Loi importation tabac 2010

Adaptative charging, Samsung Health App and "lion's mane".

2024.06.01 11:09 AlejandroPiedra Adaptative charging, Samsung Health App and "lion's mane".

7 days sleep time
7 days score average.
98 sleep score with specifics.
(The idea of the post is to discuss the charging method, the excellency of the health app and raise awareness about "lion's mane").
Intro: I used to have a mid-tier Galaxy A71 with a low quality Xiaomi smartband that was teerrible at tracking sleep. If you take a look at my post history, a few days ago, I complained about the S24 Ultra facial recognition (which, for some reason, has started to work better), but, after reconsidering my thoughts, the pros and cons, I will stay with Samsung for good. Imagine the teach leap I've experienced from an A71 to an S24 Ultra, it's hard to describe in words. Also, fingerprint unlocking has way more use cases than Apple's Face ID, as some users commented in my complaint post.
Body: I'm going to try to be as brief as possible.
I'm a physhiotherapy student, I have been recently gifted an S24 Ultra (a month ago) and a Galaxy Watch 4.
I initially tried to become a doctor but my bipolar disorder made the decade of my 20s a complete disaster and coudn't achieve my goal.
The symptom that caused the vast majority of my problems was insomnia. I would stay up to 2-4 days without sleep (and the times I fell asleep, I'd wake up every 30min or so), which made me erratic behaviour-wise and even put my life in danger as I once crashed hard driving to med school. This was between 2010 and 2020.
It's been 2 months since I started taking the nootropic fungus "lion's mane", which boosts cognitive functions such as attention, memory and learning capabilities but, most importantly (for me), it's a sleep disorder regulator.
I follow a strict pharmacological and habits protocol in order to fall asleep, which includes no more studying (mental activity) past 1800hs.
For the first time in my life, my sleep is of high quality (except on Saturdays when I stay up until late watching the UFC or when I go out to eat something with friends), this new sleep pattern - thanks to lion's mane - is allowing me to perform extraordinarily in my studies (first of my class <3) and feel extremely well overall throughout the day.
The new sleeping pattern is corroborated by the Watch 4 and the Samsung Health App, since my awakening time is so early compared to the one of a normal sleeper, I'm using Adaptative charging for my phone, which works supremely and it's such a bright idea by Samsung: I wake up, say, 215am (going straight to study, since I can't at night, as previously explained) with my battery between 93 and 99% (rarely, 100%), this takes care of my battery in the long term which is highly important for its lifespan, one of the factors I care the most about phones, alongside a quick and secure unlocking method.
I think that's all. Any reply in Spanish is welcomed, as it is my first language.
Cheers and thanks for your attention. Long live Samsung.
submitted by AlejandroPiedra to S24Ultra [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 10:40 nogyoslay I'm coming out + me being trans in Greece.

As you read from the title, yeah I am coming out soon and most specifically tomorrow and I chose pride month for this.
After years of struggling with my body and mental health resulting to this, I've made the decision as an almost 18 year old to finally tell my parents this really long problem. Only issue is that my parents are really homophobic. For instance, my mom has long talked against gay marriage because to her, marriage is a religious ceremony between a man and a woman and has went nuts on me for doing "feminine" things (shaving etc). My dad on the other hand is not religious even to the slighest and has called my country's 2nd party leader the f slur many times and has long talked against gay people so as you all can tell, this won't go anywhere good. I have scheduled my coming out tomorrow at 6 PM. I will give them the paper folded and tell them that this is a really important document that I wrote for them and I want it to be read today. I will then go outside for a walk to calm down and I will return home late on purpose. I will only feel awful for my siblings and my grandma by how awfully outbursted my dad will be and my mom definitely in shock. The argument that we will have is obviously inevitable but I wanna minimize it at least because first reactions are always awful. However, if that doesn't go as planned and they will still be really outraged, I will leave and say I will come back whenever I want and I don't have the mood to fight. You will either accept me or not.
Being trans in Greece: Greece has had many transgender people just like many countries in the West. In 2010 they allowed to change gender on documents but that required surgery and sterilization. That draconian restriction was thankfully removed in 2016 by court and 2017 by law. However, it is such a huge hypocrisy that our government quote unquote "accepts LGBTQ+ people" when half of our government's party downvoted the law for gay marriage and haven't removed the compulsory military service. Why I as a trans woman have to be at risk of getting drafted in the Greek army just because a stupid piece of paper says "M" and because we have a militarist-fascist regime? Haven't I suffered enough mentally by dysphoria and in general all those years? That is why I have to get my ID card changed as soon as possible otherwise my second plan of avoiding the army is getting the known "crazy paper". I know that I will get answers that in Russia it's worse as they outlawed hormone therapy, surgeries and changing papers which yes, it's worse there because not only many transgender people there will suffer, but also have a possibility to be sent to the frontline.
submitted by nogyoslay to trans [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 10:20 xoxoRain517 How do I get over trust issues, when my new boyfriend has been nothing but wonderful to me?

I haven’t had much luck when it came to relationships. Idk why, but I always end up picking the wrong guy. A little backstory so Reddit can see why I am this way. From 2010-2017 I dated a guy, “R”, he betrayed me so bad. He led a double life and was two timing me for years. I’m not a side-piece, and never will be. But that’s how he treated me, he had a full blown relationship while I was his side. I never agreed to that, he just had a double life. He betrayed me and her for years. He’s still with his “main” and has been betraying her for years, yet she’s blind to his infidelity. Evidently she’s going to marry him, and I feel sorry for her. Because he’s disloyal, and a liar and cheater. But anyway, so we broke up in 2017 and haven’t seen each other for 6 years and recently I gave him another chance. And ykno what? It was still the same bullshit. Him two timing me and her his “‘main”. Everything he told me was a straight up lie. He’s still with her til this day. He lied to me and said they were over, which wasn’t true at all. I had thought, after 6 years of separation he would’ve changed. But he didn’t. Still just a lying, cheating bastard. So I left his ass in the dust. Tbh he is my biggest regret, and I feel like I wasted my 20’s with him.
After “R”, there was “P”. So what happened with P is that, we were hanging out a lot and making memories together, and one day out of the blue I texted him, and a girl answered back told me to “stop texting my man”. I felt so stupid….. after all the memories we made he didn’t even have the balls to tell me he was going to date someone else. He couldn’t even give me a conversation, he just ghosted me. That hurt a lot. I’m just tired of never being good enough, and always an option.
After “P” came “J” my current Man. Generally, things have been good with me and J. He’s a catch, and a keeper. & has the ability to make any girl fall for him easily. He makes a lot of effort for me, even though he’s tired from working the graveyard shift he’ll still pick me up to spend time with him. Something that made me think a lot, So well he told me he wanted alone time, to take space or whatever. That week when he told me that I took it pretty harshly. It was only because I was emotional about my absent father’s death. It was his death anniversary, he’s been dead for 18 years now. Generally, my father was absent in my life. I don’t have many fond memories of him. Only just a few photos of him that I have and his passport and his ICE id, since my parents were refugees. So I pretty much sent him a long paragraph about why I was so upset about him asking for space. I’m not usually like that, I’m very understanding, and I never wanna force something on him. But as I said, I was emotional about my absent father’s death. I cried for like a week straight. But see after I sent him the paragraph about me being abandoned, he texted me asking to spend quality time together. We made up, made love, and things were wonderful. I can’t understand why he decided to change his stance about wanting space. Is he actually just a good guy, and willing to change his ways for me? I can’t tell if he’s the real deal, or just faking it. When I text him, he’s a man of few words. But when we’re together, he always talks to me about the important things. He doesn’t tell me he cares, he shows me with his actions. He’s mainly a loner, and only hangs out with his cousin. He doesn’t give me a reason to not trust him. I’m just scared of being hurt again. In actuality, he treats me really good. We both treat each other really good. For my birthday this year on May 17, he spoiled me with presents, quality time, food and love making. He made me feel really special and loved.
For the most part, I’m just sensitive and vulnerable and afraid that he’s too good to be true. I had already fallen for him, and caught feelings. He’s a pretty great guy. He’s handsome, attentive, has a job, a car, and his own place. Oh and good 🍆 too. He’s literally amazing in every way, and I can’t help but think, is he hiding something? Is this real? Did I actually find a good man? I guess I’m just insecure from being heartbroken too much. Scared because I was always the option. Scared because I’m a nice girl, a good woman, yet I always get taken advantage of. I just needed advice because, I’m just tired of getting the short end of the stick. In the dating world in this day and age, you would know that finding a good man or woman is like finding a needle in a haystack. I’m scared, because the deeper I fall in love with him, the more of a chance that I could get hurt.
What do I do?
TL:DR I’ve been heartbroken a lot, scared that my new guy is too good to be true.
submitted by xoxoRain517 to dating_advice [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 08:37 rockychen00 Japanese FairladyZ Trims

Hey everybody just about to import in a FairladyZ this upcoming year 2009-2010 model and was wondering if people could clarify some of the trims and the differences? Also if y’all would like to share your preferences and what not all input is greatly appreciated.
submitted by rockychen00 to 370z [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 04:54 Tkendell96 VASYL LOMACHENKO - MASTERING THE MATRIX: A CAREER AND FIGHT STYLE BREAKDOWN OF THE GREAT 2 TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST AND 3 WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION VASYL LOMACHENKO

