Vocabulary power plus book two lesson twelve answers

Delusional ex-friend (30F) and her BF (20M) harass me (26TM) and my music band. What should I do?

2024.05.16 13:24 ratratte Delusional ex-friend (30F) and her BF (20M) harass me (26TM) and my music band. What should I do?

Hi everyone! I would like to share one bizarre story with this sub. I used to have a friend of around 5 years, she was a rather nice woman, but she was known for randomly getting offended by her friends and stopping talking to them for a while until calming down and becoming friends again. She has a mental illness, and I think it is related to the problem, because she would often show me her social media chat and complain how the other person was horribly rude to her, but all I could see was normal talk and nothing off-putting in the conversation, so I just shrugged. Once I noticed that she was also writing to an "offender" how she had shared the conversation with me and how I hated that person, which of course was a complete lie and I firmly told her not to say such things, to which she replied: "So what? It's just to increase the effect". She was also known for begging for money from working friends, and she loaned from me as well with a promise to return the sum, which she never did and only shared how she would buy some expensive comic book for the same amount she promised to return.
At one point, I introduced her to a fresh member of our band, and they started dating. The guy had zero motivation to study at our university, and he would always blame the professors and everyone around for him getting bad grades, despite him repeatedly telling me how he didn't want to show up on time for the class, do homework etc. She kept blaming everybody else as well and saying how the world was heartlessly cruel to her poor, innocent love. He was not progressing at all with music, either, but our band is open for everyone and he was always welcome to play simpler things with us. We also had a sub-band which had paid concerts more often, and he asked us to join, but we made a collaborative decision that his level was yet too low to play for money.
I graduated and found a suitable job, but my profession requires a lot of physical work under the hot sun, so I was more often dead tired than not. I stopped seeing these two as often as before, but I would call them regularly after work, and every time I heard: "Come over to see us", I replied that I couldn't walk the rather big distance to their home (there is no public transport connection to there) due to the heavy work and shaky legs, and invited them over instead. They would always say that they were tired and had no time... while they had no work and lived on the disability money. Sometimes she would outwardly say that I was not tired and was making it up, after I had spent all summer day walking with a heavy canister in a hazmat suit. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but I always tried to shrug it off. She eventually wrote me that I was talking to "creep" friends online (one of which was my partner and they are lovely people whom I had met IRL) and doing my hobbies instead of visiting her, and I explained to her yet again that I was tired and that she had no right to offend my friends, it grew into an argument, and since she obviously wanted to break up, I told her to return me my money finally, and she blocked me.
Fast forward, after a nice concert, she wrote in our band chat that I was narcissistic and shut everyone down, all because I was sometimes announcing songs during the concert, as agreed. Everyone could just stand up and announce, and I kept giving everyone else the chance, but hardly anyone stood up so I had to announce. Later on, the guy stopped attending the rehearsals, and our music teacher told him to return the instrument and the costume without telling him to leave the band, just that they would be safely stored without disappearing as they are expensive. He surrendered the items through someone else and deleted himself from the band chat, of course she followed. When our music teacher tried to contact them, she said that her love won't play for free.
Now these lovey-doveys keep commenting under our band videos and posts how "horrible" everything is from photos to music itself (our music is in general very well-received), but also they spread total BS about me to everyone else: that I "kicked this poor guy from the band", that the music teacher had only supported me and nobody else, that I was always lying to them, that I am narcissistic and stabbed them in the back, that I owe her money etc. Of course, it made me so mad that I also publicly mentioned that she should go and see her psychiatrist because her delusional behaviour was getting out of control, because every accusation she says about me is absolute nonsense. I regret revealing her mental problems publicly, but I was really mad about all the lies that she had said about me. She is still spreading gossip and keep shitting on my band publicly.
Is it worth trying to contact her and say I was sorry about telling publicly she was mentally ill? I am afraid it will let her feel more powerful or something, and her lying started before I did my part, so I felt like I had the right to also offend her in return. What should I do in this situation?
TL;DR "offended" ex-friends couple gossip about me, shit on my band and accuse me of serious things I didn't do, what should I do with them?
submitted by ratratte to relationship_advice [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 13:23 Kulp2025 Rickard Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort

Discord/Reddit Name: [Kulp2025], [Kulp2025]
Primary Character:
Name and House: Rickard Bolton
Age: 20
Cultural Group: First Men
Appearance: Black of hair, trimmed short on the sides, longer and swept back on top. Eyes the lifeless gray of a winters sky. Oddly perfectly kept teeth, a pride of his. His frame is slightly muscular and his height is two fingers width below the average mans.
Trait: Insidious
Skill(s): Axes, Skulker, Espionage, Investigator, Scribe
Talent(s): Tracking, Hawking, Being a tad bit creepy
Negative Trait: X
Starting Title(s): Lord of the Dreadfort
Starting Location: Silverglade Tile
//
Auxiliary Character:
Name and House: Bannen Snow
Age: 27
Cultural Group: First Men
Appearance: Tall and gaunt with thinning black hair. Remarked upon behind his back as appearing as the ghost of the infamous Calon Bolton himself.
Trait: Steward
Skill(s): Avaricious, Scrutinous, Architect
Talent(s): Counting and sums, Upper Management, Improving Operations Efficiencies
Negative Trait: X
Starting Title(s): Steward of House Bolton
Starting Location: The Dreadfort
Biography:
The Sons Rebellion. Recolected upon as a time of great pain and hardships for many and all. A season of blood that pitted brother against brother, friend against friend, amongst the northmen. An era where trusts and old allegiances meant little and less. Nigh on near the end of the reckless turmoil, in the thick of the stabbings and bloodletting, Rickard Bolton was born, a young babe. Nary a moon came and passed before Lord Royce Bolton passed the babe off to Lord Stark, to serve as a ward, to serve as a hostage.
Winterfell. A home, of sorts, away from home. The Starks were never outright cruel to the young Bolton boy as he aged. There were no beatings or punishments without having rightfully earned them, but they were always cold and otherwise distant. Never a one wanting to overly welcome the youth, for he was not family, never would be, merely a ward in a home that was never his.
Weeks became months, months became years, all blurring by. Rumors trickled in from the outside world, or the occasional snippet of information passed off from one of the Stark children, meant as kindness or insult, Rickard could never say. He’d a brother they said. A sickly cripple born from an ugly hag in the cells of the Dreadfort. Later a sister they said. Born a healthy girl, only she slayed her mother in coming into the world. The hardest news he denied for some time until the words came from enough mouths it had to be true, Lord Bolton, his own father had died.
Old age they said it so, the ghost of Calon Bolton himself in the night did it they’d said, the bastard Snow has his hands red they’d said. It didn’t matter what lie or what rumor he gathered up, they all pointed the same way, the old man was dead to the bones. Rickard had spent many nights foolishly dreaming childish fantasies. Imagining the day his father would come, confront the Starks, demand his return home. Now that would never come to pass. He was left to only imagine what the man once had looked like, what home looked like.
By the men of the castle Rickard learned his skills, smarts, and wisdoms of the world. He had a natural tendency towards letters and writing. He’d learned to hunt, to hawk, and play with the others his age. By the Starks rule he was shown how to walk the path of a “just” lord and to scorn the paths of cruelty. He’d taken to embrace the free time he’d earn to spend within the confines of the Godswood, a small sanctuary amidst the storm. In the practice yard his hand grew to favor the caressing haft of an axe over any other tool of pain, though the bruises he earned were many.
Years blurred by, life became a routine of uneventfulness apart from the occasional hunts and small feasts. Eventually when he became of age his hand was bound and wed to that of Dacey Stark, within Winterfell before the Old Gods to witness the pact. An attempt to suture old wounds, to mend the wrongs of yesterdays brothers. United, the two departed the heart of the north and set course for home, for the Dreadfort. Within a years passing a young girl would be born. Still uncertain with his place in the world, Rickard would prepare to embark upon a pilgrimage, to find the answers his soul sought to life.
Timeline:
~ 5AC - Calon Bolton leads the Sons Rebellion. Rickard is born and warded to the Starks of Winterfell. Duncan Bolton takes the black.
~ 6AC - Brother, Torrhen is born.
~ 8AC - Sister, Wylla is born.
~ 11AC - Lord Royce Bolton passes of old age.
~ 23AC - Wardship at an end, wed to Dacey Stark, Rickard leaves Winterfell.
~ 24AC - Daughter, Hanna is born.
~ 25AC - Departs upon a pilgrimage to the Old Gods.
Family Tree
Link
Supporting Characters
~ Torrhen Bolton - (Scholar) A sickly young man who favors books to all else.
~ Wylla Bolton - (General) A drunk who favors wine to all else.
~ Dacey Bolton - (No Archetype) Wife to Rickard.
submitted by Kulp2025 to ITRPCommunity [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 13:22 DesperadoByDesign [HM] Delectable

Chapter 1
Morning Glory
“Making money is hard. Building wealth is easy. You put your money in the right place and tell it to sit. Then, when you come back for it years later, it's grown from a small pile to a large one!”
-Lord Cushonbottom
10 chubby little Piggly wigglies jiggled awake at the foot end of a feather mattress that slumped upon a fine mahogany frame. 2 black ringed, thickly-layered-as-Canadian-bacon-still-in-the-package eyelids followed the lead piggies in this morning procession of porcine body parts powering up. One by one the hands flapped, the arms rolled in the pit mud that night terrors accumulated, the big pink belly rumbled, and finally the red little upturned nose oinked. Lord Fistburn had awakened.
“Lawrence, ohhhh Lawrence!”
The calls flapped from his overstuffed jowls.
Ever attentive, Noble Lawrence answered his Lord.
“Yes, m’Lord?”
“Oh Lawrence! It was horrible. Just horrible I tell you!”
Lawrence stood before his master patiently as the overgrown farm animal bleated and howled about how he once again had the dream where the figs “ate him instead”.
He scratched at his bare cheek, right in the crevice left by a scar from when he’d been called up as a boy.
“Ahem. Lawrence don't scratch your face that's awfully droll”
the fat little piggy sputtered as he finished the ridiculous tale of his ridiculous subconscious. This man, Lawrence thought as Fistburn hobbled out from his covers and off of his poor, dilapidated, dying bed, this piggy must be the worst creature Lawrence had ever met, and each day he just gets worse.
‘For Christ’s sake, the dreams are actually getting scarier by the bloated chaps renditions! What began as one sole fig nibbling his fingers is now a ravenous horde eating him from the inside out!’
he paused mid thought for just a second
‘what in the fuck could be causing this fat lazy shit so much internal strife!? It doesn't make any sense! Each day he just eats and farts and gets fatter and fatter and eats some more and…’
“Lawrence!” The jowls jiggled
“Lawrence help me with the corset”
Poor Lawrence could barely hold it together at the word corset. The fat piggies’ “corset” was like a stretcher for whales folded in two.
The greater part of the next half hour was spent stuffing and tying and trying not to burst out dying laughing.
But alas, Noble Lawrence is not the hero of this tale. No, we shan't be so lucky as to hear of his humble origins, how he cared for his sick mother right up til her untimely demise, how he lied about his age to serve his great nation, went over the top countless times and survived countless others. Traveled through country after country, loved and lost, only to settle down into a life of gentle luxury, the caretaker of a prized hog of a man.
No, this tale is of the hog. The wet, slimy, greased up hog.
He needs just a little grease each morning to truly make the corset fit.
After the last button in his spring sport coat was laced into its wife, clinging on for dear life, flying in the face of the most ancient physics, Lawrence patted Fistburn on the back, and released the creature into the wild.
“Breakfast awaits in the hall, m’Lord”
And onward unto glory our hero waddled. Right up until he got stuck in the doorway.
“Lawrence! Lawrence I need more grease! I'm stuck in the door frame again!”
submitted by DesperadoByDesign to shortstories [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 13:11 Sweet-Count2557 The Best Babymoon In Saint Augustine Florida 2023

