Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura
"Lonely Castle in the Mirror" is a genre-savvy portal fantasy about junior high students who get drawn into a mysterious castle when they're supposed to be in school. Kokoro had a terrible experience early in the school year that's made her terrified of facing her classmates, and develops some kind of (psychosomatic?) illness that prevents her from attending either the normal school or a special alternative school for students who need more support. Shortly after this, her bedroom mirror turns into a portal to the castle with six other students who are also not in school during the normal hours. The "Wolf Queen" in charge--an elementary school girl who enjoys allusions to "Little Red Riding Hood"--tells them all that there's a secret key in the castle that can grant one wish, and they have a year to find it and, potentially, use it. Also, if anyone is caught in the castle outside of the 9-5 school day timeframe, they'll all be eaten by a wolf.
So, these painfully shy students have the opportunity to make friends and have a non-terrifying experience with kids their own age, and they all enjoy bonding and playing video games and drinking tea together, and for the most part nobody cares about finding the key, because that would make the castle close and prematurely end their new friendship. For most of the book, the contrived quest stuff doesn't play into it. And then when it does, it kind of lampshades "oh yeah I have to do this on speedrun mode."
There are a lot of takes pointing out that books where "the magic goes away"/"everyone loses their memories"/"we just have to move on with our lives and pretend like the portal fantasy never happened" can be pretty messed up. In this book, however, I couldn't find myself relating to the characters because it felt like a perverse incentives situation. Yes, middle school is an emotionally volatile, turbulent, unpleasant environment full of many immature people. This is a pretty common experience, actually. Kokoro just can't handle it, and as a response, the infinitely patient teacher at the alternative school reassures her mother that she's battling really hard and it's not her fault, she just can't go to school, and then she gets to go through a portal into fantasy world with people who play video games and eat snacks all day...? I understand there's more to it than that, but something has to change about this situation because otherwise this really isn't the message you want to send. (Once we learn about the backgrounds and life situations of some of the other students, I can imagine how it was easier for people like Subaru and Aki to fall through the cracks, but it feels like, eg, Masamune and Ureshino's junior high situation should have had some kind of guidance counselor or adult in the room. The readers' guide in the back of the book describes Kokoro as a "futoko," and I understand this is more pervasive in Japan than elsewhere, but I have a hard time accepting that seventh graders staying home for months on end with no apparent homeschooling or tutoring gets such a shrug.)
The prose didn't really grab me, sometimes it felt awkward ("That day, Fuka apparently enjoyed the chocolates back home, for she faithfully reported to Kokoro that 'they were delicious.'") and there were a several parts with very. short. one. line. paragraphs.

Kokoro tried to convince herself that she hadn't been at home that day. Miori and the others had simply pounded on the door of an empty house, trampled over the patio, gone round and round over outside of the house. But nothing actually happened. Nothing at all. She never was about to be killed. And yet the next day, she said, "I have a stomachache." And she really did. It was no lie. And her mother chimed in: "You do look pale. Are you OK?" And that's when Kokoro stopped going to school.

A few paragraphs later:

Would she be able to protect herself?
The only place she could now go to freely from her bedroom was the castle.
If I'm in the castle, she started to think, then I'll be safe.
Only the castle beyond the mirror could offer her complete protection.

Girl, I know your mental health isn't the greatest, but we're talking about the place where people threatened you with being eaten alive by a wolf. ??? Sorry, my suspension of belief does not extend this far.
There's also a random red herring with a neighbor student whose father has an interest in researching fairy tales, and like, maybe that "real world" location/characters are related in some way to the portal world? No, it's just a fortuitous coincidence that helps Kokoro have access to more Western fairy tale info.
The good news is, about halfway through the characters start developing some genre-savviness and realizing what they have in common, and towards the end, things pick up significantly in terms of how and why some of the arbitrary fairy-tale logic came about. So it definitely sticks the landing in that way.
Bingo: Prologue/Epilogue, Author of Color, Book Club
Promise of the Flame, by Sylvia Louise Engdahl
At the end of "Stewards of the Flame," to which this book is a sequel, our heroes Jesse, Carla, and Peter had hijacked a spaceship and jumped to an uninhabited planet to set up a colony where humans could develop psionic powers free from the medical bureaucracy of Undine. Jesse's hyperspace jump was rushed and not perfectly calculated, so in order to ensure their oxygen supply makes it all the way to planet Maclairn (named after their late founder), the Group had to confront their deepest fear and brave the stasis boxes that had been Chekhov-gunned several times in the last section. As the existence of the sequel implies, the protagonists and most of their comrades survive stasis. But while, in "Stewards," the hyperspace navigation "error"/imperfection sets up the Group's ultimate test, here it casts a long shadow as Jesse keeps wondering, "could we have picked a better landing site if I hadn't screwed it up?"
The early days on Maclairn are a struggle. The first part of the book is a recurring cycle of "should we do things this way or that way? Well, we came here to set up a society fully founded on mind powers, we pretty much have to commit to the bit or else what's the point." Repeat ad infinitum. Later, this broadens somewhat to "we have to have psi powers coexist with modern technology to fulfill Ian [Maclairn]'s dream, otherwise what's the point." There are clear parallels to (Engdahl's older trilogy) "Children of the Star"; that society represents the endpoint if they go down a path of giving up on modern technology--and the burdens of agrarian, high-population-growth societies fall disproportionately on women. If "Stewards" had motifs of baptism, this is more of an Exodus story, with the characters sulking about "why did you bring us out of Undine just to starve in the wilderness, at least there we had enough to eat." "My God, came Carla’s thought, we’re homesick! Homesick for Undine! I never admitted that to myself, it was so foolish, I’d wanted so much to leave . . . I guess I just pushed it down inside, into a place I didn’t dare go. . . ."
The consequences of the hyperspace jump being off are a minor tonal retcon/change in perspective on the events of the first book. A more significant one, to me, involves love triangle dynamics. In "Stewards," we learn that Carla and Peter both previously had spouses who died under the authoritarian Undine government. Fortunately, Jesse shows up just when Carla is ready to love again, and their relationship brings him into the Group and thus enables their escape from Undine. "Promise" adds that Peter has been silently pining for Carla all along, but needed Jesse's starship skills too much to say anything. We're told the Group's adult recruits skew slightly female, but that isn't represented among the main characters, and you're telling me that none of them are Peter's type? All three of them sigh and angst about "oh, we're such great friends, we can't let this love triangle come between us," and at times it feels like it's setting up for a polygamy plotline (they're all highly powerful telepaths, they can't keep secrets from each other!) And then it just...goes nowhere. As in the first book, I can accept that sex is probably great among telepaths; I can't buy that every single person has to have sex in order to fully level up their telepathic sensitivity!
The best parts of "Promise" involve the culture clashes between Jesse, who grew up on Earth; the rest of the adult Group members, from Undine; and the Maclairn-born generation. Undine's environment is so tightly regulated, they don't even have insects or lizards, so the planet's "collective unconsciousness" doesn't have a fear of creepy-crawlies; Jesse's initial revulsion risks "contaminating" the psyche until everyone faces their fear.

“Horror vids involving animal life aren’t permitted on colony worlds,” Peter told him. “Haven’t you ever wondered why starship libraries don’t contain any? Earth has always banned their export as a measure to protect extraterrestrial lifeforms. It’s one of the few government trade regulations I think is wise.” Of course, Jesse realized. The average Earth citizen’s reaction would have been to kill the crawlies—if possible, to exterminate them. That hadn’t occurred to anyone yesterday. And horror vids often portrayed even intelligent aliens as repulsive; what kind of precedent would that set if similar ones were ever encountered?
Traditionally, said the knowledgebase, small farmers had chopped chickens’ heads off with a hatchet. Wringing their necks was said to be more humane, but nobody wanted to experiment on live, squawking chickens despite the specific instructions provided. These warned that the hardest part, in the physical sense, would be catching a grown chicken in the first place—a fact soon borne out by experience, as chickens are not devoid of telepathic sensitivity and the pursuers were unconsciously broadcasting their intent to kill.
Kel, like many of the Group’s other children, had been slow in learning to talk. It had taken awhile before it dawned on the adults that this was because the kids’ telepathic bonds with their parents had been so strongly encouraged that they felt no need to communicate vocally. Speech could not be allowed to die out in a psi-based culture; it was essential not only to reading but to the framing and communication of complex ideas. Now, everyone realized that like the skills for volitional control of the body, telepathic conveyance of concepts, as distinguished from emotions, must wait until the kids were older.

On the other hand, the scope of "this is dangerous, but we must, to commit to the psionic bit" and "well, we've come through a lot of tough situations before, but this time really is the end...jk never mind we got out of it" got repetitive. There was one scene towards the end where it's like "okay, we're almost done, I can see how telepathy might be used to enable a permanent self-sacrifice...nope, we're still going, huh," and even though some of the resolutions were nice callbacks/tying up foreshadowing, it was still a lot.
Like in James P. Hogan's "Voyage to Yesteryear," the kids who were raised outside of Earth and Undine's prejudices are, overall, a great step forward for humankind, but there can be some values dissonance. In both cases, the desire for lots of population growth leads to a much lower age of consent than Earthlings are used to. Justified somewhat more in Maclairn's case; telepathy means almost everyone wouldn't fathom hurting each other and of course sex is consensual, as well as amazing. On the other hand, in both cases, there's no prison infrastructure; if someone is determined to be evil and is posing a grave threat to others, you just have to kill them. "Promise" gets a little more philosophical about the problem of evil--if it's not nature and it's not nurture, what causes it? Free will? Sure, but it seems as if some people are also evil from day one even if their DNA is just fine.
There are a couple shoutouts to Lord of the Rings and Star Trek that fit in nicely. I found "it's just like using the Force, you know, like in that old vid, Star Wars" to be more of a distraction. Similarly, Engdahl's commitment to showing her work ("in the twentieth century on Earth, you know, people experimented with remote viewing!") got to be a distraction. But the exploration of "okay, let's try a rain dance, even if it fails we're learning something and pushing knowledge forward" was a great use of the "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" trope, which is what I come to Engdahl for anyway.
Some people, like Peter, tend to believe in an afterlife; others, like Jesse, are more skeptical. Earth religions don't transfer well to other planets because the interstellar gap is too big for the collective unconsciousness to bridge. Despite this, characters use the word "God" (like in a telepathic context of "Carla . . . oh, God, Carla, answer me!") approximately 144 times. Do you have no one else's name to take in vain???
Criticisms aside, I do think that this is less heavy-handed than "Stewards" and at least as good a starting point!
Bingo: Dreams, Prologues/Epilogues, Self-Published, Survival. One prominent character acquires a physical disability midway through the story. Jesse and Peter's Criminal record on Undine is not very important (since the entire book is set on or around Maclairn), but it becomes more prominent in the last section.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty
Once upon a time (1100s Indian Ocean) there was a notorious nakhudha (pirate captain) named Amina al-Sirafi. Ten years ago, she retired, and now she's a single mom with a bad knee and a leaky roof. However, a wealthy noblewoman who believes her granddaughter has been kidnapped by a Western European would-be sorcerer insists on having Amina rescue her, never mind Amina's own family responsibilities. So Amina has to put the band back together, staying one step ahead of the authorities while getting to the bottom of the mystery.
Amina and her crew are likable rogues. I found this easier to get into than Chakraborty's "City of Brass". That book focused more on a long-term conflict between two factions, neither of whom consistently seem like the "good guys"; maybe that's supposed to be sending a message about RL actually works, but I found it confusing at times. In contrast, the early sections of "Amina" are about tracking down individual allies, from a gay smuggler stuck in a prison in Aden, to a navigator and family man in Mogadishu, while researching the notorious Falco Palamenestra and speculating what he might be up to.
At first, Amina's Muslim identity comes through more in the ways characters talk, and some level of monster-fighting exorcism (like Catholicism in some horror movies), than actual practice. But gradually, we see more of how she's struggled to be a parent in her post-pirate life:

If the criminal past didn’t alert you, I have not always been a very good Muslim. Drinking and missing prayer were among my lesser sins, and if I tried to straighten myself up every year when Ramadan rolled around—a new life of piety easy to imagine while dazed with thirst and caught up in the communal joy of taraweeh—I typically lapsed into my usual behavior by the time the month of Shawwal had ended.
But then Marjana was born. And Asif was . . . lost. And if one of these events made me feel as though I had no right to ever call upon God again, the other filled with me a driving need I could not deny. So I keep my daily prayers, even if I feel unworthy the entire time.

To me, this rang true as a depiction of a complicated, realistic, person of faith.
This is a time and place that I knew very little about. For instance, one plotline involves the island of Socotra, an island off the coast of Somalia which is today part of Yemen. There are caves there with graffiti from sailors going back thousands of years, in Indian and Greek and Ethiopic scripts. This is a real place! I would not have been able to tell you anything about it before reading this book! So Chakraborty's vivid descriptions of places this, and of the diverse cultures and religious backgrounds of pirates who live and work alongside each other, is compelling. There's a danger in this as a reader, though, in that getting too caught up in the "worldbuilding" of the actual world can make it feel like its "foreignness" is what makes it speculative and fantastical, which is obviously inaccurate and beside the point. That's one reason why jumping in at the deep end with an honest-to-goodness sea monster in chapter one might have been a good choice, to remind us that there really are otherworldly things happening.
The themes of "rich people love to jerk poor people around" and "the male gaze sucks" are clear, but there's lots of quippy banter mixed in.

“That was you, was it not? The woman who poisoned the soldiers at the wali’s office, freed a crew of homicidal pirates, set a score of ships on fire, and fled the harbor in the middle of the night?” “I would never confirm such a thing and put you at risk of consorting with criminals. But it was two ships, not a score. I wouldn’t wish to encourage exaggeration.”
Sailing past its ancient breakwater—the stones said to have been set there by giants—you might feel as though you have entered a mythical port of magic from a sailor’s yarn. You would be sorely mistaken. Aden is where magic goes to be crushed by the muhtasib’s weights, and if wonder could be calculated, this city would require an ordinance taxing it.
“She knows you are a pirate?” “I am not a pirate,” Majed huffed. “I am a cartographer with a checkered past.” “Yes. A checkered past of piracy.”

