I genuinely believe if you vote for a party, no matter what they say. You're voting for this whether you know it or not. The only way out of this is to shift into voting for more independents and encouraging the younger generations to consider independent values rather than figuring out which team is right. Fighting for free education. Shifting the mindset so they can save themselves from the almost entirely purchased America we're handing to them. Our livelihood isn't a game of football and zoning out with alcohol addictions and netflix. The CNN/Fox narrative just breeds complacency. We're slowly building our own prison.

so I haven't used Hugo in a few months now. I am running ver 0.122 which I am pretty sure I was running 6 months ago. I wanted to make a new site using Hugo, but when I run "Hugo new theme myTheme" it creates all the proper folders and files, but it also prepopulates all my pre-made files with garbage I don't want. Like for example it comes with a menu that just lists all my pages and a bunch of of other defaults and partials. The real confusing one though is I have a file that gets made directly under the "_default" directory called "home.html" and it of course has code already in it, but it appears to have never been called on any of the other pre-made pages and I can find no information about it online. So my questions are:
1) how can I generate a theme with all the folders and necessary files with no pre-made code inside of said files.
2) has this always happened? I'm running Hugo on a Debian 12 machine through Homebrew. It's the only program I have ever installed through Homebrew and I don't recall running commands in Homebrew since installing Hugo. I swear in the past I was able to simply do what I want. I went back and watched some old tutorials I know I watched and they never passed any flags and got perfectly empty directories. So what is causing this? I also tried creating a whole new site and same thing happened.

Is it common to create services with records? This doubt arose while I was coding. Records emerged to facilitate and reduce the boilerplate of classes, making them immutable, but is this really a good practice? For example:

public record EncryptedGeneratorService(StringBuilder builder, String password) { public String getEncripted() throws NoSuchAlgorithmException { for (var element : getHashPassword()) builder.append(element); return builder.toString(); } private byte[] getHashPassword() throws NoSuchAlgorithmException { var bytePassword = password .getBytes(); return MessageDigest .getInstance("SHA-256") .digest(bytePassword); } 

}
It's a service that doesn't depend on many responsibilities, so it would be fine unlike many methods in a single class.
​

The only spectrum that should matter to us is the autocratic versus democratic spectrum. Traditional political parties, such as every political party organized in the United States, is organized as a faction with autocracy at heart. They are competing within a democratic system to impose their rules onto others.
This is the very behavior we sought to rid ourselves of. We had been under the rule of autocrats for generations. Is this what we are going to do with our opportunity at freedom? Use our freedom to be the autocrats?
A conservative position is seeking to conserve power where it already is. A liberal position is moving part of that power from its place of concentration to another. This is not political power we speak of - it is economic or social powers.
This is no way on which to organize. It’s irrational and unjust. Not all powers should be distributed, and not all powers should remain concentrated. Unjust actors are on both sides of this argument. Some unjust actors want the power to be concentrated in their hands so they can be oppressors. Some oppressors want the power to remain concentrated in their hands because well, they like it.
What doesn’t factor into this spectrum is justice. This spectrum happens to assume that individuals must be either liberal or conservative on every issue. This cannot be the case.
Any free, reasonable, and just person will assume a myriad of both liberal and conservative positions. Why do we adopt what is in use and perpetuate its practice, even when all our senses reject it?
View the world in terms of liberal and conservative to see through arguments and get to the root of the reasoning behind them, but don’t use it to organize people and factions. We inevitably force ourselves to associate with positions we otherwise wouldn’t, and we cede our power to think for ourselves. We fight someone else’s fight, and for all the wrong reasons.
We only need to organize and rally around our democracy. Any other banner will eventually lead us back toward the authoritarian control we so proudly escaped.

