Radiant heat covers

This is a question borne purely out of curiosity. My partner makes really good mushrooms. I've always just sautéed them over a more or less constant medium-high heat, which is... fine. For a while now, he's been cooking them by tossing then in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with some salt and aromatics (and some olive oil or other fat), letting them slowly release and then braise in their own juice. Then once they're good and soft (aprx 30 min), he'll take the cover off, turn the heat up fairly high, let the excess liquid cook off, and briefly brown them. I've been learning to do the same thing, and have expanded the process to other vegetables. Almost everything comes out way better than a simple sautee. So much more flavorful, and the texture is perfect.
My question: is there a name for this specific technique? I don't think my partner invented it, although he's a good cook in general. I'm pretty sure that standard sautéeing doesn't involve the longer period of braising first. It almost seems like a fricasée but in reverse.

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NOP Universe.
Hey, I hope everyone's doing well!
Today we return to the namesake of this fic, an actual lesson about animals. This one focuses on Koalas! One of Australia's most recognisable critters. I hope you enjoy.
It's hardly worth mentioning, seeing as I'm an infrequent poster at the best of times, but I'll not have another chapter out for a few weeks due to limited free time and devoting most of my writing time to an upcoming ficnapping. Be sure to look out for that!
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Memory transcription subject: Rysel, Venlil Environmental Researcher
Date [Standardised human time]: 8th September 2136
“Koalas!”
Bernard’s energised voice boomed through the air as the classroom's monitor flickered into life, images of this paws lecture topic popping up one after the other until the entire screen was filled with a collage of furry quadrupeds.
Squee! I’ll never get tired of this, it’s all so cool!
As usual the sight of something new stirred immediate discussion, hushed murmurs swelling into vibrant discourse in little more than a heartbeat. Most of the class swiftly huddled together into small herds to bounce ideas around while the rest opted to stick to the solace of their own thoughts as they took in the display.
I’d be quite happy in either situation, though seeing as Sandi had already sunk into deep concentration and Kailo had peeled off to talk with Ennerif and Solenk, it seemed the decision had been made for me on this occasion. Wasting no more time on idle inspection of the people around me, I focused my full attention forward, eager to form first impressions before the lesson began in earnest.
Now then, time to make some educated guesses. What traits does this animal have? I wonder if I’ll get any right this paw?
Professional assumptions went paw-in-paw with the lectures, examining and coming up with hypotheses about the specimens was only natural. Recently however, I’d started to make a little game of it to make things even more interesting than usual. A veritable bonfire of ideas had been set ablaze within me, fueled by my newfound knowledge of Earthen wildlife. Every flash and spark of the flame was a fresh theory I could try to apply to the lectures. It was an invigorating exercise that further stoked my unceasing wonderment.
So far I’d only done this once during the previous class and, to my disappointment, I’d not done too well.
I was right when I guessed that chickens were omnivores, but wrong in my assumption that they could fly. And that red thing on their head, the um… what was it called? The comb! Yes, the comb. I thought that was to attract mates, but it regulates body heat instead. It’s fascinating. Oh! Stars damn it I’m rambling!
I bapped my tail against my leg, the soft thud being just enough to snap me back from my runaway thoughts before I went completely wall-eyed. I was becoming more and more accustomed to getting lost in my own head while remaining conscious of the fact; it was happening so frequently now that it was pretty much impossible not to. Now I was able to pull myself back to the world around me without having to rely on someone else shaking me out of it. Most of the time anyway.
Sandi still keeps an eye on me, and Kailo even decided to help out once without being too snide about it. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, Koalas.
Glancing at the furred animals, two things immediately stood out. Firstly, their eyes were in a more central position on their face. And second, all the images showed them being on or close to trees. There were other noteworthy observations of course, such as the Koala’s prominent nose and rounded features, but they fell to the wayside as I honed in on these points first.
Hmmm… ok. I already know to discount the idea that they’re predators just from eye position, so let’s get that thought out of here. Maybe omnivorous? Herbivore? Agh no, I can’t just guess that for the sake of guessing, that’s the same problem! Hrm, it’s tough making these assumptions now that everything I thought I knew has been turned on its head.
Nevermind, I’ll focus on the other thing. All the trees make me think they’re arboreal, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. I wonder what else they-
Clearing his throat, Bernard broke my concentration, his call for attention silencing the murmuring conversation and redirecting everyone's focus to the lecturer's podium.
His gaze panned across the room as he waited for everyone to settle, a beaming smile lighting up his face, “As ever I’m delighted to see you all get so into the subject matter from the get go. I’m looking forward to hearing what you were discussing should you wish to share. For now though, how about we get started, hm?”
A chorus of merry bleats rang out from across the audience, ears and tails flicking happily in agreement. Bernard's grin grew in tandem with the class's fervour, clasping his hands together enthusiastically as he launched into the lesson, “Excellent! Then let’s get started.”
The pictures on screen dissolved away until only one remained, enlarging to cover the entire monitor with the fluffy grey face of a Koala peacefully reclining in the crook of a tree.
“Ah, there we are,” Bernard’s baritone timbre drifted through the room as he looked up at the image, his own tone reflecting the relaxed attitude of the animal on screen, “He looks so comfortable doesn’t he? Perfectly at peace with the world, not too surprising considering they sleep almost 20 hours a day. A full paw!”
A wave of beeps and gasps rippled through the herd, punctuated by a single yawn-dressed comment from Rova, “A full paw? Hwuuu… jealous.”
Her drowsy remark elicited several whistling giggles from the herd, Bernard's own jovial chortle joining them as he turned to face her, “Late evening Rova?”
I twisted a little in my seat, panning an eye in Rova’s direction just in time to see her bleary eyes bulge open and her ears shoot up, now intensely aware of the fact she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
Sitting up abruptly, she hastily tapped down errant tufts of wool that’d flared in surprise as she composed herself, though her nervousness at becoming the centre of the class's attention was still plain for all to hear, “Uh- I um… achem, a little bit yes, um- …sorry. Lokki dragged me out to a movie viewing in the rec centre. It went on pretty late.”
A melodramatic bray from the other side of the room drew everyone's ears away from Rova to the now aghast Lokki, paw splayed across his chest in faux indignation, “Dragged you? Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons with human movies. That’ll be the list time I- …Ahaaaa…”
Lokki’s theatrics were cut short by a heavy yawn of his own, a swell of whistling laughter rolling through the herd as vibrant bloom lit up his snout, a sight that elicited a particularly amused bleat from Rova.
Turning away from the duo I looked back at Bernard, pleased to see that he was chuckling along with us. Behaviour like Lokki’s would never have been tolerated in my school and university days but, in stark contrast, Bernard revelled in it, the liveliness of his students fueling his own bombastic style of teaching. It was a pleasant change of pace having a teacher who let us all be ourselves in class; provided we weren’t too disruptive to the lesson plan.
Speaking of which.
His laughter still rumbling through the air, Bernard clapped his hands to pull everyone's focus back to him, “Ok, ok, let’s get back to it then shall we? Rova. Lokki. Hopefully the two of you can stay awake long enough until you can grab yourselves a coffee.”
As the class settled down and the last few giggling beeps petered out, Benard pointed a hand to the screen, “So, the Koala. Let’s start simple shall we? They are herbivorous marsupials native to the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. Easily recognised the world over, they are a well known and beloved symbol of their homeland, along with other animals such as the Kangaroo and the Emu. The former of which you might remember from one of our earlier lectures.”
Indeed I did remember, along with how angry Bernard had gotten after some speh-head had derided the Yotul after he explained how he held specific disdain for such attitudes.
Uuuggghh… I never want to see him angry again. So chilling.
I shook my ears in an effort to dismiss the unpleasant memory, panning my eyes back to the monitor to try and distract myself by inspecting the Koala’s physical appearance once more. Thankfully, by some Star's blessed intervention, Bernard had the exact same idea.
“Koala’s are rather squat in stature, ranging around sixty to eighty-five centimetres in length and weighing little more than fifteen to sixteen kilograms at their full size. As you can see, the fur of this fellow before you is a lovely silvery grey, but their fur can also sport a chocolaty brown hue as well. Arguably the most distinctive part of their appearance is their head, being rather large for their body size and having rounded ears, a large nose, and a pair of small eyes. These are often brown but variations do occur.”
It didn’t slip past my notice that Bernard didn’t bother to point out that the Koala’s eyes were forward facing. I didn’t think he’d simply forgotten, so perhaps he just felt it wasn’t necessary given that he’d already stated it was herbivorous. Either way, no one stuck up a paw or tail to question him.
“Now this will hardly be surprising considering how long they sleep, but Koala’s are largely sedentary and it’s rather easy to see why when you have a look into the contents of their diet.”
With the press of a button the Koala on screen was replaced by images of vibrant green vegetation. Soaring trees and flowering shrubbery weaved together across landscape framed pictures pulled admiring trills from the herd, the diversity of the plant life being shown standing as a reminder that it wasn’t only animal life that flourished on Earth.
After giving everyone the chance to take in the picturesque scenes, Bernard casually hammered that point home, “This is eucalyptus or, more accurately, a choice selection of more than 700 plants belonging to the eucalyptus genus, though the Koala itself favours 30 of them in particular.”
700!? Stars…
Realising that my ears had drooped in my momentary awe, I twisted them back to tune into the lesson, only for them to splay out in shock at the next words to come out of Bernard's mouth.
“The leaves of these plants are the primary food source of the Koala and there are a couple things worth mentioning when talking about these plants. For starters they do not have much nutritional or caloric value, leading to the Koala’s low-energy lifestyle. Additionally, they contain toxic compounds.”
A shiver instantly ran through the herd, ears flicking rapidly in confusion and alarm followed by a few quizzical whispers. It didn’t take long for someone to decide to give a proper voice to the murmuring.
“Excuse me Doctor. Did we hear that right? Their diet is made up of toxic flora?” Vlek’s grumbling incredulity cut through the herd's mutterings with ease. Until Kailo’s recent change of heart, the fifty something rotation old blonde Venlil had been a close second in terms of scepticism. Mercifully his rebuttals had always been relevant questions as opposed to ranting diatribes, so he at least remained on topic if nothing else.
Bernard nodded in confirmation, smiling back at Vlek while absentmindedly twirling the end of his moustache, “You heard me right, they do indeed consume plants that are toxic. Just not to them.”
Any worry or uncertainty still clinging to the herd was swept away by the provision of the glaringly obvious answer, leaving me chuckling inwardly at the oversight.
Ah of course! The plant might be poisonous but they’ll have evolved to deal with that. Stars… I’m so used to expecting the unexpected with Earth that I didn’t even consider the simplest solution.
“I see, thank you Doctor,” Vlek replied, a tinge of interest still audible in his tone, “I assume they’ve developed some adaptation to become immune to the harmful effects?”
The question immediately evoked a smirk from our teacher, but he hurriedly suppressed it while bobbing his head, “They have indeed. There are several factors that aid in their digestion of eucalyptus leaves without succumbing to the plant's baleful properties. The first is a part of the intestinal tract called the cecum. It contains a microbiome that allows the Koala to digest the eucalyptus. Coupled with this is an enzyme in the Koala’s liver that helps them break down the toxins. They are also capable of sniffing out the plants with the least amount of toxins, ensuring that they ingest as little as possible.”
Pausing for a breath Bernard looked back at the screen before turning to face us, another grin curling at the edges of his mouth as he continued with his explanation, “This is mostly for adult Koala’s, because while their young also possess these same adaptations, they don’t just go straight to munching through foliage right after being born. No, they need a little help making that jump and getting a stomach full of all that good gut bacteria. It’s nothing bad, but those of a sensitive stomach may wish to prepare themselves for this next part.”
Bernard’s assurances did little to assuage the concern that his warning had foisted upon us. Having been exposed to so much of the weirdness Earth had to offer everyone always ended up on edge whenever Bernard gave advice like this, even if he did say it in jest.
What strange nonsense thing do Koala pups do then? Judging by the way he’s acting it probably isn’t something as simple as drinking milk from the mother. Hmmm…
“So,” Bernard began, snapping us from our pensive stupor, “Young Koala’s, known as joeys, have a gestation period of thirty-five days on average, which is approximately forty-two paws. Once born they travel from the birth canal to a pouch in their mother so that they can continue to develop and grow. In the pouch the joey finds and latches onto one of two teats and these provide the newborn with a steady stream of nourishing milk. It spends the next six to seven months growing in the pouch, its eyes, ears, and fur all developing as time goes on.”
Okay, interesting. But this is exactly how I thought it’d go. What’s different?
The unexpected normalcy of the Koala’s birth and growth cycle had calmed everyone's nerves, only to be replaced with an air of suspicion as we waited with rapt attention for Bernard to drop the other claw and upend our expectations like he always did.
Not wanting to keep us in further suspense he forged ahead, the tempo of his voice picking up as the smile started to crease his face once more, “Now to make the switch from milk to eucalyptus, the mother also feeds the joey a substance called pap. It comes from the cecum I mentioned earlier, and contains all the gut bacteria required to help the young Koala in making the switch to eucalyptus.”
He stopped and looked around, searching us for a reaction to what I felt was a rather bland statement of fact. What was it he was saying without actually saying? Koala pups drink milk to mature and then include this pap substance so that they can start eating plants. I don’t see what-
The cecum is part of the intestine.
I blinked.
I blinked again, the intrusive interruption scouring my brain clean of any other thought bar the one it’d just implanted itself in the forefront of my mind.
Oh stars. They-
“They eat their own poop!?”
The shocked bleat shattered the peace of the room to reveal that most if not all of us had come to the same tail curling conclusion. As the hall filled with unrestrained vocalisations of disgust, an ‘Ugh’ over here and a ‘Blegh’ over there, Bernard’s own bellowing laughter joined the throng of voices.
“Ha! Everytime! Each and every time. Clearly it doesn’t matter if my students are Human or Venlil. Whenever someone learns about the Koala’s dietary development the reaction is the same!”
Pleased with himself beyond reason, Bernard chuckled away while the rest of us grappled with this ghastly reality. While there were plenty of animals that feasted on things that ranged from simply unappealing all the way to the stomach churningly grotesque, I’d never heard of an animal that actively consumed the excrement of its own species. Benefits aside, the prospect of having to do that to survive to adulthood sent a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
Ewww… Stars, I hope I forget this feeling by 2nd meal. They’re serving sturen and magamroot stew later. I was really looking forward to it.
With the herds mood beginning to temper Bernard tapped the podiums controls, removing the verdant collage of eucalyptus to display several similar yet distinct environments, still chortling merrily to himself in the process, “Ok then, with that little foray into their diet complete, why don’t we look at their habitat in more detail? As you might imagine given their diet and arboreal nature, Koala’s live in forested regions, and can be found in tropical and temperate zones. About a century ago they were classed as a vulnerable species, however efforts were made to turn this around and increase their numbers. Sadly the largest factor in their decline was human activity, as the fertile lands that gave rise to their bountiful forests were coveted farm land for our settlements.”
