I'm on my last brain cell. I'm sure I should be able to Google this, but I've tried and I'm too user-error to figure out what I'm doing wrong.
I just need a veggie-and-bechamel pasta bake recipe WITHOUT tomatoes. My parents are lacto-ovo-pescatarian and low potassium, and I've been feeding a meat-and-potatoes man for so long that my algorithm won't give me a plain cheese-and-vegetable pasta bake.
I prefer to cook from scratch ingredients-- milk, butter, flour, stock and I have homemade pesto. And to include plenty of veg, aside from tomato, onion and potato due to dietary constrictions. I'm very comfortable modifying recipes.
I'm drowned at work to the point of multiple teary breakdowns and I don't have any close friends to lean on. Please, Reddit friends, could you recommend a recipe?

Hi Everyone!
As a bit of background, I do home healthcare work for a client whose close family member is a coach for a professional ice hockey team. I’m currently staying for a long stretch of days while my clients family members are out of the country.
The family left a number of frozen, vacuum sealed “meals”(?) in the freezer and told us to help ourselves. The ‘meals’ were made and packaged by the team’s culinary staff, but they resemble meal components more than a full meal.
Ex) I raided the freezer and pulled vacuum sealed packages of what looked like roasted broccoli and seasoned home fries. Neither were labeled. Threw both in a pan with some oil and a splash of water, then cooked on med-hi until the liquid was gone
At the end of it, I had probably the MOST delicious hash I’ve ever eaten… so my question is…
What the heck did they do to just broccoli and potatoes to make them so delicious, but also presumably nutritionally acceptable enough to fit into a pro athlete’s diet?
Thank you in advance!

Hi. It’s been one week since I sat in the doctors office in tears convinced she was going to send me to the ER. Instead, I got a prescription for PPL’s and told to eat a “bland diet” (whatever that means. 😂). But, I’m doing much better. And that’s in part because of the kind and helpful people here. so I wanted to share some of the things that have worked. Of course, everyone is so different, but hopefully these tips will help someone.
-1. My first bland food was chicken broth, canned chicken, frozen peas and carrots, and a boiled potato. It worked just fine.

• 1. I like making a bland fried rice with brown rice, eggs, frozen veggies, a sautéed zucchini and mushrooms. I use a little bit of salt. And the tiniest bit of oil to sauté the veggies. You can microwave the egg in a mug so you don’t have to use oil. I’ve been OK and it has all the food groups so that’s good.
• 1. Warm water. I find it really soothing. Plus the process of boiling in tea kettle and pouring it into a mug has been replacement for my coffee habit. (sad replacement, but at least it’s something in a mug. 😂)

-4. Nonfat plain yogurt. I can’t do any other dairy. But for some reason, I can do this one. Actually, it feels kind of soothing. (Might just be in my head. But, I’ll take it.)
-5. I read that papaya can be soothing. I tried it out and it’s yummy and doesn’t irritate me. It’s not something I normally eat so I’m enjoying it as my sweet thing, usually have it with some bananas and blueberries. (I have ridiculous, sweet tooth and sugar irritates my stomach, like nothing else. So I looked for something like this ASAP. So far these are the only fruits have been brave enough to try.)
-6. carafate. I was the one who posted a few days ago about being worried about taking this. So happy I did. It took a couple days to start working. But I’m feeling a lot better.
-7. you can label the alarm times on an iPhone. So I set the alarm and label whether I can eat or I should take my pill. It’s been so helpful.
It’s been only a week. And I’m definitely not healed. But I’m doing much better. And I have to say it’s in a large part because of this group. Everyone has been so kind. I hope these tips help someone too. Hugs!

Just curious about what other federal employees using BCBS standard plan this year for IVF have paid out of pocket. Most things were billed, but here is what we paid out of pocket: $2,000 for coordination of care at our clinic, $1,200 for PGD (cell prep to ship for PGT-A) $1,500 for an off label use of the drug Omnitrope, $700 for 6 months of supplements to prep egg quality, $400 for anesthesia, and $200 PGT-A testing of our one and only embryo. So our total cost for one ER with insurance was $6,000 and we live within 1.5 hrs of a clinic so travel costs were minor. While I am beyond grateful to have insurance through this hard journey and recognize my privilege since so many people have no insurance for IVF, it still feels like a lot of money because our doctor told us we’d need 3-4 ERs for DOR, so that’s $18k just for ERs. I’m not sure what a mock cycle and FET will cost. Any other feds out there have some perspective on this and are you willing to share your cost breakdown down?

Excuse my bad english, i used AI to translate some parts, im not a native speaker. So, here goes the story of how Jehovah's Witnesses almost drove me to suicide, how my grandmother disowned me, and why I am now 1,327 kilometers away from my family, haha.
I was born into a three-generation JW family in Cancún, Mexico. I never had birthdays, Halloween, or any of the world's holidays. From ages 0 to 3, my nuclear family was distant from the JWs. I learned to read and began reading Watchtower literature. I never liked the idea that Jehovah was going to commit genocide on 99% of the world's population and that we would be happy in paradise with exile, resurrection, and more. At age 4, they resumed their service to the organization and tried to raise me solely with Watchtower literature. Everything else was practically forbidden, although I loved watching documentaries and reading about nature. I became a fan of some school books. I was never allowed to have a single friend, and at school, I was forced to have perfect grades, or else my parents would beat me, and this continued until I was 8 years old.
When I was 8, my father quit his job because a coworker started sexually harassing him. From that moment on, life in my family went downhill. I discovered I was gay, and every "teaching" started to irritate me more and more. My father tried to dedicate himself more to the organization's service, so it took him almost a year to find a job that allowed him to do so. At the beginning of this period, I was sent to my grandmother's house for her to take care of me for 3 months. The hell of the Catholics sounded more appealing than being there. I stopped going to school, and every day began with waking up at 5:45 am, considering the day's text for an hour, then breakfast, preaching from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm under 30-degree heat, a break for a meager meal, and then continuing with studies from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Upon returning home, we would study the ministry school or the Watchtower until 10:00 pm, every day. Sundays, we had our meeting at 9:00 am, and we still went out to preach in the morning from 6:30 to 8:30.
I remember during that time I lost weight, going from being overweight to the lower limit of a healthy weight, even developing anemia. I suffered from heat strokes, dehydration, and other issues. The worst part was the Saturday Watchtower study. My grandmother wouldn't schedule studies that day so we could study the Watchtower. We started at 3 in the afternoon and continued until nearly 10 at night or even later, reading every biblical passage, every reference in the central column. We didn't have dinner until we finished studying. If I yawned, she would pinch me, and one day she tried to slap me. Adding to this was her favoritism towards other more "spiritual" cousins and her constant reminders that I would die for not having blind faith in God. Those were 3 months of my life. After that, I returned home and resumed my studies.
That year, we ended up living off poor government aid, and I made my first friend in primary school. Her mother was the sweetest woman I had ever known. She gave me desserts, fed me when we had no money, something the brothers NEVER did for my family. Here begins the next chapter of my family.
My father got a job in Cancun's public transportation but quit because he had to break many laws in a highly competitive and illegal environment. Desperate, my father accepted the lowest job offer from one of his JW brothers, working from 8 am to 6:30 pm, with no overtime pay, for $25 a week to support a family of five. Meanwhile, the indoctrination continued, torturing me with the idea that I would be destroyed at Armageddon for being secretly homosexual and completely isolated from my schoolmates due to my beliefs and poverty, thanks to this religion and abusive brothers.
My father started taking me to work on weekends, some weekdays, and holidays. They didn't pay anything extra for me; I worked entirely for free. At school, I resented the lack of money. Sometimes I would pick up government notebooks that kids threw away. My uniform was falling apart.
I started secondary school, and this situation continued. I was switched from the afternoon shift to the morning shift because of bullying at school. During that time, I met my first real friend, a guy who always supported me. He was a fan of creepy pastas and the paranormal, someone who was absent once or twice a week but with whom I enjoyed spending time. We would lie on the classroom floor listening to scary stories. I developed romantic feelings for him but never had the chance to confess. One day, after school, he walked me to a street before my house, where my father was waiting for me. A brother had leaked what was happening. I had managed to get a cell phone, which my parents checked daily to see what I was doing. At 15, they forbade me from having any contact with him, so I ended the friendship and suppressed my feelings until we finished the last year of secondary school. He didn't attend the graduation day. That day, I was completely alone. My parents went with me, but no one approached me. In Mexico, there's a tradition of signing your friends' shirts. Mine had the signature of one teacher, and nothing more. None of my classmates recognized me as a friend that day.
Two months passed. I entered high school, and one day, while walking back from preaching with my mother, I met one of my former schoolmates. We had ended up fighting, but we respected each other. When he saw me, tears welled up in his eyes. I had never seen him like that. He approached me and told me that my first friend had died of cancer. I was in shock. I told him not to joke, and he asked if I ever wondered why he was absent so often and the school never said anything, why he grew his hair long until he started missing more and more. I remember that day I felt pain like never before. I felt like I was collapsing inside. I wanted to vomit and cry. I regretted for years having left him to die alone. I felt like a traitor. My parents didn't care, but I fell into a depression that took years to overcome. To distract my mind, I started preaching more and filling my mind with dogmas. But I knew, I knew I could never achieve eternal life as a homosexual, I knew I could never make my parents happy, I knew I shouldn't get baptized, or when I got disfellowshipped, my family would consider me dead.
I started a spiral of self-hatred that one day led to harmful thoughts. I began to think about using chemical castration to eliminate my impulses, about amputating my genitals to avoid sinning. I started to think that if I died, I would be resurrected.
During high school, everyone in the congregation who talked to me only pressured me to get baptized. But I knew that if I did, it would lead to an even worse situation. And the spiral began. With each assembly, these feelings grew stronger. They kept reminding me that I had to do it, that I had to go out into the world as a JW. And everyday, some homophobic things that make me more and more fragile.
At 18, my both parents ended up working to pay off debts. I started staying home, waking up at 2 pm, and sleeping up to 20 hours a day. They labeled me spiritually lazy. I was dying more each day, and no one cared. No one in the congregation was truly my friend.
Then one day, my sister sent me to a government program to get a job. A psychologist noticed my problems and interviewed me. I started a small treatment, where I slowly made friends and became more expressive. I didn't know how to speak properly with others even though I could give talks and preach. I was socially stagnant. All the young people in the congregation ostracized me for not being a blind believer, and on top of that, I was sarcastic, so I was the one left out. I was invited to a gathering only once, with the condition that I couldn't talk to anyone about anything. Time passed, and from that government program, I started working at an institution. I met my first angels, my female coworkers, five wonderful women who practically taught me how to speak again, who explained how to celebrate a birthday, how to socialize, how to talk properly with others.
During this time, with some expertise in hiding information from my family, I bought a phone I only used at work. Curiosity got the better of me, and I started visiting Telegram groups, where I met my former partner, someone who helped me finally leave the Jehovah's Witnesses. When the pandemic started, I was sent home. My family tried to use that phone, but it had a password. When they asked for it, I refused. For the first time in my life, I refused such an order. I started to distance myself little by little. I grew my hair long, started going out more, talking more with my ex, and so on. Gradually, I distanced myself. I didn't attend Zoom meetings, and I stopped preaching by letter. Then the presidential elections came, and I was forced to vote to keep my job, which was the only source of income for my family during the pandemic. I did it, went out to vote, which cost me my position as a publisher. I was more than happy. Some brothers called me, hat was the firstime in 4 years that they made a phone call. The quarantine ended, and I finally returned to my office with my coworkers.
Then my grandmother reappeared, trying to condition me to become a preacher again, and she tried to manipulate me. I flatly refused and left. Then something worse happened: she came to live with us, and every day it was the same argument, until one day, during a trip to the beach (Cancun, baby), she tried to corner me with an elder and a pioneer. I simply told them to move away. They refused and said I had to come back and cut my hair. I told my grandmother no, and that I didn't want to talk about it with anyone anymore, that it was my life and she should use the little time she had left. Later, I found out that she had removed me from her will over some land in the outskirts of Cancun. I don't regret.
Then my father noticed something and told me that if he discovered anything, he would kick me out of the house. He asked me if I was gay, to which I replied "maybe." He said that if I declared it, I would have to leave the house. At that time, I had already broken up with my ex, who had moved to the center of the country. I talked to him and his current partner, and they said it would be no problem, that they could take me in if something happened. I told my sister about my suicidal thoughts after she asked what had happened with my father. Then, my parents got me a psychologist, who started helping me progress and overcome some of the issues I had with my self-esteem. However, what I didn't know was that he was leaking EVERYTHING to my parents, and thus they confirmed my sexuality and found out about my relationship.
I endured that year and told my parents that I would leave home on my 23rd birthday. I took the UNAM exam, which I didn't pass 😅😅. I told them, and they dropped a bombshell: "we were hoping you would fail your exam so you wouldn't leave." That gave me the impetus to do it, to finalize my escape. With anger and nostalgia, a few days later, I took a flight to another city where my friends took me in. I think I can consider them more than friends, they are my family, i have one on cancun, that needs to leave that religion. Right now, I'm looking into starting treatment again, specifically for victims of coercive sects. I live much more freely, maybe not in a super city, but happily, without my family's eyes always watching me. I have never felt so free in my life.
To the Jehovah's Witnesses reading this, remember, we born and raised in cages, but it is not a disease to fly; it is the freedom of this world that awaits us. It will be more dangerous, but it will also be much more interesting. You will be able to suffer and enjoy, love and pain, the full life, not a life of only pain to die in loneliness, to die with a false hope. You can move forward, you can make it; there are many like us out here. It will hurt, but once you learn to fly, you won't even want to look back. My life only began at 24, I am just about to start studying at university. I didn't study because of that religion, but I know I will soon. These chains are not that strong; they are just too big to carry. Throw them off and come fly with us.
This is my history, my life, the start of my new life.
Thanks everybody, you rocks!