Previous Posts
Grayson kept his promise and came over to talk with me. He arrived after classes for both of us were done for the day. It also meant that Cassie was home and this time, she didn’t vanish into her bedroom to give us privacy. She waited until we were both seated in the living room and Titanosaur was settled in Grayson’s lap, thereby preventing him from escaping.
Please don’t read too much into that, as I’ve said before Titanosaur has like three brain cells and will sit in literally anyone’s lap. Our landlady sent her husband over to fix the leaking faucet in the bathroom and Titan was trying to climb in his lap while the poor guy was sitting there with half his body inside of a cabinet.
Then Cassie came over, carrying a chair from the kitchen, and also seated herself with us. I glanced at Grayson. He looked dismayed, but was hiding it well in an effort to be polite. I decided to lean into my non-confrontational side and not ask her to leave.
“You’ve been acting a bit out of character lately,” I began delicately. “As a friend, I’m worried about you.”
“And I’m worried too,” Cassie added. “Maybe you don’t think of me as a friend, but you’ve been hanging out around Ashley enough that I consider you one of mine.”
Huh. I wasn’t expecting that, to be honest. I thought Cassie didn’t like him. I don’t think she was lying, either.
“Have you considered getting grief counseling?” she continued.
Straight to the point. I was glad Cassie was there. My plan was to tiptoe delicately around the subject for what probably would have been another 500 words worth of dialogue here in this post I’m writing up. Fortunately, Cassie’s willingness to address a problem directly saved me the typing and you the tedium.
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t,” Grayson said. “The university doesn’t know he’s gone yet.”
“Who is running this place?” Cassie asked in amazement.
I know. We’ve all been thinking it. Turns out the answer is ‘there’s a board’ and they make all the real decisions. The president is just a figurehead. Which is pretty obvious if you stop and think about it. I wanted to ask if the flickering man reported to the board but I also didn’t want to derail the conversation with things that really didn’t matter anymore. It’s safer to just assume the board is the administration I’ve been wondering about this whole time. Heck, it’s safer to assume everyone except for the students and professors are responsible in some part for the whole monster situation.
Sorry for not finding out for certain, but Grayson was working through some important stuff and I didn’t dare interrupt.
“I don’t want counseling, either,” he continued. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I never cared for him. Not in a familial sense. My presence was more to fill a role.”
Things were starting to connect in my head. This conversation reminded me of some things the flickering man had said. Roles to be filled. A cycle, ushering in new students to fill them. They’d been filling the president’s role with a corpse - a very old one, judging by the date on the photo Cassie took of the headstone - so perhaps that wasn’t the only role being filled.
“Were you adopted?” I asked. “By the president?”
“I was.”
Beside me, Cassie took a deep breath. It wasn’t from shock. It sounded more like… annoyance. If I’m being generous with the term.
“The flickering man said something to me,” I said slowly. “That I wasn’t the first person he’d seen like this and I wouldn’t be the last. Are you… not the only child that the president has adopted?”
“...I’m not.”
This is the point where Cassie just lost it. Stood up, yelled ‘why the fuck didn’t you tell us any of this?!’ and stormed out of the room. She slammed the door to her bedroom shut behind her. Grayson and I sat there in the living room for a good minute, stunned, listening to what I’m 99% certain was Cassie screaming into her pillow. Then the door opened and she returned to calmly sit down on the sofa again.
“I’m good,” she said. “All better. Please continue.”
The details of the conversation get a little fuzzy at this point, as it seems that even though the forgetter is gone I’m still having memory issues. Unfortunately Grayson was right - it wasn’t the forgetter that was responsible for my particular variety of memory loss. There’s something else trying to protect Grayson.
I suspect the tree in the graveyard. Its roots have spread all over campus, after all.
Sorry to be so blase about this but it’s not actually that upsetting anymore. It’s just this thing we’re dealing with.
It’s a good thing Cassie was present for the rest of the conversation. She filled me in on the details later, after we’d confirmed that I had some significant gaps. Grayson explained a bit more about the whole adoption thing. He didn’t know who his birth parents were. He’d never been outside of this town and basically grew up on campus. This is all kind of recapping what we already knew or guessed at, but the adoption angle was new at least. I’d assumed that his dad had died and been replaced, which he had, except it wasn’t his dad at all and Grayson’s role as the son was being replaced over and over also.
Which is all kinds of fucked up.
It also means that this has been going on for generations and I think we all know why that’s rather alarming.
“What happened to the previous adopted kids?” I asked once we’d gotten through this rather confusing summary.
“They died.”
There was a heavy silence in the room.
“How?” I asked.
“Well… one drowned. Another suffocated.” He hesitated. “This is kind of why I’m reluctant to tell people I’m the president’s son.”
“Grayson, are you worried someone will try to kill you?” Cassie asked flatly.
“...yeah. I am, actually.”
Screaming into a pillow myself was starting to look pretty tempting.
Now I’m sure you’re all thinking what I was thinking at this point. If the university was just recycling the president’s corpse and finding new children to play the role of their child for… reasons??? then perhaps that was why the flickering man was interested in me. Perhaps I was Grayson’s replacement, as many of you have theorized.
I mean, it seems pretty suspicious. Grayson’s dad is getting his soul replaced on the regular - or at least, he was. Grayson himself is a replacement for prior Graysons but I guess since they don’t need an adult, they’re just grabbing any ol’ kid to fill the role for a while. But the former Graysons keep dying because the inhumans get him? Grayson has a lot of protection on campus but he’s not immune - I’ve watched him get attacked by the steam ghost in particular.
Which leads me to my own theory. If I am a replacement, I don’t fit the mold. Perhaps that’s why the flickering man hated me so much. I’m too old (legal adult yay) and… I’m not a son.
But I wanted to confirm some things.
We wrapped up the conversation with Grayson because we were running out of mental capacity to ask more questions. He was clearly uncomfortable and there was a lot to process. He did promise to not be so difficult about this in the future. He wasn’t really grieving. He was just… uncertain. He didn’t know what to do anymore. Which is fair. When you’re raised to fill a role and suddenly that role is gone it’s hard to adjust.
I know what that feels like.
After Grayson left I messaged Maria asking if she knew anyone that was good with a camera. Like, really good. And also good in high stress situations. She got back to me pretty quickly. Maria is starting to become one of those people who knows everyone. She’s heading firmly down the road of becoming the subject of one of those unhinged tumblr posts where someone magically summons an army of people to fulfill a task, while she stays on the sidelines quietly directing the ever-increasing chaos.
Fortunately, she’s not there quite yet, but she is freakishly well-connected for a campus of this size. Within an hour she had me in a group chat with someone from the Folklore Society who fit all my requirements, even the unspoken ones. Someone that was good with a camera in “hostile circumstances” (her words, very accurate) and wouldn’t cut and run the moment things got a little weird. I think you all see where I was going with this.
Yeah, we were going to get photos of something inhuman.
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
For starters, it’s not safe just getting close to an inhuman to photograph it. And once you do, that opens a whole new set of hazards. If the inhuman takes offense to being photographed, then they’re going to do anything they have to to get the photo destroyed and all rules are off the table when it comes to disguising their existence. Think of it like this - an inhuman might not be able to enter a house due to hospitality rules keeping them out, but this is weighed against their need to keep their presence obscured. The latter wins. Hospitality rules are no longer enough protection.
That’s my understanding, at least.
And sure, there are inhumans that don’t seem to care if a photo or two are leaked to the internet, but you have no way of knowing in advance. Let’s say you get lucky and nothing comes after you to destroy the phone/camera, computer, your social media accounts, and you. You’re not quite off the hook. That photo is a connection to the inhuman and if the creature captured in it doesn’t use it as an access point, something else might.
Photos are just a bad idea all around.
So we agreed that if we were going to go ahead with this stupid plan, we’d do so with as many safety measures as we could. First, the person taking the photo would be fully informed on the potential consequences. I was hoping that they could just teach Maria or I how to use a camera, but considering they were in the inner circle Folklore Society (what I’m calling the folks that know the monsters aren’t just stories) they wanted to come in person. I tried to talk them out of it, they finally made a snarky comment about if I wanted them to sign a waiver, and I dropped the topic.
Secondly, we were going to destroy both the photo and the camera afterwards. I got online and ordered the cheapest digital camera I could find. It was a camera designed for young children so it was pastel pink with teddy bears on it, but whatever, it was digital and didn’t cost over $30. The money from my job at the dining hall has helped with the finances but I didn’t particularly feel like lighting it on fire.
Especially since we planned to literally light the camera on fire when we were done. I wasn’t looking forward to the smell of burning plastic but fire is both a thorough and symbolically traditional way to dispose of things. Like I said, we were trying to do this as safely as we could.
The camera arrived the next day so we decided to go ahead with our plan that evening. Cassie would stay home because we felt having too many people might be a hindrance if we had to bail out. Also, she had “digital date night” with her girlfriend and I didn’t want to interfere.
Then we found a discreet entrance to the steam tunnels.
I wanted a photograph of the steam ghost. It had a face. I wanted to see what that face looked like.
I’d scouted out the steam tunnel entrances beforehand, while waiting for the burner (lol) camera to arrive. Last time I’d looked inside, they were clogged with roots. However, if the roots were originating from the graveyard, then perhaps the parts of campus that were farthest away would be clear enough to traverse. I got lucky and found an entrance inside of one of the dorms that’s out by the parking lot. The lobby is open and from there it’s easy enough to just coast into the stairwell behind someone with a keycard and then down into the basement. There were roots, but they hung from the ceiling as slender tendrils that brushed the top of my head like the faint touch of a moth. I didn’t go far inside. Just enough to confirm it didn’t get any worse and we had a long corridor free of obstruction.
When I came back, I had Maria and the photographer with me.
His name is Jacob and he’s a sophomore. He joined the Folklore Society because he realized he wasn’t making any attempts to be social, at college of all places, and picked a club that seemed like it would be small so he didn’t have to deal with crowds. Large groups of people intimidated him. I can certainly relate to that.
I feel bad for him. Imagine getting caught up in all this bullshit just because you had trouble making friends.
It also occurred to me that this photography excursion was also part of his attempt to make friends, because that’s what landed him in the group that had to hide from the thing in the hallway. Whatever. Maria can deal with that. She’s the extrovert.
“Let’s not forget the plan,” I said nervously as we gathered outside the door. “We get in. We get the photo. We run like hell back out the door.”
I’m happy to say that the plan worked. Every step. Swear to god.
We were about halfway to where the tunnel turned when the steam started to rise out of the ground around us. It seeped through the walls, filling our lungs and making it hard to breathe. The usual. We turned back at that point, as we wanted to be close to the exit so we could snap the photo and run once the steam ghost showed up.
The nice thing about inhumans is that they can be predictable. They have set rules they follow and so long as you follow the prescribed pattern of behavior, you know what to expect. This allows you to plan, as I’d done. So when we loitered within sprinting distance of the door, the steam ghost obliged to show up and chase us off.
Just as expected. And Jacob was ready with our pastel pink camera, so that when its face materialized out of the steam, mouth open in a silent scream and its misty hands stretched towards us, he was able to snap a photo.
Then we ran and reached the door before it caught up.
See? Exactly as planned.
There’s one more rule we learned about though. One that I’d forgotten to factor in for this crucial moment.
The doors in the steam tunnels don’t always open to the same place.
We tumbled through without thinking. I, pulling up the rear, had a moment of hesitation when I saw nothing but darkness ahead of me, but it was too late, I was in a full sprint and besides, Maria had already stumbled through the doorway. I slammed into Jacob’s back, propelling him the few steps he needed to be past the doorway, and then we were all through and the door slammed shut behind us.
The air was warm and damp. The steam tunnels, while warm, aren’t damp unless the steam ghost is present. This felt like being inside of a sauna. I could feel water beads forming on my arms, clinging to the hairs that were currently standing on end in alarm. There was a faint breeze coming from ahead of us, a slowly rhythmic flow to it like a fan. It did nothing to alleviate the heat. If anything, it was even warmer.
Maria turned her phone’s flashlight on.
We were in a corridor, much the same size as the tunnel we’d just escaped. The walls glistened with moisture, shining with the gray-pink color of rotting beef. There were no sharp angles, just a round passageway that vanished into darkness at the edge of Maria’s flashlight beam. The floor beneath our feet was slightly squishy.
And it was full of teeth.
Honestly I think I would have preferred sharp teeth, like an animal’s fangs or something out of science fiction. Instead, we got human incisors, circling the entirety of the tunnel in regular intervals.
The tunnel rippled. There was a faint gurgling sound, like the rumbling of a stomach twisting in hunger. And those rows of teeth began to tighten as the tunnel constricted around us.
“STEAM GHOST,” Maria yelled. “I CHOOSE THE STEAM GHOST.”
And she threw the door behind us open and dove back into the tunnel. Jacob grabbed my arm and dragged me along with him, as I was frozen in fear, staring at all those glistening ivory teeth. I stumbled over the doorframe and fell forwards, hitting the cement floor hard on all fours. I heard the door slam shut behind me. Frantically, I looked up at the tunnel.
No ghost. But the steam was still there, hanging heavy in the air and filling my lungs. The ghost would be back. I was certain of that.
“What now?!” Jacob asked, his earlier calm quickly giving way to panic.
“Try the door again!” I said, scrambling to my feet. “It changes!”
Maria spun around and opened the door a sliver for the second time, just enough to peer through the crack and confirm what was on the other side.
“FUCK.”
Then she slammed it shut. Opened it. Another burst of profanity, slightly more panicked than the last explicative. Meanwhile, Jacob and I cowered at her back, staring at the steam that hung thick in the air all around us, waiting to see if it was going to reform into a malevolent spirit while Maria played Russian roulette with the door.
She did this five times before she finally got the dorm we’d entered through.
Flushed and panting, we stumbled through and Jacob kicked the door to the steam tunnels shut with a determined flourish. There. We’d done it. As I’d said, our plan went perfectly. We got the photo and ran like hell to the door.
Didn’t plan on what happened after we went through the door. This is my lack of attention to detail coming into play, which is probably what also made me a shitty barista.
We crowded around Jacob to see the photo he got. This is why we recruited someone with actual photography skills. He was able to use a truly shitty camera intended for toddlers to somehow focus on a literal ghost’s face in the handful of seconds we had before it reached us, all while not panicking.
Staring at us from the tiny screen was a person’s face. Not a face made of steam. An actual flesh and blood human face. The rest of the shot was obscured by steam, framing it so that all we could see was this disembodied human face staring out at us from the camera’s digital screen. The expression was placid, the eyes hollow and devoid of emotion.
I’d seen this look before, on the library ghost. This distant stare of something that wasn’t wholly here.
“That is… really creepy,” Jacob said.
“We just escaped a hallway full of teeth and this is what you find creepy?” I said.
“No, that was creepy too. I can be terrified by multiple things at once.”
We all stared at the photo for a good few minutes, trying to commit the face to memory because we were not going to retain any copies of it. Then Jacob deleted the photo, handed me the camera, and we awkwardly went our separate ways.
I got out my phone as soon as we’d all walked off. My theory was looking plausible, but there was one more thing I could do to confirm I was on the right track.
I texted Grayson. I asked him if the children before him, the ones the president adopted, were all male.
They were.
The library ghost. The stabbed student. And now… the steam ghost.
All former students. All male. All trapped on campus after their deaths.
And for at least two of them, they seemed to have something against Grayson.
They don’t like Grayson because he replaced them.
Update: HOLY SHIT Y’ALL BATTERIES EXPLODE WHEN YOU SET THEM ON FIRE

