to go to the grocery store and my husband had to put him to bed alone (we usually do it together). Apparently it didn't go well and ever since he has been refusing to fall asleep alone, so I've been in his room cuddling with him the past few nights. I would be glad to do it but when he falls asleep is completely unpredictable and can take as much as 1.5 hours. It's negatively effecting my ability to function as well as my ability to have time with my husband.
So last night I tried to revert to the very soft, sweet, gentle and responsive check-ins but my son screamed blue murder and cried every time I left. Even if it was with a promise to come back and a prompt return. My husband ended up going in and cuddling with him.
Today my son has been acting out, and before his nap just now he was swinging his shovel at the wall, trying to kick me as I changed his diaper and telling me he is still mad at me for leaving him last night.
There is also a song I used to sing at bedtime when he was 13-17 months old where if he hears it at all now he will become very distressed and cry.
I am pretty sure I have hurt him a lot along the way.
The rest of the time in our relationship I am very responsive, gentle and sweet. I always engage him in play, and try to find connection. I try to help him articulate and understand his emotions and never shame him for them, and encourage him in the ways he needs. I try to be authoritative rather than authoritarian.
I try so hard but I really feel like I've blown it and nothing else I do makes up for these bedtime struggles.
Does anyone have any insight, advice, encouragement or suggestions for me? Books I can read on how to repair and win back his trust?
I know some of the actions I took were wrong. Please go easy on me. I really want to repair this situation and I am seriously hard on myself for my shortcomings as it is. Thank you.

Hi Everyone, later this month I will be 7 years out of my Glioblastoma diagnosis. I was 30 years old when I was diagnosed and am 37 years old now. Over the last 6+ years, I have been put in contact with many people battling the same diagnosis and decided to create a Word document titled "Health & Happiness", which details all of the things I have incorporated into my healing journey. Everyone is different and I am simply sharing what has worked for me. Neither me or my wife are in the medical field however we have spent a lot of time researching things to integrate into my day-to-day life which we believe are keeping me healthy. For the first 5 years of my journey I received MRI's every 8 weeks; now that I am more than 5 years out I get MRI's every 12 weeks. Below is a copy and paste of the document:
*Below there are some discount codes that I have not affiliation with and found them through IG or marketing emails and they might be outdated*
My Neurosurgeon:
Dr. Mitchel Berger - UCSF
My Neuro Oncologist:
Dr. Timothy Cloughesy - UCLA
My Naturopathic Doctor:
· Christian Gonzalez, ND
o Check out his podcast, “Heal Thy Self” – This podcast has been life-changing for my wife and I. It has provided us with assurance about the path that we have been on to keep me healthy and has opened our eyes to so many things that we thought were “good” and “healthy” when in fact we were grossly misled to a technique called “Green Washing” that a lot of companies and products use in their marketing efforts.
· Below are two links where you can find a ND in your area.
o Naturopath Oncologist Database - https://oncanp.org/directory/
o General Naturopath Doctor Database - https://www.naturopathic.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=2
CBD/THC Extracts - Cancer Protocols:
· I went through CT's full 90 day protocol back in 2017 in conjunction with radiation and chemo (Temodar). I am on CT's "maintenance" program and have been since I finished the 90 day protocol.
o https://www.constancetherapeutics.com/
o https://www.forbes.com/sites/abbierosne2019/01/24/constance-finleys-midlife-detour-to-cannabis-extraction-connoisseu#456c41bc35c6
§ The article above is from Forbes magazine on Constance and how she got started.
Books and Documentaries:
· Radical Remission. This book was the first book I read when I was diagnosed and gave me knowledge and motivation to not look at my diagnosis as a death sentence. One of the most powerful cancer books I have read and I highly recommend it for anyone that has cancer or knows someone that has cancer. 😊
· What the Health: Netflix
· Heal: Netflix
o Here are a couple ‘extras’ from “Heal” that we found very powerful and inspiring.
§ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sxmK8A-Kco&list=PLmcZvnvGDkToo9nYIX3ugcgyLCll0NLLc&utm_content=b080891cf2ccb1c272c432873d52f9cd&utm_campaign=Don%27t+believe+you+can+change+your+destiny%3F+This+video+could+help+you+change+your+mind.&utm_source=Robly.com&utm_medium=email

§ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeQjNRahxrw&feature=youtu.be&utm_content=eadbd6e0e0dff2d44d28e6515fa4c2a1&utm_campaign=Rob+Wergin+use+his+incredible+and+unique+gifts&utm_source=Robly.com&utm_medium=email

o The Documentary “Heal”, did so well they wrote a book as well.
· The Game Changers – A documentary on Netflix.
· Forks Over Knives - Netflix
· Cowspiracy – Netflix
· The China Study – Book outlining the most comprehensive study done on nutrition, and the links the standard American diet has to all types of diseases including cancer.
· Being In Balance - Book
· You The Healer – Book
· The Power of Now – Book
· The Celestine Prophecy – Book
· How Not To Die – Book
· The Truth About Cancer – Documentary


Supplements I am taking:
· Maca Root
· Vitamin B12
· Gaia – “Liver Health”
· Bladderwrack & Sea Moss
o We purchase these from- https://alkalineveganshop.com/
· Mushroom Supplements: Chaga, Turkey Tail, Maitake, Reishi, Cordyceps & Lion’s Mane (Real Mushrooms is the company we use.) See video and article below about the health benefits of mushrooms.
o https://www.realmushrooms.com/
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuL_faveAnw
o https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/canceturkey-tail-mushrooms-for-cancer-treatment/
o Paul Stamets is the CEO of Host Defense and his mother was diagnosed with Stage Four Breast Cancer. He gives a lot of credit to her remission from the mushroom supplements. https://hostdefense.com/also has a 10% off first time order. We order from Vitacost.com though due to their sales and free shipping.
· Agaricus Mushroom – I take it at night with my Essiac Tea (See Below)
· Kelp
· Vitamin D3
· Graviola/Soursop – (can be taken as a supplement or in Tea form)
· Ashwagandha –Benefits and study links below. In the first link below, each number found in the article is a hyper link showcasing different studies that have been conducted proving the benefits listed.
o https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-ashwagandha-benefits#section3
o https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26650066
· Vitamin B2
· Boswellia (Frankincense)
· Melatonin
· CoQ10
[· X-R Shield by LifeExtension – My ND prescribed me to take these 5 days prior to air travel, during travel and 5 days after air travel. When flying, you’re exposed to high amounts of radiation and this supplement helps to protect cell DNA damage]()
· Chaparral
o We purchase these from- https://alkalineveganshop.com/
· Liposomal Glutathione – Quicksilver Scientific
· NAC (N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, Free-Form)
· Co-E1 NADH
· Probiotic – Klaire Labs, Ther-Biotic Complete
· Life Cykel Mushroom Tinctures
o https://us.lifecykel.com/?rfsn=3953957.f0c203&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=3953957.f0c203
o Discount code: 0DCB4626
o Chaga, Turkey Tail, Reishi, Lions Maine, Cordyceps, Shitake
o All of the above mushrooms are harnessed in Kakadu Plum juice which is the most Vitamin C dense fruit in the world.
· We get most of our supplements from http://www.vitacost.com . They have sales all the time and free 2-day shipping.

Teas:
· Senna Tea - I drank this on the nights I took Temodar (Chemo) to prevent constipation, it's a lot easier on your body than any OTC medication.
· Essiac Tea - I drink 4 oz. of this every night before bed. People who have defeated cancer give a lot of credit to Essiac Tea.
o We purchase it in loose leaf form from https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/
· Moringa
· Dandelion
· Teas with Turmeric
[· Pique Tea – Organic, ceremonial grade, triple screened for heavy metals, mold toxins and pesticides. This is the only tea that we have been able to find that has a triple screening process for heavy metals. “Organic” does not mean free of heavy metals.]()
o Discount Code: GREENFIELD 15% off!

Other things I do:
· Meditation – Every day for 20 minute – I started off with the app called “Headspace” other people use “Calm”. Its personal preference.
o I am looking into taking a TM class (Transcendental Meditation) and will let you know once I do.
[· Minimizing EMF exposure as much as possible]()
o Sleeping with our phones in airplane mode and away from us, ideally in another room
o Turning off Wi-Fi at night, and even when not in use
o Covering Wi-Fi router and Digital Electricity Meter (outside of house) with EMF guards
§ These can be found here: https://smartmeterguard.com/
o Keeping cell phones away from our bodies as much as possible
o Not using anything wireless near our heads. This includes cell phones (always talk on speaker phone or a wired ear pod connection), air pods or any type of Bluetooth headphones, this includes Bluetooth in the car.
o Hardwiring my office so there is no need for Wi-Fi.
· When we fly, we have these blankets that we wrap around our body. This company has a lot of great products that protect you from EMF exposure.
o https://www.defendershield.com/emf-radiation-protection-blanket
· We also wear these when we fly, they are a company out of Australia
o https://radiasmart.com/emf-hat-hood/
o This is what we have: RS EMF radiation protection hood, blocking RF, EMF- Brian Coat
· Here is another company that is popular, we were not aware of it at the time of buying the other products above.
o https://getlambs.com/products/emf-proof-beanie
· Positive attitude and mindset in everything I do- link below to article explaining how thoughts can benefit or hinder your body
o https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-your-thoughts-change-your-brain-cells-and-genes_b_9516176
· Eliminate as much stress as I possibly can from my everyday life
· Be present in my mind
· Yoga
· Spin
· Writing down 3 things that I am grateful for each night before bed
· Using Frankincense oil on my feet and pillow, every night, before bed
· Morning Routine: Body Scan Meditation, Drink a liter of water when you wake up (Your body is most dehydrated after a full night’s sleep), stretch or some type of quick 10 minute workout to get your body moving in the morning, “I Am” affirmations (I will usually do this right after I finish my morning stretching, I will typically say 5-10 things out loud to myself, for example (I am healthy, I am a loving husband, I am kind, etc…), statements of gratitude (I will mix this in with my “I Am” affirmations, for example, I am grateful for my bed, I am grateful for my home, I am grateful to have access to organic produce, etc…) I try to focus on this that I have in my life instead of things that I want, rubbing a 1-2 drops of any organic essential oil that you like in your hands in the morning and taking 4-5 deep breaths with your hands over your mouth and nose (this is very helpful in awakening your sensory functions), lastly, I listen to music when getting ready for work in the morning. Soft music in the morning taps into the creative side of your brain and research has shown that individuals that listen to soft music in the morning are more creative and productive throughout the day than those who don’t.
· Taking a walk every day to get fresh air and disconnect, normally with the dogs J
· Circuit Training
· Acupuncture / Energy Healing
· Energy Healer – Steve Montoya – Let me know if you would like his contact info. He travels all over the world healing people. He is in the LA/OC area once a quarter or so.
o https://ramonashealingjourney.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/you-shall-know-them-by-their-love/
· Keeping my body warm at all times. We learned from Traditional Chinese Medicine, that keeping the body warm protects the kidneys, which means all of the other organs can do their job and the body can heal. Also, just for example, when you have a fever, it’s your body’s way of protecting all of your vital organs so that they can do their job, as well as preventing any proliferation of bacteria and viruses.
o http://aprilcrowell.com/asian-medicine/warm-to-the-core/
· John of God – Brazil. Lauren’s cousin went down to visit him during the 4th quarter of 2018 and took a head shot of myself as well as a two-page letter sharing my story. He is a spiritual healer that helped a young man get to a state of meditation where his brain tumor shrunk to nothing. He sent back two bottles of Herbs (Ground Up Passion Flower Leaves – Actual Name: Passiflora) for me to take. There is a large portion about him in the book “Radical Remission” and he is featured in “Heal” as well.
· I brush my teeth with my less dominant hand once a day and then with my dominant hand the other two times.
o This helps stimulate parts of the brain that are not in use often. You can do this with many things, brushing your hair, using your less dominant foot in sports, washing your body with soap while showering.
· Drinking and eating out of glass vs. plastic. It’s having an effect on both men and women’s endocrine systems (hormones, fertility, etc…)
o https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2017/7/26/new-endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-are-undermining-male-fertility
· This may sound like something so simple but it’s quite challenging: When moving/changing physical positions I am always present. For example, every time I sit, I tell myself I am sitting, every time I stand to walk, I tell myself I am standing. This helps me to bring my mind into a present state and focus less on the future or past.
o This was a recommendation during one of my guided meditations.
· Laughing, loving and hugging every day. This was a big take away for Lauren and I from reading the book Radical Remission. It’s important to laugh every day, love every day and receive and give hugs to people every day. I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it has worked on other folks, we practice it every day. We try to watch more comedies if we are going to watch a movie on the weekend, an easy way to incorporate laughter into your life.
· We recently added air purifiers into our home. I also have one in my office. We purchased the Molekule, but through research we found that the Air Doctor is another good option (and I believe also a little less expensive). Here is a discount code for $100 off a Molekule: MetroMD100
· IR Sauna (Infrared Saunas)
o These are great for detoxifying the body, especially after air travel. I go to Perspire (https://perspiresaunastudio.com/) here in Orange County.
· Epsom Salt Baths – Especially after air or any long car travel as well.
· Grounding/Earthing – Walk around barefoot on your backyard grass or anywhere there is a plot of “Earth”. Feel the grass between your toes or if you are at the beach, be aware of the sand between your toes. We are all energy and Earth contains energy, manifest the energy from the Earth into your body for increased healing, awareness, presence and mindfulness. I do this for about 10-15 minutes.
· Cold Showers (as cold as the shower can get) every morning and Ice Plunges. Look up the “Wim Hof Method”
o https://www.wimhofmethod.com/

