This past year has been a crazy ride, and I need somewhere to let it out.
On this day last year, I(27M) received a FaceTime call from my parents. They're based in Asia while my brother (25M) and I work / go to school in the US - so we have a set time for weekly catchups over the phone. But this time it was weird that they didn't just call. It was the first time in years since they video call me.
Mom(55F) and dad(57M) showed up on my phone screen, but mom didn't have any hair. They told me that she had been diagnosed with late stage cervical cancer a few weeks back and that she had immediately started chemo. My parents got their annual checkup just a few months back, but she was unlucky. The cancer had developed quickly in an area hard to detect, so it was found at a late stage. But fortunately she was receiving the best treatment available, and her company was helping our family with medical expenses. I cried after hanging up. I never thought I'd have to think about my mom's mortality this early. It felt like I was caught in some nasty prank, and I didn't know what to do. At least on screen my mom seemed lively and optimistic with the situation at the time.
I quickly decided it was best I fly over to Asia and help out my parents. Luckily I had recently quit my full time job to start my own business, so I wasn't tied to a company or a geographic location. My brother was starting a program at his dream grad school later that summer, and I was happy to help him focus on it. Instead he would immediately head to my parent's and stay with them until I wrapped up my life in the US and moved over. I had my last hoorah with my friends, gave away my furniture, and packed up my suitcase. I had been living with my girlfriend at the time, and carving myself out of the apartment was more painful than I ever expected. Saying goodbye sucked, especially when I didn't know when I was coming back.
Fast forward a few weeks, I moved into my parent's house. The next few months would be a blur of numerous trips to the hospital, a life in a different country. We were getting into the groove of things, and chemo actually started chipping away at my mom's tumor. But spending large chunks of each week at the hospital, working on my business at night(my work requires me to match US time zones), and having no social life in the country started taking toll on me. I barely knew anyone in the city and I'd have days and weeks not physically speaking at all. My mental and physical health deteriorated, and eventually after much thought I decided to break up with my girlfriend of four years. I just didn't think I was being a good partner with all that was happening in my life, and I had no clue when all this would end - especially given the time difference and distance. It was rough ending things with the most serious girlfriend I ever had, but I had to focus on my family and she understood.
I soon realized that my mom's cancer wasn't the only thing I had to face. I had to figure out my complicated relationship with my dad. I wouldn't call him a bad guy. He has good intentions but he's a troubled man haunted by his job and childhood tragedies(death of siblings, relationship with family, his parents stopping him from pursuing his dreams, etc) Since I was young he struggled with communicating his thoughts / emotions and abusing alcohol. He was never really present in my upbringing, as he sunk away to his room after work to watch TV without helping around the house much. Yes there were moments where he drove us to school a few weeks and took us fishing a couple times, but those gestures faded away by the time my brother and I were 10. When drunk, he broke things around the house regularly, and at his worst he physically assaulted me when I was a teenager. We never really had a legitimate conversation since (he never really talked unless he was drunk), and my mom acted as a sort of a shield / translator between us throughout the years. But he did work and provide for the family for decades, and I should not forget that. Now that I'm older I do see why he was so upset and aggressive back then. I'm finding myself slowly forgiving him over the years. But it also can't be an excuse for what he did and I still find myself deeply affected by his actions.
My dad's aloofness continued into December 2023. In some ways it felt like he was denying to accept the gravity of the situation. He continued drinking heavily and depending on my ill mom for housework / meals. I was upset because it seemed like my mom was still carrying most of the burden even with cancer and he was doing the bare minimum to help our family. I was tired and depressed. I uprooted my whole life, and for months I haven't been able to make much progress in my personal, professional, and social lives. But he wasn't contributing much for our family. I guess he thought improvements in my mom's health would continue and she'd recover soon.
Around new year, chemo stopped making progress, and my mom's condition began worsening week by week. Some of her organs started having issues, bringing debilitating pain. The doctors tried different treatments, radiotherapy, etc, but the situation kept on heading south. Her stays at the hospital grew longer, and she started cry more often. At times her pain would be so terrible that she'd scream into my arms saying that she doesn't want to continue living anymore. Every day I can still hear her cries and it's messing with me. I hate losing someone strong / kind like her inch by inch. After seeing my mom's state worsen, my dad started turning around and investing more time / attention to our family. He cut down most of his drinking and began spending most of his free time with her. I think he finally started realizing that he could actually lose his wife. I do appreciate him stepping up, and he and I started cooperating on nursing mom and getting through house chores. Sometimes I feel guilty for this, but I'm still having difficulty trusting him 100% given all we've been through. It's still tough to spend 1:1 time with him.
Fast forward to now, the situation hasn't improved much and my mom hasn't been home in months. Even phone calls and texts are difficult for her now. The doctors are planning on trying one more treatment, but if it doesn't work we'll likely have to begin preparing for the worst. I saw on reddit that old photos help cancer patients a lot, so I went through our family album to show digital copies to my mom. I can't remember the last time I cried that much. Thankfully, my brother is now in town on vacation for the next few weeks, and he's been very helpful. We're grateful that he had a successful first year at grad school, and him returning has been a breath of fresh air for our family. Seeing my brother has been helping my mom a lot as well. I'm sure my brother is feeling his own shock and guilt with all that's happening to our family. I hope he's able to find strength within himself.
But I need to face the fact that my mom started taking morphine and that the doctors began discussing hospice. My parents and I took the past few weeks to organize my mom's finances, taxes, and legal work. It's still surreal that I had to go through my mom's stuff. She has been strong / stoic throughout this whole process, but I can't imagine what pain / thoughts she's dealing with when my dad or I'm not around. I can't imagine what it's like to even begin thinking about the end. A miracle could happen, but nothing is guaranteed. All I can do is just take each day as it is and keep moving forward.
I took a pause on work in the last few months to focus on helping my family and recovering my health. I'm slowly but surely spending up my savings though, and I feel like I'm being left behind professionally and socially. I'm finding myself depressed not being able to make progress with my life and career. I have no friends and I can't remember the last time I took a legitimate break. I can't help but wonder how my business will work out, whether I can become social again, and what my future will look like. But it's been so difficult to plan anything because any day / week my mom's situation can shift drastically. And at times I feel guilty thinking about myself when my mom is suffering this much. I'm trying really hard to keep a routine with exercise and work so I can keep myself healthy to continue helping my parents. It's been a challenging fight to keep all these things balanced.
But I also can't deny that I've seen a lot of beauty in life as well in the past year. So many friends and family helped us out, and I sat down with my mom with deep conversations on life. I've also changed / grew tremendously, and my perspective on life / death matured a lot. I learned the importance of mental / physical health. This dark period in my life also could be the beginning of a relationship with my dad. I don't do social media but so many friends remembered our family and reached out proactively. Thank you everyone. All of the other problems I had in life seem so small / solvable now, after all I've gone through. Imagine how easy those obstacles will feel once all this is over!
I have no idea how all of this will resolve, but I just hope my mom doesn't go through much pain. Sometimes I just want to drop everything and give up but I want to help my mom as much as I can until the end. She always tried her best to give my brother and me the best possible life. A few weeks ago, she told me that she has no regrets because she gave us all her love over the past 20 to 30 years, a feat that other moms might take 50 to 60 years to accomplish. She really did her best and she was the greatest mom I could ever have.
I'm curious what kind of person I'll become after the dust settles. Daydreaming about what's to come after these tough times keep me going. The rest of the year probably won't be pretty though, especially if my mom's health worsens. In whatever way this situation resolves towards, I won't disappoint her. I hope I can stay strong throughout and I'll keep giving life my best.
And I hope this past year does stay the toughest year of my life lol

India is making rapid advancements towards lowering its dependence on fossil fuels and switching to green energy mode. With an ambitious target to produce five million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030, the Indian government has announced the NATIONAL GREEN HYDROGEN MISSION as a part of its ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2070 to mitigate the risks of climate change.
The mission will empower green hydrogen producers in India to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia without incurring any transmission costs for 25 years straight. The proposed mission also aims to facilitate the gradual rollout of hydrogen fuel cells and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) buses and trucks through a pilot program. To address the relatively higher capital costs associated with FCEVs during the early stages, financial support will be offered to bridge the viability gap.
As per the latest green hydrogen news, the Indian public sector oil and gas companies have announced to build a combined capacity of 38000 tonnes of green hydrogen per annum by the next financial year. Private player INOX Air Products has recently announced its plans to establish its inaugural green hydrogen plant in India. As per the announcement by the company, the green hydrogen project will be set up in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, with an annual capacity of 190 tonnes. This clean energy will be provided to Asahi India Glass Limited (AIS) through a 20-year offtake agreement, as stated by the company in an official release.
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What is Green Hydrogen?

For starters, green hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water to split it into its constituents oxygen and hydrogen. However, instead of fossil fuel (which is used for the electrolysis of water in grey hydrogen production), renewable sources are used for the electrolysis of water. Since renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are used in this process, it does not produce any carbon dioxide.
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Bhubaneswar, Odisha — In a resounding testament to academic excellence, ODM Educational Group proudly unveils the exceptional performance of its students in the CBSE Class X & XII examinations. Of particular note is the outstanding achievement of ODMian Ronit Kumar Rout, who has emerged as the State Topper, capturing the attention of educators and observers alike. Across the spectrum of ODM schools, students have showcased remarkable talent and dedication, underscoring the institution’s commitment to nurturing academic prowess. This remarkable feat not only reflects individual brilliance but also underscores ODM’s enduring legacy of excellence in education.
In the Class XII results of ODM Public School, academic excellence takes center stage with a remarkable showcase of achievements. The Science stream witnessed Ronit Kumar Rout clinching the top spot with an impressive 99.2%, securing the title of STATE TOPPER. His exceptional performance is complemented by Swayamshree Gahan’s stellar 98.6% and Divyaanshu Behera’s commendable 97.4%. In the Commerce stream, Siddhi Bansal leads with an impressive 96.6%, followed closely by Ashish Agarwal with 95.8% and Aaradhy Singh with 95.2%.
Continuing the saga of excellence, ODM Public School sets new benchmarks in the Class X results. Ayush Pattanayak and Ankit Samantaray, the Joint School Toppers, illuminate the path to success with their remarkable achievement of 99%. The school’s robust performance is further underscored by an impressive average of 82.5%, with a significant number of students achieving remarkable scores.
“I am profoundly honored to witness the extraordinary achievements of our students in the CBSE Class X & XII examinations,” expresses Dr. Satyabrata Minaketan, Chairman of ODM Educational Group. “Their relentless pursuit of excellence, coupled with the unwavering dedication of our esteemed faculty, has resulted in this remarkable triumph. This remarkable milestone not only reflects our commitment to academic excellence but also underscores our collective journey towards shaping future leaders. Heartfelt congratulations to all stakeholders on this momentous occasion.”
In the Class XII results of ODM Global School, students have displayed exemplary academic prowess across various streams. Aditya Kar leads in the Science stream with an outstanding score of 97.8%, while Debasish Panda follows closely with 97.4%. Furthermore, the school celebrates the achievements of eight students scoring above 95% and 29 students securing more than 90%. In the Class X results of ODM Global School, Mohammad Saif Raza emerged as the School Topper, showcasing exceptional academic performance with an impressive score of 95.8%. These results underscore ODM Global School’s commitment to fostering excellence and nurturing talent among its students.
Mr. Swoyan Satyendu, COO of ODM Educational Group, reflects on the outstanding performance of ODM students in the CBSE examinations. “The results stand as a testament to the holistic education and nurturing environment provided by ODM,” he remarks. “We celebrate not just academic excellence but also the character and values instilled in our students. These achievements reaffirm our commitment to fostering all-round development and preparing students for success in an ever-evolving world.”
Continuing the celebration of academic excellence, ODM International School — Angul proudly presents the achievements of its students in both Class XII and X. Satyam Singh Dadwal leads the Humanities stream with an impressive 93.8%, while Pritam Kumar Behera emerges as the School Topper in Science with a notable 89.8%. Nupur Purohit excels in Commerce, securing the top spot with 81.8%. In the Class X results, Naman Saraf commands attention with an outstanding score of 97.8%, securing the top position.
Concluding with pride and optimism, the remarkable achievements of students at ODM Educational Group in the CBSE Class X & XII examinations stand as a testament to the institution’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence. These results not only showcase individual brilliance but also highlight the collective efforts of the dedicated faculty and supportive community. As this milestone is celebrated, ODM Educational Group looks forward to empowering more young minds, fostering innovation, and shaping a brighter future together.
PR Resource: https://www.pressreleasepoint.com/breaking-records-odm-schools-dominate-cbse-2024-state-topper-and-exceptional-results

