CHAPTER 9 – ENTROPY
DATE: MARCH 10th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION) LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
CAPTAIN HENRY O’TOOLE
"Ah, there you are Commander. Your message said there was something you wanted to talk with me about?" Henry asked as his executive officer approached the system map.
“Aye Captain, now's a good a time as any. As you know, the rate of disciplinary incidents has more than tripled in the last two weeks. We've had six fistfights, one near strangling, a few dozen counts of sexual harassment amongst different parties, and a few more incidents of a nature that I would rather not get into for fear of derailing the point of this conversation. I need additional resources to allocate towards ship internal security. With your permission, I'd like to borrow some of our more trusted marines to help the MA's out on their off shifts.” Commander Alvarez asked.
“Yeah, of course, take what you need to nip this in the bud. I can't say I'm entirely surprised; we expected a certain amount of this with the stresses of FTL travel. With everyone cooped up like this, maybe we should brainstorm some new outlets for the crew. Were there any specific incidents I need to get involved with?” Henry replied as he looked up from the list of updates and reports on his own console.
“No, I have it covered. It's just the regs state I need to ask permission to use marines for internal security matters.” The Commander waved it off.
“Excellent, continue to keep me in the loop then. Can I ask you a question?” Henry took the opportunity to ask something that had been bothering him.
“You just did. Hah! Just kidding, put the axe away boy! Now what would you like to know?” He said with a twinkle in his eye.
“I've seen your file, well, the parts that weren’t redacted anyway. If anything, I should be taking your orders! I mean, you're the Space Wolf! Nobody came even close to the number of ships captured or destroyed than you in the early days of the battle for the belt. Why would they want me to be captain when they had someone like you coming along the whole time? Why aren't you a captain anymore? By all right this should be your command, not mine.” Henry asked, after taking one last look around to verify they were still alone around the system map.
Commander Alvarez seemed stunned for a moment before he settled into a more pensive look.
“Listen, son, you're all full of the vigor and high passions of youth. By that I mean you've got a certain fire and aggression in you, yet I've seen you generally keep it balanced by wit and wisdom. You are a perfect match for the job, even if you could use some more real world experience. With some guidance, you'll do just fine, if you can keep strict standards for yourself and crew and a cool head when things get tough."
"I appreciate that, and I will definitely lean on your experience whenever possible. However, you didn't really answer my question... Why aren't you a captain anymore?"
"I... got a lot of damn good men and women killed in an impossible situation when we lost the Michigan-II, and I never truly got over it. No amount of medals, captured enemy ships, or the fact that I've saved many more lives than I lost can make up for that. I finally found peace with that, but that peace required that I relieve myself of any chance of future command. My legacy, for better or worse, is set in stone. Joining this expedition gives me another chance at adjusting the scales without breaking my former vows, even if the only people who will ever know it are here on the voyage with us.”
“So, you claim you have no aims or desires for leadership, but here you are a mere heartbeat away from it.” Henry said, carefully studying his executive officer's every reaction.
“My time for glory is mostly gone, yours is at your feet before you. To the world, I am retired in comfort and isolation. In reality you have me here to help make your will law. You can relax. I already turned down command of this expedition. I was plan A, why do you think they had to scramble to find you? I will take command of this mission only if you are incapable of doing so yourself, Sir. In the meantime, let my experience and whatever wisdom I can offer guide you.”
An emergency alert snapped both of their attention out of their conversation. "There's a fire in one of the officer's cabins?!" Henry’s pulse quickened as he referenced the map to find which one.
“Fuck, it started in Chantal’s room!” Henry said, horrified.
“I've got the CIC under control. Go on and get her out of there, I'll send the cavalry."
“Thank you, Commander.” Henry called back over his shoulder as he rushed for the quick lift.
The officer cabins were the in the very next deck overhead, so he was able to arrive quickly and break into a sprint. The ship shifted as it dodged some antimatter, causing Henry to slip and scramble back to his feet. As he rounded the corner he saw her door was closed and the keypad powered was off. He could hear thumps and muffled screaming from within the room.
"HANG ON CHANTAL, I'M COMING!" Henry shouted in the hope that she could hear him as he pried at the manual override panel.
Two modified Paladin exo-combat armor suits rounded the corner seconds later with a hospitalman trailing behind pushing a medical cart.
"WE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE, SIR." A speaker-amplified voice spoke from behind him.
One of the Paladin suits accessed the manual control override and forced the door open enough for the other suit to reach in and pry it the rest of the way open as smoke plumed into the corridor. The second suit charged into the room with its flood lights on as a water cannon mounted on the right wrist sprayed flame retardant from a pack on its back. The first suit abandoned the door control and entered, emerging moments later with Chantal awake and coughing from inside the darkened door frame. She was quickly ushered into cleaner air, set gently down, wrapped in a blanket, and was quickly attended to by a hospitalman who began to check her vitals.
Relief flooded Henry’s mind as his adrenaline surge broke against the wall of worry he had built up during his mad dash from the CIC.
“Baby you came for me! I thought I was going to die in there." She pulled him into a tight embrace as she wept in cathartic release.
"Of course I did! I couldn't stand to lose you, especially not over something like this. So, what the hell happened in there?"
"Well you know me, I was all burning the midnight oil and then I smelled smoke! Then there were some sparks, the outlet pops then whoosh! My computer station and my desk are all ablaze along with half my notes, then the damned door wouldn't work! I had to drop to the floor under the smoke and pound on the door in hopes that someone would hear me. God, it was horrible... I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." She replied with a deep shudder.
"You're safe now, it's going to be alright."
"I know, but what about my work?" She replied with a forlorn look back at her smoke damaged room.
"What about your work?"
"As you know, I lost a ton of it just now, but what’s worse is I don't even have the ability to recover them! Remember how I lost my backup drive last week? Like, I know I packed it and it is not here anywhere! It’s like some sick cosmic joke on me or something. Sorry! Gotta keep it positive, girl! I get to rethink my last few weeks’ worth of work from scratch... that was almost positive! I probably have most of this recoverable from email sent box backups. Fuck, what do you do if there's no good silver lining?” Chantal bemoaned.
Henry couldn’t help himself but laugh for a second, while his girlfriend stared at him, waiting for a response.
“I’m sorry, is this funny to you or something?”
“No, no of course not. This might be one of those times where the only silver lining is that you're alive. Plus, if anyone can remember and rebuild their notes, you can." Henry smiled down at her.
“Fine, fine, at least I am alive. I was only breathing smoke for a few seconds after all.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Thank you for rushing down here right away anyway, it means a lot. You're amazing, you know.”
Henry smiled, slightly uncomfortable for a moment, so he changed the subject.
“I do my best... Anyway, it seems like these electrical issues seem to be getting worse instead of better. Whatever patch these clowns have slapped on my ship to get her to pass inspection is clearly coming undone. What do you think is going on here?” Henry asked in mild exasperation.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you without digging into the systems myself, which I would rather avoid. My plate is full enough as it is right now, especially having to reproduce so much of my own work now. This ship has kilometers of power cables running throughout it, after all, and you have an entire loyal, capable team down there in electrical, so it should only be a matter of time before they sort it out for you. Let them do their jobs without harassing them too much, please?”
Henry felt a little irked at her for not giving him credit to know not to go overboard, but he stowed it, seeing as she ultimately was right.
“The crew has been under a lot of stress, too, between the technical issues with the lights going out, losing power to workstations, or the constant antimatter threat. More than a few people have tried to convince me to turn us around and return to S33 for a more in-depth refit and repair cycle before we try the mission again. So far, everyone has accepted the fact that we are continuing the mission without much argument, but I fear what may happen if these issues are seen as getting worse. Our orders are clear, though, we must continue the journey.” Henry said, uncomfortable with the implications, even if he didn't dare voice it.
“You should get on the Q-Comm to report the fire to S33. Maybe they will order us back to base after this.” She offered, looking for a solution to an impossible problem.
“Good idea, at least the Q-Comm is still working. It’s incredible to me those particles maintained their entanglement once we passed through the baryonic barrier. That alone has been a huge morale boost, being able to contact home base with no time lag.” Henry replied.
“It’s incredible to you because you only have a basic grasp of the science, hon. But that’s alright, very few people truly understand it. That’s in part what you have me here for anyway. Einstein called the effect spooky action from a distance; I always liked that line.”
Henry ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Chantal, with a shake of his head and a smile.
“Listen, Henry, I just had a crazy stressful experience and I need to unwind. Plus, I haven’t slept in almost a day, so I am bone tired. Let’s go to bed, huh? What do you say doc, am I clear to go?” Chantal asked.
The hospitalman closed her eyes and shook her head before responding. "Yes, you are cleared to rest, and only to rest, do you understand me?"
Chantal mouthed a thank you before she took Henry by the hand and led him off to the captain’s quarters. Henry felt no desire to fight it, nor flaw with her reasoning. Sleep sounded good, really good. Plus, he was about an hour from the start of his sleep shift anyway, and Alvarez had the CIC well covered. The lights flickered again, but Henry very purposefully ignored it.
“Hey, since we have a little time and we are both a little wound up, Why don’t we take a shower together real quick?” She said with genuine enthusiasm and a wink.
“Madam, I like the way you think.” The couple raced just a bit faster than regulations would have liked, and arrived at his door in record speed.
Inside the room they fell upon each other in great passion and need, stripping each other out of their BDU’s and underclothes. Henry tossed a giggling Chantal onto the bed, and proceeded to kiss her neck and nibble on her ear causing her to purr in anticipation before he moved down her chest, past her navel, and then eagerly began to move his kisses in between her thighs.
“Hah…. I haven’t showered. Are you sure? Oooookay! I think…. Hah…. Okay.” She said breathlessly as Henry began to work his tongue until she began to shiver and squirm before she cried out as she melted in his mouth.
“Enough, please, I can’t take it anymore! Just fuck me already!” Chantal pulled herself together enough to beg for it. Henry stood rigid and ready and set himself to granting her request, first slowly, and then with a growing intensity. She once more began to squirm as he paid close attention to her hip’s cues, knowing very well by now what she liked.
As she climaxed again, Henry lifted her from the bed and pushed her up against the wall, and then bent her over his desk for a bit before he could take it no longer and they finished together.
“Holy shit… my legs aren’t gonna work for a bit after that one. Help me up?” Chantal said in between shallow breaths.
“Yes, ma’am. It would be my pleasure.” Henry said as he helped her to her feet and into the shower, staying in longer than was strictly necessary.
Henry left the steam first, once more thankful that his cabin included its own small bathroom, rather than a communal one. Being captain had its perks, after all. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then handed another to Chantal who gratefully accepted it before it dropped to the ground as she stared straight past him.
“Henry!" She squeaked as she pointed past him.
"What?" Henry asked, confused.
"Henry, someone was in here!”
On their bathroom mirror, wiped from the steam were the words TURN BACK.
Henry's blood ran cold and his adrenaline spiked him into overdrive. He waved Chantal back into the shower and put his finger to his lips. She nodded then wrapped herself in her retrieved towel and dropped to the shower floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, whimpering slightly. Henry moved silently along the wall, watching the visible half of his room for any movement. He then burst round the door frame, only to find everything perfectly, precisely as they had left it. The shock of finding nothing collided with the spike of his adrenaline surge, which only fed his growing unease.
“There’s nobody here!” Henry called out after checking the closet, the only other place someone could have hidden.
“Did you lock the door?” Chantal asked, her mind already working on the mystery.
“I set the security protocol to auto lock every time it closes.”
“Paul. We need to talk to Paul.” Chantal said, squeezing her BDU’s up over her hips with a few hops. Henry pulled on his undershirt before tossing over her bra.
“Why would we want to bring that weasel into this?” Henry asked, incredulous at to how he could possibly help.
“Because he has access to the surveillance tapes, why else?”
Henry stared at Chantal, brimming with rage, trying his hardest to keep it isolated to Paul over the invasion of his privacy.
“Did you just say surveillance tapes!?!” Henry asked in an icy tone. “That does it, I’m going to strangle him.” Henry said, moving with a purpose toward the door.
“Stop. Turn around and give me a kiss. I already disabled the video cameras, at least all the ones I could find. He has audio at best, even that I doubt. What he does have that I want is the data from the motion sensor that he had installed just in case you found the more obvious bugs. Unfortunately, I sabotaged its effectiveness by blocking the sensor with dense foam, but there might be enough of something to give us a clue."
“How in the hell do you know about all of this anyway, and why the hell didn’t you tell me?!” Henry roared.
“This entire enterprise is run by an intelligence agency; how can you not have seen that one coming a mile away? I have gotten very good at catching bugs over the years. Just because I expect the invasion of privacy to be happening, doesn’t mean I have to make it easy on them. Just be happy I already took care of the issue, alright?” She replied firmly while staring him in the eyes with raised eyebrows.
“You’re incredible, I love you.” Henry blurted out before he could catch himself. Chantal beamed and tackled him to the bed sitting on his lap.
“What took you so long? Never mind, don’t answer that. I love you too, man have I wanted to say that one for a while now.”
“You know these things aren’t easy for me. I had to be sure, I also didn’t want to mess anything up. We need to be able to work together even if we had turned out to be a bad couple.” Henry admitted, Chantal made an show as she thought it over, but she then smiled and helped Henry to his feet.
“Alright, my captain. You speak great wisdom. While I have certainly felt, and thoroughly enjoyed, the depths of your passion, it is really nice to hear about it too. I do think it makes it all the better that you rule said passion with reason. It’s just one of the many things I love about you.” She said, laying her hand over his heart.
Henry took her other hand and kissed it before replying. “I think above all, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t take you for granted, nor suffer the same in reverse. A wise woman once gave me some great advice there that I have taken to heart.”
“Okay, Romeo, maybe you have a better handle on these things than you think. Now… Let’s go interrogate Paul.” Chantal had a fire in her eyes that Henry was loving very much at that moment.
“I have wanted to turn the screws on that spook for a while now.” Henry smiled as he spoke, and he opened up the connection to the ship’s intranet through his neural implant to send a message.
MEET ME IN YOUR QUARTERS IN 5 MINUTES FOR A DISCUSSION OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE – CPT. O'TOOLE
“That ought to get him there and alone.” Henry smirked. “Let’s go.”
Together, they made their way to Paul’s equivalent-sized quarters, which he had somehow secured for himself in the ship design to help facilitate his role as the official thorn in Henry’s paw. I guess being the captain’s handler has its perks as well. Henry’s eye twitched at the corner.
After making them wait far too long, Paul opened the door and gesturing them inside. The door closed and Paul turned towards them, narrowing his eyes, studying them both.
“Is this about the fire?” Paul asked before Henry punched the weasel right in the diaphragm, forcing him to gasp for air. The look of shock on his face as he bent forwards was priceless.
“What the fuck, Henry!?” Paul managed to choke out after a minute between gasps.
“Relax, I didn’t do any permanent damage, yet.” Henry said, Paul for just a second showed actual fear in his eyes before he sneered in defiance. “Oh? That got your attention, did it? Why were you spying on me?” Henry growled.
Paul closed his eyes, dropped his head, and began to laugh before Henry grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Foolishly, Paul even then kept laughing amidst the gasping. So Henry squeezed until Paul started slapping his arm, looking genuine fear once more growing across his face.
“Orders… I was following orders!” Paul managed to say amidst gasps and coughs.
“I thought it might be something like that. You're going to open up those files, now, and you're going to show me everything.” Henry said, dropping him to his feet at last.
“Fucking hell, Henry, I thought you of all people would have anticipated this was going to be the case. Do you think the people who made this all possible would simply let you fly around the most dangerous, advanced warship in human history without some insurance?”
“Don’t try and weasel out of your own personal culpability here. You may also want to think back to other people who were “only following orders” while performing acts they knew were wrong before you wave that line around like some get out of jail free card.” The fact that he had nothing to say spoke volumes.
“You should have told me, Paul.” Henry growled.
“That defeats the purpose! Plus, your girlfriend sabotaged them all before we ever left S33 anyway, and once more after! That type of tech doesn’t just grow on trees you know, and I don’t have an unlimited supply. You should be thanking me for covering for her and reporting back like things are normal!” Paul shouted in indignation.
“This is pointless, show me the files from around fifteen minutes ago, motion trackers, thermals, anything you have that's not blocked or sabotaged.” Henry commanded. Paul’s eyes narrowed, but after a long moment he huffed and closed his eyes.
Paul then sat down at his station and fired it up.
“Like I said, I've got practically nothing. No video, muffled audio and readings from what I assume to be a faulty motion sensor, that’s it. What are we looking for?”
“Chantal and I were, well, together. After we got out of the shower we saw that someone had written turn back in the condensation on the bathroom mirror. Only problem? My door auto locks when closed and only opens for my biometrics. That is why all of this even came up in the first place.”
“Motherfucker. That's a whole heap of bad news.” Paul said. Henry merely nodded, paying rather more attention to the screen to see if he could catch Paul in a lie about the extent of the spying.
“There’s nothing. No disturbances in the air that would even remotely resemble human movement between you two getting in the shower and you charging into your bedroom. With the noise of the shower and the distance to the microphone, there is nothing I can discern that is anomalous. You can see it all right here for yourself.”
Henry found himself even more confused and alarmed than before.
“How is that possible? Look again, run through some filters or something. There must be some evidence somewhere!”
“Alright, relax, I will get to work on this and get you a report by the end of C shift. In the meantime, you look like a mess. Get some sleep man! I can take care of it from here. Oh, and I want you to remember that I forgave you quite magnanimously for that little episode back there where you attacked me.” Henry and Chantal gave each other a look as Paul spoke.
“Wasn’t gonna apologize anyway, you had it coming. I’m going to hit the rack. I expect that report to be detailed and ready when I get up.” Henry took Chantal by the hand, and they left together, not waiting for a response.
“What a snake. Did you see him in there? Zero guilt or recognition whatsoever about spying like that. It just makes my skin crawl. Gives me bad memories.” Chantal said, turning pensive and quiet.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Henry asked, seeing that there was something clearly bothering her.
“I… had an uncle that lived with us from time to time and he would spy on me when I was dressing, try and sneak looks in the shower, stuff like that. Never touched me or anyone else that I know of, thank god, but man did it screw me up a bit still. Played havoc with my sense of security and even my sanity, never being quite sure it was real or all in my head. I wish I had said something, but I was afraid everyone would think I was overreacting or imagining it. I saw it in his eyes though, that look of... predatory lust. At least I didn't see anything like that in Paul's eyes. To this day it makes my skin crawl.”
“Good God, I can see how alone you must have felt in the middle of all that.” He squeezed her hand, she smiled up at him.
“Yeah, that was one of the hardest parts. I don’t think Paul is some raging pervert or anything, but it concerns me how normalized it was to him. Even if he isn’t being a creep with it, as if we can take his claims to be covering for me at face value. There is still no way I am going to let him have easy access to intimate videos of us, if I can possibly help it.” Chantal said before adding, “I’ll be all right, don’t worry about me. Let’s just get some sleep.”
Henry put his palm against the biometric scanner outside his room and the door slid open for them. They definitely needed some sleep after the emotional roller coaster of the past few hours, and the irresistible warm embrace of his bed called for him. The Q-Comm report could wait until he woke, he decided.
Better to have the electrical inspection ordered up, too.
I WANT A FULL REPORT AND INSPECTION PERFORMED ON THE ELECTRICAL FIRE IN CHANTAL’S ROOM BY THE START OF A SHIFT. – CAPT. O'TOOLE
Good enough. Henry thought as he sent the message. Now he could sleep. The chief could handle it from there.
MEANWHILE…
DATE : MARCH 10th, 7 A.U. LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
FIREMAN APPRENTICE SARAH CALLAHAN
It'll be back again tonight...
Sarah’s haunted thoughts repeated like a mantra. She had to be ready, but how? Her skin crawled and itched, the long sleeves of her BDU’s prevented her from being able to do anything about the painful sensation from the inflamed scratches they hid. She blearily rubbed at her sunken eyes, and she drained the rest of her coffee. All the numbers on the screen had started bleeding in together and her eyes hurt horribly, with the throbbing pain in her abdomen only compounding her misery.
“My god, Sarah, you look a wreck, hon. How have you been sleeping?” Yvonne, her shift partner asked, with concern in her voice.
“I have a monster tension headache, I just hope the meds kick in soon. Can you check my math? I need to get out of these white lights for a few minutes. Close my eyes for a bit, something, anything. I've been having nightmares again.” Sarah felt good, being able to admit it, and Yvonne had long since proven her friendship, so it was easier to actually speak.
“Yeah, no prob. As soon as I am done here I will check your readings and we can get out of here. Do you mean nightmares from the invasion?” Yvonne asked, carefully picking her words and tone.
“Kind of the same general themes, but different. Everything is going wrong, like the worst possible outcomes of my worst nightmares are all combining together. Like, it feels actively malicious, I don't know, its hard to explain...” Sarah said, bleakly.
“That’s hard, I am sorry. You need a shower, and an uninterrupted nap. Sleep deprivation plays all kinds of hell on the body and mind. I had a friend who went through an insomniac phase so extreme he would go days without sleeping. Wound up in the hospital after trying to drive to work while hallucinating his dead fiancée was sitting in the passenger seat screaming at him to watch out. Wound up rear-ending the car in front of him. Thank God he lived to tell the tale, but that is why it worries me to see you like this.” Yvonne planted her hand on Sarah’s shoulder as she told the story.
“Yikes, I think I slept like two hours into my sleep shift before I started having the nightmares again, woke up, and passed in and out of some restless sleep. It got really bad around oh three hundred. There were sounds... noises like scratching and a loud bang, and the shadows were moving. I just kept feeling like I was being watched, but everyone else seemed to be having disturbed sleep in their bunks. God, it was a creepy feeling.” Sarah took a moment to compose herself.
“I know how crazy this will sound, maybe that I am sleep deprived and likely hallucinating like your friend, but just hear me out. There was something there Yvonne, in the dark at the edge of perception, I could feel it. I also know I wasn’t the only one tossing and turning either. I could also hear scratchy whispering, too. I just hid, strapped in under the weighted blanket. At some point I slept some more, I must have, but not for what felt like a few stressful and draining hours. I'm just making a total mess of explaining this, aren’t I?”
“No, you're fine, girl! I am sorry that happened, my dorm has been pretty quiet, but I have always slept like a rock. Is there anything I can do?”
“I could use a hug.” Sarah said, which caused Yvonne to laugh, breaking some of the tension. They embraced warmly for a good minute, which did wonders for relieving some of the headache and her black mood.
“Thanks, Yvonne, I know it’s all in my head and it’s a vicious feedback cycle due to lack of quality sleep. Thanks for listening without calling me crazy.“ Sarah said, shying away from the last thing she hadn’t the courage to say.
She didn’t dare mention how she had hidden under the covers as she felt it get near. How she had felt something pushing on the mattress. How as her fear peaked, she herself peeked over the covers to find nothing there just to have the oppressive feeling evaporate along with the sensation of pressure by her feet. Her dorm mates all seemed to stop stirring after that, and only then did the nightmares stop for her that night. By then she was left with barely enough time for one last short sleep cycle before the start of A shift that very morning. This was a secret she would have to keep to herself, nobody would believe her anyway.
“I think I'll ask the Chief for a break from my duties today to rest and to visit med bay. Maybe they can give me something to help catch back up on my sleep.” Sarah said.
“Good idea, can I come with? I’ll back you up.” Yvonne said. Sarah smiled at her friend before she nodded at her before they checked off the last of their duties on site and headed away to find the Chief.