The Fightplan series is back, as 2024 has proved a standout year for Ukrainian boxing, as Oleksandr Usyk captured undisputed status at heavyweight and Denys Berinchyk turned a superb boxing display to beatdown Emanuel Navarrete in San Diego to become the 135lbs WBO world champion. But the pick of the performances came for a legend of the amateur game to lay a marker down half way through the year for the performance of 2024 to recapture his own crown at lightweight, that performance coming from the great...
'Hi-Tech' 'The Matrix' Vasyl 'LOMA' Lomachenko
Vasyl Anatolyevich Lomachenko was born 17 February 1988 in the port city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky in the Odesa Oblast of South Western Ukraine. He was born into a sports obsessed family, his mother Tetiana a former gymnast turned instructor and his father Anatoly, an obsessed sports fan determined to see his son represent Ukraine in elite sports no matter what the discipline. Initially wanting the young Vasyl to become an ice hockey player, it was when he was taken to the boxing gym that Anatoly spotted the star potential his son possessed. He started training in boxing when he was 5 years old, with his father teaching him to fight as a southpaw despite 'doing everything with his right hand' which he believed would give him an advantage, as well as taking him to traditional dance classes and gymnastics lessons to help improve his balance, core strength, co-ordination and timing. His first amateur success would come at 16 years old, when Vasyl won the 2004 European Cadet Championships gold medal at 101 lbs. He took 8 months out from competing at competitions due to a growth spurt, but returned to claim a silver medal at the 2007 world championship at 125lbs, as well as winning gold at a nationwide Klitschko brothers tournament and at the Senior European Championships a year later at the same weight. Between 2008 to 2011, Lomachenko won 4 consecutive gold medals at the National Championships, as well as the 2010 Presidents Cup, and of course most notably, his success capturing the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games where Lomachenko also won the Val Barker Trophy for 'The Most Outstanding Boxer' at the games, before capturing another Olympic Gold medal at the London Games in 2012.
Now having competed at 132lbs for the last 4 years as an amateur, Lomachenko finished his amateur career with a staggering 395-1 record, having lost by just one point to Russian Albert Selimov, who he'd go on to beat twice, as well as holding amateur victories over notable fighters such as Félix Verdejo, José Carlos Ramírez, Óscar Valdez and Robson Conceição.
After his success at the 2013 World Series of Boxing, Lomachenko turned over to the pro game with big ambitious, with the goal to win a world title on his professional debut, and would only accept a deal on those conditions. After exhausting all options, Top Rank signed him to a deal where he could box in his second pro fight for the vacant WBO featherweight title which victory of 25-3 over José Luis Ramírez who he beat on his debut over 4 round for the WBO International title, securing his world title shot. This would come against 55 fight veteran with 41 wins, Orlando Salido, in a highly controversial bout with Salido missing weight by over 3lbs and no less than 52 low blows and repeated headbutts throughout from the Mexican ,who had rehydrated to over 147lbs, without any warning from the referee. Salido would win by split decision, in controversial fashion having only outlanded Lomachenko in one of the twelve rounds, with the broadcast team adding insult to injury with a patronising 'Welcome to professional boxing!' message to Lomachenko. Defiantly, Lomachenko would go on to capture the same title in his next fight, outworking the highly skilled and blisteringly fast enigma of Gary Russell Jr., before defending in a shutout win over 51-1 Thai Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, not dropping a round despite an injury forcing him to box in final 5 rounds with just his right hand. The next years would be frustrating for Lomachenko, failing to get unifications with the other champions not wanting to risk losing to the elite champion with such little pro experience, as Lomachenko became disillusioned at being offered 'not interesting' match ups. Despite this, he'd carry on defending his title twice more before his knockout of the year contender as he knocked out Roman 'Rocky' Martinez in the 5th round with a vicious left uppercut and right hook combo, where he won the WBO world title at Super Featherweight. This would spark the beginning of his most dominant run of performances, resulting in 4 straight retirement victories at over Nicolas Walters, Jason Sosa, Miguel Marriaga and his schooling over an unbeaten Guillermo Rigondeaux, giving birth to his 'No-Mas Chenko' moniker.
Lomachenko then moved to his third weight class where he'd face the 44-3 WBA world champion Jorge Linares, over coming slight adversity for the first time, after a his first and only ever knockdown in round 6, Lomachenko would rally back to overwhelm Linares with relentless pressure and non stop flurries of punching culminating in a round 10 stoppage, become a 3 weight world champion in a record time of just 12 pro fights. His next matchup would be his first unification bout against the WBO champion Jose Pedraza, winning a one sided decision and twice dropping the champion, he'd make two defences of his titles over former world champion Anthony Crolla, battering him and twice dropping him inside 4 rounds, and coming out on top with an impressive display over former Olympic Gold medalist Luke Campbell, where Lomachenko picked up vacant the WBC world title, before being controversially elevated to 'franchise champion' and not being recognised as the official belt holder amongst the other sanctioning bodies.
Despite this, Top Rank moved quick to make one of the few super fights during the global pandemic, with a much anticipated bout in what was essentially an undisputed bout against IBF champion Teofimo Lopez following his statement win over Richard Commey. Despite his lack of experience at world level, Lopez boxed disciplined throughout using his clear power and athletic advantage to keep Lomachenko backed up and tentative to throw shots, and while Lomachenko had success in the second half of the fight, he lost a clear decision, many questioning his desire and motivation to continue in the sport. Lomachenko responded by choosing to face 2 Lopez inspired opponents, Masayoshi Nakatani, who gave Lopez his toughest matchup, who he stopped in 9 rounds and his world title opponent Richard Commey to make a statement of one upmanship to Lopez. After a lacklustre performance in a bad style matchup against Jamaine Ortiz, he go on to officially fight for undisputed honours over young talent Devin Haney, who had controversially become WBC world champion after Lomachenko had been elevated to the now mothballed franchise status. The fight was a close one throughout with plenty of swing rounds, with their stylistic differences leading to many debated scores online, but in the end Devin Haney won a much debated decision working behind the jab and landing telling body shots to make the difference over Lomachenko's aggression and output. But with Lomachenko standing intact and possibly even enhanced with his performance over Haney he performed another masterful display of one upmanship on both Haney and Lopez's former opponent George Kambosos Jr. with a punch perfect display, allowing Kambosos to land just 11% of his punches before stopping him in the 11th round, capturing the IBO and the vacant IBF world titles now as a two time lightweight world champion, with a 18-3 record with 12 knockouts and 7 victories over current, former or future world champions.
The Matrix
A masterful technician, while he certainly is by no means a flawless fighter, his amateur and professional success can not be denied with elite performances of world level opponents in almost every fight he's taken. his record may be looked on with revisionist eyes in future years, but Lomachenko has not been afraid to step up against younger and much bigger opponents with a similar talent level, even for his supreme talent an undefeated record would be invariably hard to maintain. Nevertheless, some of his greatest wins alone show peak levels scaled by Lomachenko, scaling the summit of weight classes on numerous occasions and making elite fighters look levels apart in his prime. With his elite levels footwork, creating of angles, dynamic reflexes and supreme timing with his own unique tricks of the trade sprinkled in, it will be interesting to see the future trajectory of the 36 year old Hall of Fame shoo in.
Fightplan
Core tactic Preferred range Mid range Primary mentality Aggressive Crisis mentality Reactive Advantage mentality Aggressive
Operating often with a size disadvantage, and very regularly with a reach disadvantage, Loma is an aggressive high output, high movement based fighter that operates best at mid to close range. Like Chocolatito, his lead hand is his key weapon but crucially for Loma it's often his dominant right hand from the southpaw stance. This where he generates the vast majority of his offensive, but will frequently stance switch either to break distance or maintain distance to or from his opponent, in a similar, but much more refined way to that of Teofimo Lopez. He's happy to hold his feet, but only if he's confident he's in an advantageous position to landed more punches than his opponent, otherwise he will pivot out, retreat with a high guard or look to slip-counter while advancing forward to maintain pressure and offensive. His lead hand is crucial as it allows him to be busy while not loading up on big power shots that expend energy, and his constant movement and changing of pace and offensive make him a nightmare to read, to land on and more important to match his work rate when 'The Matrix' is in full flow. Possessing high footwork, reflexes, agility, dexterity and hand speed will be vital in trying to replicate Loma's combinations, movements and offensive output in Leather while utilising good head and upper body movement with the added bonus pf guarding to say defensively alert and able to counter whilst fight aggressively
Long range tactic Heavily favour lead hand Medium work rate Ultra High combinations Follow up Approach/Wait Countermeasures Cover up/ Retreat
Often on the edge of long to mid range, Lomachenko has an extremely active jab, mostly used to back up his opponent or manipulate their guard to find openings. Often being the shorter man means his double or triple jabs are crucial to breaking range while also keeping his opponent occupied, but he's also happy to wait if he he can get a read on his opponent and find an opening he can exploit or to time their rhythm as he darts inside. Defensively, Lomachenko is less active preferring to ride out attacks in a high guard before responding with a better combination, or changing angle or distance to find an advantageous position.
Mid range tactic Favour lead hand Low work rate Medium combinations Follow up Wait/Approach Countermeasures Retreat/Counterpunch
Mid range is where you often see a calculated thinking fighter approach as Lomachenko looks to get a read on his opponent. He will often hold his hands low to bait an opponent into throwing and looking to change distance or angle before almost instantaneously throwing back once he finds how to best exploit the opening. He uses his head and upper body movement as he looks to work off and slip his opponent's jab to catch his opponent whilst they are defensively vulnerable. He uses his 'Matrix shuffle' to step outside and uses lateral shifts to change direction and confused his opponent and his often frame with his lead hand to either knock his opponent off balance or blind their vision and he steps off at an angle, make his movements extremely difficult to read and hard to pick up where he is all while putting himself in a dominant offensive position.
Close range Heavily favour lead hand Medium work rate High combinations Follow up Retreat/Wait Countermeasures Counterpunch/Retreat
At close range, Lomachenko will sense he's in an advantageous position and look to put together his punches in bunches off his lead right hand. He has a wicked uppercut that when he finds the range can be a vicious weapon as he's demonstrated on many occasions, particularly against Crolla, and a very effective lead right hook he will often counter with which is a lethal weapon as his hook will often land first up close, before taking a half step back to follow up with a combination and make it harder for his opponent to land. While he can be hittable up close, his work rate makes sure he's able to outlandish his opponent and his use of movement makes him less of a stationary target to be caught with a shot, but mostly, Lomachenko will be pressing to find openings as he moves rounds to target for angles to attack and capitalise on his success.
Thanks for everyone taking the time to continue supporting this series, and for all the new readers, I hope you can find my writings useful in building fightplans in Leather boxing manager and keep out my previous pieces below. Enjoy boxing in this great period for the sport and all success in every you do. TEEKAY
Video credits
https://youtu.be/eg24htCdBeA?si=jEpoTSPTD1N8XSto https://youtu.be/-NevXzAtXNY?si=U07r-ijKh26VQbK2 https://youtu.be/-NevXzAtXNY?si=pgCpqNsih67Ik_2u https://youtu.be/ApvDF65n-e0?si=AdGuNqtxKz0ZVi7J https://youtu.be/_nuH0NLnYzs?si=rkrKnYJiaunx9JSH
The Fightplan series
The Thinking Fighter https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/mlmckn/the_thinking_fighter_gameplan/
The Thinking Fighter 2.0 https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/mmc9z3/the_thinking_fighter_20_tactical_inside_boxing/
Moves like Junior (Roy Jones Jr.) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/mpog3f/roy_jones_jr_gameplan/
The Kings of the Counters https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/mq9zvo/the_kings_of_the_counters_countering_with/
The Magical Manny (Manny Pacquiao Machine Gun) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/mx3kjh/the_magical_manny_aggressive_defence_intricate/
Sweet Little Chocolate (Chocolatito) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/n0n1jc/sweet_little_chocolate_effective_aggression/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Rigo's Rhythm (Rigondeaux)
https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/n3dvoq/rigos_rhythm_staying_elusive_countering_with/
Magnificent Marvelous Master (Hagler)
https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/n530c
Cinnamon Superstar (Canelo)
https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/n786r1/canelo_fightplan/
The Spoiler https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/neezv9/the_boxerspoiler_fightplan_shutting_down_offence/ The GOAT of Boxing (Sugar Ray Robinson) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/nfb6fx/sugar_ray_robinson_fightplan_the_goat_of_boxing/
Golden Oscar Winner (de la Hoya) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/npb9sn/golden_oscar_winner_expert_outboxing_cunning/
Body Hunting Monster (Naoya Inoue) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/o4eukc/body_hunting_monster_crippling_body_punches/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Xu Can https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/o8lqn4/what_xu_can_do_speed_and_work_rate_kills/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
The Kronk Style https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/oc01wa/kronk_it_up_the_art_of_technical_aggression/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Julio Cesar Martinez https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/p5pee2/julio_cesar_martinez_the_little_mexican_firebrand/
Floyd Mayweather
https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/q7ci77/flawless_floyd_the_genius_ogf_mayweather_behind/
Khaosai https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/qngzvk/the_real_life_jimmy_sisphar_the_secrets_behind/
Usyk https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/rtt5sd/countering_with_movement_effective_outboxing/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share with
Dmitry Dictates the Distance (Bivol) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/x94pjl/dmitry_dictates_the_distance_an_in_depth_look_at/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Golden Global Great (GGG - Golovkin) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/yytuag/golden_global_great_the_boxing_skills_of_one_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Beterbiev https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/10mwljz/you_beterbelieve_in_artur_the_skills_behind_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Wilder Rangy Slugging https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/10s00f2/deontay_wilder_rangy_slugging_beware_of_the_right/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
(Shakur) Stevenson Steals The Show https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/11kl2vo/stevenson_steals_the_show_the_fluid_boxing_skills/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Teraji https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/11upcc7/comment/jcrp9v4/
Junto Nakatani https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/13l1hw8/junto_nakatani_young_japanese_phenom_the/
AJ (Joshua) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/1beqzts/comment/kww65s8/
Mini Monster (Ginjiro Shigeoka) https://www.reddit.com/LeatherTheGame/comments/1btyvbc/ginjiro_shigeoka_mini_monster_the_105lbs_ibf/?onetap_auto=true&one_tap=true
submitted by Tkendell96 to LeatherTheGame [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 04:39 Very_Stressed4586 Avian (bird) mites reproducing off humans? Gamasoidosis query (cross posted in Acarology subreddit)

