Bme pain olympics final around

New Bedford Highway Killer - Wikipedia
"The New Bedford Highway Killer is an unidentified serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least nine women and the disappearances of two additional women in New Bedford, Massachusetts, between March 1988 and April 1989.^\1]) The killer is also suspected to have assaulted numerous other women. All the killer's victims were known sex workers or had struggles with addiction. While the victims were taken from New Bedford, they were all found in different surrounding towns, including Dartmouth, Freetown and Westport, Massachusetts, along Route 140. The main detective that pursued the case was John Dextradeur.^\2])

1. Robbin Lynn Rhodes, 29, also referred to as “Bobbie Lynn” was found on March 28, 1989, along Route 140 southbound in Freetown by a search dog. She is believed to have gone missing sometime in March or April 1988. Rhodes had dated suspect Kenneth Ponte. She had a young child and was addicted to heroin and cocaine. While she was never involved in prostitution, she knew many of the other victims and was friends with victim Mary Rose Santos.^\3])
2. Rochelle Clifford Dopierala, 28, of Falmouth, disappeared sometime during late April 1988. Her body was found on December 10, 1988, in a gravel pit along Reed Road beneath a tree grove, about two miles from Interstate 195, by people riding ATVs. She was partially clothed and had been beaten to death. She had dated and stayed at the home of suspect Kenneth Ponte, who was arrested for her murder, but the charges were eventually dismissed due to a lack of evidence. This was the only time charges were brought in this case. Rochelle had testified against another man who had raped her, but he is not suspected in this case. She was last seen with victim Nancy Paiva’s boyfriend, an ex-convict. He was cleared in both deaths and is not a suspect.^\3])
3. Deborah Lynn McConnell, 25, of Newport, Rhode Island, was mother to one daughter. Deborah was last seen sometime in May 1988 by her father after the funeral of her mother at the local cemetery. She is believed to have been the third victim. Her body was found on December 1, 1988, off Route 140 northbound in Freetown, through a cadaver dog search. She was found nude with a bra wrapped around her neck.^\3])
4. Debra Medeiros, 29, of Fall River lived with her mother. Debra was known to both police and family to have had long standing substance abuse issues but no record for prostitution. She was last seen by her boyfriend in New Bedford after a fight, and was reported missing on May 27, 1988. She was the first of the bodies found and she was identified in December 1988. Her body was found on July 3, 1988, by a woman who went to relieve herself just in the woods on the side of the road on Interstate 140 in Freetown. Her remains were severely decomposed with her body positioned on her back with her feet pointed towards the highway. Her cause of death was strangulation, she had a bra wrapped around her neck, and she was found only partially clad. Her boyfriend was ruled out as a suspect. After her death, her mother counselled drug and alcohol addicts in honour of her daughter’s death.^\3])
5. Christina Monteiro, 19, was last seen sometime in May 1988 and has not been seen or heard from since. Christina had a child and had a known substance abuse history. She was a Cape Verdean American female with brown hair, brown eyes with scars on both wrists and a scar near her left eye. She was between 5’3 and 5’5 and was 110 lbs. She had initials and words tattooed on her arms. She was wearing a shirt, blue jeans and sneakers when she was last seen.^\3])
6. Marilyn Cardoza-Roberts, 34, was last seen sometime in June 1988 and has not been seen or heard from since. She was reported missing in December 1988. She was neighbours with victim Christina Monteiro, who is also still missing.^\3])
7. Nancy Lee Paiva, 36, of New Bedford, was last seen walking home from a bar called “Whisper’s Pub” on July 7, 1988, after a reported fight with her boyfriend in the South End in the early hours of the morning. Nancy reportedly had substance abuse issues but was not known to be a prostitute. Nancy had gone to secretarial school, but dropped out. She was married at 19, divorced and had two teenaged daughters. Nancy was known as a very supportive mother and grandmother. At the time of her death, she had a steady boyfriend, who was a drug dealer known to police. Her relationship with her boyfriend had been dysfunctional with domestic violence issues. Her nude body was discovered beside Interstate 195 Westbound in Dartmouth on July 30, 1988, by two men who were riding motorcycles. Her body was found in the same position as victim Debra Medeiro’s – on her back with her feet pointing towards the highway. Nancy’s cause of death was also believed to be strangulation. Her boyfriend is not a suspect in her death.^\3])
8. Debra Greenlaw Demello, 35, was a mother of three; a fifteen year old daughter, Chandra and two boys who were eight and three respectively at the time of her death. She had struggled with substance abuse issues since her teenage years. She had walked away from a prison work-release program to which she had been sentenced due to a prostitution charge on June 18 and was last seen in New Bedford, on July 11, 1988. Her body was found off the eastbound Reed Road ramp of Interstate 195 by a state highway crew on November 8, 1988. Debra’s nude body was in an area with trees with her clothing strewn in the branches. She was found with some belongings of another victim, Nancy Paiva.^\3])
9. Mary Rose Santos, 26, of New Bedford, was a mother of two, who was dropped off on July 16, 1988, by her husband, with whom she had recently reconciled, near the downtown bus station and last seen dancing at “The Old Quarterdeck Lounge” five hours later. Friends said her husband had no idea she was working the streets to help pay bills, and she was known to have a substance abuse issue. Mary Rose Santos’ nude body was found with a beer bottle on March 31, 1989, along Route 88 in Westport by two boys. Suspect Kenneth Ponte had represented Mary Santos in a civil case and helped her husband make flyers after her disappearance.^\3])
10. Sandra Botelho, 24, was a mother of two young sons who were both four and six-years-old. Botelho was known to have a significant substance abuse issue and engaged in prostitution. Botelho reportedly left her apartment on August 11, 1988, at 11 pm and never returned. She was the final body found, located in the woods along Interstate 195 in Marion on April 24, 1989. Her body was nude and reportedly was folded into a foetal position.^\3])
11. Dawn Mendes, 25, was last seen in New Bedford, on September 4, 1988, walking from her apartment to a family christening party. Mendes was one of ten children and was also the mother of a five-year-old boy. She had a history of prostitution and drug use. Her body was found on November 29, 1988, on the westbound Reed Road ramp off Interstate 195 by a search dog. There were mostly skeletal remains but her hand was able to yield a fingerprint which lead to her being identified. Her mother raised her son after her death.^\3])^"