Most of you have probably seen the truly disastrous New York Times/Sienna swing state polls that came out this morning, that paint a dire picture for the ostriches in the Biden campaign. I understand dismissing polls from outlets like Rasmussen, because their entire polling operation is just a guy named Gary sitting behind a folding table in the lobby of the Rec Center at The Villages. But are we going to dismiss The New York Times? Are they part of the “vast right wing conspiracy” now too? What about NBC, Washington Post, NPR, CBS et al? And virtually all of the polls are wrong? Biden’s approval numbers? The “wrong track” numbers? Biden’s confidence numbers? The economic poll numbers? Everything is wrong? Really? Now who’s on “Earth II?”
And then there are the numbers themselves. A traditional (+/- 3%) MOE means a 6-point swing. NYT has Trump at +13 in Nevada. Assuming that poll is off by a whopping 50%, he’s still beating the swing. That’s disastrous. 10 points in Georgia? Horrible. 7 points in both Michigan and Arizona? All outside the swing. Polling among traditionally Democrat voting groups are even less encouraging. Recent polling indicates 30% of Black men are considering voting for Trump. Suppose that survey is off by 50%, it still means 15% - which is disastrous for Biden. Don’t even get me started on the youth vote. Many people forget that not too long ago, the big prizes of Ohio (18 electoral votes) and Florida (29 electoral votes) were up for grabs. With those two states now firmly in the Red column, the Democrats have a very narrow gauntlet to run.
For some reason, whether it’s rose-colored optimism or just plain denial, we’re all supposed to act as if everything is fine. From Simon Rosenberg to Geoff Garin to Molly Jong Fast (who I’m now calling Pauline Kael, Jr) we’re told not to worry. But you know things are bad when you watch turd-polishing Democrat operatives on cable news say things like:

“Well, Anderson, when you look at exurban, lactose-intolerant, Latvian-American independents with three fingers, aged 37-39, Biden is +2 compared to 2020…….”

My spleen is going to implode if I hear one more Democrat pundit say, “Don’t worry, polls this far out fluctuate wildly.” Yes, in a typical year they do. But this is no typical year. For the first time since 1892, two former presidents are running against each other, and that changes everything. Why pundits and campaign managers can’t seem to understand this is simply beyond me. Unless your comparisons are to the 1892 race, I don’t want to hear them. In a typical election year, polls move drastically in the last 6 months because the electorate is getting to know the challenger for the first time. That’s simply not the case this year.
Both these men are completely known quantities. There’s nothing left to discover. Both have run against each other before. Both have done the job of President before - very recently. Opinions are largely set. That’s why we’ve seen almost no movement in polls from 12 months out to 6 months out. Everything is baked. Trump killed one million Americans by ignoring COVID, staged a literal bloody coup attempt, was convicted of rape, defamation and a lifetime of financial fraud totaling almost half a billion dollars, and the needle didn’t move. If you think getting convicted of “falsifying business records” is going to move that needle, then I’ve got some oceanfront condos in Nebraska to sell you. He’s not going to jail. Short of him killing Kristi Noem’s other dog live on the Times Square Jumbo-Tron, Trump’s numbers are fixed. Biden fares no better. Is he going to get younger over the next 6 months? Are we going to have sudden deflation that wipes out 3 years of price increases? Is the Fed going to cut rates by 5 points? Are the Israelis and Palestinians going to start holding hands and singing Kumbaya? In 6 months? There are no October Surprises coming, folks - so don’t count on one.
That’s why we need to take these polls extremely seriously - NOW. No more dismissing them. No more waiting around hoping they’ll change. No more, “Just wait until “______” months out. No more whistling past the graveyard. Our task is different this cycle. It’s not about persuading open minds, it’s about changing voters’ closed minds, which is a far more difficult and lengthy task. Here are a few ideas for starting that process now:

1. LEAN HARD ON THE CONCEPT OF FREEDOM: Across the political spectrum most Americans share one core value: We like to be left alone. We don’t like busybodies (especially the government) telling us what we can and can’t do. We like our freedom. The GOP has already become the party of extremist, authoritarian busybodies, and their future plans are truly dystopian. We need to hang the entire party’s authoritarian impulses around Trump’s neck like an albatross. Book bans, IVF bans, abortion bans, protest bands, porn bans, voter suppression - these are not popular with the vast majority of Americans. We need to start portraying the GOP as the Handmaid’s Tale/SNL Church Lady/Nurse Ratchet figures that they are. (And it’s not hyperbole when it’s already happening in Red states coast to coast. We have plenty of ammo). The hallmark message of this campaign needs to be “Creepy Republicans (mostly men) are obsessed with your bedroom and your bathroom.” Do you want Ted Cruz in your OB/GYN’s exam room with you and your doctor? Because that’s where we’re headed if you elect Trump/Republicans. Educate the hell out of Americans on Project 2025 and its Evangelical-based Puritanism. That’s a long, tough task that needs to begin NOW, not in October.
2. EDUCATE PEOPLE ON BIDEN’S ACHIEVEMENTS: This shouldn’t have to be our job, but sadly Biden has been sitting in an ivory tower for 3+ years, refusing to use the world’s biggest bully pulpit to tout his own achievements. Add in a mainstream media that completely ignores him and it’s even worse. It might be too late. Read this truly stunning article from The Hill: 34% of Americans know NOTHING about the American Rescue Plan. 44% know NOTHING about the CHIPS Act. 24% know NOTHING about the Inflation Reduction Act. The infrastructure law fares no better, at 30% ignorance. 25% of the country thinks Biden is responsible for ending Roe V. Wade! Maybe educating them will pull a few percentage points our way, but it’s an uphill climb at this late date.
3. PROMOTE THE HELL OUT OF RFK, JR: I’ve been beating this drum for months now, and thankfully some Democrat operatives are starting to come around. RFK, Jr is one of the greatest gifts the Democrats have ever received, and they need to starting acting like it. Unlike Biden and Trump, he is the one candidate in this race that Americans are getting to know for the first time. And once they do, he pulls almost exclusively Trump voters. Kennedy has virtually no appeal to Democrats, once they get to know him and his policies. So educate them! Promote him! He is doing almost exclusively MAGA press, picking up almost exclusively MAGA endorsements, and taking almost exclusively MAGA positions. If you don’t believe me, please sign up for his emails. They are virtually indistinguishable from Trump’s messaging. Go to one of his events - you’ll find almost entirely former Trump supporters. As people have gotten to know RFK, Jr. his polling as gone from pulling mostly Biden supporters, to mostly even, to pulling mostly Trump supporters. His brand of wacky, anti-vax conspiracy theorism is perfectly poised to keep 3rd-party-curious voters from returning to Trump. Trump and his MAGA surrogates have been stepping up their attacks on RFK Jr lately, because even they know it in their bones. The Democrats need to promote RFK, by using social media to micro-target the anti-vax, conspiracy theorist, tinfoil-hat crowd that would traditionally go back to Trump. It’s a golden opportunity, and they’re blowing it.
4. STOP ACTNG LIKE IT’S 1982: Biden and his surrogates seem stuck in a time warp. They’re operating a campaign from a bygone era: Wait until the last few months, run some local TV ads with American flags and amber waves of grain, send out some junk mailers, pick up a union boss endorsement or two, get the local paper (if it even exists anymore) to endorse you, smile a lot, and kiss some babies. Meanwhile the GOP knows it’s in a fight for a knife in the mud. Trump is doing rallies - where are Biden’s? Trump and his minions are savaging Biden on a minute-by-minute basis - where are Biden and his surrogates? Don’t wait to go for the jugular - do it now. And keep that shiv in Trump’s neck for the next 6 months. Don’t worry about looking “Presidential” - worry about looking strong. Get creative and provocative with your dystopian ads. Scare people. Don’t worry about naysayers complaining that you’re exaggerating, because you’re not. Leverage social media - hard. Live in 2024. Embrace it. In other words - stop bringing a casserole to a knife fight.

None of these ideas may ultimately work, but we need to start the fight, and start it now.

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Hemp drinks are big business in the United States and poised to grow even bigger. Thanks to the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, hemp-based products are at least quasi-legal across the United States – and, unlike marijuana, they’re shippable across state lines.
Companies big and small are betting on hemp-derived drinks becoming the next big thing for health-conscious, smoke-wary consumers.
Bernuth’s Pharos Brands was one of 30 hemp-derived THC beverage companies at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s January expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
According to the Hemp Beverage Alliance, hemp drink companies took up as much as 10% of the floor.
“We’re killing it here,” Bernuth told MJBizMagazine from the bustling convention hall.
Things went so well that she’s banking on contributing to a movement as well as running a successful business.
“We want to mainstream this,” she said. “We feel hemp beverages are an essential piece of destigmatizing THC.”
But when the first can of Pharos seltzer is sold in stores this spring with 2.5 milligrams of hemp-sourced THC, it won’t be sold in Montana, where Bernuth lives and where Pharos is produced.
That’s because Montana law requires any end product with more than 0.3% THC to be sold at a state-licensed marijuana dispensary.
Such rules don’t exist on the other side of the Dakotas in Minnesota, where a 2022 state law specifically allows products with low doses of hemp-derived THC to be sold through mainstream retail outlets such as supermarkets and convenience stores.
In a familiar theme, states around the country offer similar patchworks of conflicting rules.
At least, that’s the case for now.
The federal law that has allowed a hemp-derived product market worth billions to emerge almost overnight could soon change – and dramatically.
Intoxicating hemp market From drinks to gummies or smokable flower, the country’s appetite for psychoactive products sourced from hemp is enormous.
And what economist Beau Whitney estimates “conservatively” as a $28.4 billion market barely existed before the 2018 Farm Bill accidentally legalized it.
That Farm Bill, which legalized the production of hemp across the United States, was intended to be a boon for long-suffering producers of low-THC cannabis intended to be spun into fabric, pressed into oil for fuel or processed into health foods.
Hemp is also a source of CBD, or cannabidiol, which can be converted into psychoactive delta-8 THC, hence the boom in delta-8-infused products.
The latest evolution is hemp-derived delta-9 THC.
Operators with enough hemp also could extract sufficient delta-9 THC to produce and ship gummies and other infused products that are functionally identical to state-regulated marijuana across the U.S.
It’s conventional wisdom that federal lawmakers did not intend to create this new market when they legalized hemp production nationwide with the 2018 Farm Bill.
Since then, businesses including Pharos have existed in a state of uncertainty that some argue is – if you can believe it – even more confusing than the regulated marijuana industry.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has publicly declared that hemp-derived THC has “serious health risks,” and the Drug Enforcement Administration has hinted it doesn’t consider certain hemp extracts legal.
However, federal regulators have so far taken limited enforcement action. Only companies selling products marketed with unproven medical claims or marketed with packaging similar to mainstream snack or beverage brands have drawn negative attention – and then usually nothing more serious than a cease-and-desist letter.
But it’s also understood this uneasy status quo is temporary.
Depending on when Congress passes the next Farm Bill – and exactly what’s in it – the ground could shift under Bernuth’s business and the hemp-derived cannabinoid sector yet again.
The problem is, nobody knows when that might be – nor what will come next.
“Overall, the federal government is quite unpredictable,” said Michelle Bodian, the New York-based co-chair of the Vicente law firm’s Hemp and Cannabinoids Department as well as the Hemp Beverage Alliance’s general counsel.
“The longer things drag out, the more opportunity there is for issues to come to the forefront,” she added.
“It’s obviously hard to predict where those issues are going to land – in hemp’s favor or against.”
Farm Bill provisions One of the biggest and most complex measures that Congress produces, the Farm Bill is an $867 billion behemoth that covers corn subsidies, food stamps, conservation projects and, now, CBD, delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC extracted from hemp.
In theory, Congress must renew the Farm Bill every five years, when the spending allowances run out.
The 2018 Farm Bill’s provisions started running out at the end of September 2023, when Congress gave itself the first in a series of extensions.
Promises that a draft Farm Bill would soon emerge followed the first extension, but as of early February, there was still no draft bill and no timeline for when proposals would appear.
Put another way: It remains an open question whether the 118th Congress will pass a Farm Bill in 2024 at all.
If and when a new Farm Bill passes, it’s also unclear whether lawmakers will choose to wrestle with the hemp-derived cannabinoid market they accidentally unleased.
Farm Bill timeline Neither the U.S. Senate agriculture committee, chaired by Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow and Arkansas Republican John Boozman, nor their colleagues in the House Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, responded to MJBizMagazine’s requests for comment.
In January, Thompson expressed hope that he’d be able to draft a bill and pass it through his committee in March, an optimistic timeline that hemp lobbyists considered unrealistic at press time.
Some influential lawmakers, such as Oklahoma Republican Rep. Frank Lucas, believed to be the only “active farmer” in Congress, say that Congress will absolutely pass a Farm Bill in 2024 – and that it won’t be a major departure from the 2018 version.
That is what the American Trade Association of Cannabis and Hemp is banking on, said Chris Lindsey, the group’s director of state advocacy and public policy.
“This is more about clarifying what Congress did than it is about going in and changing the laws and creating some new regulatory framework,” Lindsey told MJBizMagazine.
But with Congress still fumbling basic tasks such as a long-term federal budget, other observers are planning for 2024 to turn into 2025 with no new Farm Bill in sight.
“I wouldn’t say I’m confident (for a 2024 passage). I’m hopeful,” said Jonathan Miller, co-founder and general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, which lobbies federal lawmakers and counts among its members prominent cannabis companies including Cronos Group and Curaleaf Holdings.
Miller believes the best window to pass a Farm Bill is the lame-duck session between the November 2024 general election and January 2025, when the next Congress – and, potentially, next president – is inaugurated.
That tiny window could, of course, slam shut depending on the election’s outcome.
Regardless of when, there’s “no consensus” for what federal lawmakers want to do, Miller said.
Hemp in the Farm Bill Most industry observers believe that Congress will seriously consider redefining what qualifies as “hemp.”
A legal definition rather than a botanical one, hemp currently refers to cannabis sativa plants with 0.3% THC or less by dry weight.
There appears to be support for raising the THC limit to 1% – a proposition that appeared in stand-alone legislation proposed in 2022 by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine.
But what about regulating CBD, which the FDA has been on notice to do for years?
And what about clarifying the federal legality of hemp-derived THC and the alphabet soup of THC derivatives that have appeared?
It seems as if the status of hemp-derived cannabinoids is anyone’s guess, though it is likely that federal lawmakers will be reluctant to interfere with state regulations.
That would be just fine for companies in places such as Kentucky and Texas, where the lack of regulated medical marijuana programs creates intense demand for a viable alternative.
The hemp market is booming under loose rules that nonetheless call for basic guardrails such as age restrictions and product-safety guarantees.
Lack of action won’t be welcome news to companies such as those trying to operate in Arkansas, where a strict ban on hemp-derived competitors to a fledging medical marijuana industry is being challenged in federal court.
As for Bernuth, she knows at least two things to be true: Hemp-derived THC is too big for the federal government to kill off entirely, and the market needs regulations such as age verification and product-safety standards.
If that means Pharos needs a unique product label to comply with laws in every state where Bernuth wants to distribute the product, she is willing to do that.
And if the rules change even more, she’s willing to adapt.
“Every business has to be flexible, so we’re definitely being as flexible as possible,” Bernuth said.
For now, the opportunity presented by hemp-derived cannabinoid drinks is too sweet to pass up.
https://mjbizdaily.com/hemp-derived-thc-producers-wary-of-us-farm-bill/

Currently my pole barn has a sub panel being powered from my 200 amp panel at the house. I am having the utility company come out and run a 200 amp service to the barn. I want to use the existing wire that is buried (I believe it to be either 8/3 or 10/3) and run it from the barn to an outside outlet on the house for an above ground pool hook up (to run the pump and salt chlorinator). Could I use the 4 wire on a 110 volt plug or would that need to be a 3 wire to be up to code? I am having an electrical inspection before the utility company runs power so it would need to be up to code. In southern Michigan