"A couple magazines had us as the number one nonconference game in the country this year and when you think about all the great programs that [are] playing each other, for Boise State and Virginia Tech to be the best nonconference game, somebody 10 years ago would have never picked that game," Beamer said last week. "I think both of us have certainly changed the way people have thought about us over the past few years."
He said having an opponent like Boise State to look forward to creates crisp preseason practices that ultimately make the Hokies a better football team.
"When you play a top 10 football team, regardless of what their name is, and you're playing it at a time when there are not that many other games, it's tremendous exposure," said Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver, who played and later became an assistant coach under Joe Paterno at Penn State. "I happen to believe that every time you turn one of those down, it's an opportunity for people to see your football program and your school and your campus that you can never recover because it's lost and gone forever."

UNMARKED SPOILERS BELOW, I will sadly go into spoiler territorry so often the post would look like a bad SCP Foundation article if I tried to black out every single one.
First thing I thought upon finding out about the Wizard Three in Sigil was to notice an opportunitty to include more iconic characters. As we learned more about their role I noticed several complaints about them. Like, "why are we having epic level NPCs relegating the work to mid-level party"? Or "isn't Tasha evil? What is she doing here?" Or "how the hell did Kas fool Tasha, who knows Mordekainen very well?". And so an idea to fix these issues all at once presented itself to me.
In this version of adventure, the PCs are summonned not by Wizard Three, but Wizard Nine. Nine iconic, high-level wizards or other magic users from across D&D worlds or even beyond. They were all summonned to Sigil, to each tap into one of Outer Planes of appriopriate aligment and channel that power into Wish, so the Will of the entire multiverse wishes of Vecna's death. Once it fails, the wizards realize it means one of them must nto be who they claim, possibly an agent of Vecna. So they immediatelly lock themselves in Sanctuary - only PCs can enter and leave because they weren't i nthe room doing the casting of that super Wish. And every time they return with next piece of the Rod, they find Wizards in most disfunctional game of Among Us ever, often probably erupting into violence - this is nine geniuses working AGAINST each other as everyone suspects everyone.
Now, you could keep the original reveal, where Mordekainen is the imposter. If you do, I would advocate against bringing any magic users who know him, like Tasha, Elminster, Storm Silverhand or Dalamar the Dark. If you decide to change the imposter's identity, you can happily bring in some of them, but I would avoid those who know each other (so if you want Elminster, then no Mordekainen or Dalamar).
Evil characters can work with this group because of several reasons, which they should be open about. They may vary from "You think I don't realize Vecna is going to screw ME over alongside everyone else", through "uppity gods need to be put in their place, especially this one" to "I would love what the guy is promising to do to all creation, but I'm not bending my knee to NOBODY!".
Below is a list of proposed characters to use from as many worlds I could think of. I will be comign back to this post to add more names and more worlds with further research, potentially going even beyond strictly D&D settings. You ca drop your own suggestions, I will happily add them to the list with next edit. All requirements are that the character is able to cast 9th level spells, if you have any notes for potential DM willing to use them, please provide them as well.
Eberron - I noticed most of suggestions for Eberron are of evil variety, due to the setting's lack of high-level heroic NPCs (with two exceptions that cannot leave their seats of power), but we'll work with what we have

• Mordain the Fleshweaver is the most popular suggestion, being a rare Chaotic Evil 18th level Wizard in Eberron. An issue is that Mordain is often used, and even recommended by Keith Baker to be used as Eberron's stand-in for Vecna. If you wanna run adventures with Hand or Eye of Vecna in Eberron, they are hand and Eye of Mordain. This may disqualify him, but you could alternatively play into it. Have Mordain rant Vecna is "ripping him off" or call the lich "a pale immitation of true dark sorcery".
• Hektula is Keith Baker's personal choice for a standin for Tasha. She is a pwoerful Rakshasa Archmage, with passion for collecting forbidden tomes of dark magic, serving one of the Overlords and firmly Lawful Evil. I certainly could see some laughs when wizards realize there's an impostor among them and all eyes turn towards Hektula, who goes "Of course, blame the shapeshifter!".
• I have seen floated idea for Sora Kell or her three daughters. The Daughters canonically in 3rd edition had levels 10 or 11 on top of being half-fiend Hags. You could maybe handwave that they get to cast 9th level spells as a coven, Sora Kell is more ambigious, with no statblock and her lore giving vibes of Baba Yaga, fans compare her to Demon Lords in power level. Personally I feel she would stand out too much.

Exandria (Critical Role) - I noticed most Exandria characters don't reach this high level - even Circle of Brass from Calamity were level 15. However, I found two options to provide a bit of fanservice for any critters at your table, both Chaotic Good:

• the Mighty Nein Reunion got us level 20 versions of Caleb Widogast, so he's great excuse for a DM to do their best Liam O'Brian impression of angsty bi diseaster wizard who really wishes he was back with his boyfriend, instead of being trapped here with all those asshole wizards.
• Not a wizard but a Bard, but if you want to bend a defintion a bit, Scanlan Shorthalt could be pulled out from a moment in time before he lost an ability to cast Wish. Considering this happens in final episode of Campaign 1 and their final enemy was Vecna, it would be thematically appriopriate.

Krynn (Dragonlance)

• Raistlin Majere is by FAR msot iconic character of the entire Dragonlance, the go to if you want to include an iconic Dragonlance character. Dragonlance Saga 15 anniversarry lists his aligment as Neutral, while 3rd edition book Legends of the Twins lits him as a Neutral Evil - the latter is after he becomes master of Time and Present and so powerful enough to be included.
• Dalamar the Dark - after Raistlin's demise, Dalamar was touted as new most powerful wizard, he was paired with Mordekainen and Elminster to form original Wizard Three. He is also listed as Neutral Evil, but I would argue he could be Lawful Evil.
• Fistandantilus - the greatest wizard before Raistlin, he is also Neutral Evil, but I woudl argue he's more CHaotic Evil, due to his tendency to backstab other wizards to steal their power. I honestly cannot see this guy working in this adventure, he seems like he would try to bodyjack someone and get 8 Desintegrates to the face.
• Phalin Majere - if you want a good-aligned representative of Krynn, Raistlin's nephew, Phalin is basically a magical prodigy and chosen one and firmly Lawful Good. The issue may be that it may be hard to find a time where he is powerful enough to be here, but before Wizard magic on Krynn went away (because all Gods, including Gods of magic, f*ed off to space and then had the whole planet stolen from under their noses) and he had to reclass to Sorcerer, starting all the way from the bottom.

Magic the Gathering - there are many worlds in this franchise, but they're often very shallow, so I will group this stuff together.

• My first pick would be Liliana Vess, originally from Dominaria, nowadays hanging out on Arcavios, home world of Strixheaven. Strixheaven book lists her as true neutral, and she has a history full of twists and turns where this character development from original evil could be justified. Personality-wise she could be the easiest quick replacement for Tasha, even if you don't feel like putting in the whole group of nine wizards. Also if you have player bringign back a Curricullum of Chaos PC for this game I can only imagine their jaw drop upon seeing "Provesso Vess" among greatest wizards in the Multiverse, snarking at all of them.
• Teferi Akosa, originally from Dominaria, now his homeland of Zalfir became a separate plane. He was always extremely powerful, what if accidentially phasing his whole country out of time and space, he was always heroic and good intended, but often prone of getting unwaranted suspictions from others, which makes him good for this kind of plot.
• From Ravnica we could pull either Jace Beleren or the dragon-mage Niv-Mizzet, during their respective time as the Living Guildpact, representative of all 10 Guilds of Ravnica. In this position their could fit well for neutral-aligned places of aligment chart, Jace leaning towards Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral somewhat more.
• Speaking of Dragons, here is a crazy idea - Nicol Bolas, one of greatest villains in Magic as Chaotic Evil representative. Okay, it may be not a good idea, I cannot imagine a situation where he doesn't try to hijack the plot and take Vecna's place or just kill everyone when the problem of potential traitor arises. Still, the idea of this really evil demigod-drgon being his petty, snarky self towards other iconic characters is kinda funny.
• For a reach more into Magic's past, we have Urza, original protagonist. He would fit well into Lawful Neutral or even Lawful Evil role, considering last time he dedicated himself to stop multiversal-level threat, original Phyrexia, his means quickly "begun resembling Phyrexian ends". This is the guy who honestly tried to outeugenics a wizard nazi "for greater good". Seriously, so much of Magic lore can be summed up with words "Local Man Ruins Everything" and picture of Urza.
• A different type of Magic candidate is Jodah, ultrapowerful Archmage who is not a planeswalker like others, but had often maneuver around them, so he is used to having to outsmart powerful people. He represents all colors of mana so he would fit for any of middle collum positions.
• Jodah old associate, Jaya Ballard, could also work very well, considering she did eventually ecame so powerful some planes confused her with a diety and established religions to her. She strikes me as a Neutral Good candidate.

Mystara - one of my beloved classic worlds, poses an issue because it never conformed to classic 9-types aligment, isntead opting for lawful (defined as "altruistic") and chaotic ("selfish"). A rare exception, 2e book Glantri: Kingdom of Magic, was a big help here.

