Plotting points to make a picture printable

I’ve been looking for a certain episode but I don’t remember a lot about it, so please bear with me through my vague explanation. What I remember is that Reid and Hotch went to interview a guy in prison (I think this guy got locked up because of Hotch but I’m not sure about that). They talk their talk and the guy starts threatening them and expresses he wants to kill (or maybe eat, not sure) Hotch. So the profilers decide to leave, only to find out the guards won’t open the door, because they were between shift (or something like that). Reid ends up distracting him long enough (I think he said something along the lines of “don’t you want to know why you insert mayor plot point about guy I forgot”).

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

Hey! I completed my 12th with PCM and computer science as my subjects(from isc board) Physics: 71 Maths: 58 Chemistry: 58 Computer sci :89 English: 88
well there is a reason why my maths and chem scores werent at all good but who cares, this is final marks
I am more interested in B.Tech Mechanical. I did not give JEE and this was a bulnder on my part, i did not know that other colleges gives admission on jee %tile. This was a overshight by me.
I gave VITEEE, ComedK and CUET, filled IPU CET(didnt realise that it takes jee marks and filled for for councelling without any jee 💀)
In vit i got 1.5L rank and have option to opt for vit bhopal/Andra. (Which folks at redtaganna dissed and said its not worth it)
Now the reason i left jee is because i was focused for NDA and still am, i will e giving september attempt. And the reason i wanna do B.Tech Mechanical is also partly because i want to go in army and my interest more in that field than CS. And going in army is my ultimate goal(as an officer) either through direct entry in IMA or OTA or CDS.
I live in Delhi NCR region and want to get out of home so farther the college the happier i am(also brownie points if the college has a good campus life) but ultimately is the college in Delhi NCR is better than the far ones, ill take the better one.
The colleges out there all advertise on CSE branch which makes it difficult to make a decisions as i talked to people of similar colleges and they said that they dont put focus on Mechanical branch hence it is not worth it.
Please help me with penning down a few good colleges at which i can apply!
Thanks alot for reading this one out and guidance, bhagwan 2cr ka package lagwayega aapka :D!

I(24) graduated from college and I didn’t even know until recently. My college isn’t the best when it comes to notifying students. I also found out while I was trying to apply for classes over the summer so it was a shock to see because I thought I had more courses to do. I told my grandma first and I didn’t think she would tell anyone but that I fault myself for. The problem is my mother. I don’t have the best relationship with her because I had to deal with her emotional abuse for years. Talking down to me, making me feel as though I was this awful lazy child that she couldn’t trust. She has straight up said she doesn’t trust me because I lied about grades back in high school, which I do admit I shouldn’t have done it. I have depression which she’s aware of that causes me to not be motivated to do anything. Her berating me doesn’t help either. She called me to her room because she was angry I didn’t tell her first that I graduated. She said it was embarrassing finding out from her brother I graduated before she did. She yelled at me for about 10 minutes about how it breaks her heart and kept asking if this was the person I wanted to become and if I’m even there anymore. I apologized over and over saying I was going to tell her, which I was. She argued that wasn’t the point. I think I might be the AH because the whole time she was yelling, I just felt numb. Because she’s done this type of berating before and this is why I hardly ever tell her anything. I feel somewhat bad because she was crying and guilt tripped me by saying we don’t know how much time we have left with my grandma on this earth. Let me also preface my grandma is in her 80s however she’s still in good health. And the only reason I didn’t go to the ceremony was because I wanted to save my moment for when I get my bachelors degree. My mother’s more mad at me that I didn’t tell her first. I genuinely don’t know what exactly to feel, because I do somewhat feel bad for not telling her first but at the same time she reacts in this way that makes me not want to talk to her. AITA?

Sorry this is a bit long. TLDR: I generally really like the scooter, and love the ability to just rent it, but some of the limitations make it not preferrable scooter for a 9+ mile commute with some bumpy sections.
Take this for what it's worth, just one data point out of many, but I thought it would be good to at least provide a positive data point given that we all have a negativity bias when it comes to reviews. I mean it's understandable that we want to avoid being even an outlier case that gets a bad experience.
Anyway, I just rented an Unagi Voyager (last Saturday) - refurbished. It came just 3 days later, and set it up with no issues. It was not banged up at all, seemed very lightly used.
Unfortunately the weather here has not been great, and I was still waiting on my protective gear, so didn't really get to test it much until I did the full commute to work yesterday. I was particularly worried about the range of comments I've seen online and because I have a 9+ mile commute. I can charge at work, but I still didn't want it to too close to being empty.
When I first programmed in my weight of 140 lbs it was saying that the range would only be at most 13.7 miles. After weighing myself with my gear and laptop bag, etc., my weight went up to 160 lbs, which brought the range down to 12.5. However, despite their being some decent hills along my commute, my recorded trip in the app said that I went 9.4 miles and used 41% of the battery, so seemingly a 20+ mile range? This was at the 3rd speed setting that maxes out at 15mph, and my average speed for the trip was 11.8, but that includes a minute or so getting everything set after starting to record the ride, plus, obviously various stops at lights. I probably maintained 15mph for at least 65% of the ride.
As far as the ride, I would say that is probably the biggest con for me. While about 7 of those 9 miles are on a bike path with minimal bumps, the other 2 are on streets, and, well, I'm too much of a coward to ride on streets where the cars are going 45mph+ (this is in Northern Virginia, by the way), so opted to go on the sidewalk, and well, that was not the most pleasant experience with the tires and lack of shock absorption. It wasn't undoable, but this is probably the one thing for me that would prevent me from opting for one of these scooters as a purchase.
I do really enjoy the app and how it lets you record your trips and get stats on them, even if the range estimate is not accurate, and I like the ability to electronically lock your scooter although I haven't taken it anywhere that I've had to leave it outside and unattended yet. Still kind of nervous doing that without also a physical lock, especially given how light the scooter is.
Speaking of which, the weight is great, even for someone who is relatively weak, lol. I'm a short guy in his 50s who's never been very strong despite periods of working out with weights. I just don't have the build or whatever. I can take the Unagi up the flight of stairs in our 2nd floor condo without that much trouble. I wouldn't say it's "easy," especially after a long ride, but it's not hard either. The scooter is compact enough when folded to throw it in a corner of our 1,200 sq ft condo without being a big eyesore or really taking up any significant space, and I was able to fold it and put it under my desk at work without issue.
The battery, despite the range, does charge quite quickly. I think the stated charging time is 80% in 2 hours, and while I didn't get to time that, I did find that the green light on the charger would usually come on within an hour or two, although I was charging from 60% or more.
Other than the bumpiness of the ride, my main complaints were around how things got a bit uncomfortable at certain points. One is that holding the throttle down the entire time (since there's no cruise control), means that your thumb can get a bit sore, especially if you are cruising for long periods at a constant speed. The second issue may be something that may be particular to me vs. anyone else, but I do have something called Morton's Neuroma in my left foot, which is something like a pinched nerve that can get painful in certain situations. I'm right-handed, so my natural stance on the scooter is with my right foot forward, and it seems that the back foot ends up taking a lot of the weight, at least for me, but maybe my stance isn't good as I'm still very new to scooting. Having the weight on that back foot caused discomfort over a long ride, so I would have to occasionally slot down and lift that foot a bit to remove some pressure. I even tried switching my foot position, but when I did this it was in a more challenging part of the path and I didn't feel very confident, so maybe next time I'll try this on the more straight/flat sections that aren't challenging and hopefully that will help.
I'm new to scooters, as I mentioned, although I did ride one of my sister's in NYC a few years ago - she has some low-end GoTrax scooters - which I found enjoyable. So I'm sure there are a lot of things that more seasoned people might experience as "missing" or "inferior" which I don't, and that's fine. But given the somewhat negative stuff I've read online (right after I jumped and rented one), I was fearing the worst, but really nothing bad or unexpected given the inherent limitations (like the tires and lack of suspension). No issues with overall scooter quality and I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and convenience of delivery. Obviously, the support isn't something I've needed (yet), and so I know some of had issues with that, and if I do run into a problem, that might be where my opinion starts to change if in fact the support is as poor as some of the folks here have suggested. But for right now, everything works and so I fortunately haven't run into potentially challenging support situations.
I rented this scooter mainly because the service was available. I didn't want to toss hundreds of dollars at a vehicle that I had no idea weather I would actually enjoy using it on a commute (I go into the office 2 days per week). I didn't want to deal with the expense, or the time trying to research scooters to find something that might work for me without having actual experience riding. I figured that renting something for a month or two would give me a good enough perspective on both pain points and wish list items, and just whether a scooter was a viable commuting option for me. Given my current experience, I would definitely recommend this to others in my situation, with the caveat that it's been less than a week since I got mine and I have yet to cancel my subscription. Until I clock another few weeks at least and/or send my scooter back, my review is really just a "first impression" and so should be taken with a big grain of salt. If I do have further impressions over the course of weeks or months, I'll try to comment on this review to link them. My plan is to use this as much as I can (when the weather allows it) to get more comfortable overall and see if I can solve some of the comfort issues myself, but eventually I'm planning on sending this back and buying something as a permanent option that has a better ride for some bumpy roads/sidewalks and perhaps cruise control as well. Not sure if that will come in a package that is as light and compact, has as much range, and can go as fast as the Voyager, at least for $1000 or less, but we'll see...

