Example of landlord residency letter

Landlord Discussion

2008.12.11 01:34 Landlord Discussion

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2017.04.04 16:51 ReGuess Unexpected Ouija

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2008.06.11 11:41 kleinbl00 HomeOwners & Investors

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2024.05.19 14:09 --TheSkyLord-- My Experience with Missions

I had a strange relationship with deconstruction as my dad was trained at a university level to do apologetics. He was an LDS chaplain in the Army, and every night for scripture study, we got discourses on the nuances of our faith and justifications for every question we ever had. I didn’t swear until I was 18 years old, or drink caffinated anything until about that time as well, because it was never a matter of justification. It was what my family, my tribe, my people did, to go to church on Sunday, and to be worthy. I was senior patrol leader and assistant to the bishop if that clarifies who I was. I didn’t have “God will reveal it in due time” parents. I had “Here’s the answer, here’s contemporary discussion about it. Here’s some reading material if you want to learn more” parents, except for they were wicked smart, and had biased conclusions.
I was called to serve in the Mexico City East mission. Shortly before opening my mission call, I broke up with my girlfriend at the time. i left BYU-I and went home to prepare. I received my endowments after lying to my stake president about my worthiness to enter the house of the lord. I came clean, and he threatened to not let me go out for a year because I was unclean. The prick made me talk to a therapist to be cleared for the mission field. The therapist had a brain and let me go out. When I was giving my mission farewell speech, I wrote it to include the teachings of many religions in it. I had drawn inspiration from the 13th article of faith “We believe all things, hope all things-“ and wrote a poem about how Adam and Eve related to the Resurection and Atonement of christ. My dad tells me the stake president was shifting in his seat like he wanted to pull me down from the pulpit. Prick.
The CCM was a pleasure to attend because of my district. The guys in my district there held a secret thanksgiving feast after hours when we were supposed to be in bed with food we had smuggled out of the cafeteria. We had look outs so we wouldn’t be caught by the patrolling teachers. My district was placed under surveillance because of politics against our spanish teacher who we could tell actually cared about us, and we were transferred into a classroom with one sided mirrors, and microphones hanging from the ceiling. An apostle came to speak to the entire CCM, and I thought we would get a chance to meet with him directly, or that he would be even remotely accessible in some way. He was kept away from us, separate and removed even though we had the same mission. I played a lot of volley ball, and got into shape enough that I touched the rim of a basketball hoop for the first time while I was there.
My first companion was a native speaker, and liked to spend the mornings in the cyber (Internet Cafe). He would make sure I was on LDS.org while he looked at softcore porn on instagram. We would spend hours there, and I was disappointed that this was the mission.
We went to a previous investigators house, and while there, we saw preparations for an animal sacrifice. These guys were putting alcohol, cocaine, and blowing smoke onto a white chicken, and placed in into a cardboard box with a bunch of black chickens. They showed us a room full of weapons, with blood and feathers strewn all over the floor. We noped the fuck out, and went home.
I requested an emergency transfer after spending most days in the cyber, watching my companion deface JW’s property, and being an all around dick to me by telling me how to shower and how to sleep.
For his replacement, the person that would help me with his bastion of knowledge, they gave me a white guy who spoke as much Spanish as I did because he was only a transfer further into his mission than me. They made this poor kid senior companion to me before his first transfer was over. Why? Because the kid was a workaholic.
The first thing this elder and I did when we got to our apartment was to pick up and leave to go to the house of a member who had just died. We sang at the wake. I sang in a language I didn’t know, for people I didn’t know, with a companion I didn’t know. We sounded pretty damn good. The elder began setting appointments with the non-believing family members during the service. I just sat and watched the mindless kids chase the family dog.
This elder skipped lunch every day, and made me do the same. We knocked every door in our area twice that transfer. One time, he got very sick, and was delirious out in the sun with me while we were walking. I made us go home for lunch that day, and he made me promise to wake him up after thirty minutes so we could get back to the Lord’s work. Three hours later he woke up, chewed me out for letting him sleep that long, and then begrudgingly thanked me for making him rest.
One time, while walking, this Elder expressed to me that he also had some questions, but he was afraid to share the details because he knew my own testimony was fragile. I pressed him for details of his plight, and he revealed to me the darkest part of church history that he had learned while we were in the CCM, that Joseph Smith had drank alcohol while in Carthage Jail before he died. Thoughts of Fanny Alger, of Mountain Meadows Massacre, and of my own mother’s rather recently implemented looser interpretation of the word of wisdom all flashed through my head. This guy was supposed to be my teacher? All I could do was express how sorry I was for his confusion, and told him to have faith. Heaven knew I couldn’t help him.
One night with this companion, it was storming hard, and the streets were flooded. This guy refused to let us go home. We climbed along fences to avoid getting our already wet shoes soaked, and waded through a foot of water to get to the doors that were slammed in our faces. There was a loose wire on a door bell, and when I rang it, I was shocked by the completed circuit the water made. Rejection after rejection piled up. Finally, my “senior” companion said that this was the last row of houses. On the last house of the last row, there was a family that was all deaf. The father opened the door, and was suprised to see us and didn’t know who we were. I remembered the sign for Jesus from my grandparents who started and ran the ASL endowment ceremony in the Saint George temple. The family was thrilled we knew the sign. When I asked if we could come in, the family politely waved goodbye and closed the door on our faces.
Another time when it rained, something fell into my eye. It was one of those freak nature accidents, and small enough that I couldn’t figure out how to get it out without a mirror. The thing stayed wedged in the corner of my eye for hours before we got home and I could finally get the foreign object out. Looking at it on my finger, I could see it was a small green spider. Days later, still in pain, I pulled what I can only assume was accumulated webbing from the spider that I’d crushed against my eyeball off of my lower eye lid. The pain stopped after that.
I bought a $500 camera. It was stolen within a month.
This Elder and I had the good luck before transfers to baptize two children. They would have been baptized anyways, so I didn’t do any actual converting, but I taught a few lessons, got in the water and did the dunk. Bucket list item, check.
I didn’t have enough time for laundry on P-Day, so I’d wash my outfit and dry in on the radiator through the night. Transfers happen, and my new companion lied to our land lords about the electricity bill, paying it in full but not giving a reason as to why it was so high. I didn’t care anymore, I just needed something clean to wear, but these land lord had treated me and my previous companion well, better than the previous landlord who had stolen our cleaning supplies. I felt these people deserved honesty. My senior companion capitulated eventually, and he and I butted heads regularly after that on the morality of things. I think in hindsight he was a smarter and better man than I was.
The new land lords, the “Lagunez Family”, were wonderful. They included us in their activities, and I felt like I had some people in my corner. When I eventually came home from my mission, a daughter of the family had written me a goodbye letter. She is currently serving a mission. They made some great music, and I have “Infiltradors” on CD, the official name of the band the father of the family was a part of (he was the drummer).
I knew the whole area by heart by that point, so I navigated us to our appointments. Half of the landmarks I watched for to know our location were interesting buildings with unique colors. The other half of my landmarks were dead dogs whose decaying corpses had become second nature to see. I began marking how much time had passed by how deeply a certain dog on a certain dirt path’s chest was caved in.
There was an apartment complex in my area that I had been told not to proselytize in because “It’s dangerous.” Turns out, those people didn’t have any money, so the church didn’t want them. That complex was past the dog and to the east about ten blocks.
My companion and I knocked on a door, and visited a man who was missing his legs. His daughter was there, putting dirty water on the aching wounds. He had a single room for a house, and wheezed when he spoke. He couldn’t afford medication. He still went out and worked all day for his daughter, and gave her whatever money he made, trusting her to keep him alive somehow. The church expected this man to pay tithing. The church expected me to tell this man to pay tithing.
I got the chance to hike up a mountain. At the top, I played chess with a chess set I’d procured from one of the best rapid chess players I’ve ever met. He had been the ward mission leader. He was a good man, a good father, and I wish him the best.
I found another man who was deaf and spoke sign language. I sat with him, and convinced him to come to church all by myself while my companion talked with some tienda tender. I was so excited because this was my own personal project and it was going well. The man came to church, and I sat with him through sacrament meeting. In Sunday school (I can’t believe I did this), I accidentally drooled on the guy. I was just talking so he could read my lips, and I guess I forgot to swallow at some point because a dolup of spit landed on his arm. I apologized profusely, and he played it off, but I never saw that investigator again.
My companion and I knocked a door one day, and a man answered. He wore tattered clothes, and maggots were burrowing into and out of his feet. He muttered something about the stars, missing his wife, and he began to tear up. My eyes stung from the stench. The door closed. Somehow, I knew the man would be dead in a matter of weeks.
I had lost hope that I was doing anything worth while. I looked down on the Doc Martins that had stayed with me five months at this point. I was angry with myself for being so useless in the field, angry with the church for giving me leaders that didn’t listen to my needs or perspective, angry with my mom for drinking while I had to teach people that it was a sin, angry with my dad for giving me the skills and knowledge to justify anything, even pedophilia in the early days of the church, to the point where I could look someone in the eye, and knowing the kind of man Smith was, tell them he was a good man and a true prophet of God. Suddenly a man approached us. He said he recognized us as missionaries, and asked about our message. This never happened. People didn’t just come up to us unless they were crazy or dangerous. But this was a public place, and this guy was genuine. My companion talked to him, and gathered his story, but I was plotting something else. I was done with not caring about these people in a way that mattered. I was tired of walking in another man’s shoes, a man who wasn’t me, who believed different things than me. The chopped leg, the rotting dogs, the infested feet, it all swirled into a single thought in that moment.
What would Jesus do?
I walked over to the man, and in broken Spanish asked him to stand next to me. He did so, and I compared my shoe size to his foot. It was a perfect match. He protested, but I didn’t let him get a word in edge wise. I took off my shoes, put them on his dirty feet, and laced them up nice and tight. Those shoes had cost a ton, and had been meant to last the whole mission. All I had left at this point were my fancy dress shoes that gave my blisters back at the apartment. I didn’t care. I walked home in my socks that day, happy as a lark.
Covid-19 hit a month later. I was one of the few they brought home instead of quarantining. After having served only 6 months. I told God if he wanted me to stay home, he’d have to make them release me.
They released me. I think I was one of maybe a hundred missionaries that were released due to Covid. The church realized their mistake pretty soon after I was released. Once Covid infrastructure began to develop, they didn’t release any more. I guess I didn’t serve a full two years, but I did serve a full mission.
My brother served, and he nearly killed himself due to intense depression brought on by Covid quarantine and poor leadership (I’ve got a few mission president stories, but those are for another time).
I learned lying to someone’s face from my mission, and spent the rest of my time at BYU-I as “nuanced” until the last two years, over which the most epic hoe phase imaginable became my new mission. I spent those years terrified of getting a call from the honor code office.
I’m married now, with my degree irrevocably in my possession. I have friends and loved ones that are in the church and are working on their mission papers. I’m beginning to feel powerless again. I’m seeing the decay again, not on legs, feet, or dogs anymore, but in the souls of the people who the church raises to do their dirty volunteer work. I see them like the animal sacrifices I saw being prepared. I’m not sure what shoes I have left to give to those people that I know are going to be in pain.
My parents are out completely now. It was a long time coming, but they are out and so much happier. I’m working on building a new relationship with my family, one based off of the fact that we won’t be together forever, so we have to make the most of our time together now.
Happy Sunday guys, best of luck to you all. And most importantly, chupa la piña.
submitted by --TheSkyLord-- to exmormon [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 14:08 Yurii_S_Kh Monotheism, Part 3: Islam