How do people start these things? Hello all, hi Reddit! This is my very first post, and it's been hard on my mind. I am a 26(f) married to a 31(m), we have been married for 2 years, and together for 4 years. When we met, I was 60 pounds lighter and a lot more "happier" if you will. Over the past year and a half, I have made strives to find out what is wrong with my mental health. I tried therapy, and I finally got comfortable with the term depression and was on Wellbutrin for a short stent (around 5 months). Didn't work for me; I was still tired all the time, had no interest in anything, and my sleep got worse. So I talked with my doctor and found out I have ADHD and am currently, now on Adderall. During this time (after wellbutrin), my sleep was terrible, and I got a sleep study, and boom, I have OSA (sleep apnea). So for the past 3 months, I finally feel like the things that are "wrong" with me are fixed or at least getting better. I'm not tired all the time. I'm not binge eating, and I am a lot more focused and find myself doing things I used to enjoy. l like yard work and reading. Here comes the no sex drive thing, I promise. My husband is amazing. We rarely fight, we understand one another, and we can admit our faults when disagreements do arise. We have so much in common, and I truly love him a lot. I was in and out of relationships after my first long-term relationship that ended in 2018 after almost 4 years. I moved out of my home state in 2020 and really enjoy where I am at in life physically. Our first year together, we had sex of course, daily/weekly, you name it, I was his first and also his first relationship as well for him at 27. Over time, I just didn't desire sex, and I thought as being a 23-24 year old woman that wouldn't happen to me. My husband is very kind. He doesn't push it on me or force me to do anything I don't feel comfortable about, but it does take its toll on my mental health. Because I love my husband, and I want to provide him with something he wants, but I just can't. I know this is all over the place, but this is the first time I'm putting these thoughts down, and I'm trying to make sure everyone gets the context here. So fast forward to now, I am treating my sleep issues. I am treating my overactive brain issues. And I truly feel "more awake" than I have in the last 4 years. But, I have no sex drive. I want to be near my husband, I want hugs/kisses. But I have no interest in having sex. In a previous long-term relationship, this did happen where I just lost interest in sex, but that relationship wasn't healthy, so I attributed it to that. During that relationship, I threw around the idea of being asexual but I didn't truly know what that meant. For me, for my relationships, etc. I know stimulant medications like Adderall can mess with your sex drive, but this feeling was prior to that. So I don't know what to think. It makes me question if I'm lying to myself about loving me husband, and if I'm in the right place in life. It makes me question my sexuality, and I truly don't know what to do.
tldr; treated my health issues that could be attributing to little/no sex drive at 26, but still have no sex drive. Asexual??

I (20M) still live with my parents in order to save money while attending college. While living here my parents gave me a deal. If I kept up with my chores, and picked up some extra ones, they wouldn't charge me rent. This is the same deal that my sister and I both accepted. So on the daily I help clean up the house, yard, do anyone's laundry, and basically anything my parents ask me.
Now the conflict is centered around my Dad and his Facebook posts. Now Sunday afternoon I heard my sister arguing with my Dad, so I went to see what happened. So after asking my mom and sister what happened , I got the general idea. My dad went onto his Facebook page and basically put me and my sister on blast. Posting a long and winded post basically calling both of us lazy, ungrateful, and in general bad children. That wasn't all either. He had reposted a video that I personally hate. In the video this boomer stands at a podium and basically cry's about kids now a days. In the video he says, " children now a days are so lazy, they don't do a damn thing. You have to go and ask them to do anything. Lord forbid they get off their ass and do something. So all you sons and daughters out there, if you see something that needs doing, get of your ass and do it. Your parents shouldn't have to ask."
Now my sister and I have different reasons for being mad. My sister is mad because she's about to start her first teaching job, and having our dad call her ungrateful and lazy reflects poorly on her. If a parent or guardian searches her on Facebook. That will be one of the first things they see, since he tagged her page,. No parent wants a lazy teacher for their child. So that summarizes why she is mad.
I am mad because he is being a hypocrite and is lying. I have already explained that I do a lot to help out around the house. And most days when I get back from class I will clean up the kitchen or living room before taking a nap. It's been this way ever since I was in the 5th grade, ever since then I have bent over backwards to help my mom manage all of the chores. And that's not all, but for the sake of not rambling on forever I'll leave it at that. I am mad because he's lying about us, but also because he doesn't do anything to help out. He comes home from work and sits down. Then he doesn't move unless he has to go to the bathroom or to eat supper.
My sister and I have both tried to be civil and talk with him. But whenever he does he just tell us to get out and go to our rooms. No matter what we do he just goes in a circle. First its I am your father don't critize me, then it's its just a joke, finally its either go to your room or get out of my house. Since he has refused to take down the posts or apologize to us. I have decided to act exactly how he thinks we do. I am currently refusing to do anything for him or talk to him. Which has been really effective, and he is begging my mom to try and force me to treat him with "respect".
So am I the asshole for refusing to talk or do anything for my Dad.
I apologize if this is poorly written, I am in a rush to type this post before he gets home and try's something.

I'm really struggling in a management role and even got written up last week, which has never happened to me anywhere.
As an individual contributor, I think I have a lot to offer and at times over the years, have known more about what I'm doing than some of my managers do. But in a management role, a lot of my weaknesses get exposed.
I'm a painfully shy, socially anxious (sometimes awkward) person. I tend to have a lot of anxiety in social situations at work especially.
I'm not a great oral communicator - I can write things out very eloquently, but I'm not a great talker.
I'm bad in group meetings. A lot of that is not being a great orator and not projecting well but I'm not great addressing groups. I tend to talk too fast and struggle to find times to interject and sometimes just feel uncomfortable being there.
I'm likable but not approachable, people tell me. They say I build a wall around myself without even trying to.
I'm likable, friendly... but I'm not great at team building and building relationships with co-workers. I tend to be more of a solo player. I'm not great socially or with relationships out of work either, though fortunately I convinced my wife to marry me. I tend to have very few close friends, few people tend to really know me.
I tend to be more of a taskmasker as a manager, spending a lot of time assigning tasks (or doing them myself)
Any advice?

