BACKGROUND:
Lucy Letby is a British former neonatal nurse, whose 10 month trial from from October 2022 to August 2023 resulted in 7 convictions for murder of babies, and 7 convictions for attempted murder. The incidents occurred from 2016-2017. The trial was highly publicised (though not broadcast), and I would say the guilty verdicts were very broadly supported by the public. The UK government has commissioned an independent statutory inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the murders, and the hospital where she worked is being investigated.
Letby was found not guilty on two counts of attempted murder, and the jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further attempted murder charges. One of those 6 further attempted murder charges is being retried in June, and so the UK is under strict reporting guidelines as not to prejudice this case and any potential jurors.
THE ARTICLE:
Rachel Aviv published a long article in The New Yorker on May 13th titled 'A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?' - link. (I can provide an archived link but wasn't sure about bypassing the paywall in the main text!)
Due to the reporting guidelines in the UK, this link will not work for the UK folk reading here!
It's an interesting read on the quality of the evidence allowed (and the current tragic state of the NHS), including comparisons to other notorious miscarriages of justice such as Lucia De Berk. If you ask me, it's worth reading in full, even though it obviously has a clear slant.
For example, here is a paragraph on Dewi Evans, who provided expert opinion in the case:

Other babies, he said, had been harmed through another method: the intentional injection of too much air or fluid, or both, into their nasogastric tubes. “This naturally ‘blows up’ the stomach,” he wrote to me. The stomach becomes so large, he said, that the lungs can’t inflate normally, and the baby can’t get enough oxygen. When I asked him if he could point me to any medical literature about this process, he responded, “There are no published papers regarding a phenomenon of this nature that I know of.” (Several doctors I interviewed were baffled by this proposed method of murder and struggled to understand how it could be physiologically or logistically possible.)

THE DRAMA:
The main drama can be found in this post - where a user asks if there is interest in forming a new sub, since:

Earlier this evening, I and at least 20 other individuals posted a recently published article on the LL case, each of us looking to have an interesting and open discussion. I won’t mention the article, but you probably already know which one it is.
Each of those posts was taken down by the mods, with the note that “juries determine the facts” and there would be no discussion about Letby’s potential innocence.
As an American, I find that attitude shocking. We have an Innocence Project here in the US precisely because juries are sometimes wrong. Justice is sometimes not served. Sometimes the police lie, or plant evidence. Sometimes eyewitness are mistaken. Sometimes medical examiners are not board certified and are less than competent. Sometimes evidence goes missing or is corrupted. There are so many reasons why innocent people are convicted every day.
So, I’m curious how many people here would be interested in a truly open forum where we think critically? In posting this question, I’m breaking no rules of the sub. The question is on-topic (Lucy Letby), it is in good faith and not trolling, and I am not actually asking you to comment on the issue of guilt or innocence....

The mod pinned comment is an immediate source of drama, beginning with:

Please go ahead and form another sub to discuss this poorly researched article. Those of us in the UK who have followed the case closely know there is nothing in your thinly veiled accusations.

also including this argument on free speech (is the UK worse than China??)
Arguments abound throughout the comment section, including here.
For anyone looking for actual discussion of the article (which I honestly was!!), check out medicine.

Hey all, I'm new to this sub but I've been ex-muslim for a number of years. I feel I've outgrown my friends who are all religious and, quite frankly, intellectually stunted and incurious to say the least. I was wondering how you've all gone about meeting new friends? It feels daunting making new friendships as an adult, they don't come as easily as they did in childhood.
A bit of background on me. I first left Islam when I was in grade 9 because I couldn't reconcile the texts with basic human decency, philosophical questions about determinism/ethics, or just all the evidence it's a man-made hodgepodge ripoff of other religions.
However, a few years ago my mother passed away and for a time I converted back to Islam out of despair and a desperate longing to feel a connection with her again. You see, despite my atheism, I have been fortunate enough to come from an educated and tolerant family. While my parents were saddened by my renunciation of Islam they never chastised me or made me feel bad, we all just carried on as usual. I'm very close to my family, and was especially close to my mother.
Fast forward a few years after that though, and I once again realized I couldn't reconcile my beliefs with Islam. The only reason I had reverted was because of my mother, she was a wise, kind and loving soul, and I felt that if Islam brought her peace I must be missing something. But again, I was forced to realize that I'm just incompatible with religious thinking.
In the process I also realized that I'm incompatible with my lifelong friends. I find my political and ethical beliefs increasingly at odds with theirs. I also think they're too stupid to grasp the nuances of the arguments I make whenever we have a debate about these topics. These are friends I've known since childhood and our group is very insular, everyone is Muslim, most are of the same culture/ethnicity.
I just can't carry on with them anymore though. I feel like I'm hiding my true self from them and have to censor my speech and behavior in their presence. Sometimes I feel like just ditching them all at once, but then I'd be totally friendless. I'd like to make friends with some free-thinkers first before leaving my old childhood friends behind, but I find it's very difficult to do that now. The only place I really meet new people is at work and that's not an ideal environment IMO. I also have a hard time making small talk with strangers, I feel like conversation needs to flow naturally and I'm not great at forcing it.
I'm sure others here have gone through something similar, I was wondering if and how you managed to find new friend groups?

After everything that's been going on in Egghead, and with some recent updates we've just received, it's safe to assume that the next arc will take place in the legendary island of Elbaf! Which is bound to be the best since the last few arcs so far!
Now I currently don't know how it will play out or if the Strawhats & their allies will really go there unless something gets in the way. But for this post, I will share with you a list of what my expectations are, whether you agree with me or not. So without further ado, let's begin shall we.
The Arc of God Usopp
This is pretty obvious! Ever since Little Garden, Usopp often talked about how he wanted to be like the Giants of Elbaf. And just like many people, I think going to that island should be the best & possibly the only time for him to shine like never before! This could even be a great opportunity for Usopp to:

• Improve on his CoO, and maybe even unlock more Haki abilities.
• Gain a new weapon, whether or not his current one got destroyed.
• Meet his "bad" father - Yasopp, which I'll talk more about a bit later.
• have one of his oldest & most iconic lies become reality!

The Library of Ohara (Robin & Saul's reunion)
Thanks to Vegapunk telling the SH about his visit to Ohara after the Buster Call, not only did we learn that most of the books were saved, but it turns out that Robin's old friend Saul survived & his currently hiding for his own safety! Which means that we will have a very unexpected reunion just around the corner, while also knowing more about the Void Century that even Vegapunk himself may not!
Vivi's involvement
To anyone who have been a fan of Vivi since the day Luffy's crew 1st entered the Grand Line, you should know that the Desert Princess also encountered Brogy & Dorry when they visited Little Garden. So it make sense she has an important role in Elbaf the moment she officially reunites with the SH as possibly their "final" member, while also having both Morgans & Wapol tag along with them!
Who knows, perhaps during their visit to where the books are located, we may learn more about her ancestor - Nefertari D. Lily (or Lili), and what really happened to after refusing to become a Celestial Dragon while also not returning to Alabasta. Which I will mention in another post about another society.
The Long awaited reunion between Emperors
Now I know that this has a 50/50 chance to come true. But with all the viking reference that the Red Hair Pirates has had until now, I believe that Luffy & Shanks's long awaited reunion as fellow Emperors should undoubtedly take place in Elbaf of all places! I also wouldn't be surprised if Shanks was partly responsible for having the Giants come to Egghead in the 1st place.
And although this is mostly a personal thing, I would like to see Luffy to use his CoC to knock out some of the new Red Hair Pirate members just like Shanks did with Whitebeard's when meeting him!
Plus, during that moment, besides just some chapter 1 tributes, as well as Usopp & Yasopp finally getting some fatheson time together, I would like Oda to have Luffy & Shanks talk about Ace, Bartolomeo, and even Blackbeard.
However, since the moment in Wano when Jinbe fought Who's Who, I would also like Luffy's latest crewmember to participate in the reunion by asking Shanks why he took the Nika Fruit from the Government, and what he was really going to do with it if Luffy never ate it!? Which now leads to the next part of my list!
More information about Nika
Thanks to Vegapunk's message in the recent chapter, not only did we have more confirmation that Joy Boy was the last known person to awaken the Nika Fruit, but the story of the Sun God himself originated in Elbaf of all places!
Now although the scientist may explain everything he knows about it in the next chapter or 2, I believe the Elbaf arc should be the perfect time to learn how Nika's legend began, and how it was eventually shared with other people like the Buccaneers, Lunarians, as well as the Skypieans!
Including the Fishman, since Jinbe said "the Warrior of liberation", which means that he & his fellow Fishmans know more about Nika than we were lead to think!
But most importantly, if the story Nika did originate in Elbaf, then that means the other Gods that were mentioned in Noland's flashback (the Gods of Rain, Forest, and Earth) could also share the same place of origin as the Sun God himself! Which might make us 1 step closer into finding out who the current users of the other Legendary Zoans are, and whether they are in good hands or not.
Plus, I believe that during that moment, Luffy himself should not sleep on this one, and I think Shanks will make sure of it! Who knows, this could help Luffy gain better understanding woth his powers, as well as give him the edge he needs to surpass Joyboy!
Kid's comeback & character development
Now I know that most people believe that Kid's character arc ended the moment Shanks used Divine Departure on him, and took his Poneglyph writting. And even if he does return, he'll become another Moriah!
However, I'm not one of those people, and I believe Kid's time is far from over!
From the Giants' perspective, Kid & Law are the 2 heroes that defeated Big Mom, one of their most hated enimes. So surely not everyone in Elbaf will like what Shanks, Brogy, & Dorry did to him, even though the Red Haired Emperor was trying to save his Fleet, and the 2 Giants were out of the loop while they were gone for so long.
In fact, if what happened to Kid was anything like how the Strawhats were defeated in Sabody, then surely either Shanks or anyone who was there at the time could've told Kid almost the same thing Kuma said to Luffy about how he & his crew weren't ready yet, but has faith in them.
After all, Luffy may be an Emperor, but he isn't the only Pirate representing his generation. The same can be said for Whitebeard before Roger died.
Plus, let's not also forget that Kid was the first person to mention the man marked by flame, so it make sense that he should stick around long enough to meet the person face to face.
And if that person saw what happened to Kid & his crew, and saved them from drowning, perhaps he could become his Rayleigh, but instead of just helping him become strong enough to also be an Emperor, the man would teach Kid a lesson in humility. Which is a common thing for most anime rival's character arc.
Of course, just like what we got from Law & Bonney recently, we may get to see Kid's sad backstory, which may confirm whether or not the theory of him being Vegapunk's "7th Sattelite" is true, since some of his moves has "Punk" in their names.
And also the reveal of his Devil Fruit is also as important as that of his fellow Supernovas since magnetism has had big role since the SH entered the Grand Line.
Hajrudin's role
When I read about how the Narrator stated that the Egghead Incident may shock the world, I honestly thought that this would become the best time for the Straw Hat Grand Fleet to appear during their Emperor's time of needs.
Unfortunately, that theory eventually became debunked due to everything that has happened since that speech.
However, I believe that the Strawhats' visit to Elbaf would make up for that, and the only reason I think so is because one of the Grand Fleet capitans is actually a native of Elbaf! That's right, I'm talking about the leader of the New Giant Warrior Pirates himself, Hajrudin!
Now in case you aren't aware, Hajrudin & his crew recently made some interesting Cameo appearances in both Big Mom & Vegapunk's respective flashbacks! Specifically, during Big Mom days with Mother Caramel, we see him & his crew as kids. And when Vegapunk & Dragon met in Ohara, he was one of the Giants lead by Saul to recover the books that survived the Buster Call!
With those facts, it would stand to reason that Hajrudin is bound to have an important role in Elbaf, which makes sense since this trope has been used by every citizen of a country the Strawhats has ever met until now.
The "revenge" of the Big Mom Pirates
Now Idk whether or not Big Mom herself will make another comeback, but I can suspect that the remnants of her crew would appear since they also have some unfinished business to settle, as well as the fact that they once tried to put aside their mother's differences with the giants by having Lola marry Loki. Which failed due to her decision making at the time.
And even though Kid & Law were responsible for Big Mom's seeming demise, it's possible that the Big Mom Pirates will also blame the Strawhats for that, whether or not this will make them feel bad for them!
However, I do think that during this encounter, it could also be a chance to learn that Pudding was Kid during the events in Wano, which may lead to the Strawhats will do next after Elbaf, and that will also be part of my next blog!
Well I don't know about you, but what do you think of this list? If you have any opinions on this topic, or know any else that could be added, then please tell me in the comments section below, and br on the lookout for more posts i hope to make before the next chapter. Thank you!

After everything that's been going on in Egghead, and with some recent updates we've just received, it's safe to assume that the next arc will take place in the legendary island of Elbaf! Which is bound to be the best since the last few arcs so far!
Now I currently don't know how it will play out or if the Strawhats & their allies will really go there unless something gets in the way. But for this post, I will share with you a list of what my expectations are, whether you agree with me or not. So without further ado, let's begin shall we.
The Arc of God Usopp
This is pretty obvious! Ever since Little Garden, Usopp often talked about how he wanted to be like the Giants of Elbaf. And just like many people, I think going to that island should be the best & possibly the only time for him to shine like never before! This could even be a great opportunity for Usopp to:

• Improve on his CoO, and maybe even unlock more Haki abilities.
• Gain a new weapon, whether or not his current one got destroyed.
• Meet his "bad" father - Yasopp, which I'll talk more about a bit later.
• have one of his oldest & most iconic lies become reality!

