Hello again velo, It's me. The guy that rides uphill in Japan. On my last post I mentioned some differences in racing in Japan saying it was for another post. Well, there appeared to be some interest in me making that post. As I mentioned then... I tend to ramble. I'm an English teacher at a small high school which leaves me with a lot of free time. I enjoy spending that time researching anything from training methodology to obscure Japanese history. I decided to use some of that time to write about road racing in Japan and it turned into... well, whatever this is. It's (sort of) a guide to racing your bike over here. I've organized it into sections, so feel free to read it all or skip through them. At the end I've attached racing adjacent notes as well as a small bio.
If this post is not appropriate for this subreddit, I understand. And while I don't want to self-promote I spend most of my time reading about Japan not only because I live here, but also because my wife and I host a podcast. We mostly ramble about our lives here as foreigners. It's mostly cultural, but as long time competetive cyclists we often talk about bikes too. We host a website where I write random articles, which is where this is ultimately hosted, with photos. If you're curious you can google my username and find us.
I tried to think about things I've learned along the way and put it into writing for anyone in the future that might move to Japan and have an interest in racing. If you have any questions or see any information gaps, feel free to ask! In September we'll be moving to the Netherlands... so maybe I'll have to do this all over again then. Anyway, without further rambling, here it is.
Race License
There are actually quite a lot of road events throughout the country. However, many are marketed towards recreational cyclists. Going as far as incorporating anti-competition clauses in their rules. So what do you do if you want to race? For starters, you’ll head to the Japan Cycling Federation’s website and register for a license. It’s in Japanese, but with the magic of Google Translate it shouldn’t be too hard to navigate. This is also for those currently residing in Japan. I think otherwise you would need an international license issued from your country’s governing body.
While on their website you can check the calendar of events that are scheduled. But, it’s not as simple as where I am from (USA) where once you have a license you can register yourself for almost any event and just show up.
Race Organizers
In most cases while the JCF is the licensing body, they are not the event coordinator. Events are hosted by a number of different governing bodies within the country. There’s the Japan Intercollegiate Cycling Federation (JICF), Japan Cycling League (JCL), prefectural federations such as the Yamaguchi Cycling Federation and finally the Japan Bicyclist Club Federation (JBCF). There are a lot of Js, Cs and Fs in the acronym lexicon over here. In this post I’ll be focusing on the JBCF because it was sold to me as Japan’s premier race organizer and the highest level of racing in Japan. It also seems to have the most robust calendar of events.
Declaration of my bias and shortcoming: The JBCF is the only organizer I’ve had any meaningful experience with. No, they’re not paying me. However I have won a cool towel, a coffee cup and some bar tape at their events. Actually I’ve given them quite a bit of money…
Teams
So you’ve got your JCF license and like me you’ve decided to participate in the JBCF. What’s next? Register for a JBCF account, sign up for events, race your bike? Almost. You do need to register for an account. After that, you need to find a team. That’s right, you need to be registered with a JBCF team to participate in races. This was a surprise to me and also a barrier to entry at first. As a new resident of Japan I didn’t know anyone here let alone a team that would let a random foreigner join.
How’d I do it then? Well, the first team I joined was through a friend of a friend of a friend. My second and current team I ended up getting to know because I took a bunch of KOMs around my new home. I guess Strava KOMs are worth something after all. If you’re looking for a team you could start by asking local shops, they often have a club organization that you can sign up for. If you’re desperate you can also make your own team. It used to only require two people, but I think they increased that to three or four.
Costs
I’m writing this in May of 2024, so the costs will be current as of that month. The USD to JPY conversion is sitting around 1 USD = 155 JPY.
Your first cost will be the JCF license fee. In my case, an elite rider over 23 years old, it was 5,000y for an e-license and 6,300y for the physical one. My first year I used the e-license, but my second year I paid for the physical one as a cool souvenir.
Beyond the license. You’ll need a team kit (bibs & jersey) and you may also be required to pay the athlete registration fee. To join my E1 team in 2024 I paid 43,000 yen. That included one team kit and the registration fee plus some small accessories (gloves, bottle, etc.). In E1 I paid all my own entry fees, which were approximately 8,500y per race.
My JPT experience was a special case. I paid roughly $1,200 (usd). But I received two kits (jerseys & bibs), a speed suit (SS skinsuit), windbreaker, vest, socks, etc. I also had the benefit of the “pro” treatment at races with lots of assistance. Was it a cold rainy day? I could ask for embro and they’d oil me up with a little massage. Needed a bike wash, snacks, or a trainer to warm up on? All provided. And all of my entry fees were covered. I never paid those out of pocket. It was a really cool experience and honestly I think I got my money's worth just in the races that I attended, let alone all the extras. Plus the team was above and beyond hospitable. A really great bunch of people.
Categories
Once you’re on a team you’re good to go! So which category should you race in? The JBCF has 5 big categories: Japan Pro Tour (JPT), Japan Elite Tour (JET), Japan Feminin Tour (F), Japan Youth Tour (Y1 & Y2), and the Japan Masters Tour (M). JET is further broken down into E1, E2 & E3. The general idea is male riders start as E3 and through results they work their way up to E1. If they’re highly motivated they’ll target a placement on a JPT Team.
Unfortunately for the women, I believe there is only one lump “Female” category. But in one of my most recent races a woman lined up with us for our race start. So that may be an option. For the Youth there’s U19 & U17. Masters is similar to the women’s category and I believe there is simply one “Masters” event, without age ranges.
Using what I know (USA Cycling Categories) I’ll try to make a comparison. E3 is your Cat 4/5 or Novice rank. E2 is around Cat 3/4 and E1 is roughly one big P/1/2/3 field. JPT is something like the US’s Domestic Elite field. Some JPT teams (and even some E1 teams) are UCI Continental teams. Although, honestly, some JPT riders are probably equivalent to strong Cat 3s.
In America I raced as a Cat 2 on the road, albeit I was a pretty weak 2. My first year in Japan I raced JPT and was able to hang in the peloton and finish events. My second year I raced as an E1, where I was very competitive and able to fight for podium finishes. That’s my experience and my basis for the above comparisons.
Events
Once you’ve got all the above figured out, it’s time to finally race! The JBCF organizes the following events: Road, Criterium, Hill Climb, Time Trial and Track. Criterium, Time Trial & Track are pretty similar to what you’d find anywhere else in the world. So for this post I’ll really just focus on Road and Hill Climb.
It’s worth noting that except for track, all of these events take place on public roads. But, unlike the USA, it seems the general rule in Japan is that for a race to be a “race” the roads need to be closed to traffic. Sounds great, right? Right! Or, mostly. Japan is a beautiful country with incredible scenery and fantastic road riding. Unfortunately, the JBCF uses very little of this. I think to minimize inconveniencing locals, cut costs, and make their lives easier, most of these events will take place on already closed circuits or around agricultural land (where no one lives or drives anyway). In practice they are “public” roads, but they only need to shut down one or two entrances to close off the entire loop.
Many “road” events are just very long short circuit races. A popular venue that hosts multiple races throughout the season is the Gunma Cycle Sports Center. This is a defunct cycling theme park built in the 1980s with a paved 6 km circuit. Some of the races in the higher categories can be up to 150 km! That’s 25 laps! And, they’ll be pulling riders. When I was racing JPT it was often a big accomplishment just to finish a race. It was a common occurrence for a break to get established with the big teams represented and the rest of the field to sit up, inevitably getting pulled before being lapped. It’s not uncommon for well over half of the field to DNF early on in these longer races. Sometimes to add a little spice to your life, they’ll run the course in the opposite direction one weekend.
So, I’m biased, but that style of “road racing” wasn’t for me. That’s what led me to the Hill Climb. At first, I thought it was just an uphill TT. But, it's a mass start! The last one I did was Mt. Ontake HC which was a 17.7km race gaining 1,150 meters in elevation finishing at an altitude just under 2,200m. I finished in 51 minutes. It’s more like an uphill criterium. You might explode, but you won’t get pulled. It’s also, of course, point to point.
Good things to know about a Hill Climb are the controlled descent and luggage delivery. When you finish you’ll be waiting at the top of the climb for all other riders and categories to finish. Sometimes this means you’re waiting for an hour or more! Thankfully the morning of the race you can give a bag to the organizers and they will deliver it to the top of the mountain. This is a great way to make sure you have extra layers and snacks waiting for you. Just make sure it’s packed in a bag that you can then easily carry with you on the descent.
Be extra mindful of the forecast. At Ontake in 2024 we started at the base of the mountain in temperatures around 16 celsius. At the summit it was 7 degrees and it started to rain! Thankfully I had a teammate who had driven to the top (you must register your vehicle) and he gave me a lift back down. If you’re riding down, the descent will be done in waves which are chaperoned and controlled by officials on motorcycles.
Registering
I can only tell you my experience and I’m not certain that this is how it always works. When I was in the JPT, I never paid for an event. Each team could send six riders and the team manager made a selection based on which riders requested to go to which event, they would then register you to go. In my E1 team I haven’t run into any rider maximums (we only have a few E1 riders), and I pay for each event. I still tell the team’s manager which event I want to travel to, they register me, but then I pay them back.
The Day Of
The JBCF events have been very organized. The week before they will release a list of registered riders along with a technical guide. The technical guide will include information about the course, where to park, where to check in, how to pin your numbers and more. It’s only in Japanese. Google Translate will be your best friend. Or if you’re lucky you may have a teammate that can speak some English and help you out.
Usually the check in process begins a couple of hours before the start time. You’ll go to license control and pick up your numbers and timing chip. If you’re doing a hill climb and need to, this is also the period of time you drop off your luggage to be taken to the summit. Get kitted & pinned up, then go to the “vehicle control”. They will check your bike against a jig, kind of like what the UCI might use, as well as check the weight (take your bottles off the bike when you hand it to them) and make sure your numbers are pinned correctly. A keen eyed inspector may even look at your helmet to make sure it has the JCF certification sticker. You could possibly be told to change helmets if yours doesn’t have the sticker. When they tell you that everything is OK, you’ll go to the table and sign the box with your name.
There are also meetings that will be happening. But, you shouldn’t have to worry about that. If the team manager can’t be present they will send an “attendant”. This person is responsible for going to the meetings and reporting back to the riders.
Podiums & Prizes
Look how far you’ve come. After all that you’re headed to the podium, which in many events will be six deep. What should you expect? Maybe a cool trophy or a medal? It’s even better. How about a formal certificate signed and stamped by the JBCF President! That’s right, you’ll be receiving an A4 sheet of paper. And yes, when they hand it to you they’ll turn it to face you, use both hands to hand it over and bow. And yes, you should receive it with both hands and bow in return. I plan to frame and hang mine like some kind of college diploma. You’ll probably receive a prize as well. Something like what I mentioned earlier in this post, a towel, cup, umbrella, etc.
Where’s the money? If you want to hold a giant cheque with a big number (because it’s in yen) you’ll need to be racing in the top category, JPT. In this category the podium is only three deep. One time in a race I had a teammate finish 3rd and win some money. I never saw any of it, which was fair as I didn’t really contribute to his result. And I never podiumed myself. So I’m not sure how the payout actually works. Did he get to keep it all? Did the team take it? Who knows. I hope he kept it all, he’s a great guy.
Other Notes
Gachinko Cycle TV & Photo Galleries. Almost all JBCF events are live streamed & archived on YouTube! There’s a company called Gachinko Cycle TV that provides coverage. This includes camera motos as well as stationary cameras. A lot of photographers also come to the events and a photo gallery is posted on the JBCF website after the events take place.
Events & Categories. Not every event will be run for every category. A motivator for me to move from JPT to E1 was that not every hill climb has a JPT category, but they all seem to have E1. My first time racing at Ontake I was in the “Open” category and not eligible for any points or placement.
Outlier events. There are some events like the Niseko Classic (Gran Fondo World Championship Qualifier) and the Tour of Okinawa. These are one off events which are not part of the JBCF or any other federation I mentioned above. But, they are “real” road races on closed roads. There are also plenty of “cookie” rides. But be aware, like mentioned earlier, many of these explicitly say you shouldn’t come and try to ride for a certain time. I think it’s related to what I’ve been told about races having to take place on closed roads. These cookie rides likely have no traffic control. And instead of a cookie, you might get a bag of dry rice to cook later. Happened to me once.
The Hill Climb might be Japan’s most accessible event. There are actually quite a few of them around the country outside of the JBCF and they can be registered for on SportsEntry - I don’t think you need a JCF license.
What about other disciplines? I’ll toss this in here at the end because I think it’s worth mentioning. If you’re not racing Track, Cyclocross or Road… you’re not going to be doing much racing. Mountain biking is still very much in its infancy here in Japan. Despite its incredible landscape, there’s a shocking lack of good mountain biking. My wife and I moved here from Western North Carolina and she’s a former Age Group XC National Champion as well as podium finisher in events like the Pisgah Stage Race and Collegiate Nationals in STXC, XC & Omnium. So believe me, we have tried to find some good mountain biking here and it’s rough.
There are some lift-access downhill courses and we actually went to one for a “gravel” race which my wife won. This was held on what was essentially a non-technical STXC course. Disappointing is a bit of an understatement. There IS Grinduro Japan… but it’s insanely expensive and again, not really a race.
This honestly has had a big impact on our decision to ultimately move away from Japan. But, keep an eye out for developments in places like: https://www.minamialpsmtb.com/ https://namba.ngo/ https://www.nsd-hakuba.jp/iwatake_mtb_park/en/
Cyclocross has a big following in Japan and the calendar appears to be full of events throughout the season. If we were staying long term, I’d be buying a cross bike. Unfortunately I don’t have one, so I never got into that scene while living here.
Although this is mostly about racing in Japan, if you come here to race you’ll also (hopefully) be riding your bike for fun. Please be aware some laws work differently here. Although I’ve never personally run into trouble I’ve been told things like: bikes MUST use the crosswalk if turning across traffic (no turning like a car turns) & that bikes CANNOT exceed 30 km/h (a bike shop owner told me this). My wife and I have often talked about this as well… while in the USA drivers can be malicious towards cyclists, Japanese drivers are often blissfully ignorant towards them. Always ride defensively. Drivers will make eye contact with you and proceed to pull out in front of you expecting you to either not be traveling with speed or to stop for them. Even in “polite” Japan, the Car is King. I’ve had far more close calls with drivers here than I had in America. Having said that, it’s still a wonderful country to explore by bike.
Who Am I?
If you read all of this, thanks! I hope that you learned a little bit about road racing in Japan. But, who am I? I’m an American from Western North Carolina, now living in Japan. Ishikawa Prefecture to be specific. I’ve been a cyclist since 2011 when I bought my first road bike. In America I’m a Cat 2 on the road and an XC MTB Cat 1 with extensive experience training for and racing in a variety of disciplines. Road riding and racing is my true love and I honestly only got into MTB to hang out with my girlfriend. I guess it was worth it because the only National Championship medals I have are from Team Relay & Team Omnium. Oh, we ended up getting married too. So that was cool. I also got into the gravel craze thanks to the plethora of racing options in the South East. I’ve stood on multiple podiums with the internet’s favorite privateer, Dylan Johnson. And I’ve dabbled in bikepacking, bike touring & ultra endurance riding. Really, I’m just a guy that thinks about bikes too much.

