I've been having episodes of lightheadedness, muscle weakness, and noticed my bp dropping the past couple weeks. My blood pressure dips while I'm sleeping and wakes me up at night the past week. In the daytime when I feel muscle weakness I noticed my systolic bp is 88-96 and diastolic around 50-60.
I had a prior ekg done in January when I had lightheadedness and it showed a normal sinus rhythm and nothing else detected. Then I had a recent EKG 2 weeks ago and it showed a first degree AV block.
Is it possible the Ekg result was an error if the leads were placed slightly wrong?
I have an appointment for a Holter monitor in a couple days but I won't get results for a couple weeks.
The symptoms have woken me out of my sleep a few times this week and falling back asleep is a bit worrisome.
Are my symptoms concerning and If I do have a 1st degree av block what will happen?
Thank you.
41/Female History: Prediabetic Possible goiter (ultrasound next week) Tsh 1.87 (not taking meds)

So, in some games (Like World War Heroes on mobile) you can equip a cigar or cigarette to your soldier, and we know cigarette companies used to put smokes in the care packages back in the day. I think it would be a neat piece of history to maybe be able to put a cigarette box on our helmets like with the card boxes (I assume theyre Card boxes, correct me if I’m wrong) or single cigarettes. I know, I know, promoting smoking is bad, but I just think it would be a neat addition to add to the feel of being on a WWII battlefield. Maybe even having smoke boxes in A pouch on your belt or something, just an option in case you want to.

So I have a 10 month old male cat and a 7 month old female. I only recently got the female and have been isolating her from the male to try and let them eventually have a friendly introduction to each other. They have had minimal contact, mostly just sniffing each other from under the door or seeing each other through the crack in the door when I go inside to see her. Today I decided today was the day and and let them meet each other. I let the male into the room with the female where she had been isolating and they just kept eye contact. Multiple times he tried to approach her while chirping and she moved away and yowled and hissed. I left the door open to give them the option to leave if they wanted to. The female left and he followed her around chirping while she let out these long meows and hissed at times. My male normally chirps a lot but he’s not acting how he usually does, when I tried to pick him up and get him away from her he hissed at me for the first time. I don’t know what to do and I’ve separated them. I can’t tell if my male is just trying to be friendly or is being aggressive with her. Every site I’ve read has said chirping is a positive behavior for cats but now I’m not really sure. For context I isolated her for around 4 days and she had warmed up to me. The place I got her from didn’t know her history or how she behaved with other cats. I don’t know how my male behaves with other cats and he has been very friendly and playful with me and my family. What can I do to get them to warm up to each other?
(PS: The male is neutered and she is spayed. There is a considerable size difference between the two of them because he is a Maine-coon and she is a calico shorthair.)

ೃ༄🐛ೃ༄ introduction ೃ༄🐛ೃ༄

if you are involved in the shifting community, you may have seen the mention of some sort of 'lifa app' with no explanation as to what it is. sometimes, in scripts, it will say stuff such as...
'when i shift to this reality, i will have a lifa app to check in on my cr self and it cannot be deleted or destroyed.'
but what is the app that everyone is talking about? is it an actual app or sort of app in another reality that everyone just knows of?
in this post, i will be explaining the lifa app as a full guide of how to use it. its features, and what it is.

༊·˚🌿 what is the lifa app? ༊·˚🌿

the lifa app is a reality shifting based app that lets you keep track of your dr or multiple drs in literally every way imaginable. from the time it is to your memories. it even gives you diary entries for yourself. it is meant to be used as a tool to help shifters keep track of all of their information about them and their dr. it also allows a gateway to meet other shifters like yourself and shift with them to the same reality.

｡･ﾟﾟ･ 🥞 🥯 features 🥯 🥞 ･ﾟﾟ･｡

the lifa app has many features. the main ones you can see first are dr details, visualizations, group shifting, sharing.
let's go over each feature one by one.