So now I feel on the fence, I had an MRI about a week ago and was feeling hopeful for some answers. My doctor did not want to speak to me until a week later from the MRI. I just spoke to her today and she told me everything looked normal. She said if I have endo, we would need to do laparoscopic surgery to diagnose and cut it out. The only thing is, what if she doesn’t find anything? Then it would be a waste of time. Basically what she told me was that the endo excision and the hysto are two different surgeries and wouldn’t be together which I get. I don’t care to have my uterus or any of that. She thinks most of my pain problems are muscular, which I’m not ruling out. I just feel so confused, what if I get laparoscopic to look for endo and there isn’t anything? I financially feel so roughed around by all this pain. Should I just get a hysterectomy? (Also I have PT for my pelvic floor too)

I finally got Nintendo Switch Online this week. I went to play Mario Party Superstars, but there was no one active for the Daily Challenge or Survival. I tried to play a regular game of Mario Party, and I got two people and a cpu, but both people quit after they lost a minigame in the first few turns. Between Party, Kart, sports, and the Olympics, what Mario games still have an active online community on the Switch?

Here’s a copy of the email. Guess I’ll be waiting on my swag for a while:
We are very sorry for the delay. The Blood Empress LP variant is delayed and will end up looking a bit different than originally intended. It will not be a blue/gold splatter, it will be a blue/red/green as seen here https://www.indiemerchstore.com/products/unleash-the-archers-phantoma-2lp-2x12?variant=41059822338108 (click on Blood Empress to see the color). A note from the band explaining the issue is below. We expect to have the updated LPs around mid July, but this date is tentative. We will update the ship date once we get final confirmation. We look forward to sending your order as soon as possible. Again, sorry for the delay. -Indiemerchstore
"Hello everybody! Just wanted to start by saying thank you so much to everyone that pre-ordered the album; you are amazing and we love you. Unfortunately, we are very unhappy to report that there was a communication issue with the pressing company, and we did not know until very recently that they were unable to create the splatter variant as requested. However, we have worked with them on a replacement variant. It is not going to look exactly like the original photo, but a different blue splatter.
We apologize profusely for this error and we hope that you will forgive us for not saying anything before now, but we were not aware of the issue until very recently. The updated color will be shipping around mid July.
Again, thank you so much for your support, we are sorry, and we appreciate every single one of you ❤ Hope you're enjoying the new album some other way... Love you all!"
-UTA

We all make deals everyday... Small exchanges with one another.
In my case it was the biggest exchange I've ever made... Thinking back to the hotel stays while JE tortured me, it was getting worse and worse for me physically and mentally. He would eventually be figured out bc I was very rebellious and strong.
So how does one learn to really control you? To have power over you? At that point he looked at me bc I wouldn't relent..and he said either you forget him or we will kill him. Which is it going to be?
And so I relinquished all my power and any control I had bc I knew he and the others he would end up manipulating would do it.
Love is strange like that. I wrote a letter in the twin flames subreddit... It's were I finally stop fighting JE. And I know it's over for me. It's when I tilt my head back and pray to Gd that I remember you... That whatever happens I would remember the love I have for you.
And so, it wasn't easy to make a decision like that. I loved you so much. I couldn't bear the thought that all of this was my fault bc you sought justice for me bc of the gang rape. You should live bc you did nothing wrong, but try and bring justice. And so, it's how it went. It's why I never knew who you were after some time. I lost all conscious awareness. I chose your life over my own... I lost my essence and inner light that day... It became buried and I was living as a dead person.
Never doubt how much you meant to me. We all have regrets in life... This was never one of them...
And sometimes you have to wonder about the circles youre apart of... I had just lost an ex boyfriend a year prior to meeting you. And I learned that life is such a gift given to us...
Thinking back about why certain things happen in the circles of life...
Almost like life turned around and asked... Do you really think life is to be valued and protected at all cost or are you lying? And I answered...
I think this is the last bit of it all...
Dearest person I will always appreciate you and I hope you're doing well...
💕

Hey everyone,
Back in December 2023, we took our car to a Ford dealership because of an issue with the ABS module. They diagnosed it and told us they needed to order a part, which would take 3 to 6 weeks to arrive. We agreed and they ordered it.
After waiting a bit over 3 weeks, we called to check on the part and were told it hadn’t arrived yet. This dragged on, and we ended up having to rent a car for basic needs like shopping and getting around since they didn’t offer us a loaner.
Fast forward to May this month—almost 6 months later—the part finally arrived. Now they’re saying our battery died because they didn’t unplug it, and they want to charge us $400 to replace it. We refused and decided to rent a car to drive those 29 miles to handle the battery ourselves.
Just when we thought things were finally getting sorted, we got another call saying our car won’t start. It started just fine before we sent it to them. They want to charge us over $200 just to diagnose this new issue.
We feel like we’re being played and they will keep doing to squeeze out as much as they can. without any connections, we don’t know who to turn to for support or how to defend ourselves. We can’t afford all these additional costs, and it feels really unethical and sucks for them to treat us this way, we know everyone is trying to make it these days but come on!!
What would you recommend we do?

