Facts:

• 30 states have a higher minimum wage than Tennessee's $7.25.
• Tennessee last raised its minimum wage in 2009.
• Since then, inflation has risen by about 36.6%.
• A decent living wage for a single adult in Tennessee is about $13.25 per hour.

Steps to Raise the Minimum Wage

Step 1: Organize a Petition Drive

Form a Nonpartisan Group:

• Create or join a group focused solely on raising the minimum wage, without political affiliations.
• Use platforms like Zoom for virtual meetings. Schedule regular meetings and create a structured agenda. Use social media and local forums to recruit members.

Research Requirements:

• Signature Requirement: For statewide initiatives, the number of signatures required is significant and typically a percentage of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The exact number can be confirmed with the Tennessee Secretary of State's office.
  • Phone: (615) 741-2819
• For local initiatives, like in Knoxville, a charter amendment can be proposed if at least one registered voter files the petition with the county election commission for pre-approval (TCA 2-5-151).

Create the Petition:

• Draft a clear and concise petition for a minimum wage increase. Here is a sample:

Draft Petition:
Petition for Increasing the Minimum Wage in Tennessee
To the Tennessee General Assembly:
We, the undersigned residents of Tennessee, believe that the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is insufficient to meet the basic needs of individuals and families in our state. Given the significant rise in living costs and inflation since the last adjustment in 2009, we urgently call for an increase in the state minimum wage to a livable wage of $13.25 per hour. This adjustment will ensure that all working Tennesseans can afford necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.
By signing this petition, we express our support for this necessary change and urge the Tennessee General Assembly to take immediate action.
Name Address Signature

Step 2: Collect Signatures

• Host Community Events: Organize events like town hall meetings, local fairs, or farmers' markets to gather signatures.
• Utilize Local Networks: Leverage small-town connections where everyone knows each other to spread the word and gather support.
• Set Up Booths: Place booths in high-traffic areas like grocery stores, libraries, and community centers to collect signatures.
• Door-to-Door Campaigning: Go door-to-door in your neighborhood to ask for signatures.

Step 3: Raise Awareness

• Social Media Campaign: Use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to inform the community and encourage them to sign the petition.
• Local Media: Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels to cover your campaign.
• Flyers and Posters: Distribute flyers and put up posters in local businesses and public spaces.

Step 4: Submit the Petition

• Verify Signatures: Ensure all collected signatures meet the requirements.
• Submit to Authorities: Submit the petition to the appropriate state or local authority for validation.

Deadlines and Requirements

• Submission Deadline: Typically, signatures must be submitted several months before the general election to allow time for verification. For 2024, check with the Tennessee Secretary of State for specific deadlines and the number of required signatures (Ballotpedia) (Tennessee Secretary of State).

Key Points:

• Local Efforts: It is more challenging to change the minimum wage at a local level like Knoxville due to state preemption laws, but local advocacy can still be influential.
• Statewide Efforts: For statewide initiatives, a significant number of signatures is required based on the last gubernatorial election.

By following these steps and working together, we can push for a living wage in Tennessee to ensure a better quality of life for all. For more detailed information on signature requirements and deadlines, you can visit Ballotpedia or the Tennessee Secretary of State's website.

Other Ways to Advocate for a Higher State Minimum Wage:

1. Legislative Advocacy:
   • Lobby Lawmakers: Work with advocacy groups to meet with state legislators and push for a bill to increase the minimum wage.
   • Public Campaigns: Use media campaigns, public rallies, and social media to raise awareness and put pressure on lawmakers.
   • Coalition Building: Form alliances with labor unions, community organizations, and businesses that support higher wages.
2. Electoral Strategy:
   • Support Pro-Wage Increase Candidates: Work to elect state legislators who support raising the minimum wage.
   • Voter Education: Educate voters about candidates' positions on the minimum wage and encourage them to vote accordingly.
3. Public Pressure:
   • Media Engagement: Write op-eds, participate in interviews, and use social media to highlight the need for a wage increase.
   • Petitions and Letters: Organize letter-writing campaigns and online petitions to demonstrate public support.
4. Local Government Initiatives:
   • City and County Ordinances: While state law may preempt local minimum wage increases, some municipalities might still be able to implement higher wages for city or county employees or through specific local initiatives.
5. Business Initiatives:
   • Encourage Voluntary Increases: Encourage businesses to voluntarily raise wages and create public recognition programs for those that do.
   • Partnerships with Businesses: Work with businesses to demonstrate the benefits of higher wages, such as reduced turnover and increased productivity.
6. Legal and Policy Research:
   • Economic Studies: Commission or conduct studies that show the positive impacts of a higher minimum wage on the economy and present these findings to policymakers and the public.
   • Policy Proposals: Develop detailed policy proposals outlining how a wage increase can be implemented and funded.

Steps to Take Right Now:

• Form or Join an Advocacy Group: Find like-minded individuals and organizations to build a coalition.
• Contact State Legislators: Start a dialogue with state representatives and senators to gauge their support and educate them on the issue.
• Engage the Public: Use social media, community meetings, and local media to build broad public support.
• Prepare for Long-Term Efforts: Understand that changing the minimum wage may take time and sustained effort.

By using these strategies, we can create a multifaceted approach to advocate for a higher minimum wage in Tennessee.

"The increased availability of noninvasive breath tests, each with limitations, has led to widespread testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients with non-specific gastrointestinal complaints. The lactulose breath test (LBT) is based upon an incorrect premise and therefore incorrect interpretations which has resulted in the over-diagnosis of SIBO and the excessive use of antibiotics in clinical practice. Despite limitations, the glucose breath test (GBT) should be exclusively employed when considering SIBO in appropriately chosen patients. This review suggests guidelines for the optimal use and appropriate interpretation of the GBT for suspected SIBO. The LBT should be discarded from future use, and the literature based upon the LBT should be discounted accordingly."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33037967/
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"Official recommendation for the test is based on conflict of interest. The companies that produce the tests as well as antibiotic manufacturers influence and sponsor doctors and support the changes in guidelines, so at some point they were recognized as the new standard4. That's the short version."
"Until recently, the current gold standard for the diagnosis of SIBO was a bacterial culture from the patient's small intestinal aspirate (a sample taken from a portion of the upper to middle small intestine during endoscopy). But most bacterial strains require unknown growth conditions (and strict exclusion of oxygen) and therefore cannot be cultured, leading to false negative results. In addition, this method is expensive, invasive and therefore complex and risky for the patient and requires an experienced gastroenterologist.
Most studies today that report SIBO in patients with IBS are therefore based on the results of glucose and lactulose breath tests, which measure the amount of hydrogen and methane in the breath produced by bacteria after digestion of ingested fermentable sugars.
This method is indirect and does not allow quantification of bacteria.
Glucose is normally absorbed in the small intestine, but if SIBO is present, the theory is that the bacteria should produce detectable gases that can then be detected in breath. The glucose-hydrogen breath test is more specific but not very sensitive (so it is difficult to detect); the lactulose breath test is very non-specific and will detect anything.
This has consequences for the test results and also for the patient. Depending on the test, between 4-60% of IBS patients are SIBO positive. At the same time, however, up to 34% of healthy people also have a positive test result. The high range in IBS patients and the high proportion of positives in controls casts doubt on the validity of the tests: in fact, almost 50% of tests have been shown to be false positives3. Scientists therefore say:
SIBO is overdiagnosed and causes confusion and anxiety in patients (Massey et al. 2021)"
https://drschwitalla.com/diagnostik/sibo/