: ̗̀➛ dr details

the first thing that you will get when you are greeted by this an i icon that says about this dr. when you click on it, you are able to type the location and a background story about your desired reality.
: ̗̀➛ time
this feature allows you to add a time and date to your dr. time will pass the same as it does here. for example in my dr, it is currently november 19, 2130 and is 1:47 pm. i chose to freeze time in this dr and submitted it.
: ̗̀➛ theme
this holds the name of what your dr is called, the icon it has, and the background of it when you click on the app. you can also choose the font color and a background tint as well. it also holds your name in your dr.
: ̗̀➛ timeline
you are able to establish a timeline of your desired reality before the point that you shift. i recommend keeping it brief to the important stuff. main instances of childhood and things that you remember with the same importance as you do now.
: ̗̀➛ notion script
this feature is if you have a script on the website notion script. it is a website in which you can gather and fill in shifting templates and is a great way to organize yourself. this is not necessary though. there are other features you can use for your script on here.
: ̗̀➛ about me
this is just a section where you write all about yourself. your name, your age, nicknames, safe word, height, hometown, ethnicity, race, nationality, sexuality, pronouns, gender, language(s), positive traits, negative traits, habit, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and skills.
: ̗̀➛ relationships
when you enter this tab, it will take you to a screen that has a place where you can add family members, friends, pets, significant other(s) or 'other'. the other tab has you in it.
when you decide to add let's say a friend, you start off by adding their name. then there age, closeness, and appearance. you can follow that up by adding a photo of said friend. you can type in relationship dynamic, how you met, and extra info. the format is the exact same no matter the type of relationship aside from pets.
the pet section is a little bit different. you add their name, age, species, pet bed, size, and about them.
there is also a recorder option where you can move around the placements of these characters.
: ̗̀➛ scenarios
this includes upcoming scenarios that you had planned, past scenarios that you did while in your reality, desired upcoming scenarios that include no date but you want to do or have plans to do. finally, you have memories which has no date. these are things that you will automatically remember when in your dr.
it's just a brief section where you can type in a title and add as much as you want of details of that memory. you can add a photo and select if it has a date or if it is a past memory or not.
: ̗̀➛ calendar
this just has the date of your dr. you can also create events on specific dates. that's pretty much it, this section is short.
: ̗̀➛ diary
you can write diary entires. talk about your day, memories, anything that may make you feel closer to your dr. this section is also short.
: ̗̀➛ playlist
so is this one. you make a playlist. and link the playlist, whenever you open the playlist, you get a new tab that takes you to that playlist to listen. i use it to keep my shifting subliminal playlist, but you don't have to.
: ̗̀➛ hero/villain
this is a tab within a tab so i'm bolding it. the first tab is customize, but that feature is locked behind a paywall with a monthly subscription of $3.99. i will talk about the subscription later.
then you have powers. you type the name of it and what your powers do. you have weapons which have the same explanation as powers. missions means you can make your own missions.
then there is combat skills. you list your strength, speed, agility, intelligence, compatibility, stamina, and flexibility out of five. then you can add your backstory. it's a blank sheet where you can type it out.
next is costumes where you describe what your costume looks like.
ally team includes your team name, how well you work together, specific events and upcoming battles, and other details. you can also add relationships from your relationship section and names of that.
enemy team is relatively the same. a team name, specific events or battles, other details, and can once again, select relationship with each member.
finally, there is timeline which has a title and description. you can also add scenarios if needed.
thankfully, that is thee last feature about dr details and we can now move on to visualizations.

: ̗̀➛ visualizations ‧₊˚🖇️✩

this tab focuses all on the visual aspects of your desired reality. even if you can't visualize, you can still use these to get a good idea on what things will look like.
: ̗̀➛ appearence
you can add a hair claim, face claim, body claim, hand claim, voice claim, and specific features claim. personally, i think that the last one could be explained easily in body or face claim.
either way, when you press one of these tabs, you can type in a detailed description on what you look like. now, i didn't notice at first but all the way at the bottom will be a small section that says add photo to which you can go into your gallery and choose a photo for yourself on that specific claim.
: ̗̀➛ wardrobe
this section will include an area that says wardrobe. you press the giant + sign on the top right hand corner and it takes you to a section that says create wardrobe. all you gotta do is add a title and a description. once you do that, you click on the tab again and then add a photo of a specific outfit of yours. you can add multiple photos, move them around using the recorder option right next to photos.
: ̗̀➛ photo gallery
you can make multiple photo galleries , customize albums of different things relating to your dr.
: ̗̀➛ pinterest boards
here you can add the link to your pinterest board...and a title. that's about it.
: ̗̀➛ wallet
this does not connect to any funds in this reality. it's supposed to keep track of money in your dr. i find this feature a bit dumb tbh and seems to waste more time preparing to shift than actually shifting.
: ̗̀➛ outfits
again, this is the same as wardrobe but more customized. you can add each individual clothing item separately if you wanna do that.
: ̗̀➛ belongings
you add photos and a title of what you own and its sentiment. yeah.
: ̗̀➛ or self
it has a stick figure of you. you list your family, what they're doing, their location, and your action, mood, and location.
: ̗̀➛ music group dr
without paying, you can only add one music group and one album. there is a members tab but you need a monthly subscription in order to access it.
i use this feature in one dr to describe my favorite band to listen to and an album i like. if you wanna add more than one album, then you also need to pay,
: ̗̀➛ school app
this is a doozy and has multiple tabs so this will be rapid fire.
you have your student i.d. report card, schedule.
schedule contains period, subject, and teacher. your school in your dr. you can add a photo, location, mascot, colors, class song, traditions, and history of your school.
you can also add your school uniform if you have one. this includes daily uniform and gym uniform. you can add a school map and a yearbook (????????)
again, these are fine i think but the yearbook seems unnecessary, just script who is in your class with you.
also there's a teacher mode but you can only access that with payment.
: ̗̀➛ chat
you can make a chatroom. and roleplay as every single member in that chatroom...for some reason. i don't need to repeat myself here, you already know what i'm going to say.
: ̗̀➛ chat ai
this is locked behind a paywall. just use character ai, it's free and you don't have a limit of 200 messages per day.
: ̗̀➛ family tree
for some reason you can't add siblings. the only way to add siblings kinda is to make them have the same parents as you on a new family tree.
this is just so not necessary. just write down your siblings in your script. no need for your entire extended bloodline. the universe will figure that out.
: ̗̀➛ places
you add places in your dr.
: ̗̀➛ fame phone
you can make a knock off insta account, twitter account, a wikipedia, and a youtube. again, not needed. just shift. also the settings and notifications features are locked behind a paywall.

: ̗̀➛ group shifting

you need to convert your account into an online account. but you can connect with other people and plan to shift together as a group. for those that don't know, group shifting is where you and one or more people collectively decide to shift to the same dr as different people and basically share an experience in that dr.

: ̗̀➛ sharing

the exact same thing as above. except this time you can just share your dr. you need an account to access this feature. it can give others ideas on scripts, drs, or anything else of the sort. it can be a great way to connect with others.

