Growing up in the 90s, along with becoming an enthusiast in the early 00s, I grew accustomed to giant rides of epic proportions. My homepark at the time received 3 major roller coasters upon getting flagged, too! An hour away was America's Roller Coast, and I kept reading the wild things reported on by Screamscape and ThrillRide...a coaster off of the stratosphere!?
As I continued into the hobby, I soon valued airtime over all. Eventually the goal became to ride as many CCIs, find some elusive twisty GCIs, and find a way to make the trek to Santa Claus to ride the Holy Grail equivalent of roller coasters which towered above all. Getting caught up in debates over the merits of Intamin pre-fabs vs "true" woodies that get bent on sight, trying to figure out if Cedar Fair ever had an actual plan for Geauga Lake, or chasing down the true Dip N Dots guy who knew about that 500ft AquaTrax all became a past time.
I hit my 100th coaster upon some time spent in Orlando, and Manta showed me how much a carefully crafted experience could outdo any airtime monster. From the flyer, I grounded a bit of my expanding credit base as life called to other avenues. I still visited when and where I could. One of the most memorable experiences during that time was hitting a night ride on that ghostly phantom diving off of a cliff. As you plummet down towards the river with steel mills and wonder when you'll start to pull up. The revenge product quickly became my new number 1 due to the hauntingly great night ride.
A few years later the amount of credits boomed as I had the means to do as I wish. That mountain of magic provided some fun, Arlington's original chain park helped usher in the era of reimaginations of Dinn's follies, yet I quickly began to notice a stark product quality between the Fair and the Flags.
Around this point, 150 or so, I met my partner in crime and she was always willing to try new things. We shared the love of Toro after her first ride, giggled our behinds off while I got absolutely soaked on the smallest drop of Splash Mountain, and then stormed through the woods of a reinvigorated behemoth in the woods of Mason, Ohio.
Then the hobby shifted to an entirely new dynamic. A new individual joined our clan, and his higher than average height has allowed him to start amassing a credit count along with trying rides of all shapes and sizes. My love for this hobby continues to grow seeing how much he enjoys rides (just don't get me on wilderness run again...kid), and there's a chance he'll be on Oscar's Wacky Taxi with me for #200 if I plan this right!
I see our family visiting parks more often now due to his zeal for all things thrill, chill, and fun. I once cringed at "Family Amusement Park" getting attached to my beloved homepark which met an unceremonious closure in 2007, yet I've grown to understand this past decade that families remain the bedrock of amazing coasters.
So next time you bemoan "oh man, a family coaster!?" just know the ROI from families will always be greater than us who chase obscure amazing rides.

DAY: JUNE 4 2024
6-4-2024

SUMMER HOLIDAYS AREN’T ALL FUN AND GAMES FOR CHILDREN’S FITNESS

As summer break kicks off in the U.S., researchers are asking parents to pay closer attention to their children’s screen time, as new research shows that too many are indulging in excess time online. While the summer holiday break is often considered a time of fun and relaxation for school children, a respite from routine comes an increase in sedentary behavior and screen time, and in turn, poorer health and academic outcomes. University of South Australia researchers have conducted the first ever review of studies
6-4-2024

NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS RISKS OF MUSCLE-BUILDING SUPPLEMENT USE AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS

A recent study from the University of Toronto has revealed critical insights into the use of muscle-building supplements (such as whey protein and creatine) among adolescents and young adults in Canada. The research, published today, provides a comprehensive analysis of the prevalence, influences, and associated risks of muscle-building supplement use, highlighting important implications for health care, public health, and policy-making professionals. The work is published in the journal Performance Enhancement & Health. Analyzing data of 912 participants from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors, a national study focused on
6-4-2024

STUDY FINDS METHODS TO QUIT SMOKING EFFECTIVE REGARDLESS OF MENTAL HEALTH HISTORY

A survey studied how mental health relates to methods people use to quit smoking, also known as smoking cessation aids. While the number of adults who smoke cigarettes has declined globally, people with mental health conditions are more likely to smoke and to do so more heavily. Because of these differences in tobacco use, the researchers theorized that the effectiveness of smoking
6-4-2024

THERE IS NO ‘LESSER EVIL’ WHEN IT COMES TO TOBACCO USE, SAYS DOCTOR

From the traditional cigarette to the modern electronic cigarette, from the communal hookah to the discreet pinch of smokeless tobacco, each has proven to be detrimental to a person’s health. Dr. Jon Ebbert, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, discusses why there is no “lesser evil” when it comes to tobacco use. Smoked tobacco has the strongest association with cancer, and it goes beyond cigarettes. “Hookah, which is a smoked and inhaled tobacco, has a similar cancer risk because it’s the process of smoking and inhaling those
6-4-2024

SCIENTISTS EXAMINE HOW STRESS KNOCKS OUT COGNITIVE RESERVE

While mentally stimulating activities and life experiences can improve cognition in memory clinic patients, stress undermines this beneficial relationship. This is according to a study, titled “Cognitive reserve, cortisol, and Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers: A memory clinic study”, from the Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Researchers in the late 1980s found that some individuals who showed no apparent symptoms of dementia during their lifetime had brain changes consistent with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease. It has since been postulated that so-called cognitive reserve might account for
6-4-2024

EATING MORE FRUIT MAY REDUCE YOUR RISK OF DEPRESSION

Globally, depression is a major public health concern. According to the World Health Organization, it is the largest contributor to non-fatal burden of disease, with more than 80% of this burden represented across low- and middle-income countries. A growing body of evidence suggests that dietary behaviors—in particular higher consumption of fruit and vegetables—may be important in reducing the risk of depression. New research led by Postdoctoral Fellow Annabel Matison from UNSW Sydney’s Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA) published in the Journal of Affective Disorders has for the first time
6-4-2024

WHY THE KETO DIET SHOWS PROMISE

Eline Dekeyster: “I want to implement scientifically proven ketogenic interventions safely in healthcare.” Can the development of these mental health conditions be influenced by the ketogenic diet? Increasingly, research suggests it might. “For those it helps, it can be life-changing,” says neuroscientist Eline Dekeyster. The turnout of more than 700 attendees, both live and online, at Eline Dekeyster’s lecture on nutrition and the brain signals how popular the topic is. Not surprising, according to the neuropsychologist. “Many people struggle with mental
6-4-2024

RESEARCHERS DETERMINE HOW MANY WOMEN TAKE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY

A new study investigating the safety of medication during pregnancy has found that about 60% of women are prescribed a medication during pregnancy. The study, published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, was led by Professor Gareth Baynam, from UWA Medical School and head of the Western Australian Register of Development Anomalies (WARDA). “Pregnant women have traditionally been excluded from research examining the safety of medications, which has resulted in a lack of adequate data,” Professor Baynam said. In the study, 30% of women used a medication that was classified by
6-4-2024

CUCUMBERS SOLD IN 14 STATES RECALLED OVER SALMONELLA CONCERNS

A company recall has been issued for cucumbers sold in 14 states because of possible contamination with salmonella. In a notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Florida-based Fresh Start Produce recalled the vegetables, which were shipped from May 17 through May 21. The cucumbers were sent to retail distribution centers, wholesalers and food service distributors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, the company said. Mini cucumbers and English cucumbers are not included
6-4-2024

PHYSICIANS DISCUSS THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF ADVERTISING

As social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have risen in popularity, so have direct-to-consumer advertisements for drugs like Ozempic, whether it be pop-up advertisements or social media influencers promoting products to their followers. Now, more and more people are asking their doctors to prescribe them drugs they have seen in advertisements, prompting three chief medical residents—Lynne Rosenberg, MD, Samantha Thielen, MD, and Evan Zehr, MD—in the University of Colorado Internal Medicine Residency Program to deliberate: Is this a beneficial or harmful occurrence? The answer, they discovered, is complex and
6-4-2024

POPULATION SHIFTS, RISK FACTORS MAY TRIPLE US CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE COSTS BY 2050

Driven by an older, more diverse population, along with a significant increase in risk factors including high blood pressure and obesity, total costs related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) conditions are likely to triple by 2050, according to projections from the American Heart Association. At least 6 in 10 U.S. adults (61%), more than 184 million people, are expected to have some type of CVD within the next 30 years, reflecting a disease prevalence that will have a $1.8 trillion price tag in direct and indirect costs. The new data comes
6-4-2024

INTERNET ADDICTION AFFECTS BEHAVIOR AND DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENTS, STUDY FINDS

Internet addiction influences multiple neural networks, which can affect the behavior and development of adolescents. Adolescents with an internet addiction undergo changes in the brain that could lead to additional addictive behavior and tendencies, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The findings, published in PLOS Mental Health, reviewed 12 articles involving 237 young people aged 10–19 with a formal diagnosis of internet addiction between 2013 and 2023. Internet addiction has been defined as a person’s inability to resist the urge to use
6-4-2024

