My husband and I have been married for nearly 8 years and are parents of soon to be 3 young children (I’m due with our last kiddo next month). We are in our early 30s but have known each other since our early teens. We both have established, full time careers, are well educated, etc. We are in many ways what I would say is the suburban modern family. Life is hectic but we also have been very fortunate due to a combination of luck and consistent hard work and good decision making.
My husband’s family is quite the opposite. His dad has worked construction/carpentry since his early teens and been the breadwinner of the family, but has, for the most part, struggled to make ends meet. He is all in all a very charming, kindhearted guy though, and despite our vastly different lifestyles, I genuinely like him.
My MIL…she’s something else. While we have a mostly cordial relationship, she is truly one of the most self-absorbed people I’ve ever met. And not in a malicious manner— she just genuinely is narcissistic and thinks she knows best. Mostly this an annoying nuisance to occasionally deal with. She has said and done some unsavory things in the past that have resulted in short NC periods.
But this mentality ramped up to an 11 on a scale of 1-10 back in late February/early March.
My husband and I were going through an extremely stressful period in our marriage due to a number of issues. I was— and still am— pregnant with our third, we have a 5 and 2 year old, we were both working full time, and my husband’s job kept requiring him to travel out of state for a couple weeks at a time. Running a household as essentially a single mother while working full time was very stressful in itself, but then my grandmother had a stroke while he was out of state. By the time he got back, it was clear she wasn’t going to recover. She died with 48 hours of his return— which had given me just enough time to travel to visit her.
Almost simultaneously, my MIL was diagnosed with CLL. MIL has dealt with recurrent minor illnesses for some time (sinus and ear infections, the flu, etc.), so the cancer diagnosis wasn’t particularly surprising to me. But as most would do, we all spent some time reading up on this particular form of cancer, the general prognosis and treatment, etc.
My own parents happen to have both had cancer. My dad is a stage 2 prostate cancer survivor, having undergone treatment about 15 years ago. My mom unfortunately was not so lucky with her diagnosis— anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid— and from diagnosis to death was less than ten months. It’s been about a decade now. Needless to say, I feel I am fairly well versed in the oncology world for an average person and able to provide some insight on the experience.
CLL, as I understand, and from what I’ve now heard from her original oncologist, is generally not a very aggressive cancer. I have heard some people refer to it as more like autoimmune disorder. It often requires little treatment and more “watchful waiting” of symptoms. My MIL was told by the oncologist that this is exactly what their plan was, that her cancer was not aggressive or requiring treatment, and that she could essentially live a normal life with occasional blood draws for monitoring purposes.
From the moment she was diagnosed though, it has been all about her. Her cancer diagnosis overshadowed my grandma’s actual death. My husband had to be gone for a day and a half to attend her first appointment, even if I was balancing life as a single working mom who was grieving at the moment. Before her first consultation, everyone was sure she was dying, even though it didn’t take an expert to look over her bloodwork and realize that she was likely in a very low stage of this non-aggressive cancer.
When she attended her consultation, her, FIL, SIL, and my husband had to go to support and were relieved to hear the good news. MIL was mortally offended that the oncologist poo-pooed her ridiculous made up, self-enforced diet that had already caused her to lose 10lbs. She’s not a big boned lady, so that was not weight she needed or should be losing. MIL is convinced that homeopathic and naturopathic remedies are the way to go, that “big pharma” is out to get us and make a buck off of our treatment, etc. She quite literally took ivermectin for covid previously, folks. So the fact that an oncologist would tell her that her diet was downright silly pissed her off and she quickly tried to find others more aligned with her viewpoints.
Life resumed more normally for a couple of weeks, but her random “cures” added to her diet and lifestyle have gotten increasingly bizarre and frankly inconvenient for her entire family.
This past weekend, we visited them, and MIL was insistent that she was dying and the next oncologist would recommend chemo for treatment. I fail to see why one oncologist would be so nonchalant about treatment and another would propose aggressive treatment, but I digress. She brought up Dr. Oz, a holistic massage therapist that uses oils and massage to cure cancer, and worst of all, a new item she’s added to her diet— roasted apricot pits. Now if you’re like me, you might be wondering what would possess someone to eat an apricot pit— after all, don’t they have cyanide in them? Precisely. My MIL is intentionally ingesting apricot pits because “cyanide kills cancer.”
As my husband eloquently put it, “No, cyanide kills *everything.”
Today my husband received a phone call asking if he’d be willing to petsit for them this weekend. We have a follow up ultrasound for a small abnormality detected in our baby on Friday, but MIL wants him to drive to their home two hours away and spend the night so he can watch their cat and SIL’s dog. Meanwhile MIL, FIL, and SIL will drive eight hours (and eight hours back) to visit this massage therapist/oil salesman to “cure her cancer.” Mind you, they are using SIL’s car because they have no other vehicle that works well enough to drive that far, they are constantly tight on money, and again, her oncologist has stated she does not need treatment.
I am at a loss. My husband, FIL, and SIL are all frustrated and have come around to the idea that maybe she is being a little over the top finally, but no one is putting their foot down to stop her. SIL is going to drive them instead of just saying no and not letting them take her car. FIL repeatedly drives to the store to pick up whatever weird ass product she wants to try next. And my husband despite having way too much to deal with at home, keeps dropping everything to tend to her.
It is mind boggling obnoxious and honestly in some ways offensive given my family history with cancer. My mom’s diagnosis was death sentence from the get go and she faced it with bravery and tenacity and selflessness. My MIL has a minor health scare and everyone is expected to drop everything to help her.
I am glad my husband is finally seeing reason and logic— but what now? I have told him I strongly believe he needs to speak up and encourage her to follow legitimate medical advice— both for her own good but also to bring himself peace of mind in the long run— but it’s like this woman WANTS to die.
I could go on for hours, but really I’m just wondering how the heck to toe this delicate line of supporting my spouse while prioritizing my family.

Why Travel and Tourism Industry Business Need to Have Travel Mobile App?

Travelopro is a leading Travel Portal Development Company globally & travel technology company having clients across the world. We integrate Amadeus GDS, Sabre GDS, Galileo GDS, and many more.

We specialize in portal design, development, and integration of various GDS's XML, API's, testing & deployment to client host after which we also maintain the product for 24/7 technical and customer support services.

We provide complete travel solution for travel agents, tour & travel companies tourism management companies, car rental agencies, hotels.

Give your customers excellent travel experience with our highly advanced and multi-purpose travel app development services.

We offer highly customized B2C and B2B travel website application development, XML API integration and GDS integration solution travel and tourism companies. We are helping to who is looking for online travel portal development services and B2B2C online travel portal startup companies.

Our White Label travel portal is a one stop solution provider for all the technology needs of travel agents, consolidators, corporate travel consultants, hotelier and tour operators.

With Travelopro you can launch your own travel portal, with the custom look and feel you want; i.e. launch your own travel brand instantly. Apart from the regular feature like real-time Flight, Hotel, Holidays & Bookings, Cancellations.

If you are looking for travel website, you are at right place. We are a unified travel website development and online travel business solution provider company, delivering scalable B2C & B2B solutions to global travel operators & companies.




How Travel App Development is Influencing the Travel and Tourism Business!

Travelopro is a reputed Travel Portal Development Company globally, our travel portal is an online booking engine with flights, hotels, transfers, sightseeing and packages modules for travel agencies / agents.

It's also known as IBE, which aggregates and distributes information of flights, hotels, cars, packages to global B2B clients to enable them search and book online.

Our B2B travel portal software can be integrated with leading GDS systems like Amadeus, Travelport, Sabre and third-party APIs / XMLs and LCCs. We have a separate team of expert developers who are seasoned professional when it comes to API consumption and integration.

Why you should Choose Travelopro for Travel and Tourism App Development?

We are the travel technology providers, providing travel booking engines, white label solutions, web designs & development, travel mobile apps, XML/GDS Integrations and many more services.

Our variety of solution has enabled us to serve every sector of the industry - Travel Agencies, Destination Management Companies, Online Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Consolidators, Consortia and Niche Travel Companies. We also provide customized solutions that suit your exact unique requirements and scale.

We have professionally trained staffs having gained years of experience in delivering comprehensive and cost-effective solutions to the travel businesses.

Our team develops the product based on the client's business requirements and assures the quality of product by performing various testing tools before delivering it to them. We provide travel solutions that are most updated, proven and reliable in the global travel industry.