Potato chips have seed oils in them? Oh no! Totally thought that was a health food! Bread and Oreos as well! 🤯
If you eat meat, dairy, and vegetables, maybe some fruits. You're good.
No seed oils.
You don't have to obsess over it, read labels or anything else.
Buying processed food that comes ready to eat, in some flake or bar or foam form is never going to be healthy, regardless if it's got seed oils in it or not. The goal is health, which avoiding seed oils is a subset of that.
Spend 30 minutes cooking and you're good. You can have lamb, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, duck, turkey in their many forms. Endless variety of vegetables. Many different types of cheeses, high fat Greek yogurt, butter, etc. Options for carb free or not.
So simple. Reading labels of processed shelf stable food is obviously a losing battle yet half the posts here are upset there's seed oils in an already harmful food like product.

DAY: May 27 2024
5-27-2024

THE CASE FOR OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTATION TO LOWER AGGRESSION

People who regularly eat fish or take fish oil supplements are getting omega-3 fatty acids, which play a critical role in brain function. Research has long shown a basis in the brain for aggressive and violent behavior, and that poor nutrition is a risk factor for behavior problems. Penn neurocriminologist Adrian Raine has for years been studying whether omega-3 supplementation could therefore reduce aggressive behavior, publishing five randomized controlled trials from different countries. He found significant effects but wanted to know whether these findings extended beyond his laboratory.
5-27-2024

WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVES TO OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY AND ARE THEY SAFE?

With summer around the corner, telehealth outlets and medical spas are going into hyperdrive advertising the sale of semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Recent shortages of the brand-name drugs have opened the door to copycat versions that, while legal, also raise some concerns for consumers, says Kelly Ann Barnes, Northeastern professor of pharmacy law. The copycat drugs are made by specialized pharmacies known as compounding pharmacies, which are allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make off-label
5-27-2024

FIVE BASIC HABITS MAY HOLD THE KEY TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

Professor Nick Titov’s professional goal is to make himself redundant. he wants to empower more people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression to understand what they can do each day to care for their mental health. As part of this mission, Professor Titov and his team developed The Big 5, an evidence-based program encouraging five broad types of activities that are strongly linked with good mental health when performed regularly. Everyone’s
5-27-2024

COVID-19 FORECASTING TOOL ALLOWED HOSPITAL TO MANAGE PATIENT CAPACITY, RESOURCES AMID PANDEMIC’S THIRD WAVE

During the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the health-care system’s capacity was stretched and hospitals across Canada relied on each other to share resources and provide care. Experts from
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION AS A POSSIBLE ASPECT OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME PATHOLOGY

The peripubertal DHT-induced mouse model is a non-obese but insulin-resistant model of PCOS. a) Experimental design. b) Fat mass. c) Insulin levels at baseline and 15 min following glucose administration. d) Blood glucose levels during oGTT. e) HOMA-IR, calculated from fasted glucose and insulin levels. f) Glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c). A new study shows that hyperandrogenism—a key characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—affects immune cell populations in reproductive, metabolic and immunological tissues in a PCOS-like mouse model. These findings are of great importance as
5-27-2024

RESEARCH IDENTIFIES BRAIN NETWORK LINK TO STUTTERING

Common acquired neurogenic stuttering network. Common areas that were sensitive and specific across both neurogenic stuttering cohorts. Amy = amygdala; ASt = amygdalostriatal transition area; Cl = claustrum; Pall = Pallidum; Put = putamen. A new study published in the journal Brain has identified a specific brain network hub that plays a key role in stuttering. The research, by Te Whare W?nanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury (UC) Associate Professor Catherine Theys, examines two different types of stuttering—developmental and acquired—to show a clear neural
5-27-2024

THYROID DISEASE ISN’T THE END FOR YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS, REPORT FINDS

How employers behave toward workers experiencing thyroid dysfunction could play a critical part in addressing the UK’s labor market challenges. With long-term sickness on the rise in the UK, researchers at the University of Aberdeen Business School have marked World Thyroid Day (May 25) by releasing new findings which, for the first time, explore the relationship between employer sympathy and the labor market prospects of people with thyroid conditions. One in 20 people in the UK have a thyroid problem, with a significant majority of sufferers being women. Posing serious
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS HIGH-INCOME EARNERS AT LOWER RISK OF DYING FROM STROKE

High-income earners have a 32% lower risk of dying after a stroke compared to low-income earners. The equivalent for high education is 26% lower risk. The differences in stroke survival linked to socioeconomics are striking, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg.
5-27-2024

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COULD ALLEVIATE LONELINESS, SAYS EXPERT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology could offer companionship to lonely people amid an international epidemic of loneliness, says a robotics expert. Tony Prescott, a professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues in his new book “The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence” that “relationships with AIs could support people” with forms of social interaction. Loneliness has been found to seriously impair human health, and Professor Prescott makes a case that advances in AI technology could offer a partial solution. He argues that people can spiral into loneliness, becoming
5-27-2024

ALZHEIMER’S REPORT HIGHLIGHTS IMMENSE CAREGIVER BURDEN—AND POTENTIAL WAYS FORWARD

Some 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, and about 11 million provide unpaid care for them. Dementia caregiving can present unique challenges, including financial burdens and time constraints, as well as health complications. A report this year from the Alzheimer’s Association demonstrates the true cost of caregiving for those with the disease and calls to establish dementia care navigation throughout the U.S. to lift this burden. Not only is the estimated value of unpaid care near $14 billion in Pennsylvania alone, the report also revealed emotional and physical tolls. Nearly
5-27-2024

US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION APPROVES ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS SYSTEM

An artificial pancreas developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge has been granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by individuals with type 1 diabetes aged 2 and older, including during pregnancy. This means that even more people living with the disease will be able to use this life-changing app. For the first time, the FDA authorized the use of the artificial pancreas system in pregnancy. CamAPS FX, produced by Cambridge spinout company CamDiab, is an Android app that can
5-27-2024

RESEARCH SAYS POMEGRANATES COULD OFFER A SOLUTION TO FATTY LIVER DISEASE

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) are investigating the effects ellagic acid, an antioxidant found in some fruits and vegetables, could have on halting and potentially reversing the damage caused by fatty liver disease. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the physiological manifestation of obesity in the liver. The prevalence of NAFLD has increased from 25.24% in 2015 to 29.38% in 2021, and this condition now accounts for 45.8% of all cases of chronic-liver-disease-related deaths worldwide. There currently exists no treatment for the long-term management of NAFLD; however, dietary interventions
5-27-2024

MAGIC MUSHROOMS MAY ONE DAY TREAT ANOREXIA, BUT NOT JUST YET

Anorexia nervosa is a severe mental health disorder where people fear weight gain. Those with the disorder have distorted body image and hold rigid beliefs their body is too big. They typically manage this through restricted eating, leading to the serious medical consequences of malnutrition. Anorexia has one of the highest death rates of any mental illness. Yet there are currently no effective drug treatments and the outcomes of psychotherapy (talk therapy) are poor. So we’re desperately in need of new and improved treatments. Psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms,
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS FEEDING INFANTS PEANUT PRODUCTS PROTECTS AGAINST ALLERGY INTO ADOLESCENCE

Feeding children peanuts regularly from infancy to age five reduced the rate of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71%, even after many years when the children ate or avoided peanut as desired. The new findings provide conclusive evidence that introducing peanuts into babies’ diets early will achieve long-term prevention of peanut allergy. Lead investigator Professor Gideon Lack from King’s College London said, “Decades of advice to avoid peanuts has made parents fearful of introducing peanuts at an early age. The evidence is clear that early introduction of peanut in infancy
5-27-2024

EATING MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MAY LEAD TO OPTIMAL SLEEP DURATION

Good health depends on a healthy diet and sufficient exercise and sleep. There are clear associations among these components; for example, good nutrition provides energy for exercise, and many people report that getting enough exercise is important to their ability to get enough sleep. So how might nutrition affect sleep? A new study looks at the connection between fruit and vegetable intake and sleep duration.
5-27-2024

MONITORING THE H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA, BIRD FLU, OUTBREAK

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to actively monitor the ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, also known as bird flu, and says that the public health risk remains low. Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says scientists and public health officials have known about avian influenza for decades. “What’s different today is that since 2020, we’re seeing the largest outbreak of avian influenza among wild birds, poultry and backyard bird flocks,” he says. “The virus has also been found in certain
5-27-2024

INTERNATIONAL STUDY REVEALS SURPRISING TWIST IN HOW DIABETES DRUGS HELP THE HEART

A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial has revealed surprising new insights into how SGLT2 inhibitor drugs, originally developed for diabetes, benefit patients with heart failure. Contrary to common assumptions, these drugs may improve cardiac outcomes and heart health without acting as diuretics. Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands, often leading to fluid
5-27-2024

FIRST SEIZURE CLINICS REDUCE THE NEED FOR FUTURE HEALTH CARE, RESEARCHERS FIND

Clinics specializing in first seizures reduce the need for patients to present at emergency departments or be admitted to hospital later, Monash University-led research has found. Timely attendance, particularly within 14 days of the seizure, was associated with reduced subsequent all-cause emergency presentations and all-cause hospital admission. Later hospital admissions were reduced by about 25%. First author Dr. Yingtong Li, an adjunct
5-27-2024

CELL-TARGETING TECHNOLOGY CAN ISOLATE NEURONAL SUBPOPULATIONS AND LINK THEM TO BEHAVIORAL STATES

As gene sequencing technologies become more powerful, our understanding of cellular diversity has grown in parallel. This led scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to
5-27-2024

WATCH OUT FOR THESE HIGH HEAT DANGER SIGNS

Climate change is pushing daytime summer temperatures higher for longer periods of time, and that can spell real danger for folks who work outside, like gardeners and landscapers. Protecting yourself in the heat and knowing the warning signs of heat-related illness is crucial, said Chris Enroth, horticulture educator at University of Illinois Extension. He should know: It happened to him. “When I was working as a landscaper, we had to sod a large backyard during a day when the temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,” Enroth said. “We were hustling
5-27-2024

STAY SAFE FROM THE SUN AND THAT BACKYARD GRILL THIS MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day means firing up that backyard grill for the season, hopefully under warm, sunny skies. You can be sure to enjoy the day without hazards by taking a few simple precautions, said Dr. Mike Ren, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Watch out for rising heat and humidity If Memorial day is a scorcher, hydration is key, Ren said. “A good rule of thumb is to drink water regularly throughout the day, aiming for 12 or more cups; when in
5-27-2024

