Short layers on top and long layers on bottom

Well, UGEE results have been declared today (where's the guy who said it will be declared on monday tho). Just woke up, checked the result, have cleared reap cutoff but missed supr by 1 mark. Damn it hurts. Prolly gonna join some comedk college.
Anyways, coming back to title, few days ago I compiled a few UGEE interview questions, so thought of sharing them here for those who cleared UGEE (congo for clearing it, hope you clear the interview too).
#1
My friend had the opportunity to appear for the Dual Degree Programs interview. She shared her entire experience with me. Once the document verification was done, the candidates were divided into seven groups. 20 minutes before the interview, she was given a sheet with 3 questions one each from Physics, Linguistics, and Mathematics.

1. (a) Since Newton’s First Law of Motion can be derived from the second law of Motion, what do you think is the relevance of the first law? Did Newton give us three laws when two would have been adequate?

(b) A similar Mechanics question which I don’t remember.

1. A Linguistics Question of Medium Difficulty
2. You are given an equilateral triangle of side length ‘a. Disprove or Prove: Among any five points inside the triangle, there always exists a pair at a distance not greater than a/2.

The candidates were not asked to write the answers but just ponder on the questions for 20 minutes. Soon she was ushered into the interview room where she was welcomed by several warm panelists that asked questions like

• Why IIIT and Why Research?
• Tell us about your family and school education.
• Do you like linguistics?, to which she said that she loved Tamil. He asked further, Do you find the present web applications in Tamil efficient?
• Which field in Computer Science do you like the most?
• Do you have any experience working with Cryptography?
• Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Out of the 3 questions handed in earlier, she was able to solve the Lingo question and even managed to write some satisfactory reasons for the Physics questions but failed to solve the Mathematics question. They further asked questions related to Friction, Work, and Energy. They did not ask the linguistic one and moved on to the mathematical question. They asked her to solve it with their help.
She told them about her extracurricular achievements and they seemed to be impressed. One of the professors ended the interview by saying that if she got selected, she should come with her extracurricular file then. The entire interview lasted for 50 minutes and she considers it to be one of the most memorable interviews.
#2
Eg: suppose you're stranded on an island and you know that the nearest landmass is n distance away. What is the shortest method to reach that. And other pcm questions with most of them relying on logical reasoning. The interview should be 2 way, i.e. only you shouldn't be the one talking and nor should the interviewer be the only one talking. If you get stuck on any question ask them for time to think or ask them for suggestions. Some questions won't have any answer and they're only looking for how you think and whether you're teachable or not, not whether you get the right answer
#3
The interview questions can be based on some concepts in math and physics, or they can be completely logic based (strategizing, puzzle solving, etc). They want to know how well you understand the questions, how you break it down into simpler problems and how you think through it...they are not as interested in the actual answer. We are not supposed to share the exact interview questions so please don't ask/DM me about that lol. All I can tell is that I was asked two questions, first one was based on 3D geometry and the second one was purely logic based, basically I was given an emergency situation and was asked to create a strategy to get people out of the situation; not going into the details.
In general, you don't need to "prepare" anything specially for the UGEE interview. They just want to evaluate you based on critical thinking and research aptitude. The REAP paper is designed for the same purpose.
You can recollect your past accomplishments and formulate them with you hobbies so that you can present them well in front of the interviewers. Don't get mushy, don't exaggerate anything but at the same time, don't hesitate to share any hobby or achivement however unrelated it might be. They are not judging you only by your PCM grades, rather they want to evaluate you broadly as a person, someone having the research aptitude and interest. The institute is most ambitious about their dual degree course
#4
Question 1
It was based on a truncated polyhedron, the first part asked the shape we would get if we cut a cuboid along the opposite vertical edges. There were three more parts, obviously tougher than this, but he skipped them and went to the second question, maybe because of lack of time. I don't remember them.
Question 2
“An astronaut in space wakes up after years, not feeling weightlessness. Give possible arguments.” Well, the language was not the same, but similar.
#5
https://www.quora.com/How-are-the-interview-questions-for-IIIT-Hyderabad-for-the-UGEE-How-should-I-prepare-for-them-And-what-are-the-chances-of-clearing-the-interview/answeNaren-Akash-R-J
#6
Q: There are 10 stones lined up & you are standing at the first stone. You can move only forwards by 2 ways: (a) moving 1 place ahead ; (b) moving 2 places ahead by skipping a stone. How many possible ways can you reach the 10th stone?
A: I made around 5 cases wherein there would be 0/1/2/3/4 double-jumps (with the rest being single-jumps). And partially calculated it using PnC, until one prof asked me to explain my thinking and approach towards the qs. I think I explained it well (with a diagram for the cases) and we had a brief discussion abt it for a min or so. (He said I don’t need to fully calculate it)
Now, we moved to a physics question**, a very basic qs to test your thinking:**
Q: A balloon is filled with air(with a light rope) and placed in the centre of a closed room, what will happen to it?
A: It will fall down because of the weight of the rubber and of the rope.
Q: Right, let’s say that the rubber & the rope have negligible mass, what would happen now?
A: It would remain stationary in the room.
Q: Okay now if i fill helium to this, what will happen?
A: It will either move upwards or downwards depending on the resultant of the weight of the rubber+rope & the buoyant force.
Q: Now let’s say that the helium balloon is tied to a very long and heavy rope, what will happen to it?
A: It will not move upwards, but stay stationary due to the tension in the rope.
Q: Okay, so now I give you a scissor, with the same apparatus as prev qs, how will you make sure that the balloon doesn’t fly up to the ceiling.
A: Sir I’ll keep shortening the rope from bottom to top in order to reach equilibrium (I should’ve worded it better that day lol)
Q: But if you cut it too short, won’t it fly up permanently?
A: Yes sir, absolutely, it will. So what I’ll do is I’ll cut it long initially, and keep cutting it until the weight of the rope is equal to the buoyant force on the balloon. And more the net force, faster the balloon would go in the upward direction, so I can judge the equilibrium point becoming closer as the balloon starts moving up slower & slower.
Q: Okay but how will you make sure that the balloon is stationary and not moving here-and-there?
A: Sir I will bring the balloon-rope system in equilibrium, to the centre of the closed room, and hold it stationary for a while so that there’s no constant velocity on it. This will make sure it’s stationary because there’s no other external force on it.
Q: Very good Sarthak. So, let’s move to one last qs, say I filled a balloon with air like the very first qs, in the morning, and left it like that till the evening. What do you think will happen? — just briefly think and answer, we just want to know your approach & thinking.
A: Umm sir, we’re assuming the balloon to be air-tight right?— Like no air can escape from the bottom hole (at where the string is attached)?
Another Prof: Ahh I like your thinking here, good. Nice.
#7
They asked me about my hobbies and interest and why i am interested in research ? Why I want to join IIIT Hyderabad? All at once
I answered them that my hobby is watching youtube videos, I am interested in volunteering and working with Ngo's and I am also interested in opening up electronic items and trying to repair it.Then why research? - I answered them that I want to become a scientist and research allows me to think out of the box and -------xyzabc---------.
Then comes the technical part.
Que1.The asked me what is arithmetic mean of (x1,x2,x3,x4……..xn)
Que2.Then they asked me their geometric mean
Que3.Then they asked me the relation between 2 que and arithmetic mean of (logx1,logx2,….logxn)
Que4.They asked me about the class 9 que that when a load carries in railway station carry a load is their work is zero and if yes why do they get tired?
Then they kept asking question around this only is air resistance is zero no friction etc …
#8
3 questions - one from matrices and binary numbers, one from thermochemistry and thermal physics, and one from linguistics .
I was given roughly about 15 min to solve the questions. I solved the 1st two questions quite easily as they were simple ( also note that the first question of matrices and binary numbers was also error prone and very loosely defined I considered it to be wrong and so also discussed this with the pannel “All of them gave me a smile”.)
After trivia on the matrices problem and the linguistics problem the professors started asking me independent question which were very elementary questions from the fields of linguistics. They also asked me to represent certain decimals and and certain numbers in binary format as an exercise.
Then they asked for my board's percentage and my mains percentile and why I opted for 5 year programme. For the all the questions I was honest and especially for the last I told them it didn't matter to me if it was 5yr or 4yr .
My suggestion to you guys:
The interviewer are not there to know the right answer, rather they are there to analyze how you are able to think about the solution to see whether or not you fit for being a part of research institution. If you don't know answer to something, ask them for hints but don't get stuck anywhere and don't fear much, just be clear with your basics, no need to go on to deep learn the subject. Know a little about the branch that you wanna opt for. If you have an extra curricular, do tell them. Don't oversell anything, just be true to yourself and it will be a cakewalk. Also they will definitely ask for your hobby, do keep a few of them in mind and know a bit about them too. Like if you mention to them that you like reading novels, they will prolly ask which type of novels, or which is your faviourite one, tell lessons that you learnt from that novel, same goes for any other hobby. They are there to judge your personality and thinking ability. Sit down whener you are free, form a good intro for yourself including hobbies and all and try on to frame questions yourself, this way you will be prepeared for D-Day. Dont take stress during interview and try not to fumble, it will all be good

Cross posting;
Hi! I escaped human trafficking over 5 years ago, and am ready to start thinking about covering up my branding tattoo. I have used chat gpt to help generate an idea. And I could cry at how perfect the result is.
The branding is HUGE black letters on my lower back-mid lower back.
I would like any opinions on or ideas from others as well. So here goes it..
I also need someone to draw it, and tattoo it. I need it to be amazing.
After getting ideas I put together a rising Phoenix, the universe, and forest and mountains. Some of my favorite things, as well as so meaningful to my situation.
Here is chat gpts generation:
Covering a branding on your entire lower back with a cohesive and meaningful tattoo is a wonderful idea. Here’s a refined design concept for a "Phoenix Ascending from the Cosmic Forest" that will effectively cover your lower back:
Design Concept: "Phoenix Ascending from the Cosmic Forest" Central Element: Phoenix
Position: Center the phoenix on your lower back, with its body starting near your spine and wings extending outward towards your sides. The tail feathers can flow downwards towards the lower part of your back, integrating into the other elements. Design Details: The phoenix should be depicted in mid-flight, rising from the base of your back upwards. Use vibrant colors like reds, oranges, and yellows for the phoenix, transitioning to cooler tones like blues and purples as it ascends. Surrounding Elements:
Mountains
Base: Position the mountains at the bottom part of your back, forming the foundation from which the phoenix is rising. The peaks of the mountains can blend into the lower feathers of the phoenix. Design Details: Use a mix of sharp and soft lines to create a sense of grandeur and strength. Add shadows and highlights to give depth and realism. Forest
Foreground: Place the forest above the mountains, around the lower part of the phoenix’s body. Tall trees can rise on either side of the phoenix, their branches possibly intertwining with the phoenix’s wings or tail feathers. Design Details: Include details like leaves, rays of sunlight, and small animals to bring the forest to life. Use earthy tones like greens, browns, and greys to contrast with the phoenix’s vibrant colors. Universe / Star / Galaxy
Background: The cosmic elements can fill the upper part of your lower back, blending into the background behind the phoenix and forest. Swirling galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters can create a dynamic, ethereal backdrop. Design Details: Use deep blues, purples, and blacks with bright whites and other vivid colors for stars and galaxies. The phoenix’s upper feathers can appear to dissolve into stardust, seamlessly blending with the cosmic background. Additional Elements: Add constellations that hold personal significance or shooting stars to symbolize hope and new beginnings. Color Scheme
Phoenix: Warm tones (reds, oranges, yellows) transitioning to cool tones (blues, purples) to depict the transformation from fire to cosmic energy. Mountains and Forest: Earthy tones (greens, browns, greys) to ground the design and contrast with the vibrant phoenix and cosmic elements. Universe: Deep blues, purples, and blacks with specks of white and bright colors to represent stars and galaxies. Placement and Flow
Lower Back: The design should flow naturally across the lower back, covering the branding completely. The phoenix should be the central focus, with its body starting near the spine and wings extending outward. Integration: Ensure the elements (mountains, forest, and cosmic background) blend seamlessly with each other, creating a cohesive and unified piece. Working with a Tattoo Artist Consultation: Discuss your vision with a professional tattoo artist who specializes in cover-ups and detailed work. Bring reference images and explain the symbolism and significance of each element. Customization: A skilled artist can customize the design to fit your body’s contours and ensure the cover-up is effective. They can also suggest additional details or modifications to enhance the overall piece. This design concept not only covers your branding but transforms it into a powerful symbol of your journey and resilience. The combination of the phoenix, mountains, forest, and cosmic elements creates a rich, layered narrative that reflects overcoming adversity and rising anew.