It was strange to hear Bernard so matter of factly admit to humanity's negative impacts on other species. He’d alluded to such things in the past but always with an air of caution, carefully pawing the line between honestly answering a question while not painting humanity as uncaring and destructive. AKA, the ‘predators’ we’d all initially expected them to be.
Perhaps his comfort in making such admissions was a reflection of the class's comfort with him, for no one so much as batted an ear. Even Kailo, who I would’ve expected to jump at the chance to use this as a prime example of predatory danger, only flicked an ear in stern yet silent concern.
A cough from Bernard drew my attention back, a new picture on screen that showed a forest from a bird's-eye view. Drawn across the image were around a dozen ringed areas, some bordering one another while others overlapped to some degree. It took me a moment, but I soon recognised that what I was looking at was a map, the rings representing what I assumed to be territories. And it didn’t take much effort to guess who each one belonged to.
“From habitats we move onto behaviours, so let’s start with territories. Koala’s are solitary animals. Yes, despite being herbivores. Considering they’re only awake for roughly four hours of the day I can hardly blame them. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Jokes aside, once they mature they are quite independent, carving out a little slice of land for themselves, as displayed in this example, called a Home Range. That is not to say they go it alone and leave everything else behind however. Rather, as shown in the map behind me, they live in their own space while still being part of a larger social group.”
With another press of his pad the picture was updated to show one of two symbols in each segment, along with a key to the side of the map displayed in helpful Venlang. A quick glance told me that the symbols were representing whether the territory belonged to a male or female of the species.
“As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap between different Koala’s territories. It is in these areas that most of the socialising takes place between neighbours. The trees in these locations represent the few areas where intrusion across territories is acceptable for the sake of social interaction. Outside of that the Koala’s stick to their own territories for the most part, with the exceptions of Koala’s who are passing through, attempting to become part of the social group themselves, or dominant males who sometimes go off into another Koala’s range. But how do they know where one range begins and another range ends you might ask? Well, this brings us onto the next part of the lecture. How do Koala’s communicate?”
Wiping away the map from the monitor, Bernard loaded up a video of a Koala sitting in a tree and pressed play. Head held high, the Koala’s body shook as it belted out a reverberating call into the wilderness that could only be described as a garbled combination of a car engine failing to turn over mixed with the hiccups of someone with a particularly sore throat.
That’s how they sound? Oof that must be rough on the lungs.
I clearly wasn’t the only one to share such a thought, because I clocked Sandi tracing a paw along her neck as the noise went on, ears fluttering in discomfort at the noise.
Bernard himself cleared his own throat as the video came to an end, minimising it and replacing it with another image of a tree with a Koala rubbing up against the bark, “I think they’ve got me beat on who’s got the deeper voice!”
His joke garnered several amused beeps, a rare reaction that caused a beaming smile to shine across his face at lighting speed, “Oh you’re too kind. I’ll be here all week. Now where were we? Oh yes! Communication. As you’ve just heard, Koala’s are capable of loud low pitched bellows that can carry over vast distances. These express everything from ‘Hello I’m over here’ to ‘This is my turf, stay away’. Bellowing is more common in the males than the females, opting for shouting matches as opposed to outright fights when it comes to asserting dominance. Other vocal expressions include grunts, wails, and snarls if they’re acting particularly angsty. Mother and joey pairs also communicate through gentle clicking, squeaking, and murmuring sounds. And there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Something they have in common with Humans and Venlil when it comes to emoting.”
Really? They do something we do?
Curious, I pressed myself against the desk, straining as close as I could to once more scrutinise the Koala’s features. Not a lot stood out to me at first, the grey marsupial not sharing many similarities with a Venlil that I could identify.
Ok think. We show emotion with our ears, tails, and our wool on occasion. They don’t have tails so it’s obviously not that. Wool standing on end is more a reaction than a conscious expression. So it must be the ears then.
To my quiet satisfaction, my hunch was soon validated by Bernard, “As well as their vocalisations, Koala’s are very emotive through their facial features. Just like humans, they use their mouths and lips to show how they feel, but these tend more towards the aggressive side of the scale than what you might see on a human. Regarding yourselves however, Koala’s utilise their ears in tandem with their mouth movements when showing strong emotion.”
I was delighted to hear that my assumption was correct, a little happy flick twisting out through my tail and bapping against my chair with a muted thump against the plastic.
Hehe yes! Got one right!
“Now then, we are getting close to lunchtime so I’ll finish this segment off with something I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Diplomacy.”
Perplexed mutterings followed in the wake of the bizarre inclusion to the lecture, my own thoughts being dominated by bewilderment as I tried and failed to make sense of how the two could possibly be related.
Why would Koala’s, or any animal for that matter, be linked to diplomacy? Hmmm...
I could understand dispatching exterminators to deal with a predator issue as a show of goodwill, that at least includes animals, but Humans aren’t like that so I think I can safely scratch that off the list.
Maybe the humans who live in that region benefited from Koala’s in some way. Could they have gotten something from them? But what?
Hopefully not what the pups get from their mothers.
Agh no! Begone awful intrusive thoughts. Blegh! I don’t need that in my head.
As I wrestled with the short-lived revulsion inflicted upon me by my Star's damned subconscious, Bernard placed a new image on screen, one that was decidedly different from all that had preceded it.
On screen were more than a couple dozen pictures of humans. Some were pictured alone while others congregated in large groups while cameras surrounded them from all angles. Across all the images, I noted two common themes. First of all, a solid majority of the humans were wearing formal wear similar to what I’d seen worn by UN representatives on TV. If the gaggle of journalists in the background of the photos didn’t already confirm my suspicions, then it was this similarity which made me conclude they were all people of some importance. Likely politicians judging from context clues.
Secondly, each of the individuals was interacting with a Koala in some form. Some cradled one against their chests while others were feeding it eucalyptus leaves or pellets of some kind. One of the assumed politicians had become an impromptu bed for a snoozing bundle of fur, a gleeful smile spread across their face as they lovingly gazed down at the sleeping Koala in their lap.
As I continued to stare at the assorted photos something clicked into place, a sudden spark flickering into life. A burgeoning light of comprehension that flared and swelled with every wide-eyed breath I took. Some things still escaped me, things I hoped would soon be explained, but in staring at all of the humans happy smiling faces, I was struck with an instant of pure understanding.
If someone, say a Nevok for instance, offered to gift me a creature that was common to them but which might exotic and breathtaking to a Venlil, how could my feelings not be swayed? How could I walk away from that encounter and not have grown closer to them as a result?
“Koala diplomacy,” Bernard waved his hand up at the monitor, a slight reverence in his tone, “My favourite kind of soft power diplomacy. Where political leaders take photo ops with Koala’s and, on occasion, the Australian government loans Koala’s to other nations for a time to bolster positive relations. It certainly helps that Koala’s are a beloved animal worldwide, drawing large crowds and revenue for countries fortunate enough to host the adorable critters.”
The truly alien concept predictably sparked instant discussion in the herd, two polar opposite schools of thought swiftly cementing themselves as the most popular opinions. Simultaneously, I heard one voice trill excitedly while another scoffed at what they clearly saw as a ridiculous and offensive notion.
“Squee! That’d be so cool! I’d love to get the chance to see a Liri from Coila. Remember the Rainbow Boa? Think of that shimmering effect and colour but put it on a bird! Ah! I’ve only heard their song on video. It’d be a treat to hear it in person!”
Ooo! I’ve read about them! I’d love to get up close to one.
“Loaning. As if animals are property to be hoarded and traded? Pugh! Another predatory trait the humans don’t want to acknowledge for what it is.”
Ugh, typical. Jump right to the worst possible option.
However, despite my dismissal of their disparaging fumings, an uncomfortable thought pressed upon my mind. While it was plain to see how much humans cared for the Koala, it didn’t change the fact that humans did keep animals as property just as the scornful herd member had said.
This begged a rather important, disquieting question. Aside from keeping some animals as cattle, a stomach tightening minefield I had no desire to step a claw onto right now, how else did humans keep other creatures. And how did they treat them?
Before I was fully conscious of doing it my paw was in the air, the question primed on my tongue.
Noticing my elevated paw Bernard pointed at me, smiling warmly, “Yes Rysel? What’s on your mind?”
Sorry Bernard. I hope this one’s not too awkward for you to answer.
Flicking my ear in appreciation, and waiting for everyone to settle enough so that I could be heard, I voiced my concerns as neutrally as possible, “Thank you Doctor. I uh, just had a thought. We know that humans keep certain animals for… particular reasons, and we know why. From how you’ve spoken about Koala’s I think it's fair to say that the same cannot be said for them. However, this makes me wonder, what other reasons do humans have for keeping animals and how do you treat them?”
A flash of surprise blinked across Bernard's eyes but vanished so quickly that it felt like I’d imagined it. Had he not expected such a question? Maybe he was just shocked that it’d been me who’d ended up asking it?
Stars, am I so predictable that no one expects me to ask difficult questions?
Unfortunately, a quick glance at my deskmates seemed to prove that to be the case, as both Sandi and Kailo were looking at me with differing degrees of astonishment flapping in their ears.
Well speh.
“A very good point Rysel, certainly one that’s worth raising. Yet another example of you all anticipating what I have to say before I can bring it up myself.” Bernard tapped the podium, switching off the monitor before returning his focus to me, “We won’t be needing that. I’ve nothing prepared that I can show you and we’re heading to lunch in a few minutes anyway. Still, that’s plenty of time to give you a bit of an answer.”
A bit? What does he mean just a bit?
Made even more curious by Bernard's preempted admission that he wasn’t going to fully answer my query, I dialled both my ears on him, fixing him with an inquisitive stare as he started to explain with a tone that was noticeably more nonchalant than any of his previous explanations.
“So, animals in captivity for reasons other than what you already know. Honestly I would love to delve into other reasons regarding why we keep animals. However, I have a lesson plan in the works that I hope to share with you all in the not too distant future. Some of it touches upon this very topic and I’d quite like to bundle it all together. That said, I can tell you how animals in captivity are treated. In short, the answer is very well. There are a mountain of laws both on private and public interests that govern the standards and ethical treatment of animals, and breaches of these laws are quite severe even for relatively minor infractions.”
While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by the vague answer to what was really the bulk of my question, I was at least satisfied by Bernard’s assurances that animals in captivity, such as the Koala, were well looked after. Considering the barely subdued grumbling coming from some corners of the audience it was clear that several of the herd didn’t believe Bernard outright, but I trusted him to be honest. Additionally, the mention of an upcoming lecture focused on humans keeping animals caused quite the buzz.
I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at exploring the topic further. He’d pretty much confirmed we wouldn’t be talking about cattle farms, for which I was relieved, but that still left a huge amount of uncertainty in what was to come.
Humans keeping animals as cattle was a forgone conclusion. As horrifying as that reality was, it was one I could understand from a detached and strictly clinical point of view. Being predators they ate meat and therefore they kept cattle. But the concept of keeping animals for any other reason baffled me.
What could be the purpose? The diplomacy thing makes sense now that I have context, but what other reasons could they have.
The class's discussions were interrupted by the recognisable ring of the break bell, the shift in attention eliciting a change in conversation from confused hypotheses to peppy conversation on how everyone was planning to spend their break and what they had in mind for 2nd meal.
“Well I can see everyone’s excited for lunch, and who am I to disappoint,” chuckling Bernard waved us all up from our seats, pocketing his pad from the podium and heading to open the classroom door for us, “Enjoy your break, get a good rest along with a hearty meal, and I’ll see you all back here at the usual time.”
As everyone else filed out I stayed behind, waving at Sandi and Kailo as they left, and pawing over to Bernard once he and I were the only ones left in the room.
Ears folded down and with an apologetic tinge in my voice I greeted him as I sidled up to him, “Hey Bernard, I uh… sorry if that last question was unexpected.”
Chortling in reply, Bernard waved a hand through the air in a sign I’d come to understand meant ‘not a problem’.
“No need to apologise Rysel. It was a good question and most certainly not a problem.”
Heh, called it.
I sighed, allowing tension I didn’t realise I’d been holding to relax itself from my shoulders, “Phew, that’s a relief. I’m glad. I’m curious to hear what this new lesson is you’ve got in store for us by the way.”
Bernard wagged a finger at me, throwing up his eyebrows in mock amazement, “Oh are you now? Well I’m afraid you’ll have to remain curious for the time being. It’s going to be quite the surprise if all goes to plan. But…”
He trailed off, glancing at me before looking to the door like he was making sure no one else was around.
Wait, is he going to tell me? Oh please yes let me know now!
Stopping myself from jumping on the spot in excited anticipation, and trying my damndest to stop my tail from wagging in equal measure, I stared up at Bernard as he stewed in his thoughts before turning back to face me.
“I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m working with Alejandro and Tolim to get something together. A trip that’s not a trip as it were. And when it happens, I’m going to need a few of the more accepting members of the class to lend me a hand. I’m hoping you and a couple others will be able to help with that?”
A trip that’s not a trip? What does that mean? Agh who cares about that right now! Bernard’s relying on me to help out!
Still trying not to keep myself from bouncing around with pup like glee I swished my tail and nodded my head in joint agreement, happy to help with whatever Bernard had in store for us, “Of course! Anything you need I’ll be there to lend a paw. You can count on me!”
A broad warm smile lit up Bernard's face, a hand patting me on the shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you Rysel. I knew I could rely on you but it still warms my heart to hear it. And, as thanks for this and for the many times you’ve shown your support, the surprise includes a little something special I think you’d appreciate the most.”
If my earlier enthusiasm had been at a nine, then the implication of a supposed gift sent it rocketing all the way to a hundred in a heartbeat.
“Wait… WHAT!? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
As impossible as it seemed, Bernard's grin grew even wider as I almost lost myself in wool shaking exhilaration, “Call it my own form of Koala diplomacy. But I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise even for you!”
“Oh you ass!” Whistling jovially I bapped my tail against Bernard’s leg in fake indignation, evoking a barking bellowing laugh from the man himself.
Still laughing, the two of us departed the class and made for the canteen, my rumbling stomach leading me on while my mind spun with fantastical thoughts as to what Bernard had prepared for us.
And what specifically he had in store for me.