The Library of Ohara (Robin & Saul's reunion)
Thanks to Vegapunk telling the SH about his visit to Ohara after the Buster Call, not only did we learn that most of the books were saved, but it turns out that Robin's old friend Saul survived & his currently hiding for his own safety! Which means that we will have a very unexpected reunion just around the corner, while also knowing more about the Void Century that even Vegapunk himself may not!
Vivi's involvement
To anyone who have been a fan of Vivi since the day Luffy's crew 1st entered the Grand Line, you should know that the Desert Princess also encountered Brogy & Dorry when they visited Little Garden. So it make sense she has an important role in Elbaf the moment she officially reunites with the SH as possibly their "final" member, while also having both Morgans & Wapol tag along with them!
Who knows, perhaps during their visit to where the books are located, we may learn more about her ancestor - Nefertari D. Lily (or Lili), and what really happened to after refusing to become a Celestial Dragon while also not returning to Alabasta. Which I will mention in another post about another society.
The Long awaited reunion between Emperors
Now I know that this has a 50/50 chance to come true. But with all the viking reference that the Red Hair Pirates has had until now, I believe that Luffy & Shanks's long awaited reunion as fellow Emperors should undoubtedly take place in Elbaf of all places! I also wouldn't be surprised if Shanks was partly responsible for having the Giants come to Egghead in the 1st place.
And although this is mostly a personal thing, I would like to see Luffy to use his CoC to knock out some of the new Red Hair Pirate members just like Shanks did with Whitebeard's when meeting him!
Plus, during that moment, besides just some chapter 1 tributes, as well as Usopp & Yasopp finally getting some fatheson time together, I would like Oda to have Luffy & Shanks talk about Ace, Bartolomeo, and even Blackbeard.
However, since the moment in Wano when Jinbe fought Who's Who, I would also like Luffy's latest crewmember to participate in the reunion by asking Shanks why he took the Nika Fruit from the Government, and what he was really going to do with it if Luffy never ate it!? Which now leads to the next part of my list!
More information about Nika
Thanks to Vegapunk's message in the recent chapter, not only did we have more confirmation that Joy Boy was the last known person to awaken the Nika Fruit, but the story of the Sun God himself originated in Elbaf of all places!
Now although the scientist may explain everything he knows about it in the next chapter or 2, I believe the Elbaf arc should be the perfect time to learn how Nika's legend began, and how it was eventually shared with other people like the Buccaneers, Lunarians, as well as the Skypieans!
Including the Fishman, since Jinbe said "the Warrior of liberation", which means that he & his fellow Fishmans know more about Nika than we were lead to think!
But most importantly, if the story Nika did originate in Elbaf, then that means the other Gods that were mentioned in Noland's flashback (the Gods of Rain, Forest, and Earth) could also share the same place of origin as the Sun God himself! Which might make us 1 step closer into finding out who the current users of the other Legendary Zoans are, and whether they are in good hands or not.
Plus, I believe that during that moment, Luffy himself should not sleep on this one, and I think Shanks will make sure of it! Who knows, this could help Luffy gain better understanding woth his powers, as well as give him the edge he needs to surpass Joyboy!
Kid's comeback & character development
Now I know that most people believe that Kid's character arc ended the moment Shanks used Divine Departure on him, and took his Poneglyph writting. And even if he does return, he'll become another Moriah!
However, I'm not one of those people, and I believe Kid's time is far from over!
From the Giants' perspective, Kid & Law are the 2 heroes that defeated Big Mom, one of their most hated enimes. So surely not everyone in Elbaf will like what Shanks, Brogy, & Dorry did to him, even though the Red Haired Emperor was trying to save his Fleet, and the 2 Giants were out of the loop while they were gone for so long.
In fact, if what happened to Kid was anything like how the Strawhats were defeated in Sabody, then surely either Shanks or anyone who was there at the time could've told Kid almost the same thing Kuma said to Luffy about how he & his crew weren't ready yet, but has faith in them.
After all, Luffy may be an Emperor, but he isn't the only Pirate representing his generation. The same can be said for Whitebeard before Roger died.
Plus, let's not also forget that Kid was the first person to mention the man marked by flame, so it make sense that he should stick around long enough to meet the person face to face.
And if that person saw what happened to Kid & his crew, and saved them from drowning, perhaps he could become his Rayleigh, but instead of just helping him become strong enough to also be an Emperor, the man would teach Kid a lesson in humility. Which is a common thing for most anime rival's character arc.
Of course, just like what we got from Law & Bonney recently, we may get to see Kid's sad backstory, which may confirm whether or not the theory of him being Vegapunk's "7th Sattelite" is true, since some of his moves has "Punk" in their names.
And also the reveal of his Devil Fruit is also as important as that of his fellow Supernovas since magnetism has had big role since the SH entered the Grand Line.
Hajrudin's role
When I read about how the Narrator stated that the Egghead Incident may shock the world, I honestly thought that this would become the best time for the Straw Hat Grand Fleet to appear during their Emperor's time of needs.
Unfortunately, that theory eventually became debunked due to everything that has happened since that speech.
However, I believe that the Strawhats' visit to Elbaf would make up for that, and the only reason I think so is because one of the Grand Fleet capitans is actually a native of Elbaf! That's right, I'm talking about the leader of the New Giant Warrior Pirates himself, Hajrudin!
Now in case you aren't aware, Hajrudin & his crew recently made some interesting Cameo appearances in both Big Mom & Vegapunk's respective flashbacks! Specifically, during Big Mom days with Mother Caramel, we see him & his crew as kids. And when Vegapunk & Dragon met in Ohara, he was one of the Giants lead by Saul to recover the books that survived the Buster Call!
With those facts, it would stand to reason that Hajrudin is bound to have an important role in Elbaf, which makes sense since this trope has been used by every citizen of a country the Strawhats has ever met until now.
The "revenge" of the Big Mom Pirates
Now Idk whether or not Big Mom herself will make another comeback, but I can suspect that the remnants of her crew would appear since they also have some unfinished business to settle, as well as the fact that they once tried to put aside their mother's differences with the giants by having Lola marry Loki. Which failed due to her decision making at the time.
And even though Kid & Law were responsible for Big Mom's seeming demise, it's possible that the Big Mom Pirates will also blame the Strawhats for that, whether or not this will make them feel bad for them!
However, I do think that during this encounter, it could also be a chance to learn that Pudding was Kid during the events in Wano, which may lead to the Strawhats will do next after Elbaf, and that will also be part of my next blog!
Well I don't know about you, but what do you think of this list? If you have any opinions on this topic, or know any else that could be added, then please tell me in the comments section below, and br on the lookout for more posts i hope to make before the next chapter. Thank you!

After 18 years on this planet I finally understand what the Quran means by idle vain talk.
Recently I have started observing more about the people around me and the more I do the more I realize that most things that come out of their mouths is total Xaar 💩
Why are you talking about that one guy that barely talks about you? Why are you insulting a person who you are bantering with the next day? Why do you speak of such unnecessary topics like the topics are so useless and time wasting wallahi I am realizing this is beyond me
Like how can a person go around and everything that comes out of their mouths is total xaar wallahi, this is Ceeb
The time that was spent on discussing useless and brainless topics could’ve been spent on educating eachother on the deen, could’ve been encouraging eachother to do good, could’ve been planning your future and getting feedback, but talk about him and talk about that her? Especially as a guy, even as a girl this is Ceeb laakin females tend to do this and backbiting more.
Why do you know everything’s that’s happening? Why do you snoop around for gossip and wake up the second someone talks about someone else? Why are you gossiping about random people to LITERAL KIDS, giving them the details iyo everything? Why do you have a useless unnecessary dumb brain dead story about every other person. This is Ceeb wallahi billahi
This is Ceeb wallahi billahi as grown people and the more I observe and listen to people the more I notice the absolute shit iyo xaar that comes out of their mouths. The more I listen and observe the more people I plan to cut off for my future, peace and personal well being.
Is somebody else noticing this or has noticed this? That people actually do talk a lot of shit and nonsense, what did you do? Did you cut off the people that would indirectly drag you down with them? Or did you stay and let them do their talking but distanced yourself from them?
“Certainly will the believers have succeeded: They who are during their prayer humbly submissive, and they who turn away from ill speech…” [Quran: Chapter 23, Verse 1-3]
Alhamdulillah everyday for Islam, I will try to abide and live from this verse from now on. I am tired of nonsense conversations wallahi

14-minute read.

average monthly nominal salaries and YoY change in Q1 2024

Yerevan +8% to ֏324K/$836
Syunik +7% to ֏295K/$760
Shirak +7% to ֏142K/$366
Yerevan had the highest wages. Syunik had the highest wages among provinces, while Shirak had the lowest.
REPORT: While the average nominal monthly salary does not always show the level of economic prosperity in a region, its rise has made a tangible difference in Syunik.
SUREN PARSYAN (economist): Syunik has higher wages and strong employment. It is the most prosperous province with the lowest unemployment poverty rate in Armenia: 24% in Armenia, 15% in Yerevan, and 2% in Syunik.
REPORT: Over the last 5 years, the average monthly nominal salaries have risen by 40% while the inflation was 21%.
source,

Armenian army launches command staff exercises

They will exercise the practical implementation of deployment and combat plans, evaluate the commanders' skills, improve the synchronized work between various groups, develop the officers' moral characteristics and practical skills during preparation and combat operations, etc.
They will use automated control systems and modern technologies during the exercises.
source,

Armenia and India will form a new working group for defense cooperation

Defense ministries of AM and IN held a meeting on Tuesday. They discussed the 2024-2025 cooperation plan and the creation of a new working group to coordinate the cooperation.
source,

from PM Pashinyan's speech at Copenhagen Democracy Summit:

PASHINYAN: Democracy has indeed become a reality in Armenia. Before the 2018 Velvet Revolution, massive electoral frauds were the usual companion of elections in Armenia. There was no trust among the citizens that there was a real chance for them to elect the government.
Now the situation is totally different; citizens know that they are powerful enough to decide. The two general elections that were held in Armenia after the Velvet Revolution have been acknowledged as democratic, free, and competitive both by the Armenian society and the international community.
Armenia made huge progress in strengthening the democratic institutions, an achievement reflected in reputable democracy indexes:
(a) Now we are the 43rd in the Reporters Without Borders’ Freedom of Speech index, compared to 79th place in 2017.
(b) Categorized as having partially free internet in 2017 by Freedom House, now we enjoy the status of a country with free internet.
(c) In Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Armenia is now 62nd instead of 107th in 2017.
(d) In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s democracy index we are 84th compared to 111th in 2017.
In order to assess this progress, it's essential to note that alongside democratic reforms, Armenia has been contending with external security challenges: the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's invasion of Armenia in 2021 and 2022 and the occupation of over 200 km² amid inaction by [Russia's] CSTO, the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, have cast doubts among Armenian citizens weather democracy is the right choice. So, democracy needs to prove its efficiency while dealing with security, economic and humanitarian challenges.
We are pleased with the deployment of EU monitoring mission alongside the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and we welcome EU’s decision to expand its capacity. On the other hand, we hope for the inclusion of Armenia into the European Peace Facility and in this regard, we rely on the support of all EU member states [Hungary].
A new set of commitments aimed at strengthening Armenia’s economic resilience, state institutions, and addressing the humanitarian needs of refugees has been taken on by the European Union and United States during the high-level meeting on April 5 in Brussels. The rapid and effective implementation of those commitments is of utmost importance.
Despite all the challenges, we believe that the real and most aspiring companion for democracy is lasting and sustainable peace. My government took the share of its responsibility for this. Recently we reached an agreement with Azerbaijan to launch the delimitation of our interstate borders on the basis of the Almaty Declaration of 1991. That means that during the delimitation we should simply reproduce the Soviet-era administrative borders. This is the implementation of the agreement reached in Prague in 2022. Now it is time to incorporate and reflect those agreements in the peace treaty and have it signed.
Another key point for our regional stability is the «Crossroads of Peace», project, initiated by my government. This project implies that Armenia and Azerbaijan restore and open transport and other communications in accordance with the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass, and comply with the principles of equality and reciprocity. These elements of the concept were agreed upon during the July 2023 meeting with Ilham Aliyev and Charles Michel. //