This seems underresearched at this point and given climate change and globalization, I'm wondering if there are any acaralogists here who can speak to avian mite species having evolved to reproduce off of general hosts (not species specific). I've come across dozens of people at this point who have had their mites ID'ed by entomology labs that have been dealing with avian mites for YEARS. And they are not delusional because they continue to document the mites in their environment/on their bodies over the years. I'm not referring to the folks who later developed Morgellons either in case anyone comes to this conclusion.
I'm sincerely worried about this becoming a public health issue globally and not just affecting poultry industries. Much of the academic research in recent years on the possibility of avian mites possibly parasitizing humans or mammals seems to be coming from Italy, Spain, and parts of Eastern Europe. Anyone have a pulse on the direction of research there and if there's any scholars looking into this in North and South America?
Linking studies that I've found below. They're not conclusive but they do advocate that a One Health approach looks to be increasingly important as accidental infestations become more prevalent.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341956869_Ornithonyssus_sylviarum_Acari_Macronyssidae_parasitism_among_poultry_farm_workers_in_Minas_Gerais_state_Brazil
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01647954.2010.543701?src=recsys
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383576916305578?via%3Dihub
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1985.tb13013.x
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36558730/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01647950708684526
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304401717303801?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024065708
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383576921000969
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alessandra-Barlaam/publication/361801050_When_there_is_no_communication_between_urban_planners_and_public_health_operators_urban_Dermanyssus_gallinae_infestations_in_humans/links/62cd48f23bbe636e0c591285/When-there-is-no-communication-between-urban-planners-and-public-health-operators-urban-Dermanyssus-gallinae-infestations-in-humans.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vde.12547
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/09546630903287437
https://academic.oup.com/ced/article-abstract/43/8/950/6597605?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false
https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2915.2002.00386.x
https://www.all-imm.com/index.php/aei/article/view/667
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.12009
https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84890877136&origin=inward&txGid=6a455f660453d93b6a5437a21c0a2240
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vde.12816
https://api.mendeley.com/cross_publisher_access/v2/link_resolver?t=eyJlbmMiOiJBMjU2R0NNIiwiYWxnIjoiQTE5MktXIn0.TRJlLsgCaNm3FQTpuBK-xQ9MkKTRISqbqAqF_uAzMfOSiwtxa_ZvwQ.IpgO7VZwTpkpWabZ.TkOABK0F0W2gXXOT08PPAIo1EnBYSEgzNUiplWN12ObTAd2dYfmt6Y5OqtiFTE8rSRqbV1clwqEEdXTBfUAhTNpUGD2nYKRmurVC6Trs_ny_gnM-A-ryj1t-ZNx5qq_0mXXEkp-6yzpf4UMfXYgxyQc3370nCaFlyvYQGES6KZeFG3EMfAPvWwZLVH-xrtumwJQXB-YgIbkTI_cS2DC1z5o4YG2djQpvlDjVgGmt9aUkPd0ab7V4m7d2AjgZ4NISoOBj8CVsyDWUVriDyMFeYrAlixdcPMEttEIjx-pGWQivLBoEG3BvaWExxuQ1-QXG56gThBj3DAMFK9aKXdAwdBr5QSg-SkTL3wgNgrm06kOXh43g23AOj3oZ4aE9hNyH-LXd6XxI-g1RFGTUdeN0iYMIOWisG-YcfNxJaliZR-Kw-E31UntAbvE5XhrKl5PxpQOW3P_CJhV0.Yg2mtqgMXG3HaA2kGYpPcg
https://applications.emro.who.int/emhj/v26/05/10203397202605586593-eng.pdf
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.567902/full#B4
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365707897_Dermanyssosis_in_the_Urban_Context_When_the_One_Health_Paradigm_Is_Put_into_Practice
submitted by Very_Stressed4586 to Birdmites [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 04:33 Very_Stressed4586 Avian (bird) mites reproducing off humans? Gamasoidosis query

This seems underresearched at this point and given climate change and globalization, I'm wondering if there are any acaralogists here who can speak to avian mite species having evolved to find general hosts (not species specific). I've come across dozens of people at this point who have had their mites ID'ed by entomology labs that have been dealing with avian mites for YEARS. And they are not delusional because they continue to document the mites in their environment/on their bodies over the years. I'm not referring to the folks who later developed Morgellons either in case anyone comes to this conclusion.
I'm sincerely worried about this becoming a public health issue globally and not just affecting poultry industries. Much of the academic research in recent years on the possibility of avian mites possibly parasitizing humans or mammals seems to be coming from Italy, Spain, and parts of Eastern Europe. Anyone have a pulse on the direction of research there and if there's any scholars looking into this in North and South America?
Linking studies that I've found below. They're not conclusive but they do advocate that a One Health approach looks to be increasingly important as accidental infestations become more prevalent.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341956869_Ornithonyssus_sylviarum_Acari_Macronyssidae_parasitism_among_poultry_farm_workers_in_Minas_Gerais_state_Brazil
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01647954.2010.543701?src=recsys
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383576916305578?via%3Dihub
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1985.tb13013.x
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36558730/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01647950708684526
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304401717303801?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024065708
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383576921000969
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alessandra-Barlaam/publication/361801050_When_there_is_no_communication_between_urban_planners_and_public_health_operators_urban_Dermanyssus_gallinae_infestations_in_humans/links/62cd48f23bbe636e0c591285/When-there-is-no-communication-between-urban-planners-and-public-health-operators-urban-Dermanyssus-gallinae-infestations-in-humans.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vde.12547
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/09546630903287437
https://academic.oup.com/ced/article-abstract/43/8/950/6597605?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false
https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2915.2002.00386.x
https://www.all-imm.com/index.php/aei/article/view/667
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.12009
https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84890877136&origin=inward&txGid=6a455f660453d93b6a5437a21c0a2240
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vde.12816
https://api.mendeley.com/cross_publisher_access/v2/link_resolver?t=eyJlbmMiOiJBMjU2R0NNIiwiYWxnIjoiQTE5MktXIn0.TRJlLsgCaNm3FQTpuBK-xQ9MkKTRISqbqAqF_uAzMfOSiwtxa_ZvwQ.IpgO7VZwTpkpWabZ.TkOABK0F0W2gXXOT08PPAIo1EnBYSEgzNUiplWN12ObTAd2dYfmt6Y5OqtiFTE8rSRqbV1clwqEEdXTBfUAhTNpUGD2nYKRmurVC6Trs_ny_gnM-A-ryj1t-ZNx5qq_0mXXEkp-6yzpf4UMfXYgxyQc3370nCaFlyvYQGES6KZeFG3EMfAPvWwZLVH-xrtumwJQXB-YgIbkTI_cS2DC1z5o4YG2djQpvlDjVgGmt9aUkPd0ab7V4m7d2AjgZ4NISoOBj8CVsyDWUVriDyMFeYrAlixdcPMEttEIjx-pGWQivLBoEG3BvaWExxuQ1-QXG56gThBj3DAMFK9aKXdAwdBr5QSg-SkTL3wgNgrm06kOXh43g23AOj3oZ4aE9hNyH-LXd6XxI-g1RFGTUdeN0iYMIOWisG-YcfNxJaliZR-Kw-E31UntAbvE5XhrKl5PxpQOW3P_CJhV0.Yg2mtqgMXG3HaA2kGYpPcg
https://applications.emro.who.int/emhj/v26/05/10203397202605586593-eng.pdf
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.567902/full#B4
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365707897_Dermanyssosis_in_the_Urban_Context_When_the_One_Health_Paradigm_Is_Put_into_Practice
Thanks all for your time -- be well
submitted by Very_Stressed4586 to acarology [link] [comments]


2024.06.01 02:46 atolophy A look at when cards in the Modern meta are from, ahead of MH3

A look at when cards in the Modern meta are from, ahead of MH3
With Modern Horizons 3 sure to shake up the format, I wanted to take a look at how relevant each year of Magic is to the current Modern metagame. How much does power creep affect the format, and which years have cards that stood the test of time?
I created these charts of the top 10 most popular decks in the format on MTGGoldfish a few days ago, using their example decklists. I’ve also included a chart of the Modern banlist for context. These aren’t an exact accounting since only one list per deck was used and some cards can change, but it’s a good overview of the main cards used in each. I didn’t count sideboards as those can vary more. Each card is counted only once, so a playset of cards shows up the same as a one-of here. I thought about counting each copy of a card but decided it was better to just display individual cards. Nonbasic lands are included. The cards are put in the column for the year in which they were first printed in a Modern-legal format—so for example Lightning Bolt comes in at 2009, with its first Modern-legal printing being Magic 2010.
I’ve highlighted years with some important sets—MH1 and MH2, and Zendikar and Khans of Tarkir, where the fetchlands were printed.
Most of the decks lean newer, with the bulk of their cards coming from 2019-onwards. A lot of their representation in older years is from fetch and shock lands. 2021 with MH2 (ofc there are other 2021 sets represented too) is unsurprisingly a strong year, but it doesn’t dominate, with the exception of Izzet Murktide, which is practically MH2 block constructed. Yawgmoth is quite balanced, having a fairly even spread in all eras. Amulet Titan and Tron lean older, and do it without any fetches or shocks, having tried and true combo pieces from 2010 and before. The middle period of 2011-2018 has the lowest representation—besides the Khans fetchlands there isn’t much most decks want from that era. For the most part it seems to be a time WotC wasn’t printing much of the broken stuff as in the earlier era (which maybe the Scars block should be considered a part of since it got hit pretty hard on the banlist), and what used to be modern meta from that time got powercrept out by 2019-onwards.
Thoughts and comments on this? What are you expecting to change and stay the same with the release of MH3? Will old staples still be able to keep up? Will newer powercreep cards get powercrept themselves eventually?
submitted by atolophy to magicTCG [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 22:30 aznpersuazion Artificial Intelligence is NOT a Good Career

As with most things, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. Consider this as just one data point, and not as a guide to your career.
I've been working in the Data/AI space for 5 years now and I've seen hundreds of starry eyed people wanting to work in A.I. because they want to work with the latest and coolest cutting edge technology. But I want to share with you a few reasons why A.I. is not a good career choice.
  1. A.I. positions could end up like the "data scientist" position. Looking at the history of the data scientist position, in 2010-2020, the hype around data science made it so that millions of people flocked to that position. Companies eventually realized that most them actually didn't need data science, and the impact of the position didn't always help them profit. The demand of the job has plummeted in recent years, leaving millions of aspiring data scientists unemployed or needing to pursue a different career.
  2. A.I. positions will be less than .0001% of tech engineering jobs. In the next few decades, the demand for software and data engineering roles will be much more needed at most companies that A.I. roles. Only a small group companies will a be pursuing A.I. initiatives, while the majority of companies will still need software and data engineers. But because 90% of tech news is A.I. related, there will be a massive influx of people trying to enter the space.
  3. The barriers to entry are huge. To pursue a career in A.I. and machine learning. A person's understanding of statistics and software engineering need to be extremely high. To get to that level of knowledge requires much more dedication and studying than most people imagine. Becoming a decent software engineer or data professional is already difficult for the average person.
Before you decide to pursue this as a career, it's important to consider some of the cons listed below. Perhaps consider taking a smaller step first and trying to land a job as a software engineer or data analyst. If you're already in a technical field, consider not putting all your eggs into one basket, and making sure you know enough skills to stay gainfully employed in the job market.

**If you found any of this helpful, consider checking out a referral link. You get additional sign up and welcome bonuses. Signing up and using Rakuten for cash back is free!*\*
submitted by aznpersuazion to dataengineeringstuff [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 21:26 Randomly-Generated92 The Manchin situation