Hi all, apologies in advance for the long story, i’ll try to keep it as short and sweet as possible.
I bought a 2014 MN 6 months ago with 130 000km on the clock. About a month ago, it started overflowing coolant from the top of the tank, mechanic stress tested it and concluded that it was probably to do with the issue with the engine machining from factory, and that it had a blown head gasket. I ended up getting my mechanic to sort it out, and so he installed a brand new head, and a thicker gasket. Im very grateful for this but i cant help but worry when i drive it now, as im worried it could happen again one day. I really want to make use of this 4wd and be able to enjoy it for its purpose…so my question is, is there a chance the issue could arise again one day, despite the major repairs its now had? Just hoping someone can put my mind at ease.
Cheers

Hey everyone! I’m back for my third (and last) post asking for recommendations based on what I’ve listened to. After this I’ll keep it more to lurking and my own research and discoveries. Anyway, I’m back and wanna hear from the more experienced listeners what you recommend based on my tastes and what I’ve liked so far in this amazing genre I love exploring so much.
(Just a quick recap for what I have listened to before this new stuff: Vision Video’s 2 albums, Xmal’s 2 albums, Christian Death’s Rozz album, Cure’s 17 Secs, Faith, Pornography, Disintegration, everything Banshees until Tinderbox, 1st two SoM albums, Flat Fields and Burning from the Inside [also Bela Lugosi], Red Velvet Crush, Burning Oil and Futile Combat, Voodoo Church’s EP, and Joy Division’s first 2 albums)
So to start I got most of these bands from the recommendation compilation videos posted by xx_C4TY_xx on YouTube which have been great listens and helpful in pretty quickly introducing more acts to me. From those videos I’ve taken away (and listened to):
Dead Can Dance Cocteau Twins Bat Nouveau Nox Novacula Ghosting
Other bands I found from those videos, but didn’t listen to bc of long discographies/didn’t know where to start:
Golden Apes Sort Sol
The last bands I found from C4TY’s compilations that I haven’t taken the time to listen to yet:
MØAA Gothzilla Platique Noir Frank the Baptist La Fete Triste Little Nemo
As far as the bands I did listen to I went through DCD’s first 3 albums and 1st EP (loved the self titled album a lot, probably a favorite of mine with Flat Fields, Juju and Voodoo Church’s EP), everything by Cocteau from Garlands to Victorialand, Nouveau’s Metamorphoses, Novacula’s album (also loved that one and excited to see they have an album on the way), and finally Ghosting’s Disguised in Black and Romantic Death albums. I personally liked everything I listened to this go around. The one album I quit halfway through on was Moon and the Melodies; personally wasn’t feeling it a whole lot, it was kinda cool, but not for me.
Like I said up top I come for the final time to make a recommendation post for those 8 previously mentioned bands and anything that may not be goth, but fits comfortably in a goth playlist (one I can think of is Depeche Mode which I do want to listen to at some point). I’m pretty open to a lot, the only thing I haven’t liked much was just the ambience album type. Also my bad if anything I listed isn’t goth/adjacent. I’m getting better at recognizing what does and doesn’t fit goth, but I wouldn’t trust my sole judgment just yet.
Before I end this post I wanna thank the dozen or so more experienced goths that really helped me through this journey of discovering an awesome genre and its many sub genres! I’d be so lost without you correcting me and giving me some fantastic recommendations. Goth has become my favorite genre of music and the people of the subculture are super cool in my (short) experience listening and being here.

Hey Reddit community,
As more businesses move their operations to the cloud, protecting sensitive data has become a top priority.
I’d like to share some insights on cloud data protection and start a discussion on the best practices and tools available.
Why Cloud Data Protection is Crucial:
Storing data in the cloud offers many benefits, including scalability, flexibility, and cost savings. However, it also introduces risks such as data breaches, unauthorized access, and compliance challenges. Ensuring robust data protection measures can help mitigate these risks.
Key Strategies for Cloud Data Protection:

1. Encryption: Encrypt data both at rest and in transit to ensure it remains unreadable to unauthorized users. Use strong encryption standards like AES-256.
2. Access Controls: Implement strict access control policies. Use Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools to manage user permissions and ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data.
3. Data Masking: Use data masking techniques to obscure sensitive information in non-production environments. This helps prevent unauthorized access during development and testing.
4. Backup and Recovery: Regularly back up your data and have a robust disaster recovery plan in place. Ensure backups are also encrypted and stored securely.
5. Monitoring and Logging: Continuously monitor your cloud environment for suspicious activities. Use logging tools to keep track of access and modifications to data.

Top Tools for Cloud Data Protection:

1. AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Manage encryption keys for your applications and control access using IAM policies.
2. Azure Information Protection: Classify and protect documents and emails by applying labels and encryption.
3. Google Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Automatically discover, classify, and protect sensitive information.
4. Symantec Cloud Data Protection: Offers comprehensive data protection solutions across multiple cloud environments.
5. Veeam Backup for Cloud: Provides reliable backup and disaster recovery solutions for cloud data.

Best Practices:

• Regular Audits: Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Implement MFA to add an extra layer of security for user access.
• Security Awareness Training: Educate your employees about data protection best practices and the importance of security.
• Compliance Checks: Ensure your cloud data protection measures comply with relevant regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS.

Questions for the Community:

• What cloud data protection tools and strategies have you found most effective?
• How do you balance data protection with accessibility in your organization?
• Any tips for small businesses looking to improve their cloud data protection?

Looking forward to hearing your insights and experiences!
Stay secure,
Murari

For some brief context :
27 yo Arab ex-Muslim (officially since around 21-22 yo but been doubting longer than that) gay male born and raised in the West, live on my own (depend on social security though, long story), in the closet totally for sexuality+99% for atheism, some pretty serious mental health issues related and unrelated to Islam's impact on my life (getting help for it)
Anyway, almost everyone around me is a Muslim.
As I become older, I'm realizing I can't keep living like this. The layers upon layers of lies and the regular fear of losing absolutely everyone isn't healthy at all. My life is passing by, and I'm not living it fully because I fear what would happen if I was fully me.
I'm afraid of being alone. I'm not mentally strong enough to go through life alone. I can't imagine a life where I'll never again get to have my mother in my arms or lose my friends of 10 + years who've been with me through a bunch of shit.
At the same time, I hate that everyone gets to live their lives and move on while I'm here, still scared of being my true self, in the corner.
I'm also afraid of the pain I'd cause my mother. She'd legit have a mental breakdown. Maybe even a heart attack. Who knows.
I don't know, I guess I'm just lost. I thought I could live with this "don't ask, don't tell" type of status quo forever, but the more I think, the more I'm realizing
The worst is I actually really deeply love my family and friends, but they only love the fake version of me. It's a weird kind of pain not knowing if anyone truly loves you. They're there for the fake me, but would they be there for the real me. Plus hearing the stupid barbaric bronze age BS they say can be draining.
I'm just so tired of being a spectator in my life.
I know in an ideal world I should be brave enough to be the real me, especially cause some others don't have that luxury because they depend on their family or live in Muslim countries, but I'm so afraid of making everything worse and overnight losing and hurting absolutely I love. I don't think I'd have the mental strength to bring myself back from such a hole. It already feels like I'm in a hole I can't come out of.
I don't know what to do with the cards I've been dealt, it feels like wherever I look, all options are trash.
Any thoughts/advice are welcome.
Take care 🙏🏻

I have had great success with Roblox by using the client through Xbox store, as long as you set it to Gamepad controls it really works well.
However I can’t get it full screen. The option within Roblox fullscreen still leaves the windows bar at the top and the windows toolbar at the bottom. I tried binding a key to alt-enter using the Armour Crate but that also doesn’t help.
Anybody know how?
**Side note I just got this Ally, absolutely blown away. Running Helldivers 2 and Elden ring so smooth. I play Roblox with my son using iPad usually, but it’s much easier for this old man to play it on Ally

Context: I thought that AEW did a great job with the Continental Classic 6 months ago and I want to try to book the next one (as I imagine they will be doing this again). For this booking, I will be doing the men's continental classic in 2024. Now for this, we are changing one major thing for this tournament compared to what they did last year. The winner of this tournament will get a shot at the AEW World Championship at the Revolution PPV. The finals of the Continental Classic will take place at World's End. The world champion in this fantasy booking for around this time is Will Ospreay. All of these matches take place on episodes of Dynamite and Collision respectively (I won't book what match takes place on which network) , I'll just be booking the tournament week-to-week. Below are the competitors listed for each block.
EDIT: My first draft exceeded the character limit for a post so I will be trimming down match details
Gold Block:

• MJF
  • Just made his return recently, defeating Adam Cole at the latest PPV to settle their rivalry. Now has his sights set on winning the tournament and challenging for the World Championship.
• Konosuke Takeshita
  • The Don Callis family has representation in this tournament as Takeshita has been taking the AEW world by storm the last few months, being the stand out in the Callis family. Konosuke Takeshita is the Don Callis's chosen one and declares that Takeshita will be bringing the World Championship to the family.
• Jack Perry
  • Has been put in thanks to the Elite, looking to bring the World Championship to the Elite.
• Dax Harwood
  • Playing the Mark Briscoe role of this tournament. Storyline-wise, he's been placed in this tournament by the Elite to keep the FTR from being able to compete for the Tag Team Championships. Cash encourages him to make this the biggest mistake of the Elite's life.
• Darby Allin
  • Since returning from injury in May, has been on fire with key wins over The Elite in Anarchy in the Arena, Jay White, and Big Bill. Looking to get back in the title hunt.
• Eddie Kingston
  • Last year's winner looking to go back-to-back, this time for a new prize. (I know he is injured in real life, i'm hoping he is recovered by then).

Blue Block:

• Kenny Omega
  • Has returned from injury and looking to get right back on track after being put in this tournament. (The Bucks tried to keep him from the tourney but was overruled by TK)
• Kazuchika Okada
  • The Elite have two members in to try to ensure that the World Championship goes to the Elite. Commentary puts over his familiarity with this kind of tournament).
• Chris Jericho
  • Seen as the veteran in this whole tournament, looking to make a statement and show his followers of the Chris Jericho "Learning Tree" how to succeed at the highest level and compete for a World title at this stage of his career.
• Ricky Starks
  • Has also returned from injury recently and considers himself a master of tournaments (puts over his win in the Owen Hart tournament) and looks to win this one, and win the gold.
• Malakai Black
  • The House of Black has been kicking all sorts of ass for the last several months and has a lot of momentum on their side. Malakai Black (the leader of the House of Black), will be part of this tournament to win the tournament, beat Will Ospreay, and continue to strengthen the momentum of the House of Black. The House always wins.
• Penta El Zero Miedo
  • Was originally going to be PAC, but a week before the tournament, PAC was mysteriously attacked and deemed unable to compete (storyline). While AEW investigates to find out of PAC's attacker, Penta El Zero Miedo steps in on PAC's behalf to compete.

Scoring: Win=3 points, Draw=1 point, Loss=0 points
20-minute time limits for each match
Outside interference is prohibited! No one is allowed at ringside (breaking these rules result in a point deduction)
Gold Block: Week 1

• Eddie Kingston def. Dax Harwood
  • We kick off the tournament with our first matchup in the Gold League between last year's winner of the Continental Classic, Eddie Kingston, going up against Dax Harwood. These two have a competitive match, with Dax pushing Eddie to his limit, but Kingston wins with the Spinning Back Fist. The two shake hands after the match and Eddie continues to celebrate his win.
• Konosuke Takeshita def. Darby Allin
  • For this match, Darby takes control early in the match, going at a very fast-pace, hitting dangerous and high flying moves to keep Takeshita at bay. However, Darby goes for one too many high risk moves and it costs him, as Takeshita hits his Power Drive Knee to pick up the victory. Post-match, Takeshita brawls with Darby and throws him off the stage, sending him crashing into some tables, as medical personnel tend to Darby.
• MJF def. Jack Perry
  • Before the match, there is a backstage segment between the two, as Jack Perry talks about how he remembers what MJF told him a long time ago and how he did in fact cut the goody-two-shoes act, but, instead of ruling AEW together, Jack has surpassed MJF and will prove that tonight. MJF tells Jack that Jack hasn't done anything yet to think that he has surpassed him and that being a top guy is more than just a cute arm band saying "scapegoat" and being friends with the EVPs. Max says that if he thinks that he is on MJF's level, that he can prove it in the ring against him. Jack is not amused. These two will main event whichever show they're on as they go back and forth. Both of them are using dirty tricks against each other and it appears that Jack has learned from their last encounter. Jack works over the shouldearm of MJF that comes into affect when MJF goes for Salt of the Earth but can't keep it locked in. The match ends after Jack attempts Salt of the Earth on Max but is able to turn it into a roll up and hold onto Perry's tights to secure the pinfall victory (because he's still a scumbag, but our scumbag). MJF gains 3 points and smiles and winks at a very frustrated Perry as he walks up the ramp, telling Perry that he still has much to learn.
• Gold Standings after Week 1:
  1. Konosuke Takeshita: (3 pts)
  2. Eddie Kingston: (3 pts)
  3. MJF: (3 pts)
  4. Darby Allin: (0 pts)
  5. Dax Harwood: (0 pts)
  6. Jack Perry: (0 pts)

Blue Block: Week 1

• Ricky Starks def. Chris Jericho
  • Starks and Jericho go about 13 minutes. Jericho uses veteran trickery to get an advantage at times but Ricky is able to take control at times, showing how good he truly is. In the end, Jericho goes for Judas Effect but Starks ducks it and running against the ropes and hitting Jericho with a second spear. Starks immediately picks Jericho back up and hits his finish, Rochambeau and gets the pinfall victory. Starks gets his first 3 points of the tournament.
• Malakai Black def. Penta El Zero Miedo
  • Malakai and Penta square off against each other and go a little over 10 minutes. The whole match is a sprint, as Penta tries to be more aggressive after being familiar with Malakai from their past encounters. The match ends after Penta goes for his package piledriver but is countered as Malakai then hits Black Mass to Penta, getting the pinfall victory. Malakai Black gets his first 3 points of the tournament.
• Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (TIME LIMIT DRAW)
  • This is the main event of a very special episode of Dynamite. These two go back and forth with plenty of callbacks to their previous matches, but Okada specifically targets the midsection of Omega (who has had his surgery). Both men go for their finishing moves multiple times in the match but is countered by the other man. In the end, Omega goes for the One Winged Angel after hitting several V-Triggers. Okada is able to counter once again, hitting a knee strike to Omega's midsection (that sends Omega to his knees, that one really hurt him). Okada hits his finish, Rainmaker but is down as he is completely exhausted. He crawls over to the pin but before he can get to him, the bell rings as the time expires, ending the match in a draw (a callback to their first match). Commentary puts over how this may affect both men for the rest of the tournament. Both men are awarded 1 point.
• Blue Standings after week 1:
  1. Ricky Starks: (3 pts)
  2. Malakai Black: (3 pts)
  3. Kazuchika Okada: (1 pts)
  4. Kenny Omega: (1 pts)
  5. Chris Jericho: (0 pts)
  6. Penta El Zero Miedo: (0 pts)

