Ok, hear me out about this. For one, I am not saying that Yasuke's inclusion in Assassin's Creed Shadows at all is bad. That was hyperbole. Nor am i saying his role as a playable protagonist is bad.
However, i would like to observe the cultural circumstances surrounding, a) the issues that Asian men specifically face in Western media in particular, and b) the choice made here to have Yasuke in the male playable protagonist role, and what that means for representation of both Black and Asian people (i think solidarity is cool👍🏼), from a Japanese-American person's perspective.
Asian men (specifically men, keep this in mind, often of East, Southeast or South Asian descent) have a long history of being seen as weak, feminine, desexualized and unrelatable in Western media. This is why the inclusion of characters like Shang-Chi from the Marvel comics or Waymond Wang from Everything Everywhere All At Once are so important. Asian-American men being treated as strong, and as relatable characters, is an abnormality in media made in the West.
Counter-argument: "BUT WHAT ABOUT ANIME?" For one, I am talking about Western media specifically here (which is where AC Shadows is being made), but two, as this game will likely be consumed by Western audiences predominantly, I don't find the citation of anime, a foreign media, to be a very good counter-argument to my point here, because Asian-American people should not have to resort to looking to countries that are not their homes to provide representation for them. I've never been to Japan. I don't know how to speak the language. I find the idea that I *must* turn to foreign media for representation to be condescending.
Continuing from my first point, I find it to be, let's say, concerning, that when Ubisoft decided to make an Assassin's Creed game set in feudal Japan, and decided to keep the male protagonist/female protagonist split they've had since Assassin's Creed Syndicate, that they decided, for the first time in the series' history, to have a playable protagonist be an actual historical figure, conveniently taking the place of what would otherwise have gone to an Asian man, a group that has been historically under-represented in relatable protagonist roles in Western media.
And I would be less miffed about this decision had the female protagonist role also gone to a real person; at least then it would be consistent, but Naoe is not a real historical figure; this decision was made exclusively for Yasuke.
Now, let's make something clear; Yasuke's inclusion is not bad. Yasuke's inclusion as a playable protagonist is not bad. Yasuke is a very interesting historical figure and I cannot wait to see how Assassin's Creed Shadows will make his story fucking boring like this godforsaken series does with everything else explore this person. However, the fact that a game set in feudal Japan was unable to imagine an Asian man who would be relatable to a wide audience, and that this series set across the world at different times was unable to imagine an African protagonist in, say, pre-colonial Africa, is not an occurrence in a cultural vacuum.
Thank you for reading, please be civil.

Hi, I'm a ftm with a 6mo. I've read that babies should have 4 to 5 bottles at this age and MIL is also nagging about it. Currently feeding 5am, 8:30, 11:30, 3:00 pm, 6:00, 8:00 for 6 bottles of 150 to 170cc. He usually gets 900 to 1000 cc..
It would help us make time in the evening for solids if we could drop the 6pm bottle feed. I'm trying to extend time between feeds 30 minutes, increase the amount in the other bottles (10 to 20 cc), while decreasing the 6pm feed.
It's precarious and after 2 attempts hasn't worked. Everytime he just ends up drinking less milk, mostly because he can't finish the bigger bottles. It also consistently leads to middle of the night wakings because he's hungry!
Do I need to give him more time to adjust? How did you do it if you succeed or is it even necessary? I like feeding on demand but MIL offers daycare and is obsessed with timing. We live in East Asia where baby lead practices are often ignored.

i've been looking around at anchorage on google maps lately for no particular reason (i peruse google maps on a frequent basis but i've been stuck on yall) and i'm seeing that you have a lot of potential to become a much bigger city. and not with sprawling, with density. it's honestly something you should anticipate, climate refugees are gonna start being more of a thing, alaska is cheap and beautiful and it won't be sizzling or drying out or flooding any time soon, plus the us as a whole is the #1 immigrant destination, so a non-insignificant amount of growth could be coming from them in the future. and that's not to say that your city will end up swamped with destitute people, moving this far away is gonna be a task only done by the wealthier of those that are soon to be fucked by co2.
but the point is that with the political will, anchorage could be an urbanist metropolis no matter who may end up in the future. you have about 70 mi2 of usable land, after excluding your many amazing parks (the urbanized area of the bowl excluding elmendorf and anc and surrounding parks is 77 but there's a lot of parks within there and merrill field). without using excessive densities or losing parks, the anchorage bowl could house 1 million people, a density of a little over 14,000/mi2, or about 1/3 of the density of koreatown in la. and this wouldn't be uniform, some of the area i included is steep hills in the bear valley area, or industry, so those would have fewer people, and downtown would ofc be denser and have more. considering the amount of empty non-parky space around the city, that could be developed into dense, mixed use areas where people both live and work. additional services like schools, fire stations, hospitals, etc, would obviously also be part of densifying a city. legalizing multiplexes on single family lots alone could easily double or triple your population because of how large your lots are, and that'll also introduce gentle density into existing suburbs without destroying the fabric of the neighborhood. your existing strip malls could also be redone to include a lot more commercial area. but places across the us are overbuilt for commercial, with several times as many sf of commercial as countries in europe, a big reason why so many storefronts are empty (there's just too many), so more commercial areas might not be as necessary as redesigning them. office space could also be increased in density, both in downtown and across the city, commuter suburbs create terrible traffic. speaking of downtown, most of the historic buildings have been gutted for parking or new highrises, leaving it just a shell of what it once was. a whole lot of infill is gonna be needed, and while that might seem impossible because of the amount of earthquakes you get, take a look at japan, that's what i also say to people that think more skyscrapers in la is a bad thing. japan has stronger earthquakes than even alaska, but they don't fall down too often.
now for the transportation aspect, good job if you've read this far. first of all, i 100% acknowledge that more people own more cars and therefore make more traffic. but not everyone needs to drive all the time, if we get people to drive less they'll own less cars and make less traffic. now that does also seem hard, you're in alaska and if there's one thing you're known for it's being cold. but we can learn a lesson from finland here. oulu has similar temperature variations to anchorage (just a little colder in the dead of winter) and a little bit less precipitation. helsinki is slightly warmer and wetter as well. but both of these places have plenty of active transportation, even in the winter. oulu is known as the winter cycling capital of the world and has excellent bike infrastructure made especially for the winter, with frequent plowing of bike paths. pedestrian and bike infrastructure is significantly cheaper than roads and could easily be massively beefed up to crisscross the anchorage bowl. about half of trips made in the us are under 3 miles, so most-all of those could be replaced with walking and biking, and in most places outside the us they are. now on to transit. your transit system sucks. it hardly has any routes and many are infrequent. i haven't visited (i would love to) but i've looked at a map of it once and it was so tiny. with 5x as many people you could support a whole lot more bus routes, and probably even two rail lines, one north-south from downtown to the south of the city and one east-west from the airport to uaa. if they were to be adequately grade separated (road crossings aren't level so it doesn't interact with traffic) and run frequently enough then they could easily serve a city of a million, and higher density development would be clustered around those stations, again like they do in japan and what is slowly starting to happen along the e line here in la. something like 40-50 bus lines traveling primarily straight down arterials but some also connecting specific places + the two rail lines (could totally be light rail) would be great for a city of that size. bus lanes on some streets would separate them from cars and could be implemented on street segments where multiple bus routes run. and lastly, car transportation. we're deprioritizing car transportation in this idea so no major upgrades would be necessary. one thing i absolutely love about your roads is the roundabout exits, and having them in some other places too, roundabouts are great ways to keep traffic constantly flowing and eliminate lights. keep it up with that. the only main thing would be to pave your roads in the southern end and maybe turn some of them into two lane roads with sidewalks, since there'll be a somewhat higher volume of cars. also a big thing to consider is eliminating minimum parking requirements to make the cost of construction, maintenance, and later renting/buying places cheaper, and it'll reduce people's inclination to own a car if there's less parking everywhere.
this is all hypothetical, but should you ever get an influx of population for whatever reason i would suggest you guys put out proposals to enable good urbanism practices in the city and maybe the whole state. if you agree with these types of things, run for public office, be the person who engineers these things, it takes the power of the people to get change done in a democracy. so the easiest and most effective thing you can do is vote, if enough people vote the right way then change can be made.
in all honesty i am expecting a flood of downvotes from nimbys. also fyi i am from los angeles where changes like these are happening and i've done plenty of research on this topic cuz it's kinda my nerd thing. i used to want to move to anchorage but i've set my sights on seattle and vancouver now, i might not move away from here but i would totally to escape the hot weather (i am the total opposite of a snowbird). thank you for reading this insanely long post

