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This is an article that was published on June 6th, 2024, the one-year anniversary of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam. It has been condensed for Reddit.
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This is a report about two people who managed to flee the occupied town of Oleshky amidst the chaos following the Russian explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. They got lucky, if one could even call it that. Residents of the flooded left bank of the Dnipro River were trapped — the occupiers were blocking the evacuation, shooting at those who wanted to get out on their own, and, of course, lying that “everything is fine, there is no need to panic.”
We met Andrii, 56, and Yulia, 53, in Kherson the day after they arrived in the Ukraine-controlled area from occupied Oleshky. We brought them clean clothes. The couple planned to go to the west of Ukraine to visit their daughter and grandchildren. Andrii and Yulia showed me a video of them eating ice cream in Kherson for the first time in a year and a half. Then, they recalled the horrors they had experienced and started crying.
Oleshky is a town on the left bank of the Dnipro River, which has been under occupation since the beginning of the full-scale war. After Russian troops retreated from Kherson in November 2022 and blew up the Antonivskyi Bridge, communication between the town and the right bank of the Dnipro River became impossible. As a result of a large-scale Russian terrorist attack on 6 June, 2023, which blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam, dozens of settlements in the lower Dnipro River area were flooded or completely covered with water.

Learning about the terrorist attack on the occupied Kakhovka hydroelectric power station

“The dam has been blown up,” a friend told Andrii by phone. It was seven o’clock on a Tuesday morning. It’s about 50 kilometres from Oleshky to the Kakhovka power plant, so the sound of the explosion did not reach the town. The locals learned about the impending big water from friends who called, from Ukrainian television, or the Internet. The occupation administration didn’t inform the locals about the coming flood.
Andrii, without disturbing Yulia, got out of bed and, for the first time since the beginning of the occupation, took three guns from his hiding place. The situation could portend anything. The man felt a weight on his shoulders, contemplating the disaster he and his wife would soon face. But at the same time, hope arose inside him that all this, their life under the occupation of the Russian Federation, would finally come to an end. They had not dared to evacuate their hometown before as they believed they were too old. They did not want to leave their beautiful two-story house with a magnificent garden, and believed that the Ukrainian military was to arrive soon.
Andrii took his boat out to the yard, lowered it from the carriage (a trailer for transportation of cars or special equipment) and put two oars and a tarpaulin inside. He tied one end of the cable to the boat, then threw the rope into his room through an open second-floor window and secured the other end to prevent the boat from being swept away by the water.
He told Yulia about the blown-up dam. They then began taking out canned food, vegetables, and firewood from the basement, as they had a fireplace on the second floor. To stay updated on the latest news about the flood, they relied on Ukrainian television broadcasts accessed via a satellite dish. They were trying to understand whether their house would be completely flooded.
In the afternoon, Andrii hopped on his bike and went to investigate the situation. It was important to find a hill to escape to. While passing through Oleshky, he came across an elderly couple standing in the middle of the street. The woman was crying and the man was trying to calm her down. Andrii intervened.
“Son, we’re going to be flooded!” the woman cried out. Their children and relatives were abroad. There was nowhere to run.
“When you hear the water, come here quickly,” Andrii said, gave his address and rode on. He never saw them again.
Then Andrii and Yulia watched the news on the TV again: “…the explosion of the dam and the machine room…”, “…the disaster occurred at around three in the morning…”, “…a particular threat to the lower-lying left bank…”
Information about the expected flooding level varied.
Around six in the evening, the power went out in Oleshky. So the couple stayed at home for the rest of the day.

