Raoh taking Falco's leg and then departing Falco's village makes no logical sense, one of the worst if not the worst retcons in the entire series. The real Raoh would never backdown from a confrontation and from conquering new territories like what would Raoh need with another man's leg anyway? This is Ken-Oh (拳王, The King of Fists) or The Conqueror of Century's End (世紀末覇者 Seikimatsu Hasha) were talking about who slaughtered and enslaved millions upon millions of men, women, and children, effortlessly obliterated the Nanto Gosha Sei (南斗五車星, "Five Chariot Stars of the South Dipper"), took full advantage of Toki's illness in their fights, and killed his own adoptive father while he was suffering from a heartattack.
Raoh departing Falco's village makes him look like a coward and goes against his original goals and ambitions of conquering the Heavens and the Earth. This is the Raoh who stated "I will fight even the gods". and "the only man's first in the world on my level is Toki". The scene with Falco and Raoh should not have existed and instead they should have established or elaborated more on the origins of Gento Koken.
Raoh and Kenshiro flashback in HnK episode 149 makes no sene either. Raoh would never say "if I should lose" or "please" when conversing with Kenshiro. It would've been better to instead expand another character's backstory instead of forcing a retcon on characters with a very well established background. We know a lot about Raoh & Toki's childhood. That's why Kenshiro having a long lost brother works, but Raoh and Toki having one doesn't. We went into the Land of Asura knowing nothing about where Kenshiro came from before training in Hokuto Shinken.

Welcome to Reading The Big Book of Cyberpunk!
Each week we (u/FarragutCircle and u/fanny_bertram) will be reading 5-ish stories from Jared Shurin’s The Big Book of Cyberpunk, which includes a curated selection of cyberpunk stories written from 1950 to 2022! We’ll include synopses of the stories along with links to any legally available online versions we can find. Feel free to read along with us or just stop by and hear our thoughts about some cyberpunk stories to decide if any of them sound interesting to you.
Every once in a while, we reach out to people who have more insight, due to being fans of the author or have some additional context for the story. (Or we just tricked them into it.) So please welcome u/Kopratic who will be sharing their thoughts on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick!
Section 4: Challenge
In our fourth and penultimate section, editor Jared Shurin highlights how cyberpunk looks at technology that creates harm when put into practice, and later cites Marshall McLuhan about artists as challengers. (Shurin really seems to like this McLuhan guy.) Amusingly there’s a footnote where he mentions litrpg in passing, though he says there’s no litrpg in this anthology)
“We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick (published 1966; also available in his collection Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick)
Quail’s desire to go to Mars leads him to a memory-implant company so he can remember going to Mars, but complications and revelations and twists ensue, hilariously.

• Special Guest Kopratic: So this guy really wants to go to Mars, but it’s pretty dang expensive. Fortunately, what’s not as expensive is paying a company to trick him into thinking he’s been to Mars by implanting false memories into his mind. Unfortunately, things go wrong, and before he writes up a scathing Yelp review, he gets his money back, his wife leaving him, and his life falling apart.
• It’s a story I’ve read before. Not this exact, specific story, but the bones of it. Virtually visiting another time or place. It’s never real, but they tend to beg the question: Do memories create reality? Maybe this particular story was one that inspired, even if indirectly, the others. Maybe it’s a trope that had been used before, and the author was just putting his own spin on it like the ones that came after.
• I did like it. I thought that it was annoying how the secretary was described as being topless in practically every scene she was in. It went from, “Oh in this society that’s a normal thing, and body paint is a sort of fashion item” to “...we get it.” It was a minor part of the story at least.
• The twists were pretty good, too. There’s a moment where you start to question things alongside the protagonist. Maybe the false memories did work. He’s not supposed to know they’re fake, but he does. But he also has things that can’t possibly be explained by ways of “implanted memories.” Or maybe they can. Even until the very end, the story keeps you guessing. It did a good job of keeping the tension alive.
• In a sense, the story asks the question, “What is reality?” and fits in nicely as an entry into the realm of cyberpunk.
  
• Farragut’s thoughts: We’ve read Dick before in Science Fiction. Between that story and this, if I hadn’t read two of his novels already, I would’ve thought Dick was a comedic SF writer because of how funny I’ve found his short fiction so far. I vaguely recall (ha!) having seen the movie Total Recall, but I’m not sure PKD has ever had a faithful adaptation of his works. Anyway, this is just a fun story—not as wild as the film, but just a plain fun examination of memory and reality.
  
• fanny’s thoughts: The editor points out that each filming of Total Recall gets worse and this is correct. I had never read the story and I did like it despite it being a story I have seen before. Dick did a great job of making the reader doubt memories and the reality for the character. There are a lot of careful details throughout the short story that play with this concept and add to the general confusion of what is real. The story is not the most amazing thing, but it is very well done and a bit twisty.
  

“Speed” by Misha (1988)
I think that Speed is looking for Speelyi-427 on behalf of a computer AI called Juno 888, but after that I’m lost.

• Farragut: We’ve read Misha before in Science Fiction. She’s a very cyberpunky type author, but I’ll be darned if I understand half of what’s going on here. There’s data as currency, there’s an all powerful computer named Juno 888 (I think?), there’s a car chase with a barbed-wire tripwire at neck level (ouch), there’s indigenous ghost dancers, and I had a hell of a time connecting the dots. It didn’t help that for the first couple pages I didn’t realize Speed was the character’s name, which made the story even more abstract at first. I absolutely know there’s someone out there who loves the crap out of experimental/transcendental stuff like this, but it wasn’t me.
  
• fanny: I was beyond confused reading this one. For half the story I thought the character was the computer, 888, but then I realized it was Speed. I am not sure that helped though. I feel like this was too experimental for me and it just missed the mark. The good part of this was the trading in data and the trying to steal data, which was an interesting technology application.
  

“Computer Friendly” by Eileen Gunn (1989; also available in her collection Stable Strategies and Others)
Elizabeth and other kids are tested, and while she passes with flying covers, her new friends might lose their lives unless she can figure out a way to help them in a world where the heavily computerized future uses real brains from people and dogs.

• Farragut: Gunn is an oft-nominated writer (including for this story), but ended up winning the 2005 Nebula for “Coming to Terms”. I really loved this bizarre future (she’ll play computer fetch with her dog when he has downtime from managing data traffic), and Elizabeth is an adorable character to follow as she navigates the shocking new revelations about her world. The help she gets from some of the obscure entities on the network is perfect, especially when they realize that their current world is a little too predictable these days. Highly recommended, especially for Elizabeth’s “hacking” methods.
  
• fanny: I loved this story and following Elizabeth through it all. Elizabeth is a fierce, determined little girl who doesn't want anything bad to happen to her friends. She goes to extremes for this and gets help from the weirdest sources within the network system. The net system, entities, and the world are so well thought out and carefully crafted. It felt fully realized which is unusual for me to find in a short story. Absolute loved this one.
  

“I Was a Teenage Genetic Engineer” by Nisi Shawl (1989)
The narrator is imprisoned for her reckless genetic engineering, making new incarnations of old gods.

• Farragut: Shawl is a multiple-award-winning author and has done a lot of work on promoting diversity in SF/F. A very short story (under a thousand words), it’s also got a very mythic and poetic tone to it, like a confession as a parable. Very evocative, with lots of classical allusions.
  
• fanny: Such a short story and such a unique concept. I liked that the main character made the entire Pantheon and unleashed the Greek gods back on the world. I found the description of creating Psyche the best part. This story is a bit experimental, but worked for me.
  

“The Gene Drain” by Lewis Shiner (1989)
A generation ship ends up right back on Earth, with disturbing and amusing differences between the two groups.

• Farragut: Shiner was a member of the Turkey City Writer’s Workshop which is considered a “cradle of cyberpunk”. This story was quite amusing, and you can see the differences between the overly-technological humans on Earth and the extremely weird worshippers of Johnny Carson. The author does a great job of encapsulating all the changes since the ship left in little throwaway lines, and the ending was both disturbing and funny.
  
• fanny: I found the whole premise quite ridiculous, but a nice way to show how too much technology can change society. The worshippers of Johnny Carson return to earth and manage to get a leader who has a bad experience with tech. The extremes he is willing to go to is both realistic and slightly disturbing. The ending is amusing, but it is serious too. I like how Shiner balanced absurdity with real society challenges. But also cult of Carson.
  

That’s it for this week! Check back the same time next week where we’ll be reading and discussing "Deep Eddy" by Bruce Sterling, "The Yuletide Cyberpunk Yarn, or Christmas_Eve-117.DIR" by Victor Pelevin, "Wonderama" by Bef, "comp.basilisk FAQ" by David Langford, and "Spider's Nest" by Myra Çakan.
Also posted on Bochord Online.

Trial Day 11
Katherine Jackson, Rebbie and Trent are at court.
Choreographer Travis Payne & Katherine Jackson spoke briefly in the courtroom before the jury came in. They seemed cordial
Travis Payne Testimony
AEG direct
Payne is wearing a black jacket with a gold emblem on the shoulders with the word "MJ" & a pair of wings
Payne said he was concerned about MJ missing rehearsals. He didn't know why he wasn't showing up, but MJ was also working on an album and a book
Payne said he did not think that Jackson had a problem abusing prescription medications. He acknowledged that Jackson missed rehearsals and he saw the singer shivering or appearing cold in some of his final rehearsals
He worked with Jackson beginning in the 1990's and testified that he never saw Jackson drink alcohol or take any medications. Michael also never discussed his medical treatments, Payne said
Payne told the jury he advised MJ he was looking thin.

"Michael said he was 'getting down to my fighting weight', which I took to mean that he was preparing for the performances", Payne testified. "I had no reason to doubt him"

Payne says he was satisfied with the response.
Payne said there was one day (6/19) when MJ was cold. He thought the frustration had him on edge. When Jackson needed to be layered in blankets and required a heater to be comfortable, Payne said, he believed Michael was merely fighting a cold.

"No one else was cold. He had flu-like symptoms"
"Sometimes he was tired and lethargic and had to be, not convinced, but supported throughout rehearsals," Payne recalled

Payne said that in April, May & June, MJ missed 5 rehearsals with the whole group. He said one time Ortega sent Michael home
Bina shows an email from Ortega to Gongaware on Jun 14:

"Were you aware that Michael's doctor didn't permit him to attend rehearsal yesterday? Without invading his privacy, it might be a good idea to talk to his doctor to make sure everything he requires is in place. Who is responsible for Michael getting proper nourishment/vitamins/therapy every day? Personally, I feel he should have a top Nutritionist and Physical Therapist working with him on a regular basis. The demand on this guy is mentally and physically extraordinary! The show requirements exhaust our 20 year olds. Please don't underestimate the need to stay on top of this"

Another part of the same email chain, from Gongaware:

"Frank and I have discussed it already and have requested a face-to-face meeting w/ the doctor... We want to remind him that it's AEG not Michael Jackson who's paying his salary We want him to understand what is expected of him. He has been dodging Frank so far

Payne said his understanding was that AEG was paying Dr. Murray's salary not Michael. The doctor was there to oversee many things, Payne said. Payne explained he didn't have much reason to question Dr. Murray since he thought that a doctor selected to work with Michael was top notch.
Bina asked Payne whether he ever met Conrad Murray. The choreographer says he met Murray twice. Payne says the first time he met Dr. Murray was at the Carolwood house.

