Senior 2011 bracelets

Blockchain-based platform for Global Distributed Supply Chain Finance & Trade Services

2017.11.02 09:58 Swaye73 Blockchain-based platform for Global Distributed Supply Chain Finance & Trade Services

AXenS is a secure and curated digital market place to provide both liquidity and efficiency to the import-export supply chain. It is a place that is trade-focused from the ground-up and that is secure not only by cutting-edge cryptography but also by customizable trust models, which make it possible to guarantee both the data privacy and auditability required by the many players in the industry.
[link]

2024.05.15 05:33 LikeMetals [WTS] 90%, Pre33 Gold, 1/2 Shark, Silver Proofs, $296 CC GSA, World Coins, Pirate Pours

Thank you for your consideration and interest! New items and Reduced pricing
proof photo Current as of May 6th 3pm
*** PLEASE ASK FOR PICTURES IF INTERESTED. I'll respond as quickly as possible. I have pictures of everything. IMGUR only allows me to upload a handful of images in a short period of time.
Gold
NEW 1929 Gold $2.50 Indian PCGS MS-63 Littleton Select $610
14k Jewlery/Charms
NEW Gold Nugget Ring 10kt Size 8 Wt. 3.9 gram $200
14k Gold Claddagh Ring 3g Size 10 $160
Red Sox 1.83g 14k $94 ($14 over melt
PLATINUM
2023 Australia Koala 1/10 oz Platinum in capsule $123 (2 available
Silver Eagles
NEW 2008 Silver Eagle in Capsule $32
Silver Bullion
new Sunshine 1oz Round $29
new Sunshine 1oz Bar $29 (2 available
new Silver Towne 1oz Eagle Bar $29
new Elemental 1oz Ag Round $29
new NTR Metals 10 oz Silver Bar $295
new Unity & Liberty 10 oz Silver Bar in Capsule $310
new Scottsdale Dragon Silver 100g Bar $110
new Germania Silver 100g Bar $100
new Italpreziosi Silver 5oz Bar $145
new Asahi Silver 10oz Bar $290
NEW Monarch Egyptian Silver 1/4 $9
National Freedom Day Silver 1/2oz Bar in Capsule $16 (2 available
Coca-Cola 5oz Silver Bar in Capsule $148 ($29.50/oz)
Kennedy 90% $11ea (35 remaining $210 for 20
Historic Colorado Medals in Certificate (Red wCert) $41
Historic Colorado Medals in Certificate (Red) $36
Historic Colorado Medals in Certificate (White) $36
Gold 24k Gilded 1.5oz .999 Silver Pirate Round $76 (13 available
Pirate Silver Plain 1.5oz Round $67 (5 Available
(Antiqued) Pirate Silver 1 oz Round w/Certificate $44 (14 available
Pirate Plain Silver 1oz Round $44 (5 remaining
Spanish Treasure 1oz Round $40 each (14 remaining
Luck Fool "Buddha" 5.7oz ($162 melt) $188
Luck Fool "Buddha" 2.4oz ($68 melt) $88 (1 remaining
Disney Steamboat Willie Mickey Ruthenium 1oz Silver w/Box and COA $60
Don’t Tread On Me Boston Tea Party 1/2 oz $18
Monarch Silver 1oz Buck $31
1974 Bill of Rights Right to Bear Arms 1oz Silver $30 (3 available
Mason Mint 1oz Round $30 (2 remaining
1992 Discovery of the Americas Quincentennial 5oz Columbus $157
Reckless Metals 1 oz .999 Shrine of Democracy $44
NEW Bling Bling Gangster Duck 1oz Proof Bar 100 Minted w Cert $65
Silver Jewelry
Turquoise Sterling Peace Pendant 21.5g $110
Fire Department Saint Florian Sterling Pin 4.5g $14
Turquoise Sterling Bracelet *Scrap 7.8g $5
World
2024 Perth Dragon 2oz $74
2007/2010 AUS Perth Tiger Lunar 1oz BU $99
new 2011 Australia Koala 1/2 oz $15.50
new 2014 Australia “Great White Shark” 1/2 oz $19
scarce 2017 Austria Noah’s Arc Silver 1oz $35
2019 S. Africa Krugerrand NGC FDOI MS-70 Springbok Label $93
2011 Canada Lotus Scallop Rabbit 26.3g .925 $52.50
2013 Canada Lotus Scallop Snake 26.3g .925 $47.50
2022 Great Britain Britannia ANACS MS70 First Strike $84
2023 Great Britain Britannia ANACS MS70 First Strike *Hazy $73
WoW 2024 Great Britain Liberty and Britannia NGC MS-70 First Releases $98 (2 remaining!!!
1972 Jamaica Proof 7pc Set 1.23oz ($34.93 melt) $36
1913 Mexico 10 Centavos (XF+) KM-428 $13
1911 Mexico 20 Centavos (VF+) KM-435 $17
1907 Mexico 50 Centavos KM-445 (AU) $30
1920 Mexico 50 Centavos KM-447 (XF) $27
WoW 2017 Mexico Libertad Silver Proof 5pc Set $271
new 2017 Niue Mickey Mouse Steamboat Willie NGC MS-69 Early $58 (2 remaining
new 2020 Niue Pac-Man 40th Anniversary 1oz in card $45 (2 available
new 2022 Niue Icons of Inspiration 1oz Albert Einstein NGC MS-69 $48
new 2023 Niue Mickey & Donald 1oz in PCGS card $38
US Silver Coins
1941-S Mercury Silver Dime ANACS Large S AU-50 $38
2001-S Vermont Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2001-S Rhode Island Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2003-S Missouri Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2003-S Arkansas Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2003-S Illinois Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2004-S Wisconsin Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2004-S Michigan Silver Proof Quarter PCGS PR-69 DCAM $11
2019-S War in the Pacific Silver Qtr PCGS FS PR-70DCAM Cleveland Signed Indian Label $26
2022-S Maya Angelou Silver Qtr PCGS FS PR-70DCAM Cleveland Signed Eagle Label $28
wow 1825 Bust Half Dollar PCGS XF-45 O-111 Rarity 3 $280
1933-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar NGC AU Details $186
1938-D Walking Liberty Half Dollar (Fine) $44
1951 Franklin Proof Half PCGS PR-64 $294
1955 Franklin NGC MS64 FBL $39
1966 Kennedy Silver PCGS MS-64 *Toned+ $32
1967 Kennedy Silver PCGS MS-63 *Toned+ $46
1970-S Kennedy Half Dollar PCGS PR69 CAM $35 (2 available
2003-S Kennedy Silver Half Dollar PCGS PR69 DCAM $28
MORGAN
Great Price 2021-D Morgan NGC MS-70 Morgan Label $870
2021-S Morgan NGC MS-70 Morgan Label $215
1902 Morgan Dollar (VG) $30
1901-O Morgan Silver Dollar (VG) $30
1901-O Morgan Silver Dollar (Fine) $35
1891-O Morgan Dollar (XF) $36 (2 available
1891-CC Morgan (Fine) $230
1890-CC Morgan (VG) $154
1887-O Morgan (XF) $33
1883-CC GSA w/ Box and Cert $296
1882-O Morgan Silver Dollar +Toning $40
1879-P Morgan Silver Dollar $33
Peace
good deal 1922-P Peace Silver Dollar BU 2 for $60
1923-P Peace PCI MS66 +Toned $225 best offer
Commemorative
2001-D Buffalo Indian Silver Dollar PCGS MS-69 $101
cool 2004-P Thomas Alva Edison Silver Dollar NGC Proof-69 UC (Lightning Holder) $37
US Sets
2013-W Proof Silver Eagle and Reverse Proof Set w/Box and COA $200
price lowered 2021 W and S Reverse Proof Eagle Designer edition 2pc set $180
Eagle Proofs/Silver
1987-P Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $68
1988-P Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $68
1990-S Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $59 (2 available
1992-S Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $59
1994 Proof Silver Eagle w/OGP $100 (2 available
1997-P Proof Silver Eagle PCGS PR-69 $67
1997-P Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $70 (4 available
1998-P Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $59 (4 available
1999-P Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $58
2000-P Proof Silver Eagle w/o Certificate $55
2003-W Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $58
2004-W Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $64
2005-W Proof Silver Eagle wBox and COA $53
2006-W Proof Silver Eagle wBox and COA $58
2006-W Proof Silver Eagle NGC PF-69 $64
2007-W Proof Silver Eagle wBox and COA $60
2008-W Proof Silver Eagle wBox and COA $58 (6 available
2011-W Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $58 (2 available
2013-W Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $59 (3 remaining
2013-W Enhanced Proof Silver Eagle PCGS PR-70 Gold Star West Point Label $120
2020-W Proof Silver Eagle w/Box and COA $70 (2 available
=== Payment Details
Shipping $4 First -$9 Priority
ApplePay, Venmo or Zelle preferred
PayPal Goods Services+3.5%
TDBank or ServiceCreditUnion Deposit
NO FRIENDS FAMILY PPal payments
submitted by LikeMetals to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 00:30 Temporary-Driver-772 Devil's Bargain Counter

Reflecting on 2021, truly marked the zenith of my young career. The pandemic was coming to an end, I was fresh from the hallowed halls of a prestigious but unheralded college, thrust into the corporate labyrinth where, as a mere sidekick to the big shots, I contributed to a deal of record-breaking magnitude. My modest corporate minion life was exaggerated into legend by my professors during an alumni reunion, leading to a rather embarrassing episode where I was paraded around as the poster child of their education career’s success. My parents, not ones to shy away from a bit of pomp, lauded my achievements to anyone within earshot.
But as 2022 unfurled its chaos with the epidemic, my professional life spiralled downwards as swiftly as it had risen. I was laid off, and replaced by a nepotistic hire—my boss's new mistress's nephew. During my dismal final days, my colleagues, once comrades became corporate sharks, whispers of them scheming to claim my last efforts as their own filled the empty office spaces.
Compelled by financial duress to abandon my central city dwelling, I relocated to the outskirts with two college mates, Jaz and Kath, who had similarly found themselves victims of the economic downturn. We settled into apartment 606, a unit with dubious charm, suspiciously affordable on the 13th floor of a dreary building, its corridor haunted by a flickering sensor light that was only designed to function on rare occasions. Yet, the apartment itself was surprisingly very well furnished, almost like something that jumped out from a design mag, out beating sample rooms in Ikea, boasting a spacious balcony, a living room ready for an impromptu soirée, a dining table that’s good enough to hold a banquet(became our co-working space) and a kitchen isle that became our sanctuary and curse.
When we first settled into our new abode, we discovered a trove of fine kitchen utensils, perfect for whipping up sophisticated cuisine and crafting cocktails worthy of a swanky soirée. Tucked away in the fridge, among the remnants of the previous tenants' life, was a quaint note: “The three of us really enjoyed our stay here, especially our meals and nights spent by the kitchen island. We hope you find as much joy in it as we did. Use it well.” With a casual flick of my wrist, I dismissed the note into the garbage can, oblivious to the depth of its seemingly innocuous message. Little did I know, that piece of paper was more a passing of the torch than a simple goodbye.
Our initial days in apartment 606 brimmed with camaraderie and impromptu celebrations: movie nights sprawled on the living room sofas, barbeque dinners under the stars on our balcony, and co-working sessions at the dining table, peppered with resume tweaks and contemplative conversations over cocktails. We even scored a second-hand karaoke machine, allowing me to channel my inner diva—a throwback to my musical theatre days in college and my stint as the voice of corporate presentations and negotiations at my previous job, where I was known for my resonant yet finely tuned voice.
Yet, as the months wore on and the job market remained unyielding, our early merriment slowly surrendered to a creeping anxiety. The kitchen island, once the heart of our home where laughter and shared meals flowed freely, gradually morphed into the epicenter of our collective unease, bearing silent witness to the quiet desperation settling over us.
One evening, in the suspiciously affordable yet stylish apartment, I sank into the sofa, my spirits dampened by my favorite team's disheartening loss. The mood was grim, mirroring my fears of my beloved player's potential retirement at season's end. Later, as we congregated around the kitchen island for dinner, I transformed into an impromptu sports commentator, passionately preaching about the game’s disappointing details that led to failure and my favorite player’s fine qualities. Meanwhile, Jaz updated us on a friend's melodramatic breakup, with guesses that something ugly must have happened behind the scenes. Kath, ever the culinary enthusiast, not only served up her delicious pasta but also dished out the latest celebrity gossip, each tidbit as spicy as her sauce.
The next day, during a late breakfast at the same kitchen island—our unwitting oracle—we were hit by a triple whammy of reality checks. The news of my favorite player's retirement broke, echoing my gloomy predictions from the night before. Jaz chimed in with an update that our friend had uncovered a cheating scandal worthy of its own reality TV special. And Kath, never one to be left out of the drama: her favorite celebrity was now the star of a scandal.
By the third morning, as we sipped our coffee, the newspaper slapped me with another bizarre twist. I was going through the devastating economics and politics sections, then I saw the sports section——featured an irate coach, hell-bent on convincing my favorite player to dismiss retirement plans and keep his jersey on a little longer. Meanwhile, Jaz had good news for a change: it turned out our friend's love story might have a second act after all, as misunderstandings were being cleared up. Amidst these revelations, Kath, who had been grumbling about the nearby supermarket’s inability to stock anything remotely gourmet, and hadn’t had a taste of her favorite Blue Mountain coffee since the beginning of that year, triumphantly found a can of Blue Mountain coffee, and it was on sale and therefore affordable—proof that miracles happen, and sometimes they even go on discount.
As I sat there, absorbing the serendipity of our discussions manifesting into real-world events, I couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious knack of our kitchen island. Was it merely a coincidence, or had this stylish piece of decor become the unlikely conductor of our lives symphony? One thing was certain: life in apartment 606 was never dull, and our kitchen island seemed to be more than just a place to eat—it was a place where, apparently, you could stir the pot of fate.
I decided to conduct a whimsical experiment with our now seemingly magical kitchen island. Clearing my throat theatrically, I declared, "I should be interviewed for a director position." To my sheer astonishment, the next day a headhunter rang me up, claiming I was the ideal candidate for a directorial role at a prestigious corporation in my field. Despite the other candidates possessing decades more experience which defeated me with no effort, and my own lingering self-doubt from months of unemployment, I sailed to the final interview round with the company's executives.
Upon returning to our apartment, I found Kath flaunting a chic dress from a designer brand brand she’d snagged on clearance—a little luxury courtesy of our wish-granting island. Inspired, I approached the island and cheekily requested, "Get us jobs. Something fun." Lo and behold, the following day was spent lounging and binge-watching Netflix, only to be interrupted by a call from a former bigwig at my old job. He was venturing into a more illustrious company and wanted me onboard. The informal chat that followed was a breeze, and just like that, I was back in the game with a fancier title and a fatter paycheck.
The subsequent week was a flurry of celebrations. Jaz secured a senior-level position, and Kath landed her dream job at an influencer management agency. Feeling triumphant, we decided to indulge in a night of fine dining—our first in months. That Friday evening when I went from office to restaurant, on a whim, stopped at a convenience store to grab snacks and cigarettes for our post-dinner revelry. Outside, I encountered a homeless person. After offering him a sandwich (which he traded for a cigarette instead), he took a drag, peered into my eyes, and ominously muttered, “Look, young lady, this isn’t my business, but be wary of what you wish for; everything comes with a price. Good luck and god bless you.”
His words barely registered until later that evening when a mishap occurred that seemed to underline his warning. As we enjoyed syphon coffee post-dinner, a barista accidentally tripped over Kath’s flowing dress. The resulting spill left her with first-degree burns, abruptly ending our night as we rushed to the emergency room. Though it was "just" a first-degree burn, the pain was significant enough to require several days off for Kath’s recovery. Amid the drama, I couldn't help but wonder about the cryptic caution from the man outside the store—had our fortunate streak come with a hidden cost?
We chalked up the coffee calamity to bad luck. The next month flowed smoothly: Kath's fingers healed, she returned to work, and I quickly found my groove at the new job. With all of us gainfully employed, our communal meals at the kitchen island became rare. My mornings were a whirlwind of grabbing breakfast and coffee on the go, followed by an hour's commute to a job that had me scarfing down instant noodles by nightfall, just in time for a quick shower.
As the busy season kicked in, my workload ballooned—not just from the seasonal uptick, but because I was hell-bent on proving my mettle. I quickly outshone most of my peers, and my employer, recognizing a budding overachiever, piled on major tasks, which I eagerly accepted. What started as the occasional hour of overtime soon devoured my weekends. Unpaid overtime, as the fine print in my contract gleefully noted, became my new norm. Driven by a mix of ambition and expectation, I had become the go-to young hotshot, the erstwhile record-breaker now expected to continually outdo myself.
Mentally, I was too swamped to entertain thoughts of anything beyond work, which, in a twisted way, felt like a break. Physically, however, the strain began to show. A bout of flu caught on a business trip escalated into a fever. Sick as I was, deadlines waited for no one, and I soldiered on medicated and miserable. By the time I made it home, my voice had abandoned me. Unable to utter a word the next morning, I resorted to emailing my manager about my sorry state.
That week, robbed of my voice, I mused that it was perhaps a well-deserved hiatus for my overworked vocal cords—a silent retreat if you will. But when my voice did return, it was as a raspy whisper, a shadow of its former crisp and melodious timbre. My doctor offered a grim prognosis: slight improvement might come, but the golden tones were gone for good—scarred by the relentless grind. Ah, the price of ambition—a scratchy throat as a permanent reminder of my corporate conquests.
It seemed I had unwittingly exchanged the clarity of my voice for the tumult of career success. In the midst of our domestic enchantment with the possibly mystical kitchen island, Kath unearthed the contact of a reputed psychic, hailed as the finest in the land. However, the consultation fee was nothing short of princely, and with Jaz vehemently dismissing anything that couldn't be explained by cold, hard science, she promptly opted out of splitting the bill. Kath and I, unwilling to drain our wallets on what could be mere phantasmagoria, reluctantly let the opportunity pass.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but notice a curious change in Jaz’s routine. She had ceased dining at the kitchen island, avoiding it as if it were cursed—or perhaps, in her view, simply out of style. The Saturday morning brought a particularly harsh twist: a murder of crows took to spiralling above our balcony, their cries as sharp as the plot of a Poe novel. We found ourselves drawn to the infamous kitchen island, lined up like the cast of a macabre play, silently praying for the birds to disperse. Kath, ever trying to restore some semblance of normalcy, offered up cups of Blue Mountain coffee. She absentmindedly inquired if I wanted cream or sugar in mine—a blunder that made me realize just how long it had been since our last coffee klatch at this very spot. My inner monologue couldn't resist a dark wish for the crows to scatter, perhaps too dark, for they began to dive bomb our balcony in a feathery kamikaze. The spectacle was enough to knock Jaz off her feet—literally—as her mug met its end on the floor. Kath, meanwhile, made a hasty retreat to worship the porcelain god, and I sat frozen, my brain offline, pondering the twisted power of our kitchen island's apparent wish-granting.
After the unnerving spectacle of crows turning our balcony into a scene straight out of a Hitchcock film, our first rational step—post-collective fainting, of course—was to summon cleaners to manage the feathery carnage. Then, still rattled but increasingly curious, we visited a psychic, who, contrary to the crystal-ball-gazer image, operated out of a posh boutique in a high-end mall and dressed more like she was headed to a fashion show than a séance. We laid bare our saga of the seemingly cursed kitchen island, complete with photographic evidence of where domestic bliss meets eerie phenomena.
The psychic introduced a term that chilled the air around us: “limbo,” the threshold between our world and the otherworldly, and she dubbed our kitchen island the "Devil’s Bargain Counter." According to her, our wishes came with a heavy and unpredictable price, because we have accidentally started trades with beings from the netherworld. Her advice was disarmingly simple: cease all trades on the island. To address the repercussions of past wishes, she advised us the first line of defence, which was an eclectic mix of offerings laid out on our cursed countertop: raw meat(rooster works the best), a cocktail of spices(coca and cinnamon preferably), liberal splashes of spirits(whiskey and rum ideally), and an eerie bouquet of black flowers(luckily I found some black roses at a flower shop of the mall). In a grander gesture of appeasement, Kath relinquished her shiny new diamond bracelet, Jaz her absurdly expensive headphones, and I parted with cash—— a hefty slice of my bonus in hopes of placating whatever capricious spirits we'd angered.
Our return to normalcy was brief but sweet, prompting us to plan a getaway, eager to forget about our nefarious kitchen island. Yet, the respite was merely a tease. Jaz, in a stroke of spectacular misfortune, narrowly dodged disaster twice in one day—first nearly becoming subway track fodder on her way back after work, and then almost getting knocked out by a rogue plant at our apartment building’s doorstep. Clearly, our previous offerings were mere appetizers to whatever forces we'd stirred. The psychic, summoned once again to our now-dubious sanctuary, decreed that the spirits had developed rather expensive tastes, unsatisfied by our initial gestures.
In a desperate bid for closure, we had the psychic over for a nighttime ritual, timed perfectly with Earth's closest approach to the netherworld, according to her. Our living room turned into a ritual chamber, with windows blacked out for days, to keep the otherworldly dealings strictly nocturnal. That night, we arranged ourselves around the island, now less a kitchen fixture and more an altar of last resort.
The psychic, amidst a chorus of Latin incantations, directed us through a chilling séance that included a mirror that reflected nothing but darkness and a burning black candle, the three of us sat in a row, joined hands, eyes closed. When the black candle was flickering at its last, the first eerie scratches heard prompted our eyes to open prematurely, we saw a command appear on the island, written by invisible hand and pen, in blood-red script, urging us to find the next "succeeder" before our lease on otherworldly disturbances could be terminated.
With bated breath, we agreed, and as if by magic, our signatures materialized on the countertop, then faded as the candle sputtered out. We tore off the black cardboard taped on the windows at dawn, the sunrise revealed a final message etched into the surface: "Debt cleared." As the daylight grew, the ominous inscription dissolved into nothingness, signalling the end of our spectral saga.
The ordeal, now officially behind us, left us enjoying a semblance of normalcy: life in 606 returned to its mundane rhythm, with dinners and movie nights back on our social calendar. Though not without its scars—literal and figurative.
It’s been two years since then, Jaz, in the throes of romantic bliss, is now gearing up for a new chapter waiting to be written alongside her soon-to-be spouse; Kath, her career finally taking a lucrative turn, was poised to upgrade her living situation, she secured a lease on a lavish serviced apartment in the city center—a place that matched her newfound financial swagger.
I’m not without my own leaps forward. With a modest boost from my parents, I took the plunge into homeownership, snagging a property within the city’s vibrant confines. The process was a whirlwind of paperwork and decorating decisions, culminating in a space I could truly call my own.
As we are packing up now, my last act is to type out our story, at the infamous island, and of course, I left a note in the fridge for the next tenants:
"Welcome to 606. We had a wonderful time here, especially at the kitchen island, filled with joy and unforgettable moments. We hope you find as much happiness as we did. Use the isle well. Warm wishes, the previous tenants."
submitted by Temporary-Driver-772 to creepypasta [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 18:46 _briz_the_wiz_ Resume Help Needed