How the water kept coming into Oleshky

At one o’clock in the morning, Andrii heard the sound of rushing water. He opened the window and could hear dogs barking and people shouting in the distance. He and his wife went outside and saw the road was flooding. On the other side of the water, a woman with a flashlight stood watching the waves wash over the street. The couple decided to return to their house while they could still walk on dry ground — the water was rising too fast.
It was Wednesday morning, and the water in Andrii and Yulia’s yard was already a metre high. The door to the house was firmly closed, so the water was barely seeping in. Andrii went down to the basement to save a few more cans of preserves and retrieve the pumping station. Just then, the sewer pipe running through the room burst, causing sewage to gush into the basement.
The two went up to the second floor. Outside, the wind was whistling, and there was a noise coming from below — water and all the contents of the sewer were washing away the first floor. Furniture, the refrigerator, and other appliances were being swept away. Andrii made notches on the wall of the house with a knife to mark the water level. From the first night, the water had been rising by five centimetres every five minutes, but by morning, the rate of flooding had slowed.
The water was overcoming the fence, and the boat tied to the house was already drifting. Andrii untied the boat and wanted to swim to rescue his neighbours, but he could not get out of his own yard as the gate was locked with two bolts submerged under water, one at the top and one at the bottom. The man returned to the house, took a hoe and, swimming to the gate, opened the bolts with the tip of the tool.
Andrii took his neighbours to his house, where the second floor was still dry. Then he went on a scouting mission. The water continued to rise, and while he could already turn on the motor, he continued to paddle instead: the Russian military was looking for motor boats and would confiscate either the engine or the entire boat. Watercraft without motors was not suitable, due to the swift current in many places, and inflatable boats could be easily punctured.
Along the flooded streets, there was chaos: cows were mooing, dogs and cats were swimming by, and the current was carrying beehives, firewood, and garbage. Cries of “Help!” were heard everywhere. Andrii was busy transporting people from smaller houses to houses with two or more floors. It was a sunny and hot day, and many people were sitting on their roofs without any shade.
During all this time, the shelling continued: Russian artillery on the outskirts of Oleshky was firing on Kherson.
Struggling to maintain his course, Andrii accidentally collided with the side of the boat with the trunk of an apricot tree, causing a swarm of bees to descend upon him. Swiftly, he grabbed a tarpaulin, wrapping himself tightly within it as he sensed the bees attempting to breach his makeshift shield. After a tense moment, the bees relented, allowing Andrii to continue on his journey.There were many more bees flying around from the flooded hives, many of them also became homeless.
In the morning and afternoon, there were almost no boats on the water.
While swimming down the street, Andrii heard a hoarse cry. He looked around. Then he heard a woman’s voice come from an old house. The man saw a grandmother looking out from the attic from the triangular cut-out of the mansard. He began to call her to the boat, and the woman jumped out of the door on the other side of the attic.
“Take me to Lyuba,” she said. Andrii started rowing to the neighbouring house. Lyuba, the friend of the grandmother, was sitting on the roof. However, the house was too high for Andrii to transfer the grandmother there safely. Instead, he suggested placing her on another nearby tall building where the ascent would be easier.
“No need! If I die, then it’ll be in my house,” she said and agreed with Lyuba that some man would come by boat and take her from the attic. So Andrii took his grandmother back, having neither the strength nor the time to argue.

Many people asked for transport, but most men refused. Andrii primarily saved women with children or the elderly. Navigating obstacles, persuading people to get into the boat, waiting for them to gather their belongings, and finding a way to safely disembark all took up precious time. Unfortunately, there was no time to discuss rescuing animals, even though many people pleaded to save their cats and dogs.
Andrii swam past the tall rose hedge that lined the road. Two-thirds of the bush was submerged, with rose petals floating on the water. Nearby, on a raft nailed to a wall, a brown dog sat helplessly. Andrii had to keep swimming.
It was then Andrii saw two boats with Russian soldiers sailing past the drowning people in Oleshka. One approached him.
“Do you have a working engine?” he asked.
“No. As you can see, I’m rowing with oars,” answered Andrii. The invaders swam away.
By the evening, rescuers among the locals increased. The Russian military, though, did not help the people. One guy made a raft by tying empty plastic bottles to a pallet. The man was rescuing animals, he even managed to pull a hedgehog out of the water. Residents of the city called their relatives, friends and acquaintances directly from the rooftops and begged to be rescued.

It stopped, damn it!

In the evening, Andrii sat at home with Yulia and the neighbours again, illuminating the front wall with a flashlight. He was looking at the last mark he had placed a few hours ago, now slightly covered by water. He looked again and at half past one in the morning he shouted:
“It stopped, damn it!”
The water really stopped rising, and in the morning it fell by 50-60 centimetres.
There was no thought that dry areas could still remain in Oleshky, because it seemed as if water had flooded the entire city. However, in the morning, Andrii swam in the direction opposite the Dnipro River and discovered that there was still land near the hospital. He began taking people there, starting with the neighbours who had been in his house, and then rescuing others. By Thursday, he had helped evacuate about 12 people.
In some places, the depth had reached four metres, only the crowns of trees and the roofs of houses protruded above the surface. Andrii swam at the height of power poles, occasionally getting tangled in the wires.
On Thursday, the street became much quieter.