HAD A JOINT REPLACED? STUDY SUGGESTS INFECTION RISK MAY RISE AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY

If you’re one of the millions of Americans walking around with a new knee or hip, your odds for an infection in that joint rise if you ever have to undergo cancer chemotherapy, researchers report. “Given the number of people of receiving total joint replacements each year, as well as the cost both physically, emotionally and financially for those who develop an infection and may need subsequent treatment, we need to understand what factors may increase the risk for postoperative infections,” said study author Dr. Janet Conway. She’s an orthopedic
5-27-2024

ANTIHYPERTENSIVES LINKED TO ECZEMATOUS DERMATITIS IN SENIORS, STUDY FINDS

Antihypertensive drugs are associated with an increased risk for eczematous dermatitis in older adults, and the effect sizes are largest for diuretics and calcium channel blockers, whether antihypertensive drug use is associated with eczematous dermatitis in a longitudinal cohort study of individuals aged 60 years and older without eczematous dermatitis at baseline. The researchers found that the overall prevalence of eczematous dermatitis was 6.7% among 1,561,358
5-27-2024

RESEARCH INDICATES KIDNEYS FROM DECEASED DONORS WHO WERE ON DIALYSIS ARE SUBOPTIMAL

Receipt of a kidney from a deceased donor who underwent dialysis is associated with an increased incidence of delayed graft function, compared outcomes of transplant recipients who received kidneys from deceased donors who underwent dialysis prior to kidney donation versus recipients of kidneys from deceased donors who did not undergo dialysis in a retrospective cohort study using data from 58 U.S. organ procurement organizations. Among the donors with
5-27-2024

NEW THERAPY PROVEN EFFECTIVE AGAINST REJECTION IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is one of the most common causes of kidney transplant failure. To date, however, no treatment has proven effective in combating this complication in the long term. As part of an international and multidisciplinary clinical study led by Georg Böhmig and Katharina Mayer, Clinical Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine III at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, a new therapeutic principle in transplant medicine has been found to be both safe and highly effective. The results were recently published in the New England Journal
5-27-2024

SHARJAH UNIVERSITY PATENTS APPLICATION FOR DISTANCE COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS

Smart Identification of Health Status based on QR Code and User Health Data. Credit: author’s own creation The University of Sharjah has been granted a patent for inventing a smart gadget with the ability to filter user information that will allow doctors to diagnose COVID-19 and other ailments from a distance. The patent, granted by United States Patent and Trademark Office on 1 August 2023, comprises “a display unit, a color code detection unit, an image filter, an optical character recognition unit, a code detection unit and an elimination unit,”
5-27-2024

STUDY REVEALS WHERE DELAYS ARE WORST

When it comes to responding to a stroke, speed is a crucial factor; the longer it takes for someone experiencing a stroke to get to a hospital, the worse the outcome will be. Yet across the United States, delays to treatment can be significant. A Yale study uncovers new insights into factors associated with treatment delays and where in the United States patients are more likely to experience slower responses. The findings, which were published May 24 in the journal Stroke, highlight where interventions should

NEW STUDY SHOWS HEAT WAVES INCREASE RISK OF PRETERM, EARLY-TERM BIRTH

The increased frequency and intensity of heat waves due to climate change puts women at a higher risk of experiencing preterm and early-term labor—jeopardizing the health and well-being of their babies. An analysis of 53 million births that occurred in the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas during the 25-year period 1993–2017, showed
5-27-2024

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES, EARPLUGS AND EARMUFFS—DO THEY REALLY HELP NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE?

Noise can make it hard to concentrate, especially for people who are extra sensitive to it. Neurodivergent people (such as those who are autistic or have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder—ADHD) can experience different sensory sensitivities. Their nervous system may process information differently when they are exposed to sensory experiences such as bright lights, loud noise, strong smells or busy environments. Decreased sound tolerance is estimated to affect up to 70% of autistic people and is described in three ways: hyperacusis (perceiving everyday sounds as loud or painful), misophonia (an aversion to
5-27-2024

MASSACHUSETTS SHELLS OUT NEARLY $400,000 FOR VACCINE RECORD CHECKS IN STATE-RUN SHELTERS

State officials have pumped nearly $400,000 into a program to review the vaccine records of families entering the emergency shelter system, including migrants from other countries who may have foreign documentation, according to the Healey administration. Officials at Boston-based John Snow, Inc., which has long worked with the state, have been contracted to review immunization documents. Since January, more than 1,200 children in state-run shelters have had their records checked, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, or HHS. Vaccine record checks have occurred since September 2023
5-27-2024

LAWSUIT ACCUSES FLORIDA’S PALM BEACH COUNTY HOSPITAL NETWORK OF SHARING PATIENTS’ PRIVATE DATA

The Palm Beach Health Network has become the latest health provider accused of illegally sharing identities and private health information of its patients with the social media company Meta, owner of Facebook. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach says the health network’s websites share code with Meta that enables patients to be targeted with advertising on Facebook based on “highly sensitive personal information” they share. It names as defendants the Palm Beach Health Network Physicians Group, doing business as Palm Beach Health Network, and
5-27-2024

CAN THE PLACEMENT OF DENTAL IMPLANTS IN HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS BE DONE BEFORE RADIATION THERAPY?

Globally, head and neck cancer accounts for 5% of all cancer types, with a mortality rate of 50%. However, in the Nordic countries, head and neck cancer accounts for only 2.6% of all cancers, with a mortality rate of just 30%. But more survivors mean that many must live with extensive damage and side effects
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISK OF CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS OUTBREAKS IN NEW ZEALAND

More cryptosporidiosis outbreaks could be on the cards for Aotearoa New Zealand as extreme rainfall events become more frequent, causing higher levels of the diarrhea-causing parasite to be washed into waterways, public health researchers warn. The researchers studied clusters of cryptosporidium outbreaks around the country between 1997 and 2015 and found 13 coincided with severe weather events. Their research is published in the journal Epidemiology & Infection. It is the first study to compare clusters of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis to severe weather events in Aotearoa.
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS EVALUATE IMPACT OF NEW FILM’S MESSAGE ON CHILDREN’S AND ADULTS’ BODY IMAGE, SELF-COMPASSION

Unrealistic expectations about what our bodies should look like—whether from the media, friends or family—make adults and children of all ages more vulnerable to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and other mental health challenges. In a new study published in Body Image, Flinders University experts assessing the program’s usefulness in classrooms highlight the potential for the film “Embrace Kids,” directed by 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, to achieve large-scale improvements in body image
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS INCREASED SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AMONG ADOLESCENTS EXPOSED TO EARLY PHASE OF WAR IN UKRAINE

Data Collection in the War-Affected Donetsk Region and Non-War Kirovograd Region. A new study carried out by a multinational research group showed high levels of suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescents, which were strongly associated with wartime traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. Dr. Sanju Silwal from the Research Center for Child Psychiatry in the University of Turku, Finland, one of the lead authors, says that the study was conducted in two regions that
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS SIGNIFICANT DISPARITIES IN THE DELIVERY OF CANCER-RELATED CARE

It’s important to ensure that care provided at US hospitals that predominantly serve Black and Hispanic populations is as high-quality as the care provided at other US hospitals. New research reveals significant disparities in the delivery of cancer-related care at minority serving hospitals (MSHs) compared with non-MSHs, however. The findings are published in Cancer. For the study, investigators analyzed information from the National Cancer Database (which accrues approximately 70% of US cancer diagnoses) to identify patients eligible for definitive treatment for breast, prostate, non-small cell lung, and colon cancers between
5-27-2024

WHO SEEKS $7 BN WITH FUND-RAISING REVAMP

The World Health Organization launched Sunday a new financing mechanism that aims to raise $7 billion of funds that can be deployed more quickly and flexibly. The UN agency has traditionally relied on commitments from its 194 member states, but often these are apportioned to specific projects with several conditions attached, including deadlines that can prove too short. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said commitment increases would contribute $4 billion to the agency’s budget of $11.1 billion over the four years through 2028. “The Investment Round aims to mobilize the
5-27-2024

SECOND PERSON DIES OF CHOLERA ON FRENCH ISLAND OF MAYOTTE

Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae. Credit: Wikipedia A 62-year-old woman has died of cholera in Mayotte, bringing to two the death toll from the epidemic on the French island in the Indian Ocean, health authorities said on Sunday. The woman died on Saturday at her home in Mamoudzou, the capital, the ARS health authority said in a statement. “Response teams went to the scene to disinfect the home and take care of the deceased’s family and friends”, the statement added. In May, the disease claimed its first life
5-27-2024

ALTERING CELLULAR INTERACTIONS AROUND AMYLOID PLAQUES MAY OFFER NOVEL ALZHEIMER’S TREATMENT STRATEGIES

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have made a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease research by identifying a novel way to potentially slow down or even halt disease progression. The study, which focuses on the role of reactive astrocytes and the plexin-B1 protein in Alzheimer’s pathophysiology, provides crucial insights into brain
5-27-2024

BRAIN DAMAGE STUDY REVEALS PART OF THE BRAIN NECESSARY FOR HELPING OTHERS

Our willingness to help others is governed by a specific brain region pinpointed by researchers in a study of patients with brain damage to that region. Learning about where in the brain “helping” decisions are made is important for understanding how people might be motivated to tackle large global challenges, such as climate change, infectious disease and international conflict. It is also essential for finding new approaches to treating disorders of social interactions. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham
5-27-2024

IMPROVING AI LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS HELPS THEM BETTER ALIGN WITH HUMAN BRAIN ACTIVITY

NSP as a computational account of discourse comprehension. (A) Humans integrate words and sentences to achieve a full understanding of discourse. In LLMs, the NSP task proposed by BERT can serve as a computational account of human discourse comprehension. (B) Illustration of the MLM task. (C) Illustration of the NSP task and its relevance to the Mason and Just model. (D) Illustration of Mason and Just’s neurocognitive model of discourse processing. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn7744 With generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transforming the social interaction landscape in recent years,
5-27-2024

STUDY EXAMINES METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING OF BREAST CANCER TUMORS DURING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists have made significant strides in understanding the complex interplay between the immune system and cancer metabolism in breast cancer treatment. The research
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS EXAMINE EVIDENCE FOR A NOVEL NEURONAL MECHANISM DRIVING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

An international team of clinicians and neuroscientists have published a new perspective on the process of neurodegeneration. Their findings review evidence for a mechanism upstream of amyloid including the key neurochemical driving this process. The paper, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, focuses on a selective group of neurons (“the isodendritic core”). These cells have a different provenance from neurons in the rest of the brain and have previously been identified as primarily
The research, by a team from Finland’s University of Helsinki, National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Turku University of Applied Sciences, is published in
5-27-2024

WHO CHIEF URGES COUNTRIES TO QUICKLY SEAL PANDEMIC DEAL

WHO countries have spent two years seeking an agreement on tackling pandemics. The World Health Organization chief on Monday urged countries to nail down a landmark global agreement on handling of future pandemics after they missed a hard deadline. Scarred by COVID-19—which killed millions, shredded economies and crippled health systems—nations have spent two years trying to forge binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Negotiators failed to clinch a deal ahead of this week’s World Health Assembly—the annual gathering of WHO’s 194 member states—the deadline for concluding the talks.
5-27-2024

STUDY DEMONSTRATES HOW GUT MICROBES PROCESS STEROIDS—USING FLATULENCE

It turns out flatulence can serve a purpose beyond being uncomfortable or funny: Gas released by some gut bacteria stimulates other gut bacteria to produce a hormone involved in pregnancy and in an FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression, according to new research led by Harvard Medical School scientists. The work shows how gut bacteria can produce new hormones from steroids in bile and, in doing so, act like an endocrine organ. This research adds to the growing list of ways gut microbiota may influence human
5-27-2024

PHYSICAL FRAILTY MAY PUT PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK OF DEPRESSION, STUDY FINDS

Individuals who meet at least one of the criteria for physical frailty are at higher risk of also developing depression, a new Yale study finds. The findings—which also include insights into the specific inflammatory molecules and changes in brain structure that could underlie this association between frailty and depression—point to a need for routine assessment of physical frailty in clinical practice, researchers said. The study was published May 23 in Nature Communications. In clinical settings, physical
5-27-2024

RESEARCH TEAM RESOLVES STRUCTURE OF CRUCIAL ENZYME FOR THE FIRST TIME

For the first time, a team co-led by CHU Sainte-Justine researcher and professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal, Alexey Pshezhetsky has succeeded in resolving the unique structure of the HGSNAT enzyme, a deficiency of which causes Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare pediatric disease affecting the central nervous system. Through collaboration with a team from Shanghai University, the structure of this enzyme and the mechanism of its function were revealed using high-performance