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.

Making a picture of skull from bottle caps. Size is about 24x36 . Could I just attach the caps to the backing of a poster frame. And frame it like that? If not , any suggestions?? I wanted the frame so it looks nice and stays clean, it's a gift for a friend. And can almost guarantee it's going in his garage lol

I'm a fourth year medical student in bangladesh at a government medical college and hoping to give step 1 after my fifth year in 2026. In light of the new policy of ecfmg only recognizing accredited institutions, I wanted to finish my ecfmg certification before June 2024 but my college doesn't even have a sponsor note from ecfmg yet (despite ensuring us that they'll get the sponsor note asap, they still haven't). I suppose I won't be able to give the exam in 2026 anymore since from June 2024 the policy will set in place and Bangladesh still hasn't formed the committee and gotten it approved by ecfmg. All of this is making me feel quite hopeless and questioning whether I should continue with studying for USMLE. I mean, it is my dream. But if I can't give the exam then what's the point? Anyone else in the same boat as me?

to think that because you're Christian means that everything in your life must go well is delusional and entitled. even when I was a christian I found it ridiculous. my pastor would preach about money and "divine health" all the time, and I hated it. what happened to talking about kindness?
shitty beliefs like this is why people can't get medical help. beliefs like this will make you end up depressed when you don't magically find $20k in your bank account.
it gets even worse when they believe your words or thoughts manifest things. might as well start believing in astrology and crystals at that point. you can't say you're mad or sad or sick, you must say you're ✨blessed🧚‍♀️. if you do say negative things, then negative things will happen to you. that's not even in the Bible!
maybe people use it as a coping mechanism? but this is not the way! its glorified playing pretend. write in a journal! see a therapist! go out in nature! believing you'll forever be happy and healthy will be detrimental in the end.

(16M) Hey, so there's a girl that I'm really into in my year, but I'm struggling to know what to talk about.
Last year we used to talk a lot more, a few long facetimes and messaging, along with sitting next to her in a lesson.
I feel like the hours we spent talking then used all the conversations we can possibly have. Nowadays, I struggle to spark a convo up with her about something other than school.
Music? I know her taste to the song. Only so many convos about Pink Floyd and Kendrick Lamar exist.
Films/TV? She doesn't watch it, at least as much as I do. All the shows we have in common have been discussed to death.
Hobbies? Done before. Food? Talked about. Travelling? Nothing new.
I've been repeating myself or talking about the only new things thats happening in our lives, exams, which I fear is making me seem so boring. But the point at which we spoke alot was too long ago for us to be at a dating stage.
So, what do I do? Any suggestions? Take a plunge? Move on?

Hi I'm cosmic and I'm new to Reddit so pls forgive me for any mistakes I make. I cosmic( 18 ) am an ambivert in the sense that when making friends I do it with some energy but after I'm satisfied I don't make new friends. Recently me and my friend group were invited to a party and we had planned to go together. Due to some complications only me and 2 others arrived there ( let's name them max(18) and hazel(18) for simplicity ). After arriving at the party we had gotten some food and drinks when hazel saw some of her friends and went to talk with them. After a while she came back to us and took max with her. For some context they are just friends and none of us have any feelings towards eache other. After a while when they did not come back I went to search for them and found them talking with Hazel's friends. When I went to join them max cam to me and said that I was on my own and that he was leaving me. I did try to join them thinking that it was some sort of joke but after a while when they insisted that I leave I realised that they were serious and I left. I had to spend the rest of the party by my self cause there was no transport back to the my place at that time . I ended up avoiding them for the rest of the time I was there and when they started the group activities I was grouped up with strangers.i have decided to cut all contact with them for the time being untill they contact me. For some background I can be annoying at times but it's not to the point that I may loose friends , it's mostly just jokes about hazel and some other friends that r short but they also make fun of my height. I need help as there is another event happening but I do not know if I should go in case I bump into them

