(If you already have seen Buffalo girls, you can skip all the exposition on the first half of this post and go right to the bolded sentence)
I'm sure a lot of you are already familiar with the 2012 documentary Buffalo Girls (which is now available for free on YouTube!), which documents the children's Muay Thai scene in rural Thailand. While it's a fantastic documentary in its own right, it's also notable in that one of the two main figures of the documentary is 8-year old Stam Sor Con Lek, known today as Stamp Fairtex.
We all know what became of Stamp after the documentary, having had a meteoric rise in ONE Championship in both Muay Thai and MMA. However, much, much less was known about her counterpart, Pet Chor Chanachai.
I tried to do a lot of research as to whatever became of her after the filming of Buffalo Girls, but had no luck. Google only returned results related to the movie (even when filtered to just websites in Thailand), she did not have any publicly available fight records, there were no accounts on social media that I was able to find, and no one on reddit seemed to have any clues either. As the documentary mentioned that she had a serious heart condition, I was worried that something bad might have happened to someone so young.
Finally, it occurred to me that I could just reach out to the filmmaker Todd Kellstein, and ask if they had maintained contact over the years and knew what became of her. And he responded pretty quickly!

It's so nice to hear from people looking after Pet. Can you believe that she's 28 years old now? The last time we met up was in 2020. I was able to spend the day with her and her two children, a boy who is now 8 and a daughter who is now 5. Pet was working as an accountant for a local Honda dealership, but was studying to become a pharmacist, which is what she's doing now. She's quit fighting entirely. She still lives [in] Sri Racha, where she lived during early filming. We spent part of our visit together at the same beach where we filmed the last shot of Buffalo Girls. I came across some footage of her from that day, while looking thru footage for a new doc Stamp and I are doing together, and just messing around, cut it into the end sequence.

I've posted the video he sent me to my google drive, for anyone that cares to see it.
So, for anyone else that was wondering whatever happened to Pet, I hope that this finally solves the mystery for you. I'm very happy to hear that she's had a rich life and now has a family of her own, and I'm very excited for the sequel documentary!

Like with every new creative technology, we are seeing push-back from people both in and outside of creative communities. Cameras were "going to destroy painting"- synthesizers were "going to destroy music"- drum machines and sampled records "invalidated hip hop in 'the arts'"- Autotune "diminishes the value of proficient vocalists"... etc. etc. etc. But eventually, we always come around.
The AI debate has been much more public and much more heated- with many claiming it will be "the end of all human creative pursuits" or saying "we do not want AI to make images, video, or music at all"
The messaging of the people who make these AI tools are partially to blame for this discourse: their promotion/advertisement **is often positioning these as "tools that handle the entire creative process"

Google actually talked to artists, and showed people how they can use these generations as an addition to their existing tool belt and creative process.

_____________________________
With music, they brought in Wyclef Jean and Marc Rebillet

Wyclef talked about how producers have used/modified samples from other works in the past, digging through records to find that perfect sound to add to the sound they've created in the studio manually. He explained that he now has a source of infinite, specified samples and sounds that he can add to the guitars, drums, etc. that he's already recording by hand

Marc is known for live looping and layering of sounds that he's recorded, sampled, or created on the fly. He explained how he can now quickly produce exactly the sound he's looking for to layer into what he's already creating
_____________________________
With film-making and video production, they brought in Donald Glover (Childish Gambino)

His takeaway quote was: "That's whats cool about it, you can make a mistake faster... at least in art, that's what you want: to make mistakes fast" which is something that, at least in my own artistic endeavors, deeply resonates. Curation and refinement- making mistakes and getting closer to the actual intent, is one of the most important parts of creating great art. Knowing what should be kept and what should be left out- taste, and the process of bringing to life that which you imagine accurately. Ben Franklin said it quite succinctly- "The eye [imagination/vision] of a master will do more work than both his hands"

The point being that quickly moving through ideas frees up an artists time for further exploration and refinement- which in turn opens up the creative process to people who might not have pursued it otherwise.
Gambino's second takeaway quote emphasizes this specifically:

"Everybody's gonna become a director, and everybody should be a director- because at the heart of all this is just storytelling. The closer we are to being able to tell each other our stories... the more we'll understand each other"

This is, in my mind, the part of Google I/O where they really knocked it out of the park.

This perspective is how people will come to view generative AI as a way of enhancing creation and self-expression, rather than destroying it. Creative communities will increasingly embrace it, bringing us more, and better art- and perhaps art that wouldn't have ever existed from people with ideas and stories that they never would have told otherwise.

I really strongly believe that this is the lens through which all creative generative AI should be viewed, shared, and promoted. This is the rhetoric and the perspective that creative people need to hear, emboldening and empowering them, rather than making them fearful of being replaced.
I don't often give Google many props... but they really figured this out and nailed the messaging today.
This perspective has the power to shift the conversation and steer creative pursuits in a more positive and capable direction... and potentially to awaken artistry in people who wouldn't have otherwise pursued it- increasing our collective ability to express ourselves and understand one another.

Biden's approval rating is at 38 percent and that is pretty consistent across a number of polls. He had decent approval numbers before the Afghanistan withdraw, but his numbers have never really recovered from the messy way it unfolded in the media. All president approval rating decline over time. None since Truman been re-elected with a sub-40 percent approval rating. The public don’t know or don’t seem to give a fuck or shit about any of his accomplishments either:

Unfortunately for Biden, less than a quarter of Americans have “heard a lot” about his signature legislative achievements: “Congress passing a law that will enable Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices” (23%); “Congress passing infrastructure investments in 2021” (20%); “Congress passing climate and clean-energy investments in 2022” (18%); and “Congress passing a gun safety law in 2022” (14%).

In contrast, far more Americans have heard a lot about Biden “physically stumbling at public events” (47%); making “verbal gaffes” (41%) and “falling asleep at public events” (33%). It’s not particularly surprising, then, that just under a quarter of Americans (24%) think Biden has accomplished “a lot” as president A recent NYT/Sienna poll showed Trump winning 20% of the black vote and coming within 1 point of Biden with voters below 30. I would argue the NYT polls are too optimistic for Biden's chances, because Trump tends to outperform his polls given his ability to attract low propensity Republican voters and pollsters' inability to capture these people. This was one of the top pollsters in the country. The fact that Trump is approaching 50 percent in these polls instead of a 43-41 split with undecideds demands that Democrats change course with their nominating contest immediately.
Before you say that sounds preposterous, you need to think of these responses in the context of a more nuanced expression of frustration and dissatisfaction. Black voters and young voters aren't saying they will vote for Trump. They are saying they will stay their asses home on election day if Joe Biden is the nominee.And I think there is every reason to take their threat seriously:

Trump’s claim that many black voters stayed home, though, is correct. On Sunday, the New York Times published research from a group of political scientists and data analysts that breaks out how voters who supported President Barack Obama in 2012 behaved in 2016. Most of them, unsurprisingly, voted for Hillary Clinton. Nine percent voted for Trump. Seven percent didn’t vote. Those percentages aren’t distributed evenly by race. According to the analysis, 12 percent of white voters who had backed Obama in 2012 voted for Trump four years later. Eleven percent of black Obama 2012 voters stayed home.

In 2016 Hillary Clinton performed much worse than Obama '12 in the key battleground states because so many base voters preferred to stay home than vote for her:

2016 was an election cycle in which Trump’s margin of victory was one of the narrowest in U.S. history. It came down to about 78,000 votes in three states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It’s hard not to wonder, then, how the decrease in turnout among black voters might have affected the outcome. In Michigan, where 14 percent of residents are black, Trump won by 10,704 votes of 4.8 million cast. In Pennsylvania, he won by 44,000 of 6.2 million cast — with blacks making up more than a tenth of the population. Clinton wins those states, and the 2016 race is essentially a tie.

