Is it safe to buy verified cash app accounts?

Buying verified Cash App accounts can have both advantages and risks. It’s important to exercise caution and take certain precautions to ensure a safe transaction. Here are some factors to consider:

• Before purchasing, thoroughly research the Seller’s reputation or the platform from which you plan to use the cash app method account. Look for reviews, testimonials, and feedback from previous buyers. A trustworthy and reliable seller is less likely to engage in fraudulent activities. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.
• Inquire about the security measures implemented on the account. Ensure the account has strong security features, such as two-factor authentication or PIN protection. These measures can help safeguard your transactions and personal information. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.
• Familiarize yourself with Cash App’s terms of service regarding account ownership. Ensure purchasing and using a verified Cash App account aligns with the platform’s policies. Engaging in any illegal or unauthorized activities can result in consequences.
• Verify the level of verification associated with the account you plan to purchase. Ensure that it is fully verified and complies with Cash App’s requirements. A higher level of verification indicates a more reliable and trustworthy account. Discover the convenience of Buy Verified Cash App Accounts. Increase transaction limits, enhance security, and simplify your financial transactions.
• Use secure payment methods when buying verified Cash App accounts. Opt for reputable and trusted payment platforms or methods that offer buyer protection. Avoid making payments through insecure channels or sharing sensitive information unnecessarily.
• Be cautious and aware of potential scams or fraudulent offers. Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true or sellers who rush you into making a quick purchase. Take your time to assess the Seller and the account’s legitimacy thoroughly.

While buying verified Cash App accounts can provide convenience and access to additional features, it’s essential to prioritize safety and take necessary precautions. You can minimize the risks associated with buying verified Cash App accounts by conducting thorough research, verifying the account details, and using secure payment methods. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.

GME#WSDM#Cohen#MVP#MondayMotivation#Ravens#Roaring_Kitty#MondayMorning#Etrade#Bronny#Tuberville#MondayMood#NationalPoliceWeek#John_Fury#Childish_Gambino#MondayVibes#Vance#Polls#CROSS_PROGRESSION#Matt_Ellis#Robinhood#Schwab#Square_Enix#Appert#Halted#Stevie_Wonder#Brian_Albert#Here_I_Stand#Osobor#TRUMP#Jela#McDavid#Ilja#Hackett#RIP_Mark#Ashley_Biden#Soucy#Our_Lady_Fatima#Biggie#Happy#lil_tony#Another_Monday#Morgan_Stanley#Benny_Hill#Lump#Carol_Burnett#New_Week#AFC_Championship#Yves#Dragunov

Is it safe to buy verified cash app accounts?

Buying verified Cash App accounts can have both advantages and risks. It’s important to exercise caution and take certain precautions to ensure a safe transaction. Here are some factors to consider:

• Before purchasing, thoroughly research the Seller’s reputation or the platform from which you plan to use the cash app method account. Look for reviews, testimonials, and feedback from previous buyers. A trustworthy and reliable seller is less likely to engage in fraudulent activities. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.
• Inquire about the security measures implemented on the account. Ensure the account has strong security features, such as two-factor authentication or PIN protection. These measures can help safeguard your transactions and personal information. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.
• Familiarize yourself with Cash App’s terms of service regarding account ownership. Ensure purchasing and using a verified Cash App account aligns with the platform’s policies. Engaging in any illegal or unauthorized activities can result in consequences.
• Verify the level of verification associated with the account you plan to purchase. Ensure that it is fully verified and complies with Cash App’s requirements. A higher level of verification indicates a more reliable and trustworthy account. Discover the convenience of Buy Verified Cash App Accounts. Increase transaction limits, enhance security, and simplify your financial transactions.
• Use secure payment methods when buying verified Cash App accounts. Opt for reputable and trusted payment platforms or methods that offer buyer protection. Avoid making payments through insecure channels or sharing sensitive information unnecessarily.
• Be cautious and aware of potential scams or fraudulent offers. Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true or sellers who rush you into making a quick purchase. Take your time to assess the Seller and the account’s legitimacy thoroughly.

While buying verified Cash App accounts can provide convenience and access to additional features, it’s essential to prioritize safety and take necessary precautions. You can minimize the risks associated with buying verified Cash App accounts by conducting thorough research, verifying the account details, and using secure payment methods. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.

GME#WSDM#Cohen#MVP#MondayMotivation#Ravens#Roaring_Kitty#MondayMorning#Etrade#Bronny#Tuberville#MondayMood#NationalPoliceWeek#John_Fury#Childish_Gambino#MondayVibes#Vance#Polls#CROSS_PROGRESSION#Matt_Ellis#Robinhood#Schwab#Square_Enix#Appert#Halted#Stevie_Wonder#Brian_Albert#Here_I_Stand#Osobor#TRUMP#Jela#McDavid#Ilja#Hackett#RIP_Mark#Ashley_Biden#Soucy#Our_Lady_Fatima#Biggie#Happy#lil_tony#Another_Monday#Morgan_Stanley#Benny_Hill#Lump#Carol_Burnett#New_Week#AFC_Championship#Yves#Dragunov

Is it safe to buy verified cash app accounts?

Buying verified Cash App accounts can have both advantages and risks. It’s important to exercise caution and take certain precautions to ensure a safe transaction. Here are some factors to consider:

• Before purchasing, thoroughly research the Seller’s reputation or the platform from which you plan to use the cash app method account. Look for reviews, testimonials, and feedback from previous buyers. A trustworthy and reliable seller is less likely to engage in fraudulent activities. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.
• Inquire about the security measures implemented on the account. Ensure the account has strong security features, such as two-factor authentication or PIN protection. These measures can help safeguard your transactions and personal information. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.
• Familiarize yourself with Cash App’s terms of service regarding account ownership. Ensure purchasing and using a verified Cash App account aligns with the platform’s policies. Engaging in any illegal or unauthorized activities can result in consequences.
• Verify the level of verification associated with the account you plan to purchase. Ensure that it is fully verified and complies with Cash App’s requirements. A higher level of verification indicates a more reliable and trustworthy account. Discover the convenience of Buy Verified Cash App Accounts. Increase transaction limits, enhance security, and simplify your financial transactions.
• Use secure payment methods when buying verified Cash App accounts. Opt for reputable and trusted payment platforms or methods that offer buyer protection. Avoid making payments through insecure channels or sharing sensitive information unnecessarily.
• Be cautious and aware of potential scams or fraudulent offers. Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true or sellers who rush you into making a quick purchase. Take your time to assess the Seller and the account’s legitimacy thoroughly.

While buying verified Cash App accounts can provide convenience and access to additional features, it’s essential to prioritize safety and take necessary precautions. You can minimize the risks associated with buying verified Cash App accounts by conducting thorough research, verifying the account details, and using secure payment methods. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts.