I’ve noticed this sub in particular has had a very ahistorical and reactionary position on the concept of “patriotism” that I think needs rectified. I’m open to hear everyone’s positions and disagreements on the matter, but I don’t often see the “pro patriotism” position even coherently mentioned so I’d figure I’d give it a shot.
First off, I think it’s important to understand that when socialists say they support “patriotism”, they are talking about proletarian patriotism, which is intrinsically connected to internationalism and is even argue a central component to Marxism Leninism. It is a patriotism that focuses on the betterment of their conditions for its people, for people to come together to help each other, and to promote the idea that everyone should participate and help each other promote and perpetuate these principles. It isn’t nationalism, it isn’t hyper militaristic pro imperialist patriotism, in essence it doesn’t take a class collaborative form. It doesn’t promote the nation above all, nor that class collaboration in the form of developing pro-imperialist positions should be advocated for in order to maintain the nation. It does not uphold some mystical nation as a concept that must be protected.
I think that the idea that America has some uniquely (exceptional) impure history that makes patriotism an unusable tactic to be the same as buying into American Exceptionalism. In fact I think it is an essential tactic that we must utilize, otherwise we give up so much concessions and ground to fascists.(read the Dimitrov quote I give below on the subject.)
I also believe that people often forget that patriotism was utilized by essentially every Marxist Leninist figure throughout all of history. Here are just a few quotes:
“On their own part, the progressive forces in the mass organizations have made considerable appeal to American patriotism and traditions for constructive ends. But this appeal has usually been weak, spasmodic, and ineffective. The workers, farmers, professionals, have not understood how to bring forth in their agitation the basically constructive role they have played historically in building American democracy. ​ In this respect the revolutionary movement has been especially weak. From the foundation of the Socialist Labor Party in the 1870’s, down through the life of the Socialist Party and the IWW, and during the early years of the Communist Party, there was a dominant tendency to ignore and to scorn American tradition and love of country. This arose out of a narrow, sectarian conception of internationalism, and it did much to weaken the position of the revolutionaries in the organizations of the patriotically minded toiling masses. Here again, a better study of Marx and Lenin would have prevented this grievous error. Only during the past few years, notably since the Seventh World Congress of the Communist International and through the writings of Comrade Browder, is real progress being made by our Party in correcting this costly mistake and in basing itself upon a correct Leninist line.
The cultivation of the democratic, revolutionary American traditions among the mass organizations is one of the most important tasks in the building of the democratic front. We must not permit the reactionaries to steal and distort the national traditions and aspirations of the people. The great democratic masses must be taught by constant reference to American history that it was their struggles in the past that built our republic, that the democratic front movement of today is the continuation of all the fights for liberty in the history of our own country; that in the achievement of the current demands of the masses lies the fruition of all that is progressive and glorious in American history; that socialism is the climax toward which the entire historic struggle of the democratic American people inevitably tends.” - William Z Foster.
“Is a sense of national pride alien to us, Great-Russian class-conscious proletarians? Certainly not! We love our language and our country, and we are doing our very utmost to raise her toiling masses (i.e., nine-tenths of her population) to the level of a democratic and socialist consciousness. To us it is most painful to see and feel the outrages, the oppression and the humiliation our fair country suffers at the hands of the tsar’s butchers, the nobles and the capitalists. We take pride in the resistance to these outrages put up from our midst, from the Great Russians; in that midst having produced Radishchev,[3] the Decembrists[4] and the revolutionary commoners of the seventies[5]; in the Great-Russian working class having created, in 1905, a mighty revolutionary party of the masses; and in the Great-Russian peasantry having begun to turn towards democracy and set about overthrowing the clergy and the landed proprietors.
We remember that Chernyshevsky, the Great-Russian democrat, who dedicated his life to the cause of revolution, said half a century ago: “A wretched nation, a nation of slaves, from top to bottom—all slaves."[6] The overt and covert Great-Russian slaves (slaves with regard to the tsarist monarchy) do not like to recall these words. Yet, in our opinion, these were words of genuine love for our country, a love distressed by the absence of a revolutionary spirit in the masses of the Great-Russian people. There was none of that spirit at the time. There is little of it now, but it already exists. We are full of national pride because the Great-Russian nation, too, has created a revolutionary class, because it, too, has proved capable of providing mankind with great models of the struggle for freedom and socialism, and not only with great pogroms, rows of gallows, dungeons, great famines and great servility to priests, tsars, landowners and capitalists.
We are full of a sense of national pride, and for that very reason we particularly hate our slavish past (when the landed nobility led the peasants into war to stifle the freedom of Hungary, Poland, Persia and China), and our slavish present, when these selfsame landed proprietors, aided by the capitalists, are loading us into a war in order to throttle Poland and the Ukraine, crush the democratic movement in Persia and China, and strengthen the gang of Romanovs, Bobrinskys and Purishkeviches, who are a disgrace to our Great-Russian national dignity. Nobody is to be blamed for being born a slave; but a slave who not only eschews a striving for freedom but justifies and eulogises his slavery (e.g., calls the throttling of Poland and the Ukraine, etc., a “defence of the fatherland” of the Great Russians)—such a slave is a lickspittle and a boor, who arouses a legitimate feeling of indignation, contempt, and loathing.
No nation can be free if it oppresses other nations,” said Marx and Engels, the greatest representatives of consistent nineteenth century democracy, who became the teachers of the revolutionary proletariat. And, full of a sense of national pride, we Great-Russian workers want, come what may, a free and independent, a democratic, republican and proud Great Russia, one that will base its relations with its neighbours on the human principle of equality, and not on the feudalist principle of privilege, which is so degrading to a great nation. Just because we want that, we say: it is impossible, in the twentieth century and in Europe (even in the far east of Europe), to “defend the fatherland” otherwise than by using every revolutionary means to combat the monarchy, the landowners and the capitalists of one’s own fatherland, i.e., the worst enemies of our country.” - Lenin
“Can a Communist who is also an internationalist at the same time be a patriot? We hold not only that he can, but that he must.” - Mao
“Communists are the most patriotic Americans I have ever met, and you all are the non-patriots.” ( towards the HUAC) - Paul Robeson.
“Under no circumstances must we underrate fascism's power of ideological infection. On the contrary, we for our part must develop an extensive ideological struggle based on clear, popular arguments and a correct, well thought out approach to the peculiarities of the national psychology of the masses of the people. The fascists are rummaging through the entire history of every nation so as to be able to pose as the heirs and continuators of all that was exalted and heroic in its past, while all that was degrading or offensive to the national sentiments of the people they make use of as weapons against the enemies of fascism. Hundreds of books are being published in Germany with only one aim -- to falsify the history of the German people and give it a fascist complexion. The new-baked National Socialist historians try to depict the history of Germany as if for the past two thousand years, by virtue of some historical law, a certain line of development had run through it like a red thread, leading to the appearance on the historical scene of a national 'savior', a 'Messiah' of the German people, a certain 'Corporal' of Austrian extraction. In these books the greatest figures of the German people of the past are represented as having been fascists, while the great peasant movements are set down as the direct precursors of the fascist movement. Mussolini does his utmost to make capital for himself out of the heroic figure of Garibaldi. The French fascists bring to the fore as their heroine Joan of Arc. The American fascists appeal to the traditions of the American War of Independence, the traditions of Washington and Lincoln. The Bulgarian fascists make use of the national-liberation movement of the seventies and its heroes beloved by the people, Vassil Levsky, Stephan Karaj and others. Communists who suppose that all this has nothing to do with the cause of the working class, who do nothing to enlighten the masses on the past of their people in a historically correct fashion, in a genuinely Marxist-Leninist spirit, who do nothing to link up the present struggle with the people's revolutionary traditions and past -- voluntarily hand over to the fascist falsifiers all that is valuable in the historical past of the nation, so that the fascists may fool the masses.” - Dimitrov.
"Marxism-Leninism is ultimately deeply internationalist, and at the same time, deeply patriotic." -Fidel Castro
"Patriotism is not an empty concept. Education in patriotism cannot be conducted simply by erecting the slogan, 'Let us arm ourselves with the spirit of socialist patriotism! educating people in the spirit of patriotism must begin with fostering the idea of caring for every tree planted on the roadside, for the chairs and the desks in the school.
You have to begin with what is within the grasp of the younger generation, things that relate to their lives, and then gradually move on to educating them to defend consciously the interests of the country and the people. There is no doubt that a person who has formed the habit of cherishing common property from childhood on will grow up to be a valuable patriot."- Kim Il-sung
"From the commencement of the titanic American strife, the workingmen of Europe felt instinctively that the star-spangled banner carried the destiny of their class. The contest for the territories which opened the dire epopee, was it not to decide whether the virgin soil of immense tracts should be wedded to the labor of the emigrant or prostituted by the tramp of the slave driver?" -Karl Marx
"The history of modern, civilized America opened with one of those great, really liberating, really revolutionary wars of which there have been so few compared to the vast number of wars of conquest which, like the present imperialist war, were caused by squabbles among kings, landowners or capitalists over the division of usurped lands or ill-gotten gains.
That was the war the American people waged against the British robbers who oppressed America and held her in colonial slavery, in the same way as these "civilized" bloodsuckers are still oppressing and holding in colonial slavery hundreds of millions of people in India, Egypt, and all parts of the world." -Vladimir Lenin
"We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America. Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson scratched across the pages of history the majestic word of the Declaration of Independence, we were here." -Martin Luther King Jr
“Us on the Left are second to no one in our patriotism.” - Michael Parenti