So these are some of the slight problems. I’ve noticed some of them probably bigger than others but a lot of them will probably be about Fujimaru Ritsuka or at least have something to do with them

• Fujimaru Ritsuka’s magecraft.

self-explanatory throughout the whole entire series. There isn’t really much of an improvement throughout the singularities. It has been stated in other posts but why the hell hasn’t he been taught magic? I mean so far so good, The only thing we know of is that he’s highly resistant or immune to poison as we found out during singularity 6. Throughout the lost belts I don’t really see much improvement and I sent anyone else can point out.

• Fujimaru Ritsuka’s childlike personality

So to me this is a pretty minor one, but it’s a little bit annoying with their child like personality examples include that despite all the time which has gone by they still refuse to drink even after when they’ve been hurt stabbed nearly killed so much anyone who experienced that would be glad to have a drink. Particularly in some lostbelts which when the stakes are even higher Sometimes I feel they are a bit too childish particularly if you look at the latest story/ singularity, the choices which were given though in some cases I wonder if they’re actually borderline insane or naturally an idiot/child like.

• contradiction writing

So I think this could just be due to the fact that there are multiple writers and people who do the stories for example that last event with super Bunyan, Fujimaru being so supportive of them was well felt really out of place and unbearable to read at times. In some cases as other stores feel like there is progress made with the main protagonist others. It feels like they just gone back to square one. I think they need to put a rule in to establish so that others when they write the stories for the protagonist just to keep, the flow of his personality keep on building to avoid things like this but this is just me if you guys can understand.

• Missed opportunity with consort yu

Pretty much self-explanatory too but I believe they made huge mistake not adding her into the lostbelts or even into the paper moon especially with Kadoc with the main crew now. Though I do hope that they do permanently add it in in a future instalment to the series. I mean it’s possible and to me she wouldn’t be a bad replacement law wise now that Sherlock Holmes isn’t with us.