My wife and I have been having a silly argument about the appropriateness of my actions during the last weekend. I wanted to get opinion on if my actions were appropriate.
We both are in our mid 40s and have been married for 16 years. Overall, things have been amazing (so far), and I could not ask for a better partner. I have been overweight for most of my life. Around 3 years ago, I started hitting the gym as it was my last chance to gain any muscles before my twilight years. I have lost substantial weight and body fat and am happy with how I look (compared to other dads my age). I am more comfortable to take my t-shirt off if it's a hot summer day. My wife has never had any problems with it.
Last week, my wife had a few of her friends over. They were all in the backyard drinking wine. I took the chance to go to the gym in the evening and stay late to give them some privacy. When I came back home, they were all pretty drunk. When I got back, I decided to go back to the yard to say hi to everyone before taking a shower. They were all in the hot tub enjoying themselves.
I go there and one of them asks me to come in the hot tub. I politely decline and she said, "Take off your clothes and get in". Everyone laughed. Others joined in and also started making some pretty crude comments. Everyone was laughing and I realized they were all drunk and just trying to make me uncomfortable. My wife was also in on the joke, and she was smiling. She was telling them "No, he is mine, that's only for me". I am not the one to back down and was also taunting them. Finally, I took off my shirt and threw it aside and they all laughed. I then excused myself and took shower and sat in my office to play videogames for the rest of the night.
The next morning, my wife was giving me a cold shoulder. She told me that I should act my age. She felt I acted in a pretty lewd "stripper-like" manner and should have just left after her friends started commenting about taking off the clothes. She told me that she also asked me to not do it, and I still did it because I enjoy the attention. She says that she now feels embarrassed with the whole incident, and I just gave her friends green flag to make sexual comments about me all night.
I felt they were just having fun and they have seen me without my shirt on 100s of times. I am also comfortable around them as we know them forever. I personally do not see how I crossed any lines. My wife though felt her friend's actions were not appropriate, and it was more inappropriate that I acted along and took off my shirt. Note that all her friends were in the bathtub in their bathing suits. She feels it's not taking off the shirt, but the context around it that made the act very cheap, and she does not want her friends to view me in that way.
Dear people of reddit, can you please weigh in on this stupid argument we are having right now. Do you think my wife is right in this one? My wife will also be reading the comment section, so please be nice (i.e. please don't tell her to divorce me).

Hear the Whisperings of the Soulmask
The sun was setting, casting long, warm shadows across the jagged peaks of the mountain range. A lone figure crouched low, their broad back hunched against the chill of the evening air. They were clad only in a loincloth and leather armor, their muscles tense as they gripped a battered wooden shield and a massive spear, its tip stained with the blood of countless enemies. A quiver of arrows was slung over their shoulder, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. This was Cid, the outcast of his CLAW tribe, banished for reasons he could no longer remember. His only purpose now was survival. And survival meant raiding the mountain fortress of his former brethren. Cid crept silently through the underbrush, his senses on high alert. The faint sound of drums echoed through the air, signaling the approach of a patrol. He tensed, ready to strike. As the patrol rounded a bend in the path, they caught sight of Cid and shouted a challenge. The outcast barbarian did not hesitate. With a primal roar, he charged forward, spear thrusting and shield arm blocking as the arrows rained down around him. His superior strength and agility soon became apparent, as he overpowered the surprised guards and continued deeper into the fortress. The sound of battle echoed through the mountains, and soon reinforcements were pouring in from all sides. Archers took to the walls, raining down arrows upon Cid as he fought his way through the main gate. He ducked and weaved, using his shield as a living shield against the deadly volleys. The ground beneath him grew slick with blood, both his own and that of his enemies. Cid's fury knew no bounds as he reached the inner sanctum of the fortress, where he knew the chieftain would be holed up. The air was thick with smoke from burning herbs, and the flickering light cast strange shadows across the walls adorned with the skulls of slain enemies. The chieftain stood before a great altar, his face painted with symbols of power and dominance. He held a ceremonial hammer, its edges glowing red-hot, as if forged in the fires of the mountain itself. As Cid closed in, the chieftain turned to face him, a sneer curling his lips. "So, you have come to die at my hands, outcast?" he mocked. "Very well. Then die you shall." With a mighty swing, the chieftain hurled the hammer at Cid's shield. The impact sent a shockwave through the outcast's body, but his grip did not waver. He thrust his spear forward, aiming for the chieftain's exposed throat. The chieftain dodged with surprising agility, and in the same motion, he counterattacked with a swift kick to Cid's shield arm. The outcast stumbled back, grunting in pain. The chieftain circled around him, his movements fluid and deadly. "You are no match for me, outcast," he hissed. "I am the true leader of this tribe, chosen by the gods themselves." Cid growled in response, his anger burning hotter than the lava that had birthed the mountain. He charged again, this time avoiding the chieftain's trap and landing a solid blow with his spear. The chieftain stumbled back, but did not fall. The battle raged on, the sounds of clashing metal and grunting warriors filling the air. Cid could feel the weight of his armor, the strain in his muscles, but he pushed forward. The chieftain was tiring too, however, and his movements were becoming less precise. Seeing an opening, Cid lunged, thrusting his spear at the chieftain's heart. The chieftain parried with his ceremonial hammer, but the force of the blow sent it flying from his grip. As it clattered to the ground, Cid stepped forward and drove his spear deep into the chieftain's chest. With a final gasp, the chieftain crumpled to the ground. The remaining guards, realizing they were defeated, threw down their weapons and surrendered. Cid stood over the body of the fallen chieftain, his chest heaving with exhaustion and victory. The fortress was silent now, save for the occasional groan from a wounded warrior. As he surveyed the carnage, Cid felt a strange mixture of satisfaction and despair. He had saved his people from the chieftain's tyranny, but at what cost? So many lives had been lost, and the wounds inflicted upon the tribe ran deep. He knew that the task of healing and rebuilding would be long and arduous. The surviving warriors looked to Cid, their faces a mix of relief and awe. They knew that he was now their leader, chosen by fate or the gods themselves. But Cid felt no pride in his new title. He knew only that he must guide his people through the darkness and back into the light. Cid knelt beside the chieftain's body, studying the symbols painted on his face. They were symbols of power, dominance, and control. Control that had been used to enslave his people for far too long. He wondered how such a man could have been chosen to lead. He turned to address the surviving warriors. "Today, we begin anew. We will rebuild our tribe, we will mend the wounds that have been inflicted, and we will find the way."