Vasomune wins FDA fast track designation for lung condition treatment
Currently in a Phase IIa study, AV-001 is being co-developed with AnGes for the prevention and treatment of ARDS in pneumonia.
May 28, 2024
Vasomune Therapeutics has announced that its novel investigational medicine, AV-001, has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast track designation for the treatment of moderate to severe pathogen-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
As per the 28 May press release, fast track designation was granted based on the high unmet medical need in ARDS. The status allows for earlier interactions with the FDA in the pursuit of accelerated approval and also the possibility to undergo rolling reviews.
ARDS is a life-threatening lung injury that enables fluid to leak into the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and low blood oxygen. According to the press announcement, ARDS is characterised by high mortality rates that can reach up to 46% in patients with severe cases of the disease.
AV-001, a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-clustered Tie2 agonist peptide that was first discovered at Sunnybrook Research Institute at Sunnybrook Hospital, is designed to improve healing in patients by providing a molecular shortcut in blood vessel growth associated with wound closure.
The drug candidate is actively being evaluated in a Phase IIa study (NCT05123755) for the prevention and treatment of hospitalised patients with pneumonia-associated ARDS. The primary endpoint of the study is the safety and tolerability of multiple intravenously administered doses of AV-001 compared to placebo.
The Phase I study (NCT04737486) demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile with strong on-target activity. There were no drug-related discontinuations or deaths, no suspected unexpected severe adverse reactions (SUSARs), and no adverse events of special interest (AESIs), as reported at the 2024 Respiratory Innovation Summit (RIS).
“Vasomune is focused on the persisting unmet needs of people grappling with ARDS and other diseases driven by vascular endothelial instability,” said president and Chief Operating Officer of Vasomune, Dr. Brian Jahns.
The Toronto, Ontario-based biotech is not the only player in the ARDS space. In October 2023, BioAegis Therapeutics was awarded a $20m contract from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the development of plasma gelsolin for the treatment of ARDS.
Also making headway is Healios, which in April 2023, reported positive topline results from the open-label ONE-BRIDGE clinical study of somatic stem cell regenerative therapy MultiStem (HLCM051/invimestrocel) in ARDS patients across Japan.
https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/vasomune-wins-fda-fast-track-designation-for-lung-condition-treatment/
Originally discovered and designed at Sunnybrook Research Institute at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, AV-001 is being developed by Vasomune Therapeutics, Inc. under a co-development agreement with AnGes, Inc. [TYO: 4563].
...
Ei Yamada, President & CEO of AnGes, said that "The FDA’s support of expedited development marks another important milestone in our endeavor to change the treatment paradigm with AV-001. We look forward to future success with the Phase 2a study, AV001-004."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vasomune-therapeutics-receives-us-fda-120000579.html
From the trial's page on ClinicalTrials.gov:
Enrollment (Estimated): 120
Study Completion (Estimated): 2025-03
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05123755
Vasomune Therapeutics' website:
https://vasomune.com/
AnGes' current market cap is $64 million.
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/4563.T

--You wake up in your bunk bed, you realise your job application has been accepted--
--You see a tape and play it--
"Hello, Sergeant Matthew. Or as we call you here, G-171"
"These are the basic security department initiatives"

1. Do not try to free any one of the anomalies, they could fulfill their promise or kill you as soon as they get out.
   
2. Don't try to talk to any one of the anomalies.
   
3. Always follow your orders from your on site officer.
   
4. Our work is unethical but necessary. Be cold not cruel.
   
5. You will be designated an AK-12 assault rifle or an M70 remington.
   
6. Happy hunting.
   

--You see a tape, labelled "Watch before deployment--
-You play it--
--You see an anomaly killing a researcher after being provided a blanket by him--
--You put on your combat armor and grab you M70 shotgun--
G-171 : "I hope this day isn't my first and last"
--You are ordered to take anomaly number 271 from it's containment chamber--
--You open the cell door--
G-171 : "Agent 171 requesting cell number 271 to be opened for testing."
G-171 : "Step out of the cell"
A-271 : "Okay"
--You escort the anomaly, cuffing it's wrists and taking it to Testing Room ZETA-7--
Scientist : "Yeah, just fill the chamber with acid."
--You reluctantly agree--
--You press a big green button--
A-271 : --SCREAMS OF PAIN--
G-271 : "What the fuck?"
G-719 : "First day?"
G-271 : "Yeah"
Scientist : "Yeah, just take it out."
--You stop the acid--
--You enter the room, seeing an almost [REDACTED] 271--
--It starts to take shape--
--You cuff it's wrists--
271 : "[NOT PG-13] YOU [NOT PG-13]!"
--You slowly escort it back to it's cell--
G-719 : "Is it pizza day?"
G-171 : "Nope, mozzarella casserole"

Weird Al Yankovic Farewell Tour Concept

Tour Name: "Al’s Amazing Goodbye Tour"

Set List:

1. Opening Medley:
   
   • "Polka Your Eyes Out"
   • "Polkarama!"
2. Greatest Hits:
   
   • "Eat It"
   • "Amish Paradise"
   • "Smells Like Nirvana"
3. Fan Favorites:
   
   • "The Saga Begins"
   • "White & Nerdy"
   • "Word Crimes"
4. Medley of Rarities:
   
   • "Dare to Be Stupid"
   • "Frank's 2000" TV"
   • "UHF"
5. Concert Medley:
   
   • A mix of shorter snippets from various parodies and originals, including:
     • "I Lost on Jeopardy"
     • "eBay"
     • "Couch Potato"
     • "Canadian Idiot"
     • "Tacky"
     • "My Bologna"
6. Parody Classics:
   
   • "Like a Surgeon"
   • "I Love Rocky Road"
   • "Another One Rides the Bus"
7. Television and Movie Themes:
   
   • "Theme from Rocky XIII"
   • "Gump"
   • "Bedrock Anthem"
8. Tributes and Covers:
   
   • Tribute to lost musical legends with parodies and heartfelt covers.
9. Encore:
   
   • "Yoda"
   • "Fat"
   • "One More Minute" (Audience choice with interactive heartbreak props)
10. Grand Finale:
    
    • "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
    • "We All Have Cell Phones" (interactive light show using audience phones)

Special Features:

• Visual Effects:
  
  • High-tech stage design with interactive screens, live action animations, and themed backdrops.
• Costume Changes:
  
  • Frequent costume changes reflecting his classic music video outfits.
• Guest Appearances:
  
  • Surprise guest performers from his long career, including Dr. Demento.
• Exclusive Merchandise:
  
  • Limited edition tour memorabilia, including signed albums and exclusive tour shirts.
• Interactive Fan Experience:
  
  • Pre-show Q&A sessions, backstage tours, and meet-and-greet opportunities.
• Virtual and Augmented Reality:
  
  • VR and AR elements to enhance the live concert experience.
• Tribute Video Montage:
  
  • A nostalgic video montage of highlights from his career, fan tributes, and celebrity shout-outs.

This farewell tour offers a diverse mix of Weird Al's most beloved songs, ensuring a memorable experience for all fans.

Added some more decent stuff, I'd really love to offload all this as it's just sitting in a tote in my garage and I hate it. Shipping is not included unless noted. Please offer on bundles, I'm really inclined to move as much of this stuff as I possibly can and will offer better deals the more you buy.
On everything $5 & under, consider it 3 for $10, 5 for $15, 20 for $50

Title	CIB/loose	Price/Notes
3 controllers	Loose	$20 each - 2 white OEM, one green Performance-branded
Memory card	Loose	$10 - Performance-brand
Centipede	Loose	$6 - Good condition
Chicken Run	CIB	$13 - Good condition
Crazy Taxi	CIB	$20 - Sega All Stars
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX	CIB	$6 - Good condition
Disney’s Dinosaur	CIB	$13 - Good condition
Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000	Loose	$8 - Good condition
NFL Blitz 2001	CIB	$35 - Good condition
Quake 3 Arena	CIB	$20 - Good condition
Resident Evil CODE Veronica	Loose	$20 - Includes both discs in a kind of broken jewel case thing
Sega Bass Fishing	CIB	$8 - Sega All Stars
Sega Smash Pack Volume 1	Loose	$10 - Includes case, no manual, decent condition
Shenmue	CIB	$30 - Cracked bottom of jewel case (the plastic piece)
SnoCross Championship Racing	CIB	$10 - Good condition
Tomb Raider: Chronicles	CIB	$18 - Good condition
Vigilante 8 2nd Offense	CIB	$22 - Good condition
Virtua Fighter 3tb	Loose	$15 - Good condition

All clean, but untested (I don't have a Saturn console)

Title	Notes	Price
Bootleg Sampler	Loose	$5
Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal	Loose	$8
Sega Worldwide Soccer ‘97	Loose	$6
Tomb Raider	Loose	$12
Virtua Cop	Loose	$5
World Series Baseball ‘98	Loose	$6

Title	Console	Price/notes
Bandai Golf Pebble Beach Challenge	NES	$3
Days of Thunder	NES	$6
Double Dribble	NES	$6
Knight Rider	NES	$8 Pics
Side Pocket	NES	$6

Title	Console	Price/notes
MVP Baseball	SNES	$5
NBA Live 95	SNES	$5

2 SNS-001 Consoles For Parts/Not Working 2 For Parts/Not Working consoles that have been broken down, including one housing (has some chips/cracks), 2 motherboards, all components, however some are guaranteed to not work. The boards themselves may have additional issues beyond the removed chips, I have no way to test or check them. Neither of these motherboards work. Both of them were giving different graphical issues on the screen, so I thought I'd be clever and try to swap some chips around, but found out as I was doing it that I have no experience with it and was in way over my head. I do not know if there are working chips here to even create one working SNES, as far as I'm aware all of the graphics chips/etc. are bad. Pics here $35

Title	Console	Price/notes
Console Nintendo Gamecube	NGC	$75 - Indigo, excellent condition, tested & works great. Laser boots right up. No controller, but includes OEM power & A/V cables. 001 model with the digital out port. Has all the port covers intact as well.

Title	Console	Price/notes
Box/Inserts Pokemon Silver	GBC	$225 - Crease at the bottom - please see pics here
Box/Inserts Pokemon Gold	GBC	$225 - Very nice shape, but missing the cardboard cartridge holder. Pics here
Box/Inserts Pokemon Crystal	GBC	$450 - Good condition - top tab is creased where you pull it open on both the tab and slightly on the front of the box. Includes all inserts. Cartridge holder is "built-in" to this box so it won't show up easily in pictures. Pics here
A Bug's Life	GB	$5
All-Star Baseball 2000	GBC	$5
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	GBC	$5 - Bad label
Demon Driver	GBA	$6
Pokemon Leaf Green	GBA	$115
Rayman Advance	GBA	$6
Smuggler's Run	GBA	$4
Treasure Planet	GBA	$5
Winter X Games Snowboarding 2002	GBA	$3
World Tennis Stars	GBA	$3

Title	Console	Price/notes
Console Nintendo DS	NDS	$50 - Blue, no charger, great condition, working hinge
Barbie: Jet, Set & Style	NDS	$3 - Loose
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow	NDS	$22 - Loose, no label, authentic
Deal or No Deal	NDS	$4 - CIB
Games Around the World	NDS	$4 - CIB
Horsez	NDS	$4 - CIB
Imagine: Fashion Designer	NDS	$4 - CIB
Imagine: Fashion Stylist	NDS	$4 - CIB
Jeopardy	NDS	$5 - CIB
MahJong Quest	NDS	$4 - CIB
My Farm	NDS	$4 - CIB
Pictionary	NDS	$5 - Sealed
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence	NDS	$50 - Loose
Winx Club Magical Fairy Party	NDS	$6 - CIB
Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop	3DS	$16 - CIB
Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley	3DS	$16 - Loose

Title	Console	Price/notes
Accessory OEM Controller	Xbox	$10 - have 2, both model S for original Xbox, both have breakaway cables
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One	Xbox	$5
Gun	Xbox	$5
Juiced	Xbox	$6
Superman Returns	Xbox	$5
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict	Xbox	$5
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	360	$6
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2	360	$6
Ghost Recon 2	360	$5
Guitar Hero 2	360	$8
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock	360	$8
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock	360	$8
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith	360	$12
MLB 2K9	360	$5
NBA 2K12	360	$5

Please note - most of these games are not complete - either missing manual, replacement case/cover art, or loose disc. Please check with me if you're curious.

