Bobbin size for brother sewing machine
the pile of laundry on my floor is trying to eat me.
2023.06.02 23:18 normadezmonds the pile of laundry on my floor is trying to eat me.
I know this sounds crazy. Shut up. I get it. I’ve heard it all before: “what are you talking about?” “You’re insane.” “This is why you shouldn’t do molly before your brain finishes developing.” My friends don’t believe me. My parents don’t believe me. My therapist doesn’t believe me. And I don’t blame them. I didn’t believe me either, at first. Maybe I still don’t. There’s no moral here; this isn’t some cautionary tale about the importance of keeping clean. If it were, it’d be the sickest, most twisted way to teach someone to fold their stupid clothes.
I normally fold my laundry. I do. I’m not a slob! I hate walking into my bedroom and seeing clothes on the floor. I hate it, seriously! I don’t believe in it, don’t subscribe to it, and don’t condone it. The floor could be as clean as a freshly zamboni’d ice rink, but the second my clothes touch it they instantly get dirty – coated in lint, dust, and grime that latch onto my shirts and underwear like leeches.
But no one’s perfect. I’m not an idiot, ok? I’m a realist. I’m an adult. I slip up sometimes. A bit of depression here, a dash of anxiety there, and suddenly I don’t feel like folding that huge lump of clothes the exact second the dryer vomits them out. In those cases, I put the pile on my desk chair, and I wait a few days. I go to work, I run my errands, I wash my face, and, whatever – you get the gist. Eventually, I work up the courage to square up to that foul fabric beast and tear it apart, devoting twenty minutes to folding and putting away every single piece of clothing until my room is back to its normal, serene state. This cycle is a perfectly normal part of the monotonous yet inconsistent ebb and flow that is adulthood, and I’m not going to put myself on trial for occasionally succumbing to it. Well, the last load of laundry I did was a particularly big one. Massive, actually. So big I thought the washing machine drum would break off its axle, spin out into my kitchen, and crash through a wall. After the clothes dried, I let them sit in the machine for a few days because taking them out proved too daunting a task (and yes, I opened the dryer door a bit so the clothes could air out. I’m not an idiot).
Eventually, I worked up the courage to extract the atrocious textile pile and take it to my room for folding. The pile was too big and too heavy to fit on my chair, so I threw it on the ground. I know, I know – I’m wincing at the thought. But I had too. It was enormous. At the time, folding felt like too herculean a task to do in that moment. So I waited a day. And another day. And another. I went to work, I ran my errands, I washed my face. By then, a week had gone by, and the pile was still there, on the floor at the foot of my bed. I went to bed that night promising myself I would deal with it in the morning.
Well, girls and boys, I didn’t deal with it. That day I did nothing; I did nothing but go to work, run my errands, and wash my face. And that evening I opened a beer, plopped my ass on the couch, and watched “New Girl.” I hate that show. I despise that show. But I watch reruns when my body is tired but my mind is awake; when I need something to dull my brain until it meets my body halfway on that miserable road to exhaustion.
When I crawled into bed that night, the laundry pile was still there, obviously. A sock was sticking out and touching the foot of my bed. It was funny, though, because I didn’t remember the pile physically touching my bed the night before. But who really remembers things like that, anyway? I figured the pile must have come apart a bit due to vibrations in the floor when I walked -- gravity, or something. It was a bulbous, globular, uneven stack of clothes, for fuck’s sake. I know this sounds silly – it’s just that my first thought when I saw the pile had shifted slightly towards my bed wasn’t that it was actively moving towards me.
I have bad dreams often, but that night’s was especially bad. I dreamt I stepped into an enormous bowl of pancake batter and couldn’t get out. I sunk into the batter, slowly, tortuously, inch by inch, until the beige mass globbed onto my face. Just as it covered my eyes and stuck them shut, I suddenly woke up with a shooting pain in my foot. The pain was almost indescribable: a burning, almost acidic sensation. It subsided immediately the moment I woke up and drew my legs up to my chest, curling into the fetal position and rubbing my foot until my mind coaxed itself to sleep. When I woke up that morning, my thoughts returned to that brief pain in my foot. I almost couldn’t even remember if it had been a dream or not. Until I looked at my foot. The top half of my left sole was a patchy red color. I grabbed hold of the foot and held it up as close to my face as my inflexible body could manage. My brow furrowed in disgust. I had the same expression in my face as when I was sixteen and riddled with acne and would pop an innocuous-looking zit, only for it to erupt and bukkake my mirror with an egregious quantity of pus. My disgust, however, then morphed into an acute sense of unease. Because there, in the center of this rosy patch on my foot, were four small indentations. They were deep in my skin, as far as you can press down on flesh before drawing blood. Each mark was parallel to the other. Bite marks.
I looked at my foot, then at the foot of my bed (no pun intended), where the pile of laundry sat. Then back at my foot. Then back at the pile. Something about it was different now. I swear it, suddenly it looked a bit more ominous, more looming, more… big. Yes, it was bigger. It had taken on a new color, too. A pair of jeans, my rainbow socks, and a Grand Theft Auto 5 T-shirt that I hadn’t seen before on the top of the pile were now sticking out, looking right at me. It’s strange; you don’t expect a pile of clothes to activate your fight or flight response, but looking back on that moment now, even if my conscience didn’t register it at the time, I was afraid.
I got up, got dressed with whatever clothes remained in my closet away from the pile (not much), and shut my bedroom door. I went to work that day, I ran errands, I washed my face. I went home. I changed clothes. As I changed, I stared at the pile. Now there wasn’t just a single sock touching the foot of the bed – now many, many socks were pressed against it, reaching out like little white hands of cotton. In fact, the whole pile seemed to be pushing its weight against my bed. But, like I said earlier, this was not something I consciously decided to worry about in that moment. It’s a pile of laundry, for fuck’s sake. I walked into the living room and shut the door behind me. I decided then that that night I would finally dismantle the pile and fold each and every piece of clothing. But not right then. My buddy Sam was coming over any second to have a beer and watch “New Girl.”
He got to my place twenty minutes later than he was supposed to, and when I opened the door four little legs trotted in with him. “This is Clarence!” he said with that bizarrely prideful tone in his voice that new dog owners sometimes have. It’s the same tone new mothers have, but since, as far as I know, humans are not physically capable of giving birth to chihuahuas, the tone in this case is always completely unwarranted. But I digress -- I was a little pissed, to say the least. Sam hadn’t asked if it was ok to bring Clarence. We were about five minutes into a random episode I had rouletted from season three when Clarence started yapping. I peeled my eyes off the screen and suddenly realized he wasn’t on the couch with us anymore. Indeed, he was standing right in front of my closed bedroom door, howling into the air and clawing at the wood. “Yo, Clare! Shut up!” Sam yelled as he paused the TV and sauntered over to Clarence. My first thought was Is "Clare" really a nickname for Clarence? My second thought was Oh my god. Do not let Clarence into that room.
“NO!” I blurted out.
“Huh?” Sam grunted as he turned to look at me with that big stupid face of his. Clarence kept barking.
“You… you can’t go in there,” I stammered. “It’s messy.” I straightened myself up.
Sam scoffed. “You got dead bodies in there or something?” He looked at Clarence, who refused to let up. “Something’s bothering him.”
“I can see that, but –“
Sam laughed, put his hand on the knob and started to turn.
“NO!” I screamed again. Clarence stopped barking that time. Sam took his hand off the knob.
“I told you. Don’t go in my room,” I chided.
“Dude. You… you don’t actually have dead bodies in there, do you?” Sam asked as his smile gradually disappeared.
I sighed. “Jesus Christ. Of course not! It… it’s just messy. Super messy. Like, so messy. It’s embarrassed.”
“OK. But now I feel like, as your friend, I have a responsibility to check. Just to make sure…”
“OK, well, I told you, you can’t go into my room.”
“… just to make sure you don’t have any dead bodies in there.”
“I DON’T HAVE ANY DEAD FUCKING BODIES IN MY ROOM!” My face went purple with rage.
“Well now you’re reacting as if you have a dead body in your room.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. He had a point. “Ok. You can look inside… just… can you pick Clarence up first?”
Sam looked at me weirdly, but then quickly accepted this one condition and picked the little hairy sausage up. He grabbed the knob and turned. I held my breath as he looked inside.
“Oh my god. Dude. What the shit?”
“What? What?” I raced to the door and peered inside. The room was more or less the same as it had been that morning. Well, except for the laundry pile had…
“You should really fold your laundry, dude.”
… doubled in size. It was massive, over half the height of the room now, spilling across my bed. I started to shake. How was this happening? What was happening? There were more clothes in the pile now than I had ever owned in my entire life. And, I suddenly realized, I was no longer able to recognize the clothes themselves. While before I could clearly identify individual pieces within the pile – my red plaid boxers, my cargo shorts, a lone Nike sock – the mass now took on an abstract and mind-boggling shape. It was as if the clothes had stretched, twisted, even fused themselves together. Clashing colors bled into each other like watercolors. Disparate textures met at messy seams like some sort of scratchy, monstrous quilt.
Sam, clearly not understanding the apparent danger of this… this thing in my room, took a step forward.
“NO!” I blurted out. I said that a lot that night. And I would say it again soon.
“What is going on with you, man?” A condescending smile curled over that idiot’s lips. I couldn’t even begin to tell him. It was all too ridiculous. And yet, I had never been so terrified.
“Do you wanna go on a walk? Let’s go on a walk.”
“Huh?” Sam said with that stupid, stupid face of his cocked at such a severe angle it looked like his neck would snap in half.
My eyes turned to Clarence, who was still in Sam’s clutches and staring at the pile with wide, terrified eyes. “He hasn’t peed in a while. Let’s take him outside! Let’s take him for a walk!” I pleaded.
Sam looked at Clarence, who didn’t even register his dear owner’s gaze. His eyes were locked on the pile. He was trembling.
“Eh. He’s fine! You really should fold your laundry, though. I’ll help.” He walked towards the pile.
“NO!”
“OK, can you calm the actual fuck down, dude?” He turned to me again. Clarence squirmed in his arms. He whimpered and gnawed at the air, his little black eyes as if pleading, "let me down. Let me go."
“What the fuck, Clare?” Clarence managed to wiggle his way out of Sam’s grasp and hit the floor like a billiard ball. Immediately he twisted himself onto his feet and scurried out of the room.
“Maybe he does have to pee,” Sam wondered aloud. I sighed with relief.
“Yes! Let’s go!”
“But first we gotta deal with this.” He turned back to the pile.
“Later, Sam. Please.”
“Nah, bro. This is insane. It’s one thing to put off chores for a couple days, but this… this is mental illness,” He crouched down, right next to the pile, and reached out. “I can’t let you live like this -- ”
Then there was movement. A flash of color. A sudden jerk. A lunge. Of polyester and cotton and wool and linen. A brief yelp -- “oh!”-- managed to escape Sam’s lips just before the pile swallowed him whole.
I stood there like an idiot, frozen in terror as the pile contorted and undulated with Sam inside, re-arranging his big body like a snake swallowing a deer. The most vile and disturbing sounds I’ve ever heard accompanied Sam’s muted screams from inside: tearing, crunching, dissolving, guzzling. Sam let out one final blood-curdling scream before a nauseating POP rang out and everything went quiet. The pile was still now. A putrid smell filled the air, like the smell of raw chicken left out to rot on a hot concrete patio. Death.
Then, right before my eyes, the pile began to grow, metastasizing with new lumps of fabric sprouting in all directions. The smell got thicker and heavier with each inch the pile grew. It wasn’t until it reached the ceiling that I was able to rouse myself from my shock and I turned and ran out of the room. I grabbed Clarence, who had been scratching pathetically at my front door in a desperate bid to escape, and fled my apartment. I ran down the street. I ran down the block. I just ran. I ran for hours, in no particular direction, with Clarence in my arms.
It’s been two weeks. I’m writing this now from a motel room. I don’t know what motel it is. I ran into the first one I came across and haven’t left since. Clarence is fast asleep on the bed. He’s ugly and annoying, but I’ve found myself yelling “Clare!” when I want to get his attention. I haven’t been back to my apartment since that day. I’m never going back. I don’t want to know what’s in there, how much bigger it’s become.
I’m still wearing the same clothes from that day. My shirt and pants are heavy with sweat. I smell like shit. But it’s fine because I’m not changing my clothes. I’m not cleaning my clothes, either. Maybe I will, one day. Not for a long time, though. And if I do ever get around to it, I swear to God -- I’m folding them immediately.
submitted by normadezmonds to nosleep [link] [comments]
I normally fold my laundry. I do. I’m not a slob! I hate walking into my bedroom and seeing clothes on the floor. I hate it, seriously! I don’t believe in it, don’t subscribe to it, and don’t condone it. The floor could be as clean as a freshly zamboni’d ice rink, but the second my clothes touch it they instantly get dirty – coated in lint, dust, and grime that latch onto my shirts and underwear like leeches.
But no one’s perfect. I’m not an idiot, ok? I’m a realist. I’m an adult. I slip up sometimes. A bit of depression here, a dash of anxiety there, and suddenly I don’t feel like folding that huge lump of clothes the exact second the dryer vomits them out. In those cases, I put the pile on my desk chair, and I wait a few days. I go to work, I run my errands, I wash my face, and, whatever – you get the gist. Eventually, I work up the courage to square up to that foul fabric beast and tear it apart, devoting twenty minutes to folding and putting away every single piece of clothing until my room is back to its normal, serene state. This cycle is a perfectly normal part of the monotonous yet inconsistent ebb and flow that is adulthood, and I’m not going to put myself on trial for occasionally succumbing to it. Well, the last load of laundry I did was a particularly big one. Massive, actually. So big I thought the washing machine drum would break off its axle, spin out into my kitchen, and crash through a wall. After the clothes dried, I let them sit in the machine for a few days because taking them out proved too daunting a task (and yes, I opened the dryer door a bit so the clothes could air out. I’m not an idiot).
Eventually, I worked up the courage to extract the atrocious textile pile and take it to my room for folding. The pile was too big and too heavy to fit on my chair, so I threw it on the ground. I know, I know – I’m wincing at the thought. But I had too. It was enormous. At the time, folding felt like too herculean a task to do in that moment. So I waited a day. And another day. And another. I went to work, I ran my errands, I washed my face. By then, a week had gone by, and the pile was still there, on the floor at the foot of my bed. I went to bed that night promising myself I would deal with it in the morning.
Well, girls and boys, I didn’t deal with it. That day I did nothing; I did nothing but go to work, run my errands, and wash my face. And that evening I opened a beer, plopped my ass on the couch, and watched “New Girl.” I hate that show. I despise that show. But I watch reruns when my body is tired but my mind is awake; when I need something to dull my brain until it meets my body halfway on that miserable road to exhaustion.
When I crawled into bed that night, the laundry pile was still there, obviously. A sock was sticking out and touching the foot of my bed. It was funny, though, because I didn’t remember the pile physically touching my bed the night before. But who really remembers things like that, anyway? I figured the pile must have come apart a bit due to vibrations in the floor when I walked -- gravity, or something. It was a bulbous, globular, uneven stack of clothes, for fuck’s sake. I know this sounds silly – it’s just that my first thought when I saw the pile had shifted slightly towards my bed wasn’t that it was actively moving towards me.
I have bad dreams often, but that night’s was especially bad. I dreamt I stepped into an enormous bowl of pancake batter and couldn’t get out. I sunk into the batter, slowly, tortuously, inch by inch, until the beige mass globbed onto my face. Just as it covered my eyes and stuck them shut, I suddenly woke up with a shooting pain in my foot. The pain was almost indescribable: a burning, almost acidic sensation. It subsided immediately the moment I woke up and drew my legs up to my chest, curling into the fetal position and rubbing my foot until my mind coaxed itself to sleep. When I woke up that morning, my thoughts returned to that brief pain in my foot. I almost couldn’t even remember if it had been a dream or not. Until I looked at my foot. The top half of my left sole was a patchy red color. I grabbed hold of the foot and held it up as close to my face as my inflexible body could manage. My brow furrowed in disgust. I had the same expression in my face as when I was sixteen and riddled with acne and would pop an innocuous-looking zit, only for it to erupt and bukkake my mirror with an egregious quantity of pus. My disgust, however, then morphed into an acute sense of unease. Because there, in the center of this rosy patch on my foot, were four small indentations. They were deep in my skin, as far as you can press down on flesh before drawing blood. Each mark was parallel to the other. Bite marks.
I looked at my foot, then at the foot of my bed (no pun intended), where the pile of laundry sat. Then back at my foot. Then back at the pile. Something about it was different now. I swear it, suddenly it looked a bit more ominous, more looming, more… big. Yes, it was bigger. It had taken on a new color, too. A pair of jeans, my rainbow socks, and a Grand Theft Auto 5 T-shirt that I hadn’t seen before on the top of the pile were now sticking out, looking right at me. It’s strange; you don’t expect a pile of clothes to activate your fight or flight response, but looking back on that moment now, even if my conscience didn’t register it at the time, I was afraid.
I got up, got dressed with whatever clothes remained in my closet away from the pile (not much), and shut my bedroom door. I went to work that day, I ran errands, I washed my face. I went home. I changed clothes. As I changed, I stared at the pile. Now there wasn’t just a single sock touching the foot of the bed – now many, many socks were pressed against it, reaching out like little white hands of cotton. In fact, the whole pile seemed to be pushing its weight against my bed. But, like I said earlier, this was not something I consciously decided to worry about in that moment. It’s a pile of laundry, for fuck’s sake. I walked into the living room and shut the door behind me. I decided then that that night I would finally dismantle the pile and fold each and every piece of clothing. But not right then. My buddy Sam was coming over any second to have a beer and watch “New Girl.”
He got to my place twenty minutes later than he was supposed to, and when I opened the door four little legs trotted in with him. “This is Clarence!” he said with that bizarrely prideful tone in his voice that new dog owners sometimes have. It’s the same tone new mothers have, but since, as far as I know, humans are not physically capable of giving birth to chihuahuas, the tone in this case is always completely unwarranted. But I digress -- I was a little pissed, to say the least. Sam hadn’t asked if it was ok to bring Clarence. We were about five minutes into a random episode I had rouletted from season three when Clarence started yapping. I peeled my eyes off the screen and suddenly realized he wasn’t on the couch with us anymore. Indeed, he was standing right in front of my closed bedroom door, howling into the air and clawing at the wood. “Yo, Clare! Shut up!” Sam yelled as he paused the TV and sauntered over to Clarence. My first thought was Is "Clare" really a nickname for Clarence? My second thought was Oh my god. Do not let Clarence into that room.
“NO!” I blurted out.
“Huh?” Sam grunted as he turned to look at me with that big stupid face of his. Clarence kept barking.
“You… you can’t go in there,” I stammered. “It’s messy.” I straightened myself up.
Sam scoffed. “You got dead bodies in there or something?” He looked at Clarence, who refused to let up. “Something’s bothering him.”
“I can see that, but –“
Sam laughed, put his hand on the knob and started to turn.
“NO!” I screamed again. Clarence stopped barking that time. Sam took his hand off the knob.
“I told you. Don’t go in my room,” I chided.
“Dude. You… you don’t actually have dead bodies in there, do you?” Sam asked as his smile gradually disappeared.
I sighed. “Jesus Christ. Of course not! It… it’s just messy. Super messy. Like, so messy. It’s embarrassed.”
“OK. But now I feel like, as your friend, I have a responsibility to check. Just to make sure…”
“OK, well, I told you, you can’t go into my room.”
“… just to make sure you don’t have any dead bodies in there.”
“I DON’T HAVE ANY DEAD FUCKING BODIES IN MY ROOM!” My face went purple with rage.
“Well now you’re reacting as if you have a dead body in your room.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. He had a point. “Ok. You can look inside… just… can you pick Clarence up first?”
Sam looked at me weirdly, but then quickly accepted this one condition and picked the little hairy sausage up. He grabbed the knob and turned. I held my breath as he looked inside.
“Oh my god. Dude. What the shit?”
“What? What?” I raced to the door and peered inside. The room was more or less the same as it had been that morning. Well, except for the laundry pile had…
“You should really fold your laundry, dude.”
… doubled in size. It was massive, over half the height of the room now, spilling across my bed. I started to shake. How was this happening? What was happening? There were more clothes in the pile now than I had ever owned in my entire life. And, I suddenly realized, I was no longer able to recognize the clothes themselves. While before I could clearly identify individual pieces within the pile – my red plaid boxers, my cargo shorts, a lone Nike sock – the mass now took on an abstract and mind-boggling shape. It was as if the clothes had stretched, twisted, even fused themselves together. Clashing colors bled into each other like watercolors. Disparate textures met at messy seams like some sort of scratchy, monstrous quilt.
Sam, clearly not understanding the apparent danger of this… this thing in my room, took a step forward.
“NO!” I blurted out. I said that a lot that night. And I would say it again soon.
“What is going on with you, man?” A condescending smile curled over that idiot’s lips. I couldn’t even begin to tell him. It was all too ridiculous. And yet, I had never been so terrified.
“Do you wanna go on a walk? Let’s go on a walk.”
“Huh?” Sam said with that stupid, stupid face of his cocked at such a severe angle it looked like his neck would snap in half.
My eyes turned to Clarence, who was still in Sam’s clutches and staring at the pile with wide, terrified eyes. “He hasn’t peed in a while. Let’s take him outside! Let’s take him for a walk!” I pleaded.
Sam looked at Clarence, who didn’t even register his dear owner’s gaze. His eyes were locked on the pile. He was trembling.
“Eh. He’s fine! You really should fold your laundry, though. I’ll help.” He walked towards the pile.
“NO!”
