Hi, everyone!
First and foremost, healing is not linear, it is a freaking zigzag; it has ups and downs and maybe some loops here and there. After more than four years after my first symptom, I can proudly say, I do know more about my body than I ever did, and I feel so much better, and finally can eat whatever I want.
breakfast plate!
My diagnosis was erosive gastritis, with no H. pylori. I could not sleep, drinking water was equal pain, lost weight, was anemic, suffered from the biggest reflux (you can never understand how debilitating it is unless you've had it).
So, what really helped me?
I was on Proton Pump Inhibitors for a two months or so. I was never this miserable, but I guess, they were also the ones that helped the erosions to heal. During that time my diet was the blandest diet in the entire universe consisting of lots of starches, unsweetened almond milk, banana, rice, boiled chicken breast, salmon, and steamed zucchini. And, IMPORTANT: no UPFs. I was strictly following the guidance from my doctor. Plus, not eating late at night, not sitting down after a meal and taking a short walk after every meal.
But I was not getting better. So, there had to be something else, I thought I'm failing at it, I'm doing it all freaking wrong. 10 months in, I felt like shit.
Then I got really pissed off.
And thanks to so much information we constantly give to the Mr. Internet, I started seeing advertisements on things, apps, supplements, etc., I was recommended a bunch of meditation YouTube videos, and breathing techniques, books, and apps.
Every morning I used to wake up and listen to Emmy Meli's song I Am Woman on YouTube, and dance till I started crying uncontrollably. And then I sit there and cry. Then I used to stand tall in front of the mirror and say affirmations.
Ha! Miracle didn't happen.
But then there was this ad for a meditation and self-reflection app. That was a real turning point in my healing journey. I even bought a one-year Premium after a free trial. This app has a different approach to chronic pain. It taught me to see every pain, symptom, and uncomfortable sensation with curiosity. Not to run away from it, not to fight it, not to hide from it. To look at it with curiosity, and try to figure out what my body's trying to tell me. And, boy, oh, boy, it was trying to tell me so many things.
So, I quit my stressful job. Sayonara! No more.
Then my daily routine was to wake up, listen to one of those meditations from the app, and do the exercise of self-reflection, f.e. writing a letter to myself about how I'm feeling or my memories from childhood, during one of those exercises I've actually figured out my reflux cause. It was related to a traumatic experience. I still sometimes re-read that notebook I've filled in throughout that time, and see how much I've gone through and how stronger I'm now. (If Google does not help you to find that app, write me a DM, and I can share it with you all, the trial is free, and I noticed changes in just a few days!). It kind of makes me tear up a bit writing this. Just know, you are not alone, and you WILL get better.
But now, let's get back to the healing. Once I started feeling less pain after eating, I had to sort of domesticate food again. I was so scared of trying to add new foods to my daily routine. I had conditioned myself that food = pain. And whenever new food DID result in pain, I was like, 'I freaking knew it.' But I had to take control into my hands and agree with myself that some foods will still cause me pain, meaning that for now, I can not enjoy them, but there should be plenty of foods I can enjoy - and they will not cause me pain or harm.
After more than 1,5 years of constant pain, ups and downs, I was so determined to heal. I read a bunch of researches about the gut and brain connection. I started introducing probiotics and prebiotics (all foods that have fiber, fruits, nuts, veggies, herbs) to my body. I figured, the best way to feel good is to eat good. I started eating yoghurt with berries, started eating sauerkraut, and all kinds of fermented foods (LOOK OUT FOR SUGAR, you don't need added sugar in fermented foods), started fermenting my non-spicy vegan kimchi or even cashews into a beautiful spread.
And I still continue doing that up to this day, I've even created an instagram profile to show people ways of how they can eat healthier with minimal efforts and feel better. My community is still very small, but I'm so happy to be able to inspire people not to lose hope. Just so you know, our bodies are our temples. DM me and I can share the IG profile as well, I post there every single day and you will see a bunch of inspiration recipe ideas to try out. You are not alone in this.
So, the things you need to know:

• Everyone's healing is different: IT'S A ZIGZAG NOT A STRAIGHT LINE.
• Every uncomfortable sensation, every pain, every "something's wrong" is our bodies trying to tell us something. Instead of running away from it, listen to it with curiosity. Get the most beautiful notebook, call it "MY HEALING" and every day write down how you feel: set a timer for 7 mins to write how you feel (freestyle, whatever comes to your mind), 3 minutes to read it, and 5 mins to write an answer to what you just wrote, imagine, as if you just got this from your friend.)
• Continue doing activities you love or find new interesting hobbies (I used to go on walks or search for treasures at the second hand stores).
• Stay away from ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS, ALCOHOL, COFFEE, MATCHA.
• Eat bland until you feel better. Then, start incorporating foods. Fall in love with fermented foods. Know that some might hurt you, but you might as well find the ones that will not cause you any pain.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE, YOU GOT THIS.

Okay, for some reason my phone won't let me link the video from 2020 from YouTube to Reddit. But here we go, this woman was supposedly a no nonsense reporter for FOX who supposedly switched to the pro Jackson side after realizing he was innocent during the trial (really?). She wrote the book "conspiracy" where she believed Jackson was just a poor widdle innocent soul who got framed by big meanies.
From a 2020 video she did with three other women on a Google chat she says these delusional things

• Theories that a wine vineyard owner helped frame Michael to steal the Neverland ranch land. Okay?
  
• Those pesky white power groups in Santa Maria
  
• Theories about "Sony" being involved
  
• The judge was "out to get" Jackson
  
• Bashir was working with Tom Sneddon to frame Michael and that was why the documentary happened. It was all "planned".
  
• Michael wasn't really on that many drugs (😏)
  
• She mentioned she came face to face with Jackson in court and was starstruck. She said he "was so cute" and she wondered if he'd ask he out and he seemed to come around to her. Go watch the video if you get the chance, yes she really did say that. That she wondered if a man with unknown gender identity on trial for child molestation of young males would "ask her out". Yeah.
  

Hi! While using my boyfriend’s email I found he frequently emails himself. I looked closer at this, which I really shouldn't have, but I was thinking it was cute and expecting little notes similar to what I leave for myself, and come on - who leaves stuff like this on his email!? I did not expect this. What I found was an extensive list, maybe 200 in total, of female Instagram accounts, YouTube videos, Twitter accounts, Reddit accounts, etc, etc, of women. Most, but not all, of these women were barefoot - because of his feet kink I therefore conclude this to be his “wank-bank”.
I don’t have anything against porn. However, the origin of these pictures disturbs me for some reason. Mostly it’s normal Instagram accounts, women who have the whole hippie free soul no shoes approach - and there’s pictures of them in nature, some might pander to foot fetishists as they’re quite lightly dressed as well, but some are just nature-loving women who happen to be barefoot. And then, sometimes it’s just a random woman’s Instagram account, a beautiful one with similar features to mine that he’s told me he likes on women, but still - just regular accounts (like I said, most barefoot but not all) - not IG models, porn actresses, etc. He doesn’t know them . He also publicly follows these women on his instagram, most of them it seems, anyway. Is he masturbating to these pictures!? Given the context, it seems that way, there is also some rare links to straight-up porn stuff in there, granted it's animated porn, but still.... That freaks me out a bit, for reasons I can not explain.
Then there’s random links to youtube videos of women dancing barefoot, working on their garden barefoot, showing their house barefoot, basically just regular women uploading “house decor tour” content or their new dance routine, innocent stuff, as long as they’re barefoot, he’s copying and pasting the link into an email presumably to save for masturbating later. Is this not inappropriate? That made me feel kind of icky, and a bit disrespected. Am I being insecure/unreasonable here? What do I do?
This is also a bit of a sidenote, but I’d love opinions on this as well: on his notes app, there was also many links to specific reddit accounts, of women who do feet stuff or just simply show their feet with sexual intentions. Again, maybe I’m just being insecure here, but it makes me feel bad that he is linking specific women’s porn content, it feels so much more personal.

Earlier this morning, I was responding to a post in anti-work and another Redditor disagreed with my lack of interest in reading more about the histories of billionaires as was his hobby (I’m more of the decenter sort and I prefer to study power by reading about folks at the margins who act in resistance to power). While I was not surprised by his tepid condescension (it is sometimes par for the course when you identify yourself as being a woman online), I was surprised by how quickly he escalated to anger. The topic of our conversation was rather impersonal…
I have often learned to ignore or disengage from this behavior but the frequency with which I observe (and sometimes experience) this behavior is making it tougher. While this was the most recent instance, there have been several occasions recently where men, in spaces where I would have expected there to be greater tolerance for a difference in opinions (so not a YouTube comment section), have gotten really angry by my lack of acquiescence even when I have been willing to “agree to disagree.”
I think I am conflicted. On one hand, I have it in me to disengage, block, and ignore. On the other hand, I have real concerns about what it means to cede public speech space to men who behave this way. I am far less interested in how they perceive me and far more concerned about the chilling effect this behavior could have for the participation of women (and other folks) in conversations if “ignore” is the only tool employed.
Thoughts?

A series of what I think we're tv episodes that I watched on YouTube in the late 2000s. I would guess they were made in the 1970s.
Ever episode had the same narrator. There was no dialogue. The narrator explained everything happening in each episode. They were all presented as found footage.
One episode showed a supernaturally fast swimmer attacking and drowning a group of special forces commandos in the ocean. Another ended with two naked people (a man and a woman) walking into the ocean and drowning themselves. I vaguely remember another episode about treasure hunting in a desert. Almost all episodes had a mild horror element to them

Me (17M) and my girlfriend (17F) how been together for 3 months. We have been friends for a few years now. We were in the flirting stage for 5 ish months before we officially started dating. She’s not just my girlfriend, she is my soulmate. She says the same thing too. We really believe that we have found each other and that we will grow old together. Now, on a holiday to Europe last year, she just so happened to get scouted by a modelling photographer on the tube in London. Very random, he came up to her, complemented her on her cheekbone oddly enough, and they did two shoots in the time she was there. She’s hasn’t done any modelling for money, only one agency. Anyways, today she showed me a few photos from the shoots and holy god on earth is she the most stunning woman in the world. Yes I’d like to say I’m somewhat on the muscular side, but I’ve never thought of my appearance as appealing. I’ve always had some issue with self love and now being with someone who was random asked to become a model in a foreign country, I can’t help but have a massive feeling of jealousy. I hate it and I don’t know how to make it go away. Yes she consistently says that I am her one true love, but my jealousy is really affecting me. I love you so so much and don’t know what I while do without her. This feeling is killing me. I obviously haven’t told her. I nearly threw up today because of it. It’s affecting my school work and I am afraid it will affect our relationship. What’s wrong with me and what can I do?