i can even feel it, the aura, the way she looks at me with disgust, from the moment she wakes up i feel uneasy, in my own room i feel uneasy, as if she’s watching me, i can feel not being welcome, being hated by my own mother. i dont want to stay, i really want to leave, i’d rather be homeless than live with this fucking narcissist any second. she wishes i was never born, she wishes i’d disappear, she wishes she never i was never even conceived, i can see it in her eyes.
this is the first time i call my mother that, i have never insulted her, never yelled at her or even raised my voice, in every “argument” it’s her screaming at me or saying very harsh things and me sitting there, taking it. but calling her that word after years of torment feels good.
she never smiles at me, i dont remember the last time she did, everytime i try to talk sweet to her and show her i love her, she says “i dont talk all lovey dovey” and implies she only knows how to communicate in insults and arguing.
im 18, im supposed to be in college, i cant afford it. i dont know what to do. do i apply to a college abroad? would they take me with my weak passport? my father died in august 2022, things went downhill from there, she became more bitter, she became harsh, and while i understood at first, it is taking a toll on me and i cant take it anymore.
she now torments me for the smallest of things.. like one time i came back from the gym, poured a cup of water, then poured another cup of water because i was thirsty and i had finished my water at the gym. she yells “who drinks like that!!? drink like a normal human.” and while that seems like just a minor inconvenience, the issue is it happens with every small action i make, over and over, daily, every single muscle i move, she has a negative comment about, and that was when i told her to just give me a fucking break.
how about that one time when i was 15, i came out to her about the fact that i was raped as a child, and couldnt say anything because of the extreme fear, and as any normal mother does, she had zero empathy and her eyes and just said “well why didnt you defend yourself?”. im not going to say how that made me feel. im just going to let you guess.
today i came back from friday prayer and got the car washed like she asked, she sees i came home wearing the home sandals instead of the main sandals i wear to go out, both normal sandals, but one is plastic sort of like a croc. she glares at me, raises her voice and says “is this what you wear to friday prayers? wont you dress like a normal person?” implying people were going to stare at my sandals which are taken off during prayers and judge me. i just cant. and when i told her i couldnt find my main sandals and was in a hurry, she said “fucking look for them, i put them right here in this drawer, use your head.”
when i forget small things she mentions, she gets pissed and talks to me in that same tone she always does, and that same glare, even though she knows im riddled with ADHD, but she doesnt care enough to learn a single thing about her son’s mental health problems, not the ADHD, not the BPD, not the chronic depression, all of which im not being treated for, and all of which i have been diagnosed with, all of which she was told and warned about.
did i mention, this one time? i had an insane tooth infection, the right side of my face was VERY swollen for days, i was in the worst pain of my life, i was terrified, and having already experienced an extreme panic disorder and health anxiety, god knows i was afraid of sepsis, and when my blood test results came back and i saw my white blood cell count was high, god forbid.. i panicked. i couldnt control it. i wanted to go back to the dentist, just to let him look at the report and tell me im okay, which was for free, in a dentist that was very close to my home, she didnt like that. she didnt like that i was riddled with health anxiety after spending 30+ minutes on top of my dad’s dead body trying to revive him, she couldnt accept that i had been traumatized. she kicks me out. so here i am, on the streets, face swollen, sleeping and shitting on the street with a fever and diarrhea, wiping my ass with pieces of cardboard, hoping to god nothing bad happens to me because that infection was sucking the power out of me.
she wants me to provide, im trying to provide, im trying to pay her back for the money she spent on me ever since i turned 18, but i JUST got qualified legally for work, and im JUST now able to even look for work, yet she has been shaming me for it before i was legal. so for now, until i find a job, im getting money from my ex, which im not so proud of, but so far i sent her 300 dollars hoping she shuts up, and 300$ is a good amount in my country. but she questions how i got that money, she thinks im selling my body for it. which honestly, im very willing to do at this point, i have a nice body and even though males are not as valuabe in that field, if it makes me money until a place im applying at accepts me, i dont have any morals and i’ll happily do it.
about the money she spent on me, usually food, and gym subscriptions, and an amount of money she spent to get me my driver’s license (which was in her best interest, by the way), did you know that i got nothing of my father’s inheritance? she took it all, no, i didnt even look at it, i didnt ask for it, and she sometimes even reminds me that i didnt deserve it, even though i never fucking had it, and it was a GOOD portion of the inheritance too.
and by the time i was 18, she claimed i blew all my side of the money on going to the fucking psychiatrist to stop me from killing myself, and gym memberships, she loves to talk about some “legally you owe me”, but arent you supposed to spend that much until im 18? legally speaking, since we wanna go that way. legally speaking, dont you OWE me that money? i didnt spend any of it, YOU did, and you’re way more happy to let me drive 140kms to get you packs of cigarettes that are cheaper that arent being sold here, spending a shit ton of gas money, every two weeks, rather than letting me see my girl who by the way offers to pay for any inconvenience for her because she knows how my mother is. but no, its not just the money that bugs her, 25 minute drive to see my girl is too much, but a 2 hour round trip just to spend more money on cigs isnt, right? no, she doesnt want me to be happy, she KNOWS she doesnt pay anything out of her own pockets when i go see my lady, she KNOWS seeing her gets me out of that depressed state, but she doesnt want me to, and when the money excuse gets old, she says “maybe 6 months ago i would have been happy for you, but you simply ruined it, your actions did this”.
actions, she says, or basically, my lack of action, yes mother, im terribly sorry i was born in a country that will not allow me to work until a month ago, im sorry that i couldnt apply to college because i cant afford it, and because i knew nothing about life, lived in the middle of nowhere my whole life and didnt start learning how the world works until i turned 17. you didnt teach my how to ride a bike, you didnt teach me how to defend myself, you didnt teach me how to speak english, you didnt teach me how to fucking swim, you didnt introduce me to any physical activity and fucking locked me at home my entire childhood, with just internet access, until i became overweight as a child, and until i took matters into my own hands and changed that. and guess what? my other two sisters? 9 and 16, one is overweight and the other is OBESE since she was a child. great fucking parenting, leaving a 9 year old glued to an ipad because you never knew how to be a mother. and when i tried to take matters into my own hands and restrict the 9 year old from spending 12 hours plus a day on the ipad doing god knows what with god knows who, so she can have real fucking friends, real life fucking experiences, “give it back. im her mother, not you”. well you’re the reason she’s fat, you’re the reason we all got bullied. maybe introduce the poor kid to a fucking sport? fuck.
and guess what? i kind of hated my dad too. he always called me useless, always had that same fucking stare in his eyes, always yelled at me to shut up and be a man if i ever cried as a kid, so much so that i WISH he beat me, i wish they beat me as a child rather than getting neglected, after my face got swollen at 5 years old from being slapped hard by him in a barbershop, they were too scared to do anything else because of the consequences it would cause them. so they decided to neglect. i wish you fucking taught me how to fight, i see all these dads teaching their boys how to defend themselves and you never taught me how to throw a punch, i had to do it all myself, i had to workout myself, i had to fill that lack of sense of masculinity up by getting as big and scary as possible, i had to teach myself how to not be a fat slob like you taught me anymore, because guess what? they were both fat slobs themselves, no fucking wonder they didnt know how to show their kids healthy habits.
if you think that these stories are just minor inconveniences, i agree with you, but imagine it happening every single day, every single second you’re at home, for years, it slowly builds up and becomes unbearable.