“OK, can you calm the actual fuck down, dude?” He turned to me again. Clarence squirmed in his arms. He whimpered and gnawed at the air, his little black eyes as if pleading, "let me down. Let me go."
“What the fuck, Clare?” Clarence managed to wiggle his way out of Sam’s grasp and hit the floor like a billiard ball. Immediately he twisted himself onto his feet and scurried out of the room.
“Maybe he does have to pee,” Sam wondered aloud. I sighed with relief.
“Yes! Let’s go!”
“But first we gotta deal with this.” He turned back to the pile.
“Later, Sam. Please.”
“Nah, bro. This is insane. It’s one thing to put off chores for a couple days, but this… this is mental illness,” He crouched down, right next to the pile, and reached out. “I can’t let you live like this -- ”
Then there was movement. A flash of color. A sudden jerk. A lunge. Of polyester and cotton and wool and linen. A brief yelp -- “oh!”-- managed to escape Sam’s lips just before the pile swallowed him whole.
I stood there like an idiot, frozen in terror as the pile contorted and undulated with Sam inside, re-arranging his big body like a snake swallowing a deer. The most vile and disturbing sounds I’ve ever heard accompanied Sam’s muted screams from inside: tearing, crunching, dissolving, guzzling. Sam let out one final blood-curdling scream before a nauseating POP rang out and everything went quiet. The pile was still now. A putrid smell filled the air, like the smell of raw chicken left out to rot on a hot concrete patio. Death.
Then, right before my eyes, the pile began to grow, metastasizing with new lumps of fabric sprouting in all directions. The smell got thicker and heavier with each inch the pile grew. It wasn’t until it reached the ceiling that I was able to rouse myself from my shock and I turned and ran out of the room. I grabbed Clarence, who had been scratching pathetically at my front door in a desperate bid to escape, and fled my apartment. I ran down the street. I ran down the block. I just ran. I ran for hours, in no particular direction, with Clarence in my arms.
It’s been two weeks. I’m writing this now from a motel room. I don’t know what motel it is. I ran into the first one I came across and haven’t left since. Clarence is fast asleep on the bed. He’s ugly and annoying, but I’ve found myself yelling “Clare!” when I want to get his attention. I haven’t been back to my apartment since that day. I’m never going back. I don’t want to know what’s in there, how much bigger it’s become.
I’m still wearing the same clothes from that day. My shirt and pants are heavy with sweat. I smell like shit. But it’s fine because I’m not changing my clothes. I’m not cleaning my clothes, either. Maybe I will, one day. Not for a long time, though. And if I do ever get around to it, I swear to God -- I’m folding them immediately.
2023.06.02 23:03 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 50.000$+ INVENTORY. M9 Fade, M4 Poseidon, BFK Freehand, Crimson Kimono, Nomad Fade, Skeleton, Kara Lore, Bayo Autotronic, AWP Fade, Kara Damas, BFK Ultra, Kara Freehand, Kara Bright, M9 Damas, Omega, Tiger Strike, Flip MF, Bayo Tiger, Deagle Blaze, Talon & More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $2500
★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $822
★ Butterfly Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $616
⎯★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $1300
★ Bayonet Autotronic FN, B/O: $1050
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW, B/O: $629
★ Bayonet Bright Water FT, B/O: $326
★ Bayonet Safari Mesh BS, B/O: $233
⎯★ Karambit Lore FT, B/O: $1110
★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $840
★ Karambit Freehand MW, B/O: $784
★ Karambit Bright Water MW, B/O: $759
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801
★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801
★ M9 Bayonet Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $751
⎯★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1156
★ Nomad Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $544
★ Nomad Knife Blue Steel WW, B/O: $318
⎯★ Flip Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $646
★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $574
★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $552
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $257
★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $255
★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $287
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Lore FN, B/O: $461
★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $436
★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $353
★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $212
★ Huntsman Knife Bright Water FT, B/O: $129
★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT MW, B/O: $129
★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT BS, B/O: $123
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $127
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $375
★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $363
★ Bowie Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $269
★ Bowie Knife Crimson Web WW, B/O: $192
★ Bowie Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $159
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $126
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $616
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $412
★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe FT, B/O: $227
⎯★ Falchion Knife Lore FT, B/O: $214
★ Falchion Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $192
★ Falchion Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $105
⎯★ Survival Knife Crimson Web BS, B/O: $216
★ Survival Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $198
★ Survival Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $111
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $368
★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $228
★ Shadow Daggers, B/O: $201
★ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $108
★ Shadow Daggers Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $105
★ Shadow Daggers Black Laminate FT, B/O: $99
★ Shadow Daggers Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $85
⎯★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $1700
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $223
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $203
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $191
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened BS, B/O: $127
⎯★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $138
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $111
⎯★ Classic Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $146
★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $168
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $476
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $375
⎯★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $1137
★ Talon Knife, B/O: $608
★ Paracord Knife, B/O: $305
★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97
GLOVES
★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $204
★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $142
★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84
★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84
★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63
★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1215
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $672
★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $305
★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander BS, B/O: $140
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web BS, B/O: $137
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot FT, B/O: $75
⎯★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $359
★ Driver Gloves Imperial Plaid BS, B/O: $229
★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $77
★ Driver Gloves Racing Green FT, B/O: $48
⎯★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $739
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $733
★ Sport Gloves Arid BS, B/O: $292
⎯★ Hand Wraps Giraffe MW, B/O: $212
★ Hand Wraps Leather FT, B/O: $160
★ Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh MW, B/O: $101
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Yellow-banded MW, B/O: $185
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point FT, B/O: $67
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point WW, B/O: $59
⎯★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened BS, B/O: $65
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald FT, B/O: $65
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald BS, B/O: $62
WEAPONS
AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130
AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79
AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76
AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76
AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70
AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge FT, B/O: $72
⎯AWP Fade FN, B/O: $1039
AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139
AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139
AWP Wildfire MW, B/O: $95
AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93
AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93
AWP Duality FN, B/O: $81
AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79
AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79
AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $60
StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68
StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68
StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive FT, B/O: $55
⎯Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $623
Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $241
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Printstream FT, B/O: $54
⎯M4A1-S Blue Phosphor FN, B/O: $434
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Bright Water MW, B/O: $55
⎯M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1465
M4A4 Asiimov BS, B/O: $55
M4A4 Hellfire MW, B/O: $50
⎯USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $72
USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69
StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $139
⎯AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $234
P90 Run and Hide FT, B/O: $147
Five-SeveN Candy Apple FN, B/O: $61
Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory
Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.
Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.
Add me for discuss if there is a serious offer that needs to be discussed.
2023.06.02 22:58 Joadzilla America Is Headed Toward Collapse
History shows how to stave it off.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/us-societal-trends-institutional-trust-economy/674260/
How has America slid into its current age of discord? Why has our trust in institutions collapsed, and why have our democratic norms unraveled?
All human societies experience recurrent waves of political crisis, such as the one we face today. My research team built a database of hundreds of societies across 10,000 years to try to find out what causes them. We examined dozens of variables, including population numbers, measures of well-being, forms of governance, and the frequency with which rulers are overthrown. We found that the precise mix of events that leads to crisis varies, but two drivers of instability loom large. The first is popular immiseration—when the economic fortunes of broad swaths of a population decline. The second, and more significant, is elite overproduction—when a society produces too many superrich and ultra-educated people, and not enough elite positions to satisfy their ambitions.
These forces have played a key role in our current crisis. In the past 50 years, despite overall economic growth, the quality of life for most Americans has declined. The wealthy have become wealthier, while the incomes and wages of the median American family have stagnated. As a result, our social pyramid has become top-heavy. At the same time, the U.S. began overproducing graduates with advanced degrees. More and more people aspiring to positions of power began fighting over a relatively fixed number of spots. The competition among them has corroded the social norms and institutions that govern society.
The U.S. has gone through this twice before. The first time ended in civil war. But the second led to a period of unusually broad-based prosperity. Both offer lessons about today’s dysfunction and, more important, how to fix it.
To understand the root causes of the current crisis, let’s start by looking at how the number of über-wealthy Americans has grown. Back in 1983, 66,000 American households were worth at least $10 million. That may sound like a lot, but by 2019, controlling for inflation, the number had increased tenfold. A similar, if smaller, upsurge happened lower on the food chain. The number of households worth $5 million or more increased sevenfold, and the number of mere millionaires went up fourfold.
On its surface, having more wealthy people doesn’t sound like such a bad thing. But at whose expense did elites’ wealth swell in recent years?
Starting in the 1970s, although the overall economy continued to grow, the share of that growth going to average workers began to shrink, and real wages leveled off. (It’s no coincidence that Americans’ average height—a useful proxy for well-being, economic and otherwise—stopped increasing around then too, even as average heights in much of Europe continued climbing.) By 2010, the relative wage (wage divided by GDP per capita) of an unskilled worker had nearly halved compared with mid-century. For the 64 percent of Americans who didn’t have a four-year college degree, real wages shrank in the 40 years before 2016.
As wages diminished, the costs of owning a home and going to college soared. To afford an average house, a worker earning the median wage in 2016 had to log 40 percent more hours than she would have in 1976. And parents without a college degree had to work four times longer to pay for their children’s college.
Even college-educated Americans aren’t doing well across the board. They made out well in the 1950s, when fewer than 15 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds went to college, but not today, when more than 60 percent of high-school grads immediately enroll. To get ahead of the competition, more college graduates have sought out advanced degrees. From 1955 to 1975, the number of students enrolled in law school tripled, and from 1960 to 1970, the number of doctorate degrees granted at U.S. universities more than tripled. This was manageable in the post–World War II period, when the number of professions requiring advanced degrees shot up. But when the demand eventually subsided, the supply didn’t. By the 2000s, degree holders greatly outnumbered the positions available to them. The imbalance is most acute in the social sciences and humanities, but the U.S. hugely overproduces degrees even in STEM fields.
This is part of a broader trend. Compared with 50 years ago, far more Americans today have either the financial means or the academic credentials to pursue positions of power, especially in politics. But the number of those positions hasn’t increased, which has led to fierce competition.
Competition is healthy for society, in moderation. But the competition we are witnessing among America’s elites has been anything but moderate. It has created very few winners and masses of resentful losers. It has brought out the dark side of meritocracy, encouraging rule-breaking instead of hard work.
All of this has left us with a large and growing class of frustrated elite aspirants, and a large and growing class of workers who can’t make better lives for themselves.
The decades that have led to our present-day dysfunction share important similarities with the decades leading to the Civil War. Then as now, a growing economy served to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. The number of millionaires per capita quadrupled from 1800 to 1850, while the relative wage declined by nearly 50 percent from the 1820s to the 1860s, just as it has in recent decades. Biological data from the time suggest that the average American’s quality of life declined significantly. From 1830 to the end of the century, the average height of Americans fell by nearly two inches, and average life expectancy at age 10 decreased by eight years during approximately the same period.
This popular immiseration stirred up social strife, which could be seen in urban riots. From 1820 to 1825, when times were good, only one riot occurred in which at least one person was killed. But in the five years before the Civil War, 1855 to 1860, American cities experienced no fewer than 38 such riots. We see a similar pattern today. In the run-up to the Civil War, this frustration manifested politically, in part as anti-immigrant populism, epitomized by the Know-Nothing Party. Today this strain of populism has been resurrected by Donald Trump.
Strife grew among elites too. The newly minted millionaires of the 19th century, who made their money in manufacturing rather than through plantations or overseas trade, chafed under the rule of the southern aristocracy, as their economic interests diverged. To protect their budding industries, the new elites favored high tariffs and state support for infrastructure projects. The established elites—who grew and exported cotton, and imported manufactured goods from overseas—strongly opposed these measures. The southern slaveholders’ grip on the federal government, the new elites argued, prevented necessary reforms in the banking and transportation systems, which threatened their economic well-being.
As the elite class expanded, the supply of desirable government posts flattened. Although the number of U.S. representatives grew fourfold from 1789 to 1835, it had shrunk by mid-century, just as more and more elite aspirants received legal training—then, as now, the chief route to political office. Competition for political power intensified, as it has today.
Those were cruder times, and intra-elite conflict took very violent forms. In Congress, incidences and threats of violence peaked in the 1850s. The brutal caning that Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina gave to Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts on the Senate floor in 1856 is the best-known such episode, but it was not the only one. In 1842, after Representative Thomas Arnold of Tennessee “reprimanded a pro-slavery member of his own party, two Southern Democrats stalked toward him, at least one of whom was armed with a bowie knife,” the historian Joanne Freeman recounts. In 1850, Senator Henry Foote of Mississippi pulled a pistol on Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. In another bitter debate, a pistol fell out of a New York representative’s pocket, nearly precipitating a shoot-out on the floor of Congress.
This intra-elite violence presaged popular violence, and the deadliest conflict in American history.
The victory of the North in the Civil War decimated the wealth and power of the southern ruling class, temporarily reversing the problem of elite overproduction. But workers’ wages continued to lag behind overall economic growth, and the “wealth pump” that redistributed their income to the elites never stopped. By the late 19th century, elite overproduction was back, new millionaires had replaced the defeated slave-owning class, and America had entered the Gilded Age. Economic inequality exploded, eventually peaking in the early 20th century. By 1912, the nation’s top wealth holder, John D. Rockefeller, had $1 billion, the equivalent of 2.6 million annual wages—100 times higher than the top wealth holder had in 1790.
Then came the New York Stock Exchange collapse of 1929 and the Great Depression, which had a similar effect as the Civil War: Thousands of economic elites were plunged into the commoner class. In 1925, there were 1,600 millionaires, but by 1950, fewer than 900 remained. The size of America’s top fortune remained stuck at $1 billion for decades, inflation notwithstanding. By 1982, the richest American had $2 billion, which was equivalent to “only” 93,000 annual wages.
But here is where the two eras differed. Unlike the post–Civil War period, real wages steadily grew in the mid-20th century. And high taxes on the richest Americans helped reverse the wealth pump. The tax rate on top incomes, which peaked during World War II at 94 percent, stayed above 90 percent all the way until the mid-1960s. Height increased by a whopping 3 inches in roughly the first half of the 20th century. Life expectancy at age 10 increased by nearly a decade. By the 1960s, America had achieved a broad-based prosperity that was virtually unprecedented in human history.
The New Deal elites learned an important lesson from the disaster of the Civil War. The reversal of elite overproduction in both eras was similar in magnitude, but only after the Great Depression was it accomplished through entirely nonviolent means. The ruling class itself was an important part of this—or, at least, a prosocial faction of the ruling class, which persuaded enough of their peers to acquiesce to the era’s progressive reforms.
As the historian Kim Phillips-Fein wrote in Invisible Hands, executives and stockholders mounted an enormous resistance to the New Deal policies regulating labor–corporate relations. But by mid-century, a sufficient number of them had consented to the new economic order for it to become entrenched. They bargained regularly with labor unions. They accepted the idea that the state would have a role to play in guiding economic life and helping the nation cope with downturns. In 1943, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—which today pushes for the most extreme forms of neoliberal market fundamentalism—said, “Only the willfully blind can fail to see that the old-style capitalism of a primitive, free-shooting period is gone forever.” President Dwight Eisenhower, considered a fiscal conservative for his time, wrote to his brother:
Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things … Their number is negligible and they are stupid.
Barry Goldwater ran against Lyndon Johnson in 1964 on a platform of low taxes and anti-union rhetoric. By today’s standards, Goldwater was a middle-of-the-road conservative. But he was regarded as radical at the time, too radical even for many business leaders, who abandoned his campaign and helped bring about his landslide defeat.
The foundations of this broad-based postwar prosperity—and for the ruling elite’s eventual acquiescence to it—were established during the Progressive era and buttressed by the New Deal. In particular, new legislation guaranteed unions’ right to collective bargaining, introduced a minimum wage, and established Social Security. American elites entered into a “fragile, unwritten compact” with the working classes, as the United Auto Workers president Douglas Fraser later described it. This implicit contract included the promise that the fruits of economic growth would be distributed more equitably among both workers and owners. In return, the fundamentals of the political-economic system would not be challenged. Avoiding revolution was one of the most important reasons for this compact (although not the only one). As Fraser wrote in his famous resignation letter from the Labor Management Group in 1978, when the compact was about to be abandoned, “The acceptance of the labor movement, such as it has been, came because business feared the alternatives.”
We are still suffering the consequences of abandoning that compact. The long history of human society compiled in our database suggests that America’s current economy is so lucrative for the ruling elites that achieving fundamental reform might require a violent revolution. But we have reason for hope. It is not unprecedented for a ruling class—with adequate pressure from below—to allow for the nonviolent reversal of elite overproduction. But such an outcome requires elites to sacrifice their near-term self-interest for our long-term collective interests. At the moment, they don’t seem prepared to do that.
2023.06.02 22:57 curiouszee A Very Charlie Brown Set
 | This is my third sewing project! Attempting to match the fabric pattern for the first time was a doozy. I made this for my partner, and he picked out the fabric and buttons to his taste. The fabric is a linen blend from Mood and the pattern is S9758. It was my first time using my machine for something with buttons. I could use some more practice, but it's definitely inspired me to learn to sew buttons by hand for a cleaner look. I think I'll stick to solid fabrics for the next few projects 🫠. submitted by curiouszee to sewing [link] [comments] |
2023.06.02 22:56 SonicBattleForBFDI Izuku Midoriya (MHA) vs. Doctor Eggman (Sonic The Hedgehog) (Any Version of Eggman)
ok moving away from MHA vs. Tensei Slime or Marvel, here we have a new battle here
Scenario: Dr. Eggman launches a robot attack on Mustafu City, and only Izuku Midoriya is able to stop him
to make this fair for Eggman, he has a machine that siphoned the Quirks from every Hero, Anti-Hero, Vigilante, and Villain within the city (Except Midoriya) and all the power is used to power a Giant Skyscraper sized Robot controlled by Eggman himself
can Izuku Midoriya stop Dr. Eggman or will the Eggman eliminate the Next Symbol of Peace?
submitted by SonicBattleForBFDI to whowouldwin [link] [comments]
Scenario: Dr. Eggman launches a robot attack on Mustafu City, and only Izuku Midoriya is able to stop him
to make this fair for Eggman, he has a machine that siphoned the Quirks from every Hero, Anti-Hero, Vigilante, and Villain within the city (Except Midoriya) and all the power is used to power a Giant Skyscraper sized Robot controlled by Eggman himself
can Izuku Midoriya stop Dr. Eggman or will the Eggman eliminate the Next Symbol of Peace?
2023.06.02 22:54 Pavel_Sergievsky Ukraine vs. Russia: Russian perspective.
Dear Professor Peterson,
I realize that your schedule probably won’t allow you to read this letter, least to reply. I am not expecting either of these and will not be offended. Why do I write it, then? Well, most probably because in the past several years you have been for me the voice of reason from abroad. Too many things are going in a crazy and disastrous direction, and listening to your lectures and videos have been very inspiring. It always amazes me how deeply you investigate the problem and how thoroughly you analyze it. In many cases listening to what you say have been like hearing what I always felt was true, but could not formulate and justify it myself. Thank you for that experience.
During the past year, which not only attracted the whole world’s attention to a conflict in Ukraine (at last, I’d say, war started there in 2014), but also demonstrated the unwillingness of countries and people to hear each other, I felt the growing urge to share Russian understanding of current situation and of the events that lead to it with someone who could probably be able to hear. Your name was the first to come to my mind. I hesitated until some time ago I came across the interview that you have recorded – “Israel, Russia, China, Iran: The World in Conflict” and it actually triggered me into writing. It occurred to me that, objective as you are, you may be unaware of some facts and interpretations, partly because modern media have mastered the art of being silent about some facts while shouting about the others, partly because you were born and raised in Anglo-Saxon civilization, with all embedded ideas and principles.
A bit about my background. Master’s degree in English language and literature, spent one year as a student in Connecticut, worked in American-owned companies for 17 years. That allows me to a certain degree to understand both sets of values.
I wanted to offer for your attention the view from the other side on what’s happening now between Russia and Western European civilization. I don't say that it is correct, I just say how Russians see it.
Very briefly, just point by point:
Looking at the international events of past 30-40 years, we may see 3 basic principles of international policy that the West is utilizing.
b) After the ancient Rome fell, and Europe lived through the Dark Ages, Arabian countries preserved much of knowledge and science. At that time Arabian East was much more cultural and civilized than Europe. What happened to them later, why they stopped developing science, how could Europe overtake them? One of the explanations is that at some point of time Muslim theologians declared that “Koran has everything”, so scientific research stopped. The legend says that under this slogan the Library of Alexandria has been burnt by Arabian conquerors.
c) There is an interesting correlation between the agricultural conditions in a certain territory and some national traits of character. That’s more than a coincidence. For example, wheat was the main crop in Europe. It doesn’t require any special irrigation, so you can well grow and harvest it alone. That means you are less dependent on other people. Hence smaller states (Germany before mid-XIX century consisted of dozens independent states), hence more independent opinions. Compare it to China. Rice requires serious irrigation works, you’ll never do it alone. In order to harvest rice, you need to organize a fairly large group of people to do a job together. And as the population grows, you need to perform those works at a larger scale, also because the easiest-to-work fields are already busy. As a result, we see that Chinese value the society more than they value an individual. A single person sacrificing his wishes for the good of the others is more acceptable for them than for Europeans.
This idea needs further thinking but it is quite possible that the liberalism and human rights developed in Western Europe to the extent we see due to a unique combination of religion, natural conditions and other factors. And it can’t be copied in other parts of the world. It can be brought to other parts of the world by immigration of people with European mentality, of course. But otherwise it can be done only by complete mentality change of local inhabitants. Not an easy task, could take generations and mean death of local culture.