Hello fellow politically-interested people, so the purpose of this post will be to talk about the West Virginia Senate election this year, the West Virginia state political lean broadly, and the recent announcement that Senator Manchin (D, WV) has switched his party affiliation to Independent and is potentially going to seek reelection.
Having said that, we should first set up some context, the state of West Virginia is the second reddest state in the country (per the widely respected PVI rating system), only behind Wyoming, though unlike some other hard-right states, West Virginia used to be a pretty solid Democratic stronghold, their people are historically very pro-worker, very pro-union, in part because their state's infrastructure (as well as much of the country, we'll get to that) was built on the backs of the working class coal miners, the specific history of that would validate a whole post in its own right (the scrip system, for example), but suffice to say that West Virginia has fairly progressive roots. When we consider how they voted for President historically, they voted for Roosevelt all of his elections, they voted for Truman, they voted Stevenson the first time before switching, they voted for Kennedy both times, then Johnson, then went red again for a while, then Clinton was able to bring them back into the coalition (possibly suggesting a centrist shift), but they've voted Republican by increasingly strong raw percentage totals ever since Bush 2000 (Wikipedia shows 51.92% Bush 2000, 56.06% Bush 2004, 55.71% McCain 2008, the only decrease, 62.3% Romney 2012, 68.5% Trump 2016, 68.63% Trump 2020). When we consider how they've voted for Senate, they had two solid, strong Democratic incumbents at the turn of the millennium, the other seat only flipping in the huge red wave of 2014, after the Rockefeller retirement. With that in mind, West Virginia also has the honor of the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history, Robert Byrd, who was himself a very popular Democrat from the state.
With all of this in mind, we should also talk about Senator Manchin, since his story represents a lot of what was previously stated above, his political origin point was as a member of the West Virginia State House of Delegates, where he won his very crowded first primary, very narrowly beating the incumbent (just 50 votes), before winning an election for the West Virginia State Senate very soon after, it was around this time that he started a waste coal brokerage company (which, predictably, made him very wealthy), after having solidified his resume, he tried to run in the West Virginia gubernatorial primary, losing to Pritt, who was a perennial candidate for Governor that eventually went on to lose the general election. With the turn of the millennium, the West Virginia Governor was once again blue, and at the same time, Manchin was elected West Virginia Secretary of State, soon after translating it to winning the West Virginia gubernatorial election shortly after, succeeding the scandal-plagued Governor who won in 2000, who resigned rather than seeking reelection, in what was sure to be a contentious and competitive primary vs Manchin for his seat as the state's highest executive.
When Manchin was in the West Virginia state legislature, he seemed to quickly build his profile and political resume, although performing some quick Google searches about what he was like as a state legislator won't yield any relevant results. What we have in his personal Wikipedia article from that time suggests that after narrowly losing the primary for Governor against Pritt (who later went on to lose the general election), he endorsed Underwood instead (the Republican opponent), suggesting even then that Manchin was always a centrist pragmatist. While his endorsement probably wasn't much at the time (and political pluralism like this was much more common), Underwood still won the election.
What his time as West Virginia Secretary of State was like is also pretty unclear, though we can see that he had fairly good political instincts, seeing his opportunity to ascend to West Virginia's highest executive office when he promised to primary challenge the scandal-plagued incumbent. While he was the West Virginia Governor, he sparred with Blankenship (a name that many of you may remember from this year's West Virginia U.S. Senate primary) when he threatened increased government scrutiny on Blankenship's companies owing to his increased political involvements.
Within this period, West Virginia Governor Manchin was also the chair of his party's Governors Association, a pretty high-profile position, wherein he spoke at the 2008 DNC, where he gave high praise to the Presidential candidate that year, Barack Obama. When he spoke on stage, he was pro-balanced budgets, pro-bipartisanship, pragmatic solutions to problems, spoke about "working across the aisle," all things that we've come to expect from Manchin in the present, then praising that Obama would bring the necessary change.
When he spoke he also spoke about his personal connection to his state, which gives an important indication of his political character, he admits that while he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth that he was a child of privilege, citing his grandparents and their immigration as inspiration to his personal story, suggesting that his story is the same as many other West Virginians who work harder than anybody to succeed. With his speech in favor of Obama in 2008, it was particularly surprising that in 2012, he refused to endorse either major party nominee (strikingly similar to the situation this year).
When he was Governor it also fell upon him to appoint the successor for the U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, who passed away in office after being in poor health for a while preceding his untimely passing. While the Senator was in poor health, Manchin had pledged that he would not appoint himself as the replacement (and indeed, kept his promise, instead appointing one of his close personal allies), but soon after ran for the open seat in the 2010 special election, where he rode the wave of his popularity while in office even in spite of a Republican friendly national environment.
What I think often goes unstated with Manchin (particularly when people were predicting whether or not he could win this year assuming he was the Senate nominee), is that he has previously won statewide office in Presidential years, specifically, he won the West Virginia Secretary of State's office in 2000, and then the West Virginia Governorship in 2004, both times when Bush won the state, he held onto the West Virginia Governorship in 2008 (not a hard year to win, McCain was weak), and then won the special election for his West Virginia U.S. Senate seat in 2010 before winning a whole term for the U.S. Senate outright in 2012, while the state has only shifted further and further to the right in that timeframe. While there are very fair arguments for why he would have struggled to win reelection, particularly that things are more polarized now than any time previous (political polarization has been rampant, especially post-Trump entering politics, and there's hardly anywhere more evident of partisan division than West Virginia), Manchin is pretty historically an overperformer.
While he has been in the Senate, he's pretty widely positioned himself as a "pragmatic centrist," particularly in more recent years, we've seen him oppose a lot of the party's priorities (he helped to try to sink Build Back Better when it wasn't up to his specifications), this is particularly notable since even other "conservative Democrat" Senators (one example that comes to mind for me is Heitkamp) would vote with the party position the majority of the time (the Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation vote is a perfect example of this, where Manchin was the only Senate Democrat to break with the party), he's pretty unique in that respect, many people attribute this to his state's partisan lean, as previously stated, it's a very hard-right state, positioning himself as too friendly to his party's agenda would surely sink his reelection chances (he needs crossover support), while that's true to a certain extent, he opposes a lot more often (though Heitkamp and Donnelly, similar to Manchin, all voted with Trump's stated position over 50% of the time, see this source from 538 where they tracked lawmakers in Trump's term https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/), so perhaps it's a matter of perspective.
While he has been in the Senate, he's ran statewide three times total (2010 special, 2012 general, 2018 general), when he ran in the 2010 special election vs Raese, succeeding his appointee, where he won 53.47%-43.40%, +10.07 points up, when he ran in the 2012 general election in a rematch vs Raese, where his win was surprisingly even stronger, he won 60.57%-36.47%, +24.1 points up, sweeping all but three counties towards the upper part of the state, when he ran in the 2018 general election vs Morrissey, after a short-lived primary challenge, he won 49.57%-46.26%, +3.31 points, in those last two elections especially, turnout among the voting-eligible population was below 50%.
When I've talked about Manchin, I've indicated that I think that he possibly would have been able to win vs Mooney, and it would have been very similar to when he ran for reelection vs Morrissey, I was often resistant to attribute the major partisan shift as evidenced by his percentage change that maybe even Mooney would have been able to finish him off, undoubtedly Manchin would lose on the spot against Justice (Justice had a very similar trajectory to Manchin for a while with the "conservaDem" image, so would undoubtedly pull from his support). What I was planning on was a longer post wherein I was going to talk about what Manchin vs Mooney would have been like, though there isn't too much purpose or utility to be gained since neither of them are the nominee.
With all of this being said, that leads us to today, where Senator Manchin has officially filed that he's identifying as an Independent, and where people are speculating that possibly he's entertaining running for his Senate seat in that same vein. When he first indicated that he would not be running for reelection, he previously suggested he would only run as an Independent candidate assuming Blankenship was the nominee, he threw the weight of his endorsement behind Elliott instead, who won the nomination. What I think will pose a problem for Manchin here is that while he's still liked by his party in the state (enough that a Manchinite won the nomination, and that Manchin's feelings about the nominees, preferring Elliott, hating Blankenship, holds some weight), is that, as I previously stated in a comment on u/RickRolled76's post on the YAPms subreddit, this makes Manchin appear unreliable and untrustworthy. Why would he endorsed someone very closely aligned to him ideologically that won the nomination, only to run against him in the general?
What purpose Manchin possibly trying to run for reelection in this case will serve ultimately remains to be seen, perhaps he's hoping that positioning himself as apart from the national party will yield him a preferable vote share (what I previously speculated), perhaps he can count on the support of the closely associated No Labels PAC (perhaps upon winning he will be the first No Labels affiliated Senator), he previously backed out of a Presidential bid with them.
What I think would have probably been the best plan would be if Manchin would have brokered some kind of deal wherein he would switch his affiliation to Independent but would run unopposed by the Democrats (think McMullin in 2022), at least in this way he would have guaranteed that the vote wouldn't be split between himself and a similar candidate when they both want to win the Senate seat, or at least keep it from Justice.
When people from his state have been asked (there was a particularly good series of videos on YouTube where this guy visited West Virginia to see how people actually are, occasionally asking about their political leanings), broadly the opinion I've seen on the ground is that the people there have been turning against Manchin, in their minds, he's linked with the party on the national level, which the people of West Virginia think "sold them out" when they switched from coal (West Virginia's primary industry) to other renewable forms of energy, there was never a plan for West Virginia afterwards so they were just left in poverty after they helped support industry in this country (something which Manchin called back to in his 2008 DNC speech), the state has tried expanding their tourism industry (owing to their pretty and scenic rugged mountainous topography), but whether that will solve their problems remains to be seen.
What I think this indicates is that the attempt at reelection would have been even steeper than previously indicated, he's respected by his base somewhat, which has been increasingly shrinking, but reviled by the people of the state, possibly rejected by many of them in favor of someone that embraces their political leanings (someone who aligns more closely with Trump or the Republicans).
While I find Manchin to be pretty reprehensible (this paragraph is a personal opinion piece), he's stood in the way of progressive agenda and progress for the people (his own people, in fact), he's positioned himself as an obstructionist, he's participated in closed-door meetings with megadonors wherein he was paid pretty substantial amounts to "speak" to them (really it was kinda sad how little he was able to be bought for, like IIRC it was a few thousand per speech, if you're going to take bribes then at least get that bag), I still wanted to intern for his Senate campaign, setting my personal feelings aside, protecting our Senate majority is of the utmost importance. While I think he's a pretender to the "Democratic" political affiliation, there may very well be some principle underlying why he does the things he does (when he speaks about his personal connection to his state). He's a politician through and through, however, so he's probably pretty bankrupt of any personal integrity.
When I was interested in his race in the past, there was an article which I saw where someone with a more personal connection than me (worked with his campaign in the past) indicated that Manchin is motivated by wanting to win, to some extent, he has an ego, a loss would be too embarrassing.
When you read his Wikipedia article, towards the end of what they have written for his tenure in the Senate, they have a quote that's attributed to Manchin, where when responding to Morrissey (his opponent that election cycle when this quote was attributed) he says "I don't give a shit, you understand? (...) I just don't give a shit. Don't care if I get elected, don't care if I get defeated, how about that?" While this might indicate the opposite of what I suggested just a little bit ago, perhaps as he's gotten older (he's 76 right now), his temperament has changed, now he's more easily angered.
With the Senate seat almost certainly flipping red later this year (Justice is the heavy favorite to win, presumably even if it's a three-way race, I can't imagine him getting under 50% even in that case), with Babydog going to the Senate, we're putting down arguably the last of the "blue dogs."
submitted by Randomly-Generated92 to AngryObservation [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 21:25 Joe-LoPorto NRA v Vullo, the Trump Trial and 9/11