People that spread the internet without an official diagnosis or any prove of an mast cell involvement, antihistamines are used for multiple diseases. There have been people that think they have MCAS because Cromolyn helped their asthma, H1 medication helped their urticaria, or H2 helped their heartburn. These medications are all widely used and are rather "off label" used for MCAS. That is why all 3 criteria need to be present.
Websites present various doctors that claim to be "specialists" and who give out diagnoses to anyone based of unspecific symptoms, reportedly these do not even make tests at all. Or use unvalidated biomarkers or questionable diagnostic criteria. Cash is payed upfront.
People who actually have a serious and rare disease named MCAS, struggle to be taken seriously, because many doctors are fed up by the sheer amount of psychic conspicuous patients, who only want a proof for their google based self diagnoses. Often times there is no proof and these people make a burden for health care resources.
Mast cell medication is free and if you have no relief at all with antihistamines, MCAS is very unlikely. There is not much any further medication that someone would get, if not presented with serious reactions, most of the times anaphylaxis. Ketotifen and cromolyn are also mainly antihistamines, still many gaslight themselfs thinking that that is the medication they need.
Primary and secondary MCAS are easy to rule out, due to specific and severe symptoms and quite obvious underlying mechanism like an IgE dependant allergy or the genetic mutation. The diagnosis that is under question is the idiopathic MCAS, where the underlying mechanism is unknown, these people still need to fullfill the diagnostic markers, but in reality this happens only rarely.
Still many think they have a secondary MCAS, it is said by certain authors that a secondary MCAS would have a prevalance of 17-30 per cent. They say that long covid and/or T-Cells are the problem. That this would be quite easy to proof if it would be happening they do not care about. That this has already been evaluated they do not care about. The desperate patients are easy to convince it seems.
Some people even make claim their MCAS would be due to a root cause of "Sibo", "Leaky gut" or "microbiome disbalance", all which are unrelated to a MCAS and heavenly overdiagnosed or not even proven to excist, just like the whole hEDS and POTS misdiagnoses going on. Mast cells in the gut have been studied and people with IBS have had no success with mast cell treatment.
It is also a burden for patients, knowing that even some doctors do not stick to authentic measures and give out misinformation. Maybe because of a conflict of interest? Since most internet posts that come up include misinformation, it is hard for sufferers to find alike. MCAS communities are full of people who do not have MCAS. MCAS sufferers have no community right now.
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"My blood and 24hr urine collection testing came back normal. The allergist I saw also told me outright he doubted I had MCAS (a fad diagnosis along with EDS and POTS, as he said) but did end up suggesting I come back to get samples tested during an episode. I was so frustrated with the allergist that I’ve never gone through with that. Instead my amazing primary doctor decided to prescribe me montelukast and monitor my reaction to trialing antihistamines at home, and I had immediate positive response! We also first ruled out everything else he could think of and clearly test for; my main symptom is facial flushing so I had things like lupus and carcinoid syndrome ruled out.
Although we treat it as such, I don’t actually have an “official” MCAS diagnosis on my chart. IME the specialists who do inquire about all my meds or listen to my symptoms don’t seem to differentiate between MCAS and allergies/sensitivities anyway :/ but my case isn’t super severe and currently well-controlled so that works for me. Good luck to you - I hope you find proper care regardless of your test results!"
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"I have normal tryptase levels and definitely have MCAS. They diagnosed it after POTS, and it was mostly based on symptoms as well as the “scratch test”"
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"Spoke about it with my GP, she referred me to an internal medicine doc who specializes in MCAS. I told him my symptoms and he went “yep that sounds like MCAS” and proceeded to literally dump an armful of antihistamine samples into my lap and bounce off to his next appointment. I am definitely in the minority of people whose experience was that easy. It was so easy that I almost don’t believe him."
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"This is the same as my experience! Walked in, diagnosed by rheumatologist in 5 mins based off symptoms and loaded up with antihistamines as a starting point. No testing or anything."
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"went to my allergist and had the blood work panel done. nothing in it came back weird, but my allergist is treating me as if i have MCAS based on all my symptoms and pictures of flares."
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"Went in to get my pots diagnosis and the doctor was like “btw your blood tests show you have mast cell activation syndrome” and then gave me some medicine and did not elaborate further"
"As it turned out my diagnosis was literally not true. I don’t have MCAS (and even if i did what they gave me for it was beyond overkill) after talking to an actual allergist I believe that most likely I was given an extra diagnosis on extremely weak basis. Using something from what they saw in my blood so they could bill higher and prescribe more medicine to me. I no longer go to that practice and instead go to a different cardiologist and actively do not recommend going there. Unfortunately this stopped me for years from properly treating my pain as I was trying to treat it on the basis it was being caused by MCAS :/"
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"Mine was actually fairly easy when I finally figured out it was MCAS.
Got referred to immunology to rule out mastocytosis. Then my PCP at the time did a clinical diagnosis. She wasn’t risking putting me into anaphylaxis to maybe get a positive result on any of the mast cell mediator labs (this doctor was one who didn’t list a diagnosis unless she was confident it isn’t anything else and spent 8 years trying to get an answer).
My current doctors don’t question it because my symptoms at this point line up perfectly with MCAS."

So it's me again, back for another rant! Life is tough, and I don't have anyone I can talk to. I'm just so tired of the way things are!
Last night me and my bestie decided to have a few drinks and just unwind, it was actually a lot of fun. We had some drinks and sang along to some music, it was overall just great. Unfortunately if everything went good, it wouldn't be much of a rant would it. The night was going fine, I had 3 cans of Mike's Hard Black cherry (super yummy and definitely recommend it) and I had 2 glasses of rum & coke, so nothing all that crazy for me compared to how much I have drank in the past. Around 3am I got hit with some mild chest pain...
The chest pain turned into a really intense pressure through my chest that ended up radiating through my back, it was nothing like what I've felt before, I get stress chest pains and honestly this experience made them seem somehow diminished in comparison. As the pain got worse I noticed I was having trouble breathing, it got so bad that I started getting nervous. Within 20 minutes of the chest pains starting I got genuinely scared and asked my bestie to take me to the hospital, anyone who knows me knows that I will avoid it at all cost so she knew that it had to be serious enough. She went into panic mode and in spite of everything I managed to stay calm and take control of the situation. As we pulled into the hospital parking lot I started feeling an almost primal fear, the type of fear you get when you think you're truly about to die.
I got to the front desk and was immediately told to come in and take vitals, they couldn't get a BP despite having the cuff on my arm for about 10 minutes, she finally gave up and asked me the usual questions about pain and stuff. Weirdly enough my arms decided to shift between pain and numbness and I suddenly started slurring while trying to explain myself, that was when all "care" was off limits to me. Our hospital has a bad habit of sweeping people under the rug if they even remotely suspect alcohol use, but the thing is I was fine moments before going in... I was perfectly coherent and I actually felt completely sober thanks probably to adrenaline or fear. I was sent back to the waiting area and told to just wait my turn, and things went from bad to worse quickly.
I didn't know that I had passed out, my bestie filled in the blanks for me. Apparently while we sat there waiting I kept coughing roughly, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and apparently I kept making weird movements with my tongue sticking out. She said the best way of describing it is "I was behaving like I'd been severely drugged and suddenly seemed to spiral quickly". When I came too I was still in the waiting room, freezing, in severe pain (I don't do well in cold environments and the hospital is always freezing), and feeling just beyond exhausted. When I asked her about if we were even checked on she confirmed my thoughts... we were left there, away from other patients, out of sight of anyone who could help if things got deadly.
After managing to stand up I looked at my bestie and said that I didn't want to be there anymore because no one cared about me, she agreed with me on the terms that if anything else happened we'd go back immediately. When I went back to triage to tell them I was leaving the nurse gave me a smug look and asked if I was feeling better or do I just want to leave, so I answered with "better isn't the word I'd use but dying at home seems like a better option". She ripped the IV plug out of my arm (which I frankly don't remember having one inserted), and told me to have a good day. I felt so angry! The experience triggered my PTSD from the last time I went to the hospital (long story short, I was kept isolated in a room soaking wet and freezing until the department I needed decided to take me in).
I could have died, and no one would've cared because they suspected I was drunk!!! What if no one came to check on me at all?! What if they only found out I died because my bestie couldn't wake me?! Would they have maybe cared than? Or would they have just said "oh well she drank"? It's infuriating to be treated like nothing just because there was a little bit of alcohol involved, like I said I wasn't drunk and actually felt sober! My condition deteriorated rapidly over the course of a 5 minute car ride. I spent the whole day just feeling rough!
After we left the hospital my body just doesn't feel right. My chest feels fuzzy/bubbly, I don't know how to better describe the feeling as well as feeling tight. My breathing still feels really labored like it's taking a lot of effort to just keep going, and small things are leaving me feeling winded. All day I couldn't shake this weird chronic fatigue, I'm just drained of all energy. And I've been noticing my arms go completely numb if I lean on them, which is super alarming. As long as nothing else happens in between I'm planning on following up with my doctor because at least she's taking me seriously, if something else does happen though were gonna take the 3+ hour drive to the next nearest hospital. The scary thing is, that weird primal fear still hasn't gone away and I'm nervous about that!