So I remember this one game that came out a long time ago, during the 2010 era, that had a very beautiful environment. I can't remember if it was an island or just a large forest/field, but there did seem to be an emphasis on flowers, particularly either these yellow or orange ones. But there would always be giant monsters or angry dogs hiding in the flower fields that (I think) you could fight. One thing I remember about the marketing was that one of the concept art depicted an injured woman running through the flower fields, chased by two dogs.
Apart from these two pointers, that's as much as I remember of it. Not sure if the game every finished development, but either way it never pops into my YouTube recommendations. So if anyone knows what kind of game I'm talking about, please help a brother out. Thanks :)

DAY: MAY 31 2024
5-31-2024

RESEARCH SUGGESTS LEADERS’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ARE TAKEN JUST AS SERIOUSLY AS FORMAL STATEMENTS

Over 180 world leaders maintain social media accounts, and some of them issue policy warnings to rivals and the public on these platforms rather than relying on traditional government statements. How seriously do people take such social media postings? A new study suggests the general public and policymakers alike take leaders’ social media posts just as seriously as they take formal government statements. The research, by MIT political scientists, deploys novel surveys of both the public and experienced foreign policy specialists. “What we find, which is really surprising, across both
5-31-2024

SCALE OF ONLINE HARM TO CHILDREN REVEALED IN GLOBAL STUDY

More than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse, research indicates. Pupils in every classroom, in every school, in every country are victims of this hidden pandemic, according to researchers who have conducted the first global estimate of the scale of the crisis. The statistics, from the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute at the University of Edinburgh, amount to a clear and present danger to the world’s children, according to the crime agency Interpol. Online risks One in eight of the world’s children, about
5-31-2024

PRONATALISM IS THE LATEST SILICON VALLEY TREND. WHAT IS IT—AND WHY IS IT DISTURBING?

For Malcolm and Simone Collins, declining birth rates across many developed countries are an existential threat. The solution is to have “tons of kids,” and to use a hyperrational, data-driven approach to guide everything from genetic selection to baby names and day-to-day parenting. They don’t heat their Pennsylvania home in winter, because heating is a “pointless indulgence.” Their children wear iPads around their necks. And a Guardian journalist witnessed Malcolm strike their two-year-old across the face for misbehavior, a parenting style they apparently developed based on watching “tigers
5-31-2024

HOW SCIENCE, MATH, AND TECH CAN PROPEL SWIMMERS TO NEW HEIGHTS

One hundred years ago, in the 1924 Paris Olympics, American Johnny Weissmuller won the men’s 100m freestyle with a time of 59 seconds. Nearly 100 years later, in the most recent Olympics, the delayed 2020 Games in Tokyo, Caeleb Dressel took home the same event with a time that was 12 seconds faster than Weissmuller’s. Swimming times across the board have become much faster over the past century, a result of several factors, including innovations
5-31-2024

BANNING SEX CRIME OFFENDERS FROM CHANGING THEIR NAMES DOESN’T MAKE US SAFER

The government of British Columbia recently introduced a bill to ban people convicted of serious offenses from legally changing their name. The proposed amendment to the province’s Name Act would also prohibit those found not criminally responsible due to mental disorder from changing their name. The government announced the move after media reports that Allan Schoenborn legally changed his name to Ken Johnson. Schoenborn was found not criminally responsible for the deaths of his children in 2010 because of a delusional disorder, and was placed at a psychiatric hospital.
5-31-2024

SILICON VALLEY ISN’T THE START-UP UTOPIA WE THOUGHT, RESEARCH FINDS

Silicon Valley—considered the world’s hub of technology and innovation—can breed inequality and sameness among budding entrepreneurs, according to new research. Behind the multi-million-dollar deals and tales of start-up utopia, Silicon Valley’s “uneven” investment landscape is in fact a barrier to many budding businesses, says the study from the University of Stirling and Georg-August-University Göttingen. But the researchers suggest other countries could still learn from the more discerning entrepreneurial ecosystem that bred giants such as Apple and Google, to be more selective in backing start-ups. While it is not uncommon for
5-31-2024

I WANT TO KEEP MY CHILD SAFE FROM ABUSE—BUT RESEARCH TELLS ME I’M DOING IT WRONG

Child sexual abuse is uncomfortable to think about, much less talk about. The idea of an adult engaging in sexual behaviors with a child feels sickening. It’s easiest to believe that it rarely happens, and when it does, that it’s only to children whose parents aren’t protecting them. This belief stayed with me during my early days as a parent. I kept an eye out for creepy men at the playground and was skeptical of men who worked with young children, such as teachers and coaches. When my kids were
5-31-2024

OVER 300 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED ONLINE SEXUAL ABUSE, EXPLOITATION, FINDS METASTUDY

It takes a lot to shock Kelvin Lay. My friend and colleague was responsible for setting up Africa’s first dedicated child exploitation and human trafficking units, and for many years he was a senior investigating officer for the Child Exploitation Online Protection Center at the UK’s National Crime Agency, specializing in extra territorial prosecutions on child exploitation across the globe. But what happened when he recently volunteered for a demonstration of cutting-edge identification software left him speechless. Within seconds of being fed with an image
5-31-2024

CYBERFLASHING IS A FORM OF GENDERED SEXUAL VIOLENCE THAT MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Sexting—sending sexually suggestive or explicit messages and images—is now a widespread practice, and can be a healthy way to express and explore sexuality. However, there is a need to distinguish between consensual sexting and forms of sexual harassment like cyberflashing. Cyberflashing refers to the act of non-consensually sending sexual imagery (like nudes or “dick pics”) to another person. It is facilitated through communications technologies including text, AirDrop and social media applications like Snapchat and Tinder. Similar to flashing—when a person unexpectedly and deliberately “flashes” their genitals to others—that occurs in
5-31-2024

VIRTUAL TRAINING MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE, COST-EFFICIENT OPTION FOR CHILD EDUCATORS

Teachers and other child educators can benefit from regular professional development, but in-person training can be expensive. New research found that virtual training can be a budget-friendly alternative—and especially effective for certain groups of educators. The study—a collaboration between researchers at Penn State and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and published in the International Journal of Professional Development, Learners and Learning—found that educators who took a virtual training reported feeling more confident in their abilities to implement practices shown to support positive youth development. In particular, after-school providers who did not
5-31-2024

HUMBLE LEADERS BOOST EMPLOYEES’ WORKPLACE STATUS AND LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL, FINDS STUDY

There are many different types of workplace leaders, from those who prioritize the needs of team members and the organization above their own, to authentic leaders who foster openness, trust and transparency. A recent study by the University of South Australia published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior has highlighted the significant benefits of humble leadership in the workplace. According to the study by UniSA’s Dr. Xiao Lin, humble leadership can effectively elevate the workplace status of employees by boosting their sense of respect and prominence. It also leads to
5-31-2024

WHY ARE GROCERY BILLS SO HIGH? A NEW STUDY LOOKS AT THE SCIENCE BEHIND FOOD PRICE REPORTING

Rising food costs are squeezing Canadians around the country. Nearly everyone is feeling the pinch, and it’s not just an inconvenience—high food prices are a major threat to food security for many Canadians. Understanding why food prices are so high and why they are changing is critical to the well-being of our society. Unfortunately, consensus on why food price are so high is in short supply. Explanations given in reports like Canada’s Food Price Report and the news media range widely, from the war in Ukraine to supply chain issues
5-31-2024

WILL GENERATIVE AI CHANGE THE WAY UNIVERSITIES COMMUNICATE?

Is artificial intelligence an unprecedented opportunity, or will it rob everyone of jobs and creativity? As we debate on social media (and perhaps use ChatGPT almost daily), generative AIs have also entered the arena of university communication. These tools—based on large language models that were optimized for interactive communication—can indeed support, expand, and innovate university communication offerings. Justus Henke has analyzed the situation of German realities about six months after the launch of ChatGPT 3. “The research was conducted about a year ago when enthusiasm was high, but it was
5-31-2024

STUDY SHOWS RELATIVELY LOW NUMBER OF SUPERSPREADERS RESPONSIBLE FOR LARGE PORTION OF MISINFORMATION ON TWITTER

Classification of superspreader accounts. A large portion (55.1%) of accounts are no longer active. For each class annotated with political affiliations, colors indicate the ideological split. The last group aggregates all accounts with political affiliations. Credit: PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302201 A small team of social media analysts at Indiana University has found that a major portion of tweets spreading disinformation are sent by a surprisingly small percentage of a given userbase. In their study, published in PLOS ONE, the group conducted a review of 2,397,388 tweets posted on Twitter
5-31-2024

HOW LIFE’S BIG MOMENTS CAN CHALLENGE STARTUPS

Life-changing events like the birth of a child, the purchase of a new home, or a lottery win could threaten the survival of a new business venture, the positive family events had a comparatively greater influence, albeit negatively, on the survival of a new venture, compared with
5-31-2024

RUDE AT WORK? FEELING GUILTY CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER, KINDER WORKER

We’ve all done it. A bad night’s sleep or a tough commute made us cranky, and we lashed out at a coworker who did nothing wrong. What can we do to make up for it? According to a new study published in the Journal of Business Ethics, embracing our guilty feelings can help us make up for our bad behavior by encouraging us to act more politely and work harder the next day. “We found that anyone can be rude at work, because anyone can
5-31-2024