Hello,
I‘m a South East Asian student currently doing my masters in Medical Engineering in Germany and will be finishing my masters next year. I did my bachelors in Germany as well. My focus in the study has been mainly in equipment/instruments and prosthetics, so more stuffs from mechanical, chemical, material, and a bit electrical engineering. So, programming is not very involved. However, I did some Java and Python basics during my bachelor.
During my time at the university, I did a few part time jobs, the one currently at a hospital as a biomedical engineer as well. However, I still find it difficult to aim what I want to do next in my career. Precisely, which profession and where (company, hospital, etc.).
My ideas now are Field Service Engineering in companies like General Electric and shifting to IT Analyst/Consultant in consulting companies (PWC, Deloitte)
To my fellow biomedical engineers, I need your help with the following questions:

1. What positions or jobs do biomed engineers normally have and in which company?
2. Is programming skills a big of a deal?
3. Where is the career prospect at best for our field, in Europe (Germany, Netherlands) or South East Asia (Singapore, Indonesia)?

Thanks in advance!
TL:DR biomed engineering student in germany needs your advice on these three questions above :)

It's been a slow day, so l'm looking for some good people to get to know. I live on the east coast, but have lived in different parts of the country. I enjoy being active, lifting, running, and swimming. I'm currently between semester in my masters program, so l have a lot of spare time.
When I'm not at work or working on school I like to go camping, take my dog to the beach, kayak, or practice my shooting or archery.
Let's talk!

Given the country demographic of Reddit as well as the primary banks offering large transferrable bonuses being in the US, most of the redemptions we discuss are focused on leaving from or return to the US. However, it's also interesting to discuss flights that don't touch the US for several reasons:

1. More availability
   1. First and foremost, availability is everything in the award space, luckily, most other countries are not as easily able to tap into the award space. Flights between the other continents are plentiful, I rarely have a hard time finding space between Asia, Europe, or even Oceania. There's usually many seats and many dates available, even when looking only a month or so out.
2. Different (Better?) experiences
   1. This is ofc subjective, but many East Asian airlines offer superior in-flight experience, whether it's the food, service, or simply the fact that they offer much more widebody flights on short hops, compared to the US being mostly narrowbody. You can experience widebody seats in Asia almost all the time, imagine flying SQ's business class on a 2 hour flight! Lounge access is plentiful and often higher quality as well.
3. Lower redemption costs
   1. This is the bread and butter of the award game and will the focus of this post. Simply put, everyone wants to milk the North American market and we're also super far away from everything, so we have some of the highest redemption costs out there. For example, you could fly from Dubai to Seoul via Singapore Airlines in J for only 80k Aeroplan miles! With an additional 5k for the stopover, you'd be able to experience 2 longhaul SQ flights in business class, that's pretty great value if you ask me.

But, you might say, ok but I don't live in Europe or Asia, I live in the US, so this doesn't even matter to me!
One of the reasons this can be practical is for extended trips or RTWs! You're already traveling to another continent, so why not explore for a few more days? With this in mind, let's talk about a few popular programs and what their sweet spots are for non-US redemptions. Feel free to share your own in the comments below.

• Delta SkyMiles
  • Starting with the most hated program out there, this is in fact one of the only existing sweet spots out there anymore for SkyMiles
  • Oceania to East Asia for 65k miles
  • Oceania to SE Asia for 70k miles
  • Oceania to Europe for 90k miles
  • East Asia to SE Asia for 40k miles
  • Europe to Middle East for 42.5k miles
  • Europe to India for 65k miles
  • Europe to East Asia and SE Asia for 80k miles
• Flying Blue
  • While Delta does technically cover the SkyTeam availability, I bring that up because SkyMiles have so few practical uses in the first place.
  • Flying Blue is mostly zone based, so you could do somthing like Europe to most of Asia for 70k miles. However, technically because of the zones, you're actually able to get it for even less when coupled w/ your North American leg. For example, LAX-CDG-HND would be 95k miles with a free stopover vs 50k for the LAX-CDG + 70k for the CDG-HND.
• Aeroplan
  • This one is all distance based, but you can get some pretty sick deals. For example, 45k miles for up to 5000 miles long or 60k miles for a 5001 to 7000 miles within the Pacific is pretty awesome. For example, most of East Asia to most of Oceania would only be 45k miles! So the key is play around with distances and see how it all pans out.
• Avianca Lifemiles
  • Lifemiles is region based so the award chart is a little bit different, I had a bit of a hard time researching this, weirdly they have an "others" region for Oceania that doesn't match the pricing for the opposite direction.
  • Oceania to East Asia for 50k miles in business class, 62.5k miles in first class vs East Asia to Oceania for 40k in business class, 50k in first class
  • Oceania to SE Asia for 50k miles in business class, 75k in first class vs SE Asia to Oceania for 40k miles in business class vs 60k in first class
  • Northern Europe to East Asia for 75k in business class, 115k in first class vs East Asia to Northern Europe
  • Northern Europe to SE Asia for 78k in business class, 102k in first class
  • So based on this, depending on where you go and which direction you fly it could be better or worse than Aeroplan
• AA
  • AA is zone based, but I have a hard time finding an actual award chart from them for non-US zones, so these are all based on surface level research
  • Oceania to East Asia for 40k in business, 60k in first class
  • Oceania to Europe for 85k miles
  • Middle East to Europe for 42.5k miles
  • East Asia to SE Asia for 30k miles in business, 40k in first class
  • East Asia to Middle East for 40k miles in business, 50k in first class
  • East Asia to Europe for 75k miles
  • This level of redemption pricing is really good and will not last. Imagine getting an almost 7 hour flight in JAL F from BKK to HND for 40k miles!
• AS
  • Alaska is now also a distance based program after the devaluation. In general, the key is to look for those routes that lie just under the max zone.
  • For me I enjoy the 15k miles spot for flights just under 1500 miles, which is perfect for regional Asia flights. Using their partner Starlux in TPE, many Asian destinations are available such as all of Japan, Korea, SGN/HAN/CEB. Unfortunately, going up one band to the 1501-3000 is 45k/50k miles for Europe/Asia, which is over 3x the cost, so definitely nowhere near as worth it.
  • The band right after though is quite good value, at 3001 to 5000 miles or 55k/60k miles, but still inferior to AA. You could do East Asia to Australia for 60k in business or 90k in first. This is 50% higher cost than AA, so AA is still preferrable.

