Hey Guys , I just want to share how my 1st rubber band ligation went @ Kaiser’s GI specialist. For anyone curious or looking for some more info.
(Background ) I’m 26 years old . I’ve had internal/external hemorrhoids for about 10 years! and it’s only gotten worse over the years so I needed to take care of it. I’ve always been very active and in good health but for some reason I’ve been haunted by these hemorrhoids and they have never gone away . I’ve had colonoscopies, Doctors have always stuck their fingers up my ass and gave me ointment but everything was for temporary help. Every Bowel Movement I have , my hemorrhoids stick out and I have to push it back in after I’m done on the toilet (highly recommend this , you feel way more comfortable after. Use Vaseline and a glove if you have one.) BUY A BIDET AS WELL! I even use a portable bidet at work.
(Procedure day ) So anyways, I was scheduled for a Rubber band ligation a couple weeks ago . I’ve always hated appointments for hemorrhoids, I’m sick of getting fingers up my ass just to remind me I do have hemorrhoids and getting ointments, there’s even been times I couldn’t relax and Dr had to send me for a colonoscopy because she couldn’t stick a finger up there all the way to check (CAN YOU BLAME ME?). But this time I told myself I needed to man up and just relax to get this over with. (I smoked weed before the appt. for my nerves )
The night before, I needed to purchase 2 fleet enemas. One for @9pm and another for 1 hour before my appointment which was @10. Walgreens has them for $1 each. When I got to the appointment I had to prepare for the Anoscopy and rubber band . They pretty much just make you bend over the bed and insert a 3 inch thin tube into your anal to see the inside and which internal hemorrhoids they can rubber band (external cannot be rubber band). Now remember, I HATE having fingers and things up my ass and it’s been hard in the past appts. but I just made sure to relax, took deep breaths and took my mind off the situation. It actually wasn’t that bad and was tolerable . It took about 5-8 minutes and the DR told me I had about 4 internal he was able to see and reach for the rubber bands . I did 2 rubber bands , he pretty much used this vacuum like object to suck in the hemorrhoid so the rubber band can be shot on . So you feel air being sucked out your asshole then a lil rubber band just popping on there . After the 2nd one he asked If I wanted to do another or just wait and told me whatever pressure I feel now is what I’ll feel like until they come off so I stuck with 2. Nothing hurt , you just feel pressure and a rubber band in your ass because the hemorrhoids are irritated from the procedure .
(After the procedure)
The first 4 hours kinda suck, I would recommend to take the day off. You just feel uncomfortable and the hemorrhoid is irritated so it’s hard to feel relaxed and comfortable. Take TYLENOL. The rest of the day was okay but you definitely feel something there. All of this is tolerable tho and you shouldn’t be in Pain at all so don’t worry.
Day 2, in the evening you don’t feel anything at all! Feels back to normal and you only feel a little uncomfortable when you Poop. Do not strain or push and take softeners if you feel you need to.
Day 11 ( this experience was not common so don’t let it worry you)
So 11 days have passed by and I haven’t seen any rubber bands in my toilet after BM’s.(which should happen when they fall off) But my poops are way more comfortable and I haven’t seen blood on the toilet paper since day 3. However, Day 11 @1pm I feel the need to poop while at work so I’m holding it and as I’m walking to the bathroom , I feel like I shit myself so I run to the toilet and as soon as I sit down blood and blood clots just start pouring out my ass like diarrhea FOR 2 HOURS. Everytime I stand up thinking I’m done, I have to sit down immediately to bleed more . I finally get up at 3pm feeling dizzy and lightheaded and was recommended to visit the ER. I did not bleed anymore after and the Doctors told me this was normal for some patients after the procedure and too not worry. It was wild to think that was normal but some people like myself just recover more severely then others.
It’s now 3 weeks after and I feel fine. I still suffer with 2 other hemorrhoids that pop out but I haven’t bled and they definitely don’t bother me as much as before. I always push mine back in because I’m very insecure about smelling or feeling uncomfortable . I’m not sure if I’d do it again because of my experience but i do feel better and everyone recovers differently! I do not regret it at all! GET HELP FUCK HEMORRHOIDS AND YOU ARENT THE ONLY ONE SUFFERING!! Good luck

I am writing a program that uses the pyodbc library in order to communicate with an Access database. I couldn't get my desired level of data validation done with the Access tools, so I thought I'd try to do it at my application layer. My thought was that I'd inherit the pyodbc.Cursor object, and overwrite the Cursor.executemany() method to do my validation check right there, as each data row is being entered. The line of thinking was this would prevent me having to loop through the data to be inserted to the DB once before the insert, then again for the insert (although maybe that's not the worst thing in the world).
The problem is, the pyodbc source code seems to just be a Python Dynamic Module (.PYD) file in the Anaconda distribution. So, I can't read the code to see what the executemany() method does exactly, as far as I know. Therefore I can't re-write my own custom executemany() method that does all of the original steps plus my own data validation check.
So, if you're using a Python Dynamic Module library, can you just not inherit and overwrite objects the way you would with a .py module? Or at least not overwrite them in such a way that they do all of their original functionality with a little bit of your own? (Because the source code is not written in python or is not available to you)

How To Use GPS Data To Fight Speeding Tickets

Have you ever felt annoyed after seeing those flashing blue lights in your rearview mirror? We all admire and respect the essential role police officers play in our society. Their daily sacrifices to maintain our safety are truly commendable. Yet, a twinge of frustration often accompanies traffic citations, whether for speeding or illegal turns. With officers using sophisticated tech like radar guns to track vehicle speed, it may seem like there's no defense. But did you know that the same kind of technology can help you contest traffic citations? Many motorists are now leveraging GPS navigation and tracking systems to fight tickets, whether through a trial by declaration or a court trial. This trend is turning the tables in the courtroom, transforming the way we approach traffic violations. In this article, we will discuss how to use GPS data to fight speeding tickets!
Learn more about GPS tracking here: https://gpstrackershop.com/

Video: 6 Ways How to Use GPS Data to Fight Speeding Tickets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pWJzIDW3D8&t=1s

When GPS Misguides You: Are Police Sympathetic to Tech Errors?

Ever made a wrong turn because your GPS told you to? You're not alone. Many motorists find themselves in this predicament, pulled over for moving violations, often claiming, "My GPS made me do it". Relying heavily on GPS navigation, either through portable units or smartphone apps like Google Maps or iMaps, is an everyday routine for many. But how reliable are these systems?
Sadly, even highly-rated apps can lead you astray. Remember when iMaps notoriously directed drivers to the wrong locations or even one-way streets? Such mistakes have happened more times than you might imagine. But what happens when these inaccuracies cause you to make an illegal turn? Who bears the blame?
Even when your trusted app fumbles, you, as the motorist, carry the responsibility for the final decision. Sounds unfair, right? Yet, that's how it stands. Yes, police may sympathize with the occasional GPS-induced mishap, but accountability doesn't shift. At the end of the day, it's the driver who's held responsible.
Ever wonder what police officers think of these GPS blunders? One anonymous officer shared, "As drivers, we've all got a myriad of excuses. But the bottom line is, the person behind the wheel is accountable. Remember, it's not the smartphone or GPS that holds the driver's license."
Want to avoid a ticket? It's not about passing the blame but accepting accountability. Believe it or not, officers tend to be more lenient towards drivers who own up to their mistakes rather than blaming their GPS or tracking device. Interesting, isn't it?

How To Prove To Police You Weren't Speeding

Do you realize how commonplace GPS tracking devices are in today's vehicles? More than ever, they're becoming a staple in both company and personal cars. These devices aren't just ornamental; they play a crucial role in improving vehicle theft protection and driver safety. Additionally, they're an attractive bonus for those eyeing an auto insurance discount.
But have you ever thought of using your GPS device to contest a speeding ticket? More and more drivers are doing just that. Why? Because these trackers do more than just provide location data. They record your speed, location, and journey duration - all in real time and with a stunning accuracy that refreshes every single second!
Impressed? There's more. You'd be surprised to learn that these devices may even outperform the traditional radar gun held by a police officer. Calibration issues, interference from highway overpasses, or the officer's hiding spot could all affect the radar gun's accuracy. Meanwhile, your GPS tracker's data remains precise and reliable. Who knew GPS technology could be your unexpected ally in a speeding dispute?
Related Article: Best GPS Trackers For Law Enforcement

5 Ways To Use GPS Tracking To Fight A Speeding Ticket

Getting a speeding ticket absolutely sucks. But you know what's worse? Getting a ticket when you weren't actually driving over the posted speed limit. Thankfully, GPS tracking can help. In this section, we will discover some innovative ways your tracking device can help fight your corner. Below are 5 ways your GPS system can help with contesting a speeding violation.

1. Proof of Speed: Your GPS device diligently records your speed at every moment of your journey. This detailed log can provide concrete evidence of your speed at the exact time the alleged violation took place.
2. Route Verification: Were you on a different road when the incident occurred? Your GPS tracker traces your route with precision. Its data could demonstrate you were elsewhere when the offense allegedly happened.
3. Time-Stamped Data: All GPS data is time-stamped, making it easy to correlate your location, speed, and the time of the alleged violation. This accurate chronology could prove essential in disputing a ticket.
4. Calibration Check: In contrast to a police officer's radar gun, which could suffer from calibration issues, your GPS device provides a more accurate and consistent measure of speed. Use this precision to challenge the reliability of the speed detected by the radar gun.
5. Data Log Persistence: Most GPS car trackers keep a history of their data. This historical log can help to establish a pattern of safe driving, potentially increasing your credibility in the courtroom.

By integrating these strategies, your GPS device can become a powerful tool in your defense against a speeding ticket

FAQs

Can GPS Tracking Data Be Used As Evidence In A Traffic Court Hearing?

Yes, GPS tracking data can be used as evidence in a traffic court hearing. If you have a GPS tracking device installed in your vehicle or have a GPS-enabled smartphone, the data collected by these devices can be used to prove your innocence or cast doubt on the accusations against you. However, it's important to note that the admissibility of GPS evidence may vary depending on the jurisdiction and specific circumstances of the case.

How Can GPS Tracking Data Help In Disputing A Traffic Ticket?

GPS tracking data can help in disputing a traffic ticket by providing a record of your vehicle's location and speed at the time of the alleged violation. This data can be used to prove that you were not in the location where the violation supposedly occurred or that you were not driving at the speed that you were accused of. Additionally, GPS data can also provide information about traffic patterns and road conditions that may have contributed to the violation.

What Types Of Traffic Violations Can GPS Data Be Used To Dispute?

GPS tracking data can be used to dispute a variety of traffic violations, including speeding tickets, red light violations, and stop sign violations. GPS data can also be used to dispute accusations of reckless driving, DUI, and other serious traffic offenses.How To Use GPS Data To Fight Speeding Tickets
Have you ever felt annoyed after seeing those flashing blue lights in your rearview mirror? We all admire and respect the essential role police officers play in our society. Their daily sacrifices to maintain our safety are truly commendable. Yet, a twinge of frustration often accompanies traffic citations, whether for speeding or illegal turns. With officers using sophisticated tech like radar guns to track vehicle speed, it may seem like there's no defense. But did you know that the same kind of technology can help you contest traffic citations? Many motorists are now leveraging GPS navigation and tracking systems to fight tickets, whether through a trial by declaration or a court trial. This trend is turning the tables in the courtroom, transforming the way we approach traffic violations. In this article, we will discuss how to use GPS data to fight speeding tickets!

Whew, this is gonna be a long one. I (19F) got a job at this law office. I basically found the job thru craigslist and emailed the office, got a phone interview and a trial day. I went in with zero knowledge of what the position was, as the ad was very ambiguous. The requirements were to be a spanish and english speaker and have office experience. I initially thought I was going in for a receptionist role and maybe translator.
Long story short, I somehow got the job. Turns out what they were looking for was a paralegal (I have no degree in that. I went to law school in Mexico for 8 months and dropped out, that’s about it). I still got the job and have been working here for 5 months or so.
Since I first started the job, I have been doing every step of the cases that come in. I talk to clients, fill out forms and mail the cases to the respective agencies.
The first 2 weeks of the job were great and I thought I had hit the jackpot with it. My boss seemed amazing and very nice.
Things changed quickly a few weeks in though. He started becoming meaner and more sarcastic with his comments. I also realized he started micromanaging more and more, down to how he wanted me to take notes and getting angry when I did it differently.
Every time we’d review cases, he’d get angry and raise his voice because he did not remember the decisions he took himself on said cases. And when we’d try to remind him, he would not listen.
I recall one time he got so mad at me for “not asking him enough questions”, he claimed I acted like “I know it all” and that I am too ashamed to admit I’m ignorant. He told me my time at the office would not be long if I kept doing that.
I have done exactly what he told me to do that time. I ask as many questions as I can, even when the answers are pretty obvious. This has definitely made the environment less stressful.
However, he still micro manages everything we do. I have also noticed some serious sexist behavior. There is only 1 more paralegal at the office besides me. Every time he refers to us, he will be sarcastic and call us names in diminutive if that makes sense. He does not do this when we have a male assisting us in the office. He only does it to the female workers, and even clients.
One time, he got so angry at my coworker over something he did not remember he said and yelled at us. He even slammed a phone on my desk because he was angry at me for not taking notes. He said we were not producing any work despite having been working in multiple cases for weeks. I decided to say something and said he was being really disrespectful and that I was not going to tolerate him raising his voice at us. I have to admit I was so frustrated I cried at some point but even then I said I was in no condition to keep the conversation going and tried to excuse myself. He said I could go home and he’d give me a check, basically firing me. I said okay. He then said I was just standing up for my coworker because of “sisterhood”. That we were being hysteric. He made me give him a list of instances where he has been mean. After a while, we both calmed down and he told me I could stay if I wanted to. I did.
A day later, he made me write down the definition of hysteria. He said it was when someone doesn’t get what they want and then gets angry or cries to emotionally blackmail and get their way. He mentions hysteria a lot since then.
There has been other minor instances regarding this behavior but I am trying to keep it as short as I can.
I would also like to highlight that this is a law office handling at least 50 active cases right now with 2 paralegals only. My coworker has told me people don’t last long here since they get fired fast and usually it ends up bad.
I want to mention that sometimes he is really nice and we do have good days too. He gives out a lot of bonuses, is very flexible with vacation days and does not get angry when any of us is late.
Am I overreacting by thinking he might be a bad boss?