MEDICAL SCHOOL ISN’T TEACHING DOCTORS MUCH ABOUT NUTRITION, ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS

Nutrition is a key determinant of health. But American physicians aren’t receiving effective training to counsel patients on the topic, according to a new paper from University of Georgia researchers. Current medical training focuses on weight and body mass index (BMI), exacerbating anti-obesity bias and increasing the risk of eating disorders, the authors said. And it doesn’t give future doctors adequate education on how to encourage healthier eating habits. “Mainstream medicine is still very focused on linking weight to health,” said Kearney Gunsalus,
6-4-2024

NEW POLICY RECOMMENDS AI TECH SHOULD AUGMENT PHYSICIAN DECISION-MAKING, NOT REPLACE IT

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical health care has the potential to transform health care delivery but it should not replace physician decision-making, says the American College of Physicians (ACP) in a new policy paper, titled “Artificial Intelligence in the Provision of Health Care,” published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The paper offers recommendations on the ethical, scientific, and clinical components of AI use, and says that AI tools and systems should enhance human intelligence, not supplant it. “AI has the potential to aid in solving some
6-4-2024

RESEARCHERS SAY BRAIN TUMORS ARE FATAL WHEN THERE IS A DOUBLE GENE MUTATION

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare hereditary cancer predisposition disease characterized by bone marrow failure as well as endocrine and physical abnormalities. A key clinical feature in those affected is a high risk of cancer. The reason for this is that certain genes involved in the repair of DNA damage do not function properly in the disease. This includes the BRCA2 gene. The greatest risk of cancer is observed in affected patients when there are harmful changes in both copies of
6-4-2024

BEFORE HE BOARDED THE RESCUE BOAT, THEY HANDED HIM THE BILL

Vincent Wasney and his fiancée, Sarah Eberlein, had never visited the ocean. They’d never even been on a plane. But when they bought their first home in Saginaw, Michigan, in 2018, their real estate agent gifted them tickets for a Royal Caribbean cruise. After two years of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, they set sail in December 2022. The couple chose a cruise destined for the Bahamas in part because it included a trip to CocoCay, a private island accessible to Royal Caribbean passengers that featured a water park,
6-4-2024

ACCESS TO FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS MAY IMPROVE SLEEP OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS

Older adults who utilize food assistance programs to reliably access quality food may fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer than their peers who do not use such programs, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences. Ashley Flores, who anticipates earning her doctorate in nutritional sciences from Penn State in August, and Muzi Na, associate professor of nutritional sciences, led this study. The results were recently published in Nutrition Journal. The national rate of food insecurity in
6-4-2024

NEW STUDY REVEALS HOW FAT IN MUSCLES COULD INCREASE RISK OF CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASE AND UNHEALTHY AGING

Scientists at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Australia are calling for greater awareness of a fat deposit located in skeletal muscles. A new study explores how an accumulation of this hidden fat called intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and its associated cells can drive a range of diseases, including muscle loss, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Lead author Dr. Osvaldo Contreras, of the Sydney-based Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, says the dangers of IMAT had been overlooked for
6-4-2024

EXPLORING HOW PARENTAL DECISIONS ON VACCINES CAN BE SWAYED BY SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is so rife with misinformation regarding childhood vaccinations, health care professionals need to be prepared to provide adequate information and support parents to ensure informed decision-making, a new study has found. Led by nursing and midwifery researcher Dr. Susan Smith from Flinders University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the study looked at the significant role social media plays in shaping parents’ perceptions and choices regarding childhood vaccinations. The paper, “Exploring social media influences on vaccine decision-making in parents: a netnography,” is published in the journal Therapeutic Advances
6-4-2024

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN TELEMEDICINE AND IN-PERSON CARE

A patient sits in the living room of her apartment in the Brooklyn borough of New York during a telemedicine video conference with a physician on Jan. 14, 2019. Patients can now see an array of doctors without leaving their recliner thanks to telemedicine. But that doesn’t mean trips to the office should end. Finding the right balance between virtual and in-person visits can be a key to getting good care.
6-4-2024

COMBINING BIOMEDICAL DATA FROM BREAST CANCER PATIENTS COULD LEAD TO ‘GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERIES’

Studying combined data from the UK Biobank, a unique record of patient information from more than half a million Britons, could help make “groundbreaking discoveries” in the understanding and treatment of breast cancer, say researchers. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death of women globally—accounting for 685,000 deaths in 2020—but some forms of the disease are more deadly than others. Understanding the unique characteristics of different variants of the disease could help doctors to diagnose and classify patients and develop new, more personalized therapies. The UK Biobank
6-4-2024

WHEN MOTHERS AND CHILDREN TALK ABOUT PROBLEMS, RESEARCH SAYS ENVIRONMENT MATTERS

Talking to their parents about daily stressors can help adolescents deal with their problems. This is particularly important during the transition to middle school, when youth often are faced with new peer and academic challenges. But does it matter where these conversations take place? That’s the topic of a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The findings are published in The Journal of Early Adolescence. “We were interested in the environmental settings for mother-youth conversations. Where do they typically happen, and what are the preferred locations? We wanted
6-4-2024

SURVEY SHOWS SHIFT IN LANGUAGE AROUND MENTAL HEALTH OVER 79 YEARS

A new survey of nearly 340,000 texts spanning 79 years shows that generic terms in mental health have shifted away from words like “disease” and “disturbance” and toward “psychiatric” and “mental health,” with “mental illness” becoming the most-used term. Nick Haslam and Naomi Baes at the University of Melbourne in Australia present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health on June 4. The authors state
6-4-2024

AUTISM SCREENING TOOL GOES GLOBAL

Researchers at Flinders University are excited about the world-wide uptake of their early screening tool for children suspected of having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The early screening tool, known as Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC), is already available in Australia and is now available free of charge to low-resource countries such as Indonesia, Mexico, China and Guayaquil (Ecuador). A study published recently in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders investigated the effects of translating and culturally adapting the screening tool for a Spanish-speaking population in Ecuador. “ADEC is
6-4-2024

LAWSUIT CLAIMS POPPI SODA NOT AS GUT-HEALTHY AS COMPANY SAYS

The popular prebiotic sodas known as Poppi may not be quite as good for your gut as the company claims. In a class-action lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Kristin Cobbs said she bought Poppi drinks because of their labels, which say they are prebiotic sodas and feature the slogan, “Be Gut Happy. Be Gut Healthy.” But, Cobbs said she later found the drinks contain only around 2 grams of the prebiotic agave inulin fiber, which she said isn’t enough to make any difference in
6-4-2024