"I was going up the steps, Dr. Murray going downstairs, Michael introduced us."

Payne was coming up from the basement to the middle floor. Studio was at the basement. Payne said he never went to the top floor of the house. He says the second time was at the Staples Center, after a rehearsal and Jackson was leaving for the day. Both meetings were brief.
When asked how Michael performed on June 23 & 24:

"He was having his process, I didn't expect him to be like he would in front of a crowd," Payne explained. "He was not at show standards ... I didn't expect him to be as he would be in front of a crowd."
Payne: "It ebbed and flowed. Some days were good, some days were not as good."

The last two days were good.

"I thought he was in his way to the goals he set himself," Payne told the jury.

He didn't have any question that MJ would be able to perform , adding that he and others were impressed while watching Jackson rehearse at Staples Center on June 23/24, 2009.
Payne described the day MJ died: He was headed to rehearsal at Michael's home, got a call from his mother who said she saw reports on the news. Payne heard news on the radio, called Staples Center spoke to Stacy Walker, she said they were rehearsing. He was told to go to Staples.

"We were optimistic of his arrival," Payne said explaining they were expecting Michael to rehearse at the Staples Center.

Payne said Ortega got a series of calls. He remembers Kenny saying:

'tell me something that will make me know it's you and that this is true'

​

" I remember him (Kenny Ortega) collapsing in his seat and crying," Payne testified

Payne said he never saw Michael drink alcohol or take medication but

"Sometimes, in rehearsal, Michael would appear just a little loopy, under the influence of something, but mostly when he would come to the rehearsals from the dermatologist," Payne testified.

That happened two to four times in the weeks before his death, he said. Payne told that he didn't think Jackson had a problem with prescription drugs

"Michael was undergoing personal cosmetic procedures, so he could feel great and do a good job," Payne said.

Payne also said he appeared groggy in the morning sometimes, which he attributed to lack of sleep

"Mr. Jackson just explained to me that he had trouble sleeping, that he was tired, and that satisfied me," Payne testified.

He stated that he's not sure how much weight MJ had lost
Payne mentioned one day in particular at a meeting with Andre Crouch and singers, MJ seemed a little out of it
Payne said at one point, he & others tried to bring in a top physical therapist who works with Olympic athletes to help Michael. Jackson didn't work w/physical therapist flown in for him.

"At the last minute we realized that Michael was not going to go through with it. He was just not comfortable with the invasion of personal space."

Bina played a clip of This Is It from Jun 4 showing the green screen and making of "Drill" and Michael talking about the cool moves, dancing. Payne said the idea was to show the rehearsals and how things came together. The footage itself wasn't altered, but there was editing. Payne said they picked the best of the rehearsal to include in the documentary. He wanted to reshoot some scenes but was not allowed. Payne, who was an associate producer on the This Is It documentary, said the footage of Jackson had not been retouched or altered.
Jackson cross
Attorney Brian Panish cross examined Payne. He asked if Michael ever performed the entire show from beginning to end. Payne said "No"

"Was he ready to perform for an audience?", Panish asked.
"I thought he was on his way to the goals he had set for himself," Payne answered. "All I saw was improvement and getting closer to the goals"

Payne's impression was that MJ loved being a father. He said he saw the beauty of their relationships, loyalty to one another.

"When we rehearsed, we had meals together," Payne recalled, talking about Michael and all three children.

Payne thought the relationship between MJ and Prince was awesome, Michael was a proud father, great to see how they interacted. Prince wanted to be a director, Michael would point out things to him during rehearsal should that be his career, Payne remembered.
As to Paris Jackson, Payne said he saw a very protective young lady, smart, astute, with knowledge of the production, very hands on. Paris, who was 11 at the time, was

"a very retentive young lady who was very, very smart, very astute," Payne testified. "She had full knowledge of the day-to-day operations, from the time of lunch and what it was going to be, she was hands on -- far beyond her age," he said. "She had a lot of responsibility, which I think she welcomed"

Payne said she was "the female of the house," and also "a daddy's girl."

"She really loved her father," he said. "At that time, she was coming to find out his global successes and presence, so she would wear her Michael Jackson t-shirt, headband and bag," he said.

It was Paris who would bless the food when they were have lunch with their father at home, he said.

"She was always the most vocal of the three children and was very concerned about many of the details of the house, was the temperature correct, what do you want to eat," Payne testified. "She just handled a lot for her young age"

Blanket, who was 7 when his father died, was the most quiet of the three. He liked to watch his father rehearsing his dances with Payne in the basement studio of their home, Payne said.

"He was quiet, but always right there with his dad," he said.

Michael guided and mentored him. Payne said he would be proud if MJ was his father and agreed the children suffered a tremendous loss. When rehearsing with Jackson at his Holmby Hills residence, Payne said the singer clearly delighted in being a father and shared meals with all three

"I saw the beauty of their relationships. I saw their loyalty to their father, I saw his loyalty to them. Their father enlightened them and taught them", he testified. "I was very proud to see Michael as such a loving father."
Panish: "Was Paris a Daddy's girl?"
Payne: "Yes, I believe so"

His description of the close relationship Paris (15) and Prince (16) had with their father four years ago could foreshadow the significance of the children's testimony later in the trial.
Payne always carries a video camera with him and shot videos of rehearsal. AEG took the footage that Payne shot and never returned to him. Email from Randy to Paul:

"Make sure you take out the shots of Michael in that red jacket... He looks way too thin and skeletal."

Payne said he was not aware of the email. He said Michael looked thin, but not skeletal. He doesn't know if Paul/Randy took any the footage out. The email was not displayed for the jury
As for Michael's relationship with Katherine, Payne said

"there's no secret that he loved his mother very much. It is kind of common knowledge"

​

"Karen Faye is a make up artist. She designed the make up, was always there when Michael was there", Payne testified.

Payne said Faye and MJ had a long term working relationship. They spent a lot of personal time together. Faye was concerned and frustrated with how Michael looked. She went to Payne kind of in an aggressive way. Payne told her to report to Ortega.
Payne said he wanted MJ to have a physical therapist, nutritionist, massage therapist, and have his family around. He said this was a different scenario.

"This was the first time MJ was working with AEG," Payne testified, saying he had always been hired by MJJ production before.

Payne said this was the first time Michael was not the sole producer of the show. Payne started working without a signed contract. He was being paid by AEG. Panish showed Payne's written contract. It is between Payne and AEG, beginning April 1, 2009. The contract said only AEG could cancel it. He testified that there was a delay in his contract with AEG because the salary was not in line with his standard charges, but that things worked out after he had a conversation with Jackson. Payne also said he believed AEG was paying Murray's salary, not Jackson
Payne was hired and paid by AEG. His contract was with AEG.

Panish: "Who could fire you. AEG?"
Payne: "I'm sure"

Things became heated when Panish inquired about a text message Karen Faye sent to Payne that accused him of lying to the media after Michael's death. He said earlier Faye had approached him in an "aggressive" way about her concern for Jackson's health but he told her to take her concerns to Ortega.

"I do not remember receiving a text message from Karen Faye asking why I was lying to the media," Payne explained.
Panish: "Were you upset when MJ died?"
Payne: "Yes"

During cross-examination, Payne was shown several photos of premieres for the This Is It documentary .Panish shows a picture of Payne at the red carpet premiere. He agreed he was happy about the premiere. In one, Ortega & AEG executive Randy Phillips flank Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, who has a cigar hanging out of his mouth. All three are grinning. Brian Panish, the attorney for Jackson's family, remarked that everyone looked pretty happy
Payne said he wasn't privy to details of what was expected of Dr. Murray. AEG was producepromoter, but MJ was the star, had to be happy
Panish reminded Payne that he had testified in his deposition that AEG was

"trying to protect its investment"

​

"I don't have a dog in this race so I'm not on either side", an aggravated Payne countered adding that he felt Panish was being aggressive. "I'm just saying I don't want to be painted as somebody who's trying to mask anything".

After several hours of testy exchanges with Panish, his voice quivered and he dabbed his eyes with a tissue.

"I'm just trying to have a conversation with you and tell the truth."

Panish asked Payne if defendants' attorney approached him during lunch to show him some documents. He said yes, he saw parts of his deposition
Under cross examination, Payne acknowledged that some of Jackson's behavior, including grogginess, lethargy, insomnia and occasional paranoia, were possible symptoms of prescription drug abuse. He also said that despite testifying earlier that he worked with Jackson one-on-one five days a week, he couldn't recall how many rehearsals the singer actually attended
Panish after lunch break got Travis Payne to concede Jackson wasn't present for a May 19, 2009 rehearsal. Payne also conceded that Jackson was a no-show for a June 22, 2009 rehearsal. Panish confronted Payne saying that yesterday he said he was with MJ at a dance studio on May 19, that they were up on their feet & danced.

Panish: "Sir, Michael was not with you May 19, 2009, was he?"
Payne: "No"
Panish: "He was at the doctor"
Payne: "If you're saying, I'm not disputing"

Panish said that on May 19, Michael was having a cyst removed at Dr. Klein's office, so he could not have been rehearsing with Payne.
Panish then said on Jun 22 MJ wasn't there either, "was he?"
Payne said he didn't know.
Panish said MJ was at another doctor's office
Payne said he may have made a mistake about Jackson's whereabouts & he didn't know his personal schedule. Travis Payne had testified yesterday that he and Jackson ran through certain songs on May 19th. He said today he was testifying based on the schedule and notes he compiled and that his recollection might be wrong

"We're human, sometimes we make mistakes," Payne explained, saying he's not disputing that Michael was or wasn't there on those dates.

Payne said there was always something for Michael to do.

"He needed to come to rehearsal, it was part of the job"

Payne said Michael had a hard time picking up some of the material. He was having trouble learning dances, Payne says. Email from Ortega to Gongaware:

"He has been slow at grabbing hold of the work"

Jackson was having trouble learning dances, choreographer Travis Payne says

"Prior to June, I noticed Mr. Jackson was thinner than I recognized him," Payne said, noting he never saw sudden weight change in MJ.