The Best Babymoon In Saint Augustine Florida 2023
The Best Babymoon In Saint Augustine Florida 2023
We are planning an unforgettable babymoon in Saint Augustine, Florida!
This historic city is a perfect destination for couples seeking a relaxing and romantic getaway. With its beautiful ocean views, charming attractions and delicious cuisine, Saint Augustine is sure to provide an unforgettable experience.
Whether you’re looking for a leisurely stroll through the city’s streets, a boat tour of the harbor, or a day trip to the nearby beaches, Saint Augustine has something for everyone. Plus, with its luxurious resorts and spas, you’ll be able to unwind and enjoy the experience of a lifetime.
Explore the Historic City
With its rich history, the city provides the perfect backdrop for a romantic getaway. St. Augustine, Florida is home to charming cobblestone streets, Spanish colonial buildings, and centuries of stories.
Exploring the city by foot is the best way to truly take in the sights and sounds of this historic destination. For those looking to immerse themselves in the culture, a sunset stroll is a must. Take a walk along the Matanzas River and discover ruins of the old Spanish fort, or wander through the cobblestone streets and catch glimpses of the old city walls.
In addition to history, the city offers a variety of activities that are perfect for a romantic babymoon. Take a boat tour on the Matanzas River and see the city from a different perspective, or spend a day on the beach and watch the sun set over the sparkling ocean.
With its charming atmosphere and scenic views, St. Augustine is the perfect destination for a romantic adventure. For a truly memorable experience, book a stay in one of the city’s many bed and breakfasts. Enjoy a romantic dinner at one of the local restaurants, or take a romantic stroll through the city’s cobblestone streets.
Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway or an adventure filled with exploration and discovery, St. Augustine is the perfect destination for your babymoon.
Relax and Enjoy the Ocean Views
Enjoy the stunning ocean views – a perfect way to make the most of your special pre-baby getaway! From soaking sunsets to romantic strolls, Saint Augustine is the perfect destination for a babymoon.
Take a leisurely drive along the coast to enjoy the picturesque views, or spend a romantic evening watching the sun go down over the horizon. Relax on the beach, take a dip in the ocean, or just take in the serene atmosphere while watching the waves rolling in.
The A1A Scenic Highway stretches from Jacksonville to Key West and passes through Saint Augustine. This scenic highway is full of breathtaking views, and its many stops are perfect for some restful sightseeing.
Take a romantic stroll along the beach or through the historic downtown area and take in the sights and sounds of the old city. Enjoy the best of both worlds with the bustling downtown area and the nearby beaches.
Saint Augustine is the ideal destination for a babymoon. With its stunning ocean views and romantic strolls, it is the perfect place to relax and enjoy time together before the arrival of your bundle of joy.
Spend time soaking up the sun and the atmosphere, and make the most of your special pre-baby getaway.
Visit the Local Attractions
You won't want to miss out on all the incredible attractions that Saint Augustine has to offer—it's the perfect spot for a pre-baby vacay! Pack light and leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs, because you won't want to miss out on any of these must-visit attractions:
Castillo de San Marcos: This 17th-century fort is the oldest masonry fort in the United States and provides a fascinating history lesson.
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum: Climb the 219 steps of the lighthouse to get a breathtaking view of the city and surrounding area.
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park: Get up close and personal with crocs, alligators, and other reptiles.
Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park: Follow in the footsteps of Ponce de Leon, who purportedly discovered the fountain in 1513.
Old Town Trolley Tours: Take a guided tour of Saint Augustine's top attractions, including the Old Jail and the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse.
What are you waiting for? Saint Augustine offers so much to explore and experience, so don't miss out on the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime. Plan the ultimate babymoon getaway and visit these incredible attractions!
Take a Boat Tour
Discover the city's beauty from the water with a fun boat tour - perfect for a pre-baby getaway! A boat tour is a great way to experience the sights and sounds of Saint Augustine from a different perspective.
From the comfort of your own boat you can take in the sights of the historic Castillo de San Marcos, the Bridge of Lions, and the beautiful waterfront homes. For a more leisurely experience, there are a variety of cruise excursions that include a guided tour of the area, complete with narration and interesting facts.
For your safety, there are a few important boat safety rules to keep in mind. Life jackets are mandatory on all boats, and boats must be equipped with fire extinguishers and navigation lights. Additionally, a boat must be registered with the state of Florida if it is used for navigation.
A boat tour is a great way to explore the city and enjoy its beauty. Make sure to take the time to familiarize yourself with the boat safety rules and regulations, so that you can have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Sample the Local Cuisine
Indulge in the culinary delights the city has to offer and sample the local cuisine on your pre-baby getaway. From the traditional to the exotic, Saint Augustine offers something for everyone. Take your taste testing to the next level with these four amazing dining options:
Raintree Restaurant: The Raintree Restaurant is a local favorite, offering a variety of fresh seafood and traditional eats with an upscale twist.
Mango Mango's Caribbean Grille: Enjoy the flavors of the Caribbean with a wide selection of jerk chicken, curried goat, and all the other flavors that come with eating out in the islands.
The Floridian: Satisfy your cravings with some classic southern comfort food. Choose from options like fried green tomatoes, collard greens, and shrimp and grits.
O.C. White's Restaurant and Bar: Enjoy the view of the Matanzas Bay while dining on an array of seafood entrées and sandwiches.
Saint Augustine offers something for every palate. Whether you're looking for a traditional Southern meal or something a little more exotic, there's something for you to enjoy.
With so many delicious options to choose from, the hardest part might just be deciding what to eat!
Visit the Nature Parks
After sampling the local cuisine, we headed to explore the nature parks in Saint Augustine on our babymoon. There are over two dozen parks in the area, offering an abundance of beauty to experience!
We started with a visit to Anastasia State Park, which is one of the most popular parks in the area. It boasts over 1,600 acres of land, making it an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. We spent the day bird watching, star gazing, kayaking, and exploring the miles of trails. We even spotted a few gopher tortoises!
The next day, we visited Fort Matanzas National Monument. This park is situated on a small island and offers a unique opportunity to explore the historic fort and view local wildlife. We were able to take a boat tour and learn about the history of the fort, as well as view a variety of wildlife including ospreys, bald eagles, and dolphins. It was a wonderful experience that we won’t forget.
Enjoy the Nightlife
As the sun set, we enjoyed the vibrant nightlife of the charming city and indulged in the lively atmosphere. Whether we were bar hopping along the lively downtown district or taking romantic strolls along the Intracoastal Waterway, Saint Augustine offered plenty of evening entertainment.
We decided to start our night off at The Milltop Tavern, a staple in Saint Augustine. With live music and a lively atmosphere, The Milltop Tavern was the perfect place to get the night started.
After a few drinks, we took a short walk to the historic district where we explored the quaint cobblestone streets and the local shops.
The night ended with a romantic dinner cruise along the Matanzas River. Relaxing under the starlit sky, we watched the lights of the city twinkle against the water as we enjoyed a delicious dinner and live music.
It was the perfect way to end our night and the perfect way to celebrate our babymoon.
Experience the Arts and Culture
We're excited to explore the Arts and Culture of Saint Augustine, Florida on our babymoon!
First, let's visit the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum, which offers a great opportunity to explore the city's Spanish colonial past and artifacts.
We'll also visit the St. Augustine Amphitheater, which hosts some of the area's most exciting live events and performances.
The Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum
You'll be amazed by the history of the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum - it's been around for more than 270 years!
Located in the heart of St. Augustine, this museum gives you an immersive experience as you explore the Spanish Quarter of the city’s past and discover the history of the area.
Visitors can explore artifacts, watch reenactments, and learn about the people who lived in the area during the period of colonization.
Learn about the unique architecture, customs and traditions of the Spanish colonists and the native tribes who lived here before.
This museum offers a unique and educational experience that gives insight into the culture and history of the area and will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the past.
The St. Augustine Amphitheater
Head over to the St. Augustine Amphitheater for an unforgettable experience - it's perfect for your next night out!
Enjoy amazing concerts and performances, explore the lush parks, get lost in the breathtaking sunsets, and take in all that the St. Augustine Amphitheater has to offer:
Live Music: From national touring acts to local bands, you can enjoy the best music around at the St. Augustine Amphitheater.
Events: Enjoy a variety of events, such as comedy shows, festivals, and movies.
Parks: Explore the lush parks surrounding the amphitheater, perfect for a romantic stroll or a picnic with friends.
Sunsets: Marvel at the breathtaking sunsets from the amphitheater, a perfect way to end a night.
No matter what you choose to do, you're sure to have an unforgettable experience at the St. Augustine Amphitheater.
Shop at the Local Boutiques
If you're looking for something unique, you'll find no shortage of local boutiques in the area - in fact, Florida is home to over 5,000 independent retail stores! With so many options, you're bound to find something that you love during your babymoon in St. Augustine. Here's a look at just a few of the local boutiques that you can explore during your time in the area:
BoutiqueLocationDescriptionTanger OutletsSt. Augustine, FLA large outlet mall with over 120 stores and plenty of great dealsBoutique du JourSt. Augustine, FLA trendy boutique with a wide selection of clothing, accessories, and giftsBlue Heron Home BoutiqueSt. Augustine, FLA home decor store with unique pieces to spruce up any room
If you're looking to try out some new styles, the local boutiques are the perfect place to start. From the designer labels at Tanger Outlets to the unique finds at Boutique du Jour, you'll be sure to find something that speaks to you. And if you're looking to find great deals, you can always check out the clearance section of any of the stores. The great thing about the local boutiques is that you can take your time browsing the selection and find something that's truly unique to you.
Whether you're looking for the perfect piece of clothing or the perfect gift, you'll be sure to find something special at one of the local boutiques in St. Augustine. With so many options and so much to choose from, you're sure to have a great time shopping during your babymoon. So get out there and explore the shops - you never know what you might find!
Take a Day Trip to the Beaches
Take a break from the boutiques and spend a day at the beautiful beaches near your destination - you won't regret it!
St. Augustine is blessed with picture-perfect beaches that offer a perfect combination of activities and relaxation. Soaking up the sunsets on the beach is a great way to end your day and watch the sun dip into the horizon.
Take a romantic stroll along the shoreline as you exchange sweet nothings, or maybe even a picnic in the sand. The beaches here are perfect for swimming and sunbathing in the warm Florida sun.
Depending on your preference, you can find a beach that offers more seclusion or more attractions. If you're looking for more of the latter, the St. Augustine Beach Pier and the St. Augustine Beach Park are both great choices. Here, you can find many activities such as volleyball, mini-golf, and even a playground for the kids.
No matter where you choose to go, you'll be sure to make some amazing memories. From peaceful moments of tranquility to fun beach activities, St. Augustine's beaches have something for everyone.
So, don't forget your sunscreen and dive into the waves for an adventure you won't soon forget.
Book a Spa Treatment
For a truly pampering experience, book yourself a spa treatment to truly relax and unwind during your getaway.
There are a number of spa treatments to choose from in Saint Augustine. Whether you're looking for a luxury package to enjoy with your partner or a private session to take some time for yourself, there's something for everyone.
To ensure you get the most out of your spa experience, there are a few spa etiquette tips to keep in mind.
Before your appointment, make sure to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to check-in and fill out any paperwork. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing and refrain from wearing jewelry, as you'll be asked to remove it.
Once you are in the treatment room, you may be asked to undress depending on the type of treatment. Your therapist will provide you with a robe and leave the room to give you privacy.
To get the most out of your spa experience, be sure to speak up if you have any discomfort. Whether it's the pressure of the massage, the temperature of the room, or anything else, your therapist will be more than happy to accommodate.
Additionally, take your time and really savor the moment. Enjoy the relaxation and let go of any worries or stress.
Unwind at the Hotels and Resorts
Now that we've looked at the different spa treatments available in Saint Augustine during your babymoon, let's look into the different hotels and resorts that are in the area. Planning a staycation at one of the beautiful hotels and resorts in Saint Augustine is a great way to relax and unwind during your babymoon.
Go beachcombing, take long walks, or just spend time lounging around the pool; there are so many ways to relax and unwind during your stay.
From luxurious 5-star resorts to cozy boutique hotels, Saint Augustine has something for everyone looking for a place to stay on their babymoon. Whether you're looking for a romantic getaway or a family-friendly vacation, there are plenty of hotels and resorts to choose from in Saint Augustine.
From modern beachfront properties to historic inns, you'll be sure to find the perfect accommodation to make your babymoon unforgettable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to visit Saint Augustine Florida for a Babymoon?
If you're looking for a romantic getaway for your babymoon, St. Augustine, Florida is the perfect destination! With its beautiful beaches, historic sites, and plenty of outdoor activities, it's a great place to visit any time of year.
However, the best time to visit is during the spring and fall, when the weather is more mild and tourist crowds are smaller. Whether you're looking for a relaxing beach escape or a city adventure, St. Augustine has something to offer everyone.
Travel tips include booking your hotel in advance, taking advantage of the many walking tours, and exploring the city's romantic spots. With its rich history and array of activities, St. Augustine is a great choice for a romantic babymoon.
What are the safety precautions for visiting tourist attractions in Saint Augustine?
We're visiting Saint Augustine and ready to explore the tourist attractions, but we're also mindful of the safety precautions we need to take.
It's like walking a tightrope between having a good time and being safe.
We've read up on the sanitation guidelines, COVID policies, and other safety protocols so we can enjoy our visit and still stay healthy.
We're aware that many places have limited capacity and require reservations, so we've made sure to plan ahead and be prepared.
We're also wearing masks, washing our hands regularly, and keeping a respectful distance from other visitors.
With the proper precautions, we can have a safe and enjoyable time in Saint Augustine.
Are there any special discounts for couples visiting Saint Augustine for a Babymoon?
Couples looking for budget-friendly options for their babymoon in Saint Augustine, Florida, will be pleased to know that there are plenty of discounts to be had.
From pregnancy-friendly accommodations to discounts on attractions, there are plenty of ways to save when visiting Saint Augustine.
Many hotels offer special packages for couples expecting a baby, while some attractions offer discounts when purchased in advance.
Doing some research and asking around can help you find the best deals for your babymoon.
What activities are suitable for expecting couples in Saint Augustine?
We've all heard the saying 'love is in the air,' and that couldn't be more true in Saint Augustine, Florida.
From romantic restaurants to beach walks, there are plenty of activities suitable for expecting couples looking for a 'babymoon'.
Whether it's a stroll on the beach as the sun sets, a romantic dinner for two, or simply enjoying the sights and sounds of the city, Saint Augustine has something special for every couple.
Take a break and enjoy the beauty of this city, and your babymoon will be a truly unforgettable experience.
Are there any special requirements for visiting the nature parks in Saint Augustine?
Visiting the nature parks in Saint Augustine is a great way to enjoy the beauty of the area. As many of these parks are pet-friendly, you can bring your furry friends along with you. Additionally, there are plenty of baby-friendly activities, so you can involve the whole family.
However, you should be aware that there may be special requirements for visiting the parks. For example, certain times of day or proof of ID may be necessary. Make sure to check with your local park before visiting.
Conclusion
We had an unforgettable experience on our babymoon in Saint Augustine.
From exploring the historic city to taking a boat tour, we were able to experience the unique beauty and charm of the area.
We enjoyed the ocean views and felt like we were standing in a postcard.
The local cuisine was like a gourmet feast and the boutiques were like a treasure trove of finds.
We also took a day trip to the beaches, where the sand was as soft as silk.
Finally, we pampered ourselves at the spa with relaxing treatments, and stayed at a luxurious hotel, allowing us to completely unwind and recharge.
Our babymoon was an incredible experience and one we'll always remember fondly.
submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 13:06 DrYangHF7 I recovered from aplastic anemia via Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door (贫血)

Gratitude to Namo Sakyamuni Buddha!
Gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva!
Gratitude to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from ten directions and three periods of time!
Gratitude to the Dharma protectors!
Gratitude to the benefactor and benevolent father Master Jun Hong Lu!
Gratitude to my fellow Dharma practitioners!
In 2021, I experienced 2 menstrual hemorrhages. On September 5, I went to the hospital to get the physical examination report card. The doctor told me my illness was very serious. The report card showed that my platelets were only 13×10^9/L (simplified to 13, as below), while the normal level is 100-300. The doctor told me to call my husband and ask him to take me to the city hospital. My husband didn't believe it. He thought something might be wrong with the test. Thus, I didn't travel to the city hospital that day.
In the restaurant the next day, when I sat down on the chair, I felt dizzy! I hurriedly let my husband take me to the hospital. According to various aspects of the examination, such as bone penetration and chest bone penetration, the condition is aplastic anemia. By then, I really didn't know how severe this illness is. I thought I did not eat things indiscriminately. I should be full of positive energy and not get sick. At the time, I did not know how stupid and ignorant I was. I had many ignorant habits, such as staying up late at night, bursting into anger, sexual misconduct, and abortions. If I didn't study Buddhism, I would never realize how heavy and deep my karmic obstacles are!
I had a gynecological problem for a long time, but I hadn't been to the hospital, and I was afraid to go to the hospital. It's more likely to happen if you are afraid of something happening. I regret not checking the body timely. Two years ago I dreamed of my deceased aunt and 2 children next to her. Pointing to my gynecology, my aunt said cancer. As I did not encounter Buddhism at that time, I did not understand that it was a great calamity. After waking up I felt scared. Then, I thought it was just a dream, and did not pay attention to it.
My karma broke 2 years late, as the dream predicted. I received 8-10 days of hospital treatment. We asked to be discharged because the cost was too high. I went to our county hospital. A doctor with glasses told me to have a bone marrow transplant. My father-in-law and father did not believe my disease was so serious, and neither did I. I was only a bit older than 30 years old, so I could not have such a severe disease. We travelled to a city hospital for treatment. The doctor told me that I would need a bone marrow transplant. That's when I realized this disease's seriousness!
Master Lu enlightened us to pay attention to the premonitory dream. Otherwise, it would be too late to regret. At that time, I had not encountered the Buddha's teachings, so I knew nothing about these principles. A bone marrow transplant was a bolt out of the blue for us! It cost hundreds of thousands of CNY. Our family was poor, so we couldn't afford it! During that time in the hospital, I was so scared that I couldn't eat or sleep. I also had chronic insomnia. One of the two cancer patients sleeping next to me was in pain every day and relied on painkillers to stop the pain, which was really agonizing. The other cancer patient was in her 70s and afraid of death. Without the Buddha's teachings, sentient beings can only follow their destiny. Although they do not want to die they have to die.
The hospital environment makes me not want to stay for a moment. They are all serious illnesses, such as cancer. I fear thinking about it. I requested discharge from the hospital after >10 days of treatment. I requested to take medication at home and follow a conservative approach to my health. So, I was discharged home.
The other morning, while I exercised at home, I suddenly felt weak. Just in time, my father-in-law arrived. I hurriedly asked him to take me to the clinic. I was too weak to move, so he carried me downstairs.
One night, I read a post on the Internet that a person with a blood disease did not undergo a bone marrow transplant. That person was treated in a specialized Chinese and Western medicine hospital and the low platelet level became normal. So, I contacted the doctor right away and registered for an appointment. My husband immediately booked a sleeper ticket to the hospital for the next day. The fear that I might not wake up after sleeping kept me from sleeping that night. After a few days of hospital treatment, platelets still didn't increase. This worries me a lot. What should I do? Until then, I realized that my disease could not be controlled by medication at all.
In the meantime, I was blessed by the Bodhisattva to see an online video of Master Lu reading a totem posted by a Buddhist practitioner. Since then, I have understood that sexual misconduct and abortion create heavy karma. My gratitude goes out to Bodhisattva's mercy for letting me encounter karma. So I promptly used the three Gems of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door to treat my disease. I made 2 vows: become a vegetarian for life, and release 2,000 fish after discharge from the hospital.
Just after making the vows, my appetite increased greatly. Actually, in the hospital, the happiest thing for me is to eat. Half a month later I returned home from the hospital. The Buddhist practitioner sent me Buddhist materials. I recited Buddhist scriptures daily. Approximately 10 days later, I returned to the hospital to check. My platelets rose from 13 to 27. A month later, my platelets increased from 27 to 50. During my third check, my platelets rose from 50 to 107. Normal platelet levels are 100-300, so my platelet level is back to normal.
I was so happy, and blessed by the Bodhisattva! I had tears in my eyes at that time. Although there were still abnormal indicators, such as anemia, after all, it had only been a few months since I encountered the Buddha's teachings. Later, my platelet index reached 127.
There was a period of slackness in my cultivation: I could not finish reciting 3 Little Houses within 2 days; did not want to get up in the morning; did not vow the number of Little Houses to my karmic creditors; and my vow was not powerful enough. These resulted in the two dream exams being flunked, leading to 3 or 4 indicators of abnormality.
Hence, my fellow Buddhist practitioners, please take me as a warning, and strive to cultivate our minds, recite Buddhist scriptures diligently, devote ourselves to one Buddhist practice, and never quit!
Now I sincerely make 10 vows to Guan Yin Bodhisattva:
  1. Be a vegetarian all my life;
  2. Do not kill beings all my life;
  3. Release life according to conditions all my life;
  4. Respect my Master and His Buddhist teachings, be one of the hands and eyes of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, and never quit;
  5. Study Buddhism in Plain Terms all my life;
  6. Convince sentient beings to practice Buddhism using my experiences, propagate Buddhism, and transform the right ones extensively;
  7. Recite 1,000 Little Houses to my karmic creditors in 2022;
  8. Read Buddhism in Plain Terms 1,000 chapters in 2022;
  9. Release 3,000 fish in 2022;
  10. Attend the group study of Buddhism in Plain Terms 100 sessions in 2022.
Gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva!
Gratitude to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from ten directions and three periods of time!
Gratitude to Master Jun Hong Lu!
If there is anything that is not rational or in line with the truth in the presentation, I'd like to seek forgiveness from Namo Sakyamuni Buddha, the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Dharma protectors, and Master Jun Hong Lu. I would appreciate critique and correction from my fellow practitioners!
I, not my fellow practitioners, will be responsible for my own karma!
Presenter: Buddhist practitioner Li
Posted: 2022-06-06
Translator: Frank
Published: 2023-08-31
Statement by translator
The story was translated from Chinese into English by meaning, not word by word. If there is anything that is not rational or in line with the true meaning of the Chinese version, I pray for forgiveness from the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Dharma protectors and Master Jun Hong Lu.
Propagation
It would be greatly appreciated if you would forward this presentation to all sentient beings you know, sick or healthy. You will accumulate immeasurable merits and virtues. Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda!
Would you like to change your destiny?
We will show you how to do the Five Golden Buddhist Practices of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door: (1) making vows, (2) reciting Buddhist scriptures (sutras and mantras), (3) performing life liberation, (4) reading Buddhism in Plain Terms, and (5) repenting. You will personally witness how you and your family can achieve physical and mental stability, relief from illness and grievances, wisdom growth, academic progress, career advancement, and family happiness through Dharma. It’s free of charge.
Contact
Buddhist practitioner: Lily
Email: [sunnypurplelily@gmail.com](mailto:sunnypurplelily@gmail.com)
WeChat: HanJing20210820
原文如下:
心灵法门让患再生障碍性贫血的我,血小板从13恢复到127——心灵法门网友反馈
心灵法门让患再生障碍性贫血的我,血小板从13恢复到127!
感恩南无释迦牟尼佛!
感恩南无大慈大悲救苦救难广大灵感观世音菩萨摩诃萨!
感恩十方三世一切诸佛菩萨!
感恩龙天护法菩萨!
感恩恩师慈父!
感恩师兄们!
我在2021年经历两次经期大出血,9月5日那天去医院拿检查身体报告单,医生跟我说,我的病很严重,当时报告单显示我的血小板只有13,正常人为100到300,医生叫我打电话给我先生,让我老公陪我去市医院。当时先生不相信,以为检查出了问题,当天就没有去医院。
第二天上饭店吃饭,刚坐下来头发晕,不好了!我赶紧让先生打车上医院,医生看了单子就进行了各方面检查,骨穿,做胸部骨穿,检查结果出来确定是再生障碍性贫血,当时真不知道这个病的严重性,一直还认为自己没有乱吃东西,还觉得自己正能量满满,不会生病,当时真不知道自己有多愚痴无明,有很多的无明习气,熬夜,爆脾气,邪淫,打胎。不学佛不知道,学佛后才知道业障深重啊!
一直以来我妇科不好,也没有去医院,也很怕去医院,真是怕什么来什么。真是后悔没有及时检查身体,也正如在两年前一个晚上做梦,梦见我去世的阿姨和旁边两个小孩,阿姨针对我妇科说癌症,当时没有学佛不知道自己有劫,醒来也有些害怕,只是觉得只是一个梦而已,就没有重视。就这样两年后业障爆发,就这样在医院进行了八到十天治疗,我们要求出院了,因为费用太高,不得不出院.回到家后,去我们县医院,一个带眼镜的医生跟我说要做骨髓移植,公公和爸爸都不相信,我也不相信,这么年轻三十几岁不可能得这么严重的病。于是我们上市医院进行了治疗,医院跟我说确定要做骨髓移植,这时才了解这个病的严重性!
师父说一定要重视预示梦,不重视后悔来不及,当时没有闻到佛法哪里懂师父说的这些道理。做骨髓移植对我们来说晴天霹雳!要几十万,我们家穷,哪里有那么多钱!在医院那段时间吓得吃不下、睡不着,我也有着长期的失眠症,睡在旁边的两个癌症病人,其中一个每天身体疼痛,靠止痛药才能止痛,真是痛苦不堪,一个癌症病人七十多岁了,也害怕死亡。没有闻到佛法,只能随命运走,不想走也得走,只有闻到佛法才有办法。
在医院经过了十几天的治疗,我要求出院回家吃药,保守治疗,医院那个环境一刻也不想待,全是重症,癌症,想想都恐惧,于是我出院了回到家中。
有一天清晨我在锻炼身体,突然浑身无力,正好公公回来了,我赶紧叫他带我上诊所,当时连下楼都是公公背下楼的。一天晚上我在网上看到一位朋友血液病没有做骨髓移植,经过一家专科中西医结合医院让自己的低血小板恢复到正常了。于是,我赶紧按上面的联系方式联系到了医生,挂号预约,老公回来立马订了第二天的去医院的卧铺票。当天晚上我就没有睡,我怕我没有这个福气,怕睡着了醒不过来了。到了医院治疗了几天,血小板还是没有上来,这下可愁死我了,该怎么办?这个时候我才知道我的这个病靠药物根本控制不了的。
就在这时,菩萨保佑我,让我看到一位师兄在网上发的师父图腾的视频,看了才明白是自己邪淫、打胎孩子的业障病,菩萨慈悲保佑让业障深重的我闻到了佛法。于是我就运用心灵法门“三大法宝”,立马许愿吃素,出院放生2000条鱼,刚许下愿吃素,发现胃口大增,在医院最让我开心的事情就是吃饭。住了半个月回到家中,师兄给我寄来了心灵法门的佛学资料,就做起了功课。大概念了十来天时间去医院检查,血小板从十几上升到了27了,接着又念了一个月,第二次检查血小板从27上升到50了,第三次检查由50上升到了107,正常人100到300,已经正常了。
好开心,菩萨保佑!我当时眼泪都掉下来,虽然当时还有指标不正常,有些贫血,但是毕竟才闻到佛法几个月时间。后来我的血小板指标达到127。中间有段时间懈怠,两天念三张小房子还念不动,早上还爬不起来,迟迟不敢许愿给自己要经者小房子的数量,愿力不够,两次梦境考试不及格,导致三四个指标不正常,所以师兄们,要以我为戒,努力修心,念经,一门精进,永不退转!
现在我真诚地向观世音菩萨许愿:
第一,终生吃素;第二,终生不杀生;第三,终生随缘放生;第四,尊师重道,做观世音菩萨的千手千眼,永不退转;第五,终生学习《白话佛法》;第六,终生现身说法,弘扬佛法,广度有缘人;第七,2022年一年内念诵1000张小房子给自己要经者;第八,2022年一年内读《白话佛法》1000遍;第九,2022年一年内放生3000条鱼;第十,:2022年一年内共修精进学习《白话佛法》100场。
感恩南无大慈大悲救苦救难广大灵感观世音菩萨!
感恩十方三世一切诸佛菩萨!
感恩卢台长师父!
我的分享结束了,分享中如有不如理不如法的地方,恳请南无释迦牟尼佛慈悲原谅,恳请南无大慈大悲观世音菩萨慈悲原谅,恳请十方三世一切诸佛菩萨和龙天护法菩萨慈悲原谅,请师兄们批评指正。我自己的业障自己背!不让师兄们背!
分享人:李同修
2022-06-06
您想改变命运吗?
我们手把手传授您观世音菩萨的心灵法门五大法宝:“许愿”、“放生”、“念经”、“读《白话佛法》、大忏悔”。您将亲自见证如何通过佛法让自己及家人获得身心安定、病苦解除、冤结化解、智慧增长、学业进步、事业提升、家庭幸福。免费学习,免费结缘。
欢迎联络Lily佛友:sunnypurplelily@gmail.com
或者加Lily佛友微信:HanJing20210820
Disclaimer of Liability:
The contents of the presentation and answers, including text, images, and other information obtained from Dharma practitioners, are provided strictly for reference purposes. Due to the unique nature of individual karma, results similar to those experienced by the authors may not be replicated. The experiences and advice shared should not be construed as medical advice or a diagnosis.
In the event of an emergency, it is crucial to promptly contact your doctor or emergency services by dialing 911. Relying on any information found in the answers is done solely at your own risk. The translator and answerer bear no responsibility for the consequences. By using or misusing the contents, you accept liability for any personal injury, including death. It is imperative to exercise caution and seek professional medical guidance for health-related concerns.
submitted by DrYangHF7 to CittaPureLand [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:51 Plenty_Trust_2491 How have I never heard of Death until earlier this year?