• 6-4-2024ETHNIC MINORITIES EXPERIENCE STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION IN ACCESSING LONG COVID CARE
• 6-4-2024PSYCHEDELIC DRUG MDMA FACES FDA PANEL IN BID TO BECOME FIRST-OF-A-KIND PTSD MEDICATION
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL OF SMART HOMES TO AID IN AGED CARE
• 6-4-2024US HEALTH OFFICIALS ADVISE USING ANTIBIOTIC AS A ‘MORNING-AFTER PILL’ AGAINST STDS
• 6-4-2024ROMANIA’S PIONEERING LAW ESTABLISHING THE RIGHT TO PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
• 6-4-2024COCHLEAR IMPLANTS AID MENIERE DISEASE OUTCOMES, STUDY SHOWS
• 6-4-2024EXCLUDING PARTISANSHIP QUESTIONS FROM HEALTH SURVEYS COULD LEAD TO INEFFECTIVE POLICY, SAY RESEARCHERS
• 6-4-2024US PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE RECOMMENDS EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR SENIORS AT RISK FOR FALLS
• 6-4-2024STUDY FINDS MATERNAL OBESITY IN MICE INCREASES MICRORNA LEVELS IN THE HYPOTHALAMUS IN OFFSPRING, LEADING TO OVEREATING
• 6-4-2024SCIENTISTS CALL FOR HOLISTIC CARE OF MENTAL HEALTH THAT COMBINES PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING
• 6-4-2024SOME CHILDREN WITH SEVERE BEDWETTING SEE RESOLUTION AFTER DISCONTINUING ABSORBENT PANTS
• 6-4-2024SCIENTISTS REVEAL HOW A POTASSIUM ION CHANNEL REPROGRAMS ENERGY PRODUCTION IN CANCER CELLS
• 6-4-2024STUDY SHOWS DIABETES TIED TO HIGHER PREVALENCE OF OVERACTIVE BLADDER
• 6-4-2024EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS FOR SELF-HARM SKYROCKETED BETWEEN 2011 AND 2020, STUDY FINDS
• 6-4-2024NEW DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION ALGORITHM MAY HELP PERSONALIZE PARKINSON’S DISEASE TREATMENT
• 6-4-2024FREEZE RESPONSE IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IS ACTUALLY VERY USEFUL, STUDY SHOWS
• 6-4-2024NEW STUDY REVEALS NEURON-SPECIFIC RESPONSES TO ELECTRIC STIMULATION
• 6-4-2024AQUABLATION, HOLEP MAY PROVIDE UNIQUE BENEFITS FOR MEN WITH BENIGN PROSTATE HYPERPLASIA
• 6-4-2024NEW MOLECULAR TOOL SHOWS HOW TELOMERES RELATE TO HEART HEALTH
• 6-4-2024AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CURBS SPREAD OF FUNGI CAUSING SERIOUS BLOOD INFECTIONS
• 6-4-2024CREATIVE APPROACH, DIVERSIFIED INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL ROLES CREATE ON-RAMP FOR NON-TRADITIONAL HOSPITAL STAFF
• 6-4-2024STANDARDIZED PREOPERATIVE, SURGICAL, ANTIBIOTIC PRACTICES IMPROVE ORTHOPEDIC, COLORECTAL, ABDOMINAL SURGERY OUTCOMES
• 6-4-2024PROGRAM SUPPORTING PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PARENTING SKILLS OF MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD PROVES EFFECTIVE
• 6-4-2024WEARABLE BRAIN IMAGING PROVIDES A PRECISE PICTURE OF CHILDREN’S DEVELOPING BRAINS
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY THAT MAY ALLOW STROKE PATIENTS TO UNDERGO REHAB AT HOME
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS COMPLETE FIRST TRIAL OF BLACK PATIENTS WITH EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER
• 6-4-2024FIVE-MINUTE TEST LEADS TO BETTER CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA IN THE PRIMARY CARE SETTING
• 6-4-2024ORGANS-ON-CHIP READY TO HELP SNAKE VENOM RESEARCH
• 6-4-2024STUDY SHOWS THAT OPPORTUNITY COSTS INFLUENCE WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
• 6-4-2024STUDY FINDS FIRST-LINE BIPARAMETRIC MRI LESS COST-EFFECTIVE THAN PSA FOR PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING
• 6-4-2024FINDINGS FROM STUDIES PRESENTED AT DIGESTIVE DISEASE WEEK
• 6-4-2024ON-DEMAND SEBETRALSTAT SPEEDS SYMPTOM RELIEF IN HEREDITARY ANGIOEDEMA, CLINICAL TRIAL FINDS
• 6-4-2024US MATERNAL DEATH RATE REMAINS MUCH HIGHER THAN OTHER AFFLUENT NATIONS, SAYS REPORT
• 6-4-2024FDA APPROVES FIRST LIQUID, NONSTIMULANT ADHD TREATMENT
• 6-4-2024ATLANTA-BASED FOUNDER SEEKS TO HELP WOMEN GAIN CONTROL OVER INCONTINENCE
• 6-4-2024NO CAUSAL ASSOCIATION SEEN FOR MENIERE DISEASE, MIGRAINE
• 6-4-2024SURVEY FINDS 9.6 PERCENT OF MEDICAL VISITS TOOK PLACE VIA TELEHEALTH IN 2021
• 6-4-2024STUDY SHOWS BODY MASS INDEX IS STRONGLY LINKED TO ADIPOSITY FOR CHILDREN AGED 8 TO 19 YEARS
• 6-4-2024TENNESSEE GIVES HOSPITAL MONOPOLY AN A GRADE, EVEN WHEN IT REPORTS FAILURE
• 6-4-2024TRIAL SUGGESTS CHEMO BEFORE, AFTER SURGERY COULD HELP THOSE BATTLING ESOPHAGEAL CANCER
• 6-4-2024BIOTECH TO TEST NEW THERAPY FOR STROKE
• 6-4-2024DOCTORS DEVELOP MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURE TO AVOID DRILLING A ‘BURR HOLE’ IN THE SKULL TO TREAT CLOT ON THE BRAIN
• 6-4-2024PHASE III TRIAL SHOWS DONIDALORSEN CUTS ATTACK RATE IN HEREDITARY ANGIOEDEMA
• 6-4-2024AI TOOL HELPS MONITOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN AND IDENTIFY NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS SHOW HOW DOPAMINE PATHWAYS CONTRIBUTE TO COMPLEX NEURAL CIRCUITS THAT CONTROL GOAL-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR
• 6-4-2024RETROSPECTIVE STUDY SHOWS AI DETECTS MORE BREAST CANCERS WITH FEWER FALSE POSITIVES
• 6-4-2024LARGE-SCALE STUDY SUPPORTS VALIDITY OF IMPULSIVITY AS A PERSONALITY TRAIT
• 6-4-2024THE CHICKEN AND EGG PROBLEM OF FIGHTING ANOTHER FLU PANDEMIC
• 6-4-2024NEW INSIGHTS INTO T AND B CELLS OFFER HOPE FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE SUFFERERS
• 6-4-2024MICRONUTRIENTS MIGHT HELP BOTH WOMEN WITH ANTENATAL DEPRESSION AND THEIR BABIES: STUDY
• 6-4-2024RESEARCH SHOWS GLP-1 RECEPTOR AGONIST DRUGS ARE EFFECTIVE BUT COME WITH COMPLEX CONCERNS
• 6-4-2024PROTON THERAPY DEMONSTRATES ADVANTAGES OVER TRADITIONAL RADIATION THERAPY IN PHASE III HEAD AND NECK CANCER TRIAL
• 6-4-2024NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIAL OF COVALENT RADIOLIGANDS IN CANCER TREATMENT
• 6-4-2024NOVEL SOFTWARE COMBINES GENE ACTIVITY AND TISSUE LOCATION TO DECODE DISEASE MECHANISMS
• 6-4-2024NEW TEST DETECTS MORE CASES OF CERVICAL CANCER
• 6-4-2024NEW CURATIVE THERAPY BRINGS HOPE FOR THE TREATMENT OF NODDING SYNDROME
• 6-4-2024NEW ROLE OF TUMOR SUPPRESSOR STAT3? DISCOVERED IN LEUKEMIA
• 6-4-2024NEW MICROSCOPY METHOD SHOWS BLOOD VESSEL GROWTH IN SKULL INJURIES
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY FIRST STEP IN ALLERGIC REACTIONS, PAVING THE WAY FOR PREVENTATIVE STRATEGIES
• 6-4-2024EXPLORING BRAIN STIMULATION WITH 3D ULTRASOUND TO TREAT NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES AND CONDITIONS
• 6-4-2024US HEALTH DEPARTMENTS EXPERIENCE WORKFORCE SHORTAGES AND STRUGGLE TO REACH ADEQUATE STAFFING LEVELS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
• 6-4-2024USING NETWORK MODELS TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SKULL AND BRAIN
• 6-4-2024NEW ULTRA-SENSITIVE BLOOD TEST PREDICTS RECURRENCE OF BREAST CANCER, MONTHS OR YEARS BEFORE RELAPSE
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS USE SPATIAL MULTI-OMICS TO INVESTIGATE LIVER ZONATION AND ROLE OF GPR35 IN DISEASE REGULATION
• 6-4-2024PAIN SCALE TOOL NOT EFFECTIVE IN DETECTING PAIN IN CANCER PATIENTS, SAYS RESEARCHER
• 6-4-2024ORAL NUCLEOSIDE ANTIVIRAL IS PROGRESSING TOWARD FUTURE PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
• 6-4-2024NEW METHOD OFFERS FASTER, MORE ACCURATE PATHOGEN IDENTIFICATION, EVEN IN COMPLEX DNA SEQUENCES
• 6-4-2024GENETIC CHANGES IDENTIFIED AS KEY TO CHILDHOOD LUPUS
• 6-4-2024RESEARCHERS PUBLISH FIRST COMPUTATIONAL INSIGHTS INTO COLONIC MOTILITY TO AID UNDERSTANDING OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS
• 6-4-2024MOLECULE PRODUCED IN GUT CAN HAVE PROTECTIVE EFFECT AGAINST FLU, STUDY SHOWS
• 6-4-2024PROTEOMICS UNCOVER SEXUAL DIMORPHISM AND IMMUNE CHANGES IN AGING MICE WITH WERNER SYNDROME
• 6-4-2024CPR WILLINGNESS GROWS IN THE US, BUT THE NEED TO ACT REMAINS
• 6-4-2024MOBILE APP HELPS PREDICT FUTURE DEPRESSION IN PREGNANT PEOPLE
  
• 6-4-2024PERSONALIZED OXYGENATION COULD IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS
  
• 6-4-2024SOCIETAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS BOTH CONTRIBUTE TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19
  
• 6-4-2024INFLIGHT ALCOHOL PLUS CABIN PRESSURE CAN LOWER BLOOD OXYGEN AND RAISE HEART RATE, EVEN IN THE YOUNG AND HEALTHY
  
• 6-4-2024HIGH EXCESS DEATH RATES IN THE WEST FOR 3 YEARS RUNNING SINCE START OF PANDEMIC DESPITE CONTAINMENT AND VACCINES
  
• 6-4-2024FACIAL THERMAL IMAGING AND AI CAN ACCURATELY PREDICT PRESENCE OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
  

Hello everyone, I hope this message finds you well. I am currently working on a significant project aimed at improving humanitarian aid through the application of Industry 4.0 technologies. An integral part of this effort is a survey I've designed to gather essential insights that will help shape the future of humanitarian aid. I am specifically looking for responses from those who are involved in the humanitarian field. Whether you are volunteering, working, or studying in this area, your perspective would be invaluable. Here is the link to the survey: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/coventry/questionnaire-on-enhancing-humanitarian-aid-through-industry-4- Your participation and your willingness to share this within your network of those involved in humanitarian work would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for considering this request, and may your efforts guide us all in our endeavours. Best, Ayodeji

