West valley detention center booking

Los Angeles Pierce College

2011.09.22 01:34 iced_coffee Los Angeles Pierce College

For discussion related to LA Pierce College and West Valley Occupational Center
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2015.07.15 20:26 nasato Longyearbyen

Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of Svalbard, Norway. As of August 2019, the town had a population of 2,368.
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2014.05.10 02:37 Kichigai Dakota County: You know, that one place off to the southeast

Apple Valley, Burnsville, Coates, Eagan, Farmington, Hampton, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, Miesville, New Trier, Northfield, Randolph, Rosemount, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, Vermillion, West St. Paul, Castle Rock, Douglas, Empire, Eureka, Greenvale, Hampton, Marshan, Nininger, Randolph, Ravenna, Sciota, Vermillion, Waterford, Castle Rock, Eureka Center, Waterford, and the ghost town of Nininger! Gang's all here!
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2024.05.21 19:46 Snowdude87 Mesoscale Convective Discussion 871 for Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Mesoscale Discussion 0871 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1232 PM CDT Tue May 21 2024
Areas affected...Central/Eastern IA...South-Central/Southeast MN...Far Southwest WI...Far Northwest IL
Concerning...Severe potential...Tornado Watch likely
Valid 211732Z - 211930Z
Probability of Watch Issuance...95 percent
SUMMARY...Environmental conditions are expected to becoming increasingly supportive of a significant severe thunderstorms capable of all severe hazards, including very large hail up to 3" inches, strong gusts to 75 mph, and long-track tornadoes. A Tornado Watch will likely be needed around 18-19Z, and a PDS designation is being considered.
DISCUSSION...Recent surface analysis places a low over southeast NE, with an outflow-modified warm front extending east-northeast across southern IA through the IA/IL/WI border vicinity. This warm front is expected to rapidly move northward in response to strong mass response ahead of the approaching shortwave trough, with upper 60s dewpoints likely in place across much of IA and mid 60s possibly reaching southern MN. As this occurs, steep mid-level lapse rates will also advect into the region, resulting strong buoyancy (i.e. MLCAPE 2500-3000 J/kg) by the early afternoon. Wind fields are expected to strengthen during this time frame as well, result in in very long hodographs and fast storm motion. Bunkers right motion for much of the region will be around 50 kt by the early afternoon. The result will be an environment very supportive of significant severe thunderstorms.
An initially discrete mode is anticipated, with the fast storm motions allowing storms to stay ahead of the cold front impinging on the region from the west. Any discrete storms will likely obtain supercellular characteristics quickly, with very large hail up to 3" inches, strong gusts to 75 mph, and tornadoes all possible. This includes the possibility of long-lived, long-track supercells capable of strong tornadoes and intense wind damage. Storm interactions with the warm front, as well as the presence of the deepening surface low, suggest the significant severe potential will likely extend into south-central/southeast MI and southwest MN, despite being displaced just north of the better mid-level flow and low-level moisture.
Some upscale growth is anticipated as storms continue eastward, with the resulting convective line capable of significant wind gusts around 75 mph. Given the continued strengthening of the low-level flow anticipated, some embedded QLCS circulations are likely as well.
All of these factors suggests a significant severe weather event is probable, and a Tornado Watch will likely be needed around 18-19Z. A PDS designation is being considered for this watch.
..MosieGuyer.. 05/21/2024
...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...
ATTN...WFO...MKX...DVN...ARX...MPX...DMX...EAX...FSD...OAX...
submitted by Snowdude87 to tornado [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:37 Alert_Day4982 Nexa Tourism - Sam

It's another beautiful experience with Nexa Tourism Almaty Trip 2023 My heart felt thank you note to the below ambassador's who is working for Nexa Tourism to ensure best customer service is rendered too. 1) It's Aisha who has done my last four trips very well, has directed me to Harleen and she promptly mailed trip destination quote. It's was quick and professional. Thank you so much to both. 2) Stella who kept a check on me on my arrival at Almaty and provided all travel details promptly. I being as solo traveller she was in touch with me till I landed back to Dubai. She is very professional and caring towards her customers. 3) The Tour guide Andre from Almaty, he has done exceptionally well in his assignment. On an humanitarian ground, he has exceeded beyond his job description, be it taking good care of elderly person or kids comfort. I must say Andre is very grounded, polite man and his humanitarian approach with tender smile has won my hearts. He is very focused, disciplined, loving and caring through out the trip to ensure all people are in same sync. I wish Andre a good luck and he is surely a real asset to the company. Even the bus driver and hotel reception lady hold good and cordial approach. Few points to add for better experience 1) Special facilities for elderly people care and kids can be good option to consider. 2) Lunch at decent hotels if booked or selected in advance can save guest time provided food, staff availability to serve exist before tourist arrive. 3) Strict time line to be shared with tourist in advance prior site scene can save others waiting time. Beyond certain time, bus must leave. Tour guide don't have to run behind tourist to board the bus. A certain spot to be fixed and it's solely tourist responsibility to assemble on time for pick and drop out. 4) Exclude Green bazar, Al Marsan Gorge, Girls tear water valley, it's waste of time climbing rock to see just a small water valley. Thermal bath at Almarasan Gorge is not so great feel. Thermal bath in a small tub with luke warm water, I don't see any hygiene guidelines or water getting drained out after a person has used it.
Best view was Shymbulak Ski Resort, Panfilov guardsman, Ko Kobe Hill Top, Show of hunting birds, Lesnaya Skazka Resort zipline, cable care.
Hotel stay and food was good.
I enjoyed the trip. It's nice beautiful place to visit. Traveling with Nexa tourism is hassle free, value for money and satisfaction. Its my Third trip with Nexa in last four years. Looking forward for the next trip. Thank you Nexa Tourism.
submitted by Alert_Day4982 to ScamDubai [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:35 HawkEye1000x FREIGHTOS WEEKLY UPDATE — May 21, 2024 Excerpts: “Increasing demand, tight capacity and delays are combining to push ocean rates up ...” “Carrier announcements of additional rate increases set for June show they do not expect demand to ease or conditions to improve in the short term.“

Freightos Weekly Update — May 21, 2024
Excerpts:

Ocean rates - Freightos Baltic Index

Asia-US West Coast prices (FBX01 Weekly) increased 12% to $4,333/FEU.
Asia-US East Coast prices (FBX03 Weekly) climbed 5% to $5,359/FEU.
Asia-N. Europe prices (FBX11 Weekly) increased 11% to $4,603/FEU.
Asia-Mediterranean prices (FBX13 Weekly) increased 6% to $5,495/FEU.
Analysis
Unseasonal increases in demand for ocean freight out of Asia – due to the possible start of a restocking cycle in Europe, and a pull forward of peak season demand by N. American importers out of concern over labor or Red Sea disruptions later in the year – are putting additional strain on a container market already stretched thin by Red Sea diversions.
Even with fleet growth from new vessels being applied to add more ships to rotations and accommodate longer journeys around the south of Africa, carriers are still facing a capacity shortage. This shortage is leading to late arrivals and port omissions as carriers skip some port calls to try and keep up with weekly schedules at major hubs. Delays and omissions are contributing to reports of empty container shortages and congestion due to vessel bunching at some ports in China, with congestion also a problem in Singapore and Malaysia.
Increasing demand, tight capacity and delays are combining to push ocean rates up from their already elevated Red Sea-adjusted floors reached in April.
Weekly prices rose last week and continued to climb this week, with the latest daily rates on the transpacific up to about $4,800/FEU to the West Coast and $5,800/FEU to the East Coast, for about a 40% increase since the end of April. The latest Asia - N. Europe rates are up about 50% since April to almost $5,000/FEU with prices to the Mediterranean above $5,600/FEU and 3.5 times higher than in 2019.
Carrier announcements of additional rate increases set for June show they do not expect demand to ease or conditions to improve in the short term. CMA CGM is setting Asia - N. Europe rates at $6,000/FEU starting June 1st, and Hapag-Lloyd has announced anAsia - N. America Peak Season Surcharge of $600/FEU to start June that will climb to $2,000/FEU mid-month.
In other ocean developments, two months after its collision with the Key Bridge in Baltimore, crews refloated the Dali and removed it from the crash site. Fully restored access to the port is expected by the end of the month, with Maersk already accepting Baltimore bookings for June.
In Canada, a government review of which services must be excluded from a union strike will likely delay the planned rail worker strike for at least the next 60 days, though the sides are reportedly still no closer to a resolution.
submitted by HawkEye1000x to zim [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:29 chupacabra314 Mini Reviews: small passive bookshelf under $300 for nearfield - Polk ES10 vs Micca RB42 vs Micca MB42XG2 vs Kanto YU5.25

