Introduction:

Hello, and welcome to the /hockey Pick em' Playoff Pick 'em Challenge! I'll be running the Playoff Challenge on a round-by-round basis, and I'll be making one thread per round. You'll be picking multiple variables for each series, with varying point values. This is the thread for the third round, the Conference Finals.

2nd Round Results:

1st Place: ghost_curse123 with 23 points.
2nd Place: kk451128 and Kroger453PredsFan with 22 points.
4th Place: ChopinBallades, lHansBrix, and Morderator94 with 21 points.
Second round results can be found here.

First Round Results:

These are only being announced now because of the first and second rounds overlapping.
1st Place: ajhockeystar with 30 points.
2nd Place: RedSlider18 with 28 points.
3rd Place: Kroger453PredsFan with 27 points.
First round results can be found here.

Overall Results:

1st Place: Kroger453PredsFan with 49 points.
2nd Place: ajhockeystar and Morderator94 with 46 points.
4th Place: ChopinBallades and kk451128 with 43 points.
Alphabetical overall results can be found here.

Round 3: Conference Finals

Here is what you'll be picking this round for each series:
6 Points:

• Pick the winner of the series.

4 Points:

• Pick the number of games played in the series.

2 Points:

• Pick one player from either team who will record a game winning goal for their team. There is only a possibility of one point for this, even if your player records more than one game winning goal.
  
• What will the total goal differential be between the two teams? (Ex: 5. You do not need to specify which team will have more goals)
  
• How many total overtime periods will be played in the series?
  
• What player will spend the most time on ice throughout the series? (This excludes goalies)
  

1 Point:

• Which team will have the better power play?
  
• Will the winning team touch the conference championship trophy during the trophy presentation?
  

Submitting Your Pick:

Picks can be submitted for all series that have yet to start. Once a series starts, those picks will be locked. If you decide to make a change in one of your picks, that's fine, just edit your post. However, picks for a series will be locked once the series starts (even if you make an edit).
Feel free to post your picks however you’d like, but feel free to use, or modify this simple table template:

Series Winner	Games	GWG	Goal Diff	OT	TOI	PP	Trophy Touch?
Rangers/Panthers	4/5/6/7	XXX	#	#	XXX	Rangers/Panthers	Yes/No
Stars/Oilers	4/5/6/7	XXX	#	#	XXX	Stars/Oilers	Yes/No

If you have any questions, please leave it in the comments below. More questions will be added as the rounds go on, and I am taking suggestions for a few additional (fair) prop picks. Thank you everyone and Good luck!
Live Standings can be found here. I will try to update as soon as I can, to make them as updated as possible.

Matchups & Lock times:

New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers
Series Preview Picks will lock on Wednesday May 22nd at 8:00 PM ET.
 
Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers
Series Preview Picks will lock on Thursday May 23rd at 8:30 PM ET.

We are a Greek Mythology inspired RP with elements of Percy Jackson taking place in ancient Greece.
-All literacy levels welcomed.
-Unlimited OC slots
-You can play as any Gods, Demigods, Mortals, Canon or just anything.
-weekly events
-a safe place for everyone
-Open to any suggestion and non toxic!
-an easy-to-follow template
-Fair RP system
-New lore so everyone is involved.
Something dark and sinister is rising in the backgound and it is up to you and other heros of camp halfblood to save, or to be the ones to see the destruction of the Greek world. The strings of fate is in your hands.
Perm invite link, invite your friends!
https://discord.gg/st2gEh4gU2
.

I signed up for Human Trafficking summit over the weekend (two days ago) that ppl place today at 7am, and at least 6-10 GSs were there. Two of them were volunteers.I stayed all day and just changed seats when I was dusted with BZ by some lady who waved her hand at me pretending to put it around her poor, sexually abused-looking daughter. Snapped a pic and got a full-body/face pic on the lunch break. She was shook when she saw my camera lens catching her. She didn’t stick around.
Two of the GSs were volunteers, and when they dusted their little fingers together I just shook my head and they knew that I knew.
Oh yeah — I found out that while I’m at my apt, the radio frequency burst abuse is coming from the apartment above or below me, based on using my sonic tools app and the flight radar app (screen recording as I toggle between the two), but when I’m out of my apt, it’s always a helicopter or a private owner plane nearby that hits me with the frequency bursts.
One of the incel looking GS’s had a black shirt w/ white lettering that said, and I shit you not, “breaking the yoke of the woke” with a cross beneath it. I gagged laughing.
I hope they come back tomorrow because it’s fun to force them to do sincerely smart shit like attend a human trafficking conference to learn how porn culture is ruining the lives of our youth.

Hey everyone, wanted some feedback on my school list, is it too top heavy? I think I am a strong applicant, and I have dreams of a T10 acceptance, but I’m not sure if I’m overestimating my competitiveness, or if I need a reality check.
Stats: ORM, NY resident, T30 Undergrad, 2023 grad (so two gap years) GPA: 4.00, Psych Major MCAT: Score coming back 6/11, FL average was 524, but felt rushed on cars so I probably did a little lower than FL avg.. Predicting 519-522 score, very unlikely to be below 518.
Narrrative: Overall, pretty strong ”mental health in medicine” narrative backing up my PS and experiences.
Research: 1500 hours clinical psychiatry research (4 year commitment) 2 published abstracts, 1 first author paper in review, 1 second author paper in review, presented at 1 professional conference, received a $1000 research grant from my uni.
Clinical Employment: 650 hours split between two inpatient mental health facilities
Non-Clinical Employment: 150 hours as lumberyard worker
Clinical Volunteering: 75 hours as behavioral health aide, helping w autistic children.
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 150 hours at Crisis text line
Leadership: 200 hours as high school & K-5 wrestling coach
Shadowing: 100 hours, between Internal Medicine & Neurology
LORs: 1 science prof, 1 non-science prof, 2 research PI letters, committee letter. To my knowledge, the 2 PI LORs are very strong, and one PI has clout lol
Athletics: 2000 hours D3 athlete across freshmen and sophomore year, had to stop after sophomore year due to injuries, big part of my story regarding mental health
Artistic endeavors: Songwriting/music production…been making rap music for 6 years have 2 full length albums out, multiple music videos, 50,000+ streams, etc.
School list (35 schools, I know it’s a lot, but I’ve already started pre-writing secondaries)

• very high tier: Harvard, Hopkins, Upenn, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, Cornell, Yale, Mt. Sinai, NYU, Mayo, Ucsf, Northwestern, UMich, Pittt, WashU (st.louis), uchicago, Vanderbuilt • Slightly less high tier: Case western, Brown , Emory, Dartmouth, Albert Einstein • Mid tier: Rochester, Stony Brook, UMiami, Tufts, V-tech • “Easier” NY schools: SUNY Upstate, Suny Downstate , Buffalo, Hofstra, NYMC, UAlbany. 