In some part such understanding is based on the theory that appeared in history (history as a science!) in the UK in 18th century. This theory states that the process of human society development over time is a) linear and b) goes through the same stages in every society of the planet. One of the consequences of this theory was the statement that every society started from matriarchate – researchers came across some primitive society, ruled by women, and made their conclusion. This theory has long been proved wrong, but its influence is still alive.
Even if we accept that all countries, all societies are aiming at maximizing human rights, how justified will interference be? Good intentions are the pathway to hell. How long it took Anglo-Saxon civilization to reach modern state of human rights? Setting the Magna Carts as the starting point, it is a bit over 800 years, roughly 30 generations. Looking at the world history, we see how slowly societies change their organizational forms, evolving one into another. And you can’t forcefully speed it up. Imagine that our modern “crusaders of democracy” take time machine and show up at Hastings early in the morning on October 14th, 1066. “William, Harold, there is no need to fight. You need to run democratic elections, and everything will be ok…” Will they even understand the idea??? And what will happen the next day after they are left alone?
You have shown significant interest in Russian culture. If you care spending some more time on Russian books, I’d recommend you brothers Strugatsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkady_and_Boris_Strugatsky). The form of what they have written is science fiction, but the contents is all about ethics, morale, responsibility, conscience. Try «Escape Attempt», «Hard to be a God», «Overburdened with Evil».
Why I am mentioning them now is because among others they are exploring the topic of “progressors” – people from Earth of XXII century who try to speed up the history of other planets, to solve their problems, stop wars, etc. And it doesn’t end well. As one of their heroes says, “You can’t break up the natural course of history without breaking the spine of humanity.”
It’s hard to find examples of good revolutions when they are initiated from abroad. Change of regime should be supported by majority within the country – it is the guarantee that society is ready for it. What Anglo-Saxons and NATO frequently do is supporting the angry minority in its aspirations for power. And instead of peace, freedom and prosperity it brings chaos. The classic example is Libya. Over 10 years ago the country was “spared of Gaddafi’s tyrannical rule”… How do they live now? The GDP is still around 50% of what it used to be, the country is still not at peace, there are two major forces each claiming to be the legal power. How many lives it did cost already and how much time it will take free Libya to recover? Can such liberation be called anything but a disservice? In Russia we call it “bear’s help”. I don’t say that everything was good in the country when Gaddafi was alive, but aren’t they in the worse situation now?
The whole series of Arabian spring looks like a great mess, not a great success. I rely on the opinion of an expert – below is the brief translation of an article published in 2015-2016 by Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli scholar of Arab culture and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University. I can’t find the original, unfortunately.
December 2015 was the fifth anniversary of the events known as an ‘Arabian spring’. The world applauded the heroes of the streets in Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain. Now, five years ago, those countries are still battlefields, with no light ahead. What problems have prevented them from positive development? Most of them have developed over centuries and they still prevail in mentality, remaining the dangerous rudiment.
Here’s an article by the same author on the same topic – https://fathomjournal.org/why-we-keep-getting-the-middle-east-wrong/
Here’s an interview with him – https://chicagopolicyreview.org/2015/07/28/americans-still-dont-understand-the-middle-east-this-man-wants-to-help/
In one of your interviews you discussed the competition between China and the US for influence in Africa. And your opinion was that China wins due to corruption of local elites. Let me offer another reason for your consideration. It is the same reason that allows Russia to gain influence in Middle East, Africa, South America. When China or Russia come to some country to cooperate, they come to cooperate, not to teach, not to judge, not to interfere into the internal affairs of the state. And people appreciate this.
De furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine.
One of the principles of democracy is separation of three powers – legislative, judicial and executive. So why then countries that consider themselves “leaders of democratic world” forget about this principle in international relations. They make the rules, they judge and they punish.
One of American diplomats said recently that USA supports international rules-based order. Sounds good, sounds undoubtedly right. But why USA and NATO forget about the rules when it is convenient? Or is it “We support international rules-based order, but our own actions should not be limited by these rules”? What immediately comes to my mind without web search:
Speaking more about the rules… We are tired of seeing double standards. As an illustration, I will use just one aspect – the principle of integrity of the state vs the principle of the right of nations to self-determination. It looks like the West supports integrity of the state, when this state is allied or friendly to the West, and supports nation’s self-determination when the state is not. Let’s go through some examples.
- Chechnya (an autonomous republic within Soviet Union) wanted to become independent after 1991. It quickly started to use terrorism to achieve this goal. It took a lot of effort to stop the war and bring the region back to safety. Reaction of the West – support of chechens, their leader fled to London and was not deported to Russia despite all requests.
- Abkhazia (an autonomous republic within Georgian republic which was part of Soviet Union) wanted to become independent from Georgia when Georgia became independent from Russia. Resulted in a war. The conflict is still not solved. Abkhazia now is an independent state which is acknowledged by very few countries in the world. Reaction of the West – they still consider Abkhazia as a rebellious part of Georgia. Same situation about South Osetia – another region, that was an administrative part of Georgia until 1991 and that also seeks independence.
- Donetsk and Lugansk wanted to become independent from Ukraine after 2014 coup. Ukraine tried to subdue them by force and failed. Then the workplan has been signed in Minsk – what the parties of the conflict agree to do to settle. The result should have been – Donetsk and Lugansk return to Ukraine but have extended political rights, etc. Ukraine did nothing of its promises. Reaction of the West – support of Ukraine.
- Catalonia is seeking independence. And I remember that leaders of independence movement have been under political and criminal pressure.
- Scotland had a referendum about independence. And even though results were in favour of the UK, I remember how nervously London reacted.
Russia – NATO relations after 1991
This is best said by Vladimir Pozner, a journalist who spent years of his work in the USA, Russia, Europe and is one of the most known journalists of the old school (comparing to modern propagandists). Here’s the link to his speech in Yale University on September 27, 2018 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ&t=2556s.
His speech takes around forty minutes, the rest is the Q&A. To save you time, I’d summarize it here in just a couple of phrases. After Soviet Union collapsed, there was an illusion that we aren’t enemies anymore, that the world is open now, and that we will be partners or even friends. Russia dismissed the Warsaw Treaty union and agreed for Germany to unite, that looked just right – why keep a military union when we aren’t enemies anymore? Sometime later Russia made an offer to join NATO to provide world security together and was denied. Russia offered to join the EU, and was denied. Russia was promised that NATO would not expand eastward and less than 10 years later this promise was broken. Since then, we’ve been witnessing NATO getting closer and closer to our borders, inviting countries that are our neighbours and aggressively supporting those candidates to country leadership in East Europe who declared anti-Russia views. So now the illusion is over. We are enemies. And what’s worse – we don’t trust US anymore, so negotiating some new principles of coexistence will be problematic.
Ukraine.
Briefly about history, in more details about recent times and present situation.
In 16-17th century the territory of modern Ukraine was controlled by two forces with no clear border between them. Northwest (where the city of Lvov is now) was under Polish rule, center and the region along river Dnepr – under control of “kazak military democracies” – gatherings of all people, who fled from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Crimea and who with time formed Ukrainians as a nation. They were ruled by elected chieftains and made their living largely by either joining some military campaign for money and loot, or by robbery raids to Poland, Crimea, Turkey. They were allied to Russia due to same religion – Orthodox Christianity.
As Poland grew stronger, its pressure on the territory grew, which led to periodic rebellions. Poland is a Catholic state, and people of Orthodox Ukraine were severely oppressed. Seeking protection, Ukrainian chieftains asked Russia to include those territories into Russian state. First request came in 1591. Russia rejected this request and several others. Only in 1654 part of Ukraine, controlled by kazaks, was included into Russia. Consequences – war with Poland and tens of thousands orthodox people fleeing from Polish-controlled lands into Russian-controlled lands.
From then on Russians and Ukrainians were really ‘brother nations’. Well, it was not heaven, but it was the best available option. Same religion, very close language and mentality. And forget about oppression. Ukrainians were oppressed as much as Russians themselves.
When the WW I started, Germany and Austria-Hungary were looking for collaborators in occupied territories of Russian Empire. They promised independence to nationalists in Western Ukraine, and found people who bought the idea. Not surprisingly, the most dedicated nationalists came from the least developed region of the country. Ukraine did not become independent at that moment, but the ideas stayed and gave their fruit during WW II, when Ukrainian collaborators actively participated in Nazis’ crimes. In one of your videos you described what Unit 731 of Japanese army was doing and you warned your listeners that they will never forget it. If you will find and read witnesses’ accounts of Volhynia massacre, you will never forget it either. I read it once long ago and I never want to read it again. It was a shock to me that people are capable of such things.
In the period between 1945 and 1991 Ukraine had the same rights as any other republic. There were no impediments to preserving and developing local culture. If you lived in any republic, you learned two languages – Russian and local. National literature was actively translated into other national languages of the Soviet Union, there were no impediments to education. Soviet Union with all its flaws, really tried to unite all of its nations into one big family. (What surprises me though is why antisemitism remained. You could come from Georgia, Uzbekistan or Yakutia and pass exams to Moscow university, no problem if you are smart enough. But it could be problematic for a Jew…)
After 1991 Russia and Ukraine remained friendly states, tightly bound by economic, cultural and even family ties. Ukraine tried to get the most out of relations both with Russia and with the West and it worked fairly well for 30 years. But with time attempts to elevate significance of their own nation led Ukrainians down a dangerous path. They started to slowly eliminate all other cultures that were present in the country. This process sped up dramatically in 2014, when after a coup the nationalist forces gained influence on the government.
Official Kiev denies being nationalistic, but don’t trust what the person is saying, see what he is doing.
We see those nationalistic ideas demonstrating themselves in a number of ways, and we have seen them before and we know what threat they can bring if left unattended. Pay attention to a dragon when it is small, you may be unable to win when it grows up.
I don’t say that our perception is correct, I just say how we see it. And to us modern Ukraine is like a younger brother who joined a bad company and who is becoming dangerous.
Now combine these two. Ukrainian nationalism plus NATO. Two threats, one well known historically, another the most dangerous rival of the past 70 years. We see them uniting and it is really an existential threat to us. In such circumstances could we afford being blind to it, just sitting and waiting what comes next? We tried to settle it peacefully. Many times Russia said that we are worried by NATO expansion, that we are worried by Western support of nationalistic movements in our neigbour countries. No effect. The last attempt was made in autumn of 2021, when Putin offered a negotiation that should have resulted in guaranteed safety. No reply.
If there is a conflict and your rival refuses to talk, he is asking for a fight. I don’t say that war in Ukraine is the right way to solve the conflict, but who can say that we did not try to set it by negotiations?
submitted by Pavel_Sergievsky to JordanPeterson [link] [comments]
I realize that your schedule probably won’t allow you to read this letter, least to reply. I am not expecting either of these and will not be offended. Why do I write it, then? Well, most probably because in the past several years you have been for me the voice of reason from abroad. Too many things are going in a crazy and disastrous direction, and listening to your lectures and videos have been very inspiring. It always amazes me how deeply you investigate the problem and how thoroughly you analyze it. In many cases listening to what you say have been like hearing what I always felt was true, but could not formulate and justify it myself. Thank you for that experience.
During the past year, which not only attracted the whole world’s attention to a conflict in Ukraine (at last, I’d say, war started there in 2014), but also demonstrated the unwillingness of countries and people to hear each other, I felt the growing urge to share Russian understanding of current situation and of the events that lead to it with someone who could probably be able to hear. Your name was the first to come to my mind. I hesitated until some time ago I came across the interview that you have recorded – “Israel, Russia, China, Iran: The World in Conflict” and it actually triggered me into writing. It occurred to me that, objective as you are, you may be unaware of some facts and interpretations, partly because modern media have mastered the art of being silent about some facts while shouting about the others, partly because you were born and raised in Anglo-Saxon civilization, with all embedded ideas and principles.
A bit about my background. Master’s degree in English language and literature, spent one year as a student in Connecticut, worked in American-owned companies for 17 years. That allows me to a certain degree to understand both sets of values.
I wanted to offer for your attention the view from the other side on what’s happening now between Russia and Western European civilization. I don't say that it is correct, I just say how Russians see it.
Very briefly, just point by point:
- Currently many people in the West are speaking about Russia as about a threat. But what makes you think that we see you differently? We see you as a growing threat. We don’t trust you. And we have plenty of reason for feeling this way.
- We see the West is regularly breaking its own rules and demonstrating double standards, so we can’t rely on its words.
- It has been clearly shown to us, that we will never be accepted by the West as an equal partner, so to us the West is neither a friend, nor a partner, but a competitor at best, an enemy at worst.
- We have seen what the West does to regimes that don’t obey and how the West does it, so West is a serious threat. Don’t come any closer.
Looking at the international events of past 30-40 years, we may see 3 basic principles of international policy that the West is utilizing.
- Democracy is the best possible society model.
- Pure democracy is limited to small communities, and is impossible in big countries. Once a certain threshold is passed, democracy is either a burden to every decision made, or is executed via representatives. And representatives, being people with all their imperfections, gradually start spoiling and corrupting the idea.
- Democracy tends to evolve, or, I’d rather say, degrade into oligarchy. Examples are numerous. Ancient Greece and Rome, Novgorod Republic (XII-XV cc), medieval Poland, etc. Even now – with all our experience, we keep hitting the same wall. Legal practice of lobbying in USA is the desire of big money (oligarchs) to have more influence on country policy. In Russia lobbying is illegal, so the same goal is achieved by other means, but without digging deep into details, it is the same – democratic form of power, spoiled by natural human desire to grab more for oneself on the expense of others.
- The most prosperous regions now (North America, Western Europe, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia) are the ones where capitalism appeared and developed earlier than in other parts of the world. That boosted production, country strength and wealth and eventually allowed them to have colonies in other parts of the world. Owning some overseas land gave enormous economic advantages. Remember “British East India Company”, which at its peak of wealth had an army of 160 thousand soldiers (more than some counties had!). The importance of having colonies can be best illustrated by the simple fact – one of the core reasons of the WW I was the desire of Germany, who was late to the table, to have its share of a pie. And even though political power of metropolises over colonies seized in mid-XXth century, economic bounds stayed much longer. If, let’s say, a uranium mine in Uganda belongs to French company, then which country benefits more from it? And to what extent the modern wealth of Europe and North America is due to other parts of the world?
- I doubt that democracy and human rights priority are possible in every country of the world. This idea just occurred to me, so I did not dig deep into finding the proof, but mentality (to put it narrower – religion) could prevent the society from accepting ideas that are just natural for another society. There are some facts I immediately recall that support this idea.
b) After the ancient Rome fell, and Europe lived through the Dark Ages, Arabian countries preserved much of knowledge and science. At that time Arabian East was much more cultural and civilized than Europe. What happened to them later, why they stopped developing science, how could Europe overtake them? One of the explanations is that at some point of time Muslim theologians declared that “Koran has everything”, so scientific research stopped. The legend says that under this slogan the Library of Alexandria has been burnt by Arabian conquerors.
c) There is an interesting correlation between the agricultural conditions in a certain territory and some national traits of character. That’s more than a coincidence. For example, wheat was the main crop in Europe. It doesn’t require any special irrigation, so you can well grow and harvest it alone. That means you are less dependent on other people. Hence smaller states (Germany before mid-XIX century consisted of dozens independent states), hence more independent opinions. Compare it to China. Rice requires serious irrigation works, you’ll never do it alone. In order to harvest rice, you need to organize a fairly large group of people to do a job together. And as the population grows, you need to perform those works at a larger scale, also because the easiest-to-work fields are already busy. As a result, we see that Chinese value the society more than they value an individual. A single person sacrificing his wishes for the good of the others is more acceptable for them than for Europeans.
This idea needs further thinking but it is quite possible that the liberalism and human rights developed in Western Europe to the extent we see due to a unique combination of religion, natural conditions and other factors. And it can’t be copied in other parts of the world. It can be brought to other parts of the world by immigration of people with European mentality, of course. But otherwise it can be done only by complete mentality change of local inhabitants. Not an easy task, could take generations and mean death of local culture.
- All people are seeking freedom and democracy, so it is our duty to help them achieve this goal. If some part of the society resists this help, it is the tyrannical part and it should be eliminated.
In some part such understanding is based on the theory that appeared in history (history as a science!) in the UK in 18th century. This theory states that the process of human society development over time is a) linear and b) goes through the same stages in every society of the planet. One of the consequences of this theory was the statement that every society started from matriarchate – researchers came across some primitive society, ruled by women, and made their conclusion. This theory has long been proved wrong, but its influence is still alive.
Even if we accept that all countries, all societies are aiming at maximizing human rights, how justified will interference be? Good intentions are the pathway to hell. How long it took Anglo-Saxon civilization to reach modern state of human rights? Setting the Magna Carts as the starting point, it is a bit over 800 years, roughly 30 generations. Looking at the world history, we see how slowly societies change their organizational forms, evolving one into another. And you can’t forcefully speed it up. Imagine that our modern “crusaders of democracy” take time machine and show up at Hastings early in the morning on October 14th, 1066. “William, Harold, there is no need to fight. You need to run democratic elections, and everything will be ok…” Will they even understand the idea??? And what will happen the next day after they are left alone?
You have shown significant interest in Russian culture. If you care spending some more time on Russian books, I’d recommend you brothers Strugatsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkady_and_Boris_Strugatsky). The form of what they have written is science fiction, but the contents is all about ethics, morale, responsibility, conscience. Try «Escape Attempt», «Hard to be a God», «Overburdened with Evil».
Why I am mentioning them now is because among others they are exploring the topic of “progressors” – people from Earth of XXII century who try to speed up the history of other planets, to solve their problems, stop wars, etc. And it doesn’t end well. As one of their heroes says, “You can’t break up the natural course of history without breaking the spine of humanity.”
It’s hard to find examples of good revolutions when they are initiated from abroad. Change of regime should be supported by majority within the country – it is the guarantee that society is ready for it. What Anglo-Saxons and NATO frequently do is supporting the angry minority in its aspirations for power. And instead of peace, freedom and prosperity it brings chaos. The classic example is Libya. Over 10 years ago the country was “spared of Gaddafi’s tyrannical rule”… How do they live now? The GDP is still around 50% of what it used to be, the country is still not at peace, there are two major forces each claiming to be the legal power. How many lives it did cost already and how much time it will take free Libya to recover? Can such liberation be called anything but a disservice? In Russia we call it “bear’s help”. I don’t say that everything was good in the country when Gaddafi was alive, but aren’t they in the worse situation now?
The whole series of Arabian spring looks like a great mess, not a great success. I rely on the opinion of an expert – below is the brief translation of an article published in 2015-2016 by Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli scholar of Arab culture and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University. I can’t find the original, unfortunately.
December 2015 was the fifth anniversary of the events known as an ‘Arabian spring’. The world applauded the heroes of the streets in Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain. Now, five years ago, those countries are still battlefields, with no light ahead. What problems have prevented them from positive development? Most of them have developed over centuries and they still prevail in mentality, remaining the dangerous rudiment.
- Tribalism*, that was always a survival factor in harsh natural conditions of the region. Now the conditions are different but mentality is still the same, when each person thinks of himself as a member of the clan first (family, tribe, tape, whatever…), not the citizen of the country.*
- Violence*. Resources are scarce, so anyone who is not the member of my clan, is a deadly threat. And the first reaction to a threat is violence.*
- Honour*, understood very specifically. Dishonoured person will seek revenge. It is not uncommon for a person to kill members of his own family if they dishonoured him. Honour is of primary importance in relations between countries and nations, sometimes more important than economics and healthcare.*
- Nepotism*, which has its roots in tribalism. Promoting your relatives to administrative positions is illegal in the West, but is part of normal practice in the East.*
- Corruption*. An office holder will invest in projects and regions where his tribe and supporters live, not otherwise. He feels financially responsible to his family, not to the country.*
- Multiple ethnic groups*, which protect their own languages and traditions. Marriages outside of a group are rare, coexistence with other groups is tense and hostile.*
- Islam*. Islamic extremists are sure that people who believe otherwise, are deserved to be killed.*
- Sunnites vs*.* shiites*. This conflict started back in 7th century as a conflict for control over Islam. Non-Islamic people see them analogous to Catholicism vs. Orthodox church, but in reality now, after centuries of religious wars, these are two separate religions, and the dialogue between them is very difficult.*
- Predominant culture*. Three main groups are Bedouins who live in deserts, fellahs who are the peasants, and inhabitants of the cities. Each group thinks stereotypically of other two, cross-marriages are rare.*
- Country borders*. British, French and Italian administration have been drawn the borders straight, just by a ruler and a pencil, paying no attention to the real borders between various groups which differ by religion and ethnicity. People who never thought about themselves as about having anything in common, are now the citizens of one country. And they don’t feel it this way.*
- Power change*. This is something which never happens peacefully in Arabic countries. The ethnic or religious group at power holds to it by all means.*
- Israel*. Arabs and Muslims don’t acknowledge Judaism as a live religion, Jewish people as a people. So for them the very existence of Israel is illegal. Plus Israel is very convenient as an external enemy, a good target for the aggression of the masses.*
- Oil has turned the countries of the Gulf into societies which don’t produce, but do consume without limits. The difference between wealth of the Gulf and poverty of other Arabian countries is shocking.
- West that interferes into the region to solve its own problems. Oil, gas, weapons – all is targeted to use natural resources of Middle East.
- Al Jazeera as a catalyst of social and religious unrest.
Here’s an article by the same author on the same topic – https://fathomjournal.org/why-we-keep-getting-the-middle-east-wrong/
Here’s an interview with him – https://chicagopolicyreview.org/2015/07/28/americans-still-dont-understand-the-middle-east-this-man-wants-to-help/
In one of your interviews you discussed the competition between China and the US for influence in Africa. And your opinion was that China wins due to corruption of local elites. Let me offer another reason for your consideration. It is the same reason that allows Russia to gain influence in Middle East, Africa, South America. When China or Russia come to some country to cooperate, they come to cooperate, not to teach, not to judge, not to interfere into the internal affairs of the state. And people appreciate this.