“Is there anyone alive?” Andrii shouted, swimming through the blocks.

Only dogs barked back. Many were still around: some floating, others clinging to bits of land or any objects that had accumulated, forming tiny islands of salvation.

On Thursday, pallets, concrete mixers, refrigerators, wooden decks, etc. floated with the current. One of the neighbouring houses was torn loose and drifted out to the open sea. The water was swirling violently.
In the evening, Andrii noticed that the current had carved out a wide corridor leading to the river, about 50 metres wide, opening a path to Kherson. However, due to the one-metre difference in water level, it was dangerous to sail there. Nevertheless, hope was growing inside him. He returned home.
Yulia was terribly afraid of water and even before the war hardly ever got into a boat, so she didn’t want to entertain her husband’s suggestion of getting out of Oleshky using the newly emerged path. But Andrii insisted, saying they just needed to cross the riffle (a shallow section of a river), and then rescuers would be waiting beyond.
“It’s like we’re in Venice!” he joked. After looking at the faeces floating among the children’s toys, and then at her flooded luxurious garden, grown with painstaking work, Yulia agreed.

Sailing from occupied Oleshky to freedom

The final decision was made on Friday morning. Andrii launched the backup inflatable boat into the water and tied it behind the motorboat with a sturdy television cable. At this time, there were still two neighbours left in the house. Andrii offered them to join. Two people could fit into the inflatable boat. But they categorically refused — it was too dangerous. They asked to be dropped off near the hospital, and Andrii agreed.
When he returned, he and Yulia hastily gathered their belongings, packing their wedding suits, two favourite photo albums, an acupuncture mat, plush bunny, and toy dog ​​that their grandchildren used to play with into the rubber boat. Andrii grabbed the branded box from his phone — in the chaos, it was difficult to rationalise the decision.
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They took two bright flashlights.
“If we get carried out into the open sea, we’ll use them as beacons,” joked Andrii. Or maybe he wasn’t joking.
Their drinking water wasn’t in bottles, but in jars, so Yulia wrapped them in white towels and handed them down to Andrii from the window. The towels could serve as white flags if needed. From their food supplies, they only took a bag of walnuts. They also took three guns with ammunition as a “gift” for a Russian patrol. Yulia sat in the boat wearing a pink t-shirt adorned with plastic pearls and jeggings. Instead of a lifebuoy, they had a car tire. Andrii wore a t-shirt, shorts, and rubber boots. Both of them wore wide-brimmed beach hats on their heads. They set sail around half-past seven in the morning.
On the roof of one of the buildings they were passing by, a woman shouted:

“Just don’t forget about us!”

Yulia looked at her and silently pointed towards the Dnipro River.
“I understand,” the woman’s expression shifted between understanding and despair.
Overnight, the water level dropped even further, the rapids diminished, and the channel itself widened by 20 metres. However, the current remained strong, pulling the boats into a whirlpool. Andrii grabbed onto an electric wire stretched between two poles and, holding onto it, slowly descended downstream — away from the whirlpool, but towards an acacia tree. This caused the inflatable boat to collide with its thorny top. The items inside were lightweight, so it continued to float, albeit slightly tilted. But Andrii couldn’t help but think that if they had taken two more people with them, the inflatable boat might have sunk.
Having aligned both vessels, Andrii swam into the forest and moved further between the trees so that Russian patrols or snipers would not see them. Further, behind the submerged islands, a view of Kherson opened up, rising far, far away on the other shore.