Seventeen days ago, my mom came home to find my baby brother dead on the floor of his bedroom. He was 22.
Epilepsy had been progressively ruining his life since he was a young teenager. When he first started experiencing seizures, they only happened when he was asleep, and only when he was very sleep deprived. But over the years they had become worse both in frequency and severity. By the final months of his life, they were happening all the time -- awake, asleep, singing onstage at church, talking on FaceTime. Sometimes he would just pause in the middle of a sentence and start staring into space, and my heart would be in my throat until he started talking again. He had trouble holding down a job because no employer wanted to deal with an employee who needed to take constant time off for medical care. My mom was doing her best to provide him the 24/7 care he needed while also working a full time job. He was on three different medications, for a total of ten pills every day. (The day he died, he was two hours late taking one of his doses. Two hours, that's all it took.)
And even so, I had no idea how much danger he was in. In the abstract, I knew that if a seizure lasted long enough, it could become a medical emergency. But that term "medical emergency," was still divorced from the idea of death. Medical emergency meant ICU. It meant, at worst, permanent disability. It didn't mean dead at 22.
My brother had tried everything. Keto made his seizures worse. The seizure detector he wore on his wrist was failing to detect massive seizures, so he stopped wearing it. He had an inpatient brain study done back in December, where he spent three days in the hospital while a team of neurologists purposefully triggered seizures to try to determine where in the brain they were coming from. They said he broke the record for the number of seizures during a single study: I think it was something like 40. The study didn't yield anything conclusive. I remember him saying that one of the doctors told him his seizures only had a 3% chance of being controlled with meds.
And you know what? I never once heard him complain. He found humor in everything. He called his seizures "doing the forbidden disco." When he went in for the study, he said, "I'm going to go in, shake a little, and then come out."
Even I heard the dire 3% predication, all that meant to me was that we'd have to try another intervention. He was already on the road to neurosurgery. Death never once crossed my mind.
And now his ashes are sitting in my living room, and I know the word SUDEP, and I can't help but feeling like he never had a chance. His body just decided it didn't want to exist anymore. I recently read about some of the risk factors for SUDEP, and he checked every box, and it's so unfuckingfair. He was the best person I know...the funniest, the kindest, the most genuine. He was a musical prodigy. He was studying to become a cybersecurity specialist and had recently finished building his first PC. I loved him with my whole heart. I just wish I would have educated myself earlier. If I had had any idea that death was on the table, I would have moved back home to help care for him, I would have made sure he was never alone.
And I know this is probably not at all helpful for the community of people here who are trying to eke out an existence with epilepsy and who live in constant fear of SUDEP. But whatever I can do to help ensure that those with epilepsy can live the life my brother deserved, I want to do. This should never happen to anyone, and to the extent that this story can help anyone else, I hope it does.

I’m a 28 year old dental receptionist. I graduated level 2 dental assisting in 2019 but only worked as an assistant for about a year and a half before switching to reception. I hated working chairside with the dentists because every dentist likes to do procedures a different way and they can be so nasty to work for, it was stressing me out and I wasn’t learning properly so I moved to reception so I could stay in the field and still get paid better than minimum wage.
IMPORTANT: I have struggled with drug addiction to diphenhydramine (Benadryl, sleeping pills etc) for about 7 years and it has really taken a toll on my brain - it has destroyed my memory and my ability to interact with others. I am so stupid and forgetful that I can barely function, and I am so awkward when interacting with coworkers. At every job they all end up hating me and talking horribly about me (sometimes right beside me and they don’t care that I can hear them talking about how stupid I am). I have been getting clean but the damage it has done will take years to correct, if I can at all. I do a great job at working if I am on my own (because I can be slower and check my work and follow info/rules/procedures/steps without coworkers watching me and judging me) but as a dental receptionist I don’t have that ability.
Dental reception has been breaking me down because it seems like I can never do anything right - I can’t schedule patients properly unless I have time to go over every single thing, I don’t know what treatment should go hand in hand with certain procedures when it comes to scheduling appointments, I don’t always understand dental insurance responses etc.
I am DESPERATE for a job that pays me a living wage (so $25+) like dental reception but allows me to either: go to a desk by myself and do tasks that don’t require much of other coworkers so I can be “alone” get my stuff done and go home, or work from home so I don’t have coworkers watching every single move I make or how-tos I have to read to do the job or how long something takes me so they can start telling me and everyone around me how stupid and remedial I am because I’m slow and don’t know anything
The thing is, I’m HORRIBLE at math (I can follow steps if they’re written down, but other than that I can’t so things like algebra or whatever, I can’t do on my own) and I feel like a math related job (accounting, book keeping etc) would be the only way to achieve the type of career life I’m looking for…so I feel lost
I don’t like marketing, call centre work, sales etc I want a monotonous job like entering information in a computer or something but I can’t find a job like that for $25… I don’t even know what to look for because “data entry” is so broad
Please help me….
I don’t mind going back to school but preferably something that’s only a year and could be done remotely or on weekends so I can still support myself in the meantime
God I just want to die I feel so hopeless

Hey everyone,
I've been struggling with a very destructive pattern of paying for sex for some time now. I don't do it often, and bc of that I've fooled myself into believing that these act-outs are just a series of one-off events brought on by specific stressors in my life, but it has undoubtedly become a pattern and I know that I need some accountability.
For context, from a young age I've always engaged in somewhat deviant (to me) sexual behavior. I was raised very strictly catholic and from a young age was told in school that it was a sin to masturbate. I matured earlier than many boys and started masturbating in 4th grade. The first time scared the hell out of me as I had no idea what was happening. All I knew is it felt good and that I couldn't talk to it about anyone.
In 6th and 7th grade I was spying on my nextdoor neighbors. Two very attractive sisters whose room was right across the way from mine. I would watch them as they showered and changed.
Fast forward to 8th grade - I was in a serious relationship through 9th grade. This was the first time I had sex of any kind with another person. I also was cheating on her with many other girls.
Next was sophomore year of high school. The first time I experienced true love. And the first time I felt I had such a deep connection with someone else that was respectful and honest. And still I ended up cheating on her toward the end of our two years together. We remain friends to this day which I'm very thankful for, and hey it was high school - water under the bridge, young people make mistakes right? maybe, but...
Fast forward to my college years, I was in a very serious relationship for the entirety of college that culminated in marriage right out of school and a subsequent divorce a few years later. She was the one. Beautiful, smart, sexy. She had everything I wanted (or thought I wanted in my juvenile brain). But as we entered our 3rd year of dating, we began to have many serious sexual issues that we would later find out, stemmed from both of our underlying trauma surrounding sex. We continuously played out a very destructive sexual fantasy that was never explicitly spoken about until the very end of our relationship. In addition to this, I also had many emotional and physical affairs along the way.
That failed marriage prompted a complete overhaul of my life. I was devastated and I knew there were many things I needed to sort out if I was ever going to have a healthy relationship to sex and with another person. Thus, I found a therapist. An amazing therapist. I didn't realize how good he was until much later. The work we did together changed my life. I found a stable career. And I found the girl of my dreams. The relationship was calm, respectful, loving, and without the vicious ups and downs I had previously known. The sex was good and meaningful. We are still together - married with three children. And to this day I have not had any sort of emotional connection to anyone else but her.
And yet, I'm here. Early in my relationship with my now-wife, I visited a massage parlor and cheated. I talked about this with my therapist. We dug in and explored why I felt the need to do this and discovered that this acting out had very little to do with my relationship and everything to do with some unresolved issues inside of me. Thus, the advice was to not disclose the transgression to my partner as it would only cause her pain. That took me a minute to understand but I believe it was the right decision. I still do. And with time, I moved past it.
That was my only transgression for a long time. After many years of intensive therapy I was a new man, feeling more confident and secure in myself than I'd ever been. And so on my therapists advice we began to taper off on the sessions until finally we felt the bulk of our work was done and that I we would check in only on a necessary basis.
And then 3 years into my marriage, I acted out again. I visited another sex worker. I was devastated. But I felt confident that I could handle this on my own. I didn't call my therapist. I journaled, I downloaded a sober app, I conducted therapy sessions with myself, and I held myself accountable. And with time I began to feel better until the guilt faded away and after numerous successful moments where I stopped myself from acting out. This gave me a security that I might finally have kicked my issue. And so I went on with life, I didn't think of it often - only when those impulses would arise or I would catch myself drinking a bit too much and experiencing intrusive thoughts.
And then after almost 2 years of sobriety, I did again last week. And I'm crushed. It shakes the foundation I've fought so hard to build. It makes me question everything. It makes me feel like a broken person doomed to failure. And my deep fear now is that I've pathologized this behavior. I've normalized it. And that thought sends me into a panic. Is this what my life will be? Will I always have to carry around this shadow self? This is not the man I want to be. This is not the partner or father I want to be.
And what makes it that much more difficult is that my family and friends adore me. I've been referred to as "golden boy" more than a few times. I have an enviable life. And I'm the type of person who friends and family confide in and look up to. I've been told I emanate a quiet strength and people feel safe around me.
And yet, here I am with this terrible secret. I don't feel like the man people think I am or that I portray myself to be. I've called my therapist and we will speak tomorrow, but any words of encouragement or additional resources would be much appreciated. I cannot allow this to happen again. It is eating away at my heart.

It’s a little scattered doing it on my phone. I’ll get home and clean it up. But I want peoples input. I really think this would work and it’s totally realistic. I think CIG needs some guidance and the medical changes offer the perfect moment to add these features in the game.
I have been a developer for years and I can see CIG trying balance what’s realistic and what they promised. Every startup I was with came to a point where they realized their proposals were far too aggressive, and the higher ups would not even listen to ideas unless they were easy to implement.
So, I’ve been trying to come up with ideas that take minimal effort for maximum gains. These are fairly simple, but will add depth or will lay the groundwork for easy future development.
I think this is the perfect topic for my first idea. The medical system is tricky, but so important. Right now, the medical system is boring and doesn’t add much to the game and with a few tweaks it could add 25% more and be a major part imo while feeling more immersive and satisfying both parties. We need to look to other amazing games like Eve online and cyberpunk imo.
The hard-core fans want investment and death to cost. Now that I am older and have a family, I understand how hard it is to balance that in time to play Now that I am older and have a family, I understand how hard it is to balance that and time to play. It’s really hard to get your average gamer to want to invest 30 minutes to simply respawn.
So in my opinion, we need a system that…

1. Makes death inconvenient and costly but with several ways to pay the “bill”, not only costly at that moment so the player decides quitting is easier.
   
2. Makes the game far more immersive and makes the game deeper, not shallower. In real life in the future, in the future, medical would be a vast portion of warfare and finance and exploration and exploitation. Not just a glorified HP counter.
   
3. Makes all medical ships useful and relevant. Cannot have a shallow system where one ship is clearly the best.
   
4. Makes healthcare and biology affect all the other parts of the game…. It is our bodies and minds after all. In the future, the wealthy will modify their bodies, just like their ships.
   
5. Uses a lot of these modules that are currently window dressing, but have amazing application. Things like blood pressure and reflex times and damage reduction and bio scanners and the HUD and incorporates it to a tiered clone system.
   