Gold Block: Week 2

• MJF def. Dax Harwood
  • These two have an old-school, classic wrestling match as Dax, again, pushes his opponent to their limit and give them their best as MJF has to dig deep to pull out a victory. Both men have their opponent in submissions, testing the will of their opponent as both fight to stay alive. In the end, after missing with a Diving headbutt from the top rope, MJF rolls Dax towards the apron and hits Heat Seeker to get the pinfall victory. After a tense stare post match, Dax finally offers his hand to MJF, MJF with a little hesitation, accepts it and the two shake hands after the match. MJF now has 6 points total and Dax is still scoreless.
• Eddie Kingston def. Darby Allin
  • Darby is BARELY cleared to compete for this match, and it's even encouraged by doctors backstage that Darby pull out of this match to which Darby will of course refuse. During the match, it is clear that Darby is less than 100% and Eddie takes most of the match. Eddie, knowing that Darby is in bad shape, is concerned and tells Darby to stay down (not in a heelish way, but more in a concerned way. He doesn't want to beat Darby this way and hurt him even further). Darby just keeps on fighting, taking advantage of Eddie not putting him down and hitting come back offense, resulting in close near falls. In the end, Kingston finally puts Darby down after slapping Eddie to stop patronizing him and gets another 3 points. Eddie shows his respect to Darby after the match.
• Jack Perry def. Konosuke Takeshita
  • Its a heel vs heel matchup but Jack will be wrestling heel while Takeshita wrestles a babyface style. Perry again is using dirty tricks but it doesn't faze Takeshita, who has been prepared by this in his training with Don Callis. It seems that when it is a fair fight, Takeshita is the one that is getting the upper hand, hitting the more significant moves during the exchanges. In the end, Takeshita goes for his Power Drive Knee but misses Jack, colliding with the turnbuckle instead (he sells the knee) and then, Jack Perry rolls Takeshita up, grabbing the tights of Takeshita, and picking up the pinfall victory. Takeshita and Callis (who now has entered the ring once the match was over) are fuming and argue with the referee who did not see what had happened. Jack Perry celebrates as he goes up the ramp and the Young Bucks congratulate him. Perry is on the board.
• Gold Standings after Week 2:
  1. MJF: (6 pts)
  2. Eddie Kingston: (6 pts)
  3. Konosuke Takeshita: (3 pts)
  4. Jack Perry: (3 pts)
  5. Darby Allin: (0 pts)
  6. Dax Harwood: (0 pts)

Blue Block: Week 2

• Malakai Black def. Chris Jericho
  • Jericho cuts a promo before his match saying that last week didn't go the way that he wanted but to not worry, because he is at his best when he is the underdog and he will still find a way to come back and win this entire tournament (he says this in a babyface way but is still clearly a heel, continuing that story they are doing in real life). Malakai Black beats Jericho in about 13-15 minutes with the Black Mass after countering the Judas Effect with Black Mass. Malakai Black gets another 3 points.
• Kazuchika Okada def. Penta El Zero Miedo
  • These two go a little over 15 minutes and Penta has his moments, but ultimately falls to the Rainmaker as Okada gets the pinfall victory. Okada get 3 points. Penta looks frustrated, as he has now lost twice already in the tournament.
• Kenny Omega def. Ricky Starks
  • These two go back and forth as Ricky is very close to victory at multiple points (this match is designed to showcase Ricky and elevate him), especially at one point, hitting a spear which Kenny sells like death as that spear looks to very much damage his midsection. Starks goes for the pin but Kenny kicks out at 2.9. The ref starts to check on Kenny, who looks to be in serious pain but Starks knows that he is almost out of time and sets up for the Rochambeau to which Kenny counters into a roll up but is kicked out at 2. After being unable to connect with the One-Winged Angel because of his midsection, Ricky goes for his finish again but Omega pins Starks after hitting a small package rollup, countering Ricky's finish. Ricky Starks is shocked and frustrated that he lost but then tends to Kenny who is still on the ground, and helps him to his feet. Starks helps him to the back.
• Blue Standings after week 2:
  1. Malakai Black: (6 pts)
  2. Kazuchika Okada: (4 pts)
  3. Kenny Omega: (4 pts)
  4. Ricky Starks: (3 pts)
  5. Chris Jericho: (0 pts)
  6. Penta El Zero Miedo: (0 pts)

Gold Block: Week 3

• Konosuke Takeshita def. Dax Harwood
  • There's a moment backstage between Takeshita and Don Callis as Don tells Takeshita its time to get serious, and that he needs to go out there and prove why he is the Alpha. Callis tells Takeshita to not disappoint him again. Dax and Cash interrupt the two men as Dax tells Takeshita that while he has no love or respect for Jack Perry, he says that him losing via cheating was karma coming to bite him. Dax says that after doing what he did to Darby, compromising him for possibly the rest of the tournament and aligning himself with Don Callis, any misfortune that happens to him will be of his own doing. Callis says that while Dax is a very accomplished tag team wrestler and respects his accomplishments, he tells Dax that he doesn't have the singles resume to address them in any manor. Callis says that Takeshita is looking for a bounce back, and says that Dax will be the perfect man to make an example of tonight. Dax tells him to tell Takeshita to bring his best, because if he doesn't, Dax will expose him. The two have their match, and despite Dax's best efforts, Takeshita picks up the win.
• Jack Perry def. Darby Allin
  • Jack Perry attacks Darby before the bell rings, the official asks Darby if he can continue and Darby says yes. Jack Perry takes advantage of Darby being less than 100% but is also being cocky, talking trash and taking his time, rather than going for the win right away. Darby takes advantage of this by being able to hit comeback offense and take control of the match at a certain point. After an accidental ref bump where either Perry or Darby hit the ref with an accidental elbow. Darby gets the Last Supper in (and would have gotten the 3-count) but the ref take a little bit to get back up from the strike, and when counting the pin, Perry kicks out at 2. Perry picks up the win after hitting a sneaky low blow to Darby and hitting his finish, Blindside Elbow to get the pinfall victory.
• MJF def. Eddie Kingston
  • Before this match there is a vignette promo from Eddie Kingston where he talks about the importance of winning this tournament and how happy he is that he is off to a hot start but doesn't have his eyes off the prize. He continues by acknowledging his opponent MJF and how different the two are. Kingston says that MJF has always had everything he has ever wanted and grew up different than how he did, he calls MJF privileged, saying that he hasn't had to work to the degree that he has to get what they have achieved in their careers. Kingston finishes by saying that against him there is no easy way out, and that if he is going to win, he's going to have to earn it and tells MJF that he doesn't respect him. He has to earn that too. MJF responds in a backstage interview telling Eddie that even though its true that he grew up different than Eddie to not disrespect and try to minimize his accomplishments and the work that he has put in to achieve his success. He tells Eddie that he doesn't care whether or not Eddie respects him, but that Eddie will have no choice but to respect the fact that he is better than Kingston. MJF nearly loses after teasing using the diamond ring but choosing not to which results in Eddie hitting a spinning back first for a 2-count. MJF ends up hitting the Heat seeker and pinning Eddie. MJF offers his hand to Eddie to shake his hand. Eddie refuses and just walks to the back. (Backstage, Renee tries to get a word with Eddie, but before Eddie can say anything, he is attacked by the Young Bucks and Jack Perry, trying to get an advantage in next week's match).
• Gold Standings after Week 3
  1. MJF: (9 pts)
  2. Eddie Kingston: (6 pts)
  3. Konosuke Takeshita: (6 pts)
  4. Jack Perry: (6 pts)
  5. Darby Allin: (0 pts)
  6. Dax Harwood: (0 pts)

Blue Block: Week 3

• Penta El Zero Miedo def. Chris Jericho
  • These two men are desperate to get their first points in the tournament and stay in contention as they beat the hell out of each other. Jericho starts to use dirty tricks to try to gain an advantage and Penta is wrestling a lot more aggressively and brutally than we're used to (for those who are Lucha Underground fans, he's wrestling like the first few seasons in this match). In the end, Penta picks up the win after Jericho fails with his dirty tricks, getting caught with his feet on the ropes at one point. Penta low blows him after a ref bump, hitting his finish right after. Penta celebrates as commentary says Jericho now is eliminated from winning. Post-match, Jericho attacks Penta, frustrated of this result. However, Penta is able to get the upper hand of the brawl and Penta looks to tease going for the arm snap spot he does where he wrenches back on his opponent's arm, but then decides to spare Jericho, letting go of the arm and walking to the back.
• Kazuchika Okada def. Ricky Starks
  • This is another 15+ minute match designed to showcase Ricky Starks as he comes as close as anyone has so far of beating Okada up to this point. Ricky has many counters to the Rainmaker, even countering one Rainmaker and hitting a spear after for a close 2 count. Ricky seems to have an answer to all of Okada's best moves. However, Okada is able to counter Rochambeau and finally hit the Rainmaker and get the pinfall victory. Okada gets 3 points and Starks has dropped his last two matches, still at 3 points total.
• Malakai Black def. Kenny Omega
  • Kenny looks to be in rough shape for this match. Malakai relentlessly goes after Kenny's midsection, throwing kicks and knees targeting Kenny's injury. Kenny is able to hit big moves and have moments where he looks to be taking control, but before he can fully take control of the match, Malakai hits a heavy strike to the midsection of Omega, flooring him and sending him down to the mat. Kenny is able to fight back and hit significant offense but at another point, Black hits Black Mass to the midsection, sending Omega to the floor and nearly getting counted out. In the end, after Kenny attempts a One-Winged Angel, Kenny hesitates as his midsection is compromised thanks to Black's strategy, Black spits the mist into his hands and rakes Omega's eyes (The ref doesn't see as they are dealing with an exposed turnbuckle that Malakai exposed earlier). As Kenny is blinded, Malakai hits Black Mass, and gets the pinfall victory. Commentary puts over that this may be Black's biggest win in his career and the biggest win in the tournament so far. The final shot is Malakai sitting cross legged in the ring with the biggest smile on his face as referees and doctors check on Kenny.
• Blue Standings after Week 3:
  1. Malakai Black: (9 pts)
  2. Kazuchika Okada: (7 pts)
  3. Kenny Omega: (4 pts)
  4. Ricky Starks (3 pts)
  5. Penta El Zero Miedo (3 pts)
  6. Chris Jericho (0 pts)

Gold Block: Week 4

• Jack Perry def. Eddie Kingston
  • Eddie comes out with a fury, immediately brawling with Perry to start the match after the attack from last week. Perry is able to use Kingston's anger to capitalize on his mistakes and take control of the match at times. Perry targets Kingston's previously injured leg from back in May, slowing Kingston down from being able to hit any major offense. At one point, Eddie is able to hit his Spinning Back Fist out of nowhere to Jack but isn't able to cover him right away because of his leg, but still crawls over to go for the pin. Perry kicks out at 2.9. Perry goes to the top to attempt a cross body but Eddie moves and Perry connects with the ref instead. Eddie gets back up and hits a second Spinning Back Fist and covers Jack (visual 3-count) but there is no ref to count the pin. Eddie is frustrated, knowing that was his best chance up to this point to get a crucial win. Eddie picks Jack up and goes for the Northern Lights Bomb, but his leg gives out, Jack Perry hits a low blow and then follows it up with his Blindside Elbow finish and gets the pinfall victory as a new referee enters the ring to count the pin. Jack Perry has earned another 3 points in a crucial match as now he is in a good spot in the tournament and Eddie looks crushed (though not eliminated yet, he needs a lot of things to happen to have a chance).
• Darby Allin def. Dax Harwood
  • These two go back and forth in a hard hitting match and Dax comes as close as he has gotten to winning any of these matches. Dax nearly wins multiple times but Darby is able to get his Last Supper pin and beat Dax. Darby gets 3 points. Backstage, Cash is trying to motivate and support his tag partner until Jack comes into frame, laughing and talking trash to Dax, telling him that he is showcasing that he was the weak link in FTR and that he will be sure to credit Dax in his victory speech when he beats him next week. As Jack leaves, Dax is fired up, finding the motivation that he needed as Cash tells Dax that this is the opportunity to make the Elite pay for putting him in the Continental Classic.
• Konosuke Takeshita def. MJF
  • MJF in a backstage interview before the match calls Takeshita, "Take-a-shit-a", and tells him that though he has been very impressive since they last had their encounter, he will show that when they step in the ring together, no matter what day, he (MJF) is the alpha. MJF says that there is nothing Takeshita can do to stop him from winning this tournament and in the ring, MJF will show Takeshita that he is better than him, and deep down, he and Don Callis knows it. These two have a main-event level match as they go back and forth, with both men looking to come close to winning at different times. Takeshita looks very intense and motivated for this match, wanting to not only secure a very important win, but get revenge on MJF who has insulted him and beaten him in the past. In the final stretch, MJF puts on the Diamond Ring and waits for Takeshita to get to his feet, but, before he can connect with a punch, the ref catches MJF in the act and takes his ring. The ref makes his way over to the corner to hand the ring off to the ring announcer at ringside, but Takeshita picks up MJF and drives him towards the turnbuckle, they collide into the ref, who drops the ring in the process. As the ref tries to get back to their feet, Takeshita puts on the Dynamite Diamond Ring and waits for MJF to get to his feet. Takeshita nails MJF with the ring, knocking him out right before the ref could see. Takeshita covers MJF and gets the pinfall victory in a shocking upset. Takeshita celebrates wildly as Don Callis comes running in the ring, hugging Takeshita and celebrating as if they have won the tournament already. Commentary puts over that this is the biggest win of Takeshita's career and has put him in a great position in the Gold League. Takeshita nails MJF one more time with the Power Drive Knee and leaves with MJF's diamond ring.
• Gold Standings after Week 4
  1. Konosuke Takeshita: (9 pts)
  2. MJF: (9 pts)
  3. Jack Perry: (9 pts)
  4. Eddie Kingston: (6 pts)
  5. Darby Allin: (3 pts) (eliminated from winning)
  6. Dax Harwood: (0 pts) (eliminated from winning)