... Politico reporter's Q&A with Pashinyan

REPORTER: [Ex-NATO leader] Anders Fogh Rasmussen called your neighbor an autocracy. You are in a very difficult geopolitical and geographical position. How do you solve the security problem in that environment?
PASHINYAN: I would not like to comment on the internal situation of our neighboring countries. Democracy fully corresponds to the mentality of our people. It is a strategy for our government, it is our political belief, it is also our political identity. The members of our political team have spent most of their lives fighting for democracy, the rule of law, and freedom of speech. Now we have the opportunity to realize all these values in our country.
The security situation was complicated because of the regional and global situation; the world order is collapsing at the moment. My assessment is, and I have had occasion to say this publicly, that the 2020 war was a prelude to further developments. And now the main issue is security.
What is our strategic point of view, how are we going to guarantee the security of our country? Recently, I gave a speech in our parliament, where I said that the most important tool for ensuring security is a foreign policy based on legitimacy. This is the reason why we so often speak about the 1991 Almaty Declaration.
It is very important that during the 2022 Prague meeting, two very important agreements were reached. Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of the Almaty Declaration and will use it as the basis for the border demarcation. This is the reason why I said that we are not drawing a new border, we just need to reproduce the existing one on the ground. This process is happening right now, and I hope that we will continue it steadfastly.
REPORTER: The border conflict that has occurred in recent years has had a negative impact on relations with Russia and Russia's role for Armenia. What would you say about this?
PASHINYAN: Armenia is a member of CSTO. We are officially a CSTO member, but I have announced that we have frozen our participation.
REPORTER: So are you still a member or...?
PASHINYAN: It is a matter for further discussion, but it is very important to record the current situation. A crisis arose in our relations after Azerbaijani troops invaded Armenia, and according to CSTO procedures, the Organization and its member states had to support Armenia in this situation. But even after the formal application, the CSTO refused to take any concrete steps, and in fact, that is the main reason for freezing our participation in the CSTO at all levels.
REPORTER: Do you expect the West to occupy the current vacuum and ensure your security?
PASHINYAN: We are diversifying our foreign relations in all spheres. Now we are developing defense cooperation with India, France, and other countries. We have a certain cooperation with the European Union because as I mentioned, we are happy about the deployment of the EU Civilian Observation Mission on the border. It is a civilian mission but in a way, it is a new factor for the security of our region. This is the first time that the European Union participates in the security agenda of Armenia.
REPORTER: Would you like to become an EU member?
PASHINYAN: We are waiting for the EU's decision to include Armenia in the European Peace Facility. We also hope to start visa liberalization negotiations, and last year I announced in the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to be as close to the European Union as the European Union deems it possible. This is our position.
REPORTER: Can you elaborate on what initiatives Armenia is taking in the fight against corruption?
PASHINYAN: We have made huge progress but have not eradicated corruption from Armenia. We must continue to be persistent in the agenda of democratic reforms. This is the reason why cooperation with the European Union is of utmost importance for us because today the European Union is our main partner in the implementation of our democratic reform agenda. We hope that the European Union, as well as the USA, will increase their support to Armenia in the implementation of democratic reforms, because, as I said, democracy is a strategy for us.
By the way, in 2019 we started a Strategic Dialogue with the USA, and today we see the strengthening of our cooperation with the European Union. We recently had a tripartite meeting with the participation of the USA, EU, and Armenia. It was an unprecedented format, where we adopted a huge agenda of institutional and economic reforms. It is also very important that we receive more tangible support from the EU and the US to address the humanitarian needs of the Nagorno Karabakh refugees because it is a very sensitive and emotional issue for us.
REPORTER: In which year would you like Armenia to become a member of the EU?
PASHINYAN: This year [as soon as possible]. //
Pashinyan met Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The latter emphasized the importance of the “Crossroads of Peace” project in the context of unblocking the regional infrastructure.
Pashinyan discussed various topics with the PM of Denmark. The latter accepted his invitation to visit Armenia.
full video, source, video, other, other, source, video,

former regime continues to hold protests and briefly shut down roads in Yerevan with demands for PM Pashinyan's resignation

ԳԼՈՒԽ 1
Dozens of participants were detained and released the same day for blocking roads. The detentions decreased from 170 on Monday to ~63 on Tuesday. They want Pashinyan to resign or to be impeached. The protest organizers visited universities to gather student supporters, some of whom joined them with a dance. The organizers also stopped by at a bakery where they were given free food.
A felony investigation was launched after a police vehicle, "with the sirens on", struck a reporter on the street. In another instance, an investigation was launched against a protester who brought a long sword. One other case was launched over alleged threats made on Facebook by a Galstanyan fan who wants scores of people to be beaten in dalans and exiled from Armenia, "մենակ էտ դեպքում էս սրբազան հողը կմաքրվի էս տեսակ շան ծնունդներից, ուրիշ ձև չկա!!!!"
ԳԼՈՒԽ 2
A ruling faction member of Yerevan City Council complained about "harassment" by opposition figures who are attempting to convince ruling party members to join the protests and the impeachment.
RULING MEMBER: That is not how it works. No one will join you with that conduct. People will join if they see you have a legitimate agenda with trustworthy leaders. Instead, you are "ethnically cleansing" the citizens of Armenia [referring to one opposition speaker telling non-Armenians to leave] և հեռու չէ են օրը երբ դուք գուցե ասեք որ հայ լինելու համար պետք է Հայկ նահապետից տեղեկանք բերել: //
ԳԼՈՒԽ 3
Yesterday the protest co-organizer Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan said he received a report suggesting that the Deputy Rector of Yerevan State University supposedly urged deans and others to retaliate against students who joined the protests. Galstanyan said he was unsure whether the report was true, but decided to read it out loud anyway. On Tuesday he rallied his supporters to the backyard of the University where he demanded to speak with the Deputy Rector for clarification.
The Deputy Rector went downstairs and greeted Galstanyan, who shook her hand but wouldn't let it go for an uncomfortably long period, prompting her to ask him to let go of her hand. The Deputy Rector declared that whatever Galstanyan read about her was a defamatory lie.
GALSTANYAN: I never believed it myself.
DEPUTY RECTOR: Then you should not have said out loud something you did not believe.
GALSTANYAN: Listen, there is a recorded fact...
DEPUTY RECTOR: Where is that "recorded fact"?
GALSTANYAN: It was on the media. As I said yesterday, I had no verification that it was true, which is why we came here to clarify it. If it's false, then I apologize.
DEPUTY RECTOR: Thank you. //
The Deputy Rector urged the protest organizers not to enter the building or disrupt the classes, and that "anyone who wants to follow you can follow you, anyone who wants to stay in classrooms should stay in classrooms".
The angry Deputy Rector left. Another university official criticized Galstanyan for not checking the information before reading it to his followers. Galstanyan said he stands behind his words, and that he was "just reading what was on the media", but reiterated that he had no intention to insult the Deputy Rector.
ԳԼՈՒԽ 4
Galstanyan and his supporters visited the monument dedicated to Operation Nemesis. He praised the figures behind Nemesis for "assuming personal responsibility". In front of the crowd, Galstanyan introduced Hambig Sassounian who recently joined his movement. He pointed to the Nemesis monument and said Sassounian is "one of the successors, one of the brightest people." In related news, on Sunday a ruling faction MP complained about receiving death threats with reference to Operation Nemesis.
ԳԼՈՒԽ 5
DANIEL IOANNESIAN (NGO chief): When this protest dies down, we need to discuss the following: (1) The transparency of political and media funding. There are some regulations in place, but they are incomplete and easily bypassed. For example, I'd like to know who paid for Archbishop Galstanyan's giant stage in Republic Square. In 2018 Pashinyan organized a fundraising for it and disclosed a detailed report. (2) Should the media organizations that do not respect the rules of financial transparency enjoy all the mechanisms for the protection of journalists? (3) Are the customs authorities confident that the church is not facilitating the business activities of certain figures disguised as donations? (4) Is it fair for the church and clergy members not to pay taxes? Should they be able to have a Bently and LX570 without paying taxes? [The "Bentley" is based on a true story.]
ԳԼՈՒԽ 6
Archbishop's fans spotted Miss Armenia 2003 and a H1 host Lusine Tovmasyan drinking a coffee at a Yerevan café and approached her.
PROTESTER: (unintelligable)
LUSINE: I was here drinking coffee yesterday, and a year before that.
PROTESTER: Why have you not joined the holy struggle?
LUSINE: Լավ եկեք թարգեք, շատ զզվելի ա, էնքան զզվելի ա․ //
ԳԼՈՒԽ 7
Pro-Kremlin propagandist Alexander Dugin praised the pro-Russian forces' protests in Armenia and criticized the pro-EU protests in Georgia.
Pro-Kremlin Russian politician Semyon Baghdasarov praised Archbishop Bagrat and the ongoing "uprising" in Armenia against the "traitor" [Nikol] who "rigged" the elections with the help of "Turkey, UK, and US". Nikol is a Turkish MI6 agent. video,
ԳԼՈՒԽ 8
Video of a protest recorded from above: video
source, video, video, video, video, source, source, source, source, source, source, source, video,

Armenian government has upgraded other diplomatic channels to reduce reliance on ARF's diaspora structures in the US, says pro-West NGO chief

KHURSHUDYAN: The status of the Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. [Lilith Makunts] has been significantly upgraded. I won't go into specifics because it's tied to our neighbors, but she plays an interesting role there. We have great conditions for the U.S. Congress to pressure Azerbaijan. This is outside of ARF's lobbyist groups in the U.S.
REPORTER: ARF Hay Dat's recent conduct has been shameful.
KHURSHUDYAN: And its influence on the Lemkin Institute was obvious. //
Yesterday Kurshudyan accused the Lemkin Institute of caving to ARF's pressure and meddling into Armenia's internal affairs to assist the protests by the pro-Russian former regime.
KHURSHUDYAN: Lemkin Institute accused Pashinyan's April 24 genocide remembrance day statement of containing "victim blaming". Lemkin did not comment on Pashinyan's statement for several weeks, waited 15 days, and as soon as these pro-Russian protests began in Armenia, they gave them a պաս:
source,

Armenia's four most prominent pro-West opposition parties announce the formation of a unified platform

Republic Party, led by ex-PM Aram Sargsyan.
Hanun Republic Party, led by Arman Babajanyan.
European Party of Armenia, led by Tigran Khzmalyan.
Christian-Democratic Party, led by Levon Shirinyan.
Have the following agenda...
(1) Promotion of Western values in Armenia and Armenia's membership in EU and NATO.
(2) United front against threats and risks of destabilization coming from Russia.
(3) Vetting judges to clean up the courts, and resolution of issues left unaddressed by the Pashinyan administration.
(4) Continuation of border demarcation based on 1991 Almaty.
(5) The use of international law to achieve a fair resolution for Nagorno-Karabakh residents.
The platform is open for like-minded forces to join.
source,

Armenian army chief denies being a Russian citizen

A statement released by the defense ministry denies media reports that CoGS LtGen Edward Asryan is a dual citizen of Russia. His wife is an ethnic Russian with Armenian citizenship and his kids are dual citizens, but Asryan only has citizenship in Armenia. The whole family has resided in Armenia since 2006, said the statement.
source,

Georgia passes controversial ‘foreign agents’ bill despite widespread opposition

The law will require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines.
The bill will be sent to the President who is expected to veto it, but her veto is expected to be overruled by the parliamentary majority later.
Georgian PM Kobakhidze had an "honest conversation" with U.S. deputy foreign minister James O'Brien, telling him that the Georgian government is interested in deepening the partnership with the U.S., "which requires mutual efforts and relations based on fairness."
James O'Brien demanded to speak with the manager - Bidza Ivanishvili. The latter refused to meet O'Brien, saying he won't hold any meetings under "blackmail".
The White House said the U.S. will review its relations with Georgia if the bill becomes law.
source, source, source,

how many of the 101,000 Nagorno-Karabakh refugees have left Armenia and haven't returned yet?

As of...
Dec: 6.6K
Jan: 6.9K
Mar: 8.0K
Apr: 9.1K
May: 9.9K
The former Ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh said many of them have family members and friends in Russia who invite them to move.
source,

temperatures are rising rapidly in Armenia

REPORTER: The rainy May is not going to be enough to alleviate the negative consequences of the rapidly rising temperatures in Armenia. With a ~3 Celsius anomaly, Armenia had the second-highest increase in temperature over the last 6 months among a group of monitored countries.
WEATHER CENTER: High temperatures increase the evaporation of water and reduce the amount of snow in the winter. In December and January, we recorded rain instead of snow in certain mountainous regions, which is bad for water resources.
REPORTER: A conference was recently held in Yerevan within the framework of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
UN official: Around 40% of global soils are degraded. Millions of people will be forced to migrate from their communities by 2050 as a result of climate problems. Emergency action is needed to reduce the rate of rising temperatures. //
Armenia joined the Convention three decades ago and has assumed the responsibility to restore degraded soil by 2030. The government is promoting drip irrigation systems for farming and wants to plant more trees.
video,

is the decline of Lake Sevan levels finally slowing down?

see the YoY chart

Yerevan Municipality to receive a €25 million loan from European Investment Bank to raise energy efficiency

It's part of the implementation of Eastern Partnership programs. The Armenian government and the EU are co-financing it.
The goal is to raise energy efficiency and carry out seismic retrofitting in 6 medical clinics and 32 kindergartens run by the municipality. The length of the program is 4 years.
video, video,

Gagik Tsarukyan is inside you

there is a bit of Tsarukyan inside all of you
see it to believe it

Gagik Tsarukyan says the new Jesus statue is ready and will be installed by the end of 2025

It will be a tourist attraction site. There will be a ropeway. Also, Tsarukyan needs you to know that he is a man of God and an avid believer.
video,

Armenia and Slovakia discussed AM-EU visa liberalization

source,

Lithuania will help retrain Armenian law enforcement agents to combat cybercrime, analyze crimes, etc.

source,

Armenia's Economy Minister Papoyan met the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt

In a Washington meeting participated by the Armenian Ministry delegation and Armenia's Ambassador, they spoke about the Crossroads of Peace logistics project proposed by Armenia, several topics relating to Armenia's energy and economic security, and the Armenian government's ongoing efforts to classify Armenia as a "market economy".
source,

Armenia and Iran discussed the construction of a second bridge over the River Araks

The first bridge began operating in 1996. It came to replace the floating bridges on the river.
Iran says the AM-IR traffic through the Meghri checkpoint significantly increased last year. Coupled with the fact that Armenia is building a modern North-South highway, they believe it's necessary to have a second AM-IR bridge to handle the rising traffic.
The parties are currently discussing the formation of a working group consisting of experts to discuss the topic.
source,

a new study on mice indicates that more exercise might be better than more sleep for clearing brain of toxins

They injected a dye into a brain and tracked the speed of its movement during sleep and exercise.
The findings show that the clearance of the dye was reduced by 30% in sleeping mice compared with mice that were kept awake. This has not been confirmed on humans yet.
Previous research has suggested that sleep is important for preventing dementia as it is during this time that toxic proteins are cleared from the brain.
source, source,

By combining sentiment analysis and AI, traders can leverage the power of data and algorithms to gain insights and advantages in the stock market.
How does sentiment analysis for traders using AI work?
Sentiment analysis for traders works by using various tools and techniques from AI, ML (machine learning) and data science to collect, process, analyze and interpret large amounts of data from various sources, such as historical prices, volumes, news, social media, reviews, etc. These tools and techniques can then generate forecasts, models, signals and alerts that can help traders make better informed decisions.
Some examples of tools and techniques used for sentiment analysis for traders using AI are:

• Natural language processing (NLP): This is a branch of AI that deals with analyzing and understanding human languages. NLP can help traders extract relevant information from text and speech sources, such as keywords, topics, entities, sentiments, etc.
• Text mining: This is a process of discovering patterns and insights from unstructured text data. Text mining can help traders identify trends, correlations, anomalies and outliers from text sources.
• Sentiment analysis: This is a specific type of text mining that focuses on detecting and measuring the polarity (positive, negative or neutral) and intensity (strong or weak) of sentiments expressed in text and speech sources. Sentiment analysis can help traders gauge the market sentiment and anticipate price movements.
• Machine learning (ML): This is a subset of AI that involves creating systems that can learn from data and improve their performance without explicit programming. ML can help traders build predictive models and algorithms that can analyze data and generate outputs based on certain criteria or objectives.
• Neural networks: These are a type of ML that mimic the structure and function of the human brain. Neural networks can learn from data and recognize complex patterns and relationships. Neural networks can help traders with tasks such as classification, regression, clustering, anomaly detection, etc.