• Prince Haldemar of Haaken - protagonist of series of short stories "Voyage of Princess Ark". Daring explorer, captain of flying ship Princess Ark, hero of Empire of Alphatia. Champions of Mystara describes him as good and heroic but having "typical Alphatian chaotic thendencies". As such I'd lean towards Chaotic Good or Neutral Good.
• Bargle the Infamous - Chaotic Evil, if D&D ever had something close to the Joker, it was Bargle. Bargle was originally an evil wizard who kills mentolove interest of the player in introductory adventure of Red Box, but this made him enemy #1 of whole generations of players and elevated to first iconic evil wizard. I would be wary of using him, as any D&D veteran or grognard may forget about Vecna in favor of trying to strangle the guy with his bare hands.
• Demetrion Karagentreropolus - most powerful Archmage in Empire of Thyatis (think: fantasy Roman Empire), he is of lawful aligment and described as sometiems working secretly to undermine Emperor's decisions that he finds to be bad for the Empire and its people. As such he could slot as Lawful Good.
• Empress Eriadna the Wise of Alphatia - current Empress of Alphatia, canonically of Neutral aligment, she rules msot powerful empire in the world and probably haven't conquered all of it only because her subjects care more for magical research and getting high. She's 80-years old.
• Prince Zandor - 40-years old son of empress Eriadna, described as "chaos personified", his aligment is "Chaotic (very)". Thanks to Mr. Welch it became popular to play him as wizard version of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Use him if you want a comic relief.
• Master Terari - former Emperor of Alphatia, he abdicated in favor of Eriadna and disappeared, he now runs magic school in a small kingdom of Karameikos, he is working to ascend to Immortality (basically godhood without calling it so).
• Principalities of Glantri have multiple Princes of various all kinds of aligment. The country got 2e book which gave them classic aligment., I will list them below, but two I would avoid are Eitienne d'Amberville and Jaggar von Drachenfels, since they are actually Immortals (Rad, patron of magic and Diamond,, discount Bahamut, respectively). Immortals officially aren't Gods, but this is often a distinction without difference, so I cannot see them showing up in Sigil without Lady of Pain nuking the whole building.
• Princess Carnelia de Belcadiz y Fedorias (Lawful Neutral, extremely beautiful, known for her horrible temper) and Princess Carlotina Erewan ((LG, basically discount Galadriel) rule two Elven principalities, the latter rules more traditional Elves, the former's subjects are...Spanish Elves. Yes, really. They do not like each other.
• On the evil side we have Prince Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany (wizard Nosferatu, which is like Vampire with less weaknesses, he's Strahd on steroids), Princess Dolores Hilsbury (actually a Night Dragon, undead dragon-shaped mosnter, in disguise) and Prince Brannart McGregor (lich, he's actually from real-world Scotland, I kid you not). All three are Chaotic Evil and hide their true nature, though considering Morphail looks like he walked out of set of Dracula, they aren't trying very hard.
• Rounding Glantri princes we have Prince Jherek Virayana (Neutral, master of illusions, he deflected to Glantri from their mortal enemies, Ethengar Khanates, so he is used to being under suspiction for treachery) and Prince Harald Haaskinz (LG, he's kinda new guy in the club).

Oearth (Greyhawk)

• I don't want to spend much time on Oerth since I suspect anyone using this will use either Mordekainen and/or Tasha, who are already in the module. But some alternatives could be any of wizards who have spells named after them - Bigby is neutral, Tenser is Lawful Good, Leomund is Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good, Nystrul is Neutral, Rary is Neutral Evil

Toril (Forgotten Realms)

• Alustriel was already included. She and her five sisters (not counting Dove Silverhand, who is a Ranger and a Ghost) all fit similair role as "big good immortal sorcerress". With exception of Alassra Silverhand a.k.a. Simbul the Witch-Queen, who is Chaotic Neutral, they're all Chaotic Good, so I see little point switching Alustriel for another one if you want CG spot to be fit by someone from Toril. I would also be wary of using Storm Silverhand, who, according to Ed Greenwood, helped real Mordekainen recover after his role in Curse of Strahd and has a "friends with benefits" relationship with him.
• Elminster is also Chaotic Good, I don't get why WotC shy away from using him. I get he is controversial, but his exclusion has been kinda awkward here. They really don't think Kas can fool Elminster, but he can fool Tasha? As far as I know only one of them slept with Mordekainen, like come on! Anyway, if you want to use him, Elmisnter is also Chaotic Good, so kinda redundant with other Choosen of Mystra.
• Larloch the Shadow-King or Szass Tam could each work as a powerful lawful evil lich, that allies with the good guys out of spite against interloper god that dared throw their weight around and claim godhood over THEIR world. Larloch in particular is no stranger of going against gods and their servants, who seek to rewrite rules of magic that is basic of his power - just ask Shar and her servants at Shade Enclave.
• While characters from Baldur's Gate 3 end their adventure around 13th level, Book Minsc & Boo's Journal of Villain contains statblocks of multiple characters from previous two games. Edwin Odesserion, infamous Red Wizard of Thay, is among them, powerful enough to fit in the group.

Domains of Dread (Ravenloft) - I put this one last because of unique use we could have out of Domaind of Dread in this campaign. You see, we know that characterstrapped in Demiplane of Dread cannot leave that easily, they need Dark Powers' permission. And Dark Powers are backing up Kas. I have also seen multiple complaints how both main antagonists of this campaign - Vecna nad Kas - are absent from most of it, with many ideas being thrown around about having Kas as an active rival that competes for pieces of the Rod. It occured to me that he may play that role, while we still have an impostor - another character trapped in Demiplane of Dread could be working with Kas and the Dark Powers in exchange for their freedom. This way we could even allow PCs to sherlock holmes who the traitor is between collecting different pieces of the Rod, and still can have Kas show up with hordes of monsters to steal the Rod later. All that matters is they do not impersonate a character of the same aligment. Here are some candidates for this role:

• from Forgotten Realms, we could reach for semi-official suppliment minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy, written by lead writer of first two Baldur's Gate games. It suggests an alternate fate for main villains of Baldur's Gate II - Jon Irenicus and his sister Bodhi - that places them in Demiplane of Dread, leading their own evil cult working towards their escape. He is neutral evil, she is Chaotic Evil
• From Mystara we have Meredoth, main antagonist of classic Ravenloft module Ship of Horrors, condemned to Demiplane of Dread afre his negligence caused his subjects to die of starvation. TWICE!. He is cursed to be unable to discover new magic on his own and having to steal knowledge, so he would be itching, as a mole, to steal from other eight wizards in the room. He's Chaotic Evil.

That's for now, but rest assured, I shall be returning to this post to update it with more characters, potentially more campaign worlds even. Your suggestions whom to add are always welcome.

With the rapid development of residential energy storage in Europe, it has emerged as a key player in the realm of energy transformation. On one hand, the imperative of transitioning to renewable energy sources is undeniable. On the other hand, certain regions grapple with weak grid infrastructure, intensifying the demand for localized residential storage solutions. As the industry matures, accompanied by declining raw material costs, the prices of residential storage systems are starting to decline. Simultaneously, the burgeoning demand for Energy Storage Systems (ESS) suggests ample room for further market penetration.
Moreover, residential energy storage products primarily cater to consumers (To C), necessitating a competitive edge in product quality, brand recognition, and distribution channels to ensure sustained profitability.
In 2022, the energy storage industry witnessed a meteoric rise, evolving from its nascent stages. By 2023, however, demand tapered off amidst shifting policies and inventory dynamics. Now, in 2024, the trajectory of the residential energy storage sector is poised to be influenced by a multitude of factors, including sustained policy support, product innovation, channel optimization, dwindling inventory levels, and declining interest rates. The forthcoming discussion will delve into the anticipated future of the industry, drawing insights from the experiences of international energy storage enterprises.
SolarEdge:
SolarEdge dominates the European market, offering cost-effective products that pose a challenge for our enterprises to match. Renowned as a top player in solar and storage inverters across Europe and the United States, SolarEdge boasts a market share that reigns supreme in both regions.
Established in Delaware in 2006, SolarEdge experienced rapid growth through strategic collaborations, notably with Tesla SolarCity from 2013 to 2015, culminating in its NASDAQ listing in 2015. The 2017 mandate by the United States NEC requiring solar PV systems to integrate Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE) with rapid shutdown functionality played to SolarEdge's strengths, enabling the company to swiftly expand its market share.
According to data from Wood Mackenzie, SolarEdge secured the 7th position in global inverter shipments in 2022, firmly establishing its dominance in European and American markets.
SolarEdge's product portfolio encompasses a diverse range of offerings, including solar and storage inverters, energy storage systems, uninterruptible power supplies, electric vehicle charging stations, and integrated solar and energy storage solutions. These solutions cater to various sectors, spanning from residential and commercial to utility-scale ground-mounted power installations.
In 2023, SolarEdge introduced the SolarEdge One software, marking a significant expansion into the realm of virtual power plants. Through sophisticated algorithms, this software facilitates new energy power trading, empowering customers with advanced solar and energy storage solutions. By bridging the gap between software and hardware, SolarEdge continues to bolster its product ecosystem, solidifying its position as a leading provider of comprehensive new energy solutions.
With a strong focus on customer collaboration, technological mastery, and leveraging the benefits of U.S. trade policies, SolarEdge has consistently excelled.
The first phase, starting in 2013, saw SolarEdge achieve rapid revenue growth through strategic partnerships, notably with Tesla SolarCity. During this period, the company experienced a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 83.7% from 2013 to 2016.
In 2017, the introduction of stringent safety regulations by the U.S. NEC mandated the use of Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE) with rapid shutdown capabilities in PV systems, rendering traditional string inverters obsolete for residential energy storage solutions. SolarEdge, with its mastery of the requisite technology, swiftly capitalized on this shift, rapidly expanding its market share and witnessing substantial revenue growth in 2018 and 2019.
The third phase unfolded in 2018 with the imposition of 10% tariffs on Chinese PV inverters under U.S. trade policies. SolarEdge benefited from these trade barriers. Subsequently, in May 2019, tariffs were increased to 25%, prompting Huawei's withdrawal from the U.S. inverter market. Despite the overall growth of the new energy industry, SolarEdge experienced a revenue decline in 2023, attributed to the industry-wide destocking process.
Reports indicate that market demand in Europe and the U.S. was disrupted by high interest rates and policy uncertainties. In 2023, SolarEdge's revenue from its inverter, optimizer, and backup battery businesses reached $1.37 billion, $900 million, and $380 million respectively. This represented a 20.8% increase, a 20.5% decline, and an 11.8% decrease from the previous year. Furthermore, sales figures stood at 1.013 million sets, 17.4 million sets, and 744 MWh, marking declines of 0.8%, 26.6%, and 2.2% respectively compared to the previous year. The unit prices were recorded at USD 1,356 per set, USD 52 per set, and USD 0.51 per kWh respectively.
The substantial decline in optimizer sales can be attributed to the superiority of micro-inverter solutions over optimizer and string solutions in meeting the stringent MLPE requirements set forth by the NEC for rapid shutdown functionality.
In 2023, the company's photovoltaic business revenue in the European and U.S. markets amounted to $1.81 billion and $760 million, respectively. This represented a 15.8% increase in Europe but a significant 35.9% decline in the U.S. compared to the previous year. While the beginning of 2023 saw some relief in the industrial chain situation, the European market initially experienced rapid growth despite a slowdown. However, the latter half of the year was marred by high interest rates and policy uncertainties in countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy, resulting in a substantial contraction in market demand. Although the company's revenue from the European market maintained modest growth, the growth rate declined by 55% compared to the previous month. Similar trends were observed in the U.S. market, exacerbated by the transition of California's NEM 2.0 policy to 3.0, which created a vacuum in the demand for distributed PV storage.
In 2023, the European and American market demand was significantly affected by uncertain policies, with expectations for gradual recovery in 2024. Throughout the year, power optimizer shipments fluctuated, reaching 6.4 million, 5.5 million, 3.3 million, and 2.2 million sets from Q1 to Q4 respectively. Inverter shipments followed a similar pattern, with 330000, 335000, 274000 and 74000 units shipped during the same period. Energy storage battery pack shipments also varied, with 221 MWh, 269 MWh, 121 MWh, and 133 MWh recorded from Q1 to Q4 respectively. However, in the latter half of 2023, impacted by lower demand and high inventory, SolarEdge's shipments experienced a sharp decline compared to the previous month.
Looking ahead to 2024, several developments are anticipated in the following regions:

1. Germany: Expectations are that certain tariff caps will be lifted in 2024, resulting in higher electricity prices in the country. Consequently, the return on investment (ROI) for photovoltaic (PV) installations is projected to increase, fueling continued growth in residential PV installations.
2. Austria: It is anticipated that the value-added tax (VAT) on PV power generation, introduced at the beginning of 2024, will be repealed.
3. Netherlands: The uncertainty stemming from the 2023 election and the changing net metering policy led to a sharp decline in PV installations in Q4. Recent decisions by the Dutch Senate indicate a potential sustainability of net metering, prompting optimistic market responses in the future.