In today's hyper-connected world, having a strong online presence is no longer a luxury - it's a necessity. But navigating the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing can be daunting, especially for businesses without dedicated in-house resources. That's where a digital marketing agency comes in, acting as your strategic partner to craft a results-driven online presence.
What is a Digital Marketing Agency?
A digital marketing agency is a team of experts specializing in various aspects of online marketing. They work with businesses to develop and execute comprehensive digital strategies that achieve specific goals, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, and boosting sales.
The Services Offered by a Digital Marketing Agency
The specific services offered by a digital marketing agency can vary, but some of the most common include:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimizing your website and online content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Creating and managing targeted advertising campaigns on platforms like Google Ads and social media.
• Social Media Marketing (SMM): Developing engaging content and strategies to build a strong presence and following on social media platforms.
• Content Marketing: Creating and distributing valuable, informative content (blogs, articles, videos, etc.) to attract and engage your target audience.
• Email Marketing: Building and managing email lists to nurture leads and drive sales through targeted email campaigns.
• Analytics and Reporting: Tracking and analyzing key metrics to measure the success of your digital marketing efforts and optimize your campaigns for better results.

The Benefits of Partnering with a Digital Marketing Agency
Here are just a few reasons why partnering with a digital marketing agency can be a game-changer for your business:

• Expertise and Experience: Agencies have a deep understanding of the latest digital marketing trends and best practices, ensuring your campaigns are effective and competitive.
• Data-Driven Approach: Agencies leverage data and analytics to track your progress, measure ROI, and continuously refine your strategies for optimal results.
• Time and Resource Efficiency: Partnering with an agency frees up your internal resources to focus on core business functions.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Agencies can adapt their services to your specific needs and budget, allowing you to scale your digital marketing efforts as your business grows.

Finding the Right Digital Marketing Agency for Your Business
With a plethora of digital marketing agencies available, choosing the right one requires careful consideration. Here are some key factors to keep in mind:

• Industry Experience: Look for an agency with experience working in your specific industry or niche.
• Service Offerings: Ensure the agency offers the services that align with your business goals.
• Client Portfolio: Review the agency's past work and client testimonials to assess their track record.
• Transparency and Communication: Choose an agency that prioritizes clear communication and keeps you informed about your campaigns' progress.

Conclusion
In today's digital age, a strong online presence is crucial for business success. By partnering with a qualified digital marketing agency, you gain access to a team of experts who can create and execute data-driven strategies to achieve your marketing objectives. So, take the first step towards conquering the digital world and propel your business to new heights.

Hello, I have gone through the entire Avatar store on the UK Xbox 360 store and made a list of every free avatar item.
I will note that this is male avatar only as when I tried to update the store with a female avatar it just didn't work and may have taken hours of waiting to do.
Also if done on the console avatar store (what I did) the pages will break at weird points (for me page 73, 149, 185, 225, 261, 301 consistently broke). If you see the scrolling white wheels of death, just back out and back into the section then scroll back to where you were.
Final note: there are Xbox codes still out there for free items but I didn't put in any effort personally to find them (I've heard of a free black Bing t-shirt).
[] represent page number
() represent block (going vertically)
Avatar Items
In order from "All" on the Avatar Store
Tops
Joe Bang Avatar T-shirt Male Free [page 12] (block 4)
Hydration Pack [page 28] (block 2)
Marines T-shirt [page 28] (block 5)
Pop-Tarts T-Shirt [page 32] (block 8)
Blacks Spades Shuffle Hoodie [page 36] (block 3)
Black Spades Wildcard Shirt [page 36] (block 4)
Black Spades Tee [page 36] (block 7)
BOOMco Blast Better Tee [page 84] (block 6)
Certified MCP – Black [page 126] (block 1)
Certified MCP – White [page 126] (block 5)
Xbox One Avatar t-shirt [page 229] (block 5)
Chicago Game Jersey [page 251] (block 2)
Buffalo Jersey [page 275] (block 6)
Cell Thermal [page 377] (block 2)
Agency Tower Shirt [page 377] (block 3)
Ruffian Shirt [page 377] (block 4)
Agency Fist Shirt [page 377] (block 5)
Crackdown 2 Tee [page 377] (block 6)
Running Agent Shirt [page 377] (block 7)
Headwear
Season Eight hat [page 2] (block 6)
Simple Mobile Avatar Hat [page 5] (block 8)
Marine Smokey [page 6] (block 1)
Marine Boonie Hat [page 18] (block 3)
Communications Helmet [page 18] (block 6)
Snap Hat [page 20] (block 7)
Pop-Tarts Helmet [page 20] (block 8)
Toucan Sam Mascot Head [page 21] (block 1)
Pop Hat [page 21] (block 2)
Crackle Hat [page 21] (block 5)
Black Spades Bucket Hat [page 23] (block 4)
Porsche 918 Spyder Hat [page 23] (block 8)
Black Spades Snapback [page 24] (block 2)
Vintage Helmet [page 24] (block 3)
Welcome to Porsche Helmet [page 24] (block 4)
Crackdown 2 Hat [page 248] (block 4)
Freak Head [page 248] (block 8)
Accessories
There are no free Glasses, Wristwear, Gloves or Earrings.
Rings
Black Spades Championship Ring [page1] (block 1)
Props
Osprey [page 41] (block 8)
Marine Parachute [page 42] (block 1)
Venom [page 42] (block 5)
Tony the Tiger Shirt [page 44] (block 3)
Tony the Tiger Mascot Head [page 44] (block 6)
Porsche 918 Spyder [page 45] (block 8)
Windows 10 Ninjacat Skis [page 60] (block 1)
Yarny Avatar [page 70] (block 2)
Windows 10 Ninjacat [page 76] (block 8)
Windows 10 Ninjacat [page 77] (block 1)
BOOMco Rapid Madness Blaster [page 77] (block 8)
Gold Medal Ceremony [page 124] (block 2)
Renegade Orbs [page 246] (block 4)
Agency SUV [page 246] (block 8)
Bottoms
There are no free bottoms.
Shoes
Combat Boots [page 1] (block 7)
Agency Supercar Slippers [page 39] (block 2)
Dress Up
Ghillie Suit [page 16] (block 2)
Xbox One Onesie – Black [page 20] (block 4)
Xbox One Onesie – White [page 20] (block 8)
Origin Race Suit [page 23] (block 4)
Growing Excellence Race Suit [page 23] (block 8)
Evolution Race Suit [page 24] (block 1)
Cell Soldier [page 309] (block 2)
Peacekeeper Outfit [page 309] (block 3)
Level 5 Agent Suit [page 309] (block 6)
This is part 4 of 4
I hope this helps.