The book contains a few chapters that are "in-universe documentation" or chronicles of the places and people in the main narrative. This is a trope I really enjoy at times. However, in this case, I didn't feel it added much, beyond underscoring the themes that "men feel threatened by powerful women, oh no."
The biggest issue for me was how all the diverse, sympathetic characters just kind of went along with developments that felt more reminiscent of 2020s Tumblr idiolect than 1100s Indian Ocean. How fortuitously convenient! (At least it got a Hugo nom.)
Smaller quibbles: the timeframe with Amina in her forties is appeSaling to the extent that it's a story about a working mother trying to follow her own dreams while also desperately missing her kid. But in order to make that work, the narrative sometimes withholds a lot of important information about the tragedies in Amina's past/her relationship with her child's father until it can be brought forward for dramatic effect, and it made me wonder what a story from the younger Amina's POV would look like without the artificial suspense problem.
More broadly, I felt like the second half's pace wasn't as crisp as the first--there's a dramatic near-death experience, then a bunch of fantastical creatures are introduced in quick succession as if to make up for the "worldbuilding via the actual world" stuff earlier, then we get a very contrived in-universe sequel hook, then we double back to a setting that had already been introduced. Whereas the first part was "we need to go to A to do B and then that gives us a clue that leads us to C."
Who wore it better?

“It is invalid!” I burst out. “Our nikah. It is not permissible for me to marry a non-Muslim.” Raksh frowned. “Is that why the man had me say all those words about God and prophets?” He returned to studying the contract. “Trust me, dear wife, I can be a vast number of things.” “But—but you are not a believer.” “Of course I am. Best to know the competition, yes?”

Compare "Alif the Unseen" (which is one of my favorites and I suspect I probably was harsh on "City of Brass" by comparison):

"But I told him I couldn't marry him even if I wanted to, because I can't marry an unbeliever. And he laughed and said he'd been a believer, 'for a the better part of a thousand years,' I believe were the exact words." "What?" said Alif. "Vikram? Vikram the madman who bites people?" "He might be those things," said the convert hastily, "but did you ever know him to do or say anything really blasphemous?" "I guess not."

Bingo: Alliterative Title, Criminals, Dreams, Reference Materials, Readalong! It's planned to be First in a Series but the sequels aren't out yet. (Statistics from last year just came out and this was the most popular book across all 2023 bingo cards, with ~200 reads!)
Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik
When I read "Uprooted" and griped about the implausible romance and/or reactive plot, people's reactions were "try Spinning Silver, it's an improvement in some of those ways." And yeah, it is! I was aware that Spinning Silver was set in the same world as Uprooted, ~1700s Eastern Europe but with some fantasy elements, and that it was based on Rumplestiltskin.
But it's a lot more than a simple retelling. "Spinning Silver" teases out the individual trope elements of Rumplestiltskin--a mercenary father trying to get his daughter to marry up, the dead mother looming over the plot, a woman given the impossible task of making gold out of other elements, terrible bargains, aloof and unknowable beings from the fae world, the power of knowing someone's true name, the horror of a mother trading her child to inhuman creatures--and blows them all up, turning them inside-out, and creating something original.
It also does a lot with POV. For the first chunk, we have two young women from a small town who go back and forth telling the stories of their business dealings. But as the book goes on, we start jumping into more and more people's heads, and everyone's voice is very different. Sometimes this can be used for dramatic irony; we hear what character A thinks of their interaction with B, then we jump back and tell the same scene from B's POV and what was going through their head is very different than what A assumes. Once in a while, this makes the plot drag--there's a couple of scenes towards the end where we can't have any suspense about "oh no, will they find what they're looking for" because we've just seen the corresponding scene from another POV, and it would have been more effective to rearrange them--but overall, things are propelled forward much more intriguingly than "Uprooted."
Our POV characters are:

• Miryem, the daughter of the village moneylender. Miryem's family is Jewish, which means her father is one of the few people socially permitted to work as a moneylender--but he's more interested in currying favor with the neighbors than getting his debts repaid, so his family goes hungry. Miryem steps up, grows "cold" and "wintry," and takes on his job, to her parents' horror. But an offhand remark about "look, I can turn silver into gold" (metaphorically, because of, you know, capitalism) inadvertently catches the ear of the "Staryk," monstrous elven raiders who live in a parallel realm.
• Wanda, the daughter of an abusive alcoholic. Miryem is like "he can't pay off his debt because he's drunk everything away, I'll have them repay me by hiring Wanda to assist me with our work, I know this is cold and ruthless but I have to." Then when we see it from Wanda's POV she's like "you're giving me money to be out of the house and away from my father? And you'll even feed me? What an undeserved kindness!" Her reaction to "learning to manipulate numbers and do arithmetic is an amazing kind of magic!" felt cheesy and over-the-top, but the contrast between the literal phrasing of a royal decree and the way she "translates" it was more convincing.
• Irina, the daughter of the duke of Vysnia (Vilnius, Lithuania). Like Wanda, her mother is dead and her father is trying to arrange the most profitable marriage for her, never mind what she wants. When Miryem is compelled to turn magical Staryk silver into gold, she does so by having an acquaintance forge silver jewelry which the duke purchases--so when the gold takes on magical powers in the Staryk world, so does the silver with Irina, and brings her to the attention of a tsar. Despite her cold relationship with her father, she learns a lot from him and is a true politician, adept as anyone at cutting deals to keep her realm safe.
• Stepon, Wanda's younger brother. His narration is very simple and childlike (amazing cold open with "I like goats because I know what they will do.") It's possible he has some kind of sensory/mental health issues, or it's possible he's just eleven and overstimulated by unfamiliar crowds.
• Magreta, Irina's nurse/caretaker. She can be kind and supportive, but her casual antisemitism provides a contrast to how Miryem is treated by the villagers.
• Mirnatius, the tsar. For a while we mostly see him through Irina's POV ("this guy is so full of himself he requires a new outfit every day, that's no way to manage the economy"), but again, his narration provides a very different perspective on what's going on.

So I said the romance was better than "Uprooted," in that we didn't have the implausible "elderly magician berates young woman all the time but also they can't keep their hands off each other." In "Spinning Silver," both {Miryem and the Staryk king} and {Irina and Mirnatius} are paired off without much say-so on anybody's part, it's being manipulated by magic/higher-ups. So the timeframe of the book is mostly them all learning how to tolerate each other, and the romance is kind of left to your imagination in the future era.
The Staryk magic is kind of like...you can see their roads briefly if they make incursions in the human world, but as soon as they've disappeared, you start forgetting them and it really takes effort to remember. This means that if someone, like Miryem, disappears into the Staryk world, she's forgotten almost immediately except for little irregularities that don't seem right. These depictions were well-done. (Except that I was trying to remember if the Staryk were the same as the [jerk, mundane human] aristocrats in "Uprooted." They're not. I think I was half-remembering "Marek," the creepy prince, instead of "Staryk," the winter elves.)
There's a cool liminal space that sets up back-and-forth "communication" between the human and Staryk realms, and again, the multiple POVs are a good framework for this. On the other hand, there are some things, like, why do the Staryk want human gold, that are kind of chalked up to "magic idk" and not completely spelled out; for some of the confrontations at the end, again, it's better not to worry too much about hard magic systems and just go with the vibes. There's also an earlier plot that definitely plays the trope of "the less the audience knows about the plan, the more likely it is to succeed" trope straight.
Especially early on, it can be a very bleak "everyone sucks here" setting. Wanda and Stepon's father is horrific. Irina's father is mercenary and sets her up with Mirnatius, a dandy who abuses animals for fun. Nobody in the village respects Miryem's family, and when she tries to reclaim what she's due, her parents are horrified. The Staryk raid the village and carry off women and demand impossible tasks. There's a lot of "I have my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it" coming from all sides. Even though the plot is moving forward, it's hard to feel like there's anything to root for.
But cracks of light shine through. Miryem's mother, and her mother, defy the "dead moms" trope, and are able to be loving parental figures to Wanda, Stepon, and their brother Sergey. Miryem's grandfather is wise and conscientious, warning her of the risks that some of her choices pose not only to their family but to the Vysnia Jewish community as a whole, but still recognizing she's mature enough to make her own choices. They even make use of a real-world Jewish blessing for the first blossoming of trees in the spring. Even when people are trying to be cold, sometimes they're just too human!
Bingo: Alliterative Title, Under the Surface (not for most of the plot, but there is a secret tunnel that gets use), Multi-POV (and how!)
The Infinite Arena (edited by Terry Carr)
Anthology of SF short stories about sports, stumbled upon while browsing a used bookstore. I like sports and the first one was based on "Casey at the Bat," so okay, sold.
It's from 1977, and the stories were originally published in the 40s-70s timeframe. The sex ratio among writers appears to be nine men, zero women, which is pretty "impressive" considering there are only seven stories. Three of them are installments from series that feature the same recurring character(s), so maybe that explains some of the...paucity? I don't want to say they're "flat" or "shallow" or anything, most of the contemporary "deep" stuff isn't to my taste either, but it feels like there's "no 'there' there" for several of these. In some cases, it's like, "we have to raise the stakes by involving gambling/someone's fate being on the line"; in others, it's looking for parallels between sports and other aspects of life (warfare? weird alien insects?) that provide the impetus for two plots to intertwine.
-Joy in Mudville (Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson)--very impressionable and earnest teddy-bear-like alien species imprints on humans, and immediately become obsessed with baseball. One of the aliens names himself Mighty Casey, but unfortunately, opponents can rattle him by reminding him of how "Casey at the Bat" turned out. Fortunately, what poetry can break, poetry can also fix...

"You untentacled mammal! raged Ush Karuza. "You sslimeless conformation of bored flesh!" Alex had long ago discovered that mankind rarely reacts to insults couched in nonhuman terms. It did not offend him at all to be told that he was slimeless.

-Bullard Reflects (Malcolm Jameson)--Dazzle Dart is a sport played by bouncing light rays around with reflective gear and aiming for a goal at the opponents' end. Like American football, one team is designated on offense at a time, and the other is on defense, but you can "intercept" and score from on defense. In Dazzle Dart, this is worth bonus points. Except instead of normal goals and "turnover" goals being worth one and two points respectively, it's twenty-five and fifty. And you thought Quidditch was silly. (This is from 1941.)
-The Body Builders (Keith Laumer)--the best of the stories, in my opinion, in that it predicts both technological advancement and the social changes that will ensue in a clever way.

So it's a little artificial maybe--but what about the Orggies, riding around in custom-built cars that are nothing but substitute personalities, wearing padded shoulders, contact lenses, hearing aids, false teeth, cosmetics, elevator shoes, rugs to cover their bald domes? If you're going to wear false eyelashes, why not false eyes? Instead of a nose bob, why not bob the whole face? At least a fellow wearing a Servo is honest about it, which is more than you can say for an Orggie doll in a foam-rubber bra--not that Julie needed any help in that department.

-The Great Kladnar Race (Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett)--bored humans on an alien planet try introducing something like horse races that they can bet on. However, the aliens' concepts of sports and competition and betting don't necessarily align with the humans'.
-Mr. Meek Plays Polo (Clifford D. Simak)--guy who has only seen one space polo game in his life somehow accidentally stumbles into being the "expert" space polo coach, oops. Also there are weird alien bugs that are great at computation (a little like "The Circle").
-Sunjammer (Arthur C. Clarke, whose name is spelled wrong on the front cover)--a solar flare interrupts a solar sailboat race. Felt timely given the storm of a few days ago! (I did not get to see the aurora, alas.)
-Run to Starlight (George R. R. Martin)--short and slow but extremely muscular aliens enter an American football league and crush everyone, metaphorically and literally. However, the aliens' concepts of sports and competition don't necessarily align with the humans'. Too bad he never wrote anything else ;)
Bingo: 5+ short stories.