I am a recent retiree from the Army. I have been interviewed for one position I did not get, and I am looking for pointers on improving my resume. I also use the USA.jobs resume creator when required. I have 15+ years of operations experience up to the Sergeant Major level but also just graduated with an accounting degree with honors. I am trying to leverage my education and experience, but also applying to the fields separately. I keep getting conflicting advice on my resume, so any help is appreciated.
Citizenship: Yes - United States Citizen Security Clearance: Active Secret Clearance Availability: Full-Time/ Permanent
PROFILE SUMMARY
Accomplished leader with over 15 years of experience in operations, strategic planning, and team leadership. Dedicated to driving organizational excellence through dynamic strategies aligned with institutional objectives. Proven track record of adept leadership, fostering cohesive teams, and ensuring timely project delivery. Skilled in problem-solving and communication, adept at identifying and resolving operational challenges. Proficient in fiscal management and cost optimization, resulting in budget-friendly solutions and improved profitability. Experienced in organizational development, enhancing work culture, and boosting employee engagement and retention.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
[U.S. Department of the Army](): Senior Operations Manage Operations Sergeant Major 1-314th Infantry Battalion - Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ April 2022 to Retirement (40 Hours per Week)
~Duties & Related Skills:~
U.S. Department of the Army: Senior Operations Manage Future Operations and Planning Lead & First Sergeant Fort Drum Garrison Headquarters & 10th Mountain Division Headquarters - Fort Drum, NY September 2019 to March 2022 (40 Hours per Week)
~Duties & Related Skills:~

U.S. Department of the Army: Senior Operations Manage Current Operations Lead & First Sergeant 1-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment & 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters - Fort Liberty, NC December 2015 to August 2019 (40 Hours per Week)
~Duties & Related Skills:~
CIVILIAN EDUCATION
Institute: Southern New Hampshire University Degree: Bachelor of Science – 2024 Major: Accounting Honors: Summa Cum Laude (3.9 GPA)
MILITARY EDUCATION
Basic, Advanced, and Senior Leadership Course U.S. Advanced Airborne School Air and Unit Movement Officer U.S. Air Force Air-load Planner Combat Lifesaver Emergency Medical Technician
CERTIFICATIONS
· U.S. Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency – DOD Mandatory Controlled Unclassified Information, Awareness & Reporting · U.S. Department of the Army – Information Security Program, Army OPSEC Level 1 · U.S. Department of Defense – Certified OPSEC for EOP Operators/ OPSEC Awareness for Military Members, DoD Employees & Contracto Combating Trafficking in Person for Investigative Professionals/ Combating Trafficking in Person General Awareness/ Combating Trafficking in Persons for Acquisition & Contracting Professionals/ Level 1 Antiterrorism Awareness, Military Occupational Code, Managing your Transition, Financial Planning for Transition, Employment Fundamentals of Career Transition, Identifying & Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information PII, Introduction to Privacy Act 1, 2, & 3
SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES (KSA)
· Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and proficiency in deployment and mobility operations, including wartime contingency plans and adherence to relevant instructions, regulations, directives, and local operating procedures.
· Proficient in handling classified and/or protected documents, with adeptness in utilizing various automated data management systems.
· Proficient in budget analysis and administration, encompassing knowledge of budgetary methods, practices, policies, procedures, regulations, and precedents, as well as the accounting system for budgetary information.
· Skilled in implementing security methods, rules, regulations, and principles, supporting security administration, resolving security-related issues, and performing diverse security assignments.
· Proficient in providing authoritative consultation and conducting complex training administration, with the ability to assess program needs, evaluate status, and recommend/implement improvement solutions.
· Proficient in applying tact and diplomacy in advising individuals and high-level officials on complex and sensitive issues, related to planning, organizing, and directing functions of small organizations.
· Demonstrates entry-level proficiency in applying basic principles, concepts, and practices of the occupation.
· Effective communication skills in conveying factual and procedural information clearly, both orally and in writing.
· Proficient in assessing and measuring organizational trends, concerns, and needs, identifying gaps in services, and providing recommendations for effective plans and tools.
· Ability to analyze problems, identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and utilize critical thinking skills to recognize solutions.
· Skilled in conducting one-on-one training, group presentations, and training sessions through oral communication.
· Demonstrates ability to plan, organize work, follow instructions, and manage multiple ongoing projects effectively, with proficiency in locating, assembling, and composing information for reports, inquiries, and limited technical correspondence.
· Proficient in identifying training needs, instructing personnel, and communicating effectively both orally and in writing.
ADDITIONAL DUTIES
Budget Analyst 2022 [– ]()2024 Knowledge Management Officer 2016 – 2018 Digital Master Gunner 2016 – 2018 Army Instructor 2011 – 2013 DTS Authorizing, Certifying, and Reviewing Official 2008 – 2024
AWARDS
Eagle Scout Bronze Star Medal Meritorious Service Medal (4) Army Commendation Medal (6) Army Achievement Medal (5) Army Good Conduct Medal (7) Drill Sergeant Identification Badge Combat Infantryman Badge Expert Infantryman Badge Command Cyber Readiness Award First Army Commanding General Award Friends of Lynn Woods Cyrus M. Tracy Award
ORGANIZATIONAL PARTICIPATION
National Eagle Scout Association Veterans of Foreign Wars National Infantry Association 82nd Airborne Division Association
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY
Habitat for Humanity 2022 - Present Salem Hospital 1992 - 1996
EDUCATIONAL FOCUS AREAS
Organizational Leadership, Leadership Communication, Operations Management, Principles of Management, Human Relations in Administration, Principles of Finance, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting I II & III, Advanced Accounting, Cost Accounting, Auditing Principles, Auditing and Forensic Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Business Valuation, Federal Taxation, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Business Law I & II, Global Business Dimensions, Driving Business Opportunities, Critical Business Skills for Success, Applied Marketing Strategies, Data Analytics for Financial Professionals, Statistics, and Technology in Society.
submitted by _briz_the_wiz_ to usajobs [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 13:08 Glitched-Avocado Worth upgrading to 335i with higher mileage before college?

Worth upgrading to 335i with higher mileage before college?
I’m a senior in high school and have a 2011 328i xdrive with only 35000 miles, no issues. I want a 335i but would only be able to afford one with 90-120 miles. Are they reliable enough that high or would yall stick with this?
submitted by Glitched-Avocado to E90 [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 05:28 dirtydiaperdumpster Changing eyecolor?

Changing eyecolor?
I was always told I had brown eyes ever since I was little. Then I was told that they turned amber when I got older, and now I’m told they’re definitely hazel, but some have said I had central hetrochromia. I just need an outside opinion. The first photo is from when I was a kid, roughly 2011. I started getting told I had amber eyes when I was in high school mainly by my mom and a couple of friends. The second photo is from the beginning of my senior year, 2020, in the natural sunlight. Now I’m told they’re 100% hazel. The last 2 photos were taken 10 minutes ago with my phone flash on. I tried doing a front photo and one from the side just to see how the light manipulates the look of the color. I DEFINITELY believe I have always had brown/hazel eyes, but the lighting in certain situations just made people think otherwise. I mean, there’s time I’ve definitely noticed them to be more green, brown, or golden than normal, but it was always in different lights, so I don’t think I can say my eyes change colors. Tell me I’m right please 😂
submitted by dirtydiaperdumpster to WhatisMyEyeColour [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 02:10 OrganizationFalse668 [WTS] COME ON DOWN TO THE ATOMIC WRANGLER!

$100 mystery box. Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Buy any 4 1 oz and get a 1 oz copper for free!
Shipping and Payment
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
“ Risky “ 1st class 🫧 envelope non-machinable $2 -
I take Zelle , Venmo , Cash App and Mailed Cash
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off its the responsibility of USPS.
Please ask for photos or if I have multiple of the same item!
Date Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/Oli6nLG
PRE-33 GOLD
https://imgur.com/a/MNAYZip
1908 D $5 Gold $1300
https://imgur.com/a/xINXuM0
1927 2.5 gold $800
https://imgur.com/a/diOJZvh
1914 D 2.5 Gold $700
https://imgur.com/a/PX94LL9
1901 2.5 Gold $650
https://imgur.com/a/mExBjEn
SILVER COINS AND ROUNDS 🕰️
Aerosmith 1 oz $33
Homer Simpson 2019 donut $70
Simpson family Christmas $50
1oz silver Superman Samoa 🇼🇸 $5 coin $35
Spider-Man 1oz $45
St. Lucia 2020 1 oz silver lizard 🦎 $33
2021 Wonder Woman 1oz $70
Batman 1oz $70
Scarface 1 oz $40
🥤 Coca-Cola 1 oz silver round 1 oz $33
Baby yoda 1oz silver $33
🇺🇸 Army 1 oz silver bar / round $33
Bar 1
Bar 2 digital camouflage
Street fighter chun lee 1oz 🇯🇵 - $33
Wolverine 1oz 🇨🇦 $50
The Godfather 1oz silver $40
Silver Bart Simpson 1 oz $60 🛹
2023 Homer Simpson carded 1 oz $60 📷
SWAMP THING 1oz colorized- $75 📷
2024 silver shield 1oz silver cannabis round $36
ET 🪐 Niue 1oz 2 dollar movie poster bar $45
1 oz trump wanted rounds $35
Beavis and butthead 🔥 🧻 1 oz silver
$90
Intaglio Mint 1oz “ the 4 seasons “ nude art 🖼️ round $60
Donald Duck $40
1991 liberty lobby 1/2 oz round - $14 each 4 available
FRANCE 🇫🇷 10 franc 1965 silver .8134 asw
$28
1oz Silver Camel Cigarettes Joe Camel 🐪 - $65
Disneys snow White doc 1 oz $70
1 oz proof ablum
https://imgur.com/a/tYA9NDZ
Silver $1 commemorative
Capsule only
Baseball $1 proof $29
Lewis and Clark proof $33
2011 infantry no box $30 sale !
1992 Columbus $1 - $30
D-day $1 bu $30
Wright brothers $1 $30
Capsule proof:
https://imgur.com/a/9sCzhiP
In original mint packaging 📷
1993 WW2 2 coin set $1 - $37
1993 WW2 2 coin set proof $33
1994 World Cup 2 coin set $28 sale
1995 civil war battlefield 2 coin proof set $32
1995 Olympic cyclist 🚴 proof $33
1995 Olympic track and field proof $33
1996 national community service proof $29
1996 Smithsonian $1 proof $29
1998 Robert f Kennedy $1 proof - $40
1999 Yellow stone national park $33
2000 Leif Erickson silver proof $1 - $42
2003 wright brothers first flight $1 proof - $31
2006 San Francisco old Mint $1 proof $30
Benjamin Franklin founding father proof $33
2012 Infantry Soldier $1 $40
Comm proof:
https://imgur.com/a/iaF31xI
Silver Dollars 💵
1883 o $100
2007 ASE certified $40
2006 ASE certified $40
1921 Morgan in cap $40
1926 D peace dollar $33
1887 $1 - $70
1921 Morgan plastic flip $45
1886 $1 $70
1922 peace dollar $26 🔥
Better 1922 peace dollar $26
Nice 1922 peace dollar $26
1925 peace dollar $26
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/fBk2WiY
1921 Morgan MS $60
1896 Morgan $65
1885 Morgan $90
1878 CC $1 $170
1897 $1 $85
1890 O $1 $80
1921 MS $60
Proof;
https://imgur.com/a/jJbdBJa
Glass Panther Art pours and more,
🥤🍔🌎🦩🌞🧊
Fallout New Vegas
Lucky 38 1oz silver “ platinum chip “ $45
Vintage 1977 Coca-Cola 1oz silver bar
Nashville TN $70
Norfolk Va $70
Atlanta $70
Contemporary Coca-Cola 1oz silver bar $35
Contemporary Coca-Cola 1oz silver round $35
Coca-Cola Christmas 2019 Fiji Santa Clause 1oz - $50 🎅
Fiji 🇫🇯 1oz coca-cola bottle cap $149 📷
10k gold coca-cola pin 📌 $150 📷
7.5 oz 1:1 scale .999 silver derringer - $400 ⭐️
3oz M4 🐆 $223
1oz army man $90
Sunshine 1oz $140
Cyborg 1oz $140
Smurf 1 oz $35
Art cola Proof ;
https://imgur.com/a/mlUyEQZ
HALF DOLLARS and more 💵
1822 Bust half dollar $75
1825 bust half dollar $70
1876 seated half $50
1896 O Barber half $60
1895 p barber half $30
1952 Washington/ carver half $25
1877 seated half $45
Booker T Half $25
1964 MS 50c $14
1963 D 50c unc $18
1955 Canada 50c $15 🔥
1992 silver 50c proof $15 🔥
2005 s silver proof $15 🔥
1858 50C $70
Canada silver 5 cents $6
1857 dime $20
1923 mercury dime $3
1937 mercury dime au $12
1936 AU mercury dime $13
1927 mercury dime $4
Barber dime coa $4
Ohio silver quarter $12
1XX3 seated quarter $18
1955 ms quarter $12
1964 ms quarter $9
1904 p 25c $8
1908 O 25c $10
1912 d 10c $9
Metal detector dime $5
1909 p barber dime $19
1903 p 25c $9
1916 p barber $4
1912 D $5
1916 $6
1907 $8
1914 10c $12
1832 half dime $90 📷
Proof
https://imgur.com/a/PhO1Bhq
SETS 📺 📷
Silver war nickel set $8
Dimes of the 20th century $6
Bill of rights silver 50c young collector set
$19
Buy all for $25 . Great deal.
Jewelry 💍
1 gram 10k earrings $25
7 gram. 925 bracelet $7
Take both for $31
https://imgur.com/a/H4Nrark
Rarities 🦜 📷
1/4 oz art bar gilded Halloween $35
1/4 oz art bar gilded Pug $35
COPPER 📣
Copper Cannabis Leaf 🍁 Round $2
2023 year of the Dragon 🐉 copper round $2
Lincoln Wheat Cent 1oz COPPER $2
Copper proof;
https://imgur.com/a/b6dcW1Y
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 GOLD 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
0 - 2021 New Hampshire 1 GoldBack $5 each - free ihp with purchase and ground shipping limit 4 ihp
I’m out of these, sell me or trade for cheap.
https://imgur.com/a/JBEAJ4j
Bank of America 10k pendant with seed pearls , I think it’s 3.6 grams. $120 📷
Bank of America 10k pin 📌 no pearls, $100
📷
Fractional silver
1 gram silver in card $1.70
📷 https://imgur.com/a/x4CsSMR
CANADA SILVER 🇨🇦 🍁
Canada 1955 50c $20 📷
Canada $1 1987 proof $20 📷
Superman $20 silver $25
Batman vs Superman Canada $20 silver coin $29
Bugs Bunny $20 silver $35
Star trek 2016 silver $20 coin. $35
2016 Canada $20 silver T-Rex $25
2014 Canada $20 Snowman $22 2014 Canada $20 silver summer swimming coin $22
Canada proof
https://imgur.com/a/bUSuicI
Bank bag assortment lot that I forgot:
Futurama Shut up and take my money 1oz - $45
From glass panther
vintage coke bar 1oz $65
2014 icg panda $42
St. Lucia 1 oz lizard 🦎 $35
Trump wanted $33
https://imgur.com/a/q8pR7c3
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
Risky envelope shipping $2
I take Zelle and Venmo Cash App and Mailed Cash and small gold or 1 goldbacks @3.75
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off it is the responsibility of USPS
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/Oli6nLG
submitted by OrganizationFalse668 to CoinSales [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 02:08 OrganizationFalse668 [WTS] COME ON DOWN TO THE ATOMIC WRANGLER!