Title	Console	Price/notes
Treasures of the Deep	PS1	$12 - CIB
Wargames: Defcon 1	PS1	$10 - CIB
Warhawk	PS1	$12 - CIB, longbox, not in great shape
American Chopper	PS2	$4 - CIB
Arctic Thunder	PS2	$6 - CIB
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005	PS2	$3 - CIB
Call of Duty: Finest Hour	PS2	$4 - CIB
Call of Duty: Finest Hour	PS2	$4 - CIB
Crash n' Burn	Ps2	$6 - CIB
Eragon	PS2	$4 - CIB
Flatout	PS2	$6 - CIB
Flatout	PS2	$5 - Loose
The Getaway	PS2	$6 - CIB
The Getaway	PS2	$4 - Loose
Gran Turismo 3	PS2	$5 - GH CIB
Guitar Hero 2	PS2	$4 - CIB
Hitman 2	PS2	$5 - CIB
IHRA Drag Racing 2	PS2	$3 - CIB
Kingdom Hearts 2	PS2	$5 - Loose
Madden 07	PS2	$3 - CIB
MX vs ATV	PS2	$3 - Loose
NAMCO Museum	PS2	$6 - GH CIB
NBA 2K9	PS2	$5 - CIB
PopCap Hits Vol. 1	PS2	$5 - CIB
Rise to Honor	PS2	$6 - CIB
Smuggler's Run	PS2	$6 - CIB
SOCOM 2	PS2	$5 - CIB
Splinter Cell	PS2	$4 - CIB
Starksy & Hutch	PS2	$5 - CIB
Strike Force Bowling	PS2	$4 - CIB
Tetris Worlds	PS2	$5 - CIB
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002	PS2	$2 - Loose
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005	PS2	$2 - Loose
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006	PS2	$2 - Loose
TOCA Race Driver 2	PS2	$6 - CIB
Trigger Man	PS2	$4 - CIB
World Championship Poker	PS2	$4 - CIB
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3	PS3	$5 - CIB
Grand Theft Auto IV	PS3	$7 - Loose
Killzone 3	PS3	$5 - CIB
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe	PS3	$7 - CIB
Rocksmith 2014	PS3	$8 - CIB
Skyrim	PS3	$4 - CIB
Sports Champions	PS3	$4 - CIB

Title	Console	Price/notes
The Price is Right	Wii	$4 - Loose
Wii Play	Wii	$5 - CIB
Wii Play	Wii	$5 - CIB
Skylanders	WiiU	$4 - Case
Skylanders	WiiU	$4 - Case
LEGO Dimensions	WiiU	$4 - Case

Thanks for looking!

All prices include USPS Ground Advantage shipping, combined shipping is also available & preferred! I can also do local meets in the Mid-Michigan area if you're nearby. Feel free to make offers!
[W] these pieces of Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection (PS2):
MGS1 Disc 1
MGS2 Manual
All games will be tested prior to sale and are CIB unless noted.
*Any games $8 or less are B1G1*
Willing to let it all go for $180
GameCube (Buy all for $65)

Egg Mania (NO MANUAL, POOR CONDITION CASE)	$17	Pics
Super Smash Bros. Melee (TORN LABEL)	$52	Pics

Xbox 360 (Buy all for $50)

007 Legends (LOOSE)	$10	Pics
Battlefield 4 (LOOSE)	$5	Pics
Dead Island (GOTY Platinum)	$6	Pics
Gears of War 2 (NO MANUAL)	$6	Pics
The Last Remnant (LOOSE)	$8	Pics
Lego Batman (NO MANUAL)	$5	Pics
Lego Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (Platinum Hits) (NO MANUAL)	$7	Pics
Marvel Ultimate Alliance & Forza 2 (NO FORZA DISC)	$8	Pics
Nascar 09	$9	Pics
Prey (DISC + MANUAL)	$6	Pics
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (UNLEASHED 1 CASE)	$8	Pics
Superman Returns	$12	Pics
Table Tennis	$6	Pics
Two Worlds (NO MANUAL)	$6	Pics

PS3 (Buy all for $25)

Battlefield 4	$5	Pics
Borderlands 2	$5	Pics
Cabela's Outdoor Adventure	$9	Pics
Crysis 2 (Limited Edition)	$5	Pics
Homefront	$6	Pics
Madden NFL 13	$5	Pics
Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock	$15	Pics
UFC Undisputed 2010 (NO GAME)	$5	Pics

PS2 (Buy all for $75)

Ben 10 Alien Force (CASE IN POOR CONDITION)	$6	Pics
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (Collector's Edition)	$7	Pics
Chaos Wars (CASE ONLY)	$5	Pics
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	$9	Pics
Enthusia (NO MANUAL)	$11	Pics
Fight Club	$10	Pics
Guitar Hero 3 (LOOSE)	$5	Pics
Just Cause	$10	Pics
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance	$12	Pics
Myst 3 Exile (LOOSE)	$5	Pics
NCAA Football 2003	$5	Pics
NFL GameDay 2002	$8	Pics
NFL GameDay 2003 (LOOSE)	$5	Pics
NFL GameDay 2004	$8	Pics
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc	$15	Pics
The Simpsons Road Rage	$10	Pics
The Simpsons Skateboarding (NO MANUAL, MAY NEED RESURFACING)	$10	Pics
Splinter Cell (Greatest Hits)	$6	Pics
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory	$9	Pics
Superman Returns	$7	Pics
TMNT (Greatest Hits) (NO MANUAL)	$8	Pics
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus (UNOFFICIAL COVER, NO MANUAL)	$13	Pics
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (CASE ONLY)	$5	Pics
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 (NO GAME)	$5	Pics

10 years ago, Typhoon, a track by the at the time unknown artist by the name of Julian Calor came out on Hardwell's Revealed Recordings label. Hardwell had dropped Typhoon on his TomorrowWorld set the previous September and after that the track got a lot of support in other artists' sets.
Lots of promo for Julian Calor's debut album Evolve would follow, along with well received singles, the title track Evolve, Cell, and finally Another Template, right before the album dropped, at the end of April 2015.
At the time I was in the peak of my Electro/Big Room House phase and Evolve was the second EDM album I remember listening from start to finish (after Madeon's Adventure, also released in 2015) and to this day I still think it's a great album, especially considering that Julian Calor was still a very new talent.
I think a lot of people expected Julian to keep the momentum going with more quality releases and we'd have to wait until December for Power, which was once again well received and was one of my favourite tracks at the time. Revive would follow in February and that would turn out to be his second to last original release on Revealed Recordings for 3 years (the last one in 2016 was Atlas in October and there was a Trap reboot of Cell in 2017).
A few months later he "reinvented" himself, dropping a series of tracks part of his Involve project, where every track was free to use as long as credit was provided. The tracks were different from his initial style but again, well received, even if by not as big an audience due to the lack of signal boosting from a big label. The "Involve Collection" ended up with a total 23 tracks and a 2018 compiled release on streaming services.
He would continue to self release more music until the end of 2017 where he'd release on WOLV (Dyro's label), Tiesto's Musical Freedom (including a 4 track EP), Monstercat (with a couple of Revealed releases in between) and finally Martin Garrix's STMPD.
His last release, Find My Way, is now over 2 years old. His socials are devoid of any activity for close to over a year and have no past promo material apart from his facebook which seems to have been abandoned for 3 years (who can blame him).
His last tweet seemed to hint at a new album coming, but it's been radio silence (to my knowledge) ever since.
From the hype of 2014-16, to the consistently well produced but also varied self releases of 2016-18 and the final burst of "mainstream" releases of 2019-21, his release pattern always made it feel like Julian was a bit of a perfectionist and someone that didn't want to fall into the cycle of releasing mediocre tracks just for the sake of putting something out and following current stylistic trends, which I can appreciate but that's something that can take away any momentum from someone's career and I can't help but feel like he could've become a household name if he'd gone in a slightly different direction.
Does anyone else have fond memories of listening to his stuff back in the day?

Hi,
Heads up - this is going to be a long post. I am posting for those that have followed my situation as well as any newbies that pop up. I am NOT insinuating that what is working for me will work for others - but I am posting in hopes that others can glean nuggets from my story that might help them. (which is what I did to get to this point!)
Also, I wanted to show how critical trial and error is when it comes to this nasty disorder.
My LPR started a week out from a major surgery that required the use of both narcotics and extensive muscle relaxers. I woke up one night with stridor that had me googling like crazy. LPR and stridor were linked closely together. I vaguely remember it dissipating for a while, but I was also loaded on so many drugs that I can't say for sure.
Over the course of my surgical recovery, I would get distinct LPR / pepsin gurgles in my throat. These often woke me up or wouldn't allow me to sleep. It was getting annoying.
I turned to reddit and started doing some of the common anecdotal stuff - alginate therapy + high dose PPI's. Neither did a thing for me at that time. (alginate therapy still barely does, but I still take it) I rotated PPI's and tried H2 blockers. I remained on the PPI for about 2 months, saw no difference and weaned myself off. The pepsin throat gurgles were inconvenient but they didn't feel life destroying at that time. It should also be noted that I was unable to change my diet at that time - I could barely walk, much less get to the grocery store and cook in my kitchen. I am a healthy eater, but definitely wasn't a low acid diet.
So I'm getting closer to healed from my surgery and suddenly I notice that I have a major bloated belly going on. I was also having crazy blood sugar crashes. I had just spent the last year in recovery trying to lose the surgery weight, so I was doing a lot of intermittent fasting. I have had SIBO previously and probably should have made the connection in my head, but I was focused on the blood sugar issue. I had weaned off of metformin before surgery and was now convinced my pre-diabetes was rearing its head. (Spoiler alert - I was wrong)
I start taking metformin again and immediately had severe stomach issues - even on a low dose. The bloating was intense but I kept thinking I would adjust. I had used the medication previously for a good year or so, so I assumed it was still okay. (Spoiler alert- it was not) It felt like my entire GI system came to a halt. No stomach gurgles, no motility, etc etc.
After about two weeks of this, it was like a dam broke inside of me. Suddenly in addition to the constant throat gurgling, I was having what I now know to be "water brash." It would only happen as I was falling asleep but literally happened all night long. I remember going 2-3 nights without any sleep at all because as soon as I was drifting off I would get that horrible rush in my throat.
I immediately started the low acid diet - going as hardcore as possible. I have had gastritis previously so I knew the drill. Plain baked chicken. Plain rice. Sweet potatoes, etc. I also elevated my head and bought a crazy expensive wedge pillow to see if it would help - it did not. In fact, even if I were sleeping completely upright it would happen. I immediately began to lose my mind.
I started taking medication to sleep at night just to get some sleep - but then had to deal with the groggy after effects every day. It was crushing me. (Keep in mind, the brash happens every time I start to nod off. This includes when I would take naps.)
I go to the Doctor and get an endoscopy done. (Nothing found) They prescribe PPI's - I am desperate. I try them again. My constipation gets immediately worse as does the bloating. I continue to lose my mind.
Eventually I wean off the PPIs and try HCL - that was a no-go. But at least I knew it wasn't low acid that was the problem! From there, I try famotidine again. (H2 blocker) While the water brash remains consistently bad, I notice that the pepsin related throat gurgles die down. I up the dose to twice a day - but after about 3 days it immediately begins to become ineffective.
Around this time, I start a very simple SIBO treatment. I was resistant to the idea that I had it again. I had been through that insanity before and was in no way ready to spend the money and energy on it. I went with Vital Planet's detox kit. I had considered it too "non-specific" the last time i had SIBO, but this time around I went with it. I also found some ethromyocin in my cabinet from my dog who has since passed. It is known to be used off label to stimulate the GI tract - perfect! I assume I found my cure. (Spoiler - I was wrong, although it did help!)
Meanwhile, I do more research. I try a different H2 blocker. (Cimetidine) I notice the throat gurgles and zaps at night are diminished.
I also discover that hyper salivation is a symptom of seasonal allergies. (This was also compounded into the problem. I was never able to discern if it was the water brash causing the hypersalivation or the other way around) I reluctantly start treating my allergies again. Hypersalivation magically goes away. (for the most part)
By this point, I know that i most likely have a leaky valve issue. I'm guessing the muscle relaxers started it and then the bloating from metformin exacerbated it. I'm praying inside that it's fixable without surgical intervention. I start doing every LES / UES strengthening exercise I could think of. (even weird shit! Like eating bent over)
I research some more. Apparently magnesium can help LPR. Something to do with it helping the pyloric sphincter opening up. Suddenly this makes sense to me. I typically never liked mag because it always gave me headaches. I am now so desperate that I no longer care.
This brings me to today. I still have water brash. I am still on a low acid diet. HOWEVER - knock on wood, the symptoms are sloooowly getting better. (Remember, all the literature states that LPR can require a long time to heal and symptomatic relief can lag.)
I can nod off here or there and have no water brash at all! Yesterday, I caved and wanted to celebrate so I ordered a bunch of carrot cake muffins. While I could tell my acid increased a little, it didn't throw me into a crazy wild flare like it would have previously. (When it was really bad, the brash would rise up even as I was awake!)
I also noticed this morning that as I was lying there, I felt a little brash rising up but this time I was able to swallow it down before it hit my actual throat. (I'm guessing that is thanks to the UES strengthening exercises)
I am no where near out of the woods - especially if the efficacy of the cimetidine begins to wear off again. However, this was the first morning where I woke up feeling / knowing that I was making progress. I was getting closer to relief.
Knock on wood it continues for me! If you read this far, thank you. As I mentioned, my intention is to try and help someone else that is navigating this awful thing.
TLDR: tried a bunch of stuff, several times, and some of it appears to be working