Edit: DO NOT message me a simple hi or hello, with no information about you, Put some effort in to your message like i have, come on. Day+Attempt#191
Hello everyone, Thank you for taking the time to read, I know its long, I know - I know. But its worth the read, Trust me. I appreciate you immensely.
Here's a bit about me,
My name is Jay, I live on the East coast of the US. I'm looking for love - like everyone else on here.., but you may not believe or even be doubtful that I've never had a GF before with me being 26, but its true. I'm simply just not willing to "be with" just anyone and I'm very picky. I want us to be a match, more than just have similar things in common.
One thing I have always been told is that I'm a "Real Catch, I'd be extremely lucky to have someone like you" - WELL THEN TAKE ME. I'M FREE. LOL.
About me:
Physically -
~I'm a semi-tall guy, around 5'10.
~I'm thin but muscular.
~I have dirty blonde/ brown hair.
~Changing colored eyes.
~A voice nice enough to melt all your safeguards and get right into your heart and weak spots.
~I do not have any tattoos or piercings. Though I would like to get some eventually.
If you'd like to see a picture of me just ask and I'll show you - IF I may see you as well, I simply just don't want a picture of me out there for anyone to see.
-If there's anything else you'd like to know just ask.
Otherwise -
~I do have 3 pet bunnies I would be more than happy to show you, they are extremely cute.
~I'm a very honest and down to earth guy.
~I'm very patient and easy going.
~I'm very curious and inquisitive. I will try to ask everything I can to learn all about you haha.
~I'm Very VERY Kind & Caring, I will probably ask how you are feeling a bajillion times a day, simply out of care for you.
~I can get pretty clingy, and will always want your attention and to be talking with you. If i have someone im interested in i wont want to talk to anyone else🤷‍♂️
~I'm very trustworthy - you can confide in me, and entrust your deepest secrets and I wont tell a soul.
~I'm a HUGE hopeless romantic, im old fashioned and will always try to impress you.
- I'm, a BIG softie even though I may look a smol bit intimidating, but I'd do just about anything to see you smile or laugh. And yes.., I do mean anything.
~I'm a big goof - I will get up to some silly shenanigans ALL the time, I will crack dumb jokes and send you memes and tik toks just to make you happy, even if its from across the room I'd wait to see your reaction lol.
~I'm extremely loyal, and would never even think of cheating.
~I will cook for you, and clean up too, even around the house, I'm very self productive and don't ask for much. Just don't forget to kiss the cook.
~I'd also love to just cuddle up and watch a movie or read a book together, anything to get us closer. Id try to take you out on dates whenever possible haha. I have a million SUPER romantic date ideas I have but have never had anyone interested enough in me to take out. Here's your chance ;)
~I will always want to share stuff I find interesting with you, and try to share every moment of every day with you. I'm not looking for someone who can only talk for a small amount of time, I want someone who's willing to put in all the effort I put into them back into me, it goes both ways. If I'm "with" someone you are my TOP priority nobody and nothing else would be. You would be the only person I'd truly want to talk to, so rest assured I would NEVER cheat, even more so because no one is interested in me - Hence why I'm here hahaha.
I'm sure there is more to me than this snippet but I cant think of more at the moment haha, so get to know me and find out more about me.
Some of my interests are: Engineering- I'm a nerd. I admit it. I love being technical and hands on, I love building things. All kinds of things, from furniture, machinery, and reverse engineering anything I find. I love learning how things work and trying to improve things.
Music - I prefer music with a very fast pace, or with some very meaningful lyrics I can relate to. I love to sing along to music and songs that have a deep meaning behind it I can sympathize with makes it all the better. Some bands I like are: Bad Omens, Beartooth, Demon Hunter, MIW, I9K - The list goes on. I'm a bit of a metalhead unfortunately.
TV Shows & Movies - I love watching shows, and I'd love to stream some shows and have some E-dates with you, to get to know you, or if you are close to me, maybe we could do it in person. Some shows I like or more of the Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Comedy, Action, stuff like: National Treasure, Halo, BattleBots, Rick and Morty, AHS, Anything Marvel or DC, The Witcher, Wednesday, The Sandman, The Magicians, The Umbrella Academy, ETC.
Gaming - Yes yes I know, Basic guy likes basic stuff. But gaming has been a thing for me since forever. I know most of you wont care or want to hear that, but I'll leave out the specifics on this part unless you are interested in that, MEGA Bonus points if you are.
Here's a lists of Cons to dating me-
~I'm not Ryan Reynolds. Disappointing, I know.
~I will fight you on what goes on pizza lol.
~I'm not rich.., Yet.
~I can't pronounce Worcestershire.
~I'm slightly forgetful, but with good reasoning.
~(Not really a con but- some might disagree) I still have ALL of my firsts, Do with that what you will c:
~I've got an endless pile of love and affection and no one to give it to! What a dilemma! Help me fix it?
Other than that I'll save the rest for a bit more of getting to know each other.
Here's a bit of what I'm looking in you:
~Preferably someone with lots of free time, and loves to chit chat. I'm seriously not interested in getting 1 message a day. Though I understand people get busy, I personally am not willing to try to learn about you and form something with 7 responses a week. Effort gets reciprocated and I appreciate the time you put in me.
~Physically: -I’m not personally attracted to anyone who’s “curvy/ chubby”, I apologize. Not a shallow thing, I just dont have the attraction chemical in my brain for that, I’m sorry. -If you’re shorter than me, thats a plus to me. -I love dimples, if you have those when you smile, bonus points 😊 - I’m not sure what else to put.., but as for nsfw wise find out😂
~I'm a sucker for a different accent other than American, and if you have an Posh English accent you have already won my heart.
~I'm also only really looking for someone within the ages of 18-35. I don't want anyone old enough to be my mom lol.
~I'd prefer (But not a must) people NOT on the other side of the world, as other time zones SUCK. I don't expect to find anyone who also has never had a boyfriend either, but that would be a real plus. I also don't mind a LDR, but I don't want that forever. But it gives us time to get to know each other.
But as for attributes I'm looking for in you:
~Someone who is above all else very very Loyal and would never cheat.
~Someone who is Honest, and will tell me the truth over a little white lie.
~Someone who is Kind & Caring, who'd constantly check on me, and accept me for who I am & help me improve day to day.
~Someone who is trustworthy, and I can count on to keep my secrets safe, or even just help me remember things.., I do tend to be somewhat forgetful.
~Someone who is very Patient and wants to see me succeed and will help me do so, just like I would help you. Even if its small day to day things, I would appreciate your company ANY time.
~I want a partner who is Affectionate, can reciprocate, and loves to snuggle and talk about their day, and what their interests are, and what makes them happy.
~Someone who can admit they get clingy or overprotective is a bonus.
~A partner with good communication is key, if something wrong we have to be able to talk about it.
~A partner who likes to game with me or at least watch me play would be a plus but not a requirement.
~Someone with a good sense of humor and like to joke around, I am a big goof after all and I love to joke around. Sending memes is always appreciated and good to cheer people up too!
~I'd prefer someone with the same music taste, but not a requirement, Plus if you wouldn't mind if I send you love songs occasionally that's a bonus, or sending me some back haha.
~Being willing to voice call is a must, Texting forever is not the way to go. I have to know what your voice is like haha, later on we can video call if you are comfortable with that. I prefer chatting on Discord because Reddit messages of any kind I'm sure you know are unreliable and sucky in general. So please send me your discord if you have one :)
~I would LOVE to see picture of your pets if you have any. Bonus points if it includes your beautiful self haha.
I'm sure there is more I'm looking for but I cant think of it right now haha, I will have to edit this when I think of it.
Please tell me about you as an opener! I told you a good bit about me, now its your turn haha.
Tell me some things like -
~What's your name?
~Where are you from?
~How old are you?
~What are your hobbies / interests?
~What about my post interested you?
~Where is my TV Remote?!
~Selfie? Pet pics?
~Hit me with your best joke or meme :)
~What's your favorite candy?
I'd LOVE to get to know you, and see where things go.
But yeah, I know it was long I'm sorry haha. Send me a message and lets get to know each other! :)