Monotheism, Part 3: Islam
Islam: Origins
Jibril (Gabriel) appears before Mohammed, drawing
The religion of the Law, which for 15 centuries prepared the chosen people for the coming into the world of the its Savior, the Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, preceded New Testament religion. According to the Holy Apostle Paul, "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Gal. 3:24). It was all in all only "a shadow of good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). When the Savior came into the world, Old Testament religion had fulfilled its purpose. Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us the mystery of the Heavenly Kingdom and established the New Covenant, which was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:31-33).
Man was redeemed from original sin and its consequences by the voluntary death on the Cross of Jesus Christ as Savior of the World. He entered into an entirely new period in terms of his relationship with God in comparison with the Old Testament: instead of the law, there was a free condition of sonship and grace. Man received new means for achieving the ideal set for him of moral perfection as a necessary condition for salvation.
Islam, having arisen in Arabia in the seventh century, appeared as the religion of the law six centuries after the God of the chosen people of the religion of the Law fulfilled its purpose.
The difference between the Old Testament religion of the Law and Islam is not only that the latter emerged more than two thousand years after God gave on Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments and other precepts that governed life for the chosen people. The most important difference is that the Law of Moses has a Divine source. The book of Exodus gives a narrative of the majestic Epiphany. "And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up" (Exod. 19:17-20).
The founder of Islam, however, did not have a Divine revelation.
How did Islam arise? We read about this in the Hadith “Al-Jamii al-Sahih”. A mysterious being began to visit Mohammed. He slept in a cave on the slope of Mount Hira. On the night of the 24th of the month of Ramadan in year 610 someone appeared to him in human form. This event is considered the beginning of Islam. This story about it is from the Sunnah: “[A]n angel appeared to him and bade him 'READ!' 'I am no reader!' Mohammed replied in great trepidation, whereon the angel shook him violently and again bade him read. This was repeated three times, when the angel uttered the five verses that commence the 96th chapter: 'READ! in the name of thy Lord, who did create—who did create man from congealed blood. READ! for thy Lord is the most generous.’” Mohammed puzzled over whether a demon or angel visited him. He confided his experiences in his wife Khadijah. I will introduce more of the story of Mohammed's biography, generally accepted by Muslims: “She said to the messenger of God, ‘O son of my uncle, are you able to tell me about your visitant, when he comes to you?’ He replied that he could, and she asked him to tell her when he came. So when Gabriel came to him, as he was wont the apostle said to Khadija, ‘This is Gabriel who has just come to me.’ ‘Get up, O son of my uncle,’ she said, ‘and sit by my left thigh.’ The apostle did so, and she said, ‘Can you see him?’ ‘Yes,’ he said. She said, ‘Then turn round and sit on my right thigh.’ He did so, and she said, ‘Can you see him?’ When he said that he could she asked him to move and sit in her lap. When he had done this she again asked if he could see him, and when he said yes, she disclosed her form and cast aside her veil while the apostle was sitting in her lap. Then she said, ‘Can you see him?’ And he replied, ‘No.’ She said, ‘O son of my uncle, rejoice and be of good heart, by God he is an angel and not a satan’” (Ibn Hisham, Biography of the Prophet Muhammad).
It is surprising how easily and, gently speaking, naively this question, which in the spiritual realm is a question of life or death, had been answered with the help of a woman. Before all else, an Angel is a bodiless being, and for his sight there are no actual barriers: one can see through even clothes. Clothes hide nudity only from the eyes of man. Even so, the body of man in and of itself is not something perverse or shameful. It is a creation of God. The lust of man is sinful as well as is carnal desire, but not the body. In paradise the progenitors were naked and were not ashamed (see Gen. 2:25). The nature of an Angel is inviolate. They are alien to passions of man. But if this was a demon, then he could easily resort to trickery. Knowing how they tested him, he especially would be able to take leave of himself, so that they would take him for an Angel.
The attitude of Islam towards the Bible
Islam emerged as something syncretic out of several sources: ancient Arabic cults, Judaism, Christianity, Hanifism (a pre-Islamic monotheistic movement in Arabia) and Mazdaism (an ancient Iranian religion). There is no doubt that the Old Testament holy books and the Gospel had an influence on the formation of Islam. In the Quran many people and events from biblical history are mentioned. However, these stories are presented completely arbitrarily and inaccurately.
According to the Quran, man was created from water. "It is He Who has created man from water: Then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage: for thy Lord has power (over all things)" (25:54). In another surah, it says: "Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood" (96:1-2). In another part it speaks about clay, "He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery" (55:14).
In contrast to the Bible, the Quran does not say that man was created in the image and likeness of God. This discrepancy is most profound. With God's image and likeness, man is summoned to commune directly with his Creator. He can become one with the Lord. This is not so in Islam.
The book of Genesis tells the story of how the entire family of the patriarch Noah (in Arabic, Nuh) was saved in the Ark. The Quran speaks about the death of Noah's son: "So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): ‘O my son! Embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!’ The son replied: ‘I will betake myself to some mountain: it will save me from the water.’ Noah said: ‘This day nothing can save, from the command of Allah, any but those on whom He hath mercy!’ And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood" (11:42-43). Another surah tells it somewhat differently: "(Remember) Noah, when he cried (to Us) aforetime: We listened to his (prayer) and delivered him and his family from great distress" (21:76).
There is no need to provide more examples. In the Quran, things are especially distorted when discussing New Testament events. Here the differences are purely fundamental. The Incarnation, the Crucifixion on Golgotha, and the Resurrection are all denied. Even the event of the Nativity of Christ, known to the whole world, is described very strangely. It is alleged that Maryam retreated to a faraway place and gave birth to a Son under palms (19:23). In this surah, called Maryam, She is called the "sister of Harun," i.e. Aaron. He indeed had a sister named Miriam, but she lived 15 centuries before the Nativity of Christ.
Probably due to so great a number of errors and distortions, many representatives of Islam, in order to escape from this quandary, allege that the modern Holy Scripture of Christians has been distorted (a circumstance known as tahrif). Immediately, the question arises: what evidence do they provide? There is no evidence. Characteristically, the view of Muslims toward the Bible has undergone significant change over the course of several centuries. Early Islamic writers such as al-Tabari and ar-Razi believed that the distortion comes down to tahrif bi'al ma'ni, i.e. the corruption of the meaning without changing the text. However, later authors such as Ibn Hazm and Al-Biruni introduced the idea of tahrif bi’al-lafz, i.e. the corruption of the text itself. At that, both of these positions have been preserved to the present day. Thus, the level of acceptance among Muslims of the Bible depends on one's understanding of tahrif. The very existence of these fundamentally different positions indicates that there is no concrete evidence.
It is impossible to ignore one interesting feature of the attitude that representatives of Islam have toward the Biblical text. In that they do not have their own "undistorted" biblical text, they cite our canonical text as undistorted. However, when they need to support a point, for example, negative examples from the life of Banu Isra'il (the children of Israel) with a reference to parts that do not conform to Islam, they proclaim the text to be distorted.
Muslims allege that the New Testament (Injil), which the Quran refers to positively, is not in fact the current four Gospels. We have already said that they do not provide any evidence. The falsehood of the accusation that Christians distorted the Scriptures stems from the internal inconsistencies of the very Islamic authors who wrote on this theme. According to the Quran, the New Testament was originally a true, sacred text. "And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah" (5:46). In another section: "Say: ‘O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.’ It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy" (5:68). This excerpt clearly demonstrates that the Quran itself does not speak of the distorted Scripture, but about "rebellion and blasphemy" related to misunderstanding.
There is one part of the Quran (10:94) which is very problematic for Islamic commentators: "If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt." This ayat refers the Muslim "in doubt" to the authority of the biblical Holy Scripture. Abdul-Haqq writes: “The learned doctors of Islam are sadly embarrassed by this verse, referring the prophet as it does to the people of the Book who would solve his doubts” (Abdul-Haqq, A. A. (1980). Sharing Your Faith With A Muslim. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers. As cited in Geisler, N.L. (1999). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group). According to the logic of this verse, the biblical Scripture was undistorted in the 7th century at the time of the Quran's creation. Then one must recognize that the current text is also correct, since we use manuscripts written over several centuries prior to the Quran.
Textual criticism of the New Testament has achieved outstanding breakthroughs in the 20th century. Currently, there are over 2,328 manuscripts and manuscript fragments in Greek, coming to us from the first three centuries of Christianity. The most ancient New Testament manuscript, a part of the Gospel of John 18:31-33, 37-38, is the Rylands Library Papyrus P52, dated 117-138 in the era of the reign of emperor Hadrian. Adolf Deissmann acknowledges the possibility of the emergence of this papyrus even under the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117). It is preserved in Manchester. Another ancient New Testament manuscript is the Papyrus Bodmer, P75. The 102 surviving pages contain the texts of the Gospels of Luke and John. "The editors, Victor Martin and Rodolphe Kasser, date this copy to between 175 and 225 A.D. It is thus the earliest surviving known copy of the Gospel according to Luke available today and one of the earliest of the Gospel according to John" (Bruce M. Metzger. The Text of the New Testament. p. 58). This precious manuscript is located in Geneva.
Uncial script on parchment: leather codices with uncial script, (in Latin uncia means inch) letters without sharp corners and broken lines. This script is distinguished by its great refinement and precision. Each letter is disconnected. There are 362 uncial manuscripts of the New Testament. The most ancient of these codices (Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and Alexandrinus) have already been mentioned.
Scholars complemented this impressive collection of ancient New Testament manuscripts with the New Testament text, which consisted of 36,286 excerpts of the Holy Scripture of the New Testament found in the works of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church from the first through fourth centuries. This text is lacking only 11 verses.
Scholars of textual criticism in the 20th century did a tremendous job on the collation of all—several thousands of—New Testament manuscripts and identified all textual discrepancies caused by scribal error. An evaluation and typologization was performed. Precise criteria for determining a correct variant were established. For those familiar with this rigorous scientific work, it is obvious that allegations of the distortion of the current holy text of the New Testament are unfounded. In terms of the number of ancient manuscripts and the brevity of time separating the earliest surviving text from the original, no one work of antiquity can be compared with the New Testament.
Accusations that the Bible's text is distorted are puzzling. How could it actually have been done? How could Christians and Hebrews have come together to do this? Everyone knows the degree of their mutual [doctrinal—Ed.] alienation. And yet both Christians and Jews use one and the same canonical text of the Old Testament. Furthermore, the entire New Testament was preserved in the Chester Beatty Papyri, composed in approximately 250 A.D.
It is inconceivable to accept that under the conditions that existed in Christian society, hundreds of exemplars of the New Testament text were miscopied for the purpose of distortion.
On the Monotheism of Islam
Historians and religious scholars regard the three "Abrahamic" religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as monotheistic religions. For the researcher, the doctrinal principles that representatives of each of these three religions formulate are sufficient. However, on a theological level, the insufficiency of such a formal approach becomes clear. Monotheism is a necessary but not sufficient condition for true religion. Only a religion that has Divine revelation as a source has the true and spiritually accurate doctrine concerning God. Christianity not only maintains that God is the living, absolute source, "the only true God" (John 17:3; 1 Thes. 1:9; cf. John 5:20), but also teaches thoroughly and in depth of the nature of God as without beginning, without end, and of a perfect Spirit. The chief characteristic of the Divine nature is love. "God is love" (1 John 4:16). These words of the apostle contain the principal idea of the New Testament as the good news of salvation. The ineffable goodness of God created the world. The Lord housed man in paradise. Even after the Fall, God continued to love mankind. The greatness of God's love was revealed when the incarnate God died a most agonizing death for us. Christians know from not only the Holy Scripture, but also through the power of spiritual experience, that God is all-knowing and all-wise. The apostle says: "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13).
God knows not only all that has happened, and all that is, but he has also perfect knowledge of the future. The mirror of the supreme Wisdom of God is the universe which He created, astounding man with its extraordinary complexity, beauty, and harmony. God demonstrates his ineffable Wisdom also in the dispensation of our salvation. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out" (Rom. 11:33).
True religion is not limited by the demand of worship for the Creator. Its ultimate goal is the spiritual unity of man with God. The Savior speaks about this in a prayer to his Father before his suffering on the cross: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21).
From the aforementioned characteristics of the Divine follows the concept of true, Christian monotheism. There can be only one all-powerful and all-just God.
The concept of God in Islam does not have a source of divine revelation. It developed on the basis of ancient Arabic religion. The word “Allah” was used in the polytheistic pantheon of Arabs to denote “God”: Allah (al - the definite article; ilah - god). Among the pagan Arabs, prior to their adoption of Islam, Allah was the supreme lunar deity, worshipped in north and central Arabia. The father of Muhammed, who was a pagan, was named Abdullah ("Servant of Allah").
In pre-Islamic times, the crescent moon was the symbol of the worship of the moon-god among the Arabs. This is confirmed by archeological evidence. The crescent moon was carried over as the main symbol of Islam.
Arabs of the Syrian desert called the wife of Allah as Al-lāt, and in the south of central Arabia, Al-‘Uzzá. In other areas of Arabia, they, along with Manat, were worshipped as the daughters of Allah. This genetic trail was preserved in the Quran. There is mention of this in the 53rd surah: "Have ye seen Lāt, and ‘Uzzā, and another, the third (goddess), Manāt? What! For you the male sex, and for Him, the female? Behold, such would be indeed a division most unfair!" (53:19-22).
In Islam, Allah is a created religious image by the human consciousness. He does not express the real almighty divine personhood. Consequently, monotheism in Islam is imagined. In a number of places in the Quran, he is endowed with intrinsically human characteristics and traits. Allah says:
  • "Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon cast into the fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty" (4:56);
  • "...There is no help Except from God, the Exalted, the Wise: that He might cut off a fringe of the Unbelievers or expose them to infamy, and they should then be turned back, frustrated of their purpose: (3: 126–127);
  • "The Hypocrites—they think they are over-reaching God, but He will over-reach them" (4:142);
  • "And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and God too planned, and the best of planners is God" (3:54);
  • “Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: they have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,—nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)” (7:179).
What a great difference! Christianity teaches that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), while Islam maintains that Allah created many people for Gehenna.
The idea of monotheism, (tawhid, from the verb wahhada—to reckon something as one) was formulated in the Quran in several surahs. For example, in the 16th surah, "The Bee": "For We assuredly sent amongst every people an apostle, (with the Command), "serve God, and eschew evil" (16:36). In the terminology of the sharia, anything people worship except for Allah is "taghut". Since Islam does not know of direct revelation, nor the holy Manifestation of God to the world, nor the unification of man with God on the foundation of love, its monotheism is imagined, formalistic and abstract, requiring not that man change himself or his way of life, but only worship and daily prayer.
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)
submitted by Yurii_S_Kh to SophiaWisdomOfGod [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 14:03 WinterGirl4 Council Tax

