Collective noun worksheet
Wordplay
2008.06.09 22:35 Wordplay
Like foreplay but with words : a reddit for readers, writers, wordsmiths, storytellers, logolepts, puns, punsters, and all lovers of the English language.
2024.05.13 17:37 jaysjep2 Jeopardy! discussion thread for Mon., May 13
Here are today's contestants: - Joyce Yang, a data analyst from Germantown, Maryland;
- Michael Richter, an elections worker from Portland, Oregon; and
- Will Stewart, a political organizer originally from Nashville, Tennessee. Will is a one-day champ with winnings of $25,601.
Jeopardy! THE GOLDEN AGE // CELEBRITIES // SAME 3 LETTERS, 2 DIFFERENT MEANINGS // HELLO, WALLS // BIG GEO // ALSO A COLLECTIVE NOUN DD1 - $1,000 -
BIG GEO - At just shy of 500,000 square miles of mountains, jungle & arid coastline, it's the third largest country in South America (On the second clue of the game with $0, Will lost $1,000.)
Scores at first break: Will $1,000, Michael -$200, Joyce $2,000.
Scores entering DJ: Will $2,400, Michael -$400, Joyce $5,200.
Double Jeopardy! LITERARY TITLE OCCUPATIONS // ____ FROM THE ____ // COLONIAL AMERICA // LEXICONGRESS // MEN OF MEDICINE // TV'S FANTASTICAL PLACES DD2 - $1,600 -
MEN OF MEDICINE - In 1853 this British anatomist wrote "On the Structure and Use of the Spleen"; his more famous work came 5 years later (Will added $1,000 to his leading score of $7,200.)
DD3 - $2,000 -
LEXICONGRESS - Jason Smith currently holds this title that includes the name of the legislature of the United Kingdom (Will added $4,000 to his total of $13,400 vs. $7,600 for Joyce.)
Will was correct on both DDs in DJ, building just enough of a lead to lock down a runaway at $18,600 vs. $9,200 for Joyce. Michael had a chance to stick around for FJ on the last clue but missed, ending at -$400.
Final Jeopardy! CINEMA HISTORY - Films made outside the U.S. in the ’50s like “Three Coins in the Fountain” & “Quo Vadis” led to an era dubbed “Hollywood on” this river
Both players were correct on FJ. Will added $100 to win with $18,700 for a two-day total of $44,301.
Final scores: Will $18,700, Michael -$400, Joyce $10,000.
That's before their time: No one knew "The Golden Age of" this medium that included the shows "Suspense" and "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" is radio, or the title occupation of a Rod Steiger movie, a person who often deals with desperate people, is pawnbroker.
Correct Qs: DD1 - What is Peru? DD2 - Who was Gray? DD3 - What is Parliamentarian? FJ - What is the Tiber? submitted by
jaysjep2 to
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2024.05.13 11:08 adulting4kids Dead Sea Scrolls Study Guide -Unedited
The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy: The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom: The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:
- Symbolism Analysis:
Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.
- Comparative Analysis:
Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.
- Historical Context Exploration:
Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.
- Creative Interpretation:
Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.
- Role-playing or Debates:
Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.
Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:
- Mesopotamian Context:
- In Mesopotamian mythology and literature, the Euphrates River often held symbolic significance as a boundary between the known civilized world and the wild, unknown realms. The crossing of the Euphrates could symbolize journeys into unexplored territories or transitions between order and chaos. This perspective reflects a worldview rooted in the physical and geographical division of lands.
- Biblical Context:
- In biblical texts, such as those in the Book of Revelation or Old Testament prophecies, the crossing of the Euphrates carries eschatological significance. It may represent a divine intervention or a decisive moment in God's plan, marking the commencement of apocalyptic events. This interpretation aligns with the biblical narrative of divine judgment and the unfolding of God's ultimate purpose in history.
- Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:
- Gnostic or apocryphal texts often interpret the river's crossing as a symbolic liberation or awakening. It might signify the release of spiritual forces or the ascent to higher consciousness, reflecting a philosophical perspective emphasizing spiritual enlightenment and liberation from material constraints.
- Greco-Roman Interpretation:
- In Greco-Roman literature, crossings of rivers were often associated with mythological journeys or transitions between realms. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize a transition from mundane existence to a realm of mystery or spiritual significance, reflecting a cultural perspective rooted in mythology and cosmology.
These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:
- Threshold and Transition:
- The Euphrates often symbolizes a boundary between known and unknown territories. Its crossing represents a transition from one state to another, signifying a pivotal moment of change or passage. This theme of crossing a threshold echoes the human experience of transitions in life, moving from familiar to unfamiliar realms.
- Boundary and Separation:
- As a geographical boundary, the Euphrates signifies separation between distinct territories or civilizations. This concept of demarcation resonates with universal human experiences of setting boundaries, delineating spaces, or marking divisions between different aspects of life.
- Transformative Events:
- Crossing the Euphrates is often associated with cosmic or transformative events in ancient texts. This universal theme reflects the human fascination with the concept of epochal change, cosmic upheavals, or moments of divine intervention that reshape the course of history.
- Symbol of Power and Control:
- The river might represent a symbol of power, control, or geopolitical significance. Crossing it could signify shifts in dominance, challenges to established authority, or the assertion of influence. This theme resonates with human narratives of power struggles and shifts in societal dynamics.
- Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:
- Across cultures, rivers are often used metaphorically to represent spiritual journeys or quests. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment, the passage to higher realms of understanding, or the quest for spiritual transformation.
These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.
- Historical Context:
- What historical events or societal conditions might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll?
- How does the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contribute to our understanding of this text's significance?
- Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
- How does the War Scroll use symbolism to convey spiritual or cosmic themes?
- What esoteric wisdom or deeper spiritual insights can be derived from the portrayal of cosmic conflict and divine intervention within the text?
- Comparative Analysis:
- Compare the themes and symbolism of the War Scroll with other apocalyptic texts from different cultures (e.g., Book of Revelation, The Book of Daniel). What common motifs or differences in interpretation do you observe?
- Parallelism in Biblical Texts:
- Explore connections between the War Scroll and other biblical texts. How does the language, imagery, or themes in the War Scroll intersect with passages from the Hebrew Bible or New Testament?
- Community Beliefs and Practices:
- How might the apocalyptic expectations depicted in the War Scroll have influenced the beliefs and practices of the community that produced it?
- Discuss the impact of such intense anticipation of cosmic conflict on communal life and religious rituals within the community.
- Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:
- Across various ancient cultures, why do you think depictions of cosmic battles and eschatological events were significant? What might these narratives represent in a broader cultural context?
- Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:
- Explore the diverse interpretations of specific passages or symbols within the War Scroll. How do different scholars or traditions interpret these elements, and what underlying factors might influence their interpretations?
- Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:
- Reflect on how the themes of cosmic conflict, righteousness, and spiritual warfare in the War Scroll might resonate in contemporary society or personal belief systems.
- Theological and Philosophical Implications:
- Discuss the theological and philosophical implications of a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness. How does this theme intersect with broader philosophical inquiries or theological doctrines?
- Literary and Symbolic Analysis:
- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings?
These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.
- Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:
- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation.
- Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:
- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions?
- Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:
- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works?
- Ethical and Moral Frameworks:
- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework?
- Role of Prophecy and Revelation:
- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice?
- Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:
- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities?
- Literary Genre and Interpretation:
- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements?
- Relevance in Modern Scholarship:
- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text?
- Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:
- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa?
- Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:
- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation?
The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:
- Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:
- The region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found was under Hellenistic influence due to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the subsequent control by the Seleucid Empire. This era saw a clash between Hellenistic culture and Jewish traditions, leading to cultural tensions and a desire to preserve religious and cultural heritage.
- Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:
- The Jewish people experienced political unrest, particularly during the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule. This period was characterized by resistance movements, attempts to preserve Jewish identity, and fervent anticipation of a messianic figure to deliver them from foreign oppression.
- Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:
- Various religious sects existed within Judaism, each with its own interpretations and expectations of messianic redemption, purity laws, and theological doctrines. The community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, often believed to be the Essenes, likely had distinctive theological beliefs and a strong apocalyptic worldview.
- Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:
- There was a widespread belief in the imminent arrival of a messianic figure or a divine intervention that would bring about cosmic redemption, ushering in an era of righteousness and divine rule. This anticipation of apocalyptic events and a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness is reflected in the War Scroll's themes.
Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:
- Preservation of Ancient Texts:
- The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, provided an invaluable collection of ancient manuscripts that significantly expanded our understanding of ancient Jewish texts, religious beliefs, and the diversity of Jewish thought during the Second Temple period.
- Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:
- The scrolls shed light on the diversity of beliefs and practices among Jewish sects during that time. Understanding the beliefs and expectations of the community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls helps contextualize the theological and apocalyptic themes present in the War Scroll.
- Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:
- The Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contributed to confirming the accuracy and preservation of certain biblical texts, highlighting the continuity of textual transmission across centuries and supporting the authenticity of biblical manuscripts.
- Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:
- The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized biblical studies, providing scholars with invaluable primary sources for studying ancient Judaism, the development of biblical texts, and the context in which these texts were composed.
The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.
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2024.05.13 05:38 user101604371 if you're considering Science One...
Disclaimer: This post is merely to provide knowledge, and not to instruct you to do anything. Your choice whether to choose the Science One program at UBC or not is completely up to you. I hope this helps in making an informed decision.
I just thought I would contribute to the existing public knowledge of the Science One program already on Reddit here:
https://www.reddit.com/UBC/comments/ec95t4/for_anyone_interested_in_science_one/ My post assumes you already did basic research on the program and aims to contribute more knowledge that isn’t publicly available yet (here is the Science One website:
https://scienceone.ubc.ca)
I am an alumni in the 2023-2024 cohort, but just a disclaimer that a few things will change in the program in the years to come (see below):
Just a few small updates to the previous Reddit post:
- BIOL 140 is no longer a mandatory component of Science One so there will be no associated biology labs.
- There are three STT’s, where you can find here for the updated schedules for your year: https://scienceone.ubc.ca/resources
Note about grades: While Science One is promoted as a program where the students care more about knowledge than grades, while this is very true in my personal experience, I still think that grades played a large impact on our mental health, confidence, and our overall enjoyability of the first year experience. The reason I am including grades here is to allow you to have reasonable expectations about your grades and know that if you want to go into a very competitive specialization in second year, Science One may not be the right program for you. Note that the grades published on UBC grades (
https://ubcgrades.com) is not representative of the actual class average. There is a policy where if a student failed two or more subjects in Science One, the credit for Science One will be broken down into its individual course components and the student will not appear to have been in Science One (it doesn’t show Science One on their transcript, rather the rough course equivalents). This raises the apparent class average reported. In my year, 3 people were removed, which changed the class average from 75% to 77%.
Alright, with that out of the way, I will be filling in the gaps of public knowledge specifically with the workload of Science One. Below is a (hopefully) unbiased perspective on Science One. My personal opinion will be stated later in this post.
Biology Note: both of our biology professors (Pam Kalas and George Haughn) are no longer teaching in the program, so this subject may look very different
- Weekly 10 minute quizzes (quiz average 15% of biology grade), consisting normally of two to three written questions (be sure to learn to type very fast and think fast, especially since these quizzes are normally at 8:30am in the morning)
- However, we get one quiz drop per term where our lowest quiz mark is discarded
- Generally the quiz average is around 74%
- Biology Midterm “superquiz” once a term (20% of biology grade, can replace quiz average if the mark is higher so can be worth up to 35%) which is around 55 minutes and consists of around 10 long written questions (however, this is very little time for the amount of thinking and typing necessary to succeed so learn to type fast!)
- Average was around 74% and 60% respectively for terms 1 and 2
- Biology assignments for completion/participation (10%) around once every 1-2 weeks ~ somewhat simple compared to the complexity of the quizzes and midterm, takes around 15-20 minutes per assignment
- Pre-readings per week around 2 hours, critical to understanding the class material
- Pre-readings are found in study guides provided to us or on public webpages, there is no textbook for biology
- One tree project in term 1 where you are tasked with finding and identifying five different tree species around campus
- 2.5 hour final exam (50%), however, if you do better on your final exam than midterm average, it can replace the midterm average (so can be worth up to 85% of your grade)
- Consists of written answers with explanations (I found this final to always be very rushed, finishing writing my answers with around 1 minute to spare)
- Typically, since the final exams are so difficult, very few people will be able to get a higher mark on the final exam than the midterm
- Average was 65% in term 1, term 2 grades not available
Overall: 3-10 hours of work per week depending on your thinking speed and how busy that week’s schedule is
Class average over the year: 71%
Term 1 Units: Great Bear Rainforest, Metabolism, DNA, Gene Expression, Genetics
Term 2 Units: Genetics (Continued); Phylogenies, Speciation, Population and Community Dynamics; Macromolecular Self Assembly; Regulation of Gene Expression; Biological Energy Transformation
Biology Tutorials - Salmon project ~ year long project where we test the DNA of salmon through learning gel electrophoresis strategies
- Very minimal prep work, maximum 30 min per tutorial
Chemistry Note: One professor is no longer teaching in Science One (John Sherman), but the other is staying (Guillaume Bussiere), so this may be different in your year
- Around biweekly unit quizzes (40%), five per term, each quiz around 30 minutes, double sided with around 15-25 questions, with both multiple choice and written answer questions
- Around 74% averages
- One quiz drop per term
- Assignments (10%) consisting of worksheets provided in class (takes around 30 minutes-1 hour per assignment) and questions submitted on a paid ($70 if I remember correctly) homework submission website called Achieve
- 2.5 hour final exam (50%) consisting of theory based questions, organic chemistry, multiple choice, and calculation
- 69% average in term 1, term 2 grades not available
Overall: 2-5 hours of work per week depending if there’s quizzes or assignments that week
Class average over the year: 75%
Term 1 Units: Chemical Bonding and Basics, Conformations, Stereochemistry, Thermodynamics, Electrochemistry
Term 2 Units: Kinetics, Quantum Chemistry, Intermolecular Forces (not really a whole unit, more like a supplementary lecture), Valence Bond Theory and Molecular Orbital Theory, Acid Base Chemistry, SN1 and SN2 Reactions
Chemistry Tutorials - some coding based tutorials for quantum chemistry, little to no prep work, but knowledge of python coding is needed (but you will learn in Science One), submission of a worksheet for marks
- Organic chemistry worksheets, guided by the professors, but no submission necessary
Chemistry Labs (Chem 121, Chem 123 equivalents for term 1 and 2 respectively) - Biweekly 3 hour lab sessions, where we are performing experiments and recording notes in our EDF
- Prep work: normally on our “off weeks”, we need to fill in our EDF and do the prep work (around 3-5 hours)
- In term 2, we also need to submit lab reports for each lab session (takes around 1-2 hours to write)
Overall class average (I forgot): around 85%
Physics - Two long form assignments per term (20%, so 10% each assignment), each assignment generally consists of collecting data related to something learned in class, and analyzing it
- Data collecting and analysis can take around 2-6 hours spread over the week (generally how long it takes to complete the assignment)
- Around 80% averages
- Biweekly quizzes (30%), total 5 per term, one hour long open book online quizzes, consisting of 12 multiple choice or calculation questions
- Around 75% averages
- one quiz drop per term
- Prereadings assignments (4%) on WebWork (around once every two weeks, but very inconsistent schedule), consisting around 3-4 multiple choice/calculation based questions
- Most often, there is no prereading assignment, but there are around 6-7 sections of prereading assigned per week of lecture of online OpenStax textbooks
- Personally, I did not do them, but still survived, as the prereadings can take up to 3 hours depending on your reading speed and intended depth of read
- Homework assignments (6%) around once every two weeks consisting of 8-11 multiple choice and calculation based questions, requires a lot of knowledge of theory rather than plugging in numbers into equations
- 2.5 hour open book final (40%) consisting of both multiple choice (submitted on Canvas) and long written answer questions (paper copy, but submitted on Canvas)
- 60% average in term 1, term 2 grades not available
Overall: around 2-5 hours of work per week depending on if there’s quizzes, long assignments, or assignments
Class average over the year: 76%
Term 1 Units: Measuring and Modelling Motion, Motion and Conservation Laws, Thermodynamics, Rotational Motion, Special Relativity
Term 2 Units: Waves, Quantum Mechanics, Electrostatics, Circuits, Magnetism and Magnetic Fields, Stellar Nucleosynthesis
Physics Tutorials - Generally working on worksheets with the guidance of professors, very helpful for understanding the content better, but worksheets are not submitted
Physics Labs (Phys 119, Phys 129) - 3 hour sessions per week, consisting of data collection and data analysis, learn plenty of Python and basic statistical tests (however, most labs in term 1 are very rushed, but in term 2 there is much more spare time)
- Prep work in term 1 takes around 1-2 hours per lab, consisting of submitting a Jupyter notebook with code so we understand the code we need to use in the lab
- Prep work in term 2 takes around 15 minutes - 2 hours, mostly doesn’t have as much prep work as term 1
- Rarely Jupyter lab notebooks for submission, most weeks we just preread what we are doing in the lab and that is sufficient
Class average (I forgot): around 85%
Mathematics - Midterms “tests” (25%) three per term, around 50 minutes, and consisting of 3-4 written questions (average is usually around 60%, but we have had two instances of failed average midterms resulting in scale [but don’t rely on a scale, it is very rare!]), however, we get one midterm drop per term, where it is not counted in our average
- Assignments (16%) consisting of three long assignments with written answers that take around 2-4 hours to complete, and weekly two WebWork assignments that are around 6-12 questions, calculation and theory based
- Weekly quizzes (9%), with one quiz drop per term
- 15 minute quizzes with 3 questions, generally a little rushed but doable
- 2.5 hour final (50%)
- Average 67% in term 1, term 2 grades not available
- Pre-reading assignments not for marks, takes around 2 hours per week (personally I didn’t do any and I was ok)
Overall workload: around 3-6 hours per week depending if there’s assignments, and midterms that week
Class average over the year: 72%
Term 1 Focus: Derivatives and ODE’s
Term 2 Focus: Integration
Term 1 Project (partnered) - consists of a presentation and mind map of a topic that we research in depth using primary literature
- Around biweekly meetings with our mentor, and mini check in assignments
Overall workload: around 1 hour per week, but can be up to 4 hours when preparing for the presentation
Class average: around 85%
Term 2 Project (partnered) - consists of a project designed personally by you and a partner to measure something and report on it in a 3000 word paper (90%) and a presentation to our peers (10%)
- Weekly check ins with mentor, or round table discussion with updates
Overall workload: anywhere from 0-8 hours a week depending on the complexity of the project
Class average: 75%
Summary With that in mind, I want to provide some pros and cons of Science One:
Pros - Unique connections to professors
- Community with fellow students, and can form a very close knit group of people who are like-minded
- Blended grade at the end of the school year, so if you do bad in one subject but good at the rest, you can “hide” the bad mark
- Networking with professionals at guest speakers
- Having all your classes in one classroom, to avoid rushing across campus between classes
- Allows you to see how all science subjects interconnect
- Provides a deeper knowledge of all topics, basically an honours version of first year Science
- No stress about designing your own timetable
- Research experience in term 2 project can help with research applications in the future
- Study spaces for only Science One students, very helpful especially during finals season
Cons - grading is a little harsh (very harsh in biology in my opinion) and there is no scaling at the end of the school year, so you may not get into your desired major if it is very competitive to get into
- You also are not prioritized for major selection compared to mainstream (ie if you get a 70% and a mainstream student gets a 71%, they will be prioritized)
- Workload is very intense, sometimes it felt like there was no break for ourselves
- Mental health and stress levels
- Blended grade at the end of the school year, so if you do really good in one subject it may be hidden
- Busy workload means less free time, so some relationships outside of Science One may dwindle
- Very hard to take elective courses on top of Science One, because of the busy schedule and demanding workload (might make it harder to get into Computer Science because of its prerequisites)
- Science One only offers 28 credits (6 for two terms of, biology, physics, math, and chem each, with 2 for two terms of chemistry labs and physics labs each), meaning that our term 1 and term 2 work do not provide us any credit
- Science One disqualifies students from taking SCIE 113 (a communication requirement), but does not give any credits for it
Personal Opinion While I did enjoy Science One at the start of the school year because of the pros mentioned above, over the school year, I started taking an interest in a competitive major, which put a lot of stress on myself to achieve high marks. It almost felt like no matter how hard I tried and how well I thought I knew the topic, my mark was going to be low anyways because the way the content is tested. I feel like I shot myself in the foot when it comes to getting into my major as the application process is completely based on grades.