What do these things have in common? Not a heck of a lot, but bear with me.
Yesterday we got a fairly important ruling from SCOTUS in NRA v Vullo. On the holding itself, in my opinion, there should be little surprise. The Court held that the State of New York abused its regulatory power to coerce banks and insurance companies from doing business with the NRA in a manner that clearly was intended to suppress Constitutionally protected free speech. The trial record indicates that NY’s effort here extended well beyond the NRA as an organization with New York’s financial regulators warning banks and insurance companies to not conduct business with any group that advocates on behalf of the 2nd Amendment. Invidiousness, political bias and an extreme abuse of regulatory authority to target and undermine a legitimate political opponent. From the point of view of states like New York, on the broad question of gun control, this topic is at best, nationally, a 50/50 debate with half the American population believing that current gun control measures go too far and half believing it does not go far enough. And that is an extremely generous read on this issue from their point of view. Put differently, this isn’t just the State of New York (wrongly) abusing its power to suppress some extremist view. New York has decided that it is right and half of its citizens and half of the citizens of this nation are wrong. Not to overstate it, but this is states like New York not just grossly violating the First Amendment but undermining democracy itself by undermining political discourse on a topic for which there is no clear national consensus.
And then of course later in the day, we get the news on the Trump trial verdict: guilty on all counts. One day of jury deliberations.
I do not want to opine on the fairness of the proceedings themselves. Media coverage on both sides of this trial has been misleading all the way through and its often in stark contrast to the experience of the jury in these highly publicized trials. The jury is both seeing all of the evidence and none of the back and forth between lawyers and judges when they are excused from the courtroom. That fact alone always makes it hard to predict trial outcomes based on media coverage (since we are only seeing some of the evidence that makes the news and all the court room theater between lawyers and judges when the jury is out of the courtroom, in other words we see a very different version of things from what the jury sees). So let’s leave the trial itself aside.
In this case, let’s just focus on a few facts, namely key legal elements to the indictment and the procedural timeline. There are two pieces of information that I find noteworthy about the indictment itself. The business record law in question has never been applied to any defendant in its history as its being applied to Trump. And secondly, a central element to establishing the legal claim against Trump is that he knowingly violated Federal Election laws when the FEC/DOJ declined to prosecute him for any such violation.
Giving the State of New York the full benefit of the doubt, this is at best a novel interpretation of the law, involving a complex legal question that mixes federal and state law questions involving a highly sensitive and politically charged defendant.
So why do I bring up 9/11? Because on July 15th of this year, 2024, we will finally begin pre-trial hearings before a military court in the case of United States v Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, et al. KSM is one of several 9/11 co-conspirators that has been detained in Guantanamo Bay since the early 2000’s. KSM along with his other co-conspirators were held in secret until 2008 when charges against them were revealed (because the CIA was still extracting information from them in the hunt for Usama Bin Laden).
The announcement of those charges then triggered a year long debate on venue. That debate largely centered around the question of whether 9/11 detainees should be tried in a civilian court or a military court. In particular, the question centered around the appropriateness of the Federal District Court of the Southern District of New York.
In legal circles, the Southern District of New York is referred to as the “Mother Court.” Its know that way because it was technically established in 1789 before the US Supreme Court was established. And that court has handled some of the most complex cases in the history of the nation.
In 2009, then AG Eric Holder issued a final decision to move the 9/11 cases to New York. Of all US Federal Courts, the Mother Court would be the best choice (a history of handling complex cases, resources for security and the handling of classified documents, extensive DoJ resources in lower Manhattan). But that decision from Eric Holder then triggered a series of political and legal battles on venue, with one smaller aspect of that centering around whether a fair trial could be heard in the Southern District of New York given its close proximity to the World Trade Center site, i.e. could a fair and impartial jury be assembled in New York given its nexus to the WTC. In 2010, the Congress, through negotiations over that year’s Defense Authorization Act, forced the Obama administration to move the trial back to a military court. That order was signed in January of 2011. From 2011 until 2019, a series of legal issues were resolved regarding evidentiary issues, technical issues around the format of the court itself and the handling of prisoners (specifically whether female guards could handle the inmates during movements from their holding facilities to the black site courtroom where legal proceedings occurred, relying heavily on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993… I kid you not, this was a heavily litigated issue for an extended period of time, from early 2015 to early 2016).
At the conclusion of these evidentiary and procedural proceedings, in 2019 a trial date was finally set, tentatively to begin on January 11, 2021. But then the pandemic. Then more delays. Then more delays. Then in August of 2023, the Biden Administration announced to 9/11 victim families that a plea negotiation was underway that could potentially remove the most severe penalties for these 9/11 co-conspirators, namely the death penalty. And on May 6th, 2024, the DoD finally announced that pre-trial hearings will begin on July 15 of this year… 16 years after the initial charges were brought.
23 years after 9/11.
We could possibly, maybe, finally get justice for 9/11 victims vis a vis these defendants some time in 2025. Almost a quarter of a century later.
Why do I bring up this long diatribe about 9/11? The debate on just proper venue for 9/11 terrorists took longer than the entirety of the Trump trial. Trump was indicted in March of last year and was convicted yesterday in a complex legal case, involving complex federal and state law questions, where procedural and fairness questions would exist involving a highly politically charged defendant in a district where jury impartiality would be difficult to establish... In a state that was also just yesterday slapped by the Supreme Court for abusing its authority to carry out a political vendetta.
14 months, soup to nuts on Trump. 16 years of pre-pre-trial fairness proceedings for 9/11 terrorists before pre-trial proceedings can begin.
The debate on whether the use of female prison guards for the handling of 9/11 terrorists during court proceedings violated their religious freedom took longer than the entire Trump trial.
As I continue to emphasize, we have a serious political problem in this country. And it’s specifically in states like New York, New Jersey and California. The battle for the soul of the country is here. We have to work to change the political landscape here.
submitted by Joe-LoPorto to GardenStateGuns [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 19:40 cheriaspen The Earthing" Movie - The Remarkable Science of Grounding. Grounding or earthing is the physical exchange of electrical frequencies between the human body and the earth. The human body is a natural conductor. Watch this Timely Video about how to Ground your Body for healing.

EARTHING- THE MOVIE & THE INCREDIBLE SCIENCE OF GROUNDING
Related to our current focus on the electromagnetic body
Electrical Grounding Improves Vagal Tone in Preterm Infants
https://karger.com/neo/article-pdf/112/2/187/3236168/000475744.pdf
Grounding or earthing is the physical exchange of electrical frequencies between the human body and the earth. The human body is a natural conductor, but with our modern-day lifestyle—connected to electrical appliances, smartphones, and computers—most don’t know or forget that we can discharge some of the frequencies and recharge ourselves with the beneficial free electrons from the earth.
This documentary shows the profound effects earthing can have on human health, cognition, and general biological function. And it shows how detrimental it can be when we miss out on the natural electrons Earth provides.
One of the culprits are the insulating soles of our shoes, mostly made of rubber and synthetic materials. Our immune systems function optimally when the body has an adequate supply of electrons, which are easily and naturally obtained by barefoot contact with the earth.
Walking barefoot on the ground can literally become the first step to lasting health.
7 Ways to Use Free Electrons to Stop Inflammation (rapidly and dramatically)
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/how-to-use-free-electrons-inflammation/
Grounding – The universal anti-inflammatory remedy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10105021/
The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/pdf/jir-8-083.pdf
https://emfnews.org/Medical-Thermography-Clinical-Earthing-Application-in-20-Case-Studies.pdf
Medical Thermography CASE STUDIES
https://emfnews.org/Medical-Thermography-Clinical-Earthing-Application-in-20-Case-Studies.pdf
Schumann Resonance: Does Earth’s 7.83 Hz “Heartbeat” Influence Our Behavior? Yes, the earth has a heartbeat, and scientists theorize that it could affect brain and nervous system activity.
https://interestingengineering.com/science/what-is-the-schumann-resonance
5.4B: Electron Donors and Acceptors
https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Microbiology_(Boundless)/05%3A_Microbial_Metabolism/5.04%3A_Glycolysis/5.4B%3A_Electron_Donors_and_Acceptors/05%3A_Microbial_Metabolism/5.04%3A_Glycolysis/5.4B%3A_Electron_Donors_and_Acceptors)
All About Grounding: Techniques to Connect to Nature
https://www.verywellhealth.com/grounding-7494652 The Electromagnetic Body with Dr. Tom Cowan
https://home.solari.com/coming-tuesday-the-electromagnetic-body-with-dr-tom-cowan/
https://home.solari.com/coming-tuesday-the-economy-of-the-energy-body-with-ulrike-granogge
Earthing The Most Important Health Discovery Ever By Clinton Ober 2010
https://archive.org/details/earthingthemostimportanthealthdiscoveryeverbyclintonober2010/page/n133/mode/2up
Guide: Earthing systems
https://web.archive.org/web/20231228021719/https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/res/res5/A-good-guide-on-how-the-earthing-system-should-be-correctly-implemented.pdf
earthing-your-questions-answered.pdf
Beginners-Guide-to-Earthing.pdf
https://earthingcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/Beginners-Guide-to-Earthing.pdf
https://electrical.theiet.org/media/1698/earthing-your-questions-answered.pdf
Why The Body Needs Free Electrons The basic science behind the need for free electrons is that the earth’s surface contains a negative charge. This is in contrast to our bodies, which tend to accumulate an excess of positive charges.
Having too much positive charge in our bodies can trigger disrupted cellular function leading to increased oxidative stress from excessive free radicals, aka a cascade of inflammatory response.
Harnessing free electrons allows the body to pair these excess positive charges with a corresponding negative charge and instantaneously negate the inflammatory effects.
It happens so fast that scientists cannot even measure it!
Neutralizing Excess Positive Charges The easiest and fastest way to neutralize an excess of positive charge in the body is by walking barefoot on clean, unsprayed ground. This direct contact with the earth is called earthing or grounding.
Below is a thermographic photo of the inflammation in a person’s body before and after earthing.
Notice how the warm/hot colors indicating inflammation are noticeably muted to cooler colors after a short period of earthing occurs.
In essence, harnessing the power of free electrons rapidly promotes a more favorable internal environment within the body. Besides lowered inflammation, the benefits include improved mood and energy levels, deeper more restful sleep, and reduction or elimination of pain.
As a personal testimonial, I had a mysterious pain in my left foot a few months ago. I didn’t have an injury and there was no diagnosed issue such as plantar fasciitis.
I thought earthing might help it even though I am grounded most of the day in my home. So, I started making an effort to walk barefoot outside for at least 10 minutes per day. Alternatively, I would sit in a chair on the lawn with my bare feet touching the ground while reading.
Within a few days, the pain was dramatically less, and within a couple of weeks it completely disappeared and has not returned (I am still earthing).
The Science of Reducing Inflammation with Free Electrons The science of how free electrons neutralize inflammation in a hurry is covered best in the documentary The Earthing Movie. You can watch it here for free courtesy of the Solari Report. (1)
The fabulous explanation of the science behind free electrons reducing inflammation begins at 27:20, but I highly recommend watching the entire docu from the beginning.
Many Ways to Harness Free Electrons! Walking on the bare earth, aka “earthing”, is perhaps the easiest and most accessible way to get a massive infusion of free electrons to short-circuit the inflammatory response in the body.
However, there are a number of other ways to access free electrons with a negative charge to pair with and neutralize excess positive charges in the body.
All of the methods I know of are listed below. My recommendation is to do as many of them as you can, as often as you can!
Walking Barefoot on the Earth Walking barefoot on the ground is the most basic and essential way to harness free electrons for reducing inflammation.
If you live in an area or climate where this is difficult, then at least invest in shoes that have leather soles. This will ensure that you will at least be grounded when you are walking around outside.
Rubber and synthetic soled shoes are very bad for our health if we never take the time for earthing as a critical countermeasure.
Swimming in Natural Waters Swimming in clean, natural waters such as rivers, springs, lakes and the ocean is a fantastic way to ground and absorb free electrons into the body.
When you are swimming, it’s not just your feet that are earthing…it’s your entire body! Thus, swimming in natural waters has the potential for an enhanced free electron benefit.
My favorite way to enjoy this is to swim in the many natural, cold springs here in Florida.
Note that swimming in chlorinated pools will not have the same effect as the chemicals in the pool are counterproductive to the process. This is the case even if the pool is in-ground.
Grounding Inside Your Home If your home is one floor and directly contacts the foundational slab with no crawl space between, then you can actually ground inside your home.
Only certain types of flooring are appropriate for this purpose, however. Unsealed concrete, stone, unglazed tile, and 100% wool carpets are perhaps the best options. (2)
Sealed wood floors are not grounded despite being a natural material.
If you do not live on the ground floor or have a home with a basement or crawl space underneath, you can compensate by using grounding sheets at night while you sleep.
I have vetted and recommend this brand of earthing products if you are in the market.
Note that the reduced inflammatory effect of grounding is less than earthing. In other words, you won’t be getting as many free electrons simply by grounding as you will when your bare feet directly contact the earth.
Hence, grounding inside your home is wonderful, but not a complete substitute for earthing.
Gardening Without Gloves Gardening without gloves (or gloves made of leather) is what I call “reverse earthing”.
You are receiving the free electrons via your bare hands instead of the soles of the feet.
If you absolutely must garden with gloves, beware of “microfiber leather” as it is actually a form of synthetic leather!
Hugging a Tree While “tree-hugging” is a bit of a pejorative term in modern language, in reality, it offers each of us an easy way to absorb lots of electrons from many parts of our body at once.
Thus, if you are unable to swim in natural waters or walk barefoot on the ground, consider “forest bathing” instead.
Trees generate a steady stream of voltage which can even be harnessed for their electrical output. (3)
For the parts of your body that are in contact with the tree, make sure the clothing is made of 100% natural materials such as cotton, wool, or bamboo. Preferably touch the tree with as much bare skin as possible.
Touching and Petting Animals Ever wondered why petting animals is so therapeutic?
Could it be that we are receiving many free electrons through our hands into our body, which short circuits the inflammatory process?
If your pet is lying on the ground outside while you are petting them, so much the better! This way, their body serves as an electrical conduit to yours and is an indirect way to “earth”.
Hugging Other People Similar to tree-hugging and petting animals, simply embracing loved ones is also a source of inflammation-reducing free electrons.
Hugging on the beach while you are both earthing would be the most effective time to cuddle, but even if not grounded, you can still share free electrons between yourselves.
This is one of the reasons why massage and other hands-on therapy is so beneficial.
In particular, if a person is ill, hugging them or simply holding their hands can donate your free electrons to their body to literally help them get well!
I’ve written before about how when my children were babies and toddlers, I would hold them for as long as needed to provide comfort and absorb some of the heat with my body to cool them off. Remarkably, time and again, this would serve to break childhood fevers quite quickly.
It is my view that my body donating free electrons to theirs was at least in part why this was so therapeutic.
"The Destroyer of Weakness" - Nature's Super Tonic (Shilajit)
https://www.sweethealth.co.uk/blogs/sweet-natural-health/shilajit-the-destroyer-of-weakness-natures-super-tonic
original found on Earthing
https://youtu.be/44ddtR0XDVU
Show less
submitted by cheriaspen to ProtectAndAlert [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 19:03 Apprehensive_Till_79 [TOMT] [CARTOON MOVIE 2005-2015]