Hi,
I have a 20 year old furnace and an older Heat pump (Bryant). I'm trying to figure out if this quote is good at all. They are allegedly giving me a discount because of their May discount PLUS a discount if I commit TODAY (I told him upfront this is so salesy). The price below includes all the discounts.
Is the hyperheat any good? My house is about 3000 sqft but our 2nd floor gets roasted by the sun as its West Facing and covered with windows.
Total cost with federal rebate: $19,096
Mitsubishi PVFY AHU w/ Hyper Heat 48k BTU LEVEL 2 1.0 $25,594.12 $25,594.12
System: Mitsubishi Heat Pump System
Model# PVFY-P48NAMU-E1/ MXZSM48NAMHZ
Stage(s): InverteVariable Speed Blower
Tonage/BTU: 4/48,000
SEEHSPF: 16.5/11
12 year Workmanship Warranty
12 year Labor Warranty
12 year Parts Warranty from manufacturer
Condensate Pump (if applicable)
Drain piping
Lineset piping
Equipment pad
Communication Thermostat
Part 1: Removing Existing System
-Recover existing refrigerant if applicable
-Disconnect system power
-Disassemble Air HandleFurnace and Condensing unit
Part 2: Setting New Units
-Install new equipment pad
-Install new Condensing Unit -Install Air Handle Furnace
-Modify return air ductwork
-Modify supply air ductwork
Part 3: Piping/ Electrical -Install new lineset *Fabricate flare connections (torque to manufacture spec) *Pressure test system (350 PSI brazed systems, 650 PSI flared systems) Bring system into deep vacuum
(free from moisture) (350 microns)
-Mount new disconnect and system electrical whip
-Rewire Thermostat/Mount thermostat
Part 4: System Start Up
*Perform a proper refrigerant system charge by measuring sub-cooling
-Verify system safety controls
-Configure thermostat settings
-Complete an entire system start up report -Take system photos
-Record information to register for warranty
-Clean up entire work area