Second time Payne saw Dr. Murray was the night before Michael died at Staples Center.

"I wanted Michael to go home and go to sleep" Payne recalls. Payne said something about Murray felt off, Payne said. "He didn't feel like an official doctor"

Payne knew MJ had sleeping problems and that Dr. Murray was treating him for that. Ortega also knew; Payne thought Gongaware was aware too. Payne also said he and Ortega knew that Jackson was having sleep problems. Attorney Brian Panish asks if AEG executives knew. There were several objections, and Payne was only allowed to answer "No" as to whether Paul Gongaware knew about Michael's sleep problems
Panish asked Payne about choosing Jackson's dancers for This Is It. Payne says they were whittled down from 5,000 applicants. Applicants submitted video clips and their submissions were used to cull down potential dancers from there. Payne said they received 5,000 applications for dancers, about 2,500 showed up for the audition.He taught them some dance moves, and the pool was further narrowed down. Michael chose the dancers
Panish then asked Payne whether he knew how many doctors AEG interviewed to work with Jackson on This Is It. "No", Payne says. Payne also says he isn't aware how much interviewing or investigation into Murray that AEG did.(Panish's point appears to be that there was more scrutiny of backup dancers than Conrad Murray)
During preparations for This Is It, Michael at times seemed "under the influence of something" and once couldn't take the stage because he appeared incoherent, Payne testified.
Payne said he was aware that Jackson had problems sleeping and chalked up the singer's sometimes erratic behavior to sleep aids or sedatives from his dermatologist visits.

"You have to understand that one always says hindsight is 20/20. In the moment I had no inkling of what, ultimately, what was revealed until Mr. Jackson's passing", he said

Payne saw Michael tired and fatigued. He agreed that those symptoms could be signs of drug addiction. Payne was aware that MJ was losing weight during rehearsals and he had not seeing him lose weight like that before.

"He was not in great physical shape and was sore,working up his stamina. Lack of sleep and proper nourishment were starting to show", Payne said.

Payne says at one point, he told Kenny Ortega that Jackson appeared "assisted" (meaning that he thought he was on drugs\meds)
Payne said some people were concerned about the goals not being met, including Randy Phillips and Paul Gongaware. Payne learned what Demerol was after MJ died. He also remembers a mention of Demerol in the song "Morphine".
Panish asked if MJ knew the lyrics of his songs.

"I think he did, he knew most of them, but he wanted to have a Teleprompter for safety.He didn't want to make any mistakes, to refresh his memory. Also to use for sequence of songs",Payne said.

Payne agreed that it was very unusual for Michael to have a Teleprompter with the lyrics of his own songs. He never used it before. Payne didn't specify which songs Jackson wanted the teleprompter for
Payne said a body double was requested for Michael. Misha Gabriel was his body double, but shorter than him. Some of the scenes in the documentary are with the body double, Payne testified. Payne remembers at the Culver Studios in Smooth Criminal there was a stunt and Misha was asked to jump through a glass plate
Payne said most the time, MJ was present at rehearsals. "It wasn't a big deal," he expressed
Panish showed an email from the band leader Michael Bearden:

"Michael is not in shape enough yet to sing this stuff live and dance at the same time. He can use the ballads to sing live and get his stamina back up, Once he's healthy enough and has more strength I Have full confidence he can sing the majority of the show live. His voice sounds amazing right now, he needs to build it back up. I still need all big dance numbers to be in the system so we can concentrate on choreography."

Payne was aware that AEG was considering in mid June pulling the plug on the show. He said Michael looked exhausted & paranoid on Jun 19. Jackson's condition and missed rehearsals led to talk within the last 10 days of Jackson's life that AEG Live LLC, which was promoting "This Is It," might cancel the concert series.

"It was 'We've got to get this together or the plug may be pulled,'" Payne says

Payne was working for AEG and said he relayed his concerns about Jackson's possible prescription drug use and that he was exhibiting troubling signs of insomnia, weight loss and paranoia in his final days to tour director Kenny Ortega. Jackson was struggling to get into shape for the shows, and Payne said his voice coach suggested using a voice track for fast-paced songs until the singer's stamina improved.
Payne went to Michael's house on June 20. He was cold and had to light the fireplace and rub his hand and feet to warm himself up
Panish showed a picture of Michael on June 24 rehearsing "Thriller"; Payne said MJ improved but was not at his best yet.

Panish: "Around June 20, was Ortega in the mindset that Michael Jackson was not ready for this?" Payne: "Yes"

Payne said Michael was not ready, it was not the Michael he knew. He died four days later. But he didn't see anything that alarmed him on June 23/24

Panish:" Did you see that Michael was getting pressured to get everything done in the last days?" Payne: "Yes"

Payne said he could sense something was wrong, but didn't know what it was. He said Jackson's performances in the final days of his life were impressive, and it felt

"like we were definitely on an upswing"

​

"I never doubted Michael because he was the architect of this and he wanted to do it, so part of my responsibility was to help him get there", Payne said, his voice racked with emotion.

Panish ended his direct examination of choreographer Travis Payne with three questions.

Panish: "Did you see that Michael Jackson appeared to be pressured to get everything done at the Staples last rehearsals?"
"Yes," Payne said
Panish: "The pressure about the shows started to manifest itself physically in Michael Jackson?"
"Yes," Payne replied.
Panish:" You could sense that something was wrong, you just didn't know what it was?"
Payne responded "Yes."

AEG re-direct
Payne's demeanor changed after Panish finished questioning him. He was holding back tears when the AEG attorney started re-direct examination. For the next several moments, Payne blinked and dabbed both eyes with a tissue. It was the first time he'd gotten emotional on the stand.

Bina in re-direct asked: "Do you think you could get him there?"
Payne: "Absolutely!"

Bina asked Payne again about how many rehearsals Jackson attended. Payne said MJ was present a significant amount of the days he was scheduled to work but he couldn't recall dates, precisely how many that Jackson attended.
As to Gongaware's email regarding what was expected of Dr. Murray, Payne said the inconsistencies with Michael missing rehearsals warrant a talk. Payne said he thought Dr. Murray was there to care for his patient, making sure right nutritionist was there, to get him ready for the show. Payne never discussed with MJ about his doctors or personal affairs. Payne and Faye were professionals with each other, but not friends.

"Production felt he wasn't coming to rehearsals enough, and that was frustrating to some of the staff," Payne testified. "I had a concern we needed to create a show Michael would enjoy doing it," Payne explained

She also showed Payne photos from the This Is It premiere. First photo is of Payne shaking Jermaine Jackson's hand at the movie premiere. Bina also showed another image of smiling Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon with Payne at the premiere. Payne cried saying he had been through so much and the rough part was behind them. He was pleased to show the fans what the show was to be.
Jackson re-cross
In re-cross, Panish notes that none of Michael's brothers are part of this lawsuit.
Panish then asked Payne whether Katherine Jackson and Michael's kids went to the premiere. Panish says Katherine Jackson & her grandchildren didn't go to the premiere because they weren't over Jackson's death. Payne said he didn't think anyone was over Jackson's death when the film premiered in late 2009.
Court Transcript

I’m aware that this is unconventional. Believe me, I’ve tried conventional – it didn’t end well for anyone. I require a certain open mindedness that I’m hoping I might find here, but more importantly, I need my future husband to know the rules. Meet-cutes are well and good on the screen, but they don’t guarantee a partner’s ability to follow basic instructions. That was my mistake the first time.
So, begging your pardon for my bluntness, I’m going to be clear about my requirements. Please read carefully – if you can’t meet them, there’s no point in going any further.

• Must want children. At least one child, anyway. I’m open to the idea of more, but one is an absolute must.
• Must be in it for the long haul. Until our child turns eighteen, to be precise. I understand that level of commitment is a daunting prospect, particularly when we have not yet met. After our child is born, you are welcome to ignore me, if you please, or take your pleasure elsewhere – though I will warn you that it might be difficult to come by. But you will live under my roof until our child is an adult.
• Homebody preferred. It will make the next two decades easier on you.
• Must have impeccable manners. I will provide a manual outlining the required etiquette, but you must at least have a grasp of basic courtesy to begin with. If you let your tongue run away with you, or don’t bother to wish your neighbours a good morning when you pass them in the street, stop reading – this is not the opportunity for you. Seriously.

This is the part where I should talk about myself, but let’s face it, this is hardly a romantic proposal. I require commitment up-front and there’s no guarantee that, once we do meet, we’ll really even like each other. If we do? Fantastic! It’ll help the years fly by. If we don’t, you’ll still have the main prize – years of rent-free, expenses-free living at The Old Oak Hotel.
A sanctuary has stood in this spot in one form or another since before the ley lines. During its tenure, it has been flooded, put to the flame, and pounded into dust. Time and again, it has been reimagined and rebuilt. Most of the current building dates back to Victoria’s reign, though the oldest parts were constructed in the 13^th century. At the very bottom of the garden, cut into the surrounding hills, there is a cave bearing handprints of red ochre.
There has always been an Edwards at the hotel, though of course we haven’t always gone by that name. You would think a family so tied to one place would do a better job of keeping records, but no one is certain of our origins. Perhaps it was a cosmic bargain, or perhaps mere luck – whether good or bad, I have never been able to decide. Either way, our presence is required. Throughout our spotty past, there’s a story here and there of an Edwards deserting their post, and it always coincides with a particularly brutal period of history.
I inherited the position five years ago. At midnight on my eighteenth birthday, my parents took their already-packed suitcases and left. I don’t blame them for their abandonment; I intend to one day do the same thing to my – or, hopefully, our – child.
They send me postcards and photos from time-to-time, always smiling on sunny beaches. Money isn’t a concern for them. That’s part of whatever mysterious deal our ancestors made – when a caretaker leaves in good-standing, they will never want for anything again. They could travel the world for the rest of their lives, always sleeping in the softest sheets and dining in the finest restaurants, and never find their pockets empty.
Keep this point in mind, for if you can meet my requirements, you will share my good fortune.
And what must we do in return? I can all but hear you scream the question. Why, very little. The presence of an Edwards ensures that the guests can’t stray from the hotel grounds. Most of our guests are live-in residents, though we do get the occasional walk-in. Where they come from, I don’t know, for we are not visible to most people who stumble upon our lonely corner of the world. I’ve come to believe the hotel chooses to reveal itself when its lacking entertainment, or to fill a need.
Jimmy, my first husband, was one such guest.
For the most part, the guests are harmless. They’ll give you a little fright from time-to-time, popping out from a wall or turning your bathwater into blood, but I find it hard to hold it against them. I’ve found twenty-three years here dreary; I can’t imagine how bored I would be after five hundred.
There are a few exceptions you should be aware of:

• Eric. Our resident serial murderer. He claims to have been Jack the Ripper while he still drew breath, but I think he’s just a blowhard. He knows better than to harm an Edwards, but I’m afraid spouses are fair game. Years ago, my grandmother managed to confine him to the fourth floor, so you will be perfectly safe from him as long as you never set foot there. Occasionally, the lift will stop on that floor even though you haven’t pressed the button for it. Do not get out. Even if the lift appears to be on fire or starts filling with murky water. Wait for the doors to close again, then go to another floor. It should only take a few hours.
• The Thing in the Cellar. I don’t know what It is; no one ever has. We only know It eats rats and must be fed once a day. If I’m ever ill or incapacitated, this task will fall to you. Harvest the rats from the traps in the garden, then stand at the cellar door and throw them down the stairs. Do not walk down the stairs and do not forget to feed It. You don’t want to be the first person to see Its’ face.
• Mrs Jones. Old fashioned and a stickler for manners, she’s the reason I’m advertising for a husband rather than a boyfriend. She won’t abide a couple living in sin under the same roof as her. Really, though, she’s a sweet old thing. Full of stories about the war and always ready to help if I get stuck on a recipe. I don’t blame her for what happened with Jimmy at all. I’d warned him enough times.