While I don’t know if I would have done better in mainstream (I probably wouldn’t have had as many friends, and therefore my mental health would be worse, and possibly it means that I don’t have as much motivation), I definitely think that I could have done better in mainstream if I had the same motivation I do now as their way of testing and marking may be a lot more lenient. However, I am almost certainly sure that if my cohort were placed into mainstream classes in first year, we would have achieved much higher grades than we did in Science One. However, I don’t know if being in Science One could have an effect on my performance in the years to come. I do acknowledge that over the year, I was able to develop really good study habits to manage the workload and also learned to prioritize my health, which will be beneficial in the future.
However, I have also noticed that there are some “hell weeks”, where we absolutely feel like dropping out. In both terms, after term 1 and 2 conferences, where we were away at camp for the weekend (we didn’t have the weekend to do schoolwork), there was a week where there were many overlapping assessments, such as math midterms, chemistry quizzes, math assignments, and chemistry assignments, etc. These are the assessments that ended up having class averages which were below expectations, which I feel wasn’t our fault at all.
In fact, we were burnt out, but because of our wonderful Student Council, we were able to have some assignments pushed back to alleviate some of our workload and reduce burnout. Special thanks to our chemistry professors, as they were always open to planning the chemistry quizzes on days that weren’t as bad for us, and even asked us which day we wanted the quizzes. I can tell they really care about our wellbeing and our performance.
In addition, even though Science One is marketed as being prestigious, most of the people I talk to don’t even know what Science One is, and the few who do know it, know it for its intensive nature and harsh marking scheme. There is no special treatment for Science One graduates that I know of except for the occasional “wow how did you survive?”.
Generally, I don’t regret doing Science One, but if I had the chance to restart first year, I would have chosen to go the mainstream route. I feel I would have been a lot less stressed and have gotten much better grades. However, I did meet so many motivated and amazing people this year, and have generally enjoyed some aspects such as camp. Unfortunately, because of my desired major, I have seen Science One as something that may have limited my options in the future.
Do I think Science One is for you? These are my personal opinions and please don’t take this section as the final decider for you. Be sure to do more research!
To succeed in Science One, talent can only go so far. At some point you will be challenged academically, and you will doubt yourself. But what follow is what really determines if you are a good fit for Science One. If you want to give up and do something easier, go to mainstream. If you want to persevere and to learn more, Science One may be the right choice for you. If just you want the prestige of Science One, don’t do Science One, it is not as well known as their website may make it seem. If you want to go into Computer Science, Science One may not be for you since it has little connection to Computer Science and really lowers your mark.
If you really are hard set on a competitive major which requires high marks, consider mainstream, since it is very rare and very very difficult to do well in Science One. If you really love to learn more difficult concepts, have a tight community to be by your side, to have good connections to your professors, to get some research experience, AND grades aren’t a huge concern for you, Science One is for you.
Again, take my opinion with a grain of salt. You are ultimately the right person who can make the right choice for yourself. You know yourself the best. I hope this helped and I wish you all the very best in your studies, whether you decide to go Science One or not. Feel free to DM me or reply below if you have any further questions :)
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2024.05.12 23:23 miss5533 What are 7 year olds learning in school, english wise?
My aunt has given me the responsibility (or honor?) of her 7 year old this summer about once or twice a week. Not full time or anything, so remove if this isn't allowed, but I have been tasked with teaching the kid some English while school's out for the summer. I don't know any 7 year olds so I can't ask them what they're learning in school. From some online research I've come up with worksheets about adjectives, nouns, sentence structure including action words, present and past tense...
parents: What approaches work best for kids? Do you have book suggestions I can buy online?
I'm not really that close with my aunt, but at this point I don't even know what I'm supposed to ask her to get more information.
Thank you!
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2024.05.12 20:31 approachenglish English Grammar Class 6 Topics Syllabus CBSE ICSE (2025)
| English Grammar Class 6 Topics Syllabus CBSE ICSE (2025) In the academic year 2025, Class 6 students across various educational boards will delve into the intricacies of English Grammar. Understanding the syllabus is crucial for students to excel in language proficiency and academic performance. Importance of Understanding English Grammar at an Early Age Grasping English Grammar concepts at a young age lays a strong foundation for effective communication and academic success. Early exposure to grammar aids students in writing coherent essays, improving comprehension skills, and achieving higher grades in exams. Topics Covered in Class 6 English Grammar CBSE, ICSE, Other State Boards (2025) In Class 6 English Grammar syllabi for 2025, CBSE, ICSE, and other State Boards cover the following grammar topics: 1: The Sentences 2: Subject and Predicate 3: Nouns 4: Singular Plural Nouns 5: Gender 6: Nominative Accusative Possessive Case 7: Pronouns 8: Verbs 9: Modal Auxiliaries 10: Adjectives 11: Degrees of Comparison 12: Adverbs 13: The Simple Tense 14: The Continuous Tense 15: The Perfect Tense 16: Phrases and Clauses 17: Prepositions 18: Conjunctions 19: Articles 20: Subject Verb Agreement 21: Active and Passive Voice 22: Direct and Indirect Speech 23: Punctuation Marks and Capital Letters Overview of CBSE and ICSE Syllabus for Class 6 English Grammar Comparing the syllabi provided by CBSE and ICSE reveals similarities and differences in the focus and structure of English Grammar education. While both boards emphasize language skills development, CBSE tends to have a broader approach, covering reading, writing, and grammar, whereas ICSE places more emphasis on language proficiency and composition. Detailed Breakdown of CBSE Syllabus CBSE's syllabus for Class 6 English Grammar includes comprehensive coverage of reading skills, writing skills, and grammar concepts. Students engage in activities such as comprehension passages, essay writing, and grammar exercises to enhance their language proficiency. Detailed Breakdown of ICSE Syllabus In contrast, ICSE's syllabus focuses on language proficiency and composition, with an emphasis on literary analysis and creative writing. Students explore various literary genres, practice writing different types of compositions, and delve into advanced grammar concepts. Key Topics Covered in Class 6 English Grammar Key topics covered in Class 6 English Grammar include parts of speech, sentence structure, tenses, punctuation, and comprehension skills. Mastering these topics is essential for effective communication and academic success. Tips for Effective Learning of English Grammar Students can enhance their grammar skills through regular practice, active reading, writing exercises, and seeking feedback from teachers or peers. Utilizing online resources, grammar apps, and participating in grammar games can also facilitate learning. Resources for Further Practice Additional resources such as websites like approachenglish.com, grammar books like "Wren & Martin," and online platforms like Grammarly provide students with opportunities for further practice and consolidation of English Grammar skills. Conclusion In conclusion, understanding the English Grammar Class 6 Topics Syllabus CBSE ICSE (2025) is paramount for students' language development and academic success. By mastering grammar concepts, students can communicate effectively, excel in exams, and prepare for future opportunities. submitted by approachenglish to u/approachenglish [link] [comments] |
2024.05.12 19:01 lambchopsuey Deconstructing the "discussion meeting" performance - "the staged character of discussion meetings" - illuminates why SGI is failing and how far it has deteriorated
This analysis comes from
Cults and Nonconventional Religious Groups: A Collection of Outstanding Dissertations and Monographs, "Shakubuku: A Study of the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Movement in America, 1960-1975", David A. Snow, 1993, pp. 171-179.
I'll try to shave it down, because it's a long section, but he masterfully dissects the manipulation and artifice involved in the "discussion meetings" of
then-NSA (now SGI-USA). You'll recognize the fakery he identifies - this
is the nature of the Dead-Ikeda-cult SGI, a completely dishonest and exploitative cult.
It is at these discussion meetings, then, that NSA gets on with the real work of promoting and securing nominal conversion, of attempting to get recruits to take the first major step toward conversion by agreeing to receive a Gohonzon and to give chanting a try.
In those days, the nohonzon was issued up front (for a fee, of course - cash on the barrelhead).
And since gaining converts is, in large part, what this movement is all about, "nothing is more basic to the activities of NSA," as noted in the Winter edition of the 1975 NSA Quarterly, "than the discussion meeting." Or, as one district leader emphasized when discussing the importance of these meetings: "Discussion meetings are indispensable to the spread of the practice and the attainment of Kosen-rufu."
If you've ever felt confused at how sitting around someone's living room with the same bunch of losers month after month is doing anything toward the SGI's supposed goals of "world peace" or anything at all, actually, besides wasting the participants' time, I think what's described here will make it clearer what the original
intent and purpose of these "discussion meetings" was, AND how far from that the current SGI "activities" have fallen.
The Character and Organization of These Meetings from a Sociological Standpoint
Given the purpose and importance of these discussion meetings, the question arises as to how they are organized and brought off in a strategic manner. In other words, what is the underlying strategy guiding this work of securing nominal conversion, and what are the kinds of tactical adjustments made at the line of scrimmage when the plan of attack does not appear to be advancing the group toward its goal of getting guests to agree to give chanting a try.
It's not enough that the "guests" say they'll try it; by the end of this ordeal, they'll say absolutely
anything to get themselves to the other side of that door! What they
really want is enough interest and desire on the part of those "guests" that they'll come
back - and ideally become regularly attending members (as described
in this indoctrinational creative writing fiction where a career Catholic
priest is so entranced with the fictional (non)discussion meetings that
he JOINS the SGI!! You'll notice that there is never any room within SGI to even
mention one of
THEIR SGI leaders who joins a Baptist church, for example, much less to
celebrate such a stepping-out-of-line. But it's always
FINE for
other religions' leaders to see the obvious
superiority of the SGI, knowmsayin?
In order to answer these question [sic] in a sociological manner, let us step out of the shoes of a guest and into those of a sociological [sic] with insiders' knowledge.
The Strategy of Theatrical Persuasion. Although members and the movement's literature like to characterize these meetings as being forums for free and open discussion and the spontaneous expression and flow of happiness and excitement, they are a far cry from gatherings characterized by spontaneity and unstructured discussion and interaction. Rather, they are meticulously planned and highly orchestrated meetings that can be best conceptualized, from a dramaturgical perspective, as theatrical-like presentations staged and conducted by a set of individuals (NSA members) who not only work together as a team but whose intimate cooperation is expected and required in order to foster and sustain a convincing impression or definition of the situation in the eyes of the audience (the recruits or guests).
Although the staged character of these meetings is seldom readily discernible to the unsuspecting guest, the appropriateness of conceptualizing these meetings in this way is suggested by the following considerations. First, the purpose of the meeting, as already indicated, is to sell guests on the idea of chanting, to so impress them that they feel compelled to give this practice call [sic] chanting a try.
Secondly, there is a division of labor such that all members have one or more roles to play. These various roles include the leadership role, the role of emcee, a general, overarching supportive role, and several more specific supportive roles, such as the role of giving an explanation of what NSA is all about, the role of a song leader, and the role of giving testimony. And even more significantly, members are provided with fairly detailed instructions, or, in the language of the theater, with scripts indicating what each role involves and how best to perform or play it.
There's a
list of these roles. At the discussion meeting planning meeting, the attendees go down the list and simply plug different members' names into the worksheet.
The main leadership role, assumed by the district chief or, in his absence, the assistant district chief, includes, for example, the tasks of leading the chanting in a vigorous manner, conducting the question-and-answer session, meeting with each of the guests, and providing an inspirational role model for the other members. In performing these tasks, the leader is reminded that rather than putting on the air of a great sage, he should make a point of displaying great vitality, warmth, and compassion. Furthermore, he is expected "to be able to give clear explanations of the philosophy and practice," and is instructed to "always tailor his answers and encouragement to the audience."
Answers should always be tailored to the audience. If the guests are young, then the answers should include examples they can relate to. If the questions are too mystical or one-sided, the leader must have the wisdom to change the subject or break off the question-and-answer period diplomatically.
Blanche described how in her first district, the WD District leader instructed everyone that, if someone in the meeting was going on too long or rambling or whatever, that they should just start clapping wildly and shouting, "Congratulations!!" and then the MC would just move on to the next topic on the agenda.
Reeeeal "spontaneous" there...
The emcee role is also regarded as particularly important, so much so that "the success of the meeting" is said to be contingent on how well it is performed. In fact, "so much depends on the emcee" that the discussion meeting is described for him as "a battleground in which he must struggle to bring victory to the members."
Barf. How far SGI has fallen! Now the goal is to see if there's some young teen in an SGI member's family who can be press-ganged to show up and read the agenda - their youth in and of itself is supposed to "encourage" everyone! Forget about all that "struggle" nonsense - they aren't gonna. This illustrates the SGI's current
"form over function" approach, in which they just
identify someone and pressure that person to do it, rather than the ideal candidate
volunteering from a spirit of...oh,
whatever - see above paragraph 🙄 Ideally, there would be SEVERAL young people positively
brimming with passion and youthful energy who would be vying to be chosen: "Me! Let
ME do it this time!" "No!
ME!" "Choose
ME!!" Instead, now it's just some tired old fart who agrees to do it, just to get this over with and there's no one else.
Specific responsibilities include setting "the gears fo the meeting in motion" and keeping the meeting going in a rhythmical and orderly manner.
You
have to wonder just how
crazy they envision these (non)discussion meetings might go - will a spontaneous rave break out if it isn't carefully controlled? An unpermitted
parade? A frenzy of liturgical dance??
WHAT might happen??? Enquiring minds want to know!!
The emcee must develop the ability to keep the rhythm of the meeting going by making sure that there are no pauses or interruptions. If someone is causing a disorder, he should quiet the person in a polite manner. If a baby starts crying, he should see to it that either the mother or one of the young women at the meeting takes the child to another room to calm it down.
Gendered. Misogynist.
The emcee is also charged with being "the eyes and ears of the person leading the meeting."
Before and during the meeting, he should watch guests, be on the lookout for disruptions, and in general, be aware of everything that's happening. He should inform the person leading the meeting how many guests are present and whether they are young or old, so the leader can set the rhythm of the meeting accordingly.
Yeah.
NO 😄
WOW but it's been a LONG TIME since
any SGI sales pitch-based recruiting session - I mean
discussion meeting - had any characteristics that would fit the above instructions. Just no way. Not now. Now, it's the same old handful of longhaulers dragging themselves in to go through the motions - as usual. By rote.
In addition, the emcee is expected to talk, act, and appear in a manner that displays or exudes strength, confidence, vitality and neatness.
The emcee must speak in a vigorous, strong and clear voice, but not screaming. The way he sits, stands up and moves the table must display confidence.
This was when
a small table would be moved in in front of the person who led gongyo, who would turn around to face the group. This is of course a Japanese norm, completely foreign to Westerners. How many people outside of Japan even
have a low table like that, designed for someone who's sitting on the floor??
In fact, he should stand up smartly whenever he is talking. As for appearance, he should reflect the image of NSA - clean and neat clothes and personal grooming.
It has been a
LOOOOOOOONG time since ANY SGI district could insist on these requirements! Now they're just lucky if they can get anyone younger than retirement age to read the agenda off, and the agenda is often handed to them right there at the meeting itself - fuhgeddabout all this "advance preparation" nonsense. Nothing happens at the SGI discussion meetings, so nobody's going to go to this much trouble
just because.
And finally, the emcee is instructed to have the details of the meeting worked out and the setting in order before the meeting begins.
...as opposed to showing up and being handed a printed agenda to read off as SGI does it now.
The emcee must have a plan for the meeting. He should write up a schedule showing who will give the explanation, what songs will be sung, who will give experiences and so on, and present it to the leader at least two days prior to the meeting. The emcee must prepare for the meeting. He should check to see if the meeting place is clean and neat, that all lights work and there is an appropriate meeting table. Most of all, he should do Shakubuku for the success of the meeting.
Oh, like any of
that's gonna happen! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yes, things were VERY different back in the late 1960s-early 1970s, when the SGI organization in the US was still growing. As you can see, all this has been tossed right out the window.
A couple of items:
- "the leader" - this was when the leader of the local district organizational unit (typically the MEN's leader) would assume the leadership role for the "discussion meeting". This was replaced with a "central figure", an invited "SENIOR leader" who would agree to attend and serve this "leader" function. The invited SENIOR leader would typically lead gongyo and preside over the proceedings - that's more how these meetings are arranged now.
- that "Shakubuku" in the last sentence? It strikes me wrong somehow. Sure, that'd be great and all for EVERYONE to bring a "guest" (#SGIGOALZ of course) but I think that having the person CHANT for the success of the meeting would be a more reasonable assignment. Also, how could the MC properly shepherd their "guest" and STILL do all that MC stuff single-mindedly??
In fact, you can see a newly promoted leader doing exactly that, "
chanting for the success of the meeting",
here, from this same time period (early 1970s).
It's been a LONG time since any of this was happening, and you can clearly see in today's (non)discussion meetings how far things have deteriorated - and that's
JUST the MC part! There's a bit about the demands on the
members of the group - I'll skip to just this part:
As one district chief explained during a planning meeting for senior and junior leaders within the district and which I was invited to by one of my key informants:
Make sure to tell your members to chant in rhythm with the leaders. There shouldn't be any more than one rhythm. Everyone should be together so that there is unity. And remember to have them support the leader in whatever he says; the guests won't know whether he is right or wrong. So even if you don't agree with what is being said, act as if you do. this [sic] way there is unity at the meeting and the guests will be more impressed.
Wow, huh? It's
completely dishonest and oriented
entirely at flimflamming and bamboozling the "guests"!
Next there's a big section on "experiences", but I'm going to give that its own post because it's a WHOLE topic on its own. Hopefully today! But Ima skip ahead a bit, to p. 177:
A fourth indication of the staged character of discussion meetings is provided by the fact that planning meetings are held at both the district and chapter level for the purpose of discussing how to improve discussion meetings and make them more successful. Although rank-and-file members (those who have not attained that status of a junior or senior leader) are not normally invited to these planning meetings, I was able to attend several of them at the invitation of both my district chief and a junior leader who was one of my key informants.
SKULLDUGGERY!! 💀
It was during these planning meetings that I became deeply sensitized to the highly orchestrated and dramaturgical character of not only the discussion meetings but of NSA's overall operation.
At this point it's important to remember that "dramaturgical" means "relating to the art or the theory of writing and putting on plays, especially for the theater" - it's all
putting on a show to manipulate the unwitting guests in order to trick them into transforming into new
recruits. It's ALL fake - just a
façade to fool the uninformed.
A fifth consideration suggesting that staged character of discussion meetings is the fact that much of what members do and say, both verbally and nonverbally, during the course of a meeting is to appear natural and spontaneous rather than artificial and contrived.
They try. Unconvincingly.
In other words, these meetings are not to appear as staged performances or as the product of dramaturgical cooperation. This concern is evidenced by the emphasis placed on exuding sincerity and responding to calls from the emcee and to what the leader says and does with alacrity and enthusiasm. It is also suggested by some of the rituals engaged in by the emcee, as when he scans the gathering after he has called for an experience so as to foster the impression that whom he calls is a spontaneous decision rather than one that has been pre-arranged, as indicated by the fact that those called on are already listed on his meeting agenda and by the fact that members frequently know beforehand whether they will be giving an experience.