Now Yulia realised that no one was waiting for them near the riffle — Andrii reassured her to convince her to get into the boat. Then they had to paddle to the other side on their own. But Yulia no longer cared about that. And the fear of water completely disappeared.
To make it more difficult for the Russian military to shoot them, they decided to swim diagonally, against the current.
Suddenly the rope snapped, and the second boat began to drift downstream. Yulia grabbed the television cable to hold the boat with the belongings. For the rest of the journey, she kept it afloat.
Between the banks of the Dnipro, there were islands with summer cottage communities, including two-story houses visible from the water. The couple feared that Russian military personnel might be lurking there, so Andrii nudged the rifle closer. As they approached the first island, the boats began to drift away. While Andrii attempted to hold onto the motorboat, his wife firmly grasped his hand.
“The land is floating!” Both of them watched as the entire island began to drift with the current. Their hair stood on end. Andrii tried to steer away from the whirlpool that swept the entire island away. Meanwhile, the land continued to float along with trees and rocks – straight into the sea.
But in a minute it turned out that it was not the island floating, but the boats being carried in the opposite direction. Andrii tried to swim against the current, but the current turned out to be so strong that it still carried them downstream.
From the direction of Olehky, a drone appeared in the sky. They looked to see if it was armed with a grenade, but they could not see clearly — the “iron bird” hovered against the sun. Andrii steered the boats further towards Kherson, and just before reaching the city, they encountered a swift current that began to carry them away along with the rapids. They had to turn back and anchor near a concrete pillar with a blue and yellow flag. They anchored and waited for rescuers to notice them. Drones continued to fly in the sky. One of them hovered over the two boats.
Andrii untied the ship and began to slowly drift between the trees, hiding in the bushes: if the drone came with a grenade, it would be more difficult to drop it. A snake fell from one tree directly into the boat. Yulia began to scream, while Andrii threw it overboard with a light swing.
Finally, they spotted a military boat heading toward a concrete pillar with a flagpole. There are two soldiers on the ship. Identification marks were not visible from afar. Andrii and Yulia hid behind a bush, so the boat sailed past.
Another “bird” flew up from the Kherson side and hovered over the pole with the flag. Yulia started to wave at it. The military boat returned. It turned out to be a Ukrainian military boat. The guys from the boat transferred Yulia, attached two other boats, and towed them to the shore.
Andrii took out his phone to film a video.

“This is what freedom looks like,” he said, looking at the green slope of the port city.

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_______________________________
The 836th day of a nine year invasion that has been going on for centuries.
One day closer to victory.

🇺🇦 HEROYAM SLAVA! 🇺🇦

So I’m aware that bunny hopping is getting fixed but I had to put this somewhere.
Background: I was getting shot around corners from bunny hoppers as everyone else does, but. They were peaking corners mid jump and decided not to jump if they saw someone (refer to the video)
Everyone ping was fine and no packet loss or anything. They were doing this all game.
I know they are working fixing it but I thought I should add a little more evidence.

Wade Robson was born on the 17th of September,1982.
Brandi Jackson was born on the 6th of February,1982.
They met on the set of the LA gear photoshoot that took place in 1990, then they did the Black or White music video together which was filmed in September 1991.
So they were 8 years old when they met. Well, at least Brandi Jackson was eight when they met. I think Wade was still seven years old at the time and they were both nine years old when they did the black or white music video together.
According to Brandi Jackson, after the did the LA gear photoshoot and the Black or White video together, Wade had developed a crush on her. Wade asked MJ to set up a situation for them to meet and get to know each other better.
MJ invited Wade, Joy and Chantel as well as Brandi and her brother to the ranch. Wade and Brandi spent a week together at the ranch getting to know each other. Their relationship became closer and at the end of the stay at Neverland, he asked Brandi to be his girlfriend.
They first had sexual intercourse together when they were both 18 years old.
So Wade Robson and Brandi Jackson first had sexual intercourse in the year 2000.
Brandi Jackson stated that before her and Wade Robson had sex at 18 years old, she had already started to question her relationship with Wade because Wade started to work for Britney Spears at age sixteen as her choreographer for her first and second leg of her tour and around that time his behaviour started to change and it did not sit right with her, so she started to question him on whether he was sleeping with Britney Spears or not and he denied it.
However, as reports of Britney Spears alleged unfaithfulness to Justin Timberlake who she started dating in 1999 began to surface in 2002, she started to question Wade again on whether he was cheating on her with Britney Spears and Wade denied it until a mutual friend who was close to both her and Wade confirmed that Robson in fact was not only cheating on her with Britney Spears but with also Mayte Garcia (Prince's ex wife) who he began dating from 2000 until 2001.
When Brandi Jackson confronted him on all this information she found out from the mutual friend, he paused and started crying asking her how she knew this and who told her all these things and how could she possibly know these things. Never denying it, which caused Brandi and Wade to break up in 2002.
So Wade Robson cheated on Brandi Jackson twice throughout their relationship. First with Britney Spears then with Mayte Garcia.