Growing up, I was always wheeling and dealing. To me, this wasn’t an entrepreneurial upbringing but just something fun. I am of course the son of a cereal-entrepreneur, and the grandson of, “A man who could sell ice to a polar bear” but even in all of this, I never realized the skills I was acquiring along the way.
Recently, while listening to the My First Million podcast, the guest mentioned a rule they follow: “I never work with founders who didn’t own a lemonade stand when they were young”. Though not literal in this medium of business, it got me thinking about my own past.
As far back as I can remember, around 5th grade, I was on eBay.
My first Power-Seller account, to which they sent me a certificate we framed, was under my father's name, but I ran it exclusively. I remember taking photos on our family digital camera, transferring them to our desktop, and spending hours selling odds and ends.
What I don’t remember however is what I was selling, or really where in my world I got these things from. I do however wager it was flea markets, antique shops, and places of this sort as I do remember spending a great deal of time in each of them as a kid.
One of my biggest successes was purchasing an RC Cola Machine from a city auction for $5 - cash. After spending the rest of the weekend cleaning and scrubbing down the insides I discovered its coin operator mechanism was broken, meaning I couldn’t enjoy beverages on demand.
But the cooling system worked well, and after a little research, I found out there were parts that could be purchased to bypass this for home use.
I think the evening I found this out, it went up for auction on eBay. Set for “Local Pickup”, featuring a compelling story about how great this piece would be in a basement, man-cave, or den and a $50 reserve to ensure I at least 10x’d my investment, the auction went live.
I couldn't tell you how much it sold for, but about 10 days later what I can remember is loading it into my Dad's truck for the second time, a little more gently this go around, and meeting a man in the parking lot of a gas station off the highway.
I also remember Dad, perhaps in disbelief or out of real pragmatic fear, telling me this person might not be real and this could be too good to be true. Neither was the case, and with goods delivered, and payment safely secured via the platform, my love for the process was cemented.
In 8th grade, I turned a school project on the Alaskan Iditarod into a candy-selling business. As part of the project, we placed bets in the form of bags of candy, on the competition.
In my wisdom, I had researched all the competitors the night before and at the end of the race, had won something like 20 bags of candy from the class.
After winning bets in the form of candy bags, I sold them piece by piece from my locker, making a nice profit over the semester and somehow being inconspicuous enough to never attract attention from the teachers, which might have ended with a trip to the principal's office and a cease-and-desist to this little venture.
In 9th grade, while at a friend’s house, I found a pizza oven sitting in his garage. This particular pizza oven was quite dirty but stood out as a unique item with an oven at the bottom, and 4 pizza turning racks on top.
I remember asking his mom if it worked and her not knowing, and saying I could have it if I wanted, to which I accepted.
A few hours of work that weekend to get it cleaned up, and a quick test revealed it not only worked but had lights on top of the turning rack and a display sign.
Back to eBay yet again, I remember, semi-reluctantly as I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen, selling that as well.
The process of finding, fixing, and flipping items became a routine that I thoroughly enjoyed, though I never had the heart to tell my friend I had sold it, and I don’t remember for how much it went either, but I do remember it was purchased via ‘Buy-It-Now” quite fast.
While at the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree the summer before I graduated high school, I collected limited-edition daily collectable patches that were available. The big gimmick with these patches was that only 2010 of each were made, and scattered across the various stores for thousands of scouts who had attended the event to track down and purchase.
The night I got home from the event I had them uploaded onto eBay and watched as these patches, of which no one was really selling, soared in live auction to somewhere around $650, paying for the entire trip.
I think one of the reasons I remember this one so well is because the timing and luck involved in this sale taught me the importance of seizing opportunities.
Days after this set of patches sold and was delivered to a satisfied buyer, completing the transaction, the Boy Scouts of America - because of patch collectors' outcry over the limited inventory, re-released these sets. Effectively, collapsing the market for all but the collectors who cared for ‘First Print” - which could not be proved.
When I went off to college, my focus shifted from selling items to designing things. I channeled my creativity into digital art and graphic print design, working as a freelance graphic designer.
Over the years, I’ve created logos, brandings, graphic prints, and even worked for a yacht apparel company creating graphics of some of the world's most expensive boats, negotiate contracts, and creating art that to this day is still in the public domain.
However, my first business failure came during this period. Relying solely on word-of-mouth marketing, I struggled to make ends meet.
Walking away from my attempts to run a graphic design business was tough, both personally and financially. It took years to bounce back, but this experience taught me about resilience and how to identify priorities, set your own schedule, and perhaps most importantly remain productive outside the confines of a traditional workday, or boss.
When you are an entrepreneurial type, often you can find yourself rubbing people the wrong way. I believe it is these things that make us almost ‘unemployable’, as I like to call it.
At my core, I have always sought to identify problems and seize opportunities and after an abrupt end to my time in the corporate world due to politics and personal differences, I set out to build Workflow Secrets, and later, the Systems Accelerator Manager (SAM).
SAM is an AI-powered tool designed for real estate agents, helping them build systems and content tailored to their business needs. The journey from selling items on eBay to creating an innovative software solution has been driven by my entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to help people create a better life.
Reflecting on my journey, I see how each step, from a 5th grader working to craft the perfect description to draw attention to SAM, has been a natural progression of my entrepreneurial DNA.
Each venture, success, and failure has shaped my approach to business, and I am excited to continue this path of innovation and growth. How I see it, this story only grows from here, perhaps this next chapter will involve you.
Thanks for reading.
Cody Stepp
Co-Founder Workflow Secrets

A- “Yes, there is research that explores the connections between international organized crime and various sectors, including technology and entertainment. These studies often focus on how organized crime groups exploit these sectors for profit, as well as how advancements in technology can facilitate criminal activities. Here are some key findings from the research:

1. Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism: This research discusses the relationship between terrorist groups and transnational organized crime, highlighting the challenges in defining and understanding this relationship due to disciplinary boundaries and legal logistics. It emphasizes the need for a holistic view of these issues to develop effective policy responses¹.
   
2. Transformative Technologies: A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime examines how digital technology is changing the landscape of organized crime. It covers a range of topics, including cybercrime, human trafficking, and drug trafficking, and discusses how technology acts as both a facilitator and a challenge for law enforcement².
   
3. The Internet, Technology, and Organized Crime: An article from the Asian Journal of Criminology looks at how digital technology is exploited by organized crime. It suggests a more expansive construction of the concept of criminal organization to accommodate the evolution and diversification of organizational forms in the modern era³.
   
4. Transnational Organized Crime and the Impact on the Private Sector: This analysis identifies specific forms of organized crime that have a material impact on the private sector or use it as facilitators. It includes discussions on money laundering and estimates its scale in the global economy⁴.
   
5. Criminal Markets: A study from Springer focuses on technology-driven changes in criminal markets. It addresses the dark web, money laundering, and other aspects of the intersection between technology and organized crime⁵.
   

These resources provide insights into the direct and indirect ways in which international organized crime interacts with the tech and entertainment sectors. They highlight the importance of understanding these connections to develop strategies for prevention and enforcement.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 5/27/2024 (1) Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism Oxford Research .... https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-705. (2) TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES - Global Initiative. https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Transformative-Technologies-WEB.pdf. (3) The Internet, Technology, and Organized Crime Asian Journal of .... https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11417-007-9034-z. (4) Transnational Organized Crime and the Impact on the Private Sector. https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/GITOC_TOCPrivateSector_web.pdf. (5) Criminal markets: the dark web, money laundering and ... - Springer. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12117-019-09365-8. (6) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.705.
Yes, there are studies that examine the potential use of NFTs and platforms like Stake and Kick for money laundering activities. Here are some key points from the research:

1. NFTs: A New Frontier for Money Laundering?: This study by the Royal United Services Institute explores the money laundering risks associated with NFTs. It discusses how NFTs can be used to represent assets and be traded or sold for cryptocurrency or fiat currency. The study highlights the need for 'know your customer' policies and ongoing monitoring to mitigate these risks¹.
   
2. Are Nonfungible Tokens Subject to US Anti-Money Laundering Requirements?: This analysis considers whether NFT market participants might become subject to U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory requirements. It discusses the implications of recent multimillion-dollar transactions and the potential for regulatory scrutiny of NFTs².
   
3. NFTs and Financial Crime: A data-driven analysis by Elliptic looks into the prevalence of money laundering, terrorist financing, scams, and sanctioned entities in NFT-related trading activity. It finds that these financial crimes represent a small but notable portion of overall NFT trading³.
   

These studies suggest that while NFTs and related platforms offer new opportunities for artists and creators, they also present new challenges in terms of financial crime and money laundering. It's important for regulators, platforms, and users to be aware of these risks and take appropriate measures to prevent misuse.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 5/27/2024 (1) NFTs: A New Frontier for Money Laundering? Royal United Services .... https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/nfts-new-frontier-money-laundering. (2) Are Nonfungible Tokens Subject to US Anti-Money Laundering Requirements .... https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2021/04/are-nonfungible-tokens-subject. (3) NFTs and Financial Crime Money Laundering through Non ... - Elliptic. https://www.elliptic.co/resources/nfts-financial-crime.
The concept of NFTs being used to represent contraband while providing plausible deniability to the holder is a topic of concern and interest in legal and financial crime research. The unique nature of NFTs, which allows them to represent ownership of digital or physical items, can be exploited for illicit purposes. Here's what the research indicates:

1. NFTs and Plausible Deniability: Some studies suggest that NFTs could be used to represent illegal goods or services, providing a layer of separation between the illicit activity and the individual. This could potentially offer plausible deniability, as the NFT itself is not illegal, but what it represents might be⁴.
   
2. NFTs as Tokens for Contracts: NFTs have been explored as a means to encode contracts and agreements within their metadata. This could theoretically be used in criminal activities to facilitate transactions without direct evidence of the underlying illegal agreement⁵.
   
3. Research on NFTs and Crime: There is ongoing research into the intersection of crime and NFTs, examining how these digital assets can be used for money laundering and other financial crimes. This includes creating fake records of sales on the blockchain by selling NFTs to oneself using different accounts, which can then be sold to an unsuspecting buyer⁷.
   
4. Legal Perspectives: Legal analyses have been conducted to understand the compliance aspects of NFTs, highlighting the potential for 'wash trading' and money laundering. These analyses emphasize the need for effective regulations and due diligence protocols to prevent misuse⁴.
   

It's important to note that while there is potential for abuse, NFTs also offer legitimate opportunities for artists, creators, and collectors. As with any technology, the key is to balance innovation with safeguards against misuse. Ongoing research and legal scrutiny are essential to ensure that NFTs are used responsibly and ethically.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 5/27/2024 (1) Non Fungible Tokens: a legal perspective - Fieldfisher. https://www.fieldfisher.com/en/insights/non-fungible-tokens-a-legal-perspective-nft-crime-and-compliance. (2) NFTs and Financial Crime Money Laundering through Non-Fungible Tokens. https://www.elliptic.co/resources/nfts-financial-crime. (3) The Intersection of Crime and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). https://www.conawayandstrickler.com/blog/the-intersection-of-crime-and-non-fungible-tokens-nfts/. (4) Understanding non-fungible tokens (NFTs): insights on ... - Springer. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11002-022-09655-2.pdf?pdf=button. (5) Evolution of Non-Fungible Tokens. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Evolution_of_NFTs_2023.pdf. (6) Understanding non-fungible tokens (NFTs): insights on ... - Springer. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11002-022-09655-2. (7) How NFTs could impact police evidence collection. https://www.police1.com/investigations/articles/one-of-a-kind-how-non-fungible-tokens-hold-the-promise-of-transforming-law-enforcement-eC43rIz3i84xToca/. (8) Cryptocurrencies - The challenges for criminals and investigators .... https://www.gci-ccm.org/insight/2022/01/cryptocurrencies-challenges-criminals-and-investigators. (9) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-022-09655-2.
Certainly, the misuse of social media bots for fraudulent activities in the music industry and brand deals, as well as Astro-turfing to manipulate public opinion, is a significant concern. Here are some academic resources that delve into these issues:

1. Fake Streams, Listening Bots, and Click Farms: This study discusses the use of microlabor platforms like SEOClerks for counterfeiting attention in the streaming music economy. It highlights how services are bought and sold to artificially inflate the popularity of music tracks on platforms like Spotify¹.
   
2. Misinformation, Manipulation, and Abuse on Social Media: This article from the Journal of Computational Social Science explores the spread of online misinformation, manipulation, and abuse, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the emergence of infodemics and the role of social bots and automated accounts in spreading false information².
   
3. Criminal Politics: This research provides an integrated approach to the study of organized crime, politics, and violence. It suggests that organized criminal violence should be incorporated within the political violence literature and explores the relationships between criminal organizations and the state⁴.
   
4. How to Research Organized Crime: This essay from The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime offers an overview of the methods and approaches used in researching organized crime and related issues, which could be relevant to understanding the connection between social media abuse and organized crime⁵.
   
5. Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism: This research entry discusses the relationship between terrorist groups and transnational organized crime, which may provide insights into the organizational structures that could be involved in social media manipulation for criminal purposes⁶.
   

These resources should provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms behind the abuse of social media for fraudulent purposes and its potential ties to organized crime. They also offer methodologies for researching these complex issues. It's important to approach this research with a critical eye and consider the ethical implications of such practices.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 5/27/2024 (1) Fake Streams, Listening Bots, and Click Farms: Counterfeiting ... - JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/americanmusic.38.2.0153. (2) Misinformation, manipulation, and abuse on social media in the era of .... https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42001-020-00094-5. (3) Criminal Politics: An Integrated Approach to the Study of Organized .... https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/criminal-politics-an-integrated-approach-to-the-study-of-organized-crime-politics-and-violence/B6E8E52E87FCC47B3F053BA7AF65971E. (4) How to Research Organized Crime - Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/38662/chapte335786568. (5) Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism Oxford Research .... https://oxfordre.com/internationalstudies/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.001.0001/acrefore-9780190846626-e-705. (6) Fake Streams, Listening Bots, and Click Farms: Counterfeiting Attention .... https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/am/article/38/2/153/261539/Fake-Streams-Listening-Bots-and-Click-Farms. (7) undefined. https://doi.org/10.5406/americanmusic.38.2.0153. (8) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592717002110. (9) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199730445.013.010. “

I have two sisters who have three kids among them. Two are great, fine, kids. My older sister's second kid, however, is miserable and a misery to his family.
I feel so bad for this kid, he just seems to live a joyless life of pain. As a little kid, he seemed fine, other than being a little bit chubby, which nobody worried about because most of us were chubby as little kids as well. He was a happy kid who got along with most people.
I don't know when the tide turned, but it did in a big way. Now he is 13, hugely obese, has failed out of school, and hates his world and pretty much everyone in it. I have tried to build a relationship with him, but he won't have it. He barely even acknowledges my existence unless I buy him something big, expensive, and exactly what he wants (otherwise, he complains about the gifts). As far as I can tell, he is close to no one but his mom, who is also kind of treats like crap.
He seems really tortured about his sexuality - he has come out as gay, then asexual, then non-binary and has changed his name. He has ADHD, and while the diagnosis level doesn't seem that severe, the manifestations of it are. Every day is a battle to get him to school, and almost never on time. He seems completely incapable of doing homework and literally never does it. This led to him failing out of his special IEP at public school, and now he goes to a special school for "twice exceptional" kids where they just don't even assign him homework. Still, he struggles even with that, and often feels his teachers hate him and are against him.
He is very lonely and has no friends, but is also a pretty mean kid and can be a real bully if given half a chance. He is clearly very depressed and extremely reserved, I think he basically hates all of humanity. He becomes very anxious in social situations.
My sister has resigned herself that she will likely be taking care of this kid his whole life. She does not see how he can go to college or have a job with his level of "executive dysfunction" and his lack of social skills. Though he will surely improve with time, she is not optimistic it will be enough that he will be able to live outside of their home as an adult even though he is quite intelligent.
We are expecting our first child and my husband is completely freaked out about having a kid like this, he really thinks we can't handle it and we might not be able to. This kid has become my sister's whole life. She left her career because he needed so much care and supervision and she seems to have resigned herself to the idea that this is how it always will be.
I feel like both this sister and I struggled with a lot of the same stuff while we were young. We were both quite chubby, but became more active and lost the weight. We got in good shape and have mostly remained that way - it wasnt' easy for us, but it is part of our lifestyle. We had trouble making friends, but continued to search and eventually found our tribes. I have serious (and, as a kid, undiagnosed) ADHD and I see how that made school difficult for me, but I made it through without any IEPs much less a special school. And I was definitely depressed and anxious, but not to the point where it made me so nasty I alienated even my close relatives. As the the gender dysphoria, that is this kid's thing alone. I always kind of hated being a girl and went through a phase where I dressed and acted in a very androgynous way, but I never felt I wasn't a girl or felt I had to question it. I never felt insecure about it.
How does one kid have all these problems? Why does it seem nothing can help? Is there something we can do that our kid doesn't turn out like this?
EDIT: I just want to say that this kid is being therapized to within an inch of his life. His special school has literally an army of therapists of different kinds that work with him (at least five) and he has his own private therapist, ADHD coach, and psychiatrist. He is medicated for his ADHD and depression and it does help, but he is still like this after.