The TLDConclusions
About my setup
The way my desk is positioned I can't have my speakers on stands next to it or mounted on the wall. They have to be on the desk, and I only have space for maximum 8" deep cabinets, so that rules out other popular options, such as the KEF Q150. All speakers were positioned about 42" center to center, toed in at 45deg and angled on 15deg Monoprice wedges. Distance from my ears was roughly 30" and from the wall - about 12". They did not resonate with my desk but did with the wall behind them so after stuffing the ports with socks didn't work, I had to resort to applying a -8dB @ Q=10 EQ at 135Hz to eliminate it. Also, probably due to their interaction with the environment, all of them showed a slight broad dip around 90-100Hz, which probably caused me to miss the resonances in this area that ASR measured on some of these models. All speakers were driven by a Loxjie A30 connected via toslink to my PC, and for music were paired with an SVS SB-1000 sub with its volume and crossover matched to each speaker pair.
About the tests
As I mostly use these for nearfield (I aimed for 60dB at my ears, measured with my phone), the Loxjie rarely went beyond 1/3 of what it was capable of, and the speakers weren't pushed even close to their limits. I typically run multiple slow sine sweeps to figure out where the peaks, valleys, and any other weirdness are. As for the more subjective part, I went through various music genres including EDM, hiphop, classical, jazz, reggae, various heavy metal subgenres, rock, as well as some audiophile albums.
About me
I'm by no means a hardcore audiophile and I'm usually a value shopper - meaning I like to pay for quality but right up to the point where diminishing returns really kick in. I do believe in a lot of the objective features high-end audio offers, but I also think there is a lot of snake oil selling involved, and very often you're paying for quality you can't actually hear. I don't do anything professionally-related to audio but am a geek when it comes to specs and objective measurements.
I'm in my late 30s and I'd like to think my hearing is still pretty good - typically what my ears hear matches measurement graphs to a large extent, but I can't hear anything beyond ~15kHz for example. My preference for frequency response is somewhere between studio flat and the Harman curve, but that depends also on the music genre. Probably goes without saying, but don't take anything I claim here for gospel - listening experience is highly subjective.
THE MINI REVIEWS
Polk ES10 (black, $249 new)
I'll admit these were my first choice to try since they were hands down my favorite visually with the contrasting gold cone and tweeter. They looked good even with the grills on, but of course I opted to leave them off. They would've won best fit and finish too if it weren't for a tiny dab of glue visible on one of the woofers. They were the second smallest of the bunch, with their design contributing to making them look even smaller.
Alas, with regards to sound, I'll place these last out of the four even if they were to cost the same as the Miccas. Overall, they sounded somewhat boring and dry, particularly with female vocals. Noticeable bass rolloff happens all the way up to 100Hz, so you definitely need to pair them with a sub. I set my sub's crossover to 120Hz to blend them in well. I noticed only one resonance at 3kHz but multiple dips - at 280Hz, 1.4, 3.3, 6.6, and 8.3kHz, the latter 3 probably contributing to the boring-sounding female vocals and sparkleless highs. Speaking of the highs, they did extend quite well, and were not fatiguing or laid back. Male vocals also sounded great.
Micca RB42 (very dark brown, $149 new)
Love them or hate them, you can't deny these have a lot going for them. Visually, what struck me was how deep they were - as deep as some medium-sized speakers, like the Kanto YU5.25. On the other hand they are very narrow, so the overall impression is of a much smaller speaker. I love how they look, and they are the only ones that I like better with the grill on - it's a very light mesh, so everything behind it is still clearly visible. Fit and finish was good but not great on mine - everything was well assembled but there were some imperfections on the edges where the front veneer meets the sides. They also come with some foam isolator wedges, so the budget conscious can save some money on buying those separately.
Sound-wise I'd give these runner up out of the four and gold in the 4" category. Like most reviewers, the first time you hear them, they have a wow factor, particularly because of their low-end frequency response - I could hear a decent thump all the way down to 50Hz. If you don't listen to a lot of EDM or hiphop, they are the only ones out of the 4 you can run without a sub. In contrast to ASR's measurements, I didn't catch the midbass overemphasis (see my setup notes), and, actually, I only noticed one resonance at 3.4Hz and one dip at 1160Hz. Out of the 4-inchers the RB42s had the smoothest treble - smooth all the way to the limits of my hearing, with a slight overemphasis around 9.5kHz. The highs, however, were a tad too fatiguing - I had to resort to lowering the volume or adding -1 or -2dB on the Loxjie's treble EQ when listening to heavy metal because my ears would start ringning after an hour of listening.
Still, as a total package, I wasn't able to find anything that can touch these at $150 - they are gorgeous and have a very versatile sound that can make any genre (except maybe heavy metal without EQ) sound great.
Micca MB42X G2 (black, $99 new)
I'll admit I bought these after I already had the RB42 and after watching Zeos' review that claimed they did some things better than the RB42.
Visually, they don't have much going for them besides their small size. I dare say, with the wide front and small cone, they look a bit ugly, especially sitting next to the RB42s. Putting the grills on didn't make things much better or worse. But you can't expect much for $99, can you?
Sound-wise, my hearing disagrees with Mr. Zeos'. I would place their sound somewhere between the ES10 and the RB42. Yes, their bass extension is almost as good as the RB42s, and yes, you could run them without a sub depending on the genres you prefer. They also had a similar resonance around 2.9kHz. However, I did notice some weird inconsistencies in the 3.2-4kHz range - depending on slight variations of the position of my head, I'd hear parts of that range suddenly dip. After that the highs sounded very similar to the RB42's - maybe slightly more uneven, but still as fatiguing.
So my verdict on these is they are fantastic for the money, but I'd skip another Doordash meal and save another $50 to get the RB42s, even if it's just for the looks.
Kanto YU5.25 (black, $229 new)
Yeah yeah, I know these are not the YU4s, which would be a fairer comparison. There are three reasons for this - 1) after looking at ASR's measurements I decided the YU4 wouldn't be good enough to dethrone the RB42; 2) I randomly found these used less than a month for $190 so I couldn't pass them up. And boy am I glad I didn't; 3) They are only 8" deep so they still fit on my small desk.
Visually, the simple minimalist aesthetic works very well. I didn't expect to like them as much as I do. What contributes to this visual impact to a large extent is the great fit and finish - every edge and seam is flawless all the way to the felt-lined port. They certainly lack the cheap feel that the MB42X have.
Sound is where they really shine. It's not a coincidence ASR recommended their powered version. However what I hear slightly differs from their measurements. In the low end, they do roll off fairly early - I can hear noticeable rolloff under 100Hz. You could run them without a sub, but the low end won't be as good as with the RB42s. I did hear the slight midbass dip ASR measured but for me it's only between 200 and 300Hz, not all the way to 900kHz. I also didn't experience the 900Hz resonance they did. Moving up in the frequency range, I did notice the minor resonance at 2.6kHz ASR did but it wasn't bothersome enough to EQ out. After that it's all smooth sailing - the highs are smooth and extend into the limits of my hearing. They have the detail and sparkle of the RB42 but without the fatigue. As a result I can (and do) listen to the Kantos all day long (don't worry I take breaks :) without getting exhausted. I thoroughly enjoy them with every music genre I've tried.
submitted by chupacabra314 to BudgetAudiophile [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:29 LGBTQIA_Over50 Who hires people with grey hair, mild wrinkles, age spots, experience and wisdom?

Its understood that we have skills. Those features reflect an individual who has lived and likely been in the workforce for awhile.
I'm not your typical GenX. I have current skills that are transferable.
I don't fit the recent college grad, company work cultures that don't embrace multiple generations. I looked at the reviews, photos, and that tells me how the company brands its image.
What companies hire for multi-industry experience, in insurance, banking and would that transfer to paralegal work for plaintiff side lawyers?
The main issue is pay and benefits.
If I were to work in insurance (not life sales) what companies hire someone with experience? Despite my 8 years in that field, Progressive wanted me to take silly games and match the shapes tests, even though I trained employees how to pass insurance licensing exams and worked in the industry.
Those are the silly tricks companies have to create barriers to employment and a youth based workforce.
Juvenile, puzzles and shape matching tests. I'm surprised they don't give out coloring books to see if you can color within the lines.
My competitive advantage in HR is that I've worked in all areas and also have outside industry experience which makes me well-rounded.
I'm lacking the photo on my desk with Magic Kingdom, Mackey and Minnie and spouse and children. That's what most companies which are conservative cultures want.
I dress conservatively, I have bipartisan views that I keep to myself so, outwardly, you wouldn't know where I stand.
Temp agencies don't have anything because they hire sales people to support their client employers who avoid PTO, health benefits and want an unemployment buffer.
I need income now. I used call centers for stopgap work, and even when I meet the strict and narrow performance metrics, and pee break schedule adherence, it doesn't get me promoted.
What places will hire people like us?
Thank you and I hope your day is going well.
EDIT to add, I don't think companies that hire people right out of college, feel comfortable hiring middle aged people who suffered from economic and health losses during and after Covid when everything was shut down and many people lost their incomes. Those whose jobs weren't impacted at that time, don't have a clue about those who lost their health, savings and livelihood. Rebuilding is stressful and I think certain companies want that recent college grad vibrancy versus a middle aged person's dedication, while suffering in silence with stress due to piled up debt and delayed health treatment issues. We might not exude conviviality, innocence and the same motivations when underpaid as opposed to someone who feels that they are paid adequately or more.
So many jobs that are posted for FT would require me to have a 2nd job in addition to that which could compromise my energies in the first job.
If you are paid more than your age, then you are doing well. Many of these jobs aren't paying me at or above my age.
submitted by LGBTQIA_Over50 to recruitinghell [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:28 LGBTQIA_Over50 Who hires people with grey hair, mild wrinkles, age spots, experience and wisdom?

Its understood that we have skills. Those features reflect an individual who has lived and likely been in the workforce for awhile.
I'm not your typical GenX. I have current skills that are transferable.
I don't fit the recent college grad, company work cultures that don't embrace multiple generations. I looked at the reviews, photos, and that tells me how the company brands its image.
What companies hire for multi-industry experience, in insurance, banking and would that transfer to paralegal work for plaintiff side lawyers?
The main issue is pay and benefits.
If I were to work in insurance (not life sales) what companies hire someone with experience? Despite my 8 years in that field, Progressive wanted me to take silly games and match the shapes tests, even though I trained employees how to pass insurance licensing exams and worked in the industry.
Those are the silly tricks companies have to create barriers to employment and a youth based workforce.
Juvenile, puzzles and shape matching tests. I'm surprised they don't give out coloring books to see if you can color within the lines.
My competitive advantage in HR is that I've worked in all areas and also have outside industry experience which makes me well-rounded.
I'm lacking the photo on my desk with Magic Kingdom, Mackey and Minnie and spouse and children. That's what most companies which are conservative cultures want.
I dress conservatively, I have bipartisan views that I keep to myself so, outwardly, you wouldn't know where I stand.
Temp agencies don't have anything because they hire sales people to support their client employers who avoid PTO, health benefits and want an unemployment buffer.
I need income now. I used call centers for stopgap work, and even when I meet the strict and narrow performance metrics, and pee break schedule adherence, it doesn't get me promoted.
What places will hire people like us?
Thank you and I hope your day is going well.
EDIT to add, I don't think companies that hire people right out of college, feel comfortable hiring middle aged people who suffered from economic and health losses during and after Covid when everything was shut down and many people lost their incomes. Those whose jobs weren't impacted at that time, don't have a clue about those who lost their health, savings and livelihood. Rebuilding is stressful and I think certain companies want that recent college grad vibrancy versus a middle aged person's dedication, while suffering in silence with stress due to piled up debt and delayed health treatment issues. We might not exude conviviality, innocence and the same motivations when underpaid as opposed to someone who feels that they are paid adequately or more.
So many jobs that are posted for FT would require me to have a 2nd job in addition to that which could compromise my energies in the first job.
If you are paid more than your age, then you are doing well. Many of these jobs aren't paying me at or above my age.
submitted by LGBTQIA_Over50 to jobs [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:27 Right_Implement_7642 Riddle me this..

Riddle me this..
Publicly available latest info on why the stock is a dud. I just sold everything because reality is reality and at least I make 30% back.
Check more here:
https://fintel.io/ss/us/gme
Why would someone be concerned about others investment? Because they have a heart and when they see through the meme bs and sell their shit based on actual research into the technicals, thats why.
I’m not expert but this site has the latest info regarding short interests and its safe to say that 14th of May was the peak. This couples with additional 45M shares becomeing available, with only 20% of the stock shorted.. it looks like I got played together with a lot of other people who now can justifiably call themselves apes.
submitted by Right_Implement_7642 to Gamestopstock [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:25 lossione Small town hotel in the winter

It’s a small hotel (25 rooms) in a small rural town (6,000) population located on a golf course with an on site restaurant along with a few different event spaces and catering services offered.
They stay booked up largely through the summer from golf packages, weddings here or in the area etc, but in winter it is almost always completely dead (located in Michigan)
The only time they get any action in the winter is business travelers or traveling workers
There are two other hotels in the area, both are more centrally located to any sort of town center. Both offer similar or slightly better amenities.
I was asked to run promotions for the hotel this winter, but I am stumped on what angle I could take on here because as far as I can tell the only guests in the winter are there out of necessity/lack of options.
There are absolutely 0 winter recreation activities in the town, not touristy in the slightest, so I think my focus would have to be on business travelers. The only thing I could think is we do have golf simulators , so potentially could use that in some way.
Anyone have experience dealing with a similar situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by lossione to marketing [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:23 smackthosepattycakes Confused About Excess Financial Aid

This is the 3rd or 4th financial aid offer from Laguardia, so im very confused.
It looks like my financial aid award exceeds my cost of attendance. Does that mean they will be decreasing the amount of aid I will be getting to $3,409 so it doesnt exceed COA? Or would I be getting a refund check for $2,500 which is a lot?
Im also working on submitting my Residency certificate so it will lower my tuition. Will that decrease my aid because my COA will be lowered? Or will the financial aid award stay the same?
I tried asking financial aid but they keep skirting around my questions. Initially they gave me way less TAP, so Im not sure if they’ll switch up on me again and give less aid.
Any help will be appreciated :)
submitted by smackthosepattycakes to financialaid [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:22 Prescott_Local Goldie Marion “Yellowstone Pete” Robbins - A Local Legend