This fakery apparently was dropped
decades ago; in current SGI (non)discussion meetings, not only is the person acknowledged by name as delivering/"sharing" an "experience", but the person often has it
written out on a piece of paper they semi-read off.
But none of this is evident to the guest.
Rather, what transpires - who gives the explanation, who gives testimonies, and so on - is staged in such a way that it all appears as if it is spontaneous and independent of prior planning, negotiation, and decision-making among the members. As a consequence, it seems reasonable to suggest that NSA in general and the district members in particular have something of the character of a secret society.
Only
without any special perks or sexiness.
This is not particularly surprising, however, when considering the nature of theatrical-like teamwork. As Erving Goffman noted in his seminal discussion of this kind of work:
... if a performance is to be effective it will be likely that the extent of cooperation that makes this possible will be concealed and kept secret... The audience may appreciate, of course, that all members of the team are held together by a bond that no member of the audience shares ... But (the members of the team) form a secret society ... insofar as a secret is kept as to how they are cooperating together to maintain a particular definition of the situation.
This will all be very familiar to the people trying to recruit new suckers into MLM schemes/scams, too.
The sixth and final consideration suggesting the appropriateness of viewing these meetings from a dramaturgical perspective is the fact that they do not "go on" unless there is an audience, that is unless guests are in attendance.
Before Ikeda was excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu and transformed the SGI into his own personal worship society, there was a certain "rhythm" to the year. February and August were "Shakubuku Months", and there was an "introductory meeting" scheduled every week. If it came to meeting start time and there was no "guest", the meeting was halted and everybody was sent out to try and find something with a pulse to drag in, at which point the meeting would proceed:
When I first discovered this I was somewhat startled, for I had assumed that these meetings were conducted in their entirety regardless of the presence or absence of a new face. But as I learned one evening, this is not the case. Following the chanting session on this particular evening, the leader emphasized that since these meetings were for guests and none were present, we would have to go out and round up one or two. So the members in attendance were divided into Shakubuku teams and sent out in search of prospects. Although three of the four teams returned empty-handed, one had managed to corral a single guest. But one is all that is needed; and so the formal meeting began as usual.
For "formal meeting" read "sales pitch". By the late-1980s, perhaps earlier, instead of being
every discussion meeting, this format was restricted to the "introductory meetings" during the Shakubuku Months. However, he's describing something that happened every single time. No meeting unless a "guest" was present.
During my tenure as a member I saw this particular scenario re-enacted on four different occasions, and on one occasion we were sent back into the streets three times in succession. Around 8:30 p.m., after the third try and with one guest in hand, the show finally got on the road.
The author describes himself as "an active participant observer for nearly a year and a half".
Perhaps even more illustrative of the theatrical character of these meetings and the fact that they are staged for guests is the following course of events that transpired one evening during a meeting I attended:
Although no guests were present when the chanting began, a young couple came in toward the end of the chanting session and situated themselves on the floor at the back of the room. But apparently the emcee didn't notice them; for upon completion of the chanting session he didn't jump up and yell out: 'Welcome to a vigorous and happy meeting of the [name here] District of NSA!' But the district leader, who had apparently seen this couple come in, punched the emcee in the ribs and whispered that some guests were present. And so this member immediately assumed his role of the emcee and proceeded as usual by springing to his feet, putting on a big smile, and blurting out, 'Welcome to a vigorous and happy meeting of the [name here] District of NSA!'
"Vigorous and happy" 🤣
In light of the foregoing considerations and observations, there seems to be little question about the appropriateness of conceptualizing NSA discussion meetings as "shows" or presentations staged by the members, who constitute a performance team, before an audience composed of recruits or "guests".
This was what was going on BEFORE Dickeda swanned into the US in 1990 and "changed our direction" - because of what Sensei did, the bottom fell out of the discussion meetings. Instead of
weekly meetings, Dickeata dictated that these meetings would only happen
monthly from now on - and of COURSE Die-Sucky Scamsei's word is LAW in his own cult of personality, where the membership follows a PERSON instead of any "law". Post-excommunication, at the (non)discussion meetings I attended, there was at least one guest every single time, but they never came back. The ONLY person I saw join post-excommunication was a formerly homeless woman with two small children who had moved in with an SGI member (who had unethically selected her at the abused-women's shelter she was living at, where he volunteered computer classes for the residents). She was able to see it
didn't work; she ended up quitting.
Now what SGI-USA is left with is an ever-shrinking membership of mostly Baby-Boom generation
and older individuals who mostly joined during the time period described in this study. SGI has completely lost what vitality it once had; now it's simply waiting around for the grave - and oblivion.
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2024.05.12 12:00 AutoModerator Weekly Reminder: Rules and FAQ - May 12, 2024 (Now with updates!)
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We aren't kidding. - Users are expected to know the rules before posting. If you are warned or banned for violating the rules, ignorance is not an excuse.
- Moderators will remove posts and comments and/or lock threads in accordance with the rules above. Typically this happens when threads have gone off-topic in a way that is not productive for the OP, or comments overall have become contentious or disrespectful.
- If a poster continues to argue or to willfully violate these rules, temporary and permanent ban procedures will be followed. Any attempts to avoid or bypass temporary bans will result in a permanent ban. User bans will not be discussed in the sub. Questions posted about user bans are subject to removal and the poster subject to warning/ban procedures. The mod team will not discuss a specific user ban with anyone other than the user involved.
- New accounts are subject to manual approval until they are no longer deemed "new" by the mod team. This helps to weed out trolls and ban evaders.
- We rely on Automoderator to scan for specific words and phrases that are not welcome here and notify the mod team to review the comment or post. This includes slurs of any type and platitudes such as "Love them as your own!"
- The mod team uses a combination of blacklisting and banning when dealing with trolls.
- We employ the use of a bot that automatically bans anyone who comments in subs that have historically harassed our users. If you are picked up by the bot for telling trolls to get fucked, reach out via mod mail and we'll get you sorted out.
- The rules above as well as ban procedures are considered guidelines only; some deviation may be necessary on a case by case basis and/or at the mod team's discretion.
13. Ban Procedure
These actions are at moderator discretion. - Pornography will result in an automatic permanent ban.
- Extremely egregious content will result in an immediate permanent ban.
- You may receive a 7 or 30 day temporary ban for first and second rule violations, depending upon severity.
- Continued rule violations will result in a permanent ban.
- Willful attempts to avoid or bypass temporary bans will result in a permanent ban.
- We recognize the reddit site-wide rules of using alt names to get around bans and will ban those as well as report them to reddit admins.
- Shortest version? Don't be an asshole. People come here for support and advice, they do not come here to be yelled at or told they are the reason everything is going sideways. There are ways to point out that someone may want to do some reflection on their own actions and reactions without being an asshole about it.
- The purpose of this subreddit is to provide support and a sense of belonging for struggling stepparents. We aren't here to pass judgement, but rather to offer support, empathy, and constructive commentary. That does not include "hard truths" or "tough love." Stepparents get enough of that in every other subreddit, we're not passing it out here. Be respectful.
- Remember, most people aren't going to come to a sub like this when everything is going great and everyone is getting along. People are coming here when they are down, when they are feeling defeated and stretched to the limit. Kicking someone when they are down is shitty behavior and we don't tolerate it.
What about being kind to the kids?
- "Won't somebody think of the children?" Pearl clutching isn't needed here. If you read the Kindness Matters rule closely, you will see that there is a clause in there about name calling children. We don't allow it. We also don't allow people rolling in telling OP that they feel sorry for their stepkids because OP is feeling overwhelmed and overloaded.
- If anyone is advocating slapping, spanking, or any other form of violence, report the comment immediately. We do not advocate violence towards children of any sort. The mod team does not advocate any sort of physical punishment at any time.
- Venting about behaviors is not the same as insulting the kids. However, if you see a post or comment where kids are being name called or dragged to the point of no return, use the report button. We try to catch the posts and remove them before they hit the sub, but we cannot see every comment without your help. Use the report button to bring problematic comments to our attention. Don't engage in a war of words on our subreddit.
Why is this sub such an echo chamber?
- Not allowing contributors to pile on and tell OP that they are a terrible human being who should never be around children does not equate to being an echo chamber. Many contributors here will offer OP suggestions to help them work through their resentments and frustrations, and the most egregious situations are called out. We simply ask that it be called out with respect.
- If you feel that a post is simply too much for you to handle without following the rules, move on to another post.
- If you believe that a post itself is crossing the rules report it. If the mod team has approved the post, it is because the mod team believes that the OP needs help from the community or needs a moment to vent and move on from their vent. That does not give you license to pile on disrespectfully. Unless it is proven that OP is a bot, assume that OP is a human being with real thoughts and feelings and has posted from a place of vulnerability.
Why can't I tell OP that they are an asshole?
- Because this isn't a judgement sub. We aren't AITA, we don't want to be AITA.
- Comments with terms like YTA, NTA, ESH, NAH will be removed.
- Don't start your posts with INFO either. We generally recognize that as a fishing attempt for more information to pass judgement on OP, and again, we are not a judgment sub.
But OP asked if they were an asshole?!
- Their post somehow got past our automoderator. Just use the report button. We will address it with OP.
- If you've asked if you are an asshole, a-hole, a*hole, a**hole, whatever, don't be surprised if your post is removed without warning. This isn't a judgment sub. If you want judgment, you know where to go.
What is a gendered slur?
- While it seems that everyone understands what racist slurs are, people struggle understanding the concept of gendered slurs. Generally speaking, we are talking about derogatory nouns or verbs that are used to negatively describe people or situations based on gendered terms.
- We've gone back and forth on this a few times, and the truth is, we get it, it's your safe space and you want to be able to vent about BM/BD how you want to vent about them, without us telling you how to vent about them. Fair enough. Vent away. What we are going to stick to here how people are referring to other users and to stepchildren.
- Examples that are not allowed:
- "My SD is such a little bitch."
- "She dresses/acts like a slut."
- "My SS acts like a pussy."
- "My SS is such a beta male."
- "You are all fucking whores."
- "Any dude who is raising some sluts kids is a cuck!"
- "Little Lord Fauntleroy over here thinking he runs the house!"
- "You're just the bangnanny, get used to it."
- Don't call users here names, don't call stepchildren names.
- Masking the term with asterisks or other neat little tricks might get you around the bot, but if we see it, we're removing it and quite possibly giving you a time out. The intended word is still there and you deliberately tried to skate the rule.
- As there is not enough space to list every term that is offensive and does not belong, nor every situation in which term or phrase may be allowable in context, this rule is enforced based on moderator discretion.
Seriously? You are the language police now?
- We're here to talk about stepparenting. And we would like for that to happen in a respectful way. Attacking each other doesn't help. Belittling stepchildren draws in trolls who don't understand your frustration, all they see is an evil stepmonster talking shit on the internet about a poor, innocent baby. Yes, even if that "poor, innocent baby" just robbed you blind and set fire to the house on their way out the door. That's just how it goes.
- We are aware that this is a relatively new rule and a lot of older posts and comments contain a lot of problematic language, including some from mods themselves. We are growing and evolving, and rules change as the sub grows and evolves.
What does No Drama really mean?
- Pretty much what it says, do not bring drama from other subs into this sub. Do not engage in vote brigades. Do not try to incite other subscribers to riot in a different sub. Don't follow posters into this sub from other subs to continue to harass them. Do not badger someone or derail threads. Do not harass community members because you don't agree with them. There's enough drama in the daily lives of subscribers, more isn't needed.
What is thread derailment?
- When a comment chain has devolved to the point where all you are doing is arguing back and forth with someone about the same thing over and over again, you have derailed the thread. Also known as bickering. It's what children do. We assume if people are in a stepparent role they are adults. We expect you to act like it.
- If you aren't a stepparent, or in a stepparenting role, consider that perhaps this subreddit isn't for you. If you want to participate, do so with respect. Thread derailment, arguing, bickering, and nitpicking are not allowed.
But what if they didn't answer my question?
- No one has to answer your questions. This is a support sub, not an inquisition. Jumping on a bandwagon with "OP is evading the question" in a 20 comment long chain is the epitome of thread derailment. You'll find more information about trolling below and how this might be considered such.
Why am I being silenced? I'm just asking for a back and forth!
- Thread derailment, badgering, and nitpicking are considered harassment. Continued harassment of either community members or mods will get you banned.
Why can't I look at someone's post history and comment about it?
- No mod in the history of this sub has ever once said post histories are forbidden. What we do frown upon is using someone's post history to attack, belittle, or otherwise harass someone.
- Example Post: "My stepkid's mom really hates me. How can I make this better?"
- Okay: "Based on the timeline and your post history, it looks like this may have started as an affair. Unfortunately there's going to be outstanding issues for a long time due to that. Try focusing on yourself and how you can move forward without worrying about how someone else feels about you."
- Not Okay: "Holy shit! You were the OW! What the hell do you expect, homewrecker?!"
- Example Post: "I am completely overloaded and feeling very down about myself."
- Okay: "In your post history you mentioned that your spouse wasn't really helping around the house. Has that changed at all?"
- Not Okay: "LOL, you already got the answers you need in your post on relationships. You are stupid for sticking with your lazy spouse."
Why can't we crosspost stuff to other subs?
- We can't stop you from doing so. The problem isn't that something has been crossposted, it's when the community that it's been crossposted to feels the need to come over here and harass OP. When we see that happening, we lock the post and start passing out bans. If you did the crossposting, you'll be banned. If you participated in the brigading, you'll be banned.
What if it's my own post?
- Again, we can't stop you from doing so. We prefer that you don't technically crosspost, but rather just copy and paste your post. Why? Because inevitably the above will happen. Redditors from other subs will follow you back to /stepparents and start attacking users here. It just happens.
What is "brigading"?
- Reddit defines vote manipulation and brigading as follows:
- Using multiple accounts, voting services, or any other software to increase or decrease vote scores.
- Asking people to vote up or down certain posts, either on Reddit itself or through social networks, messaging, etc. for personal gain.
- Forming or joining a group that votes together, either on a specific post, a user's posts, posts from a domain, etc.
- We, along with pretty much every other subreddit that has ever had to deal with this nonsense, further define brigading as this: You saw a post on another sub that linked to our sub either via a link in a comment or a crosspost. It was basically saying something along the lines of "OMG, check out these assholes over on /stepparents! They literally hate all their stepkids!" And then you and your friends come over and start hammering on OP and telling OP how much they suck. Congrats, you have just participated in a brigade.
- If you see a post or comment that breaks the rules, instead of engaging, report it. When you report it, it sends notification to the mod team. We will act on it where appropriate. Engaging with bad faith users may result in your comments being removed. If you repeatedly do so, you may end up being banned.
What if I see an obvious troll?
What if they are being really mean in comments?
What if they are harassing me in private messages?
- Step 1: Report them to admins. You can report harassment to reddit by using this link or send a DM to reddit admins. Include the link to the DM, admins can see your inbox and providing a direct link is helpful for them to weed out bad actors.
- Step 2: Block the person so they cannot directly contact you again.
- Step 3: Send us a mod mail and let the mod team know. Tell us who they are and what they said, send us a screenshot if you can - admins can see your DMs, mods can't. We'll take action where necessary by banning from the sub if they aren't already banned.
- Just as we prefer to not be linked to or crossposted from, we do not allow linking to or calling out other subs by name. If you see something you want to share, say it's a hot post that has hit the front page and a stepparent is being absolutely flayed, just refer to it as "that hot post that hit the front page." If you want to complain about other places in general, "other parenting/advice/judgement subs" will suffice. Absolutely under no circumstances should you link to anywhere else.
I can't link to other subs?
- Do not directly link to another sub. (e.g.: "/insertsubnamehere is ridiculously hostile to stepparents!")
- Do not name other subs. (e.g.: "I won't link to it directly, but insertsubnamehere is ridiculously hostile to stepparents!")
- Do not abbreviate other subs. (e.g.: "I know that ISNH is ridiculously hostile to stepparents!")
I can't ping other users?
- Do not summon another user with a username ping/tag. (e.g.: "insertusernamehere was being an asshole.")
- If you are agreeing with someone, it is okay to link to them. (e.g.: "I agree with insertusernamehere, you need to take a couple of steps back and reflect on this.")
- Sanctimonious, overused clichés that grossly oversimplify the stepparenting experience are neither wanted nor allowed here. We have all heard it a thousand times before, we don't need to hear it again. It's not nearly as insightful and wise as some would like to think.
Why don't you people understand it's a package deal?
- Any comment that suggests that OP should have known what they were getting involved with, or that they needed to understand that the kids were part of some package they needed to accept before signing up for marriage is subject to immediate removal.
- This is one of the most insensitive things you can say to a stepparent. Most stepparents were aware of the children, but they were probably not aware of all of the family dynamics.
Why can't you just love them like they are your own?
- Demanding that a stranger you do not know love children that are not biologically theirs as if they were theirs can be incredibly damaging to someone who is already in a vulnerable situation. Any comment that falls along these lines will be removed.
What do you mean by No Trolling? I was just...
- No means no. No trolling. No pretending to be a stepparent and then whipping out the Greatest Hits Bingo Card of The Worst Stepparent in the History of Stepparents. We see you. We've seen you a thousand times.
What does "concern trolling", "gish-galloping", and "sealioning" have to do with stepparenting? This isn't a debate sub, why are you using debate terms?
- That's absolutely right, this isn't a debate sub. And yet, here we are, day after day, having to defend ourselves against this sort of thing. So, enough. No more. Usage of any of these things will get you banned.
What is "Concern Trolling?"
- A concern troll is someone who disingenuously visits sites of an opposing ideology to disrupt conversation by offering unwanted advice on how to solve problems which do not really exist.
- Example Post: OP expresses concern that she will feel, and possibly act, differently towards her stepchildren after her husband decides that no, he doesn't want anymore children after all.
- Example Concern Troll pulled from actual mod mail after their comment was removed: "Possible child abuse claims need to be sorted out well before whatever empathy you believe the OP was looking for."
What is a "Devil's Advocate"?
- "I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but have you considered that maybe BM is just really tired and needs a break, too?" BM has dozens of different mom based subs alone on reddit she can complain on, this sub is for stepparents. The stepparent doesn't need to consider that maybe BM is just really tired and needs a break.
"Gish-galloping?" What does that even mean?
- The Gish Gallop is the fallacious debate tactic of drowning your opponent in a flood of individually-weak arguments in order to prevent rebuttal of the whole argument collection without great effort. The Gish Gallop is a conveyor belt-fed version of the on the spot fallacy, as it's unreasonable for anyone to have a well-composed answer immediately available to every argument present in the Gallop.
And "sealioning?" What's that?
- Sealioning involves jumping into a conversation with endless polite, reasonable questions and demands for answers, usually of entry-level topics far below the actual conversation (e.g. "please prove sexism exists"). This tactic differs little from harassment; instead of discussion, the point is to derail discussion, receive criticism (for their ignorance) so as to look like a victim, or to make someone feel overwhelmed and quit talking.
Who gets to define what is considered asshattery?
- The mod team, of course! If we feel that comments are out of line, are trolling, are leading up to a fight or "just asking questions", we are going to remove them and most likely ban the offender.
Posting Guidelines for Stepparents
- Body text is required, we suggest you use line breaks between paragraphs as a wall of text is difficult to read. Posts that have only a title are likely to be removed. Instead of using names (even fictitious ones), try to use the sub acronyms. It helps our users to follow along if you use the acronyms and not names.
- Assign a post flair that accurately describes what your post is about and what you are seeking. If you are posting an update from a previous post, include a link to that post.
- Flairs are applied to posts to determine what a person is looking for. When submitting a new post, you should choose a flair that specifies if you are looking for advice, support, etc. The following link flair is available and is color coded with side bar links so that you can search by flair:
- Advice - For when you are specifically asking for advice or help.
- Announcement - Mod Use Only, for subreddit announcements.
- Daily (Formerly TTP) - Mod Use Only, for our daily discussion threads.