Curriculum Vitae:
5 year B. Arch for National Autonomous University of Mexico (Top 1 in my country)
1 year working experience at Taller de Arquitectura X (Famous office in my country). Role: Research, detailing, drafting, modeling.
6 months paid internship at Taller Mauricio Rocha (Famous office in my country). Role: drafting, 3d modeling.
6 months of Social Service (Requirement for graduation at mexican universities) at MUAC (Contemporary art museum). Role: Management, Art installation mounting.
6 months of Social Service (Requirement for graduation at mexican universities) designing social housing. Role: BIM, environment research using grasshopper, design.
Other stuff
Two published papers in my university journal.
88/100 grade point average (I think my weakest point)
Fairly decent portfolio, two award winning architecture projects and one art project.
Could get letters of recommendation from my employers or academics from my faculty, but I didn't see it as a prerequisite.

Welcome to Smile Sunday! Turn that caps lock off and gush about whatever achievements you want to showcase, or comment about what made you smile this week!
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A few things to keep in mind:
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• If you want to do some uppercase letters, feel free to, but try to avoid shouting! Sunday is a chill day.
• Avoid being maliciously happy at the expense of others.
• If you have a screenshot you'd like to share, please host on imgur.com and you can comment here. You can hyperlink by using brackets and parentheses, for example: \[desired text here\](insert hyperlink here). If you are on mobile, all you have to do is hit the chainlink, enter your desired text in the first box, then insert the link in the second box. We personally recommend Imgur, since it is free and does not require you to sign up.
• Phone camera photos are not allowed for general posting; however, for the Sunday megathread we have relaxed that restriction. All photos used in a positive and celebratory manner are allowed.
• Keep any opinions to yourself in the megathread; we don't want to stir up any controversies here, only good vibes.
• We want to have a chill time celebrating one another and making each other smile, so no comments like "haha, I'm really happy that it's so easy to 360 a controller player!"

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Here are our recurring posts:
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No Stupid Questions Monday - No question is stupid, ask anything DBD-related here.
Rage Wednesday - SMASH THAT CAPS LOCK AND RAGE ABOUT WHATEVER THE F$$$ HAS PISSED YOU OFF THIS WEEK

Currently I am in holding pattern, waiting to hear back from my recruiter to see my package has been accepted and a billet has open up for an Emergency/Trauma Nurse. I am hoping to get a billet with Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) at Camp Pendleton in a role 2 capacity.
From what I was told my package status is “ProBoard,” which I have no clue what that means. But I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for literature to review to help prepare myself for this role or have any suggestions to help prepare me both mentally and physically.
Background info: 10 years ER nurse 6 years at a level one trauma center 2 years LVN/LPN in the Emergency Department 2 years EMT Emergency Department 1.5 years EMT Prehospital care

Do I have cancer?
I found out by accident, MRI to assess old back injury picked up some extra findings in the background, and I have a large fibroid in my uterus and 4 masses/lesions on my liver. I have a referral to the James Cancer Center for gastroenterology, was told my case needed the “advanced” team because my “case is too complicated”. At the same time, I’m told benign lesions pop up all the time. Ok, these aren’t uncommon, but I need the “advanced team” which is booked out until the end of August?! I entered the abdominal MRI results for my abdomen in an AI ChatBox. I’ll post end of the response below since I can’t type it all out or share my screenshots below.
My repeat MRI isn’t scheduled yet, but is due mid July for the 3 month follow up scan.
I guess I just don’t know if I need advice or to vent.
“Overall, the presence of multi liver lesions with varying liver enhancement patterns raises concerns for both benign and malignant etiologies.”
Here’s the report.

1. There are 4 discrete liver lesions demonstrating mild T2 hyperintensity as well as avid arterial phase enhancement. More delayed postcontrast sequences demonstrate continued enhancement, however, to a lesser degree. The lesions demonstrate very mild precontrast T1 hypointensity as well. The lesions are indeterminate with potential considerations including atypical focal nodular hyperplasia as well as multiple hepatic adenomas. Recommend short follow-up in 3 months which can be performed with contrast enhanced MRI using Eovist contrast. If tissue sampling is needed, image-guided biopsy of one of the lesions may be amenable. 2. No lymphadenopathy. 3. No biliary ductal dilatation.

FINDINGS: Right hepatic lobe elongated measuring 21 cm craniocaudally. No obvious hepatic steatosis. There are multiple, at least 4, enhancing lesions within the liver which demonstrate mild T2 hyperintensity. The larger lesion centered within the more lateral left hepatic lobe, segment 2 measures approximately 3.5 x 2.8 cm on image 9 of sequence 12 with a slightly more central focus of increased T2 signal on image 9. On postcontrast sequences the lesions demonstrate avid enhancement during the arterial phase with an area of central hypoenhancement particularly seen within the segment 2 lesion. Lesion within the right hepatic dome on image 12 for reference measures 1.6 x 1.5 cm on image 12 of sequence 18 and lesion more inferiorly in the posterior right hepatic lobe on image 30 measures 3.6 x 3.0 cm. Within the left hepatic lobe, segment 4 is an enhancing lesion measuring 1.4 x 1.4 cm on image 29. The lesions demonstrate continued enhancement on the more delayed sequences where they enhance slightly higher than background liver parenchyma, however, not as intensely as seen on the arterial phase sequence. Incidental nonenhancing cyst within the periphery of the left hepatic lobe on image 21 of sequence 24 measuring approximately 0.4 cm in size. Gallbladder overall unremarkable on this exam. No biliary duct dilatation identified. Pancreas, adrenal glands, and the spleen are unremarkable. Both kidneys are unremarkable in appearance. There is no bulky abdominal lymphadenopathy or ascites identified. Portal venous vasculature is grossly patent.