I mean, I kind of partially know the answer, but partially don’t.
I am a fan of all subgenres of rock, metal included. But, I’ve never been hyperfocused on metal. I owned the first two Black Sabbath albums, a couple Metallica albums, one Motörhead album, and one Arch Enemy album, but beyond that, most of the metal I own is alternative metal (Tool, e.g., is my second favourite band).
But, on the other hand, there are certain metal bands of which everyone has heard, even if they don’t like metal. Sabbath, Motörhead, and Metallica, obviously—but also Slayer, Megadeth, Cradle of Filth, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Anthrax, Cannibal Corpse, Slipknot, Lamb of God, maybe a few others like In Flames, Mastadon, Children of Bodom. Now, I’m not going to sit here and claim I know what all these bands sound like—I have not taken the time to explore each and every one of them—but they are names everyone easily recognizes. Why isn’t Death a band that everyone has heard of?! Why did I only just learn about their existence earlier this year?!
The documentary Death by Metal was being advertised on one of the streaming services, and it did that thing where it started to play a trailer of the thing on the screen. I heard snippets of music, and it said that this was one of the first death metal bands and whatnot; the documentary looked interesting, but more importantly the music seemed really good. I checked out a bit of it on YouTube, and decided to buy the first two albums through Amazon.
Scream Bloody Gore stayed in the car CD player for at least three weeks. One Way Ticket by ’70s power pop band The Nerves went in next, and stayed in for, what? two days? Now, Leprosy is in there, and I anticipate it will stay in there just as long as Scream Bloody Gore stayed.
And I know I’m going to be buying more Death albums in the future.
I just can’t get over how this band eluded my radar for thirty-six years. They were way too good of a band!
(As an aside, I just finished watching the aforementioned documentary.)
Edited to add: when I first listened to Scream Bloody Gore, one thing that struck me was that it seemed to have influences from both thrash and doom, with even a hint of speed in there. It was really good, a well-combined brew of influences.
submitted by Plenty_Trust_2491 to DeathBand [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:47 Glittering-Gas-3269 GDPR & Product Analytics for Apps

Hi everyone,
I've been working for an EU-based digital startup for about a year. We’ve built a global data architecture as we plan to launch our app in the US market as well as in the EEA (EU). Our goal is to gain deep insights into in-app user behavior to create segments of successful and unsuccessful users. Along the way, we collect a substantial amount of sensitive data (medical insights, emails, names, etc.).
To comply with GDPR, we funnel our user input into two separate operational databases located in the US and EU to meet data residency requirements. However, we recently realized that the event data we collect via our Firebase SDK integration with Google Analytics 4 also contains a lot of sensitive information. To obtain granular data without relying on the GA4 interface, we used the BigQuery link to export all of our custom events and attributes to Google BigQuery. From there, we use Fivetran to transfer the data into our EU-hosted Snowflake data warehouse to combine it with our operational databases.
We’ve been consulting with our designated DPO, but no one seems to have a fitting answer to the question: “What are the alternatives to our GA4 setup that allow us to record sensitive event data to monitor our developments?”
According to our research, GA4 temporarily stores user data collected in the EU but then sends it to the US for processing. This would violate GDPR if we track medical records (weight, BMI, emails) via GA4.
We are aware that we could implement SCCs, Impact Assessments, TIAs, etc., to make these data transfers valid. However, our management would prefer a solution that allows us to store and process all data in the EU to minimize risks.
We have identified two alternative solutions:

  1. Replace GA4 with Firebase SDK + Firebase DB to store our event data. Then export the data from Firebase BigQuery into BigQuery and from there into Snowflake. Additionally, we are considering using UXCam to track user journeys throughout the app.
  2. Replace our GA4 setup and connect our SDK to Amplitude. Export our event data from Amplitude to Snowflake via Fivetran.
The questions I have are:
a) If we go the Firebase route, does Google still process our data in the US? The Firebase interface offers dashboards, which I assume are powered by our event data. Does the processing happen in the EU or the US?
b) Has anyone used UXCam and can provide insights on its performance and areas where it does (or doesn’t) perform well?
c) Is Amplitude a decent replacement for our setup? I am still looking for strong arguments to pitch to our product manager on why we should use tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Heap instead of web-based analytics such as GA4/Firebase in combination with UXCam.
As you can tell, GDPR has been a significant challenge for our analytics as a startup with global aspirations. We collect and store a lot of sensitive data and, therefore, have to be very careful with our setup and how we transfer and analyze data across borders (or not).
Lastly, a slightly off-topic question: If we have an employee in the US logging into our Snowflake Data platform hosted in the EU to run queries and perform basic analytics, would this be considered a data transfer since the query results are a processing activity? Would GDPR flag this as a violation?

I know these are a lot of questions, but data privacy is highly complex and there isn’t much information about past use cases that fit our current operations. I've been specializing on Data Analytics and Science but app development has been a steep learning curve for me.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I look forward to a constructive discussion and hopefully some insights that will help us move in the right direction.
Cheers!

submitted by Glittering-Gas-3269 to gdpr [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:47 RollToReview Five Fast Reviews: Fireball Island, Beyond the Sun, Wyrmspan and more!

Five Fast Reviews: Fireball Island, Beyond the Sun, Wyrmspan and more!
Hi all,
People tell me I write too much about board games. Well, if that's a crime, lock me up and throw away the key! But they also tell me no one wants to read my long, drawn-out reviews.
So here is the tl:dr of the last five games I've reviewed on my website Roll to Review.
https://preview.redd.it/qvxbvsdbpr0d1.jpg?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daf9877600bf5c624064a25378593008a4837c67
Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar
Fireball Island is one of the most photogenic board games ever created. It combines three painted plastic pieces together to create an island that rises up from your table. Atop this island, the intimidating volcano temple of Vul-Kar sits ready to spit fireballs and ruin your day.
You play as an idiot tourist who must take three snapshots from around the island and escape before it explodes.
Truly, influencer culture has gone too far.
On your turn, you move around the island board by playing movement cards. As you move, and pass treasure spaces, you pick up treasure tokens that award victory points at the end of the game.
Once you finish moving, you then carry out the card’s ability. This can be flicking marbles at other players, rotating the mountain and palm trees around the island, or cause a Cataclysm.
This latter ability is one of the most fun moments of board gaming. You get to drop marbles into Vul-Kar and watch them roll down the island knocking any player standing in their path. It’s an explosion of noise, anticipation, and excitement that only lasts a second. But it’s exhilarating nonetheless.
Now, the fun of Fireball Island comes from its chaotic nature. Yes, the Cataclysms are a great example of this. But the game is full of risky moments that get you excited.
Where I struggled with the game is that it's too random that it felt like nothing matter. Despite giving you strategic opportunities about how you wanted to move, or what treasures to collect. These choices didn't matter as much as how many fireballs you took to the face. Whether you pioneered a route around the island. Or if you drew the right cards.
Rating: 2/5
https://preview.redd.it/u926sgxdpr0d1.jpg?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1afbef73e81f27240d50422cc9758d4cd08fe00f
Beyond the Sun
Reach for the stars is how you held people up in Wild West, but it's also the premise behind Beyond the Sun. A game where players work together to push humanity into the future.
It's a worker placement game and, more to the point, a technology tree game. You spend most turns researching new technologies or gathering payment for new technologies. These provide immediate bonuses, and additional worker action spaces for future turns.
This part of the game is fantastic.
There's a thrill of uncovering new technologies. Especially when the further you progress up the tree, the more powerful they become. It creates an engine-building feeling but on a much larger scale.
Now, the other part of the game, is to the side of the technology tree. A small space board that resembles a haphazardly put together granny flat only built to earn a little extra rent. However, don’t let appearances fool you, it’s here you can take control of planets and colonise them.
Compared to the technology tree, as well as area-control games in general, this space action felt flat. At best it’s basic, at worst it was distracting. Leaving my gaming group wanting something more, or something better, from an otherwise excellent game.
Rating: 3/5
https://preview.redd.it/uy00u6dhpr0d1.jpg?width=668&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=642cde888766d3ce6b00ed78b98a5d95e6e176b4
Sky Team
Sky Team is the two-player cooperative game of landing an airplane and shooting daggers at your partner.
Each round you take turns placing dice around a cockpit. Together you'll deploy flaps, extend the landing gears, change the plane speed and more. With so much going on, it's hard to keep it all straight in your head.
Harder still when you can't communicate with your co-pilot.
It was a lot of fun, and a bit stressful in some of the more difficult scenarios. That's right, Sky Team is a scenario driven game! With a surprising amount of variation. Even after playing 12 scenarios we were still discovering new mechanics.
Sky Team lost a couple points with me and my wife with the between round conversation. There wasn't a lot to strategise or communicate. Something we both enjoy from our cooperative board games.
Otherwise, it's a 10-20 minute blast and gets two thumbs up from me.
Rating: 4/5
https://preview.redd.it/a91z7l2kpr0d1.jpg?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44bd89c6638fde3088ca9944fbacb8f0d6f6cced
Archeos Society
Finally! It's the Ethnos remake we've all been waiting for. With a new theme, art, and components. I couldn't wait for this to be my next favourite game.
A quick recap for those who haven't played Ethnos. You're drawing cards from a market to form and play sets of cards. A set can either be cards of all the same type, or all the same colour.
When you play a set you get points, an ability, and get to establish control in one of the regions on the board.
Ethnos is an excellent game, and highly recommended.
Archeos Society, on the other hand, is proof of the monkey paw's existence. Yes, I got my wish of a refreshed version of one of my favourites. Except it came with rule changes that I'm not so hot about.
Unfortunately, with Archeos Society they gutted the area control portion of the Ethnos. Now instead of battling for regional control, you're moving up different tracks. Removing the tension, interaction between players, and dynamic gameplay from the original.
As a consolation, each of the tracks offers more complex ways to score points. Making it perfect for those who hate confrontation, and not so great for me.
Rating: 3/5
https://preview.redd.it/r74v2enmpr0d1.jpg?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1456105a2432dbc69e28b60c4d4ffe9f88a501f
Wyrmspan
Disclaimer: VR Distribution provided me a copy for an honest review.
Wyrmspan has been out for months now. I've reviewed it. Yet somehow, it still feels like a hallucination. Like I'm dreaming there's a game out there exactly like Wingspan, except with dragons.
But I'm not dreaming.
...And there have been quite a few changes from the original bird-based board game.
It roughly follows the same format of collecting winged-creatures to fill three habitats. Only this time, you're dealing with caves. With each cave requiring excavation before a dragon can make it their home.
When you're not excavating or collecting dragons, you'll spend your turn spelunking. Moving a meeple through your caves, activating one dragon’s abilities at a time. Gaining resources and visiting the Dragon Guild so you can afford more caves and dragons.
The change from birds to dragons sent me into shock. Part of the appeal of Wingspan is seeing all the feathered little freaks that inhabit our planet. Wyrmspan is missing that appeal and while the art is beautiful it doesn't measure up.
Gameplay-wise the three rows of Wyrmspan are connected tighter than the original. You can no longer get away with ignoring a row or two without hamstringing your strategy.
Additionally, it felt there was a higher variance in dragon-strength. When combined with the tiny market (only 3 cards!) it felt like some players got an unfair advantage due to what dragons were available.
Finally, while there's more player interaction than Wingspan. There isn't as much as Wingspan plus the Oceania Expansion. As a result, once you fall behind, you're behind for good.
That said, the combo building of Wyrmspan is fantastic. The resource management puzzle is also a treat, as you are always on the lookout for your next payday.
So despite its flaws, which will put some people off, I enjoyed Wyrmspan a lot.
Rating: 4/5
---
That's a wrap!
If you enjoyed this, you can find more long-form reviews at Roll to Review. Where you will also find news, polls, and other board game related writing.
Otherwise, which game was I the most wrong about?
submitted by RollToReview to boardgames [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:43 minimumaxima Flares from CoQ10 demystified [How I hacked my flox — Personal Story]