Give Real-Time Traveling Experience to Your Customers with Full-fledged Travel Mobile App Development Solutions

Travelopro can assist you in developing cutting-edge, feature-rich, robust, and scalable travel mobile apps with UI/UX design, essential third-party integrations, and advanced technical support to fulfil your consumers' expectations. You may use our comprehensive travel app development solutions whether you manage a small travel agency or an international leader in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Our unrivaled travel solutions meet all of the demands of travel agencies, tour operators, and DMC companies, allowing them to manage their travel operations at their fingertips. Our app development company works with companies and startups from the ground up. With our travel mobile app development services, we can effectively aid everyone who desires to digitize and expand their business.

We provide highly functional and user-friendly travel mobile app design and development services tailored to specific business models. The travel mobile apps will assist your consumers with varied activities, resulting in repeat visits.

Contact our team to have functionally robust, user-friendly travel mobile apps for Android and iOS built based on your demands. Travel and tourism app development solutions might help you transform your company. We specialize in developing high-quality mobility solutions for travel booking app development. Our skilled travel app developers stay up to date on industry developments to guarantee that our customers receive the best solutions available.

We have a team of experts who can assist you in developing mobile apps that will represent your business online and boost its market value. Our custom-built travel mobile apps protect your budget while also allowing you to improve your revenue.

We offer a complete business solution for your travel agency with a dedicated travel mobile app. The app we create gives a rich experience for your travel agency's consumers. It helps your company maintain existing customers while also attracting a new specialized audience searching for an excellent travel service to make their vacation planning and execution pleasant.



Travel Mobile Apps Features

· Trip planning

· Travel Map

· Travel Tracking

· Travel Checklist

· Tourist Guide

· Tour Booking

· Vehicle Booking

· Travel Destinations

· Hotel Booking

· Travel Agent Features

· Trip Organizer

· Places to Visit

· Travel News



· Travel Diary


Our Mobile Solutions for Travel Businesses

Travel Planning App Development

We can give you a full-fledged travel management system that allows you to effortlessly manage travel itineraries, booking, and reporting and provide your clients with an easy-to-use travel app interface to book their trips through your app.

Ticket Booking App Development

Our travel mobile apps development team creates a cloud-based, robust, and super-smooth online and mobile travel ticket and hotel booking solution. Customers may use this to book flights, trains, and buses and make hotel reservations.

Navigation and GPS Integration

Provide navigation options that help tourists navigate unfamiliar areas. Incorporate GPS technology, interactive maps, turn-by-turn directions, and location-based recommendations to enhance the journey experience.

Booking and Reservation Systems

Create apps that help consumers book flights, hotels, rental cars, and other travel-related services. The integration of secure payment methods and the provision of real-time availability information are critical components of this service.



Flight Booking App

We provide flight booking applications that are user-friendly, feature-rich, and offer a variety of functions to make the booking process as easy as possible. Our flight booking software provides consumers with all the information they need in one place, from searching for flights and comparing costs to making bookings and organizing itineraries.

Why does your travel business need a mobile app?

There are several reasons for the travel sector to have a mobile app, including rapid booking, 24x7 availability, more customers, better and loyal customers, higher sales, effective staff management with automated procedures, easier data maintenance, and branding to attract more consumers.

Mobile Apps for Travel and tourism are essential for every travel business since they allow you to reach clients anywhere in the globe, sell the services you offer, and work as an effective medium for developing trust between the business and the tourist. A travel mobile app must be developed with the most cutting-edge features and the latest technology in app development to meet the needs of today's travelers. It gives users a real-time app usage experience.

Using an advanced travel app, we provide consumers with best-in-class experiences at their fingertips to enhance and personalize their travels. Mobile Apps are increasingly a vital component in the travel industry, particularly for marketing. The significance of travel mobile apps is subsequently on the rise. A Travel mobile app should have functions such as geo-location tracking, itinerary generator, weather forecasts, booking services, social media sharing, reviews, ratings, reports and analytics, and so on.

If you want to expand your travel business and reach a larger audience, you should develop a travel mobile app. Aside from that, you'll need an app to automate your travel business and provide customers with an exceptional trip-booking experience. We can help you grow your business by developing easy-to-use travel mobile apps that improve the client experience.

Benefits of Travel Mobile App Development Services

Enhanced User Experience

Travel mobile apps development companies focus on providing user-centric interfaces that simplify the travel process. These applications are designed to deliver smooth and pleasurable experiences for travelers, from straightforward navigation to personalized suggestions.

Comprehensive Travel Solutions

These companies provide a variety of capabilities in their travel apps, including flight and hotel reservations, itinerary planning, real-time navigation, travel guides, currency converters, and more. It provides customers with everything they need to travel in luxury.

Real-time Information

In travel mobile apps, real-time data streams are utilized to give users up-to-date information on flight statuses, weather conditions, local events, and other topics. This real-time information enables the user to make better-informed decisions.

Location-based Services

Travel applications that use GPS technology provide location-based services such as navigation, nearby attraction suggestions, and local food alternatives. These features improve the traveler's experience by making it simple to find and explore new destinations.

Operational Efficiency

Task automation through Al-powered apps to boost the productivity of your travel and tourism company.


Streamlining Booking Process

Easy online reservations and payment processes make the journey of travelers worry-free. It can help to increase bookings and revenue by making it easier for potential customers to find and book services.

How Travel Mobile Apps Are Changing the Tourism Industry?

Travel Mobile Apps help to bridge the communication gap, make bookings more accessible, and allow travel to places independently. These travel apps are jam-packed with features that may help users travel better and more effectively, from purchasing flights, rail, and bus tickets to renting cars and hotels.

A revolution in mobile technology has resulted from the development of high-tech mobile applications. The tourism sector will particularly benefit from this growth. Mobile devices make internet connectivity and online service booking possible by eliminating administrative positions and concentrating on marketing.

With years of expertise in creating user-friendly solutions, we have gained an enormous reputation and recognition for our services. You can look at our profitable and feature-rich services developed for the travel sector. Travel mobile apps have become an essential part of the industry, impacting the booking and planning processes.

Why Choose Travelopro?

Partner with us to develop a feature-rich travel mobile app for your business. We help travel companies reach the full potential of modern technology and provide more individualized service to customers via travel software, web, or mobile applications.

We create customer-centric travel mobile apps for businesses, assisting them in streamlining their never-ending complex work procedures. Our intelligent team of developers and professionals ensures increased customer satisfaction and growing your business to increase enough income in the face of competition.

Our travel app development company strives for perfection. We provide our clients with the best travel mobile apps that are sturdy and functional. Our travel and tourism application developers have years of expertise in the sector. We understand your company's demands and provide products that help it develop immensely. We leverage cutting-edge technology to create customer-focused, high-quality travel mobile apps.

We, at Travelopro, try to empower your business by boosting customers' engagement, increasing loyalty, and skyrocketing sales.

· On-Time Delivery

· Deliver Exactly What You Need

· Send push notifications for the latest services, discounts, offers, and promotions

· Simplified mobile version of your travel agency website

· Direct Contact with Your Team

· Uplifted User Experience

· Flexible Engagement Models

· Complete understanding of the travel and tourism industry

· Apps tailored to deliver exceptional travel experiences

· Proficiency in the prevalent technologies and trend

· Innovative mindset that enables us to embrace changes

· A team of skilled and experienced Android and iPhone developers

· Commitment to delivering the highest quality and standards of services
For more details, Pls visit our Website:
https://www.travelopro.com/travel-application-development.php

