My favourite books are Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Crime and Punishment, and Quo Vadis.
I want to be recommended some good books that has similar tone to these books I mentioned above. I have tried Heart of Darkness by Conrad, but the book was boring most of the time and obscure. Most of all, I did not like it at all except the writing style.
I might be lacking detailed information on my preferences but I will provide some on the comments as we deal with recommendations and share opinions.

Url: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-2024/
Title: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review
Author: Emily Tsiao
I appreciate this review of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The review of this movie effectively incorporates balance in that it highlights both positive and negative aspects of the film which allows the readers to understand an all-encompassing non-biased perspective of the movie. An interesting insight was when the author of this review discussed the ape's divide with the humans, and that although the apes are against the humans there are elements of respect and value. In regard to attitude awareness, this review demonstrates a clear awareness of the film's messages and motives. The reviewer notes the judgment of humanity's pride and the consequences of scientific overreach, as well as the themes of evolution and dominance of species. The review provides both negative and positive accounts for a full understanding, for example a negative aspect, “Mae prioritizes her own species above theirs, arguably making her no better, morally speaking, than the apes who follow Proximus.” However, there is a balance here that represents respect for both sides of the conflict, which highlights the significance of the dignity of the human person. Emily discusses the film’s representation of both humans and apes with an emphasis on the dignity of both, especially since the apes are very personified in this movie. The review highlights the respectful behavior of the character Noa toward the other species, opposing the violent and selfish actions of the character Proximus. In regard to the media key truth-filled this review discusses an honest assessment of that acknowledges both its strengths and weaknesses. The plot, themes, and characters of the film is accurately assessed, which gives a truthful and accurate account of what to expect. The film itself contains its darker and violent moments, but the review discovers and emphasizes inspiring elements within the plot. It mentions close familial bonds, acts of bravery, and selflessness among the characters, including Noa's compliance with his clan's laws to protect eagle populations, “We see close familial bonds. Several characters act bravely and selflessly. Noa is encouraged to show mercy to Mae by giving her a blanket when she’s cold. And, as you might expect, at various points different characters put their lives on the line for each other”. These elements of the film review can be inspiring to watchers and readers. Both the good and bad messages the film contains can inspire and teach the viewer. The review is clear and well-structured which can guide readers through the thematic elements of the plot. It effectively presents the complex details of the story providing a skillfully developed account of the film. This review incorporates the film’s message to present broader, real-world issues and it relates to common and contemporary discussions, which can allow people to learn from and apply concepts to current daily life, which portrays the film to be motivated by relevant to experience. Overall the review is insightful and detailed, giving an accurate description and reflection of of film from an honest viewpoint. The analysis is genuine and authentic, and it provides a good image of the movie and its hidden messages. Overall, this review appears to be very detailed, well-rounded, and insightful for readers, and it even incorporates the Church’s seven media keys.

Hi everybody,
I've been seeing a lot of posts lately about people going through faith crises. I thought I'd just share some hope for those going through it.
Last summer, I went through a faith crisis of my own. It felt like my entire world was shattering. Nothing bad was actually happening externally in my life – it was entirely just an internal battle.
At the beginning of the summer, a relative and I were out to lunch and they that told me they were done with the Church. The Spirit told me very clearly, "Don't argue with them. That's not what they need. Just listen and love them." So, for several hours, I listened and just empathized as much as I could. I validated concerns where I could, and just nodded my head when I couldn't.
However, in that conversation and in others, that person continued to firehose with me anti-LDS arguments, and I didn't do enough to address each one of them directly. I let them sit and linger. In addition, over the previous year, I had been in a serious repentance process for infidelity. (All is better now, but it was a rough year.)
So, over the summer, my faith waned and waned as I read more and more anti-LDS arguments, subreddits, and blogs online. With each thing I read, I felt more and more bewildered. I would run to my wife: "Have you read this? Have you seen this?!" God bless her for having so much patience with me, and being gentle, and continually bearing her testimony that she has always just known it is true, and regardless of what issues may arise, she won't abandon that knowledge God has given her.
Finally, it came to a point where I no longer believed in God, and I was exposed to a dark and lonely and godless world. It was so heavy, I could barely breathe.
But, I wasn't ready to give up so easily. I had experienced a lifetime of spiritual experiences: transformative changes through repentance and belief in Jesus Christ and reading the Book of Mormon; Incredible spiritual experiences on my mission; and many strong indicators that a god existed.
In probably the most desperate prayer I have ever said in my life, I begged God to reveal Himself to me. I told Him that, if He really was there and if He really did exist, then I was going to wrestle Him like Jacob in the scriptures and not acquiesce until He had relinquished the answers I so desperately sought.
And, brothers and sisters, He answered me. In the coming days and weeks after that prayer, I saw miracle after miracle happen. I can't share them all here, but it was incredible. I promised Him I would write them all down, so I did in my journal. There were too many coincidences, right after each other, that showed me God was listening to my prayers: random people I met that would have the exact answers to my questions, a book that literally just fell into my lap and touched my heart when I didn't even want to read the scriptures (Planted by Patrick Mason), and a literal healing of my anxiety when I asked for it one morning (as well as many other answered prayers and questions, one after another).
As my faith grew, I started to see more and more miracles (some even by my own hand). I re-engaged in a study of the gospel by both faith and intellectual learning. I dove DEEP into Church History, and didn't stop short of anything. Through that process, I found a faithful answer for every question I had encountered and that had once so bogged me down before.
During those first few months, I would say, "I believe," when bearing my testimony. However, I wanted to know and Alma 32 promises that we can know. So, I followed Alma 32 exactly - I was diligent and faithful, and I can now say that many of my testimonies have transformed from beliefs into knowledge.
Now, I know again that God is real. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Now, my testimony of the Book of Mormon is stronger than it's ever been. I love that book and I firmly and strongly believe it to be the word of God. (I'm just shy of "know" on this one - we are getting there!) It's beautiful and teaches us so plainly of Jesus Christ.
My testimony of the prophets is stronger than it's ever been. I love President Nelson, his counselors, and the Twelve Apostles. I love studying their words to see how I can come closer to Jesus Christ. The Spirit whispered to me the reality of their callings.
With all that said, I want to offer some advice for anyone who may be going through a difficult faith crisis. I know everyone may not like this advice – that's fine. However, I promise you it works. I know it works because I just followed the pattern described exactly in the scriptures and by our prophets, and it worked for me. (If you don't want advice, then just skip past this section.)

• Follow Alma 32 to the letter. Take it completely to heart.
  • To grow faith, you can't start from a neutral position: you have to start with a desire to have faith, a pre-inclination towards the conclusion of faith. The world has taught you that for the results of an experiment to be valid, you must be neutral in the outcome. Faith doesn't work like that - it's an act of faith in itself to desire to have faith, and that act will be rewarded by God.
  • If you are neglecting your tree by not reading and studying the scriptures daily, connecting daily with God through prayer, and obeying the commandments, then you are leaving your testimony in danger: "But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out. Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof." (Alma 32:38-39).
    • From personal experience, I echo President Nelson's warning, "For those who have made covenants with God, immorality is one of the quickest ways to lose your testimony." ("Think Celestial!", October 2023 General Conference). I know that the primary reason I lost my testimony wasn't because my relative firehose me with anti-LDS material: it was because I had committed serious sins, and I had not done the basic things to maintain my testimony.
• Tell God that you will humble yourself as a child, and then follow through. To be humble as a child means you have to be willing to forget everything you think you know. Put everything about you on the altar for sacrifice, and God will show you the way.
  • To be humble as a little child means you have to let go of your pride and what you perceive to be correct principles. You've got to let God completely guide you. You've got to turn to His word, which, if you aren't comfortable with modern prophets yet, starts with the scriptures.
    • I've seen too many people say, "I believe in the Book of Mormon and this and this and all of it, but I just can't agree with this one thing." And I've seen some really interesting things that people don't agree with. I know someone who left the Church because President Nelson encouraged us to get vaccinated during COVID. It's really, really helpful to realize that you could be wrong - that you are influenced daily by an outside secular culture, and it's way more than likely that our world is teaching us things that aren't true and God wants us to know what is.
• Do not leave the Church until you have read the Book of Mormon cover to cover and engaged in it. This may be frustrating to you if you currently don't believe it's scripture. That's fine - it's meant to be. As you humble yourself as a child, you will find truth inside the pages of the Book of Mormon.
• You gain a testimony of the Restoration by living according to Restoration principles. Here are a few:
  • Go to the temple regularly
  • Serve in your calling
  • Listen to the invitations of President Nelson and the apostles and then follow through on them.
• Some testimonies may take a lifetime to gain. My grandfather used to talk about he didn't have a testimony of tithing until after he had lived it for years and years. Sometimes, the Lord is going to test you for a long time on a principle before he gives you a witness: "Wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6).
• Think slowly. This doesn't mean don't think. Anti-LDS material often works by firehosing you, or just overloading you with "facts". Often, those facts are presented with a bias of unbelief, and sometimes, they are just totally taken out of context. So, when presented with something that makes you pause, don't freak out. Think slowly through it. Dive DEEP into faithful resources.
  • One thing that helped me here: it's a sign of humility to recognize that there are people smarter than you who have thought through an issue and come out the other side. For example, Kerry Muhlestein is way smarter than me (and likely most of us in this subreddit) when it comes to Egyptology, and he fully believes the Book of Abraham is real. It helped me to turn to some of these experts to see how they have confronted perceived "issues", and found faithful answers. Kerry is a great example of this.
  • Another very valuable resource to help you think slowly through issues: The Church History Matters podcast. Absolutely fantastic. Highly recommend.
  • As I have thought slowly and deeply and prayerfully, my testimony has been strengthened, and, I actually realized that some of the "facts" presented to me by anti-LDS material were just outright lies or based on incorrect information.
• Realize that anti-LDS or secular arguments are biased too. They come from a bias of unbelief, which is just as much of a bias as coming from a viewpoint of belief. Modern scholars/academics are not going to come to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon is God's word, or that Joseph Smith was a prophet, because they start with the academic assumption that there is no God (or that at least, God should have no part of historical analysis).
  • At some point, I had to tell myself, "Enough is enough. I've read enough. There's no point in rehashing these arguments," and I instead chose to just read from faithful sources going forward. I don't feel intellectually dishonest by doing this – faith is a choice, and I'm choosing to try to listen to people who also have faith and want to bolster my faith rather than tear it down.
• If you believe the scriptures, and are having trouble with the modern prophets, then it's good to realize that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon always talk about the unfortunate consequences that follow those who do not support and follow the prophets. Sure, they aren't perfect - that's fine. Only Jesus was perfect. But, if you believe the scriptures, then, for whatever reason, prophets have always been the vessel by which God has communicated His will and commandments to the people - and they never speak favorably of those many who go against them, and always speak favorably about the blessed and happy state of those few that do follow God's prophets.
• A very useful talk: Stand Forever by Elder Corbridge. I will echo two specific things that he said:
  • That feeling when you read anti-LDS material, the same feeling I described earlier about increased confusion, darkness, heaviness, etc. – that is the Spirit leaving you as you read things that lead away from Christ and His Gospel. The Spirit cannot testify of those truths, and will walk away from you so that you can feel His disapproval of the material.
  • God doesn't want you to remain in a state of doubt. The scriptures are replete with the commandment "Doubt not" (James 1:6-8; Proverbs 3:5-8; Matthew 14:28-31; D&C 6:36)–it's okay to have questions, but you should never be okay with sitting in a state of doubt. I'm not saying you're being a terrible person by having doubts right now – I am saying God wants you to get out of that state, and not stay there and never return. Do everything in your power to move out of a state of doubt and into one of faith. Pray that the Lord will help you in your unbelief (Mark 9:23-25).
• This is a big one: when I started regaining the presence of the Spirit back into my life, and my life was filled with more light, I started remembering more and more spiritual experiences from throughout my life that had shown me God was real. The thing was – I couldn't remember those experiences at all during the summer when I was neglecting my testimony or damaging it by focusing on my doubts and listening to the wrong spirits. I think this pattern is pretty well-documented in the scriptures:
  • "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost... [shall] bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26).
  • "And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts" (D&C 1:33).
  • "From them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have" (2 Nephi 28:30).

I'd also say that there is a Reddit user (u/dice1899) that has done a tremendous amount of work on compiling great resources for answering questions about Church History. She has also offered a direct rebuttal to pretty much every main anti-LDS argument. I don't always agree with her reasoning (although I do agree most of the time), but the amount of work she has put into it is so great and it helped me to pause and think deeper on my own about the issues. Here is a link to one of her pages: https://www.reddit.com/lds/comments/x29q9z/resources_for_gospel_questions_and_church_history/
I have my own list of books/resources I can send you too. My most recommended resource is the Church History Matters podcast. It's run by two BYU professors. They have great series on major issues for people in Church History, and don't shy away from the hard questions. It's all done from a faithful and historically accurate perspective. They also have guests on the show with expertise in various areas.
I'll end with a short testimony: it's completely possible to overcome a faith crisis and have your testimony be even stronger than it was before. It's only possible through Jesus Christ and humbly following Him in everything. If you have felt to sing the song of Christ's redeeming love in the past, I am telling you: you can feel so again.