I'm the same guy that posted that the Independent Order of Odd Fellows cemetery by Acker park was in disrepair and tried finding resources to help turn it around. Here's the link if anyone is interested. I'm still trying.
While walking through the cemetery I came across a gravestone marked "G.M. Robbins - The "End of the Trail" for "Yellowstone Pete" after 25,000 miles by mule train, may he rest in peace" and it got me interested in finding out more about the person. It turns out that Yellowstone Pete holds a place in Americana culture, and really did travel by mule train. There are several pictures linked here that have him, his wife, and mules. I'd love to hear more about him if anyone has more details.
Imgur album of photos I collected. The one that has "OH HOW WE HATE TO WORK" is a postcard that I ordered from Etsy while researching Yellowstone Pete.
There's even a poem about his only daughter.
Yellowstone Pete's Only Daughter was originally published in the book “Rhymes from a Round-up Camp, 1903, and written by Wallace David Coburn in 1894. The book of poetry has been published in 21 different editions. Coburn wrote the preface of the book in Malta, Montana.
Yes, this is the Milk River Valley,
And that's the old ranch that you see,
Where Yellowstone Pete lost his daughter,
The pride of the 7 U. P.
Was she pretty?-Well, stranger, your knowledge
Of these parts is shore incomplete,
When you ask such a comical question
'Bout the daughter of Yellowstone Pete.
Why, man! If the heavens were bluer,
And pansies were deeper in hue ,
They couldn't "size up" with her peepers,
Which shone like the spring poet's dew.
Her teeth were like snowdrops made whiter,
Her hair like the sealskin she wore,
Only softer and silkier and browner,
And she was true blue to the core.
Was old Yellowstone Pete's only daughter,
Whose voice was the envy of birds,
As she warbled at night to the long-horns,
Or when pointing her father's trail herds.
She was happy and good and as loving
As an angel could possibly be,
With always a smile and a greeting,
For tough old cow-punchers like me.
But what I was startin' to narrate,
Before you cut into the game,
Was a love affair she tangled up in,
And the tragical end of the same.
You see, she was borned in this country,
Her mother, a woman of gold,
Kissed her baby and lined out for Heaven,
When Beauty was seven days old.
The boys, you see, nicknamed her "Beauty,"
And each one, he fought for his turn
At feedin' her out of the bottle,
But dress her -- we never could learn.
So Pete he sent off for a nurse girl
And a teacher (not stunning for looks),
To give her the care of a woman,
And learn her the knowledge of books.
Thus Beauty grew up at the home ranch,
And learned how to shore ride and shoot,
Also play and sing on the pianer,
And to tie down a wild steer to boot.
And charming-- why, partner, the sunbeams
They scrapped for the sweets of her face,
And the alkali dust and the zephyrs
They jockeyed to get second place.
So was it a wonder young Dawson,
The son of a neighbor of Pete,
Lost his heart to this rose of the prairie,
And his love for her couldn't be beat?
“Buck"-- that was the handle he went by,
Had pre-empted some learnin' at school,
Was a handsome and big, manly feller,
And in a gun-fight was shore cool.
And there wasn't no man round the country,
Could ride with him down the Red Lane,
He could rope, fork, and ride with clean saddle
Any outlaw that ever wore mane.
They'd been youngsters and brought up together,
And Dawson was shorely dead game,
His father a wealthy old-timer,
All burdened with early-day fame.
Yes, Beauty loved "Buck," that was certain,
But a gal's ways are never foreseen,
And you can't tell what's liable to happen
Be-tween the betwixt and between.
So when a young feller from college
Comes a-romancin' like out this way,
Well, things looked a little promiscuous,
And there was the devil to pay.
Of course, he was welcomed by Beauty,
As the flowers are welcomed in May;
His college pin pleased her, I reckon,
And he had a girl-catchin' way.
But wait till I roll me a smoke, pard,
To filter my bad feelin's down,
Makes me wanter shore squander some powder
When I ponder on that sneakin' houn'.
Well, we was all out on the round-up,
When this college masher, you see,
Ran off with old Yellowstone's daughter,
The pride of the 7 U. P.
Now, old Pete he shore worshipped his daughter,
Loved her better than money or life,
For she was the pride of his old age--
The gift of his beautiful wife.
So he and young Dawson together,
With hearts like the lead in their guns,
Hit the trail of this college-bred villain,
And secured him before many suns.
The gal they found up in Butte City­-
He'd deserted her up there, you know;
But Dawson caught him near the border,
Where numerous cottonwoods grow.
And there, in the depths of the forest,
With the beasts and the birds lookin' on,
They fought to the death with their bowies,
Till the Eastern-bred feller was gone.
And Beauty-- she married "Buck" after,
But never seemed happy or gay,
Like the Beauty we'd worshipped from childhood,­-
She just drooped, shrunk, and withered away.
Yes, she paled like the flowers in summer,
And died with the leaves in the fall ;
And we buried her close to her mother,
While the sunshine went out of us all.
Poor old Pete, his hair white as the snowdrift,
And eyes that stare vacant and old,
Sits and sobs at the foot of two gravestones,
All alone, whether hot days or cold.
All alone? No, for Buck often joins him,
Grim and stern, with his face like a stone;
Never smiling nowdays like he used to,
When he tries he winds up with a moan.
No, the sun don't shine quite as it used to,
And the wind has a lonesomer sound,
As it sings soft and mournful in summer,
And howls when old winter comes round.
Here are the links to original photos:
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/yellowstone-pete-passes-through-yellowstone-pete-news-photo/161995779
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/rppc-goldie-marion-robbins-aka-1904877006
https://www.phillipscountynews.com/story/2016/09/14/news/yellowstone-petes-only-daughte4302.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52400720/goldie-marion-robbins/photo
submitted by Prescott_Local to Prescott [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:21 theoldmanisolder Mango fest cancelled

I booked a trip to Key West centered around mango fest only to learn that it’s been cancelled this year. Still, I’m planing to have a good time. Dinner at latitudes, breakfast at breakfast club too, dessert at better than sex, etc.
Could you all advise where I can find sellers of different varieties or mango fruit and trees in Key West? Also, any other food spot recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for the guidance.
submitted by theoldmanisolder to KeyWest [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:18 TheGoombler Oh hey, I'm not dead, and neither is GME. (A Refresher on COINTELPRO.)

GOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING SUPERSTONKERS! HAHA. It's me again. Yeah, i slipped past the defenses again to drop this off so you can all refresh yourselves on the state of FUD and disinformation in this protracted fight against the legal larcenists doing their best to try and get you to sell. Please spread this amongst the holders, the more people know the less power they have over us holders. We don't sell until we get a call from marge, and that's always been the play.
TLDR: This is a set of tactics used by the Alphabet Boys(CIA, FBI, DEA) to control and manipulate us into drama to collapse our communities and movements. And should be read in full by anyone willing and wanting to learn how these things work.
I've come to notice recently, people keep asking me to repost this for the sake of keeping the new people abreast on what needs to be done to protect the holders of GME. Beneath here will be a detailed account on what you need to be aware of in your online interactions, to avoid being taken for a fool!
_______________________________________________________________________
  1. COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum
  2. Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
  3. Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
  4. How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
  5. Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
_______________________________________________________________________
COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum..
There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a 'uncontrolled forum.'
Technique #1 - 'FORUM SLIDING'
If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by 'forum sliding.' In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to 'age.' Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a 'forum slide.' The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a 'forum slide' and 'flush' the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then 'replying' to prepositioned postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting 'slides' down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.
Technique #2 - 'CONSENSUS CRACKING'
A second highly effective technique (which you can see in operation all the time at www.abovetopsecret.com
) is 'consensus cracking.' To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favor is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favor is slowly 'seeded in.' Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'
Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'
Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.
Technique #4 - 'INFORMATION COLLECTION'
Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a 'show you mine so me yours' posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your 'favorite weapon' and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favorite 'technique of operation.' From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.
Technique #5 - 'ANGER TROLLING'
Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing there powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to 'stage' a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to 'lead' the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you 'do not care what the authorities think!!' inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.
Technique #6 - 'GAINING FULL CONTROL'
It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavourable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the 'ultimate victory' as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a 'honey pot' gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.
CONCLUSION
Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precidence to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share then with HQ.
_______________________________________________________________________
Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the criminal conspiracy or conspiracy to cover up.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the 'How dare you!' gambit.
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such 'arguable rumors'. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a 'wild rumor' from a 'bunch of kids on the Internet' which can have no basis in fact.
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary 'attack the messenger' ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as 'kooks', 'right-wing', 'liberal', 'left-wing', 'terrorists', 'conspiracy buffs', 'radicals', 'militia', 'racists', 'religious fanatics', 'sexual deviates', and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning -- simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough 'jargon' and 'minutia' to illustrate you are 'one who knows', and simply say it isn't so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man -- usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with - a kind of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues -- so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the 'high road' and 'confess' with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made -- but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, 'just isn't so.' Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even publicly 'call for an end to the nonsense' because you have already 'done the right thing.' Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for 'coming clean' and 'owning up' to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic which forbears any actual material fact.
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
16. Vanish evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won't have to address the issue.
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how 'sensitive they are to criticism.'
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the 'play dumb' rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations -- as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim.
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely damaging their health.
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.
_______________________________________________________________________
Eight Traits of the Disinformationalist
1) Avoidance. They never actually discuss issues head-on or provide constructive input, generally avoiding citation of references or credentials. Rather, they merely imply this, that, and the other. Virtually everything about their presentation implies their authority and expert knowledge in the matter without any further justification for credibility.
2) Selectivity. They tend to pick and choose opponents carefully, either applying the hit-and-run approach against mere commentators supportive of opponents, or focusing heavier attacks on key opponents who are known to directly address issues. Should a commentator become argumentative with any success, the focus will shift to include the commentator as well.
3) Coincidental. They tend to surface suddenly and somewhat coincidentally with a new controversial topic with no clear prior record of participation in general discussions in the particular public arena involved. They likewise tend to vanish once the topic is no longer of general concern. They were likely directed or elected to be there for a reason, and vanish with the reason.
4) Teamwork. They tend to operate in self-congratulatory and complementary packs or teams. Of course, this can happen naturally in any public forum, but there will likely be an ongoing pattern of frequent exchanges of this sort where professionals are involved. Sometimes one of the players will infiltrate the opponent camp to become a source for straw man or other tactics designed to dilute opponent presentation strength.
5) Anti-conspiratorial. They almost always have disdain for 'conspiracy theorists' and, usually, for those who in any way believe JFK was not killed by LHO. Ask yourself why, if they hold such disdain for conspiracy theorists, do they focus on defending a single topic discussed in a NG focusing on conspiracies? One might think they would either be trying to make fools of everyone on every topic, or simply ignore the group they hold in such disdain. Or, one might more rightly conclude they have an ulterior motive for their actions in going out of their way to focus as they do.
6) Artificial Emotions. An odd kind of 'artificial' emotionalism and an unusually thick skin -- an ability to persevere and persist even in the face of overwhelming criticism and unacceptance. This likely stems from intelligence community training that, no matter how condemning the evidence, deny everything, and never become emotionally involved or reactive. The net result for a disinfo artist is that emotions can seem artificial.
Most people, if responding in anger, for instance, will express their animosity throughout their rebuttal. But disinfo types usually have trouble maintaining the 'image' and are hot and cold with respect to pretended emotions and their usually more calm or unemotional communications style. It's just a job, and they often seem unable to 'act their role in character' as well in a communications medium as they might be able in a real face-to-face conversation/confrontation. You might have outright rage and indignation one moment, ho-hum the next, and more anger later -- an emotional yo-yo.
With respect to being thick-skinned, no amount of criticism will deter them from doing their job, and they will generally continue their old disinfo patterns without any adjustments to criticisms of how obvious it is that they play that game -- where a more rational individual who truly cares what others think might seek to improve their communications style, substance, and so forth, or simply give up.
7) Inconsistent. There is also a tendency to make mistakes which betray their true self/motives. This may stem from not really knowing their topic, or it may be somewhat 'freudian', so to speak, in that perhaps they really root for the side of truth deep within.
I have noted that often, they will simply cite contradictory information which neutralizes itself and the author. For instance, one such player claimed to be a Navy pilot, but blamed his poor communicating skills (spelling, grammar, incoherent style) on having only a grade-school education. I'm not aware of too many Navy pilots who don't have a college degree. Another claimed no knowledge of a particular topic/situation but later claimed first-hand knowledge of it.
8) Time Constant. Recently discovered, with respect to News Groups, is the response time factor. There are three ways this can be seen to work, especially when the government or other empowered player is involved in a cover up operation:
a) ANY NG posting by a targeted proponent for truth can result in an IMMEDIATE response. The government and other empowered players can afford to pay people to sit there and watch for an opportunity to do some damage. SINCE DISINFO IN A NG ONLY WORKS IF THE READER SEES IT - FAST RESPONSE IS CALLED FOR, or the visitor may be swayed towards truth.
b) When dealing in more direct ways with a disinformationalist, such as email, DELAY IS CALLED FOR - there will usually be a minimum of a 48-72 hour delay. This allows a sit-down team discussion on response strategy for best effect, and even enough time to 'get permission' or instruction from a formal chain of command.
c) In the NG example 1) above, it will often ALSO be seen that bigger guns are drawn and fired after the same 48-72 hours delay - the team approach in play. This is especially true when the targeted truth seeker or their comments are considered more important with respect to potential to reveal truth. Thus, a serious truth sayer will be attacked twice for the same sin.
_______________________________________________________________________
How to Spot a Spy (Cointelpro Agent)
One way to neutralize a potential activist is to get them to be in a group that does all the wrong things. Why?
1) The message doesn't get out.
2) A lot of time is wasted
3) The activist is frustrated and discouraged
4) Nothing good is accomplished.
FBI and Police Informers and Infiltrators will infest any group and they have phoney activist organizations established.
Their purpose is to prevent any real movement for justice or eco-peace from developing in this country.
Agents come in small, medium or large. They can be of any ethnic background. They can be male or female.
The actual size of the group or movement being infiltrated is irrelevant. It is the potential the movement has for becoming large which brings on the spies and saboteurs.
This booklet lists tactics agents use to slow things down, foul things up, destroy the movement and keep tabs on activists.
It is the agent's job to keep the activist from quitting such a group, thus keeping him/her under control.
In some situations, to get control, the agent will tell the activist:
[Here, I have added the psychological reasons as to WHY this maneuver works to control people]
This invites guilty feelings. Many people can be controlled by guilt. The agents begin relationships with activists behind a well-developed mask of "dedication to the cause." Because of their often declared dedication, (and actions designed to prove this), when they criticize the activist, he or she - being truly dedicated to the movement - becomes convinced that somehow, any issues are THEIR fault. This is because a truly dedicated person tends to believe that everyone has a conscience and that nobody would dissimulate and lie like that "on purpose." It's amazing how far agents can go in manipulating an activist because the activist will constantly make excuses for the agent who regularly declares their dedication to the cause. Even if they do, occasionally, suspect the agent, they will pull the wool over their own eyes by rationalizing: "they did that unconsciously... they didn't really mean it... I can help them by being forgiving and accepting " and so on and so forth.
The agent will tell the activist:
This is designed to enhance the activist's self-esteem. His or her narcissistic admiration of his/her own activist/altruistic intentions increase as he or she identifies with and consciously admires the altruistic declarations of the agent which are deliberately set up to mirror those of the activist.
This is "malignant pseudo identification." It is the process by which the agent consciously imitates or simulates a certain behavior to foster the activist's identification with him/her, thus increasing the activist's vulnerability to exploitation. The agent will simulate the more subtle self-concepts of the activist.
Activists and those who have altruistic self-concepts are most vulnerable to malignant pseudo identification especially during work with the agent when the interaction includes matter relating to their competency, autonomy, or knowledge.
The goal of the agent is to increase the activist's general empathy for the agent through pseudo-identification with the activist's self-concepts.
The most common example of this is the agent who will compliment the activist for his competency or knowledge or value to the movement. On a more subtle level, the agent will simulate affects and mannerisms of the activist which promotes identification via mirroring and feelings of "twinship". It is not unheard of for activists, enamored by the perceived helpfulness and competence of a good agent, to find themselves considering ethical violations and perhaps, even illegal behavior, in the service of their agent/handler.
The activist's "felt quality of perfection" [self-concept] is enhanced, and a strong empathic bond is developed with the agent through his/her imitation and simulation of the victim's own narcissistic investments. [self-concepts] That is, if the activist knows, deep inside, their own dedication to the cause, they will project that onto the agent who is "mirroring" them.
The activist will be deluded into thinking that the agent shares this feeling of identification and bonding. In an activist/social movement setting, the adversarial roles that activists naturally play vis a vis the establishment/government, fosters ongoing processes of intrapsychic splitting so that "twinship alliances" between activist and agent may render whole sectors or reality testing unavailable to the activist. They literally "lose touch with reality."
Activists who deny their own narcissistic investments [do not have a good idea of their own self-concepts and that they ARE concepts] and consciously perceive themselves (accurately, as it were) to be "helpers" endowed with a special amount of altruism are exceedingly vulnerable to the affective (emotional) simulation of the accomplished agent.
Empathy is fostered in the activist through the expression of quite visible affects. The presentation of tearfulness, sadness, longing, fear, remorse, and guilt, may induce in the helper-oriented activist a strong sense of compassion, while unconsciously enhancing the activist's narcissistic investment in self as the embodiment of goodness.
The agent's expresssion of such simulated affects may be quite compelling to the observer and difficult to distinguish from deep emotion.
It can usually be identified by two events, however:
First, the activist who has analyzed his/her own narcissistic roots and is aware of his/her own potential for being "emotionally hooked," will be able to remain cool and unaffected by such emotional outpourings by the agent.
As a result of this unaffected, cool, attitude, the Second event will occur: The agent will recompensate much too quickly following such an affective expression leaving the activist with the impression that "the play has ended, the curtain has fallen," and the imposture, for the moment, has finished. The agent will then move quickly to another activist/victim.
The fact is, the movement doesn't need leaders, it needs MOVERS. "Follow the leader" is a waste of time.
A good agent will want to meet as often as possible. He or she will talk a lot and say little. One can expect an onslaught of long, unresolved discussions.
Some agents take on a pushy, arrogant, or defensive manner:
1) To disrupt the agenda
2) To side-track the discussion
3) To interrupt repeatedly
4) To feign ignorance
5) To make an unfounded accusation against a person.
Calling someone a racist, for example. This tactic is used to discredit a person in the eyes of all other group members.
Saboteurs
Some saboteurs pretend to be activists. She or he will ....
1) Write encyclopedic flyers (in the present day, websites)
2) Print flyers in English only.
3) Have demonstrations in places where no one cares.
4) Solicit funding from rich people instead of grass roots support
5) Display banners with too many words that are confusing.
6) Confuse issues.
7) Make the wrong demands.
8) Compromise the goal.
9) Have endless discussions that waste everyone's time. The agent may accompany the endless discussions with drinking, pot smoking or other amusement to slow down the activist's work.
Provocateurs
1) Want to establish "leaders" to set them up for a fall in order to stop the movement.
2) Suggest doing foolish, illegal things to get the activists in trouble.
3) Encourage militancy.
4) Want to taunt the authorities.
5) Attempt to make the activist compromise their values.
6) Attempt to instigate violence. Activism ought to always be non-violent.
7) Attempt to provoke revolt among people who are ill-prepared to deal with the reaction of the authorities to such violence.
Informants
1) Want everyone to sign up and sing in and sign everything.
2) Ask a lot of questions (gathering data).
3) Want to know what events the activist is planning to attend.
4) Attempt to make the activist defend him or herself to identify his or her beliefs, goals, and level of commitment.
Recruiting
Legitimate activists do not subject people to hours of persuasive dialog. Their actions, beliefs, and goals speak for themselves.
Groups that DO recruit are missionaries, military, and fake political parties or movements set up by agents.
Surveillance
ALWAYS assume that you are under surveillance.
At this point, if you are NOT under surveillance, you are not a very good activist!
Scare Tactics
They use them.
Such tactics include slander, defamation, threats, getting close to disaffected or minimally committed fellow activists to persuade them (via psychological tactics described above) to turn against the movement and give false testimony against their former compatriots. They will plant illegal substances on the activist and set up an arrest; they will plant false information and set up "exposure," they will send incriminating letters [emails] in the name of the activist; and more; they will do whatever society will allow.
This booklet in no way covers all the ways agents use to sabotage the lives of sincere an dedicated activists.
If an agent is "exposed," he or she will be transferred or replaced.
COINTELPRO is still in operation today under a different code name. It is no longer placed on paper where it can be discovered through the freedom of information act.
The FBI counterintelligence program's stated purpose: To expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, and otherwise neutralize individuals who the FBI categorize as opposed to the National Interests. "National Security" means the FBI's security from the people ever finding out the vicious things it does in violation of people's civil liberties.
_______________________________________________________________________
Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression
Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense, other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition party.
1. Dummy up. If it's not reported, if it's not news, it didn't happen.
2. Wax indignant. This is also known as the "How dare you?" gambit.
3. Characterize the charges as "rumors" or, better yet, "wild rumors." If, in spite of the news blackout, the public is still able to learn about the suspicious facts, it can only be through "rumors." (If they tend to believe the "rumors" it must be because they are simply "paranoid" or "hysterical.")
4. Knock down straw men. Deal only with the weakest aspects of the weakest charges. Even better, create your own straw men. Make up wild rumors (or plant false stories) and give them lead play when you appear to debunk all the charges, real and fanciful alike.
5. Call the skeptics names like "conspiracy theorist," "nutcase," "ranter," "kook," "crackpot," and, of course, "rumor monger." Be sure, too, to use heavily loaded verbs and adjectives when characterizing their charges and defending the "more reasonable" government and its defenders. You must then carefully avoid fair and open debate with any of the people you have thus maligned. For insurance, set up your own "skeptics" to shoot down.
6. Impugn motives. Attempt to marginalize the critics by suggesting strongly that they are not really interested in the truth but are simply pursuing a partisan political agenda or are out to make money (compared to over-compensated adherents to the government line who, presumably, are not).
7. Invoke authority. Here the controlled press and the sham opposition can be very useful.
8. Dismiss the charges as "old news."
9. Come half-clean. This is also known as "confession and avoidance" or "taking the limited hangout route." This way, you create the impression of candor and honesty while you admit only to relatively harmless, less-than-criminal "mistakes." This stratagem often requires the embrace of a fall-back position quite different from the one originally taken. With effective damage control, the fall-back position need only be peddled by stooge skeptics to carefully limited markets.
10. Characterize the crimes as impossibly complex and the truth as ultimately unknowable.
11. Reason backward, using the deductive method with a vengeance. With thoroughly rigorous deduction, troublesome evidence is irrelevant. E.g. We have a completely free press. If evidence exists that the Vince Foster "suicide" note was forged, they would have reported it. They haven't reported it so there is no such evidence. Another variation on this theme involves the likelihood of a conspiracy leaker and a press who would report the leak.
12. Require the skeptics to solve the crime completely. E.g. If Foster was murdered, who did it and why?
13. Change the subject. This technique includes creating and/or publicizing distractions.
14. Lightly report incriminating facts, and then make nothing of them. This is sometimes referred to as "bump and run" reporting.
15. Baldly and brazenly lie. A favorite way of doing this is to attribute the "facts" furnished the public to a plausible-sounding, but anonymous, source.
16. Expanding further on numbers 4 and 5, have your own stooges "expose" scandals and champion popular causes. Their job is to pre-empt real opponents and to play 99-yard football. A variation is to pay rich people for the job who will pretend to spend their own money.
17. Flood the Internet with agents. This is the answer to the question, "What could possibly motivate a person to spend hour upon hour on Internet news groups defending the government and/or the press and harassing genuine critics?" Don t the authorities have defenders enough in all the newspapers, magazines, radio, and television? One would think refusing to print critical letters and screening out serious callers or dumping them from radio talk shows would be control enough, but, obviously, it is not.
submitted by TheGoombler to Superstonk [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:07 Icy-Performance-6969 Practical Tips for Muslims to Enhance Daily Life