*Note: This post was originally deleted from /helloicon and am just reposting here to make sure it is documented and not being censored or deleted.
Edit: I know very well that the community tends to downvote any sort of negativity surrounding the project. However, instead of immediately downvoting me, take the time to digest what I'm trying to say. If any ICON team members want to provide any counter-arguments (though I am certain they will not be able to justify every single thing I will have to say, especially in part 2/3), i would love to hear them. Some sort of transparency and communication from the team would be nice for a change. I believe this isn't just a trivial thing either. This is something that warrants a response from the team. There have been questions that have been buried and ignored when this initially happened. The community deserves better.
If anyone has been here from the start, my name might ring a bell. I was the Lead communications/community manager for ICON for quite some time. I helped cultivate and manage the communities during its peak. In comparison, here is a blockchain project that had similar popularity and trading volume to ICX.
I will make a separate post later going into greater depth about all the things, but for now, I'll stick to basically one thing I wanted to address first. In short though, I absolutely have no faith in this project or team anymore. I think the ICON team has consistently demonstrated a complete lack of transparency, poor judgement, and a company that is embarrassingly slow at adopting new strategies and adapting to the constantly evolving landscape.
There's a whole laundry list of reasons I could get into, but as I stated earlier, i will get into most of it in another post. First thing I want to address is ICON's first dApp, Blue Whale Foundation. I am waiting to see if I get replies from past Blue Whale Foundation members so I can just verify some things before writing more extensively about it, and get confirmation on some things.
For those that don't know, Blue Whale Foundation (BWX) was ICON's first dApp, and it was promoted directly by Min and two senior ICON council members were Advisors for Blue Whale Foundation, including ICONLOOP/PARAMETA's CEO. https://medium.com/biomanforcerose/ico-analysis-5-reasons-why-you-should-have-a-look-to-blue-whale-foundation-4bb55ef3bff3
I don't know if this was ever addressed, but BWX appears to have been a pump&dump/exit scam after the successful ICO launch. Majority of the people on Blue Whale's team immediately departed after the ICO, leading me to believe that they knew this was an empty shell of a project. Blue Whale abruptly closed operations in 2022, leaving many people frustrated and angry. I believe the BWF team recruited me to give BWF an air of more legitimacy. To be clear, I had zero knowledge of what was going to happen, and I was compensated a very modest and flat monthly rate for only a few months, and did not receive any bonus or incentives for making the ICO successful. I believe that other people involved may have gotten paid significantly more than I did, and that they simply used me for my likeness and status within the ICON community to legitimize and get ICON supporters to invest. For anyone that ended up buying because of me, I truly am sorry, and I had absolutely no idea that this was going to be the end result. I should have done more due diligence, but even if I did, I don't know if it would have made a difference because some of the damning information wasnt available until after the ICO. Also, because Min and ICON Council Members approved, endorsed, or were involved in the BWF project, I thought this ICON vetted this project and team. I had always felt terrible once I realized what the BWF team has done, but I didnt fully realize until I left ICON and blockchain space completely. Last I heard from BWF team was that they were going to take some time off after the ICO launch and I didnt hear back from them again. They actually left me in the dark completely for some time, and I was emailing them confused asking what I am supposed to be doing. For a month before the ICO, it was radio silence despite my repeated attempts to get a hold of them, and i finally heard back a month later when they told me that the team went on vacation or something? I can pull up email logs later.
Unfortunately, it seems like this was a pump and dump exit scam after the ICO launched. The ICO raised nearly $4million USD, and I believe the other members on the team could have earned potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. The amount I earned? Very low, but somehow was actually a bit higher than what ICON was paying me monthly which was like barely above minimum wage at the time.
I will share more details in a future post regarding this, but I mainly want to apologize to anyone that bought and ended up losing money on $BWX. I had no idea that this was BWX's true agenda, and all of the information was deliberately kept from me from by the BWF team. I recently did some digging on the founder of BWX, Will Lee, and he states that he is a "serial entrepreneur", but in reality, I believe he is more of a serial griftescammer, and don't know why ICON and Min endorsed this project and the founder in the first place. I believe it was either gross negligence and incompetence from ICON or it was fraud considering that the ICON council members received compensation from the ICO.
Anyone that knows me knows I have been maybe one of the strongest advocates for ICON, and I would even go as far as saying that despite ICON's no communication policy, I believed I played a major role for ICON maintaining and even growing the community even during the extended bear market period. Maybe it was a coincidence, but there was a dramatic decrease in engagement and interest in the ICON project when I decreased my involvement and eventually left all together. Maybe it was a coincidence? Or maybe it wasn't. What I do know is that other projects i consulted on at the time immediately saw lifts in their community numbers when I gave them a hand.
I want to make it clear that while this is primarily about BWF, this is just one of many things that ICON handled poorly, did not address or take accountability, and showed how little they cared about its community considering that many people that bought BWF were likely those involved in ICX.
I didnt have time to proof read this because I'm sleepy and need to take a nap, so sorry if my thoughts are a bit disjointed or if this is just filled with some grammatical errors.
This is also just one of many many red flags and issues that I have with ICON, and why I no longer have faith in this project. I will post a part 2 and maybe part 3 later that are directly related to ICON, the team, amongst many other things, including my personal experience working for them.
edit: also just wanted to say hi to all the amazing and cool people in the community that were around when i was around. while i cant say too many great things about icon, i can say that a lot of you guys here are genuinely awesome people who helped keep my sanity intact. and im sure there are some that hated me too, and its understandable. My unspoken role at ICON was being the person at whom people can direct their frustrations and anger at, but hopefully, you don't hold it against me. To any new people, welcome, but I want you to know that if you do end up sticking around, be mentally prepared for an endless, repeating cycle of being disappointed, getting your hopes up a tiny bit, only to be let down again. Then repeat.

So this might sound like a ridiculous question, but I’m sleepy right now (from partial anesthesia) so it is all I can think about right now.
Today, I (35F) had all of my teeth removed. I got out of the dentist around 10:30 am and it’s now 5 pm and the bleeding of my gums is finally starting to subside. The majority of the swelling went down after a couple hours.
Now comes time for my question. I am a stomach sleeper, which means that I sleep a lot on the side of my face. I have bad back problems which makes it hard to sleep on my back (except 30 minutes at a time). So I was wondering, is it a good idea to sleep in my bed or should I sleep in my reclining chair for the first few nights?