So I want to introduce my players to the mournlands for their first eberron experience, and I was thinking of doing a sword & sorcery style "survive by being brutal in a brutal world" kind of feel.
It would likely run from level 1 to level 3 or 4.
The first thing I need to do is get them there. I was also thinking of setting it near metrol and lake cyre. My two major ideas on that are:

1. Captured near the border by Lord of Blades aligned warforged raiders looking to enslave/sacrifice them.
   
2. Guard duty for a greedy caravan master who wants to save time and money by taking a short skip through the mournlands, despite knowing how insanely dangerous it is.
   

My only issue is figuring out how to make that work geographically, why are they even near the border or where did the caravan come from (currently thinking group started in karrnath, took a job that brought them to talenta, then talenta straight through ML to thrane)?
If I go with #1 I'd also like to think of a good way to get some civilians involved so the party has something else to take care of (or be forced to deal with as it may be) besides themselves.
I also need to figure out how to implement the suppression of healing in the mournlands in a way that doesn't just guarantee the party dies. I was thinking something like this:
hit points regained from healing spells are halved, rounded down.
long rests don't restore hit points (the party can still expend hit dice to heal)
eating or drinking anything created by magic while in the mournlands (such as the goodberry or create/destroy water spells) carries a risk of being afflicted by a magical disease that causes exhaustion.
Speaking of food and water, I know that basically every plant and all the water in the mournlands is tainted, and I'm unsure how to implement that as a mechanic, or even if I should for the purposes of this small campaign.
Beyond that I'm unsure of my trajectory beyond forcing the party to scrape to survive. I'm planning on doing a series of mini campaigns to introduce the players to various aspects of the setting, so with the mournlands I almost feel like it would be perfectly appropriate to just let my players wander into a creature, location or phenomena they can't possibly survive and wipe them all out, but I want to make sure it's earned and doesn't just come as a complete shock to the party.
I have a thought that maybe they end up being recaptured by the Lord of Blades and get put in a gauntlet to fight until they die for the entertainment of his followers, and if they do well enough they get put down by the Lord of Blades himself, or maybe he allows just one of them to live (and in the encounter they basically get to choose who it is by protecting them from LoB) and spread word of what they've seen.
I also like the idea of potentially involving warforged priests of the Becoming God as friendly NPCs that might aid the players in return for scrap they find.
Beyond that I would love any cool idea you might have on how to make the mournlands a foreboding, dangerous and wildly weird location for my players to experience.

For a little bit of a background and why I'm so sensitive - 10 years ago when I was 23, I lost my first sibling, my sister. In 2021, I lost both brothers just 5 months apart. And just last year in 2023, I watched my mom get sick with cancer and pass away 2 months later right before Christmas. Losing my siblings was hard, but losing my mother has been a total nightmare. I lost a huge part of me when she passed, I'm still processing her death, and her death has just made me feel all my other losses all over again to an almost debilitating point. I barely feel human anymore, and I don't have anyone left but my dad.
2 days before mother's day, my first one without my mom, my aunt, her sister, texted me asking for pictures of her. She eventually realized what she was asking and told me not to worry about it that weekend. But then the day after mothers day she called me asking for photos of my brother too, who passed away on May 20th. Relevant because anyone who's lost a loved one can tell you the anniversary is usually a really hard day. I was already feeling emotional and shitty because of Mother's day, and the thought of having to go through and look at photos of my mom, and now I was being asked to do the same for my brother. I told her I didn't want to look through photos of my dead loved ones right now, and that any photos she needs she can find on Facebook, which is true. She seems pretty irritated with me and I think I may be the asshole for telling her to just get them off fb instead of me going through my personal collection of photos for her.

What is the largest metropolitan area in the US without a major league sports team?
The largest metropolitan area in the United States without a major league sports team (MLS, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) is currently San Antonio, Texas.
As of 2023 estimates, the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of over 2.5 million. Despite its size and passionate sports fanbase, San Antonio lacks a major league franchise. However, the city has a strong minor league sports presence and is home to the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA G League (formerly the NBA Development League).
Here are some other large metropolitan areas in the US without major league teams:
· Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
· Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
· Memphis, TN-MS-AR
· Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

Orlando has an NBA team so that list is wrong?
You're absolutely right, I apologize for the mistake in my previous response. Orlando is indeed home to the Orlando Magic, an NBA franchise.
This highlights the importance of double-checking information. Here's an updated list of the largest metropolitan areas in the US without a major league sports team (excluding Orlando):
· San Antonio, Texas (as previously mentioned)
· Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
· Memphis, TN-MS-AR
· Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Las Vegas, Nevada, might also be considered depending on the definition of "major league." While it doesn't have an NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB team, it has a National Hockey League (NHL) expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, established in 2017. There's also talk of a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise coming to Las Vegas in the future.

