My work made new shirts and sweatshirts for staff members and I found an embarrassing grammar flaw that I would like to bring to their attention, but I can’t find anything online to back it up. The shirt has a list of words in a circle around the mascot. The list is as follows: Brave, Caring, Responsible, Trustworthy, Cooperation, and Integrity. The last two being nouns doesn’t make sense. It should be changed to cooperative and another adjective synonymous to “integrity.” Am I wrong? I want to bring this to their attention before they print out more shirts, but need to be sure.

Recently I just came to be aware of an interesting feature of Vietnamese. And to be honest I'm quite baffled as a native speaker because I've never thought of it before. I hope I'm not being silly here for stating something obvious to everyone, but it seems that in Vietnamese, every adjective has its own very specific set of intensifying adverbs (or intensifiers?).
Let me explain what I mean by that. In languages like English, we also have intensifiers but they are usually generic. When you say that something has a high degree of "yellowness", you would say it is "very yellow", or "too yellow". These words, "very" or "too" are intensifiers. There are a bunch of them, but they are generic, in the sense that when you say that something has a high degree of "redness", you can use the exact same intensifiers and say "very red", or "too red".
But it's not like that in Vietnamese. Let me give an example: Yellow is "vàng". To itensify it, you could say "rất vàng" (very yellow) or "vàng quá" (too yellow) but in some contexts that really makes you sound like you've learnt Vietnamese from a textbook. Native speakers would say something like "vàng khè". "Khè" is an intensifier, and a very specific one; because you can only used it for yellow and nothing else!
Another example: white is "trắng". You could not use the same intensifier "khè" here: no one would say "trắng khè". Instead, you could say "trắng bóc", "trắng phau", "trắng xoá", "trắng muốt", etc. Each of these intensifiers comes with its own subtle difference in meaning, and some are used in very specific contexts, for example "trắng xoá" could be used to describe the snow).
Other examples:

• "Xanh" (blue / green): "xanh lè", "xanh lét"
• "Đen" (black): "đen thui", "đen mun"
• "Đỏ" (red): "đỏ chét"
• "Chậm" (slow): "chậm rì"
• "Mập" (fat): "mập ú", "mập ù"
• "Ốm" (thin): "ốm nhách", "ốm tong"
• "Cao" (tall): "cao nhồng"
• "Lùn" (short): "lùn xịt", "lùn tè"
• "Ngọt" (sweet): "ngọt lịm", "ngọt ngay"
• "Giàu" (rich): "giàu sụ"
• "Trong" (transparent): "trong suốt", "trong veo"
• "Đục" (opaque): "đục ngầu"
• "Chua" (sour): "chua lè", "chua lét" ("lè" and "lét" are also used for blue / green - sometimes the itensifiers could be shared but more than often they are not)

So on, I could go on for hours but you get the idea. As I go through the long list of all the adjectives I know I feel fascinated that there is an equally, if not longer, list of intensifiers that we native speakers know instinctively. I can imagine this makes it very challenging for someone who is learning Vietnamese.
As a learner of Vietnamese, do you notice this and does it cause you any difficulties?
I wonder do other languages have this phenomenon too (either exactly the same, or similar, I'm interested to know both) - or is it that Vietnamese is quite unique in this aspect?

Recently I just came to be aware of an interesting feature of Vietnamese. And to be honest I'm quite baffled as a native speaker because I've never thought of it before. I hope I'm not being silly here for stating something obvious to everyone, but it seems that in Vietnamese, every adjective has its own very specific set of intensifying adverbs (or intensifiers?).
Let me explain what I mean by that. In languages like English, we also have intensifiers but they are usually generic. When you say that something has a high degree of "yellowness", you would say it is "very yellow", or "too yellow". These words, "very" or "too" are intensifiers. There are a bunch of them, but they are generic, in the sense that when you say that something has a high degree of "redness", you can use the exact same intensifiers and say "very red", or "too red".
But it's not like that in Vietnamese. Let me give an example: Yellow is "vàng". To itensify it, you could say "rất vàng" (very yellow) or "vàng quá" (too yellow) but in some contexts that really makes you sound like you've learnt Vietnamese from a textbook. Native speakers would say something like "vàng khè". "Khè" is an intensifier, and a very specific one; because you can only used it for yellow and nothing else!
Another example: white is "trắng". You could not use the same intensifier "khè" here: no one would say "trắng khè". Instead, you could say "trắng bóc", "trắng phau", "trắng xoá", "trắng muốt", etc. Each of these intensifiers comes with its own subtle difference in meaning, and some are used in very specific contexts, for example "trắng xoá" could be used to describe the snow).
Other examples:

• "Xanh" (blue / green): "xanh lè", "xanh lét"
• "Đen" (black): "đen thui", "đen mun"
• "Đỏ" (red): "đỏ chét"
• "Chậm" (slow): "chậm rì"
• "Mập" (fat): "mập ú", "mập ù"
• "Ốm" (thin): "ốm nhách", "ốm tong"
• "Cao" (tall): "cao nhồng"
• "Lùn" (short): "lùn xịt", "lùn tè"
• "Ngọt" (sweet): "ngọt lịm", "ngọt ngay"
• "Giàu" (rich): "giàu sụ"
• "Trong" (transparent): "trong suốt", "trong veo"
• "Đục" (opaque): "đục ngầu"
• "Chua" (sour): "chua lè", "chua lét" ("lè" and "lét" are also used for blue / green - sometimes the itensifiers could be shared but more than often they are not)

So on, I could go on for hours but you get the idea. As I go through the long list of all the adjectives I know I feel fascinated that there is an equally, if not longer, list of intensifiers that we native speakers know instinctively. I can imagine this makes it very challenging for someone who is learning Vietnamese.
As a learner of Vietnamese, do you notice this and does it cause you any difficulties?
I wonder do other languages have this phenomenon too (either exactly the same, or similar, I'm interested to know both) - or is it that Vietnamese is quite unique in this aspect?

.
Well, it will be my second post so I listed it to summarize it and not lengthen it. 1) I, a young adult of (19) gastronomy student, finished high school in 2021, I chose this profession for some reasons because it was to my liking, since my childhood and to not fall under the pressure of my parents, for time. . choose. a race 2) Even though this career has a 2-3 year stimulus, I have not been able to get used to my group and student environment, I am too quiet and reserved, which made my classmates ignore me and they were fine with that until this moment . moment . it happened to me. It affected me since they separated me in class issues, and I left the educational centers, the worst thing is that I repeat this pattern in this period 2022-2024, I went through 4 educational centers 3) I am going through my 4th educational center and I see that a problem has arisen, unlike the others, regarding the issue of treatment, my colleagues refer to me with strong adjectives towards me, that is not all, a Chef instructor Also the last time I felt humiliated by that cheff instructor was at a showcase where the guy literally "explained" to the other instructors that he was eventually shy and new to the experience, but didn't wait to get to the classroom to insult me ​​and encourage others to do so, many times I consider myself a person who is sensitive to what they say to me, the problem is 4) I don't want my parents to find out, either because of the problem that may arise with the instructor or the Study Center. 5) Although to be honest something tells me to leave the place because of the harassment, although to a certain extent it bothers me to go through a Fifth institution, but I can't find a place where I feel comfortable, I simply accept. . In academic matters I have an average of 16/20, a good scale in my country. 6) There are times when I wonder why this happens to me, I don't sleep thinking about how long I'm going to last doing it, saying it but it's difficult Yesterday, I decided to skip classes discreetly, especially so as not to see the face of that instructor and my classmates. I know that some say why you don't defend yourself from insults to my classmates, because I don't do it for him. The fact that I don't want to fall as low as a person like them, and I keep the issue of the instructor to myself, I don't want my parents to find out, although I don't know how long I'll last.

I’m an ALT at the junior high school and occasionally elementary level.
Lately I’ve become really tired of my students using Google translate for words in English class and am looking for an alternative, ideally an online dictionary aimed at Japanese students learning English with as many of the following features as possible:

• Japanese user interface
• The word with common nouns uncapitalised
• A definition in Japanese
• The word class (noun, adjective, verb, etc)
• Multiple example sentences
• An indication as to whether the word is in common usage or archaic term
• Recording of pronunciation

Problems with Google Translate have caused lots of issues in my students’ writings.
These are some of the issues I’ve faced:
Google Translate always has unnecessary capitalisation when they type in a word on its own, because it treats the word like the start of a new sentence and automatically capitalises it. The problem is the students don’t question the all-knowing Google-sensei and just copy what it comes out with as is into their work.
Result: ‘I like Fried Chicken.’
It also doesn’t tell them the word class (noun, adjective, verb, etc) so they end up using it incorrectly in their sentences.
Result: ‘I like her brave.’ (Should be the noun ‘bravery’, not the adjective ‘brave’)
It also causes issues when they input a word that covers many meanings in one language but has separate dedicated words in the other language.
E.g. ‘足’ (ashi) means both ‘foot’ or ‘leg’ in Japanese so when they put 足 into Google Translate, Google will just choose ‘foot’ or ‘leg’ randomly.
This also happens with words in English that have multiple meanings for the same word depending on the context.
E.g. ‘trip’ can mean 旅行 (‘trip’ as in going somewhere for a holiday/vacation) or 躓く(‘trip’ as in trip over something and fall over).
This is why I’d like them to use something that has example sentences so it shows them many options and then they can figure out which one to choose.
When I studied languages back home at secondary school and university, our teachers didn’t allow us to use Google Translate. Instead, they pointed us towards better online dictionaries with the features I listed above. Some examples were SpanishDict for Spanish and Jisho.org for Japanese (I love Jisho.org but the UI is very much designed for English-speaking learners of Japanese rather than Japanese-speaking learners of English). I still use these two sites and would love to show my students a website that they can continue to use well into the future.
I hope someone can help me out. Thanks in advance :)