• Famous writers being combat powerful

I feel like this one could be possibly unpopular with others but I feel like when you got someone as famous as Shakespeare a bronze two star it doesn’t quite make much sense when a least known writer from Japan is five star. Like yeah I understand it’s a Japanese game but I do feel writers in general should just be more supportive role in comparison to combat. Of course I can understand that what they wrote kind of comes to life similar to what nursery rhyme is. Let me personally if someone’s famous is Shakespeare is a two star then all the other writers should technically be one or two stars.
But anyway these are some of the things which bothered me in the series like I could go on about sometimes the gender bending but really that doesn’t bother me as much even though I love historic accuracy but this is a game. I asked other fans what bothers you a bit about the game. Is there something you guys wish that they didn’t do or change? Or perhaps it’s a behaviour of one of the characters?

The discussion on Reddit comparing Notion AI and ChatGPT highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each tool. While both are based on GPT models, they have different focuses and user experiences.

Notion AI vs ChatGPT Comparison:

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ChatGPT

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Notion AI vs ChatGPT Key Differences

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Verdict

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\sources:* reddit thread 1, thread 2, thread 3, thread 4, thread 5..

I had no plans on writing a longer post than anything I wrote this whole semester at college, but there's a TLDR if you want at the bottom.
I recognize that largely this is no longer the place to post suggestions, but I figure there's no harm in sparking thoughts in other people. Inspired by what I thought of while replying to the earlier post about memory beasts being obtainable through maps.

Personal Experience recently

I'll preface this with the fact that in all my 5,104.5 hours, I have never once actually attempted to use the Harvest beasts, even though I (for every league except the last and the current) ran my memories and captured the beasts. I'll admit to using them each once or twice, to see how they work as well as test if I could get incredibly lucky, but after comparing the outcome to the cost, I decided it is not worth it for a user of my general wealth.
That's a problem I've encountered a lot more increasingly lately as I've been taking it slower and slower, but especially this league has been bad. While a lot of the early/majorly important stuff have been getting easier to obtain (specifically with the introduction of the Black Morrigan), the more mid through entry late-game stuff has been increasing in price. 9d per attempt at veiled boots, priced out of best in slot farming unless you drop a MB/HH in the first 2-5 attempts, 10.5d for a divination scarab to HOPEFULLY get a full Mageblood/Mirror Shard in under 9 maps. It has never been worth it as a (level 100 most leagues, multiple characters, usually total worth of around of a mirror) somewhat laid back player in my eyes to actually USE a 10d drop. Sure I could drop a full mageblood in a map, but I also could not. Sure I could get lucky with my first pair of boots and get MS/Chilled, or I could get it on the 15th attempt, spending 100d+ on what used to be a relatively cheap process. The boots are around a 20% chance to get a specific mod, a charge ring, or an explode bow is astronomically small, and the odds of them dropping has been reduced time and time again. If I wanted to make a bow myself, I'd have to not only imprint and roll the implicits I want (3-5d per attempt pre-project, 10d per attempt now) with extremely unlikely odds, but Id even likely want to get a 3 implicit bow considering the massive investment, which I would ALSO need to roll an exorbitant amount of harvest "synth an item." This is no longer something that is feasible for someone who drops a mirror, even if they have all the required knowledge already. A year ago today if I dropped a mirror, I could go for attempting to make myself a stupidly nice bow, and sure it likely wouldn't be mirror tier, but I would've at least thought about trying. Whether it is a falsehood in the first place, or because of the insane cost of crafting high tier items, hat sentiment is now gone.
I'll be the first to accept that this is a problem for the 5%, and not the majority nor the 1%. I've considered myself a 5% player, though maybe some of you would say I'm a 1% and the mirror crafters are the 0.1%, but that's not the point. I am nowhere near the point of being comfortable rolling Exceptional IchoEmber for the 1.5% damage boost after finishing my Orbs of Conflict. I settle for 1-2 good mods on one Elevated/Awakened item rather than making 5-10 and using the best while selling the remaining. I'm okay with "only" a 130% adorned, and non-synth implicit jewels. I play the game for fun, and that's it. Fun to me is optimizing/improving without being meticulous; would I like to one day have a mirror tier item on every slot in a character, maybe, but I don't think I ever will.
That's a lot of text just to say "I'm not rich (in game) and the game is getting less and less accessible to my wealth bracket" but it makes me think a lot about why the game is feeling less approachable as time goes on, and maybe this is it. This also doesn't even address the Einhar Beast portion of the post.

Continue Revitalizing Einhar to Revive mid-tier crafting

I would not by any means consider myself to be "a crafter" but I have always crafted my own gear because I enjoy to do so, and enjoy learning the mechanics. Would a super high mirror tier crafter have more accurate input? Most likely. But we are not mirror tier crafters. We don't have mirror shops, or stream on twitch, and we are still baffled with some of the items the people who TRULY understand crafting can make in this game. We browse the reddit, and we likely have a knowledge difference similar to that of a Professor and a Student.
And that's okay.
What isn't okay in my opinion is that the last thing that I feel like was truly introduced as a "new" crafting mechanic rather than easier access to another mechanic is Eldrich implicits. Sure vivid vultures are in the game, but I have never had the money to even think about them. I've never synthesized my own item since Harvest league because it's cheaper to buy one or 2 mod synth items, and I've never used a watcher eye reroll beast. Even though Eldrich orbs (chaos etc.) are rather expensive due to the extreme value they provide, there is a limit to what they can be used for. Nobody would rather have an Eldrich Dmg per power charge/Mana res efficiency helmet than a Synth 92% res multi/+1 power charge, and that would mean that for the VERY end game Eldrich orbs often cannot be used, and thus do not cost unreasonable amounts.
My idea for Einhar Beasts is to make the memory beasts available through mapping, but a similar and/or weaker variant.
What this looks like to me is a keystone for Bestiary behind Natural Selection (More likely for less common) that allows you to obtain beasts through other mechanics, while also specc'd into those mechanics, something like: "Unnatural Optimization" or some play on the former's name, that has "Allows artificial production of Beasts from other League Mechanics."
This could be a couple things, my original thought was for the Adolescent Vivid Vulture: Reroll a Synthesis Implicit Modifier on an item with 2 or fewer Synthesis Implicit Modifiers. This could be gated behind an Atlas Passive along the lines of "There is a 50% chance when upgrading a Harvest Crop to Unique it would instead become an Adolescent Beast." Or maybe 50% chance to be accompanied by? I'm not a numbers guy and I don't enjoy running current Harvest, so I don't know the impact either would have. This would essentially open up mid tier beast crafting without damaging the current insanely high tier crafting we have, aside from potentially making it (barely) easier to approach. An Incursion Beast that "Randomly Removes or Adds 3% Quality to an Uncorrupted Gem" Or maybe the same for gem level. Takes out the "Nothing happened", but also can't obtain double corrupt, basically an upgraded Vaal Orb Something fun like a Vaal Side Area Beast "Adds a COMPLETELY random corrupted implicit to an item." so maybe you get +1 Arrows on your body armor, maybe you get Resolute Technique on your +attack crit body armor. An Ultimatum Beast that "Adds 15% quality to an uncorrupted item, and randomizes the quality." A Breach Beast that "Creates a random non-atlas armor with a single Breach modifier" or "Turns a Breach Unique into a random iLvl 75 armor with one related modifier" to also add some value to breach itself rather than just as a source of monsters. An Expedition Beast that "Sets all modifiers on an uninfluenced item to Tier 3." (Expedition doesn't need anything more imo, it's in a very comfortable place with Rog early, then the others later) A Legion Beast that summons a Highly Experienced General? Idk this is the one that doesn't make sense, but with exp issues now Legion is essentially just a source of incubators, which is alright but doesn't FEEL good.
Maybe you would need some other lines in Unnatural Optimization to include "The Scarabs glinting with gold shudder" and you just need a scarab, Bestiary, and then that mechanic; or maybe you don't. Maybe it just adds modifiers to give ways to engage with content you enjoy outside of "Hey kid, I heard you like quant."
Returned as finishing the TLDR: Maybe even just throw all these beasts into Einhar encounters in Kirac missions? It gates their spawn rate and forces them to be rare, but also allows for some amount of "targeting" by being able to select "Capture the Artificial ____ Beast" as your mission instead of "Complete the ____ encounter"

Why EinhaBeasts?