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته everyone,
I wanted to share some practical tips and resources that can help Muslims in their daily lives. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith, manage your time better, or find community support, these tips might be useful.
1.Spiritual Growth: - Daily Prayers: Establish a consistent prayer routine. Apps like Muslim Pro can help you keep track of prayer times and Qibla direction. - Qur'an Reading: Set aside time daily for Qur'an reading. Apps like Quran Majeed or websites like Quran.com provide easy access to the text and tafsir.
2.Health and Wellness: - Halal Nutrition: Ensure your diet is halal and nutritious. Apps like Scan Halal can help you check the halal status of food products. - Mental Health: Take care of your mental well-being. Organizations like the Khalil Center provide faith-based counseling services.
3.Community Engagement: - Volunteering: Get involved in local charity work. Many mosques have outreach programs that need volunteers. - Study Circles: Join or start a halaqa (study circle) to discuss Islamic topics and build community bonds.
4.Education and Learning: - Online Courses: Websites like AlMaghrib Institute and SeekersGuidance offer a variety of online courses on Islamic studies. - Books and Lectures: Read books by reputable scholars or listen to lectures by speakers like Dr. Zakir Naik and Omar Suleiman for deeper insights into Islamic teachings.
5.Financial Management: - Zakat and Sadaqah: Plan your charitable giving by calculating your zakat accurately. Websites like NZF (National Zakat Foundation) can assist with calculations and distribution. - Islamic Banking: Explore Islamic banking options for interest-free financial services.
I hope these tips help you in your journey. Feel free to share more resources or ask any questions. Let’s support each other in our faith and daily lives!
Looking forward to your thoughts and additions!
submitted by Icy-Performance-6969 to MuslimLounge [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 19:07 GrahamCracker876 SRS Silverback

I’m looking to buy the SRS Silverback A2 covert 16”. I have a few questions:
Do you have any other tips or suggestions about it?
submitted by GrahamCracker876 to airsoft [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:53 MEGAthemicro SYNERGY is cute and creative... but don't go in expecting much excitement.

I never expected to not like Synergy. After all, this eye-poppingly adorable survival city builder based on the supremely influential comic book illustrations of French artist Jean Giraud, AKA Moebius, is everything I want on paper. A rich and rarely seen visual rendering of a strange alien planet that—dare I say—synergizes nicely with its thoughtful and intricate resource gathering mechanics that encourage patient research and exploration effort rather than combat.
What’s not to love, right?
Well, after 10+ hours with Synergy, I am surprised and saddened to report that I find it all a bit... boring? You see, after the initial wave of art-induced infatuation wore off, I gradually began to realize that Synergy isn’t meant to simulate an intense, punishing, and consequently thrilling fight against the world’s harsh climate as is the case in games like Frostpunk and Against the Storm. Nor is it here to push you to your production-chain resource micromanagement limits as do games like Cartel Tycoon, The Settlers, and Pioneers of Pagonia. And, given Synergy's near total deemphasis on your city’s individuals, it's incapable of delivering those fun AI storylines seen in colony simulators like RIMWORLD and its upcoming medieval clone Norland.
Instead, Synergy is about the biggest number on the screen: your city’s prosperity score, which visualizes the city’s sustainability and well-being. Synergy wants your main focus to be basking in the wonderful art style as you build toward a beautiful, culture-rich utopia that doesn’t overexploit the world’s fragile ecosystem, which you can see grow and die in real time. Dealing with the harsh climate, producing enough food and water—these survival mechanics that drive other games are inconveniences in Synergy rather than the game’s deciding factors. Now, does this design decision mean the game is easy? Absolutely not, as there’s still plenty of depth here and still plenty of ways to screw things up (trust me). But don’t go in expecting an exhilarating experience, which is what I personally wanted.
That in mind, let’s get into the game.
GAMEPLAY & CONTENT
You’ll start out as you do in many survival city builders—with a store of starter resources and a handful of static, slowly starving settlers (poor little guys). However, after laying a building from your construction menu, your settlers will snap out of their comas and get right to work. After building early game structures like shelters, warehouses, and “picking cabins,” you’ll want to lay down a field lab so you can start researching the world’s strange plant life. These lab results will then inform you about the plant’s properties (e.g., is it edible?), as well as the different materials you can gather from it by either picking, trimming, or ripping the plant out of the ground entirely.
In between all of this rippin’ and tearin’, you’ll need to build a research center and start unlocking new buildings, like an infirmary to treat worn down workers, an arborist’s workshop to help replant whatcha de-plant, and an explorer’s hut from which you can launch expeditions into the unknown. Upon reaching a new area or point of interest, you’ll get a short text-based scenario and an RNG choice or two, but watch out because rolling the die can result in die-ing. Oh, and keep an eye out for ancient tablets along the way, as collecting and then translating them will unlock buffs for your village.
In other words... from an objectives and mechanics standpoint, Synergy is a lot like most of the survival city builders I’ve covered on this channel, albeit with an attractive and intuitive user interface that makes a fun little ASMR sound when you hover over it. I would like to see more map variety by 1.0, however, as the level designs currently feel pretty synonymous. Lastly, I didn’t encounter any figurative bugs in Synergy, though I do think the game would benefit from some literal ones—I just know my villagers must be tired of eating the same “watery pod” veggie pie every day, plus, this art style is simply begging for some colorful and creative Dr. Suess-esque animals.
CONCLUSION
I had originally planned on a longer review of Synergy, but the game’s text-based story in which you seek out fellow settlers and study the world’s strange glowing phenomenon doesn’t currently feel fleshed out enough to fairly score. So, we’ll give the game a subject-to-change aggregate MEGA score of 3.22/5 (full scoring breakdown available in video form on my profile) and plan on revisiting it closer to full release. Between now and then, I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the game or my review.
Thanks for reading!
submitted by MEGAthemicro to BaseBuildingGames [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:52 Icy-Performance-6969 Practical Tips for Muslims to Enhance Daily Life

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته everyone,
I wanted to share some practical tips and resources that can help Muslims in their daily lives. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith, manage your time better, or find community support, these tips might be useful.
1.Spiritual Growth: - Daily Prayers: Establish a consistent prayer routine. Apps like Muslim Pro can help you keep track of prayer times and Qibla direction. - Qur'an Reading: Set aside time daily for Qur'an reading. Apps like Quran Majeed or websites like Quran.com provide easy access to the text and tafsir.
2.Health and Wellness: - Halal Nutrition: Ensure your diet is halal and nutritious. Apps like Scan Halal can help you check the halal status of food products. - Mental Health: Take care of your mental well-being. Organizations like the Khalil Center provide faith-based counseling services.
3.Community Engagement: - Volunteering: Get involved in local charity work. Many mosques have outreach programs that need volunteers. - Study Circles: Join or start a halaqa (study circle) to discuss Islamic topics and build community bonds.
4.Education and Learning: - Online Courses: Websites like AlMaghrib Institute and SeekersGuidance offer a variety of online courses on Islamic studies. - Books and Lectures: Read books by reputable scholars or listen to lectures by speakers like Yasir Qadhi and Omar Suleiman for deeper insights into Islamic teachings.
5.Financial Management: - Zakat and Sadaqah: Plan your charitable giving by calculating your zakat accurately. Websites like NZF (National Zakat Foundation) can assist with calculations and distribution. - Islamic Banking: Explore Islamic banking options for interest-free financial services.
I hope these tips help you in your journey. Feel free to share more resources or ask any questions. Let’s support each other in our faith and daily lives!
Looking forward to your thoughts and additions!
submitted by Icy-Performance-6969 to converts [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:50 DogeLuck Fully in depth report of 5 days without power in Texas Heat