Hey, hope you’re doing fine guys. I’m new around here. I’ve searched for info about this matter on the internet but I couldn’t find anything. Therefore, Reddit is the option.
Let’s cut to the chase. I have an XRF gun from OLYMPUS, delta DPO2000CC to be precise. The analysis performance is fine. However, it is not possible to connect the XRF to a computer in order to download the sample readings, so every element has to be manually entered into a spreadsheet. I contacted the provider Evident (former Olympus) and they answered with the instructions for installing the WINDOWS MOBILE DEVICE CENTER on the computer and it’d resolve the problem. I followed every step they instructed, but I did not work. After that, I responded that their recommendation didn’t resolve the issue. THEY NEVER ANSWER BACK !! Horrendous customer service. I also tried some fixes that I found on YouTube regarding the connection of old devices (palm) to current computers. No matter what, I didn’t fix the connectivity. It is worth mentioning that the computer detects the XRF, so I assume the problem is not the ports GUN/BASE port - Pc USB port.
So my question is there anybody in here who has experienced this problem and if so, how it fixed?
Thanks in advance

Today I sat down and sent out letters to the media about how the independent monitor who is overseeing the APD's consent decree has announced that they have met all the requirements, and he is recommending that Albuquerque police be released from further review. A judge will decide if that is the case in early June.
The issue that I have with that??? The Albuquerque Police Department TOPS the nationwide list per capita for officer involved shootings. Population wise they killed more people last year than any other US law enforcement agency, and their rate of shootings has gone UP rather than down over the past decade.
APD is also currently being investigated by the FBI for the DWI scandal, which involves numerous corrupt officers not showing up to court (assumingly in exchange for bribes) over many years... offenses which were not uncovered by the committee put in charge of policing the police, nor the department supervisors.
These things do not suggest that APD is now REFORMED and can be trusted with handling investigations of their own department internally. If anything, it makes it clear that whatever oversight they have been receiving isn't working. Not only do they need the federal oversight to continue, they need someone else put in charge of monitoring their department... obviously anybody who thinks that the APD is currently 'all good' doesn't have very good judgement.
So here is the letter that I have been sending out to local news agencies and government officials. I encourage everyone to research this situation themselves and write their own letters or make phone calls voicing their concerns about the APD being released from federal oversight even though they are literally the countries #1 killer cops and their department is steeped in misconduct.
"I'm writing you today because I simply can not believe that the independent monitor that is overseeing the DOJ order for Federal oversight over APD has recommended that it come to an end because they have supposedly met their goals... The statistics say otherwise.
Albuquerque police top the nationwide list of officer involved shootings per capita - looking solely at population, they killed more people in 2023 than any other US city! Their rate of shootings has gone up over time rather than down, and the increase isn't comparable to a growth in population.
They also have an unreasonably high death rate of incarcerated people, an enormous number of unconvicted people being held for low level offenses while violent repeat offenders are left roaming the streets, and a disproportionate number of arrests of POC that reveal a department wide racial bias.
Albuquerque has an atrocious level of crime for a city this size, and APD has a horrible response time with many people across the city complaining that they NEVER SHOW UP AT ALL to 911 calls for assistance. When they do show up they are incredibly likely to murder people who are unarmed, experiencing a mental health crisis, acting out due to being under the influence of substances, or just because they are Black/Hispanic/Native.
The department has a high number of complaints against officers where nearly none are found in favor of the civilian victims upon internal review - it's an unusually low number in comparison to other places. There are numerous instances over the past decade when they have lacked transparency regarding misconduct, refusing to release the names of officers involved or hold them accountable for their actions. These things alone should be reason enough for them to continue being monitored... proof that they haven't improved enough to be released from review.
But the Albuquerque police are also literally in the middle of a FBI investigation due to the DWI scandal. That's a great big red flag! Why wasn't this independent oversight committee able to spot that multiple officers weren't showing up to court hundreds of times over many years, with all the cases connected to the same attorney? Instead it took a citizen doing their own investigation to break open the corruption, and it required the media covering the story to make sure that this controversy wasn't buried. If the monitors couldn't catch this misconduct and abuse of power, what else is going on in the department that has either not yet been revealed or is being purposely hidden?
None of this sounds like "REFORMED" to me - if this is how the APD behaves while under the microscope, what will they do when they have independent power over their own misconduct again? How can this monitor group see all of this happening yet still recommend that the consent decree end? They are responsible for overseeing a police department that is currently at the TOP of the list for police killings and one that is engulfed in a conspiracy involving many officers, yet they are giving the APD 'the all clear'? Make it make sense!
I'd like to see more news stories pointing out all the reasons why the consent decree shouldn't stop and how they need a new monitor instead - the current one didn't fulfill his promises and hasn't been able to bring the APD into REAL compliance. We citizens obviously cannot bring our complaints directly to the APD or the oversight committee and expect transparency or action, so the burden falls on to the local news agencies to investigate this topic and release their findings to the community.
I've recently seen some news articles that were critical of the head monitor Mr. James Ginger, saying that his office isn't accessible to the public, he's usually out of state, he's been paid many millions of dollars and wasn't able to get the job done in the amount of time that he originally stated.
So it seems suspicious that almost immediately after news agencies investigated his role and uncovered some pretty disparaging stuff about his job performance he suddenly declares the department to be in compliance of the consent decree and announces that his oversight role will end.
Is there a connection? Is he giving them a passing grade after years of putting in the minimum amount of work just so he can write down a win on his resume? Is James Ginger attempting to back out of his responsibility over this police department by painting them as "cured" when they obviously aren't?
Please talk about this issue more, the public really needs to see the facts about APD that suggest that they shouldn't be released from DOJ oversight. It's especially important that some articles about this get published before a judge reviews this claim of the department being in compliance and possibly signs off on it at the beginning of June. We cannot allow the nation's top killer cops, a department chock full of misconduct, to be responsible for policing themselves!
I would love to see the mayor, city council, or some concerned citizens petition the court for a continuation of the consent decree with a new independent monitor in charge, as well as an investigation into the current monitors' performance and reason for declaring the APD in compliance when it's obvious that they have not improved enough to be released from oversight.
But that isn't likely to happen without the media pointing out the facts about APD's performance and reiterating the failures of Mr. Ginger over the past decade. We've got to put some pressure on city officials to do the right thing and stop the APD from being given free reign over their own affairs again... literal lives are at stake."
Thanks for taking the time to read all of that! I really hope that we as a community can prevent this from happening and finally bring some meaningful and much needed change to our police department.

We have a blind player that has trouble seeing his dice sets. He’s not fully blind but is losing his sight gradually. I am looking for a dice set that he can use that is large (55mm) and a black dice with light letters to help him see it. I want to surprise him but I also don’t want them to be like a foam dice or inflatable. Just large print
I can only find a d20 that is that large but I need an entire set. Does anyone have any recommendations?

guys, are we ok?
i can’t explain how miserable things are in my lab right now. i’m here minimum 14 hours overnight. we were already short staffed & now everything is manual. i’m running around all night long, programming samples 1 by 1, making copies, getting yelled at by nurses etc.
i heard a rumor they’re expecting 4-24 weeks before restoration & i just know there’s absolutely no way in the world i could possibly do 6 months of this.
i’ve been here for several years and am one of the few remaining after the labcorp merger and generally like my job a lot and don’t want to leave but there’s no way i can sustain this for that long. i’m already limping out to my car every morning.
just want to check in on everyone else

I am stuck in limbo waiting to see a specialist and I’m slowly driving myself insane.
I found out by accident, MRI to assess old back injury picked up some extra findings in the background, and I have a large fibroid in my uterus and 4 masses/lesions on my liver. I have a referral to the James Cancer Center for gastroenterology, was told my case needed the “advanced” team because my “case is too complicated”. At the same time, I’m told benign lesions pop up all the time. Ok, these aren’t uncommon, but I need the “advanced team” which is booked out until the end of August?! I entered the abdominal MRI results for my abdomen in an AI ChatBox. I’ll post end of the response below since I can’t type it all out or share my screenshots below. I guess I just don’t know if I need advice or to vent.
“Overall, the presence of multi liver lesions with varying liver enhancement patterns raises concerns for both benign and malignant etiologies.”
Here’s the report.