I have some experience with BDSM/kink and find the dominant role in the bedroom deeply satisfying, though I’ve yet to fully explore this dynamic with a quality partner. I think there is a deeper experience of intimacy in d/s relationships because the level of trust involved goes beyond commonplace bedroom activities. I am very turned on by power and control in the bedroom but not so much outside of it. I love degradation and inflicting pain, and find a subs suffering for my pleasure to be deeply erotic. I am open to experimentation, and would love to create a rich and fulfilling experience with someone who is submissive, whatever that may be. I am not normally a controlling person and I believe, overall, in an equal partnership where we both get our needs met.
My pleasure as a dom comes partly from knowing you are deriving pleasure from what we do together, even as you are suffering for it. I love spanking, slapping, light bondage, cnc, name calling, hair pulling, spitting. I love being rough. I can be quite sadistic, but I always provide excellent after care. I would adore a sub who took what I can dish out. I also like daddy/daughter role-play and am interested in possibly exploring something more along the lines of master and slave, where I shape you into the slave I need you to be, teach you how to be a full and complete slave and woman, guide you through life and help you realize who you truly are.
Aside from sex, I’m very affectionate and love to show my adoration to a worthy partner. I believe in and practice safe, sane, and consensual sex always. I do not accept submissives who outright say that I can do anything I want, because that is never true, and can simply be unhealthy and dangerous. I am looking to cultivate a long-term relationship where we can both grow together, not simply use you for sex in whatever way I want just to get myself off. I want the BDSM aspect to be part of the relationship, not all of it.
Outside of that, I am a fit, alternative type, I have tattoos, work as an artist and designer. I aspire to be an author. I write music. My life is all about creativity. I’m a very active person. I like to take care of myself, I read a lot, I’ve taught myself Spanish and aspire to learn German as well, I have a deep love of language. I am endlessly curious and passionate and have a deep love of life. I love alternative and electronic music and prefer that you do too. I'm into classic films, art house, film noir, surrealism, literature, philosophy, psychology, quantum and astrophysics, Latin culture, travel, and living life as the adventure that it is.
As for what I am looking for I would prefer that you are between 25 and 40. I also prefer that you are in shape or willing to get into shape, which I am happy to help you do if you are truly dedicated. I have a strong preference for alternative types...goth especially, but I do also like the girl-next-door type. I'm fairly open, I just need to be attracted to you. I definitely have a thing for a nice booty and smaller breasts. I am open to all races. It would be best if you are located in the state of Minnesota, but surely we can work something out if you aren't. Please be certain you are into the same things before contacting me. I want a sub who knows what she wants and needs and can communicate that. I don't want to guess and I don't read minds.
I am a serious person and I know my value. I believe in good communication and solid, well-defined boundaries. I don’t play games with people and I don’t tolerate them being played with me. I’m looking for someone to develop a rich and complex bond with, someone who is emotionally mature and understands that love is an action and a choice. I am looking for someone I am attracted to who is good for me, who elevates my life. If that is you, you can be assured I am capable of doing the same for you.
At the moment I am buying a home where I live in St Cloud, Minnesota so if this were to work you would have to relocate if it came to that. Just so you know up front. I prefer that we take our time talking online or by phone and get to know each other. Once we are both comfortable and have a connection established we can meet and see how that goes. I intend to take things slowly before we get too involved in each others lives. If all of this sounds good to you let's connect and see if the chemistry is there.

I've always been interested in art, but lately I've had some questions that I can't resolve on my own. The fact is that I really love classical art - painting, sculpture, especially the Renaissance. I love seeing the skill of the artists, their attention to detail, the realism and beauty of their work.
But when it comes to contemporary art, I often find myself stumped. Recently I was at a contemporary art exhibition, and many of the works seemed strange and even meaningless to me. One of the installations was just a pile of garbage, and the painting, for which they asked a lot of money, looked like random strokes of paint.
I'm sure there is some idea or concept behind this that I just can't understand. Maybe I'm missing something? How do you feel about contemporary art? How to learn to see in it something more than just random shapes and colors?