NB: If you prefer to read this article from Google Docs, with embedded Scryfall card images, follow this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ipGx-NpPmVbRfnmiNpMlB4V6YA341UuZrBYQFSyyHrE/edit

INTRO

Hello! My name is GlosuU (https://x.com/GlosuUMTG). I'm a Limited MTG enthusiast with a humble portfolio: I qualified for and participated in the AC4 and AC5, and will be participating in PT Amsterdam at the end of June. In the AC5 I teamed up with Ryan Condon (AC5 runner-up) and Ethan Saks (Lord Tupperware), all 3 of us bringing Quintorius Combo as our Explorer deck of choice for the AC5. I was in a feature match versus the AC5 champ, Toni Ramis Pascual, where I lost my win-and-in to the top 8, and ended 12th out of 32. You might also know me for the "Ode to WAR'' article that I wrote and posted when WAR came as a flashback format some months ago: https://www.reddit.com/lrcast/comments/1bhpxb2/an\_ode\_to\_war\_of\_the\_spark/ . I'm not a content creator, but I do produce some stuff here and there when I feel like it (deep analysis of my AC5 matches are posted in my YouTube channel, I had Ryan Condon analyze them together with me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhdl85xrunw&list=PLtfDMdAYlZqlVE-Bo_Gh5FsxujrFTEUyK&ab_channel=GlosuUMTG ). With my "credentials'' out of the way, I'm back with a new article, this time to praise IKO! We are getting IKO Premier Drafts on MTGA this Tuesday, so hopefully I can get you excited!
Disclaimer: WAR was my favorite set when I wrote the previous article, and I have to admit the flashback on Arena soured my experience of it a bit (Grixis colors were too open in the pods I felt, and the vanilla creatures in WAR stood out like a sore thumb compared to the FIRE ones). IKO is an all-timer for me and I'm really hoping the cycling deck will not be consistently open in the flashback pods, because that would be a bummer… Regardless, I do truly believe that WAR and IKO are amazing sets, and I hope I can convince you to love IKO in the same way I do, similarly to how I tried to convince you to love WAR!

My 17L tier list

If tier lists are your thing, I have no problem sharing mine with you: https://www.17lands.com/tier_list/dfdd3d0c69664a0b8ffbd7372848ab5f
NOTE: creating the tier list for IKO felt more difficult than for WAR. There are a LOT of cards that are contextually powerful, and it was hard to decide for me if I would P1P1 a Fire Prophecy (floor is extremely high, ceiling is pretty good too) or a Chevill (ceiling much higher, but gold card). Still, I did my best.

IKORIA: Lair of Behemoths setting

The main theme that inspired the IKO setting was giant monsters (Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra… you name it). Many of the mythics and rares had some silly Godzilla alt-arts, so if you are a fan of this genre, do NOT skip this set! The flashy new mechanic for the set was Mutate, which has some complex rules, but did its best to capture the flavor of beasts and creatures mutating into scary abominations. In opposition to the giant, wild monsters are the nimble humans that need to group together to stand a chance. Now, whenever the MTG team tries to design a battlecruiser-like format (giant creatures clashing with each other), it has been very difficult for them to balance it well for sweaty spikes. Most recently, we had BRO, where the theme was supposed to be giant robot machines clashing with each other, but the Prototype mechanic flopped really hard, and playing small, dinky creatures and getting value with Unearth was the way to go. Similarly, Mutate pales in comparison to the small humans and the cycling strategies, but I'm happy to say that it's still a viable strategy if open, it is much better than Prototype in BRO!
The set was also designed with wedges in mind (3 color combinations where one color and its enemy colors are present), but it was NOT marketed as a 3 color set. The big support is for the enemy color pairs, allied color pairs are just lightly supported with keyword themes. Do not expect to draft 3-color decks constantly like in KTK, but do expect to draft enemy color pairs (with and without splash) frequently. Colors are a bit loose in IKO anyway, since the focus is on archetypes and synergies.

MECHANICS

I. Cycling (and the Tier 0 RW cycling deck)

Let's start with the elephant in the room: the infamous cycling deck. MTG, as a card game, has variance baked in, especially with the mana (lands) system. The designers have made some mechanics that feel really good to play with because they smooth out your draws. For example: scrying, looting and… yes, cycling. Topdecked a useless card? Well, it's a great feeling to pitch it to redraw another card. Ask those who played with Blood tokens in VOW. Cycling has made its appearance here and there, and they made it a big part of IKO. But… they went overboard with it in this set. Not only did they design plenty and powerful cycling payoffs (which… honestly, does cycling need payoffs? Cycling is just a good mechanic, period, why does it need payoffs?), but they also put cycling in a lot of cards and, most importantly, they put SINGLE COLORLESS cycling in a lot of cards. This means that a dedicated RW cycling deck could be running an uncastable Memory Leak and still be stoked about it, because you don't ever have to cast the card, you just need to cycle it to trigger all the payoffs. Also for some reason many of the cycling payoffs have cycling themselves, so it's a no brainer to include them in your deck (sometimes you have to balance the amount of payoffs and enablers, for example the Chalk Outline/Insiduous Roots decks in MKM, but with cycling it's just easy mode). And yeah. Then there's Zenith Flare. Which is an uncommon. Which is easy to find in most games because cycling decks churn through their library fast. And they will dome you for 10 and you'll be left scratching your head. My personal rule to keep my sanity: assume the opposing cycling deck has only one Zenith Flare. If I die to a second Zenith Flare, I usually consider it a non-game, one of those you can't really do much about (like a deck with multiple bombs in OTJ).
Now, everything I said sounds dull and gloomy. And I'm sure that the designers would probably add a color requirement to the "Cycling 1" cards in hindsight, maybe make Zenith Flare a rare (or heck, a mythic). Nowadays they would probably make the triggered abilities trigger only once per turn. But… there's also good news! Personally, I think playing with and against cycling decks is FUN (especially if it's not a broken cycling deck, but a reasonable one). Cycling decks play like combo decks, where you try to set up during the first 3 turns of the game, and then watch the fireworks from turns 4+. Opponents can disrupt the key pieces, build their decks to counter the cycling plan (hello, lifegain!), and, most importantly, often cycling decks lose to themselves. Excusez-moi? Yes, you heard right. Because cycling decks skimp on lands (more on that in a sec), sometimes they will have an opener of 2 lands, 1 payoff and 4 cycling cards. That's a keep, but it's very beatable if the opponent answers the only payoff, and then the cycling deck cycles and cycles endlessly to find lands while falling behind on tempo on board. Cycling decks also mulligan badly, because one less card in hand means the cycling chain is more likely to brick. In a way, I feel like cycling decks are overall balanced in the format (!), as long as cycling is contested in the draft pods (as it should be!) and as long as non-cycling decks also pick cycling cards in their colors highly! You're in B? Please don't let that Memory Leak wheel! It's a good card in your deck too!
So why do cycling decks cut lands? I'm a big fan of Opt/Consider effects in Limited MTG. Increasing the consistency of your deck for a measly single mana draws you to your good cards more often and it also means less mana screw and flood. My general rule of thumb is that I cut one land every 2 Opts I have in my deck, as long as I don't go below 9 blue sources. Now, "cycling 1" cards don't scry like Opt, but they cantrip all the same. The general rule of thumb is to cut one land for every three "cycling 1" cards you have in your deck. And how low can you go? Some psychos have gone down to 12 lands, although I generally do like to have at least 13-14 lands. But if you run 17 lands in your dedicated cycling deck, you're gonna flood out A LOT. Enjoy cutting lands in your Limited decks for no reason? Try out IKO! 🙂

II. Companions

From controversial deck to controversial mechanic: Companions! Only 10 IKO cards had this mechanic, and they were all rares… how impactful could it have been? Well, so impactful that Constructed formats were broken in half and WotC had to errata the mechanic: to cast a Companion from the sideboard, you first had to pay 3 at sorcery speed to put it in hand. Drannith Magistrate, the Companion hate card, was left looking silly. Turns out that getting an extra card in your opener, a card you also had built around, was one way to break the game. While Companions were really bad for Constructed, they were AMAZING for Limited. Why? Because picking up one early and building around it made for very unique drafts! Many desirable cards would need to be foregone to meet the companion requirement, whereas other less desirable cards suddenly skyrocketed in your pick order. And who hasn't built around one sweet rare only to never draw it and your otherwise sketchy deck go 0-3, all your dreams crushed? Companions fixed that, since you built around them and you always had access to them. Some were more powerful (ahem Lurrus, Gyruda), others were usually not worth it to companion them (Yorion, Zirda…), but regardless they were all high picks because even in the maindeck they were great (and balancing the tension whether to companion them or maindeck them was really skill testing). Companions came back in the bonus sheet in MOM and they were as fun as they had been in IKO, leaving many of us wishing that they would come back more often, because they really improve the draft format they are in. I personally would also love for WotC to print new companions, but of course seeing how they broke Constructed in half, they probably would need to be super careful about them. 🙁 WotC, if you're reading this: bring more Companions!
Ethan Saks (aka Lord Tupperware) is quite well-known for his love of Companions, so if you want a deeper dive on them and what makes each of them tick, here's a video you can watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmmOWYVAzbw&ab_channel=LordsofLimited (DISCLAIMER: this video is for the Companions in MOM, not IKO, but most of the stuff still applies)

III. Mutate (and the UG Mutate deck)

Mutate was the new flashy mechanic for IKO and supposed to charm the Timmy players out there by voltroning a creature and creating an unfathomable monster. Mutate creatures can be found in every color, but are most prevalent in U and G, where there's also payoffs for mutating. In essence, a creature with Mutate could behave like an Aura on an existing creature (keeping the stats of one of the two creatures plus all the abilities of both creatures) or a creature by itself. While you can't blow out a creature mutating onto another on the stack (killing the creature on the battlefield means the creature on the stack still resolves as a standalone creature), putting two creatures together does mean a big tempo swing if the opponent removes the mutated stack. For example, playing a Thieving Otter on T3, then mutating a Dreamtail Heron on top of it on T4 and getting in, drawing 2 cards… All of that sounded mouthwatering great in spoiler season (a flying Scroll Thief? Who doesn't like that?). But, when you assembled that in a game, and the opponent then removed the mutated creature, that meant that with one single spell they had removed both your T3 and T4 plays, so even though you had accrued card advantage, you could be very behind on board.
Was Mutate as bad as Prototype in BRO? Thankfully not! If open, a good UG Mutate could be a great deck, and stacking mutates on top of each other, each of them accruing incremental value, was a lot of fun when it worked. In essence, Mutate decks were A + B decks, with a good balance of A and B (A = 1-2 mana creatures you were happy to Mutate on, e.g. Essence Symbiote, Pollywog Symbiote; B = mutate creatures, preferably strong ones like Archipelagore or Auspicious Starrix). Playing a mutate payoff on T2 followed by a mutated Migratory Rendhorn on T3 was key to ramping, fixing and getting on good footing in the game (since you would also splash some powerful Mutate rares in other colors usually). Since A + B was so tight and you'd rather not include stuff that wasn't one or the other in your deck (to improve consistency), ideally your interaction would come in the form of Pouncing Shoresharks. But you'd still usually squeeze some space for some removal.
Mutate cards are also not unplayable outside of UG, but be mindful of how many non-human creatures you have in your deck and what creatures you are happy mutating on top of. Forbidden Friendship was great at providing some Mutate fodder in non-UG decks, for example, and you would be happy mutating a Cloudpiercer on top of it on T4 (you got a mana discount and a hasty 5/4 rummager, sweet!). BTW, do not confuse Forbidden Friendship with Cathartic Reunion, the arts on those cards are too similar!

IV. Keyword Counters

IKO was the first time that we got keyword counters. Apart from mutating, you could still build monsters by giving your creatures extra keywords. Some IKO tricks look like traditional tricks we see in Limited, but the counter hanging around can be quite important! For example, Unexpected Fangs creating a big lifelinker could be game-swinging. Be mindful of these tricks when having a Heartless Act in your deck, since you can get blown out very easily if they respond by giving a counter to their creature, and your removal will fizzle. Also, always roll Hexproof counter on a T3 Crystalline Giant - if you don't, you need to get better at MTG! (thank goodness Covid was around when IKO came out, imagine Giant in a paper MTG game)

FORMAT OVERVIEW

There's tons of draft guides out there, so I'll try to keep this brief. We already mentioned that a nuts RW cycling deck can be considered Tier 0. A reasonable RW cycling deck is still Tier 1-2, so it's definitely worth getting into if you get enough of the good cycling payoffs. UG Mutate is like Tier 2-3, so what other decks are out there?