At the time of this post 145 thousand people are still without power going on almost 6 days without power. Tornado wiped out our power grid in select areas throughout Texas. Here's some things I learned and a situation report of my experience living with a very large family of mixed ages.
Context: We had been getting hit with some pretty gnarly weather however business as usual in Texas. I didn't think much of it usually when our grids down they're pretty quick to respond minus the snow storm years back. So when I heard there was a storm brewing I didn't even flinch I always keep some very very basics, battery's, lights, water, 2 weeks minimum of non perishable foods, self defense protection, and ammo, etc. But I hardly consider myself a prepper anymore, but I know some people don't even have that.
I use to be really on top of my preps overtime, however my stockpile had dwindled, as did my thirst for knowledge and hands on experience/training. I just honestly wasn't on top of my game anymore, and quit taking this as serious years ago. This tornado really brought me back to reality, so this post is mostly for entry level preppers looking at some practical advice from a 5 day experience, I fully regret the fact I quit taking this serious years ago.
First Day: Around 6pm, emergency alert on phone stating tornado in your area, seek shelter immediately. Thought ok let's shelter in the master bedroom closet. Wind rocked the house pretty good, could hear limbs from tree's falling, within about 10 minutes the power shuts off, and glancing outside within a hour the streets flooded. The storm had died down, as did the flooding, and it was time to asses the damage in the immediate area. Got in the car, power had blown out pretty much every store/house within a several mile zone. Found one square zone with a few places that had power, got some fast food but waited about 30 minutes because everyone went there.
What I wish I had on day one/ and general notes:
Rain boots: The streets had not only flooded but was blocked by limbs in the roadway. Luckily our flooding wasn't too severe but had it been I wish I did have rainboots so normal shoes didn't get soaked, or some type of beach sandals, etc.
Chainsaw, electric saw, axes, regular saw: Would of come in handy if the limbs in our area blocking the road were any bigger.
Higher up vehicles: Some vehicles couldn't make it through the flood due to being so low to the ground, so take into account your vehicles.
More variety of quality flashlights: Electric Lanterns came in clutch, but wish I had more handhelds, head mounted, and higher end lanterns.
Battery Inventory checks: Wish I had not only more batteries cause you really do burn through these quick, but wish I had checked all my lights battery condition, and stored new batteries in waterproof containers.
Alternative sources to battery's: Not a huge fan of candles due to fire risk, but some not scented beeswax or soy based candles would of came in handy to help ration battery supply. Maybe glass lanterns as well for safety and ease of transport. Glowsticks would of been great option too.
Car chargers: Believe it or not some of us didn't have car chargers for our cell phones cause we mostly charge our phones at home, although we were able to share, wish we had this on day one for all our phones.
Fully charged portable battery bank, or portable phone chargers: If we had this we wouldn't of been out in our cars late at night charging stuff putting us at more risk for being possible victims to crime.
Quality of cell phone, and cellphone provider: Have a POS phone but keep putting off upgrading it? Don't. Luckily mine was good but some of our cellphone providers carriers had better signal then others, some of are phones were in bad shape and it was noted we wish we didn't put off upgrading it sooner. You can't predict how well your provider will do but maybe do your research, unsure how this works but now I can do my research and learn from it. I had 0 issues with boost mobile but other family members weren't so lucky.
Cash: This is obvious but due to us moving towards a cashless society its pretty uncommon, but this would of came in handy due to how many places didn't have power. You can do so much with cash.
Battery powered or rechargeable camping fans: I did have one of these, it even had a light but wish I had more.
Larger ice chest: Now we had a few, but they were smaller. We lost everything in our fridge/freezer besides canned drinks, I mean everything. We had just bought grocery's too, lesson learned.
OTC sleeping medication: We had melatonin, and Tylenol pm, but it was so quiet you could hear a mouse sneeze a block over, until the generators turned on. First two are OK options but given its only going to be cool at night, and we knew tomorrow would be hot, we took kratom to sleep. Check your area some states it's illegal, not recommending it but it's what we used. I wish I had stockpiled more kratom, I took it when I got the flu on top of C word to relieve body aches and found out it really helped me sleep and ease pain/stress. Usually cycle this 3 days on max, one day off to prevent habit forming.
(This is really for day two + but ill post this here cause I noticed it on day one)
Backup supply of my personal vices or quitting personal vices: I know this may sound stupid but I am fully addicted to caffeine, and nicotine. I picked my poison and know what I signed up for. Caffeine really? yeah really not sure if you know this but for some people caffeine withdrawal can make you really suffer, and I mean really suffer check out decaf. I was in the process of lowering my caff intake to 1 cup of tea a day, and quit soda. Was one month off soda before the storm came in, but had to relapse due to us not carrying high caff tea on supply.
But yeah stock up on your vices so you aren't going through withdrawals during an emergency. Was on 3mg per ml of nicotine and had to dish out 30$ for a disposable vape thats 50mg per ml at a gas station on day two to prevent withdrawals. So I was on way higher dose of nic then usual due to only being able to purchase what I could find, for reference 50mg per ml if you use that in 10 days thats about a pack of ciggs worth of nic per day. So yeah either quit your vice or stock up, I don't advocate hard drugs at all so this isn't for that but this is mainly aimed at coffee/caff use, etc. Instant coffee packs may be great for some people.
Battery powered radio: Can't stress enough how mentally taxing silence can be long term. We had one, but the battery port crapped out. Lesson learned, test your preps.
Backup food for your pet friends: Luckily I was pretty good on pet food but imagine if I wasn't, and this was more severe.
Water situation: Had a decent amount of drinking water, we had running water. If we didn't I would say I wish I had filled up the giant jugs I bought for flushing the toilet/doing dishes or running through a berkey water filter if we ran out of drinking water. I had bought 5 gallon blue jugs specifically for this years back. However I cleaned them out, and didn't refill, Lesson learned.
2nd Day: We were able to cook some stuff on a gas stove, luckily. People at gas stations were stocking up on ice, filling their gas cans up for their generators, and shelves were getting empty at stores with power only on some things though wasn't too bad cause the power outage was scattered some had power, others didn't. Mostly a waiting game at this point, most of the preps I wish I had on this day were the same as day one, but ill toss in some stuff I wish I had. Obtained a portable battery powered radio, the morale boost was real for everyone, even the dogs.
What I wish I had on day two/ and general notes:
BBQ style lighters to light gas stove: We had two but recently tossed em out due to being empty. Realized I had no bics, and only had one box of matches, feels bad man.
Entertainment: Board games like checkers, board games for kids, chess, basic poker set, etc. These would of been awesome and a great way to keep the kids entertained and the adults, the boredom was real. We hit local goodwill's that had power to look for radios, and cheap prep supplies and games, but no luck.
Third day: By then reality set in for most people, neighbors who could afford to do so booked hotels or bugged out to places with power. The generators really started up by day three, everyone was buying gas for them and you could hear them in almost every direction. Pretty sure some people had it from the start but noticed them more by day three. A lot of people were sitting outside the front of their homes trying to escape the heat. Ice from most places were completely sold out, so you had to really shop around to find any.
Finding news about the power outage day 1-3 was kind of hit and miss, KHOU news updates were pretty short and it took us some time to know how severe the storms damage actually was, cause we were focused on trying to get stuff done around the house and conserving battery. I believe at one point CenterPoint's actual website went down. Mostly resulted to local news channels, and nextdoor app. We couldn't watch live news and had to rely on when KHOU posted youtube videos.
Private security company's hired guards and they started patrolling certain stores that could afford the security, obviously to deter looters. Traffic everywhere was insane in every which direction during peak hours more then usual, PD presence was pretty high, more then usual.
What I wish I had on day three/ and general notes:
Generator: Pretty obvious why, had no experience with them but wish I did, and wish I bought one pre-blackout when I was more into prepping and took time to learn about them and how to use and maintain them properly.
Ham radio: Or something to pick up on local freqs to monitor radio comms for information regarding the storm and local activity if any. I think this may of been better then waiting on local news to post videos.
Day Four: Buddy had power so he dropped off his generator and gave me quick instructions on how to run it, how far away to place them, etc. By day four the temps really ramped up, and this thing definitely kept us cool. When you think of bartering you think of some post apocalypse stuff, but no. In reality you can barter during any emergency, buddy dropped it off free of charge but was able to offer some booze as a thank you. So even if you don't drink stock up on booze/ciggs to barter, never know what you might trade it for. Times are tough in this economy and I honestly didn't have much money to spare, family had to pool our funds together to get last minute preps to survive this, cause we didn't know how long this would really last. In certain areas they said it could be weeks. However the alcohol was a small thank you that I could afford and he was happy so all worked out.
Gas cans were sold out, and extension cord supply's were looking extremely low at local hardware store. From what I overheard they also completely sold out of generators. Honestly wish I knew more about electrical stuff but my buddy gave me a small crash course in wiring everything. You can't just plug it in and pray for the best. Bought the best gauge extensions cords I could afford for our needs, and the distance and hooked it up.
We ran one bedroom AC unit, fans for the dogs, wired a light, and a charging station. Also don't cheap out on gas cans it's not worth blowing your face off or starting a fire, or having it leak. If you get a generator do your research on how to properly run it, and safely fill it. Crime in this area can be fairly high we've had a few drive by shootings and other not so good police involved things. Read this book along time ago about post collapse security, so I blacked out our windows so when we turned lights on no one knew we had power. You may hear the generator, but from the street we look like we don't have anything going for us. My biggest fear was looters from people who were less fortunate or really down bad. We near a common site for homeless people as well so they foot traffic the area.
Generators are very loud, between that and listening to the radio 12 hours a day, I was beginning to audio hallucinate lyrics that weren't there with the radio off, and suffered from heat exhaustion. That and the fact we had homeless in our area and tweekers who might loot I was running off adrenaline a bit. 24 hours almost that night without sleep, and didn't even feel tired. Slept near my firearm until my family woke up at daylight and when daylight hit I knew we were in the clear and I passed out.
What I wish I had on day fou and general notes:
Knowledge of generators.
Knowledge about electricity/wiring them safely.
Security: Some type of physical alarm bell to put on the door like metal door knob alarm bells so it jingles if anyone enters to alert the dogs, had to keep the door slightly cracked so the wires hooked up to the generator would fit. So we couldn't lock the door, which is probably where my anxiety of tweekers coming in came from.
Day Five: Same shit different day, power came on that evening.
Conclusion: Just cause it doesn't look like societal collapse or WW3 prep your shit for emergency's native to your area or go beyond, idc but prep. They ain't coming to help for awhile, or at all if it's very severe...so it's up to you and your community to pull through. This was a wake up call, thanks for coming to my prep talk.
submitted by DogeLuck to preppers [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:48 PotterheadZZ Historical Prompts! (Renaissance, Wild West, 1930s, and more!)