Sorry for all of the scripts I am dropping in such a short amount of time and flooding the sub; I’m having fun with it haha. A script concept that my fave vtuber (and best friend) CelineWhitetail requested!
Okay to monetize, okay to paywall (share with me), okay to gender swap, okay to edit if it is to make changes related to swapping of genders but nothing else (there is a line in there about dudes not being allowed in the women’s dressing room so, that might be a challenge to adapt).
If you like this and want to record it, please credit me as GulltheCactus on Reddit, Twitter, or Twitch!
Scriptbin link: https://scriptbin.works/s/84c4w
A longer NSFW version will be posted on the sister spicy sub and on my Scriptbin!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[mall ambience, sneakers on tile]
Okay, I still can’t believe you’ve never had a date at the mall. It’s like…a rite of passage in high school.
Yeah, I mean, you would go to the mall with your friends on a Friday night and all of the boys would go too and you would awkwardly flirt by teasing and playing hard to get in the food court until one couple got brave and dared to break away from the group and hold hands. Then the rest of the group would make fun of them while the guy would buy his new girlfriend stupid things from Hot Topic! Malls are perfect for dates!
I mean why not? There’s everything here. You can get a soft pretzel, boba tea, new shoes, and dodge around preteens at every turn, all without going back outside the comfort of slightly stale central air conditioning.
Haha, okay okay. It’s a little dorky. But it’ll be fun. Come on, hold my hand and buy me things I don’t need from Hot Topic, babe.
Really? I mean, that’s fair. I think I’ve been in Hot Topic like…once. And that was somewhere around…2007. Do you think they still sell anime t-shirts and like…those edgy little decorations that were shaped like boobs or dicks?
I swear to god, I am not making that up. It was scandalous to go into Hot Topic because you’d probably see a cartoon penis.
Ohhh, you’re right! That was Spencer’s! Yeah I guess they were both a little too edgy for highschool me. [lowers voice] I was a good girl then.
I don’t know, have you done anything to deserve me being good, huh? Hah, yeahhhhh, you are pretty alright, I guess.
[giggling and more mall chatter ambience]
Ooh, yeah, it smells amazing. I think it’s the Great Cookie upstairs? Or…does the Great Cookie exist anymore? It occurs to me now that I’m walking through this mall that I don’t think I’ve been here in literally 15 years so my mall intel might be severely out of date.
Well, where did you want to go? Start at this end and just go through the whole first floor?
…Well what did you have in mind?
Okay, I accept. But just know that I am gonna kick your ass. I can think of like five different stores that are already competing for the title of “freakiest merchandise,” so finding the weirdest purchase in this mall will be child’s play, babe.
Okay, okay. I still think I’m going to kick your ass, but it’s a deal. You pick the store I have to buy something from, and I pick your store. Winner gets…hmm, let’s let the winner decide for the extra stakes. Shake on it?
[a quick kissing noise from boyfriend]
Hah, you and your kisses won’t distract me. You’re looking at a woman who has never backed down from a challenge in her life. So do you want to go straight to our respective challenge stores or just make it a surprise?
Sounds good to me. We’ll delay your inevitable demise.
[walking along, mall ambience]
Awww, I loved this store when I was in high school and college!
Yeah, it’s like a slightly more expensive boutique, you know, jewelry, bags, scarves, etcetera. It looks like they have a few more dresses and things than they used to.
Nah, I don’t think it’s really my style anymore, I was preppier back then. But it’s a nice nostalgia moment.
What about you? I think they have a Games Workshop and there’s another little local DND and comics store just a few stores down.
Yeah, I think it’d be cool to check out! Do you have any physical dice? I know you pretty much always play online so…
Aww, that’s so cute! Do your siblings still have their sets too?
I love that. We mostly played board games, and usually only when we went over to my one cousin’s house.
No, I’ve never played it but everyone talks about how fun Catan is. We played like 90’s and oughts popular games. You know, Monopoly, Scattergories, Pictionary. Ooh, I loved Cranium, I destroyed at that game.
No, I don’t know what you mean. I am a perfectly well-adjusted and not at all overly competitive individual, thank you.
But yeah, I also wanted to try…the Hill House one?
Yes! Betrayal at the House on the Hill! That one! Everyone in my Friday DND group tells me it’s so fun and I’ve never had anyone in person to play it with.
Really? Yesssss! Okay come on it’s right here.
[distant greeting from an employee]
Hi! I’m great, how are you? We’re just looking right now, thanks!
Okay so the board games are over there—Ooh, look at those dice! Are those glass? They’re so pretty! And look, babe, they match this set. Oh and wait, look at these dice trays!
[sound of footsteps moving away]
[slightly more distant, talking to an employee] Yeah! I play on Roll20 and Foundry online, I’ve never had any physical dice…
[sound of your own footsteps, picking up a board game or two and pieces shift in the boxes]
[getting closer as she speaks] Hey babe, so those dice trays are made by a local guy—I got a business card for his Etsy too—and they’re two for $45–
[pause]
Haha, wait how did you have time to grab all of this stuff—Oh my god is that a Yuumi plushie?! She’s so cute, oh my god!
Aww, babe. You really were gonna hold my hand and buy me things. Okay, wait, new plan for this store. I saw things I wanted to get you, too, so let’s split up and then meet at the front of the store after we pay?
[peck on the cheek sound]
Okay, see you soon!
[more footsteps and shopping sounds, eventual beeping of the card reader as you pay]
[the crinkle of a plastic bags]
Hah, I’m smiling because I’m excited to show you what I got you! Come on, there’s a free bench over there.
Okay, so, I remember how much you said you liked this anime as a kid, and they had a section for model building so…Ta da!
Yeah! I remembered you loved the one that could change its armor and then as soon as I saw the blue version and the orange one I was like, yep, Liger Zero Schneider, that’s the one.
It was on sale!
…Like 15% off? Come on, you love it though, right?
See!
Yeah, and I love that. I’m so excited to play Betrayal at the House on the Hill and Catan. And that Yuumi plushie is going right on my desk.
Yeah? …Okay! But let me show you what I got us both first!
Here, this one’s for you, and this one’s mine! Aren’t they awesome? The guy does his own woodworking and staining and then his wife designs the fabric for the trays!
Haha yeah! See look, I got the one with the lilacs and daffodils and roses, and you’re the suns with the fun sunglasses!
Of course you’re the sunshine! You’re my sunshine.
Nope, you are.
We’re not arguing about this in public, we’re too disgusting, I refuse. This one is yours. And I got you these dice!
Look they have little quotes from famous literature all pasted on the inside.
Yeah, of course you do, it’s cause you’re such a nerd, babe.
[peck on the cheek]
You’re right, I do love it.
[dice clacking together]
Wait, aww! They’re so cute! The orange ones look like Amber, oh my god! I didn’t even see these cat dice!
Hah, sneaky sneaky. But yeah, that makes sense, I did see you go talk to the guy at the dice counter like instantly.
And then—
…What? It’s just one more thing, I promise! And it’s small!
See, look! It spins! And you can keep it on your keys, so anytime you need to make a choice and can’t decide, you can spin it and the d20 can decide for you.
Hah, yes, I do love you anyway, but the times when neither of us can come to a decision point make me want to cry sometimes.
Haha, love you!
…Okay? Why?
Wait, I didn’t know we were doing the bet yet. I thought I was supposed to pick your store.
Okay, okay. I’ll close my eyes, fine!
I’m scared, why is this box so heavy?
[horrified pause]…Oh my god—
Stop laughing! Oh my god, you did not—!
Why am I trying to hide it? [lowered voice] Maybe because I don’t want everyone in the entire mall to know I’m an anime degenerate, okay?
No, you did not win!
Yes, I am horrified because you probably just spent $400 on a statue of Sebastian from Black Butler, and no, the ridiculousness of the situation is not lost on me.
I mean, no, I don’t think I could buy you something worse than this.
…I don’t think it’s any of your business where exactly I am going to display this stupidly detailed figure of my anime husband in my room, okay? That’s private.
No you didn’t win.
No—
[a sigh] Okay, fine. I cannot think of something that would horrify you more than this purchase horrifies me.
No, I’m not going to say it.
Because you cheated. You used deeply held, embarrassing anime knowledge against me. Humph!
[peck on the cheek sound] I said it before and I’ll say it again, you will not distract me with your kisses.
Oh? And just what is my punishment for losing exactly?
[annoyed sound] You will use any excuse to allow yourself to buy me fancy clothes and things I don’t need, won’t you?
You’re ridiculous. [peck on the lips] Thank you, you don’t have to.
Hah! Okay, fair. So where exactly are you taking me to buy said clothes you want to [lowers voice flirtatiously] take back off of me?
Oh geez, babe. Nordstrom’s is so overpriced!
No, you didn’t win, you cheated! I am holding hands and following you under protest! I am gonna file an appeal with the Silly Couple Amateur Bets Commission.
Wait, hold on. Please don’t spend too much?
No.
No!
$200.
No way! $250.
I am being reasonable, you’re the one saying you want to buy me $5000 worth of clothes for no reason!
Yeah, a date to the mall. We’re supposed to go split a lemonade and a soft pretzel from Auntie Anne’s, not spend a down payment on a car.
[sigh] $1000.
[mock threatening] Fine. And if you spend a cent more—
[hushed, slightly embarrassed tone at saying this in public but still trying to be threatening] I won’t go down on you for a month!
[indignant] Yes I could!
[deadpan] I hate you.
Thank you. $1000 is already an insane amount to be spending.
Oh?
Okay, okay. I can get behind that. But I do get to veto clothes I really don’t think I will look good in.
Yeah, okay. Laying it on a little thick aren’t you, buddy?
Yeah, well, you’re handsome.
Okay, so the women’s clothes are on the next floor up I think.
[escalator noises]
Yeah, I got my prom dress at a Nordstrom’s, I went with a couple of my friends.
This might shock you, knowing what you know about me, but it was…green.
I know! I’m predictable. What can I say? Nature-loving bitch right here.
[stifled laughter] And I’m sure you looked stupidly handsome even in your pale blue suit.
Okay, so, where do we start…?
Hah, fine. But remember your limit.
Ooh, this is cute! And the blue lace would match that one tie I got you last year.
Yeah, it brings out the hazel flecks in your eyes.
Okay, wow. Yeah that is—Babe, that dress is $400!
Fine, fine, but I’m tallying! I’ve got my phone out, calculator right here!
But fine, what else did you want me to try on?
…To be honest, I’m sort of surprised you didn’t start at the lingerie and bathing suit section.
Ooh, look at that one! Do you think I’ll look dumb with all the straps? I’m just hoping it’ll make my boobs look good.
Yeah, of course you would say that, you’re down bad.
Haha, of course. [whisper] I’m down bad for you too.
[clicking of hangers against each other on the racks]
Hmm. What do you think about—
…Babe. That bikini is practically microscopic. I don’t think I can even try that on in the store.
Okay, okay, I’ll give it a shot.
Anything else you want to throw on the clothing pile?
You do realize that every new thing you add is probably another 5 minutes in the dressing room right?
Alright, alright. They have a five item limit so I guess you’re waiting your butt out here with the rest of it.
Yes, it is a cute butt. I’ll be back soon.
Yessss, I know. I will show you everything that fits.
[quiet department store chatter]
[squeak of a dressing room door and a hushed stage whisper] Babe, I cannot walk out there and show you this bathing suit.
[still a stage whisper] Because it’s tiny! Basically all you can see is my underwear.
Then come in here!
[the sound of the dressing room door creaking again] Tada?
Hah, okay, calm down. Sure, my boobs look great but—
[shutting and locking the door as footsteps approach]
[whisper] Shh!
Because you’re not allowed to be in the women’s dressing room.
[the sound of clicking hangers on a rack, footsteps coming closer, more clinking…and the footsteps walk away]
[quiet bursts of laughter for a long time] Okay, okay. That was close.
Oh?
Hah, yeah, considering I’m not letting you leave until I’ve finished changing and can be your lookout, I guess you really did win the bet. [flirty whisper] Enjoy your front row seat, babe.
[kissing sounds as the mall ambience outside fades out]