RESEARCHERS INTRODUCE A PLANETARY INCLUSION SCALE TO FOSTER BROADER ETHICAL THINKING

Social inclusion and having a sense of belonging with other people are key elements of a good life. However, the fate of humanity is a challenge that extends beyond our social reality. Experiences of belonging and inclusion, understood in a broader sense than before, may be crucial for a sustainable future. In an article published in the International Journal of Social Pedagogy, a team of researchers propose a new planetary inclusion scale that structures our planetary relationship three-dimensionally based on temporal, spatial and ethical orientation. The temporal element relates to
5-31-2024

‘LEAN IN’ MESSAGES CAN LOWER WOMEN’S MOTIVATION TO PROTEST GENDER INEQUALITY

Women in leadership are often told to “Lean In,” designed to be motivational messaging demonstrating that they are more confident, strategic and resilient to setback. However, new research indicates that such “lean in” messaging can hinder women’s motivation to protest gender equality. Popularized in a book by American technology executive Sherly Sandberg, the “Lean In” solution to gender inequality advises women that demonstrating personal resilience and perseverance in the face of setbacks is key to career advancement. Now, a new study led by the University of Exeter, Bath Spa University
5-31-2024

ALGORITHMS COULD HELP IMPROVE JUDICIAL DECISIONS

A new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Economics finds that replacing certain judicial decision-making functions with algorithms could improve outcomes for defendants by eliminating some of the systemic biases of judges. Decision makers make consequential choices based on predictions of unknown outcomes. Judges, in particular, make decisions about whether to grant bail to defendants or how to sentence those convicted. Companies now use machine learning based models increasingly in high-stakes decisions. There are various assumptions about human behavior underlying the deployment of such learning models that play out in
5-31-2024

DIGITAL CAMPAIGNING IS A HUGE PART OF ELECTIONS NOW—BUT GOING VIRAL ISN’T EVERYTHING

The election has commenced and the race is on—to amass as many likes, shares and comments as possible. Digital campaigning, particularly through social media, is now a key part of political candidates’ communication toolkit. In fact, every general election campaign since 1997 has at some point been lauded as the first to make effective use of digital campaigning. But it was in 2015 that David Cameron’s campaign first made strategic use of social media to drive an election victory. As political reporter Tim Ross outlines in his excellent book, Why
5-31-2024

WHY ARE ORGANIZATIONAL COVER-UPS SO COMMON?

The TV dramatization of the UK Horizon Post Office scandal evoked outrage and disbelief. However, as another example of dysfunctional organizational behavior, it was expected rather than exceptional. The Post Office saga joins a long list of cover-ups or scandals that includes Hillsborough, Enron, Grenfell, the infected blood scandal, the Tuam babies scandal in the Republic of Ireland, Boeing 737 Max and Nasa (Columbia space shuttle). They represent what happens when there is a move within organizations and institutions to cover up the causes of
5-31-2024

AMONG GEN Z AUSTRALIANS, 38% IDENTIFY AS SPIRITUAL AND HALF BELIEVE IN KARMA. WHY IS SPIRITUALITY SO POPULAR?

Spirituality is increasingly popular with young Australians: recent research shows 38% of Gen Z Australians identify as spiritual. It also reports 50% of them believe in karma, 29% in reincarnation and 20% in astrology. When it comes to activities equated with spirituality, 28% of Gen Z Australians practice meditation and 22% practice yoga. In Australia, spirituality is strongly, enduringly central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and culturally and religiously diverse communities. Yet until recently, spirituality has received far less attention than religion. Spirituality may be
5-31-2024

COMPANIES CAN IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS IN THE EARLIEST PRODUCT-DESIGN STAGES

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Lithuanian and Italian universities propose a tool that allows companies to assess the circularity of their future products. The self-assessment tool emphasizes the co-creation of circular design in the early (creative) stages of product development, encouraging entrepreneurs and designers to think more systematically and collaborate better by integrating related stakeholders into the product development process. The study is published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology. “The majority of existing practical tools (systems of indicators) are aimed at measuring the environmental impact of products already
5-31-2024

RESEARCH EXAMINES HOW RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AFFECTS A STATE’S COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

New research has revealed up to a 9% increase in college first-year enrollments in US states that have legalized recreational marijuana compared with states without such legalization. The study, which is published in Economic Inquiry, found that the increase was from out-of-state enrollments, with early adopter states and public non-research institutions experiencing the most pronounced increases. Recreational marijuana legalization did not negatively impact degree completion or graduation rate, and it did not affect college prices, quality, or in?state enrollment. The findings suggest that some students perceive recreational marijuana legalization as
5-31-2024

RESEARCH EXAMINES HOW RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AFFECTS A STATE’S COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

New research has revealed up to a 9% increase in college first-year enrollments in US states that have legalized recreational marijuana compared with states without such legalization. The study, which is published in Economic Inquiry, found that the increase was from out-of-state enrollments, with early adopter states and public non-research institutions experiencing the most pronounced increases. Recreational marijuana legalization did not negatively impact degree completion or graduation rate, and it did not affect college prices, quality, or in?state enrollment. The findings suggest that some students perceive recreational marijuana legalization as
5-31-2024

HOW THE ‘MODEL MINORITY’ MYTH HARMS ASIAN AMERICANS

May is Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, a time when Americans celebrate the profound contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders—a group that is commonly abbreviated as AAPI—to U.S. society. It’s also a time to acknowledge the complexity of AAPI experience. And as a professor who studies equity and inclusion in business, I think the focus on AAPI communities this month provides an excellent occasion to push back against a stereotype that has long misrepresented and marginalized a diverse range of people: the myth of the “model minority.” The
5-31-2024

WONDERING HOW TO TEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT CONSENT? HERE’S AN AGE-BASED GUIDE TO GET YOU STARTED

The Australian government’s new campaign Consent Can’t Wait challenges us all to improve our understanding of consent. It asks a series of questions to illustrate this issue is more complex than simplistic “no means no” messaging. The campaign invites viewers to consider the nuances of consent, so we can raise these important issues with children and young people in our lives. But what is a good age to start talking about consent? How do parents tackle such conversations when this information probably wasn’t readily discussed in our own upbringing? How
5-31-2024

A PRODUCT OF NATURE OR NURTURE?

The concept of cultural entrepreneurship has many facets. It encompasses both the cultural and social impact of entrepreneurial training, and the environmental factors that influence its development. Some societies, such as the U.S., have a strong entrepreneurial culture. This means that certain characteristics are celebrated and encouraged, such as the ability of individuals to assume risks, patience when confronting challenges, and innovative problem solving, especially in uncertain situations. However, not all countries have such an entrepreneurial culture. Entrepreneurship struggles to take off in Europe In general, entrepreneurship can drive economic
5-31-2024

STUDY BRIDGES ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH AND COMPUTER CODING TO ENGAGE CHILDREN IN STEM

A graphic depicting a student coding. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University Teachers today face a bit of a conundrum, according to a new study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Their goal is to prepare young students to enter a rapidly changing world. Even basic jobs require technical proficiency, which requires computational and analytical skills. To address this need, many educators are pushing to fold these important STEM skills into elementary curriculum. Here’s the problem. Young students can lose interest and even develop an aversion
5-31-2024

STUDY SHOWS VR CAN HELP TEACHERS BETTER DISTRIBUTE THEIR GAZE

On the left, a bird’s-eye view of the virtual classroom; on the right, screenshots of each of the four gaze-visualization conditions. Teachers need to know their material, but they must also keep their students engaged and interested. Part of that involves making eye contact with their students—all of them. A multidisciplinary team of researchers tested several methods of data visualization in an immersive virtual reality (VR) classroom, to give teachers a way to gauge
5-31-2024

MARKETERS CAN MANAGE ‘FEATURE CREEP’ SO CONSUMERS FEEL LESS INTIMIDATED BY TOO MANY FEATURES IN A PRODUCT

Wifi-enabled washing machines. Voice-controlled microwaves. App-enabled TVs, vacuum cleaners, and even window blinds you can control from the comfort of your couch. Many of the technological features now included in everyday products are useful and accessible. But research has shown that having too many can overwhelm potential buyers, making them less likely to make a purchase. In recent research, Wayne Hoyer, marketing professor and James L. Bayless/William S. Farrish Fund Chair for Free Enterprise at Texas McCombs, digs into the phenomenon of “feature creep” and its impact on consumer sentiment.
5-31-2024

RESEARCHERS EXPLAIN SOCIAL MEDIA’S ROLE IN RAPIDLY SHIFTING SOCIAL NORMS ON GENDER AND SEXUALITY

A new paper summarizing decades of research demonstrates how social media has supported an explosion of diversity in gender and sexuality in America during the 21st century, and also how these technologies have equally enabled a cultural backlash. The paper’s authors, UC Santa Cruz Psychology Department faculty members Phil Hammack and Adriana Manago, identified five main narratives about gender and sexuality that they believe emerged through social media as people have strived to be “authentic” on these platforms. The findings, along with resulting recommendations for psychology researchers and practitioners, were
5-31-2024

KEY FACTORS IN TRAINING ASSESSORS FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE RATINGS

New research is examining how organizations can improve their training programs by customizing frame-of-reference training to emphasize identifying negative behaviors critical to their goals. While assessors naturally identify positive behaviors, C. Allen Gorman, Ph.D., associate professor in UAB’s Department of Management, Information Systems and Quantitative Methods, says targeted training helps them recognize harmful actions that can hinder organizational objectives. Involving assessors in defining important performance dimensions and examples of behaviors, both good and
5-31-2024

STUDIES CHALLENGE WIDELY HELD BELIEFS ON APPLICANT DIVERSITY AND WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

Justin Frake is interested in cause-and-effect relationships in real-world data and the hidden dynamics that shape workplace behavior and equality—or inequality, as the case might be. His curiosity has led to research that challenges some popular beliefs as well as published studies related to women in the workforce. One study shows that firms promoting flatter hierarchies inadvertently discourage female applicants and another study counters several recent studies that claim women CEOs negatively impact career outcomes of other women. Both are published in the Strategic Management Journal. The assistant professor of
5-31-2024