Please let me know what you guys think!

When you make an initial deposit of $100 you will receive the chance to draw 2 free stocks worth up to $3600 total.
https://www.tradeup.com/activity/market/welcome?utm_campaign=20230103074304&adcode=20230103074304&utm_medium=more_share&skin=1&edition=Full_Marsco&shareID=736f31c82c822790975969e6c1158e9c&Page=Open&templateId=usreferral&platform=android&feature=Popup&account_display=standard&original_module=my_profile_activity&actionID=598b9e09f3d1b14787c2b32bc25b5fdd&invite=XVHNK8&lang=en_US&utm_source=invite#/

We've been dating for just over a year now.
She's just so amazing- smart, funny, kind, I just love the way she sees the world and all the conversations we have. I feel like I really don't bring anything to the relationship, but she really seems to love me (and I love her) anyways. I'm scared I'm going to lose her because I'm not good enough.
I've gone back to school so I'm on a student budget for another year (though I'm set up with a good paying job once I graduate, and I have a degree so I have had corporate jobs before), but she's really well off (lawyer).
I keep telling her I'm happy just to spend time with her, and she doesn't need to spend money on me, but she loves going out and insists on paying for me. She also buys me all kinds of gifts, not even for special occasions, just because. I do buy her gifts I can afford, like flowers and the skincare products she like, and she seems to like it when I give her cards and draw or write letters inside them, but I feel like all the gifts I get her feel so cheap compared to the ones she gives me.
I try to plan nice dates, but I feel like her plans are always so much more elaborate. I don't want to invite her to anything involving money, because it would feel like I'm asking her to spend money on me.
I know I probably sound like a total loser, and maybe I'm selfish for staying with her, but I want to make her as happy as I can and I want to be the kind of boyfriend she deserves. All my past relationships felt more equal, but in this one I feel like I can't do anything that compares to everything she does for me. Any chance anyone has some advice?

H.4139, the "Lawful Citizens Imprisonment Act" is still in Conference Committee. No public action has been taken by the legislature since 3/27 when the conference committee voted to have future meetings in secret.
I think we all could use a reminder to keep the legislative pressure on. Contact your representatives, and contact the members of the Conference Committee (and especially if your legislator is a member!). If you sent emails before, send follow ups. Calls are better. Send written letters. Let's make clear that we're not allowing this to pass in secret silence.
We don't know when this bill will pop back up again, but July 31st is the deadline if they want to move with it.
https://goal.org/gunban
https://www.goal.org/ProcessMatters
Be respectful and sound educated; let's not give the legislators a reason to hate us. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
``` Senator Cynthia Stone Creem
Cynthia.Creem@masenate.gov
(617) 722-1639
24 Beacon St. Room 312-A Boston, MA, 02133
Senator Joan Lovely
Joan.Lovely@masenate.gov
(617) 722-1410
24 Beacon St. Room 413-D Boston, MA, 02133
Senator Bruce Tarr
Bruce.Tarr@masenate.gov
(617) 722-1600
24 Beacon St. Room 308 Boston, MA, 02133
Rep. Michael Day
Michael.Day@mahouse.gov
(617) 722-2396
24 Beacon St. Room 136 Boston, MA, 02133
Rep. Carlos Gonzalez
Carlos.Gonzalez@mahouse.gov
(617) 722-2230
24 Beacon St. Room 167 Boston, MA, 02133
Rep. Joseph McKenna
joseph.mckenna@mahouse.gov
(617) 722-2810
24 Beacon St. Room 167 Boston, MA, 02133
```

Me and my husband moved from a city of over 1 million people to 35k earlier this year. I've been in Property Management for the last 10 years but unfortunately there isn't much (if anything) available in my industry here. So, I took an HR office Admin job to pay the bills.
My last job back where we came from, I was the most successful (financially) and happiest in my entire career. I'm still crushed I gave it up for my husband's job to relocate us. That place gave me my best friends, and just living in the city, we could do anything! Concerts, football/baseball/hockey games. Kayaking to waterfalls, festivals, dog parties, alllll the shopping etc.
Here? None of that. And over 2,000 miles away from any of my family and friends.
Anyway, the job I took here has me banging my desk on my desk in boredom. I've got social media scheduled until mid July, reorganized the break room and conference room. And when I ask for other work, it takes me 15 mins to complete whatever they ask of me. They're impressed with me and I'm repeatedly told how happy they are that I'm there, I'm doing such a great job etc. But I THRIVE under pressure, fast paced, meeting people, building relationships and all of that. In this position, I'm hoping someone calls just so I have someone to talk to!
But I'm bored out of my ever loving mind. I have work to maybe keep me busy for 3-4 hours a day. I've tried listening to audio books, creating spreadsheets and templates, reorganizing files. Anything to keep me busy.
I've only been here a month and I'm considering leaving. I only get paid once a month and haven't had a full paycheck yet. This is a big stressor for me.
I've found a few other jobs recently, one on my area of expertise and one where I'm essentially a tour guide for the city. But they pay anywhere from $2-$5 less per hour, and I'm not sure on the pay frequency.
Should I stick it out and be bored and miserable, or look for something in my wheelhouse for a little less pay?