TLDR is We need a Cyberpunk / Eve style futuristic bio medical system with weapons and implants that completely change a persons capabilities and a jump clone system that reflects this. T5-T1 clones 5 being a throwaway and 1 being a Spartan from Halo. T1 would have the exact HUD we have now with additional systems. T4 and less is like the game in photo mode with nothing. People take for granted how much information you get from the HUD and who would really have access to it?
The beauty of this is while it sounds like a lot and would add 25-50% more careers, economys, gameplay and strategy’s from a gameplay perspective. Its actually not much at all from a development point of view. It would reuse all of the current systems now, and add a few skills like scanning / hacking and weapons like EMP, Darts to humans. Generally, this is how it would work.
T5 clone is a meat bag with a 4 hour life used as a spare tire. It’s the base level. Operated similar to when you’re drunk because The damage from the cryo. You can do stuff, but you are very limited. They can be carried around in 1 SCU containers or special lockers in big ships for dangerous work like reactor repairs etc.
T4 clone is a meatbag the same we are inhabiting right now IRL. Basically this is exactly like you turning off the game hud in photo mode. These cannot be cold stored and reused. No HUD or endgame information input at all outside of your Moby glass watch.
T3 clone is the first of the implants. It can take one implant. Combat might allow thermal vision or the local map and radar and crosshair. Exploration might have the ability to bookmark or see things on your HUD that you scanned from your ship. Conversation might add elements to charisma and talking people into doing things, getting better prices on goods, or hearing rumors about opportunities, etc. Covert allow you to scan people and check their inventory and run checks on who they are, what crimes they have committed, etc.
Basically it’s a stripped down version of the hud that’s active all the time even without helmets. It has to work in tandem with your mobi. You have to select one element.
T2 clone has upgraded reflexes, can run longer, survive more dmg and has the complete HUD suite. It has the bandwidth and upgrades to support 1 implant and 1 physical modification. Everything CIG has been adding can be added to the HUD but you have to switch between exploration, combat, conversation, covert etc. 1 physiological mod or weapon. Like a brain hacking chip that can open ship doors, and emp that shut down all electronics in a 20 m radius for 15 seconds or a drone or fiber optics camera. Then there are all the illegal modifications like hidden blades, Multi launchers with everything from neurotoxin to EMP darts.
T1 clone is very costly and made for combat and for solo explorers who need complete autonomy. 20% more hp, and basically 20% better everything. It has the complete HUD with the ability to Connect to the data stream of two ships in your party. If your buddys ship detect an enemy ship coming in it would pop up in your actual vision as a big red square with information. You would have the ability to zoom without a helmet on and have limited scanning just like your ships function on everything.
It could 2 implants. 1 legal and 1 illegal implant. Emp, Hacker etc
It also has two physical modifications. Blades, darts etc
Also the tier 2 and 1 are the only clones that are not harmed using heavy or power armor. The others are slowly harmed by s by the rapid and jarring servos, etc. so they are all time limited.
Imagine how amazing this would make the universe in general. You would have ripper docs implanting stolen, or military implants. Corpses would now be valuable if they had upgraded organs for implants. People would become targets just for their implants.
If you killed an assassin coming after you, you could take his cool tools.
Sometimes corpses could be worth as much as a ship. You could actually ransom back bodies.
You could have a repo men coming to collect the implants. Organ traders and human traffickers.
But it would also make T1 and 2 ships completely necessary in combat because they were the only ones who could rec clone military units.
Best of all. All of this code is already there. All of the heads up display and all these cool features they’ve been adding Would be the implants themselves.
The game the Way it is it doesn’t make sense that a Moby glass can produce all of this data. It makes the game more immersive as well.
It doesn’t have to be over the top like cyberpunk. But we almost have brain implants now and everything is going wireless, you really think in the future they’re gonna be wearing a wristwatch? Everything will be brain implant and wetware.
With these easy changes, we solve our medical problems and add a ton of depth along with the ability to add as much depth as we want.
All you would need is to create the UI for this, but the game already has a lot of that with its biological scanners. All the balancing could happen by biologically if you’re using implants, etc.
Jump clones would cost a lot of money to make, and healthcare in real life is one of the most expensive things. But just like the hospital doesn’t make you pay your bill the moment you’re out of surgery, we need to spread the cost to a later time.
The time the player needs to respawn is usually after they have already planned and loaded up and executed, but didn’t succeed. This is time where casual players set aside their block of playable hours. (when the kids are asleep and wife is watching something etc) So by making it too costly at that moment, ( 30 minutes to an hour, getting geared up and in ship flying back) your odds are they will just quit, which is not engaging for other players and your odds of a major war or event go down drastically. What’s good for the game and what was so successful in Eve was the fights after the opening.
Instead the front loading all the time investment, Charge 5-25k for the biomaterial. spread the cost of the death to a later time and let them pay off their debt when they log back in.
We also want to make the smaller tier 3 ships necessary while not killing the t1 and 2 beds.

Hello, I am hoping someone might be able to help me with an issue I’ve had for a long time now. Coming to Reddit is something of a last resort before I accept I’m never getting my documents back.
When I was a teenager, I was gifted an iPad Mini. I did a lot of creative writing on this thing, there’s 200 or so documents in the Pages app. I had iCloud switched on to keep my documents safe in case my iPad got lost, stolen, or broken (ironic, really, given the rest of this story). It’s important to note that I didn’t have a computer or a smartphone at the time, only the iPad. So there was no cross-device synchronisation going on, only communication between my iPad and iCloud.
We didn’t have consistent internet at home, so whenever I did get an internet connection it was pretty common for a bunch of my documents to update with iCloud at once. When this happened, the document tiles in the Pages app would go grey and show an orange loading bar at the bottom. They couldn't be opened for a couple of minutes until the sync was complete.
One day, I’d guess it was mid 2016, I went to open one of my projects and noticed that it was syncing. No problem, all I had to do is wait. I waited for a long time, but the document never finished updating. This issue affects 9 of my documents in total – they’re stuck “updating” indefinitely.
I was really upset when this happened. One of the affected documents was (at the time) my favourite thing I’d ever written, so losing it killed my urge to write for a while. I’m over that now, but I still try to get the documents to open every now and then.
Here’s a list of things I have tried already:

• Turning the iPad off and on again, turning my internet router off and on again, using a different internet network.
  
• Turning off the internet connection on the iPad (it still says "updating", presumably waiting for the connection to come back).
  
• Checking I had enough free space on my iPad (830MB) and on iCloud (4GB), both of which should be plenty of space for synchronising documents.
  
• Extensively searching for the problem online. Any instances I’ve found are either different to mine or unsolved/unanswered.
  
• Leaving the iPad connected to the internet for a full week to see if the documents eventually synchronise.
  
• Turning off iCloud sync then turning it on again. Doesn’t work. When iCloud sync is off, the documents disappear from Pages entirely. When turned back on, they’re still stuck synchronising.
  
• Uninstalling and reinstalling Pages. Doesn’t work.
  
• Opening documents through the Files application on iPad. Selecting one of the affected documents just takes me to the home screen of Pages (instead of directly into the file like with an unaffected document). When I tried this while Pages was de-installed from my iPad, it opened a “preview” of my document with a loading bar that never moves instead of opening the full document like it does with my other files.
  
• Logging into iCloud's web app on the computer to try and open or download the documents that way. Doesn't work. Trying to open the document displayed “loading document” for a good couple of minutes and then I get hit with an error message saying “this document can’t be opened right now, please try again later”. Same thing happens when trying to download (as Pages, Word, or pdf).
  
• Contacting Apple’s tech support team. I tried this twice. The first person (who I contacted when I first had the issue as a teenager) admitted they had no clue what was going on. They said they’d pass it on to someone and get back to me (I never heard back). The second person (who I contacted about two years ago, when bashing my head against the problem again) told me it was my own fault for not upgrading to newer hardware. As if I had the money to keep buy a new iPad when I was a teenager. Not helpful.
  

The most annoying thing is that I can view a document preview – the first page shows up as the tile on the Pages app and via the web browser – so I know they still exist in some form. It’s just that I can’t open them in order to view more than the first page. The documents are all around 50-100 pages long.
Technical information: the iPad is a first-generation iPad Mini running iOS 9.3.5. The Pages app is version is 2.6.2. The iPad itself is in great condition, I was very careful with it. Everything else runs just fine, so I doubt it's the hardware failing.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If anyone has any clue how to recover these documents, even if it’s just things I might not have thought to try, I would be forever grateful. I was really proud of the stories I wrote and I would love to have them back.