Buy any 4 1 oz and get a 1 oz copper for free!
Shipping and Payment
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
“ Risky “ 1st class 🫧 envelope non-machinable $2 -
I take Zelle , Venmo , Cash App and Mailed Cash
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off its the responsibility of USPS.
Please ask for photos or if I have multiple of the same item!
Date Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/Oli6nLG
PRE-33 GOLD
https://imgur.com/a/MNAYZip
1908 D $5 Gold $1300
https://imgur.com/a/xINXuM0
1927 2.5 gold $800
https://imgur.com/a/diOJZvh
1914 D 2.5 Gold $700
https://imgur.com/a/PX94LL9
1901 2.5 Gold $650
https://imgur.com/a/mExBjEn
SILVER COINS AND ROUNDS 🕰️
Aerosmith 1 oz $33
Homer Simpson 2019 donut $70
Simpson family Christmas $50
1oz silver Superman Samoa 🇼🇸 $5 coin $35
Spider-Man 1oz $45
St. Lucia 2020 1 oz silver lizard 🦎 $33
2021 Wonder Woman 1oz $70
Batman 1oz $70
Scarface 1 oz $40
🥤 Coca-Cola 1 oz silver round 1 oz $33
Baby yoda 1oz silver $33
🇺🇸 Army 1 oz silver bar / round $33
Bar 1
Bar 2 digital camouflage
Street fighter chun lee 1oz 🇯🇵 - $33
Wolverine 1oz 🇨🇦 $50
The Godfather 1oz silver $40
Silver Bart Simpson 1 oz $60 🛹
2023 Homer Simpson carded 1 oz $60 📷
SWAMP THING 1oz colorized- $75 📷
2024 silver shield 1oz silver cannabis round $36
ET 🪐 Niue 1oz 2 dollar movie poster bar $45
1 oz trump wanted rounds $35
Beavis and butthead 🔥 🧻 1 oz silver
$90
Intaglio Mint 1oz “ the 4 seasons “ nude art 🖼️ round $60
Donald Duck $40
1991 liberty lobby 1/2 oz round - $14 each 4 available
FRANCE 🇫🇷 10 franc 1965 silver .8134 asw
$28
1oz Silver Camel Cigarettes Joe Camel 🐪 - $65
Disneys snow White doc 1 oz $70
1 oz proof ablum
https://imgur.com/a/tYA9NDZ
Silver $1 commemorative
Capsule only
Baseball $1 proof $29
Lewis and Clark proof $33
2011 infantry no box $30 sale !
1992 Columbus $1 - $30
D-day $1 bu $30
Wright brothers $1 $30
Capsule proof:
https://imgur.com/a/9sCzhiP
In original mint packaging 📷
1993 WW2 2 coin set $1 - $37
1993 WW2 2 coin set proof $33
1994 World Cup 2 coin set $28 sale
1995 civil war battlefield 2 coin proof set $32
1995 Olympic cyclist 🚴 proof $33
1995 Olympic track and field proof $33
1996 national community service proof $29
1996 Smithsonian $1 proof $29
1998 Robert f Kennedy $1 proof - $40
1999 Yellow stone national park $33
2000 Leif Erickson silver proof $1 - $42
2003 wright brothers first flight $1 proof - $31
2006 San Francisco old Mint $1 proof $30
Benjamin Franklin founding father proof $33
2012 Infantry Soldier $1 $40
Comm proof:
https://imgur.com/a/iaF31xI
Silver Dollars 💵
1883 o $100
2007 ASE certified $40
2006 ASE certified $40
1921 Morgan in cap $40
1926 D peace dollar $33
1887 $1 - $70
1921 Morgan plastic flip $45
1886 $1 $70
1922 peace dollar $26 🔥
Better 1922 peace dollar $26
Nice 1922 peace dollar $26
1925 peace dollar $26
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/fBk2WiY
1921 Morgan MS $60
1896 Morgan $65
1885 Morgan $90
1878 CC $1 $170
1897 $1 $85
1890 O $1 $80
1921 MS $60
Proof;
https://imgur.com/a/jJbdBJa
Glass Panther Art pours and more,
🥤🍔🌎🦩🌞🧊
Fallout New Vegas
Lucky 38 1oz silver “ platinum chip “ $45
Vintage 1977 Coca-Cola 1oz silver bar
Nashville TN $70
Norfolk Va $70
Atlanta $70
Contemporary Coca-Cola 1oz silver bar $35
Contemporary Coca-Cola 1oz silver round $35
Coca-Cola Christmas 2019 Fiji Santa Clause 1oz - $50 🎅
Fiji 🇫🇯 1oz coca-cola bottle cap $149 📷
10k gold coca-cola pin 📌 $150 📷
7.5 oz 1:1 scale .999 silver derringer - $400 ⭐️
3oz M4 🐆 $223
1oz army man $90
Sunshine 1oz $140
Cyborg 1oz $140
Smurf 1 oz $35
Art cola Proof ;
https://imgur.com/a/mlUyEQZ
HALF DOLLARS and more 💵
1822 Bust half dollar $75
1825 bust half dollar $70
1876 seated half $50
1896 O Barber half $60
1895 p barber half $30
1952 Washington/ carver half $25
1877 seated half $45
Booker T Half $25
1964 MS 50c $14
1963 D 50c unc $18
1955 Canada 50c $15 🔥
1992 silver 50c proof $15 🔥
2005 s silver proof $15 🔥
1858 50C $70
Canada silver 5 cents $6
1857 dime $20
1923 mercury dime $3
1937 mercury dime au $12
1936 AU mercury dime $13
1927 mercury dime $4
Barber dime coa $4
Ohio silver quarter $12
1XX3 seated quarter $18
1955 ms quarter $12
1964 ms quarter $9
1904 p 25c $8
1908 O 25c $10
1912 d 10c $9
Metal detector dime $5
1909 p barber dime $19
1903 p 25c $9
1916 p barber $4
1912 D $5
1916 $6
1907 $8
1914 10c $12
1832 half dime $90 📷
Proof
https://imgur.com/a/PhO1Bhq
SETS 📺 📷
Silver war nickel set $8
Dimes of the 20th century $6
Bill of rights silver 50c young collector set
$19
Buy all for $25 . Great deal.
Jewelry 💍
1 gram 10k earrings $25
7 gram. 925 bracelet $7
Take both for $31
https://imgur.com/a/H4Nrark
Rarities 🦜 📷
1/4 oz art bar gilded Halloween $35
1/4 oz art bar gilded Pug $35
COPPER 📣
Copper Cannabis Leaf 🍁 Round $2
2023 year of the Dragon 🐉 copper round $2
Lincoln Wheat Cent 1oz COPPER $2
Copper proof;
https://imgur.com/a/b6dcW1Y
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 GOLD 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
0 - 2021 New Hampshire 1 GoldBack $5 each - free ihp with purchase and ground shipping limit 4 ihp
I’m out of these, sell me or trade for cheap.
https://imgur.com/a/JBEAJ4j
Bank of America 10k pendant with seed pearls , I think it’s 3.6 grams. $120 📷
Bank of America 10k pin 📌 no pearls, $100
📷
Fractional silver
1 gram silver in card $1.70
📷 https://imgur.com/a/x4CsSMR
CANADA SILVER 🇨🇦 🍁
Canada 1955 50c $20 📷
Canada $1 1987 proof $20 📷
Superman $20 silver $25
Batman vs Superman Canada $20 silver coin $29
Bugs Bunny $20 silver $35
Star trek 2016 silver $20 coin. $35
2016 Canada $20 silver T-Rex $25
2014 Canada $20 Snowman $22 2014 Canada $20 silver summer swimming coin $22
Canada proof
https://imgur.com/a/bUSuicI
Bank bag assortment lot that I forgot:
Futurama Shut up and take my money 1oz - $45
From glass panther
vintage coke bar 1oz $65
2014 icg panda $42
St. Lucia 1 oz lizard 🦎 $35
Trump wanted $33
https://imgur.com/a/q8pR7c3
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
Risky envelope shipping $2
I take Zelle and Venmo Cash App and Mailed Cash and small gold or 1 goldbacks @3.75
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off it is the responsibility of USPS
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/Oli6nLG
submitted by OrganizationFalse668 to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 23:52 Tricky-Bit-1865 Best version I’ve ever found of Umbridge’s arrest and trial

Aurors blasted their way into Umbridge's house and found her hiding in a small, hidden room by using the spell Homenum Revelio.
She was surrounded by dozens of plates featuring cats and had rows of neatly stacked tins of cat food, which she appeared to have been eating for sustenance. In the corner of the room was a litter box. Oddly enough, however, there were no actual cats to be found.
The Aurors quickly disarmed her, magically bound her, and hauled her off to the Ministry of Magic to be placed in a holding cell until she could be arraigned.
Two days later, she was brought before the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt, looking slightly unkempt and tired. The entire Wizengamot, which had been noticeably thinned out since Shacklebolt had removed several members for their own crimes and/or bribery, was also in attendance.
She looked around the room and tried to find somebody who could be either an ally or someone to whom she could shift the focus, and therefore, possibly, the blame. Finding no one to fit such a criteria, she fixed her face into a contrite image and looked around at the people who were there and pled for mercy. When it became apparent that mercy was in very short supply for those in her position, she immediately claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse.
In an instant, Minister Shacklebolt's composed disposition shifted from being reserved to completely unfriendly. In a short, clipped tone, completely opposite of his typical warm, soothing, deep voice, he gave her the option to either take Veritaserum right then and there or she could go for a psychological evaluation, which was to be conducted at the Janus Thicky Ward at St. Mungo's.
Umbridge balked at the thought of being stuck in "lunatic land". That was, of course, until the Minister mentioned that being stuck under the Imperius Curse for such a prolonged time, as she was claiming, could have some serious effects on her mind. She quickly decided to keep up her pretenses and immediately agreed that she should "at least be checked out by a professional healer."
Shacklebolt issued a two week recess for the Wizengamot in relation to her case. She began to argue the time frame when he gave her a sharp look and she furiously shut her mouth. He reiterated the two week time frame and continued on to say that when they reconvened, they would hear the Healer's testimony regarding her claims and mental status.
Two Aurors, Savage and Williamson, had taken post on either side of her. Savage held her by her left arm while Williamson pulled out a white handkerchief. He secured her right hand in his and then Savage took hold of the other end of the handkerchief. As soon as he did, the portkey activated and deposited the three of them into a secure room in the Janus Thickey Ward.
After a brief intake, Healer Ashborn entered the room to remove the newest resident's personal clothing and effects and to have her put on hospital issued clothes, which were a drab, dingy grey colour. Umbridge pinched the material between her forefinger and thumb before raising it up to eye level and informing the Healer that she refused to put on something so colorless and disgusting. Healer Ashborn donned a nonchalant smirk and informed her that if it was not done willingly and swiftly that she would have no other choice but to Evanesco her personal belongings to the hospital rubbish bin and charm the hospital clothes on with a sticking spell for good measure.
Less than 2 minutes later, she was dressed and being escorted by the Aurors to her bed, which was surrounded by silver framed dividers with pale blue cloth to block the view of the neighboring beds.
As the Aurors turned their attention to make some notes on their paperwork, Umbridge made a sickly sweet noise as she cleared her throat. "Hem-hem. Am I not being given a private room?" She let out a childish giggle.
The Aurors looked at her incredulously, then at each other. Finally, Auror Savage spoke up, "Private rooms are not given to possible war criminals."
Scowling, Umbridge scoffed loudly and said, "Well, I never! I will be writing a letter to the Minister of Magic about this."
Auror Williamson spoke up then, "You think we don't take our orders from the Minister regarding this? You writing a letter won't change anything."
"How dare you! I am Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister -"
"Not anymore, you're not " Auror Savage said coldly, effectively cutting her off. "You are a person on trial for war crimes and a provisional resident of the Janus Thicky Ward due to your claim of being cursed. Now, you have been magically bound to be within 5 feet of your bed, meals will be brought to you, and a member of the staff will escort you to the lavatory. You are not permitted to have a wand and that cuff on your wrist is a magic binder. Since we have completed our duties, we shall now take our leave. The Chief Healer will see you tomorrow morning. Good day, Ms. Umbridge."
She pointed a finger at them while trying to maintain her calm and hissed "Now see here. You cannot just leave me here with all these crazy people, especially while bound with no magic." Her right eye twitched.
Auror Williamson raised his eyebrow at her while he took out the white handkerchief. He held it out to his partner, and, after Savage had taken hold, he activated the portkey without saying another word and they disappeared.
Umbridge sat down onto the rather thin mattress and listened as the springs shrieked as though in agony.
Well, at least I'll be using a real toilet instead of that litterbox, she thought to herself. This will be like a nice vacation. I can order my favorite meals and have some nice wine while I relax.
At that moment, Gilderoy Lockhart popped his head around the partition. "Hello," he said with a big smile and in his shmooziest of voices. "I see you're new. Nice bracelet...." he trailed off for a moment. Coming back around, he added, "Don't mind the bed. They all shriek a bit. Well, not mine, of course. I just had to smile at it a couple of times, aheh. Now it sings to me."
She narrowed her eyes while feeling even more flustered than before. "Why are you here," she spat.
"What a stupendous question. Eh...," he started but clearly began to mentally wander again.
"Can't you manage a simple straight answer," she snapped.
"Well, you see... I simply can't remember." He let out a light chuckle and pulled his eyebrows slightly together while pasting on his best grin. Why not? After all, it worked for his bed.
"Yes, well, be sure to maintain your distance. I won't have you loitering about my space. Move along." She waved him off.
She promptly learned that her stay was going to be nothing like a vacation; no favorite meals, no wine, and certainly no relaxing.
As the days wore on, Lockhart managed to finagle his way into her area for most of the day - everyday. One day he was particularly on her nerves after having rambled on and on about a dream of a very large snake and falling rocks.
Umbridge, losing control of the situation with such an utter nitwit, suddenly burst out in her annoyance. "Enough, Mr. Lockhart!" Later that day, she ended up scratching herself nearly raw due to a mild case of hives.
As hard as she tried to keep her sanity about her, he just seemed to suck it away from her. It was almost as though the more insane she felt, the saner he seemed. Could it be that he had devised a way to steal her sanity and replace it with his insanity? She became more and more leery of him as the days went by until, at one point, a near frantic paranoia set in. She spent the rest of that day completely sedated.
She begged the staff to be moved, but Cheif Healer Pye said they could not due to the restrictions placed by the Auror Department. She ordered for Lockhart to be switched to a different location. In that instance, Healer Pye said that he would not as it could disrupt Mr. Lockhart's frame of mind and treatment, causing him to relapse. She pulled her hair, stomped her feet like a petulant child, and screamed until she was Silenced and magically bound to the bed to keep her from hurting herself.
At the end of the two weeks, Umbridge found herself magically shackled and standing in front of the Minister and the Wizengamot once more. The Chief Healer was also in attendance and reported to the court that while he found absolutely zero proof of her ever having been under the Imperius Curse, he felt it was best that she remained in custody whether at St. Mungo's or Azkaban, as she was a danger to herself and others due to her mental instability.
Umbridge let out a small giggle as the Cheif Healer finished speaking. Minister Shacklebolt turned his head back to face her, catching her smile before she could mask her face. He narrowed his eyes at her and asked if she had anything to say. She quickly donned her saccharine smile.
"Thank you, Minister. While it may be difficult for some people to understand all the hard work and pressure of working at the Ministry, I, for one, am ready to stay the task to get the job done. I shall be ready to resume my official post as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic in two days time. Of course, I will need to completely redecorate my office as I'm certain that whomever has been occupying it has completely destroyed -"
"Madam." Shacklebolt had cut her off. He was done hearing her rubbish as she tried to take control of the situation. "You will not be reinstated in any sense to any position in the Ministry. You will, however, be able to enjoy your cell at the now dementor-free portion of Azkaban."
"How dare you!" Her fake smile and childish voice dropped away.
Any members of the Wizengamot who were not completely sure of her guilt nearly got whiplash with how fast she changed her demeanor. Many people began to whisper to each other about rumors they had heard that they now believed to be most likely true. She continued to glare at Shacklebolt.
"After everything I have done and sacrificed for the Ministry. After all the lying, magic-stealing mudbloods I sentenced for the sake of our world. How dare you think for one minute that you can just send me off to that dilapidated cesspool; that disgusting hell hole?!" She had began in a directed, hushed yell and finished in an irritated, huffing screech.
As the court witnessed her continued outburst, they whispered even more to each other. Shacklebolt patiently waited as she further unraveled while admitting to more crimes.
She finally cracked and shrieked out to the room. "Quit your whispering about me! I have done nothing but rid these disgusting mudbloods and blood traitors from among us! ORDER! Listen to me! I will have order!" She began pointing at different Wizengamot members who had opposed the corrupt Ministry while it was ran by Voldemort's puppets.
Having heard enough, Shacklebolt banged his gavel on the podium. The Wizengamot became completely silent as Umbridge continued to screech "I will have order! I will have order!"
Shacklebolt then picked up his wand and cast a Silencing charm in her direction. Umbridge's right eye twitched away as she continued screaming her Silenced "I will have order" chant.
The Minister looked to the Chief Healer and asked if Azkaban had a mental ward that was suitable for Ms. Umbridge. He responded to the affirmative. Umbridge was henceforth sentenced and taken to the mental ward of Azkaban.
Within a week, she had lost her privileges to use utensils, as she had used one to draw a rudimentary cat on her wall to which she was often observed speaking.
"Cordelia, you must bathe yourself. I refuse to have you in my presence whilst unkempt. I will have order." Her eyes glassed over and she stared at the wall without really seeing it as she continued to repeat, "I will have order. I will have order. I will... have......order."
submitted by Tricky-Bit-1865 to HPfanfiction [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 23:41 solace1234 My grandpa says I shouldn’t be a home aide with a car because it’ll break down. (Upstate NY)

I had this 2011 Nissan Cube which seemed to work fine, butt it lasted about 4 months before the transmission fluid fucked up and completely stopped accelerating so I scrapped it. I was driving to multiple patients, admittedly making the decision to drive all over the place and my Grandpa blames the inconvenience on this schedule. I wouldn’t go farther than 40 - 50 minutes to a patient, but I had 4 patients so I did a lot of driving regardless. Sometimes, two on the same day.
I love being a home aide. It’s quite a simple job and the pay is better than anything else that would hire me. Plus the schedule is incredibly flexible. The other jobs I’ve tried since losing my car (dishwasher, deli service, etc) are PURE STRESS and they don’t even pay nearly as much as my Home Aide Job, so I’ve decided to start biking to my patients or catching a bus when available and the pay + work is fulfilling enough to be worth it. If I do this temporarily, I can get a new car in, like, a month or two. I want to move out of my grandparents’ place before 2025 and i’m willing to do anything, even travel an hour and a half for this job.
However, my grandpa is a bit old fashioned and seems to think I would do better working at Lowe’s. They would be paying me 15 to do all sorts of uninteresting bs, while my Current job would pay 17+ for medically helping senior citizens and simply being good company.
My main question…
My grandpa’s opinion: Getting a ~$3,000 to $5,000 car would be pointless if I kept the Home Aide job, because my patients are far and my car would simply break down very quickly again. I agree with his lesser-emphasized point that I should get a job that doesn’t depend on me having a car, but it’s limiting and not perfectly possible (getting hired is hard).
My opinion: I find it hard to believe that a Home Aide’s used car breaking after 4 months is so common. If I simply get something with low mileage and decide to work a more practical schedule, perhaps even with a different agency that has closer patients, a used car could be fine for at least like a year or two while I save up, right? I admit I don’t know a single thing about cars besides driving them.
Either way I’m going to purchase a car asap by grinding, with this bike and my Home Aide job. But should I keep trying to work in Home Health Care once I get a used car, or try something else? An employment agency’s agent said they could hook me up with something, and if it pays higher I really might not mind depending on what it is.
submitted by solace1234 to cna [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 16:15 PoisonedWhispers [Part 2] An analysis of the behaviour that leads to misinformation on the subreddit and in general; methods to curb this; and other malarkey.

The Short Version can be found here.

Part 1 can be found here.

Example 5 - There's more to a BBC YouTube title

Returning to this dastardly subreddit, for my next example, points 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 are relevant. OP provided a screenshot of a BBC YouTube title, stating: "Israeli hit squad dressed as doctors kill Palestinians in hospital." Per point 2, by failing to immediately link to the video, or immediately mention what the video contains, folk could come away with the conclusion that the BBC never reports that these were militants. In other words, some might believe that the misreporting here extends past the video title, when it does not, and this could be avoided by providing salient details sooner rather than later. This submission was made during the temporary ban, and I thought it was interesting enough as a case study to come back to.

Example 6 - Oxfam's full position

For this submission/meme, points 1, 2, and 6 are relevant. I saw that we weren’t going to get good-faith engagement with the entirety of Oxfam’s position here on why they initially opposed airdrops, and I attempted to outline the full extent of their views so that it can be critiqued appropriately. This meme is not too dissimilar from some Twitter leftist fixating on one short clip of Destiny during one of his heated gamer moments; his actual positions aren’t being engaged with, and it’s intellectually dull. There’s more to Destiny’s positions than a twenty-second clip; there’s more to Oxfam’s position than the one tweet. The fact of the matter is that there’s a long series of tweets here, and while the tweet OP chose to highlight is risible, is dumb, and is insufferable, we are more than capable on this subreddit in being more nuanced and fair when it comes to our criticism.
As I highlight, there were some concerns here that were not entirely unreasonable. At the time of my comment, there weren’t yet any reports on injuries due to airdrops. These reports appeared in the following days and weeks, where Gazans were killed when a parachute in an airdrop failed to deploy, and some drowned in their attempts to retrieve parcels that landed in the sea. Retrospectively, I wouldn't say that aid should not have been airdropped merely because it would result in these deaths, but a fair assessment of Oxfam here at the time should have taken these concerns into account.
Oxfam’s associate director also endorses a Twitter thread where some prescriptions are given on how ought this aid delivery be facilitated. He recommends that the Gaza port be reopened, and to open more crossings. The Biden administration recognized that airdrops would not sufficiently alleviate the problem of being unable to get sufficient quantities of aid distributed, and while the port was not reopened, Biden did announce that a temporary port would be built. Further, Israel approved the reopening of the Erez crossing.
The misinformation in OP’s post stems from the fact that folk will be disinterested in reading the twitter thread or any additional threads where they might have elaborated on views. Out of the thousands that interact with the post, a significant chunk will come away with the incorrect belief that Oxfam’s opposition to airdrops was merely due to what was stated in the meme. That is misinformation being propagated — not the most egregious, Hamas-esqe level of misinformation in the world, but misinformation nonetheless.

Example 7 - NYT: Bananas, or Cool as a Cucumber?