I am sorry for another GPA explanation SOP post, but I could use some advice.
I have a very mentally ill parent that resulted in our home environment being very abusive and traumatic and this had a big impact on me growing up and the first two years of university when I was living in and out of home (due to financial difficulty I struggled to afford rent on my own). My first two years of university are TRASH. I mean fail, withdrawal, absent fail etc. I'm a first-gen student and had no idea how to seek help. I have been in therapy for years and I'm very happy and functional now. I turned it around, got almost straight As in my final two years, then got into medical school, now I'm on leave from my MD program (in Australia) to do an MSc in Biomedical Data Science in the US and appy to PhDs as I realized I wanted to focus on basic research not clinical in MS1.
Here are my credentials. I'm applying to bioengineering and neuroscience PhD programs with a very detailed list of labs highly aligned to my interests in cities where I want to live and where my long-term partner can work (Stanford, UCSF, UCB, Yale, Mt Sinai, Columbia, MIT, European Molecular Biology Laboratory).
Grades:
CGPA (including MSc first-year coursework): 3.25
Final Two Years of Undergrad: 3.85
Major GPA: 3.88
Masters GPA: 4.0
Education:
BSc in Genetics from top Australian university
Completed MS1 of MD and going to withdraw in good academic standing (Pass/Fail School) from top Australian university
MSc in Biomedical Data Science from US T10 school
Research Experience:
2 months functional genomics research in undergrad cut short by pandemic lockdown (~15 h/w)
1 year synthetic biology/genetic engineering research in undergrad (~20 h/w)
1 year in-vivo and in-vitro neuro-epigenetics/neural stem cell research during MS1 (~20 h/w)
1 year bioinformatics/computational biology research for master's thesis (~30 h/w)
Publications/Presentations:

• 1 mid-author neuroscience publication in high impact journal
  
• 1 synthetic biology conference presentation in undergrad
  
• Preparing paper submission and conference poster resulting from master's thesis
  

Additional Relevant CV Items:

• I co-founded a biomedical machine learning startup and successfully raised a seed round from VC funds in the Bay Area (leaving this due to wanting to pursue more technical depth in bioengineering)
  
• Worked as a science and technology communications adviser for government (managed investment announcements in bio research)
  
• Received US-based scholarship to study MSc
  

Letters of Recommendation:

• 2 quite strong recommendations from PIs from MS1 (PIs sent to me for input and there is lots of focus on my passion/drive, ability to identify road-blocks and postulate soutions, work ethic etc)
  
• Hopefully strong recommendation from US Masters supervisor PI
  
• Can get a rec from Masters prof who I will be TA'ing for (got 100% in his class)
  

I am just so nervous about my early years ruining my chances to get into a program I really want when I have been busting my ass every minute since I figured out how to get help, especially as an international student. I also have an autoimmune disease that was only recently diagnosed and ADHD diagnosed when I was 21, but I don't want to trauma-dump and include every little reason.

Me and my husband moved from a city of over 1 million people to 35k earlier this year. I've been in Property Management for the last 10 years bit unfortunately there isn't much (if anything) available in my industry here. So, I took an HR office Admin job to pay the bills.
My last job back where we came from, I was the most successful (financially) and happiest in my entire career. I'm still crushed I gave it up for my husband's job to relocate us. That place gave me my best friends, and just living in the city, we could do anything! Concerts, football/baseball/hockey games. Kayaking to waterfalls, festivals, dog parties, alllll the shopping etc.
Here? None of that. And over 2,000 miles away from any of my family and friends.
Anyway, the job I took here has me banging my desk on my desk in boredom. I've got social media scheduled until mid July, reorganized the break room and conference room. And when I ask for other work, it takes me 15 mins to complete whatever they ask of me. They're impressed with me and I'm repeatedly told how happy they are that I'm there, I'm doing such a great job etc. But I THRIVE under pressure, fast paced, meeting people, building relationships and all of that. In this position, I'm hoping someone calls just so I have someone to talk to!
But I'm bored out of my ever loving mind. I have work to maybe keep me busy for 3-4 hours a day. I've tried listening to audio books, creating spreadsheets and templates, reorganizing files. Anything to keep me busy.
I've only been here a month and I'm considering leaving. I only get paid once a month and haven't had a full paycheck yet. This is a big stressor for me.
I've found a few other jobs recently, one on my area of expertise and one where I'm essentially a tour guide for the city. But they pay anywhere from $2-$5 less per hour, and I'm not sure on the pay frequency.
Should I stick it out and be bored and miserable, or look for something in my wheelhouse for a little less pay?

Nearly impossible answer but I want to book a train to a conference I was invited to next month but the tickets are £48 from the West Midlands to London! I can't go now I think as it's already much and would have to get a taxi to the station and back home from it (about £8 on to)

I'm wondering if anyone has advice or has broken up with a friend. So I (28F) have friend, let's call her Angie (27F) and we've been friends since high school and let's just say there's been a number of things that have happened where I have felt like an option or that she doesn't really want to be friends, one of the big things is that during grade 11 a couple of girls started bullying me and she then became really good friends with them during that year. Last summer when I moved back to live with my parents, she's in the same city we met up, she ended up cancelling our 2nd meet up and then ghosted me for two months, wanted to get together and then ghosted me again for a week, but was able to meet up with other friends etc. So that's when I decided to slowly start endings things and declining invites, not acknowledging her birthday that kinda thing, so I then wrote a letter that I would want to read to her kinda outlining my feelings as kinda a final thing to say, this is how I'm feeling, advocating for myself that kinda thing, things I've been working on with my therapist, just wondering if anyone has done that sorta thing just more for the closure and how has it gone, did you find it helped things for yourself and any other tips. Thanks.

The Quran claims that Muhammad is illiterate:

Those who follow the Messenger, the illiterate (ummi) prophet... S. 7:157

Definition of 'Illiterate':-

a person who is unable to read or write.

Therefore, if we find sufficient evidence from the Quran and the ahadith which demonstrate that Muhammad was literate, it would necessitate a reevaluation of the Quranic assertion of his illiteracy.
The prevailing belief among many Muslims is that the historical figure of Muhammad was illiterate and therefore incapable of producing the Quran. However, it is important to note that both the Quran and the ahadith provide evidence that Muhammad possessed the ability to read and write!