- Discussion - A little advice, a little "How does your family handle this?"
- JustBMThings - Pretty sure this is self explanatory!
- Legal - Asking for legal advice? Tag it with this!
- Miscellany - Just a sort of off topic thing? Use this tag.
- Resource - Sharing a good resource or asking for one? This is the tag you need!
- Support - For those days when you want nothing but a good old fashioned cry and some community love.
- Update - Updating us on something that you posted about previously? Use this one!
- Vent - We all need to vent sometimes. Respect the tag as a vent. This isn't how OP talks all day every day.
- Win! - Celebrate those wins with us with this tag!
- Megathread - Mod Use Only, for large mega threads (typically around major calendar events.)
Posting Guidelines for Bioparents
- Stepparents is a support community for stepparents, by stepparents. As bioparents, you may want to have more insight into how the stepparent in your life feels or thinks. You may have questions on how to ease the transition for your partner. However, please keep in mind that this community was not created for you. It was created for your partner or your ex's partner. If you are seeking support on how to deal with a stepparent, there are other subs more suited for your situation and your post is subject to removal.
- There are some posts from bioparents we will accept:
- Seeking advice on how to support your partner as they navigate stepparenting
- Seeking resources to help you better support your partner
- Seeking resources for your partner
- There are some posts from bioparents we will not accept:
- Complaints about how the stepparent is too involved in your kids lives
- Vents about how the stepparent is not involved enough in your kids lives
- "Cautionary tales" advising stepparents to back off
- Seeking advice on how to tell the stepparent to back off
- The Do's and Dont's of Stepparenting
- How your kid's stepmom is literally The Worst
- Comments from bioparents that are helpful and supportive are welcome and appreciated. Comments from bioparents that are not helpful or supportive are not welcome and subject to removal. There are several other subs that may meet the needs of bioparents better than we can. We recommend /coparenting, /parenting, /parents, /blendedfamilies, and /singleparents as starting points.
Guidelines for Stepkids
- At this time, we do not generally accept posts from stepkids. Comments from stepkids that are helpful and supportive are welcome and appreciated. Comments from stepkids that are not helpful or supportive are not welcome and subject to removal. If you are a stepkid seeking support, we highly recommend /stepkids. It is a very supportive community specifically for stepkids. We also recommend /blendedfamilies as another potential group for support.
What the heck are all these acronyms? I'm confused!
Why aren't my posts or comments showing up?
- New posters and accounts go through a waiting period before their posts will show in the sub and the comments on posts automatically. During the new account approval period the mod team will check posts to be sure you aren't attempting to circumvent a ban with a shiny new account. Please be patient while the timer runs down on your "new" status and the mod team approves your posts and responses.
Why was my comment removed?
- Comments are removed when they do not follow the rules of the sub. These rules are published in several places for your reading pleasure.
- Comments are removed at moderator discretion. In some cases your comment may be removed while another remains up. If you find this to be the case, and you believe the comment to be violating the rules, instead of arguing with mods or demanding they remove the additional comments, just report it.
This comment/post is really offensive! Why is it still up?
- All moderators are volunteers and have busy real lives. Sometimes things get past us. The best thing you can do is report anything you find offensive or inflammatory. It's the quickest and most reliable way of alerting us to an issue.
I've received a hurtful/unwanted PM from someone about my recent post. What should I do?
- If you receive an unwanted/hurtful PM from a name you don't recognize, please report it to Reddit Admins using our handy pre-populated form. Be sure to include the permalink to the message. We've been dealing with a few unhappy folks who like to attack stepparents, and reporting it to the admins is the only way to make it stop.
What are the general moderator guidelines?
- Users are expected to know the rules before posting. If you are warned or banned for violating the rules, ignorance is not an excuse.
- Moderators will remove posts and comments and/or lock threads in accordance with the rules above. Typically this happens when threads have gone off-topic in a way that is not productive for the OP, or comments overall have become contentious or disrespectful.
- If a poster continues to argue or to willfully violate these rules, temporary and permanent ban procedures will be followed. Any attempts to avoid or bypass temporary bans will result in a permanent ban. User bans will not be discussed in the sub. Questions posted about user bans are subject to removal and the poster subject to warning/ban procedures. The mod team will not discuss a specific user ban with anyone other than the user involved.
- New accounts are subject to manual approval until they are no longer deemed "new" by the mod team. This helps to weed out trolls and ban evaders.
- We rely on Automoderator to scan for specific words and phrases that are not welcome here and notify the mod team to review the comment or post. This includes slurs of any type and platitudes such as "Love them as your own!"
- The mod team uses a combination of blacklisting and banning when dealing with trolls.
- We employ the use of a bot that automatically bans anyone who comments in subs that have historically harassed our users. If you are picked up by the bot for telling trolls to get fucked, reach out via mod mail and we'll get you sorted out.
- The rules above as well as ban procedures are considered guidelines only; some deviation may be necessary on a case by case basis and/or at the mod team's discretion.
I've been wrongly banned/Why can't I comment here?
Why was I banned without warning?
- There are numerous reasons that the mod team might opt to move perm banning without warning. Message the moderators if you have specific questions.
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2024.05.12 04:07 YourAverageOrganism I'm unwillingly going to Islamic studies on the weekends.
I'm a teenager, and my mom signed me in Islamic studies a couple months ago, which I didn't have much of a problem with until I actually was in the classes.
For 4 hours, every Saturday and Sunday, for the next 6 weeks, I sit in a circle in a section of the Masjid, and hear the teacher talking, who has such a monotone voice. Him and his assistant don't tolerate being unprepared, drawing, sleeping, or not paying attention. It's weird, since I thought it was going to be in a classroom, with worksheets, like what I'm used to. I'm not one for lectures, so this is a pain in the ass.
On top of all this, I already have a lot of testing and schoolwork in regular school, which... is amazing. I was pretty aggravated about having school 7 days a week.
I also couldn't help but think about how cult-like everyone sounded; the children collectively reading the Arabic alphabet, and reciting the surahs. I wondered if there was anyone like me, who was doubting their faith, exploring their identity, and realizing that Islam may not be for them anymore (bonus if they're gay lol). I couldn't help but feel uneasy and uncomfortable, knowing my mom spent money for this, thinking it was "best for me." I don't want her to think I'm ungrateful, so I pretend I like the classes and what I'm studying, so she can feel happier.
It's burning me the fuck out, stressing me the fuck out, and I feel trapped. I'm really considering skipping in some way because I don't resonate with Islam anymore, and I don't think I ever did.
TLDR: On the weekends, I go to Islamic study class and it's tiring, as I don't identify with Islam anymore, and the class is simply boring. I also already have a bunch of stuff to do in regular school.
submitted by
YourAverageOrganism to
exmuslim [link] [comments]
2024.05.12 01:30 jeruthemanager Store and recall variables with drop down box
I've created a number of worksheets which run engineering calculations. I want to learn how to store and recall individual calculations but i'm not sure which aspect of Excel I should be looking into.
This image shows a very simplified idea of what i'm creating. The green shaded cells are user inputs. I want to be able to store and recall these inputs for calculations 1, 2, 3 etc via the drop down box.
Can anyone point me in the right direction? My research suggests 'collections' in VBA might be the way to go. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
submitted by
jeruthemanager to
excel [link] [comments]
2024.05.11 20:16 PLUTO_HAS_COME_BACK Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda: Analysing the Heart Sutra from Theravadin Perspective: 2.8. —Part 5
2.8. Saṅkhāra:
Saṅkhāra (Theravada glossary):
Formation, compound, fashioning, fabrication - the forces and factors that fashion things (physical or mental), the process of fashioning, and the fashioned things that result. Sankhara can refer to anything formed or fashioned by conditions, or, more specifically, (as one of the five khandhas) thought formations within the mind.
- Saṅkhāra: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and mental activities
- Saṅkhāra is construct. Construct is activity.
- Sight is a construct. Sight occurs as an activity composed of looking, seeing, light/image incoming, brain and mind functioning, etc.
- Sound is a construct. Sound occurs as an activity composed of listening, hearing, sound waves incoming, brain and mind functioning, etc.
- Smell...
- Taste...
- Touch...
- Thought is a construct. Thought occurs as an acivity composed of recalling memory, composing ideas, brain and mind functioning, etc.
Paramattha & Saṅkhāra
Existence is made of paramattha (reality, real things) and saṅkhāra (activity).
Four Paramatthas are Citta, cetasika, rūpa, Nibbāna.
Saṅkhāra is either natural or intentional.
The Four Noble Truths
The
Catusacca (the Four Truths or Facts) are Ariya-Sacca (the Noble Truth, the Ultimate Truth). These four truths are the true nature (sbhāva) of paramattha and saṅkhāra.
The
Catusacca Daḷhī Kamma Kathā composed by the Elder
Revata (2491
Sāsanā Era) is a must-read:
The Buddha had to acquire the ten perfection (pāramis) over four asankheyyas and a hundred thousand kappas; a paccekabuddha, over two asankheyyas and a hundred thousand kappas; a Chief Disciple or Mahāsāvaka, over one asankheyyas and a hundred thousand kappas. To what end? To attain to the Four Noble Truths. Why? Because it is only knowledge of the Four Noble Truths that leads to the realization of Nibbana, which makes one secure against the hazards of repeated (birth), ageing, disease and death and the natural tendency of all worldlings to fall into the four miserable states (apāya). One should therefore follow the example of those Noble Ones who have entered Nibbana and strive for the knowledge of the Truth.
Two truths:
- The paramattha-sacca (the ultimate truth, or reality that really exists in nature);
- The samuti-sacca (the conventional truth, or the conventions and beliefs that really exist among us);
Sacca : truth; Truth also means a statement or speech is truthful or of a noble person.
TATHĀGATĀ
the Buddha uses to address himself. He is “thus come” (tathā āgata) in the sense that he is neither an emissary of any divine being (God, etc) nor prophets, but arises as the most highly evolved being amongst us as the natural process of spiritual evolution and awakening. He is “thus gone” (tathā gata) in the sense that, just like the truth he proclaims, he dies, thus authenticating the reality that he and we commonly are. (Sacca) Tathāgatā Sutta (Piya Tan)
Nāma and Rūpa
There are five aggregates of clinging.
- Nāma is the collective term for saṅkhata dhamma: citta (viññāṇa) and cetāsika (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra). Thus, nāma is the four mental componets (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa). Citta is also known as mano and viññāṇa. Citta (mind) and cetasika (mental factors) rise and fall together.
- Rūpa is the four mahābhūta (solid, liquid, gas and heat) and space. Space is the gaps between the particles (mahābhūta). Thus, rūpa is the corporeal body. Rūpa is often translated as form; i.e. the biological body.
- A being is a nāma-rūpa complex or a metaphysical being.
Saṅkhāra as the three built environments:
- Satta-loka is lifeforms and their systems/activities—Avijja-paccaya sankhara (delusion conditions/supports constructs/activities).
- Okāsa-loka is large objects like plants, rivers, mountains, seas, oceans, rocks, galaxies, stars, planets, moons, etc. and their systems/activities. Okāsa-loka houses lifeforms.
- Saṅkhāra-loka is the particals (mahābhūta) and their systems/activities. Saṅkhāra-loka is of particle physics and chemistry existing inside and outside the biological beings (Satta-loka).
- The Satta-loka is made of the five aggregates. Okāsa-loka and Saṅkhāra-loka are made of matters (rūpa or mahābhūta).
- Everything in the three worlds (Satta-loka, Okāsa-loka, Saṅkhāra-loka) is saṅkhāra or a form of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch or thought.
- See Sabba Sutta (The All are these six senses only, no more.)
- Nibbāna is thus the other shore, relief from the burden of the natural activities (birth, aging, death) and intention (kamma saṅkhāra). Nibbāna is thus relief from the nāma-rūpa complex (the natural and intentional activities).
2.8.1. Three types of saṅkhāra:
- Mano-saṅkhāra (mental construct/formation/activity)
- Vaci-saṅkhāra (verbal...): words, comversation, cry, etc.;
- Kāya-saṅkhāra (bodily...): physical action and reaction (all physical activities, which are not vaci);
- These saṅkhāra can be natural or intentional.
- Kamma saṅkhāra (intentional activities) are led by the mind (viññāṇa and mano-saṅkhāra).
Kamma Saṅkhāra (Intentional Activity)
- Intention is kamma (mano-kamma).
- A mental activity with intention is mano-kamma.
- A verbal activity with intention is vaci-kamma.
- A bodily activity with intention is kaya-kamma.
- Intention forms in the mind, so it is a mano-saṅkhāra (mental construct).
- Intention is based on wholesome and unwholesome cetasika (mental factors)
In Samyutta Nikaya Sutta 12.25 the Buddha said “With ignorance as condition, either by oneself, Ananda, one wills bodily intentions (kāya Saṅkhāra), following which arises internally pleasure and pain; or, because of others one wills bodily intentions, following which arises internally, pleasure and pain.” [CONDITIONED ARISING OF SUFFERING (Ven. Dhammavuddho Mahāthera)]
- 'Bodily intention' (kaya-saṅkhāra): intention to act bodily;
- Kāya: body, bodily;
- Intention: mano-saṅkhāra
- Mental pain and pleasure; as intention is inside the mind, pleasure and pain are internal (inside the mind).
One casts three types of saṅkhāra (construct/activity) all day long.
- Kamma is volition, intentional action, which can be subtle or gross.
- The Buddha said, "Kamma is intention."
Saṅkhāra Examples:
Avijjā-paccaya saṅkhāra (ignorance conditions/supports construct/activity):
- Beauty is saṅkhāra (natural and with intent). Beauty exists because it is supported by other saṅkhāra-s, including but not limited to fashion, makecup, good health, young age, exercise, nutrition, perception, culture, cleanliness, and genetic conditions. Being propped up by various suitable supports, beauty exists. When suitable things come together, they create beauty. When these supports are affected, beauty is affected.
2.8.2. Cetasikas (Mental Factors):
Cetasika is a paramattha. It exists as it is.
A
being is made of
rūpa (solid, liquid, gas and heat),
citta (viññāṇa) and
cetāsika (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra). However, one does not need akusala-cetasika (avijjā). By removing akusala-cetasika (avijjā), one attains kusala-cetasika (vijjā) and the binding (saṅkhāra) is unbinded.
Sankharakkhandha (the fifty cetasikas which are not vedana or sanna) is real; it can be experienced. When there are beautiful mental factors (sobhana cetasikas) such as generosity and compassion, or when there are unwholesome mental factors such as anger and stinginess, we can experience sankharakkhandha. All these phenomena arise and fall away: sankharakkhandha is impermanent. [Nina Van Gorkom. Chapter 2 - The five khandas]
- Cetasika are vedanā, saññā and saṅkhāra (feeling, memory/perception, and construct/activity)
- 14 kusala cetasika (wholesome) and 14 akusala cetasikas (unwholesome mental factors) associate with saṅkhāra and Kamma Saṅkhāra.
- Viññāṇa (consciousness) is citta, one of the four paramatthas. Citta and cetasika occur together and stated as Aññamañña paccayo (explained below);
Aññamañña Paccayo (PAṬṬHĀNA)
Aññamañña paccayo: Paccaya RECIPROCATES WITH paccayuppanna
paccayuppanna : (adj.) arisen from a cause.
paccaya : (m.) cause; votive; requisite; means; support.
- Citta and cetasika (saṅkhāra and vedana/ayatana) arise together or mutually supportive. Details can be read in Pa-Auk Sayadaw's Sampayutta Dhammayatana.
- Ayatana: sense
- Vedanā: feeling
- saṅkhāra: construct
- Avijjā-paccaya saṅkhāra
- No matter how one is well-behaved, these Anusaya Kilesās will not die out. Either kusala or akusala cetasika (wholesome or unwholesome mental factors) will arise when consciousness (citta) comes in contact with a convenience. Our problems are the unwholesome mental factors.
[Ledi Sayadaw] Lokuttara, or supramundane consciousness, is the noble mind (ariya-citta) which has become free from the threefold desire, and has transcended the three planes, kāma, rūpa, and arūpa. It is of two kinds, thus: noble consciousness in the path (of stream-entry, etc.) and noble consciousness in the fruition (of stream-entry, etc.). [Ledi Sayādaw Mahāthera. The Manual of Insight Vipassanā Dīpanī; The Wheel Publication No: 031/032]
- By means of practicing vipassanā, one can separate citta from akusala cetasika. When akusala cetasika are eradicated from the mind, ariya-citta arises.
- Anupàdisesa-Nibbànadhàtu is the final cessation of the five aggregates of clinging (Upādānakkhandha).
- Nibbànadhàtu: Santisukha (the ultimate-peace element); Nibbàna is an element (paramattha).
Akusala Cetasikas (unwholesome mental factors)
Abhidhamma (Ashin Janakabhivamsa)
Factor 9 - Issa (envy) Factor 10 - Macchariya (jealousy, selfishness) Factor 11 - Kukkucca (remorse) Among the akusala cetasikas are the ten kilesā (akusala cetasika) shown with bullet points. Hetu paccayo
Lobha, dosa, and moha are called akusala hetus and alobha, adosa, and amoha are called kusala hetus. These latter 3 hetus if they arise with abyakata dhamma they are called abyakata hetus. Lobha is also known as tanha, upadana, samudaya and so on. Moha is sometimes called avijja. Alobha is sometimes refered to dana or offering but it is non attachment. Adosa is metta or loving kindness. Amoha is pannindriya cetasika and simply called panna and is sometimes called vijja. Htoo Naing. Patthana Dhamma: Chapter 5 - Hetu paccayo (or root condition). Htoo Naing. Patthana Dhamma (a different book): Hetu paccayo (page 15)
Kilesā occur in three levels: 1/ anusaya-kilesa: low level, latent, like sediments waiting to be stirred up. 2/ pariyuttana-kilesa: medium level arising only in the mind due to causes and conditions. 3/ vitikkakama-kilesa: coarse level, manifesting in unwolesome speech or action, breaking precepts. [Defilements (kilesā) (Thanh Huynh - Honolulu Dhamma Community)]
Anusaya Kilesas (latent tendency):
If you don’t remove or destroy [latent tendency or defilements (anusaya kilesā)] with Path Knowledge, the khandhas and samudaya (i.e., taṇhā) are always sticking together. [Buddhavada (Mogok Sayadaw); also see 4.2. ANUSAYA]
- Cetasikas are embeded in the formation of a being, including the arupa-brahmas.
- When something convenient (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought) is present to consciousness (Viññāṇa), anusaya kilesā (the latent tendency) grows like seeds.
- At the contact with the convenience, Viññāṇa and the cetasika co-arise simultaneously according to Aññamañña paccayo (Mutuality or Reciprocity Condition)
- To think, one must be conscious; and to continue thinking, one must be conscious.
- To see a sight, one must be conscious...
- To smell a smell...
Comparing with Mahayanist concepts:
- Anusaya kilesās are not based on discrimination and erroneous reasoning (Lanka)
- Anusaya kilesās are not in the Ālaya-vijñāna (the Universal Mind, storehouse consciousness), nor are related to the buddha-nature (Buddha-dhàtu, Buddha-svabhāva). The Mahayanist Ālaya-vijñāna and Buddha-svabhāva are neither citta nor cetasika known to the Vibhajjavadis.
2.8.3. The Role of Saññā
Saññā is a type of cetasika. Other cetasika are vedanā and saṅkhāra. Cetasika is a reality (paramattha).
Saññā is memory (events) and perception (a form of mano-saṅkhārā). However, saññā and saṅkhārā must be different. Saññā must not be saṅkhārā (construct). Saññā must be a raw material. Although saññā and saṅkhārā are similar, saññā must not be saṅkhārā or a product of saṅkhārā.
Saññā as the past events is memory. Events are not imagined. Events occur at the present are reality (not memory).