A list of posts about Israel and Palestine on /Social_Democracy
Format of this list:
[Title of post]
[Link to source of post]
[Timestamp of post]
List:
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said the U.S. should not take in any Palestinian refugees if they flee the Gaza Strip because they “are all antisemitic” and he dismissed international entreaties for Israel to provide clean running water and utilities to the civilians in the territory.
https://apnews.com/article/desantis-israel-hamas-gaza-palestinian-refugees-water-73a468f8d030e083844d16e82684c406
Mon Oct 16 14:17:24 2023 UTC
Progressive activist and Reverend William J. Barber II: We Must Be Emphatic in Saying 'No' to Hamas. An unequivocal 'no' to the actors within Hamas who chose to commit these heinous acts does not dismiss history and the oppression of Palestinian people.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/hamas-israel
Tue Oct 17 14:31:10 2023 UTC
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking to pay for aid to Israel by slashing $14.3 billion from IRS
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-mike-johnson-israel-aid-fight-biden-irs-rcna122868
Tue Oct 31 21:09:28 2023 UTC
Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, and Jeff Merkley Send Urgent Letter to President Biden Amid Israel’s Invasion and Potential Occupation of Gaza "The United States must take a leading role in charting out a future that respects the lives of Palestinians and Israelis alike."
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-warren-welch-merkley-send-urgent-letter-to-president-biden-amid-israels-invasion-and-potential-occupation-of-gaza/
Thu Nov 2 14:27:33 2023 UTC
GOP House Majority Leader Scalise defends IRS cuts in GOP's Israel aid bill, refuses to say 2020 election was legitimate
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/scalise-defends-irs-cuts-gops-israel-aid-bill/story?id=104635772
Sun Nov 5 19:32:49 2023 UTC
More than 500 Biden campaign alumni want a Gaza ceasefire
https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/11/9/23953714/biden-campaign-alumni-want-gaza-ceasefire-state-department-dissent-memo
Fri Nov 10 19:06:27 2023 UTC
World Council of Churches calls for immediate end to brutal violence in Gaza
https://www.oikoumene.org/news/wcc-calls-for-immediate-end-to-brutal-violence-in-gaza
Fri Jan 5 13:35:35 2024 UTC
180 State and Local Elected Officials Sign Open Letter to President Biden Calling for a Ceasefire
https://www.jvpaction.org/state-and-local-elected-officials-open-letter-to-president-biden-calling-for-a-ceasefire/
Fri Jan 12 18:01:40 2024 UTC
‘We are dying slowly:’ Palestinians are eating grass and drinking polluted water as famine looms across Gaza
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/middleeast/famine-looms-in-gaza-israel-war-intl/index.html
Sat Feb 3 19:53:35 2024 UTC
Seven national unions and over two hundred local unions have announced the formation of the National Labor Network for Ceasefire (NLNC) to expand support for a ceasefire in Gaza.
https://www.laborforceasefire.org/new-national-labor-network-formed-to-end-the-death-and-devastation-in-the-israel-hamas-wa
Sun Feb 18 14:28:18 2024 UTC
Conservative Republican congressman Andy Ogles, responding to an activist telling him that children in Gaza were being killed by American-supplied bombs: "I think we should kill 'em all ... It's time to pay the piper." [Clarification: Ogles specified killing "Hamas"]
https://www.commondreams.org/news/andy-ogles-gaza
Wed Feb 21 15:39:44 2024 UTC
Trump breaks silence on Israel's military campaign in Gaza: 'Finish the problem'
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905
Thu Mar 7 15:12:17 2024 UTC
House Republicans Want to Ban Universal Free School Lunches: The Republican Study Committee’s annual budget also calls to permanently defund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), eliminate the National Labor Relations Board, and raise the retirement age.
https://theintercept.com/2024/03/21/house-republicans-ban-universal-school-lunches/
Fri Mar 22 15:07:53 2024 UTC
Michigan Republican congressman suggests nuking Gaza, ending humanitarian aid GOP congressman Tim Walberg: "It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick ... We shouldn't be spending a dime on humanitarian aid"
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/30/michigan-congressman-tim-walberg-suggests-nuking-gaza-ending-humanitarian-aid-nagasaki-hiroshima/73156051007/
Sun Mar 31 14:09:13 2024 UTC
Former officials speak out against Biden’s Israel support after aid worker killings: ‘No one can change his mind’
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/joe-biden-israel-arms-gaza-b2523435.html
Fri Apr 5 14:56:42 2024 UTC
Ukrainian letter of solidarity with the Palestinian people As Russia wages a genocidal war in Ukraine, more than 300 Ukrainian scholars, activists, and artists have signed a letter in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel lays siege to Gaza. (November 2023)
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/11/8/ukrainian-letter-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian
Sat Apr 6 14:59:22 2024 UTC
Trump says Jews who vote for Biden do 'not love Israel' and 'should be spoken to' Trump claimed that Democrats don't want to talk about the October 7 attacks because Biden "is no fan of Israel." Trump said that Biden is "totally on the side of Palestinians."
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-says-jews-vote-biden-not-love-israel-spoken-rcna146972
Tue Apr 9 15:43:37 2024 UTC
Trump tells billionaires he'll keep their taxes low at $50 million fundraising gala Trump also spoke about "eliminating Joe Biden's insane [electric vehicle] mandate" and "protecting Israel"
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-tells-billionaires-ll-keep-taxes-low-50-million-fundraising-gala-rcna146748
Thu Apr 11 19:07:59 2024 UTC
Pro-Israel US groups plan $100m effort to unseat progressives over Gaza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/ap20/pro-israel-groups-gaza-us-elections
Sat Apr 20 19:15:18 2024 UTC
Video: Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson defends Israel when CNN's Erin Burnett asks about children dying ‘at Israel’s hands’
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/24/politics/video/house-speaker-mike-johnson-protests-columbia-university-israel-hamas-war-ebof-digvid
Fri Apr 26 17:50:47 2024 UTC
Violent Arrest of Emory Professor Spotlights Brutality of Police Crackdown on Campus Protests Foreign policy expert: "To sustain this level of blind support for Israel, the U.S. must erode its own democracy. And that is what we see happening on U.S. campuses now."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/emory-protests-arrests
Sat Apr 27 15:58:43 2024 UTC
NBC News investigation reveals Israel strikes on Gaza areas it said were safe NBC News found Palestinians were killed in seven deadly airstrikes in areas of southern Gaza that the Israeli military had explicitly designated as safe zones.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/palestinians-killed-israeli-strikes-safe-zones-exclusive-nbc-report-rcna148008
Sun Apr 28 17:23:16 2024 UTC
Israel Police establishes Judea and Samaria [West Bank] ‘anti-anarchist’ unit: The special team works under the command of far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
https://www.jns.org/israel-police-establishes-judea-and-samaria-anti-anarchist-unit/
Mon Apr 29 15:52:07 2024 UTC
Trump is condemning the campus protests against Israel's disproportionately destructive war in Gaza: "STOP THE PROTESTS NOW!!!"
https://web.archive.org/web/20240429113748/https:/truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112354005352092745
Mon Apr 29 18:22:23 2024 UTC
Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Columbia University: Trump Is Wrong. Columbia Isn’t Anything Like Charlottesville Trump has recently said that the anti-war protests are worse than the 2017 alt-right and neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-is-wrong-columbia-isnt-anything-like-charlottesville
Tue Apr 30 22:06:43 2024 UTC
Why are US campuses facing an orgy of state repression in the ‘land of the free’? Political extremism expert Cas Mudde: The right has painted nonviolent protests against the war on Gaza as hotbeds of ‘woke’ terrorism. It’s a pretext for repression.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/ap30/us-campus-peace-protests-overreaction-gaza
Wed May 1 15:55:39 2024 UTC
Top UN Human Rights Official Raises Alarm Over Repression of Student Protests: Over 1200 protesters have been arrested across dozens of campuses UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk & UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor have raised alarms over campus crackdowns
https://truthout.org/articles/top-un-human-rights-official-raises-alarm-over-repression-of-student-protests/
Wed May 1 18:00:24 2024 UTC
Amos Goldberg: Yes, it is genocide Amos Goldberg, a Holocaust and genocide researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
https://thepalestineproject.medium.com/yes-it-is-genocide-634a07ea27d4
Wed May 1 19:10:53 2024 UTC
Hundreds Of Former Obama Staffers Slam White House For Not Doing Enough For Gaza: Alumni of the Obama campaign and White House urged Obama and President Biden to take decisive action to end the suffering in the Palestinian territory.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/former-staffers-obama-biden-gaza_n_66314938e4b0c9bc8759337f
Thu May 2 15:37:31 2024 UTC
United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain: "The UAW will never support the mass arrest or intimidation of those exercising their right to protest, strike, or speak out against injustice. Our union has been calling for a ceasefire ... This war is wrong, and this response against students ... is wrong"
https://uaw.org/comment-from-uaw-president-shawn-fain-on-mass-arrests-of-anti-war-protestors/
Thu May 2 15:59:06 2024 UTC
Bernie Sanders: 'This may be Biden’s Vietnam' Sanders: "I worry very much that President Biden is putting himself in a position where he has alienated not just young people but a lot of the Democratic base in terms of his views on Israel and this war."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rQmvko18M
Fri May 3 15:45:08 2024 UTC
At the University of Alabama, pro-war counterprotesters carrying Israeli & pro-Trump flags were chanting 'F— Joe Biden' because they think that Biden is too moderate, "along with occasional homophobic slurs and other derisive comments." The majority of anti-war protesters were students and faculty.
https://thecrimsonwhite.com/114503/top-stories/university-of-alabama-protest-for-palestinian-lives-draws-hundreds-of-students-counterprotesters/
Fri May 3 17:12:34 2024 UTC
Bosnia accuses Israeli diplomat of genocide denial Israel's ambassador to Serbia has said to the Russian propaganda outlet Sputnik that Srebrenica was not a genocide: "Israel was invited to The Hague because of the alleged genocide in Gaza. For me, Srebrenica should not be called genocide"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/disgrace-to-diplomacy-bosnia-accuses-israeli-diplomat-of-genocide-denial/
Fri May 3 18:08:54 2024 UTC
Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza, by American Baptist Churches, Hindus for Human Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace, Justice Democrats, Muslims for Progressive Values, Pax Christi, Presbyterian Church, Progressive Democrats of America, Sunrise Movement, Working Families Party, etc.
https://www.mpowerchange.org/gazastudentprotests
Fri May 3 20:19:11 2024 UTC
As war in Gaza enters seventh month, 1.74 million more Palestinians will be pushed into poverty across State of Palestine according to United Nations assessment: UNDP and ESCWA estimate more than two-decades reversal in human development— beyond earliest recorded levels of 2004.
https://www.undp.org/papp/press-releases/war-gaza-enters-seventh-month-174-million-more-palestinians-will-be-pushed-poverty-across-state-palestine-according-united
Sat May 4 15:01:57 2024 UTC
Israeli Minister Reportedly Asks IDF To Kill Palestinians Instead Of Arresting Them National Security Minister Ben-Gvir: "Why are there so many arrests? Can't you kill some? Do you want to tell me they all surrender? What are we to do with so many arrested? It's dangerous for the soldiers."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israeli-minister-itamar-ben-gvir-kill-palestinian-captives_n_66313a76e4b0c9bc87592bf5
Sat May 4 16:16:54 2024 UTC
Republican House Representatives Anthony D'Esposito, Marc Molinaro, and Elise Stefanik have signed a letter urging Biden to oppose attempts by the ICC to prosecute Israeli officials for war crimes in Gaza and to "enforce severe consequences on those engaged in this sham prosecution."
https://stefanik.house.gov/2024/4/stefanik-d-esposito-and-molinaro-urge-biden-administration-to-oppose-arrest-warrants-for-israeli-officials
Sat May 4 16:42:05 2024 UTC
Amnesty International: U.S.-Made Weapons Used by Government of Israel in Violation of International Law and U.S Law
https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/u-s-made-weapons-used-by-government-of-israel-in-violation-of-international-law-and-u-s-law/
Sat May 4 17:27:51 2024 UTC
Catholic leaders, urging cease-fire, call on Biden to halt weapons shipments to Israel
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2024/05/03/catholic-leaders-gaza-ceasefire-biden-247857
Sat May 4 18:22:15 2024 UTC
Sanders on the Nationwide Student Protests and the Ongoing Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza Bernie Sanders compared the protests against Israel's war in Gaza with the protests from the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War era, which utilized sit-ins and occupations similar to today.
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/prepared-remarks-sanders-on-the-nationwide-student-protests-and-the-ongoing-humanitarian-disaster-in-gaza/
Sat May 4 20:57:28 2024 UTC
Trump cheers crackdowns on anti-war protesters: NYPD raid on Columbia was "a beautiful thing to watch." Trump: "This is a movement from the left, not the right...These are radical left lunatics, and they've got to be stopped now...We are not letting the radical left morons take over this country.
https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/university-protests-gaza-05-01-24/h_803454d65bb6d11f9e97e1ffda93a2cf & https://archive.org/details/FOXNEWSW_20240502_210000_The_Five/
Sun May 5 14:46:05 2024 UTC
Republican congressman Kevin Hern brags about the Republican Party's support for Israel during its brutal war in Gaza by falsely claiming that 'only Republicans support Israel' Pro-war GOP Rep. Hern also said: "They don’t care about America. They're more for Hamas than they are for the Jews."
https://web.archive.org/web/20240504154726/https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/college-protests-antisemitism-israel/2024/05/04/id/1163477/
Sun May 5 16:16:12 2024 UTC
National College Democrats Slam Biden On Gaza And Back Anti-War Campus Protesters The College Democrats of America is the official college outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/college-democrats-of-america-statement-biden-gaza-campus-protest_n_663278fce4b0849b2edded55
Sun May 5 17:12:12 2024 UTC
Conservative supporters of Israel's brutal war in Gaza including the New York Post and GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson have attempted to smear George Soros by linking him to the anti-war protests.
https://newrepublic.com/article/181295/mike-johnson-lie-campus-protests-dems-weapon & https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/may/02/fact-checking-claims-that-george-soros-is-paying-s/ & https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/04/29/george-soros-funding-college-protests/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros_conspiracy_theories
Sun May 5 18:15:27 2024 UTC
Columbia University professor Helen Benedict: ‘US student protests seeking peace in Gaza are the new anti-Vietnam War movement’
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/us-student-protests-seeking-peace-in-gaza-are-the-new-anti-vietnam-war-movement/articleshow/109766893.cms
Sun May 5 19:22:23 2024 UTC
Megapost: A list of statements, press releases, and other sources reporting and expressing concern and criticism about Israel's war in Gaza and related aspects of the war. [Part 1]
https://www.reddit.com/Social_Democracy/comments/1clx1uc/megapost_a_list_of_statements_press_releases_and/
Mon May 6 23:11:17 2024 UTC
Megapost: A list of statements, press releases, and other sources reporting and expressing concern and criticism about Israel's war in Gaza and related aspects of the war. (Part 2)
https://www.reddit.com/Social_Democracy/comments/1cmjhpk/megapost_a_list_of_statements_press_releases_and/
Tue May 7 18:53:21 2024 UTC
GOP lawmakers praise UT president after chapter of American Association of University Professors criticized UT's "militarized response" to anti-war protests GOP lawmaker: 'Cancer of socialism & leftist thought which has infected our society has been spread by academia—professors just like these.'
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/08/texas-lawmakers-applaud-crackdown-ut-austin-president
Wed May 8 14:44:10 2024 UTC
In response to anti-war protests on campuses, 19 GOP senators including Cotton, Cruz, Graham, Hawley, Romney, Rubio, and Vance have sponsored a bill to make anyone "who is convicted of a state or federal offense in connection with a campus protest ineligible for any federal student loan relief."
https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-colleagues-no-student-loan-bailouts-for-campus-criminals
Wed May 8 21:40:26 2024 UTC
GOP congressmen Andy Ogles, Randy Weber, and Jeff Duncan have proposed a bill to "send any person charged and convicted for illegal activity on a college campus to Gaza for at least six months" GOP Rep. Weber: "I bet" anti-war protesters "wouldn't last a day" in Gaza, but let's make them go there.
https://web.archive.org/web/20240509142410/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/college-anti-israel-agitators-sent-gaza-new-house-gop-bill
Thu May 9 15:38:47 2024 UTC
Megapost: A list of statements, press releases, and other sources reporting and expressing concern and criticism about Israel's war in Gaza and related aspects of the war. (Part 3)
https://www.reddit.com/Social_Democracy/comments/1coups2/megapost_a_list_of_statements_press_releases_and/
Fri May 10 17:12:17 2024 UTC
Republicans want to force Biden to send arms to Israel GOP Rep. Cory Mills says he will impeach Biden for not sending some weapons to Israel during its brutal war in Gaza. GOP Senator Tom Cotton says that House Republicans have "no choice but to impeach Biden."
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/10/republicans-biden-israel-weapons-pause
Fri May 10 20:57:03 2024 UTC
Background:
Due to a combination of personal beliefs and disgust with October 7 and the apologetics and reductive discourse around it, I had largely managed to avoid focusing on Israel's war in Gaza, compared to other leftist spaces.
While researching Russian atrocities in Ukraine, I was struck by cognitive dissonance at my empathy for Ukraine compared with my silence on Gaza, especially as apologists for Israel's war in Gaza have persisted in making callous excuses for Israel's unjustly brutal war and overall conduct, which we are complicit in, in contrast to the more positive role of the United States in Ukraine's justified war of self-defense against the Russian invasion.
One of the last straws of my reluctance to criticize Israel is that I have seen too many of my fellow social democrats defend a disproportionately brutal war fueled by reactionary sentiments, waged by a reactionary government, with primarily reactionary allies such as the Republican Party that is lead by Donald Trump and Mike Johnson in the United States, that is antithetical to a faithful commitment to social democratic principles, ethics, and values.
And if these mistaken social democrats and liberals are not defending Israel's war, many of them are carrying water for reactionary attacks on the anti-war protesters by hyperfocusing on transgressions (whether it's bigotry, ignorance, incivility, civil disobedience, etc.) while these protesters are opposing a lopsided conflict.
I am not saying that we shouldn't criticize the truly bad flaws of some protesters (such as actual incidents of antisemitism, pro-Hamas apologia, etc.), but I am saying that we should have a balanced perspective, and I say this because there is a lack of balance on too many social democratic and liberal spaces, hence the ubiquity of callous justifications for Israel's illegal war in Gaza as well as support for crackdowns on campus protests and civil disobedience (e.g. encampments) based on appeals to legalism.
Just like the protests against Israel's war in Gaza, earlier protests from the civil rights and anti-war movements had flaws and utilized tactics that reactionaries were willing to exploit as a pretext for undue repression, as well as mistaken social democrats who were, wittingly or not, carrying water for the reactionaries seeking to repress these protests, enable the continued perpetration of atrocities, and to brainwash or intimidate the masses into believing that there is no alternative to the immoral policies of the government.
As flawed or disruptive as many protesters can be, the anti-war protests of today are overwhelmingly justified, just like the protests against World War I, the Vietnam War, Apartheid South Africa, and the Iraq War.

• 1. Chicago Bears (via CAR) – Caleb Williams (USC) – QB (Unchanged from v1)

Nothing really to say here. It’s as clear as day this is the pick

• 2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels (LSU) – QB (Unchanged from v1)

This will really be the pick that shapes the draft as a whole. A lot of people have Maye going at number two to the Commanders, but Daniels is picking up steam as the potentially 2nd best option to go with too. The Commanders have kept this close to their chest so far, but my belief is that is because they are going to go with Daniels.
V2 Note: The noise on this is now VERY loud. They are likely taking Daniels.

• 3. New England Patriots – Drake Maye (NC) – QB (changed from V1)

In my V1 I was very strongly opinionated that NE would trade with the Vikings, but the more we hear, the more we now seem to be hearing that they are not going to trade because the Vikings and Giants won’t make the payment terms that NE is demanding. That means they are locking in on Maye.

• 4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr (Ohio State) – WR (unchanged)

The Cardinals will have had conversations with the Vikings no doubt, but the chance to pick up a generational Wide Receiver of this calibre comes along rarely. They take the chance to give Murray his best WR since NUK.
V2 Note: A lot of people think Giants or Vikings will trade with Arizona. I think they will still hold firm and focus on a generational talent.

TRADE
Harbaugh is a tough man to read, but one thing we know is that his main love of running the ball is possibly going to overcome any desire to pick a WR here. If there was a top Running Back available he'd take them here and not even blink, but there isn’t one. The phone is ringing off the hook in LA, as Giants, Vikings, and even the Jets try to make the call to move up and get their guy. Two of them will be successful in different ways…
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SENDS:
Pick #5
NEW YORK GIANTS SEND:
Pick #6, Pick #70

• 5. New York Giants (via LAC) – JJ McCarthy - QB (different from V1)

Chaos reigns over draft boards across the land. The Giants are not completely unexpected to be considering taking a QB this draft, but not many have them going for McCarthy, and not this early. They are going to move on from Danny Dimes, mostly to avoid that massive $25m injury guarantee he has hanging over their heads for 2025, where the QB class isn’t as strong too. Giants will likely sit McCarthy for as long as they dare let Jones play and risk injury, but unless a miracle season is on the cards, they will see the season out with McCarthy starting.
V2 Note: Originally I had JJ falling to Giants at 6, but the Pats sticking at 3 means they need to avoid the Vikings jumping them on JJ too.

TRADE
The Chargers are Belle of the Ball. They know exactly how far back they are willing to fall and agree to the Jets second offer… The Vikings will baulk at the price now that the top 4 QBs are gone, and know they’re getting one of the others.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SENDS:
Pick #6
NEW YORK JETS SEND:
Pick #10, Pick #72, 2025 4th

• 6. New York Jets (via LAC via NYG) - Malik Nabers (LSU) – WR (different from v1)

The Jets need to give Rodgers targets. Nabers is considered by some as a better option than MHJ. Either way, the Jets are making this move to grab whichever of the two is available here, and they would have been trying to see if Arizona were open to moving, but the cost of entry is too high due to the QB race. V2 note: I had Jets and Giants flipped at this point in V1.But with the same players taken.

• 7. Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt (Notre Dame) – OT (unchanged from V1)

Only way this pick isn’t happening is if Chargers hold firm because they want him, but after all that trading I just can’t see them doing anything else here,

• 8. Atlanta Falcons – Rome Odunze (Washington) – WR (unchanged from V1)

Falcons could go Edge or possibly even look to boost their Oline for Cousins. But with a new QB in town, the goal is to make the most of him, and supply him with an outlet. If the Jets don’t move for Nabers then they will take Nabers here instead.

• 9. Chicago Bears – Dallas Turner (Alabama) – EDGE (unchanged from V1)

Bears could look at a few options themselves here. Trading back also not entirely off the table too, but ultimately I see them taking Turner to fix some weak gaps in their Defense.
TRADE
The Chargers are not finished pushing their luck. More teams start calling them knowing that they’re in the hunt for a lot here. Vikings in the end offer a one place movement…..The Chargers are now done with moving down…
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SEND:
Pick #10
MINNESOTA VIKINGS SEND:
Pick #11, Pick #108, Pick #167

• 10 Minnesota Vikings (via LAC via NYJ) Michael Penix (Washington) - QB (Different from v1) The Vikings cannot gamble on getting jumped another time. I don’t think they like Nix, and the move to get #23 was designed to get one of the top QB’s, and now they have fallen short of getting the declared “top 4” guys, they MUST ensure they get Penix. The Chargers happily drop back one more spot and take more picks to then build their own package options for later. Vikings now have a Franchise QB to move on from Cousins.
  
• 11 Los Angeles Chargers – Brock Bowers (Georgia) – TE (same player - different position from v1) The Chargers amazing gamble pays off. Bowers was near the top of their board of needs, and even after moving back he remains in play and they get him. Even in spite of the belief that taking a TE this early is rarely worth it, this is about making sure they get the guy they want most. And moving back now puts him at risk.
  