Guests aside, there are other rules you will need to follow to ensure a safe, satisfactory stay at The Old Oak Hotel. They are listed in a book that has been re-penned many times over the centuries. If you choose to accept this opportunity, I will insist that you read it until you can recite the pages word-for-word.
However, there are a couple of rules so critical for your survival that I feel compelled to list them here:

• With the exception of the fourth floor, you are welcome to roam the hotel and its grounds as you please. But you must never set foot outside of our land – not until our child is old enough to fulfil their duties. If I were to do so, it would unleash pandemonium – plague, peril, perhaps another world war. I’m afraid you would be less crucial to the fate of the world, but it would certainly be a personal disaster.
• Never look in the mirrors in room 33.

So, that’s my proposal. If you think you could be the man for me, I invite you to visit. You will need to drink a cup of ram’s blood (a pinch of nutmeg makes it a little more tolerable) and light a black candle before bedtime. When you next wake, you will find yourself at our gates. As travel arrangements go, it’s hardly the Orient Express, but it beats the airfare.
If you have read this without flinching, if you can stomach the journey to get here, if you walk up to our door and find the nerve to open it, I have one more instruction for you.
Just as you enter, look to your right. You will see a deep brown stain on the carpet, running the length of the entire lobby. I’ve scrubbed and scrubbed but it just won’t come out. Perhaps that’s for the best. It’s a good reminder of what will happen to you should you call Mrs Jones a “nosy old bat”.
And when you run into Jimmy – as you will, for he likes hanging around the bar in the evening, his silvery wounds still glistening as though they had just been inflicted – don’t let him convince you he was some sort of victim.
He knew the rules.

Background

The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like. -AGOT, Sansa II

GRRM has been hinting around about Sandor Clegane and his relationship with fire since the beginning (its the first thing mentioned about him in AGOT, Eddard I). In this post I thought I would explore that a bit and see what it could mean for TWoW.
Note: I don't think gods exist in ASOIAF, they are just sources of magic. So when I say R'hllor throughout the post I pretty much just mean "fire magic".
The Initial Burning
While the Hound is walking Sansa home from the Hand's Tourney, he gives Sansa the story of how he was burned:

"Most of them, they think it was some battle. A siege, a burning tower, an enemy with a torch. One fool asked if it was dragonsbreath." His laugh was softer this time, but just as bitter. "I'll tell you what it was, girl," he said, a voice from the night, a shadow leaning so close now that she could smell the sour stench of wine on his breath. "I was younger than you, six, maybe seven. A woodcarver set up shop in the village under my father's keep, and to buy favor he sent us gifts. The old man made marvelous toys. I don't remember what I got, but it was Gregor's gift I wanted. A wooden knight, all painted up, every joint pegged separate and fixed with strings, so you could make him fight. Gregor is five years older than me, the toy was nothing to him, he was already a squire, near six foot tall and muscled like an ox. So I took his knight, but there was no joy to it, I tell you. I was scared all the while, and true enough, he found me. There was a brazier in the room. Gregor never said a word, just picked me up under his arm and shoved the side of my face down in the burning coals and held me there while I screamed and screamed. You saw how strong he is. Even then, it took three grown men to drag him off me. The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like. -AGOT, Sansa II

Bran's Vision
Several chapters before that, we see the Hound's "terrible face" in Bran's vision of the shadows during his coma dream (note that the scope of the series was much smaller here):

He looked south, and saw the great blue-green rush of the Trident. He saw his father pleading with the king, his face etched with grief. He saw Sansa crying herself to sleep at night, and he saw Arya watching in silence and holding her secrets hard in her heart. There were shadows all around them. One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood. -AGOT, Bran III

worth noting that R'hllor is referred to as the "god of flame and shadow" as well:

On one side is R'hllor, the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow. Against him stands the Great Other whose name may not be spoken, the Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, the God of Night and Terror. Ours is not a choice between Baratheon and Lannister, between Greyjoy and Stark. It is death we choose, or life. Darkness, or light." -ASOS, Davos III

The Blackwater
In his next encounter with fire, the Hound flees the Battle on the Blackwater:

The night of the battle, Sandor Clegane had come to her chambers to take her from the city, but Sansa had refused. Sometimes she lay awake at night, wondering if she'd been wise. She had his stained white cloak hidden in a cedar chest beneath her summer silks. She could not say why she'd kept it. The Hound had turned craven, she heard it said; at the height of the battle, he got so drunk the Imp had to take his men. But Sansa understood. She knew the secret of his burned face. It was only the fire he feared. That night, the wildfire had set the river itself ablaze, and filled the very air with green flame. Even in the castle, Sansa had been afraid. Outside . . . she could scarcely imagine it. -ASOS, Sansa I

Trial by Combat
When Sandor fights Beric we see a flaming sword seemingly begin to defeat the Hound:

The flaming sword leapt up to meet the cold one, long streamers of fire trailing in its wake like the ribbons the Hound had spoken of. Steel rang on steel. No sooner was his first slash blocked than Clegane made another, but this time Lord Beric's shield got in the way, and wood chips flew from the force of the blow. Hard and fast the cuts came, from low and high, from right and left, and each one Dondarrion blocked. The flames swirled about his sword and left red and yellow ghosts to mark its passage. Each move Lord Beric made fanned them and made them burn the brighter, until it seemed as though the lightning lord stood within a cage of fire. "Is it wildfire?" Arya asked Gendry.
"No. This is different. This is . . ." -ASOS, Arya VI

but at the very end we see Sandor somehow win this "holy thing":

Smooth as summer silk, Lord Beric slid close to make an end of the man before him. The Hound gave a rasping scream, raised his sword in both hands and brought it crashing down with all his strength. Lord Beric blocked the cut easily . . .
"Noooooo," Arya shrieked.. . .
but the burning sword snapped in two, and the Hound's cold steel plowed into Lord Beric's flesh where his shoulder joined his neck and clove him clean down to the breastbone. The blood came rushing out in a hot black gush.
Sandor Clegane jerked backward, still burning. He ripped the remnants of his shield off and flung them away with a curse, then rolled in the dirt to smother the fire running along his arm. -ASOS, Arya VI

so he is set free by the Brotherhood, minus his gold (Fun Fact: The Brotherhood ends up with a good amount of gold from the Hand's Tourney).
What's Next?
When the Hound begins to follow them, some members want him dead but Thoros states that there must be some purpose left for Sandor.

Lord Beric shook his head. "Clegane won his life beneath the hollow hill. I will not rob him of it."
"My lord is wise," Thoros told the others. "Brothers, a trial by battle is a holy thing. You heard me ask R'hllor to take a hand, and you saw his fiery finger snap Lord Beric's sword, just as he was about to make an end of it. The Lord of Light is not yet done with Joffrey's Hound, it would seem." -ASOS, Arya VII

and I seem to think that similar to the show, the next step in Sandor's plotline (after Brother Ray (show) and Elder Brother (book series) is another encounter with the Brotherhood without Banners.

• The Brotherhood is likely using his helm to lure others into traps as we could potentially see with Lyle Crakehall. If interested: The (Strong)Boar & the "Hound" and:

"Where is she?"
"A day's ride. I can take you to her, ser … but you will need to come alone. Elsewise, the Hound will kill her." -ADWD, Jaime I

• The Elder brother was the last person to see the Sandor alive as he tells Brienne (they also have his horse). After the Red Wedding, Lady Stoneheart and the BwB were hot on Arya/The Hound's trail before losing them (they find get his helm from Rorge). It is current unknown if Brienne has given this information to the Brotherhood/LSH or not but it definitely ties together the plotline. If interested: Arya Stark: The Key to Jaime/Brienne & Lady Stoneheart

Sandor in Hell
Doesn't really deserve its own section, but I thought this matched up really well:

The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like. -AGOT, Sansa II

and:

Lem grabbed her wrist and twisted, wrenching the dagger away. She kicked at him, but he would not give it back. "You go to hell, Hound," she screamed at Sandor Clegane in helpless empty-handed rage. "You just go to hell!"
"He has," said a voice scarce stronger than a whisper. -ASOS, Arya VI

Random Thoughts

• With the identity of "The Hound" shifting from Sandor to Rorge and then Lem, it has created a Legacy Character
• The Hound wanted to sell Arya to Lysa but stopped due to weathebeasts/mountain clans. I am only half joking when I say maybe he would have changed his mind if he knew how much the Burned Men respected fire mutilation. If interested: The Vale Mountain Clans in TWoW
• While not "confirmed" the novice gravedigger on the Quiet Isle is likely Sandor. He is lame. That said the Elder Brother and Thoros are both noted "healers". We have also seen lame characters fight via horseback (ex: The Hedge Knight) although I am not sure this is necessary for his character arc.

Note: Sorry this post is pretty choppy. The new reddit posting interface is pretty terrible to deal with.
TLDR: It is no secret that GRRM has been building up Sandor Clegane (formerly the Hound) and fire from the beginning. With him surviving his fight with a flaming sword (not wildfire) there is some potential "purpose" left for his life (Arya wouldn't end it for him either).

How much mess will it make? We've a few upcoming plans that I think we've organised in the wrong order.
We're booked in to replace the concrete paving on the driveway with gravel in June. The supply runs somewhere under the driveway, and then through to the side of the house which will still be paved.
Had a plumber round as I thought we should probably replace the pipes before the driveway is replaced as it doesn't make sense to make a mess of it just after it's done.
Plumber told me they won't need to dig it up as they'll use moling so it's not that messy.
We're still waiting for approval from the water company to come through and it's getting a bit tight now to fit it in before the driveway would be done so I'm interested to hear other experiences.
Thanks!