This excerpt comes from Section 24 of the text entitled "Night Conversations in a Mountain Hermitage", in which a stranger enters Zhongfeng's Mingben house abruptly and proceeds to question him about all things Zen through the entire night, as if he is some question answering machine... I wish I could post this whole text, but it's like 80 pages, I'm lazy, and I've already started posting chunks of it out of order.
This thing is a major goldmine for all sticky issues of Zen, such as :

• "Wtf is a huatou?"
• "Wtf isn't a huatou?"
• "Wtf is practice?"
• "Did the old-school guys look at a huatou?"
• "Aren't words bad?"
• "Can I have magic powers if I do Zen real good?"
• "Are Zen and Pure Land related?"

It's significant that this text is framed as some rando busting into a Zen master's house and asking all of these goofy questions that people tend to have. This is not a monk at a monastery, this is like Joe Blow was walking by and decided to get all of his questions answered. This person is obviously an audience surrogate for us and all of our pesky questions which are basically repeats of 14th century pesky questions.
The 24th question basically amounts to "Mr. Mingben, didn't Dahui destroy the BCR because it's full of bad evil cool words?"

[24] SOMEONE ASKED: "In the Chan school there is a book called Blue Cliff Collection. When Yuanwu [Keqin] was dwelling on Mt. Jia, he took up Xuedou's Verses on Ancient Standards, arranged the essential points thereof. and evaluated the words and phrasing, [ultimately producing the multi-layered Blue Cliff Record]. He raised matters in a detailed and meticulous fashion; his explanations were minute and clear. If one were to talk about the elegance [of Yuanwu's final product], it is like opening the cover of a jewel collection: bright pearls and great conches are piled up all about. If you talk about its plentitude, it is like cutting off [the fast flow of the river at] Yumen- the waves in reverse [make the river's level] rise and fall. Extraordinary! If you are not someone who has apprehended the dharma and is in freedom, you can't reach up to [this book]. How does it come about that people who on their own are trying to open the doors and windows [to awakening]? Miaoxi [i.e., Dahui Zonggao] investigated and came to understand this situation. He feared that students were being caught up in the flow [of elegant words in this text] and thereby forgetting to return [to their original face]; and so, when [Miaoxi] entered Min [Fujian], he smashed the printing blocks [for the Blue Cliff Record.] Today, temple publishers are once again publishing it. In this last period [of the dharma] won't an increasing number of students bore into this text [and be dragged along in its elegance]?"
PHANTASM: "No. Every one of the limitless sentient-beings has right underfoot the single ready-made gong'an. During the forty-nine years [Sakyamuni spoke dharma, until he transmitted it to Kasyapa] at Vulture Peak, he never produced any elucidations. Bodhidharma came thousands of miles from the West and never gave any instruction. Deshan and Linji groped around but were never able to hit upon it. How could Xuedou have been able to write verses on this [ready-made gong'an], and Yuanwu have been able to render judgments on it? Even if the Blue Cliff Collection consisted of thousands upon thousands of fascicles, how could it add or subtract a single thing from that ready-made gong'an? Of old, Miaoxi [Dahui] failed to pursue this principle to the limit and so smashed the printing blocks, an action very much like prohibiting a stone woman from giving birth to a child! At present, the gentlemen who are carving new blocks for a reprint- aren't they trying to entice the stone woman into bearing a child? This is even more laughable [then Dahui's attempt]!"
[SOMEONE ASKED]: "If that is so, then the ready-made gong'an right under the feet of the practitioner on duty has no relationship to the oral teachings of the buddhas and patriarchs. In that case, how could the practitioner on duty put [the ready-made gong'an] to the test and realize it?"

Okay: strap in, buckle your seatbelt, or whatever. You've never heard a description of our old BCR quite like this response:

I [PHANTASM] SAID: "There is no putting to the test! And there is nothing to be realized! The only important thing is for the practitioner on duty to turn the light backwards and take a step back. If, with one step, the things in front of him that sees and hears and is aware of completely flip over, then he will know that the sound of the waterfall in the wind and the sound of the stream after the rain- every sound- is a verse from Xuedou's verses; the rolling thunder in the empty mountains and the whistling of the wind on a clear day- every sound- is a judgment [from Yuanwu's judgments and comments]. Furthermore, heaven is high and earth substantial, night dark and day bright- the myriad forms are always furiously speaking [dharma]. This is called 'the Blue Cliff Collection of the ready-made gong'an'. Even a hundred thousand Xuedous and Yuanwus, looking upward at the bluff [that cannot be climbed], would have to pull the lapels of their garments together [out of respect, and retreat in the face of] what lies beyond words and forms. How could could one put even single unit of verbalization upon it? You do not yet fully know this purport [beyond words] from your own experience! Within this upaya approach, one success or one failure, one disparaging of the student and one lifting-up of the student, is no more than business as usual. You say: "The Blue Cliff Collection invariably makes trainees bore into intellectual knowledge, blocking their own awakening." On the contrary, if we infer the minds of the two teachers [Xuedou and Yuanwu], I think that is not so. The World-honored-one with his correct dharma-eye observed the sentient-beings of the dharmadhatu, saying: 'Every one of them is endowed with the merits of tathagata wisdom. Merely because of false thought and grasping, they are unable to realize it. I will teach them the sagely Way to free them of all attachments.' Thus, how could the Buddha not have known that the Sagely way was already in the lot of sentient-beings, tht every one of them was endowed with it, and that he could not teach it to them via verbalization? When it comes to responding to the distinctive levels of karmic abilities present at more than three hundred assemblies, [Sakyamuni's] voicing of [sutra content types such as] great/small, partial/all-embracing, and half/complete- there was not a day that such teachings did not emerge from his mouth. But trainees of both the past and present have failed to comprehend that these phrases are upayas. They have pointed to them as real dharma, and each of them has grasped his own understanding of them, producing a confusion of heterodox views. They have beaten the drum and danced in the [mistaken] arena of is/is not and galloped in the [mistaken] rut of doedone. Even if you were to engineer the removal of the Blue Cliff Record from the Buddhist canon, nothing would change! Moreover, this is so with the sagely teachings [of Buddhism]: how much more so is this the case with other books? Nevertheless, if you investigate the hits and misses of the oral teachings [of the Chan patriarchs], the only crucial thing is whether the practitioner on duty is genuinely earnest or not genuinely earnest about the matter of self. If he is genuinely earnest about the matter of self, then he will know that even a short remark or a single word can be effective in transcending samsara. It is said in the teachings that the goose, lord of birds, can select out the milk [from a mixture of milk and water]. If, in the teacher-student relationship, there is a sincere aspiration [on the part of the student] to clarify the matter of self and to bear the burden of the Chan vehicle, he will resolve not to assent to reliance on exegesis of the texts. He will be able on his own to take hold of self and practice. The existence or non-existence of the Blue Cliff Record is irrelevant! Not worth discussing!"

Whoa, there's a lot there! Let's recap:

• Blue Cliff Record is an awesome book that will not hurt you.
• People were totally scared of it for awhile, since everybody thought Dahui destroyed it to that it would not corrupt them with its "eLeGaNt WoRdS!11". Mingben's house guest actually seems apprehensive that it is being reprinted.
• Mingben goes along with the story about Dahui, although this doesn't necessarily mean it's historically accurate. It's historical origin is likely the Chanlin Baoxun compiled by Dahui and Zhuan Shigui with entries added by Jingshan.
• According to Mingben, Dahui was silly to destroy the blocks.
• According to Mingben, it was even more silly to remake the blocks.
• EVERY SOUND is a verse from Xuedou, EVERY SOUND is a judgment from Yuanwu when it comes to the Blue Cliff Collection of Reality Everywhere Around You.
• TURN THE LIGHT AROUND
• EVERYBODY has the ready-made gong'an of reality to confront ALL OF THE TIME.
• BCR's existence or non-existence is IRRELEVANT and NOT WORTH DISCUSSING

I deserve a swift slap on the mouth for bringing this up, but I couldn't help sharing Mingben's balancing act! It's really cool to see not only a later Zen master talking about the BCR, but also to see how incredibly reasonable his view toward it was.
EDIT: typos