In other words, "Not this woman!" the base said. And today Biden’s numbers are very similar to where her’s were. In fact, he's polling worse than she was in August 2016. Young voters and black voters are pissed that he hasn't delivered on things like reforming the court, voting rights, student loans etc. The shit with Israel where we have promised the Israeli government unconditional support and military aid while they level Palestine isn't helping him. A majority of Americans now disapprove of his handling of the conflict.
The White House has said that polling a year out doesn’t mean anything. But 55 percent of the voting public having a negative perception of you is a lot to turn around in less than a year when they have 3-4 years of previous knowledge of you as president informing their opinion.
They have also pointed to the success of measures like abortion and marijuana legalization in the recent off year elections as a good sign, mistakenly. These elections indicate that voters like abortion and weed. They do not like Joe Biden. Unless he changes his name to Abortion and Weed, there's no reason to think the success of these referendums (deep-red Trump country Ohio legalized abortion for pete's sake) carries over to Biden himself when he's on the ballot.
His numbers are about as bad as they can get for a sitting president:

Only one-third of U.S. adults say they approve of President Biden’s job performance — a record low for his presidency and for any president in the last 15 years. In an ABC News/Ipsos poll, conducted Jan. 4-8, only 33 percent of those surveyed said they approved of Biden, a drop from the previous poll in September 2023, when 37 percent approved of his performance. Biden’s disapproval rating is 58 percent, up from 56 percent in September.

The party is taking an unwarranted gamble nominating someone whose approval rating is in the 30s and the base has lost trust in. It's totally unwise to run somebody that the base and 55 percent of voters have a negative perception of. These numbers matter particularly when you're talking about how razor thin the vote margins in some of these swing states were in 2020. When he loses next year Reddit will be sitting here posting about how "stupid" "entitled" "low information" the voters are when they sent a message loud and clear in polling a year before the election that he was not their first choice.
We have seen this before. Both parties run historically unpopular candidates, and Republicans eak out a win because Dems stayed home. It is not an inevitable outcome. There is still time to course correct and dump Biden, but Dems need to act quickly and find a younger nominee.
Why aren't they doing it??

This is in Michigan.
About 5 years ago, my wife and I had a estate planning lawyer set up a revocable living trust for us. This included us signing a notarized Quit Claim Deed for our residential property, essentially signing over the property from ourselves, to ourselves as trustees. The lawyer gave us instructions NOT to record this deed, and instead store it in a safe place. He explained that upon our death, the successor trustee (our daughter) should then go record the deed to prove that the property is in the trust and avoid probate.
The lawyer also gave us a Property Transfer Affidavit which explains this transfer and that it is supposed to be exempt from tax uncapping, and said that we DID need to file that one. Now here's where I screwed up. I've just realized I never filed this Affidavit with the city assessing office within 45 days as required. As I understand the Michigan law, I am now subject to a maximum $200 fine (not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things... I want to make this right), as well as the taxable value of the property possibly being uncapped and us owing any back taxes and penalties associated with that (this is would be a bigger financial deal and would piss me off)
My questions are...

• Since this deed was never recorded, did any transfer actually happen? Does the Notary file the deed anywhere? Could we simply destroy it, sign a new one with a current date, and fill out and file a new property transfer affidavit without penalty?
  
• Should I just eat crow and go ahead and file the affidavit now? I'm not too upset about the fine, but can the assessor uncap my taxable value to be a jerk because I am filing it so late?
  

I left a message with the original lawyer that did this planning for us, but I'd like to get some additional opinions while I wait (it's been quite a few days -- they might be ghosting me).

Odd question but I am applying for the foreign birth register through descent and I live in the United States. However, I have an unexpected trip to Dublin coming in June. Does anyone know if it's possible to drop off my paperwork directly or does it need to be mailed? And if so, should I mail it from Dublin since I'll be there already?
Secondly, my only hold up at the moment is the witness section. I have been turned down by two public notaries already. Has anyone bought and printed Business cards for a friend who is a teachenurse/etc in order to use them as a witness?
Thank you so much!

Edit: If you are going to comment on the length of this post, please don't. This is not a simple snark but rather an actual critical think piece about feminism and Taylor Swift.

Introduction

Pertaining to Taylor Swift, "Female Rage" has deviated from its intended meaning after Swift debuted a new performance of The Tortured Poets Department during the Eras Tour. Now, according to Swift's use of the phrase, female rage is interpreted as public backlash against Swift's dating choices rather than as a response to the broader injustices against women and women's rights. This post examines Taylor Swift's flawed feminism, philanthropy, branding, and the controversial trademark petition for the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical". Swift's background as an entertainer, indeterminate politics, and alignment with capitalism over feminism pervades her legacy, again threatening her public tolerance as not just an individual but as a brand.

Once Upon a Female Rage...

If you were cognizant in the early 2010's, you've heard countless jabs at Taylor Swift in the media. Magazines, radio, or online. Music critics did not take her seriously as a songwriter; parents put a woman on an unrealistic pedestal as the ideal role model for their children; she dated too much and used men as lyrical fodder. No matter the story, it inevitably spread, conjoined with everyone's respective opinions, and you'd be left to wonder, "Why does everyone hate this girl so much?"
Taylor's target demographic has always been young or adolescent girls, more so when Swift herself was one. She made music that spoke to the awkward misfit, cultivating a para-social relationship with fans on MySpace, then later twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, where Taylor posted relatable vlogs showcasing the life of a homegrown American girl. Taylor had a delayed public "growing up" and, compared to her female pop contemporaries, Swift never "gratuitously sexualized her image and seems pathologically averse to controversy" (and, apparently, never even had a sip of alcohol until she turned 21). She was more than happy to spin this narrative to allude to an inherent moral superiority above other women in the industry (Better Than Revenge, heard of it?), engaging in the very slut-shaming that she herself endured (the Madonna and Whore archetypes). The victim complex arose with the need to prove Taylor as a different type of pop girl. Based upon her holy and clean image, Swift had been dubbed "a feminist's nightmare", and that "[To Swift] other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability." Feminism and Tennessee-Christian country values don't exactly mix, it seems.
Years later, Swift befriended Lena Dunham and thus experienced white feminism osmosis, where Dunham taught Swift that real feminists defend rapists, makes insensitive jokes about rape and abortion, and prioritize all-white casts. Swift then declared herself a feminist in 2014, saying,

"Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so."

I suppose the male-centric songwriting subject that permeates Swift's discography contained covert feminism and that we just didn't see that. Perhaps, the "Bad Blood" song and music video were written only in jest and not about poor Katy Perry, for Swift, as a feminist, would "never make it a girl fight" or tear other women down (though all Katy did was date your terrible ex-boyfriend and allegedly steal three backup dancers from your tour). In 2013, Swift said, in response to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke towards her serial dating, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
There was that time in 2015 Taylor said that Nicki Minaj was "invited to any stage [she is] on" (as if Taylor expects to have access to every stage, award, and platform that Nicki might not otherwise have as a black female artist...yikes!) in response to Nicki's criticism of the white + thin VMA nominations. Later, Nicki responded with confusion, as Swift continued, "It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..". Of course, this 'beef' was 'squashed' when Nicki performed with Taylor at the VMAs, with Nicki quite literally only having 38 seconds of stage time without Taylor. Maybe all that parading around with a legion of famous white women - similar to the way Taylor might've done with her numerous 1989-era handbags - was in fact a stance against gender inequality, and that this display of "girl power" should be enough to constitute Swift as a feminist icon.
Even while Swift says that Dunham informed her feminist outlook, she dances around the exact contents of those beliefs: "what she believes, what she says, what she stands for" is not exactly insightful towards what beliefs Swift might have inherited. Taylor never broaches women's rights topics such femicide, FGM, forced pregnancy & marriage, sex trafficking, women in slavery, women's financial and political oppression, women's educational rights, women's health, or women's autonomy, so we can assume she only gives a fuck about "girls supporting girls" (whatever that fucking means).
Despite some questionable (and sometimes vindictive) behavior, Taylor as a young woman did not deserve every media lashing that she received. We cannot deny that most headlines and criticisms perpetuated a misogynistic rhetoric which has plagued Swift for a majority of her career. Acknowledging events such as the development of her ED, her sexual assault trial, "Famous" lyric and MV depiction of Taylor, and the explicit Twitter deepfakes, for example, as both disgusting and unfortunate things that happened to a young woman in Hollywood does not negate the fact that Taylor is mostly a performative feminist.