Recently, I've been working on implementing dynamic data structures in C with a focus to make it into a dynamically linked library I can port with and use in some other projects I am also doing in C. I implemented a generic dynamic array deque/ring buffer (which copies the data directly into the buffer itself, not storing a void * to it which is then returned later, similar to how Stroustrup discusses compact layout). Based on this structure, I can easily implement dynamically-sized FIFO queues and stacks. I mention all of this because I am seeking advice/guidance on multiple fronts:

• Any advice on making the data structures efficient when allocating/reallocating memory, especially to maximize cache hits, as well as prevent fragmentation. I'm also open to discussing alternative non-linked implementations, such as how C++'s STL deque works if there is a clear advantage to using that approach (I haven't found much discussion as to why it was implemented that way instead of using a dynamic ring buffer, though it probably has to do with memory costs for expanding the buffer). I plan at the very least to also add normal dynamic arrays (and consequently dynamically-sized priority queues).
• Any guidelines on how to structure and compile library source code in C. Specifically, code structure, as well as makefile tips to automate the build process as much as possible (or I just end up using CMake).
• Any advice on how to implement OOP concepts like abstraction and encapsulation. I've started looking into vtables briefly, and I want to figure out if there is a way I can define vtables as the "interface" and change behaviour of an underlying implementation/struct (like the deque in my case) into those defined by the interfaces of the other data types like queues and stacks, similar to Java's Queue myQueue = new ArrayDeque, where ArrayDeque is the implementation and Queue is the wrapping interface, which is what the programmer is allowed to use.
• (Possibly later down the line) advice on how to make these operations lock-free so that I can potentially use them for concurrency applications, though that comes with its own plethora of problems, especially when dealing with portability.

I know that many different forms of generative AI exist that might be able to assist me with some of this stuff but I want to avoid using them because of the obscene amount of data they collect, as well as the fact that they are sometimes just downright wrong.
Here is a link to my code. Feel free to take a look, and please don't hesitate to send any advice/feedback that you might have. I look forward to your comments.

This summary was generated by an AI LLM from autogenerated meeting captions. As such, this output may contain factual errors.
https://vimeo.com/948942943

Conclusions Reached:

• The committee decided to table the discussions on the proposed changes to school start times (item 6.05) and the revision of policy 6350 on wireless network facility co-location (item 6.06) until the policy 6350 revisions are finalized and adopted by the school board. This was done to ensure the policy is in place before continuing those discussions.
  
• The committee provided feedback on the draft survey questions to be sent to families and staff regarding school start times, including suggestions to potentially collect some additional demographic information.
  
• The committee expressed interest in having a more in-depth discussion focused specifically on the challenges around bus driver recruitment and retention, as that seems to be a key constraint in implementing earlier start time changes.
  

Detailed Summary:

##00:00:00

• The meeting was called to order by Chair Arvin Stree.
• The committee heard public comments, with 3 speakers provided 3 minutes each.

##00:10:05

• The committee approved the meeting minutes from the previous meeting.
• The committee approved the consent agenda.

##00:13:45

• The committee discussed the school name review process initiated in 2020. The committee recommended that the school board provide guidance on reviewing all school names.

##00:29:45

• The committee received an overview of school-based allotments, including the different categories of allotments and how they are intended to be used by schools.
• The committee discussed the perception that some teachers still rely on public donations and wishlists, despite the available allotment funds. The committee requested more detailed data on allotment utilization by school and category.

##00:51:45

• The committee reviewed the proposed tuition rates for out-of-state and out-of-county in-state students, which are set based on the school system's per capita cost of education.
• The committee provided consent for this item to move forward as a consent item.

##00:58:45

• The committee received an update on the proposed bell time changes for the 2024-2025 school year, focusing on moving the earliest pickup times to no earlier than 6:40 AM.
• The committee provided feedback on the survey questions to be sent to families and staff regarding school start times and transportation impacts.

##01:43:15

• The committee reviewed the proposed revisions to policy 6350 on wireless network facility co-location.
• The committee requested that the language be revised to ensure that health, safety and security considerations for students and staff are not overlooked, even in special circumstances.
• The committee voted to table the discussion on the proposed revisions to policy 6350 and the related information items until the policy is finalized and adopted.

##01:58:45

• The meeting was adjourned.

This summary was generated by an AI LLM from autogenerated meeting captions. As such, this output may contain factual errors.
https://vimeo.com/948753598

Conclusions Reached

• The key conclusions that can be drawn from the transcript are:
  
• There were no controversial or concerning recommendations or decisions made during the meeting. The discussions focused on providing feedback on potential changes to social media access for high school students, as well as updates on school board policies and initiatives.
  
• The meeting covered a range of topics, including:
  
  • Gathering feedback on potentially allowing high school students access to certain social media platforms that are currently blocked.
  • Updates on the school board's work, including the transgender policy focus groups, collective bargaining discussions, and the professional development plan.
  • Summarizing the LEAF advisory group's activities and accomplishments over the past school year.
  • Discussing plans for the upcoming school year, including meeting dates and continued opportunities for member engagement.

Detailed Summary

00:00:00 - 00:16:00

• The meeting was called to order and began with public comment, which is allowed for agenda items.
• The April 15th, 2024 meeting minutes were approved as submitted.
• The Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Aaron Smith, presented on potentially allowing high school students access to certain social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) that are currently blocked for all students K-8.
  • He asked for feedback on the potential benefits and negative impacts of this change, which would be implemented for the next school year.
  • Members were given time to provide feedback via a "Thought Exchange" survey.

00:16:00 - 00:28:00

• School Board member Lauren Chernoff provided updates on several school board initiatives and policies:
  • The transgender policy focus groups, which are in the process of soliciting third-party facilitators.
  • The collective bargaining discussions between the school district and the teachers' union, which were unable to reach consensus.
  • The professional development plan that was recently released for feedback, which received significant public response and is being reconsidered.

00:28:00 - 00:52:00

• The group then engaged in collaborative conversations, splitting into two groups to discuss current school board topics and technology issues.
• After 15 minutes, the presenters rotated between the groups to facilitate the discussions.

00:52:00 - 01:00:00

• The meeting concluded with reminders about upcoming meeting dates, member status, and a thank you to the participants.
• The 2023-2024 school year LEAF advisory group meeting was adjourned.

Tommy and Timmy are buying turnips for 635 bells! I'm gonna open my island in about 10-15 min, for 2-3 hours, maybe more. Nook's Cranny is below Resident Services, at the other side of the park.
No tips necessary but if you have spare DIY recipes, I'd be very grateful!
Comment your favorite videogame and I'll send you the Dodo Code. Pls, don't shake the fruit trees of the villagers. Also, certain parts of the island are closed due to remodelling, sorry for the inconveniences. If you wanna explore the explorable part of the island, feel free. Be nice to the villagers! Leif is on the island ~
If you take pictures, pls share it to me!

Sent invite code to friend sitting next to me connected to my home Wi-Fi. Temu rejected the offer saying that my friend was not in the same region as me. They were literally on my Home Wi-Fi sitting next to me on the couch. I contacted Temu support. I sent the screenshot of the Wi-Fi connection of our devices. Temu still denied My invite. Temu free gifts is a scam. This is what the agent sent me:
“ Yes, Invite new using the required to complete the event, However the total number of invitee is cannot predict the exact number of friends to invite”
This means no one can ever get free gifts. It’s a scam people.

Hi, I've just developed a URL shortener to help manage my links. It's simple and doesn't require signing up. Also, I've created a WhatsApp link generator to simplify sharing contact details. the good thing it's free and no need to sign up
Kindly you would like to try it out at https://vist.li/ and let me know your thoughts!