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Reading "The Gnostic Bible: The Pistis Sophia Unveiled" offers profound insights into the mystical and esoteric dimensions of early Christian thought. Samael Aun Weor's interpretation makes the ancient text accessible to contemporary readers, providing a guide to understanding its deep spiritual teachings. This book is essential for anyone interested in Gnosticism, esoteric Christianity, and the pursuit of gnosis.
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“Come on man. Which one is better?” Balethon tried, leaning in over their table as Tom put down the second mug of cider. The ring of dragonettes standing around waiting for the verdict had been ever growing. Which didn’t really suit Tom, such pressure.
“They are both VERY sweet,” the lone human admitted, not really sure which to pick. Neither of them were really up his alley.
“It’s cider, of course it is sweet,” Fengi butted in, clearly also waiting for a verdict with bated breath.
“Well it doesn’t have to be. It tastes almost like Sommersby back home. Is all cider like this here?”
“Yes, which one tastes like Son- the one you remember, that’s good right?” Fengi tried again, Tom glancing around at the crowd.
“Both of them… I mean I guess this one is a bit sweeter,” he relented, gingerly holding up one mug, not sure who it belonged to.
“YES! Ours is best,” Balethon broke out in celebration, doing a little jump and a fist pump. The guys behind him started premature celebrations as well, though to a lesser degree.
“I would rather have this one though,” Tom carried on, lifting the other mug. “It’s a little more grown up. But to be honest, I would rather have a beer,” he declared, looking to the girls, taking particular note of Ray who was keeping herself in the background. He knew this was essentially her cider. And if he couldn’t taste much of a difference, who was he to deny her a bit of satisfaction.
“Well ain’t no problems there, this stuff is expensive. You want beer, you’ll have beer,” Fengi chuckled as the girls started to laugh and snicker at the boys celebrating early. “More for us.”
“Ours is sweeter, that means better. For a dragonette at least,” Balethon protested as he took back the mug Tom had been sipping from.
“We have sugar. I would rather have the better one than the sweeter one,” Fengi countered as the bickering started in both camps.
“It’s your own anyway, why don’t you just drink it while it’s still cold,” Nunuk then called out from her raised chair. “Or are you too busy with getting a leg up on those at your side?”
“No, ma’am,” Fengi replied as heads turned to look at the lady.
“You’re just jealous it’s better than the wine you got, mum,” Dakota added, rolling her eyes from her seat next to her mother.
“Maybe…” the old lady relented with a crooked smile as laughter and chuckles broke out, Fengi rolling her eyes too as she glared at the smiling old lady. “Oh come now can an old lady not have fun anymore?”
“Either way I heard beer. I think we should see about this here keg then,” Raulf declared loudly, overpowering the bickering and laughter. The farmer was standing with what had to be one of his own creations if the look of the barrel was to be believed.
“Now you’re talking, what’s in there?” Tom called out. He could do with a drink. Not getting sloshed, but a nice after work sorta beer. It wasn’t often they enjoyed proper drink around here. It was more of an occasional thing for them.
“Your bubble beer,” the farmer replied as with a smack the tap was hammered in.
“Oh saving the imports are we?”
“For now. Maybe we’ll have to compare those as well.”
“Can I try too?” came then the almost cautious or maybe just slightly overexcited voice of Edita, Tom turning to look at the inventor. As did Jacky, who was standing behind him. The artificer had a mug in one hand and a pair of wax sealed bottles under the other arm.
“Sure, I don’t see why not. Uhm what’s that?” Tom questioned, pointing at the pair of bottles.
“Oh uhm,” the inventor suddenly looked coy about something as she clearly struggled to find the words, Tom glancing to Jacky, who was observing carefully.
“The others told me you drink a lot. You said that all engineers drink a lot. I haven’t tried it before, and I know it is expensive. So I bought some with my spending money. It wouldn’t be nice to drink someone else’s stuff… right?”
Tom stared for a bit, not sure if that was adorable or sad. Probably a bit of both really. “Depends on the amount. But sure, you can try some.” He looked to Jacky once more, and she to him. “Well I think we can teach a real life lesson, don’t you?”
She nodded in reply, not seeming overly thrilled at the prospect. “Sure, I’ll go get some mugs.”
Edita livened up a bit seeing as her request had been positively received. “Oh excellent. I am sure it will be very informative.”
“Suure suure,” Tom confirmed jokingly. “First up, ale and beer aren't that expensive. We’ve got plenty. But that stuff does look expensive, what is that?” Tom questioned, wondering if having a sip of that stuff was worth the risk or not. Probably best not to though.
“Oh I don’t know. I just asked Vulzan for something nice.” She held them up and tried to read the label. “Hakeria… What’s that?”
“I have no idea,” Tom admitted, walking up to have a look as well. The label was very fine indeed, clearly hand painted with draconic runes in gold on a red background. It likely wasn’t actually gold, but it still looked very fancy.
There was some murmuring from the other people around, none of whom seemed to know what it was either.
“What did you say it was?” Nunuk then called out, apparently not having made it out either from upon her high chair.
“Oh Hakeria- uhm Ma’am,” Edita politely responded, doing a slight curtsey for the Lady. Nunuk for her part was leaning forward and squinting at the artificer and her mysterious cargo.
“How much did you give Vulzan?”
“Oh uhm. Some money.”
“How much?” the Lady repeated, with slightly more authority in her voice.
“I can’t really remember,” Edita admitted, sounding a touch shameful. “I did not believe it to be important information.”
“Well don’t let Paulin get her hands on it,” the old lady went with a chuckle, sitting back in her chair with a slightly pained expression. “But I wouldn’t mind a glass at some point.”
“Oh of course Lady Bizmati!” the artificer went, looking down at the bottle then back to Nunuk. “So you know what it is?”
“Please, Nunuk will do. And yes, it is made from needles, they grow on cactuses in the south to my knowledge. It is distilled of course. A fine liquor if I do say so myself.”
“Cactus fruit liquor? Well that’s certainly new. Maybe I will have to try a little sip too,” Tom pondered, rubbing his beard.
“Of course, you can have as much as you like,” Edita was quick to reply, holding out the bottle for him.
“Oh no no, not like that. I have to be careful of methanol in your alcohols. It’s fine for you, but poison for me. I already had a bad time once. But a small sip won’t hurt too bad.”
“Oh… I see. I heard alcohol makes you stupid but if you drink then that can’t be right. Then you wouldn’t drink.”
“It does, temporarily, can’t recommend drinking constantly though. That’s not good for you. Every once in a while, for the hell of it.”
“But… why would you want to be stupid?” Edita questioned, clearly at an utter loss.
“Cause then you forget about all your problems and can just have fun. It’s also good for getting past certain inhibitions!” Balethon added, throwing an arm around her, mug in the other hand. The guy was clearly feeling the effects of the sugary drink. Edita looked quite taken aback by the gesture, holding her bottles tight. “Trust us, it’s going to be fun!”
“Oh- okay.”
Edita seemed more unsure than mad at the guy for his exuberance and touchiness. ‘Boooi she has something to learn… maybe Saph and Fengi will teach her to slap him at some point,’ Tom chuckled to himself, simply watching what she might do.
Rather predictably she looked to Tom, with a pleading expression.
“He’s right you know… Actually, idea. I’ll get some music. Maybe Essy and Fengi will help teach you how to dance and stuff as well,” he went, thinking himself a genius for hopefully getting her to actually try and mingle with the crowd on her own. But alas.
“Oh I can help with the music, will you be using the laptop?”
“That and speakers but…uhm… no stay here. I will be back. Have fun. Maybe try a game of dice.” And with that masterful evasion out of the way, Tom headed off to try and procure some music. He didn’t really know what he was doing, but that was hardly new. Edita wanted to know what drinking was like. Might as well get her the whole package. Maybe he would get just a little sloshed too. Paulin was down below anyway. Surely they wouldn’t be heading down that early tomorrow.
By the time he made it back up the tables had been moved once more, closer to the far wall, making some open space while letting people still have a conversation together. Apuma and Nunuk hadn’t intervened, instead watching over the proceedings from their table. Their children however were mixing in with the rabble now along with both the trader crews and some of Baron’s men. Though Victoria remained seated with Nunuk for now. He did take note that she was definitely keeping an eye on him though, it was almost a touch unnerving.
But no matter. He got the music up and running in no time, and Essy was allowed to make the selection. Kokashi even got a say after he promised to go get his violin for those few tracks he had been practicing to play along to.
And so there was dancing. Tom had at first rather hoped to sit it out and just watch, but much like Unkai, the woman in his life didn’t give him much of a choice in the matter. Probably because he had been sitting next to Edita, who had sought refuge from the festivities next to him.
Just like the diminutive guard though, he certainly didn’t mind, especially since Jacky didn’t know much about dancing so it was just dumb fun. She ended up more or less just throwing him around, especially as she started getting competitive with Fengi, who was far far better at this. To his credit, Unkai was certainly also a lot better than Tom at keeping up, so Jacky simply compensated with brute strength, Tom hanging on for dear life.
There were even a few of the moves Tom remembered showing the kid back before the festival. Which did rather give him an idea. It was a very short lived one, as he surprised Jacky by trying something he remembered from way back in the day. She didn’t get what was going on and soon they were a laughing pile on the floor.
“What was that?” Jacky broke out from betwixt the chuckles as she tried to get back up.
“I wanted to do a pirouette toss thingy,” Tom protested, still quite certain that it had been a good idea, let down by the execution.
“I’m like 2 heads taller than you. How was that ever going to work?!”
“Look I’ve seen a… What’s the word for a small dragonette?”
“Child?”
“No no, like an adult that just doesn’t get very big.”
“Unkai?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake Jacky.”
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“Yeah there you go, that’s straight five. You beat him,” Saph said, giving Edita a pat on the back. She had picked up card games rather swiftly, and even the beer was going down well enough. Raulf had asked if she liked it, after which she had answered
“It’s very good, yes. Much better than the ration flasks used for expeditions normally.”
The farmer had grumped a bit about his work getting compared to field rations, but nevertheless, Edita scarfed it down. They had set about teaching her some card games, and she had proved quite quick at learning. Much to the chagrin of Balethon, who had just lost a hand he had been certain of winning. “Oh okay. So what now?”
“Now you get to choose two who have to drink.”
“Oh I see… but aren’t you supposed to drink in a drinking game?”
“Yes and no. You still win so you punish the others, but you will lose soon enough so you get drunk too.”
“Oooh riight.. Ahr, I have to drink!” she declared.
“You forgot about number two,” Balethon added, still seeming a bit grumpy as he gathered up the cards, Jacky staring him down as he did so. He had tricked her quite badly last round, so she was not happy.
“Oh right… you then, skul!” she went raising her mug of bubble beer.
“Oh come on!” he protested, though he did pick up his mug too “Also it’s deeper. Skoool.”
Edita thought for a second while holding her mug still in the air, then she turned to Sapphire. “It’s working! I don’t care!”
That got a good chuckle out of Saph and a few of the others as the music track changed once more. They had no idea what was being sung, but it sounded good. Essy singing along, with Kokashi on her lap, or at least mimicking the song as best she could. Unkai and Fengi were sitting in a corner talking which was very good. Tom was sitting with Jacky also trying to learn the game they were playing. Of course since there was an element of deception involved the human was doing quite well as usual.
Saph however had not had much luck and had essentially taken on the role of teacher for Edita. It was quickly becoming clear the artificer was quite the lightweight. That or possibly the needlefruit liquor was more potent than at first expected. Saph had managed to sneak in a little sip from Edita’s glass, with her permission of course, and it was certainly an interesting flavor. Almost a hint metallic, and definitely sweet but not extremely so.
Some of Baron’s crew had joined the game of cards as well, notably Major Latori. He was one of the more refined members of the crew, and Saph mostly remembered him for having been helpful all the way back when they had the bitch to deal with.
As a new hand was passed around and Edita got a look at hers, showing them to Saph as well, a clawed hand was suddenly laid upon Sapphire's right shoulder. Turning around, she caught Maiko trying to duck out of the way behind Edita and not get spotted. “My head goes all the way around dumb dumb,” she chuckled, turning around to her left instead to not strain her neck to look at the manchild. “I was wondering when you would show up?”
“Weeeell I had a thing or two to do now didn’t I. Speaking of which, I believe this is for you,” he said, holding out a small ornate box.
Saph tried her best to seem genuinely surprised that he had thought of something for her. She had expected him to of course, but it was only courteous to pretend. “Ohh Maiko, is that for me? Thank you,” she went, taking the small box, the guy standing up straight with a big smile on his face, clearly expecting her to like the contents.
‘I bet you it’s earrings or something like that,’ Saph mused to herself, glancing at her nice new ring which she was wearing already.
Opening the little box she was right. It was a pair of plain silver earrings. Simple, yet elegant. ‘He is only a corporal after all.’
“They are lovely. And not so over the top I can’t wear them every day,” she went, looking to him with a warm smile. He for his part seemed steadfast. She didn’t have to mention she definitely had silver earrings for everyday use already, but she supposed her ears were long enough for two pairs. She started to take them out of the box to have a look at them more closely as he made his way around to sit on the far side of Edita.
“So what are we up to here?” the corporal asked, looking round at the table.
“We’re just teaching the newbies how to play five claw,” Jacky replied, throwing a glance to Sapphire as she was holding her earrings up to study.
Saph didn’t know if Tom had gotten Jacky anything or not, but it wouldn’t seem like the dude to not. He was actually rather thoughtful as long as he remembered in the midst of all the stuff he was doing.
“Yes! And I am learning to drink!” Edita declared far too loudly as she inspected her cards closely. Saph didn’t really need to help her anymore at this point, and the fact that even a child could read her face when she had something good was her own problem.
“Oh you are?” Maiko questioned without missing a beat, leaning over Sapphire’s lap to get a look at her cards. “Oh dear. Well good luck.”
“What do you mean? That’s very good,” Edita protested, Maiko letting out a belated breath.
“Right, next lesson in cardgames. Deception.”
“No no, we mustn’t lie.”
“What are you on about? The Inquisition lies all the time.”
“He would know, he’s very good at it,” Sapphire joined in as she measured up the new earrings to her ears. ‘Maybe I should get a second set of holes made for them?... hmmmm.’
“But it’s not okay to lie. That can get people hurt!”
“Not in a cardgame,” Maiko replied in good humor, now more or less lying across Sapphire. “Try it. See if you can trick them.”
“Good luck, Tom is like a crooked old trader. He could sell you an old stick claiming it’s the bone of a holy saint,” Sapphire added as she wondered if anyone would perhaps have gotten a handheld mirror she could borrow for a bit.
“Thank you,” Tom replied with a nod and a chuckle as he glanced to Jacky, who just rolled her eyes.
“You lie?” Edita questioned with an almost childlike curiosity, looking to Tom. Like a little girl learning her mother didn’t just get the food from the cupboards.
“Sure, it’s handy at times. The tricky bit is knowing when to lie.”
“Yeah, just think of Joelina and Paulin. They are real good at lying.”
“Oooh yeaaa… I guess soo… So I have to be good at it too?”
“If you wanna win at five claw you do,” Maiko confirmed.
“Oh okay then. Will you help me?” she questioned, looking to the Corporal.
“Sure. Step one, try to see if you can express that you are disappointed even though you are not.”
“She could also just try the stonewall Joelina approach,” Tom added, as the artificer pondered this new interesting challenge. “I cannot read that woman Joelina for the life of me.”
“I doubt she has emotions to read,” Jacky grumbled, Saph looking to Tom, who seemed less than convinced by that statement.
“Well you would know wouldn’t you, Tom? You’ve been in her head. What’s in there?” Sapphire questioned, taking a swig of her mug of ale. They had kept the cider to one small mug per person, and even then she could still feel the sugar high which was yet to wear off. Dancing to the music had handled most of the excess energy, but not all so it was definitely ale from now on.
“Oh I wouldn’t know anything about that,” the human dismissed taking a swig of his own mug.
“Oh come on. You must know something. For someone who got your mind ripped apart by someone, you don’t seem to hate her much.”
Tom didn’t reply to that one immediately, taking a second to mull it over. Edita opened her mouth as if to speak, but thought better of it.
“She’s a hard woman. Born tough and made tougher. In Danish we have a saying. ‘The thief thinks everyone steals.’ It means everyone tends to assume everyone else thinks just like themselves. She thinks you work like she does. Cold, cynical, uncompromising. She doesn’t care what gets in her way. She’ll get it done. That includes people hating her. It’s just irrelevant twaddle to her. She has a job and cares for nothing else,” the human replied before taking another quick swig.
“That’s why she’s suddenly decided to shower us with gifts and goodwill. She has no idea whatsoever how to make a friend cause she has none. Not really,” he carried on. “Well maybe Glazz or Paulin I guess. So I don’t think she’s evil or anything like that. But she only has eyes for one thing. Get in between her and that thing, she won’t hesitate to put you down. She won’t even think about it. Not outside of what problems it might lead to. I think it best to just stay important to her, and don’t come across as if you are working against her. Then she’s also perfectly happy to give you what you want to continue being useful, because it’s far easier than trying to make friends.”
There was silence for a moment afterwards as people mulled over what the human meant with all that. Saph wondered if maybe the cider had gotten to him or something.
“Naaaaaah,” Edita then broke out, all heads turning wearily to her. “She’s a big softy the others say. She does things like, let you go. Or maybe even giving a small little sentence if it’s someone who only did a little bad thing.”
The artificer certainly had Tom’s attention with that. The human seemed about as skeptical as the artificer was sloshed.
“I heard Paulina talk about a time Joelina even let some children live… they had stolen something, can’t remember what it was… I also think she then used them as spies or something. I didn’t really understand that. But that sounds like a nice thing to do. Something about finding poor people, who were evil.”
“She blackmailed children into spying on poor people?” Sapphire questioned, giving the artificer a side eye.
Edita took a second to ponder that one, scratching behind her ear. “Well when you put it like that.”
“Either way. We can work with her,” Tom interrupted, looking to the artificer and holding up his mug for a clink. “Cheers, I think we need some more of this.”
“Oh yeah, Just don’t tell Paulin, I didn’t ask for permission.”
“Not a word, we all promise. We won’t tell her anything about all this.”
“Awww thank you, Tom.” A few mugs were bashed together and Tom took a hearty swig. Edita mimicking like she so often did.
‘Oooh shit is he trying to get her pissed? That can’t end well… Can it?’
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They had kept playing the card game for some time, though later they had switched to just telling stories and the like. It became more and more clear that Edita was a lightweight and she was copying whatever Tom did. So when he told stories, she told stories. When he took a swig, she took a swig. He did feel a little bad, but they were getting more out of her than they had ever gotten out of Paulin and Joelina, and unlike those two it seemed Edita could be trusted to tell the truth, if only for the fact that when she did lie it was painfully obvious.
It of course didn’t help that basically everyone had either worked out what was happening or thought getting drunk and having fun was a brilliant idea in its own right. Tom had been working on ways to get Edita under four eyes or at least only in the company of trustworthy keepdwellers, but doing that without arousing suspicion had been rather hampered by the story telling escalating to include crews from both traders, some of Baron’s crew, and even Radexi chiming in.
Tom had waved over some of the keep’s guards, hoping that they could displace some of the visitors further down the lengths of the table. The only one properly displaced was Maiko, who seemed to decide he had better things to do and excused himself, promising Saph that he wouldn’t be gone for too long. As for the rest of the boys, they of course needed to talk with the drunken girl as much as possible, which wasn’t much of an upgrade.
“Yoo Edita… is it okay if I call you Edi?” Herron tried, himself either quite tired or quite inebriated but still having managed to squeeze in next to Edita.
“Suure suuure. Just don’t call me Edit. All the others made fun of me when I got something wrong… Edit has to edit now they would go… it wasn’t very funny at all.”
“Oh no no, I will just call you Edi. I-”
“What sort of mistakes, any fun ones?” Saph interjected, the huntress having stayed with Tom and Edita pretty much the whole night. Tom was quite convinced she had worked out what he was up to, and seemed to be helping out. “Anything not just about weird machines?”
Herron took the cue and fell silent, having a look at his mug and taking a swig. Edita pondered the question for a bit instead, seemingly finding it a tough one to answer.
“Not machines hmmm… Oh oh one time I remember me and Teskar got in trouble for using one of the targeting scopes for spying on the city. He hadn’t seen a city before and I wanted to show him. All the little people walking around. We found a mother and tried to follow her, mapping out her whole day! It was very good fun!” Edita replied enthusiastically.
“And how did that end up with you having to fix something?”
“Oh… sorry. No, we just got caught and had to do cleaning work for weeks… It was very boring.”
“No no nothing to be sorry for, this Teskar, did you know him well?”
“Oh no, he was from a fortress out west. Not too far from Crownhall. They have an ancient thinking machine there which they guard.”
“Wait as in actually working, I thought you had all those in storage?” Tom interjected, suddenly seeming interested.
“Oh it is in storage, but it is the largest one we know about. Maybe one day I could get to see it… It must be so beautiful,” the artificer carried on, turning all doey eyed as she stared up at the wall with her head resting on her hands.
“Riiight… but tell me more about the Teskar. Did you like him?” Saph questioned, Tom grumping a bit.
‘God dammit Saph, let her spill the beans.’
“Oh he was very funny. His accent was all weird too. It is a long way to Crownhall. I have never left the capital before coming here, so he told me stories about it. It is warm, strange things grow there, like cherries.”
“Edita, cherries grow here too?” Herron added, sounding sleepy and confused.
“They dooo?!"
“Yeah… wait they do, right?” The guard questioned, looking down the table to his fellow guards, which probably didn’t sit that well with Sapphire. Tom threw a glance at her, and she did look a touch grumpy much to his own amusement.
“Yeah man, they just like lower flying islands and all that. You know, warmer,” Balethon added.
“Ohhh that makes sense… I think. Did anyone get any pickled cherries?” the young guard questioned, looking around at everyone. No one came forward, even if someone did have any they probably weren’t in the mood for sharing with a keep and a half.
Tom had to ponder that for a bit. Of course it made sense, and Apuma had been talking about how further south the border with the bugs was a tricky proposition. Dragonettes tended to hold the higher flying islands further south, and the bugs settled closer to the water substantially further north.
“Awww man those things taste great,” Herron complained, taking another swig of beer which likely didn’t help his energy levels.
‘Oooh the cider of course, that’s why they are all so sluggish right about now,’ Tom thought to himself, feeling a bit dumb as he looked to Saph once more. She did seem a little drab, but not as much as the guards. Maybe she had shared her mug with someone else or something.
“I’ve never had any either… Teskar ate them all,” she went with a sniff, shifting her grip on her mug. “I should get some one day. Are they expensive?”
“I mean a little,” Saph said with a shrug. “It’s preserved fruit. It’s worth a pretty penny, but it’s no worse than so many other things.” That did seem to brighten the artificer’s mood a little, a dumb smile spreading on her face.
“Why didn’t you buy any if you wanted to try them?” Herron questioned. “Did you forget? I forget loads of things.”
“No I didn’t forget… I just didn’t think of it.”
“Hehe, you forgot,” he repeated, clearly greatly amused.
“No no I told you. I just didn’t think of it… There are soo many things I have heard of that I want to try.”
“Like what?” the dude questioned, looking to her, seeming only half awake.
‘Oh well might as well let them do some questioning,’ Tom chuckled to himself, giving up on getting more out of her for now without someone catching on.
The next 10 or 20 minutes devolved into talks of all sorts of exotic or favorite foods people knew. A few were even brought out. Tom partook as well of course, but Edita was quickly becoming the center of attention as they started to work out just how many things she had never had before. Different kinds of sausages, air dried hams, all sorts of dried fruits and berries. Tom was honestly learning quite a lot as well about the selection of foods to be found around these parts. He definitely approved of the heavily smoked ham Herron had gotten. The smell ooh the smell, it was wonderful.
And someone had the bright idea to give Edita a candy. That someone being Balethon. Tom made a note to remember to ask him just where he had gotten his hands on that one, but for now he didn’t mind as Edita started talking faster and faster and faster.
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And so the tales of the drunken artificer commence. We shall follow her adventures closely... now did anyone have any wild brew?
Don't forget this is a round chapter, so there is a special as well. I have been especially cruel this time. I do hope you enjoy that one as well as this here chapter. If not... damn and blast I will try again in 2 weeks.
Untill next time, Take care folks. I hope you enjoy both the chapters
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Special