Get Your Fucking Ass Up and Be a Philanthropist, It Seems Like Nobody Wants to Be a Philanthropist These Days

In 2013, Taylor Swift cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The donation amount - $4 million - was the largest individual artist gift ever donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is, of course, mentioned on Swift's website. The two-story facility features three classrooms, an instrument room, and an interactive children's exhibit gallery. Swift also performed at "All for the Hall" charity shows and has donated numerous artifacts from her career (such as notable guitars, tour costumes, etc) to the museum.
This was over 11 years ago, and it is still the only notable philanthropic contribution Taylor Swift has made.
For a woman of her net worth and stature, and a woman who recognizes the difficulties for women in film and music, you would think that Taylor Swift might establish a scholarship program for women to study the arts or something. Perhaps Swift might even consider becoming a member of organizations that support female artists, or one that supports LGBTQ+ causes (since she is now proudly an ally), yet she remains superficial with her graces. Broader philanthropy, such as donating relief aid to Palestinian women or women impacted by violence and discrimination will probably never receive any financial support from Miss Swift because then she'd be using her money towards philanthropies involving anyone but white entertainers.
She even says herself in Miss Americana, "My entire moral code as a kid and now is a need to be thought of as 'good'." Well, she's certainly thought of as good, though her actions say otherwise. She's more than happy to do a vaguely altruistic song and dance for a clip-worthy interview quote and mass appeasement, then fuck off to one of her mansions on a 20 minute private jet flight, rather than actually contribute to anything pertaining to the causes she has endorsed. Yet, far too many people continue to give a woman such as her their money, time, and energy, and she hoards these resources to herself.

I Like Some of the Taylor's Songs, But What the Fuck Does She Know About Feminism?

Swift continued with her self-proclaimed feminist campaign, positioning herself as a political activist and LGBTQ+ ally in the Miss Americana documentary. The primary focus of the documentary consists of the sexual assault trial, Andrea Swift's cancer diagnosis, Taylor's ED and body dysmorphia, media scrutiny, and, largely, finally speaking up about her politics publicly, mostly her opposition to the 2018 Tennessee Republican senate candidate, Marsha Blackburn, and Blackburn's beliefs. Swift says, following a scene discussing her experience during the trial,

"I just couldn't really stop thinking about it. And I just thought to myself, next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

We must ask ourselves, though: when has Swift ever spoken up to change anything? Okay, pulling her entire catalogue from Spotify because they didn't pay their artists enough and similarly pulling her catalogue from Apple Music are changes that she leveraged due to her revenue potential and power, but they are not pertinent to the average woman's rights. Moreover, these are issues that directly impacted Taylor's income, which was enough reason for her to protest in the first place. Swift has sold the most units for a female artist in first week sales, is the first female artist with 100k monthly Spotify listeners, is the first female artist to win the Album of the Year Grammy 4 times, and is the first female artist to do X, Y, and Z, all while being inoffensive and family-friendly to boot. The actual Taylor Swift seems unwilling to compromise the brand of Taylor Swift by contributing in meaningful ways to feminist causes, especially if it is for women outside of America and Hollywood.
The reason political anthems such as "The Man" and "Only the Young" of the Lover era feel disingenuous and corporate is because, well, it is. Taylor has taken every opportunity to advance her career or public image at the expense of other women. What is truly genuine to Taylor's outlook on other women is vying for male attention, taking down female competition, and vocalizing feminist injustices only if they directly impact her and her money. Some will argue that it's satisfactory for a woman with such a huge platform to even TALK about feminism, but that just isn't enough. It's even less impressive when you candidly look at the scope of her feminist lens: "If I was the man, then I'd be THE MAN", or "I really resent the ‘Be careful, buddy, she’s going to write a song about you’ angle, because it trivialises what I do", and, of course, "We all got crowns". Feminism, but only when it happens to me. It gets worse when you look at Taylor's track record of copying other famous women and removing other female artists as potential threats to her pop prowess.
It's good for PR to align yourself with certain blanket feminist and political beliefs, therefore good for branding, therefore good for ticketing and merchandise sales, therefore good for business. And Taylor Swift is a business.
She's not a feminist. Taylor Swift is a capitalist.

I Can't Pay Those Sweatshop Workers a Livable Wage or Benefits! How Else Would I Make My Billions?

Recently, Taylor's team filed to trademark the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical" after Taylor said during Paris N1 of the Eras Tour,

"So you were the first ones to see The Tortured Poets at the Eras Tour...or as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: The Musical'."

This trademark petition was filed last week on Saturday, and news comes about just as numerous unofficial fan-made merch designs have cropped up with this phrase plastered on Fruit of the Loom basics. I'm of the opinion Swift's team motioned for a trademark so that they can send out cease & desists to all those that make knockoff merch, which disrupts potential sales for Bravado, UMG's choice merchandising company; however, since it was filed earlier, perhaps Swift has bigger plans with the bizarre use of the gendered phrase. One Swiftie referred to the phrase "female rage" as "a funny Eras Tour joke". Could it be a possible fourth version of the Eras Tour Movie? Whatever the reason, the motion to capitalize off of such a concept is disgusting, but not unsurprising, for a woman that profits on her vain feminism.
Swift, through her company, TAS Rights Managements, has also trademarked over 200 phrases, including "1989", where she owns the property rights to this calendar year on keychains, phone cases, sunglasses, stationary, bags, beverage ware, clothing, entertainment services, your subconscious, and, of course, Christmas ornaments.
The vapid consumerism in Swiftie culture is, frankly, disgusting. Bravado's sustainability statement is non-existent, the quality control is abysmal, and the materials they use are horrible. The materials, such as acrylic and polyester, are made from petrochemicals. This means they are non-renewable, shed microplastics, and are quite toxic in production. The manufacturing process to make all of those lazy-rushed Eras Tour logo graphic tees is a huge blow to environmental well-being. Apparently, though, Swifties don't give a fuck. They sell out products in seconds and either have to face the manufactured scarcity or buy from a scalper that resells for 200% of the already ridiculous retail price. This doesn't include the environmental impact of vinyl records, CD, and cassette production, of which Taylor produces many variants that sell unsustainable amounts.
If we're talking about women's rights violations, why is no one acknowledging the women that work in the inhumane sweatshop conditions that have to pump out fugly t-shirts and hats? The millions of plastic microfiber dander they are inhaling, or the toxic dyes that touch their bare skin? Are they being compensated fairly for their skilled labour and are they in safe working environments? Do these women have minimal bargaining power, and do they have authority over their worker's rights? Is Taylor Swift female raging at their injustices? Does Taylor Swift ever feels bad that her wealth was built on the backs of women of color, disadvantaged by the demands of the global economy and garment industry? Do you think she ever says a little white feminist prayer for them before she goes to sleep at night?
What's even crazier is not that Taylor herself doesn't care, it's that Swifties don't care. There CANNOT BE ethical billionaires. You only make a billion dollars if you are exploiting other human beings for capital gain. Based on public perception of the possible "Female Rage: The Musical" trademark, it seems like Swifties are already asking for merch with this phrase. "If Taylor made it, I'd buy it." Oh, cool. So not only do you champion Miss Swift's avarice and billionaire status, but you also are unashamed to admit to your blind consumption of her music and merchandise, no matter where they might originate in production or sincerity. Just as Swift takes and takes and takes, Swifties' consumerism of Taylor Swift cannot be quelled.
The tortured artist's most vulnerable and sincere poetry...available now in 21 different versions!