Hey again,
Me and my wife have a move in date for our home 🏠
We move in 14th June.
We will both be on a joint UC when we do, however my questions are;
What’s the best date to change it to a joint claim payment wise. (We both get paid 11th of each month currently) I know we can’t claim housing costs until we’re officially moved in!
How do I get reduction on our council tax as we both receive LCWRA/UC & Enhanced PIP on both components. I did ask our landlord but they don’t know what council tax band we’re on yet, and my mum and auntie both get high pip & they both get free council tax?
I was going to have the rent paid straight to my landlord but worried that if for example it’s due 2 weeks before we get our UC payment it won’t be paid on time? My pip can cover the rent while I wait for my UC payment just want to get everything right!
Can anyone help🥰 a breakdown also on our award would be helpful (again!)
Both on LCWRA (one can have carers element and one can have LCWRA I was told) Joint both over 25 Housing costs will be £483.28
Both will get a reduction of £598 from NS ESA on our claims as both get £276 every 2 weeks.
Hope that helps🫶🏼
submitted by WinterGirl4 to DWPhelp [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 13:46 InternationalBat1481 How can I tell if they are being genuine

a friend and i had a minor fall out, i was talking about with other people and they told. the friend decided they wanted a break and for me to no longer speak or contact. I was not sure of all that had been said or what happened. I eventually avoided them as requested. at school i would go down a different hall or try to walk in a different way and friend groups etc. Eventually this person would still come by me. for example if I went down a different hall they would follow. If they saw me coming they would hold the door and make small talk like good morning. They would join in with friend groups and almost intentionally stand by me. They would talk as if nothing happened.
So I took this as a sign that maybe that were ready to be friends again or even hang out. I got jealous and offended when they didn't respond about hanging out again and talking with me as I felt it would be helpful to discuss what happened and maybe have closure. I ended up calling them something which I know isn't true and was below the belt. They were I'm sure offended and possibly hurt by it.
Since then they seem back to hating me but also took it a step further by sharing a personal email about someone with several people-which basically lead to me getting into trouble. I feel this was set up and done intentionally as sort of a payback/get even especially since it was right after the comment I made. This person still will sometimes talk to me like ask if I need help or watch me and 'check on me' in a way to see if I am there. When I was sick they were one of the first to send a message and seemed to genuinely care but at the same time they can say and do mean things (like the letter) so I can't tell if it's all an act!
submitted by InternationalBat1481 to Advice [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 13:41 Alifer9 Letters and Abmeldung

I will spend most of the summer in my country, and my rent contract ends at the end of this month. I am also interested in a flat; thats contract will begin in October. So, it looks like great timing to not pay for approximately 4 months of rent. I planned to put my fridge and clothes (with luggage). in a rentable container or storage room. I can even bring the clothes back with me and sell the fridge.
But the question is, what happens with the "Anmeldung"? I can't do an "Ummeldung" since I won't have a flat. Then I should do an "Abmeldung", but when i do what, does my residence permit get affected? Or what about the letters i supposed to get, For example, I am waiting for a letter from the police, and I don't want to miss that.
Do you have any recommendations for my situation?
submitted by Alifer9 to germany [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 13:10 AverageTraditional19 UPDATE 3: My Father Showed Me His True Colors

Hello I'm back again after my last post a few months back.
So after all ‘at bullshit happened in the last post. My father ends up staying close to their (the extended family) location for medication purposes because he's now apparently following the proper medication for his situation (at long last fr).
But that is ofcourse not the end of it. At first there's a few problems bcs no one wanted to accept him or to give a place because of his sickness. So they opt to search for a place to rent for him but a lot of landlords of course decline it knowing my father's conditions. And they also end up calling me a bunch of names again and making me the effin scapegoat even though the one causing problems is my father not me, I haven't done shit. One of them even told me to just buy a house for both of us (IN THIS ECONOMY??).
So at the end they manage to find a place that wants to give him a place with some strict rules but that's that. And they in the end ask me to ‘'help'’ them with the cost albeit just a few bucks so I did as they told me and I told them very strictly that I can only give like 100k-200k a month ($7-$10 cuz that's a lot here).
So a month went by smoothly until like a few days back where they suddenly mentioned me again in the GC. Apparently the landlord from my father's place informs them that my father seems very weak and doesn't eat much, so they start assuming shit like maybe he has complications or something (not surprised if that happens honestly bro is living an unhealthy lifestyle). So they ask me something along the line of ‘''what should we do'’ cuz they usually like to make up some shit like ‘''We don't want to do anything rash cuz it's your father so we want your decision on the matter.'’ type of shit. But the problem is. When I DO give solutions, they just argue it back to me.
Example like if I give solution along the lines of ‘’Try accompany him to the hospital'’ they will give excuse like ‘’'we're very busy working.'’ or ‘’no one on standby can accompany him cuz we need to support him when walking and the ones on standby are all girls.'’
Or when I give other solutions like ‘’reach help to other people around'’ their excuse would be ‘’'no one would help that easily and willingly.'’. Even when I give solution like ‘''maybe try calling the hospital people to his place instead ro give him check up service.'’ cuz I know they have that kind of service their excuse would be ‘''it would require money'’. So what the hecc do they want? They ask me for solutions so I give them and that's their answer? What else can I do, tf. Well I do end up telling all of those solutions to the GC though.
But in the end my father said something in the GC himself and said that it was just some gastric problems apparently. But, he then said some unnecessary things followed after that. Along the lines of ‘''If you just wanna give suggestions better not to say anything.'’. Eventhough he doesn't say it directly to me to the gc I knew it was meant for me cuz what else? I was giving those ‘''suggestions'’ before he decided to come out and say stuff about the situation.
So because of that. Something snapped in me I guess. So I end up quitting the GC, blocking everyone involved in there except some of the nephews that are not saying shit in the GC or not involved.
So for 2 days, things are calm. But today one of those nephews dm-ing me. It was just a short ‘’Good evening.'’ and not followed by anything else. So I decided to ignore it altogether too.
In short it seems like I've become very bitter because of this. I'm having enough and I refuse to be a punching bag for the whole family because of other person problem just because that other person is my shitty father. Eventhough I was not doing any shit. If some other people that are related to them do come up and reach out to me I swear I will really own up to the role of Scapegoat and say some mean things back and guilt trip them smh… I'm having enough.
submitted by AverageTraditional19 to family [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 12:50 t0riaj Tenant lied about living alone on application and has a "guest" who has been abusive to neighbours and had police called on him