Enphase:
Anticipated shifts in demand are on the horizon as the second quarter of 2024 draws to a close.
Enphase stands as the undisputed global leader in microinverters, spearheading advancements in solar, energy storage, and charging solutions. Founded in 2006 in Delaware, Enphase revolutionized the market by introducing the world's first microinverter, the M175. In 2011, Enphase embarked on a global expansion strategy, penetrating the MLPE market in Europe, Australia, and other regions, culminating in its listing on the NASDAQ in 2012.
Leveraging its pioneering status in the MLPE sector, Enphase has continually enhanced its microinverter products, elevating power output from 175W in the first generation to 550W in the eighth generation. The latest iteration of inverters boasts additional features such as split-phase grid connection and off-grid capability. As a result, Enphase commands a market share exceeding 70%, firmly establishing itself as the industry leader.
Building on its expertise in microinverter technology, Enphase embarked on a series of strategic mergers and acquisitions, consolidating businesses in energy storage, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and cloud services to develop comprehensive solar and storage solutions for households.
In 2016, Enphase introduced its inaugural residential storage product, marking its entry into the energy storage sector. By the close of 2020, the company unveiled the IQ Battery residential storage system, expanding its product portfolio to encompass residential energy storage solutions. Enphase IQ Batteries operate on low-voltage DC power, mitigating the risks associated with high-voltage DC power and enhancing system safety and efficiency.
In 2021, Enphase ventured into the electric vehicle charging infrastructure market with the acquisition of ClipperCreek. The following year, the acquisition of GreenCom positioned Enphase as a leading provider of home solar, energy storage, and charging system solutions, bolstering its offering with Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.
Thanks to favorable policies, expanded channels, and enhanced product competitiveness, Enphase has experienced rapid revenue growth since 2019.
On one hand, Enphase has reaped the benefits of supportive policies such as the NEC 2017 mandate requiring residential PV systems to integrate Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE), driving demand for the company's microinverters. Additionally, the 301 tariff prompted Huawei's exit from the U.S. inverter market in 2019. Furthermore, the IRC's gradual reduction of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) subsidy from 2019 onward stimulated PV market growth. The introduction of the IRA in 2022, alongside the extension of the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (AMPTC) and Advanced Energy Project Investment Tax Credit (AEPITC) subsidies, has had a significant impact. These subsidies, extended to 2032 and 2030 respectively, have bolstered Enphase's microinverter production.
In terms of channel expansion, Enphase's acquisition of SunPower's subsidiary in 2018 solidified its position as the exclusive supplier. Moreover, strategic partnerships with Sunrun, LG, Panasonic, Solaria, and GRID Alternatives have further expanded its reach and market presence.
Regarding product development, Enphase has concentrated on promoting its IQ 7 and IQ 8 series microinverters since 2019. With conversion efficiencies of up to 97.5%, these inverters cater to a broader range of solar panel installations. Additionally, the higher power range of Enphase's inverters ensures compatibility with solar panels in various regions, while the company's commitment to efficient after-sales service has reduced average waiting times to less than one minute.
By the latter half of 2023, Enphase faced increased pressure in both the US and European markets due to weakened demand for energy storage and high inventory levels.
In the US market, the transition to NEM 3.0 and elevated interest rates dampened investor confidence in residential solar storage investments. As per the company's investor communications, revenue from the US market dropped by 16% and 35% in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 respectively, compared to the previous quarters. Notably, the California market experienced a sharper decline, with Enphase's microinverter sales falling by 25% and 27% in Q3 and Q4 respectively, while non-California markets remained relatively stable.
In Europe, the anticipated demand recovery in the latter half of 2023 fell short of expectations, exacerbating distributor inventory backlogs. Enphase's top three European markets—Netherlands, France, and Germany—faced distinct challenges. The Netherlands saw hesitancy among users awaiting the removal of the net metering program, while seasonality impacted the French market, and the German market grappled with feed-in tariff reductions. Consequently, market demand and shipments related to residential PV in major European countries all experienced declines.
According to Enphase's investor communication disclosures, microinverter shipments in 2023 were as follows: 4.8 million units in Q1, 5.2 million units in Q2, 3.9 million units in Q3, and 1.6 million units in Q4. Additionally, battery shipments totaled 102.0 MWh, 82.3 MWh, 86.0 MWh, and 80.7 MWh from Q1 to Q4 in 2023 respectively. However, in the latter half of 2023, microinverter shipments experienced a sharp decline due to weak demand and inventory accumulation. Enphase estimates that channel inventory will normalize by the end of Q2 in 2024, with shipments expected to increase again in Q3. Conversely, battery sales, buoyed by NEM 3.0, continue to rise.
Currently, the European market shows signs of recovery, while the California market is anticipated to gradually improve. The Dutch parliament recently confirmed that net metering policy will remain unchanged in the short term, and electricity costs have increased in France and Germany. Consequently, it is expected that the company's business will reach its nadir in the first quarter of 2024. In the United States, non-California markets are poised for swift recovery after interest rate fluctuations. However, the California market's recovery may take several quarters due to the transition from NEM 2.0 to NEM 3.0. Nevertheless, given the high electricity costs, the integration of solar and energy storage offers a higher return on investment under NEM 3.0, leading to a gradual recovery in market demand.

In 2023, amidst a fierce price war among suppliers and a fragmented competitive landscape, the domestic energy storage companies find themselves heavily reliant on mandatory policy installations. Concerns about future development loom large among market participants, prompting a swift pivot towards overseas expansion.
But why the sudden surge in interest in foreign markets? The answer lies in the fact that domestic companies are encountering developmental roadblocks, compelling leading manufacturers to prioritize expansion abroad. In this article, TrendForce will delve into the challenges and opportunities facing China's energy storage industry as it ventures into the lucrative U.S. market, shedding light on the strategies and hurdles involved in this global endeavor.
Lithium-battery Industrial Chain Highlights in China
China stands out in the global lithium-ion battery supply chain, boasting distinct advantages. From cathodes and anodes to electrolytes, diaphragms, and batteries, China boasts a comprehensive industry chain for lithium-ion batteries.
Conversely, the United States grapples with insufficient local battery supply, relying heavily on the global supply chain to meet its energy storage system needs over the long term. As local demand surges, the United States has emerged as a primary destination for battery manufacturers to export their products.
Since the IRA Act came into effect, storage battery companies worldwide have ramped up their efforts to build new battery capacity in the United States. However, Japanese and Korean companies predominantly focus on producing ternary batteries. Many of their lithium-ion battery plants in the U.S., either under construction or already operational, specialize in ternary power batteries.
As mentioned earlier, China boasts a complete industrial chain. However, due to its advanced supply chain and fierce market competition, the average price of China's ESS is lower than that in Europe and the U.S. Consequently, in the United States, expanding local battery capacity in the short term poses challenges. Nonetheless, aided by U.S. subsidy policies and transport cost considerations, China's energy storage system products remain highly competitive in the U.S. market.
Wood Mackenzie anticipates that the capacity of energy storage batteries in the United States falls short of meeting the demands of its energy storage market. Moreover, the IRA Act mandates certain requirements, such as localizing key minerals and battery modules, to qualify for electric vehicle subsidies. However, there are no specific provisions regarding the ESS supply chain in the IRA Act. As a result, in the short term, ESS systems reliant on lithium iron phosphate will heavily depend on the global supply chain, particularly on China's supply of lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Chinese battery manufacturers continue to lead the way in global energy storage battery shipments. According to data released by SNE Research, an international battery market research institution, on March 11, 2024, Chinese companies maintained their dominance in global energy storage battery shipments throughout 2023. The data reveals that global energy storage battery shipments in 2023 totaled 185GWh, with the top five spots occupied by Chinese companies: CATL, BYD, EVE Battery, REPT, and Hithium.
In 2023, the global energy storage market continued to be dominated by China, North America, and Europe. Demand for energy storage batteries in North America and Europe reached 55GWh and 23GWh respectively, accounting for 30% and 12% of the market share. Meanwhile, the Chinese market saw demand soar to 84GWh, securing a commanding 45% market share.
Currently, Electrochemical Storage Systems (ESS) remain unaffected by the Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) regulations in the IRA Act. This implies that the U.S. has yet to impose restrictions on imports of energy storage batteries from China. Consequently, Chinese manufacturers still hold sway in both the U.S. and European markets. With the U.S. electrochemical energy storage market witnessing robust growth and China's lithium-ion battery industry boasting superior scale and technological prowess globally, manufacturers stand to gain significantly by tapping into high-value segments of the industry chain and leveraging advanced technologies.
Regarding ESS, according to data from CNESA, the top five companies in global ESS shipments for 2023 are Sungrow, CRRC Zhuzhou, Hyperstrong, Narada Power, and Envision Energy. Chinese energy storage system integrators are rapidly expanding into overseas markets, aiming to cater to diverse scenarios and enhance their presence across multiple global markets.
As capacity continues to grow, Chinese energy storage enterprises are increasingly targeting overseas markets. Energy transformation and green development represent inevitable trends in global economic progress, with the new energy industry in various countries and regions experiencing rapid expansion. Consequently, the potential for growth in overseas markets is virtually limitless.
Furthermore, Chinese battery companies lead the way in technology, production capacity, scale, and various other aspects. Their integrated industry chain and cost advantage serve as crucial assets, with relevant enterprises actively promoting research and development in battery technologies and strategic planning. Consequently, their competitiveness in the international market is steadily increasing.
Looking ahead, China, the United States, and Europe will remain the world's most significant regional markets for energy storage. Leveraging advantages such as the introduction of new technologies, cost efficiency, diverse product application scenarios, and expanding overseas markets, Chinese energy storage enterprises can enhance their global competitiveness.