1. Courtesans and the Crown: I will be playing M! I am also open to potentially playing a MxM version. (1530s) Benjamin, the illegitimate son of a King, lives a life of luxury without any of the consequences that come with royal blood. He indulges in fine clothing, gambling and is a frequent patron of brothels. At sixteen, he met a courtesan named Antonia, who was five years his senior. Unlike the other women he had encountered, Antonia was beautiful, kind, and captured his heart. While they both share a deep love for each other, they face their own challenges. Benjamin is still learning the ways of the court at the age of eighteen, while Antonia holds a great deal of influence over him due to her life experience. From encouraging him to invite her to tea to spite his royal parentage and even convincing him to petition for legitimation to take his sister's throne, she is ready to shake things up, disguising their power-hungry nature as love. What started as a quiet and humble relationship has now turned them into vicious antagonists towards themselves and others, but their love for each other remains strong. Even though the character's name is Antonia, feel free to create your own character with a courtesan theme. I even encourage it!!!
2. Our Father, who art in Heaven: I can play M or F! (1450s) Through a combination of extortion, torture, and occasional bribery, Pope Castello has ascended to the Papal throne. Despite his vow of celibacy, his illegitimate offspring roam freely in the town, behaving as though they were the offspring of a monarch. His son, in particular, plowing through any woman with a pulse, loses vast sums of money gambling, and harbors his own dark secrets. Meanwhile, his father strives to elevate him to the rank of cardinal. However, what will happen when his son encounters the same fate as his father? Will he fall in love with a noblewoman and violate his church oath? This woman has her own secrets and a father who is eager to marry her off to the wealthiest suitor available. The resulting whirlwind will leave blood on the floor and lipstick stains on collars, reminiscent of The Borgias, but without the incestuous undertones.
3. Of course, Your Majesty: I will be playing M! (1500s) Your protagonist is the eldest child of a powerful monarch, destined to become the next Queen. During her childhood, she formed a close bond with the son of a Lord who was a bit older than her. As they grew up, their feelings for each other became more than just friendship, prompting them to explore a romantic relationship. However, it is the heavily religious 1500s, and fearing that their relationship would compromise her purity and jeopardize her chances of marrying another royal, the Lord's son was sent away to a chateau. Despite the distance, they kept in touch through letters and other means. But, a dramatic shift in the court's dynamics has brought him back, much to the chagrin of your character's father. He is willing to disrupt the status quo for the sake of love and occasionally for his own gain.
4. The Lost Princess: I will be playing F! (1480s-1520s) Princess Margery was adored by her subjects and set to ascend the throne one day. However, her fate changed drastically when, at the tender age of four, her carriage was attacked by bandits. In a desperate bid to survive, Margery pretended to be dead in the frigid snow of the forest. She wasn't certain what happened next, but she eventually found herself in the care of two kind-hearted parents who renamed her Elizabeth and raised her as their own daughter. As Elizabeth came of age, she began searching for potential suitors. But what happens when a young man uncovers her true identity? How does she make her way back to the castle, and what challenges await her upon her return? Most importantly, where do you fit into this tangled web of intrigue and deception?
5. For Our Kingdoms: I am open to playing M or F! (1530s) An arranged marriage between a prince and princess from neighboring kingdoms looms on the horizon. Is she a timid princess, suddenly thrust into the role of heir apparent, seeking a partner to bolster her claim to the throne? Or is she merely a commodity being sold off to the highest bidder? Regardless, what happens when two royals who are less-than-enthusiastic about the arrangement are forced to wed for the betterment of their kingdoms? With an unkind and brash prince making every quip in the book as he rises to the throne, she must find a way to make her marriage work. Will they find common ground, or will they be at each other's throats? Only time will tell.
6. Shadow in Stage Lights:I will be playing M! I am also open to potentially playing a MxM version. (Post-WWII 1940s) In the smoky haze of post-war Hollywood, where dreams are traded like currency and the past casts long shadows, Jack Turner returns from the frontlines of battle a shattered man. Once hailed as a literary luminary, he now struggles to find his place in a world that has moved on without him, haunted by memories he can neither escape nor forget. Enter your character, a radiant starlet whose ascent to fame is as swift as it is dazzling. Cast as the lead in Jack's latest play, she embodies the very essence of the character he once envisioned, igniting the stage with a brilliance that eclipses his own. But as the spotlight shines ever brighter on YC, Jack finds himself consumed by a bitter resentment, his heart seething with anger at the injustice of it all. In a world where shadows lurk behind every smile and fame is but a fleeting illusion, Jack and YC must navigate the treacherous waters of love and ambition, forging a path forward that leads them out of the darkness and into the light.
7. The West was Wilder: I will be playing M or F! (1830s) A young man is a moonshiner and owner of a notorious saloon in a small frontier town. With a reputation for brewing the finest illegal whiskey in the region, he walks a fine line between outlaw and respected member of the community. Meanwhile, a young lass is new to town and is seeking change. She has a tough exterior, but there is a vulnerability that draws folks in. As their paths cross in the dusty streets and dimly lit saloons of the Wild West, sparks fly between them. Whether it's a fiery confrontation over a poker game gone wrong or a chance encounter in the dead of night, their chemistry is undeniable. But with danger lurking around every corner and secrets waiting to be uncovered, their burgeoning romance is anything but smooth sailing.
8. Underneath the Bald Cypress: I will be playing F! (1930s) Amidst the sultry streets of New Orleans, the daughter of a wealthy sugar cane baron, finds herself torn between societal expectations and her own desires. Engaged to a controlling man of her father’s choosing, she longs for true love. Her path collides with your character, a jazz singer, a man of color, or something else entirely, sparking a forbidden romance that defies family secrets. As their love blossoms amidst the city's vibrant nightlife, she must choose between the safety of convention and the allure of a life filled with passion and uncertainty, where forbidden love and hidden truths threaten to unravel the world she knows.
9. Revolution or Run: I will be playing F! (Fallout Fandom) In Vault 47, life appears idyllic, with its inhabitants blissfully unaware of the horrors unfolding beneath the sterile corridors. Your character, recently assigned to a coveted scientist position, stumbles upon a hidden lab deep within the vault, where ghastly experiments are conducted on unsuspecting fellow dwellers. Amidst it all, your character finds help in a resourceful maintenance worker with a knack for uncovering secrets. With the weight of responsibility heavy on their shoulders, they must navigate a treacherous path, torn between loyalty to their community and the pursuit of justice.As tensions escalate within the vault, they must decide whether to ignite the flames of rebellion from within or to venture into the unforgiving wasteland beyond the vault's walls.
Linked here is my writing sample and lore explanation.
I am also open to sending a master list of my current OCs with their vague descriptions!
When you DM me, please send me the answers to these questions!
  1. What is your name and pronouns?
  2. What RP are you interested in?
  3. Are you comfortable playing on Discord?
  4. What gender are you interested in playing? (for scenarios 2, 5, and 7 only!)
  5. What are your hard boundaries for writing? (i.e. unwilling to write gore/abuse/etc)
  6. What is your biggest roleplay pet peeve?
  7. What is your paragraph min/max?
  8. What is the most important thing to you in RP?
  9. Are time zones important to you? If so, what is yours?
  10. Is ooc essential to you?
  11. Are you okay with a fade-to-black romance style?
  12. What is your typical romance speed? Slow/Medium/Fast Burn?
I will answer these questions back! Thanks for reading!
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2024.05.21 18:46 MikeLitoris95 Northern Kentucky ID

Northern Kentucky ID
Caught this a number of years ago working at a detention center. I was confident that it wasn’t venomous but not completely sure on the species. Beautiful snake though. Any idea?
submitted by MikeLitoris95 to whatsthissnake [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:44 Icy-Performance-6969 Practical Tips for Muslims to Enhance Daily Life

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته everyone,
I wanted to share some practical tips and resources that can help Muslims in their daily lives. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith, manage your time better, or find community support, these tips might be useful.
1.Spiritual Growth: - Daily Prayers: Establish a consistent prayer routine. Apps like Muslim Pro can help you keep track of prayer times and Qibla direction. - Qur'an Reading: Set aside time daily for Qur'an reading. Apps like Quran Majeed or websites like Quran.com provide easy access to the text and tafsir.
2.Health and Wellness: - Halal Nutrition: Ensure your diet is halal and nutritious. Apps like Scan Halal can help you check the halal status of food products. - Mental Health: Take care of your mental well-being. Organizations like the Khalil Center provide faith-based counseling services.
3.Community Engagement: - Volunteering: Get involved in local charity work. Many mosques have outreach programs that need volunteers. - Study Circles: Join or start a halaqa (study circle) to discuss Islamic topics and build community bonds.
4.Education and Learning: - Online Courses: Websites like AlMaghrib Institute and SeekersGuidance offer a variety of online courses on Islamic studies. - Books and Lectures: Read books by reputable scholars or listen to lectures by speakers like Yasir Qadhi and Omar Suleiman for deeper insights into Islamic teachings.
5.Financial Management: - Zakat and Sadaqah: Plan your charitable giving by calculating your zakat accurately. Websites like NZF (National Zakat Foundation) can assist with calculations and distribution. - Islamic Banking: Explore Islamic banking options for interest-free financial services.
I hope these tips help you in your journey. Feel free to share more resources or ask any questions. Let’s support each other in our faith and daily lives!
Looking forward to your thoughts and additions!
submitted by Icy-Performance-6969 to Muslim [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:42 Icy-Performance-6969 Practical Tips for Muslims to Enhance Daily Life

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته everyone,
I wanted to share some practical tips and resources that can help Muslims in their daily lives. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith, manage your time better, or find community support, these tips might be useful.
1.Spiritual Growth: - Daily Prayers: Establish a consistent prayer routine. Apps like Muslim Pro can help you keep track of prayer times and Qibla direction. - Qur'an Reading: Set aside time daily for Qur'an reading. Apps like Quran Majeed or websites like Quran.com provide easy access to the text and tafsir.
2.Health and Wellness: - Halal Nutrition: Ensure your diet is halal and nutritious. Apps like Scan Halal can help you check the halal status of food products. - Mental Health: Take care of your mental well-being. Organizations like the Khalil Center provide faith-based counseling services.
3.Community Engagement: - Volunteering: Get involved in local charity work. Many mosques have outreach programs that need volunteers. - Study Circles: Join or start a halaqa (study circle) to discuss Islamic topics and build community bonds.
4.Education and Learning: - Online Courses: Websites like AlMaghrib Institute and SeekersGuidance offer a variety of online courses on Islamic studies. - Books and Lectures: Read books by reputable scholars or listen to lectures by speakers like Yasir Qadhi and Omar Suleiman for deeper insights into Islamic teachings.
5.Financial Management: - Zakat and Sadaqah: Plan your charitable giving by calculating your zakat accurately. Websites like NZF (National Zakat Foundation) can assist with calculations and distribution. - Islamic Banking: Explore Islamic banking options for interest-free financial services.
I hope these tips help you in your journey. Feel free to share more resources or ask any questions. Let’s support each other in our faith and daily lives!
Looking forward to your thoughts and additions!
submitted by Icy-Performance-6969 to islam [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 18:41 Aftel43 Not so dubious duo, part 19.