I Am Tortured Poet, Hear Me Whinge

Look - even if Taylor's intention is to characterize TTPD as more "tortured" and "angry", the main thread of the album is "I was ghosted by my decade-long situationship with a controversial indie boy and my fucking stupid fans wrote a 'Speak Up Now' open letter prompting me to drop him" anger, which is adequately expressed in the lyrics and performances. The extent of Taylor's "female rage" on TTPD is on tracks such as "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?", which contends with relentless media scrutiny; "But Daddy I Love Him", where Swift firmly states she'll date whoever she likes no matter how "Sarahs and Hannahs" may react; and "The Albatross", a track mythologizing her reputation and the consequences of dating her. Of course, these coincide with deep psychological wounds that formed during Swift's early years in the media, and so, from her feminist perspective, these subjects tackle the misogyny and double standards that she faced.
Yet Taylor Swift still has no grounds to be claiming that TTPD best exemplifies female rage and therefore she, in the context of this album, is female rage incarnate. As the daughter of a stock broker and mutual fund marketing executive, Taylor was born into wealth and allowed privileges like trips and subsequent relocation to Nashville all so that she might get a record deal. Her father even invested at least $120,000 into the then-fledgling label, Big Machine Records, which ensured Taylor's place with Borchetta after leaving her dead-end development deal with Sony. The fact that her parents were able to buy her a fucking brand new guitar for Christmas and pay for music lessons says so much about the financial security and safety of her childhood.
Money is privilege and protection, and despite Swift's experiences with misogyny and loser boyfriends, she does not know what female rage is.
Her rage is derived from her frustrations with her obsessive fans pulling the moral superiority card on Taylor in response to her rebound with Matty Healy. That's literally it. She's just pissed that the monster she created is no longer obediant, it's become a feral, sovereign entity that depletes the world of its natural resources and thinks it is more intelligent than it actually is because it's mommy has started to talk to it with big words. Apparently, 'illicit', 'elegy', 'nonchalant', and 'precocious' are considerably big words for the oafish monster, and I find it strange that this level of literacy is present in a group of fans that allegedly have GPAs of 3.5 or higher, but I digress.
Taylor Swift has never been one paycheck away from destitution. Taylor Swift has never experienced racial discrimination. She may have instances of gender discrimination, but she possesses the ideal white, blonde American beauty standard and therefore reaps the benefits of being a conventionally attractive woman. Taylor Swift has sufficient social capital. Taylor Swift is a billionaire woman prolonging her victimhood though she, as a woman, has mostly had control over her image and music (unlike her contemporaries). Taylor Swift is NOT entitled to be championed for her "female rage", nor should she be. Taylor Swift has never even been the struggling artist, for fuck's sake. I don't give a fuck if she's trying to fill the empty lunch tables of her past. Taylor Swift purporting herself, her unpolished album, and her lukewarm feminism as a musical bleeding with female rage is asinine.

Sigh Try and Come For My Job, Poors

Out there in the world right now is a 23-year-old woman, a recent college grad, who works as a barista. She has to wake up and get ready to go into a minimum wage job because she cannot get a job in her field. She doesn't have healthcare benefits or sick time, so she has to go into work no matter how she's feeling. All day long she is berated by vicious customers and creepy men, and, exhausted from being on her feet, she knows she has to go home to her shitty roommate that never does the dishes and her roommate's shitty dog. To comfort herself, she considers getting a treat, but thinks against it when she remembers that matcha lattes cost $15 and they taste like milky dirt. She knows that she needs to buy groceries this week, and so the woman resolves to go home, but notices that her gas tank is low. She goes to put gas in the car, but the pump stops at $27.86 because that's all that she has in her checking account. The woman, bereft and reeling, sinks into the driver's seat. "Well," she thinks, her head in her hands, "at least I don't have Taylor Swift's job. I just couldn't imagine."
Fame is somewhat of a choice. If at any moment Taylor feels that she is misunderstood, misconstrued, or overwhelmed by public opinion, she can LEAVE the public eye - Lord knows she has the retirement fund and residuals to do so. In "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart", the TTPD song about meeting the demands of your career-zenith mega-tour while in the relationship trenches, Taylor ends the song by rambling,

"You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart...you know you're good...and I'm good, cause I'm miserable, and no one even knows!...try and come for my job."

Yeah, obviously we wouldn't know, you recently passed the billionaire threshold and are the most famous and in-demand performer in the world right now. Taylor Swift makes an estimated $10 to $13 million dollars A NIGHT on the Eras Tour. Furthermore, the Eras Tour movie grossed $261.6 million globally, (which, as the producer, Taylor takes home 57% of the ticket sales) not counting the streaming revenue from Amazon Prime Video and the estimated $75 million deal that Disney paid to have it on Disney+. We're not even considering the income from cheap plastic popcorn buckets and drink cups plastered with colored squares in her Era-specific likeness.
It's funny. Taylor Swift often said that being famous wasn't hard, that she "isn't complaining". I'm sure it is difficult to always have to present in a good mood, else you'll end up misrepresented in the media, and I'm sure it's invasive to virtually have no privacy or semblance of anonymity. Still, Taylor Swift shows up each night of tour and performs. For a majority of her career, she has penned her sad songs while on the road. Most of "Red", her breakup album, was written in the thick of the Speak Now World tour. Now, some Swifties say they almost "feel bad" for attending the Eras Tour with Swift's revelations in this song, that they have had a 'dimmed experience' upon hearing Taylor's misery whilst performing. Despite the fact that Taylor said that "this was the happiest she's ever been" at Gilette Stadium in May, the lyrics "boohoo, woe is me, smile for the cameras and make the fans happy!!!" are jarring for Eras attendees.
While Taylor Swift was making double-digit millions a night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and feeling miserable, Ana Clara Benevides Machado passed away due to heat exposure. The concert promoters, Time For Fun, are now the subject of a criminal investigation due to their lack of adequate hydration and safety. Taylor Swift cancelled the Sunday show that was to follow and offered VIP tent tickets to Benevides Marchado's family, which was a kind gesture, but perhaps incongruous to the incident of which they were offered as consolation. Everyone grieves differently, of course, but I'm not sure attending the very show at the very same venue that my daughter or sister passed away in two days prior, where the singer CONTINUED the show despite her death, would be healthy for closure.
There was no female rage at the show as Swift never saw Benevides Machado pass out. There was no female rage towards the disregard for fans as humans while Swift elected to proceed with her Brazil tour dates despite the country being in historic heatwaves (at risk of overheatting herself). If Taylor Swift was so shaken by touring with a broken heart or a fan's passing, she wouldn't have added an additional North American leg of Eras just two months after the Matty breakup. She's brokenhearted but willing to mend the cracks with your money and move onward with her worldwide female rage induced pillaging.
No matter what happens, even if you die at a Taylor Swift concert, Taylor collects a big fat check and flies away. She doesn't know you as anything other than a conversion rate or earning potential despite what her nearly 20-year long parasocial relationship with fans might otherwise indicate. She knows that, while some Swifties are without disposable income, they feel obligated to spend on a "48 Hours Only!" exclusive vinyl variant instead of necessities because they are so entrenched in Taylor Swift's intoxicating celebrity, they'll prioritize materialistic fandom before their needs. This is good enough for her because this means she can expand her real estate portfolio and finance her cat's lavish lifestyles. They're worth an estimated $100 million dollars. Her three cats could pool their net worth and solve world hunger.
While you and I might be denied bereavement leave and barely surviving the current political and economic climate, Taylor Swift has to, instead of gets to, perform for stadiums at full attendance for three nights in a row across the globe. You and I might be replaced by AI at our longtime jobs, but Taylor Swift is threatened with losing more and more money each time you listen to a "Stolen Version" of her songs. If we don't buy every variant of all of her albums, then who is going to pay for the fucking cats?
It is tone deaf to spend as she spends and lives as she lives in this economy, but this is her reality. She was able to donate $100,000 to all of her tour truck drivers, and that's wonderful, but it leads me to wonder about the ethos of the 2020s where one woman can hoard such life-changing amounts of money. Remember in 2014 when she gave a fan $90 ($120 in today's money) to get Chipotle because she had no fucking clue how much it cost? This is a 34-year-old woman who is increasingly out of touch with the reality for working class people and women in general. Normal everyday adults must wake up and go to their thankless jobs, and yet Taylor Swift, despite all her riches, incessantly references the lows of her life and career as a public figure and entertainer to farm sympathy and drive sales. And still, the corporate women have latched onto "I cry a lot, but I am so productive! It's an art!" as their cubicle battle cry.
Do you think that, from up in her private jet, Taylor Swift gazes at the world through her poetic, tortured eyes, and thinks, "All the little people, in their cars, walking, going about their lives...all those girls that don't support girls...do they know that I've made an album about female rage?"

Conclusion/TLDR

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your critical insights towards this entire ordeal: TTPD, the trademark, the implications of it all.
TLDR: Taylor Swift is a bad feminist and is delusional to think that the TTPD eras set exemplifies female rage at women's injustice.

