every time i see a video/ad that will make me insecure like bra,swimsuit,lingerie, any clothing advertising they ALWAYS use women with big boobs. so i always click like "show less content like this" or block them. or the videos that are like "grwm for my twin peaks shift" BLOCKED. i know seeing content like that will make me insecure and start comparing myself and not having it on my social media helps with my self confidence tremendously. but for some reason videos like that still somehow seep through and it's so annoying. even when it's a simple pepper bra ad the comments are like "i wish i had this problem sighs in DDD" like,,,, what. posting this because bra advertisements haven't shown up on my social media in a while and literally a video of a woman squeezing her boobs together in a bra for a fenty advertisement popped up and i immediately got mad. anyways happy sanity sunday yall

Hey everyone, especially those that are in the EU.
I'm about to get a fresh new apartment. I'm quite familiar with HA overall and have some elements of a smart home in my apartment now through retrofitting. But retrofitting is pretty limited. So now, as I have a new apartment all for myself and a whole renovation coming up I want to do it as nicely as possible with all the possibility of a blank-page renovation :)
What I have in mind now, but don't know the exact products yet for all of them is the following: - Automated curtains (likely Switch Bots are the best option now?) - Probably replacing an entire set of main switches/circuit breakers to have energy monitoring and remote control over "on/off". Mostly to disable electricity in case of leakage or so. Useful? Gimmick? - Leak detection. Is there anything that may be wired? One thing I'm afraid of when using typical Aqara leak detectors is that their signal is rather weak, especially in hard-to-reach areas. A wired option that connects to some central controller that then gets connected to HA would be the best, but I am unsure if such a thing exists. I want to close the water pipe entirely and disable electricity for the concrete room, in case of leakage (just in case). - Automatic heater valves/thermoheads and temp control over rooms (I assume Tado ecosystem is the best option out there, although costly?) - Lights. For E.g. all bulbs and LEDs etc. are Phillips Hue with their switches instead of old-fashioned switches. Are there wired Phillips or Hue-compatible switches that will stay always on via electric wires (so can act as routers) and act rather like a button/slider than a switch? (I still want to have the option if I potentially sell the apartment one day, to be retrofitted back into an old physical switch, if the buyer won't be a fan of smart stuff as it's expensive to run or so) - Window vents control? You know there is a passive vent system that brings a set amount of air into the apartment through vents at the top of the window. If they can be potentially modified to be more aggressive (open up more than usual) and smart, I will be happy. Maybe there is a way to retrofit regular windows to open by themselves too that I'm unaware of. - Surely high-quality CO2/Air quality sensors will be in each room + Air Purifier for bedroom/mancave (in Krakow, Poland, where I'm it's a problem during the winter, throw some ideas of some efficient ones) - Maybe some appliances are now smart in a way that makes sense. :D Because I can't come up with any use cases. - AC brands that work best with HA o at least, Google - Door lock stuff? Worth it? :) - Any other cool use cases I'm missing? Motion detection? (I have two cats).
As you can see, I'm thinking of going all in and not afraid of a big budget (the whole renovation costs so much, spending a few thousand $ on Smart Home stuff won't change it much) :D
I'm also fine with Node-red automations etc. but when it's in one ecosystem (e.g. Hue, and Tado) sometimes it works better and often without any need of going HA + Node-Red.
I'm thinking in reality most of the stuff will be Zigbee or Wi-fi, but having most of it also using Matter, would be the best possible combo.
Will greatly appreciate your thoughts and recommendations!

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers and the games in the title, unlikely to take offers for anything else atm.
If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

///////////////////

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers. If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

///////////////////

GOG keys

Liberated
Wanderlust Travel Stories

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

GOG keys

Liberated
Wanderlust Travel Stories

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers and the games in the title, unlikely to take offers for anything else atm.
If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

///////////////////

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers. If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

///////////////////

GOG keys

Liberated
Wanderlust Travel Stories

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

GOG keys

Liberated
Wanderlust Travel Stories

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers and the games in the title, unlikely to take offers for anything else atm.
If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

///////////////////

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers. If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

///////////////////

GOG keys

Liberated
Wanderlust Travel Stories

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

GOG keys

Liberated
Wanderlust Travel Stories

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

Currently halfway through a roadtripping-working holiday for the year around UK and EU. The Timeline feature is great on Google Maps. Is there any inbuilt or external tool to combine multiple timeline days, to see a huge map of travel for the whole month/year? Not just location pins - but the routes that it shows in the day-to-day view?
Thanks in advance.

The heat and the pressure are on—for our planet, and for one more World War.
Last Week in Collapse: June 2-8, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 128th newsletter. You can find the May 26-June edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
——————————
Bengaluru broke a 133-year rain record by almost 10mm last Sunday, with 111mm (4.37 inches) of rain falling in a single day. In Sri Lanka, some 24,000 people were displaced by recent flooding. A heat wave swept through the southwest United States and northern Mexico. Part of Niger already broke its June temperature record. Parts of New South Wales, Australia broke nighttime temperatures as well; so did the Philippines, and Vietnam. And a heat wave in Greece.
“Atmospheric blocking” happens when regions of the atmosphere remain stationary for days or weeks, imposing similar weather on a region for a while. A study released in Nature Communications looked at Svalbard, which is warming faster than the Arctic, which is itself warming faster than most of the rest of the planet. The researchers claim that atmospheric blocking has resulted in warmer & wetter conditions in Svalbard, which is driving its ice loss. “The augmented blocking in the Ural and Scandinavian regions in the future combined with the projected declines in sea ice, and increases in sea surface temperatures and moisture availability, will likely increase the magnitude and frequency of exceptional rainfall incidents similar to the 2016 occurrence, posing further hazards to the population and ecosystems in Svalbard.”
A paywalled study in Nature Climate Change emphasizes “in the absence of a global tipping point there is no safety margin within which permafrost loss would be acceptable.” The summary states that permafrost melt does not have a worldwide tipping point, but rather several local temperature thresholds. Permafrost worldwide is expected to be all melted once global temperature gains hit 5 or 6 °C.
We are currently in the brief neutral period between El Niño and La Niña, expected to begin around August. Meteorologists expect temperatures in the eastern Pacific to decline for between 1 and 3 years—and for stronger Atlantic hurricanes. A 14-page report from the WMO forecasts a particularly wet summer for Central America.
Monsoon storms in Sri Lanka killed 14, mostly by falling trees, though others drowned or were covered by landslides. Texas saw “canteloupe-size hail” fall during a freak tornado; some think it is a record size for the region. Experts say some 23% of Africa’s land has been degraded, by five major factors: 1) invasive species, 2) climate change, including Drought and flooding, 3) resource extraction, 4) deforestation, and 5) pollution, including algal blooms. Poverty, population growth, and resource dependencies have aggravated the problem, says the article.
In Kashmir, a glacier Collapsed, sending three plunging into the ice, one of whom has still not been found. In the Philippines, a volcanic mud landslide swept into a village; volcano alerts were raised to 2 (on a 0-5 scale). Rising sea levels are displacing residents of one of Panama’s islands (pop: ~1,200); others will follow. Greece is gearing up for a fierce wildfire season ahead. And, in a moment of hopeful news, Sweden is banning bottom trawling in its “marine protected areas.”
In the EU, early polling appears to show a “greenlash,”, a backlash to the Green Alliance—and perhaps a loss of some 30% of their 72 current seats in the EU Parliament (705 total). Some blame the “moral superiority complex” of Greens, while others believe it is their lack of compromise on important issues. Farmer protests also damaged Green sentiment; now future sweeping climate reforms will probably have to wait years to get passed, since conservatives are expected to make gains. Most results will emerge within 24 hours of this post.
Worldwide, 39% of environmental journalists have faced threats due to their reporting—according to a 112-page report by the Earth Journalism Network. Most of the threats came to reporters writing about illegal extraction operations.
Roughly 20% of sealife near the surface is expected to face a “triple threat” of climate hazards: extreme heat, oxygen loss and acidification. Some of these species will die in place; others will be forced into progressively smaller living spaces. Most of the danger lies in the northern Pacific. The full study in AGU Advances has more.
The UN Secretary-General announced that we are on the “highway to climate hell.” And we aren’t wearing any seatbelts. The EU Copernicus Programme says last May was the hottest on record. This means the last 12 months were the hottest on record, with each consecutive month setting a new monthly record. Our planet is supposedly on the edge of 1.5 °C temperature increase, but some think we’ve already surpassed it.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a 27-page report, “Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2024-2028,” predicting short-term temperatures exceeding the 1.5 °C mark.

“The global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2024 and 2028 is predicted to be between 1.1°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the years 1850-1900. It is likely (80% chance) that global mean near-surface temperature will exceed 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average levels for at least one year between 2024 and 2028. It is about as likely as not (47%) that the five-year mean will exceed this threshold….Arctic warming over the next five extended winters (November to March), relative to the average of the 1991-2020 period, is predicted to be more than three times as large as the warming in global mean temperature. Predicted precipitation patterns for 2024, relative to the 1991-2020 average, suggest an increased chance of low rainfall over North-East Brazil and an increased chance of wet conditions in the African Sahel, consistent with the warmer-than-usual temperatures in the North Atlantic….

The Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy released its 2024 Environmental Policy Index, and the 204 pages illustrate the state of sustainability in 180 countries, according to 58 indicators. The document, full of useful graphics and accessible summaries, presents a world in escalating danger of global heating, pollution, and biodiversity loss. It is well worth skimming. These kinds of climate reports usually seem to me like, overall, much more time was spent making them than people spend reading them…

“Only five countries — Estonia, Finland, Greece, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom — cut their GHG emissions at the rate needed to reach zero by 2050….After climate change, biodiversity loss has emerged as the most serious and irreversible environmental crisis….As of 2022, aggregated GHG emissions were falling in 60 countries but still rising in 128…. Human activities, namely the combustion of fossil fuels, of which CO2 is an inevitable byproduct, have caused a nearly 50 percent of the increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, with atmospheric concentration surpassing 426 parts per million in April 2024 — a level higher than at any point in human history….China, the United States, and India are pivotal, accounting for over half of global GHG emissions…China used more cement in two years (2020 and 2021) than the United States did in the entire twentieth century….Air pollution remains the most serious environmental threat to public health. Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) caused 7.8 million premature deaths in 2021, close to 12 percent of global deaths…” -selections from the first third of the report

——————————
Mexico saw its first human case of a bird flu strain, H5N2, in a dead man supposedly with no known previous exposure to animals. Two turkey farms got outbreaks in Minnesota, and Iowa’s first dairy farm reported bird flu as well. American health authorities expect H5N1 human cases to rise in the coming weeks. Bird flu was also found in San Francisco last week. Millions of human vaccine doses for bird flu are being prepared for the United States this summer.
Citigroup says the United States is already in a recession, though other institutions disagree. Nevertheless, junk bonds are becoming even more junky, and economists agree that the economy is at least slowing down. Credit card debt is reportedly rising, and the “personal savings rate” has dropped to pre-COVID levels. “America’s debt accumulation over the last seven years is akin to the costs of a world war,” says the article. Cuts to the Federal Reserve interest rate are coming, and the rise of tariffs is unlikely to stop soon. And Europe’s strongest economy, Germany, is not seeing a strong recovery from last year’s recession.
Thousands are starving in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where Drought and school dropouts have also worsened. Investigators claim in a new report that both sides in the Tigray War committed grave war crimes and “acts of genocide” in the conflict, which ended (on paper, anyway) in November 2022; intercommunal violence continues at a lower intensity.
The American Heart Association released a report projecting the rates of heart illnesses by 2050, and they believe the rate of hypertension among adults will rise from about 51% in 2020 to 61% in 2060. Diabetes rates are expected to jump from about 16% in 2020 to almost 27% in 2050; and obesity rates will expand 17% to over 60%... A number of other heart conditions are expected to worsen as well, though at least high cholesterol rates are expected to decrease.
A 12-page report by Oil Change International says what we all know: most nations are failing to meet climate targets. “Some G7 countries are massively expanding fossil fuel production at home, while others are investing in more fossil fuel infrastructure abroad.” China is, far and away, adding more renewable energy capacity than any other nations on earth, supposedly adding “over 90% of all renewable capacity mentioned in NDCs {nationally determined contributions}” in the 2020s so far.
The U.S. FDA has unanimously recommended a new vaccine be developed to address the JN.1 COVID variant. Vaccine-manufacturers say that a new vaccine could arrive as early as mid-August. A 242-page prepublication report on the long-term dangers of Long COVID, with a view to planning future impacts on Social Security.

“Even individuals with a mild initial course of illness can develop Long COVID with severe health effects….Women are twice as likely as men to experience Long COVID….Long COVID can cause more than 200 symptoms and affects each person differently….There currently is no curative treatment for Long COVID itself. Management of the condition is based on current knowledge about treating the associated health effects and other sequelae….Long COVID symptoms generally improve over time, although preliminary studies suggest that recover can plateau 6-12 months after acute infection. Studies have shown that only 18-22 percent of those who have persistent symptoms at 5-6 months following infection have fully recovered by 1 year. Among those who do not improve, most remain stable, but some worsen.” -selections from the study summary

Germany reported African swine flu in some pigs in the northeast. Monkeypox cases remain in the United States, and at higher rates than last year, despite waning media coverage. And four strains of dengue fever, yes four, are still sweeping through Brazil with no end in sight.
A number of current & former employees at OpenAI are warning of the careless pursuit of dominance of the artificial intelligence arena—and the supposed 70% chance that AI could bring about “doom” for humanity. Some of the computer scientists believe that a general intelligence (AGI) could arrive as soon as 2027—a generation earlier than previous estimates of roughly 2050. "The world isn’t ready, and we aren’t ready," said one dissenting researcher.
——————————
The intervention into Haiti is almost ready to go, but gangsters in Haiti have escalated attacks against police in advance of the Kenya-led operation, set to begin in a week or two. “The gangs are just waiting for the Kenyans, they’re just cracking their knuckles and stretching out.…It’s going to be a battle if not a bloodbath of a war, because the gangs are ready,” said one ex-diplomat. A new PM has been installed, Garry Conille, a guy who previously served as PM for 4 about months in 2011-2012. Gangs vying for power control roughly 80% of Port-Au-Prince; will they remain fragmented upon the arrival of an outside coalition, or make an alliance of convenience to oppose police intervention?
Although New Caledonia’s state of emergency has ended, over $1B of damage has been wrought by rioters opposing an expansion of voting rights. Analysts say that the Pacific island’s abundant nickel reserves—essential for France’s renewable energy push—have seen their extraction obstructed by recent events. A curfew remains in place, and social cohesion has been seriously damaged by the protests and the central government’s reactions.
President Biden issued new orders restricting the flow of migrants and asylum-seekers at the Mexico border. At the U.S./Canada border, migrant arrivals have spiked 1000%+ in the last 3 years. Days before the EU election, Portugal instituted stronger controls over immigration. On the Poland/Belarus border, a Polish soldier died, after being stabbed by a migrant from Belarus.
Georgia’s controversial foreign agents bill has been signed into law despite strong protests from the masses. Some call the law a form of Russian hybrid warfare, though Russia contends that allowing foreign media funding functions as a kind of anti-Russian hybrid warfare on its own.
South Korea suspended a military agreement with North Korea over their waste balloons sent into the South. This will result in a more militarized border, outside the DMZ, in the coming months. President Putin is also planning a visit to Pyongyang, which has been long-supplying materiel to Russia for use in Ukraine. A border clash between Chinese and Indian forces took place in their contested mountains—using only sticks and stones.
Conditions in Gaza are said to be “beyond crisis levels” for the 1M+ people who have been displaced from Rafah, as the Israeli advance continues—despite calls from the ICJ to halt the operation. “The sounds, the smells, the everyday life, are horrific and apocalyptic,” said one observer. Killings in the West Bank have now exceeded 500 since October 7, and aid deliveries have sunk 65%+ since the Rafah offensive began. A strike on a school killed 45 people sheltering there, according to Gaza officials. In the coastal settlement of al-Mawasi, where many IDPs moved after the Rafah invasion began, toilets are so scarce that over 4,000 people share a single latrine.
The battlefield is expanding; in some ways, it has always been all-encompassing, and it’s only now that the world is re-learning it. Ukraine has sent soldiers to Syria to fight Wagner Group mercenaries operating in the failed state. Ukraine had earlier intervened in Sudan to combat Russian forces operating in the country. Ukraine also struck an air defense unit inside Russia for the first time, marking another escalation in the War. Russia struck Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant in Dnipro, which is now in “critical condition.” Russia reportedly intends to restart the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at some point, though international regulators argue that it would be unsafe to turn Europe’s largest nuclear facility online while War still rages around it. Half of Ukraine’s electrical generation has been taken offline. Although weapons are reaching Ukraine’s frontlines, they are not enough to change the tide of the War—and are still outnumbered by Russian soldiers & munitions. Ukraine is also crowd-sourcing 3D-printing drone parts to support their drone fleets—a key part of ~~future~~ modern warfare.
Russia also claims that French military instructors within Ukraine present a lawful military target for Russian forces—and an opportunity to start WWIII. But others believe the flashpoint may come from elsewhere—Taiwan, or the unfolding Israel/Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran conflict, which are intensifying on the Lebanon/Israel border. Russia is also taking over Niger’s uranium reserves, once held by a French corporation. And four Russian sea vessels will be visiting Cuba—but not carrying nuclear weapons.
Around Sudan’s capital, looters, checkpoints, and violence have been established. Several torture chambers have been discovered, and the smell of death hangs in the air of a few neighborhoods, contested by both sides. The number of displaced people is approaching 10M. Russia is supposedly playing both sides to its advantage. “All over Sudan, people are going hungry because they have lost everything, the economy has collapsed, and armed men frequently steal what little aid is available,” said one reporter. The insurgent RSF forces are said to not only be fighting for the future, but fighting over history as well. The National Museum has become a cemetery for RSF fighters. University archives have been burned. And ancient artifacts have been cleared out, sold to mysterious buyers, stashed away in unknown places, or simply destroyed… Other horror stories are still emerging; this article details some of the worst recent tales in the War.
One major NATO supplies provider claims that a decade of arms accumulation is coming, to replenish stockpiles given to Ukraine and in advance of a potential open War between China and whatever western nations decide to participate. China announced its intention to detain vessels moving into its alleged national waters near the Philippines—and presumably to sink those which resist. Ukraine used up six years’ worth of shoulder-fired missiles, like javelins, in just one year. The development of the F-35 will exceed $2T, although the U.S. military is planning on using it less than previously expected. NATO is also planning its rapid-transit troop corridors through Europe to the expected frontlines of a potential open War against Russia.
——————————
Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-It is a common refrain that the education system is a bellwether for Collapse. It is also a symbol—alongside our food system, plastic dependency, state militaries, and many other institutions—of how difficult it apparently is to change course. The institutional friction and incentives are burnt in. This detailed post on the (American) school system and the “metacrisis” and much more. Several thorough comments build on the OP’s thesis. Peek into teachers for a glimpse into our doomed future.
-People in southern California are evidently closing their eyes and ears to Collapse, if this weekly observation is to be believed. The author writes about their unfulfilled hope that humanity might turn the ship around during the COVID period, cognitive biases, the persistence of COVID denial, plastics, and the early burning sun.
-Society is closing in on a Doom-Awakening, says the comments on this post. Some disagree (see the above observation).
-Nothing works, and everything is breaking—say many terrific comments in this self-post about the lack of empathy, passion, quality products, and the atrocious job market.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, hurricane advice, bird flu tips, cheap off-grid land, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I forget this week?