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I posted anything or even visited the sub. I do not visit the sub anymore as I collected all the information I needed long ago and staying on the sub only led to more thinking about flox. Focusing on other areas of life has been a great life hack for me! I have done a lot of positive things in the past half a year - I am starting my own business, been meeting new people and making a lot of new friends. Flox has changed me for the better.
I want to preface this by saying that I was probably the only person (or almost only as I've met maybe 1 or 2 other people on Reddit) who claimed flares from CoQ10. It actually flared me quite a lot — sometimes I could handle 100mg and sometimes even 30mg would lead to terrible pain. It was frightening to be one of the rarest cases in a pool of already rare cases, so, naturally, I tracked reactions to supplements extremely attentively (u/vadroqvertical won’t let me lie about that) and I have tried a lot (my cupboard is full of supplements — I spent around €3,500 on them in the span of 1.5 years). I will list reactions to supplements and the approximate timeline of when it happened:
— First of all, CoQ10/Ubiquinol flared me not so much 1 month out (tried 100mg ubiquinol multiple times) but it got worse as time went on to the point that April 2023 I could not even take 30mg without great pain. I tried it 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 16 months out all without luck with varying doses flaring me to different extents. I will outline the reasons for it below;
— Vitamin E flared me a lot 2, 4, 6 and 8 months out. Never tried again. Tried 200-400 IU at a time. Due to poor GSH regeneration through Glutathione Reductase dependent upon B2 and NADPH;
— Benfothiamine flared me as well (doses 150mg-300mg/day). This is due to high sulphite and blockage of complex IV of the Electron Transport Chain in the mitochondria the reason for I will explain further. Thiamine is easily broken down by sulphite in the body and it is broken down into sulphite as well, which causes a negative loop reaction in people with high sulphite levels. Benfothiamine also caused me a severe allergic reaction (extreme anxiety and itching) that gladly did not require hospitalisation but was extremely scary and scarred me psychologically (likely high sulfocysteine activated NMDA receptors);
— Vitamin B6 increased my neuropathy when I got it. Likely due to poor B2 functional status. The problem I was also deficient in B6 and its supplementation led to great improvements in sleep quality once I could tolerate it. Note B6 is easily destroyed by sulphite just like B1;
— Riboflavin flared me (tried at 100mg, doses under 10mg never flared me). This is likely due to unmatched NADPH supply due to high sulphite load in the body (speculative);
— Astaxanthin greatly improved my physical health at 5-6 months out (proving that the core of my issues was solely ROS) but it caused reductive stress (NADH accumulation), which also caused pain, albeit the pain was a different kind and asta caused worsening neuropathy and visual snow. It accumulates in fat tissue, so stopping it was nice with ROS coming to a balance at about 10-12 days after discontinuation (after a loading dose of 36mg/daily for 3.5 weeks) but ROS then came back after it went out of the body further. I did not retry astaxanthin as I realised it caused me reductive stress and neurological issues;
— NAC helped me a damn lot. It was the best antioxidant for me. The problem is it depleted my molybdenum and copper and started giving me allergic reactions (low molybdenum + copper as well as blocked complex IV will lead to way higher sulphite generated from NAC);
— Did not feel much from vitamin D. I live in a very sunny country and tested at 51 (ref. Range 30+) without any supplements;
— Magnesium helped me a lot. #1 supplement;
— Calcium did not help me much in the beginning, actually, caused me heart palpitations. Was fine taking it after a few months;
— Potassium was a good supplement. I took 800mg/day for a while and it supported my muscle health;
Important: vitamin B5 made me feel a lot better. It took my ROS down like crazy — I could feel normal muscles again, it removed my oxalate pain completely, too but for only a short while like 3-4h.
I have tried many more supplements that were phyto-supplements and such and none of them really helped me beside maybe some placebo effects. Some made me feel worse and were not worth it at all. I did not try anything mood-changing as I was not interested in it. To note, GABA supplement made me feel a little euphoric at first.
It is very relevant that I have been oxalate dumping since 27 Dec. 2023. The description of the experience can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/floxies/comments/1by0uh0/comment/kyma718/
Now, to the real question: why did CoQ10 flare me even at high nutrient status (just after flox). I have to stress that flares from CoQ10 were much less at the beginning of flox likely due to better nutrient status (it went from extremely terrible to slightly more extremely terrible while 6 months out it went from ‘eh’ to terrible).
  1. First, I have to say that NAC made me worse long-term. How? Over a long period of time I was taking it and was not watching my copper (NAC increases metallothionein and causes poor copper absorption) and molybdenum levels (NAC raises generation of sulfite and it needs molybdenum to be detoxified). Some NAC formulations have molybdenum in them but I was not lucky to get one of those and, due to lack of knowledge, did not supplement any molybdenum. The result was high sulphite and from that high ROS (with a combo of benfo which further increased sulphite it caused me peripheral neuropathy at 5 months). Sulphite causes Fenton reactions when complex IV gets blocked up. H2S (a signalling molecule and a vasodilator) also needs to be detoxified by a CoQ-10 dependent enzyme and turned later into sulphite and then sulphate by molybdenum and complex IV (dependent on copper) and if it is not detoxified, it causes a complex IV blockage and starts Fenton reactions as well as electron leakage during production of ATP, causing ROS. This causes a negative feedback loop that was described in the linked at the end article as follows [CoQ10 Deficiency Is Sulfur Toxicity]:
«This can be explained as follows:
  1. hydrogen sulfide inhibition of complex IV generates superoxide in the respiratory chain, which becomes hydrogen peroxide,
  2. hydrogen sulfide reduces ferric iron to ferrous iron, which makes it release from storage in ferritin,
  3. this increases Fenton reactions between free iron and hydrogen peroxide, which generate more dangerous reactive oxygen species like the hydroxyl radical,
  4. all of this deplete glutathione,
  5. since a major purpose of the trans-sulfuration pathway is to provide enough cysteine to make glutathione, glutathione depletion hyperactivates the trans-sulfuration pathway, leading to more cysteine availability, the excess of which is catabolized to sulfite by alternative reactions that do not produce hydrogen sulfide and therefore do not require CoQ10.»
  6. In the article linked below, you will see that CoQ-10 protects against reactive oxygen species mainly due to improving hydrogen sulphide clearance (H2S). Therefore, CoQ-10 deficiency did not cause much ROS in complexes I and II but mainly produced issues in Complex III (where sulphite detoxification starts) and complex IV (where the last electrons are delivered during the sulphite-sulphate reaction). Excerpt: «In human cells with CoQ10 synthesis defects from the same study, CoQ10 protected against reactive oxygen species, but suppressing the enzyme that uses CoQ10 to clear hydrogen sulfide abolished this effect. This shows that the reactive oxygen species were coming from poor hydrogen sulfide clearance.»
Considering this, and oh my god, finding this article was like god sent it to me: my CoQ10 flares were coming from poor hydrogen sulphide clearance. At that point there were multiple reasons this could be happening:
  1. Cellular CoQ-10 deficiency;
  2. Manganese toxicity which causes CoQ-10 deficiency [read "Manganese Toxicity Is a CoQ10 Deficiency" linked below];
  3. Copper deficiency;
  4. Molybdenum deficiency;
  5. SUOX (enzyme which converts sulphite to sulphate) or another genetic impairment;
  6. Blockage of complex IV by something else.
I checked my molybdenum and copper transporting genes, SUOX using DBSNP and my AncestryDNA.txt file, and they were all good (Yes, I know Ancestry does not do a full genomic profile but it still had the main SNPs for that). I also checked my manganese transporter genes and seemed I was homozygous for an important one but fine with others. It is really hard to estimate how that might affect you IRL, perhaps that would require a really good genetic counsellor (or lots of hours spent ruminating again). I also did not think I had any genetic issue since I was very very healthy all my life and had 0 pain or health issues before flox occurred (I have extremely healthy young looking parents that drink, smoke and do whatever they want and have 0 consequences to their health as well).
I took some tests, for example: Genova NutrEval at ~6 months out, full nutrient blood test panel at ~11 months out (abstained for 35 days from any supplements at all, even vitamins and tested literally everything, paid around €1,200) and my CoQ10 levels at both of those occurrences were at 1 & 1.07 in absence of supplementation with ref. range 0.8-1.4, so it was definitely not low. That way I eliminated #1 and #5. While I was not entirely sure whether genetic issues had to do anything with it, I decided to pretend like they didn’t, since I had to try out other solutions before jumping to the most complex one. I took a lot of molybdenum, so molybdenum deficiency was not at the table for me. In this way I was left with #2, #3 and #6. In the full blood panel, my manganese was slightly high (20.1 with ref. Range <~18) and the SNP people were talking about that caused them manganese toxicity was homozygous for me, so I definitely considered it but manganese when supplemented made me a feel a lot better, actually (mentally, not physically), so I was also likely deficient in it. For now, I just avoid it in supplemental doses but I do not avoid foods containing it. Besides, I do not have iron overload genes that could contribute to manganese toxicity. My CoQ-10 levels were good enough, too, so it was unlikely to be manganese toxicity.
I could not take copper because it would lead to high ROS immediately (due to complex IV blockage the reasons for which I will outline further). Considering manganese was likely deficient and not superfluous, I discarded reason #2 and reason #3 could not be fixed by copper, so it was definitely not only copper deficiency but either another factor or another factor coupled with copper deficiency. I was stuck for a long time until I found another article from the same author about B12 and B9 helping to detoxify oxalate. As I said before all this explanation, I have been oxalate dumping throughout the whole process (already 4 months). I should note I was oxalate dumping even before I got floxed (I likely had oxalate overload due to my appendix surgery — this is proven by inflamed mesenteric lymph nodes confirmed by 3 MRIs — Sally Norton has the same case of over-absorption in her book) and that is how I actually got the E. Coli they gave me Cipro for (oxalate crystals create a good environment for it in the urinary tract lol) and how I got floxed (I went full circle, lmao). When I was floxed, I was not oxalate dumping for at least a year likely because my body was not in the state to handle the dumping process but it was still affecting me as I will outline further. First of all, I want to say that biotin actually promoted dumping for me as said in the article and not relieved it like it is said in Sally Norton’s book (I am not sure if there is a genetic variation to this). The proposed mechanism of oxalate detoxification in the article is as follows:
«Recall my proposed two-step detoxification process:
  1. Pyruvate carboxylase [biotin-dependent] converts oxalate to formate.
  2. Formate is joined to tetrahydrofolate to enter the methylation cycle, be used for the synthesis of purines or DNA, or be converted to carbon dioxide and exhaled in the breath.»
This are also very important words: «There may be more regulation layered on top of this to prevent excessive formate accumulation. It would certainly be preferable to have oxalate crystals cause pain or disrupt the skin than to have formate accumulate beyond the capacity to clear it.» This is why I felt best when dumping. Could eat anything, drink beer, even smoked weed once without issue. Another time though I got too brave, smoked a lot of weed and got a very bad ‘relapse’ but recovered quickly from it. The next morning when using a towel after a shower I had the same pain I used to have 2.5 months out from Cipro (which was extremely bad and took me back 14 months in memories) while before I smoked weed that second time I had almost 0 tendon pain in my daily life apart from oxalate [Here I thought maybe I and DrHungry share similar issues then? He also had an extreme (same in intensity relatively to his flox journey) flare from weed and is also using a lot of sulphur-based antioxidants still. Could such weed flares be related to complex IV dysfunction and/or impaired sulphite clearance?]. In either case, I felt best when dumping, probably because my body was able to regulate formate accumulation and ROS production greatly reduced at those times.
I was sitting outside with my parents and their friends, researching my flox issue when I read these lines: «Formate accumulation is the principle mechanism of methanol toxicity. Part of its toxicity is driven by inhibiting cytochrome oxidase, complex IV of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, which would inhibit the clearance of sulfite and hydrogen sulfide and block the production of ATP.» It finally clicked. It was honestly one of the best moments in my life when I realised. I made the connection between great improvement from B5, formate accumulation, issues with copper supplementation, general ROS improvement from dumping and oxalate everything together. Suddenly, my whole flox journey became crystal clear to me.
B5 is mainly used in the body to create Coenzyme A. An intermediate molecule in the production of CoA is called 4’-phosphopantethine and is used in the enzyme 10-methyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (high formate will pair with THF and form 10-MTHF in the attempt of the body to detoxify formate). This enzyme converts 10-MTHF back to THF and creates NADPH in the process which is used by Glutathione Reductase to regenerate Glutathione. Hence, high-dose B5 led to a lot of those reactions occurring and me feeling a big relief from ROS AND OXALATE, so oxalate is indeed detoxified into formate by biotin-dependent pyruvate carboxylase.
Okay, so theory is very interesting but what is theory if it has no proof? When I read it, I realised I finally cracked my flox but I had to get real proof.
Just a few weeks before this, I drank some wine and got nerve damage (likely from high sulphites in it, again, duh — while this was a terrible experience, it played a role in me getting closer to the solution of my issues). Beer caused me no issues, could drink 10 or more bottles in one sitting, eat a lot of rice when drunk with no issue. Before, I had only numb hands and top of feet. After the wine, I had burning up to the knee and burning in palms and behind my shoulders. I got fed up with this, I just decided to methylate the fuck out of my nerves and eat copper not in supplements but from calamari (very high in copper but low in vit A, so no toxicity risk like from liver). At that time, I was dumping and my ROS was not too high. I started consuming around 200g protein per day, eating a lot of copper 3-4mg/day and my nerves really healed a lot. To the point they even became normal after 3-4 days. My vision became brighter, it was absolutely crazy. I was also supplementing 150mg molybdenum/day. After a week of that, though, I started getting ROS back and it was very bad ROS, like almost a year ago when I had low molybdenum and copper from a lot of NAC use. That confirmed my suspicion that my issue was indeed sulphite. Eating almost anything caused ROS for me, dumping stopped since the body had no free reducing agents (NADPH) to support sulphate-producing enzymes (oxalate is transported on sulphate transporters, so it literally could not drive out of the cell because it had no car lol). As you understand, high ROS prevents a lot of enzymes from working and here it causes, as you have probably understood, a negative feedback loop.
So, back to the proof. Since I realised that my issue is probably formate, I just decided to take high-dose B5 again (did not add any high dose B2, B1 or other B vitamins, just took my usual B complex with food). It really helped me a lot, again. I felt almost normal. Then, it caused me some pain but I felt how I was getting better and the next day I took it in the day, then in the evening I ate around 80g carbs and took double the dose of B complex (my B complex has low doses: 10mg B1, 10mg B2, 25mg B3, 20mg B5, 5mg B6, 100mcg B7, 100mcg B9, 50mcg B12) instead of adding a lot of B5 and boom, no pain and oxalate dumping restarted quite more strongly than it even used to be before mega-dosing protein. So I was in pain for at least 2 weeks dying from ROS and then 2 days of B5 and suddenly I was normal again and dumping restarted? It felt like paradise with a twist. The next day, I went out with my friends. I was a little nervous since we were going to eat out and we ordered 600g of carbonara (the portions were huge there). I ate it all at once with 2x my light B complex and guess what happened? NO PAIN, just oxalate dumping. I finally realised that I was right and detoxifying formate unloaded my complex IV, allowed sulphate transporters to be created, reduced ROS production from food and suddenly I felt like a normal human being (except the dumping part). I recently retried CoQ10 — no flare. Likely before formate got recreated a lot because I was dumping a lot (if you read my comment linked above, you will understand).
I am not megadosing B5 right now but just stuck to 80-100mg B5 per day, so 4x my light B complex as my B6 tolerance improved a lot. Why I am not megadosing B5 is because oxalate likely blocks conversion of vitamin B2 into its active forms as I, at ~11 months out, when I did full-testing in the absence of supplementation 35 days pre-testing had high molybdenum, iodine, (almost above the ref. Range (113 with ref. Range <120) selenium and very high B2 even though I was cellularly deficient according to Genova NutrEval (at 356 with ref. Range <295).
Considering everything above, we can understand what happened to me from the beginning:
  1. Oxalate overload led to formate overload as oxalate is converted to formate through the action of biotin-dependent pyruvate carboxylase;
  2. Formate overload led to complex IV blockage, high ROS and high sulphite, which also leads to high ROS and also leads to complex IV blockage (negative feedback loop);
  3. High sulphite destroys vitamins B1 & B6 as said in the beginning, which caused endogenous production of oxalate to skyrocket (you can read about this if you google, this information is very available);
  4. Hence sulphate transporters also got impaired, oxalate detoxification in the form of physical crystals also halted, which led to even higher overload;
  5. This led to higher formate, this led to even more ROS.
Mega-dosing B vitamins and especially B5 and B9 led to formate detoxification and the ability of my body to detoxify oxalate. This improved me a lot and it definitely feels like it will inevitably lead to my recovery. I feel good now, I still have some remaining neuropathy but it’s minimal and I know what to avoid to not make it worse and how to improve it quickly if I need to. I have no OS from beer, coffee or food. Also, I am dumping a lot right now. You can ask me all kinds of questions that you want and I will try to answer them to my best ability since I know what it is like to be floxed and I will help anyone who is in the same situation.
I am only 22 years old and this experience led to me rethinking my whole life. I plan to become an extremely rich person to be able to fund biochemical research in the future and will focus specifically on floxed individuals and I will help floxed people first. I will try to reach my goals as fast as possible, I promise. While flox was very difficult, painful and frustrating, I only took the good things out of them. I already realized it but it confirmed that we only have one life and there is no place for negative emotions or indecision.
I hope this post does not get removed by moderators. If there is anything to moderate, change, or add, I will be happy to do that. I can provide my analyses if needed as well as proof. All I say here is very attentively selected and fact-checked either from external sources or personal experience. I do not lie and have no motivation to do so. I am only trying to share my knowledge and to help realise others flox is not unbeatable and can be understood and solved — it all depends on individual factors.
Linked articles:
Manganese Toxicity Is a CoQ10 Deficiency
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/manganese-toxicity-is-a-coq10-deficiency
CoQ10 Deficiency Is Sulfur Toxicity
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/coq10-deficiency-is-sulfur-toxicity
10-Formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/pantothenic-acid#formyltetrahydrofolate-dehydrogenase
Can Biotin Help Detoxify Oxalate?
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-biotin-help-detoxify-oxalate
Can B12 and Folate Help Detoxify Oxalate?
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-b12-and-folate-help-detoxify
Just an extra fact: My ALT was consistently high >50 for a year after flox. Dropped to 30 when dumping occured.
submitted by minimumaxima to floxies [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:37 shrugir Travel Agency CRM

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submitted by shrugir to u/shrugir [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:31 Unlucky-Row-786 All shia hadeeths are authentic 100% every single hadeeth (fallacy of tahreef)