I switched over to Kick from Twitch yesterday, so I’m obviously a noob, but was hoping for some advice from the community. My main complaint with Twitch was that all of my videos were being muted (playing Fallout 4) despite going to great lengths to turn off the radio and play Public Domain music occasionally. Massively annoying to still get dinged without doing anything wrong. I don’t want to go through the bs of contesting it.
Now, main question is do I have to worry as much about legal issues on Kick for copyrighted audio? Literally, the only thing that was there was the Fallout soundtrack, not even the radio. I even played and recorded my own music and it still got mad. Is it only a problem if you monetize your stream? I still personally think it’s ridiculous that your VOD can be muted for sharing a game that you’re talking and commenting over. Experienced streamers - What should I be more aware of?
Signing Off - I think Kick is slick as hell, my first stream went off with zero hitches. I’m a fan. Just want to make sure I do it right. Thank you!

Government Records Council (GRC) Frequently Asked Questions (nj.gov)
In light of OPRA probably being weakened soon by our Democrat legislature I would like to share with you all how to file OPRA requests. If you want permitting #s, demographics, or any info about your town you should file requests before the law is changed to be more secretive. You can ask your town clerk for information by simply emailing them you would like to file an OPRA request. If you would like or the town clerk requires it you can also fill out an OPRA request form. There is not really a standard OPRA form I could find that works for every city they all use their own form, your city website should have OPRA forms listed for requests. Here are two versions of it; one for the state league of municipalities, Open-Public-Records-Act-OPRA-Request-PDF (njlm.org) and one for Paterson NJ, a jurisdiction who's detectives are known to often be unprofessional and abusive towards firearm permit applicants. (The Gun For Hire Radio Broadcast: Episode 604 - Best Gun Range NYC and NJ Area Gun Range Near Me) [City of Paterson] City of Paterson OPRA Request (seamlessdocs.com)

New Clan but old players, some since launch. We war back to back, our record at the moment is 54-4-0, currently on a 31 win streak.

• Capital Hall is level 8 at the moment, WIP.
• 1000+ raid medals weekly
• Max clan games monthly

Our war log is public, you can see our progression since we established in October 2023.
Goal is to reach Champs 1 in CWL and to keep the win streak going in wars. We usually do 30v30 wars.
You should apply if:

• You're active but in a dead clan
• You're a competitive player but are in a clan that is casual / non-competitive
• You're tired of your e-drag spamming teammates that are 2 star specialists
• You usually 3* but can occasionally falter

So, I got my first HRT prescription and you know, for funsies, I read the clinical studies paperwork that came with it. And honestly, I was surprised that so much came out of this study, and that the numbers were so small to have caused such an uproar and have left women without hormonal support for so long.
I am no researcher, but I do like research, so this may be off as statistics class was a long time ago (if you see an error here, please let me know).
So let’s take a look at the study that kicked this off, Risks and Benefits of Estrogen Plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: submitted to The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002
It was a randomized controlled primary prevention trial:
Original Plan:

• · 16,608 women over 8.5 years
• · Ages: 50-79
• · Mean age: 63
• · 83.9% white
• · 6.5% black
• · 5.5% Hispanic
• · Prior hormone use: 73.9% never
• · 89.9% pregnant at least once

However, the research ended early, 4 years later with 15,576 women still participating.
Outcomes:
Cardiovascular Disease:
Cardiovascular disease: 164 on protocol vs. 122 placebo out of 15,576 women. The total percentage of women who experienced cardiovascular disease in the study was approximately 1.84%
So, approximately 1.05% of women on the protocol (HRT) experienced cardiovascular disease, while approximately 0.78% of women on placebo experienced cardiovascular disease.
The percentage difference between the percentage of women who experienced cardiovascular disease on the protocol (HRT) and placebo is 0.27%.
…
Stroke:
Stroke 127 vs 85 out of 15,576 women
The overall percentage of women who experienced stroke in the study was approximately 1.36%. Approximately 0.815% of women on the protocol (HRT) experienced stroke, while approximately 0.546% of women on placebo experienced stroke.
The difference in percentage between the protocol (HRT) and placebo groups was approximately 0.269%. Approximately 0.23% of women had strokes during the study period.
The baseline risk of stroke for women who do not use HRT is 1%, using HRT might increase that risk to somewhere between 1.2% and 1.5%.
To give you a sense of perspective, compare these numbers to the study, Cigarette Smoking and Risk of Stroke in Middle-Aged Women which examined the incidence of stroke in relation to cigarette smoking in a prospective cohort study of 118,539 women 30 to 55 years of age and free from coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Compared to non-smokers, women who smoked 1 to 14 cigarettes per day had their risk of stroke increased by approximately 120%, and women who smoked 25 or more cigarettes per day had their risk increased by approximately 270%.
The baseline risk of stroke for women who do not smoke is 1%, but smoking 1 to 14 cigarettes per day might increase that risk to approximately 2.2%, and smoking 25 or more cigarettes per day might increase it to around 3.7%
Yet we can buy a pack of cigarettes over the counter, no questions asked, and totally legal!
…
I ran out of time today to make comparative research analysis on risks, so the rest are just a comparison within the same 2002 study.
...
Venous thromboembolic disease:
151 vs. 67 out of 15,576 women
The overall percentage of women who experienced venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) in the study was approximately 1.40%.
Approximately 0.970% of women on the protocol (HRT) experienced VTE, while approximately 0.430% of women on placebo experienced VTE.
The difference in percentage between the protocol (HRT) and placebo groups was approximately 0.540%.
...
Invasive Breast Cancer:
166 on protocol vs. 124 placebo out of 15,576 women
The overall percentage of women who experienced stroke in the study was approximately 1.86%.
Approximately 1.07% of women on the protocol (HRT) experienced stroke, while approximately 0.80% of women on placebo experienced stroke.
The difference in percentage between the protocol (HRT) and placebo groups was approximately 0.27%.
…
You may have a different opinion on this, but these numbers are EXCEEDINGLY low to have caused such an impact. And, the study has some real issues that need to be considered:

• · Lack of diversity
• · Did not test for under 50 or perimenopausal
• · One 1 protocol
• · One oral route of transmission
• · Two meds at one time meaning unable to determine which was doing what
• · Study ended 4 years early
• · High rate of drop outs during study

...
And, in my research today, I stumbled across this interesting anecdote:
The Women’s Health Initiative; HRT and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data
Submitted to the journal Cancer in 2020

SEER*stat 8.3.6 is a statistical tool used to analyze cancer data. In this study, researchers looked at the rates of invasive breast cancer from 1992 to 2014, focusing on different groups of women.
They found that for White women under 80 years old who have Medicare insurance, the rates of breast cancer started to decrease before the year 2000, possibly even as early as 1992. This suggests that something other than a particular medical finding in 2001 (called the WHI publication) might have influenced the decline in breast cancer rates among these women.
The study also talks about how changes in population demographics, like people living longer, can affect how we interpret cancer rates. The researchers mention that adjusting for age over a long period of time might make it seem like cancer rates have increased among Black women over 40 years. However, their analysis shows that this isn't true, and in fact, breast cancer rates among Black women have been rapidly declining since 2012.
Another point discussed is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a treatment used to relieve symptoms of menopause. A separate study found that there were significant decreases in the number of HRT prescriptions for women over 50 years old during certain time periods. Despite this decrease, there wasn't a clear link between HRT and breast cancer rates.
In summary, the findings suggest that factors other than hormone replacement therapy may be influencing breast cancer rates, and there may be more to understand about the trends in breast cancer among different groups of women.
I wrote this out and tried to put it in layman’s terms because I see still a persistent concern about whether HRT is right for us based on earlier research. I sought to put this out in this way with actual numbers that might help others have a truly informed opinion, and hey, perhaps you can show this to your health provider because it does make you wonder-do actually read the research forming the basis of their opinions?
Again, I do not work in a lab, or do science for work or anything like that, so if you see a mistake, or have something to add, I would love to hear it!

Creating your own spells is a powerful way to tap into your magic and manifest your desires. Here are some tips I found online and summarized to help you craft your own spells:

1. Define your intention: Clearly determine what you want to achieve with your spell. Be specific and concise.
   
2. Choose a focus: Select a specific area of your life where you want to manifest change (e.g., love, prosperity, protection).
   