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/sinn-fein-will-dust-themselves-down-and-learn-lessons-from-irish-elections/a713240574.html
Sinn Fein are to “dust themselves down” after early indications showed the party has not had the result it had hoped for in Ireland’s local elections. It comes after the public expenditure minister said the expectation that Sinn Fein would be in the next government has been “shattered” by early indications in the local elections.
Ireland’s main opposition party faces a tough local election battle over the weekend, after government parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael appeared on Saturday to have polled strongly.
A day after voters headed to the polls in three highly anticipated elections, the ballot boxes were opened at 9am on Saturday and counting began in the local elections.
Irish voters will elect almost 1,000 new councillors, 14 members to the European Parliament and, for the first time, one city’s citizens were asked to pick their mayor.
Ballot boxes in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) Ballot boxes in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)
Tally indications show a surge in the Sinn Fein vote has not materialised in the local elections, while the Government coalition parties are welcoming early results.
Despite winning 24.5% of first preference votes in a historic result in the 2020 general election, and hovering above 30% in opinion polls for a long time, the fate of many of its candidates are now expected to depend on transfers.
Despite this, Sinn Fein is expected to still make some gains on the 2019 election, where it won around 9% of first preference votes and 81 council seats out of 949.
Sinn Fein TD for Donegal Pearse Doherty told RTE’s Six One programme that it will make gains in some counties, but would have to “dust themselves down” and look at “the lessons that can be learned”.
Its Cork North Central TD, Thomas Gould, said that the party still has a chance of increasing its seats across Cork city and county.
“It’s just that we don’t know how much yet,” he said at the Cork City Hall count centre, adding that despite poor turnout in some core areas, “we’re hopeful”.
Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin argued that his Fianna Fail party had performed “far better” than predicted, while public expenditure minister Paschal Donohoe said the results so far showed Fine Gael was not a spent political force.
Finance Minister Michael McGrath said there had been “no massive breakthrough” for the far right in the Irish elections, despite concerns raised during the campaign.
“The early tallies show that there is a large majority of people who are willing to vote in a very different way to how extremists and the far right will make the case for,” Mr Donohoe said.
“I think there is a very compelling narrative to be made – at a very early stage in this – that Fine Gael has been successful in getting out its votes, that our campaign has made a difference, and that the approach of the Government parties has been recognised by voters.”
Despite the strong showing for government parties so far, ministers stuck to the line that the coalition government would “go the full distance” to February or March before a general election is called.
Asked about Fine Gael’s performance compared with Sinn Fein, Mr Donohoe said: “Overall, the portrayal that some have offered of Fine Gael as a tired party – that narrative, that claim, has been shattered by the results that we’re seeing potentially coming through at the moment.
“And the other narrative that there’s anything inevitable about Sinn Fein being in government – that’s been shattered too.”
Mr Martin said the focus would be on putting together a budget for October as his party looked to win an MEP seat in the Midlands-North-West constituency for the first time in 15 years.
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe (Niall Carson/PA) Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe (Niall Carson/PA)
“The idea that Fianna Fail would be coming in a distant third is completely disproven,” the Tanaiste said.
“I’ve been looking at opinion polls now for the last three years. This ‘internet panel’ polling having Fianna Fail at 14% and 15% – clearly Fianna Fail will be well ahead of that and will be over 20% by the time all of these counts are collated and put together.
“We put up a very robust performance and we’re holding our own compared to our performance in the general election of 2020.”
Michael McGrath speaks to the media at Cork City Hall (Jonathan Brady/PA) Michael McGrath speaks to the media at Cork City Hall (Jonathan Brady/PA)
The full results of the elections will take days to be finalised due to Ireland’s system of proportional representation which allows voters to rank every candidate in each race by order of preference. The process means ballot papers are sorted and counted multiple times by hand.
Counting in the European elections will not begin until Sunday morning and the results of the first tally will not be declared until after 10pm due to ongoing voting in other EU states.
Irish politics is currently dominated by a housing crisis, the cost of living and migration.
The coalition partnership of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party has been battling criticism domestically and on the continent over other issues including climate action, agriculture policy and defence co-operation in the EU.
The polls will provide political parties with evidence of voter sentiment, having had to wait more than four years since the last nationwide elections.
They are also an indicator of how new Fine Gael leader and Irish premier Simon Harris is faring, having assumed the roles around eight weeks ago after the shock resignation of Leo Varadkar.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan (Cillian Sherlock/PA) Green Party leader Eamon Ryan (Cillian Sherlock/PA)
While the count for the European elections has not officially begun, the segregating of the ballot papers allowed observers to get a sense of which candidates are performing well.
In Dublin, incomplete tallies by noon suggested Fianna Fail’s Barry Andrews and Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty were leading.
Green Party incumbent Ciaran Cuffe, Independent Ireland candidate Niall Boylan, Labour representative Aodhan O Riordain and Sinn Fein hopefuls Daithi Doolan and Lynn Boylan will be fighting over the remaining two seats.
Mr Cuffe was asked if he believed he could stay ahead of Mr O Riordain and Social Democrat Sinead Gibney, the at-risk MEP added: “For the wildebeest, you just have to stay ahead of the lion.”
In the South constituency, Fine Gael’s Sean Kelly and Fianna Fail’s Billy Kelleher are considered to be in contention for re-election.
Sinn Fein will be hoping to regain a seat in the region with Kathleen Funchion, while Independent TD Michael McNamara is predicted to take the fourth seat.
Early voters waiting for a polling station to open (Niall Carson/PA) Early voters waiting for a polling station to open (Niall Carson/PA)
In Midlands-North-West, there were reports of strong support for Fine Gael’s incumbent Maria Walsh and her running mate Nina Carberry.
Fianna Fail’s Barry Cowen, Independent Ireland candidate and former RTE correspondent Ciaran Mullooly and Independent MEP Luke “Ming” Flanagan have also polled well in some regions across the vast constituency.
In the south west, voters in Limerick city and county had the opportunity to directly elect a mayor with executive powers on long-term strategic planning.
A cross-party tally from midday indicated that Independent candidate John Moran, a former secretary general at the Department of Finance, was in the lead with around 25% of the votes, with Independent candidate Helen O’Donnell in second place.

My ex Sarah, initiated a breakup because I was too physically ill for her to want to take care of me. Long story short but she gave me a rare STD from a past partner that caused permanent damage to my body. I knew it was her because I had only ever had two sex partners my entire life and my other partner had tested negative for that rare STD. Before doctors could find out what was wrong with me, I developed severe and sudden onset symptoms including frequent vomiting and nausea, severe weight loss, and limping as my legs no longer worked properly. It bothered her that we couldn't party and do all the things she wanted to do. Also, Sarah transitioned from male to female in the middle of our relationship and I welcomed it with open arms because I loved her. I went to clubs with her even though I was disabled and tried to make sure she felt loved and supported as much as possible.
Sarah however, would never return the favor. She would often become cold and distant when I was sick and once even left me on the cold floor of a hotel covered in my own vomit and urine. I begged her to call an ambulance and she turned around and pretended to sleep. When I was finally able to get the strength to get off the ground 7 hours later, I called myself an Uber to the hospital. It turned out that I had a stomach blockage. When I confronted her about this she said she didn't believe that I was ever sick because she "had an ex who lied about having cancer". I showed her official paperwork of multiple diagnoses as a result of this STD. She apologized, told me she believed me, but even then still treated me as though I was still an inconvenience. I felt so embarrassed every time she wanted to go out and party, and I could barely even walk.
There were many instances of verbal abuse as well, often in public places. For example, we went out on a date at a bar once. I had let her know that due to a family emergency, I might take out my phone a few times. The second I take my phone out, she bashed the table, tossed the chair, left a $100 bill on the table and walked out even before the food even came. I was so humiliated and other people asked if I was okay. She apologized after, but that is just one of many instances of this kind of behavior. I am not a perfect human by any means but when I tell you not ONCE did I ever raise my voice at her in the entire relationship... I have a very big fear of confrontation so the way she responded to things caused me to develop panic disorder and symptoms of schizophrenia. I was hospitalized 42 times in one year usually with a BPM over 150 and was admitted to a psych ward. Keep in mind, before I met her I had no prior mental health history. I had a stable job, a healthy body and was never on mental health medications. My only prior relationship of 5 years was also stable and loving but my partner moved across the country so we chose to end things.
The underlying issue was that Sarah was on a cocktail of medications, Antidepressants, anxiety medication, ADHD medication and another drug for mental health which I can't recall. Because of her ADHD, she would sometimes forget to pick up her medications. At the same time, she was experimenting with different medications and dosages (under doctor supervision). This meant she was always on a different combination of psychiatric medications throughout out relationship. Her mood was really unpredictable and I never knew when she would snap. For example, we had just went to ikea that day and everything was great. We had a fun time installing curtains in her new apartment. I would sometimes suffer from really bad brain fog from the antibiotics and panic attack meds I was always on. Well apparently I didn't realize I made a face after she asked me to pass her something, which caused her to yell "Stop making that stupid fucking face I cant stand it". Then she proceeded to mock me...
She would also go through my phone behind my back, accusing me of cheating when I would never do such a thing and there was nothing to even possibly HINT at the thought. She said she did this because her "exes all cheated". Even though she would always go to gay bars alone wearing nothing but lingerie. And I never bothered her once about it. I didn't want to interfere with her freedom of expression. She was finding her new identity (transitioning from male to female)
After 4 long years she broke up with me in public after I coincidentally bumped into her at a bar when our mutual friend and I went out for drinks. Sarah was talking to other girls but I was just so happy to see her and ran to give her a hug. But she seemed upset that I had ruined her day. She went on a rant for 20 minutes about how she can't stand me always being sick and said she fell out of love with me a few months back but didn't want to tell me. She told me soulmates don't exist (I never said they did), how I am "not special" (never said I was) and she could "find someone tonight if she wanted to".
The panic attack I had from her yelling at me so much in public was so bad that I started puking blood. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and after she never checked up on me. Instead I woke up in the hospital the next day to see that she started following hundreds of plus sized porn stars and sharing their posts. After causing me to drop to 91 lbs at 5'8".
After that I blocked her on all social medias. I had also blocked her number. One day about 6 months after the breakup I received a voicemail from her from another number. She said it was an emergency and was crying so I called her back. She told me how her hamster died because she forgot to feed her and was crying and blaming her ADHD saying she basically forgot the hamster existed. This turned into a long conversation about her apologizing, her feeling lonely because no one wants to date her. She moved across the country and I made it very clear, I had not even the slightest interest in getting back with her.
She said she cared about me as a friend and missed the friendship we had. I agreed to remain friends but only unblocked her on Instagram. She then started sharing with me intimate details of her sex life with strangers and other people she would meet at bars. It seemed like every conversation would turn into her sending me memes about sucking off trans girls and trans penises. Then she would tell me how she was good at sucking dick and would only top people. Then it progressed into telling me how trans girls anuses felt better than vaginas and that was really the last straw for me. I had told her numerous times this made me uncomfortable. She said she was just sharing information that she shares with all her female friends and made me seem unreasonable for not wanting to discuss her sex life. Especially when she knew I was dealing with a death in the family at the same time. And I'm not just a female friend, I pictured myself at one point spending my life with her. Why do I want to picture her sucking dick and what her partner's penises look like?
I make it clear that she has a very bad issue with respecting boundaries and I block her instagram. About 3 weeks later, she makes a new account with the same picture and almost the same name. She likes my posts and all my stories. I go to the page to check the account because I was confused as I thought I blocked her already. As soon as she liked my posts with this alt account, she uploads photos of her making out with other people and talks about how good dick is. Was this behavior intentional or am I just looking too hard into things? I just can't understand what I did to deserve any of this...