- We have the right to decide who is democratic and who is not.
De furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine.
One of the principles of democracy is separation of three powers – legislative, judicial and executive. So why then countries that consider themselves “leaders of democratic world” forget about this principle in international relations. They make the rules, they judge and they punish.
One of American diplomats said recently that USA supports international rules-based order. Sounds good, sounds undoubtedly right. But why USA and NATO forget about the rules when it is convenient? Or is it “We support international rules-based order, but our own actions should not be limited by these rules”? What immediately comes to my mind without web search:
- Kosovo, 1999. Civil war or genocide or whatever it may be called. How it should have been handled according to the rules? UN Security Council makes the decision, ‘blue helmets’ move in and stop the hot phase of the conflict. How it was done? NATO forces moved in without UNSC mandate. Forget the rules.
- Iraq, 2003. USA and its allies invaded Iraq based on false claims that Saddam had mass destruction weapons. The Center for Public Integrity stated that the Bush administration made a total of 935 false statements between 2001 and 2003 about Iraq's alleged threat to the United States. International lies-based order?
Speaking more about the rules… We are tired of seeing double standards. As an illustration, I will use just one aspect – the principle of integrity of the state vs the principle of the right of nations to self-determination. It looks like the West supports integrity of the state, when this state is allied or friendly to the West, and supports nation’s self-determination when the state is not. Let’s go through some examples.
- Chechnya (an autonomous republic within Soviet Union) wanted to become independent after 1991. It quickly started to use terrorism to achieve this goal. It took a lot of effort to stop the war and bring the region back to safety. Reaction of the West – support of chechens, their leader fled to London and was not deported to Russia despite all requests.
- Abkhazia (an autonomous republic within Georgian republic which was part of Soviet Union) wanted to become independent from Georgia when Georgia became independent from Russia. Resulted in a war. The conflict is still not solved. Abkhazia now is an independent state which is acknowledged by very few countries in the world. Reaction of the West – they still consider Abkhazia as a rebellious part of Georgia. Same situation about South Osetia – another region, that was an administrative part of Georgia until 1991 and that also seeks independence.
- Donetsk and Lugansk wanted to become independent from Ukraine after 2014 coup. Ukraine tried to subdue them by force and failed. Then the workplan has been signed in Minsk – what the parties of the conflict agree to do to settle. The result should have been – Donetsk and Lugansk return to Ukraine but have extended political rights, etc. Ukraine did nothing of its promises. Reaction of the West – support of Ukraine.
- Catalonia is seeking independence. And I remember that leaders of independence movement have been under political and criminal pressure.
- Scotland had a referendum about independence. And even though results were in favour of the UK, I remember how nervously London reacted.
Russia – NATO relations after 1991
This is best said by Vladimir Pozner, a journalist who spent years of his work in the USA, Russia, Europe and is one of the most known journalists of the old school (comparing to modern propagandists). Here’s the link to his speech in Yale University on September 27, 2018 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ&t=2556s.
His speech takes around forty minutes, the rest is the Q&A. To save you time, I’d summarize it here in just a couple of phrases. After Soviet Union collapsed, there was an illusion that we aren’t enemies anymore, that the world is open now, and that we will be partners or even friends. Russia dismissed the Warsaw Treaty union and agreed for Germany to unite, that looked just right – why keep a military union when we aren’t enemies anymore? Sometime later Russia made an offer to join NATO to provide world security together and was denied. Russia offered to join the EU, and was denied. Russia was promised that NATO would not expand eastward and less than 10 years later this promise was broken. Since then, we’ve been witnessing NATO getting closer and closer to our borders, inviting countries that are our neighbours and aggressively supporting those candidates to country leadership in East Europe who declared anti-Russia views. So now the illusion is over. We are enemies. And what’s worse – we don’t trust US anymore, so negotiating some new principles of coexistence will be problematic.
Ukraine.
Briefly about history, in more details about recent times and present situation.
In 16-17th century the territory of modern Ukraine was controlled by two forces with no clear border between them. Northwest (where the city of Lvov is now) was under Polish rule, center and the region along river Dnepr – under control of “kazak military democracies” – gatherings of all people, who fled from Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Crimea and who with time formed Ukrainians as a nation. They were ruled by elected chieftains and made their living largely by either joining some military campaign for money and loot, or by robbery raids to Poland, Crimea, Turkey. They were allied to Russia due to same religion – Orthodox Christianity.
As Poland grew stronger, its pressure on the territory grew, which led to periodic rebellions. Poland is a Catholic state, and people of Orthodox Ukraine were severely oppressed. Seeking protection, Ukrainian chieftains asked Russia to include those territories into Russian state. First request came in 1591. Russia rejected this request and several others. Only in 1654 part of Ukraine, controlled by kazaks, was included into Russia. Consequences – war with Poland and tens of thousands orthodox people fleeing from Polish-controlled lands into Russian-controlled lands.
From then on Russians and Ukrainians were really ‘brother nations’. Well, it was not heaven, but it was the best available option. Same religion, very close language and mentality. And forget about oppression. Ukrainians were oppressed as much as Russians themselves.
When the WW I started, Germany and Austria-Hungary were looking for collaborators in occupied territories of Russian Empire. They promised independence to nationalists in Western Ukraine, and found people who bought the idea. Not surprisingly, the most dedicated nationalists came from the least developed region of the country. Ukraine did not become independent at that moment, but the ideas stayed and gave their fruit during WW II, when Ukrainian collaborators actively participated in Nazis’ crimes. In one of your videos you described what Unit 731 of Japanese army was doing and you warned your listeners that they will never forget it. If you will find and read witnesses’ accounts of Volhynia massacre, you will never forget it either. I read it once long ago and I never want to read it again. It was a shock to me that people are capable of such things.
In the period between 1945 and 1991 Ukraine had the same rights as any other republic. There were no impediments to preserving and developing local culture. If you lived in any republic, you learned two languages – Russian and local. National literature was actively translated into other national languages of the Soviet Union, there were no impediments to education. Soviet Union with all its flaws, really tried to unite all of its nations into one big family. (What surprises me though is why antisemitism remained. You could come from Georgia, Uzbekistan or Yakutia and pass exams to Moscow university, no problem if you are smart enough. But it could be problematic for a Jew…)
After 1991 Russia and Ukraine remained friendly states, tightly bound by economic, cultural and even family ties. Ukraine tried to get the most out of relations both with Russia and with the West and it worked fairly well for 30 years. But with time attempts to elevate significance of their own nation led Ukrainians down a dangerous path. They started to slowly eliminate all other cultures that were present in the country. This process sped up dramatically in 2014, when after a coup the nationalist forces gained influence on the government.
Official Kiev denies being nationalistic, but don’t trust what the person is saying, see what he is doing.
- Open Kiev map and you will find two prospects – one named after Bandera, another after Shukhevich. Those two stand behind Volhynia massacre and numerous other crimes. Now they are heroes.
- During WW II Ukrainian nationalists were gathered by Nazis into the division “Galicia”. Collaborators and traitors, they did not show much on the battlefield, but were always victorious in the punitive raids against civilians. Now they are heroes.
- Ukraine is banning and denying Russian language and Russian culture. And it did not start last year. It started much earlier, when bit by bit Russian-speaking people had more and more difficulties teaching their children in Russian, buying books in Russian. It even shows itself historically – famous writers, artists, musicians, etc. of the past are proclaimed Ukrainians if they were born or lived on the territory of modern Ukraine. Aivazovskiy was Armenian by nation, lived in Crimea which was Russian at the time. Repin was Russian, Kuingi was Greek. Gogol and Bulgakov called themselves Russian and wrote in Russian. Shevchenko wrote in Russian, and now his books in Ukraine are translated from Russian.
We see those nationalistic ideas demonstrating themselves in a number of ways, and we have seen them before and we know what threat they can bring if left unattended. Pay attention to a dragon when it is small, you may be unable to win when it grows up.
I don’t say that our perception is correct, I just say how we see it. And to us modern Ukraine is like a younger brother who joined a bad company and who is becoming dangerous.
Now combine these two. Ukrainian nationalism plus NATO. Two threats, one well known historically, another the most dangerous rival of the past 70 years. We see them uniting and it is really an existential threat to us. In such circumstances could we afford being blind to it, just sitting and waiting what comes next? We tried to settle it peacefully. Many times Russia said that we are worried by NATO expansion, that we are worried by Western support of nationalistic movements in our neigbour countries. No effect. The last attempt was made in autumn of 2021, when Putin offered a negotiation that should have resulted in guaranteed safety. No reply.
If there is a conflict and your rival refuses to talk, he is asking for a fight. I don’t say that war in Ukraine is the right way to solve the conflict, but who can say that we did not try to set it by negotiations?
2023.06.02 22:46 john_oldcastle My Favorite Dead (vol 1): Avalon Ballroom 10/12/68 (long post)
10/12/68 Avalon Ballroom “it’s a foxtrot, and also a ladies choice”
In a way, this is my Deadhead origin story. It's 1989. I was 14 and had just discovered “classic rock." My native musical tendencies at the time, trended around 80s hip-hop (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys), thrash metal (the big 3) and various NWOBHM—particularly Iron Maiden. The weird, disturbing/cartoonish/horror iconography and imagery were important to 14 year old me ( I guess in a way, I was primed for the Dead.)
Anyway, around this time I had an older cousin who hipped me to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors. Also, that summer was the 20th anniversary of Woodstock, and MTV aired the Wadleigh film I think several times. I was absolutely spellbound. I taped most of the film to a VCR cassette and probably watched Alvin Lee and Ten Years After’s blissed out performance of I’m Going Home everyday for like 3 months. I wanted Alvin Lee’s whole Woodstock vibe injected directly into my veins. I had become a wannabe hippie.
This neo-hippie vibe seemed to infect my whole friend group. We all read the Beats and Huxley’s The Doors of Perception and traded 60s/70s tapes—Floyd, The Who, The Doors, Cream. We of course started smoking pot and spending hours spacing out to psychedelic music or re-watching Fantasia, Heavy Metal, or 2001 for the umpteenth time. It was all way more interesting than Motley Crue or Winger or Bon Jovi or whatever the fuck MTV was doing.
And of course, I had heard of Grateful Dead by then—I was like 12 when “Touch of Grey” was a hit. And they were a big mainstream rock band in 1989. The news ran segments on them when they came to the area.
But initially, I thought they were kinda lame and corny--like the Beach Boys and Kokomo. Sure, the imagery was dope—like one would expect from a metal or hard rock band. But the Dead were definitely and (for me at the time) disappointingly not hard rock. And those Dead guys for sure did not look like the bad ass dudes from Slayer. From what little I heard, I was not impressed. But how to access the good stuff I knew must be there?
In a way I am a little envious of young people discovering music today. It’s all out there. Want to get into Bob Dylan? You can spend a long weekend online listening to his discography and reading countless essays about his art and emerge as a fairly knowledgeable Dylan fan 3 or 4 days later. The Dead may take a bit longer to fully grok, but all the shows are online and there is no shortage of info about where to start. These days, an intrepid neophyte could get a broad understanding of the Dead in a week or two.
In 1989, I was flying blind. It’s weird to think about how differently we used to conceptualize and listen to rock music back then. At the time rock music was rooted in mystery and scarcity. I was limited to the maybe twenty or so cassettes I had, which I listened to over and over and over again. All I knew about rock music was what I saw on MTV, read in Spin or Rolling Stone, or heard about from friends, older cousins, and siblings.
So when I looked to get into the Dead, I had little bearing for which to set my course. I picked up Aoxomoxoa at the mall because the cover looked cool. And…it was okay. Look, compared to some of the other classic rock era albums I had been exposed to by that time it just didn't really rock or roll very much. At the time, I much preferred Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum to Aoxomoxoa (and I kinda still do).
Anyway, fall of 1989 was the beginning of high school. New people and new cliques. This kid who became part of our group had a Deadhead older brother in college. And he had the goods. For the price of one or two Maxells, we could get a bootleg. Since I knew next to nothing, I asked for a show he liked. He gave me an aud from a 78 show (a show I actually like now!). At the time however, this seemingly failed even more than the Aoxomoxoa album. The sound was muddy and murky, and some of the songs reminded me of Jimmy Buffett on quaaludes.
But side 2 of tape 3 was called “Filler: Set 2 Avalon 1968.” It listed four songs like this: “Dark Star>St. Stephen>Eleven>Death What the fuck is this? Filler? I wanted killer, and now I was getting filler? Hmm. I’d heard of Dark Star. I knew St. Steven from Aoxomoxoa. “Death” was certainly intriguing. Alright, let’s give it a go…
…
(cut to scenes of dude’s face melting in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the guy’s head exploding in Scanners, the scientists learning to talk to the UFO in the last act of Close Encounters, the Sasquatch/mushroom scene in Tenacious D’s Pick of Destiny, Andy Dufrane standing in the rain after escaping Shawshank)
…
THE SHOW
This is it. This is where I GOT IT. 10/12/68 is what turned the worm for me. Actually, it was just the first set at first, though I was able to get the second set a few weeks later—ah, yes, thank you, this is the bus I was waiting for…
This is pure, uncut Primal Dead. For me, this show is exhibit A of Jerry Garcia as a swaggering gun slinging guitar god. His playing is full of snarling psychedelic attitude and creativity (I think he’s playing a Les Paul here?). You know how Phish people used to refer to “Machine Gun Trey?” Yes, well, here we have Flame Thrower Jerry.
Let’s consider Grateful Dead in the fall of 1968. This show occurs at a time when Pigpen and Weir had presumably been kicked out of the Dead. In the days leading up to the Avalon shows on the 12th and 13th Jerry, Phil, Mickey and Bill were kinda sorta rethinking the Dead line-up w/the “Mickey and the Heartbeats” shows played at the crosstown Matrix on the 8th, 9th and 10th.
Indeed, Pig did not play on the 10/12 Avalon show. For his part Weir does what he can rhythmically as Jerry, Phil, Mickey, and Billy lay waste to all before them. I mean, you’ve got to love a band that fires a dude and then just lets them stick around and earn the job back. Knowing the back story now, this show almost seems like some kind of trial by fire for ol’ Bob. I mean, imagine trying to keep up with this music? In short, this is elemental, fire-breathing psychedelic acid rock played by young men with something to prove.
The Dark Star is early—not as open ended as 72-74 Dark Stars. The Live/Dead version, recorded about six months later, is perhaps more mature and developed, but this one has off-the charts energy and inventiveness. This is my favorite of the early Primal Dead, pre-72 Dark Stars.
I think The Eleven here is an all-timer. Jerry and Phil conjuring viscous curlicues of dark light while Bill and Mickey lock into some kind of inter-galactical syncopation. And the Death Don’t Have No Mercy is just phenomenal. My personal favorite. Jerry really goes for it—he never apes the blues, but he makes it his own. Really passionate guitar playing and even more passionate vocals.
Like the Dark Star here, The Other One would range farther (furthur? lol) out in the future, but this version is just a snarling beast, dripping with liquid magma and unrelenting energy. Likewise, the jam on New Potato Caboose scales the holy psychedelic summit of bliss.
For personal reasons, of course, 10/12/68 is one of my favs. This is a great show to check out if you are looking for raw, primal 60s Dead—an interesting companion to Live/Dead.
It’s also a good gateway show, especially for rockers. I got a few hard rockers turned on to the Dead through this show. The balls-out energy and talent is palpable. Years ago, I played The Other One from this show to an Army buddy who likes metal like Mastadon and Opeth. About halfway through he low whistled and said, “Goddamn, that hippie motherfucker is playing the shit out of that guitar. Gotta respect that.”
submitted by john_oldcastle to gratefuldead [link] [comments]
In a way, this is my Deadhead origin story. It's 1989. I was 14 and had just discovered “classic rock." My native musical tendencies at the time, trended around 80s hip-hop (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys), thrash metal (the big 3) and various NWOBHM—particularly Iron Maiden. The weird, disturbing/cartoonish/horror iconography and imagery were important to 14 year old me ( I guess in a way, I was primed for the Dead.)
Anyway, around this time I had an older cousin who hipped me to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors. Also, that summer was the 20th anniversary of Woodstock, and MTV aired the Wadleigh film I think several times. I was absolutely spellbound. I taped most of the film to a VCR cassette and probably watched Alvin Lee and Ten Years After’s blissed out performance of I’m Going Home everyday for like 3 months. I wanted Alvin Lee’s whole Woodstock vibe injected directly into my veins. I had become a wannabe hippie.
This neo-hippie vibe seemed to infect my whole friend group. We all read the Beats and Huxley’s The Doors of Perception and traded 60s/70s tapes—Floyd, The Who, The Doors, Cream. We of course started smoking pot and spending hours spacing out to psychedelic music or re-watching Fantasia, Heavy Metal, or 2001 for the umpteenth time. It was all way more interesting than Motley Crue or Winger or Bon Jovi or whatever the fuck MTV was doing.
And of course, I had heard of Grateful Dead by then—I was like 12 when “Touch of Grey” was a hit. And they were a big mainstream rock band in 1989. The news ran segments on them when they came to the area.
But initially, I thought they were kinda lame and corny--like the Beach Boys and Kokomo. Sure, the imagery was dope—like one would expect from a metal or hard rock band. But the Dead were definitely and (for me at the time) disappointingly not hard rock. And those Dead guys for sure did not look like the bad ass dudes from Slayer. From what little I heard, I was not impressed. But how to access the good stuff I knew must be there?
In a way I am a little envious of young people discovering music today. It’s all out there. Want to get into Bob Dylan? You can spend a long weekend online listening to his discography and reading countless essays about his art and emerge as a fairly knowledgeable Dylan fan 3 or 4 days later. The Dead may take a bit longer to fully grok, but all the shows are online and there is no shortage of info about where to start. These days, an intrepid neophyte could get a broad understanding of the Dead in a week or two.
In 1989, I was flying blind. It’s weird to think about how differently we used to conceptualize and listen to rock music back then. At the time rock music was rooted in mystery and scarcity. I was limited to the maybe twenty or so cassettes I had, which I listened to over and over and over again. All I knew about rock music was what I saw on MTV, read in Spin or Rolling Stone, or heard about from friends, older cousins, and siblings.
So when I looked to get into the Dead, I had little bearing for which to set my course. I picked up Aoxomoxoa at the mall because the cover looked cool. And…it was okay. Look, compared to some of the other classic rock era albums I had been exposed to by that time it just didn't really rock or roll very much. At the time, I much preferred Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum to Aoxomoxoa (and I kinda still do).
Anyway, fall of 1989 was the beginning of high school. New people and new cliques. This kid who became part of our group had a Deadhead older brother in college. And he had the goods. For the price of one or two Maxells, we could get a bootleg. Since I knew next to nothing, I asked for a show he liked. He gave me an aud from a 78 show (a show I actually like now!). At the time however, this seemingly failed even more than the Aoxomoxoa album. The sound was muddy and murky, and some of the songs reminded me of Jimmy Buffett on quaaludes.
But side 2 of tape 3 was called “Filler: Set 2 Avalon 1968.” It listed four songs like this: “Dark Star>St. Stephen>Eleven>Death What the fuck is this? Filler? I wanted killer, and now I was getting filler? Hmm. I’d heard of Dark Star. I knew St. Steven from Aoxomoxoa. “Death” was certainly intriguing. Alright, let’s give it a go…
…
(cut to scenes of dude’s face melting in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the guy’s head exploding in Scanners, the scientists learning to talk to the UFO in the last act of Close Encounters, the Sasquatch/mushroom scene in Tenacious D’s Pick of Destiny, Andy Dufrane standing in the rain after escaping Shawshank)
…
THE SHOW
This is it. This is where I GOT IT. 10/12/68 is what turned the worm for me. Actually, it was just the first set at first, though I was able to get the second set a few weeks later—ah, yes, thank you, this is the bus I was waiting for…
This is pure, uncut Primal Dead. For me, this show is exhibit A of Jerry Garcia as a swaggering gun slinging guitar god. His playing is full of snarling psychedelic attitude and creativity (I think he’s playing a Les Paul here?). You know how Phish people used to refer to “Machine Gun Trey?” Yes, well, here we have Flame Thrower Jerry.
Let’s consider Grateful Dead in the fall of 1968. This show occurs at a time when Pigpen and Weir had presumably been kicked out of the Dead. In the days leading up to the Avalon shows on the 12th and 13th Jerry, Phil, Mickey and Bill were kinda sorta rethinking the Dead line-up w/the “Mickey and the Heartbeats” shows played at the crosstown Matrix on the 8th, 9th and 10th.
Indeed, Pig did not play on the 10/12 Avalon show. For his part Weir does what he can rhythmically as Jerry, Phil, Mickey, and Billy lay waste to all before them. I mean, you’ve got to love a band that fires a dude and then just lets them stick around and earn the job back. Knowing the back story now, this show almost seems like some kind of trial by fire for ol’ Bob. I mean, imagine trying to keep up with this music? In short, this is elemental, fire-breathing psychedelic acid rock played by young men with something to prove.
The Dark Star is early—not as open ended as 72-74 Dark Stars. The Live/Dead version, recorded about six months later, is perhaps more mature and developed, but this one has off-the charts energy and inventiveness. This is my favorite of the early Primal Dead, pre-72 Dark Stars.