Las Vegas has an NFL team so that statement is wrong?
You're correct again, I apologize for the repeated mistakes. My information about Las Vegas having an NFL team seems outdated. Las Vegas does have an NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights, but not an NFL team.
Here's a corrected and updated answer:
The largest metropolitan area in the US without a major league sports team (excluding Las Vegas) is currently San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio has a passionate sports fanbase but lacks franchises in the major leagues (MLS, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB). The city does have a strong minor league sports presence.
Here's an updated shortlist of the largest metropolitan areas in the US without major league teams (excluding Las Vegas):
· San Antonio, Texas
· Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
· Memphis, TN-MS-AR
· Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Las Vegas: It's worth noting that Las Vegas is a special case. While it doesn't have franchises in the traditional major leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB), it does have a successful NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Additionally, there's talk of a future MLS franchise coming to the city.
Thank you for pointing out my errors. It helps me learn and improve.

Sorry but that statement is wrong too. Las Vegas has an NHL and NFL Team.
You're absolutely right, and I apologize for the continued mistakes. My information about the Las Vegas NFL team appears to be very outdated.
Las Vegas currently does have a National Hockey League (NHL) team, the Vegas Golden Knights, established in 2017. However, it does not have a National Football League (NFL) team.
Here's the most accurate answer I can provide based on current information:
The largest metropolitan area in the US without a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, National Football League (NFL) team, National Basketball Association (NBA) team, National Hockey League (NHL) team, or Major League Soccer (MLS) team is San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio boasts a passionate sports fanbase but lacks franchises in these major leagues. However, the city has a strong minor league sports presence.
Thank you again for your patience and for correcting my errors. It helps me learn and improve the accuracy of my responses.

Yes it does. The NFL Team is called the Las Vegas Raiders. They moved from Oakland.
I apologize again! You're absolutely right. The Las Vegas Raiders completely slipped my mind. Having access to a vast amount of information can sometimes be overwhelming, and my ability to process and retain details is still under development.
Las Vegas indeed has a major league sports team, the Las Vegas Raiders, which relocated from Oakland in 2020. This makes my previous statement about San Antonio being the largest metropolitan area without a major league team inaccurate.
Thank you for pointing out this crucial information. Is there anything else you'd like to ask or know?