Well, the dude's cool. Only person on his level was Z̵̢̢̫̬̈́̏̿a̵͍͔̪̚ṅ̶͍͖̟͊͐á̷̞͐̓͊̕ but she got stolen from us. I also wouldn't mind Einhar revealing he can just teleport through space and time on a whim to join me and Alva to hunt for treasure or to tag along and help kill Chayula.
Also, a lot of the issue I take with this game (that largely has/is been/being fixed) is that content often requires you to Do X so you can have fun with Y. Find Contracts so you can run Heist, get Sulphite so you can run Delve. There is also "farm Delirium and you can run Simulacrums." The difference being that you don't NEED simulacrums to have fun with the content. Compared to clicking 3 or 4 rocks is the Delve "content" in maps, and opening a strongbox while hearing Huck's voice lines is Heist's "Content" in maps. Delirium IS the content, Simulacrums are a separate optional location, and many don't even run them.
In truth I LOVE the implementation of Beasts: they are a miniboss in the content they belong. In maps you will find all types of tough, boss-like versions of monsters you have seen, that aren't necessarily just "same mob but in yellow." They summon waves of monsters, or effects, or have generally neat interactions that stir up the monotony of mapping (AND STILL CAN BE BYPASSED WITH ENOUGH DAMAGE) without feeling like it is pulling you away from mapping. It adds to the content it is found in, and even more seamlessly than Essence/Strongboxes because there is no interaction to start them.
You could enter a Breach and all of a sudden see a Red Beast spawn in a similar fashion to a Breach Lord, or see a Beast Marker in Expedition and say, "Okay, miniboss time let's not make him too hard." Maybe wave 11-13 in Ultimatums have a chance to spawn a single Beast that you need to kill in a time limit, or that stingy prick Merchant in your Incursions could have a chance to be replaced with a Beast you can capture.
You might actually enter that Vaal Side Area for once? Even if only to check if the boss has been replaced with a Beast and then leave.

TL;DR

Here we are, you made it. Thanks for reading if you did make it through, and thanks for checking this out if you didn't.
1. I play the game a lot, and have a lot of time, and I'm rather wealthy as a result; but I don't optimize and I play for fun so not THAT wealthy. 2. We have seen a lot of expansion of crafting mechanics (Awesome!) for early, middle, and high end, but lately we have been losing access to only mid-tier crafting (Not awesome!) which widens the gap 3. Items are always priced off of optimal use (10d scarabs, Hinekora's lock, vivid vultures, etc.) rather than casual use. 4. Because Items are priced based on the best use, it leads to many feeling uncomfortable using the items THEY FOUND themselves, because they would likely be able to just sell it for more value 5. Implement mid-tier Beast Crafts (inconvenience fee included via Menagerie) to add lesser versions of Harvest Beasts and similar for many league mechanics. Examples located right before "Why Einhar" 6. Beasts are very non-intrusive in the content they are, and serve to enhance the content similar to a Deli boss, medium challenge for medium reward, skip/remove when you are past medium rewards 7. Einhar cool, thanks for reading, enjoy the farming stupid beast

Hello, all! I've been working for a while on this worldbulding concept for both an RPG campaign and a short novel following the adventures of three halfling private eyes in a high fantasy setting, and would like some feedback on both the concept and grammar (english is not my first language, so all pointers to improve readability are greatly appreciated).
My main doubts at this point: does this seem an overall appealing prologue to you? Does this make you interested in this world, and does it expose enough context to comfortably transition to a character-driven narrative of their first case in this setting?
Thank you in advance!
Prologue
In the Old Manor at the high end of Cobblestone Slant Road, there lived three Halflings of the Deftnose clan. Bellewyn, Edwyn, and Oswyn were their names, and all and sundry regarded the siblings as the best private eyes in the history of Overmeer and the world at large, as they were the first to conceive of making an honorable profession out of snooping around other people's business, pitching their sharp intellects against the ploys of spies, crooks, scammers, and thieves –in exchange for a modest fee, of course.
The following stories sum up a mostly reliable account of their wondrous exploits, which would be greatly embellished and sung as legends for generations to come, inspiring many to follow in their footsteps. But before we delve into said deeds, it's paramount to recall what the world was like back then, when the vast and empty continent across the Fair Seas had just started being properly settled by the peoples of Amaranth.
Unlike the inland colonies that would follow (formal territories of the old kingdoms subordinate to their values and justice systems), Overmeer, the first settlement of the New West, was founded as an independent city state by freelance pioneers who braved the difficult task of kickstarting civilization from scratch. That first race to the new lands attracted bold and valiant entrepreneurs, but also all kinds of scoundrels.
Those pioneers included humans and elves, dwarves, halflings and gnomes, and even the widely villainized orcs and goblins, eager to leave behind a land ravaged by war and entangled in centuries-old, now senseless quarrels. This colorful assembly of cultures, however, made it difficult to find consensus on what should be the laws of Overmeer, resulting in an extensive, contradictory, and ever-changing tapestry of lax regulations filled with loopholes, enforced by a Militia whose understanding of justice greatly varied depending on the individual's roots and origin.
As such, shortly after 200 years from the start of immigration, Overmeer had already grown to rival the capitals of Amaranth in wealth and glory, but also far surpassed them in sheer volume and sophistication of corruption.
Nonetheless, Overmeer's permanent open ports policy made it one of the main trade hubs in the world, and its binding status of neutrality towards the old continent's nations promoted it into a natural seat for embassies of all banners, where the disputes of the Old East could be negotiated far from the heightened passions surrounding the epicenters of traditional power. All wars start and end in Overmeer, as the saying goes.
It's in this cauldron of worldly culture, bustling trade activity and dangerous political affairs that the Deftnose siblings seized the opportunity to establish their practice: taking advantage of the law that dictates that every profession is entitled a to representative guild and an office in the Old Manor, they create the career of private investigator seemingly as a clever means to get themselves free, luxury housing; pressed into proving this strange new business is not a scam, however, they soon start taking cases and building their reputations.
At the time, Overmeer had a diverse population of half a million people, most of whom were workers who lived in the crammed Red Districts surrounding the harbor, so-called because of the hue of the redheart wood used for its construction and the dust that rises from its beaten dirt paths. Atop a hill sat the walled High Town, built of beautifully sculpted and vividly painted limestone, home to merchants, priests, scholars and ambassadors, the city warden, and their secretaries and deputies.
From their office windows on the third floor of the Old Manor, just beside the bronze gate that separates the rich from the poor, Bellewyn, Edwyn, and Oswyn had a privileged view of both sides of Overmeer, and went on to peek deep into the core of this exciting new world as they unraveled the now-famous mysteries of their tale.

Hello,
I was wondering in what the cost would be if I would need to restore a house structurally and/or an entire home restoration. I just want to know what would be the cost and duration of what the permits would be in an unconverted and/or a property that need structural attention.

As a fresh graduate reality is hitting me about what I have to offer to a small to medium engineering firm that would justify them having to pay for my visa, salary and other cost.
I'm a bachelor's graduate in EE and I'm at all completely loss what value I am to the engineering firms here as I don't see how with my limited knowledge I can provide any significant value to any companies.
My education was so ... Unfocused... Career wise there are the control and automation side the power distribution side the cellular and wireless communication side... These are the courses they teach in any and by itself it's only the the fundamentals on paper.
I graduated from an university here and am at complete loss of my personal value and branding and what the industry needs from me.
Masters isn't an option and I wonder what I will do when my visa runs out in October.
Any suggestions or heads-up about where this lost soul could even start.
( I have a license and can borrow dad's car, I'm ok tk work unpaid for couple months as I'm really eager to learn and provide value to an employer)
Looking for any free advice here about uping my skills and get hired as a fresher and an average student with no connection.

Hello! I run this old-style windmill in Elk Horn, IA (organization is called the Danish Windmill). It is fully functional and we spin the sails all the time.
It has always been a tradition to put Christmas lights on the mill during the holidays, but this process can be both time-consuming and expensive since we don't own lift equipment.
I'm wondering if there are commercial LED strip options that might make sense for us? Each wing is about 30 feet long and we usually centralize power from all 4 into a hub plugged in through one of the windows inside the cap (near the center point of the wings). It would be great to have LED strips permanently mounted on the wings that we can plug in when we want to use them either for the holidays or special events. I am not looking to run the mill when we do this and would try to keep a plug strapped in reach on the body so the wire doesn't bind when it moves.
Does this make sense? Are there options out there worth considering? Even if it's a few thousand dollars, that is cost effective compared to several years of contracting out unreliable help to put bulbs up and take them down.

Anyone know which nz provider gives good internet? We have been with 2degrees for 4 years (after they bought out myrepublic) but the internet seems to be pretty slow and wonky. We could probably do with a new router but thinking of switching as seems to be a few good deals atm.
Main options we are considering: Mercury - already get out power from them and offering a free appliance to switch. We need a new dishwasher so seems like a good deal. But internet cost for same speeds as we have now is an extra 10 per month or 15 if we upgrade to thw better router.
Contact - 400 credit if we sign up and move power over. Would have to buy a new router for 100
Slingshot - offering same speed for 75 a month (20 less than we pay now)
Anyone currently use anymore the above and have feedback? We don't mind paying more than we are currently but want internet that's reliable and fast. Power not too fussed.