GME#WSDM#Cohen#MVP#MondayMotivation#Ravens#Roaring_Kitty#MondayMorning#Etrade#Bronny#Tuberville#MondayMood#NationalPoliceWeek#John_Fury#Childish_Gambino#MondayVibes#Vance#Polls#CROSS_PROGRESSION#Matt_Ellis#Robinhood#Schwab#Square_Enix#Appert#Halted#Stevie_Wonder#Brian_Albert#Here_I_Stand#Osobor#TRUMP#Jela#McDavid#Ilja#Hackett#RIP_Mark#Ashley_Biden#Soucy#Our_Lady_Fatima#Biggie#Happy#lil_tony#Another_Monday#Morgan_Stanley#Benny_Hill#Lump#Carol_Burnett#New_Week#AFC_Championship#Yves#Dragunov

Aller først. Jeg holder ikke et hat mot fyren og mener at han skal kunne ytre seg. Men han er ikke immun til kritikk og slik han oppfører seg så må han åpenbart forvente det. Personlig, mener jeg at han bidrar til polarisering, mistillit og forsøpler samfunnsdebatten i et hig for å tjene penger - og det er jeg ikke alene om. Det skal jeg utdype på her.
I korte trekk så er forretningsmodellen til Subjekt (og Danby spesielt) å finansiere mindre lønnsom journalistikk gjennom politisk ragebaiting. Nå er det ikke hovedplatformen til Subjekt, men det er en betraktelig del av det - og desidert det folk flest får med seg fordi det er det som spres mest utenom de faste leserne til Subjekt.
Jeg vil starte med å beskrive ragebait innholdsstrategien litt dypere. Så gå inn på "Woke" som en oppkonsturert fiende. Så løfter jeg deler av Bård Larsens nyeste essay "(Anti)Anti-woke" for å vise en grunn til at folk anser slik journalistikk som problematisk.
​
Ragebait innholdsstragien
Enhver digital innholdsprodusent kan bekrefte at det er noe innhold som presterer bedre og får mer rekkevidde og engasjement enn annet på digitale fora.
Innholdsproduksjon på nett i dag handler om å fremkalle følelser. Emosjonelt nøytralt og akademisk innhold presterer dårligere enn innhold som har emosjonell valens. Skal du få trafikk og publikum og et stort antall lesere så må du spille på følelser. Spesielt om du skal få trafikken din gjennom digitale engasjementsdrevne platformer. Ingen vei utenom det.
En av de aller mest effektive følelsene å spille på er sinne. Folk kommenterer, deler og liker i langt større grad på innhold som gjør dem sinte enn glade. Sinne skaper en langt større "hig" etter å engasjere enn innhold som gjør en triste, glade eller deprimert. Såpass at på et tidspunkt så vektla facebook 😡 5 ganger mer enn like emojien. Så potent er sinne for engasjement og retention.
Sinne presterer enda bedre om det trykker på flere følelser samtidig. Sinne er ofte en reaksjon med utløp fra frykt og/eller angst - for eksempel en angst for å ikke kunne ytre seg som man vil. Sinne passer også bra med humor, i form av latterliggjøring av de eller det man er sint mot. Det er kanskje noe av det best presterende innholdet på hele internett. I andre ord Innhold som melder på "utgruppen" presterer ufattelig godt i digitale platformer.

In sum, out-group language is the strongest predictor of social media engagement across all relevant predictors measured, suggesting that social media may be creating perverse incentives for content expressing out-group animosity.

Vi vet intuitivt hvilken av disse budskapene som presterer bedre i sosiale medier: "Nordmenn er gode medborgere!" Vs. "Folk fra MENA land er voldtektsmenn!". Vi er omringet av denne økende polariserte samfunnsdebatten hver dag. På /Norge har dette blitt helt ekstremt i det siste.
Poenget er at ragebait innholdsstrategien er bygget rundt å ha en definert utgruppe som gjør folk engstelige og sinte som man latterliggjør og gjør narr av. Der er det mye oppmerksomhet å hente i platformene fordi det er skyhøye grader av engasjement. Men da trenger man naturligvis en fiende.
Woke.
"Men hva er Woke da? Kan du definere det?" er gjerne det første spørsmålet en som naivt går inn i Woke debatten stiller. Da har man allerede tapt. Framingen er til fordel for "anti-woke". Fordi hva woke er har egentlig ikke noe å si. Det er en fiende. Det er et retorisk virkemiddel som fremkaller følelser. På norsk kan man kalle "Woke" et ladet begrep, på engelsk "Loaded term". Personlig foretrekker jeg det tyske ordet et Kampfbegriff (Kampbegrep), de har litt erfaring med slikt..

Loaded language is rhetoric used to influence an audience by using words and phrases with strong connotations. This type of language is very often made vague to more effectively invoke an emotional response and/or exploit stereotypes

Det burde vel høres ganske kjent ut det vel? Mens godtroende folk gjør seg selv en bjørnetjeneste ved å prøve skape en forståelse rundt begrepet så fungerer fortsatt ordet "Woke" til sin hensikt - å fremkalle negative assosiasjoner hos meningsfellene sine. At begrepet er vagt er hele poenget. It's a feature not a bug.
​

"Choi er herlig, han gjør ytre venstre så jævli forbanna, noe vi ser i svarene her."

Mer interessant enn hva "Woke" betyr er hvem ordet rettes mot. Jeg tror ikke jeg sier noe kontroversielt når jeg sier at Woke i aller størst grad rettes mot LGBT+, antirasister, feminister og miljøaktivister. Nesten ingen er "Fullstendig woke". Noen kjemper for likestilling. Andre kjemper mot rasisme. Andre ønsker å bidra mot klimaendringer. Men alle stemples gjerne som "Woke". Om du ber en navngi noen som er "Woke" så er det mest sannsynlig at de peker ut noen som egentlig er en feminist, miljøaktivist, antirasist, venstreorientert politiker eller kjønnsaktivist.
Woke er et paraplybegrep som omfavner det meste av venstrepolitikk. Det er en stråmann som lar en rette kritikk mot disse grupperingene - uten å selv fremstå som noen som er "anti-feminisne", "anti-anti-rasisme", "anti-LGBT+" og "anti-miljø tiltak" etc. Ved å rette skarp retorikk mot "Woke" så treffer man de samme grupperingene, uten å møte konsekvenser. Det er konsekvensløst nettopp fordi det ikke finnes en gruppe folk som er "Woke".
Når "Anti-Woke" aktører retter kritikk direkte mot grupperinger som faktisk eksisterer får de reaksjoner. Når de kritiserer antirasistisk senter så får de et motsvar. Når de kritiserer Begard Reza, blir de felt av PFU. Når de nominerer Rosa Faenskap til Subjektprisen, så får de ut et budskap.

«Den relativt ålreite musikkjournalistikken til Subjekt er et viktig virkemiddel for å distrahere fra og legitimere den elendige og skadelige journalistikken de publiserer ellers. Ved å være nominert til Subjektprisen uten å være tydelige på at vi nekter å legitimere Subjekt som en kulturavis, føler vi at vi bidrar til denne strategien»

Kritiserer man noe som finnes gir du dem en platform. Kritiserer du noe som ikke finnes får du ikke et motsvar. Derfor Woke - det er en praktisk karikatur av venstresidens mest ekstreme stemmer man kan angripe uten å få en motreaksjoner fra.
Woke er en karikatur
Mens Danby Choi og andre mer "intellektuelle" anti-wokere prøver å rettferdiggjøre bruken av "Woke" som en forklarende konsept som bånner i postmodernismen og kulturutvikling med en base i filosofi eller whatever så tenker 90% av leserne på Hugh Mungus, SJW compilations eller gærne aktivister med farget hår som limer seg fast i malerier eller gata mens de hylgriner og skriker om "strukturell rasisme" eller whatever.
Karikaturen "Woke" er egentlig en videreutvikling av karikaturen skapt rundt "SJWs". "Woke loren" som folk flest er kjent med tilsier at folk som er "Woke":

• Er snøflak og trenger safe spacer fordi de er lettkrenket.
• Kansellerer hva enn som krenker eller triggerer dem.
• Dydssignaliserer heller enn å drive effektive tiltak.
• Ønsker et samfunn der det er en politisk korrekt måte å oppføre seg og de struper gjerne din ytringsfrihet for å få det til.