Evidence from the Quran

The following verses commanded Muhammad to read:

Read! (Iqra) In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists) … Read! (Iqra) And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught (the writing) by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet Idrees (Enoch)], S. 96:1, 3-4

The mention of the pen clearly indicates that Muhammad was being directed to read a written text, rather than merely recite spoken words.
In fact, the Quran says that Allah will make Muhammad read the Quran so that he won’t forget it:

We shall make thee read (O Muhammad) so that thou shalt not forget S. 87:6

Other places where Muhammad is commanded to read the Quran include:

When you read the Quran, you shall seek refuge in GOD from Satan the rejected. S. 16:98
When you read the Quran, we place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter an invisible barrier. S. 17:45
A Quran that we have released slowly, in order for you to read it to the people over a long period, although we sent it down all at once. S. 17:106 And lo! It is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds, Which the True Spirit hath brought down Upon thy heart, that thou mayst be (one) of the warners, In plain Arabic speech. And lo! it is in the Scriptures of the men of old. Is it not a token for them that the doctors of the Children of Israel know it? And if We had revealed it unto one of any other nation than the Arabs, And he had read it unto them, they would not have believed in it. S. 26:192-199
Your Lord knows that you meditate during two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, and so do some of those who believed with you. GOD has designed the night and the day, and He knows that you cannot always do this. He has pardoned you. Instead, you shall read what you can of the Quran. He knows that some of you may be ill, others may be traveling in pursuit of GOD's provisions, and others may be striving in the cause of GOD. You shall read what you can of it, and observe the contact prayers (Salat), give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and lend GOD a loan of righteousness. Whatever good you send ahead on behalf of your souls, you will find it at GOD far better and generously rewarded. And implore GOD for forgiveness. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful. 73:20
and, when the Koran is read to them, do not adore? S. 84:21

The evidence strongly suggests that Muhammad had access to a manuscript from which he could read to the people. Without access to such a manuscript, it raises the question of what he would have been reading from.
If a Muslim claims that the above texts do not necessarily mean that Muhammad was reading an actual book, because there was no Quranic manuscript for him to read, note what the following passage states:

Those who disbelieve say: "This (the Qur'an) is nothing but a lie that he (Muhammad SAW) has invented, and others have helped him at it, so that they have produced an unjust wrong (thing) and a lie." And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon." S. 25:4-5

Not only did Muhammad have the Quran written down, showing that he had access to an actual manuscript that he could read, the Quran even refers to pure pages that Muhammad was reading to the people:

A messenger from Allah, reading purified pages (yatlu suhufan mutahharatan) S. 98:1-2

The term suhuf refers to an actual scripture just as the following verse proves:

The Books (suhuf) of Abraham and Moses. S. 87:19

Therefore, we can now conclude that the Quran provides compelling evidence supporting the claim that Muhammad possessed the ability to read and write. A more in-depth examination of the ahadith is now necessary to further substantiate this assertion.

Evidence from the Ahadith

Narrated Anas bin Malik: Once the Prophet wrote a letter or had an idea of writing a letter. The Prophet was told that they (rulers) would not read letters unless they were sealed. So the Prophet got a silver ring made with "Muhammad Allah's Apostle" engraved on it. As if I were just observing its white glitter in the hand of the Prophet… (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 65)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: When the Prophet (ﷺ) intended to write to the Byzantines, it was said to him, "Those people do not read your letter unless it is stamped." So the Prophet (ﷺ) took a silver ring and got 'Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah' engraved on it .... as if I am now looking at its glitter in his hand. (Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 764)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: When the Prophet (ﷺ) intended to write to the Byzantines, the people said, "They do not read a letter unless it is sealed (stamped)." Therefore the Prophet (ﷺ) took a silver ring----as if I am looking at its glitter now----and its engraving was: 'Muhammad, Apostle of Allah'. (Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 89, Number 276)
Narrated 'Ursa: The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 88)
Narrated 'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah: Ibn 'Abbas said, "When the ailment of the Prophet became worse, he said, 'Bring for me (writing) paper and I will write for you a statement after which you will not go astray.' But 'Umar said, 'The Prophet is seriously ill, and we have got Allah's Book with us and that is sufficient for us.' But the companions of the Prophet differed about this and there was a hue and cry. On that the Prophet said to them, 'Go away (and leave me alone). It is not right that you should quarrel in front of me." Ibn 'Abbas came out saying, ""It was most unfortunate (a great disaster) that Allah's Apostle was prevented from writing that statement for them because of their disagreement and noise. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 114)
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: When the time of the death of the Prophet (ﷺ) approached while there were some men in the house, and among them was Umar bin Al-Khatttab, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Come near let me write for you a writing after which you will never go astray."Umar said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) is seriously ill, and you have the Qur'an, so Allah's Book is sufficient for us." The people in the house differed and disputed. Some of them said, "Come near so that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) may write for you a writing after which you will not go astray," while some of them said what Umar said. When they made much noise and differed greatly before the Prophet, he said to them, "Go away and leave me." IbnAbbas used to say, "It was a great disaster that their difference and noise prevented Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) from writing that writing for them. (Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 92, Number 468)
Narrated Yazid ibn Abdullah: We were at Mirbad. A man with dishevelled hair and holding a piece of red skin in his hand came. We said: You appear to be a bedouin. He said: Yes. We said: Give us this piece of skin in your hand. He then gave it to us and we read it. It contained the text: "From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), to Banu Zuhayr ibn Uqaysh. If you bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, offer prayer, pay zakat, pay the fifth from the booty, and the portion of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his special portion (safi), you will be under by the protection of Allah and His Apostle." We then asked: Who wrote this document for you? He replied: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). (Sunan Abi Dawud Book 19, Number 2993)
Narrated Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (RA):The Prophet (ﷺ) sent 'Ali to Yemen. The narrator mentioned the complete Hadith. He said, "Ali sent a letter regarding their (the people of Yemen) acceptance of Islam. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) read the letter, he prostrated in gratitude to Allah the Most High for that." [Reported by al-Baihaqi].

Muhammad also had access to Syriac books. He also commanded Zaid Bin Thabit to learn the Syriac Language and the book of the Jews:

Ibn Hajar said in Al-Fath: It can be made that he learned their language, reading and writing, because he used to read their books to him and write to them if he wanted to write to them. This is indicated by Al-Tirmidhi’s classification of this hadith by saying: Chapter on what was mentioned in teaching the Syriacs, and in it he mentioned another narration that says In it Zaid: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, commanded me to learn Syriac, and in Sunan Abu Dawud: Zaid bin Thabit - may God be pleased with him - said: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, commanded me to learn the book of the Jews for him, and he said: By God, no Jews believed in my book. So I learned it, and only half a month passed before I mastered it. I would write to him when he wrote, and I would read to him when he wrote to him.
The author of Awn al-Ma’boud said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded me, that is, to learn the book of the Jews, so I learned for him, that is, for the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace. He said, meaning, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, is a conjunction of my command to explain the reason for the matter. The Jews did not believe in my book, that is, I fear if I commanded a Jew. By writing a book to the Jews, or reading a book that the Jews had come to add or subtract from, so I learned it, i.e., a Jewish book, until I mastered it with the dictionary dhāl and waqf, meaning I knew it, mastered it, and taught it, so I used to write for him, i.e., for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, whenever he wrote, i.e., if he wanted to write.