CHALLENGING LEWIN’S MOTIVATIONAL CONFLICTS THEORY

A recent series of experiments challenges the longstanding theory of motivational conflict resolution introduced by Kurt Lewin. According to Lewin, conflicts between two undesirable outcomes (avoidance–avoidance conflicts) are typically harder to resolve than those between two desirable ones (approach–approach conflicts). Lewin posited that avoidance–avoidance conflicts, where individuals must choose between two undesirable outcomes, are typically more challenging to resolve compared to approach–approach conflicts, which involve choosing between two desirable options.
5-31-2024

MEN WITH ‘TOXIC MASCULINITY’ ARE MORE LIKELY TO MAKE SEXUAL ADVANCES WITHOUT CONSENT, STUDY FINDS

No means no when it comes to sex. But what happens when a woman makes a more passive response to a sexual advance? According to new research from Binghamton University, men differ in how they interpret these types of responses, and men who display hostile masculinity, known commonly as “toxic masculinity,” tend to act on them regardless of whether or not they think it’s consensual. A team of researchers, including Binghamton psychology professor Richard Mattson and graduate student Michael Shaw asked men between the ages of 18–25 to respond to
5-31-2024

WHY WE DEHUMANIZE OUR POLITICAL OPPONENTS

Some of human history’s greatest atrocities—genocide, slavery, ethnic cleanings—are rooted in our ability to dehumanize people from other social, political, or cultural groups. Whereas prior research has traced dehumanization to the belief that others think or feel less than we do, new research co-authored by Haas professor Sameer Srivastava shows that our tendency to dehumanize can also be influenced by how we think others view important facets of the world. The greater the difference between our perceptions of an outgroup’s worldview
5-31-2024

STUDY SUGGESTS CHILDREN ARE OFTEN EXPOSED TO PROBLEMATIC CLICK BAIT DURING YOUTUBE SEARCHES

When a child peruses YouTube, the content recommended to them is not always age appropriate, a new study suggests. Researchers mimicked search behaviors of children using popular search terms, such as memes, Minecraft and Fortnite, and captured video thumbnails recommended at the end of each video. Among the 2,880 thumbnails analyzed, many contained problematic click bait, such as violence or frightening images, according to the Michigan Medicine led research in JAMA Network Open. “Children spend a significant amount of time on free video sharing platforms that include user-generated content,” said
5-31-2024

STUDY FINDS WOMEN ARE VULNERABLE IN POST-WAR PEACE PROCESSES

Post-war peace processes are a dangerous period for women. Many are forced to live close to men who committed serious abuse during the war or are expected to testify in various types of truth commissions, which can be both retraumatizing and stigmatizing. These are the findings of a new study by peace researchers at Uppsala University, published in the journal PLOS ONE. “In short, peace projects can force women to live side by side with ex-combatants who committed atrocities during the war. This puts them at risk of further threat
5-31-2024

HOW EMBRACING THE CRINGE CAN HELP YOUR DATING LIFE

We can all agree that dating is hard. Getting to know people can feel vulnerable, but at the same time, exciting. We can also agree that feeling rejected can be one of the worst feelings, especially after we put ourselves out there. Dating can also expose us to a lot of cringey things, maybe even something we didn’t know we’d consider cringey. Think of cringe like something that makes you uncomfortable, or something about someone else that you don’t find attractive. Before dating, most of us consider what we’re looking
5-31-2024

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS AT WORK POSITIVELY IMPACT RETENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH, SAYS REPORT

New survey results from Wiley suggest people still feel connected at work despite the prevalence of hybrid and remote work environments and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the latest Wiley Workplace Intelligence report, “Human Connection: The Crucial Secret to Thriving in the Digital Age,” nearly 8 in 10 employees surveyed (78%) said they feel connected with their coworkers, and almost 7 in 10 (69%) said they also enjoy making connections with their colleagues. Around half even said they want to learn more about their coworkers by doing
5-31-2024

RESEARCHER DEVELOPS MODEL OF INFLUENCER IMPORTANCE WITHIN INSTAGRAM NETWORKS

A study has provided new insights into social media influencers, particularly focusing on those in the women’s fashion sector on the well-known image and video sharing platform Instagram. In a departure from the approach taken by earlier studies, Jens K. Perret of the International School of Management in Cologne, Germany, has used network statistics and centrality measures to establish a model of influencer importance within their network. Perret analyzed data from 255 influencers covering a four-year period. Influencers are loosely
5-31-2024

MOST PEOPLE TRUST ACCURATE SEARCH RESULTS WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH, STUDY FINDS

Rank (X-axis) does not affect the evaluation of trustworthiness (Y-axis, mean-centered) of accurate results. This lack of relationship is robust across experiments (columns) and for clicked results (top row, red) as well as non-clicked results (bottom row, blue). The trend lines represent the predicted change in trustworthiness ratings per unit decrease in rank fitted by the linear regression models. Credit: Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61645-8 Using experiments with COVID-19 related queries, Cornell sociology and information science researchers found that in a public health emergency, most people pick out and click
5-31-2024

MISLEADING COVID-19 HEADLINES FROM MAINSTREAM SOURCES DID MORE HARM ON FACEBOOK THAN FAKE NEWS, STUDY FINDS

Despite the greater potency of “fake news” on Facebook to discourage Americans from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, users’ greater exposure to unflagged, vaccine-skeptical content meant the latter had a much greater negative effect on vaccine uptake. Credit: Jennifer Allen, Duncan Watts, David G. Rand Since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, fake news on social media has been widely blamed for low vaccine uptake in the United States—but research by MIT Sloan School of Management Ph.D. candidate Jennifer Allen and Professor David Rand finds that the blame lies
5-31-2024

CRITICAL DIALOGUE HELPS STRAIGHT MEN CONFRONT SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC BELIEFS

Adult heterosexual men with sexist and homophobic views can potentially improve their attitudes toward gay men and women by engaging in critical dialogues that use illustrations as a springboard, according to a new University of Michigan study. The work is published in the journal Sexual and Gender Diversity in Social Services. The process by which people shift from a prejudicial stance to one of relative acceptance is a key innovation of the study. Guided by trained facilitators, critical dialogues reflect illustrations depicting different gender roles and sexual identities. The images
5-31-2024

RELIEVING A FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

If you dread public speaking you are not alone. It is a leading social phobia, one that can cause a state of anxiety that reduces otherwise articulate people to nervous incoherence. A strong fear of public speaking is known as glossophobia. Academic studies estimate it affects 20% of the population, but depending on the sample and methodology, the figure could be as high as 40%. As American writer and humourist Mark Twain said, “There are two types of speakers: Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” But help
5-31-2024

HOW SOME PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE MARKETING TECH AND AI SOLUTIONS

How do universities and colleges decide who to admit? Given the earnings advantage of a post-secondary degree both globally and in Canada, this is an important social mobility question. While the answer varies from one institution to the next, most focus on education criteria like exam scores and grades. However, Canada’s new intake cap on study permit applications puts increased pressure on Canadian institutions to also consider immigration criteria when admitting international undergraduate students. This is just the latest example of immigration’s growing influence on the societal roles of Canadian

