I just look at the numbers. Demographics/fertility is the most wild number. When I learned of this, it became obvious to me very quickly that something must be very special about Israel.
But it goes further, if you take everything: financials (sovereign balance sheet, foreign currency reserves, inflation); educational attainment, funding for tech R&D, funding for startups, happiness, health/lifespan, etc. Israel always scores very high. Top 5, top 10, and even at the top 1 in a lot of tech metrics. If you take the balance of all these things, while adding in the top 1 fertility which I think is super important, it becomes clear how I get to "Israel is the healthiest country in the world".
The more wild prediction I make is, if Israel continues this way, in maybe 100 years will become a eurasian powerhouse. That's a more wild prediction I know. But it really isn't when you think about it. America was literally a fort what like 400 years ago.
I believe even more wild things, which have only circumstantial evidence at best. For example that the Jewish people are the progenitors of human civilization. I believe that before they were called Jews, they had other names. But there is a straight line between Sumerians, and Hyksos, and Israelites, and Jews. There is some evidence from Tacitus that the ancient Jews were somehow connected to Minoans as well.

Seriously, after playing FC24 did they watch how football plays or did they just decide to make a pinball game based of football, because the physics in this game are insanely bouncy. Did you keeper make a last gasp rush to get hand on a player who is through on goal? Did he get the ball? Well tough luck because that ball is going straight to an opposing player to slam back in from 30 yards out.
Did you clear the ball? Nope it pinged off of ; players uncontrollably before falling at the feet of their striker 2 yards out.
Are games tight tactical affairs with a couple of goals at most? Hahah. No. Every game has to have a basketball score or how would you be having FUN?!?
I don’t know what this game is but it ain’t football.

I’m sure I’m going to get downvoted to oblivion for this but I will die on this hill.
In this draft the Raptors trade down from #31 with the Kings to get #45 and #48. The main thing is we need to get a second pick in the second round to draft Isaiah Crawford who is my guy in this draft. He is hands down the most underrated player and his combination of offensive skills and defense is perfect for what the Raptors are trying to build.
In the first round we grab Edey. Bring the kid home. I am higher on him than most people. There probably isn’t a more divisive player in NBA draft history tbh and I think it’s just people overthinking things. I think his supposed lack of athleticism and coordination is greatly over-exaggerated. Kid is a baller. He has generational size and would instantly be a problem in the post for teams to try and defend. I think pairing him with Scottie and other lengthy defenders will help him greatly and allow him to only play the drop coverage. I don’t expect him to be a good defender but if he can be an average defender and produce on offense like we know he’s capable of he would be a steal at #19.
And then let’s not forget KJ. The kid can score. He showed it during the season, and he showed it at the NBA combine. He knows how to put the ball in the bucket, but not only that, he also plays winning basketball. KJs advanced stats during the season were bonkers with a 24.8 PER, 60.6% TS, 7.2 WS and 10.1 BPM. He’s a talented, smart, scrappy, NBA ready point guard that will score some and defend. He is exactly what the Raptors need off the bench.
To conclude, don’t overthink Edey. If he falls to #19, you take him. This draft is a crapshoot anyways. Somehow acquire a second pick in the second round. Draft a backup point guard like KJ with the first pick and then grab Isaiah Crawford with the second pick.
Side note: If we can just buy a second pick or trade another asset, I would also not be opposed to drafting Bub Carrington if he falls to #31.