Around 2010 I watched I think a chinese cartoon, where the main protagonist was a little girl, the story took place at the Chinese Dragon new year.
The main plot was around the dragon, a Dragon made of paper came alive and had some adventure with the little girl, maybe they were gathering some food, I remember they had some white food that had some important rule in the movie.
I had this on DVD.
submitted by Apprehensive_Till_79 to tipofmytongue [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 19:00 Ashtralvid First HG finally arrived + poses

First HG finally arrived + poses
Just an update, I’ve finally got my hands on a High Grade. I just chose one that looks cool to me (and so many swords).
Excited to start this journey, will update the final product.
Thanks again for the suggestions!
Also included poses of my first EG Gunpla build
submitted by Ashtralvid to Gunpla [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 17:24 porcayingozlugu [PC] [1980s] Detective guy vs Aliens game

Platform(s): PC

Genre: Science Fiction, world set between 1930 and 1960

Estimated year of publication: 2010-2015

Graphic/art style:
realistic, post-apocalyptic, FPS
Important characters:
detective man and his assistant
Exceptional game mechanics: a shooter-only game where we can pick up weapons from the ground

Other details: Our detective man and his assistant are in a base-like place and suddenly alien-like creatures attack. I don't remember much about the game, guys, these are all I remember, I would be glad if you could help me.
submitted by porcayingozlugu to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 16:40 Lucky_Strike-85 Mike Uslan on Superman's slide into silliness!

Mike Uslan on Superman's slide into silliness! submitted by Lucky_Strike-85 to superman [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 16:30 japanesepiano Mentions of the Seer stone in Church Magazines: 1970-2010

FAIR correctly points out the following mentions of the use of a seer stone in church magazines in the decades mentioned. Some of these articles mention the seer stone only to deny that it was used, but let's ignore that for the time being:
September 1974 Friend: "To help him with the translation, Joseph found with the gold plates “a curious instrument which the ancients called Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transparent stones set in a rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate.” Joseph also used an egg-shaped, brown rock for translating called a seer stone." —“A Peaceful Heart,” Friend, Sep 1974, 7
September 1977 Ensign: “Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light." —Richard Lloyd Anderson, "‘By the Gift and Power of God’," Ensign (Sep 1977), 79.
January 1988 Ensign: "Once Martin found a rock closely resembling the seerstone Joseph sometimes used in place of the interpreters and substituted it without the Prophet’s knowledge. When the translation resumed, Joseph paused for a long time and then exclaimed, “Martin, what is the matter, all is as dark as Egypt.” Martin then confessed that he wished to “stop the mouths of fools” who told him that the Prophet memorized sentences and merely repeated them." —Kenneth W. Godfrey, "A New Prophet and a New Scripture: The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon," Ensign (Jan 1988).
July 1993 Ensign: "David Whitmer wrote: ' Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine.'" —Russell M. Nelson, “A Treasured Testament,” Ensign, Jul 1993, 61. (emphasis added)
They skip the mention in 1997 from Maxwell for whatever reason, but let's add it here for completeness:
Jan 1997 Ensign, Maxwell, by the gift and power of god:
Martin Harris related of the seer stone: “Sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin”
Now, let's do what the church asks us to do, which is to put these into context. To do that, it's important to go to the origional published form - i.e. how members would have received them at the time. So here you go:
1) Link to 1977 article.
2) Link to 1988 article.
3) Link to 1993 article.
4) Link to 1997 article.
Note: In all of these cases, the "best evidence" that FAIR can provide that the church was open and honest about the translation process in its literature between 1980-2010 have articles which mention the seer stone briefly, generally also talk about the "Urim and Thummim", and have drawings which inaccurately show the translation of the plates. These images were painted by artists who were given rather detailed instructions regarding the composition of the paintings. In addition to artists statements to this effect, we also have numerous depictions by different artists which are nearly identical in composition which seems to give credence to the notion that artists (and the composion of these depictions) were micro-managed by various people procuring the artwork for the church. Happy to provide examples if anyone is interested.
I am disturbed by statements like this coming from the church (2015, Ensign):
Over the years, artists have sought to portray the Book of Mormon translation, showing the participants in many settings and poses with different material objects. Each artistic interpretation is based upon its artist's own views, research, and imaginationn, sometimes aided by input and direction from others. (emphasis added).
Throwing faithful artists under the bus because the church chose to describe these events inaccurately is not fair or kind. I wish that the church would choose a more honest path forward.
submitted by japanesepiano to mormon [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 15:40 malliabu [Strang/Robson] ‘No one is spared’: Tracing Mike Babcock’s imperious NHL coaching career

Just sharing the section re: his tenure with the Leafs
The Athletic - $
Babcock’s success earned him one of the most prominent gigs in hockey as head coach of Team Canada. He won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics. His international experience further bolstered his resume, and the Leafs signed him to an eight-year, $50 million deal in May 2015. It positioned Babcock at the premier job in one of hockey’s biggest fish bowls, and his deal was also heralded as an important benchmark in the fight to improve coaching salaries. At $6.25 million per season, Babcock reportedly made more than double any other NHL head coach at the time, and more than all but one Leafs player.
A little more than a month after signing with the Leafs, Babcock tried to influence who the team would take with its first pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, according to multiple team sources. Mark Hunter, the Leafs assistant general manager, lobbied for Mitchell Marner of the OHL’s London Knights, which Hunter co-owns. Babcock made it clear to others in the team’s hockey operations that he wanted a different player. Despite Babcock’s objections, the Leafs selected Marner fourth overall.
After the first period of Marner’s first preseason game, Babcock approached him in the tunnel and abruptly told him he was being sent back to junior — rather than sharing the news in a private meeting. Babcock’s approach, relaying the disappointing news after a single period, was viewed by some in the organization as unprofessional and callous.
Later that fall, in October 2015, Frankie Corrado was picked up off waivers by the Leafs from Vancouver. Corrado was excited to play for Babcock, knowing he had a reputation for helping players reach their potential.
“I have no idea who you are,” Corrado remembers Babcock telling him when they first met. He told Corrado to meet him at his office at the Leafs training facility the next day at 8 a.m. Corrado arrived early and knocked on Babcock’s door, but the coach told him he didn’t have time to see him. Corrado waited for an hour and a half, but Babcock never made time for him.
Corrado saw little ice time with the Leafs over the next few weeks, spending most games as a healthy scratch. But during practices, Babcock would quietly instruct him to go first in drills, so he’d have to push past star players in line — breaking hockey decorum — while awkwardly trying to explain that he was doing so per the coach’s instruction. Corrado felt Babcock was attempting to “sewer” him with his teammates.
Corrado said he later experienced panic attacks and threw up regularly before games because of anxiety, which he never experienced before playing for Babcock.
“It was cruel. It went on way too long and it did way too much damage to me,” he said. “I think he loves f—ing with people’s heads. I really do.”
Early in the 2016-17 season center Peter Holland lost his position to minor league call-up Byron Froese. Hoping to discuss the demotion, Holland went to Leafs practice early. He found Babcock eating his breakfast, and the coach told him he’d find him as soon as he was done. Nearly an hour later Babcock called him into his office.
“You’re here to remind me that you’re still on the team. But you’ve lost your job, and all you can do right now is show up in practice,” Holland recalls Babcock saying. “Now tell me what you came here to tell me, so you can go home and tell your family and your agent that you said what you wanted to say.”
Before a Western Canada road trip that November, Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello told Holland he’d be staying back while the team worked out a trade for him to a market where he could get more playing time. At a news conference in Edmonton the next day, Babcock gave reporters the impression it was Holland’s decision for him to not travel with the team.
“(Holland) met with Lou, had his agent on the phone and decided he wasn’t coming on the trip,” Babcock said.
Holland said Lamoriello treated him professionally, but Babcock did not. “I’ve played for hard-ass coaches who I really like and respect — because they still treat you like a person. My experience with Babs was that he doesn’t treat you like a human being,” Holland said.
Early in Babcock’s tenure with the Leafs, after team trainers completed player evaluations, ranking work ethic on a three-level scale — red, yellow and green — he called a meeting with players and the team’s training staff and projected the red reviews on a wall for all to see. Training staffers said they had been led to believe their evaluations would be confidential.
A similar incident involved Marner once he returned to the Leafs during the 2016 season. While the team was in New Jersey, Babcock made Marner rank his teammates from hardest to least-hardest working. Marner did, believing it was a confidential discussion. He placed himself at the bottom of the list. Babcock then took the list to several of the other players who were also at the bottom of Marner’s list. Afterward, two veteran players — Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak — confronted Babcock about the incident; they took particular issue with the coach treating a rookie that way. Babcock later apologized to Marner.
In the Leafs office, Babcock was known to chastise support staff workers if his routine was derailed or the environment didn’t meet his standards, former players and employees said. He often focused on one person in the office each day and hounded them repeatedly.
“When you work for Babs everyone is on their toes. No one is spared,” said one former staffer.
While coaching U of S, Babcock pushed back on reports that his leadership style was unsuited for the modern game. He blamed social media for unfair criticism and called the characterization of the incident with Marner “a complete farce.” He justified the ranking exercise by noting how well Marner played for the Leafs, telling Sportsnet: “Mitch Marner played great for Mike Babcock.”
“Anything in my life that I’ve done that I should be feeling bad about and I should apologize for, I’m good with that,” Babcock said. “I have to own it and I should do that. But some of the math doesn’t add up. It just doesn’t.”
submitted by malliabu to leafs [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 15:34 mcskim46 The road so far and an incredible run

What a road (quite literally) to the NBA finals. These last 40 days of Mavericks basketball have been some of its absolute best. Looking back at some stats and numbers from this ridiculous, yet not surprising, run from the Mavs.
Home court advantage? I think not. The Mavs have won more road games this post season than home. 7 games to 5. We have been the lower seed through all three rounds opening up with two on the road. Not a problem getting a split in the first two series and then taking both against Minnesota.
We are 0-3 in game fours and 3-0 in game 5s! We are 4-0 following a Loss.
We beat three 50+ win teams in a row to get to the finals. Clippers, Thunder and Wolves combined for a staggering 164 regular season wins. Last time that feat was accomplished was the 2010 Lakers. Who did the Lakers play in the finals?? The Boston Celtics with the Lakers winning game 7 for the title. I will gladly take a repeat of history.
In his 4 postseason appearances, Luka has beaten more 50+ win teams than the last 6 MVPs…..combined.
Luka in the Western Conference Finals:
32.4/9.6/8.2/2.2/0.4 on .473/.434/.846 and 62.7 TS%
Im just gonna let that stat line sink in.
Luka for the playoffs:
28.8/9.6/8.8/1.6/0.5
For the entire playoffs Luka leads in total points, total assists, total steals, total Free Throws Made and taken and total rebounds.
Kyrie for the playoffs:
22.8/3.9/5.2/1.2/0.4
He has played so well with and off of Luka. He takes over games when Luka is sitting and hits CLUTCH shots after CLUTCH shots in the 4th quarters.
And they said Luka and Kyrie would never be able to function together....
Mavs backcourt:
Luka and Kyrie are NASTY together but so is Boston's backcourt. Here are their stats compared to Tatum and Brown. Its going to be an absolute BATTLE.
LuKai:
51.6/13.5/14.0/2.8/0.9
Tatum & Brown:
49.0/16.5/8.5/2.2/1.3
Lively:
A perfect 16 for 16 from the field in the WCF. The first player, EVER, to be perfect from the floor for a whole playoff series.
This is his first postseason.
Gafford and Lively this postseason:
114 / 179 (64%) from the Field. 74 Offensive Rebounds. 215 Total Rebounds. 49 Blocks. Gafford has only played 2 other post seasons games outside of this season.
PJail Washington:
Double Digit points in all but 2 games. 29,27,21 across a 3 game span. 114 Rebounds. 24 Assist. 16 Steals and 14 Blocks. Averaging 13.6/6.7/1.4/0.9/0.8. This is his first post season.
Jayden Hardy:
Played important minutes this series. Another ballhandler, agressive driving to the basket, can knock down threes and can draw players and set up a lob. This is his first post season.
4 Wins away and for the first time NOT PLAYING THE DAMN HEAT!
LETS F'IN GOOOOOOOO
submitted by mcskim46 to Mavericks [link] [comments]


2024.05.31 15:01 PLUTO_HAS_COME_BACK Vibhajjavada and Sarvāstivāda—Part 12: Sarvāstivādi Śūnyavāda

Vibhajjavada and Sarvāstivāda: Analysing the Heart Sutra from Theravadin Perspective—Part 12

5.1.8. Śūnyavāda

Śūnyavāda and Māyāvāda are two parts of Sarvāstivādi creationism and eternalism. Maya is the form (flesh and blood) and mind (Emptiness/Śūnya) is the External/Outside Agent in the form.
[Heart (Red; page 6-7)]: Avalokiteshvara lists the major conceptual categories of the Sarvastivadin Abhidharma and considers each in the light of Prajnaparamita [...] Avalokiteshvara reviews the major signposts near the end of the path without introducing additional conceptual categories that might obstruct or deter those who would travel it.
The Sarvāstivādi Lankavatara Sutra is the backbone of Mahayana, which was brought to China by Bodhidharma. The sutras that contradict Lankavatara is herectical. However, for some reasons, the Mahayanists did not stop producing new sutras, which might or might not agree with Lankavatara.