I've posted this last year and some things happened which made me quite proud and I'd like to share how things went. So recap and then update:
So... When I was little, I lived with my mom and stepdad, things were great and we were very happy. Then my mom passed when I was 7y, so I moved with my father and stepmom, things were complicated. Currently, I have no contact with him (he's not a good man nor a good dad), and I live with my aunt (since 2018) and her husband (he came along in 2019).
Me and my aunt had an amazing relationship, she was my favourite aunt and all that. However, things started to go wrong when I started living with her, I made the mistake of answering that yes, I wanted to be treated like her daughter along with her 2 sons (one my age and the other 3 years younger). I had a desperate "need" for a mothefather. She became a kind of "maunt" (mother+aunt), and her husband a "stepdad"... Oh how do I regret this
Well, she has a favourite son, the oldest. He's lazy, arrogant, disrespectful, a typical golden boy who got spoiled his whole life and now he doesn't give a damn about anything other than himself.
For being the other woman in the house, she constantly pushes house chores to me, instead of the boys (subconsciously, i believe), pretty much only asks me about things, where her sons are, if the dogs were fed, if the boys cleaned well whatever room they were supposed to, stuff like that, and she's also constantly very, very rude to me (at the point of her husband arguing with her about it). And I got this whole syndrome of everything being my responsibility and anxiety when it comes to her, which became extremely exhausting over the years.
I came out to her about my bissexuality about 4 years ago, i thought she would take it well. She didn't. She masks her disapproval, but she clearly doesn't like it. I was really let down, I genuinely thought she would be supportive and everything we expect, but she first got confused, then annoyed and has said some very hurtful thing over the years. Currently I have a gf (she's 22 years old), we've been dating for over a year. They don't like each other very much, my gf doesn't like her because of all the things she does to me. And my aunt doesn't care about my gf at all because... well, she a girl.
Ok, that's the context. Now here's what happened.
My aunt send some kind of agressive messages over something silly, and that caused my anxiety on fire for the gazillionth time, only that time I had enough. I called my other aunt (by consideration, she's married to my grandad) and asked for help (she knows everything that goes on), if i could move in with them, she said yes. I then replied my aunt with a text saying i had enough and would move in with my grandad. She got upset and said (among other things) that "i had her blessing to leave, even though i didn't ask for it". She called my grandma (we are very close), and my grandma sent me some awful audios of how disappointed she was, how I made my aunt sad, of what would people think, that i used to be such a sweet girl and now this, of how loving is a choice and i chose not to love my aunt, stuff like that. Aunt and her husband went to dinner with my grandad that night without my presence, and told them we had an amazing relationship, that she didn't knew what happened, that my problem was I couldn't take a "no" for an answer, etc.
Two days later, we sat down to talk, she told me to start, I said all I wanted. She then started saying how that kind of thing should not have been adressed through text (which I agree, but I had to text or I'd freak out), that she was harder on me than the boys because (in another words) the world was rough and she loved me the most.
And then her husband also spoke about how he understands both sides and blablabla, and said that i could go to my grandad, but that they felt like i should understand that i would only go because THEY allowed, if they didn't wanted, i would not go, no matter what my grandparents or aunt (grandad's wife) said. He basically wanted to state their power position.
(Since my mother's death, my whole family on her side feel responsible for me, so i see all of them in the same way. None of them are my mom and dad, they are in the same "level" to me and have the same "right"... Him saying that made me burn inside, like they're entitled to me, I don't belong to them or anyone. They're my aunt and "uncle", that's about it, they think they have something on me that they... Don't)
And then my aunt said that I could go, as long as I told my grandad about my sexuality and girlfriend. Now... He's kind of old fashioned and i'm scared he'll reject me... We have an amazing relationship, I have lunch with them every wednesday, and I'm the closest grandkid he has (the others aren't so invested). So I don't know if I tell him the truth and manage to leave (depending on his reaction) or if I don't risk it and stay in the toxic enviroment i'm in.
UPDATE - 14/05/2024
Hello! So, things got much worse before they got better. Let's give them names so the story telling will be easier, let's call my girlfriend Bea, my aunt Leah, her husband James and my "aunt" (my grandad's wife) Rachel.
I basically swallowed my anger because I couldn't bring mysef to speak to my grandad about my sexuality, my grandparents are the most important people in my life as they've always been there for me and I was terrified to be disliked by him. That was until december.
Early december I was leaving for work and before I left, I tried to "notify" my aunt that Bea would be spending Christmas and New Years with me and my siblings (note: my siblings had been looking forward to her being there, specially my brother and my SIL (Luke and Lyla), they made it a question that she'd go. I have 3 paternal siblings, so there's NO relation between them and my aunt Leah. We'd be staying in a city 3 hours away from mine at my brother and SIL's house, every year we do this). She immediately said "you know I don't like this", I said "yes", she then said "good morning" and I left for college.
The next morning, I was eating before going to work and Leah started talking about it and we started a conversation that developed into a fight. She said things like how dare I "notify" her, how that's not how things work and that it would not happen because THEY (she and James) don't feel confortable with this, how THEY think Luke wouldn't like this because "no one likes to have people over for a week" (he and Lyla were super pumped for Bea to go), how THEY don't know my girlfriend enough (come on, we had been dating for over a year already), how THEY wouldn't like me going with her to a stranger's house (in complete disregard to my point of view, it's my freaking brother, whom they met a couple times btw, not a stranger. But to them, the only meaninful point of view was theirs). She had even called my brother to basically "check my story", like?? She also said that we we're only teenagers (seriously, 22 and 20) , and I said "no, she isn't and neither am I!", she said she didn't say Bea was, I then said "and neither am I", she said I was, because I didn't act like and adult, then I got mad and talked about how I do literally everything around the house, always walk the dogs even when I get home tired at 10PM, even though they got there at 7PM, I help with groceries purchase, pay the water bill, clean the house, do the chores her boys lack to do, and when I'm not home, I'm either at work or college, but when she disagrees about something, she just puts me back in the "teenager box". And in the end, she said that my raising was not like this, this made me laugh in anger inside, she's been with me for 5 years, I'm 20 lol.
So that was it, I left for work and got a text from her, apologizing for being rough, saying that she loved me and wanted it to work, that they wanted to talk to me when I got home. I replied saying the same.
Later that day when we were all home, we gathered in the living room, I was literally against the wall and it intimidated me deeply. James started saying how much they loved me and wanted to see me happy, as they want that for all their children (aunt Leah has 2 boys, my cousins, and James has 3 girls). I then talked and expressed how I was feeling, then Leah started talking and basically said in a nicer tone the same things she said earlier, plus how they want me to be happy and want things to work for me, but they think it's too soon, they believe it's not the right time, they they, and therefore, despite being against what they want, I could take Bea, but only in ONE of the two holidays, which I could choose. I was in a bit of a shock (you see, me and Bea had bought the bus tickets a while earlier), had no support, against the wall, I was feeling purely defeated and tired, I only said "Christmas then...", she then said we would sleep in separate rooms and would not go on the 22th after work because "she had already allowed an extra night by allowing her to stay there until the 25th". I stayed in silence, they asked if there was anything I'd like to add, I said no. It wasn't a conversation, in no moment did they actually listened and considered me, they had their minds set way before we sat to talk. I went to my room and rolled all night in pure anxiety. This was thursday
Friday I was a wreck and went to Bea's house to check on her (she was sick that week) and to talk to her about what happened. She noticed something was off, I told her, she got mad and sad, we cried, etc. I went home feeling awful, my anxiety had been 100% all day long and I was in a really bad place and feeling deeply frustrated.
Saturday I woke up worse and decided that I had enough and was not having that anymore. I went outside and called grandad, talked about how I wasn't feeling well and asked what did he think about me leaving home, he said that their doors were always open and that I could just tell my aunt that "I was going to live with my grandad and that was it". I reframed the question asking what he though about me leaving to live alone, he then got worried and said that he didn't think that was necessary, that I had them and didn't need to do that. He then asked me to come over and talk to him and aunt Rachel. I accepted and told aunt Leah I'd sleep at grandad's.
I got there and ate a bit because I didn't want them extra worried, although I felt like throwing up at every bite. Everyone went to sleep and so did I. I woke up a bit later feeling worst, that's when I started to throw up, there was barely anything in my stomach and all I could do was throw up.
The next morning I was better and had already told aunt Rachel about what had happened, she found it absurd how things went (she had met Bea a while back and they clicked very well) and was upset about the things aunt Leah said. I decided to talk to grandad, I couldn't disappear with the subject again, specially now that he was worried sick about me.
So... I sat on the couch and told him what was happening, explained everything, told him that I'm like his stepson's MIL (she's married to a woman. It was the easiest way I found to introduce the topic), told him everything. He asked what I wanted him to do about it, I said that I just wanted him to still love me the same and remain normal with me, that I am still the same person and have always been this way, he just didn't knew about it, but that it changes nothing about me. Aunt Rachel then joined us and asked what he was thinking about it (she knows everything and is amazing to me), he said he wasn't pleased, but that it was my life and he had no say in it and that I should do what's right for me, said that if I wasn't gonna change, then neither would he. But basically, he got much more worried about my mental health than my sexuality, he said that the doors were still open and always would be for me, that he thought I needed a home and thinks they can offer me that. Aunt Rachel said that they wouldn't be obsessive after me, demanding to know every step I take and bossing everything like Leah did, that I have my graduation, I work, make my own money, am responsible, have my own life and am not a child, I'm a 20 year old adult and they would treat me as such.
So that was it. I went back "home" muchhh more confident and waited until nightfall because everyone was having a good time and I didn't want to spoil that. I realized aunt Leah and James were awake and went to talk to them, and that, my friends, is when hell went loose.
I started by saying I talked to my grandad about Bea and my sexuality, Leah asked how it went and I said it was great. Then I said they could talk to him (since they wanted to "decide" with him about my going), she said ok and asked when I wanted to go, I said that it could be in the same week since I was on vacation from college, she frowned, stood firmly and said "you know this won't change our decision about the holidays, right?" then it went boom, I said I didn't agree with them and that it wasn't right for them to dictate about such things. Told them their values and beliefs don't have to be mine, Leah asked "WHY NOT?", then I replied "because I have my own!".
Told them they were controlling and that made their kids lie to them, that since they liked to compare raisings (they criticized Bea's mom's raising because she gives her kids freedom to live their lives and fully trusts), then fine, I went on to say how Bea and her mom have an amazing relationship, full of love and trust, how Bea turned up great, works hard, just made it to psicology at university, helps immensely at home, and so has her sister. As for theirs? They raised their kids poorly, they are overbearing and that makes their kids not trusting them and lying a lot because of this necessity of them to control everything. I stated that the raising they gave their children was not my own, that I had multiple raisings and that no, they didn't "raise" me, I'm 20 and they've been with me for 5 years. Said that was clear, just look at the difference between me and her boys (I won't delve into this bit because it's not relevant, but the difference is nitid).
They said I couldn't take a no for an answer and that was my dad's fault, I said they didn't know what they were talking about, I know how it actually went whilst they made a story in their heads and believe it's the truth, since I knew how my dad used to tell my family one thing and do another.
They (again) said they wouldn't treat me like an adult because I did nothing to behave like one, I said that they didn't treat me as I deserved and they would always put me in the "teenager box" whenever I acted differently to what they thought was right (but I was adult enough to lend James almost 1k without Leah's knoledge lol).
She obviously tried to blame Bea, saying she was putting things in my head and that the last conversation was fine and now I was throwing a fit, I said that I said nothing else then because I felt cornered and realized it wasn't a conversation, it was them simulating one only to tell me what they were going to all along.
I told them they didn't know Bea because they didn't want to and I wasn't confortable bringing her as it was an enviroment unwelcoming to her, she then asked if i would go another year like this until I "felt confortable", I said yes, if that's what it took, that I didn't really need to introduce anyone if I didn't felt comfortable to it.
She once demanded to go meet Bea, after throwing a fit at my BIRTHDAY because Bea planned a day for me and my MIL wanted to make me lunch and they weren't invited, it was super uncomfortable. My aunt described this day as uncomfortable, in this argument I said "and about that day you guys met Bea and her mom? It was uncomfortable? OF COURSE it was, I TOLD you it would be! I told you that was barging in and no one wanted it!". Which Leah said that no, that wasn't the uncomfortable part, the uncomfortable was how Bea was "daring her, being all over me and kissing me in front of her, that she had to be respected!".... Lol, the being "all over me" was me shaking from the anxiety and Bea holding me to keep me in my feet, the "kissing" was ONE greeting kiss. And Bea did nothing "daring" towards Leah, believe me, if she had, aunt Leah would definitely know lol.
At the end, they asked if I was taking Bea, I said, yes, Leah said no, since she called my brother and told him how "things would go down" (amazes me everytime I remember this, she wanted to dictate how the holidays would go IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE). Lol, my brother was just texting me saying how Bea could go spend the whole holiday and we'd just say she left after Christmas. So it wasn't a very good argument on Leah's end. I said it was my business and I was sorry, but it was MY brother, MY family, MY relationship, MY life, and it wasn't up for them to dictate on it, they shouldn't feel comfortable or uncomfortable since it had NOTHING to do with them, and that my family who mattered in this were not only comfortable but very excited for Bea's presence.
I told them I knew I wasn't wrong since grandad and aunt Rachel agreed with me, so they could go ahead and talk to them if they wanted to. They ended up showing me their tumb and I left for my room.
Aunt Leah left to grandad's house in like, 5 minutes, cried to him and all. She got back, went in my room and in an ironic tone, said "sorry, I know I'm not your mother, stay with your raisings, I'm just glad and relieved my father wasn't as ok as you thought (her saying this seriously hurt me), he accepted for reasons ans beliefs he has, so go ahead and pack your bags this week, you're free to go. Sorry for the flaws, I was trying to get it right, be careful when you take that sticker off, don't ruin the painting." aaand she left.
The next day, grandad came and we took 90% of my stuff and I started officially living with him and aunt Rachel. Christmas was a bit awkward (my maternal family does this early Christmas so everyone's free on the 24th), but I was glooming feeling like the weight of the world had left my shoulders.
So... I went with Bea to spend the holidays with my family, my siblings, my SIL's parents and even my 1 year old nephew absolutely adored Bea, they now ask about her even before asking about me lol. My paternal grandmother loved her and was amazing, told my aunt (her daughter) that Bea was adorable and loving. It was amazing and I cannot imagine 2023 Christmas and New Year without Bea with us, she added sooo much.
Recently we've been to Luke's and Lyla's at Easter and made Easter eggs together, watched movies, went out, went to a family gathering where Bea, my uncles, cousins and grandmother (who was really happy to see her since Bea couldn't go to her birthday because she had to work) all got along really well.
We see each other frequently, living with grandad and aunt Rachel has been amazing, I'm finally gaining weight! MANY people have noticed it and it quite frankly scared me a bit, I had no idea it was so evident. But yeah, I'm doing great!
Grandad isn't ready to deal with this, so we don't talk about it. He doesn't like it and doesn't really understands, but he's doesn't meddle. Grandma (maternal) texted these days wanting to meet Bea (finally!), since she found out through aunt Rachel that me and Bea are still together and going strong for 1 year and a half already. I think she took it seriously now.
Anyway, it was hell, lol. But things turned out alright! Thank you for the people who commented in my first post, it was nice reading the comments and taking the options into consideration!