I went to a Gastro the other week, and told them I think I have a hernia (I've had a child, and recently had the worst bronchitis of my life that I definitely should have gotten treated sooner). They felt around and said no, probably not a hernia they can't feel anything it might be polyps. So, I should get a CT scan and also schedule a colonoscopy depending on what the scan found. Went in for CT scan, and it is an umbilical hernia. Note, this gastro does not treat hernias.
I asked if I should cancel the Colonoscopy, and they want me to go through with it because my hernia "should not be causing pain". My symptoms were tenderness, feeling of pelvic fullness & pressure and a small shooting pain was happening a few weeks ago that has since disappeared. Zero GI issues. When I described these symptoms to a surgeon who specializes in hernias he immediately thought its a hernia.
Has anyone been pushed to have a colonoscopy after a hernia diagnosis? To note--I am <40, female, and while the out of pocket cost I need to pay ($2kish) is not a huge hurdle for me if I absolutely need it, it seems unneeded in this case? Is this a money grab?

Hi so my dad has Lymphoma and is about to have this 6th and hopefully final chemo this week. However I wanted to ask he usually has side effects around 9/10 days after chemo however this time around he had a blood transfusion the following day after his chemo session and his sides have come around 15 days after his chemo. Is it possibly due to the blood transfusion?

I am looking to automate my duck house as a raven is helping themselves to eggs and food whenever they like.
So I had an original raspberry Pi when they launched and I was blown away by it, I Installed an OS on it, then had it display weather and local news on my bedside in the morning as an alarm , and finally turned it in to a Bluetooth receiver and airplay streamer for my dads old school stereo, which sadly was the end of my piventures.
Now many many years later I have an issue and I think an Arduino is the answer, but I'm not sure and without doing days or research I wanted to ask for your advice and opinions.
Here's what I want and what I think I need
Morning routine Sun rises (light sensor) Light inside turns on (Light) Food dispenses (Stepper Motor) 5 minutes later Door opens (Stepper motor 2) Light turns off (Light) Await 5 minutes of no movement (sensor) Door closes
Evening routine Bell/speaker sounds (unsure on options) Light turns on Door opens Food dispenses 20 minutes later light goes off and door closes
The ducks are checked on first thing in the morning, throughout the day and before we go to bed. They have a large garden to roam around and are already well trained to go in their duck house when they see us coming and it's dark/getting dark.
Is Arduino the right choice, would a Pi be more suited? Does this seem achievable running off of one board? What boards and modules would your recommend? And is this a Crazy first project to be starting out with?
Any advice and opinions are appreciated.