With that, that just about covers most of the core, major alliance programs. I choose these as these are generally the better value programs, for example Aeroplan generally has lower costs than UA. And AA/AS are much cheaper than Avios.

Summary (or tl;dr)

In my opinion, the following are quite awesome.

• SkyTeam
  • The fact that you can even efficiently redeem Delta SkyMiles
  • Use the free Flying Blue stopover for combined segments rather than breaking your trip into two to save on points
• Star Alliance
  • Asia Pacific 45k Aeroplan for flights up to 5000 miles
  • Asia/Europe 60k Aeroplan for flights up 5000 miles
  • East Asia to Oceania for 40k LifeMiles in business class, 50k in first class
• Oneworld
  • Almost all of AAs are really good, in particular:
    • Oceania to East Asia for 40k in business, 60k in first class
    • East Asia to SE Asia for 30k miles in business, 40k in first class
    • East Asia to Middle East for 40k miles in business, 50k in first class
  • 15k AS miles for regional Asia flights under 1500 miles

So, you don't need to book an ANA RTW to experience all these other products. If you can escape the US, then try extending your trip with one of these sweet spots and get even more return on value.
Feel free to share other sweetspots you've found or ones with other programs.

Recently, my school organized a special lecture on the history of the Orient.This lecture was called "The Miracle of the Han River," and it was given by a professor from outside Korea.I was very curious about Korea, so I was looking forward to this lecture. In fact, the reason why this lecture was held was at the request of the students. Since Korean culture has been penetrating into American society for a long time, and many things that we enjoy without thinking are related to Korea, students were curious about what Korea is like.
Then Patrick, the student leader and president of our school, asked the teachers if they could organize a special lecture on Korean history, and they accepted, and eventually the whole class gathered in the auditorium and participated in the lecture. Often, our school invites outside professors to give lectures like this, and most of the time, the interest in such lectures is very high, and the lecture on Korean history was also extremely popular. However, the lectures that invite professors from prestigious universities and the opportunity to gain new knowledge about Korea are popular enough to fill the gymnasium.On this day, there were many students in the gymnasium converted into a lecture hall.As the professor entered, gave a brief introduction, and announced the topic of the day's lecture, everyone looked at him with interest. The professor said that he was asked to give a lecture on the history of the East, and when he was thinking about what topic to tell the students, he thought it would be better to talk about the modern history and economic development of Korea, and for two hours without a break, he explained in depth, in detail, easily understandable, and really interesting.
The professor's first words were impactful: "You all know Haiti, the country that receives U.S. aid, suffered a major earthquake about 15 years ago and has never recovered from it, and is in a state of chaos as one of the poorest countries in the world." "But how would you feel if, 30 years later, you were told to congratulate Haiti on becoming an economic powerhouse?" "I'm the generation that actually witnessed it. "I'm the generation that actually saw that happen, where we were the poorest country in the world, and all of a sudden, we were told that we were an economic powerhouse and that we should be congratulated."The students were surprised to learn that South Korea was once the poorest country in the world, even though it was still a decade after the end of World War II.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Korea was a very poor country until the middle of the 20th century, but since the 1960s, it has experienced rapid economic growth and made remarkable progress, which has been called the 'Miracle on the Han River', and today I am going to tell you the story."
From the beginning of the lecture, the students listened attentively as the professor engaged their interest, and I was particularly curious about how South Korea was able to develop so quickly.
"Korea was devastated after the Korean War in the 1950s, but in the 1960s, a government-led economic development plan began.At that time, Korea made a five-year plan for economic development under the leadership of the government, and fostered industries centered on heavy chemical industries such as steel, chemicals, and electronics.In addition, the country invested heavily in education, and many talented people were produced based on high educational enthusiasm."
The professor's explanation was very detailed and interesting, and I was in awe as he talked about Korea's economic development.
"In particular, in the 1970s, the Saemaul movement was launched to promote the development of rural areas and improve the living standards of the people."At that time, residents in rural areas voluntarily maintained their villages and strived for the development of their communities."These efforts helped Korea to rapidly transform from an agriculture-oriented society to an industry-oriented society.""And this Saemaul movement has become an example for many developing countries to this day, and countless policies have been implemented to copy Korea's Saemaul movement. "It is now accepted wisdom that Korea's Saemaul movement was a seemingly simple campaign that contributed tremendously to building the country's economic foundation, with reports of rapid development in some cases and failure in others." "Korea has written a textbook curriculum on how to grow an economy, and its achievements have become a model."
I realized how much effort Korea, which was poor in the past, made to grow its economy.It was a huge lecture of 2 hours, so I can only write down the core flow, so please understand.The process of Korea laying the economic foundation and starting the high-speed growth was really interesting, and there were many points where I learned how much effort Korean policy researchers made at that time.And the efforts of Korean people who believed in the government and followed the policy, even sacrificing themselves, were also great.
"Today, Korea is an IT powerhouse, with world-class companies such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai Motor, which have great influence in the global market and are an important pillar of Korea's economy." "The characteristic of Korean companies is that they have always strived to develop technology. "There are five technological powers in the world," he said, "the United States, Germany, Japan, Korea, and France." "The United States and Germany have been doing research and development since the Industrial Revolution, while France has been doing research and development since the Industrial Revolution, and Japan received a huge amount of aid from the United States in 1950, taking advantage of the Korean War. It was thought that Japan, which started 20 years earlier than Korea, would be recognized as the last technological power of the 20th century, but how Korea, which started research and development from the 1970s onwards, became the world's fifth technological power, was a very interesting topic among professors in the 1990s.
And unlike Japan, Korea became a semiconductor powerhouse in the 21st century, and even succeeded in fostering an industry that Japan did not, and created a great foundation for Korea to become a developed country.Look at the iPhone you're using right now, and look at it.Do you see a Samsung product in there?
Most Americans think that the iPhone is made by Apple and developed by Apple, but many of the components in it come from Korea, and without Korea, the product you're using would be half as powerful as it is today.
The professor kept the students' attention for the entire two-hour lecture, explaining the difficult content in terms of the smartphones they use.
At the end of the lecture, the professor said that there are only two role models of economic development in the 20th century, Germany's development and Korea's development are very meaningful, and if you want to major in economics or international affairs, you should familiarize yourself with these contents because they are all liberal arts contents.
And originally, this kind of lecture should be 200 hours instead of 2 hours, but since it was shortened to a hundred and one, the fun is only a hundred and one, and if you want to hear more details, you should study hard and go to the prestigious university where you are, and the excellent lecture ended with the story.
After the lecture, I wanted to ask the professor more questions, but there were already a lot of students gathered around him.Then, my friend Xiao approached me.Xiao was a student who was educated in China until elementary school and then moved to the United States."Avery, how did you like the lecture?" Xiao asked me. I really liked the lecture and I have a lot of questions, so I wanted to ask the professor, but I could already hear the other students lamenting that they wouldn't be able to because the professor was surrounded by other students.I had to leave the lecture hall with Xiao, who was listening to the lecture with interest next to me.As we walked down the hall, I continued to talk to Xiao.Minhwa and Jia told me that they didn't know why they hated Korea so much, and they had to tell me a frustrating story.
In fact, Minhwa and Jia are two students who are very anti-Korean, especially since the student council voted for and against this lecture, and there were two votes against it, so everyone could tell that it was Minhwa and Jia from China, and their anti-Korean feelings, or even hatred, were very strong.
Xiao told me that today's lecture was very different from what they teach in China, and what the professor told us today. Of course, in China, they teach distorted facts, and they don't believe in it, but if you're like Min Hua or Jia, who went to school in China until middle school, it's natural to have a negative opinion of Korea.
Xiao's words were sincere because he had lived in China until elementary school and had been educated in China, so he knew the reality of China very well.In China, Korea is often taught negatively, and Xiao also said that when he went to elementary school in China, he was taught that way, but when he came to the United States and was exposed to different perspectives, he realized that it was wrong.
At that moment, Minhwa and Jia walked up to us, or maybe I should say they walked up to Xiao.Minhwa had a disgruntled look on her face."Korea is so great? I never think so, Korea is worse than our China," Minhwa said unhappily.Jia, who had an equally unhappy look on her face, also spoke up."Right. What's so great about Korea, our China is better."
I was offended by their words, because the facts I learned about Korea all seemed interesting and amazing, so why didn't they think so? And when they said that China was better, they didn't have any basis, they just said that China was better, what's so great about Korea, and there was no power in their argument.Xiao was also not happy when his two Chinese friends asked him to sympathize with them.
Xiao usually doesn't like to argue with them, but this time he was in the mood for a fight.I intervened first."Korea has made great progress, and you'll see that when you do a little more research," I said calmly to Minhwa and Jia.But Minhwa and Jia didn't listen to me.They wouldn't even look at me when I was talking to them.That's when Xiao stepped in and said.
"I'm sorry Avery, Minhua and Jia have been mis-educated, so I'll apologize for them.I know why they think that way, but I know the truth is different, so I want to apologize to you."
After hearing Xiao's words, Minhua and Jia still showed their disapproval. They even loudly argued with Xiao in the hallway. All the students passing by couldn't help but notice that two Chinese friends with wrong ideas were bullying Xiao, a normal thinking Chinese friend, again.
In fact, this scene was not uncommon, but this day was different. Despite the fact that everyone had attended an impactful and fact-based lecture by a professor from a prestigious university, Min Hua and Jia seemed to have no room for improvement, and they were still shouting distorted facts and misinformation without any basis.
From that day on, they were increasingly bullied by their schoolmates. Even when Minhua and Jia tried to talk to their American friends, all their American friends would scold them, saying, "Are you going to distort American history like that?" and no one would listen to them.
At first, Minhua and Jia's attitude was nonetheless brazen and confident, but two Chinese students armed with wrong ideas can't live in isolation in this school. Our school has group work as the basic form of class participation, so there are many tasks that require the help of other students.
Eventually, Minhua and Jia came to me, Xiao, and our Korean friend Minji and apologized to us.To be honest, to this day, I don't know if their apology was sincere.They said that they had learned that much of the education they had received was false, and they promised that they would never say anything wrong again in the future.Part of me wanted to tell them that I knew they were lying to survive, but I couldn't turn my back on them, so I accepted their apology.After Minhua and Jia's disturbance and apology
Although I'm still a high school student, I know that when I grow up, I want to exercise my right to vote and join the anti-China movement. We also realized that China's policy of teaching the wrong history and the wrong international affairs is having a negative impact even here in the United States, a country so far away, and that it is causing the Chinese people to suffer.China's ambitious plan to turn the tables by playing shallow games is just ridiculous and will not work.
I can't help but think that the impact of these lectures on our school is great: first of all, we learned how important it is to filter out misleading and distorted information, and how important it is to listen to such information; secondly, many students have a deep understanding of what exactly the "Miracle of the Han River" is.
As a reminder, South Korea was very poor until the mid-20th century, but through government-led economic development plans and people's efforts, it has achieved remarkable growth, especially spontaneous rural development movements such as the Saemaul movement, which played a huge role in accelerating South Korea's industrialization.
Korea's development has been not just economic, but social as well, with Koreans overcoming difficulties and achieving remarkable results through their high levels of education, hard work, and sense of community.
Now, do you feel that there is any reason for Chinese people here to say that China is greater than Korea? Isn't it just that Korea has created a remarkable growth in the history of East Asia, and it is because of Korea's development that China's factories are able to operate? Just because China is lagging behind, to say that Korea is a lesser country is an expression of inferiority, and it is seen as a desperate attempt to deny their own lack.
This is a good liberal arts course where you can learn the facts about what Korea has done and speak about it with confidence in public, but I think the disturbance by the two Chinese students clouded the essence of the course, because the impact of the miracle of the Han River was diluted by the emotion of outrage at the Chinese students' behavior.
In my final presentation at the end of the semester, I plan to find more information about the Han River Miracle, add new information, and present it to my class, because I feel that it is unfair that the attention to Korea has been diverted for a while, and I think that it would be meaningful to talk about Korea in front of Minhwa, Jia, and my Korean friend Minji.
I hope that the country will soon develop into a mature society that can accept the truth as the truth.