Hi,
I have a 20 year old furnace in Seattle and a newer Heat pump (Bryant). I'm trying to figure out if this quote is good at all. They are allegedly giving me a discount because of their May discount PLUS a discount if I commit TODAY (I told him upfront this is so salesy). The price below includes all the discounts.
Is the hyperheat any good? My house is about 3000 sqft but our 2nd floor gets roasted by the sun as its West Facing and covered with windows.
Total cost with federal rebate: $19,096
Mitsubishi PVFY AHU w/ Hyper Heat 48k BTU LEVEL 2 1.0 $25,594.12 $25,594.12
System: Mitsubishi Heat Pump System
Model# PVFY-P48NAMU-E1/ MXZSM48NAMHZ
Stage(s): InverteVariable Speed Blower
Tonage/BTU: 4/48,000
SEEHSPF: 16.5/11
12 year Workmanship Warranty
12 year Labor Warranty
12 year Parts Warranty from manufacturer
Condensate Pump (if applicable)
Drain piping
Lineset piping
Equipment pad
Communication Thermostat
Part 1: Removing Existing System
-Recover existing refrigerant if applicable
-Disconnect system power
-Disassemble Air HandleFurnace and Condensing unit
Part 2: Setting New Units
-Install new equipment pad
-Install new Condensing Unit -Install Air Handle Furnace
-Modify return air ductwork
-Modify supply air ductwork
Part 3: Piping/ Electrical -Install new lineset *Fabricate flare connections (torque to manufacture spec) *Pressure test system (350 PSI brazed systems, 650 PSI flared systems) Bring system into deep vacuum
(free from moisture) (350 microns)
-Mount new disconnect and system electrical whip
-Rewire Thermostat/Mount thermostat
Part 4: System Start Up
*Perform a proper refrigerant system charge by measuring sub-cooling
-Verify system safety controls
-Configure thermostat settings
-Complete an entire system start up report -Take system photos
-Record information to register for warranty
-Clean up entire work area

Essentially, my dad told me I couldn't borrow the car he's planning on selling because he fears I'll "devalue" it. I currently drive a '93 Toyota Camry that is heinously damaged, as someone rear-ended me going very fast the literal day I bought it. The damage is so extensive that half the doors won't open from frame damage. I didn't bother filing a claim, the person who hit me was uninsured and I didn't have uninsured motorist coverage. Before I continue, I do need to mention my track record with cars isn't great. I've had some accidents over the course of my 15-ish year driving career; never any major ones thank god but a couple fender benders and I hit a pole once (I was 19.)
So, my dad accidentally ended up with two cars. He needed a specific part that only the dealer could get and they were taking forever to get it from overseas. At the six month mark he gave up and bought a new (used) car because it was a good deal, etc. After over a year and a half they finally got the part and fixed it, but right before his big move to Amsterdam.
He didn't have time to sell it before leaving and its currently sitting in the driveway doing nothing. I floated the idea that I take out full coverage on it, pay for the insurance myself, and borrow it while he's gone. Doing so would allow me to get a better job due to reliable transportation (which I do not currently have) and, in turn, allow me to save money to buy a car of my own. And perhaps more importantly, get me out of a car that is objectively unsafe.
He said no, he didn't want me to "devalue" the car. I asked by what metric and he said, well even if insurance covers whatever damage it'll still be considered an incident and I won't be able to get as much at auction. Which is, of course, assuming I incur any damage at all while I have it.
A very close friend of mine was recently in a horrific car accident and is extremely lucky to be alive, even though she was driving a newer car with high safety ratings. I mentioned this to my dad, inferring that if the tables were turned and I was in that accident driving the Camry, I most likely would not have been so lucky. He shrugged his shoulders and said, well the chances are slim that you'd get in an accident, so you driving a safe vehicle is inconsequential to me.
Wait a minute, first I'm not allowed to drive the car due to fear of being in an accident and it being devalued. Now I'm not allowed to drive the objectively safer car because chances are I wont be in an accident and driving a safe vehicle is useless. How does that make any sense?
After a heated debate I said to him, ok Dad lets play devil's advocate here. Let's say I'm in an accident that requires a decent amount of work. How much would that devalue the car, exactly? A few hundred, couple thousand, maybe? That's the amount of money you're hypothetically afraid of losing in a hypothetical situation? Is that what my life, my safety is worth to you? You care more about money than keeping me safe?
I told him it felt like he was putting a price on my life, and it hurt my feelings. He told me to stop being such a drama queen and continue driving the death trap.
AITA for feeling like my dad put a price on my life? AITA for saying so? AITA for asking to borrow the car to begin with? AITA for being upset that he won't let me?

So I thought I’d leave my review since it’s summer and I’m sure others are wondering what to try. I live in Michigan and the summers here are pretty humid. I know the cooling vests/accessories are not generally recommended for humid weather so I thought I’d first try the accessory items before the vest and see how it goes.
Items:
https://canadapooch.com/collections/dog-cooling/products/wet-reveal-dog-cooling-bandana-scarf?variant=39961894158421
https://ruffwear.com/products/swamp-cooler-neck-gaiter
I personally like the Ruffwear cooling neck gaiter more.
The one cool feature I liked about the Canada pooch bandana was that they had an option to buy a kind that changes from being a solid color when dry, to happy faces appearing when wet. This is a nice feature so you know when the bandana needs to be resoaked or just taken off if it’s dry and there’s no more water.
Only issue is, i think i ordered a size too large. I ordered a medium for my Maltese mix dog who is 20 pounds. Should have stuck with a small. No matter how much i tied it, it fell off. I think it was too long for my dog so it bothered him when he walked. But I’m not even bothering to exchange it and the reason for that is, i don’t think a size small would have been useful anyway. Even if it stuck on to him, i don’t like the concept of the bandana as much as the gaiter. It doesn’t stick around him/his neck or chest enough to make a difference anyway. What’s nice about the Ruffwear gaiter is that it wraps around his neck so it stays in place against his skin and isn’t hanging out like a bandana typically does. If i wanted to cover the chest and back area that’s where a harness would come in handy. Neck gaiter i purchased in a size x-small by the way. Fits perfect. Their sizing runs differently since it’s a gaiter, not a bandana, so there’s more size options.
Now the neck gaiter i think made an actual difference. Yesterday when i took my dog out in 82-85 degree weather, he wanted to go back inside within 5 minutes and ran for his life for water, understandably so. Today i put on the Ruffwear neck gaiter for the first time and he was able to have a typical 15-20 minute quick walk around our condo complex. He was way more relaxed coming back compared to yesterday’s walk. And both days have been just as humid/sunny at around the same time both days.
Now don’t get me wrong, i don’t think this gaiter would have been as useful in humid weather for long walks/walking long trails. Unless you had a ton of water to constantly re-soak the gaiter with, but that sounds too heavy to carry on such long walks. In dry heat I’m sure it’s more manageable.
But this helped me decide to just go ahead and get my dog a cooling harness. I would be using it for shorter walks so I’m not worried about it drying up and making him hotter in the humidity. I don’t give my dog long walks if it’s that hot outside anyways, not worth risking it. He’s sensitive to heat as most dogs are.
Hope this helped anyone who’s going back and forth about the humidity issue with cooling wear. As a bonus review, i got my dog one of the cooling toys from Canada pooch, specifically the dolphin. I believe there’s 4 different animal cooling toys. He’s obsessed with it and i haven’t even soaked it yet lol!!!
I didn’t bother with the hat because i know he will get it off. Same with pavement boots. He would never allow me to get those on. I just avoid walks on pavement if it’s that hot. Luckily for me it’s easy to avoid since grass is right by my garage and door.
I’m not interested in cooling vests since my dog is always leashed when outside (unless at dog park but still needs a harness between going in and out of park and car. He’s a puller so can’t use leash with his collar.
I see that both Ruffwear and Canada pooch have a cooling harness but i think I’m gonna go with Ruffwear just because i know their material on the neck gaiter worked on my dog. That doesn’t mean Canada pooch material wouldn’t work, but i wasn’t able to test it out since the bandana design is flawed in my opinion. I’ll edit my review of the Ruffwear cooling harness once i have it. Hopefully it’s just as affective as their neck gaiter was for short walks.
TLDR: get the Ruffwear cooling neck gaiter over the Canada pooch cooling bandana in my opinion. Neck gaiter is a better design over a bandana. These items work fine in humid heat as long as it’s for short walks. Haven’t and wouldn’t try for long walks. I avoid long walks in high heat anyways, especially since it’s humid by me. Will try Ruffwear cooling harness next for the same purposes and edit this post with my review!