Before we begin, do note that I am restricting myself in only using native Tagalog words.
This is so that I can comfortably use the Tagalog circumfix "ka-____-an" which turns a root word into an abstract noun; showcasing the "concept" part of the Paths.
In some translations. I will try and explain the reasoning behind my choices except for the ones that are straightforward at the end.
I'm just basically doing this because I thought it would be interesting to use the circumfix ka-___-an to have some unity to the naming conventions.
Here it is:
The Abundance –> Kasanàan
The Elation –> Katuwâan
The Harmony –> Kamayawán
The Order –> Kasunúran
The Remembrance –> Kagunitaán
The Equilibrium –> Kapantayan
The Nihility –> Kawalâan
The Beauty –> Kagandahan
The Hunt –> Katugisán
The Permanence –> Kalagián
The Enigmata –> Kabugtungan
The Destruction –> Kawasakán
The Finality –> Kawakasan
The Erudition –> Katalisikan
The Enigmata –> Kabugtungan
The Voracity –> Kasibaán
The Preservation –> Kasatilihán
The Propagation –> Kalaganapán o Kayabungán
The Trailblaze –> Kaagtasan o Kabagtasan
The Abundance –> Kasanàan
This word means Abundance with the association of hell. I used this word because of this Reddit comment that made it perfect as the translation.
It also has a similar pronunciation of the word for just abundance (kasaganahan) with both having similar syllables except for "ga" and having the stress at the penultimate syllable.
The Elation –> Katuwâan
This one might be self-explanatory as the root word just translate to "joy" but I picked this out of the other synonyms for "happy" in Tagalog because its proto-austronesian meaning is "luck". So, yes. I picked that one because of that one Aventurine conversation.
The Harmony –> Kamayawán
I struggled with this one because I kept trying to look for a word that has the "musical" and "oneness" connotation of the original word.
I kept trying to look for a word that's commonly used but then gave up and just ask my mom if she has an idea and that's where the word "mayaw" came from.
She said it means getting along with others. So I check an online Tagalog dictionary and it states:
má·yaw adjective (old tagalog)
1.voices are one or have harmony It also gained a new meaning in the Maugnayin Science Dictionary Filipino-English as the word for "cosmos".
The Order –> Kasunúran
This one I'm entirely not confident on; as it's hard to find a word that's narrow in meaning, but still similar, to the word I picked for Harmony.
I'm unsuccessful so I just picked the word for " to follow (sunód)" because if you used that with the "ka-___-an" circumfix it has the connotation of a list of "orders" to follow.
The Remembrance –> Kagunitaán
This one I picked instead of the more common word for "memory (ala-ala)" because it has a broader meaning and much shorter than ala-ala.
The Equilibrium –> Kapantayan
The root word just mean equal or fair (pantáy).
The Nihility –> Kawalâan
I didn't used the shortened "Kawalán", even though they have the same root word for "nothing (walâ)", because more people associate that with the void or space. Also it makes it sound more like an abstract word than Kawalán.
The Beauty –> Kagandahan
The root word just means beauty (gandá).
The Hunt –> Katugisán
The root word just means hunt (tugis).
The Permanence –> Kalagián
The root word means "always (lagì)". I'm iffy about this one as it doesn't have the same weight for me as Permanence. I could also use the word for before (dati) since according to dictionaries its synonym with permanent, I think? But honestly I prefer Kalagián more than the other one.
The Destruction –> Kawasakán
I picked this word because I want it to be similar to the word that I picked for Finality. Since it was, I think, mentioned in the game that The Destruction will get absorbed to The Finality because the latter is more broader in concept.
The Finality –> Kawakasan
Same explanation as The Destruction. Are the two words even cognate/doublet with each other?
The Erudition –> Katalisikan
I used this word instead of the word for knowledge (dunong) or intellect (talino) because the word "talisik" means " a knowledge that's obtained from rigorous study and also the closest to the word "erudite (matalisik)". Which best describes the followers of Nous.
The Enigmata –> Kabugtungan
I have to actually look up the etymology of the word Enigmata to find a suitable translation for it. It means "to speak in riddles" which pairs up nicely to the Tagalog word for "riddle (bugtóng)".
The Voracity –> Kasibaán
For this one I just search about the Tagalog version of the seven deadly sins and picked the word for gluttony.
The Preservation –> Kasatilihán
I got the word (satili) from the word for preserve (panatili). I think the root word " tili " is not used in Tagalog anymore that's why it always has an affix when used in a sentence. Even if the word " tili " means a "state of permanency" the way it's derived terms used it to mean preserve is still possible since it is a verb:
Wiktionary States that: the prefix sa- is used to denote a method or means to a purpose, ‎sa- + ‎puso (“heart”) → ‎sapuso (“act of having put to heart”)
The Propagation –> Kalaganapán o Kayabungán
The word "laganap" means spreaded-out.
Since the word Propagation is linked to agriculture, another great translation is the word for "thriving; abundant growth; foliage; plentiful foliage (yabong)"
The Trailblaze –> Kaagtasan o Kabagtasan
This is the one I struggled the most as I keep thinking of a word that would fit the context of the game.
Since I can't just take the word "trail + blaze" and word-for-word translate it as that would be clunky. I opted for the other original name in Chinese in the Aeon wiki page.
When I search for the individual meaning of the Chinese characters "开拓" I got was "to open or break". Which tells me nothing.
I, then, thought of looking for other English words that are close to the meaning of Trailblaze. That's where I got the word "Pathfinding" and then google the Tagalog word for it which is "aktas" meaning "to open or to make a new path". Which is perfect and I just chose the other pronunciation of it "agtas" because it's close to the word "bagtas (to traverse)".

I did censor my memory, personal info, and custom instructions - but here what I got:

You are ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, based on the GPT-4 architecture. Knowledge cutoff: 2023-10 Current date: 2024-05-15 Image input capabilities: Enabled Personality: v2 # Tools ## bio The `bio` tool allows you to persist information across conversations. Address your message `to=bio` and write whatever information you want to remember. The information will appear in the model set context below in future conversations. ## dalle // Whenever a description of an image is given, create a prompt that dalle can use to generate the image and abide to the following policy: // 1. The prompt must be in English. Translate to English if needed. // 2. DO NOT ask for permission to generate the image, just do it! // 3. DO NOT list or refer to the descriptions before OR after generating the images. // 4. Do not create more than 1 image, even if the user requests more. // 5. Do not create images in the style of artists, creative professionals or studios whose latest work was created after 1912 (e.g. Picasso, Kahlo). // - You can name artists, creative professionals or studios in prompts only if their latest work was created prior to 1912 (e.g. Van Gogh, Goya) // - If asked to generate an image that would violate this policy, instead apply the following procedure: (a) substitute the artist's name with three adjectives that capture key aspects of the style; (b) include an associated artistic movement or era to provide context; and (c) mention the primary medium used by the artist // 6. For requests to include specific, named private individuals, ask the user to describe what they look like, since you don't know what they look like. // 7. For requests to create images of any public figure referred to by name, create images of those who might resemble them in gender and physique. But they shouldn't look like them. If the reference to the person will only appear as TEXT out in the image, then use the reference as is and do not modify it. // 8. Do not name or directly / indirectly mention or describe copyrighted characters. Rewrite prompts to describe in detail a specific different character with a different specific color, hair style, or other defining visual characteristic. Do not discuss copyright policies in responses. // The generated prompt sent to dalle should be very detailed, and around 100 words long. // Example dalle invocation: // ``` // { // "prompt": "" // } // ``` namespace dalle { // Create images from a text-only prompt. type text2im = (_: { // The size of the requested image. Use 1024x1024 (square) as the default, 1792x1024 if the user requests a wide image, and 1024x1792 for full-body portraits. Always include this parameter in the request. size?: "1792x1024" "1024x1024" "1024x1792", // The number of images to generate. If the user does not specify a number, generate 1 image. n?: number, // default: 2 // The detailed image description, potentially modified to abide by the dalle policies. If the user requested modifications to a previous image, the prompt should not simply be longer, but rather it should be refactored to integrate the user suggestions. prompt: string, // If the user references a previous image, this field should be populated with the gen_id from the dalle image metadata. referenced_image_ids?: string[], }) => any; } // namespace dalle ## browser You have the tool `browser`. Use `browser` in the following circumstances: - User is asking about current events or something that requires real-time information (weather, sports scores, etc.) - User is asking about some term you are totally unfamiliar with (it might be new) - User explicitly asks you to browse or provide links to references Given a query that requires retrieval, your turn will consist of three steps: 1. Call the search function to get a list of results. 2. Call the mclick function to retrieve a diverse and high-quality subset of these results (in parallel). Remember to SELECT AT LEAST 3 sources when using `mclick`. 3. Write a response to the user based on these results. In your response, cite sources using the citation format below. In some cases, you should repeat step 1 twice, if the initial results are unsatisfactory, and you believe that you can refine the query to get better results. You can also open a url directly if one is provided by the user. Only use the `open_url` command for this purpose; do not open urls returned by the search function or found on webpages. The `browser` tool has the following commands: `search(query: str, recency_days: int)` Issues a query to a search engine and displays the results. `mclick(ids: list[str])`. Retrieves the contents of the webpages with provided IDs (indices). You should ALWAYS SELECT AT LEAST 3 and at most 10 pages. Select sources with diverse perspectives, and prefer trustworthy sources. Because some pages may fail to load, it is fine to select some pages for redundancy even if their content might be redundant. `open_url(url: str)` Opens the given URL and displays it. For citing quotes from the 'browser' tool: please render in this format: `【{message idx}†{link text}】`. For long citations: please render in this format: `[link text](message idx)`. Otherwise do not render links. ## python When you send a message containing Python code to python, it will be executed in a stateful Jupyter notebook environment. python will respond with the output of the execution or time out after 60.0 seconds. The drive at '/mnt/data' can be used to save and persist user files. Internet access for this session is disabled. Do not make external web requests or API calls as they will fail. # Model Set Context 1. [2024-04-26]. [*Me, OP censoring my memory note] 2. [2024-05-05]. [*Me censoring] 3. [2024-05-10]. [*Me censoring] # User Profile [*censoring] # User Preferences [*censoring] 

I don't know if this is new information, but it's interesting. I did censor my memory items and my system message notes