1. There are 4 discrete liver lesions demonstrating mild T2 hyperintensity as well as avid arterial phase enhancement. More delayed postcontrast sequences demonstrate continued enhancement, however, to a lesser degree. The lesions demonstrate very mild precontrast T1 hypointensity as well. The lesions are indeterminate with potential considerations including atypical focal nodular hyperplasia as well as multiple hepatic adenomas. Recommend short follow-up in 3 months which can be performed with contrast enhanced MRI using Eovist contrast. If tissue sampling is needed, image-guided biopsy of one of the lesions may be amenable. 2. No lymphadenopathy. 3. No biliary ductal dilatation.

FINDINGS: Right hepatic lobe elongated measuring 21 cm craniocaudally. No obvious hepatic steatosis. There are multiple, at least 4, enhancing lesions within the liver which demonstrate mild T2 hyperintensity. The larger lesion centered within the more lateral left hepatic lobe, segment 2 measures approximately 3.5 x 2.8 cm on image 9 of sequence 12 with a slightly more central focus of increased T2 signal on image 9. On postcontrast sequences the lesions demonstrate avid enhancement during the arterial phase with an area of central hypoenhancement particularly seen within the segment 2 lesion. Lesion within the right hepatic dome on image 12 for reference measures 1.6 x 1.5 cm on image 12 of sequence 18 and lesion more inferiorly in the posterior right hepatic lobe on image 30 measures 3.6 x 3.0 cm. Within the left hepatic lobe, segment 4 is an enhancing lesion measuring 1.4 x 1.4 cm on image 29. The lesions demonstrate continued enhancement on the more delayed sequences where they enhance slightly higher than background liver parenchyma, however, not as intensely as seen on the arterial phase sequence. Incidental nonenhancing cyst within the periphery of the left hepatic lobe on image 21 of sequence 24 measuring approximately 0.4 cm in size. Gallbladder overall unremarkable on this exam. No biliary duct dilatation identified. Pancreas, adrenal glands, and the spleen are unremarkable. Both kidneys are unremarkable in appearance. There is no bulky abdominal lymphadenopathy or ascites identified. Portal venous vasculature is grossly patent.

I found out by accident, MRI to assess old back injury picked up some extra findings in the background, and I have a large fibroid in my uterus and 4 masses/lesions on my liver. I have a referral to the James Cancer Center for gastroenterology, was told my case needed the “advanced” team because my “case is too complicated”. At the same time, I’m told benign lesions pop up all the time. Ok, these aren’t uncommon, but I need the “advanced team” which is booked out until the end of August?! I entered the abdominal MRI results for my abdomen in an AI ChatBox. I’ll post end of the response below since I can’t type it all out or share my screenshots below. I guess I just don’t know if I need advice or to vent.
“Overall, the presence of multi liver lesions with varying liver enhancement patterns raises concerns for both benign and malignant etiologies.”
Here’s the report.

1. There are 4 discrete liver lesions demonstrating mild T2 hyperintensity as well as avid arterial phase enhancement. More delayed postcontrast sequences demonstrate continued enhancement, however, to a lesser degree. The lesions demonstrate very mild precontrast T1 hypointensity as well. The lesions are indeterminate with potential considerations including atypical focal nodular hyperplasia as well as multiple hepatic adenomas. Recommend short follow-up in 3 months which can be performed with contrast enhanced MRI using Eovist contrast. If tissue sampling is needed, image-guided biopsy of one of the lesions may be amenable. 2. No lymphadenopathy. 3. No biliary ductal dilatation.

FINDINGS: Right hepatic lobe elongated measuring 21 cm craniocaudally. No obvious hepatic steatosis. There are multiple, at least 4, enhancing lesions within the liver which demonstrate mild T2 hyperintensity. The larger lesion centered within the more lateral left hepatic lobe, segment 2 measures approximately 3.5 x 2.8 cm on image 9 of sequence 12 with a slightly more central focus of increased T2 signal on image 9. On postcontrast sequences the lesions demonstrate avid enhancement during the arterial phase with an area of central hypoenhancement particularly seen within the segment 2 lesion. Lesion within the right hepatic dome on image 12 for reference measures 1.6 x 1.5 cm on image 12 of sequence 18 and lesion more inferiorly in the posterior right hepatic lobe on image 30 measures 3.6 x 3.0 cm. Within the left hepatic lobe, segment 4 is an enhancing lesion measuring 1.4 x 1.4 cm on image 29. The lesions demonstrate continued enhancement on the more delayed sequences where they enhance slightly higher than background liver parenchyma, however, not as intensely as seen on the arterial phase sequence. Incidental nonenhancing cyst within the periphery of the left hepatic lobe on image 21 of sequence 24 measuring approximately 0.4 cm in size. Gallbladder overall unremarkable on this exam. No biliary duct dilatation identified. Pancreas, adrenal glands, and the spleen are unremarkable. Both kidneys are unremarkable in appearance. There is no bulky abdominal lymphadenopathy or ascites identified. Portal venous vasculature is grossly patent.

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I’m pretty positive I have mastitis (yesterday my fever was 102.8, chills, pain/ warm red spot on my left breast). I messaged my doctors office yesterday and a nurse replied recommending the BAIT method which I’ve been doing. Today the red/ warm spot is there but it’s a little less painful and my fever seems to have gone away (yesterday it was back up before the 6 hour mark to take ibuprofen, today I’ve been going a few hours past and it hasn’t come back so far). The nurse said to reach back out if “symptoms are not improving in 24 hours, if a hard lump remains in your breast, and any time you feel acutely unwell,” but they’re closed for the weekend.
Just wondering what other peoples experiences have been and if it’s likely this will clear up without antibiotics? I don’t know if I should go to ER or urgent care if it seems to be improving. From the information the nurse gave me she said antibiotics are not usually needed but I’m still worried.