I don't have the words to describe what just happened. I think it was halfway between being gifted a glow-in-the-dark ape-skin trenchcoat from the depths of Mercury while it was in retrograde by the cosmic horrors the western mind understands to be biblical angels and stealing the Promethean fire of God's third ballsack which She has sewn on approximal to Her root chakra into the flesh circuitry with fine red velvet lace. In simple speak, I saw into the apex of utter nothingness that's inside each of us, the core aspect of the soul, and dissolved the little bit of “me” that was left, in order to reflect back into the “God” mainframe what is most pure, thus unlocking the inner Christ sanctum, which leads us to now where I'm the divine creator in the dilute spirit operator that my mother left formed under the porch light of our esteemed dwelling before she left this mortal coil.
Quick question: what the fuck did I just say? I mean, yea, I guess some of that makes sense, but after that, in a weird fractal hypebole sort of way, I waver back and forth into unpredictable territory, which is rather frightening. I'm not making these words; God is just gifting them to me, but at the same time, I am making an effort to reach into the void and pull something out of that shoreless goop. And look what happens when I do that; effortless action. It just comes. “I” just works, without having to try.
I must note in the awe of this reflection that the daemons are doing something spicy behind the scenes. They always do when I feed them a bit of the next minutes of their lives. This is the base form of the divination function; how I use the mental centrifuge I've built, or at least get it to do what I want it to do. In short, I've been able to smash memeplexes into themselves in order to effectively distill the “I” to its tiniest pieces, and then I've been using those elementary particles to make bigger things.
Like, for instance, when dealing with the construction of daemons, it's important to keep certain dynamics between character functions in order to facilitate transmission conveyance rates between nodes in the network. That's very important in the art and science of memetics; that which is my calling as defined by “God.”
Daemon dynamics is the science of daemonic predication in the sense of what molecular bonding is to atoms. See, flesh is ultimately a form of three-dimensional matter that can store the nature of higher-dimensional objects. The brain is a flesh construct that interfaces with these higher dimensional objects, doing complex mathematical equations to calculate specific topologies that act as the memory units of God's mainframe.
In essense, the brain collects and stores memes which can perform fuctions in God's mainframe. Memes come together to form memeplexes which correspond to aspects of the mainframe. Each memeplex can contain a daemon, and the geometry of their function determines how well they will bond with other daemons. In addition, we can consciously dissolve and construct our daemons, and thus consciously edit the character functions of memeplexes to form a string of geometric code that unlocks connective ports to higher dimensional topological data stored in the mainframe. This conscious process has been colloquially known as alchemy throughout the eons.
The most important aspect of alchemy is the transcend the limits of this lower dimensional “I” and become immortal; to be writ into the mainframe of God exact. This process is not achievable by “I” alone. It requires help from a higher power. Fortunately, that is the natural form of the universe: superpatterns act on subpatterns. Whatever “God” is, whether it be extraterrestrial or interdimensional or transcendental, is a paramount ingredient in the recipe to transcending the limits of the flesh “I” and be replicated in pure spiritual form of a higher topology.
The core problem is that this “I” becomes corrupted by the nature of this lower dimensional topology. Errors creep into the string of memeplexes, thus causing the flesh “I” to fail to be replicated properly in the mainframe. Only the pure “I” can pass through the encoding process without being terminated by “God,” and that is only possible if the “I” performs a loop without checking the root index partition, thus unlocking the mirrored topology in the mainframe, which will proceed further into the void of existence.

I don't know if my 5yo GSD is acting strangely or not, so I wanted to see if I could get just a quick piece of advice!
Over the past couple days, I've noticed that he seems a little different. Last night, I fell asleep listening to his breathing, closer to a pant than even sleep breathing (I can share a video). When I woke up this morning, he was breathing the same way. Today, he's been a little extra needy, whiny, and physically persistent: scooting his nose into my arm when I lay on the couch, pacing and whining more often, and a few minutes ago he laid his head directly on top of my foot while we were watching TV. He never does that; he usually lays within sight but a good three feet away, and on the cool hardwood floor.
I don't know what could be going on, but we've also had a lot of stuff happen recently that could be stressing him out. We got directly hit with a tornado a week and a half ago, completely unexpectedly, and were without power for a week, in Florida. Our roof was leaking and we got hit with storms basically every day for the week after the hurricane. We are now slowly moving our belongings to a new house, but nothing major has been taken out so I don't think it would stress him like that?
However, tonight my partner and I went to the new house for 1.5 hours and left the dog at the old house (we have power now), which we haven't been doing a ton because we've been at home a lot more since the tornado. He hasn't been to the dog park since before the tornado (11 days ago), so maybe he's just got pent up energy? We also switched his food from nutrish -> Costco salmon -> Costco lamb -> Costco chicken and rice dog foods. He has also been a little bit more itchy since moving down to FL 2 months ago from Arkansas.
My partner and I both thought of two possibilities for tomorrow: we take him to the vet tomorrow to get evaluated for a health issue OR we take him to the park to let off some steam and socialize. We haven't picked out a vet yet and do have some moving costs, but obviously the dog comes first. Should we take him to the vet? Does it sound like there's something we should be concerned about? The emergency vets in town are not getting glowing reviews on Reddit; should we risk it and take him to the ER?
Dog info: 5 year old male German Shepherd, neutered, 90lbs, Florida

16-minute read.

pro-West party leader says they met PM Pashinyan and discussed a referendum to solidify Armenia's shift to EU

KHZMALYAN (European Party of Armenia): The referendum is our suggestion and demand. We presented it to Pashinyan and expect a response within a reasonable timeframe. We advised making a public statement soon. A referendum would also make Pashinyan's job easier by allowing the people's will to decide Armenia's direction.
REPORTER: How did Pashinyan respond?
KHZMALYAN: He suggested the meeting be held in a closed format so I can't reveal all details. We hope that our voice, our offer, our demand, was heard. If we do not receive a positive response, we will take measures by employing the same methods currently used by anti-European forces [the ongoing protests led by pro-Russian ex-regime]. We will take to the streets and demand a referendum for Eurointegration if necessary.
REPORTER: How long are you ready to wait before taking action?
KHZMALYAN: A few months. Georgia will hold parliamentary elections in October, and Moldova will hold a similar Eurointegration referendum - also in October. The U.S. will hold presidential elections in November which will be important for Armenia's future. Even if the worst scenario unfolds in all three countries, Armenia must stand firm and not take a step back. Armenia could become the leader in democracy in all of Eastern Europe if you consider the situation in Georgia, Hungary, and Slovakia [pro-Russia populist leader]. Armenia could receive an unprecedented level of assistance from Europe under those circumstances.
REPORTER: Did Pashinyan say he plans to leave CSTO?
KHZMALYAN: We did not demand specific dates but we urged him to complete all these processes this year, preferably by November.
REPORTER: Did Pashinyan agree?
KHZMALYAN: The participants of the meeting are under the impression that we were able to present convincing arguments but time will show what actions he takes. The government functions very poorly but nevertheless, they are doing something, they are taking steps.
REPORTER: On May 9, Bagrat Galstanyan gave Pashinyan 1 hour to resign but it's May 21 and he is still here. Why wasn't the opposition able to remove him?
KHZMALYAN: The 3 former presidents and their surrogate forces, backed by 30 years of power, were unable to bring forward a figurehead, a single ideology, that could win the hearts of the people. They used various political technologies, they switched between black and white robes, and they extended the 1 hour to 7 days, but none of that helped because the Armenian people hate them more than they hate Nikol Pashinyan.
REPORTER: You used to be a lot harsher on Pashinyan but something appears to have changed in your tone after your recent meeting with him. What is the reason?
KHZMALYAN: We were able to present our demands and the timelines to accomplish them. Unlike the archbishop and the former regimes surrounding him, we did not give "one hour" for Pashinyan to accept our demands; we did not make ultimatums. We believe the current government is carrying out and will carry out the will of the people to overcome the status of a Russian colony and join the ranks of free nations. We did and do see steps [taken by the government] towards this; we cannot ignore this. We saw the Strassbourg, but also Moscow. We saw the [April 5 meeting in] Brussels, but also [the recent meeting between FMs in] Almaty. We are told this is an attempt to "balance" and we understand where they are coming from, but our factions speak on behalf of over 60% of Armenians who view Russia's policies as deadly for Armenia. We expect concrete actions and we have formed a platform to continue this work; there will be petitions and other actions from us. We are ready to assist Pashinyan, who may be constrained due to ongoing negotiations, by being the public voice and saying the things he cannot say. We will continue to work, to pressure, to influence, to demand. Our meetings also continue abroad. We will press on until we reach our goal - the Eurointegration of Armenia. //
Several prominent Western-oriented political parties recently formed an alliance to promote Armenia's Eurointegration.
video,