Al-Tahawi said in Al-Mu’tasir:

It was narrated from Zaid Bin Thabbit, that he said:
The Messenger (PBUH) said: “Do you know Syriac well? I receive Syriac books.” Zaid said: “No.” The Messenger (PBUH) said: “Learn it (Syriac Language).” Zaid said: “So I learned it in seventeen days.”
https://islamweb.net/afatwa/161555/

The evidence from additional hadiths (links given below) attributed to Muhammad strongly indicates his ability to write.
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2699
https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4049
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1637b
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1637c
https://sunnah.com/nasai:3101
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3053
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4431
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7366
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5669
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:114
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4432
https://sunnah.com/muslim:2387
https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4505
https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3649
https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2667
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6880
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1355a
https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4214
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2938
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5875
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7162
https://sunnah.com/nasai:5201
https://sunnah.com/muslim:2092d
https://sunnah.com/muslim:2092e
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:65
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5872
https://sunnah.com/shamail:89
https://sunnah.com/muslim:2092c
https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2715
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2377
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5158

Muhammad's Literacy in the Sirat(s)

Muhammad could read and write as we read in Sirat Ibn Ishaq, Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir' by Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa'd, and Al Sira Al Nabawiyya by Ibn Kathir:
Sirat Ibn Ishaq
https://archive.org/details/TheLifeOfMohammedGuillaume
Page 106, about the cave of Hira revelation:

So I (Muhammad) read it, and he departed from me.

Page 649, about correspondence with Musaylima

Musaylima had written to the apostle: ‘From Musaylima the apostle of God to Muhammad the apostle of God. Peace upon you. I have been made partner with you in authority. To us belongs half the land and to Quraysh half, but Quraysh are a hostile people.’ Two messengers brought this letter. A shaykh of Ashja’ told me on the authority of Salama b. Nu’aym b. Mas’ud al-Ashja’I from his father Nu’aym: I heard the apostle saying to them when he read his letter ‘What do you say about it?’ They said that they said the same as Musaylima. He replied, ‘By God, were it not that heralds are not to be killed I would behead the pair of you !’ Then he wrote to Musaylima: ‘From Muhammad the apostle of God to Musaylima the liar. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. The earth is God’s. He lets whom He will of His creatures inherit it and the result is to the pious. This was at the end of the year 10.

Page 256

The apostle wrote to the Jews of Khaybar according to what a freedman of the family of Zayd b. Thabit told me from ‘Ikrima or from Sa‘id b. Jubayr from Ibn ‘Abbas: “In the name of God the compassionate the merciful from Muhammad the apostle of God friend and brother of Moses who confirms what Moses brought…”

• KITAB AT-TABAQAT AL-KABIR' by **Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa'd, one of the most important and earliest surviving collections of biographical details of the early Muslims, spanning just over the first two centuries of Islam** https://religion.antropo.es/libros/fuentes-islamicas/Ibn-Sad_Kitab-al-tabaqat-al-kabir.pdf

Volume 1, Parts II.73.2

He (Ibn Sa'd) said: Al-Haytham Ibn 'Adi al-Ta'i informed us; he said: Mujàlid Ibn Sa'id and Zakariyá Ibn Abi Zà'idah informed us on the authority of al-Sha'bi; he said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, used to write after the style of the Quraysh: In Thy name, 0 Allah! Then the verse, "Embark therein! In the name of Allah be its course and its mooring," (Qur'an, 11:41) was revealed, **and he began to write: In the name of Allah.**Then the verse, "Cry unto Allah or cry unto the Beneficent" (Qur'an, 17:110) was revealed, and he began to write; In the name of Allah the Beneficent. Then the verse, "Lo ! it is from Solomon, and Lo ! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful" (Qur'an, 27: 30) was revealed, and he began to write: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Volume 1, Parts II.73.3

He (Ibn Sa'd) said: Al-Haytham Ibn 'Adi informed us; Dalham Ibn Salih and Abu Bakr al-Hudhali informed us on the authority of 'Abd Allah Ibn Buraydah, he on the authority of his father, Buraydah Ibn al-Husayb alAslami; (second chain) he (Ibn Sa'd) said: Muhammad Ibn Ishaq related to us on the authority of Yazid Ibn Rumàn and al-Zuhri; (third chain) he (Ibn Sa'd) said: Al-Hasan Ibn 'Umàrah related to us on the authority of Firas, he on the authority of al-Sha'bi; their narrations are mixed up: He (Ibn Sa'd) said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, wrote [P.20] an epistle to the people of Yaman detailing in it the regulations of Islam and duties on animals and properties. He directed them to treat his Companions and messengers well, and his messengers were Mu'adh Ibn Jabal and Malik Ibn Murarah. He informed them about the coming of their messengers to him and acknowledged the message which he had received from them. They said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him,wrote personal letters to several persons of Yaman; the names of some of them are, alHarith Ibn 'Abd Kulál, Shurayh Ibn 'Abd Kulal, Nu'aym Ibn 'Abd Kulál, Nu'man the prince of Dhu Yazan, Ma'àfir and Hamdan and Zur'ah of Ru'ayn; and the last was the first of Himyarites to embrace Islam... The Apostle of Alláh, may Allah bless him, wrote to them that Malik Ibn Murárah had delivered the message and defended their right in absentia. They said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, wrote to Musaylimah, the liar, may Allah damn him, inviting him to join the fold of Islam, and sent it through 'Amr Ibn Ummayyah [P. 26] al-Damri. Musaylimah wrote a reply to his epistle saying that he (Musaylimah) was a prophet like him, and asked him to divide the Earth; he also added that the Quraysh were not just. The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, said: Curse him; Allah has also cursed him. The Prophet wrote to him: your letter (full of) falsehood and fabrications against Allah has reached me... They said: The Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, wrote a similar epistle to Bang Mu'awiyah, a branch of Kindah.

• Volume 1, Parts II.74.83

'Ath'ath Ibn Zahr and Anas lbn Mudrik waited on the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, with the members of the Khath'am after Jarir Ibn 'Abd Allah had broken Dhua'l-Khalasah and had slain those of Khath'am whom he had slain. Then they said: We believe in Allah, His Apostle and what was revealed by Allah. (They said) write a document for us so that we may follow what might be written therein. Thereupon he wrote a document for him and Jarir Ibn 'Abd Allah and those present testified to it.