(My profile is tagged N-S-F-W because I also post these in dirtyr4r since some have actually had luck finding something serious there. Figured it's worth a shot, haha.)
I'm searching for the kind of wonderful woman who shares most of my interests below in addition to her hobbies and interests, who's also goofy, likes to playfully insult each other, and also believes in open and honest communication. I believe with that, we can work out any problems when they arise. 💛
• I'm a gamer, car guy, and maybe one day, a musician too. I enjoy anime, nature, going on little adventures, swimming, traveling... I wanna see the world with you before all the beautiful sights are gone. - Current games I've focused on lately is Helldivers 2 and Deep Rock Galactic. If you wanna play those together, that would be awesome! I would also eventually like to play other things together like Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Terraria, etc. - My taste is music is nearly everything except country and today's rap. To name a few bands/musicians I really love: Led Zeppelin, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, Mac Demarco, Them Crooked Vultures, and Metronomy.
• I want to dance with you. In the living room, bedroom, back yard, in the park, almost anywhere. I enjoy doing romantic things and expressing my love. I love deep conversations that distract us from the passing of time.
• I'm a dog person because my allergies chose to target cats for whatever reason, so there's that. 😅
• I'm monogamous and don't have children currently, but they're in my future plans, probably within the next 6 years. I want to spend plenty of time with, well it might be you, and enjoy the best of life as a couple, and then as spouses, traveling and whatnot, before we start a family. 🤗
• I'm really hoping to find someone who's also into dirty humor (amongst other forms of humor) and has mutual...interests 😏 so we have even better compatibility in the bedroom (and sometimes away from home too). I usually have a high labido, but I only want to get intimate when we're both comfortable and ready. 👉👈
• Specs for those who would like them: - 6 feet tall (about 183 cm). - 219 lbs and dropping (about 99 kg). ~ My figure is very dad-bod at the moment, but apparently it comes with a nice ass (so I'm told). ~ This is close to the most I've ever weighed, and I'm not happy with it. I'm targeting somewhere around 170 lbs (about 77 kg). - Brunette/dirty blonde, kept relatively short. - Blue eyes. - Caucasian.
• I have learned the hard way that I do have a type. I used to date outside that type, and it only led to hurt feelings, so I don't want to repeat that. That being said, my type is Caucasian or East Asian ranging from petite to average body type. I don't love going to the gym, but if you have or want a membership I would be open to going together. 😁 I apologize if my preferences differ from who you are. You're all beautiful people, regardless! Please love yourself and enjoy the time you're given in life! 💛
Chat with ya soon! 😁