Trial Day 68
Jury Deliberations Day 3
Fans waited outside the courthouse in large numbers each day, waving placards, shouting and dancing.
Rev. Jesse Jackson arrived at the courthouse today to update the media and fans on Michael's well-being:

"[Michael Jackson] exudes a great sense of confidence in the jury as being fair ... Michael anxiously awaits the jury's verdict, but anticipates acquittal."

https://reddit.com/link/1da8y00/video/s1yh240nes4d1/player
Amidst speculation about Michael's health, his spokesperson said the he would continue to await the verdict at his Neverland Valley Ranch, an hour away.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said an ambulance would be on standby outside the courthouse. Sources within the department said this was routine for events involving large crowds and had nothing to do with Jackson's health issues.
The role of jury foreperson has reportedly been filled by a retired teacher. During jury selection, he told attorneys he had no thoughts about Jackson:

"I came in with an open mind and I plan to keep it that way. I try not to put celebrities on a pedestal. I would look at him as just another person who needs a fair trial"

The 63-year-old Latino man had served as a high school counselor and attendance director.

"I was both the good guy and the bad guy."

He said he had no problems with government:

"I depend on them and hope they make the right decisions," although he did question U.S involvement in the Iraq and Vietnam wars.

Lawyers for a consortium of media outlets asked Judge Melville to release the verdict form provided to the jury and also to disclose the contents of any questions the jury asks.
They argued that the verdict form "establishes the framework for any verdict by the jury," and is a judicial record presumed to be public under the First Amendment and California law.

"Public access to the form now will enable the press to better understand and accurately report and explain the verdict when it is read in open court," the motion said.

Media wait for a verdict
Media representatives wait for a verdict
Defense Attorney Robert Sanger tells a sheriff's deputy he will be in the waiting room after he arrives at court
Jurors arrive in vans at Santa Barbara County Courthouse to begin the 2nd full day of deliberations
Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks with the media
Reverend Jesse Jackson arrives to speak to the media
Reverend Jesse Jackson arrives to speak to the media
Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks to the media
Defense attorney Robert Sanger leaves court
Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks with the media
Reverend Jesse Jackson listens to a question from the media