I‘ve always been a huge fan of HTTYD. It all started with the first Movie in 2010, it really felt special to me as a kid. Watched it twice in the cinema with my parents and it used to be my favourite Movie until Dragons 2 came out in 2014. I basically grew up with HTTYD, I watched every Movie, every series except for T9R and every special. I had, and still have merch. Toothless always was and probably always will be one of my favourite characters ever if not my favourite character ever. The way Hiccup and Toothless‘ bond is depicted in the Movies just always felt special to me. The way Toothless and Hiccup develop this almost symbiotic relationship is unique in any way. HTTYD is THE ONLY franchise of animated films I still like to watch as of now. Growing up to this amazing franchise with HTTYD 1/2, RTTE, ROB and DOB and GOTNF really defined my childhood so I still am very emotional and nostalgic about the whole franchise. I grew up, moved out of my parents house and studied, but I didn‘t forget about HTTYD. I took all of my merchandising and collectibles with me into my apartment and waited for HTTYD 3 to release. I have to admit, I didn’t really inform myself about Dean DeBlois interviews concerning the future of HTTYD in about 2014, since I‘m not a native English speaker and the interview didn’t really circulate through German movie news and I was simply too young to really get into Movie news and especially on English platforms and such stuff as of 2014, so I totally missed that. So I really didn’t know what to expect from THW. I simply waited for it to release. Originally it was scheduled for 2016 and then delayed to 2017 if i remember correctly, so basically it would’ve come out in my teenage years. Then it was delayed to 2019 and well, as soon as it got into the cinemas here in Germany I simply felt like I had to go and watch it. I reserved me some tickets for the movie for the launch day and just went. Again, I really didn't know that THW was always planned as the end for this amazing series of Movies. My expectations were high. As soon as the movie started and I got into the Storyline I felt involved into plot and the events of the Movie. I felt nostalgia and excitement at the same time while watching the movie. I was really having a great time, not expecting what was to come. Then right about when the Light Fury saved Toothless and the music started to get sadder I thought there was something off. And well, there was. Hiccup and all the other Berkians saying farewell to their beloved dragons. To be totally honest I didn't really care for any dragon except for Toothless at the time being and I probably still don‘t really care for any other dragon. I started to really get emotional, not really questioning the whole Event just feeling parted between anger because of the way this movie was ending and sadness because Toothless basically was gone forever. I left the cinema before the part with the reunion of Hiccup and Toothless ten years after the main plot simply because I was so annoyed. I really felt down for the next couple of days, really thinking about the ending non stop, but I still saw no sense in doing it like it was done. I tried to ignore the fact the ending seemed so definitive and is planned as a way to really conclude the movie series, still hoping for more to come. I didn't watch the Movie for four years straight, completely ignoring it, only watching HTTYD 1/2, the variety of series and the special GOTNF. I rediscovered the movie in summer 2023. I saw the 4K version on sale at Amazon and thought: „Why not give it another shot?“, I ordered it as the Steelbook version to add it too my collection and was hyped for the delivery. I rewatched HTTYD 1 and 2 and at the weekend it finally was time to give THW another chance. Once again, I enjoyed the movie, had a great time, but I couldn’t stop noticing the way the whole movie seems to want to introduce the viewer to a Hiccup without Toothless. I really started getting upset, every single event seemed to be an introduction to the grand finale, especially when Astrid talks to Valka about the way Hiccup needs to learn he’s the same great Person and leader without Toothless. I started crying and sobbing a bit about halfway through the film, knowing what was going to happen. I still tried enjoying the movie. But then again, this really emotionally distressing scene. I really cried my eyes out. But then I noticed the movie wasn’t over yet. I felt the same emotions that I had the first time I watched THW after Toothless left, not really caring for Hiccup‘s and Astrid‘s wedding. Well, then Hiccup came, now with his mighty beard and all grown up, looking into the distance and telling a tale of how dragons used to live in their world. The camera focuses on a nearby isle, covered in fog and… I didn’t really trust my eyes at first… Toothless! I felt euphoric, really happy that I discovered this scene. But it was bittersweet, knowing this still probably is the ending to the Trilogy. Anyways… what am I trying to say? I am trying to say that I hate the way this movie and so the Trilogy ends. I not only hate it because I‘m a fan or because I‘ll miss Toothless. No it just didn‘t really make sense to me. It didn‘t felt like it was supposed to already be the end of this Movie series. I started looking up if there were more movies planned and only now discovered those interviews I mentioned earlier, where Dean DeBlois states that THW is going to be THE END. I learnt to somewhat live with the ending. I just watched the movie again a few days ago… mistake…mistake…mistake! I always feel down after watching it, no matter how often I watch it. But now I really started thinking about the ending and why it didn‘t seem like the right way to end this great critically acclaimed Movie series. Reading some old German and English reviews and YouTube video of people reacting to the movie. It seemed like almost anyone was kind of okay with the ending, not noticing how it pretty much had so many flaws in it, at least thats what I think, that I really started thinking: „Are you the only one who hates this ending? Are you stupid? Didn't you get it? Come on, this can‘t be true.“
So I decided to ask you, fellow Redditors here on httyd about your opinion: Did you feel like ending was rushed? If so, feel free to comment what bothered you most and what you would've preferred the Movie/the movie series to go on or end. If you don't feel like that and actually enjoy the ending, also feel free to comment why you liked this ending or why you felt like it was necessary. Disclaimer, please don‘t talk about the way a possible continuation of the movies could've felt like a cash grab or that DeBlois wanted the movies to end like the book, I already know those two arguments, get creative, guys!
View Poll

SAGE
The book Wintersteel opens with the last moments of Adama the Sword sage in sacred valley in which we learn more about the nature of sages and their powers.
Dross Shows Lindon memories from northstrider as a sage and how sages advance to monarch.
we learn the exact difference between sages and heralds as well as the nature of the eightman empire powers.
The 8 uncrowned are each coached by a sage and most of Yerin's interaction is spent with her two sages. As well as the sage of red faith.
Yerin spends most of the book trying to sense the Sword icon and succeed the Sword sage. her overlord revelation is that she is not the Sword sage and to defeat Sophara she gives up her connection to the Sword icon and her clear path to sword sage.
At the End of the book as Lindon is searching for his overlord revelation and the significance of his powers, He embodies and manifest the void icon becoming a sage.
The word sage is written 425 times throughout the book which is the highest number of times any stage of advancement is mentioned in the book.
This is the book where Sages are most active and focused on.
We also learn that Wintersteel is the material used to make badges for sages.
Guess calling the book Sage would have been too much of a spoiler.

I didn’t really care for Octopath Traveler. I did beat it but more out of a sense of obligation than actual enjoyment. The visuals and music were obviously great but I thought the stories were dull and predictable, the game was a huge grind, and the game used five minutes of dialogue to convey things that could have been done in half the time. I found it aesthetically beautiful and the combat wasn’t bad but over the course of the runtime I found it became extremely dull.
So, I didn’t give Octopath 2 much thought until I saw so many people saying they didn’t care for the first game but the second was great, their GOTY, etc.
So, I picked it up and…I’m not really seeing it? All of my issues with the first game are mostly intact. The characters are a little more charming. The combat is a little bit improved. OCCASIONALLY a chapter will eschew the “town cutscenes then dungeon then cutscenes” format but only rarely. I mostly just find it to be a slightly more polished version of the first game.
For people whose opinion on the series was turned around by this one, what specifically did you find so improved?

If I'm posting and rambling too much y'all ignore me. I've just found such community here and it's so helpful.
So, I know a lot of the advice I see in this thread and from AA folks (I don't attend currently but I think it's super helpful!) is that you need to have hobbies. I have an abundance of those. I have never been short on hobbies, I write, paint, read, crochet, am really into movies, I cook, draw, color, love board games and puzzles.
...but somehow when I get the urge to drink I can't... Distract myself? The urge is so strong and overwhelming that the idea of doing any of that stuff just seems annoying to me. Most of the time I just sit around until I'm tired enough to lay down. I have a lot of trouble sleeping as I have had chronic insomnia all of my life. So I lay in bed until it gets too late to reasonably go get anything to drink (but I'm surrounded by 24hr options anyway) and I just...am mad. I get so annoyed and irritated when I decide I want a drink. Which is most days. And I usually don't drink. But how are y'all doing all this stuff? Did you have to wait until later into your sobriety to care about doing any of it?
I don't know how to say what I want to say. Just that when I get that urge, I get so MAD that I "can't" drink that I waste a lot of time doing just nothing. There's so many projects I could be catching up on, books I could be finishing faster than I am (I do read pretty consistently) and movies I could be watching. But I just don't want to do any of it.
The people closest to me tell me they can tell when I'm craving a drink because I won't "commit" to anything. I won't engage in social activities, I won't get started on my crochet or reading in the evenings, I won't even start a movie. It just feels impossible and paralyzing in those moments.
How do I stop wasting so much time thinking about drinking even when I'm not? Does the obsessiveness go away in time? Is it actually time wasted even if I'm not drinking? Because it really feels like it when I COULD be doing anything else. I'm tired of scrolling through social media not even really seeing anything passing on my screen because I'm thinking about alcohol and how I can't have any.
Anyway, idk if this made any sense at all...but thanks for listening y'all.

1. Parallelismus Membrorum:

- *Definition:* A rhetorical device where phrases or sentences are structured in parallel form. - *Example:* Create a poem using parallelismus membrorum to emphasize a profound truth or observation. 

1. Rubaiyat:

- *Definition:* A form of Persian poetry with quatrains and a specific rhyme scheme. - *Example:* Write a rubaiyat exploring the themes of love, mortality, or philosophical reflections. 

1. Blues Poem:

- *Definition:* Poetry inspired by the musical and emotional elements of blues music. - *Example:* Craft a blues poem expressing the struggles and resilience of everyday life. 

1. Erasure Poetry:

- *Definition:* Creating poetry by erasing or blacking out existing text, leaving only selected words visible. - *Example:* Create an erasure poem using a page from a newspaper or a novel, transforming it into a new narrative. 

1. Anaphora:

- *Definition:* A rhetorical device involving the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. - *Example:* Write a poem using anaphora to convey a sense of urgency or reflection. 

1. Tetractys:

- *Definition:* A five-line poem with a specific syllable count (1, 2, 3, 4, 10). - *Example:* Craft a tetractys exploring the stages of personal growth or a transformative experience. 

1. Sijo:

- *Definition:* A traditional Korean poetic form with three lines, each with fourteen to sixteen syllables. - *Example:* Write a sijo capturing a moment of beauty or introspection. 