Diet:
· For the past 6+ years we have followed a whole food plant-based diet (vegan without the junk food). Cancer cells feed off of Glucose (Sugar) firstly, but can also utilize glutamate as a second source of fuel (which is in all animal protein, land and sea). I have also cut out all artificial sugars from my diet. Dairy is also extremely inflammatory for your body and has been linked to cancer in many research studies.
· White Carbs and Gluten - We have eliminated these from our diet as much as we possibly can. Even for people who do not have a ‘gluten intolerance,’ gluten is very hard on the body’s digestive system. Excessive consumption can lead to a leaky gut, which causes toxins to seep out of the digestive tract into the body/blood making it hard for your immune system to work at its peak. Also, most gluten products have high levels of glyphosate, which they’ve linked to cancer. Glyphosate acts like an antibiotic to your gut (not in a good way), wiping out all of the beneficial gut flora which are there to keep your immune system working efficiently.
· Alkaline Foods and Water - Cancer cells cannot grow in an alkaline environment; we drink water with a PH level of 9.5. We recently invested in a Kangen water machine for our home. A level of 7 PH is balanced and anything below 7 is acidic. Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment. Things that make your body acidic are alcohol, dairy, meat, processed and artificial sugars and gluten.
· I drink warm lemon water with apple cider vinegar every morning, which also helps alkalize the body and keep stomach acid levels at a great pH for food absorption.
· We practice intermittent fasting, which allows the body to not worry about processing food for a large portion of the day but rather allow its immune system to be working at its peak ability. We started out by only eating from 12 PM - 8 PM and are working toward 12 PM - 6 PM. Intermittent fasting is really important when taking Temodar (or any chemotherapy). It allows the body to protect the healthy cells while targeting cancer cells. There is so much research showing the benefits of intermittent fasting for cancer patients.
· This is a really interesting article citing a lot of different sources regarding a plant-based diet and fighting/preventing cancer:
o https://www.vivahealth.org.uk/veganhealth/dont-feed-cancer

Other Things to Research:
· Dr. Sebi – He is the doctor who put a full-page ad in the NY Post and was sued to take it down. When he went to his court hearing the judge asked him if he could prove that he healed anyone, and he furnished 70 patients of his that were healed by his treatment and the Judge declared “not guilty” on all the charges that were brought against him by the State of New York.
o The link below is a quick rundown of his life. I believe the pharmaceutical companies were heavily involved with his death in while he was imprisoned in Honduras.
o https://wakeup-world.com/2015/08/28/dr-sebi-the-man-who-cures-aids-cancer-diabetes-and-more/
· Radiation Stickers for your cell phone and laptop:
o https://www.amazon.com/Radiation-Protection-Labobbon-Household-Appliances/dp/B078SSD6QC
· We also try to use the ‘cleanest’ hygiene products we can find. There are many harmful chemicals in our everyday toothpastes, shampoos, deodorants, etc. Chemicals to avoid in hygiene products below:
o Shampoo – Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, basically any ‘sulfate,’ Parabens, Sodium Benzoate. Brands that we like are: 100% Pure, Acure, Alaffia
o Toothpaste – Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, basically any ‘sulfate’, fluoride, triclosan, DEA, Propylene Glycol, Microbeads. One of the worst toothpaste brands out there is Colgate. We use Himalaya Botanique & Nature’s Gate as well as Dr. Bronner’s All-In-One toothpaste.
o Deodorant – Aluminum, Parabens, Triclosan, DEA, Propylene Glycol. We have been testing out natural deodorants for years and our favorite (although not vegan) is from a company called Primally Pure. We’ve also started to use a brand called Joyous Organics with clean (and minimal) ingredients.
o A great website to reference for beauty product ingredients and their safety is https://www.ewg.org/
§ Skin Deep Database – This is where you will find clean products to put on your body.
· https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

· The Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen
o The EWG, each year, comes out with an updated list of produce that we should be buying organic 100% of the time (Dirty Dozen), especially people like you and I who have had cancer. The Clean fifteen can be purchased conventionally if you can’t find them in an organic form and conventional is the only option
o https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php
o https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

· The link below is a good read on Monsanto’s Glyphosate and the timeline for removal in home use:
o https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2021/07/bayer-end-residential-sales-cancer-causing-weedkiller-glyphosate?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=202108News&utm_medium=email&emci=9a939839-bef6-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=4d3bfe91-dbf7-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=2210188
These are things that we have done and have found to be successful so far with my body, and hopefully, they are helpful for you as well. I have also included some images below that show how damaging the effects of Wi-Fi radiation (and all of the radiation coming from electronics) can be.

One said: "Who are we and where have we come from?" And after decades of debating, we forgot to add one equally important question: "Where are we going?"
Since our independence from the Soviet Union, Georgia has become a dot on Western radars. By "Western," I primarily mean the USA, because the USA is the main ideological powerhouse of the so-called “global West.”
A former Soviet state in the Caucasus region with a troubled (and potentially more tense) relationship with Russia is an asset. Georgia became hard pro-West with Saakashvili in power (undoubtedly a hard pro-Western ruler, speculatively even a USA proxy). During this time, the USA didn’t take any vital steps to strengthen Georgia’s economy, sovereignty, and freedom. The USA gave $6 billion over 30 (!) years to Georgia (200 million a year), which is pocket change for them. In comparison, they gave $26 billion in just one payment to Israel to continue bombing Gaza civilians. It’s also important to mention that most of this money didn’t go to the government and people but to NGOs. But even if this money had been given to the government, it would hardly be anything to strengthen the economy. That’s just not how the economy works. No important infrastructural, defensive, or other partnership deals were made. Georgia went to Afghanistan) and Iraq to pledge their allegiance to the USA and even became the third largest contributor of troops. Georgia lost 38 soldiers in these missions, in wars we had nothing to do with. So having a couple of battalions in the Middle East for just $6 billion is a good deal for Uncle Sam.
The West didn’t even reconsider their relationship with Russia since their brutal invasion of Georgia in 2008. Our “friendly” nations held parades on Red Square, had new deals made, and their leaders ate burgers with Medvedev. As if August 2008 never happened.
There is a logical question: why?
Well, the answer is clear: because they didn’t have to. See, when you have “your bastard” in power of a certain country, propagandizing that all (economic, defensive, cultural) ties should be with the USA only, you don’t need any other investment in that country. In other words: why should we spoil our relationship with Russia if Georgia will be our guy anyway? And for many years that was true actually, there was no real alternative to the USA but now we have a different picture - there is a country, a promising country, a scary country.
Don’t consider this as an anti-Western rhetoric from me. Not in the slightest. Western values of freedom and liberty are most attractive and possibly the best. But being part of Western civilization is one thing, and real geopolitics is another. People often confuse them with each other. One might say: well, USA is our friend!
To that, I’ll answer:
There are no friends.
International politics, and mainly realism school of politics) (started by Machiavelli and now held by John Mearsheimer), is not a matter of family and friends. It’s a free-for-all battleground with no morals and no higher authority. Therefore, there are no relationships as we ordinary humans are used to: there is no friendship, love, or jealousy—there is only one thing: survival and everything that concerns that. There are no friends—only contemporary allies; there are no enemies—only contemporary adversaries. A state does everything in its power to survive, and if something threatens its security, it does everything in its power to eliminate it.
The USA is no friend of ours. No one is, no one was, and no one will ever be. You, the person reading this, will put your personal interests aside if your friend needs help. You’ll act altruistically and self-sacrificially because you love your friend, you have a personal relationship, and you’ve known that person for years. No state has ever done that and will ever do this (in the current system)
We are alone, always were alone, and always will be alone in pursuing our interests. Yes, we have allies and will have allies with whom we share our interests, but no more than that. It is our path to walk, and we should never, ever consider anything but the security and well-being of our people.
Considering what the actual hell is happening in the world right now.
Since the end of the Cold War (not 1991, but unofficially in the '80s when it was clear the Soviets lost), USA became the global hegemony. There was no other global power to threaten its dominance. USA reached its fourth phase , and as others before them (the British, Mongols, Romans, and so many more), it influenced every part of the known world. From the Middle East to South America, there was no country to challenge them, and even if one appeared (for one reason or another), the USA swiftly “dealt” with them. And as we unironically repeat the worn-out phrase “history repeats itself,” it indeed does. Like those before them, the USA is becoming a victim of its own system—in this instance, capitalism. In their golden era, capitalism pushed businesses to move their production lines to “cheap countries,” and the best of them was newly “half-decommunized,” poor and large China. Americans probably never would have thought that they were creating one who would challenge them in the future and possibly even end them. And so, for the first time in 50 years, we have a truly bipolar world. We have entered a new Cold War era.
In the blue corner, we have the reigning champion, devastator of the Middle East, Mr. Coup d'état himself—the mighty and powerful USA!
In the red corner, we have the title challenger from Asia, octopus of economies and surveillance, oppressor of Hong Kong and Taiwan, young and furious—PRC!
Bruce Buffer would have said this in some parallel world (though with the shit happening now, he might as well do it in this one).
We have a situation now where both sides rush to make “factions,” getting as many countries on their side as possible. It’s an unusual situation for the USA because, for many years, there was no alternative—you either were with the USA or were dead. To add fuel to the fire (in the White House), China’s foreign policy is much more attractive to third countries. Xi’s famous “One Belt, One Road” initiative is a clear example of that. On the other hand, the USA still has a lot (and I mean A LOT) of leverage left in other states. By forming BRICS, the global south challenged the USA and the most important and powerful weapon in their arsenal—the US dollar. China does everything slowly and methodically to dethrone the USA, and by the looks of it, everything plays into their hands.
Why does China do that?
When you grow to a certain size, you attract enemies of your size. The USA and China naturally became adversaries because when you grow big, your interests multiply, and so does the overlap between your interests and other big powers' interests. And as we said above, one only acts on behalf of their own interests.
China already has on their side: Russia, most of Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Iran, probably Turkey, a lot of African countries (predominantly in the sub-Saharan belt), Hungary, Brazil, India, South Africa, and a lot of countries that were traditionally allied with the West have hinted at jumping ship if they see the China option as winning and more beneficial (e.g., Saudi Arabia and, by extension, all Arab countries). It seems like a race to win Europe, and whoever gets Europe wins the race.
That’s where we come into play.
Unlike the US, whose soft power consists of installing regimes and propagandizing their ideology as the only way of achieving “American Dream™”, China acts differently. They build tight, mutually beneficial economic ties and economic deals only they can offer and that can’t be beaten. With that, they guarantee that certain third states will never misstep from their path—no one shoots a duck that lays golden eggs. So to have Europe, China needs strong, constant economic ties to Europeans. Meanwhile, the USA needs to isolate the EU as much as possible (*cough* Nord Stream 2). But it seems Europe is not keen on maintaining the status quo and also seeks ties with China, since their economy has been slowing down year by year, the workforce is declining, and migrants appear to be more of a problem than a solution. Europe needs more economic diversification (presumably with China), and for this, they will be willing to let go of multilateral peace guarantees between NATO countries.
NATO was beneficial to Europe for decades since they didn’t have to worry about defense and spend money on defense. First of all, when you are bordered by countries that are also NATO members, you have nothing to worry about, and secondly, the USA did all the heavy lifting. In return, the USA requested a unified foreign policy. “If I go to the Middle East, you shut up and go with me.” And it was mutually beneficial for a long time. But as Bob Dylan said, times they are a-changin.
After Russia engulfed Eastern Europe in fire, trade between the EU and China halted, and both of them started seeking new routes since Russia was unacceptable and unreliable for Europe and China was not keen on it either. So the "Middle Corridor" idea was revived, connecting China to the EU through four countries: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia/Turkey. This corridor not only priveded safe trading route but also the shortest one, shortening delivery time from 50 days to just 14. China building infrastructure in Georgia and in the aforementioned countries and also starting construction of a port in Anaklia even more solidified this theory. This route is essential for China, Europe, and most importantly (or as I said, the only one that matters) for Georgia. This route is not only a big economic gain but also a huge security and prosperity guarantee, since both the EU and China will be keen on maintaining peace in the region to not disrupt trade. This may come in different ways to Georgia.
(what I’ll describe below, of course, is the best way scenario, not the most likely one, but realistic nonetheless.)
From China, Georgia can get Abkhazia and Samachablo in one way or another. And no, as I said before, there are no friendships and gifts in geopolitics. This may happen not because China = good, China = kind,but because it just may be very beneficial to them also.. Since they most definitely will want security on their trade route, it’s in their own interests to have no separatist regions near major transport hubs (fortunately for us, the Anaklia port will be right beside the de facto border), and since China has major influence over Russia (especially after 2022), it won’t be hard for them to ask (demand/make a deal with) Russians to withdraw forces. Sounds unlikely ? well china already did this in Yemen (again, because it was in their interest ro have safe passage for their cargo on the Red Sea)
On the other hand, if this route goes through, the EU will most likely want to have more control over Georgia rather than having it act on its own. For that, they might give us EU membership. The other trend that also benefits Georgia in that matter is the gradual shift in power in the EU. As I stated multiple times, entities act only in their own interest. Therefore, EU enlargement happens only when it’s beneficial to the EU. One can be beneficial to the EU in two ways: politically and economically. With the right-sided shift in EU politics, political enlargement will become more and more frowned upon, and economic enlargement will become favored. This will accelerate 10x if China starts bringing some final assembly plants and factories to Georgia since it might as well be cheaper and more profitable for everyone.
But, there always is a “but.”
It can’t go this smoothly, can it? Of course, this project has enemies—quite big ones, actually.
First of all, it’s of course our old one—Russia. Our northern neighbors are losing touch in the Caucasus; they are even losing Armenia. Having a strong, sovereign Georgia right at the border won’t be their dream scenario. It’s also notable that if the “middle corridor” doesn’t go through, the second most likely option is to renew trading through Russia, meaning this project is costing them influence and revenue. But fortunately for us, Russia has become China’s lapdog—an aggressive, pit bull-like lapdog, but a lapdog nonetheless.
But even worse than that, our adversary is becoming (or has already become) the worst single country to have on your enemy list—the USA. This trade route is a big no-no for Uncle Sam, and they will do almost everything to disrupt this project. (Yes, including that.) A country that used psy-ops, bribery, and propaganda to stage coups in more than 60 countries will stop at nothing to halt this project. That is my biggest fear.
Ironically, the viral TikTok trend during the “Russian Law” demonstrations quoting, “Next time somebody tells you, ‘The government wouldn’t do that,’ oh yes, they would,” refers to the CIA pretending to be vampires to overtake the Philippines. No, sadly, I’m not kidding and yes they succeeded.
We must never let ourselves be dragged down by Russia, the USA, or any other country. Honestly, fuck Russia, fuck the USA, and fuck China if it benefits us.
We don’t owe anyone anything.
We must choose sides based on who offers us the most; that's who ends up having deals with us; that’s who ends up winning...
P.S.
Who is a Georgian?
What does it mean to be Georgian?
Is it blood?
Language?
Religion?
nah
For me Georgian is someone who prioritizes Georgia’s interests above all others, even if it goes against their internal beliefs.