My name is Rory Fars, and my little sister, Lily Fars, is the last family I had left.
A heavy sense of dread settled over me like a suffocating blanket as I sat in the worn leather seat of Lily's old jeep. The car, a relic of our happier days, seemed to groan under our shared sorrow. Beside me, Lily, my best friend, and confidante, absentmindedly twirled a strand of her long, dark hair, which swayed gently in rhythm with the haunting melodies from the oldies station on the radio. This car had seen us through countless joyful journeys when our family was whole. Almost three years had passed since that fateful Christmas trip in Texas when our parents were tragically killed in a horrific multi-car pileup. The memory of their loss was a constant ache, a wound that never fully healed.
My dad was from Amarillo, Texas, so my parents often took trips down there, visiting the places that held so many memories for him. During one of these trips, just before Christmas, a sudden blizzard struck while they were on the freeway. The snow fell in blinding sheets, making the world outside a disorienting white blur. As they tried to slowly pull to the side, their vision obscured by the relentless storm, they never saw the car barreling toward them at least forty miles an hour. The impact was devastating, an abrupt and brutal end to their journey and, in many ways, to our lives as we had known them.
My parents were always sticklers for safety, insisting on seatbelts every time we got in the car. So, of course, they had theirs on during that fateful trip. The initial impact wasn't what killed them, the coroner explained to me. Not even the first hit from behind, which was going at least fifty miles an hour, was fatal. I had to practically shake the information out of him—they were so resistant to tell me anything at first. By the time the third car hit, with an unknown speed, their survival was already in jeopardy. The coroner said that by the fifth car, they were likely dead. But it didn't end there. Another twenty-three vehicles slammed into the back of the pile, each collision further crushing their bodies, reducing them to a horrific, unrecognizable state. Each jarring impact pushed my parents deeper into a gruesome amalgamation of twisted metal and shattered lives.
I don't know why I felt compelled to demand those details at the time, but I deeply regret it now. I wish I had never asked. Almost every night, unless I drink myself into oblivion, I am haunted by nightmares of what they endured. I dream of driving up to save them, only to be caught in the same deadly barrage of cars, ending in a twisted metal tomb for all of us.
Lily is never in those dreams. Even in my most horrific imaginings, I can't envision her being hurt. Lily is my little sister, younger by eight years and three months. Whenever I mention our age difference, I see the judgment in people's eyes, but what can I say? Our parents never stopped loving each other. They had Lily late in life; she became our shared joy, our living reminder of the love that had bound our family together.
Lily wasn't my twin in the literal sense, but ever since she was born, it felt like we shared the inexplicable connection that twins often describe. As she grew up, our bond only deepened—we acted, sounded, and even looked remarkably alike. She became my rock, especially after our parents' tragic deaths. We leaned on each other, cried into each other's shoulders, and somehow found the strength to move forward. We eventually moved in together, finding solace in a two-bedroom apartment that became our sanctuary.
Lily seemed to handle our parents' deaths better than I did, or maybe she was just better at distracting herself with technology. Even before their passing, Lily was addicted to any kind of digital screen she could manipulate. Her ability to navigate the digital world was unmatched; she was the most intelligent person I had ever met. Her intelligence was a beacon of light in the darkness that had enveloped us, a testament to her resilience and brilliance.
After my parents' death, I embarked on a quest to find my spirituality by delving into paranormal investigations. I hoped these pursuits would bring me closer to my parents in the afterlife, spiritual realm, or whatever you want to call it. Instead, it created a chasm between me and any sense of spiritual existence. Each investigation seemed to push me further from the answers I sought, leaving me feeling more isolated and disconnected than ever.
I had hoped that by exploring these paranormal claims, I would discover a way to reach out to my parents and feel their presence again. Yet, as the years have passed, this endeavor has only deepened my loneliness and sense of loss. Despite knowing how detrimental it is to my mental health, I can't bring myself to stop. The hope that the subsequent investigation will be the one that proves the existence of an afterlife and that I'll find a way to contact my parents keeps me going. It's a desperate, unrelenting pursuit for a connection that remains heartbreakingly out of reach.
I should have accepted their death and moved on like any sane person would. Instead, I let my grief fester and dragged my sister and a stranger, Mark, through my obsessive quest for answers. My relentless pursuit of the paranormal didn't just alienate me; it consumed us all, leading to their untimely deaths. My name is Rory Fars, and I am here to confess my side of the story about the missing case of Lily Fars and Mark Lawrence.
This is the truth about how my desperate search for a connection with the afterlife led to a nightmare from which none of us could escape.
To start off, no, Lily was not a student of Mark's who fell in love with him and then got jealous of me hitting on him, leading her to kill him and herself. I know that sounds ridiculous, but given some wild theories circulating online, I need to address this one specifically since it seems to be the most popular.
First and foremost, Mark Lawrence was not, nor has he ever been, a professor at a university. Lily and I met Mark at the Local Museum in Redlin, a town nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains. He was the curator of an exhibit showcasing the history of Raven's Nest, a forgotten mining town that neither Lily nor I had ever heard of. This is where our story begins, in a place steeped in history and mystery, far removed from the convoluted theories that now cloud the truth.
We were constantly searching for new ideas for our podcast about paranormal claims. Each of our twenty-five episodes so far had concluded with a rational explanation, so when Mark told us about the curse of Harper, I was immediately intrigued.
Mark was an older man, likely in his mid-sixties, with a full head of silver hair and a beard that stubbornly clung to its youthful color, only lightly dusted with grey. He had a presence that commanded attention, and his stories about the curse were delivered with an intensity that drew me in.
On the other hand, Lily was always more interested in the technical aspects of the paranormal. She had her own theories and was determined to debunk every claim we investigated. She wasn't easily swayed by Mark's tales about the curse of Harper, but she was willing to listen and give him a chance to prove himself. Her skeptical mind constantly checked my enthusiasm, and together, we hoped to uncover the truth behind yet another paranormal mystery.
"Hello ladies, care to hear about the mysterious town of Raven's Nest?" Mark asked with theatrical enthusiasm.
Lily and I exchanged a knowing glance, trying to stifle our amusement. Despite our attempts to remain composed, a smirk played at the corners of our lips.
"We're all ears," I replied, my tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.
He sighed, almost as if he was disappointed that we said yes. Taking a deep breath, he seemed to steel himself for the task ahead. "Well, you see," he began, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "in the early twentieth century, a man named Harper Franstein exploited many men and children in the coal mines. By the mid-1920s, he had established his own settlement in a secluded valley, which he dubbed 'The Raven's Nest.' It was never officially recognized as a town, but that's the only name we have to go off of."
I could see the beads of sweat forming on Mark's brow as he struggled to recall every detail. Despite his initial enthusiasm, he now appeared flustered, his confidence waning. Eventually, he resorted to consulting his damp and crumpled notes, a sign of his growing unease.
"Um, anyway, yeah, um," he stuttered, audibly gulping as his nerves got the better of him. Lily couldn't contain her laughter, emitting a snicker that earned us a glare from Mark.
"Hey, just relax," I interjected, trying to diffuse the tension. "We're not here to judge or intimidate you." With a gentle touch on his forearm and a chuckle, I attempted to reassure him, hoping to ease his obvious discomfort.
He paused, sharing a chuckle with me, while Lily struggled to suppress her laughter and eventually excused herself, leaving just Mark and me. Evidently, he felt more at ease with fewer listeners, so he pressed on with his narrative.
"Anyway," he resumed, "Harper held complete control over the town and the mine, and he made sure everyone was acutely aware of that fact. When the disappearances began, he tried to sweep them under the rug, attributing them to anything but his own negligence in mining practices."
"What do you mean by 'negligence in mining practices'?" I interjected, eager to delve deeper into his intriguing tale.
He looked up, clearly pleased by my question. "Yes, exactly," he affirmed. "Harper adhered to a mining technique outlined by Dwight Brunst in the mid to late nineteenth century. This method mandated only one entry and exit point into the mine."
"Wait, so they were forbidden from creating additional exits?" I pressed for clarification.
"Not explicitly," he explained. "The practice advocated for just one entry and exit as it was believed to minimize the risk of cave-ins, at least in theory. However, there were instances where miners, feeling uneasy about this restriction, took matters into their own hands and carved out what they called 'Emergency Exits' for themselves. After about half of the town started going missing, Harper couldn't take criticism about how he responded, but most people say he was losing money quickly and didn't want to live in a world where he was poor. He walked into the mine, never to be seen again, much like the cave's past victims. Visitors report seeing and hearing Harper, trying to get them to leave."
As I stood there, listening to Mark's enthralling narrative, I found myself captivated by the mysterious allure of Raven's Nest. Unable to contain my curiosity, I decided to pose a question.
"So, what does the town look like now?" I inquired, eager to learn more about the present state of this enigmatic place.
Mark's demeanor shifted slightly as he rifled through his notes, a subtle indication that he didn't have a straightforward answer to my query.
"You've never been there?" I asked, my tone softening with genuine curiosity.
He flinched as though my question had struck a nerve. "Shhhhhh... shut up," he demanded, his voice tinged with unease.
Suppressing a chuckle, I leaned in closer and whispered, "Okay, hear me out. My sister Lily and I are investigating paranormal phenomena. Your story about Raven's Nest sounds like the perfect addition to our podcast. What do you say we compensate you for your guidance? Let's say, three hundred bucks?"
He straightened up, contemplating my proposition for a few moments. Without uttering a word, he extended his hand, and I met it halfway with my own, sealing our agreement with a firm handshake.
Our journey to Raven's Nest was no easy feat. Situated a good twenty miles from town and nestled deep within a dense valley. After all of the tight turns, narrow dirt roads, and steep inclines, it took us a grueling two and a half hours to go twenty-something miles, but we finally reached the outskirts of the infamous settlement. As we stood at the edge of the "Nest," anticipation mingled with trepidation, setting the stage for the eerie exploration that lay ahead.
I glanced at my phone; the time read 11:56 pm, signaling the late hour. Sensing the exhaustion weighing heavily, I suggested we catch a few hours of rest in Lily's jeep. Mark, though visibly unsettled, remained silent from the back seat, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he slumped against the window like a sulking child.
Drifting asleep in the passenger seat, I soon found myself ensnared in a nightmare. In my dream, Mark was being dragged away into the darkness, his desperate attempts to claw his way back to safety only resulting in broken fingertips. Despite his struggles, he was powerless against the unseen force pulling him inexorably into the abyss. Suddenly, I was alone, engulfed in utter darkness, my heart pounding with fear as I ran blindly from an unseen terror that seemed to pursue me relentlessly, its malevolent presence palpable but unseen.
I jolted awake, gasping for breath, my heart racing as the remnants of dread lingered in the pit of my stomach. It was morning, and I was struggling to adjust my vision. Lily's frantic but comforting voice broke through the haze of my terror, grounding me in reality. With her comforting embrace, I gradually calmed my racing thoughts, drawing deep, steadying breaths.
As we sat there, enveloped in each other's embrace, Mark approached the driver's side window with an unexpected question, "Alright, what's for breakfast?" His nonchalant tone and casual demeanor were a stark contrast to the harrowing nightmare that had just consumed my thoughts, momentarily dispelling the lingering specter of fear that had haunted my dreams.
Lily and I both look up at him and back at each other as we burst out into laughter.
Amidst our shared laughter, Lily and I exchanged amused glances before turning our attention back to Mark.
"Ha...ha, yeah. No, but seriously, what's for breakfast? Eggs, bacon, toast, at least?" Mark pressed, hoping for a more substantial response.
His earnest inquiry fueled our laughter further, our giggles echoing through the quiet night air. Eventually, we regained our composure and stepped out of the jeep, stretching our limbs after the cramped confines of the vehicle.
Mark awkwardly moves to the side, still waiting for an honest answer. Lily tossed him a granola bar, eliciting a bemused chuckle from him. With a shared understanding, we set off on foot, embarking on the hike into the town.
The path ahead was clear: a single dirt road that wound its way from the abandoned coal mine into the heart of the small settlement. The road, now overgrown and muddy from years of disuse, bore the marks of neglect and isolation. Wary of the treacherous conditions, Lily opted to forgo the risk of getting stuck, steering clear of the decrepit road that likely hadn't seen a traveler in at least half a century.
We parked Lily's jeep at the entrance to both the mine and the town of Raven's Nest, opting to proceed on foot from there. Standing at the mountain's peak, gazing down at the desolate town below, I couldn't help but ponder the history beneath the dilapidated structures. I imagined how this valley must have once been a pristine landscape cherished by the indigenous people who roamed its lush terrain.
"Jesus, this place is more like a shit nest," Mark muttered in disgust, his disdain evident in his tone.
Lily shot me a knowing glance, silently communicating her skepticism toward Mark's assessment of the town.
Deciding to put Mark's knowledge to the test, I casually inquired, "So, what year was this area founded?"
Mark's reaction was almost defensive as if my question had caught him off guard. He hesitated momentarily before fumbling for his note cards in his pocket, a telltale sign that he wasn't as knowledgeable as he let on.