My friend was diagnosed a couple years ago with autism. She's very high functioning but it was definitely for the best because with that on record teachers are more understanding. However, I think she's been trying to change to become "more autistic" if that makes sense?
I've known her since diapers and she always had ADHD and OCD but otherwise she behaved just like everybody else. When she got the diagnosis, which she asked for, she started changing.
Whenever teachers used to do that thing where they give you a hint if you ask a question, she would take the hint and almost always figure it out. Now if they give a hint she sits in her chair and won't do anything until they come back, and tell them that because she's autistic she can't be expected to figure things out on her own.
She also gets into more arguments about smaller things, and once argued something that was factually incorrect. When I showed her the facts she said "I won't forget this about you" and then later apologized and said, "I'm autistic, we have this thing where we defend our opinions very strongly".
She used to be somewhat adventerous with food, there were definitely certain textures and consistencies she couldn't eat, but since the diagnosis she's stopped eating foods she liked and has only eaten "autism foods" as she says like mac n' cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.
All of her hopes and ambitions went right out the window too, and she says that she wants to live in her parent's basement as long as she can so she doesn't have to work because she's autistic. When she said that to me I was trying to be supportive and I said that she shouldn't let autism decide her life because she's more than her diagnosis, but she disagreed with me and said that she's autistic and there's nothing she can do.
I really want to know if this is something that can be helped and she can get her ambition back or if I'm actually not being supportive.
Edit: Thanks to everybody who replied, I didn't know what unmasking was until now and I looked into it a bit and it's interesting! To the people offering therapy I'll mention it to her. People are also saying to give her time and I'll do that too. Thanks everybody.

Hey ladies! This may be a stupid question but how do you teach your children to read? My daughter is going to school in September and has Autism and other disabilities. She doesn’t know how to read at all. She’s just starting to potty train. She’s just starting to let me read her books without a complete meltdown. What about writing their name? My son also has possible Autism as well and he’s 2 going to be 3 in September so I’d love to get any advice I possibly can. Cause once she’s in school I’ll use the advice I get now with my son. Thank you! Please be kind. It’s not that I haven’t tried it’s just doing something she has no interest in causes meltdowns that last 30min-1hour. She will be going into a special needs classroom in September. Edit to add: everyone I talk to keeps telling me to not worry about it and the teachers will do it. But I don’t want to leave everything up to the teachers. I don’t find that fair at all. Even it’s I just get her started. This way she’s not going in with no skill and the teachers can continue what I’ve started throughout the summer.

Christians Do Not Understand Acts 15:19-20

A critical analysis of the common misinterpretation of Acts 15:19-20 and how it affects the Christian faith and practice.
Jul 30, 2022: "Christians Do NOT Understand Acts 15:19-20!" starts at ~32 minutes in.
Notes taken on Jan 3, 2024
Formatting Key
Bible VerseItalicsArticles Number text in verse. Jesus talking. using KJV unless noted otherwiseNotes on the verse Not necessarily relevant to the current class, but still importantArticle link Quote from article {{quote removed later}}

Christians Do Not Understand Acts 15:19-20

A critical analysis of the common misinterpretation of Acts 15:19-20 and how it affects the Christian faith and practice.
Jul 30, 2022: "Christians Do NOT Understand Acts 15:19-20!" starts at ~32 minutes in.
Notes taken on Jan 3, 2024
Formatting Key
Bible VerseItalicsArticles Number text in verse. Jesus talking. using KJV unless noted otherwiseNotes on the verse Not necessarily relevant to the current class, but still importantArticle link Quote from article {{quote removed later}}
Christians concluded that there are only 4 commandments that they should follow as non-Israelites. Christians will take you here so that they don’t have to keep the entire law of moses. The christians that give it to you don’t understand the context/background. Even though they know that there are more than just these 4 commandments.
These verses don’t even support them either. This can’t be used as a standard for what we should do.
It doesn’t include: don't murder, don’t steal, don’t keep the sabbath, don’t honor your father and mother, etc.
Hypocrisy is doing this. This is a double edged sword.
Belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.
The disciples never said anything about circumcision. There was never a debate about the Law of Moses before Acts 15. The first christians were Jews. They never abandoned the Law of Moses. The disciples encouraged keeping the Law of Moses.
The 4 commandments mentioned were a “beginners package” to get them started.
Act 15:19-20 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: (20) But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

• This is James talking. We don’t trouble the Gentile converts.
• Is this for all time or for just those that have just come to the faith?
• Fornication is a blanket turn regarding any sexual act
  • Adultery, harlot, homosexuality, incest, etc.
• Things strangled
  • Things with blood in them (back to the levitical law)
  • You have to drain the blood out of every animal (don’t eat any blood)
• What happened to honor your father and mother or no killing or stealing or bear false witness or coveting?

Paganism is idolatry.
The crosses everywhere are idolatry.
The Jews and Gentiles didn’t have different sets of rules.
Act 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

• Certain men said this. The apostles didn’t teach this. This was a lie that was taught. People were holding on to their traditional views.
• They didn’t abandon their previous beliefs completely.
• You don’t have to follow the Law of Moses to be saved. You don’t have to be circumcised to be saved.

The apostles only talked about circumcision in response to people that were against christianity.
Act 2:36-41 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (37) Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (39) For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (40) And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

• This is on the day of pentecost.
• Peter is addressing the House of Israel, the Jews, the Israelites
  • This was who christianity was given to first
  • He is rebuking them.
• There were some gentiles here too, but Peter was addressing the Jews first.
• Verse 38 doesn’t say to keep the Law of Moses
• Being saved doesn’t mean keep the Law of Moses or be circumcised
  • This is how you get saved.

The Jews didn’t stop following the Law of Moses. All they added was believing in Jesus.
Their audience was Jews.
Keeping the law never became an issue until “christians”/new-comers started talking about it.
There are two groups of gentiles. Those that knew the law and those that knew nothing (were 100% pagan).
Act 4:10-11 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

• This is Peter and John preaching Jesus
• You have to be saved by and through Jesus
  • Not by the law or circumcision.

The people in Acts 15 were talking to new gentile converts. They had no background on the law of moses or Jesus.
What do you have to do to be saved?

• Believe in Jesus

But what does that entail?...
You show that belief by establishing the law!
Act 11:13-18 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; (14) Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. (15) And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. (16) Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. (17) Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? (18) When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

• Your saved through Jesus
• God has granted repentance to the Gentiles
  • This means they too have an opportunity to be saved (through Jesus)
• They were teaching belief in Jesus

The Law of Moses wasn’t an issue. Jesus never said anything against it.
Act 15:1-2 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. (2) When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

• Certain men (not Paul, James, etc.)
  • They taught that to be saved you have to follow the Law of Moses
• This became a big argument that Paul and Barnabas were arguing against.
• They went to go have a council meeting

Act 15:5-11 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. (6) And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. (7) And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. (8) And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; (9) And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. (10) Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (11) But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

• These certain men were a sect of the pharisees
• Before this, circumcision wasn’t an issue discussed
• This was because Gentiles were brought into the picture that had no Hebrew roots.
  • They were making circumcision a requirement for salvation.
• Peter is recounting how he got the gentiles in.
  • Cornelius had some background of the law and such
  • Others didn’t have background
• Whenever the apostles converted non-Israelites, then people got mad
• Verse 10, christians THINK that peter is rebuking law
  • Tempting God is actually breaking the law (this is clear in the old and new testament)
• The yoke referred to is something that is going against the law or the gospel
  • Yoke talked about in matthew 23
    • Pharisees were putting a heavy burden on the new converts that were grievous to be borne
• Here, they were making the gospel unbearable. Making the gospel hard to do.

Mat 23:1-4 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, (2) Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: (3) All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. (4) For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

• These burdens were extra
• They added laws to the laws of Moses, making the laws of Moses unbearable.

The only people that described the law in a negative way were sinners.
How can the sabbath be a burden when it literally means rest?
The burden was talking about the man-made traditions that the Pharisees try to add. They did it with the law and with the gospel.
Mat 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

• The difference between Jesus’s yoke and the pharisee’s yoke is that the pharisees made restrictions to make the law of Moses heavy.