I have been going out clubbing on girls night about once a month, and it morphed into me sitting on the couch while my friends flirted and made out with guys. I would talk to the 'spare' guy, but absolutely no flirting, kissing or touching.
I know two of the girls in the group from uni, and the rest of the girls are friends of friends. We would go clubbing (where I live has quite the night life, and my city is a bit of a tourist destination, so it's always busy), have a few drinks and dance, then head home. The last few times I went with them (I usually only go once a month, but most of them seem to go every week, or even twice a week), my friends have been meeting guys rather than just dancing, and then going back to someone's place to flirt and make out. One of the group, who I have dubbed Barracuda (she honestly scares me and totally gives off that vibe) lives with her bf, but when he was away for work was when the girls would invite guys back to her house. Barracuda has been doing a lot of flirting with the guys who come back with our group, and more than once she has gone to one of the bedrooms with a guy for an hour or so. I'm honestly a bit naive and always assume the best of people, but even I'm guessing she has cheated on her boyfriend. She doesn't kiss or make out with anyone in the public areas of the house where I can see, but what else would they be doing in a bedroom for that long?
It gets a little worse. My girl friends never wanted me to bring along my fiancé, because he'll "cramp their style" for what's basically become making out with guys. I get pretty bored sitting around waiting for my friends to finish flirting or kissing these guys, so I would sometimes sit and talk with the 'spare' guy who wasn't paired up with one of my friends. I felt super guilty about hanging out with these guys when my fiancé is waiting for me at home, but I also feel guilty about leaving these guys sitting there waiting on their friends. I never flirt or touch them or kiss them, but the thought of my handsome, kind, generous fiancé sitting at home while I'm chatting to guys had me twisted up with guilt. I don't know exactly how I got into this situation, but my fiancé has gently pointed out to me a couple of times that I can be a bit of a people pleaser, so there's that. 🥲
So based on many comments on my first two posts, and some hard thought on my end, I decided to claim I was busy (not hard since we are part-way through my exam block for uni) and not attend the next girls night, until I could figure out how to tell my fiancé what was going on. In my last two posts, I got some good advice on how to broach the topic, so I was just figuring out the best one to suit me.
I told my fiancé that I wasn't going out for girl's night this weekend because some of the girls made me uncomfortable, but he just nodded and didn't say anything, staring off into the distance. I was kinda bummed because I was hoping that would prompt some questions which would lead to a conversation in a natural way. I tried again by telling him I was cutting contact with the girl group, but he didn't really react to that either.
Frankly, he seemed kind of out of it all week, really distracted and giving short answers, staring off into the distance a lot. He hadn't rejected me when I hugged him or snuggled or kissed, but he never initiated this last week, which isn't normal. I figured he was stressed from work, but his behaviour kinda weirded me out.
Come the night of girls night, I was sitting in the lounge room watching some reality TV (trashy, I know, but I was really on edge and needed a distraction) and idly going through my notes for my upcoming exams. My fiancé had been in his study all day (catching up on work even though it was a Saturday) when he finally emerged. He stopped dead, his expression surprised, and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was waiting for him to finish work so we could spend some time together. He got this really weird expression on his face, and didn't seem to know what to say. I reminded him that I had decided not to go to the girls night out, and had told him earlier in the week. He still didn't seem to know what to say, and didn't ask any questions.
Eventually, he told me that a friend of his needed some help, and he'd be gone a few hours. I asked if he'd like me to come, and I swear his face got an almost terrified expression on it. I told him I could change if he needed me to (I was dressed in some jeans and a t-shirt), but he said it would be best if I didn't get involved. Which was a super weird thing to say, but this week has been super weird all up. He then left, and I took the opportunity to finish writing my thoughts out and prepare for how to tell him. An hour or so after my fiancé left, I started getting weird text messages from a couple of my girl friends. Apparently, Barracudas bf came back in a surprise visit, and caught her red-handed. I got some accusatory text messages asking if I set her up or something. I texted back for more details, but then I think I got blocked.
At first, I thought I was lucky I hadn't been there, but it gets more complicated.
My fiancé came home around midnight, and I rushed to the door to give him a hug and let him know what was going on with my girl friends (at least what I could figure out). But he held me at arms length, which really hurt. I asked what the hell was going on, in a fairly straightforward manner (not usual for me), and he looked startled, but asked me to come with him to the lounge room. We sat down, and he dispassionately told me about Barracudas bf installing a door cam, and figuring out his gf was cheating on him. He'd planned to catch her in the act by pretending to fly to work the day before and stay in a hotel, but he also contacted my fiancé since I was the only other attached girl in the situation. My fiancé planned to turn up and catch me in the act if I was cheating as well.
At this point, I burst into tears because I don't handle confrontation well, and I couldn't get any words out between sobs. I was an absolute mess - this wasn't a couple of tears and glimmering eyes like in the movies. It was an ugly cry with snot and my entire face blotchy. I couldn't explain myself and just shoved the paper I'd been writing my thoughts out on at him while blubbering incoherently.
He found me a box of tissues, and I tried to clean myself up while he read through my somewhat disjointed notes. In the end, he asked me point blank if I had ever cheated on him, and I remember shaking my head vehemently, and trying to deny it through tears. He nodded, saying some of my girl friends there that night has vouched for me, though they seemed convinced I had ratted Barracuda out to her bf. He asked me if I had known what Barracuda was up to, and my tears had subsided enough that I was able to explain that I suspected what she was up to, but hadn't seen anything myself.
He rolled his eyes at that, looking exasperated, and asked me what would anyone think at that point. I started crying again, but managed to get out that I hadn't felt it was any of my business, but that I had wanted to tell him, and that's why I had drafted the notes.
My fiancé raised his voice at this, and started shouting about how he would want to know if he was being cheated on, and people who know about cheating and don't say anything are almost as bad as cheaters. His voice was still loud as he told me he was really angry at my lack of boundaries, and staying there to talk to guys had violated his trust. I was shocked at this point. My normally quietly assertive fiancé was shouting, and I couldn't recall that ever happening before. Sure, we'd had some arguments in three years of dating, but we rarely even raised our voices and always kept things civil. This time, his jaw was clenched and veins were standing out in his neck and forehead. His eyes were wild, and I admit I got this little tingle of attraction that I couldn't explain. I should have felt worried because I'd never seen him so angry, but I still felt totally safe with him.
He calmed himself down pretty quickly, and I thought maybe we'd start sorting things out. But then he looked at me, and it was really sad, combined with some betrayal and a tiny bit of contempt. He'd never looked at me like that before, and suddenly I knew we were NOT okay. I started sobbing again, and he told me he was sleeping in the guest room, and we'd talk more in the morning.
I honestly think I was still in shock and reacting slowly, because before I knew it, my fiancé had collected his pillow and phone charger, and the guest room door was locked. I pounded on the door a bit, and begged him to talk to me, but he ignored me. I eventually went to sleep in our usual bed, wearing his favourite hoodie that smelled like him. In the morning, my fiancé was waiting for me in the kitchen/informal dining area.
He told me that I had broken his trust by hanging out 1-on-1 with guys instead of having him there, and not reporting what was happening in terms of cheating. What really sucks is that he wasn't even a tiny bit wrong. I know that now, and my guilt earlier kinda told me I knew earlier as well. I apologised profusely, saying I would never do anything like that ever again. I asked him what I could do to earn his trust back, and his answer had me flabbergasted. He said I needed to move out, "get my crap together", get some counselling, and build better boundaries. After that, he might be able to trust me again, when he'd seen that I'd made some big changes, but it wasn't an automatic thing, and we might not get back together.
I felt like I was in an alternate universe. I managed to stammer out that I didn't have money for counselling, or enough to pay for food, petrol, and bills, let alone rent. Couldn't I stay here and make it up to him?
He refused, saying I needed to move out on my own and go to counselling. That it would be an important first step in building some proper boundaries. I burst into tears again at this point, and begged him not to break up with me and kick me out, that I loved him and wanted to be with him. He said he loved me too, but it hurt to look at me right now, and he needed space.
It took me a couple of minutes to calm myself down. Once I could talk coherently again, I told him I understood, and wanted to give him that space, but I had nowhere to go. I know there's a worldwide housing crisis, and many fellow Redditors will be familiar with the problem of finding housing. Where I live, it's a common practice to outbid others on rent by simply offering to pay more. Apparently, there's some legislation coming soon to my state to fix that, but it sure ain't here now, and finding affordable housing at short notice is practically impossible. I am also halfway through my exam block (which I've been studying hard for, but still have two exams left), and this was going to be incredibly disruptive to my studies. Honestly, I was trying not to hyperventilate - my fiancé was breaking up with me, I had to move out with zero notice, couldn't think of anywhere to live, I was halfway through super stressful exams for my Masters, and I wouldn't be able to pick up more work shifts with my current study load for at least another week.
My fiancé said he'd organised some short term accommodation for me, and I needed to pack some bags. I was in shock. He walked to the bedroom and pulled out my suitcases as I followed him on autopilot, then we packed almost silently together. It was the most surreal feeling as I watched most of my belongings make their way into my luggage. I realised just how much my fiancé had bought for me over the three years we were together - clothing, shoes, make-up. My phone and laptop had been gifts, as he wanted me to have the best to do well at uni. He'd bought me entire outfits so I could feel beautiful while helping him schmooze at his business parties. My smart watch, that I really only wore at the gym. Some noise cancelling headphones so I could focus on uni assignments and exam prep. He'd even bought me the luggage we were packing in, for a couple of overseas holidays we'd gone on over the years. I managed to sneak his pillow in place of mine, and I was still wearing his hoodie from sleeping in it.
Before I knew it, all my stuff was in the backseat of my little hatchback, and he took one look at me and said he'd drive me to the temporary accommodation. He gently pushed me in the passenger side and did up my seatbelt, then got in the driver's side and started driving. He drove north a few suburbs, getting closer to my university, and pulled into some underground parking for high rise apartment buildings. He parked, we got some of my luggage out, and took the lift without saying a word. I was still trying to process everything, but suddenly realised I was about to lose my perfect fiancé over stupidly keeping my mouth shut when I shouldn't have. I managed to get my arms around him, and clung on like a baby koala and wouldn't let go. I was blubbering that I loved him and would do anything, even wearing all the lingerie he had bought for me. 🫣 He was blushing at that, but managed to push my luggage out of the lift, and then lumbered down the hallway with me clinging on him with both my arms and legs wrapped around him. A family with young children was coming out of their apartment and saw us, watching shocked as I clung to him, blubbering and making wild promises of all the things I would do to him in bed, as he tried to open the door to my temporary accommodation. He got it open, and then the husband of the little family helped him get all the luggage from the lift and inside the door as I continued crying and begging him not to break up with me. He thanked the man, then got the door closed, and waddled with me into the bedroom. We flopped back onto the bed together, and I started kissing his neck and giving the little nibbles he likes on his neck and ears, although the effect was kinda ruined as I'd been crying a lot, and was snotty again at this point. He got me some tissues from the night-stand next to the bed, and I cleaned up, but still had my legs locked around his waist. He managed to disentangle me, then stood up. I was about to grab him again, but his face was kinda cold, and I shrank back, feeling humiliated.
He asked for the engagement ring back, and the waterworks started again as I struggled to get the ring off my finger with shaking hands. I managed it, then threw it at him in a pique of anger. That beautiful diamond and white gold ring hit him in the chest, but he just caught it on the rebound, and it didn't even hurt the heartless man at all. He said he'd text me all the details I'd need for where I'm now staying, and that I should reach out to my work to see if I could get more shifts to make ends meet. I was just getting angry at this point, and told him to get lost. And with that, he left, the door banging shut behind him.
It's mid-afternoon, and so much has gone down in such a short time. The entire course of my life has changed in what amounted to one evening and a morning. Less than 24 hours. I'm sitting on the tiny balcony that this one bedroom apartment has, huddled in my ex-fiancé's hoodie to keep warm from the stiff sea breeze, about ten floors up and looking out at the blue-grey sea. True to his word, he texted me the address of where I'm staying, details on how to pay the rent and bills (he was careful to say twice that I didn't need to pay any rent for the next two weeks due to my studies), details on the included parking space and the code for the parking lot gate. He must have got all this ready during the week leading up the night I'm now referring to as 'Operation Barracuda'. No wonder he was standoffish.
Ugh, I can't start crying again. My eyes hurt, but my heart hurts more. I just completely blew up my life with some lies of omission, and destroyed my ex-fiancé's trust in me. At least I have a counselling session to look forward to. He texted me the details of my first session, which he carefully booked around my uni classes and exams. He said the first dozen sessions are already paid for. He's broken up with me, but still looking after me. Dammit, I'm crying again.
So, Reddit, is it really over with my ex-fiancé? Is there anything I can do to get back together with him, or is it truly over? I know I need to focus on my studies, especially since I'm partway through my exam block, and I need to pick up a lot more work shifts when my vacay starts in mid-June. I have counselling lined up. What else should I be focused on? What pieces of my life do I try and pick up? Do you think there's anything constructive I can do with my ex-fiancé?
TL;DR I had been going out clubbing on girls night about once a month, and it morphed into me sitting on the couch while my friends flirted and made out with guys. I would talk to the 'spare' guy, but absolutely no flirting, kissing or touching. My fiancé found out from another girls bf, who was being cheated on. I had hesitated to tell my fiancé about it, as I had previously felt it wasn't any of my business. I had plans to tell my fiancé, but he found out first, felt I had poor boundaries, then broke up with me and kicked me out with less than a day's notice.