The Inukpak (giant person) or Inukpat, in plural, are everywhere. They travel easily as they are 8-20 feet tall and they can look like a literal giant person, or like the classic ape-like Bigfoot creature that most people know of today. As a hunter, I have been trained by my Dad, my Uncles, and many other relatives to be able to track, spot minute differences in the soils and trees that can show me where animals are, and I also have pretty great eye sight to accompany that. In my short 24 years on this planet, I have seen a lot and traveled all over the Brooks Range (AKP base-iiuraq), and even gone as far away from home as the UK, but in my travels, I have almost always encountered some form of supernatural phenomena, entities, or other forms of spiritual presences. Most of which, happened in the mountains I call home. In the years of 2014 to 2018, I was very lucky and curious, so I spent most days after school out in the country and exploring the small valleys and the tops of mountains everywhere that I went. Even though I am a bigger guy, I was usually able to go up 2-3000 foot mountains in just an hour to hunt if needed. One day, I had left to go fishing in August. The caribou had not arrived yet and it was warmer than usual. Most August days are fairly chilly and the temps can range from 30°F up to 60°F. But on that day, it was in the high sixties and the mosquitoes were still running rampant, which is really weird for fall time. Fall is usually around August to September up here as we transition to winter quickly. On that day, I left in the morning and didn’t expect to see anyone, but the trail ahead of me showed some signs of recent vehicle traffic. In the village, we use vehicles like the XTV Argo and Honda Foreman or Can Am fourwheelers to get around everywhere and the trail looked like it was roughed up by the wide tire of an Argo. From then on, I just kinda went along with the idea that there were others ahead of me and I would need to be careful. So I traveled for a while and I came to a place called Aklagviiraq (idk what it fully means, but it has to do with a bear). And when I got there, I thought I saw a bear walking on the side of the mountain. I kept traveling, but I opted to take the lower trail to avoid the giant beast up on the mountain. Though I’m not terrified of the things, I prefer not to deal with them when I’m alone. When I got to the lower trail, I looked up to see where the bear was and I realized it was standing on its hind legs, or so I thought. I picked up my binoculars and started to scan the tundra and as I laid eyes on the brown-fur-clad being, it looked at me. The face of an Inupiat man stared back at me. But this wasn’t my cousin or anyone I knew. They were GIANT. Like 10 feet tall giant. They waved their arms like they were trying to get me to come over, but I noped the F out of there and never spoke of it to anyone. At first, it had been walking bent over like a bear. Like it was on All fours, but when I saw it, it looked like a human. I personally believe I saw one of these giants that my cultural stories speak of.

Car audio systems have come a long way from the days of crackling AM radios. Today, a quality car audio system can transform mundane commutes into exhilarating experiences, turning your vehicle into a mobile concert hall or a private audio oasis. In this article, we delve into the world of car audio systems, exploring their key components, types, installation processes, maintenance tips, and future trends.

1. Introduction to Car Audio Systems

In the modern age, where we spend a significant amount of time commuting, having a high-quality audio system in your car is paramount. Whether you enjoy blasting your favorite tunes at full volume or prefer a more refined listening experience, a good car audio system can make every journey enjoyable. Car audio systems have evolved significantly over the years, incorporating cutting-edge technology to deliver immersive sound experiences on the go.

2. Key Components of a Car Audio System

A typical car audio system comprises several essential components, each playing a crucial role in delivering high-fidelity sound to listeners. These components include:
I. Head Unit
The head unit serves as the control center of the car audio system, housing features such as radio, CD player, USB input, Bluetooth connectivity, and navigation systems.
II. Amplifier
The amplifier boosts the audio signal from the head unit and delivers it to the speakers with sufficient power to produce loud and clear sound.
III. Speakers
Speakers convert electrical signals into sound waves, reproducing audio from various sources with accuracy and clarity.
IV. Subwoofers
Subwoofers specialise in producing low-frequency bass sounds, adding depth and richness to the audio experience.
V. Wiring and Connectivity
Wiring and connectivity components ensure seamless communication between different parts of the audio system, minimising signal loss and interference.

3. Types of Car Audio Systems

Car audio systems are broadly categorised into three types:
I. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
OEM systems are factory-installed audio setups provided by car manufacturers. While they offer convenience and integration with the vehicle’s design, they may lack in terms of sound quality and features compared to aftermarket alternatives.
II. Aftermarket Systems
Aftermarket systems are audio setups installed by third-party manufacturers or professional installers after purchasing the vehicle. These systems offer greater flexibility, allowing users to customise their audio experience according to their preferences.
III. Custom Audio Systems
Custom audio systems are tailor-made setups designed to meet the specific requirements and preferences of individual users. These systems often involve extensive modifications and aftermarket components to achieve desired audio quality and performance.

4. Factors to Consider When Choosing a Car Audio System

When selecting a car audio system, several factors should be taken into account:
I. Sound Quality
The primary consideration should be the overall sound quality, including clarity, accuracy, and richness of the audio output.
II. Compatibility
Ensure that the chosen audio components are compatible with your vehicle’s make and model to avoid compatibility issues during installation.
III. Budget
Set a budget that aligns with your audio preferences and financial constraints, balancing quality and affordability.
IV. Installation Complexity
Consider the complexity of installation and whether professional assistance may be required to ensure proper setup and functionality.
V. Brand Reputation
Choose reputable brands known for their quality, reliability, and customer support to avoid potential issues and ensure a satisfactory user experience.

5. Installation Process of Car Audio Systems

Installing a car audio system involves several steps, including:
I. Preparation
Gather all necessary tools and materials, including audio components, wiring harnesses, and mounting hardware.
II. Head Unit Installation
Remove the existing head unit and install the new head unit, ensuring proper wiring and connection to the vehicle’s electrical system.
III. Speaker Installation
Replace factory speakers with aftermarket speakers, ensuring proper fitment and wiring for optimal performance.
IV. Amplifier Installation
Mount the amplifier in a suitable location, connect it to the head unit and speakers, and configure settings for the desired sound output.
V. Subwoofer Installation
Install subwoofers in the vehicle, either in the trunk or interior compartments and connect them to the amplifier for enhanced bass response.
VI. Wiring and Connection
Route wiring neatly throughout the vehicle, ensuring proper insulation and connection to prevent signal loss or interference.

6. Tips for Maximising Car Audio System Performance

To get the most out of your car audio system, consider the following tips:
I. Proper Speaker Placement
Position speakers strategically for optimal sound distribution and imaging, avoiding obstructions and reflections that may affect sound quality.
II. Sound Deadening
Apply sound-deadening materials to reduce vibrations and resonance within the vehicle, improving overall audio clarity and reducing outside noise.
III. Tuning the System
Adjust audio settings such as equalisation, crossover points, and time alignment to fine-tune the sound to your preferences and vehicle acoustics.
IV. Upgrading Components
Consider upgrading individual components such as speakers, amplifiers, and head units to improve overall sound quality and performance.
Conclusion
A high-quality car audio system can significantly enhance your driving experience, whether you’re on a long road trip or a short commute. By understanding the key components, types, installation processes, and maintenance tips outlined in this article, you can make informed decisions when upgrading or optimising your car audio system. Whether you’re a casual listener or an audiophile seeking the ultimate sound experience, there are options available to suit every preference and budget.

I am currently going through the process of relocating to Vancouver for work, and have been going back and forth with different companies on what all forms/information I need for when I cross the border and enter Canada for importing my car as a temporary import.
I was hoping someone could help provide me with a solid list of essential forms/documents I need when getting to the border crossing. So far I have:

• Recall Clearance Letter
• Current Vehicle Registration
• Completed Form 1
• US Drivers License
• US Passport

Other notes; I will be registering the vehicle in Vancouver, and getting a BC drivers license.
Can't think of anything else, but if anyone could help me out if I'm missing anything it would be greatly appreciated.