For our final example points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are relevant; it’s the whole shebang. To give a quick recounting here, Hobbitfollower isn’t the only masochist that might, occasionally, choose to exclusively sort by new. When I saw the submission, I read the article, and I was a bit annoyed that the Jerusalem Post article doesn’t even link to the mission report that I was interested in reading. I searched for it, posted a link to the report in the very first comment of the thread as surely my fellow dggas would also like to read the report, and then I, well, read the report.
When I returned back to the thread, I quoted favourably from the mission report to support another individual's comment. (I would again quote from it in another thread the next day to highlight why Israel struggled to acquire forensic evidence.)
But as I scrolled down the thread I came across the subject of our example; 50 upvotes, no article linked, and clearly a charged comment. Consider the steps involved to truly engage with this comment; one would need to:
  • Click and read the article.
  • Search for the mission report.
  • Read the mission report (as some folk probably won’t wanna read 20 pages right off the bat).
  • Search for the NYT article; bypass the paywall (which is trivially easy nowadays but is still a barrier, and people are lazy); and read the article.
This is a very charged thread: there are going to be a large group of pro-Israel folk browsing this thread, frustrated and irate as bad memories are invoked of all the times they’ve had to deal with or seen pro-Hamas folk engaging in rape denialism. In much the same way a leftist sub is not going to be interested in a dispassionate analysis of an Israeli strike with high civilian collateral damage, this sub — at times — will struggle to calmly assess the subject matter. An expected behaviour isn’t necessarily the correct behaviour — the actions we believe one ought to take.
When a misleading tweet goes viral, the damage has already been done, as a considerable amount of people won’t see the subsequent Community Notes that might be slapped on it. Likewise, some of the thousands who see OP’s highly upvoted comment will think, “Oh, this has a lot of upvotes, I guess it must be true. How horrible of the NYT to frame this as a both sides issue”, and thus misinformation has spread. This incorrect belief will mold their perceptions of the NYT. When they encounter more reporting by the NYT on I-P in the future, they might even think back to this moment: “Ah, I remember when these bozos tried to say that the Israeli accusations were the same as the Palestinian accusations.”
I also referred to OP’s comment as disinformation. In every example discussed so far, I don't assume malicious intent. I just begin with the foundation that a mistake was made, and I don’t enmesh myself by throwing out accusations of lying. In this case, however, OP has indirectly acknowledged that I was correct, but they still haven’t bothered to edit their original comment. Once again, this comment is a really good example of point 1. I obviously also disagree with their conclusion, and the process by which they’re arriving at their conclusion is still very flawed — and other people are simply going to adopt their conclusion while not even attempting to reach there by their own independent assessment. If you see someone quote from an article, and they don’t even link it, and the comment is very charged, I would encourage y’all to seek out the article yourself; you may come away with a different interpretation.
I'm sure you've seen this meme before: "I'm just waiting for Destiny to comment on this so that I know what to think 😎." We meme about it, but there is, of course, an undercurrent of truth here, as we have confidence in Destiny's ability to research, and thus we feel comfortable adopting his beliefs and opinions. It's nice not having to do the research ourselves. Lazy fucks.
This applies to Reddit comments you see as well. Don't just adopt the conclusion of someone else because their beliefs align with yours and they're speaking with authority. Do the legwork yourself; be mindful of The Six Points; and you might find that someone on your own side is actually spreading misinformation, or is espousing an opinion that you disagree with.

Purgatory

I was perma-banned some time after my previous comment for a comment I made in a different thread. Before I get to that in the next fuck-me-who-knows-how-I'm-gonna-write-that-I'm-so-fucked section, I did want to bring up two final examples.

Example A - Haaretz and Amputations

For Example A, points 1, 3, 4, and 5 are relevant. Obviously, I can’t attempt point 6 because I was banned. Now, I actually agree with OP as I share their skepticism towards the notion that these amputations are “routine”, but referring to the article as a "fake story" is too strong, and, as always, their process here is flawed. The claims they make here about the Haaretz article and CNN article are misleading, but it is immediately upvoted because it feels right, particularly because the first reply just poisons the well. Haaretz did not speak to an anonymous person, they are reporting on a letter they have seen written by a doctor and sent to senior Israeli officials; the doctor did not justify the claim that the event is routine based on having seen only two amputations, that's merely the amputations they saw in the week they wrote the letter (but the phrasing here is ambiguous, as the doctor could be referring to the handcuff injuries as being the "routine" event); and the IDF did not confirm or deny all the claims, but gave a fairly standard, boilerplate response instead. The misleading claims in this comment was eventually addressed — and, as I’m sure you’re irritated by the repetition by now, the goal of this post is to turn this “eventually” into an “immediately.”

Example B - Wikipedia and Devious Editing

For Example B, points 1 and 5 are relevant. I want to be very careful with this one as I don't want to be misconstrued. Similar to the previous example, I mostly agree with their conclusion that these Wikipedia pages can be very flawed, and partisan editors can tarnish the objectivity that we wish could be maintained across all articles. However, you know the drill by now, point 1. There’s much to be said about the infamous “24-hour window” debacle, and I made a submission a while ago on this. I think there are parts of this story that both the pro-Palestine and pro-Israel crowd get wrong — but the latter is generally more correct, and I would agree with OP here that the information here is, at the very least, incomplete.
However, per point 5, the articles they are critiquing are not linked. How many people here actually sought out the two articles referenced here? As I’ve already demonstrated, we know how many misleading or false claims you can get away with before they’re finally addressed. A user in that thread made some edits to the contentious lines in question in the Wikipedia article. This was the Wikipedia article at the time OP’s comment was made. OP quotes this section:
Prior to the raids, Israel had called for the more than a million people living in the north half of the Gaza Strip to evacuate during a 24-hour window, while Hamas instructed those residents to stay put.
The two citations here are a Reuters article and a Politico article. The Politico article is arguably redundant, but it’s not being cited because it’s supposed to make a statement about a 24-hour window; it’s being cited to support the statement about Hamas:
Hamas is complicating the situation, urging residents to stay in their homes.
The Reuters article also mentions this:
“We tell the people of northern Gaza and from Gaza City, stay put in your homes, and your places," Eyad Al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry, told a news conference.
Contrary to what OP said, both articles use the word “evacuation” at some point. The first part of the quote from the Wikipedia page is supported by this statement in the Reuters article:
On Friday Israel gave more than a million residents of the northern half of Gaza 24 hours to flee to the south to avoid an onslaught.
In a follow-up comment OP claims that the archived link, which pulled the earliest version of the Reuters article available, does not support the line. This seems to have been an error on the part of whoever chose this hyperlink. When the Wikipedia article first mentions calls for evacuation, this was how the Reuters article cited looked like at the time; regardless of the veracity of the claim, the article did support what the Wikipedia page mentions.
To reiterate, OP is completely correct about this pernicious problem with Wikipedia. It’s just that in this example, I don’t think it qualifies as a case of those darn pro-Palestine editors back at it again. The nuanced position here is pretty difficult to get to, and I don’t think the editors wrote this line in the interest of distorting the truth to serve their own side.
Example B.5: A better yet slightly flawed post on Wikipedia and Euro-Med Monitor
This post about how Hamas supporters are influencing Wikipedia does better in terms of substantiating their claims — but there are issues here that I would have loved to address, and there is a good critique on OP’s prescriptions that was buried at the bottom. Unfortunately, OP has been suspended from Reddit. If you’re reading this mate, call me 🥺.
There are a lot of hyperlinks in OP’s post (lol, sez fucking me), and it’s completely reasonable that someone won’t feel inclined to click every single one; that’s not an expectation I would ever demand. From going through the post, there are several small critiques I would have made (e.g., while I don’t believe the Mondo article should have been cited, OP claims that in the article, “The only people criticizing Wiesel here is the author of the opinion piece.” FWIW, the article does reference and cite a Haaretz article, and a Foreign policy article, both of which levy criticism against Wiesel), but I’m just going to focus on this line:
In fact, it is owned by a man named Ramy Abdu, who is a literal Hamas lobbyist.
If you’re going to call someone a literal Hamas lobbyist, that is definitely a link I’m clicking. What I know about Abdu is simply what I can assume about his beliefs from various tweets I’ve seen by him over the past several months; but I’ve never looked into their background other than being aware of their position at EMM. Upon opening the link I see… a 2013 article about Clare Short. From reading the article, it looks like OP missed some steps in outlining how they arrived at their conclusion, and I saw only a few people inquiring about this. To fill in the steps on what I presume OP wanted to say, from the article they linked:
Moshe Ya’alon, former IDF chief of staff, outlawed the Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) – a Belgian non-profit organisation that lobbies on behalf of the Hamas-led Gaza Government – using emergency defence regulations.
I haven’t looked into CEPR, and they obviously disputed the lobbying charge; I’m just going to take the claim at face-value. In 2011, Abdu was assistant director of the CEPR, and still held a position there for several years. They've since left the organization, but per point 1, if this is how OP arrived at the conclusion that Abdu is a “literal Hamas lobbyist”, I think it could use a bit more work, with additional clarification on what they mean by lobbyist here. I’m sure they can do it, it just happened to not be in this post.
I'm not going to harp on about point 5 here as I only apply that to incidents where a claim is made; one or two articles are linked; and then no one reads them, assuming the claim must be true as long as articles are provided. I would literally never make the prescription that if someone writes an effort-post, we must click every hyperlink to fact-check. I mean, it's not like I would have any other motivation for saying that... sweats profusely 🙄
Just to make one final point on EMM, it is a rubbish outlet, and any time I encounter one of their articles, I roll my eyes knowing I’m going to get some outlandish claim where I can find fuck-all for corroboration from other outlets. However, sometimes there is corroboration, where EMM was the first to notice that the IDF labelled a bicycle as an RPG in the drone footage they published, and then the NYT confirmed the finding (except for the other stupid claim made in the tweet.) But anyways, these moments are astronomically rare.

Example C - A Mysterious Royal Website (What a weaselly little --)

Okay, I lied, one final example as it’s interesting to see how people here parse articles and headlines, but before I address the example, let me talk about Reuters headlines.
Reuters headlines
They’re not always consistent on this front, but I generally like how Reuters writes their headlines. A Reuters headline will often contain the phrase “US says”. [30] [31] [32] What I’m expecting in the article when I see a headline containing this phrase is some official representing the Biden administration outlining what their particular policy, position, belief, etc., is on whatever the subject matter may be, or some action they took which makes it clear what their position is. In the given examples, we have statements from Biden, Blinken, the US military, and so on. Sometimes the US officials remain anonymous, sharing information in private briefings.
If there isn’t an official statement by the US available on a matter, the headline might use the phrase “source says” to talk about ongoing developments. [33] [34] “Reuters will use unnamed sources where necessary when they provide information of market or public interest that is not available on the record. We alone are responsible for the accuracy of such information.” [35]
Relevant to Example C, Reuters uses the same guidelines for “Saudi Arabia says” [36] [37] and “sources say” for information relevant to Saudi Arabia. [38]
Israeli outlets, A royal family website, and Saudi sources: An amusing chain of events
Keeping the previous section in mind, when I came across this version of a Jerusalem Post article posted to this subreddit, you can imagine what I’m expecting here — particularly because this would be momentous news to see Saudi Arabia make a public statement that they helped defend Israel. Instead, we get reporting on what Saudi Arabia’s royal family said on their website, and what a source connected to the Saudi royal family told KAN, another Israeli outlet — and we don’t get links to either of them. If there was no statement on the royal family’s website, this would have been a bad headline to write based on what this source said. Unfortunately for the JP, there is no official website for Saudi Arabia’s royal family. You’ll see in the current version, they remove the reference to that website, and also add the following line:
The Al Arabiya news site said sources had informed it that Saudi Arabia had not participated in the interception of Iranian drones and missiles.
Here’s the article by the Saudi state-owned outlet, which is essentially their mouthpiece to deny the ongoing report. I24news, however, didn’t get the memo:
Saudi Arabia publicly acknowledges role in defending Israel against Iranian attack
While Jordan had openly disclosed its role in the defensive maneuver, Saudi Arabia's acknowledgment came in the form of a summary on its official website
When I first saw the JP submission on this subreddit, I bookmarked it for later to come back to and find the sources, as it’s not the first time I’ve seen dubious reporting from KAN news. I was also curious if anyone in the thread was going to highlight some of the discrepancies in the article, and, well, shoutout to this keen reader! Fact-checking the JP article slipped my mind, but thanks to a comment I saw on another subreddit, they correctly pointed out that the website referenced was not affiliated with the Saudi royal family, and thus the article the JP and other Israeli outlets had presumably read should not have been taken as an official statement. Christ, this is obvious from the very first line:
A source from the Saudi royal family, who prefers anonymity, converses with the Kan public broadcaster. The individual subtly acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s supposed involvement in thwarting Iranian attack drones bound for Israel the previous evening, citing that Saudi Arabian airspace automatically intercepts “any suspicious entity”.
The same figure takes a swing at Iran, accusing them of instigating a conflict in Gaza. This, they suggest, is a deliberate attempt to unravel the progress established towards normalizing relations with Israel, as per Kan’s report.
In the words of the official, as put forth by Kan, “Iran is a nation that endorses terrorism, and the world should have curtailed it much earlier.”
Why would the official Saudi royal website use an anonymous source within the royal family to make their public announcement, and why would they quote what the official said to an Israeli outlet?!
It’s fascinating to see this play out: the supposed source spoke to Kan News; Houseofsaud presumably sees this and makes an article on the Kan segment; the JP sees this article and the segment, poorly reads it, and then cites it and the original Kan segment; outlets like the Daily Wire pick up on the story from the JP; and then on it goes, spreading like wildefire, before the Saudis take note (“oh fuck, oh fuck, where are these reports coming from?”) and disseminate a message denying that any “official” website publicly confirmed their involvement. The Saudis are involved, and they’re keeping tight-lipped about the extent of their involvement.
Just to quote one more line from the i24news article because it’s shockingly poor:
The post subtly hinted at Saudi Arabia's involvement in intercepting suspicious entities in its airspace, highlighting the kingdom's proactive stance in safeguarding regional stability.
This is written based on this line from the HouseofSaud article:
A source from the Saudi royal family, who prefers anonymity, converses with the Kan public broadcaster. The individual subtly acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s supposed involvement in thwarting Iranian attack drones bound for Israel the previous evening, citing that Saudi Arabian airspace automatically intercepts “any suspicious entity”.
It’s the individual/source who is being subtle, not the post itself as i24 news mentions.
Anyways, this is not a case of misinformation by the subreddit. There's nothing wrong with posting a JP article, and this is easily the least offensive Example, but point 5 is nicely relevant here. I thought y'all might find this to be interesting, particularly because some people probably still believe that Saudi Arabia has publicly acknowledged their involvement, and maybe that could be someone reading this section. It's also another example where, because I’m banned, I can’t offer a bit of nuance. stares intently at 4THOT
It’s a shame Destiny didn’t finish reading the article, I’m curious what he would have said. He speculates that the report was from intelligence or monitoring, but moves on before finishing the article; it’s also the updated version of the article, without the tidbit about the Saudi royal family website.

Finito

I'm going to close out this section here. There's always more to include, more examples that demonstrate the aforementioned points, but I'd rather focus on my own comments instead of threads where I was unable to contribute my thoughts. There's been a plethora of discourse here surrounding the campus protests, and maybe those are still ongoing if I manage to post this at a sooner date. For completely legitimate and fair justifications, all of these threads are going to be very charged; and maybe upon reading this post some of y'all might feel more inclined to analyze these situations dispassionately, mindful of cases where the reporting might not be the greatest.

Example D - A Late Fact-check (Still lying, dude!)

I fucking lied again, there’s more. Literally the day after I finished writing the above paragraph, a new example popped up that I can’t resist the temptation to include. Stop giving me material! As I spoke of above, the campus protests have resulted in a charged atmosphere on the subreddit, which means that this post stating that a “Jewish-Israeli family’s restaurant was targeted in a hate crime” is immediately catapulted to the front page. The biggest problem here is that, per point 2, the presentation of the post led folk to believe that this was a recent event because OP had omitted the date this took place, and this led to one user to thoughtfully suggest that it might be worth setting up a GoFundMe to help the owners with the repairs.
To reemphasize the point I’ve made throughout this post, I’m looking to incentivise better behaviour to occur sooner. It took nearly 10 hours before one jolly chap came along to do the fact-check. Naturally, had I seen this post while browsing arnew, I would have done the same, and so would a couple other users here as well who are good for this sort of thing — and that's unfortunate that I’m saying a “couple” instead of “many.” There is no curiosity amongst everyone who interacted with this post to inquire into the event; not even something simple as requesting OP for an article. So folks, always ask for a source if OP doesn’t provide one just so you have a bit more context. (Also, I am fascinated with the anecdote OP attached to this post. Did they just make up their credentials?)

Example E - Hebrew Sources and False Confidence

This is a wonderful example to close out this section because it exemplifies so many of the problematic behaviours that I have demonstrated in this post. I was only made aware of this thread because a user here DM'd me a link to the thread. I will refer to the individual posting misinformation in the comments as "OP", and I'll refer to the submitter of the post by their username, Sylmd. The rebuttals to OP are excellent, and I will focus more on the behaviour here.
Sylmd posted a submission doing a quick lil' fact-check on a Destiny tweet, noting the fact that he seemed to have misread or misremembered a particular report. I say "seemed" here in case Destiny was referring to some other report or article he had read, but that seems unlikely as he has referenced this report in several of his debates, and the report was the subject of his previous tweets. Regardless, it was a small mistake, and apart from failing to immediately link the tweet and the report (link your sources you silly goose), Sylmd's post is civil, calm, and makes no accusations of malicious intent.
According to OP, Destiny was actually right, and 300+ IDF soldiers were in fact injured. Now, there's so much that is astonishingly problematic with OP's comment, and I gotta... mention it all! Sorry!
Naturally, they don't ever quote from their sources, which means it's on us to try and find the relevant sections. OP claims that the articles linked will demonstrate that 380 Israelis were injured -- despite the fact that Sylmd is obviously doing a fact-check on how many Israeli soldiers were injured, and that's literally the subject of Destiny's tweet.
Whatever, I'm sure the articles at least "discusses around 380 injuries"? Fuck no they don't! There's no mention of this figure anywhere, and OP somehow racks up 50 upvotes when they accuse Sylmd of lying after they correctly point this out. Did these people actually read the articles, find this magical 380 figure, and think, "Grrr, Sylmd you mendacious scumbag, I see through your Hamas propaganda." Sylmd was sitting at -31, one hour after the thread was made. (If you refer back to Example 2, you'll see that I felt compelled to make a submission when I saw a user was being downvoted for correctly pointing out that an article did not prove a particular claim.)
It gets worse. Apparently, you have to "click through all the links in these articles buddy." Well, okay, that's pretty elaborate, how silly of us not to realize this. OP wants us to open up nine Hebrew articles, translate them, and then tally up the number of casualties. Problem? Surely we get to the 380 figure if we click through all the hyperlinks in the article? Fuck no we don't! And even if we did, this is the most blisteringly cumbersome way to prove a claim. The sheer condescension in OP's comment is equivalent to that of a Twitter leftist: "It's not my job to educate you honey, you must read the literature."
So where does this mysterious figure come from? Well, as Sylmd correctly pointed out (before OP mentioned it), they are grabbing this figure from Hebrew Wikipedia. Sylmd doesn't provide a link to the article in question, so I will provide it here, and as you can see, the two articles that OP linked came from this Wikipedia page. I'm not convinced OP actually read either of these articles.
That's not all. They then linked a report in Hebrew in their edit. Where did they get this report from? It's not on the Wikipedia page, maybe this is something they have bookmarked? Nope, they got it from another user in the thread! After all is said and done, they still somehow racked up 270 upvotes for this awful rebuttal, and they were, "Proud to take a blast for defending the truth."
Do I even need to mention the points here? It's an authoritative comment; the linked articles give an "aura" of being correct; and there's confidence in all their comments.
To quote from Example 1:
Anyways, since I began this post it looks like the upvotes and downvotes on the original comment have since shifted. Mashallah. It's the behaviour I was describing before: all the low-effort garbage gets upvoted first, and then other people break the circlejerk and try to add nuance. But it would be nice if the nuance was added first and foremost without the need for tedious fact-checks.
That still holds true today.

Consistency and Principles

Do I only address misinformation from the pro-Israel side? Not that it should matter, but no, I will address misinformation from the pro-Palestine on this subreddit if I see it and I feel like addressing it. I was irritated to see muppets like Rob Rousseau spread conspiracies about a "suspicious link" between ISIS and Mossad, and I encountered a user here who was sprouting similar conspiratorial nonsense. You’ll notice that (1) I was blessed to be called a “Reddit pseudo intellectual libtard” (not wrong, not false, this hurts bro); and (2) I apply the exact same methodology here as I do for the examples of misinformation I've addressed elsewhere — which isn’t to say I’m doing anything commendable here. I just read the articles, trying to find the primary sources where relevant, and then see if the “reporting” accurately conveys what was said or written.
However, digging up the original source can be a time-consuming endeavour, and compounded by the fact that I might not speak the relevant language — which means that there was a case where I inadvertently made a comment containing misinformation. A couple months ago someone requested a steelman of the argument that Israel is conducting a genocide against Gazans; I offered one, and to support the case I used a misquote taken from a Bloomberg video which omitted a crucial part of Yoev Gallant’s statement: the reference to Hamas, and thus radically changing the context of the statement. I hold myself to the same principle when it comes to curbing misinformation, and I was more than content to edit my comment to ensure it did not propagate further than it already had.
Some of you eagle-eyed readers might recognize this Gallant quote, as it made a very marked appearance within… South Africa's genocide case against Israel. Here, that salient reference to Hamas is also omitted, and the accompanying footnote cites the same Bloomberg video that I did. As I wished in another reply, Bloomberg did indeed take the video down eventually. Now, I can be excused for my mistake as I’m not making the positive case outside of my steelman. For South Africa, this is unbelievably shoddy work when you're officially bringing a genocide case against another state.
Anyways, I've gone through many examples in this schizo-post, and it's entirely possible that I've made an error at some point; the irony is not lost on me. Feel free to point these errors out. I might not agree with your assessment, but I'm always willing to hear the arguments.