3. Research and gather inspiration: Explore various magical traditions, folklore, and mythologies to gather ideas and insights.
   
4. Select corresponding elements: Choose elements that align with your intention (e.g., colors, herbs, crystals, essential oils).
   
5. Craft your incantation: Write a meaningful and rhyming incantation that resonates with your intention.
   
6. Develop a ritual: Create a step-by-step ritual that feels authentic and powerful to you (e.g., candle magic, meditation, visualization).
   
7. Incorporate personal symbolism: Add personal symbols or talismans that hold significance for you.
   
8. Consider the moon phases: Time your spell with the appropriate moon phase to enhance its energy (e.g., new moon for new beginnings, full moon for release).
   
9. Trust your intuition: Allow your inner wisdom to guide you in creating your spell.
   
10. Keep it simple and flexible: Don't be afraid to adapt or modify your spell as needed.
    
11. Cast the spell: Perform the actions you have planned, focusing your intention and energy on your goal. Visualize the outcome you desire as clearly as possible.
    
12. Release the energy: Once you have completed the spell, release the energy you have raised into the universe. Trust that the magic is working and let go of any attachment to the outcome.
    
13. Ground yourself: After casting the spell, take some time to ground yourself and return to a normal state of consciousness. You may want to eat something, drink water, or spend time in nature to reconnect with the physical world
    
14. Record and reflect: Keep a magical journal to track your spells and reflect on their effectiveness.
    
15. Remember, the key to creating effective spells is to infuse them with your personal energy, And all I read today the strongest spells are the ones you create yourself 🍀
    

Creating your own spells is a powerful way to tap into your magic and manifest your desires. Here are some tips I found online and summarized to help you craft your own spells:

1. Define your intention: Clearly determine what you want to achieve with your spell. Be specific and concise.
   
2. Choose a focus: Select a specific area of your life where you want to manifest change (e.g., love, prosperity, protection).
   
3. Research and gather inspiration: Explore various magical traditions, folklore, and mythologies to gather ideas and insights.
   
4. Select corresponding elements: Choose elements that align with your intention (e.g., colors, herbs, crystals, essential oils).
   
5. Craft your incantation: Write a meaningful and rhyming incantation that resonates with your intention.
   
6. Develop a ritual: Create a step-by-step ritual that feels authentic and powerful to you (e.g., candle magic, meditation, visualization).
   
7. Incorporate personal symbolism: Add personal symbols or talismans that hold significance for you.
   
8. Consider the moon phases: Time your spell with the appropriate moon phase to enhance its energy (e.g., new moon for new beginnings, full moon for release).
   
9. Trust your intuition: Allow your inner wisdom to guide you in creating your spell.
   
10. Keep it simple and flexible: Don't be afraid to adapt or modify your spell as needed.
    
11. Cast the spell: Perform the actions you have planned, focusing your intention and energy on your goal. Visualize the outcome you desire as clearly as possible.
    
12. Release the energy: Once you have completed the spell, release the energy you have raised into the universe. Trust that the magic is working and let go of any attachment to the outcome.
    
13. Ground yourself: After casting the spell, take some time to ground yourself and return to a normal state of consciousness. You may want to eat something, drink water, or spend time in nature to reconnect with the physical world
    
14. Record and reflect: Keep a magical journal to track your spells and reflect on their effectiveness.
    
15. Remember, the key to creating effective spells is to infuse them with your personal energy, And all I read today the strongest spells are the ones you create yourself 🍀
    

Creating your own spells is a powerful way to tap into your magic and manifest your desires. Here are some tips I found online and summarized to help you craft your own spells:

1. Define your intention: Clearly determine what you want to achieve with your spell. Be specific and concise.
   
2. Choose a focus: Select a specific area of your life where you want to manifest change (e.g., love, prosperity, protection).
   
3. Research and gather inspiration: Explore various magical traditions, folklore, and mythologies to gather ideas and insights.
   
4. Select corresponding elements: Choose elements that align with your intention (e.g., colors, herbs, crystals, essential oils).
   
5. Craft your incantation: Write a meaningful and rhyming incantation that resonates with your intention.
   
6. Develop a ritual: Create a step-by-step ritual that feels authentic and powerful to you (e.g., candle magic, meditation, visualization).
   
7. Incorporate personal symbolism: Add personal symbols or talismans that hold significance for you.
   
8. Consider the moon phases: Time your spell with the appropriate moon phase to enhance its energy (e.g., new moon for new beginnings, full moon for release).
   
9. Trust your intuition: Allow your inner wisdom to guide you in creating your spell.
   
10. Keep it simple and flexible: Don't be afraid to adapt or modify your spell as needed.
    
11. Cast the spell: Perform the actions you have planned, focusing your intention and energy on your goal. Visualize the outcome you desire as clearly as possible.
    
12. Release the energy: Once you have completed the spell, release the energy you have raised into the universe. Trust that the magic is working and let go of any attachment to the outcome.
    
13. Ground yourself: After casting the spell, take some time to ground yourself and return to a normal state of consciousness. You may want to eat something, drink water, or spend time in nature to reconnect with the physical world
    
14. Record and reflect: Keep a magical journal to track your spells and reflect on their effectiveness.
    
15. Remember, the key to creating effective spells is to infuse them with your personal energy, And all I read today the strongest spells are the ones you create yourself 🍀
    

Creating your own spells is a powerful way to tap into your magic and manifest your desires. Here are some tips I found online and summarized to help you craft your own spells:

1. Define your intention: Clearly determine what you want to achieve with your spell. Be specific and concise.
   
2. Choose a focus: Select a specific area of your life where you want to manifest change (e.g., love, prosperity, protection).
   
3. Research and gather inspiration: Explore various magical traditions, folklore, and mythologies to gather ideas and insights.
   
4. Select corresponding elements: Choose elements that align with your intention (e.g., colors, herbs, crystals, essential oils).
   
5. Craft your incantation: Write a meaningful and rhyming incantation that resonates with your intention.
   
6. Develop a ritual: Create a step-by-step ritual that feels authentic and powerful to you (e.g., candle magic, meditation, visualization).
   
7. Incorporate personal symbolism: Add personal symbols or talismans that hold significance for you.
   
8. Consider the moon phases: Time your spell with the appropriate moon phase to enhance its energy (e.g., new moon for new beginnings, full moon for release).
   
9. Trust your intuition: Allow your inner wisdom to guide you in creating your spell.
   
10. Keep it simple and flexible: Don't be afraid to adapt or modify your spell as needed.
    
11. Cast the spell: Perform the actions you have planned, focusing your intention and energy on your goal. Visualize the outcome you desire as clearly as possible.
    
12. Release the energy: Once you have completed the spell, release the energy you have raised into the universe. Trust that the magic is working and let go of any attachment to the outcome.
    
13. Ground yourself: After casting the spell, take some time to ground yourself and return to a normal state of consciousness. You may want to eat something, drink water, or spend time in nature to reconnect with the physical world
    
14. Record and reflect: Keep a magical journal to track your spells and reflect on their effectiveness.
    
15. Remember, the key to creating effective spells is to infuse them with your personal energy, And all I read today the strongest spells are the ones you create yourself 🍀
    

Feel free to add yours

6’5 mf from bumfuck nowhere COOKS
Kendrick>>>
Demographics

• Gender: male
• Race/Ethnicity: white
• Residence: Rural VA
• Income Bracket: upper-middle
• Type of School: public (somewhat competitive tho, usually abt 1 Ivy+ per year)
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): maybe location? Idk

Intended Major(s): Aerospace Engineering, MechE for places that didn’t have Aero
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 4.0 UW/ 4.53W (4.44 at time of apps)
• Rank (or percentile): 4 (5 during EA)
• Honors/AP/IB/Duel Enrollment/etc.: 6 APs, 9 DEs, 11 Honors, no IB
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Research, AP Art History, DE Calc 1, DE Brit Lit, DE Aerospace Engineering, Honors Physics, Spanish 3

Standardized Testing
List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.

• SAT I: 1520 superscore (two 1510s with 760R 750M and 750R 760M on 3 attempts)
• ACT: Didn’t Take
• 4 on AP Bio and AP Seminar, 5 on AP Lang

Extracurriculars/Activities
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.