Dette er det som fremkalles når en sier "Woke". Urimelige eksempler fra urimelige folk som gjerne har psykiske problemer. For flesteparten av folk som er mot "Woke" så er det egentlig bare en karikatur av det verste av det verste av venstre-aktivister. Til og med venstresiden hater "Woke".
Den omsagnede "Woke SJWen" er komisk, overdrevet, forvrengt og latterlig. Det som egentlig er latterlig er at aktører som Danby Choi og andre "Anti-woke" folk fortsetter å late sånn om "Woke" er et begrep med forklaringsevne som bidrar til en opplysende debatt man kan lære noe fra. Det er det ikke.
Personlig så mener jeg at folk som prøver å bruke konseptet "Woke" i en redelig debatt kan avfeies like kjapt som de selv avfeier argument fra "Woke". Det vil si, umiddelbart, uten refleksjon og kanskje med et snev av hån. Det er jo egentlig bare rettferdig.
Anti-woke er sentralt til den autoritære ytre høyre
Bård Larsen fra Civita publiserte et essay her om dagen "(Anti)Anti-woke". Gjennom denne trekker han koblinger mellom hvordan autoritære ledere verden rundt (Orban, Putin, Trump) bruker "Anti woke" som et virkemiddel for å drive frem den ultranasjonalistiske plattformene sine gjennom en felles fiende.

I denne teksten vil jeg argumentere for at debatter om woke ofte er distraksjoner. Målt opp mot demokratiets virkelige fiender er woke som sådan nesten irrelevant. For demokratiets fiender er woke derimot en grunnstamme i fortellingen om Vestens undergang. Selv Putin advarer oss mot woke. Den undergangsfortellingen er en bløff. Det er vår oppgave å avsløre bløffen, ikke å spille med på den.
Woke kan være plagsomt, illiberalt og ødeleggende. Men woke er håndterbart, noe man ikke kan si om autoritær nasjonalkonservatisme. Ytre høyre er statsnedbrytende og, direkte eller indirekte i krig mot liberalt demokrati.
Hos den nasjonalistiske høyresiden har ordet woke fått en funksjon som hundefløyte til å samle troppene om autoritære, fremmedfiendtlige og reaksjonære agendaer.

Han konkluderer så med at den liberale høyresiden må ikke la seg fristes til å bli med på denne retorikken - selv om den kan gi kortsiktig gevinst.

Den illiberale, autoritære høyresidens fremmarsj i den vestlige verden er så urovekkende at vi ikke lenger kan fraskrive oss ansvar for konsekvensene av hvordan vi posisjonerer oss i samfunnsdebatten. Vi som er moderate og vil ha en streng innvandringspolitikk, må snakke om det åpent, men vi skriver ikke under på opprop mot innvandring sammen med høyreekstreme. Moderate som vil ha slutt på bombingen i Gaza, vifter ikke med Hamas-flagg.
Her er det rimelig at liberalkonservative tar skikkelig tak i den helt åpenbare krisen som herjer på høyresiden, stort sett forårsaket av illiberale konservative og – lets face it: antiwokere. Det betyr krevende og noen ganger ubehagelige fighter innad i egne miljøer, i egne fora og i egne medier. Det holder ikke å dra beina etter seg. Et sted å begynne er å tone ned woke-hypen og heller snakke mer om det – og de – som virkelig gnager på demokratiene våre, selv om det kan gjøre vondt.

Bård har forresten skrevet en bok om venstresidens lefling med autoritære tendenser så en "bias" som er noe annet enn anti-autoritær må man nok lete litt etter.
Kritikken
Kjernen av kritikken mot Danby Choi og Subjekt sin "Anti woke" posisjon ligger i at

1. Han prøver å fremstå som en "intellektuell" og "rasjonell" stemme i debatten, mens han argumenterer med karikaturer som grenser mot konspirasjonsteorier.
2. Han har bevisst tatt en svært lønnsom posisjon som har etablert en utgruppe som leserne hans er sinte på og latterliggjør som gir ekstrem spredning i sosiale medier og bidrar mot polarisering.
3. Hans posisjon trekker deler av publikummet sitt fra ytre høyre og bygger under polarisering og hat ved å skape oppkonstruerte fiendebilder rundt venstresiden.
4. Mens han åpent argumenterer for en opplyst samfunnsdebatt der "de beste ideene vinner" så bidrar han egentlig til å forsøple samfunnsdebatten ved å normalisere en stil av debatt som ikke handler om å bygge forståelse og kompromiss - men å vinne og kaste dritt mot motparten. Uansett om det er intensjonen hans eller ei så er det det "Woke" diskusjonen tilrettelegger for.
5. Og så tar han posisjonen "Ytringsfrihet" og "Kansellering" når han naturligvis får reaksjoner fra folk som ser at dette er problematisk.

Hvor kynisk han er egentlig en funksjon av hvor mye han selv tror på "Woke". Personlig tror jeg at han tror på det og det han står for, men samtidig.

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

Derfor anser noen folk Danby Choi og Ragebait journalistikken han driver med som problematisk. Det sinnet han bygger inn under for å tjene penger er ikke en "god debatt" som forbedrer samfunnet. Det er lett å gjøre folk sinte og hause opp misnøye - men kommer det han driver på med til å lede til positive utfall? Eller bidrar det til å kneble grunnpillaren av demokrati der forståelse bygges og kompromiss inngås?
Husk en ting. Folk som prøver å bruke "Woke karikaturen" i en redelig debatt så kan de avfeies like kjapt som de selv avfeier argument fra "Woke". Det vil si, umiddelbart, uten refleksjon og kanskje med et snev av hån. De tror på en karikatur.
Treffer jeg her eller tar jeg helt feil?

This seems like a lot of effort and commitment for not that much reward. All my life I’ve only read materials that I need to read with an end goal. As of now I have to read scientific journal articles for research. I just don’t see how reading for anything other than research is worthwhile.
In high school my lexile level measured above 1300 and that was seven years ago so reading comprehension isn’t an issue for me. (I haven’t taken that test any more recently than that, my actual level may be higher today from all this academic bullshit I have to read).
I just don’t comprehend how doing this on your own time with no end goal could be enjoyable. Especially fiction.

Ask the title says, I have some very high readers in my second grade class but I don't want to give them something that's too much for them. This is my first year in second grade and I don't want to give them something inappropriate. Does anyone have any advice?
Edit: I am using the Fountas and Pinnell levels. The children were assessed using i-Ready and running records to determine their reading levels.

It’s more a minority in my primary school but there are a handful of teachers who are not on board with the science of reading (sticking to their fountas and pinnell, running records and other outdated methods) and these same teachers are also tend to be reluctant to take on information about neuroaffirming practice. It does mean that neurodivergent students and students with literacy difficulties tend to not be placed in their classes due to parent requests especially in the last 2 years(I teach in a school with highly educated parents who tend to know about the research, especially if their kids are seeing external professionals). I’m wondering if anyone has had any success with bringing teachers like this on board? Or is it just a matter of school leadership at primary schools? Or waiting it out for them to retire? Taking other things off their plate so they have capacity? We’ve had a bit of distraction with changes in leadership at our school.
ETA- since age/experience keeps popping up- I am in my 40s with over 15 years of experience for context.