There's a literal genocide going on in the Gaza strip and the West is supporting it. Thousands of children dead. Millions forced to abandon their homes and flee. Indiscriminate aerial bombings of civilian settlements. There's literally videos of IDF soldiers using civilians as human shields. And the US government is trying to push all of this under the rug. You know those fact check blue boxes that appear under videos about controversial topics? If you click on a two-hour-long, explicit, detailed, well-researches video essay, you're gonna see a link to the wiki page for the Holocaust. The video wasn't even antisemitic in any way and explicitly denounced the Holocaust and was anti-violence and anti-war, but it's denouncing Israel so we gotta remind everyone that the Holocaust happened right? While a two-minute brief oversimplification of events that literally says in the first 10 seconds "we'll make it simple for you so you can understand it" gets a disclaimer like "this channel is a professional media organization". The video literally admits to oversimplification in the first ten seconds, and YouTube FUCKING ENDORSES IT!!! I honestly would be on top of the world if I saw genuinely well thought-out arguments defending the position that maybe the IDF isn't committing war crimes on a daily basis, because, you know, that would imply war crimes aren't being committed in Gaza, which would genuinely make me cry in joy and relief. But no, it's all appeals to the same old propaganda. Jews are the good guys, and you aren't allowed to criticize them because the Holocaust. How the Holocaust happening diminishes Israel's responsibility for adhering to international law is beyond me, but Jews went through the Holocaust so you aren't allowed to criticize Israel. Thankfully nobody states it as explicitly as I'm writing it out here, but that's the narrative that's being pushed. And like, I've seen CNN, a supposedly leftist news outlet, platforming war crime apologism. Literally stuff like "there's bound to be casualties in war" and "the IDF is being more careful than any other army". Careful my ass, they're literally terror bombing Gaza. Very careful indeed. It's absolutely horrifying. Israel is literally massacring palestinians and committing war crimes left and right, and the world's strongest superpower is covering their shit up and supplying them with weapons. Defenders of Democracy my ass, fucking hypocrites. Why does it have to be like this? Who benefits from this all? Oil billionaires? The fossil fuel industry? Maybe the US has some other political goals in the Middle East I'm unaware of? No matter what the goal, slaughtering children is absolutely inexcusable, i cant find words strong enough to express how appalled I am. Thousands of children dead, millions lost their homes, and for what? Because the cogs of the capitalism machine need to keep turning? Because the US benefits from the current international status quo? Why? Just why? Who in their right mind could enable the slaughtering of children and then sleep well at night? Do you realize what kinds of people run our society? Hell, the far right might be correct on one point: the West sure has fallen. Or more accurately, it was never good to begin with.
It's not just the Israel-Palestine conflict either. Do you realize how many more Ukrainians would now be dead if we weren't supporting them with equipment? People sometimes bring up the number civilian casualties in order to compare the two conflicts, but that's a bit inaccurate. Thankfully Ukraine is supported by both the EU and the US, and our contributions of weapons and humanitarian aid have somewhat limited the impact of the war. It's just as brutal as the Palestine war though, just we're doing a lot more to relieve the resulting humanitarian catastrophe.
If we're doing war like this now, can you imagine how horrible it was in the past? This is supposedly our strongest point in history and we're more moral than ever before, but we're doing all this? Meaning that if we go back in history it just gets worse and worse? The Holocaust, the Gulags, all the atrocities of the Ottoman empire, slavery in general and the slave trade, the Native America genocide, and all of those took place less than 500 years ago? Imagine just how much worse it gets if we go even further back. This race is irredeemable and I have no idea what to do. How do I ever go and just live in a world like this? Zionism must be stopped, Putin must be stopped. We need to start thinking about Korea. Both Koreas are heavily militarized, but North Korea also has dictatorship and oppression and all the things soviets did. China is getting much worse too. There's just so much pointless suffering in the world. Why can't we just all be friends? Is that seriously too much to ask? Treating people with respect, upholding their dignity and protecting them from the atrocities of our own making is too much to ask?
Yes, it is too much to ask. Because, you see, the people in power are fighting over influence, and a few lives here and there is a worthy sacrifice. They're trading people's lives for power. Literally, they're trading people's lives for power. And there's nothing we can do about it. How do I ever go on in a world so cold? Is there really no other way. It's all just so hopeless. Nothing makes sense anymore. Why go on living like this? What's the point? Aren't we supposed to be good and nice and kind to each other? What kind of world have we created for ourselves?! I guess I'm asking tok much right now. I hope we manage to change this world into something better, together, as a team, all of us together like friends! There's gotta be something we can do, I refuse to believe that this world is inherently evil. I guess I'll have to think about ways to improve the current situation huh? I'll probably come up with something, eventually. This has basically turned into an intangible mess and I honestly don't know what use there is in posting it, but oh well. If you somehow managed to make it through all my rambling, then I thank you for your patience, and I also plead with you: be kind to others. Please, please be kind to others. The world is horrible enough to begin with, there's no need to increase the suffering even further. So please, be kind to others.