*Management style:
Not democratic/participative. Not transformational. Not Coaching. Very much Autocratic/Authoritative/Coercive. Sometimes Laissez-faire. Style depends on the department.
*Chain of command:
The ministry is seen as a church by top management. Top management are the “elders” and the CEO is the Senior Pastor. Then there is everybody else. So, confidence is put on their positions of authority. They are, in all sense and purposes, the “spiritual leaders”. They present themselves as having spiritual authority and, therefore, as being entitled to receive immediate agreement and unquestioned compliance.
Also, there are multiple management layers or chains which this quote sums up as well:
"When you become an admiral, you never have bad meals and you never hear the truth. there are all these layers of management and buffer layers and each one is afraid to tell unpleasant truth to the top levels.... “
Not a culture of authenticity where everyone on the team, including management, is encouraged, and expected to be who they are. There is a sense that top management puts up a false front, they seem to want to appear perfect. Illusions of invulnerability exist. They always lead well, they always make the right decisions, they never admit mistakes, etc. Want people to think they got it all together- all rainbows and lollipops. Do not exhibit vulnerability. Toxic positivity is also very much present: Everything is seen as “awesome”. So, there is judgment if you have a bad (not "everything is awesome") day.
The vertical chain of command, results in less collaboration, slow communication, lack of career growth, feelings of subordination, and decreased employee empowerment. Top management sets the rules and standards without any input from the “bottom” employees. Employee questions, concerns or ideas have to go up several steps of the chain of command so that upper management can address or approve. The bottom employees do not have the ability to make decisions related to their work or a particular situation. So, not everyone feels equal.
So, if you are not a spiritual leader, you are just basically told to submit and listen to those who are in authority over you because they are the people that “hear from God” and you are not and so whatever they say goes. And they set up a scenario where they basically kept those of us who were not spiritual leaders dependent upon them.
Many in management are overconfident and overestimate their abilities. They have a simple idea of how things are and how things work. Unfortunately, they make decisions that impact entire departments without gaining the needed knowledge.
The chain of command and lack of ongoing training also results in many employees being promoted so much that they max out their competence and will remain there until they leave or are let go. So, you end up with many in the role of management that lack the training and competence of the respective department. So, employees with the most authority are often not the most experienced and not adept in the particular field leading team members. And employees with the most experience and skills and knowledge and wisdom have the least (or no) authority.
Good leaders don’t always claim the “leader” title. Oftentimes, good leaders are those with more understated temperaments. Leadership is as much about listening as it is about telling. However, people with the most open and receptive personalities often do not have much authority.
Also, how the chain of command should operate when there is a unit that acted without proper authorization, it is not a junior authority who’s going to bear a responsibility for that, but somewhat of more senior status. And that’s true in any military or business or ministry operating by a code of ethics. So, if someone at the bottom of the chain is struggling, failing, or making mistakes, those at the top of the chain bear full responsibility. Everything stands or falls on leadership. Unfortunately, the chain at FCBH is not two directional.
There is also a sense that top management promotes employees who are least-competent but pose no risk to their own position (in-group bias) to management.
*Feedback:
Work environment or culture is not set up for employees to give honest feedback/opinions or to deliver bad news or to question or disagree with management.
Sample bias is also common. Management will send an email asking for feedback but they won't consider how only the people who are open to talking and sharing their opinions will participate while others won’t. Bias arises because employees with specific characteristics (e.g., extroverts) might be more likely to agree to participate than others, making the participants a non-representative sample. People with strong opinions or substantial knowledge about a specific topic may be more willing to give feedback than those without. Management does not follow up to determine why they are unresponsive or follow up frequently to reduce attrition.
Management claims they want to hear from employees, but they only want opinions and ideas on matters that are superficial or trivial. So, few employees give candid feedback on important and significant matters.
Top management does not involve employees in the change process when changes occur.
Management does not ask for honest feedback on their leadership or on decisions that are made that affect employees. Management will not ask how they are doing as leaders, what employees need from them. No regular check-ins or 1:1 on employees’ professional and personal well-being. Are employees stressed, disappointed or feeling burdened physically, emotionally or spiritually? No growth and career discussions.
Management will ignore most feedback, comments, suggestions even when it's common knowledge but will adamantly listen to employees who preface with "God told me to tell you..." Or “I felt God say …” or “God spoke to me and said…”
For example, management started focusing on Gen Z only after a few people claimed that “God told us that Gen Z are important for our future business growth.” In another instance, someone said “God gave us this word: we as a ministry need to really consider how everyone is wired, how each person is different. How people have different personalities.” Then, management affirmed this “word from God.”
If one employee brings something up to management it is often ignored and the employee is gaslighted. If two or more employees bring the same thing to management, then God is communicating something and they take it seriously (per Matt 18). Even if it is just coincidence or frequency bias.
*Groupthink/Conformity:
Groupthink, confirmation bias, in-group bias, illusions of unanimity, and self-censorship is very prevalent in the culture and especially in their meetings. There is a lot of direct pressure to not question, to conform, to agree with the views and personal convictions of the top management. Employees condemn those who disagree or question top management and they accept those who agree, creating immense pressure for conformity.
So, many employees frequently remain quiet, preferring to “keep the peace” rather than disrupt the uniformity. Employees are pressured to hide problematic information (especially from top management).
*Disagreements/Different perspectives:
Top management will also point out the working and living conditions of international employees to “encourage” local employees to not “complain” or give critical feedback or bring up legitimate problems (e.g., fumes or loud noises from construction in the building).
Management also often commits the "ends (or goals or vision) justify the means" fallacy: the work, the production and distribution of bibles (the ends) being done is more important, so employees shouldn't complain at all about the means or their working conditions (broken chairs, broken or inadequate equipment, poor work-life balance, bad management).
And, if management disagrees with you, with your observations, feedback, suggestions, or theology, they will often try to trump you with spirituality or vague meaningless spiritual terminology instead of using Scripture (properly interpreted), facts and reasoning.
In addition, top managers will take great offense when employees question or disagree with the directions and decisions they make. Dissent is not welcomed. Respectful debates/disagreement is not encouraged. Open discussion and alternative perspectives are not encouraged. Management does not value, support, or respect diverse opinions and ideas. They do not actively seek out different viewpoints. Do not allow people to speak their perspective, their thought of mind. So, there is no psychological safety. Employees do not feel comfortable expressing dissenting opinions without fear of retribution or judgment. Afraid of breaking the little glass image. People do not feel comfortable sharing setbacks, mistakes, failures. Management does not encourage open communication. Management often seeks agreement, instead of posing honest questions that challenge the status quo and provoke critical thinking and discussion. They do not encourage employees to challenge them. In fact, they are seen as a type of complaining or critical feedback and so are viewed as sin. This makes top management seem self-centered.
*Appeals to emotion: Guilt and Shame:
Top management often shares their personal opinions and convictions (e.g., spending money only when absolutely necessary, not accepting large gifts, not buying fancy items) as something everyone should do. It’s never direct. It's always through stories. Management loves stories. The personal convictions of management are presented as more than preferences.
For instance, top management encourages extreme frugality and poverty through their personal anecdotes #loudbudgeting and stories from international cultures. Think along the lines of: “we, here in America, have no right to be sad or to complain about things or to request better things or ask for accommodations or for more employee engagement because others (internationals) have it much worse.” Even wanting better equipment and supplies or asking for better working conditions is frowned upon (in some cases seen as a sin), even if your request helps you to do your job more effectively and makes the work better (a new whiteboard, a new office chair, better computers, etc.)
Example: “You should really try to come in to work even if you feel bad, even if you are snowed in and the roads are hazardous because people need to get our bibles. And our international employees work in much harsher conditions.”
You also get this feeling from the way they communicate that top management would rather not pay their employees. They would prefer it if everyone just worked for free because “we are on a mission from God. We are doing the Lord's work.” There is also a sense that employees should be more than willing to sacrifice their well-being, career goals, financial goals, personal goals for reaching people with their Bibles.
Leadership sets the example and expectations, so this all ends up making employees confused and feeling guilty and ashamed. Guilty and shameful about asks, spending money (even their own). Guilty and shameful about having nice things (new car, new phone, new tv), about making needs known, about sharing concerns regarding work, about asking for raises to keep up with cost of living, etc.
Example: An employee has continued to use an old whiteboard. It is so old it is hard to read and difficult to erase. Management likes to tell donors: “We don't spend money on everyday things like whiteboards…. Instead, we use that money for more bible recordings, for people to hear about Jesus.”
This also causes confusion. Every few months there is a meeting where management discusses how sitting on stores of money is bad, but spending it is also bad, but also not spending it is bad... "Being rich is bad. Money is bad. let's not accumulate money, that's bad. We must think about how people will see what we have. So we should look poor and not appear too frivolous." But top management is okay with receiving gifts from donors and other ministries. Management personally does not like to have nice “fancy” things, and as a ministry, they say FCBH should also not have nice fancy things, they should use the money for other more important things. They don't like when other ministries use their money for nice fancy things, but it's okay if other ministries give FCBH nice fancy things like tote bags, key chains, mugs, phone holders, lunch bags. Another example, it took them years to repaint the parking lot. It was at the point where people did not know where to park. Before repainting, management decided to remodel the hallways and install posters and multiple monitors with language stats.
There is also a subtle sense that producing audio and video bibles is the highest calling one can have. And it's implied that FCBH is the main means God uses to fulfill the great commission: “God needs FCBH to do these bible recordings or people (specifically unreached internationals) will go to hell.” So, top management hints that working anywhere else isn't really serving God (or at least, not serving God as well as one could if they worked somewhere else). They imply that working at this ministry is the only way to truly serve God and fulfill your calling. They also use this framing to guilt and shame employees into not quitting. Management implies that employees should not take opportunities to leave or take other jobs because getting the Bible to people is God’s highest calling for us as Christians:
“If anyone leaves FCBH, then they must not really understand the vision/calling. They are not committed to saving people. We should be willing to give up things to fulfill the calling. The apostles did not pursue better jobs and so God will provide if we need better pay, benefits, career. For those of us who join the ministry to hold true to get God's word to every person, it takes discipline because we have opportunities to do other things. I'm sure that Noah had problems with Builders because he probably had hundreds of people not thousands working on the ark. They started their own businesses and started side things going on. pretty soon they'll have no time to work with him on the ark. and you can have all kinds of diversionary things happen. and so we want to understand they focused in the ministry. and that's been one of the things that I've really tried to do is what did God tell me at the time this ministry began because I was not interested in this ministry. I was interested in living by faith and experiencing God through people and seeing people experience God. and when I was praying about that here in Albuquerque the Lord said bring my church together and make disciples. and then he also told me that when his people think the same they are one. so it's not a matter of getting rid of the buildings or the leaders but it's a matter of people thinking the same. They can go to different denominations, different buildings, have different teachers, and different preachers and leaders but once they think the same, they're one and that's what his objective was. and so that's when I felt like the Lord said get God's word to every person. So I'm challenging us to stay true to what God has called us to do. and every time somebody leaves the ministry there are reasons for leaving. but it startles me a little bit, because I think well we haven't, we haven't communicated the vision very well somehow because they didn't get it. like Noah building the arc. it it's a long project it's not a month or a year two years or three years. our immediate goal is 2033 and it means that we're committed to a cause. and that means some of us we give up something. I we've given up stuff we live in a small apartment and that's what we saw that God had us do and that's our lifestyle we we tone down our lifestyle to get the cause committed to the cause. and and I know that's difficult for some, in some cases maybe there's financial needs because of family growth and stuff there they just can't afford to work in the ministry. but sometimes it's a choice and every time somebody leaves it where it's actually a choice. I think we haven't communicated the mission very good the vision very good. I've been looking at is that could you imagine read reading the New Testament. and finding out that Peter about halfway through or Paul halfway through the ministry all of a sudden got a better job offer. and stopped their portion of the ministry they held the course no matter what happened. whether it was good or whether it was bad. Paul talks about this and sometimes we want to follow the Lord. but we don't impart on ourselves the same responsibilities that those disciples did. so when God Empower them is he empowering you in the same way. and you're making choices that maybe you shouldn't make that you will impart and say the Lord is leading me someplace else when in fact maybe it isn't. it's just a better offer. if the Bible in the New Testament was reading a little bit different than Stephen left the ministry at this point or James left the ministry at this point because of something I think we need to be very very careful and why I say that is that as we work internationally.”
SO, there is a lot of guilt and shame about leaving to pursue other interests or meet needs. Guilt and shame about wanting to leave to advance and develop professionally. For this reason, many remain “loyal” and stay at the ministry.
So there is lots of control and manipulation in the work culture.
*Weekly worship meetings:
These are mandatory and there are some legitimate concerns:
Top management seems to have misconceptions about true worship and worship experiences. They often reduce worship to singing by their communication, the way “worship” is used. Worship is seen as something we do on occasion - once a week, when we gather at work for the mandatory worship time. Top management, by ignoring other styles, seems to believe that there is a single style of worship which is correct for Christians.
And it seems like just about anyone can lead worship or be on the team: anyone that can play an instrument. Top management does not require a worship class or agreement to biblical principles concerning worship as a prerequisite for employees who desire to plan and lead worship experiences. So you end up with people who have different views/philosophies on the worship team. Unfortunately, many who lead do not take the time/effort to plan and lead worship experiences, to discern from songs that are better suited for individual or private worship from songs that are corporate or public worship, to discern songs that are controversial/questionable (have bad theology, weak theology), songs that are theologically ambiguous or songs that lean more towards “feminine” attributes. Most, if not all, of our modern “Christian” worship music is written at a simplistic level of understanding and comprehension. Most music tends to appeal to our emotions. Many songs appeal mostly to women. So there is a great need for teaching on the biblical principles concerning worship. Also a need to choose theologically balanced songs with music appropriate for the people. Unfortunately, many of the songs chosen are theologically incorrect (e.g., having elements from the Word Of Faith movement, New Apostolic Church, New Age). Songs are often not theologically balanced. Songs seem to be chosen for their emotional impact, to make employees feel good; many focus on just one aspect of God (e.g., love). Many promote self-centered worship.
Most of the worship leaders just sing the songs: They do not actually “lead” people into worship. They do not help people connect the lyrics of the song to where they are at in their personal life, to teach them something about God or help the people understand what this song means and what God wants them to get out of it, so they're not just singing songs and just doing, going through the motions or help them understand the depth and the richness of what lyrics mean and how it applies to their life. What matters to them seems to be whether songs are impactful, moving, and beautiful. (Whatever that means.) Whether songs make employees feel good. They don't seem to care whether the songs actually reflect truth: Do the lyrics line up with Scripture? Do the songs glorify self or God? How would new Christians or nonChristians interpret the song?
Theology is the study of God and it's very important doxology is an expression of praise to God so the point here is that all theologies should ultimately lead to doxology if theology doesn't lead to doxology then we've actually missed the point of theology so if you have theology without doxology you just have dead hold orthodoxy which is horrible. On the other side you have the people who say “forget about theology I just want to praise.” But if you have doxology without theology you actually have idolatry because it's just a random expression of praise but it's not actually informed by the truth of who God is so God is
concerned with both he's concerned with an accurate understanding of him and that accurate understanding of him leading to a response of praise adoration and worship towards him.
*Leadership quality:
Top management has more respect for donors and guests than their employees.
Management lacks basic core leadership principles/values:
Unfortunately, many employees are not given power or resources: Management just gives them the responsibility to get things done. Before responsibility is given, employees should be equipped: be empowered, have the authority, be given resources and have the experience. Employees are not empowered as individuals to solve their own problems using their own solutions. Micromanagement is often required every time the situation changes or problems arise. Employees are not inspired to act as leaders for themselves, delivering amazing performance without guidance. They have coaching sessions but only when there’s a problem. True coaching occurs regardless of whether the individual is crushing their goals or falling behind. Management does not seem to care about unlocking a person’s potential and getting the most of their performance. They seem only interested in producing more followers, not more leaders.
No method to hold management accountable to core values listed in their own Employee handbook. Employees are expected to abide by the procedures and rules described in the handbook but top management can choose to ignore it when it is convenient for them.
-Top management are NOT learners: No desire to develop and improve their skills.
-They do not ask employees: What’s one thing you see me doing—or failing to do—that you think I should change?
-They do not ask how they are doing as leaders. Or ask employees how they’re doing.
-They do not ask what employees need from management that they are not giving them.
-No performance evaluations for both management or non-managment.
-They often fail to emotionally connect with employees.
-They do not speak to employees' needs first.
-They do not focus on what they can put into people rather than what they can get out of them.
-They do not understand basic psychology, how people think and behave.
-They are often resistant to (and even hate) change: Perhaps because they fear losing control. In fact, new information, objective facts, research, stats, and even new ideas are often ignored in favor of what's easiest to do or because of tradition. If something has been done and “works”, top management does not see a reason to question it or to improve on it. If something was tried 5, 10, 20, even 50yrs before and failed, top management does not see a reason to try it again even if the exact circumstances have changed.
-They do not empower or give the means, the power or opportunity to do to employees.
-They do not trust others to follow through managing processes and performing tasks.
-They do not lead by example.
-They do not know when to move forward and when to back off, what to improve and how radical those improvements should be.
-They often fail to see options, and plan and prioritize.
-They fail to develop leaders around them.
-Their communication is often poor.
-Their listening is also poor: do not listen for more than facts, but also the feelings, meanings and undercurrents.
-They do not take the time to get to know the people they lead: no weekly check-ins which top organizations have to discuss how employees are doing professionally and personally. Management doesn't ask “what was good this week? What was not good this week? How is your well-being? How is your family?”
Competence in leadership skills is also poor.
-They are not teachable: not willing to keep learning, growing, improving in leadership and management practices: FCBH has a yearly “leadership” summit. But, the way it is set up, it reinforces weaknesses instead of challenging leadership growth.
The summit is also just for a select few in top management. Not every employee is seen as a leader so most employees are excluded.
Top managers attend the summit but there is no followup, no post accountability by other managers and especially by the employees that are under the managers. No discussion on how management will apply what was learned.
Some of the past speakers have had questionable characters and even questionable teachings (Judah Smith). Leadership qualifications and theological background seems to be ignored in favor of charismatics, dynamics, popularity.
-Top management does not take responsibility for their part of a disagreement or failure and apologize.
-They often embrace a victim mentality.
-They often limit yourself by your job title.
-They do not invest in better tools or processes.
-They are content with the status quo.
-They allow their past achievements to stagnate their desire to keep learning.
-There is a lack of discernment, finding the main cause of problems/issues.
-They do not anticipate problems.
-They do not accept the truth of the problem: Do not face up to the reality of the situation;
-They get bogged down in the details.
-They often avoid problems.
-They don’t deal well with problems.
-They do not have their team study all angles.
-They often do not value nontraditional thinking: Don’t embrace change, ambiguity and uncertainty well.
-They do not work well with differences.
-They do not have their own mentors or provide mentorship to others.
-They do not invest to improve their own professional or leadership skills.
-They are often insecure, constantly seek validation, acknowledgement and love.
-They limit employee's success and recognition:
-They do not seem interested in making people successful: Don’t attempt to remove barriers that prevent employees from being successful.