Blue Block: Week 4

• Kenny Omega def. Penta El Zero Miedo
  • Kenny is looking to bounce back and secure a victory in order to stay alive in this tournament while Penta is trying to build off his win from last week and secure a victory over Omega to stay alive in this tournament and keep his momentum going. Penta shows a more hard hitting style, using precise strikes to target certain parts of Omega. In the final stretch of the match, after hearing that there is a minute left in the match, Penta abandons the arm break spot that he was teasing and picks Kenny up to attempt a Package Piledriver. However, Kenny counters out of the Package Piledriver, hits a V-trigger and follows it up with the One Winged Angel and gets the pinfall victory. Kenny celebrates his win as he is still alive and Penta is sitting in the ring, furious that he is now eliminated from winning the tournament. The ref tries to tend to Penta but Penta shoves the referee, shouting at him in spanish and looks like he may attack but Fenix comes out to calm him down. There's a tense stare between the two and then Penta superkicks the ref as he gets back to his feet. Penta storms to the back.
• Kazuchika Okada def. Chris Jericho
  • Chris Jericho cuts a pre-match promo, doing the whole style that he has been doing lately where he pretends to be a Babyface but is a Heel where he talks about how the tournament hasn't gone the way that he had hoped but he will be looking to have the biggest wins in the tournament when he beats Okada and Omega back to back. Jericho says that he will show his followers, fans, and the wrestlers in the back what it's like to be the greatest of all time and the Learning Tree. Jericho tries to use some dirty tricks to slow down Okada but in the end, after a little over 10-12 minutes, Okada wins with the Rainmaker, getting the pin. Okada is in a good spot while Jericho is still winless in this tournament as now, even he is looking frustrated.
• Ricky Starks def. Malakai Black
  • A big match with big stakes for both of these men as Black can secure his place in the finals with a win over Starks and Starks needing to win to still have a chance to win this tournament. Malakai takes most of the match but Ricky gives him a fight, nearly pinning him with a spear. In the end, Malakai Black signals to hit Black Mass but Starks counters it into a jackknife pin, 1...2...3! Starks has pulled the upset win over Black! Starks gets 3 points and keeps himself alive in this tournament and Black (who would have guaranteed himself being in the Blue League finals with a win) now has to win next week against Okada. Black is furious, spitting the black mist into the eyes of Ricky Starks, blinding him as Starks screams in pain. Malakai then hits Black Mass to Ricky, and walks to the back as referees and doctors tend to Starks.
• Blue Standings after Week 4:
  1. Kazuchika Okada: (10 pts)
  2. Malakai Black: (9 pts)
  3. Kenny Omega (7 pts)
  4. Ricky Starks (6 pts)
  5. Penta El Zero Miedo (3 pts) (eliminated from winning)
  6. Chris Jericho (0 pts) (eliminated from winning)

Gold Bock: Week 5

• Konosuke Takeshita def. Eddie Kingston
  • This is a must-win for both Takeshita and Eddie, but even more so for Eddie, who must win to have a chance (though it's a slim one anyway). Eddie comes out with a fury, trying to catch Takeshita off-guard. Takeshita goes for a lariat but misses as Kingston connects with a Spinning Back Fist (after only a minute has gone in the match) and goes for the quick, shocking pin but Takeshita kicks out at 2. The rest of the match is a hard hitting affair with Kingston refusing to stay down, even enduring some of Takeshitas best moves (Blue Thunder Bomb for a close 2-count, Spinning Falcon Arrow where Kingston gets his foot on the ropes, etc.). Kingston at another point hits a second Spinning Back fist but Takeshita rolls to the outside, avoiding the pin attempt. In the end, after attempting the Northern Lights Bomb, Takeshita counters and chop blocks Kingston's leg. Takeshita hits Eddie Kingston with the Dynamite Diamond Ring (the ref doesn't see it) and puts Kingston away, getting the pinfall victory. Takeshita and Callis celebrate the win and await their opponent for the finals and Eddie just looks crushed.
• MJF vs Darby Allin (TIME LIMIT DRAW)
  • MJF can guarantee his spot in the finals with a win over Darby but after Darby won last week, he will be looking to win again especially against a familiar foe from his past. The two go back and forth, MJF working over the arm of Darby to set up for his Salt of the Earth submission but Darby is going for high-risk moves, even hitting a few of them to get himself back in the match. MJF looks to hit a tombstone piledriver on the apron but Darby counters it into a Scorpion Death Drop (Sting's old finish) and then hits the Coffin Drop to MJF on the apron, taking both men out for a little bit. With a minute left in the match, after Darby kicked out of the Heat Seeker, Darby attempts a springboard Coffin Drop but MJF moves out of the way going and goes for a rollup pin, which Darby kicks out at 2. Darby attempts Last Supper, but MJF kicks out at 2. MJF finally is able to get Darby into the Salt of the Earth after attempting it all night, and Darby is in serious pain and trouble. Darby can't get to the ropes but refuses to tap. MJF starts to bend and twist the fingers of Darby but Darby again, refuses the tap. Commentary puts over that MJF might break the arm of Darby if Darby doesn't tap and then the bell rings. The ring announcer makes an announcement, declaring this match, a draw. MJF looks devastated, knowing that a win tonight would have guaranteed him a spot in the Gold League finals. Now, his fate is in Jack Perry's hands when he takes on Dax Harwood later in the night. MJF is pissed off backstage, trashing an area of the backstage area in frustration. Jack Perry shows up (with the Young Bucks by his side) as he laughs, telling Max that he blew it, he choked when it was all on the line. Perry said that he's going to go out there and win, and when he wins and goes to the finals, he's going to win the whole tournament and eventually become the AEW World Champion (and says that he'll be an even greater champion than MJF). Perry leaves to prepare for his match.
• Dax Harwood def. Jack Perry
  • Jack Perry is a cocky prick during this match as he thinks this is a shoe-in to win. Jack seems like he is more focused on showing off and trying to embarrass Dax rather than trying to win the match. Dax starts to fight back and give Jack some serious problems. With a minute left and feeling the pressure, Perry attempts a brainbuster but Dax turns it into a small package rollup and gets the 3-count, pinning Jack Perry! Jack Perry is shocked, now officially being eliminated from the tournament as he argues with the referee (and so do the Young Bucks as they come down to the ring). Dax leaves up the ramp and celebrates with Cash. They have succeeded in making the Elite pay.

Blue Block: Week 5

• Ricky Starks def. Penta El Zero Miedo
  • Ricky Starks needs to win to stay alive and hope for the best with the matchups later tonight as Penta is now playing the role of spoiler. Penta seems to be wrestling different than we are used to, wrestling more like a Heel focusing more on his brutality than his high flying move-set. Ricky refuses to stay down. Eventually, after being frustrated he can't put Ricky away, starts to set up his arm break spot, having the worst intentions in mind as commentary says that this could seriously injure Ricky. Before Penta can snap the arm back, Ricky counters and hits a spear. Ricky then picks Penta up without hesitation and hits Rochambeau to get the pinfall victory. Ricky celebrates his win in the ring as he has done all he can and now awaits the results (he needs Jericho to beat Omega and Okada to beat Black). Penta is as FUMING and attacks Ricky Starks after the match, hitting him with a superkick and then the Package Piledriver to Ricky. Penta has lost it, as he starts to set up the arm break spot but as a ref tries to intervene, Penta hits the ref with a Package Piledriver as well! Rey Fenix comes down to the ring and tries to once again, calm Penta down but it doesn't work as Penta has now turned on Fenix, hitting him with a Package Piledriver too (he has truly turned Heel). Ricky starts to move a little bit and Penta notices Starks. Finally, he hits his Arm Breaker (snapping the arm back, whatever the move is called), injurying Starks as he screams in pain. Commentary puts over that Penta may have just broken Ricky's arm and Penta leaves. (so, with this, if Ricky is leaving for WWE, you have an angle that writes him off for good. If Ricky decides to return to AEW, you have a story waiting for him).
• Kenny Omega def. Chris Jericho
  • This is a must-win for Kenny Omega, as he could potentially be in the finals as long as he wins tonight. Jericho says that this match is personal for him. Jericho says that not only does winning this match mean he doesn't go the whole tournament without scoring any points, but also gets revenge on the man that betrayed him and left him stranded in the tag division when he abandoned the Golden Jets (Kenny needed surgery but Jericho, being self-centered, sees it as Kenny abandoning him and being selfish while Jericho has done nothing "but be completely selfless, wanting to be a teacher and mentor, not a deserter). Jericho uses all of his dirty tricks in the book to try to beat Kenny. Jericho even successfully hits the Judas Effect on Kenny but Omega kicks out at 2.9! Jericho has the Walls of Jericho on Omega but Kenny gets out of it eventually being able to hit multiple V-triggers on Jericho. In the end, Kenny Omega is able to counter the Codebreaker, putting him in a powerbomb position but then is able to shift Jericho around on his shoulders and has him in position to hit the One Winged Angel and gets the pinfall victory. Kenny is officially in the Blue League Finals, awaiting to see who his opponent (or opponents) will be. Jericho just sits there in disbelief, he has not won any matches and has scored 0 points for the whole tournament. He looks over by ringside to see Big Bill, who is looking over at Jericho. Big Bill looks disappointed, shaking his head, and walking straight to the back, without his mentor by his side.
• Kazuchika Okada def. Malakai Black
  • This match has very high stakes as Kenny Omega is now guaranteed to be in the Blue Block finals after beating Chris Jericho. If Okada wins, then it is he and Omega facing off one-on-one in the finals of the Blue block. If Malakai Black wins this, then the Blue Block finals turns into a triple threat match of Omega, Okada, and Black. These two have a very competitive back-and-forth match as Okada looks to avoid Black Mass and the Black Mist at all times and Malakai goes after Okada's arm, targeting and weakening it to affect his finish, Rainmaker. At one point, after missing Black Mass, Okada is able to hit Rainmaker on Malakai but grabs his arm in pain after using it to hit Rainmaker (but it's also the same arm that Malakai has been targeting the whole match). Okada goes for the pin but Black has his foot on the bottom rope to break the pin right before the ref counts 3. At another point, Malakai is able to hit Black Mass out of nowhere on Okada but can't get the pin as Okada rolls out of the ring after being hit with Black Mass just before Black can go for the pin. Malakai rolls him back in the ring and goes for Black Mass again but it's countered into a Rainmaker, but that's countered into a knee strike. Black goes for a lariat but Okada counters and finally hits a second Rainmaker (again, Okada sells the pain of doing his finish) and gets the pinfall victory over Malakai Black as both men are spent. The match is official between Omega and Okada.

Final Standings (Gold and Blue):

• Gold Block:
  1. Konosuke Takeshita: (12 pts)
  2. MJF: (10 pts)
  3. Jack Perry: (9 pts)
  4. Eddie Kingston: (6 pts)
  5. Darby Allin: (4 pts)
  6. Dax Harwood: (3 pts)
• Blue Block:
  1. Kazuchika Okada: (13 pts)
  2. Kenny Omega: (10 pts)/
  3. Ricky Starks: (9 pts) (breaks tiebreaker with Black)
  4. Malakai Black: (9 pts)
  5. Penta El Zero Miedo (3 pts)
  6. Chris Jericho: (0 pts)

Gold Block Finals:

• MJF def. Konosuke Takeshita
  • In an interview before the show, MJF addresses Takeshita by his real name (no longer calls him "Take-a-shit-a") and says that he has gotten so much better since their last encounter, but with everything on the line, he won't be able to put down the Devil. These two open the very special episode of Dynamite, "Winter is Coming". They have another great match, throwing everything they have at each other to try to put their opponent away. Takeshita comes very close, but in the end, after failing to hit MJF with the Diamond Ring, MJF makes Takeshita tap to the Salt of the Earth. Post-match, MJF takes his ring back.

Blue Block Finals:

• Kenny Omega def. Kazuchika Okada
  • These two have a face-to-face backstage with the theme of the encounter being, who is the true "best bout machine". These two have a classic that they are absolutely capable multiple times over of having as they also main event a special episode of Dynamite, "Winter is Coming". Omega and Okada again go a long-time and nearly go to another time limit draw. This match comes down who will make the first mistake. After a long battle, Kenny wins with the One-Winged Angel, putting away his biggest rival and going to the finals.

Continental Classic Finals: AEW World's End

• Kenny Omega def. MJF
  • The match is very similar to their first match on Collision. These two hit each other with everything they have, even showing some new moves that we haven't seen them hit. In the end, after going for the One Winged Angel for the entire match, Kenny finally hits it on MJF and gets the pinfall victory. Kenny has won the Continental Classic.

(MJF goes on to be a heel from this and Kenny Omega will face Will Ospreay in the main event of Revolution for the AEW World Championship)
What did you think? Did you like it? Did you not like it? What did you specifically like or dislike about it? Let me know!