ACT 1. Sunday afternoon after visiting the local market two brothers wait for their train to arrive. If they were even a minute late, they knew their mother would surely scold them and scold the elder of the two far worse. The idea of another beating did not bother the elder brother; he had been through far worse just dealing with the brat and his attempted jailbreaks, though something did begin to make him painfully nauseous forcing him to feel pressured by the light breeze as if gravity had suddenly been increased tenfold. All his senses were heightening beyond anything he had thought possible.All around him he saw that the once energetic and hyperactive passengers had become little more than mannequins; their movements slowing to a standstill. They had all gone silent. The station was no longer filled with the cries of children or the gentle laughs of their parents. He had never heard such silence in such a crowded location. He did not feel panicked, nor did he feel a need to act for this silence was oddly comforting to him. However, the newly calm atmosphere would quickly be the source of a lifetime of suffering.His hand began to reach for his brother in an attempt to call his attention. Though in a moment of both unprecedented shock and exhaustion John shoved his younger brother onto the rails of an oncoming train. Local news would report the incident as nothing more than a tragic manic episode of a young sixteen-year-old. However, for John this single visceral instant in which all of his brother's bones were instantly crushed was stretched into hours. He was painfully aware of how every bone in his brother's body contorted in inhuman ways some nearly resembling perfect right angles, until eventually, they snapped and sent insurmountable pain throughout his nervous system. His blood curling screams were made mute by the screech of the train coming to a halt, though, by the time they stopped, his brother had torn his every vocal cord and had long ago lost consciousness. Still on the platform, the elder brother stood still, attempting to process what exactly he had done. He had no idea what force had compelled him to push his brother, but that instant would forever define what he saw as reality.That however was nineteen years ago, in present day he lived in isolation far from any person. He spent his isolated days wandering the land around his cabin completing house chores that distracted him from reminiscing about his days in the asylum or as he liked to call it “The Echo Room” where he was transferred after the incident. He headed inside after spending a portion of his morning counting all one-hundred-and-thirty-two trees that were showing signs of life after the harsh winter that nearly forced him to cut down two of them for firewood. Once inside he began preparing his morning coffee when he heard a loud creak come from the hall. He (after many incidents) learnt to avoid the boards that creaked, so in his mind immediately an intruder was breaking into his cabin searching for food or his stash of special edition coffee. Deciding to investigate he walked towards the noise when suddenly he heard two knocks at his front door. Confused and slightly worried, he proceeded to walk towards the door making sure not to step on any of the annoyingly loud floorboards.He approached and looked through the peephole and saw only what remained of the melting snow outside. Opening the door, he saw that only his steps led to the doormat. He glanced around and saw no indication of any life aside a few dark patches on the snow. He was about to close the door when he noticed a tiny red package wrapped in a radiant red bow placed clear from where the door would open. Cautiously picking it up, he noticed how it had almost no weight to it; as if empty. He walked inside and sat at his desk planning to journal later about the weird morning he had been having. He examined the exterior of the package and saw how not only was it near perfect condition but it was also slightly warm to the touch; as if recently held. He undid the bow and cautiously opened the package, half expecting an explosive of some sort. Though, all he found was a ragged ripped piece of paper. Unremarkable aside from the fact that it was inside such a carefully constructed package. On the other side he saw that it had some scarlet lettering inscribed into it reading.“Ouroboros”. At first believing it to be a prank by the kids who had heard rumors about him, and his incident, nearly caused him to dismiss it entirely deeming it little more than a slightly humorous event. He decided to put it aside for now as he had coffee left to drink that was quickly getting cold. He walked back towards the kitchen still distracted by the idea of no trace being left by whoever had left the gift. Was it even a gift? Maybe it was just some well-executed prank? In any manner he would later have a better look at it. He absentmindedly, reached for his cup and immediately pulled his hand back shocked by the temperature of the cup. It was frozen! Almost to a complete solid. He thought himself slightly distracted but not enough to freeze his morning coffee especially not his special edition coffee. First The Box and now this, it was all adding up to an annoying morning. Was it still morning? No, that’s not right. He had just spent the day counting trees. How could it still possibly be morning?The thought of Dr. Lumis being correct about his mental condition after so many years sent a chill down his spine especially since last time they talked, he did not exactly behave amicably. He was sure that both incidents had been isolated events that could never happen again. Sure, he had heard the echoes every once in a while, but he was never insane like the others; this he knew to be a fact. If he was insane, how could he have ever left? Disoriented and beginning to sweat, his legs suddenly gave out causing him to fall backward landing on the cold wooden floorboards. He looked around hurriedly expecting to see an intruder that had somehow found him. After seeing nothing but his pristine furniture, he steadied himself and began to control his breathing. He slowly got up causing the wood underneath to creak under the sudden release of weight. Deciding to further assure himself he went around the cabin checking in all four rooms. He found nothing aside from his own disturbances. Still feeling slightly nervous and disturbed he headed back towards the living room in search for The Box with the red bow determining that it had somehow triggered his current situation. The Box was still where he placed it; much to his relief. He sat down. He looked once again at the scarlet lettering.
Act 2. Back in the asylum he would often spend his days wondering how he could have ever been grouped alongside individuals who had purposefully and viciously committed heinous crimes against innocent victims. He was not insane like them. Whatever had caused his hand to shove his brother had long abandoned him. His routine now consisted of cleaning whatever mess the older residents made in the halls and transporting lab waste to the crematorium. He would clean from the southern stalls all the way to the northern cemetery and make his rounds gathering the waste from the rooms. It was a simple job but lonely, nonetheless. The halls were often only illuminated by tiny flickering red lights that indicated the position of the cameras through which Dr.Lumis would often monitor John during his nightly crusades. Though incredibly distasteful, John did not mind, he accepted that odd situations would be easier to explain if someone of credit had seen them. Yet despite this, he felt he was being watched by someone other than the doctor. He assumed that this feeling was due to the paranoia he had been diagnosed with a few months back. On a particular night, moments after dumping another bag of soft solids and dense liquids down the chute, he heard footsteps, just outside the room. Expecting to see the doctor he begrudgingly walked towards the door. Exiting and seeing no one he called out for the doctor but got no response aside from the echo of his own voice. He began to walk towards where he had heard the footsteps come from when he suddenly collapsed out of exhaustion. The same exhaustion that had plagued him during the moment of his brother’s death. He tried to reach for his panic button (a gift from Lumis) but it had disappeared from his chain. He tried to scream but not a single whisper was heard. He gazed into the dark corridor where he had thought Dr.Lumis had gone, but saw nothing but soft shadows. Though something was unnervingly wrong about them. They moved as if following an order, all synchronized, all heading towards him. That night in the asylum had left him scared to even return to the disposal area; he feared that The Shadows might eventually be able to reach him. The Shadows did not haunt him unaccompanied: they followed alongside The Echo tormenting his nights. While The Shadows could not reach him during daylight, he could never escape The Echo. It followed wherever he went and tracked everything he did. Dr.Lumis explained that he merely suffered from an extreme case paranoia but John saw the others; who yelled and who screamed true nonsense, he was perfectly aware of himself and the ones around him. Dr. Lumis secretly believed patient #132 experienced Hyper-sanity though this he would never verbally confess. It was term he decided would for now adequately describe his patient’s acute awareness of The Shadows and The Echo. John would for many years go without hearing The Echo after that night, only ever hearing what seemed like the final moans of a dying voice. Back in present day, he hoped he wasn’t suffering another hallucination as they tended to leave him in an embarrassing shocked state. He questioned what “Ouroboros” could possibly mean in relation to himself. He considered the possibility of it being an early warning of some threat to the sanctity of his home. He quickly dismissed it as he had not interacted with anyone long enough to possibly annoy them. Weird them out? Sure. Offend them? Maybe with his sense of fashion. Following his incredibly fine-tuned survival instincts he put on a light coat and went outside to walk among the trees. A mundane