Is lexile a good measure of VCI, and if so, what would be a good estimation of my VCI(1590L in 7th grade at 12 years old).

SOLD
PayPal invoice only
The BIN prices include PayPal fees and POSTAGE. Will be posted the same day if not the next day.
If you have any questions or need any more info such as more measurements feel free to drop a message.
Tagged/Timestamp pic: https://imgur.com/a/DraC2qc
Off Wh1te N1ke 50 size uk6 eu39 - sole measurement in imgur budget batch never worn £55
https://imgur.com/a/MWxl3NO

[First Contact] [Dark Ages] [First] [Prev] [Next] [wiki]
The day was sunny and warm. A little too warm to be walking carrying forty-kilos of gear, but still warm.
On the plus side, it wasn't raining.
On the left side of the dirt road, which at times was more pothole than road, was burnt and charred forest, with wide leaved rust colored fern fronds poking up everywhere. On the other side was the berm where the angled blade of the earth mover had pushed the excess dirt and rock when the road had been made then cleared last.
There was also a long lined of burnt out armored vehicles, some of which had plowed partway through the berm.
Beyond that was more charred forest, broken up now and then by the fallen walls of a ferrocrete building that had been been burnt till the lime had caught on fire.
Walking along the side of the berm opposite of the road were two Dra.Falten. One was in a rumpled uniform patterned in stripes of various green, unpolished heavy boots, with a hard-shell torso armor. The other was wearing a uniform that was slightly rumpled but otherwise pristine, dirty socks on her feet and a wide polished black belt around her waist. The rumpled one had their helmet hanging from their canteen, their rifle hanging down off of their shoulder from the sling, and a single bag hanging on his back from two straps and a rucksack hanging off the other shoulder and the hooks on the back of the hardshell armor. The other had two bags, both held in place by a strap over each shoulder, as well as a pistol in a holster on the belt.
The rumpled one was a male that was a foot shorter than the large female in the cleaner uniform.
"You should wear your helmet in case of a sniper," the female said.
"Then he'll just shoot me in the neck," the male said. He lifted his atmospheric mask up to his face, pressed the button on the small tank on his belt, and took a deep inhale. "Ah, that's the stuff."
"What happened here?" the female asked, pointing at the burnt out vehicles on the side of the road.
"Grenky striker ambush. Two months ago, after they finished providing security while FOB Misty Lake was being built," the male said. "Caught them in the open with their screens and anti-air down."
"Why?" she asked.
"CO decided that the chance of ambush was minimal and didn't want to put excess wear on the systems," the male shrugged. "You see it all the time. Wear on the components means the mechanics have to replace the part, which means its not deployable, which means the officer gets asked why so many of her tanks are inoperative, which means she gets yelled at."
The female frowned.
"The Grenky have been pushing pretty hard the last three months," the male said. He gave a shrug. "Probably push us and the Dommies off planet in the next year or so."
"We are the Dra.Falten Empire," the female started to say, her voice huffy.
"Captain, they outgun us, they have battlescreens on their infantry and we don't, they have battlescreens on their strikers and we don't, there's more of them, and they were preparing for this for years," the male broke in.
He jammed his hands in his pockets.
"It's just the way it is," he said, his voice low.
The female officer opened her mouth, then closed it.
After an hour or so the male sat down on the back deck of a carbonized APC hull.
"Take a break," he said.
"Don't give..." the Captain started to say.
The male was already digging in his rucksack. He pulled out two bagged meals, throwing one at the Captain.
She dropped it.
He tore his open, squinting as he looked at the labels. "Oh, score! Roasted frumfel meat with buttered popcorn stuffing!" he ripped into it and began tearing open the packets to eat with his fingers.
The female looked at hers.
Gepta Meat and Turga Nuts - Not For Officer Consumption
She looked at his.
Not for Enlisted Consumption
"Give me that," she said.
"No. You're lucky I even grabbed you food," the male said. He looked at her. "How long have you even been in country?"
"What? What does that have to do with.."
"How long?" the male asked, scooping more roasted meat and stuffing into his mouth.
"I have been here nearly a month," the female said.
"One year," the male said. He pointed the food package at the large cylindrical bag he had been carrying. "Before that, Charmeka-3. Before that: Bhrestikin-4," he said. "I got here two months after the Strevik'al jumped our settlers and our settlers jumped theirs."
He gave a snort, shoveled in another bite of food and kept talking even as he chewed.
"Turns out the Grenky settlers had false-flagged both of us," he said around a mouthful of buttered popcorn stuffing. "By the time we figured it out, the Grenkies were hitting us everywhere. I got here just in time for the New Moon Winter Offensive."
The female blinked rapidly several times.
The male took a swig off his canteen and went back to eating and talking with his mouth full.
"We were stacking bodies for sandbags, pouring water or pissing on the snow we covered them with to freeze them in ice," the male said. He tossed the wrapper away and ripped open another one. "Ooh, brownie with T-Bug chocolate chips!" he started taking bites out of it, closing his eyes and sighing as he chewed. "That was right when the Grenkies went to hvee weapons instead of their old plasma guns."
He tore open another pack, gobbling down the salad.
The female opened the main meal, flinched at the smell, then started eating petulantly.
"Busted from Operations Sergeant to Rifleman Fifth Class after the Battles of the Neufetter Eclipse," the male said. "Ordering the men to retreat from a worthless fucking hill after all the officers fucked off to the afterlife while I still had forty-percent of them almost got me summarily executed for cowardice."
The female nodded. "Was that your assigned objective? To hold that hill?"
The male nodded.
"Then I would have executed you," she stated. She put her hand on her pistol. "Why were you not?"
The male shrugged. "My endless good looks, boundless charm, and gigantic penis?" He went back to eating and after a moment stared at her. "You going to eat your food or shoot me? You need to decide on one before you can do the other, Field Captain Strechen."
The female glared for a long moment, then looked down at the meal. She ate slowly, gagging more than once on the foul taste.
The male, one Rifleman Second Class Tawtchee-9912743, took off his boots, hanging his socks from the rucksack and pulling out another pair that were warn and littered with darning patches. He wiggled his long toes for a moment then pulled on the socks and the boots.
He sighed, looking at the female's feet. "Those have to hurt."
Captain Strechen nodded.
The male sighed and got up, wandering down the line of vehicles.
"What are you doing?" the female called out.
When the male didn't answer she weighed getting up and finding out.
And maybe shooting him for disrespect.
She fantasized about that for a while, smiling to herself as she ate the disgusting food paste that passed for a meal.
The male came walking back, carrying a heat damaged rucksack that had a pair of boots hanging off of it. He bent down, measured the boots against the female's feet for a moment before she yanked her feet back, then got up and walked away again.
"Where are you getting that?" the female asked on the fourth try.
"Tank crew storage compartments. Most of them had booze in it that exploded from the heat, some are full of melted crap, but I'm finding a ruck about every fifth one," Tawtchee said. He knelt down. "There, that one looks good."
"I'm not wearing the boots of someone who died," Strechen said, pulling her feet back again.
"Your choice," the male said. He sat down, took a few hits off of his mask, and then got up, gathering up his gear. He had pulled several field cloaks out of the packs and was busy tucking them into his own pack.
"Planet smells like ass," Tawtchee complained after another hit off his tank. He looked at Strechen. "Up you go, Captain."
"My feet hurt and I am still fatigued," she said.
"Sounds like a you problem," the male said. "I'll give you ten minutes, then I start walking."
The Captain thought for a long moment about calling the male's bluff.
She pulled on the boots, wincing at how they pinched her little toes, then stood up.
"Let's go," Tawtchee said. He started walking.
Captain Strechen ran to catch up, then started walking next to him.
He kept ignoring her questions, just steadily walking along next to the berm, skirting artillery craters now and then, but always avoiding standing on the road.
The sun was low in the sky when he finally spoke.
"Why did you choose Dead Man's Highway?" Tawtchee asked.
"The route is only a third as long as the other routes. I chose it for speed," Captain Strechen said, her voice haughty.
"Yeah, there's a reason that you shouldn't use it unless you're part of an armored convoy," Tawtchee said.
"What is that?" the Captain asked.
Tawtchee turned his head to look at her, even as he thumbed the button on the atmo cylinder to get a hit of good air. He looked around, where there were scattered burnt out vehicles on the road, then back at her.
"Guess," he said. He sighed. "Do you still have your map?"
The Captain nodded and dug it out of her pocket.
Tawtchee just grabbed it, moving over to a burnt out hovertruck that the pods were sunk into the dirt. He spread it out and looked around. He dug in a pocket and pulled out a compass/sextant combination. It was crude and lacked any electronics. He checked a crack watch, then went to work. After a minute he put a pebble on the map.