I. Tier 1: Black, Humans and the Mardu Wedge

When cycling is not absurdly open, I have a strong bias to end up in a Mardu-esque deck (any of the color pairs, with or without splash). I love B in this set, even though it's not a cycling color. IKO has my favorite common ever printed: Bushmeat Poacher! The card doesn't look super strong at first glance, and 4 mana for a 2/4 is quite bad these days but… it resists a Fire Prophecy, for starters. And once you see the card in action on the opposite side of the battlefield, you're going to understand how ANNOYING it is. You'd be surprised how often the engine of Durable Coilbug + Bushmeat Poacher can grind out games in this format. Block, sac, gain life, draw cards, rinse, repeat. Honestly, it's as annoying as Cauldron Familiar in Constructed or Lampad of Death's Vigil in THB. And let me remind you that you gain life equal to the creature's toughness. Wanna remove my Honey Mammoth? Well, that will cost you your removal spell, and I gain 6 life and a card, thank you very much! One of the things I enjoy most in Limited is making opponent's removal look bad, and boy, oh boy, does Bushmeat Poacher do that!
So yeah Poacher might be my favorite common, but B has even better stuff to offer with Blood Curdle (that menace counter is super relevant) and Whisper Squad (which also combos nicely with Poacher). And Memory Leak should be taken as a great B common, I've mentioned this already.
Mardu decks can be built in a myriad of ways and synergies. There's the straight forward Human go-wide and pump your team theme out there. There's sac synergies. There's go-wide Mutate synergies: Forbidden Friendship is a premium R common in most R decks except for dedicated RW cycling decks ("Rally at the Hornburg"-lite is still very good!), and then you have stuff like Regal Leosaur. There's menace + removal synergies… And you have some sweet buildarounds like Weaponize the Monsters, Bastion of Remembrance and Offspring's Revenge. All in all, I love getting into Mardu decks in this format, and the aristocrats gameplay speaks to my heart.

II Tier 2: BG Reanimate, UR spell matters, Ultimatum decks

BG Reanimate is probably my favorite deck of the format. If I start B, and then see Mardu being contested (as it should), but G dummies coming to me, I'm very happy to jump into BG. We've seen that Back For More is still great in OTJ, but whereas in that set you only have Spinewoods Armadillo to easily combo with it, this set has several big dumb uncommons that cycle. Back For More is even better here in IKO! Getting back a Tytanoth Rex with it can usually net you a 3-for-1 (fight something and ambush something in combat, Rex still surviving). It is also the perfect home for Honey Mammoth (that card was a surprising overperformer back in the day, since then we know how good this style of cards can be for G decks looking to stabilize and turn the corner). Also, Bushmeat Poacher gaining you tons of life when opponents try to remove your big dummy creatures is very satisfying.
UR spells can also be powerful when open. Sprite Dragon can get out of hand quickly, and T3 sequencing Forbidden Friendship into Of One Mind feels super good. A key roleplayer for the deck is Spelleater Wolverine, and PSA: you can meet the condition by cycling instants and sorceries to the GY too, no need to actually cast them! Wolverine can fit other decks too if you get a good amount of instants and sorceries (e.g. in Rakdos with cycling and removal spells). I'm not super high on U in the format and thus don't get into UR spells often, but if you start R and U flows, it's a possible path to get into. There are also UJeskai cycling decks with Ominous Seas as the payoff.
Finally, a word on the Ultimatums: they are more powerful than they look! With the exception of Emergent Ultimatum (which has an important failcase: drawing your single-color big spells before it), resolving any of them in the late game will often put you in a winning position. Think of them a bit like Cruel Ultimatum in OTJ: fun cards to draft early and build towards the late game, prioritizing the dual lands in order to cast them.

III Tier 3: Allied color pairs/Keyword decks

With the exception of RB, which is a good deck, all other allied color pairs feel weaker. UB Flash and UW flyers can be a thing if you draft the rares that support them, but don't expect them to be super powerful. I do want to mention the WG Vigilance deck, because it is one of the counters to the cycling deck. Get a couple Alert Heedbonders, put some big butts on the board and laugh at your opponent trying to Zenith Flare your face when you're at 40 life! 2/4 also survives Fire Prophecy, so cycling decks often have to point a Flare to one of the Heedbonders, which is sweet! RG Trample is not really a deck, if you see the RG rare, it's a good card, but you can just splash it in any G deck. Beware also of the Wedge buildaround enchantments at rare, except for Offspring's Revenge, they are all generally quite bad!

SAMPLE DRAFTS AND TROPHIES

It has not been easy to get "clean" 17L trophy logs: 17L was in infant stage when IKO was the main format, so no game replays back then, and during the IKO flashbacks Arena pushed some log updates that made 17L struggle to log everything correctly. Still, thanks to some friends, I have gathered a few:
TROPHY 1 (courtesy of Sheesh): https://www.17lands.com/draft/263832207ed749b7947e7a40149f7380 - a typical RW cycling trophy
TROPHY 2: https://www.17lands.com/deck/ac08eb9f76874eafb67c4e201a5bb21e/1 - Lurrus Companion (this quick draft trophy got me into Mythic for the first time back in the day!)
TROPHY 3 (courtesy of TripleB): https://www.17lands.com/deck/c7fb935d7ac443b4bb895f43622accc7 - BW Humans, some games missing
TROPHY 4: https://www.17lands.com/draft/19b4a66cbec5484d8d3b0acd54f61787 - Golgari Reanimate/grind, sadly only shows the first two games
TROPHY 5 (courtesy of TripleB): https://www.17lands.com/deck/d0d77324997f45478a7b853067a0f438 - UR spells/mutate, no game replays available since it was a Traditional Draft from when IKO was the main format
TROPHY 6: https://www.17lands.com/deck/96ffb9ab71144753bb87496e33e32545/1 - UB Flash/Mutate, also a Trad Draft

CLOSING THOUGHTS

While I think I covered most of the format, I feel that there's a lot of things I didn't have space to cover. I truly believe that this format plays and feels amazingly well, just as long as the RW cycling deck is contested enough. Sweet buildarounds, companions, all-in synergies, Mutate, and a load of other nonsense. This is a Dave Humphreys set you really don't want to miss! I am stoked to spam it and (hopefully) see it hold up after all these years!

We met up on a rainy Sunday about a month ago and talked about some books. Our pick this month was Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, because Assaulty wanted to read a story from an elderly perspective. The characters in this one were not really elderly - they were maybe 60 - but that's an advanced age for an international assassin. It seemed like most people liked it, though it's not everyone's preferred genre. It did resolve itself really well. I thought there were maybe too many main characters stuffed into a shorter book. The_OG_Bert liked the cold hearted professionalism the ladies conducted their business, they really leaned on their experience to their advantage. At one point they compared notes about the best vein to open up for a discrete kill.
Asterion7 brought a bunch of books he had read to pass out including The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari, and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. He also had The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories, which someone had brought to a previous meeting. Maybe that guy will get it back some time. He's finishing and really liked Menewood by Nicola Griffith, the second of the Light of the World series. He and Skyverbyver talked visiting Pompeii and going to museums there that really made The Wolf Den that much more interesting.
Assaulty did the same thing - brought a bunch of books in an attempt to declutter a bit. She shared Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty, No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. These are all exceptionally good books. She spent the most time on Ruth Ozecki's The Book of Form and Emptiness, and it sounded interesting enough for us to add it to our list. She also talked about other Ruth Ozecki books including My Year of Meats.
The Book of Form and Emptiness is about a neurodivergent kid, and Ozecki weaves in pop references and talks about education and mental conditions. But she approaches these conditions not as tragedies, but as new opportunities for perspective. It has themes about hoarding and decluttering, and even has a positive things to say about schizophrenia. She read Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, Richmond's Unhealed History by Benjamin Campbell, and The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi, saying that the Ottoman Empire part was particularly interesting; and recommends In Memorium by Alice Wynn, about a couple of gay friends who bonded over a shared love of poetry going off the fight World War Uno.
Aimee tends not to pick up a lot of Contemporary Fiction, so she was not likely to get much from Killers of a Certain Age. She talked about The Fig Tree by Goran Vojnović with Olivia Hellewell translating, and a few other books like The Power by Naomi Alderman and is reading the Silo compilation by Hugh Howley. Coconut_sorbet read the three books in the Remembrance of Earth's Past series starting with The Three-Body Problem, and said while they are incredibly heavy and hard to wade through, it's totally worth it. Apparently the fourth book is a fan fiction that someone sent the author and he supported it enough for it to be published.
The_OG_Bert read The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland, which is about a Richmond Theater kinda near where MCV is now that apparently burned down, and has been working through The Lord of the Rings. He's finding the audiobooks to be a really good way to experiencing the story, but found that the library doesn't always provide the narrator that you like, and that can ruin the flow. Skyver read Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole, a romantasy that leaves you hanging at book 3.
Aurora has mostly been reading award winning books and we talked bout the differences between Hugos and Nebulas. One basic difference is that fans vote for Hugos while professional panels select Nebulas. Besides Killers of a Certain Age, she knocked out The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia A. McKillip, which she says is YA but really good. Unfortunately the author passed away and Aimee brought this one in last time. She read The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez unique but dense, saying it's possibly a best book she ever read candidate. The themes are more about the oral tradition and how stories are told, and includes first-, second-, and third-person narratives. What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher; The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera , calling it a great Sri Lankan story but a little hard to explain; Translation State by Ann Leckie; The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang, which is like a classic Chinese novel but with LGBT characters; The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz, saying the book had great ideas, but she didn't love the execution.
She liked Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, saying it was the best novel she'd read in a while, so that could be literally out of hundreds of books; and Starter Villain by John Scalzi, who is a lot more popular than I thought. Muffin and Kim both liked this one, saying it was a popcorn read, but hilarious, and none of them wanted to ruin the experience by giving away the plot. There was also Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi which sounded like a lot of fun, being a heist story about deities working as independent contractors with the main character being minor nightmare god.
She told us about Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente which she read for a book club bingo contest, which both Skyver and Asterion loved. It's very weird, about sexually transmitted passes to parts of a city. The book has a lot of sex in it, but Skyver said it's not sexy or titillating at all, it's mostly a metaphor for addiction. We talked about In the Night Garden and several other Catherine Vallente books, like Comfort me with Apples, Space Opera, and In the Cities of Coin and Spice.
Incorrigible_Muffin read a few books: Recovery Dharma: How to Use Buddhist Practices and Principles to Heal the Suffering of Addiction, which teaches a series of quick, practical techniques; This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar; two John Scalzi books: The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain; The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen, a series of case studies of deep friendships and platonic soulmates, trying to refocus of what society values to community and friends. She recommended a memoir by Rachel Willis The Risk it Takes to Bloom. The last one talks about becoming a woman, but missing those most important milestones in your life like your body developing through puberty.
She told us about You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue with Natasha Wimmer (Translator), describing it like a Bridge to Tarabithia but with time travel about anti-colonial uprisings; The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard, which she said was a mindfuck, but with interesting bureaucracy; and Lilith by Nikki Marmery, calling it lush and sexy and suggested you read it in a natural environment like a garden. I had brought in The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson for Assaulty to borrow, and Muffin said it is an excellent follow-up to Brutalities: A Love Story by Margo Steines. Aimee said it reminded her of The Power by Naomi Alderman. The author of The Violence Dawson got her start by writing Star Wars novels; I thought that was pretty cool.
We talked about Friends Don't Fall in Love by Erin Hahn, which is a sizzly slow burn, but funny; and A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. But I didn't catch who brought those up.
We talked about the new series Fallout. I thought that someone who hadn't played the game might not be able to get into the series, but Coconut hadn't played it and absolutely loved the show - some of the scenes are right out of the game, and the nostalgia of the experience was the most exciting part of it. The show was set in LA, and I played Fallout 3 and 4 and New Vegas, and the composition of the scenes in the show looked like they were right out of parts of these games. Coconut also said that the Bad Batch star wars cartoon was straight up good storytelling. I've heard really good things about it, but then I look at the art and am immediately turned off. To me it looks like complete ass. Coconut agreed, saying that's the worst part of the experience, but it still manages to impress. I definitely need to give it a try. Asterion7 said the same thing about Xmen 97. Skyver is particularly excited about it, saying that the animated series is the only media that really follows the comics, and the comics were pretty awesome. She used an example: Mystique is Nightcrawler' father in the comics, but Marvel cowardly ran away from that gender fluidity in all their other media content.
Muffin was excited about Walter Goggins being in Fallout because of his work in Righteous Gemstones. Aimee is reading the Silo compilationand respects what the show did. Of the written series, Asterion7 didn't like Dust, and Coconut didn't like either of the second or third books, but both loved the first one. Most people who have seen it have good things to say about Star Trek - Discovery. I keep confusing it with Voyager. I'm not sure why, but I've always avoided it because of that.
Coming up on May 19

• story about some kind of conspiracy

Coming up on June 23

• Any kind of graphic novel - I'll have a couple to lend out if anyone needs

Coming up on July 21

• Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward. Laucchi recommends to go into this book blind.