The problem with tahreef is that you can’t authenticate hadeeth narrations, as in Shias can no longer prove a narration is weak or strong by checking whether it goes against the Quran
A person cannot be a true Twelver Shi’ah except if he believes that the Quran is Muharaf! [1]
While this might seem strange, what follows is even stranger. Ahl Al-Sunnah transmitted the Quran from the Prophet [May Blessings of Allah and Peace be upon him and his household] through Tawatur [2] and a multitude of widespread authentic chains. These Mushafs that are printed today, and people all over the world read from, are from one of these four narrations:
  1. The narration of Hafs from ‘Asim, and this is widespread in the Arabian Gulf, Egypt, Shaam, Iraq, and Yemen.
  2. The second is the narration of Warsh from Nafi’, and this is common in Morocco and Algeria.
  3. The third narration is that of Qalon from Nafi’, and it is widespread in Libya.
  4. The fourth is the narration of Al-Duwri from Abi ‘Amr, and this is common in Chad and the South of Sudan.
In addition to these there are other narrations which are not that common among people, but are being taught in institutes and Universities.
So ask [May Allah bless you, benefit you, and make you a benefit for others] … ask their scholars: Where is the Quran of Aal Al-Bayt? Where is the Mushaf which the Imams narrate and transmit from each other?
Where is the chain of: Al-‘Askari from the way of Al-Hadi from Al- Jawad from Al-Ridaa form Al-Kazim from Al-Sadiq from Al-Baqir from Zayn Al-‘Abideen from Al-Husien (the grandson of the Prophet) or Al-Hasan (the grandson of the Prophet) from Ali [May Allah be pleased with them all]?
Did the students of these Imams narrate everything from them except the Quran?!!
Are the scholars of the Shi’ah capable of producing a chain of the Quran up to the Messenger [May Blessings of Allah and Peace be upon him and his household] without relying on or referring back to the chains of Ahl Al-Sunnah?!! I am definite that they are incapable of producing such a thing, so go back to them and check if they can correct me. What I think they will say to you, though, is: there is a narration, and it is the narration of Hamza Al-Zayaat from the way of Al-Sadiq from Al-Baqir from Zayn Al-‘Abideen from Al-Husien from Ali.
This should raise another important question: Why is this being narrated by Hamza Al-Zayaat [3] from Al-Sadiq [4], and not by Al-Kazim [from Al-Sadiq]? And why isn’t Al-Kazim’s son: Al-Rida narrating this from him? And why isn’t Al-Jawad narrating it from Al-Rida … this is a very important point to pay attention to.
Then I add to this another question to the Shi’ah: Where are your chains today to Hamza Al-Zayaat? And where is the recitation of Hamza Al-Zayaat being recited today?
All the countries that the Shi’ah recite Quran in today follow: the narration of Hafs from ‘Asim, the narration of Warsh from Nafi’, the narration of Qalon from Nafi’, or the narration of Al-Duwri from Abi ‘Amr. Where is the narration of Hamza? I do not know of a Mushaf that is printed upon the narration of Hamza on this day.
If the Companions were Apostates, especially the famous ones from among them, and they were the ones that transmitted the Quran: How can a Shi’ah trust the narration of those who he believe are Apostates? This Quran that is between our hands today, is from the narration of those companions of the Prophet [May Blessings of Allah and Peace be upon him and his household], and it is the one narrated by Hafs from the way of ‘Asim from Abi ‘Abdulrahman Al-Salami from ‘Uthman and Ali and Ubi and Zayd.
Where is the chain of the Shi’ah to Hafs or to Warsh or to Qalon or to Al-Duwri?
After answering these questions you would understand why we said that you will not be a shi’ah except if you say that the Quran had been subject to Tahreef.
We add to this, that some Shi’a scholars, such as Ni’mat-u-Allah Al- Jazai’ri [5], Al-Nuri Al-Tabrasi [6] , and others proclaimed that Mutawatir narrations were transmitted from the infallible Imams stating that the Quran is Muharaf, yet you do not find even one narration from the Imams clearly stating that the Quran is free from any such Tahreef. The first to say that [the Quran is] free from Tahreef from their earlier scholars are four, they are: Al-Tabrasi Abu Ali[7], Al-Tusi[8] , Al-Murtada [9], and Al-Saduq [10]. As for Al-Mufeed [11] he has two sayings in this matter.
It follows, that all those who claim to follow the Twelve Imams should also say [as their Imams are reported to have said] that the Quran has been subject to Tahreef, since the narrations that came from the way of the Imams attested to such a thing. As for those who don’t wish to follow the Imams and choose to follow someone else, like Al-Tusi, Al-Murtada, Al-Saduq, and Al-Tabrasi then that is their matter.
For that reason you will find that the scholars of Ahl Al-Sunnah are strict in this matter, and say that whoever says that the Quran is Muharaf is a Kaffir, and they clearly declare such a thing based on what Allah the Exalted said: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian}Hijr 15:9 . The scholars of the Shi’ah, on the other hand, do not say that, rather they just say that he who says such a thing is just mistaken.
Many times we hear of a narration called “Hadith Al-Thaqalayn”, and the Thaqalayn as is known are: The Book of Allah, and Aal Al- Bayt. This tradition, which came in the Shiah books, state that the Quran is the Major [Thiql], and Aal Al-Bayt is the minor Thiql. So after this we say:
Don’t all the scholars of the Shi’ah with no exception, say that the killers of Al-Husien [May Allah be pleased with him] are Apostates, since Al-Husien [May Allah be pleased with him] is a member of the minor Thiql, thus his killers are Apostates due to their attack on a member of the minor Thiql, based on this tradition. Yet they do not accuse any of those who attack the major Thiql, the Quran, of any of that?!
For that reason a huge number … yes a huge number … from the big Shi’ah scholars said that the Quran is Muharaf. So do you accept these [scholars] as the symbols and heads of the Mazhab you are attributed to? [These are the scholars] whom you ask Allah to bestow his Mercy on, and whom you highly praise the knowledge and books they left behind. Do you know, May Allah Bless you, that Husien Al-Nuri Al- Tabrasi 13 said that the Noble Quran has ridiculous, silly verses (I ask refuge in Allah for me and you from such Apostasy)!
I ask you: Is he after saying that a Muslim?! What he said can be found in his evil book: “Fasl Al-Khitab Fee Ithbaat Tahreef Kitab Rab Al-Arbab” .
Go ask Shia scholars, ask them about the status of that man among the scholars of the Twelver Shiahs.
If we do not stand up to defend the Quran, and we do not show animosity towards those who disrespect it, and do not free ourselves from those who attack it, then By Allah how can our Islam remain correct. Push Shia scholars, May Allah bless you, to declare all those who slander and attack the Quran as non Muslims, in the same way as they openly declare the Apostasy of the Nawasib [12] [May Allah curse them], even though the Nawasib showed animosity to humans i.e. the household of the Prophet. Why then don’t the Shiah scholars also declare as Apostates and curse those who show animosity or attack the Book of Allah the Exalted.
As for us Ahl Al-Sunnah, we Praise Allah, who has guided us to the path where we do not distinguish between those who attack the Book of Allah, or the Household of the Messenger, or his Companions. We have one Manhaj in defending all that which is revered in this Religion. We show animosity and free ourselves from all those who attack the Book of Allah, rather we declare him as an Apostate, and we hate and free ourselves from all those who slander and attack the household of the Messenger [Blessings and Peace of Allah be upon him and his household] or the companions of our Prophet [Blessings of Allah and Peace upon him].
Shias will usually tell you about the burning, the goat & ibn umar like atheists do: www.twelvershia.net/2015/11/25/defense-sunni-view-quran/
You do realise the Qur'an is an oral tradition, don't you. If you can't accept this then I am afraid you have to become Sunni because the earliest traditions are Sunni.
The earliest Hadith books are Sunni. The earliest Fiqh books are Sunni. The earliest 'Aqidah books are Sunni. The earliest Sirah books are Sunni. These were written several hundred years before Shiite books were written. Study and read the earliest books, and you will gain a good understanding.
Shias might attempt to steal the chains in the Sunni books and attribute them to themselves, which is pathetic and shows the weakness of their way. `Asim bin abi al-Nujoud, Hafs bin Sulayman and Hamzah al-Zayyat are all great Imams of Ahlul-Sunnah, the Twelvers cannot prove that they were Rafidhi imami Shia neither through their books or ours. If they were to prove that they were Shia, the Shia of the time were Sunni in their worship, and even if they try their best to prove that they were Rafidhah, then even the Imamiyyah at the time had different sects all of them enemies who make Takfeer on each-other.
By consensus`Asim and Hafs are two great Imams of Qira’at. The weakness attributed to Hafs is in regards to his skills as narrator, and the accusation of him being a liar is a baseless exaggeration. And if true still doesn’t strengthen Shia’s view.
The rules for the authentication of a narrator in a Hadithi chain are different than the rules for the authentication of a Qur’ani recitation.
1 Tahreef is the belief that the Quran has been subject to alteration after the Death of Prophet Muhammad [Blessings and Peace be upon him], and that the Quran that we have today is not the same as the one left to us by him [Blessings and Peace be upon him]. Such a belief would place one outside the fold of Islam according to the Scholars of Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jama’ah.
2 Tawatur or Mutawatir is a narration reported by a significant number of narrators at each level of the chain of narration, in such a way that it becomes beyond possibility that these narrators could have conspired to forge such narration. It is of the highest level of authenticity, and the highest level of Tawatur is that of the Quran.
3 Hamza Al-Zayaat (80 H to 156/8 H): He is Hamza b. Habib b. ‘Imarah Al-Zayat Al-Kufi. He is one of the scholars of his time in the Qiraat. He was known for his worship and piety. He took the Quran from: Sulaiman Al-A’mash, Humraan b. A’yan, Ja’far b. Muhammad Al-Sadiq, Abu Ishaq Al-Subai’y, and many others.
4 Original source did not mention Al-Sadiq, however according to books of Qiraat Al-Sadiq was one of those Hamza Al-Zayaat took the Quran from not Al-Baqir (Refer to Ghayat Al-Nihaya). The next paragraph was modified accordingly.
55 Ni’mat Allah Al-Jazaeri (1050 H – 1112 H): is a highly praised Shi’ah scholar. From his scholars are Muhammad Baqir Al-Majlisi (known as Al-‘Alamah Al-Majlisi) and Muhammad Mohsen (known as Al-Fayd Al-Kashani), as well as many others. He was praised by a number of Shia scholars including Al-Majlisi in the Ijazah he gave him, Al-Hur Al-‘Amili, Yusuf Al-Bahrani, as well as others. Refer to what he said about Tahreef Al-Quran in his book: Al-Anwaar Al-Nu’maniyah
6 Husien Al-Nuri Al-Tabrasi (1254 H – 1320 H): He was praised by the Shia Shaykh Aaqa Al- Tahrani who said of him: “… One of the greatest scholars of the Shia, and one of the grandest men of Islam in this century”. Also Al-Sayid Mohsen Al-Ameen said of him: “He was a noble scholar, a Muhadith, with great knowledge in both the Science of Hadith and Narrators … He was the most unique scholars of his time when it comes to knowledge of narrations and traditions …”. He is the author of the book: Fasl Al-Khitaab fee Ithbaat tahreef Kitab Rab Al-Arbab. 7 Al-Fadl b. Al-Hasan Al-Tabrasi (460 H – 548 H): The author of Majma’ Al-Bayan fee Tafseer Al- Quran.
8 Muhammad b. Al-Hasan Al-Tusi (385 H – 460 H): Known as Shaykh Al-Taefah. 9 Ali b. Al-Husien known as Al-Sayid Al-Murtada (355 H – 436 H). 10 Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Ali b. Musa b. Babawayh Al-Qumi (305 H – 381 H): known as Al- Shaykh Al-Saduq.
11 Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Al-Nu’man (336 H – 413 H): Abu Abdullah Al-Mufeed.
12 Who are the Naasibis and what is the ruling on them? http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/43322/
submitted by Unlucky-Row-786 to ExShia [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:30 smcadam Undermountain Session Log 12- Floor 2, Shadows of Vengeance

Perhaps accidentally, the party managed to wrap up a couple of major quests on floor 2 this session. In addition to a very cute dog in attendance irl, we had:
-Freyja, Half Elf Paladin of Mielekee, a gothic woman seeking vengeance on her’s father’s killer.
-Nazar, Goliath Paladin of Tyr, an upright man in exceptional armour, seeking a holy relic.
-Felicity, Aaracockra Bard, a cunning and curious birdfolk with dark musical tastes.
-Archimedes, Gnome Artificer in his owl themed armor, seeking to make magical items.
-Goba, Dwarf-Duergar Fighter-Barbarian, a noble bounty hunter on someone’s trail.
They also have Nanaz, Goba’s manservant, and the vengeful revenant Halleth, as companions.
MIDNA’S SHADOWS
The session began with battle against Halleth’s final murderer, Midna, Cleric of Shar. Her plush chamber was plunged into darkness that especially obscured things to Nazar- except, oddly, the Shrine of Shar which remained unnaturally visible in the black.
Ten shades were conjured alongside two shadow mastiffs to bog down the party, while Midna shot their one light source- a little clockwork flash-walker Archimedes had made. Nazar held the line, barely buffeted by the shades, while Freyja and Archimedes stabbed and zapped her black hounds. Halleth used his new ability, with a cry of “onwards, for Vengeance!” to let him and Goba rush forwards without opportunity attacks to corner her.
Quickly, the shades and hounds fell, and Nazar, able to see only one thing, threw a rock at the shrine of Shar and charged over. This immediately elevated him as Midna’s main target, and she tried to hack at him with a cursed sickle, only for Goba to run her through. Midna died surprisingly peacefully, muttering that it didn’t matter.
In the aftermath, as the light returned, Nazar pulled out his warhammer and set about demolishing the statue of the dark goddess. He felt a brief call, an offer that he could gain the power to see through the darkness like his allies, but he turned it down and smashed the shrine apart. Earning a Curse of Shar.
Curse of Shar- Plagued by the dark goddesses wrath, you are weakened as your memories fade. While cursed you have disadvantage on Saving Throws against Magic, and lose proficiency in one random skill. Each long rest, make a DC 18 Wisdom Saving Throw. On a failure, you lose proficiency in another random skill.
Nazar lost memories of conversations had around campfires, losing a portion of his charm and the Persuasion skill first.
CALL OF VENGEANCE
While others were looted the room for gold, suspecting the feast of poison, and finding nice clothes, Halleth remained animated, stabbing Midna again and again. When Archimedes intervened and removed her holy symbols- offering the undead cleric the symbol of Waukeen, he looked at it with barely any emotion on his bleeding face.
“She never opened her gates to me. Why would that change now?” Halleth growled, “There are more debts to collect. More wrongs to right. So much evil to punish. Can’t you hear the call of vengeance?”
They couldn’t but Halleth grumbled that something- an angel- had reached out to him when he last lay dead, promising to slay the evils of undermountain. And somehow, with this being’s power, the revenant doesn’t die yet. Instead, the party watched uncertainly as he tried to leave, collapsed as his body fell apart, and his soul seemed to sink down into the stonework.
They have completed his quest for vengeance, but something calls him to linger on in the dungeon. Archimedes pocketed the two holy symbols of Waukeen and Shar, and after desecrating the rest of this room, they left.
SPIDER EYES WATCHPOST
Or more like Snake Eyes Watchpost.
With the party still in good shape, they decided to go tick off another notch of a quest, and returned to the northernmost Xanathar Watchpost to take it down. This was a tricky fight, against a dozen bugbears, a handful of human mobsters, a mutant drow, and a corridor full of traps.
Well, it was tricky in theory.
Only Goba and Nazar actually had to face the trapped pressure plates littering the corridor, and their toughness and armour turned aside every dart. Felicity flew over them, Archimedes spider-climbed to run along the ceiling, and Freyja pulled out her bow and sniped from the corridor’s end.
Against terrifying blades and thunderous magic, most of the bugbear runts fell like bowling pins. Shun, the spider-faced drow, commanded his men to try and shoot down the “turkey”, littering Felicity with far more feathers than she was meant to have, and tried to bring down Goba and Nazar with poisoned bolts. He failed. He panicked, and he retreated behind a screen of mobsters and bugbears.
Said goons immediately almost died to Archimedes’ shatter, then were put to Sleep by Felicity, allowing the frontliners to run over them and hack the cowardly drow apart. The rest died quickly in the aftermath, with only a brief tussle where a brawler yanked Felicity out of the air, slammed her onto a pressure plate, and got his mate shot and killed by the dart trap.
Another Outpost clear! Two outta three!
In the chambers beyond, they found a mountainous larder of rations, enough to sustain the party for a hundred days if only they could carry it all. Which they can, using the portable hole. Rex’s body was discarded.
The outpost had a rough map of the floor, some other chests for which they found keys. In one, a crimson eyeball abruptly lurched out, floating into the air with a sinuous tentacle hanging it from it like a malevolent ocular jellyfish.
“SHUN, WHAT’S THE STATU- OH, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, BOY?”
It’s telepathic voice blared into their skulls, taking in the scene before demanding the Xanathar password- how many eyes does the Xanathar have?
Apparently nine was not the correct answer, and so the eye blasted Nazar with a burst laser blast. Felicity was quick to flit into the air and stab it with a psychic blade, hearing one final thought blare into her mind as it died.
“BRING IT ON, FOOL, I KNOW YOUR FACES, AND MY EYES ARE ALWAYS OPEN.”
Xanathar has seen them.
submitted by smcadam to DungeonoftheMadMage [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:25 WJ_Amber PC crashed with random multicolor squares on screen, now it won't boot.

4th time I've built a PC, second one for myself, first time water cooling.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
GPU: AMD Radeon 7900 XTX reference card
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra
RAM: 2x16 G Skill Flare X5 DDR5
Boot drive is a Crucial P3 Plus 2.0 TB NVME
---‐------------------------
The PC was mostly running well after replacing a faulty 24 pin power cable. I say mostly because on a couple occasions it crashed with a green screen on monitor 1 and a black screen on monitor 2. I was hoping this was because of the out of date BIOS. Now I assume it was not.
This morning I fired up the PC just fine and was checking my email, the only things running were two Firefox tabs. Out of nowhere the screens freeze and a ton of random neon colored squares pop up on screen. I shut down the PC and when trying to get it to boot again there's nothing. The rgb lights will come on and the water pump will turn on but that's it. It doesn't actually turn on the components. I tried unplugging and replugging power cables to no avail and I tried re seating the RAM, also nothing.
I am absolutely stumped and need help. My assumption is now a faulty component and I do not look forward to draining the loop.
submitted by WJ_Amber to buildapc [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:14 zjciprazz What's up with all the poor grammar in commercials lately?