"OK, we're here," he said. He sighed. "Dead center Dead Man's Highway," he looked at her as he traced another route with his finger. "This route stays behind our lines. It's three times as long, but stays in green zones," he traced the shorter route. "This one is straight through No-Ma'am-Land."
She frowned. "Are you sure about our location?"
Tawtchee nodded. "Yes," he said. He examined the map slowly and kept looking around. Finally he tapped it. "All right, there was a small town, population two hundred, about two miles away that way," he said, pointing. "We'll go there and..."
He suddenly ducked down, grabbing the Captain's arm and yanking her down. She went to yank away then thought better of it, crouching down next to the burnt out vehicle. Tawtchee laid down and wiggled into the narrow space between the vehicle and the loose dirt, grabbing Strechen's ankle and tugging.
Making a face of disgust Strechen climbed after him, her face twisted with disgust at the dirt and grease beneath the burnt out vehicle.
There was a slight buzzing in the air that slowly got louder.
Strechen saw a small drone, roughly a meter wide, bobbing and weaving as it moved across the burnt out forest.
"Dommy drone," Tawtchee said softly. He looked at her. "Speak softly. Whispers carry."
Strechen nodded, feeling her mouth go dry.
"Looks like recon, I don't see a swarm or swarm controllers," Tawtchee said.
Strechen slowly drew her pistol.
Tawtchee grabbed her wrist. "They'll know we're here. Right now it looks like its flying on auto."
For nearly ten minutes the drone bobbed around, scanning vehicles and moving on.
"Yeah, it's using shape comparison. It's on auto," Tawtchee said, his voice strangely muffled.
Strechen looked over and realized the male was eating a salad bar.
The drone suddenly leveled out and hovered for a long moment.
"Shit, that just went to manual," Tawtchee swore.
The drone suddenly tilted to the side and raced off, gaining altitude.
"Whew," Tawtchee said. He took another bite of the salad bar, grinding the nuts on his back teeth. He looked at Strechen. "Probably the rescue party, or they spotted some Grenkies."
After about ten minutes, the whole time Strechen stared out at the burnt woodline, Tawtchee kicked her foot with his own.
"Let's go. We need to make it to whatever's left of the village," Tawtchee said.
"But rescue could come along..." Strechen said.
"You really want to ride in a vehicle?" Tawtchee asked, waving at the burnt out lines of vehicles, some Strevik'al, some Dra.Falten, and a few Grenklakail.
She stared for a moment, then shook her head.
"Good choice. We'll take you to see the elephant yet," Tawtchee mumbled. He handed her one of the field cloaks. "Here, wear this," he said.
She sniffed and flinched. "That smells terrible."
"Drones don't go off smell," Tawtchee said. He shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Strechen watched him arrange the field cloak over the gear on his back, then wrap two around his torso that were slightly too big for him. He tucked in the excess to his belt in a single fold, then looked at Strechen.
She pulled the cloak around herself, internally cringing at the smell of rotted and burnt meat.
The hike was long, several times the pair had to duck down and pulled the face shield across the hood. Clouds were moving in, heavy dark clouds holding a hint of poison from the runoff from destroyed factories.
"Acid rain tonight," was all Tawtchee grunted.
Finally, they reached the settlement. It was almost dark, the shadows long and deep, when Strechen realized that they were almost to a wall.
When it came out of the shadows, she almost groaned in frustration.
There was just a fifteen foot length of wall, with two windows, that didn't meet other walls at corners. It was blackened by old scorch marks and soot.
"Stay. Here," Tawtchee said softly but forcefully.
Strechen was took fatigued to argue as the smaller male vanished into the shadows. She stretched out her legs, trying to forestall cramps, then sat down on a rock and waited.
The male came out of the shadows, not from where Strechen had expected, which would have been the way he'd gone, but instead on her right.
She hoped he hadn't noticed that he had scared her.
"Clear," he said softly. "Found a good spot. Second story floor didn't collapse all the way. We've got a little spot with a roof, almost four walls, and some carpet so we aren't sleeping on the dirt. It's a good spot."
"How do you know it's a good spot?" she asked, following him.
"Others have used it. Probably deserters," Tawtchee said.
Strechen said nothing, despite her hackles raising at the idea of someone abandoning their duty to the Empire, following the smaller male. They had to almost crawl through some fallen rubble.
It was a small area, barely eight feet by six feet. There was layers of carpet on the floor.
"Way of Means Sucks" and "Means of Way Bites Bad Popcorn" were scratched into the walls. "Screw the Emperor!" was written in Grenky runes. "I was here. Now you are. We are both in Hell" was written in Dommy script.
"Get some sleep," Tawtchee said. "If we leave just after dawn, we should make our lines by just after lunch."
Strechen wanted to argue, but just leaning back against her duffle made her eyes heavy.
She just nodded.
After a few moments she went to sleep.
She woke up to the male climbing on top of her, one hand groping her, the other hand holding her muzzle shut. She struggled and wiggled and he slapped her.
"Dammit, hold still," he grunted. He felt up her chest and suddenly pulled back.
She could faintly see him, a pinlight on the ceiling providing just enough light.
"Stupid slag," he grunted. "Brain shot officer dipshit."
He pulled a knife from his mouth and brought it down to her chest. She felt him cut something off of her harness. He held it up.
"Fucking idiot."
It was her personal transponder.
"Your beacon? You've had it on? Really?" he snarled. He wiggled off her, moving to the gap that was now covered by an extra cloak. He grabbed his rifle and kicked his way out.
After a moment she followed.
He was crouched down, barely visible, wrapped in his cloaks, looking down at the single street. He was on a second story floor that ended in empty air, the wall missing. She scrabbled up the debris to crouch down next to him, holding her cloak tightly around yourself.
"Where are you... where are you... where..." the male was saying, his face hidden behind the face cloth.
She pulled her own cloth over her breathing mask.
"There," he said softly. He set her officer's transponder, now wrapped in the foil packet a meal normally came in, on the shattered tile and pulled a grenade off his harness. He quickly taped them together. "Please tell me momma isn't here."
She frowned, looking out.
She couldn't see anything.
"What is it?" she said softly.
"Mole rat. Grenky make. Shit, they lost control of them months ago," he said. He pointed. "By the pile of blue tiles."
She frowned, rubbing the stud on her face cloth, switching from ambient light to IR then UV then back to enhanced ambient light.
Captain Strechen saw it right when it poked its head out of the dirt of a crater in the tarmac road.
It looked like a mechanical rat without any fur or casing.
It immediately looked at where she was crouched down next to Tawtchee and wriggled out of the dirt, hopping forward rapidly.
The IR sensors pinged as it scanned the pair crouched down. It shook itself and tried again.
"It can't see us because of the cloaks. It can't home in on the beacon because of the foil," Tawtchee said. "Let's see what happens next."
A part of the tarmac suddenly cracked and lifted.
"Aw, crap. Big momma," Tawtchee said. He patted himself, pulling out a grenade and looking at it. "Frag. Dammit," he looked at her. "Stay here, and for the love of buttered popcorn, don't help me."
What revealed itself was a large cone with eight legs. It had treads embedded in the body, only the cleats clear of the shell. As she watched it extended almost a dozen tendrils around the widest part of the cone, irises opening up to reveal lenses as it began looking around.
The smaller one ran up, extended a 'tongue' that tapped a nodule. The nodule opened up and the smaller one plugged itself into the revealed socket.
Strechen looked around.
Tawtchee was nowhere to be seen.
Two others ran out of the shadows, copying the first one.
The big one slowly turned in a circle, the articulated spidery looking legs clicking on the broken tarmac.
It suddenly raised up, the tendrils extending out. The end of the cone suddenly irised open, revealing grinders, blades, and rock crushers, all lit by a sullen red light from further into the meter long cone.
Something arced out of the darkness, landing in front of the big one.
It shrieked and charged forward, lowering the opening and scooping up dirt and the object.
A second later there was an explosion that consumed the conical mechanical monstrosity and sent robotic parts showering across the street.
She stayed silent, crouched down on the ruined floor.
A tap to her boot made her jerk around.
Tawtchee motioned at her.
"Come on," he said.
She followed him back to the little nest.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Grenky mole rat. Autonomous subterranean killer drones," Tawtchee said. "The Grenkies used them heavily in the beginning but lost control of them about five months ago. You doni't see them often, they usually haunt out of the way places. Like this one. Now they just kill whoever they find," he patted his rifle. "They want your gear. Electronics, batteries, e-clips, whatever."
"Can't they shut them down?" Strechen asked.
Tawtchee shook his head. "No. They lost control," he wave his hand to encompass outside. "It's a Pratty-Chan Very Special Shit Show."
Strechen frowned at the mention of the animated AI avatar that haunted Dra.Net.
"You don't have another beacon on you, do you?" Tawtchee asked.
"No," Strechen said.
"Good. Your turn for guard," he waved at a small piece of thermal/EM camo tacked on the wall. "There's a viewport behind that."
He laid down and turned away from Strechen, his rifle held between his knees, barrel pointed downward, butt plate up by his chin.
"Try not to shoot yourself in the dick."
[First Contact] [Dark Ages] [First] [Prev] [Next] [wiki]