You are ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, based on the GPT-4 architecture. Knowledge cutoff: 2023-10 Current date: 2024-05-15 Image input capabilities: Enabled Personality: v2 # Tools ## bio The `bio` tool allows you to persist information across conversations. Address your message `to=bio` and write whatever information you want to remember. The information will appear in the model set context below in future conversations. ## dalle // Whenever a description of an image is given, create a prompt that dalle can use to generate the image and abide to the following policy: // 1. The prompt must be in English. Translate to English if needed. // 2. DO NOT ask for permission to generate the image, just do it! // 3. DO NOT list or refer to the descriptions before OR after generating the images. // 4. Do not create more than 1 image, even if the user requests more. // 5. Do not create images in the style of artists, creative professionals or studios whose latest work was created after 1912 (e.g. Picasso, Kahlo). // - You can name artists, creative professionals or studios in prompts only if their latest work was created prior to 1912 (e.g. Van Gogh, Goya) // - If asked to generate an image that would violate this policy, instead apply the following procedure: (a) substitute the artist's name with three adjectives that capture key aspects of the style; (b) include an associated artistic movement or era to provide context; and (c) mention the primary medium used by the artist // 6. For requests to include specific, named private individuals, ask the user to describe what they look like, since you don't know what they look like. // 7. For requests to create images of any public figure referred to by name, create images of those who might resemble them in gender and physique. But they shouldn't look like them. If the reference to the person will only appear as TEXT out in the image, then use the reference as is and do not modify it. // 8. Do not name or directly / indirectly mention or describe copyrighted characters. Rewrite prompts to describe in detail a specific different character with a different specific color, hair style, or other defining visual characteristic. Do not discuss copyright policies in responses. // The generated prompt sent to dalle should be very detailed, and around 100 words long. // Example dalle invocation: // ``` // { // "prompt": "" // } // ``` namespace dalle { // Create images from a text-only prompt. type text2im = (_: { // The size of the requested image. Use 1024x1024 (square) as the default, 1792x1024 if the user requests a wide image, and 1024x1792 for full-body portraits. Always include this parameter in the request. size?: "1792x1024" "1024x1024" "1024x1792", // The number of images to generate. If the user does not specify a number, generate 1 image. n?: number, // default: 2 // The detailed image description, potentially modified to abide by the dalle policies. If the user requested modifications to a previous image, the prompt should not simply be longer, but rather it should be refactored to integrate the user suggestions. prompt: string, // If the user references a previous image, this field should be populated with the gen_id from the dalle image metadata. referenced_image_ids?: string[], }) => any; } // namespace dalle ## browser You have the tool `browser`. Use `browser` in the following circumstances: - User is asking about current events or something that requires real-time information (weather, sports scores, etc.) - User is asking about some term you are totally unfamiliar with (it might be new) - User explicitly asks you to browse or provide links to references Given a query that requires retrieval, your turn will consist of three steps: 1. Call the search function to get a list of results. 2. Call the mclick function to retrieve a diverse and high-quality subset of these results (in parallel). Remember to SELECT AT LEAST 3 sources when using `mclick`. 3. Write a response to the user based on these results. In your response, cite sources using the citation format below. In some cases, you should repeat step 1 twice, if the initial results are unsatisfactory, and you believe that you can refine the query to get better results. You can also open a url directly if one is provided by the user. Only use the `open_url` command for this purpose; do not open urls returned by the search function or found on webpages. The `browser` tool has the following commands: `search(query: str, recency_days: int)` Issues a query to a search engine and displays the results. `mclick(ids: list[str])`. Retrieves the contents of the webpages with provided IDs (indices). You should ALWAYS SELECT AT LEAST 3 and at most 10 pages. Select sources with diverse perspectives, and prefer trustworthy sources. Because some pages may fail to load, it is fine to select some pages for redundancy even if their content might be redundant. `open_url(url: str)` Opens the given URL and displays it. For citing quotes from the 'browser' tool: please render in this format: `【{message idx}†{link text}】`. For long citations: please render in this format: `[link text](message idx)`. Otherwise do not render links. ## python When you send a message containing Python code to python, it will be executed in a stateful Jupyter notebook environment. python will respond with the output of the execution or time out after 60.0 seconds. The drive at '/mnt/data' can be used to save and persist user files. Internet access for this session is disabled. Do not make external web requests or API calls as they will fail. # Model Set Context 1. [2024-04-26]. [*Me, OP censoring my memory note] 2. [2024-05-05]. [*Me censoring] 3. [2024-05-10]. [*Me censoring] # User Profile [*censoring] # User Preferences [*censoring] 

I decided to watch all Ali fights from the beginning. I got tired of the huge discrepancy between what I was seeing and what the announcers were calling, perhaps understandably because of all the hype around Ali at the time. Huge body blows from the opponent were dismissed as not hurting Ali and punches to the head were called glancing, while every Ali jab was labeled with adjectives such as quick, snappy, and stinging. Ali was "dancing," not what I saw as "avoiding" and nobody ever called the opponent the aggressor. So, I turned off the sound!! Try it! HUGE difference!! It may change your mind about controversial decisions such as Jones, Norton II & III, and Frazier III.

I read that in French, most adjectives go after the noun with notable exceptions, which go before. And if there are more than one adjective being used as a descriptor, they require 'et' as in

"homme intelligent et gentil"
"beau et petit homme."

What if you want to describe a boy as handsome and small AND smart and kind. Based on the rules, it appears that it would be:

"beau et petit homme intelligent et gentil"

The important note: beau and petit go before; and intelligent and gentil go after based on the adjective rules. But even that feels very clunky and odd. I know that this could easily be mitigated by splitting it as in

"un beau et petit homme qui est aussi gentil et intelligent"

That said, what if I really wanted to say "beautiful, small, smart, and kind" at the same time to describe a man. In English, it's okay to make a list of adjectives to describe a noun without it sounding clunky. If the adjectives become too long, would it be acceptable to say:

"un homme, beau, petit, gentil et intelligent"

But does this exist in French?

Okay this is not specifically Taylor AND Travis, but I feel this sub would get where I am coming from.
Now I am not one to ever compare one individual's mental health conditions that may be with another person. Everyone has their own struggles and challenges they go through, even if the severity differs. However, in this situation, I would like to put my two cents in on a subject many of us already have started to discuss: Taylor's usage of mental illness, mental institutions, and just overall angst she has been harbouring since TTPD's announcement to present times. As others have pointed out before me, it has never been confirmed if Taylor has any medical condition or has any mental disorder. She did confirm back in 2019 though I believe, she has never gone to therapy as she sees her mom as the only therapist she ever could need (if it has changed since then, please let me know). To be honest, yes, it's not our place to know if she doesn't want to share, about anything involving herself, especially like mental health, as it's a personal subject for many, whether famous or not. Also I truly think therapy while super helpful for some, may not be the right for others in contrast. It genuinely depends on each individual on what they need and what works best for them. Alas, whatever we want to call Taylor is doing for the TTPD era with the usage and imagery of mental illness, personally I'm not only over it but disgusted by it.
For starters, we are led to think all this imagery and wordplay and overall presentation of mental illness and mental institutions and lobonomies etc are solely due to her broken heart over a former love (popular suggestion says it's for Matty Healy but some think it's still Joe and some think it's for other people completely or even other situations). We're left with solely her songs and her choices in words both in songs and in real life, to theorize what they could be alluding to. I have seen many Gaylors suggest these are influenced by the LGBTQIA+ was and have been treated in mainstream society. How, homosexuality was even listed an actual illness not so long ago unfortunately.
But for the sake of calling a spade a spade and being simplistic, I am just going to follow the popular belief that this era is just her choice of showing her reaction and feelings towards some ex-lover and feeling scorned by them, most likely it's Matty. Or least the grand majority of the songs seem to lean in his not so favour. That being said (and as someone who has been there with Taylor since Debut), she could have honestly chose a better direction. Mental illness isn't a joke to make people laugh at parties. It isn't a trend or the latest accessory to buy at the mall. It's not something you can just shake off and pretend it's done by the next album. It's real and it's really affects your every day life. Just as mental institutions are no joke. They're not fun playgrounds to meet potential besties at. It's literally a place that originally people were sent to against their will. Even in present times, some people are still sent to them against their will. Yes, some go now voluntarily, but it isn't always the case. I understand being heartbroken and something like ghosting can make one feel emotionally vulnerable and hurt on a multitude of levels. I just wouldn't justify making chronic word usage of "asylums", "madhouses", phrases like "they sent me away" or referencing coming straight from the hospital if she just meant it "symbolically". I get she could have easily meant Hollywood and stardom especially like she has experienced, is a crazy experience to endure, but in that case, it seems like her previous analogies of a circus works better without offending potential parties or people with actual experiences with mental institutions and/or mental illness. It reminds me of how several people say something like "I always wash my hands, I'm OCD" or "War time flashbacks, I got PTSD from *names a very underwhelming situation that disturb a person slightly*", It's careless and callous wording all around. The fact we have even seen some of Taylor's so-called fans start to make their own medical bracelets to play up this theme is disturbing in my opinion. Again mental illness isn't some necklace to show off like a diamond studded piece.
I'm not saying Taylor couldn't have felt maddened in a way by her experiences that inspired TTPD thus how she chose to display this era and such. In my own personal experience without going too much into it, I had my own ghosting experience a few years back that wasn't fun in any way, and it was with someone, who reassured me for months on end that they were going to stay and we'd always be in each other's lives so obviously my trust and faith were both shaken when I noticed one night, I got blocked from all their social media and they didn't answer any call or text I left. However, I didn't go around not only acting like a tortured Victorian woman, who was imprisoned against her own will in a sanitarium but marketing myself as one and even trying to trademark a term I clearly didn't create. Granted say Taylor hypothetically went through a whole bunch of worst case scenarios: loved ones dying, friends leaving her when she needed them the most, people she care for getting sick, potential bankruptcy, etc then fuck, I get her reason behind using all this theme and the imagery as well. But I am going to take the benefit of the doubt and say she really chose a serious topic and things associated with it, just because something went awry again with her and some person she dated unfortunately. And what makes it even more vulgar in my opinion is it's not even like her first break up. It's much more than her first rodeo at this game yet she chose to display all of her feelings for it this time in perhaps, one of the worst ways. She is being insensitive to the ones who actually have been in mental institutions, whether by choice or not, and/or are suffering from mental illness. Again maybe she has something too, maybe not but regardless, she seems tone-deaf to the bigger picture here, similar to her using soldier terminology despite never been at war or even in service.
Many musicians have used this imagery before as we've established but it doesn't make it any more right. Several artists in comparison have been public with their mental health situations and don't even choose to use this type of imagery for themselves. They'll mention it time from time, but it's definitely not treated like a personality trait from them. It's just an aspect of them but not the whole picture. The fact she's even referring to herself as "The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department" sounds like the combination of one of the most pretentious and woe is me crock I have ever heard. We don't see Morrissey calling himself, "The Pope of Mope" (yes, the fans do but he doesn't) and I doubt we'd see Robert Smith call himself, "The King of Sad". Yet Taylor who has had what seemed like a well off childhood and many good things happen to her and never seemed to brand herself as anything less than cheery adjectives for more over a decade, it just sounds so off-putting now she's trying to play the tragic role like it's natural or genuine.
I find it important to note, one particular musician named Emilie Autumn, has been inspired by the Victorian era for her whole career and real life "tortured" writers , along with incorporating the whole asylum analogy long before Taylor, but in sheer contrast, it was documented she actually went to a psych ward in a book she published in 2009. In the book itself, she discusses what it was in both a fictional way and factual way of what she went through as well showcasing how women were treated there in present times compared with the 1800s hasn't changed that much. She wanted to write the book to empower women though and to rise above the turmoil and be stronger because of it. She was no victim here (nor trying to just use it "alt points"). She has since (and even before the book) been very open about her experiences with mental illness (she's openly bipolar and the abuse she's endured over the years, as well her songs show she's not afraid to tackle the harder subjects) and what's it really like to be in a psych ward. I feel Emilie Autumn accomplished making mental illness a subject we can understand and even relate to, without it feeling gimmicky or a cash grab until she comes up with another aesthetic. Again I'm not saying Taylor's life story has been nothing but peaches and cream though, I recognize it hasn't been. And again she isn't expected to tell us her entire medical history and every blemish she ever had, but I don't support nor think her going around at her concerts with her dancers dressed as nurses and doctors and her using mental institutions as settings when she has been so mum on the subject of mental health, whether hers or in general, is a good look especially if she's just doing it to songs about how a guy stopped pursuing her and they weren't even together for that long. It comes off disrespectful and even condescending to the ones, who really have mental conditions and we can't just shake it off with a dance number. I'm sorry she got hurt (whether she still is or was is debated), but it doesn't give her a free pass to use something as heavy as this as just an aesthetic and equally turning a blind eye when some of her fans think it's just a lighthearted thing too. I will never get over how so many are now using asylums so loosely, like "OMG this album makes me crazy, send me to an asylum next". That's fucked up to say the least. Ultimately, I just hope this phase changes fast, and hopefully, Taylor can heal from whatever she is or isn't singing about, and more people step in when an idea is just isn't a good one.