Prescriptions: The Six Points (Déjà vu)

I'm going to end with The Six Points because that's the focus of Part 1 and Part 2. As previously mentioned, this post is not intended to demonstrate that the misinformation the pro-Israel crowd spreads is as egregious as the misinformation the pro-Palestine spreads, whether in general or on this subreddit. While misinformation from the pro-Palestine crowd slips by every now and then on the subreddit, I would make the case that, generally speaking, it is quickly addressed. In my experience, however, I was finding quite a few cases of misinformation from the pro-Israel crowd were taking a concerning amount of time to be addressed; and in the interest of ensuring that it does get addressed in a more timely manner, I believe the following prescriptions would be helpful to keep in mind when browsing the subreddit:
  1. Value the process just as much — if not, more — than the conclusion.
  2. Be wary of how the presentation of information or the omission of pertinent information can lead to the inadvertent spread of misinformation.
  3. Be aware of how “charged” topics/threads lead to poor reasoning that lacks dispassionate analysis.
  4. Be aware of how pre-existing beliefs about an individual or organization alongside the usual biases leads to a reluctance to fact-check, where claims are taken at face-value because they feel right.
  5. Link the article. Read the article. (Thoroughly.)
  6. Redirect criticism to areas where it will be the strongest.

Click here for Part 3. Warning: you might get stung by a bee 🐝

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2024.05.12 09:01 pianoplayerjas The Sharp Knife of a Short Life

There was a boy. I’d known him since I was 5 but it wasn’t until I was older that I truly noticed him. We were in 6th grade when we started taking an advanced math class together. I could tell he was smart, funny, and a person I’d want to be around for a long time. Middle school and all the drama that ensues during that time quickly invaded my life. My social group shifted and I found myself closer to my friend, Dakota. By the time we were in 7th grade he was tall and strong. Blond hair and a light greenish set of smart eyes. We started working together outside of school. My dad worked for his dad and I often found myself at their house. Dakota had one older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister. I’m the oldest of four so I could handle the chaos of lots of kids in a home. I had some of my most fun memories in middle school at that home. Not just me and Dakota, but with other friends we worked with, our siblings, and family friends. Nerf gun fights, swimming in the pool, and playing manhunt on the homestead that they lived on. I developed what you could consider a crush on Dakota. And the feeling was mutual. He hinted with the not-so-subtle flirting of a 14 year old boy. Pulling my hair, taking my things, and throwing snacks were often his go-to moves.
One night at a Christmas party, us “kids” were watching a movie while the adults played games and hung out in the other room. At some point, his head ended up on my lap. I remember touching his hair, but ultimately deciding I did NOT want someone to see this and assume the worse. Another time, we were alone in the basement. The basement was the place of all our friend hangouts. The video and board games were down there, along with the nerf guns. One night we were on the couch showing each other memes from our iPod touches. We were laughing and joking, then he handed me his iPod to read the next one. Except this wasn’t a meme: it was his notes app. On the screen it said “I think you are beautiful”. I instantly blushed and tried to hide my face. “Me?.....” I looked at him, also blushing red and he nodded. I told him thank you. It was the first time any boy had told me I was beautiful. In my own eyes, I was not. I had a big tooth gap because my parents couldn’t afford braces, and I wore glasses. I don’t know what he saw, but I appreciated the flattering compliment.
We entered high school where once again, your life shifts. You are faced with new teachers, new course materials, new teammates, and new challenges. We remained close friends through this time, by taking enough classes together and being involved with the same friends. It was nearing the fall homecoming season and I was nervous about getting a date. I saw many older boys asking girls to be their dates and I wondered if I would even have one my freshman year. Leave it up to my best friend Anna to set me up.
I clearly remember it was a Sunday night and I was watching football. My mom tells me she got a text from Dakota’s mom that there was a book she needed to grab from their house. She told me I needed to go with her. Without any context, I was annoyed she was making ME drive her there since I did not want to leave home. They lived about 5 minutes away so I figured the faster we leave the quicker I can get back home. Mom told me I should brush my hair.
“Why?”
“Well because you should look a little presentable.”
“It’s fine right, we’re just grabbing a book really quick, right?”
“Yes but you don’t want to leave the house looking like you do.”
I huffed and opened our sliding glass door going outside to the car.
“You should at least put some shoes on!”
“I’m FINE, Can we just go and get this over with”
I angrily and annoyed drove/ sped down the paved road to their house, all the while questioning my mother why she really needed me to go with her.
“I don’t know, there might be something there for you.”
I had no idea what that meant. We drove to the shop on their property that this supposed book was. I stepped out of the car, barefoot on the gravel and walked into the shop. There I see Dakota, holding a sign. I frantically looked around to figure out what was going on. I see Anna crouched in a corner covering her smiling mouth. I looked at his sign and read the homecoming proposal which used lyrics and titles from Beatles songs, my favorite band.
“Oh, Dakota! Of course yes!”
I gave him an awkward hug and turned around to realize that my mother didn’t need a book at all.
Dakota was sweet. In an innocent way. He had casually asked before if we could date, but being the reserved and shy individual I was, I had always declined. After the dance, we drifted, not for any particular reason. I heard he had started dating a different girl. She was older by two years. Was I hurt? Not particularly. Was I jealous? Maybe a little more so. They went to prom together and she was definitely way prettier than me. It happens, I thought, we aren’t meant to be. A romantic relationship would definitely change our entire chemistry.
Summer came and we were out working together on his family’s farm. We spent hours in the fields, talking, singing, and sweating. Just good friends again. It was normal and felt right. We spent a week together in late July on a church trip. We worked on a homeless shelter with our youth group and had a fun yet powerful time together. My mom, dad, and brother were on this trip as well, along with many of our church friends. After the week was done on Saturday, we drove back to our town. I remember waving goodbye to his family in their Suburban as they left the church parking lot. I didn’t realize how significant that goodbye would be.
A few days went by and we had casual texting conversations about work and school starting in the next few weeks. He texted me Tuesday night that his dad really needed some help the next morning bright and early. I wanted to sleep in. He texted “Don’t worry about it, we’ll get it covered.” A decision I’d soon regret.
Wednesday morning, I go to the church with my mom to do a couple of things with her. I can’t even recall what it was. We were getting into our car when we heard loud sirens throughout our small town. Mom and I looked at each other. Sirens are never a good sign. We get in the car, curious, but praying whoever needs the ambulance is okay. My mom gets a phone call. It’s one of our family friends. She says Dakota and his older brother have been in a bad car accident. That heavy feeling that makes your heart sink to your stomach instantly hit me. “They’re okay, they’re okay, they’re okay.” I kept telling myself. The ambulance was going fast, and Dakota is strong. He’s practically invincible. My mother’s friend tells us that we should stop by Dakota’s house to grab the boys clean clothes and bring them to the emergency room. We drive in silence, except for maybe a short prayer that the boys are okay. We get to the house and my mom quickly runs up the stairs to the boys’ bedroom. I stay downstairs. I observe the dining room. Dirty laundry in the baskets. Dirty dishes on the counter. Dakota’s name on a marker board along with a list of chores to do. We speed to the emergency room in the nearby town. On the way we received a text from Dakota’s older brother, John. He said he was doing okay but he wasn’t sure about Dakota. We should be keeping their family in our prayers. The panic was rising in my throat. I had been nervous about things before. This was different. It was like a nauseating churn that started in my stomach. Like my soul was shaking out of my physical body. We got to the hospital, parked and my mom said I should stay in the car. Probably wanting to protect me from any scarring sights within the ER. I wanted to go in. Could I see him? She insisted that I stay in the car. I stayed. Frozen at first. Then rocking back and forth. My palms were shaking and itchy in the center.
“This can’t be happening. Not Dakota. He’s like my best friend. Kids don’t die. He’s too young. Too smart. He has an incredibly successful life ahead of him.”
I was eyeing the automatic door for any sign of someone that I recognized. The ten minutes I waited felt like an hour. Ten minutes of restless uncertainty. Then I see my mom. She had one of the hardest faces that I had ever seen her make. She opened the driver’s side door and I immediately asked “What’s going on. Is he ok?!”
She looks at me dead in the eyes, shaking her head, “He didn’t make it, Jasmine”
A million emotions and questions flood my brain. I started blubbering and sobbing while hitting the dashboard. “No, no, no. Why!? Why him?” My mom breaks down with me, not able to get out a single word. The family friend who delivered the phone call joins us in the car. She says Dakota’s in a better place now. I’m in a state of shock and disbelief. Hot tears will not stop streaming down my cheeks. We were silent on the way back home. I ran upstairs to my room and shut the door. I cried into a pillow for the rest of the afternoon. I skipped dinner. There was a candlelight vigil that evening at a church. I barely had the strength to go, but my mom said it would be good for me. I brought my water bottle. I ate nothing and only drank water to replenish my tears the next two days. Saturday morning, I went to a different church with my family to see Dakota’s family. The church’s youth were making survivor bracelets out of parachute cord. Dakota had made them during his depressive episodes during his 9th grade year, when we somewhat drifted. Dakota and I took Spanish class together our freshman year. One day he asked me what my favorite color was. I told him blue. The next day he gave me a blue bracelet he had made. He said he accidentally made one too small. I was instantly brought back to that moment while standing in the church with dozens of people learning how to braid the cord. When I got home, I tore apart my vanity in search for the bracelet he had made for me. I put it on my right hand. I wore the bracelet everyday for an entire year. I had a Dakota original.
Dakota’s brother, John, who was entering his senior year, invited many of us friends to go out to the place where the accident happened. It was a blind intersection that I had previously been weary of earlier that summer. The corn was high and there were no road signs for a yield or stop. John explained how they had just got in the truck after working the field about a half mile south and were going to take their lunch break. He said they had just started going down the road, picking up speed, when he heard a small voice tell him to put his seatbelt on. John put his seatbelt on, but Dakota didn’t. John said he felt as if there was something around the corner, but ultimately did not slow down near the intersection. A driver, going 50 miles per hour, t-boned them in the intersection. According to John, the truck rolled and Dakota was thrown through the windshield. John found his phone and quickly called 911. He found Dakota and blood was coming from his mouth. He had a large wound on his forehead where he had smashed the dashboard. John pulled him into the field of soybeans, opposite the corn, and tried performing CPR. Dakota was mumbling and sputtering blood before his breathing stopped. The paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. They said he was internally decapitated.
The wake for Dakota was on Sunday night. I had a tough time finding the strength to go. We waited in line behind dozens of people for close to an hour. When I finally got up to him, my heart sank again. There he was. His skin was pale. His hair was not right. His mother, who was right by, said it was okay to touch him. I reached for his hair to move it how he usually wore it. As I parted it, I saw the large scar covered by gobs of makeup that the hair was covering on his forehead. I put it back.
His funeral was the next day. Monday. At 1:18PM, his birthday date. I felt sick the whole morning. My whole family got in the car and my mom was talking to my younger siblings. I was silent. I was going to one of my best friends’ funerals. The church where the funeral was held was absolutely packed. Parked cars took up the surrounding blocks. The church had multiple floors and rooms with casted video of the celebration of life. I was considered close enough to sit in the sanctuary in the front half of the pews. I sat with my gifted teacher and other friends from the gifted program. What a terrible way to end your summer. Saying hello to people you haven’t seen in a few months at a funeral. I remember the funeral. There were songs and the service was led in large by Dakota’s own mother. To this day I have no idea how she had the strength to do that. I remember a few of the songs that were sung, but I’ll never forget the sound of the casket closing. The last goodbye. The final SLAM. His face would never again have sunlight shown upon it. Never again would a person touch him, hold him, hug him.
My family tried to get out to the burial but the crowd was just too insanely large to get around. I had the final say that we could go home. I’d come back another time.
The next day, I went to the scene of the accident. It was an intersection 5 miles east of my house. Someone had put up a make-shift cross at the intersection. I brought a big University of Kansas patch from one of our gifted trips to place at the cross. He loved basketball, and especially the Jayhawks. On the back of the patch I had written “I love you”. That night, there was a big storm. I sat up straight in bed and started crying as the wind whistled by my windows. The patch.
When I woke up, I found a reason to leave home and went back out to the intersection. I ran up to the cross and found my patch wrapped tightly around the base with some old barbed wire. I burst into tears of relief. I have no idea who saved my patch.
The next two weeks were spent preparing for school and fall practice. I had decided to do tennis that fall instead of volleyball. On the first day of school, I rode the bus into the town with my school. We drove past the intersection and I burst into tears. I cried four more times that day. Each time in the class he should have been in with me. I was distraught. I have no other way to describe how absolutely depressed I was walking the halls. Teachers were not the same. There was an absence in our sophomore class. An absence on our football team. In our audition choir. In our youth group. And in me. I tried my best to get through it. I started journaling a little bit after the accident to help organize my thoughts. To remember all the little details I could about him. To write them down so they didn’t disappear.
My sophomore year was brutal. I was playing tennis in the fall with a small team of girls who helped to create a safe and calm environment for me. I spent all of my hours in the team vehicle listening to two Lifehouse albums on repeat. I’d look out the window and reflect. What was life? What was my purpose? Why did this happen?
I didn’t have an answer. I bottled it up. It seemed that a lot of my class who weren’t very close with Dakota had a lot easier time going back to their normal lives. I was missing a friend. There was a contact in my phone from whom I’d never received another text. I had unfinished business. We had talked all summer about how our math class and Spanish II classes would be so fun this year. The bracelet I wore everyday was getting a stark tan line.
The semester rolled on. One of my other close friends moved to Colorado. And my last best friend, Anna, was in her own self-discovery phase. She wasn’t as close to Dakota and I was more or less a depressed teen at that time. I cried at school. In the bathrooms. In the locker room or a small music practice room. Am I just that sensitive? Why is no one else dealing with this grief like I am? I tried to distract myself with various activities. It worked for the most part. In the spring, I went out for softball. I loved softball. I had been playing it for years. I even had helped “assistant coach” a little girls rec league with Dakota and his family a few summers beforehand. Softball was hard but I needed the challenge. I worked hard at the sport and found myself on the varsity team after multiple players were out for the season due to injury or illness. In the last regular season game, on May 9th on our home field, I broke my leg. I had a high impact with the catcher while trying to steal home. The ump called me safe and we won the game by a run rule as I crumpled to the ground. I remember thinking I could stand up, but the weirdest tingling started down my leg around my knee. My coach carried me off the field like a baby. I pulled my helmet off and one tear slid down my cheek. They put me on a stretcher while the athletic trainer checked my knee.
“Yep, you fractured a bone. We should get you in to the ER for an X-ray”
“Fracture? Like my bone broke?”
“Yes that’s what a fracture is”
I started sobbing. Not from the pain. From the overwhelming feeling of becoming an invalid for an uncertain amount of time. I slid in the back of my mom’s vehicle as we drove down to the county ER. We got there, I was still in uniform. Just hysterical. I had no idea what was going on as I had never had an injury like this before. The ER lady took X-rays of my right leg. The images came back and showed a tibial plateau fracture. I wouldn’t be walking for a while. They helped cut me out of my softball pants and sent me home with lots of pain killers. The next few days I spent vomiting from the strong norco drug. I had a surgery a few days later where they placed hardware in my knee and put me in a straight-leg brace. I was miserable. It was hot and scratchy and I had my finals coming up. I went back to school the next Wednesday or Thursday to collect some class work to do at home. As I lived on the downstairs couch for close to three weeks I found myself asking again “Why did this happen?” I finished the school year by doing my final projects and giving my German foreign exchange student friend a final hug. I remember thinking “This is a nicer way to say goodbye to someone forever”.
I couldn’t walk for most of the summer and I started painful physical therapy. I was frequenting 3 times a week for a long while to build back my strength and relearn to walk. As soon as I was weight-bearing, I started working outside again. Doing what I could with one crutch. Dakota’s dad hired me to help manage the field workers and I could do some wood stacking decently enough. On the 1 year anniversary of Dakota’s death, I went to the gravesite for a small ceremony. It was the first time I had been there. The intersection where he died was my frequent mourning spot, almost daily on my drive to and from school. The gravestone was large and obviously very expensive. It has a beautiful picture of him and the quote “You got this”, that he used often as a self-reassuring phrase. At some point after the 1-year, I stopped wearing the bracelet he made me. Was it time to let go? How long does one mourn?
The rest of my high school journey was tainted with the memories of him and the phantom memories of where I imagined him being. At my graduation, we had an honorary memorial and scholarship dedicated to him and his character. Then I went to college. I was already dating who would become my husband a number of years later.
Years have passed. There is no happy ending. I'm still here. Aging. Growing older while I can still see the face of my 15 year old friend. He isn’t growing. He’s in the ground. Resting. It feels like a lifetime until I can see him again. I’ve had dreams of him. Unprompted visions of him were prevalent for about 2 years after he passed. You would think this story would get easier after the number of times I’ve played in my head over all of these years. But it hasn’t. I’m in the acceptance stage of grief. I’ve lived life, gotten married, laughed again, and see a bright future for myself. Though I do often think, Where would Dakota be now? Would we have become closer friends? Would he be married? He would have made a good father.
Again, I have no answers to these questions that I suppose may eternally sit with me. I do have some answers though. I’ve learned how to not take people for granted. I’ve learned how to recognize depressive symptoms and how to be a listening ear for someone who feels hopeless. I’ve learned how to find purpose in helping people. I’ve learned patience. Sometimes patience is agonizing, which means the reward is definitely worth the wait.
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2024.05.12 05:13 Snati_Snati [PI] You've slain the beast, but instead of payment the villagers kicked you out Enraged, you do what no mage has ever done: Resurrect a dragon.

Originally posted as a comment to this post.
I bite my lip until it bleeds, attempting to ground myself with physical pain.
Oh master! Forgive me for perverting the techniques you entrusted to me.
My shaking hand manages to snatch a teardrop from the air just in time. Even a single teardrop would ruin the complex Fulu talisman that I just completed. I attach the talisman above the entrance to the cave, joining the dozens of other talismans already in place. Taking a moment to study the brilliant red cinnabar ink, I mentally trace each brush stroke of every character. Every symbol stirs up memories of endless practice under my master’s critical gaze; harsh punishments for the smallest imperfections resulting in bitter complaints from an ungrateful student. A wry smile briefly dances across my lips.
Master, forgive the foolish youth I once was. That of which I complained most bitterly is precisely what gives me the skill and power that I now wield.
Those few disciples who mastered the techniques of our sect obtained the rare ability to destroy the very essence of monsters and demonic beings. There are many with the skill to lure such creatures away from a town. Fewer who can, temporarily, destroy the physical manifestation of such abominations. But only the secrets of our sect could permanently pacify such beasts instead of simply driving them away to trouble some new location. Our senior disciples are able to sense and control the spiritual essence of these creatures. This allows them to guide the harmful spirits back into the Earth, allowing them to find rest.
That is why my actions tonight are blasphemous. I’m twisting my master’s techniques to draw the spiritual essence of a dragon back from out of the Earth herself and then I will guide this spiritual core back into the corpse of the dragon entombed within this cave. Such an act has never been attempted! While the blasphemy of this plan hangs heavy on my conscience, I do feel proud at how clearly I was able to see how to adapt these techniques to this task and how quickly I was able to modify the traditional talismans to help bring this dragon back to life. I have no doubt that I will succeed.
As I enter the cave, I look back at the events that led me here. Over the past 16 years, I became rather well known for my skill in pacifying demonic beasts that troubled towns and trade routes. With this reputation, people were eager to share with me any stories or news of troublesome beasts. These were rarely firsthand accounts; usually they were exaggerated rumors heard from travelers visiting a local tavern. However, I learned to discern the kernels of truth that often lay buried within these tall tales. Recently, those who traded in fantastic stories were obsessed with stories of dragons. After some research, I found the common elements in these stories pointed to a dragon terrifying a remote valley on the other side of the kingdom. In our part of the world, dragons typically keep to themselves, so I was excited at the prospect of my first dragon pacification. I made a rapid journey across the kingdom, taking no time to stop and enjoy the cities and towns that I passed through. When I arrived at the edge of the kingdom, I set off on foot to explore the remote valleys while looking for any evidence of a dragon causing trouble. Within several days, my efforts bore fruit. At the outer edge of a remote settlement, I saw a large dragon sitting in a pasture. The dragon was eagerly devouring an entire herd of livestock.
Wanting to save as much of the livestock as possible, I quickly subdued the spiritual essence of the dragon and began guiding it into the earth. I was surprised at how easy it was to pacify the beast – the dragon didn’t fight back at all. Perhaps it was simply torpid after eating so much. The next stage, waiting for the dragon’s spirit to fully disperse, required a considerable amount of time. I was skilled enough that I could use this time to study the dragon’s corpse. Its scales were a beautiful mottled brown that matched the pattern of the bark on the trees near the edge of the clearing. I noticed that the dragon was adorned with bracelets around its forearms, legs, and even the base of its tail. Dragons, of course, have a reputation for enjoying fine jewelry, but these were all woven from leather or thread and the quality was quite poor with many obvious mistakes in the weaving. Rather peculiar, but I had certainly seen stranger things in my travels. These were likely tokens from humans the dragon had killed previously, the poor settlers in the area not owning any real jewelry. Eventually, the dragon’s essence was fully dispersed and I went in search of a cave in the nearby cliffs to use as a crypt for the dragon’s corpse. After the exhausting job of moving the dragon’s body, I walked to the village to share the good news.
It’s difficult to overstate how shocked I was at the villagers’ reaction to my news. Instead of the usual cheering and celebration there was only silence. The older children and younger teenagers, in particular, looked like they were about to cry. After a minute of awkward silence, the adults became angry! They started yelling at me, threatening me, making the most vile and horrid accusations. I simply couldn’t understand what was happening. Were these people all bewitched by some evil spirit? I tested the room as best I could in those chaotic circumstances, but found no evidence of possession or entrancement. The people were honestly angry with me!
Eventually, I got them to calm down enough so I could actually understand what they were yelling at me. They kept saying the dragon was friendly and considered a citizen of the village. I tried to explain that I caught the dragon devouring a farmer’s livestock. A farmer yelled something about a payment and keeping wolves away; I was rather distracted by the anger in his eyes and the pitchfork in his hand that he kept threatening me with. Eventually, the adults stopped yelling at me when several of the children approached. With tears in their eyes they told me about the friendship bracelets they made for their friend and how they looked forward to playing with the dragon every weekend. I still find it difficult to believe, but the children’s grief was so utterly sincere that I was finally convinced they were all telling the truth.
Once I understood how important the dragon was to this small community, my heart broke. They must have seen how much this realization affected me because they stopped yelling and threatening me. After more awkward silence, the elders said the village would prefer that I leave so they could mourn the loss of their friend in peace. I was escorted out of the town and the sheriff, with anger in his voice, asked me never to return. Apologies would do little to repair the harm that I had done, so I nodded and walked towards the mountains from whence I had come.
Never before have I been so angry! Never before have I felt such hatred of myself! I was enraged and full of a dangerous energy that threatened to overwhelm me. It took all of the discipline and training that I had ever learned to contain this anger and cool it down into something productive. I had to channel this energy and there was only one action that would give me release: I had to bring the dragon back to life.
The very thought of such blasphemy shook me to my core, but it was the only way to restore my honor. I had spent my life trying to help and protect the people in this kingdom. I never cared if it was a shack of the poorest old widow or a mansion of a great noble; my only goal was to bring peace and relief. Now, I had destroyed the peace of this village. Instead of relief, I brought them grief. I killed their friend and wounded the hearts of their children. The only way forward was to undo this terrible deed even if it went against everything my master taught me. I took a slow breath and waited for my thoughts to settle. I was now standing next to the massive muzzle of the beautiful forest dragon, the innocent dragon that I had killed. Wiping away the last of my tears, I began the process of searching for the dragon’s spiritual essence.
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2024.05.12 04:08 watermelon4487 In honor of Mother's Day, what was a ridiculous rule your nmom had?