This thread will be posted by the automoderator every 48 hours at 6:00 PM PST.
Hi all,
This thread will attempt to limit the amount of low-effort posts we get in the subreddit. Yes, we all started somewhere at some point, and being new can be difficult and scary, but that is no excuse to not do any research and think that every question that pops into your head warrants a brand new post.
This post will initially be made by me, but will subsequently become a recurring automoderator thread.
Most questions can usually be answered with the following guides:
Basic, Commonly Used Replica Terms Defined (QC, GL, RL, Batch Names, Batch Tiering, etc)

Agent Basics

"I have never used an agent - how do I learn?"
In the current landscape, it is difficult to recommend any agents. Once an agent arises that seems trustworthy and efficient, a How-To Guide may be written. At this time, this group does not have a How-To Guide for agent purchases.
"How can I order this pair? The website (Weidian/Taobao) is in Chinese."
Web Browser's such as Apple's Safari or Google Chrome have built-in translation features that you can use to translate the page. Additionally, copy-pasting the link into an agent website translates the page for you.
"W2C?" "Do you have a link?"
I see these comments underneath posts at least daily, and I fear those of you commenting these things will not read this post either. All QC posts are mandated to have W2C links. All W2C links are either in the caption of the photos or in the comments section. Please check these two areas before posting "W2C?"
"I don't know what size to purchase"
If you've never ordered from an agent, you may not have ever referenced European sizing. Weidian listings are most commonly listed in EU sizing. I am a US 8.5, and that is an EU 42. Convert from your US or UK size to find the appropriate size! There are multiple size charts online, but the one I use myself is this one from N1k3.
In my experience, most shoes and batches are true to size, or at least fit like their retail counterparts. Order whatever size typically works for you in that silhouette. If it's your first time buying a certain silhouette, you can ask for insole measurements, though this isn't something I typically do.
"Wait - but X Middleman in another subreddit charges double the price for these! Am I being scammed by purchasing of Weidian?"
No, you are not being scammed. In short, middlemen do not produce pairs - they source them from the same places Weidian sellers do. Middlemen mark up the price as they are profiting off of user laziness and desire for maximum convenience, as well as providing usually faster UPS/FedEx shipping (a ~$55 value to the US). Some middlemen will lie and say Weidian is scamming you - this is not true. These sellers are simply trying to instill fear in ignorant, usually newer rep buyers in order to maintain business. These sellers also usually pay off other group moderators in order to be given the "trusted seller" status. This status was not earned, but bought. Keep this in mind when perusing other subreddits with weaker moderation.
As stated in my guide, batch is what matters, not seller. If you buy the same batch from a middleman as an agent, it will be the same exact quality. Please do not discuss overpriced middlemen from other groups here as that is against subreddit rules. Please try to do your own research on any outside information prior to bringing it into this subreddit as it may be unreliable. The only discussion regarding direct shipping allowed in the group is for Weidian sellers in the community as they offer the most competitive prices and have maintained a good reputation.
"I bought a pair in another subreddit from a middleman and want to know what they sent me! Can I post here asking for the batch identity?"
That is unfortunate that you purchased from a seller in another subreddit where sellers are not upheld to standards for transparency and putting the seller first. This group was not made to be a crutch to these other subreddits. We here encourage you to purchase from sellers who have gained their reputations organically, and who will be held to consequences if they breach that trust. You are welcome to post in other groups asking for batch identities, though that is not allowed here in order to maintain our ecosystem and not help maintain other, shadier subreddits.
"But middlemen said that if I use an agent, I can't get QC pictures or RL pairs?"
This is false and again, an attempt to keep your business and keep you from saving money. You can see all of the QC pictures in this group. Being able to GL or RL pairs depends on the listing. Certain sale listings or B-Grade listings are non-refundable, so you will get QC pictures, but you won't be able to return them except for severe circumstances (seller sent wrong shoe, seller sent wrong size).
"What is a B-Grade pair? How do they differ from regular products?"
B Grades or B Versions have imperfections that prevent the pairs from being sold at regular price - it’s impossible to know what imperfections will be present, though typically for top-tier batches, the imperfections are relatively minor. The flaws can range from scuffs to loose stitching, differences in tumbling to wrinkled leather. Sometimes, but not always, do the sellers state what types of flaws to expect on the pairs. I typically avoid any pairs where the sellers warn about mold, as that is not something I want to deal with or put on my feet.
"Well, do you recommend B-Grade products poncecatchemall?"
If you can’t tolerate minor flaws, do not purchase. These pairs are typically non-refundable. If you’re willing to compromise minor flaws that you’ll likely acquire rapidly anyway from wearing your shoe, pick the B-Grade pairs up and enjoy the discounted price - I personally recommend B products from top batches as I’m not bothered by imperfections that quickly come from wear.

QC Questions

"Which post flair should I use, Agent or DIRECT, and which price range should I select?"
Because the group will temporarily allow direct shipping from our Weidian sellers, QC Post Flairs were split for each price range into Agent Purchases and Direct Shipping Purchases. Please use the appropriate flair for how you purchased the item.

If you are purchasing through an agent, use the QC Post Flair that captures the price of the shoe on the Weidian Listing. For example, a 470¥ pair of GX Batch Jordan 4s would use the Agent QC 400¥ - 499¥ flair.
If you are purchasing the same GX Batch Jordan 4s pair directly from a Weidian seller, without an agent, you should use the DIRECT QC post flair that captures the total price (including direct shipping). If that GX Batch Jordan 4 pair comes out to $119 shipped, or 861¥ (470¥ + 390¥ Direct Shipping), you should use the DIRECT QC 800¥-899¥ post flair.

Using the appropriate flair helps keep the group organized (good for me) and more importantly, places prices in the direct view of all buyers in order to compare prices across sellers and ensure that no one seller is price gouging anybody (good for the community).
"Can I post screenshots of my QC pictures instead of downloading the pictures and posting the actual QC pictures?"
No. Posting screenshots of the QC photos reduces the picture resolution and makes actually providing any accurate QCs much more difficult. On your agent site, download the QC photos the agent has provided. Users should post the actual QC pictures with the appropriate title format.
"Wow, the pair I ordered using an agent looks like the colors are all off - why is that?"
Warehouse lighting is terrible and often distorts colors. You cannot QC color shades or saturations through warehouse lighting QC pics. Either 1) ask for natural lighting pictures (though not all agents do this) or 2) look up in-hand pictures of the batch you are purchasing, as in-hand pictures typically have better lighting. The latter tends to be easier unless it is a brand new batch on the market. Remember, colors typically do not vary within a batch. For example, all LJR TS1 Highs have a yellow midsole, and that does not change from pair to pair unless the batch is updated. The midsoles might picture differently among different agents or purchases, but they'll all look the same in person.
"I think I may have been bait and switched - what should I do?"
If you post asking if a pair you received is not what you purchased, your post must include specific reasoning as to why you believe that is so.
Acceptable reasoning includes specific characteristics of the shoe (leather cuts, wings logo placement, colors, etc) that differ from known pairs, different production dates from known pairs, sellers with confirmed recent history of bait and switch, etc. The most important part is to include some sort of reasoning. Posts without reasoning will be deleted, as these posts are typically made from newer members to the replica community, and the posts lead to unnecessary fearmongering and damage to seller reputations.
Please order a QC picture of the size tag so that we can see the production dates. Production dates on size tags can help rule out a batch identity. However, matching size tags does not guarantee a batch identity and requires some additional information. I order size tag pictures by asking my agent for additional "Detailed Photos" with the following statement in the request comment: "Complete picture of inner white size tag clearly showing both production dates."
"There are so many differing opinions! I don't know who to listen to. What do I do?
Being new in the rep game is hard - it is difficult to know who is a credible commenter, and who is not. For this reason, certain members in repweidiansneakers have been given User Flairs to distinguish them from the crowd as reputable, knowledgeable members of the community. They have earned their flairs, and if there are conflicting opinions on a QC, I personally would give their opinion more weight.
"What is the best batch for X shoe?"
Oftentimes, and especially for very popular shoes, these questions have already been asked and discussed in detail. Recommendations for navigating this are:

Check poncecatchemall's batch guide if available
If the shoe isn't listed on there, utilize the group's search bar to search for the shoe in question to look at QCs. You can also utilize the group's search bar to search by the Rep vs Retail Flair in order to see comparisons of batches on the market.
You can also check the comments history of any of the group experts to see if they've discussed these shoes in the past.

These 3 methods answer most questions. Please do some research prior to making a new post.

Shipping Questions

"How much will it be to ship X amount of shoes using an agent?"
There are often too many variables to give a blanket answer. Which agent? Shipping to which country? Using which shipping method? The most optimal way to use an agent in terms of cost is to make a haul of at least 4kg in my opinion, which is about 3-4 pairs of shoes. Previously, I myself typically shipped out 8kg-10kg hauls using my agent through GD-EMS, the haul typically arrives in 2 weeks, and the shipping cost per shoe is usually around $30.
"How much should I declare for the value of my package for Customs?"
This varies by country. For the US, I declare $12/kg. For 10kg hauls, I thus declare $120. Other countries have different guidelines. Hopefully members from different countries can state what they declare for their hauls per kg in the comments.
"Is my package seized?"
Does your tracking say your package has been seized? If yes, then yes, your package has been seized. If no, then no, your package has not been seized. Patience is a virtue and is the name of the game. Read your tracking information. Whatever it says is what the current status of the package is. That is the purpose of tracking information.
"But my tracking information hasn't updated in 3 days? Should I panic?"
No. Again, patience is key.
"Should I post a generic picture of my boxed haul about to ship out with a corny caption?"
No.

Miscellaneous

"Wow I saw a hilarious meme on another subreddit, can I post it here?"
No. Please keep the low-quality spam in other groups. Posting memes, "Fire up the rep machines" posts, or anything similar will result in a 14-day temporary ban from the group.
"I threw together a list of low-quality items in a spreadsheet and called it THE ULTIMATE FINDS LIST, just trying to get people to use my affiliate link for an agent - can I post it?"
Do not spam the group with low-quality "finds" spreadsheets. The majority of you doing this don't even know how to QC or make solid, informed recommendations. If you actually have good recommendations, I will make an exception. However, the majority of your "1:1 spreadsheets" are terrible, and thus are not allowed in this group.