Not sure if this is best for the Housing sub or this one.
We are 'accidental landlords' and had our first ever tenant move into our house at the end of April. On her application she looked perfect, she said she lived alone, had a high income and had great references. All checks came back fine so we agreed to her renting the house.
The weekend after she moved in my old neighbours called to say she had a guest who had tried to start a fight with them and tried to force his way into their house. The police were called twice but they didn't come out (Manchester police- waste of space).
She said he was a guest.
SInce then both sets of neighbours have been in touch to say he is still there and still causing trouble. The police were nearly called again last night as they were having a massive fight (I'm concerned he's damaged the house). The neighbours both have young children who are terrified of him and he's continued to be threatening.
My question is, as he has now been there for nearly four weeks, can I assume he's not a guest but a resident? I have no idea who he is, I don't even know his name and obviously no checks were done as he wasn't part of the tenancy application.
I wouldn't have a problem with her staying if he is out of the picture but I know I can't stop her having guests. But if she lied on the application, that's a breach of contract surely?
Any advice on next steps?
submitted by t0riaj to LegalAdviceUK [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 12:48 Dinodog41 StLouisMO:After an illegal"self-help" eviction, should I pursue it in CIVIL or CRIMINAL court, & how collect on montary judgement if I win?

Hello: I am debating whether to take landlords to civil or criminal court. I don't know how to pursue a CRIMINAL case, and police tell me it's a "CIVIL courts matter".
I just did a civil court attempt, and the summons was sent by the summons dept at the civil courthouse by certified mail, but they did not respond, so the judge dismissed it and told me to get a lawyer and serve them by a sheriff or process server.
The court date was Aprl 8th, and on April 30th, the case info page stated the summons was sent back "return to sender".
Do you think that they saw it was from the court, did not open it, and that was somehow legal? The address was correct, and if the court said they were sending it certified mail, what I thought had to be a letter delivered i-person and signed for, was that legal?
If I pursue it as a CRIMINAL, regular court matter, do I need an attorney, and could the court appoint me one?
I was locked out of my apt, lost $ 1,000s, and landlord tried to attack me after I confronted them personally for the theft. They had also said for a month they'd let me back to retrieve my possessions, after first telling me they'd help me move, and stalled that for a month, then claimed that after 30 days of my things being at the apt, they magically became their property. AGAIN, I was LOCKED OUT, and spent a month expecting them to allow me to move my things. It was clearly a lied-about scheme.
I lost not just monetarily-costly things, but all my medicines, medical equipment, personal documents, family photos and heirlooms, work-related material when I did work, diplomas, , even my dead dog's ashes in an urn, etc.
They knew this, me BEGGING and PLEADING to be allowed in, and when I confronted them, they laughed and made a joke of it. I had lived there for almost a decade, not late on rent ever, and was being evicted "for mice" when they were there day-one, and being "messy".
Turned out, they were selling the bldg, and wanted me and my stuff out asap. They showed up the day before I was told i'd be evicted by email, demanding to take most of my possessions, and brought their truck w/ a trailer attatched.
They are extended family, and I was dealing with my nephew, we having what was a great relationship, so I trusted him when he asked if he could "use my keys" when I was on the way out of my apt to meet the landlord at the new apt. He told me we'd meet tomorrow to start moig my things, but that became a week, then month. It;s clear they ghosted me and then belieived 30 days meant I had sort of abandoed my stuff, when they locked me out and told me falsely that was the law.
What could I do? They refused to talk to me, and still do. The apt was cleaned out, so my things are gone, sold, in the trash, or furninshing their home.
My bro and I moved in 2014, and they ironically evicted him for stealing and doing drugs in 2016, and I was there until Nov of 2023.
I was only dealing with him, when his parents- the landlords- came to the apt three days after the stated eviction, and threatened me with retaliation and began banging and kicking on the door. I made a police report and sought help through the disability-related govt services.
IF I do a CIVIL case, and I win, as I'm pretty sure I would, I've read that it's my responsibility to follow up and make sure they pay the judgement. Is that true? I can easily see them not paying. I cannot afford an attorney, am disabled and on SS.
The REASON they were so ugly, doing what a regular, business-minded, non-family-related landlord would sink down to, was it was not just harmful but PERSONAL.
I have depression as well, and losing everything, including my relationship with my nephew, nearly put me over the edge. It took me nearly a month to even FIND an apt. I've sought therapy on-line to deal with it. I was in contact with a homeless shelter too, thinking i'd be homeless when no typical landlord would give a poor, broke, just-evicted, disabled person the time-of-day.
Any advice would be appreciated.
submitted by Dinodog41 to legaladvice [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 12:40 Weekly_Blackberry224 We Should Do Something ASAP

Hi everyone. I think we should not sit silently and wait for something good to happen. We should start creating awareness about the Fact that Islam is Incompatible with the modern day Values like Liberty , Democracy , Live and Let Live , Tolerance etc.
Right now the Situation of Islam is in a weakened state but it has a very high potential to grow stronger in the future. Most European Countries have a very negative opinion about Muslims . They are voting for The Right Wing parties in their Respective countries In hopes to curb immigration. But the problem is not with Muslims but with the Quran itself and it's blind supporters.
Many people are unaware of the fact that Islam is not a Religion that is completely intolerant with others and when given power , tries to destroy the same things that it used to grow in power. It looks like a peaceful religion (Victim card playing) when in minority , but when given power , it shows it's true colors . For example , look at countries like Bangladesh , Afghanistan ,Iran , Pakistan . Even without power it is wreaking havoc in countries like England and Germany .
People are blaming things on Poverty , Arab Culture , Radicals , etc. when the problem is with Islam (Quran) itself. WE need to make people Aware of this.
Many Muslims are Moderates who don't follow Quran to the letter But will support the ideology behind it. Many Moderates are still Homophobic, Misogynistic , Hating people who follow other religions , think that eating pork is bad , apostasy is looked down upon etc.
They mostly live in countries like India , US , Canada , Russia , where there is more religious freedom and they Haven't seen the true colors of Islam (Killing apostates , blasphemers , Gays . Restricting women's freedom).
Our Goal is Simple :
  1. Remove the support that Leftists give to Islam . (Through Awareness of the violence justified by the Quran)
  2. People don't name everything we do as Islamophobic . (Again , Promoting Awareness)
  3. Muslims can't use Victim card anymore. (Again , Through shedding light on it's violent teachings)
The Reason Islam is Still supported by it's followers is because of the Brainwashing done by the teachings of the Quran itself. Also the reason Others are Unaware of the dangers of Islam is because of the Sympathy it gets from others. Even most Muslims are Unaware of the violent teachings and believe the Sugarcoated versions of it .
I think If we don't Start taking action . we have a lot to lose . Many Muslims right now are teenagers who after a few years will be in power and if they are brainwashed by their religion , they will cause the reason for the Domination of Islam .
All we have to DO is to to bring Awareness about the truth Through Data , researches , real life examples. for Instance , we can start awareness in other subreddits like Indian , European subreddits where people have a high chance of understanding. IF continued like this , we can save the West From Islam . (Middle east is beyond saving in my opinion). Thank you for Reading .
submitted by Weekly_Blackberry224 to exmuslim [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 12:34 hotbananastud69 Old new but.. re Russian medical schools being crappy

Russian MD
This post was from 2009. I wonder if this is still true today? Can recent grads confirm?
The piece itself reeks of incel bitterness with no qualms about using Sabah/Sarawak as examples to prove a point.
submitted by hotbananastud69 to malaysia [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 12:18 rollotar300 (popular/unpopular opinion?) I think James' maturity is what makes the most sense (although I also think it wouldn't have hurt JK to include a couple of scenes of adult James and Lily to settle the matter)

Because JK Rowling did the tell and don't show thing when it comes to James Potter's maturity, there was a split in the fandom between whether to believe he truly changed or not, but I think based on the circumstances in which that James's life changed, I choose to believe that he changed with it.
First of all, there is a biological issue and that is that the human brain does not fully develop until well into the age of 20s, so from the outset I have reason to assume that simply due to physical development, a 15 year old James would not be the same as the James who died at 21 in the same way as a 10 year old is not similar to his 15 year old version
But what really leads me to be positioned in the belief that he mature were all the changes that occurred in his life in that period of 6 years, if we compare the 15 year old James and a 20 year old, 1 year before his death, the truth is that they are quite different people.
The 15 year old James, seems above all like a normal teenager in the sense that it seems that his only concerns at that moment are mundane: getting good grades on exams, playing quidditch, having fun with his friends as well as being pampered by his parents.
In short, a fairly comfortable life that a priori does not seem to require many responsibilities beyond those conventional for someone of his age.
But 20 year old James' life has taken quite a few turns, some of which are good and others quite unpleasant.
Legally, he is an adult and has been orphaned, which means that he no longer has parental support and is fully responsible for himself. Now he must decide how to manage money, for example, and assume the consequences of these decisions because his parents are no longer here to take care of him or help him (in addition to the emotional consequences that being an orphan can cause to a person), related to the above, he now has a wife and a son which adds even more responsibilities.
Also, another thing that differentiates him from the 15 year old James is that he is no longer a student safe within the walls of Hogwarts and now he has to face the real world and the crises that the magical world is going through, the most immediate obviously being Voldemort's war, in which he takes sides and was presumably forced to witness or learn of the deaths of many people he came to know, maybe even to be friends, as Moody tells Harry when he shows him a photo of the original order of the phoenix there were many casualties during the first wizarding war and this is going to be reinforced by Sirius when he talks about the first war magical in GoF and by Lily with the letter she sends to Sirius, so all of them including James have had to see the death of a lot of partners and even friends after leaving Hogwarts, something that James15 obviously didn't have to go through.
Once I compared these 2 stages of James' life, I think there had to be a change in him due to all the important things that happened in his life.
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2024.05.19 12:04 TinTortoise Looking for a specific chapter