For me it was:
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2024.05.12 01:55 cuddlefish143 Mother's Day is tomorrow and I am NOT okay

I am not okay. I am supremely not okay. I’m going to tell my story to the void, hoping that it will help. This is going to be very long, and I apologize. I’m looking for…I don’t know. Advice to cope? Validation or words of affirmation? Just knowing I’m not alone?
Trigger warnings for pregnancy loss and infertility. Are trigger warnings a thing on here?
A few years ago, I was having some issues wrapping my mind around something in my marriage (it’s all good now, we worked through it/ It was not an issue of right or wrong, just a situation I wasn’t familiar with), and I came to Reddit for advice. Some people had good advice, but one person linked me to a podcast saying “they have something for you to hear.” Thinking it was more advice on the subject, I listened. It was a podcast that had found my content and used it for their show. They tore me a new one. If the hosts had known me from birth they couldn’t have blasted out every insecurity I ever had better than they did. I wanted to die after hearing that. I deleted everything I every wrote on reddit, and that account. I made a new one and I’ve been very careful with what I post, like, comment on since then. All this to say: I can take criticism, but please be kind. And please do NOT use my pain for your podcast/tiktok/whatever. Thank you.
Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a mother, more than anything. I wanted a family of my own. It shaped everything I did. When you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up it was always “(something) and a mommy.” I babysat as a young (and mid, and older) teen so that I could get more experience with children for when I had a family. I was a camp counselor for the same reason. I enrolled in a college with a great teaching program so that I could be around kids, but be home for after school times and the summer, for (you guessed it) when I had children of my own. After working as a camp counselor from a CIT to a junior counselor, to a senior counselor, I became so good at handling all the children that the other groups in our unit would often combine on very hot days and I would watch everyone. I entertained about 60 children with stories and sing alongs, while the other counselors took very needed breaks (I offered - and they were around for backup. I was not being taken advantage of). I did start to get burned out, and after my first semester at college I became worried that I’d get burned out from teaching and not want my own children - so I switched majors.
Everything decision I made in my life was to further my dream of having my own children. Maybe it’s because I was adopted. Maybe it’s because I didn’t love how I was raised and wanted to do better. Maybe I’m just wired that way.
This is not to say that I was baby-crazy. I had a good head on my shoulders. I always used protection with boyfriends and was very careful with my birth control. I wanted children, but not before I was ready and could provide for them.During my first (way too young, should have stayed friends but didn’t, and short lived) marriage, we looked into having children, but in a few years’ time. I spoke to a doctor about it, only to find out I had PCOS and it would probably be difficult. We ended up divorcing fairly early on for other reasons.
I met my second husband years later. My dreams quickly became his dreams. We started trying. Nothing happened. We ended up getting married about a year earlier than we had planned to so that I could be on his insurance, because mine didn’t cover fertility treatments. We found a fertility doctor and I spent a full year getting physically ready to go through treatments. I was a bit overweight and worked with doctors. I got my diabetes in check. I quit smoking. I worked hard to get every hormone level right in the middle of “perfect”. Finally, the doctor was satisfied with everything (he really was quite the perfectionist) and I started getting shots. They made me insane, but it was worth it. And knowing that it was the hormones shots that made me so overly emotional, I was able to contain the crazy for the most part (I literally cried one day because we were out of tissues. Another time I cried because I was watching The Little Mermaid and remembered that Ariel gets legs at the end and who wouldn’t want to be a mermaid?!?). Anyway, we conceived pretty early on.
The happiest day of my life was when I saw the positive test. All of my dreams, all of my hopes, all of my hard work….it was finally coming true! My husband was ecstatic! I didn’t even mind the morning sickness (which wasn’t that bad. Just constant nausea). Or the new sensitivity I had to smells. I found every change fascinating. I prayed every night, thanking god for blessing us with this child, and only ever asking for “healthy, happy and whole.” Those three words became my mantra. I fell asleep every night with my hand over where my uterus was, trying to project those words into my growing child.
I wouldn’t be here if this had a happy ending.
I wasn’t pregnant for very long. There was one day that I was…well, there’s no polite way to put this. Extremely horny. I was ready to jump anything. I took care of the issue myself, and got off. I hadn’t for weeks, being afraid that I would somehow screw things up. I wanted to wait until that embryo was FIRMLY embedded and not going anywhere. A few minutes after I finished, I had a little bit of cramping. There was a little bit of blood. I immediately called the 24hr line for the doctor, and was told by whoever answered that this was normal. That I didn’t do anything wrong, and that it would all be fine. I knew in my heart they were wrong, but tried to ignore that. It went away after about an hour. I continued with my prayers. I continued with my life. I had already made all of the changes to my diet that were necessary. I did everything “right”.
I had been going for weekly blood tests, since like I said, the fertility doctor was a perfectionist and wanted to monitor things closely. I got the results in the online portal at the same time the doctor did. I came to know and understand what they meant before the doctor would call with an explanation. The blood test after this incident showed that my levels were dropping. It wasn’t dangerous yet, but it could be.
The next week, before my weekly test, I went to a friend’s house who was having a garage sale soon. She was offering things to her friends first. She made kind of a party of everything. I was about 2 months pregnant. I went to the bathroom and saw blood. I came out and my husband knew something was wrong. A look on my face, I guess. I told him I was bleeding, like a lot, and we called the emergency line again. I was in tears. The woman who answered wouldn’t listen to me. She thought I was just being nervous. She listened to my husband, though. My friends had me lay down with my feet elevated. We were told to go to the ER. They did an ultrasound. That poor technician - I begged her with tears in my eyes to tell me something. Anything. I knew she wasn’t allowed to but I didn’t care at that moment. She bent enough to tell me that she did see something was still there, but she couldn’t see more than that; the on-call doctor would have to look at it. The doctor came in and told me that there was no heartbeat. My hormone levels showed that the fetus was no longer viable. I was miscarrying.
I still remember that look of pure pity. Tears were running down my face and I just wanted her to leave so I could give in to them. Finally she left and my husband climbed onto the bed with me and we cried together.
That was in March. They had contacted my fertility specialist who said he wanted me to try and continue to carry for two weeks to see if they could then look at the cells to see what went wrong. I carried (what I considered) my dead child for two weeks before my D&C. After my D&C they put me in a room with a new mother and her crying child. In April, I had a follow up with my ob-gyn and my fertility specialist. I found out that nothing had gone wrong genetically. I was asked if I wanted to know the sex, because they were able to tell me. NO. Yes. No…..yes. Girl. We had a name picked out for her.
Mother’s day came in May, of course. It was….I was not okay. Losing my daughter wasn’t just the loss of a pregnancy, it was the loss of all of my hopes and dreams come true. We tried a few more times but could never conceive after that. We looked into adoption, but I was told flat out that no one would give me a child because I was polyamorous. We eventually gave up.
Yes, I went to therapy. It helped, some. But I found that around mid March, to around a week after Mother’s Day, I’d start to get very depressed. It would get worse up until MD, and then I’d start to be okay again. Every year. We tried cutting ourselves off from any mention of the holiday. That of course didn’t work. We tried leaning into it, at the suggestion of my therapist. We acknowledged her. I made us morse code bracelets with her name and “forever in our hearts”. I planned a tattoo, but never had the money to get it. I still plan on it, one day.
The worst part? It’s also the best part. Every year at MD, I can’t seem to get out of bed. I just lay there and stare. Or get rip-roaring drunk. It’s a terrible coping mechanism, I know. But I plan my yearly breakdown. I know it’s going to happen, so that one day a year I give in, but do it in the most healthy way I can. I make sure not to be alone. My husband (or this year, my partner) makes sure I eat and drink plenty of water. But I see her. Not really. I don’t actually see her, I don’t actually hear her. I have a very good imagination, and intrusive thoughts. That’s all this is. I know it’s not real and I am not delusional. But I imagine her, as she would be if she had been born. I can’t seem to help it. I’m not sure I want to, to be completely honest. It’s not healthy, but I can’t seem to stop. (I’m going to use the words “see” and “hear”, but please know that I mean “imagine”.) I see her down the hall, or peeking around the corner. I hear her asking “mommy, why are you crying? Mommy why won’t you get up and play with me?” She has frizzy hair. Glasses. My husband’s eczema. My eyes. My build. His nose. I am haunted by my daughter who was never born. I want it to stop, but I never want it to stop.
This year, it started early. I’m going through a TON of stress right now in several areas of my life. This started about a week ago. Again, I know it’s not real. I know it’s just my depression mixed with my very good imagination. I don’t actually see things. I don’t actually hear things. I kind of wish I did, just as much as I wish I had died 8 years ago.
I am not okay.
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2024.05.12 00:31 Substantial_Item_828 No, It’s Not Joever: How 2024 Polling Is Underestimating Joe Biden