Śūnyavāda

The Lankavatara Sutra demonstrates both Sarvāstivādi Śūnyavāda and Māyāvāda. It presents seven types of Emptiness, including the Emptiness of self-nature [Svabhāva-Śūnya], with very brief explanations that are insufficient to understand these concepts. They are too brief to understand the meaning and intention of "all of the five Skandhas are equally empty" and "form is emptiness, emptiness is form." That has left the Mahayanist scholars in disagreement and argument.

Citta-matrata:

[Lanka Chapter 3:] emptiness of self-nature is meant that all things in their self-nature are un-born; therefore, it is said that things are empty as to self-nature [...] When it is recognized that the world as it presents itself is no more than a manifestation of mind, then birth is seen as no-birth,

Seven Kinds of Emptiness

The Mahayanists present "Sixteen Kinds of Emptiness", "Eighteen Kinds of Emptiness within Four Kinds of Emptiness", "Sixteen kinds of emptiness", "Twenty kinds of emptiness", etc.
The Lotus Sutra does not peresent these types of emptiness; however, it presents interesting types of emptiness.
If mind is the only thing, why are the systems so complex? What is the need for many types of emptiness?
[Lanka Chapter 3:] The Blessed One replied: What is emptiness, indeed! It is a term whose very self-nature is false-imagination, but because of one's attachment to false-imagination we are obliged to talk of emptiness, no-birth, and no self-nature.
Lankavatara presents seven kinds of emptiness:
  1. emptiness of mutuality which is non-existent;
  2. emptiness of individual marks;
  3. emptiness of self-nature;
  4. emptiness of no-work;
  5. emptiness of work;
  6. emptiness of all things in the sense that they are unpredictable, and
  7. emptiness in its highest sense of Ultimate Reality.
The Lankavatara Sutra emphasises the Emptiness of self-nature (svabhāva-śūnya). It rejects the emptiness of mutuality but presents mind (buddha-nature) inside the mortals. Nothing is mutual between illusion and reality. Illusion is the false imagination of mind.
The other five kinds of emptiness must also be important. However, bringing all seven types of Emptiness and other concepts of Emptiness into a comprehensive concept is unachievable. Understanding Emptiness with all these concepts is likely impossible. Nevertheless, we are informed that emptiness (svabhāva-śūnya) is the ultimate reality, while on the other side is maya, the false imagination of mind.

Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra presents 18-20 kinds of emptiness

[Prajnaparamita (CONZE page 19):] Considering the paramount importance of the idea of emptiness, a list of 20 kinds of emptiness is particularly welcome. The term "emptiness" as such is said to mean "neither unmoved nor destroyed". "Unmoved" (a-kutastha) means that it overtowers (kiita) all change, is unchangeable in what it is, in its own being, "steadfast as a mountain peak, as a pillar firmly fixed". The opposite would be the change, or destruction, of its own being. Both of these are excluded.
[Prajnaparamita (CONZE page 48):] (22) to be trained in the eighteen kinds of emptiness, i.e. the emptiness of the subject, etc.
Nagarjuna (also) presents three emptinesses in the Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra [Gelongma].
The first is similar to Sunna Sutta. See 5.1.12.
[Nagarjuna:] The eye is empty (śūnya): in it there is no ‘me’ (ātman) or ‘mine’ (ātmīya), and there is no dharma ‘eye’. It is the same for the ear, nose, tongue, body and mind.
[Gelongma:] For the disciples of the Mahāyāna ‘Greater Vehicle’ who are of keen faculties (tīkṣnendriya), the emptiness of dharmas is taught, and immediately they know that saṃsāra is eternally empty (nityaśūnya) and the same as nirvāṇa.
[Lanka Chapter 2:] Even Nirvana and Samsara's world of life and death are aspects of the same thing [emptiness]
[Gelongma:] For the disciples of the Hīnayāna ‘Lesser Vehicle’
[Gelongma:] If the Buddha were to speak of only one single emptiness, the many wrong views (mithyādṛṣṭi) and passions (kleśa) could not be destroyed [...] People who cling to the nature of emptiness (śūnyatālakṣaṇābhiniviṣṭa) fall into [the extreme] of nihilism (ucchedānta); to speak of the eighteen emptinesses is to hit the target (lakṣya) right on. To speak of ten or fifteen emptinesses would likewise provoke doubts (saṃśaya), but this is not at issue.

5.1.9. Avalokiteśvara discovered Svabhāva-Śūnya (Maya)

[Lanka Chapter 2:] the truths of the emptiness, un-bornness, no self-natureness, and the non-duality of all things.
[Lanka Chapter 3:] the fundamental fact that the external world is nothing but a manifestation of mind... emptiness, no-birth, and no self-nature.
[The Buddha nature (Six Senses):] Buddha nature means that the true nature of our mind is pure, right from the beginning, and has been so since the beginning of time. Although it is in itself perfectly unblemished, it becomes obscured, which prevents us from seeing it in its true form.

overcame all Ill-being

[Heart (Thich):] Avalokiteshvara while practicing deeply with the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore, suddenly discovered that all of the five Skandhas are equally empty, and with this realisation he overcame all Ill-being.
This `gotra-svabhava` means that the gotra (seed nature) of the `Tathagata` exists in all sentient beings. [THE SIGNIFICANCE OF `TATHAGATAGARBHA`:A POSITIVE EXPRESSION OF `SUNYATA` (HENG-CHING SHIH)]

Heart Sutra: Empty of Own svabhāva

[Heart (Red; pages 87)]: the Five Skandhas are empty of self-existence. [p77] Something that is empty of self-existence is inseparable from everything else, including emptiness. [p91] But if, as Avalokiteshvara tells us, all dharmas are empty of self-existence, impermanence 'no longer applies, as they neither come into being, nor do they cease to be. [p92] In the light of Prajnaparamita, all such states are seen to be empty of self-existence. [p94] And because such a self cannot be found, dharmas are said to be "empty of self-existence." [p120] But since the Five Skandhas are empty of self-existence, suffering must also be empty of self-existence. But if suffering is empty of self-existence, then there is no self that suffers. Thus, in emptiness there is no suffering, no source of suffering, no relief from suffering, and no path leading to relief from suffering. This is the basis of Avalokiteshvara's interpretation of the Four Truths. ['empty of self-existence' appears 13 times]
[Heart (Red; page 69):] Emptiness does not mean nothingness. It simply means the absence of the erroneous distinctions that divide one entity from another, one being from another being, one thought from another thought. Emptiness is not nothing, it's everything, everything at once. This is what Avalokiteshvara sees...
[Heart (Thich):] Thich Nhat Hanh considered emptiness is "totality" and "wholeness." If they are applied to Heart-Sutra, "all of the five Skandhas are equally empty" becomes "all of the five Skandhas are totality and wholeness."
[Heart (Red; page 75)]: But in the light of Prajnaparamita, form is not simply empty, it is so completely empty, it is emptiness itself, which turns out to be the same as form itself.
[Heart (Red; page 33)]: Others say true appearances transcend such dialectics—that they are the absolute, subjective mind—the mind's self-nature.

EMPTINESS (SUCHNESS), NON-DUALITY AND NON-EXISTENCE

[Heart (Red; page 120, quoted in Heart (Dharmanet)):] Since the Five Skandhas are empty of self-existence, suffering must also be empty of self-existence. But if suffering is empty of self-existence, then there is no self that suffers. Thus, in emptiness there is no suffering, no source of suffering, no relief from suffering, and no path leading to relief from suffering. This is the basis of Avalokiteshvara’s interpretation of the Four Truths.
the Zen master immediately used his thumb and index finger to pinch and twist the novice’s nose. In great agony, the novice cried out “Teacher! You’re hurting me!” The Zen master looked at the novice. “Just now you said that the nose doesn’t exist. But if the nose doesn’t exist then what’s hurting?” [New Heart Sutra translation by Thich Nhat Hanh]

Vasubandhu

[Vasubandhu:] the five sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue, skin) can each be inferred from the awareness of their respective sensory objects. But, he [Vasubandhu] says, there is no such inference for the self [2.1 Disproof of the Self (Jonathan C. Gold)].
“If the images of physical forms, and so on, were just consciousness, not physical things, then the Buddha would not have spoken of the existence of the sense bases of physical form, and so on.” [3. Approaches to Scriptural Interpretation (Jonathan C. Gold)]

Nāgārjuna: Rūpa Has Selves

The specific nature belonging to each dharma is, for example, the solidity (khakkhaṭatva) of earth (pṛthivi), the wetness (dravatva) of water (ap-), the warmth of fire (uṣṇatva) of fire (tejas), the mobility (īraṇatva) of wind (vāyu): such natures differentiate dharmas, each of which has its own nature”. [Tathata (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter XLIX)]
[Theravada:] Tathata (“suchness”) designates the firmly fixed nature (bhāva) of all things whatever.—The only passage in the Canon where the word occurs in this sense, is found in Kath. 186 (s. Guide, p. 83).

5.1.11. Sarvāstivādi Eternalism

Tathatā also represents Sarvāstivādi eternalism that rejects anicca (impermanence):
Tathatā represents the sameness of dharmas throughout the three times.
Hence at the time when the mental consciousness delivers it judgment, the perceptual cognition no longer exists since all things are momentary. [The Theory of Two Truths in India: 3.2 Ultimate truth (Sonam Thakchoe)]

Samkhara

[Samkara, a critic of non-authodox Buddhism,] divides Buddhism into three types: the “realists” (sarvāstitvādins), the “idealists” (vijñānavādins), and the “nihilists” (śūnyavādins) [...] in this simple threefold manner, and many would take great exception to the characterization of śūnyavāda, the “theory of the void” associated primarily with the Mādhyamika school of Nāgārjuna, as mere “nihilism.” [The Essential Vedanta Eliot Deutsch And Rohit Dalvi (PDF file) (Eliot Deutsch and Rohit Dalvi; page 126)]
[Suhotra Swami] originally Vedanta meant Vaisnava-vedanta. The Vedanta-sutras were compiled by Vyasadeva, a Vaisnava. The Srimad Bhagavatam is the natural commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, written by Vyasadeva himself 5000 years ago. [VII. A historical comparison of Vaisnava-vedanta, Mayavadi-vedanta and Buddhism.]