Bonjour,
je possède des actions Alstom et hier, alors que je n'ai fait aucune manipulation celle-ci s'est divisée en 2 . La majorité est restée sous le label " Alstom" et le reste sous le label "Alstom DS" et quand je clique pour avoir plus de détaille, il apparait sous le label "Alstom RTS 10.06.24". Je voulais donc savoir la signification de cette scission et les conséquences s'il y en a....
Merci d'avance!!

I’m the third. Alex the parrot was the second. A man named Karl Schuster who lived in Berlin in the early 1900s was likely the first. In total, only three individuals are known to have overcome the natural cognitive limits of their species’ brains. Alex did no harm. Mr. Schuster, I’m afraid, may have inadvertently damaged reality. My transgression may be humanity’s undoing.
I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to be like Alex.
What made Alex special? He is the only animal to have asked a question.
Lots of animals communicate. Whales and birds sing their songs to each other. Coyotes use barks and howls for identification. We’ve been teaching primates sign language since the 1960s. But these animal tweets and howls and signs aren’t language. There’s no grammatical structure. No deep concepts conveyed - just surface-level stuff. I’m here, they say. I’m threatened, or breed with me.
Animals manage to transmit information and even desires through their species’ form of communication. But none of the thousands of animals observed by science have ever asked a question. Except Alex.
Alex was an ordinary gray parrot, purchased at a pet store by a researcher studying animal psychology. Alex was taught to identify shapes and objects and to speak the name of the items he was quizzed on. One day, while being taught to identify different colors, Alex turned to a mirror and asked “What color is Alex?” This is the only known case of an animal asking a question. Even the famous gorilla who liked to pose for pictures with his kitten and the chimpanzee raised as a human child never managed to ask a question.
As you cuddle up on the couch with Mister Snugglekins the cat, or make Mister Woof Woof the dog beg for treats, think about what it must be like to have an animal mind. Animals’ brains cannot even conceive of the idea of asking a question. They can wonder things: When’s dinner? Is this new person a threat? But the notion of using communication to get answers is beyond their capacity. The gulf between us and our beloved animals is truly vast.
Now, let’s take the next logical step. Is there a mind - can there be such a mind - that is to ours like ours are to animals’? What thoughts are permitted by the laws of physics but are unattainable to the limited machinery of our brains? What if we could improve our own cognitive infrastructure, so our own minds could grasp these currently-unattainable ideas. What lies beyond the ability to ask questions? Hyper-questions? What are they like? What is their purpose? Is there hyper-love? Hyper-joy? What accomplishments lie beyond our grasp?
I used to believe that these ideas amounted to only pointless philosophical wondering. Just stuff to talk about while you’re passing the joint around. Then I learned about Alex, who somehow broke past the cognitive limit of animal thought. If Alex can do it, maybe it’s possible for a human to do it. Maybe, I thought, I can do it.
Unfortunately it is possible for a human to do it. And unfortunately, I did.
* * \*
In 2015, dozens of social media users posted images of a confused-looking elderly man slowly driving in circles in a Walmart parking lot. The emblem on the back of the car said he was driving Toyota Raynow. Toyota denies that a vehicle called a Toyota Raynow ever existed, even as a prototype.
* * \*
I’m not the first researcher to set off on a project to improve human cognition. The eugenicists whose work flourished at the dawn of the 20th century may have been the first people to search for ways to adjust to the human mind. Of course, they had their own spin on the endeavor that, let’s just say, didn’t age well. Take a look at this: an excerpt from the Proceedings of the Third Berlin Conference on Eugenics, 1904. (Translated from the original German by me)

The session on Friday afternoon was opened by Mr. Gerhard Van Wagenen, who presented the report of the Berlin Directed Intelligence Improvement Society. If we are to develop ways of improving the overall intelligence of the human breed, Mr. Van Wagenen argued, we must have, as a guide post, the ultimate limit of human intelligence. Only when we know this limit, can we pose the fundamental question of our effort: Are we to use selective breeding to improve average human intellectual fitness in a population, or are we to find ways of advancing the limit of human genius itself into areas that no individuals born to date have occupied?
Our immediate research goal was therefore to find individuals for whom the light of genius burned, not just at all, but brighter than the lights of all others of that intellectual rank. We sought to find the one individual currently alive who can look down on literally all the rest as his intellectual inferiors.
It is known that in the mass of men belonging to the superior classes there is found a small number who are characterized by inferior qualities. And in the mass of men forming the inferior classes, one can find specimens possessing superior characteristics. Therefore, we shall search wherever those of superior intellect may be found, without regard to their current station.

Inferior classes? Intellectual rank? Try putting that in a research grant proposal today!
Mr. Van Wagenen and his assistants set out across Berlin and asked thousands of people a single question: “Of all the men you know who are still alive, who amongst them is the most intelligent?” They carefully reviewed the resulting list of thousands of names. They removed the duplicates and any female names that ended up on the list. (Those crazy eugenicists, right?) They tracked down each of these men who ranked as the smartest known by at least one male resident of Berlin, and asked them the same question, generating a second-stage list: the most intelligent people known to a group of individuals already considered very intelligent.
And they kept going. They generated the third-stage names, found those people and had them produce a list of fourth-stage names. And so on. This project took a year. There was a running joke in Berlin that Mr. Van Wagenen would only stop when the last name on the list was his own.
But, to Mr. Van Wagenen’s credit, he did not rig the study to identify himself or one of his patrons as the one individual who can look down on literally all the rest as his intellectual inferiors. Indeed, Mr. Van Wagenen eventually concluded that his year-long study was a failure.

A fraction of the people named, about eight percent, simply could not be found. We were appalled to note that a small percentage of the respondents identified themselves as the most intelligent man they knew. While the ultimate individual we seek could only truthfully answer with his own name, we took these first and second stage self-identifiers to be adverse to our research and ignored their input.
In a few hundred cases, pairs of individuals each identified the other. In smaller numbers we found sets of three, four, and even five men whose linkages formed closed loops of co-admiration, eventually working around back to the first man.
But the most striking feature of the data was that over three thousand lines of reported superior intelligence ended in the same name: Karl Schuster. Mr. Schuster had been a successful industrialist before suddenly retreating from public view later in life. Strangely, when we tried to find Mr. Schuster, we learned that he had, of his own volition, taken residence in the mental asylum located at Lankwitz.
He refused to see us when we paid a visit to his private room in the asylum. The only communication we had from him was a note related to us by the Lankwitz staff, in which Mr Shuster wrote:
“I’ve spent most of my life hiding from It. I have isolated myself here, with the notion that the confused noise of mental anguish that surrounds me would act as a form of concealment. I did not suspect I might one day be discovered by ordinary men. Please do not visit me here again.”
From his note, and the fact of his residence within the asylum, we must conclude Mr. Shuster had become a mental defective. Even more damaging to our research, we subsequently learned that Mr. Schuster was a Jew. This finding, unfortunately, invalidates our work. In the coming months, we will strive to find a protocol more suitable for investigation into the nature of superior intellect.

Let’s not be too hard on these anti-Semitic, white-supremacist eugenicists. I’m willing to cut them some slack because I’ve done far, far more damage to mankind than all of these guys combined. I should have listened to Mr. Schuster’s warning. I should not have let It find me.
* * \*
In 1954 a man arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda airport with a passport issued by the country of Taured. No such country exists, or ever existed. Despite the man being detained and guarded, he mysteriously vanished overnight.
* * \*
Where the eugenicists looked to make improvements in the human population over generations by controlling or influencing reproduction, I had a more ambitious goal - to make improvements to a specific human brain (my own) in-vivo. I set out to upgrade my brain while I was using my brain to figure out how to upgrade my brain. I had astonishing success.
I’m not going to tell you exactly how I did it, because it’s just too dangerous. I don’t mean because it’s dangerous to the person undergoing the process (which it is), but because doing so can lead It to notice you. I don’t care if you fry your own cortex. But having It eat even more of our reality will be a calamity.
The human brain consists of gray matter, which is the stuff that performs perception and cognition, and white matter, which deals with boring stuff like running your metabolism. The gray matter - your cerebral cortex - forms a nice thick layer on the outside of your brain. This layer wraps the white matter underneath. I found a way to use pluripotent stem cells to expand the thickness of my cortex. With careful dosing of the stem cell culture through a spinal tap, I created new layers of gray matter underneath my cortex. These new cells replaced the white matter that was there.
For reasons I don’t fully understand yet, the new cortical cells only become active when I have ingested a potent mixture of hallucinogens and antipsychotic drugs.
The process is arduous and very illegal. Experimentation on humans, even if the test subject is also the researcher, is extremely highly regulated. And the drugs I need to use are not available from the suppliers that the rule-following scientific community uses. This work was performed in isolation and in secret. No regulators. No administrators. No rules. Just pure scientific progress.
My laboratory is as unconventional as my approach to science. I’ve set up shop in an assembly of forty-foot shipping containers in the center of my heavily forested seven-hundred-acre plot of land. Privacy!
* * \*
Thousands of people have vivid memories of news coverage from the 1980s reporting that Nelson Mandela died in prison. In the reality that most of us know, Mandela died in 2013, years after his release.
* * \*
Uplift #1 - 3 cubic centimeters
By last October, after six months of stem-cell treatment, I estimated that I had added a total of three cubic centimeters of gray matter to my baseline cortex volume. I could already feel the effects of the diminished volume of white matter. My sense of smell and taste were all but gone. My fine-motor-control was diminished. I had weakness in my legs and arms. But I had three cubic centimeters of fresh cortex to work with. I only needed to activate it. To Uplift myself, as I came to call the process of thinking with an expanded brain.
I planned for the first Uplift as if I was planning a scientific expedition into an uncharted jungle - I stockpiled food and water. I stockpiled lots of drugs. I bought a hundred blank notebooks to record my uplifted thoughts in.
I filled a seven-day pill container with hallucinogens and antipsychotics. I scratched off the Monday, Tuesday, etc. labels on the pill compartments and relabeled them: hour 0, hour 1, and so on. I planned my first Uplift to last seven hours.
Over those seven hours, I learned how to make use of the new, extra capacity in my cortex. I filled notebook after notebook with increasingly complex thoughts. Here are a few excerpts:

Hour 1: The linguistic-mathematical relational resonance is far stronger than most have suspected.
Hour 2: Questions lacking prepositional multipliers of context prevent full expository [(relations)(responses)] yet, but (!yet) there is still an I in the premise.