(My profile is tagged N-S-F-W because I also post these in dirtyr4r since some have actually had luck finding something serious there. Figured it's worth a shot, haha.)
I'm searching for the kind of wonderful woman who shares most of my interests below in addition to her hobbies and interests, who's also goofy, likes to playfully insult each other, and also believes in open and honest communication. I believe with that, we can work out any problems when they arise. 💛
• I'm a gamer, car guy, and maybe one day, a musician too. I enjoy anime, nature, going on little adventures, swimming, traveling... I wanna see the world with you before all the beautiful sights are gone. - Current games I've focused on lately is Helldivers 2 and Deep Rock Galactic. If you wanna play those together, that would be awesome! I would also eventually like to play other things together like Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Terraria, etc. - My taste is music is nearly everything except country and today's rap. To name a few bands/musicians I really love: Led Zeppelin, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, Mac Demarco, Them Crooked Vultures, and Metronomy.
• I want to dance with you. In the living room, bedroom, back yard, in the park, almost anywhere. I enjoy doing romantic things and expressing my love. I love deep conversations that distract us from the passing of time.
• I'm a dog person because my allergies chose to target cats for whatever reason, so there's that. 😅
• I'm monogamous and don't have children currently, but they're in my future plans, probably within the next 6 years. I want to spend plenty of time with, well it might be you, and enjoy the best of life as a couple, and then as spouses, traveling and whatnot, before we start a family. 🤗
• I'm really hoping to find someone who's also into dirty humor (amongst other forms of humor) and has mutual...interests 😏 so we have even better compatibility in the bedroom (and sometimes away from home too). I usually have a high labido, but I only want to get intimate when we're both comfortable and ready. 👉👈
• Specs for those who would like them: - 6 feet tall (about 183 cm). - 219 lbs and dropping (about 99 kg). ~ My figure is very dad-bod at the moment, but apparently it comes with a nice ass (so I'm told). ~ This is close to the most I've ever weighed, and I'm not happy with it. I'm targeting somewhere around 170 lbs (about 77 kg). - Brunette/dirty blonde, kept relatively short. - Blue eyes. - Caucasian.
• I have learned the hard way that I do have a type. I used to date outside that type, and it only led to hurt feelings, so I don't want to repeat that. That being said, my type is Caucasian or East Asian ranging from petite to average body type. I don't love going to the gym, but if you have or want a membership I would be open to going together. 😁 I apologize if my preferences differ from who you are. You're all beautiful people, regardless! Please love yourself and enjoy the time you're given in life! 💛
Chat with ya soon! 😁

New Music Friday is the weekly thread dedicated to cataloging all the Album/EP releases that came out this week, including non-subreddit relevant releases. This is also a great place to discuss these albums, or bring to attention other albums released this week.

❓ "this seems intriguing after a cursory look"
⭐ "im interested in this for one reason or another"
❤️ "ive been waiting for weeks, months/i'm absolutely in love with this"

❓ Shellac - To All Trains
Label: Touch and Go
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock
Beth Gibbons (of Portishead) - Lives Outgrown
Label: Domino
Genre: Chamber Folk, Psychedelic Folk, Art Rock
❓ Of Montreal - Lady on the Cusp
Label: n/a
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia, Art Pop
⭐ Crumb - AMAMA
Label: Crumb
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Pop, Dream Pop
Gumshoes - Save The Date (EP) (may 16th) (by stansymash)
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Pop
From Indian Lakes - Head Void (may 15th)
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze
WINKS - Finally Awake (may 13th)
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Pop?
BADBADNOTGOOD - Mid Spiral: Chaos (EP) (may 14th)
Label: XL
Genre: Jazz Fusion, Jazz-Funk
⭐ Lip Critic - Hex Dealer
Label: Partisan
Genre: Digital Hardcore, Synth Punk, Experimental Hip Hop
Cage The Elephant - Neon Pill
Label: RCA
Genre: Post-Punk Revival, Indie Pop
Joywave - Permanent Pleasure
Label: Cultco
Genre: Indie Rock, Indietronica
⭐ Pallbearer - Mind Burns Alive
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Doom Metal, Slowcore, Post-Rock
❓ Blitzen Trapper - 100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions
Label: Yep Roc
Genre: Folk Rock, Americana
Phoebe Go - Marmalade
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Pop
⭐ Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
The Lovely Eggs - Eggistentialism
Label: n/a
Genre: Noise Pop, Indie Rock
Draag - Actually, the quiet is nice (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Shoegaze, Indie Rock, Dream Pop
lightheaded - Combustible Gems
Label: Slumberland
Genre: Jangle Pop
GUPPY - Something Is Happening...
Label: Lauren
Genre: Garage Rock
The Anti-Queens - Disenchanted
Label: Stomp
Genre: Punk
So Totally - Double Your Relaxation
Label: Tiny Engines
Genre: Shoegaze, Dream Pop
⭐ Vitskär Süden - Vessel
Label: RIpple
Genre: Heavy Psych, Progressive Rock
Various Artists - [Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute To Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense]()
Label: A24
Genre: New Wave, Pop Rock
Ex-Easter Island Head - Norther
Label: Rocket
Genre: Ambient, Electroacoustic
Wu-Lu - Learning To Swim On Empty (EP)
Label: Warp
Genre: Downtempo, Experimental Hip Hop
❓ Ghostly Kisses - Darkroom
Label: Akira
Genre: Synthpop, Alt-Pop
❓ Bad Bangs - Out Of Character
Label: Blossom Rot
Genre: Alternative Rock
Westelaken - at Tranzac (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Rock, Alt-Country
J. Bernardt - Contigo
Label: PIAS
Genre: Alternative R&B, Downtempo, Art Pop
Carb On Carb - Take Time
Label: n/a
Genre: Midwest Emo, Math Pop
❓ Sooks - Moral Decay
Label: Permanent Resident
Genre: Hardcore Punk, Post-Punk
❓ Rope Sect - Estrangement
Label: Iron Bonehead
Genre: Gothic Rock
Stress Dolls - Queen of No
Label: Sun Pedal
Genre: Pop Rock, Indie Rock
❓ Dog Party - Dangerous
Label: n/a
Genre: Pop Punk, Power Pop
Zero Point Energy - Tilted Planet
Label: Danger Collective
Genre: Indie Rock
Guster - Ooh La La
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Orchid Mantis - i only remember the good parts
Label: n/a
Genre: Slacker Rock, Slowcore
Sid Simons - Beneath the Brightest Smiles
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Rock
❓ The Avett Brothers - The Avett Brothers
Label: Ramseur
Genre: Alt-Country, Contemporary Folk
Sasha Alex Sloan - Me Again
Label: Virgin
Genre: Alt-Pop, Contemporary R&B
Night Beds - Mountain Radio
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Pop
Jacken Elswyth - At Fargrounds
Label: Wrong Speed
Genre: Appalachian Folk Music, Free Improv
Halloweens - Opera Singing At The Salsa Bar
Label: n/a
Genre: Pop Rock
Joe Kaplow - Posh Poodle Krystal and Toe
Label: Fluff and Gravy
Genre: Folk
Olympia - Love For One (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Art Rock, Pop Rock
❓ High Noon Kahuna - This Place is Haunted
Label: Crucial Blast
Genre: Noise Rock
CIVIL ELEGIES - NO LIFE (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Noise Rock
renforshort - clean hands dirty water (EP)
Label: Nettwerk
Genre: Indie Pop, Singer-songwriter
Beren Olivia - if we're being honest (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Alt-Pop
Comprador - Please Stay Off the Statue
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Rock
❓ Strelitzia - Winter
Label: n/a
Genre: Emo, Math Rock
❓ Slate - Deathless (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Punk
Pet Shop Boys - Furthermore (EP)
Label: n/a
Genre: Synthpop, Dance-Pop
Morgan Garrett - Purity
Label: Orange Milk
Genre: Experimental Rock, Avant-Folk, Sound Collage, Noise Rock
SQÜRL (Jim Jarmusch and Carter Logan) - Music for Man Ray
Label: Sacred Bones
Genre: Post-Rock, Drone, Film Score
Erlend Øye & La Comitiva - La Comitiva
Label: Bubbles
Genre: Indietronica, Indie Pop
❓ One Step Closer - All You Embrace
Label: Run for Cover
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Emo
Galantis - Rx
Label: Big Beat
Genre: Dance-Pop, House
Bright Light Bright Light - Enjoy Youth
Label: n/a
Genre: Dance-Pop, Synthpop
Laci Kaye Booth - The Loneliest Girl In The World
Label: n/a
Genre: Pop
❓ girli - Matriarchy
Label: AllPoints
Genre: Synthpop, Alt-Pop
Luis Fonsi - El Viaje
Label: n/a
Genre: Latin Pop, Reggaetón
Musclecars - Sugar Honey Iced Tea!
Label: BBE
Genre: House
❓ CXLOE - Shiny New Thing
Label: n/a
Genre: Electropop, Dance-Pop
Kate Hudson - Glorious
Label: n/a
Genre: Pop
ZAYN - ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS
Label: n/a
Genre: Soft Rock, Country Pop
❓ Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
Label: Darkroom
Genre: Alt-Pop, Singer-songwriter, Indie Folk
Mach-Hommy - #RICHAXXHAITIAN
Label: n/a
Genre: Abstract Hip Hop, East Coast Hip Hop, Drumless
Blu - abc (Beat Tape)
Label: EveryDejaVu
Genre: Instrumental Hip Hop
VRILS - PORTALS
Label: n/a
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
Raz Fresco & Daniel Son - Northside
Label: Vinyl Digital
Genre: East Coast Hip Hop
Alvaro Diaz - SAYONARA
Label: n/a
Genre: Pop Rap, Reggaetón, Alternative R&B
Clavish - Chapter 16
Label: Universal
Genre: UK Hip Hop, Trap
Kitty Ca$h - Handle with Care
Label: n/a
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
Nico Miseria - YO NO SOY YO
Label: n/a
Genre: Trap
Payroll Giovanni - Have Money Have Heart (EP)
Label: Empire
Genre: Detroit Trap
Cities Aviv - Bernadette Leak (RP)
Label: D.O.T.
Genre: Southern Hip Hop, Drumless
ian - VALEDICTORIAN
Label: Columbia
Genre: Trap, Southern Hip Hop
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie - Better Off Alone
Label: Atlantic
Genre: Pop Rap, East Coast Hip Hop
❓ Rapsody - Please Don't Cry
Label: Jamla
Genre: Conscious Hip Hop, Southern Hip Hop
Alejo - EN ESTA NOS FUIMOS LEJOS
Label: n/a
Genre: Reggaetón
Pain - I Am
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal
❓ Extortionist - Devoid of Love & Light
Label: Unique Leader
Genre: Metalcore, Alternative Metal
Botanist - Paleobotany
Label: Prophecy
Genre: Blackgaze, Post-Metal
Celestial Season - Mysterium III
Label: Burning World
Genre: Death Doom Metal, Gothic Metal
Elvellon - Ascending in Synergy
Label: Napalm
Genre: Symphonic Metal, Power Metal
Jamey Jasta - … And Jasta for All
Label: Perseverance
Genre: Thrash Metal, Crossover Thrash
Nocturnus AD - Unicursal
Label: Profound Lore
Genre: Technical Death Metal, Progressive Metal
❓ Slash - Orgy of the Damned
Label: n/a
Genre: Hard Rock, Blues Rock
Shokran - Duat
Label: n/a
Genre: Progressive Metal, Metalcore
The Last of Lucy - Godform
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Genre: Technical Death Metal, Deathcore
❓ Hemotoxin - When Time Becomes Loss
Label: n/a
Genre: Technical Death Metal, Thrash Metal
Inner Landscape - 3H33
Label: Klonosphere
Genre: Progressive Metal
⭐ Intervals - memory palace
Label: n/a
Genre: Progressive Metal, Djent
RATS WILL FEAST - Hellhole
Label: Time to Kill
Genre: Metalcore
⭐ Ufomammut - Hidden
Label: Neurot
Genre: Doom Metal, Stoner Metal
❓ Salt on Saturday - A Docket of Votive Offerings
Label: n/a
Genre: Psychedelic Drone, Rock
❓ Glaciers - Ivory
Label: n/a
Genre: Progressive Metal, Thall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhfg7Ty1bEQ