Hey all. Hoping you can help. Please no book spoilers as I haven't finished the series yet. At the same time, this post has tagged spoilers for some of the early books.
I'm trying to find a specific chapter, except I have absolutely no idea which book it would even be in, as I've been reading this series for such a long time now that it all just blurs together. So I'm hoping someone who has read the whole thing and can easily google without getting spoiled for anything to find the reference I'm looking for. I'm terrified of googling the name of a character and getting a wiki page with 'Status: deceased' in big bold letters right at the top.
I'm looking for a scene that I'm preeeeeeeetty sure happens in an early Bobbie chapter, where she encounters/fights the proto-molecule monster for the first time. I basically want to look at the way the writers describe the monster, to help me depict a monster in something I'm writing. In that vein, if anyone knows any other early book examples of characters encountering proto-molecule monsters, that would also be great. The main one I want is Bobbie's encounter, but I'd love other examples as well.
submitted by TinTortoise to TheExpanse [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:59 a_HerculePoirot_fan Malaysian illustrator Tuan Nini, based in Romania, shares her art journey

Malaysian illustrator Tuan Nini, based in Romania, shares her art journey
As an illustrator, Tuan Ninifarhana Tuan Kob (who prefers to go by Tuan Nini, or just Nini) believes that it’s her job to “fill in the blanks” and enrich the story that’s being told.
In Dear Brother, a middle-grade graphic novel written by New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee and illustrated by Nini, she got the chance to do that and more, exercising her visual storytelling muscles.
Described as “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid gets a little sister twist”, Dear Brother tells a tale as old as time – the rivalry (and love) between a brother and sister – through letters shared between the two.
The graphic novel has been a hit since its publication in August 2023. It has been selected for the Gold Selection award by the Junior Library Guild in the United States and was featured in an exhibition of the best children’s books in 2022-2023 at the Society of Illustrators in New York.
“I would say that this was the first project I had of this scale – I enjoyed being able to weave a story within the story and reveal what was not necessarily told in the text through my illustrations,” says Nini, adding that there had also been instances when she suggested to include additional text to help readers better understand what was happening in the story.
"It’s quite rare for a book illustrator to be able to come in and suggest making some changes to the text, so I’m glad that the team I worked with was open to that,” she adds.
Nini, who was back in Malaysia recently for the Raya holidays, says that the book’s art director had reached out to her after viewing her Instagram and website, which features her professional portfolio of commercial illustrations and animations, as well as what she calls “journal comics”, which are illustrated snapshots of her personal life as a Malaysian living in Romania, from slice-of-life vignettes to her innermost thoughts and insecurities.
“When I asked the art director why she had reached out to me, she told me that they had been looking for an illustrator with strong visual storytelling skills and that my style – which I’d describe as ‘warm and cosy’ – was the right fit,” she shares.
Freedom to choose
Nini, 37, currently resides in Bucharest, Romania, where she has lived for the past 18 years since she moved there to pursue a fine arts degree at the Bucharest National University of Arts.
"People often ask me what informed my decision to study there, but honestly, nothing informed my decision – I was just a young and restless 19-year old,” says Nini, when she tells the story of how she ended up in Romania.
“I had a friend who was studying in Bucharest while living with his family, as one of his parents had been posted to the Malaysian embassy there.
“He told me there was a 200-year old arts school in the city and said I should come study there. I figured that it must be a good school to have existed this long, so why not, and off I went, with not much knowledge of Europe.”
Since graduating, Nini has worked as a freelance illustrator, where she revels in the freedom to pick and choose what she works on.
“I did work at an ad agency for a short time before I graduated, but it’s too short to count,” she waves off with a laugh.
“If you work for an agency, you often won’t get the chance to say yes or no to a project, so I do think it’s a privilege for me as a freelancer. Not that I’m saying one is better than the other, but it’s important to me to have that ability to choose my clients or projects. The downside to that, of course, is that sometimes I’m left wondering whether I’ll get any jobs in the next month,” she explains.
Despite the unpredictability of freelancing, Nini says she loves being able to explore doing different things. “I don’t like doing the same work over and over again, so being a freelancer allows me to try my hand at different kinds of projects.”
In a recent commissioned work, Nini was tasked with condensing an anthropological research paper about the New York City practice of giving tap water for free.
“I’m starting to see more projects where researchers try make their work more accessible to the public by communicating through visuals. I hope to get more impactful projects like this – it’s fulfilling work for me, because I like the challenge of taking an idea, a message and translating it into a visual form that is clear for readers,” she says.
From nasi lemak to ciorba
Born and raised in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Nini confesses that she had left Malaysia “as a rather sheltered child”.
“When I first arrived there, I had no idea what to expect. Western European countries tend to get more immigrants compared to Eastern European countries like Romania, so you might think there’s some resistance against foreigners, but most locals tend to be curious and interested in learning more about Malaysia when I tell them where I’m from,” shares Nini, the youngest of three siblings.
"Compared to Malaysians, Romanians tend to have their guard up a little when meeting new people, but once you get close to them, they can be very friendly!”
Learning Romanian has definitely helped Nini in adapting to living in a country and culture that’s vastly different from her own – especially when it comes to working with local clients or making new friends.
“Nowadays when I speak with locals, they’ll say that I speak Romanian quite well, and I’m glad I learned it. Romanians have this sense of humour that you miss out on if you don’t know the language.
“Luckily, Romanian is written as it’s pronounced, so it’s relatively easy to learn,” she says.
When it comes to food, Nini admits that nothing beats Malaysian food, but adds that Romanian dishes like ciorba – a sour soup consisting of a variety of vegetables and meat, such as chicken, beef or fish – aren’t too bad.
Learning to take up space
As an introvert, it’s not the easiest thing for Nini to put herself out there. So in 2021, she joined a workshop in Bucharest aimed at encouraging more women to pursue careers in illustration and animation.
The workshop was organised to help counter the gender imbalance in the animation industry after a study revealed that while the ratio of female and male students studying animation in university was balanced, it quickly changed after graduation, where 90% of those who went on to pursue a career were male.
“Taking part in the workshop changed my frame of mind from being aware of taking up space and thinking that I’m bothering people to owning my space and showing what I can do.
“It has taken me a while to put it into practice, but on this trip back to Malaysia, I was able to take the initiative to reach out to people and offer to talk about the comic and my working experience,” she shares.
And indeed, these past few weeks have been a flurry of activity – Nini has done sharing sessions with students at the Malaysian Institute of Art and The One Academy, as well as book signings at local bookstores and stationery shops such as Lit Books and CzipLee.
Besides sharing the more nitty-gritty, technical aspects of her work, Nini also imparts some advice to those who hope to build a career in illustration and animation – “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
"Lecturers have told me that this generation of students seem to be more afraid of failure compared to their predecessors – they need confirmation from the lecturer that they are going in the right direction before they even pick up a pencil and draw a sketch.
“I wonder if this new reluctance to try things for themselves is a result of seeing process videos on social media where it’s just a smooth process from start to finish. But a big part of the process when generating ideas is testing them, and making ‘mistakes’ is a crucial part of developing one’s judgement and taste as an artist,” says Nini.
So rather than doubting your abilities, she encourages budding illustrators to simply “enjoy the process”.
“Art making isn’t sustainable if you only train yourself to enjoy the end result. At some point it will become unbearable and lead to burnout, because the time you spend on the process will always be much longer than the afterglow of the ‘success’. So make mistakes, enjoy the process and be sure to make some time for personal projects, too,” she concludes.
submitted by a_HerculePoirot_fan to malaysia [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:53 Seeker1904 New District Idea: The Old Quarter

The Old Quarter

Bit of a long post but I thought this could be a cool idea and I wanted to share it:
Description:
"Even before the current troubles, the Old Quarter was a favoured haunt of vagabonds, vagrants and those with ill-intent. Nestled beneath the towering estates of Cathedral Row, the streets of the Old Quarter are a twisting and cramped warren. Constructed in the early days of the city, the Old Quarter was built haphazardly to accommodate the city's rapidly expanding population.
In recent times, the Old Quarter has become downright sinister. A permanent, sleazy fog hangs over the area and residents report a strange figure peering through their window at odd hours. The Constables abandoned the district soon after the current crisis began. The Huntsmen now patrol the main street and control a few key landmarks, including the power-station and the old jailhouse. But even they are loathe to venture into the dank passages where the light never reaches.
Tread carefully here Dr. and take care if you happen to hear tapping at the window..."
Explanation:
This is an idea I have had for a while about how parts of the demo area could be reincorporated into the main-game. I think that the main-game is far superior to everything in the demo but the cramped and winding streets of the demo area are still fun to explore and the feeling of being boxed-in really helps contribute towards a feeling of claustrophobia which isn't quite present in the open-spaces of the Market District.
Instead of collecting seals to open the manor in the town square, the Dr. would need to find several puzzle items to progress. These items would open the portcullis gate on the other side of the guard post in the demo. The Sylvian estate (manor from the demo) would serve as an optional area with heightened security which could be broken into. Other side-streets, alleys and passages which were only partly accessible in the demo would also be opened-up as would several derelict buildings. This would include opening up the play-space above the flooded basement where the monocle can be found in the demo.
The Old Quarter would serve as a prelude of sorts to the Cathedral row district. After sneaking through a factory/ warehouse complex, the Dr. would enter the lift to the Old Quarter and the section would begin in much the same way that the demo opens.
Note found before entering the Old Quarter:
“Sir,
As requested, we have sealed off the main routes into the Old Quarter and have set an automated sentry to guard the entrance to Cathedral Row. I have ordered our remaining forces to fallback accordingly. Let the Huntsmen deal with those creatures.
Constable Burlington.