Specifically, Im thinking about getting either a base Prius LE or Model 3 performance. I would consider the long range or rear wheel drive model 3 but with the tax credit a performance model 3 ends up being only about 7 thousand more than the rear wheel drive one.
So this puts 2 very different cars against each other, The prius LE will cost about 31-32 grand out the door, and the tesla will cost around 55k out the door (taxes in AZ are 5.6%). This is a difference of 23 thousand dollars, and of course one car is all electric and the other is all gas. One has a 0-60 of 3 seconds and the other has a 0-60 of 7 seconds.
But wait… these are just two completely different cars so why even compare? Well, the way I see it… these two cars seem like some of the best deals on the market today. The new Prius is a beautiful, reliable, well-built, very efficient, and proven car that will still be around in decades to come while holding more value compared to electric cars. It’s also funner to drive than the old Prius.
On the other hand, the model 3 performance is likely the best 0-60 for the price on the market today. I know 0-60 isnt everything on a car, but its still very impressive and ultimately im a fan of the software used by teslas and how well it works with your phone. Of course you will also have all the perks and downsides of an EV as well like charging at home and one pedal driving. I also think the model 3 performance looks great, and I find it fun to drive.
The only downside is that its close to double the price of the base Prius, and teslas are not proven to be reliable in the very long term at least not in the same way the prius has. Teslas are less maintenance, but you can expect a large expense if the battery dies out of warranty. This is why hybrids still hold more long term value than evs at this point.
The model 3 rwd is a better comparison to the prius le, but I want to talk about deals here and the lack of of the $7,500 credit makes the performance a much better deal. We could also go with higher trim prius but you lose fuel efficiency and pay more so I find the LE to be a pretty good deal.
Personally, I have driven and love both these cars… but they have different perks and honestly I lean towards the base prius simply because Its half the price of the model 3 performance. Sure I could get the rwd model 3, but its just not as ridiculously fast while still having the downside of battery degradation. Plus the base Prius is still nearly 10k cheaper than the rwd. If money weren’t an issue i’d get the model 3 perfromance, but for now I lean more towards the Prius LE. Plus I really dislike elon and like the build quality of japanese made vehicles, so im leaning towards the new Prius.
But what do you think? Would you get a different trim level or even model of the tesla or the prius, maybe the prime or a model y?
Edit: Forgot to mention I also hate that tesla loves removing features while calling their removal a new “feature”. Cameras are not a replacement for ultrasonic sensors, and haptic wheel “buttons” are not a replacement for a turn signal stock. It’s still fast ass car though, 0-60 in 3 seconds will always put a smile and my face and feel exciting and powerful, otherwise and id have no interest.
Id also love the Prius prime but that car is impossible to find unless the dealer has it marked up to almost 50 thousand dollars making it not worth it at all. Why must all car brands have the goofiest of flaws?

“Education can never exist in our certificates and confirm we are educated, it's only when we implement our education for upliftment of every human will make us educated.”
Good Morning 🌲🪴
Today's Headlines from :
Economic Times
📝 Wholesale inflation rises to a 13-month high of 1.3% in April
📝 Cipla promoters to sell up to 2.53% for Rs 2,637 crore
📝 India's April palm oil imports jump 34 pc on lower global prices
📝 Bharti Hexacom Q4 Results: Net profit rises 10% YoY to Rs 222.6 crore . 📝 Quant MF gets RBI nod to hike stake in RBL Bank
📝 Devyani, PVR Inox form JV to develop food courts in malls
📝 100Unicorns launches second fund, eyes $200-million target
📝 Cold-chain solutions startup Celcius Logistics raises $4.8 million led by IvyCap Ventures
Business Standard
📝 Patanjali Foods Q4 results: PAT falls 22% to Rs 206 cr on higher expenses
📝 Bharti Airtel Q4FY24 results: Net profit drops 31% to Rs 2,071 crore
📝 Tata Motors overtakes TCS as group's most profitable firm after 10 years
📝 Ecommerce company Amazon infuses Rs 1,600 crore into India entity
📝 PE firm ChrysCapital to invest up to Rs 830 crore in Centre For Sight
📝 Highway Ministry hits 20% of capital expenditure target in April 2024
📝 India seeking fair market access ahead of the India-ASEAN FTA review
📝 Non-life insurance premium up nearly 16% at Rs 29,561.82 cr in April
📝 Novelis files registration statement with US SEC for proposed IPO
📝 Passenger vehicle, 2W exports rose by over 20% in April: Siam monthly data
Financial Express
📝 Nayara Energy to invest Rs 600 crore to set up two ethanol plants
📝 Ikea India ties up with Rhenus for warehouse in Gurugram
📝 Bajaj Electricals Q4 Results: Profit down by 43.5% to Rs 29.31 crore, revenue at Rs 1188.08 crore
📝 Hexaware picks five i-banks for $1-bn IPO
Mint
📝 Argentina reports its first single-digit inflation in 6 months as markets swoon and costs hit home
📝 Oil drops after US macro data, OPEC forecast weighs on sentiment; Brent at $82
📝 Siemens to demerge and list its energy business
📝 Fed rate cuts delayed, US inflation may not drop significantly in 2024: Powell
📝 Chinese EV maker Leapmotor aims to enter India in partnership with Stellantis
📝 London’s Pantheon Ventures to ramp up investments in India
📝 Mutual funds go on a shopping spree, pumping $35 billion into top companies
📝 Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited gets SEBI nod for ₹1,500 crore IPO.

I'm looking for something to do gig work in. I've been doing it several years and it's lucrative in my market, and honestly the biggest priority to me is not even reliability but just something I can sit in for hours with minimal body aches/pains. Something that absorbs bumps in the road well, takes turns gently, comfortable seats, etc.
I'm currently driving a 2022 Mazda 3, and if it were just a regular daily commuter I'd love it. It's fun to drive. But I don't need fun to drive anymore. I don't want to feel every bump in the road or be tossed around on each turn because the car has little body roll. And the seats are fine, but could be a little cushier. I'd also like something that just felt a little less cramped.
Honestly I'm not scared of "unreliable." When you look at the data on websites like repairpal, maintenance and repair costs don't vary as wildly as people often expect. I'm not saying I'm going to go buy a 15 year old Mercedes, but within reason, I'm willing to sacrifice some reliability. If I got a hybrid, I'd save several times on gas compared to my Mazda than what any difference in reliability between two vehicles could save me.
So that's why my biggest two priorities are comfort, and mpg. I guess I said I don't need "fun" to drive, but the truth is if it can be fun without having stiffer suspension, that would be great. I want something that makes longer shifts in a vehicle more bearable, and something that's enjoyable to drive is a part of that. Comfort is just the bigger priority.
Anyways I appreciate anyone's help. I'd probably be in the market for something that's at least a few years old, probably <20k budget.
Tldr: I want something super comfortable that gets great mpg even if it means sacrificing a bit on reliability.

3.0. THE THIRD BUDDHIST COUNCIL:

Venerable Moggaliputta Tissa Thera led the 3rd Buddhist Council of Theravada School. That was not a schism as the outsiders were not the true members of the Sangha. However, the king supported them like the members of the Sangha.

Because it helped promote tolerance and mutual respect, Asoka desired that people should be well-learned (bahu sruta) in the good doctrines (kalanagama) of other people's religions. [The Edicts of King Asokaan, English rendering by Ven. S. Dhammika © 1994]

King Asoka was supporting everyone who claimed he belonged to the Dhamma-Vinaya community (the Sangha) established by the Sakyamuni. However, they did not join the Dhamma-Vinaya community, nor know, nor care the Buddha's teaching.
Venerable Moggaliputta Tissa Thera determined that "the Vibhajjavāda alone contained the teaching of the Buddha."

Rest of the monks who were true believers, told about the doctrine of the Buddha, that it was Vibhajjavāda i.e. the religion of analytical reasoning. This answer was supported by Moggaliputta-Tissa who was present there. He told that the Buddha was Vibhajjavādin (analyser). The Thera was made the gurdian of the Order. To purify the Sangha, the king requested to hold the Uposatha ceremony.

Uposatha

uposatha : [m.] Sabbath day; observance of 8 precepts; biweekly recitation of the Vinaya rules by a chapter of Buddhist monks.
Mūḷuposatha sutta (AN 3.70), (Bhikkhu Bodhi)

“There are, Visākhā, three kinds of uposatha. What three? The cowherds’ uposatha, the Nigaṇṭhas’ uposatha, and the noble ones’ uposatha [...] (3) “And how, Visākhā, is the noble ones’ uposatha observed? The defiled mind is cleansed by exertion. And how is the defiled mind cleansed by exertion?

The mentioned uposatha ceremony is for the monks to recite the Vinaya rules. It cannot be observed with the participation of the public, including the monks (and priests) from other religions.

[Uposatha (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)] The monastic observance may be held in one of four ways, depending on the size of the Community in a particular territory: If four bhikkhus or more, they meet for a recitation of the Pāṭimokkha; if three, they declare their mutual purity to one another; if two, they declare their purity to each other; if one, he marks the day by determining it as his uposatha. In addition to these regular observance days, the Buddha gave permission for a Community to recite the Pāṭimokkha only on one other occasion: when unity has been reestablished in the Community. This, the Commentary says, refers only to occasions when a major dispute in the Community has been settled (such as a schism—see Chapter 21), and not to occasions when the uposatha has been suspended for minor reasons. Thus there are two occasions on which the bhikkhus are allowed to meet for the uposatha: the last day of the lunar fortnight and the day for reestablishing unity.