The only way you tempt God is by disobeying him.
The apostles didn’t have a decision prepared for Acts 15 which is why they went to the council.
1Jn 5:1-3 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. (3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

• We keep his commandments
• That we keep his commandments
  • The commandments aren’t grievous
  • Grievous (G926)
    • βαρύς
    • barus
    • bar-ooce'
    • From the same as G922; weighty, that is, (figuratively) burdensome, grave: - grievous, heavy, weightier.
    • Same word in Matthew 23:4

1Jn 5:3 ERV Loving God means obeying his commands. And God's commands are not too hard for us,
1Jn 5:3 CEV We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow.
1Jn 5:3 DRB For this is the charity of God: That we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy.
The Pharisees' commandments are heavy (they don’t talk about the law of Moses).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REAL LESSON NOW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act 15:13-14 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: (14) Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

• Discussing how to talk with the very new convert Gentiles (100% pagan)

Act 15:19-20 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: (20) But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

• The decision is to not make the conversion hard.
• Did James just choose these four (there are actually five) things? Where did James get these?

Lev 19:4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

• James got this one. The first direct way it was said.
• Book of Leviticus was for the priests.
  • They were the teachers of the ancient hebrews.
• James went to the teacher’s edition essentially.

Lev 18:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 18:5-6 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. (6) None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.

• This is the fornication that James is talking about. It covered all the sexuality stuff.
• It is a blanket statement, which is more than just four precepts in chapter 18.

Lev 17:13-14 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. (14) For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

• They should drain the animals dry.
• You also can’t eat the blood.

James drew from the law of Moses. Was this all that James thought was essential? Why would he give any precepts at all if only belief in Jesus was the goal?
The Holy Spirit guided them what in the beginning that they should do.
Act 15:20-21 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. (21) For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

• First, four precepts from the law of Moses.
• Then he says that the law of Moses is taught in all the synagogues.
• The Gentiles would get the rest from the synagogues from their cities.
  • This is why James didn’t have to give an exhaustive list.

He assumed that the Gentiles would somehow end up in a synagogue on the sabbath. This means James also told them about the sabbath day!
They had to be smart about how they taught them.
Act 13:13-15 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (14) But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. (15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

• Synagogue in Antioch and they went in during the sabbath day.
• After reading of the law and the prophets!
  • This is what James was saying
• Then they opened the study for questions
• This is where they learned the rest of the precepts.

Act 13:42-44 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. (43) Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. (44) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

• There were gentiles in the synagogue keeping the sabbath. They were learning of the laws of Moses.
• proselytes were new converts to the faith.
  • Never was a Jew, but converting to the ways of Israel.

Jews kicked out the christians from the synagogues.
True christianity is torah observance.
1Ti 4:12-13 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (13) Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

• KJV falls short here

1Ti 4:12-13 ISV Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity. (13) Until I arrive, give your full concentration to the public reading of Scripture, to exhorting, and to teaching.

• The scriptures in their day was the old testament.
• This public reading was in synagogues on the sabbath.

1Ti 4:12-13 BBE Let no one make little of you because you are young, but be an example to the church in word, in behaviour, in love, in faith, in holy living. (13) Till I come, give attention to the reading of the holy Writings, to comforting the saints, and to teaching.

• Public reading of the scriptures. They were reading the old testament and teaching it.

1Ti 4:12-13 CEV Don't let anyone make fun of you, just because you are young. Set an example for other followers by what you say and do, as well as by your love, faith, and purity. (13) Until I arrive, be sure to keep on reading the Scriptures in worship, and don't stop preaching and teaching.

• They say keep on reading.
• The reading of the scriptures was a part of the worship.

The four things that James said was not the exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts. It was just an introduction to the law of moses.
(Antwan)
Josephus - Antiquities Of The Jews
03.20.02. Book 20, Chapter 02
CHAPTER 2
HOW HELENA THE QUEEN OF ADIABENE AND HER SON IZATES, EMBRACED THE JEWISH RELIGION; AND HOW HELENA SUPPLIED THE POOR WITH CORN, WHEN THERE WAS A GREAT FAMINE AT JERUSALEM.

1. ABOUT this time it was that Helena, queen of Adiabene, and her son Izates, changed their course of life, and embraced the Jewish customs, and this on the occasion following: Monobazus, the king of Adiabene, who had also the name of Bazeus, fell in love with his sister Helena, and took her to be his wife, and begat her with child. But as he was in bed with her one night, he laid his hand upon his wife’s belly, and fell asleep, and seemed to hear a voice, which bid him take his hand off his wife’s belly, and not hurt the infant that was therein, which, by God’s providence, would be safely born, and have a happy end. This voice put him into disorder; so he awaked immediately, and told the story to his wife; and when his son was born, he called him Izates. He had indeed Monobazus, his elder brother, by Helena also, as he had other sons by other wives besides. Yet did he openly place all his affections on this his only begotten (2) son Izates, which was the origin of that envy which his other brethren, by the same father, bore to him; while on this account they hated him more and more, and were all under great affliction that their father should prefer Izates before them. Now although their father was very sensible of these their passions, yet did he forgive them, as not indulging those passions out of an ill disposition, but out of a desire each of them had to be beloved by their father. However, he sent Izates, with many presents, to Abennerig, the king of Charax-Spasini, and that out of the great dread he was in about him, lest he should come to some misfortune by the hatred his brethren bore him; and he committed his son’s preservation to him. Upon which Abennerig gladly received the young man, and had a great affection for him, and married him to his own daughter, whose name was Samacha: he also bestowed a country upon him, from which he received large revenues.
   
2. But when Monobazus was grown old, and saw that he had but a little time to live, he had a mind to come to the sight of his son before he died. So he sent for him, and embraced him after the most affectionate manner, and bestowed on him the country called Carra; it was a soil that bare amomum in great plenty: there are also in it the remains of that ark, wherein it is related that Noah escaped the deluge, and where they are still shown to such as are desirous to see them. (3) Accordingly, Izates abode in that country until his father’s death. But the very day that Monobazus died, queen Helena sent for all the grandees, and governors of the kingdom, and for those that had the armies committed to their command; and when they were come, she made the following speech to them: "I believe you are not unacquainted that my husband was desirous Izates should succeed him in the government, and thought him worthy so to do. However, I wait your determination; for happy is he who receives a kingdom, not from a single person only, but from the willing suffrages of a great many." This she said, in order to try those that were invited, and to discover their sentiments. Upon the hearing of which, they first of all paid their homage to the queen, as their custom was, and then they said that they confirmed the king’s determination, and would submit to it; and they rejoiced that Izates’s father had preferred him before the rest of his brethren, as being agreeable to all their wishes: but that they were desirous first of all to slay his brethren and kinsmen, that so the government might come securely to Izates; because if they were once destroyed, all that fear would be over which might arise from their hatred and envy to him. Helena replied to this, that she returned them her thanks for their kindness to herself and to Izates; but desired that they would however defer the execution of this slaughter of Izates’s brethren till he should be there himself, and give his approbation to it. So since these men had not prevailed with her, when they advised her to slay them, they exhorted her at least to keep them in bonds till he should come, and that for their own security; they also gave her counsel to set up some one whom she could put the greatest trust in, as a governor of the kingdom in the mean time. So queen Helena complied with this counsel of theirs, and set up Monobazus, the eldest son, to be king, and put the diadem upon his head, and gave him his father’s ring, with its signet; as also the ornament which they call Sampser, and exhorted him to administer the affairs of the kingdom till his brother should come; who came suddenly upon hearing that his father was dead, and succeeded his brother Monobazus, who resigned up the government to him.
   
3. Now, during the time Izates abode at Charax-Spasini, a certain Jewish merchant, whose name was Ananias, got among the women that belonged to the king, and taught them to worship God according to the Jewish religion. He, moreover, by their means, became known to Izates, and persuaded him, in like manner, to embrace that religion; he also, at the earnest entreaty of Izates, accompanied him when he was sent for by his father to come to Adiabene; it also happened that Helena, about the same time, was instructed by a certain other Jew and went over to them. But when Izates had taken the kingdom, and was come to Adiabene, and there saw his brethren and other kinsmen in bonds, he was displeased at it; and as he thought it an instance of impiety either to slay or imprison them, but still thought it a hazardous thing for to let them have their liberty, with the remembrance of the injuries that had been offered them, he sent some of them and their children for hostages to Rome, to Claudius Caesar, and sent the others to Artabanus, the king of Parthia, with the like intentions.
   
4. And when he perceived that his mother was highly pleased with the Jewish customs, he made haste to change, and to embrace them entirely; and as he supposed that he could not he thoroughly a Jew unless he were circumcised, he was ready to have it done. But when his mother understood what he was about, she endeavored to hinder him from doing it, and said to him that this thing would bring him into danger; and that, as he was a king, he would thereby bring himself into great odium among his subjects, when they should understand that he was so fond of rites that were to them strange and foreign; and that they would never bear to be ruled over by a Jew. This it was that she said to him, and for the present persuaded him to forbear. And when he had related what she had said to Ananias, he confirmed what his mother had said; and when he had also threatened to leave him, unless he complied with him, he went away from him, and said that he was afraid lest such an action being once become public to all, he should himself be in danger of punishment for having been the occasion of it, and having been the king’s instructor in actions that were of ill reputation; and he said that he might worship God without being circumcised, even though he did resolve to follow the Jewish law entirely, which worship of God was of a superior nature to circumcision. He added, that God would forgive him, though he did not perform the operation, while it was omitted out of necessity, and for fear of his subjects. So the king at that time complied with these persuasions of Ananias. But afterwards, as he had not quite left off his desire of doing this thing, a certain other Jew that came out of Galilee, whose name was Eleazar, and who was esteemed very skillful in the learning of his country, persuaded him to do the thing; for as he entered into his palace to salute him, and found him reading the law of Moses, he said to him, "Thou dost not consider, O king! that thou unjustly breakest the principal of those laws, and art injurious to God himself, [by omitting to be circumcised]; for thou oughtest not only to read them, but chiefly to practice what they enjoin thee. How long wilt thou continue uncircumcised? But if thou hast not yet read the law about circumcision, and dost not know how great impiety thou art guilty of by neglecting it, read it now." When the king had heard what he said, he delayed the thing no longer, but retired to another room, and sent for a surgeon, and did what he was commanded to do. He then sent for his mother, and Ananias his tutor, and informed them that he had done the thing; upon which they were presently struck with astonishment and fear, and that to a great degree, lest the thing should be openly discovered and censured, and the king should hazard the loss of his kingdom, while his subjects would not bear to be governed by a man who was so zealous in another religion; and lest they should themselves run some hazard, because they would be supposed the occasion of his so doing. But it was God himself who hindered what they feared from taking effect; for he preserved both Izates himself and his sons when they fell into many dangers, and procured their deliverance when it seemed to be impossible, and demonstrated thereby that the fruit of piety does not perish as to those that have regard to him, and fix their faith upon him only. (4) But these events we shall relate hereafter.
   
5. But as to Helena, the king’s mother, when she saw that the affairs of Izates’s kingdom were in peace, and that her son was a happy man, and admired among all men, and even among foreigners, by the means of God’s providence over him, she had a mind to go to the city of Jerusalem, in order to worship at that temple of God which was so very famous among all men, and to offer her thank-offerings there. So she desired her son to give her leave to go thither; upon which he gave his consent to what she desired very willingly, and made great preparations for her dismission, and gave her a great deal of money, and she went down to the city Jerusalem, her son conducting her on her journey a great way. Now her coming was of very great advantage to the people of Jerusalem; for whereas a famine did oppress them at that time, and many people died for want of what was necessary to procure food withal, queen Helena sent some of her servants to Alexandria with money to buy a great quantity of corn, and others of them to Cyprus, to bring a cargo of dried figs. And as soon as they were come back, and had brought those provisions, which was done very quickly, she distributed food to those that were in want of it, and left a most excellent memorial behind her of this benefaction, which she bestowed on our whole nation. And when her son Izates was informed of this famine,
   

(5) he sent great sums of money to the principal men in Jerusalem. However, what favors this queen and king conferred upon our city Jerusalem shall be further related hereafter.
ENDNOTES
(2): Josephus here uses the word monogene, an only begotten son, for no other than one best beloved, as does both the Old and New Testament, I mean where there were one or more sons besides, Gen_22:2; Heb_11:17. See the note on B. I. ch. 13. sect. 1.
(3): It is here very remarkable, that the remains of Noah’s ark were believed to he still in being in the days of Josephus. See the note on B. I. ch. 3. sect. 5.
(4): Josephus is very full and express in these three chapters, 3., 4., and 5., in observing how carefully Divine Providence preserved this Izates, king of Adiabene, and his sons, while he did what he thought was his bounden duty, notwithstanding the strongest political motives to the contrary.
(5): This further account of the benefactions of Izates and Helena to the Jerusalem Jews which Josephus here promises is, I think, no where performed by him in his present works. But of this terrible famine itself in Judea, take Dr. Hudson’s note here: - "This ( says he ) is that famine foretold by Agabus, Act_11:28, which happened when Claudius was consul the fourth time; and not that other which happened when Claudius was consul the second time, and Cesina was his colleague, as Scaliger says upon Eusebius, p. 174." Now when Josephus had said a little afterward, ch. 5. sect. 2, that "Tiberius Alexander succeeded Cuspius Fadus as procurator," he immediately subjoins, that" under these procurators there happened a great famine in Judea." Whence it is plain that this famine continued for many years, on account of its duration under these two procurators. Now Fadus was not sent into Judea till after the death of king Agrippa, i.e. towards the latter end of the 4th year of Claudius; so that this famine foretold by Agabus happened upon the 5th, 6th, and 7th years of Claudius, as says Valesius on Euseb. II. 12. Of this famine also, and queen Helena’s supplies, and her monument, see Moses Churenensis, p. 144, 145, where it is observed in the notes that Pausanias mentions that her monument also.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

• The pharisees make them twice as likely to go to hell.

Mat 23:15 ERV "It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites. You travel across the seas and across different countries to find one person who will follow your ways. When you find that person, you make him worse than you are. And you are so bad that you belong in hell!

• These people would go to great lengths to make this one convert even worse than them.