Good evening Healthcare_anon members
I believe we are at the midpoint of the multi series DD on the paper:
Rooke-Ley H, Brown E, Grumbach K, Hoffman A, Ryan A, Roy V, Grogan C, Appelbaum E, Lipschutz D. Medicare Advantage and Vertical Consolidation in Health Care. American Economic Liberties Project, April 2024. Available: https://www.economicliberties.us/our-work/medicare-advantage-and-vertical-consolidation-in-health-care/#, accessed 05/19/24 (for this subreddit post).
Today's discussion will be centered around page 23-31. I will be collaborating with u/ Fabulous-airport-273 on the remainder of the paper, as I believe we should address the topic in a collaborative fashion after this midpoint. If you like, you may review the previous DD in the following links:
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1culz57/medicare_advantage_capitation_model_prio
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1cw50xp/vertical_integration_of_the_healthcare_insurance/
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1cwsavi/vertical_integration_of_the_healthcare_insurance/
I was thinking on also discussing Aetna and Humana within the model as well, however in the interest of time and effort, I may have to revisit those 2 creatures at a later time - not because they are particularly difficult, but that it would be a similar rehash of UNH and BHG. The minutiae of improper population model care and investment made by CVS/Aetna and Humana is in my personal belief the reason why their MCR exploded, and perhaps inadequate preparation for CMS V28 blend adjustment also played a role. Even though CVS/Aetna has an adequate service sector, Humana does not, and we may see further margin divergence of these 2 behemoths.
Without further digression, let us begin:
Vertical consolidation - what is currently happening
"Consolidation allows these vertical conglomerates to use capitated payment structures in ways that drive profits without creating value. As noted above, corporate consolidation in health care has existed for decades, largely driven by hospitals. The primary result: hospitals can negotiate higher prices in the commercial market, cut labor costs and demand more of clinicians, and exploit various loopholes in the fee-for-service Medicare system. In addition, private equity (PE) rollups in health care have risen dramatically over the decades, also exploiting fee-for-service reimbursement and threatening patient care."
We have certainly seen the damage from PE acquisition on practices, especially in emergency medicine, which I previously alluded to in: https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1c0bi4u/the_healthcare_workforce_staffing_crisis_a/. The damage to physician morale is especially acute during this consolidation process.
We are also seeing widespread practice buyouts in the PCP arena now:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/health/primary-care-doctors-consolidation.html
https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-transactions-and-valuation-issues/optum-s-multibillion-dollar-acquisition-spree-3-deals-to-know.html
https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/finance-revenue-cycle/mergers-acquisitions/news/55000097/steward-health-care-plans-to-sell-physician-network-to-optum
https://radiologybusiness.com/topics/healthcare-management/healthcare-economics/unitedhealth-earns-emergency-order-buy-radiology-provider-placed-crisis-due-change-cyberattack
The last one from Corvallis is a particularly spicy acquisition - the change healthcare cyberattack created a cash flow crunch within Corvallis, creating the impetus for Corvallis to then sell itself to Optum. If I were to use cruder terminology, the analogy is this: Optum/Change groomed Corvallis to be dependent on its "service", and once Corvallis is dependent on Optum/Change, Optum/Change then "convinced" Corvallis that Corvallis needs to sell its body (clinics) to Optum for the couple to stay together after Optum/Change failed in its basic "pimp" duty on protecting the groomed subject. Absolutely disgusting analogy, and I hope it brings the message across - what Optum did was absolutely abhorrent and should have paid Corvallis interest and damages, but instead gets to steal the Damsel-in-distress. Who said pimping doesn't pay?
"Today, as policy moves away from fee-for-service, analogous patterns of corporate consolidation are emerging under capitation-based financing. While vertical conglomerates promise clinical integration, familiar harms are emerging, such as the push toward “productivity” medicine and the replacement or supplementation of physicians with less expensive advanced practice providers."
Ok, I am not sure if that last part was absolutely necessary. Advanced Practice Providers (APP) are Physician Assistants (PA), Advanced Nurse Practitioners (APRN), or in the case of Anesthesia, CRNA (Certified Nurse Anesthetist) who work under a supervision of an overall Medical Doctor (MD) for the practice. In the current labor shortage, there are not enough physicians to make up for lack of physician help. I would rather work with our APP colleagues on creating a more equitable platform, and this paper is not helping the cause in this manner. Vertical integration can bring plenty of harm, but having APP being part of the Team is NOT a problem. In fact, I have worked with many APP who are wonderful healthcare colleagues and we all want the same thing: equitable treatment of our patients in the most humane, effective, and medically appropriate way possible.
I. Gaming capitated benchmarks:
"Vertical conglomerates in capitation-based models are keen on controlling primary care physicians, who are essential for inflating risk-adjustment payments and quality bonuses. In MA alone, gaming of risk adjustment is responsible for at least $23 billion in annual overpayments to insurers, while quality payments amount to another $10 billion in subsidization without demonstrated value. In addition to increasing costs, the preoccupation with risk-coding and box-checking wastes scarce time with patients and contributes to dissatisfaction among clinicians."
Remember my CMS DD a month ago? If not, I will submit those links again:
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1c1n3tf/cms_finalizes_payment_updates_for_2025_medicare/
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1c1yg8q/cms_finalizes_payment_updates_for_2025_medicare/
We on the field AND CMS knows this is happening. In fact, CMS is attempting to stop this practice by the rollout of CMS V28 AND the April 1 2024 Contract Year 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule (CMS-4205-F). What CMS is attempting to do is to decrease the capitated payments on risk adjustment and quality bonus payments to elongate the Medicare Trust Fund depletion runway, which hopefully also will force the MA companies to take care of patients. As was seen in our 24Q1 DD, companies will instead retrench, retreat, and cut benefits instead. this indicate a potential market failure of the capitated model payment. We should readdress this point in a future post.
***"***The centrality of data in diagnosis coding puts vertical conglomerates in the driver’s seat. It helps contextualize UnitedHealth’s recent $13 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare, the nation’s largest billing clearinghouse, which, according to the Department of Justice, would give UnitedHealth a near monopoly (94% market share) over the clearinghouse market. Through the prism of risk coding, as well as other financial strategies discussed below, the business case was obvious: acquiring Change gives UnitedHealth visibility into the claims, diagnosis codes, and provider IDs of tens of millions of patients"
With the Change Cyberattack in February 2024, UNH unleashed the biggest cybersecurity threat on our patients' medical history in this nation's history, all because someone forgot 2 factor authentication on a whole server worth of data. Good job United. We thank you for proving the ineptitude of private enterprises. We no longer get to just make fun of the National Health System in UK for ineptitude, or that only government agencies suck, but a private enterprise that is a small nation state with a profit margin higher than the NSA's yearly budget can't figure out 2FA.
***"***As with risk adjustment, vertical conglomerates can inflate quality scores with greater control of clinicians. They can, for example, game medication adherence quality measures by pushing providers to put their patients on 90-day refills, mail-order prescriptions, and automatic refills, even if patients never take the medications. Similarly, they can discourage or prohibit clinicians from giving samples to patients and allowing them to use lower- cost alternatives. Further, Star Ratings and other quality programs require significant administrative efforts, placing small practices at a disadvantage."
I do take exception to the samples argument. Look, we just got out of the VERY SHADY stuff happening in the 90s with MD offices taking a HUGE backhand deal when giving out samples, I don't really want to see that stuff back in vogue again. Do you know how frustrating it was for a patient to say they are on a med that is from their doctor's office, they got it for free, and they must have it as an inpatient, when they don't even have it on the medication fill list or on the electronic medical record database? Who do I trust?
II. PATIENT STEERING AND “CAPTIVE” REVENUE:
This section is the reason why I did UNH and BHG as a DD - to pave the way for the discussion on this section. If you haven't read it, please see:
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1cw50xp/vertical_integration_of_the_healthcare_insurance/
https://new.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1cwsavi/vertical_integration_of_the_healthcare_insurance/
"UnitedHealth is increasingly relying on this captive revenue—or “intercompany eliminations”—with its growth of its provider subsidiary, Optum. UnitedHealth has increased intercompany eliminations by over 80% in five years, reaching $108 billion in 2022. It now sends over 25% of its medical claim revenue to its own subsidiaries. Its market presence shows why: UnitedHealth exists in 87% of insurance markets, only rivaled by Humana at 90%. 130 Further, UnitedHealth has over 50% share in more than 140 MA markets."
OK even though this paper is quoting another paper, my 10K/10Q analysis does match what this paper said, except it isn't 25%. Its 37.7% now. WHOA!
"These captive revenue strategies enable regulatory arbitrage. Medical Loss Ratios (MLRs) were established in the Affordable Care Act to cap insurance administrative costs and profits and to ensure that a minimum percentage of capitation payments and private insurance premiums were spent on medical care. However, insurance companies can circumvent this regulation by paying themselves, directing above-market payments and end-of-year bonuses to their own sister subsidiaries. This is referred to as “transfer pricing” and has been best documented with PBMs. For example, UnitedHealth can evade the MLR requirement by paying higher-than-cost fees to its Optum PBM, booking that fee as a medical cost. The same is possible with medical providers: insurers can increase fees to their sister primary care or post-acute providers to conceal profits as costs and to therefore evade the MLR constraint."
Is this how UNH continues to have high profits, and how the impact of CMS V28 somehow did not threaten UNH and Elevance the same way as Humana and CVS/Aetna? I think they may be onto something...
"In addition to increasing profits, steering squeezes independent providers and other competitors. In the prescription drug space, the gaming of medication adherence, explained above, diverts business away from unaffiliated pharmacies while gaming quality metrics. As another example, vertical conglomerates that own PBMs can devise formularies and copays that funnel patients to their own pharmacies, squeezing independent pharmacies. The proliferation of “specialty” pharmacies embeds these anti-competitive practices.".
Personal anecdote: I know of independent pharmacies who CANNOT compete anymore due to high PBM requirements, "clawback" penalties, quality metrics that is impossible to achieve, and "out of network" processing fees, that these pharmacies either have to be shut down, or acquired. "Specialty Pharmacies" are basically pharmacies who carry high dollar cost items that may have more stringent FDA counseling requirements, but because now the Marketplace is littered with PBM funnels, most independent pharmacies cannot "enter the foot in the door" of the PBM requirements. Guess who does though? Optum Rx!
"Vertical consolidation in the post-acute setting presents similar steering risks. MA insurers have increasingly been under scrutiny for limiting or denying care through narrow networks, “ghost networks,” and onerous prior authorization. Recent reporting revealed that UnitedHealth and Humana are using artificial intelligence with their conveners, specifically NaviHealth, to drive “clinical” prior authorization decisions and override clinical judgment."
I think I've beaten this dead horse many times already.
"Another way to steer patients in post-acute care is to effectively bring the prior authorization function “in house.” By directly employing physicians, the risk-bearing entity can cut costs by prohibiting or discouraging clinicians from authorizing expensive care. In a 2020 whistleblower lawsuit reported by The Prospect, Maxwell Ollivant, a UnitedHealth-employed nurse practitioner in a nursing home, alleged that his supervisor denied requests to transfer UnitedHealth-MA patients with exacerbations to the hospital. This, Ollivant alleged, was consistent with UnitedHealth’s compensation structure, which gave bonuses to their clinicians who kept patients in the nursing home and out of the hospitals."
Well holy shit Batman, that is more degenerate than a WSB 0-5DTE put taken on a Thursday afternoon.
III. PATIENT “FLIPPING” AND ENROLLMENT ARBITRAGE
" In MA, favorable selection is responsible for another 11%-14% of overspending, or as much as $56 billion annually. Selecting enrollees also allows insurers in MA to game county benchmark bonuses, which excessively rewards insurers with patients in areas of low Medicare spending, to the tune of another roughly $10 billion in excess MA payments. As vertical conglomerates increasingly own physicians and operate in ACOs, similar risks of selection may arise."
CMS is acutely aware of this gaming, however their model hasn't exactly been able to pinpoint how to address this yet. This was discussed in the CMS Final rule comments section.
"More direct than marketing, provider acquisitions allow conglomerates to “flip” patients into MA plans or ACOs by coordinating efforts with sister provider subsidiaries. Conglomerates can initiate the flipping strategy by using some of the steering tactics discussed above. In a recent lawsuit, UnitedHealth was accused of terminating contracts with unaffiliated physicians in order to force the patients to establish care at nearby Optum practices. In another suit, UnitedHealth, with 50% of the MA and commercial insurance markets, allegedly attempted to force the sale of local practices to Optum. UnitedHealth was accused of cutting insurance reimbursement and steering members away from the target practice, and as a condition of insurance contracting, forcing the target practice to give UnitedHealth the first right of refusal upon sale.
I inivite our physician colleagues to comment on this section. I have personally heard of such anecdotes, but further validation is always helpful and will also increase our membership engagement on such complicated subjects
And we now reach the end of page 31. This paper is extremely dense, and required basically a multi-layer DD on top of it to corroborate and create discussion points on the topic discussion.
We hope you enjoyed this half of the mini-series, and we hope to bring you the 2nd part of the mini-series soon as a collaborative post.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this. I hope this provides you with a better perspective on a glimpse of the landscape that I am personally aware. Please submit your comments below on your thoughts
Sincerely
Moocao
​