TRADE The Broncos are in absolute no mans land. They have got to repair the damage from the aftermath of last season and Wilsons legendary dead cap this season. There are many who would say it would be lunacy not to move up for a QB, but Broncos are the prime “Tank Job” candidate this season. They begin shopping this pick around and they find a willing partner in the Eagles.
DENVER BRONCOS SEND:
Pick #12
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES SEND:
Pick #22, Pick #53, Pick #172

• 12. Philadelphia Eagles (via Den) - Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon) – IOL (unchanged from v1)

The Eagles are willing to answer the Broncos call as they need to begin life after Kelce. They have plenty of picks this draft to still not feel the pain of giving up these 3rd and 5th round picks. They take the highest rated Interior Lineman (and a future top Center) of the draft to plug their HOF shaped hole. JPJ likely moves in at Guard to start his career, but as an option he is a great O-Line depth and starting piece that is too good to pass on.

• 13. Los Angeles Raiders – Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) – CB (unchanged from v1)

The Raiders need a Quarterback. And watching the Broncos move back, they could be really tempted to snipe one of Nix or Penix here, but they don’t bite. They also have plenty of options for OT or Edge here too. They hold their focus on their biggest need in defence which is the Defensive Backs and avoid the temptations that are now in front of them.

TRADE
I said they were done moving down. I didn’t say they were done. Joe Hortiz and his team have been busy tonight, and now they’re done…. The Saints are in a position of hell. Their cap can-kicking is finally running them down, and they have a lot of picks that are day 3, but could do with being more involved in Day 2.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS SEND:
Pick #14
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SEND: Pick #37 Pick #69 Pick#72 Pick #108

• 14. Los Angeles Chargers (via NO) – J.C. Latham (Alabama) – OT (different from V1)

There is a growing belief that the Chargers might even take an OT way earlier at Pick #5. I believe the night will be built entirely around making sure they get both Bowers and the highest available OT around this spot. Chargers get some extreme block improvement due to both picks they have made. The Chargers also still retain 7 more picks, including pick #70, and can now really build up the roster with young talent (or possibly make another move up in Rounds 3 or 4 if they see someone they really like there).

• 15. Indianapolis Colts – Terrion Arnold (Alabama) – CB (unchanged from v1)

Back-to-back Bama picks here, and the Colts take someone that is highly touted as possibly even the top defensive player outright, and certainly a high potential player.

• 16. Seattle Seahawks - Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) – OT (unchanged from v1)

There’s been a strange campaign lately that suggests the Seahawks should take a Quarterback this year. They seems to be a classic “misdirection” that they are not dispelling because they absolutely should not do that. Instead, Smith needs protection, and Fuaga gives him that.

• 17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jared Verse (Florida State) – EDGE (unchanged from v1)

Pretty simple pick for the Jags here. They desperately need to improve their pass rush and run stop game after some FA losses. They could be tempted to grab one of the top remaining WRs now too, but the class is deep and they will get their shot at one in Round 2.

• 18. Cincinnati Bengals - Troy Fautanu (Washington) – OT (unchanged from v1)

Joe Burrow’s contract is now the potential anchor around the Bengals neck. He has got to be on the field all season for them to realise their ambitions of championships. To do that, this Offensive Line must improve.

• 19. Los Angeles Rams – Nate Wiggins (Clemson) – CB (unchanged from v1)

Rams need Quality and fresh blood in their Defensive Backs. They’ve so far signed none in Free Agency and all indications are Corner will be their main focus this draft. Wiggins is Best Remaining.

• 20. Pittsburgh Steelers - Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) – WR (unchanged from v1)

Steelers just grabbed Russell Wilson, and lost a few options in Free Agency (plus traded Dionte Jackson). They are going to want to maximise their chances at using him and determine early if they dare renew with him. Brian Thomas is an excellent option.

• 21. Miami Dolphins - Amarius Mims (Georgia) – OT (unchanged from v1)

Dolphins will want to build on getting their first truly full season of output from Tua, and they will want to protect him further. Mims could even move to Interior for a season, but belief is he will move straight in to the OT role.

• 22. Denver Broncos (via Phi) - Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama) – CB (unchanged from v1)

McKinstry has come out of the Alabama Pro Day very strong. His 40-time plus his drills have supposedly caught the eye of a few teams. It’s possible he might even be the one that the Rams take at 19 but I’m not sure he’s done enough to shoot much higher. Essentially Broncos will go opposite of Rams here between McKinstry or Wiggins.

• 23. Minnesota Vikings (via Hou via Cle) - Graham Barton (Duke) – IOL (different from v1)

The Vikings are now left holding onto a pick they likely started the day not expecting to still have. They could debate moving it, but in reality they now have a great set of options ahead of them. With Jefferson seemingly with one foot out of the door, they could now look to targets, but inside look at their OLine and will see if they can flip JJ into a set of 2nds and 3rds.
*24. Dallas Cowboys - Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) – OT (unchanged from v1)
Dallas can go three or four different directions here. They do need to improve the pass protection, and also need to give Dak more outlets to pass it to. The strong depth of the WR class is why I think Guyton will be their choice at this stage, as the drop-off at O Line is a lot sharper, and that might find by #56 that it’s hurt them to not cover the gap in front of Dak.

• 25. Green Bay Packers – Cooper DeJean (Iowa) – CB/S (unchanged from v1)

The Packers are in need of refreshing their secondary, and DeJean is a phenomenal multi-faceted Defensive Back. He can cover all positions back there, and will confuse a lot of QB’s Reads and their Router Runners as he can snap across the field and pick them up better than most seasoned pros can.

• 26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Laiatu Latu (UCLA) – DE/EDGE (unchanged from v1)

Securing Baker has saved Tampa Bay from the trade madness of the QBs this year. They also managed to bring Evans back as well, saving them from the WR rush as well. This has left them in a great spot to start fixing their defence and securing the NFC South for longer term. Latu will grant them some excellent Pass Rush and Run Support, in a Division that is full of O-Line weakness.

• 27. Arizona Cardinals (via Hou) - Byron Murphy (Texas) – DL (unchanged from v1)

This is weird, Murphy absolutely should not fall this far. But the runs on the Offensive Line, WR’s and obviously QB’s, has left him tumbling down the board with every pick. The Cards are also the team that he would best suit as they are probably the team in most need of a powerful Defensive Tackle.

• 28. Buffalo Bills - Xavier Worthy (Texas) – WR (unchanged from v1)

The question is not “will the Bills take a Texas WR”. The question is “which Texas WR will the Bills take”. They could go Mitchell or Worthy here. Worthy’s stock has risen the closer to the draft we get, and he really stood out in the Pro Day as well.

TRADE
The Lions are likely getting a nosebleed at this point. They’re way higher in the pre-trade order than they’ve been in a long, long time. They have watched top talents fall and might feel that the needs they have can be met and pick up another pick along the way too. The Panthers have just seen another Wide Receiver go off the board and now they have #39, the time has come to get their guy before someone else does, and secure a 5th year option as well.
DETROIT LIONS SEND:
#29
CAROLINA PANTHERS SEND:
#33 #101 (4th Round)

• 29. Carolina Panthers (via Det) – Adonai Mitchell (Texas) – WR (unchanged from v1)

Mitchell has been someone that the Panthers fans have been praying for to drop to them at #33. There is a belief that their new GM shares that sentiment, and will move up to get his man, especially easier to justify now he has that other second round pick from the Burns trade too.

• 30. Baltimore Ravens - Ladd McConkey (Georgia) – WR (unchanged from v1)

Those WR’s just keep on going. This could easily be Coleman from FSU as well, but either way, the Ravens need to give Lamar a new pass option.

• 31. San Francisco 49ers - Jordan Morgan (Arizona) – OT/OG (different from v1)

O Line will be a focus in San Fran. They had hoped Barton would continue to fall, but instead settle for Morgan who is also a versatile O Line worker.

• 32. Kansas City Chiefs - Keon Coleman (Florida State) – WR

The rich get richer. Most years where WR is not so stacked, Coleman would go top 20 without blinking. This pick will cover some absolutely scandalous work by Chiefs Wide options last season, and make them somehow stronger than last season as they go for the Three-peat.
ROUND 2

1. Detroit Lions - Chop Robinson (Penn State) – LB/EDGE
   
2. New England Patriots - Kamari Lassiter (Georgia) – CB
   
3. Arizona Cardinals - Bralen Trice (Washington) – EDGE
   
4. Washington Commanders - Kingsley Suamataia (BYU) – OT
   
5. New Orleans Saints - Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois) – DL
   
6. Tennessee Titans - Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri) – CB
   
7. Carolina Panthers - Darius Robinson (Missouri) – EDGE
   
8. Washington Commanders - Troy Franklin (Oregon) – WR
   
9. Green Bay Packers - T'Vondre Sweat (Texas) – DL
   
10. Houston Texas - Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M) – LB
    
11. Atlanta Falcons - Payton Wilson (NC State) – LB
    
12. Las Vegas Raiders – Mike Sainristil (Michigan) – CB
    
13. New Orleans Saints - Zach Frazier (West Virginia) – C
    
14. Indianapolis Colts - Xavier Legette (South Carolina) – WR
    
15. New York Giants - Roman Wilson (Michigan) – WR
    
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Tyler Nubin (Minnesota) – S
    
17. Cincinnati Bengals - Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas) – TE
    
18. Philadelphia Eagles - Chris Braswell (Alabama) – EDGE
    
19. Pittsburgh Steelers - Kris Jenkins (Michigan) – DL
    
20. Los Angeles Rams - Braden Fiske (FSU) – DL
    
21. Denver Broncos - Trey Benson (FSU) – RB
    
22. Cleveland Browns - Jonathon Brooks (Texas) – RB
    
23. Miami Dolphins - Michael Hall Jr. (Ohio State) – DL
    
24. Dallas Cowboys - Ricky Pearsall (Florida) – WR
    
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Cooper Beebe (Kansas State) – OG
    
26. Green Bay Packers - Jaylen Wright (Texas) - RB
    
27. Houston Texans - Patrick Paul (Houston) – OT
    
28. Buffalo Bills - Marshawn Kneeland (Western Michigan) – EDGE
    
29. Detroit Lions - Christian Haynes (UConn) - OG/OT
    
30. Baltimore Ravens - Ruke Orhorhoro (Clemson) – DL
    
31. San Francisco 49ers - Kamren Kinchens (Miami FL) – S
    
32. Kansas City Chiefs - Junior Colson (Michigan) – LB
    

December 31, 2022:
We had everything planned to attend the 2023 CFP National Championship Game at SoFi Stadium in LA - myself, Amy (wife) and Bill (dad). We'd secured tickets through UM Athletics, thanks to Bill's season ticket holder status and a little ticket lottery luck. All our accommodations were set. On New Year's Eve morning, with kids in tow, Amy and I drove from Ann Arbor to Chicago so that we could watch the semifinal game with Bill and the rest of my family at my childhood home. Everything seemed to be coming together. It was our time.
Maize and blue runs deep in our family. Amy and I met at UM as college students back in the early 2000s. We got married in AA a few years later and eventually put down roots there to start our family. Bill graduated from the UM B-school back in '70 and has been a football season ticket holder for over 40 years. I was 6 months old when I attended my first game at Michigan Stadium, better known as the Big House. As that story goes, on a hot September Saturday in 1982, a “bundled baby got redder and redder, until he was cooked just right” - a Michigan fan ever since. Fifteen years later, I was a highschool sophomore in '97, the last time Michigan Football won the National Championship. Too preoccupied with teenager life to appreciate it then, this time would be different.
Needless to say, we were all amped for that 2022 semifinal game. Our bags were packed. All The Team had to do was win. And then TCU happened. Pick six. Fumble. Pick six. Season over. Plans ruined. Total let down. I felt completely deflated. Collectively, we had a golden opportunity in our grasp, only to watch JJ and The Team literally throw it away with those interceptions. A week later, still distraught, I didn't even watch the National Championship game.
By the middle of January, wounds still healing, we started thinking about the next season and Team 144. JJ said they'd be back and I wanted to believe him. The third time could be the charm. Team 144 would be hungry, driven to redeem themselves and finish what they started together back in '21. Where is the 2024 CFP National Championship Game? Houston. Ok, that's doable. It's not southern California, but still warmer than Michigan in January. One can hope. Let's keep it in mind as the season gets underway.
August: The Plan
Summer's coming to an end and I'm itching for the start of the next season: Michigan Football season. After following The Team's progress throughout the summer, I'm now confident: this is the year. Amy and I start looking at January house rentals in Houston. We find a great place with something for everyone: outdoor pool, basketball hoop, billiards table, patio, arcade games, plenty of space. I check with Bill, who's 75, has bad knees and hasn't made it to a game at the Big House in a few years. These days he's often giving his tickets away to family or selling them. Just maybe he'll go for the Houston idea, since we were on the verge of going to California just over half a year earlier. Maybe, this time would be different.
Without hesitation, Bill is ALL IN. He's psyched. Sue (mom) and Ryan (brother) are coming too. Amy and I book the place. Book the flights. We tell ourselves that we'll enjoy the holiday break getaway in Houston with family, whether Michigan's playing or not. This would become my mantra throughout the season, an attempt to channel my inner JJ McCarthy, ground and convince myself that win or lose, it will be ok and we will enjoy our time in Texas, maybe.
September: The Domination
The season starts out as expected, even with Harbaugh suspended for the first 3 games, as Michigan pummels lesser opponents en route to easy victories. We half watch the TV, as you might with preseason, exhibition games. It's nice to have on in the background while summer winds down over Labor Day weekend, with the start of school and casual get-togethers to celebrate fall birthdays. All the while, when others engage in small talk about The Team, I try to curb my enthusiasm, not mentioning the Houston plans, for fear of jinxing it, coming off as cocky, crazy, or both. 4-0.
October: The Scandal
The calendar rolls over and The Team starts rolling through the B1G. We watch as The Team “cooks just right” in a Nebraska heatwave, then drops 52 on Minnesota, before returning home to do the same to Indiana. Next up: in-state rivalry week. I can't wait to watch The Team manhandle the Spartans. There's no doubt and there will be no mercy. And then the unthinkable - the “Sign Gate” scandal hits. What is this nonsense? Who the hell is Connor Stalions? How will The Team react? M 49, msu 0. Yes, msu was already deep in their own Sparty brand of turmoil, but it always feels great to beat the hell out of your in-state rival.
Rumors and speculation, and stories about rumors and speculation, continue to swirl like the Wizard of Oz twister. I dress up as Connor Stalions at work on Halloween, complete with “Michigan Manifesto,” headset to nobody, binoculars, iPhone camera and crusty M hat. The Stalions CMU allegations start flying that day too - complete with pictures - sunglasses at night. Welp, his career is over-over and now I just feel bad for him. So, I change up my costume for trick or treating with the kids. I don't need to kick the guy who's already down and now, all the way out. “Vast Network” feels a little more appropriate, all things considered. 8-0.
November: That Gauntlet
The bye week feels like forever as rumors and reports reach a fever pitch. Can we just get back to playing football? I head to the purdon't game with our college buddy, great friend and crazed M fan, Scott. My first in-person game of the season, I'm hoping we win 1 million to zero to quiet some of the media frenzied noise. The Team looks a little rusty after the week off, but takes care of business. Final preseason game: M 41, purdue 13. Ok, that's done. Let's play some meaningful football.
The first true test: penn state. Even before the scandal, everything pointed to this game. First ranked foe of the season. Time for The Team to finally show college football they are That Team. Then, the unthinkable and unprecedented: Harbaugh is served a second suspension, while en route to Happy Valley, less than 24 hours before kickoff. Wow, that's low, B1G.
I'm in complete disbelief. The Team might not even get a chance to prove their true moxy. Nevermind. Interim Head Coach Sherrone Moore's got this and That Team is ready for that stage. Amy and I cheer and scream and coach the TV screen from home on nearly every play. Take that, B1G. Take that, haters. Michigan 24, penn state 15. We too have tears in our eyes afterward as Sherrone and Blake give passionate post-game interviews on the field. Tears of pride, anger, unity, determination. I firmly believe. Texas or bust. We.Are.That.Team.
One more obstacle before The Game: Maryland. On a whim, and with the promise of unseasonably warm November weather, we decide to make a family road trip to see Michigan go for program win 1,000 against the Terps. It's a sunny, warm and windy day in College Park. Their stadium gives me some serious Northwestern vibes. And I've seen Michigan lose at N'Western, multiple times and in devastating fashion. With the boys alongside, we should make it through half-time, at least, hoping for M dominance early and often. Early, yes. Often, no. Maryland puts up a good fight. And we manage to make it through the whole game while That Team and That Defense does enough to get That W: 1,000. Michigan 31, maryland 24. Michigan fans outnumber Maryland in the stands and later on the field. Right after the game, an announcement is made about Maryland fan photo ops on the field. Then, the announcer immediately follows that up by asking Michigan fans to please leave the field. Yes, that’s our cherry on top.
Thanksgiving Week. The Game. The Anticipation. The Hype. Michigan vs. Everybody. This is it. The Game to end all Games. It's all I can think about. I text Scott, Bill and other M fans constantly throughout the week about Game day planning, strategy, and the overwhelming hype, mainly as an outlet for my increasing anxiety and excitement. Scott and his dad (affectionately known as Cap'n Ron), Bill, Sue and Ryan all make the trip to AA for it. Bill attends his first osu game in a decade, a precursor and physical prep for a hopeful National Championship trek. He believes too. And we all know how this one plays out. Zak Zinter goes down. The crowd rises up. Blake Corum scores. Rod Moore intercepts and calls “Game!” From our seats in the northeast corner, it sure looks like a clean pick to me and Amy. And once it's confirmed, The Celebration is on! Michigan 30, osu 24.
The field is flooded with M fans, same as in '21, but this time around, with a feeling of determination instead of relief. After many post-Game cheers at the golf course tailgate, we eventually make it back home to immediately watch the TV broadcast. The confirmation of the Rod Moore interception brings me the most joy in that moment. And in every rewatch since. Tears well up again, this time with Bill too. We are lucky enough to have experienced, in-person, the biggest Game there will likely ever be in the rivalry. Over 40 years since that first game, when I got "cooked." Regular season complete, 12-0. Houston dreams alive and well.
December: That Wait
The B1G Championship is just a matter of how much we're going to win by, right? Yep, Michigan 26, iowa 0. B1G Champs. Three-Peat. Here we come, CFP! Swept up in the excitement of it all, Amy and I decide to add a Pasadena detour to the Houston family trip. We book everything in. Season ticket holder Bill throws his name in the UM Athletics ticket lottery hat for the Rose Bowl. We find out a few days later, he didn't get them. Dammit. Demand was sky high to see M take on 'bama in the Granddaddy of Them All. Dammit. What now? Let's go out there anyway. Scott and Cap'n are going. We can hang out with them and support from the golf course, watch at a local sports bar and enjoy some California sunshine for a few days.
Prior to CA, we find out that we ARE eligible to get CFP National Championship tickets again. Lucky for us, the demand for those tickets isn't as high as the Rose Bowl among M fans. Maybe because it's on a Monday night? After the holiday break? Or the uncertainty of M needing to win the Rose Bowl first? Whatever the case, thank gawd, because prices on the secondary market are already outrageous ($1800+) and likely going to get worse, especially if Texas beats Washington. So, one year later, after all that, we're back in the same boat and familiar waters. 13-0, with California (and Texas) travel plans in place. It's time. Let the trip begin.
January: That End
On our way to the airport, I'm again trying to convince myself that this family trip will be fun no matter what. Think it into truth. What did George Costanza say? “It's not a lie, if you believe it.” Another year of New Year's Eve travel. We fly out of DTW, landing as the clock strikes midnight out west, in enough time to celebrate the New Year by picking up our rental car and hitting the road towards Pasadena. Here we come, 2024! We make it to the Rose Bowl golf course a few hours pre-game to tailgate with Scott and Cap'n Ron, who are attending the game. Beautiful Rose Bowl weather - sunny and 65 at 10:30am. Mountains and historic stadium in the background, this golf course feels like outside the Big House in September, about a 75/25 split in Michigan's favor. We party it up while the kids throw the football around for a couple hours. It's perfect. We talk strategy with the Albrechts and high hopes That Team is ready this time. About an hour before the game, we manage to make it out of the golf course, salmon swimming upstream, and to an LA sports bar. The kids have food, screens and chargers. I'm an edgy, nervous wreck, but there's nothing more I can do than find a good vantage point to watch without screaming in anyone's face. It's time. Let the game begin.
As with several games this season, it starts out poorly. Even through multiple rewatches, I still can't believe JJ's first throw. The muffed punt. The extra point. The missed field goal. The second muffed punt. Total special teams meltdown. Holy cow. Amy and I look at each other in disbelief. Is this TCU all over again? But, maybe not, as That Defense remains consistent and keeps the game within reach. As the California sun sets and that dim bar lighting takes effect, time is running out. 4th quarter, 4:41 left. Then: That Drive. 4th and 2 conversion by Blake. JJ first down run. Tipped pass, Roman catch and out of bounds at the 5. Roman TD to tie the game. Blake bowling over everyone in OT for the go-ahead touchdown.
Amy and I are coaching, nudging each other, again yelling at the TV, and pleading with That Defense to once again save the day. 'Bama first and goal - rush for no gain. Second down - Mason Graham bulldozer tackle for loss. Third down - pass complete, 'bama WR awkwardly twisted down at the 3 yard line. Injury timeout. 4th and goal. Michigan timeout. 'Bama timeout. Amy and I can't take it anymore as we pace around the bar. No more timeouts left, this is it. Here we go, bracing ourselves in a linebacker ready stance, like we're going to make this play. Low snap, 'bama quarterback dives towards the end zone. He's well short and emphatically flattened. Game. Over. Pandamonium in Pasadena. That Team rushes the field, sprinting and screaming in every direction, embracing each other: Victors Valiant. We scream out with joy and pride too, running around the bar, high fiving every Michigan fan in the place. Did that just happen? Every focus of Team 144 over the last 365 days has led to THIS moment. Blake Corum lets everyone know: “See you in Houston!” Rose Bowl Champions. Michigan 27, 'bama 20.
Scott and Cap meet us back at our LA rental and we collectively relive our experiences, from the stadium to the bar, rewatching the game immediately. This win feels like the breakthrough moment, the pinnacle of a truly unbelievable season. To defeat 'bama, Nick Saban and the program that has won the most CFP National Championships - not sure it gets better than this. California feels glorious for the next three days. Everything is right with the world. I run the neighborhood streets of LA three mornings in a row, decked head to toe in maize and blue, listening to my season anthem on repeat and there's only just enough gravity to keep me from floating away. 2024, off to a magical start and savoring every moment of it. This is what we missed last year. But, still, one more to go. Business isn't finished. 14-0, Houston dreams have become reality.
We make our way to Texas and settle into our Houston Big House. My parents and brother arrive and we reminisce about the Rose Bowl victory, rewatching the whole game (again), analyzing and cheering in prep for Monday night. Landing a day later and full of spirit, Scott and Cap join us too, with surprise guest, Melissa! On Sunday, we all check out the CFP fan fest, see Michigan board the team buses and leave for their final team walk through before the National Championship. Thumbs up and smiles from Coach Harbaugh. Ready to win, as Ted Lasso might say, “the whole damn thing.” That night, Ryan, Scott and I do 'Victory Cannonballs' into a pool that feels like the Polar Plunge, in the name of winning it all. We stay up too late. But, who cares, the next day is the National F-ing Championship and this time, everything's going to plan.
Championship morning comes and I go for a run in a warm Houston rain, knowing that I'm going to be an anxious mess all the way up to kickoff. Scott and Cap grill up a pregame tailgate feast for everyone at the Houston House and we all try to enjoy ourselves for a few hours during a day that we can't wait to turn into night.
Eventually, enough time passes for us to finally make our way to NRG Stadium. As we park, black storm clouds start rolling in, the winds pick up and it feels about 30 degrees cooler in 30 seconds. Storm before the calm? We book it to the stadium as fast as Bill's now 76 year old knees will allow. Like all the Wolverine faithful, he is on his game today and we only get a little wet. Thanks, pocket ponchos - not our first rodeo. As we make our way to the Michigan side of the stadium, our fans are as hyped as we've ever seen - cheers and chants breaking out constantly, as if we'd already won. And maybe we had. The Rose Bowl felt like the true hurdle.
Amy, Bill and I settle into our seats about an hour before kickoff, watch the teams' final on field preparations, starters announced and pregame band shows. With the thunderstorm raging outside, the roof is closed and it's warming up in NRG. Sweating it out as we approach kickoff, I'm channeling John Fogerty, “Put me in, Coach! I'm ready to play!” Nervousness, anticipation, and exhilaration all flow freely. We are ready to make history. Almost game time.
A Houston space launch hype video countdown keeps everyone on their feet after the Star Spangled Banner, roaring to kickoff. Michigan gets the ball first. And this time, everything goes to plan. No early game struggles. No waiting for the team to settle in. Nearly mistake-free football. Michigan marches down the field on their first two drives, scoring on back to back long TD runs from “The Don,” Donovan Edwards. To end the quarter, Blake busts loose for another long run and we can barely contain ourselves. We look at each other, wide-eyed, cheering, laughing, asking, “Is this really happening?!”
During the second and third quarters, we come back down to Earth, as the competition on the field levels out. When Washington scores a TD just before half to make it a one score game, the tension rises again in the stands. Out on the concourse during the break, a much different tone than pre-game. Anxiety fills the air as fans quietly make their half-time moves. While Bill and I battle a long pit stop line, the second half gets underway, immediately followed by a stadium shaking uproar from our crowd. What happened? Interception? Another M fan, watching on his phone, shows us the replay as All-American cornerback Will Johnson makes a spectacular pick. And just like that, the anxiety lifts after That Defense steps up and Michigan adds to the lead.
By mid 4th quarter, Washington battles back to make it a one score game again, despite our defense making life miserable for Penix on nearly every throw. The Michigan offense, relatively quiet and conservative since the 1st quarter, re-opens the playbook. JJ slings the pigskin to Colston and Roman, hauling in long catches and darting down the field. Then, Blake the Great weaves through defenders to score and Championship dreams take another step towards reality.
Time for That Defense to finish the job, one more time. The final nail: Captain Mike Sainristil's interception. We shout with pure joy as he follows a maize and blue convoy down the sideline and towards the end zone. Game. Over. Bill, Amy and I embrace in a “Holy crap, this IS happening!” moment. Hugs, high fives and tears all around. More hugs, more high fives, more tears. Sighs of relief, selfies, group photos, videos, all of it. This is real.
Over my 40 plus years, I've been lucky enough to attend many memorable Michigan Football games, defeats and victories, most thanks to Bill. Elvis Grbac to Desmond Howard for The Catch on 4th and 1 vs Notre Dame. The Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook Hail Mary loss to Colorado. Charles Woodson solidifying his Heisman in The Game. Anthony Thomas' fumble at Northwestern. Phil Brabbs' kick to beat WA. The Braylon Edwards’ game vs MSU. USC dominance in the '04 Rose Bowl. App State. Under the Lights vs ND. Program Victory 1,000. The 2021 and 2023 victories in The Game. And now, watching Michigan win the National Championship with my wife and father by my side.
In all the rest of my Michigan sports fandom, it's hard to imagine anything more meaningful than this. We, together, experienced this season with Team 144. The highs and lows, expected and wildly unpredictable. We witnessed Michigan achieve perfection. Several weeks later, I’m still basking in the glow, floating, framing as many pictures as my walls will hold to immortalize the experience. Still contacting Bill about the trip, looking ahead to next season as Defending National Champions, and referring to each other as “Champ” in most of our conversations. Savoring each moment and enjoying daily as the dream continues to slowly settle into reality.
Sometimes you plan and prepare and it goes to hell. Sometimes it's “cooked just right.” Michigan 34, Washington 13. The Team, That Team, Our Team: Team 144. 15-0. Perfect Season. Michigan Legends. National Champions.
January 8, 2024:
Thank you, Michigan Football, for a lifetime of memories, and Team 144, for this time in particular.
Forever, GO BLUE!