Before he could respond, I interjected with another question, "Mark, how long have you worked at the museum?"
As Mark froze, his gaze locking onto mine like a deer caught in headlights, I watched him closely, waiting for any sign of hesitation or discomfort. My narrowed eyes bore into his, silently urging him to be honest.
Finally, breaking the tense silence, Mark confessed, "Look, this is only my first week. I... I haven't had the greatest time lately, and I really need the extra money. I'm sorry I lied, but I'll help however I can."
I met his gaze unwaveringly, sensing the sincerity in his words. Clearly, he was a man in need of redemption, grappling with his own personal struggles.
"Alright, alright, don't cry too much," I teased lightly, trying to ease the tension. Gesturing towards Lily, who was busy preparing her wireless motion cameras in her backpack, I continued, "Lily and I already figured that was the case. Honestly, we're surprised you agreed to come along."
Mark remained frozen, but the tension seemed to melt away from his expression, replaced by a tentative smile. It was a moment of shared understanding, a silent acknowledgment that he was still welcomed into our expedition despite his initial deception.
"Alright, I have the cams and portable batteries to make sure the cameras and anything we have with power can last," Lily said, her voice brimming with determination.
We began our descent into the town, our hiking boots struggling against the thick, clinging mud produced by the constant light rain and years of disuse. Each step was a battle, the mud threatening to swallow our boots with every move.
After an eternity of trudging through the muck, we finally reached the town's only paved road—the main road. It had taken us only about fifteen minutes to hike down, but navigating the muddy slope had sapped our energy. We paused for a break, taking a few minutes to clean off our boots and catch our breath.
As we rested, I noticed Lily rummaging through her bag with a focused intensity. Curious, I asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I brought five motion-detecting cameras that I want to set up strategically throughout the town," she replied, pulling out one of the cameras. She walked over to the nearest building, a structure that served as a post office, police station, and fire station. She positioned the camera outside the building so it was pointed at the only road leading in and out of the town.
"We need to cover all potential points of interest," she explained, securing the camera in place. "This one will monitor any activity on the main road. We should place the other cameras around key locations like the mine entrance, the town square, and some more intact buildings."
I nodded, appreciating her thoroughness. "Good idea. We need to make sure we capture anything unusual."
Mark, having finally caught his breath, joined us. "Alright, let's get these cameras set up and see what we can find," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Look," Lily said, turning her tablet screen toward us. She waved her hand in front of the camera she had just placed. The tablet displayed five squares on the interface, each meant to show a feed from one of the cameras. Since Lily had only set up one camera so far, only the bottom right square showed any footage pointed at the road leading out of town. She stopped waving her hand, and the feed went to a blue screen.
"What happened? Did we lose connection?" Mark asked frantically, his eyes wide with concern.
Lily cackled, struggling to contain her amusement. Composing herself, she waved her hand in front of the camera again, and the bottom right square showed her hand waving once more. "It's motion-activated. It's the best way to save on battery life," she explained.
Mark seemed to relax, though he was still catching his breath after the brief panic.
I glanced at my watch, noting the time. "It's 8:30. We're behind schedule. If you want to place the rest of your cameras, we better move now," I said, walking down the street.
Lily immediately got up and followed me, with Mark struggling to keep pace behind us. We reached the market building, and Lily positioned her second camera on the side of the road, pointing up at the market.
It's not much longer before we make it to the Town Hall. I suggest Lily place a camera nearby. She nods and heads into a building across from the Town Hall labeled, "Slaughterhouse: LOCAL ANIMALS ONLY."
As Lily explores the building to find an adequate spot for the camera, I wait for Mark to catch up. While I wait, I can't help but imagine this town in its prime, picturing the streets filled with families who loved each other.
My thoughts are abruptly cut off by a sound echoing in the distance—a roar unlike any I've ever heard. It was a mix of a human screaming in pain, the roar of a lion, and, near the end, the howl of a wolf. The chilling sound sent shivers down my spine.
I jump to my feet and immediately call out, "Lily, you okay?"
There's no response from Lily, but I'm interrupted by Mark finally catching up, panting heavily.
"Holy... shit... did you... hear that?" Mark said frantically between breaths.
"Yeah, we have to find Lily," I say, bolting into the slaughterhouse. I glance back to see Mark bracing himself on the steps of the Town Hall, struggling to keep up.
As I enter the building, the stench of rotting flesh hits me like a wave, causing me to gag. The smell is too fresh to be decades old.
"Lily? Lily, where are you?" I yell, using my shirt to shield my nose from the overwhelming odor.
"Rory, I'm in here!" I hear Lily yell from a room two doors down. I pass the first door, peeking in to ensure I hadn't misheard, but I wish I hadn't looked.
Inside the first room, I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a pile of animal carcasses, their decayed bodies arranged in a grotesque display. The sight is horrifying, the flesh still disturbingly fresh. The bile rises in my throat, but I force myself to focus on finding Lily.
I rush to the room where her voice came from, pushing the door open. Lily is there, setting up the camera, seemingly oblivious to the horror in the adjacent room. Relief floods through me as I see she's safe.
"Lily, did you hear that roar?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Yeah, I heard it," she replies, her eyes wide with concern. "I was just finishing up here. Let's get back to Mark and figure out what that was." She had placed the camera in a window, pointing directly at the Town Hall.
We hurry back outside, where Mark still catches his breath as we meet between the buildings. "We need to stay together from now on," I say firmly, looking at both of them. "Whatever that noise was, it's not something we want to face alone."
"Let's check out the Town Hall!" Mark says excitedly as he slowly clambers through a broken window.
"Did he not just hear what I said?" I mutter under my breath, shaking my head in disbelief.
Lily gives me a shrug, her eyes reflecting a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Guess we're heading into the Town Hall then," she says, adjusting her backpack and walking towards the broken window.
I sigh and follow suit, hoisting myself up and carefully maneuvering through the jagged glass. Inside, the air is musty, filled with the scent of old paper and decaying wood. Dust motes float lazily in the beams of sunlight streaming through the cracked windows.
The main hall is vast and eerily silent, with rows of empty chairs facing a stage draped in tattered curtains. The walls are lined with faded portraits and yellowed maps of the town, remnants of a time when this place was alive and bustling.
Mark is already at the front, examining a large, decrepit desk. "Look at this," he says, his voice echoing in the empty space. "It's like stepping back in time."
I walk over, glancing at the old papers scattered across the desk. Most are mundane—meeting minutes, maintenance logs—but one catches my eye. It's a letter dated June 1925, addressed to Harper Franstein.
"Harper, the disappearances are becoming more frequent. The townsfolk are getting restless, and I fear they may take matters into their own hands if we don't act soon. We need to find out what's causing this before it's too late."
I read the letter aloud, and the room fell silent. "Sounds like things were getting pretty tense," Lily remarks, her voice subdued.
As I'm distracted by the time capsule in front of us, Mark sneaks off.
I'm not sure how long it was before she noticed, but I saw Lily looking around before saying, "Where the hell did Mark go?" breaking me out of my trance.
I look around, turning my head in all directions, and shrug at Lily. I hear shuffling in the second room down the hall, so I slowly walk toward it.
"Mark?" I call out.
Just then, a loud crash reverberates through the building, making it sound like the whole place was about to come down.
We run in and see Mark struggling to keep himself from falling into a giant hole that must've broken under his weight. Trying not to laugh, I glance at Lily. We help him up as he dramatically falls onto his back, wheezing as he catches his breath.
Lily and I can't contain our laughter anymore as we bust out laughing hard. Startled by our sudden outburst, Mark jumps in fear. He looks around, confused for a few seconds, before realizing that we are laughing at him.
"Jesus, thanks, I guess," he says, clearly thankful but annoyed by our reaction.
After we contained ourselves, we headed back outside, exiting through the window Mark entered through. He struggles to climb out, but after Lily gives him a hand, he is safely out of the Town Hall.
"Alright, Ror, where should we put the next camera?" Lily asks me.
I stop to think momentarily, trying to picture the town's layout. "I think the only place left is the neighborhood," I respond confidently. I always talk like that with Lily. Over the years, I've realized she is the only person I can have that much confidence around. With anyone else, I'm worried about saying something stupid or wrong or how they'll view me, but with my sister, everything is easy.
As I look at the replica map of the town in its heyday from the museum, I determine that the neighborhood is to the East. "Okay, looks like we head East past the Library. Let's go." I say, walking away.
It only takes about eight minutes to get to the long strip of road that housed the town's workers. According to the map, there were fifteen houses along this strip of road.
The houses stand eerily silent, their wooden frames weathered and decayed by time. We walk down the road, our footsteps crunching on the gravel and echoing in the stillness. The air feels heavier here like the past is watching us, waiting to reveal its secrets.
"Let's put the last cameras on that house at the end of the road," I suggest, pointing to a house that looks slightly less dilapidated than the others, "another one at the last house on the other side, and the last we can save for a spot you choose."
Lily nods and heads toward the first house, pulling another camera from her backpack. She sets it up on the porch, positioning it to capture the entire street, and does the same in the opposite house. As I stand with Mark breathing hard, still unable to catch his breath since we first got here, I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched. I glance around nervously but see nothing out of the ordinary.
"All set," Lily says, breaking my reverie, "Still no ideas for the last cam?" Lily asks me.
"Like I said, wherever you think it would be best. I feel like we have enough good spots and angles, so go wild with that one," I told her.
She smirked and kept walking next to me. Mark was still struggling behind, but after the town hall mishap, he was trying his best to keep up. I looked at my watch, and it read '12:30 pm'.
"Holy shit, it's already 12:30," I said in amazement, but no one else seemed fazed. It felt like we'd only been here thirty minutes, not almost four hours.
We walked back down the street. Lily and I had been discussing on the walk that she should put the last camera at the town's only stoplight in front of the Library.
As we made our way to it, I could have sworn I was seeing something moving fast past my vision in the corner of my eye. Every time I turned to look, it was gone. I chalked it up to being my imagination until Lily and Mark both experienced the same thing.
"What the fuck was that?" Mark asked as he ducked, bracing for something terrible to happen. Lily and I looked back at him and then at each other as we shrugged. It was after that that I started seeing things, too.
I confided in Lily about the unsettling visions and sounds, and she admitted she had experienced the same phenomena but had kept quiet, fearing Mark would dismiss her as paranoid.
"Well, it's probably just a cat or something," I said, attempting to downplay the situation, but neither seemed convinced.
We continued our trek, and I noticed that the more we walked, the more frequently I caught fleeting glimpses of movement in my peripheral vision. It was beginning to grate on my nerves.
Finally, we reached the light in front of the Library. As Lily mounted the camera, I felt a sense of satisfaction. We were making good progress, and it seemed like a suitable moment to start exploring the town more freely. We decided to split up and cover different sections of the town.
"Wait, we have to go alone? Why can't we stay together like you said?" Mark asked frantically, but Lily and I ignored him as we headed in separate directions. He continued to protest, but we paid him no mind. Eventually, I was either far enough away to not hear him anymore, or he had given up. Either way, I was happy to enjoy the eerie silence of the town.
As I wandered, the stillness of Raven's Nest enveloped me. With its decrepit buildings and overgrown streets, the town exuded an unsettling charm. It was as if I had stepped into a forgotten world, a place frozen in time with secrets waiting to be unearthed. The ambiance reminded me of an amusement park's haunted town section—artificially eerie yet irresistibly intriguing. Despite the creepiness, the mysterious vibe of the town kept me engaged and eager to explore its hidden corners.
I glanced at my watch again, only to find the time glaring back at me: 3:19 pm. It couldn't be right. There was no way it had been that long since I last checked. Panic seized me, and I called out for Lily, my voice tinged with urgency. She appeared beside me in a matter of minutes, her expression mirroring my concern.
"What's up, Ror? You okay?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
"How long would you say it's been since you put the last camera down?" I inquired, my heart pounding in my chest.
Lily's brow furrowed as she struggled to come up with an answer. "Uh, I don't know, thirty minutes?" she hazarded a guess.
I held up my watch, displaying the time: 3:20 pm. Lily fell silent, her eyes widening in disbelief. She was never great with time, but missing almost three hours of our memory was unprecedented.
"There's no way. Your watch must be—" Lily began, her voice trailing off as she checked her own watch, only to freeze in shock when she found it displayed the same time as mine.
"Lil, something is going on," I stated, my voice tight and apprehensive. I glanced up at the sky, my stomach churning as I noticed the clouds darkening and rolling in from all sides of the valley.
The sky closed rapidly, ominous clouds obscuring the sun as thunder rumbled ominously against the mountains.
"Mark? Mark, where are—" I began to call out, but before I could finish, Mark emerged from behind a wall, appearing as if he'd been too frightened to venture far on his own.
"We have to get inside!" Mark exclaimed urgently, his voice tinged with fear.