Hello! Just wanted to share my fantastic experience yesterday going to both Kings dominion and Busch gardens all in the same day. I currently live in VA, but one of my best friends who is also a theme park person like me drove from GA to see me so we planned an action packed itinerary for the weekend. KD and BG for one day, and then Hershey Park for the next day. He’s never been to any of these parks so I get to be his guide :)
Anyways on to day 1. We started at Kings Dominion. Going in we knew we wouldn’t be getting on literally every single ride. I wanted to hit the highlights so we could have time to then drive to BG (1.5 hours away) and hit highlights there. So we get to KD around 11. It’s Friday so even though people are in school LOTS of band camps and choir programs were attending. The crowds weren’t crazy crazy but the operations were a little slow. Not horrible horrible but not great either. Here are the rides we did:
Flight of fear: to start the day we went to flight of fear. The line wasn’t ‘long’ but the way they had the attendant set up they were only letting a certain amount of people in the main queue at a time so it was moving very slow. The ride itself was fun! I always enjoy FOF even though it isn’t the best in the park it’s still has a fun launch that has a nice kick. Very disorienting in the dark
Project 305: this was the obvious next ride and I was excited for my friend to experience this. Line wasn’t long so that was a plus. The ride was running WONDERFULLY. While I always liked I305 it has lowered in my personal rankings just because the G forces take a toll on me after repeated rides, so it’s not super re rideable IMO. BUT today it was running probably better than I’ve ever experienced it in the past. Super intense still greyed out but what a fantastic creation!
Twisted Timbers: I always juggle between this and 305 as my favorites in the park with TT typically beating out 305 for the already mentioned reasons + it’s such a kick ass ride. Anyways the line was a little long for this and there was a breakdown but we stayed in line and they got it back running albeit they took a train off and were doing 1 train ops. As usual the ride is just fantastic. The triple camel backs are just so amazing!
Grizzly: I hadn’t yet experienced the retrack so I was looking forward to this. They were running one train but the line was getting full so they shut down temporarily to add the second. I enjoyed the ride and can say it is running really good. It runs like a smooth wooden coaster ! Not jack hammery at all. Lot of laterals. A couple good airtime pops. The layout is outclassed by other good coasters in the park but I thought it was very fun.
Dominator: best ops were with dominator they were flying with dispatches. Dominator was running GREAT! It always runs good, but I felt it was running better than I had noticed. I would say Dom is a little underrated no one ever talks about it but it’s a very solid addition to KD rounding out their top 3. Forceful layout.
All in all every coaster was running fantastically so kudos to maintenance team.
It was 3:00 After we got off Dominator so we headed to Busch Gardens to finish the day. There was a big difference in crowd levels between BG and KD. Busch felt almost empty. So I knew we were going to get a good amount of rides in. Here’s what we did.
Pantheon (2x): Rode once we got there and then circled back for a dusk ride. Pantheon is THE BEST roller coaster in VA and I have to state that very plainly because it just is. Coaster enthusiasts almost under rate pantheon because they keep trying to compare it to VC and I would encourage people to stop doing that to really appreciate this gem of a roller coaster. I love the back for the spike, but I actually think this is a front row ride for everything else. You’re cresting the top of the larger elements (top hat and outer bank hill) a little faster in the front as the rest of the train catches up so I would argue you get better airtime up front on those. But you really cannot go wrong seating wise you yanked backwards over that bunny hill and it’s just insane every single time, it does not get old. The inverted stall on this is incredible. The length of hang time on this is fantastic and the speed it’s taken at is perfect.
Apollos Chariot: Honest was running better this year compared to last year. Got some pretty good airtime and forces in the back. This ride I typically skip just because it’s a little tame to me, but it felt more intense this year. Running really well.
Verbolten: love this ride. For the life of me I don’t really understand why they ever added DarKoaster when this accomplishes everything that DarKoaster does just better…much better.
Invadr: a quick but punchy little GCI. I enjoy this ride and it’s worth it when the line is short.
Griffon: Man this is such a fantastic ride. The view at the top where you see all of the James river is one of the best views I’ve ever seen. Coaster enthusiasts complain about dive coasters a little too much about the one trick pony thing but this ‘one trick’ does not get old. That drop is immaculate. Every time. My second favorite in the park.
Loch Ness: I typically skip this one, but since they did a revamp I tried it. I was very impressed they did a really good job thematically. Especially in the tunnel. To me this ride wasn’t really rough before and it’s not rough now. A little jerk here or there on the loop transitions. In the back car you get ejected out your seat because of the constant radius curve of the descents I love it! I was very pleasantly surprised with this one and I’m glad I decided to ride it.
TLDR: great day going to two parks in one day. All the rides in both parks were running very well. Pantheon is Virginia’s best roller coaster.

OK, we are going to try to piece it together yet again. As I've stated in the past, all is conjecture but some of the things which I said in the past need realigning given the new direction the Company is taking. For a long time we've searched, but it all started in the beginning, so therefore, by definition, there must be an end. Many thanks to you my friend u/psasoffice for your help in piecing this puzzle together.
So, the time frame begins when it began, until the time it is realized or when the money runs out. Let's go back again to the summer of 2022, when share price went to $1.26, what caused that? Well to answer that, we need to go back even further.
Back in 2019, CytoDyn put out this PR CytoDyn Announces FDA Clearance to Proceed with Phase 2 Study of Leronlimab (PRO 140) and Regorafenib as a Combination Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Regorafenib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor with minimal efficacy and high toxicity. As u/perrenialloser pointed out, it has plenty of side effects and really is not that functional. However, the drug manufacturer Bayer was prepared to do this Phase II Clinical Trial in patients with metastatic CRC with CytoDyn.

"The study will be conducted by lead principal investigator, John L. Marshall, M.D., Director, The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancers Frederick P. Smith Endowed Chair, Chief, Hematology and Oncology Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C."

I wasn't around at the time to know for sure, but I believe this trial was set up by Nader. Eventually, this study would be withdrawn for reasons which I am about to disclose.
In October 2021, the MD Anderson Study with Keytruda is announced.

"Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., CytoDyn’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We anticipate this study will further evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of leronlimab in the tumor microenvironment. We are excited about the possibilities for leronlimab to offer a potential new treatment option for breast cancer patients. This could be an additional indication for which we are pursuing approval for leronlimab. We are also very grateful to Dr. Scott Kelly for arranging for this study to be conducted by Dr. Jangsoon Lee, assistant professor of Breast Medical Oncology Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center."

Cyrus Arman comes onboard as President effective July 9, 2022. During that summer of 2022, the CYDY share price ran up as high as $1.26 per share for some unknown reason. In the past, I attributed it to NASH. I give a breakdown of my thinking here in I Tell You A Mystery. In the commotion of Cyrus' hiring and the mass fluctuations of the share price, the MD Anderson Study had already been completed and the results were looking good to those privileged enough to have been granted rights to actually see the data. Coincidentally, it was about this time that the CRC with Regorafenib was withdrawn. Hmmm, Why was this trial withdrawn? Just because the MD Anderson results looked great or because there was something even more profound and substantial built upon those results?

"We can apply the same logic in the Oncology study being run by MD Anderson using Merck's Keytruda in combination with Leronlimab. We had all been waiting to find out what had happened with the results of the MD Anderson study, and Cyrus threw us this line: "Leronlimab is currently being trialed in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in a breast cancer xenograft model in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center." From here, he gave us a hint of what is to come."

Soon following his hiring, Cyrus presented his Vision & Plan for the Company:

"17:09: And we're also still committed to HIV, but we're really looking at it more through the lens of developing longer-acting agents. And Dr. Sacha will be talking about that at the end of our discussion today.
17:21: So, within oncology, we're interested in studying what would be referred to as immunologically colder tumors. And Dr. Glück will present on what those -- what we mean by that later. But we think that these are areas where more recent advancements from checkpoint inhibitors have yet to really have a large impact in those markets. And so, we think that there's a unique opportunity based on the data we already have in some of these colder tumors to make an impact.
17:51: Within NASH, we're particularly excited about the data that we have there, and NASH will be our primary focus going forward. We'll also talk a little bit about a unique opportunity to study and look for the treatment effect of leronlimab in people living with HIV who also have NASH. And we think that we might be in a unique position to address that population."
"18:22: So, going forward, we're focusing on NASH, oncology and earlier-line HIV indications through longer-acting agents that inhibit CCR5. Again, we've already generated promising clinical signals in both NASH and oncology. And within NASH, we're exploring the opportunity to study a segment of patients of those NASH patients who are also living with HIV.
18:50: Within oncology, we want to pursue colorectal cancer and breast cancer specifically. Within the colorectal cancer population, we want to focus on a micro-satellite stable group, which represents about 85% of all diagnosed colorectal cancers. And within breast cancer, we want to focus on the hormone receptor positive HER2-negative population, which is about 70% of all diagnosed breast cancers, and the TNBC population since we have data in that space. All of these are quite large markets."

The FDA made it truly tough for Cyrus to meet his goals as the Company's main devotion was to get the hold lifted, so Rules had to be followed. Also, Cyrus unfortunately made NASH a focus and then subsequently became sick and then found himself taking a demotion. His focus really should have been on Oncology as #1 target as it finally is today. Here though is a revealing statement he made:

"...these are areas where more recent advancements from checkpoint inhibitors have yet to really have a large impact in those markets. And so, we think that there's a unique opportunity based on the data we already have in some of these colder tumors to make an impact."

Keeping that escalation in share price to $1.26 in mind, when did CA know about this data? He got the data on the MD Anderson results either before or shortly after his hire. Remember, shortly after NP was terminated, Cyrus was at CytoDyn working at least for a few months prior to his hire giving opportunity to the BOD to assess his work ethic and ways about him. In this time, CA saw the MD Anderson results and they were looking mighty good. Where are these results today? They still reside with MD Anderson. Why don't we have them right now? Too many $millions to buy it, but we saw the results and those results are the impetus for the change in gears of the Company's priorities. Surely Scott Kelly, who was responsible for securing the MD Anderson study has seen them as well.
Speculation: So, what did Cyrus do immediately once he saw those results? He negotiated a cancer play in mCRC with MD Anderson. We can try to piece this together using parts of this post.

"What also happened in August? Only the removal of the first management player who’s experience was in Negotiation and Partnerships, Brendan P. Rae. No longer any necessity for Negotiation? I guess not. As time went quickly by, without any word of what was taking place, the share price began to fall. It became uncomfortably obvious that by mid November, Recknor had been let go. He was CytoDyn's most experienced scientific, medical and managerial player for NASH, but in the game of a collaboration, anyone and everyone is a commodity and all are replaceable. On the same topic, a significant stock bonus was paid to the president in September of last year after only two months on the job. Was a deal struck? Also, our very own CMO, Scott Kelly who coined the phrase: “There are many ways to structure a partnership.“ himself gets terminated in December 2022."

Just like that bonus, (which was based on his obtaining a partnership), the short-lived share price rise also assumed that a deal had been struck. Scott Kelly was privy to the MD Anderson results just as Cyrus was. Why didn't Kelly put a deal together like Cyrus did? I don't want to diminish the fact that Kelly was wholly responsible originally for getting the MD Anderson murine study going. The fact is that a deal had been made and justifies Cyrus' bonus payment.
Proof came a year later, in October 2023 in a few posts by biloxiblues which together with everything else, in my eyes, solidifies this new theory. The price went to $1.26 because of this 100% fully funded, 200 patient Phase II mCRC combination Keytruda Clinical Trial Cyrus Arman had arranged with MD Anderson, based on the spectacular results of the MD Anderson murine study. But, as discussed in the posts by biloxi above, the BOD got in the way. This can also explain why the Regorafenib Bayer trial was withdrawn, when it became clear as day that the results of the MD Anderson study were great and a massive combination Keytruda trial was struck, but pending, unfortunately, taking second fiddle to the work of getting the hold lifted.
Through his discussions with Cyrus, biloxiblues indicates that Tanya would not compromise. She and the others on the BOD were too intently focused on following the mandates of the FDA. The FDA wasn't fooling around with the hold and CytoDyn could not make any more mistakes. Tanya was dead set on following the "Rules". The number one priority was to get off clinical hold and the FDA made it damn near impossible for CytoDyn and Cyrus. It damn near killed him. So, the BOD made the incredulous decision to walk away from Cyrus' baby, which was a fully funded mCRC combination trial with Keytruda and we learned all of that in October 2023 thanks to biloxiblues.
But this was Cyrus' baby, and he wasn't about to let her go. Could this be why CA is still with us? After all, aren't we back to mCRC again?
Dr. Lalezari comes on board in November of 2023 and puts forth the Inflammation and Immune Activation within a very small sub-set of HIV patients. Share price bumped up and pulled back. Damn, this trial with 90 patients could cost CytoDyn near $10 million. Where does that money come from? Share price is lower after the announcement. Can't raise money with a low share price. That would consume boat loads of shares. Inflammation/Immune Activation was not working. People weren't buying it.
Cyrus Arman is witnessing everything going on, that there is no money and that it is not advancing, and it occurs to him that his baby, may not be completely abandoned altogether. No, he realizes that the hope he once had lost due to circumstance could now be found again, so he advocates in earnest for her.
He recalls Scott Kelly discussing the 12/14/21 CC with Scott Kelly Basket Trials:

"25: 25 Kelly: We are excited about the Basket Trials. I'll start by saying I just presented at San Antonio Conference December 10th. That was in results wrt mTNBC in combination with carboplatin, CCR5 positive, mTNBC and I tell you, the reason why we are excited about the Basket Trial is that they think that there is a growing acceptance that the Tumor Micro Environment is the next Frontier for Immunotherapy. And I mean this amongst practicing physicians, the academic world, probably as well as big pharma, and I think we are more advanced than this. We've been looking at the mechanism of action in the tumor micro environment and see Leronlimabs impact across multiple different oncologic indications and we also think that we can pair this with a check point inhibitor, chemo, radiation, antibody zero conjugates, as well as maybe even a potential monotherapy in certain patients that don't qualify for other treatments. We think the MOA, with T-Regs. When T-Regs come in, they turn off the immune system. We know that they have a high prevalence of CCR5. We can block that. We can actually maybe leverage the immune system. If we look at macrophage re-polarization, that's another potential opportunity. Our animal studies showed a significant reduction in angiogenesis. I think it was 62% in total vessillary and 80% reduction in small vessel area. But, we know that tumors need a blood supply to grow and if we can help limit that, then we think we can have benefit for patients. And last, we know that normal cells, CCR5 is only present on an immune cell, but we know that when cells under go malignant transformation, that they start sprouting up CCR5, and we believe that is a contributor to metastasis. So, we have multiple different mechanisms of action and we continue to find more as we go along that we will be evaluating."

He remembers Dr. Gluck's discussion in the 12/7/22 R&D Update Dr. Stefan Gluck; MicroEnvironment.