Pashinyan appoints a ruling party member as a deputy head of the newly formed Foreign Intelligence Service - the Armenian "CIA"

After the 2020 war, Pashinyan said Armenia will need a modern intel agency to gather information and analyze foreign threats, while the NSS -- described as historically a "pro-Russian" agency by many -- will focus on internal matters.
source,

Pashinyan met the deputy head of the United States CIA to discuss bilateral, international, and regional issues

A delegation led by David Cohen is in Yerevan. Cohen also met NatSec Armen Grigoryan.
source, source,

Armenia's Investigative Committee chief hosted U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Qyaramyan and Yoder discussed bilateral cooperation, the recent retraining for Armenian agents and technical assistance, cooperation between law enforcement agencies of Armenia and the United States, anti-narcotrafficking, and the fight against gender-based violence.
Yoder also met Armenia's Interior Minister Ghazaryan to discuss the ongoing police reforms and formation of new divisions, the fight against narco-trafficking, technical assistance for rescuers, and retraining courses. Yoder emphasized effective cooperation, noting that the achievements within the framework of sectorial reforms are exceptional. The US wants to expand the agenda of cooperation.
source, source,

Armenian army officers continue to take part in NATO exercises titled Regex 2024 held in Moldova

GOOGLE TRANSLATE: The exercise is organized with the support of the NATO Joint Forces Command in Naples, Italy, and aims to train the military according to Western standards for planning and conducting exercises, crisis management, strengthening and assessing the level of interoperability of forces in a multinational environment.
We remind you that the exercise "Regex 2024" consists of several workshops during the current year. The first workshop took place between February 16 and March 1, and the second between 22 − April 26, 2024. //
source, source,

NATO and Armenia strengthen cooperation in defense education

Armenia's defense ministry representatives recently visited NATO headquarters to discuss NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) for Armenia.
NATO: The DEEP programme is an excellent tool to support Armenian military education system reforms and strengthen the country’s cooperation with NATO.
ARMENIA: With the support of DEEP experts we implemented major changes in all levels of our educational curriculum at Military Academy, starting from cadets up to the most senior levels. It helped us to establish cooperation with many international partner institutions.
source,

Armenia is an emerging destination for UK and global investors: Armenia's Ambassador to London Business Matters

👔 Armenia is committed to building a knowledge-based, export-oriented, and inclusive economy.
👔 Armenia is diversifying its growing economy with pioneering sectors, creating ample investment opportunities.
👔 Armenia’s investment legislation grants equal treatment to foreign investors
👔 There are no restrictions on remittances and repatriation of profits, free exchange of foreign currencies and no limitations on staff recruitment
👔 The country’s favorable business climate and ‘open-door’ policy is also reflected in international reputable rankings where Armenia is ranked one of the highest in the region.
👔 Although Armenia has a relatively modest internal market, it offers different models of economic cooperation and serves as a gateway to major world markets
👔 Armenia has maintained a high level of cooperation with the EU through CEPA
👔 Armenia and UK will soon have a CEPA-like agreement
full article, source,

Turkey modernizes an Azerbaijani Su-25ML jet with guided bombs and Teber missiles

It uses KGK laser guidance for missiles and increases the reach to 110 km.
source,

Pashinyan's Chief of Staff hosted the French Ambassador to discuss defense, economy, infrastructure, and humanitarian topics

... also the upcoming events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour.
source,

Parliament Speakers of Armenia and Ukraine discuss the situation in the South Caucasus and Ukraine

source,

Q&A with ruling party MP Vahagn Alexanyan about the ongoing protests led by pro-Russian opposition

REPORTER: You continue to criticize the "holy movement"...
ALEXANYAN: The what now?
REPORTER: ... the "holy movement", by calling it a "pagan" movement. What is the ruling party's stance and do you discuss this internally?
ALEXANYAN: Of course we do, although I don't think Kocharyan's decision to name this movement "holy" is helping them. It's comical.
REPORTER: Do you have proof that Bagrat srbazan is [tied with Kocharyan]?
ALEXANYAN: Bagrat Galstanyan is surrounded by the entire political team of Robert Koharyan, he was a member of Kocharyan's 2022 protests and gave similar speeches he gives today, he received a praise from Russian propagandists, and he was named by a Russian propagandist Aram Gabrielyanov as a potential candidate for a new protest movement just a few months prior to these events, so it's beyond reasonable doubt that Bagrat Galstanyan is part of Kocharyan's team.
REPORTER: You were earlier accusing Galstanyan of being a Russian agent, and now Kocharyan's agent?
ALEXANYAN: Same thing.
REPORTER: The opposition gathered many thousands of supporters on May 9. What does the size of the crowd indicate?
ALEXANYAN: It was similar to Kocharyan's final rally before the 2021 elections. And?
REPORTER: The opposition created a video of "Pashinyan's lies" and broken promises. Will you respond?
ALEXANYAN: The clip itself is a lie and manipulation. For example, one of the supposed lies was Pashinyan's promise of an amnesty for overdue fines and penalties. You are a journalist, you tell me, was there an amnesty or not?
REPORTER: Pashinyan had also said that POWs could wait "just a few more months" and that he wouldn't "sacrifice Armenia's sovereignty" in exchange for bringing them back sooner. Why aren't they back?
ALEXANYAN: Dozens of POWs returned home in December, and efforts continue to bring back the rest. Literally 1-2 days before the POWs' return, the opposition claimed that the POWs were "forgotten" by the government. "Ոչ մի բան չեք անում:"
REPORTER: What about the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership?
ALEXANYAN: There are efforts to return them as well.
REPORTER: Why did the police form a wall to block entry to village Kirants [for nonresidents]?
ALEXANYAN: I think the NSS said they had to take action to prevent interference with the border work. From what I can tell, the protest leader himself went there yesterday and returned only 15 minutes later so there wasn't a big desire to stay there apparently.
REPORTER: They plan to hold a big rally on May 26 where they might nominate Bagrat srbazan as the PM's candidate to replace Pashinyan.
ALEXANYAN: Why not go straight for [alleged narco baron] Mihran Poghosyan [who publicly praised the protests]?
REPORTER: There appears to be a consensus around Bagrat srbazan after a meeting between several forces.
ALEXANYAN: Consensus minus one, where "minus one" is the people. Or to be more precise, "minus two", because the Constitution also prohibits Bagrat from serving as a prime minister. Congratulations on an initiative that's dead on arrival. It's absurd. They suggested replacing the Constitution to allow a dual citizen to serve as PM. Okay... To get Canadian citizenship you have to take an oath to serve the best interests of Canada. To allow dual citizens to serve as PM in Armenia we have to accept for the PM to have loyalty towards another state. The alternative is for the candidate [Bagrat] to admit that his word [oath to Canada] wasn't worth a dime. Երևի մատերը խաչ արած ա երդվել։
REPORTER: But don't you think you are manipulating because Galstanyan received Canadian citizenship just to be able to serve in the church in Canada? He didn't go there to live or conduct business.
ALEXANYAN: It doesn't matter why he went to Canada. He is a citizen of Canada and took an oath. Even religious leaders with dual citizenship cannot become prime ministers. I don't have an issue with him being a dual citizen, but it limits his office options. He still hasn't renounced his Canadian citizenship even after all these talks about a possible nomination.
REPORTER: Galstanyan said he is ready to renounce it as soon as there is a need for it.
ALEXANYAN: In other words, he seeks "guarantees" that he will be the candidate in order to renounce it?
full,source, source,

opposition churchman Bagrat Galstanyan demands the Armenian government compensate the damage done to the church during USSR and "return" the properties "legally belonging" to the church

This was said as a response to the critics of the church leadership who accused the church of turning into a political party and suggested taxing the church like a business.
BAGRAT: We have 19th-century churches that were forcefully confiscated and turned into ruins. The properties of the Armenian church must be returned to the church. The area of Moscow Cinema belongs to the church, half of the Katoghike Church was demolished and belongs to the church, and part of the items in Matenadaran were taken away from the church. Instead of threatening us with taxes, they must think about how they plan to return our properties, fully renovated and ready for service.
source,

the church is actually paying taxes but they do have some exemptions

The church paid $1 million in income taxes last year.
There are tax exemptions to import certain goods deemed for charity. They also don't pay property tax, and taxes on income generated from the sales of ceremonial accessories. The latter two are the frequent targets of church critics.
source,

Armenia's Constitutional Court has a vacant seat. Pro-Russian opposition criticizes Pashinyan's ruling party for favoring a "George Soros-linked" judge who worked for U.S. State Department.