• They often feel threatened by accomplishments by employees who are not management:

If an employee who is not management has a great idea to improve the work, management often does not support it and may secretly try to shut it down.
When a team succeeds, management will not give other people credit and instead take the credit themselves.
It seems like some of the people working there were given the title of management, the position, and that alone made them qualified. Management or leaders assume that their position alone qualifies them to make critical decisions where they may not have the best data, insight, wisdom, skill, experience. Just because one may have the word “manger” in the job title, does not automatically make them a great leader. Leadership is about dealing with people, and the dynamics between those people, and influencing people.
*Dead end career path:
For the most part, top management assumes that team members are fine and "settled", rather than taking the time to understand their true feelings and needs. They do not ask employees where they are struggling, where they are having trouble, what frustrates them the most?
Management does not seem interested in making employees better both personally or professionally. They do not have a growth plan or professional development plan for employees. No job related training. They do not provide what is needed to help employees to grow and improve. They don't provide opportunities for employees to apply their talents and expertise. They don’t ask how they can better support employees. Employees don’t check on each other.
One is expected to work until health deteriorates and skills become obsolete so you leave in a worse place than you started. For most employees, there is no long term future with the organization. Management does not let employees know how they are doing and what the future looks like for them. What the opportunities are. They do not take the time to learn from employees what they want to be. No honest conversations to understand employees goals and ambitions. So, because there is no growth or development plan, no career path, once your skills are outdated, they will probably let you go or they will keep you in the same position and your salary will max out.
Management does not coach employees on how to manage their time, priorities, and energy; no teaching on how to problem solve, or make better decisions, or how to set boundaries or how to minimize context switching and zoom fatigue.

Hey there group, I’ve been seeing questions recently about Red Rock Flight School in Arizona and also some recent recommendations for RR. I wanted to hopefully give you some good insight as to what the school is like, both positive and negatives, from someone who is currently attending RR.
We’ll start with the positives:

1. There are absolutely some amazing CFI’s there, for the most part the CFI’s at RR have been stellar and I still keep in touch with a few of my old CFI’s. Great people, who want to see you succeed
   
2. An investment in new aircraft. They are currently leasing two Archer’s due to the fleet they currently have of Cherokee’s showing their age. The two Archer’s both have AP and I’ve heard are really nice. Haven’t flown in them yet
   
3. Hiring on more mechanics. For the longest time it was only one mechanic for both the C172 and Cherokee’s. Their mechanic is no longer extremely overworked which has led to better maintenance on the planes. I believe they now have 3 mechanics for the fleet
   

Now for the negatives

1. As I previously mentioned, they have an extremely aging fleet which is showing its age. I’ve seen multiple days of every single Cherokee being down due to just problem after problem.
   
2. Miscommunication has become an issue. Nobody in the office talks to each other which leads to absolute chaos. Overcharging has become a thing as of recent, losing track of payments that have been made to the school have happened to a few people I know, and everything seems to be disorganized
   
3. The family feel has gone out the window. When I first started, RR truly had a homey feel where everyone was friends. With the acquisition of Classic Air, that feeling has totally disappeared. I barely know any of the instructors, and sometimes CFI’s last a week before they either leave or are fired.
   
4. Delays. Due to planes being down constantly, many people get stuck and aren’t able to progress. I know of 3 people personally who all left RR due to stagnation and couldn’t progress at the speed they wanted. All 3 became discouraged with the extremely slow progression and are trying to find new schools.
   

Let’s get something right, there is no such thing as a perfect flight school. Every school has its flaws, and the grass is not always greener on the other side. However, Red Rock really has fallen off since I first started. I’ve seen parents of minors come in and wonder why their child isn’t progressing, and why their lessons are always cancelled last minute, I’ve seen planes that are used and abused without proper maintenance, and I’ve seen fellow students frustrated faces.
TL;DR: RR, while once great, isn’t the same as it used to be; although it does have potential. Check out other schools before coming to RR
I hope this helps someone’s decision, and if you have more questions, feel free to send me a message. I’m more than happy to help

I remember being 12 and looking up unclaimed bodies around my area because I called my dad for 2 years straight and he never picked up.
My mother used to tell me that I’m worthless anytime I did something that she didn’t agree with. It could be over the stupidest things too. She was always deliberately cruel.
Like when my job promoted me to another store, and I was bragging to her about my accomplishments, she said “they’re just doing that to get rid of you. Nobody likes you”.
I’m turning 24 soon and it just sort of hit me that I could never be like either of them. It’s hard to be a good parent, but it’s not that hard to just be an ok one.
I want to reconnect with them so bad, because what am I doing that’s so bad that I don’t deserve parents?? I never argued with them as a kid/teenager. I never drank/smoke/ snuck out or talked back to them. I got excellent grades in school. But it’s like I got dealt a shitty hand.
I got a job at 16 and i was apparently deemed good enough to parent myself. My mom stopped grocery shopping so I had to spend my paycheck to buy groceries/food and then when I got home she would yell at me for hours because I didn’t “get the right food” and I must hate her because I didn’t buy the organic stuff she wanted. But I was only working part-time at a restaurant for $9 an hour and couldn’t afford it. She also gave me $600 a month bill that was also my responsibility with the rest of my paycheck.
Or when I graduated high school and needed to go college, she wouldn’t fill my Fafsa out (she did the same thing to my brother and he had to drop out and go to community college) and kept pushing it back. I had to get a 2nd job to pay my tuition, so I was going to school full-time, and then had a full-time and part-time job.
She figured out the days I got paid, and would drive me to a check cashing place and take most of my money. I couldn’t keep that life up of working 12+ hour days every day and flunked out of my college. I reenrolled in my local community college, but I was just so lost that I ended up quitting.
She brought a new house when I was in college that had a run-down in law suite. She told me if I fixed it I could live in there and pay rent and have some more privacy. I worked extra hours and got a 3rd job, found a plumber and electrician, and would spend hours every week to fix the place, and wouldn’t you know it as soon as I was done she sold the property and took all the profit. She did the same thing to a broken down car that she had, I paid $4k to take it to a mechanic and when we got it back, she “never said that” and still drives that car to this day.
When we were moving (again) i decided to just get an apartment with my boyfriend because I was getting sick and tired of being used. She found out and hid the leasing information that I got from a complex, and guilt tripped me by saying she wouldn’t be able to afford things on just her paycheck and would starve. So I quit looking, just for her to scream at me a week later that I was a useless burden and that I was the one financially abusing her.
So I packed my bags, slept on the dirty floor of my boyfriend’s parents trailer for 2 weeks, got a round of the stimulus checks, and moved out to our own apartment. When I went back to her place to pack the last of my stuff she was snatching things out of my hand, threw my boyfriend’s laptop and tried to choke him/throw him out.I pushed her away from him and she told the family that we both were hitting her, so they don’t talk to me anymore. She was also insulting him for his family bring poor, and making fun of his dead grandmother.
And as I’m getting older and my prefrontal cortex is developing I just don’t understand them. I can understand hurtful things being said in the moment, but to continually be like that means you are making a conscious effort to be a terrible person.
But I miss them so much. I want a mom to talk to about my day and complain about my co-workers with. I want to watch movies at her place again and eat junk food. But she doesn’t deserve it, and I feel like I do. I don’t know what to do. There’s plenty of more terrible and down right weird things that she does. Like she used to beat me and my brothers with electric wires as a kid. Or recently, she was renting out one of our old homes and my partner and I moved in and we were paying MORE THAN market rent. And she forced us to move out after only 6 weeks because I said no to helping her on a side project because I was busy. But I “owed her” because she could’ve “charged me more”.
Which I should’ve known it would end this way honestly.
My parents are divorced and my father lives in a different city. He only calls me when he needs something and honestly I have stopped answering.
I’m not sure what to do. Advice?
TL;DR: my parent’s are terrible, I still want a relationship with them.

We hired a nanny about a year ago for our baby, who is now about 18 months old. While we found her on care.com, we didn’t actually “hire” her through there (just moved straight to contract over email). She was the second person (of 2) we talked to on the phone for screenings and we immediately loved her. She did a home test for a week and aced it, and we hired her. I called her two most recent references and they both gave glowing reviews (one continues to hire her on weekends; the other highlighted some issues they’d had but were able to correct and had actually tried to rehire her but our nanny didn’t want to continue working for them). We thought all was great.
Over the course of the year, she has been generally wonderful. She does put her foot in her mouth/make odd comments from time to time, and can get a bit too personal, but those have generally been our only complaints. We’ve spoken to her about this and she has gotten better, but still does slip up from time to time.
A few months ago, I happened to look up her profile on care.com out of curiosity, because she mentioned she still does odd jobs on weekends through there. I noticed she had a bad review (posted a month prior), where the person claimed my nanny ignored all special requests, watched tv too much and didn’t interact with the baby, and made inappropriate comments about the husband to the wife directly. When I saw this, I freaked out, but ultimately the only part that sounded true based on our experience with her was making inappropriate comments. I ended up asking her about it, and she said this review was from 8 months prior, she was never told about the special requests, but she did make a comment that the husband looked attractive in his wedding suit when looking at their wedding photos with the wife. I believed her (again based on my own experience) and confirmed she probably shouldn’t have said that and to take it as a learning opportunity to be more mindful of not putting her foot in her mouth.
The next day, she was suspended from care.com. My nanny told me this, I wasn’t aware myself because I hadn’t hired her directly through care.com. The timing was wild, I asked if she did anything (try to reach out to the wife, etc) but she says she didn’t. I’m not sure what to believe here.
We decided, based on how great she’s generally been, to move past it. However, a few days ago one of her references (who didn’t raise any negatives working with her and told me she still hires her on weekends) texted me and asked if I knew why she was suspended from care.com. I explained the above and that my best guess was this negative review somehow triggered a suspension, and asked her if she ever had negative experiences with our nanny. She mentioned that they actually were ghosting her because the last time my nanny went to help them out, she made inappropriate comments about the reference’s friends and called her son “slow” (as in has developmental issues, which he doesn’t), and as a result they don’t want to work with her again.
So now I’m not sure what to do. Again she seems so great with my baby, we’re pretty chill so the foot in mouth comments don’t bother us too much, but it seems like several other families have had bad experiences with her and it’s making me second guess everything. For example, she did once call my baby slow too, but I immediately corrected it and she hasn’t said it since. I hate that she did it, but I’m also prone to saying the wrong thing sometimes, so I’m trying to be understanding. But it’s making me so anxious that I’m ignoring red flags, and I can’t help but wonder if she was suspended for something else. We never ran an additional background check, so I’m thinking that’s the next step.
Appreciate any advice, thank you!
EDIT: I forgot to mention, about 6 months ago our nanny was so upset because she was kicked out of her friend group, allegedly because of something she was saying to her ex boyfriend via text that one of her friends saw and got upset about, which ultimately ended up with everyone in the group ghosting her. We thought nothing of it at the time (she’s in her 20s and mean girl behavior can happen anywhere) but in light of everything else it makes us question it all