"You should go to Hallett. We went last year and it was fun. A good track for Miata's"
My friend Gerry the Texan who along with his team brings several Miata's to races all over from Road America to Houston to Seibring. It's a great bunch of people who are having a blast racing Lemons. He told me that and it got me to thinking. We wanted to go to a new track this year and after the disappointment at Barber going somewhere and having some fun sounded good. Also Hallett is noted for having a smaller field so we could be competitive. I always say that Barber is more like a pro level Lemons race in that it attracts the faster and better prepped teams. Road America was like that too.
But first we have to fix the car. As typical, we wait until the race is almost upon us to start. There's the matter of how bad the car is bent from the last race where Manny hit the wall. They thought it was good but we need to check this.
After pulling the rear sub frame in hopes of replacing it we learn that a 90 is a bit different than a 91 subframe or a 2001 subframe. Supposedly it all interchanges but after looking over the differences, Youngest adds a few reinforcements at places the internet gurus say are the weak points and we put the rear end together and put it back in the car. Then we check the alignment. To my great surprise the rear camber and caster is spot on. I was shocked, but the crew did a great job that night fixing the car while it was up on jack stands. Using just a tape measure they got the car really close. Toe was out but the borrowed porta powers got the bent subframe where it needed to be.
We changed the oil and brake fluid, bled the system where we took the rear apart to drop the subframe.
Another project we attempted was to swap in a larger fuel tank. Manny who has been helping with the repairs found a article on the internet that said you could bolt in a NB fuel tank out of a 2001 or so Miata and gain a gallon of fuel capacity. Yeah, that is not possible. The tank has a hump where the car does not and would involve cutting a hole in the car which would be a bit noticeable. Not worth it for such a little gain. Good news is I now have two extra NB tanks if anyone needs one. A gallon would not seem to be that much but we are still dreaming of two stopping the car at certain tracks, stretching our mileage to only stop every two hours and 25 minutes and make a seven hour day with one less stop. It's not all about raw speed, strategy can make a difference. One less stop per day could potentially add ten laps in a weekend of racing at certain tracks.
After we got the subframe in and the car aligned Youngest pulled it all apart again. He was not happy with the bushings holding the rear differential in place. The rear has to move a bit so it is not solid mounted, it actually can pivot a slight bit. He felt the bushings holding it were letting it move too freely.
Once again we put the car back together.
All during this time Manny and FabGuy have been working hard on a new car. Manny got a little crazy on Co-part. First one Miata shows up at our shop. Then another. Then another. I started joking with the guys "Hi I'm Manny, I might have a Miata addiction". Yeah. So after a lot of looking we have three wrecked cars, one being a automatic that was absolutely destroyed. It had zero good body panels and even the front subframe was pushed back where it had got up on something in a wreck. I think the only things we saved off that car was a rear axle, engine, transmission and the hard top which was cracked but usable.
We then robbed enough body parts off of one to put on the other so we ended up with a mostly maroon car with a drivers side red fender, red door and silver hardtop. I say we but all we did at the shop was to take the cars apart, everything else went to Manny's garage where he and FabGuy installed the cage and built the car. They did bring it over a time or two to put in the air to install a few parts or when we aligned it. The build and fitment were top notch on the car, lots of nice parts went in, like a better seat and belts than we use on our Miata. Like most builds they were literally bolting parts to it the night before we loaded the car to head west.
Finally both cars are prepped and it's time to get on the road. Manny has a business where he uses two rollbacks and moves cars mostly to and from car lots and auction lots. So he gets the newer one of the two trucks and shows up at the shop Thursday morning. RacerGuy and I are already there and have hooked our camper to RacerGuys truck. I am leaving my trucks at home, but taking our race trailer and our camper. The plan is to hook the camper to RacerGuys diesel F250 and hook the race trailer to Manny's newish Chevy 4500.
The plan nearly goes off the rails when Manny shows up and I get to looking at his truck. Being in the business I can't not help but look at tires. His drives are terrible, two are bald, one is soft and one showing wire. I go to air up one of the bald ones and it's not having it. Air is leaking out as fast as it was going in. In Manny's defense his employee was driving this truck and Manny had not seen it in weeks. I had already loaded tire tools and extra spare tires for every truck and trailer in the caravan except RacerGuy's truck and I would have got a spare for it too if I had thought about it. With nothing else to do, we all jump in and start busting tires. Forty five minutes later we have four new drives on the truck and we are in a much better spot to make the long drive. I hadn't done any big truck tires for a long time, sold that part of the business. Still got it, just like riding a bike.
We find I40 and start clicking off miles. Manny has already told us the limiting factor which is that GM put a really tiny fuel tank in his truck so we are forced to stop every 160-180 miles for fuel. It slows us down but it's not all bad, we find a roadside BBQ joint that looks like a camper up on blocks that has a huge parking lot and a ton of customers lining up. Of course we try it out, the best BBQ comes from little places like that, not the ones with massive buildings.
We cross Arkansas and I think it was the first time I ever went that way westbound on 40. Came back the other side when we brought the box truck back where we bought it in California. We finally make Oklahoma and bent north to go to Tulsa. Did not see the Tulsa King anywhere, stopped in a Super Walmart and stocked up on groceries for the weekend. Hallett is in the middle of nowhere, so we are planning on eating at the track.
We get there and make our way into the paddock. This will be the first time we have every camped inside the track. They have a cross over with gates that close during when the track is hot and a tunnel for access when the gates are closed. The tunnel looks kind of tight, I'm happy to not test the posted height limits. It says our trailers should fit. Yeah we will wait.
We hustle to get the camper leveled and the generator cranked up. For the next three days it will run non-stop to keep the fridge cold and our lights on. We run the a/c but for the most part temps are very nice.
The next morning we are up and on the road after the drivers meeting. We go to Pawnee, take in some sights then hit Stillwater for some parts and pieces at a hardware store. We also gas up all our empty gas cans so we are ready for race day.
Back at the track Manny and Fabguy are unloading their car off the back of the rollback. It was nice carrying one and towing one car. They go out and practice a bit, come in and make some changes then go out again. It's a new build and everyone has realistic expectations about the car. We are all expecting issues as it takes a while to find the weak spots and fix them.
We get our car out and practice. We send three of the four drivers out and have them run a few laps. I'm about to get ready and go out when RacerGuy comes in and says he felt something pop. We get to looking and the adjuster is gone off the alternator. Look a little more and the bolt has broken off in the alternator. So we have a spare motor in the trailer but it is missing the adjuster. Looks like we need the adjuster, the bolt and the alternator. We make a few visits around the paddock to look for parts but none of the other Miata teams have what we need. Youngest goes into the trailer and in a small miracle finds the adjuster laying under the spare motor loose. He and Coach head into Tulsa on a parts run while Manny agrees to put me into their car for a few laps so I can get a feel for the track. I've watched a hundred laps on Youtube but nothing is like actually driving the track. I go out and don't push things too hard. It is a very worn surface with some patches, particularly in the groove of turn two. Manny's car drives a lot different than ours, you can really tell you have more power and grip. Their tires are a lot wider as well as having 30-40 more hp. They have been working on the car all day and just finished taking off the lines where they installed a remote oil filter, they were not Lemons grade and were leaking.
Just before dark Youngest gets the parts on the car. We also install a helmet blower, we are going to try to use the air to defrost the windshield. All reports indicate rain is coming Sunday.
Then it's dinner time. Our friends from Minnesota have brought pure Lemons art down in the form of a Chrysler Magnum wagon powered by a slant 6 that is mid mounted. It is a engineering feat and runs out nicely. Adam the team leader and I have been planning and they are cooking for us for tonight and we are cooking for them Saturday night. They show us up by putting on a feed with steaks and salad. I'm feeling bad about the fact we are serving hamburgers, coleslaw and potato salad the next night. It was great.
Saturday morning dawns and we are up and moving around. I give up waiting on a shower as the line is too long inside and try the outdoor shower. It has no roof, just walls. It was ok. The next morning I tried it again and it was freezing, no hot water!
I skip breakfast and get ready to get in the car. I want to get on the grid early as I still am not feeling great about the track. The laps in Manny's car did not give me much to make me feel really attuned to the track as I was learning both the car and the track at the same time. I want all the practice laps I can get in our car. The line up is me, Youngest, Coach and then RacerGuy bringing up the finish for the day. FabGuy is gridded about ten cars behind us and he is under team orders to take it easy to start the race.
We get out and start doing pace laps. Soon enough it's green and the race is on. A few laps in Fabguy blasts by me. So much for taking it easy. Going into turn 2 I see a car off track. I mean he's not a little off the racing surface, he's 150 feet off the corner and just about in the tree line. I wonder what happened there. I am starting to get the hang of the track and pick up some speed. Then I mess up early on and miss the line completely going into turn 9 from 8 and run off the track. I fire the car back up and quickly exit and head to the penalty box.
"what happened?'
"I missed the line and ran out of asphalt and talent all about the same time"
The judge kind of laughs, "keep it on the track" and sends me back out. Youngest has made it to penalty and looks the car over from my adventure in the dirt and grass and gives the go ahead. If you are going to mess up do it right at the entrance to pit road, it really cuts down your time off track!
I run clean the rest of the stint. I tiptoe around the corner I went off but run hard the rest of the track without pushing so hard I get off again. Then Youngest, then Coach. We are having one of the best days we have ever had at the track. Besides my adventure off track no one else has messed up. Our stops are clean and quick. Our times top to bottom are very similar and consistent. Something strange is happening. We are in the top 15 overall and since we managed to get put in B class we are doing very well. Only 50 cars at Hallett this weekend, the smallest Lemons field we have ever competed against.
Fabguy pulls off to go to the gas pumps. We are fueling on pit road but they are going to just fuel at the pumps this race. They aren't planning on winning anything so why go to all the trouble of getting all your gear on and doing hot pit stops? Fabguy comes off a little hot and the officials come over to tell them they were over the ten mph paddock limit. Manyy drives the car up to the penalty and Fabguy comes up and they are told they are good to go. Later Manny gets off the track and goes to penalty. They start in on him not serving the penalty for going too fast in the pits. "we served that penalty" The judge goes off "do you really want to argue about this" Later when they realize the team was right and the previous judge had not marked it off the offenders list before going on break. In a first the judge apologizes to them.
With about two hours left in the day their Miata is towed off. The engine is super hot and will not crank. All signs look bad. Later it cools off and will crank, but cranks with ease, signs of a engine that has lost all compression. Their weekend is done and Fabguy heads out to get a headstart on getting to work early Monday. The rest of us will pull an all nighter after the race Sunday.
I start doing the math and realize it's going to be very tight. We make our calcuations based on a normal 7 hour race day. Today is a 7.5 hour day which is a bit longer than normal when racing Lemons. I figured out the stints and got it wrong. We realize our mistake and run Coach a bit longer before we put in RacerGuy. It's going to come right down to the limit of our fuel mileage. We start planning dinner and cleaning up the paddock with about ten minutes to go when all the sudden we realize the car is not out there. We run to the pumps and find Racerguy there. He ran out and limped the car to the pumps but could not get all the way there. By the time we get the car pushed around to get fuel the race is over for the day. I feel like a total idiot, I could have ran another five minutes easily in the car in the morning and not had this problem.
But the good news is that somehow even after I went off the track and and then we ran out of gas was that we were still very good on the day. We had enough of a lead on the car behind us in Class B that we still had a 7 lap lead even after running out of gas. Even better our paddock mates in the Chrysler are putting a shellacking on Class C as well. Their Magnum wagon is running a Richard Petty scheme, they all have uniforms and the requisite trademark Petty cowboy hat and STP logos, only this time it means "Slow Through Paddock" signs and all. They actually shouted this out when doing the morning driving meeting when they were going over the rules. "STP, Slow through Paddock!" every time the officials discussed that rule in the drivers meeting.
We put everything away, rain is moving in. We are in shock about how well everything is going. Surely we will find a way to loose this race tomorrow. Will other cars be faster in the rain? Will we shoot ourselves in the foot and have poor driving and get multiple black flags? Will something break on the car which has been running great all day long? And who the heck is this Coach guy? All that and more when we wrap up this in the next part of this story. Stay tuned!