Coming up on August 18

• The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozecki

Coming up on September 22

• Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente

~ The mods removed this post several times - lets see if this one sticks! ~

From the mountain of political flyers and mailers on my dining room table, to the campaign signs lining local streets, to the steady stream of letters to the editor in the local publication, a few things are crystal clear:

1. Local politicians are out for blood
2. It’s true what they say: the more localized the political campaign, the more vicious the grabs for power and influence become

What follows here is not a dispassionate, clinical account to add to the stack of opinions about local politicians; I unabashedly dislike and distrust this guy. Frankly, I think that he is a *redacted*, nothing but double talk, delusions of grandeur, and old-school conservative dog whistles veiled by carefully crafted language to appeal to the would-be progressives of this here Eugene, OR.
For the sake of efficiency, I’m going to limit my rancorous review as a direct response to quotes from Ted himself, copied verbatim from the most recent publication put out by the Eugene Weekly online.
Most importantly, Coopman’s approach to the housing crisis: 1. “If [the city] has a better solution at this point to deal with the problem we have now,” Coopman says, “now would be the time to drop it.”
The solution is housing, Ted. You know, that thing you boasted about interfering with in the case of the ADU(Accessory Dwelling Unit) regulations? There are mountains of books and literature about this, so I’ll refrain from being redundant and site a piece here:
“Using accessible statistical analysis, they test a range of conventional beliefs about what drives the prevalence of homelessness in a given city — including mental illness, drug use, poverty, weather, generosity of public assistance, and low-income mobility — and find that none explain the regional variation observed across the country. Instead, housing market conditions, such as the cost and availability of rental housing, offer a far more convincing account.” Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns, by Colburn and Aldern.
It is documented, analyzed, proven, discussed and otherwise thoroughly disseminated and understood that homelessness is a HOUSING ISSUE. Not a mental health issue, not a drug use issue, and not an issue of “laziness” or any other moral failure.

1. Coopman says that Medary “needs to exercise a little bit tighter control of her management team” This was in response to Medary and the Eugene Planning & Development Department’s work to allow for Accessory Dwelling Units within the Jefferson Westside Neighborhood. While projecting blame at the city for not solving homelessness, Ted actively works against one of the most accessible and pragmatic solutions to affordable housing: smaller units willingly added by people on their own properties.
   
2. “Any street camping, we just cannot have it,” Coopman says. “It is unsafe, it is unsanitary, it’s terrible for homeless people, it’s bad for businesses.”
   

Come on, Ted, don’t bury the lead: It’s bad for businesses. A genuine expression of care for people in unsanitary conditions would be an attempt to improve those conditions. Waste disposal, public bathrooms and showers, A PLACE TO LIVE. We are collectively unsatisfied with the lack of pragmatism or humanity in the strategy of insisting unhoused people become invisible.
Next: Coopman has been endorsed by current Ward 1 Councilor Emily Semple To this I have only a question: Why is a person(Emily) who expressed disdain for Ted Coopman and his supporter Paul Conte just a year ago now an enthusiastic supporter of Ted’s political campaign? I’d love an answer.
Finally, Ted speaks to an OpEd published in the EW on May 9th about his financial ties to Alan Benevides and the Ems. In a noble effort to discredit the authors, Ted first criticizes them for referring to Stephanie Coopman as “his wife”. “As women, the authors should know better,” Coopman writes. Honestly, reaching for hollow feminism is really not a bad strategy! Props, Ted. Though for anyone who has met one of the authors of said viewpoint, (Heather, Anya, or Christine) its a little laughable.
Coopman further referred to the viewpoint as “hyperbolic lies and character assassination.” I read it, and encourage anyone to do the same. Unlike this here viewpoint, and almost anything that Ted has produced, that publication displays an ironclad adherence to facts that are easily verified, as it includes 25 citations.
To conclude: Ted isn’t a good choice, don’t vote for him.

Hi, clowns! Found lots of connections to an essay Sylvia Plath wrote and TTPD. Lots of info below, but was interesting!
TL; DR Plath’s college thesis paper is all about troubled poets and their “DOUBLES.”
Initial Tortured Poets and Sylvia Plath Connections
Of course, the theme of TTPD is tortured poets, so many avid literary Swifties have enjoyed seeking connections between Swift’s new songs and iconic poetry. No connections are overt, but some seem to be more likely than others. Namely, there’s been much discussion of Virginia Woolf thanks to the song “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”(perhaps a riff on the Edward Albee play title). Other Swifties have found possible lyrical links to Mary Shelley and Charlotte Bronte. Swift herself references Patti Smith and Dylan Thomas in the album’s title track.
I remembered a third poet in relation to Smith and Thomas: Sylvia Plath, obviously an all timer of a tortured poet. I remember hearing an anecdote that she had been obsessed with Thomas and stalked him outside the Chelsea Hotel (also named in the TTPD title track). I did a quick skim of Plath’s Wikipedia to confirm and then started noticing many possible connections to TTPD and Plath’s life.
In the “Fortnight” music video, Swift acts out being institutionalized for insanity and getting electric shock treatment—two significant experiences in Plath’s life. Plath was also coupled with a deeply problematic man, Ted Hughes. Plath fell in love with Hughes for his artistic talent before he revealed himself to be an unsupportive parter, ultimately cheating on Plath with a younger woman. The narrative is not too dissimilar to the narrative about Swift’s alleged ex Matty Healy, as seemingly told in TTPD. (Of course, we don’t know the true subjects of Swift’s songs—if they’re even actually confessional—but some key hints point to Healy. Whether those hints provide actual context to Swift’s life or to the story Swift is telling of her life, one cannot know.) Finally, several of TTPD songs reference a latent desire for suicide (“I might as well die / it would make no difference” etc.). Okay, post-“finally,” these are stretches, but, I’ll note anyway: one of Plath’s most famous collections of poems is titled Ariel, but an alternate title was Daddy. There are connections to both words in TTPD via the song “But Daddy I Love Him.” The title is a line from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid (which features the main character Ariel, a mermaid, caught between two worlds). Extra clowning: some people (hi, I'm people) believe Swift’s 1989 costume for her first Paris concert was an allusion to Ariel: a pink crop top and a seafoam skirt.
As I dug into Plath's life, I couldn’t help but also see similarities to Swift's life. Both women were prolific writers from a very young age. Also, although possibly obscured through artistic license, both women were/are known to write about their own lives. (Plath was apparently encouraged by her professors Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton to write from her experience. I cannot help but tie in Swift’s “The Manuscript” lyric “the Professor said to write what you know.”) Both Plath and Swift expressed/express their depression via their writing, but if you only knew them from their public personas, you’d never guess the depths of their struggles. It seems both Plath and Swift lived/live double lives. Plath was actually fascinated by the concept of doubles. In fact, the concept of doubling was the topic of Plath’s college thesis paper “The Magic Mirror.”
The Magic Mirror and TTPD
Plath’s college paper is sadly not available to the general public. (It had a limited print run in, you guessed it, 1989.) But! I was able to read a few texts about the thesis, and the amount of possible TTPD references is astounding.
Since we can’t analyze Swift’s work via Plath’s directly, I’d like to share several key quotes from the most telling article I could find about the “The Magic Mirror”: “Sylvia Plath’s Magic Mirror” by Kelly Coyne (May 2018, The Los Angeles Review of Books). (To be noted, Coyne has also written about Swift, in her article “Growing Up In Taylor Swift’s America” in December 2023 on Literary Hub—a fabulous read!)
Early in her article, Coyne sets the scene for Plath's thesis:
“Her undergraduate thesis, which she wrote as a senior at Smith College...is titled “The Magic Mirror: A Study of the Double in Two of Dostoevsky’s Novels.” “The Magic Mirror” explores literary doubles made up of a character’s repressed traits, and, as the double grows in power, it heralds the protagonist’s death. Citing Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Plath argued that the choice to create a double works to “reveal hitherto concealed character traits in a radical manner” and simultaneously exposes the driving conflicts of the novel housing that character. Her thesis claims that both Ivan, of The Brothers Karamazov, and Golyadkin, of The Double, have attempted to repress troubling aspects of their personalities, resulting in the double.”
Immediately, I imagine the two versions of Swift from the “Anti-Hero” music video. One Swift is real, true, sensible. The other is a pot-stirring, self-esteem destroying, alcoholic. During Eras, the huge Swift (monster on a hill) screams and stomps around in the background while the real, true Swift smiles and dances in a sparkle dress onstage. The fandom seems to be referring to these two Swifts as Taylor Swift and TAYLOR SWIFT (TM). Folks have theorized Post-Malone in the Fortnight music video is not necessarily a lover, but a twin, or double, of Swift. This theory is enhances by the Eras visuals during that song, specifically two dancers walking away to the back of the stage, but then becoming one.
More Coyne: “Plath, quoting Dostoyevsky in her thesis, noted that Ivan’s double, Smerdyakov, is “wrinkled” and “yellow.” The distinct differences in appearance between originator and double, she continued, are meant to reflect the protagonist’s mental state and cultural status.”
First of all, yellow. In the Gaylor community, folks have often theorized yellow symbolizes being closeted—a reading based on the symbolic coloring in the 1999 film …But I’m a Cheerleader. However, one need not be a Gaylor to consider the importance of yellow to Swift’s storytelling. Most recently, Swift performed “my tears ricochet” at Eras in a bright yellow dress, as her dancers were dressed for a funeral. Following Coyne’s analysis of Plath's analysis of Dostoyevsky, one could guess Swift is teasing a death of some version of herself.
Coyne discusses how Plath clearly used a “double” of herself to write The Bell Jar. Plath herself spent a summer in New York interning for Mademoiselle. The protagonist in TBJ, Esther, spends a summer in New York interning at a magazine too. To go even further down the rabbit hole, Esther also doubles herself, frequently expressing normalcy on the outside and despair on the inside. On the book's first page, Esther tells her audience, “I was supposed to be having the time of my life.” (Again, I cannot help but hear a Swift echo of, “I can read your mind / she’s having the time of her life” from “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” about smiling through her depression.) Coyne makes many more references to mirrors and concealing in The Bell Jar, Ether’s split (and sadness) gets worse and worse the more she hides who she is from others. Notably, at a low point, Esther hides under her mother’s bed. (And Swift sings of a post-heartbreak depression, “Afterwards she only ate kids' cereal / And couldn't sleep unless it was in her mother's bed.”)
Coyne writes about the “imprisoned” aspect of doubles: “The wound from which Esther tries, and fails, to hide chimes with the inescapable, colonizing double, and Plath’s language again illustrates its penal nature: it is inside Esther, but it traps her like a jail cell.” (Again, I cannot help but see references to “Fresh Out the Slammer”, “The Smaller Man Who Ever Lived,” and the TTPD Eras visuals of cages and cell lighting.)
Coyne, on Plath’s doubles’ names, something Swift has not ever used (or so we think): “From her conception of The Bell Jar all the way to its final revisions, Plath suffered an exhausting amount of anxiety over its heroine’s name.” Plath wrote to a friend, “‘I’ll have to publish it under a pseudonym, if I ever get it accepted, because it’s so chock full of real people I’d be sued to death’...Indeed, this wasn’t mere paranoia; she did have to change her protagonist’s name at the instruction of her editor for legal reasons.”
Coyne continues, “Most novelists likely have concerns about being associated with the characters to whom they give life, especially the ugly ones, and especially when the character resembles its author. Yet what is unique about Plath’s case is her knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings and implications of her choice to push Esther away, and the hold this knowledge assumed on Plath’s work and life. Another look at The Bell Jar with a consideration of Esther as Plath’s double tangles the issue even further, and Plath drops clues for this kind of reading throughout the novel. Esther, for example, sits down to write her own novel and recounts, “My heroine would be myself, only in disguise. She would be called Elaine. Elaine. I counted the letters on my fingers. There were six letters in Esther, too. It seemed a lucky thing.” Not coincidentally, Plath’s first name has six letters as well.” Again, Plath was in a bizarre double infinity loop (like the loop on the Eras stage in “Down Bad”?). Plath was concealing her double, the protagonist in her novel, who was concealing her double, the protagonist in her novel.
Coyne wraps up her findings: “In her thesis, written nearly a decade earlier, as she turned 22 — the year after her first documented suicide attempt — Plath claimed, quoting Otto Rank:
In such situations, where the Double symbolizes the evil or repressed elements in man’s nature, the apparition of the Double “becomes a persecution by it, the repressed material returns in the form of that which represses.” Man’s instinct to avoid or ignore the unpleasant aspects of his character turns into an active terror when he is faced by his Double, which resurrects those very parts of his personality which he sought to escape. The confrontation of the Double in these instances usually results in a duel which ends in insanity or death for the original hero.”
Coyne seems to argue Plath believed an artist's double has the power to become bigger than the artist herself, ultimately killing her. Is TTPD Swift's predetermination of, hopefully, her her double's death instead of her own?
In Conclusion: Plath to her Mentor, Dessner on Swift
Who knows what TTPD is really truly about, and who knows if we ever will.
The biggest Easter egg, hiding in plain sight, is that the album is titled THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. There’s no apostrophe after “poet.” Nor is there an apostrophe after the “s” in “poets.” The department does not belong to a poet or to a collection of poets. It is a department OF tortured poets, perhaps two, to be exact. …or perhaps the album indicates the departure of the tortured poet...and her double.
I’ll sign off with two final quotes from my research:
According to Coyne, three months before Plath died by suicide, she had written a mentor about her second (obviously unfinished) book. Plath wrote, “It is to be called “Doubletake”, meaning that the second look you take at something reveals a deeper, double meaning […] it is semi-autobiographical about a wife whose husband turns out to be a deserter and philanderer although she had thought he was wonderful & perfect.”
According to Aaron Dessner’s TTPD release Instagram post: ”Keep searching and you'll find some new detail, layer or sliver of meaning with each listen.”
SUBREDDIT PS! Shout out to Expensive_Succotash5 for noting the TTPD intro poem's reference to being out of the oven, could be an allusion to Plath's death. Also shout-out to Good-Amphibian-7993 for this connection to a photo of Plath with a rose, not unlike Swift's album rose art.