I think The Eleven here is an all-timer. Jerry and Phil conjuring viscous curlicues of dark light while Bill and Mickey lock into some kind of inter-galactical syncopation. And the Death Don’t Have No Mercy is just phenomenal. My personal favorite. Jerry really goes for it—he never apes the blues, but he makes it his own. Really passionate guitar playing and even more passionate vocals.
Like the Dark Star here, The Other One would range farther (furthur? lol) out in the future, but this version is just a snarling beast, dripping with liquid magma and unrelenting energy. Likewise, the jam on New Potato Caboose scales the holy psychedelic summit of bliss.
For personal reasons, of course, 10/12/68 is one of my favs. This is a great show to check out if you are looking for raw, primal 60s Dead—an interesting companion to Live/Dead.
It’s also a good gateway show, especially for rockers. I got a few hard rockers turned on to the Dead through this show. The balls-out energy and talent is palpable. Years ago, I played The Other One from this show to an Army buddy who likes metal like Mastadon and Opeth. About halfway through he low whistled and said, “Goddamn, that hippie motherfucker is playing the shit out of that guitar. Gotta respect that.”
2023.06.02 22:34 MadelineWuntch Defending The Draft: Denver Broncos
When unfortunate sporting historians of the future look back on the Denver Broncos 5-win 2022 NFL season there will be a lot said of Mr Unlimited’s rather limited performances and Nathaniel’s inability to hack it as a head coach and rightly so.
However, I think it’s important to at least mention the Broncos strange love affair with the medical room. 21 players took a trip to IR, multiple key starters fell victim to season ending injuries including Tim Patrick, Garett Bolles and Javonte Williams.
And in spite of all of the depressing dog doo-doo the Broncos lost by a single score an astounding 8 times. So that’s something right?
Moving into 2023, General George Paton hired his alternate namesake and former Saints Head Coach Sean Payton for the princely sum of pick 29 in the 2023 NFL Draft (Denver also sent a 2nd rounder in 2024 and received a 3rd rounder in 2024).
Only a few weeks after the appointment of Sean Payton the NFL entered its Free Agency period which led to some big changes at Mile High.
15 players were let go to sign elsewhere around the league but not an awful lot in terms of quality.
Dre’Mont Jones, DE - Seattle Seahawks (3 year, $51 Million) Dre’mont grew into a solid contributor for Denver but I’m glad the Broncos didn’t re-sign him for the money Seattle has. By far the most talented to leave the team in free agency but only a very slight miss.
Calvin Anderson, T - New England Patriots (2 year, $7 Million) Not a splashy name by any means but Anderson knew his role and performed well when called upon, A solid backup with starter experience.
Andrew Beck, FB/TE - Houston Texans (2 year, $6.25 Million) Beck is another reliable contributor who seems to have joined a number of former Broncos in moving to Houston recently. A former Salute to Service Award winner.
Mike Boone, RB - Houston Texans (2 year, $3.1 Million) Boone is a fantastic option to have for Special Teams play, however he lacks real quality when running the ball. There was optimism when he initially signed in Denver but that appears to have fallen to the wayside as he moves on rather silently.
Graham Glasgow, G - Detroit Lions (1 year, $2.75 Million) The Broncos offensive line has been offensive to watch for years. Glasgow however has been one of the bright spots, especially when he played at centre at parts in 2022.
Brandon McMacus, K - Jacksonville Jaguars (1 year, $2 Million) The last member of the Super Bowl 50 winning team has left Dove Valley. In a somewhat surprising but expected move if you look at his declining performances Denver only recently moved on from McManus. It was the right time but it sure is a sad sight to see.
De’Shawn Williams, DE - Carolina Panthers (1 year, $1.75 Million) Losing both Jones and Williams is a slight concern in terms of depth. Although Williams isn’t as productive as his former teammate he’s certainly a steal for the Panthers as a rotational/back up. He’s arguably serviceable as a starter as well and knows the defensive staff in Carolina very well.
Eric Saubert, TE - Miami Dolphins (1 year, $1.68 Million) I forgot Eric was even on the team, his receiving qualities aren’t much to go crazy for with 15 recs and 148 yards on a career best 2022 season and his run blocking isn’t fantastic either albeit it is his stronger game.
Billy Turner, T - New York Jets (1 year, $1.5 Million) Billy was a sad loss back in 2018 when he first left for Green Bay. However he couldn’t really get started and spent large parts of the season on IR.
Latavius Murray, RB - Buffalo Bills (1 year, $1.3 Million) Latavius is the biggest loss for Denver in my opinion. The only member of the team who showed passion, drive and self respect throughout his short lived time in Colorado. The Bills have a solid contributor who will definitely fit the pound the rock ethos.
Chase Edmonds, RB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 year, $1.1 Million) We never got to see what Chase could do in Denver and maybe that’s a good thing if his seasons with Miami are anything to go by. I’m sure he’ll do well in Tampa’s pass heavy offence as a backup catching back.
Eric Tomlinson, TE - Free Agent Most of you have probably never heard of Eric Tomlinson and there's a good reason for that. He’s also still without a team after signing with the Texans for 15 days back in March.
Darius Phillips, CB - Houston Texans (1 year, $1 Million) Darius got a few snaps on defence but spent most of his time on special teams, a rather average contributor by any metric but does have a fair amount of starting experience in the league.
Brett Rypien, QB - Los Angeles Rams (1 year, $1 Million) Broncos fans love this guy. He’s not good at football in a practical sense and he’s likely not going to help the Rams secure any wins but he’s a really smart dude and most likely a future coach. Not to mention its fun to say “Let ‘Em Ryp” if he does ever play.
Corliss Waitman, P - New England Patriots (1 year, $1 Million) There is no chance this man will be playing for the Patriots in 2023. Punting for Denver should be quite easy compared to most of the league but Waitman set out to prove us all wrong on that one. Easily the worst punter I’ve seen in Denver for a good few years.
Lamar Jackson, CB - Kansas City Chiefs (1 year, $1 Million) Lamar didn’t really get an opportunity to feature in Denver, I’m fairly sure he’ll be a camp body in KC as well so there’s not much to add on this one.
Although we let a lot of players leave, I think we managed to re-sign the most important of all the players with contracts expiring.
Alex Singleton, MLB (3 year, $18 Million) I’m telling you now, this man is elite. His season started a little slow but he came to town with 21-tackles (19 solo) against Divisional Rivals the LA Chargers. He did a similar thing in week 15 vs the Rams where he totalled another 20 tackles.
Overall I think Singleton is starting to peak and turn into a real force in this league.
Kareem Jackson, S (1 year, $1.3 Million) Kareem has far exceeded the expectations Broncos fans had for him when he joined from Houston in 2019. Initially as a corner and later taking over a strong safety Jackson has been brilliant, his heavy hitting style has made him a fan favourite and I’m pleased to see him back yet again.
Cameron Fleming, T (1 year, $2.3 Million) Fleming was a decent enough back up for the team in 2022 that unfortunately ended up starting more than everyone would have wanted. He’s a great depth addition to bring back, let's hope it remains a depth option though.
With so many departures comes a long list of new faces for the Broncos. 13 new players joined in free agency and whilst some are better than others there’s certainly been a clear direction that Sean Payton is heading in. big men, very big men.
Mike McGlinchey, RT - (5 year, $87.5 Million) I’ve been a big McGlinchey fan since the days of his nasty Notre Dame O-Line, where he lined up alongside Quenton Nelson. Mike’s play for the 49ers whilst good has had some rather concerning points with his lack of success vs speed rushers being the overwhelmingly obvious. We’re reaching a point where McGlinchey is living off of his college performances much like Jadeveon Clowney is still renowned for “the hit”. I do believe mcGlinchey will look like a hall of famer in comparison to every Broncos Right Tackle of the past 10 years and I do believe he’ll be successful in what the Broncos want to do which is run the ball down your throat. Denver has stability at both tackle positions and that’s only going to be a positive.
Ben Powers, G - (4 year, $52 Million) The quickest path to the quarterback is the straightest. It’s important Wilson is protected from the interior of his pocket and Ben certainly has powers in that department. I don’t think it would be an understatement to call Ben Powers elite in pass pro and whilst his run blocking seems to be improving it's not fantastic. Nonetheless I think this is very similar to the McGlinchey situation where we’ve slightly overpaid but the team will have a massive upgrade at Guard.
Zach Allen, DE - (3 year, $45.75 Million) I like Allen but the concern for me here is this past year was a career year for him, and with such a small sample size of good but not elite play I struggle with the idea that he will repeat his 2022 success in 2023. His contract doesn’t appear to be overly friendly either with $19 Million in 2024 cap scheduled in the books along with half of his 2025 salary guaranteed as well.
I don’t think he’ll be a bad signing, his familiarity with DC and former Broncos HC Vance Joseph will be a good thing but for the 3rd signing in a row, and perhaps the most egregious the Broncos have overpaid for their man.
Jarrett Stidham, QB (2 year, $10 Million) I like this move a lot, Stidham is a high end back up who can provide enough of a threat to Russ that he can win games in Denver if called upon. In reality he’s a backup but a back up you can certainly have confidence in.
Chris Manhertz, TE (2 year, $6 Million) I liked the Stidham signing, I love the Manhertz signing. He’s not flashy and he isn’t going to show up anywhere with big stats, however Manhertz has consistently been an elite blocking tight end for years and its players like him that make the difference on short yardage situations.
Samaje Perine, RB (2 year, $7.5 Million) This seems to be another Sean Payton inspired move. Initially Perine was never thought of as a back who could catch out of the backfield but his year spent with Cool guy Joe Burrow in Cincinnati has shown he’s more than capable of being that guy. Working in a committee alongside Javonte Williams should bring success to this lifeless Denver offense in 2023.
Michael Burton, FB (1 year, $1.3 Million) Burton has played for Sean Payton before and that will be incredibly useful for obvious reasons. Burton has been a blocking fullback for most of his career but has shown the ability to run and catch when called upon. I like this move and its a clear upgrade on Beck.
Tremon Smith, CB/Returner (2 year, $5 Million) If Smith is only going to be a returner then I think Denver have once again overpaid for a player coming off a bad year in a position declining in value. I do think Smith can rebound and have the type of year he’s been having since 2018. Not to mention there isn’t a chance Smith can be anywhere near as bad as Montrell Washington had been in 2022.
Riley Dixon, P (2 year, $3.5 Million) Riley was drafted by Denver in 2016 before being traded to the Giants a few years down the line. Despite the advantageous altitude in Denver, Dixon wasn’t a very good punter for the team in his 2 seasons. However, in a move that shows how bad this team really has been Dixon will still be a big improvement over Corliss Waitman and thus this needs to be considered an upgrade.
Marquez Callaway, WR (1 year, $1.1 Million) Former Sean Payton disciple Callaway reuniting in Denver is a good thing from my perspective. During Payton’s last season in New Orleans Callaway managed to put up 6 touchdowns in 46 receptions. The Broncos have a busy WR room but its a room that is yet to be healthy together so this move makes sense from all angles.
Kyle Fuller, C (1 year, $1.1 Million) I don’t expect Fuller to see the field unless there’s another injury disaster as he’s arguably 3rd on the depth chart. I’m glad the team have started to add some much needed depth but there’s also a solid chance that Fuller doesn’t Fill out the roster in 2023.
Following free agency most Broncos fans felt the team needed some further reinforcements but with so few picks available to start the 2023 NFL Draft many were left wondering what kind of magic George Paton could cook up to fill the team with contributing players.
#63: Marvin Mims, WR (Oklahoma) I don’t think anybody foresaw the Broncos trading up in the 2nd round to take a wide receiver. And whilst it's not a huge need, especially with the depth addition of Marquez Callaway in free agency, I do think it's a very good pick.
K.J. Hamler has failed to stay fit and this all but spells the end for his time in Denver in my opinion. It’s no wonder the Broncos front office couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a player with 4.38 speed and a 2-year college average of 20 yards per reception. I can see his ability to line up anywhere coming in very handy in a high motion Denver offense.
What I find spectacular about Mims is his ability to genuinely do everything. He can take the top off a defense, take screens in space for first downs, and generally play well in the short, medium and long game. There'll be some minor concerns over a Oklahoma running limited route trees but given Payton’s creativity and the likelihood of being moved around to capitalize on speed mismatches I don’t really feel those concerns are overly warranted.
#67: Drew Sanders, LB (Arkansas) I think Sanders has a real shot of being the best player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft when we look back in a few years time. He was a 5-star recruit at Alabama before transferring to Arkansas in 2022. Nick Saban has since said last summer that Sanders “probably would have started” for Alabama in one of the deepest pass rushing units in college. Ultimately he starred for the Razorbacks where his athletic prowess, versatility and toughness helped him notch up 9.5 Sacks (2nd in SEC) and 103 tackles.
His ability to play inside and outside will delight Vance Joseph who will end up using him very heavily in blitz packages from both the edge and middle linebacker positions. Ultimately we’re relying on a player's superior athletic abilities to give him the edge until he learns the nuances of NFL football.
His tackle consistency vs the run needs heavy improvement if he wants to be a 3-down player for Denver at either the edge or inside linebacker positions. Part of his problem so far has been a tendency to bite on fakes and misdirections and although his athleticism has managed to shine through at the College level it won’t be as successful at the NFL level.
#83: Riley Moss, CB (Iowa) Moss, in theory, has everything you would look for in an NFL corner with the exception of real top end speed. He’s tall and rangey with good tackling instincts but there are some shortcomings which will likely affect his NFL future as a cornerback. Moss typically leaves a bit too much cushion in zone coverage which can lead to explosive receivers leaving him in the dust. In man coverage he’ll often leave the underneath to compensate for his lack of top end speed; his aforementioned tackling skills at least thrive here.
His run support is likely going to make him a real runner for the slot corner position in zone packages but his shortcomings may also lead to Vance Joseph wanting to move him to safety eventually. The biggest advantage he has going forward is his versatility otherwise he may end up as a special teams contributor only.
#183: JL Skinner, S (Boise State) Drafted predominantly for his size, Skinner stands at 6’4, hits hard and plays to his strengths. Against the run Skinner performs admirably and has fantastic angles when pursuing the runner. In coverage he’s equally as solid with the ball skills to force interceptions and pass breakups.
I can only see Skinner on a trajectory to the top and I'm excited to see him in Denver. Ultimately it will be his responsibility to cover Travis Kelce, Michael Mayer and Gerald Everett twice a year.
#257: Alex Forsyth, C (Oregon) I think the Broncos wanted to draft a center, I don’t believe that man was supposed to be Alex Forsyth. Whilst he’s good value for the 7th round, I imagine they would have rather had the opportunity to take John Michael Schmitz or Joe Tippmann. I’m not sure how this pick is going to work out. On one hand I can see him being part of the same dominant force that allowed his backs ro average 5 yards per play in Oregon but on the other hand he’s a penalty machine much like Garrett Bolles was to start his career.
Overall I think the Broncos did the best they could with the selections they had. It would have been nice to see a tackle for the first time in 6 years or another running back to support Javonte and Samaje.
My concerns with the class is that although they're talented they weren't all the biggest needs this off season.
I can see all of them with the exception of Forsyth becoming a contributing level talent with Denver and over the course of their rookie contracts.
Ultimately this is how I see the roster breaking down:
QB: Russell Wilson, Jarett Stidham, Ben DiNucci HB: Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Tony Jones jr. FB: Michael Burton WR: Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims jr, Marquez Callaway TE: Greg Dulcich, Adam Trautman, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Manhertz OT: Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, Cam Fleming, Isaiah Prince, Quinn Bailey IOL: Ben Powers, Quin Meinerz, Lloyd Cushenberry, Alex Forsyth, Luke Wattenberg, Kyle Fuller. DL: Zach Allen, Jonathan Harris, Eyioma Uwazurike, Jonathan Cooper, D.J. Jones, Mike Purcell LOLB: Randy Gregory, Baron Browning MLB: Alex Singleton, Josey Jewell, Drew Sanders, Justin Strnad, Jonas Griffith ROLB: Nik Bonnito, Aaron Patrick CB: Pat Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, Riley Moss, K’Waun Williams, Tremon Smith FS: Justin Simmons, Jamar Johnson, Caden Sterns SS: JL Skinner, Kareem Jackson
K: TBD P: Riley Dixon R: Tremon Smith LS: Mitchell Fraboni
There’s probably one big name missing here and that’s K.J. Hamler, who I think will get cut or traded before week 1.
Moving forward into 2023 and the 2024 off season there are a few positions Denver still need to worry about. There’s huge question marks over the ability of Russell Wilson and whether he still has the ability to play at the highest level.
We’ve also got question marks at running back with Javonte Williams coming off a huge injury. Our WR room has a lot of unknowns after Courtland Suttons failure to rediscover his form after his ACL injury whilst teammate Tim Patrick is also recovering from the same injury suffered this past season.
The offensive line still needs addressing as Lloyd Cushenberry often gets bullied in the trenches and Garrett Bolles may revert under another new offensive line coach, so far Mike Munchak is the only man to get a respectable tune from the former first round pick.
Moving on to defense and there’s less issues but still big weaknesses. I’d like to see us invest more in the defensive line and outside linebacker positions with Cooper, Bonnito, Browning and Gregory all relatively unknown in a Broncos uniform.
Ultimately if I had to narrow it down the focus going forward needs to be on center, defensive end and quarterback if things will russ doesn’t improve.
Ultimately there was a lot to like about the Broncos off season changes and everything seems to be pointing towards a more successful, creative team in 2023. We look to have added steel where it mattered across the offensive line and signing Sean Payton could prove to be the biggest acquisition of the all.
Ironically, this series is called defending the draft and that’s what I’ve struggled to do here the most. I like the class, I think there’s some high impact players there for sure, but I’ve come away wishing we’d filled some other key areas a little bit better. Ultimately you can’t always have the board fall as you want it and it’s a huge improvement from the classes John Elway managed to put together.
Thank you for reading my Denver Broncos draft/off season review. I filled in as a last minute replacement so hopefully this manages to hit the right spot for everyone.
submitted by MadelineWuntch to NFL_Draft [link] [comments]
However, I think it’s important to at least mention the Broncos strange love affair with the medical room. 21 players took a trip to IR, multiple key starters fell victim to season ending injuries including Tim Patrick, Garett Bolles and Javonte Williams.
And in spite of all of the depressing dog doo-doo the Broncos lost by a single score an astounding 8 times. So that’s something right?
Moving into 2023, General George Paton hired his alternate namesake and former Saints Head Coach Sean Payton for the princely sum of pick 29 in the 2023 NFL Draft (Denver also sent a 2nd rounder in 2024 and received a 3rd rounder in 2024).
Only a few weeks after the appointment of Sean Payton the NFL entered its Free Agency period which led to some big changes at Mile High.
15 players were let go to sign elsewhere around the league but not an awful lot in terms of quality.
Dre’Mont Jones, DE - Seattle Seahawks (3 year, $51 Million) Dre’mont grew into a solid contributor for Denver but I’m glad the Broncos didn’t re-sign him for the money Seattle has. By far the most talented to leave the team in free agency but only a very slight miss.
Calvin Anderson, T - New England Patriots (2 year, $7 Million) Not a splashy name by any means but Anderson knew his role and performed well when called upon, A solid backup with starter experience.
Andrew Beck, FB/TE - Houston Texans (2 year, $6.25 Million) Beck is another reliable contributor who seems to have joined a number of former Broncos in moving to Houston recently. A former Salute to Service Award winner.
Mike Boone, RB - Houston Texans (2 year, $3.1 Million) Boone is a fantastic option to have for Special Teams play, however he lacks real quality when running the ball. There was optimism when he initially signed in Denver but that appears to have fallen to the wayside as he moves on rather silently.
Graham Glasgow, G - Detroit Lions (1 year, $2.75 Million) The Broncos offensive line has been offensive to watch for years. Glasgow however has been one of the bright spots, especially when he played at centre at parts in 2022.
Brandon McMacus, K - Jacksonville Jaguars (1 year, $2 Million) The last member of the Super Bowl 50 winning team has left Dove Valley. In a somewhat surprising but expected move if you look at his declining performances Denver only recently moved on from McManus. It was the right time but it sure is a sad sight to see.
De’Shawn Williams, DE - Carolina Panthers (1 year, $1.75 Million) Losing both Jones and Williams is a slight concern in terms of depth. Although Williams isn’t as productive as his former teammate he’s certainly a steal for the Panthers as a rotational/back up. He’s arguably serviceable as a starter as well and knows the defensive staff in Carolina very well.
Eric Saubert, TE - Miami Dolphins (1 year, $1.68 Million) I forgot Eric was even on the team, his receiving qualities aren’t much to go crazy for with 15 recs and 148 yards on a career best 2022 season and his run blocking isn’t fantastic either albeit it is his stronger game.
Billy Turner, T - New York Jets (1 year, $1.5 Million) Billy was a sad loss back in 2018 when he first left for Green Bay. However he couldn’t really get started and spent large parts of the season on IR.
Latavius Murray, RB - Buffalo Bills (1 year, $1.3 Million) Latavius is the biggest loss for Denver in my opinion. The only member of the team who showed passion, drive and self respect throughout his short lived time in Colorado. The Bills have a solid contributor who will definitely fit the pound the rock ethos.
Chase Edmonds, RB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 year, $1.1 Million) We never got to see what Chase could do in Denver and maybe that’s a good thing if his seasons with Miami are anything to go by. I’m sure he’ll do well in Tampa’s pass heavy offence as a backup catching back.
Eric Tomlinson, TE - Free Agent Most of you have probably never heard of Eric Tomlinson and there's a good reason for that. He’s also still without a team after signing with the Texans for 15 days back in March.
Darius Phillips, CB - Houston Texans (1 year, $1 Million) Darius got a few snaps on defence but spent most of his time on special teams, a rather average contributor by any metric but does have a fair amount of starting experience in the league.