This rant is not meant to be directed at anyone on the individual level, who is either learning English as a second language or just does not have the best grammar.
Commercials are supposed to be professional productions that represent The company theyre advertising, and like a newspaper I'm sure there's an editor or whatever you call it in that industry who goes over the final productions for mistakes or changes that need to be made.
Anyone has been up late, Watching TV has probably caught the inogen infomercial for the battery powered oxygen generator that can be carried with the person. I don't normally leave this crap on but sometimes I don't get a chance to change it right away. Last time I was watching it I heard:
" When I was first prescribed for oxygen...." [Something something it was a hassle I didn't go anywhere etc.]
So, I don't know anything about being a doctor but I'm pretty sure they don't prescribe people for machines. Even if there's a slim chance that the person in the commercial is not a paid actor but an actual user of the product who's being paid for their time, wouldn't the director or somebody stop them and correct them?
Second commercial, the Friday night plans commercial the one that packages their Viagra in a big bag with an graphic of a rooster on it. We get it, you have cock pills. And says if you want to get a discount to text a word to 69069. So apparently there's a 13-year-old boy in charge of that part. Moving on, in the commercial when they're talking about how easy it is to get the pills they say that you have to answer a few questions, and "a doctor will prescribe you online." I found it strange that there were two commercials that I've seen relatively close together and both of them have doctors prescribing people.
Do neither of these commercials creators have a single person on staff who was able to say hold on, what you mean is a doctor will prescribe them to you?"
And please disregard any poor punctuation like periods that are in the wrong place, I was using voice to text and lately it's been having punctuation problems.
submitted by zjciprazz to CommercialsIHate [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 12:12 cutestpeanut Anatomy of a Fall/The Shining parallels

(Spoiler warning) When I went to see Anatomy of a Fall last year I couldn’t help but feel like in many ways it was meant as a modern retelling of The Shining. I still haven’t seen anyone else mention this yet so thought I’d post about it here to see if anyone has any thoughts :) First of all, the setting: they are both families with one son (of roughly the same age) living in an isolated house on a mountain, where the snow acts as a barrier between them and the outside world. Both films are about a family coming apart at the seams due to a parent who may or may not be going insane - in The Shining, Jack slowly descends into psychopathic madness whereas in AOAF we are left guessing right until the end whether or not Sandra killed her husband. In both, the father is somewhat of a failed writer tormented by his work and the blurring of lines between fiction and reality are major themes. This is also when Stephen King is mentioned in AOAF during one of the court scenes. The opposing lawyer is fixating on a scene where the protagonist of Sandra’s book imagines killing her husband, arguing that she seems to have thought this through quite deeply and it is evidence she committed the crime in real life. Vincent cuts in with “In that case I can read all of Stephen King’s work to show you he’s a serial killer” to which the lawyer responds “But Stephen’s King wife did not die in mysterious circumstances”. Sandra’s lawyer defends her by saying “A novel is not real life, an author is not her characters”. This seems to play on The Shining parallel by precisely reminding us this film is not The Shining despite its similarities, and Sandra hasn’t actually lost her mind and killed her husband.
The most striking parallel however is between the two sons: they have the same pudding bowl haircut, the same iconic red turtleneck and almost the same name (Danny VS Daniel). The fact that Daniel is a little older than Danny only reinforces the aspect that AOAF serves as a real life, more “practical” Shining retelling where the son is completely aware of what is going on. Another similarity between the two boys is their apparent mystic powers. Danny is of course possessed by “the shining” which allows him to see and hear things, whereas Daniel’s grandmother mentions several times that he has always been sensitive and prone to a certain supernatural ability to pick up on things. This is especially accentuated by his blindness, as his real vision seems to be a psychic one like Danny’s. In both films this child also represents the tensions between the parents as he is torn between both sides, especially seen in how Daniel grows increasingly suspicious of his mother throughout AOAF and Danny fears his father more and more as he descends into madness.
It’s been a while since I watched AOAF so I am forgetting many details and may have confused some, but I remember picking up on several more similarities throughout the film. Let me know if you agree/disagree with this analysis!
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2024.05.16 12:11 AdamantAce Nightwing #14 - The Meek Shall Inherit

DC Next Proudly Presents:

NIGHTWING:

In Hunter Hybrid
Issue Fourteen: The Meek Shall Inherit
Written by AdamantAce
Edited by PatrollinTheMojave
 
<< First Issue < Prev. Next Issue > Coming Next Month
 
 
Dick's heart hammered against his chest like a pounding storm as he stood amidst the laboratory, flanked by Artemis and Barry Allen, the Flash. The weight of worry for Mar'i bore down on him unbearably, each moment without her amplifying his anxiety.
In the secluded closet hidden at the back of the lab, Dick and Artemis had found something haunting: a trove of withered seedlings, dead plants that looked alien in nature. Assuming the worst, but needing to confirm, Dick had quickly summoned a friend with a history of running genetic samples - none other than the Scarlet Speedster - to the scene.
Barry’s brow furrowed in concentration as he examined the specimens, having already run several tests.
“I'm limited in what I can do here; I'm a CSI, not a xenologist,” Barry admitted with regret, evoking his favourite chief medical officer of fiction. “Really, this really feels like a job for someone like Cadmus. Alien DNA is their whole deal.”
Dick could only grimace at the suggestion, reminded of the sickening experiments he had unearthed in the bowels of the Chicago cloning laboratory, of the dozens of aborted attempts at cloning Bruce Wayne. It was hard to stomach, especially knowing that he still had no idea who was responsible. “Not an option," he replied firmly. “Not Cadmus.”
Barry raised an eyebrow, his curiosity evident in his expression. “You don't believe those rumours about the Superboy clones, do you?" he asked. “They’re Reawakened through and through. Blame the other universes’ Cadmuses.”
In response, Dick shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s… something else.”
Barry then looked to Artemis and smiled. “It’s, uh… nice to meet you properly by the way,” he said. “I heard you, uh, shoot arrows.”
Despite the terrible situation they were in, Artemis allowed herself a snicker in response to the Flash’s awkwardness. “Among other things. It’s important to branch out, seeing as I know you already have an arrows guy.”
Just then, Tim emerged from behind a sliding door, draped in his red and black Rook gear, a stack of papers in hand. “Got the printouts you asked for,” he said, handing them over to Barry.
Barry swiftly flipped through the pages at super speed, his expression growing grim as he absorbed the information.
“What is it?” asked Artemis.
“What we feared,” he announced somberly. “The dead seedlings match the profile of alien species, with a significant DNA match for the Morning Eclipse sample you got from Starling’s fingernails.”
Dick's frustration boiled over, his voice dripping with anger. “Wilkof,” he spat, his jaw clenched in fury. “He let that damn killer plant loose.”
Tim struck himself in the shoulder in self-reproach. “I should've put it together sooner,” he muttered. “Wilkof knew plenty about Tamaran even before you let him speak to Mar’i.”
“It’s worse than we thought,” added Barry, and everyone’s blood turned cold. “This Dr Wilkof wasn't just releasing the Morning Eclipse, he was trying to propagate them; taking cuttings to grow more of them. We’re just lucky the Earth's sunlight is too diffuse for their growth.”
Dick's eyes widened in horror. “So he’s trying to create an army of killer plants?”
Barry nodded solemnly. “An army or a particularly menacing greenhouse.”
Artemis's brow furrowed as she pieced together a crucial detail. “Wait, a couple years ago they had me subbing in the bio department at school for a few months. I’m pretty sure plants grown from cuttings are meant to be genetically identical to the parent.”
Tim cursed under his breath and then reached for the printouts to give them a check over himself. “You’re right! Genetic variation only occurs after pollination. But these plants aren't self-pollinated. They're too distinct from the original sample taken from Mar'i’s attack.”
Barry's voice quivered as he raised a troubling possibility. “Could there be two adult killer plants on the loose?”
“No, it's not that,” Tim quickly replied again, his expression grave as he looked up from the stack of papers. “It's worse.”
Artemis' heart sank. “How could it possibly be worse?”
“The dead seedlings share identical DNA with each other. And every single one of their genes is present in the parent sample. But the parent also has additional chromosomes that all of the seedlings lack,” Tim explained as his eyes traced the text on the papers once more. “The parent had an extra 48 chromosomes.”
Barry's face paled. "48? Are you sure?”
“48? What does that mean?” asked Dick, looking rapidly back and forth between Tim and Barry.
Artemis gritted her teeth. “Humans have 48 chromosomes. The adult plant is half human.”
Fully human,” Barry corrected. “And fully plant too. A symbiosis.”
“What does that mean?” asked Dick, scared of the answer he would soon receive.
“It means I think Wilkof merged himself with the plant.”
 
🔹🔹 🪶 🔹🔹
 
Ker-tonk.
Ker-tonk.
Ker-tonk.
Mar’i lay in the darkness of the car’s trunk, helpless. She couldn’t tell how long it had been since she last felt the sun’s warmth on her skin. She tried to summon childhood memories of Tamaran, of the sun her father had found oppressive and her mother found liberating. But they were distant and blurred, echoes from another lifetime - and another timeline.
As the car rumbled on, she focused on her senses, trying to glean any information about her surroundings. The air was stale and musty, tinged with the scent of oil and rubber. The vibrations of the road beneath her reverberated through her body, a constant reminder of her captivity.
Eventually, the car came to a halt, and Mar’i braced herself as the trunk door creaked open, flooding the confined space with blinding light. Blinking rapidly, she squinted against the harsh glare, feeling the rejuvenating solar rays bathing her, a stark contrast to the cold darkness of her confinement.
Dr Wilkof loomed over her, his appearance now almost normal except for a slight pallor that hinted at something darker beneath the surface. He reached out, his hands enveloping her wrists, which were bound with withered rope. Thick, barbed vines extended from the sleeves of his coat, renewing her restraints and further draining what little power reserves she had left.
As he dragged her up out of the trunk, Mar’i found herself in the midst of a desolate car park, surrounded by nothing but empty space and the looming silhouette of a large hangar. She had nary a clue of where they were.
“It will be easier if you don’t struggle,” he said, his tone devoid of joy or malice, as if he were simply stating a fact. But Mar’i knew better than to trust his words.
As Wilkof led her towards the hangar, Mar’i stumbled along behind him, the vines around her wrists taut like a leash. She tried to reason with him, to appeal to the vestiges of his humanity buried beneath the madness that gripped him.
“You don’t have to do this,” she implored, unsure of how much of his humanity really remained. “The plant doesn’t have to control you.”
Wilkof's eyes gleamed with a haunted fervour as he shook his head, the vines’ grip tightening around Mar'i’s wrists. “I've sacrificed too much to stop now,” he muttered. Those words carried a strange quality,like they weren’t fully his. Maybe it was the plant talking, maybe they were words he had rehearsed to himself enough times for them to become hollow. “I won’t let it all be in vain.”
For a moment, Mar’i was left to wonder what he meant by that. Then she remembered what little she knew about him, and a shiver ran down her spine. (He had fed the rest of his team from the lab to the plant, a grim sacrifice to fuel his delusions of grandeur.*
“No one cared about mild-mannered Hunter Wilkof,” he continued, his voice cracking with bitterness. “The plant promised to make me someone special, to make me famous.”
Mar’i shook her head in disbelief as she continued to be lugged along. “The plant doesn’t speak,” she insisted with a rising urgency. “Its pheromones mess with your mind, make you see and hear things that aren’t there.”
But Wilkof brushed off her words with a scoff. “I don’t care,” he replied, his gaze fixed on the hangar ahead. “I fed the plant like I was told, but the fame never came. I let it eat the only thing I ever loved. But… nothing changed.”
Her heart yearned to find some way to free him of the plant’s clutches, to help him see the light, but she knew well what desperation could do to a person, if left unchecked. She knew how far someone could fall.
“Then I realised… I wasn’t meant for prizes and celebrity,” he continued, deranged. “That wasn’t what the plant had planned for us. It’s just like you said in your Tamaranean fairy tale, the Morning Eclipse and its legend. I knew we were meant for infamy, but just one plant and its keeper wouldn’t do the trick. We needed a bigger family.”
At this point, Hunter stopped, and the pair had finally reached the mouth of the hangar. Mar’i searched through the darkness, but was struggling to see straight at all thanks to the toxic, draining effect of her Morning Eclipse vine restraints.
Wilkof just stared into the darkness, and continued. “I tried taking cuttings, but no matter how much blood, meat or southern exposure I gave them… it wasn’t enough, and they wilted. It wouldn’t tell me why it wasn’t working, and all I knew was that the plant was from Tamaran,” he confessed, his voice growing hoarse with emotion. “So I went to look for Starfire, but she was in space. And then… then I found you. A hybrid like me.”
But throughout Hunter’s grim confession, Mar’i was still missing some important details. “How did you know the plant was from Tamaran?” She defied him, “It doesn’t have a mind of its own, so it couldn’t have told you.”
Hunter smiled. “I used to drive out into the countryside and just leave my car behind, go for these long walks to clear my head when city life got too much,” he explained, a shroud of something resembling peace slowly falling over him. “I always felt guilty for it, reasoning I should have been spending that time in the lab, looking for ways to help people. But this one day, a few years ago now, I realised it was all worth it.”
He then pulled a remote from his pocket and pressed a button at its centre. As the lights of the hangar flickered to life, they revealed a magnificent sight, something Mar’i immediately recognised as a First Class Vegan Star Cruiser - a Tamaranean space vessel from the shipyards of Okaara - resplendent in hues of silver and violet. The ship stood tall and proud, a beacon of extraterrestrial wonder amidst the mundane surroundings of the hangar. But why was it here? And how did Wilkof have it?
He gestured towards the ship with an odd gleam in his eyes. “Suddenly, and without warning, this spaceship came crashing down through the sky just a couple of miles away, out here, where it was just me there to see it,” he explained. “So I rushed over, I searched the wreckage… and that’s where I found it. It was only a sapling, a baby really, and it called out to me. I knew I needed to take it home, back to the lab, back for testing.”
Mar’i shook her head. How was he to have known back then that the plant was pulling his strings?
“I stashed the ship away, knowing its potential,” he confessed. “The ship’s computer confirmed its origins: Tamaran. Apparently it even used to belong to a princess named Komand’r.”
Mar’i's mind raced as she processed this revelation. Komand’r - also known as the tyrant queen Blackfire - was Koriand’r’s sister, and Mar’i’s aunt. Someone she had already come across early in her time in this universe. Then, just in time for him to answer it without her asking, Mar’i happened upon another awful question.
“I got some guys in to make repairs, and another guy to… basically hotwire the thing, before I fed them all to the plant. But the ship won’t fly without one final security measure,” continued Hunter, his gaze fixed on Mar’i. “A pilot with Tamaranean DNA.”
 
🔹🔹 🪶 🔹🔹
 
Back in the lab, Dick, Artemis and Tim continued to put the pieces together, now sans Barry who had raced off to join Wally in combing the city for either Mar’i or the Morning Eclipse, not knowing that both were far from the city limits.
“Why Mar’i?” Dick demanded. “What does Wilkof want with her? Her Starbolts could be used to fuel the plant and its cuttings, but that’d only make a difference at night, when they can’t get sunlight for themselves.”
Artemis nodded in agreement. “Surely they can survive a night without sunlight,” she surmised. “So what else would he come to Mar’i for?”
“Could it be her DNA?” posed Tim. “Maybe he has a use for DNA from a Tamanrean.”
“What kind of uses?” asked Dick. It wouldn’t be that, but his mind once again returned to the cloning vats of Cadmus. “No, it’s not that.”
“Then what else could it be?” Artemis sighed, frustrated. All of this analysis, brainstorming and scheming, and they were no closer to finding the missing Titan.
Then, Dick’s face blanched with fear. “She knows the way,” he said simply, his voice barely above a whisper.
“The way to what?” asked Tim, his own anxiety rising.
“To Tamaran,” Dick replied with dread. “A place where the sun shines bright enough for a hundred Morning Eclipses.”
 
🔹🔹 🪶 🔹🔹
 
In the dimly lit interior of what was once her aunt Komand'r's ship, Mar'i's heart raced with fear and uncertainty, now strapped into her seat beside the demented Dr Wilkof. The vessel, a marvel of Vega System technology, exuded an otherworldly aura, its sleek silver surfaces shimmering with an ethereal glow. Yet, to Mar'i, it felt more like a prison than a wonder.
She couldn't shake the sense of dread that gripped her. Tamaran, a place she once called home, now loomed before her as an unfamiliar and foreboding destination. She knew of the tumultuous history of this universe's Tamaran, the tales of military coups and the reign of the Orange Lantern Larfleeze, all of which added to her apprehension. The planet had hundreds of Morning Eclipses, but none had ever merged with a sapient vessel before. The killer plants were best survived by being completely ignored, which wouldn’t be possible with an intelligent host scheming and bringing the plants to their vulnerable prey. Could she inflict that threat on Tamaran?
Wilkof's jubilant smile did little to assuage her fears as he spoke. “When we reach the planet - with its gleaming sun - I’ll have everything I need. I'll create more Morning Eclipses, genetically superior ones, and they will bond with Tamaranean vessels to enhance their intelligence. And then there’ll be no more sacrifices, just feeding.”
Mar'i's stomach churned at the thought of being complicit in Wilkof's madness. But she also knew that she was in no position to bargain. And he knew it.
With a heavy heart and a sense of resignation, Mar'i steeled herself for the task ahead and the ship hummed to life around them, hurtling toward an uncertain destiny.
Then, as they quickly hit sonic speed, Hunter turned to his pilot and prisoner, keen to share a thought he hoped would bring her peace. “I want you to know… once we get to Tamaran, I’ll never have to return to Earth again. Don’t think about where we’re going, think about what we’re leaving behind. This is you saving planet Earth.”
 