By the fifth hour, I was fully Uplifted, asking hyper-questions and providing my own hyper-answers. What do the musings of a fully Uplifted mind look like? Page after page of this:

(((Imagine)Imagine[)Imagine)Relate->Time]<--Force(Animal,Object–>Think)

* * \*
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
H.P. Lovecraft, Call of Cthulhu
* * \*
Uplift #2 - 5.5 cubic centimeters.
I waited a few weeks before my next Uplift. I needed time to recover from the mental strain of the first experiment, and to wait for a new dose of stem-cells to produce even more gray matter.
Although I only spent a few hours in an Uplifted state in my first experiment, I felt diminished as I returned to baseline. Hyper-questions. Hyper-answers. Hyper-joy. All of these are wonderful to experience. Life can be so much more rich and full with a post-human cognitive capacity.
But, as I learned during my second Uplift, there is also Hyper-fear.
I descended from my second uplift by screaming and running naked in the snowy woods outside my laboratory. As the drugs wore off, the activated sections of the new parts of my brain shut down. Thoughts that were clear one moment became foggy, like waking from a nightmare.
I fell into a snowbank, breathing hard. Only a trace of what terrified me was left rattling in my tiny, baseline brain: It. It noticed me. I occupied Its attention.
What was It? I knew exactly what It was moments earlier, when I had more gray matter to think with. But now I was like a dog trying to grasp the idea of a question. I was still afraid, but I couldn’t understand the source of the fear.
I returned to the lab and warmed up. Then I reviewed what I had written in my notebooks during the ten hour session. Most of it was the same sort of advanced writings that my now-normal brain could not comprehend. But, somewhere towards the end of the session, perhaps just before I shed my clothes and ran into the woods, I wrote this:

I know what Schuster was hiding from. Find out information about Shuster.

When I recovered from the strain of my second Uplift, I drove to town, where I was able to access the Internet. I found some information about Schuster in the same archive where I found the proceedings from the 1904 eugenics conference.
A short article in a Berlin newspaper described the man who had been named by so many people who took Van Wagenen’s survey.

…Mr. Schuster, at the age of fifteen, had made significant contributions to machine design, metallurgy, and chemistry. He founded four companies which he ran nearly by himself, without a large management staff to insulate him from the workers and day-to-day engineering tasks…

It seems that most of the people who identified Mr. Shuster as the most intelligent person they knew had known him well at this time in his life.
Another article, written in 1905, described strange event at his funeral:

…Also present was a contingent of a dozen people who claimed to have been friends with Schuster during the five years he spent in America. Many who had known Schuster for his entire life stated that he had never been to America, let alone spent five years there. Did a group of people mistakenly attend the funeral of the wrong man?
Everyone in attendance had similar memories of him. All recognized his photograph on the coffin. Indeed, some of the America contingent had letters, written in Karl’s hand and signed by him, fondly recalling his time spent in the New England woods. It is as if there were two Schusters: the one who lived his life in Germany and the other who spent years in America.

Uplift #3 - 6 cubic centimeters
Perhaps I’ve allowed my cortex to consume too much of my white matter. I now have trouble with perceptions. The woods surrounding my laboratory have been transformed into a city. Where there were trees, there are now charming stone buildings from a European city. The song of birds and the whisper of the wind in the trees is gone too, replaced with streetcars and voices speaking German.
I prepared my pill container and notebooks for my third Uplift, as the sounds of a busting turn-of-the-century city rang through the metal walls of my laboratory.
Although I had dozens of blank notebooks prepared, I only made one page of notes during my third Uplift:

I met it today. I know what It is. It is alive. Not just alive. Hyper-alive.
It is built into the very material that logic and mathematics is made from. The digits of the square of pi, when computed to the billionth quadrillionth place, is a sketch of a fragment of its structure.
It consumes pieces of reality. It weaves them into its being, and leaves the tattered shreds of logic and causality to haphazardly mend themselves. It ate the circumstances of Karl Schuster’s life, leaving the ragged edges of different universes to stick and twist themselves back together, like shreds of a tattered flag tangling together in a gale.
It has only begun grazing on the small corner of Hyper-reality where humanity lives. Imagine a cow eating grass from a field. A field where humanity lives like a small colony of aphids on a single blade of grass. It likes it here. It likes the taste of reality here.
I tried to tell it to go away. That we are here and have a right to exist.
It replied to me, in its way. I found its words at the bottom of a twelve-dimensional fractal, woven into the grammar of a language with an infinite alphabet. It taunted me with a question: “What flavor is Alex?”

Update to the Proceedings of the Third Berlin Conference on Eugenics, 1904
Mr. Gerhard Van Wagenen provided the committee with an update on his finding that the individual Mr. Karl Shuster was strikingly-well-represented in the responses of his survey on intelligent men. Mr. Van Wagenen writes:
Upon further reflection of the results of my survey, I returned to Lankwitz again to try to meet with Mr. Schuster. I arrived to find his ward in an uproar, as only a few minutes prior to my arrival, Mr. Schuster had been found missing. The preceding letter, which is reprinted here in its entirety, was found in Mr. Schuster’s room. While the letter does not indicate where he went or even how he managed to slip away from the asylum unnoticed, it does show the extent of his derangement. His detailed descriptions of question-asking birds, strange events from the future, and even methods of biological manipulation unknown to science are not the product of a mind that we wish to recreate. Perhaps intelligence, as a phenomenon of nature, is more complicated than we are able to appreciate with our current notions of science. If I may speculate even further, perhaps Intelligence is a phenomenon we should avoid study of, lest we learn things about ourselves that it is best not to know.