Audio - https://youtu.be/RKwcHFmEJOE?si=mM9QY9xzKDB_hXdC
Sheet Music - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NjLCYsSZF8cT_3KNO6CXVWx_uTlDGwPN/view?usp=drive_link
I arranged the 4 Kendrick Lamar diss tracks against Drake into an orchestral video game boss theme. Being a theoretical boss theme, it loops at the end of the score, midway through the video. The melodies and tones of all of the diss tracks are so different from each other that it was difficult to make them all work together cohesively. What do you all think?

Do you ever feel like you could do better than an NBA GM or Head Coach?
Well if you do, there's a good chance you'll like NBN Simulation Basketball! We are a community of roughly 80 people, built around the idea of simulating the NBA as realistically as humanly possible, going into our 5th year.
The Nothing But Net fantasy GM league is looking for new front office members for multiple teams that have openings.
As a member of the NBN, you will join one of the 30 front offices as an Owner, GM, Head Coach, or consultant, and work with other members of your FO to build your roster and compete for a championship over the years. This is a slow-paced but lively and extremely in-depth fantasy league where you will act as a front office with responsibilities such as drafting new talent, making trades, signing free agents, and coaching settings (all in NBA2K)
For more information, please check out: The NBN intro blurb, which will give you a high-level overview of how the league works, The current Rosters and Salaries sheet, which details each team’s player roster and financial situation, The Members List, which shows each team’s front office openings, and Our Stats Portal, which includes every player and team’s stats since the inception of the NBN, as well as regular season and postseason results and other fun trivia.
If you are interested in finding a role in the NBN, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me on Reddit, or the following people on Discord:
se_ho that1gal101 12jonnyb kavvalan
If you're ready to dive in, you can join our Discord server with this [link]https://discord.gg/3btXSEYN3S, and someone will reach out to you.