 
Next: Sun it up in Nightwing #15
 
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2024.05.16 12:11 Amazingnewthings UFOs are a breakaway human population

How UFOs really work and why they are human
THE CLUES
They reportedly manoeuvre in the earths atmosphere as though there was no atmosphere.
They are claimed to behave in a similar way underwater. Fast but I don’t think quite as fast as they move through the air 😉
That means water provides more resistance to them than air does. Just the same as it does for human powered vehicles (maybe the UFOs are human powered vehicles too?)
That means they are not impervious to friction and have just dialled down the effects of friction to a huge degree.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EQCzO4RfZAM
A hydrophobic coating (water repelling) plus a super heated body ( Leidenfrost Effect) will cause almost frictionless travel underwater.
If these two methods of negating friction underwater are already known to work, then it’s highly likely the same combination work to nullify friction in the air too.
If an object can almost completely cancel friction it may well give that object other properties because that object has practically no resistance.
In other words a frictionless object is in a sense invisible to the medium it’s travelling through. It won’t make sonic booms and UFOs don't make sonic booms.
A frictionless vehicle also requires very low energy to operate. This is the opposite to the most common assumption on UFO propulsion. Which almost universally believes UFOs need massive amounts of energy.
Just like an hockey puck sliding across ice, doesn’t need a huge push to move a relatively long distance and at speed.
ANTI GRAVITY?
There is no friction in space because there is no atmosphere. Aerodynamic design is irrelevant in space because there is no air. So no matter what shape an object is it can still reach incredible speeds because there is no atmosphere to slow it down.
So if UFOs have some mystical antigravity force then why are they generally speaking aerodynamic?
I have heard a number of times that a saucer shape isn't an aerodynamic design, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS seeing as the frisbee is the most simple and obvious and STABLE aerodynamic design. There are even reports of flying saucers wobbling.. just like a spinning top when its running out of momentum.. does that sound like antigravity to you?
The triangle is also aerodynamic and so is the cigar shape (what shape is an airliner or missile ffs). Meaning the most well known UFO shapes absolutely are designed to fly in the atmosphere and under the water. They are not flying bricks. Where as if they could negate gravity it wouldn't matter what they were shaped like would it 😉. Meaning we have been fed a line of absolute 🐂💩 about UFOs
AERODYNAMIC AND FRICTIONLESS
Add’s up to vehicles designed to operate in the air and under the water NOT IN SPACE. They may be capable of space travel, who knows? but as I’ve explained they can’t be anti gravity vehicles if body design is important and it clearly is important.
BREAKAWAY HUMAN CIVILISATION
Probably been hiding in plane sight the whole time. The saucer shape is a major clue to this being an ancient human group. Why? Because the saucer shape will have been thrown into the air by people probably at the same time they figured out it could be used as a wheel. It will have been the first and simplest and MOST OBVIOUS air vehicle. Plus its still THE BEST SHAPE because it can go in any direction on it’s vertical axis without having to make a turn and it has a large surface area for hovering. Plus IT’S SIMPLE REALLY IDIOTICALLY STUPIDLY OBVIOUS.
It’s a no brainer that someone thought of making a powered flying disk, probably thousands of years ago.
BUT WHAT ABOUT G-FORCES?
Nobody in the modern age has built a frictionless aircraft. In fact when people claim our tech would be ripped apart by the g-forces UFOs go through, they're right, because our flying machines are full of large parts that stick out, like wings.
In fact our aircraft rely on friction to stay in the air. Thats why our aircraft will only ever reach certain top speeds because friction is a double edged sword.
Where as a saucer can spin in the air and hover just like very simple battery powered disk can do. Taking advantage of the SURFACE AREA of the disk and friction of the air. Then it can take off at high speeds in any direction on its vertical axis because it has a frictionless aerodynamic vertical axis. Remember most if not all reports of hovering saucers have them hovering on their horizontal axis NOT the vertical axis because if they tried to hover on the vertical axis they would slam straight into the ground. Again blatantly pointing to aerodynamics.
Because there is no reason for flying saucers to ROTATE when they hover if they are not acting like a powered frisbee.
WHY HAVE WE BEEN LIED TO?
Because thats what a breakaway group would do. They would keep the best tech for themselves because it’s advantageous for the in group. How do I know? Because it’s human nature to do this. It’s why rich people have the nice houses and cars and planes and don't share them with the rest of humanity. It’s why the military have top secrets.
We’ve been played.
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2024.05.16 11:58 kiockete [R] Pretraining a byte-level 0.67B transformer on a single A100

[R] Pretraining a byte-level 0.67B transformer on a single A100
It feels so good, no multi-gpu crap, just a single powerful A100. Also, no tokenization business, just feeding it with plain UTF-8 bytes. I've designed a positional encoding that does not rely on assigning increasingly lower scores the further apart two tokens are, so there is no such explicit bias like in RoPE or ALiBi. The hope is it will extrapolate to unlimited context length... probably not, but I will give it a try and waste some $$$.
Loss is going down!
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2024.05.16 11:56 ALDO113A Help a struggling Christian (me) deal with this deconstruction of Paul and Bible-era perception of same-sex intercourse (basically saying "That kinda sex emasculates, and that's terrible") by AcademicBiblical if you can?

I was shared this while on a thankfully civilized talk. Here's the link, but I'll clean up the original text to be more digestible, maybe alter a few of it.
https://www.reddit.com/AcademicBiblical/comments/1c5ucxj/response_to_sikers_analysis_of_homosexuality_in
Here goes
1. Siker seems to be offering a scholarly version of Matthew Vines' argument
It being "Paul can't be condemning what we think of as committed loving homosexual relationships, because he was thinking of bad things like prostitution or uncontrolled-lust homosexuality."
So, the idea is to claim that Paul's letters can't be enlisted to authorize contemporary homophobia since he wouldn't have known about the kinds of relationships gay Christians want to have now.
I appreciate the contemporary ethics of Siker's approach since homophobia is dehumanizing and harmful, but the idea that this approach inherently reflects "liberal leanings" (Siker's claim) ignores how plenty of liberals reject homophobia without trying to enlist and sanitize the Bible as support.
2. I disagree with the Innocent Paul claim as Vines postulated
It is true that Greek, Roman, and Jewish sources do not often feature something resembling "a committed loving queer sexual relationship," but this is where confusion often sets in; there must be a distinction between
According to dominant ideals, powerful men were supposed to actively penetrate those below themselves on the social and gender hierarchy; a man who delighted in being penetrated by another man was by relative definition effeminate, and thus not to be celebrated. Women loving and sexually engaging with other women meant they weren't being used by (the right) men, and thus Greek and Roman writers tended to disparage, ridicule, and reframe female homoeroticism.
But our texts aren't direct sociological data, they reflect and think with dominant sexual ideologies, which by definition erased/reframed divergent sexual and gender expressions. This is why the likes of Amy Richlin,[1] Bernadette Brooten,[2] Deborah Kamen and Sarah Levin-Richardson,[3] and Jimmy Hoke**[4]** have argued that even though our sources erase, reframe, and distort people who liked any non-normative sex and relationships in Mediterranean antiquity, they still existed.
Bottom line: Writers like Paul could certainly have been aware of queer sexualities and relationships that were not enslaved prostitution or pederasty. Folks like Vines and Siker unintentionally reinscribe the association between homoeroticism and pedophilia/sexual violence.
For what it's worth, everyone should read Richlin's article from 30 years ago. Doesn't matter whether you agree with all of her arguments, it's brilliant scholarship.
3. Corpus point of view
There's a related debate about whether our texts even have a category for something like sexual orientation or simply imagine sex via other grids like active vs. passive/penetrator vs. penetrated (e.g., see Craig Williams' excellent sketch of these paradigms in Roman literature**[5]**).
The most common scholarly opinion in terms of Greco-Roman antiquity gender-sex studies is that our sources don't reflect ideas like sexual orientation, so orientational categories aren't historically helpful for reading our texts.
Other scholars like Richlin and Brooten have critiqued these positions, though they still forcefully argue that our sources thought with overtly hierarchical patriarchal ideologies about sex, like penetrator and penetrated. This final point is something on which Richlin is often misrepresented, which is bizarre since she wrote one of the classic books for understanding such dominant sexual ideologies.[6]
4. Paul Romana
Romans 1:18-32's basic point is that Paul discussed the total moral failure of Gentiles by sketching their (feminizing) descent into being dominated by their passions, one of the resultant illustrations of the Gentiles being their domination by their passions through transgressing the gendered order, exemplified by Gentile men losing sexual control of "their women" (i.e., these men are failed men from this angle) and each other in 1:26-27 - an inversion of the normative sexual order.
Paul treated male-male anal penetration as a straight illustration of Gentile corruption and domination by their passions. It's part of his grander point that Gentiles became (effeminately) enslaved by their passions (see Stanley Stowers' classic articulation of this decline-of-civilization reading of Rom 1:18-32**[7]**).
The key issue here is that there's no literary reason to think he only had in mind enslaved prostitution or pederasty, ANY male-male anal penetration upended the normative gender order. If anything, he might have indicated elsewhere that free men penetrating (raping) their slaves (gender irrelevant) was okay since that use of slaves was acceptable within many moral schemes; Paul never objected to it, and some passages potentially align with treating enslaved humans as legitimate non-marriage sexual outlets (e.g., as argued by Jennifer Glancy**[8]** regarding 1 Thess 4:4's εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι("that each of you know his own vessel to possess in sanctification and honor")).
5. Linguistic flexibility
There's no reason to limit οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται of 1 Cor 6:9 to prostitution; "malakos" means "soft"/"effeminate." In Greek texts, it often does refer to men who are penetrated sexually - obviously effeminizing - but a man who was unrestrained or excessive in his penetrating of women is likewise an example of "effeminate" in Greek sources.
ἀρσενοκοίτης's meaning remains debated, but the etymological game of making it "man-bedders" is problematic; rather than get bogged down in this lexical discussion, the larger point regarding Siker is, again, that the issue of whether "committed same-sex relationships" are in view is irrelevant.
Paul listed effeminate Gentiles as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God; a male prostitute is by definition effeminate for these discourses, but so would a man in a "committed same-sex relationship" who is anally penetrated.
6. Futility
I don't get why "liberal-leaning" scholars think they can salvage a moral Bible by handwaving Paul's (what we can redescribe as) homophobia, even if all of Siker's claims were true, Paul's logic is entirely premised on reprehensibly misogynist gender ideologies that animate his other arguments, so even trying to save the dude from Those Two Bad Verses leaves you with the steaming animal manure that is said premise.
Hope this helps!
Sources
[1] "Not Before Homosexuality: The Materiality of the Cinaedus and the Roman Law against Love between Men," JHS 3 [1993]: 523-73
[2] Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996]
[3] "Lusty Ladies in the Roman Literary Imaginary," in Ancient Sex: New Essays, ed R. Blondell and K. Ormand [Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2015], 231-51
[4] Feminism, Queerness, Affect, and Romans: Under God? [Atlanta: SBL Press, 2021], 27-37
[5] Roman Homosexuality, 2d Ed [New York: Oxford University Press, 2010] [6] The Garden of Priapus: Sexuality and Aggression in Roman Humor, Rev. Ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992)
[7] A Rereading of Romans: Justice, Jews, and Gentiles [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994]
[8] Slavery in Early Christianity [New York: Oxford University Press, 2002]
Maybe take apart some/all points or even tell me how to cope.
I thought Paul was that based guy for giving credit to those two women (Phoebe and Priscilla) and stated that people regardless of origin or gender or status were one in the big IM
submitted by ALDO113A to GayChristians [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 11:56 ALDO113A Help a struggling Christian (me) deal with this deconstruction of Paul and Bible-era perception of same-sex intercourse (basically saying "That kinda sex emasculates, and that's terrible") by AcademicBiblical if you can?

I was shared this while on a thankfully civilized talk. Here's the link, but I'll clean up the original text to be more digestible, maybe alter a few of it.
https://www.reddit.com/AcademicBiblical/comments/1c5ucxj/response_to_sikers_analysis_of_homosexuality_in
Here goes
1. Siker seems to be offering a scholarly version of Matthew Vines' argument
It being "Paul can't be condemning what we think of as committed loving homosexual relationships, because he was thinking of bad things like prostitution or uncontrolled-lust homosexuality."
So, the idea is to claim that Paul's letters can't be enlisted to authorize contemporary homophobia since he wouldn't have known about the kinds of relationships gay Christians want to have now.
I appreciate the contemporary ethics of Siker's approach since homophobia is dehumanizing and harmful, but the idea that this approach inherently reflects "liberal leanings" (Siker's claim) ignores how plenty of liberals reject homophobia without trying to enlist and sanitize the Bible as support.
2. I disagree with the Innocent Paul claim as Vines postulated
It is true that Greek, Roman, and Jewish sources do not often feature something resembling "a committed loving queer sexual relationship," but this is where confusion often sets in; there must be a distinction between
According to dominant ideals, powerful men were supposed to actively penetrate those below themselves on the social and gender hierarchy; a man who delighted in being penetrated by another man was by relative definition effeminate, and thus not to be celebrated. Women loving and sexually engaging with other women meant they weren't being used by (the right) men, and thus Greek and Roman writers tended to disparage, ridicule, and reframe female homoeroticism.
But our texts aren't direct sociological data, they reflect and think with dominant sexual ideologies, which by definition erased/reframed divergent sexual and gender expressions. This is why the likes of Amy Richlin,[1] Bernadette Brooten,[2] Deborah Kamen and Sarah Levin-Richardson,[3] and Jimmy Hoke**[4]** have argued that even though our sources erase, reframe, and distort people who liked any non-normative sex and relationships in Mediterranean antiquity, they still existed.
Bottom line: Writers like Paul could certainly have been aware of queer sexualities and relationships that were not enslaved prostitution or pederasty. Folks like Vines and Siker unintentionally reinscribe the association between homoeroticism and pedophilia/sexual violence.
For what it's worth, everyone should read Richlin's article from 30 years ago. Doesn't matter whether you agree with all of her arguments, it's brilliant scholarship.
3. Corpus point of view
There's a related debate about whether our texts even have a category for something like sexual orientation or simply imagine sex via other grids like active vs. passive/penetrator vs. penetrated (e.g., see Craig Williams' excellent sketch of these paradigms in Roman literature**[5]**).
The most common scholarly opinion in terms of Greco-Roman antiquity gender-sex studies is that our sources don't reflect ideas like sexual orientation, so orientational categories aren't historically helpful for reading our texts.
Other scholars like Richlin and Brooten have critiqued these positions, though they still forcefully argue that our sources thought with overtly hierarchical patriarchal ideologies about sex, like penetrator and penetrated. This final point is something on which Richlin is often misrepresented, which is bizarre since she wrote one of the classic books for understanding such dominant sexual ideologies.[6]
4. Paul Romana
Romans 1:18-32's basic point is that Paul discussed the total moral failure of Gentiles by sketching their (feminizing) descent into being dominated by their passions, one of the resultant illustrations of the Gentiles being their domination by their passions through transgressing the gendered order, exemplified by Gentile men losing sexual control of "their women" (i.e., these men are failed men from this angle) and each other in 1:26-27 - an inversion of the normative sexual order.
Paul treated male-male anal penetration as a straight illustration of Gentile corruption and domination by their passions. It's part of his grander point that Gentiles became (effeminately) enslaved by their passions (see Stanley Stowers' classic articulation of this decline-of-civilization reading of Rom 1:18-32**[7]**).
The key issue here is that there's no literary reason to think he only had in mind enslaved prostitution or pederasty, ANY male-male anal penetration upended the normative gender order. If anything, he might have indicated elsewhere that free men penetrating (raping) their slaves (gender irrelevant) was okay since that use of slaves was acceptable within many moral schemes; Paul never objected to it, and some passages potentially align with treating enslaved humans as legitimate non-marriage sexual outlets (e.g., as argued by Jennifer Glancy**[8]** regarding 1 Thess 4:4's εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι("that each of you know his own vessel to possess in sanctification and honor")).
5. Linguistic flexibility
There's no reason to limit οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται of 1 Cor 6:9 to prostitution; "malakos" means "soft"/"effeminate." In Greek texts, it often does refer to men who are penetrated sexually - obviously effeminizing - but a man who was unrestrained or excessive in his penetrating of women is likewise an example of "effeminate" in Greek sources.
ἀρσενοκοίτης's meaning remains debated, but the etymological game of making it "man-bedders" is problematic; rather than get bogged down in this lexical discussion, the larger point regarding Siker is, again, that the issue of whether "committed same-sex relationships" are in view is irrelevant.
Paul listed effeminate Gentiles as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God; a male prostitute is by definition effeminate for these discourses, but so would a man in a "committed same-sex relationship" who is anally penetrated.
6. Futility
I don't get why "liberal-leaning" scholars think they can salvage a moral Bible by handwaving Paul's (what we can redescribe as) homophobia, even if all of Siker's claims were true, Paul's logic is entirely premised on reprehensibly misogynist gender ideologies that animate his other arguments, so even trying to save the dude from Those Two Bad Verses leaves you with the steaming animal manure that is said premise.
Hope this helps!
Sources
[1] "Not Before Homosexuality: The Materiality of the Cinaedus and the Roman Law against Love between Men," JHS 3 [1993]: 523-73
[2] Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996]
[3] "Lusty Ladies in the Roman Literary Imaginary," in Ancient Sex: New Essays, ed R. Blondell and K. Ormand [Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2015], 231-51
[4] Feminism, Queerness, Affect, and Romans: Under God? [Atlanta: SBL Press, 2021], 27-37
[5] Roman Homosexuality, 2d Ed [New York: Oxford University Press, 2010] [6] The Garden of Priapus: Sexuality and Aggression in Roman Humor, Rev. Ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992)
[7] A Rereading of Romans: Justice, Jews, and Gentiles [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994]
[8] Slavery in Early Christianity [New York: Oxford University Press, 2002]
Maybe take apart some/all points or even tell me how to cope.
I thought Paul was that based guy for giving credit to those two women (Phoebe and Priscilla) and stated that people regardless of origin or gender or status were one in the big IM
submitted by ALDO113A to RadicalChristianity [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 11:55 ALDO113A Help a struggling Christian (me) deal with this deconstruction of Paul and Bible-era perception of same-sex intercourse (basically saying "That kinda sex emasculates, and that's terrible") by AcademicBiblical if you can?