December 31, 2022:
We had everything planned to attend the 2023 CFP National Championship Game at SoFi Stadium in LA - myself, Amy (wife) and Bill (dad). We'd secured tickets through UM Athletics, thanks to Bill's season ticket holder status and a little ticket lottery luck. All our accommodations were set. On New Year's Eve morning, with kids in tow, Amy and I drove from Ann Arbor to Chicago so that we could watch the semifinal game with Bill and the rest of my family at my childhood home. Everything seemed to be coming together. It was our time.
Maize and blue runs deep in our family. Amy and I met at UM as college students back in the early 2000s. We got married in AA a few years later and eventually put down roots there to start our family. Bill graduated from the UM B-school back in '70 and has been a football season ticket holder for over 40 years. I was 6 months old when I attended my first game at Michigan Stadium, better known as the Big House. As that story goes, on a hot September Saturday in 1982, a “bundled baby got redder and redder, until he was cooked just right” - a Michigan fan ever since. Fifteen years later, I was a highschool sophomore in '97, the last time Michigan Football won the National Championship. Too preoccupied with teenager life to appreciate it then, this time would be different.
Needless to say, we were all amped for that 2022 semifinal game. Our bags were packed. All The Team had to do was win. And then TCU happened. Pick six. Fumble. Pick six. Season over. Plans ruined. Total let down. I felt completely deflated. Collectively, we had a golden opportunity in our grasp, only to watch JJ and The Team literally throw it away with those interceptions. A week later, still distraught, I didn't even watch the National Championship game.
By the middle of January, wounds still healing, we started thinking about the next season and Team 144. JJ said they'd be back and I wanted to believe him. The third time could be the charm. Team 144 would be hungry, driven to redeem themselves and finish what they started together back in '21. Where is the 2024 CFP National Championship Game? Houston. Ok, that's doable. It's not southern California, but still warmer than Michigan in January. One can hope. Let's keep it in mind as the season gets underway.
August: The Plan
Summer's coming to an end and I'm itching for the start of the next season: Michigan Football season. After following The Team's progress throughout the summer, I'm now confident: this is the year. Amy and I start looking at January house rentals in Houston. We find a great place with something for everyone: outdoor pool, basketball hoop, billiards table, patio, arcade games, plenty of space. I check with Bill, who's 75, has bad knees and hasn't made it to a game at the Big House in a few years. These days he's often giving his tickets away to family or selling them. Just maybe he'll go for the Houston idea, since we were on the verge of going to California just over half a year earlier. Maybe, this time would be different.
Without hesitation, Bill is ALL IN. He's psyched. Sue (mom) and Ryan (brother) are coming too. Amy and I book the place. Book the flights. We tell ourselves that we'll enjoy the holiday break getaway in Houston with family, whether Michigan's playing or not. This would become my mantra throughout the season, an attempt to channel my inner JJ McCarthy, ground and convince myself that win or lose, it will be ok and we will enjoy our time in Texas, maybe.
September: The Domination
The season starts out as expected, even with Harbaugh suspended for the first 3 games, as Michigan pummels lesser opponents en route to easy victories. We half watch the TV, as you might with preseason, exhibition games. It's nice to have on in the background while summer winds down over Labor Day weekend, with the start of school and casual get-togethers to celebrate fall birthdays. All the while, when others engage in small talk about The Team, I try to curb my enthusiasm, not mentioning the Houston plans, for fear of jinxing it, coming off as cocky, crazy, or both. 4-0.
October: The Scandal
The calendar rolls over and The Team starts rolling through the B1G. We watch as The Team “cooks just right” in a Nebraska heatwave, then drops 52 on Minnesota, before returning home to do the same to Indiana. Next up: in-state rivalry week. I can't wait to watch The Team manhandle the Spartans. There's no doubt and there will be no mercy. And then the unthinkable - the “Sign Gate” scandal hits. What is this nonsense? Who the hell is Connor Stalions? How will The Team react? M 49, msu 0. Yes, msu was already deep in their own Sparty brand of turmoil, but it always feels great to beat the hell out of your in-state rival.
Rumors and speculation, and stories about rumors and speculation, continue to swirl like the Wizard of Oz twister. I dress up as Connor Stalions at work on Halloween, complete with “Michigan Manifesto,” headset to nobody, binoculars, iPhone camera and crusty M hat. The Stalions CMU allegations start flying that day too - complete with pictures - sunglasses at night. Welp, his career is over-over and now I just feel bad for him. So, I change up my costume for trick or treating with the kids. I don't need to kick the guy who's already down and now, all the way out. “Vast Network” feels a little more appropriate, all things considered. 8-0.
November: That Gauntlet
The bye week feels like forever as rumors and reports reach a fever pitch. Can we just get back to playing football? I head to the purdon't game with our college buddy, great friend and crazed M fan, Scott. My first in-person game of the season, I'm hoping we win 1 million to zero to quiet some of the media frenzied noise. The Team looks a little rusty after the week off, but takes care of business. Final preseason game: M 41, purdue 13. Ok, that's done. Let's play some meaningful football.
The first true test: penn state. Even before the scandal, everything pointed to this game. First ranked foe of the season. Time for The Team to finally show college football they are That Team. Then, the unthinkable and unprecedented: Harbaugh is served a second suspension, while en route to Happy Valley, less than 24 hours before kickoff. Wow, that's low, B1G.
I'm in complete disbelief. The Team might not even get a chance to prove their true moxy. Nevermind. Interim Head Coach Sherrone Moore's got this and That Team is ready for that stage. Amy and I cheer and scream and coach the TV screen from home on nearly every play. Take that, B1G. Take that, haters. Michigan 24, penn state 15. We too have tears in our eyes afterward as Sherrone and Blake give passionate post-game interviews on the field. Tears of pride, anger, unity, determination. I firmly believe. Texas or bust. We.Are.That.Team.
One more obstacle before The Game: Maryland. On a whim, and with the promise of unseasonably warm November weather, we decide to make a family road trip to see Michigan go for program win 1,000 against the Terps. It's a sunny, warm and windy day in College Park. Their stadium gives me some serious Northwestern vibes. And I've seen Michigan lose at N'Western, multiple times and in devastating fashion. With the boys alongside, we should make it through half-time, at least, hoping for M dominance early and often. Early, yes. Often, no. Maryland puts up a good fight. And we manage to make it through the whole game while That Team and That Defense does enough to get That W: 1,000. Michigan 31, maryland 24. Michigan fans outnumber Maryland in the stands and later on the field. Right after the game, an announcement is made about Maryland fan photo ops on the field. Then, the announcer immediately follows that up by asking Michigan fans to please leave the field. Yes, that’s our cherry on top.
Thanksgiving Week. The Game. The Anticipation. The Hype. Michigan vs. Everybody. This is it. The Game to end all Games. It's all I can think about. I text Scott, Bill and other M fans constantly throughout the week about Game day planning, strategy, and the overwhelming hype, mainly as an outlet for my increasing anxiety and excitement. Scott and his dad (affectionately known as Cap'n Ron), Bill, Sue and Ryan all make the trip to AA for it. Bill attends his first osu game in a decade, a precursor and physical prep for a hopeful National Championship trek. He believes too. And we all know how this one plays out. Zak Zinter goes down. The crowd rises up. Blake Corum scores. Rod Moore intercepts and calls “Game!” From our seats in the northeast corner, it sure looks like a clean pick to me and Amy. And once it's confirmed, The Celebration is on! Michigan 30, osu 24.
The field is flooded with M fans, same as in '21, but this time around, with a feeling of determination instead of relief. After many post-Game cheers at the golf course tailgate, we eventually make it back home to immediately watch the TV broadcast. The confirmation of the Rod Moore interception brings me the most joy in that moment. And in every rewatch since. Tears well up again, this time with Bill too. We are lucky enough to have experienced, in-person, the biggest Game there will likely ever be in the rivalry. Over 40 years since that first game, when I got "cooked." Regular season complete, 12-0. Houston dreams alive and well.
December: That Wait
The B1G Championship is just a matter of how much we're going to win by, right? Yep, Michigan 26, iowa 0. B1G Champs. Three-Peat. Here we come, CFP! Swept up in the excitement of it all, Amy and I decide to add a Pasadena detour to the Houston family trip. We book everything in. Season ticket holder Bill throws his name in the UM Athletics ticket lottery hat for the Rose Bowl. We find out a few days later, he didn't get them. Dammit. Demand was sky high to see M take on 'bama in the Granddaddy of Them All. Dammit. What now? Let's go out there anyway. Scott and Cap'n are going. We can hang out with them and support from the golf course, watch at a local sports bar and enjoy some California sunshine for a few days.
Prior to CA, we find out that we ARE eligible to get CFP National Championship tickets again. Lucky for us, the demand for those tickets isn't as high as the Rose Bowl among M fans. Maybe because it's on a Monday night? After the holiday break? Or the uncertainty of M needing to win the Rose Bowl first? Whatever the case, thank gawd, because prices on the secondary market are already outrageous ($1800+) and likely going to get worse, especially if Texas beats Washington. So, one year later, after all that, we're back in the same boat and familiar waters. 13-0, with California (and Texas) travel plans in place. It's time. Let the trip begin.
January: That End
On our way to the airport, I'm again trying to convince myself that this family trip will be fun no matter what. Think it into truth. What did George Costanza say? “It's not a lie, if you believe it.” Another year of New Year's Eve travel. We fly out of DTW, landing as the clock strikes midnight out west, in enough time to celebrate the New Year by picking up our rental car and hitting the road towards Pasadena. Here we come, 2024! We make it to the Rose Bowl golf course a few hours pre-game to tailgate with Scott and Cap'n Ron, who are attending the game. Beautiful Rose Bowl weather - sunny and 65 at 10:30am. Mountains and historic stadium in the background, this golf course feels like outside the Big House in September, about a 75/25 split in Michigan's favor. We party it up while the kids throw the football around for a couple hours. It's perfect. We talk strategy with the Albrechts and high hopes That Team is ready this time. About an hour before the game, we manage to make it out of the golf course, salmon swimming upstream, and to an LA sports bar. The kids have food, screens and chargers. I'm an edgy, nervous wreck, but there's nothing more I can do than find a good vantage point to watch without screaming in anyone's face. It's time. Let the game begin.
As with several games this season, it starts out poorly. Even through multiple rewatches, I still can't believe JJ's first throw. The muffed punt. The extra point. The missed field goal. The second muffed punt. Total special teams meltdown. Holy cow. Amy and I look at each other in disbelief. Is this TCU all over again? But, maybe not, as That Defense remains consistent and keeps the game within reach. As the California sun sets and that dim bar lighting takes effect, time is running out. 4th quarter, 4:41 left. Then: That Drive. 4th and 2 conversion by Blake. JJ first down run. Tipped pass, Roman catch and out of bounds at the 5. Roman TD to tie the game. Blake bowling over everyone in OT for the go-ahead touchdown.
Amy and I are coaching, nudging each other, again yelling at the TV, and pleading with That Defense to once again save the day. 'Bama first and goal - rush for no gain. Second down - Mason Graham bulldozer tackle for loss. Third down - pass complete, 'bama WR awkwardly twisted down at the 3 yard line. Injury timeout. 4th and goal. Michigan timeout. 'Bama timeout. Amy and I can't take it anymore as we pace around the bar. No more timeouts left, this is it. Here we go, bracing ourselves in a linebacker ready stance, like we're going to make this play. Low snap, 'bama quarterback dives towards the end zone. He's well short and emphatically flattened. Game. Over. Pandamonium in Pasadena. That Team rushes the field, sprinting and screaming in every direction, embracing each other: Victors Valiant. We scream out with joy and pride too, running around the bar, high fiving every Michigan fan in the place. Did that just happen? Every focus of Team 144 over the last 365 days has led to THIS moment. Blake Corum lets everyone know: “See you in Houston!” Rose Bowl Champions. Michigan 27, 'bama 20.
Scott and Cap meet us back at our LA rental and we collectively relive our experiences, from the stadium to the bar, rewatching the game immediately. This win feels like the breakthrough moment, the pinnacle of a truly unbelievable season. To defeat 'bama, Nick Saban and the program that has won the most CFP National Championships - not sure it gets better than this. California feels glorious for the next three days. Everything is right with the world. I run the neighborhood streets of LA three mornings in a row, decked head to toe in maize and blue, listening to my season anthem on repeat and there's only just enough gravity to keep me from floating away. 2024, off to a magical start and savoring every moment of it. This is what we missed last year. But, still, one more to go. Business isn't finished. 14-0, Houston dreams have become reality.
We make our way to Texas and settle into our Houston Big House. My parents and brother arrive and we reminisce about the Rose Bowl victory, rewatching the whole game (again), analyzing and cheering in prep for Monday night. Landing a day later and full of spirit, Scott and Cap join us too, with surprise guest, Melissa! On Sunday, we all check out the CFP fan fest, see Michigan board the team buses and leave for their final team walk through before the National Championship. Thumbs up and smiles from Coach Harbaugh. Ready to win, as Ted Lasso might say, “the whole damn thing.” That night, Ryan, Scott and I do 'Victory Cannonballs' into a pool that feels like the Polar Plunge, in the name of winning it all. We stay up too late. But, who cares, the next day is the National F-ing Championship and this time, everything's going to plan.
Championship morning comes and I go for a run in a warm Houston rain, knowing that I'm going to be an anxious mess all the way up to kickoff. Scott and Cap grill up a pregame tailgate feast for everyone at the Houston House and we all try to enjoy ourselves for a few hours during a day that we can't wait to turn into night.
Eventually, enough time passes for us to finally make our way to NRG Stadium. As we park, black storm clouds start rolling in, the winds pick up and it feels about 30 degrees cooler in 30 seconds. Storm before the calm? We book it to the stadium as fast as Bill's now 76 year old knees will allow. Like all the Wolverine faithful, he is on his game today and we only get a little wet. Thanks, pocket ponchos - not our first rodeo. As we make our way to the Michigan side of the stadium, our fans are as hyped as we've ever seen - cheers and chants breaking out constantly, as if we'd already won. And maybe we had. The Rose Bowl felt like the true hurdle.
Amy, Bill and I settle into our seats about an hour before kickoff, watch the teams' final on field preparations, starters announced and pregame band shows. With the thunderstorm raging outside, the roof is closed and it's warming up in NRG. Sweating it out as we approach kickoff, I'm channeling John Fogerty, “Put me in, Coach! I'm ready to play!” Nervousness, anticipation, and exhilaration all flow freely. We are ready to make history. Almost game time.
A Houston space launch hype video countdown keeps everyone on their feet after the Star Spangled Banner, roaring to kickoff. Michigan gets the ball first. And this time, everything goes to plan. No early game struggles. No waiting for the team to settle in. Nearly mistake-free football. Michigan marches down the field on their first two drives, scoring on back to back long TD runs from “The Don,” Donovan Edwards. To end the quarter, Blake busts loose for another long run and we can barely contain ourselves. We look at each other, wide-eyed, cheering, laughing, asking, “Is this really happening?!”
During the second and third quarters, we come back down to Earth, as the competition on the field levels out. When Washington scores a TD just before half to make it a one score game, the tension rises again in the stands. Out on the concourse during the break, a much different tone than pre-game. Anxiety fills the air as fans quietly make their half-time moves. While Bill and I battle a long pit stop line, the second half gets underway, immediately followed by a stadium shaking uproar from our crowd. What happened? Interception? Another M fan, watching on his phone, shows us the replay as All-American cornerback Will Johnson makes a spectacular pick. And just like that, the anxiety lifts after That Defense steps up and Michigan adds to the lead.
By mid 4th quarter, Washington battles back to make it a one score game again, despite our defense making life miserable for Penix on nearly every throw. The Michigan offense, relatively quiet and conservative since the 1st quarter, re-opens the playbook. JJ slings the pigskin to Colston and Roman, hauling in long catches and darting down the field. Then, Blake the Great weaves through defenders to score and Championship dreams take another step towards reality.
Time for That Defense to finish the job, one more time. The final nail: Captain Mike Sainristil's interception. We shout with pure joy as he follows a maize and blue convoy down the sideline and towards the end zone. Game. Over. Bill, Amy and I embrace in a “Holy crap, this IS happening!” moment. Hugs, high fives and tears all around. More hugs, more high fives, more tears. Sighs of relief, selfies, group photos, videos, all of it. This is real.
Over my 40 plus years, I've been lucky enough to attend many memorable Michigan Football games, defeats and victories, most thanks to Bill. Elvis Grbac to Desmond Howard for The Catch on 4th and 1 vs Notre Dame. The Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook Hail Mary loss to Colorado. Charles Woodson solidifying his Heisman in The Game. Anthony Thomas' fumble at Northwestern. Phil Brabbs' kick to beat WA. The Braylon Edwards’ game vs MSU. USC dominance in the '04 Rose Bowl. App State. Under the Lights vs ND. Program Victory 1,000. The 2021 and 2023 victories in The Game. And now, watching Michigan win the National Championship with my wife and father by my side.
In all the rest of my Michigan sports fandom, it's hard to imagine anything more meaningful than this. We, together, experienced this season with Team 144. The highs and lows, expected and wildly unpredictable. We witnessed Michigan achieve perfection. Several weeks later, I’m still basking in the glow, floating, framing as many pictures as my walls will hold to immortalize the experience. Still contacting Bill about the trip, looking ahead to next season as Defending National Champions, and referring to each other as “Champ” in most of our conversations. Savoring each moment and enjoying daily as the dream continues to slowly settle into reality.
Sometimes you plan and prepare and it goes to hell. Sometimes it's “cooked just right.” Michigan 34, Washington 13. The Team, That Team, Our Team: Team 144. 15-0. Perfect Season. Michigan Legends. National Champions.
January 8, 2024:
Thank you, Michigan Football, for a lifetime of memories, and Team 144, for this time in particular.
Forever, GO BLUE!