Feminists demonize masculinity and describe hypermasculinity as bad for men and deadly. Well, that's all bullshit. Being masculine actually can be a great thing for men.
In fact, research shows negative perceptions of masculinity is linked to worse mental health in men, and the phrase toxic masculinity could contribute to men perceiving masculinity that way. A meta-analysis of 58 studies from 1978 to 2021 found that while androgyny was the biggest protective factor against depression for both men and women, being undifferentiated (i.e.: normative) was the least likely to be a protective factor. Masculinity was a strong protective factor against depression for both men and women and femininity was slightly a protective factor against depression for women and both male and female college students, but that protective factor from femininity only began to emerge with the slow increase in the national education and income index from 1990 to 2019. However, as life expectancy has increased, this negative correlation between masculinity and depression has become less significant, but it's still moderately correlated and thus still a moderate protective factor against depression. They believe it's possible that back when life expectancies were lower, masculine people were less likely to admit to depression, but this might not be plausible given that masculinity was associated with less depression not only for men, but women, too, and women's feelings receive more empathy. The traits of masculinity measured include self-confidence, perseverance, standing up for oneself under pressure, competitiveness, independence, etc. Research has often overlooked that masculinity and femininity were positively correlated because social support and help seeking was labeled as feminine traits to be measured, and these traits were associated with a protection of a confident, masculine outlook backed up by social support and help seeking behaviors. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean men need to just get therapists. Men prefer doing something about the problem, whereas women prefer talking about the issue. Group therapy between men with goal-oriented tasks and activities tend to be more helpful for men than talk therapy and this is often due to evolutionary/biological reasons rather than socialization.
That can also be why masculine men don't seek social support alongside society being dismissive towards men suffering and these men dealing with society's mean gender roles toward men. It's not that they're refusing to get help when society offers help just to be manly. Femininity was measured as gentleness, helpfulness, etc. Among male college students, femininity was a protective factor against depression and was correlated positively with masculinity for this reason. People who scored low on both masculinity and femininity (undifferentiated) was more likely to be depressed. Androgynous people, however, were not actually androgynous. They scored high on both masculinity and femininity and I already elaborated on how they measured masculine and feminine traits and how they both help when these traits are combined together.
This study found that certain masculine traits, like winning or emotional control was associated with health benefits for men but other traits, like self-reliance, recklessness, playboy behavior, and power against women) were associated with health-risk behaviors. This study found men who perceived themselves as more masculine were far more likely to have better mental health, have better emotional control, have high high confidence, have high ability to take risks, be married, have a college degree, lack depression, have good relationship quality, have a good body image, be happy, be satisfied with life and be rich. They also were more likely to have been aggressive, take advantage of others, take charge, or enjoy fights. There's some negative aspects but far more positive aspects. Nonetheless, these men were talking about whether they view themselves as masculine rather than objective masculinity. This study found 4 categories: extreme hypermasculinity (characterized by medium dominance/aggression, somewhat higher sexual identity, and very high anti-femininity or devaluation of emotions), traditional masculine (characterized by medium dominance/aggression, and somewhat lower anti-femininity attitudes and somewhat lower sexual identity), traditional hypermasculine (characterized by higher dominance/aggression, higher sexual identity, and somewhat higher anti-feminine attitudes and somewhat higher devaluation of emotion), and non-hypermasculinity (low scores on all of those traits). Non-hypermasculine scored the lowest on hostility toward women and depression. Traditional hypermasculine and extreme hypermasculine scored higher on hostility toward women and depression. Traditional masculine men scored in the middle of the two measures. Extreme hypermasculine score higher on self esteem whereas the other 3 were similar on self-esteem. The traditional hypermasculine group had a disproportionate rate of fraternity members.

Handgrip strength associated with better life outcomes for men.

Men experience scored lower on fear, anxiety and emotional dependence than women, and the reason had to do with differences in physical strength.
Two studies found that differences in physical strength accounted for why men are less fearful or anxious than women. This study by Nicholas Kerry and Damian Murray found that because women score higher than men on neuroticism (a big 5 personality trait), it was due to differences in grip strength between men and women. They found that gender differences between men and women on the anxiety facet of Neuroticism was explained by differences in grip strength. This means that it did not account for differences in overall neuroticism, but the anxiety facet of neuroticism. This other study also found that the gender differences between men and women in anxiety were explained by grip strength differences. Cross-national research has shown that women in all countries scored higher than men on all 4 facets of emotionality, and the gender difference was bigger in rich, egalitarian countries except the honesty-humility facet. In a study of 1,399 undergraduates at 4 universities, the researchers found that grip strength accounted for more than half of the gender difference in fearfulness. In fact, the 8% of women who were stronger than the average man were less fearful than the 22% most fearful men. In two of the 5 samples, grip strength completely explained the gender experience, and when controlling for it, the gender difference was entirely gone. It did not explain the difference in sentimentality, but explained a considerable portion of the gender difference in anxiety and emotional dependence.
Handgrip strength tends to be evolutionarily beneficial for men.
Another finding is that differences in handgrip strength was correlated with promiscuity, shoulder-to-hip ratio, age at first intercourse, and aggressive behavior in men but not women when studying college students. In a meta-analysis, handgrip strength in men was correlated positively with facial attractiveness, self-perceived mate value, walking style attractiveness, dance quality attractiveness, hunting reputation (among hunter gatherers), number of sex partners, male typical body morphology (shoulder-to-hip ratio), self-reported popularity, number of children, self-reported aggression, self-perceived fighting ability and facial dominance/facial aggression. Handgrip strength in men was negatively correlated with being victimized by others and handgrip strength was associated with earlier age of first intercourse. This study found among Spanish teens that fighting ability and physical aggression were associated with each other for boys, but this relationship decreased with age. By late adolescence, fighting ability and anger become linked together for boys, which means their aggression strategy shifted from physical to nonphysical with age. Among late adolescent girls (ages 17/18), fighting ability and aggression have no association together.
Muscularity leads to better mental health for men.
A study of 9,000 adults had them squeeze a gripper to measure their maximum strength. For every additional 5kg that a man can grip, their risk of suicidal ideation decreases by 16%. A meta-analysis of 21 studies from 26 countries and past 80,000 participants found that muscular strength is associated with less depression among adults.