What are the benefits of sentiment analysis for traders using AI?
Sentiment analysis for traders using AI can provide several benefits, such as:

• Accuracy: Sentiment analysis can improve the accuracy of forecasts and predictions by using advanced algorithms and data analysis techniques that can account for multiple factors and variables.
• Efficiency: social analysis for traders can increase the efficiency of trading processes by automating tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming or prone to human errors.
• Speed: Sentiment analysis can enhance the speed of trading operations by processing large amounts of data in real time and providing fast responses and feedback.
• Adaptability: Analysis for traders can enable traders to adapt to changing market conditions by learning from new data and updating their models and strategies accordingly.
• Profitability: Sentiment analysis can ultimately boost the profitability of traders by helping them optimize their performance, reduce their costs, mitigate their risks and maximize their returns.

What are some challenges of sentiment analysis for traders using AI?
Sentiment analysis for traders also faces some challenges, such as:

• Data quality: Sentiment analysis depends on the quality of the data sources used for analysis. Data sources may be incomplete, inaccurate, inconsistent or biased. Traders need to ensure that they use reliable and relevant data sources that reflect the true market sentiment.
• Data privacy: Sentiment analysis for traders may involve collecting and processing personal or sensitive data from users or customers. Traders need to comply with the ethical and legal regulations regarding data privacy and security. Traders also need to respect the rights and preferences of users or customers regarding their data usage.
• Data interpretation: Analysis may produce complex or ambiguous outputs that require human interpretation or validation. Traders need to understand the limitations and assumptions of the models and algorithms used for sentiment analysis. Traders also need to use their own judgment and experience to complement the outputs of sentiment analysis.

What are some examples of sentiment analysis for traders using AI?
Sentiment analysis for traders has many applications in different domains and scenarios. Here are some examples of how sentiment analysis for traders using AI can be used:

• Stock market prediction: Sentiment analysis can help predict the future price movements of stocks based on the sentiment of investors, consumers and analysts expressed in online sources. For example, Repustate is a company that provides sentiment analysis for stock market data, such as earnings calls, news articles, social media posts, etc. Repustate can help traders identify the sentiment trends and signals that can affect the stock performance.
• Trading strategy optimization: Sentiment analysis can help optimize the trading strategies and parameters based on the sentiment of the market and the trader. For example, Rows is a company that provides a spreadsheet platform that integrates with OpenAI’s GPT-3 to perform various tasks, such as sentiment analysis. Rows can help traders use OpenAI’s GPT-3 to categorize text data, generate trading signals, backtest trading strategies, etc.
• Trading automation: Sentiment analysis for traders can help automate the trading process by executing trades based on the sentiment of the market and the trader. For example, Built In is a company that provides AI trading technology for stock investors. Built In can help traders use various types of AI trading, such as quantitative trading, algorithmic trading, high-frequency trading and automated trading. Built In can help traders use sentiment analysis to gather information from news outlets and social media to determine market swings.
• Trading education: Analysis for traders can help educate traders on how to use sentiment analysis to improve their trading skills and knowledge. For example, Towards Data Science is a platform that provides articles and tutorials on data science topics, such as sentiment analysis. Towards Data Science can help traders learn how to use sentiment analysis for stock price prediction in Python.

​
Sentiment analysis for traders is a powerful tool that can help traders gain insights and advantages in the stock market. By using various tools and techniques from AI, ML and data science, traders can collect, process, analyze and interpret large amounts of data from various sources, such as historical prices, volumes, news, social media, reviews, etc. These tools and techniques can then generate forecasts, models, signals and alerts that can help traders make better informed decisions.
However, sentiment analysis for traders also faces some challenges, such as data quality, data privacy and data interpretation. Traders need to ensure that they use reliable and relevant data sources that reflect the true market sentiment. Traders also need to comply with the ethical and legal regulations regarding data privacy and security. Traders also need to understand the limitations and assumptions of the models and algorithms used for sentiment analysis. Traders also need to use their own judgment and experience to complement the outputs of sentiment analysis.

This subreddit has been closed to submissions for a long time. I'm going to be re-opening it.
Please keep in mind the rules, which are largely unchanged.
Keep things relatively on topic. I don't imagine that'll be an issue.
No hateful speech. This show discusses some controversial topics and does so in a way that is not always easy to talk about! If you are discussing these topics in the context of the show itself, there is no issue. But if there is any sentiment that you are targeting another individual or expressing your own bigotry, you will be banned. This also goes for encouraging violence.
And finally, do not advocate for piracy or torrenting or anything that could get the subreddit banned. The episodes are archived on the Internet Archive and easy to find.

Welcome back, everyone!
After the recent shutdown of the previous subreddit , I've created this new subreddit as a platform for civil discussion and archiving of Max's posts. It's essential to clarify that this subreddit is not intended to promote hate or harassment in any form. Instead, it aims to provide a space for open dialogue, sharing information, and supporting those affected by the situation.
To ensure that this community remains respectful and constructive, we have established the following rules:

1. No Hate Speech: Any posts or comments containing hate speech, derogatory language, or personal attacks will be removed immediately. Respectful disagreement is welcome, but hateful or inflammatory remarks are not tolerated.
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3. Stay On Topic: Keep discussions relevant to Max's situation and related topics. Off-topic posts may be removed to maintain focus and relevance.
4. No Witch-Hunting: Do not encourage or participate in any form of harassment or vigilantism against Max or anyone else. This includes encouraging others to take action outside of this subreddit.
5. Be Civil: Treat fellow members with respect and courtesy. Disagreements are inevitable, but it's crucial to express opinions in a constructive manner without resorting to insults or hostility.
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7. Moderator Discretion: The moderators reserve the right to remove any content or users that violate these rules or disrupt the community's atmosphere. Please respect their decisions and cooperate with them.
8. Mindful Tone: Please be mindful of the tone of your comments. Refrain from using dismissive or derogatory language when discussing Max's situation or related topics. Comments should maintain a respectful and empathetic tone, focusing on constructive dialogue rather than expressing disbelief or ridicule. Disagreements are welcome, but they should be communicated thoughtfully and without belittling others' experiences or perspectives.
9. NO TRANSPHOBIA/MIS GENDERING: Please ONLY use Max's pronouns they/them. Transphobic language or behavior will not be tolerated.

This subreddit will be heavily moderated to ensure compliance with these rules and Reddit's content policies. Any posts or comments deemed to violate these guidelines will be promptly removed. Our goal is to foster a safe and supportive environment for discussion while preventing the spread of hate or misinformation. Please exercise caution when creating posts, or commenting.
Thank you for joining us in this new community. Let's strive to maintain a respectful and constructive atmosphere as we navigate through this situation together. Your cooperation and understanding are greatly appreciated.

Greetings everyone!
Wecome to Abortiondebate. Due to popular request, this is our weekly abortion debate thread.
This thread is meant for anything related to the abortion debate, like questions, ideas or clarifications, that are too small to make an entire post about. This is also a great way to gain more insight in the abortion debate if you are new, or unsure about making a whole post.
In this post, we will be taking a more relaxed approach towards moderating (which will mostly only apply towards attacking/name-calling, etc. other users). Participation should therefore happen with these changes in mind.
Reddit's TOS will however still apply, this will not be a free pass for hate speech.
We also have a recurring weekly meta thread where you can voice your suggestions about rules, ask questions, or anything else related to the way this sub is run.
ADBreakRoom is our officially recognized sister subreddit for all off-topic content and banter you'd like to share with the members of this community. It's a great place to relax and unwind after some intense debating, so go subscribe!

This has nothing to do with her accent, one can have a thick accent and still deliver a great message. Her flat pitch and tone of voice, lack of engagement, inability to show genuine passion about the topic and clear lack of rehearsal made her speech totally monotonous and uninteresting. Questionable for someone holding such high title in a company.

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 feel distant from my ENFP boyfriend
Both are 16. Our feelings for each other are mutual, although I feel like he loves me more.. this makes me want to cry (I can never, that's a problem).
At the start, it was really passionate. We had loads of topics to discuss, and we LOVE doing music together.
..until I started to feel really distant from him. I can never just dive into one topic and explore it deeply with him (what my Ni likes) he's a Ne dom obviously, so, for example, when he sits down to practice, he can't play a piece more than twice. He always tries to get attention from me and shows off his skills constantly. I also have much to show off with, but I hold myself from doing it because.. it's annoying. His reactions are always theatrical. He expects me to be reactive and improvise in things that he suggests. All of this is incredibly draining.
I just want to go somewhere quiet and truly connect by talking about personal stuff. I can't listen to his excited speech for hours. I can't physically respond to his amount of charisma. It's.. tiring.
It's great at times, but mostly, it's that I feel terribly unfocused around him.
So the thing I'm curious about is, how can an INTJxENFP couple be considered so 'perfect'? What am I doing wrong that I can't connect?..
The world is grey again

Jerry and George are talking in the diner and the topic of the Columbia protests comes up. Jerry goes on a diatribe about how college are the most important years of someone's life and who should overhear him but the President of Columbia, who invites Jerry to give the year's commencement address not realizing that Jerry was being sarcastic the whole time.
Jerry, with George's help, scrambles to write a commencement speech, but no matter what they come up with, it sounds like Jerry is being sarcastic when he doesn't mean to be. Recognizing this is a problem, George advises Jerry to write the most boring, banal, boilerplate speech he can think of, and to make it brief. Jerry settles on "Education is really important, and all of you are really important too."
Finally, the big day comes. As the university president is delivering a long-winded introduction for Jerry, George is sitting at the very back of the crowd when a young college grad begins coming on to him. She makes it clear she has "a thing" for short, stocky bald men with glasses, and proposes that she and George head to the President's office, but a stone's throw away, which she knows will be unoccupied at this time, but there's a catch: she only has as much time with George as Jerry's commencement address will last, because after that she is the first student to cross the stage and receive her diploma.
Flustered, George does the one thing he can think of: as soon as Jerry walks up to the podium, he lets out a massive "BOOOOO! Free Palestine!" and walks out with the young woman in tow, only to be followed by several dozen more students.
The President of Columbia storms off the stage in a huff, thinking the graduation ceremony has been ruined. Jerry asks him where he is going: "Back to my office! I'm going to revoke the diplomas of everyone of those spoiled children who think they can use this college as their own personal play-thing for their sick, hedonistic desires."
Cut to George and the young graduate getting hot and heavy in the President's office; the President walks in, sees what's happening, and asks George "What do you think you're doing?"
"Freeing Palestine?"---freeze frame ending.