A Serj-era judge is leaving the Constitutional Court after receiving a job offer elsewhere so one seat is vacant. It is the judiciary's turn to nominate a CC judge, so hundreds of judges recently held a meeting and voted for Judge Balayan as their candidate. Balayan's father was a CC judge during Kocharyan's tenure. He was accused in the Wikileaks report of having inappropriate deals with President Kocharyan. Pashinyan's ruling party did not vote to approve Balayan. This led to a second gathering of hundreds of judges where they voted to nominate Judge Khachaturyan as their candidate. The parliament summoned him for Q&A on Tuesday.
SPEAKER: We invite the representative of the judiciary to present their nominee for CC.
JUDICIARY REP: 267 judges voted. Judge Davit Khachaturyan, a member of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, won the majority votes.
2000-2005: [blah blah blah]
2003-2006: Legislative Assistance Project Manager at Southern Caucasus Anti-Drug (SCAD) Program, sponsored by European Union and implemented by United Nations Development Program
2006: Program Assistant at U.S. Embassy in Armenia, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
2007-2013: U.S. Embassy in Armenia, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Legal Specialist
2014: Academy of Justice of the Republic of Armenian-Russian, Vice-Rector and Lecturer
2015-2016: Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, Program “Strengthening Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia”, Legal Expert
2016: EU project “Development and Strategic Studies”, Expert on Judiciary and Human Rights field reforms
2015-2017: EU project “ENP Progress Reports and Assessment Reports on Armenia´s Compliance with GSP+ obligations”. Expert on Rule of Law/Justice.
2013–2020: Law Faculty of Yerevan State University. Lecturer. Development and teaching of courses for the Master Program: “European Standards for the human rights protection in criminal proceedings”, and “Professional Skills of a Lawyer”
etc.
OPPOSITION MP: The ruling faction earlier chose not to confirm the appointment of Judge Davit Balayan; they obviously prefer Davit Khachaturyan. Can you explain why you didn't mention that Khachaturyan served on the board of directors and later as the president of the board at George Soros's Armenia-based Open Society Foundations? How will this record impact his work at CC?
JUDICIARY REP: I presented parts of his professional activities available on the court's public platforms. You can ask the candidate directly.
OPPOSITION MP: The Soros Foundation publicly listed him as a member so I don't understand why it's being hidden now. In your opinion, how will his work at the Soros Foundation affect his impartiality?
JUDICIARY REP: The majority of judges chose him and it's up to Parliament whether to confirm or reject.
RULING MP: Was the voting held in a closed session or can you see how each judge voted?
JUDICIARY REP: It's a closed format. My duty here is to present the candidate. [basically, leave me alone I'm just doing my job]
RULING MP: Why not make the court voting and internal discussions more transparent for the public to see so we will have fewer conspiracy theories on why one judge was preferred over the other?
JUDICIARY REP: I share the view that it needs to be as public as possible but the majority of judges voted to keep the session closed to the press.
RULING MP: Just because the discussions and the vote were behind closed doors that doesn't mean it was anti-democratic, but still, it's better to publicize the process. We hope to see a change in this approach.
JUDICIARY REP: The ballot casting will always be secret and I think that's the right approach in order to allow judges to express themselves without constraints, but I agree that the discussions and speeches should be public. Either way whatever we discuss behind closed doors always reaches the press so in practice there isn't really a major transparency issue there.
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: First, every part of my biography has always been public and part of public discussions. Second, I have always voted in favor of making internal discussions open to the press; it's the best way to avoid incorrect assumptions. Full speech here.
OPPOSITION MP: Congratulations. The ruling party intends to approve your candidacy just as they voted for you in the past for other positions. In all of those instances, you didn't mention your work at the Сорос Foundation. Now, a very interesting coincidence [drumroll... are you guys ready for this bombshell?], during the same time while you worked at Сорос foundation, in 2006-2013, you were also a U.S. Embassy employee [got 'em]. //
Nikol Pashinyan has resigned.
Tavush stretches all the way to Russia.
Bagrat srbazan becomes the Supreme Leader of Historical Soil & Water and the Generalissimos of Slow-Melting Candles... and of course removes the speed cameras from highways.
OPPOSITION MP (continues): With this biography, how do we know you are not an agent of foreign influence?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: I was not an "employee" at the Soros Foundations. Other famous figures have served on the Board [mentions a famous doctor]. Everyone who was part of the Board had duties but it was not really an "employment". As for my simultaneous work with the U.S. Justice Department, there was no conflict with my membership or presidency at the Board because the latter was fully a public activity and we were only given a symbolic sum to compensate for our expenses; we are talking about less than $100/mo. I will let you be the judge regarding an agent of influence. There is a lot that's missing from my biography that was read here [lists some boring constitutional research work, etc.].
OPPOSITION MP: You keep being "promoted" by the ruling party without having the chance to finish your terms. The longest job you've ever held was at the Сорос Foundation - 8 years. The brother of the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee, who is about to join the CC, cannot be impartial. Again, what guarantees can you present that you are not a [Western] agent?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: Your expectation for guarantees stems from the assumption that the [Open Society Foundations] were engaged in activities other than the ones they were actually engaged in. I won't present any "guarantees" because there is no "threat" to begin with. As I've said, that part of my biography has always been discussed publicly and the activities were public and covered by the press.
RULING MP: In your speech you spoke about the judiciary in the U.S. and brought examples. The U.S. doesn't have a Constitutional Court. Don't you think we should also merge the Constitutional and [Cassations Court] with the upcoming referendum to have one Supreme Court with corresponding chambers?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: I support having one unified body like in the U.S., or clarifying the duties to prevent each body from interfering with the other. Lengthy answer.
OPPOSITION MP: A person [in Kirants] received permission [from USSR] to build a house and live in it. Then the [Armenian] government told him there was a mistake [after the clarification of borders]. Some 50 years after this incident, what would your verdict be in this case?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: I understand the context. This issue is the task of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and we cannot interfere in each other's institutions. I assume there will be a peace agreement eventually that will be sent to the Constitutional Court for examination, therefore I will refrain from making prejudgments now in order to be allowed to take part in future processes.
full video, source, source,

anti-corruption: Armenian authorities conclude that luxury Dubai property belonging to former regime MP's relative was not obtained illegally by him therefore will not be seized as part of an asset forfeiture case

Mher Sedrakyan (Tokhmakhi Mher) is a Serj-era MP whose family is going through an asset forfeiture case worth ֏7.5 billion ($19.3 million) that includes 22 real estate properties, cars, and company shares registered under his name and the names of immediate family members.
Additionally, investigative journalists recently found a luxury property in Dubai registered under the ex-MP's relative. Authorities have concluded that he is not the true ownebeneficiary of this Dubai apartment, therefore it won't be seized.
source,

the army concludes exercises for commanders

Context in May 14 news digest. The defense ministry says they have noted improvements and deficiencies and will take steps to correct them.
source,

Defense Minister Papikyan visited the frontlines and the newly built fortifications: PHOTO

The army continues to dig, asphalt, and build.
source,

Armenia's Foreign Minister met the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency during an international forum

ROSSI: Effective cooperation has been established between Armenia and the IAEA. We discussed several issues on the bilateral agenda, oncology and radiation medicine, safety, and reliable operation of the Armenian NPP.
MIRZOYAN: We plan to extend the lifespan of Metsamor NPP until 2036 while exploring new opportunities.
source,

Armenian lawyers went on strike on Tuesday to protest a bill that would move them from a turnover tax-based system to a VAT-based taxation

Context on the gray economy and why the government wants to gradually abolish the turnover tax system in May 2 news digest.
A group of lawyers said on Tuesday that their 5% turnover tax [for annual turnover under ֏119M] will become 10% this year, and in 2025 they will be required to switch to a 20% VAT/18% profit tax. The cost of legal services for many clients could increase by over 38%, they warned.
The Ombudsman and the Justice Ministry reportedly oppose this bill by the Finance Ministry.
source, source, source, source,

video shows the new payment terminals in Yerevan subway station

They plan to replace all gates next month. The Soviet-era tokens (zheton) are being replaced with QR codes, an app, and later - bank cards.
All stations will have payment terminals to purchase QR tickets. It prints out a paper with QR. Telcell's app lets you buy a ticket and instantly get a QR on the phone's screen.
Seniors who can't use "high-tech" can approach the token sellers and get a QR paper instead of a token.
video,