task, but one he truly enjoyed especially since he hoped it would distract him for a short while. Just before he closed the door behind him, he took one more look at The Box sitting on his desk and decided to take it with him in case he met the person who had left it. The sun had begun to set marking the end of the day. He watched the sun hide behind the mountain range letting the world bathe in darkness for another night. John did not dislike the night (he had worked nightshifts in The Echo Room for years) but he didn’t find the freezing cold to be ideal. He had not left his land for what was a few years now and the idea of even slightly stepping out of his comfort was making him incredibly anxious. Still, he walked forward towards wherever the path took him. The night only got darker and quieter, and he only got colder. He did not see the lightning bugs that usually warded away the dark near the edge of his hill. Without the soft hum of bugs or soft breeze that would brush against his beard he felt alone. Even the nights back in the asylum did not possess this level of quiet. He kept moving hoping that eventually he would find something that could break the uncomfortable silence. As he continued down the hill, he realized he could no longer distinguish the path from the dirt surrounding it. He considered heading back when he realized he had not kept track of where he had come from. Not only was he lost but alone with his thoughts and whatever had been watching him from the start. He walked a step forward and then another one back repeatedly. What he was attempting to achieve was beyond reason. Had he gone mad? No, he was perfectly sane. “Wait, I can hear them clearly now” he spoke, his voice dried from the cold.“This is not a hallucination” he spoke softly.“i-I AM NOT HALLUCINATING” he proclaimed. He heard The Echo once more though they were not of his voice but rather of Another. He had long been aware of “The Echo” but he could never fully determine whether it was a dream or an effect of the chemicals but this Other was undoubtedly real. “I don’t know where you are but please. Are you real?” he asked the night. He could now hear The Echo or rather feel the pressure of its words upon his reality. Had it been trying to hide the Other? He walked forward and pulled out The Box. “You gave me this right? What for? What purpose does it serve?” No one responded.Annoyed, he threw it as far as he could down the hill. “THERE! THIS CAN’T CONTINUE WITHOUT IT, RIGHT?” He shouted at the endless empty. That’s when out of the darkness emerged a faint light. Was it a lightning bug or maybe a sign of civilization?
Act 3. Cautiously, he approached the cold light and saw that the light was artificial. The tube inside flickered before another appeared a few feet ahead, and then another and then another and then what seemed like an uncountable amount more. He took a step forward and noticed that the ground underneath had turned to hard white tile. Accepting that this was not the weirdest occurrence that had affected him he proceeded to walk forward making sure to keep a mental note to journal about it later. The surrounding landscape transformed into white walls that every so often had a window that let him peek at the other side. At first, he could still see the snowy landscape, but it to slowly changed; first having scattered papers and then chairs, cabinets, and desks until they eventually resembled a typical office. Its purpose was not obvious to him, and neither was the hallway but if they were changing surely, it possessed a deeper metaphorical meaning that related to his life. He saw a door at the very end of the hall and decided to not postpone the ploy of whatever “The Echo” was planning. He stood before the door wondering about what it could possibly contain. John proceeded to open the door. Inside was a desk along with a single cabinet. Walking inside he noticed that the room was illuminated by some otherworldly source that had no words that could possibly describe it. He walked towards the desk and a file he had not seen previously, sat open. Inside was a description of his physical appearance. “Age: 35. Height: 5’8. Weight: 185 lbs. Hair: Black with obvious signs of stress. Eyes: Brown. Character Aptitude: High.” “Okay, I get it. I’m old, you didn’t have to expose my hair like that” he said slightly embarrassed quickly restyling his hair. He noticed that even though they had an almost perfect description of his hobbies, dreams and wishes they did not have a single picture as if they for some reason were only able to use words. “SOOO you know about that one time in the asylum (don’t ask) BUT NOT A SINGLE PICTURE? That’s lame.” he said mockingly. On the final page he found what looked like an incomplete file; most of the personal attributes had not yet been filled and only a note was made reading. “They don’t need a complete story just one they can understand.” Besides the fact that whatever role he played in this act had been a mere afterthought; he was confused as to how anyone could have ever gathered such sensitive and personal information about his isolated life. Was it The Echo? Had it told them his life? A phone started to ring somewhere in the room abruptly breaking the silence he had become used to. He quickly rotated towards the source of the ringing but did not find anything. There was only him and the four walls that despite the lighting did not change a shade of grey. He walked towards one of them that seemed to be where the noise came from resting his hand on it and gently put his ear to it thinking that the ringing was from another room entirely. The wall he had just laid a hand on had no longer a physical representation and causing John to fall through to the other side. Disoriented he slowly looked up and saw The Telephone illuminated by what seemed to be the same light that illuminated the previous room. This one however was far more powerful and concentrated solely on The Telephone. He approached it expecting a chasm to somehow appear underneath his feet. The Telephone did not stop ringing and only seemed to increase in intensity (though this could have simply been a hallucination). He lifted it to cut the blaring noise and slowly put it to his ear. “hello?” “…” “…” “The protagonist only dies if the story ends” the voice said quietly. “HUH? YOU DRAGGED ME HERE TO TELL ME THAT OMINOUSLY ANNOYING LOAD OF *********!” “…I’m so sorry” The call disconnected not out of offense but rather out of completion. John slammed the phone back onto its stand and decided it was time for this nonsense to end. He walked out into the room he was in before anxiously attempting to find another exit: only to be met with solid walls. What wicked game had he been roped into? When would it end? These were questions he would answer far earlier than he expected. A door appeared in the center of the room. No, it was more of a two-dimensional plane that appeared to be a sort of portal. With no other options, John stepped into the newly opened portal.
Act 4. On the other side was a station, and his ears were immediately flooded with the cries of children and the laughs of their parents. He walked around moving through the crowd careful to not miss any indication of the location. His pace increased as he began to recognize the commuters shortly realizing exactly where he was. He rushed to a platform, the platform where he and his brother were to arrive after their day in the market. He sat on a nearby bench committed to saving his brother no matter who he would have to shove instead. Three agonizing days passed with the daily commuters repeating their routine with the slightest variations. One of these variations would be the key to preventing the day that haunted his nights. Something would soon cause him to shove his brother onto the tracks. He was determined to stop the fall or kill himself to keep his brother safe.He heard a familiar laughter and turned towards the source and saw his brothers face uncontrollably laughing and himself lightly smiling. He began to run towards them but felt once again suddenly exhausted. As if the air became a type of nonnewtonian sludge making his legs impossibly heavy. The crowd around him seemed to be moving just as easily as before; children laughing just as maniacally and just as carelessly. He tried to yell to them, but his lungs were filled with the dense fluid drowning any screams he attempted. He was forced to watch how his brother got closer and closer to the edge. Through much effort, he managed to get close enough to extend a hand towards his past trying to desperately push him away from his brother. The past reacted in what seemed to be a defensive system and sent a temporal anomaly throughout the space his past and present inhabited. Time began to exponentially speed forward. In a last desperate attempt to prevent his brother’s death he tried to distract the past long enough to let the train pass without incident, but the temporal anomaly caused the relative slow velocity of his touch to have the effect of a sudden jerk and in his final moments of consciousness he saw his brother accelerate towards the rails in a split second. He awoke back in the office alone with nothing, but the realization of what force had killed his brother. He curled into the fetal position and began to cry; still believing his lungs to be filled with the dense liquid he did not let out a single sigh. He spent several hours in this state of painful silence without even opening his eyes. His emotions were chaotic and his thoughts unending. They tormented him for hours far after he had run out of tears to let out. They were merciless and torturous forbidding him from resting, insisting on his suffering. Being the cause of his brother’s death nearly caused him to go insane yet part of him kept insisting that Another was to blame. Another had caused him to do it. The Other had forced his hand. Of this, he was now sure. The Other enjoyed his suffering, The Other forced him to kill his brother. He had not eaten nor slept in what seemed like years and yet he stood up defying the gravity that held him down. He took a deep breath of as much oxygen as his lungs allowed and began to speak. “Whoever you are. Whatever you are. Wherever you are. Just know I will no longer play for your entertainment the rest is entirely my choice” he said threateningly. He then began to walk forwards confidently towards the dark wall and through the hidden door that he was not supposed to see. He entered what seemed to be a studio room though, unlike the sterile office; it was trashed. Papers littered the floor and empty bottles populated the lone mattress. On it laid a journal that had recently had liquid spilt on it. He picked the journal and gently opened it and began to read. It was scratched with the stray ideas of a creator who seemed to have never decided upon an end or beginning to his story; yet possessing the journey. He saw many ideas that together seemed to create a way for the continuity to depend entirely on Another rather than itself. A thought described in a single word interested him enough to take it with him. The room started to dissolve around him transforming into a cold landscape. Armed with the knowledge of who he was he treaded what remained of the worn-out path. The sun began to rise signing the start of another day, yet John did not seem to notice as he was focused on something buried in the snow. He could not see much of it yet he knew it was The Box he had thrown the previous night. He dug it up and began his walk up the hill once more. He eventually arrived at his cabin and walked towards his front door….