𓍯𓂃ᥫ᭡.🩹 final thoughts 𓍯𓂃ᥫ᭡.🩹

i think some of its features are helpful! however, other parts of it can be very distracting from shifting. i almost felt like this was an oc maker rather than shifting app. some of these i think didn't need so many features. the amount of features there are is crazy. the features section alone i needed to divide into several sections because it took so much longer to get through than i initially thought. it took about two hours to review each of them and i had to take breaks in between. to a new shifter especially, this would be so overwhelming.
you don't need face claims, body claims, or special features claims. as long as you have a general idea of what you and your desired reality is like then you're fine. this is just gonna over complicate shifting and make it seem more fictional in a way. if anything, this makes you less connected to your desired reality since your focusing so much on this one.
it wouldn't be a waste to download it but i wouldn't recommend buying it. but if you do, then more power to you.
please stay safe and happy shifting ᥫ᭡

Today is such an amazing day! I was baptized, confirmed and had my 1st holy communion all in 1 mass! Here's my conversion story:
My family was Methodist but not devoutly religious. I was never baptized. I was familiar with His existence but I didn’t know Him personally. I never thought of death and the afterlife until my mother died. I was nine and that's when the idea of death and heaven crossed my mind. This wasn’t when I truly became devout.
Around 2020, I was on the internet, I saw that someone posted about hell and that's when I had the revelation that the life I'm living without God and the sins I was struggling with were not sending me to heaven. At that moment I stood up and asked my dad to get me a Bible. Around this time an online friend came to me and asked me to join his online church, which was a Fundamentalist Baptist Church. During this time, I listened to a lot of preachers who preached hate about the Catholic Church and I started to believe them. I swore to myself that I would never become Catholic. Eventually, I moved away from these preachers.
I had nowhere else to go and returned to the Methodist Church. I went to a local church, and I enjoyed the sermons, but I never felt fulfilled. At this time, the Methodist Church was splitting because of social issues. For a while I wasn’t in any denomination. I stopped going to church and seeking God. Around the 1 year mark of my conversion, someone asked me, “If modern denominations are starting to split up, think about what denomination has stayed together since the time of Christ?”
This started me thinking about history and how the Catholic Church dates all the way back to Christ. I started to research the Catholic Church and realized how much there is to it. In September of 2022, I signed up for Rite of Christian Initiation for Teens (RCIT). In October, I went to my first Catholic Mass and I remember being so nervous and having no idea what's going on but I loved it. The mass went by so fast and it was so engaging compared to the Methodist sermons. As the months went by, my love for the Virgin Mary grew because I saw her as my mother.
Then, on May 18th, I got baptized and it was the most amazing mass I've ever been too. I remember being nervous but once it started, everything went perfect. After being baptized and looking at the crucifix I felt like he was looking right back at me. I was also given the opportunity of being able to present the gifts which was really cool. Even though I didn't feel different in the mass, after the mass I felt like a million pounds were lifted off me and I had no worries.

Hey guys! Trying to finalize my school list right now and would really appreciate some feedback. I think I might be too top heavy right now so please let me know.
ORM (South Asian female) MA resident, First Gen immigrant
MCAT 511 -> 519
cGPA 3.9 sGPA 3.87, went to a top LAC
Activities:
-research: 3500+ hrs and ongoing with one pub and one more in the process of submission -volunteer non clinical: 100 hrs -clinical volunteering: 130 hrs and on going -student organization leadership: 480 hrs -TA: 300hrs -shadowing: 70 hrs and ongoing (oncology, psychiatry, radiology) -received small gant for history research
Gap year: doing research at two labs alongside volunteering at two hospitals -excellent LORs from mentor, PIs and Professors (around 8)
-Harvard -UPenn -John Hopkins -Vanderbilt -Tufts -Stanford -UCSF -BU -University of Michigan -Umass -Case Western -Albert Einstein -Icahn -Duke -Pittsburgh -Dartmouth -Wash U -Mayo -Emory -Northwestern -Temple -New York medical college -University of Chicago -Cornell -Stony Brook -Drexel -NYU -Penn State

After 8 mo in relationship, my now ex just told me that he once hooked up with his female friend who he used to have a crush on. The reason he’s been keeping this from me is because they made a promise back then not to tell anyone about the hookup. So before he told me, he asked for this friend’s permission first because he thought that’s the right way to do it. I felt hurt because it seems like he prioritized this girl’s feeling on top of mine.
In the beginning of the relationship, he was also not being upfront about this friendship. I found out about her when he showed me a reel from instagram and at that time a bunch of DMs coming from this friend. He brushed it off and said she’s just a friend without giving further details about her. At that time he hasn’t told me that she’s the girl he used to crush on.
We broke up once before this, one of the reasons was because when he got anxious when I texted him we need a serious talk, he went to this girl for asking advice, asking her what he could’ve done wrong and also how he can be a better bf. Which is very weird to me because the one he’s dating is me why is it so hard to just tell me directly what his concerns are rather than consulted with other girl. I’ve always been open to him whenever I found issues in the relationship but he never done the same, if anything he just told me during the break up talk that he always felt criticized whenever I tried speak up my concerns.
He said he downplayed their friendship to me at first because he found that her sharing dumb reels and profiles she found on dating app are not that deep. And the hook up was not disclosed at first because he thought that event didn’t really matter. But he also mentioned that she’s not just a friend who he used to hook up with once. She’s someone he used to go to when he’s feeling anxious, because she’s coming from the same ethnically background to him that he feels she understands him. Though after he got into a relationship with me he told me I’m his primary confidant and his comfort.
I’m feeling uncomfortable with the fact he’s hiding their history and closeness to me so I decided to leave. Although they’re chatting irregularly and she’s living in a different state. Am I overreacting? Should I be more understanding and forgiving? I just don’t want to be an insecure and over controlling partner.