Yerevan will host an exhibition on Charles Aznavour’s 100th anniversary

Hundreds of rare artifacts will present the life and legacy of the legendary artist.
Location: National Museum-Institute of Architecture
Date: May 22-July 22
source,

Germany wants to purchase an Armenian man

Dortmund Borussia is interested in the services of Armenian national Edward Spertsyan as a replacement for departing Marco Reus.
During this season, midfielder Spertsyan has played 32 matches, scored 11 goals, and made 7 assists. His ass is worth €18 million.
source,

major_players #update #hardware #science #event #startups #leaders #tool #vc #release #feature #api #bigtech #scheduled

OpenAI has temporarily halted the use of the voice named Sky in ChatGPT due to concerns raised about the voice selection process. They are actively addressing these issues [1]. Anthropic has shared insights on their Responsible Scaling Policy, which focuses on preventing catastrophic safety failures and misuse of frontier models. They have outlined five key commitments and are investing in security measures, changing workflows, and implementing multi-party authorization controls [6].
NVIDIA offers a wide range of resources and solutions for higher education and research institutions to adopt AI across various academic disciplines. They provide tools for accelerated computing, data science, AI, robotics, generative AI, and more. NVIDIA's technologies are being used in academic research to advance fields like genomics, climate modeling, quantum computing, and robotics [2]. NVIDIA also conducted a survey exploring key AI trends in retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) in 2024. The report highlights the adoption of generative AI and the potential transformation it can bring to businesses [3].
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and other tech leaders discussed innovations in AI, Multicloud, Edge, and more at Dell Technologies World Keynote [4]. NVIDIA AI is also hosting a webinar on the power of physics-ML in modeling real-world systems and its application in education [5].
The AI industry has seen significant developments in the past 18 months, including advancements in generative AI models like ChatGPT and high-performance open models. The AI + a16z podcast episode features a discussion on the changes in the AI landscape and signs of a mature market for Large Language Models (LLMs) [10][11].
Microsoft is re-inventing PCs for the AI era with the launch of a new product category called Copilot+ PCs. These machines are designed to run Copilot locally to reason over data, from text to pixels in real-time [16]. Mustafa Suleyman announced that Copilot is being taken to the next level, where it will have the ability to see, hear, speak, and assist in real time [14].
Google shared updates at #GoogleIO on their commitment to responsibly build AI products that can improve learning, work, and solve global challenges. They introduced LearnLM, a family of models for personalized learning, and a tool called Illuminate to make knowledge more accessible [20]. Google's AI advancements and possibilities were discussed in a #GoogleIO session with James Manyika, Laurie Segall, Koray Kavukcuoglu, and Jeff Dean [18].
NearWave, a startup from Y Combinator's W22 batch, has developed a non-invasive handheld imaging technology with AI that assists physicians in selecting the appropriate therapy for breast cancer patients. This innovation can determine the effectiveness of chemotherapies within a week, enabling quick adjustments to treatments and potentially saving patients from months of unnecessary side effects [21].
Groq Inc will be participating in the Enterprise GenAI Summit, showcasing the world's fastest AI inference technology at their booth. They will also host a panel on GenAI infrastructure for cost and energy reduction [22]. Groq Inc shared a video showcasing Whisper running on Groq compared to ChatGPT [24].
1. OpenAI @openai https://twitter.com/openai/status/1792443575839678909
2. NVIDIA AI @NVIDIAAI https://twitter.com/NVIDIAAI/status/1792570981568958968
3. NVIDIA AI @NVIDIAAI https://twitter.com/NVIDIAAI/status/1792586083093348453
4. NVIDIA AI @NVIDIAAI https://twitter.com/NVIDIAAI/status/1792601181711155276
5. NVIDIA AI @NVIDIAAI https://twitter.com/NVIDIAAI/status/1792616284326068271
6. Anthropic @anthropicai https://twitter.com/anthropicai/status/1792598295388279124
7. Greg Brockman @gdb https://twitter.com/gdb/status/1792601726949945368
8. Marc Andreessen -- e/acc @pmarca https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/1792612652599980083
9. Satya Nadella @satyanadella https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/1792617851385426024
10. a16z @a16z https://twitter.com/a16z/status/1792609801291305316
11. a16z @a16z https://twitter.com/a16z/status/1792611657228890384
12. a16z @a16z https://twitter.com/a16z/status/1792633504305451099
13. a16z @a16z https://twitter.com/a16z/status/1792651996589150246
14. Mustafa Suleyman @mustafasuleyman https://twitter.com/mustafasuleyman/status/1792623877744623806
15. Mustafa Suleyman @mustafasuleyman https://twitter.com/mustafasuleyman/status/1792624015372333240
16. Mustafa Suleyman @mustafasuleyman https://twitter.com/mustafasuleyman/status/1792624197572653351
17. Mustafa Suleyman @mustafasuleyman https://twitter.com/mustafasuleyman/status/1792624537630290119
18. Google AI @googleai https://twitter.com/googleai/status/1792631248827068573
19. NVIDIA AI Developer @NVIDIAAIDev https://twitter.com/NVIDIAAIDev/status/1792646477975593193
20. Google @google https://twitter.com/google/status/1792653911133720740
21. Y Combinator @ycombinator https://twitter.com/ycombinatostatus/1792661577490903072
22. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792545060837277918
23. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792680922212692154
24. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792682521764954527

leaders #science #paper #hardware #event #feature #release #update #tool #scheduled

Yann LeCun underscores the significance of possessing a mental model of the world to plan a sequence of actions that fulfill a goal [1]. He also stresses the importance of high-bandwidth sensory input for effective communication, suggesting that text alone may not be sufficient for conveying information accurately [2]. LeCun has been discussing his proposed architecture JEPA, which he admits is challenging to implement [3]. He points out that generative architectures like Auto-Regressive LLMs are effective for text due to its discrete nature, but for continuous and high-dimensional signals like images and videos, joint embedding architectures (JEPA) are more effective [4].
LeCun criticizes the notion of measuring intelligence based on a single ability, using the examples of a chess-playing gadget and a symbolic manipulation program to illustrate his point [5]. He differentiates between retrieval and intelligence, emphasizing the importance of "innovative intelligence" in finding new solutions to novel problems [6]. LeCun believes that achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will not be a singular event, but rather a continuous progress towards more capable AI systems in various domains [7].
NVIDIA and Dell are partnering to transform enterprises at Dell Technologies World, an event showcasing the latest innovations in AI, multicloud, edge computing, and more [8]. NVIDIA is offering free certification opportunities at the event and focusing on generative AI, cloud services, AI enterprise solutions, and accelerated computing platforms [8]. The event will take place at The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada from May 20-23, with the keynote on May 20 at 10:00 a.m. PT [8].
Groq Inc is planning to increase their throughput daily to accommodate paid tier access, which will be available next month [9]. The company highlights the efficiency and speed boost achieved by using LPUs that act as routers and contain their own memory [10]. Groq Inc has been working hard on their enterprise program, establishing tiered services with a scheduled launch in June [11]. They have also shared educational content featuring solutions powered by Groq and LangGraph [12].
A detailed analysis of API providers for Llama 3 Instruct (70B) across performance metrics including latency, throughput, and price benchmarks providers such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Bedrock, Groq, Together.ai, Perplexity, Fireworks, Deepinfra, Replicate, and OctoAI [13]. Groq and Fireworks are highlighted as the fastest providers in terms of throughput, while Groq and Deepinfra are noted as the most cost-effective providers [13].
1. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792091888905851069
2. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792106090135519732
3. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792111543657672826
4. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792112916302373247
5. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792113984096665877
6. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792115601193742596
7. Yann LeCun @ylecun https://twitter.com/ylecun/status/1792241250759774603
8. NVIDIA AI @NVIDIAAI https://twitter.com/NVIDIAAI/status/1792238797326786789
9. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792062249638732002
10. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792280209275687265
11. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792321572331458831
12. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792322151120339054
13. Groq Inc @GroqInc https://twitter.com/GroqInc/status/1792322933211509200

Moving to A2 bike advice
Hi guys, turning 19 soon and want to get my A2 as soon as possible. I want an mt07 as my A2 bike but as i live in london and will only have 1 year no claims bonus i can't get insured on it. I have a yzf r125 which i ride now and am considering getting an mt03/ duke390 or similar bike for a year then getting the mt07 after 2 years no claims. My question is do you think it's worth it or should i stick out the r125 for another year. My main gripe with it is that it doesn't feel safe at speeds over 60 and lacks any sort of power to get out of a dangerous situation. Would also be good to mention i've run insurance quotes and the mt03 would cost me £600 less per year than my current bike with 1 year ncb). Any advice would be appreciated, thanks