I am somewhat fatigued right now because, even though I’ve been on my break from work this week, I’ve been staying up until 2am (3am this morning.) I don’t know why I keep on doing it. I suppose that on some level, I’m too anxious to fall asleep. I have depression, anxiety, and PTSD - I have seen my parents change over the years, or rather I have realized that they are not who I thought they were when I was a child (when I was about 13-14, I first realized this when they failed to handle the situation effectively when my older brother was displaying signs that he was about to have a mental break. He did have one, and is presently in rehab. My mother has gone from being, in my eyes at least, a maternal-seeming happy woman to an astoundingly unhealthy monster who walks around shouting about how she “had” to quit her job because she refused to take the vaccine. I still live with my parents while taking community college courses, but seeing your parents… your entire family, really, change like that is traumatic, and I think it takes a toll on you. I think that these changes have definitely contributed to my issues in setting my sleeping schedule straight over the last four or so years.)
I still have high functioning depression anyhow, according to my former therapist (saw her in high school.) In my case, I think it helps that I do feel my “childhood” (5-9) was as stable as it could have been. I wasn’t abused in any sense at those ages. When I was especially depressed in middle and high school, I always looked back on that time frame nostalgically (though ever since I graduated from high school - almost a year ago today - I notice I’ve started to move away from thinking of elementary school nostalgically, because I think working with children has helped me realize that I am just at a completely different stage of development, and don’t really want to go back to the days wherein my parents, who I now fully understand I can’t trust, were taking care of me. When I was little, I think they had good intentions, but still, the way I’ve seen them change - or actually, when considering what they’ve both admitted about their pasts, perhaps simply revert back to the way they were before I was born - when I really stop and think about it, almost taints my childhood somewhat. Just a little bit.)
When unhealthy in the past, I have found myself longing to be in a different place and time. When I was younger, I think I almost kind of wanted to be a groupie for 70s rock n roll stars, kind of like Lori Maddox or Penny lane in “almost famous” - I knew it was bad and tragic and that I’d have hated it, but I wanted to be around a star, a famous person, I wanted to be impulsive and get wrapped up in something that really would have been no good for me. I’m actually an ISFJ, and was too afraid to ever actually get involved in something dangerous like that. It was around about middle school that I started thinking like that, after seeing films like “taxi driver” (though I know Iris was a prostitute.) It’s hard for me to figure out, even now, why I’d ever desired this to any extent. In elementary school, and 6th grade, I was actually so strait laced due to my mother and grandmother’s religious beliefs that I was afraid to swear. I remember thinking lowly of those who did swear, it had really been ingrained in me as a child that swearing was wrong (though of course, my hypocritical parents swear all the time.) In middle school, I started to swear, and remember feeling rebellious when I did, like I was scratching an awful itch. I’d still never want my parents to hear me swear, even as an adult, for some reason.
When I was dealing with a bad case of body dysmorphia in high school, I remember crying once about how no one had ever had a crush on me (supposedly, I’ve learned since that two people have, but one may have lied to be nice and if she didn’t, on some level it doesn’t register for me as being… I don’t know, important because I wasn’t attracted to her. The other was my ex boyfriend, who I already had come to dislike and really dislike now that I’m older, have had more experiences with different people, and more time to think about how he treated me.) It partly stemmed from my former crush (who doesn’t register in my mind as being important now, which is why I almost feel kind of silly when thinking about how fixated I was on him when depressed) calling me a 5 and then a 4. I didn’t like him by junior yr when he had become average looking, and understand that if we’d dated (if he’d hypothetically had interest in me,) it really wouldn’t have worked out. We weren’t compatible, and he didn’t really have anything to offer me.
I feel just a little better about my appearance as an adult, since at least in my opinion a woman being thin or not overweight makes her average assuming she isn’t horrendously ugly. I’ve gotten a bit of attention from men as I’ve grown older, but am not actively trying to date because I feel like there’d need to be a particular set of circumstances for me to feel comfortable entering into a relationship with someone. I also want to get my life together first.
I take community college courses (normally, I’m not taking them this summer and will just be working instead,) but have become a bit more depressed lately because I’ve realized that I really don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I have about $12000 saved, have been working for almost a year as an educator… but I don’t know what I want to major in, and I’m not positive that teaching is the path for me. There are plenty of things I like about it, but I feel like I’m changing and I know I’ll have more responsibility when work starts back on Monday. I’m honestly afraid to return, but am trying to avoid thinking about it.
I did obtain my raise ($19/hr instead of $17/hr starting Monday) after meeting with my boss a little over a week ago (I’d grown angry because I’d started to feel after learning that my responsibilities in regards to a child who has different needs would increase that I wasn’t valued. I was already going to receive a $1 dollar raise to $18/hr for being punctual, but I was overwhelmed last Monday after being told that the child who has a different set of needs - who, if I’m being honest, everyone knows requires more energy to care for - would be unexpectedly switched into my group after hearing at first that they’d be in the group of two more experienced teachers.)
I remember my mother described me as having been a “nervous child” even when I was 3. When I was younger (pre-depression,) I remember having been fun loving, I had a public YouTube channel and asked my mother to post videos of me doing handstands. My best friend was an ESFP 7 and we got on well until I became depressed at 9 (nothing “happened” to me, we just temporarily stayed in a hotel and I realized that one day, I’d have to move away from home for good. That I’d grow older, that I’d eventually die, that my parents would eventually die, that everyone and everything around me would change. Made me depressed. When I was about ten, I started to really worry about finances because of it, about my future as I had already grown up in a low income family. I remember I started to study to enter a higher math class when I was in 4th grade due to these fears, but also because I didn’t like feeling like I was stupid.
I don’t take particularly great care of my appearance. I probably look unkempt a fair amount of the time. If asked to dress up, I have an idea of which outfits I look my best in, and will wear them assuming they are appropriate for the occasion (when I was in middle school and really throughout most of high school, I didn’t care about fashion at all. My former best friend and a few other girls who I fell out with even insulted my fashion sense in middle school - it was a pretty juvenile comment though, about me dressing like I was younger, which is something I still probably do sometimes.) Now that I’m older, I care about fashion more, and when I have enough money saved up (I never spend what’s in my savings account, and won’t until I’ve hit $15000,) I plan to go shopping for new clothing items. Ideally vintage clothing items, I’ve always liked 1950s fashion but now that I’m older I’ve developed a greater appreciation for 70s fashion. I also think that within the past year, now that I’m more developed physically, I’ve gained a better idea of what kind of outfits will show off my figure.
When I have enough money and more energy, I want to develop my own sense of style, perhaps inspired by the looks of vintage actresses.
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1. The girlfriend from This Girlfriend Fakes Pregnancy To Trap Boyfriend: I posted the video link recently and yeah, this is one of the worst Karma Houdini cases in Dhar Mann. This bitch literally lied about having a whole ass baby in her stomach but the boyfriend still wanna marry her? The hell? What the hell is this man thinking? You REALLY trust this bitch after this stunt? After she lied about being pregnant to get you to marry her, THAT's the type of woman you want for a wife? Seriously, I can't help but keep asking, how the hell do you still wanna be with her and marry her after that? How do you still find her trust worthy? I know you're gonna have a hard time believing her if she really does wound up pregnant- yeah, ya may wanna go see a doctor to confirm it, don't take her word for it, if she lied about it once, she might do it again. And I felt bad for her parents, they were so excited thinking they were gonna be grandparents. We're not just telling stories, we're encouraging men to forgive and marry their lying deceitful girlfriends.
2. Nina (Jealous Girl Accuses Guy Of Flirting): I really don't see why this guy would wanna stay with some crazy chick who flips her lid and accuses him of cheating if another girl so much as blinks at him. The boyfriend's a good guy and he definitely deserves better than some insecure possessive bitch like Nina. Seriously, Nina is insecure af and has some major trust issues- those are issues she needed to work through before she started dating. The guy should've dumped her ass for real just like the guy from the fake pregnancy video should've dumped his girlfriend. That situation is worse than the Nina one because that bitch lied about carrying a fucking BABY to trap her boyfriend but still, Nina sucks too and didn't need to be dating anybody until she worked through her issues.
3. Kimmy's mom (Mom Puts One Child Over The Other): Yeah I know I already beaten this horse to death but I feel like it's worth mentioning again. This bitch literally faced no consequences for being an awful mom and worse, she gets REWARDED for it- god, it literally pisses me off when abusers in DM videos basically get rewarded for their bad behavior, bad enough they get off scot free but you're literally gonna pay off this woman's credit card? Great message Dhar, if you have an abusive Tiger Mom who calls you a screw up and favors your sibling, don't stand up to them, earn their love by becoming successful and paying off their debt. Seriously, at the very LEAST you could've had Kimmy stand up to her mom and or just tell her how she feels. Kimmy should've told her mom off and expressed how hurt she felt when she called her a screw up and how she constantly compares her to Michelle but nope, let's just forget about it, it's all good now because she's making money and the mom's proud of her now (never mind the fact that she was still being a bitch RIGHT before learning about the money).
4. Lisa (Goth Girl Picked On In School): Ruby's evil stepmother to be who treated her lower than dirt simply for how she looks and is quick to assume the worst about her..and after that, nothing happens. Like any typical Dhar Mann antagonist, she's remorseful once she learns her victim's backstory and said victim is smart. I still don't understand how the father could be with someone who treats his daughter like that- a caring parent who puts their child first would never be with someone like that but as we all know, Ruby's dad isn't one of those parents. Ruby's dad should've walked out on her but nope, he's a fucking simp for Lisa so she faces no consequences for mistreating Ruby, smdh.
5. Garrett's Parents (Bookside High episode 2): Another horse I've beaten to death but deserves to be on this list. It still pisses me off how Garrett's parents got away with being evil abusive assholes to him- they literally talked about how they wish they never had him and they get absolutely NO comeuppance for it. After the way they treated their own son, they deserved the worst possible punishment imaginable- seriously Dhar, even a simple case of bad luck would've been fine. Like something goes wrong during those events that were SO important to them and more important than their own son- the mom's party and the dad's golfing thing goes up in flames somehow or, on their way to their events, the car gets a flat tire and they have to take a bus, SOMETHING. The best ending for the video would be Garrett being removed from the house by CPS and word gets out about the way they treated him and their reputations tank as a result- the dad's business goes under and the mom's YouTube channel or whatever website she uses to post videos suffers. But nope, Garrett gets to stay with them and continue to get abused by them and they get to carry on with their lives without a care in the world, smgdh.
6. Dominic (Bookside High episode 1): This mf gets away with literally breaking someone's spine. He fucking PARALYZES Khalil but yet he's the victim, at least according to the dumb-ass teacher and principal.
7. Carlos (Husband Won't Let Wife Work): Seriously..WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SELENA LEAVE HIM? I don't care if she has a successful business now- there's no way she should stay with that asshole who did nothing but abuse and tried to control her. No, Carlos having to learn how to cook isn't a proper punishment- Selena should've shoved divorced papers in his face and left with their daughter but nope, since he wasn't physically abusing her or cheating on her, she has to stay with him. Yeah Dhar believes you should only leave a toxic partner if they're physically harming you and or cheating on you- verbal abuse? Nah, you should stay with him, things will get better when you become successful. And like Kimmy's mom, Carlos was being an ass RIGHT before he found out that his loved one who he treated like shit became successful- yeah this guy's fake AF like that evil tiger mom too. Well, at least he wasn't rewarded like she was- that's the ONLY good thing I can say about this video.
8. Kent (Mom Finds Out Her Teenager Is Inside Gang): Mfer beats an innocent boy to a damn near coma and faces no jail time because "he's a good kid".
9. Grandma Judy: Yep, no surprise she's on this list. This bitch literally got rewarded for trying to poison her daughter-in-law. Sure, Jenna dying wasn't her intention but still, what the hell did she think was gonna happen? Seriously, Judy should've spent her vacation in a jail cell instead of a nice hotel. Dhar Mann Land, where we punish mischievous kids who cheat on tests and skip school like Mikey and Jay and reward actual psychopaths who try to poison their loved ones like Grandma Judy.
10. Will's foster mom (Foster Mom Won't Let Kid See Birth Mom): While it's good Will got out of that toxic environment and won't have to suffer under his guardian's abuse unlike poor Garrett, it's whack how the coach paid the foster mom off instead of reporting her to CPS.
11. Jason's parents (Stepmom Mistreats Husband's Son): Another horse that's been beaten to death but is still worth mentioning. Jason's dad and stepmom not only face zero consequences for abusing him but Jason went and did nice things for them in the end..smgdh. Like Kimmy, Jason should've stood up for himself instead of rewarding the people who treated him like shit. Oh wait, they were going through some things so it's totally fine. We're not just telling stories, we're encouraging people to earn their abusers' love by doing nice things for them.
12. Alastor Emerson: Yet another horse that's been beaten to death but it would be a crime not to include and mention on the list. How the hell does this fucker get to be apart of his family's lives and be around his grandchildren after all the fucked up things he's done? Marcus, HE LITERALLY CAUSED THE DEATHS OF YOUR BROTHERS and on top of it, he's still a prick after 10 years- I can see if he changed but nope, still an asshole, ready to put his grandsons through the same type of hell he put his sons through. Oh wait, he's family and family needs to stick together, right Dhar? Ugh.