To preface this we have been together for approximately 5 years and have lived together for 2.
When we first met our personalities sparked instantly. We got along and I felt as though I had found my soulmate due to the similarities we shared, our ability to simply have flowing conversations for hours on end and the happiness we had both brought into each other's lives.
As things progressed, problems started to develop. Around 6 months in I subtly tried to initiate her to a healthier lifestyle involving healthy eating and exercise because I was an athletic in shape male, meanwhile she was quite a bit overweight. I had initially looked past her weight for 2 reasons, the first being that our personalities meshed so well that I would have been a fool to let her go over something that could be improved with some lifestyle improvements, and secondly because my previous relationships had been with model-type girls and vanity played a central role in the dissolution of those relationships. I would like to stress for any readers that I had been overweight by 50 pounds or more in the past so I knew this was a sensitive topic and approached it with caution so as to not hurt her feelings or ruin her self esteem. This was only the beginning of the challenges that were to come.
At first I took everything she would say at face value and trusted her completely because I had no reason to do anything other this. Before continuing, I just want to note that in very earliest moments in our relationship I stressed to her the importance that I placed on being honest with one another. I have had bad experiences in my adult life with people who routinely lie, and as a result I find it hard to tolerate as anything other than an immediate red flag. I started to notice that she would lie about small things. I didn't do this or I didn't do that sort of lies when it was plainly obvious that only she could have been the one who had done it. I try to be understanding so I had given her the benefit of the doubt on multiple occasions, but at some point the likelihood of all these small things being coincidences started to weigh on me. I began to think of her differently because it started becoming apparent that she would boldly and repeatedly flat out deny things that she had done which she believed would make her "appear" a certain way to me. As time went on I started to catch her in lies more and more frequently. Perhaps she began to lie more sloppily or I just became more suspicious due to the pattern that was emerging. This came to a head when one night after catching her in another lie and telling her I could not keep doing this, she came out and admitted some pretty massive things she had lied about, including how many partners she had been with, past accomplishments and achievements and major life events that she had been repeating for years at this point.
Around the same time our sex life began to become almost non existent as she had made no effort to lose weight and for years of essentially forcing myself to be sexual with someone I wasn't physically attracted to became more and more difficult. She obviously caught on and this opened a can of worms that led to countless arguments. By this point I had thought of perhaps 10 different ways of trying to motivate her to lose weight without flat out telling her that her weight was unattractive to me in a futile effort to protect her feelings. She began to accuse me of being unattracted to her. I was forced to admit that I found her to be beautiful but slightly overweight and that this was hampering our sex life. I explained to her that I had made many attempts to get her to lose weight without hurting her feelings, and that it had been frustrating due to the fact that nothing seemed to work. At first she seemed to be receptive and agreed that not only was this something she had always wanted to do, but she was excited to finally do it because of the morale boost she would gain from this accomplishment, and the improvement it would have on our relationship.
Unfortunately this never happened. Time and time again she would take every opportunity to not stick to a diet and exercise plan that we had worked on together, based on the exact plan that helped me lose 50 pounds.
At this point, I was feeling tired and frustrated. I had forgiven her for the lies and explained to her that she could not keep breaking my trust. I had explained to her and helped her in every way I could think of with regards to the burden her weight was holding on our sex life. To make matters worse, around this time she began to become very unpleasant with me on nearly a daily basis. Many times she would wake up in the morning and be unpleasant or it wouldnt take very long after her morning shower to begin being rude, harsh or snappy with me. I believed this was a result of her frustration due to her challenges with losing weight. These rude outbursts began to develop into morning fights every 2-3 days on average. Around this time I was sure this would be the end of our relationship.
Despite our fights, we eventually were able to reconcile that we had to be respectful and pleasant with one another, I mean, the joy that being with someone you love brings you should bring out these traits. The morning fights died down and things seemed to be going on a better path.
She seemed to no longer be lying, to the point of admitting the most trivial of things to me. This made me feel a little awkward because by no means was I trying to impose some sort of totalitarianism upon my beloved girlfriend when asked her to be honest with me, but I appreciated that she was putting in effort and was happy that she seemed to be making changes that would rebuild trust. She began to speak more about health and losing weight and made a few more independent attempts at it. I supported her and was more than pleased with these steps in the right direction.
Recently, these step have almost all been reversed. Although she is dieting more consistently and working out more, the lying has resumed and she is now disrespectful with me on nearly a daily basis. I'm not sure how to define her behaviour other than using the words snappy, sassy, aggressive, and combative. I call these her "moods". Last week I told her that I could no longer deal with the "moods" and if she kept it up I would end the relationship. At this point I'm tired and don't have much energy or hope left regarding these behaviours changing. Today she asked me to go a on a weekend journey with her to visit distant relatives in a neighbouring state. Her parents are covering her flight, but when I told her I didn't want to spend $1,000 to fly there for 2 days and meet family she hasn't spoken to in the entirety of our relationship she again began to get in a mood. She gave me the cold shoulder, made it visibly and purposely known that she was angry, told me she "sees how it is", and even made a remark that I believe was a disrespectful jab at my own family, despite her adamant denial that this is the case.
The catch here is that despite the issues we have, I do love her and I want what's best for her. She has been my companion for 5 years, and we have made it through some hard times. She was there to support me through the death of my father, along with many fond memories we have made together. I get the sense that she genuinely wants to improve these behaviours and make things work. I believe that she does love me, although at times it's hard to reconcile that with some of her behaviours. I'm not sure what to do anymore, and want to know whether or not you think I did the right thing in ending this relationship, or whether I am being petty and missing the bigger picture. Is this normal? Does everyone go through this?

I’m new to hardcore Nuzlocking and I’m playing Renegade Platinum. The furthest I’ve made it so far is the first fight with Aaron on route 208. I’ve identified three problem fights that often either end runs or put me in unrepairable shape.

1. Barry on 203 has killed many runs before I can even get off the ground. I usually go Chimchar for starter and I’m not sure how to deal with starly outside of hoping for Shinx or a rock type.
   
2. Mars at Valley wind works. I have generally been trying to use intimidate Pokémon then switching to the Metang from Oreburgh, but this is incredibly inconsistent and even if I do kill Purugly I get finished by sonic boom Yanma.
   
3. The trainers on route 216 on the way to find Gardenia, most of there Pokémon are very close to level cap so it’s hard to really counter them without risking leveling above cap.
   

Misc. I Have only been taking one of the gift starters from each town. Also my personal rule is if I level above level cap in a non gym leader battle I switch that Pokémon out immediately.

Alright guys I need someone with knowledge to chime in. My wife goes to a HIIT class gym called The Camp Transformation Center. She loves it. She's been going for years and has gotten in great shape. However the owner of that specific franchise has been shady as shit. He drives a bright green Lamborghini with spinners if that gives any images. His parents bought a couple of them for him and he's expanded to 7 on what assume is a lot of debt and traps people into long contracts for years at gross prices especially finding out what other owners charge. Either way, he gives her a great price because we know his deal and he even lets me go for free a couple times a month. Recently we found out he's getting sued at several locations and even up and closed a gym without letting the location know. Just chained the doors. Well this weekend he literally just changed the brand. One morning it was The Camp and the next it was Drip fitness. lol I'm worried he's going to keep charging and keeping her on her old contract. I feel like the contract should be null and void. She doesn't want to be involved in their drama and we're thinking of signing up for a camp with a different owner. I want to be prepared for if or when he tries to keep taking her money or changing her credit card. Anyone know what rights he has and what rights we have as far as billing under an entirely new entity?

I've recently decided to start a journal that l've titled "these are the things that I know" where I jot down information I learn while watching documentaries, reading articles/papers/books, and listening to podcasts. My goal for this journal is to practice engaging with materials more, thinking deeper about new information and its' role in shaping history/culture/trends/people, and using the things I learn to better understand current events.
Ideally, for each topic l'd like the journal to include: • topic/date/source • important facts/vocab/people/dates • fun or interesting facts • a personally interpretation of the new info; how it shaped human relationships at the time and/or how it relates to the modern world
But, I'm running into some issues. I find myself just writing things down like l'm taking notes in a lecture class. I really want to try and break away from doing just that and really focus on engaging with the material on a deeper level. So does anyone have any tips you use while learning about new topics? I know that this is a really broad question but I'm open to any and all tips people have to share. What kind of thought provoking questions do you ask yourself while researching? Also, do you usually jot notes and then go back to do the real thinking or do them both at the same time?
P.S. I mostly research world history in my free time but occasionally venture into fashion, art history, and literature incase anyone has suggestions for those topics as well.
P.P.S. I'm a 20F student in a completely unrelated undergraduate program, so please keep that in mind. Im just starting out researching as a hobby, l've always v interested but this is the first time l've tried challengins myself in this way. Sorry if this sounds dumb to all u professional researchers and historians lol

So, you think earth is a donut right? Well,you would be wrong. There are multiple reasons to support this such as geometrical stability, fisheye cameras, and our planets composition just to name a few. You see, as much as say a donut is one of the most stable 3d shapes, it is still made of tiny little slices of circles, which aren't a strong shape. Another reason that helps support the theory is that the egyptians (with the help of the aliens) built the pyramids to be stable, which is why they are here today. Another reason is that cameras could be distorting the image of earth to look like a sphere, such as a fisheye camera, which they may have used in famous pictures like the moon landing. They probably use these in satelittes to get more data. We don't know for sure if the government is in charge of these pictures, but who knows. The final reason in this post is of course, our planets composition. Our planet's core is only assumed to be a certian kind of matter, but sensors may not find traces of exotic matter in the core, which would keep a pyramids shape. This is only a small fraction of why the earth is truly a pyramid, so join This community if you are guided to the truth of a pyramid earth.
Thanks to wikipedia for some of this information
Other information was found by scientific research

I've recently decided to start a journal that l've titled "these are the things that I know" where I jot down information I learn while watching documentaries, reading articles/papers/books, and listening to podcasts. My goal for this journal is to practice engaging with materials more, thinking deeper about new information and its' role in shaping history/culture/trends/people, and using the things I learn to better understand current events.
Ideally, for each topic l'd like the journal to include: • topic/date/source • important facts/vocab/people/dates • fun or interesting facts • a personally interpretation of the new info; how it shaped human relationships at the time and/or how it relates to the modern world
But, I'm running into some issues. I find myself just writing things down like l'm taking notes in a lecture class. I really want to try and break away from doing just that and really focus on engaging with the material on a deeper level. So does anyone have any tips you use while learning about new topics? I know that this is a really broad question but I'm open to any and all tips people have to share. What kind of thought provoking questions do you ask yourself while researching? Also, do you usually jot notes and then go back to do the real thinking or do them both at the same time?
P.S. I mostly research world history in my free time but occasionally venture into fashion, art history, and literature incase anyone has suggestions for those topics as well.
P.P.S. I'm a 20F student in a completely unrelated undergraduate program, so please keep that in mind. Im just starting out researching as a hobby, l've always v interested but this is the first time l've tried challengins myself in this way. Sorry if this sounds dumb to all u professional researchers and historians lol