THERE ARE MORE EVIDENCES BUT I WILL NOT PROVIDE ALL
AL SIRA AL NABAWIYYA by Ibn Kathir (4 Volumes)
https://archive.org/details/AlSiraAlNabawiyyaByIbnKathirAllVolumesInOnePdf

• Volume I P33

when the Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote to Chosroe inviting him to accept Islam, he became enraged, tore up the letter and then wrote his own instructions

• Volume I P234

the Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote to the Jews of Khaybar as follows, “In the name of God the most merciful and beneficent, from Muhammad, the Messenger of God, …”

• Volume I P267

He wrote a document for us as follows: “In the name of God, the most Merciful and most Beneficent; this is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God, …”

• Volume I P273

Amr b. Murra and those others of his people who had accepted Islam then went to the Prophet (SAAS). He welcomed and honoured them and wrote for them a document, the text of which was as follows, 'In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent, this document is from God through the tongue of the Messenger of God and is a trustworthy document…”

• Volume II P122

… the Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote to Mus'ab b. Umayr telling him to establish the Friday prayer

• Volume II P 212

… the Prophet (SAAS)__** wrote up a contract between the Emigrants saying that they would respect one another's strongholds, that they would treat with kindness those in distress and bring peace between the Muslims.**
The sahih collection of Muslim quotes Jabir as saying, "The Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote an aqula, a blood-wit pact, for each sub-tribe." Muhammad b. Ishaq stated, "The Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote a contract between the Emigrants and the Helpers…”

• Volume II P242

…the Messenger of God (SAAS) sent forth 'Abd All& b. Jahsh b. Ri'ab al-Asadi along with eight Emigrants; … He wrote a letter for 'Abd All& b. Jahsh…

• Volume IV P72

They asked them, “Uthman and Abd al-Rahman, your Prophet wrote us a letter and we have come in response to it…”

• Volume IV P73

When they went to him next day,** he wrote for them the following document, 'In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent. This is written by Muhammad, the Prophet, the untutored, the Messenger of God, to Najran…”**

• Volume IV P75

The bishop, Abu al-Harith, went to the Messenger of God (SAAS), along with al-Sayyid, al-Aqib and important persons from their people…. He wrote the document for the bishop and those bishops to come after him: 'In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent. From.Muhammad, the Prophet,…”

• Volume IV P100

The Messenger of God (SAAS) then wrote a letter to this Mutarrif…

• Volume IV P101

The Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote them the following document…

• Volume IV P103

“The following is the letter we have that the Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote for 'Amr b. Hazam…”

• Volume IV P113

”He then wrote a document appointing me their leader … He then wrote me another document.”

• Volume IV P123

The Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote a document to this effect, as follows, "In the name of God, the most Merciful and Beneficent. This records what Muhammad, Messenger of God, has given to Rabi, Mutrif and Anas…”

• Volume IV P134

The Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote back to him as follows…

• Volume IV P135

He wrote him a document specifying his charge and his orders to him.

• Volume IV P318

…the Messenger of God (SAAS) wrote to him and he restored it to them.

• Volume IV P496

The Prophet (SAAS) **wrote a letter to those of Banu Jurash who accepted Islam,**ordering them to peform the prayer, pay the zakat, and to donate one-fifth of the booty they took.

THERE ARE MORE EVIDENCES BUT I WILL NOT PROVIDE ALL because I am too lazy.
The evidence presented in this post strongly supports the claim that Muhammad was literate and not illiterate, as claimed by the Quran and the Muslims! So, the answer to the question in the title is a BIG NO.

I applied in Detroit last week and was denied since I’m a new grad and haven’t received my diploma yet. I did have an expected graduation date letter that said I have met the graduation requirements for a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Engineering. The officer didn’t find that good enough and wanted the conferred diploma. I did try to withdraw the application but I think the officer submitted it as a denial. He gave me a I-160A and I came back to Canada.
The officer mentioned to me that I’m free to retry at different POE where they may accept the expected graduation date lette letter of confirmation. I’m wondering is it worth going to a different POE, especially with the denial. Mainly worried since no documentation has changed. The companies immigration lawyers mentioned YVR and YYC were successful for others and to maybe retry there.

Hello everyone. I'm 18 years old and I'm currently in the process of getting a visa to visit my girlfriend who lives In china. I've hit a dead end however.
I have an invitation letter from my girlfriend including her ID printed out. I've paid for the flight there completely and it's just now down to hotels. However with hotels we planned to book them in june after my paycheck as ill have a bit more freedom with my money. I have heard how to apply for a Chinese visa you do not necessarily need to provide flight and hotel booking details.
My question is, if you have an invitation from a Chinese resident along with a printed ID, are you able to apply for a visa without the need to show hotel bookings?
Thank