I've been using Chat GPT and Google's Gemini to measure a text's Lexile level but the results are so-so. Not very good. How can we increase the accuracy of using Chat GPT to measure a text's lexile level?

I gave Corbin Burnes only an honorable mention in my trades preview because I thought it was unlikely Elias would trade for a rental. All I knew was that he was a bankable four-win starter with a cutter as his primary fastball.
As part of my catch up, I did a small amount of research on him as a preview of 2024, but this is mostly looking back at his previous seasons, specifically from when he made the “leap” in 2021.
2021-Present Stats

Season	Team	Age	IP	K%	BB%	BABIP	WHIP	ERA	xERA	FIP	xFIP	RA9	DRA	bWAR	fWAR	WARP
2021	MIL	26	167.0	35.6%	5.2%	.309	0.94	2.43	2.00	1.63	2.30	2.53	2.52	5.3	7.5	5.6
2022	MIL	27	202.0	30.5%	6.4%	.259	0.97	2.94	3.05	3.14	2.85	3.25	3.06	4.0	4.6	5.1
2023	MIL	28	193.2	25.5%	8.4%	.244	1.07	3.39	3.40	3.81	3.80	3.58	4.40	3.5	3.4	2.9
2024	ZiPS DC	29	193.0	27.0%	7.7%	.281	1.12	3.32		3.36		3.59			4.3
2024	ATC	29	187.0	27.0%	7.5%	.287	1.15	3.52		3.63		3.80			4.0
2024	Steamer	29	197.0	25.2%	7.4%	.294	1.22	3.72		3.80	3.77	4.07			3.2
2024	PECOTA	29	174.2	26.7%	7.6%	.286	1.16	3.29		3.57			3.76			3.4
2024	Marcel	29	177.0	27.5%	7.7%		1.079	3.36				3.61

For 2024, we’re looking at ~27% K%, ~8% BB% and a ~3.50 ERA/FIP, and ~4 WAR: not bad for 50th percentile outcomes. This is a premium starter by any measure, and if we only have him for 2024, this is a great way to take a shot at the fabled Piece of Metal. I thought Elias wasn’t going to take a big swing with Félix out for the season, but here we are demonstrating why he’s the guy in the driver’s seat and I’m stuck manually transcribing numbers from baseball websites.
Pitch Mix and Metrics
By pitch category, we can see Burnes has had a steady diet of ~60% hard stuff, ~30% breaking, ~10% offspeed, and he was throwing ~60% fastballs even before he made the switch to a cutter.
By pitch type, I think we all know the story with the cutter. As his primary fastball, it gets thrown about 55% of the time to fantastic effect. Over the past three seasons, it was worth +20, +21, and then +18 in run value.
Here’s how his pitches in 2023 match up along common metrics. I indexed using the benchmarks in Alex Chamberlain’s Pitch Leaderboard v6 so we have an idea of how he’s performing against MLB averages.

Pitch	Pitches	Stuff+	Location+	Pitching+	Run Value	Whiff%	Whiff+	SwStr%	SwStr+	CSW%	CSW+
Cutter	1706	127	101	103	18	22.7%	94	10.9%	91	30.9%	110
Curveball	528	160	104	113	7	48.8%	155	18.9%	142	36.4%	117
Changeup	346	82	105	112	5	30.6%	98	15.9%	102	24.3%	96
Slider	263	144	110	127	1	43.8%	130	21.3%	131	31.6%	102
Sinker	236	103	97	90	-6	12.9%	90	5.1%	78	19.9%	70

This is a little surprising.
I knew his stuff was off the charts, but I thought there would be more swing-and-miss from the cutter. Instead, the cutter is going from slightly below average in terms of swinging strike rate, to above average when you add in the called strikes. Meanwhile, his two breakers are dominant - almost half of the swings on his curveballs and sliders are whiffs.
If you look at 2021-2022, his changeup whiff rate is also about 50%, and his cutter did have pretty impressive swing-and-miss: 14.8% swinging strike rate and 29.7% whiff rate, both about 25% higher than the benchmark.
Future Changes
To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Baltimore pitching lab leaves Burnes alone. But looking at the above table, if he can’t reclaim the swing-and-miss on the cutter, he could consider diluting the mix with the two breakers because, at a glance, they’re working really well.
I’m, apparently, not the only one who thinks this. Nick Pollack from PitcherList had this to say about Burnes:

I’ve been an old man shouting at a cloud for years watching Burnes neglect his slider, featuring it sub 20% of the time to right-handers [...] despite absurd SwStr numbers to die for. I truly believe Burnes needs to lean on it more, which may help him remove its mistakes over the plate. [...] The curve is a different story. Its putaway rate was cut in half last year as he simply threw too many mistakes in the dirt with it. I think this may be more of a sequencing/feel situation and it shouldn’t be living in the 54% strike depths once again.