Welcome back to another episode of Stynek's bizzare adventure. Today we get to continue where we left off as she begins slowly learning more of her new housing and her hosts' intentions.
As usual, thanks to SpacePaladin15 for his own great work and letting fanfiction flow, and everyone who supported and enjoyed the fic thus far. Your appreciation is distinctly appreciated~
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Memory transcription subject: Stynek, Venlil Test Subject
Date [standardized human time]: July 16th, 2136
Waking up next time was scary. Wrapped in the sheet and left in the dark made it feel like I was completely trapped inside something, so on instinct I started flailing and struggling until I found myself falling off the bed and laying on the floor. Ow. This is what I get for falling asleep wrapped in a bedsheet...
As I looked around my pen, I realized that lights were actively brightening up. Did predators see me waking up and raise light levels? I doubt they’re keeping that close a watch on me. Arxur had lights all over their ships go dimmer on a schedule, maybe I just caught it mid-cycle.
And as I tried to stand up, I was met with a hurdle... I was still missing a leg. Everything about trying to even balance myself felt wrong. I used the bed to try and balance on it, but couldn’t without my whole body feeling off. Feeling... lighter, in absolutely horrid way. I could actually balance on one leg before by raising other, but now as I tried to do that, I just found myself tumbling and needing to catch myself. I... I’ll have to get used to this... Won’t I...?
I couldn’t allow myself to cry. If I couldn’t even stand on one leg and hop... At least I won’t be reduced to crawling on the floor. I gripped at the bed tightly and used my arms to hold myself up as I carefully hopped closer to the little bedside stand, switching my arms to hold onto that. Hopping like that felt so off, it felt like so off, so wrong, I shouldn’t feel this light...
Alright. I am now in front of the bedside stand. Next... I need to make my way across the room. First order of business is checking out the contents of the closet. I needed to know what’s in there. By hopping and clawing my way over to desk in the corner of the room, then by simply clinging to the wall, I manage to approach it and open the sliding door to reveal...
A bathroom. It was not a closet. It was a bathroom. Attached to my cell. Sure, the shape of the devices inside left a lot to be desired, sink was too high and the toilet didn’t have any tail room to it, not to mention complete lack of body drier for the shower. But it was recognizably a bathroom. Part of me was frustrated that there was bathroom instead of closet as a room should be... But another part relieved that I will no longer have to use The Hole like I had to back in the arxur pens. After that business was done, I used a small stool that was probably forgotten in here to use the sink.
Other paw left me very confused as to predators’ true motives... But whatever it is, it can’t be good, they’re predators after all. But since they’ve given me the chance to actually use real cleaning facilities... I will just take it and make use of it. Water valves on the sink were configured in a familiar way, so I managed to wash my paws and even my face, finally getting the stinging dry patches under my eyes out. There was no dryer so I just used a towel to try and dry my face.
With that done, I left the bathroom, barely avoiding falling as I hopped and closed the door behind me, before turning and examining my cell again. Something was different.
It appears in time it took me to use the bathroom, the predators entered the room and left something on the table. A large tray with a whole bunch of small bowls, and a... sheet of paper and a pen? What? Wait, the bowls, those look like... food!
I actually fell over as I lost my balance, before quickly crawling and pushing myself closer to the table, and climbing into one of two chairs next to it. I forgot the last time I ate food that looked like food and not gravel!
Still, hesitation gripped me. It’s predators giving this to me. There has to be some ulterior motive. Pushing back my hunger, I decided to investigate the paper in front of me. It consisted of two halves. One had pictures of contents of all the trays besides empty rectangles, while another had... A bunch of small pictures of venlil? There was nothing actually written on either sheet. Maybe these predators don’t have a language? Not that it matters, I wouldn’t understand it anyway. Closer look revealed that pictures were actually a small comic.
First the venlil is shown taking a bite out of some vague circular food. Then from that picture three lines are drawn to three different outcomes. One has same venlil shoveling multiples of that food into its mouth hungrily, as well as that same food piece beside a rectangle, inside of which two lines were drawn at an angle. Second has venlil just taking few more bites out of the food, and rectangle has a circle inside it. Last one has venlil spitting the food out and throwing it away, with two crossed lines in the rectangle.
Looking between two parts of the sheet for a bit, realization hit me. It’s instructions... For trying all the food. They want me to try everything... And... Mark whether I like it or not? Using these symbols?
“But why...?” I muse out loud, but there’s nobody in here to answer me. Well... If it means I get to eat real food, I guess I could try filling this sheet out. Part of me wondered if I should lie on all the answers, and that its predators figuring out which is the most disgusting food to feed me, but I doubted I’d be able to hide my reaction if it was disgusting and they were probably watching anyway. I felt powerless...
Well, I also felt rather hungry. Feeling of hunger has become way too familiar with how underfed I was with the arxur, but sight of what might be real food made me salivate for first time in forever. Without further ado, I reached out to first thing on the tray.
It was some sort of root, I think, but peeled. It was a stark orange color, thankfully not too reminiscent of blood in shade... I felt an itch in the leg I no longer had at the thought of blood. No, stop, don’t think about that... For a test, I gave the root a little lick. There was a hint of sweetness, so it probably wasn’t bad, right? So I put it in my mouth and bit a piece off, starting to chew. The root turned out to be rather crunchy and mildly sweet... And yet it felt incredible. I was suddenly much more acutely aware of my hunger, food with actual taste reawakening the feeling in force. I swallowed the chunks and bit into it more and more until it was all gone. It was nice to eat something like that. I considered marking it with the angled lines in the sheet, but then realized that I should try at least two things to know how all this stuff compares before making that call.
So I reached my hand towards the next piece of food, what looked like some light red fruit. It was smooth, but test of my claws also showed that it was rather hard. First food wasn’t poisoned, so I doubt rest will be... And I want more! So I just bite into the fruit.
And instantly delicious juice flows into my mouth! It’s not as crunchy as the root vegetable, but its firm enough to need chewing, and yet with every move of my teeth, it seeps delicious sweet juice into my mouth! I couldn’t stop so I kept biting and munching on it. I missed taste of something truly sweet! So much! It took me less than a minute to destroy the fruit. It was the perfect meal. Seeds were a bit bitter, but the rest was worth it.
Now I get why there are three categories. I pick up the pen and draw out the symbols. Angled line for the fruit, and a circle for root. Alright, I’ve got my reference, I guess. But I’m definitely not full and there’s more to try.
Next I reached for green stalks. I wasn’t sure what they were, but they looked like oversized, solid grass. Yet again, lick on the outside showed no clear taste, so I bit on it. It... wasn’t anything, really. It was slightly sour and had this herbal sense to it, but beyond that, didn’t feel like much of anything. I marked that one as a circle too.
Next I thought to try one of the fruits again, this one deep red. It seems like nothing around here has a taste on outside, as yet again, taut skin did not have a taste. I did almost choke when I bit on it though, this one not having any chew to it at all and was practically filled with juice! Worst thing is, juice wasn’t even sweet. I can’t say I disliked the taste, it was rather decent, but the way it basically sprayed my mouth when I bit on it was not something I appreciated. Circle for this one.
Next... what next... Oh, that green thing. I didn’t even bother tasting it on the outside, just biting on the prolonged green fruit. This had no surprises, being as crunchy as that root I tried first, but its taste was even vaguer, even the juices were tasteless. Circle.
Hm... Well that left three items. A white fruit-like orb, a bunch of small nuts and an oblong... thing that I had no idea about. I reached for the orb and, with no hesitation, took a big bite. First thing I felt was slight hint of sweetness and taste of juice in my mouth. Second was pain as I regretted every decision so far. It burned my mouth! It burned my eyes somehow! Instantly, tears burst out of my eyes, and I found myself coughing out the disgusting thing. It pretended to be sweet but it just burned afterwards! Was this a trick after all? Eugh... Disgusting!
I threw the thing away, towards the door, letting it roll on the floor. Stupid predators... I mean, it’s clear they have no clue what to feed me to keep me alive but least they could do is not feed me whatever that is! My eyes hurt now... Through tears I spotted glass of water on the tray and quickly washed the foul taste down. I made sure to draw several sets of crossed lines in the rectangle for this thing. I just hoped that won’t make the predators only feed me that...
Well... One great, a bunch okay, one bad. Let’s... try the rest. I thought that nuts won’t hurt, so I tried a few... And they just tasted like nuts. Nuts are fun snacks, but not my personal favorite. I gave those a circle.
That left only the oblong off-white thing. It was slightly soft to touch... I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be some fruit or something I don’t understand? Carefully, to avoid any more errors, I only take a small bite. Okay, no juice at all, only the nice chewy fiber of the thing... It was sweet! Very sweet for something so juiceless. I took a larger bite and there were no issues. It tasted like weird, juiceless fruit, but was delicious and sweet. Still, texture felt off enough that I gave it a circle.
And... that was it. I ate everything, I rated everything. One great, one terrible, rest are fine. I wiped at my eyes again, as they were slowly watering still from just the memory of that terrible thing now laying on the floor by the door.
Question arose in my mind. What now? I actually felt sated. Not full, definitely, I could go for double what I was given, but at least I didn’t actively feel hunger anymore. I wasn’t that thirsty thanks to how juicy some of those were and that glass of water. And I didn’t feel like sleeping... Normally in arxur pen I’d just huddle to someone willing to let me near and cry. Sure, this place seems nicer, but at least with the arxur I knew what to expect. Here? No clue. I looked down at the stump of my leg, still bandaged over. I... I wanted to cry. All the panic and the confusion completely made me stop thinking about home... Mom and dad... I hope they weren’t caught up in same raid. I... I wonder if they held a funeral already... I remember how mom attended official funeral for someone who got taken by the arxur one time.
Tears started welling up properly now and I pushed them away by trying to stand up... holding onto the table with my hands to not fall over again. Is this going to be my life now...? Unable to even move around without gripping at everything, or crawling on the floor? I want to go home...
As I pulled myself over by clinging to walls, I grabbed the blanket off the bed along the way and made my way over to the desk in the corner, pushing its chair aside and climbing under it. I don’t know why, but crawling under there and wrapping myself up in the blanket just felt safer. And once I felt a bit safer, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
I miss my home! I miss my family! I miss my school! I miss my leg! Tears flowed as I sobbed and cried into the soft blanket. I didn’t want to be a test subject for weird predators... I didn’t want to be the reason they know more about the venlil... I wanted to taste normal food from home again, not weird predator vegetables and fruit... I wanted to walk on two legs again... I wanted so much I knew nobody could give me...
Click!
My ears perk and instantly my eyes are focusing on the door that just unlocked. It slowly opens and there it is... The same predator as before. I can tell for certain it’s the same, no way all of them look that similar. Of course, the moment it walked in, it locked its gaze on me in my hiding spot. Naturally, I recoiled, further shuffling myself under the desk... Maybe whatever it wants to do, it won’t bother if I’m in annoying to reach spot like that.
It does seem to be working, as first thing the predator does after staring at me for a bit is slowly reach down for the discarded foul food thing and pick it up, stuffing it in zip lock bag it brought with it. Oh... It’s here to... clean? I guess? The suspicions were confirmed when it put the bag on the now-empty tray and gathered the paper with food evaluation that I filled out. But... Instead of taking the tray and leaving, it turned around and approached me.
Lowering itself in front of me, the presence of this huge creature was imposing... But after seeing it cry before, I don’t think I was that intimidated by it, at least. Moreso by what unpredictable things it could do... It just sat there, staring at me... What’s with the staring? Is it considering eating the rest of me finally?
Then that hand reached out. I flinched away, trying to stuff myself deeper under the desk, but there was no deeper to go. The hand moved slowly, predator knowing full well I have no escape route. So as it gets close to my head I close my eyes and hold my breath, not sure what to expect, but bracing for it anyway. Instead of a tight grip... there was a touch, that hand lowering itself on top of my head and just ruffling up my greasy hair. The digits felt strong and dexterous, actually feeling good when they rubbed against my scalp. But just because the touch felt good doesn’t mean I felt good in this uncertainty. A predator was rubbing my head... What was it trying to do? Why would it do that?
The moment lasted a bit before the hand pulled back. I slowly opened my eyes to see the predator’s lips curl up as it whispered something in its language. Or at least I can only assume it’s a whisper with how shushed it was compared to when it actually spoke before. Why is it trying to speak to me when I can’t understand it?
Then... it stood up and turned around, grabbing the tray and heading for the exit. Just like that. It did stop for a moment to turn and give me another look. This time I expected it and didn’t flinch, but I did pull the blanket up higher, using it as a shield. The predator didn’t mind, same expression of curled-up lips and slightly lowered eyelids on its face as it left the room, and another click signifying the door locking.
I let out the breath I was holding with relief. It was gone. I was safe again. And alone...
I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, pulling my leg up against my chest. That way I could imagine I am cuddling up to someone. In the pens, that was at least possible. Here I was alone. Predator’s touch was surprisingly nice to feel, but knowing it was a predator that... did that... It made me feel so conflicted. And yet the idea of close contact to someone, hugging and cuddling up was still reawakened with that touch.
I wish I could have my mom... But I couldn’t, so I just curled up under the desk and decided to rest until something made me move again.
Memory transcription subject: Dr. Erin Kuemper, UN Secretary of Alien Affairs
Date [standardized human time]: July 16th, 2136
“So, what’ll happen to the guy who replaced the pumpkin with the onion last minute?” Sara asked, sitting beside me.
“Already got a talking to, and honestly, Noah getting to him will be more punishment than anything I could do. I can’t even fault the guy, tasting platter was supposed to be varied.” I responded.
In front of us was a screen, displaying paused footage of venlil child tasting the things we prepared. We made sure to avoid anything even remotely connected to animal product, with what we know of the Federation species culturally, but figuring out actual diet beyond had us stumped. In the end we settled on setting up a few tasting platters. thankfully, the kid was intelligent enough to figure out what was wanted pf her and marked her opinions of the food on the sheet. But even if she hadn’t...
I fast-forwarded the footage a bit and rewatched her reaction to biting the onion. While her facial expressions were rather different from human ones, it was easy to tell which foods she was excited about, which she found just okay, which were whatever and which were... onions. Apples being delicious was almost expected, but somehow I doubted giving her just apples would be nutritionally sound. For the first test, we intentionally avoided anything cooked, but we might try some things like potatoes or bread next time.
“Okay, Erin, I tried, but since you’re not talking about it, I have to. Are you really okay with it? The announcement today?”
That was something I’ve been waiting for ever since Sara offered to join me on analyzing the alien girl’s behavior during meal. She tried to stay distant from anything related to the child so far until now.
The announcement went well. Thing is... it was crafted carefully. The reactions of public were supposed to be mixed and uncertain, and they were. We needed to manage the expectations of the masses carefully. Me being given new position didn’t matter that much yet, as I would mostly still be handling this lab and the alien child until the first trade with the arxur goes through.
“We did what we have to do, Sara. We can’t afford alienating the only people who are our chance at survival. Even if...”
“Even if they’re monsters? Erin, when you spoke on the broadcast about ‘not taking sides in a galactic war where we’re incompatible with both sides’ you conveniently forgot to mention that the side we’re ‘establishing non-committing peaceful cooperation’ with eats fucking children!”
Sara’s anger was understandable... She was lashing out ever since the landing. I understood her perspective and why she was angry, but...
“Okay, so what? You want us to condemn them and cut all contact? Abandon the only source of intel we have? Potentially risk them just coming here and forcing us to cooperate once they decide we’re not fit to govern ourselves if we publically oppose their fundamental beliefs?”
“Okay, fine, whatever, nazi lizards versus genocide squids and whatnot. Their war, we aren’t involved, just using arxur until we can establish ourselves. I hate it, but sure. But then what about the child? Why is she suddenly classified and not mentioned in the broadcast at all? Why is she even still here?”
I simply sighed, rubbing at my eyes. First Noah practically demanding death sentence for the onion guy, now this... And she was still going too...
“We should just pack her up on the Odyssey, set automated course for their homeworld and let her go home. Sure, her parents are likely long dead and eaten, but she should be with her people. Why are we keeping her here at all? Why are we studying her like a test subject? And I know we’re keeping her for a while, I’ve seen the team working on language teaching lessons already.” Sara stood up and walked in front of me, getting in my face even. “Erin... We can’t keep her here.”
I swatted at Sara, pushing her away as I myself stood up. I was tired. These last few days were a constant rollercoaster, and I got more sleep during exam weeks in college than I got lately. I am not taking Sara’s bullshit here.
“This is precisely why we didn’t announce her presence, Sara. Because the moment we do, there’ll be millions of people demanding what you’re suggesting. I have enough on my plate already, and I don’t want to worry about a flash mob of idiots from internet Naruto-running towards the facility to try and ‘rescue’ her.” I adjusted my labcoat and stared back at Sara sternly. “And let’s say we do send her on her own. First, we have to assume that the craft makes it safely, which is not guaranteed. Odyssey was our first manned FTL voyage. Who knows what problems are yet to be discovered? But okay, it makes it to Gliese. Then it gets shot down by local orbital defenses due to being a mysterious unmanned craft barreling towards their homeworld. But sure, let’s assume the kid doesn’t get rest of her limbs blown off by orbital cannons and successfully lands. You know what happens next? They track the ship’s trail back to Earth, come over here and burn us all down for being born with needs for wrong proteins! Is that what you want?”
I didn’t even notice that halfway through my rant I transitioned to yelling. I tried to calm my breath and stepped back, Sara staring back at me in shock, though responding slowly still.
“I’m sorry... I know it’s stressful on you, just as much as it is on me, I just...” Sara mumbled, rubbing at her shoulder apologetically.
I focused my thoughts. Right. No need to get irritable. Sara is vulnerable after events on the Odyssey. She’s lashing out and I shouldn’t stoop down like that.
“Sara... I know you have a hard time knowing she’s around, but simply put, we can’t send her home. Best we can do now is make sure she is safe and well taken care of. Arxur are uncooperative, and until we manage to either obtain some stealth tech for FTL or figure out a way to peacefully communicate with Federation, we just cannot send the venlil back to her people.”
She sighed. I could sense she accepted defeat here, but there was still frustration on her face. She was still unsatisfied, but as long as we moved on from the topic, I’d take it.
“Could you at least get that prosthetic installed for her already? Seeing her completely ignore the crutch we prepared her and crawl and hop her way over by clinging to things, it’s...”
“We’re worried about doing it before establishing at least some sense of communication with her. Noah will start the attempts to do some language training tomorrow. If that works out, we will probably do that once we can explain to her that we mean no harm.”
“How’s the bionic one going? Could we skip straight to that?”
“No. We’d need more surgery to prepare her for something like that and that’d definitely require more trust than we have now.”
Sara nodded and returned to her seat, grabbing the remote. She rewound all the way to the end of the footage and switched to the camera that could see the girl huddled under the desk, as well as Noah petting her, telling her that it’s okay and safe. The moment was touching, but... The way she recoiled from Noah reaching out to her at first showed us more than any words we don’t understand could. She was still very afraid.
Earning her trust will be hard. I just hoped Noah’s compassion for her will overcome the fear she has of humans. After all... She might just be our main hope for finding a place of peace in the galaxy full of war.
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Does anybody know if Samyang's potato noodles are vegan? I've seen them repeatedly labelled as suitable for vegetarians across different websites, but I'm unsure about the E635 and wondered if anybody had looked into it before, or contacted Samyang about the origins of their E635? Thanks so much in advance :)