34m: Throwaway account obviously - Apologies in advance for the length of this post. I am going to do my best to talk chronologically so I am not bouncing around to a million places.
I met my now wife when we were young,. (Early 20's.) Our emotional compatibility has always been strong. Pretty early into the relationship, I noticed that sex was never a huge motivator for her, nor did she seek it out or initiate it. I took this as a "I want him to initiate" kind of message, and did everything I could to be driver of our sexual life. We had a strong balance and partnership in almost every other aspect of our life - but sex was totally on me.
As time went by, her interest in sex continued to lower, and the excuses started to pick up. Not an uncommon story so far, I am sure many of you have had similar experiences. Sadly, the excuses started to shift more into blame. We were in our mid 20's at that point, and I was working in hospitality. I worked crazy hours, and ate whatever I could find to cope. This led to weight gain, which escalated my emotional issues. The combination of all of this amounted to significantly lower self esteem that I was not aware of at that time.
I spent the next 5-6 years blaming myself. It was my fault my wife didn't want to have sex with me, and who could blame her? I lived in that pit of despair for close to half a decade, then COVID hit.
Right before COVID I was starting to work on weight loss, and had just received a great promotion. I felt this was my best chance to fix myself, and that part of my marriage. Unfortunately, I was terminated from my new role in the spring of 2020, after 9 years with same company. I loved that company mainly for the people, and watching the impact that the downfall had on the workers - pretty much broke me. I was a shell of a human, like many of us were, for close to two years. 2020 was pretty much rock bottom for me in multiple ways.
This brings us closer to the present. During COVID, I worked weird jobs that I had little to no interest in just to pay the bills. The uncertainty of my career was emotionally challenging, but I got used to this feeling after a while. I stopped caring as much about my job, and was investing more into myself. Thankfully, I did not give up weight loss. After a few months of not leaving the basement, I used exercise as my "Hey look I did something today" objective, and this grew into finding the motivation to exceed my starting goals. I went from 300lbs - 220lbs. I spent some free time earning my CPT license, and got a cool side job specializing in helping train new lifters get started. Exercise brought out a level of mental clarity that I had never really experienced before, and I wanted to share this with others. Gradually, this led to me starting to feel better about myself. My sex life did not change much at all. We would still only have sex once every month or two, and I had to borderline beg sometimes. I was confused, but just assumed I had not achieved my "goal" yet.
In 2021-2022, my wife suffered a mental breakdown. I wont go into the details, but she was evaluated for a while and finally diagnosed. There were a lot of concerns that I was going to walk away from the marriage, but this was not my desire at all. In all honestly, this diagnoses actually helped increase our communication and problem solving. It also shed a lot of light on behavioral patterns. For years, when she would start a level of conflict around something, I would sometimes call her out for playing one of her "Games". What I did not know was, those games were actual symptoms. The part that became scary for me was, Every. Single. Symptom applied to our sex life and intimacy issues. Most of this is related to taking advantage of others and having little to no concern about the needs of others.
Before the diagnosis, we had talked about our sexual issues multiple times. These conversations came in all forms and levels of intensity, but never went anywhere. This was mainly due to the painful emotions on my end, and how fast I would back down + her avoidance/Shutdown,
Before I go into the current, I feel it important to share some of the physical side. One big issue is size. I am 6'1 and am around 220lbs. She is 5'1, and in the 120lbs range. Due to my physical size, I am well endowed. This always limited the positions we could do. Doggy was impossible. We tried multiple times, with every toy/method you can think of, and it is just too much for her. I am always required to warm her up - which I am not really complaining about. I love oral, and could write a decertation on the topic at this point. The problem this creates is a complete void of spontaneity and passion. It feels transactional for the first 10 minutes, until I can rev her up well enough. She hates blowjobs, which again - is not uncommon. What hurts me is she gets nothing out of my pleasure, and I get so much out of hers. I see no point in pushing for change when change creates conflict. So I have pretty much come to the conclusion I will be having 1800's sex with my wife for probably the rest of our marriage.
Now, some of you are probably concerned and are going to recommend I just end the marriage. I am an empathetic to my own disadvantage, and a people pleaser. That is not going to change. I do see my wife in a different light now though. She is outwardly vulnerable for the first time in her life. I now better understand how her symptoms are defense mechanisms, and she fights herself every day. I know that I get caught in the crossfire, and was previously much more of a target when I was more vulnerable. I even understand I am the ideal target based on my personality traits. All of this boils down to one word - "Intent". Not all people with her disorder intend to harm others. I have seen plenty of evidence that she loves me, its just that none of that evidence is sexual. I require that sexual evidence, and am finally okay with admitting that.
We have recently come to an impasse after she opened up about feeling borderline A-Sexual. The topic of "Polyamory" then came up. I guess one of her friends is in the lifestyle. When we looked into it, it was more about people finding emotional partners. Sex and love have been primarily separate for most of my life, and I have started to embrace that. I don't want another emotional partner, and would not trade what I have for the world. We both agreed that I may need to explore sex outside of the marriage. I could tell the conversation was painful for her, and she even went so far to give me "Permission" even after expressing how everything makes her uncomfortable and nervous. The thought of hurting her brings me physical pain, and what I read about opening any side of a marriage is not comforting. Basically, I have no idea what I am doing. I am not sure what the next conversation will bring, or when it will occur.
I left out a sizeable amount of detail, but this was already stupid long. Happy to answer any questions if anyone is curious about anything. I am looking for any insight, personal experiences, or advice. Thank you all in advance, and I hope you find the peace you need as well <3

https://sci-hub.st/10.1057/fr.1988.4 Feminist Review, No. 28, Family Secrets: Child Sexual Abuse (Spring, 1988), pp. 56-64
In the early 1970s, when a radical feminist consciousness pulled [incestuous abuse] out of the closet, we thought we were engaged in an unprecedented discovery. In fact, charity volunteers and social workers a century earlier dealt with incest cases daily, understanding them to be a standard, expected part of the caseload of a child-protective agency such as a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. How are we to explain this historical amnesia? Like the suppression of so much women's history and feminist analysis, this hiatus was not created simply by the decline in feminism between 1920 and 1970, but by an active reinterpretation of child sexual abuse. I shudder when I think about what this meant: not only because of the incest victims rendered invisible and mute, but also because of its threat to us today, the threat that great achievements in consciousness-raising can be rolled back by powerful ideological tanks. My motives in writing a history of family violence were thus far from disinterested.[1]
Charity and social workers in the late nineteenth-century United States were familiar with child sexual abuse and knew that its most common form of abuse was intrafamilial—that is, incest. Ten per cent of the family-violence case records of Boston child-saving agencies which I sampled, starting in 1880, contained incest (Gordon and O'Keefe, 1986; Gordon, 1984). Moreover, in their upper-class way these child savers had a feminist analysis of the problem: they blamed male brutality and lack of sexual control. They could safely offer such explanations because they believed the problem to occur exclusively among the Catholic immigrant poor, whom they perceived as of "inferior stock," crowded "like animals" into urban ghettoes. Thus, ironically, the very upper-class base of child-rescue work at the time promoted the identification of problems unmentionable by standards of Victorian propriety.
Despite these class limitations, the sympathy for child victims entailed by this sensibility was one of the major achievements of the nineteenth-century feminist movement. The attack on male sexual and familial violence was often disguised in temperance rhetoric. American women's historians have recently conducted a reinterpretation of temperance, acknowledging its anti-Catholic, anti-working class content, but also identifying its meanings for women contesting the evils that alcohol created for them and their families: violence, disease, impoverishment, male irresponsibility. Moreover, the feminist anti-violence campaign had significant successes. In the course of the century wife-beating was transformed from an acceptable practice into one which, despite its continued widespread incidence, was illegal and reprehensible, a seamy behaviour which men increasingly denied and tried to hide (Pleck, 1979). Indeed, the whole movement against child abuse which began in the 1870s was a product of a feminist sensibility in several ways: first, in opposing corporal punishment and preference for gentler methods of child training; second, in challenging the sanctity of the Victorian home and authority of the paterfamilias. Most manuals of child raising by the last quarter of the nineteenth century recommended physical punishment only as a last resort (Reposter note: Of course, this would still be child abuse. "Child training" is still a dehumanizing term. They didn't go anywhere nearly far enough.), and women's legal victories in child custody created a preference for maternal rights to children for a century.
Consider a few examples of incest cases from the late nineteenth century:[2]