No, It’s Not Joever: How 2024 Polling Is Underestimating Joe Biden
Note: This essay was written about a month ago, for a school project. Some of the numbers and polling averages may be slightly outdated, but the point of the essay still stands.
Introduction
“DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.”
That’s what the front-page headline of the Chicago Tribune said on November 3rd, 1948. It’s also what the polls had all been saying for months: that New York governor Thomas Dewey would defeat incumbent president Harry Truman and become the next president of the United States. And yet, he didn’t. Truman won reelection in a massive upset, defying the polls. Somehow, Truman had gone from trailing Dewey in polls by so much that cartoons like the following were created, to winning the election.
https://preview.redd.it/oqba22kugvzc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=92204f20feee6faea87f731a797760140c4a0814
Truman was a very unpopular president. His campaign was also plagued by third parties threatening to split his votes: Strom Thurmond on the right and Henry Wallace on the left. The way he was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat can’t be described as anything less than amazing.
Historians still debate over it, but the most popular theory is that Truman was able to win many voters who disapproved of him because he successfully painted Republicans as being worse than he was. This strategy was aided by Dewey’s weak campaign. Many voters didn’t like Truman, and when polled, wouldn’t say they would vote for him, but when the time came, they held their nose and pulled the lever for the president. The election was a lesson to not treat polls as gospel.
Today, the nation faces another presidential election. The Democratic candidate is incumbent president Joe Biden. He’s running for reelection despite concerns about his age and rumors he wouldn’t run again due to it. On the Republican side, former president Donald Trump is the nominee. He faced opposition in the primaries, most notably by former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, but beat her and his other opponents without too much trouble. The election is the first presidential rematch since 1956. Several independent/third-party candidates are running too, the most notable being Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr. for short), nephew of JFK. He’s been polling very high for a third-party candidate, getting double digits in many polls.
Biden beat Trump in 2020, but opinion polls have been showing Trump leading Biden, often by large margins. As of April 1st, Trump leads Biden by 1.1% in the national polling average according to racetothewh.com, an election prediction/poll aggregation website. Biden won the popular vote by 4.5% in 2020, so this is a sizable swing right. Trump also leads Biden in all seven swing states. Below is a chart comparing the 2020 presidential election margin and the 2024 polling average in the seven swing states.
https://preview.redd.it/9wvdn2yzgvzc1.png?width=631&format=png&auto=webp&s=e9c69e14cedfecc11d866837b9533d3e39a30db0
It seems like Biden’s doomed. He needs to win at least some of the swing states to win the election, and right now he isn’t winning any of them. It looks like Trump is on track to becoming the second president ever to win a non-consecutive second term, after Grover Cleveland.
But there’s something else going on.
Biden’s bad polling situation seems simple on the surface. He’s incredibly unpopular, having an approval rating of 39.1% (net -16.3%) according to FiveThirtyEight. His bout of unpopularity seems to have started around the Afghanistan withdrawal, although when asking someone their reason for disliking Biden they’ll probably say something about his age or the economy instead. So, it makes sense that Biden would be polling badly. He’s an unpopular president, and people would rather have Trump.
But it isn’t that simple. Because looking deeper, there are some things that don’t make sense. Crosstabs of polls showing massive realignments not seen since the Civil Rights era. Other indicators of a president in trouble not showing up. Things that when put together, suggest Biden may not be in as much danger as the polls say.
When all the evidence is put together and analyzed, it’s clear that Biden is not doomed, not at all. Biden’s bad polling can be explained by two things. First, bad polling methodology underpolling his supporters. Second, people who are supporting third parties now, but will eventually return to Biden. These two things are both making Biden’s polling look bad, although which one has a stronger effect depends on the poll and the demographic group. Additionally, all the indicators other than the polls, like primary elections and special/off-year elections, don’t show Biden in too much trouble.
Explaining Racial and Age Depolarization
First, context is needed for the rest of this essay to make sense. So, as was said earlier, 2024 polls are showing Biden doing much worse than his 2020 performance. That makes sense – Biden is less popular, so naturally fewer people want to vote for him. The strange part is what demographic groups Biden is slipping with. Instead of a mostly uniform shift, which would be expected, almost all of Biden’s losses seem to come among nonwhite voters – most significantly black and Hispanic voters. He’s also losing ground among young voters (usually defined as voters between the ages of 18 and 29). The Democratic Party traditionally does well with these groups, so this is of course concerning for Biden. Even more strange is that in some polls, Biden is actually making some inroads among the demographics that are historically the base of the Republican Party – those being white voters and seniors. Looking at the aggregation of crosstabs of polls during February, there are many abnormalities.
The aggregation shows Trump making massive gains among black and Hispanic voters (swings of R+28.4 and R+18.5 respectively) but making almost zero gains among white voters (R+0.1, but right under that there are slight blue swings with both college educated and non-college educated whites, likely a product of not all polls recording results for those groups). This is strange, to say the least. White people seem to be perfectly fine with Biden, while nonwhite people suddenly despise him. This phenomenon is called racial depolarization, or racedep for short.
Swings among different age groups are also odd. Trump is improving by 16.1 points among voters aged 18-29 but losing 1.8 points with seniors and 4 points with voters aged 50-64. Young voters are much more liberal than older voters. Every opinion poll and election result suggests this. Unless they’ve suddenly become much more conservative, them supporting Trump over Biden doesn’t make sense. Along with racedep, age depolarization ("agedep") is common in crosstabs of 2024 polls.
Those are not the only depolarizations supposedly going on, as can be seen in the tweet. Urban and suburban voters moving towards Trump while rural voters move towards Biden. Democrats moving towards Trump, Republicans moving towards Biden. Geographical and political polarization have been increasing in recent years, so this suggests a strange reverse of that trend. 2024 probably won’t be a large realignment, it’s more likely something is just wrong with the polls.
Explaining Primaries
Presidential primary season has been going on for a few months, after the Iowa caucus kicked it off in January. While Biden and Trump both won their primaries easily, how strong their performances were in different areas can reveal a lot about how certain groups are feeling about the candidacies of the two – like black, Hispanic, and young voters. But first, protest voting has to be explained.
When an incumbent president is running for reelection, they usually do not face much opposition in the primaries. Typically, only no-name minor candidates are the other people on the ballot besides the president. They do not have a chance at winning, but they do serve as a way for people who are upset with the president to express it. Sometimes, the “Uncommitted” option is also used to protest. Look back to 2012, when Obama was running for reelection. He swept the primaries, but his worst performances were in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, where he got under 60% of the vote.
The four states all had something in common: a lot of the registered Democrats were white conservatives who before 2008 voted Democratic, but switched to McCain because they didn’t like Obama’s dark vision for America. They voted against Obama in the primaries because they didn’t like him and didn’t want him to be the nominee. Those voters would then go on to vote Republican in the general election. The places that swung the hardest against Obama in 2008 were also the places where he did the worst in the 2012 primaries.
2004-2008 swing
2012 Oklahoma Democratic presidential primary
2012 Arkansas Democratic presidential primary
2012 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary
2012 West Virginia Democratic presidential primary
Now, those four states were already very red even before 2008, Obama was not going to win them and he did not need to win them. But if a candidate is doing badly in a potentially competitive state’s primary, they should heed the warning – or risk losing. Another good example of protest voting can be found in the 2016 Democratic primary. Hillary Clinton did very poorly in the Rust Belt states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – losing the first two to Sanders and coming close to losing the last. And where Sanders’s support was strongest was in rural areas – also the areas that swung the most towards Trump in the general election. Trump narrowly flipped all three of those states, winning him the presidency.
2016 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary
2016 Michigan Democratic presidential primary
2016 Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary
2012-2016 swing
The polls said Clinton would easily win all three states, while the primaries said she would struggle in them – and the primaries were right.
The 2024 Primaries
Presidential primaries can give an idea of where a candidate might underperform in the general election, and 2024 primaries are no exception. If black, Hispanic, and young voters are upset with Biden, like the polls are suggesting, then they will protest vote against him. The first primary that will be examined is the South Carolina primary. South Carolina is 26% black according to the 2020 census, and that number is even higher among Democratic primary voters thanks to the racial polarization of the state – Biden won 90% of black South Carolinians in the 2020 election, while Trump won 73% of white South Carolinians.
https://preview.redd.it/x2t8cnl3hvzc1.png?width=338&format=png&auto=webp&s=2b5982c343da804a10a1221e623b2de84b2f1b86
South Carolina was also the first primary state (so Biden did not have momentum from winning contests at that point, nor was he the presumptive nominee), and the primary was open (meaning independents could vote), so the conditions for protest voting were as good as they could possibly be.
But despite all that, Biden got 96% of the vote.
If black people really are upset with Biden, they clearly don’t hate him enough to cast a protest vote against him. And looking at individual counties, there’s not even a correlation between the percent of black people and the percent of opposition vote. Biden got 97% of the vote in Allendale County (73% black, the blackest county in the state) and he got 95% in Pickens County (7% black, the least black county in the state). If anything, Biden did better in counties where there are more black people. And it’s not just South Carolina – in pretty much every state where black people make up a significant percentage of the Democratic electorate, Biden won by huge margins. He got 99% in Mississippi, 95% in Georgia, 90% in Alabama, and 86% in Louisiana. Biden came close to losing a few counties in Louisiana – but not the ones with lots of black people. The counties he did the worst in are heavily white. The same kind of people who gave Obama trouble in the 2012 primaries voted against Biden, too.
Evidently, black people aren’t protest voting against Biden. Young voters will be looked at next, using the Michigan primary. Just like South Carolina, Michigan has open primaries.
There was an organized campaign for the “Uncommitted” option in Michigan to protest Biden’s policy on Gaza and pressure him into calling for a ceasefire. The Uncommitted option did modestly well, getting 13% of the vote, slightly higher than it did twelve years ago when Obama was running for reelection. The Uncommitted campaign achieved their (unambitious) goal of 10,000 votes, getting slightly over 100,000. Biden got 81% of the vote, while Williamson and Phillips took the remaining 6%.
What’s interesting though, is where Uncommitted did the best. Its strongest performance was in Wayne County (which includes Detroit and a few other cities), where it got 17%. Wayne County is home to 140,000 Arab Americans who make up 7.8% of the county’s population, so the strong Uncommitted performance wasn’t surprising. The second strongest county for Uncommitted was Washtenaw County (also 17%), which doesn’t have many Arab Americans. What it does have, however, is the University of Michigan. With over 50,000 students enrolled, it’s one of the largest colleges in the country. Looking at a precinct map of the results for Washtenaw County, Uncommitted did well because UMich students were protest voting against Biden.
https://preview.redd.it/nov5qkx5hvzc1.png?width=629&format=png&auto=webp&s=cec905bdfdd4fa10be01d03a97a220925d4ffa6d
Ann Arbor, the city where UMich is located, had a very high percentage of Uncommitted votes. There’s no doubt about it, college students were voting Uncommitted to protest Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza.
Looking at college counties in other primaries, there was generally a trend of the Uncommitted option (or whatever name the state has for it) doing well. In Dane County, Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin), there was lots of protest voting against Biden. “Uninstructed” got 15% in Dane vs 8% statewide.
“None of these names” did well in Douglas County, Kansas (University of Kansas), getting 14.5% of the vote, compared to the statewide average of 10.3%.
And Uncommitted got a sizable 21% in New Haven, Connecticut (Yale University), compared to 11% statewide.
There’s definitely some protest voting against Biden by young voters. But remember the reason most of them are unhappy with Biden in the first place: it’s because of Gaza. Trump is more pro-Israel then Biden, so it makes no sense for them to support him. That’s different from Haley voters, who are ideologically between Biden and Trump. Things may be more complicated than they seem, as will be discussed later, but first here’s the analysis of the third group Biden has been slipping with in polls: Hispanic voters. The Texas primary is a good place to judge how Hispanic voters are feeling about Biden. Texas has open primaries, like Michigan and South Carolina.
Biden did the worst in South and West Texas. One of the places he underperformed the most was the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). He got percentages in the 60s, 50s, and even 40s in many RGV counties, with his worst performance being in Zapata County, where he got a pathetic 40% of the vote.
The RGV is heavily Hispanic, so at first this seems like a validation of the polls showing Trump making massive gains among Hispanic voters – but it isn’t the only place in Texas where Hispanic people live. Biden performed very strongly in El Paso County, an 82% Hispanic county home to the city of the same name.
He also did well in places like Bexar County (San Antonio, 59% Hispanic), Dallas County (Dallas, 40% Hispanic), and Harris County (Houston, 43% Hispanic).
Looking at other states, it seems like Biden’s RGV performance was the exception, not the rule. He got 81% in Imperial County, California (86% Hispanic); and 83% in Santa Cruz County, Arizona (83% Hispanic).
Hispanic voters have been slowly trending towards Republicans over time, so Biden’s performances are even more impressive when that factor is taken into account. According to exit polls, Hispanic voters voted for Obama by 44 points, Clinton by 38 points, and 2020 Biden by 33 points. A lot of the people voting against Biden may be registered as Democrats but didn’t vote for him in 2020.
https://preview.redd.it/h35vewo8hvzc1.png?width=407&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c5b78394104a627ae1b8019db62aa1c3a4a1b70
https://preview.redd.it/jlo9nlhdhvzc1.png?width=377&format=png&auto=webp&s=726526e7da2a9c8690ab01e00a12e2e49265445d
https://preview.redd.it/l4tremrehvzc1.png?width=458&format=png&auto=webp&s=0744e5c12f7c0c4eb05ec84b59a070174b017b98
Overall, primaries don’t support the polls showing Trump making huge gains among black/Hispanic/young voters. There’s zero evidence black voters are upset with Biden. As for the other two groups, there are some signs of discontent, but not enough to warrant the double-digit swings polls are showing. Biden’s underperformances in college counties/Hispanic counties, when present at all, are usually less than 10 points worse than his statewide performance. And that’s assuming every single person protest voting will go for Trump. If all protest voters really do vote for the other party in the general election, say hello to Biden’s second term, because Nikki Haley regularly gets twice the number of votes in Republican primaries as Biden’s opposition does in Democratic primaries. Even after she dropped out.
Midterms, Off-Years, and Special Elections
At the same time Biden has been doing well in primaries, Democrats have been scoring wins in special/off-year elections. These elections are historically correlated with the popularity of the president, so they conflict with the polls showing Biden down. Look at elections during the last three presidencies to know what happens when a president is unpopular.
While Trump was in office, he was quite the unpopular president, and his party lost many elections because of it. Through 2017-2019, Republicans lost a net 8 governorships, going from 34 to 26; and a net 41 House seats, going from 241 to 200. The only chamber they managed to gain in was the Senate (thanks to a very favorable map and increased polarization causing many Democrats in red states to lose) – but not without losing a special election in Alabama, a deep red state that had voted for Trump over Clinton by almost 28 points.
This pattern continues to back when Obama was in office. From 2009-2011, when he was at the height of his unpopularity due to the state of the economy and Obamacare, Democrats lost big. They went from 28 governorships to just 20, 257 House seats to only 193, and 59 Senate seats to only 53. Like Republicans with Alabama during Trump’s presidency, Democrats managed to lose a Senate special election in a state considered safe for their party – Massachusetts, which had voted for Obama by 26 points in 2008.
And it goes even further back to Bush’s presidency. Backlash over the wars caused Republicans to lose 6 governorships from 2005-2007 (going from 28 seats to 22), 30 House seats (232 down to 202), and 6 Senate seats (55 to 49).
But despite Biden’s unpopularity and bad polling, Democrats have been doing well in elections despite precedent saying they shouldn’t be. The 2022 midterms, which were supposed to be a red wave, were anything but. Democrats flipped a net 2 governorships and 1 Senate seat, and only barely lost the House. The small majority Republicans won has been giving them trouble when trying to govern. Already, one Speaker was ousted and it’s possible a second might be too.
More recently, Democrats won the governorship in Kentucky and almost won it in Mississippi, both very red states. They flipped the Virginia state house and won a supreme court election in Pennsylvania by a large margin. Two months ago, they won a competitive special election for a House seat in New York by a decisive 8-point margin.
Interestingly, the normal pattern of an unpopular president’s party doing poorly manifested early in Biden’s term. After his approval rating crashed during the Afghanistan withdrawal, Democrats went on to lose the governorship (and state house) of Virginia, and almost lost the governorship of New Jersey. Both states voted for Biden by double digits in the 2020 election. Something changed between November 2021 and November 2022 to cause this shift. It might have been the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade and allow states to ban abortion. In several special elections right after the decision, Democrats overperformed massively. For example, Republicans won the special election for Nebraska’s 1st congressional district, which voted for Trump by 11 points in 2020, by only a 5-point margin. The election took place just four days after the Dobbs decision.
The Trump-backed candidates nominated in many Senate and governor elections could also be the ones to blame. Thanks to Trump’s endorsement, many extremist candidates won the primaries in key races. They often denied the results of the 2020 presidential election and had other problematic views. Most of them went on to lose the general election, sometimes by huge margins. Below is a table of all the results.
https://preview.redd.it/vx1ilmujhvzc1.png?width=633&format=png&auto=webp&s=2771b74c5d4257d66b4825078ada46216b0be9bd
Whatever the cause, Republicans flopped in 2022 and haven’t recovered since. And it doesn’t seem like Trump will be able to avoid the problems plaguing his party. His handpicked candidates were the ones that did terribly while other Republicans often did well; and the abortion issue isn’t just going away, not to mention Trump’s the one responsible for getting Roe overturned with his SCOTUS appointments.
Of course, there’s a counterargument: that Biden is somehow breaking historical precedent, and he’ll do badly while other Democrats do fine. That seems like a reasonable theory, until the fact that Biden vs Trump and the generic congressional ballot are polling exactly the same is considered. As of April 5th, at least.
https://preview.redd.it/l0ecq2slhvzc1.png?width=753&format=png&auto=webp&s=d8c231135e068129cc1f9c3e1a3b9b2ce41be3fb
Since work on this essay has started, Biden has experienced a little surge of support in the polls. It could just be noise, but it might be something else.
https://preview.redd.it/m14gsmjmhvzc1.png?width=1043&format=png&auto=webp&s=43bc8d8146b31f5a613a1e7a4adc4ca30a858750
Biden has also been polling as well as (or sometimes even better than) hypothetical Democratic candidates for president like VP Kamala Harris, California governor Gavin Newsom, and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.
It could be argued Biden is only doing better because he has higher name recognition, and Democrats who don’t know the other three candidates are answering undecided. But Michelle Obama being extremely well-known didn’t stop her from trailing Trump by the exact same amount as Biden in a poll.
https://preview.redd.it/7h189dpnhvzc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=42aa042e9462022d397bbe212c428e41f4d40c99
Democrats are doing much better in actual elections than in polls, and Biden’s polling the same as other Democrats. It stands to reason that Biden would also do better in an election than in polls.
The Problem with the Polls
While primary and off-year elections suggest Biden isn’t doing badly, they still don’t explain the polls. One theory is that the black/Hispanic/young voters who don’t like Biden aren’t voting in any elections, that’s why Democrats are doing well. Perhaps the biggest proponent of this theory is Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for the NYT.
This theoretical group of low-propensity Trump supporters who love answering polls but don’t vote in any elections sounds dubious, and that’s probably because it doesn’t exist at all. Biden’s bad polling is caused by two main things. The first is bad methodology, but before that is discussed, how polls work must be explained.
Polls work by contacting a certain number of voters, usually around a thousand, and asking them how they plan to vote. The 2024 options are usually Biden/Trump/Undecided/Other. Sometimes Other is changed to real third-party candidates, like RFK Jr. Polls also ask information on the voter, like their race, sex, age, and region. After data is collected, polls are weighted to reflect real demographics. For example, if a poll’s raw data has 40% of respondents living in urban areas while 60% live in rural areas, and the actual percentage of voters is 50% urban and 50% rural, then the responses of the urban voters are weighted higher. If that poll has urban areas voting 60D/40R and rural areas 40D/60R, then the raw data is 48D/52R while the weighted (and final) data is 50D/50R.
This seems like an effective way to avoid bias in polls, and account for lower response rates from certain groups. If rural voters are answering at a higher rate, just give them less weight. If Hispanic voters are answering at a lower rate, give them more weight. The thing is, voters don’t belong to just one group. A person can both live in a rural area and be Hispanic. And while groups (rural voters, Hispanic voters) are weighted, subgroups (rural Hispanic voters) are not.
Say, rural Hispanic voters are more Republican than urban and suburban Hispanic voters. Say, they’re answering polls at higher rates as well. Rural voters will be weighted lower in the poll, but that’s just all rural voters combined. Rural Hispanic voters are not weighted vs other Hispanics. That would lead to Hispanic voters in the poll being more Republican than they are in reality.
A typical poll has around a thousand respondents, and a margin of error of about ±3%. The sample sizes for different groups, however, are much smaller, which means a bigger margin of error. Let’s say Hispanic voters are 10% of the poll’s respondents, or a hundred in total. That’s a margin of error of ±8%, much larger than the ±3% for the poll as a whole. And if rural Hispanic voters are 20% of all Hispanic voters, that’s a margin of error of ±18%! Small inaccuracies in subgroups can cause a ripple effect that makes the whole poll wrong. Let’s do a simulation to show this effect off.
  • True voting intention among all Hispanic voters is 63% Biden, 37% Trump (D+26).
  • True voting intention among all non-rural Hispanic voters is 65% Biden, 35% Trump (D+30).
  • True voting intention among rural Hispanic voters is 55% Biden, 45% Trump (D+10).
  • 100 Hispanic voters answer the poll.
  • Rural Hispanic voters make up 40% of the poll’s respondents (40 people), they make up 20% of the real Hispanic population. Since subgroups are not weighted, their influence on Hispanic voters in the poll is double what it should be.
  • Due to the large margin of error of ±13%, rural Hispanic voters who answered the poll said they’d vote 45% Biden, 55% Trump. That’s 22 Trump voters and 18 Biden voters answering the poll. A proportional sample would have 22 Biden voters and 18 Trump voters. That’s just a 4-person difference.
  • Non-rural Hispanic voters in the poll said they’d vote 65% Biden, 35% Trump (the true number).
  • The average of Hispanic voters in the poll is 57% Biden, 43% Trump (D+14), a 12% swing from the true numbers.
And all that must happen for this problem to occur regularly is for Trump-voting rural Hispanics to answer polls at a slightly higher rate than Biden-voting rural Hispanics, and rural voters to answer polls at a higher rate than urban voters. And since polls collect responses from people who answer the polls first, the effect can happen easily.
You guessed it, this is happening in real life. And not just with Hispanic voters, but with everyone.
A pattern among 2024 polls is that rural voters are answering at a higher rate than urban/suburban voters. In one NYT/Siena poll (Trump+4), rural voters made up about 35% of the respondents, when they only made up 19% of the 2020 electorate.
In another poll by Grinnell College (Trump+7), rural voters made up 27% of the respondents. Voters who said they lived in a “town” made up 17%, and it’s likely at least some of them would break for rural if they had to choose between urban/suburban/rural.
Looking at the 538 poll database, a clear pattern emerges. Polls that have Trump leading Biden have a proportion of rural voters that is way too high. Polls where Biden leads Trump have more normal numbers.
Rural voters tend to be more conservative and vote Republican, and sure enough, Republicans are answering at a higher rate then Democrats. (scroll to "Do you consider yourself a Democrat, a Republican, an independent or a member of another party?" for the NYT/Siena poll and the top of page 6 for the Grinnell College poll. Both show more Republicans answering the poll than Democrats.)
One pollster, Susquehanna Polling and Research, remarked that Trump supporters seem to have higher enthusiasm than Biden supporters, and so are answering polls at a higher rate.
The second reason why Trump may not be winning Pennsylvania has to do with who is answering polls. We suspect because Trump is the only candidate with “enthusiastic” voters, it’s Trump voters in particular who are disproportionately talking to pollsters. It’s the reverse of what happened in 2016, when the phenomenon of “shy” Trump voters meant that many pollsters undercounted Trump’s base of support. Many voters were afraid to admit they were Trumpers back then. Today, we suspect many pollsters are not adjusting their samples to account for this “non-response” bias, as it’s typically called. But SP&R is doing so.
Polls also say that Trump voters are more enthusiastic than Biden voters.
Republicans are slightly more enthusiastic ahead of November’s general election, edging out Democrats, according to a new survey.
In the poll, released Thursday by Gallup, 59 percent of Republicans said they are more enthusiastic about voting in the upcoming election than in previous years. Fifty-five percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents said they felt the same.
Groups like seniors and white voters may not be swinging towards Trump because there isn’t an enthusiasm gap, unlike with black/Hispanic/young voters. According to a YouGov poll, groups that aren’t swinging towards Trump in the crosstab aggregate are also paying more attention to the election (and therefore are more enthusiastic, and answering more polls). When black/Hispanic/young voters start paying more attention, they’ll get enthusiastic and start answering polls, which should improve Biden’s polling.
https://preview.redd.it/0899t1ephvzc1.png?width=1074&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f9fe91a2d30381a9f08e7e1883b90679aefd6a0
And that rural Hispanic voter hypothetical was based on something real. Rural Hispanic voters were already more Republican than other Hispanics in the 2020 election; and Biden did badly in the rural RGV in the primaries while doing better in cities like El Paso. The difference may be even larger than it was four years ago, with rural Hispanics swinging against Biden while urban and suburban Hispanics don’t. Rural Hispanics make up a small percentage of Hispanic voters (scroll down to "Area type"), so this swing doesn’t mean much for Biden’s electoral prospects. It screws with the crosstabs of Hispanic voters, however.
As Biden’s voters become more enthusiastic and the gap closes, polls may start swinging towards him as more of his voters answer polls. There have already been signs of this happening, like that surge in support mentioned earlier. Perhaps it’s because of the recent ad blitz by Biden energizing his supporters?
Oversamples, and the True State of the Election
Biden voters are not answering polls as much as Trump voters, and this is creating big swings in crosstabs thanks to low sample sizes. Polls with bigger sample sizes would be much better. The margins of error would be much smaller and the crosstabs much more accurate. Unfortunately, it’s too expensive to make polls with huge sample sizes, but there’s still the next best thing – oversamples.
Oversamples are polls that poll only one specific group. While a normal poll polls everyone, an oversample might poll only black voters, for example. Because of the big sample sizes, oversamples are much better for determining the voting intentions of groups than just looking at the crosstabs of normal polls. Oversamples can also use more advanced methods of polling to reach people who may not respond otherwise.
There are three oversamples that are going to be examined here. The first is by Black PAC, and it’s an oversample of black voters.
https://preview.redd.it/epcr7xeqhvzc1.png?width=680&format=png&auto=webp&s=6938941ae9e6b345778035bfd45f7ceb81aa98ed
Trump gets a pathetic 8% of black voters, less than half of the polling aggregate showing him getting 18%. This, along with Biden’s strong primary performances, suggest that the bad polling for Biden among black voters is entirely due to bad polling methodology.
Next, Hispanic voters. An oversample of Hispanic voters by Univision shows Biden leading Trump 58-31 (27 points). Again, that’s completely different from the polling aggregate showing Biden winning them by only 6 points. It is a slight decrease from 2020, where he won them by 33 points; but like stated earlier, Hispanics have been trending right for a while, so Trump making small gains among them isn’t surprising.
And finally, young voters. Split Ticket, an election prediction and analysis website, polled young voters. They used live text interviews, rather than a normal method like calling landlines.
In the poll, Biden leads Trump 35-25, a 10 point lead. Biden is disapproved of by 68% of young voters, while Trump is disapproved of by 70%. Of the three oversamples, this is the only one that lines up closely with the crosstab aggregate (Biden+8). Biden won young voters by 24 points in 2020, so it looks Trump is making large gains among the group.
But it’s not that simple.
Biden and Trump have a similar total disapproval rating, but the number of respondents who strongly disapprove of Trump is 61%. For Biden, it’s just 44%. This means Trump likely has a lower ceiling of support with young voters than Biden does – it’s hard to get someone who hates you to vote for you.
Additionally, young voters who disapprove of both Biden and Trump overwhelmingly prefer Biden to Trump. RFK Jr. actually wins this group, but like all third party candidates, his support is declining as the election gets closer. The combined voteshare in polls for RFK Jr. and Cornel West (a left-wing independent candidate) has been steadily decreasing. 6 months ago, it was 17.9%. Today, it’s only 11.5%. This raises the question of who RFK Jr.’s supporters will break for when they realize he can’t win.
https://preview.redd.it/zt0t5ptzhvzc1.png?width=763&format=png&auto=webp&s=fd1f7c717e66e750c57e76eaa617966708ebd222
Based on the approval ratings of Biden and Trump, and the “double haters” who already have chosen sides, it seems like the vast majority of young RFK Jr. supporters will go for Biden. His lead among young voters will only increase as time goes on. Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to run ads like these to speed up the process.
Split Ticket also conducted a poll using a more normal method, an opt-in web panel. This poll had Trump doing much better with young voters than in their live text poll. So yes, some commonly used polling methods don’t work correctly!
Conclusion
Biden has been polling badly lately. He’s been trailing Trump nationally as well as in swing states. Polls say key parts of the Democratic base, black/Hispanic/young voters, are abandoning Biden in huge numbers. But when looked at closely, it’s not so simple. Other signs for Biden are pretty good. He’s been doing pretty well in primaries, and Democrats have been doing well in special and off-year elections. Polls are underestimating Biden’s support due to bad methodology and Democrats not answering polls. Oversamples show Biden doing fine with black voters, and mostly fine with Hispanic voters. The only group he really needs to work on is young voters, by trying to decrease RFK Jr.’s support.
So, 2024 won’t be a red wave where Trump wins big. But current signs don’t suggest 2024 is going to be a blue wave either, just another extremely close election like 2016 and 2020 both were. But there’s reason to believe Biden might outperform his 2020 showing despite that.
The American public is not very engaged right now, as there’s still seven months until the election, so Trump’s latest ventures with the legal system aren’t on people’s minds. When people tune in more, he can only get hurt from it. There’s also the massive fundraising gap between the two, which Trump is scrambling to close.
Here’s a prediction for how the election will actually go (margins are 20+, 15-19.9, 10-14.9, 5-9.9, 1-4.9, <1).
https://preview.redd.it/ufw3oxa2ivzc1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=55a5dcc6c246cb34381165d211b17181717ef196
submitted by Substantial_Item_828 to AngryObservation [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 18:55 YodelingYoda Gentlemen, a short view back to the past.