I've read a lot of comments here that hate on Trump, pretty typical of Reddit mind you, and I'd like to say this post is for sharing my experience only. I don't care why you want to leave the US, if anything Trump haters leaving the US would make me more willing to move back. So, please leave, just don't come to where I'm living.
Now, about 1 year ago I moved to Japan on a study abroad with the intention of using that as a launchpad into getting a full residence work permit in Japan for a highly paying (by Japanese standards, anyway) international company. I succeeded in that endeavor as soon as I finished my study abroad, which I didn't realize was statistically exceedingly rare for someone in my situation, but it has worked for the best for me all the same.
The most difficult part for me was switching from my student status to a work permit, which involved going back for graduation from university to move the things I couldn't bring with me on my first semi-temporary move such as my giant PC, TV and sound set into my checked luggage (all of which survived ANA by the way, highly recommend that airline). After that, I had to come back to Japan on a re-entry permission, go to immigration and pick up my new residence card which wasn't possible until my undergraduate degree was officially "conferred" upon me. So I waited around until I was able to do that and successfully picked up my new residence card which activated my new visa status.
In all of this time back home I rented a storage place a block from my house pre-paid for two years for about $1250 and applied for my pistol and semi-automatic rifle permits in New York before I left. The fact that I was claiming to be a "part-time resident" definitely sussed them out, but they allowed the application because I told them if I ever move back full-time I don't want to be waiting around to take possession of my firearms in NY again. Ideally, if I were to move back at all I'd go to Arizona or someplace to own NFA guns instead, but the permit was useful regardless since I visit family there at least once annually now.
Life in Japan has been great, I got to know all of the top government, NPO, business owners and foreign lawyers in Tokyo; my home in based in Tokyo so I get to benefit from JR and Tokyo Metro's extensive railway system, work even pays for my commuter pass (I live intentionally far away from the office which extends its use case and pays for my bus commute to the station which in turn gives me access to the whole bus line) and I live not too far away from Tokyo DisneyLand being on the eastern side of Tokyo.
Everything here is still fairly cheap, I do need to buy a bike and I'm still working on converting my NYS driver's license over to a Japanese license, but I've been able to use my IDP once while I was moving my belongings over to my new apartment across Tokyo. My social life has also been fairly healthy compared to most new expats, dating is a little rough but other than that there is no lack of friends.\
So why did I leave? I had credible-enough threats of violence waged against me back home, and I didn't even recognize the place in which I've grown up in these past twenty plus years. Additionally, I like Asian culture and living in a country where I'm the minority has definitely made me the protagonist in my own little life's story, that isn't me being facetious either, so much good has happened from this move. I still do occasionally help with US-related things. I work with American commerce abroad, I visit the US military bases on special occasions in which my SOFA status friends invite me over and I volunteer for some US charities here in Japan.
Some tricky things that have arisen are the following:
-I run a business in Japan and hold multiple bank accounts worldwide including HK which has caused for a cluster fuck of a tax situation with the IRS. Unless, of course, I want to get my U.S. Passport revoked and be de facto stateless abroad (technically an Italian citizen by descent too but that process is taking forever) I have to put up with this shit.
-Renewals of my NY pistol permit aren't friendly to majority-year non-resident citizens. I lived downstate which results in me not having to just recertify with the state every 5 years for a "lifetime" license, but do a full renewal every 3 years with the local PD. This is pretty simple with a VPN and a credit card by just paying online, but I cannot upgrade to full concealed carry yet until the state rids of the training requirement or clarifies that it is only required to be done once, something neither the state nor the courts have yet done. I'm in no hurry because with the sensitive locations clause, every CCW is effectively just a glorified premises permit.
-Renewal of DL not an issue when renewing online with a credit card again, but every 15 or 20 years I need to submit a new photograph to the DMV and every 8 years since its a REAL ID I need to get my vision checked in NY.
-I apply for a lot of credit cards (over 20 at this point) to churn their SUBs which help fund me flying ANA and JAL in first and business class between JFK and HND. Sometimes, these issuers (aside from Amex) after uncooperative with me having a overseas address which means I need to phone up my parents to receive the card for me and for me to figure out how I am to use it contactlessly so I can meet minimum spend and get my next free flight home.
-I always have to say "I intend to return" on UOCAVA application forms, otherwise I can only vote in federal elections. I still voted in my local school board/budget elections when I last visited so I could write in all of the candidates and vote no on all of the budget proposals. Why would I want to give that up when I can legally say I "returned" so therefore had an intention to at some point in the course of human history? :>
-The biggest issue: my family is getting older and it's not too unlikely that my grandparents could die and I would not necessarily be able to take the time off to visit their funerals. Hopefully, this doesn't happen for quite some time.
Would I move back?
Well, no, not permanently. After I get permanent residency here I may see if I can't go work in the Midwest while on a re-entry permit for a while or look to Hong Kong/Singapore/Shenzhen/Shanghai to expand my cross-cultural lifestyle, but I have no urge to return to the US. Something people who never leave the US will say a lot is the US is the freest, greatest country in the world. I can't agree that it is the freest, but I can agree it is the greatest in the sense I can't go anywhere besides perhaps Russia, China or Afghanistan and other obscure countries to get away from the US' economic pull. Every time I go to open a bank account, brokerage account or make a big purchase or sale the US tax authorities always get involved somehow. We can seriously thank Obama for that one.
And lastly, would I ever renounce my US citizenship?
No, never. Not officially at least. If I happened to become de facto stateless as a political dissident or for tax reasons, etc. I still wouldn't give it up for Japanese nationality because Japanese nationality would cause me to lose Italian/EU nationality as well and my children could never benefit from all that comes with no immigration controls in the US for school and work in the future. If I ever needed to yeet out of Japan in the event of a national emergency like the Fukushima disaster, I would lose that ability immediately. And I would lose my US voting rights. Lastly, renunciation results in a disqualification to ever own a firearm in the US again, not sure how constitutional that remains to be.
I've heard of stories in which some Americans left for Japan, naturalized as Japanese citizens and somehow found their way back in the USA later in life as non-citizens. I know how shit the US legal immigration system is and I never want to voluntarily put myself through that where it is avoidable. The Japanese immigration system while strict and murky in some ways, is pretty understanding of individual circumstances by comparison.

Cuba has been transitioning from state-owned enterprises to more decentralised businesses, ie worker cooperatives, in recent years. WCs are democratically run and managed by their workers and profit is shared among them. According to the empirical literature, WCs match or exceed productivity levels of conventional firms, as well as increase worker participation and satisfaction, and retain wealth within the communities they operate. Multiple meta-analysis studies finds that worker ownership, participation, and profit sharing are all positively associated with productivity. If Cuba continues this transition, they will create a foundation for significant growth in their economy.
Emilia-Romagna, one of the heaviest cooperative economies in the world, is an example of a wealthy and high-income area that was once in ruin in the aftermath of World War II. Much of it had been bombed by Allied Forces, including Emilia-Romagna's capital city of Bologna. After the war, the fragmented cooperative movement which had been subject to violence and suppression by the previous Fascist regime came together and reestablished their organisations. Within a few decades, the region had transformed into one of the wealthiest regions in Europe, and today its GDP is 36% higher than the EU average. It boasts some of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, and has one of the highest indexes of social cohesion in the world while having significantly low rates of inequality. A study found that the more cooperative Italian regions were associated with economic resilience in employment, and that it provides a comparative advantage in promoting and preserving prosperity. Cooperative regions tend to see lower unemployment rates, especially during recessions. Emilia-Romagna's cooperatives play a significant role in its prosperity and economic resilience, allowing people to democratically participate in the economy, and retaining profit through its reinvestment into businesses rather than enriching a few shareholders.
Other heavy cooperative regions such as Lombardia to the north of Emilia-Romagna, and the Basque Country, also display economic resilience and prosperity. I believe Cuba's economy will see significant growth as long as it continues to transition to more decentralised, participatory, and democratic forms of enterprise.

If you can prevent it, do not rent from these greedy and shady assholes. This is a long post, but I want to share my experience and warn other renters out there about this place.
I needed somewhere to rent quickly, and in the city which I was moving to, the options were very slim. I have rented from several places and Kading Properties has been the shadiest and greediest BY FAR and I want other Iowans to be aware and not get taken advantage of.
I applied, paid the $45 non-refundable application fee. I was contacted via text and told a unit was available and asked if I would like to move forward with signing a lease. I wasn't offered to see the place first, which I thought was odd, but again I needed to rent somewhere quickly so I let that slide and replied that I would like to, yes. After accepting to move forward, I got a text that the unit was actually not available, the tenant decided to stay, and the offer was rescinded. You decide the kind of business practice/ethic it is to offer a unit to someone that isn't going to be readily available. They offered to either let me move into a unit in a different city (um, what?) or keep me on a waiting list. Again, I needed a place and slim pickings, so wtf choice did I really have? Be homeless? Sure, put me on your waiting list.
Surprisingly I was contacted a few days later and told another unit was available. After making sure that this unit was truly available, I moved forward with signing the lease. I read through the lease, thoroughly. I provided the proof they required of utilities being set-up in my name and trash service. What follows is really what gets under my skin about these shady fuckers.
I had to hook up everything prior to my move in date, meaning the trash receptacle was delivered and placed outside the garage. I kept it out there because everywhere else I've rented from, the trash receptacle was placed outside, near the garage. I thought literally nothing of it. Fast forward to paying my first month's rent via their online portal and I see a $50 trash bin violation fee. Wtf is this? I call them and get an Indian guy (now I'm convinced that they outsource their customer service because they're cheap) and he tells me that the trash bins need to be pulled into the garage after trash day. I told him I had no idea that was even a thing and asked for it to be waived. He basically said he would waive it this time but threatened that future violations would not be waived. THIS WAS LITERALLY THE FIRST TIME THIS HAD EVER BEEN DISCLOSED TO ME. Who tf does business like that besides shady mother fuckers who want to suck every nickel and dime out of you when you are already paying rent for a place not worth it. I will get back to that point in a minute.
Well fast forward another month and I log in to pay rent and there is another $50 violation fee, this time for non-patio furniture. I had put outdoor benches alongside the garage leading up to my front door. I had been so excited, too, because I had imagined placing planters on them, decorating for christmas, and they were just super cute. But apparently, my outdoor benches weren't "patio furniture" because I called again, got the same Indian guy and this time I'm told about a patio furniture policy and that the property manager marked them as not being allowable outdoor furniture. I asked where tf these policies are because they are not in the lease (I even had a friend read the lease and they didn't see any mention about policies and violation fees or even a hint about them) and again asked for the fee to be waived. This time I'm told about a web page on their website regarding their policies and he suggested I go and visit it. Nice to find this out after basically TWO MONTHS AND TWO VIOLATION FEES later. So this one was also waived, but again threatened future violations would not be. I asked to speak to a manager at this point because I need these policies explained to me, esp if OUTSIDE BENCHES aren't considered outdoor furniture, yet in the video there's huge wicker chairs, tables, and fucking loveseats. Never got a call back.
What's ironic about the whole outdoor furniture violation fee, is that they actually have patio decorating contests and give out gift cards to winners. Glad to see my rent is going to fucking contest gift cards and not into upgrading units because....
...back to the place not being worth the price. Rent was basically $1000/mo and there is no dishwasher, no garbage disposal, no automatic garage opener (my garage didn't even have a handle on it like others, which I asked to have replaced and never was). The water heater sucked -- I had to turn it all the way to the max for the water to be even hot. No central air so no furnace. It was baseboard heating and a one wall-unit AC for the whole place. Didn't come with blinds or curtain rods. If I didn't have my front door locked it would literally blow open on a windy day. I've rented from cheaper places in bigger cities with more amenities than this place offers.
Maintenance? Hardly. You are responsible for any plumbing issues, infestations, and fuck, I could literally go on and on, but I've bitched enough.
STAY AWAY FROM THESE GREEDY AND SHADY FUCKERS!!! DON'T RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE!!!
Oh, and just read about their lawsuit with the city of Indianola, which the city won thankfully. Indianola wins lawsuit filed by Kading Properties over development plan (desmoinesregister.com)
They don't give a shit about community as much as they advertise that they do. I know a lot of landlords/rental companies are greedy, but this place really tops the cake.