I'm visiting my dad in Virginia and one of the things I really wanted to do was go to Busch Gardens. Last time I visited was in the 90's. We went a few weeks ago and I rode a rollercoaster for the first time as an adult. I did enjoy them as a kid, but I absolutely love these things now! After getting home from Busch Gardens I started watching videos and learning more about them and saw a few mentions of the Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion, another park not too far from here. So yesterday, we went there too.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg:
We went with my niece during the week at the end of May. It wasn't too crowded so a lot of the rides had practically no lines. Unfortunately my niece is NOT a fan of rollercoasters and my dad and I felt guilty making her wait by herself too often, even though she's 17. Because of this, we only rode four of them throughout the day.
Griffon: This was my first rollercoaster in nearly 30 years. I had no idea what it was going in, my dad just pointed out that there was no line as we were walking by and asked if I'd like to ride it. My dad wanted the front row and I definitely started regretting my decision on the lift hill, but the gimmick of being held over the drop made me laugh more than it scared me. The ride was pretty smooth and I laughed a LOT. Definitely recommend it to others.
Loch Ness Monster: I was really excited about this one going in because it was my favorite as a kid and I'd heard they recently did a lot of work on it. There was a little bit of a line, but only about 20 minutes, and largely that was because we decided to go for the front row again. They added a lot of fun story type stuff throughout the ride and the cave now has some screens inside. Unfortunately, it was still pretty rough on my head and neck even though they redid a lot of the track. It's still an older arrow coaster, after all.
Apollo's Chariot: I was a little scared going into this one because it was the only rollercoaster I remember not enjoying when I was a kid (too big of a drop). The main reason we rode is was the complete lack of line. I'm so glad we did. It was fantastic. So much airtime and extremely smooth. We decided to ride it again immediately after.
Pantheon: We kept seeing this one as we were walking around the park and had no idea what we were looking at. We'd never heard of a multi-launch coaster. We finally heard someone talking about it and were intrigued. There was a bit of a line again, but we still went for the front row. This one was my dad's favorite, and my second favorite. It wasn't quite as smooth as Apollo's Chariot, but going backwards and the little speed boost sections were a LOT of fun.
The Dark Koaster (not sure that's the right spelling) and Verbolten had the longest lines in the park, so we didn't ride them. I feel like that was a mistake now. We also completely missed Tempesto somehow. We wanted to ride Alpengeist but it wasn't open.
Kings Dominion:
Our entire goal was to ride the Intimidator 305 and as many other rollercoasters as possible. We didn't bring my niece. We went on a Wednesday, with some rain in the forecast. Our hope was that it wouldn't be quite as hot, maybe rain for an hour, and the park would be practically empty. That mostly worked out, although there was about 45 minutes where all the rides shut down due to lightning risk. Still a fantastic day.
Dominator: We rode this first and in the very front row. Unfortunately, it was more of a headbanger than I expected. We spent most of the ride trying to keep our heads still and failing. My dad said his favorite part was when it was over and we both said "never again." Not much more to say about it.
IntimidatoProject 305: Seems they're in between names right now, so the sign was different than what I saw in videos. There's no mention of Dale Earnheart and nothing saying "Intimidator." It's still the same ride however, and I can assure you, it's extremely intimidating to look at. My palms started sweating as we were walking up, and I started to regret every decision I'd ever made that lead me to that point.
The line wasn't too long, but it suddenly started pouring rain right before our turn. The operators said it was our decision whether or not to ride it in the rain. Basically it's still safe, but going 92 mph in the rain, especially in the front row, would hurt. We decided to do it anyway since we couldn't be sure the weather wouldn't get worse and possibly shut down the ride completely.
I've never felt like I was going to fall out backwards on a lift hill, but that's how steep this monster is. Didn't help that I was slippery in the rain, so I was actually pressed up against the shoulder restraints a bit on the ride up. I held my dad's hand and tried to focus on my feet. The drop was intense, but not as bad as it looked. My vision got spotty, then went out completely as we picked back up, then cleared at the crest of the second hill. At this point, the rain became the most notable factor, as it did indeed hurt a bit getting pelted in the face at that speed. When the ride ended, I started seeing spots again and it felt like my heart was trying to remember how to beat correctly. I felt like I'd just been run through a washing machine.
Unfortunately my phone had been in my dad's pocket that had a button and the button was not strong enough to hold through those turns. As they say, "The ride always wins." I let the operators know I'd lost my phone on the ride, and to my surprise, they actually said they walk out every night when the ride shuts down and look for lost items. They had me give them a description of the phone and told us to come back at 8 pm. We rode the Intimidator (or whatever you want to call it) three more times throughout the day, including in the front again, the very back, and the middle. My dad kept saying he could see my phone in the grass by one of the turns, and at the end of the day, by some miracle, they not only found it, but it was in perfect condition despite being dropped at 92 mph and rained on. I saw someone else getting their phone returned and it was completely smashed. Crazy.
Tumbili: I'm not sure exactly what to say about this ride except that it's very very short. I wanted to ride it because it was a 4D coaster and I've never even seen one before. It was fun, but a bit disorienting. I did laugh a lot though.
Reptilian: I rode in the back which is supposed to be the best experience. I think this one is more for the kids because there wasn't much to it. The speed picked up a little bit near the end, though.
Flight of Fear: This one was a surprise hit. I didn't know much going in. I just needed to get out of the heat and wanted an indoor ride for a change. I loved all the cool displays and the air conditioning felt fantastic. The operators were having a lot of fun too, giving fake countdowns and messing with people's heads on the launch. As we sat in our seats, I noticed the steep downward angle and remembered some of the videos I'd watched explaining how lap bars can hold you in even if the ride goes upside down and said to my dad, "I think this ride might have inversions." And boy, did it. My favorite part was definitely the launch though. I didn't expect to get the same stomach drop feeling simply from acceleration, but I definitely felt like some of my organs were left behind for a few seconds. It got a little rough near the end, but I really enjoyed this ride.
Racer 75: I've ridden this as a kid back when it was called the Rebel Yell and wanted to see what it was like as an adult. My dad didn't ride this one with me since he doesn't like wooden rollercoasters (too rough). I had a nice chat with the random stranger who sat with me and was pleasantly surprised by the drop. Nice airtime on those little hills too. It was a little shaky, but not bad for its age.
Twisted Timbers: I had to convince my dad that this one wasn't a typical wooden coaster and that it was considered many people's favorite from what I'd heard doing research and watching videos. I had high hopes for it because of all the praise and was a little worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. I was NOT disappointed however. This thing rocks! We rode it three times in a row since there was no line at all.
I had some trouble on my second ride though. My seatbelt buckle got wedged in between my thigh and the lap bar, so every time we popped up on those bunny hills, all my weight got thrown up against it, which hurt quite a bit. I developed a nasty bruise which is still sore. I was very careful on the third ride to make sure that didn't happen again. But yeah, I love this ride. The barrel roll drop is so much fun!
Grizzly: I remember enjoying this one as a kid, mostly for the scenery. I'd also heard they recently finished fixing it up to make things smoother. I was surprised my dad wanted to ride it with me despite me warning him that it would probably still be shaky as hell. And it definitely was. The first drop was pretty smooth, but the rest of the ride made me feel like I was riding a jackhammer.
Apple Zapple - The only one I didn't ride. It just didn't look like much and by that time, I was getting picky.