chapters 1&2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
The lecture was supposed to be on Rationality 101, apparently not for Newcomers only. Serene was there to have her back but G was having a hard time focusing.
The boring black uniform more fitting for a hotel receptionist defaced the godlike beauty standing in front of a huge screen. Gentry couldn’t believe her eyes: this was the man she had her hands on a little while ago?
No, it couldn’t be.
It had been just an avatar, too perfect in its unblemished visage, too pure for this world. Yet the man whose face she remembered as if it was etched on the back of her eyelids, who she’d been constantly thinking about, who her hands itched to snatch, was standing right there, in the flesh.
Back in the dreamy simulated world she caught herself thinking that a trim waist like this couldn’t anatomically work on a human, yet here he was: a towering spread of fit shoulders perfectly balanced above the flexible whip of his midsection. The light-grey eyes that betrayed every movement of his pupils were as real as the ones that reflected the mock moon during her test. Below them lay the sharp slope of the cheekbones one could cut themselves on.
The only thing a bit different, apart from the outfit choice, was the young god’s hair. In the simulation, it was flowing and probably too long to be practical. This person’s mane was much shorter and fell down his neck in a neat ponytail, tastefully tamed with a single hairpin.
She had to get her hands on this treasure.
He was making last minute preparations for the lecture, looking through the papers on the desk, dark strands framing his face, light grey eyes sharp in careful concentration.
Professor Q, huh.
He said this was his name, and so did the note on the lecture hall door.
She was sure it was the man who had melted in her arms making the most delicious sounds a male throat could produce.
Had he recognised her?
Unlikely.
At the time of the simulation session, she didn’t have a camera that could pick up her facial features but just to be on the safe side, she decided to go by “G” in his class. There were bound to be lots of people with a name starting with a G, right? What would be the odds it was this particular newcomer that Q had tested that would end up in his class?
The man finally lifted his eyes at the audience and a gentle smile momentarily graced his features before disappearing as if he didn’t see someone he’d expected to.
The holoboard on the wall behind him obediently lit up following his nonchalant gesture. Gentry found it annoying that one needed a pair of special glasses to see all the augmented reality stuff and really navigate the city but again, with Sereen’s help she had more or less gotten used to it in the couple of days she had to deal with the necessities like settling down, getting food and finding her way around Ashtapada.
Still, could they use a piece of chalk or, at least, a marker to write on the board? No need to show off your Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism tech just to write a couple of notes on the board!
On second thought, high-tech-crazy or not, if this city brought up men like this one, she would definitely do her best to stay here to… reap the benefits!
They took a desk next to a huge clear floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the winter garden.
“Professor Q seems a little distracted today,” Sereen said, swiftly tapping a couple of buttons on G’s wrist to show her how to confirm that she was attending the lecture. “He’s usually much more chatty and friendly. I wonder what got into him.”
“Is he?” Gentry responded with an artificial air of indifference. “I just hope he’s more open to a discussion than that Poe guy.”
“He is! And Professor Poe isn’t that bad,” Sereen reprimanded before chuckling a little — since his little secret became known to students, he became known as Holopoe. “Just wait and see, it’s gonna be a blast. Q’s lectures are always very engaging.”
It proved to be utter bullshit.
After fiddling with the symbols on the interactive screen for ten minutes into the class, students getting more and more agitated behind his back, the lecturer seemed to give up. Turning back to the audience, he absentmindedly nodded to a couple of people in the lecture hall and sighed with a painfully fake smile.
“For today’s class, we are going to need to read a certain extract from a book,” he said, tone apologetic for some reason, but it solidified G’s conviction that she already knew this person. “I’ve just sent it to each of your wristcomms. We’ll have some quiet time and read it by ourselves, alright?”
“Reading from the comm?” Sereen mumbled to herself. “Couldn’t he just print them out?”
The rest of the students’ grumbles showed that they shared her disappointment. Q could only hopelessly smile again before returning to his work on the board.
Reading from the little semi-transparent screens was indeed torture. Quickly giving up on trying to awkwardly use gestures for scrolling through the text, she looked out of the window to entertain herself with the garden outside. From the modest height they were sitting at, the people below were quite discernible, partly hidden by the greenery, spread here and there in small groups and pairs. Gentry longed to be there, too. What was the use of being here with the most attractive person in the whole world if the only thing she could see was his back?
Well, the back didn’t look half bad, if she was honest, and what was below also pleased the eye.
But still. It would soon bore even the most easily entertained.
Her gaze fell to a small clearing where a lone male figure was sitting, writing something in a notebook. By the looks of it, the notebook was a real paper-made thing without the bells and whistles usual for Ashtapada. The next thing G noticed was a pair of slender legs, barefoot, stretched to dip the toes into the clear water of the artificial stream.
God bless the urban designers of this place!
The figure lifted the head and in an inconceivably graceful motion, swung the long blond bangs away from the face.
G straightened her back. Was it... Ok, maybe Q was the most handsome man she’d seen in her life but this... This was the younger boy she’d noticed a couple of days back, the one in a plaid skirt, shamelessly flirting with everyone within reach. Today, he wasn’t wearing one but the blue jeans hugging his thighs, rolled up almost to the knees, presented a picture just as tantalizing. Even with the hair was a completely different colour, even though the half-up, half-down style kept his face hidden, she was absolutely certain it was the same person.
Just you wait, young beauty, as soon as this “lecture” was over, your princess in shining armour was coming to pick you up!
Suddenly snapping out of the dull weariness, she turned on the auglasses S helped her obtain earlier and tapped away on her comm screen.
What a chance to give the local text sharing feature a go!
“The garden is pretty, but with a blossom like you, it is truly breathtaking. I wonder if anyone has picked this sweet flower or if anyone dares to,” she typed a cheesy note and folded the message into a neat 3D figurine of an origami paper crane with her fingers in the air.
Was S watching? Screw it, even if she was, she couldn’t read the message with her glasses off, right?
Carefully aiming the device at the lone figure, she launched the crane downwards, and it fluttered like a weightless butterfly in spirals, through the glass and right into the young man’s lap, not disturbing the notebook pages. He started at first at the intrusion but then turned his own glasses on and unfolded the message. A shy smile appeared on his plump lips, and he looked flattered, turning his head around to see if the sender was in sight. Catching no one, he typed something below the initial message and deftly folded it back into a crane that, to G’s surprise, flew directly at her, in uneven spirals along the wall. The man traced it with a smile, propping himself back on his arms, his whole slim body and face on full display now.
God, was he good-looking.
Easily passing the physical border of the glass again, the crane crashed into Gentry’s wristcomm, dutifully delivering the message and betraying her tactical position at the same time. An amused kind of surprise showed on the young man’s face and he waved at her to show that she had been exposed. She waved back, trying to look nonchalant but probably failing miserably.
Very smooth, G, way to go.
The message read, “Is a flower only good for looking at? Not this one.”
Oooh, this boy was playing with fire!
“Hey, G,” Sereen nudged. “Have you finished reading?”
“Mm? Oh, yeah.” Gentry lied easily. She had skimmed the first couple of paragraphs and was sure she’d be able to come up with something if asked.
“Done everybody?” the deep gentle voice called from the holoboard and G’s attention snapped back to the dignified face.
The class murmured affirmatively.
“I’m sorry today’s lecture isn’t as fun as usual,” he admitted. “I must say I’m still unsure how to approach such complex topic as this one. But with your help, I hope we’ll figure it out.”
Everyone seemed to perk up.
“You just read an extract on paradoxes,” Q went on. “And you might be wondering why we are raising a philosophical topic on a rational thinking course.”
“There you go,” Sereen whispered. “He’s back to normal!”
G humphed. This did seem interesting. Was it a good idea to read the extract after all?
Q continued, “In the text, you might have encountered the definition of a paradox. Would anyone explain it with their own words?”
A raised hand and the lecturer’s nod brought some courageous soul to their feet.
“It’s when you start with the correct premises, use consistent logic but wind up with an impossible conclusion,” they said. “There are three types: falsidical, veridical and antimony-type, which are...”
“Correct,” Q smiled and nodded the person back down. It was a smile worth starting a thousand wars over.
“Now there’s a reason why I asked you to read about them. Why do you think people have been fascinated with paradoxes for such a long time?”
S raised her hand and received a kind invitation.
“I might be wrong,” she said. “But it seems that they point at the limitations of our thinking, things that seem rational but in fact aren’t. We feel that with our all-conquering logic we can solve any puzzle but it’s not always the case. Right?”
“This is very insightful,” the teacher confirmed. “It is believed by many that what’s rational is true and therefore what rationality cannot explain must be false.”
“I definitely know someone who would die on that hill,” Gentry grumbled under her breath.
“I’m sorry?” Q asked. “Is there something you wanted to add... sorry, I don’t know your name?”
Still half mad with professor Poe, Gentry stood up. “It’s G, I’m a Newcomer. I was saying how a human mind can fool itself into thinking it knows what it looks at as long as it makes sense. But in reality, it’s not there, like the sky.”
That was the only thing she remembered from that last lecture! She felt the tips of her ears heat up but the kind and considering look on Q’s face showed her gamble paid off.
“These are very insightful observations, G, why don’t we try exploring them together?” — he waived her to sit down and turned back to the class — “Five minutes to discuss how paradoxes might reveal the weaknesses of rational thinking. Send your answers to the board when you’re done.”
“Whoa, daring as usual,” Sereen smiled. “I knew you’d enjoy his class.”
“Now, consider these two questions,” Q said to another student who stood up at his hand wave. “If an unstoppable force meets an indestructible object, what is going to happen?”
The person seemed to contemplate it for a while and the teacher didn’t rush him.
“Isn’t it one of those which are impossible to solve because the existence of the one automatically disproves the existence of the other?”
Q nodded, “Correct. The second one about the barber in a small town is of the same sort. Sereen?”
S stood up too, “The one that shaves all and only men that don’t shave themselves?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “At first, a premise like this seems perfectly reasonable, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” S responded, somewhat rashly. “But it’s clear that a barber like this cannot exist.”
“Wait, really?” Gentry whispered as Q nodded in satisfaction and urged her friend to go on.
“Yes, if we ask ourselves if this barber shaves himself. If he doesn’t, then he is part of the group which he does shave that do not shave themselves, but if he is in this group, then he does shave himself which makes it impossible for him to be this barber by definition.”
While the rest of the class was catching up with the logic, Q’s smile got only wider, more inviting.
“What does it tell us about the nature of the premise then?” he asked.
“That although it seems that it sounds logical on the surface, it is in fact nonsense and we don’t even need to hear the rest of the riddle to discard it completely,” S concluded.
The man chuckled.
“Well, I wouldn’t be that brash, to be honest, but on balance, you’re right,” he said. “If you stay after the lecture, I might recommend a couple of books on the topic. Your Newcomer friend is welcome to stay, too.”
G put up the best of the aloof fronts, “I’d be happy to, Professor.”
“Q is fine,” he smiled again and went on addressing the rest of the class that immediately exploded into a heated discussion.
***
“Basically, what I think we’re supposed to learn from this,” S concluded after a while, standing up so that everyone could hear her. “Is that before applying rationality, we have to make sure that all the premises we are dealing with are in fact realistic. Otherwise, there is no way rational thinking will help us.”
“Excellently put, as always,” Q applauded. “I’d love to see if everyone agrees or has something else to add to the discussion but our time is up. Feel free to write me a letter with your reflections on the topic.”
As interesting as the class was, the urge to leave the premises as soon as the teacher dismissed everyone seemed to be universal and applicable even to the Ashtapadans.
“I have to go now,” Sereen said. “Text you later, ok?” And with a reciprocal nod to Q, disappeared in the doors, joining the rest of the students.
Sadly, she couldn’t recall what they were talking about after the lecture, nor what titles Professor recommended for some home reading. She just hoped she didn’t make a fool of herself.
What Gentry did remember though was that after Q left as well and she came up to the panoramic window, Sereen and the mysterious flower boy were leaving the garden together. And it was hard not to notice that her new friend took off her wristcomm before they took off, and hid it in the tall grass.