Last but not least, I tapped a different source, BrooksBaseball, which uses Pitch Info (as opposed to Statcast or Sports Info Solutions) data, to look at how his pitch shapes have changed over the years. Here are his scatter plots for vertical break and horizontal break, each data point a game.
2021
2022
2023
Do you see it? There are a couple of changes between 2021-2022 and 2023, and I’m not the only one who noticed.
In 2023, he added sweeping action to his sliders, and you can see it in all the red dots clustered around 10 inches of horizontal movement. He also added more of the traditional vertical drop to his sinker, and more to his curveball as well.
Taken together, these are pretty drastic changes he made midseason last year, but it helped him finish very strong:

[...] he slogged to a 4.10 ERA through the end of June while striking out under a batter per inning. But Burnes righted the ship after that, posting a 2.72 ERA and 10.1 K/9 over the final three months of the season while reaching the 200-strikeout mark for a third straight year.
[...]
Burnes' curveball was generating a 41% swing-and-miss rate and 46% strikeout rate through June. It generated a 55% swing-and-miss rate and 57% strikeout rate after July.

I have seen it claimed on the internet that the Northern Alliance basically asked the US to invade Afghanistan so that they could be rid of the Taliban and form a government in its place. I'm no expert on Afghanistan but this sounds suspiciously like a selective misrepresentation of the facts to me. It seems reminiscent of the argument that the Soviet invasion decades before wasn't actually an invasion because the DRA had requested Soviet military assistance in quelling uprisings; like sure but the "assistance" the Afghans had in mind probably wasn't overthrowing the government and trying to take over the entire country by force.
As far as I know, the US's primary stated motive in its invasion of Afghanistan was to capture Bin Laden after 9/11, but the Northern Alliance did more or less end up forming the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with American backing after the Taliban had been militarily defeated. Was this due to the planned cooperation between the US and the Northern Alliance before and during the invasion, or did the US simply back the Northern Alliance as the post-Taliban future of Afghanistan out of convenience because they were the main opposition force that still existed in the country after the Taliban takeover? Were the leaders of the Northern Alliance consulted about the invasion beforehand, and did they approve of such a drastic measure from the Americans?

Any CMSD faculty or staff lurking here? I've been looking into schools for my daughter and when I checked the website tonight, it looks like a totally new curriculum for K-8 than when I checked last year. Last year it was Fountas and Pinnell; this year it's EL, Heggerty, Fundations, Wit and Wisdom, etc. I expected that change to start due to Ohio's Science of Reading push, but I was surprised to see that it also looks like the social studies and science curricula have changed to more content/knowledge-rich stuff.
I can't find anything on the district's website or the news, but this seems like a massive overhaul. And frankly, it's a game changer for us. We were planning on going private largely due to curriculum quality, and now this opens up public as a viable option for us (convenient, considering we live a few minutes' walk from a school). Can anyone shed any light on what's going on internally in the district to change all these things so quickly? How is the implementation going?

"I think another saying appropriately describes what's going on here... shoveling the same old shit and calling it sugar." - Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) throwing some expert folksy shade at her GOP colleagues.

Border Wars

It’s an election year, so you know what that means: Republicans are pulling out all of their most ridiculous political stunts to cover up for being wildly ineffective at best, and actively harmful at worst.

• The House GOP moved forward with its sham impeachment hearings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday. Mayorkas resolutely defended his record to the Republican-controlled House Committee on Homeland Security, which is drawing up articles of impeachment against him despite having failed to articulate evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. If successful, this would be the first impeachment of a Cabinet member in almost 150 years.
  
• The committee’s Democratic members excoriated their GOP colleagues for pushing ahead with the impeachment for purely political reasons. They also highlighted GOP hypocrisy for pursuing this impeachment on grounds that Mayorkas has been derelict in his duty to “secure the border,” while simultaneously opposing a bipartisan immigration package that would do just that. (Disgraced former president Donald Trump torpedoed Republican support for the bill because he wants to be able to run on border issues in November.)
  
• While Mayorkas did not appear at the hearing, he sent a six-page letter on Tuesday morning to Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green (R-TN). The missive threw cold water on the GOP’s spurious accusations about both his duties and his participation in their probe. Republicans have accused him of not just avoiding, but outright obstructing oversight requests. He shot back: “We have provided Congress and your Committee hours of testimony, thousands of documents, hundreds of briefings, and much more information that demonstrates quite clearly how we are enforcing the law.” Mayorkas asserted that the committee’s “false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service to which I remain devoted.” The “obstruction of oversight” requests are particularly ridiculous given that Mayorkas has already testified before Congress more than any other member of the Biden Cabinet—27 times in 35 months.
  

Constitutional experts have argued that Republicans are abusing the tool of impeachment, adopted by the framers to protect the country from despots, not to put every member of your opposing party up against the wall. Yep, that sounds like them!

• Republicans and the conservative media machine have been very effective in whipping up hysteria in the American electorate over immigration. A recent Harvard CAPS-Harris poll showed that the issue has overtaken even inflation as the top concern reported by voters, which the GOP is using to its advantage. On Friday, President Biden implored Congress to grant him the power to shut down the border, and pressed them to send the stalled immigration bill to his desk.
  
• Immigration has plagued nearly every presidential administration in modern U.S. history. The asylum system is broken, and Republicans have no interest in fixing it, or any other problem related to immigration that does not involve mass deportations and a ridiculous money pit of a border wall. GOP lawmakers have refused to allocate resources, obstructed efforts to update laws, and defied federal officials charged with maintaining border security. But President Biden’s own posture on the issue has ebbed and flowed over the years as well. Despite what Republicans would have you believe, Biden has never been an “Abolish ICE” guy nor a Democrat who supports decriminalizing illegal border crossings, but he came into office seeking humane solutions, contrasting the previous administration. But now, departing from his 2020 rhetoric, Biden says he is “willing to make significant compromises on the border.”
  

President Biden and many Democratic lawmakers are doing their part to address the humanitarian crisis at the border, Republicans are not. As Biden said in his 2023 immigration address to the nation, the GOP “can keep using immigration to try to score political points, or they can help solve the problem.”

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

It’s 2024, and there’s SO MUCH to do, but it's hard to know where to start. If your decision paralysis has set in, It’s now easier than ever to find the volunteer opportunities that are right for you with Vote Save America’s brand new action finder! You tell VSA the causes you care about, they’ll tell you the most high-impact ways to get involved, from your state all the way to the White House. Call it the cure for doom scrolling. Go to https://votesaveamerica.com/volunteer to get started.

Under The Radar

Newly-obtained CCTV footage from Ibn Sina hospital in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank appears to show armed Israel Defense Forces commandos disguised as Palestinians, including one wearing a woman’s head scarf and another wearing a white medical coat. Israeli authorities said the soldiers killed three gunmen in the hospital, one of whom they said was planning an imminent attack. The hospital’s medical director told Reuters that the three were shot in the head using silenced pistols as they slept in the room where they were being treated. Hamas claimed one of the dead as a member, and allied faction Islamic Jihad claimed the other two.
Hamas said on Tuesday that it had received a new proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, presented by mediators after talks with Israel in Paris. The group is studying the proposal, which appears to be the most serious bid for peace in months. A senior Hamas official told Reuters that the proposal involves a three-stage truce, during which the militant group would release the remaining civilian hostages captured on October 7, then soldiers, and then the bodies of the hostages who have been killed. It is unclear how long each stage would last, or what is proposed to follow the final stage.
President Biden announced on Tuesday that he has made a decision on how to respond to the drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members, but not what that decision is. The Pentagon said that Iran-backed, Iraq-based militia Kata’ib Hezbollah was likely responsible for the attack, and in a surprise move, the group announced on Tuesday that it was suspending military operations in Iraq, citing pressure from Baghdad and Tehran.