Dishonorable Mentions
The principal from Student is Suspended For Dress Code
Walter (Rich Dad Can't Buy Daughter's Christmas Wish)
Wesley (Movie Star Slaps Host At Award Show)
Mr. White (Kid Ditches School To Throw Party): Seriously, this video should've been called, "Creepy Principal Stalks Students".
Jax (Dad Commits Crime To Save His Dying Son): Well, I'll say this, at least he saw a jail cell unlike Grandma Judy and Kent.
Kayla's Mom (Mom Treats Son Better Than Girl)
Desiree (Mean Girls On TikTok Shame Mom)
Tyler (Kid With Cancer Gets Bullied)
I know there's a lot of other Karma Houdinis in Dhar Mann but I didn't wanna make TOO long, lol. Fill free to comment some that aren't in this list.

I've now been consistently doing yoga on the weekends and a random day during the week for three weeks.
I feel better and uplifted during and after my sessions. While I’m excited about the positive impact it could have on my body, I’m also nervous about the possibility of losing this motivation and spiraling down. It worries me that I might become a mess.
Am I manic?
I’ve reduced my marijuana consumption, but I miss that feeling. It just sucks.
I watched a YouTube video called "What Kind of Woman Are You?" which explains the importance of writing your own story and changing the narrative about yourself. If you want to look a certain way, do it. If you want to achieve something in life, go for it. Your current state doesn’t have to define your future.
Whenever I find myself in a bad mood or being negative, I repeat to myself, "I don’t live in that space anymore." This really changes everything.
Yoga has become a necessity, and my heart is telling me to get back into meditation.
I’ve deleted social media, except for one platform where I watch people stream. I’ve redecorated my house and gotten rid of many belongings.
I feel like myself, but I’m wondering if this is a manic episode or if the clouds are really starting to clear up more often.

I've now been consistently doing yoga on the weekends and a random day during the week for three weeks.
I feel better and uplifted during and after my sessions. While I’m excited about the positive impact it could have on my body, I’m also nervous about the possibility of losing this motivation and spiraling down. It worries me that I might become a mess.
Am I manic?
I’ve reduced my 🍃 consumption, but I miss that feeling. It just sucks.
I watched a YouTube video called "What Kind of Woman Are You?" which explains the importance of writing your own story and changing the narrative about yourself. If you want to look a certain way, do it. If you want to achieve something in life, go for it. Your current state doesn’t have to define your future.
Whenever I find myself in a bad mood or being negative, I repeat to myself, "I don’t live in that space anymore." This really changes everything.
Yoga has become a necessity, and my heart is telling me to get back into meditation.
I’ve deleted social media, except for one platform where I watch people stream. I’ve redecorated my house and gotten rid of many belongings.
I feel like myself, but I’m wondering if this is a manic episode or if the clouds are really starting to clear up more often. & I’m on my recovery.
I know we’re no expert but what do you guys think?

In this story, the boomer is my father, a lifelong conservative with massive ego and no curiosity about the world outside his tiny experience and the Fox News pipeline.
Some years back, my dad was incredibly insistent that he take my brother and I to see American Sniper in theater. I found it a mostly conciliatory story that makes America both heroic and blameless in the Iraq War, strongly props Chris Kyle up as a moral paragon who loves god, his country and his woman, and shows just a little window into the lives of the people who tried to help Americans, often to their direct suffering.
Well. Coming out of the theater my dad was a thundercloud. He was big mad. When we talked about it, he expressed that the movie was deeply anti-American and horrible. I probed into why; what about this vaseline-on-the-lens biopic could possibly read as anti-American. It seemed to be simpering propaganda to me.
His take was that showing Iraqi people as human, showing a man trying to help American soldiers and getting his family murdered in the process, was anti-American propaganda. Because to his mind, the reality is that all (forgive me) towelheads are despicable monsters. They don't have families. Well, not proper families like we do. They don't help Americans. Well, maybe they do sometimes but not enough. And the whole part of the world should be bombed into oblivion.
Excuse me? I asked him to clarify this position. He affirmed that the whole middle east--he didn't specify which countries count as part of it--are so irredeemably evil that the only solution is to nuke the whole part of the world into nonexistence.
I wanted to know how many people it took to make a whole country deserving of being annihilated. He had no details on this. I tried to get him to commit to something, anything. 10%? Is ten percent enough people to blow an entire country off the face of the earth? Sure, he said. That's plenty. So, I wanted to know, 90% of the people could be good, loving, honest and peaceful people who don't want to hurt you or anyone, and you'd still believe they all deserve to die? Yep. If they have an evil government, i.e. a government the US is opposed to, they all deserve to die.
I told him I thought that was a horrific opinion and then we left separately. My brother the weird conspiracy theorist is no help. He has his own brand of awful, wrong opinions but he doesn't challenge our dad because he wants to preserve his half of the inheritance one day.
My father was never in the military. He avoided the draft during Vietnam by staying in college, and then insisted both my brother and I do the same. "Get into college right away. That degree protects you from the draft, too, once you're out." He abhors paying taxes even though it would support our bloated defense budget.
But now he's fine saying every single person in whole parts of the world should die. He's never left the US, couldn't find Afghansistan or Iraq on a map, and knows nothing other than what Faux News has told him for 30 years.
This is my tale of a boomer being a fool. Good folk, I give you my father the chicken hawk.
-Edited to fix my dumb ass forgetting which country Chris Kyle served in. It was Iraq, not Afghanistan.-

Platform: Maybe PC?
Genre: First person space sim. Think the Elite series of games, however I don't think it was multiplayer and I'm pretty sure it was more developer created than randomly generated like elite.
Date: I would like to say 2010 as my best guess. The game had ok graphics from what I remember, but games always looked better at the time back then I guess. The game most certainly wasn't released past 2015.
Graphics: The game looked pretty ok, sort of like the original Mass Effect in terms of style and fidelity. Realistic, very tech oriented with the art style.
Details / Gameplay mechanics: The game started with a woman who was speaking over a radio in your ear as you start up an abandoned ship, she says something along the lines of 'Wow, I've not seen one of these ... for ages, old tech but very reliable'. As far as I know the game centres around you having this 'rare, old but gold' ship. When I try to picture it, I think of a crow with its wings splayed either side of it and its wing feathers extending down. I'm pretty certain the name of this ship is the name of the game or has something to do with it.
The main way of travelling long distance between areas is what I would call a 'space highway', basically a long series of rings that are connected to form a blue energy looking tube that ships inside of travel very fast along. Inside the tubes it is basically like a normal highway but in 3D space, the player just merges in at any point along the tube and then when inside and travelling, they can bob and weave between the loads of other ships that are also cruising along the highway to overtake etc.
I remember it being rather open world, which appealed to me at the time hugely, you could get out your ship and walk around the stations to interact with the various npc's and hire people that were hanging around, trade and accept missions, I cannot remember if there was any story/narrative.
Please let me know if I has missed anything or you need more information.

I am 28 y/o woman, married, and 100% don’t ever want to conceive/have children.
I have had endometriosis since I was 18. had a laparoscopy a few years ago to removed adhesions. i have endo on my bowel and bladder, ovaries, and who knows where else.
I know it won’t cure my endo. i can’t take the bloating and constant severe pain. i have been on orilissa for 5 months and it helped at first. now the pain is back and worse than ever. i thought it was a cyst, but after an ultrasound they didn’t find anything.
my maternal aunt had a hysterectomy/removed her cervix/fallopian tubes. she had very bad cysts and fibroids, endo all of that. (it drastically improved her quality of life and eased her pain.) i don’t want that to be my future. i want it out now before that happens to me in ten years.
my life is becoming miserable. 5 years of daily pain is starting to wear me down. my right side and ovary KILL ME every second of every day and i think i have lesions on a nerve or all up on my ovary because i have shooting, stabbing pain from my pelvis all the way into my foot.
i have read many posts throughout the years and have accumulated some advice. i have tried everything and ultrasounds are so incredibly painful and traumatic. i’ve tried birth control and i’m done i want a serious and lasting solution. i have thought about it for years and im ready.
i would love any advice for what i should tell my gyno. i have found a fellowship trained surgeon in my network that specializes in endo.
thank you for reading, this community has literally saved my life