Considering we will get at worst the 5th overall pick for the upcoming 2024 draft, here are the top 7 players from various draft rankings and their attributes. The top pick is pretty much undisputed but everyone after is a bit of a coin toss. Scouting reports/rankings from Hockey News, Sportsnet, the Athletic, and Daily Faceoff.
1. Macklin Celebrini - Boston University / NCAA

• Center
  
• 6'0", 190 lbs
  
• 38 GP, 32/32/64
  
• Celebrini has been a top player in college hockey this season and a leader for a top team in the country. He checks every box you want in a top prospect, and is one of the few players I've scouted where it's hard to see any noticeable weakness. He skates very well. He has a very powerful stride with a quick twitch in his first few steps and is able to get by a lot of defenders. He's extremely skilled and creative with high- end offensive sense. Celebrini makes a ton of difficult plays with the puck on the move, in tight areas and from a standstill. He has a bullet shot and projects to run a first power play in the NHL. He's average-sized, but Celebrini is highly competitive, wins a lot of battles and projects as a two-way center in the NHL. He has all the makings of a potential superstar.
  

2. Ivan Demidov - SKA St. Petersburg / MHL

• Right Wing/Center
  
• 5'11", 180 lbs
  
• 30 GP, 23/37/60
  
• Demidov finished the regular season second in league scoring despite missing 24 games due to injury. At a 2.00 point-per-game average, no U-19 player has ever had a more productive season in MHL history, including Nikita Kucherov back in 2011-12. From a pure talent perspective, we’re seeing one of the most creative, speedy and offensively dominant forwards out of Russia we’ve seen in years – up around the Matvei Michkov echelon.
  
• Demidov has been the best player in Russia's junior league over the last two seasons. He has game-breaking skill and is extremely creative in making plays with the puck. He has a strong motor and competes hard to win pucks. Demidov isn't that big, but he gets to the hard areas of the ice to create chances. While he can run a power play and create when the game slows down, he makes a lot of plays on the move. He's a powerful but awkward-looking skater and he's not the biggest winger so there is some question about how his game will translate to higher levels. I see a potential top-line winger who will score a lot, but who may never be the best forward on an NHL team.
  

3. Artyom Levshunov - Michigan State / NCAA

• Right Defence
  
• 6'2", 208 lbs
  
• 38 GP, 9/26/35
  
• Levshunov has been a top player for a top college team this season. He is extremely skilled and creative, both as a puck-handler and passer. He has the hands of a top offensive defenseman and looks very comfortable with the puck. He skates well and can play an up-tempo style in how he attacks with his skill. He has the offensive sense to potentially run a PP1 in the NHL and has a good point shot, too. His defensive play doesn't stand out as much, particularly because he tries to attack so much, but he can make stops due to his athleticism and has physicality in his game. He is too aggressive at times, and plays like a forward too much for some scout's liking. He makes enough stops to ease most evaluators' concerns given how much offense he brings. He has the potential to be an impact NHL defenseman who scores at a premium level.
  
• Levshunov’s play down the stretch made me love him as the No. 1 ‘D’ again. He’s just got everything scouts want in a high-end defender – size, mobility and puck-moving skills, just to name a few quality traits. He led the Spartans in scoring after putting up one of the most impressive Draft+1 seasons by a defenseman in recent USHL history. I think the ceiling for Levshunov to become a team’s No. 1 defenseman is very, very high at this point because there aren’t many notable deficiencies in his game.
  

4. Anton Silayev - Torpedo / KHL

• Left Defense
  
• 6’7", 211 lbs
  
• 63 GP, 3/8/11
  
• Silayev has gotten a regular shift with power-play time on a KHL team this season as a 17-year-old. He is a unique type of prospect who's easy to dream on. He can play all situations, and play on his off wing. Silayev is a 6-foot-7 defenseman who skates very well for his size. He has excellent footwork and a smooth stride, with strong four-way mobility. He closes gaps quickly on his check, plays a very physical brand of hockey and thus projects to be a premier shutdown type of defenseman in the NHL. He can skate pucks out of his zone well, makes a good first pass and shows strong hockey sense at the offensive blue line. Silayev has strong puck skills, and can beat pro defensemen one- on-one often enough. His offensive play won't blow you away, but it's good enough to move pucks in the NHL. He can provide enough with the puck to go with elite defensive play to be a potential No. 1 defenseman one day.
  
• It’s very rare to see a prospect with the kind of skating and agility Silayev possesses in relation to his stature. His offence has been virtually non-existent in recent weeks, but he contributes to team success with his ability to kill plays in the defensive zone and launch the attack with on time outlets to his forwards.Silayev has a chance to be a top pairing two-way/shutdown defender at the NHL level. The kind of player who complements someone like Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar.
  

5. Cayden Lindstrom - Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL

• Center
  
• 6'4", 215 lbs
  
• 32 GP, 27/19/46
  
• Lindstrom's game has taken off this season; he's become a big part of a great Medicine Hat offense. He's been hurt for most of the second half though between a hand and back injury. When healthy, he's an elite athlete. He has the quick twitch feet of a smaller forward, and can get by opposing defenders. He's a big, powerful center with a ton of physicality in his game. Lindstrom has good offensive skills, and can score goals. His playmaking is something I've questioned at times although he's shown good instances this season. He has the potential to be a true No. 1 center if he hits although I don't see a lot of NHL centers who play the way he does and I could see him get pushed to the wing.
  
• Teams love his size, and it’s hard not to when he moves so well at 6-foot-5. An upper-body injury took him out of action for about three months, and while the results were limited against Red Deer in the first round, he had six shots in his first game back. He’s an absolute monster out there, and scouts love the potential for him to be a high-scoring wrecking ball. I know some scouts think he could go as high as No. 2, depending on the team.
  

6. Cole Eiserman - Boston University / NCAA

• Left Wing
  
• 6'0", 195 lbs
  
• 49 GP, 49/27/76
  
• Eiserman is an excellent goal-scoring winger who has put up huge numbers in junior. He isn't the best playmaker in the world, but he has game-breaking qualities with his one-on-one play and shot when the puck is on his stick. He sees the ice well enough and can make tough passes occasionally, although he absolutely prefers to shoot and tends to overshoot the puck. He's a strong skater who can create his own shot and doesn't shy from going to the net to score as well. His consistency isn't the best and he can be a frustrating player to watch at times, but I don't think he's soft and actually had some physical bite in his game. Despite all his faults, Eiserman is also a goal-per-game player in junior, so you ride the wave with him. He has the potential to be a top-line winger.
  
• You’ve heard it all by now. There isn’t a prospect with a better shot in the draft, and will go down as one of the best goal-scorers in USA Hockey National Team Development history – a group that has had Cole Caufield, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Matt Tkachuk and Patrick Kane among others. Defensively, Eiserman can be invisible, though. Eiserman is a better physical threat and a skater than I think most people give him credit for. Defensively, he needs work, but he’s got first-line winger written all over him. Underestimate him at your peril.
  

7. Sam Dickinson - London Knights / OHL

• Left Defense
  
• 6'3", 194 lbs
  
• 68 GP, 18/52/70
  
• Dickinson has been a major minutes player on a great London team. It's easy to envision him having a long NHL career. He's a 6-foot-3 defenseman who is one of the best skaters in the draft. He has an explosive, fluid stride that easily picks up power. He explodes up ice and can change gears very quickly. He breaks up plays and closes gaps easily due to his skating and creates so much possession time for his team. Dickinson is very skilled at handling the puck, and often creates chances due to the combo of his skating and skill. He also has a hard slap shot from the point and projects to score a good number of goals in the NHL. He has offense and can make some tough plays but I wouldn't call his vision what gets you excited about his game. Even with that in mind, in terms of what he could be in the league, I see PP2 potential who could have star level impact at even strength.
  

I am long-time sports bettor, fascinated by all kinds of new markets. As far as I can tell, the UFL is better than the other spring leagues, stats wise, but still leaves a lot of meat on the bone. To try and get a better understanding of who is good and who is not, I have compiled cumulative YPP stats for every team through 2 weeks.
Offensive YPP Rankings:
T 1. Birmingham 5.6
T 1. San Antonio 5.6
T 3. St. Louis 5.3
T 3. Arlington 5.3

1. Houston 5.1
   
2. Michigan 4.8
   
3. DC 4.4
   
4. Memphis 4
   

Defensive YPP Rankings:
T 1. San Antonio 4.2
T 1. Houston 4.2

1. Birmingham 4.5
   
2. Michigan 4.7
   
3. DC 5.3
   
4. Memphis 5.4
   
5. St. Louis 5.6
   
6. Arlington 6.5
   

Net YPP Rankings:

1. San Antonio +1.4
   
2. Birmingham +1.1
   
3. Houston +0.9
   
4. Michigan +0.1
   
5. St. Louis -0.3
   
6. DC -0.9
   
7. Arlington -1.2
   
8. Memphis -1.4
   

Just putting this in here for conversation. But the two biggest misconceptions to me through 2 weeks with regards to the betting markets/public perception.

• DC stinks. They stink at the eye test. They have a super conservative coach in a league that doesn't benefit conservative coaching styles. They can't run the ball. Jordan Ta'amu was one of the lights of the 2020 XFL with St. Louis. He's been decent in the spring but is completing like 50% of his passes and their defense isn't good either. They're like the third or fourth favorite to win the whole thing and I think they might be the worst team in the entire league.
• San Antonio is hard to put a finger on. 14 yards total in the first half on Saturday. Then an absolute explosion in the 2nd half. Not to mention they have some awesome playmakers and an incredible scheme (relative to the rest of the league/preparation time), but one of the biggest unknowns at QB. Their defense has been under the radar awesome in two games, but they've played the worst two offenses in the league.

Anyway, just looking for an outlet to discuss the UFL!

...You'll be waiting for a long time. You would be surprised to know that even with all the clear evidence as to how fraudulent Mina is and how toxic her teachings are, there are still people who come into this group asking for coupon codes to her courses or trying to get access from women who already have the courses. I'm not shaming them. I pity them if anything.
Mina will probably always have a following and here is why.
1) Pride
Many of Mina's followers cannot handle accepting that they were wrong about Mina. It takes a lot to admit that you were wrong about something. It is embarrassing to admit that you are gullible or naive.
2) Lack of Religion
There are people who frankly just need someone to worship. And the truth is that Mina provides that service for a lot of people. People need some type of "guru" or "coach" to listen to and follow. You can call Mina a narcissist. all you want, but the truth is that people love narcissist, lol. They love putting people on a pedestal and idolizing them.
3) Depression
There is a segment of the population that cannot handle reality. Life as they know it is almost unbearable. They live vicariously through the lives of other people on the internet. They enjoy the escapism that people like Mina give them. They are in love with the fantasy that Mina promotes.
I must admit that even for me after walking away from Mina's community, I felt a sense of emptiness. Mina had consumed so much of my life and now I didn't know what to do with myself. Fortunately, I was slowly able to pick up the pieces of my life and enjoy the life I now have. But unfortunately real life would be too much to bare for some people.
4) Low Self Worth
There are people who honestly have a kink for being disrespected and insulted and talked down to. They love being told "you are a basic babe". Or "your culture is trash". Mina gives this experience to them. She makes them feel like trash and then gives them a little hope for how they can redeem themselves.
5) Fragile egos
On the flip side there are those who like being told that they have a leg up over someone else. This is really two sides of the same coin. Their self esteem is so low so they love the crumbs that Mina throws at them to validate them by pitting them against some other group of people. For example, those are the girls that come in saying stuff like "I'm so glad I found you at 19, Mina!" And mina goes "you're so lucky you're learning this information now". (totally insensitive to her older audience, but that's how toxic her community is). Or when at some point Mina would be praising women who make a certain amount of money- stroking their fragile egos, while simultaneously making women who don't make that amount of money feel unworthy.
6 ) FOMO (Fear of missing out)
There are women who just firmly believe that they are lacking something and that everything is outside themselves. They are prone to fall for anybody who manipulates them into thinking that they have some super secret valuable information. Someone could walk up to them with an empty box and say "what's in this box is the best thing ever! you are missing out!" and they would all of a sudden deeply crave the box. To be clear, this is literally Mina's marketing tactic. She has no real content. She produces no real value. Just heavy marketing. That's why she is at the point where she is even so bold as to sell a "secret offer" for $2,222. And I would not be surprised if at least one woman has already bought it.
7) Greed
There are women who know that Mina is fraudulent, but since they have already invested so much money, they are hoping to recoup some of their losses by running the same game on other women.
They have fallen for the fantasy that "it gets to be easy", and that they can just make money easily in the same scammy way that Mina makes her money. They think that aligning with Mina will help them promote their own businesses.
​
Conclusion
If I had to guess, Mina will probably always have a following, but I don't see how she can continue bringing in the type of profits that she used to as long as real reviews from her clients and students continue to be publicly available. (Notice how she is already lowering her prices)
Even still, the actual success of Mina's business has never been publicly available. We've always had to take Mina's word for it, so Mina can continue to lie about her profits. Therefore we will likely never see evidence of actual "downfall". So please don't wait around for it or try to force it to happen. Mina's life has always been smoke and mirrors, and it will continue to be smoke and mirrors. She will continue to manipulate reality to make her life seem more than it is.
I say this to say, Please don't destroy yourself and your own integrity by being overzealous in trying to destroy someone else. The purpose of this community is not to destroy Mina. It is really just to help inform the women who are truly open to the information. We must accept that not everybody wants to be saved.
I will end with this quote from Mina's Savage Feminine : Everyone is moving and acting in accordance with their own free will and energetic blueprint.
​
Addendum
This is not to say that if she is doing something that is illegal, that she should not be held accountable. But we still must be smart and disciplined about it- not overly emotional and vengeful. In that case we must handle it methodically and seek out legal recourse via the appropriate outlets.

Crisis: meaning you are worried about your mental state. (borderline worried = worried)
hypo/mania engine: the mechanisms within your body & mind that induce, perpetuate, and escalate a hypomanic or manic episode.

When you're in crisis, your main goals should be:

1. stay SAFE
2. reduce "brain chemicals" that drive the hypo/mania engine (i.e. the "brain chemicals" that induce, perpetuate, and escalate hypomania and mania. These "brain chemicals" include dopamine, cortisol, serotonin, adrenaline, and noradrenaline/norepinephrine).

The following is a general guide for reducing "brain chemicals" that drive the hypo/manic engine. For ease of reference, I'll list each item with a brief description first. Each item in this list is expanded on below to explain why it's important and offer a few tips on how you might be able to implement it.
​

1. If you have antipsychotics, take them as prescribed. If you don't have antipsychotics, get some ASAP. You're in crisis and APs are a weapon against mania.
   1. If you don't have a psychiatrist, see your general practitioner. They can often get you APs in a pinch.
2. GET SLEEP!
3. REDUCE STRESS. Avoid stress at all costs. Take time off work/school. Fuck around with your favorite hobbies. Stay away from folks who stress you out. Relax.
4. REDUCE STIMULATION. Stimulating your brain by engaging in social interaction or consuming media that evokes specific emotions will rev you up. Staying at home, in a comfortable environment, is recommended. Chill.
   1. Note: 'excitement' is about the same as 'stress' with regard to 'making mania worse'.
5. Create a simple daily routine and stick to it.
6. Take time off work and school. You are in crisis. Your stability is a priority! Some jobs offer Short Term Disability & FMLA (medical leave) which can get you ~3 months off work at ~60% pay. Ask HR or your manager about it.
7. Avoid drugs, alcohol, and stimulants including caffeine & sugar. fr fr, lay off the caffeine.
8. Contact your support network. Let them know you're in crisis and your plan for managing it. If they're willing to help, take them up on it.
9. Consume at least 1500 calories per day. More is better.
10. Stay hydrated.
11. Exercise. Aim to avoid injury, but exhaust yourself most days, but be sure to give your body a rest every few days. Low impact cardio is recommended, like an elliptical or swimming. Lifting weights and running might be a bad idea cuz of injury risk.
12. Stretch. Relax. Treat it as meditation and do some focused breathing. Mania makes you tense, even if you don't notice it...relieving that tension helps to calm your head.
13. Take breaks often to sit and chill. BREATHE. Focusing on a task (or tasks) nonstop ain't healthy bruh.
14. Schedule an appointment with your psychiatrist. They can help you through a crisis by adjusting your meds.

​

PROTIP: a cheat code for "beating" mania is to frame 'specific things that help you to combat mania' as 'enjoyable/pleasurable'. ...mania seeks pleasure and YOU get to choose what is pleasurable for yourself. If you work hard enough at this type of reframing, it's possible to make mania work to beat itself. Ask yourself: is managing this episode of mania well something that could bring you pleasure?

​
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1. Antipsychotics

Why take antipsychotics?
Antipsychotics were designed to wreck mania. The way they work is by blocking some of your dopamine receptors. Dopamine is an essential "brain chemical" in the hypo/manic engine and APs blocking some receptors can often stop an episode cold.
​
Tips on how to take antipsychotics
Take APs per your doctor's recommendation.
It's probably a good idea to see your doctor if they're not aware you're in crisis. They may suggest adjusting the dose.
If you want to stop taking antipsychotics after the episode is over, make sure to taper off safely per your doctor's instruction. Quitting APs too quickly can cause some nasty withdrawal effects that include 'inducing mania'.
It's often the case that APs wont be enough to put an end to an episode by themselves. Don't count on APs being a magic bullet...do everything you can to put an end to your episode.
​
-----------------------

2. GET SLEEP!

Why SLEEP!?
Sleep deprivation can escalate and perpetuate an episode like none other, because it contributes to elevated levels of "brain chemical" that drive the hypo/manic engine.
Getting some solid sleep can do a world of good when it comes to calming a manic episode.
​
Tips on how to get some sleep
Granted, sleep is not easy to get while manic. Not easy, but not impossible. There are some things you can do to help with the sleep thing:

1. Create a sleep "ritual". The more consistent you are with your "ritual", the stronger your Pavlovian response will be. Something like:
   
   1. Put an end to "screen time" for the day, at least 1 hour before bedtime. No more TV, computer, or phone.
   2. Shower
   3. Orgasm
   4. Get comfy (keep sweats & socks close by if you might get cold, pillow between the legs if that's helpful, box fan or some other white noise to block out background noise, etc.)
   5. Focused/meditative breathing while under the covers.
   6. Programmed dream: make yourself dream the same dream while your conscious mind is still awake. Force the same narrative to go through your head. The active focus can tie up loose thoughts.
2. Set your bedtime in stone. Set an alarm to remind you when it's time to start your sleep "ritual" and strictly adhere to it.
   