Personalism

[Bhajan & Kirtan Library:] Sankaracarya is supposed to be an impersonalist who preached impersonalism, impersonal Brahman, but it is a fact that he is a covered personalist. In his commentary on the Bhagavad-gita he wrote, "Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond this cosmic manifestation." And then again he confirmed, "That Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, is Krsna. He has come as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva." He particularly mentioned the names of His father and mother. So Krsna is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all transcendentalists. There is no doubt about it."[Sri Isopanisad, Introduction]

Svabhāva in Mahayana & Indian Religions

[Breakthrough Sermon (Bodhidharma):] Our buddha-nature [buddha-svabhāva/buddha self-nature] is awareness: to be aware and to make others aware. To realize awareness is liberation [...] The Sutra of the Ten Stages [Lankavatara] says, “In the body of mortals is the indestructible buddha-nature.
[Svabhāva (Wisdom Library)] Shaivism: [verse 9.5-11, while explaining the universality of Amṛteśa]—“Amṛteśa is supreme. He is free of disease. His nature is inherent (svabhāva), fully enumerated, constant, eternal, and immovable. [He has] no form or color, and is the highest truth. Because of that, he is omnipresent. The splendid Deva delights in all āgamas, pervades all mantras, and grants all siddhis. In this way, he is like a transparent crystal sewn onto a colored thread, always reflected with its color, [and] seeking [to] look like this and that. [...]”.
The Great Void (Emptiness) of Shaktism [Shakta and Shakti (Usha Chatterji):] Her own dark form is the Void (Shunya). As Digambari she is naked, but Her nakedness is space itself. "The series of universes appear and disappear with the opening and shutting of Her eyes". The Mother's play or this cosmic manifestation is a continual process of creation, maintenance and dissolution, usually symbolised by the Hindu Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. [Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Autumn, 1968)]
[Lotus Chapter 5:] ultimate Nirvana which is constantly still and extinct and which in the end returns to emptiness.

5.1.12. Atta-Suññatā

“voidness in formations” (saṅkhāra-suññatā) [...] and “voidness of self” (atta-suññatā) [...] variously classified in the Suññakathā of the Paṭisambhidāmagga. The “void mind-deliverance” (suññata-cetovimutti) is that connected with atta-suññatā (MN 43). [The Three Basic Facts of Existence: III — Egolessness (Anattā) Collected Essays, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka, The Wheel Publication No. 202–204]
The knowledge of an arahant:
[Dhammakiti (담마끼띠):] Unlike the theory of self-begetting mutation by Brahmanism which argues that many appear from one, the understanding of Buddhism may be the revelation of truth from many to one based on the theory of dependent origination [...] The word ‘emptiness’ is mentioned in many discourses of early Buddhism [Culasunnata-sutta, Mahasunnata-sutta, Majjhima Nikaya] [초기불교에 나타난 대승공관의 기초 -맛지마 니까야의 『소공경』 과 『대공경』을 중심으로-]
The knowledge of Avalokiteśvara:

Ariya-Puggala: the Four 'Noble Ones'

Anatta Dhamma: Non-being of I-being/soul

Sunna Sutta: Sunna is the knowledge of the Buddha and the arahants:
Insofar as it is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self: Thus it is said, Ānanda, that the world is empty.
Anatta-lakkhana Sutta (The knowledge of the Buddha and arahants):
"Bhikkhus, [rūpa] is not-self.

Atta-Suñña (Atta-Suññatā)

the Buddha, the Analyzer (Vibhajjavaadi), analyzed the so-called being, the sankhaara pu~nja, the heap of processes, into five ever-changing aggregates, and made it clear that there is nothing abiding, nothing eternally conserved, in this conflux of aggregates (khandhaa santati). [The Fact of Impermanence (Piyadassi Thera)]
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2024.05.31 15:01 aznpersuazion Is Software Engineering a Good Job in 2023?

To preface this post, I want to give the disclaimer that like many things, there is not a black and white answer the question. I'm writing this as an experienced tech professional, and the information provided is based on opinion.
To start with. A little bit of history..
The golden age of software engineering(and similar jobs) is over. At least for the next 5 - 10 years. I don't think this is an unpopular opinion. The reason why between the years of 2010 - 2022, these jobs exploded, was because of the boom of the internet for commercial and personal use.
This is different from the dotcom boom of 2000s, where the internet was just starting and most of the products being created were for basic things like: putting banking on the internet, putting videos on the internet, etc.
The boom in the 2010s was related to the widespread popularity of commercial and personal products. Things like Uber, Spotify, and Salesforce. With the sudden increased usage of the digital world, there were MILLIONS of companies rushing to create digital products.
However, we're starting to see the rise and fall of some of these products, millions of startups failings, and less VC funding. In case you don't know, VC stands for Venture Capital, which are basically investment companies that give money to other companies to help them grow and develop, in return for partial ownership of the company.
As the industry began to mature, successful companies started to emerge, and many more started to fail.
The present day..
Software engineering and like jobs will continue to be important, and there will be a high demands for these engineers. Nearly every company will still need a website, a place to manage their data, and people to manage their hardware. BUT.. the basic technologies they need to run their company will become more efficient. AND there will be less research and innovation because the a lot of the trial and error already occurred.
We're in a weird spot where the demand for workers is now decreasing from it's recent peaks, and the supply of workers is now increasing because of how all the benefits of being a software engineer in the past decade.
This has really unfortunate consequences for any recent graduates or others trying to break into the tech field. There are WAY more beginning career people than jobs available. Which is made even worse with the amount of layoffs there are, where mid-level employees are now having to settle for entry level jobs.
What can we do?
I have two pieces of advice for people interested in the topic, or wanting to break into the field but can't. Try breaking in from a adjacent field, where you can get some exposure to tech. Things that data entry, analytics(this can be finance, supply chain etc). Then try to learn as much as you can from the tech people at your company.
The second piece of advice. Go into a different field. Software engineering is not for everyone. You have to learn and understand some relatively complex topics, and it's becoming harder and harder to be competitive in the industry. Healthcare, supply chain, and many other industries are booming right now.
Understanding history, you can see that certain industries will rise and fall. For the near future, technology might be one of the harder careers to break into. Something like healthcare would be that's expected to grow exponentially. The average population of the world is getting older, as less and less people are wanting to have kids. There will be higher demand for healthcare professionals and healthcare technology.
Do your best to review and understand these trends, and hopefully you can create a good life and career. Best of luck!

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2024.05.31 14:37 Just_a_Player2 Unknown Hit: John Wu's - "Stranglehold"

Unknown Hit: John Wu's -
Fans of Hong Kong action movies probably know director John Wu. Many of his films with “dancing with shooting”, full of action, Mexican showdowns and slow motion are rightfully considered among the best action films in history. Among his most striking works are films such as “Killer”, “Bullet in the Head” and “Hard Boiled”, but there is little to compare with the 1992 film “Steeply Brewed” starring Chinese actor Chou Yunfat as Inspector Yuen Tequila.
This is one of the most important action films of the 1990s, a bloody internal monologue in amazing shootouts, merciless to the audience. The climax of the film, a real fight in the hospital, is still praised by action fans, and perhaps it can be called a masterpiece of Woo's cinematic skill. Unfortunately, the adventures of Inspector Tequila never got a sequel... until a game called Stranglehold was released in 2007.
https://preview.redd.it/9ibpfzm68r3d1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2afb6f92d6efe7f92ce38279210d7f58865cbbdc
Stranglehold is an interesting game to say the least. This is the official sequel to “Hard Boiled” based on the film, in many ways unique due to the “perfect storm” collaboration between Woo, Chou Yunfat and the Midway company, who acted as developer and producer. Midway games have a long and dirty history that deserves a separate article. In the mid-2000s, the company began to lose its position as a producer, investing excessive amounts of money in unique, but completely failed projects.
This is mainly due to the deal in March 2007, when Midway entered into a new loan agreement with National Amusement for $90 million, but National Amusements CEO Sumner Redstone sold 87% of his shares to other investors, leaving Midway with no other way out besides bankruptcy.
Stranglehold did come out, but it was one of the last games developed by Midway before its final closure in 2009. Perhaps, among all the latest games of the studio, it was the most worthy and honestly tried to convey the dynamic of “Hard Boiled”, using updated engines to demonstrate a new degree of realism. Strangehold was Midway's first Unreal Engine 3 game and one of the most important elements of the game's development was a new physics engine called Massive Destruction.
https://preview.redd.it/79sflzz88r3d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8c7ce0f36baec01d4933c3ba8fbc2b0d819c17f
The Massive Destruction physics engine allowed players to destroy almost any inanimate object in the existing environment. Inspector Tequila and his hordes of enemies from the triads could literally shoot and destroy the whole world. In addition, the engine implemented a hit recognition system in which enemies reacted to injuries to various parts of the body. The artificial intelligence behaved accordingly, trying to recover from non-lethal injuries and return to battle if possible.
To recreate the “Hard Boiled” shootouts, Midway tried to create a special dynamic system using a modified version of the time dilation mechanics. This “Tequila time” has become a trademark of Woo's style, a unique feature of the game that distinguishes it from others. During the Tequila time, the inspector could interact with the environment to slide across tables and climb a chandelier while continuing to fire at enemies.
https://preview.redd.it/dgbtrpjb8r3d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2379b164b46b7486f74293b109faff34fd2ea32
This mechanic is reminiscent of the Max Payne series, but Max Payne it's self also borrowed it from “Hard Boiled" and other action movies. By 2007, “time dilation” as a game mechanic was somewhat hackneyed, and Stranglehold tried to break this stereotype, but the results were mixed.
One of the innovations of Midway was an attempt to stimulate interaction with a destructible environment. The developers implemented a system of points represented by stars, which allowed players to receive bonuses – for example, increased damage or protection. To earn stars, the player had to kill enemies quickly without stopping or use improvised for stylish kills.
With enough points, it was possible to get a shot accompanied by a bullet on the way to the target. This system also contributed to recreating the atmosphere of the “Hard Boiled”, as it greatly contributed to the interaction of players with the environment.
https://preview.redd.it/zt3rql009r3d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd600486f4511db6262c647d080a7a1a5fb92d20
In fact, the Stranglehold concept was largely focused on creating the feeling of watching an action movie. The collaboration with Woo and the recruitment of Chou Yunfat for the role of Tequila (although without voice acting) were also steps in this direction. Therefore, Stranglehold was quite short – it took from eight to ten hours to complete the campaign – and in order to make it more attractive to customers, Midway added multiplayer to the game. The collector's edition for PlayStation 3 also includes a Blu-Ray disc with the movie “Hard Boiled” itself, which was not in a similar collector's edition for Xbox 360.
Stranglehold was moderately successful and earned Midway over a million dollars. The reviews noted the exact adaptation of the action movie atmosphere in the game world, but criticized the monotonous gameplay and unsuccessful multiplayer. Another problem for the game was the release in 2007 of many more significant shooters, especially Halo 3 on Xbox 360. Stranglehold could not stand comparison with these games, and it became more of a niche product than a full-fledged AAA hit.
https://preview.redd.it/x1tgivo19r3d1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=728cef94559fb251433baf52ef452750f680cf13
But despite all this, Midway had serious plans for Stranglehold. First, a new film was planned – the official prequel of “Hard Boiled” with a young inspector Tequila. In 2010, it was reported that Stephen Fung was to be the director of the project, and the budget was $ 20 million. Work has also begun on a sequel to Stranglehold called Gun Runner. However, after the closure of Midway in 2009 and the purchase of a number of Midway brands by Warner Bros, Interactive Gun Runner was canceled, and the Stranglehold film was never released.
Midway's financial problems should not be underestimated, but Stranglehold has also contributed to them. Despite the millions of sales, the development of the game cost about $ 30 million, making it one of the most expensive for its time. The game was unable to fully compensate for these costs, and despite good reviews, it never became a serious AAA hit, much to Midway's chagrin. In the end, all this resulted in a loss of approximately $ 700 million by the end of 2008 and the bankruptcy of the company in early 2009.
Midway's financial turmoil has left the Tequila Inspector with no future in video games. Anyway, Stranglehold was and remains a curious game, because it has become in many ways a unique project combining the ideas of Hollywood with an interactive format. It's proved that a game can be made the same as a movie, but also demonstrated the limitations of such an approach – creating a powerful niche product, not a game for a wide audience. Thanks to this niche, Stranglehold has become a cult classic, an action game that has begun to gain more and more recognition over time.
Stranglehold - Funny & Brutal Moments Compilation - Takedowns - Ragdolls
I didn't find this game in steam - but here you can go on a great trip for $2.
submitted by Just_a_Player2 to ItsAllAboutGames [link] [comments]


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