What a High Value Man is and is Not

What is an Alpha Male? What is a high value man? What should a man do? These questions or some variations are constantly asked on these forums. All valid questions but they miss the point. Men who know the answers to these questions learned but not by asking. Another common question is: what is the meaning of life? We think we want to know the answer to such question, but asking is pointless. While a high value man can be many things and has various good qualities, I argue that silence and action separate the man that has frame (read Alpha Bunny) from the coomer Betas (Chimps that Simp).
Behind the Rabbit? No, It is the Rabbit!

Why use Rabbits and Monkeys?

I could talk about how being a high value man involves being the leader of the pack, an Alpha wolf; perhaps I can conjure images of a nomadic lion, but that is dated. So, for the sake of novelty, I will talk about the redpill qualities you can learn from rabbits and the lessons to avoid from monkeys.

When people think high value or Alpha what comes to mind? That’s right, most definitely not a Rabbit. I believe that the frisky little bastards have some lessons to teach us; in fact modern men can learn a lot from Rabbits. Rabbits have many good qualities, Rabbits are pretty chill, they mind their own business and they are not afraid of their own sexuality, I am talking to you nice guys. Rabbits can also be brutal and have been known to dwell in caves surrounded by bones. But the #1 quality rabbits have over other animals frequently mentioned in redpill discussions is: Silence. Knowing when to shut the fuck up (STFU) is a very valuable skill. So, what does STFU have to do with being a high value man? Simply put its fight club. The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about fight club. The Second rule is: You do not talk about fight club. Over the years men have had different ideas over what this means. I believe it means something like this: Fight Club is not something you talk about; it is something you do.
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” Marcus Aurelius’

Silence, Stoicism and the Way of Bunny

Talking and not doing is antithetical to our purposes. If so then silence and action will do. For some insight we shall consider the stoics. Stoicism can be summed up in the serenity prayer.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Recognize and take action. Among the observations the stoics made on human nature, was the importance of shutting up. Something happens when people speak, especially about the things they are going to do. Speaking about your future plans kills your stride. You are less likely to do the thing you talk about doing; New year’s resolutions anyone? So, noticing this pattern some of the stoics came up with the practice of taking vows of silence. These vows were taken for a number of reasons, but the point was that the man vowed not to speak until he had accomplished whatever goal he set for himself. The movie Acts of Vengeance illustrates this point well. In the movie the main character’s family is murdered, he vows to himself not to speak until he has captured his family’s killer. And while the story is an extreme example there are lessons that can be learned. I am not suggesting that you take a vow of silence but that there are benefits to guarding your words.
I will by no means create an exhaustive list on the virtues of silence, but for the purposes of business and game, keeping silence prevents people from reading you. You become more mysterious. In the absence of explicit words from you, people will start imagining all sorts of things about you. In business you do not tell your competitors, about your plans less they should sabotage you. Try telling your boss that you are putting in applications for other jobs, see how that goes. While it is a good practice to keep your options open, talking about it is foolish. Another thing you don’t do is explain to your wife or girlfriend about all your red pill lessons and theory; try telling your woman I am sure she will be thrilled!... Not. This is shooting yourself in the foot, remember women want you to “just get it.” If you talk about literature and videos on how you are learning to man up, your woman, family and friends will doubt your authenticity.
Rabbits can teach us a lot here. For example, if a woman were to ask a rabbit to explain what redpill means (and make the rabbit lose frame) do you know what a rabbit would do? That’s right STFU! A rabbit would disregard thots! You might be surprised that beyond Stoicism rabbits also practice zen. Rabbits have frame. They do not ask for permission, they just do. We know about rabbits’ propensity for getting it on, they are bold and unashamed. Hence a good action shall be called the way of the bunny.
Now here comes the Chimps! A chimp is reasonably intelligent but that is his downfall. When a woman ask the chimp to explain itself, do you know what it does? That’s right it speaks or it thinks it does. But what actually comes out is a bunch of random noise. That is how your explanations shall be perceived, as a bunch of nonsense. And your woman is not impressed the by noised that come out of your mouth hole, rather she looks at you as the stupid too clever for his own good monkey you are! So shut your stupid monkey mouth and learn the way of bunny.
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. Proverbs 29:11