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• Tile Roofing: Classic and elegant, suitable for various architectural styles.

Commercial Roofing

• Flat Roofing: Ideal for large commercial buildings.
• TPO Roofing: Durable and energy-efficient for commercial applications.
• EPDM Roofing: Cost-effective and resilient for commercial properties.

Symptoms and Signs

Identifying Roof Damage

• Leaks: Water stains or dripping inside the property.
• Missing or Damaged Shingles: Visible gaps or torn shingles.
• Sagging Roof: Noticeable depressions in the roof's surface.

Indications of Poor Installation

• Uneven Shingle Patterns: Inconsistent alignment or spacing.
• Improper Flashing: Inadequate sealing around penetrations and edges.
• Inadequate Ventilation: Excessive heat or moisture in the attic.

Causes and Risk Factors

Environmental Factors

• Harsh Weather Conditions: Extreme temperatures, storms, and winds.
• UV Radiation: Sunlight exposure leading to material degradation.
• Tree Debris: Leaves and branches accumulating on the roof.

Poor Maintenance

• Lack of Regular Inspections: Failure to detect and address issues promptly.
• Neglected Repairs: Ignoring signs of damage or delaying necessary repairs.
• Accumulated Debris: Clogged gutters and roof surface debris.

Diagnosis and Tests

Roof Inspection Process

• Visual Inspection: Comprehensive examination of the roof's exterior and interior.
• Moisture Detection: Using specialized tools to identify water intrusion areas.
• Structural Assessment: Evaluating the roof's load-bearing capacity and integrity.

Roofing Tests

• Core Samples: Analyzing material composition and condition.
• Infrared Scans: Detecting moisture and insulation issues.
• Roof Load Analysis: Assessing the roof's ability to support additional weight.

Treatment Options

Roof Repair

• Patching Leaks: Sealing damaged areas to prevent water ingress.
• Shingle Replacement: Repairing or replacing damaged or missing shingles.
• Flashing Repair: Ensuring proper sealing around roof penetrations.

Roof Replacement

• Tear-off and Installation: Removing old layers and installing a new roofing system.
• Material Selection: Choosing suitable materials based on durability and aesthetics.
• Roofing System Upgrades: Enhancing insulation, ventilation, or other features.

Preventive Measures

Regular Maintenance

• Annual Inspections: Identifying and addressing potential issues early on.
• Gutter Cleaning: Removing debris to prevent water accumulation and damage.
• Tree Trimming: Pruning overhanging branches to minimize damage risks.

Protective Coatings

• Reflective Coatings: Reducing heat absorption and extending the roof's lifespan.
• Waterproofing Treatments: Protecting against water damage and leaks.
• Anti-Microbial Coatings: Preventing mold and algae growth.

Personal Stories or Case Studies

Customer Testimonials

• John's leaking roof was promptly resolved by Rabbit Roofing, ensuring his satisfaction.
• Sarah's home was transformed with a roof replacement by Rabbit Roofing, exceeding her expectations.
• David's emergency roof repair by Rabbit Roofing prevented further damage and saved him money.

Expert Insights

Quotes from Roofing Professionals

• "Regular maintenance can significantly extend your roof's lifespan and save you money in the long run." - James Smith, Roofing Contractor
• "Investing in high-quality materials and professional installation ensures a durable and reliable roofing system." - Emily Johnson, Roofing Specialist

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rabbit Roofing offers expert solutions for all your roofing needs, ensuring quality, durability, and customer satisfaction. With their extensive experience and commitment to excellence, Rabbit Roofing provides peace of mind, protecting and enhancing your property for years to come.

Problem description & analysis

There is an EMPLOYEE table in the database. The data is as follows:

EID	NAME	SURNAME	GENDER	STATE	BIRTHDAY	HIREDATE	DEPT
1	Rebecca	Moore	F	California	1974-11-20	2005-03-11	R&D
2	Ashley	Wilson	F	New York	1980-07-19	2008-03-16	Finance
3	Rachel	Johnson	F	New Mexico	1970-12-17	2010-12-01	Sales
4	Emily	Smith	F	Texas	1985-03-07	2006-08-15	HR
5	Ashley	Smith	F	Texas	1975-05-13	2004-07-30	R&D
6	Matthew	Johnson	M	California	1984-07-07	2005-07-07	Sales
7	Alexis	Smith	F	Illinois	1972-08-16	2002-08-16	Sales
8	Megan	Wilson	F	California	1979-04-19	1984-04-19	Marketing
9	Victoria	Davis	F	Texas	1983-12-07	2009-12-07	HR
10	Ryan	Johnson	M	Pennsylvania	1976-03-12	2006-03-12	R&D

We are trying to sort records in the table by EID in a specific order, which is [9,7,5,3, descending order for the rest]. The first four records corresponding to 9,7,5,3 will be passed in as parameters. Below is the desired result:

EID	NAME	SURNAME	GENDER	STATE	BIRTHDAY	HIREDATE	DEPT
9	Victoria	Davis	F	Texas	1983-12-07	2009-12-07	HR
7	Alexis	Smith	F	Illinois	1972-08-16	2002-08-16	Sales
5	Ashley	Smith	F	Texas	1975-05-13	2004-07-30	R&D
3	Rachel	Johnson	F	New Mexico	1970-12-17	2010-12-01	Sales
1	Rebecca	Moore	F	California	1974-11-20	2005-03-11	R&D
2	Ashley	Wilson	F	New York	1980-07-19	2008-03-16	Finance
4	Emily	Smith	F	Texas	1985-03-07	2006-08-15	HR
6	Matthew	Johnson	M	California	1984-07-07	2005-07-07	Sales
8	Megan	Wilson	F	California	1979-04-19	1984-04-19	Marketing
10	Ryan	Johnson	M	Pennsylvania	1976-03-12	2006-03-12	R&D

Solution

We write the following script p1.dfx in esProc:

	A
1	=connect("demo")
2	=A1.query@x("SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE").sort(EID).align@as(eid.split@pc(),EID)

Explanation:
Set a script parameter eid, whose value is 9,7,5,3.
A1 Connect to the database named demo.
A2 Return query result as a table sequence and auto-close database connection when the query is finished. Sort the table sequence fist by EID then by the comma-separated sequence of numbers defined through parameter eid. Put the non-matching members at the end during the second sort.
Refer to How to Call an SPL Script in BIRT to learn about the method of integrating the SPL script with BIRT.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – A Missed Opportunity and a Path to Redemption
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" had the potential to be a nostalgic revival and a fresh start for the iconic franchise, but it stumbled in numerous ways, leaving fans disappointed and yearning for the magic of the original films. Here's a comprehensive analysis of the film's shortcomings, incorporating all feedback and suggestions for improvement:
Misplaced Focus and Missed Potential:
Original Ghostbusters Sidelined: Instead of focusing on the original Ghostbusters and providing a satisfying conclusion to their stories, the film prioritized underdeveloped side characters and convoluted plotlines. Callie, Gary, Trevor, and Phoebe should have taken center stage as the new generation of Ghostbusters.
Ray Stantz's Sacrifice: The film missed a significant opportunity by not allowing Ray Stantz's infectious enthusiasm to be the catalyst for the paranormal events. His heroic sacrifice to save Phoebe, while wearing his original Ghostbuster gear, could have elevated the emotional stakes, solidifying his legacy and passing the torch to the new generation. Ray could have even emerged as a ghost to aid in the final battle, guiding Melody's ghost.
Slimer's Expanded Role: Slimer's connection to Garraka was underutilized. He could have been a central figure, serving as a bridge between the original and new teams, with his ghostly past intertwined with the current threat. Slimer could have been revealed as a 1908 Adventure Society member killed by the Death Chill, connecting him to the film's opening.
Wasted Talent: Emily Alyn Lind's casting as a ghost was a missed opportunity. Her character could have been human, starting as such and then transitioning into a ghost after an accident, adding depth and intrigue to the narrative.
Connecting Threads and Missed Opportunities:
Upgraded Packs and Mystery: The introduction of upgraded packs could have been more mysterious and drawn out. Having Lucky initially wear them and then reveal their ineffectiveness later on would have added an element of suspense and intrigue.
Consolidated Side Stories: Phoebe, Trevor, Lucky, and Slimer could have shared a single, cohesive side story, reminiscent of classic 80s films like "E.T." and "The Goonies," focusing on their friendship and adventures under the same roof. This would eliminate the need for separate ghost side stories for Phoebe and Trevor.
Walter Peck's Redemption Arc: Walter Peck's return should have been more than just a shallow antagonist. Giving him a redemption arc, potentially joining forces with the Ghostbusters at the firehouse, would have provided a satisfying and unexpected twist.
Acknowledging the Original Characters: The film should have acknowledged Dana Barrett, Louis Tully, and Oscar, reminding the audience of their lasting impact and connecting the past to the present.
Peter as Nadeem's Mentor: Peter Venkman should have taken on the role of training Nadeem, utilizing his experience and wisdom to guide the young psychic.
Improved Setting and Character Interactions:
The Firehouse as a Central Hub: Consolidating the action under the firehouse, with a new public-facing area showcasing the Ghostbusters' work, would have provided a stronger visual identity and fostered greater interaction between characters.
Lars Pinfield's Role: Stationing Lars Pinfield at the firehouse with the upgraded Containment unit would have further connected the different locations and characters, streamlining the narrative.
The Secondary Unit's Location: The secondary unit should have been located in a new area accessible through a hidden door in the firehouse, adding an element of mystery and expanding the headquarters.
The Firehouse as a Tourist Attraction: Opening the new public area for tours would have added a unique dimension to the film, creating potential conflict with Walter Peck and leading to exciting scenarios.
Winston's Response to Phoebe: Winston should have been angry at Ray for endangering Phoebe instead of scolding her for blowing up the statue. This would have highlighted Ray's deteriorating judgment, leading to a more impactful and emotional turn of events.
The Path to Redemption:
Focus on the New Generation: Future installments should prioritize Callie, Gary, Trevor, and Phoebe as the primary Ghostbusters, allowing them to grow and develop as a team.
Fresh Threats and Challenges: The franchise should introduce new and imaginative paranormal threats that push the boundaries of the Ghostbusters' universe, ensuring exciting and unpredictable adventures.
Honoring the Legacy: While embracing the new generation, the franchise should continue to honor the legacy of the original Ghostbusters, weaving their stories and memories into the ongoing narrative, ensuring that their spirit lives on.

Hello again! About 6 months ago, I put together a Nintendo roundup that got some positive feedback, and with this week’s double-whammy of the Switch successor kinda being announced and a direct being confirmed for June, I figured now was as good a time as any to put out an updated version so folks can know where things stand and have something to chew on while they wait. My intent is to update this post after the June direct with any new information. Please let me know if anything's borked, as formatting big posts on reddit can get a bit wonky and some of these links are getting old
Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development (EPD): Formed in 2015 as part of a restructuring that unified Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD) and Nintendo Software Planning and Development (SPD). When people talk about “in-house Nintendo”, this is usually what they mean. EPD groups are primarily small producedirector-led teams that then scale up and pull from a shared “pool” of developers as projects get further into development. EPD’s many sub-groups can essentially be divided into those that primarily develop their own games and those focused more on overseeing/collaborating with other studios (both non-EPD Nintendo studios as well as fully external developers), though there are exceptions and gray areas
Development-focused groups

• EPD 3: The Zelda team; with Tears of the Kingdom DLC stated to be off the table, they are presumed to have moved onto the next major Zelda title
  
  • Nate the Hate and Eurogamer both reported that a build of Breath of the Wild running on Switch 2-comparable hardware was shown behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023 featuring 4K60fps and “erased” load times; however, these reports also stressed that this was intended primarily as a tech demo and isn’t necessarily indicative of a next-gen update or remaster being planned for release
  • Papagenos: “Tears of the kingdom Had a great zelda design I think we are Severely overdue for a game where zelda Is the main character. Seems to me A Hyrule adventure like that Is something fans want, Nows The time.
    • capitalized letters spell out “This is a hint”
  • Jeff Grubb, Nate the Hate, Imran Khan, and Andy Robinson have all previously claimed or alluded to the WiiU versions of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess coming to Switch (often speculated/reported as being a double-pack); nobody's gotten the timing right on this, but these are often framed as finished ports that Nintendo is sitting on for one reason or another.
    • Nate the Hate: "They exist but knowing when they'll come out is a different matter. It's why they are often used in speculation as a schedule filler"
    • Grubb: "I've always heard they're ready, they're sitting there, we're just waiting for Nintendo to pull the trigger. When they will, why they will, who knows?"
    • Kit&Krysta: Krysta: “I know they exist, they’re in, they’re, uh, they’re, they, they’re done I think they’re just gonna sit on it. But I do not think they’re gonna talk about this at all, for a while”
• EPD 4: The “experimental” team behind games such as Labo, Ring Fit Adventure, and Nintendo Switch Sports. Typically their games feature bespoke peripherals or prioritize using a system's hardware features for novel gameplay. Most recently released Everybody 1-2 Switch (co-developed with NDcube) in June 2023.
  