1. Internship (12)- Research Lab at T25, Helped create STEM classroom curriculum
2. Debate (11,12)- Team Captain, Top 10 at states in first year (got 2nd place in state after apps 🫠)
3. Scholastic Bowl (9-12) - Team Captain, led team to regionals for first time in years
4. Tennis (10-12) - Team Captain, raised some money
5. Engineering Club (8-12, yeah it’s weird) - VP, member of competition teams
6. Athletic Advisory Board (11-12) - Represented on behalf of academic teams and did community service, raised some money
7. After-school STEM club/daycare? (12) - Voluntarily chaparoned kids, got offered and accepted real job
8. Powerlifting (9-12) - On varsity team in 10 and 11 before it got deleted, started training before and continued after
9. Beta Club (10-12) - Didn’t do much but that’s mostly the officers’ and sponsor’s fault
10. Mentor (11-12) - Mentored other students in magnet school program
11. additional info - Got Best Delegate at my first Model UN competition after apps as a side quest/practice for debate, mentioned on deferral and waitlist replies later

Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.

1. Collegeboard Rural/Small Town National Recognition
2. AP Scholar
3. AP Capstone Diploma
4. Magnet School Diploma Seal (Regional)
5. School award for achievement in Aerospace Engineering class

Letters of Recommendation
Counselor: 7/10. New hire right before my senior year so not much rapport but spoke to her somewhat frequently
History Teacher: 9/10. Bsf. Had him for class in 9th grade and I was the only one who answered during Zoom classes, was my Scholastic Bowl and Debate coach in years following. His writing is not the best tho so not a 10/10
Engineering Teacher: 8/10. Had him for 3 years and was part of his club for all of them. Can speak to my abilities super well. He moved districts before my senior year so didn’t see him for a bit but still pretty good regardless
Professor: 9/10. Interned under him over the summer and he trusted my capabilities a lot. Wrote lots of LORs before and even asked me what I wanted in it.
Interviews

• MIT: 7/10. Virtual. Interested in my research and seemed to vibe quite well. Didn’t talk for very long tho and looking back I didn’t really make as good of an impression as I would’ve wanted or talk about all my stuff as much as I wanted to.

Essays:
Common App: 9/10. Displayed my ability to set really high goals and never be discouraged by failure. Reviewed by friends at Princeton and Stanford, as well as former CMU admissions officer and highly praised
MIT supps: 9/10. Some of my best work. Reused for so many other schools and scholarships because god damn were they beautiful pieces of writing.
General supps: 7/10. Mixed bag. Some really good, some just ok. Spent a decent amount of time and was pretty happy with all of them
Results
Accepted:

• Johns Hopkins (RD)
• Georgia Tech (Deferred EA, accepted RD - committed!!)
• Purdue (EA)
• UMD (EA)
• Penn State - Waitlisted Honors College (EA)
• VT - Waitlisted Honors College (EA)
• UVA (EA)
• Pitt - Honors College (EA)
• George Mason - Honors College (EA)

Waitlisted

• Carnegie Mellon

Rejected

• MIT

Reflection:
GO YELLOW JACKETS WOOOOO
Final record of 9-1-1 (yay!)
Genuinely shocked by CMU waitlist because former admissions officer loved my personal and my supps. Was probably due to lack of insane math talent (displayed on apps that is).
Didn’t really get huge aid from anywhere but was able to cover most of the cost through existing savings and external scholarships (apply for lots of them, especially local ones!!!!)
Start early!! Going EA was super helpful. If you need to miss a school assignment or 2, you can make that up. Sometimes to have to have to wager your present for the sake of your future. This process can really suck at times but it’s manageable in the end.

Things tend to get heated around here, certain topics are heavily contested. I don't know about the rest of you, but as a bloody newbie all of that can be disheartening sometimes. It's not all bad, of course, there are a lot of interesting and helpful conversations going on in here, but it gets really scary sometimes.
Today I found these gems while reading Linji, so I decided to share them together with a few remarks. Please feel free to criticize or add your own!
From The Recorded Sayings of Linji, translated by J. C. Cleary:

“Good people of the Path, do not grasp what I say. Why? Be­cause verbal explanations have no basis: they are temporary sketches on the void, like images formed of colored clouds.

This short excerpt alone is already remarkable. Note that Linji does not tell us to disregard his words (which would be a paradoxical) but urges us to not grasp them. Grasping, clinging, attaching - futile attempts to hold on to something that is temporary.

Good people, there is no buddha that can be attained. Even the three vehicles, the five categories of beings, the round and the sudden manifestations of the teachings, [and all Buddhist for­mulations] are all just medicines to deal with the diseases of a cer­tain period.

The comparison to medicine further illustrates the conditional nature of verbal teachings. For instance, no skillful physician would prescribe laxatives for every ailment just because they helped in cases of constipation.

There is no real doctrine at all. If there are [doctrinal teachings], they are open announcements that show some semblance of [real truth], public verbal demonstrations. Arranged for effect, they explain as they do for the time being.

Again, there is no real, i.e. permanent and unchanging, doctrine. However, that doesn't mean those demonstrations have no worth.

“Good people, there are some misguided monks who attach their efforts to what is in these teachings, trying to find a worldtranscending truth, but they are making a mistake. If people seek Buddha, they lose Buddha; if they seek the Path, they lose the Path; if they seek the patriarchs, they lose the patriarchs.

I did that, just recently, maybe some of you did that, too. Isn't it liberating to let go of all that?

“Worthy people, make no mistake about it. For now I don’t care if you understand the sutras and the sastras, I don’t care if you are a prince or a high official, I don’t care if your eloquence is like a waterfall, I don’t care if you are intelligent and knowledge­able. All I require of you is correct understanding.

Have you ever felt like you're "not good enough" for Zen? Not "spiritually sharp", just run-of-the-mill? I certainly did, so reading that Linji doesn't care about all of that is powerful, encouraging.

Good people, even if you can interpret a hundred sutras and sastras, you are not as good as a simple monk without concerns. You may inter­pret them, but it is only to put down other people—you have the victory-and-loss mentality of the asura. You are ignorant of self and others, and are increasing your hellish karma.

Is it that simple? No more elbow mentality, no more heated discussions about who got it right?

“Better to have no concerns, to stop and rest. When hunger comes, eat. When sleep comes, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at us, but the wise know.

Yes, it's that simple. Let's chill and enjoy the little time we have left together.