In 1900 a thirteen year old girl has been placed out with a family in which the wife is absent. The SPCC worker reports that the "child's bed not slept in but [the father's bed is] much tumbled. The girl cries and dreads the night." (Case #1820A)
An incest victim reports, sometime in the 1890s, that her father "told her that it was all right for him to do such things and say such things to her, for all fathers did so with their daughters. Tried to force her to go to a hotel in Boston with him once. Also advised her to go with fellows to get money. Said that if she got in trouble he would help her out.…" (Case #2058A)

There were hundreds of these stories telling us not only that [incestuous abuse] occurred, but that child-saving agencies were aware of it and taking action against it. The publicity and fund-raising efforts of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children focussed on intrafamily "carnal abuse" directly, unembarrassed to include it as part of the need for SPCC intervention.
In the early twentieth century the child-savers' view of child sexual assault changed significantly, and incest was de-emphasized. By the 1920s, although child-protective agencies continued to meet many incest cases, a three-part interpretive transformation had occurred: the locus of the problem was moved from home to streets, the culprit transformed from father or other authoritative male family member to perverted stranger, the victim transformed from innocent betrayed to sex delinquent. In other words, the fact that child sex abuse is overwhelmingly a family problem was obscured; instead it was pictured as rape by strangers on the streets. (Anna Clark has shown how a similar reinterpretation of adult rape took place (Clark, 1987).) This is not to say that there was no extrafamilial sex abuse; there was, but, compared to incest, it was greatly exaggerated in both public and professional discourse.
Several factors contributed to this reinterpretation. The professionalization of social work tended to weaken the influence of feminists and social reformers among child protectors, even as, ironically, more women entered child welfare casework as salaried workers. After the women's suffrage victory in 1920 the organized feminist movement fragmented and weakened. During World War I venereal disease became a major problem for the armed forces (it was for this reason that condoms became widely available at this time, first issued by the Navy to sailors); servicemen were presented as victims of disease-ridden prostitutes. After the war, fears of Bolshevism, sexual freedom, and feminism combined to create a "pro-family" backlash.
The implications of this reinterpretation of child sexual abuse were pernicious for women and girls. The existence of sexual abuse became evidence requiring the constriction and domestication of girls, and their mothers were blamed for inadequate supervision if the girls were molested or even played on the streets. What was once categorized as carnal abuse, the perpetrators virtually all male, was often now categorized as moral neglect—meaning that the mother was the culprit and the behaviour of the victim was implicated. Some of the "sex abuse" was relatively noncoercive teenage sexuality. Female juvenile sex delinquency was constructed as a major social problem in early twentieth-century America, and it was a vague, victimless crime. Girls who smoked and drank, dressed or spoke immodestly, or simply loitered on the streets were convicted of sex delinquency in substantial numbers and sent to reformatories (Schlossman and Wallach, 1978). During World War I near armed-forces bases it was the servicemen who were the innocents, their girl partners the sources of pollution. Even girls who had been raped were no longer victims but temptresses. I do not mean to deny that some girls behaved in socially dangerous and self-destructive ways, nor that they sought out sexual adventure but, as many students of sex delinquents and other runaways today have observed, high proportions, quite possibly a majority of these girls, were first victims of sexual assault, typically familial. They were, so to speak, squeezed out onto the streets in search of safety and/or self-esteem from homes that were even more destructive than the street boys or men who exploited them.
Above all, this reinterpretation of child sexual abuse removed scrutiny from family and home, restoring the curtain of impunity that surrounded those sacred institutions. This was the period of the discovery of the "dirty old man," the "sex fiend," and the "pervert," the stereotypical culprit in child sex abuse cases in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. As before, I do not wish to deny that such figures existed. Child protection agencies uncovered child prostitution, pornography rings and sex criminals who molested literally scores of children. The victims were not always brutalized; the children of the very poor—not only in the Depression but in earlier decades too—could be bribed into acquiescence and silence with a nickel, an orange, a pail of coal. However, even these nonfamilial molesters were rarely "strangers." They were often neighbours, accepted members of communities, often small businessmen or janitors who had access to private space.
There were two peak periods of hysteria about sex crimes: 1937-40 and 1949-55. The panic had official government sponsorship, led by none less that J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI. In 1937 he called for a "War on the Sex Criminal." Hoover's rantings about "degenerates" threatening "American childhood and womanhood" assimilated these sexual anxieties to nationalism, racism and anti-Communism. It bears notice that, in contrast to earlier periods of public agitation against sex crimes, as in campaigns to raise the age of consent in the Progressive era, women's organizations played no role in this campaign (Freedman, 1987).
Meanwhile social workers became less likely to investigate girls' typically euphemistic accusations of their fathers.

In 1935 a mother turned her daughter in for sex delinquency. Investigation reveals that the daughter, fleeing from an abusive father, who also beat his wife severely, had spent most of her time for 4-5 years with her maternal uncle and aunt. She accused her maternal uncle of molesting her steadily. However, the MSPCC physical exam indicated that she was a virgin,[3] so no action was taken. (#3555A)
A battered woman, terrified of her husband, is told by their daughter, who has become a "sex delinquent," behaving "vulgarly," that her father has criminally assaulted her. The mother says "she would speak to him." At court the police chief says he is doubtful about taking up the case as the girl's word is the only evidence the Government could produce; he would not question the father "as it would be asking [him] to incriminate himself." The daughter was committed to an institution. (#2057A)
In 1920 a mother is so fearful that her new husband will abuse her daughter (from a previous marriage) that every time she goes out she hires a babysitter to chaperone them. Yet when the daughter, now eleven, says she has been raped by a "stranger" whom she refuses to name, the social workers not only fail to question whether she might be shielding her stepfather, but decide that her accusation is not credible and brand her a delinquent—a liar, immoral, and uncontrollable. She is boarded out as a domestic. (#3085A)
In 1930 a 14-year-old girl alleges sexual abuse by her widowed father and begs to be taken out of his home. No action is taken until the father brings her to court on stubborn-child charges and she, as well as her younger sister whom she has been trying to protect are sentenced, separately, to institutions. (#3585)

In addition to references like these, in which the agencies did not investigate or prosecute, there were many others in which agency workers simply did not pick up the broad hints that girls threw out, hoping to draw attention to their plight. Social workers ignored statements like, "I asked my mother for a lock on my door." These girls were not usually bribed or intimidated into silence. Some of the recent discussion of incest emphasizes victims' fearful silence, but this evidence is based on the work of therapists, counselling incest victims years later, who have often by then reconstructed their stories on the basis of their guilt; my evidence, contemporaneous with the abuse, showed that these children were usually very active in trying to get help, more so, for example, than victims of nonsexual child abuse (Gordon, 1986).
Not only did social workers de-emphasize incest, but academic experts dismissed it as an extremely rare, one-in-a-million occurrence (Weinberg, 1955). Psychoanalytic and anthropological interpretations, associated respectively with Freud and Levi-Strauss, attributed to incest taboos a vital role in the development of civilization; this logic brought with it the assumption that these taboos were effective and that incest was, in fact, rare; but in terms of impact on treatment of actual cases, Freudian thought did not so much cause social workers to deny children's complaints and hints about sexual mistreatment as it offered categories with which to explain away these complaints. As Boston psychiatrist Eleanor Pavenstedt commented in 1954:

Most of us have trained ourselves to skepticism toward the claims of young girls who maintain they have been seduced by their fathers… We must ask ourselves whether our tendency to disbelief is not in part at least based on denial. The incest barrier is perhaps the strongest support of our cultural family structure, and we may well shrink from the thought of its being threatened. (Pavenstedt, 1954)