"So, as you saw, very small studies, but extremely promising, and the signal for an oncologist like myself is so strong that I'm enthusiastic about it. We, as oncologists, need to be positive because otherwise, we cannot treat patients and tell them something better is coming. The leronlimab decrease of these tumor cells actually did relate both in mTNBC and in colorectal with improved survival. That's amazing."

Cyrus turns to our 3rd party AI collaborator and requests an assessment on the effect of a CCR5/L5 axis blockade in mCRC. Their AI engines get to work and compile all that is known and understood regarding the pertinent Biomarkers in combination with all the pertinent journal articles on the blockade of the CCR5/L5 axis in the disease to finally determine that it works like a charm, like no other.
He reflects upon these statements made in this Regorafenib study which supports the fight against the MSS cold tumors. Thank you u/perrenialloser for this journal article.

"The majority of patients with CRC exhibit a microsatellite stable (MSS) or mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) status, which is known as the “cold tumor” with less mutated oncogenes and less inflamed tumor immune microenvironment, resulting in a limited efficacy of ICIs (2). The inadequate recruitment and activization of immune cells to the tumor microenvironment were considered to be fundamental mechanisms underlying the inefficacy of ICIs in MSS mCRC (4). Combination strategies to enhance the immunogenicity of the tumor microenvironment and exploit the benefit of ICIs in patients with MSS are urgently needed."

He becomes even more convicted. Given all that I presented here in addition to the proven results of the MD Anderson, Keytruda study which Cyrus has laid his own eyes upon, he becomes whole heartedly supportive of the Priority switch to the mCRC Oncology Indication. I'm sure Richard Pestell was also 100% behind Cyrus in this decision to switch priorities. Also, by switching to Oncology, share price has a better chance of increasing as Oncology is favored by the public. Fund raising could happen much quicker with a higher share price resulting from a better indication. From the recent May 2024 Letter to Shareholders:

"Over the next six months, we expect to commence at least one, and potentially two clinical trials. The prospective clinical trials, in order of priority, are: (i) a Phase II study of leronlimab in patients with relapsed/refractory microsatellite stable colorectal cancer; and (ii) a Phase II study exploring leronlimab’s effects on inflammation. The Company’s priority will be the oncology trial which, if successful, will put us on track towards a commercial approval of leronlimab in that indication. The inflammation study is aimed at clarifying certain provocative observations related to leronlimab, and to help define the dose and underlying mechanism of anti-inflammatory action. It is imperative that the Company generate unassailable results in the clinic and I believe the above trials can accomplish this. Starting the oncology study and related fundraising is the top priority of the Company at this time, but our current hope is that we can initiate both studies before the end of this calendar year."

So straight from the CEO's mouth, related fundraising is the top priority of the Company at this time. Cyrus remains here at CytoDyn because of the need to pump up the value by switching to a more attractive Indication Priority. I repeat all of this, because with all of the peer reviewed and published Journal Articles that discuss the CCR5/L5 axis in the context of Colo-Rectal Cancer and given Keytruda's exceptional performance as a PD 1 blockade in only 15% of these CRC MSI tumors, leronlimab can open the door wide open to the remaining 85% MSS tumors. The trial starts this year. Also from the recent Shareholder Letter:

"Research and development partnership opportunities are important to the Company as we search for cost-effective ways to further build out our product development portfolio. We have identified several such opportunities that we believe are intriguing and anticipate finalizing agreements with these partners in the very near future. Such potential partnerships include an investigator-initiated pilot study of leronlimab in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, and a project that will evaluate the use of leronlimab in patients living with HIV who are undergoing stem cell transplantation in a proof of cure study. Following lifting of the clinical hold, we have observed a significant increase in third parties that are interested in partnering with the Company. We will continue to review opportunities as they arise, given the potential for significant value return at little or no cost to the Company."

The question I now have is with whom? Partners are incoming, but did leronlimab make it easier for the PD-1 blocker Keytruda to work in MSS mCRC tumors? If it did, (and Cyrus knows if it did or did not), then Merck certainly remains there in the bidding. If leronlimab did it all by itself and Keytruda was superfluous, then the partner might be someone like u/i__OBSERVER points to entities such as the NIH as the source of that funding.
Personally, I am very much thankful to anyone involved that pushed for the change in priority as mCRC is a much better recognized Indication, and one that is easier to understand and bring to the public.

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Technical Analysis
Apple Inc. (AAPL) closed on May 17, 2024, at $189.87, representing a marginal daily increase of 0.02%. The stock's price fluctuation between $189.22 and $190.81 indicates today's trading range, while its 52-week range spans from $164.08 to $199.62. Currently, AAPL is trading close to its historical high, reflective of positive market sentiment.
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The Average True Range (ATR) of 1.77 suggests moderate volatility. The immediate support level is established at $183.38; absence of clear resistance levels highlights potential for upward movement. A stop-loss at $180.41 is prudent to protect against downside risks.
Fundamental Analysis
Apple Inc. boasts a remarkable market capitalization of $2.91 trillion, reaffirming its position as one of the top global enterprises. The stock's Price-to-Earnings (PE) ratio of 29.48 reflects a premium valuation, indicative of high investor expectations for future growth. Apple's latest Earnings per Share (EPS) is noted at $6.44. Earnings announcement slated for August 1, 2024, could be a pivotal event.
Analyst sentiment is generally positive with 23 'buy' ratings, 9 'hold', and 3 'sell'. The consensus price target is $192.39, relatively close to the current share price, suggesting limited upside in the short term. However, with a target high of $240, some analysts foresee substantial longer-term growth.
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As we near the end of another IPL cycle of 3 years, with MI lying in the weeds with a wooden spoon in their hand yet again for the second time in 3 years, I cant help but think of reasons why a champion franchise like MI would perform the way it did in this cycle. While some questions have obvious answers that we are all aware of, there are some questions to ponder. Some strategies need to be discussed to correct the course MI has taken in the past 3 years or so. With that in mind, I thought of analysing the only team in IPL I have followed since its inception. Feel free to add your opinion as no answer is right or wrong and everything can be improved upon no matter how much we agree or disagree with it.
The 2022-24 IPL journey can be divided into few sections that are separated by milestones (read decisions)
GLORIOUS 2018-21 SQUAD

• MI had, undeniably, the greatest ever squad to have played T20 in 2020. The team could have given any team a run for their money and rightly did so. A squad that was freshly built in 2018 was improved upon in 2019 and perfected in 2020. But its interesting to note that the same squad failed to even reach the playoffs in 2021 where fresh auction was not held due to covid.
• One of the reasons for the same has been the famous phenomenon of starting slow everytime the team plays. By the time the '21 season was cut in half due to rising covid cases, the team had started winning after yet another slow start only to be stopped right when they were glowing hot and red. As IPL cricket resumed after a rather long break, the team started slowly once again - the result being that the team had to win the last match in a mere 5-6 odd overs to qualify for the playoffs.
• The expected happened and the team was out of the race. This signaled the end of a wonderful 4 years for the team having played really nicely with no serious questions to ask at the end of any season.

PRE-AUCTION STRATEGY IN 2022

• High on the success of the previous 4 years, the think tank had other serious questions to ask i.e. RETENTIONS. A squad that had proven internationals like Boult, Bumrah, de Kock, Rohit, Pollard, Hardik to name a few along with rising stars or players with good calibre like Ishan, SKY, Krunal, Rahul Chahar amongst others, it was obvious that the management was sure to let go of players who could win you most matches if not the whole tournament.
• The retentions, to a large part, played a part in the 2022 blunder. Rohit and Bumrah were going to be obvious choices to get retained. The 3rd Indian player was going to be tricky with Hardik and SKY playing a tug of war here. SKY prevailed and no one realised that this decision which is the best in its own right would come to bite the "one family" later.
• The 4th retention was going to be either an Indian player or an overseas one. Pollard, Boult and de Kock looked to be the 3 competing here with Pollard getting the nod ahead of the others. This decision in hindsight started the downfall of the team for multifold reasons; Boult who was one of the best overseas bowlers was sure to get a good cheque at the auction but would Pollard who was struggling since many years in large parts have got that? Would Pollard have gone for more than the 8cr of Boult or 6.75cr of Quinton? This can be highly debated! The retention also showed that the owners favoured loyalty to an extent and not the slot the retention would fill in. Favouritism prevailed over strategy.

2022 AUCTION BLUNDER

• Sigh! Need I say more? We were lost for words and didnt even know whom to blame after the auction concluded. Letting go off all the players who were released and signing a bowler who was not going to play until the next season killed the season that was to be played. Being farsighted in such situations is nothing but a doom for anyone and mumbai dug their grave easily here.
• Such was the misery of the squad that the team had just one, yes, just one batsman with good international experience in Rohit. The team had Ishan and SKY, both of whom had little to no experience internationally.
• Bumrah was the sole bowler with match experience (forget international exposure) and the ever unreliable Unadkat adding whatever weight to the bowling.
• The all rounders had potential in Pollard and Tim David and rising stars like Brewis and Tilak, but drafting a playing XI out of these was tricky considering the squad had only one proper wicket keeper in Ishan and one part time keeper in Tristan Stubbs who can also roll his arms and an unknown talent in Aryan Juyal who could keep.
• This squad was a result of some failed signings and questionable strategies at the auction. Money management took a back step too in a squad where a whooping 73.50cr were spent on 7 players, 12.70cr were spent on another 7 players and just 3.7cr on the remaining 11 players.

IPL 2022

• The inevtiable happened. Mumbai lost 8 matches in a row. Injuries to SKY, Bumrah, Mills and inconsistent runs for almost all the players who played ensured that the team had their worst season until then.
• Pollard failed to score, Rohit had yet another underwhelming season with the bat which came into limelight with the others struggling.
• Brewis and Tilak were the only saving grace along with Tim David who showed his talent towards the back end of the season.

MOVING ON FROM IPL '22 AND THE MINI AUCTION

• The aftermath of the then worst season saw KP retire just before the mini auction but would have been released and potentially not bought back again. Other players who were released were mostly bowlers who had failed to perform. All in all, expected decisions were taken and a purse of 20.5cr was available. The management went through some changes which were going to be categorised as major ones in the year to come. Mr. Boucher, you reading this?
• Cameron Green was signed for a whooping 17.5cr! A squad which needed 9 players, this decision all but ensured that the team had to be go for 20L signees yet again as the team only had 1.5cr left for 7 players after Jhye Richardson was questionably bought for 1.5cr. Piyush ate 0.5cr as 5 other players were bought for 20L each. A poor auction yet again.

IPL '23 - FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE (AND SO DOES LUCK)

• Green's inclusion posed a few questions in addition to his high fees. One of them was his spot. A team which didnt have the services of Bumrah was sure to field two overseas fast bowlers considering that the Indian fast bowlers again had no experience whatsoever.
• This meant that the team would likely open with Rohit and Ishan with SKY and Tilak follow suit. The middle order would largely be centered around Tim David now and the tail which would have 2 overseas fast bowlers and atleast 1 indian spinner in Chawla. So the team could either field Green or Brewis who had played well in '22.
• The "17.5cr decision" made sense for Green to play as the 4th overseas player but the team neither had a spot at the opening for him nor would Green fit himself in the middle order. This called for one more sacrifice at the top order which already had no Brewis. All in all, Green didnt exactly fit in the spots available up for grabs for the team at the time.
• This conundrum bought its fair share of good results too. MI discovered Wadhera, solidified Tilak, bought Ramandeep to the forefront in the limited opportunity he got and Bumrah's absence pushed Madhwal into limelight.
• With nothing to lose, these players ensured that a simple looking outfit trounced other biggies to enter the playoffs. Luck played its part too but eventually ran out in the 2nd qualifier. This season again posed thge same questions which the management had failed to learn the previous year.

THE PANDYA CONUNDRUM AND THE MINI AUCTION

• Green's spot would have pushed the management to think of replacing him with an Indian all rounder which would open up an overseas slot. And whom does the team chase this time - none other than the talent they had unearthed for a mere 10L exactly a decade ago**.**
• Hardik had moved on from being a middle order all rounder to a captain of a new team. He had played in the top order and had led the team to two consecutive finals, where they won the first and lost the second. For any professional to change their organisation at this level calls for the same position or a better one and a hike in the money paid. Junior Pandya got both fulfiled and this was the third nail in the coffin for the team in hindsight.
• The management underestimated Rohit Sharma's support. A team which had seen captainship being passed on from an aging god to a champion captain with no form to a once vice-captain of a defunct team, the passing of the baton seemed easy. But a big battle lay ahead as a large part of the cricketing fanbase stood by the captain who had led India to the finals of the WTC and the WC only to fall short to one batsman on both occasions. It was too late when the captain stripped of his duties was appointed the national captain of the same format. A strategy of "moving on" because the captain wasnt contributing with the bat quickly changed into a rude and an uncalled decision in a jiffy.
• Rohit clearly had the support of the players in the squad and add to it the poor handling of the decision enraged the fanbase to the extremes where fans wished for the team to lose all matches. Lets not go into details here as we all are aware of what happened next!
• The auction was a saving grace this time around. Coetzee and Madhushanka were smart buys and so were the Indian signees. Nabi added the final touch to the squad as he could be used in multiple roles. This auction strategy is something the team dearly missed in 2022 with experts labeling it as the best in the auction.