I am somewhat fatigued right now because, even though I’ve been on my break from work this week, I’ve been staying up until 2am (3am this morning.) I don’t know why I keep on doing it. I suppose that on some level, I’m too anxious to fall asleep. I have depression, anxiety, and PTSD - I have seen my parents change over the years, or rather I have realized that they are not who I thought they were when I was a child (when I was about 13-14, I first realized this when they failed to handle the situation effectively when my older brother was displaying signs that he was about to have a mental break. He did have one, and is presently in rehab. My mother has gone from being, in my eyes at least, a maternal-seeming happy woman to an astoundingly unhealthy monster who walks around shouting about how she “had” to quit her job because she refused to take the vaccine. I still live with my parents while taking community college courses, but seeing your parents… your entire family, really, change like that is traumatic, and I think it takes a toll on you. I think that these changes have definitely contributed to my issues in setting my sleeping schedule straight over the last four or so years.)
I still have high functioning depression anyhow, according to my former therapist (saw her in high school.) In my case, I think it helps that I do feel my “childhood” (5-9) was as stable as it could have been. I wasn’t abused in any sense at those ages. When I was especially depressed in middle and high school, I always looked back on that time frame nostalgically (though ever since I graduated from high school - almost a year ago today - I notice I’ve started to move away from thinking of elementary school nostalgically, because I think working with children has helped me realize that I am just at a completely different stage of development, and don’t really want to go back to the days wherein my parents, who I now fully understand I can’t trust, were taking care of me. When I was little, I think they had good intentions, but still, the way I’ve seen them change - or actually, when considering what they’ve both admitted about their pasts, perhaps simply revert back to the way they were before I was born - when I really stop and think about it, almost taints my childhood somewhat. Just a little bit.)
When unhealthy in the past, I have found myself longing to be in a different place and time. When I was younger, I think I almost kind of wanted to be a groupie for 70s rock n roll stars, kind of like Lori Maddox or Penny lane in “almost famous” - I knew it was bad and tragic and that I’d have hated it, but I wanted to be around a star, a famous person, I wanted to be impulsive and get wrapped up in something that really would have been no good for me. I’m actually an ISFJ, and was too afraid to ever actually get involved in something dangerous like that. It was around about middle school that I started thinking like that, after seeing films like “taxi driver” (though I know Iris was a prostitute.) It’s hard for me to figure out, even now, why I’d ever desired this to any extent. In elementary school, and 6th grade, I was actually so strait laced due to my mother and grandmother’s religious beliefs that I was afraid to swear. I remember thinking lowly of those who did swear, it had really been ingrained in me as a child that swearing was wrong (though of course, my hypocritical parents swear all the time.) In middle school, I started to swear, and remember feeling rebellious when I did, like I was scratching an awful itch. I’d still never want my parents to hear me swear, even as an adult, for some reason.
When I was dealing with a bad case of body dysmorphia in high school, I remember crying once about how no one had ever had a crush on me (supposedly, I’ve learned since that two people have, but one may have lied to be nice and if she didn’t, on some level it doesn’t register for me as being… I don’t know, important because I wasn’t attracted to her. The other was my ex boyfriend, who I already had come to dislike and really dislike now that I’m older, have had more experiences with different people, and more time to think about how he treated me.) It partly stemmed from my former crush (who doesn’t register in my mind as being important now, which is why I almost feel kind of silly when thinking about how fixated I was on him when depressed) calling me a 5 and then a 4. I didn’t like him by junior yr when he had become average looking, and understand that if we’d dated (if he’d hypothetically had interest in me,) it really wouldn’t have worked out. We weren’t compatible, and he didn’t really have anything to offer me.
I feel just a little better about my appearance as an adult, since at least in my opinion a woman being thin or not overweight makes her average assuming she isn’t horrendously ugly. I’ve gotten a bit of attention from men as I’ve grown older, but am not actively trying to date because I feel like there’d need to be a particular set of circumstances for me to feel comfortable entering into a relationship with someone. I also want to get my life together first.
I take community college courses (normally, I’m not taking them this summer and will just be working instead,) but have become a bit more depressed lately because I’ve realized that I really don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I have about $12000 saved, have been working for almost a year as an educator… but I don’t know what I want to major in, and I’m not positive that teaching is the path for me. There are plenty of things I like about it, but I feel like I’m changing and I know I’ll have more responsibility when work starts back on Monday. I’m honestly afraid to return, but am trying to avoid thinking about it.
I did obtain my raise ($19/hr instead of $17/hr starting Monday) after meeting with my boss a little over a week ago (I’d grown angry because I’d started to feel after learning that my responsibilities in regards to a child who has different needs would increase that I wasn’t valued. I was already going to receive a $1 dollar raise to $18/hr for being punctual, but I was overwhelmed last Monday after being told that the child who has a different set of needs - who, if I’m being honest, everyone knows requires more energy to care for - would be unexpectedly switched into my group after hearing at first that they’d be in the group of two more experienced teachers.)
I remember my mother described me as having been a “nervous child” even when I was 3. When I was younger (pre-depression,) I remember having been fun loving, I had a public YouTube channel and asked my mother to post videos of me doing handstands. My best friend was an ESFP 7 and we got on well until I became depressed at 9 (nothing “happened” to me, we just temporarily stayed in a hotel and I realized that one day, I’d have to move away from home for good. That I’d grow older, that I’d eventually die, that my parents would eventually die, that everyone and everything around me would change. Made me depressed. When I was about ten, I started to really worry about finances because of it, about my future as I had already grown up in a low income family. I remember I started to study to enter a higher math class when I was in 4th grade due to these fears, but also because I didn’t like feeling like I was stupid.
I don’t take particularly great care of my appearance. I probably look unkempt a fair amount of the time. If asked to dress up, I have an idea of which outfits I look my best in, and will wear them assuming they are appropriate for the occasion (when I was in middle school and really throughout most of high school, I didn’t care about fashion at all. My former best friend and a few other girls who I fell out with even insulted my fashion sense in middle school - it was a pretty juvenile comment though, about me dressing like I was younger, which is something I still probably do sometimes.) Now that I’m older, I care about fashion more, and when I have enough money saved up (I never spend what’s in my savings account, and won’t until I’ve hit $15000,) I plan to go shopping for new clothing items. Ideally vintage clothing items, I’ve always liked 1950s fashion but now that I’m older I’ve developed a greater appreciation for 70s fashion. I also think that within the past year, now that I’m more developed physically, I’ve gained a better idea of what kind of outfits will show off my figure.
When I have enough money and more energy, I want to develop my own sense of style, perhaps inspired by the looks of vintage actresses.
View Poll

We will be visiting the Miami area in the coming months and I wish to live out my childhood dream of catching little tropical aquarium fish.
I grew up next to a “bayou” in Houston where I spent hours trying to yank Mosquitofish out of the water using only knotted white thread, and I fancied I saw “guppies” (probably darters) in the more inaccessible areas.
Now I have that childhood dream within my grasp, and this may be my last opportunity to travel anywhere significant due to declining health.
I’ve seen those YouTube videos of various dudebros trapping “aquarium fish,” but there is no location info given. (For obvious reasons, they don’t want stalkers, or for their content pots to be cleaned out) I am assuming most areas around Miami will have exotics, but I need to know what places are actually legally accessible, and what places would be safe for a woman and 11 y/o to fish.
Thank you for any genuine input

Bird & Bow #4 - Jailbird Rock
Black Canary's Beginning: Green Arrow’s Beginning
<< < >
Book: Bird & Bow
Set: 97
Arc: Changed for Good
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<---
Rosa Dillon was not what Dinah had expected. After her time in prison, it seemed like the young woman had definitely turned a new leaf, which was why the two women were out at a gaming bar playing Dungeons and Dragons.
It was the fourth week in a row that Dinah had tagged along, and she was starting to understand the rules and ideas behind the game. Rosa had invited her to actually play at the table, but Dinah was already having trouble keeping her current three lives separate and wasn’t keen to add a fourth - even if it was only make believe. So Dinah sat at a table by herself in the corner, playing a game of solitaire by herself while she kept one eye on the metahuman.
So far Constantine hadn’t lived up to his ominous threat to remove Rosa from the protection of Green Arrow and Black Canary, but the two heroes had also removed all other external surveillance. Only Dinah remained between Rosa and the Star City Slayer.
Things had been relatively quiet on that front since Rosa came out of prison, and both Ollie and Dinah assumed it was because Stanley Dover had his eyes set on Rosa and was trying to figure out the best time and place to go after the metahuman.
Her weekly outings to play DnD were one of her most vulnerable moments. Dinah was sure he’d strike soon. A loud cheer from Rosa’s table made Dinah’s eyes flick up assessingly - but it seemed like someone had just rolled really well and the table quickly returned to its usual hush as the leader reigned in the players excitement with the next story hook.
A lithe body pulled into the seat opposite her, but Dinah didn't lift her eyes to acknowledge his presence. She knew he'd come in twenty minutes ago, and had slowly made his way around the space, talking and flirting until he came to her.
“Fancy a game of blackjack?” Ollie's voice was somehow different than both his Green Arrow and regular voice that she was used to, causing her eyes to snap up.
Sitting before her was Oliver Queen, notorious playboy and multimillionaire. She tried to reign in her glare. They hadn't discussed this. Hadn't planned for their public persona to meet like this, or at all.
Ollie tapped her clenched fist gently. Eyes softening. “Trust me.”
Two little words, with her whole world resting between them. Even though the world knew Black Canary was out and about doing her thing, having Dinah Lance be a public figure was not an idea she was particularly fond of.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Dinah nodded, earning a bright, dimpled smile from Ollie.
“Now about that game of Blackjack.”
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<---
Three weeks later Ollie continued to push how much she trusted him. He had dropped by the gym where she trained and worked sometimes, feigning a need for lessons to protect himself.
At least he'd been smart enough to let her pin him. Again, and again, and again. Dinah smirked just thinking about it, pretty sure that Ollie had been trying at least a little bit in that last match.
But so far, no matter the fact that he was Oliver damned Queen, no news about their meetings had leaked to the presses. Despite his notoriety, it seemed none of the gossip journalists were interested in discovering more about the girl from Seattle who seemed to have captured the playboys attention.
Perhaps they were just waiting to see if it would last. Much like Dinah was. After every visit she was sure he had lost interest, that their professional relationship was going to fracture because Ollie decided he didn't want to play any more.
And she was right in one regard, Ollie was no longer interested in playing. He was determined to make the relationship work in the long run, which meant their public and their alternate identities had to start coming together naturally.
They continued to keep surveillance on Rosa, but even they were beginning to admit that it looked like Stanley Dover, The Star City Slayer was no longer interested in her.
There had been two other killings in their time watching Rosa, and they had debated long into the night whether it was worthwhile maintaining their watch. They had decided the extra killings were a means to get them away from Rosa. At least that was what they were secretly hoping.
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<---
Another week. Ollie knew he had to ask her out properly. He knew attention was beginning to pique, and the fact that he had paid off reporters to stay quiet until now had stirred even greater attention.
He had never protected any of his previous……friends. But he knew how Dinah felt about her privacy and was going to extremes to try to keep his notoriety from affecting her life before she was ready.
So, for the first time, Oliver Queen had a plan to woo a girl. It was a new experience for him, but one that he was enjoying thoroughly. Knowing what they could be together, knowing the life they could lead kept him pushing every day towards that goal.
The plan was simple. He would just……ask. He would talk about the future he saw for them - in the least intimidating and creepy way possible - to prove that he wasn’t just in this for a fling, that he wouldn’t put their working relationship at risk for anything but a future with her.
That was the plan until the two of them had received a mysterious text from an unknown number.
The Star City Slayer has been dealt with. - C
They had stared at the text for what felt like hours before Dinah turned on the TV in Ollie’s apartment. Stanley Dover’s death was all over the news. A suspected heart attack, the man was being touted as a hero for his work in the foster care system. Noone guessed who he really was. Noone made any comments about the fact that 2 of his foster care kids had been targeted by the Star City Slayer. No-one made the connection.
Except for them.
Neither of them really knew what to do from there. Ollie made a quick call to Rosa, to see if she had seen the news. The young woman was a mix of relieved and sad. He had been a father figure to her after all, and despite what the two heroes had claimed, there wasn’t exactly substantial proof that he had been wanting to harm her - or anyone else for that matter.
The heroes left the woman to her grief.
Ollie wasn’t sure where his glass of whiskey had come from, or when he and Dinah had settled onto his couch. The TV had long been turned off.
“Would you ever want to go public?” Dinah asked quietly, her own glass of liquor swirling as she stared at its contents. He was surprised she was drinking, but if any occasion called for it, it was this one.
“I don’t know.” Ollie mused after a long moment. “I don’t need the extra recognition. Don’t feel like anyone knowing it’s me really helps anyone.” He shrugged. “Plus there’s the company and my mom to think about. The good guys knowing is one thing, but everyone else...” He shrugged again, letting his voice fall off.
Dinah nodded slowly, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought. “I think I’d like at least one version of myself to be able to do more than I am right now.” She said quietly. “Black Canary is great, don’t get me wrong, but, how many people can I really help? Dinah Lance is just a no named nobody who won’t even get a mention in the obituaries unlike some of us.” She tipped her glass towards him as she spoke.
Ollie considered for a long moment.
“I don’t think Dinah Lance is a nobody.”
Dinah looked at him quizzically.
“She’s one of the most important people in my life at the moment.” Ollie continued, his voice quiet. “And if she’d let me, I'd like to take her on a proper date.”
There. It was done. Ollie felt the sweat drip down his brow as he waited. Time stretched and bent as his heart raced. Had he ruined everything?
“Where?”
One word and all the air he had been holding in rushed out in a quiet breath.
“Restaurant Christine. The one on 56th.”
Dinah inclined her head thoughtfully, her blue eyes locking his green ones for a long moment. Searching for answers. He only hoped he was giving the right ones.
She bit her lip. “Papparazzi?”
He cringed slightly. But he’d always known the public aspect of his persona would be a problem they needed to navigate.
“They will come unless I pay them an exorbitant amount of money.”
She nodded, taking an absent-minded sip from her glass. “Ok.”
“Ok?”
She nodded, once, resolutely. “Ok.”
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<---
Dinah stared at the handwritten note from her mailbox.
She hadn’t been home in a few days, spending most of her time with Rosa or Ollie. But now that the case had been laid to rest….Well, it was time to return to some semblance of normal.
She had pulled what felt like a month's worth of junk mail from her letterbox, sorting them into the appropriate piles of bills, junk, and other. Nothing usually went into the other pile unless it was her birthday and her dad had sent her a letter.
People just didn't really write letters any more.
But someone had. Fine calligraphy scrawled over the page elegantly, whoever wrote the letter obviously practiced in the art. The paper smelled faintly of jasmine, but that really did not provide as much information as the wax seal pressed into the back. A crest of twelve swirling ribbons twisting and twining into the shape of a tree.
Dinah repressed the urge to open the letter immediately. Instead, she opted to inspect the paper with a magnifying glass, cutting a tiny sample to test for traces of illicit or dangerous substances. As she swirled the tube with the sample inside, waiting to see if it turned pink, blue or green, Dinah continued to stare at the crest.
After another minute, the tube stayed clear. That did not necessarily mean the letter was safe, but the only way to determine that now was through opening it. She pondered for another moment before sending Ollie a quick text. If anything went wrong he’d be here in less than 5 minutes. Most things took longer than that to kill a healthy adult.
Passing a sharp nail through the crest, Dinah popped open the letter. Breathing a shallow breath of relief when nothing popped out at her. Her eyes scanned the calligraphy, barely noticing when Ollie opened her door and came to stand at her shoulder.
“I got one too.” He mumbled. She nodded, having expected as much.
The Twelve in Silk have seen all you can do. We have watched from the shadows as you beat our sister. No longer will we sit idly by. Be waiting for our next calling card Ms Lance.