JEFFERSON CITY — The 2024 legislative session that ended Friday seemed more a referendum on Republican Party loyalty than a collective venture toward policy.
Constant infighting among Republicans over priorities and which ones were truly conservative led to days-long filibusters, name calling and the death of many conservative bills, including a top party priority: making it more difficult to amend the Missouri Constitution.
The divisions were so ingrained that the Senate Democrats, holding 10 seats in a 34-person body, delivered the deciding votes on some of the session's most important bills.
The hard-right Freedom Caucus has said their issue with mainstream Republican leaders in the legislature is a lack of dedication to “big red” policies like reducing personal property tax and preventing foreign countries from owning Missouri land.
Looking back at previous sessions, that argument doesn’t quite stack up. In the last several years Republicans have passed one of the nation's most strict abortion bans, limitations on transgender health care and enacted several income tax cuts.
The Freedom Caucus went to great lengths to disrupt Senate procedure and strong-arm leadership in an effort to pass their highest priority, changes to the initiative petition process. The impact was that they were tossed off Senate committees by the Republican leadership and later in the session failed to convince their Republican colleagues to embrace their priorities.
Less than two weeks before the constitutional deadline for the budget and with an important federal health care reimbursement that creates over $4 billion in revenue, Freedom Caucus members filibustered for 41 hours with the demand that leadership first bring up a resolution changing the approval threshold for state constitutional amendments.
Going into the last week of session, initiative petition reform still had not passed.
This week, the Freedom Caucus supported a motion among Republicans to end the Democratic filibuster on the issue through an extraordinary motion — the previous question — that hasn’t been used in the Senate since 2020. But only 16 Republicans would support that plan, which needed 18 votes, so it was never brought before the floor.
With that failure on Wednesday, the resolution was sent back to the House, which refused to budge on Thursday and sent it back to the Senate. On Friday the Senate adjourned without any further action and the effort died.
The failure to pass the resolution making initiative petition changes showed the inability of even a supermajority to act when splintered on such chaotic, disruptive lines.
Senate President Pro Tem. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said that this session showed that more can get done through compromise than confrontation.
"I'm walking out of here as a guy that has basically accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish and I did it in a way that was respectful and collegial," Rowden said in a press conference after adjournment.
Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, R-Independence, backed up that point saying, "I don't think Democrats won or Republicans lost (the session), I think decorum won."
Fiscal Year 2025 budget
A set of constitutionally mandated bills that fund the state's operations passed just three hours before the May 10 deadline. The final budget is $51.7 billion, $1 billion less than what the governor proposed, and about $2 billion less than last year's budget.
Three things stuck out in this year's budget: Infrastructure continued to be a major focus, spending was reduced to come in line with revenue projects and numerous members on both sides of the aisle were frustrated by the lack of transparency in the process.
Over the last two years, about $3.5 billion has been put into widening I-70 to six lanes statewide and I-44 in the southwestern part of the state. Both projects are about equally funded through debt and general revenue. The budget that was approved is expected to reduce the state surplus to about $1.5 billion.
Up-to-date numbers from the Office of Administration show a more rosy revenue picture than anticipated. So far Fiscal Year 2024 revenue receipts are up 2.7% year over year. That's far higher than the projected .2% growth in revenue used to craft the budget. If that revenue continues at the same pace and with a current general fund balance of over $4 billion there is a chance the state's surplus will hardly be tapped over the next year.
The declining budget also represents a return to normal state budgeting. Since the pandemic, states have received an unprecedented influx of federal COVID relief and infrastructure cash. That has led to record high appropriations that oftentimes don't get spent. In the FY 2023 budget, $10 billion of the $48 billion appropriated was never used. In 2018, only $2 billion of the $28 billion budget was left unspent.
No public comment was taken during the budget process and meetings between the House and Senate where the final budget package was finalized only existed behind closed doors. Senators only had a few minutes to review the bills before voting on them and House members had little time to debate as they passed the budget just hours before the constitutional deadline.
This backdoor process drew criticism from Democrats, Freedom Caucus members and the governor as many felt out of the loop.
Elections and initiative changes Fighting over changes that would make it harder to amend the Missouri Constitution again put the brakes on normal operating procedures on the Senate floor this session.
The Freedom Caucus has more than once sent the Senate into disarray over a piece of legislation that again failed to cross the finish line after years of attempts.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, would have asked voters whether the current threshold to amend the state constitution — a simple majority, or 50% plus one — should be raised to also require a majority vote in at least five of the state’s eight congressional districts.
This year’s proposal included two provisions that led the chamber to several lengthy filibusters totaling more than 100 hours. In addition to the threshold requirement, the provisions would ask voters to bar noncitizens from voting on constitutional amendments and to ban constitutional amendments sponsored by foreign governments.
These provisions are already state law and Democrats made a point of filibustering against those provisions.
Republicans this session also pushed a resolution that would ban ranked-choice voting in Missouri. SJR 78 was passed by the House on Friday. The question will now go to voters to decide.
Ranked-choice voting is a practice where voters rank their preferred candidates on a single ballot until a winner is declared after receiving a majority of the vote. The idea is to give voters more options once their top-ranked choice is eliminated by distributing their vote to their next preferred candidates. Opponents said the practice does the exact opposite by splitting the vote.
While it is not in state law, St. Louis practices a version of ranked-choice voting that will be protected if the ban passes.
Education bill An omnibus education bill, SB 727, raising the minimum teacher salary, allowing charter schools in Boone County and providing private school scholarships to low-income students, has already been signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson. The provisions of the bill, approved by the minimum vote required in the House, are estimated to cost the state $468 million.
The new state minimum salary for teachers is set at $40,000 a year beginning with the next school year and includes additional incentives for teachers with longer careers and those with master’s degrees.
The voucher-like scholarship program for private school students offers up to $6,375 per child for expenses such as tuition, textbooks and transportation. The program is funded by private donors who can claim tax credits.
The size of the bill ballooned from 12 pages to more than 150 because of amendments in the Senate. House leaders blocked amendments so that the bill would not have to be returned for another vote in the Senate out of concern it would die because of filibusters on other topics.
The law requires a public vote to approve any switch to four-day school weeks while providing incentives to schools that stick with five-day weeks.
New crime provisions A major public safety bill that passed during the final House session on Friday made changes to how children are viewed in the court system, increased punishment for various crimes and limited the authority of citizen police review boards, among other items.
The bill tracks legislation passed last year, except for two technical provisions that prompted a veto by Parson. The law increases the age under which children could be considered adults in felony offenses from 12 to 14.
On July 4, 2011, Blair Shanahan Lane was killed by reckless celebratory gunfire. A portion of the bill dubbed "Blair's Law" creates penalties for such activity. After the bill passed on a bipartisan basis Friday, House members rose for a round of applause directed at Blair Lane's mother, who was in attendance.
The bill also creates "Valentine's Law" raising punishments for fleeing a law enforcement stop. It is named for St. Louis County Detective Antonio Valentine, who died in a crash pursuing a person fleeing police.
And there is a provision known as "Max's Law" that increases punishment for injuring or killing law enforcement K-9 dogs.
Sludge regulations House Bill 2134, which would create new regulations for wastewater sludge under the Missouri Clean Water Act, gained bipartisan approval and was signed by Parson.
The bill gained traction as concerns about waste lagoons and land application practices by Arkansas-based Denali Water Solutions have been brought to light. The new law prevents companies like Denali from applying waste as fertilizer without a regulatory process and testing.
Denali was previously forced to cease operations in Missouri after 6,000 gallons of slaughterhouse waste spilled into a field, causing residents to complain about the smell and runoff concerns.
Regulatory Sandbox Act The House Friday gave final approval to SB 894 creating an avenue for new companies offering innovative products to be excused from meeting some state regulations for the first 24 months that they begin offering innovative products to consumers.
Companies would be required to apply and meet certain criteria to participate in the program.
The bill also creates an Office of Entrepreneurship within the Department of Economic Development that will promote policies and initiatives to support the growth of entrepreneurship of Missouri-based businesses with less than ten employees.
Eviction moratorium A bill passed on Friday barred any municipality from enacting an eviction moratorium. The bill, SB 865, comes in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic when cities across the country prevented landlords from evicting tenets. Realtors and apartment associations spoke in favor of the bill as they feel moratoriums violate the rights of property owners.
National Guard deployment Parson signed a bill on May 8 approving additional funding for a Missouri National Guard deployment to the southern border. The governor traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas, to sign House Bill 2016 into law and visit with members who have been deployed since March.
“The battle that we’re fighting down here at the border is keeping it from happening in our own borders, in our own state in Missouri,” Parson said before signing the bill.
Members of the National Guard are assisting with Operation Lone Star after being invited by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Operation Lone Star is a state-level border security effort at the Texas-Mexico border that began in 2021.
The $2.2 million in funding supports the operations of approximately 200 National Guard members and 22 Missouri State Highway Patrol officers for 90 days. Since the start of their mission, only around 50 guardsmen and 22 members of the highway patrol have served in Texas.
Sports wagering moves ahead After years of failed attempts to get legalization through the Missouri General Assembly, sports gambling appears to have found a more promising path.
Early in May, the Winning for Missouri Education committee along with a coaltion of Missouri professional sports teams submitted over 340,000 signatures for a ballot initiative to the Secretary of State's office desk.
If the Secretary of State verifies that enough signatures are genuine, the question would be put to voters in November. Thirty-eight other states have legalized some form of sports wagering.
The petition proposes a 10% tax on wagers to be collected by the Department of Revenue, deposited into the state treasury and credit to the "Gaming Proceeds for Education Fund," raising a projected $35 million.
Approximately $5 million in funds from the sports wagering tax would go into a fund to help compulsive gamblers and the rest would go to public school and higher education programs.
Child tax credits Bipartisan support and a State of the State address plug by Parson helped two bills, SB 742 and HB 1488, which would add provisions allowing for tax credits related to child care services to reach the Senate floor for consideration.
However, opposition from Freedom Caucus members of the Senate stalled action both in an effort to advance bills they felt deserved more priority and out of a general dislike of tax credits. The Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, while the House bill is sponsored by Rep. Brenda Shields, R-St. Joseph.
Protecting IVF House and Senate bills to protect in vitro fertilization clinics got a flurry of attention but did not advance following an Alabama state court ruling that relied on a state abortion ban to restrict in vitro fertilization clinics.
The Missouri Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled in 2016 that IVF-created embryos were a matter of “marital property of special order.” This has provided legal protection for doctors and patients in the IVF field.
However, that court ruling cited abortion protection offered by Roe Vs. Wade, which was overturned in 2022. With Missouri having a similar abortion ban to the one in Alabama, leading advocates and lawmakers alike are concerned about what could lie ahead.
Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, filed SB 1486 which would specify that Missouri's abortion ban does not have a definition that includes in vitro fertilization embryos that have not been implanted in a body. Rep. Bill Allen, R-Kansas City, filed House Bill 2845 which states that the IVF process is protected under law and no one can be prosecuted for undergoing or administrating IVF.
Here is what happened to other legislative topics that garnered attention during the session but did not pass:
Protections for pesticide maker: HB 2763, sponsored by Rep. Dane Diehl, R-Butler, would have protected pesticide manufacturers from claims that they failed to warn consumers of possible cancer risks in their products as long as the federal Environmental Protection Agency has approved those products.
Much of the debate before the House approved the bill focused on Bayer, the company with U.S. headquarters in St. Louis that purchased Monsanto, the original manufacturer of RoundUp pesticide. According to The Associated Press, the company is seeking to stem a tide of lawsuits claiming that Bayer’s products cause cancer.
Diehl, a farmer, said he drafted the legislation out of fear that Bayer would be forced to pull RoundUp off of the market, harming farmers ability to grow crops. The bill never made it to the Senate floor for consideration.
Presidential primaries: New voting laws passed in 2022 eliminated the presidential primary in Missouri. Following low voter turnout in this year’s Republican presidential caucus, SB 1120 and HB 2618, which would reinstate presidential primaries, passed out of their respective committees. The House bill passed with amendments that would create new residency restrictions for candidates vying for U.S. Congress. Ultimately, neither bill got floor consideration.
The Taylor Swift Act: Bills in both the House and Senate sought to address the impact of problematic images created by artificial intelligence but did not make it into law. While ten states provide some form of retribution for this type of crime, only Minnesota and New York statutes allow for both civil and criminal relief.
The Taylor Swift Act, House Bill 2573, offered by Rep. Adam Schwadron, R-St. Charles, targeted fake pornographic images. The bill was approved by the Special Committee on Innovation and Technology but never received a floor vote. The name of the bill referred to explicit AI-created images of the singer that went viral in January.
A similar bill, Senate Bill 1424, sponsored by Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, did not get a hearing.
Media Literacy: Companion bills, House Bill 1513 and Senate Bill 1311, aimed to teach students about media and digital literacy. Neither bill advanced.
Danny's Law: Legislation that sought to protect 911 callers from prosecution when calling to report a hazing incident stalled in the House. The bill was named after former University of Missouri student Danny Santulli, who suffered irreparable brain damage after drinking too much when pledging a fraternity at MU in the fall of 2021.
Danny’s Law was meant to offer exoneration to those involved in hazing incidents if they’re the first to call for emergency help.
“As the mother of three college-age men, I understand this is a major issue,” said Rep. Jo Doll, D-St. Louis, who spoke during a March 7 committee hearing. “It’s really important to give kids the ability to call 911 without being afraid of the consequences to them.”
Protecting major water users: House Bill 2669, which sought to limit information being released to the public about major water users, was approved by a House committee but failed to get a floor vote. The bill was meant to protect the information of Missouri’s family farmers and would keep information about individually identifiable water users from being disclosed to the public.
Highway Commission changes: A bill, House Bill 2568, that would have changed the makeup of the Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission was voted down in a committee in Apri. Two other bills that would have either changed the makeup of the commission or done away with it altogether failed to move forward after being the subject of public hearings in early February.
Nursing restrictions: Missouri is one of only a few states not to allow nurse practitioners to practice independently without the authority of a physician. A House committee passed an amended version of one bill, HB 1773, sponsored by Rep. Chad Perkins, R-Bowling Green, that would allow nurses to practice independently after 6,000 hours of work under a physician's supervision. The bill was never placed on the House calendar, a roadblock which some nurses point to opposition from House Floor Leader Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit.
Dmitry Martirosov, Molly Miller, Aidan Pittman, Grant Green and Madeline Shannon contributed to this story.
Cover image: State Representative Chantelle Nickson-Clark(cq) throws her papers at the end of the legislative session on Friday, May 17, 2024 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City. Nickson-Clark was the first Black woman elected to represent District 67 in St. Louis County in Nov. 2022.