Why you do not shut up

Why is it that you feel the need to explain and justify yourself whenever someone question you? Simply put, its validation. Go about your mission whatever that is at the moment, and don’t talk about it. If you are fat and started losing weight, don’t tell your girlfriend; keep pumping iron bro, and make those sweat puddles bigger! Look at you, you took out the trash, now go tell your wife (read mommy) so she can tell you what a big boy you are! That you feel the need to tell someone is asking for permission. A man who seeks permission is not capable of leading others. I am not going to go too much into mental point of origin, but shutting up, helps you become more attractive. Not seeking approval and validation is attractive, and not unattractive. If you can learn to be silent, and not seek approval, you will do well but remember silence is a means to an end. What that end is, well that’s for you to decide. Whatever goal you seek must be geared to action. If you do not take action, your mind will stagnate and begin pointless pondering.

What is the meaning of life?
Is a pointless question. It is a question asked by those that are not living. Remember, to be men of action. If you are taking action and moving forward, you won’t have time to ask yourself such questions. What’s that? Are you thinking? Quee in the Chimps ! Chimps in captivity masturbate, chimps in the wild do not. Chimps in their natural habitat are busy hunting, mating, jockeying for status, and living; Chimps do not have time to engage in pointless activities. I am not saying there is no time for introspection and thinking, quite the opposite. But don’t let overthinking paralyze you! Think, and then do. A decent plant diligently carried out is better than a perfect plan applies sporadically.
The question: what is the meaning of life is very limited, it’s as if there was one thing you were born for, this is false. You were born to do many things. The Author of Mans Search for Meaning put it this way, instead of asking what is the meaning of life, as if life owes you something; ask what does life want of me? And what life wants from you is dependent upon that moment in time. When you are making love to your woman, your purpose in life is to be present and enjoy! When you are in war, your purpose is to kill your enemy. When you are working, work; when you are playing play. You will do many different things in life depending on your interest and propensities. There is no one thing. So do not engage in overthinking. What does life want from you at this moment? It is that simple. To overthink is, to not live. You must be present and answer the question in the now.
Are you a monkey? A Monkey in Captivity?!

“Self-improvement is masturbation”-Tyler Durden.

Some of you may be monkeys! Why? Because of the inability to quiet yourself. Because of the inability to plan for the future. Because of instant gratification. And because you engage in endless masturbation. Not only physically as in choking the chicken. But also, mentally. Reading and searching for information without application is mental masturbation. Learning without action is pointless. Without struggle, without purpose we devolve into a Bonobo masturbation society! Don’t be Simp or a Chimp. As men we are what we do. You don’t need permission to do what you need to. You don’t need to know the purpose of your life to start living. The ironic thing is that as you start living a lot of questions will answer themselves. This is why high value men dont need to ask these questions. They already answered them by living. A high value man does. Be like the Rabbit and Don’t talk about fight club. The point of the stoics, and the serenity prayer is not introspection (read masturbation) but the courage to change the things you can.

“I hate every ape I see, From chimpan-a to chimpan-z,
No, you'll never make a monkey out of me.” The Simpson, song Dr Zaius


Don’t be a mindless ape.

Emphatically

The Most Alpha of Bunnies