Was told by app to get free gifts all I had to do was invite one new user. Sent the code to my friend who is sitting next to me who does not have the app. Magically their invite was REJECTED for not BEING IN THE SAME AREA.
Contacted Temu support and after a lengthy back and forth they revealed
“ , Invite new using the required to complete the event, However the total number of invitee is cannot predict the exact number of friends to invite”
So basically it does not matter how many invite codes you send. THERE ARE NO FREE GIFTS.
I provided screen shots of my friend connected to my home wifi and their TEMU app trying to get a phone verification code that magically NEVER came.
It’s a scam people.

Hey everyone !! So my ops manager dress coded me and sent me home for wearing crocs for a 6 - 11 am ad set (so I leave before the store opens) on Sunday, but I was told we don't have to be in dress code before the store is open so I questioned her on it (we were both also seeing sweat pants, which aren't allowed as stated in the dress code). She said it's because the dress code says we can't wear crocs and they aren't a "safety shoe", but she got mad when I pointed out she was wearing adidas slides, which are also not allowed according to the dress code, and I also wouldn't exactly call that a safety shoe lmfao.
Then on Monday my GM told me that I wasn't meeting my credit goal, but I, as a taker, am not supposed to cashier and I also leave before the store opens 90% of the time. So basically, getting credit cards isn't a party of my job, but I was told it was a new corporate rule, which sounds like a bold faced lie to me, but maybe I'm wrong ?
She also gives out special gratis when you get a card, usually the best/most expensive stuff that comes in the gratis box, so task associates have no chance to get her special credit card gratis, which doesn't seem fair to me. She also had another task associate (her favorite) help her put together our last gratis bags and unsurprisingly she had a bunch of nice stuff in her bag, and so did her work besties.
Last bit of GM tea, she asked me to stop asking other employees how much they make (which is illegal btw) and got mad at me when I asked why I was the lowest paid task associate, even though I've been there the longest, I get the most hours (which I'm assuming means they trust that I can do my job), and they have me running truck and training new task associates since our merch manager quit. I'm doing all that for $13.50 / hr, while the new hires I'm training are making up to $15 / hr with little to no job experience (I have 2 years of retail management experience). The GM also asked me if I was going to give the store a good review in the culture survey in front of several other employees in the back room, like she called me out like to try and publicly shame me into a positive review or something. I was also told by two former employees that she reads the culture surveys and subtly calls people out for saying negative things in the review after the fact.
Anyways I'm tired of their shenanigans and I'm wondering what my options are here, and if I'm correct in my assumptions about task associate responsibilities and what the dress code before we open is, and also if I should call HR, or just go straight to a complaint with the better business bureau ? Will HR actually do anything ? Cuz with the specific complaints I have I know that she'll know the report came from me and I'm in no position to lose my job from her retaliating (she seems like the type of person that would cut my hours dramatically and write me up for nonsense, but not actually fire me, if that makes sense).
Ok, rant concluded. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

MATCH RESULTS

Winner	Loser	Match Finish	Stipulation
Fallon Henley	Thea Hail w/ Chase U	Big Boot	Women's North American Championship Qualifier
Axiom and Nathan Frazer (c)	Luca Crusifino and Stacks w/ The Family	Inside Cradle after the NCQC attack the Family at Ringside	For the NXT Tag Team Championships
Wes Lee and Joe Coffey w/ Gallus	Briggs	Double Pinfall	#1 Contender for the North American Championship
Jaida Parker w/ OTM	Brinley Reece	Hip Check	Women's North American Championship Qualifier
Dante Chen w/ Robert Stone	Lexis King	Roll-Up counter to the Coronation
Natalya and Karmen Petrovich	Lola Vice and Shayna Balzer	Hart Attack

IMPORTANT NOTES

• The Family arrive to the arena when they are confronted by Nathan Frazer and Axiom, Nathan Frazer congratulates Tony on winning the cup and says he remembers winning it himself while Axiom regrets having never won it. The Family goes down the winners of the cup and wonders what the hell happened to A-Kid? Tony accuses Axiom and Frazer of ducking Gallows and Anderson but Nathan says they are willing to defend the titles against any NXT superstars and Tony says they should defend them against Luca and Stacks and the two agree.
  
• Joe Coffey says the only things people were talking about the end of last week was Gallus and they took out Ivar but Wes Lee and Josh Briggs were tougher than expected but he's going to finish the job tonight then show Oba Femi what Gallus is about at Battleground.
  
• Robert Stone is telling Waylon Dix that she impressed him in the combine, Lexis King walks in and tells Stone that no one wants anything to do with him lately, even Chelsea Green didn't want him to help her anymore and he's shooting to the top. Ava walks by and tells Lexis to get ready because he has a surprise opponent tonight, Stone says he'd love to teach Lexis something but Ava reminds him last time he stepped in the ring it didn't end well.
  
• Riley Osborne calls Ridge a liability but Ridge tells him to back off and says he couldn't just stand there and see Thea get hit with a chair so he had to step in. Riley says it cost Thea the match and the two argue. Andre says if they have something to settle settle it in the ring.
  
• Karmen Petrovich says she's nervous since this is her first main event but Nattie is the BOAT, Nattie says she's been impressed by how much Karmen has grown and tonight they'll be a well oiled winning machine.
  
• Edris Enofe says he's cooked after all his bad luck but Brin still wants him and Blade in her corner tonight. Edris isn't sure as Brin cartwheels out of the room.
  
• Oba Femi asks Ava what the decision of the triple threat match, she says it's clear that both Joe and Wes made their pins at the same time so Oba will have to face both at Battleground.
  