The most bizarre thing happened to me yesterday.
This is a throwaway account because this story has to do with a co-worker. Several co-workers and I have Reddit account and often post on subs related to the industry we’re in and I don’t want them to see this.
Yesterday, a female co-worker asked me to be her sperm donor.
I’m friendly with this woman. I like her. I think she’s genuinely a sweet person who takes her job seriously and is good at what she does. I don’t think she always gets a fair shake at work or is taken seriously some of the time due to her appearance and some might say flirty behavior. I don’t know if she’s trying to be flirty or if she’s just one of those super friendly people. There’s nothing crazy about her appearance or anything, she’s just objectively attractive. I’ve heard guys make inappropriate sexual jokes about her. There have been rumors about her hooking up with multiple male colleagues. There was even a rumor that she and I were having an affair at one point, which had no merit. I’ve never slept with this woman or done anything sexual with her. I find her attractive and admittedly sometimes I do have to force myself to maintain eye contact with her when she’s talking to me. She wears revealing blouses sometimes. I’m a boob guy, so I’m just being honest here. But I’d never pursue anything like that with her. I’ve only ever acted respectful towards her.
I’ve been divorced for about 2 years. I’ve dated some since then, but nothing serious that I want to commit to. I have kids with my ex-wife.
So she told me she needed to meet to discuss something important with me. I’m a director and she’s a manager, separate departments - I’m not her supervisor. My department handles some things for her department and I know she’s been having trouble with somebody on my team. I assumed that’s what she wanted to talk about.
Instead, she took me out to lunch to give me this big speech about why she wants to be a single mom and why she wants me to be her sperm donor! I was literally speechless. It was obvious she’s been thinking about it for a while. She’s even consulted a lawyer about the logistics of ensuring that a sperm donor of her choice could be guaranteed to not be held legally responsible for the child. She tried to assure me that she wouldn’t expect anything from me, she doesn’t want any involvement from me, and we wouldn’t have to tell anyone. We could even have actual sex if I wanted to do it that way, or we could be more formal about it, depending on my comfort level.
I mean, it’s bizarre and was very uncomfortable, but at the same time strangely flattering. I didn’t say no right away. I haven’t actually told her no at all. I mean, inside I was yelling no way, but why didn’t I actually tell her that? Maybe I just wanted me ego stroked a bit more, idk.
Of course I asked her why me. She said I’m nice, she likes me, I don’t treat her like a lot of the guys we work with. She thinks I’m “normal,” healthy as far as she’s aware, and she likes my physical features. But she’d want a full health history on me and my family before moving forward.
I asked her why she didn’t go to a sperm bank. She said that’s what she initially planned to do when she started seriously thinking about becoming a single mother, but once she started delving into it she discovered that there are many ethical issues with sperm banks. Shes been talking online with several women who have used known donors and has decided that’s the way she needs to go. She thinks I’m a good fit because while we’re friendly, we’re not friends, we don’t hang out with each other, we don’t know each other outside of work. She feels she knows me well enough to determine she likes me and certain traits/characteristics, without having to worry about it being weird because I’m not a close friend or somebody that would be around her family or friend group at all. Plus, I’m divorced now so there no spouse or partner to have to deal with.
She said she could always leave the company before anyone would possibly realize her kid looks like me if I’m worried about that. She feels she’d probably have to leave to avoid things being weird between us. She’s been studying for some sort of certification in hopes of finding a more specialized job anyway, she claims. We live in different cities, so our lives are totally separate outside of work.
I felt like it was a prank or hidden camera thing. Truly one of the most bizarre and unexpected things to happen to me. But when I googled “coworker asked me to be a sperm donor” I was surprised to find out this is far from an isolated incident. What’s even more bizarre is after reading some of these other stories, I’m not 100% about saying no. I mean, I’m about 90% sure I’ll say no. I felt bad telling her no on the spot and intended to let her believe that I was considering it over the weekend since I got the impression she had spent so much time thinking about it and rehearsing what she was going to say. But now I actually am finding a tiny part of myself considering it and I almost can’t believe myself.
Anyone ever been randomly asked to be a sperm donor before??? If you actually said yes, why? Did it work out in the end or become a legal mess? And no, I’m not seeming actual legal advice from Reddit.

Remember this staff before him? Pajama pants Larry and Eiland? It was one pitching disaster and let down to another. They just took gold and turned it to shit over and over again.
Matt Blake came here with an incredible history of producing amazing pitchers in Cleveland, and suddenly things turned around.
One starter after another blows away expectations. These aren’t highly covered early draft picks. We’ve been keeping in the farm either. It seems like every young picture he touches turns into a can’t miss rookie.
And then there’s the bullpen. The dude literally takes one no name, never heard of him, pitcher after another and turns them into super heros. Exact opposite of what we had.
There are probably two dozen of them, but the obvious one that stands out is Holmes. What he saw in him, I don’t know. The guy was straight up garbage. DFA level. 116 innings of relief and a 5,57 ERA and 1.638 whip! And now he’s a top closer in baseball. Maybe the best.