The public uposatha is open to everyone, including non-Buddhists. The participants are expected to observe a set of uposatha sīla, either 8, 9 or 10 (aṭṭha-sīla, navanga-sīla or dasa-sīla).
uposathika : [adj.] one who observes [uposatha] precepts.

Aṭṭha-sīla 8 (Uposatha, Uposatha-sīla): 6. Vikālabhojanā veramaṇī； 7. Naccagītavāditavisūkadassanā mālāgandhavilepanadhāraṇamaṇanavibhūsanaṭṭhānā veramaṇī； 8. Uccāsayanamahāsayanā veramaṇī;

On the basis of not-Dhamma as ‘Dhamma’… Dhamma as ‘not-Dhamma’… not-Vinaya as ‘Vinaya’… Vinaya as ‘not-Vinaya’, Emperor Asoka expelled the non-Vibhajjavādis who could not observe the uposatha, including the Sarvāstivādis, from the Sangha.

[Schism (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)] Ven. Upāli: “‘A split in the Community, a split in the Community (saṅgha-bheda)’ it is said. To what extent is the Community split?” The Buddha: “There is the case where they explain not-Dhamma as ‘Dhamma’… Dhamma as ‘not-Dhamma’… not-Vinaya as ‘Vinaya’… Vinaya as ‘not-Vinaya’… [...] a light offense as ‘a heavy offense’… a heavy offense as ‘a light offense’… an offense leaving a remainder as ‘an offense leaving no remainder’… an offense leaving no remainder as ‘an offense leaving a remainder’… a serious offense as ‘a not-serious offense’… a not-serious offense as ‘a serious offense.’ On the basis of these eighteen grounds they pull away, pull apart, they perform a separate uposatha, perform a separate Invitation, perform a separate Community transaction. To this extent the Community is split.”—Cv.VII.5.2

Devadatta caused the first schism on the basic of Vinaya rules. The Vajjian monks caused the second schism on the same ground. The Sangha established by the Sakyamuni was attacked several times from within.

Vibhajjavādi Dhamma Missions

Emperor Asoka sent forth nine missionaries to nine different countries to propagate the religion of the Buddha and crowned it with success... also the Bhikkuni Sangha in Aparantaka, Suvannabhumi and Ceylon.

Emperor Asoka sent his son and daughter, Arahant Maha Mahinda Thera and Arahant Sanghamitta Theri, to Sri Lanka, where the events of the 3rd Buddhist Council were recorded.
"Arahant Mahinda, who introduced the Buddhadhamma to Sri Lanka, is the Redactor of the Buddhapåjàva in Sinhala Buddhism."
Sri Lanka became a foothold of the Dhamma-Vinaya Tradition. Suvannabhumi was also a foothold where Thera-vada Buddhism thrives presently.

Vibhajjavādi Dhamma Paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa

Analytical Knowledge (Paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa) allows the arahants to reason and teach in detail analytically. Understanding the nature of the Teachings of the Buddha and the Sangha, Venerable Moggaliputta Tissa Thera described them as Vibhajjavādis. That is Theravada, the doctrine of the arahants. Dhamma paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa is the ability to analytically and in detail explain the nature of reality.
The Buddha as an awakened sage is neither a theorist nor a philosopher. Theravada is not philosophy. The Buddha is an arahant.
The Buddha's disciples, who are also arahants, know the Four Noble Truths through their own observation and release from delusion. Knowing modern views and modern science is not their task. They are not philosophers and philosophical scholars. They do not claim to possess omniscience.

Titthiya Sutta (Sectarians):

[The Buddha advises the monks,] you should answer those wanderers of other sects in this way, ‘Friends, passion carries little blame and is slow to fade. Aversion carries great blame and is quick to fade. Delusion carries great blame and is slow to fade. [Thanissaro Bhikkhu]

3.1. Kaccānagotta Sutta (Right View)

Kaccānagotta Sutta Pali:

‘sammādiṭṭhi sammādiṭṭhī’ti, bhante, vuccati. Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, sammādiṭṭhi hotī’’ti?... ‘‘‘Sabbaṃ atthī’ti kho, kaccāna, ayameko anto. ‘Sabbaṃ natthī’ti ayaṃ dutiyo anto. Ete te, kaccāna, ubho ante anupagamma majjhena tathāgato dhammaṃ deseti – ‘avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā; saṅkhārapaccayā… L. Feer, Saṃyutta-nikāya,V. 16 —[copied from Early Buddhism: A New Definition (Vijitha Kumara, page 130)]

• sammādiṭṭhi : right view
• What is the right view, bhante?

Sarvāstivāda

Sarvāstivāda means "those who claim that everything exists" [...] the Sarvāstivādins suggest that "everything," that is all conditioned factors (dharma), "exist" and can exert causal efficacy in the three time periods of the past, present, and future. [Sarvastivada And Mulasarvastivada (Encyclopedia.com)]

The main Sarvāstivādi concept 'all dhamma exist in all three times' was familiar to the Buddha, not because He taught it, but because He rejected it.

'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle: From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications (saṅkhārā). From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness. [Kaccānagotta Sutta (SN 12:15) (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)]

Somehow, that concept, despite the Buddha's famous rejection, came to associate with Buddhism once again, not because the Buddha taught it, but the outsiders made it as if the Buddha accepted it.
We, too, must reject the notion of 'everything exists' just the way the Buddha rejected it. The rejection is also present in the paṭicca samuppāda, as He explains:

Imagine two sheaves of reeds the one leaning against the other. In the same way consciousness depends on named-shapes, named shapes depend on consciousness [...] birth depends on existing, aging and death depend on birth — the coming into existence of upset, grief, lamentation, pain and misery. [...] If, however, friend, I were to remove one of those sheaves of reeds one would fall down if I were to remove the other the other would fall down. — SN 5.67 [Dependant Uprising, Downbound Dependent Own-making (Dependent Origination, Conditioned Genesis, The Causal Law),

The Paṭicca Samuppāda provides two sheaves of reeds that support each other, but one of them can be removed to topple them both. When they are toppled, we cannot say everything exists. The Buddha's Dhamma, which shows us the four Paramattha, is nothing like a "dharma theory" that was created by the Sarvāstivādis.
Kaccānagotta Sutta continues:

[The Buddha:] By & large, Kaccayana, this world is supported by (takes as its object) a polarity, that of existence & non-existence. But when one sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'non-existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. "By & large, Kaccayana, this world is in bondage to attachments, clingings (sustenances), & biases

3.2. Vibhajyavāda & The Present Dhamma

The Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia:

vibhajyavāda; A school of thought doctrinally opposed to the Sarvāstitvāda. holds that the present dharma-s alone exist. However, some among them like the followers of the Kāśyapīya, concede that the past karma that have not yet given fruit (adatta-phala) can also be said to exist.

Here is a part of Magganga Dipani by Ledi Sayadaw:

kammassakata samma-ditthi Sabbesatta kammadayada, kamayoni, kammabandhu kammappatisarana yam kammam karissanti kalyanam va papakam va tassadayada bhavissanti. Sabbe satta kammassaka: There exist such properties as elephants, horses, vehicles, cattle, fields, buildings, gold, silver, jewels, etc. Those properties can be said to belong to us in the present existence before we pass away. But when we pass away those properties do not accompany us beyond death. They are like properties which we borrow for some time for our use. They are liable to destruction during the present existence. As those properties which beings possess do not accompany them to their new existences, they cannot be claimed as properties belonging to those beings. The Buddha therefore said, 'sabbe satta kammassaka.' The only property of all beings that accompanies them is their own volitional action... [Ledi Sayadaw explains the entire thing here.]

• Venerable Mogok Sayadaw warned us to avoid sassata ditthi, the belief in permanence (nicca), 'eternity-belief'. Based on his explanation: A kamma (action) exists while it is happening between the start and the end. For example, feeding an animal: this action exists only while that animal is fed. That action cannot exist before and after that animal is fed. However, as if following the doers, the potential effect of certain wholesome and unwholesome kamma (volition) is inevitable.

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

Furthermore, bhikkhus, this is the dukkha ariya·sacca: jāti is dukkha, jarā is dukkha (sickness is dukkha) maraṇa is dukkha, association with what is disliked is dukkha, dissociation from what is liked is dukkha, not to get what one wants is dukkha; in short, the five upādāna'k'khandhas are dukkha.