Learning of the Chinese language is falling in the West, but appears to be picking up in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Some of the factors the reporters touch upon that could be contributing to this decline in interest in learning Mandarin Chinese include the rise of AI, the resultant decline in value of Mandarin knowledge in the business world, and souring political and economic relations between China and Western countries.
They even mentioned that young people were becoming afraid that knowledge of the Chinese language would make them more prone to accusations of being politically pro-China or communist spies. Which is quite ridiculous IMO; Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in Taiwan and Singapore too.
At least the same trend doesn't appear to be happening in other countries, and the video even discussed countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE that have made Mandarin a compulsory subject in high school - countries that have had almost no direct cultural connection with or influence from the Sinosphere, that nevertheless understand the value of learning Chinese.
How does all this make you feel? And why do you think is happening? The Sinophobia arguments make little sense once you consider that the CIA always seems to be looking for fluent Arabic speakers. In addition to the reasons mentioned in the video, some people in the comments are wondering if it's because Chinese is so difficult compared to other popular foreign languages like Spanish.
Do you think that the decline in Mandarin course enrollment reflects a genuine loss of interest in learning Mandarin as a second language, or is it simply a statistical artifact from people preferring to self-study instead? Unfortunately I feel like the Sinophobia issue is very real, and not getting better anytime soon. Exhibit A: the U.S. federal government passing a bill banning / forcing a sale of TikTok, and granting them the power to easily do so with any other website perceived to be a "threat to national security".
If you plan on having children, do you intend to teach them your heritage language and/or Mandarin? (If you already have children, do you?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhfg7Ty1bEQ

Learning of the Chinese language is falling in the West, but appears to be picking up in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Some of the factors the reporters touch upon that could be contributing to this decline in interest in learning Mandarin Chinese include the rise of AI, the resultant decline in value of Mandarin knowledge in the business world, and souring political and economic relations between China and Western countries.
They even mentioned that young people were becoming afraid that knowledge of the Chinese language would make them more prone to accusations of being politically pro-China or communist spies. Which is quite ridiculous IMO; Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in Taiwan and Singapore too.
At least the same trend doesn't appear to be happening in other countries, and the video even discussed countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE that have made Mandarin a compulsory subject in high school - countries that have had almost no direct cultural connection with or influence from the Sinosphere, that nevertheless understand the value of learning Chinese.
How does all this make you feel? And why do you think is happening? The Sinophobia arguments make little sense once you consider that the CIA always seems to be looking for fluent Arabic speakers. In addition to the reasons mentioned in the video, some people in the comments are wondering if it's because Chinese is so difficult compared to other popular foreign languages like Spanish.
Do you think that the decline in Mandarin course enrollment reflects a genuine loss of interest in learning Mandarin as a second language, or is it simply a statistical artifact from people preferring to self-study instead? Unfortunately I feel like the Sinophobia issue is very real, and not getting better anytime soon. Exhibit A: the U.S. federal government passing a bill banning / forcing a sale of TikTok, and granting them the power to easily do so with any other website perceived to be a "threat to national security".
If you plan on having children, do you intend to teach them your heritage language and/or Mandarin? (If you already have children, do you?)