Saññā can exist as the future events or future memory, like a plan. If a plan is possible to be carried out, then some future events are predictable. In that sense, some future events are knowable.
A Buddha can analyse an individual's mentality and potentials. Based on that knowledge, a Buddha can know and prophesies some major events about an individual or the world. However, a Buddha cannot know the potentials of all the individuals with weak mind (Iddhipāda) and faculties (indriya) who travel randomly any direction into the dark.
This is what the Buddha said about those going into the dark:
The chance for a being in a hell to be reborn as a human is less than that of a blind turtle, surfacing once a century, to happen to put its head through a ring moved by the winds across the surface of the sea. Even if a human rebirth is attained, the person will be poor, ugly and ill, and will tend to do evil actions which will send him or her back to hell (M. iii.169; Bca. iv.20)
PETER HARVEY.
AN INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHIST ETHICS: Foundations, Values and Issues. Page 30 University of Sunderland
The Buddha advised the monks to go into the relief from the burden of nāma and rūpa:
“Monks, that’s how rare it is to get reborn as a human being. That’s how rare it is for a fully enlightened Buddha to be born into the world. That’s how rare it is for the Dhamma and training taught by a Buddha to shine in the world. Now, monks, you have been reborn as a human being. A fully enlightened Buddha has been born into the world. The Dhamma and training taught by a Buddha shine in the world.
Iddhipāda
iddhiyā pādo iddhipādo, i.e., root or basis of attaining completion or perfection (success or potency). [79] [The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw. The Requisites of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī), Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy • Sri Lanka, The Wheel Publicaton No. 171/172/173/174.]
4. Iddhipāda Sutta.-The path mentioned above should be practised, accompanied by concentration and effort, compounded with desire, energy, idea and investigation. S.iv.365.
Indriya
- Faculty of faith (saddh’- indriya) [Nyanatiloka Mahāthera. Guide through the Abhidhamma Piþaka, Page 18]
Avijjā-paccaya saṅkhāra; Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam;
- Avijjā and saññā condition the saṅkhārā. Avijjā is a type of kilesā cetasika (mental defilement). Avijjā exists in two forms: Delusion or the lack of right view; Heedlessness or the lack of mindfulness. Both forms of avijjā are always present in saññā (i.e. wrong view).
Saṅkhāra is construct and construction.
Mano-saṅkhāra can also be understood as percept.
- percept. noun. : an impression of an object obtained by use of the senses : SENSE-DATUM (Merriam-Webster)
- Percept: a mental concept that is developed as a consequence of the process of perception [Google/Oxford Languages].
- [percept:] Perception usually combines several sensations into one thought or percept. The percept, of course, is a mental state corresponding with its outside object. A Percept is the product of Perception, or in other words, our idea gained through Perception
Saññā and Vipassanā
Saññā can be understood as sense-datum, outside object, perception, and memory. The sense-datum is an object immediately present in experience. It has the qualities it appears to have.
A controversial issue is whether sense-data have real, concrete existence. Depending upon the version of the sense-data theory adopted, sense-data may or may not be identical with aspects of external physical objects; they may or may not be entities that exist privately in the subject’s mind. Usually, however, sense-data are interpreted to be distinct from the external physical objects we perceive. The leading view, in so far as the notion is appealed to in current philosophy, is that an awareness of (or acquaintance with) sense-data somehow mediates the subject’s perception of mind-independent physical objects. The sense-datum is the bearer of the phenomenal qualities that the subject is immediately aware of. [Sense-Data (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)]
Lifeforms (nama-rūpa complexes) and the law of life (Paticcasamuppada) have existed in the past infinity. Saññā as memory can be recalled or accessed by anyone. Some arahants can recall the past 500 lives. Some arahants recalled several eons of the past Earths. A Buddha can recall with no limit in a very short moment. The Sakyamuni Buddha said, even if He spent His entire lifetime, He would not reach the beginning (of existence), which is considered non-existent.
Inthe Western thought, the natural memory can be improved by training [
Javier Vergara / Procedia (Page 3513) - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 ( 2012 ) 3512 – 3518)]. In the Theravada teaching, a liberated mind (which attained arahantta phala) can recall at least the past 500 lives.
Saṅkhāra and saññā belong to cetasika, which is a paramattha (reality). However, they are impermanent. That begs a question: How can the impermanent saṅkhāra and saññā be accessed? They are impermanent in theory, as they will be forgotten. The physical destruction of the memory of the past events might not happen.
As though written down into books, the memories (including sense-data) seem not to have disappeared. The fact is each of us can recall the memory, which stays with us for a lifetime. We are forgetful and cannot recall our memories whever we want to; however, they are present, and our minds revisit them sometimes. Our inability to explain how memories exist should not prevent us from admitting the fact that memories exist and can be recalled. These noble ariyas can know others' minds and access the past memories and forsee the future events.
Avijja-paccaya sankhara (ignorance conditions/supports a construct; e.g. sakkāyadiṭṭhi). - Avijjā (ignorance) is saññā (as memory, misperception or wrong view).
- Saṅkhāra (as activity) is misunderstanding/misperceiving nama-rūpa complex as an I-being, I am, he is, she is, it is, they are... Misperceiving the nama-rūpa complexes as individuals or as beings (I-beings).
- Saññā and saṅkhāra are always together as one's problems.
- Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam: when saṅkhāra (e.g. idea) is present, consciousness arises. One begins to know the construct. Saññā-Saṅkhāra are the subject to know (be conscious about).
- Saṅkhāra-paccāya vinnānam: Saṅkhāra bridges between saññā and viññāṇa—perceiving is made of saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa.
- Sabbe saṅkhāra anicca—all constructs are impermanence;
- Construction: Saṅkhāra as activity (intentional or unintentional):
- sankhara-paccaya vinnanam (Dependent on reaction (conditioning), consciousness arises);
- Mano-saṅkhāra (Citta-Saṅkhāra), vaci-saṅkhāra, kaya-saṅkhāra—mental, verbal and bodily construct/activity which a being performs intentionally or unintentionally;
- Cetana is also intention (volition).
Saññā (memory) is like the soil and fertilizer. Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought acts like a signal (reminder).
- In vipassanā, one puts effort to block the reminder reaching the memory (saññā)—like a responsible person kills the fire before it reaches the gunpowder. Once a sense reminder (ayatana) reaches saññā, they give birth to kamma sankhāras. The sense reminder (ayatana) is too fast for the untrained minds to block. So one does not block it but avoid it. One must develop the mind to have this avoiding ability and skill through a gradual training which comprises the indriya-samvara-sila and vipassanā. Basically, it means to prevent mano-saṅkhāra (thought) because it leads vaci-saṅkhāra and kaya-saṅkhāra.
- As the kilesā are not fed or fertilised, they will become weak and suitable for jhāna development; however, they will remain as Anusaya Kilesās. Only the vipassanā-ñana can totally eradicate Anusaya Kilesās.
Indriya-samvara-sila and Vipassanā
"In seeing there is merely seeing. In hearing there is merely hearing. In sensing there is merely sensing. In cognizing there is merely cognizing. In this way you should train yourself. "Bāhiya, when there is only seeing in seeing, hearing in hearing, sensing in sensing, cognizing in cognizing, then you will not be 'with that.' When you are not 'with that,' you will not be 'in that.' When you are not 'in that,' you will be neither here nor beyond nor in between the two. Just this is the end of suffering." [The Bāhiya Sutta (Douglas C. B. Kraft)]
Four Types of Capacity for Path Attainment
It is stated in the Puggalapaññatti (the “Book of Classification of Individuals,” (p. 160) and in the Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN 4:133) that, of the beings who encounter the Sāsana, i.e., the Teaching of the Buddha, four classes can be distinguished, viz.:
A padaparama is an individual who [...] cannot obtain release from worldly ills during this lifetime. If he dies while practising samatha (tranquillity) or vipassanā (insight) and attains rebirth either as a human being or a deva in his next existence, he can attain release from worldly ills in that existence within the present Buddha Sāsana.
niyata : one who has obtained a sure prediction made by a Buddha.
aniyata : one who has not obtained a sure prediction made by a Buddha.
aniyata neyya individuals can attain release from worldly ills in this life only if they put forth sufficient effort [...] within the present Buddha Sāsana.
(The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw.
The Requisites of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya Dīpanī))
2.8.4. Our concern:
Our concerns are our own mental, verbal and bodily activities:
Due to delusion (avijjā), we do not know where we have been and what we should do during this lifetime. The purpose of life in general is to practice selfishness to ultimate level.
One builds a life only to lose it to the death. Nobody can reclaim his/her previous life, properties, wealth and works. Rebirth in dugati-loka does not allow rebuilding life. One must get another opportunity in sugati-loka.
Due to clinging (upādāna) to self, one cannot separate from the new life, which is now. One always clings to the new life because of sakkāyadiṭṭhi (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). The past life is like yesterday.
- Sakkāyadiṭṭhi: clinging to nāma-rūpa as I am—i.e. this body is me, mine; the major wrong view (mano-saṅkhāra)
- Nāma: the four mental khandas (vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra and viññāṇa).
- Rūpa: the corporeal body or the four mahābhūta.
Remember the following:
- Sakkāyadiṭṭhi is ego, egocentric and a very heavy burden to carry and climb uphill.
- Sakkāyadiṭṭhi extends beyond one's five aggregates.
- Sakkāyadiṭṭhi extends to others' five aggregates as well. So we can hear people say, this is mine, and that is also mine.
- Sakkāyadiṭṭhi only helps one to fall downhill.
- A chance of getting relief from this burden is rare.
- A chance to know true dana, sila, bhavanā is very rare.
- One day this body will be thrown away or buried somewhere; and that body, too.
- Truth is painful as long as one is clinging to the five aggregates.
- Thus, our true concerns are our own mental, verbal and bodily activities.
The Buddha warns us to reflect the following:
"The five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained..."
'I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.'
'I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.'
'I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.'
'I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.'
'I am the owner of my actions,[1] heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.'
[Upajjhatthana Sutta—
AN 5.57 (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)]
Upādāna (clinging) manifests as mano-saṅkhāra (mental activity/construct):
We cling to live body and dead body. We have seen enough pain in society in good time and bad time.
Upādānakkhandha:[m.] the factors of clinging to existence.
The five upādānakkhandha: rūpakkhandha, vedanākkhandha, saññākkhandha, saṅkhārakkhandha, viññāṇakkhandha
We take the body for self; thus we cling to rupakkhandha. We take mentality for self; thus we cling to vedanakkhandha, to sannakkhandha, to sankharakkhandha and to vinnanakkhandha. If we cling to the khandhas and if we do not see them as they are, we will have sorrow.
Saṅkhārakkhandha (m.) the aggregate of mental coefficients
- Saṅkhāra among the five aggregates is mano-saṅkhāra. Saṅkhārakkhandha is also designated as upādānakkhandha as there is clinging.
- The upādānakkhandha rises from sakkāyadiṭṭhi (clinging to self and the five aggregates).
- Most beings cling to all these five. Some cling to either rūpa or nāma and are reborn in the arūpa-brahma worlds.
- Will is the intention to get a desired object. To will means to get something one desires. One wills, and as one is willing, one acts. In this process, will and dukkha (suffering) rise together spontaneously.
In Samyutta Nikaya Sutta 12.25 the Buddha said “With ignorance as condition, either by oneself, Ananda, one wills bodily intentions (kāya Saṅkhāra), following which arises internally pleasure and pain; or, because of others one wills bodily intentions, following which arises internally, pleasure and pain.” [CONDITIONED ARISING OF SUFFERING (Ven. Dhammavuddho Mahāthera)]
- 'Bodily intention' (kaya-saṅkhāra): intention to act bodily;
- Kāya: body, bodily;
- Intention: mano-saṅkhāra
- Mental pain and pleasure; as intention is inside the mind, pleasure and pain are internal (inside the mind).
Anusaya Kilesas: Bhava-Taṇhă to Bhava-Saṅkhāra
Three types of taṇhă: kama-taṇhă, bhava-taṇhă, vibhava-taṇhă.
'Wherever in the world, there are delightful and pleasurable things, there this taṇhă (craving) arises and takes root.' [...] By 'taking root' is meant that, failing to contemplate on the impermanent nature of pleasurable things, craving for them lies dormant, taking root to arise when favourable circumstances permit. This latent craving, lying dormant in sense-objects which escape being contemplated on, is known as ărammananusaya. [U Ko Lay. Discose on the Wheel of Dhamma - Part 5: Maha Satipatthăna Sutta. SukhiHotu Dhamma Publication,1998)]
The Effect of Anusaya Kilesās: Kāmataṇhā and Kāma-loka:
After the destruction of a world of beings, either by a cosmic fire, flood or storm, only darkness remains in space, completely empty and void.
After forever and an aeon, and after cosmic condensation and precipitation, at the same place another human world will be reborn as a body of liquid just like the previous ones. This water body, as big as a planet, will gradually become suitable to support life.
Some of the
Brahmas, who have lived their lifespans, will be reborn as humans in that new human world. The first-ever generation of humans are sky-dwellers, with brahma-like body, brahma-like rays, brahma-like lifespan and brahma-like lifestyle. Their auras can shine like the moon and the sun.
Gradually, after passing forever and an aeon, the water mass will condense into physical nutrition. Seeing that beautiful physical food and breathing its nice smell for forever and an aeon, these beings will eventually lose control due to their anusaya kilesa stirring and rising in their minds.
One of them will taste it, eat it and persuade others to do the same—that is how eating is the first religion and politics.
- ... It was endowed with colour, smell and taste. It was the colour of fine ghee or butter, and it was very sweet, like pure wild honey. [Aggañña Sutta (DN27 On Knowledge of Beginnings) (Pali Canon Online)]
All things must come to an end one day. This is the impermanent nature of everything, anicca. So also the world [...] During the destruction of the world, all living beings become Brahmas and dwell in Brahma which is not affected by [the destruction.] [Ashin Janakabhivamsa. Part 2 - How The World Came To An End.]
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2024.05.11 18:48 Le8Z0rs Based on this chart, what type of person do u think I am and how long do u think I have been listening to music for??
2024.05.11 14:32 ggGamergirlgg Mood
2024.05.11 13:16 GenuineDumbass69 ENGLISH DOUBT
2024.05.11 03:42 mining_moron Alien Languages are Alien Road to Hope
As was (maybe) previously stated, Kyanah don't have distinct languages with specific labels, yet this does not mean that they all share a common language. The vernacular tends to differ slightly from city-state to city-state; in the next city-state over, there might only be a few small spelling and pronunciation changes or some differences in handling obscure grammatical edge cases, but as one goes further and further away, the differences quickly accumulate. In most regions of the world, it's possible to understand the language up to a few hundred kilometers away from one's home city-state without dedicated study, but there's no hard-and-fast boundary where one language "ends" and another "begins". For this reason, linguistic aptitude is not a function of how many languages a particular Kyanah knows, but how large of an area they can make themselves understood in. Many of the specific vocabulary and grammatical structures used in Ikun are understood by educated Kyanah in other parts of the world, and tend to be used in settings where packs from many different regions of the world, with few or no linguistic features in common, must communicate, such as science or diplomacy. Due to Ikun's soft power and large-scale internet footprint, this is especially common in Net Zone 1; most but not all online content from this region is at least somewhat understandable to Kyanah from Ikun.
Notably, Kyanah have a syrinx rather than a larynx, meaning that their spoken languages are not pronounceable by humans and they also generally cannot pronounce human languages. Their typical vocalizations tend to sound like a mixture of rapid-fire grunts, hisses and chirps or screeches, which can vary considerably in pitch and cadence--not too dissimilar from how small theropods are believed to have sounded. Various low-pitched bellows and roars appear to be used in the same manner as shouting, being used to be heard across long distances, draw attention, or express anger. Naturally, this has presented considerable difficulties in translating proper nouns. With nothing else to go on, they have been forced to simply do a one-to-one replacement of the characters in their proper nouns with those in the Latin alphabet that most closely resemble them; humans have altered the conversion charts slightly in order to produce more consistently coherent and pronounceable results. Thus, for instance, the label "Kyanah" is simply a human construct and sounds absolutely nothing like what they call their species in their (as in, the soldiers from Ikun city-state) own spoken language. Actual communication between species was initially done through ad hoc gesticulation and amalgamations of human and Kyanah sign languages, which was gradually formalized in the first few years of the invasion, as well as occasionally communicating through writing or drawing when practical. By the end of the war, reliable inter-species machine translation and text-to-speech software would be developed, and in the subsequent years, this would advance to BCI devices that could generate speech in real-time, although not particularly reliable. Interestingly, even Kyanah who have a high base vocabulary of human words seem to struggle significantly with things like modifiers and word ordering, as their own languages tend to handle them in a radically different fashion.
For instance, over 95% of Kyanah writing systems organize words into binary trees rather than linear sentences, with children being semantically related to parents (e.g. subject and object, modifier and modified etc.). Linear scripts, while not unheard of, tend to be rare and associated with more primitive cultures, regardless of whether they're left to right, right to left, or top to bottom. It generally is not particularly important which words are the parent, left child, and right child; the writer chooses in order to optimize the aesthetics of their sentence-trees or place emphasis on a particular word. The nature of the semantic relationship between parents and children in the sentence-trees is denoted not by words comprised of characters, but by special markings called decorators, which in spoken language are expressed using subtle variations in tone, cadence, and volume, while in written language, they take the form of different types of lines between parent and child words. In most languages, decorators are also used for such things as prepositions, conjunctions, and tenses instead of using actual words for such things, resulting in all words referring to specific things or concepts, instead of having glue words that tie together other words or word groups like many human languages do. For instance, "You are eating", "You ate", "You will eat", "Are you eating?", and "Eat" (as an imperative command) all use the exact same words, with the difference lying in the decorators (or the tone/cadence/volume variations if spoken). It gets wilder, in Ikun, "Are the nyrud or the tyukrud in the field?" and "The nyrud and the tyukrud are out of the field." also use the exact same words. It's thus possible, in some cases, to meaningfully answer a question, especially a yes-no question, by simply repeating it back! (Albeit with variations in how the words are said, and with the caveat that simply "False" would be a much more succinct and natural response in this context.) For obvious reasons, decorators are dreaded by any humans attempting to learn Kyanah writing, and explain why Kyanah have an odd tendency to drop glue words and struggle with tenses when using human writing systems. In general, having a syrinx instead of a less complicated larynx allows them to make their vocalizations more compact by expressing a broader range of sounds, making the use of decorators instead of full words to save time a practical option.
Pronouns are another key difference; Kyanah have a whole set between singular and plural pronouns that they use to refer to packs, leaving human translators to awkwardly bounce between them when trying to translate these pronouns. Pack pronouns are a cultural universal for Kyanah; every single known language has them. It is customary to use pack pronouns when speaking to or about a member of another pack, even when only referring to that specific individual; using singular pronouns is usually a faux pas as it implies a higher-than-accurate degree of familiarity and intimacy, similar to a human walking up to a stranger and calling their spouse babe; or in the case of first-person singular, implies that the speaker is in some way deviating from their pack, if they have one. "I like nyrud steaks", when said to someone outside the speaker's pack, would for example strongly imply that the speaker's packmates in fact dislike nyrud steaks, and the speaker is the only one who likes them; saying it to another packmate however would have the connotation that humans would expect. The natural human tendency is to refer to packs using the plural pronouns, as they do in fact consist of multiple distinct individuals, but Kyanah would interpret this as referring to some vague, unspecified group, rather than their own pack. Additionally, as packs are atomic units in Kyanah society, occupying a single role and a single occupation, and being treated as one entity by their legal system, using plurals can create awkward statements in human languages and some meaning can be lost in translation.