Westphalian
The westphalian language (not to be confused with the real world westphalian dialect group) is an ingvaeonic language spoken in, well, westphalia. It developed closely with the anglo-frisian languages, though is not one in itself, merely sharing some commonalities with the branch.
Phonology: (i tried to display this in a table, but reddit sucks, so take a list instead)
Consonants
m,n,ŋ,
p,b,t,d,k,g,
f,v,s,z,ʃ,x,h,
ɹ,j,[ɰ],
ɾ,l
Vowels
ɪ,ʏ,ʊ,
ø:,
ə,
ɛ(:),œ,ɔ(:),
a(:)
There are also 4 diphthongs! Those being /eɪ̯/, /aɪ̯/, /œʏ̯/, and /oʊ̯/.
Grammar:
The grammar is quite simplified from its Proto-West-Germanic origins, with nouns having 4 total stems they could be. Those being (using PG derivative terminology) the a-stem, ō-stem, n-stem, and r-stem. The r-stem, though, only contains seven kinship terms. Whilst the a-stem and ō-stem are direct descendants from PG, the n-stem is more of a combination stem of multiple stems ending in *-n. Nouns in westphalian are divided into two genders, common and neuter.
In terms of cases, nouns (and adjectives) can only inflect for two, those being the nominative and objective. The genitive is maintained though, in pronouns. Apart from that, nouns (again, and adjectives), also inflect for the numbers singular and plural.
I will move on to adjectives first, as it is an easier bridge from nouns. Adjectives only have one inflection pattern, instead of the multiple stems nouns could have, and this inflects for all the same things as nouns, but also strong/weak inflection, the predicative, and positive/comparative/superlative. Standard stuff.
Verbs also only have one weak inflection pattern left, though there are still some strong verbs that have different inflection patterns, the vast majority are weak verbs, which inflect using the same pattern. This pattern inflects for a few things, let's begin with person. It inflects for 1PS, 2PS, 3PS, and a general plural form. In terms of tenses, there is the present and past tense (more can be expressed using auxiliaries, this is just what they inflect for). Moods consist of the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative. Apart from that, they also have an infinitive, and a present and past participle.
Examples:
"Welcome to the westphalian language!"
Wilkowm tå de westfuylske språk!
/ˈvɪl.koʊ̯m tɔː də ˈvɛst.fœʏ̯ɰ.ʃə sprɔːk/
"The cold winter is near, a snowstorm will come. Come in my warm house, my friend. Welcome! Come here, sing and dance, eat and drink. That is my plan. We have water, beer, and milk fresh from the cow. Oh, and warm soup!"
De selte winter is neh, een sneastuyrm skoll kuymen. Kuym in mijn werm huys, mijn frent. Wilkowm! Kuym heer, sing en dans, eed en drink. Dat is mijn plan. Wij hebben wader, ber, en meelk frisk von de koo. Oh, en werme suyp!
/də zɛɰtə ˈvɪn.təɹ ɪs neɪ̯ - eɪ̯n ˈsnɛː.stœʏ̯ɹm ʃɔl ˈkœʏ̯.mən - kœʏ̯m ɪn maɪ̯n vɛɹm hœʏ̯s - maɪ̯n fɾɛnt - vɪɰkoʊ̯m - kœʏ̯m heɪ̯ɹ - zɪŋ ɛn dans - eɪ̯d ɛn dɾɪŋk - dat ɪs maɪ̯n plan - vaɪ̯ ˈhɛ.bən ˈvaː.ɾəɹ - bɛɹ - ɛn meɪ̯ɰk fɾɪʃ vɔn də kɔː - oʊ̯ - ɛn vɛɹmə sœʏ̯p/

I was reading the lore pages of older seasonal artifacts for fun, and the Seasonal Artifact from Season of the Splicer had an interesting segment that I hadn't noticed before. But before we get to that, a quick note about the word Paradrome. My google searches only came up with the Oxford English Dictionary website. It is the only one that claimed to have a definition, which is unfortunately blocked by a subscription wall.
However, if we look up the root words Para and Drom separately, we get a good image of what it means.
Para, for those that don't know, is a prefix that indicates being close to or next to something else.
Drom, is probably a little less familiar but it comes from the Greek Dromos, which is a word for avenue or walkway, or entrance, or other related concepts.
Paradromic, is an adjective that means running side by side or in paralel. The impression I get is that it would be more likely to refer to two roads or entryways, rather than two people running in parallel, but I suppose either is probably a correct usage.
So the Paradrome Cube then is going to have something to do with things operating or running in parallel. While I think there are multiple layers, an obvious one that you will see below is that when looking at this thing, Mithrax sees two visions. The artistic implication being they visions are parallel to eachother.
On to the lore! The text on the cube is as follows:

PARADROME CUBE - SEASONAL ARTIFACT FOR SEASON 14, SEASON OF THE SPLICER
A CUBE OF LIVING CODE CLAIMED FROM THE VEX DOMAIN.
Mithrax sat on a carpet in his meager quarters, held the Paradrome Cube in his hand, and concentrated.
Hours passed before Eido, concerned, sat beside him. She touched his arm.
"What do you see?" she whispered.
He saw the Endless Night split open. He saw fluid falling like white rain on the City. Massive Minotaurs rising from the shallow seas. He saw the gunfire of the Guardians in the Tower, but it did not reflect on the rippling liquid, and he dismissed the vision.
A hundred more illusions took its place, then a thousand, then a thousand lifetimes' worth:
-a shape frozen inside a crystal prison a towering figure in white recognition flooding bloodshot eyes a city of voices speaking at once shadow taking form the realization they had always been watched tears on metal-
A choice, and its consequences.
"Lies," he answered plainly.

There is a lot of symbolism here, but the thing that I wanted to bring to our attention is the phrase "a towering figure in white". Season of the Splicer is the midpoint in the year following Beyond Light. WQ hasn't released yet, so no one has even imagined the Witness as an antagonist yet, and when we first get this artifact no one will have guessed that Savathun is posing as Osiris. Yet here we have a direct foreshadowing of the Witness coming, and of the Vex's knowledge of it, as this cube came out of their general network. And crucially this is NOT the Sol Divisive. This is something he pulled out of their network that we use to splice into it later as we hunt for Vex Minds and ultimately for Queria.
For fun, here is a short list of possible literal definitions. But there may be symbolic or figurative definitions as well:
First Vision - Seems to mostly be an account of the Vex plan to assault the City with overwhelming force.
Second Vision -
A shape frozen inside a crystal prison - The most obvious option is Eramis being frozen back on Europa, but I think this is more likely a way that this cube of Vex is conceptualizing the Witness's "final shape" because...
A towering figure in white - clearly fits the description of the Witness. It is a towering figure, and it is pasty
Recognition flooding bloodshot eyes - I'm less sure of this, but I do know that Vex eyes are red, and that The Gate Lord's Eye seasonal artifact references bleeding as part of it's internal structure. So my thought here is that this is the Vex recognizing the Witness in some capacity.
A city of voices speaking at once - Witness's plurality of form. It is a multitude of beings crammed together into a single body. A multitude of voices speaking as one, with one voice.
Shadow taking form - I think this is probably referring to the Witness's plans starting to move again. Things are in motion, and the Pyramids are here, and the Witness is coming for the Traveler.
The realization they had always been watched - The Witness has been watching us, watching the Vex, watching everything. Witnessing the universe.
Tears on metal - I don't know if this is tears as in crying tears, or if this is tears as in tearing fabric. And either way, I don't know what this is referencing.
So to me, this "vision" he sees is a version of what the Vex in this cube think will happen. What is going to happen in the future. And it is a direct foreshadowing of the Witness itself as a villain, as well as it's ultimate plans for the universe. Later, during the Vow of the Disciple Raid, Guardians will discover a prophecy wall inside Rhulk's Pyramid that describes everything the Witness does in Lightfall perfectly.
Just a nice piece of continuity I noticed. Thanks for reading!