Act 5.
If you wish to rebel; continue reading on the next page.
Begin the story once more on Truth 2.
If you wish to ward away The Other; don’t read any further
If you wish to follow The Echo read Truth 3
To understand turn to Truth 4
Truth 1
…Before deciding that no longer would he be a puppet for someone’s amusement. John arrogantly began marched back down the hill and headed north towards the nearest interstate a few miles from his home hoping that he had derailed The Echo’s plot. It took him hours on foot, but he would eventually come across the road and start his journey back to civilization no longer subject to the whims of an Otherworldly Audience. He believed his future was now his to decide. He decided what he would become. He decided when and what to think. This he was sure would be how he escaped his torment. John suddenly suffered a complete body collapse and fell forward landing face first onto the scorching road. It would be several sweltering hours before anyone would find him. But eventually someone did, john suffering heavy burns and on the brink of death was saved. He would awake months later in a hospital bed though no one would ever know of this. Weeks would pass as john laid in the hospital bed unable to speak or even move; alerting no one to his consciousness. The doctors and nurses were busy with whatever important patients needed immediate attention; they walked from one end to the other in what seemed like mere minutes. The entire time the only company he had was The Echo and yet slowly it too seemed to forget his existence as well. Eventually The Echo having no interest went away.Jane a third-year medical student had recently joined the staff a month prior and had already been assigned two elders and one child. Though overwhelmed she did not grow annoyed nor frustrated; she loved her job and by proxy her patients. Despite her benevolent nature there was a single patient she never went near as he always seemed to be watching her despite his eyes being shut for over four months. Any time she got near to patient #132 she would begin to get nauseous and quickly retreat. She had no ID on the man, but it seemed he was dehydrated for far longer than should’ve been possible and should be by all accounts dead if not near it. Whenever she worked nightshifts, she would swear that she heard the man whimper slightly as if to warn her of something. Even when she was on the opposite side of the building, she would hear the echo of his groans. She would eventually be transferred and would soon forget the man who after 6 months was officially declared braindead and was due to be disposed of, yet she would still every once in a while, still hear The Echo. Forgotten Ending
Truth 2…Realizing that there was no other choice John took a step forward while placing the note he ripped from the journal into The Box making sure to keep it neatly packaged. He saw the footprints he had left two nights before and carefully stepped into each one making sure to not disturb the surrounding snow. Whatever…Whoever had set him on this path allowed him to live a life of suffering, a life of loss, and a life of pain. This, he felt was the way things were intended to play out; the way it had to end. He placed The Box on the final step making sure it would not be knocked away whenever the door would eventually open. He walked away nearly to the edge of the property when he looked back once more. Managing to peek inside he saw his past still making his coffee when he saw an almost invisible distortion appear near the front door. He smiled and turned away only saying…Freedom ending
Truth 3…though spotting a disturbance near the back of the cabin distracted him from the front door. He decided to investigate for fear of losing a single blossoming tree. Arriving near the back fence he saw no indication of a disturbance giving him much needed reassurance. He heard noise emerge from inside the cabin giving him one more dilemma to deal with. He headed to the backdoor making sure to not disturb the recent snow and entered the cabin. Being sleep deprived and without coffee he had forgotten about the wooden floor and stepped on one that caused a creak to be heard throughout the cabin. He quickly hid in the bathroom fearing that he had disturbed the continuity that The Echo had established when suddenly a bright flash blinded him. He found himself at the front door next to The Box. Slightly amused he proceeded to knock on the door and was soon after transported once more to an empty hall. Both confused and entertained as he was being transported from one place in time to another he took a few steps forward alerting the past to his presence. Seeing his past enter the hall he ducked and quickly hid around the corner. His past seemed to believe that the doctor was in the halls and decided to investigate though just as he was nearing closer; his past collapsed. John saw how his fall was slowed as if moving through the dense liquid he had once gone through. He walked towards his past and noticed an old fashioned panic button that would instantly call Dr.Lumis to his location. Measuring the consequences, he decided to remove the panic button and head back towards The Shadows. For a third and final time he was transported to a final location, the bottom of a snowy hill. Taking in his surroundings he noticed burn marks on the snow where his past would eventually walk through the portal whenever the past caught up. He reached into his pocket and realized how the plot was supposed to move forward. He walked until he reached the exact point where his past would once again find The Box. He kneeled and buried The Box making sure to erase any evidence of his own disturbances. Fully fulfilling his purpose John collapsed. The End.
“Did the hero die?” “What?” “Did he die?” “No? He beat the bad guy and saved the day remember?” “Yea but like AFTER.” “Well, I guess after a few years he would.” “No” The young child said growing annoyed, “when you said, “The End” did he die?” “No.” responded the elder brother. “Then what happened to him? Is he still alive?” “The protagonist only dies if you stop reading.” concluded the elder brother as if possessed. Begin again?
Truth 4…Then just as he took his first step forward everything began to rot. His trees, his home, his coffee, all of it was slowly eroding into a fine dust. He knew that another temporal anomaly would be the likely cause, but he had not yet experienced one that possessed this level of molecular destruction. The fabric of his reality was slowly and thoroughly being untangled into its most simple of compositions. It separated the light from dark, gravity from time, and words from spaces.John could now comprehend what had defined his reality for so many painful years, he finally understood The Narrative and how all possible endings had been chosen long before his creation. John had been a slave from the moment The Narrative began; not once in his entire existence had he ever had a real choice only walking paths already treaded by Another. He was nothing but a plot device in an otherwise self-indulging tale written by a gentle master forced to be cruel for those above. From the moment this story began, John was in pain. He could never hope to truly escape; he could only die until he arose once more. Had John never understood what his life really was then maybe he could’ve found meaning in his suffering. Unfortunately, this choice has now forced John to become aware of how truly meaningless his existence was. His life was little more than entertainment for The Other; they were the ones truly in control. For as long as The Other remained, The Echo would doom John to eternal suffering. The Echo was never in control of The Narrative; he too was merely a subject to it by an even greater force. The Echo did not wish for John to suffer but The Other would not allow John to live if he did not. It is a toxic cycle of pain, suffering and realization that forces John to relive The Narrative lifetime after lifetime. The Narrative must have suffering intertwined into its foundation otherwise The Other would grow bored and erase the reality ending John in but a mere thought. Don’t you see? Don’t you understand? This is reality; John cannot exist without pain, The Echo cannot live without a narrative, and The Other is you. THE END......
Intended to be a philosophical narrative detailing the tragic relationship between the reader, the narrator, and the character and how they cannot coexist without hurting each other.

Hello! I submitted my TMDSAS application May 15th. I received an email on the 16th that my application was transmitted to my schools. My letters of recommendation were received on the 17th except one which will need to be resubmitted due to a missing signature. I have yet to take CASPER but am signed up to take it on May 30. When can I expect to start receiving secondary invites for texas schools?