Jocks in high school and college tend to fare better in life, debunking the "peaked in high school" myth.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not the jocks who fare worse in life. It's the outcasts and bullying victims. A 2001 study found that young adults who were jocks in high school, despite higher levels of drinking, had less social isolation, lower suicide attempts, low depression and high self-esteem at age 24. The people who identified as the princess in high school (i.e.: popular girl) had neither worse nor better outcomes in life than others, but the smart people and jocks fared the best and criminal teens fared the worst. This study also found that sports involvement had more associated with drinking but better academic achievements, and that jocks and popular girls did not fare worse academically, and many went to college. The criminal students fared way worse than anyone else. Jocks also were more likely to be fit and in shape as adults, had better jobs in the future, earned more money as adults than band geeks and yearbook staff, and had lower self-harm or suicidality rates. College athletes also had better wellbeing and job success later in life, but less physical wellbeing if they played football/basketball, presumably due to concussions, joint issues, diabetes, etc. This study also found that college jocks earned more than their peers, including the nerds, and had more prestigious jobs, even if they came from socioeconomically diverse sports teams or joined teams with lower academic thresholds. The only disadvantage is they were slightly less likely to be picked for research/data analysis skills. Jocks in high school also self-harmed less and had less suicidality whereas teens in alternative subcultures (like goth, emo or punk) were more likely to self-harm or have suicidality. Middle school and high school jocks both had better grades, too. In fact, being an athlete without labeling oneself as a jock for boys was only associated with the winning masculine stereotype, whereas identifying as a jock was associated with most of the 5 masculine stereotypes measured (including being a playboy).

Conclusions

Hypermasculinity can be good for men. This doesn't mean we should force it on men or ridicule them for defying masculine traits, but we should not demonize masculinity either. Masculinity can be about being aggressive to protect others and be assertive and fighting back, or being able to handle life struggles (although we shouldn't condemn people if they continue to suffer due to their struggles in life), or being muscular, or being able to get a relationship. Nonetheless, men who fail to conform to these traits should not be ridiculed, and if they experience distress from being able to achieve these goals, we can help them figure out how to achieve them.
Masculinity is not necessarily about being a violent person in general or being a womanizer or being reckless or being mean.

Do you ever feel like you could do better than an NBA GM or Head Coach?
Well if you do, there's a good chance you'll like NBN Simulation Basketball! We are a community of roughly 80 people, built around the idea of simulating the NBA as realistically as humanly possible, going into our 5th year.
The Nothing But Net fantasy GM league is looking for new front office members for multiple teams that have openings.
As a member of the NBN, you will join one of the 30 front offices as an Owner, GM, Head Coach, or consultant, and work with other members of your FO to build your roster and compete for a championship over the years. This is a slow-paced but lively and extremely in-depth fantasy league where you will act as a front office with responsibilities such as drafting new talent, making trades, signing free agents, and coaching settings (all in NBA2K)
For more information, please check out: The NBN intro blurb, which will give you a high-level overview of how the league works, The current Rosters and Salaries sheet, which details each team’s player roster and financial situation, The Members List, which shows each team’s front office openings, and Our Stats Portal, which includes every player and team’s stats since the inception of the NBN, as well as regular season and postseason results and other fun trivia.
If you are interested in finding a role in the NBN, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me on Reddit, or the following people on Discord:
se_ho that1gal101 12jonnyb kavvalan
If you're ready to dive in, you can join our Discord server with this [link]https://discord.gg/3btXSEYN3S, and someone will reach out to you.

Major Tom Völlig losgelöst sheet music download as MusicXML, Guitar Pro, and PDF on: https://paidtabs.com/search/KQRaj1vcnrs
Click here for a free preview of the score (first page)
Credit: this score was transcribed/uploaded by @Duesenberger
If you cannot find the score, it might be because of a copyright issue. Click on "Request" button at PaidTabs.com to request and get the score.

Do you ever feel like you could do better than an NBA GM or Head Coach?
Well if you do, there's a good chance you'll like NBN Simulation Basketball! We are a community of roughly 80 people, built around the idea of simulating the NBA as realistically as humanly possible, going into our 5th year.
The Nothing But Net fantasy GM league is looking for new front office members for multiple teams that have openings.
As a member of the NBN, you will join one of the 30 front offices as an Owner, GM, Head Coach, or consultant, and work with other members of your FO to build your roster and compete for a championship over the years. This is a slow-paced but lively and extremely in-depth fantasy league where you will act as a front office with responsibilities such as drafting new talent, making trades, signing free agents, and coaching settings (all in NBA2K)
For more information, please check out: The NBN intro blurb, which will give you a high-level overview of how the league works, The current Rosters and Salaries sheet, which details each team’s player roster and financial situation, The Members List, which shows each team’s front office openings, and Our Stats Portal, which includes every player and team’s stats since the inception of the NBN, as well as regular season and postseason results and other fun trivia.
If you are interested in finding a role in the NBN, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me on Reddit, or the following people on Discord:
se_ho that1gal101 12jonnyb kavvalan
If you're ready to dive in, you can join our Discord server with this [link],https://discord.gg/3btXSEYN3S and someone will reach out to you.

Do you ever feel like you could do better than an NBA GM or Head Coach?
Well if you do, there's a good chance you'll like NBN Simulation Basketball! We are a community of roughly 80 people, built around the idea of simulating the NBA as realistically as humanly possible, going into our 5th year.
The Nothing But Net fantasy GM league is looking for new front office members for multiple teams that have openings.
As a member of the NBN, you will join one of the 30 front offices as an Owner, GM, Head Coach, or consultant, and work with other members of your FO to build your roster and compete for a championship over the years. This is a slow-paced but lively and extremely in-depth fantasy league where you will act as a front office with responsibilities such as drafting new talent, making trades, signing free agents, and coaching settings (all in NBA2K)
For more information, please check out: The NBN intro blurb, which will give you a high-level overview of how the league works, The current Rosters and Salaries sheet, which details each team’s player roster and financial situation, The Members List, which shows each team’s front office openings, and Our Stats Portal, which includes every player and team’s stats since the inception of the NBN, as well as regular season and postseason results and other fun trivia.
If you are interested in finding a role in the NBN, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me on Reddit, or the following people on Discord:
se_ho that1gal101 12jonnyb kavvalan
If you're ready to dive in, you can join our Discord server with this [link],https://discord.gg/3btXSEYN3S and someone will reach out to you.

Do you ever feel like you could do better than an NBA GM or Head Coach?
Well if you do, there's a good chance you'll like NBN Simulation Basketball! We are a community of roughly 80 people, built around the idea of simulating the NBA as realistically as humanly possible, going into our 5th year.
The Nothing But Net fantasy GM league is looking for new front office members for multiple teams that have openings.
As a member of the NBN, you will join one of the 30 front offices as an Owner, GM, Head Coach, or consultant, and work with other members of your FO to build your roster and compete for a championship over the years. This is a slow-paced but lively and extremely in-depth fantasy league where you will act as a front office with responsibilities such as drafting new talent, making trades, signing free agents, and coaching settings (all in NBA2K)
For more information, please check out: The NBN intro blurb, which will give you a high-level overview of how the league works, The current Rosters and Salaries sheet, which details each team’s player roster and financial situation, The Members List, which shows each team’s front office openings, and Our Stats Portal, which includes every player and team’s stats since the inception of the NBN, as well as regular season and postseason results and other fun trivia.
If you are interested in finding a role in the NBN, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me on Reddit, or the following people on Discord:
se_ho that1gal101 12jonnyb kavvalan
If you're ready to dive in, you can join our Discord server with this [link], https://discord.gg/3btXSEYN3S and someone will reach out to you.

It was a memoir, written by a woman about her brother The brother was in high school and committed suicide. I think he was on the basketball team and made a score for the opposite team. One scene I remember was the brother and sister were playing Uno, and I think he replied Uno to every question she asked him.
it was a library book, and I read it probably late 90s but it may have been an older book.