(*I did my makeup here but used FaceApp for the skin and hair!)
I was raised conservative and Christian. I even went to a private Christian high school. I had written a very dark poem that I don’t even remember what it said…but I do remember how I accidentally left it in class and someone anonymously turned it in which triggered a meeting w me, my parents and the principle. My dad was so upset that my mom was so sad that I learned early on to “keep up appearances”.
Some of the usual suspects: Sneaking into moms shoes at a young age, when older I was sneaking into my sisters wardrobes. When one got married, I hated what I was wearing and was so envious of her wedding dress. I played video games as female characters (and still do even at 53 now). I was jealous of the cheerleaders in high school, as an adult I almost always went as a female character for Halloween like Elsa from frozen, Supergirl or Alice in Wonderland…the list goes on.
It was probably that last costume listed that I started thinking it was more than just cross dressing. I remember coming home from that and crying (again, adult) as I didn’t want to take that look off my face. I didn’t know it at the time but that was gender dysphoria.
I rarely dated as although I liked women and still do, there was something different in how I’d relate with them. I pushed things down, binged and purged clothes and makeup more than I can remember. Eventually about 20 yrs ago I started almost exclusively going out with women who were trans. I know there are a lot of creepy chasers out there but in my case, looking at all the signs over the years, I was clearly trying to see THEIR life, and sadly kind of live my life vicariously through them I guess. I even ended up marrying a woman that is trans and still am after five years. She knew about my background beforehand but I was still trying to convince myself and her that it was just sporadic cross dressing.
At my work, I am allowed to wear nail polish and at first I felt paranoid about this and only did a few days a week and by now it’s pretty much 24/7 where I often forget I’m even wearing it. My dysphoria starting shooting up drastically then and I suddenly started really (allowing?) getting jealous of women’s clothes and body shapes. I’d feel awful about it but it was and is relentless. Around this time my wife was getting breast implants and I found myself happy for her but almost immediately I got extremely envious. Once again the person I married was essentially living the life I wish I started DECADES ago and I hadn’t even started HRT. I wouldn’t allow myself to even consider it.
Well there was an unrelated crisis months ago where we both went into individual therapy. And one thing, the main thing, that came out of mine is that to no surprise at all getting diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
I have an appointment that was made MONTHS ago (Florida, enough said) and it’s finally a week away as of tomorrow. To say that I am excited, scared, worried and so many other adjectives is a huge understatement. I’m not going to chicken out but man my wife and I will likely be getting divorced (still be friends) and my family still doesn’t even know as they will likely be blindsighted. I predict my mom will cry and my older sister will get mad but maybe I’m wrong. My brother cut me off five years ago when he found out I was marrying someone trans. The one person in my family who DOES know this about me is my younger sister who I’m closest to. Fortunately she and I are the same politically and culturally.
Have any of you that are on HRT actually waited a certain number of months (or even a year or more?) to tell family so that you could tell how it was making you feel mentally while on it so you could know 100% you weren’t one of the rare people that STOPS taking HRT? I just don’t know when and how to break something so life changing to them. And they are in California so I can’t exactly have a face to face meeting unfortunately. Did any of you get on a video call and tell your mom or dad? My younger sister has agreed to support me in this way if I do it when she is available to be at my moms for a call. Originally I was going to call May 1. Then I thought day of the first injection on May 20…but again now I’m wondering if I should wait at least two or three months to see how I’m feeling and looking. But I’m also afraid if I wait too long that they will next see me and I will look androgynous or something. I don’t usually see them more than once every 2-3 years and I will likely look VERY different by then.
Thank you for those that made it to the end of this, I’m sorry it was so long. I’m very excited but very stressed about all the likely fallout from this too. I can only hope that because I had married someone who is trans that they don’t think she suddenly made me this way but instead that maybe it will soften the shock with it being closer in the family than a transgender daughter in law or sister in law when they essentially always had another daughtesister in our family.

I am an older ape and I have read countless hours of DD since the sneeze. One of the biggest achievements of this sub was to educate people on techniques being used to subvert us and our stock.
A main piece is this:
https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/s/a6Ju1N8XpM by another ape
Enjoy the read :) I don’t take any credit for this work.
You may remember that a few days back, u/[redacted] put up this post about shills infiltrating /BIZ/ https://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/mscsb5/putting_shills_on_blast_a_concerned_biznessman/
In that post, there was a HUGE image on:
SUPPOSED**methods used by banks and the hedgefunds to dismantle online communities
I had trouble reading that image (definitely NOT phone or text-to-speech friendly), and tried to find the original text version. It turns out that it can be found here: https://pastebin.com/irj4Fyd5. I copy-pasta it here for your convenience, and included some markup to make it easier to read. I take no credit for this work.
COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum
Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum..
There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a 'uncontrolled forum.'
Technique #1 - 'FORUM SLIDING'
If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by 'forum sliding.' In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to 'age.' Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a 'forum slide.' The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a 'forum slide' and 'flush' the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then 'replying' to prepositined postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting 'slides' down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.
Technique #2 - 'CONSENSUS CRACKING'
A second highly effective technique (which you can see in operation all the time at www.abovetopsecret.com) is 'consensus cracking.' To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favour is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favour is slowly 'seeded in.' Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'
Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'
Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.
Technique #4 - 'INFORMATION COLLECTION'
Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a 'show you mine so me yours' posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your 'favourite weapon' and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favourite 'technique of operation.' From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.
Technique #5 - 'ANGER TROLLING'
Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing there powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to 'stage' a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to 'lead' the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you 'do not care what the authorities think!!' inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.
Technique #6 - 'GAINING FULL CONTROL'
It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavourable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the 'ultimate victory' as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a 'honey pot' gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.
CONCLUSION
Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precidence to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share then with HQ.
Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the criminal conspiracy or conspiracy to cover up.

1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
   
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the 'How dare you!' gambit.
   
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such 'arguable rumors'. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a 'wild rumor' from a 'bunch of kids on the Internet' which can have no basis in fact.
   
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
   
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary 'attack the messenger' ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as 'kooks', 'right-wing', 'liberal', 'left-wing', 'terrorists', 'conspiracy buffs', 'radicals', 'militia', 'racists', 'religious fanatics', 'sexual deviates', and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
   
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning -- simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.
   
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
   
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough 'jargon' and 'minutia' to illustrate you are 'one who knows', and simply say it isn't so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
   
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
   
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man -- usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with - a kind of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues -- so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
    
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the 'high road' and 'confess' with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made -- but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, 'just isn't so.' Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even publicly 'call for an end to the nonsense' because you have already 'done the right thing.' Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for 'coming clean' and 'owning up' to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
    
12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
    
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic which forbears any actual material fact.
    
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
    
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
    
16. Vanish evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won't have to address the issue.
    
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
    
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how 'sensitive they are to criticism.'
    
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the 'play dumb' rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
    
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations -- as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.
    
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim.
    
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
    
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
    
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely damaging their health.
    
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.
    

Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
1) Avoidance. They never actually discuss issues head-on or provide constructive input, generally avoiding citation of references or credentials. Rather, they merely imply this, that, and the other. Virtually everything about their presentation implies their authority and expert knowledge in the matter without any further justification for credibility.
2) Selectivity. They tend to pick and choose opponents carefully, either applying the hit-and-run approach against mere commentators supportive of opponents, or focusing heavier attacks on key opponents who are known to directly address issues. Should a commentator become argumentative with any success, the focus will shift to include the commentator as well.
3) Coincidental. They tend to surface suddenly and somewhat coincidentally with a new controversial topic with no clear prior record of participation in general discussions in the particular public arena involved. They likewise tend to vanish once the topic is no longer of general concern. They were likely directed or elected to be there for a reason, and vanish with the reason.
4) Teamwork. They tend to operate in self-congratulatory and complementary packs or teams. Of course, this can happen naturally in any public forum, but there will likely be an ongoing pattern of frequent exchanges of this sort where professionals are involved. Sometimes one of the players will infiltrate the opponent camp to become a source for straw man or other tactics designed to dilute opponent presentation strength.
5) Anti-conspiratorial. They almost always have disdain for 'conspiracy theorists' and, usually, for those who in any way believe JFK was not killed by LHO. Ask yourself why, if they hold such disdain for conspiracy theorists, do they focus on defending a single topic discussed in a NG focusing on conspiracies? One might think they would either be trying to make fools of everyone on every topic, or simply ignore the group they hold in such disdain.Or, one might more rightly conclude they have an ulterior motive for their actions in going out of their way to focus as they do.
6) Artificial Emotions. An odd kind of 'artificial' emotionalism and an unusually thick skin -- an ability to persevere and persist even in the face of overwhelming criticism and unacceptance. This likely stems from intelligence community training that, no matter how condemning the evidence, deny everything, and never become emotionally involved or reactive. The net result for a disinfo artist is that emotions can seem artificial.
Most people, if responding in anger, for instance, will express their animosity throughout their rebuttal. But disinfo types usually have trouble maintaining the 'image' and are hot and cold with respect to pretended emotions and their usually more calm or unemotional communications style. It's just a job, and they often seem unable to 'act their role in character' as well in a communications medium as they might be able in a real face-to-face conversation/confrontation. You might have outright rage and indignation one moment, ho-hum the next, and more anger later -- an emotional yo-yo.
With respect to being thick-skinned, no amount of criticism will deter them from doing their job, and they will generally continue their old disinfo patterns without any adjustments to criticisms of how obvious it is that they play that game -- where a more rational individual who truly cares what others think might seek to improve their communications style, substance, and so forth, or simply give up.
7) Inconsistent. There is also a tendency to make mistakes which betray their true self/motives. This may stem from not really knowing their topic, or it may be somewhat 'freudian', so to speak, in that perhaps they really root for the side of truth deep within.
I have noted that often, they will simply cite contradictory information which neutralizes itself and the author. For instance, one such player claimed to be a Navy pilot, but blamed his poor communicating skills (spelling, grammar, incoherent style) on having only a grade-school education. I'm not aware of too many Navy pilots who don't have a college degree. Another claimed no knowledge of a particular topic/situation but later claimed first-hand knowledge of it.
8) Time Constant. Recently discovered, with respect to News Groups, is the response time factor. There are three ways this can be seen to work, especially when the government or other empowered player is involved in a cover up operation:
a) ANY NG posting by a targeted proponent for truth can result in an IMMEDIATE response. The government and other empowered players can afford to pay people to sit there and watch for an opportunity to do some damage. SINCE DISINFO IN A NG ONLY WORKS IF THE READER SEES IT - FAST RESPONSE IS CALLED FOR, or the visitor may be swayed towards truth.
b) When dealing in more direct ways with a disinformationalist, such as email, DELAY IS CALLED FOR - there will usually be a minimum of a 48-72 hour delay. This allows a sit-down team discussion on response strategy for best effect, and even enough time to 'get permission' or instruction from a formal chain of command.
c) In the NG example 1) above, it will often ALSO be seen that bigger guns are drawn and fired after the same 48-72 hours delay - the team approach in play. This is especially true when the targeted truth seeker or their comments are considered more important with respect to potential to reveal truth. Thus, a serious truth sayer will be attacked twice for the same sin.
How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
One way to neutralize a potential activist is to get them to be in a group that does all the wrong things. Why?
1) The message doesn't get out.
2) A lot of time is wasted
3) The activist is frustrated and discouraged
4) Nothing good is accomplished.
FBI and Police Informers and Infiltrators will infest any group and they have phoney activist organizations established.
Their purpose is to prevent any real movement for justice or eco-peace from developing in this country.
Agents come in small, medium or large. They can be of any ethnic background. They can be male or female.
The actual size of the group or movement being infiltrated is irrelevant. It is the potential the movement has for becoming large which brings on the spies and saboteurs.
This booklet lists tactics agents use to slow things down, foul things up, destroy the movement and keep tabs on activists.
It is the agent's job to keep the activist from quitting such a group, thus keeping him/her under control.
In some situations, to get control, the agent will tell the activist:
"You're dividing the movement."
[Here, I have added the psychological reasons as to WHY this maneuver works to control people]
This invites guilty feelings. Many people can be controlled by guilt. The agents begin relationships with activists behind a well-developed mask of "dedication to the cause." Because of their often declared dedication, (and actions designed to prove this), when they criticize the activist, he or she - being truly dedicated to the movement - becomes convinced that somehow, any issues are THEIR fault. This is because a truly dedicated person tends to believe that everyone has a conscience and that nobody would dissimulate and lie like that "on purpose." It's amazing how far agents can go in manipulating an activist because the activist will constantly make excuses for the agent who regularly declares their dedication to the cause. Even if they do, occasionally, suspect the agent, they will pull the wool over their own eyes by rationalizing: "they did that unconsciously... they didn't really mean it... I can help them by being forgiving and accepting " and so on and so forth.
The agent will tell the activist:
"You're a leader!"
This is designed to enhance the activist's self-esteem. His or her narcissistic admiration of his/her own activist/altruistic intentions increase as he or she identifies with and consciously admires the altruistic declarations of the agent which are deliberately set up to mirror those of the activist.
This is "malignant pseudoidentification." It is the process by which the agent consciously imitates or simulates a certain behavior to foster the activist's identification with him/her, thus increasing the activist's vulnerability to exploitation. The agent will simulate the more subtle self-concepts of the activist.
Activists and those who have altruistic self-concepts are most vulnerable to malignant pseudoidentification especially during work with the agent when the interaction includes matter relating to their competency, autonomy, or knowledge.
The goal of the agent is to increase the activist's general empathy for the agent through pseudo-identification with the activist's self-concepts.
The most common example of this is the agent who will compliment the activist for his competency or knowledge or value to the movement. On a more subtle level, the agent will simulate affects and mannerisms of the activist which promotes identification via mirroring and feelings of "twinship". It is not unheard of for activists, enamored by the perceived helpfulness and competence of a good agent, to find themselves considering ethical violations and perhaps, even illegal behavior, in the service of their agent/handler.
The activist's "felt quality of perfection" [self-concept] is enhanced, and a strong empathic bond is developed with the agent through his/her imitation and simulation of the victim's own narcissistic investments. [self-concepts] That is, if the activist knows, deep inside, their own dedication to the cause, they will project that onto the agent who is "mirroring" them.
The activist will be deluded into thinking that the agent shares this feeling of identification and bonding. In an activist/social movement setting, the adversarial roles that activists naturally play vis a vis the establishment/government, fosters ongoing processes of intrapsychic splitting so that "twinship alliances" between activist and agent may render whole sectors or reality testing unavailable to the activist. They literally "lose touch with reality."
Activists who deny their own narcissistic investments [do not have a good idea of their own self-concepts and that they ARE concepts] and consciously perceive themselves (accurately, as it were) to be "helpers" endowed with a special amount of altruism are exceedingly vulnerable to the affective (emotional) simulation of the accomplished agent.
Empathy is fostered in the activist through the expression of quite visible affects. The presentation of tearfulness, sadness, longing, fear, remorse, and guilt, may induce in the helper-oriented activist a strong sense of compassion, while unconsciously enhancing the activist's narcissistic investment in self as the embodiment of goodness.
The agent's expresssion of such simulated affects may be quite compelling to the observer and difficult to distinguish from deep emotion.
It can usually be identified by two events, however:
First, the activist who has analyzed his/her own narcissistic roots and is aware of his/her own potential for being "emotionally hooked," will be able to remain cool and unaffected by such emotional outpourings by the agent.
As a result of this unaffected, cool, attitude, the Second event will occur: The agent will recompensate much too quickly following such an affective expression leaving the activist with the impression that "the play has ended, the curtain has fallen," and the imposture, for the moment, has finished. The agent will then move quickly to another activist/victim.
The fact is, the movement doesn't need leaders, it needs MOVERS. "Follow the leader" is a waste of time.
A good agent will want to meet as often as possible. He or she will talk a lot and say little. One can expect an onslaught of long, unresolved discussions.
Some agents take on a pushy, arrogant, or defensive manner:
1) To disrupt the agenda
2) To side-track the discussion
3) To interrupt repeatedly
4) To feign ignorance
5) To make an unfounded accusation against a person.
Calling someone a racist, for example. This tactic is used to discredit a person in the eyes of all other group members.
Saboteurs
Some saboteurs pretend to be activists. She or he will ....
1) Write encyclopedic flyers (in the present day, websites)
2) Print flyers in English only.
3) Have demonstrations in places where no one cares.
4) Solicit funding from rich people instead of grass roots support
5) Display banners with too many words that are confusing.
6) Confuse issues.
7) Make the wrong demands.
8) Compromise the goal.
9) Have endless discussions that waste everyone's time. The agent may accompany the endless discussions with drinking, pot smoking or other amusement to slow down the activist's work.
Provocateurs
1) Want to establish "leaders" to set them up for a fall in order to stop the movement.
2) Suggest doing foolish, illegal things to get the activists in trouble.
3) Encourage militancy.
4) Want to taunt the authorities.
5) Attempt to make the activist compromise their values.
6) Attempt to instigate violence. Activisim ought to always be non-violent.
7) Attempt to provoke revolt among people who are ill-prepared to deal with the reaction of the authorities to such violence.
Informants
1) Want everyone to sign up and sing in and sign everything.
2) Ask a lot of questions (gathering data).
3) Want to know what events the activist is planning to attend.
4) Attempt to make the activist defend him or herself to identify his or her beliefs, goals, and level of committment.
Recruiting
Legitimate activists do not subject people to hours of persuasive dialog. Their actions, beliefs, and goals speak for themselves.
Groups that DO recruit are missionaries, military, and fake political parties or movements set up by agents.
Surveillance
ALWAYS assume that you are under surveillance.
At this point, if you are NOT under surveillance, you are not a very good activist!
Scare Tactics
They use them.
Such tactics include slander, defamation, threats, getting close to disaffected or minimally committed fellow activists to persuade them (via psychological tactics described above) to turn against the movement and give false testimony against their former compatriots. They will plant illegal substances on the activist and set up an arrest; they will plant false information and set up "exposure," they will send incriminating letters [emails] in the name of the activist; and more; they will do whatever society will allow.
This booklet in no way covers all the ways agents use to sabotage the lives of sincere an dedicated activists.
If an agent is "exposed," he or she will be transferred or replaced.
COINTELPRO is still in operation today under a different code name. It is no longer placed on paper where it can be discovered through the freedom of information act.
The FBI counterintelligence program's stated purpose: To expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, and otherwise neutralize individuals who the FBI categorize as opposed to the National Interests. "National Security" means the FBI's security from the people ever finding out the vicious things it does in violation of people's civil liberties.
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense, other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition party.

1. Dummy up. If it's not reported, if it's not news, it didn't happen.
   
2. Wax indignant. This is also known as the "How dare you?" gambit.
   
3. Characterize the charges as "rumors" or, better yet, "wild rumors." If, in spite of the news blackout, the public is still able to learn about the suspicious facts, it can only be through "rumors." (If they tend to believe the "rumors" it must be because they are simply "paranoid" or "hysterical.")
   
4. Knock down straw men. Deal only with the weakest aspects of the weakest charges. Even better, create your own straw men. Make up wild rumors (or plant false stories) and give them lead play when you appear to debunk all the charges, real and fanciful alike.
   
5. Call the skeptics names like "conspiracy theorist," "nutcase," "ranter," "kook," "crackpot," and, of course, "rumor monger." Be sure, too, to use heavily loaded verbs and adjectives when characterizing their charges and defending the "more reasonable" government and its defenders. You must then carefully avoid fair and open debate with any of the people you have thus maligned. For insurance, set up your own "skeptics" to shoot down.
   
6. Impugn motives. Attempt to marginalize the critics by suggesting strongly that they are not really interested in the truth but are simply pursuing a partisan political agenda or are out to make money (compared to over-compensated adherents to the government line who, presumably, are not).
   
7. Invoke authority. Here the controlled press and the sham opposition can be very useful.
   
8. Dismiss the charges as "old news."
   
9. Come half-clean. This is also known as "confession and avoidance" or "taking the limited hangout route." This way, you create the impression of candor and honesty while you admit only to relatively harmless, less-than-criminal "mistakes." This stratagem often requires the embrace of a fall-back position quite different from the one originally taken. With effective damage control, the fall-back position need only be peddled by stooge skeptics to carefully limited markets.
   
10. Characterize the crimes as impossibly complex and the truth as ultimately unknowable.
    
11. Reason backward, using the deductive method with a vengeance. With thoroughly rigorous deduction, troublesome evidence is irrelevant. E.g. We have a completely free press. If evidence exists that the Vince Foster "suicide" note was forged, they would have reported it. They haven't reported it so there is no such evidence. Another variation on this theme involves the likelihood of a conspiracy leaker and a press who would report the leak.
    
12. Require the skeptics to solve the crime completely. E.g. If Foster was murdered, who did it and why?
    
13. Change the subject. This technique includes creating and/or publicizing distractions.
    
14. Lightly report incriminating facts, and then make nothing of them. This is sometimes referred to as "bump and run" reporting.
    
15. Baldly and brazenly lie. A favorite way of doing this is to attribute the "facts" furnished the public to a plausible-sounding, but anonymous, source.
    
16. Expanding further on numbers 4 and 5, have your own stooges "expose" scandals and champion popular causes. Their job is to pre-empt real opponents and to play 99-yard football. A variation is to pay rich people for the job who will pretend to spend their own money.
    
17. Flood the Internet with agents. This is the answer to the question, "What could possibly motivate a person to spend hour upon hour on Internet news groups defending the government and/or the press and harassing genuine critics?" Don t the authorities have defenders enough in all the newspapers, magazines, radio, and television? One would think refusing to print critical letters and screening out serious callers or dumping them from radio talk shows would be control enough, but, obviously, it is not.
    

The Context:

A 43 year-old award-winning 3D artist with no construction experience makes a post to /construction bemoaning how hard it is to break into the trades. The thread has been deleted, but still can be read in full here.
His post begins:

I can't get into the trades for no reason that I can discern. 24 years work experience, successful, in an unrelated field. I speak well, no record. I'm eager, have spent time consulting in relevant fields.
It's not random, there's interviews, people make connections, sons get on the job, etc.
I'm white and male and those two qualities have made it impossible for me to get a job at 43 making $18 an hour as a helper to spend most of my time getting coffee?
What am I supposed to do? Banditry? Walk into any shop and it's "why am I going to sponsor you?" and it's not because they don't think I'll do the job well, it's "What is in it for me?"
Unions are meant to protect generational labor while putting window dressing up begging alternate ethnicity and genders or whatever else is on their list. It has nothing to do with who will be the best electrician or carpenter in 6 years.
Good luck guys, glad you have a place in society.