Upon reaching the main save station-house from the demo, the windows would be heavily barricaded and the Dr. would instead be prompted to enter through a door which hangs open. In the main room of the safe-house the gramophone plays its soothing tune. Unlike in the demo, the house is devoid of huntsmen and, much like the lighthouse, a recorded message would play from the gramophone the first time it is used to make a save.
“Welcome to the Old Quarter Doctor. Our mutual friend informed me that you might pass this way but I regret that I \cough* will be unable to greet you in person. Help yourself to any supplies you find here. You will need them for what lies ahead. Before they left, the Constables destroyed every exit and left the Huntsmen to loot the ruins. The only way out is through the gate at the end of Stonehaven Road. But the lock is a fiendish thing and not easily cracked. I had a few ideas of how to get past it before *cough*… well it hardly matters now. I have barricaded this area as best I can but don’t forget: Lock The Doors and pray you never hear tapping at the window. Fare well Doctor. I hope your luck is better than mine.*
-William the Tinker”
Exploring the house, the Dr. finds the corpse of the owner beside which sits a key. The key is used to unlock and open the two doors of the safehouse. Beside each of the doors is a button which can be used to automatically seal the doors from the inside (think the safe room in Amnesia: The Bunker).
Also scattered throughout the house are a few food items, notes and a revolver with a number of spent casings. On the upstairs landing, in the room where there is a lootable cabinet in the demo, the unbreakable door is instead locked. The reason for this can be found in William’s diary which sits on his writing desk.
“I can no longer bear to look into that mirror she gave me. Sometimes I fear that it is not only my own reflection peering back. I have locked the accursed thing away and have cast the key into the sewers with the hope that there it will remain.”
To discover more about the Tinkers Lock, which is the primary obstacle of the district, the Dr. can read other pages in the diary and notes scattered throughout the house. On William’s writing desk there also sits a map which marks key places of interest in the district.
“I sit imprisoned by a mechanism of my own making. The lock is a fiendish thing. The three-digit combination is rewritten every sixty seconds, the only way to decode the sequence is by using a Graphite Cylinder. I had a spare but the Huntsmen confiscated it and are holding it in the Old Jailhouse as evidence. I believe that brute Fitzroy means to bring me to trial, though for what crime I cannot imagine. More difficult to obtain is the key needed to access the mechanism. Father Ulfred kept a copy … but none who venture near his church return.
There may be another way to open the gate but it is so dangerous as to constitute madness. The lock draws power from the two electrical substations on either side of the district. Disabling both generators is the first step. Then, theoretically, it should be possible to disconnect the lock by severing its link to the back-up supply. To do so, one would need to brave the labyrinth of maintenance tunnels beneath the streets. All while the entire district is plunged into darkness. It is suicidal folly, but without Father Ulfred’s Key I see few other options.”
The safe house from the demo serves as a base of operations through which further expeditions can be made into the district. The basic layout of the demo remains in that the player has the freedom to tackle the objectives in any order. However the area of the district is now expanded. Example, in the dock area, there is now an apartment before crossing the bridge where the Dr. can survey the area and learn patrols from a distance. Additionally, foggy streets leading on from the Dock will take the Dr. into the Western part of the district where the Western Substation sits alongside the abandoned butchery. Similarly, beyond the power station from the demo (the Eastern Substation) are more foggy streets which lead to Father Ulfred’s Chapel and the Clearview Lodging-House.
As in the demo, the Huntsmen control the main streets, the dock, the jailhouse, the Eastern Substation and have an outpost in the maintenance tunnels/ sewers as well as at the Western Substation. But a new foe prowls the dark and misty streets where the Huntsmen fear to tread.
The Peeping-Tom.
Appearing as an abnormally tall and slender gentleman in a top hat, these strange creatures stalk the Old Quarter. The Peeping-Tom (and the Old Quarter in general) take heavy inspiration from late-Victorian Whitechapel and the Jack-The-Ripper murders. The Peeping-Tom carries a large butcher’s knife in its left hand and prowls with murderous intent. Its face is ghost white and its tattered clothes barely cover an emaciated and skeletal form.
What sets the Peeping-Tom apart from other bestial enemies is that they display a form of crude intelligence and take care to harass and terrify their prey before striking. Additionally, the Peeping-Tom is sensitive to light and will become staggered from entering a well-lit area. This includes the light generated by the Doctor’s lantern.
In combat the Peeping-Tom is very damage resistant to bullets and slashes. However, removing the top hat of the Peeping-Tom (either by shooting or slashing it) reveals a spider-like insect nestled in the skull of the creature which can be shot/stabbed to instantly kill the Peeping-Tom. Flash-grenades are particularly effective against this enemy and a single flash grenade will vaporise the puppeteering-spider and thus kill the Peeping-Tom if its hat is removed.
In general, the Peeping-Tom moves in a slow and deliberate manner akin to the Divider necromorph in Dead Space. However, if the Peeping-Tom’ss hat is removed, its movements become erratic, and its attacks are faster and inaccurate.
After being staggered by a light-source, the Peeping-Tom will flee to a darkened area before trying to stalk the Dr. once more.
Another aspect of the Peeping-Tom is that they will attempt to unnerve the Dr. by leaning around corners and tapping on the windows of buildings the Dr. has entered using their long bony fingers. While they can exhibit this behaviour if the power-stations are still active, if the power is deactivated, the Peeping-Toms expand their patrols significantly and will harass the Dr. while he is in the safehouse. The Peeping-Toms can even enter the safehouse if the doors are left open&unlocked.
A crafty Doctor could even strategically deactivate the power to enable the Peeping-Toms to thin out the hunters and make certain areas more accessible.
Other areas and notes
In traditional Imsim fashion, notes scattered throughout the district (as well as conversations between huntsmen) would also fill in the lore and backstory of events which occurred prior to the Doctor’s arrival.
For example, the armoury in the central guard house would be locked and a note attached to the door would read as follows:
“You lot are welcome to continue wasting ammunition shooting the locals but you shall no longer be using my bullets to do so. The armoury is locked until further notice. Perhaps the scarcity will encourage you to find a way out of this mess.
-Captain Fitzroy”
The sewers and passages beneath the district would also be expanded. If the substations are deactivated then the passages will be almost completely dark, thus necessitating the usage of the lantern for purposes of navigation. Like the demo, the tunnels would be populated by the Crowmen. The dark tunnels would give them ample opportunity to stalk the Doctor and lie in ambush.
In the demo, there is also a sign in the sewers which refers to the Underport. This passage would serve as a way to link the Old Quarter and Underport together. The Dr. would be able to find a key in the sewers to the room in the main safe-house which houses one of the Countess’s mirrors for later fast-traveling back to the district.
No matter which method is chosen for tackling the Tinker’s Lock, the Dr. will have to venture either into the Maintenance-Sewers or the Old Chapel. The Chapel serves as a lair of sorts for the Peeping Tom’s and several would patrol the grounds and the adjourning graveyard. Father Ulfred’s Key would sit in a crypt area beneath the Chapel. The Dr. would need to drop into the Crypt and stealth/ fight past an aggressively patrolling Peeping-Tom to open the gate to obtain the key and escape the crypt.
There would also be expanded opportunities for tackling the Jailhouse. One of the cells could house a crazed huntsmen who, upon release, attacks everything in his path (including other huntsmen) thus causing a distraction and allowing the Dr. to steal the Graphite Cylinder from the evidence locker.
No matter how they chose to do it, overcoming the Tinker’s Lock would allow the Dr. to push on from the Old Quarter and access the towering estates of Cathedral Row.
Conclusion
With the game taking heavy inspiration from Victorian London, I do think that it is only a matter of time until we get a Jack-The-Ripper inspired segment and I think that incorporating some of the spaces from the demo could be an interesting way to do this. Additionally, so much work must have gone into designing all of the spaces and passages in the demo that I think it would be a bit of a shame not to see any of that architecture in the main game.

submitted by Seeker1904 to Gloomwood [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:42 AFrostNova Can a language's writing system affect its native speakers memory?

I was recently having a debate with a friend. He is a native speaker of mandarin & cantonese, and while I am a native english speaker. The essence of our discussion was whether or not character based languages innately improve a speakers memory vs alphabet based languages?
Their argument (for) was that this was the same topics such as the argument with Japanese blue v Green & perception. Language you learn affects the way your brain operates, so it is by itself a possible claim. Expanding on this, the number of characters you need to know for fluently engaging in society is significantly larger than the number of letters you need to know. He argued that if you forget a word you can sound it out & guess the meaning from its root and prefixes/affixed. He additionally brought up memorizing stroke order (but my counter there, that stroke order is fairly consistent across characters & intuitiveh
I argued against, as we don't read words one letter at a time anyway. It is remembering whole words, and to that end his own argument (remembering root words, prefixes, etc.) not only makes it comparable to mandarin, but in my opinion the Chinese radical system actually makes it easier to guess the meaning of a new character (at least in traditional) compared to english. Additionally I think the comparison to the "blue/green" studies is unfair - this feels to be a better example of nature v nurture. Does something about being a character based language speaker improve your memory, or does the fact that their (in china) education system emphasis memorization (poetry recitation, etc) lead to it.
That is a huge oversimplification of our discussion it was multiple hours. But the gist is, is there something about chinese & other character based languages that make their speakers better at remembering things?
submitted by AFrostNova to NoStupidQuestions [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:32 RentLife2020 How to Avoid Rental Scams

How to Avoid Rental Scams

How to Avoid Rental Scams

How to Avoid Rental Scams: A Comprehensive Guide for Renters

Getting around the market can pose challenges with the rise in rental scams. It's vital to safeguard yourself against these tactics. This manual offers advice to help you spot and evade scams ensuring a secure and worry free renting journey.

Avoid Wiring Money or Using Cash/Gift Cards

A rule in renting is to steer clear of wiring money or paying with cash or gift cards before inspecting the rental property. Legitimate landlords won't request payment until you've toured the place and signed a lease agreement. Always opt for traceable payment methods.

Confirm the Landlords Identity and Property Ownership

Before finalizing a deal authenticate that the landlord is genuine and indeed owns the property by following these steps;
Look Up Address Online; Check if the property address matches the listing and watch out for any warning signs. Review Public Records; Verify property ownership through records typically accessible online, via government sites. Request Documentation; Ask for documents proving the landlords ownership of the property.
If you suspect that you've come across a scam make sure to report it to the authorities;
Federal Trade Commission (FTC); Lodge a complaint online. Local Law Enforcement; Reach out to your police department. Inform them about the fraud. Rental Platforms; Notify the website where the listing was posted to safeguard other potential renters.
By adhering to these suggestions you can greatly minimize the chances of falling prey to rental scams. Always verify ownership demand a lease agreement inspect properties before making any payments and be cautious of prices and unverified intermediaries. Being alert and knowledgeable is key, in protecting yourself from fraud. For tips and resources check out Rent-Life.ca!