Hi! I'm gonna try an simplify this as much as possible but it will be hard considering all the details and messages that have been thrown at me in recent months.
I had a friend of 7 years who tried to defame me to my friend group saying I was actively mistreating my boyfriend. She made a gc with everyone else in it except me and my bf. When my bf caught wind, he seen 6 paragraphs of what she was saying and doing.
Everything down to the bone was debunked by him and then my friend group came to me to ask mote details. We called her out, showed proof and blocked her on all social media platforms. Stating multiple times from each one of us to no longer contact us under any circumstances.
She proceeded to say that her "demons." Took over and so forth.
In the last 2 months she has CONTINUED to make accounts or use very old ones to contact everyone threatening us, and in some instances acting like a child having a tantrum trying to say all the threats she said and nasty harmful things about my family wasn't her and that she wanted to try again. This would not be the first time, but this is the actual first time in my adulthood she has done this and as severe because I had proof, and an unlimited amount.
Not to mention that my friend group and mnay people I graduated with seen who she really was and was utterly disgusted by her behavior.
May I digress. Each time we tell her how it is, not making threats or throwing around harmful words. At the end of the convo we tell her to stay out of our lives and to heed her own words and to leave us alone despite her thinking we started condos first. There's proof that she has started it all the time.
Today, around 9:30 she somehow got ahold of my new phone number which she has NEVER been given to my knowledge. At least through me.
She has pictures of me from high-school (14-15) with obvious edited captions on snapchat (which I don't use snapchat.) And the captions on them are like "yeah baby, I'm still racist."
"I ❤️ racism." And a bunch of supposed Discord messages from a gc I had never been involved in.
There were like 14 images.
She then said "don't worry. I have way more." I just blocked the number.
She then sent the "proof" to one of my friends who has a business acc with all the pictures. He didn't have her one acc blocked on that one quite yet.
She was calling us all sorts of nasty names, and claiming we're all racist. Btw we have a screenshot of her saying the N word a couple times in private chats between certain people of the group. But I'm not gonna stoop to her level.
The message that stood out to me ESPECIALLY was "don't worry, I'm talking to a buddy of mine who will take care of insert my name
She will not let up on any of it and keeps creating multiple accounts and thinks that posting these on her social media platform will do her good.
Now, that I have explained the circumstances.
What is the full process and do you think that anything can be done.
I cannot afford to change my number, and I have already created a new acc on some social platforms. We have blocked her an unknowingly amount of times and she will not let up on anything.
She has been known in the past to make different phone numbers to reach out.
I'm not very well educated on the laws down to the bone, and I do have a learning disability so a lot of my understanding is hard for me to grasp unless written in 4 year old crayon eating terms.
I live in the United States if this helps.

Hello,
I want to hear people’s thoughts after explaining my situation and experiences as a way of seeking advice. I’ll list things in a random order.
The first time I traveled across the pond was to Europe, specifically to London, Amsterdam, and Kraków. I practically worshipped Europe at the time and thought of it as a wonderland. I don’t want to say specifically, but I experienced romance for the first time since high school. However, things didn't go too well in the end when we messaged each other after parting ways. When I finished my trip, I yearned to come back and stay longer than a week. This was two years ago.
Last year, I visited my ex-girlfriend from Poland and I had the best time of my life. It was really nice spending time with someone the whole time while abroad, seeing her for the first time during our long-distance relationship. However, things changed, and it feels like I don’t have that similar, personal obligation to travel anymore. She was my first girlfriend. I don’t know if I’ve spoiled myself by always wanting to be with someone to travel and stay with, especially someone who I know and love.
I do have aunts and uncles who live in England and the Netherlands, and I’ve visited before and had a good time when I was with them, but I don’t know if I’ll be a nuisance and bother them.
Last autumn, I was in the Netherlands, and I got a really cute Indo-Dutch waitress’s number at a restaurant. I remember my aunt telling me how much she looked at me during our conversation with her. I wanted to see her again, but I was only there for a week and she said she was too busy with university and work. I’ve thought about her ever since.
From last December to mid-January, I was at the Philippines seeing family for the first time with my mom and had a good experience celebrating New Years there. I met a Russian girl at Boracay, and I thought she was the one, but she led me on and was interested in her ex from Moscow.
I always prefer traveling to Europe, but I know that Europe is becoming increasingly more right-winged with immigration. I’m not sure if I’ll feel welcomed anymore if I visit, even when I try my best to respect the culture of every country I visit. I get anxious when people stare at me as a foreigner and somebody who looks different than the average European. In comparison, being in the Philippines felt safe since I was with people who were also Filipino, especially since I was born and raised in the US.
I’ll admit, I’m a hopeless romantic and simple-minded, and I don’t know if I travel for the right reasons. I don’t often experience romance in the States, and it either feels emptying, lonely, or indifferent at times. Girls always say they’re too busy with their schedules, but when I travel, most girls abroad are willing to spend time with me. I prefer traveling to see someone, but I don’t know if have that anymore.
Sorry for sounding so negative and lost. I’m not having the happiest time in my life, given my health condition — chronic fatigue, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, but slowly recovering — and quitting university. I’m not sure what to travel for anymore. I have connections that I can meet and spend time with in Europe, but I feel anchored to stay home in California for some reason. I think it’s fear of going, having heartbreak again, experiencing bad anxiety, or just doing something plain stupid. I don’t have anybody in my life that feels close. I’m 23, and at the same time, I don’t know whether to sit on my ass and act grateful now or still do things that make me feel young again in my 20s.
Now, I have been watching Jacob Koopman’s busking videos of him singing romantic songs in the streets of Dublin, and I’m having THAT feeling again — Europe and love.
I’m hesitant to plan and buy plane tickets for this summer.