We take seats at a meeting table in the castle, Princess Jiakyn taking a seat first, then Seirialia, Tyrelia, Trenon, Lankensy and Kyrem, then the castle commanders who are quite surprised by presence of princess in their castle, and lastly Jakan and I take seats.
'Alright, explain then.' Lankensy says calmly to Princess Jiakyn. I wish I could have talked to Jakan about her before we sat down.
'Well, it took some persuasion for me to make the journey here. I am not going to just learn with theory, I need something to practice on and I have spell ideas that I want to try out.' Princess Jiakyn says calmly and in persuasive tone. Jakan and I looked into each others eyes for a moment, Jakan looks very concerned and, really wanted to say something but, chose to stay quiet.
'This is a war zone, and there is a good reason why there is a travel ban in this zone too.' Kyrem says straightly without hesitation.
'All the more reason for me to be here, the soldiers would need my presence, so that they know that their efforts will not be thrown away and that they will be remembered.' Princess Jiakyn states in honest tone.
'Do you really believe that you are ready to witness horrors of war?' Jakan asks calmly and interested to Princess' answer. For a moment she looked unsure and slightly insulted that Jakan was the one to ask the question, she looked at others present and even at me. She noticed that all of people here agree with Jakan's question.
'I do.' Princess Jiakyn says with slight hesitation.
'Bold answer, I know it is rude of me to question you, but, know this, I have already vowed that. It is either life, or death, that will carry on. I have seen those horrors myself, I have even fought and executed my own brother in arms. There are good reasons why the castle commanders and heroes of the riven war agreed with why I asked.' Jakan states, not entirely convinced but, willing to guide, guard, shelter, save and teach Princess Jiakyn, if the heroes of the riven war allow.
'How do you have such confidence in the words you have spoken? Ghaudunian.' Princess Jiakyn asks after glancing at all present here.
'As I am a Ghaudunian, I have good grasp of both active and passive effects of dark arcane on people. I have warred against undead before the war, I have seen the horrors, faced sorrowing defeats and lived through moments of triumph. Here, there is only death, life and struggle. One of the heroes of riven war, has met me before the war.' Jakan replies without hesitation and puts weight on his words.
'He was one of the groundskeepers of the Ghaudunian academy which I studied at. Draconian is a brave, stalwart and a dominant figure cast from metal and forged from war. Not many survived from the beginning, to the end of the war. When he speaks of facing undead, it is for your better that you listen.' Seirialia says with honesty.
'You have spoken well, draconian. Although, I have a feeling that my presence here is not exactly welcome.' Princess Jiakyn states to Jakan.
'Not only have we caused a diplomatic and political scandal, I do fear that the undead would make you a priority target to capture. These are not feral or dark arcane maddened undead we are facing, somebody is organizing this affair.' Jakan replies calmly and shows the maps. Princess asked for a confirmation from heroes of the riven war and castle commanders.
'Jakan speaks the truth, I personally witnessed his victory over a revenant champion. His sword is fine, as is his mind for war. Such a destructive figure of battle, are rare and continuing to survive. Surely one of the finest retainers of the shadowy ones.' Salgi states with respect.
'Not only is he strong but, also has knack for dueling. Tied with Lankensy before his victory in a mock duel. Ages like finest wine, princess. I know and understand your distrust towards the Ghaudunians but, in this matter. There are no nations.' Kyrem states with respect.
'What about you? You must be a junior agent.' Princess Jiakyn says heeding the words of to be her people, one day. She asks from me.
'I am indeed a junior agent, it is thanks to me that we know some specifics of who plausibly are behind this. Where my senior, is a cliff breaker, I am his eyes and ears, where he is not. I am new to the organization, but, our lords strongly believed that my skills would only benefit your nation's grand effort on solving this crisis, which is why I am here.' Speak out my purpose of being here to her.
Princess Jiakyn listened very carefully what I said. Closing her eyes to ponder, she nodded and opened her eyes again. That eye color has to be rare for people of Valerie, pink and yellow. Her physical stature, isn't ideal for war but, if she is at least one quarter of Seirialia's skill in arcane. She most certainly would make a difference.
'Alright. I will place my trust on both of you. I believe you are both here to help.' Princess Jiakyn says to me and Jakan. I feel mildly relieved, still, her presence here is double edged matter, I sense she is mildly overconfident but, worse is that she is untested. 'What are your plans for today?' Princess Jiakyn asks in her usual tone of, slightly confident and strong.
'We do need to escort the supply caravan to the town to the north and north west. Right now, we need mages that can heal wounds and work as secondary ranged units. Princess Jiakyn, may I request your presence at the town?' Lankensy asks, this would be both perfect opportunity to bolster morale of the citizens of the town but, also place a target on her back though... Lankensy looks into eyes of Jakan and I.
I think I understand his intentions, Jakan to act as part of the caravan guard and, maybe send me ahead to scout whether it is safe for the princess to enter... Smart man. Jakan ponders what Lankensy tried to indicate to him.
'From what I have heard, the town was in terrible danger previously, what has changed?' Princess Jiakyn asks mildly surprised of Lankensy's proposal.
Castle commanders brief Princess Jiakyn of the situation. Northern sectors of the castle to the town are pretty much back in control of Valerie. She smiles warmly of hearing these news. 'What about you heroes? What are you going to do while this is on going?' Princess Jiakyn asks.
'Kyrem, Tyrelia. Do you two think you can go with me to the town as escorts for the supply caravan?' Lankensy asks after thinking about the situation for a moment.
'This makes sense, we are going to need only good fighters just in case we get intercepted.' Kyrem says, Tyrelia nods in agreement.
'We are quite busy here already. The mages will provide a lot of help in healing these people, I need your assistance too, lady Seirialia.' Trenon says calmly.
'After seeing the slugging match yesterday, I agree with you, Trenon. The more we can help to recover sooner, the better.' Seirialia says, well, that's that for the plans of actually getting to know the heroes of the riven war better.
'What do you want us to do meanwhile then?' Jakan asks pondering how Lankensy is going to answer his question.
'I was planning on having you part of the security convoy and have Volarie check the town for anything suspicious.' Lankensy replies calmly.
'Hmm... Solid thinking. I wouldn't be able to avoid attention in a city. Are you okay with this plan? Princess Jiakyn.' Jakan says calmly.
Jiakyn thinks for a while. 'I do not have objections. When do we depart?' Princess Jiakyn asks somewhat excited to get started.
'It will take a while for the supplies required for the castle to be unloaded. No thoughts on what to do while it is on going...' Lankensy states thinking about the matter.
'How about getting to know each other then?' Princess Jiakyn proposes warmly and innocently. She has some ulterior motives that I can speculate but, no way I am voicing them here, I believe Jakan is thinking the same.
'Well, there isn't really anything else better to do.' Tyrelia says with content tone.
'All of the forces required for the convoy are being amassed as the time goes by anyway.' Kyrem says with a neutral tone, not being for or against the idea.
'A sound idea, I would like to get to know you better, Jakan. Warrior like you, along with the past you have had, must have quite tales to share.' Lankensy says, interested to talk with Jakan. I am guessing that he looks to learn, both history and combat from him.
Very easy to see from Jakan's expression that he is thinking about it. 'You have remained silent for the most of the talk, young agent. Is something bothering you?' Princess Jiakyn asks, warmly and calmly. I can see why people would feel warmly about her.
'At the moment, there aren't really any concerns. As the younger agent, I chose that, my senior agent handles most of the conversations with both of us present and back his words.' Reply to her calmly and partially choosing to elaborate the dynamic between me and Jakan.
'We do have the time since everything for today was already discussed yesterday. Princess, if I may be allowed to be direct with you. I would like to comment on your decision.' Jakan says calmly requesting an allowance to be open to her.
'You may say what is on your mind senior agent.' Princess Jiakyn replies calmly.
'I believe your heart is in the right place when you came here but, I fear for your safety of being here. As you already know, our most recent victory which has secured north east and north of the castle, has very likely escalated the conflict. I have strong suspicions that, once enemy agents in or outside of the castle find out of your presence here, you will be a high value target, which could swing this conflict into favor of our common enemy.' Jakan states humbly and professionally.
'I believe in my people to be wise to not choose such action, and that you agents. Will spare no effort in thwarting any action taken against me.' Princess Jiakyn replies confidently.
'It is just us two here, no more, no less. Princess, I believe I am stretching your willingness to hear those, once your opponents word's but, I plea that you will seek council of the heroes of the riven war when you are making decisions of where to apply yourself. Our combined presence most likely has already set the rumors running, which is my secondary concern.' Jakan says with consideration and caution.
'Your concerns are certainly reasonable, agent Jakan. Once the information of why you are here and involved with our war against the undead, such rumors should no longer be of concern. I will take your plea into consideration.' Princess Jiakyn says calmly, I quickly glance at Jakan, who is, not all that convinced but, fears overstepping his influence, so chooses to just nod deeply to Princess Jiakyn.
Castle commanders speak with Princess Jiakyn and after talking for a while. The private talk is over and we all go take our positions to be ready for the convoy's departure to the town. Lankensy and Jakan go to talk slightly further away from Princess Jiakyn, Kyrem and me.
She could be trying her luck on find out more about me than I am willing to share or about our organization. To my surprise, slightly to my own happiness. 'From what I have heard from my friends, your past was a rather ugly one, societally. I know some deeds of those whose name is Volarie.' Kyrem states to open the conversation.
'I remember reading about my name, how terrifying the weight of it is, certainly explained a lot of the treatment I received. What do you know?' Reply to him calmly, keeping my happiness hidden from him.
'A ghaudunian self learned rogue, who stole, murdered and misdirected Ghaudun in the past, to aid Valerie in all ways possible. This rogue was finally cornered by Ghaudunian guards and some army personnel, chose to take it's own life, than ever reveal anything to it's fellow countrymen. I read some about his exploits, what a scoundrel... Part of me wonders what part will you play.' Kyrem speaks what he knows, his face is masked by the whole head helmet he wears.
'Know that it will not be as anything grandeur as those who came before me, I intend on keeping the home I have. There won't be one like it.' Say with light seriousness.
'Your lords chose wisely to adopt you into their order, you must not have taken the news lightly.' Kyrem replies, referring to my blood, human and dragon in nature.
'It shocked me, part of me wanted to run, part of me wanted to very much not believe it... I had those rumors myself. When I was introduced my new part of my family, it changed me, in all ways, for the better.' Say with warmth. Princess Jiakyn looks confused but, I as expected, she realized quite quickly.
'You have blood of a dragon of Ghaudun?' Princess Jiakyn asks mildly shocked by the realization, even if it isn't all of it.
'Yes, it was a battle accident. We believe primary target was the one whose blood I share. I became a secondary target, just because of proximity. Investigation is still on, we do not have answers yet.' Reply to her calmly.
'I have read about the tales of those who have dragon blood, few even have written book or two. Variety of those tales is, as large as backgrounds and jobs they did before the discovery. You have blood of a shadow dragon?' Princess Jiakyn asks, tone telling that she is interested to hear more.
'I do. Never believed that something like this would happen to me, but, here I am. Ever since the day of meeting him, my life has become a lot better.' Reply in content tone.
'Volarie. I will be quite interested on reading what you have written of your life. Have you learned anything special from the mixing of the blood?' Princess Jiakyn asks excited to hear. Briefly, I smile cunningly to her and then vanish into a shadow before her and Kyrem's very eyes.
'Seirialia told me of your abilities, now, I most certainly believe her...' Kyrem says with slight shock and awe in his voice, as I just stand mixed into the shadows, there, but, not there.
'Learning from the artists and masters of dark arcane, most certainly must have helped. I have read about this ability but, never expected to witness it with my own eyes. Your life most certainly went through a great change...' Princess Jiakyn says with respect, awe and some admiration.
I appear from the embrace of the shadows and stand confidently. 'They most certainly taught me well, I feared the dark arcane, they taught me how to use it and imparted knowledge which helped me greatly to never again fear it. Now I dance with the light and dark as easily as I breathe.' Reply warmly and staying humble.
'You are still young, the best is, it is only upwards from here for you. Envious of you I am, I have only began to understand the other arcanes.' Princess Jiakyn says being open about her emotions to an extent.
'Know that it wasn't easy but, even my teachers admitted that they were somewhat surprised how I was responding to their teachings, even with the struggles here and there.' Reply to her calmly and remembering some of those times.
'It is the only arcane you are adept at?' Princess Jiakyn asks, somewhat doubtful of my words.
'It is, during the Riven War, many of the talents, both dragon and non-dragon were lost, one way or another. They said that, I have a knack for some specific areas of dark arcane, they would have been interested to see what potential I have with the other arcanes but, many of the shadow dragons agreed that having me here, along with Jakan, is the best combination.' Explain to Princess Jiakyn calmly, she isn't a child.
More towards late teens than young adult, state where her world view is growing far more comprehensive and more detailed than before. 'You grew up during the war. Didn't you?' Princess Jiakyn asks, most likely has deduced my age enough well to ask.
'Yes, it was bad, peace... Almost as bad. There are a lot of strong personal emotions, for now, I do not feel safe enough to tell you about them.' Reply carefully and making it clear that, it is a rather sore area.
Princess Jiakyn was about to ask but, Kyrem placed his left hand on Princess Jiakyn's right shoulder, prompting the younger to look at him, he shook his head in reply to the confused expression of the late teen. 'I believe it was commander Salgi who put it best. "War's monsters are not always fought at the front lines." Those are memories best shared in a far more less intense environment.' Kyrem states in straight tone.
Princess Jiakyn seems to struggle understand as her gaze fixates upon me. 'I do not understand.' Princess Jiakyn says to Kyrem when they seem to make eye contact.
'I am not the right person teach you about it. Believe in this though, she wouldn't mind change of subject.' Kyrem says calmly and let's go of Princess Jiakyn's shoulder. Interesting, royal family must trust Kyrem so strongly that they would allow that type of interaction. Princess Jiakyn looked quite surprised and slightly disappointed. I nodded to her, that Kyrem is correct.
She seems to relent, probably acknowledging that there are boundaries that needs to be respected. Thank you Kyrem, I do not think I am at all comfortable to speak about it to her. She thinks for a moment and looks at Jakan for a moment, who is talking with Lankensy. The two warrior's seem quite content with their discussion.
'How did you get to know him?' Princess Jiakyn asks as I look at Jakan for a moment with a small warm smile of happiness. I look at the princess and think about my response.
'First time I ever saw him, was when he doing melee training, felt quite intimidated and scared to talk to him or even be in his presence, so, I just left my melee training for later. Made enough sound for him to realize that somebody had entered the room but, left a lot sooner than what was normal to him.
The shadow dragons had found out about my avoidance of other members of the organization which were not dragon. They told me that, they learned from the war that, incoherent organization, that is not able to trust members within the organization is not a well functioning organization.
They said that, they will allow me to take my time to approach him. It was a lot sooner than later, they set up our proper introduction, relatively innocently. He is whole lot gentle than from outside he might seem to be. Now, we talk like we are life long friends. The draconian is most certainly is a veteran and fluent, of war and death, but, he can be a good mentor about life and peace.' Explain to Jiakyn who is listening very carefully, Kyrem is also listening.
'It sounds rather strange of you to word it how you did. What caused such a shift in him?' Princess Jiakyn asks intrigued.
'There is always change, that which we can observe, that which we can be, to put it quite bluntly, very ignorant off.' Answer to Princess Jiakyn, who looks at Kyrem, man nods deeply in agreement.
submitted by Aftel43 to aftel43_writes [link] [comments]


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