Aloha Heja He sheet music download as MusicXML, Guitar Pro, and PDF on: https://paidtabs.com/search/2Z6xtLcyNm0
Click here for a free preview of the score (first page)
Credit: this score was transcribed/uploaded by @Duesenberger
If you cannot find the score, it might be because of a copyright issue. Click on "Request" button at PaidTabs.com to request and get the score.

I (18M) have a brother (15M) who I used to be very close to. We were never close enough to be best friends like some siblings, but we would always play together and have fun together. However, even then there was a small distance between us, like we just weren't compatible for some reason. Now, that gap has widened to the point that we rarely speak to one another at all. I can count on my fingers the number of times we've spoken in the last week, even though we still live in the same house. My best friends are a pair of brothers who are 1 year apart and they're great together: they do things together, play video games together, drive together, all kinds of things. That's the kind of relationship I'd love to have with my sibling, but it has gotten to the point that I resent my brother. First of all, he's good at EVERYTHING. Any sport, any video game, board game, activity that we do, he's just insanely good at it for some reason. He's also incredibly lucky, which makes it worse. Some of this is jealousy, but it's hard not to resent him when I seem to have to work incredibly hard to be even adequate at these activities, whereas he's instantly elite at them. One time I spent 4 hours on the night before a big test playing wii sports basketball just because I couldn't reach the high score he set. This jealousy/resentment has lead me to dislike other things: his haircut, which is absolutely disgusting-looking but he doesn't seem to care about, the fact that he has a thin pedo-stash on his upper lip that I can't stand looking at but he doesn't seem to care about, and even more so, the fact that even though he always acts like a little brat about everything he does, my parents seem to shower him with more love and attention than me. I'm going away to college in 2 months, and I'm worried this relationship may be ruined forever. What can I do to salvage the old relationship we used to have as we mature into adults?
TL;DR I used to be close to my brother but I've grown to resent him, how can I get back to the way things used to be?

The June LSAT administration is now done. The goal is to keep topic discussion to this thread, and identify a list of real topics. Here's how it works:

1. If you had a single section of LG, LR or RC, posting topics from that will establish that those topics were from a real section
2. If you had two sections of LG, LR, or RC, DO NOT POST. Posting topics where you have an experimental is worse than useless - it pollutes information. The reason is that you don't know which was experimental and which was real.

You do not need section orders, these are now randomized so your order doesn't mean anything.
We'll be collecting topics here from those who had a single section of LG, LR and RC.
TL;DR If you had a single section of LR, RC or LG, please post topics from those single sections. Don't post your double section topics.
Stuff that still isn't allowed

• Posting about the content of sections: specific questions and answers, game rules and mechanics, etc
• Posting about topics or content in an experimental section

This thread will be updated with confirmed topics as we go.
Note: Have seen some people flagrantly discussing real answers or asking to dm about it. This still isn't allowed, and won't be, and we've handed out bans where people do it willfully.
Everything below is scored: Where I write "other section" I mean it was a different scored section. Everything below is from people who had a single section in that topic, so they have confirmed real sections.
Prometric Experiences: You can find the original test day experience thread here: https://reddit.com/LSAT/comments/1d8voj7/official_june_lsat_discussion_thread/
Overall there were fewer proctor and technical issues this administration than previously.
Real LG Topics

• Magicians and illusions
• dog training / grooming
• race horse and tracks.

Other Real LG Section

• tennis matches
• scholarship distribution grouping
• music old vs new songs

Other Real LG Section

• 6 actors in 4 days
• 5 journalists writing 3 topics
• 8 managers in 2 formal and 2 informal restaurants
• 6 products released once a week

Other real LG Section

Real RC Topics

• Literature - writing about people's daily lives vs heroic figures and fantasies
• Comparative: burial with weapons, egyptian tombs
• Water rights/Reservations (Winter's decision)
• compulsory bipedalism in human precursors.

Thanks to NaiveCream1246 for these, from a prior thread
Other Real RC Section

• Pueblo
• ASL
• Griffins
• Dark MatteNewton

Real LR Topics
Ok, I think the LR confusion is sorted. What is below should be real. Let me know if you had another single section.
Possibly Real LR

• Horse and dog sizes
• Rats being fed hard and soft food
• Successful business leaders grasping social norms
• Handwriting and personality
• Rent/Apartment owner’s renovations
• Youth advertising
• Politician against monopolies
• Doctors handwriting
• Biographies
• Mayor raising tax rates on alcohol
• Physical brain & consciousness
• Brain lateralization
• Kidney stones
• Japanese wood art
• Play being interpreted as a tragedy not comedy
• Customer base and restaurant
• Inadequate regulations on salt in water
• Publishing process is too long
• Antarctic mountain
• baby boomers listening to rock music and their hearing loss

Second possibly real LR
This one is likely real, as it was used previously

• honeybees mites pollination
• road speed limit increase
• Japanese emissions
• if employer can allow employee to use company vehicle for own purpose
• refrigerators energy emissions
• arctic expedition recreation
• thunderstorms
• hypotherapy
• wilting plants
• gmo foods
• paid leave
• colonizing planets
• smoking fairness
• truck driver
• artichokes

How we determine what's real:
A) if something has been seen on a previous test 100% the same, its likely real since they reuse (but this is hard to catch) B) if someone taking the same sitting who had only one LR had the section with the questions described, you know its graded since its graded for them.
This is from Any-Bobcat-6600

currently playing a Real Sociedad career mode in Fifa 22, and liking it a lot. Team is good and im focused on expanding the youth academy as the team does in real life. Won a copa del rey in my first season and reached Europa League finals, losing to City.
thing is, frustration is at an all time high regarding one specific area of the game and that's making not conceding an impossible task. i had never have so few clean sheets 2 seasons into the save, and the thing is i really like my defense. remiro is the gk, and i use a back 4 with gorosabel at rb, zubeldia and le normand as the starting cb pairing, and aihen muñoz as the lb. elustondo is a reliable 3rd cb option although slower and the fullbacks play every game barring some cup/less important league match in which i rotate, but the thing that's making me scratch my head is conceding at corners, specially with headers. i recognize that remiro is not a gk that's great at claiming and leaving the goal at such situations, but the overall defending from my outfield players is whats make me mad about the game.
i understand that the game is made to see us concede some of the most random, obvious goals. sometimes it seems that levante away is akin to face 2011 barcelona. i guess what im trying to do with this post along with ventilating some of my recent frustation with people who can relate, is try to seek your advice. is the answer really to change the players and look for tall defenders? or can my players be trained to grow in this regard? i know is not something thats not exclusive to my defenders, but yeah, thats the situation for now. cheers if you read this whole thing.

Sold my previous ST 83 rated 20 year old and tried buying in someone cheap for the rest of season but my new ST 78 my other youth 68 rated can’t seem to score but my 56 rated ST seems to score every game I have 400 mill and only really need a back up RB but have one on loan who’s 70 rated so should I buy someone in or keep playing the 56 rated guy?
Out of champions League, Won Carabao Cup, Currently 1st in Prem by 7 points, FA Cup not sure what round it is but still in that as well.

Jupiter offers a variety of sports leagues for both youth and adults, including soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, and tennis. These leagues provide opportunities for recreation and competition.