THE BOUCHER-PANDYA PARTNERSHIP

• The team handling left a lot to be desired though. No definitive roles, poor bowling which included wayward lines and length and undue changes in the playing XII can nicely sum up this season.
• Hardik went on from being cheered during the WC to being booed relentlessly in a matter of days. The aftermath of the captaincy change went from being "an expected one" to "highly toxic" within a few days. While it is understandable for fans of a player to revolt against the management, fans of the team too followed after a range of questionable tactics.
• Players didnt have a set spot to play throughout the tournament barring Rohit and Ishan who even lost his spot in the last match. Batsmen simply played anywhere as and when the management demanded. From being benched to playing as an impact player in the same match within 2 overs, Brevis saw it all. Bumrah was used as a floater in the bowling department! Luke Wood bowled the first and the last over in a match and was criminally underused while Nabi played with him neither getting a proper go with the bat nor with the ball. Shepherd played only one impactful inning and was experimented with his bowling otherwise.
• A team which fielded only 2 overseas players when they had the option of fielding two more is an outright blunder. Having a batting coach who was one dimensional in his own batting is a blunder. Swapping a bowling coach with all the tactics in his arsenal with the bowling coach of another team who relied only on his yorkers was a blunder. Signing a head coach whose team has lost to an associate nation a couple of years ago was a blunder.
• If 2022 was considered the worst season for MI until then, 2024 could easily take the spot now. All the players in 2022 had played to their potential and none could be blamed for the results back then. But with 2024 performance, a lot of potential was left untapped, a lot of ifs and buts take precedence over yes and surely. All these points pointing to one and one direction only - the Boucher-Pandya partnership.

Feel free to drop in any comment or your insight if you can add weight to the narrative. It is OK to disagree as long as everyone wants the best for the team and the tournament we all glue in to.

I've been looking for a 5" or 5.5" chino (or similar) short, but I've found that very few places carry under 7" right now and the ones that do flare at the leg opening instead of hug the thighs, which looks really bad on me!
I've tried bear bottom and j crew factory and both have this awful flare at the bottom that looks really silly. I've got thick thighs so they can't be TOO skinny, but judging by the styles I've tried that won't be a problem.
What kind of shorts are y'all wearing these days? Is everyone rocking the long baggies right now?
Would also love some interesting colors besides blue/khaki/white/gray.
Has anyone found a short like this lately?

Week 5: Ghazal and Tanka Mastery
Day 1: Unveiling the Ghazal - Activity: Analyze classic ghazals for their structure and themes. - Lecture: Explore the historical and cultural context of ghazals. - Discussion: Share impressions and discuss the themes of love and longing in ghazals.
Day 2: Crafting the Ghazal Form - Activity: Break down the structure of a ghazal and discuss rhyme patterns. - Lecture: Explore the traditional themes and variations within ghazals. - Discussion: Discuss the challenges and beauty of writing within the constraints of a ghazal.
Day 3: Understanding Tanka - Activity: Analyze traditional tankas for their brevity and emotion. - Lecture: Explain the structure and cultural significance of tankas. - Discussion: Share thoughts on capturing a moment in five lines.
Day 4: Writing Exercise - Expressive Tanka - Activity: Write tankas focusing on concise expression of emotion. - Assignment: Craft a tanka capturing a fleeting moment or emotion. - Vocabulary Words: Matla, Radif, Wazn.
Day 5: Peer Review and Feedback - Activity: Peer review workshop for ghazals and tankas. - Lecture: Discuss the impact of repetition in ghazals and the art of brevity in tankas. - Discussion: Share insights gained from reviewing peers' work.
Study Guide Questions for Week 5: 1. What are the traditional themes of love and longing in ghazals? 2. Explore the structure of a ghazal, including the use of repeated words and rhyme patterns. 3. Discuss the cultural significance of tankas and their role in capturing fleeting moments. 4. How does the brevity of tankas contribute to their emotional impact? 5. Reflect on the challenges and rewards of crafting ghazals and tankas.
Quiz: Assessment on the understanding of ghazals, tankas, and the cultural context of these poetic forms.
Week 6: Cinquains and Pantoum Prowess
Day 1: Mastering Cinquains - Activity: Analyze classic cinquains for their simplicity and structure. - Lecture: Explore the syllabic pattern and thematic focus of cinquains. - Discussion: Share thoughts on capturing a subject in just five lines.
Day 2: Crafting Cinquains with Precision - Activity: Break down the process of crafting a cinquain. - Lecture: Discuss the importance of word choice and economy of language in cinquains. - Discussion: Share and discuss individual cinquains, highlighting successful elements.
Day 3: Embracing the Pantoum - Activity: Analyze a famous pantoum for its repetition and layered meaning. - Lecture: Explain the structure and narrative possibilities of pantoums. - Discussion: Discuss the role of repetition in creating a rhythmic flow.
Day 4: Writing Exercise - Developing a Pantoum - Activity: Craft a pantoum exploring a theme of personal growth or change. - Assignment: Write a cinquain on a chosen subject. - Vocabulary Words: Quatrain, Refrain, Syllabic Pattern.
Day 5: Peer Review and Feedback - Activity: Peer review workshop for cinquains and pantoums. - Lecture: Discuss the challenges and rewards of repetition in pantoums. - Discussion: Share insights gained from reviewing peers' work.
Study Guide Questions for Week 6: 1. Discuss the simplicity and structure of cinquains. How does their syllabic pattern contribute to their impact? 2. Explore the importance of word choice and economy of language in crafting cinquains. 3. What defines a pantoum, and how does repetition contribute to its rhythmic flow? 4. Discuss the narrative possibilities and layered meaning in pantoums. 5. Reflect on the process of crafting cinquains and pantoums. What challenges did you face?
Quiz: Assessment on cinquains, pantoums, and the effective use of repetition in poetry.

I had to go to the grocery store today. Was running out of food for the dog, short on milk and just needed some things. I haven't been out for a month because of my step dad.
I can't trust my step dad. He will just sit and watch TV while I am gone. He has dementia and 85 years old. Not too long ago he went outside in the shed. He slipped and fell. I didn't know he was outside he never tells me. His son came by for dinner and found him while I was outside vaping. I did walk around looking for him but just in the wrong places. But anyway I got out today because my step sister in law came by for awhile to keep an eye on him.
I went to Weis grocery store. While I was shopping I was getting my cat her canned cat food. It was taking me awhile because looking for different food for her I didn't find. I look up and this older guy is just standing there waiting for me. I told this guy he should have said something and I moved out of the way. We got talking about our cats. He has like fifteen plus cats that he takes care of, I have one. But I have my cat for a reason I believe
First of all I have had two cats. My first cat was about 18 years ago. She was a black cat that my neighbors supposedly were taking care of. My neighbors back then, at least the guy, were jerks. The father laid out in the sun in his bikini bottom and didn't do anything all weekend. I felt sorry for his wife and kids. They always had cats running around outside. This black cat came to me one day and I found some food for her. She kept coming back. She became my best friend.
I went through some very hard times. I even thought of suicide. You know what kept me from doing it? My cat Midnight. Just seemed like everytime she came to me I had peace. I go out for a cigarette she would come to me without me calling her. She would come because she knew I needed her. A few times she was sitting right outside the door. When she passed away she was in my arms. She was like my best friend, an angel at that. I really do believe God sent her to be my friend.
Then about a couple weeks before she passed away she ended up getting under the porch. We had a board off because we had to do plumbing work under there years ago and Midnight liked going under there in the winter. Now we had to get her out so she didn't just die. When we did we kept her inside and took care of her. A few days after this calico cat, her name is Reese, walks up to me outside. She's rubbing my legs and meowing. She just followed me inside. I kept her in my room until Midnight passed on. Now she is all over and a climber. My mom passed on a year later from pancreatic cancer. A lot of other crap happened in that year and if God hadn't brought Reese before Midnight passed on I don't know where I would be today.
I believe everything happens for a reason and what we decide changes our future. That's why we need to make sure we stay on a good path and not a bad one. Personally I don't think we need to try to be perfect because that's impossible but use common sense. There is always a better way and having faith is what helps you to get there. Sometimes we just need a little help and we get a friend

So I like to wear street-wear fashion, gothic/grunge, etc. but this is entirely incompatible with a new career path that I'm pursuing.

According to this new field of work it has a dress code:

= Long sleeves on shirts must be rolled up, and maintained, above the elbow.
= No loose or torn clothes, chains and necklaces.
= Long hair must ALWAYS be tied up. Never down!
= Leather, closed-toe, shoes should be worn in the shop.
= Thin fabric shoes, sandals, open-toed shoes, and high-heeled shoes are prohibited.
I was thinking about how to apply these limitations to my style? Because everyone that I see wears simple jeans and a T-shirt (for convience). I guess I could layer my clothes but I have no idea what to do.
Any advice would help, thanks!

Prometheus is a popular open-source monitoring and alerting system, primarily used for collecting and analyzing metrics from various systems and applications. It is not a programming language or directly related to layer 2 blockchain technologies.
Layer 2 blockchains, on the other hand, are separate blockchain networks built on top of an existing blockchain (layer 1), such as Ethereum. They are designed to improve the scalability and transaction throughput of the underlying blockchain by offloading some of the computational work to these separate layers. Some examples of layer 2 solutions include: Plasma: A framework for creating scalable, autonomous smart contract-based blockchain networks. Rollups: These bundle or "roll up" numerous transactions into a single transaction on the layer 1 blockchain, reducing the load on the main chain. Optimistic Rollups (e.g., Arbitrum, Optimism) ZK-Rollups (e.g., StarkNet, zkSync) State Channels: Off-chain mechanisms that enable participants to transact quickly and inexpensively, while periodically committing data to the main blockchain. While Prometheus is not directly involved with layer 2 blockchain technologies, it can potentially be used to monitor and collect metrics from layer 2 networks and their associated services, just as it would for any other distributed system.

Welcome to our fifth discussion of Leviathan Wakes. Hold onto your cool detective hats or your environment suits, because we finally get some answers to our mystery! This week, we will discuss Chapters 34-40. The Marginalia post is here. You can find the Schedule here.
The discussion questions are below. One note - this is a very popular book series and TV show, but please keep in mind that not everyone has read or watched already, so be mindful not to include anything that could be a hint or a spoiler! Please mark spoilers not related to this section of the book using the format > ! Spoiler text here !< (without any spaces between the characters themselves or between the characters and the first and last words).
Now brace yourselves: here comes the juice!
Chapter Summaries:
Chapter 34 - Miller: Detective Miller and the crew of the Roci board the hidden ship (the one that captured the crew of the Scopuli before destroying it), wearing environment suits because the ship has no atmosphere - someone left the doors open. They stick together at first as they move through the ship, discovering signs of a struggle, zombie vomit, and twelve torpedo tubes big enough to destroy capital ships like the Donnager or the Canterbury. Miller uses his detective skills to determine that everyone but Julie retreated to engineering. Once there, they discover a truly grisly sight: layers of human flesh and bones are sort of fused around the reactor, which has been shut down. Naomi and Holden gasp in shock and disgust, Miller turns on his cop brain to suppress emotion and view it as a crime scene, and Amos seems… calm and able to ignore the gore. The team splits up to look for more clues.
Amos stays in engineering to start up the computers and get the reactor back online. Naomi works on the ops deck to run diagnostics. Miller and Holden head to the bridge, which wasn’t affected by the fighting onboard. Miller reviews the internal feeds and finds footage showing the captured Scopuli crew being led onto the ship, stripped, and put in restraints. Julie fights back viciously but is knocked unconscious and stuffed in a locker with a jumpsuit (which is where we met her in the prologue). The crew is left in the galley for 132 hours before they decide to make a stand, but it is quickly suppressed. One of the crew is thrown out an airlock and the others are heavily restrained as they scream and cry. Just as Miller gets to the first appearance of a vomit zombie (at hour 160 of footage), Amos yells that he’s been exposed to some radiation because the human flesh blob had damaged the reactor shielding. He decides to keep working while Alex monitors his health status from the Roci.
Then Holden calls Miller over to view one of the last feeds Julie accessed. It’s a corporate presentation video created for a man named Dresden and the board of Protogen. It features a man Miller dubs “the sociopath” because of his cold, practiced smile…and because of the content. The sociopath tells the board (and us) the history of scientific discovery on Phoebe, which was thought to just be a moon and a source of water, but became a research station when a survey found complex silicon structures in the ice. Protogen was tasked with investigating and discovered that Phoebe is not a moon but evidence of a galactic biosphere: it is an alien weapon sent towards Earth 2 ⅓ billion years ago, which never made it because of orbital mechanics. Protogen has discovered that this weapon is not alive per se; rather, it is something they’ve termed the “protomolecule” which has the ability to maintain structure while replicating other systems and manipulating them at scalable rates. Of course, they alerted the proper authorities and made sure… just kidding, they’ve secretly been doing tests. The sociopath believes that whoever controls the protomolecule will gain control of all political and economic power going forward. Chillingly, the sociopath urges them to pursue large-scale testing to understand the protomolecule and its human applications. That large-scale testing is Eros.
TL;DR - Julie found evidence that Protogen (her dad’s company) has discovered an alien weapon, branded it the “protomolecule”, and secretly tested it on the people of Eros (and probably other smaller tests). The entire war has just been a distraction.
Chapter 35 - Holden: Naomi explains that most of the messages on the comm logs have been coded, but the last one is in plain text: the captain informed Thoth Station that the ship was contaminated, everyone was about to die, and the “materials” had been secured. He also planned to send vector data so they could find the ship. The Roci crew put two and alien-symbol-for-two together: they figure out that the captain has locked protomolecule samples in his safe. They also decide that the tightbeam messages were being sent to a secret research station Protogen was using to monitor the Eros experiment. Even though the fact “Naomi is the best” is a proven concept on par with “space is cold”, she is NOT able to open the captain’s safe, so they decide to cut it out of the wall and bring it with them on the Roci. They also scuttle the ship so no one can a) recover the stealth technology and alien weapons, or b) get exposed to the protomolecule-human soup inside. (Amos would have preferred to hack the frozen dead body goo off the reactor with a chainsaw and salvage such an impressive and expensive ship, which is… another way to go.)
It’s clear that someone else with stealth tech is searching actively for this ship, but the Roci won’t see them coming so they decide to get the hell out of Dodge. Naomi jokes that their options include turning the safe over to the OPA (they’d be heroes), selling out to Mars (they’d be rich), or starting their own biotech firm (just kidding, that’s evil). When Miller checks in with Holden about a decision on where to go next, he drops a figurative bomb on him regarding actual bombs in the news. Since Holden did his best Edward Snowden impersonation and leaked the data that the mystery ships are from Earth, Mars asked a few too many questions and in response, Earth has blown up a whole bunch of Martian ships and destroyed the Deimos deep radar station. Miller ruefully gives Holden credit for sticking to his guns about his belief in “free information”. He also points out that Holden’s principles make him responsible for all those deaths and the destruction of the Earth-Mars Coalition… and possibly the universe as they know it.
Chapter 36 - Miller: The war between Mars and the Belt seems like no big deal now that Earth and Mars are fighting. Miller watches the news feeds as the conflict turns into a blockade, and he realizes he is steeling himself for an announcement of a planetary attack on Earth or Mars, but it never comes. He and Amos deal with the stress by having beer for breakfast.
Miller meets up with Holden in the med bay for their routine blood flushes and cancer treatments, and they reopen their debate about what to do with the data files and who is to blame for the war(s).