So did the dominant sociology of the family, which inverted Levi-Strauss's functionalism to prove that the incest taboo was operative because it had to be. For example, "No known human society could tolerate much incest without ruinous disruption" (Gebhard, Gagnon, Pomeroy and Christenson, 1965: 208; Davis, 1949; Bell and Vogel, 1963). The few nonfeminist historians to study incest replicated that error by studying public beliefs about incest, not behaviour (Wohl, 1979; Strong, 1973).
The rediscovery of [incestuous abuse] in the 1970s was, then, merely a reinterpretation, and it did not come quickly. Nonsexual child abuse was resurrected as a social problem in the 1960s in a movement led by physicians but stimulated by the influence of the New Left, with its sympathy for youth and critique of authority and the family. Without pressure from feminists, [incestuous abuse] first reappeared as gender-neutral. Indeed, the very classification of all forms of intrafamily sexual activity as [incestuous abuse] obscures the meanings of these behaviours. For example, sibling sexual activity, or sex between other relatives of approximately the same age, is extremely common, difficult to identify and not necessarily abusive. Mother-child incest is extremely rare and, in my findings, more often than father-child incest, associated with adult mental illness; by contrast incestuous fathers have extremely "normal" profiles (Gordon and O'Keefe, 1984; Herman, 1981). (Reposter note: I am skeptical about these two claims. Maternal CSA is significantly rarer than paternal CSA, yes, but I doubt that it's "extremely" rare, and an analysis of adult supremacy as an axis of oppression intersecting with misogyny clarifies this. I am also skeptical of all pathologization and saneism-inflected broad claims about abuser psychology. I have reason to believe she and her sources were biased by heterosexism in reaching this conclusion. In contrast, youth liberation feminists would emphasize the adultism, domestic power, and authoritarian motives in an intersectional manner.) Yet many child abuse experts throughout the 1970s ignored these gender differences (Kempe, 1980; Money, 1980). Others found ingenious ways of explaining away actuality with speculation about possibility. Thus social worker Kate Rist argued that "society has created a stronger prohibition against mother-son incest" because "it is most likely to occur. This has led to the intriguing situation in which father-daughter incest appears to have a lower natural probability of occurrence, is therefore less strongly prohibited, and in practice occurs more often" (Rist, 1979; 682).
Historians do not usually like to speak of the "lessons of history," as if she were some objective, finally definitive schoolteacher. But in many years of work at the craft, I have never come across a story that so directly yields a moral. The moral is that the presence or absence of a strong feminist movement makes the difference between better and worse solutions to the social problem of child sexual abuse; more, that the very same evidence of sexual abuse will be differently defined in the presence or absence of that movement. Without a feminist analysis, evidence of child sexual abuse means that danger lies in sex perverts, in public spaces, in unsupervised girls, in sexually assertive girls. There are few ironies more bitter than the fact that rape of children—that most heinous of crimes—has also been the crime most drenched in victim-blaming. As with adult rape, child sexual abuse without feminist interpretation supplies evidence and arguments for constricting and disempowering children.
Such a reinterpretation arose again in the United States in the mid-1980s, a reinterpretation aided, of course, by the real and increasing incidence of deranged killers attacking strangers. In the school year 1984/85 my then second-grade daughter was taught three separate programmes in her classroom about how to react to sexual abuse attempts, all of them emphasizing strangers, and all of them gender-neutral. The most publicized sexual abuse cases have concerned daycare centres, and often female teachers, although daycare centres remain, on the whole, among the safest environments for children. The statistics about child sexual abuse remain what they were a century ago: the most dangerous place for children is the home, the most likely assailant their father. Similarly a panic about missing children not only exaggerated their numbers a thousandfold, but completely misstated the source of such "kidnappings": neglecting to mention that noncustodial parents are overwhelmingly the main kidnappers; and that teenage runaways, often from abusive homes, are overwhelmingly the majority of the missing children.
What then is the best policy? My argument should not be taken as an implicit call for de-emphasizing the problem. On the contrary. The children's educational programmes and pamphlets have strengths, particularly in so far as they offer assertiveness training for children: if it feels uncomfortable, trust your judgement and say no; scream loud and run fast; tell someone. Of course it is difficult and inadvisable to sow distrust of fathers, particularly because the more intimate fathers are with children, the more responsibility they have for children, the less likely they will be to abuse them sexually. (Reposter note: I get what she's trying to say here, but this is phrased poorly IMO. Sowing distrust is fine. If it's genuinely unjustified, then the problem will resolve itself.) However, education for children should contain a feminist and an anti-authoritarian analysis: should discuss the relative powerlessness of women and girls, and praise assertiveness and collective resistance in girls; should demystify the family and even discuss that ultimately tabooed subject, economic power in the family. Education for boys must be equally brave and delicate. Boys are children too, and often victimized sexually, but they are also future men, and school age is not too early to ask them to consider what's wrong with male sexual aggression, to teach them to criticize the multiple and powerful cultural messages that endorse male sexual aggression.
Probably the most important single contribution to the prevention of [father-daughter] incest would be the strengthening of mothers. By increasing their ability to support themselves and their social and psychological self-esteem, allowing them to choose independence if that is necessary to protect themselves and their daughters, men's sexual exploitation could be checked. In the historical incest cases I sampled, one of the most consistent common denominators was the extreme helplessness of mothers—often the victims of wife-beating themselves, they were often ill or otherwise isolated, they were the poorest, the least self-confident and the least often employed of mothers in these case records. This is not victim-blaming; their weaknesses were not their fault, but part of the systematic way in which male supremacy gives rise to [father-daughter] incest. It was a gain that wife-beating and [father-daughter] incest have become more criminalized, but we cannot expect women to prosecute aggressively if their prospects for single motherhood are so bleak.
Moreover, women's very subordination often contributes to making them child abusers and neglecters. Although women do not usually abuse children sexually, in these case records they were responsible for approximately half the nonsexual child abuse (the same proportion they occupy in many contemporary studies). Unfortunately, feminists have avoided women's own violence towards children and analysed family violence in terms of stereotypical male brutality and female gentleness. Women's violence should not be regarded as a problem that will somehow weaken our feminist claims; on the contrary, these claims should not rest on assumptions of women's superiority […]. Women's mistreatment of children also needs an analysis of the damages caused by the sexual division of labour and the pattern of women's exclusive responsibility for child-raising. In the US, too, the rather middle-class radical feminist groups never made issues of social services a political priority, although such services are fundamental to women's ability to resist violence, to protect their children, and to parent better themselves.
This is not to say that a good feminist line will solve the problems of child sexual abuse, especially not where the abuse has already occurred. Like everyone else, feminists who deal with policy or individual cases must wobble through many contradictions. For example: the victimization is real, but the tendency to exaggerate its incidence and to produce social and moral panics needs to be resisted. The problem emerges from the powerlessness, the effective invisibility and muteness of women and children, especially girls, but the adult anxiety has led to children's false accusations, and children's sufferings will not be corrected by eroding the due process rights and civil liberties of those accused. Child sexual abuse needs a political interpretation, in terms of male power. However, the prosecution of culprits—however necessary—and the breaking up of families that may result do not always benefit the child victims. Especially if they are incestuous, sex abuse cases have something of the tragic about them, because once they arise, tremendous human damage has already occurred, and a politically correct analysis will not ease the pain. Still, that analysis, situating the problem in the context of male supremacy in and outside the family, is the only long-term hope for prevention.
Notes
Linda Gordon is Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin/Madison. She is the author of Woman's Body, Woman's Right and the forthcoming book on family violence noted below.
[1] My book, Heroes of Their Own Lives: The History and Politics of Family Violence, is forthcoming from Viking/Penguin US in early 1988. References to my sources and more information on my research methodology can be found there.
[2] These and other excerpts are from case records of Boston, Massachusetts, child-protection agencies (see Gordon, 1988).
[3] The standard response to a sex abuse allegation was to look at the condition of the hymen (Gordon, 1988).
References
BELL, Norman and VOGEL, Ezra (1963) editors A Modern Introduction to the Family New York: Free Press.
BREINES, Wini and GORDON, Linda (1983) "The New Scholarship on Family Violence" Signs 8, pp. 490-531.
CLARK, Anna (1987) Women's Silence, Men's Violence: Sexual Assault in England 1770-1845 London: Pandora Press.
DAVIS, Kingsley (1949) Human Society New York: Macmillan.
DUBOIS, Ellen and GORDON, Linda (1983) "Seeking Ecstasy on the Battlefield: Danger and Pleasure in Nineteenth-century Feminist Sexual Thought" Feminist Studies 9, pp. 7-25; also Feminist Review no. 11 (1981).
FREEDMAN, Estelle B. (1987) "'Uncontrolled Desires': The Response to the Sexual Psychopath, 1920-1960" Journal of American History Vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 83-106.
GEBHARD, Paul, GAGNON, J. POMEROY, Wardell and CHRISTENSON, C. (1965) Sex Offenders New York: Harper & Row.
GORDON, Linda and O'KEEFE, Paul (1984) "Incest as a Form of Family Violence: Evidence from Historical Case Records" Journal of Marriage and the Family Vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 27-34.
GORDON, Linda (1986) "Incest and Resistance: Patterns of Father-Daughter Incest, 1880-1930" Social Problems Vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 253-67.
GORDON, Linda (1988) Heroes of Their Own Lives: The Politics and History of Family Violence New York: Viking/Penguin.
HERMAN, Judith (1981) Father-Daughter Incest Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
KAUFMAN, Irving, PECK, Alice L. and TAGIURI, Consuelo K. (1954) "The Family Constellation and Overt Incestuous Relations Between Father and Daughter" American Journal of Orthopsychiatry Vol. 24, pp. 266-79.
KEMPE, C. Henry (1980) "Incest and Other Forms of Sexual Abuse" in KEMPE (1980).
KEMPE, C. Henry and HELFER, Ray (1980) The Battered Child Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
MONEY, John, (1980) Introduction to the incest section in WILLIAMS and MONEY (1980).
PAVENSTEDT, Eleanor (1954) Addendum to KAUFMAN, PECK and TAGIURI (1954).
PLECK, Elizabeth (1979) "Wife Beating in Nineteenth-century America" Victimology Vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 60-74.
RIST, Kate (1979) "Incest: Theoretical and Clinical Views" American Journal of Orthopsychiatry Vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 680-91.
RUSH, Florence (1980) The Best Kept Secret: Sexual Abuse of Children Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
SCHLOSSMAN, Steven and WALLACH, Stephanie (1978) "The Crime of Precocious Sexuality: Female Juvenile Delinquency in the Progressive Era" Harvard Educational Review 48, pp. 65-94.
STRONG, Bryan (1973) "Toward a History of the Experiential Family: Sex and Incest in the Nineteenth-century Family" Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 457-66.
WEINBERG, S. (1955) Incest Behavior New York: Citadel Press.
WILLIAMS, Gertrude J. and MONEY, John (1980) editors Traumatic Abuse and Neglect of Children at Home Baltimore: Johns Hopkins.
WOHL, Anthony S. (1979) "Sex and the Single Room: Incest Among the Victorian Working Classes" in The Victorian Family: Structure and Stress ed. Wohl. New York: St Martin's Press.

1. To a trial by free jury for any crime.
   
2. To an eternal, unending universe.
   
3. Jan Dan lan and wan Illegal on your own property.
   
4. To monetary, time and fire based penalties as options for all crimes.
   
5. To pardon justified killings and petition the jury for sentencing in any killing. Jurors have a right to vote their conscience.
   
6. To hold anonymous trials in anonymous court where both victim and defendant remain age, gender and nationless.
   
7. To fair equitable proportionate and reasonable punishments and bail. To never receive death for recoverable damages or definable accidents.
   
8. To trial by jury with right to strike jurors.
   

Dad a Dada
21.To invest in anyone or anything unless disallowed by Naos Theory.S 22.To think.
23.To write to view and share information. 24.To veto with two thirds vote. 25.To fair equitable and reasonabl punishments 26.To block with fifty one percent majority.
27.To speak to whomever and whoever is willing to listen be they earthly being or heavenly via prayer and response should the individual or entity be willing.
28.To talk to any or all willing parties. Not Restrictable by force or legal instrument

1. learn and grow

30 To build and to construct. To recieve medical services (Implying a right to rebuild)

1. To friendship.
   
2. To pray and access prayerne..t I e. Naos theory
   
3. To get help and advice and give it to anyone, anywhere at any time should the parties involved be willing.
   

34.To be ignored and seclude if one is will To propose new ideas to Core and Dev. Submit to Simeon it can happen.

1. To Choice, Freedom and Opportunity Competition in God is Law and Service to self and others is Federal
   
2. Lemeing unlawful.
   
3. Max penalties for talking to someone money and or three days bail. Only in this case could
   
4. The constitution Is a direct democracy.
   
5. The bill of rights may not be amended.
   
6. Nobody may restrict who runs unless they support destruction in which case the candidate may not run.. Debates shall be televised.
   
7. To competition in god
   
8. To recognition for your life accomplishments and achievements.
   
9. Federal executive districts are created by god. For middle house. Single winner FPTP with runoff primary. Each ten million people. Daily election.
   
10. Incorporate rights limits and powers of old constitution. No co bill or act may contradict.
    
11. Anti power rule. No person group or faction may attempt to take over the territory, institute rule or constitution contrary to this bill of rights or remain in power by force. Report to Naos, Zaos Rao's Klao or ATA. Penalty is one days jail with the implied threat of killing by the people upon release.
    
12. To choose which gods you obey.
    
13. To create your own constitution.
    
14. To metcalfe remuneration for joining a powered constitution. The proportion of a budget a powered constititution gets is proportional to members squared.
    
15. To Secede and leave a constitution at any time territorially.
    
16. To not be coerced
    
17. To laws enacted via personal ratification
    
18. To share a proposal to all people with 0.2 percent of people.
    
19. To pardon in a jury
    
20. Right to freedom of speech
    
21. Right to media and talk to Chaos.
    
22. Chaos / theories can compete in Congress as a god. And please call them Zaos. Naos needs a federal.
    

57.Right to privacy to the extent it doesn't interfere with security..
58.Freedom of religion and creativity

1. Right to try any good thing

60.Right to courts

1. Right to free and fair elections, and jury trials that may only assess monetary damages. All damages are monetary in nature. As owns the courts. What else happened?
   
2. Right to know what happened in video and discuss.
   
3. Congress shall not be pressured or coerced into voting nor amendment /shall/ juries.
   
4. Bill of rights of the people bye and powers for congress Congress shall make no law infringing upon these rights. We all are too be assurred. The right to.. play. Life Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
   

65.The right not to be downed except by freely given order of congress.

1. Right to blay
2. Members of congress have the right to criticize and call out abuses under the protection of

Democracy
68.Right to personal gods for the home and life accessible at any and all times for prayer, counsel and leadership.

1. Right to exist. This right is forfeit when you intentionally permanently irreversibly destroy or attempt to destroy a person. Congress may ban certain methods of killing by classifying them as attempted destruction with a 51% vote.

70.
Right to save others. Right to save yourself only if authorized by a natural born physical human you did not create.

1. Right to unsave 72.Right to property if good
2. Right to revolution if evil
3. Right to campaign view and share ballots and the constitution unless Jesus. Tiara
4. Right to establish alternative voluntary courts inferior to the courts established by the constitution with power to enforce word. Verdicts may be appealed to the supreme court established by congress unless both parties have agreed not to allow adjucation there in a written contract. 76.Right to vote for and elect gods for every district and state. God god
   
5. Right to run for office. Gods have the power to mint tax and banish form territory. Won by Simeon 78.Right to free and fair elections that occur without coercion force or pressure Right to congress free form pressure. The
   
6. Right to work and money
   
7. Right to UBI funded by land value taxation 81.Right to recognition and copyright protection for origninal games, ideas and creations enforced by enforced by As and As Theory 82.Right to earn money by honest labor both physical and intellectual Right to make, read, view and access the catalog of local gods for their planet. Fifty six
   
8. Right to establish meet talk to and create imaginary friends under the purview of their personal god for the home.
   

84.Right to safety provided by local block beings elected by personal gods and rho theory with the power to ban harm from the home.