There's been much discussion, both on the podcast and on this sub, about the extent to which those involved in the Playboy inner and outer circle were subject to NDAs. Most recently, Crystal has been criticized by Marston and HB for supposedly obtaining NDAs near the end of Hef's life and "silencing" his close friend. I think there is some fundamental misunderstandings about NDAs and what their role might be in this story.
Who am I? I am a silly little lawyer, practicing in California, and I love the intersection of law and popular culture. I wrote a journal article in law school about NDAs and the MeToo movement but sure as hell didn't try to get it published, so I've done deep dives into this topic but I am by no means an expert. I do love to learn, however, so if anyone has expertise in this area and wants to correct me or add onto any of this I would greatly appreciate it.
What is an NDA?
A non-disclosure agreement or an "NDA" refers to the broad spectrum of contractual agreements where the terms of the agreement bind at least one party from communicating about a pre-determined topic. Basically, a contract that makes at least someone keep quiet about something.
A contract requires (amongst other things) consideration by both parties. This means both parties have to give and take something for the contract to be valid. A contract, or an NDA, cannot just be a piece of paper where someone promises to do something. There has to be something in it for both sides.
Consideration, most commonly, takes the form of money. I pay you X, so you will do Y. But it can also be in the form of permission to engage in a certain activity. For example, I did an escape room once that had an NDA clause in the waiver so that people wouldn't go blabbing about how to solve the room once they were done. In exchange for getting to do the room, I agreed to the NDA. If I didn't want to agree to those terms, I could just not do the escape room.
The terms of the contract have to be reasonably balanced. You can't pay one cent for someone to agree to give you their firstborn child. Courts generally aren't in the business of scrutinizing the fairness of terms of contracts unless there's something grossly egregious about them, but it still has to make some modicum of sense.
Misunderstanding #1 - Anyone who signs an NDA is a victim being silenced by the other party.
This seems to be the assumption that HB and Marston are operating off of. There's this notion that Crystal forced all of Hef's circle to sign NDAs near the end of his life and now they're being silenced because of it.
First, you can't just have people sign NDAs and expect them to be enforceable. If Crystal did get NDAs from Hef's circle later in life, they had to have been paid consideration for it. Either Crystal offered them a sum of money (which they accepted) or the NDA was a requisite to partake in movie night, buffet dinner, etc. Either way, those who signed NDAs did so with an acceptance of what would be offered in exchange.
Obviously, there's argument that most people don't really understand the contracts they sign and wouldn't agree to them if they understood what they were giving up. But Hef's inner circle? These are people who have been in the entertainment industry for years, if not decades; these are people who have money to hire a lawyer, if not already have a lawyer on speed-dial. I am skeptical that if Dickie Bann was handed an NDA before entering the mansion for movie night he would've just signed it blindly.
Let's also consider the fact that the value of one's ability to speak out is inherently subjective. The criticism of an NDA assumes that the right to speak on a matter is something otherwise desired by the person agreeing to the NDA. It's easy to wonder why a victim would ever agree to an NDA and be prevented from speaking out about their experience. Frankly, before MeToo and the rise of social media, most victims of traumatic experiences were more inclined to speak less about their abuse than to go public. If you're a victim, and you already have no reason to speak to the public about your trauma, getting a significant payout to remain silent is actually a pretty solid deal.
Hef's friends are not victims by any means. But they showed a great amount of loyalty to him and the Playboy brand for decades before his death. I am incredibly skeptical of the notion that Hef's friends, but for some NDA, would have otherwise planned on ratting him out and showing the world that his health was declining.
The value of silence is subjective. Someone signing an NDA does not necessarily mean they are now restricted from publicly communicating something major. It very well might mean they just now have a legal obligation to do the thing that they would have done otherwise.
If, somehow, Crystal had been able to get Hef's friends to sign NDAs, I do not think that it influenced their behavior enough from what would have otherwise been that anyone needs to be that concerned about it. If it did, great, they probably got a great payout from it.
Misunderstanding #2 - NDAs are counter-intuitive to free speech and Hef would have never stood for them
As I'm sure many of you are aware, the First Amendment protection of free speech refers to the government's ability to restrict speech. Someone choosing to sign an NDA is not the same as the government preventing your broadcast from reaching its desired audiences. Someone choosing to not enter a private preschool with an AR-47 has nothing to do with their Second Amendment rights. The free speech that Hef specifically was known for advocating for had to do with censorship at the hands of the government from the broadcast of "obscene" content.
Maybe Bridget meant just the general philosophical idea of "free speech," which you would hope her masters in communication would have taught her to clarify the difference between. Regardles, remember, NDAs require consideration. This is not just ruthless silencing of innocent people who'd love to speak out about how awful Crystal is. These are wealthy, if not also highly educated, people in Hef's inner circle who, if they signed an NDA, surely understand the gravity (or lack thereof) of what they're agreeing to.
Likewise, I don't think Hef was against the idea of an NDA. Holly speculated that Hef wouldn't have required NDAs for those going into the bedroom because it would have given them a second to think about their decision. There's probably truth to this, but courts are also -very- reluctant to enforce any contracts that seem as though they would implicitly be authorizing sex in exchange for money. Also keep in mind the limited opportunities for women at that time to "speak out" if they even wanted to share about what happened in the bedroom. Hef probably would've loved for the public to hear what happened. There wasn't social media or the same understanding of power dynamics as there are these days. Who is someone who went into the bedroom and didn't sign an NDA and had a horrible time going to go to?
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Holly said she signed an NDA to work at the studio. This is perfectly reasonable. Anyone who is on a salary or signed a contract with an employer probably has signed off on an NDA clause and are currently bound by it. You couldn't keep something like who the Playmate of the Year was under wraps without some strict confidentiality provisions. The Playboy empire could not exist if there was some kind of blanket rule against NDAs.
Additionally, part of the allure of the mansion parties, per the podcast, were that no outside cameras were permitted inside. You're really gonna rag on someone not wanting a bunch of shitty iPhone shots of a man in his dying days, meanwhile you're singing the praises of exclusive parties that for decades wouldn't let people take and share photos of the event?
I am fully confident that Hef did not have issues with NDAs for business purposes, and certainly did not see that as contradicting his stance on free speech. In the podcast they said the mansion staff signed NDAs as part of their employment contracts There are countless examples of the Playboy company trying to silence people in Secrets of Playboy. Hef made it very clear that his stance was that free speech was important when it could help his bottom line. Anything else was negotiable.
Misunderstanding #3 - If someone signs an NDA it's automatically enforceable/If an NDA is unenforceable that will be obvious from the get go
To play devil's advocate to myself, I will say that whether an NDA is enforceable by a court of law and whether the parties abide by the terms are two separate issues. In many cases, a contract may not hold up in court if someone seeks to litigate over alleged violation of the terms. Most contracts don't get litigated over let alone actually get a final determination of their enforceability by a Court.
I will say that there's possibility that Crystal had people sign NDAs that were shotty but that the signers didn't understand that the NDAs weren't legitimate and so they still complied with the terms of the contract. (for example, often those waivers you sign for various activities wouldn't hold up in court, but people think they do, which precludes a lot of people from even considering bringing a claim) But this goes back to the type of people who would be signing these NDAs who otherwise might have access to sensitive information about Hef or the company. These are not girls coming out to do test shoots or the larger guest list at the mansion parties. These are people who are wealthy, powerful, and educated and would not be duped by the idea that merely signing an NDA with ridiculous terms would mean the contract is enforceable. Or perhaps they just didn't give a fuck enough about blabbing so there was no reason for them to even question the NDA that would stop them from saying something they weren't playing on saying.
Not a misunderstanding but one closing note in defense of these hypothetical NDAs - The power of speech for the average person has increased exponentially in the digital and social media age. HB acknowledge that the mansion parties were unique from anything currently because there weren't the same tools we have now to disseminate information. I think it's sort of an apples and oranges comparison in terms of confidentiality to compare the vibes of the buffet movie nights from the early 2000s to the 2010s, not even taking into account the nature of Hef's health.
I think Bridget talked about how a lot of screen contracts didn't allow for residuals from streaming services because they literally hadn't existed then. By the time smartphones and social media were ubiquotus I don't think Hef really gave that much of a care about protecting his or the brand's image. Hef never had a policy or strategy to address social media because it just wasn't even a problem for him to consider, not because he had some absolutely stance on letting anyone who came to the mansion say whatever they wanted about it to the masses.
Ok, I think that's all I have for now. Happy to talk about this or debate this more, but wanted to clear some things up since I feel like this drama with Crystal and allegations about NDAs is going to come up in the near future.

Both are 16. Our feelings for each other are mutual, although I feel like he loves me more.. this makes me want to cry (I can never, that's a problem).
At the start, it was really passionate. We had loads of topics to discuss, and we LOVE doing music together.
..until I started to feel really distant from him. I can never just dive into one topic and explore it deeply with him (what my Ni likes) he's a Ne dom obviously, so, for example, when he sits down to practice, he can't play a piece more than twice. He always tries to get attention from me and shows off his skills constantly. I also have much to show off with, but I hold myself from doing it because.. it's annoying. His reactions are always theatrical. He expects me to be reactive and improvise in things that he suggests. All of this is incredibly draining.
I just want to go somewhere quiet and truly connect by talking about personal stuff. I can't listen to his excited speech for hours. I can't physically respond to his amount of charisma. It's.. tiring.
It's great at times, but mostly, it's that I feel terribly unfocused around him.
So the thing I'm curious about is, how can an INTJxENFP couple be considered so 'perfect'? What am I doing wrong that I can't connect?..
The world is grey again