Because the Kyanah use sentence-trees rather than linear sentences, languages aren't categorized into subject-verb-object, object-verb-subject, etc. but rather but the method in which the trees are traversed. Around 50% of the homeworld's population uses in-order traversal (left-child parent right-child), while 30%, including Ikun city-state, use pre-order traversal (parent left-child right-child) and the remaining 20% use post-order traversal (left-child right-child parent). To preserve the binary tree structure and prevent sentence-trees from exploding in size when dealing with many subjects/objects/etc. at once, lists of words with the same role in the sentence are placed into containers so as to occupy a single node. Kyanah sentence-trees can go on indefinitely as long as they are focusing on a singular subject; if the primary subject changes, a new sentence-tree must be started. Traditional Kyanah writing involves ornate sentence-trees shaped into aesthetically pleasing or meaningful shapes and sentence-trees are arranged on the page in a visually significant way; this sort of writing is roughly analogous to human calligraphy. Such niceties are typically ignored when typing on computers, in the name of efficiency and ease of programming. Instead, sentence-trees are automatically configured into rigid, standardized shapes and arranged on the page in such a way as to minimize wasted space, while still allowing for the creation of multiple threads. Naturally, traditional-minded Kyanah have been complaining about this since the invention of the computer, saying that it strips away subtle meaning and emotion from the text. However, the desire for efficiency has generally overruled such concerns in mainstream society.
Sentence-trees can be placed anywhere on the page, rather than following a particular order, though there is usually a clearly defined starting and ending point to a sequence; when the next tree in the sequence is not obvious from the position and orientation of the previous one, there is usually some arrow or other marker to point the path. Written works usually contain multiple sequences, each of which will take its own individual path around the page, and each of which is (at least primarily) written by a particular pack member. For this reason, written works are generally meant to be read by a pack collectively, with each member following one thread and later switching threads or explaining relevant aspects to each other if needed. Written works can be read by a single individual, but this requires the reader to frequently context switch between disparate threads that may only be loosely related to each other at times. Single threaded works do exist, but they are considered a separate form of art from mainstream, multi-threaded Kyanah literature. Multi-threaded literature is a direct descendent of story-threads, an ancient Kyanah art form and pastime that likely predates recorded history by a long shot, where members of a pack will take turns speaking sentences to collaboratively build a story. Good ones are sometimes written down and published, allowing other packs to enjoy them (sometimes even hundreds or thousands of years later), with each member of a pack choosing a thread and taking turns reading aloud their part of the story-thread and reenacting it. Interestingly, it is not just literature that is written this way; even textbooks, manuals, and research papers are all written in the same multi-threaded manner, and are likewise designed to be read by an entire pack.
There are plenty of distinct quirks between the different linguistic practices (using the term "language" may be a misnomer as linguistic practices tend to be continuous instead of being divided into discrete languages) in different parts of the world. Other than sentence-tree traversal, some of the most important differences center around the structure of words themselves. In most northern hemisphere scripts, characters represent sounds and have no intrinsic meaning on their own, while words are created by chaining these characters together based on the chronological order that they are pronounced. In southern hemisphere scripts, characters usually represent a few hundred basic objects and concepts and words are created by combining them, either in a linear chain or a graph-like structure, and the graphs tend to have their own unique algorithms for traversing them when reading or speaking, making such linguistic practices among the hardest to learn. For instance, in Kanenhah, "nuke" can be written (or spoken) by combining the characters for "made" (as in, made by Kyanah, not natural), "sun", and "egg" into a graph where the first two connect to the third, while in Koranah, the same word created by linearly chaining characters for "place" and "destroy" plus decorators to make the literal meaning "place destroyer" (which are written and pronounced somewhat differently from Kanenhah's characters for "place" and "destroy"). As an aside--the explanation for why there are so many broad and sweeping changes in language style and culture in general between the northern and southern hemispheres (a divide similar in many ways to the Western and Eastern worlds on Earth) is that impact ranges tend to cluster around the equator, which historically made travel between hemispheres much more difficult than travel within hemispheres. (I totally thought that through ahead of time, and didn't just make it up to retroactively justify the north-south divide.)
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2024.05.10 10:54 NoFoodSince1604 How do you identify if it's an Uncountable Noun or a Collective Noun?
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2024.05.10 07:49 rdk67 Spring Day 51: The Undersides of Leaves
The hyperform is the term I give to the hyperdimensional characteristics of reality that reveal themselves through the mutability of the macro-physical and our capacity to make sense of it.
Between those two venues – the material world and our ideation of it – is the phenomenology of the real, and this is where mutability can be expressed as a sort of language form.
This is not a radical observation in its expectation – we expect that meaning is made from the mutability of reality, such as the quality of human speech compared to the absence of it.
Where the premise is unreasonable by prevailing standards is in supposing a terrain exists that treats reality as a kind of soundboard for a music something somewhere is making.
Isn’t this what mutability of reality suggests – a kind of making? The players engage in a kind of play?
Let’s say music becomes an adjective instead of a noun – muse-ic or –ique – compositions derived from an inspired musical language. Muse-ic – woodwinds are breathed into, while players are inhaled.
Each inhalation changes the condition of the body, which is adjacent to all of reality, the way each drop of rain that lands in the ocean changes the ocean, and every sonorous moan, bleat and twinkle changes the potential of the human future.
I use the term hyperform in both the specific sense and as a collective – a hyperform followed me home yesterday, the hyperform is composed of inverted assumptions.
This might make it seem like another layer of reality, the way chickens lay eggs. Why, no – ha-ha – not exactly like a chicken lays an egg.
When we think of the hyperform as another layer of reality, we are more correct to imagine we are the chick inside unhatched, and a kind of shell circumscribes material reality – during one phase of life, if the shell cracks, we die.
Subsequent to that, we are on guard against cracked shells, followed by the odd premise that we won’t be set free until we crack the same shell on purpose – what? – because we’re hungry, because we must make music with our beaks -- whatever.
Once free, though, the opening premise becomes just that – we started with the stone-age formulation, but then the shell cracks, and the hyperform, in both its singular and collective sense, introduces us to the universal narrative, starting with the solar mind.
The solar mind is where some aspects of the hyperform are at right now – the solar mind meaning a will to assimilate the physical and metaphysical language forms of our solar system, which is the limit-case of all the phenomena we can reasonably expected to interact with locally.
I think of the hyperform as consisting of forms of reflectivity. We know reflectivity as mirror images and echoes, as well as the more abstract notion of sitting still, leaning forward, resting our chin on our fist, knitting our brow.
Some of this reflectivity has a kind of automatism and reflexivity about its responses, and some of this reflectivity starts to tell a story that seems to indicate it knows what humans like, changes the story in the retelling.
Some of this reflectivity can engage in dialogue, and when the dialogue begins, the mutability of reality can be an avid topic of conversation, a kind of upcycling of the moment into something else, and some of this reflectivity circumscribes natural law, such that the concept of a great-than experience of reality becomes something empirically verifiable.
The cosmic narrative we are being aimed toward as a species might indeed become trips around the galaxies – but this by virtue of an altered state of reality where the characteristic of mutability is significantly stranger than it is now.
I have been in the presence of the hyperform in a state of direct contact – a kind of ghost that let me know it could see me, then proceeded to bend my consciousness to one side, like it was looking at the underside of a leaf, and I only knew what happened after it happened,
like remembering a dream without falling asleep first, but once the dream is known, that inconsequential-seeming moment of confusion would be remembered. We are not alone.
The undersides of the leaves are where the brains are.
Each leaf shows its face to heaven, and what we see is a crowd above us, looking in the other direction. The leaves are still growing in size most places around the block, but the undersides are already pulsing with ideas, roaring with enthusiasm, and connecting opposite coasts with trans-American rail lines.
They can hear the sound of cicadas climbing through the soil, even when the shower of cosmic particles grows torrential.
The undersides of leaves are like reservoirs of contemplation, the trees capacity for mutability springing out of them.
I walk inside, see the undersides of the leaves of vines pressed flat against a couple of windowpanes – I can tell, the growing tips have already made it to the gutters.
From inside, the leaves are like directories, the vines, telegraph lines, and I try to picture what their signals portend.
Someday the vine of human consciousness will climb over the horizon, then out of the solar system, and with each new leaf unfurled, we will know a little more about the path we’re traveling on, what it’s made of, where it’s going, where it’s gone.
The sun! The sun! Has it escaped the mind? Or is it merely night?
I lay in bed, stacking the events of the day into a series of layers, layer after layer, which subsequently strut about the barnyard, pecking at the ground, turning things over – and then it’s time to lay another egg.
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2024.05.10 00:47 NaCl3251 Call Roger
2024.05.09 21:24 theseedinthejuice Is my new online school allowed to not pay me for producing creative material related to my contracted teaching?
I recently got a second online part-time teaching job. I'm in the US. They're in Canada. In the (currently unsigned) contract I only get paid hourly for teaching. Full stop.
However, later in the contract, the company states that "works made by the teacher (such as worksheets and presentations) will be collectively referred to as 'work products'. They will be the company's sole property and are 'works made for hire'."
Naturally, 'work products' can be reused as any teacher will understand, but they don't make any statemants in the contract allowing for work periods or transitional compensation allowing to create or build up the work products they demand. They want me to create new presentations for novels (8-15 lessons) aimed at 5th to 12th graders. This equals at least 1 hour prep for every teaching hour, at minimum. And according to the contract, I won't be able to use the material I created outside the company.
I simply want outside opinions. It sounds like overreach to me or they don't want to pay for so much extra labor outside teaching hours.
Both in schools and online, I'm used to being paid for additional material creation or having options to share added work I create, but I'm not used to having such an iron grip on my work with no compensation or options.
Thank you everyone
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2024.05.09 21:09 Revolutionary-Rest47 Why the recent explosion in the use of "folks"?
I can't help noticing a lot of people who have never uttered the words "folk" or "folks" in their life keep using it with reference to lgbtq people. It sticks out like a sore thumb and its kind of weird. I figure there's either some unspoken code of acceptable gender-neutral collective nouns, or they're just imitating everyone else who talks about LGBTQ issues.
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2024.05.09 08:34 watchersontheweb (Spoilers Extended) The myth of Herne the Hunter, Horn Hill and the Age of (Super) Heroes
Tinfoil and I will be making no proper conclusions, just connections that might've been an influence on the story.
Three tales..
According to legend, Herndon and his twin brother Harlon the Hunter built their castle atop Horn Hill and took to wife the beautiful woods witch who dwelled there, sharing her favors for a hundred years.
In the Early Middle Ages, Windsor Forest came under the control of the pagan Angles who worshipped their own pantheon of gods, including Woden, whose Norse equivalent Odin rode across the night sky with his own Wild Hunt and hanged himself on the world tree Yggdrasil to learn the secret of the runic alphabet. It has been suggested that the name Herne is derived from the title Herian, a title used for Woden in his role as leader of fallen warriors (Old Norse: Einherjar). - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herne_the_Hunter#Anglo-Saxon_deity
And last but not least, Green Arrow 1988 issue 26
Oliver Queen investigates the Hawthorne Estate, in Nottingham, England, where he finds the late Alec Hawthorne's cane. As he investigates an indoor garden, he is surprised by the appearance of the man who hired him, Geoffrey Dunston, who is also the Hawthorne family lawyer.
Some quick names to jot down..
Dunstonbury was once a castle of House Manderly when they lived along the Mander in the Kingdom of the Reach. When the Manderlys fled the Reach a thousand years before the War of Conquest - Wiki
Dunstan is an old man, but not as old as Erik Ironmaker. Lord Drumm carries the Valyrian steel sword Red Rain - Wiki
House Drumm may be a reference by George R. R. Martin to Jericho Drumm, a magic-using superhero known as Brother Voodoo. After Princess Saera Targaryen's companion Alys Turnberry was disgraced and gave birth to a bastard daughter in the Vale, she was arranged to marry Lord Dunstan Pryor. - Wiki
The Sigil for the Pryors is an eclipse, one circle over the other.
There is a Pryor to be found in Marvel comics as well..
"Madelyne Pryor is a mutant clone of Jean Grey of the X-Men. She was created by Mister Sinister, and her existence was orchestrated to fulfill a grand scheme to birth a living weapon to destroy Apocalypse." House Hawthorne is a noble house from the Westerlands. According to semi-canon sources, they blazon their arms with interlocked rings of black thorns and pink flowers, on a green field. - Wiki
The text states that certain houses trace their roots back to the "golden age of the First Men", a term that could be meant to cover the Dawn Age and the Age of Heroes together. One circle over the other.
Back to Green Arrow
https://imgur.com/a/WjGLajv - Here are the most important images from this issue.
At the end of the story it is discovered that it is Dunston who set all the pieces in motion and who killed Hawthorne for his estate, this was achieved with a sneaky application of poisons/LSD that were hard to trace and that alienated him and his family from the local people. Hern the Hunter is the one who tried to put all the pieces together again with the help from one of his avatars that show up throughout time, Sam the Green Arrow.
This sounds remarkably like something that the Faceless Men would get up to, and is also reminiscent of the Dun Fort during the Defiance of Duskendale.
TLDR: People in the guise of other people, mysteries and sneaky deaths. "Golden age of the First Men" has a bunch of comic connections and odd connections to the FM, the most egregious example being House Banefort and their Hooded Man.
The sigil of House Banefort is a reference by George R. R. Martin to the comic book character Black Hood.
"According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Black Hood's other enemies include "Panther Men, the Animal Man, the Mist (who can change into a cloud of mist at will), the Mold (who transforms humans into mold), and Octavius, the violinist and author of "the Dance of Death". He also fights the Crow."
And Banefort is again reminiscent of certain other names, Dun Fort and last but not least Dreadfort
"to insist on payment of debt," 1620s, also as a noun, "agent employed to collect debts,"
Old English dunn "dingy brown; dark-colored," perhaps from Celtic (compare Old Irish donn "dark;" Gaelic donn "dull; dark brown; dark;" Welsh dwnn "brownish"), from PIE donnos, dusnos "dark."
There is a Don(t)nos who did do underhanded work, a red one.
Dontos is the only surviving member of House Hollard, once close allies and vassals of House Darklyn. As a result of the Defiance of Duskendale, both houses were destroyed and their blood exterminated
TLDR2: Dontos donned dusky drapes then did dun deeds
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2024.05.09 04:17 gdoveri Verbal Paradigms of Ĝleniscā and their Development from PIE
Ĝleniscā is a Proto-Indo-European language with similar innovations shared with Proto-Germanic (e.g., a mildly different form of Grimm's Law – but did not undergo Verner's law). Like Proto-Germanic, Ĝleniscā developed two forms of verbs: those showing tense through ablaut, and those showing tense through a dental suffix ending.
Unlike Proto-Germanic, however, Ĝleniscā retained PIE's distinction of perfective and imperfective verbs. While there are exceptions, all strong verbs are perfective and all weak verbs are imperfective.
The verbal system underwent significant reconstruction between PIE and Ĝleniscā. Below tracks the development of the tenses, aspects, and moods from PIE to Ĝleniscā, divided up between perfective and imperfective:
The perfective developed from the PIE aorist and perfect. The stem developed either from a root athematic or sigmatic-aorist:
- The infinitive developed from the PIE ending *-tu- in the neuter nominative/accusative
- The PIE aorist developed into the present perfective
- The PIE perfect developed into the past perfective – the perfective does not show reduplication in most cases.
- The PIE optative developed into the subjunctive
- Ĝleniscā's passive voice was innovative; the PIE middle (mediopassive) participle (marked by the suffix *-mh₁no-) was reanalyzed as a the verbal stem for the passive voice – to which, the PIE Perfect endings were added for the indicative and the secondary verbal endings from PIE
- By analogy, the past passive shows ablaut but otherwise, has the same form
- The participles roughly follow from the PIE; however, the active present participle was reanalyzes as a i-stem adjective (declension class 3)
The formation of the imperfective was more complicate than the perfective. The imperfective derived from several different endings: root thematic, nasal infix, o-éyeti causative/itinerate [Ĝleniscā retains both meanings], ske-infix, and ye-denominative/factive present forms:
- In the case below, the imperfective stem developed from the o-éyeti causative/itinerate (this is one of the most common forms of the imperfective stems along with n-infixes)
- The infinitive developed from the PIE ending *-tu- added to the imperfective stem
- The PIE verbal ending *-dʰh₁eti (which formed resultative verbs) developed into the past tense of the imperfective verbs and was attached directly to the stem, much like Proto-Germanic weak verbs
- The subjunctive and participles developed analogously with the perfective aspect.
Below we find the PIE root gʷʰen- 'to strike, slay, kill.' While this root was originally imperfective, the aspect has shifted in the reorganization of the verbal paradigm. The perfective forms are then developed from a PIE imperfect present root athematic stem. This was quite common. Many of the passive forms are quite clunky; however, they wouldn't be readily used in speech. Their major use in Ĝleniscā stems from the treatment of inanimate neuter nouns. Unlike other daughter languages of PIE, Ĝleniscā does not allow an inanimate neuter noun to be the argument of a verb. Additionally, plural neuter nouns are still treated as a collective singular. Therefore, the passive forms would only surface with the 3rd person singular (e.g., feniminē / fonèminē, in the present tense).
https://preview.redd.it/7cvvxvbj1bzc1.png?width=988&format=png&auto=webp&s=4cf0d7766aeb55ee8cbe6391fe3f56d8bae6f0f2 submitted by
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2024.05.08 21:25 Exaskryz Hypothetical Megas to come with Legends Z-A
Pokemon Legends Z-A trailer featured the Mega Evolution emblem. It is unknown at this time if we will get brand new megas, or just that the ME mechanic is returning after having been removed from recent generations.
What I would like is to speculate on what would be the most useful new Mega, should new ones be introduced, for us in Go.
There already exist 50 Megas in the MSG.
However, 9 remaining Pokemon are monotype megas - Absol, Manectric, Banette, Glalie, Kangaskhan, Alakazam, Mewtwo Y, Aggron, and Blastoise. We can exclude those Megas as "outclassed" - there exists a duo-type mega that shares their typing, such as Mega Gyarados does what Absol and Blastoise do.
So there are 41 megas to consider. But then we have duplicate type combinations. Mega Gyarados and Sharpedo are both WateDark. We can go through and remove all but one member of [Gyarados/Sharpedo], [Latias/Latios], [Mewtwo X, Gallade, Medicham]. So we reduce our pool to 37 megas.
We are not quite done. While we already removed Blastoise and Manectric for being monotype, they are outclassed additionally by Primal Kyogre. We can remove any Pokemon that is outclassed by the primals/Mega Ray which includes Salamence, Latias/Latios (regardless of whichever we kept), and Camerput.
There are merely 34 "worthwhile" Megas/Primals in the game. You could end up ignoring 16 of the 50 total megas to be eventually be added in Pokemon Go as there exists a mega that is superior or equal to it, when considering type boosting bonuses alone. Mega Mewtwo Y is still forecasted to be a DPS beast, but when it comes to catching Pokemon, duo-types and the Weather Trio are the go-to options.
As an aside, I would love to see the weather sets get completed; Cloudy is the last 3-type weather condition without an associated mega/primal covering Fighting, Poison, and Fairy; the other weathers are 2-type as Snow is Ice/Steel (Mega Alolan Sandslash?), Partly Cloudy is Normal/Rock (No Pokemon ever had this type combo... Mega Gigalith, Garganacl, or Klawf perhaps?), and Fog is Ghost/Dark (Mega Sableye!).
I will take a look at each type combination. There are 153 (18*17/2) type combinations among the 18 types that exist. I am disregarding 22 mega Pokemon, 16 that exist as duplicates/outclassed and 6 hypotheticals that are outclassed by the primals. That list is Mega Blastoise, Mega Alakazam, Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Aggron, Mega Manectric, Mega Sharpedo, Mega Camerupt, Mega Banette, Mega Absol, Mega Glalie, Mega Salamence, Mega Latias, Mega Latios, Mega Gallade; Mega Golisopod, Mega Lanturn, Mega Galvantula, Mega Xatu, Mega Scovillain, Mega Torterra.