Links;

rentlife #rentlifeapp #forrent #rentals #scams

https://preview.redd.it/oznm3n1mrc1d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39cfae82c647981de881e77464bfe14451460486
submitted by RentLife2020 to u/RentLife2020 [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:18 PowerMinute1922 The Man who screams at Daybreak

My last flat was unbearable.
I mean, you try having a family of 11 live above you, when half of them are under the age of 8. Also try having a pair of raging alcoholic neighbours on either side of you. A pair who were once married to each other. My eyes rivalled that of pigeons’ due to no sleep.
I lasted a total of 21 days. I know, new record huh? I just about shoved the keys back in the grubby hands of my landlord when I finally saw the lunacy inscribed on his face. No wonder the rent was dirt cheap.
So I was back on the road, not on the streets though. Luckily enough I started questioning the flat by day 8, looked around for another place by day 15, and made a decision to get the hell out on day 18. 3 days of packing and it was bye-bye.
My new place seemed all the better too: yes, the rent was more expensive, and yes, it only has 2 bedrooms. But at least it was a house, one where pesky neighbours were at least 5 metres away. On my right, at least. On my left? Their house - thankfully - couldn’t even be seen where I stood.
Parking my car, I skipped up towards my new house with my fresh set of keys. And on entering? Silence. Perfect still silence. Thank the Lord. I basked in it for a while before returning to my car, unloading some of my baggage. It took 3-4 hauls, but I managed to fit it into one of the bedrooms. Thankfully, the rest of my things were to be brought by moving vans in about an hour.
I envisioned what the house could look like with a few finishing touches.
“But first…”
I eyed the 2 rooms. “Mine!”
The room I had chosen to be mine gave a bright view of my own smaller garden, as well as a portion of my right neighbour’s house, but that didn’t matter much. The view in the other room would suck: just my car and some reeds.
I was just about done heaving some of my baggage into my newly-chosen room when the doorbell gave an obnoxious ring. I stood, fighting the urge to just run away into one of my rooms when it beeped again.
Reaching the door, I eyed out of the peephole to see nothing but an opaque whiteness. I guess the downside in this house is that the last tenant was a slob. I eyed some of the yellowing walls. Sighing, I opened the door.
“Hello! We’re your neighbours, Jack and Sally, and we live just there,” She motioned towards my right, “We came to introduce ourselves, and to let you know that if you ever need anything, we’re right here.”
She then shoved a basket full of biscuits at my chest, a motherly-smile stretched around her lips. She turned to leave, husband - clearly forced to follow her - in tow, when she turned around.
“Your name, dear?”
“Leen!” I shouted after her.
“Perfect.”
And perfect it was, I thought. Neighbours that respect their distance from you, and give you food? I eyed the delicious snacks in front of me. Definitely an upgrade.
Though it was at dawn the very next day that I woke up, shook.
~
See, I was just sleeping in my newly delivered bed when I heard it. Something that sounded like a bird, a huge caw, before it alternated into different pitches. Disoriented, I tried to wipe the sleep from my eyes in order to focus better. But it just made me more confused.
It sounded like a chicken.
As far as I know, this new place was not the countryside, nor farmland. So what? And why?
I stepped up to my window to take a good look outside. I wouldn’t keep a rooster in my home that’s for sure. Whatever it was, it was coming from…
My jaw dropped.
I closed my eyes and scrubbed at them harshly.
Please tell me why I opened my eyes and saw the exact same thing.
A man, on his haunches, face pointed towards the sky, was making rooster noises.
And he was on my neighbours’ garden. The ones I met earlier.
He looked absolutely demented. I wasn’t even scared then, just flabbergasted. I wasted no time calling the police at this disturbing nuisance.
When they arrived though, I saw my neighbours’ shoot straight from their house, speaking or…was it pleading? With the officers. What on Earth..?
Anyway, it was their problem now, so I went back to bed. I had a whole bunch of chores the next day, and had to get it all sorted before I returned to work.
Shutting my eyes, I wished for peace. And quiet, thank you very much.
~
At last, I woke up at 10 AM. By 1 PM, I had sorted my clothing into its respective drawers, and had decorated my bedroom walls, including a new golden addition. And now? I had food cooking on the stove. It felt satisfying, having cleaned up and now awaiting the prize of food.
I scrolled on my phone as I waited for the pasta to cook, before another ding turned my attention towards the door.
“Huh, what now?”
Unfortunately I hadn’t cleaned the peephole yet, so I had to open the door. There stood Jack and Sally. Or Sally and Jack. Jack looked lost. Sally stared deep into my eyes.
“Was it you?”
“Me? What do you mean?”
“That called the police last night?”
I recalled the past night, and gave her a thumbs up, hoping my smile was reassuring. “Yep, don’t worry, that lunatic will not be coming back ever again. He can go to the zoo if he wants to squawk.”
I should’ve taken the cue from Jack’s paling face, but Sally grabbed hold of me. “Listen here, okay? That man, the one you called the police on...” She trembled, “He’s my son! You can’t do that! He was not even on your property!”
My eyes widened. “He’s…your son?”
“Of course! How can you not see that?”
Nodding at her, I relinquished myself from the hold she had on my arms. “Okay then, sorry for the call. But I do have to mention something,” Jack started to shake his head behind his wife, but I ignored the little-to-say man, “Is there any way you can keep the noise down to a minimum? Honestly, your son has vocal cords of steel! It would wake the entire neighbourhood at this rate.”
Sally stared pointedly at me, then took a look around my house. “Very well.”
She grabbed her husband’s arm as she turned to leave, and I caught the slightest look of fear in his eyes before he was abruptly pulled away.
I dismissed it - and the sinking feeling - on discovering my very soft, overcooked pasta when I came back into my home though.
I managed to also do one thing before wrapping up: I cleaned out my door's peephole. Now I wouldn't have to open the door to know it's them. I'd just speak at them from the inside if they were to come back.
~
I woke, jolting out of my bed the very next morning, or night. I checked my bedside clock to see it was 3:50 AM. The cock-a-doodle-doo was breaking into my head. I grasped my hair in frustration, knowing that I didn’t have the madman’s parents phone numbers’ to call, or maybe scream at them. It was the exact same thing as the day before! Except…maybe…
I strained my ear.
It sounded a lot closer.
My hands, for some reason, became clammy instantly, and the urgent thumping of my own heart - the fragility of my own life - became all the more prominent.
I tiptoed to my window and peeked outside. Nothing.
I then slowly treaded to my spare bedroom, and pulled the curtains apart. Zilch. Nada. Though…
Almost as if under a spell, my head turned towards my main door. I…I could somehow feel it. Just to confirm though, I peeked out of the door-hole.
And with a slam, I collapsed in my new, dream home.
~
When I came to, I was lying on white sheets, and a bright white light hung over me.
A hospital.
I was in my own room, which I found odd. It was not like I needed it. But then a doctor walked in, followed by 3 other people, and it all made sense. Everything - blurs and sureness - melted into a perfect picture.
Sally, Jack, and their son.
He couldn’t be more than 17 really. Though he looked 37 a few hours ago. Face pressed against the glass of my peephole, mouth wide open towards it, eyes pointing in different directions as his face reddened and contorted.
I was deaf in one moment. Then came the COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO.
Of course I fainted. Who could blame me?
“Good afternoon, I’m Dr Lam. You’re in A&E right now. Are you able to tell me your full name and date of birth?
My voice answered the Doctor’s questions, but my eyes stared dazed at the youngster’s abdomen, not daring to reach his its eyes.
“Well, nothing seems to be wrong with you. You may have just been dehydrated. Did you have any headache or pain before you fainted?”
I replied in the negative.
“Luckily, your friends’ son had found you passed out, and ensured your speedy arrival to hospital, so I wouldn’t be worried about any damage.”
My eyes finally strayed, looking towards the ground. I held the nauseousness of bile down my throat. Following a brief check-up, I was allowed to leave.
And 2 people and a demon followed me out.
“Well, Leen, that should give you a lesson,”
Sally.
I turned towards the family, who stood in a 3 person arc. Only 1 managed to look away, equal parts shame and guilt. I don’t need to mention who that was.
“Don’t worry. You can look at me, I don’t bite: not now and not at dawn,” a strained voice whispered at me. “I promise, it’s only at dawn when I…when I…”
“Hush Dean, don’t work your voice that much. You’ll need to save it for later.”
I was still dizzy. That didn’t stop me from running half-hobbled to the taxi stand, where I begged and claimed to many that I would provide double payment if they were to take me to my house.
It took a while, but I managed to pack some of my clothes. There was no way in hell I was sleeping at that damned house again, not now, not ever. I called and booked at a nearby hotel in the meantime.
I was done packing necessities by the evening. Walking out of my house, I saw no sign of those three. I would have been relieved, had I not come face to face with than one thing: standing in my garden, leaning against my car. My breathing picked up instantly.
Dean
It stood with its back resting against my car. And It noticed me immediately. Seems like it was just waiting for me to notice it.
“Are you leaving?” It sounded almost sad, but I needed it to move away, or my only way out of there would be in jeopardy.
“For the night.” My answer? Almost smooth, but even I could hear the first shake in my voice.
It nodded though. “Okay.” And he moved from my car. I counted the distance. 1 metre. 2. 2.5-
It made a sudden dash at me as I - in flight response - ran frantically to the driver’s seat, locking the door. I came in half-squashed, my backpack still on my back. But I didn’t care.
Its face was pressed against the window.
“Mum is waiting for a person that will like me for me, not run away. You’re supposed to like me.” It said, matter-of-factly. It then wailed, and sunk beneath the car window.
I did not dare to sit up and see what it was doing.
I didn’t even need to though. The sound came a split-second later.
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO
Tears spilled from my eyes. My limbs felt weak. I couldn’t even breathe. It suddenly sprang up to the window. Eyes enlarged: looking at me and everywhere at once.
“I can actually tur-COCK- in the day too, but M-DOODLE- said it would be too much for you,” wheezing, it exclaimed again before adding, “but this is ME. Do you-do you, do you like me?”
With dead limbs I weighed my foot on the pedal, and jump-started the car to speed off. My head shook left-and-right in response, stomach heaving with nausea.
Human preservation kicked me into taking proper control of the car when I saw, out of the rear view mirror, Sally. This time with a rope, which locked around the creature’s neck before she tugged, drawing it into her house. At one point we locked eyes. And what do I mean by we?
Answer: the 2 of them and me.
It was honestly a miracle that I did not get into a road traffic accident.
I spent 3 days living in the hotel after that, my job long-forgotten in the aftermath.
By day 4 I broke down and called my older sister, asking to stay at her place for a while. Her house and area seemed fine the times I’d stopped over. I guess I clearly did not seem right though, as she many-a-time asked me what was wrong. My answer? Stress. She persisted, years of living together as kids helping her figure out my lies, though she ultimately gave up after a week. She knew it was something I didn’t want to share, and that I was safe now. That was enough for her.
For me? I guess at the time I so badly wanted to tell someone. Though it couldn’t be my sister. I didn’t want to cause any trouble. Nor see if she’d even believe me, or instead rank me at the same IQ level as her two 5-year-olds.
For a few weeks, I stayed with my sister and her family, reassuring both her and myself that I was fine. Thankfully, we worked together to find a small apartment. Next to a kids school too - bonus points. I now craved safety above all else. After moving out though, I realised I needed my belongings back.
So, who picked up my stuff from that cursed residence, you ask? The moving people. I called the police from a random phone booth first to head over to that area, emphasising on seeing some suspicious looking men, whilst I got them to collect everything. I did not dare to call the police on that family though. I would prefer if the link between me and them got cut, drawn and quartered.
So now I’m here, in an apartment which thankfully hasn’t shown any sign of insanity. Inspecting my belongings, I noticed that there was one thing missing.
My gold frame, used to encase my make-shift certificate - made by yours truly after her 21-day record from the previous apartment - was gone.
I felt somewhat miffed, but then I realised something.
Something which can maybe bring the light out in this whole situation.
I counted carefully. I broke my record.
With a grand stay of 2 days. Now that - that I don’t think I’d ever be able to beat.