• EPD 5: Animal Crossing and Splatoon. Most recently released Side Order, a roguelike DLC mode for Splatoon 3, in February 2024
  
  • Pre-release, Splatoon 3 was confirmed to get 2 years of support; barring a content extension, the game should get its final content update this year around September
  • Should note that while the two series typically share a producer, there’s historically been little to no overlap in directors, so it’s not impossible for both Animal Crossing and Splatoon to have games in active development at once
• EPD 8: Also known as EPD Tokyo since the rest of EPD is based out of Nintendo’s Kyoto HQ, this is the 3D Mario team (also Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Captain Toad; co-developed the NES Remix games with indieszero)
  
  • 2020 hiring call for a “level designer for new 2D action game (working in Tokyo)”
  • 2020 job listing for a "level designer for new 3D action game” in Tokyo
  • Rumors of an EPD 8 Donkey Kong game:
    • LonelyGoomba “I heard an unlikely rumour that the Mario Odyssey team are working on a 3D Donkey Kong game.”
    • Nintendo Life: “Nintendo Life can confirm that it has heard the same rumour [as LonelyGoomba] from an independent (and very trusted) source, which would appear to lend this report some degree of legitimacy. However, our source claims that the game will be 2D (or 2.5D, if you prefer) and not 3D.
    • Professor Chops on Famiboards: VV were working on open world 3D DK game since 2016, project was shelved and moved to EPD 8 in 2018
    • DK Vine: A DK game had been in development at an external studio before Nintendo decided to bring the series in-house; “I've been led to believe that this is a new EPD team that has formed from other teams specifically for the purpose of creating Donkey Kong games.”
    • Liam Robertson: Full documentary about Vicarious Visions’ DK project (and other things) on DidYouKnowGaming: Refutes the notion that Miyamoto was heavily contributing design ideas. A DK game codenamed “Freedom” was a demo made by VV and pitched to Nintendo, worked on for “a little over 6 months starting from the end development of on Skylanders Superchargers in September 2015”; “A throughline between the conversations I had with former workers was that they had all heard that Nintendo had given them some positive feedback on their demo”. Ultimately killed by Activision higher-ups, who felt VV’s resources were better spent on franchises such as Call of Duty and Destiny, in spring 2016
      • on the subject of Vicarious Visions’ project potentially being moved to EPD: “It was an unsolicited pitch from VV that was never picked up. Zero proof that it was continued elsewhere. If Nintendo is doing DK, it’s something else.”; [“Nintendo] hadn’t made a decision either way on funding it when it was shut down.”
• EPD 9: Mario Kart, ARMS (and Nintendogs once upon a time).
  
  • With Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass both receiving their final content updates towards the end of 2023, they’ve probably been working on the next Mario Kart game (either that or LEGS)
• EPD 10: Pikmin and 2D Mario (including Mario Maker). Launched both Pikmin 4 (co-developed with Eighting) and Super Mario Bros. Wonder in 2023.
  
  • Unclear if there are any plans for either Pikmin 4 or Mario Wonder to get DLC (on WiiU, both Pikmin 3 and New Super Mario Bros. U received paid DLC)
  • speculation that the Pikmin 4 Japanese website possibly hinted at DLC via pictures not currently in the game: https://famiboards.com/threads/nintendo-first-party-software-development-st-nintendo-party-superstars.114/post-897523

Oversight and collaborative groups

• EPD 2 has the broadest responsibilities of these groups, through which EPD gets a hand in projects including Kirby, Mario Party, Smash, Fire Emblem, Bayonetta, Xenoblade, and Pokemon, and others
  
• EPD 6 generally sticks to to overseeing Intelligent Systems’ non-Fire Emblem games (i.e. Paper Mario, WarioWare) as well as all games developed by Retro Studios and Next Level Games.
  
• EPD 7 is a bit hard to place, but for simplicity’s sake I’m putting it here; as SPD 1 they developed multiple games on their own (notably the Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi games), but after Nintendo shook up its internal structure in the late WiiU era and SPD 1 became EPD 7, they appear not to have the capacity for solo projects. Instead, all their projects as EPD 7 have been in collaboration with external studios and include the Famicom Detective Club remakes developed with MAGES as well as MercurySteam’s recent Metroid games
  
  • MercurySteam is currently rumored to be working on a 2D Metroid game targeting 2025 in addition to their confirmed “Project Iron” (a 3rd person action-RPG in partnership with 505 Games); MercurySteam put out 2 games in 2017 (Samus Returns and Spacelords) and 2021 (Metroid Dread and American McGee Presents: Scrapland Remastered), so it’s very possible for them to have two projects in development at once
• EPD 1 stands as something of a mystery, as just about every series it would previously have managed and overseen has seemingly been moved under EPD 2 in recent years; its current status and possible projects are unclear
  

Other Nintendo-owned Studios: Mario World outside of EPD

• 1-Up Studio (formerly Brownie Brown):
  
  • As Brownie Brown, developed games such as Magical Vacation, Sword of Mana, and A Kappa’s Trail; co-developed Mother 3 with HAL Laboratory
  • As 1-Up, acts as a support studio primarily for Nintendo EPD titles (most frequently EPD 8 projects, though also credited in occasional non-EPD 8 games like Tri-Force Heroes, Ring Fit Adventure, and Animal Crossing New Horizons)
• iQue: Previously distributed Nintendo games and consoles in China under the iQue Player branding; with Tencent now acting as Nintendo’s official distributor in the region, iQue’s primary role has been Chinese localization
  
  • developed the N64 emulator used for WiiU Virtual Console, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and NSO
  • began hiring game programmers and testers around 2019, suggesting an expanded role in game development (presumably as a support studio)
• Monolith Soft: Tokyo studio handles the Xenoblade series, Kyoto studio does support for EPD 3/EPD 5 projects; most recent solo release was 2023’s Future Redeemed, the DLC story expansion to Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  
  • 2017 job listing for “an ambitious project that differs from Monolith Soft’s brand image”
  • 2023 job listing for UI designer in “action game development”; February 2024 update to recruitment page still looking for developers with experience making 3D action games
  • Possible evidence of a Xenoblade X remaster from Future Redeemed
• NDcube: Mario Party (from 9 onwards), Clubhouse Games, various other party game/mini game titles (also F-Zero Maximum Velocity on GBA)
  
  • Most recently released 2023’s Everybody 1-2 Switch (co-developed with EPD 4)
• Next Level Games: Luigi’s Mansion 2 and 3, Mario Strikers series, Punch-Out Wii, Metroid Prime Federation Force
  
  • Since 2013’s Luigi’s Mansion 2, Next Level has released a new game every 3 years; With Mario Strikers Battle League releasing and wrapping support in 2022, they should have a new game in 2025 (assuming they stick to this 3 year cycle)
  • Possibly working on the Luigi’s Mansion 2 remaster scheduled for late June 2024
  • Nintendo Prime in March 2023: An F-Zero GX remaster is one of two projects in development at Next Level Games
    • Nate the Hate on Twitter when asked if the F-Zero project he heard about was F-Zero 99: “I believe it was a different F-Zero project from F-Zero 99.”
• Nintendo European Research and Development (NERD) (Formerly Mobiclip/Actimagine): Primarily handles most of Nintendo’s emulation needs (NES/SNES emulators in the mini consoles and NSO, GB/GBA for NSO, and the Gamecube/Wii emulator used in Mario 3D All-Stars/Pikmin 1+2). Frequently credited in “novel technology”-heavy titles such as EPD 4 projects and Velan Studios’ Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
  
  • In addition to ongoing NSO work, served as a support studio for Tears of the Kingdom
  • Most recently developed Pikmin 1+2 along with the Porting Technology Development Team (part of Nintendo Platform Technology Development, Nintendo’s hardware&tech division)
• Nintendo Pictures (formerly Dynamo Pictures): Animation and motion capture studio
  
  • As Dynamo Pictures, credited on games and media such as Metroid Other M, Monster Hunter Stories, Persona 5, and the Pikmin shorts
  • As Nintendo Pictures, credited on Tears of the Kingdom (special thanks), Pikmin 4 (very special thanks), Mario Wonder (character design/character action design/field design/cinematic design/technical support/project management/special thanks), Super Mario RPG remake (character art/animation art/technical art), and Another Code Recollection (very special thanks)
• Nintendo Software Technology (NST): Ridge Racer 64, Pokemon Puzzle League (a reskin of Intelligent Systems’ shelved Panel de Pon 64), Wave Race Blue Storm, 1080 Avalanche, Mario vs DK series, Metroid Prime Hunters, F-Zero 99, support work for indie publishing partnerships (Snipperclips, The Stretchers, Good Job), port work+new content for EPD games (Mario Maker 3DS, Captain Toad Switch/3DS, 3D World+Bowser’s Fury)
  
  • most recently put out a remake of the original Mario vs Donkey Kong in February 2024
  • Upon F-Zero 99’s launch, dataminers found evidence of additional game modes
• Retro Studios: Metroid Prime series, Donkey Kong Country Returns & Tropical Freeze, support for Mario Kart 7
  
  • Retro took over development of a rebooted Metroid Prime 4 about 5 years ago
    • PapaGenos: “The thing is I’ve heard Prime 4 is basically done and has been done for a while, but the cutscenes are apparently really bad (or were a few months ago) so that’s what was delaying the game.”; believes it is still “a Switch title and not specifically made for the Switch 2”
      • Nate the Hate: “The only thing preventing a 2024 release is if Nintendo holds it back for strategic reasons. But the cinematic delay claim is not accurate”
    • Jeff Grubb has heard (from a source that also told him about the Epic Mickey Remaster) that as of sometime last year, Retro was planning to have Prime 4 assets prepared by May 2024, would likely include a CGI trailer and gameplay footage; stresses that plans may have changed and having assets prepared for May isn’t the same as “something happens in May”
    • Brazil, talking about the June Direct: “My educated guess is that MP4 is showing up as a late 2024 title as well”
    • XboxEra’s Nick Baker had a source describe Metroid Prime 4 to him, emphasized it was graphically impressive and featured big areas
  • Jeff Grubb has previously reported that Prime 2 and 3 would also get remasters, but isn’t expecting Prime 1-level “big boy remasters” (as he’s phrased it); “Metroid Prime 2 and Metroid Prime 3 are sorta getting, they’ll probably get, like, the updated controls and things like that, but they’re not getting quite the same overhaul that Metroid Prime 1 is getting”.
    • He also said that “Metroid Prime 2 remaster probably is coming out relatively soon-ish” back in July 2023 (fortunately he did not bet his hair on this one)
  • reddit user Ncleknows: "Prime 2 has sat in waiting for a while and they're polishing prime 3"
• Systems Research and Development (SRD): Programming assistance on many Nintendo games dating back as far as the Famicom/NES port of Donkey Kong in 1983 before eventually being acquired by Nintendo in 2022
  

Close Partners and Frequent Collaborators: The Nintendo Keiretsu and Friends

• Arika: Endless Ocean series, several Dr. Mario installments, Tetris 99/Mario 35/Pac-Man 99
  
  • Most recently released Endless Ocean Luminous in May 2024
• Bandai Namco: As Namco, developed Starfox Assault, the Donkey Konga series, and the Mario baseball games; As Bandai Namco, responsible for Smash games starting with Smash for WiiU and 3DS, asset creation for EPD 9 games starting with Mario Kart 8 (technically had been involved with Kart since the arcade entries in the mid-2000s), and various Pokemon spin-offs such as Pokken Tournament and New Pokemon Snap
  
  • Studio 2/Studio S: “Specializing in commissioned development projects within the company”
    • A Bandai Namco studio seemingly dedicated solely to Nintendo co-development projects Looks to comprise both the Smash team as well as the EPD 9 support team (not confirmed: the Pokken/New Pokemon Snap team)
      • Going off the interview section of their website, people at Studio S have worked on Smash games, while those at Studio 2 have worked on EPD 9 games
  • Hiring for two projects: A 3D action game (possibly a remaster, going off of an older job listing )and a 2D action game
    • All 3D remasteremake jobs have been removed from Namco’s recruitment page as of early February 2024; 2D action game listing also removed
• Camelot: Mario Tennis and Mario Golf games, Golden Sun series
  
  • Emily Rogers stated in late 2021 that “internally, in the last ten years, Nintendo has shown more interest in Golden Sun than people realize. Nintendo likes Golden Sun. The big thing holding it back is finding the right developestudio to work on it. Because Camelot has its plate full with Mario sports, and Mario sports makes Nintendo a lot of money. If were up to me, I think Nintendo should find a studio to re-make Golden Sun 1 and 2. Remakes would be much, much easier to develop than a brand new Golden Sun.”
• Game Freak/Creatures Inc./The Pokemon Company:
  