DISCLAIMER: This is definitely a long read & I’ll be surprised but hopefully blessed if anyone comments
For years, the husband has traveled extensively for his line of work. Now he owns his own business (& has to travel even more often to stay afloat). Wife is home-bound b/c of children, land & livestock responsibilities.
He & his wife are typically both hopeless romantics & two peas in a pod who rarely butt heads; but he suddenly tells you he’s deeply put-out that she won’t send him nude pics nor vids “anymore”. You’ve long known for a fact he’s a rare one who isn’t tempted to look at porn (unique aspect of his otherwise “colourful” testimony), so this isn’t a potential “deterrent” situation. He just really digs his wife who he doesn’t often have time to be intimate with.
Wife says she never wanted to send nudes. In fact, he originally understood & accepted her firm position “for years”. Over time, however, he emotionally & scripturally pressured her to the point she believed the Christian, wifely thing must be to lay aside her own desires & comfort zone & go the second mile & beyond - even though it pained her & “went against every grain of [her] being” (which he was well-aware of).
Husband was thrilled but began to insist on more & when she wouldn’t oblige, he claimed he felt unloved, disrespected, & undervalued because “I sacrifice everything to provide for her & this is the one & only thing I need & ask of her. One thing!”
Before long, one of wife’s nagging fears was realized: Husband’s phone was “lost”; worse, yet, at a church they were visiting for the first time. For days, they could remotely see someone was “active” in some of their apps in which the footage was saved.
When what turned out to be a thief was discovered, he lied about how he found the phone in his car; he then gave it to the church secretary, who gave it to the pastor who returned it to the husband. The phone was on & frequently active throughout this time.
The wife - who also had a history of having been raped & it videotaped during her teens - was completely mortified. The husband tried to calm her nerves by acting borderline amused. He also suggested she get past her feelings, sort of laugh it off in her breezy way, & go back to this church they’d enjoyed so much. He even went so far as to stress that she was “supposed to be 100% freed & healed by Jesus from any negative ‘associations’ about her former sexual assaults, so why would it suddenly be affecting her if she’s set free like she claims she was?”
He is currently sulky & cold towards her & still says “i love her more than life & slave my life away & I enjoy that she enjoys the fruits of my labor even though I hardly can, but she won’t love & appreciate me enough to do this one, simple thing for me”; & she says “I literally feel sick & alienated, violated & that he doesn’t love me enough to care how I went out of my way to sacrifice my sense of security & dignity & my personal desires - out of sacrificial love - to please him & send the pics & vids more than a few times & it ‘wasn’t enough’… now, all this happens & he still insists!”
On a last note: She tells him to keep enjoying those; he says “that’s just like telling me I should be satisfied to have a few photos of her face from yrs ago & i’m not supposed to want more!”
So, anyone still reading? What say you guys? How to respond to these two?

Age 28
Sex female
Height 5' 6"
Weight 130 pounds
Race white
Duration of complaint 5 days
Location chest
Any existing relevant medical issues no current medical issues but family history of heart and lung problems
Current medications none
Include a photo if relevant
I have been having chest pain on and off for 5 days along with being lightheaded and have some shortness of breath. It came on suddenly and never fully when away. It is not indigestion as I know those symptoms very well from pregnancy. I have no seen and medical professionals due to fear of being diagnosed with anxiety. I'm not sure if I go to the er or not. It s a dull feeling in the left side of my chest down my left arm

The excitement surrounding a new Assassin's Creed title can quickly turn to disappointment when it reinforces harmful tropes. Assassin's Creed Shadows presents a problematic case of cultural appropriation and neo-colonial fantasy.
I’ve been a fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise; however, I couldn't help but feel silenced and suppressed when I saw the trailer. I’m sure many share this frustration.That being said, I’ve seen little argument on the internet that represents the asian community.
The core issue lies in prioritising a superficial diversity as a metric of cultural authenticity. However, it’s not difficult to see that the insertion is wrong on many levels.
Firstly, demoting and excluding Asian male characters in a setting steeped in Asian culture is a missed opportunity. Rich historical periods abound in Asia, offering a chance to explore diverse Asian cultures through the lens of an Asian protagonist. Sengoku period boasts a vibrant tapestry of history, brimming with potential for an Asian protagonist's journey. Tales of countless Japanese samurai have been passed down through the ages. Shunting them aside in favour of a character from a different ethnicity undermines the very cultural immersion the game strives for. Subsequently, this so-called cultural product has been reduced to a mere puppet show.
Western media, including video games, has a poor track record of portraying Asian men as strong, masculine and heroic figures. They're often demoted to comedic sidekicks or one-dimensional villains. Assassin's Creed's decision to seemingly bypass an Asian male samurai protagonist in a Japanese setting is an intentional mistake, and some might see it as a cynical ploy for "diversity points", under the guise of cultural exchange.
Having to insert an African man as a figure of diversity, while losing touch with the context of Asian cultural backgrounds is a form of ignorant racism by itself. It suggests that there’s not enough racial diversity on the continent. Especially when it comes to Celebrating diversity within Asia, few seem to care enough to populate fictional worlds with characters from various Asian ethnicities.
Not having the fundamental respect for the indigenous people that inhabited these islands proves how egocentric and narcissistic Ubisoft and the group it represents have become. The “Asians all look the same” stereotype touting homogeneity should also be prevented and combated, adding fuel to it is counterintuitive and against the cause.
Secondly, depicting a black character as the central figure enacting over-glorified violence in a Japanese setting is insensitive and potentially reinforces a cultural neo-colonial narrative demoting and excluding Asian men. Whether it's historically accurate is besides the point, although it remains questionable, forcing a character of colour into a role that perpetuates negative stereotypes is disrespectful, to both Asians and Africans.
There is enough cultural background for a game to be set in Africa,so I can't help but question whether it's really about diversity and minority representation. Forcing a black character in Japanese culture shows the lack of confidence the studio has in selling African cultural heritage in pop art products. Just to entertain the thought, a game set in Ethiopia would have existed if they wanted it to, since the historical and cultural landscape is just as rich and vibrant. Assassin's Creed Shadows has the potential to be an immersive experience, but it should strive for cultural sensitivity. By featuring authentic Asian heroes and delving deeper into the chosen historical period, the game can avoid accusations of appropriation and create a narrative that's both respectful and engaging for a global audience.
@ycbr creatives