• The Buddha introduced the Dukkha Sacca in His first sermon.
• Vedayita-dukkha: The truth is dukkha are birth, aging, death, association with what is disliked, dissociation from what is liked, and not to get what one wants.
• Bhayattha-dukkha: The truth is the constant fear of these dukkha is also dukkha.
• Due to the past wholesome and unwholesome kamma, one gets birth, aging, death, etc.
• However, Beings born in the sugati-loka do not suffer from birth, aging, and bodily pain (kayika-dukkha), as these dukkha do not exist there.
• The past unwholesome kamma do not affect these beings during their existence in sugati-loka, especially the arupa-brahmas.
• The Buddha understood the followers of Nigaṇṭha (the Nigaṇṭhas) did not know the existence of the sugati-loka. Thus, they were speculators who fell into sassatavada (eternalism) and ucchedavada (nihilism/annihilation). Details can be read here: The Buddhist Critique of Sassatavada and Ucchedavada: The Key to a proper Understanding of the Origin and the Doctrines of early Buddhism (Y. Karunadasa).
• In the Devadaha Sutta, the Buddha pointed out the mistakes of these Nigaṇṭhas.

Devadaha Sutta (the Law of Kamma)

[MN 101] “‘So, friends, it seems that you don’t know that you existed in the past, and that you did not not exist… you don’t know what is the abandoning of unskillful qualities and the attainment of skillful qualities in the here & now. That being the case, it is not proper for you to assert that, “Whatever a person experiences—pleasure, pain, or neither pleasure nor pain—all is caused by what was done in the past. Thus, with the destruction of old [kamma] through asceticism, and with the non-doing of new actions, there will be no flow into the future. With no flow into the future, there is the ending of [kamma]. With the ending of [kamma], the ending of [dukkha]. With the ending of [dukkha], the ending of feeling. With the ending of feeling, all [dukkha] will be exhausted.” (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

• If the present is completely conditioned by the past [kamma] and if we could not break that condition to do new kamma in a condition not determined by the past, then at this present we could not even do anything intentionally (kamma) as our action would be restrained by the past kamma.

A Vibhajjavādi cannot accept Sarvāstivāda's notion of the three times:

all dharmas exist in the past, present and future, the "three times".

Past and future exist at this present moment implies they merge with the present time. Yesterday and tomorrow are today and they are so every day without meaning one can live yesterday and tomorrow today. If one's injury healed yesterday, both injury and healing exist today, right now. For three times doctrine (Sarvāstivāda), dead people are dead, alive and exist at all stages and every moment of time. Even though one has reborn countless times, one still lives in the past lives and also the future lives. One has lived the past infinity and the future infinity. As the future has also been lived, there is no way to change the future, so what will happen will happen — according to the God one believes. After one passes away, one will relive the same life again and again countless times in the past and the future. Someone who will become a Buddha is already a Buddha. Someone who will go to hell is already in hell while living this life as a human.
Rational and irrational people, including the physicists, philosophers, writers and filmmakers, took the doctrine of three times seriously and imagined time machines.
Assuming kamma (action) exists constantly (past, present and future) constitutes sassata ditthi (eternalism). Assuming actions and their effects do not exist constitutes ahetukaditthi (view of uncausedness) — see the 8th question on page181 of this book: Milindapanha: kammaphalaatthibhavapanha. King Milinda asked many questions about kamma. The answers of wisemen and philosophers of the time did not satisfy the king. He got the answers only when he met Venerable Nagasena; see A SEARCH FOR THE LEARNED (TALENT HUNT), pages12-16.
Venerable Nagasena explained how the future is yet to exist:

Can anyone point out the fruits that a tree has not yet produced, saying: “Here they are, there they are”?” [See 3.2. QUESTION REGARDING VALIDITY OF FRUIT AND RESULT OF WHOLESOME AND UNWHOLESOME]

Real is the present; the past is gone; the future is yet to exist. That is the knowledge of the arahants.
Every action has the process of existence: birth, decay and death. Understanding anicca can abandon sakkaya ditthi.
Sakkaya ditthi is a sense with which one perceives a nama-rupa complex as me, you, he, she, it, cat, dog and so on.

Right View according to the Sakyamuni

The Buddha and His disciples visited Vesāli, the capital of the Vajjians, several times, and many arahants were made there. Saccaka, who the Buddha addressed as Aggivessana, was a famous Jain teacher of the Licchavi rājās. They accompanied Saccaka when he went to challenge the Buddha. There a famous debate on anattavada occurred, as recorded in the famous Cula-Saccaka Sutta.

[The Buddha asked,] “Well, Aggivessana, when you say that [rūpa] is self, do you have power over that [rūpa]. Can you have your [rūpa] be any different than it is?” Saccaka could not answer and remained silent [...] “Released they are endowed with unsurpassed Right View, unsurpassed practice, and unsurpassed release. Released, they honor and respect the Tathagata in this manner: The Buddha teaches the Dhamma for awakening (to Four Noble Truths), the Buddha teaches the Dhamma to develop restraint, the Buddha teaches the Dhamma for developing tranquility, the Buddha teaches the Dhamma for ending samsara (ignorance). The Buddha teaches the Dhamma for total unbinding.” (John Haspel).

• [rūpa]: The four mahabhuta (solid, liquid, gas, heat), each changes according to its nature.
• Self (atta) means the owner or arbitor of the five aggregates of clinging.
• do you have power over that [rūpa]: None of the five aggregates is self (atta).
• Vesāli became a Buddhist capital after the debate. But not all the Nigaṇṭhas were happy. Their attack on the Buddha and the Sangha never stopped. They succeeded only after a few centuries later.

3.3. QUESTION REGARDING VALIDITY OF FRUIT AND RESULT OF WHOLESOME AND UNWHOLESOME

(kammaphalaatthibhavapanha page181) 8. King Milinda said: “If, O Venerable Nagasena, with the (present) Mind-body-complex (nama-rupa) either wholesome or unwholesome kammical actions were performed where will the fruit and result of those actions (kamma) be located?” “The fruit and result of kammical actions tend to follow the Mind-body-complex, O King, like a shadow that never leaves it.” (So replied the Elder.) “Now what do you think, O King? Can any one point out the fruits which a tree has not yet produced, saying: “Here they are, there they are”?” (So asked the Elder.) “Not possible it is, O Venerable One.” (So replied the king.)

• Shadow means the potential. As long as the tree exists, the potential of fruiting of that tree exists. The fruits will be on that tree, not elsewhere. The potential never leaves the tree.
• Mahayana created the concept of Ālayavijñāna (storehouse consciousness).
  • Ālayavijñāna is also regarded as the store house of vāsanas and karmic tendencies (vāsanāparibhāvita and sarvabījaka). However, it is neither the permanent identity of a person nor a form of collective unconscious. Continuous build-up and discharge of karmic tendencies cause the ever-changing nature of ālaya-vijñāna. [Wisdom Lib]
• Compare ālayavijñāna with indestructable buddha-nature. Buddha-nature is also vijñāna/citta. Awareness is Buddha-nature.
  • [Breakthrough Sermon, Bodhidharma:] The Sutra of the Ten Stages says, “In the body of mortals is the indestructible buddha-nature [...] Our buddha-nature [the self-nature of Buddha] is awareness: to be aware and to make others aware. To realize awareness is liberation.
  • be­cause garbha (which nearly always means 'embryo' in Sanskrit) is translated by ts'ang, ( = 'womb'; lit. 'storehouse'), a certain vacuum was created in the Chinese vocabulary which the terms fo hsing and fo hsin ( = buddha-citta) neatly filled. [Rawlinson, Andrew. "The Ambiguity of the Buddha-Nature Concept in India and China."]
  • Ālayavijñāna belongs to or a part of buddha-nature (buddha-citta).
  • According to the concept of citta-matrata

THE NIYAMA-DIPANI The Manual of Cosmic Order Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw

[Kamma-Niyama] The moral order--Kamma (action) is that by which men execute, deeds, good or evil, meritorious or the opposite. What is it ? It is volition (cetana), moral or immoral. We are told in the Pali texts: 'By action, Bhikkhus, I mean volition. It is through having willed that a man does something in the form of deed, speech or thought.'