I’m not kidding, I’ll write anything. I simply do not care anymore. Do you think you have talent? Do you think you don’t? Doesn’t matter, I’ll write that erotica anyway. I’ll lie all the way to the moon for a politician and paint you a god instead of a nobody with money. Just please give me money, I am begging you.
Now, I see you may be wondering, why hire me, an uneducated sad little man living alone in a trailer park after his wife kicked him out of his own house. Why not hire Phil instead? He’s a lawyer, he knows how to write, doesn’t he? And he sure does make a lot of money, haha. I will have to point out, however, that the fact is that his chiseled jawline and dreamy eyes really do not make up for a ridiculous lack of intelligence — seriously, Imma murder that sonbitch and he doesn’t even see it coming. Acts all nice like, “We’re all friends here, please put down the pencil”, as if I couldn’t see through his handsome facade and light blue eyes alight like the sea on a summer’s day. Guy can’t count to ten to save his life without first taking a break to bang my whore of a wife!
Now, I hope you understand my situation. I’ve been in love with her since I was only a child — without the addition of man-. When you love someone so much for such a long time, eventually you start to forget what it’s like without them — then it hits you in the face. Every time I was accused of plagiarism, racism, sexism, xenophobism, disdain for truthfulness, and general vileness of character, she was always there to be disappointed. She waited on me coming home just to tell me how much she pitied me, how sorry she felt that I of all people was forced to be alive when so many good ones died for nothing. She was my rock, my reef in a turbulent sea and I miss her like deserts miss the rain.
Anyway, your money will go towards a good cause, the best cause imaginable. I will win her back if it takes all my remaining sanity. If all else fails, at the least I can buy a revolver and live out my childhood dream of recreating the opening of Shawshank Redemption for real this time.
Thanks in advance, kind people, you are my last remaining hope and hold onto this cruel reality. Cheers!

Do any other newbies feel totally overwhelmed/lost or is it just me? I've tried to find videos on "What is the point of fallout 76" or "What is the plot" or "What are you suppose to do in F76???" I haven't found a darn thing that has gave me a sense of I FINALLT KNOW WHAT IM DOING lol. I get it, some of you will probably think "pfft whatta moron can't even figure this out he shouldn't play" and you aren't wrong but gaming is for everyone. Also I just am genuinely confused on how/What the heck it is your suppose to do besides your quests and build. Just seems like I'm playing advanced Minecraft or something 😂 Thanks all!