Hi all my cat first made those weird movements and sounds two months ago and it only happened three times. A friend who was over when it happened once and has a lot more cat experience then me told it was just hiccups and that his cat did it and is fine. However the last 4-5 days she’s been making those noises and movements again multiple times a day. I’m really starting to get worried, are these just hiccups and im worrying over nothing, or should I be making a vet appointment asap? I unfortunately can’t add videos as I do have it recorded, but I’ll send it to anyone if they want to see it.
Info:
Species: Cat
Age: 2
Sex/spay: female and spayed
Breed: domestic short hair
Body weight: aprox 14 lbs
History: Nothing bad according to her records that I got when I adopted her in January, the shelter had brought her to the vet in December where they spayed her, got her up to date on vaccines and in the notes said she was healthy.
Clinical signs: for about 20 seconds to 1 minute she will have body shakes and make wheezing/hiccuping noises. she has been completely normal asides from this. No issues with drinking, eating, playing or napping.
Duration: last 4-5 days
General location: Southern Ontario

Ok, maybe someone already has an answer for this, but what is christianity's answer to prehistoric stuff. Neanderthals, homo erectus(however you spell it) and all the other prehistoric stuff we hear about on a daily basis. I mean stuff like agriculture being what really "evolved" us as a self sustaining and new leader of the food chain. Is it crazy to think that in Genesis when God sees the world was too sinful, it's referring to a time millions of years ago? To me it seems like alot of stories in the OT are ran through so fast. So much emphasis is put on Abraham in the 3 leading religions, but it doesn't take the average reader long to be finished reading his name in the bible, before its off to Isac, Jacob, and so on. That makes me wonder if these quick lapses in time encompass countless years of history, some of which we can see through science. Is this crazy or even make sense?

I’m a 30 year old female with a history of ehlers danlos syndrome, slow transit bowel which causes chronic constipation, GERD, chronic gastritis and POTS. I have a colonoscopy scheduled for June to make sure everything is alright because recently my anemia (which iv had one and off since I was a teenager) has been getting worse and worse. Dropping from 10.8 to 7.7 in about 6-7 months. Granted I have VERY heavy periods. Like have to wear adult diaper heavy. So anyway I took the Colonox fit test and it was positive for blood in the stool. I know logically it can be due to my bad hemorrhoids from the chronic constipation (constipation iv had since I was 6 months old) but with all my health issues and now the anemia getting worse I can’t help but jump to worst case scenario. I’m not even sure what I’m asking. I think I just wanted a place to vent out the frustration. I know the colonoscopy will show me what I need to know. Good knews is I just had a liver and gallbladder ultrasound and everything was fine so at least if it’s positive I know it hasn’t spread to the liver 😅….sorry dark humor.

I am a 28 year old female. 5’1 approx 135/140 pounds. Past medical history is PCOS, anxiety, heart palpitations.
About 6 months ago I started getting an insane pressure in my head and behind my eyes. It feels like there is a balloon being inflated in my brain. Oftentimes I feel like my head is floating and I feel very disoriented. My eyes have trouble focusing and I have a lot of brain fog. My breathing seems “off” and I feel like I’m not getting enough oxygen which has caused me so much dizziness and anxiety. I have tried all the sinus remedies and none seem to fix my problem. OTC sinus meds, nasal sprays, allergy medication, nothing is working. I live on my stomach because that is the only thing that gives me even the slightest relief, and I feel like it is causing me soreness in my chest.
I’ve been to the ER multiple times. I’ve gotten CT scans, bloodwork, EKG. Nothing ever appears to be wrong but something HAS to be. Everyday I feel like I’m going to pass out at any minute.
Does anyone have an idea of what is going on with me?