The night was bone-chillingly cold. The slightest whisper of a breeze nipped at my exposed ears and drafted unpleasantly within my overly large winter coat. The black, barren trees stood unmoving like sentinels bearing ominously down upon either side of the sleet-slick street, which was lit only by dim street lamps that, other than creating a dull yellow reflection on the otherwise unlit pavement, seemed to do nothing against the oppressing dark of this fateful December night.
I had passed through a wrought iron gate twenty minutes before, the gate that separated a cozy subdivision from this eerie, undeveloped stretch of road that seemed to be dropped in the middle of the forest. I could think only of my warm, lively hearth and a nice, hot cup of tea between my palms, which now, instead of being pressed against warm porcelain, were being stabbed by my untrimmed fingernails as I tightened my fist onto the leash and plunged the other still deeper into my coat.
This night was the culmination of weeks of investigation on a missing person’s case turned sour. A man named Arthur Smith had reported his four daughters missing, then hung himself three days later when we couldn’t find anything. Oddly, Arthur’s body went missing from the morgue shortly after. The only trace left was an incredible amount of flies, and we were displeased to see that every drawer was leaking a mixture of blood and embalming fluid because the refrigerant pipes burst. When we opened them up, the neck of every corpse had been slit.
Eventually, through good detective work, we were able to connect some dots, and that led us to where we were now: We were now on a manhunt for a suspect that was last seen at a gas station about a mile up the road, not two hours earlier. We checked a network of cameras to see that he had headed for the woods, grabbed the hounds, and here we were.
My colleagues and I were spread around in different parts of the forest with the police force’s seven bloodhounds. I got stuck with Old Ben, the force’s droopiest and most seasoned canine. He was partially blind and notorious for not obeying commands. He didn’t even respond to a dog whistle, which was why some of my colleagues thought his hearing was shot. I doubted this theory, though, because sure enough, when somebody whispered the word “biscuit,” Old Benny perked up and started wagging his tail.
Another ten minutes found Old Benny and I at the end of the once seemingly endless street, with the streetlamps and pavement stopping abruptly at the edge of the woods, which had not entirely swallowed up a bulldozer. Old Ben stopped and sniffed the air for a moment, then plunged down a path in the woods to our right. It was a dirt path, not two feet wide, overgrown and partially washed out, making it an unpleasant and muddy journey from here on out.
…
My flashlight was now the only source of light illuminating our way. Its beam slid over roots and rocks that jutted out of the path at odd angles and briefly swept over the nearest trees, bringing them out of the shadow for a moment. I felt claustrophobic as they bore down upon me and upon the path. The only sound was my deep breathing, my sloppy footsteps, and Benny’s blundering in the mud about ten feet in front of me.
The path turned in such a way that I could see faint moonlight up ahead, but a cloud soon covered the moon and removed the slight comfort its light had provided. I continued following the curve of the path, and pointed my flashlight up ahead. Suddenly, everything was pitch black, as my flashlight had just gone out without a flicker. I was especially annoyed because firstly, I had just replaced the batteries earlier that week, and secondly, I caught a glimpse of the dark outline of what seemed to be a small cottage up ahead, which was now invisible in the darkness.
To my surprise, Benny stopped as soon as the light went out, which made it easy for me to replace the batteries with the ones that I always carried around in my service belt. To my dismay, Benny did not continue walking when the light flickered back on, even when I started tugging on his leash. He simply sat in the mud and peered at the cottage in the distance, which I knew for a fact he couldn’t see. The cottage was incredibly run down, but I couldn’t see much more, as it was just at the edge of my flashlight beam.
I began feeling uneasy when Benny started whimpering and backing away, tail between his legs. Our dogs were trained to bark when they found something, not stand still, and certainly not whine and back away. Old Ben had never been a skittish animal; I had never seen him act like this before. I peered back at the cottage, suspecting something more sinister than I was originally prepared for.
I tied Benny loosely around a nearby tree, so he could pull away if need be, pulled out my handgun, and continued on. Not fifteen seconds later, I was hit with the smell of blood and wet dog, and heard whimpering to my left. I told Benny to stay, and turned to find him where I left him, about twenty yards behind me, looking at me like I was insane. I bent down and examined the source of the noise, only to find one of our bloodhounds laying just off the path and covered in a mixture of mud and its own blood. It was missing its hind legs and was shivering badly. I cursed and dispatched it with a quick slit with my utility knife, then unclipped its collar and stuffed it into my pocket before turning away. I did not want to alert the suspect of my position. I grew worried about the location of my colleagues, as our dogs were trained not to run off. I also wondered what kind of predator would have taken only the hind legs of an animal. I tried not to think about it as I continued on.
As the cottage grew nearer, I was able to make out a few broken windows reflecting my light back at me. Through these I was able to see that the inside of the cottage was pitch black, the darkest black I had ever seen. I walked closer still, and I couldn’t stop looking into the darkness of the cottage. The darkness was so potent it seemed to be spilling over the window sill into the crisp night air. I felt consumed. My heart began pounding within my chest, and I felt colder than ever as I stepped toward the gravel path that led around to the left of the cottage. The sudden change in surface and the sound of my feet crunching upon the gravel seemed to break my trance, and I shuddered.
I didn’t know why I had felt so trapped, and I didn’t like it. Something was definitely wrong with this situation, and my feelings of dread intensified as I followed the gravel path around to the front of the cottage.
A dripping noise interrupted my thoughts and temporarily washed the dread from my mind. I paused. I determined it was coming from the direction I was headed, but I couldn’t see the front door yet as the porch was draped with ivy. I was suddenly hit with the putrid smell I knew all too well: the smell of death. It hit my nostrils like a truck and returned my feelings of dread all at once. I shined my beam to the front steps.
There was a dark, red liquid trickling gently down the steps, pooling under the porch: blood. I looked up onto the front porch, now visible, and saw the torso of a man hanging from his neck about three feet away from the front door. His legs were nowhere to be seen, though there was a blood trail leading into the house, and his glistening entrails swayed sickeningly with the light breeze. Blood was pooling below him, trickling down the steps, and down through the cracks in the porch. It had begun coagulating, and dark swirling orbs rotated in the puddle each time a drop splashed down. I looked up again at the carcass and recognized the man as our suspect. There was frost beginning to form at the edges of his mouth and over his glassy eyes, but his exposed entrails were still steaming. Furthermore, the blood dripping from his wound was still deep red in color. The back of my neck prickled and I knew this man had not been hanging for very long. No, not very long at all.
I raised my pistol and nudged the front door open. I was again hit with the smell of death, though now much stronger, so strong I could scarcely draw breath. The inside of the cottage was unbelievably dank, and the darkness seemed to eat the quivering beam of light I pointed out in front of me, so I couldn’t see ten feet forward.
I heard a sharp crack and I bolted my gaze to my feet. I had just stepped on a human rib. Suddenly the cottage came alive with creaking and shuffling. I heard flies buzzing all around me. I heard a raspy rushing noise to my right. I shined my flashlight to where I thought the noise was coming from, but all I saw was a bloodstained floor and darkness out in front of me. I took a step toward the noise, and the beam of light revealed the glistening mangled corpse of a man, missing most of his skin, hunched in the corner of the cottage. His whole torso was heaving, and I saw the rushing noise was coming from the base of his throat, where a large gash was opening and closing with every breath, spraying flecks of fluid. Maggots wriggled out of his wound, and black purge fluid trickled from his soupy eye sockets, his missing nose, and his gaping mouth. He was missing most of his teeth, and one of his cheeks was rotted through.
I was frozen in place with fear, until, to my horror, the man’s mangled arm rose and reached out to me. At this I aimed and put a bullet through his partially exposed skull, splattering a putrid mist on the wall behind him. Instead of slumping over, as I prayed he would, the man slowly levitated into an upright position as though controlled by a puppeteer. Skin began regrowing around his legs, his torso, and eventually his skull, which sprouted two bloody horns out of his forehead. This being had the likeness of Arthur Smith, though I sensed it was no longer him. I placed two rounds into his torso, and the being staggered, but the bullet wounds simply closed with sickening squelching sounds. I backed away slowly, and he simply stood in the corner and leered at me with burning black eyes and a disconcerting grin.
I continued to back away slowly, placing one more round between his eyes. His head jerked back, but still it healed and he seemed unbothered. I bolted around and headed for the door. I jerked the handle but it wouldn't budge. I tried kicking it down, which was something I was very practiced at, but still, the rotten oak planks held fast against my will. I turned around, back against the door, firearm at the ready, and stared into the blackness. Everything was quiet once again. Despite the temperature, cold sweat beaded upon my brow and dribbled down my neck.
Suddenly I felt a rumbling that seemed to come from the very depths of the Earth. A splitting and splintering sound came from what I presumed was the center of the cottage, and I was soon showered with bits of wood and stone that nicked my exposed skin and drew droplets of blood. I noticed my back was no longer pressed against the back of the door, though I was not moving. The floor seemed to be carrying me slowly in the direction of the noise. I was frozen in place, and found that I could not change my trajectory.
My flashlight beam found the edge of a large hole in the floor. I saw dark, root-like tendrils sprout from the hole and rush across the floor with the sound of scraping and splintering. They then returned to the hole, and they had within their grasp six bare human bodies, which I horrifically realized were those of my now former colleagues. I watched in horror as their pale naked bodies were folded, torn, ripped, and broken in the churning earth. The sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone was deafening and filled the darkness of the cottage. The mass of mangled flesh formed into one chunky, glistening mound in the center of the hole. It began pulsing and rising, and horrible screams rang in my ears. I watched in horror as the mass formed a humanoid figure that rose up ten feet out of the hole and bent over against the ceiling. It was facing away from me, but its raspy voice seemed to mix seamlessly with the screams directly in my ears.
“The churning of earth, the tearing of flesh, the cracking of bone”
At this it let out a booming laugh that reverberated in my skull and shook the foundation of the building. The cottage once again came alive, but now more than ever before. Shutters were opening and closing, floorboards were rattling, flies swarmed in a huge mass around and around the room, blocking the beam of my flashlight and obscuring my view of the figure. I felt my legs quiver along with the rest of the cottage. I looked down at a red book with its pages fluttering in the still air. I dove for it and slammed it shut, and the cottage grew still. I paused for a moment, but the giant figure began turning towards me. I bolted around to see that the door was now open, but the hung corpse was clinging to the top of the door frame, now very much alive. Its entrails were still swinging freely from its short leap, and the rope lay severed and frayed upon the ground.
I paced towards the door, dumping the rest of my magazine into the corpse, which to my relief fell to the ground with a squelch. I hopped over the body and sprinted out the front door, away from the cottage, down the dirt path. I could still hear the screams of the damned faintly in the distance, and the earth began rumbling once again underneath my feet. I continued running back along the path, trying not to think about what I had witnessed. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, and shivered in the now relentless sleet.
The pounding of the earth became the distant rumble of thunder in the distance. By the time I had gotten back to the paved road, I was soaked to the bone in cold sweat and freezing rain, and I was covered up to my thighs in mud from the path. My coat was snagged and torn in places from the splinters of wood and from branches along the path.
When I finally got back to my car, I saw a leash leading underneath it, and found Old Ben, crouched below, tail between his legs. I scooped him up and plopped him in the passenger seat, entirely disregarding the former cleanliness of my car, as it was now covered in mud and dog hair. I cranked up the heat and sped off towards the station to report what I had witnessed.
…
We never did find that cottage again. Other guys went back to where I was and failed to find the path, but they did find the dismembered bodies of my colleagues hidden under the bulldozer at the end of the street. I was charged with the deaths of my colleagues and was thrown into a mental institute, but I don’t mind it much. There are people here that are far more insane than I am. The worst part is my occasional perception of a distant rumbling, and during thunderstorms I’m a whimpering mess.
I have been disciplined three times for writing symbols on the walls that I can’t get out of my head. I draw them in my blood so they stand out more and resemble what I see. I have found that once they are on the wall, they stay out of my head. Unfortunately, I haven’t finished writing them all out yet. The first time I started I got really close to finishing, but then I found myself strapped to a hospital bed.
The worst part of my new existence is the nightmares. I am plagued by images of my former colleagues: their pale dismembered bodies, the sound of cracking bone, their blood on my hands, their shrieks of pain, and the taste of flesh.