Gentlemen, a short view back to the past.
I was in the process of cleaning out my old stuff and came across a couple of old Lacrosse Magazine from 2011. I figured you all would appreciate some of it. It’s been so long since I’ve had anything to do with lacrosse but it was a nice bit of nostalgia for simpler times.
submitted by YodelingYoda to lacrosse [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 13:39 xiaodaireddit List of Asian executives in non-Asian countries

Name Position/Company/Year Comment
Jack Zhang CEO/Airwallex founder
Jensen Huang CEO/Nvidia founder
Lisa Su CEO/AMD
Manny Maceda Worldwide Managing PartneBain & Company/2024
Theresa Tam chief public health officer of Canada Theresa Tam FRCPC (Chinese: 譚詠詩) is a Canadian physician and public servant who currently serves as the chief public health officer of Canada, who is the second-in-command of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Bei Ling Wells Fargo/ Head of Human Resources Bei Ling leads Human Resources for Wells Fargo and serves on the Wells Fargo Operating Committee. She is responsible for all aspects of the company’s human capital strategy. Bei and her team work closely with leaders across Wells Fargo’s global footprint to build a world-class culture and foster an inclusive environment committed to attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining the best talent. Before joining Wells Fargo in 2021, Bei was managing director and global head of Talent Development and Total Rewards at JPMorgan Chase. She was accountable for driving strategy and implementation across global functions, including leadership development and succession planning, learning, career development, compensation, benefits, and workforce data and analytics. At the same time, she was head of Human Resources for the Commercial Bank, leading end-to-end human capital strategy and programs for the business. Bei previously was deputy head of Human Resources at PNC Financial Services and co-chaired PNC’s Management Committee. She led multiple large-scale HR initiatives, including the PNC/National City merger and a redesign of the bank’s talent programs. She also held a variety of Human Resources and Global Finance roles at Merrill Lynch. A graduate of Beijing University in China, Bei earned her master’s degree in business administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. She serves as a board member for CareerWise USA, as well as on the Corporate Advisory Board for USC Marshall.
Thong M. NguyenBiography Vice Chairman Thong M. Nguyen is Vice Chairman and Head of Global Strategy & Enterprise Platforms at Bank of America. He serves as a member of the company’s executive management team, reporting to Chairman & CEO Brian Moynihan. Nguyen oversees Corporate Strategy, Enterprise Payments Strategy, Enterprise Data, Artificial Intelligence Governance, Operational Excellence/Change Management, Business Continuity, and Procurement/Vendor Management. Previously, Nguyen served as President of Retail Banking, with responsibility for operations of Bank of America’s coast-to-coast financial centers, contact centers and ATM networks, the nation’s leading digital banking platform, and Military Affairs Banking overseas. Nguyen has also served as the Strategy, Sales and Operations executive for Consumer Banking at Bank of America. Earlier, he was Bank of America’s Corporate Strategy, Planning and Development executive, responsible for M&A/dispositions activities, New BAC (a long-term initiative to simplify operations and reduce costs at Bank of America), the BAC Private Equity portfolio, and the China Construction Bank strategic assistance effort. Nguyen also held various other roles, including West Division executive for U.S. Trust; head of Fiduciary Solutions at U.S. Trust; head of Private Advisory Services at Global Private Banking; Global Corporate and Investment Banking business executive; and head of Global Wealth and Investment Management’s Marketing and Business Development groups. Before joining Bank of America in 2003, Nguyen worked at GE Capital and McKinsey & Co. Nguyen received a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance and marketing from Columbia University.
Lu Qi Microsoft high up Left Microsoft after losing CEO role to Nadella. Went back to China to work for Baidu and got micromanaged out.
Peter Chun CEO/UniSupe?-2024-? Born in Hong Kong. UniSuper is one of the biggest superfunds in Australia ranking 5th in total assets (AUD127.45b as of Jun 2023)
Kelvin Vi Luan Tran Group Head and Chief Financial OfficerTD Bank Group/2024
Tracy Bryan Executive Vice President, Direct Channels and Enablement/Scotiabank/2024 Tracy was named Executive Vice President, Direct Channels and Enablement in November 2023, with overall responsibility for the Bank’s Client Care Centres, Online and Digital Channels, Canadian Banking Internal Controls, and Real Estate, bringing together a number of our client-facing channels to develop a more seamless, effective, and efficient client experience. Since joining Scotiabank in 1994, Tracy has held progressively senior roles in Retail Banking, International Banking, Technology, and Global Operations. She was, most recently, Executive Vice President, Global Operations, with overall responsibility for the leadership, strategic direction and performance of the function and for ensuring that effective partnership with the business lines to improve our client experience. Tracy is an avid speaker at women’s mentoring events internally and externally on behalf of Scotiabank. https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/our-company/executive-management/tracy-bryan.html
Fleur Pellerin French minister Korean adopted by French parents
Philipp Rösler Vice Chancellor of Germany/2011-2013 Vietnamese adopted by German parents
Raymond Chun Group Head, Canadian Personal BankingTD Bank Group/2024
Penny Wong Foreign Minister of Australia Halfie
Zhao Pun CEO of Citadel Securities/2024 USD10m+ salary
submitted by xiaodaireddit to bambooceiling [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 13:29 Objective-Data8240 Help! Need advice to improve my resume, is it being seen or just too vague?

I have been laid off not too long ago, have a family to support. Super stressful and surreal situation that most people like I have been experiencing. I have not updated my resume format / style in a while. I need some expertise as to how to improve it. Would greatly appreciate all the input before paying someone to review and potentially scammed.
Looking for a position in leading a team of test automation developers. I feel like my job title is not reflective of what I do. Please roast hard.
https://preview.redd.it/dkb0ejbb9szc1.png?width=696&format=png&auto=webp&s=25a5cca0fb7e956f7083abc98e6974e27075ad87
https://preview.redd.it/gh8f77vb9szc1.png?width=666&format=png&auto=webp&s=20051e4bd5c6a627c3fb3c15598a63dc6a4011ff
submitted by Objective-Data8240 to resumes [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 04:55 OrganizationFalse668 [WTS] Midnight Madness Silver and Gold and More!!!

Shipping and Payment
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
“ Risky “ 1st class 🫧 envelope non-machinable $2 -
Goldbacks ship for $1
Tell me your favorite tv show
for $1 off $100 📺
I take Zelle , Venmo , Cash App and Mailed Cash
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off it is the responsibility of USPS.
Please ask for photos or if I have multiple of the same item!
Date Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/jQrAiVb
PRE-33 GOLD
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1908 D $5 Gold $1300
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sponsored by Coca-Cola 🥤🍔🌎🦩🌞🧊
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HALF DOLLARS and more 💵
1822 Bust half dollar $75
1825 bust half dollar $70
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1/4 oz art bar gilded Halloween $35
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Canada 1955 50c $20 📷
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Canada proof
https://imgur.com/a/bUSuicI
Bank bag assortment lot that I forgot:
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From glass panther
Dirty vintage coke bar 1oz $65
2014 icg panda $42
St. Lucia 1 oz lizard 🦎 $35
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USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
Risky envelope shipping $2
I take Zelle and Venmo Cash App and Mailed Cash and small gold or 1 goldbacks @3.75
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off it is the responsibility of USPS
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/jQrAiVb
submitted by OrganizationFalse668 to CoinSales [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 04:54 OrganizationFalse668 [WTS] Midnight Madness Oro y plata!

Shipping and Payment
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
“ Risky “ 1st class 🫧 envelope non-machinable $2 -
Goldbacks ship for $1
I take Zelle , Venmo , Cash App and Mailed Cash
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off it is the responsibility of USPS.
Please ask for photos or if I have multiple of the same item!
Date Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/jQrAiVb
PRE-33 GOLD
https://imgur.com/a/MNAYZip
1908 D $5 Gold $1300
https://imgur.com/a/xINXuM0
1927 2.5 gold $800
https://imgur.com/a/diOJZvh
1914 D 2.5 Gold $700
https://imgur.com/a/PX94LL9
1901 2.5 Gold $650
https://imgur.com/a/mExBjEn
SILVER COINS AND ROUNDS 🕰️
Aerosmith 1 oz $35
Homer Simpson 2019 donut $70
Simpson family Christmas $50
1oz silver Superman Samoa 🇼🇸 $5 coin $35
Spider-Man 1oz $45
St. Lucia 2020 1 oz silver lizard 🦎 $35
2021 Wonder Woman 1oz $70
Batman 1oz $70
Scarface 1 oz $45
🥤 Coca-Cola 1 oz silver round 1 oz $35
Baby yoda 1oz silver $35
🇺🇸 Army 1 oz silver bar / round $35
Bar 1
Bar 2 digital camouflage
Street fighter chun lee 1oz 🇯🇵 - $35
Wolverine 1oz 🇨🇦 $50
The Godfather 1oz silver $40
Silver Bart Simpson 1 oz $60 🛹
2023 Homer Simpson carded 1 oz $60 📷
SWAMP THING 1oz colorized- $75 📷
2024 silver shield 1oz silver cannabis round $36
( and a copper cannabis for free ! ) ☮️
ET 🪐 Niue 1oz 2 dollar bar $38
1 oz trump wanted rounds $35
Beavis and butthead 🔥 🧻 1 oz silver
$90
Intaglio Mint 1oz “ the 4 seasons “ nude art 🖼️ round $60
Donald Duck $38
1991 liberty lobby 240 grains 1/2 oz .999 silver Andrew Jackson - $14 each 5 available
FRANCE 🇫🇷 10 franc 1965 silver .8134 asw
$33
1oz Silver Camel Cigarettes Joe Camel 🐪 - $65
Disneys snow White doc 1 oz $70
1 oz proof ablum
https://imgur.com/a/tYA9NDZ
Silver $1 commemorative
Capsule only
Baseball $1 proof $29
Lewis and Clark proof $33
2011 infantry no box $30 sale !
1992 Columbus $1 - $30
D-day $1 bu $30
Wright brothers $1 $30
Capsule proof:
https://imgur.com/a/9sCzhiP
In original mint packaging 📷
1993 WW2 2 coin set $1 - $37
1993 WW2 2 coin set proof $33
1994 World Cup 2 coin set $28 sale
1995 civil war battlefield 2 coin proof set $32
1995 Olympic cyclist 🚴 proof $33
1995 Olympic track and field proof $33
1996 national community service proof $29
1996 Smithsonian $1 proof $29
1998 Robert f Kennedy $1 proof - $40
1999 Yellow stone national park $33
2000 Leif Erickson silver proof $1 - $42
2003 wright brothers first flight $1 proof - $31
2006 San Francisco old Mint $1 proof $30
Benjamin Franklin founding father proof $33
2012 Infantry Soldier $1 $40
Comm proof:
https://imgur.com/a/iaF31xI
Silver Dollars 💵
1883 o $100
2007 ASE certified $42
2006 ASE certified $42
1921 Morgan in cap $45
1926 D peace better date $36
1887 $1 - $70
1921 Morgan plastic flip $55
1886 $1 $70
1922 peace dollar $27 sale
Better 1922 peace dollar $27 sale
Nice 1922 peace dollar $27 sale
1925 peace dollar $27 sale
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/fBk2WiY
1921 Morgan MS $60
1896 Morgan $65
1885 Morgan $90
1878 CC $1 $170
1897 $1 $85
1890 O $1 $80
1921 MS $60
Proof;
https://imgur.com/a/jJbdBJa
Glass Panther Art pours and more,
sponsored by Coca-Cola 🥤🍔🌎🦩🌞🧊
Fallout New Vegas
Lucky 38 1oz silver “ platinum chip “ $45
Vintage 1977 Coca-Cola 1oz silver bar
Nashville TN $70
Norfolk Va $70
Atlanta $70
Contemporary Coca-Cola 1oz silver bar $32
Contemporary Coca-Cola 1oz silver round $32
Coca-Cola Christmas 2019 Fiji Santa Clause 1oz - $45 🎅
Fiji 🇫🇯 1oz coca-cola bottle cap $149 📷
10k gold coca-cola pin 📌 $150 📷
7.5 oz 1:1 scale .999 silver derringer - $400 ⭐️
3oz M4 🐆 $223
1oz army man $90
( which one of you sold it to me? )
Sunshine 1oz $140
Cyborg 1oz $140
Smurf 1 oz $35
Art cola Proof ;
https://imgur.com/a/mlUyEQZ
HALF DOLLARS and more 💵
1822 Bust half dollar $75
1825 bust half dollar $70
1876 seated half $50
1896 O Barber half $60
1895 p barber half $30
1952 Washington/ carver half $25
1877 seated half $45
Booker T Half $25
1964 MS 50c $14
1963 D 50c unc $18
1955 Canada 50c $25
1992 silver 50c proof $20
2005 s silver proof $20
1858 50C $70
Canada silver 5 cents $6
1857 dime $20
1923 mercury dime $3
1937 mercury dime au $12
1936 AU mercury dime $13
1927 mercury dime $4
Barber dime coa $4
Ohio silver quarter $12
1XX3 seated quarter $18
1955 ms quarter $12
1964 ms quarter $9
1904 p 25c $8
1908 O 25c $10
1912 d 10c $9
Metal detector dime $5
1909 p barber dime $19
1903 p 25c $9
1916 p barber $4
1912 D $5
1916 $6
1907 $8
1914 10c $12
1832 half dime $90 📷
Proof
https://imgur.com/a/PhO1Bhq
SETS 📺 📷
Silver war nickel set $8
Dimes of the 20th century $6
Bill of rights silver 50c young collector set
$19
Buy all for $25 . Great deal.
Jewelry 💍
1 gram 10k earrings $30
7 gram. 925 bracelet $10
Take both for $40
https://imgur.com/a/H4Nrark
Rarities 🦜 📷
1/4 oz art bar gilded Halloween $35
1/4 oz art bar gilded Pug $35
COPPER 📣
Copper Cannabis Leaf 🍁 Round $2
2023 year of the Dragon 🐉 copper round $2
Lincoln Wheat Cent 1oz COPPER $2
Copper proof;
https://imgur.com/a/b6dcW1Y
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 GOLD 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
0 - 2021 New Hampshire 1 GoldBack $5 each - free ihp with purchase and ground shipping limit 4 ihp
I’m out of these, sell me or trade for cheap.
https://imgur.com/a/JBEAJ4j
Bank of America 10k pendant with seed pearls , I think it’s 3.6 grams. $120 📷
Bank of America 10k pin 📌 no pearls, $100
📷
Fractional silver
1 gram silver in card $1.70
📷 https://imgur.com/a/x4CsSMR
CANADA SILVER 🇨🇦 🍁
Canada 1955 50c $20 📷
Canada $1 1987 proof $20 📷
Superman $20 silver $25
Batman vs Superman Canada $20 silver coin $29
Bugs Bunny $20 silver $35
Star trek 2016 silver $20 coin. $35
2016 Canada $20 silver T-Rex $25
2014 Canada $20 Snowman $22 2014 Canada $20 silver summer swimming coin $22
Canada proof
https://imgur.com/a/bUSuicI
Bank bag assortment lot that I forgot:
Futurama Shut up and take my money 1oz - $45
From glass panther
Dirty vintage coke bar 1oz $65
2014 icg panda $42
St. Lucia 1 oz lizard 🦎 $35
Trump wanted $33
https://imgur.com/a/q8pR7c3
USPS priority box /envelope $10
USPS 1st class $6 up to 7 oz
Risky envelope shipping $2
I take Zelle and Venmo Cash App and Mailed Cash and small gold or 1 goldbacks @3.75
I make excellent packages but after I drop it off it is the responsibility of USPS
Proof:
https://imgur.com/a/jQrAiVb
submitted by OrganizationFalse668 to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 02:02 Sensitive-Soft5823 next year the last zalphas are gonna be allowed on reddit

This is based on this subreddits definition (09-12)
The Zalpha Kids in 2025:
2009 kids are gonna be able to drive in the US, prob used to taking AP classes, but they're juniors so they gotta worry about the SAT and stuff
2010 kids are gonna be 15 and can go to drivers ed and stuff, and has to learn to balance that with school
2011 kids are gonna go into high school mostly, and have to learn time management for real
2012 kids are gonna be teenagers
Other years that are some times referred to as zalpha, (2008,2013,2014)
2008 kids are gonna be seniors and are prob applying for colleges and are prob a little too old for zalpha
2013 kids are 12 and are starting to enter the phase where they think they teens but they not, they act like a teenager, but don't get the teenager perks, like getting to freely be on social media (they gonna do it anyway, but they can't say their real age)
2014 kids are gonna enter middle school and they get introduced to grades and quizzes, and their life is still easy, but not as easy, has to learn some time management, also prob a little too young for zalpha
2007 and 2015 kids are sometimes considered zalpha, but there is no way they are zalpha. 2008 and 2014 is a maybe, and 2009-2013 is def zalpha
submitted by Sensitive-Soft5823 to gen_zalpha [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 01:52 No_Judge_8472 Detainee released by Coalition one of trio accused of attack on grandmother

Detainee released by Coalition one of trio accused of attack on grandmother
A second man accused of a brutal attack on a Perth grandmother, in a case that sparked a furore over the migration system, was released from federal detention in early 2020 when Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was minister for home affairs.
The man, Seyed Younes Tahami, is accused of joining fellow asylum seeker Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan in the aggravated assault and robbery on April 16 that left Ninette Simons, 73, suffering severe injuries that were shown in graphic images across the national media.
A detainee who was released under a controversial High Court ruling is one of three accused of bashing a grandmother in a violent home invasion in Perth.
Tahami has been charged with aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm, aggravated robbery, aggravated home burglary, impersonating a police officer and detaining someone with intent to gain a benefit.
Federal records reveal a key government decision in January 2020 led Commonwealth authorities to release Tahami into the community after he had spent time in prison and immigration facilities, raising questions about why he was not kept in detention. There was no reason given for his release.
Court records also show that Tahami was charged with a string of offences after the Coalition government released him from detention, leading to him being fined for drug possession and driving under the influence of illicit drugs.
Dutton has slammed Labor for releasing 153 detainees into the community despite their criminal histories after a contentious High Court ruling in November ended years of indefinite detention for people who could not be deported to their home countries.
Blaming the government for being “negligent, reckless [and] hopeless” in its response to the High Court decision, Dutton has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of undermining safety because convicted criminals were released into the community.
“The first charge of the prime minister of our country is to keep people safe, not to put them in harm’s way, and that’s what’s happened with Ninette,” the opposition leader said last week.
“People are right to be angry about it and upset.”
Dutton was contacted for comment.
The release of Tahami under a Coalition government heightens the public policy debate about who takes responsibility for crimes committed after detainees are freed.
The federal records show that Tahami was not one of the 153 people released by the current government after the High Court ruling because he was released by the previous government more than four years ago.
Tahami, who was born in Iran and is 38 years old, arrived in Australia by boat in November 2011 and was placed in detention while he sought asylum. He was released with a protection visa in December 2012.
The court records show he was charged with the intent to sell and supply methamphetamine several years after he gained refugee status, leading to a conviction in June 2018 on the drug charges as well as a separate charge for breaching bail. He served one year in prison.
In line with the treatment of other convicted criminals who are not Australian citizens, Tahami had his refugee status revoked in February 2019 and was transferred to immigration detention after his prison sentence while officials sought to deport him to his home country.
Iran does not accept people returning to the country against their will, so Tahami remained in detention.
The government released him from detention on January 12, 2020.
Dutton was the minister for home affairs when Tahami was released. The acting immigration minister was Alan Tudge, who held the position while former immigration minister David Coleman was on leave.
Department of Home Affairs records show that a delegate for the ministers made the decision, which means it did not need to be signed or personally approved by Dutton or Tudge. It is standard for decisions to be delegated to government officials.
Coalition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan criticised Labor ministers on Friday for letting officials make decisions rather than taking direct responsibility, citing how the government set up the Community Protection Board to decide on each released detainee.
The first report from the board was released on Friday and showed that 76 of the 153 released detainees were fitted with a monitoring device such as an ankle bracelet, while 68 were subject to a curfew.
The Coalition said this proved Immigration Minister Andrew Giles was not doing enough to keep the community safe.
“We know that this board makes recommendations to the minister and we know that the minister has delegated these decisions,” Tehan said.
“So the minister is doing everything he can to hide behind bodies and decision-makers rather than fronting up and owning these decisions.”
A key issue is the concern about detainees breaking the law after they are released, turning the alleged assault of Ninette Simons into a test for both major parties because Tahami was released by a Coalition government and Doukoshkan was released by a Labor government.
Records from the Perth Magistrates Court show that Tahami was charged with new offences within months of his release in early 2020, including a charge for the possession of methamphetamine in July of that year. He was fined $1,000 for this offence.
Tahami was charged with the possession of cannabis in January 2021 and again in May of that year, as well as in October 2023. He was charged in February 2023 with carrying an article with intent to cause fear, and was charged the following month with driving while under the influence of illicit drugs and with no authority to drive. He was fined for these offences.
Tahami is next due to face Joondalup Courthouse on June 10 on the charges relating to the alleged robbery of Simons and her husband, Philip. Others facing charges over the alleged home invasion are Doukoshkan and former boxer Joel Leslie Painter.
submitted by No_Judge_8472 to AustralianPolitics [link] [comments]

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