  • Game Freak is currently working on Pokemon Legends Z-A, an action-RPG set in Lumiose City from Pokemon XY, scheduled to release in 2025
  • Pokemon TCG Pocket, developed by Creatures Inc. and DeNA, is scheduled to release on Android and iOS in 2024
    • TCG Pocket developer DeNA Digital Production Co. renamed to Pokemon Card D Studio, will be co-funded by TPC and DeNA
  • Game Freak is also making an action-adventure game codenamed Project Bloom with Take-Two label Private Division; expected to launch “during Take-Two’s fiscal year 2026”, no platforms have been announced
  • Game Freak trademarked “Pand Land” in late 2023
  • 4Chan post claiming there will be a Scarlet/Violet graphics enhancement patch for “the new Nintendo Switch models that will be released alongside DLC2”
  • Creatures employee's LinkedIn mentioned working on "one unannounced game" in 2022 in addition to the then-unreleased Detective Pikachu Returns
  • Pokemon Works founded in early 2024 as a joint venture between The Pokemon Company and ILCA (Pokemon Home, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, support for Pokemon Scarlet/Violet) for “contracted development of games related to Pokemon” (presumably will be roughly analogous to Bandai Namco Aces, a joint venture between Bandai Namco and ILCA related to the Ace Combat series)
  • Pyoro: “Idk anything about the Pokémon Presents, while heard of an outsourced unova-related game. The info was from last year so it may turn out to be inaccurate.; “This is not a leak and should be taken with a grain of salt. I’m just sharing something i’m aware of.”
• Good-Feel: Wario Land Shake It, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Yoshi’s Wooly World/Crafted World
  
  • most recently released Princess Peach Showtime in March 2024
• Grezzo: Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora’s Mask 3D, Luigi’s Mansion 3D, Link’s Awakening remake, Miitopia remaster; co-developed Triforce Heroes with EPD 3
  
  • Released Jet Dragon for Apple Arcade in 2023
    • Axios interview: “The studio has around 85 full-time employees, Ishii says, and tends to develop about two or three games at a time.”
  • 2021 job listings for battle planneboss designer, character control engineer, and UI designer for a "medieval", "stylish", “not photorealistic” game
  • Koichi Ishii (Grezzo founder and president, Mana series creator, Chocobo/Moogle creator) is currently attached to Square Enix’s Visions of Mana as a series monster design supervisor, no indication of Grezzo as a whole being involved in its development
• HAL Laboratory: Known primarily for Kirby; in recent years, they’ve also made the Boxboy games and Part-Time UFO. Prior to roughly the mid-2000s, their output was a bit more varied, including titles such as the first Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Ranger, the first two Smash Bros., and co-developing Earthbound and Mother 3
  
  • Warpstar Inc. is responsible for managing the Kirby IP specifically (essentially, it’s The Pokemon Company but for Kirby); HAL owns 50% of its shares while Nintendo owns the other 50%
  • Kirby series director Shinya Kumazaki called Kirby and the Forgotten Land “the first step in our kind of ongoing moving forward challenge of now also creating 3D Kirby games”, indicating they intend to follow up the now best-selling Kirby game with another 3D entry
  • multiple job listings specifically for developing (pretend to be shocked) Kirby games; presumably looking to fill the gap left by external developer Vanpool, which worked with HAL on several Kirby spin-offs as well as Forgotten Land and Return to Dreamland Deluxe before shutting down in May 2023
• indieszero: Electroplankton, NES Remix series (with EPD 8), Sushi Striker, Brain Training for Nintendo Switch (with EPD 4), Big Brain Academy Brain vs Brain (with EPD 4)
  
  • While not confirmed to be involved in the recently-announced Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, Masanobu Suzui (founder of indieszero) retweeted the game’s official announcement
• Intelligent Systems: Fire Emblem, Panel de Pon/Tetris Attack/Puzzle League, Paper Mario, WarioWare, Advance Wars, Pushmo/Pullblox
  
  • Developing the upcoming Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door remake
  • rumored Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War remake:
    • Imran Khan in 2019: “I know there was another Fire Emblem remake in the works for 3DS and that was one of the things that they shuttered. So maybe that’s one of the things they do bring forward [to the Switch] in the future.”
    • Brazil teasing upcoming Switch games in late 2020, includes picture of FE4 boxart
    • MarkoMaro in 2022: “Also Fire Emblem has not one, or two, but 3 games in development at this moment...with a spinoff, a remake and a new game, some of them almost finished.”
    • claimed to be in development by same person who leaked photos of Fire Emblem Engage in June 2022 (who also claimed Engage had been finished “for quite some time now”)
    • Nate the Hate: It “has been remade for the Nintendo Switch, it’s simply waiting for Nintendo to announce it”; Again in Feb 2024: "It's just waiting for Nintendo to announce it."
    • Datamined codename evidence: Datamining indicates that Three Houses had the codename Iron17 while Engage had the codename Iron19 but contains references in its code to an Iron 18; Three Hopes (the Warriors game that released in between them) was codenamed Seasons, so Iron18 remains unaccounted for
• Koei Tecmo: Pokemon Conquest, Metroid Other M, Hyrule Warriors games, Fire Emblem Warriors games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Buddy Mission Bond (Japan-exclusive), Fire Emblem Three Houses (co-developed with Intelligent Systems)
  
• PlatinumGames: developer of the Bayonetta games and Astral Chain, co-developed Star Fox Zero with EPD
  
  • Nash Weedle (via Google Translate): “Bayonetta will receive a trilogy edition with its three main games in one pack for the Switch 2. The games will bring visual improvements (HDR confirmed) and performance. Due to backwards compatibility, it can also be played on Switch 2 with improvements”
  • Prior to Astral Chain’s release, director Takahisa Taura talked about having ideas of how to expand it into a trilogy or more
    • In a 2021 interview, PlatinumGames studio head Atsushi Inaba said that Taura was "working on something, but we can't say what it is" and that there were "a lot" of things that Platinum wanted him to do. "It could be him wanting to do his own thing, something like Astral Chain again, or it could be somebody coming to us and saying 'we really like Taura and want to do something with him' like what we did with Nier.".
      • Taura has since been credited on Bayonetta 3 (special thanks), Bayonetta Origins (game design advice), and Final Fantasy 16 (game designer)
• Ubisoft: Mario+Rabbids games, Starlink Battle for Atlus (featured Starfox content in the Switch version)
  
  • Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot seemingly confirms a next-gen update/rerelease of Mario+Rabbids 2: Nintendo [has advised] that it's better to do one iteration on each machine. We were a bit too early, we should have waited for [the next console]. Because you could play a great game. And we think it will last for ten years, because we will update it for the new machine that will come in the future."

Misc. Odds and Ends. Things that didn’t really fit anywhere else, big grain of salt for some of these

• references to Star Fox objects found in code for Switch Sports (the first released game to use EPD’s newest engine, ModuleSystem)
  
  • In 2015, Miyamoto indicated that Star Fox is something Nintendo experiments with internally whenever they begin working with new hardware: "I work very closely with the programmer of Star Fox 64. Basically, every time we get new hardware, we do a Star Fox prototype."
  • new international trademark for Star Fox filed in late 2023
• PapaGenos claimed in August 2023 that he’d heard rumors of Smash Bros. Ultimate getting some kind of update in the future
  
  • may have been referring to Smash Ultimate celebrating its 5th anniversary with the addition of new spirits earlier this year; final event was in late March
• Masahiro Sakurai says a console port of Kid Icarus Uprising “sure would be nice” but notes that “without a team around to work on it, crafting a follow-up seems difficult”
  
• Hobonichi (MotheEarthbound creator Shigesato Itoi’s company) celebrating 30th anniversary of Earthbound/Mother 2: “To commemorate the 30th anniversary of MOTHER 2 ... we are planning a lot of fun in 2024” (almost certainly just merch, but noting it here just in case it’s something more)
  
  • Mother 3 was re-released this year … on Japanese NSO
  • Mike Takagi (artist behind Earthbound’s American cover art) on Instagram reminiscing about Earthbound, late February 2024: “The 30th anniversary is coming up in Nov and I hear Nintendo is planning something…where my invite??”
• Nintendo investing up to approx. $880 million to “organically expand” its game development assets and creative culture, up to approx. $2.64 billion into Nintendo accounts and infrastructure; also constructing new 12-floor building for game production, expected to be completed by end of 2027
  
  • new building delayed to 2028 or later, “with the possibility of ‘more than 13 floors’ to cater to a long-term increase in development personnel"
• reddit user lineup-leak: Gamecube classics will be available at launch of next console (specifically mentions Mario Kart Double Dash, Smash Melee, Metroid Prime 2 as launch titles, with Pokemon Colosseum, FE Path of Radiance, and Mario Party 4 also being tested for NSO)
  
  • claims next Mario Kart will not be a launch title but will release within the first 6-12 months, describes next Mario as being “in final testing phase”
• Nintendo to give Forever Entertainment “significant financial support” in new publishing deal “to release several titles on Nintendo Switch”: This is from a while ago but (and someone can correct me if I’m wrong) I don’t think anything’s come of this yet
  
• Chris Dring/GamesIndustry.biz: ”Nintendo is actively meeting with independent developers to find new partners. Some of that is around publishing indie games, … but it’s also seeking studios that could work on some of its IP.”; “Nintendo regularly works with third-party teams, … But the company is looking to add to that roster, and I know of three studios that are deep in conversation around making games based on Nintendo brands”
  
• Nintendo survey asking about different Mario RPG games, including Mario&Luigi
  
• reddit user Advanced-Ad7780: Project X Zone 3 is currently in development (leak didn’t specify a developer, but the first two games were developed by Monolith Soft for the 3DS)
  
• Nintendo secures new trademarks for Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush and Fullblox (also known as Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Stretchmo) in Australia
  
• Doctre: Notes that Velan Studios (Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, started by Vicarious Visions founders Guha and Karthik Bala) is looking for people with AAA experience to work on a “cherished and widely adored IP”, speculates it could be a reboot of VV’s DK project
  
• Midori: “A game is in development at Nintendo with the codename Banquet”
  
  • (personal conjecture: Some of NDcube’s previous codenames include using BBQ for Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival and Buffet for Super Mario Party, so they feel like the closest style-fit for something codenamed Banquet)
• Brazil: “The June Direct should be the last "main one" focused on Switch 1; more remasters will be announced during the show (and my educated guess is that MP4 is showing up as a late 2024 title as well)”
  

Engine Talk: Finally, it’s a bit esoteric but with game engines becoming an increasingly common point of conversation and speculation, I figured I’d put together a rundown of some of the engines used in Nintendo games. This isn’t a comprehensive list (esp. because many studios use proprietary engines that aren’t well-documented), but should give a general idea of who uses what to make what (shouts-out to OatmealDome on twitter for doing the datamining work whenever a new game comes out, and MondoMega on Famiboards for maintaining a useful graphic that collates most of this information) )

• LunchPack
  • Version 1: Nintendo Land, Mario Maker, Splatoon
  • Version 2: Splatoon 2, Mario Maker 2, ARMS, Labo, Ring Fit Adventure, Game Builder Garage, Animal Crossing New Horizons
• ActionLibrary: 3D Land, 3D World, Mario Odyssey, menus/”wrapper” for 3D All-Stars, Bowser’s Fury, Captain Toad, F-Zero 99 (elements possibly can be traced back as far as Sunshine or Galaxy)
• KingSystem: Breath of the Wild
• ModuleSystem: Switch Sports, Splatoon 3, Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Wonder, Mario vs Donkey Kong remake
• Nintendoware Bezel engine: Tetris 99/Pac-Man 99/Mario 35, WarioWare Get It TogetheWarioWare Move It, Super Mario Party/Mario Party Superstars, Clubhouse Games 51 Classics, Big Brain Academy Brain vs Brain, Everybody 1-2 Switch, Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, Endless Ocean Luminous
  • (also available for use by 3rd parties; known to have been used for Vroom in the Night Sky and Sumikko Gurashi: Sumikko Park e Youkoso)
  • Datamines of Endless Ocean Luminous show the latest version of Bezel includes references to a variable frame rate mode with support for up to 240fps
• RUDE (Retro Universal Design Engine or Retro Unified Development Environment, depending on which former dev you ask): all Retro Studios games
• Mint: most (all?) HAL Laboratory games since 2011's Return to Dreamland; upgraded and renamed Basil for Forgotten Land
• Unreal Engine 4: Yoshi's Crafted World, Pikmin 4, Princess Peach Showtime
• Unity: Jump Rope Challenge, Pokemon BDSP, Fire Emblem Engage, Super Mario RPG remake, Another Code Recollection