It was late November 2015. I was 51 and one year past my divorce (which was not related to cheating) when I became so disgusted with myself that I knew I had to pick myself up. I was alone for the long holiday, and although I wasn't really sad or lonely, I felt empty. However, I had some extra time to consider how does one picks oneself up.
I made a list of potential New Year resolutions that were individually realistic. Some were really easy and stupid like “have your chipped front tooth fixed” and “take & post a selfie”. These smaller tasks fueled my confidence and provided the energy boosts needed to tackle the more challenging resolutions, like starting a weight loss challenge at work.
Skip ahead to March 4th 2016. I had a Friday lunch date with a married client that I met two weeks prior. Of course, it was not a real date, as I wouldn't impose myself on a married woman, nor would I risk my career or my ego, especially if the signals she seemed to be sending were just a product of my wishful thinking, stimulated by checking off some boxes on the list on the fridge dated 1/1/16.
The following is my thank you note to her for a great date as well as for helping me check a lot of boxes over the past few weeks. I sent her a link to it as it is in the form of my first ever online post (one more check box, YAY!).
************************************** We were only 1 minute in the hotel room; her jeans in a ball on the floor. She sat at the foot of the king sized bed and backed her way into the stack of oversized pillows lining the headboard. I followed as If attached by a leash. I landed somewhat awkwardly on my elbows between her legs finding myself squarely face to face with the tattoo. This tattoo, that she so shamelessly revealed just a week ago, the same tattoo that has been scorching my thoughts and the same tattoo that she promised me complete and unlimited access.
It’s been a long time since I have been here or anywhere near as nice as here, between the legs of a beautiful woman 20 years younger and far out of my league....even when I was her age. I took a second to drink in my fortunate situation. I admired her panties. All day I was so hoping she would wear those same panties as before. She didn’t. These were different but similar enough. The delicate lace and silk perfectly framed the tattoo on her hip. She did not disappoint. There is a fruity jasmine scent, intoxicatingly pleasant, and oh so subtle. It is not here. I’ll need to find its source. I want more of that. (I remember being thoroughly impressed and thinking to myself “This girl is good”.)
I briefly forgot that there was someone else here besides myself and the tattoo. How long have I been down here perving out on her? I wondered. I hesitated, and then apologetically looked up half expecting a well-deserved snarky glare. What I found instead was an ear to ear compassionate smile followed by a tilt of her head and an arch of her eyebrow that said “I like that you like that, carry on”.
With confidence restored that we were still in sync, I adjusted myself so that I was in a good position to thoroughly enjoy what I came to do. I kissed the tattoo hard and gave it a good lick. The challenge for today was “Taste the Tattoo” and I won. I did a small celebration gesture that she rolled her eyes to. I continued to kiss and taste all around until every freckle got some personal attention. As I got to the upper most reaches of her inner thighs, I looked up to check in as I was about to cross a new line. For the first time she was not looking back at me but had laid her head back deep into the pillows, her eyes closed. I took that as a yes!
I marveled at the softness of her inner thighs on my cheeks as I gently placed kisses up one and down the other. As I kissed her through her panties, her hips responded by arching her up in anticipation of each next kiss. Before long, those wonderful panties were just getting in the way. I stopped and pondered whether to just slide them aside or remove them or to risk interrupting the mood and attempt a complete wardrobe removal as we were both still fully dressed except for her jeans.
I didn’t have to ponder long as she knew what she wanted and it was not any of the options I was considering. Still lying back with her head semi submerged within the pillows, she held out her arms as if gesturing for a hug. I moved up her body and when I got close enough she pulled me in for a kiss.
Unbelievably, this was our first kiss. I found it odd that we had not kissed yet and was grateful she thought to stop for a moment to have a kiss. We kissed some and then I settled in to thoroughly enjoy it. However, the kiss to come was not the kiss I was expecting or a kiss I was ready for. It was a kiss that could ruin everything.
Technically, there was one kiss before. It was an awkward kiss 5-10 minutes earlier just after we entered the room. All in about the time it took for the hotel door to close behind us, she tossed her bag on the sofa, had her jewelry off and set on the nightstand while I emptied my pockets and silenced my phone.
We approached each other, and as we met I was looking at the place where the tattoo would be under her shirt and behind her jeans. They were higher cut and could not be pulled down that far to get to the tattoo. They would have to come off. To just reach in and do that would be an uncharacteristically bold move for me. But I did have unquestionable permission to have the tattoo in any way that I desired. I reached down with both hands and took hold of the waistband on each side of the button. I didn’t see her simultaneous move in at me at first. Just as I felt the metal of the button, I felt her reaching her arms around my neck and realized that she was tip toeing up for a kiss. It caught me unexpectedly and I think it showed on my face that it did. I tried to recover and moved back in to accept her lips on to mine but it turned into an awkward peck.
I scolded myself for the selfish moment and just as I was trying to formulate a recovery gesture, she, without missing a beat, gently dismissed my fumble and gracefully restored the momentum. “Oh” she said with surprise in her tone, while looking down at my fingers ready to release her button. Then, in a more playfully quizzical tone, she followed with “I guess you want to get right to THAT then” and she stepped back away from me where I lost grip of her jeans. She replaced my fingers on the button with hers, paused, maybe waiting for me to look up to her eyes, which I finally did, then flashed me a devilishly naughty smile and pulled her jeans down to the top of her boots. She then proudly announced, mostly to herself, “You really are going to let me have fun with you, aren’t you!” seemingly shedding any doubts in her mind that I would go through with this. She then sat at the foot of the all white linen king sized bed, removed her boots and jeans and backed her way into the stack of oversized pillows lining the headboard.
Back to our kiss. The kiss that from now on I will reflect on as our first kiss
Responding to her hug gesture, I moved up her body and when I got close enough she pulled me in for a kiss. I didn’t flub it this time, but again, I didn’t know it was coming, and prolly I should have. It took only ten seconds to adjust and synchronize to each other’s kissing form. It was warm and succulent and sweet and was wonderful. I really was surprised at how nice this felt. I don’t recall married kissing being this enjoyable. I remember saying to myself “Damn, this girl can kiss”.
I was on top, in a position that wasn’t going to be comfortable for as long as I wanted this to last, so I backed away to reposition but she held tight indicating she didn’t want me to move. I gestured at the space next to her and she relented. We then settled in facing one another side by side; her smile confirming that this was a nice place. We were hugging and kissing, pulling each other closer and looking into each other’s eyes. Our legs intertwined and our hands were roaming, but not really in a sexual way, more like trying to make as much body contact as possible. I couldn’t get over how I felt so much more familiarity than there was. What I did not recognize at the time was that this was the physical intimacy catching up to match the virtual intimacy we have been sharing online.
Soon the intensity escalated and it was getting very hot very quickly. The intensity and passion that was building was not something I ever expected or planned for. This was the rare kind of making out where accidental hickeys happen and inadvertent “Oh god I love you’s” slip out. Not that either of those was going to happen but my safe, non-committal no emotional strings encounter was getting too hot to not risk introducing emotions into the situation. And that could happen.
At some point I was no longer kissing her lips and mouth but was kissing her.
I broke contact to catch a breath and maybe get some control of the fire. We stopped for a moment to breathe and cool off. She slid herself on top and I rolled over on to my back to accommodate her. She looked at me with eyes that appeared to agree that it was a good time to slow it down. She closed her eyes and she seemed to enjoy that I was rubbing her back with both hands that I slipped up under her shirt. She presented her lips for me to kiss and then her cheek for the same, then neck and ear and lips again. Her long hair had fallen down around us, surrounding our faces like a vail creating a tiny private and even more intimate space. Inside here it was darker and the temperature and humidity rose quickly. We were breathing each other’s breath between kisses. All of a sudden I noticed that Jasmine was back. Not subtle this time, but deep and fulfilling. I loved it.
This fragrance stuff really works. The next morning just after waking up, I caught an unexpected subtle whiff on my skin under my watch and my heart jumped by 20 beats. Who’d a thunk it possible?
The passion was building again but since I was aware and cautious now, I wanted to enjoy and go with it. I thought I could keep it measured and I did for a while as it does take two. The kissing slowed to half and so did the passion. However, the rest of our bodies started to make up for it and the touching evolved into the sexual. She was still on top of me and my hands were exploring and squeezing on her panty covered butt, then under and in those panties. Her body contact became more targeted as she was now very deliberately mashing her fun stuff all over my fun stuff. The kissing subsided but replaced with the audible accompaniment of her squeaks, moans and quicker breathing timed with her mashing I was no longer in control. The passion was under control but being replaced with something intimately erotic.
I abruptly escaped by gently rolling her over on to her back then getting up and knelling between her legs. I took a moment to catch my breath and wanted to say “That is getting WAY too intimate. Can we get naked and have sex now?” However, I tugged at her panties and said something dorky like “can we take these off now?” Yes, we were still both fully dressed except for her jeans
Since I am the kind of guy who doesn’t kiss and tell, (well, only tells about the kisses) and this is not the forum for it, I am not going to talk about the sexy part over the next 30 minutes. I will tell you that we did finally each get ourselves unceremoniously naked and then the sexy part finishes where it started, with me finishing all over that beautiful tattoo. Of course I did a small celebration gesture that she rolled her eyes to.
*************************************************
Cuddle time. Our snapchats leading up to this encounter were heavy on the anticipation and buildup but didn’t contain a lot of detail about or define what stuff would happen during our “fun” time together.
Me: “Ok then, tomorrow lunchtime, I’m in.”
Her: “OMG Are you saying that you are REALLY going to come here and let me have fun with you?
Me: “I’m REALLY going to come there. I am REALLY going to fully inspect that tattoo, as well as the neighborhood where the tattoo lives.
Her: “I so can’t wait to get my hands on you.”
Me: “WOW….Now that this is real and going to happen, my heart is beating so hard that I am afraid that people can see it through my shirt.”
Her: “You have to tell me, are you being SERIOUS right now? You can’t say this and not show up. It’s OK if you are teasing, but you have to say so that you are now….not tomorrow!!!”
Me: “I am SERIOUS and I PROMISE I will be there. You have gotten to me, BAD. All week with the way we have been talking..err..I mean snapchatting; I can’t get you out of my head. Then today with those tattoo snaps you sent; I can’t get up from my desk. LOL…..NOT kidding NOT teasing.”
Her: “I am BAD, and I like having FUN. I am going to have so much fun with you!!!”
************************************************
The only specific things I recall us acknowledging we would do with our “fun” was tattoo inspection and cuddle time. So as soon as cleanup from sexy time was done we both knew what time it was. For me, as good as the inspection was the cuddle was better. Just as during the sexy time we changed things up and we got to cuddle many ways. We started face to face full contact hugging just like our kissing time with some but less kissing and more being in the moment.
We were still hot (temperature hot now) and sweaty so that didn’t last long. She turned over and we spooned some. I was still craving full body contact but it was still so hot that we had to separate a bit. No contact spooning if you will, with just my one hand caressing her exposed shoulder and arm and hip with an occasional butt cheek squeeze.
It was about that time that we had our first ever personal conversation. On the project there were lots of flirty banter and some personal stories but almost always as part of a group. We had many phone calls and a few project meetings with just us two but never did the conversation get personal. Until now the only personal talks (Chats) we have had have been via Snapchat. I don’t recall who asked the first question of the other, but it was like a dam broke and we started filling in the details of our lives, our feelings and all the things we chatted about.
There was a lot to tell and we were giddy like children (child) best friends re-meeting on the first day of school catching each other up on our summer vacations. At one point she had something compelling to say and faster than a fish out of water she flipped back to facing me so she could gesture with her hand and punctuate through her expression. She landed close. Closer that I think she meant to at first and just a bit awkward I felt. But I was wrong. She didn’t back up an inch. I really couldn’t see her hand but I could feel that she was using it in the 2 to 4 inches of space between our chests. Her face was right into mine. She would lean back or up just an inch when she wanted me to see her eyes or smile or frown for emphasis, then settle back into the pillows with our foreheads or noses or cheeks touching. It was the farthest thing in the world from awkward.
If there was a recurring theme for the day it would be HOT; in every sense and synonym of the word. Again, it was getting too sweaty to remain that close. This time she broke contact to catch a breath and escape the heat. We stopped talking for a moment to breathe and cool off. She sat up, crawled to, and grabbed the (sexy time) clean-up towel that was at the far foot of the bed. She turned around so that she was kneeling facing me as she brought the towel up to her chest to absorb the beads and drips of sweat that had accumulated. As I watched, I again thought of my great fortune to be right here right now feeing what I feel and seeing the beauty before me. She pushed the towel down across her belly button and it fell into her lap.
I observed the soft sunlight reflecting off the white sheets, the white towel, and the white pillows bathed her in perfect light creating just a hint of subtle shadows in all of the right places on her angelic white skin. I started consciously taking photos with my mind. I wanted to capture every nuance and note every detail. I don’t know if I will ever be here again.
I don't recall if my next realization was comprehended in a split second, or if it took ten seconds to develop, but a terrible fear washed over me that for the first time in forever, she was beyond my touch and her next action might be to look for her panties or go jump in the shower. We were after all, deep into the second hour of her hour long lunch.
As I was preparing myself for the pain soon to come, I couldn't understand where it was coming from. I had the BEST DAY EVER, but I felt like an exhausted child who just watched the Disney fireworks finally and knows what that means.
What the hell? What is happening in my head? I don't even know this girl, let alone have feelings for her beyond she made my dick feel good at lunchtime.....and, I guess my ego is healthier since I met her. I have not cheated on my diet since she turned on the flattery the week before. I was sure it had to be somehow manipulative, but I hoped that if only a 5% chance it wasn't AND she liked me AND her mom was single, made it easy to keep my snacking to peas & carrots.
My self esteem has been skyrocketing too, as I have been checking a lot of boxes on my refrigerator. LOL, so many in fact, that I have been adding things to the list after they happened that I didn't dare put on it as they seemed pretty unobtainable just two months before. "Get sent a nude selfie, check. Have the confidence to send one back, check. Take a hottie 32 year old client out to lunch and fuck her brains out, check.
Did I just discover that I like girls who make my self esteem feel good more than I like girls who make my dick feel good?
Shit, that wasn't even on my top ten list. Smart, funny, pretty, Kind, whatever is the opposite of bitchy, fun in bed, boobs and/or an age appropriate figure is always nice, curious, someone you can trust to see you at your worst. Before today, "genuinely being a boost & support of my self esteem" was 10th.
Then BAM. I was hit in the face with the towel. Damn girl, I hope you can handle a spanking because I was just on the verge of making an interpersonal discovery of some importance over here, I thought to myself. I noticed the slightest or possibly mock look of concern on her face as she asks "you're not having any regrets or second thoughts over there are you?". I reflexively replied "Oh god no". Then with some emphasys, I continued "today was incredible. I REALLY needed this and you were PERFECT, thank you".
Again she did not disappoint. She crawled to the top of the bed on the far side and then to me over the pillows and laid down at a 90 angle to me on her stomach parallel to the headboard with her head nearly right on top of mine. She propped herself up a bit on her elbows and we kissed deeply. It was nice.
I made a few attempts to shake my internal drama, get out of my head and get back to my goal of picking my self up after my divorce. Oops, I mean back to pleasing a beautiful woman who clearly was not yet done having her fun with me. The emotional rollercoaster ride over the last hours, days & weeks completely blew out my brains ability to generate or absorb endorphins or whatever happens in a situation like this. Shortly after we had joked around while showering together, kissing goodbye (just like when I kissed my endorphin killing ex wife) and going on back to our separate lives.
I drove the hour or so home, brought my dog to the park and had healthiest and happiest cry I ever had. I don't know what I was feeling or why, but I was feeling again and it brought me much relief and contentedness.
We texted a bit that evening confirming that we each enjoyed our time together and agreeing that we should do that again sometime. The next day, Saturday, her husband took their 5 & 8 year old sons somewhere for the day. We checked in with each other again over text and chatted some about our lunch but the spark or excitement we usually had was not the same.
I reached out again that evening and asked if she was in a place that we could talk on the phone. She resisted but did call me (our first personal phone call). It took her 24 hours to let her cry bubble up. It turns out that our emotional experiences were remarkably similar, albeit from different perspectives.
She much later reveals that she felt emotionally dead for her hubby. She evolved to a bad place where she wanted fuck anyone but her hubby but still fucked him twice a week and had to appear happy to do it, killing her brain chemistry.
We rode the best and worst roller coaster in the world for 6 or 8 months....until the the Cocaine eventually wore off or the unobtainable became obtainable and it wasn't the the same rush for either of us any longer. She was the closest thing to a drug addiction that I ever felt. I never wanted anyone or anything like I wanted her.
My hope is that this story helps one person answer the question "Why the hell would he/she risk giving up their wonderful & loving family for an hour with a douchebag or a skank?"

hi everyone, i’m currently a sec 4 who’s thinking about dsa and eae respectively…My results are mediocre at best, L1R5 14, 15 ish. I hope to dsa in humanities in HCI but my mathematics and my sciences have always been very weak…however, i have attained a leadership award in my school, been an open house presenter too. i had also take part in a mock model united nations, attainting honorable mention. I have topped the cohort in history (1st place) and my humanities( history and geog+ss) have been always an A. i have also won an award at an international humanities symposium organised by a jc. i won the highest possible badge in my cca. my fear of mathematics and sciences have caused me to fail and do badly for them respectively. i know that i am challenged in terms of my maths and sciences, but i would like to ask what are my chances roughly?