I've recently decided to start a journal that l've titled "these are the things that I know" where I jot down information I learn while watching documentaries, reading articles/papers/books, and listening to podcasts. My goal for this journal is to practice engaging with materials more, thinking deeper about new information and its' role in shaping history/culture/trends/people, and using the things I learn to better understand current events.
Ideally, for each topic l'd like the journal to include: • topic/date/source • important facts/vocab/people/dates • fun or interesting facts • a personally interpretation of the new info; how it shaped human relationships at the time and/or how it relates to the modern world
But, I'm running into some issues. I find myself just writing things down like l'm taking notes in a lecture class. I really want to try and break away from doing just that and really focus on engaging with the material on a deeper level. So does anyone have any tips you use while learning about new topics? I know that this is a really broad question but I'm open to any and all tips people have to share. What kind of thought provoking questions do you ask yourself while researching? Also, do you usually jot notes and then go back to do the real thinking or do them both at the same time?
P.S. I mostly research world history in my free time but occasionally venture into fashion, art history, and literature incase anyone has suggestions for those topics as well.
P.P.S. I'm a 20F student in a completely unrelated undergraduate program, so please keep that in mind. Im just starting out researching as a hobby, l've always v interested but this is the first time l've tried challengins myself in this way. Sorry if this sounds dumb to all u professional researchers and historians lol

The history of tarot is a fascinating journey that spans centuries and traverses various cultures. The origins of tarot cards can be traced back to 15th-century Italy, where they emerged as playing cards. The initial purpose of these decks was purely recreational, serving as a game known as "tarocchi" or "triumphi."

1. Early Playing Cards (15th Century):
   
   • Origin: Tarot cards likely originated in northern Italy in the early 15th century. The oldest surviving complete deck is the "Visconti-Sforza" deck, dating back to the 1440s.
   • Function: Originally used for games, tarot decks were adorned with symbolic imagery, including allegorical illustrations and trump cards.
2. Tarot in France (Late 15th Century):
   
   • Migration: Tarot cards crossed into France in the late 15th century, and the game evolved with the addition of the 22 trump cards, known as the Major Arcana.
   • Symbolism: The Major Arcana introduced iconic characters and archetypal symbols, enhancing the cards' allegorical significance.
3. Occult Associations (18th Century):
   
   • Esoteric Interest: In the 18th century, interest in the occult and mystical arts surged in Europe. Tarot cards gained esoteric significance, with scholars attributing hidden meanings to the cards beyond their gaming purpose.
   • Etteilla: The French occultist Etteilla published influential tarot interpretations, contributing to the transformation of tarot into a tool for divination and self-discovery.
4. The Rider-Waite-Smith Deck (Early 20th Century):
   
   • Revolutionary Design: In 1909, A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith collaborated on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, featuring vivid illustrations and intricate symbolism. This deck became immensely popular and served as the foundation for many modern tarot decks.
   • Divinatory Focus: The Rider-Waite-Smith deck emphasized the mystical and divinatory aspects of tarot, influencing the widespread adoption of tarot for spiritual and introspective purposes.
5. Tarot in the New Age Movement (20th Century Onward):
   
   • Popularization: The mid-20th century witnessed a surge in interest in mysticism, the occult, and alternative spiritual practices. Tarot cards gained popularity within the New Age movement, becoming a tool for self-reflection, divination, and personal growth.
   • Diverse Decks: The latter half of the 20th century saw the creation of diverse tarot decks, each with unique themes and interpretations, catering to different spiritual traditions and personal preferences.
6. Modern Tarot Practices (21st Century):
   
   • Global Appeal: Tarot has transcended cultural boundaries and gained a global following. The internet has played a significant role in disseminating tarot knowledge, making it accessible to a diverse audience.
   • Integration with Psychology: Many practitioners view tarot through a psychological lens, using the cards as a tool for introspection, therapy, and personal development.

The historical evolution of tarot reflects its transformation from a simple deck of playing cards to a versatile tool for divination, self-exploration, and spiritual guidance. Today, tarot continues to captivate individuals worldwide, offering a unique blend of ancient symbolism and contemporary relevance.

1. Diverse Tarot Systems and Cultural Influences:
   
   • Cultural Adaptations: Tarot has adapted to various cultural contexts, leading to the creation of decks that draw inspiration from different mythologies, traditions, and artistic styles.
   • Themed Decks: Modern tarot enthusiasts can explore decks inspired by Norse mythology, Celtic traditions, Eastern philosophies, and more, allowing for a rich diversity of interpretations and connections.
2. Tarot and Popular Culture:
   
   • Media Exposure: Tarot has found its way into mainstream media, with references in literature, movies, and television series. This exposure has contributed to its widespread recognition and acceptance.
   • Creative Interpretations: Popular culture has inspired artists and creators to produce tarot decks with themes ranging from fantasy and science fiction to contemporary pop culture references, showcasing the adaptability of tarot symbolism.
3. Tarot in Digital Age:
   
   • Online Platforms: The digital age has transformed tarot readings, making them accessible through online platforms and mobile apps. Virtual tarot readings and communities provide a global forum for discussion and learning.
   • Digital Decks: Tarot decks are now available in digital formats, enabling users to explore and engage with the cards through virtual platforms, expanding the reach of tarot practices.
4. Tarot as a Personalized Tool:
   
   • Self-Expression: Many individuals now create their own tarot decks, infusing personal symbols, experiences, and artistic styles into the cards. This personalized approach enhances the connection between the user and the cards.
   • Intuitive Reading: Modern tarot practices often emphasize intuitive reading, encouraging users to trust their instincts and personal interpretations rather than relying strictly on traditional meanings.
5. Scientific and Skeptical Perspectives:
   
   • Psychology and Tarot: Some psychologists view tarot as a projective tool that can tap into the unconscious mind, offering insights into one's thoughts and emotions.
   • Skepticism and Tarot: Skeptics often approach tarot from a psychological or statistical standpoint, exploring the phenomenon through the lens of cognitive biases and the placebo effect.
6. Tarot Communities and Education:
   
   • Learning Resources: The availability of books, online courses, and workshops has contributed to the education and skill development of tarot practitioners. This has empowered individuals to deepen their understanding of tarot symbolism and interpretation.
   • Community Engagement: Tarot communities, both online and offline, provide platforms for sharing experiences, seeking guidance, and fostering a sense of community among practitioners.

As tarot continues to evolve, its rich history merges with contemporary influences, shaping a dynamic and diverse landscape. Whether embraced for spiritual guidance, artistic expression, or personal insight, tarot remains a versatile and enduring tool that resonates with individuals on their unique journeys of self-discovery.

1. Tarot Ethics and Professionalization:
   
   • Code of Ethics: In modern tarot practices, professional readers often adhere to ethical guidelines. These guidelines emphasize confidentiality, client empowerment, and responsible use of divination tools.
   • Certification and Training: Some tarot practitioners pursue formal training and certification programs to enhance their skills and professionalism, contributing to the recognition of tarot reading as a legitimate and ethical practice.
2. Scientific Research on Tarot:
   
   • Psychological Studies: While scientific research on tarot is limited, some studies explore the psychological aspects of tarot reading. Research has investigated how individuals interpret symbols, engage in reflective thinking, and experience a sense of empowerment through tarot readings.
   • Cognitive Science Perspectives: Tarot's intersection with cognitive science has led to examinations of how the mind processes symbolic information and the impact of belief systems on perception.
3. Tarot and Intersectionality:
   
   • Inclusivity: Tarot communities increasingly emphasize inclusivity, recognizing the importance of diverse perspectives, cultures, and identities. Decks that reflect a broader range of experiences and backgrounds contribute to a more inclusive tarot landscape.
   • Intersectional Readings: Practitioners may integrate intersectionality into their readings, acknowledging the complexity of individual identities and experiences within a broader social context.
4. Tarot's Influence on Art and Literature:
   
   • Literary Works: Tarot symbolism has inspired numerous works of literature, poetry, and art. Authors and artists often incorporate tarot themes to explore psychological, spiritual, and philosophical concepts.
   • Tarot in Visual Arts: Tarot continues to be a muse for visual artists, with contemporary artworks reimagining and interpreting the traditional tarot archetypes in new and innovative ways.
5. Tarot and Holistic Wellness:
   
   • Mind-Body-Spirit Connection: Tarot is increasingly integrated into holistic wellness practices that emphasize the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. It complements approaches like meditation, mindfulness, and energy healing.
   • Wellness Retreats and Workshops: Wellness retreats and workshops may incorporate tarot as a tool for self-reflection, personal growth, and stress reduction, aligning with the broader holistic wellness movement.
6. Tarot and Technology Integration:
   
   • Mobile Apps and Online Platforms: Technology has facilitated the accessibility of tarot through mobile apps and online platforms, offering virtual readings, digital decks, and interactive tarot experiences.
   • Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: Emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have the potential to transform tarot experiences, providing immersive and interactive readings.

The ongoing evolution of tarot reflects its adaptability to societal changes, technological advancements, and a growing understanding of its psychological and symbolic dimensions. As it continues to weave through various aspects of contemporary life, tarot remains a dynamic and versatile tool with enduring relevance.