• Fallon Henley is approached by Jazmine Nyx and says she knew that friends were just holding her back and that's why she waited until after Fallon's win to get her revenge on Thea for breaking Jacey's nose.
  
• Wendy Choo wakes up!
  
• Roxanne Perez says the NXT Women's Championship has always been her "why" and it is the two of them against the world. It doesn't matter if it's NXT, the main roster, or the fans, all she cares about is her title and you better get used to this sight because when she looks in the mirror she doesn't see a hero or a villain she just sees a prodigy.
  
• Ava is on the phone and says she worked out things with Nick and Adam and that next week Roxanne's next challenger for Battleground.
  
• Lexis King comes down to the ring and says the king has been a bit of a hot streak lately and whoever comes through that curtain is about to join a long list of gentlemen who have fallen to him. Robert Stone makes his way out and points to the entrance where Dante Chen makes his entrance.
  
• Lola tells Shayna that together they are unstoppable but Shayna tells her to keep the dancing back here and tonight is all about business.
  
• NXT Champion Trick Williams makes his way to the ring, he says he's got to get straight to business. Two weeks ago Noam Dar dropped him from behind, now last week Dar got dropped backstage and he wouldn't wish that on nobody so he wants to be crystal clear that he did not attack Noam Dar. If he did want to attack Noam he'd be unconscious and he'd have a size 15 Jordan printed on your forehead. Meta Four Come out and Jackson says Trick isn't tricking them and it was likely Trick and Je'von working together. Ora tells Trick to grow up and admit to what he did while Lash Legend argues that Trick couldn't have done it since Trick actually has been through this. Trick threatens to slap Oro's tap dance loafers right off his ass. Joe Coffey makes his way out and says everyone is probably wondering why the guy who just earned a shot at the North American Championship is talking to the NXT Champ, but he's about to find out why. The rest of Gallus ambush Trick from behind and Joe joins in until Je'von Evans to try and make the save but the numbers game is too much and Gallus lays out Je'von. Trick is able to recover and mounts a come back but Gallus gang up and puts down Trick with For the Bells.
  
• Backstage Robert Stone tells Dante Chen he did great and Ava comes by to congratulate him. Dante thanks her for the opportunity but she tells Dante that it was Stone who convinced her that this was his time. Dante thanks Stone and Ava tells him he made a star tonight.
  
• After the main event Shayna looks at Lola with disappointment but Lola strikes with a spinning kick before shaking her ass over Shayna's body. She goes to leave, still shaking, as Shayna gets to her feet and grabs Lola, locking her in the Kirafuda Clutch until officials run down to free Lola. The two brawl at ringside until Ava comes out and says it's clear the two of them are looking for a fight then they can do this at Battleground. Shayna grabs a mic and says she wants it in NXT Underground!
  

SHAMELESS PLUGS

• Live Thread
  
• New to /SquaredCircle? Check out the Wiki!
  
• Check out our Squared Circle twitter account for all sorts of AMA announcements and interaction!
  
• Curious about how the /SquaredCircle Championship and Jobber Championship works? Check out the rules!
  
• Be sure to follow @WWE on Twitter and Like WWE on Facebook! You can download the official WWE App on iTunes so Michael Cole shuts up about it!
  
• Like other wrestling promotions? Perhaps you're looking for other subreddits related to wrestling? There's a sub for that! Check out /TheDirtsheets, /luchaunderground, /njpw /TNA, /ROH, /indiewrestling, /Wrasslin and more!
  

J. Burkes MD 2023
Mr. James Semivan is a cool kind of guy, educated, congenial, very charming in a down to earth way. This former high ranking CIA official had a CE-3 in his home 30 years ago. Jim has become a very important advocate for disclosure and as a senior "manager" for top secret programs, he may have even supervised clandestine UFO related projects. Definitely a smooth operator, Semivan’s self-effacing demeanor was probably a great asset as a CIA case officer. After all, his job was to get foreigners to betray their countries during the Cold War. I highly recommend this James Iandoli interview James Semivan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxtL-sBhe30&t=219s

We should keep in mind however that, an organization like the CIA doesn’t,

1. send agents into harm's way,

2. overthrow governments,

3. supervise the execution of thousands of Vietnamese (Vietcong) civilian leaders (Operation Phoenix),

4. engage in mind control experiments that poison but rarely kill civilians (MKULTRA), unless the CIA as an institution and its individual case officers, are heavily invested in control issues.
With these factors in mind, it is not surprising that James Semivan would object to what are called Close Encounters of the Third and Fourth Kinds. From his perspective as described in this lively interview, these bizarre encounters are forced interactions that violate personal sovereignty.

I imagine that the problem for Mr. Semivan, and the US ruling elites who control our government when it comes to alleged "alien abductions”, it is these “Others” and not the United States Executive Branch who are doing the “controlling.”

In my view, these strange encounters with non-human intelligences have been described as “angelic” or “demonic” visitations since the beginning of recorded history. I suspect, but certainly can't prove that Mr. Semivan, as a highly educated and intelligent analyst, understands that so-called alien “abductions” are probably an ancient phenomenon, and perhaps as such have passed a test of time indicating that they might not be so dangerous after all.

One of the salient take away lessons of the FREE Experiencer Survey was the remarkable changes in the worldview of Contact Experiencers as the result of their encounters. They reported becoming more spiritual, but less religious, and more concerned about the environment and less about the accumulation of personal wealth. These non-human intelligences are appearing to an increasing number of people during a time of crises when we will either expand our rather limited human consciousness or suffer the consequences of not doing so.

In my judgment, the hundreds of thousands of “alien” encounters that have been documented represent a positive development that will hopefully facilitate the required spiritual transformations to make us better world citizens. I believe that one of two outcomes will likely result. Humanity will either acquire the wisdom to carry out a radical restructuring of society, one that will limit the effects of global warming and end war, or we will not reform our self-destructive ways. This will lead us to unparalleled disasters.

If the second path is taken and we don't undergo a spiritual transformation, then our civilization will possibly be stressed to the breaking point with runaway global warming. This will likely lead to endless wars, including nuclear ones, fought over dwindling material resources. We can anticipate migrations involving tens of millions roaming the planet attempting to survive. If our existing civilization is shattered, then we will be reduced to barbarism with hundreds of millions dying unnecessarily.

It is my hope that responsible leaders will emerge who will see spiritual transformation as a necessary international security issue and not follow the fearful interpretations of alien contacts that Jim Semivan and so many others are presenting.

For additional blogs about the societal impact of a possible ET presence click on the links below.
The blog linked directly below is a detailed analysis of the reasons for 75 years of denial of the reality of UFOs. Flying Saucers threaten our planet's elites, but not the Earth's people.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/07/05/an-et-presence-threatens-terrestrial-elites-but-not-our-planets-people/

You can’t control a person who wants “no thing.” I suspect that Flying Saucer Intelligences are feared by our planet’s elites because they can’t be controlled by the usual methods applied to the general population. If we start to identify, not with things and thought forms, but rather with universal consciousness, then ultimately, we cannot be controlled either.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/10/19/why-do-the-control-groups-oppose-an-et-presence/

Confirmation rather than the big “D” Disclosure is likely the next step in the authority’s gradual acclimatization program. The possibilities of linking flying saucers to solutions for major terrestrial problems is discussed.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/08/29/disclosure-versus-confirmation-preparing-the-foundation-for-a-cosmic-peace-campaign/

If flying saucer intelligences threaten all terrestrial elites, but not necessarily the Earth’s people, then it is understandable that governmental response to UFOs is a counterintelligence one.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/dueling-paradigms-perhaps-a-counterintelligence-model-is-better-than-a-scientific-one-to-study-ufos/

The Leadership Crisis in ufology. In the UFO subculture there are few leaders, mostly celebrities.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/the-leadership-crisis-in-ufology/

What will it take to convince people that UFOs are important.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/what-will-it-take-to-convince-people-that-ufos-are-important/

“Science, Counterintelligence & UFOs”
Researcher Val Germann wrote this important multi-part article in 1997. He has given me permission to repost his work on my blog site.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/04/science-counterintelligence-and-ufos/

J. Burkes MD 2023
Mr. James Semivan is a cool kind of guy, educated, congenial, very charming in a down to earth way. This former high ranking CIA official had a CE-3 in his home 30 years ago. Jim has become a very important advocate for disclosure and as a senior "manager" for top secret programs, he may have even supervised clandestine UFO related projects. Definitely a smooth operator, Semivan’s self-effacing demeanor was probably a great asset as a CIA case officer. After all, his job was to get foreigners to betray their countries during the Cold War. I highly recommend this James Iandoli interview James Semivan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxtL-sBhe30&t=219s

We should keep in mind however that, an organization like the CIA doesn’t,

1. send agents into harm's way,

2. overthrow governments,

3. supervise the execution of thousands of Vietnamese (Vietcong) civilian leaders (Operation Phoenix),

4. engage in mind control experiments that poison but rarely kill civilians (MKULTRA), unless the CIA as an institution and its individual case officers, are heavily invested in control issues.
With these factors in mind, it is not surprising that James Semivan would object to what are called Close Encounters of the Third and Fourth Kinds. From his perspective as described in this lively interview, these bizarre encounters are forced interactions that violate personal sovereignty.