Many problem gamers wear their red flags for all to see, allowing you to decide if you can handle those particular flags or not. Other problem gamers, like Albert, reveal their red flags slowly and casually. Like the proverbial boiling of a frog. By the time you realize they are the problem in your game, it’s too late.
The time is mid-2019, Gerard joins the group and is the ideal gamer. He wants to enjoy the game, comes prepared, doesn’t hog the spotlight, but is ready for when it’s on him. After a few months when Gerard asked to invite a person who was just hired on at his place of employment, we said sure.
Albert knew the 5E and was a positive addition to the game. Or so we thought.
His PC did not start off broken, but ended up a bit broken in time. Around double-digit levels his eldritch knight was becoming a bit unhittable. I, the DM, would need to roll 18’s just to score a hit thanks to his high AC. This was made worse when he got a Cloak of Displacement or cast Blur.
When it came to saving throws, he was nearly immune thanks to feats, decent Dex stat, and class features. And that is ok, I am not a new DM and know how to challenge the group. So, I designed a particular combat just to challenge him, that threw a lot of lightning bolts at him (the group’s tank). Some constructs that would start with a standard Lightning Bolt aimed at its target, and when it was reduced to 50% hp, the Lightning Bolt would recharge. Albert’s PC took a beating, but the party won, and Albert had sufficient healing to keep him alive without issue.
But he moaned and whined about it. I was a little irritated at that, because his PC was never truly in danger because he could easily make the saves and had easy access to heals.
That is when I started remembering the various little things he had been doing all this time and started noting more things that would pop up:

• He would find ways to be the center of attention as much as possible.
  
• Before we switched to a VTT he would carry on non-game conversations at the table during others’ turns.
  
• After we switched to a VTT, I had to ask him to stop drawing graffiti on the maps on the screen.
  
• When his PC would drop to 0hp, he would hound the healers to get him back up.
  
• All of his magic item attunements, on every character of his, were aimed solely at making him unhittable.
  
• When I debated (not decided) nerfing spells he exploited, he whined.
  
• I placed an Inevitable as a guard to an extraplanar prison. When he found out the hard way that they auto-hit for 60, no matter your AC, he whined for several weeks.
  
• He would always choose PCs that could get the highest armor class possible. Nothing else mattered more than a high AC.
  
• He actually thought that the game should get easier as you leveled up and got more powerful. And gave me grief because I would use higher CR monsters as they leveled up.
  

Here are the less minor things that just show what a pathetic cowardly narcissist he truly was.
Gerard ended up getting laid off of work at the same time we switch to VTT. It turns out the Albert set up a situation to make Gerard look bad and Albert look good (promoted even). So, when layoff time came, Gerard had some ticks against him that made the choice easy for the higher-ups in the company.
Now this story makes several of us laugh. All except Albert.
Spoilers for Curse of Strahd
In Curse of Strahd there is a cart that says something like “Do not open!”.
Another player’s PC (a stereotypical half-orc barbarian) said “I ain’t gonna let no sign tell me what to do.”, and proceeded to open the cart.
The cart was full of alchemists’ fire and exploded for a heinous amount of damage. The party was low-level enough that a failed saving throw could kill.
Two PCs died. One of those PC’s was Albert’s.
The half-orc made his save and survived.
Now I knew that Albert would whine, so I took a pic of the trap and posted it in group chat.
Well rather than him being an adult (this was CoS after all, and was not going to be easy) making a new PC, he read every single word of that trap and caught one bit that I missed.
The person opening the door gets disadvantage to their Dexterity save.
Rather than letting it go, he decided to be a petty rat and pointed out what I missed.
The half-orc rolled again and made the save.
The rest of us love that story, because there’s some poetic justice in it.
Now this next story was based around an idea that’s been around the internet for a bit, that I modified to my needs for the story.
A wizard established a town where its initial townsfolk were constructs that he made, and they were regular people in all respects until the wizard died. The wizard just wanted a family, so the town became his extended family as he watched it grow larger with every year. And he was happy.
When he died, half a dozen townsfolk abruptly turned into iron golems. They were motionless and would remain so until the town was under attack. Then they would spring into action to save the town.
The party was in this town when it happened, and they were curious, but they had some world-saving to do on some islands nearby (getting a MacGuffin). There was also an evil red dragon, that had wanted the area around the town as its lair, but the old wizard kept him at bay for decades.
The party investigated an island that had some sad cyclops that had been reduced to the stone age. They had a nice little society and were able to smith weapons. But then the “oxidation beasts” (rust monsters) came and didn’t kill the cyclops, but destroyed everything of theirs made of metal.
The party was willing to help, though they were concerned about the risk of some of their nicer items. (Note: when I use rust monsters, I always give extra treasure to make up for what was lost.)
But Albert, he ran his cowardly butt back to the boat stayed offshore for the remainder of the session. He couldn’t risk his recently bought magical armor and weapons (which he’d be able to buy again later).
He refused to the point the rest of the party abandoned the cyclops to their plight and I had to toss that session’s planned encounters. I was content to have them go on with the adventure and leave Albert sitting on the boat.
I wasn’t irritated at the party, but I was extremely unhappy with the cowardice of Albert and his supposed hero. A double-digit level paladin afraid of some 0.5 CR monsters that the party could kill from a distance.
I debated booting Albert. I debated having his deity abandon his PC for cowardice.
Then I had a stroke of evil-DM genius. I had not even thought about the rust monsters versus the iron golems when I started the planning, but then I saw a painful opportunity.
While the party was successfully getting the MacGuffin, the red dragon made a deal with the cyclops and put the rust monsters to use.
The dragon made an appearance to the town and activated the iron golems, who ran into a herd of rust monsters released from bamboo cages on the beach. When the golems were gone, the red dragon, the cyclops, and other assorted baddies destroyed the town.
When the party headed back to town, the black smoke warned them something bad had happened. They figured out what happened, felt horrible, and wanted revenge.
Except for Albert. “Sucks to be them. I’m fine.”
And the final straw before I finally booted Albert from the group.
The same party, about a month later, needed one last MacGuffin for their world-saving quest and only one NPC knew where it was – a semi-sane lich who enjoyed taunting the party in evil, Joker-esque ways.
This time he had a carnival and all the party had to do get the clue for the last MacGuffin was to win every game of skill in the carnival in one hour.
I spent hours on preparing the various games of skill the party would have to win, looking at character sheets to ensure the right DCs were set to the right amount of challenge within the time limit.
I was looking forward to this because it wasn’t a “kill the monsters and take its treasure” kind of session. It was supposed to be a little silly and whimsical.
The party was cautiously concerned, but played along up until the point where the lich required them to put all of their magic items in a box so they could not be used during the games.
Most of the party was all “absolutely not”, the loudest being Albert.
And they were right, it could have been a trick to steal their stuff.
A couple of the party were fine with it, because it was different, but I was deflated.
I pushed forward and ensured the party that there was no trick to steal their items.
And Albert still refused because his PC “must wear his armor at all times”. He tried to hide behind a flimsy role-playing excuse of “It’s the way my order is”.
I had hit my braking point. I nearly ended the campaign right then and there.
I had to point out the work I had done for this session and they were taking a giant dump on it because of a coward and his armor.
The carnival went forward, but the fun was robbed from me.
A few days later I booted Albert from the group, took a two-month break from DMing while we played some other games. The newest campaign started at level 1 and the PCs just hit level 17.

I know there is a “dream sheet” which is different from the navy as far as picking jobs. I was able to pick any job in the navy and only needed to pick one if it was available. I will be able to pick any job in the Air Force as well since I have a 93 picat score. I plan on having my top 3 being ATC, Contracting, and something in the cyber field. Now one thing that is different is that one of the Air Force recruiters that reached out to me is that there is nothing stoping me from filling my list full of jobs I want. An example would be if I filled the jobs list full of cyber and medical jobs (I plan on putting medical in because I’m going to college for nursing anyways so might as well) but as mentioned earlier I have a 93 picat score and an associates degree so if you were in my shoes what job would be a good choice to use in the civilian world as well as the Air Force?