3. Set your wake up time in stone. Even if you wake up throughout the night, stay in bed until your 'wake up time' and try to continue sleeping.
   
4. Keep a pen & pad by your bed. When you have thoughts keeping you up, write them out in the notebook. Often, writing something down will let your brain let go of it, because it understands the thought will not be forgotten.
   
5. A 'sleep playlist' or audiobook of something you've already read/heard can be helpful to tie up loose thoughts.
   
6. Make sure to exercise during the day. If you're physically tired, it can help.
   
7. If you can't get sleep using the above, there are meds that can aid with getting sleep. Melatonin is an over the counter med that can help. Ativan or klonopin can be helpful if your doctor will prescribe them, but be careful with those drugs because they're addictive. There are more prescription meds that could help...talk to your doc to see what they can set you up with.
   
8. If your thoughts are keeping you up, give yourself 30 min or an hour to engage in a cathartic/meditative activity. Writing about the thoughts that are keeping you up can be helpful. Stretching can be helpful. Other things can be helpful. Avoid stimulating activities like media or chatting with folks.
   
9. Ensure that you avoid stimulants like caffeine and sugar throughout the day.
   

It is possible to get sleep in the throes of MANIA, but it often takes some effort to get there.
​
-------------------

3. REDUCE STRESS

Why REDUCE STRESS?
Cortisol is a big player in the hypo/manic engine. Stress increases your cortisol levels. Avoid stress bruh.
Be aware: events that cause spikes of stress can escalate the severity of an episode instantaneously. If you're managing well, a stressful event can possibly turn an episode into something that is unmanageable.
​
Tips on how you might reduce your level of stress

• Take time off work or school if you can.
  • There's something called the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in the US. If you file for it, your employer technically can't fire you for taking up to 3 months off work. There's also a decent chance you're eligible for Short Term Disability (STD), which can get you paid ~60% of your paycheck for up to 3 months, while you take time off. Talk to HR or your manager about FMLA and STD and they should point you in the right direction. You'll likely need to get your psychiatrist to sign off on the forms, but it should be relatively simple.
    • WARNING: technically your employer can't fire you for doing the above. However, the vast majority of us are 'at-will' employees, which means that your employer doesn't need a reason to fire you and it's hard af to prove they fired you cuz you took FMLA or whatever. Don't abuse this system.
  • If you're in school, talk to your counselor. It's probably possible for you to withdraw from your courses to give you time to ride out the episode and recover, without damaging your grades.
• Avoid people & situations that stress you out (duh). You are allowed to care for yourself by refusing contact with specific individuals.
• Invest time in as many outlets as you can. Outlets help us relieve stress. Write, draw, dance, exercise, play games, have a good cry, find someone who will let you talk your head off at them without judgement. Do the things you do to reduce stress and do em a lot (not drugs or alcohol tho...those will ramp mania up).
  • It's common that a manic episode will induce a sense of 'Purpose' in you. Working toward that purpose might benefit your stress level, as long as it's safe.
  • Remember to take breaks. Outleting can be helpful, but working on anything continuously without breaks for hours on end is detrimental.
• Organize your habitat and keep it that way. When you're manic and looking for an item, it can be a bit stressful if you can't find it. When you're manic, you might have a tendency to pick items up and discard them mindlessly, causing substantial clutter. ...things will go much more smoothly if you make it a point to keep your habitat organized while you're in episode.
• Nature walks can be helpful.
• BREATHE. Just focus on taking deep breaths. In and out. You'd be surprised how effective that can be for reducing stress, especially right when you're smacked with a big dose of it. Try to take a couple minuites per hour to drop everything you're doing, chill, and BREATHE.
• Reduce your responsibilities if you can
  • If you can afford it, get take-out to eat. Only if you can afford it...watch dat manic spending. If you can't afford take out, find a meal that you mass produce and portion out for the week.
  • Get disposable dishes and silverware
  • Ask loved ones if they can help by taking on some of your responsibilities. Be grateful like a motherfucker and make sure that you return the effort they give you after your episode is over.
• Stretch.
• Make SAFETY a priority. Maniacs have a tendency to get themselves in situations that aren't quite safe...and that's stressful.
• Specific mindsets can help to reduce stress significantly. If you're able to embody these types of mindsets, you'll be much more resistant to the bullshit mania can throw at you. Try to keep these ideals in mind when you find something is stressing you out. Examples of some helpful mindsets:
  • 'don't sweat the small stuff...it's all small stuff.'
  • 'I don't give a fuck'
• If you leave your habitat, have a plan for how you'll manage stress if it happens. Bring an outlet, like a notebook to write your stress out in. Plan to remove yourself and take a walk. If you find that stress is overwhelming you, try sprinting until your legs fail. When stress strikes take a break from everything till you get your head straight.

​
--------------------

4. REDUCE STIMULATION

Why REDUCE STIMULATION?
Stimulation stimulates the mind (fucking duh). Stimulation is what triggers the release/absorption of "brain chemicals". If your goal is to manage "brain chemicals" it stands to reason that reducing your stimulation is a viable vector.
Keep in mind that 'stimulation can escalate & perpetuate mania'. When you're planning your activities for the day, aim for reduced stimulation.
Note: 'excitement' is a major culprit in inducing the "brain chemicals" that drive the hypo/manic engine. It probably seems lame, but be wary of 'excitement' as much as you're wary about 'stress'.
​
Tips on how to reduce stimulation (specifically the type that increases "brain chemicals" that feed the hypo/mania engine)

• Avoid social media. Posting is a bad idea. Responding to posts is a bad idea. Reading the posts of others is a bad idea. Social media is poison for a manic mind.
• Avoid media in general. Chilling and watching a movie or something is fine. Reading up on the latest political news or other media that can elicit a strong emotional reaction is not a good idea.
• Reduce phone time to an absolute minimum. Turn your phone on silent, or better yet turn it off.
• Stay in. Don't go out. Grocery shopping is fine if you don't have a friend or family member that is able to do it for you. Going to the gym is fine. Going out to a social event is a bad idea. You shouldn't be going to work or school...you're in crisis, remember?
  • If you must go out, don't drive. Driving in a manic crisis is DANGEROUS.
• Don't allow a group of folks to visit you at home. One or two folks coming over might be fine.
• Don't take on too many tasks at once. Ideally: do a task till completion, then move on to the next. If mania is

​
---------------------

5. Create a daily routine and stick to it

Why create a daily routine to stick to?
Decrease day to day variables. Keep life predictable. Lower cortisol levels (and reduce release/absorption of other "brain chemicals").
The more predictable daily life is, the less unexpected bullshit there is to deal with. Remove the guesswork & impulses when thinking 'what should I do right now?'.
​
Tips on how to create a daily routine
Keep it simple. The more you try to cram into your daily routine, the less likely it'll be that your routine sticks.

• Sleep time
• Wake time
• Meal time
• Exercise
• Stretch
• Free time
• Chill time

It would be smart to limit time you spend with others outside your home. Stimulation revs us up, plus there is a higher chance of us getting into trouble outside of our home. Get used to telling folks "no" when they ask if you want to go out with them.
​
Tips on how to stick to a daily routine
Sticking to a daily routine may not be super fun or exciting. Understand that. Understand that minimizing 'excitement' is something you gotta do if you wanna keep your manic crisis from getting out of hand. ...think about what you value more: getting through this episode safely or chasing excitement?
Write your routine down. Set alarms to remind you when it's time for something. If you live with folks, ask them to help you stay on track.
Commit to your routine. If you're thinking "man, this routine thing sucks", the impulses mania pushes into your head will have a greater chance of kicking you off your routine. If you're thinking "I ENJOY doing the things I need to do to stay as stable as possible", mania will have a harder time detracting you.
​
----------------------

6. Take time off of work and school

Why take time off work and school?

Important note: remember you can go on 'Short Term Disability' to get paid up to 60% of your current paycheck for up to 3 months

Less stress. Less stimulation. More time to chill. More time to focus on curbing your current episode.
Many of folks have lost their jobs, messed up their grades, or blown up their social lives during a manic crisis due to manic behaviors.
Taking time off school/work will be of tremendous benefit.
​
How to take time off work
Talk to HR. If there's no HR where you work, talk to your manager.

• Tell them you are bipolar.
• Tell them you are in a manic crisis and that you are unable to work.
• Ask them how the place of employment deals with the 'Family and Medical Leave Act', if in the US...if outside the US, there's probably a similar thing in your country that protects the jobs of folks who need time off for medical reasons.
• Ask them how the place of employment deals with 'Short Term Disability' (STD).
• End the conversation. You are not obligated to tell them anything about what's going on with you and it's inappropriate for them to pry.

​
What is the 'Family and Medical Leave Act' (FMLA) and how does it work?
FMLA is the mechanism of the US government that protects the jobs of folks who need to take a leave of absence for family and/or medical reasons, for up to 12 weeks. 'A manic crisis' certainly falls under the umbrella covered by FMLA.
When you enact FMLA to take a leave of absence, your employer is legally not allowed to fire you for taking this leave of absence. ...though almost everyone in the US is an 'at-will' employee, which means that their employer can fire them at any time for 'no reason'. Keep that in mind and don't abuse FMLA.
Your employer might have a specific form on hand that you can fill out to enact FMLA leave. If they don't, you can google "FMLA forms" to find the standardized forms. You will likely need the signature of your psychiatrist on the form to finalize it. Make sure you sign it and make a copy to keep in your own record.
​
What is 'Short Term Disability' (STD) and how does it work?
STD is a type of insurance that most employers have, but not all.
If your employer has this insurance, you are able to receive up to 60% of your current paycheck from the insurance company for up to 12 weeks.
Ask your employer for the forms, fill them out, copy them, and submit them. Your psychiatrist will need to sign off on them.
​
How to take time off school (surefire way)
Talk to your councilor. Tell them you're in bipolar and in a manic crisis. Tell them you need to take time off school.
Your councilor might require a psychiatrist's sign off and they might not. Your councilor will guide you through the process of withdrawing from your courses.
If this happens before your school's deadline to add/drop classes, you can drop all your classes and likely won't have to pay anything for the semester (save room and board). If this happens after the add/drop deadline, you may need to pay for the semester.
​
How to take time off of school (less certain way, if after the add/drop deadline)
(((this section requires some research on my part)))
If it's after your school's add/drop deadline, you might be able to "complete" the semester while taking some time off.
Send your professors an email explaining the situation (bipolamanic crisis/need time off of school). Ask them if you have any options other than withdrawing from the course and being stuck with a bill for the semester that you'll receive no credit on. Possible options:

• ask them what your current grade is and what your final grade would be if you receive a 0 on all future assignments & exams.
• ask them if you can make up assignments/exams that you'll miss during your necessary leave of absence, after you've recovered
• (((IDK, there are probably more options)))

You might find that some of your professors are willing to work with you and others are not. Talk to your counselor to set up a plan of action.
​
------------------------------

7. Avoid drugs, alcohol, and stimulants including caffeine & sugar

Why avoid drugs, alcohol, and stimulants including caffeine & sugar?
"Brain chemicals" bro...doesn't matter what the drug is, it will fuel the hypo/manic engine.
Notably, pot and psychedelics are known to induce and worsen psychosis if you're manic.
Caffeine & sugar (especially caffeine) increase dopamine & cortisol, which are big sources of fuel for the hypo/manic engine.
​
Tips on avoiding drugs, alcohol, and stimulants including caffeine & sugar.
Just say "no". Keep in mind that these substances will make mania worse.
If you're addicted to the substance, quitting cold turkey probably isn't a good idea. It's hard to say which will impact mania worse: quitting or continuing your use. If you're addicted, aim to keep your usage to an absolute minimum.
​
------------------

8. Contact your support network

Why contact your support network?
To alert some key folks that you're in crisis and inform them of your plan for managing the crisis. If you don't tell them, how can they know? If you don't tell them your plan, they're probably gonna worry...so, be sure you tell them the plan.
Maybe they'll be willing to help out. Maybe they have a specific way of interacting with you while you're in episode. At the least, you'll be warning them that you're manic and they will be able to avoid you if they're not able to deal with that. ...let's face it, while mania may be difficult for us to deal with, it can also be difficult for those around us.
If you have a solid support network, it can be a great source of stress relief, support (duh), and security.
​
Who is in your support network?
Family & friends who you TRUST and who are willing to offer you support during your episode (even if that "support" is leaving you alone).
​
How can a support network help to support you?

• Give you space when you need it. Sometimes the best thing someone can do to support you is to stay away. If you think that's the case with a specific individual, be kind about how you inform them.
• Lend a caring (non-judgmental) ear to let you talk off. Emotional support & validation.
• Help with cleaning & organizing your home.
• Help with preparing food.
• Provide gentle feedback on how well you're managing.
• Give reminders to help you stick to your plan. Help to hold you accountable.
• Provide transportation to the grocery store, gym, psychiatrist, or hospital.
• Be a sounding board to bounce (possibly ridiculous) ideas off.

WARNING:
Don't expect help from your support network. Mania is taxing on those you're around. If they offer, great! If they're not willing, don't hold it against them.
NOTES:
If folks are willing to help, BE GRACIOUS! And make sure to return the love after your episode is over.
Not everyone in your support network will be able to accept you in a manic state without grief/judgement and that's okay...just limit the time you spend around them. It's also important to note that those who can accept you in your manic state do not have unlimited tolerance.

​
What if you don't have a support network?
Don't sweat it bro. Stick to the other tips and make it a point to set up a support network after this episode is over.
If you want someone to provide feedback or to help you stick to your plan, try posting on bipolar1 and asking for help.
​
--------------------------

9. Consume at least 1500 calories per day. More is better.

Why consume at least 1500 calories per day?
Malnourishment puts a strain on your body & mind and will release some "brain chemicals" that feed the hypo/mania engine.
Your body & mind need at least 1200 calories per day to stay out of "starvation mode". I recommend at least 1500 calories per day cuz us maniacs likely burn more calories per day than an average person.
At minimum 1500 calories per day bro. Try to get more.
​
What kind of calories should you consume?
Protein. Fatty protein is best. Don't neglect your macronutrients (protein/fats/carbs) tho...get some healthy fats and carbs too.
Try to stay away from sugar. Sugar is a simulant and will increase the level of "brain chemicals" you're trying to stay away from.
​
Tips on how to consume at least 1500 calories per day while manic
Choke it down bro. I know you think you got better things to do than eat and food isn't too appetizing, but you need these calories for the sake of stability.
If you absolutely can't stomach much but find you can eat a whole-ass pizza, then pizza it is. Hitting the recommended levels of macronutrients is ideal, but you gotta do whatchu gotta do to get those calories, ya know?
Have dedicated mealtimes. When you wake up, make sure you eat your whole breakfast. When your alarm goes off to remind you it's lunchtime, eat your whole lunch. Same for dinner. Snack as much as you can.
Prepping food in advance can be helpful, cuz making food fresh for each meal can be a chore. I like to bake 3 lbs of chicken on Sunday, then heat it up throughout the week with some rice & broccoli on the side. ezpz. Def gotta choke it down, but that's just a minor effort of will.
Don't go crazy with takeout. If you can afford it, cool. But most of us can't afford to live off takeout. I know it seems like a simple solution, but make sure you stay within your budget. Beware of manic spending.
​
-----------------------

10. Stay hydrated

Why stay hydrated?
"brain chemicals"...duh. (I feel like a broken record)
Dehydration increases the level of "brain chemicals" that feed the hypo/mania engine.
​
Tips on how to stay hydrated
Get a large water bottle and note how many times you fill it up per day. Aim to drain it at specific times each day. Dr. Google says 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) per day if you're a man or 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) per day if you're a woman...aim to hit those numbers.
Watch your pee. If it's dark, drink more water.
​
-------------------

11. Exercise

WARNING
Exercise can stimulate mania if you're not accustomed to it. If that's the case then it's probably best to limit yourself to walking as exercise. Going for peaceful walks in nature can be helpful.

Why exercise?
"Brain chemical" regulation. Exercise is a healthy outlet for stress (read: a healthy way to reduce some of the "brain chemicals" that feed the hypo/mania engine).
Exercise is a great way to burn off the excess energy that maniacs have and will make it easier to do other things that are good for a maniac, like chill out and sleep.
​
Tips on how to exercise
Don't go crazy with it. Exercise is good, but too much exercise can be bad. Keep in mind that mania makes us feel like we can physically exert yourself to an extent that's unhealthy and unsafe...mania can circumvent your brain's pain/strain inhibitors that tell you when your body needs to chill and rest.
Don't go crazy with it, but try to exert yourself to the point of exhaustion as much as you can do safely. Be sure to stretch daily to reduce your physical strain. Give yourself a rest day every few days.
IMO low impact cardio is best. Swimming, elliptical, and HIIT are great ways to exhaust yourself while keeping the strain on your body to a minimum.

PROTIP
Swimming can elicit something called a 'diving response' in your brain, which is great for calming mania down. You can also elicit the 'diving response' by submerging your head in cold water while holding your breath.

Avoid injury like the plague. Injury = stress. Injury = taking time away from exercise, which is a bad thing for a maniac. Stay safe.
IMO, lifting is not a great idea to do while manic. Higher chance of injury with the baseline tension that mania induces and it's very easy to get distracted from the exercise between sets.
​
-----------------

12. Stretch

Why stretch?
To relieve muscle tension (tension/strain in muscles = bad brain chems).
You may not notice this, but mania has a tendency to increase your baseline muscle tension. We often walk around with our muscles in a more tense state than normal and that tension can add up to some negative effects on your brain.
Stretching is a great way to chill tf out. After muscles are relaxed from a good stretch, you'll be more comfortable, less on-edge, and find that it's easier to chill tf out.
​
Tips on how to stretch

• When you notice some part of your body is tense, stretch it right away.
• Ideally, you wanna stretch your full body at least once daily and stretch the parts of your body you can feel stress/strain issues in more than once per day.
• If you don't already have a stretching routine, I'd recommend phrakture's 'starting stretching' guide:
  
  • printable image of each stretch: https://imgur.com/surWf
  • written guide on each stretch: https://phrakture.github.io/starting-stretching.html
  • Customize the stretches to fit your abilities and needs. For example: I'm not a fan of the 'reclined hero' position, so I just do a standing quad stretch instead. Also, I like to add in stretches for my glutes and calfs.
• A foam roller can be great for stretching too. Specifically for the IT band, hips, glutes, hamstrings, back, and shoulders.
  
• Rolling a tennis ball against the wall can be great spot treatment for shoulders, back, hips, and glutes.
  

Stretching can (an probably should) be a meditative experience. Take a moment to just relax and commune with your body.

• Focus on each individual muscle...feel yourself release it. Feel how the muscle is is lengthened with your stretch.
• Focus on your breathing.

​
--------------------

13. Take breaks often to just sit and chill

Why take breaks?
Your body needs rest. Your mind needs rest. Constantly doing stuff without rest will induce stress & strain that increases the brain chems the hypo/mania engine feeds on.
​
How to take breaks?
Sit and chill. Try not to think about your next moves or whatever, just be in the moment. Focus on your breathing.
Aim for a 10 minute break once every hour or so.
​
--------------------

14. Schedule an appointment with your psychiatrist.

WARNING: be aware that if your psychiatrist THINKS you might be a danger to yourself or others, they will put you in the hospital against your will.
If you think you're in danger of being put in the hospital against your will, consider that the hospital might be a good idea. It's generally easier to get released from the hospital if you're the one making the choice to go there.

Why schedule an appointment with your psychiatrist?
If you're in crisis, they should know...so they can be prepared if you need them in an emergency.
They can suggest temporary med increases to try and put an end to the manic episode.
You need them to sign off on FMLA and short term disability.