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This will be a long post but I’m going to try my hardest to make it shorter!
I (30F) have been with my partner (28M) for 10 years. I fell pregnant 3 years into the relationship and we now have a 7 year old boy with autism. During the newborn stage my partner worked A LOT and went to college to learn a new trade to support us (he is now an electrician that works 12 hour shifts, 7 days on 4 days off, days and nights), so I have always been on my own a lot. During the newborn stage my partner never got up with our son, never fed him, bathed him etc. I devolved post natal depression, I have a history of mental health issues so this wasn’t a surprise to me, I just expected a bit more help. I went back to work once my MAT leave was up and started to feel better and more “Mel.
Fast forward to 3 years ago, I had a miscarriage and was in hospital with sepsis and needed a D&C due to the hospital missing “remains” I had in my womb. This then led to a mental breakdown and I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety and OCD. During this time I was still on my own a lot despite begging not to be, still caring for my child on my own whilst hallucinating and being paranoid. I was still getting up and doing everything around the home and all the childcare despite now being on antipsychotics, the last time I had a lay in was 3 years ago when I was in hospital. My partner stays in bed till 10:30/11 on the days he’s not working, I do everything around the home, cooking, cleaning, school lunches, ironing, walking the dog, supporting and bringing up my autistic child, food shopping, baths etc. Every single thing you can think of apart from going to work I do. I get my nails done once a month, which I can’t really afford time wise, them 2 hours I’m out the home I could be doing the jobs I need to do around the home, he won’t do them just because I’m out, he’ll leave them for me to do when I’m home, including walking the dog. He won’t cook dinner, he wouldn’t even know what to put in his child’s packed lunch box and he refuses to feed the dog because it’s raw meat and won’t touch it.
Whilst I agree that me not going to work is a luxury (I was made redundant and recovering from a mental breakdown; I would not have been able to work), I feel more overwhelmed now than I did before I went to work. He says me not working is why I should do everything around the home, but I also done everything around the home when I worked?
He is always so irritated, shouts at our child if he is having a meltdown or sensory issues, struggles to keep his patience with him and doesn’t have much of a relationship (I never get time on my own to have a bath etc because I am my sons comfort and soul carer). He will either sit on his phone or sit on his PlayStation in the bedroom, eventually be irritated with that, shout and scare my dog and just ruin the mood in the home. I bring all of this up to him but he is like a petulant child and tbh I end up ignoring him because I cannot be bothered with it.
As someone who experiences MH issues I have asked him if he feels depressed and he says no, I ask for a reason as to why he’s to angry all the time and he says he’s just tired (understandable, I mean so am I but I’m not angry and I’m still able to parent).
The last 2 weeks I feel like I’ve logged out mentally in terms of my relationship and I told him this. On top of everything I do around the home, he finds it “weird” that we don’t have sex. I am treated like a maid, a cook, a cleaner, a child care provider and a dog walker, I’m not adding a sex worker to the list. There is no romance, no date nights as he is always working, and the odd occasion he isn’t working our date nights include me, him and his phone. I refuse to have sex with someone that doesn’t care about me enough to help me ease the load I have on top of me, who is irritated all the time and lazy when it comes to parenting and his home.

This will be a long post but I’m going to try my hardest to make it shorter!
I (30F) have been with my partner (28M) for 10 years. I fell pregnant 3 years into the relationship and we now have a 7 year old boy with autism. During the newborn stage my partner worked A LOT and went to college to learn a new trade to support us (he is now an electrician that works 12 hour shifts, 7 days on 4 days off, days and nights), so I have always been on my own a lot. During the newborn stage my partner never got up with our son, never fed him, bathed him etc. I devolved post natal depression, I have a history of mental health issues so this wasn’t a surprise to me, I just expected a bit more help. I went back to work once my MAT leave was up and started to feel better and more “Mel.
Fast forward to 3 years ago, I had a miscarriage and was in hospital with sepsis and needed a D&C due to the hospital missing “remains” I had in my womb. This then led to a mental breakdown and I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety and OCD. During this time I was still on my own a lot despite begging not to be, still caring for my child on my own whilst hallucinating and being paranoid. I was still getting up and doing everything around the home and all the childcare despite now being on antipsychotics, the last time I had a lay in was 3 years ago when I was in hospital. My partner stays in bed till 10:30/11 on the days he’s not working, I do everything around the home, cooking, cleaning, school lunches, ironing, walking the dog, supporting and bringing up my autistic child, food shopping, baths etc. Every single thing you can think of apart from going to work I do. I get my nails done once a month, which I can’t really afford time wise, them 2 hours I’m out the home I could be doing the jobs I need to do around the home, he won’t do them just because I’m out, he’ll leave them for me to do when I’m home, including walking the dog. He won’t cook dinner, he wouldn’t even know what to put in his child’s packed lunch box and he refuses to feed the dog because it’s raw meat and won’t touch it.
Whilst I agree that me not going to work is a luxury (I was made redundant and recovering from a mental breakdown; I would not have been able to work), I feel more overwhelmed now than I did before I went to work. He says me not working is why I should do everything around the home, but I also done everything around the home when I worked?
He is always so irritated, shouts at our child if he is having a meltdown or sensory issues, struggles to keep his patience with him and doesn’t have much of a relationship (I never get time on my own to have a bath etc because I am my sons comfort and soul carer). He will either sit on his phone or sit on his PlayStation in the bedroom, eventually be irritated with that, shout and scare my dog and just ruin the mood in the home. I bring all of this up to him but he is like a petulant child and tbh I end up ignoring him because I cannot be bothered with it.
As someone who experiences MH issues I have asked him if he feels depressed and he says no, I ask for a reason as to why he’s to angry all the time and he says he’s just tired (understandable, I mean so am I but I’m not angry and I’m still able to parent).
The last 2 weeks I feel like I’ve logged out mentally in terms of my relationship and I told him this. On top of everything I do around the home, he finds it “weird” that we don’t have sex. I am treated like a maid, a cook, a cleaner, a child care provider and a dog walker, I’m not adding a sex worker to the list. There is no romance, no date nights as he is always working, and the odd occasion he isn’t working our date nights include me, him and his phone. I refuse to have sex with someone that doesn’t care about me enough to help me ease the load I have on top of me, who is irritated all the time and lazy when it comes to parenting and his home.
I guess my question is, AITA in general? Am I expecting too much from my partner? I’d love to hear a males point of view so I can get some insight into why he may be acting the way he is.
PS. I’m writing this at currently 08:21AM, I have been up since 05:00 with my autistic son getting him ready for school, taking him to school, come back home and now I’m walking our dog, all whilst he is still in bed. And he will be in bed until 11AM.

Introduction
In a bustling city like Noida, where educational options are abundant, finding a school with exceptional facilities can be a daunting task for parents. With numerous institutions vying for attention, it's crucial to discern which ones offer not only quality education but also excellent amenities that foster holistic development. Among the plethora of schools in Noida, Delhi World Public School stands out as a beacon of academic excellence coupled with state-of-the-art facilities. Let's delve into what makes DWPS an exemplary choice for parents seeking the best for their children.
Modern Infrastructure
At Delhi World Public School, modern infrastructure isn't just a buzzword; it's a tangible reality. The campus boasts well-designed classrooms equipped with smart boards and ergonomic furniture to facilitate interactive learning experiences. From spacious auditoriums for cultural events to fully-equipped science and computer labs, every corner of the school exudes an ambiance conducive to learning and exploration. The emphasis on infrastructure underscores DWPS's commitment to providing students with a conducive environment for holistic development.
Sports Facilities
Physical fitness is as crucial as academic excellence in a child's overall development, and DWPS recognizes this fact wholeheartedly. The school offers a wide array of sports facilities, including basketball courts, football fields, cricket pitches, and indoor sports complexes. With trained coaches and state-of-the-art equipment, students have ample opportunities to hone their athletic skills and cultivate a spirit of sportsmanship. Whether it's on the field, court, or track, DWPS encourages students to strive for excellence and embrace the values of teamwork and discipline.
Libraries and Resource Centers
In the age of digital information, cultivating a love for reading is more important than ever. At DWPS, the libraries are more than just repositories of books; they are vibrant hubs of intellectual exploration and discovery. Stocked with a diverse collection of books, journals, and digital resources, the libraries cater to the varied interests and academic pursuits of students. Moreover, the school's resource centers provide access to cutting-edge technology and research tools, empowering students to delve deeper into their areas of interest and stay abreast of the latest developments in their respective fields.
Arts and Cultural Facilities
Creativity knows no bounds at DWPS, where artistic expression is celebrated and nurtured with fervor. The school's dedicated arts and cultural facilities provide students with a platform to unleash their creative potential and showcase their talents. From well-equipped art studios and music rooms to theaters and exhibition spaces, DWPS offers a plethora of avenues for students to explore and excel in the arts. Whether it's painting, music, dance, or drama, students are encouraged to pursue their passions and express themselves freely, thereby fostering a culture of creativity and innovation.
Safety and Security Measures
In today's world, ensuring the safety and security of students is paramount for any educational institution. At DWPS, safety isn't just a priority; it's ingrained in every aspect of the school's functioning. From stringent entry protocols and CCTV surveillance to well-trained security personnel, the school leaves no stone unturned in creating a secure environment for students to learn and grow. Parents can rest assured knowing that their children are in safe hands at DWPS, where the well-being of students is sacrosanct.
In conclusion, Delhi World Public School emerges as a frontrunner in providing the best school facilities in Noida. With its modern infrastructure, top-notch sports facilities, well-stocked libraries, vibrant arts and cultural spaces, and unwavering commitment to safety, DWPS epitomizes excellence in education. For parents seeking a school that offers nothing but the best for their children, DWPS stands as a beacon of hope and promise, shaping the leaders of tomorrow with care, compassion, and unwavering dedication.

Hey all! As title states, bought my first grill, and went with a Pit Boss Classic Onyx Edition. Loving it so far, but learning for sure, as it’s my first grill purchase and the first time I’ve grilled on something other than gas grills.
I’ve been adding some accessories, and noticed it does have compatibility with a chimney stack ventilation addition on the right side, should I purchase one.
My first question is why would I need it? Or want it? Given that there’s already ventilation along the top of the unit.
Secondly, my first grill was kabobs, and followed Pit Boss’ advice of 350° but well longer than the 5 minutes each side they suggested, and still had several pieces of chicken that were slightly undercooked (insert Ramsay “It’s RAAAAawWWwwww!!!” here). Given my novice status, any longtime grill pros have suggestions as to whether to trust the temperature readings on the PCB or if there’s variance to be mindful of that can help me cook more accurately in the future?
To recap: 1. Why add a chimney? 2. Cooking tips for noobs regarding trusting the temp readings on the PCB?
Thanks all!

Gurgaon, now known as Gurugram, has emerged as a thriving hub for businesses across various industries, from technology and finance to manufacturing and retail. With its proximity to the national capital, excellent infrastructure, and vibrant business ecosystem, Gurgaon offers a wealth of opportunities for companies seeking to expand their teams. However, amidst this bustling environment, hiring the right candidates can be a daunting task. Fortunately, platforms like Kaam24 are revolutionizing the hiring process, making it easier for employers to connect with top talent in Gurgaon. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how Kaam24 simplifies the hiring process and provides valuable insights for employers looking to hire candidates in Gurgaon.

Addressing the Employment Market in Gurgaon:

Understanding the characteristics of Gurgaon's job market is essential before moving further with the hiring process. Gurgaon, one of the major financial and technological centers of India, attracts a wide range of talent from around the United States. Numerous global corporations, startups, and SMEs call the town home, offering a vast array of employment opportunities across multiple industries. Gurgaon's job market is known for its diversity and competitiveness, with opportunities ranging from IT specialists and engineers to sales executives and customer service agents.