1. Blitz Poem:

- *Definition:* A form of poetry with a rapid, stream-of-consciousness style and repetition. - *Example:* Create a blitz poem exploring the chaos and beauty of urban life. 

1. Epitaph:

- *Definition:* A short inscription on a tombstone or a commemorative poem for the deceased. - *Example:* Write an epitaph honoring a fictional or historical figure with a poignant message. 

1. Prothalamion:

- *Definition:* A poem celebrating a forthcoming marriage or wedding. - *Example:* Craft a prothalamion capturing the anticipation and joy surrounding a wedding day. 

I’ll try to keep this short but there is a lot of nuance. In the past 1-2 years I have recently reconnected with some friends from my younger days (high school into young adult hood). We will call them Aaron (27 M) and Ashley (28->29 F) and I am 28 F. I previously stopped talking to both of them because of unfulfilled promises. Back in 2018, Aaron’s fiancé had moved to another country with his son and my boyfriend of 1 year plus had left to attend a family wedding and would be gone for close to a month.
Aaron and I in our mutual distress wanted to figure out a solution to our problems. Aaron was unable to fly due to not having papers as was worried his fiancé was lonely and I wanted to be with my partners family. Aaron had promised he would have paid for me to go on my trip before everyone left so my boyfriend’s dad did not count me in the budget for the tickets. With his fiancé leaving it then became I would go be part of the wedding then go stay with his fiancé for a bit. Aaron eventually ended up trying to proposition me for sec in exchange for the spend and that did not rub me right. This eventually carried forward into other issues tied to his affections and expectations of me which resulted in us no longer being friends.
We reconnected in 2022 where he apologized and explained more why he did what he did. My boyfriend asked if I was sure I wanted to welcome him back into my life and that he would trust my judgement if I choose to, which I did. Ashley and I stopped being friends back in 2017 because we had planned a trip for us and our partners. She stated she would use her buddy passes since she was a flight attendant to make the ticket costs cheaper.
The week before the trip it becomes I cannot bring my boyfriend. I was very confused by this. Severely confused by this so I asked why she said she didn’t feel comfortable with it. So I said okay. Don’t use your passes. We will pay for our trip and we can stay with his family. She said she still wanted me to stay with her. So I said okay. We will come, he stays with his family and I stay with you. We can all hang out and grab lunch and stuff and him and I go on dates and such.
Then she explicitly states the trip will not happen if I take him with me. Then she tries to turn it into a trip with people we have not seen from high school to recreate a sleepover we had in the 8th grade that got ruined by our parents. (That’s another story. I will add here my mom does not like Ashley never has) in the end it was all just too much and I decided that I no longer wanted to be friends with her because what she was doing was messed up especially so close to the trip. This on top of all the on and off issues I had with her through the duration of high school just didn’t seem worth it to take into adulthood.
Now 2023 Ashley reached out and apologizes. I was very torn up about the decision but after speaking with my therapist and weighing the risks decided it couldn’t hurt to try again. Both my gf and my bf were opposed to the decision but at the end of the day the choice was mine and I chose forgiveness.
Fall of 2023 my gf and I were planning a Christmas trip and Ashley said she didn’t get to see me while she was I my country because of the traumas she was dealing with with her mom so she would like to see me now. I told her I was going to fly out to spend the holiday with my gf so I didn’t think it would be possible. She stated she would see me in the time before I went to see my GF. I told her because of the trip I couldn’t afford it. She said that’s fine.
She would pay for the ticket for me to see her and I worked out an arrangement with my girlfriend where we would split the fair for the flights between all three locations and said her to do what happened the last time and I said yeah I can trust her. It doesn’t happen and that will be that. Lo and behold it does not happen because Ashley says to me two weeks before oh I overdid my shopping on Black Friday so I can’t buy your plane ticket. Ofc this makes me gf big mad and she says see I told you so. She was also confused why I was not upset. I explained that it wasn’t that I was not upset simply that it doesn’t really change much. I just won’t ask her for anything again. Which I haven’t and won’t.
Fast forward to spring 2024. The group is back together, we’re having weekly calls and our group chat chatting and having a blast. We decide we haven’t spent time as a group since 2017 so we should go see Aaron where he lives. I state very openly that I won’t be able to afford this trip. (Both Aaron and Ashley make a minimum of twice my income). Aaron says that’s fine I’ve got you covered. I question it and explain my hesitances because of both past situations. He said that’s fine don’t worry. I said okay. Let’s do this. The trip is slated for now (may 2024) and encompassed Ashley’s birthday.
A lot of things start happening in Aaron’s life and the ticket purchase gets repeatedly pushed off. This starts to make Ashley antsy so she buys her ticket hoping it pushes Aaron’s to buy my ticket. It does not. In moment of anxiety Ashley starts booking airbnbs for her self and asking how much I trust Aaron to follow through. I assure her that I do trust him follow through which I did. Because outside of the one trip he hasn’t not come through when I needed him too. I also stated at worst I end up buying my own ticket but I need to see what my expenses will look like in the end.
We are down to the wire my ticket is not bought so I start adjusting my bills. In the end I am not able to afford the ticket because even after short paying my bills I was left with roughly $120 which isn’t enough to book a flight or an airbnb for a week.
I told Ashley I would still try to figure it out and reached out to Aaron once more. He said yeah he has the money now but it doesn’t feel like a good time. The energy is off and he wouldn’t want me to come and something bad happens. I agree because what else would I do? It’s not my money nor does he actually owe me anything.
Ashley reaches out because I forgot to get back to her. To confirm The plan and I explain that I won’t be able to come because I really can’t afford it and it doesn’t make sense for me to put myself in a situation to be in a strange country with no emergency funds.
Ashley decides my friendship with her will fully change and she won’t take my word for anything again because I didn’t come to avoid having a bad trip not taking her feelings into consideration.
In the midst of this I start feeling anger towards both of them because Aaron didn’t come through as promised and Ashley has written me off over choosing responsibilities. My boyfriend said to speak to both of them and express what I am feeling to see what happens. I was able to resolve things with Aaron and come to a mutual understanding. However when I reached out to Ashley, she said she is on a high and doesn’t want to deal with this right now. She is making new friends and would like to clarify that I am no longer her best friend. She will listen to me when I talk but that’s about it. In my eyes that is a therapist not a friend and I already pay someone for that.
Am I wrong if I decide I don’t want to fix things with Ashley? Is she right for deciding I am not worthy of actual friendship?

I love my job it doesn't pay well but it's creative and very collaborative which overall gives me a sense of fulfillment.
It's creating visualisations for architectural projects (residential and business) lots of beautiful and interesting buildings we work on for the UK and around the world. But with the advent of AI art they can basically fire 99% of people at my company and have a few people on tidy up whatever the AI spits out. Which is not challenging or creative so even being kept on doesn't appeal to me much.
I'm 30 so happy to entirely jump ship and learn a new career I have no dependents or a mortgage so can take time learning something new which is safer from automation. (Trades? Healthcare?)
But not sure if it would be worth my while doubling down on something I already know a bit of (3D art/visuals/architecture/property marketing).
Feels a shame to walk away from something I loved to do for five years, but I would rather prepare myself for the future and be practical about it.
Any advice at all is welcome, cheers.

More thoughts on been censored and banned.

Here is a copy of the post that got me banned from reddit. The methodology I used to determine covid costs and excess covid costs was to take the number of daily hospitalizations from covid, multiply that by 10,000 (the daily cost of a hospital stay) and then figure out what 15% (the approximate number of uninsured/indigent) of that number is and plug those numbers in the appropriate slots. Then, you compare our current case numbers to other comparable metro areas and determine our excess cases. That would be the cost directly attributable to the terrorist response that ignored the realities of how pandemics and public health responses actually work. Regardless of blame, those numbers represent the cost to the citizens of our ongoing covid situation. Those numbers, both the gross costs of covid and the excess costs of covid. Those costs having been draining various charities over the last four years and have led directly to cutbacks in legitimate government services to the County at large. Now you can ban me or my writing, but these costs aren't going to go away and the financial mismanagement of covid, as well as debt, is leading to the financial ruin of this county.
"I'm finding out something about writing about budgets. Having eyesight good enough to pour through these figures is vital. Sadly, my eye surgery won't be until July so a real time budget analysis will simply prove too big a task for me to do well. I can cover some highlights and ask a few pertinent questions though.For starters is every Knox County employee outside of the schools really happy about taking a pay cut? This is six straight years they've gone backwards under Glenn Jacobs. While I understand that my platform which emphasized across the board raises until we got County employees up to a competitive pay level with living wages was soundly rejected, but are County employees really happy with getting screwed every single year? You have to wonder.
Second, what kind of feedback is the Sheriff's office giving about the Mayor taking back the raise that didn't even get the deputies up to professional standard? After this year, our deputies will once again be among the lowest paid officers with some of the worst benefits in the nation. I understand many of the culture problems and quality control issues in the Sheriff's department, but it's time we recognized that we get what we pay for in law enforcement. We won't provide full health insurance and we no longer have a pension for our deputies, at least not in any meaningful sense. We are just going to have to live with the quality level the Mayor is willing to fund. If all the Mayor is willing to shell out for is a group of jack-booted gestapo who depend on graft to make ends meet, then that's what we're going to get. This is still a market economy. Pay rates still determine the quality of our employees.
Third, are the teachers really going to fall for the same scam the Mayor pulled on said deputies last year? Their raise is only significant when viewed through a lens comparing it to the way Jacobs has been bending them over and screwing them for the past six years. The School Board is not only showing support for the local Nazis attempting to ban books, but now they've given the nod nod wink wink to allowing guns in schools. What kind of irresponsible self serving totalitarians can completely ignore the real long term needs and goals of our school system and just discount the need to recruit and retain teachers as superfluous. The leadership of this School Board acts completely in the interests of pursuing partisan political goals. That is the very definition of terrorism. We need dedicated public servants in the role of School Board chair, not terrorists. Unless we demand a change in philosophy, that change won't come. Partisan political goals have no place in our school system and allowing the local crypto-nazis to determine the path our schools take is definitely the wrong way to go.
When is the Mayor going to come clean on the Choto/Northshore improvements? We have not completed the projects Ragsdale started and frankly, what the County is in charge of, with the possible exception of some of the greenway work Larsen Jay has championed, that stretch of road looks like shit and is less than functional depending on the time of day.
Fourth, where is the covid response money at in this budget? Last week we averaged ten patients a day in the hospital with covid at an uninsured rate of somewhere north of 15%. That works out to 15,000 a day or over five million a year in indigent covid costs. This is a week when covid is under control. We currently are looking at less than eight weeks a year at this rate. We have roughly the same number of weeks at ten times that amount, so we are looking at about 35-50 million a year in uninsured covid costs and the fed has cut the money off to cover them. Our response to covid thus far has been about 20-100% worse than comparable cities who had a real covid response meaning the direct costs of Jacobs irresponsible incompetence in this area alone will cost the county between 10-20 million.
You folks want to know where your raises went? Jacobs took them when he refused to mitigate covid and entrenched us at a disease rate that has kept us at pandemic levels longer than any other like sized city in America. I use Madison Wi. as the city I compare to. Compare for yourself.What I am struggling with though, is where is Jacobs hiding this expenditure. We know he's paying for his covid policy rather than give the raises these loyal employees are earning, but where is he hiding it in the budget? That is the question. The figure I found for indigent care came to less than 250,000 a year. Where is the rest of these tens of millions? Is he just forgoing the County's fiduciary responsibilities and dumping these costs on us as consumers with higher charges for medical care and health insurance? It's time to pay the piper. We knew there would be long term implications to our covid response, and there are. The issue is that by not being upfront about these costs the Mayor Jacobs is doing nothing more than perpetrating a fraud against the citizens of Knox County and just stealing money outright from every single one of us.