I believe I was. I’ve told friends about my life and I’ve talked to my parents about their treatment, but I keep getting told other people have it worse or I didn’t have it that bad. I wonder if I’m just being dramatic.
Some non-chronological events:
I would ride along with my mom searching for my dad when he would go on drug binges. I watched my dad hit my grandma over and over after he had to turn the car around because he forgot his wallet at home. She started "talking too much". After he beat her, she laid across the backseat in silence. I was silent too. I wished for superpowers so that when he hit her, I would be the one to feel her pain instead. I screamed at the crackhead women my dad invited into the house after he was gone on a drug binge. She threatened to throw me out of the window. My dad stayed silent. My dad invited that same women into the house a few months later, because she apologized to him. My dad used to give me frequent back scratches. He would trail his hand down my back and rub the area just above my butt. My dad was inebriated and knocking on each of our bedroom doors. My mom texted me to not open my bedroom door for him but I needed to pee. By the time I came back, he had a blanket on the ground and was asleep. My stomach sunk. I slept under the bed. My mom dragged her fingernails across my face and asked what I was going to do about it and if I was going to fight back. My dad called me a waste of brain cells because he went down the wrong way in a one way street going to a fair. He turned around and drove home. I locked myself in my room and sobbed and texted my mom that I didn't want to live anymore. I woke up in the hospital after my suicide attempt to my dad in the room. The first thing he said to me was that I must really care what people think about me. In a drafted suicide note, I addressed each person in my life except my mom. My mom found it in my room and photocopied it. She wrote notes on the side and was upset that I didn't write to her. My dad threatened to give me and my sibling up to adopt some children who would actually spend time with him. My dad badmouthed me to a date when I was in the backseat of his car. I filled out a sheet in elementary school for fun with my friends. It was for something like a summer camp. My mom chased me throughout the house and snatched it. She asked if I was trying to send myself away. My dad told me to not tell authorities about him because I'd get taken away. My mom told me I needed to go home. I cried on the way home because I thought she was going to kill herself after she stopped responding to my texts. She left scavenger hunt instructions for the key to her bedroom. Inside her bedroom were letters to each of us detailing that she was leaving my dad. I didn't see her again for months.