submitted by PowerMinute1922 to nosleep [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:17 sparklinggambino UPDATE: Driving without insurance, because my insurance company failed to tell me my policy wouldn’t be renewed, after telling me it would auto renew

hi everyone! here’s the link to the OG post (https://www.reddit.com/LegalAdviceUK/s/rJKAuDrTej) incase you missed it. It’s been over a year now, i wish i had a bit more of an update but this is all.
the day after i presented all my “evidence” to the station & the officer sent my copies off with the ticket issued on the night, i sent an email to the camera & tickets office with a timeline of what happened and all of the paperwork. someone replied and said once they receive the ticket in office they will review. a week later, the insurance company finally sent me an indemnity letter, the conversations i had with them were honestly like pulling teeth - will never deal with them again, but i got it, sent it straight over, same stock reply “sure once we get the ticket in office…” (you get it).
3 weeks later im emailing again - “any update?” because i did NOT want this coming back on me or them claiming they sent me post and i didn’t respond etc etc. still the same. 6 weeks later, still the same.
and a whole year later still the same! no one has responded to me, no mail, no email reply, no points on my licence, nothing.
i suppose i do have one question - how much time before they can’t charge me with it anymore? like for example can they send me a letter in 2 years time stating they found i was liable?
also don’t you think it’s a bit cheeky how shit they can make you feel about these kind of situations and then just leave you in the lurch? i don’t expect a sorry, but some peace of mind would be nice!
submitted by sparklinggambino to LegalAdviceUK [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 11:14 Cook_Wild Understanding Inheritance Laws for Dual Citizens

Inheritance law can be a complex and multifaceted subject, especially when it involves dual citizens. This article aims to clarify what happens to the inheritance of a person with dual citizenship, which laws apply, and whether an individual can choose the governing law for their inheritance.
What Happens to the Inheritance?
When a person with dual citizenship passes away, their inheritance can be subject to the laws of both countries where they hold citizenship. However, the actual application of these laws depends on several factors, including the location of the deceased's assets, their residence at the time of death, and the specific legal frameworks of the involved countries.
Applicable Laws in Dual Citizenship Inheritance
  1. Domicile and Residence: The primary determinant in inheritance law is usually the deceased's domicile or habitual residence. This is the place where the person had their permanent home. The laws of the country of domicile typically govern the inheritance of movable assets, such as bank accounts and personal belongings.
  2. Location of Assets: Immovable assets, such as real estate, are generally governed by the laws of the country where they are located. This means that if a dual citizen owns property in two different countries, each property will be subject to the laws of the respective country.
  3. Nationality: In some countries, nationality can play a role in determining which inheritance laws apply. For instance, certain countries may assert jurisdiction over the inheritance of their nationals, regardless of where they reside or where their assets are located.
Conflict of Laws in Inheritance
In cases where multiple jurisdictions are involved, conflicts of laws can arise. These conflicts can complicate the distribution of assets and lead to legal disputes among heirs. To mitigate these issues, many countries have entered into international agreements or treaties that establish rules for resolving such conflicts.
Choosing the Governing Law
Under certain circumstances, a dual citizen may have the option to choose which country’s laws will govern their inheritance. This choice can be made through a legal document known as a **choice of law clause** or **testamentary disposition**.
  1. European Union Regulations: In the European Union, for example, the EU Succession Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 650/2012) allows individuals to choose the law of their nationality to govern their entire succession. This choice must be explicitly stated in their will or a similar legal document.
  2. Other Jurisdictions: Outside the EU, the availability and recognition of such a choice depend on the local laws of the countries involved. Some countries may not recognize the choice of a foreign law, while others may allow it under specific conditions.
Practical Steps for Dual Citizens
For dual citizens seeking to ensure clarity in the distribution of their estate, here are some practical steps:
  1. Consult Legal Experts: It is crucial to seek advice from legal experts in both countries of citizenship. They can provide guidance on the applicable laws and help draft a will that aligns with the legal requirements of both jurisdictions.
  2. Draft a Clear Will: A well-drafted will that explicitly states the desired governing law and addresses the distribution of both movable and immovable assets can prevent legal complications.
  3. Review and Update Regularly: Regularly reviewing and updating the will to reflect any changes in personal circumstances or legal developments is essential.
  4. Consider International Treaties: Be aware of any international treaties or agreements between the countries of citizenship that may affect inheritance laws.
Conclusion
Inheritance for dual citizens involves navigating the intersection of multiple legal systems. By understanding the applicable laws and taking proactive steps to choose the governing law, dual citizens can ensure that their estate is distributed according to their wishes, thereby minimizing potential conflicts and legal disputes among heirs. Consulting with legal professionals in both jurisdictions is indispensable in achieving this goal.
submitted by Cook_Wild to u/Cook_Wild [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:53 ImCodeGreen Make use of previous owner setup and general first timer questions.

I'll be moving in to a new apartment and the living room has 4 bookshelf speakers mounted to the wall and all are nicely wired in the walls. I'm thinking of reusing them, or at least the wiring setup but wanted to gauge some opinions from you guys since I don't know much, and just started reading some posts here recently to learn a bit.
Here is a rough top-down view of the living room, with the following things to note:
I realize those speakers are pretty old, but maybe still usable? I'm going to be coming from literally just a 32" TV, so anything will be an upgrade. My main concern is the placement of them being so high (and if they're actually going to sound better than a modern TV).

Goals/expectations for the home theater setup:

Main questions:

  1. Are the Bose 161 and Onkyo SKM-100 usable for casual use - or just worth replacing in 2024?
  2. Is the height/placement of the Bose and Onkyo problematic? (wall mounted 7-8ft off the floor)
  3. What would be a decent center channel to "match" the existing speakers and recommended AVR?
At least for now, I'd prefer to spend less than $1k and try to preserve at least the speakewiring placement already in place. I was thinking of getting a 7.2ch Denon AVR, and plug the Onkyo rears into the surround ports (not surround back). I could also get a center channel, and a sub later down the line.
submitted by ImCodeGreen to hometheater [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:24 likilekka what do i need to backup to hard drive in order to wipe my MacBook 2017 clean to get rid of the 105 gb system data because its running out of storage?

I also found this library folder with stop sign, what is it, can i delete it? when i try to i can but it asks for my password. i also cannot open it it says i have no permission to.
I also want to backup my steam games and applications.
For steam games how can i do that? I cannot find the steam game folder on mac. For applications do I need to drag and drop into the hard drive, or I re download it from the website like adobe, capcut or spotify for example? is it the same either way ?
really need help, thanks my laptop cannot work anymore and cannot open adobe indesign which i need to access my cover letters for job applications. I have almost no storage left. When I open more than few applications it says I run out of system memory and need to quit the apps.
submitted by likilekka to MacOS [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:10 Public_Lifeguard7942 Turning a brief outdoors cat into an indoor cat

Hi all.
So unfortunately we ended up in a bad situation whereas my mum received a section 21 letter because the landlord wants to sell the house.
Due to her disabilities we went down the council route, mum was band A, she was preliminary offered a property. However the council messed up big time and pulled it out from under her feet.
A council lhoysing eader overturned all decisions medical evidence of my mum’s disabilities including hospital reports and took away all bandings. Were the process of appealing this but we’ve decided to go elsewhere. The appeal is more about disability rights.
Having witnessed things about the local council I believe they have seriously breached a duty of care.
Anyway We have had to secure alternative accommodation in an housing association. The place mum will be moving to is an over 55s facility. Its nice.
Whilst it does allow small pets, cats have to remain indoors and are not allowed in communal areas. My mum will also be on the second floor.
My mums cat is everything to her, and she cannot give him up. He has really helped get some of her life back after my dad died.
Unfortunately there is no one to take him in. I can’t because I live in a shared place. I’m not taking him to a rescue because they would just turn him a way. (I know the bleak outlook for him in my area).
He is mostly an indoor cat anyway, and is extremely clean. (Better than most humans.) He won’t go out at night and he only wants to be asleep on my mum. He cries to go to bed and will keep at it until my mum gives in. He goes out for about 5 minutes a day realises he hates it and comes back in again.
The accommodation is temporary because it’s not the best but we are working with other housing providers. Stuff is in the pipeline but it will take a few months. This option was a last resort on the back of the council screwing us over.
I’m just wondering if there are anyways to make the transition smoother. There is a communal garden I don’t know what their rules are, put if mum could put him on a cat leash or something and just sit with him. Or if we could do anything to the apartment.
It’s a completely open space aside from a few cupboards which benefits from the sun. We’re thinking of getting him one of those cat play areas from pets at home too.
submitted by Public_Lifeguard7942 to CatAdvice [link] [comments]


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