Healing from a broken heart is a deeply personal journey that involves emotional, mental, and sometimes physical recovery. Here are several strategies to help you through the process:

1. Allow Yourself to Grieve

• Acknowledge Your Pain: It's important to accept your feelings of sadness, anger, confusion, or betrayal. Suppressing emotions can delay the healing process.
• Cry if You Need To: Tears are a natural way to release pent-up emotions and can be very therapeutic.

2. Lean on Your Support System

• Talk to Friends and Family: Sharing your feelings with trusted friends or family members can provide comfort and perspective.
• Seek Professional Help: A therapist or counselor can offer valuable support and coping strategies tailored to your situation .

3. Engage in Self-Care

• Prioritize Your Health: Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep to maintain your physical well-being.
• Pamper Yourself: Treat yourself to activities or things that make you feel good, whether it’s a spa day, a new book, or a hobby you love.

4. Rediscover Yourself

• Reflect on Your Goals and Interests: Reconnect with your passions and hobbies, or explore new ones. This can be a great time for personal growth.
• Set New Goals: Having something to look forward to can provide motivation and a sense of purpose.

5. Limit Contact with Your Ex

• Take a Break: If possible, avoid contact with your ex-partner to give yourself space to heal.
• Remove Reminders: Temporarily put away photos or mementos that trigger painful memories .

6. Focus on the Present

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Practicing mindfulness or meditation can help you stay grounded in the present moment and reduce anxiety about the past or future.
• Engage in Activities: Stay busy with work, volunteering, or hobbies to keep your mind occupied and productive.

7. Learn from the Experience

• Reflect on the Relationship: Consider what you can learn from the relationship and the breakup. This can help you grow and make healthier choices in the future.
• Forgive and Let Go: Forgiveness, whether it’s for your ex or yourself, can be a powerful step towards healing.

8. Give It Time

• Be Patient with Yourself: Healing takes time, and it's different for everyone. Allow yourself the time you need to process and move forward.

9. Seek New Experiences

• Meet New People: When you’re ready, socializing and meeting new people can help you move on and open up new possibilities.
• Travel or Try New Activities: Sometimes a change of scenery or a new adventure can provide a fresh perspective.

Resources and Support

• Books and Articles: There are many self-help books and articles that offer advice on healing from a broken heart.
• Support Groups: Online or in-person support groups can provide community and understanding from others who have gone through similar experiences.

Healing from a broken heart is not a linear process and can involve many ups and downs. The key is to be kind to yourself, seek support when needed, and give yourself the time and space to heal fully.Healing from a broken heart is a deeply personal journey that involves emotional, mental, and sometimes physical recovery. Here are several strategies to help you through the process:1. Allow Yourself to GrieveAcknowledge Your Pain: It's important to accept your feelings of sadness, anger, confusion, or betrayal. Suppressing emotions can delay the healing process. Cry if You Need To: Tears are a natural way to release pent-up emotions and can be very therapeutic.2. Lean on Your Support SystemTalk to Friends and Family: Sharing your feelings with trusted friends or family members can provide comfort and perspective. Seek Professional Help: A therapist or counselor can offer valuable support and coping strategies tailored to your situation .3. Engage in Self-CarePrioritize Your Health: Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep to maintain your physical well-being. Pamper Yourself: Treat yourself to activities or things that make you feel good, whether it’s a spa day, a new book, or a hobby you love.4. Rediscover YourselfReflect on Your Goals and Interests: Reconnect with your passions and hobbies, or explore new ones. This can be a great time for personal growth. Set New Goals: Having something to look forward to can provide motivation and a sense of purpose.5. Limit Contact with Your ExTake a Break: If possible, avoid contact with your ex-partner to give yourself space to heal. Remove Reminders: Temporarily put away photos or mementos that trigger painful memories .6. Focus on the PresentMindfulness and Meditation: Practicing mindfulness or meditation can help you stay grounded in the present moment and reduce anxiety about the past or future. Engage in Activities: Stay busy with work, volunteering, or hobbies to keep your mind occupied and productive.7. Learn from the ExperienceReflect on the Relationship: Consider what you can learn from the relationship and the breakup. This can help you grow and make healthier choices in the future. Forgive and Let Go: Forgiveness, whether it’s for your ex or yourself, can be a powerful step towards healing.8. Give It TimeBe Patient with Yourself: Healing takes time, and it's different for everyone. Allow yourself the time you need to process and move forward.9. Seek New ExperiencesMeet New People: When you’re ready, socializing and meeting new people can help you move on and open up new possibilities. Travel or Try New Activities: Sometimes a change of scenery or a new adventure can provide a fresh perspective.Resources and SupportBooks and Articles: There are many self-help books and articles that offer advice on healing from a broken heart. Support Groups: Online or in-person support groups can provide community and understanding from others who have gone through similar experiences.Healing from a broken heart is not a linear process and can involve many ups and downs. The key is to be kind to yourself, seek support when needed, and give yourself the time and space to heal fully.

So Far i have read up to Chp 755. Here is my Opinion regarding COI take with a grain of salt. Constructive criticism is appreciated but pls dont harass me just coz we dont share some POV.
Just like my other denizens i couldnt understand shit abt thr Whole Cordy Arc yet i still continued reading bcoz I had faith in CF.That said it made some sense at the end of the arc albeit still couldnt understand it fully.i had similar feelings abt Lotm's Vol 1.From there on it got better. Here are the things i have found weird/problem with. 1)Lumian getting lots of shit for little to no cost. And this alone is not an issue individuals can get lucky once in a while no? It will be a problem however if no proper price is exacted for fate's Marvelous Bestowments. Klein's early Life was all giggles and Adventures but he had to pay for it later and Book 1 ending with him going to sleep to cope with his madness.
2)Side Characters are too narrow.Not well sketched enough ofc this is my humble opinion. Anthony is non existent kinda like Xio Book1 totally Invisible.Not much Character development to see save for Subtle changes in Franca and somewhat decent growth in jenna.Maybe i should be patient Audrey/Alger didnt grow in a Volume or 2 Only at Vol7 Could i see clearly how much they changed.
3)Villians/antagonists dont even remotely pose a threat.Thr Hanging sword feeling isnt there. Lumian has a sealed angel in him meaning u cant kill if u aint atleast Seq3.Plus those idiots covet termi soo much for their rituals and stuff.Plus him being Dual Pathway and his resources which are really good for a mid sequencer.
4) Expanding on the Dual Pathway thing.i feel like it was a missed opportunity not to make Outer God Bestowed act.Having to Act for Dancer Pathway would balance Lumian's absurd advancing of Hunter pathway.It also makes the Heretics on avg.stronger than Official Beyonders. The advantage only Increases the Higher thr Sequence the only saving grace is no Angel lvl boons which will change soon too.
That said I Hope lumian has to pay a decent price for Adam's free help so far. The Only way for the Theme of this Novel/World setting CF crafted to remain accurate for COI is for Lumian not to get a happy ending Either he gets his wish to wish revive at his Own Life's Cost or He gets power at the cost of her ressurection.B4 u go mad remember what happened to Klein at the end of Sequence 4 Undying his illusions of ever returning home were bashed forever very much in line with a World whose underlying theme CF said clearly is "Suffering,pain,Cruelty,Madness & Death". Hence why Lumian needs a Good setback to balance the earlier Supersonic advancement and good luck.His mental state has also been excellent since His treatment which wasnt very intensive or taxing in many ways either. There are ways for the Price of Bestwoment to be exacted including that maybe the Whole Adam Support is a Scam maybe Medici and he are still Cool just a scheme to fetch the Blood Banner for Medici since he cant as he is an Angel [ofc i made a bold assumption here but CF didnt specify if he can fetch it or not] similarly such a scheme May also be a way for Adam to Fish out Eternal Blazing Sun.
Feel free to analyze this and Expand on it Share ur opinions feel free to criticise and disagree.
Regards