AITAH for going through my bfs phone? For some back story. Sorry this will be long.
I 38F and my bf 38M have been together for nearly 3 months. The first month was great, to the point we spent every day either talking on the phone or with each other. my birthday was coming up, a day after a holiday and my boyfriend (I’ll call him Pat for the story). Promised me a weekend I would never forget for my birthday. As we both have come from lots of failed relationships and being cheated on, we both haven’t had the greatest experiences. As the weekend approaches of my birthday, I begin to notice that Pat is being very private with his phone and i saw lots of “interesting” notifications from Snapchat and apps I didn’t know. Which again we’re still new into the relationship, I understand privacy. But he would tell me stories about all his friends and coworkers and what not but when I asked who messaged him or who he’s texting, he would just say a friend and give no information or even a name. So when I had the opportunity I went through Pat’s phone and I understand that is a betrayal of trust. But what I found in there I feel was worse. He had an app called whisper not sure if that’s even a dating app, but between that app, Snapchat, Facebook messenger and others, Pat had been sending sexual messages to multiple women and saving lots of their dirty pictures and sending his own. Granted like none of the women responded, but still. There was also a message on messenger to a friend of his that he has had for years we’ll call her skank and he admitted to having feelings for her at the beginning, but nothing ever came of it. One of the last things he messaged her was, “ I may be shallow, but I think I can get a better looking girl” and he was talking about me. I didn’t know how to feel after seeing all that. I felt lied to, betrayed, ugly, just about every hurt feeling you could. We had a blowout, he cried and begged me not to leave and said he was stupid and he obviously has a problem but he will fix it and it will never happen again. Fast-forward two weeks. I am trying to move past it, but I still have a pit in my stomach, he would show me his phone when I asked, but not actually let me go through it, just scroll fast so my eyes could barely even see what I was looking at. So I decided to check again as proof that he is keeping his word. I was pleasantly surprised that there were no apps, no dirty messages to anyone in Snapchat. No new messages on messenger besides again to Skank. And again Pat’s last message to her again just two days before I looked, and I quote, “I’m sorry, but those are special. And I will only delete them if you ask me to if she can’t deal with some ‘random’ woman’s lingerie pictures. As a man she’s controlling as f***. Why does my best friend have to be so damn gorgeous” I again lost all sense of my thoughts, feeling completely unappreciated and unpretty, and just someone he settling for, because obviously I’m the only one who will give him attention. We spoke again as I cried and freaked out on why he needs to keep her lingerie pictures and why they are so special?!? He said they were a birthday gift. We were not together for his birthday but Skank was and still is in a relationship when she sent them (hence why the name fits). I told him this was unacceptable and if he had just forgotten about the pictures, I probably wouldn’t have cared. But he was actively acknowledging that they were there and it made me so upset that he told her he was keeping them regardless if I found them. After we spoke and cried he blocked her and again promised me he never would do anything again, and how stupid he was and those pictures meant nothing and she means nothing to him. It was just very hurtful. Fast forward to today, about a week again after the second incident. I go through his phone one more time, this time I truly find nothing. Except for one message at about three in the morning to a woman in Israel, where he said hello gorgeous I questioned him about it and supposedly she is just a friend as well as a lesbian, and I didn’t know and jumped to conclusions. Which I feel I have a right to. But he is upset that I continue to go through his phone, I just feel that I need to for a little while more until I feel comfortable enough to trust him again. So AITH for going through my boyfriend’s phone?

Long story shot - British, wife is from Vietnam. EU tourism visa (thanks to the great help from people on this sub) was relatively painless back in Jan. Granted early March through to early June.
We want to go away again in September and time is kind of on our side, because appointments are available with BLS and I'm told waiting time is around 15 days post appointment.
But the website simply doesn't work. Didn't work in January - I rang them, got angry, and they booked an appointment over the phone. Tried the same again as it STILL doesn't work (which thinking about it is probably why appointments are available) and they won't do that anymore. Nothing they can do, and not even really their fault - BLS are simply incompetent.
But as a British citizen with an consulate near me, surely I have some kind of right to walk into the embassy and demand to see someone official? I don't mean breaking any laws (or goodbye wife's UK visa) but surely there's some way I can diplomatically make an official complaint that they are denying us something that is, at best, advertised as available to people in my wife's position, and at worst are infringing on her human rights?
Surely Spain doesn't want to be doing this, and it is just because they chose a company run by sub-human morons who can't do what they have been tasked with doing? VFS are fine, but they don't do Spanish visas.

Hello, you can call me Cap (18, She/They but mainly prefer they). I'm starting a story/role-play heavy fantasy homebrew dnd campaign that will hopefully be long-term. To make this as easy as possible, I created a google form with questions and expectations. There is also questions about what you want in the campaign and what you are uncomfortable with, Fill out the form and I'll reach out if I think you'll be a good fit for the group.
More information surrounding the campaign will be given once accepted. If you find that the campaign doesn't work for you just let me know so I can look for other people to fill the spot. I'll have the form up for a week so even if you see this late still apply because there might still be spaces open. Campaign will be run through discord and roll20.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXSj8f_ahhpddEuLbQoup6ASOAymXFG8zfjUiayxqHJKLPxw/viewform?usp=pp_url

So...I'm in my early 40s and am pondering a career change. I would like to get advice mostly on how to pivot from my field to another field/speciality, so if there are folks here hwo have been through similar things, please share. Thanks in advance! :)
I've been working in the finance sector in EU. My background is a B.Eng. in Computer Science.
I have roughly 10 years of experience and have worked as a:

Project Manager on various projects, from small to big ones (e.g. data center redesign, some security projects, retail projects, large scale SW implementations). Had high autonomy on all of them, and can say that all were completed satisfactory. I know its a bit strange, but cant share more details. Waterfall in case you were wondering. 1st place as the job I enjoyed the most
IT Architecture - involved in IT arch, mainly in shaping the architectural documents and connecting the dots between various systems based on my previous experiences. The role was highly administrative, and even though it maybe sounds cool, it wasnt. But I learned a great deal about the inner workings of a large system and got a good understanding how things work in IT in such a regulated industry within the EU
Team lead - I am currently in charge of a team which focus is primarily on redesign of existing processes and enabling their digitalisation. This is quite interesting, but when you factor in the slowness of such a regulated industry and the levels needed to approve something...well it kills your enthusiasm. 2nd place as the job I enjoyed the most

Also, I'm working parallel as an advisor in an student incubator where I've been an advisor of many startups in the following areas: ideation, product discovery, operations development, communication (pitch) coach...Some of these startups have had good traction, and I've managed to shape a small number of students into young professionals. I've also co-organized several conferences and hackathons. Now for the fun part...I want to leave my jobin the financial sector and turn to new challenges. Since as you can see I'm a generalist (for the most part), I'm having trouble figuring out how to approach this change. The market is crazy (yes in the EU also), and for all my experience, I guess I haven't figured out where to turn next. I was thinking product management, or IT operations in a different company (what would IT operatios be? Any experience here?), or something completely different. But I can't seem to pinpoint it exactly. If there are folks who have worked in banking or consulting in IT sector, you know it encompasses so many things, that wherever you go you will be fine (I've seen this from many people who left) and will be able to manage the workload...
Are there folks here who have similar experiences? How did you go about these things? How did you learn to "sell yourself" to perspective employers? I value all the advice I can get.
Thanks,
home_improv

Hey,
So my gf (28F) and I (24M) have been dating for around a year. Things are going pretty well in our relationship, however this is my first real relationship, whereas she’s had several relationships in the past.
We reside in France, where I’m okay with it but she hates it and got the chance to go back to the USA where she grew up and has built her friend group etc. We earn enough money to have an okay life in France but can’t save as much (40/50k usd more savings per year) compared to the USA for the same role of hers.
She wants to move away to the USA

For Money
Her Friends
less racism faced as an Asian and other cultural differences faced in France

Unfortunately, I might not be able to get a work visa like she did and that’s eating me inside that we may have to do a long-distance relationship.
We’re both very affectionate but personally speaking I miss her so much when she’s not around, and I cannot imagine having to work through years of not seeing each other.
Option A: I go do a masters in the USA with no guarantee that I get a job afterward giving the current market. (I’m a software engineer currently with 3 YOE) with the risk that I go into debt.
Option B: We visit each other 4 times a year and try to make it work with the anxiety of not having each other around.
Option C: She gives up her only chance to go back to the USA and I convince her to move to another EU country.
Option D: We agreed she comes back after 2 years of saving some more money if that’s even an option
Option E: We break up
FWIW she only wants to live there for 3-5 years and then settle down outside of the USA to start a family, however since it’s only been a year neither of us are sure if we’re the “one” for each other and need more time.
I’m just looking for advice from people in similar situations or general advice.
TL;DR: gf wants to move away to USA for more money and I’m worried LDR is too tough on me, and want to hear of similar experiences.

See through lingerie eu

Bikini_Lingerie_Shows

Agent Basics

QC Questions

Shipping Questions

Miscellaneous