im 34M with adult ADHD ive been single since u was 23, in high school i hooked up with alot of girls was in popular social circles and at 15 i was sleeping with women in there 30s and 40s and going to bars and nightclubs, in my early 20s i was a chef and slept with waitresses.
i hit a bad patch in my lofe around 23/24 and began to.gave mental health issues because of working all the time and something wasnt being met in my life adult ADHD played into it. but after highschool i always struggled to form lasting relationships i had good friends and colleagues but I struggled to form something meaningful besides work.
at 30 i discovered i liked trans porn and at 34 became infatuated with a 19 year old transfemme cam girl.
i realised i am fucked up in the head .. i don't consider myself gay but im not exactly straight either i always loved being with women i have been in love with women and girlfriends in high school but there was always something holding me back i put it down to having ADHD
at 34 i realise now i am infatuated with this transfemme girl which basically doesn't exist in my reality.
its a tough bite of a reality sandwich because i am a kind of black and white thinker ..but probably because there basically isnt anyone that exists that im like wow thats what i like .. its literally this one person that signals this
the unfortunate reality is this is nothing more than a fantasy
i think at this stage i need to realise i am going to die alone and just get on with it.
i get girls smiling at me or showing interest from a far but all i can think about is this transfemme girl.
its an unhealthy infatuation
people think i am just gay but i don't believe i am i dont feel that way about males or men and honestly if i did i would imagine it woud not be something i would be comfortable with , im not homophobic i just dont have that kind of interest.
when its with some transfemme girls i dont know it just triggers me more emotionally than just sexually.
at the end of the day there are virtually no girls like this in my country or area and chances are its only a fantasy that i cant unlock because reality is always much more complicated.
suffice to say i think im fucking screwed shit out of luck . i was happier when i didn't have this attraction i was basically not attracted to anyone and was care free free as bird i was always stressed but didnt feel the misery of knowing and nothing
now i got to bottle it down until the day i die.
lifes a trip
i think there must come a stage when you just have to fight yourself on this compartmentalise and detach and just getnon with the fact that life is fucking shit but try and find some joy meaning whatever in work, family, nature, exercise, video games and movies ,
its pisses me off that i have this attraction now, when you sit in the house in the evening alone until you finally KO , im better on days when i dont give in and think about this person im bored and completely unfulfilled jist waiting ro sleep to exercise the next day and run the whole cycle over again. but when i do give in its even worse it just creates a self loathing and the fact that yeah im probably going to spend the next 30 years alone and then die
im trying to be healthy and look after myself getting leaner by rhe week but honestly shit would make you just want to turn to alcohol weed and food

Issue: Was "late" on my mortgage because my mortgage payment went up by $50 a month; I didn't realize it until about 30 days late that my autopay was paying the wrong amount. So, I did pay in time, but just not the right amount. In fact, 2 payments were made at the wrong amount but I caught it in time such that the second payment was late but within the non reporting late period. I fixed auto pay, etc. My real credit score is around 815. This is my first reportable delinquency, ever in 30 years. (Last October '23, I did have another late mortgage payment, also due to autopay, resolved that in the grace period as well, never went to reporting. Why so many autopay issues you ask? New home construction mortgage that went through a couple escrow revisions. It's all sorted out now, thankfully.) Finally, as an information point, I do check every month to make sure the payment comes out, in both instances the mortgage servicer took the payment then refunded it about a week later. Hence, I don't normally look for refunds from my mortgage provider, otherwise I would have flagged it sooner.
Context: My "Vantage Score" fell about 140 points. I know this is probably not my real score but I'm sure my real score has taken a sizable hit. My Vantage score went from "Exceptional" to "Good." My question is this, I'm about to apply for another mortgage and car lease. What kind of hit on rate will I take?
In progress: I'm trying to get this delinquency taken off, but ultimately who knows, working with the third party loan servicer is very tedious and I don't know if I'll be successful, their customer service is terrible and they are not very responsive. And technically I'm at fault. So any tips are appreciated here.