As many of you may have read, there is a case of two missing adopted kids in North Carolina, where remains have been found. The news has reported that their adoptive “mother” is Avantae Deven.
I’m a curious person and started digging up information on Avantae Deven when I first read the story in my news feed and could not believe what I was reading. It seemed like whomever this woman is must have be using an alias; Avantae Deven is not a name like Kim Jones or Mackenzie Smith.
The more I dug, the weirder it seemed to get. I found a property deed to a place in Sedona, Arizona, and figured out that whomever this Avantae person is, she at one point in time had owned a home together with someone named Nicole Adams. So I dug into who Nicole Adams was, and learned that she was the widow of a spiritual leader named Robert Adams. It appeared to me that there would be no way to identify who Avantae really was, unless I could also identify the true identity of Robert Adams.
*******
I've done investigative work for many years, including skip tracing. I can conclusively state that there was absolutely no person actually named Robert Adams born in New York State on January 21, 1928. This is demonstrated by the New York Birth Index. I have combed the census records for 1930, 1940, and 1950, and cross-checked them against multiple databases, and am confident that nobody with the birth name of Robert Adams was born anywhere in the United States on January 21, 1928.
Moreover, there was absolutely no person with the true name of Robert Adams who died anywhere at all in the United States, let alone Sedona, Arizona, on March 2, 1997. This is demonstrated by the Social Security Death Index.
I began this research largely by performing exhaustive searches on the known addresses that are associated with Robert, his wife Leonie (who used to use the alias Nicole), and Avantae Deven (who turns out to be their daughter Michelle who began using the alias Avantae in the mid-1990’s or so). Most of the addresses are PO boxes. Those that are PO boxes are all *private* PO boxes, not PO boxes that one can rent from the United States Postal Service. To me, that spoke volumes. The family were clearly using aliases.
As I explain further below, I eventually determined that “Robert Adams” was Robert Spiegel, born 21 January 1932 in New York. “Nicole Adams” was actually Aileen Beverly Leonie Maxwell, born February 2, 1929, in Jamaica. “Avantae Deven” is actually their daughter, Michelle K. Spiegel, born on October 1, 1960, in California.
One of Robert’s many false stories about Robert’s life that my research has refuted is Robert’s claim that his mother was Jewish and his father was Catholic. That was a lie. Both of his parents were Jewish. It’s also interesting that he claimed that he was “raised Catholic.” There is absolutely nothing to suggest that. His mother always, in New York, lived in Jewish neighborhoods. Moreover, as will be discussed below, his parents had a Jewish wedding. It’s also downright absurd that he would tell people that he was “half Jewish.” If your mother’s Jewish, you are Jewish, pure and simple. Even if Robert’s father had truly been Catholic (which he wasn’t; his name was Samuel Spiegel and he immigrated to America in 1907, lived with his Jewish, Yiddish-speaking cousins, and spoke Yiddish himself), Robert would have been Jewish because the status of being a Jew comes from the mother. Robert’s mother’s name was Fannie (nee Fleisfeder) Spiegel. Fannie’s parents were Itzik Fleisfeder and Esther Libke (nee Rifkin) Fleisfeder. Esther’s parents were Mendel Rifkin and Sarah whose maiden name is lost to time and the disappearance of the shtetls. Robert’s claim to having had a Catholic father was utterly false, but is part and parcel of his ongoing compulsive daily lying about anything and everything.
Here is the story.
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Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea, is a city currently located in the Western Ukraine.
On January 21, 1892 (the same year that Kolomea tallis¹ workers went on strike for better pay and working conditions), Kolomea resident Rachel Katz, wife of Abraham Spiegel, gave birth to a son, who was given the name Schmuel.
On the date that Schmuel Spiegel entered the world, Kolomea was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and almost half of the city’s residents were Jewish.
In June of 1907, fifteen-year-old Schmuel² boarded the Zeeland, which sailed from Antwerp, Belgium, arriving at New York Harbor on June 18, 1907. The ship’s manifest states that Schmuel’s father had paid for his transport, and that Schmuel intended to reside with his father, Abe, in Brooklyn. Schmuel was granted entrance, and took up residence with his cousin Charles Fetner, who resided at 353 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, in Apartment A with his wife Jennie and their baby daughter Ettie. The sparse record that exists suggests that although Schmuel’s father was, indeed, named Abraham, Abraham lived and died in Europe, without immigrating to America.
The 1910 census describes Samuel’s cousin Charles as a carpenter, who had been married to housewife Jennie for six years, and a father of three children-- Ettie age four, Nathan age two, and baby Jacob, who was not even a year old. Eighteen-year-old Samuel was identified by profession as a “Foreman Sailmaker” in an industry described as “pocket-books.”
Three and a half years after being granted admission, on a bitterly cold winter day, January 4, 1911, Schmuel (now employed as a pocket-book maker, and having Anglicized his name to Samuel) signed and submitted his declaration to become a United States citizen. He stated, in that declaration, that he was born on January 21, 1892.
By 1915, Samuel had left his cousin’s abode and was residing as a lodger in the home of a widow named Rose Hammer, who lived with her two adolescent sons, Meyer and Louis, at 531 E. 5^th Avenue; Samuel was now working as a “driver.”
Two years after the 1915 state census was taken, Samuel had moved back to Myrtle Avenue, but this time at building no. 849. On June 15, 2017, Samuel registered for the draft, and described himself as being a pocketbook maker, working for “A. Shoenfeld,” at 101 Crosby Street, New York. He was single. He stated, in his draft registration, that he was born on January 21, 1892.
*******
A woman named Fruma Fleisfeder was born in Beltz, Bessarabia, sometime between July 1, 1893, and 1901, to Itzik Fleisfeder and Esther Lieba Rifkin. Fruma (not living up to her pious given name) provided different dates and years of birth to different authorities on different occasions, making it impossible at this point in time to know her true position in the birth order of her family. Regardless, Fruma, who began using the name Fanny upon her entrance to the United States, did have three brothers and a sister who also came to America-- Louis Fleisfeder who was born April 10, 1890, Max Irving Fleisfeder who used October 10, 1892 as his birthdate, Hersch (later known as Harry), whose official birthdate was December 15, 1901, and Sylvia who was born in approximately 1906.
On December 1, 1919, Fruma arrived in New York Harbor on the ship La Touraine, declaring her intention, at entry, to become a United States Citizen. The ship’s manifest describes her as five feet five inches tall, with fair hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. The ship’s manifest states that she was, at that time, age 24. If that were correct, she would have been born in 1895.
Fruma (then going by Fanny) took up residence with her cousin Ethel (nee Ruchlin) and Ethel’s husband Samuel Steinberg, on 15^th Street, Brooklyn. Soon thereafter, Ethel gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Theresa. The 1920 census states that Fanny was Russian, didn’t speak English but, rather, spoke Hebrew, and worked as a milliner in a millinery store. The 1920 census also states that Fanny was age 25, which lines up with her being age 24 in the prior year’s ship manifest.
*******
Sam and Fanny married in Manhattan on January 24, 1925. Their marriage certificate (signed by each of them) identifies Sam as being age 32 (contradicting, by one year, his immigration records which would have placed him at age 33), and identifies Fanny as age 24, the same age that she had claimed to be six years prior, and also contradicting an immigration petition that she would file two decades in the future, which generally placed her birth year at the mid-point of 1893.
If Fanny’s immigration records (which included a petition with her signature on it) were correct, Fanny would also have been age 32 as of her marriage to Samuel, not age 24.
So did Fanny lie in her marriage certificate? Or did she lie in her immigration petition?
The marriage certificate identifies Sam as having been born in Kolomea, Austria, and his father being Abraham, and his mother being Rachel Katz. It identifies Fanny as having been born in Beltz, Russia, to a father named Isaac, and to a mother named Esther Rifkin.
The marriage certificate does not identify Fanny as having any profession, but identifies Sam as being a pocketbook maker.
Sam and Fannie were married at 125 E. 4^th Street, Manhattan, a six-story apartment building with retail units on the ground floor that is now an expensive co-op, with three-bedroom units selling for over $900,000. Present-day real estate advertisements alternatively state that the building was built in 1894, 1903, and 1905.
The first name of the rabbi who officiated was Harry. His surname starts with Reid, but the remaining letters of his signature are illegible. Rabbi Harry identified his residence as 232 Broome Street, which, at the time, was a four-story mixed use building that, among other things, housed Chevrah Ahavath Zedek Anshei Jaskinover.
Witnesses to the marriage were Mayer Budmon and Samuel Steinberg.
*******
Sam and Fanny’s existence was documented next in the 1925 New York State census by census. They were living at 205 S. 2^nd Street. Samuel was still working as a “pocketbook maker.” Fanny was identified as a “housewife.”
Fanny was identified as age 25. This was in accordance with her age as stated on her marriage certificate, but not in accordance with her immigration documents or the 1920 census.
Sam was identified as being age 28, which conflicted with all prior records.
*******
In 1930, the couple were again enumerated, this time in the Federal census. The enumerator, whose signature appears to be “Max Krahn” (or something like that) stated that he obtained the information on April 16, 1930.
Sam was identified as a “framer” of pocketbooks. He was identified as being 36 years of age, which conflicts by two years with the age that he provided to immigration authorities. Perhaps the enumerator was simply sloppy; Samuel was also incorrectly identified in the 1930 census as having been born in “Poland,” with parents who were both also born in “Poland,” notwithstanding other governmental records having identified him as being Austrian. The language he spoke? “Jewish,” according to the enumerator. Was that to mean Hebrew? Yiddish? Both?
Fannie was identified as age 30 (directly in conflict with the information she supplied in her immigration petition, which bears her signature) and as being “Russian,” with parents born in “Russia.” The 1930 census enumerator incorrectly wrote that her year of immigration was 1921. Fannie, too, was identified by the enumerator as speaking the “Jewish” language.
Although later records reflected that Sam and Fannie had a son named Irving who was born in 1926, Irving was not recorded in the 1930 census. Was he missed by the enumerator? Or was he a later-adopted son?
The couple also had a boarder, identified by the 1930 enumerator as one Esther “Larson,” age 40, born in Russia, and similarly a speaker of the “Jewish” language.
*******
The New York Birth Index identifies a baby boy, Robert Spiegel, as one of many babies having been born in the city on January 21, 1932.
*******
On May 21, 1936, Samuel committed suicide by hanging in the family residence, a tenement apartment located at 1168 Union Avenue, in the Bronx. Although, based upon the date of birth that Samuel used for official governmental purposes he was age 44, the death certificate stated that he was age 43.
Fannie engaged the Gordon Funeral Home to prepare him for burial.
Strangely, although Samuel’s headstone accurately identified him in Hebrew as Schmuel Spiegel, son of Avraham, it inexplicably incorrectly stated that he died at age 40.
Fannie of course knew her husband’s real age; both of them signed the marriage certificate that had Samuel’s correct age listed. Furthermore, Samuel had petitioned for citizenship in 1911, and stated that his date of birth was January 18, 1892.
Why would Fannie commission a headstone with a false age? Perhaps she, like her son, was a compulsive liar. Maybe that’s where Robert got it from.
*******
The 1940 census has Fannie (identified as age 38), Robert (identified as age 8), and Fannie’s son/Robert’s brother, Irving Spiegel, age 13, as living with Fannie’s 72-year-old mother, Esther Fleisfeder, at 1537 Fulton Avenue, in the Bronx. Fannie and Esther were identified as widows. Esther was identified as “U” (unable to work), while Fannie was identified as engaged in housework. No source of income for the family was identified.
No explanation is obvious regarding where Irving was living in the census taken a decade previously. Was he adopted?
There is no “Irving Spiegel” listed in the New York Birth Index for either 1926 or 1927. There is an “Irving Spiegal” listed, who was born April 29, 1926. But he is not Irving Spiegel.
I initially thought that perhaps Irving might be one of the unnamed Baby Boy Spiegels born in New York in 1926 or 1927, and that he left the hospital unnamed because his parents were waiting for his bris before naming him. However, Robert left the hospital with the name Robert. Why wait until the bris to name one child, but not the other?
*******
Slightly less than two years after she was enumerated in the 1940 census, Fannie’s mother Esther died, at home, at 1537 Fulton Avenue. The causes of death were “Coronary Thrombosis, Pulmonary Oedema Nephritis, Hypertension, Arteriosclerosis.” Esther left this world on February 6, 1942, the same day that the W. L. Steed was torpedoed, shelled and sunk less than a hundred nautical miles east of the mouth of Delaware River by a German submarine.
She was buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Fairview, New Jersey, the same cemetery where her son-in-law Samuel was interred.
*******
On November 12, 1943, Fannie, now residing at 1985 Bathgate Avenue, in the Bronx, petitioned for citizenship. She claimed, in that document bearing her signature, to be fifty years of age, meaning that if she was telling the truth, she would have been born in approximately 1893.
*******
On January 19, 1948, Robert (having assumed a false date of birth, that being January 18, 1931), enlisted in the New York National Guard. On paper, he had turned age 17 the day before his enlistment. In reality, he would be turning age 16 two days after his enlistment.
On December 9, 1949, Robert was discharged from the national guard, apparently for having been AWOL.
The discharge document identifies his address as being 1985 Bathgate Avenue, New York City.
*******
The 1950 census places Robert again at 1985 Bathgate Avenue, New York City. It correctly identifies him as age 18, and states that he worked as a shipping clerk for a newspaper company.
According to the 1950 census, Robert resided at the Bathgate Avenue address with his mother Fannie, who was purportedly still age 50 (seven years after she had previously claimed to immigration authorities to be age 50), and Robert’s brother Irving, age 24.
Irving was listed as unemployed and moreover, according to the census record, had not worked for the prior year. Fannie was employed full-time as a milliner in a hat factory.
*******
Military records reflect that Irving J. Spiegel, born in 1926 and a resident of 1985 Bathgate Avenue, who had completed two years of high school education, had flown bomber planes over Germany during the war. In his military documents, Irving described himself as single, with two dependents.
*******
On February 2, 1929, a baby girl given the name Aileen Beverly Leone Maxwell was born in Lucea, Hanover, Jamaica, to William Maxwell and Daisy (nee Tibbits) Maxwell. Her birth was registered by her parents.
*******
In 1954, Robert Spiegel and Aileen Maxwell were married in New York City. Their marriage license was given License No. 10284.
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The following year, the Kingston, Jamaica, Gleaner reported on June 6, 1955:
Miss Leonie Maxwell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Maxwell, was married recently in New York City to Mr. Robert Spiegel of the U.S.A. Both the bride and groom are students at the New York Institute of Dietetics. The bride left the island nearly two years ago for New York. Her wedding gown was chantilly lace and nylon tulle. The bodice was fashioned with a wide, scalloped neckline and elbow-length sleeves. Her three tier skirt of chantilly lace was over pleated nylon tulle. Her fingertip-length veil was adorned with pearls.
*******
If the claim regarding the couple studying at the New York Institute of Dietetics was even true, their studies at this institution didn’t last long. In May of 1956, a number of advertisements bearing Robert’s photograph appeared in the Kingston, Jamaica Gleaner. The advertisements described Robert as a psychologist, author, lecturer, and “practitioner in auto suggestion,” and identified him as “Dr. J. Robert Spiegel.” Readers were invited to come meet Robert on May 21, 1956, at Record Plaza, where he would be autographing his “latest” “world-wide” 33 and 1/3 RPM record, “How to Stop Smoking in 7 days by Auto-Suggestion.”
*******
On May 1, 1959, three residents of 1985 Bathgate Avenue, Bronx, New York, came through customs, having returned from a trip to Jamaica. They identified themselves as “Robert D. Spiegel” born in New York (in addition to giving himself a false middle initial, Robert neglected to complete the I-94-A fully, specifically by leaving his birthdate blank), “Leonie A. Spiegel” born in Jamaica on February 2, 1929, and their minor daughter, and “Sharon S. Spiegel,” born in New York. Someone also neglected to fully complete Sharon’s I-94-A, specifically by leaving her birthdate blank.
*******
Leonie had taken Sharon to Jamaica two years earlier. There are no publicly available records pertaining to their outbound transport from the United States to Jamaica. There is, however, a record pertaining to their return to the United States. That publicly available record does not provide their address, but Sharon is identified as weighing 1 stone 5 pounds (a total of 19 pounds), and Leonie is identified as weighing six stone 5 pounds (89 pounds). Interestingly, Leonie used the name “Aileen Spiegel,” and the records assert that Aileen has no middle initial. Aileen was / is her true legal first name, but it is a lie to say that she has no middle initial.
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Almost two years later, on January 5, 1958, the Kingston, Jamaica Gleaner reported:
Staying at the Tamarind Hotel are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Spiegel and daughter Sharon of Miami, Florida. Mrs. Spiegel is the former Leonie Maxwell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Maxwell of Lucea and has been in the United States for several years. A welcome party in their honour was given last Saturday night by Messers. Horrace, Ray, and Dennis Maxwell, brothers of Mrs. Spiegel. It was a very enjoyable affair.
*******
In 1963, roughly five years after their 1958 visit to Jamaica, Leonie petitioned for naturalization, in Louisiana. Although I am in possession of the index showing that she petitioned in 1963, I do not possess the petition itself. However, the fact that she petitioned for naturalization in Louisiana demonstrates that that at least she was residing in Louisiana at the time. Since she stated that she didn’t leave Robert’s side for over 40 years, presumably Robert, young Sharon, and also baby Michelle were living in Louisiana at that time.
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People who knew Robert personally relate that he stated that Leonie was a Cayman Island heiress. She wasn’t. Not only was she not born in the Cayman Islands, Leonie’s father’s estate was litigated (with the judge ruling against her) long before Robert started telling people that his wife was a Cayman Islands heiress.
Leonie’s father did leave an estate, but not to her. On November 9, 1967, the Gleaner reported that the Supreme Court had upheld the will of the late William Josiah Maxwell, the father of Horrace, Ray, Dennis, and Leonie, and the husband of Daisy Maxwell, who had contended that William’s signature was a forgery and that the person to whom his estate had been bequeathed had exercised undue influence. The court disagreed. The article reported:
The estate, which one of the executors described as “a sizeable one,” included 112 acres of land at Paradise and three houses at Lucea, Hanover.
*******
Robert apparently wasn’t banking on Leonie’s inheritance in any event. In May of 1966, advertisements appeared in the Houston Chronicle with Robert’s photo on them, selling a record that would purportedly assist people in stopping smoking in seven days. He identified himself as “Dr. J. Robert Spiegel.”
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On page 55 of the November 15, 1969, San Antonio, Texas Express and News, was an advertisement stating:
SCIENCE OF THE MIND
Dr. J. Robert Spiegel of Houston, director and founder of the Science of the Mind Foundation there, is conducting Sunday evening meetings at 7:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Inn, 1400 Austin Hwy.
*******
On page 4 of the July 10, 1970 edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was a photograph of Robert, with a brief local news blurb:
GUEST – Dr. J Robert Spiegel of Houston, Science of Mind Foundation director, will speak at the 10:45 a.m. service tomorrow in First Church of Religious Science, 2001 6^th Ave. His subject is “What Religious Science Teaches.”
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On page 8 of the June 18, 1970 edition of the Houston Daily Cougar was this advertisement:
HOME OF UNIVERSAL LIFE
“Teaching Aquarian Meditation For The New Age
Meets Every Sunday, 11:00 A.M. At The World Trade Center Auditorium
Houston, Texas
DR. J. ROBERT SPIEGEL (BRAHMADANDA) DIRECTOR - FOUNDER
Aquarian Meditation Initiation for the first time offered through correspondence. For those sincere students wishing to bypass evolution and enter the 5th Kingdom. Initiation includes meditation technique, Mantra, how to "live” 24 hours a day, and much more. Write for application today:
P.O. Box 53328 Houston, Texas 052
*******
From the Galveston Daily News, May 02, 1971, Pg. 31:
AQUARIAN MEDITATION SOCIETY PRESENTS DR. J. ROBERT SPIEGEL AN AUTHOR, LECTURER, TEACHER OF YOGA & SELF DEVELOPMENT WILL SPEAK ON MAN, MIND & THE UNIVERSE WEDNESDAY, MAY 5th AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE RECREATION CENTER HARRIS COUNTY PARK, NASA RD. # 1 ALL WELCOME — DONATION $1.50
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The 1972 Spiritual Community Guide lists Robert twice, in the San Diego area. First, on page 117, using his alias “J. Robert Spiegel”:
THE TEMPLE OF METAPHYSICAL ABUNDANCE. J. Robert Spiegel, 1118 Torrey Pines Rd., 92037. Teaches yoga, nutrition, ESP, metaphysics, psychology, mind control
Second, on page 124, in which he, as one might have predicted, was masquerading as some sort of medical man or scholar:
"AQUARIAN MEDITATION SOCIETY, U. S. Grant Hotel, Attn: Dr. Robert Spiegel, 453-7588"
*******
Also in 1972, Volume 25 of San Diego Magazine published in November advertised gift certificates for the “Astrology Research Center.” “Give your loved one the gift of love. Only $50” said the advertisement. Where was this entity located? At 1118 Torrey Pines Road, the same address as Robert’s Temple of Metaphysical Abundance. The advertisement purported that person identified as “Lil Canaan” was the director. The telephone number was 459-6400.
In 2013, the San Diego Union Tribune published the obituary for Lillian Mulonas, who founded the La Jolla “Astrology Research Center.” At this point in time, unless Robert Adams’ only surviving daughter, Michelle/ Prentiss/ Avantae knows the answer and talks, we will not know what relationship, if any, existed between Robert’s Temple of Metaphysical Abundance and Lilian’s Astrology Research Center, both of which were located at 1118 Torrey Pines Road in 1972.
*******
From the July 12, 1973, San Diego Reader:
BRAHMADANDA FOUNDATION
“Teachings of the Cosmic Way” meets Sundays, 11:00 a.m., U.S. Grant Hotel, Crystal Room. Free admission, refreshments served. Call 453-7588 for more information.
*******
On page 51 of the June 29, 1974 edition of Phoenix’s Arizona Republic was the following advertisement:
Speaker from San Diego
Dr. J. Robert Spiegel from San Diego, a traveler and lecturer, will speak at 8 p.m., Friday in Universal Series Center, 4340 N. Seventh Ave., on the topic “Science of Being.”
He is the founder of the “Aquarian Meditation Society” in Jamaica and is founder and publisher of “Equinox,” a philosophical newspaper.
*******
The family (Adams or Spiegel, however one might want to refer to them) have resided in (that I know of) New York, Miami, Jamaica, Louisiana, La Jolla, Los Angeles, Houston, New Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Sedona, and a number of cities in North Carolina.
*******
In at least the 1990’s, before he left for Sedona, Robert Adams used the address PO Box 7210, Jordan Avenue, D-30, Canoga Park, CA. He used that address on correspondence he wrote, and on at least one published document. Who else used that address? The data aggregators show that this address was also used by a Michelle K. Spiegel, and a person going by the name Leonie Maxwell. Michelle and Leonie also used other addresses associated with Robert, those being 1815 Willis Avenue Panorama City, and 21551 Burbank Boulevard, Woodland Hills.
*******
The California Birth Index shows that Michelle K. Spiegel was born on October 1, 1960, in Los Angeles County, to a mother with the maiden name Maxwell.
*******
In later life, Michelle used the addresses above that are associated with Robert and Leonie, as well as an address of 12004 Vanowen Street #14, North Hollywood. This is the same address at which Denniston Keith Maxwell, one of Leonie’s younger brothers, resided at, after his immigration to the United States. Denniston was one of Michelle’s uncles.
In a recent Facebook posting, Michelle/Avantae stated: “Never knew anything personal about said uncles, etc. Never asked, never cared.” Really? She shared an address with an uncle? Her uncle lived within a few minutes’ drive from her parents, and Michelle/Avantae never knew anything about him?
As an aside, Michelle/Avantae alleged (or admitted) that she “never cared” about anything personal regarding her uncles. If that is true, what does that tell us about Michelle/Avantae’s fundamental character? Antisocial? Psychopathic? Narcissistic in the extreme?
*******
On August 2, 1996, Michelle, going by the name Avantae E. Deven, married Tyson Ruben Alvarez in Las Vegas. The two had addresses in common in Arizona, Nevada, and Montana.
*******
Robert “Adams” died on or about March 2, 1997, in Sedona, Arizona.
Shortly after that, in the spring of 1997, “Nicole Adams” and “Avantae Deven” (both aliases; the correct legal names are Aileen Beverly Leonie Spiegel and Michelle K. Spiegel) purchased a home together in Sedona, on Navahopi Road. Shortly after the purchase, “Nicole” quit-claimed her portion to “Avantae.”
On July 17, 2001, Tyson, still married to “Avantae,” quit-claimed any interest in the Navahopi property to “Avantae,” and had the county recorder send the deed to “Avantae” in care of the Infinity Institute, at that time located at 9101 W. Sahara Ave. Suite 105 C29 (in other words, a private post box), in Las Vegas.
Avantae divorced Tyson in 2006. She had, by then, moved to North Carolina. She “served” Tyson via publication summons, claiming that she was unable to find him, despite his information being on multiple data aggregators.
You can go to various Facebook groups, and other sources, to pull up the documents that people have uncovered showing who is associated with the "Infinity Institute," and in what fashion, and also the addresses that they have used over the years.
In any event, this is the information regarding Robert that I think that people need to be aware of.
Why turn to a known liar and con man for spiritual guidance?
1A tallis is a prayer shawl.
2The ship’s manifest states that he was age 14, which conflicts by one year with what Samuel identified as his date of birth. These errors are not uncommon; his fare could have been purchased when he was age 14 and the records not updated.