Brett Rypien, QB - Los Angeles Rams (1 year, $1 Million) Broncos fans love this guy. He’s not good at football in a practical sense and he’s likely not going to help the Rams secure any wins but he’s a really smart dude and most likely a future coach. Not to mention its fun to say “Let ‘Em Ryp” if he does ever play.
Corliss Waitman, P - New England Patriots (1 year, $1 Million) There is no chance this man will be playing for the Patriots in 2023. Punting for Denver should be quite easy compared to most of the league but Waitman set out to prove us all wrong on that one. Easily the worst punter I’ve seen in Denver for a good few years.
Lamar Jackson, CB - Kansas City Chiefs (1 year, $1 Million) Lamar didn’t really get an opportunity to feature in Denver, I’m fairly sure he’ll be a camp body in KC as well so there’s not much to add on this one.
Although we let a lot of players leave, I think we managed to re-sign the most important of all the players with contracts expiring.
Alex Singleton, MLB (3 year, $18 Million) I’m telling you now, this man is elite. His season started a little slow but he came to town with 21-tackles (19 solo) against Divisional Rivals the LA Chargers. He did a similar thing in week 15 vs the Rams where he totalled another 20 tackles.
Overall I think Singleton is starting to peak and turn into a real force in this league.
Kareem Jackson, S (1 year, $1.3 Million) Kareem has far exceeded the expectations Broncos fans had for him when he joined from Houston in 2019. Initially as a corner and later taking over a strong safety Jackson has been brilliant, his heavy hitting style has made him a fan favourite and I’m pleased to see him back yet again.
Cameron Fleming, T (1 year, $2.3 Million) Fleming was a decent enough back up for the team in 2022 that unfortunately ended up starting more than everyone would have wanted. He’s a great depth addition to bring back, let's hope it remains a depth option though.
With so many departures comes a long list of new faces for the Broncos. 13 new players joined in free agency and whilst some are better than others there’s certainly been a clear direction that Sean Payton is heading in. big men, very big men.
Mike McGlinchey, RT - (5 year, $87.5 Million) I’ve been a big McGlinchey fan since the days of his nasty Notre Dame O-Line, where he lined up alongside Quenton Nelson. Mike’s play for the 49ers whilst good has had some rather concerning points with his lack of success vs speed rushers being the overwhelmingly obvious. We’re reaching a point where McGlinchey is living off of his college performances much like Jadeveon Clowney is still renowned for “the hit”. I do believe mcGlinchey will look like a hall of famer in comparison to every Broncos Right Tackle of the past 10 years and I do believe he’ll be successful in what the Broncos want to do which is run the ball down your throat. Denver has stability at both tackle positions and that’s only going to be a positive.
Ben Powers, G - (4 year, $52 Million) The quickest path to the quarterback is the straightest. It’s important Wilson is protected from the interior of his pocket and Ben certainly has powers in that department. I don’t think it would be an understatement to call Ben Powers elite in pass pro and whilst his run blocking seems to be improving it's not fantastic. Nonetheless I think this is very similar to the McGlinchey situation where we’ve slightly overpaid but the team will have a massive upgrade at Guard.
Zach Allen, DE - (3 year, $45.75 Million) I like Allen but the concern for me here is this past year was a career year for him, and with such a small sample size of good but not elite play I struggle with the idea that he will repeat his 2022 success in 2023. His contract doesn’t appear to be overly friendly either with $19 Million in 2024 cap scheduled in the books along with half of his 2025 salary guaranteed as well.
I don’t think he’ll be a bad signing, his familiarity with DC and former Broncos HC Vance Joseph will be a good thing but for the 3rd signing in a row, and perhaps the most egregious the Broncos have overpaid for their man.
Jarrett Stidham, QB (2 year, $10 Million) I like this move a lot, Stidham is a high end back up who can provide enough of a threat to Russ that he can win games in Denver if called upon. In reality he’s a backup but a back up you can certainly have confidence in.
Chris Manhertz, TE (2 year, $6 Million) I liked the Stidham signing, I love the Manhertz signing. He’s not flashy and he isn’t going to show up anywhere with big stats, however Manhertz has consistently been an elite blocking tight end for years and its players like him that make the difference on short yardage situations.
Samaje Perine, RB (2 year, $7.5 Million) This seems to be another Sean Payton inspired move. Initially Perine was never thought of as a back who could catch out of the backfield but his year spent with Cool guy Joe Burrow in Cincinnati has shown he’s more than capable of being that guy. Working in a committee alongside Javonte Williams should bring success to this lifeless Denver offense in 2023.
Michael Burton, FB (1 year, $1.3 Million) Burton has played for Sean Payton before and that will be incredibly useful for obvious reasons. Burton has been a blocking fullback for most of his career but has shown the ability to run and catch when called upon. I like this move and its a clear upgrade on Beck.
Tremon Smith, CB/Returner (2 year, $5 Million) If Smith is only going to be a returner then I think Denver have once again overpaid for a player coming off a bad year in a position declining in value. I do think Smith can rebound and have the type of year he’s been having since 2018. Not to mention there isn’t a chance Smith can be anywhere near as bad as Montrell Washington had been in 2022.
Riley Dixon, P (2 year, $3.5 Million) Riley was drafted by Denver in 2016 before being traded to the Giants a few years down the line. Despite the advantageous altitude in Denver, Dixon wasn’t a very good punter for the team in his 2 seasons. However, in a move that shows how bad this team really has been Dixon will still be a big improvement over Corliss Waitman and thus this needs to be considered an upgrade.
Marquez Callaway, WR (1 year, $1.1 Million) Former Sean Payton disciple Callaway reuniting in Denver is a good thing from my perspective. During Payton’s last season in New Orleans Callaway managed to put up 6 touchdowns in 46 receptions. The Broncos have a busy WR room but its a room that is yet to be healthy together so this move makes sense from all angles.
Kyle Fuller, C (1 year, $1.1 Million) I don’t expect Fuller to see the field unless there’s another injury disaster as he’s arguably 3rd on the depth chart. I’m glad the team have started to add some much needed depth but there’s also a solid chance that Fuller doesn’t Fill out the roster in 2023.
Following free agency most Broncos fans felt the team needed some further reinforcements but with so few picks available to start the 2023 NFL Draft many were left wondering what kind of magic George Paton could cook up to fill the team with contributing players.
#63: Marvin Mims, WR (Oklahoma) I don’t think anybody foresaw the Broncos trading up in the 2nd round to take a wide receiver. And whilst it's not a huge need, especially with the depth addition of Marquez Callaway in free agency, I do think it's a very good pick.
K.J. Hamler has failed to stay fit and this all but spells the end for his time in Denver in my opinion. It’s no wonder the Broncos front office couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a player with 4.38 speed and a 2-year college average of 20 yards per reception. I can see his ability to line up anywhere coming in very handy in a high motion Denver offense.
What I find spectacular about Mims is his ability to genuinely do everything. He can take the top off a defense, take screens in space for first downs, and generally play well in the short, medium and long game. There'll be some minor concerns over a Oklahoma running limited route trees but given Payton’s creativity and the likelihood of being moved around to capitalize on speed mismatches I don’t really feel those concerns are overly warranted.
#67: Drew Sanders, LB (Arkansas) I think Sanders has a real shot of being the best player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft when we look back in a few years time. He was a 5-star recruit at Alabama before transferring to Arkansas in 2022. Nick Saban has since said last summer that Sanders “probably would have started” for Alabama in one of the deepest pass rushing units in college. Ultimately he starred for the Razorbacks where his athletic prowess, versatility and toughness helped him notch up 9.5 Sacks (2nd in SEC) and 103 tackles.
His ability to play inside and outside will delight Vance Joseph who will end up using him very heavily in blitz packages from both the edge and middle linebacker positions. Ultimately we’re relying on a player's superior athletic abilities to give him the edge until he learns the nuances of NFL football.
His tackle consistency vs the run needs heavy improvement if he wants to be a 3-down player for Denver at either the edge or inside linebacker positions. Part of his problem so far has been a tendency to bite on fakes and misdirections and although his athleticism has managed to shine through at the College level it won’t be as successful at the NFL level.
#83: Riley Moss, CB (Iowa) Moss, in theory, has everything you would look for in an NFL corner with the exception of real top end speed. He’s tall and rangey with good tackling instincts but there are some shortcomings which will likely affect his NFL future as a cornerback. Moss typically leaves a bit too much cushion in zone coverage which can lead to explosive receivers leaving him in the dust. In man coverage he’ll often leave the underneath to compensate for his lack of top end speed; his aforementioned tackling skills at least thrive here.
His run support is likely going to make him a real runner for the slot corner position in zone packages but his shortcomings may also lead to Vance Joseph wanting to move him to safety eventually. The biggest advantage he has going forward is his versatility otherwise he may end up as a special teams contributor only.
#183: JL Skinner, S (Boise State) Drafted predominantly for his size, Skinner stands at 6’4, hits hard and plays to his strengths. Against the run Skinner performs admirably and has fantastic angles when pursuing the runner. In coverage he’s equally as solid with the ball skills to force interceptions and pass breakups.
I can only see Skinner on a trajectory to the top and I'm excited to see him in Denver. Ultimately it will be his responsibility to cover Travis Kelce, Michael Mayer and Gerald Everett twice a year.
#257: Alex Forsyth, C (Oregon) I think the Broncos wanted to draft a center, I don’t believe that man was supposed to be Alex Forsyth. Whilst he’s good value for the 7th round, I imagine they would have rather had the opportunity to take John Michael Schmitz or Joe Tippmann. I’m not sure how this pick is going to work out. On one hand I can see him being part of the same dominant force that allowed his backs ro average 5 yards per play in Oregon but on the other hand he’s a penalty machine much like Garrett Bolles was to start his career.
Overall I think the Broncos did the best they could with the selections they had. It would have been nice to see a tackle for the first time in 6 years or another running back to support Javonte and Samaje.
My concerns with the class is that although they're talented they weren't all the biggest needs this off season.
I can see all of them with the exception of Forsyth becoming a contributing level talent with Denver and over the course of their rookie contracts.
Ultimately this is how I see the roster breaking down:
QB: Russell Wilson, Jarett Stidham, Ben DiNucci HB: Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Tony Jones jr. FB: Michael Burton WR: Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims jr, Marquez Callaway TE: Greg Dulcich, Adam Trautman, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Manhertz OT: Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, Cam Fleming, Isaiah Prince, Quinn Bailey IOL: Ben Powers, Quin Meinerz, Lloyd Cushenberry, Alex Forsyth, Luke Wattenberg, Kyle Fuller. DL: Zach Allen, Jonathan Harris, Eyioma Uwazurike, Jonathan Cooper, D.J. Jones, Mike Purcell LOLB: Randy Gregory, Baron Browning MLB: Alex Singleton, Josey Jewell, Drew Sanders, Justin Strnad, Jonas Griffith ROLB: Nik Bonnito, Aaron Patrick CB: Pat Surtain II, Damarri Mathis, Riley Moss, K’Waun Williams, Tremon Smith FS: Justin Simmons, Jamar Johnson, Caden Sterns SS: JL Skinner, Kareem Jackson
K: TBD P: Riley Dixon R: Tremon Smith LS: Mitchell Fraboni
There’s probably one big name missing here and that’s K.J. Hamler, who I think will get cut or traded before week 1.
Moving forward into 2023 and the 2024 off season there are a few positions Denver still need to worry about. There’s huge question marks over the ability of Russell Wilson and whether he still has the ability to play at the highest level.
We’ve also got question marks at running back with Javonte Williams coming off a huge injury. Our WR room has a lot of unknowns after Courtland Suttons failure to rediscover his form after his ACL injury whilst teammate Tim Patrick is also recovering from the same injury suffered this past season.
The offensive line still needs addressing as Lloyd Cushenberry often gets bullied in the trenches and Garrett Bolles may revert under another new offensive line coach, so far Mike Munchak is the only man to get a respectable tune from the former first round pick.
Moving on to defense and there’s less issues but still big weaknesses. I’d like to see us invest more in the defensive line and outside linebacker positions with Cooper, Bonnito, Browning and Gregory all relatively unknown in a Broncos uniform.
Ultimately if I had to narrow it down the focus going forward needs to be on center, defensive end and quarterback if things will russ doesn’t improve.
Ultimately there was a lot to like about the Broncos off season changes and everything seems to be pointing towards a more successful, creative team in 2023. We look to have added steel where it mattered across the offensive line and signing Sean Payton could prove to be the biggest acquisition of the all.
Ironically, this series is called defending the draft and that’s what I’ve struggled to do here the most. I like the class, I think there’s some high impact players there for sure, but I’ve come away wishing we’d filled some other key areas a little bit better. Ultimately you can’t always have the board fall as you want it and it’s a huge improvement from the classes John Elway managed to put together.
Thank you for reading my Denver Broncos draft/off season review. I filled in as a last minute replacement so hopefully this manages to hit the right spot for everyone.
LET’S RIDE.
2023.06.02 22:31 PaleVanilla5588 Losing my head over channeling!
I'm feeling extremely frustrated and in need of some guidance regarding the channeling issues I've been facing with my Profitec Pro 600 espresso machine. I've tried numerous approaches to resolve this problem but haven't had much success so far. Here are the details of my current brewing process:
Dose: I'm using 18 grams of coffee in my VST basket. Puck Prep: After distribution with the WDT technique, I tamp the coffee. Target Brew Time: I aim for a brew time of 25-32 seconds, with an output of 42 grams of liquid.
If I attempt to grind finer in order to achieve my desired brew time I choke the machine. The brew time is always my preffered brew time. I nearly always hit the 25-30 second brew time.
To provide some additional context, I have flow control on my machine, which is always set to “normal flow”
I'm seeking advice on what steps I can take to address this channeling issue and improve my espresso shots. Any suggestions, tips, or insights from the community would be greatly appreciated. Here are a few specific questions I have:
Is there a particular technique or adjustment that might help me achieve my target brew time without encountering channeling? Should I consider changing my distribution method or tamp pressure? Is there a way to optimize my grind size without choking the machine?
submitted by PaleVanilla5588 to espresso [link] [comments]
Dose: I'm using 18 grams of coffee in my VST basket. Puck Prep: After distribution with the WDT technique, I tamp the coffee. Target Brew Time: I aim for a brew time of 25-32 seconds, with an output of 42 grams of liquid.
If I attempt to grind finer in order to achieve my desired brew time I choke the machine. The brew time is always my preffered brew time. I nearly always hit the 25-30 second brew time.
To provide some additional context, I have flow control on my machine, which is always set to “normal flow”
I'm seeking advice on what steps I can take to address this channeling issue and improve my espresso shots. Any suggestions, tips, or insights from the community would be greatly appreciated. Here are a few specific questions I have:
Is there a particular technique or adjustment that might help me achieve my target brew time without encountering channeling? Should I consider changing my distribution method or tamp pressure? Is there a way to optimize my grind size without choking the machine?
2023.06.02 22:17 Weird_Study_705 Got my 2nd craft fayre tomorrow and I feel like a failure and fraud
Pretty much what the title says. Tomorrow I have my 2nd craft fayre. I started up a small "business" in April last year because of overwhelming levels of guilt of always buying yarn and stuffing and crochet hooks or buying fabric or thread or new accessories for my sewing machine and so I wanted to make my stupid ADHD hyperfixations useful rather than just another expensive hobby. Had my first stall last October and I sold 2 crochet things (under £5 each) (one to my sister in law and one to my Nannie) and then sold 5 crappy bead bracelets I made out of boredom with impulse-bought beads from Hobbycraft. It put me off the idea of going to any other craft fayres so I've just had 2 giant boxes of crocheted items sat in my living room. Then 2 months ago, I bought a cricut because my brain wanted to make stickers and cute things so that was £400 spent, and I've made lots of things, only sold 2 things to friends. So thats another box to add to the other 2 boxes of crap I've made. I feel completely unmotivated and like I'm faking my way to justify having expensive hobbies. I feel guilty making my husband take me and spend the day there. I tried to elevate my guilt by setting up an Etsy, that was easy. But actively sitting down and photographing everything to look pretty and professional just is so hard and everyone else on Etsy and TikTok have these beautiful shops and products and mine are just shit.
I'll do my craft fayre tomorrow but I am so anxious that I've spent £15 + a raffle prize on a table to get nothing back and I'm wasting everyone's time.
submitted by Weird_Study_705 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
I'll do my craft fayre tomorrow but I am so anxious that I've spent £15 + a raffle prize on a table to get nothing back and I'm wasting everyone's time.
2023.06.02 22:15 Responsible-Way5056 You're valuable, you're a human being, don't forget that.
When I posted here the question "What career, profession, job and/or trade do you want to dedicate yourself to in the future?" out of curiosity, I didn't think about anything else for a moment and then this idea I'm realizing right now appeared in my head.
Before continuing, look and check the post yourselves if you want:
https://www.reddit.com/GayBroTeens/comments/13w8ize/what_career_profession_job_andor_trade_do_you/
Now that you finished, let me tell you: You're human beings. When you were talking to me about your own dreams and goals in the post, I realized, once more, that you and I are human beings.
Let me tell you: You're human beings with goals and dreams. Your sexuality doesn't define your character or your personality itself. Tell me, does the heterosexuality of your parents, relatives or acquaintances define all the personality, all the character, all the goals, all the dreams, all the behavior and all the emotions of each one of them? Definitely not. Does the heterosexuality of them really makes all of them inherently perverted, unhuman and promiscous? Definitely not. Homosexuality is just as a normal, human and healthy sexual orientation as heterosexuality. Nothing more. You're not less than a thing and/or you're not an un-human sex machine programmed only to be perverted and promiscuous and nothing else than that. No, you're a human being with dignity and rights and you're valuable. Don't forget that.
Love and express your sexuality and love in a personal free very human way of yours without people denigrating or dehumanizing you for it. We human beings are social beings and we need love, affection and understanding. Loving, feeling loved (be it sexually, romantically, platonically, brotherly, etc.) and feeling happy to love and be loved is as human as eating and drinking. Skills, goals and dreams are also important, but without love, what's the point of continuing to live, going ahead and fighting for life? What's the point of still being someone? What's the point of still existing? Huh?
This phrase that I'm going to quote is not mine, but it comes from a song that I know. The sentence reads as follows:
"Nadie puede y nadie debe vivir sin amor".
Translated from Spanish to English, the phrase reads as follows:
"No one can and no one should live without love".
Anyway, going back on track: You're valuable, you're a human being, don't forget that.
So, I hope you have understood what I have written. Thank you for reading. Don't forget to take care of yourselves too. Thank you. Good afternoon from Peru.
Happy Pride, everybody! 🏳️🌈🌈🥳🙌👍👋
submitted by Responsible-Way5056 to GayBroTeens [link] [comments]
Before continuing, look and check the post yourselves if you want:
https://www.reddit.com/GayBroTeens/comments/13w8ize/what_career_profession_job_andor_trade_do_you/
Now that you finished, let me tell you: You're human beings. When you were talking to me about your own dreams and goals in the post, I realized, once more, that you and I are human beings.
Let me tell you: You're human beings with goals and dreams. Your sexuality doesn't define your character or your personality itself. Tell me, does the heterosexuality of your parents, relatives or acquaintances define all the personality, all the character, all the goals, all the dreams, all the behavior and all the emotions of each one of them? Definitely not. Does the heterosexuality of them really makes all of them inherently perverted, unhuman and promiscous? Definitely not. Homosexuality is just as a normal, human and healthy sexual orientation as heterosexuality. Nothing more. You're not less than a thing and/or you're not an un-human sex machine programmed only to be perverted and promiscuous and nothing else than that. No, you're a human being with dignity and rights and you're valuable. Don't forget that.
Love and express your sexuality and love in a personal free very human way of yours without people denigrating or dehumanizing you for it. We human beings are social beings and we need love, affection and understanding. Loving, feeling loved (be it sexually, romantically, platonically, brotherly, etc.) and feeling happy to love and be loved is as human as eating and drinking. Skills, goals and dreams are also important, but without love, what's the point of continuing to live, going ahead and fighting for life? What's the point of still being someone? What's the point of still existing? Huh?
This phrase that I'm going to quote is not mine, but it comes from a song that I know. The sentence reads as follows:
"Nadie puede y nadie debe vivir sin amor".
Translated from Spanish to English, the phrase reads as follows:
"No one can and no one should live without love".
Anyway, going back on track: You're valuable, you're a human being, don't forget that.
So, I hope you have understood what I have written. Thank you for reading. Don't forget to take care of yourselves too. Thank you. Good afternoon from Peru.
Happy Pride, everybody! 🏳️🌈🌈🥳🙌👍👋
2023.06.02 22:08 Ok_Egg_2866 A different recommendation
I have read tons of MacBook recommendations here, but imho, they are mainly focused on people who work with photo/video stuff and web development (which currently brings in the money), which is not very useful for my case.
In my situation, I just want to mundanely use the computer for personal content consumption and for computing tasks using C++ and Python, with a rough use of CPU and RAM. For example, tasks like matrix diagonalization can take seconds or even days, depending on the size. I won't be solving problems that take more than 10 minutes on this machine; instead, I'll prepare longer ones for other machines. I am limited by RAM memory anyway and plan to buy 16GB, which I believe is sufficient. Since my calculations can scale from "4GB" to "200GB," I have access to thousands of gigabytes of computing clusters.
I could say that the GPU isn't important for me, except for some amateur Blender work to create sketches of my systems. It might be useful for machine learning calculations related to my systems in the future.
I had the first MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, which I preordered, but it wasn't suitable for 10 minutes of continuous and intensive CPU usage. Even with fans, it used to get really hot. Eventually, I ended up using it for personal purposes, and it suddenly died after just four years. A colleague told me that the first MBP M1 wasn't good for that kind of usage either, as it would get too hot with a lot of fan noise when running Mathematica.