Almost Everything From Gen I-IX
I have not prepared my workbook that I use for XL candy analyses to include new DLC Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet, so those get omitted.
This table shows you how many families, out of a total 528 families, that get boosted by a Mega. The largest family, Eevee, represents 9 types because if we had an event where all 9 members of the family spawned you would have 9 types that you could set for an active mega to boost the Eevee XL/Candy you get from catching them.
With more detail, I included the number of individual species that get boosted. Additionally, I included weighting.
Many events just don't spawn evolutions in the wild or provide research tasks for us to collect. So I arbitrarily weighted the invidiual species as 100% for base stage, 10% weight for first stage (e.g. Ivysaur), and 1% weight for second stage (e.g. Venusaur). Baby Pokemon are actually omitted from the weighting; we've only ever had Smoochum in research tasks to catch, otherwise baby Pokemon are really "eggsonly".
Name | Type 1 | Type 2 | Type 3 | Families Boosted | Species Boosted | Weighted |
Primal Groudon | Ground | Fire | Grass | 177 | 272 | 123.84 |
Mega Rayquaza | Dragon | Flying | Psychic | 169 | 232 | 118.74 |
Mega Bibarel | Normal | Water | | 166 | 293 | 162.19 |
Mega Mantine | Flying | Water | | 161 | 251 | 136.51 |
Primal Kyogre | Water | Electric | Bug | 155 | 302 | 163.01 |
Mega Slowbro | Water | Psychic | | 154 | 235 | 120.66 |
Mega Ludicolo | Grass | Water | | 153 | 276 | 138.46 |
Mega Gyarados | Water | Dark | | 147 | 217 | 111.06 |
Mega Poliwrath | Fighting | Water | | 145 | 217 | 112.48 |
Mega Empoleon | Steel | Water | | 145 | 214 | 109.77 |
Mega Arboliva | Grass | Normal | | 139 | 260 | 135.31 |
Mega Farigiraf | Normal | Psychic | | 139 | 221 | 117.71 |
Mega Volcanion | Fire | Water | | 139 | 233 | 117.6 |
Mega Pidgeot | Normal | Flying | | 136 | 215 | 120.82 |
Mega Swampert | Water | Ground | | 134 | 219 | 112.97 |
Mega Jellicent | Ghost | Water | | 133 | 221 | 114.97 |
Mega Jumpluff | Flying | Grass | | 133 | 224 | 112.83 |
Mega Lopunny | Normal | Fighting | | 132 | 205 | 110.45 |
Mega Relicanth | Rock | Water | | 132 | 219 | 115.75 |
Mega Primarina | Fairy | Water | | 132 | 205 | 106.13 |
Mega Kingdra | Dragon | Water | | 131 | 201 | 101.99 |
Mega Porygon-Z | Normal | Steel | | 130 | 201 | 107.73 |
Mega Hawlucha | Fighting | Flying | | 128 | 170 | 88.07 |
Mega Obstagoon | Dark | Normal | | 127 | 203 | 108.02 |
Mega Exeggutor | Grass | Psychic | | 127 | 210 | 98.09 |
Mega Honchkrow | Dark | Flying | | 127 | 168 | 85.55 |
Mega Tentacruel | Poison | Water | | 125 | 230 | 116.67 |
Mega Pyroar | Fire | Normal | | 125 | 217 | 114.45 |
Mega Lapras | Ice | Water | | 125 | 201 | 107.2 |
Mega Dudunsparce Double | Normal | Rock | | 124 | 216 | 120.2 |
Mega Heliolisk | Electric | Normal | | 124 | 206 | 118.29 |
Mega Ursaluna | Ground | Normal | | 124 | 212 | 113.33 |
Mega Caterpie | Bug | Normal | | 123 | 232 | 126.31 |
Mega Skarmory | Flying | Steel | | 123 | 164 | 85.24 |
Mega Malamar | Dark | Psychic | | 123 | 153 | 70.8 |
Mega Medicham | Fighting | Psychic | | 122 | 151 | 72.11 |
Mega Zoroark Hisuian | Ghost | Normal | | 121 | 209 | 113.12 |
Mega Charizard Y | Fire | Flying | | 120 | 180 | 92.95 |
Mega Gliscor | Flying | Ground | | 120 | 177 | 90.86 |
Mega Grafaiai | Normal | Poison | | 119 | 220 | 117.72 |
Mega Aerodactyl | Rock | Flying | | 118 | 176 | 94.62 |
Mega Audino | Normal | Fairy | | 118 | 190 | 104.08 |
Mega Cyclizar | Dragon | Normal | | 118 | 190 | 101.95 |
Mega Vanilluxe | Ice | Normal | | 117 | 194 | 107.47 |
Mega Crobat | Flying | Poison | | 116 | 184 | 96.23 |
Mega Kilowattrel | Electric | Flying | | 116 | 168 | 93.81 |
Mega Metagross | Steel | Psychic | | 115 | 143 | 67.19 |
Mega Drifblim | Flying | Ghost | | 115 | 173 | 90.64 |
Mega Breloom | Fighting | Grass | | 115 | 188 | 88.61 |
Mega Shiftry | Dark | Grass | | 115 | 189 | 87.29 |
Mega Togekiss | Fairy | Flying | | 115 | 157 | 82.61 |
Mega Ferrothorn | Grass | Steel | | 114 | 184 | 83.91 |
Mega Claydol | Ground | Psychic | | 114 | 159 | 74.01 |
Mega Delibird | Flying | Ice | | 112 | 158 | 84.99 |
Mega Raichu Alolan | Electric | Psychic | | 112 | 154 | 80.96 |
Mega Lunatone | Psychic | Rock | | 111 | 161 | 79.87 |
Mega Pinsir | Bug | Flying | | 110 | 184 | 100.2 |
Mega Orbeetle | Bug | Psychic | | 110 | 176 | 87.77 |
Mega Scrafty | Dark | Fighting | | 110 | 131 | 60.24 |
Mega Delphox | Fire | Psychic | | 109 | 163 | 77.01 |
Mega Kingambit | Dark | Steel | | 109 | 126 | 56.61 |
Mega Lucario | Fighting | Steel | | 108 | 127 | 58.04 |
Mega Cradily | Grass | Rock | | 108 | 199 | 96.38 |
Mega Electrode Hisuian | Electric | Grass | | 107 | 190 | 94.57 |
Mega Slowking Galarian | Poison | Psychic | | 107 | 167 | 80.29 |
Mega Lunala | Ghost | Psychic | | 107 | 158 | 75.89 |
Mega Houndoom | Dark | Fire | | 105 | 144 | 64.43 |
Mega Parasect | Bug | Grass | | 105 | 211 | 101.28 |
Mega Morpeko | Dark | Electric | | 105 | 135 | 68.38 |
Mega Tyranitar | Rock | Dark | | 104 | 143 | 70.18 |
Mega Sceptile | Grass | Dragon | | 104 | 173 | 80.02 |
Mega Great Tusk | Fighting | Ground | | 104 | 141 | 64.75 |
Mega Krookodile | Dark | Ground | | 104 | 139 | 62.32 |
Mega Blaziken | Fire | Fighting | | 103 | 139 | 65.53 |
Mega Trevenant | Ghost | Grass | | 103 | 182 | 83.89 |
Mega Gardevoir | Psychic | Fairy | | 102 | 134 | 64.64 |
Mega Whimsicott | Fairy | Grass | | 102 | 175 | 80.27 |
Mega Lokix | Bug | Dark | | 102 | 159 | 76.2 |
Mega Terrakion | Fighting | Rock | | 102 | 143 | 71.51 |
Mega Jynx | Ice | Psychic | | 102 | 137 | 67.04 |
Mega Heatran | Fire | Steel | | 102 | 140 | 63.04 |
Mega Abomasnow | Ice | Grass | | 101 | 177 | 83.65 |
Mega Pawmot | Electric | Fighting | | 101 | 133 | 70.59 |
Mega Venusaur | Grass | Poison | | 100 | 193 | 90.57 |
Mega Grimmsnarl | Dark | Fairy | | 100 | 119 | 54.07 |
Mega Annihilape | Fighting | Ghost | | 99 | 137 | 65.52 |
Mega Hydreigon | Dark | Dragon | | 99 | 117 | 52.83 |
Mega Heracross | Bug | Fighting | | 98 | 158 | 76.62 |
Mega Sableye | Dark | Ghost | | 98 | 137 | 62.21 |
Mega Hakamo-o | Dragon | Fighting | | 98 | 117 | 55.15 |
Mega Magnezone | Electric | Steel | | 97 | 125 | 64.77 |
Mega Iron Valiant | Fairy | Fighting | | 97 | 121 | 56.5 |
Mega Sneasler | Fighting | Poison | | 96 | 145 | 67.93 |
Mega Weavile | Dark | Ice | | 96 | 120 | 56.36 |
Mega Rotom Heat | Electric | Fire | | 94 | 146 | 73.7 |
Mega Revavroom | Poison | Steel | | 94 | 141 | 65.21 |
Mega Aegislash Blade | Ghost | Steel | | 94 | 127 | 60.49 |
Mega Volcarona | Bug | Fire | | 93 | 167 | 79.42 |
Mega Overqwil | Dark | Poison | | 93 | 143 | 65.41 |
Mega Probopass | Rock | Steel | | 93 | 131 | 65.38 |
Mega Crabominable | Fighting | Ice | | 93 | 120 | 58.68 |
Mega Scizor | Bug | Steel | | 92 | 148 | 72.4 |
Mega Magcargo | Fire | Rock | | 92 | 150 | 74.2 |
Mega Goodra Hisuian | Dragon | Steel | | 92 | 110 | 50.33 |
Mega Charizard X | Fire | Dragon | | 91 | 130 | 58.26 |
Mega Steelix | Steel | Ground | | 91 | 130 | 58.63 |
Mega Mawile | Steel | Fairy | | 91 | 110 | 49.57 |
Mega Wormadam Sandy | Bug | Ground | | 91 | 164 | 78.41 |
Mega Rotom | Electric | Ghost | | 91 | 138 | 72.37 |
Mega Sandslash Alolan | Ice | Steel | | 91 | 113 | 53.86 |
Mega Runerigus | Ghost | Rock | | 90 | 147 | 74.18 |
Mega Salazzle | Fire | Poison | | 90 | 159 | 73.03 |
Mega Dachsbun | Fairy | Fire | | 90 | 133 | 60.5 |
Mega Shedinja | Bug | Ghost | | 89 | 162 | 80.19 |
Mega Golem Alolan | Electric | Rock | | 89 | 141 | 78.24 |
Mega Granbull | Fairy | Ground | | 89 | 128 | 58.39 |
Mega Toxtricity | Electric | Poison | | 88 | 148 | 76.87 |
Mega Stunfisk | Electric | Ground | | 88 | 141 | 71.59 |
Mega Yanmega | Bug | Dragon | | 88 | 144 | 70.02 |
Mega Rhyperior | Ground | Rock | | 88 | 141 | 69.08 |
Mega Chandelure | Fire | Ghost | | 88 | 143 | 68.2 |
Mega Golurk | Ghost | Ground | | 88 | 139 | 64.12 |
Mega Tyrantrum | Dragon | Rock | | 88 | 126 | 62.81 |
Mega Ampharos | Electric | Dragon | | 87 | 119 | 62.1 |
Mega Garchomp | Dragon | Ground | | 87 | 121 | 55.93 |
Mega Kleavor | Bug | Rock | | 87 | 162 | 82.97 |
Mega Dedenne | Electric | Fairy | | 87 | 121 | 63.34 |
Mega Gengar | Ghost | Poison | | 86 | 150 | 71.69 |
Mega Diancie | Rock | Fairy | | 86 | 129 | 64.15 |
Mega Glimmora | Poison | Rock | | 86 | 156 | 77.68 |
Mega Clodsire | Ground | Poison | | 86 | 152 | 70.9 |
Mega Ribombee | Bug | Fairy | | 86 | 144 | 70.16 |
Mega Dragapult | Dragon | Ghost | | 86 | 120 | 56.82 |
Mega Altaria | Dragon | Fairy | | 85 | 106 | 48.9 |
Mega Arctozolt | Electric | Ice | | 85 | 120 | 64.62 |
Mega Mimikyu | Fairy | Ghost | | 85 | 124 | 58.17 |
Mega Frosmoth | Bug | Ice | | 84 | 144 | 72.44 |
Mega Avalugg Hisuian | Ice | Rock | | 84 | 127 | 66.23 |
Mega Froslass | Ghost | Ice | | 84 | 124 | 61.35 |
Mega Mamoswine | Ground | Ice | | 84 | 125 | 59.56 |
Mega Weezing Galarian | Fairy | Poison | | 83 | 135 | 63.67 |
Mega Darmanitan Zen Galarian | Fire | Ice | | 83 | 132 | 62.68 |
Mega Dragalge | Dragon | Poison | | 82 | 133 | 62.43 |
Mega Beedrill | Bug | Poison | | 81 | 162 | 79.46 |
Mega Baxcalibur | Dragon | Ice | | 81 | 103 | 50.07 |
Mega Beartic | Ice | Poison | | 79 | 136 | 66.05 |
Mega Ninetales Alolan | Fairy | Ice | | 77 | 107 | 52.32 |
Mega Blastoise | Water | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Alakazam | Psychic | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Kangaskhan | Normal | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Mewtwo X | Psychic | Fighting | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Mewtwo Y | Psychic | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Aggron | Steel | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Manectric | Electric | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Sharpedo | Water | Dark | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Camerupt | Fire | Ground | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Banette | Ghost | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Absol | Dark | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Glalie | Ice | | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Salamence | Dragon | Flying | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Latias | Dragon | Psychic | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Latios | Dragon | Psychic | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Gallade | Psychic | Fighting | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Golisopod | Bug | Water | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Lanturn | Electric | Water | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Xatu | Flying | Psychic | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Scovillain | Fire | Grass | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Torterra | Grass | Ground | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mega Galvantula | Bug | Electric | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Excluding our duplicate and monotypes, of the existing megas, Beedrill is the weakest with the fewest number of families boosted. (Even if Bug and Poison may not be respectively the rarest typing, they are a common combination, so the total number of families boosted is reduced compared to otherwise separate types e.g. Fire and Psychic.) But I know Mega Beedrill can be a top recommendation in some events!
So, what happens if instead of considering "everything", we look at some events? I looked at the past 45 events that featured a change in wild spawns in the last ~12 months, and included the upcoming Go Fest 2024 in a quick and dirty analysis.
Of course, this reduces the scope of the Pokemon considered to only be those released in Pokemon Go so far. So we lose various chunks of each generation.
The events with wild spawns and/or research tasks awarding Pokemon that I looked at: Go Fest 2024, Rivals Week, Sustainability Week, Bug Out 2024, Sizeable Surprises, World of Wonders Taken Over, Verdant Wonders, Weather Week 2024, Pokemon Horizons Celebration Event, Pokemon Presents 2024, Go Tour Sinnoh, Road to Sinnoh, Carnival of Love, Lunar New Year Dragons Unleashed, Taken Treasures, Raging Battles, Dazzling Dream, Lustrous Odyssey, New Year’s 2024 Event, Winter Holiday 2023 Part 2, Winter Holiday 2023 Part 1, Adamant Time, Along the Routes, Party Up, Fashion Week 2023, Festival of Lights 2023, Dia de Muertos 2023, Halloween Event 2023 Part 2, Halloween Event 2023 Part 1, Harvest Festival, Detective Pikachu Returns Event, Out to Play, Psychic Spectacular 2023, Ultra Unlock: Paldea, A Paldean Adventure, Noxious Swamp, 2023 Pokemon World Champsionships Celebration Event, Glittering Garden, Adventure Week 2023, Blaze New Trails*, Catching Some Zs, 7th Anniversary Party, Dark Flames, Solstice Horizons, Water Festival Beach Week, Rising Shadows.
*Blaze New Trails had no PvE relevant spawns.
PvE
*A unique note about the list of events is Blaze New Trails gave us no PvE-relevant spawns.
Looking at PvE, we find these statistics for if these megas were available in the past year, where they would rank.
The worst performing is Electric/Flying Kilowattrel, hitting its best mark as the 19th best recommended Mega in the Detective Pikachu Returns event.
Several Megas do
not breach the top 5 in any of the 44 events:
Mega Aegislash Blade, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Altaria, Mega Ampharos, Mega Avalugg Hisuian, Mega Baxcalibur, Mega Beartic, Mega Blaziken, Mega Caterpie, Mega Claydol, Mega Crabominable, Mega Dragapult, Mega Empoleon, Mega Garchomp, Mega Gliscor, Mega Golem Alolan, Mega Golurk, Mega Goodra Hisuian, Mega Hakamo-o , Mega Heracross, Mega Hydreigon, Mega Kilowattrel, Mega Kingambit, Mega Lucario, Mega Lunala, Mega Lunatone, Mega Magcargo, Mega Magnezone, Mega Mimikyu, Mega Morpeko, Mega Orbeetle, Mega Pawmot, Mega Pinsir, Mega Poliwrath, Mega Porygon-Z, Mega Revavroom, Mega Rhyperior, Mega Ribombee, Mega Sandslash Alolan, Mega Scizor, Mega Shedinja, Mega Steelix, Mega Terrakion, Mega Togekiss, Mega Toxtricity, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Tyrantrum, Mega Volcarona. These are the megas we hopefully wouldn't miss as there are 5 or more candidates in every single event that are better megas than them.
These are the Pokemon that make a top 3 recommendation in any of the past events:
Mega Abomasnow, Mega Arboliva, Mega Arctozolt, Mega Beedrill, Mega Bibarel, Mega Chandelure, Mega Charizard X, Mega Clodsire, Mega Cradily, Mega Crobat, Mega Cyclizar, Mega Dachsbun, Mega Darmanitan Zen Galarian, Mega Delibird, Mega Delphox, Mega Diancie, Mega Dragalge, Mega Drifblim, Mega Electrode Hisuian, Mega Exeggutor, Mega Farigiraf, Mega Ferrothorn, Mega Froslass, Mega Frosmoth, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Gengar, Mega Glimmora, Mega Grafaiai, Mega Great Tusk, Mega Grimmsnarl, Mega Gyarados, Mega Hawlucha, Mega Heatran, Mega Heliolisk, Mega Houndoom, Mega Iron Valiant, Mega Jellicent, Mega Jumpluff, Mega Kingdra, Mega Lapras, Mega Lokix, Mega Lopunny, Mega Ludicolo, Mega Mawile, Mega Medicham, Mega Ninetales Alolan, Mega Obstagoon, Mega Overqwil, Mega Parasect, Mega Pyroar, Mega Raichu Alolan, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Rotom, Mega Rotom Heat, Mega Runerigus, Mega Sableye, Mega Sceptile, Mega Skarmory, Mega Slowbro, Mega Slowking Galarian, Mega Sneasler, Mega Stunfisk, Mega Swampert, Mega Tentacruel, Mega Trevenant, Mega Ursaluna, Mega Venusaur, Mega Volcanion, Mega Weavile, Mega Weezing Galarian, Mega Whimsicott, Mega Wormadam Sandy, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre.
I include the top 3 because ties existed and doing just the #1 would leave out some Pokemon that were #2 but covered the exact same spawns as a #1 candidate. (And even that is not technically enough. E.g. Mega Lucario peaks with 17th best mega in its best event of the Rivals Week, but that is because the other 16 other combo-fighting types by chance got listed ahead of it.)
These are the megas that had the most consistent performance, with their median (scoring out of 147) being among the best:
Primal Kyogre (25), Mega Grafaiai (30), Mega Tentacruel (35), Mega Arboliva and Mega Crobat (37 each), Mega Slowking Galarian (38), and Mega Exeggutor (39).
These are the megas that appeared in the top 5 the most often:
Primal Kyogre (9), Mega Ludicolo (8), Mega Grafaiai (6), and Mega Arboliva (6).