The new testament didn’t create a new set of rules. Jesus showed us how to really live the law of Moses in spirit, but this doesn’t mean abandoning the letter of the law.
Christ saves. To maintain your salvation, you must keep the law of Moses.
The sabbath, the new moons, the dietary laws, etc. they weren’t ever a controversy. If something is established and there is silence going forward regarding it, then it never goes away.
You have to keep the law through christ to be saved. There are steps to salvation.
When the apostles went to the Jews, they knew what they were repenting from; the only difference was to also believe in Jesus.
Christianity today teaches repentance from sin without actually turning from sin.
Believe in Christ & Repent from sin -> Have fruits of repentance and keep the law in Christ
Connect Acts 15:1 with Matthew 1:21. This describes what Jesus came to save people from.
Belief in Jesus blots/cancels out PAST sins.
Now that they have been converted, Acts 21 - after the intro.
Peter says:

1. Saved by Christ
2. Save yourselves

3:28:17
James gave the Gentiles four precepts to start them off with. And he said they would learn the rest.
Christians today say that nothing that you do can affect your salvation. Even though in Acts 2, Peter told them to save yourselves from this untoward generation.
So, first Peter tells you that you have to be saved by Christ. Then he turns around saying save yourselves. That means you gotta do something.
This is the analogy: Christians see Jesus as this lifeguard that keeps jumping in the pool while you're drowning and keeps pulling you out even though he was the one who told you to not get in the pool in the first place. The Bible describes Jesus as you drowning and he shows you what to do to save yourself, by giving you the life preserver. So if someone asks you, you would be right to say that Jesus saved me because he was the one that threw you the life preserver, but he made me participate in my own salvation. I had to play a role in it. That is the part that Christians miss.
Christians Do Not Understand Acts 15:19-20
A critical analysis of the common misinterpretation of Acts 15:19-20 and how it affects the Christian faith and practice.
Jul 30, 2022: "Christians Do NOT Understand Acts 15:19-20!" starts at ~32 minutes in.
Notes taken on Jan 3, 2024
Formatting Key
Bible VerseItalicsArticles Number text in verse. Jesus talking. using KJV unless noted otherwiseNotes on the verse Not necessarily relevant to the current class, but still importantArticle link Quote from article {{quote removed later}}

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Hi! I have 15 years of experience of voice acting, singing and ancestral soundmaking.
During these years I have developed many techniques to improve my voice range, and specially, techniques that allow me to master breath, how I use my diafragm, larynx expansion and contraction and even how to use a second set of vocal chords.
I'd like to offer a simple, accessible and non expensive service of online coaching to interested people.
Each lesson includes:
-Brief introduction of my expertise
-Practicing warming up techniques
-Larynx expansion and contraction to augment your vocal range
-Vocal and lip modulation to change your voice frequency
-Diafragm and breath control to master your volume and intensity
-Ten/fifteen minutes of voice play to practice what we learned
I charge 77 USD for each hour of lesson
The 77 USD are paid AFTER the lesson, so you can make sure that you're dealing with a real person and teacher.
If interested in improving your vocal talent, please DM or comment here, and I will contact you as soon as possible.
I want to help voice actors to achieve their best potential while also obtain a humble amount of money on the way.
I am always on camera during the lesson, but that is optional for introverts/privacy conscious users
I await your inquiries, messages and comments!
Have a nice evening!
EDIT: According to some users, charging 7 USD for the lessons seemed predatory. So I change it to 77 USD per lesson! Thanks to the user who commented about that!
PS: I'm not good at marketing, but I'm good at singing and voice acting, so I'll keep on working so I can offer a top level accessible coaching service for all voice actors worldwide.

It's been but a few years that I've been diagnosed. I'm on medication and nowadays I'm barely able to afford it, even whith the discounts and a few more things.
It's taking me a huge amount of effort to write this. I'm not even looking for a solution, honestly. I don't even want to make a rant out of this.
Years have passed, and my inatentiveness —I'm not the hyperactive type at all— has only worsened at work. The worst thing for me is that I realise I let down a few co-workers that have always been there for me (I don't disclose my condition at my workplace). Not even that is encouraging and I feel a terrible person for that (too). It's not that I hate my job, not any of my coworkers. The latter usualy are quite good. About the former, I've always felt that even if I do it right, no one will care. Some bosses are encouraging too, but I feel more like an old dog that's been told 'good boy' before being put down.
Reading about my conditions and about some main aspects of them (executive function and whatnot) and strategies to overcome them work only for a few days at best, and some are so long and tiresome to do, that now even with external help I've not been able to keep them up. Every time I try again it just feels like starting from zero, it just feels worse.
I've been stuck in my job for way more than five years. And in university almost as much —more than the double of what it actually should take even working and studying. Now I'm relatively close to finish my studies —I cannot appreciate how much I've done, no matter how evident it might be for others—, but every day I see it further away because not only actually reading and focusing is close to impossible most of the time, but remembering and putting into practice what I've just read is even harder. I'm letting down colleagues here too. Being way older than most of them all (and some teachers too) does not help.
They would actually do me a favour if they fire me, but that's not what I'm looking for, because I cannot tolerate being berated, and I would also not harness all the free time, and I don't think I'll handle my finances any better — money and health are huge problems too, but that's for another post if ever.
I had some other interests in life, but I've let them go one by one. Sometimes it's because of money. Sometimes, lack of time —even if I did make good use of it, I would not be able to be up to date with what I had to have delivered weeks and months ago. Sometimes forgetfulness does not help —years have passed in the blink of an eye, honestly. Sometimes, just the dreadful and virtually constant feeling of giving up.
Long ago I've realised that most of what's been happening is related to my relationship with my parents (duh), mostly with my dad. We do not get on well at all, but he's a good guy. I don't hate him. He just irks me, and I feel his gaze in almost everything I do and everything I don't. They're getting old and I don't know how will I support them when something bad happens —I'm still amazed he survived the pandemic with all the major health issues he already has.
I said that I didn't want to make a rant out of this because afaik a rant is mostly about hate for others —the fault of my current situation is mostly on me, and I can back that up with facts—, or for myself —most of the times I don't even hate me, nor feel sorry for me (I don't like people doing that either). I'm just so so tired.
No idea of where am I even going with all this. Cannot believe I've written this much. I might add something later, idk. Got the feeling that I've definitely left important things out.
Thank you, guys.
PS: first I though to post this in one of the ADHD subs, but imo more and more people and romanticizing the 'advantages' of such condition, and giving way too much credit to the famous 'hyperfocus' — which also is actually rare, and not the norm.
EDIT: mostly grammar.

Hi, I'm an aspiring IT professional that's been working as the Campus IT specialist of a Science Elementary school for 3 months. I am great at it and I got praise for working really well. Ive been given an option to be the Tech Apps teacher for kids and get paid almost double than what I make right now. Should I take it? I like to grow in IT and earn more. Money is kinda tight rn and additional 30k a year would be good.. let me know whats the best thing.
Edit: I'm making 36-40k a year, It would be great if I get 60k+ a year to really have a cushion. I'd still be doing IT stuff when I have open schedules.

My favorites in order are... 1. Oxford world classics (chef's kiss except some translations) 2. Norton critical editions (half of it is just notes) 3. Modern library Classics (presentation) 4. Barnes and noble (appendices) 5. Everymans library (makes a poor man feel rich) 6. Penguin classics (better intro + notes) 7. Vintage classics (but they have better covers) 8. Wordsworth classics (wtf is a good cover?)

We have been together for four years and married for two. He just started a new job in which he drives and travels a lot for work and I am a teacher. I call him in the evening when I get home, but that’s usually me asking how he is and how is day was; those are usually met with “fine” and “good”. I don’t get questions back from him, so our conversations are less than 10 minutes. Yesterday, he started a cross country drive for his job and I called every few hours to check in. I asked how the drive was going, how he’s feeling, and even more open ended questions like what podcasts or playlists he’s listening to. He didn’t open up, and again didn’t ask me anything to keep the conversation going. When he got to his hotel for the night he sent me a screenshot saying that in 12 hours of him driving we talked for a total of 11 minutes. I tried getting into a conversation with him, but got met with one word answers. I’m looking for advice to improve the communication and encourage conversation to keep him company while he travels, but also not wind up doing all the talking.
Edit to add: I just called him this morning to see how the drive is going and asked where he is, he said “uh, I don’t know”. Then I tried to start a conversation and tell him that it is a two way street and he cut me off saying “I don’t want to have this conversation. I’ll keep you posted where I’m at.” and hung up. 45 second phone call.

I put some new wheels on my bike and installed the disc rotors and cassette myself without a torque wrench. Because I wanted to be sure I did it right, I asked to use the torque wrench from my classroom. The center lock mentions 40Nm.
My teacher said he would never actually torque to 40Nm, stating that it is an incredible amount of force you need to apply. He even claimed he couldn't apply that much force manually. I thought that was a bit strange, why would there even exist torque wrenches that go to 40 - 200Nm? He also said even he would never be able to remove the cassette/discs if you'd actually torque them to 40Nm.
He proceeded to manually feel how tight I installed the cassette + disc and said they were to loose. He's stronger than me and applied quite a bit of force to get them tighter (with a regular cassette tool). I read somewhere that 40Nm is about 30 pounds of pressure on a foot long wrench. To me it looked like he applied quite a bit more force.
It all left me confused and wondering. Is 40Nm really that tight? Could he have over-torqued them anyway?
Edit: wow, this blew up. Thanks for all the tips and insights. Seems as though the consensus is to use the right tools, whenever possible. Even for 40Nm, which isn’t even that excessive.

Traditionally the Philippines was a retirement destination for veterans and pensioners. However, more and more younger people are coming here and they need a way to earn. Unlike the rest of Asia falling back on teaching English in a classroom isn't an option and even those who manage to find a job will be disappointed with their salaries. So I thought I'd cut through the noise and go over some ways to make money online. I have no course to sell so I can give a disinterested analysis.
Affiliate Marketing: Just get people to click your special link to buy something and you earn a commission on the sale. This can work, the problem is finding a steady inexpensive, or free source of traffic to your link. Newbies can expect 5-10% of their traffic to convert into sales while experienced users typically convert 20-25% of their traffic. So let's do some math. Let's say you're average and 15% of your clicks convert into sales and you get $2 per sale as an Amazon . com affiliate. That means you'll need to get 5000 clicks to your link every month just to get $1500 a month! That's a far cry from the penthouse condo, with a Tesla in the parking garage, and a C-cup sleeping next to you. The reality is most people in the MMO niche exaggerate their earnings. One survey found that 64% of affiliate marketers earn less than $1,000 per month.
Drop Shipping: Dropshipping, often portrayed as a low-risk, high-reward business model, faces significant challenges. While it eliminates inventory costs, drop shippers grapple with reliance on third-party suppliers, intense competition, and tight profit margins. You'll get a lot of chargebacks from frustrated customers who are tired of waiting for their products to arrive.
Teaching English Online: This can be a steady income, but pay varies widely. On average, online English teachers earn between $10 to $30 per hour with most making $14-16 an hour. I taught English for many years and it's a nice steady source of income. You won't get rich being an English teacher but you'll always have food on the table and a roof over your head. While it's true that the golden age of teaching English online has ended after China closed its markets, you can still make good money in this field. The real money in English teaching comes from getting your own students in a specialty field. For example, my buddy has a degree in finance and charges $28 an hour teaching English to investment bankers in Asia.
Vlogging in the Philippines: If you feel like you have something unique and interesting to offer then by all means go for it. But I'll tell you that most people who try to be YouTubers don't make much money or anything at all once you factor in the hours of work shooting and editing footage, plus the money spent on equipment. Making it big on YouTube is equivalent to making it big in Hollywood. 1% of aspiring actors make it big and become the next Johnny Depp or Will Smith. The rest end up waiting tables until they give up and go home. Vloggers typically earn between P95-P240 (approximately $2-$5) per 1,000 views. While top vloggers can earn more, that's not the norm.
The Takeaway: Most people who make a decent living online have a bona fide job. Usually customer service, sales , tech job, or teaching English . Most freelance writers, Youtubers, affiliate marketers, drop shippers, Facebook sellers, etc just don't make that much money - sorry Sally. Anyone who tells you that it's easy to make money online doing those things is trying to sell you something. Don’t fall for the hype of get-rich-quick schemes, and always approach these opportunities with a healthy dose of skepticism.

TL;DR Love the system, hated the kickstarter. Need to vent. I think.
So, as many others I've just recieved the kickstarter. I opted for the whole package, with both standard, deluxe, Tshirt and so on. Everything is really really awesome (The dice are a bit meh, but thats a minor thing)
I backed this motherload (hah) because I really like the system. It does what I wanted Free Leagues Alien to do, and didnt Deliver on. (execpt art and design, that still rocks)
I'm so lucky that as a Teacher, I teach roleplay for young and grown adults, and in that aspect I Get to try a whole lot of systems, groups of players and scenarios. Mothership quickly became a stable favorite, so when the kickstarter dropped I didnt hesitate for one bit. I Also backed and played most of Hull Breach, Cleaning of PSE, ect. I think I have played in the area of 80-100 sessions by now, divided over 10-15 different groups and a whole lot of one-session-oneshots in between. (fun fact, I've been a player. Once..)
The contents in the full kickstarter are top notch. Im glad I went All in, mostly because I have My own version, and My job Get to have another But.. All this hype was 2 years ago. The students I got started with back then have moved on and other systems have been played. Alot of other 1e compatible 3rd party stuff came and went..But I digress
What I really want to say is, that the mothership kickstarter campaign was a bummer. Not in quality but as a kickstarter. The delays really killed My hype, and for that I am sad. I just got this today where as many in My community in My country got it some weeks ago.
I really dont know where I'm going with this. I think My point is, that I still like the system, but I haven't touched kickstarter since and because of this, I don't think I'm ever going to Again. The delays really took me by surprise*
Sorry for rant.
*I know the company is a small one and they got overwhelmed, but it still sucks. They got better with updates later on, but at one point I really got the feeling this would take nearly forever.
Edit. Thanks for all the 'feedback'. I think I just needed to hear someone Else feeling kind of the same way. The game still kicks ass.