Everything I mentioned before is the second, maybe third or fourth, use case. However, I need to be sure that I will be able to do those tasks if I want to. The FIRST USE is for productivity tasks and watching movies at home or while traveling. I want to make sure I can do everything on it, anywhere. A desktop isn't suitable for my case.
So, I would like to know if the MBP 14 M1 Pro has solved the sustained cpu loads problems that the M1 had, and if there would be any compromise regarding the macbook durability for doing such tasks. If it still has those problems, I would give up and get the MBA M2 since, for the rest of the tasks besides executing, I think it may work just as well. Maybe would also choose the 14 for the screen quality, but don't want something overkill and I don't like it to have a SD card slot, don't like to have ports that I won't ever use.
Edit: I would buy windows, I like both OSs the same, but there's no laptops with decent battery life, that is very important for me.
submitted by Ok_Egg_2866 to macbook [link] [comments]
In my situation, I just want to mundanely use the computer for personal content consumption and for computing tasks using C++ and Python, with a rough use of CPU and RAM. For example, tasks like matrix diagonalization can take seconds or even days, depending on the size. I won't be solving problems that take more than 10 minutes on this machine; instead, I'll prepare longer ones for other machines. I am limited by RAM memory anyway and plan to buy 16GB, which I believe is sufficient. Since my calculations can scale from "4GB" to "200GB," I have access to thousands of gigabytes of computing clusters.
I could say that the GPU isn't important for me, except for some amateur Blender work to create sketches of my systems. It might be useful for machine learning calculations related to my systems in the future.
I had the first MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, which I preordered, but it wasn't suitable for 10 minutes of continuous and intensive CPU usage. Even with fans, it used to get really hot. Eventually, I ended up using it for personal purposes, and it suddenly died after just four years. A colleague told me that the first MBP M1 wasn't good for that kind of usage either, as it would get too hot with a lot of fan noise when running Mathematica.
Everything I mentioned before is the second, maybe third or fourth, use case. However, I need to be sure that I will be able to do those tasks if I want to. The FIRST USE is for productivity tasks and watching movies at home or while traveling. I want to make sure I can do everything on it, anywhere. A desktop isn't suitable for my case.
So, I would like to know if the MBP 14 M1 Pro has solved the sustained cpu loads problems that the M1 had, and if there would be any compromise regarding the macbook durability for doing such tasks. If it still has those problems, I would give up and get the MBA M2 since, for the rest of the tasks besides executing, I think it may work just as well. Maybe would also choose the 14 for the screen quality, but don't want something overkill and I don't like it to have a SD card slot, don't like to have ports that I won't ever use.
Edit: I would buy windows, I like both OSs the same, but there's no laptops with decent battery life, that is very important for me.
2023.06.02 22:03 bestcee Workstation and Basic Gaming PC Build
What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
- Workstation, photo editing, flat graphics usage. Adobe: Photoshop and Lightroom Classic; Affinity Suite; Eagle (asset management program) Games: Lego ones, Hogwarts Legacy
What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
- $2000, I can push up to $2300 if there's a good reason
When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
- this weekend to next week
What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
- Tower
Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
- US (IN) Microcenter: Sharonville, IL
If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
- Monitors - 3, basic Viewsonic ones; HDMI/DVI connected Keyboard: Wireless Logitech K350 Mouse: Wireless Logitech M705
Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
- No, I don't think so.
Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
- Large storage space. (Current setup: 1 TB SSD for programs, and 4TB HD for graphics, photos, etc.)
What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.
- Both wired and wireless. Currently use Ethernet. Router is due for upgrade next as it maxes at 700.
Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
- Nope. My brother recommended going liquid cooling based on my current setup.
Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
- Nope.
Extra info or particulars:
- I'm fine with AMD. After researching Adobe and AMD/Intel - anything is an upgrade from my current i7-4790K/GTX960 setup, and my Adobe needs run fine with that. I don't do video editing or 3D graphics. I was looking at the Microcenter Ryzen 9 7950X bundle, and considering building around that if it works for my needs.
2023.06.02 22:03 ShinMinase Live A Live 2: what chapters I'd like to see
If a Live A Live 2 ever comes out, I'd like to see chapters set in:
submitted by ShinMinase to livealive [link] [comments]
- The Killer in the Desert, New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2nd Millennium BC (inspired by Cube's chapter, but more akin to a detective story where the supernatural element is ambiguous. You play as Yakumo, a Medjay (yes, ancient Egypt did have detectives/spies, called Medjay) who was sent by the pharaoh to investigate a serial killer case in Waset, AKA the city that we also know as Thebes, which is of ambiguously supernatural origin. You question the citizens, find clues, do sidequests as a way to get intel, you can also beat people into submission in order to question them by force)
- The Commander of the Legion, ancient Rome, 1st Century BC (inspired by Masaru's chapter, but more akin to a full-on tactical RPG with support conversations a la fire emblem between battle. In this chapter, you play as general Marcus Claudius Drusus, and play a sequence of tactical RPG-esque battles one after another in labyrinthine battlefields against small armies of enemies, along with your army of centurions. You have to beat the commander or do another objective such as fleeing the map or routing all units, or even defending your position. If Drusus dies it's game over, but your centurions die permanently if they die. Drusus learns skills depending on special objectives you have to accomplish in each map, or from objects you can interact with during the map, or by having supports with his general units which have to survive)
- The Resurgent, Italian Risorgimento in 1848 (inspired by Akira's and somewhat Sundown Kid and Oboromaru's chapter, based a lot on using your psychic powers to gather information. You play as Alfredo Tadocoro, an ancestor of Akira Tadokoro and a Carbonaro from the Italian Risorgimento, in Napoli (the Carbonari are the Western European branch of the Enma shinobi clan). This plays mostly like a traditional RPG, but your job is to use psychic powers to gather information and elaborate a plan to gather people to form an army and attack the Borbone Castle in Piazza del Plebiscito, so that you can help Giuseppe Garibaldi, who you get as a party member in the late game, defeat the Borboni. In the ending, Tadocoro frees Naples but then he leaves for Japan in order to help Sakamoto Ryoma's battle against the Shogun, then the timeline skips a bit and Oboromaru is seen in the post-credit scene, where it's revealed Alfredo Tadocoro has become a master of the clan Enma, the one seen in Twilight of Edo, connecting Oboromaru to Akira)
- The Great Performance, Present Day (inspired by Sundown Kid's and somewhat Masaru's chapter but inspired by Contests in the Pokémon games, and themed after idol singers. You play as young idol Yuki Taniyama and roam Tokyo than winning the battle you have to perform various combo moves and raise a "rock meter". You have to roam around the city, talk to NPCs and have various experiences in order to "look for inspiration" to put on your idol performance. When the time for the show comes, you play the idol show as if it was a battle, only that you have to do something like a Pokémon contest rather than kill your opponents, which you can't as your idol is a white mage-esque supporting class)
- The All-Seeing Eye, a dystopia in the late 2090s (based on Oboromaru's chapter but set in a dystopia. You play as Russian spy and hacker Marika Shirinova, sent to infiltrate the city of New York as the Western Bloc has become an orwellian-esque dystopia, and have to be stealthy and use hi-tech devices to avoid being found out. Like in Akira's chapter, enemies come in huge-sized armies and are mostly tough, but you can kill the commanders to finish off the entire unit. You don't learn skill by just battling and leveling up, you get them by stealing chips and combining them)
- The Battle For Earth, an alien invasion in the mid 2200s (based on the Successor's chapter. You play as Jason David Stark, explicitly a tribute to the late Green Ranger, also known as Green Dragon. You are the leader of a team of superheroes as the aliens have attacked Cosmos City. This chapter also has a connection to LAL 1's Cube chapter, as the aliens invading Earth are the spawns of the creature from Cube's chapter, a creature you, as Jason, fight at the chapter's start when you attack its nest and kill, but at the cost of being crippled while the aliens are proliferating. Depending on your actions and who you train the most, your team of superheroes will gradually die, unlike the China chapter however you get to play each one as they die in order to defend the city from an alien invasion).
- The World Beyond Mankind, a post-apocalyptic distant future (inspired by Pogo's chapter, but it's a xenofictional story that puts you in an alien's shoes. You have just hatched out of a lab. You're the alien, you're not human, you're a baby of the alien species which had appeared in the Battle for Earth chapter, AKA just an amorphous blob of blue sludge running in the tunnels of an overgrown destroyed lab, then you make it out of it and roam the ruins of a city, absorbing abilities from things you consume and evolving further and further, completely changing your form, your senses show the world as distorted and inhuman-looking in order to show the player that you're experiencing the world from a nonhuman perspective. The ending in this chapter changes depending on what form you took)
- I don't have any idea for chapter 8 which you get for having played all the others. Maybe it's gonna be set in the Middle Ages... except you're playing as a Moor called Malik Al-Razi in Jerusalem and the merciless king Streibough from Europe is out for your blood with his violent crusaders, exterminating all your fellow Moors. Yes, defeating Odio caused Streibough to be king, execute Oersted for treason and regicide, and order the genocide of the Moors. By defeating Odio... the heroes of LAL1 have only made the timeline worse (for instance: Neanderthals like Pogo had suffered under a new ice age, the Earthen Heart Shifu survived but all three of his successors were killed by the Indomitable Fist so he had to flee from China, Ryoma Sakamoto was successfully assassinated, the Enma were betrayed by emperor Meiji and suppressed, and later on Oboromaru founded the ultranationalist group Kokuryukai, Sundown Kid was arrested and tortured in prison as Western vigilante justice was outlawed and the USA became authoritarian, Masaru got crippled in battle, risked death, and once rehabilitated became much crueler and joined the US army to commit war crimes in Iraq, while in order to repress the Crusaders Akira became a living battery for the psychic computer system known as the All-Seeing Eye which is used in the New World Order to predict crimes and read people's thoughts a la Minority Report, and finally Cube was devoured by the aliens and assimilated into them, turning into a half-alien-half machine monstrosity).
- In the final chapter, Malik, Yakumo, Drusus, Alfredo, Yuki, Marika, the survivor and the alien get to band together... to defeat the alternate timeline versions of the seven heroes of LAL1 and Streibough who leads them, and then, after the timeline resets, collectively become what is the previous dark lord before Odio, intentionally made to turn Oersted into Odio and prevent Streibough from ascending to the throne and exterminating the Moors, creating an endless loop of defeating Odio- recreating Odio: not everyone can be happy at the same time, and changing timelines to give happiness to everyone will always be a failed mission.
2023.06.02 21:36 demondork224 [F4GM] Oide Yo! Welcome to Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A's Grand Opening Week!!
I’m 18+ and all characters and participants must be 18+
"Oide Yo! My name is Honoka~! And it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A's Grand opening~!!" A very busty, pink haired woman appeared on the screen at the front of the transportation bus. The only thing she was red heart shaped pasties over her nipples and pussy, a red armband that read "cast", and matching elbow length gloves and thigh high stockings.
"As Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A's first ever guests, we have many great surprises in store for you all~! Unfortunately I can't talk about them, you all will just have to see them for yourself~. But what I can talk about is all of the amazing "worlds" that Mizuryuu Kei Land has!
Starting with the Beginner Area, this part of the park is the first thing you see once you leave the gear area. In Mizuryuu Kei Lands original location in Japan. This is the area where our shy guests spend their time. Mizuryuu Kei Land is all about sexual freedom, and sometimes that can be very scary. For guests that aren't as open with their sexuality as others. But that's OK! For most guest all it takes is one ride on the "Meet N Fuck FerrisWheel" to break them out of their shell. Apart from the Ferris wheel, the Beginner Area also has other attractions for both men and women. The Dildo Carousel, and Glory Mystery Wall are both very popular attractions.
The Urban Jungle is a place where our guest can live their exhibitionist fantasies. Built to look like New York City. Guests here can live out their wildest public sex fantasies. Sure fucking in public is what the park is all about. But there is something special about fucking in a city environment. And in the Urban Jungle there is a place for every fantasy. From bars and clubs, to all types of store recreations, and of course all types of dirty alleys and public restrooms. It is a guarantee that you will never have the same experience when you visit the Urban Jungle.
From Urban Jungle to actual Jungle. Where the Wild Whores Are, is the ultimate pet play experience. Men and women alike can live out their most depraved fantasies of living as fuck pets. The area is divided into several "habitats". A tropical jungle, a pet walking park, and "the zoo". So if you want to let out your wild side, or want to know what it feels like to own your own fuckpet come on down to to Where the Wild Whores Are.
There are many more areas inside of Mizuryuu Kei Land. So many that I am unable to inform you about all of them in such short amount of time. Unfortunately due to legal reasons I am also unable to discuss what goes on inside of areas like our Raceplay World, and Land of Beasts. You will just have to experience those places for yourself hehe~.
Now I'll leave you all by letting you know that as our lucky week long guests. You all have the ability to switch hotels at any point during your stay for free. There are many themed hotels inside of the parks areas. And we want you all to be able to experience as many of our facilities as you can~!
Other than please enjoy all the amazing attractions, restaurants, facilities, events, and both staff and guest contest. Your ride is now at its end. Welcome to Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A!
////////////////////
Hello dear pervs :3. And thank you for reading my Mizuryuu Kei Land roleplay idea. Based off of the original doujinshi, I want to create a story that severely expands on the world that wonderfully depraved doujinshi created.
So I did not emphasize a "main character" during the prompt. That is because there are many different characters that we can choose from for this rp.
There is Honoka, the current peppy mascot of Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A. Who gets to live in the park and do all sorts of fun events for the guest. Unfortunately she did not read her contract to well. And now she has to fight for the right to keep her job as the parks mascot. Or be replaced by another slut.
There is also Natalia, a college student who's friend was somehow able to score 3 tickets fo the theme parks grand opening week. As a closet pervert Natalia was basically dragged along by her friends. In an attempt to get her to loosen up. Oh if only they knew the bitch in heat they unleashed in the park.
Another option is Stephanie, a 30 year old single mother who was given a ticket by her best friend as a birthday present. She didn't really want to come, as she felt the idea of the park was disgusting. But accepted to go anyway as it was a gift from her friend. The question is will Stephanie be able to come out of the park as the same woman she was when she got there? Or will the depravity of the park turn her into a shameless slutty milf?
And finally there is Evelyn, a recently graduated journalism major and self proclaimed artist. Who infiltrated the park by getting a job as a staff member. As she is trying to launch her career as a real journalist. By exposing Mizuryuu Kei Land as a corrupt cesspool of depravity, and misogyny. Created by the "Patriarchy" to force a narrative that women are nothing but sex objects. Will Evelyn be able to find enough evidence to prove this? Or will the parks influence and its "secret board of directors" turn her into the thing she hates the most, a whore?
The park is basically a sandbox, where we can create anything we want. The only limit for what story we can create is literally our imaginations! So as my GM you will have a lot of creative freedom for what ever lewd attraction, event, store,etc. You want to add to the park.
As for what I am looking for in a partner? I'm looking for someone literate, creative, who can match my writing. Be it multiple paragraphs if the need arises, or just short replies. Really just someone as excited as I am for this prompt. So if my prompt interested you, then please message me at Demondork on Kik. Chat will be ignored, and long detailed replies will get my attention first.
Kinks and limits list:
Kinks: cum, cum eating, cum food, cum play,bukkake,cream pie,bdsm, bondage, forced, body writing, spanking, cuddling, degradation, rough partners, sizeplay, dominant partners, toys, multiple partners, spit roasting, mating press, full Nelson,frenching,rimming,body oil,bestiality,water sports,wax play,sex machines,being filmed,cosplay,NTR,petplay,exhibitionism,biting and pretty much anything that isn’t my limits
Limits:
Scat,gore,vore,hyper sizes,necro and vomit
submitted by demondork224 to KikRoleplayers [link] [comments]
"Oide Yo! My name is Honoka~! And it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A's Grand opening~!!" A very busty, pink haired woman appeared on the screen at the front of the transportation bus. The only thing she was red heart shaped pasties over her nipples and pussy, a red armband that read "cast", and matching elbow length gloves and thigh high stockings.
"As Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A's first ever guests, we have many great surprises in store for you all~! Unfortunately I can't talk about them, you all will just have to see them for yourself~. But what I can talk about is all of the amazing "worlds" that Mizuryuu Kei Land has!
Starting with the Beginner Area, this part of the park is the first thing you see once you leave the gear area. In Mizuryuu Kei Lands original location in Japan. This is the area where our shy guests spend their time. Mizuryuu Kei Land is all about sexual freedom, and sometimes that can be very scary. For guests that aren't as open with their sexuality as others. But that's OK! For most guest all it takes is one ride on the "Meet N Fuck FerrisWheel" to break them out of their shell. Apart from the Ferris wheel, the Beginner Area also has other attractions for both men and women. The Dildo Carousel, and Glory Mystery Wall are both very popular attractions.
The Urban Jungle is a place where our guest can live their exhibitionist fantasies. Built to look like New York City. Guests here can live out their wildest public sex fantasies. Sure fucking in public is what the park is all about. But there is something special about fucking in a city environment. And in the Urban Jungle there is a place for every fantasy. From bars and clubs, to all types of store recreations, and of course all types of dirty alleys and public restrooms. It is a guarantee that you will never have the same experience when you visit the Urban Jungle.
From Urban Jungle to actual Jungle. Where the Wild Whores Are, is the ultimate pet play experience. Men and women alike can live out their most depraved fantasies of living as fuck pets. The area is divided into several "habitats". A tropical jungle, a pet walking park, and "the zoo". So if you want to let out your wild side, or want to know what it feels like to own your own fuckpet come on down to to Where the Wild Whores Are.
There are many more areas inside of Mizuryuu Kei Land. So many that I am unable to inform you about all of them in such short amount of time. Unfortunately due to legal reasons I am also unable to discuss what goes on inside of areas like our Raceplay World, and Land of Beasts. You will just have to experience those places for yourself hehe~.
Now I'll leave you all by letting you know that as our lucky week long guests. You all have the ability to switch hotels at any point during your stay for free. There are many themed hotels inside of the parks areas. And we want you all to be able to experience as many of our facilities as you can~!
Other than please enjoy all the amazing attractions, restaurants, facilities, events, and both staff and guest contest. Your ride is now at its end. Welcome to Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A!
////////////////////
Hello dear pervs :3. And thank you for reading my Mizuryuu Kei Land roleplay idea. Based off of the original doujinshi, I want to create a story that severely expands on the world that wonderfully depraved doujinshi created.
So I did not emphasize a "main character" during the prompt. That is because there are many different characters that we can choose from for this rp.
There is Honoka, the current peppy mascot of Mizuryuu Kei Land U.S.A. Who gets to live in the park and do all sorts of fun events for the guest. Unfortunately she did not read her contract to well. And now she has to fight for the right to keep her job as the parks mascot. Or be replaced by another slut.
There is also Natalia, a college student who's friend was somehow able to score 3 tickets fo the theme parks grand opening week. As a closet pervert Natalia was basically dragged along by her friends. In an attempt to get her to loosen up. Oh if only they knew the bitch in heat they unleashed in the park.
Another option is Stephanie, a 30 year old single mother who was given a ticket by her best friend as a birthday present. She didn't really want to come, as she felt the idea of the park was disgusting. But accepted to go anyway as it was a gift from her friend. The question is will Stephanie be able to come out of the park as the same woman she was when she got there? Or will the depravity of the park turn her into a shameless slutty milf?
And finally there is Evelyn, a recently graduated journalism major and self proclaimed artist. Who infiltrated the park by getting a job as a staff member. As she is trying to launch her career as a real journalist. By exposing Mizuryuu Kei Land as a corrupt cesspool of depravity, and misogyny. Created by the "Patriarchy" to force a narrative that women are nothing but sex objects. Will Evelyn be able to find enough evidence to prove this? Or will the parks influence and its "secret board of directors" turn her into the thing she hates the most, a whore?
The park is basically a sandbox, where we can create anything we want. The only limit for what story we can create is literally our imaginations! So as my GM you will have a lot of creative freedom for what ever lewd attraction, event, store,etc. You want to add to the park.
As for what I am looking for in a partner? I'm looking for someone literate, creative, who can match my writing. Be it multiple paragraphs if the need arises, or just short replies. Really just someone as excited as I am for this prompt. So if my prompt interested you, then please message me at Demondork on Kik. Chat will be ignored, and long detailed replies will get my attention first.
Kinks and limits list:
Kinks: cum, cum eating, cum food, cum play,bukkake,cream pie,bdsm, bondage, forced, body writing, spanking, cuddling, degradation, rough partners, sizeplay, dominant partners, toys, multiple partners, spit roasting, mating press, full Nelson,frenching,rimming,body oil,bestiality,water sports,wax play,sex machines,being filmed,cosplay,NTR,petplay,exhibitionism,biting and pretty much anything that isn’t my limits
Limits:
Scat,gore,vore,hyper sizes,necro and vomit
2023.06.02 21:30 drstealyogirl Government Contracting Question
Hey guys,
I have a unique federal gov con question that requires an attorney who knows the FAR to answer. Synopsis:
So I’ve been studying for the past year pouring though the FAR and have been reading every piece of legible material I can find. I have an idea in mind but have no idea how common it is or if it's even legal. Is there an avenue where an attorney (or even non-attorney) that is eventually competent in the field could acquire contracts with their own LLC through SAM that can either subcontract or team agreement a firm to fulfill the contract? A financially small example: there is an RFQ for the purchase of three sewing machines. Could an attorney (through their OWN LLC on SAM) provide a quote for the contract, and specifically indicate that the attorney will be buying the sewing machines from a SEPARATE firm, and provide those products to the buyer? Of course this would be with the prior consent of the separate firm with full authority to conduct this transaction on their behalf. The attorney would essentially be a liaison between the government and the firm creating the products, and the attorney takes a percentage of the contract awarded. If I had to guess, 99% of small business don't know that the government is required to allocate a certain percentage of its buys TO small businesses - and I want to fulfill this need. Is this practical or even possible?