1. Right to contract and make binding agreements enforced by government. COngress may not restrict this right without a 51% majority. They restrict this right by making a contract nonenforceable in government courts which are the courts of last resort.
   
2. Right to Congress and Naos authorities.
   

Constitution of the Grand Government of Nations
All may speak if they wish here. Full bill of rights is enforced.
Crown Princess Narissa I of Rehebelm
Legislature is a direct liquid democracy with law enforced by popular warrant contracts
Killing and destruction are forbidden. Any theory or angel squadron may enforce. All are to take their disputes to tribunal.
Mixed property ownership.
Districts may experimemnt with alternate forms of government, with Authors of selected constitutions being entitled to one percent of tax revenue for as long as their constitution is used.
Powers of Central Government
To fund and defund To coin money exclusively To license, train, regulate and authorize police and defense forces To regulate power and the economy. To tax To create tribunals To budget To legislate on any matter not reserved by the states and lower districts to themselves before or after the promulgation of this document
To settle interstate conflict. To veto unjust local law or regulations with two thirds majority.
To fine and create minimum and maximum monetary penalties for all crimes expressed in the legal code.
There are several levels of government,
Godship State District System Region Galaxy Federal 2
Each level is to make their own laws and regulations.
Powers of Monarch
None except to initiative, speech, association and to appoint heads of executive agencies created by the Congress and to appoint similar.
A majority of lower states may at any time claim a competency or legislative power not given by this constution to a higher level.
Two thirds may receive a guaranteed royal exemption from a certain higher- level law or competency on a state by state basis.
Legislature
All laws are to be individually ratified and go into universal effect once a majority ratifies them.
Laws may not regulate behavior done by individuals on private property that does not negatively impact the environment or that occurs between mutually consenting adults as long as
A) no trade, property or monetary exchange is involved Andrew
B) their religion doesn't forbid them.

The internet has opened a treasure trove of opportunities for aspiring and established writers alike. Gone are the days of solely relying on traditional publishing avenues. Today, a multitude of online platforms allow you to share your voice, hone your craft, and even get paid for your work.
This article delves into the exciting world of online writing platforms, exploring some of the most popular options, including those that offer financial compensation for your content.

Free Reign for your Creativity: Non-Monetized Platforms

• Medium: A behemoth in the online writing world, Medium offers a sleek interface and a chance to connect with a vast audience. While not directly paying for articles, Medium allows you to build a readership and potentially attract paying opportunities through features like the Medium Partner Program (requires meeting specific criteria).
• LinkedIn Articles: Leverage your professional network! LinkedIn Articles establish you as a thought leader in your field and can be a great tool for personal branding.
• WordPress.com: This user-friendly platform offers complete control over your content and design. While a free plan exists, monetization options are limited on WordPress.com compared to self-hosted WordPress installations.
• Blogger: Another free platform by Google, Blogger is a great starting point for beginners. It's easy to use and integrates seamlessly with other Google products. However, customization options are limited compared to other platforms.

Monetizing Your Masterpieces: Paid Writing Platforms

• Freelance Marketplaces: Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer connect you directly with clients who need writing services. Rates vary depending on your experience and the project's scope.
• Content Mills: These platforms offer a steady stream of writing gigs, often at lower rates per word. They can be a good option for building a portfolio and gaining experience, but research the platform's reputation before diving in.

To Know more Monetizing Methods. Click Here!

Therapy Is a better fit for conservatives because the therapy methods CBT, DBT, etc rely on "personal responsibility" where people are accountable for themselves and themselves only on how they act and it ignores nuances like structural issues (racism, sexism, etc.). It only teaches that individuals themselves are responsible. DBT teaches people to "stop acting like a whiny bitch whenever something doesn't go their way", CBT teaches you to change your thoughts to conform to societal Norms and that "everything has a reason". It literally fits perfectly in the conservative worldview specifically the part of pulling up your bootstraps. Gherapy teaches you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps bc you're not there to get fixed by a therapist but rather a therapist gives you the tools and you have to fix yourself. Literally that defeats the purpose of seeking help if you end up having to tinker by yourself, at least doctors can actually treat what's wrong and be involved but therapists will be like "nope that's your own issue". And since conservatives believe that they should be self reliant that ticks another one of their boxes in their worldview.

Hello everyone, I'm 33 and I would like to get a job in IT domain (actually no experience in this domain) I already have a diplom Integrator Developer two year degree I passed 3 years ago.
Loose my last job January 2024 (Forklift Operator), I decided to self-study python for getting a chance to become developer python and put a foot in this IT domain. I really like developer job (learn a lot of in this language, made a django portfolio recently).
But, reality job's market is what it is, after trying many companies, I realise that I have no chance to get a job in this domain in my country with my profil (everyone want an engineer with some experiences).
My dream to work in IT still alive, I am know thinking of become a QA tester. Yes there are less jobs in QA tester, but there are less competition too.
In the paper, at the end of the year I could have : Certification python udemy Certification QA tester udemy Get ISTQB fondation Try to get some open-source projects and make a litle experiences in this domain Apply for a job in QA tester
What do you think about this project? Is it realisable? Or should I close this dream definitly because I'm too old to start a career in IT domain?
QA tester looks on the papier a good job for me, I have in fact many qualities for this job (programming notions, meticulous, like to communicate with other, know how to manage conflicts, got anatycal minds, have the attention to details, I'm methodical or organized).
Thx a lot for everyone who take time to read this and give me your opinion.
ps : I'm living in France
ps2 : apologize for my poor English

To someone who has pretty thoroughly consumed and digested the available red pill content that exists, it is easy to tell that the red pill is not a topic that should engender emotion. It is completely pointless to be angry that women prefer tall men. It’s pointless to be angry that men prefer women in their reproductive prime. Way better to see it, call it what it is. The human brain will make the best decisions you can based on the information available. And this is valuable information in someone’s decision-making process.
I think the anger over the red pill has a couple of reasons. There is a lot of rage bait on the Internet that dances around calling itself the red pill that makes people full of rage. Rage gets engagement. They say wild things to get clicks and then people say the red pill is wild. Rich Cooper from entrepreneurs in cars admitted on his show that one of his most inflammatory titles was baseless rage bait to help with the algorithm. The irony is that he refers to the manosphere as the man-o-swamp as if he wasn’t doing the same shit he condemns. This isn’t redpill. It’s redpill adjacent rage bait.
There’s another reason I think. There is a misconception that sex and gender is a social construct. The definition of biological sex is extremely easy to define and is universal in every species of plants, animals, insects, anything that has gender. It’s always the same definition. The male is always the gender that produces smaller cheaper more prevalent gametes(like sperm) and the female is the gender that produces larger more expensive gametes (like eggs or ovum). It is very easy to begin at that point and to unravel extremely large portions of our own psychology and our behavior based on those two facts. It seems that there were a group a very angry women who publicized this idea of social influences creating behaviors and the blanks slate ideas about men’s and women’s brains being identical, that humans with penises were taught by their families to trucks and the color Blue, and humans with vaginas were taught by their families to like pink and dresses. It is such a common idea but it is laughably insane. Telling boys and girls that their genetically ingrained innate desires, motivations, methods for approaching problems, and the resulting self-selection for careers is a product of some evil patriarchy and that those feelings and thoughts are bad, outdated, don’t service any longer simply turns both men and women into miserable people. We’re going to shame a dolphin for liking fish and that’s a social construct. It’s a fucking dolphin, and they have no idea why they like fish. We already curb our worst desires through laws against murder and rape, no need to tell men and women their good desires are actually bad. But the people who think this needs to be true are angry at having their opinions challenged because they were told it means men will beat and rape women and oppress them if these traditional ideas about masculine and feminine were to be allowed.