In the northeast US - need to replace an old PT deck about 350 square feet.
Our conditions are:

• Summer - Full sun about 11am-5pm. No trees, no canopy or coverings. Western exposure. The dogs have to come in and out over this deck, so heat is a concern. We also have a patio table that people like to sit around.
• Fall and Spring - rainy.
• Winter - snow and ice.

The deck is about 14" off the ground, so will get moisture from underneath.
We could stick with PT and stain, but am wondering if we should do an upgrade. We could go with a natural wood upgrade, but that still means staining. I know about Trex Lineage and Timber Tech PVC and am awaiting samples.
Sensitivities are (in order of decreasing importance):

1. Burning hot
2. Slippery when wet
3. Longevity and Maintenance
4. Cost

Thanks for any help/guidance/recommendations.

Yes we all know the dangers of wood and I'm sure you probably know where this story is going but sometimes for roleplaying purposes it's neccesary. So...
My current save is a role play of an old west town. I started with 3 colonists, aptly named after the 3 Amigos, Lucky, Ned & Dusty. They rode in to a dustbowl and soon built a prospering farm and ranch. Soon enough the little farm became a community of 10 and a small town developed.
Every member pulled their weight but most important was Morg, the first to join and the main Horse Rancher. She was bonded with all but the 3 horses our heroes rode in on and was a battle hardened veteran, having single handedly cleared out an ambush when on her way to peace talks with a local tribe.
Mord met and got engaged to Raido, the saloon owner, and they moved in to his loft above the bar the same day he popped the question. The townsfolk had been feeling a little down lately and this news gave them renewed optomism and so, with a little planning, the construction of a new church, with Morg and Raidos wedding to be the first celebration, got underway.
The town had built up a good surplus of stuck so all hands were on deck for the construction. Within 2 days the walls were erected, then began the painstaking task of laying the massive floor. Those less skilled soon proved to be more of a hinderance so whilst the rest were sent away Ned and Dusty vowed to finish the job alone.
They toiled for 3 days, by which point the floor was still only half finished. Exhausted they dropped in to bed. It felt like only seconds before Kane was shaking them awake, raiders had been spotted by the night guardsman. A large group, bigger than we'd ever seen. He rushed to wake the others.
Metting outside the saloon the colonists noticed a member missing. Nolerboa, their newest member. Kane had left them sleeping, they hadn't yet been outfitted with a weapon and they didn't fully trust their new raider turned recruit.
The raiders attacked from multiple points forcing the townsfolk to split up around the palisade wall, firing pot shots at the rushing foe.
Lucky, Tail and Kane took the main force who broke through the palsiade wall before being beaten back leaving 1 member behind to be captured. Ned, Raido and Morgan took the next group trying to break through the East gate, they were quickly dispatched before a lone raider, who had slipped around the side unnoticed and broken through a wall downed Morgan. The gang quickly returned fire and Ned grabbed the downed Morgan to get him to safety.
Dusty and Morg took the last raider, the only one on horse back, they thought about going for their own horses but the paddock was the other end of the town and they didn't have time. They dashed across the open ground of the church yard and took cover behind the palisade. They fired a few waning shots at the raider who returned fire immediately. The first bullet found a small gap in the palisade and tore in to Morgs chest obliterating her heart. Dusty struck back and dispatched the raider but it was too late. The colony had suffered their first loss. As the few surviving raiders retreated, the wounded and captured returned to the town whilst a new threat emerged. As the raiders spread around the town they set numerous fires around the palisade wall, fires that had had to be ignored in the heat of battle. Now there was heat of a different kind, 5 different fires slowly spreading out in a circle around the town. The church with its brand new wood floor is of course next to the largest of the spreading flames.
I'm not sure if everyone is going to get out alive from this. But the one thing I do know is that at least Nolerboa is well rested...
When you say you can sleep through anything and you mean it!

This is a follow up to a prior post
https://www.reddit.com/ryobi/comments/1csiuwd/comment/l4e1gbz/?context=3
I used my survey on the house to measure out the yard and rate it against how long a battery lasted. Each time was a fresh 6ah battery at a full charge. Mowed with dry grass, just sharpened the blade, 85 degrees out. The only change was the mower getting hotter from use. Used the side chute to maximize performance as bagging or mulching would likely drop battery performance. Will say the back yard is shaded, front is not. I am not sure if the back results would change if I mowed it last instead of first.
First round/battery was my back yard, 3540sqft. I used half of a battery and assuming the other half would match, that would be 7080sqft per battery. Mower is sold with 2 batteries and notes up to .75 acres using both batteries. Converting it out, I would get .64 acres for two batteries based on that run. A little lower than the max, but at 85% its no big deal as I assume the .75 is flat surface, no upswing in blade speed, etc.
Second round was the main section of my front yard, drained the battery 100% on the very last bit. Mower had a small cool down since the back yard, but warmer and getting hotter as I mowed. This time I only covered 4790sqft. Converting that out like the first battery, at the same rate I would only get .48 acres done with two batteries. That is 64% of the advertised max size. Mower began slowing down a bit, hard to tell if it was low battery vs other issues.
Third round was another fresh 6ah to get the rest of the front. I used half of the battery and only covered 1418sqft. Converting out again, 2 of these batteries at this pace would only get .26 acres mowed. That is 35% of the advertised size. During this round, the mower started to slow as well. Speed would go up and down while blade speed was consistent. I turned off the blades and used just the self propel to get it back to the shed and the speed continued to go up and down and at times nearly come to stop despite half a battery still left.
The more use and heat, the worse it performs. Last week it took two full batteries for the front yard at 90+ degrees and I didn't touch the back yard that day. Performance then was far worse on those two and that was without the back yard mow somewhat warming up the mower. At this point I have began the process with RYOBI to either have them replace it or refund the purchase. Replacement may become an annual event unless they can fix the issue as this is the replacement to another unit with similar issues.

Issue: My mic input is only recording noises from my cable, IE i shake my cable and it records a noise. My no signal from my mic.
Is my XLR cable fried or (hopefully not) my mic is bunk? please let me know. I went on a road trip and left some equipment in my car (in a container with a blanket covering everything. I did travel through nevada during 100-110+ degree weather. Im wondering if heat coudlve fucked up my stuff.