The nama-rupa process, which occurs according to the law of paticcasamuppada (Pratītya-Samutpāda), is like a tree; See 2.3. PATICCASAMUPPADA. The nama-rupa process, which occurs due to the niyama(s) other than kamma niyama, is outside the law of paticcasamuppada but not unrelated.

Naked Kassapa

The ascetic Acelakassapa put forward four theories of origination of suffering and wanted to know Buddha’s answer to them. [Dependent Origination and the Buddhist Theory of Relativity (Kottegoda S. Warnasuriya (page 154)]
"'He who performs the act also experiences [the result]' — what you, Kassapa, first called 'suffering caused by oneself' — this amounts to the Eternalist[3] theory. [Acela Sutta: Naked Kassapa]

An action was done by a doer, not someone else. However, the doer and the action (kamma) can exist only during the action is being done, not before or after. The doer happens to exist because of doing. The doer and doing exists at the same time. Action and doer don't exist outside doing or before or after the action is done.
Saying there is no doer falls into ahetukavada and probably uccedavada, too, as 'no doer' means 'nobody is responsible' to take the consequences. When the action is done, it becomes a seed that grows into a tree (as nama-rupa process) according to the paticcasamuppada law. The fruiting or consequences of volition (kamma/seed) will appear on this tree.

Of Causal Genesis [Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw (contrinues)]

Paticcasamuppada is Causal Genesis or Dependent Origination (Process). The key words are depdendent and process. The process depends on the action done by the doer, which no longer exists by the next stage of the process. For example, a sound comes out after the drummer hit a drum with a drumstick. The birth of the sound is dependent on the hitting process, but the sound itself is independent to be in the law of impermanence—no butterfly-effect here.
That is how things exist, but not "everything exists".

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on choosing the best car for my family. We have one toddler and one infant, and our priorities are safety, reliability, and room. Both options are priced below $40k. Here are the details:
Option 1: 2022 Toyota Highlander Platinum - Mileage: 55,000 miles (likely mostly highway) - Safety: High safety ratings (NHTSA 5-star, IIHS Top Safety Pick+) - Features: Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, leather upholstery, heated/ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof - Considerations: Higher mileage, and I'm not sure how well-maintained it is, but it offers more interior space
Option 2: 2022 Acura MDX SH-AWD with Technology Package - Mileage: 23,000 miles - Safety: High safety ratings (NHTSA 5-star, IIHS Top Safety Pick+) - Features: AcuraWatch safety suite, leather seats, advanced navigation, premium audio - Considerations: Lower mileage, potentially higher maintenance costs, luxurious feel
I'm torn between these two options. The Highlander has more miles and there's some uncertainty about its maintenance history, but it seems to offer more space. The MDX, on the other hand, has significantly fewer miles and offers a premium experience.
Considering my priorities (safety, reliability, and room), which car would you suggest? Any insights or personal experiences with either vehicle would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your help!

Are any of these worth it? I’m planning to get a brand new corolla hybrid and I’m trying to shave off any extra shit to make it as cheap as I can. I plan on getting the 2024 Corolla Hybrid LE FWD. I plan on putting 10k down @ around 5-6% apr @ 48 months. Out of all these 3 I feel like the GAP one is the most worth. But is it worth if I’m putting a heavy down and shorter month term? The other 2 have to be dealer profit type shi right?

Around 3 weeks ago, I bought a '21 XLT 2.7 4x4 Supercrew in Antimatter Blue with the 302a high package and ~25k miles on it. Overall, I loved my first 2 weeks with the truck. It felt good to drive, the interior was well thought out and felt quality, and the truck looked great with the color and the chrome appearance package. I was super excited to have a dependable, low mileage vehicle, with a warranty if necessary, that I didn't have to hesitate to take on longer road trips. My two vehicles before this were an 02 Tundra with 240k miles and an 09 Corolla with 200k miles, and the main reason I decided to replace them was while they were still Toyotas, they were starting to nickel and dime me on maintenance and I just didn't trust them on longer road trips.
Before deciding to go with the F-150, I test drove a Tacoma and a Ram.
-The Tacoma felt like, well, a Tacoma (I had a 99 for 9 years and beat it to death and it just kept ticking). It felt rock-solid and you could just tell it was gonna be a quality vehicle. However, even in the quad cab, the backseat was a joke. I wanted usable space for adults on longer trips so this was a no-go for me. Other things that kinda made me feel meh were gas mileage, and standard features. The rig I drove was a 2023 SR5.
-The Ram also felt like a great drive. The pairing of the hemi with that transmission is just smooth as butter. The steering felt nice and responsive, but not overly responsive, and the ride quality was great. They really do ride more like luxury vehicles than pickup trucks. The trim I drove was fully loaded. It was a BigHorn/Backcountry that seemingly had every option available. The things that made me shy away from the Ram was the gas mileage (in that truck it would have been even worse due to gearing), and there was just something about the "quality" feel of the truck that just didn't sit right with me.
This brought to the F-150 I purchased. To me, the 2.7 engine is a no-brainer if you don't plan on doing any heavy towing. The reliability of the engine seems pretty solid, and the gas mileage is a huge plus. I also would have never guessed how much fun that thing is to rip around. It is quick. The quality of the interior, to me, seems to be a notch better than that found in the Ram, though I think the Ram may utilize available space a bit better in some aspects. After a few drives around down was I getting ~19-20 mpg in town, and I did a few 4 hour trips into the mountains where I averaged 24-25 mpg. It was performing as I had hoped.
Now onto the dislikes:
-The shifts in the transmission, sometimes, are garbage. It's always into 3 and 4 that are most notable, Once you get 5+ you don't even notice you are changing gear.
-The vibration in the gas pedal is obnoxious. How could Ford call that operating as intended. That should be a recall. It's just flat out unacceptable.
-Rough idle. Its annoying, and is intermittent. I did an idle re-learn and I know it takes time, but it should be better.
Now to the reallll good stuff.
I was driving down the road normally with my buddy and his wife on Saturday morning headed to play some golf. To add an important detail, I am visiting them out of town, about 4 hours away from where I live. Everything seems as normal, going about 45 down the road, and then it was like my truck was in neutral. Engine running and revving fine, just not getting any power to the wheels. I coasted to the stop light where the service light came on and I got a "shift module fault" (I think that's the exact verbiage, cant remember). When I came to a complete stop the truck shifted itself back into Park. When I would try to put it back into gear. Same thing. Turning off and on did nothing. I was stuffed. Had to get it towed. The really awesome part, being a Saturday, is the the only services at the Ford dealers were what lube techs could perform. So I opt to get it towed to a smaller garage to get them to scan it see if its something simple they can either diagnose or fix. Unfortunately it was not. Luckily they were awesome and hooked me up on the troubleshooting cost and let me keep the truck there until I figured out what to do with it Monday.
So now I am stuck, squatting at my buddies place until I can figure out what is going on with the truck. First thing Monday morning I get on the phone and start calling every Ford dealership within 20 miles, and let me tell you I was not impressed at all. Left message with one service advisor and never received a call-back. One dealer had a 2 week lead on transmission work, Another one just said they were backed up. Another one said first they could see me was Wednesday. Another dealer said they couldn't even work transmission problems because their transmissions guys quit a couple of weeks ago. WT actual F, Ford.
I called the Ford customer service line, trying to see how far they will tow and what my temporary vehicle options are. They say I can get towed out to 50 miles for free. So I call a dealer 40 miles away and they can see it and start working on it that day. Good on them, that service advisor was the first guy I spoke with all day that was willing and able to solve a problem and help me out.
Got the update today, they found metal shavings in the fluid, and they were continuing to troubleshoot and I think were in the process of reaching back to Ford to see what they were going to do (under warranty). I will call back tomorrow for another update.
Fortunately, I took my work stuff up with me, so I only missed 2 half days of work. And as irony would have it, I made it back home using a borrowing Ram 1500.
TL; DR; Have owned truck for less than 3 weeks. Driven 1200 miles. Transmission seemingly took a dump. Truck left me stranded 4 hours away from my house, causing me to miss time at work. Service is not readily available, even with multiple Ford dealers around. ETA on repair of truck: unknown. Will keep updated.