Most meetings should be an email:
Their “all hands on deck” meetings are early in the morning, even though the first three hours of your workday are your most precious and productive and should be reserved for the most important tasks where focus, attention, high cognitive function, willpower is needed, according to research. Willpower or mental energy regulates your thoughts, emotions, impulses, and performance control.
Top management has recurring meetings but it seems like the topic was determined 5 min beforehand because the meetings are often all over the place, with no clear agenda, and random topics. Often, they feel like a parent lecturing their teenager.
Meetings are mandatory. Most employees do not really have to be there. The meetings do not affect the actual day to day job functions. The main purpose for these meetings seems to be for unity (or the appearance of). They are often not productive. Not useful and not engaging for most employees. Not worth spending company time. Not used for coaching or mentoring. Not used for making decisions. They are not about a complex issue that needs to be talked through ideas and solutions. In actuality, 98% of the meetings should really just be emails. There are three regular weekly meetings: about 80-90% of them include testimonies or personal stories and about 10-20% is someone sharing statistics (about the products they produce) or status updates or the behind the scenes (how the "hotdogs" are made). One out of about four meetings involve a recount of the ministry's history. If one did not attend the meetings, nothing would change. There really would not be any consequences that would affect doing your job.
Finally, Managers or employees who have traveled internationally are the only ones that get to speak and address the entire ministry. Everyone else doesn't get a voice.
Testimonies or personal stories:
Stories and testimonies as a form of encouragement and motivation are not bad or not useful; however, there are other areas in the work culture that are lacking that destroy any built up motivation. Employees are expected to have some kind of emotional response to them. Over the months and years, stories and testimonies become overused. In fact, you will hear so many testimonies that, over time, they will blurr and you will probably become desensitized to them. Stories and testimonies are probably seen as a way of providing support to employees but other supports are also lacking and needed (e.g., better leadership, empowerment, resources, tools, better communication, regular check ins, accountability, empathy, feedback, personal and professional development). Stories, anecdotes, and testimonies seem to be used to deflect from some of the problems in the ministry culture.
Top management pressures employees to feel a certain way. They want them to always feel encouraged and motivated by everything and anything the ministry does:
If you replace "encourage" with Love" and then talk to your wife....
“I took out the trash, that should make you feel loved. I mowed the lawn, that should make you feel loved. I picked up my laundry, that should make you feel loved. I went exercised today, that should make you feel loved. i helped an old lady cross the street.”
This makes it all about YOU, not how your wife actually feels! in fact, you are manipulating her to feel a certain way by what you did!
"If you are not feeling loved by all these things I did, then something is wrong with YOU.”
So management tells employees how they should be feeling about things. Performance is often not rewarded. Many employees do not know how much management cares about them as a person. What would be really encouraging is if management gave employees confidence, listed better, spoke to their needs, and empowered them.
Meetings - introverts vs extroverts:
Meetings are not set up to accommodate the basic differences between introverts and extroverts (e.g., how they best think, work, process information, communicate, learn; introverts typically dislike noise and big group settings) nor of how people need to manage their energy (ultradian rhythms). Management does not use information about individual team members’ personalities and predilections to formulate norms and dynamics that are respectful to everyone. Research indicates that in a typical six-person meeting, two people do more than 60% of the talking. In bigger groups, like the 100+ group at FCBH, the problem is worse. Management allows a certain dominant personality to do all the talking. They are not coached to listen, reflect, and become more open to the perspectives of their more silent peers. Top management does not send the meeting agenda in advance and ask for written feedback to give introverts time to formulate thoughts and summon the courage to share them.
Management’s definition of a “successful” meeting is different from that of other organizations. Top management does not appear to have any training in meeting science. Most meetings do not provide value to all attendees. They are not set up for employees to contribute and add value to them. Also, no opportunities to give feedback on meeting quality when meetings end.
A “Christian” version of CRT:
The opinions and perspectives of international employees are valued over local/american employees. Employees who are international (and especially those who live in persecuted areas) are often prioritized and favored. Their voice, their input, is often considered more important because top management pressures them to share and speak.
If there is a need, entire ministry is notified to pray if the need is from internationals but not if the need is local.
Personal convictions. Money:
Top management tends to have some childhood trauma, that is the root cause of their strong personal convictions, that often comes out during their mandatory meetings. These “preaching” moments usually have to do with money. They grew up poor or had strict parents or been around groups, ministries, and churches that abused money and now they get triggered or feel guilty when they see new things and resist replacing things like whiteboards and chairs: "if we already have something, we don't need to replace it = if it ain't broke, don't fix/replace it. wear your shoes out until your soles poke through the bottom before buying new ones." They seem to get triggered when employees ask them for upgrades/replacements” “if it can still 'technically' work, then it's fine.”
Compromises:
In order to fulfill their deadlines and to keep up appearances with ministry partners and donors, management will often “let things go”. Things such as quality of the recordings or training issues with internationals. They are willing to sacrifice quality control to get the results their supporters want to see.
Employee well-being:
Top management often makes assumptions about the well-being and contentment of employees.
They do not invest time and effort in comprehending genuine emotions and needs to create a supportive and harmonious work environment.
No consideration for managing energy or attention. No discussions on employees’ health and wellness goals. Instead, employees are expected to focus, to look at computer screens for extended periods of time (an 8 hrs shift includes two short breaks) even though editing and processing audio and video requires high mental energy and prolonged focus. Management often ignores telltale singles of burnout and fatigue. No effort is made to increase energy, reduce fatigue, and improve job performance. So, consistency, accuracy, and quality of recordings are affected as well as employees’ well-being.
Moveover, no paid maternity or even work from home options for new parents. Many new moms have left. New parents must be use PTO if they want time with their new baby.
The end result? Low moral, isolation, aloneness. Many employees are overworked and underappreciated. Many are not satisfied with their position. Most work until they burn out. Someone said this and it's true: for every employee that leaves, they have to hire at least two people to replace them. Sure, there are some long-term or for life employees who have been around for 10+ years. Unfortunately, most of these employees have outdated skills and would have a difficult time finding work (there is no continuing education or certifications offered) if they wanted to leave (or were let go). In addition, many of the skills employees learn on the job are non-transferrable. So, many choose to stay and remain loyal to the ministry because the cost of leaving is just too high.
No windows; no natural light:
Most of the building has no windows. Something to note if you struggle with depression.
People are different:
Management seems to lack an understanding of how people are wired, how each person is different, what drives their behavior and what they’re capable of doing with their skills. Not much consideration for each person’s individual goals, strengths, and weaknesses. Management does not create situations that encourage employees to motivate themselves.
So, work areas do not reflect the needs of Gen Z and millennials, the basic differences between introverts and extroverts (e.g., how they think, work, process information, communicate, learn), how personality impacts work preferences and styles. No awareness of how people need to manage their energy (ultradian rhythms). They do not allow people to work the way they want to; extroverts should feel comfortable taking time to socialize, while introverts should have license to work remotely or take breaks from the team.
Top management does not recognize that individuals may not always express their inner concerns or desires openly. They don’t sculpt jobs to enhance individual engagement: they don’t seek to understand the unique motivations of employees or develop each employee’s career. No incentives or rewards are provided. Not much authentic appreciation is shown. Employees have value as people (not just as producers), and management needs to communicate in ways that are meaningful to the recipient (as opposed to just going through the motions). Management must adopt business practices that help employees have a personal life.”
Work family:
Despite current best business practices, management will continually use the phrase “work family”.
All about the numbers:
There is more focus on production than the core values of the ministry. Top management almost idolizes how many bibles are produced. There is a focus on goals and numbers which often comes off as self-righteous and self-promoting and self-important: Numbers of bibles produced, numbers of people who receive those bibles, numbers of testimonies from those that get the bibles. Focus seems to be on the products FCBH produces over the people reached. Focus is on getting bibles to people. Focus is not on discipleship or teaching people how to correctly interpret the Bible they receive so they can become more like Jesus. Top management seems to be more focused on what they have done well rather than on what others have done well. And they often take credit for accomplishments that should be credited to God.
Theology at work:
Management does not want discussions to get “too theological”, they want to keep it “practical”, as though good practice did not require careful thought to direct it. They discourage employees from discussing theology because they want to keep “unity” and avoid division among Christians, however, they will present their own theological positions and convictions but not allow other employees to question or share their own views and opinions especially on controversial topics (e.g., spiritual gifts, hearing from God, fasting, finances, stewardship, prophesy, replacement theology).
Favoritism:
Major donors to the ministry are singled out to entire staff and praised. The poor widow with two coins wouldn't get any mention. This makes it seem that the ministry only really cares about the major donors. All donors should be anonymous to employees that are not directly working with the donors.
Employees who are pastors are also favored:
They are often asked to pray or give a word in meetings as if their prayers and words are above employees who are not pastors. As if God will take extra time and attention to hear from them and answer their prayers.
Inconsistencies:
Some “special” employees are allowed to work remotely for some unknown reason. Most employees requesting to WFH are denied. This is never explained and so it creates division, confusion, and envy.
Birthday, thanksgiving, and Christmas parties vary drastically by department: some departments work half day and get together off site to celebrate; some work full day and have no party; some work full day and have a 30min party onsite (during work hours?); some have food only, some have food and games, some have everyone bring in food but some have the ministry? provide the food; some have gift exchange and some don’t….
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Conclusion:
Some people might say this is all superficial and selfish, all that really matters is getting bibles to people. You be the judge. Many have chosen to ignore these issues and remain loyal to the ministry; some stay and think things will get better; others stay because they have nowhere else to go; some mentally check out; some have spoken out and been labeled as “causing disunity” and then let go, and many others have chosen to leave. Unfortunately, the people most sensitive to a decrease in the quality of the culture are typically those with the most resources, skills, and talents that could be used to effectuate improvement. The people who are the least sensitive to quality usually have fewer resources, skills, and talents.