I was shared this while on a thankfully civilized talk. Here's the link, but I'll clean up the original text to be more digestible, maybe alter a few of it.
https://www.reddit.com/AcademicBiblical/comments/1c5ucxj/response_to_sikers_analysis_of_homosexuality_in
Here goes
1. Siker seems to be offering a scholarly version of Matthew Vines' argument
It being "Paul can't be condemning what we think of as committed loving homosexual relationships, because he was thinking of bad things like prostitution or uncontrolled-lust homosexuality."
So, the idea is to claim that Paul's letters can't be enlisted to authorize contemporary homophobia since he wouldn't have known about the kinds of relationships gay Christians want to have now.
I appreciate the contemporary ethics of Siker's approach since homophobia is dehumanizing and harmful, but the idea that this approach inherently reflects "liberal leanings" (Siker's claim) ignores how plenty of liberals reject homophobia without trying to enlist and sanitize the Bible as support.
2. I disagree with the Innocent Paul claim as Vines postulated
It is true that Greek, Roman, and Jewish sources do not often feature something resembling "a committed loving queer sexual relationship," but this is where confusion often sets in; there must be a distinction between
According to dominant ideals, powerful men were supposed to actively penetrate those below themselves on the social and gender hierarchy; a man who delighted in being penetrated by another man was by relative definition effeminate, and thus not to be celebrated. Women loving and sexually engaging with other women meant they weren't being used by (the right) men, and thus Greek and Roman writers tended to disparage, ridicule, and reframe female homoeroticism.
But our texts aren't direct sociological data, they reflect and think with dominant sexual ideologies, which by definition erased/reframed divergent sexual and gender expressions. This is why the likes of Amy Richlin,[1] Bernadette Brooten,[2] Deborah Kamen and Sarah Levin-Richardson,[3] and Jimmy Hoke**[4]** have argued that even though our sources erase, reframe, and distort people who liked any non-normative sex and relationships in Mediterranean antiquity, they still existed.
Bottom line: Writers like Paul could certainly have been aware of queer sexualities and relationships that were not enslaved prostitution or pederasty. Folks like Vines and Siker unintentionally reinscribe the association between homoeroticism and pedophilia/sexual violence.
For what it's worth, everyone should read Richlin's article from 30 years ago. Doesn't matter whether you agree with all of her arguments, it's brilliant scholarship.
3. Corpus point of view
There's a related debate about whether our texts even have a category for something like sexual orientation or simply imagine sex via other grids like active vs. passive/penetrator vs. penetrated (e.g., see Craig Williams' excellent sketch of these paradigms in Roman literature**[5]**).
The most common scholarly opinion in terms of Greco-Roman antiquity gender-sex studies is that our sources don't reflect ideas like sexual orientation, so orientational categories aren't historically helpful for reading our texts.
Other scholars like Richlin and Brooten have critiqued these positions, though they still forcefully argue that our sources thought with overtly hierarchical patriarchal ideologies about sex, like penetrator and penetrated. This final point is something on which Richlin is often misrepresented, which is bizarre since she wrote one of the classic books for understanding such dominant sexual ideologies.[6]
4. Paul Romana
Romans 1:18-32's basic point is that Paul discussed the total moral failure of Gentiles by sketching their (feminizing) descent into being dominated by their passions, one of the resultant illustrations of the Gentiles being their domination by their passions through transgressing the gendered order, exemplified by Gentile men losing sexual control of "their women" (i.e., these men are failed men from this angle) and each other in 1:26-27 - an inversion of the normative sexual order.
Paul treated male-male anal penetration as a straight illustration of Gentile corruption and domination by their passions. It's part of his grander point that Gentiles became (effeminately) enslaved by their passions (see Stanley Stowers' classic articulation of this decline-of-civilization reading of Rom 1:18-32**[7]**).
The key issue here is that there's no literary reason to think he only had in mind enslaved prostitution or pederasty, ANY male-male anal penetration upended the normative gender order. If anything, he might have indicated elsewhere that free men penetrating (raping) their slaves (gender irrelevant) was okay since that use of slaves was acceptable within many moral schemes; Paul never objected to it, and some passages potentially align with treating enslaved humans as legitimate non-marriage sexual outlets (e.g., as argued by Jennifer Glancy**[8]** regarding 1 Thess 4:4's εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι("that each of you know his own vessel to possess in sanctification and honor")).
5. Linguistic flexibility
There's no reason to limit οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται of 1 Cor 6:9 to prostitution; "malakos" means "soft"/"effeminate." In Greek texts, it often does refer to men who are penetrated sexually - obviously effeminizing - but a man who was unrestrained or excessive in his penetrating of women is likewise an example of "effeminate" in Greek sources.
ἀρσενοκοίτης's meaning remains debated, but the etymological game of making it "man-bedders" is problematic; rather than get bogged down in this lexical discussion, the larger point regarding Siker is, again, that the issue of whether "committed same-sex relationships" are in view is irrelevant.
Paul listed effeminate Gentiles as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God; a male prostitute is by definition effeminate for these discourses, but so would a man in a "committed same-sex relationship" who is anally penetrated.
6. Futility
I don't get why "liberal-leaning" scholars think they can salvage a moral Bible by handwaving Paul's (what we can redescribe as) homophobia, even if all of Siker's claims were true, Paul's logic is entirely premised on reprehensibly misogynist gender ideologies that animate his other arguments, so even trying to save the dude from Those Two Bad Verses leaves you with the steaming animal manure that is said premise.
Hope this helps!
Sources
[1] "Not Before Homosexuality: The Materiality of the Cinaedus and the Roman Law against Love between Men," JHS 3 [1993]: 523-73
[2] Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996]
[3] "Lusty Ladies in the Roman Literary Imaginary," in Ancient Sex: New Essays, ed R. Blondell and K. Ormand [Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2015], 231-51
[4] Feminism, Queerness, Affect, and Romans: Under God? [Atlanta: SBL Press, 2021], 27-37
[5] Roman Homosexuality, 2d Ed [New York: Oxford University Press, 2010] [6] The Garden of Priapus: Sexuality and Aggression in Roman Humor, Rev. Ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992)
[7] A Rereading of Romans: Justice, Jews, and Gentiles [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994]
[8] Slavery in Early Christianity [New York: Oxford University Press, 2002]
Maybe take apart some/all points or even tell me how to cope.
I thought Paul was that based guy for giving credit to those two women (Phoebe and Priscilla) and stated that people regardless of origin or gender or status were one in the big IM
I hope I chose the right tag
submitted by ALDO113A to OpenChristian [link] [comments]


2024.05.16 11:54 z3pp89 Winning the Ekstraklasa after 7 seasons pt.3

Winning the Ekstraklasa after 7 seasons pt.3
Season 6:
After losing the league on head to head recruitment plan was to add better attacking players. My scouts had some good suggestions and DoF had a few interesting suggestions as well. Also new addition to recruitment was bringing Polish players from other European Leagues.
I had a decent transfer budget of 3,000,000 and for the first time wage budget was not that good. That left me in a situation where I had to sell some players that were just average in last couple of seasons, but had high wages.
Transfers out:
Lawrence Ennali, (left winger) - 1,400,000 to Korona Kielce
Iwo Kaczmarski, (defensive midfielder) - 800,000 to Gaziantep FK
Lamine Correa, (striker) - free to Prostejov
Kacper Chelmecki, (striker) - 1,000,000 to Piast Gliwice - winter
With 3 high earnes leaving in summer, there was much more flexibility with wage budget so I got into the transfer market.
Players in:
Dawid Bugaj, (right back) - free transfer from US Lecce
Filip Rozga, (left winger) - 2,500,000 from Legia
David Kurminowski, (striker) - 1,000,000 from Kocaelispor
Sebastian Jorgensen, (right winger) - 2,000,000 from Malmo FF
Catalin Cirjan, (attacking midfielder) - loan from AEK Athens
Junior, (defensive midfielder) - free from NK Kustosija Zagreb
Talles Wander, (striker) - free transfer from Sao Paolo FC - winter
Season started early with Europa League qualifiers. We destroyed KR from Iceland 11-1 on aggregate. In between those two game, we played Legia in Polish Super Cup.
I was expecting a difficult game, but it was nothing like that. We beat them 4-0 and TSP got their second major trophy. Penalty, two goals from corners and well executed counter attack and that was it. Legia did made a lot of chances in last 15 minutes but we kept the clean sheet.
Super cup
In Europe qualifying rounds we beat FC U Craiova (Romania), TSV Hartberg (Austria) and, FC Zurich (Switzerland) to book our spot in league phase of Europa League.
We had a tough schedule in Europe League, but despite that we managed to get through Knock Out play off round with the record of 3 wins, 3 draws and two losses.
https://preview.redd.it/wlxalr8njq0d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5445ebcb41bc1ae9301943255e4db1875bbbbbf7
In the Knock Out round we faced SK Rapid from Austria and beat them. First game at home TSP won 3-0, going into the away game with lot of optimism. Away game proved to be tricky, we scored first in first half but by the end of the half Rapid was 2-1 up. Second half started good, as we scored for to tie the game 2-2, but then Rapid got into another gear. They were creating a lot of chances and scored two goals in 80's minutes. Last few minutes of the game were very nervy. We advanced with that result and were to face Tottenham Hotspurs in Round of 16.
First leg was at home. We drew the game 2-2, which wasn't encouraging. Game in London was one of the toughest games in this save so far. They scored in first 10 minutes of the game and just kept attacking. Our goalie was having the game of his life. That's how the first half ended, going into second half they immediately scored for 2-0. We managed to get the one goal, but the final result was 2-1 for Tottenham. We were eliminated from Europa League.
Polish Cup, with good additions in transfer window plan was to go for domestic treble. Cup was taken really seriously even in the early stages of it, while playing teams from lower leagues. In quarter finals we faced Wisla Plock. Even though they were in division below us they played amazing. We had to comeback twice to draw the game 2-2, only to win on penalties. In semifinals we faced Lechia, dominated the game and somehow only beat them 2-1.
It was time for Final of Polish cup for two straight seasons. We played against KGHM Zaglebie. They were the favourites to win the game, but we played another amazing game and destroyed them 4-1. That was the second Polish Cup in a row, and one step closer to domestic treble.
Polish Cup finals
Ekstraklasa campaign was quite successful, but no trophy again. Even though we had a strong squad that could potentially play in three different competitions simultaneously, somehow we still lacked quality to win the league. First part of the season was really successful, we only lost two games, which of course one of them was to Legia. Second part of season was more trickier, slump in March where we lost two games. Drawing 4 a wining 3 in our last seven games did not help. Legia was champions of Ekstraklasa once again.
Signing from couple seasons ago Juan Carlos Arana broke the club record of most goals scored in one season, with 31 goals. New signing Sebastian Jorgensen broke the club record of assist in one season with 15 assist. Despite whole squad scoring plenty of goals, Legia was still untouchable.
Season 6 League
Best XI for this season:
https://preview.redd.it/16ywduwjoq0d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=10aceae9a9705347ef1b8a90b88c502737d262c4
Season 7:
This was it, now or never. I had a clear idea what needed to be done, who to sell and who to bring. With an good transfer budget of €5,500,000 and sales of few players, good wage budget, my DoF and I went shopping.
Players out:
Dawid Kurminowski, (striker) - 1,000,000 to Ruch Chorzow
Marcel Krayewski, (right back) - 600,000 to Slask Wroclaw
Ziga Lipuscek, (central back) - 1,000,000 to Al-Shabab FC
Ben Lederman, (defensive midfielder) - 3,000,000 to Al-Markhiya SC
Talles Wander, (striker) - 5,000,000 to Bristol City - winter
Players in:
Ilaix Moriba, (attacking midfielder) - free transfer from RB Leipzig
Ronaldo Deacounu, (attacking midfielder) - free transfer from Korona Kielce
Efe Sarikaya, (central back) - 2,200,000 from Cracovia
Nicola Profeta, (defensive midfielder) - 900,000 from Deportivo Cali
Petar Serdarski, (right back) - 2,500,000 from Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Kacper Tobiasz, (goalkeeper) - 1,100,000 from HSV
Karol Sakwa, (striker ***wonderkid***) - 2,000,000 from Lechia Gdansk
Mamadou Doumbia, (striker) - 3,000,000 from Cracovia - winter
Vadik Murria, (central defender) - free transfer from Prostejov - winter
I went into this season with one goal, win Ekstraklasa. First part of the season went really well, two losses and couple of draws rest were wins. I was extremely optimistic that this is the season. There was a problem, even though we were winning, our strikers were struggling to score. A lot of mediocre performances from strikers, despite me thinking this is the best 3 strikers throughout the save. Talles Wander was particularly disappointing. Plan was to sell him and buy whoever was top scorer of Ekstraklasa at the time. Out goes Talles Wander in comes Mamadou Doumbia. With already 14 goals scored in first half of the season, I thought he was the answer. But he also struggled, missing some easy one-on-ones. On the other hand, new goalkeeper and new central back pairing Hoyo-Kowalski and Efe Sarikaya were on fire. Troughout the season we were battling Legia, but surprisingly Widzew Lodz came out of nowhere and at one point they were 1st with five points clear.
Second part of the season, started with mixed results. First three games we had one loss and two wins, after that there was no stopping us. In last 12 games lost one and won 11. Most impressive thing was that Kacper Tobiasz kept 10 clean sheets in those 12 games. In fact he was so good that he broke previous cleen sheet record (held by Lukasz Fabianski with 19 cleans sheets) with his 22.
We have finally won the Ekstraklasa.
Champions!
My favorite part of this was the fact last game of the season was against Legia, so they had to give as a a proper champions walk out (and we beat them 4-3). Here is a photo of this:
Champions!
Super Cup was played in beginning of the season and we faced Legia. Really tough game, 0-0 in full time and no goals in extra time. Not a lot of chances for either team, and low XG's. Penalties were deciding who would win. They missed two, we missed one and scored the rest and trophy was ours.
Super cup
Polish Cup, dream of domestic treble was looking more possible than ever. We went easy through first few rounds until we met Lech Poznan in semi finals. We were the better team, scored multiple clear cut chances, but as mentioned earlier our strikers weren't scoring. In the end TSP got FM'd and we lost on penalties.
European football was back, we beat AaB (Denmark), Dnipro-1 (Ukraine) and SK Rapid (Austria) to book our place in Europa League - league stage. There we had some good performances. Four wins, two draws and 2 losses and we ended in 15th position to advance to Knock Out Play off round. There we met FC Utrecht (Holland). They were one of the teams the we won against in leagues stage.
In first leg, away, our strikes couldn't score, on the other hand Utrecht scored almost every good chance they had. Game ended 3-0 and it was time to prepare for the home game. TSP dominated the game, 17 shots to their 2, but we only scored one. In the end they advanced to the next round.
Europa league
Best XI for this season:
XI
Bonus - Season 8:
After winning the Ekstraklasa, my plan was to resign and find another long term project. Playing in champions league, and in back of my head fact that we could do domestic treble was really appealing.
So, I decided to stay for one more season. Immediately I knew that team needed players who previously have played in Champions league. In my opinion team was good, but not Champions League good. So I dove in deep in scouting reports and asked DoF for suggestions.
Transfers out:
Nicola Profeta, (defensive midfielder) - 2,000,000 to Abha Club
Kristoffer Velde, (left winger) - 2,000,000 to Vitesse
Petar Serdarski, (right back) - €4,000,000 to ESTAC Troyes
Camilo Mena, (right wing) - €3,000,000 to Standard de Liege
Fernando Fonseca, (right back) - free transfer to Karvina
Vadik Murria, (central back) - 200,000 to Slask Wroclaw
Ronaldo Deaconu, (attacking midfielder) - free transfer to Aris Salonika
Transfers in:
Aljoscha Kemlein, (defensive midfielder) - free transfer from FC Augsburg
Myron Van Brederode, (left wing) - free transfer from Panathinaikos
Sadiou Sow, (central defender) - free transfer from Antwerp FC
Frederik Nyheim, (right back) - 2,500,000 from Molde FK
Miguel Maga, (right back) - free transfer from AGF
Karol Borys, (attacking midfielder) - 2,500,000 from Legia
All the players that were brought in played in Champions League at some point, I was still not happy with the quality of the squad. Even though I had clear target and money to buy new right winger, just to check with my buddy Artur Platek (DoF) to see if he has any suggestions for right winger and attacking midfielder.
Here comes the fun part!
He suggest the 33-year old Ousmane Dembele as a right wing and 34-year old Marco Asensio as targets. Both of them were out of contract, so I check the with their agents and surprisingly they were interested in joining TSP. Problem were wages, even though I had money in transfer budget it was not enough cover their wages. Hard decision needed to be made, sell someone for a lot of money and adjust budgets to bring these two. This made sense, both experienced, played and won Champions League, so I got to work.
Only player who could generate a lot of money was 21-year old, former wonderkid, Damian Urbanik. After transfer listing him, best offer came from VfB Stuttgart. After negotiations final offer was 17 million upfront, 7 million after 20 games, and cheeky 20% sell on clause was included.
With this money I definitely had enough to offer both Dembele and Asensio contracts. Also team needed another left back.
Transfers out: (part two)
Damian Urbanik, (left back) - €17,000,000 to VfB Stuttgart
Transfers in: (part two)
Ousmane Dembele, (right winger) - free transfer from PSG
Marco Asensio, (attacking midfielder) - free transfer from FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Kamil Pestka, (left back) - 3,000,000 frm FC Luzern
Everything was set for the new season.
First up were qualifications for Champions League, Paide LM (Estonia) were brushed away with 13-1 aggregate. Next team was Dinamo Batumi (Georgia), 13-0 on aggregate. Final obstacle before the league phase of Champions League were IF Elfsborg (Sweden). Home TSP won 2-0, and with 2-2 draw away we were official playing Champions League football.
We did surprisingly well in the league phase. Four wins, three draws and 5-3 defeat at home versus PSG put us 11th place. Next up was Knock Out Play off round versus Olympique de Marseille. Tough draw, but I was optimistic.
League phase
Optimism didn't last long.
First game was away, I played 5-4-1 formation. They easily scored 3 goals in first half in what was dreadful performance by whole TSP team. After adjusting the formation, making couple of subs, pressing more we started of second half really good. Scored two goals, but then Marseille started attacking, in last five minutes they scored their 4th goal and final score was 4-2. Second leg, we played really well, had better XG and made lot of chances. Unfortunatly best we could do is draw 1-1. That was the end of TSP campaign in Champions League. I was satisfied how it went, got lot of money for participating and wins during the league phase.
I still dreamed of winning the domestic treble. After first game of domestic season (Polish Super Cup) that stayed just a dream. We played Cup winner Lech. Totally dominated the game, made great chances, had better XG. Full time it was 2-2, game went to extra time and then to penalties. Two of our players missed their penalties and Lech won the thropy.
Super Cup
Polish Cup was another heart break. We went all the way to finals where we played versus Widzew. After finishing 2nd last season, they had an horrible league campaign, they were in relegation zone most of it. Saved them selfs in last two games of the season. Cup final was a boring game, TSP played horrible and we couldn't do anything right. Widzew scored a goal from a free kick in 78th minute and that was the final score.
Polish Cup finals
After realizing that domestic treble is going to stay just a dream, I was totally focused on winning the Ekstraklasa. In first part of the season, we had one defeat, two draws and rest of the games were wins. Strikers were scoring goals again, and so did the wingers. Second part of season was a bit more complicated. Due to playing in 3 different competitions team had to be rotated, and sometimes players that would step in didn't perform well. With that being said, 4 defeats 3 draws and rest wins were enough for TSP win the Ekstraklasa second year in row. Radomiak, Piast and Legia came close few times to almost taking over the first place, but somehow we would score important goals and win the games. One thing that we had this season compared to previous years was consistency. Defenders and strikers were finally all producing some good performances. Wingers were lethal from wide areas. In the end, nine players had double figure goals and Sebastian Jorgensen broke his own record for assists by providing 18 to his teammates. Only player who stayed with the club during this whole save is Marcel Misztal. He went from playing in Polish second tier to playing Champions League football.
League table
Champions!
Best XI season 8:
Best XI
Full squad - season 8
This is the end of this amazing save. Probably had most fun in last couple of years playing manager. With (self imposed) transfer and recruitment restrictions, it was quite challenging sometimes but thoroughly enjoyable. This post probably won't be seen by many people but I had to share this save with someone.
Trophies won during this save:
  • Polish First Division: 2024
  • Polish Cup: 2028, 2029
  • Polish Super Cup: 2028, 2029
  • Ekstraklasa: 2030, 2031
All the facilities have been upgraded several times, there is 60,000,000 on bank balance. I have resigned from the manager role of TS Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala, but will continue this save with another long term project.
One last thing that would maybe be interesting to share is Overall Best XI:
Overall XI
THE END!
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