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers. If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

• Axiom Verge
  
• 9 Years of Shadows
  
• Cookie Cutter
  
• Death's Gambit: Afterlife
  
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  
• Steelrising (may keep)
  
• Amanda the Adventurer
  
• Bravery and Greed
  
• King Of The Castle
  
• Mediterranea Inferno
  
• Devil Spire
  
• Going Under
  
• Hellslave
  

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

• From The Depths
  
• My Little Universe
  
• Necesse
  
  • _ + TerraTech_
  • _ + TerraTech: R&D Labs_
  • _ + TerraTech Year One Payload_
• Trailmakers Deluxe Edition
  
• Above Snakes
  
• The Universim
  
• Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition
  
• Batman: Arkham City GOTY
  
• Mad Max
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition
  
• Mortal Kombat XL
  
• Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition
  
• Batman: Arkham Origins
  
• Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
  
• Mortal Kombat 11
  
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Add-On Bundle
  
• Back 4 Blood
  
• Gotham Knights
  
• Resident Evil
  
• Resident Evil Revelations
  
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
  
• Resident Evil 0
  
• Resident Evil 4 (2005)
  
• Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
  
• Resident Evil 6
  
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 / Biohazard Revelations 2 Deluxe Edition
  
• Resident Evil 3
  
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
  

///////////////////

• Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning
  
• FORCED
  
• Red Faction
  
• Red Faction II
  
• Victoria 3
  
• Coromon
  
• Terraformers
  
• POSTAL: Brain Damaged - Connoisseur Edition
  
• Prodeus
  
• Quake II
  
• Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection
  
• Saints Row
  
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin Ultimate Edition
  
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
  
• Roarr! Jurassic Edition
  
• Slave Zero
  
• RPG Maker XP
  
• Mutazione
  
• Snowtopia
  
• Maneater
  
• NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER
  
• Expeditions: Rome
  
• From Space
  
• The Deed
  
• Fae Tactics
  
• TEKKEN 7
  
• Autonauts vs Piratebots
  
• Meeple Station
  
• Golf Gang
  
• Eternal Threads
  
• The Invisible Hand
  
• Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
  
• Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
  
• The Inner World
  
• Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
  
• Mount & Blade: Warband
  
• Hamilton's Great Adventure
  
• Monaco
  
• X-Morph: Defense
  
• Soulblight
  
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker*
  
• Strange Brigade
  
• Worms Rumble
  
• Ghostrunner (Good offers only)
  
• Lost Planet 3 - Complete Pack
  
• Aliens vs. Predator Collection
  
• SYMMETRY
  
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
  
• NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Pass
  
• Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
  
• Monsters' Den Chronicles
  
• Jetboard Joust
  
• Detached: Non-VR Edition
  
• Orbital Racer
  
• MirrorMoon EP
  
• Go Home Dinosaurs!
  
• Doughlings: Arcade
  
• Telefrag VR
  
• NecroWorm
  
• Agent in Depth
  
• Doughlings: Invasion
  
• Frick, Inc.
  
• Planet TD
  
• Soul Searching
  
• Soulflow
  
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
  
• Sid Meier's Civilization VI
  

GOG keys

• Liberated
  
• Wanderlust Travel Stories
  

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

• Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
  
• Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
  
• Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
  
• Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
  
• Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
  
• Temtem
  
• SuchArt!
  
• Super Bunny Man
  
• Lemon Cake
  
• Cat Cafe Manager
  
• Bionic Commando Rearmed
  
• XCOM 2
  
• Sunset Overdrive
  
• No More Heroes
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3 - Cold as Eyes Expansion
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3 - Tipping the Scales DLC
  
• Grow: Song of the Evertree
  
• Saints Row 2
  

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers. If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

• Axiom Verge
  
• 9 Years of Shadows
  
• Cookie Cutter
  
• Death's Gambit: Afterlife
  
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  
• Steelrising (may keep)
  
• Amanda the Adventurer
  
• Bravery and Greed
  
• King Of The Castle
  
• Mediterranea Inferno
  
• Devil Spire
  
• Going Under
  
• Hellslave
  

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

• From The Depths
  
• My Little Universe
  
• Necesse
  
  • _ + TerraTech_
  • _ + TerraTech: R&D Labs_
  • _ + TerraTech Year One Payload_
• Trailmakers Deluxe Edition
  
• Above Snakes
  
• The Universim
  
• Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition
  
• Batman: Arkham City GOTY
  
• Mad Max
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition
  
• Mortal Kombat XL
  
• Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition
  
• Batman: Arkham Origins
  
• Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
  
• Mortal Kombat 11
  
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Add-On Bundle
  
• Back 4 Blood
  
• Gotham Knights
  
• Resident Evil
  
• Resident Evil Revelations
  
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
  
• Resident Evil 0
  
• Resident Evil 4 (2005)
  
• Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
  
• Resident Evil 6
  
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 / Biohazard Revelations 2 Deluxe Edition
  
• Resident Evil 3
  
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
  

///////////////////

• Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning
  
• FORCED
  
• Red Faction
  
• Red Faction II
  
• Victoria 3
  
• Coromon
  
• Terraformers
  
• POSTAL: Brain Damaged - Connoisseur Edition
  
• Prodeus
  
• Quake II
  
• Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection
  
• Saints Row
  
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin Ultimate Edition
  
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
  
• Roarr! Jurassic Edition
  
• Slave Zero
  
• RPG Maker XP
  
• Mutazione
  
• Snowtopia
  
• Maneater
  
• NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER
  
• Expeditions: Rome
  
• From Space
  
• The Deed
  
• Fae Tactics
  
• TEKKEN 7
  
• Autonauts vs Piratebots
  
• Meeple Station
  
• Golf Gang
  
• Eternal Threads
  
• The Invisible Hand
  
• Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
  
• Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
  
• The Inner World
  
• Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
  
• Mount & Blade: Warband
  
• Hamilton's Great Adventure
  
• Monaco
  
• X-Morph: Defense
  
• Soulblight
  
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker*
  
• Strange Brigade
  
• Worms Rumble
  
• Ghostrunner (Good offers only)
  
• Lost Planet 3 - Complete Pack
  
• Aliens vs. Predator Collection
  
• SYMMETRY
  
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
  
• NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Pass
  
• Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
  
• Monsters' Den Chronicles
  
• Jetboard Joust
  
• Detached: Non-VR Edition
  
• Orbital Racer
  
• MirrorMoon EP
  
• Go Home Dinosaurs!
  
• Doughlings: Arcade
  
• Telefrag VR
  
• NecroWorm
  
• Agent in Depth
  
• Doughlings: Invasion
  
• Frick, Inc.
  
• Planet TD
  
• Soul Searching
  
• Soulflow
  
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
  
• Sid Meier's Civilization VI
  

GOG keys

• Liberated
  
• Wanderlust Travel Stories
  

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

• Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
  
• Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
  
• Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
  
• Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
  
• Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
  
• Temtem
  
• SuchArt!
  
• Super Bunny Man
  
• Lemon Cake
  
• Cat Cafe Manager
  
• Bionic Commando Rearmed
  
• XCOM 2
  
• Sunset Overdrive
  
• No More Heroes
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3 - Cold as Eyes Expansion
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3 - Tipping the Scales DLC
  
• Grow: Song of the Evertree
  
• Saints Row 2
  

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

Looking primarily for Paypal EU offers. If you're not from EU I will only sell if you cover the paypal fees and pay in EUR instead of your native currency. I do not have a specific price for any games atm, I'm open to offers. Aside from games listed in the title I'm not very interested in offers for new games atm, even wishlisted ones
If it has "may keep" I have minor interest in the game and will likely decline any offers for it. I'd prefer to trade away games I have no interest in or own already. If I redeem it i'll remove it from the list.
DO NOT send me a chat invite before having agreed on a trade in the comments. I do not check chat often and it's a rule to not send a chat invite before commenting anyway.
If this post is more than 24-48 hours old it might not be up to date and you should check the latest trading post or my full list of tradables to see if the game(s) you want are still there.
Full wishlist here: https://barter.vg80b7/w/
My full list of tradables: https://barter.vg80b7/t/
Asterisk means region lock, ask if interested, the region lock varies depending on the game
NEW:

• Axiom Verge
  
• 9 Years of Shadows
  
• Cookie Cutter
  
• Death's Gambit: Afterlife
  
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  
• Steelrising (may keep)
  
• Amanda the Adventurer
  
• Bravery and Greed
  
• King Of The Castle
  
• Mediterranea Inferno
  
• Devil Spire
  
• Going Under
  
• Hellslave
  

SOME NEW STUFF FROM OLD BUNDLES NOT SURE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP YET:

• From The Depths
  
• My Little Universe
  
• Necesse
  
  • _ + TerraTech_
  • _ + TerraTech: R&D Labs_
  • _ + TerraTech Year One Payload_
• Trailmakers Deluxe Edition
  
• Above Snakes
  
• The Universim
  
• Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition
  
• Batman: Arkham City GOTY
  
• Mad Max
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition
  
• Mortal Kombat XL
  
• Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition
  
• Batman: Arkham Origins
  
• Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
  
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
  
• Mortal Kombat 11
  
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Add-On Bundle
  
• Back 4 Blood
  
• Gotham Knights
  
• Resident Evil
  
• Resident Evil Revelations
  
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
  
• Resident Evil 0
  
• Resident Evil 4 (2005)
  
• Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
  
• Resident Evil 6
  
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 / Biohazard Revelations 2 Deluxe Edition
  
• Resident Evil 3
  
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
  

///////////////////

• Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning
  
• FORCED
  
• Red Faction
  
• Red Faction II
  
• Victoria 3
  
• Coromon
  
• Terraformers
  
• POSTAL: Brain Damaged - Connoisseur Edition
  
• Prodeus
  
• Quake II
  
• Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection
  
• Saints Row
  
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin Ultimate Edition
  
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
  
• Roarr! Jurassic Edition
  
• Slave Zero
  
• RPG Maker XP
  
• Mutazione
  
• Snowtopia
  
• Maneater
  
• NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER
  
• Expeditions: Rome
  
• From Space
  
• The Deed
  
• Fae Tactics
  
• TEKKEN 7
  
• Autonauts vs Piratebots
  
• Meeple Station
  
• Golf Gang
  
• Eternal Threads
  
• The Invisible Hand
  
• Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
  
• Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
  
• The Inner World
  
• Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
  
• Mount & Blade: Warband
  
• Hamilton's Great Adventure
  
• Monaco
  
• X-Morph: Defense
  
• Soulblight
  
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker*
  
• Strange Brigade
  
• Worms Rumble
  
• Ghostrunner (Good offers only)
  
• Lost Planet 3 - Complete Pack
  
• Aliens vs. Predator Collection
  
• SYMMETRY
  
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
  
• NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Pass
  
• Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
  
• Monsters' Den Chronicles
  
• Jetboard Joust
  
• Detached: Non-VR Edition
  
• Orbital Racer
  
• MirrorMoon EP
  
• Go Home Dinosaurs!
  