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I know the title sounds a little out there but hear me out.
I little background information:
I (18f, fun, sexy) have an ex ‘coworker’, I couldn’t come up with a stupider name for her if I tried so let’s just call her B (19f, short, lame)
I’m from a pretty rough neighborhood on the east coast and my life was just starting to improve when the person who was helping me (deceasedF) was brutally murdered in front of me. This put me in a bit of a pickle and had heard B (not her real name) might be able to help me out, so I went to California to seek her out. (This will become important later)
When we first met I was hoping we’d get along being in the same rare line of work but she was standofish and seemed annoyed by my presence. Her mom, let’s call her June (45f, divorced) and her friends R(19f, nerd) and Alex (19M, horny) liked me from the start. I’m no expert but I think she was jealous.
She did help me take care of my problem though and I decided to stay as I had nothing better to do. I tried being her friend and sometimes she was cool but also she was always so judgy and self righteous and bitching and moaning about her problems. She had a really nice life like a mom who loved her and friends and a nice house so it was pretty annoying for someone like me as I was orphaned and homeless and new in town.
Sometimes we worked well together but she often disagreed about how I went about our job, my attitude towards stuff, etc. We had several falling outs because of her holier than thou schtick and then her equally annoying (previously ex) boyfriend, ‘Liam’ (200 somethingM, big forehead) showed back up and she was obsessed with him even though dude was as celibate as a monk.
We got into a couple fights but we’re able to kind of patch things up. Then some things happened (not really important) and We started fighting a lot physically. eventually I went to work for someone else and she wasn’t happy about it, even though this job treated me way better. She wasn’t even happy for me that I no longer lived in seedy motel.
Anyways eventually she stabs me and puts me in a several months long coma all because I ‘poisoned’ her ‘boyfriend’ ‘Liam’ (well some Other stuff happened but I don’t think that’s relevant) And to add insult to injury she then straight up exploded my boss/loving father figure(150m, politician) all because he was a little bit evil.
So when I got outta the coma I was wicked pissed at her ngl and the kicker was the boy she tried killing me for, they weren’t even together anymore. What a joke. Everyone in town had basically moved on as if I never existed.
So I took her mother, June (45f) hostage, but I didn’t even really do anything. I honestly liked the lady. I mean okay, I guess I kind of punched her and threatened to kill her with a knife (but I wasn’t actually gonna hurt her) AND that was only me adding a little flare to my monologue. I was trying to make a point. Plus I needed to lure B to her house. So then B comes in all smug about it and then starts throwing a fit, like usual. Always looking to start something. So we start fighting.
I’ll admit this is the part where I might be TA:
I had the opportunity to swap bodies(as one sometimes does) and there was a warrant out for my arrest and the only person who cared about me was dead. I wasn’t really interested in going to jail (not really my scene) and I was still really pissed at her. So i took her body and yeah, she was stuck with my miserable existence, but she’s good at solving problems so I figure she’d be fine(and my body is way hotter than hers so really who was the winner there?) Plus, she’s kind of a stuck up bitch and maybe seeing what it’s like being me would be a good lesson for her. Life’s not fair. It was fun at first pretending to be her and have all the stuff I never had. But everyone treated me so nicely it honestly started to freak me out.
I’ll admit I probably shouldn’t have slept with her new boyfriend(24m) and was kind of rude to R’s (19f, dweeby) friend T(19f, lesbian, speech impediment). But she did get her body back in the end and I helped save some people(Christians) when I should have been on a plane out of the country so I feel like everything kinda worked out???
I don’t have family or friends to ‘blow’ up my ‘phone’ but I feel this thing it’s like I feel bad for the stuff I did? But like idk am i really AITA?

Hi! Going on a trip to Australia this August. Need recommendations for what clothes to buy, layering and also packing. Im originally from south east Asia so this will be a first time travelling in cold weather.

I’m a guy in my mid 20s, travelling overseas to a couple countries in south east Asia (gonna be humid) with a group of friends (2 other guys, and 2 girls). We’re all pretty close and open.
Some accommodations we’re sharing hotel rooms based on gender (not sure if we’ll need to share beds — might need to if the rooms are double bed + single bed), some accommodations were all in the same room or in rooms of the same apartment.
I normally sleep in just boxers (shirtless). Is this still appropriate to sleep in for these situations? Do I need to get fully dressed as soon as I get out of bed in the morning?
Keen to hear experiences from people who’ve travelled with friends and shared rooms with friends before.

To anyone who wants to do north vs south, fuck off. Cultural supremacist/racist are not welcome here.
I'll start off by saying this- it's not a question about if you and I want our taxes to go to uttar pradesh and bihar, it's an expectation. It was mandatory the day this country was born, for the richer regions to help the poorer ones, that is the entire point of a nation state. By god we'll help other Indians.
The problem for us lies in the checks and balances which are currently not checking or balancing. We pool money and hand it out to the states and centre and the balance between each of the states is determined by the finance commission, they are smarter than us by all metrics and have pretty good equations and weights to determine a fair share. But the problems lie where the responsibility of the finance commission ends, they don't determine better or advanced policy that might look at other factors like competitive federalism, it's literally not their job. It leaves us not helping the people of bihar but subsidizing bad governments.
Imagine this, your governments have worked hard on good policies that have improved the lives of many(MH: Midc, kerala: social spending, Tamil nadu: capital spending) BUT for all this extra revenue you bought for the country you get punished by the centre which decreases your alloted share of it. Also fuck you- you don't get a say in it(2026 delimitation)
Quick history: it was argued by many in the constituent assembly that states shall always be weaker than the central government because the past has seen many great empires collapse due to regional autonomy. I believe they were short sighted in their approach to look at the medieval age while building a modern state.
You get an overbearing central govt that's slow to respond to both regional challenges and opportunities. Whose decisions on development projects are always criticized no matter what due to limited funds and having to ignore some regions for the betterment of all. Whose monetary and fiscal polices must hyperfixate on a precarious balance between the vast and diverse conditions across the country.
I wish the states be more responsible for it's own people while the national government can actually focus on improving places like the east, bihar, Chattisgarh etc. I wish we had more of a say in the resources we provide and get back through an opaque body.
The fears of the southern states on things like it's revenue are completely justified as the NITI aayog ceo admitted that modi asked the commission to reduce the state share of taxes while he lied in parliament about being happy with the commission.
Although we don't identify with the Dravidians, it's pretty evident that we have our own sub culture. I think there's a political party which was formed to remove foreign imposition but I'm unsure lol.
Hindi imposition is real and I like the fact that nationalist try and gaslight us into believing we're all the same and always have been, that our roots are non existent, that we should stop pretending to be like Dravidians and accept national homogeneity.

I don't know if I should call this a rant or not but I will try to make it as conclusive as possible to further understand my take on the mental illness that is feminism.
What I noticed on reddit, if anywhere else, is that OUR arguments and jokes on the MRM side are always mirrored on the feminist side with gleeful autism, almost like their stupid ovaryactions are wisdoms written in stone from Themyscira(land of fictional feminists angry at the greek god of war).
It's almost like our gendered issues can be mirrored in a way that is expected of a dimorphic species with global ties by means of technological advancement. We COULD even find common cause and understanding when we drop the bias towards our own genders (women AND men having a bias towards women, so empathy is definitely the strong suite of feminists).
But no, instead we have THIS level of hipocrisy and lack of self-awareness.
LOL
THEY are calling us self-absorbed by our own worth?!
And then we have ANOTHER rhethoric from the illustrious gender of our species.
Ahem..
- The most famous Russian Empress, Catherine The Great, usurped the throne from her own husband (who was eventually killed), and led furious wars with Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire through all her reign. She severely suppressed a few peasant riots within the country and crushed Poland which was later partitioned.
-Elizabeth of Russia usurped the throne during the military coup from the young Tzar Ivan VI (who was only one year old) and led the country during two major European wars: War of Austrian Succession and Seven Years’ War.
-Isabella of France, Queen of England, dethroned and executed her own husband, King Edward II, in close collaboration with her lover.
-Catherine de Medici is considered to be among the main organizers of St. Bartholomew’s day massacre; she was also one of the inspirers of the Religious Wars in France.
-Empress Dowager Cixi before she became the empress, she had killed many Tang royal family members to the point they were nearly wiped out, she is partly responsible for the fall of Qing Dynasty

• "Honorable" mention to Wu Zetian also.

-Empress Zenobia of Palmyria starting a revolt in the eastern fringes of the Roman Empire against the very wishes of her husband who was loyal to Rome. Because muh oppression I guess.
-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who's involvement in East Pakistan led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Are YOU really having this argument with MEN?!

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Hey Reddit community,
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We’re currently seeking micro-investments to get our project off the ground. This is a unique opportunity to be part of something groundbreaking from the start. Your investment will help us build a secure, autonomous platform and drive user adoption. We believe in our mission and are committed to reinvesting profits back into the company to ensure long-term growth and success. If you’re excited about the future of blockchain and want to join us on this journey, we’d love to connect with you!
Best, Crypto Bazaar

Hey Reddit community,
We’re Crypto Bazaar, a passionate early-stage blockchain startup on a mission to revolutionize the industry. We’re starting with a Sharia-compliant cryptocurrency exchange, designed specifically for the Islamic demographic in South Asia and the Middle East. Our platform will be incredibly user-friendly, making it easy for first-time investors to navigate the crypto world. But we’re not stopping there—our vision is to expand the utilities of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, making them more accessible and beneficial for everyone.
We’re currently seeking micro-investments to get our project off the ground. This is a unique opportunity to be part of something groundbreaking from the start. Your investment will help us build a secure, autonomous platform and drive user adoption. We believe in our mission and are committed to reinvesting profits back into the company to ensure long-term growth and success. If you’re excited about the future of blockchain and want to join us on this journey, we’d love to connect with you!
Best, Crypto Bazaar