So story time, I had a cricle of friends that formed during our first years in college. Naging low maintenance kami since 2 years din kaming nag online class and iba iba din kami ng blocks, parang nahati hati kami (may iba naging magkakasama) but still, we find time to bond and catch up. We even saved to travel at our own expense.
So here's the tea, I wasn't aware na nagbabackstaban na pala sila not until bumalik kami ng f2f classes. Ako kase yung tipo ng friend sa circle namin (actually 2 kaming ganto sa group haha) na magaantay lang ng chika na dumating, I don't force to squeeze juices, kung magshare sila then go kung wala naman oks lang din.
So yun na nga, last year in college, nagkaroon sila ng argument about a petty thing (well from my perspective ha) so I thought masosolve lang agad. But, my gosh, lumabas lahat ng hinanakit nila sa isa't isa and ako ang naging middle (wo)man. Sakin nila kinukwento yung problema nila sa isa't isa thru chats. Ako naman I was trying to solve it but pareho sila nagmamatigas. Since I was trying to solve nga, I thought masosolve nila yun if ma overcome na nila yung past and secret issues nila sa isa't isa. So, i told to each one of them yung mga problema nila. I let them read it sa chats namin kase nga girl, sorry na di talaga ako marunong magkwento baka magkamali pa ako or ma alter pa yung kwento if ikukwento ko lang. Pero it resulted to a huge problem, mas lalo lang silang nag away, they don't want to deal with it, and mas lumala siya since nagkaroon nanaman ng ibang issue with other people outside our circle. So, ayun, nasad na lang ako na nakagraduate kami at pumasa ng boards na di sila nagpapansinan. I still try to spend time with them tho, pero di mo na sila mapagsasama and that made me feel guilty. Until now, I really think I ruined it and I think habang buhay ko tong dadalhin kung hindi sila magkakaayos.
We're group of 9, btw. It's 1 against 2 initially, tas naging 1 against 5 (eto yung may ibang tao outside the circle na sumawsaw na kaya lumala). Kaming natirang tatlo naging neutral na lang. I still feel sorry dun sa nagiisa, b'coz I really find her genuine talaga. We still have connection, but my guilt hindered me from getting closer to her again.
Pleaseee, I wanna know your thoughts, opinions, and advices.

Howdy, I’m an industrial design student currently working on developing a new form of power tool from the ground up. What power tools that you would normally use that are a pain in the ass to handle? Whether it’s having to hold it a funny way or it doesn’t fit your hand well, I would like to know!
On top of this, would there be a market for a modular, portable machine with a toolhead that could be swapped in minutes for another critical part to be complete? I was thinking of something along the lines of a trenchechainsaw combination.
And if anyone who happens to be a hotshot would be available for an online interview for deeper insight I’d love to get in contact with you!
Some examples of questions asked would be:
What is the most time consuming activity in your job? What part is the most labor intensive/fatigues the full crew? What large tools usually mounted on vehicles would be incredibly useful if you could shrink them down and have them be held in your hand? (Think trencher, wood chipper, etc) What comes to mind with this phrase, “oh, if this one thing was changed on this tool, it would be perfect”?
Looking forward to hearing from y’all!

Bought an 05 LX470 on the cheap from a family friend. Took it to a lexus tech shop and got quoted 6k for failed accumulators... is this a normal quote for this? The vehicle is bouncy but overall still pretty comfortable to drive, feels much better than my 08 ranger. I assumed AHC maintenance would be expensive but this is quite literally double the price of what I paid for the vehicle. Should I just get an AHC delete? I'm located in the southeast US.

Looking at this as an option for my son heading to college. I think the history looks ok, its a Subaru so I'm thinking it will go 200-300K+ miles with proper maintenance. Any thoughts or insight? Would this be a good buy? Thanks for any input!
https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/JF1GJAK68FH013002?partner=SBC_1

So I daily walk a trail here in Oregon. It's about 1.6 mile trail that goes around the back 9 of the local golf course. I often walk the loop twice to get a 3.3 mile walk in. A portion of the trail goes along a local road (25mph zone). The road has sidewalks on both sides. The side the trail is on the sidewalk is rather wide, this is to facilitate room for both a pedestrian and calf carts to fit. This road has bike lanes on both sides. While walking my first lap, as I was walking along the sidewalk a double blade mower was coming down the sidewalk forcing me to step out into the bike lane because it took up the entire sidewalk. Later on my second lap a four-wheeled maintenance vehicle (I think their called gators) was driving down the sidewalk in roughly the same place, once again forcing me into the bike lane, this time as a pick-up truck was driving down the road.
Am I correct in that these vehicles should be on the road and forcing pedestrians into the street is illegal?
I'm thinking of sending an email to the golf course to inform them of what happened.

Has anyone here went from being an EVT to a BMET? Is it realistic to consider switching? I’m 24 years old currently working as an EVT( emergency vehicle technician) working on ambulances and firetrucks doing everything from maintenance to lighting, upfitting, remounts have experience with various hvac systems, power loads/stretchers. Medical o2 systems etc. I’m looking to change up my job and learn something outside of emergency vehicles. I am in school and intend on becoming a registered nurse in 4 years, or is it worth just sticking to something similar to what I am doing?

Over the past few months, this place has exploded. I'm fairly certain I looked a month or two back thinking the same thing, and we were at like 141k users. We're far past that now.
Because of this, I want to take a second to help level-set expectations a little, especially since some new folks seem to really be struggling after the ChatGPT announcement.
First things first- forget the leaderboards and forget the marketing hype when open source models come out (yes, open source models can have marketing). Pound for pound, in a one on one comparison with proprietary models: open source models will lose almost every time. Comparing the two like that would make you miserable for no gain at all. Don't do that.
I mean, think about it a bit: ChatGPT 4 was rumored, a YEAR AGO, to be 1.6T (Trillion Parameters) model, and they've only been adding to it since. Improving it constantly. Alternatively, our biggest models (that folks actually use, or aren't frankenmerges) are in the range of 70B (Billion parameters)... and a lot of folks can't even run those.
We are not going to beat whatever the current ChatGPT version is at any given moment. And that's ok. That's not where the value of Open Source lies.
Here in Open Source land, we make that tradeoff, using this instead of proprietary, for certain benefits. For example:

• The biggest, and most important benefit: everything that you tell your local AI is private. Really private. Truly private. Every trade secret. Every million dollar idea. They all remain just yours.
• If your local AI is pretty good at some task today, it will still be just as good at it a year from now. That may not sound like much, but I promise the folks over at the chatgpt sub wish they could say the same. So many "why is chatgpt dumb today" and "why is chatgpt hallucinating today?" posts popping up there all the time. That's a problem you just won't deal with, unless YOU update something, and then you'll know why
• Compliance: you can find local models that won't immediately lecture you about animal cruelty when you ask how to kill a Python process. Sometimes you need an answer, not a lecture.
• Its always available. There's no maintenance or global outage. Some server somewhere pooping out won't stop your local model from responding to you.

Remember that Open Source progresses. All of us are working on projects to share that will hopefully help, even if a little. And of course we have absolute geniuses here, like the minds behind llama.cpp, exllama, pytorch, etc, who are all constantly innovating.
Unless a law forces otherwise, Open Source isn't going anywhere. We'll keep getting Open Source models, because there is value to corporations in doing so. They are crowd sourcing QA, bug fixes, etc by doing that. We're finding the issues. The super smart people in the community are finding the answers. In many cases, the very libraries these companies use are getting updated, at 0 cost to them. I'd be willing to be that Open Source has saved some companies MILLIONS of dollars. Sure, they could just give us an API with these models, but they'd be getting only a fraction of feedback and none of the bugfixes/ideas for how to handle their own stuff. AND they'd be on the hook for hosting costs, which are not insignificant.
What does all this mean? It means that I'd be shocked if we don't have something at least somewhat comparable to GPT4o or whatever its called, in a year or two, in some form or fashion.
Will it be later than they have it, and maybe not quite to the same capability? Sure. But guess what? All the people using it now will have everything they say and show to it stored, logged, maybe even catalogued, trained and possibly even sold. And if there's ever a data breach? Then far worse will happen.
But your model? Nah. When you finally get your locally run fancy vision-voice AI that giggles while it loads a response, it won't tell a soul about your Hello Kitty pajamas.
So for real- kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Don't stress about OpenAI; look at them as a preview of what's to come for us. Want it REALLY badly? Help make it happen, in any way you can.
It's fun here, so don't get discouraged. Tinker on what you do have while you wait for the next stuff to arrive.