• Doughlings: Arcade
  
• Telefrag VR
  
• NecroWorm
  
• Agent in Depth
  
• Doughlings: Invasion
  
• Frick, Inc.
  
• Planet TD
  
• Soul Searching
  
• Soulflow
  
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
  
• Sid Meier's Civilization VI
  

GOG keys

• Liberated
  
• Wanderlust Travel Stories
  

MAY KEEP (significantly less likely to accept offer for unless I desperately want the game you're offering)

• Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
  
• Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
  
• Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
  
• Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
  
• Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate
  
• Temtem
  
• SuchArt!
  
• Super Bunny Man
  
• Lemon Cake
  
• Cat Cafe Manager
  
• Bionic Commando Rearmed
  
• XCOM 2
  
• Sunset Overdrive
  
• No More Heroes
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3 - Cold as Eyes Expansion
  
• Orcs Must Die! 3 - Tipping the Scales DLC
  
• Grow: Song of the Evertree
  
• Saints Row 2
  

https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/p7k848/superteletubbies64s_igs_rep_page/

I blacked out by the pool in Mexico. Too much to drink, not enough food and heat stroke. Don’t remember getting out of the pool and my friends didn’t know where I was for about 15 minutes till they saw staff putting me in a wheelchair. There were so many people there and I’m terrified because literally ANYTHING could have happened in that 15 minutes. No one knows if I was in the elevator, the bathroom or anywhere else. A Canadian Dr helped my friends with me. I’m humiliated and ashamed. It’s been two days and I still feel dizzy, cold and weird. This was my nightmare last night:
Dream:
Young blond mom on the couch with her kids jumps at a sound from upstairs scaring her two kids. Then laughs apologetically telling the kids “I forgot we have cats 😅.” Her narrator voice says “this is me. I have memory problems and sometimes it causes problems with the kids.” The scene changes to her driving with her kids beside her and her narrator voice says “sometimes I think about something and have to remember to fix my face before it scares them.” Her face drops and she starts crying but fixes her face as soon as the kids look up at her. Then the scene changes to looking into the windows of an urban gym building where a big creepy dead looking guy leads a black and white cow down the stairs inside and around the corner so only the rump is visible and then a flame thrower engulfs the cow in flames and it’s charred rump disappears as he drags it out of view. Two more big creepy men come down the stairs with their gym bags and go around that corner. In my mind, they were going to be served a beef meal, but the view changes as if I’m inside standing next to the creepy gym men looking into the room the cow was dragged into. There is no cow though. There is a dark room lined with lockers, a step up and a desk to the right on the raised part of the room. An evil being, like a man with no arms, his muscular legs with gym socks are full of syringes sticking out all over with blood trickling down them, his body is unstable, shifting and morphing a sickly whitish blue grey with veins and light crawling all over him. He has no right arm and a stump for a left arm with more bloody syringes sticking out of his shoulder and the stump. His whole body writhing with the crawling light. He steps up on the platform and turns around. His head is misshapen and he has big gross buggy eyes all over his face that are morphing in shape, size and bulge until they settle into two big gross eyes roughly where a human’s should be still pulsating and bulging. He looks at us and says something like “I’M THE ONLY ONE HERE WORKING HARD TO BRING HIM OUT!!! What are all of YOU doing?” And as he’s saying all that a little blue stone like humanoid creature with a big head a stocky blocky body appears out of his head and dances triumphant down his arm that sprouted while he was talking. There is electricity and lights crackling down the arm and around the creature. Around the whole body of gross guy who now has both arms. I don’t know what the creature is, but I know it’s evil.😈 it actually looked a little like the devil emoji. Me and the two big creepy gym dudes are scared. Then I am the blond mom walking into a lobby, a big room with maroon carpet and couches all spaced apart around the perimeter and a frosted glass ceiling with plants growing all over the outside of it so you can only see them like shadows. The back wall is open and you can see jungle outside. I know this is an asylum and I’m there to see my husband. There are people wrapped in blankets on each couch. One dark haired evil man to the left on a couch facing into the room with a desk in front of it is still as stone staring blankly, there is someone on the couch immediately to my left who stirs but not much and I can only see them in my peripheral. There is a woman on the couch across from us in a pink robe who is creepily happy but incoherent. And someone on another couch to the right of her sleeping. There are strange advertisements on rectangular signs sitting on the floors between each couch. One is a close up of a used condom and I can’t tell what it says but I’m aware that it is propaganda for the evil little creature. I sit on the couch where my husband is and we are covered with a dark red blanket. We cuddle up and the woman’s narrator voice says “we don’t always get this extra time together but we cherish it when we do.” And I snuggle closer to him and he holds me. We are drifting to sleep but I’m unsettled by the strange people around us. I wake a little and hear the patients mumbling. They are all moving and making sounds now. I’m most terrified by the man that was so still and staring because I thought he was catatonic and kept sedated because he was evil. I woke my husband and he said “it’s ok! We’re just excited because SHE’S HERE!” I look at him terrified and he says, “Well, IT’S here.” And he points to the stars in the sky, “See? MARS is rising!” All the patients are looking and pointing at the stars. Then I see a huge red planet coming over the horizon and I’m scared. I look up at the frosted glass ceiling and see the silhouette of the little evil being dancing on the ceiling trying to get in and then the creepily happy woman in a pink bathrobe is at our couch and she’s grabbing my feet. I’m terrified and screaming for my husband to get her away. I woke to my boyfriend rubbing his feet on mine telling me it’s just a dream! It’s a dream! Your ok! And I could hear the weird noises I was making trying to scream.
I don’t want any more nightmares and I don’t want to remember what happened.

Today, my car was warm and idling. When I got out, I heard the exhaust blowing like a rough cough—you know, like a very open, blowing kind of sound. I found it weird, but I didn’t think much of it and drove home for 15 minutes. When I got out, I heard crackles that weren’t the normal exhaust crackles after a long drive. These were pops and cracks from under the engine bay. I recorded it. It was kind of scary. It was raining, so maybe [there were] drops on the exhaust, but how [is that possible] because I have a bottom plate that covers every inch of the car? To be honest, I can’t put the recording under here. Anyone who has had this issue or is an expert in heat and exhaust, I guess, please help. I’m already stressing out. By the way, it’s an Audi A4 B9 2L diesel.

So I went on a date with this guy and we hit it off immediately. He seemed really smart , well mannered, has a really good job, well educated, stable life, like someone who has his shit together. It wasn’t an immediate attraction on my part, but I got more attracted to him as the night went on.
Within an hour into the date he was already talking about how he’d take me on a road trip to the English countryside and have us stay at at a BnB, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.
The conversation was flowing seamlessly and effortlessly with pretty much no silences at all. When I asked what his type was, he pointed at me. I thought that was really sweet. Anyway so after dinner and a couple of glasses of wine, we decided to head out and go for a "walk". We clearly just wanted to make out. It was raining, so we found this little secluded spot sheltered from the rain, i grabbed his head to kiss him and we went to TOWN. It started off with slow kissing but quickly escalated to HEAVY making out. It was heating up quickly so he reaches down for my dick and starts rubbing it. I was resisting taking it there first, but once he did it, I reached for his, too. He was rock hard. The kissing intensified as he pushed me against the wall, I slid my hand under his pants and started stroking his rock hard cock. The tip was creaming with juicy viscous precum, so I tilted his dick upward, so that the tip would stick out of the top of his jeans, and I continued to run my finger in circles around his precum covered uncut cock. He started moaning, then stopped to tell me how much he loved kissing me, so I looked him in the eye and stuck my precum covered finger into my mouth and slowly pulled it out clean, then proceeded to kiss him some more.
This continued for a good 10 minutes until we noticed that it had stopped raining and we decided to call it a night.
In the moment, it felt right, hot, spontaneous, thrilling, and reckless, but I loved it, and so did he, it seemed. In hindsight however, I feel like I may have acted too slutty?
Both our profiles say that we are looking for something meaningful, but I can’t help but feel that our behaviour may have gone against that.
I’m a very sexual person, so it’s just who I am, especially when I’m tipsy and I like the guy, I can’t help it; impatience is my toxic trait, I want it all I can barely control myself.
Did that make me look easy? Would that hinder my chances of being taken seriously? I hear some people don’t even kiss on the first date which is foreign to me. Should I show more restrain and take things slow? I’m curious to know what you guys think and about your own experiences. Cheers x

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!
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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

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:

• "You're dividing the movement."

[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:

• "You're a leader!"

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.
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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.

Hi! I recently acquired a 3D printing rarity. Some high quality batch/factory production style print cabinets. They’re FDM with heated beds, dual print heads and a rolling acetate print bed cover and cutter for continuous printing. Is there a reliable site I can post these on where individuals or companies can purchase them?
I’m new to the sub and I saw the rule about purchase advice, I’m looking for selling advice, I don’t know if that’s different enough. If this should go in purchase advice then I apologise