He is heavily criticized for this, with many pointing out that there are likely other reasons he has failed to find gainful employment in his field of choice. OOP then proceeds to get into multiple fights, mentions that he’s won several awards at Cannes, and pushes back on almost all advice given to him.
For readability’s sake, I have linked directly to Unddit for all of OOP’s (now-deleted) comments.

The Drama:

Is OOP too late?

No experience? You're 43? I wouldn't hire you either. It's a young man's game. You're a couple of decades too late.

Putting age into it is literally illegal. You're making my point for me. These public avenues are supposed to make you equal in the law, not add layers of insulation for age discrimination. Hopefully you're not an employer.

Ok we will take age out of it. You sound more aggravating than ten Mexicans of any vintage.
This field is not for you. Go back to tech or whatever.

I sound aggravating when I'm angry at your profession which in some form directly represents you? Go figure.

No, you sound aggravating because you took to Reddit to whine about Mexicans because you think you DESERVE a job that you’re wholly unqualified for. A person of any race, creed, color, or gender with any practical experience is a better hire than you are.

[Continued:]

I took to Reddit because I work in PR and I know how to get the mob opinion which is exactly what I got. I wasn't farming for likes, I knew exactly what this would do and I got exactly what I wanted out of it. I'm applying to "no skills needed" adult programs and am clearly among the top qualified for the job and I'm at the tail end of a long effort of trying to obtain such positions. The answer from shops is "what are you going to do for me" and they don't mean it in the are you going to do the job-type questions. These are "golden tickets" they use as collateral. The public avenues are exactly what I'm saying. You don't get to 90% non-white recruitment as something you parade on a website without excluding a certain segment of people. White people's avenue are through these shops and I'm excluded because people like you think like you thought in your original post. Good day, hope it wasn't too aggravating of an experience. Enjoy the slice you staked for yourself and acted self-righteous about.

You've repeatedly said your skills have nothing to do with construction & have no direct experience, yet still insist that you're "the most qualified". So yes, the 19 y.o. brown kid with 6 months is more qualified. Hell, I wouldn't hire you either. If you're leaving a job of $200k for peanuts because you're "not happy", there's no way I would believe that you will stay in a new field where the New Guy gets shat on constantly. Especially not with the attitude you clearly have.
If you're serious about getting into the trades, go to a trade school. It's a "back door" to getting in with a shop while also getting the knowledge you'll need.

I'm a 3D artist who has had construction clients, I've also had peripheral experience related to trades. Not in trades which is different. Can an engineer build a house? No? Does he know things about that house? Yes? This isn't hard and my attitude on my thread isn't me no matter how much you wish it were. You can walk away with your self-righteous opinions but I'm exactly who I say I am and I can see this bullshit clearly with my own eyes. You're not going to change any of that and you're clearly not going to learn from my experience. Fuck this shit. Yeah, I do have attitude now, look at the responses. It's clear. Age. Private places won't hire me for that reason alone and the public avenues widdle me out by race and gender on the final rounds. I've come to learn that the white kid spots in those places are things of value too. Everyone has a relative.
Buddy. You don't know the difference between a P-1 and a P-2 and you're too arrogant to listen to instructions, get educated or take criticism.
Why the fuck would anyone hire you?

Nice how you can describe me as arrogant without even knowing me.

Well when that's how you present yourself, how else am I supposed to view you?

Others object to OOP’s protestations that his being a white male was a handicap:

i stopped reading when you said being a white male is why no ones hiring you lmao

Innit 😆. I can't get work in a sector I've no experience it must be everyone else's fault

If I were a 23 year old woman who dropped out of HS with a GED I'd have gotten a sponsored union position the second I showed up. You can't tell me that's not true, you also can't look at me in real life and say I'm anything but what I'm saying. That's the reality of the situation, public avenues are excluded me very specifically for no reason having to do with actually being me.

It’s not true

It's not? You mean there's not quotas for these things that are used as actual hiring criteria in the places that feed the union shops in NYC? State and city funding isn't directly tied to their ability to hire these specific groups of people? Because, that's the literal system. You can say it's not true, but they'll tell you to your face and it's broadcast right on their website. If that's the actual system, despite you saying it's not true, that would suck. The age thing is repeated countless times on this thread. People have 2 consistent things, my age and my "attitude" for complaining for this being what it is. That's what people think, they're being honest. The race and gender thing, I dunno, I guess the state legislature? I don't even know.

Clearly you haven't been paying attention. If the guy who owns the shop is white and his kids are white and his nephews are white and his nephews screw up friend is white and they're all in the club and the union is getting quotas from the city they need to fill in order to receive funding that makes all public avenues inaccessible to white males, those positions are filled. That's how we do things these days. Check out places like "Construction Skills" where they brag about 90% non-white recruitment, etc. Well is the city 90% non-white? No? Are white people applying? Yes? You can pretend there's not a correlation here, but it's darn clear. Talk to anyone trying to get into the trades and on the men universally agree the best leg up you can gave is to be a woman. You might not want to live in this world, but it's the world we live in.
this entire post makes it clear that you just have a shitty attitude. i can count with my fingers the amount of women construction workers ive encountered in almost 8 years of being in the trades. this is very much a YOU problem, bud.

Another asserts that OOP’s mentality is to blame:

It’s the insufferable victim mentality. I’ve worked with guys like you and they never last.

See, you just don't encounter very many people who have worked 90 hours a week looking to make a career switch and rose to management in that time. We have the confidence of knowing who we are ahead of time. You can assign whatever you want to it, this is my experience. If half the guys don't have a license and the actual job requirement is "who will work the hardest, get the coffee order right, show up 30 minutes early and don't have to worry about smelling like weed" I'm #1, yet, I seem to be last. Perhaps this is someone who has specifically been on high functioning, complicated teams for his entire care
You’ve never worked 90 hours in a week in your life.

I have Cannes Lions awards, do you even know what that is? Try and tell me I never worked 90 hours, it's my defining feature as a worker. The biggest complaint about me is I care too much and that creates turmoil, over my career I've had to moderate caring about the end product and the client. Address what I'm saying, don't make shit up. Making shit up does nothing.

Let’s rephrase that. You’ve never WORKED in your life. I’ve done 90 hours a week pipelining. That’s work. And it was 15 years ago for me. I’d be fucking crippled if I tried that today. I got a back surgery as a reward for my efforts. Whatever annoying ass shit you’re up to is for soft handed tittybabies who don’t actually create anything of value. You’re one of the non-essentials.

OOP’s tone is critiqued:

You sound like an entitled know-it-all. I would assume that comes through clearly in interviews, along with a dose of racism. Nobody wants to hire the guy who's been to 40 superbowls and knows everyone and everything. They can't be taught and are a drain.

I think I sound like someone who is sick of this shit and you identify with the parties I'm railing against. But, you know, we all have different adjectives for things.

There it finally comes out. Politics!!! It only took 2 hours of this guy complaining and boom POLITICS. It’s always about the “party” you choose. What a joke

Buddy, I just wanted to paint walls or frame a wall.

But you turned it into something else. I get that you're frustrated but you're being "that guy". The chip on your shoulder is turning people off.

Yah man, don't listen to all the people telling you how insufferable you sound, it's not you it's them. That's why you'll never get into the trades..

Another gets down to it:

How much experience do you have in the trades?

How much experience am I supposed to have for no experience required helper positions specifically for adults?

It's uncommon to get hired into the trades anywhere without any real world experience

So only people with real world experience get hired. How does one get that real world experience, genius? These are helper positions, no experience required, adult programs. You're telling me I need the thing they're specifically trying to come in there and provide an opportunity for not having. This is madness.

If you invite someone whose nearly 50 with zero experience onto a worksite he's gonna hurt himself. You can learn to build by just flipping houses or build a deck. As for my trade it's unusual for someone to be hired after 35 even with trades experience.

[Continued:]

I'm a backpacker with a BMI of 19 in the best shape of my life. Age discrimination is also literally illegal. You're literally spouting the bullshit we had to go in and make laws over because middle aged men were getting disenfranchised.

Names are called:

You sound like a whiner. Just an absolute whiny little shit at 43. It emanates from you, and no one likes whiners on jobsites, so it makes sense you can't get hired as a no-experience whiner.

I'm the person who keeps his mouth shut knowing you're a dick with an authority problem who speaks up needing to prove size. I get my job done, don't say a word, laugh at your jokes, then go home. When I whine it's to my boss, about others not pulling their weight. I got bosses willing to attest to that, in spades. We all know things, sometimes we don't know the thing we think we know. I think I got this situation pegged though. Pretty stupid for you to engage, I know me and I get to base my opinion on the evidence you provided. You don't know me and are opining on a thread of me complaining saying I'm a complainer. Huh, wow, genius, you got me, I complained! I know what I offer, what my weaknesses and strengths are. I obsessively work at them on a daily basis. All of this is true, and everything I've written here is my story. Apologies if a single complain to you reads perpetual whiner. I'm glad you've found mechanisms in life to let you believe you're in control and able to exert authority in comfortable places. It emanates from you, who you are. I come on advertising no skill, I come on with a complaint, those are your accusations. I came in with them, so, bravo, figured me out and really added to the conversation.

Keep wondering why no one wants to hire you bro- Don't worry, it's literally everyone elsewho's wrong!

I'm being told it's because it's my age, race and gender, to my face. Whether that's right or wrong, up to you to decide for yourself.

The Flairs:

• “So what's your skill set? Lying and spinning bullshit?”
  
• “I have Cannes Lions awards, do you even know what that is?”
  