I am in recovery from my ureteroscopy on a calyceal diverticulum, and while I found some journal articles and a few stray posts on here about them, I want to paint a bigger picture about my actual experience and what I felt.
This is a very long post because I wanted to err on the side of more information so that other may feel much less alone than I have felt. I have included subheadings so you can read only what is useful to you.
To start, I am a 31-year-old female with endometriosis (I explain the implications of that in one of my subsections.). I live in New York City and was operated on by a surgeon at Smith Institute for Urology at Lenox Hill Hospital, which specializes in “complex anatomy” and kidney stones.
TL;DR Calyceal diverticula are pockets on the kidneys affecting 0.5% of the population. Stones can form and get trapped due to their narrow opening (infundibulum). As a result, their pain pattern is different and diagnosis can be delayed. To resolve the problem, you will need a surgeon to remove stones and expand the opening and/or ablate the lining of the diverticulum via ureteroscopy or percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
What is a calyceal diverticulum?
For a good scientific review of what calyceal (kay-luh-SEE-uhl) diverticula are, there is a review study from 2014 with primary author Nikhil Waingankar. In short, these are pockets within the kidneys that have much narrower entry points (“infundibula”) than a normal calyx, and they are theorized to only occur in 0.5% of the human population, with an estimated 96% of those who have them forming stones inside them.
They are often found incidentally on imaging because many people remain asymptomatic. In my case, we saw “a cyst requiring further imaging to rule out neoplasm” (cancer) when I was having my appendectomy in 2022 and had a CT scan in the ER.
They will look like cysts until you either get a radiologist who knows what to look for and sees a stone inside, or until you do a CT urogram, which is a more involved CT scan where you can see if the urinary system communicates with the “cyst.” Simple cysts and neoplasms will not show urine entering the mass; a calyceal diverticulum will, because it has an entrance.
Important stipulation in my experience: endometriosis and its surgeries
My story is complicated by the fact that I have endometriosis, which is a disease wherein cells resembling uterine cells occur outside the uterus. This is an extraordinarily painful condition that causes widespread inflammation due to the uterus-like cells’ having “menstrual periods” outside the uterus. It that can occur anywhere in the body; while most people’s disease presents primarily in the ovaries, uterus, and Fallopian tubes, the disease has been found in every organ in the body. In my case, my disease was confirmed to be extrapelvic as soon as my appendix pathology report revealed that my appendix had endometriosis on it; the cells existed beyond the typical pelvic organs.
I have already had two laparoscopies for endometriosis, and while these were immensely helpful in restoring my quality of life, every abdominal surgery comes with the risk of adhesions. Adhesions are bands of tissue that the body forms when it experiences inflammation or trauma. Endometriosis forms adhesions by itself, and surgery to remove it risks further adhesions. In 2020, when I had my radical excision surgery, my surgeon had to perform ureterolysis to cut my ureters free: whether from previous surgery in 2016 or the disease, my ureters were stuck to my uterus due to adhesions.
I share this because having endometriosis and its surgeries in my history affected my path to diagnosis and probably my pain pattern. (Endometriosis forms its own nerve endings, too!) But for the record, the kidney stones and the kidney surgery in my case were more painful than endometriosis…probably because they freaked out any remaining endometriosis.
(Sorry for no source on this endometriosis information. I am unfortunately very well-read on the disease! If you want to learn more, I recommend The Center for Endometriosis Care website and the book Beating Endo.)
What did the calyceal diverticulum feel like at first?
On a Tuesday in January 2024, I was trialing prazosin, an alpha blocker related to Flomax (tamsulosin) due to PTSD nightmares.
One day after taking this drug, I woke up with 8/10 pain muscle spasms in my “iliac crest,” which is the top edge of my pelvis, on the right side. I thought I had “slept funny” and the pain subsided after about 3 hours. I tried to roll around on a lacrosse ball, thinking it was a muscle spasm.
I took the prazosin for two more days. By that Thursday, the pain lasted more like 6 hours and did not go away; I had the muscle spasms as well as a feeling that there was “trapped gas” right at my waist, right on the side of my body. Because the pain stayed at 8/10, nothing would calm it down, and I couldn’t focus on work, I went to the ER. We did a CT scan and saw nothing different from my last CT for my appendectomy. They decided it was probably a kidney infection with strange presentation due to my endometriosis and sent me home with cefpodoxime, an antibiotic.
I finished the course of the antibiotic over 7 days and felt better.
But then the “trapped gas” feeling returned and lasted 18 hours. I went back to the ER, mostly concerned that I had failed antibiotics and the “infection” was getting worse. I made a urologist appointment while I was waiting in the ER because I suspected this might be beyond their mandate of ruling out anything life-threatening. We did another CT, and this time I really carefully read the results: inside what we had identified as a calyceal diverticulum in 2022 during my appendectomy CT scan were two kidney stones, each about 0.2mm. Because there was not much change from my last ER visit, the doctor at the ER did not think this explained how I was feeling. He did not want to send me home with antibiotics because he thought his colleagues were too cavalier with testing, but he did send for a urine culture and sent me home at least assured there was no emergency.
The culture came back, and I did test positive for E. Faecalis, which is a rarer bacteria to have, so the doctor at the ER urged me to get on Levaquin, an antibiotic, as soon as possible. (My endourologist later theorized this bacterium was an incidental finding; he thinks I just happened to be colonized with it and it was not causing symptoms. Regardless, it was not present in my culture before surgery.)
Again, I took almost the full course of the antibiotic and was feeling better and safer. I also saw a urologist, and she was skeptical it was an infection but told me to continue the course. She was pretty sure it was endometriosis-related but saw that I had seen my gynecologist, who has been treating me for 5 years, days prior who was pretty sure this was NOT consistent with what she had seen when we operated in 2020. The urologist said she felt this might be beyond her skills and referred me to one of her medical school colleagues who is a specialist in “complex anatomy” like calyceal diverticula as an endourologist professor at Lenox Hill in NYC.
But before I could see the endourologist, only one week after my last ER visit, I was in 9/10 pain for 7 hours overnight. I really did not want to go to the ER again, but I was vomiting, sweating, using the bathroom (both ways) constantly. After 7 hours not being able to get it to calm down, I went back to the ER.