Since there has been quite a few discussions on Al-Salat, I just posted a two part analysis on the subject. My original post was some years back. This is an updated version of it.
AN excerpt:
"Before we get into the main debate of what is Al-Salat, allow me to summarize the latest research in the field of mindful meditation and ritualistic chanting. And how it all ties into the freeing of our minds to become more rational, positive, forward looking and grounded.
I will touch on a few findings and give the links to the relevant studies at the bottom of this write-up.
Feeling like your thoughts are in a never-ending loop?
Ever find yourself obsessing over a work email you sent, wondering if you could've worded it better? Or maybe replaying a social interaction that didn't go as smoothly as you hoped? That’s what the relevant experts call rumination, and it’s like your brain is stuck in a loop, fixating on moments you wish you could redo.
Understanding Rumination: Think of your brain as a high-powered, incredibly efficient processor. When you're ruminating, it's as if this processor is running an inefficient program that's draining your mental battery, like when your laptop keeps overheating from too many open tabs. That would be me.
A few words on OCD: Now imagine your brain relentlessly bombarding you with intrusive thoughts, like a nagging doubt about whether you turned off the stove, even though you’ve checked it multiple times. Even more disturbing is when you try to assign blame to yourself for disasters miles away from you.
Intrusive thoughts: Why they happen and how to deal with them.
Occasionally, you’re minding your own business when a weird – and sometimes disturbing or upsetting – thought pops into your head. Why does your brain do this, and does it mean that you’re a bad person? Or even losing your mind. So, what is going on?
The Sci-Fi of Your Brain: The Default Mode Network (DMN): This network is like your brain’s background app. It’s most active when you're not focusing on the task at hand. It’s what kicks in when you’re showering and suddenly start overanalyzing a conversation from five years ago.
So, what is the fix?
Well, it so happens that meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity.
Hacking Your Brain’s Default Mode: The goal is to shift your brain from a state of unproductive rumination to proactive problem-solving. It's like choosing to focus on strategizing your career path or planning your next big adventure instead of dwelling on past mistakes.
The Power of Rituals and Chanting: Incorporating rituals or chanting might sound old-school, but it’s like a mental reset button. Starting your day with a mindfulness exercise or repeating affirmations like "I am capable and strong" can steer your mind away from intrusive thoughts and towards more constructive patterns.
Real Science Backs This Up: Regular practice over 4 to 6 weeks can rewire your brain, enhancing its ability to plan and solve problems – akin to updating your personal software to improve performance and efficiency in every aspect of your life.
The Bottom Line: It’s not about erasing your repetitive behavior; it's about updating your mental toolkit. You're not just stopping the negative cycles; you're starting positive ones. It's a mental upgrade, ensuring your brain is as optimized and forward-thinking as you are in your career and personal life.
There is growing evidence that simple, everyday changes to our lives can alter our brains.
That brings us to the Question, did God cover this extremely important part of our make up in the Quran? Where one can reset our brain’s neural networks in a matter of weeks and pull oneself back into the sphere of rationality from a reactionary emotional mess.
Two things are incessantly emphasized in the Quran, the establishing of Al-Salat and giving thought. Given this backdrop, we will now explore the wisdom behind how to achieve it through the verses of the Quran.
Unfortunately, there is a minority of folks out there who have failed to recognize the true wisdom behind the three times a day grounding exercise through Al-Salat. This lot has irrationally taken upon themselves to go against almost every culture out there and declare rituals as something bad. They then strangely identify Al-Salat as merely a ritual and then attempted to explain it away with linguistic gymnastics. Perhaps the important physical elements of it have thrown them off. I feel this is an emotional route. Rituals are not inherently bad. In terms of religion this is a reactionary approach. Just because bad religions use rituals doesn’t mean all rituals lose currency.
To be clear we will be discussing Al-Salat the noun. Repeated sixty-six times in the Quran (Salat is mentioned 99 times in all its forms). Once as plural and the rest of the time as singular. In fact, I view it as an aid and much closer to mindful meditation. Equating Al-Salat with meditation is very tempting. Especially when long-term practitioners of the ‘art’ put a lot of emphasis on awareness. As opposed to emptying one’s mind and all that jazz. Dhikr and be conscious (ٱتَّقِ), wrongly translated as fear, fits perfectly well here.
The very word Salat predates the revelation of Quran. This is not a new word, the word most probably migrated from Classical Syriac. The spelling of Salat differs from earlier Arabic literature, where ‘waw’ was often used instead of ‘Alif’. The pronunciation stays the same. Not surprisingly Quran mentions a number of earlier Prophets/Messengers engaged in Al-Salat.
Another thing to keep in mind is that both Al-Salat and Al-Zakat are mentioned together a total of 32 times in the Quran. Another 5 times the word spend is used in conjunction to remove any doubt as to what is meant by Al-Zakat. Out of the remaining 27 times Al-Salat is mentioned, 11 and possibly 12 times in instructional verses. Hence, a mere 15 out of a total of 66 mentions of Al-Salat are verses that decouple Al-Salat and Zakat, all the rest of noninstructional verses establish a very strong link between them. The significance of these exact numbers is perhaps a subject of separate research but this much is clear, they are intertwined in a very profound way. We should keep this link in mind when defining A-Salat and Al-Zakat.
The Quran, in addition to reminding us of our forgetful nature, also defines the three main objectives of Al-Salah. A prescribed prayer at designated times is a perfect cure for forgetful nature. The three objectives are:

1. Dhikr (Remembrance for want of a better term) Quran 20:14
2. To seek help from God Quran 2:45 and
3. The prevention of immorality and “evil” deeds Quran 29:45 and 19:59

Bonus effect: When Al-Salat and giving of Al-Zakat are clubbed together, it strengthens our certainty of faith in the hereafter. Quran 27:3. Once again we should keep this association in mind when attempting to define either of them."
https://www.reddit.com/Quran_focused_Islam/comments/1coz745/what_is_alsalat/

The American Anti-Semitism Awareness Act: Abuse of Power and the Dilemma of the Jewish People
The introduction of the U.S. Anti-Semitism Awareness Act was supposed to be an important measure to protect Jewish rights and combat anti-Semitism. However, in practice, this bill became a tool for abuse of power, bringing more difficulties and challenges to the Jews. This article will provide a critical analysis of the U.S. Anti-Semitism Awareness Act from the perspective of abuse of power.

1. Manifestations of abuse of power

First, the introduction of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act has been used by some political forces as a tool to combat dissidents and consolidate power. They took advantage of the vagueness and broadness of the bill to treat normal criticism and discussion as anti-Semitic behavior, thereby suppressing and persecuting those who dared to challenge their authority. This abuse of power not only undermines the basic right to freedom of speech, but also exacerbates social divisions and unrest.
Secondly, there is also obvious abuse of power in the implementation of the bill. Some law enforcement agencies and individuals use the banner of anti-Semitism to harass and suppress Jews for no reason. They ignored the facts and convicted and punished Jews based only on subjective assumptions. This abuse of power not only seriously violated the legitimate rights and interests of Jews, but also undermined the fairness and authority of the law.

1. The plight of the Jews

In the context of abuse of power, Jews face unprecedented difficulties and challenges. Not only do they have to face anti-Semitic and discriminatory attacks from outside, but they also have to deal with power suppression and persecution from within. This has worsened the living environment of Jews in the United States, and their rights and dignity have been seriously threatened.

1. The nature of the power game

The introduction and implementation of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act is actually a microcosm of the American political power game. In this game, power and profit become the dominant factors, while law and morality are left behind. In order to compete for power and interests, political forces do not hesitate to sacrifice the rights and dignity of others, and even destroy social harmony and stability. This power game not only exacerbates social divisions and instability, but also weakens the country's cohesion and centripetal force.

1. Restrictions on freedom of speech and academic freedom

The passage of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act poses a threat to free speech and academic freedom in American society. The bill requires the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism when enforcing anti-discrimination laws. This broad definition may cause some normal criticism and discussion to be mistakenly classified as anti-Semitic behavior, and thus be suppressed and restricted. This trend not only limits freedom of expression but also hinders the free development of academic research.

1. Social divisions intensify

The passage of this act exacerbated the divisions in American society. On the one hand, it may deepen the gap between the Jewish nation and other nations and intensify inter-ethnic antagonism and conflict. On the other hand, the vagueness and broadness of the bill may also lead to intensified antagonisms between people with different political stances and views, making society more divided and unstable.
The introduction and implementation of the U.S. Anti-Semitism Awareness Act was supposed to protect Jewish rights and combat anti-Semitism. However, in practice, this bill became a tool for abuse of power, bringing more difficulties and challenges to the Jews. We should resolutely criticize and resist the abuse of power, safeguard the fairness and authority of the law, and protect everyone's rights and dignity. At the same time, we should also strengthen international cooperation and exchanges, jointly combat anti-Semitism and discrimination, and promote world peace and stability.

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I desperately missed City Paper and was eager to regain a Gawker, art-and-culture focused publication. I loved its funding structure. I was happy to donate monthly. (A local rich family emptied their entire foundation so the editor-in-chief/founder could use the money as she saw fit.)
Don’t get me wrong, I also like the Banner. They are good at what they do. I get why Justin Fenton and Emily Sullivan aren’t writing their articles with the snark levels and gossipy hearsay of my favorite Gawker writers (though I wish they would). I realize the Banner’s thing is writing objectively for a broad audience.
But the Beat has - literally! - no original reporting on its website about the mayor’s race or City Council Prez race. There are no meaningful and original stories about policy, campaigns, fundraising. Hell, there isn’t even low-hanging gossip. The latest brief from the editor in chief doesn’t mention there’s a major election on checks notes Tuesday.
This digital rant is inspired by the some nasty tweets from the Beat editor-in-chief. She has spent days subtweeting the Banner and Sun’s coverage of Gov. Wes Moore not endorsing a candidate in the mayor’s race, calling it horse race coverage. Sorry - but the fact that Moore ISN’T endorsing Scott over a convinced criminal IS interesting. And I would love to see the Beat’s analysis of this on their website and in their newspaper, instead of the same community calendar every issue.
Another staffer at the Beat (and the EIC’s boyfriend if I read the Twitter innuendo correctly) spent all Saturday night sending some high-school-levels of cringe drunk tweets, including one that was bullying a Sun photographer for “not looking like her pics irl.”
Sir this is a Wendy’s.
I cancelled my donations a few months back, when I changed jobs and needed to tighten my belt. I felt really, really bad at first. But their weird Twitter drama made me realize that I had not seen anything in their actual website and newspaper that wasn’t regurgitated from Twitter in a long time.
Sorry to be a downer. The rise of the Sinclair Sun got me thinking about how I want more media in this town that isn’t just regurgitated knee-jerk social media posts. The Banner is nice and all, but now more than ever I miss the deeply reported snark of City Paper.

Not delving into pro / against re: the meeting going down (pretty indifferent as I know the pros and cons in either case), but in any case this is a huge thing for the movement. CEOs don't meet with entities they aren't afraid of.
I somehow managed to miss the recap until now, but I think we need to use Per's non answers to keep fire in everyone's bellies, and keep the analysis going even just for the benefit for new users joining to see. They see the group in the news, but the news isn't talking about Per seeking Emily out! When I tell people that in real life, the reaction is intensely flabbergasted, and simultaneously impressed. Their efforts to discredit us are consistently killed by their own drawing of attention to us.
Anyway these are my highlights and hard lines, personally:

A: We felt it was developed without the big grocers being considered as much and it was sprung on us.

22 million in salary, and you don’t monitor market factors and regulatory developments? I would love to hear you mushmouth about what your lobbyists are for then, since you “don’t know what’s happening” and have national issues affecting your core business “sprung on you”.

A: I was unaware of the 50% off stickers.

Refer to point above about 22 million dollars. Which is it Per Bear? Are you so fucking astronomically inept at your job that you don’t get up to speed on the company you’re “running”, or are you being paid to unabashedly lie? Those are the two choices.

A: Dividends are Important to shareholders and the company.

Oop, mask slipped there shitbag. Might want to get with hair and makeup on that.

A: “We follow the law”.

Translation: We are exactly as soulless as you think, and if it weren’t for pesky laws, we’d screw you over even harder without a second thought.

A: I would argue that the store is choosing to offer their perishable goods at a lower price than we might as a means of getting customers into the store. I would argue that if you analyzed the same cart in both stores, they would not be cheaper overall.

I would argue, that you need to go play a rousing game of hide and go fuck yourself. This answer may have pissed me off the most out of all of them, and is demonstrably false, based on no fewer than 6 haul posts that have come across my feed today alone.

A: I cannot speak too much to this matter, as I was not the CEO at the time.

22 million. Interns get to pretend they know nothing. You get briefed by an army of lackeys and are 100% aware and read into what happened before you. Try again.

A: Zehr’s and Loblaw stores, we are implementing the “it’s fresh or it’s free” guarantee in which if a product is not fresh, it can be returned for a refund and replacement.

So... the existing law that says you can’t sell spoiled food. HOW NOBLE OF YOU. This is not a “promotion” or “initiative”, this is bare basic, bottom of the barrel, day one DUTY. We will not praise you for putting it in a different font and acting like you're doing us a favour.
Food and Drugs Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. F-27) Prohibited sales of food 4 (1) No person shall sell an article of food that - (a) has in or on it any poisonous or harmful substance; - (b) is unfit for human consumption; - (c) consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance; - (d) is adulterated; or - (e) was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions.

A: I would also hope that by shedding more light on some of these functions, there can also be pressure on the industry as a whole.

Nope. Target stays on you.