RSS Vercingetorix, Independence-Class Carrier, 2174 A.D.
687 light years from Sol
Therax found the feast that was prepared in his honor surprisingly delicious. He particularly relished the sashimi and had to stop himself from being rude to his hosts by eating it all. As he sat back and loosened the clasp of his vest to relax his stomach for proper digestion, he again marveled at the circumstances he currently found himself in. The Nekuli and Republic senior officers were chatting with each other amiably, and he saw the foundations of an unbreakable alliance being built before his very eyes as a Republic captain finished telling a particularly bawdy joke to a few Nekuli officers, causing them to hoot uproariously. Throughout the galley, there were numerous small groups of Nekuli and Republic officers mingling and sharing stories and jokes, and he silently uttered a grateful prayer to the ancestors for allowing his people to finally find the kindred spirits they had been searching for ever since they went into space.
As the galley crew went around refilling glasses with a human drink called mead, he thought back to the day he was captured after his fleet was devastated by the fearsome nullships. He had never personally met humans before, though he had deeply studied their culture and history. He expected to be treated as a prisoner and an enemy, but the conduct of the Republic Navy and their crews was beyond reproach. During their three-month detainment, both he and his crew were treated with the utmost respect, and he never detected even the tiniest shred of resentment or anger in any of the humans he interacted with. It was as if they did not engage in battle at all, and his admiration for them grew steadily as time went on. He had grown to like humans, and he jumped at the chance for redemption being offered by Admiral Thompson. He was startled out of his reverie when a hand lightly touched his shoulder, and he looked up to see the clan leader standing next to him. She smiled at him and gave him a nod towards the galley entry doors. He stood up and followed her, and in less than a minute, they were inside an office, and she closed the door. “Well, I think the meet and greet has been a resounding success; wouldn’t you agree, commodore?” Therax flicked his head in agreement and bared all his fangs in true happiness. “This bodes well for our alliance, clan leader. I see many victories to come in our fight to bring an end to the tyrannical Commonwealth.” Vice Admiral Zhou returned his smile and indicated for him to sit in the chair in front of the desk as she took the other one. She typed on the desk panel for a few seconds before she pulled up the orders that were to be reviewed by them both.
A hologram popped up, and Admiral Thompson's image appeared. He started speaking, and Therax listened intently as the admiral laid out his orders and the rules of engagement regarding the ongoing evacuation of the Jaleeni system if the Insectoids decided to attack. Therax suppressed a flare of resentment when Admiral Thompson made it clear that the preservation of the Commonwealth liberation fleet was of paramount importance and that Therax was to retreat to preserve his force if faced with destruction. He also thought he detected a change in the admiral’s speech when he ordered the clan leader to do whatever was necessary to save the Jaleeni and ensure that Therax and his rebel fleet retreat in good order and preserve their combat capabilities. He saw the clan leader shifting her position slightly as she listened and thought that she looked uncomfortable with what she was hearing. They must be friends as well as fellow officers, he thought to himself as he continued listening and felt a stirring of compassion for the admiral, who had to order the clan leader to sacrifice herself if need be. The admiral finished speaking, and he ended the message with words of encouragement and wishes of good fortune before the hologram message ended and he faded away.
Therax regarded the clan leader intently as she resumed typing on the desk panel and waited for her to finish. A few seconds later, several screens appeared over the desk, and she looked at him. “We need to work out a battle plan for our combined task forces. Your fleet of 218 ships plus my task force of 438 ships will have to take on that missing Insectoid fleet if they decide to take advantage of the Jaleeni evacuation. The Commonwealth Navy has only 304 ships in the system, and there is no way they can effectively protect the tens of thousands of transports in the evacuation fleet. Let’s get started and see what we can do with our fleet while still following our orders.” Therax flicked his head in agreement and asked her a question. “I see that you are not including the fifty nullships that are waiting in null space. They are fearsome warships, and they will almost double our combat power. May I ask why?” She hesitated before answering him. “They are an insurance policy for another ongoing mission, and I need to ensure that at least 25 of them are available for that. The remaining 25 are reserve forces, and I will only activate them as a last resort. They are an upgraded class of nullships, and I do not want to squander them in a rear-guard action.” She answered, and he flicked his head, indicating that he understood, and they got to work on coming up with a battle plan.
An hour later, they had just finalized the ship dispositions and several contingency plans when a communications alert chimed and the comms officer came over the channel. “Vice Admiral, we just received a coded distress call on the sigma frequency that was forwarded from command unit 4-3-1 in insectoid space. I am forwarding the message to you now.” She thanked the communications officer and pressed the display message icon on the screen. A scroll of text popped up along with mission files, and Therax started to get up to leave when she stopped him. “Commodore, stay. I value your input, and I want you in the loop.” Therax sat back down and started reading the text as his ocular implant translated it into his language, and his heart rate accelerated as the true import of the mission and what they were trying to achieve were revealed to him. A mission to capture a queen on an Insectoid world with only eight commandos and two civilian scientists on a planet with over three billion drones. He couldn’t believe the audacity of the plan and the bravery of the people on that planet. The human species is fortunate indeed to have such a warrior spirit within them, he thought to himself as he watched the video logs along with the clan leader.
He reveled in the destruction of the section of the shipyard and was barely able to refrain from shouting with glee as the recordings showed almost two hundred cruisers falling into the abyss. The clan leader was smiling broadly as that file played, and then she tapped the icon for the last video log to play. They both watched in silence as they saw the failed attempt to capture the queen and the final recording by the suit AI as the queen hovered over one of them, and it ended with the commandos being carried onto a ship by worker drones. The Commonwealth had never seen a queen before, and Therax couldn’t help but be fascinated as he saw one for the first time, despite the overwhelming sadness he felt for the humans that would surely be killed. The records also indicated that the two scientists and the last commando were not captured and that their final orders were to evade the Insectoids and escape to one of the waiting nullships. The clan leader was furiously tapping on several of the icons as she went back over the transcripts and logs from the suit AI that sent the distress call, with an inscrutable expression that he could not determine.
She started muttering to herself as she continued running diagnostics before she slammed her fist down on the desk, making him flinch from the aggressive action and loud noise. She looked at him and took a deep breath before she started speaking. “Forgive me, Commodore, but this is a serious problem. Lieutenant Diego’s command AI overrode the self-destruct sequences of all the suits and allowed them to be captured alive. This is a disaster of epic proportions, and now I have no choice but to send the troopships and the nullships to either rescue them or try to destroy the Hive. We cannot allow the Insectoids to glean insights into our technology or extract information from the team. It is obvious the queen was able to exert some type of mental effect on them; who knows what else she can do? This could turn out to be catastrophic for the Republic war effort, and now I must order ten thousand men and women to their potential deaths because of a malfunctioning AI.” The clan leader was visibly upset by the time she finished speaking, and Therax sat there quietly, letting her vent her frustrations as she came to terms with what she was about to do before he offered his opinion. “Those warriors on the troopships knew the risks when they joined your military, and I know that your maxim of never leaving anyone behind is an important part of your ethos. Send them and let them do what they can to save them, or mercifully end their lives. You know what I say is true, clan leader.”
She sat there for a few moments, considering what he had said, and then she nodded, a look of resolve overtaking her features. She pressed the comm channel icon and called for the commander of the security detachment to take a team over to the troopships and start the process of bringing the troops out of stasis. She also contacted her aide and ordered him to assemble the senior staff in her main office. Lastly, she had the communications officer send the codes to the primary command unit of the nullships waiting in null space to activate them for the coming mission. After all of that was done, she stood up, and Therax did so as well, following her out of the office and towards her main office. Over the next three hours, there were meetings, and changes were made to some of the Republic and Commonwealth fleet dispositions as the clan leader added a carrier strike group and a few dozen heavy combat ships to supplement the thirty-five nullships she decided to send to the insectoid world. The eight thousand marine pathfinder and army ranger troops had recovered from the lingering effects of being in stasis and were now gearing up for the operation, while the two thousand Bio-Synths had their CNS cocoons installed into their Mark XII combat suits. Therax marveled at the efficiency of the Republic officers as they adapted to the changes with remarkable celerity, and he made a mental note to try to institute some of the Republic operational protocols he saw being displayed among his own fleet bridge crews.
The clan leader had just finished issuing directives to the primary command unit, placing it under the control of the newly formed task force commander, when she turned towards him, rubbing at the sides of her forehead. They were alone in her office, and she sighed deeply before addressing him. “Commodore, thank you for sending some of your ships along with the task force; the additional combat power is making me feel a little better about all of this.” Therax nodded, the movement feeling weird, before he realized that he was mimicking the human head movement. “Of course, clan leader. The Xenxin and Eleani contingents insisted on sending some ships in support, and I assented. When will the task force leave?” She looked at her wristpad in response to his question and answered him. “Six minutes from now, let’s go to the bridge to see them off.” They left her office, and a few moments later, they entered the bridge amidst a flurry of activity as the bridge crew did all the final checks for the departure of the rescue task force. Two minutes before their departure, she had the comms officer open a channel to address the task force.
“To the men and women of Task Force Delta and our allies, this is Vice Admiral Zhou speaking. You are about to embark on a dangerous mission deep inside Insectoid space in the hopes of rescuing your brothers-in-arms. These brave souls were captured by a queen and taken into the Hive, and we do not know what has or is happening to them in there. There are also two civilian scientists being protected by Sergeant Ito. They are critical to the war effort, and they must be saved. Hopefully, they have been able to evade the Insectoids and are currently heading back towards their stealth pods to escape to the waiting ships that are hiding in null space for them.
It is my solemn hope that you will arrive on time and be successful in carrying out your mission to save them. You are to do whatever it takes to bring them home, and if that is not possible, then you are to teach the Insectoids this lesson: The Republic Navy does not leave anyone behind, and we will take on a whole world to find our brothers and bring them home, or we will scourge a whole world in vengeance for them. Your secondary objective is to complete the mission they embarked on and to root that queen out of her Hive. If that is not possible, then you are to execute that bitch with extreme prejudice and glass the entire planet. Remind them of who you are, and make sure they forever rue the day you came into their world. Good fortune and godspeed to you all. Vice-admiral Zhou out.”
She slashed her hand across her throat, and the comms officer closed the channel as the bridge crew stopped what they were doing and started clapping in approval of her speech. After a few seconds, the chief petty officer bellowed for everyone to get back to work, and she gave him a slight nod in appreciation for saving her from further embarrassment. Therax had felt the call to battle in his soul while listening to her words, and he had to make a concerted effort to slow down his heart rate and control the slight shaking of his hands as the adrenaline surge from her words coursed through his veins. On the view screen, the task force ships started flashing out into null space to join with the waiting nullships and the troopships, and then a coded message was received that the task force was on its way to the Insectoid planet.
Therax bowed his head and whispered a quiet prayer for the ancestors to watch over them and grant them victory. When he was finished, he turned towards the clan leader seated next to him in her command chair. “Clan leader, unless you have further need of me, I will depart to my flagship and prepare them for potential action. I wish to start running battle drills utilizing the Republic fleet maneuvers you have graciously gifted to us; I find them intriguing.” She smiled at his statement and nodded her assent. “Of course, commodore. In fact, I was just about to suggest that the entire fleet flash into null space and rendezvous in the Jaleeni system. In a few hours, we can run red vs. blue battle simulations to learn how to work together as a fleet.” She saw the confusion on his face at the red vs. blue reference and further clarified for him. “Red vs. blue is a term we use for opposing forces during war games.” Therax flicked his head in understanding and stood up to depart at once. “I will leave now and have my staff coordinate with yours for the drills. May the ancestors be with you, clan leader.” She smiled again and replied, “May they be with you as well, commodore. I look forward to facing you in a friendly contest.” Therax bared all his fangs in true happiness, before he bowed and headed towards the bridge exit.
For the next 15 minutes, Zhou quickly reviewed the mission files that were sent by the suit AI that sent the distress call and paid particular attention to the scanning results from the midges that lieutenant Diego took of the frequencies that change the composition of the Insectoid hulls. He’s a smart one, she thought to herself as she sent a message to the communications officer to forward all the mission files to headquarters with the scanning results marked as urgent and top secret. They will be downloaded into a null space comm drone along with the bridge logs detailing the distress call and a quick report on her decision to launch the rescue operation. Hopefully, the eggheads in the R&D division will be able to use the frequencies to give the Republic a tactical advantage if they can figure out how they work and come up with a viable method to utilize them in the vacuum of space.
She glanced at the bridge clock and saw that it was 0135, and she was hit with an overwhelming exhaustion as soon as she saw the time. The next bridge crew shift change was at 0300, and she would wait it out; it wouldn’t be fair for her to leave and go to sleep while they had to stay. She sent a message to Therax’s flagship that the battle drills would commence at 0930 ship time and then proceeded to try to catch up on some of the never-ending paperwork that came with her rank as she waited for the shift change. She saw that Therax’s task force had flashed into null space and ordered the Republic ships to do the same as she continued filing her paperwork. By the time 0300 rolled around, she was barely able to keep her eyes open as she was going over a galley request to requisition fleet supply for a change in their vegetable quotas based upon “current vegetable consumption trends” and was wondering who had the time to write this crap when the shift change bell went off. It took all her willpower not to jump out of her seat and make a mad dash for the bridge exit, and she forced herself to remain seated until all the bridge crew was replaced by their reliefs. The ship’s XO was her relief, and she spent a few minutes updating him before she left the bridge. She arrived a minute later and didn’t even bother changing. She quickly unzipped and kicked off her boots before plopping onto her bunk, still wearing her uniform, and she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
Therax received the message about the battle drill time when he arrived on his bridge and decided to use the extra time to program the battle AI on the Republic fleet maneuvers he received. He inserted the data chip into a port and waited as the battle AI scanned the contents. An alert beeped on the panel, and he leaned in to read the report. The battle AI had quarantined what it perceived as a potential danger, and he glanced at the file, seeing that it was the sub-mind program that was an extension of the Republic fleet AI’s that he was told about. He pressed the icon to allow the program to run, and the battle AI queried him three times to confirm his choice before finally allowing it out of quarantine. He waited as the sub-mind linked to the battle AI and they merged, and after five minutes of handshake protocols, the new iteration of the battle AI was ready to run. He accessed the fleet maneuvers directory and picked a couple of intriguing drills that he wanted to try before he ordered the bridge crew to flash his task force into null space, where they would engage in simulated combat with each other. He relished the coming drills with the Republic fleet and would use this time to hone his force and surprise the clan leader.
Vice-admiral Zhou was abruptly awoken by the speaker in her room as the bridge AI broadcast blared from them: General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, man your battle stations! General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, man your battle stations! General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands, man you—it abruptly cut off as she pressed the mute button on her nightstand and looked at the alarm clock on it. 0617. She was already zipping up her boots when the captain of the carrier came over the comms, requesting her presence on the bridge. She acknowledged him and quickly wet her hands in the sink, using them to smooth out her tousled hair and pulling it back into a knotted ponytail. She grabbed her vacuum helmet on her way out and almost sprinted to the bridge as crewmen and officers pressed themselves against the walls, clearing her path. She arrived thirty seconds later and immediately went over to the CIC to join the captain and other officers that were there.
The dozens of scattered spy sensor drones previously deployed by the Republic had already formed their null space conduits and were transmitting real-time information to the fleet hidden in null space. There were multiple large 3-D holo maps hovering in the air that were displaying the Jaleeni system from all viewpoints, and they were populated with a massive number of differently colored dots. The vast majority were blue, indicating that they were evacuation transports and Jaleeni vessels. There was a tiny smattering of green dots freckled among the sea of blue that were the Commonwealth Navy ships. Further out in the system were two separate blobs of red that were Insectoid ships, and one formation had flashed out of null space along the orbital plane of the system while the other had exited above the plane of the ecliptic over forty solar minutes ago. They were approximately five AUs from the Jaleeni home world, and the light from their exit flash had already reached the refugee fleet and the Commonwealth warships. She glanced at the infographic on the side that tallied the Insectoid ships: eight Hive ships and over one thousand cruisers.
She muttered a grateful prayer that the Insectoids still didn’t have the ability to compensate for the dangers of inner system exits from null space so deep in the gravity well of a star, forcing them to flash out at an average distance of eight hundred million kilometers. It would take the Insectoids over eighty hours to reach the Jaleeni home world at their highest known maximum sub-light speed of eight million km/h. The mass of blue dots started changing shape and withdrawing into itself as the outer fringes of the refugee fleet started retreating from the distant Insectoid ships. It reminded her of the way a school of fish behaved when confronted by predators as the blob of blue dots continued to contort and twist. All the green dots had disappeared momentarily, and she saw them reappear on the screens as they flashed back out of null space in two separate formations in the expected path of the Insectoid formations, holding positions .25 light minutes away from the approaching insectoid formations. A wave of sadness came over her as she saw the woefully inadequate Commonwealth formations bravely hold their ground in the face of such overwhelming odds.
A communication channel came from Therax’s flagship, and she took the call in the CIC, a small holoscreen appearing in front of her. Therax was sitting in his chair, and he started speaking immediately as soon as he saw her. “Clan leader, I recognize those ships! They are from the Nekuli home guard fleet, and I have clutch siblings and clan members serving on those ships. We must help them, please.” Zhou picked up on the frantic, pleading tone of his voice and held up her hands to stop him from continuing to speak. “Commodore, of course. Contact them and tell them that we are here to help and not to fire on our vessels. I want your task force to exit null space over…here.” And she tapped an area behind the gas giant that was the fourth planet of the seven in the system. The gas giants’ current position in the system would hide the exit flashes of the task force from both Insectoid formations and allow them to shake out into battle formations unmolested. “Tell them to enter null space and exit behind the Insectoid formations, they need to hit them hard and then retreat on sub-light engines towards the outer system, hopefully the Insectoids will take the bait and follow them. If the Insectoids do not take the bait, they are to enter null space and rendezvous with you behind the gas giant.”
Therax flicked his head in acknowledgement and immediately closed the channel. Zhou resumed scanning the 3-D maps that hovered in front of her, taking in the quickly changing tactical situation that was unfolding in the system. The Commonwealth was evacuating the system by utilizing hundreds of massive transport carriers that the refugee ships would mate with via a lattice-like structure that surrounded the hulls of the carriers. Each carrier had four hundred berths that the refugee transports would slip into and connect to the lattice with an umbilical conduit through an engine access point. Once the transport carrier had a full load, it would feed the null space capacitor energy through the connecting umbilical, which would allow the engines of the refugee transports to create the specific graviton field required to make the jump into null space. The carriers would transport the ships to another location, disgorge their load, and repeat the process.
She asked the bridge AI to estimate how long it would take for the Commonwealth to fully evacuate all the Jaleeni refugees, and a moment later the AI answered her question. - Vice-admiral Zhou, it will require an additional one hundred and thirty-seven hours for the Commonwealth to successfully evacuate all the remaining Jaleeni refugees - Zhou thanked the AI and conferred with the captain for a few minutes as they continued working with the bridge AI and ran simulations to select the best battle plan for the situation facing them. As they went over the options, the captain eloquently cursed for the poor timing of the distress call and the loss of the thirty-five upgraded nullships and the dozens of heavy units she had sent with them, and she wholeheartedly agreed with his sentiment as it was a significant reduction of their overall combat power. She finally selected a main battle plan and the captain concurred before he started sending it the Republic fleet and overseeing the process of organizing the formations. She had received another urgent comm channel request from Therax a minute ago, and she now opened the channel after seeing that the captain had things well in hand.
Therax appeared again, this time in conjunction with a split screen that had a Nekuli female sitting in a bridge command chair. “Sorry for the delay, Commodore. How can I help you?” Therax nodded in human fashion before he started speaking. “Clan leader, this is my clutch sister, Verix. She is the clan leader of the Nekuli home guard ships in the system, and she has expressed a desire to speak with you.” Zhou looked at Verix and bowed her head slowly in the appropriate gesture of respect, which was returned by Verix, who had a wary look in her eyes. “Vice-admiral Zhou, my clutch brother has informed me that he has accepted you as his clan leader. As I trust my clutch brother, I now trust you. I must inform you that my fleet was ordered to retreat to the core worlds if the Insectoids arrived, and I have chosen to disobey those commands. I ask for permission to join my forces with yours if you will accept the burden of my dishonor.” Zhou stared at Verix for a few moments as she thought of an appropriate response. “It is never dishonorable to do what is morally right and just. Your dishonor is now mine, and I will bear it with pride from this day on. Will you accept me as clan leader, Verix?” Zhou finished answering her, and she could see the change in Verix as she straightened her shoulders and sat up straighter before replying. “I accept you as clan leader and take on the vow my clutch brother and you have made with each other. What are your orders, clan leader?”
Zhou looked back at Therax, who flicked his head and smiled. She returned her gaze to Verix. “You will hit the Insectoid formations from behind, as I told Therax before. Do not get mired down or fully engage them. Hit them hard, and then retreat on sub-light to try to get them to follow you. If they do not take the bait, you are to enter null space and flash out behind the gas giant to join your ships with his and await my further instructions there.” Verix bowed her head once more before closing the channel, and Zhou looked at Therax, smiling. “It seems as if being rebels in a just cause runs in your family, Commodore.” Therax started hooting in laughter at her statement. “She was always swimming against the current, even as a hatchling. She has caused much grief for my parents during her younger years, and now it seems she is doing the same to her superiors.” His expression turned more serious before he spoke again. “Clan leader, what are we to do? There is no way you can take on the Insectoid formations without our ships. You must let us join you in battle.” Zhou shook her head as she answered him. “Our orders were clear, Commodore. You are to remain a force in being no matter the outcome of this battle. You must go to Nekul Prime and present the truth to your people and make them see that the current Commonwealth government is undeserving of their allegiance. If you do that, then most of the Commonwealth fleet and army will join our cause and overthrow them. A new Commonwealth government must be formed and join the fight against the Insectoids as a willing partner, or every single citizen in Commonwealth space will be slaughtered. The Republic will be forced to face them alone, and that is a war we cannot win.”
Therax listened to her, looking crestfallen at her words. Zhou saw it and continued speaking. “Fear not, Therax; you will be part of this battle and strike at the enemy this day. I have chosen a battle plan that includes your ships, and your part in the coming battle is critical. I would have you vow to follow my final orders, but I know that is not necessary, for you are an honorable warrior.” Zhou knew she was laying it on a little thick, but she had to do whatever it was to ensure that he would follow his orders, regardless of the outcome. “Those upgraded nullships have a few new toys to play with, thanks to successful ongoing negotiations between the Ma’lit Domain and the Republic that were accelerated due to the Insectoid invasion and their eradication of numerous species within the Commonwealth. Thanks to the Insectoids obviously genocidal intentions, the Ma’lit Domain has finally consented to the transfers of some tech that they considered obsolete technology to the Republic, and we have been integrating them these last few months. There is reason to hope, Therax. Not all is lost.”
A look of shame had come over Therax’s face as she was speaking, which was quickly replaced with excitement as she finished telling him about the Ma’lit technology transfers. He flicked his head vigorously as he replied to her. “You are right, clan leader. It is not time to lose hope, and I am thankful that you have a part for me in the coming battle. Please forgive me.” Zhou smiled. “There is nothing to forgive, Commodore. I will send the updated battleplans to you now; review them and add them to your battle AI. I will commence combat operations two hours from now. Good fortune to you and your crew; may the ancestors walk with you.” Therax smiled and bowed his head deeply before replying, “And to you as well, clan leader.” And then he closed the channel, and the floating holo screen faded away. Zhou took a deep breath and looked at the bridge clock. It was 0943 ship time, and she walked over to her chair and tiredly sat down in it, pressing an icon that activated the stim panel alcove. A small opening appeared, and out of it came a small sub-dermal injector that she picked up and pressed against her neck. She felt a coolness spread from the injection site as it coursed through her veins, and a few seconds later, all her exhaustion disappeared, and she felt alert and calm, ready to take on the entire Insectoid Empire if need be.