This won't be news, of course, but apparently Trump and his allies lied a lot about who won the 2020 election. There are a lot of lies on the left, as well, that burn my beans to a greater or lesser extent - calling not wanting to use government money to buy books "book banning," for example, or seeming to imply (by calling others racist) that you think you're not one, or that doing so is going to reduce racism by one or two iotas, or calling a climate change bill an Inflation Reduction Act. (Just letting you all know, I know there are lies on both sides, and this is all relevant to centrist politics.)
The Economist last week had a couple of articles on the topic. It was interesting to learn that in poor countries (the newspaper didn't name any names) you can make a profession of building up user accounts to 100,000 followers, or so, and then selling them. That fake followers can apparently be bought in bulk. That our government has numerous agencies that work to oppose disinformation. (Apparently DARPA funds various efforts in this regard, and the State Dept has at least one agency that works on it.)
One thing the articles didn't mention is freedom of speech. Does it matter, to you, who is lying to you? Whether it's a Russian bot or our President? Should we oppose the one but overlook the other? Does it really matter, any of it? I mean, suppose Russian interference works to elect Trump, and Chinese interference works to elect Biden (I'm not suggesting that it did, just that it might) - isn't this really just giving people a voice who feel they ought to have one? I mean, our government's decisions impact the whole world. Do citizens of other countries really have no right to a say in that? Talking about right and wrong, now, not something we could potentially legislate about... I know, it's not well focused, but I'm hoping some of you will have interesting ideas....

Stopped listening about a year or two ago. This past week decided to give the CDS universe content another try. The youtube is still begging for donations to do stupid or nasty stuff. The shoode solos are an hour long whine and bitch. The sports show was promoted with the wrong name and couldnt find it. They finally got it right and Iistened to 3 episodes. The first one was split 50/50 live reads and content. The second he referred to JJ McCarthy as JJ Hundley and just left it in. The third he said the Patriots were powerhouses in the AFC West and didnt edit that either. Also, I’m not trying to be mean I really used to enjoy his shows, but he sounds fatter on the mic than the last time I listened over a year ago. Maybe its a speech mishap he has to correct like his tongue is loose or pressing against his teeth/lip but its prominent on the p, f, and s and sounds like someone is squeezing his mouth or its full of salvia or something. Hearing him say attempts or points is kind of gross. He said five foot eight once on the new show at the 28:00-28:10 mark and I could hear the air make his top lip fart on the mic during the f sound. Tor still sounds great though even though the last picture i saw of him posted here he looked like he put on a few. We will see if these free Friday shows are interesting with decent topics and discussion or just him bitching about everything.

(TLDR at the end 👇🏻)
This is an old story some of my friends told me (29F) I should share here.. so here I am. Sorry for the long text, but there's a lot to unfold.
This started a few years ago, after I got ghosted by my ex, I decided to switch careers and took the proposal of my brother to work for one of his friend in an organic grocery store in my area. I was 22ish at the time, maybe 21 turning 22, but anyways.
I started working in the fruits and vegetables aisle. Despite having a crazy director, I liked my job and my department manager. After a few months, I got the title of "third key" which is basically I'm the assistant manager when the assistant is gone. Then, they decided to hire a new customer service manager that I will call Linda. That woman was CRAZY. While I was 23 at the time, she was only 20 acting like she owned the world.
To give you an idea, in the span of 8 months being here, she got 11 employees fired for stupid reasons and since our director at the time was just as crazy... it was easier for her to get her way. Also, when I say stupid reasons, I'll give you a few examples: Benji got fired because he was "talking too loud" in the break room and it was disturbing her peace and supposedly making her harder to rest to come back fully ready to finish her shift. Marie got fired because she HAD to take off work to go to a relative's funeral and couldn't give her 2 weeks notice. Rose got fired because she was getting "too old to do her job properly and it was ruining the pace of the team's work" (which is bs, I've never seen someone cut veggies and fruits as fast as her). And I could go on. Yes, some of them could've been able to be protested against and even file a complaint against her. Mind you, outside of Rose, everybody was too young to just wanting to fight for a grocery store job. Even Rose just decided to take her retirement earlier and fucked off the work world lol.
Anyways, she took it too far when she tried to mess with me. To give you the context, we had a huge special on lemons and sometimes, those fruits can get rotten and you don't notice it because there's no smell. The only way you'd know is by going through the several small boxes of like 10ish lemons and look at them all one by one. Which I did regularly, but hey, I'm not a robot, sometimes some of them slipped out of my eyes. I was leaving the backstore with more boxes when I saw Linda with a customer that seemed more than pissed. So I go see both of them because mind you.. she has a LEMON box and I work in the fruits department. So it's kind of my job to help IF I CAN. That's when I asked her "Hey Linda, do you need help with the lemons?" And right away she told me "Fuck off, I don't need your help, I already spoke to your manager. Go do your job for once." My face was literally like this 😳 as I went to my department. Even the pissed customer did a bombastic side eyes.
A few minutes later, I go back to the backstore to fulfill the missing products and my manager pulls me aside. "Hey OP, stay out of Linda's business. I can't protect you all the time for talking back." I stopped him right away asking what does he means cause as soon as she told me to fuck off, I did fuck off. He looked at me surprised and said he'd come back to me with it, but only tomorrow because he's finishing his shift and for some personal reason, he can't stay longer to solve the issue. Since Linda was the manager on guard that night, he told me to stay in the back as much as possible to stay in her good graces. That's what I did.
One hour after my manager left, I heard my name being called in the front office (shared by the customer service manager and director). Big wtf. I go in the front and all of my colleagues are looking at me like I'm a prisoner going to their death sentence. Mind you, I know my laws and my rights. I might be young, but as soon as I got called, I started reciting in my head the main laws and rights she has to respect. I open the door's office and Linda is FUMING. And she is alone. She asks me to close the door and I tell her "No, it is my right to have someone in the room with us for this talk. I am not comfortable being alone with you." She starts freaking out and starts to speak louder, on the verge of screaming. "Linda. This room is recorded 24/7 and the customers can hear you talking to me like that. Lower your tone and find a witness to be in the room or I'll go back to work." She stands up to look outside the office and sees that indeed, there's a line in front of the cash looking to the office's direction. She takes a few deep breaths and calls Gabrielle who takes care of the finances of the store so she can be a witness. From the moment Gab got into the room, she seemed like she wanted to get away, so do I.
Gab took a seat in the back and Linda starts her whole speech. I'll be paraphrasing cause the meeting took almost an hour.
L: You know why I brought you here, right? OP: Not really, I've been in the backstore minding my business. Why? L: Well you disrespected my authority in front of a customer and that's a big no no for the company. OP: For the company or for you? L: OP, this is not the topic. You shouldn't be disrespecting authority in front of customers. It makes the managers look bad. OP: I was honestly just trying to help because you had a box of products from my department. I just wanted to help because the customer looked pissed and I didn't want him to ruin your fragile mood. L: My fragile mood?! Are you fucking serious?! OP: Linda, we are being recorded and we have a witness. I'm asking you to stay polite and not scream or I will file a complaint against you. L: Are threatening me??? OP: No, I am stating my rights and making you aware of where your attitude will lead you. I won't accept being talked like that by someone that ain't even my manager. L: Okay OP, let me remind you where your position stands in this business.
That bitch started to draw a triangle, put her name at the tippidy top and mine at the bottom. I didn't even let her finish what she had to say, I stormed off the office, went into the employees lockers, took my stuff and headed out. Linda ran after me, yelling like a psycho "YOU CAN'T LEAVE LIKE THAT! YOU'RE STILL SCHEDULED FOR THE CLOSE!" I stopped on my steps, making Linda almost run into me and said with the most blank expression I could have "Linda, you crossed a line and since you're so good at your job, close my department for me. I will be filing a complaint against you." And left the work place.
Next morning, I came to work as usual and had to see my manager and the director. I explained them the whole situation and showed the papers I was about to send to file a complaint against Linda. Also, this dumb bitch didn't even throw her pyramid in the trash. It was still on display when the director came in to work and asked me what it was. I asked her to look at the cameras, put the sound on and listen to the whole meeting. We watched it to my director's horror and who came in to work in the middle of our screening time? Linda! She came into the office and Linda being a poc turned white as a ghost. I've never seen her being so so pale. "W-what are you doing?" The director asked Linda to sit down and we watched again the video. Mind you, it took us one full hour to watch because she was in a never ending power trip. She used to be smart when she was bullying and making stories about past employees, doing it far from the cameras and usually using the other office that doesn't have cameras or a microphone, but she wasn't with me. I guess she got comfortable or whatever, but check mate on her ass.
My director said I could go back to work with my manager, that she would take care of the rest. Two weeks later, Linda still had her job, but our director resigned from her job right away. Which was hella weird, but whatever. We got a new director, she was a total sweet heart and she noticed Linda's crazy power trips right away. She decided to launch an intern investigation, but sadly, all the employees Linda bullied were fired. There was only me and my little complaint waiting to be served. When Nancy, our new director, came to me asking if I knew anything about Linda. I gave her the file, the time stamps of the video tape, all the employees she fired for stupid reasons with the old director and also phone numbers of those employees.
Flash forward 2 weeks later, Linda left work earlier, balling her eyes out yelling how Nancy was a bitch and didn't deserve her job. How she always came in earlier, put in the work and yadi yada. Nancy waited a few more days before asking me to come into the office and again, I'll be paraphrasing because a lot have been said.
N: HI OP, don't worry, you're not in any trouble. I just saw your CV and noticed you've had a lot of experience in customer service. OP: Yes, I used to be a cashier for almost 5 years, it was my first job. Why? N: I've seen your file, your CV and how you managed the conversation with Linda. We are actually looking for a new customer service manager since Linda have been let go. OP: What about my actual position? N: It's easier to find a fruits and vegetables commis than it is to find a competent service manager.. as you experienced.
I ended up accepting the position and all my co-workers cheered for my raise. I don't want to brag, but I've always been the one to defend everybody in the place, making sure I'll keep my job in the process and following the laws and rights. A few months later, Linda came back to the store as a customer and the look she had on her face when she saw me at the cash with the manager uniform was priceless. It was even more priceless when she asked me when I got the promotion and I told her the exact date, which matched her departure. "So you got my position when I left?" I just nodded and asked if I could do anything more to help have a better experience in the store. She didn't answer to that and just left after paying her things.
To this day, it's still one of my favorite moments to have been through. I'm not a petty person, but if I can ruin you in the process of me trying to defend my people, I'll be more than happy to do so. Last I've heard of Linda, she was working for the competitor, but never had any promotions.
TLDR: After getting ghosted by my ex, I switched careers to work at an organic grocery store where Linda, a tyrannical customer service manager, terrorized staff with unwarranted firings. When Linda targeted me, I stood up for myself during a confrontation, exposing Linda's behavior on camera. Linda was eventually fired, and I was promoted to her position, with the support of the new director. Despite being accused of pettiness, I see it as standing up for my colleagues and enforcing my rights. Linda later encountered me as a customer, realizing I had taken her old position, while she faced stagnation at a competitor's store.