I imagine that the problem for Mr. Semivan, and the US ruling elites who control our government when it comes to alleged "alien abductions”, it is these “Others” and not the United States Executive Branch who are doing the “controlling.”

In my view, these strange encounters with non-human intelligences have been described as “angelic” or “demonic” visitations since the beginning of recorded history. I suspect, but certainly can't prove that Mr. Semivan, as a highly educated and intelligent analyst, understands that so-called alien “abductions” are probably an ancient phenomenon, and perhaps as such have passed a test of time indicating that they might not be so dangerous after all.

One of the salient take away lessons of the FREE Experiencer Survey was the remarkable changes in the worldview of Contact Experiencers as the result of their encounters. They reported becoming more spiritual, but less religious, and more concerned about the environment and less about the accumulation of personal wealth. These non-human intelligences are appearing to an increasing number of people during a time of crises when we will either expand our rather limited human consciousness or suffer the consequences of not doing so.

In my judgment, the hundreds of thousands of “alien” encounters that have been documented represent a positive development that will hopefully facilitate the required spiritual transformations to make us better world citizens. I believe that one of two outcomes will likely result. Humanity will either acquire the wisdom to carry out a radical restructuring of society, one that will limit the effects of global warming and end war, or we will not reform our self-destructive ways. This will lead us to unparalleled disasters.

If the second path is taken and we don't undergo a spiritual transformation, then our civilization will possibly be stressed to the breaking point with runaway global warming. This will likely lead to endless wars, including nuclear ones, fought over dwindling material resources. We can anticipate migrations involving tens of millions roaming the planet attempting to survive. If our existing civilization is shattered, then we will be reduced to barbarism with hundreds of millions dying unnecessarily.

It is my hope that responsible leaders will emerge who will see spiritual transformation as a necessary international security issue and not follow the fearful interpretations of alien contacts that Jim Semivan and so many others are presenting.

For additional blogs about the societal impact of a possible ET presence click on the links below.
The blog linked directly below is a detailed analysis of the reasons for 75 years of denial of the reality of UFOs. Flying Saucers threaten our planet's elites, but not the Earth's people.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/07/05/an-et-presence-threatens-terrestrial-elites-but-not-our-planets-people/

You can’t control a person who wants “no thing.” I suspect that Flying Saucer Intelligences are feared by our planet’s elites because they can’t be controlled by the usual methods applied to the general population. If we start to identify, not with things and thought forms, but rather with universal consciousness, then ultimately, we cannot be controlled either.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/10/19/why-do-the-control-groups-oppose-an-et-presence/

Confirmation rather than the big “D” Disclosure is likely the next step in the authority’s gradual acclimatization program. The possibilities of linking flying saucers to solutions for major terrestrial problems is discussed.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/08/29/disclosure-versus-confirmation-preparing-the-foundation-for-a-cosmic-peace-campaign/

If flying saucer intelligences threaten all terrestrial elites, but not necessarily the Earth’s people, then it is understandable that governmental response to UFOs is a counterintelligence one.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/dueling-paradigms-perhaps-a-counterintelligence-model-is-better-than-a-scientific-one-to-study-ufos/

The Leadership Crisis in ufology. In the UFO subculture there are few leaders, mostly celebrities.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/the-leadership-crisis-in-ufology/

What will it take to convince people that UFOs are important.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/what-will-it-take-to-convince-people-that-ufos-are-important/

“Science, Counterintelligence & UFOs”
Researcher Val Germann wrote this important multi-part article in 1997. He has given me permission to repost his work on my blog site.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/04/science-counterintelligence-and-ufos/

J. Burkes MD 2023
Mr. James Semivan is a cool kind of guy, educated, congenial, very charming in a down to earth way. This former high ranking CIA official had a CE-3 in his home 30 years ago. Jim has become a very important advocate for disclosure and as a senior "manager" for top secret programs, he may have even supervised clandestine UFO related projects. Definitely a smooth operator, Semivan’s self-effacing demeanor was probably a great asset as a CIA case officer. After all, his job was to get foreigners to betray their countries during the Cold War. I highly recommend this James Iandoli interview James Semivan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxtL-sBhe30&t=219s

We should keep in mind however that, an organization like the CIA doesn’t,

1. send agents into harm's way,

2. overthrow governments,

3. supervise the execution of thousands of Vietnamese (Vietcong) civilian leaders (Operation Phoenix),

4. engage in mind control experiments that poison but rarely kill civilians (MKULTRA), unless the CIA as an institution and its individual case officers, are heavily invested in control issues.
With these factors in mind, it is not surprising that James Semivan would object to what are called Close Encounters of the Third and Fourth Kinds. From his perspective as described in this lively interview, these bizarre encounters are forced interactions that violate personal sovereignty.

I imagine that the problem for Mr. Semivan, and the US ruling elites who control our government when it comes to alleged "alien abductions”, it is these “Others” and not the United States Executive Branch who are doing the “controlling.”

In my view, these strange encounters with non-human intelligences have been described as “angelic” or “demonic” visitations since the beginning of recorded history. I suspect, but certainly can't prove that Mr. Semivan, as a highly educated and intelligent analyst, understands that so-called alien “abductions” are probably an ancient phenomenon, and perhaps as such have passed a test of time indicating that they might not be so dangerous after all.

One of the salient take away lessons of the FREE Experiencer Survey was the remarkable changes in the worldview of Contact Experiencers as the result of their encounters. They reported becoming more spiritual, but less religious, and more concerned about the environment and less about the accumulation of personal wealth. These non-human intelligences are appearing to an increasing number of people during a time of crises when we will either expand our rather limited human consciousness or suffer the consequences of not doing so.

In my judgment, the hundreds of thousands of “alien” encounters that have been documented represent a positive development that will hopefully facilitate the required spiritual transformations to make us better world citizens. I believe that one of two outcomes will likely result. Humanity will either acquire the wisdom to carry out a radical restructuring of society, one that will limit the effects of global warming and end war, or we will not reform our self-destructive ways. This will lead us to unparalleled disasters.

If the second path is taken and we don't undergo a spiritual transformation, then our civilization will possibly be stressed to the breaking point with runaway global warming. This will likely lead to endless wars, including nuclear ones, fought over dwindling material resources. We can anticipate migrations involving tens of millions roaming the planet attempting to survive. If our existing civilization is shattered, then we will be reduced to barbarism with hundreds of millions dying unnecessarily.

It is my hope that responsible leaders will emerge who will see spiritual transformation as a necessary international security issue and not follow the fearful interpretations of alien contacts that Jim Semivan and so many others are presenting.

For additional blogs about the societal impact of a possible ET presence click on the links below.
The blog linked directly below is a detailed analysis of the reasons for 75 years of denial of the reality of UFOs. Flying Saucers threaten our planet's elites, but not the Earth's people.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/07/05/an-et-presence-threatens-terrestrial-elites-but-not-our-planets-people/

You can’t control a person who wants “no thing.” I suspect that Flying Saucer Intelligences are feared by our planet’s elites because they can’t be controlled by the usual methods applied to the general population. If we start to identify, not with things and thought forms, but rather with universal consciousness, then ultimately, we cannot be controlled either.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/10/19/why-do-the-control-groups-oppose-an-et-presence/

Confirmation rather than the big “D” Disclosure is likely the next step in the authority’s gradual acclimatization program. The possibilities of linking flying saucers to solutions for major terrestrial problems is discussed.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/08/29/disclosure-versus-confirmation-preparing-the-foundation-for-a-cosmic-peace-campaign/

If flying saucer intelligences threaten all terrestrial elites, but not necessarily the Earth’s people, then it is understandable that governmental response to UFOs is a counterintelligence one.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/dueling-paradigms-perhaps-a-counterintelligence-model-is-better-than-a-scientific-one-to-study-ufos/

The Leadership Crisis in ufology. In the UFO subculture there are few leaders, mostly celebrities.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/the-leadership-crisis-in-ufology/

What will it take to convince people that UFOs are important.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/what-will-it-take-to-convince-people-that-ufos-are-important/

“Science, Counterintelligence & UFOs”
Researcher Val Germann wrote this important multi-part article in 1997. He has given me permission to repost his work on my blog site.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/04/science-counterintelligence-and-ufos/