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I walked into my Grandfather’s study. We were surrounded by tall rows of dusty leather-bound books.
The one wall not hidden by the endless aisles of volumes had his AF NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon hung in a glass-encased frame.
He sat at his table draped with a red cloth. The sides of it hung near the floor.
A text was open in front of him. He was reading Beowulf.
My elder Andrew Loren was dressed in the usual apparel he always donned. His retirement uniform was comprised of faded beige suspenders, slacks, and a dark ruby shirt. He was tall, heavy set and his scarred face was bearded.
He smoked a pipe and stared at the plains through the wide window until he heard my footsteps infiltrate his place of meditation.
“Good to see you this morning Jake,” he said as he set the tobacco holder down and faced me. “We have not had much time together since you arrived two days ago. I hope you know I’m not avoiding you.”
“I didn’t,” I said.
“I’ve always wanted a grandson and you were a blessing when I heard news of you. I know you’re still dealing with everything that happened and I wanted to give you space.”
“Thanks. I needed it.”
“Since your Grandma passed away I’ve been self-isolating a bit,” he said as his eyes averted away from me. “This is something I shouldn’t do but can’t seem to combat against in recent times.”
He referred to the plane crash which took the lives of both my parents as they were coming back from the Philippines.
My father took after his and joined the military. As a result, he traveled everywhere and brought my Mom with him once I was old enough to be left alone.
The reality of their deaths was something I had managed to accept, at least enough to uproot my existence to go and be somewhere deemed safe by my living relatives. It still had not settled as a permanent part of my future let alone my present.
“I can tell you’re getting a little restless in here,” he said. “I’m sure you miss parts of the city and want to get away from the wide open flatlands in favor of something a little more lively. I don’t blame you. I know the more populated areas have a certain charm. You are free to use the two acres I own. They are yours as well as mine, since when I pass away it will become yours to keep in their entirety. Use them to run around on to get out some energy outside when the weather permits it. Admire nature.”
“Will do.”
“Nevertheless,” he said as he raised a hand to signal me to focus, “I have rules. Ones beyond not making noise after ten PM. I need you to refrain from doing two things. One, don’t go to the meadow or adjoining fields to the southeast of the property. Two, leave the neighbors who live next to the fields alone. The Scroggins family cannot do anything good for us.”
“Why not?”
“They are eccentric and will only cause you grief. Three, don’t leave the property in general but especially at night. You will get to go into town with me when we need groceries but if you sneak out past dark know that there are no street lights to guide you. You are not old enough to legally drive so it would be especially dangerous.”
“Why can’t I explore the outer parts?” I asked.
“Please don’t question my judgment,” he said as he tensed up. “It’s private property in the fields and you will be trespassing if you go there. Someone could shoot you on sight. The nearest hospital is twenty-five minutes away so unless someone was there to stop the bleeding it would be an early end for you.”
“There aren’t any gates,” I said. “Someone owns all that land and they haven’t built anything yet. It seems weird.”
“Everything is weird here,” he said as he gave the pipe another puff. “Yet as long as you do what I say you should be comfortable. The residents in these parts don’t like to be bothered any more than I do. Speaking of which I should get back to my reading.”
“Do you have a TV in this house?”
“No.”
“Wi-fi?”
“No. Don’t let me catch you with a cell phone.”
“What if you or I have an emergency and we need to call 911?”
“It’s called a landline, boy. I do not support such brain-rotting outlets as the ones you’ve described. You have two months left of summer before you have to go to a new school. I say enjoy it in any way you can. If you’re bored then the chimney in the foyer needs to be cleaned.”
He cracked open the classic story as I stared at him in shock.
“Get to it then,” he said as he glanced at me and returned his eyes to the page.
I walked out and shut the door behind me. I tried to hide my fury as I walked down the spiral staircase into the main living area.
I was in awe of the architecture of the place. I did not know how much money my Grandfather was worth but he had done well for himself.
Either his pension was great or he had some sort of windfall he never revealed the specifics of because the house was enormous despite not having any modern amenities. The chandeliers were covered in cobwebs but had been made of the finest emerald and silver.
I strolled down another vestibule and saw a painting of a monster I never encountered before in any media.
It was slender and slouched forward. The thing's back had a spear-like object protruding from the rear of its neck. Its hands were talon-like and each one held a disk the color of the sun. The entire body was an ink blot of a slim figure and a face that gave a malevolent grin. Beneath were words scrawled so sloppily it almost resembled a Rorschach test. It spelled out OOMLAUKEN.
Something about the portrait nauseated me. My stomach grew sick as I stared at it.
Although I had not been at the estate long I knew my Grandfather’s tastes when it came to collecting things. He enjoyed souvenirs, antiques, watches, old weaponry, and books. Yet this painting seemed so out of place as to be unusual within the setting.
I went to touch the surface. It appeared to have been illustrated on Baltic birch plywood or so I guessed based on my limited knowledge of artistry.
My fingertips touched the creature and I recoiled my hand.
I repositioned the painting so I would see nothing but the frame. I would make multiple trips past it. I did not wish to have it unsettle me every time.
*
After I had finished my chores I went upstairs to take a bath. My clothes gave off a stench of smoke. Dirt and creosote caked me from head to toe and took almost an hour to scrub off from my skin but once I did I felt better.
I decided to take a walk outside to clear my head. My arms were sore from the labor and I reasoned a good stroll could help reset my body.
I passed my Grandfather’s study. He was asleep in a rocking chair next to the window. The snoring was loud enough to disassemble the foundation of the roof.
I went to the main doorway on the first level and headed out onto the porch. I did not lock the door behind me since there was hardly any kind of intruder threat since the nearest building outside of our abode was a seemingly infinite amount of miles away.
The railings had mini statuettes of F-80 Shooting Star airplanes on both sides of it at the top of the steps.
I traversed them and went out onto his acreage.
I treated the exterior of the property like a private gymnasium and did a few laps. A sweat built up and it was going to be irritating to get into the tub for the second time that day but I hoped it would help me sleep faster when it was nighttime.
I stopped and stared at the hills beyond.
The first thing I noticed was how they appeared more like rocky peaks in a space documentary than natural grassy hillocks.
The second was a tree which sat on top of a mound.
I approached it because I saw something in its branches. My mind considered how maybe it was a cat or some sort of creature that needed help.
Once I was closer to the silhouette it spoke to me.
It was the voice of a girl.
“Would you like an apple?”
The floral and spice-like aroma wafted down to where I stood.
It was an apple tree and a female my age or only a little older sat there. She chewed around the core and gazed at me like the Cheshire Cat.
“Not today,” I said.
“Who are you?”
“Jake Loren,” I said.
She leaned over the edge and allowed herself to fall. For a second I thought the plummet would hurt her but she landed nimbly and extended her arm out for a handshake.
“I’ve heard about you,” she said as I gripped her hand and we shook. “I’m Amelia Scroggins but you can call me Amy.”
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard about you too.”
“Nobody’s family is perfect,” she said as she turned around and grabbed a green backpack at the base of the tree. She slung it over her shoulder. Her self-awareness of her bloodline’s reputation within our minuscule community caught me off-guard.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to comment on your parents or anything. I’ve heard they’re crazy but that doesn’t matter.”
“I’ve heard yours are dead,” she said with a smile.
I had to take a few steps back.
“I make fun of people a lot,” she said. “It’s not personal.”
“No problem,” I said. “If you were a boy though I might’ve hit you.”
“Ooh,” she said with sarcasm as she faced her hands outward in mock surrender. “Big tough guy. Don’t let me mess with you. I have brothers so there’s nothing you can do to scare me.”
“It wasn’t the nicest thing to say.”
She bowed her head and stared at the sun as it fell.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You can guess that I don’t have many social skills. I’m home-schooled and don’t get out much.”
“Apology accepted,” I said.
A part of me underwent a sensation of guilt for even prying an admission of regret from her but her statement was so provocative I felt the need to confront it in some way.
“Glad we got that settled,” she said.
“Yeah. Have you always lived here?”
“Born and raised. How about you?”
“I’m from Southern California.”
“LA?”
“No,” I said. “Corona.”
“Can’t say I’ve heard of it.”
“That’s okay. Not many have. You’re not missing out on much.”
“Speaking of not knowing a place,” she said, “I’ve always wanted to visit the fields behind your house.”
She pointed over my shoulder to the southeast.
“I was told not to go there.”
“There’s less of a chance of us getting found out if we stay by each other’s side,” she said. “My family wouldn’t approve of me wandering into a place I’ve never been before with somebody my age who just got here. No one has to know.”
Her eyes twinkled with an adrenaline rush in the face of the unknown.
I turned around and gazed at the expanse of yellow and faded grass. An unexplored expanse of what could have been nothing but dirt or something more.
“You have to already be tired of going around in the same circle,” she said.
“You watched me working out?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. In case you haven’t noticed there isn’t a whole lot to do out here. How about we take a hike there together? My folks aren’t expecting me back for another hour ‘till dinner.”
Although I had nothing in common with my Grandfather and despite how he tended to be a workhorse, I still respected him and did not want to get kicked out for breaking a rule I found to be a dumb one to begin with. He could put me up for adoption or send me to some sort of juvenile offenders group under the pretense of drug use or drinking. That may sound like an extreme measure but my Grandfather did not tolerate the nonsense of someone not listening to him.
I could feel Amy’s eyes on me.
She was waiting for me to say yes or no. While I did not owe her anything I still wanted to get to know her better.
“Let’s see what’s out there,” I said.
We walked in the direction of whatever was behind my Grandfather’s manor.
*
Both properties disappeared behind us in little time. It reminded me of accounts of people who survived drownings. How the beach land dissipated once the undertow swept them away faster than they could swim to a harbor. The sheer terror they must have undergone in their moments at sea as they saw civilization become a mere speck the more they drifted into oblivion.
I was unsure of where the comparison born from dread originated in my mind.
While every fiber of my being told me this was not a good idea I did not want to stop either.
As my Grandfather loved to point out I was from a highly industrialized and urban part of the country. To see so much emptiness before me was alien.
The sunset vanished and blackness cloaked everything around us. The place had impenetrable white noise. It was a surrounding enveloped in the chirp of crickets and other varieties of insects whose calls I did not know.
“We should go back,” I said.
She stopped and turned around to look at me.
“Please,” I said. “We don’t even have flashlights or phones…or do you?”
Amy looked at the ground as though she was embarrassed.
“Dad told me he would get me a plan next year,” she said. “I need to improve my grades first.”
I nodded. She saw this as an admission to have shame over. Meanwhile, mine had been confiscated and there was nothing I could do about it.
We kept walking and we came across what I thought were jutting rocks from the ground.
I could not believe where we were once I was able to inspect them closer.
In front of us was a desiccated stone temple. Chunks of its walls were scattered everywhere.
The mouth of the building was wide along with the steps which led to it. Old dried-out rivulets circled the place, moats which had long been emptied by the heat of time.
“Should we go in?” Amy asked.
I did not wish to but nothing was stopping us. No barriers or any kind of security blockades.
We decided to enter.
In the center was the shape of a stone moon. Ancient devices like clocks were also visible on various platforms and they struck me as odd. They did not tick and none of them could have electricity but there was a strange glow to each of them which indicated some kind of life.
Some were the same size as me and they hung on the remnants of what had to have been pillars in a period long ago. Others were miniature-sized enough to have been worn on the wrist although their outsides were crumbled to the point where a single touch could have caused it to deteriorate and get blown away if caught by a wind current.
“You can come into my house,” I said to her in desperation to get out of there. “There’s not much to do but we’ve got fresh iced tea in the fridge. We might have popcorn in the cupboards.”
She took a few steps closer to me. Her hands raised and for a second I thought she was going to clutch my face. Not in an affectionate way which would indicate adoration but the opposite of that, a complete display of frustration.
“I see things out here from my window at night,” she said as her fingers brushed my chin.
Her voice was low enough to be a whisper.
I questioned who she suspected could have been an eavesdropper in such an isolated location.
“W-what kind of things?”
“You wouldn’t believe me,” she said. “That’s why I asked you to tag along with me. If I have a second person as a witness to verify that what I’m seeing aren’t hallucinations then that would me prove I’m not crazy.”
“I don’t think that,” I said. “Us being out here is kind of pointless. There’s nothing but soil and bugs. Let’s go back home.”
“It’s not about your opinion of me,” Amy said as she folded her arms. “It’s something I have to do for my mental health. Have you ever heard the term ‘funny farm’?”
I shook my head.
“It’s another way to refer to an insane asylum. There’s one located seventy-five miles from here. They don’t label it using those words anymore but that doesn’t change what it is. They sent my sister there eighteen months ago and I haven’t seen her since. She was a little sick but she’s not a bad person.”
Her eyes welled with tears and I felt helpless at not being able to make her feel better immediately.
“I don’t want us to get hurt,” I said. “We might be on someone else’s land right now. They could kill us legally. Let’s go.”
I turned around to try and lead her back in the direction we came.
My foot hit something and I stumbled.
I turned around and saw what the trip hazard was.
It was a scarecrow with its straw innards ripped out. Its face was smudged with grime and its arms were spindly.
A trail of hay led from the effigy-like bust into a nearby meadow visible past a stone archway. The path was strewn with bronze-colored foliage. I did not know until that moment how we were in fact on a prominence, and the sight of the new landscape was on a downward slope.
“We have to see what’s there,” she said. “Something is burning.”
I reached out my hand and touched the guts of the scarecrow. It was hot to the touch but there was no smoke or fire.
“It’s like someone put this thing in a giant microwave,” I said.
All I wanted to do was go back to the estate and sleep. The earlier workouts had exhausted my body and the place was beginning to scare me.
I also could not ethically bring myself to leave her alone, to abandon a girl for my well-being. I also wanted to know what was in the meadow. Would it be more scarecrows? A different property? Maybe if someone was home we could ask for help or a ride back since returning on foot was starting to feel more daunting.
I walked ahead of her first towards the place and she followed.
*
The air around us grew colder. Plant life flourished in the section we made our way across.
Fescue and ryegrass brushed at our ankles. A jackrabbit scurried by us and Amy put her finger to her lips to try and keep me quiet.
I was confused as to why she would want that until I looked in the direction she was staring.
A pronghorn antelope was a hundred feet away. It chewed on shrubs and was not disturbed by our presence due to how quiet and silent we were.
That was when I saw something to my left. An object seemed to discolor everything else as though it had a plutonium-like effect where an ethereal glow filled the space.
I turned and have never felt more terror.
A creature that resembled the one I had seen in the painting stood even closer to us than the antelope.
The antelope sprinted away when we shifted our attention to the aberration.
There were a few key differences between the oil painting I had seen and what was in front of us, namely the fact that this thing had a face that was that of an ape. The body was blanketed in a mist which gave an irradiance comparable to the bright blueness of a nuclear reactor. On its hands were gold plates. For a second I wondered if this was an oversized cymbal-banging monkey toy. Even so, I pondered why anyone on earth would want one, let alone place it in such a region.
It stood on a monolithic stone slab built into the earth. Around the edges of the rocky stump was the earth that had been disturbed as though someone had scraped and dug into every square inch.
The thing did not move at first. An electrifying cobalt haze encircled it.
“What is that thing?” Amy said.
I did not have an answer and was not going to give a guess despite how I wanted to seem confident in front of her.
That was when the creature raised its arms and banged the two discs together.
My ears rang as it moved towards us.
I grabbed her hand and we moved away.
We took a few slow and cautious steps backward at first before we moved with as much speed and ferocity as we could to get away from it.
I was out of breath before we even turned around to make sure we were a decent distance from it. It was nowhere to be found.
* We stood on my porch as I paced back and forth.
“What the hell did we see?”
“I’ve no idea,” I said. “Is that what you were talking about when you described what you thought were hallucinations?”
“Yes,” she said, “but I’ve never been so close to it or seen it so clearly.”
I paused and did not know how to respond. A part of me was upset at her not giving a greater or more specific warning as to what we were getting ourselves into. I yearned to know how she was under the impression I could protect her from something twenty times my size but refrained.
“I’m parched,” she said. “Is the offering of iced tea still on the table?”
I unlocked the door and we went inside.
Grandfather sat wide awake on a couch in the foyer.
Beside him were two adults I had never seen before.
“Mom?” Amy said as she looked at them. “Dad?”
The adults were silent as we let the door close on its own behind us.
“What lies out there is not natural,” my Grandfather said as he put his face in his hands. “It is cursed land. Made by escapees from an old and closed-down asylum. Rumor has it was run by people who practiced black magic. I never believed in that sort of thing until I lived here long enough. I guess the owner of the psychiatric ward was a big collector of Jolly Chimps. You two are probably too young to even get the reference but it was a weird children’s toy that sang, sort of like Tickle-me-Elmo, if you remember those. He was an eccentric person and he created something that should have never been brought into existence. Those who dare trespass on that field I told you not to go near and allow an evil thing to come out from the depths. It’s something he conjured that will not die.”
“One of us must be sacrificed to it so it does not destroy everyone here gradually over time with consistent bouts of insanity,” Amy’s Dad said as he peered at her. “It manifests the way a neurological disease does and it’s written off as nothing more by doctors. However, we know where it stems from. You should have never awakened it.”
“I will give myself,” my Grandfather said.
I felt dizzy and sick.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m the oldest one here. It won’t accept anyone to feast on who isn’t from here. I am the most logical choice. All I ask is you never trespass there again.”
He grabbed a shovel and headed out.
My legs shook. The very sight of the thing was unsettling enough but something about our loved one’s expressing disconsolation over it left me way more bereft and terrified.
They were supposed to have solutions and not abject hopelessness.
“We’ve thought deeply about which one of us should give ourselves over to it,” my Grandfather said. “I’m the oldest one here. It will be me. I will be its sacrifice. Listen to my warning from now on though and never go back.”
He stood and walked through the doorway.
He vanished into the night.

There’s an old cliché: no one believes in advertising until they’ve lost their cat.
Here are a few examples of outside-the-box thinking in marketing:

1. Netflix Money Heist Sculpture

Netflix installed the Money Heist Sculpture on the main square of Cracow, Poland as a part of their campaign promoting the third season of the "Money Heist" series.
The whole campaign received a lot of media attention, because of Cracow's administration mistake. They wrongly categorized the sculpture as art instead of an advert and let Netflix pay just $74 for it. Photo https://imgur.com/a/XwQ55xp

2. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Mass Panic in Boston

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the Adult Swim’s TV animation series that has been turned into a movie by Cartoon Network.
They went with a guerilla marketing campaign, placing LED displays portraying one of the characters across various locations in the US.
It led to a mass panic in Boston and a full-blown police operation because the displays looked like bombs (especially at first sight), and nobody would like to take a closer look at something potentially life-threatening.
The costs of the incident: $1 million to the Boston Police Department and $1 million to the Department of Homeland Security.

3. Salesforce vs Siebel protests

Soon after the official launch of Salesforce in 2000, Salesforce’s biggest competitor held their Siebel User Conference in San Francisco.
Salesforce hired protesters who called for the “end of software” and carried “No software” sign outside the conference venue. The company also hired a TV crew from Channel 22 to cover the happening, but the TV station proved to be fake as well.
The buzz around the Siebel vs Salesforce competition attracted the attention of the biggest media outlets, from Business Week to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

4. Burger King "OK, Google..."

April 12th, 2017, Burger King released a 15-second TV ad with the phrase, “OK, Google, what is the Whopper burger?”. Any Google Home device within earshot, answered the question coming from the speakers, telling listeners about the Burger King Whopper Burger Wikipedia definition.
The ad got $135M in earned media, 15M views within 48h, 500% increase in brand mentions, and 9.3 Billion global impressions

5. WhatsApp App Store loophole

At the beginning of WhatsApp, its founder, Jan, found a small loop in the App Store.
Because there weren't really that many apps in the App Store, Apple had the "What's New" section. Jan realized that by changing the name of the app every week, WhatsApp would appear in this section.
They kept on doing it until it stopped working. This way WhatsApp got its first 1000 users.

6. Wepay/Paypal ice block

2010 Paypal was having a conference.
Outside the conference building, WePay dropped a 600-pound block of ice, with money inside it to deliver the message "PayPal freezes your accounts” and “unfreeze your money”.
This stunt spiked WePay’s website traffic by 300% and signups by 225%.
Their landing page saw 3x higher conversions that day.

7. Billboard CV

In 2010, Lukasz Jakobiak printed a 3 x 6 meters (or 10 x 20 feet) CV and Cover Letter and hung it in front of the company building he wanted to work for.
24h later he was in all major news in Poland and received hundreds of job offers.

8. Bavaria World Cup stunt

During the 2010 World Cup, Budweiser paid $100M to become an official beer of the event
Bavaria (a small Dutch brewery) hired 36 hot girls, dressed in orange to go to a game - their job was to get the cameras' attention.
FIFA didn't like it and sent the guards to get the girls out of the stadium.
The incident was in the news for weeks = Tons of free publicity for Bavaria

9. Kanye West Tattoo removal

When Kanye West started to be more and more controversial with his statements about you know who (Oct - Nov, Dec 2022), Naama Tattoo Removal Studio offered on their Instagram to remove Kanye West's tattoos for free.
The post was picked up by the biggest media websites in the world like Entrepreneur, WashingtonPost, Businessinsider, and more.

10. Papa John's vs Domino's

A small, college town had 2 pizza restaurants - Papa John’s and Domino's pizza. Papa John's was waaay better and everyone knew it. Domino's didn't like that. Every weekend, all of the local pizzerias would do a Friday advertising push. That meant a LOT of coupons.
One Thursday, Domino’s booked this ad for the Friday edition - “Bring us 30 competitors’ coupons, and get a FREE PIZZA!”
When Papa John’s teams saw that they placed their own weekly ad - "Thank you to all of our wonderful customers! Here are 30 Papa John’s coupons for you to enjoy. Because everyone deserves a pizza."
Students flooded the Domino’s, newspaper in hand, demanding their FREE pizzas. Domino’s had to close its doors for the weekend after completely running out of product.
Thanks for reading.
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