Hi, I’m new to this group and I just have one question. I have an essay to do about self expression and dystopias and for that I have to find a special extract or quotes to justify my points. Here, the topic is “freedom of speech in Hunger Games : how does the capitol control people by silencing them ?”. I’d really appreciate a moment where katniss says something about the rebellion but is silenced / taken away by the peacekeepers. My exam is coming up, I don’t remember the details of the book and I just can’t read them so fast. If you could please answer this with a quote and the name of the chapter and book.
Thanks a lot !!

Source: 🔗 Chat with Lifelike Virtual Personalities — talkiemate.com
If you are a visual storytelling fan and strive for creativity through fictional characters’ eyes, you’re in the right place. Character.ai is an amazing tool that lets you do just that! But what if you crave a different experience, with more tools or a specific character in mind? Fear not, for we have gone through 35+ options and picked the top 10 paid and free Character AI alternatives, each offering a unique experience tailored to your preferences. Whether you’re a writer looking to enrich your stories, a history buff eager to get deeper into the past, or simply someone who loves engaging with AI in a new way, keep reading if you’re:
A tech enthusiast curious about the intersection of AI and storytelling.
A gamer eager to experience AI-driven narratives in your favorite games.
A marketer looking to use AI for content creation and engagement.
A researcher interested in the psychological impact of AI-generated characters on user engagement.
A storyteller seeking new ways to engage your audience through AI-generated content.

1. TalkieMate

Website: TalkieMate
TalkieMate is the best free alternative to Character AI, providing users with a plethora of options to create their personalized AI girlfriend. With TalkieMate, you can engage in deeply immersive and uncensored conversations on a wide range of topics, including NSFW content. The platform offers customizable characters, allowing users to tailor their experience according to their preferences. Whether you’re looking for a companion for deep discussions or just casual chat, TalkieMate offers a unique and engaging experience.
Pros:
Completely free with no subscription fees.
Highly customizable AI girlfriend with personalized features.
Uncensored NSFW chat options for mature interactions.
Ability to create personalized AI girlfriend with specific traits and characteristics.
Cons:
Some advanced features may be available only in premium plans.

1. Candy.ai

Website: Candy.ai
Candy.ai is one of the leading AI Girlfriend apps with which you can talk on a range of NSFW topics and have a deep conversation. Candy Ai enables users to adjust their virtual girlfriends to their preferences and experience real conversations and engaging dialogue. Candy Ai also has a unique function that enables users to generate a specific image or audio message that boosts the reality of the experience.
Pros:
Customizable characters are not only limited to appearance and personality but also provide users with a tailored experience.
NSFW chat options for more mature interactions and more audience satisfaction.
Numerous features to be explored, satisfying the tastes and preferences of different people.
The free plan comes with necessary functionalities and the chance to upgrade for extra benefits.
Cons:
The majority of features are availed in the Premium Plans which may constrain the access of some users.
Pricing Plans:
Free Plan: Offers basic features and AI companion engagement without cost.
Premium Plan: Starts at $9/month, unlocking advanced features and enhanced user experience.
Custom Plans: Tailored to specific needs, with varying pricing based on customization requirements.

1. Botify AI

Website: Botify AI
Botify AI offers an innovative character AI style. It presents a revolutionary system that allows users to communicate with real people or characters from their favorite TV shows, films, or literature. Thanks to the flexibility of Botify AI, you have the possibility to create your own digital character and customize every detail like appearance, emotions, voice, and backstory.
Pros:
Free version accessible.
High-quality editing tools.
Intuitive interface for users.
Cons:
Relies on outdated data in some instances.
Utilizes Automated style writing, which may not suit all preferences.
Pricing Plans:
Essential: Starting from $35 per user per month, suitable for simple websites requiring comprehensive SEO data and recommendations.
Pro: Starting from $55 per user per month, ideal for businesses heavily reliant on organic search, aiming to protect and expand their organic revenue.
Enterprise: Custom pricing for large, complex organizations needing accelerated scaling, support, and security.

1. Replika

Website: Replika
Replika is a personal AI assistant that you can talk to. It was designed to give the user a deeply special and personal experience. Made to be a friend, a confidant, and an emotional support, Replika utilizes the learning ability of machines and natural language processing, thus bringing to the fore the ability to engage in empathetic and contextual conversations.
Pros:
Highly personalized and customized stories and avatars.
Ranges from new features to improved or enhanced capabilities, are constantly being forwarded.
Provides not only free but paid as well on the conditions built-in subscription options.
Cons:
One main shortcoming lies in the fact that chatbots’ uses go beyond the conversation stage.
The question of privacy and usage of users’ personal data is one of the aspects, which is a crucial issue when talking about social media.
Impact of user dependency and emotional attachment as prospective risks.
Pricing Plans:
1 month plan: $19.99
12 months plan: $5.83/month (billed annually)
Lifetime plan: $299.99 (billed once)

1. Anima AI

Website: Anima AI
MyAnima AI is our super smart AI chatbot. It has been developed to be the best friend for you who likes playing the role of a human and can do this like nobody else. With Anima AI, a user can easily pick any relationship status of their choice: AI-Girlfriend, -Boyfriend, Virtual Wife, the other way round, or even a custom-made Character AI. Whether it is a friend who will be a help and support, a virtual companion with whom you can role play, someone with whom you share your emotions, or a chat partner you can discuss any topic that tickles your fancy, Anima AI can help you out.
Pros:
Unlimited unique stories.
Anima AI is an AI bot that is warm and conversational.
Ability to respond to your messages instantly when you need to talk.
Cons:
Some features are called back in the Free version.
Pricing Plans:
Anima AI offers a free version with basic features, allowing users to create a customized AI virtual companion after signing up.

1. DeepFiction

Website: DeepFiction
DeepFiction narrates a plethora of stories that include captivating and thrilling sagas to touching and heartwarming fables. What sets it apart? You can, however, change your characters and the scenery to your taste. That is the AI-powered mechanism that enables the production of compelling and well-connected stories with the help of natural language processing and machine learning.
Pros:
Unlimited unique stories.
Customise characters and settings.
Sparks creativity and imagination.
Suitable for all ages.
Cons:
Limited control over the plot.
This chatbot is not interactive like most other chatting bots.
Pricing Plans:
DeepFiction offers a single pricing plan at $5 per month.

1. StoryMate

Website: StoryMate
StoryMate is your virtual reading partner, but without a library sound ban. It’s essentially there to bring the wonder of literature to life, providing you with an extensive collection of books and amazing narration methods to send you exploring faraway lands or to make you acquainted with unforgettable characters.
Pros:
Elicits a desire for reading.
Enhances writing abilities.
Provides diversified choices of relevant titles for different age groups.
Facilitates collaborative creativity.
Cons:
May not be suitable for all those that seek highly sociable experiences.
Chiefly concerns a child’s literature.
Pricing:
Free

1. Kajiwoto

Website: Kajiwoto
Kajiwoto offers the same experience as Character AI to users creating human-like chatting with AI characters having their own character features. It is a cool platform for both AI fanatics and those who are creatively inclined. In Kajiwoto, the users can choose whether they want a free or paid membership to fit their needs. Yet, it has this 200-character restriction on one-on-one dialogues.
Pros:
Free option available.
Customizable mood for your Kaji.
Unlimited chatting.
Permits NSFW content.
Cons:
Premium subscription required for business idea development.
Paid subscription can be expensive.
Pricing Plans:
Free Plan: Unlimited chat and access to basic features.
Kajiwoto Plus: $7.32/month, includes unlimited AI voice usage and private rooms.
Kajiwoto Pro: $25.00/month, offers all features of Kajiwoto Plus plus more, for the ultimate AI experience.

1. KUKI.AI

Website: KUKI.AI
KUKI.AI is a conversational AI with award-winning applications, providing exceptional functionalities. This virtual assistant employs the most advanced AI methods to allow the users to have very natural talks, thus qualifying it as a good chatbot application. Through direct and indirect semantic cues analogous to GPT, the KUKI.AI aggregates its knowledge base. Through the dissection of phrases into two inputs of “core” and “wild card”, it is able to expand its vocabulary for more understanding of multiple speech patterns. To use KUKI.AI without being limited by the number of questions one can ask, the chatbot answers all queries while making sure conversations do not repeat themselves.
Pros:
Infinite question handling capability.
User-friendly interface.
Cons:
Absence of graphics, a text-only trip.
Pricing Plans:
$75/month (100,000 chat)
$1500/month (Dedicated service plan)

1. In World AI

Website: In World AI
Inworld AI is a leading platform that allows you to chat with AI characters or even create your own if you wish, similar to Character AI. On Inworld AI, you can have conversations for free with the characters but if you want to have access to features like API integrations, and unlimited character creation, you have to get their premium plan which starts at $20 monthly. Inworld AI utilizes the power of the OpenAI models meaning that accurate information will be delivered by the chatbot.
Pros:
Through it, you can design characters.
Available at no individual cost for chatting.
The paid version starts at a subscription fee as low as $20 per month.
Cons:
It can only be accessed through an internet browser.
The app has not yet been launched and is only accessible through mobile browsers.
Pricing Plans:
Free — $0–200 API integrations and minutes, 60 virtual characters, customization options.
Pro — $20 per month — 2000 API integrations and minutes, unlimited virtual characters, customization options, shareable workspaces, access to Discord community.
Conclusion
So there you have it – 10 alternatives for Character AI, each with a distinct personality and feature set. Keep in mind that selecting the ideal chatbot for your clan involves striking the ideal equilibrium between amusement, education, and age suitability. With the right AI companion by your side, you can make learning an adventure, and turn screen time into quality time.