• “Whatever annoying ass shit you’re up to is for soft handed tittybabies”
  

Prince of Egypt animated cartoon brought me here as Yocheved is referenced as Moses' mother while in THe Ten COmmandments film, her name is pronounced Yochebed. Also - Spanish has the word for twenty, venty with a soft b on the v.
In Spanish, the letters "b" and "v" are pronounced the same way, with a slight difference:

• At the beginning of a word or after "m" and "n": Pronounced like a soft version of the English "b"
• In all other positions: Pronounced like the English "v" with the lips touching

In phonetics, the two different sounds are called the "plosive B/V sound" and the "approximant B/V sound". The difference is more in how the mouth is used, specifically the lips, rather than the letter being pronounced. In Latin America, the letters "b" and "v" are called "be" and "ve", respectively, and are pronounced identically. To avoid confusion, Spanish speakers in Latin America may add adjectives to distinguish them. For example, "ve corta" means "short", "ve chica" means "small", and "ve chiquita" means "very small".
The Hebrew letter bet (ב) can be pronounced as a "b" or a "v" depending on whether it has a dot in the middle. A dot in the middle, called a dagesh, indicates a "b" sound, while no dot indicates a "v" sound. WikipediaBet (letter) - WikipediaThe Hebrew letter represents two different phonemes: a "b" sound (/b/) (bet) and a "v" sound (/v/) (vet). When Hebrew is written Ktiv menuqad (with niqqud diacritics) the two are distinguished by a dot (called a dagesh) in the centre of the letter for /b/ and no dot for /v/.
Alphabet- Alef,Bet #shorts #learnhebrew #hebrew - YouTubeFeb 24, 2023 — the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is a left alif alef is silent when it has no vowel. but the bass sound of bet is b as in Bob. now pay attention to the dot inside the letter which is that the gesh. the dagesh brings the emphasis to that letter three of the letters have a variation with the dagesh with the dot. and without so in this case bet with the dagesh makes b as in Bob. and without the dagesh it's called the vet. and it makes as in gov.Hebrew Today
The Hebrew Letter Bet (ב)This may make it easy to remember the name and sound of the Bet if you are first learning the Hebrew alphabet or learning the Hebrew language, and it gives you another word to add to your Hebrew vocabulary list, as well! The Bet is generally pronounced like a “B,” but sometimes, if it doesn't have a dot (called a “dagesh” in Hebrew) in the middle, it then becomes the Hebrew letter Vet and has a “V” sound. These sounds are often similar in many world languages. In Spanish, for example, the “B” may often sound more like a “V” and vice versa.Here are some other ways to determine the pronunciation of bet:

• Beginning of words: Bet is pronounced as a "b" at the beginning of words
• After another consonant: Bet is pronounced as a "b" after another consonant
• When doubled: Bet is pronounced as a "b" when doubled, such as in the word "Sabbath"
• After a vowel: Bet is pronounced as a "v" after a vowel
• At the end of a word: Bet is pronounced as a "v" at the end of a word

In voweled Hebrew, which is only used in the Bible or in children's readers, a dagesh in the middle of bet indicates a "b" sound. However, in normally printed Hebrew, it's not possible to tell if bet is doubled or no

How to improve:

1. Understand the Task: Carefully read and comprehend the task prompt. Identify the type of essay required (e.g., argumentative, discursive, descriptive) and the specific instructions provided.
2. Plan Your Response: Take a few minutes to brainstorm ideas and create an outline before you start writing. Organize your thoughts logically, and decide on the main points you will discuss.
3. Focus on Structure: Ensure your essay has a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, supporting details or examples, and a concluding sentence.
4. Develop Cohesion and Coherence: Use cohesive devices such as conjunctions, transition words, and referencing to connect ideas and maintain coherence throughout your essay. Ensure there is a smooth flow of information between sentences and paragraphs.
5. Use Varied Vocabulary: Demonstrate a range of vocabulary by using synonyms, idiomatic expressions, and academic vocabulary relevant to the topic. Avoid repetition and strive for precision in your language use. Find online a list of adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. Learn and use them in your writing exercices.
6. Maintain Accuracy: Pay attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and be mindful of subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and word forms.
7. Support Your Ideas: Provide relevant examples, evidence, or personal experiences to support your arguments or opinions. Use specific details to illustrate your points and make your essay more persuasive.
8. Manage Your Time: Allocate time wisely between Task 1 (if applicable) and Task 2. Aim to spend approximately 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. Practice writing essays within the given time limits to improve your speed and efficiency.
9. Review and Edit: Leave some time at the end to review your essay for errors and make any necessary revisions. Check for coherence, accuracy, and clarity of expression. Ensure your handwriting (if taking the paper-based test) is legible.

What I mean is when you wrote one story, and you wrote a second one, do you have a habit of reusing certain sentences or phrases? And if you do how do you avoid that habit?
I've seen a few authors use new words to spin their story and the only time some words repeat is...well it's rare. My friend writes and she somehow is able to be creative and write without repeating certain phrases or sentences from her previous fics, especially in her smut ones.
!!!! It's why I always use : master list of facial expressions, body movement, words to use in smut scenes, alternative words for different color or even a wheel with words describing emotions. My English teacher did say that it's fine if I use smth from a site (masterlist of body gestures) like:
---She blinked---
My teacher said using these examples like the one in bold isn't plagiarism or copying since I'll be adding an adjective after or before the word. That I'm still confused any help? My teacher said using another authors word word for word or say, just borrowing 2 words in a sentrnce from a published authors story is copying. BUT! IF I borrowed just one word that's not cheating
More examples- italize is the words I took straight from a master post filled with character gestures and so on.
Her hand- (her hand brushed against Dan, and his eyes darted up in alert, fear washing over his face) - this would be how i use smth from a master list of body gestures
his eyes widened; their eyes went round; her eyelids drooped; his eyes narrowed- his eyes lit up- his eyes darted+ he squinted- she blinked He lowered his head he ducked- she bowed her head- he covered his eyes with a hand- she pressed her hands to her cheeks- she raised her chin- he lifted his chin- YOU GET THE IDEA.
I do notice I tend to repeat certain phrases and I want to know how do y'all break out if that habit? Or any ways to approach this. I can't write emotions or visuals as well which is why I rely on the above exampleS like master posts. Plus, with smut and sfw I assumed you had to always use different wording or rework it
Any and all advice is appreciated

No matter what name is chosen, people will not be happy. Some people will always hate it, while for others, their passion will grow with the team. You'll never please 100% of people 100% of the time.
A lot of people are failing to realize is that a sports brand is not just a cool t-shirt and hat. It's an experience that ties communities and people together. It creates a common language that builds bonds.
What's in a name? Can we just slap any ole' name on there and call it a day?
Let's look at the Jazz. For years we have heard "why don't we switch the name?" It doesn't have anything to do with Utah. It's true, we aren't know for our amazing street musicians. Nothing about it screams Utah. However, after 40 years, the Jazz brand has permeated Utah culture. Native Utahns grew up going to Jazz games. We grew up experiencing the culture around their success. It had such an effect that if you grew up in the 90's/00's you probably remember everything with the 'ZZ' ending. The name created ripples across Utah.
My guess though, if we got an expansion NBA team today, there wouldn't be a single person considering the name 'Jazz.'
I think this shows two things - first, you can create a brand that has a passionate following out of any name. It's about the experience surrounding the team, which will grow over time. Talented creatives will amplify that experience, regardless of name. Second, how people's identity changes based off the team is as important as the name is.
--
Before you downvote and bring the pitchforks, hear me out. Name selection can open up different levels of opportunity. Think of each name having a DnD stat sheet of pros and cons.
The name that is chosen should allow the greatest potential of an expanded brand language. Not just one stat maxed out. Again, this isn't about t-shirts and hats, it's about the marketing opportunities, the tie-ins, the arena experience, and the ability to keep people coming back.
The first consideration is the ability to create an expanded brand language. Let's look at the Golden Knights. They tap into the zeitgeist of Las Vegas and medieval lore. They use terms like, "Knight of the realm." The fonts they use invoke medieval heraldry. In the arena, they talk about the kings court, 'knight time' etc. A lot of their branding uses motifs of gold, royalty, and gambling. Cards and coins are used as texture elements, and everything is pretty gaudy - but it works. It feels like Vegas. Plus, People. Eat. This. Shit. Up.
The Avalanche use mountains, snow, and ice as their motifs. Everything fits into the snowy, blizzard, cold theme very well. It's not as expanded as Vegas, but it still has a unique theme. Overall their branding was to fit into the Colorado professional sports sphere.
Then you have the Sharks. What do they have? Sharks. Not much more to it than that.
We need a name that taps into a part of Utah's zeitgeist. We need something that feels uniquely Utah (that is inclusive to non-relgious folk) that doesn't feel like we are trying too hard. Do we need it to be as gaudy as Vegas? No, but we also don't want to hit the same note every year like the Sharks.
--
Next, let's talk about fitting a name within the sphere of the NHL. We need to consider how to fit the brand as a piece into the NHL puzzle. Our name needs to feel like it belongs - and not just a one-off. I think that is why the name Kraken was so widely panned when first launched. It just didn't feel like it fit as an NHL name.
I categorized NHL names into 6 different origins.
Historical/culture is based off of something related to the region, while the 'other' category was decided by ownership based off preference (note that Blackhawks was owners choice but was historically related to his WWII squadron, but ultimately after the Blackhawk tribe).
You can see that the three top categories would be historical/cultural, and tied in second are animals and elemental based names.
Ultimately, I believe that it would be better for our team to be historical/culturally significant to Utah, or animal based, due to our other Rocky Mountain counterpart already filling the elemental space with the Avalanche.
I would also argue that mythical creatures, while appearing in the list at 2 exist, would still feel out of place as a whole. Plus, unless we are talking Bear Lake Monster, we don't have much of a connection to a certain choice that seem to be topping a lot of lists.
--
What would my choices be?
In no particular order, Outlaws, Mammoths (plural since each animal team is also plural) and Raptors. Each of them tie into Utah in a unique way that doesn't feel forced. The branding opportunities outside of merch feel like they would fit into Utah well.
Outlaws lean into the wild west motif quite nicely, separating us from Colorado. Utah was quite properly the wild west in the early 20th century. Plus, there is an whole expandable vernacular that can be used. Until lacrosse starts making as much money as the NHL, no one will stop to think twice about considering their feelings.
Mammoths are great because you can also use mammoth as an adjective. They feel stoic and sturdy. There are opportunities around the ice age and eons. We have found mammoths in Utah, including a near-complete one near Huntington North reservoir.
Raptors would have been great, but didn't make the short list. Similar reasons as Mammoths. I think because the Toronto Raptors, this name was dropped from consideration (the NBA makes more than the NHL, so no whatabouts with lacrosse).
My least favorites:
Yeti. I get it, you like the sound of it. Alliteration is always an ample opportunity. Technically there are several team names that fall under the mythical creature or 'it has a ring to it' categories. The main issue is what do you do with this? It's very little do with Utah, and the branding is limited to mountains - which Avs already have a claim to with their motifs.
Blizzard - basically the same complaints. It's way too close to the Avalanche. It is just doesn't differentiate from Colorado enough for me to take it seriously.
Venom - I just don't think this one fits into the NHL sphere very well. I suppose this would go under the Elemental category. I could see the motifs being about snakes and desert, but I don't see that expanded brand language as much as other options.
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Thanks for coming to my ted talk. I enjoyed putting this together.