Hello fellow veterans,
This post isn't really about filing for disability, or the disability process... kinda. I'll be a brief a possible.
After my deployment to Iraq in 2006, my mental health took a bad turn. I internalized (like most of us do) and kept trucking on. I've now been out for 16 years and have been unemployed ever since. After my enlistment I married a wonderful woman and had 2 kids. She was employed, I was riding my little bit of savings for as long as possible. When the kids were born, I defaulted to stay-at-home-dad, which was perfect because I could hide from the world.
Here's where I'm at: I'm ready. I'm ready to say that I'm worth it, I'm ready to get help. Last month I established an intent to file. I've got my first ever appointment with MH at the VA on June 11th. I've reached out my best friend who I served with and asked if he would write a buddy letter, he said absolutely.
I feel like I'm on the right track, but here's my problem... through starting to gather evidence, going through old pictures (I know they won't ask for them), and truly self-reflecting for the first time ever... I'm absolutely fucked in the head right now. Heart is racing, brain is in overdrive, sleep is worse than usual. I feel foggy, can't even look my family in the eyes.
I keep telling myself it's a marathon, not a sprint, which I've seen posted here several times. I KNOW it is, but I swear if I continue to look through the Knowledge Base I will find that one piece of vital information that I missed. I'm terrified that I will somehow be denied.
Somebody who has felt similarly, please tell me it'll be OK. Please advise if you think I'm a fucking idiot.

I haven’t made any progress since I was 15. My life is exactly the same. I live at home. I don’t have any friends. No one wants to date me. I don’t do anything but somehow my life is still messy and chaotic.
I’m 24, and I actually have done a lot of stuff but literally all of it was for nothing. No longer term benefits to anything I’ve ever done. I graduated high school and college. I’ve worked 2-3 jobs at a time from 18-21. I’ve gone to therapy. I journal I exercise. I have hobbies. But no progress anywhere in my life. I actually had more money in college than I did working in my field.
Idk what’s wrong with me but I can’t do anything. I can’t get into a masters program. I can’t get into trade school. I would practice shit on my own and follow YouTube videos but I don’t have enough to buy equipment. Or to get started, I don’t even have access to places with the technology I need.
Nobody believes me or cares when I tell them how bad things are. I’m not even paying my student loans. I’m so fucked I set up a payment plan based on my income…they said all I had to pay was $16 for 6 months. I’m so fucked. Il so fucked. Everything I try fails. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I’ve redirected my life like 10 thousand times and nothing has helped. It’s like every opportunity is out of reach because I don’t have the time, or money I need to take the opportunity.
I have to start over at 24. No experience or skills. No one to vouch for me or give me a start. I’ve always wanted to be like some bad ass career woman but I suck. I feel so pathetic and I don’t know what do. I keep trying to learn new things but it’s never good enough to take advantage of an opportunity.
I have two friends that talk to me like 1-2 times a month. They’re my close friends but I am not their close friend. They’re both progressing and doing well. One is getting a masters, his job is paying for it too, he just got a girlfriend and he says he feels like he can be with her forever, and he’s buying a house later this year. My other friend is working in tech, making 6 figures, she’s been promoted twice and works in middle management. She’s lost over 100 lbs and her trainer wants to become his assistant trainer but she’s too busy leading a new team at her church, where she teaches kids how to code after school. She hasn’t moved out yet because she doesn’t want an apartment. She just wants to buy a house.
I haven’t moved out because I can’t. When I could afford to I didn’t have good credit. Now I have good credit but not enough money. I was saving for a house too but I drained my savings trying to pay bills when i couldn’t get a job that paid well. I am stuck paying for this car because I can’t get a job in my city, so I got it so that I could commute for work in the winter time. I put on 70 pounds after college because of psych meds and alcohol. Now I can’t function without getting intoxicated.
I have never in my life dated someone that actually liked me. I haven’t even had a real boyfriend or girlfriend since I was 17. Literally just people taking me on dates and gifting me things so I sleep with them. Then all the nice stuff goes away when I’m comfortable fucking them. I’m life is so fucking pathetic. I’m so pathetic. I don’t want to do this anymore. I know my life could be a lot worse but like that’s all I have to look forward to. Unless a chunk of change falls directly into my bank account at the end of June I’m fucked.
I can’t even afford my vices anymore. I was born to a married middle class couple and I still can’t do anything. Like I’m so disgusted with myself. I have fumbled everything. I’m such a fucking loser.

Well hello there fellow players of fighting games You might wonder why am i requesting such a rage heavy game. That's simple, i hate my life, after beating the binding of isaac and fulfilling it's achievements i felt this gaping hole in my heart, a hole that was filled by playing this skill issue of a game called the binding of isaac repentance, but after beating it, it left, my life became boring, it had no meaning. But. Spotify recommended me a soundtrack from this amazing game, called guilty gear strive, it was amazing, it's was like an eargasm, but then i checked the rest of the soundtrack from this game, just pure bliss, the instruments, the vocals, they were amazing, But then, i figured i should check out the game on YouTube, and then it hit me, hot characters, that you can use to fight, Elphelt? Yes please? A.B.A.? Unstable woman? My god YES! The characters, their move set, the voice acting? It's like i never seen a game like that, Tekken? Nah that's just nostalgic, Mortal kombat? Uhh, yea maybe I won't talk about it to not cause drama. Dead or alive? Well that's interesting, because it's the closest thing to the guilty gear characters, hot characters? Check, soft porn? Check, but, characters in dead or alive look like real people, and that's boring, i would much rather look at a character with copper hair that carries a talking key that somehow changes into a chainsaw man looking demon while using a special than a boring woman in bikini, that can do anatomically impossible moves while showing her ass and boobs at the same time, and you might think "User, what are you going to main in guilty gear?" Oh dear users of this subreddit, there are three options Obviously the unstable woman A.B.A. Elphelt, and wait for it, Bridget. I know i know, very original, no need the applause. But anyway, onto why I can't afford it? Because it's a lot of money, that's why
Thank you very much for reading this rollercoaster of a post ^w.
Edit to attempt nr.2: I've played blade strangers, i finished the story aspect of the game, it was very fun, I'm sad it's a dead game and I can't do much more, I'll try my luck with guilty gear if someone is wealthy enough to gift it or i get enough money to buy it
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198337641042/
https://store.steampowered.com/sub/914736/