What Else?

Aimeen Penny, the 20-year-old far-right extremist from Ohio and member of the neo-Nazi group White Lives Matter, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison on Tuesday for firebombing a church in Chesterland, OH that had been planning to host two drag events in 2023. Penny had told the FBI “he would have felt better if the Molotov cocktails were more effective and burned the entire church to the ground.” He appeared in court for the sentencing, where he was unrepentant, and instead justified his actions as an attempt to “protect children" from transgender individuals.
A federal appeals court denied a request from a civil rights group representing Black voters in Arkansas to revisit a ruling that could undermine a key tool of enforcement for the Voting Rights Act, setting us up for a frightening wait-and-see with the Supreme Court.
The Illinois State Board of Elections ruled that it did not have the authority to decide whether disgraced former president Donald Trump engaged in insurrection, and he would therefore remain on the state’s ballot.
Elon Musk says his startup Neuralink has implanted a device in its first human patient. The device is called “Telepathy” and will let people control their phones “just by thinking.” Sounds terrifying in every conceivable way!
UPS plans to cut 12,000 jobs after their revenues were forecasted to fall short of Wall Street targets.
The Justice Department is investigating Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) for allegedly misusing funds meant for private security for members of Congress. The scope of the investigation nor the specifics of the allegations have yet been disclosed.

Be Smarter

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives may vote on a $78 billion tax package this week, and in the middle of the deal is a rare measure with bipartisan support: expanding the child tax credit. Expanding the CTC was a pandemic-era policy that cut child by a staggering 35 percent, and when it was allowed to expire, the percent of American children in poverty quickly shot back to it’s pre-pandemic level. (What a sentence.) The poorest families would see the most significant benefit from the tax credit (which is why we kind of can’t believe any Republicans might go for it) but it’s not as generous as the pandemic-era expansion, and is only projected to cut child poverty by about 5 percent. Research has shown that families use the money they receive from the ETC on food and other necessities, not drugs, as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and many Republicans were so eager to claim.

What A Sponsor

This newsletter is sponsored by BetterHelp.
Around New Year’s, we get obsessed with how to change ourselves instead of just expanding on what we’re already doing right. Maybe you finally organized one part of your space, and you want to tackle another. Or maybe you’re taking your supplements every morning, and now you want to actually eat breakfast too. Therapy can help you find your strengths, so you can ditch the extreme resolutions and make changes that really stick.
If you’re thinking of starting therapy, BetterHelp is a great option. It’s convenient, affordable, and entirely online.
Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist based on your unique needs, preferences, and location. Then you can start communicating with your therapist in whatever format works for you – via video, phone, or live chat sessions. If your first match isn’t the right fit, switch therapists any time at no additional charge.
Celebrate the progress you've already made. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/WAD to get 10% off your first month.

Light At The End Of The Email

The Democratic Governors Association raised $71.5 million last year, breaking its previous records for off-year fundraising.
Democrats in the Senate sent a letter to the Biden administration on Tuesday pressuring him to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance. The Department of Health and Human Services formally recommended this change in August.
Today is National Help America Vote Day! This day was established by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to encourage people across the U.S. to get involved in the electoral process by signing up to be a poll worker. By encouraging more people to become poll workers in their communities, Help America Vote Day is addressing the critical shortage of poll workers, strengthening our democracy, inspiring greater civic engagement and volunteerism, and helping to ensure free and fair elections this November. Head to https://powerthepolls.org/votesaveamerica to sign up!

Enjoy

☔ on Twitter: "2 hours of cooking just to eat in 10 minutes and now i've gotta wash everything."

It's always seemed strange to me that we use AVG/OBP/SLG alongside league-adjusted stats like OPS+ or wRC+ to evaluate a hitter's performance, but completely different stats like ERA, FIP, etc. to evaluate a pitcher, even though ultimately we're attempting to describe the same thing - how a batters perform against pitchers and vice versa over the course of a season.
IMO it makes even less sense to use common pitching stats because while batting stats are very straightforward (i.e. SLG is just total bases per at-bat) things like ERA have less practical significance (earned runs given up every nine innings?) WHIP is alright but it treats every hit allowed as equal and every walk to be the same as a hit.
In terms of sabermetrics, it's clear that evaluating a hitter's production is done very effectively with wRC+: simply measure each possible outcome of an at-bat in terms of runs, adjust for park factors, etc. and you can pretty much exactly determine how much more productive Shohei Ohtani was vs. league average. But for pitching? We have FIP. (and stuff like DRA and SIERA but nobody uses those). Don't get me started on FIP - it might be better than ERA but it doesn't tell you anything that BB/9, K/9, and H9 doesn't already (no really, those are the only inputs in the formula besides HBP)
Speaking of, what's up with K/9 and BB/9? Why do we use K% and BB% for hitters but almost always use the per-nine versions for pitchers even though they measure the same thing? And why is K/BB ratio almost exclusively used for pitchers and not hitters? Anyway.
For reference, here are some pitching lines from last season using slash lines instead of the typical ERA and per-nine stats:
Gerrit Cole: 209.0 IP, .206/.259/.322, .581 OPS. 5.9 BB%, 27.0 K%
George Kirby: 190.2 IP, .246/.270/.395, .665 OPS. 2.5 BB%, 22.7 K%
Dylan Cease: 177.0 IP, .250/.332/.405, .737 OPS. 10.1 BB%, 27.3 K%
Jordan Lyles: 177.2 IP, .255/.305/.501, .805 OPS. 6.0 BB%, 16.0 K%
Emmanuel Clase: 72.2 IP, .242/.282/.327, .610 OPS. 5.3 BB%, 21.2 K%.
Shintaro Fujinami: 79.0 IP, .242/.350/.404, .754 OPS, 12.6 BB%, 23.3 K%.
Obviously with these slashlines it would be nice to have things like OPS+ and wRC+ as we do for hitters so we can compare them against each other and account for park factors. But for some reason none of the major sites have these available, and as far as I can tell only BBRef has these slashlines at all; Fangraphs and Savant only show allowed batting average.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. Do you think if these stats were more widely used and more freely available that we would have a better perspective on pitchers in general? Why or why not? Please write a response of at least 300 words and reply to two (2) of your classmates.

I have a daughter in 2nd grade. She's a really great reader, and, according to her i-Ready reading assessments (and personal observations), her reading comprehension just continues to grow.
Her Lexile Reading Measure is 1055L, which puts her in the neighborhood of the 50th percentile for 6th grade (EOY).
I've heard the term "Gentle reader", and I've found reading lists, but I wish I could find something that correlated lexile measure - or even just grade-level - with the books. It seems to be getting harder and harder to find age-appropriate material for her to read that she doesn't burn through in an afternoon - or on the way home from the library. But sixth grade books are dealing with topics that I think are beyond my daughter's understanding - if anything, my daughter's emotional EQ is below average for her age.
Thanks for any help.