• Holden’s position: Broadcast everything to everyone! (I know, I know, so out of character, right?) People will understand that they’ve been set up and will turn their wrath on Protogen instead of each other. Also, these are ancient conflicts. The Belt has always hated Mars and the inner planets in general. Mars and Earth have always had animosities secretly brewing and they do military training for the inevitable showdown. Or as Miller puts it, “Not my powder keg; I just brought the match.”
• Miller’s position: Stop and consider what people will do if they hear an Earth company did this. Every other data leak has been used as an excuse to shoot at someone the other side doesn’t like. Also, people suck. They aren’t going to hold hands and sing Kumbaya just because Protogen is the bad guy. They’ll move on to shooting each other so they can be the ones to control the protomolecule. Or as Holden puts it, “Maybe Protogen is a little right. People are too dumb to be trusted with big information so we should keep hard, scary stuff a big secret. That’ll totally work out.”

Holden’s idealism starts to fade as he takes in Miller’s hard truths about humanity. To be fair, Miller loses a little idealism over his perceptions of the inner planets’ relationship which, to the Belt, seemed stable and friendly enough (and united against them). Miller encourages Holden to use Naomi’s judgment as a measuring stick for whether something is right (similar to how he uses illusion-Julie as his conscience and sounding board) and then he goes back to the news feeds to watch Ceres slowly collapse into chaos. Holden decides the only person and place he trusts - or at least doesn’t completely distrust - is Fred Johnson on Tycho Station, so they head there. Holden also wonders why they don’t just destroy the safe and make sure everyone stays away from Eros and Phoebe; Miller admits it’s because the protomolecule might just be the holy grail.
Chapter 37 - Holden: The crew of the Roci is taking a break from doom scrolling to cook fake space lasagna for dinner and bond over the food and conversation. As Holden watches the crew laugh at Amos’s belches and Miller’s wild story about cheese smuggling, he reflects that they represent all three prongs of the conflict: Naomi and Miller are Belters, Amos and he are from Earth, and Alex is from Mars. Yet they’re friends, and Holden knows this is what they have to fight for. The cheese smuggling makes no sense to Amos (why cheese and not drugs?), and Naomi points out that this illustrates how little people from the inner planets understand Belters. Earthers have free air and easy access to resources, while Belters know everything that sustains life is rare and their access to it is fragile. And this is why Protogen didn’t blink an eye before killing 1.5 million Belters on Eros: they’re “other”. Then Alex points out that this doesn’t make sense; it's a risky and unnecessarily complicated way to kill people just to satisfy prejudices. It becomes clear that Eros isn’t a hate crime, it’s a vacuum-sealed test tube to let the protomolecule learn how to do its job better by giving it access to a huge amount of biomass. The early transformations looked incomplete, as if it didn’t know how to work with human flesh yet, so Protogen was giving it a chance to train. Holden wants to know where they would even find enough people who would support an evil operation like this, and Miller promises to ask Dresden (the Protogen board member mentioned in the video) when they meet him. Something tells me that conversation won’t go well.
As the Roci approaches Tycho station, Holden and Miller take in the view of the Nauvoo, the partially constructed Mormon generation ship. When Miller says the Mormans may be in for a long and lonely death if they don’t find a habitable planet, Holden notes that this is the good kind of galactic exploration humans can accomplish (the protomolecule being the bad kind). Miller then asks Holden why he trusts Fred, and Holden explains that in addition to being the only person who hasn’t tried to jail them or blow them up since all this began, Fred is “real OPA”: he’s a politician and not part of the war-mongering factions who think they can survive indefinitely without the inner planets. When Miller points out that there isn’t a political solution to Protogen, Holden insists Fred has other skills, too. Later, Fred reads through all the information on the protomolecule and is incredulous that anyone could think to do this. Miller assures him that genocide is an old-school crime and it’s important that they stop it. Holden offers up the location of the observation station in exchange for enough OPA fighters to take down Protogen, and the right to retain custody of the safe and its contents. Fred agrees only after Holden points out that no one else can be trusted to do the right thing with a secret this big. Plus, he says Fred already knows what Holden will do with it.
Chapter 38 - Miller: It feels strange to Miller to explore the wide open spaces of Tycho Station, the fanciest place he has ever set foot on. He notices Naomi working on her hand terminal and letting her food get cold; she is too preoccupied with trying to figure out the location of the station to enjoy the amenities. As they talk, Miller is reminded of Havelock’s advice to just let go when he got pulled off a case, which jogs his memory that Havelock actually works for Protogen! (I’m surprised he didn’t get there faster; maybe everyone had a point that he was sort of a washed up detective.) He rushes off to make contact with his old buddy - probably his last real partner ever - in an encrypted drop site of a Ganymede server cluster. As he waits for a response, Miller is amused to realize he has started thinking like Holden: he feels like someone should warn the Mormans that they could potentially run into the alien creators of the protomolecule who may want to kill them. Havelock comes through, passing along the coordinates to a “very scary deep research and development lab” and asking Miller to be discreet never contact him again so he doesn’t get killed for betraying his employer. Miller sends him an encrypted warning to quit his job ASAP and not take postings at any black ops sites, before saying goodbye for the last time to the only person that still respected him as a cop. (I may or may not be sniffling a bit at this.)
Miller rounds up Naomi and Holden so they can bring Fred the coordinates. In Fred’s office, Miller starts lecturing him about the serious nature of the mission and the need to have a solid plan with adequate firepower, not the usual OPA shenanigans. Everyone’s a little confused until they realize that Miller doesn’t know that Fred is “the butcher of Anderson Station” and a former Colonel in the Earth Navy. Fred assures Miller he’s no amateur and will plan ahead. Miller then insists that he get to come along for the assault on Thoth Station. Eight days later, the plan is set in motion and Miller begins packing his meager belongings into a very small bag, figuring he’ll never see the Roci again. Even if he makes it off Thoth alive, he’ll have to figure out a way to make money and improvise a life plan of some sort. He tries to thank Holden and say goodbye, but the Roci’s captain interrupts Miller to ask where they’ll all meet up after the mission is complete. Miller is confused at first, then overcome with emotion when he realizes Holden considers Miller part of the crew! I’m not crying, you’re crying. Actually, it’s Miller who is weeping. But he pulls himself together so he can head to the assault ship.
Chapter 39 - Holden: The Rocinante needs to sneak up on Thoth Station, so they are pretending to be a loose cargo container that broke off the Guy Molinari (the Belter ship carrying the assault team, which is pretending to be a cargo ship). They fly with everything shut down so that it’s more convincing, hoping they can get close enough to the station to do some damage before Thoth starts firing back. As they approach and are able to reboot everything needed for battle, a stealth ship is spied hanging out near Thoth Station. Then, suddenly it becomes clear that there are two small stealth ships, which will be much harder to fight off. Everyone does their jobs efficiently on the Roci, but in the ensuing battle with the stealth ships, they start to take some damage. First, the Roci is hit by a gauss cannon that goes straight through the machine shop and galley. Holden mourns his coffee maker. Amos notices a leak in the maneuvering thrusters and heads to fix it between the inner and outer hulls, which isn’t an ideal place to be floating around during a battle. This stresses Naomi out, but Holden orders everyone to stay focused. They are able to take out one of the stealth ships, but the other gets close enough to do some impressive damage to the Roci. There is major hull damage as well as loss of four maneuvering thrusters, a PDC, their O2 storage, and the crew airlock. Alex is about to destroy the second stealth ship when the Roci’s point defense cannons (PDCs) detonate an enemy warhead up close. It knocks everyone out, punches holes throughout the Roci (narrowly missing Naomi), dislodges equipment, and fills the ship with debris. Holden marvels that they are alive at all, and Alex points out that is only because the ship’s anti-spalling webbing eliminates shrapnel. They make contact with Fred, who says he’ll find them a place to land, and the Guy Molinari prepares for the assault on Thoth Station. It’s Miller’s turn to shine!
Chapter 40 - Miller: On the Guy Molinari, Miller is talking to a Belter kid named Diogo as they wait for the assault to start. Miller realizes that while he has fancy Martian armor from the Roci and experience with gunfights in station corridors, he is surrounded by inexperienced young Belters with borrowed gear, and he will likely have to watch dozens of them die during the battle. But Diogo isn’t worried; he is confident and eager to get started. Fred announces that they are ready to start boarding since the Roci gave them the “all clear”, and Miller is happy to hear his friends have survived. The assault on the station starts off rough, with Protogen soldiers fighting them in the corridors and automatic defense lasers taking out some of the Belters in the first wave. But Fred knows how to command his OPA “troops” and keep them in line, and things start to go more smoothly as they slow down and maneuver carefully. Miller and Diogo are part of a group taking shelter at Fred’s direction and fending off Protogen counterattacks, and they start to talk during a lull. When two Protogen soldiers sneak up on them from behind, Diogo is hit and Miller chastises himself for chatting during a battle and not staying alert. He thinks Diogo is dead, but he pops up laughing and streaked with white goo from crowd suppression rounds, which Miller finds an odd choice of weapon. It’s the first sign that Thoth Station may not totally understand what’s happening. The OPA soldiers cut their way through the blast doors to get to the operations center, where they find Dresden (the dude mentioned in the sociopath’s Protogen video). Fred arrives to take command of the station, and Dresden offers to negotiate, clearly misunderstanding the reason for the assault. He offers to give the OPA whatever resources they need to go back to fighting their war (money, medical supplies, weapons, ordnance) if they’ll just leave and let the station get back to their very important work. Fred points out that they know about Eros, but Dresden insists no one knows what they did there, and there won’t be a better bargaining position for Fred when Earth sends its battleships. Fred basically calls Dresden Satan, but Dresden doesn’t understand the reference.

I (40F) have been with my boyfriend (32M) for 3 months, and whilst the good times are great, the arguments we've had make me question our relationship altogether.
I'm very independent and self-sufficient, and despite him saying he is the same he likes to ask for little favours from me from time to time. Overall I don't mind it and I see it as him being comfortable enough in our relationship to want to depend on me for little things (even if these are things he can do himself).
This week he's been staying at my place upon my request, coming to mine directly after work. He keeps his work uniforms at his place and hadn't brought a change of clothes to keep at mine, so a couple of days ago he went to Target to buy some clothes to wear at home. Planning isn't his strong suit and he often forgets stuff. The other day I ran an out-of-cycle wash for my clothes (I normally do my laundry on Sundays) and he asked if I could include his uniform so he could wear it the next day. I didn't mind. Today he came home with a new uniform that needed to be washed and asked if I could wash it so he could wear it tomorrow. I was annoyed; since my clothes horse is tiny, it meant I'd have to get all the clean clothes I'd washed the other day off the line to make room for his and I just wasn't in the mood to sort my clothes out tonight. It's also been raining where I live and not all my washing has dried. Tonight it was my turn to make dinner and I was looking forward to it, but the idea of having to get my clothes off the line late at night just irked me especially since mentally I was set to do that chore tomorrow when all my clothes would be dry.
He is a bit of an empath and very sensitive to mood changes, so he picked up on my irritation and asked what was wrong. I tried to explain I wasn't annoyed by his request but from the idea that I had another chore to do tonight on top of making dinner. That got his goat. He told me that he came straight to my place and didn't go to his to get a fresh uniform because if he did, he wouldn't come to mine anymore because he'd be exhausted. I thought that sounded a passive aggressive (a communication style of his I had called him out on in previous fights). He then offered to hang his clothes on my dirty balcony rail which I told him no; I felt I'd be a bad host and I was already willing to make room for his washing on my clothesline. He said he didn't care where his clothes were hung; he just didn't want us to be in a bad mood.
He then accused me of "sacrificing our nice time together for a stupid issue" since he had already offered a solution (hanging his clothes on the balcony). He said he couldn't believe I was so quick to fixate on a silly thing and said unlike me he can pick his battles. He also told me he has a fear of being a burden to others and not being wanted, and he said what I did tonight made him feel exactly that. To be clear I never said or did anything to him whilst I was stewing in my annoyance! We ended up in a long winding conversation where I felt confused and terribly guilty, as if I was the problem all along. Long story short he said he just couldn't snap out of the bad energy he blamed on me and left.
I should include that he can be very loving, affectionate, and fiercely loyal. I have often acknowledged that he works a stressful job, so I am mindful of his emotional load and to not add to it (hence I was reluctant to communicate what was annoying me - my fault). He has also been struggling financially since his divorce which has contributed to his overall stress.
Am I overreacting, or is there a deeper issue here? Looking for perspectives.
TL;DR: My (40F) boyfriend (32M) of 3 months and I have great times, but our arguments make me question the relationship. He often asks for favors, which I usually don't mind. Recently, he asked me to wash his work uniform last minute, and I was annoyed because it added to my chores after making dinner. He sensed my irritation and we ended up arguing. He accused me of overreacting and making him feel like a burden. I feel guilty and confused.