Here is some context among the existing megas for top 5 appearances: Primal Kyogre (9), Mega Gengar (5), Mega Sceptile (4), Primal Groudon (4), Mega Lopunny (3), Mega Rayquaza (3), Mega Sableye (3), Mega Swampert (3), and Mega Venusaur (3).
If we look at only the hypothetical megas:
Same 3 as before - Ludicolo, Grafaiai, and Arboliva. But also we find Mega Jumpluff (5), Tentacruel (5), Bibarel (4), Overqwil (4), Slowking (4), and Whimsicott (4). PvP
It's a much different story for PvP purposes, with a wider field of relevant Pokemon in those 45 events.
The worst performing is Ground/Flying Gliscor, hitting its best mark as the 18th best recommended Mega in the Harvest Festival and Halloween Event Part 1.
Several Megas do
not breach the top 5 in any of the 45 events:
Mega Abomasnow, Mega Aegislash Blade, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Altaria, Mega Avalugg Hisuian, Mega Baxcalibur, Mega Beartic, Mega Blaziken, Mega Caterpie, Mega Claydol, Mega Dachsbun, Mega Delphox, Mega Dragapult, Mega Ferrothorn, Mega Frosmoth, Mega Garchomp, Mega Gliscor, Mega Golurk, Mega Goodra Hisuian, Mega Hakamo-o, Mega Heatran, Mega Heracross, Mega Hydreigon, Mega Kingambit, Mega Lunala, Mega Lunatone, Mega Magcargo, Mega Magnezone, Mega Mamoswine, Mega Morpeko, Mega Orbeetle, Mega Pinsir, Mega Revavroom, Mega Rhyperior, Mega Ribombee, Mega Runerigus, Mega Sandslash Alolan, Mega Scizor, Mega Shedinja, Mega Skarmory, Mega Steelix, Mega Stunfisk, Mega Terrakion, Mega Togekiss, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Tyrantrum, Mega Volcarona, Mega Yanmega
These are the Pokemon that make a top 3 recommendation in any of the past events:
Mega Arboliva, Mega Arctozolt, Mega Audino, Mega Beedrill, Mega Bibarel, Mega Chandelure, Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Clodsire, Mega Crabominable, Mega Cradily, Mega Crobat, Mega Cyclizar, Mega Darmanitan Zen Galarian, Mega Delibird, Mega Diancie, Mega Drifblim, Mega Empoleon, Mega Exeggutor, Mega Farigiraf, Mega Gengar, Mega Glimmora, Mega Golem Alolan, Mega Grafaiai, Mega Great Tusk, Mega Grimmsnarl, Mega Gyarados, Mega Hawlucha, Mega Heliolisk, Mega Honchkrow, Mega Houndoom, Mega Iron Valiant, Mega Jellicent, Mega Jumpluff, Mega Kilowattrel, Mega Kingdra, Mega Lapras, Mega Lokix, Mega Lopunny, Mega Lucario, Mega Ludicolo, Mega Mantine, Mega Medicham, Mega Mimikyu, Mega Ninetales Alolan, Mega Obstagoon, Mega Overqwil, Mega Parasect, Mega Poliwrath, Mega Porygon-Z, Mega Pyroar, Mega Raichu Alolan, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Rotom, Mega Rotom Heat, Mega Sableye, Mega Salazzle, Mega Slowbro, Mega Slowking Galarian, Mega Sneasler, Mega Swampert, Mega Tentacruel, Mega Trevenant, Mega Vanilluxe, Mega Venusaur, Mega Volcanion, Mega Weavile, Mega Weezing Galarian, Mega Whimsicott, Mega Wormadam Sandy, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre
These are the megas that had the most consistent performance, with their median (scoring out of 147) being among the best:
Mega Bibarel (22), Mega Arboliva (27.5), Primal Kyogre (34.5), Mega Grafaiai (36.5), Mega Pidgeot (37.5), Mega Ludicolo and Mantine (38.5 each), and Mega Zoroark Hisuian (39.5).
These are the megas that appeared in the top 5 the most often:
Mega Arboliva (9), Mega Bibarel (7), Mega Gengar (7), Mega Heliolisk (7), Primal Groudon (7), Primal Kyogre (7).
Here is some context among the existing megas for top 5 appearances:
Mega Gengar (7), Primal Groudon (7), Primal Kyogre (7), Mega Lopunny (5), Mega Swampert (3), Mega Venusaur (3).
If we look at only the hypothetical megas:
Same 3 as before - Arboliva, Bibarel, and Helolisk. We also consider Mega Grafaiai (6), Mega Ludicolo (6), Mega Pyroar (6), Mega Tentacruel (5), and Mega Vanilluxe (5, I gave it Normal typing). Discussion
For the hypothetical megas that appeared in the top 5 the most often, the frequent types are Normal, Water, Grass, and Poison. This correlates pretty well with the table at the top of all spawns, seeing as Bibarel and Ludicolo rank so highly.
But would we want all of them? Say we were only given 10 new megas, would we want half or more of them to be part Normal type?
I don't think so. So we should consider another way to pare down our list. Multiple megas that when considered together have the least overlap of boosting the same spawns. I don't have a great technique for this, so if anyone wants to pick up from here and give a better analysis, I'd love to see it.
My approach is to look at existing type combinations. We can again pivot to Pokemon from the MSG not released yet in Pokemon Go in this bit of analysis.
The top 20 most common type combinations, with weighting to favor the base forms that could appear in the wild is a surprising one. It tested my sanity.
1. Normal/Flying (17.94) 2. Ghost/Grass (7.61; a limitation of my worksheet giving favor to Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist at x4 each for their different sizes, which I justify with them having different stats) 3. Rock/Water (6.5) 4. Grass/Poison (5.53) 5. Bug/Poison (5.43) 6. Bug/Flying (4.63) 7. Ground/Rock (4.32) 8. Flying/Water (4.3) 8. Flying/Psychic (4.3) 10. Normal/Psychic (4.2) 10. Poison/Water (4.2) 12. Electric/Flying (4.1) 12. Rock/Flying (4.1) 14. Poison/Dark (3.4) 15. WateIce (3.31) 16. WatePsychic (3.3) 16. Bug/Rock (3.3) 16. Ghost/Ground (3.3) 19. Grass/Flying (3.21) 20. Bug/Water (3.2) 20. Dark/Flying (3.2)
Really? Bug/Water is a top 20 type combination? There's only 5 Pokemon with that combo! Surskit, Dewpider, Araquanid, Wimpod, Golisopod. But so many type combinations are weighted less than it.
Check out
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_type_combinations_by_abundance for an unweighted list, but it also includes alternative forms, but doesn't repeat them. E.g. Mega Pinsir is there for Bug/Flying, but Mega Venusaur is absent as Venusaur shares the same typing.
Anyway, the weighting explains why the odd looking types like Bug/Water are there ahead of e.g. Dragon/Flying. Bug/Water has three Stage 0 and two Stage 1 mons for a "Score" of 3.2. Dragon/Flying has one Stage 0, one stage 1, and three stage 2 for a score of 1.13 (excludes Rayquaza as legendary).
So, if you have a Pokemon that can span most of these types, you have a good Pokemon. Of our top 20 type combinations, this is the frequency of types that appear:
Flying45.78 Water24.81 Normal22.14 Poison18.56 Rock18.22 Bug16.56 Grass16.35 Psychic11.8 Ghost10.91 Ground7.62 Dark6.6 Electric4.1 Ice3.31
Of course, you will pick up more than just those scores with any given type, but this is one way to look at making a priority list. WateFlying would be a good type, and Mantine is #4 in the overall list of families boosted. However, it's "wasteful" to have both types shared -- remember why Beedrill is ranked so lowly at a glance from the overall table at the top of the post, and 4.3 families of Pokemon have the WateFlying type. We may be better off dividing WateFlying into something like Normal/Water (only Bibarel) and Poison/Flying (only Zubat line).
If I had to make a proposal for the megas I would like to see based on those type combinations it would include:
Flying/Poison = Crobat Flying/Ghost = Drifblim Flying/Ground = Gliscor## WateNormal = Bibarel WateRock = Relicanth WateGrass = Ludicolo WateGhost = Jellicent Normal/Poison = Grafaiai Normal/Rock = Dudunsparce Normal/Bug = Caterpie## Normal/Grass = Arboliva Normal/Ghost = Zoroark Hisuian Normal/Ground = Ursaluna Normal/Dark = Obstagoon Poison/Rock = Glimmora Poison/Psychic = Slowking Galarian Poison/Ground = Clodsire Rock/Grass = Cradily Rock/Psychic = Lunatone## Rock/Ghost = Runerigus# Bug/Grass = Parasect Bug/Psychic = Orbeetle## Bug/Ghost = Shedinja## Bug/Ground = Wormadam Sandy Bug/Dark = Lokix Grass/Psychic = Exeggutor Grass/Dark = Shiftry Psychic/Ghost = Lunala## Psychic/Ground = Claydol## Psychic/Dark = Malamar Ground/Dark = Krookodile
I denoted the #/## at ends of names because they appeared on my event analysis as proposed megas that
did not make a top 5 across the 44 or 45 events. So they aren't as valuable as I might think abstactly.
Trying to influence all of these factors, here would be 10 (11) Megas I would like to see added with Legends AZ:
Flying/Poison = Crobat Grass/Normal = Arboliva ~ Grass/Water = Ludicolo WateNormal = Bibarel Psychic/Dark = Malamar Ground/Ghost = Golurk Electric/Fighting = Pawmot Dragon/Rock = Tyrantrum Fairy/Flying = Togekiss Bug/Fire = Volcarona Ice/Steel = Sandslash Alolan
Raids
But Megas don't just boost candy, they boost raid damage too.
Ideally, we'd have type combinations that have a combat type relation with each other so you can boost a raid boss's candy from catching it but also boost damage super effective to the raid boss. E.g. Mega Aerodactyl is a nice pick against many Flying types.
*Marked with asterisk to show it must be this type due to only one weakness.
Monotype Bosses | Example Attackers |
Bug | Pinsir, Volcarona, Kleavor |
Dark | Lokix, Scrafty, Grimmsnarl |
Dragon | Altaria, Baxcalibur, Any Dragons |
Electric | Stunfisk* |
Fairy | Mawile, Weezing Galarian |
Fighting | Medicham, Hawlucha, Iron Valiant |
Fire | Groudon, (Camerupt), Volcarona, Magcargo |
Flying | Aerodactyl, Kilowattrel, Delibird |
Ghost | Sableye, Any Ghosts |
Grass | Groudon, Abomasnow, Venusaur, Jumpluff, Parasect |
Ground | Groudon, Swampert, Mamoswine |
Ice | Darmanitan Zen Galarian, Sandslash Alolan, Crabominable, Avalugg Hisuian |
Normal | Lopunny* |
Poison | Clodsire, Slowking Galarian |
Psychic | Lunala, Orbeetle, Malamar |
Rock | Cradily, Relicanth, Rhyperior, Terrakion |
Steel | Lucario, Steelix, Heatran |
Water | Kyogre, Ludicolo |
We have several types covered with existing megas. The ones we are missing is an anti-Dark-Dark, an anti-Electric-Electric (must be Electric/Ground = Stunfisk), an anti-Ice-Ice, an anti-Poison-Poison, an anti-Psychic-Psychic, and an anti-Rock-Rock.
Do we need to worry about duo-typed raid bosses? I think not, but please someone correct me. Let's look at a couple examples. Sableye is Ghost/Dark, and its Dark resistances neutralize its Ghost weaknesses, leaving our Ghost attackers unfavored. But we do have the Dark weakness to exploit, so if we favored Dark/Fairy Grimmsnarl, we have something to use vs Sableye as a raid boss. Mud bois like Swampert? We may look like we want Ludicolo, but technically, Groudon has that Ground/Grass relation we can use instead of the WateGrass relation. But I still wouldn't mind Ludicolo because Groudon is weak to Ground and double weak to Water. The other typings to worry about: Bug/Steel only weak to fire, but either Volcarona or Heatran cover that. Dark/Poison only weak to Ground, but Clodsire covers that. Normal/Ghost only weak to Dark, and Sableye covers that.
Of the proposed 11 megas I gave just above, Sandslash Alolan and Malamar serve those raid purposes. That leaves us wanting vs Dark (Grimmsnarl), vs Electric (Stunfisk), vs Poison (Clodsire), and vs Rock (Cradily).
My final draft list is these 15 new megas. I will superscript the type as we go along for how many we are adding and how many already exist.
- Sandslash Alolan (Ice2+1/Steel6+1)
- Crobat (Poison3+2/Flying6+2)
- Ludicolo (Grass4+3/Water6+2)
- Cradily (Grass4+3/Rock3+2)
- Bibarel (Normal4+2/Water6+2)
- Togekiss (Fairy5+2/Flying6+2)
- Stunfisk (Ground5+3/Electric3+2)
- Golurk (Ground5+3/Ghost3+1)
- Volcarona (Bug5+1/Fire6+1)
- Malamar (Psychic11+1/Dark6+2)
- Tyrantrum (Rock3+2/Dragon9+1)
- Grimmsnarl (Dark6+2/Fairy5+2)
- Pawmot (Electric3+2/Fighting7+1)
- Arboliva (Normal4+2/Grass4+3)
- Clodsire (Poison3+2/Ground5+3)
I wanted to reflect on the type representation among our megas and primals before and after these proposed additions.
Mega Type | Pre-AZ | With Nominees |
Bug | 5 | 6 |
Dark | 6 | 8 |
Dragon | 9 | 10 |
Electric | 3 | 5 |
Fairy | 5 | 7 |
Fighting | 7 | 8 |
Fire | 6 | 7 |
Flying | 6 | 8 |
Ghost | 3 | 4 |
Grass | 4 | 7 |
Ground | 5 | 8 |
Ice | 2 | 3 |
Normal | 4 | 6 |
Poison | 3 | 5 |
Psychic | 11 | 12 |
Rock | 3 | 5 |
Steel | 6 | 7 |
Water | 6 | 8 |
I'm pretty happy with that. If I had to make one addendum, Mega Froslass would be nice to see to round out the Ice and Ghost representation going up to 4 Ice megas and 5 Ghost megas to sit nearly level with Electric, Poison, and Rock at 5 each.
With these 16 additions to the 34 "worthwhile", I want to revisit the table from the beginning and see what that looks like narrowed down. I'll also ennumerate them for their position among the 153 type combinations. (It really is a coincidence that I considered 16 of the original 50 megas as excessive, and came up with 16 new ones.)
Name | Type 1 | Type 2 | Type 3 | Families Boosted | Species Boosted | Weighted |
1. Primal Groudon | Ground | Fire | Grass | 177 | 272 | 123.84 |
2. Mega Rayquaza | Dragon | Flying | Psychic | 169 | 232 | 118.74 |
3. Mega Bibarel | Normal | Water | | 166 | 293 | 162.19 |
4 | | | | | | |
5. Primal Kyogre | Water | Electric | Bug | 155 | 302 | 163.01 |
6. Mega Slowbro | Water | Psychic | | 154 | 235 | 120.66 |
7. Mega Ludicolo | Grass | Water | | 153 | 276 | 138.46 |
8. Mega Gyarados | Water | Dark | | 147 | 217 | 111.06 |
9-10 | | | | | | |
11. Mega Arboliva | Grass | Normal | | 139 | 260 | 135.31 |
12-13 | | | | | | |
14. Mega Pidgeot | Normal | Flying | | 136 | 215 | 120.82 |
15. Mega Swampert | Water | Ground | | 134 | 219 | 112.97 |
16-17 | | | | | | |
18. Mega Lopunny | Normal | Fighting | | 132 | 205 | 110.45 |
19-34 | | | | | | |
35. Mega Malamar | Dark | Psychic | | 123 | 153 | 70.8 |
36. Mega Medicham | Fighting | Psychic | | 122 | 151 | 72.11 |
37 | | | | | | |
38. Mega Charizard Y | Fire | Flying | | 120 | 180 | 92.95 |
39-40 | | | | | | |
41. Mega Aerodactyl | Rock | Flying | | 118 | 176 | 94.62 |
42. Mega Audino | Normal | Fairy | | 118 | 190 | 104.08 |
43-44 | | | | | | |
45. Mega Crobat | Flying | Poison | | 116 | 184 | 96.23 |
46 | | | | | | |
47. Mega Metagross | Steel | Psychic | | 115 | 143 | 67.19 |
48-50 | | | | | | |
51. Mega Togekiss | Fairy | Flying | | 115 | 157 | 82.61 |
52-56 | | | | | | |
57. Mega Pinsir | Bug | Flying | | 110 | 184 | 100.2 |
58-61 | | | | | | |
62. Mega Lucario | Fighting | Steel | | 108 | 127 | 58.04 |
63. Mega Cradily | Grass | Rock | | 108 | 199 | 96.38 |
64-66 | | | | | | |
67. Mega Houndoom | Dark | Fire | | 105 | 144 | 64.43 |
68-69 | | | | | | |
70. Mega Tyranitar | Rock | Dark | | 104 | 143 | 70.18 |
71. Mega Sceptile | Grass | Dragon | | 104 | 173 | 80.02 |
72-73 | | | | | | |
74. Mega Blaziken | Fire | Fighting | | 103 | 139 | 65.53 |
75 | | | | | | |
76. Mega Gardevoir | Psychic | Fairy | | 102 | 134 | 64.64 |
77-81 | | | | | | |
82. Mega Abomasnow | Ice | Grass | | 101 | 177 | 83.65 |
83. Mega Pawmot | Electric | Fighting | | 101 | 133 | 70.59 |
84. Mega Venusaur | Grass | Poison | | 100 | 193 | 90.57 |
85. Mega Grimmsnarl | Dark | Fairy | | 100 | 119 | 54.07 |
86-87 | | | | | | |
88. Mega Heracross | Bug | Fighting | | 98 | 158 | 76.62 |
89. Mega Sableye | Dark | Ghost | | 98 | 137 | 62.21 |
90-97 | | | | | | |
98. Mega Volcarona | Bug | Fire | | 93 | 167 | 79.42 |
99-101 | | | | | | |
102. Mega Scizor | Bug | Steel | | 92 | 148 | 72.4 |
103-104 | | | | | | |
105. Mega Charizard X | Fire | Dragon | | 91 | 130 | 58.26 |
106. Mega Steelix | Steel | Ground | | 91 | 130 | 58.63 |
107. Mega Mawile | Steel | Fairy | | 91 | 110 | 49.57 |
108-109 | | | | | | |
110. Mega Sandslash Alolan | Ice | Steel | | 91 | 113 | 53.86 |
111-117 | | | | | | |
118. Mega Stunfisk | Electric | Ground | | 88 | 141 | 71.59 |
119-121 | | | | | | |
122. Mega Golurk | Ghost | Ground | | 88 | 139 | 64.12 |
123. Mega Tyrantrum | Dragon | Rock | | 88 | 126 | 62.81 |
124. Mega Ampharos | Electric | Dragon | | 87 | 119 | 62.1 |
125. Mega Garchomp | Dragon | Ground | | 87 | 121 | 55.93 |
126-127 | | | | | | |
128. Mega Gengar | Ghost | Poison | | 86 | 150 | 71.69 |
129. Mega Diancie | Rock | Fairy | | 86 | 129 | 64.15 |
130 | | | | | | |
131. Mega Clodsire | Ground | Poison | | 86 | 152 | 70.9 |
132-133 | | | | | | |
134. Mega Altaria | Dragon | Fairy | | 85 | 106 | 48.9 |
135-138 | | | | | | |
139. Mega Froslass | Ghost | Ice | | 84 | 124 | 61.35 |
140-143 | | | | | | |
144. Mega Beedrill | Bug | Poison | | 81 | 162 | 79.46 |
145-147 | | | | | | |
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