Two years ago, I had just moved to a new house from a different neighbourhood for work. I was settling in and getting used to the place, but I was still lonely and went through bouts of depression.
My ex-boyfriend of five years had ended the relationship a while before I moved, and I wasn't having much luck going on dates. I eventually decided to focus my energy into work and fitness instead, but the loneliness lingered. The house still felt empty at times, and the silence was painful. I went through the motions numbly as the days passed by.
About two months after I had moved in, I started noticed a stray dog pacing around my front yard from time to time. It had big, brown, sad eyes, and there was no collar around its neck. I couldn't tell you what breed it was - a reverse Google image search tells me it looks like an Indian Pariah dog. I could always recognize it, as its left eye was slightly larger and darker than the right, but that gave it some unique charm. After seeing it outside my front door for three days straight, I put up some posters along my street inviting anyone who might have lost a dog to call me. I quickly learned that I probably shouldn't have done that, after getting a few silent calls from an unknown number that I eventually chalked up to being a prankster or some scammer.
I called a local animal shelter and them pictures of the dog. A guy came over to scan the dog for a microchip, but found nothing. He said it was most likely abandoned as a puppy. He could take it back to the shelter, or I could look after it for the time being - they would contact me if anyone ever tried to claim it. My grandad had a german shepherd that I used to love playing with, so I always had a soft spot for dogs and agreed to look after it, even if it was for a while. The guy from the animal shelter advised that if I didn't hear back in a week, I should take it to the vet to get it checked out and microchipped, or to the shelter if I didn't want to keep it.
I took care of the dog and let it roam around the living room, with free access to the back yard. I decided to name him Charlie, and purchased more dog food, a labelled dog collar, some brushes to groom him with and dog toys. The nearest vet was a two hour drive away. Work was busy so I wasn't incredibly flexible for a visit, but I managed to get an appointment booked in two weeks' time.
The first night I spent with Charlie, I realized that he might just be what I needed in my life. Late in the evening, I sat on the couch looking at him, sitting quietly in the middle of the room on my wooden floor. I began talking out loud to Charlie. It seemed stupid at first, but the way he sat quietly and listened was comforting. After a while, I got more into it, and vented about my loneliness and frustrations to the point of tears.
How I stayed with my cheating, gaslighting ex-boyfriend because I was too insecure to be alone, until he dumped me. All my failed dates, and how I thought I would die alone and unloved. I poured my heart out to my new companion, spilling my deepest secrets until I cried myself to sleep. The next day, I again began talking to Charlie about the pain and depression I had been through, and he listened patiently once more. I discovered that spending time with my new friend was cathartic. Perhaps I needed to get it all out, and be listened to for once, even if not fully understood.
The third day after I had taken Charlie in, I woke up to realize that I'd overslept half an hour. I poured some food into Charlie's bowl and brushed my teeth at lightning speed, then grabbed my bag and flung the door open, ready to bolt into my car. A surprise greeted me at the front door, that made me stop.
There was a bouquet of red and pink roses on my front door step.
I picked it up and looked at it, confused. There was no note attached or anything. I couldn't think of who it would be from - I obviously hadn't been on any dates recently. Being late for work, I didn't have much time to ponder, so I dropped the roses back on my doorstep and drove off. During the drive, I panicked for a second at the thought that it could have been my ex, but then realized he didn't know my new address, or even that I had moved. The mystery bugged me all day at work. When I came back home, the roses were gone, so I assumed someone had accidentally left them at the wrong address.
That night, I woke to the sound of creaking. As I opened my eyes slightly, I saw something at the foot of my bed and bolted upright, adrenaline rushing through me. As the fogginess faded, my heart rate settled a little.
"It’s just you, Charlie," I sighed, "you scared me."
Charlie continued to stare at me from the foot of my bed. After a minute, he stood up and left the room. I didn't think much of it, and fell back asleep.
For the next week, I continued the usual ritual of talking to Charlie before I went to bed. I would talk about my day, my plans, hopes, dreams and other such things. I found our one way conversations getting more positive each day - they were very therapeutic. Charlie would always stare at me with those big brown eyes and sit quietly still as I talked.
On the morning of the vet appointment, for which I had taken the day off work, I noticed that my car was much cleaner than usual. Had it always been this shiny? I thought. I had driven it to work the Friday before, but I hadn't taken notice of how clean it was then. The last time I had, I could swear there were bird droppings on the back window, and some general grime that covered it all round, but it was now spotless. I pondered for a few seconds, and came to the conclusion that it must've just be a brain lapse on my part - it was probably always clean. Those droppings must have washed away over time with a few rainy nights.
I drove Charlie down to the vet and explained the story of how I'd found him.
"He's very well behaved," she beamed, as she began examining Charlie on the table. "We see a few of these cases from time to time. People's dogs have puppies, and they get sold or abandoned."
"It's a real shame," I sighed. "Charlie's been a star, I'm lucky to have him really. I live alone, so as odd as it sounds, I've been talking to him and it's helped me through some difficult moments."
"That's not strange at all," replied the vet, checking his teeth. "Owning a dog can do wonders for your mental health, especially if you live alo-"
She suddenly stopped.
I stared as she squinted and moved Charlie's head up and down, trying to get a look at something. She plucked a light out of her pocket and aimed it into Charlie's left eye.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't answer, and kept looking at Charlie from different angles. He whimpered slightly.
"Did his eye look like this when you found him?" She asked. I leaned in closer.
"Yeah, I did notice his left eye was slightly darker and larger than his right."
She looked at me for a second and raised her eyebrows, then back at Charlie.
"I'd like to get a closer look at his eye and examine it in the next room, if that's okay?"
"Uh, sure," I said, confused.
Without further explanation, she hastily picked Charlie up and carried him off into a different room. I sat down and waited, reading the news on my phone, expecting her to be back in a few minutes. However, when the vet didn’t come back for a while, my concern began to grow. I paced around the room and tried to glance into the door she had left through a few times.
Then I sat back down and watched the minutes pass by, getting more anxious. Hopefully it's nothing, I thought to myself. An easily curable eye infection perhaps, or a defect he was born with - hopefully it was something like that or nothing. I'd only spent a few weeks with Charlie, but he was the best friend I'd ever had. I had told him so much about me, and he was the only one that had ever really listened to me. I had grown very attached to him quickly, so I almost felt like a worried parent, blaming myself for not bringing him to the vet sooner.
An hour and a half passed, but it felt like eternity. The vet finally came back through the door. I stood up.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Have you noticed any odd events recently?" she asked, "Like, anything you couldn't explain?"
"To do with Charlie?"
"No, just in general. Anything you've seen or heard around you that felt out of place in your life?" She insisted. I took a second to think.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't gonna be relevant," I said, "But I have a couple of times. For instance, this morning I thought my car was a lot cleaner than usual. I've been getting some unknown calls, and hearing some creaking noises at night lately, but I'm sure it's just Charlie walking around and waking me up. And… someone left roses on my front doorstep one day. Didn't say from who, but… Sorry, I'm not sure why I'm even telling you this."
I looked up at the vet, who now had a very concerned look on her face.
"I'm going to have to call the police," she said.
It took a few seconds to register. A million thoughts started racing through my mind. Did I say something wrong? Did she think I was abusing Charlie?
"I swear," I said, "Everything I've told you is true, I'm really sorry it took me so long to bring him in, it's my first time owning a dog and all…"
"No, no, it's not that," she said. She gestured for me to follow her into the room through the door.
Charlie was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. There were a few other tables surrounding it, with dog toys and surgical equipment on them. There was a large hole where his left eye had been, now a gaping black cavity.
The vet pointed at a sheet of blue paper on a table next to the one Charlie was on. There were two black domes resting on it, like two halves of a black ping pong ball had been split in half. A clear fluid was covering the outer sides, and staining the blue paper. There was also a tiny black cube. I looked closer, and saw some red and green wires coming out of the tube.
"I took this out of Charlie's left eye," the vet explained, "I thought my eyes were fooling me, but I took a closer look and was sure this thing definitely shouldn't have been in his head. When I took it out, I thought it was some kind of prosthetic eye, until I heard something moving inside it. I opened it up, and found this."
She pointed at the tiny cube and picked it up with some tweezers, revealing a transparent circular window on one side.
"Now I'm no expert, but I took that apart just now and to me it looked a lot like the inside of a camera lens you'd get on a smartphone."
She looked back at me.
"Do you think…" She paused.
"Do you think it's possible someone could have been watching you for the past few days?"
The police were eventually called and an investigation started. The tiny device inside Charlie's eye was indeed a camera lens with a built in audio recording device, and it had a wireless connection. It was an advanced piece of kit, but with some technical expertise they were able to examine its traffic logs and identify an IP address to which the miniature device was streaming.
That IP address belonged to my neighbor, who lived in the house opposite to mine.
I had never seen him leave the house before, although when I moved in I did see his silhouette in the top floor window a couple of times. He was a fifty five year old balding, slightly overweight man who worked as an engineer, but otherwise lived a reclusive lifestyle. I later found out that he had multiple restraining orders placed against him from ex partners. He had a collection of tiny bugging devices which he had been planting in various places including public women's bathrooms for years. These devices could livestream video and audio to his computer, and in his spare time he would watch and listen to this footage he collected.
A while before I moved into the house, he had purchased a puppy from someone he knew, and kept it as a pet without registering it. I assume he got bored of spying on women in bathroom stalls, and when he saw me move into the house opposite, he suddenly got a wild idea of how he could get a peek at something more intimate. The rest is some truly horrific history.
Charlie had been in my room while I slept and even a couple of times while I undressed. But worst of all, I had told him everything about me. The names of previous partners, things about my family, companies I had worked for and more. I wish I could say that I kept Charlie, but I just couldn't. Not after that. The vet arranged for him to be sent to the animal shelter where I'm glad to say he eventually did find a new home. I also relocated and changed my phone number.
For anyone out there wondering, I'm still single. The difference is that nowadays, I'm completely at peace with being alone. I've experienced a worse alternative, that's for sure.