Making Use of the Hiring Platform at Kaam24

One of the top recruiting platforms in Gurgaon and worldwide is Kaam24, which specializes in matching businesses with qualified candidates.With its user-friendly interface and advanced search capabilities, Kaam24 streamlines the hiring process, saving employers time and resources. Here's how employers can leverage Kaam24's platform to hire candidates in Gurgaon effectively:

1. Job Posting: Employers can create job postings on Kaam24's platform, specifying the job title, requirements, responsibilities, and other relevant details. These postings are then visible to job seekers in Gurgaon who match the criteria, ensuring that employers reach a targeted audience of qualified candidates.
2. Candidate Search: Kaam24 offers powerful search features that allow employers to filter candidates based on various criteria, such as skills, experience, location, and salary expectations. Employers can browse through candidate profiles, view resumes, and shortlist potential candidates for further evaluation.
3. Applicant Tracking: Kaam24's applicant tracking system enables employers to manage the entire recruitment process efficiently. From reviewing applications and scheduling interviews to communicating with candidates and making hiring decisions, employers can track each stage of the hiring process seamlessly.
4. Customized Solutions: Kaam24 understands that every hiring need is unique, which is why it offers customized solutions tailored to each employer's requirements. Whether it's hiring for entry-level positions, mid-level management roles, or executive positions, Kaam24 provides flexible solutions to meet diverse hiring needs.

Navigating the Hiring Process with Kaam24:

Now that we've explored the features and capabilities of Kaam24's hiring platform, let's delve into the step-by-step process of hiring candidates in Gurgaon using Kaam24:
Step 1: Define Your Hiring Needs: Before you begin the hiring process, clearly define the roles and positions you're looking to fill. Identify the specific skills, qualifications, and experience required for each role to ensure that you attract the right candidates.
Step 2: Create Compelling Job Postings: Craft engaging and informative job postings that highlight the unique aspects of your company and the opportunities available. Clearly outline the job responsibilities, qualifications, and benefits to attract the attention of potential candidates.
Step 3: Post Jobs on Kaam24: Once you've created your job postings, post them on Kaam24's platform to reach a targeted audience of job seekers in Gurgaon. Take advantage of Kaam24's advanced search features to ensure that your job postings are seen by relevant candidates.
Step 4: Review Applications and Shortlist Candidates: As applications start coming in, review them carefully to identify candidates who meet your criteria. Utilize Kaam24's applicant tracking system to manage and organize applications efficiently, making it easier to shortlist candidates for further evaluation.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Alus, Yotul auxiliary to the UN Spaceborne Infantry
Date [standardized human time]: March 3^rd 2137, 1000 hours ship-time
After Gutierrez showed me to our compartment, and I dropped off my duffelbags, he began leading me to the Armory, where I would be assigned my rifle and 'sensitive items' as he put it. As we walked, my mind churned with more questions.
"Hey, uh, Guts. Back in the supply compartment, you mentioned the 'USMC'? That's the American Marines right? I thought you were UN Spaceborne infantry."
"Yeah, so, I am a Marine. Marine to the core. But Earth sorta got thrown into this whole clusterfuck without having a properly unified military, and instead of trying to set up a whole new service from scratch, they got the big five on the Security Council, being us, the Brits, the French, the Chinese, and the Russkis, to pitch in units. So you got Marines and Army making up the American portion of the SI, and Navy and Airforce making up our part of the fleet. Same for every country that pitched in, even some outside the UNSC." Gutierrez explained, his hands moving about animatedly. "Right now it's a hot mess because none of the standards, paperwork, or anything changed, but I guess they'll probably formalize and standardize the SI and Fleet after all this shit is done. All we currently got that's the same is rifles, uniforms, and equipment. The traditions and paperwork and shit are all wildly different from one countries units to another, and sometimes even within the same country's units because of different branches. The US Marines and US Army for instance, we share a lot of the same shit you know, but our low-level paperwork is branch-specific, and our organization is different."
I thought for a moment about what he was saying as we walked though the passageways, pondering on the idea of what a truly united Human military could accomplish, if everything Humanity had done so far was with a truly thrown-together force. As I looked up again, I saw we were approaching the armory, and mentally filed my next question away for later. We crossed through the threshold, and I found myself standing in front of a grated window, another Human on the other side.
"Sarn't Johnson, I'd like you to meet our new Yotul auxiliary, Alus. We're doing inprocessing, and need to get his weapon and equipment drawn and assigned."
The new Human looked down at me curiously and smiled, before reaching down and grabbing a few sheets of paper from under his desk.
"Alright" the Sergeant said, before moving deeper into the armory, stopping at a weapons cage, before unlocking it and inspecting the rifles line up inside "So, what are we billeting him as?"
"Just an 0311, needs a rifleman's kit and associated gear" Guts replied, leaning forward to watch the Sergeant.
"Gotcha. Just gimme a minute here."
Guts and I watched as the Armorer pulled a cart over, and picked out a rifle, laying it down on the cart, and locking the cage, before moving to the next rack and removing a small black bag, repeating the process along the line of cages across one wall of the armory, before coming back to the front, and pressing a button on his desk. I heard a click from a door next to the grated portal, and Gutierrez waved for me to follow him through the door, and into the armory.
The Sergeant had sat back down, and was poring over what appeared to be a checklist as he inspected each piece of equipment, ticking them off down the list one by one. When he was done, he clipped it to a clipboard, and handed it off to Gutierrez, before looking toward me.
"So, Heard you fellas went through some sorta training dirtside, so you should be familiar with at least the rifle?" He asked, picking up a notably shorter version of the standard UN rifle I had qualified on Earth with.
"Yes, ours were longer, it kinda seemed like they weren't really meant for non-Humans to use. We could all barely aim them shooting, uh, offhand I think it was?"
"Yeah, sounds about right for an indoc unit. The M-36 is a piston gun so it's good bit heavier out front than the old M-16's the Corps used to issue way back, Mag in the back kinda balances the whole shebang on the carbine variants" he slapped the side of the firearm he was holding "But on the full length rifles they're just ungodly long barrels. Ay, Guts, something like a 28-inch heavy barrel on the old M-36A1's?"
"Yeah, something stupid like that," Guts said, looking up from the paperwork he had been signing, as he set it down on the table. "Marines wanted a gun that was the same length or shorter than an M-16, Piston, and could reach out to like 800 meters with 5.56. I think Bushmaster pulled out some old relic from the 20th century and just modernized it? I remember the K&M lawsuit right when we started getting the A1's back in 2130, but yeah."
The sergeant nodded and turned back to me, pointing at the firearm again "So, when the Corps finally removed their head from their fifth point of contact-"
"Their ass" Gutierrez helpfully interjected, grinning
"Yes, But anyways, They saw some issues with going back to a full size rifle, and got carbines made to replace the A1's for combat arms. Shorter barrel, shorter gas system, shorter receiver, way lighter out front. Super nice shooting guns to boot. Bushmaster also sold them on this neat quick-change barrel system they thought up too, so now we have a bunch of smoothbore barrels for flechettes, rifled barrels for traditional ammunition, pencil barrels for riflemen, heavy barrels with bipods for autoriflemen, in a bunch of different lengths. These fuckers are modular as hell."
The sergeant had what was probably the widest grin I'd ever seen on a Human as he finished talking, and it very nearly took me aback, despite the Yotul, myself included, not having the same issues with Human mannerisms as the wider Federation.
"I-I'm not gonna have to carry all of those, right?" I asked, hesitantly, and Gutierrez broke out laughing, while the sergeant suppressed a chuckle.
"Nah kid, we just pick a rifle and swap the barrel to the one you need for what you're doing. Mostly just makes shit easier on my end really. You're just getting a carbine-length pencil barrel, lightest of the bunch."
The Sergeant shifted, bringing the rifle to his shoulder, and pointed it at a canted barrel, sticking the muzzle in, and pulled back the charging handle, sticking a finger into the rifle's ejection port, before looking in, and releasing the charging handle, before pulling the trigger with a 'click'. He then held out the rifle for me, and I took it, surprised at how much lighter it was than the one I had been issued in training.
"So, one M-36A2." the Sergeant said, before pulling a metal cylinder from a small pouch, and peering through it up at one of the lights, before getting up and grabbing a metal rod, and walking over to me. He stood alongside me, and slipped the cylinder over the muzzle of the rifle, before inserting the rod down the barrel, and peering closely at a small gap around the rod.
"And one suppressor. Clears the rod check so that shouldn't give you any issues. Guts should be able to explain the adjustable piston to you so you don't get gassed in the face while you're using it." With a quick twist of a collar on the back of the tube, the armorer pulled the device off the muzzle and stuck it back in it's pouch, and picked up a larger cloth case. He pulled something that looked like a visor on an articulating arm from it, and inserted a pair of batteries into a cylinder that ran along the top.
"This here is the AN/PVS-101 'Fused vision system'. Little heads up display that links up with the rest of your fireteam, and also has thermal and Infrared overlay. Just a fuckin' neat piece of kit honestly. Datalink is hardened to all hell, and the whole system's idiot-proof. I've seen ones that pre-date the Satellite Wars. Uses an accelerometer and gyro system to keep track of where you are in the area, and can pulse lidar to give you visuals in full pitch-black. You can also mark obstacles, enemy troops, vics, whatever with eye-clicks, and the system keeps track and spreads that out to all the linked systems. Plus there's a version that goes to the fireteam leader, which transmits all that collated data back to company level, and gives them an up-to-date picture of everything that's going on. Just honestly fuckin' cool."
He then held up a square plate on the back of the arm to his forehead, and withdrew a small box from the back and touched it to the back of his head.
"The FVS mounts to the socket on the front of your helmet, and the Processing unit just mounts to the rear, acts like a counterweight too which keeps your neck from hurting nearly as much while you're using it."
Placing both items back in the cloth bag, He finally held up what was obviously a handheld radio, and a set of earmuffs.
"This is the AN/PRC-255. It's a radio, and might as well work with Angry Pixies. I know it's got a 60 mile range, and hops frequencies, and the Comms nerds have some kind of black magic ritual to make them work. The hearing protection doesn't have some letter-and-number name, but they hook up to the radio, and they'll also link up to other headsets nearby like the FVS to communicate without radio. The Radio isn't nearly as impressive as the FVS, and the hearing protection hasn't changed in a meaningful way in about a hundred years. 3M is the Browning of comms gear, I swear. And, that's petty much it."
I looked at the neat pile of equipment sitting next to the carbine, and looked down at my hands, realizing I had nothing to carry any of it with, before looking up at Gutierrez.
"Is it alright if you carry some of this, I don't think I can carry it a-" I said, before I was cut off by laughter from Sgt Johnson.
"Nooooooo, no kid." The sergeant said, wiping tears from his eyes. "This all stays here unless you actually imminently need it. It's assigned to you now, but it stays under lock and key." he explained, while Gutierrez seemed to look simultaneously aghast and about to burst into laughter. My abbreviated training had failed to explain a few things, it seemed, as I had simply assumed that they had locked up our equipment because we were were trainees.
"See, everything in here is either VERY killy, or VERY expensive. And Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines around Earth all have a penchant for shenanigans, and breaking anything they touch. Occasionally themselves too, if left entirely unsupervised with dangerous objects. So we don't let any of you have things which can be described as 'Killy', 'Expensive', or 'Killy and Expensive' unless it's specifically pertaining to the task at hand, Rah?"
"I, uh, see yeah. Rah?" I replied, somewhat dejectedly, and slightly confused.
"Rah." The Sergeant said in reply, and began to load all of the 'Killy and expensive' equipment back onto the metal cart, chuckling to himself still, as Gutierrez tapped me on the shoulder.
"Hey, chow's in about an hour, let's get you back to the barracks so you can get your OCUU's on, and outta those class-B's right?"
"Yeah, that sounds good, I don't think I've eaten since before I arrived at the Orbital, I'm starving" I said, as I followed the Spaceborne Infantry Marine out of the Armory's door, and back down the passageway to the berthing areas of Grunt Country.