The first bell that goes off is the “limitations on subcontracting” rule in Part 52, however this clause is not included in most contracts I’ve read. Moreover, the FAR has the “non manufacturer” rule which says that if the prime is a nonmanufacturer, the limitation on subcontracting rule does not apply.
Let me know what you guys think!
submitted by drstealyogirl to legaladvice [link] [comments]
I have a unique federal gov con question that requires an attorney who knows the FAR to answer. Synopsis:
So I’ve been studying for the past year pouring though the FAR and have been reading every piece of legible material I can find. I have an idea in mind but have no idea how common it is or if it's even legal. Is there an avenue where an attorney (or even non-attorney) that is eventually competent in the field could acquire contracts with their own LLC through SAM that can either subcontract or team agreement a firm to fulfill the contract? A financially small example: there is an RFQ for the purchase of three sewing machines. Could an attorney (through their OWN LLC on SAM) provide a quote for the contract, and specifically indicate that the attorney will be buying the sewing machines from a SEPARATE firm, and provide those products to the buyer? Of course this would be with the prior consent of the separate firm with full authority to conduct this transaction on their behalf. The attorney would essentially be a liaison between the government and the firm creating the products, and the attorney takes a percentage of the contract awarded. If I had to guess, 99% of small business don't know that the government is required to allocate a certain percentage of its buys TO small businesses - and I want to fulfill this need. Is this practical or even possible?
The first bell that goes off is the “limitations on subcontracting” rule in Part 52, however this clause is not included in most contracts I’ve read. Moreover, the FAR has the “non manufacturer” rule which says that if the prime is a nonmanufacturer, the limitation on subcontracting rule does not apply.
Let me know what you guys think!
2023.06.02 21:21 Pinksky_A Online activity doesn't match
Salam Alaykum, I am currently seeing a brother and we're working towards marriage, however, there are some things I observed and I don't know if it's me nitpicking so I want to hear opinions of others on the matter. He keeps saying he doesn't like fat women and being fat is a deal breaker for him. I'm not by any means fat, and I lose weight really easily but I'm looking to gain some weight currently because my clothes have become too big for me (lost a lot of weight recently) but normal me is a UK size 8. I told him about how genetics and pregnancy and many other things could make a woman fat and it could be beyond her control, he said he believes one can do some exercises to get back in shape. I worry because despite the fact that we're slim women in my family, we have the tendency of getting fat after giving birth to all our kids and frankly, anything could happen. Not that I intend to get fat but I don't know what the future will be like. His definition of problematic fat is obesity which is something I plan to steer clear of. I barely eat anything anyways. But then he turns around and refers to someone we both know as fat and it surprised me because to me, she's a normal size. She's bigger than me, but I honestly don't see her as fat. I let it go, then the way he talks about fat women online is honestly really bad. He said he won't let himself get fat either so he expects same from his wife. He also tweets about how feminine women are preferable and no single masculine trait is admirable in a woman. I think he refers to soft women as feminine while I on the other hand am not always quiet, mostly when I'm comfortable, I am bold and speak up a lot. He also complains about loud women online, and I'm someone with a loud voice, I held a position in secondary school which required my voice being loud and since then, I've been a loud person. This is besides some other little things he believes in that worry me. Like believing fallen societies are led by women because women are illogical and that women should not be in a position of power which I called him out on and he said he's sorry for saying that. I think he still believes that. I call him out on how he speaks about fat women and he claims it's just bants. I'm honestly conflicted because asides this, he's a very kind, caring person. Has helped me in my darkest time, supported me in everything I do and pushes me to be better. I plan to have a serious talk with him about this, but I want to know if I'm nitpicking or these are truly serious matters. The problem is that everytime I confront him about these matters, he convinces me that he's either just joking or I'm not like that. He'll tell me I'm not loud or masculine at all. Things like that. Sorry for the long post, I don't know how to reduce it without losing important details. Thank you
submitted by Pinksky_A to MuslimMarriage [link] [comments]
2023.06.02 21:19 weewallywanga [The Lion: Son of the Forest] The Risen grief a Chaos Champion
For context, the Chaos Champion owns a daemon weapon which renders him immortal whilst he holds it. He had previously "given" the Risen Zabriel a strike by allowing Zabriel to cut off his head. Now he comes to collect.
“Zabriel!’ roared a voice, but that was not one of my brothers coming to my aid. I stumbled to my feet to see the massive form of Markog bearing down on me, his enormous, pale-bladed axe clutched in both hands.
‘I owe you a strike!’ the commander of the Dolorous Guard bellowed, almost jovially. Borz flew at him from his left, his power fist drawn back to lay the traitor out, but Markog was too quick: the haft of his axe lashed out and caught Borz on his helmet’s faceplate, spinning him to the ground, and by the time my brother had regained his feet one of Markog’s warriors had fallen on him from behind with a power knife, and Borz was fully occupied with trying to save his own life.
(...)
‘I owe you a strike,’ he growled, strange harmonies emanating from behind his helmet’s faceplate, and swung. The pale-bladed axe descended like death, too fast for me to roll clumsily aside from.
The edge stopped a mere finger’s breadth from my helmet seal, but this was not an act of mercy or mockery on my enemy’s behalf. Instead, his weapon was thrown up and back again by the blade of the Terranic greatsword which had intercepted the swing just below the axe’s head.‘I owe him a strike!’ Markog roared at my saviour.
‘This is a matter of honour!"
’‘You think we conquered the galaxy with honour? You children are all the same,’ Galad snorted, and attacked.
The Cenobite’s Cataphractii armour made him a match for Markog in size, and apparently in strength as well: their weapons clashed together, but the commander of the Dolorous Guard was unable to throw Galad away from him, despite his straining. Instead each warrior took a backward step, then swung again. Markog was blisteringly quick, and his axe spun through the air faster than should have been possible, but Galad was his equal, calmly parrying and deflecting as though he knew what strikes were coming even before Markog did. Destroyers fought and bled in the crucible of brutal, close-in killing, with no quarter asked or given, so I was no stranger to the cut and thrust of combat. Seeing Galad at work, however, took me back to when I was a raw recruit, watching my instructors handle their weapons with what seemed at the time to be godlike speed and skill.
But I had no time to gape. I lunged for my dropped pistol, raised it, and opened fire. The bolts detonated on Markog’s leg, arm, and pauldron, and although his armour repaired the damage within moments of it occurring, the impacts knocked him off balance and caused his next strike to miss its mark completely and bite deep into the floor.
‘Cowards!’ Markog roared, just deflecting Galad’s next blow, 'Fight me–’
He cut off as Launciel appeared on his right, and drove his power sword through Markog’s armour and right through his ribcage. The giant stiffened in what could well have been agony and which might, given what I suspected of his allegiances, possibly be ecstasy, but Galad was in no mood to leave him to the experience uninterrupted. The Terranic greatsword lashed out again, and Markog’s left arm was cut clean from his body, his pauldron severed in two by the disrupting power field and razor-sharp edge of the ancient weapon.
Launciel withdrew his own sword and stepped back from Markog’s clumsy, unbalanced counterstrike. The giant was roaring wordlessly now, his pain and rage too overwhelming for anything else. I rose to my feet and fired another bolt, shattering his helmet just as Galad swung again and took his right arm off as well.
That changed things. The haft of the axe was still clutched in his hand, but Markog’s unnatural resilience vanished now that hand was no longer attached to his body. He staggered, and blood began to drip thickly from his shoulders. It started to clot almost immediately, since he was still a Space Marine with our enhanced biology and healing abilities, but it appeared that it was the weapon itself which had granted him the ability to survive decapitation rather than any innate ability of his own.
‘No!’ he bellowed thickly, and took a step towards Galad.
Galad was clearly taking no chances: he crouched and swung his blade horizontally, and severed both legs with one blow. Markog clattered to the floor with a howl. Galad rose back to his full height, reversed his grip on his sword, and plunged it into Markog’s chest.
The blade was wide enough to strike both hearts simultaneously, and I had no doubt that Galad had directed it with the requisite skill for it to do just that. Markog spasmed as much as he could without any attached limbs, but Galad did not linger over his kill. He wrenched his sword out with one hand and raised the other, firing his plasma-caster. I followed the direction of his shot, my bolt pistol raised and ready, but I found myself with a dearth of targets.
(...)
I walked to Markog, and stamped on his helmet. It shattered and fell away to reveal his face, twisted in pain and hatred. He reached up towards me with his unnaturally long tongue, then cackled at me.
‘I will taste your flesh yet, twice-cursed traitor, and you will–’
I emptied the rest of that pistol’s clip into his head without waiting for him to finish, until I had blown a hole in the floor beneath and the legs of my armour were speckled with fine particles of his skin, bone, and brain. Perhaps I should have been more careful about allowing his obviously tainted flesh to touch my armour in such a manner, but I had been a Destroyer – I was a Destroyer – and our enemy’s annihilation always took priority over our own safety.
submitted by weewallywanga to 40kLore [link] [comments]
“Zabriel!’ roared a voice, but that was not one of my brothers coming to my aid. I stumbled to my feet to see the massive form of Markog bearing down on me, his enormous, pale-bladed axe clutched in both hands.
‘I owe you a strike!’ the commander of the Dolorous Guard bellowed, almost jovially. Borz flew at him from his left, his power fist drawn back to lay the traitor out, but Markog was too quick: the haft of his axe lashed out and caught Borz on his helmet’s faceplate, spinning him to the ground, and by the time my brother had regained his feet one of Markog’s warriors had fallen on him from behind with a power knife, and Borz was fully occupied with trying to save his own life.
(...)
‘I owe you a strike,’ he growled, strange harmonies emanating from behind his helmet’s faceplate, and swung. The pale-bladed axe descended like death, too fast for me to roll clumsily aside from.
The edge stopped a mere finger’s breadth from my helmet seal, but this was not an act of mercy or mockery on my enemy’s behalf. Instead, his weapon was thrown up and back again by the blade of the Terranic greatsword which had intercepted the swing just below the axe’s head.‘I owe him a strike!’ Markog roared at my saviour.
‘This is a matter of honour!"
’‘You think we conquered the galaxy with honour? You children are all the same,’ Galad snorted, and attacked.
The Cenobite’s Cataphractii armour made him a match for Markog in size, and apparently in strength as well: their weapons clashed together, but the commander of the Dolorous Guard was unable to throw Galad away from him, despite his straining. Instead each warrior took a backward step, then swung again. Markog was blisteringly quick, and his axe spun through the air faster than should have been possible, but Galad was his equal, calmly parrying and deflecting as though he knew what strikes were coming even before Markog did. Destroyers fought and bled in the crucible of brutal, close-in killing, with no quarter asked or given, so I was no stranger to the cut and thrust of combat. Seeing Galad at work, however, took me back to when I was a raw recruit, watching my instructors handle their weapons with what seemed at the time to be godlike speed and skill.
But I had no time to gape. I lunged for my dropped pistol, raised it, and opened fire. The bolts detonated on Markog’s leg, arm, and pauldron, and although his armour repaired the damage within moments of it occurring, the impacts knocked him off balance and caused his next strike to miss its mark completely and bite deep into the floor.
‘Cowards!’ Markog roared, just deflecting Galad’s next blow, 'Fight me–’
He cut off as Launciel appeared on his right, and drove his power sword through Markog’s armour and right through his ribcage. The giant stiffened in what could well have been agony and which might, given what I suspected of his allegiances, possibly be ecstasy, but Galad was in no mood to leave him to the experience uninterrupted. The Terranic greatsword lashed out again, and Markog’s left arm was cut clean from his body, his pauldron severed in two by the disrupting power field and razor-sharp edge of the ancient weapon.
Launciel withdrew his own sword and stepped back from Markog’s clumsy, unbalanced counterstrike. The giant was roaring wordlessly now, his pain and rage too overwhelming for anything else. I rose to my feet and fired another bolt, shattering his helmet just as Galad swung again and took his right arm off as well.
That changed things. The haft of the axe was still clutched in his hand, but Markog’s unnatural resilience vanished now that hand was no longer attached to his body. He staggered, and blood began to drip thickly from his shoulders. It started to clot almost immediately, since he was still a Space Marine with our enhanced biology and healing abilities, but it appeared that it was the weapon itself which had granted him the ability to survive decapitation rather than any innate ability of his own.
‘No!’ he bellowed thickly, and took a step towards Galad.
Galad was clearly taking no chances: he crouched and swung his blade horizontally, and severed both legs with one blow. Markog clattered to the floor with a howl. Galad rose back to his full height, reversed his grip on his sword, and plunged it into Markog’s chest.
The blade was wide enough to strike both hearts simultaneously, and I had no doubt that Galad had directed it with the requisite skill for it to do just that. Markog spasmed as much as he could without any attached limbs, but Galad did not linger over his kill. He wrenched his sword out with one hand and raised the other, firing his plasma-caster. I followed the direction of his shot, my bolt pistol raised and ready, but I found myself with a dearth of targets.
(...)
I walked to Markog, and stamped on his helmet. It shattered and fell away to reveal his face, twisted in pain and hatred. He reached up towards me with his unnaturally long tongue, then cackled at me.
‘I will taste your flesh yet, twice-cursed traitor, and you will–’
I emptied the rest of that pistol’s clip into his head without waiting for him to finish, until I had blown a hole in the floor beneath and the legs of my armour were speckled with fine particles of his skin, bone, and brain. Perhaps I should have been more careful about allowing his obviously tainted flesh to touch my armour in such a manner, but I had been a Destroyer – I was a Destroyer – and our enemy’s annihilation always took priority over our own safety.
2023.06.02 20:48 Top_Park976 how can i confront my dad about how hes been acting towards me.
(English isn't my first language so sorry for any mistakes)
Sorry its a bit long.
so a bit of background i(14m) have 3 sibling (ill refer to them as letters) b(16m) k(12f) and p(8f). We all have the same mother and father.
My mother is physical#ly abusiv#e so by brother and i live at my dads but my sisters live 50/50.
At my moms my sisters get everything they want, and if they dont than all hell gets unleashed because of that one of my sister's k is SO entitled. LIKE HOW YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.
And to probably no ones surprise SHE IS AN ATTENTION machine. She needs everybody to be focused only at her at all times (witch ruined many events and gatherings) and my dad uses this as an excuse for some her bad behavior “ she isn't like you she's special and needs more attention”
And also my father and i have NOTHING to talk about so i sometimes just try to start conversations by asking about a magnet that he already told me about. A Lot of the time when i would try speaking to him he would show me how annoyed he is that i'm speaking to him.
It all started like 2 years ago when i noticed that if i do almost anything i get punished yet my siblings dont. They can all basically do what ever they want if it doesn't directly hurt my dad. K can punch me slur at me and if i compline he tells me to stop whining, my brother on the other hand is nice to me and sometimes stands up for me.
Now bear in mind this happens in every dinner but this one broke the camels back. So my sister was generally asking a question at the dinner table and i answered, then she complains to my dad about the fact that she wanted him to respond. And he agreed with her. And than when she did the same thing to me like a 100 times i told my dad about it and he just ignored me. And than she made a mean comment about me so i did the same and the second i did my dad stared at me and rased his voice and told me to stop and im not allowed to speak anymore. (i can't stress how often this happens).
And if i try to retaliate he punishes extra because “youre a boy”
by the way all the other siblings can comment on others and my dad just says that “they are doing to be funny and i'm doing it to be mean. So if I ever want to complain about my sister i need to have my brother there.
A few minutes later we were discussing our trip in the summer. My brother raised the point that every trip that we take is completely ruined by her. She just continued to not take responsibility and blame me. Than my dad stopped by saying “you are ganging up on her and i dont like that”.
A few hours after dinner i came to ask him why did he do nothing when she did this and that…
Yet he punished me for that. Than he said its because i didnt listen to him and because we ganged up on k, and then i told him that that was at completely separate times and he just made more excuses than he started saying that hes upset at me and because of me hes throat hurts (he had a surgery a few weeks ago and hes throat hurts when he drinks wine and he drank while we were speaking).
I have no idea why hes treating me like this because i get the best grades im the most polite and i look exactly like him. My theory is he just wanted a girl after my brother and was upset when he found out i was a boy.
And at this point i just need suggestions, because i am a very nervous and non confrontational person. Please help . (thanks for everyone who read this).
submitted by Top_Park976 to Advice [link] [comments]
Sorry its a bit long.
so a bit of background i(14m) have 3 sibling (ill refer to them as letters) b(16m) k(12f) and p(8f). We all have the same mother and father.
My mother is physical#ly abusiv#e so by brother and i live at my dads but my sisters live 50/50.
At my moms my sisters get everything they want, and if they dont than all hell gets unleashed because of that one of my sister's k is SO entitled. LIKE HOW YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.
And to probably no ones surprise SHE IS AN ATTENTION machine. She needs everybody to be focused only at her at all times (witch ruined many events and gatherings) and my dad uses this as an excuse for some her bad behavior “ she isn't like you she's special and needs more attention”
And also my father and i have NOTHING to talk about so i sometimes just try to start conversations by asking about a magnet that he already told me about. A Lot of the time when i would try speaking to him he would show me how annoyed he is that i'm speaking to him.
It all started like 2 years ago when i noticed that if i do almost anything i get punished yet my siblings dont. They can all basically do what ever they want if it doesn't directly hurt my dad. K can punch me slur at me and if i compline he tells me to stop whining, my brother on the other hand is nice to me and sometimes stands up for me.
Now bear in mind this happens in every dinner but this one broke the camels back. So my sister was generally asking a question at the dinner table and i answered, then she complains to my dad about the fact that she wanted him to respond. And he agreed with her. And than when she did the same thing to me like a 100 times i told my dad about it and he just ignored me. And than she made a mean comment about me so i did the same and the second i did my dad stared at me and rased his voice and told me to stop and im not allowed to speak anymore. (i can't stress how often this happens).
And if i try to retaliate he punishes extra because “youre a boy”
by the way all the other siblings can comment on others and my dad just says that “they are doing to be funny and i'm doing it to be mean. So if I ever want to complain about my sister i need to have my brother there.
A few minutes later we were discussing our trip in the summer. My brother raised the point that every trip that we take is completely ruined by her. She just continued to not take responsibility and blame me. Than my dad stopped by saying “you are ganging up on her and i dont like that”.
A few hours after dinner i came to ask him why did he do nothing when she did this and that…
Yet he punished me for that. Than he said its because i didnt listen to him and because we ganged up on k, and then i told him that that was at completely separate times and he just made more excuses than he started saying that hes upset at me and because of me hes throat hurts (he had a surgery a few weeks ago and hes throat hurts when he drinks wine and he drank while we were speaking).
I have no idea why hes treating me like this because i get the best grades im the most polite and i look exactly like him. My theory is he just wanted a girl after my brother and was upset when he found out i was a boy.
And at this point i just need suggestions, because i am a very nervous and non confrontational person. Please help . (thanks for everyone who read this).
2023.06.02 20:48 salsaverdeisntguac I need help with thread sizes :/
I handstitch and I like the look of 0.4mm braided polyester thread, I've finally got a machine and I thought tex70 was going to be close but its not. I saw a video of someone with nylon tex70 and it looked like the right thickness I want.
is tex based on weight? I think so right? its 70 grams for a 1000 meters.
Someone show me the way? What size am i looking for in poly thread thats about 0.4mm?
submitted by salsaverdeisntguac to sewing [link] [comments]
is tex based on weight? I think so right? its 70 grams for a 1000 meters.
Someone show me the way? What size am i looking for in poly thread thats about 0.4mm?
2023.06.02 20:47 Adam-best Ruffler Sewing Machine Presser Foot Saves you time and energy making tulles on petticoats, embellishments on pillows, curtains, and towels, and pleated bands to skirts and sleeves. Comes with 4 frequency setting that tuck every 12, 6, 1 stitch or not at all! Designed in a universal size that
submitted by Adam-best to BestDealsOfTheDay_ [link] [comments]
2023.06.02 20:42 cecilxx Video Editing PC - up to 4k budget.
What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.
- I will be using the adobe suite - premiere pro, after effects, photoshop, illustrator. I will also be using Avid protools. I will start working with larger footage soon shifting from regular HD to 4K and larger formats. I'd like the computer to be able to handle large footage without issue. Good GPU, lots of memory and a good processor are all prereqs. 555
What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
- 3000-4000 USD
When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
- ASAP
What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
- I need a full tower. All the external stuff is going to be reused.
Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
- I live 30 minutes from a microcenter. I am in the US, Illinois. This is the closest store: https://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/westmont.aspx
If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
- I am shifting the old computer for other uses. I have a keyboard, mouse and monitor.
Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
- no
Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
- I'd like to have large internal storage on multiple drives, SSD.
Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
- It would be cool if it looked nice, with a window on the side of the tower and had some flashing lights in it.
Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
- Yes. I have windows 10 on the other computer I have - not sure if windows 11 is worth it?
Extra info or particulars:I have a hardline network, so wifi is fine to have if built in but not necessary. I am not a master builder. I have made 5 pcs so I know kinda what I am doing but a super complex build might be out of my reach. I don't care how big the tower is. I am not trying to save space. I would very much prefer intel, I am replacing an AMD machine that crashes all the time. If there is an internal memory card slot that might be nice. One that can handle sd cards. I have an external but it cleans up the desk a bit.
THANK YOU!