Here is a copy of the post that got me banned from reddit. The methodology I used to determine covid costs and excess covid costs was to take the number of daily hospitalizations from covid, multiply that by 10,000 (the daily cost of a hospital stay) and then figure out what 15% (the approximate number of uninsured/indigent) of that number is and plug those numbers in the appropriate slots. Then, you compare our current case numbers to other comparable metro areas and determine our excess cases. That would be the cost directly attributable to the terrorist response that ignored the realities of how pandemics and public health responses actually work. Regardless of blame, those numbers represent the cost to the citizens of our ongoing covid situation. Those numbers, both the gross costs of covid and the excess costs of covid. Those costs having been draining various charities over the last four years and have led directly to cutbacks in legitimate government services to the County at large. Now you can ban me or my writing, but these costs aren't going to go away and the financial mismanagement of covid, as well as debt, is leading to the financial ruin of this county.
"I'm finding out something about writing about budgets. Having eyesight good enough to pour through these figures is vital. Sadly, my eye surgery won't be until July so a real time budget analysis will simply prove too big a task for me to do well. I can cover some highlights and ask a few pertinent questions though.For starters is every Knox County employee outside of the schools really happy about taking a pay cut? This is six straight years they've gone backwards under Glenn Jacobs. While I understand that my platform which emphasized across the board raises until we got County employees up to a competitive pay level with living wages was soundly rejected, but are County employees really happy with getting screwed every single year? You have to wonder.
Second, what kind of feedback is the Sheriff's office giving about the Mayor taking back the raise that didn't even get the deputies up to professional standard? After this year, our deputies will once again be among the lowest paid officers with some of the worst benefits in the nation. I understand many of the culture problems and quality control issues in the Sheriff's department, but it's time we recognized that we get what we pay for in law enforcement. We won't provide full health insurance and we no longer have a pension for our deputies, at least not in any meaningful sense. We are just going to have to live with the quality level the Mayor is willing to fund. If all the Mayor is willing to shell out for is a group of jack-booted gestapo who depend on graft to make ends meet, then that's what we're going to get. This is still a market economy. Pay rates still determine the quality of our employees.
Third, are the teachers really going to fall for the same scam the Mayor pulled on said deputies last year? Their raise is only significant when viewed through a lens comparing it to the way Jacobs has been bending them over and screwing them for the past six years. The School Board is not only showing support for the local Nazis attempting to ban books, but now they've given the nod nod wink wink to allowing guns in schools. What kind of irresponsible self serving totalitarians can completely ignore the real long term needs and goals of our school system and just discount the need to recruit and retain teachers as superfluous. The leadership of this School Board acts completely in the interests of pursuing partisan political goals. That is the very definition of terrorism. We need dedicated public servants in the role of School Board chair, not terrorists. Unless we demand a change in philosophy, that change won't come. Partisan political goals have no place in our school system and allowing the local crypto-nazis to determine the path our schools take is definitely the wrong way to go.
When is the Mayor going to come clean on the Choto/Northshore improvements? We have not completed the projects Ragsdale started and frankly, what the County is in charge of, with the possible exception of some of the greenway work Larsen Jay has championed, that stretch of road looks like shit and is less than functional depending on the time of day.
Fourth, where is the covid response money at in this budget? Last week we averaged ten patients a day in the hospital with covid at an uninsured rate of somewhere north of 15%. That works out to 15,000 a day or over five million a year in indigent covid costs. This is a week when covid is under control. We currently are looking at less than eight weeks a year at this rate. We have roughly the same number of weeks at ten times that amount, so we are looking at about 35-50 million a year in uninsured covid costs and the fed has cut the money off to cover them. Our response to covid thus far has been about 20-100% worse than comparable cities who had a real covid response meaning the direct costs of Jacobs irresponsible incompetence in this area alone will cost the county between 10-20 million.
You folks want to know where your raises went? Jacobs took them when he refused to mitigate covid and entrenched us at a disease rate that has kept us at pandemic levels longer than any other like sized city in America. I use Madison Wi. as the city I compare to. Compare for yourself.What I am struggling with though, is where is Jacobs hiding this expenditure. We know he's paying for his covid policy rather than give the raises these loyal employees are earning, but where is he hiding it in the budget? That is the question. The figure I found for indigent care came to less than 250,000 a year. Where is the rest of these tens of millions? Is he just forgoing the County's fiduciary responsibilities and dumping these costs on us as consumers with higher charges for medical care and health insurance? It's time to pay the piper. We knew there would be long term implications to our covid response, and there are. The issue is that by not being upfront about these costs the Mayor Jacobs is doing nothing more than perpetrating a fraud against the citizens of Knox County and just stealing money outright from every single one of us.

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sink, sir, sister, sit, site, situation, six, size, ski, skill, skin, skirt, sky, slave, sleep, slice, slide, slight, slightly, slip, slow, slowly, small, smart, smell, smile, smoke, smooth, snap, snow, so, so-called, soccer, social, society, soft, software, soil, solar, soldier, sole, solid, solution, solve, some, somebody, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhat, somewhere, son, song, soon, sophisticated, sorry, sort, soul, sound, soup, source, south, southern, Soviet, space, Spanish, speak, speaker, special, specialist, species, specific, specifically, specify, speech, speed, spend, spending, spin, spirit, spiritual, split, spoil, sponsor, sport, spot, spray, spread, spring, square, squeeze, stability, stable, staff, stage, stain, stair, stake, stand, standard, standing, star, stare, start, state, statement, station, statistical, status, stay, steady, steal, steel, steep, stem, step, stick, still, stimulate, stimulus, stir, stock, stomach, stone, stop, storage, store, storm, story, straight, strange, stranger, strategic, strategy, stream, street, strength, strengthen, stress, stretch, strike, string, strip, stroke, strong, strongly, structural, structure, struggle, student, studio, study, stuff, stupid, style, subject, submit, subsequent, substance, substantial, substitute, succeed, success, successful, successfully, such, sudden, suddenly, sue, suffer, sufficient, sugar, suggest, suggestion, suicide, suit, summer, summit, sun, super, supply, support, supporter, suppose, supposed, Supreme, sure, surely, surface, surgery, surprise, surprised, surprising, surprisingly, surround, survey, survival, survive, survivor, suspect, sustain, swear, sweep, sweet, swim, swing, switch, symbol, symptom, system, table, tactic, tail, take, tale, talent, talk, tall, tank, tap, tape, target, task, taste, tax, taxi, tea, teach, teacher, teaching, team, tear, technical, technique, technology, teen, teenager, telephone, telescope, television, tell, temperature, 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During the forecast period from 2024 to 2030, the global smoke detector market is projected to experience substantial growth, with a notable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.5%. By 2030, the market is expected to surpass USD 4.5 billion. This growth is primarily fueled by increasing awareness of fire safety measures, stringent regulations mandating the installation of smoke detectors in residential and commercial buildings, and the growing adoption of smart smoke detection systems. The market is further propelled by rising incidences of fire accidents, highlighting the crucial need for early detection to mitigate property damage and prevent casualties.
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Market Trends:
Rise of Smart Smoke Detectors: There's a significant trend towards the adoption of smart smoke detectors, which offer advanced features such as remote monitoring, smartphone integration, and connectivity with home automation systems. These smart detectors provide homeowners with real-time alerts, enabling them to take immediate action in the event of a fire. Integration with voice assistants and smart home platforms further enhances convenience and accessibility, driving the demand for smart smoke detection solutions.
Enhanced Sensing Technologies: Advancements in sensing technologies, including photoelectric, ionization, and dual-sensor detectors, are shaping the evolution of smoke detectors. Manufacturers are focusing on developing detectors with improved sensitivity, reliability, and false alarm reduction capabilities. Additionally, the integration of advanced sensor technologies such as multi-criteria detection and advanced signal processing algorithms enhances the accuracy and responsiveness of smoke detectors, reducing the risk of false alarms and ensuring timely detection of fires.
Integration with Building Automation Systems: Smoke detectors are increasingly being integrated with building automation systems (BAS) to enable centralized monitoring, control, and management of fire safety systems. Integration with BAS allows for seamless coordination with other building systems such as HVAC, lighting, and access control, enhancing overall building safety and efficiency. Furthermore, integration with fire alarm control panels (FACP) and emergency notification systems (ENS) facilitates rapid response and evacuation procedures in the event of a fire emergency.
Wireless and Battery-Powered Solutions: There's a growing demand for wireless and battery-powered smoke detectors, particularly in retrofit applications and locations where hardwired installations are impractical or cost-prohibitive. Wireless smoke detectors offer flexibility in placement and ease of installation without the need for complex wiring, making them suitable for both residential and commercial settings. Advanced battery technologies, including lithium-ion and long-life batteries, provide extended operational life and reliability, ensuring continuous protection against fire hazards.
Integration of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detection: Smoke detectors with integrated carbon monoxide (CO) detection capabilities are gaining traction in the market, addressing the dual threat of smoke and CO poisoning. These combination detectors offer comprehensive protection against both fire and carbon monoxide hazards, enhancing overall safety in residential and commercial environments. Integration with interconnected alarm systems ensures coordinated alerts and prompt evacuation in the event of smoke or CO detection, mitigating the risk of serious injury or fatalities.
Market Opportunities:
The smoke detector market presents numerous opportunities driven by evolving safety regulations, technological advancements, and increasing awareness of fire hazards. Firstly, the stringent enforcement of fire safety regulations, particularly in residential and commercial buildings, creates a growing demand for smoke detection solutions. Additionally, the rising adoption of smart home technologies and building automation systems offers opportunities for the integration of advanced smoke detection features with interconnected safety and security systems. Moreover, the increasing incidence of fire accidents, coupled with the need for early detection and rapid response, underscores the importance of innovative smoke detection solutions capable of minimizing property damage and saving lives. Furthermore, the expansion of emerging markets, urbanization trends, and infrastructure development projects provide avenues for market penetration and growth, particularly in regions with high population density and urban growth rates.
According to the recent report published by RC Market Analytics, the Global Smoke Detector Market is expected to provide sustainable growth opportunities during the forecast period from 2024 to 2030. This latest industry research study analyzes the smoke detector market by various product segments, applications, regions and countries while assessing regional performances of numerous leading market participants. The report offers a holistic view of the smoke detector industry encompassing numerous stakeholders including raw material suppliers, providers, distributors, consumers and government agencies, among others. Furthermore, the report includes detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of the global market considering market history, product development, regional dynamics, competitive landscape, and key success factors (KSFs) in the industry.
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Geographically, the smoke detector market report comprises dedicated sections centering on the regional market revenue and trends. The smoke detector market has been segmented on the basis of geographic regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Smoke detector market estimates have also been provided for the historical years 2020 to 2023 along with forecast for the period from 2024 - 2030.The report includes a deep-dive analysis of key countries including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, India, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, among others. Thereby, the report identifies unique growth opportunities across the world based on trends occurring in various developed and developing economies.
The Smoke Detector Market Segmentation:

By Technology:

• Ionization Smoke Detection Device
• Photoelectric Smoke Detection Device
• Beam Smoke Detection Device

By End-Use:

• Commercial
• Residential
• Transportation & Logistics
• Oil & Gas
• Others

By Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa

Key players in the global smoke detector market include Honeywell International, ABB Group, Siemens AG, Hochiki Corporation, and Johnson Controls International PLC. These companies are strategically navigating market dynamics through expansion, new investments, service diversification, and collaborative ventures. Moreover, they are pursuing geographic expansion and strategic acquisitions to leverage joint synergies and gain a competitive edge in new markets.
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Key Questions Answered by Smoke Detector Market Report:

• Product popularity and adoption based on various country-level dynamics
• Regional presence and product development for leading market participants
• Market forecasts and trend analysis based on ongoing investments and economic growth in key countries
• Competitive landscape based on revenue, product offerings, years of presence, number of employees and market concentration, among others
• Various industry models such as SWOT analysis, Pestle Analysis, Porter’s Five Force model, Value Chain Analysis pertaining to Smoke Detector market
• Analysis of the key factors driving and restraining the growth of the global, regional and country-level markets from 2020-2030

About Us:RC Market Analytics is a global market research firm. Our insightful analysis is focused on developed and emerging markets. We identify trends and forecast markets with a view to aid businesses identify market opportunities to optimize strategies. Our expert’s team of analysts’ provides enterprises with strategic insights. RC Market Analytics works to help enterprises grow through strategic insights and actionable solutions. Feel free to contact us for any report customization at sales@researchcorridor.com.
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