The first thing they did was test me for sepsis, because I was being treated for an infection. They also did a CT scan again and then we saw it: one of the kidney stones had left the calyceal diverticulum and was stuck in the ureterovesicular junction (“UVJ”). By the time I was diagnosed, I was in 9/10 pain for 18 hours, so what we now know to be the renal colic phase lasted for 18 hours. They admitted me overnight to the hospital to observe and had me on ketorolac (Toradol) and oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet) every 6 hours alternating. The pain subsided the next morning.
Confirmation and surgery
Luckily, I had the endourologist appointment on the books already, and I got all of my images from the ER to bring to this doctor, letting him know I was confirmed to have passed the stone.
What he was able to do for me I will never forget: he showed me exactly why I was in enough pain for the ER each of the three weeks I went. Unlike a normal stone situation, a stone in a calyceal diverticulum has far more opportunities to get stuck. Also unlike a normal stone, you can feel the stone passing before it reaches the ureter because it has to leave via the narrow opening of the diverticulum. This means the pain can feel different and, due to its location within the kidney is more prone to being referred pain (pain you feel in a place other than where it originates). This is why I did not feel the pain in the classic place and why it felt much more like trapped gas. Furthermore, most radiologists do not have the same training as he did to identify where in the opening the stone was, which explained why they believed the stone was in the same place each time.
We wanted to take a “wait and see” approach on the second stone, but my body did not want to wait. As I was falling asleep one night in early March 2024, I felt that familiar “trapped gas” feeling, way too far right to be my intestines. This is 6/10 pain, so I could go to work for an important meeting, but I called to get an ultrasound and appointment right away. (We have since found that for my specific diverticulum, ultrasounds are not useful. I will need a CT urogram any time we want to visualize the kidney post-op.)
My doctor said that he wanted to attempt ureteroscopy before percutaneous nephrolithotomy because it is a less-invasive modality and we were worried about impacting any endometriosis. He had me sign paperwork consenting to either method, and it was a “game time” decision based on what he saw with the camera.
In the two-and-half week wait til surgery, his hypothesis gained traction: I would have days “on” with the pain and “off,” suggesting the stone was able to enter the diverticular opening and then flow back into the diverticulum. When I was in pain this time, I would also feel a lot of fatigue and brain fog that made it hard to work. This could be consistent with a kidney blockage, but it is hard to say for sure with an area so small.
The surgery, the stent, and the pain after the stent
The surgery itself went pretty well and only lasted 1.5 hours. The surgeon let me know that it was not easy to get into the diverticulum because the opening was not straight, as expected. He was, however, able to complete the surgery with only ureteroscopy. He removed a 0.2mm stone and observed that the stone was exactly the width of the opening, meaning it could absolutely flow into and out of it and get stuck for days. He widened the opening with laser to be “wider than a normal calyx” to allow for scarring, and, at my request to avoid further operations, ablated as much of the lining of the diverticulum as he could, encouraging it to close up.
While the surgery was uneventful, I am one of the unlucky ones who cannot tolerate a stent. This is probably due to my endometriosis, which leaves me in a heightened baseline of inflammation and nerve arousal, as well as the fact that, for me, the stent had to go into the diverticulum, which had been lasered and burned, in order for it to heal. I spent four hours in the recovery room while we tried to get my pain down to my goal of 7, which meant we needed to dose me, as we did in the ER, with ketorolac (Toradol) and oxycodone every 6 hours with no gaps in between.
I only had the stent in for 3 full days, and unfortunately, due to my specific circumstances, that was the worst pain I have ever been in. I was agnostic about 10/10 pain until this time, in which I felt like I was passing a stone and experiencing my worst endometriosis cramps at the same time. I was in 8-10/10 pain despite the painkiller regimen, and since we found that dilaudid does not work for me, this was good as they could do for me.
Thankfully, my surgeon listened to my experience and agreed to take the stent out as soon as was responsible: 72 hours later. The actual removal was uncomfortable but not painful beyond a “scrape” sensation in the urethra, and as soon as it was out, my husband noticed I could move as normal and was talking more like myself.
However, 1 out of 4 people will experience pain after the stent is removed, and risk factors include female anatomy, being “younger” (I am 31.) and having a stent in for less than or equal to 7 days.
The day of the removal I had some muscle spasms but was mostly so relieved that I slept all day.
34 hours after the removal, I experienced a feeling like I was passing a kidney stone. I was in 9/10 pain for 6 hours, feeling like I needed to move my bowels (which was not easy after opioids!) and having unrelenting spasms above my right iliac crest (top of pelvis). I was on ketorolac (Toradol) during this and knew what it was, but I otherwise may have gone back to the ER. I refused to take more opioids because my bowel was upset as well.
Today, I have had one episode of the iliac crest muscle spasms lasting an hour. I have found that crouching on the floor, against a wall, and/or going into “reclined butterfly pose” may help. It may just make me feel like I have more control over the situation.
I will update this post if I feel more pain in the coming days.
What’s next?
My endourologist/surgeon thinks it is very unlikely that I am “a stone-former” because the stones were only in the diverticulum and likely formed due to the urine reflux of that structure.
We will follow up in 3 weeks to see if the sensation I felt in March of the “trapped gas” recurs. If it does, only then would we do a CT urogram to see if the diverticular opening closer up to anywhere near its former width of 0.2mm.
This is unlikely because the surgeon lasered the opening very wide, “wider than a normal calyx,” to allow for scarring to take place. The ablation of the lining of the diverticulum should also take care of its tendency to collect urine.
I am not expected to have further stones or need for surgery, but he has seen cases of recurrence, so we need to manage my expectations.
Despite the extreme pain of the stent, I am content with my decision and hope that I do not have to go through this again. The one blessing in my case is, if this surgery succeeds, I should not have any further kidney stones.

 * * * * * * * 

I recently went to a dermatologist and he just looked and touched my hair a bit and said I have female pattern hair loss and it wasn’t TE from stress. But yet in the consultation report he wrote, he diagnosed me as having “mild hair thinning in the triangle of skin in the front of the scalp. Possibly, resulting from sebborheic dermatitis and stress. No evidence of scarring alopecia at this stage.” So I’m honestly so confused and don’t know what to think. I also did a blood test and it turns out I have a low ferritin of only 7. I’m really hoping that’s the reason for my hair loss and has nothing to do with AGA. As far as I know, I have no family history of that. What do you guys think of how my hair looks?