The value in customer support is dwindling people are fed up with automated prompts, mandatory wait times encouraging to go to online chat or self help guides. Another thing now is increasing in trends which is creating more problems then providing a solution. Companies are now relying on third parties as their only method of customer support.
Most online businesses are now turning to Discord as their only method of customer support. This has many people concerned because of the privacy policy of Discord is known to sell your information to the top paying advertisers & share information with their partners freely. People do not want to have to sacrifice their privacy or be have to forced to agree to a third party's terms just to get customer support. With the increase of this nefarious tactic companies use because they have no regard for other peoples information it may become an issue which law will have to step in to handle.
Customer support should always be provided & handled by the business issuing the service. With rising concerns about data policies being written online it's not enough to make a difference & businesses know that. Because there is no law the issue will have to be taken to the highest court the supreme court in order to begin to develop a solution. Companies relying on Discord turn Discord itself into a monopoly which is forcing people to have no alternative if they don't have a Discord account.
There should be a ballot voted to become law that forces a business to have to by law provide their own customer support that cannot be maintained by a third party provider. In addition no discrimination or disruption to force consumers into one method of support if you the business provide multiple ways of support. It's common for businesses that have multiple supports whether it be phone, email, forums, & discord to delegate preference by providing less then equal support in it's less then preferred choice.
Ask around online you may hear usually we have one person who checks emails, one person on forums, & 6 people handling Discord. It's not because every other method has died down that you would hear of this kind of staff assignment. It's because of the businesses agenda to push onto a third party so they have less work themselves to do & they don't care what happens to your data thats why they do this to ensure they have no responsibility with your data even though they are responsible & should be held accountable when your only method to get support is a third party service.
If you are looking into starting your own business online remember it's important to provide your own direct support that is not on a third party platform. People will recognize how you handle your customers & will move on if they see you've become apart of the problem.

BASICS OF ISLAM : The revelation of Qur'an.Part1

Question: Why Was the Qur'an Revealed Over A Period of 23 Years?

Before I answer this question, let's note that if the Qur'an had been revealed all at once, people would ask:

• "Why was it sent down all at once and not in stages?"

The ultimate answer to such questions lies with God, the All-Wise and All-Knowing. Our decisions are based on a very limited viewpoint, as we are limited creatures. The Divine Decree, on the other hand, considers everything—our moral and spiritual well-being, worldly happiness, future and present—and weaves the whole into a single pattern that is coherent with Grace and Wisdom. Thus, the benefit we derive from the Divine commandments is immeasurable, and the blessing that flows from obeying them is beyond our imagination. And so it is with the method that God chose to reveal the Qur'an.
The Revelation began when it was time for humanity to reach maturity.
The Prophet's mission and that of his community was to become the most complete, progressive, and dynamic exemplars for humanity, and to achieve such a level of advancement that they would be the masters and guides for all subsequent people. But these reformers first had to be reformed. Their qualities and characters had been conditioned by the surrounding non-Islamic environment in which their people had been living for centuries. Islam was to turn their good qualities into qualities of unsurpassed excellence, and to purge their bad qualities and habits in such a way that they would never reappear.

• If the Qur'an had been revealed all at once, how would they have reacted to its prohibitions and commandments?

Certainly, they would have been unable to understand, let alone accept and apply, them in the ideal manner. This lack of gradualism would have been self-defeating, as proven by history: Wherever Islam was taken, it spread gradually but steadily, and so became firmly established.
We see people all around us who cannot free themselves from their bad habits and addictions.
If you confined such people, even if you convinced them to abandon their habits for their own benefit, they would not be happy with you. On the contrary, they would feel angry, bored, and irritated. They would complain and try to escape from your program of reform, so that they could revert to their habits as soon as possible. All the arguments and documented evidence of specialists and experts would not persuade them to change. Even those who were cured occasionally suffer a relapse. Indeed, some of those who campaign against such harmful habits as smoking and consuming alcohol still indulge in them!
Remember that the Qur'an came to change not one or two habits; it came to change everything: ways of living and dying, marrying, buying and selling, settling disputes, and how to perceive one's relation with the Creator, among others. Given the scope of the change envisioned, we can begin to grasp why it was revealed in stages.