If you are thinking about working at or if you are thinking about donating to Faith Comes By Hearing/Hosanna [https://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com](https://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/) you should consider the following. Having worked at Faith Comes By Hearing myself for decades, you should be aware of their culture and ideology. (Arranged from most important to least.)
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\*Treatment of the Bible:
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Grammatical, historical and cultural context as well as literary genre are all ignored by top management. So, Scripture is often misquoted and misused:
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Ignoring basic, common sense guidelines, rules for interpreting the Bible results in misinterpreting, misunderstanding, and misapplying the Bible. Management ignores the fact that observation (what the text says) must always come before interpretation (what the text means); and interpretation always comes before application (how the text applies to me). They do not consider the Bible text objectively first: They treat the text subjectively or relatively or assume what the passage text means. And they ignore the fact that a text cannot mean today what it never could have meant to the original authors and original readers. Exegesis is often contrasted with “eisegesis”; the Greek preposition εἰς means “into,” and hence eisegesis means reading your own meaning into the text. Bible study is not reading your personal theology into some biblical passage. Bible study is letting the text talk to us; we are the listeners, not the talkers. Many Christians just want to know what the Bible “means to me.” If you stop to think about it, this just is not possible. We must do the hard work of learning the author’s original meaning first, and without that we can’t ever know “what it means to me.” A text cannot mean what it never meant.
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\*Feelings and experiences rule:
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There is a focus by top management on personal experiences and feelings instead of a studied period of reflection: Emotional, simple, popular teaching instead of intellectually careful and doctrinally precise teaching. Bible studies go straight to the question, “What does this passage mean to me?” while bypassing the prior question, “What does the passage say and why do I think my interpretation is correct?” Management promotes and allows employees to get away with applying an understanding of a passage that is based on vague feelings or first impressions and not on the hard work of reading the context, verifying with commentaries and using study tools such as concordances, Bible dictionaries, and the like because a careful exercise of reason is not important in understanding what the Bible actually says for management. Besides, it takes work! For management, Christianity is identified with subjective feelings, sincere motives, personal piety, and blind faith. Management tests the truth not by a careful application of our God-given faculties of thought, or even by biblical mandates (for example, 2 Corinthians 10:5), but rather by private subjective experiences. For the most part, theoretical reason is just not part of the culture at FCBH. In fact, top management will often spiritualizing normal, everyday things like advice, facts, common knowledge:
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Example during a meeting, the CEO said he saw a full moon, then clouds formed & covered the moon, then clouds dissipated. He then said he felt God say: "I can turn nothing into something; something into nothing; turn this ministry into something & if it goes thick & blocks Jesus; it has to diminish.”
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So, personal, subjective experiences that top management shares equals truth that employees must agree with or at least accept as true.
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Also, time is money, but management uses their mandatory meetings to discuss controversial or complex topics (e.g., fasting, communion, tithing, personal stewardship of money, helping the homeless, how to create more interaction with remote workers, how to retain employees, how to hire more Gen Z employees, past trauma), most of which are unrelated to the actual work. Then they ask employees (most of which have no authority to get things changed/done) what their opinion is about the controversial or complex topic, instead of consulting with professionals or experts.
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So, top management will read a bible verse (not a paragraph, not a chapter, a verse; usually out of context) using a version of the Bible that is almost a paraphrase. Then share something personal that happened to them, something they did or saw or experienced or a personal conviction that is not related to the verse. Then explain how they felt about it, how they interpreted it. Then they will ask employees (especially internationals) to share similar experiences. And, then if no one shares or comments or speaks, management makes employees feel guilty: Along the lines of “So, God is not working in your life?”
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Example: “I felt God give me this verse about gossip. Let me share with you some personal stories about gossip…. This is how I see it. Now, in the last 5 min of our time, I want people to share. I especially want input from internationals. Does anyone have anything to say about this? No, one? Is God not speaking to you? How can God not be moving and speaking? This is unreal….”
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Top management will often use a reader response or subjective biblical interpretation: “This is what I think this verse means. What do you think this verse means? What stood out to you? What did you learn? What is God asking you to apply?” This is a very self-centered way to interpret Scripture. The focus is all about you. What you think. What you feel. But, “The Bible is not about you.” - Timothy Keller. And this leads to people looking at the same verse and coming up with completely different interpretations. Everybody seems to have an opinion on what the Bible says/teaches.
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So, instead of discovering what the original author said to the original readers. They will take Biblical concepts (e.g., called to ministry; felt led by the Spirit; God spoke to me; felt peace) and then add new meanings to them which the original author did not intend. This is dangerous since it leaves employees with doubt, disillusionment, disappointment, discouragement, and false hope and can leave them with unmet, unrealistic, and false expectations. Top management will also take subjective, unclear biblical principles or non-essentials, or personal convictions and make them scriptural authority and then judge other Christians who do not agree. They will treat the Proverbs as promises. They will also not make an effort to distinguish between Biblical principles and practices which are relative, time bound, culturally subjective, Biblically illustrated (not commanded). They will often make hasty generalizations. They will beg the question. They will commit special pleading, dictionary simpliciter, reductive, faulty analogy and many other fallacies. They will also allegorize promises in Scripture and spiritualize all principles. They assume that all historical narratives have individual identifiable moral application. God’s word should be taught clearly, not in a distorted manner. Top management will proof text and use religious words to promote their agenda.
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And top management will encourage others to have this view/philosophy of Bible interpretation. Many incorrectly interpret the Bible and do not even realize it.
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I pray to God that this bad method of interpretation is not being taught to internationals, to people who have never had bibles, who do not have biblical discernment, who don't know any better.
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\*Inductive Bible study and internationals:
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Hermeneutics has been defined as the science and art of biblical interpretation. Hermeneutics helps us understand the Bible. It is a science because there are specific rules the interpreter must follow. It is an art because it takes years of practice to develop the ability to employ those rules properly. There is a difference between a novice and a seasoned interpreter. Hermeneutics has two basic steps, finding what the text meant to its original audience, and then seeing how it applies to our current situation. Unfortunately, many people (Americans included), impose their own personal experiences, theology, and modern culture on to the Biblical text.
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Fortunately, God has allowed us (especially Americans) to have Bible dictionaries, commentaries, handbooks, atlases, etc., to help us with correct hermeneutics, to understand the essential historical and cultural information - the context of the original author and readers of the Bible. We have tools that shed light on the text and help us to arrive at the correct interpretation. When you read a commentary, it will provide checks and balances against your possible mistakes. They can answer questions that a reading of the text can never provide or ask questions that you may never think of asking. Unfortunately, many international people groups do not have access to these tools (or even access to mature, trained, and experienced Christians and pastors). And even if they do have access to resources, they may not know how to use them properly (i.e., limitations of commentaries).
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Grammatical-Historical Method or Inductive Bible study can easily be done with printed or digital Bibles. But how can a person do this with audio and video Bibles? This is critical especially for international people groups that do not have access to (and may never have) print Bibles.
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False gospels and heresies are popular in illiterate people groups because they are not taught discernment or how to evaluate Scripture and the thoughts of others for themselves. People with ulterior motives misuse Scripture and end up influencing the illiterate.
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If these Bible Films and audio Bibles are considered to be actual Bible Translations – video and audio translations of the Bible and the equivalent to and sometimes a replacement for print scripture – then should we also make it a point to teach people who are watching and listening to our video and audio Bible translations Biblical hermeneutics (historical-grammatical interpretation)? How to study the Bible properly for themselves?
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My experience has been that many non-Christians (and Christians) misquote or misinterpret the Bible because they do not know how to actually read and study it on their own to find out what the text actually meant to the original author and audience and seeing how it applies to their current situation.
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There are many ways to study the Bible, and there are many excellent study aids available to help you with specific books of the Bible. But the most important thing you need to remember is that to find out what the Bible says, you need to read it yourself in a way that will help you discover what it says, what it means, and how you are to apply it to your life. And the best way to do this is through the process called inductive study. Inductive study doesn’t tell you what the Bible means or what you should believe. Instead, it teaches you a method of studying God’s Word that can be applied to any portion of Scripture at any time.
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Inductive Bible study draws you into personal interaction with the Scripture and thus with the God of the Scriptures so that your beliefs are based on a prayerful understanding and legitimate interpretation of Scripture.
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\*Artistic freedom concerns:
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Another concern is with the artistic freedom or personal preference when it comes to audio and video Bible media (when these function as replacements for print Scripture). How much can be taken before you compromise the historical accuracy or the meaning and understanding of the original message? A good translation must be faithful to the historical situation and not change the cultural background. In Bible Translation, the translator’s first job is to study the text carefully to discover the correct meaning (what the original author wanted to communicate). Do international people groups understand that the “artistic freedom” (e.g., how the film is lit, the key shots, angles it shoots from, close-ups, point of view, sets, locations and props, editing, the dialogue and the actors’ performance and emotions, wardrobe choices, soundtrack, visual transitions, reference shots), the visuals and sound, are all NOT inspired?
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Biblical and Orthodox Christianity teaches that All Scripture (not just some) is inspired by God who utilized the human element within man to accomplish this without error.The very WORDS (not just the ideas, even parts of letters, and sometimes the tense of verbs) are a result of the mind of God expressed in human terms and conditions. The Bible IS fully true in all that it teaches or asserts to be true (including historical and scientific matters). Only the original documents (autographs) are completely free from error. Does FCBH make an effort to explain this to people groups? If not, then there will be conflict when the visuals and sounds that are added do not match the Biblical text. There will be confusion, doubt, disillusionment, disappointment, discouragement, false hope when people are confronted with unmet, unrealistic, and false expectations.
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So, using audio and especially video as Bibles should come with some teaching of the basic principles of film criticism, the doctrine of inspiration (difference between artistic freedom and the Word of God), and inductive Bible study or Bible interpretation.
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\*Communicating the truth:
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They employ a presuppositional and fideistic/experiential approach to evangelism: In the many testimonies that are shared, many of the people who receive the audio bibles say they believe in Jesus because FCBH gave them bibles that are in their native language. Makes you wonder what would happen if the audio was from the Quran or book of Mormon. Would they believe in anything as long as it was in their own language? FCBH does not seem to make sure people are actually believing facts. There seems to be no appeals to evidence and reason for the truthfulness of the Christianity. One should become a Christian and believe that Jesus is God because it is true (from reason, historical evidence, archaeological evidence, theistic arguments) and not because the Bible one reads is in a certain language. You should follow Jesus because He is God and proved it; not because He speaks your language.
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\*Hearing from God?
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Many in management practice “hearing from God” and then claim God said something specific and personal to them and to the ministry. This practice uses God's name in vain. And often use God to avoid personal responsibility - “I heard from God; God told me; I felt led; God spoke to me…” They then put what happens on God, so they avoid any personal responsibility if it does not come to pass. They make Christianity out to be personal, private, and a matter of “how I feel about things.” Many Christians actually feel spiritually sub-standard and defeated because for them “the heavens have been silent”. This can be debilitating, and it’s profoundly unfair to employees if their only shortcoming is entertaining a false expectation of what a relationship with God entails. Conversations are often littered with casual references to one’s latest revelations without any sense of the gravity of the assertion, or any sense of responsibility to justify the claim. Even Jesus Himself didn’t presume to speak for God without compelling evidence. But, management takes personal opinions and spiritualize them as if they were God’s word to give divine authority to impulses or thoughts that drift through their minds. To say “God is telling me” gives feelings an authority the Scripture does not justify and virtually ends debate. You can’t argue with the person if God supposedly gave the command. Trusting inner feelings is not biblical. It’s confusing at best, and dangerous at worst.
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And with certain requests from employees, when top management does not want to do something, they will respond by saying things like: “I need to pray about it first. Sorry, I do not feel led. I need to get confirmation first. I need to have peace about it first. I need to hear from God first.” But with other things, with things they want to do, they do not need to pray about it first, do not need to feel led, do not need to get confirmation first, do not need to have a peace about it first, do not need to hear from God first. When management does not want to do something, they pass the responsibility off to God (“We cannot…. because God didn’t tell us to do it. Didn't get confirmation.”); but when they do want to do something, they don't seek God and do what they want (“We have decided and are going to… and we don’t need to ask God for guidance or permission”).

Edit. Forgot about the date of record having come and gone. I am mistaken, and will now go crawl under a rock and hide. Sorry about the fuck-up.

Years ago someone posted a very nice explanation about zooming out on the chart and looking at On Balance Volume (OBV) to see if the shorts are covering. It was very well written, and I remember digging into it quite a bit at the time and it made sense to me. Sadly I don't remember all the details, but that is what I have been using ever since to do my "oh man, maybe this is it" sanity check.
If you're the person who wrote that thank you, and please link to it in the comments as I would like to re-read it, and there are many here who are new since you wrote it. They should check it out.
If you zoom out on your chart and add the OBV indicator you'll see that compared to the last few years the action of the few days isn't even a blip (looks like the trading sideways chart guy). So if that holds true then the shorts are not covering.
So what's going on? My theory is this. It's proxy proposal 4. The one the board recommends voting against.
For the first time that I can recall the board is recommending an AGAINST vote. I checked all the way back through 2018 (having trouble finding earlier, and don't have the hours to dig in more right now). There is not a single case where the board has recommended an against.
Until now.
I believe that SHF want prop 4 so badly that they are willing to pay for it. They don't hold the shares so they can't vote. So they are spending the money to buy shares so they can vote. The price is going up because an ADVERTISED 25% of the float is locked (we fucking KNOW it's higher, why the hell can't we get the real number?!).
Think of this is as the preview to MOASS. It's a tease but not the feature. Once the SHF have used the shares to pad their vote they do their rinse and repeat to lend and short again. 50% short sales yesterday, and not small numbers for short sales last week either. Oh, and long term OBV is rock steady. Yet the price is up. Hmmmmmm....
Prop 4 is so important to them that they are willing to spend money on trying to get it to pass. The severe downward movement today tells me that either 1) It finally has gotten so expensive for them that they can't risk it going any higher (a very risky move for them so I'm leaning away from this explanation) or 2) they think they have voted enough shares to to get prop 4 to pass.
What is prop 4? On the surface it seems pretty simple. One of the NY retirement funds has concerns about board diversity and skillset. Remember we already vote on these board members and since they got elected its safe to say the majority is happy with them. This proposal brought forth by these guys in NY is NOT something innocent, but just the start of trying to insert their own board members that they like. Stinks of BCG in here. Remember them?
Now, some folks are going to come back and say, "Dude. That means they'll have more than 100% of the votes, and it'll trigger MOASS." No. It does not. We've been through this before. There's whole explanations out there on how it works. The votes are culled and you will never ever ever have more than 100% vote. To which someone will say "BUT DOOOOOOOOOD! That's NOT RIGHT. That should be illegal. That's manipulation." Look around. Any of this seem at all above board? Of course not.
So what can you do?
Simple. Buy, hold, DRS (book) and vote as the board recommends. In the case of Prop 4 the board recommends AGAINST.
We may be early, but we're not wrong.

I have been applying at all agencies trying to get in to law enforcement. About 3 months ago I failed my polygraph im not sure why I was honest I was never told what happened or the reason. They sent me a letter I failed and wouldn’t continue with hiring process.
Now I am being called for background check and polygraph with a different nearby police department (suburbs) and where they are sending me to do the polygraph it is the same agency I failed from.
My question is since I was failed the first time with the previous department will they fail me again? Will they go over my answers this time around to compare i did not lie about anything i just wish they would tell me what is showing as a lie from them. Any input will be appreciated