1. Tarot and Social Media:
   
   • Online Communities: Social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, have become hubs for tarot enthusiasts. Tarot readers share daily card pulls, interpretations, and create educational content, fostering a vibrant online community.
   • Global Connections: Social media has facilitated global connections among tarot practitioners, allowing for the exchange of diverse perspectives, interpretations, and deck recommendations.
2. Tarot in Mental Health Practices:
   
   • Therapeutic Applications: Some mental health professionals incorporate tarot into therapeutic practices, using it as a tool for self-reflection, exploration of emotions, and promoting therapeutic dialogue.
   • Mindfulness and Coping: Tarot readings can be used as a mindfulness practice, helping individuals cultivate self-awareness and coping strategies for managing stress, anxiety, and mental health challenges.
3. Tarot's Evolving Symbolism:
   
   • Living Symbolism: Tarot symbolism is not static; it evolves over time. Modern tarot decks often reinterpret traditional symbols to reflect contemporary values, ensuring that the cards remain relevant and resonant with current cultural contexts.
   • Innovative Decks: Artists continue to create innovative tarot decks that explore diverse themes, introducing new symbols and archetypes that speak to a wide range of experiences.
4. Tarot and Ritual Practices:
   
   • Ritualistic Use: Tarot is incorporated into various ritual practices, from simple daily card pulls to more elaborate ceremonies. These rituals can serve as a form of meditation, intention-setting, or connection with spiritual energies.
   • Seasonal Celebrations: Some practitioners align tarot practices with seasonal changes, using specific spreads or decks to explore themes associated with the solstices, equinoxes, and other significant astrological events.
5. Tarot and Gender Representation:
   
   • Expanding Archetypes: Modern tarot decks often challenge traditional gender roles and expand archetypal representations. Decks may feature diverse gender identities and expressions, offering a more inclusive and fluid understanding of the archetypal energies within the cards.
   • Feminist Tarot: Some decks explicitly adopt feminist perspectives, reimagining traditional tarot symbolism to empower and celebrate the diverse experiences of individuals across the gender spectrum.
6. Tarot as Literary Inspiration:
   
   • Literary Works and Tarot: Tarot continues to inspire literary works, with novels, poems, and plays incorporating tarot themes and archetypes. Authors explore the psychological and symbolic depths of tarot, infusing their narratives with mystical and esoteric elements.
   • Narrative Exploration: Tarot's narrative potential serves as a source of inspiration for storytellers, offering a structure that mirrors the hero's journey or provides a framework for exploring characters' internal and external conflicts.

The dynamic interplay between tarot and contemporary culture reveals its enduring appeal and adaptability. From social media platforms to therapeutic practices, tarot remains a versatile tool that resonates with individuals seeking insight, connection, and personal growth in an ever-changing world.
In conclusion, the history and evolution of tarot reflect its remarkable journey from humble playing cards to a multifaceted tool deeply embedded in modern culture. As tarot continues to weave its way through diverse aspects of society, from online communities to therapeutic practices, its enduring relevance lies in its adaptability, symbolism, and capacity to inspire self-discovery.
From the mysterious origins of the 15th century to its current role as a global phenomenon, tarot has transcended cultural and historical boundaries. As it integrates with technology, influences art and literature, and finds new applications in mental health and wellness, tarot remains a dynamic force that resonates with those seeking spiritual insights, artistic expression, and personal transformation.
Whether approached through a psychological lens, as a form of self-reflection, or as part of broader cultural movements, tarot's journey reflects the human quest for meaning, connection, and the exploration of the inner self. Its rich tapestry of symbolism continues to captivate individuals across the globe, making tarot a timeless and ever-evolving companion on the diverse paths of human experience.

So, you think earth is a sphere right? Well,you would be wrong. There are multiple reasons to support this such as geometrical stability, fisheye cameras, and our planets composition just to name a few. You see, as much as science says a sphere is the most stable 3d shape, it is still made of tiny little slices of circles, which aren't a strong shape. Another reason that helps support the theory is that the egyptians (with the help of the aliens) built the pyramids to be stable, which is why they are here today. Another reason is that cameras could be distorting the image of earth to look like a sphere, such as a fisheye camera, which they may have used in famous pictures like the moon landing. They probably use these in satelittes to get more data. We don't know for sure if the government is in charge of these pictures, but who knows. The final reason in this post is of course, our planets composition. Our planet's core is only assumed to be a certian kind of matter, but sensors may not find traces of exotic matter in the core, which would keep a pyramids shape. This is only a small fraction of why the earth is truly a pyramid, so join this community if you are guided to the truth of a pyramid earth.
Thanks to wikepedia for some of this information
Other information was found by scientific research

I've recently decided to start a journal that l've titled "these are the things that I know" where I jot down information I learn while watching documentaries, reading articles/papers/books, and listening to podcasts. My goal for this journal is to practice engaging with materials more, thinking deeper about new information and its' role in shaping history/culture/trends/people, and using the things I learn to better understand current events.
Ideally, for each topic l'd like the journal to include: • topic/date/source • important facts/vocab/people/dates • fun or interesting facts • a personally interpretation of the new info; how it shaped human relationships at the time and/or how it relates to the modern world
But, I'm running into some issues. I find myself just writing things down like l'm taking notes in a lecture class. I really want to try and break away from doing just that and really focus on engaging with the material on a deeper level. So does anyone have any tips you use while learning about new topics? I know that this is a really broad question but I'm open to any and all tips people have to share. What kind of thought provoking questions do you ask yourself while researching? Also, do you usually jot notes and then go back to do the real thinking or do them both at the same time?
P.S. I mostly research world history in my free time but occasionally venture into fashion, art history, and literature incase anyone has suggestions for those topics as well.
P.P.S. I'm a 20F student in a completely unrelated undergraduate program, so please keep that in mind. Im just starting out researching as a hobby, l've always v interested but this is the first time l've tried challengins myself in this way. Sorry if this sounds dumb to all u professional researchers and historians lol

I've recently decided to start a journal that l've titled "these are the things that I know" where I jot down information I learn while watching documentaries, reading articles/papers/books, and listening to podcasts. My goal for this journal is to practice engaging with materials more, thinking deeper about new information and its' role in shaping history/culture/trends/people, and using the things I learn to better understand current events.
Ideally, for each topic l'd like the journal to include: • topic/date/source • important facts/vocab/people/dates • fun or interesting facts • a personally interpretation of the new info; how it shaped human relationships at the time and/or how it relates to the modern world
But, I'm running into some issues. I find myself just writing things down like l'm taking notes in a lecture class. I really want to try and break away from doing just that and really focus on engaging with the material on a deeper level. So does anyone have any tips you use while learning about new topics? I know that this is a really broad question but I'm open to any and all tips people have to share. What kind of thought provoking questions do you ask yourself while researching? Also, do you usually jot notes and then go back to do the real thinking or do them both at the same time?
P.S. I mostly research world history in my free time but occasionally venture into fashion, art history, and literature incase anyone has suggestions for those topics as well.
P.P.S. I'm a 20F student in a completely unrelated undergraduate program, so please keep that in mind. Im just starting out researching as a hobby, l've always v interested but this is the first time l've tried challengins myself in this way. Sorry if this sounds dumb to all u professional researchers and historians lol

For those interested, this is the continuation of the “Realities of War” series. If you’re new to this, you can find my previous posts by clicking on the “Realities of War” tag. My bio is at the top of Part 1. For those interested, this is the continuation of the “Realities of War” series.
The purpose of this Part 4 is to examine the actions of IDF. As usual, my objective with these posts is to familiarize the reader with the pragmatic aspects of war and help build a rational, informed framework through which you can analyze the current events more objectively. I try to abstain from taking sides based on various historical and philosophical arguments and to provide pragmatic "current" context informed by my own experience and deeper-than-average expertise on this topic.
I will break this Part 4 into 3 sub-parts:
Part 4 will be a lengthy Intro – context on the finer nuances of “war” necessary to process things.
Part 4.1 will dive into the “meat” of things – looking at some specifics of IDF’s conduct.
Part 4.2 will answer some specific, relevant questions.
Disclaimer: I’m often criticized for holding a favorable bias toward Israel. I certainly do – I don’t hide it. My bias may seem illogical if you read my bio. My reasons for supporting Israel, however, have nothing to do with "How” this war is prosecuted. Frankly, I don’t even hold that strong of an opinion on whether Israel should or should not have gone to war to begin with. My reasons for supporting Israel are based on a more nuanced moral and intellectual framework informed by my values and experiences. I won’t share further details as they are irrelevant for this post.
As far as my Realities of War series is concerned, I do my best to remain as objective as possible to the events based on (a) my own experience and (b) the knowledge and data points I have access to. In other words – if I believed that Israel was completely botching the operation in Gaza – I would tell you. Because, on a personal level, it would make very little difference to me with respect to my broader support for Israel. Outside of a scenario where Israel reduces itself to the level of “governance” and the methods of Hamas, of course (in which case I certainly wouldn’t shift my support toward Islamism… I’d simply become more indifferent). But right now – I see no evidence of that happening. And frankly, it’d be quite a large delta to cross that would require a fundamental change in character and values of Israelis and their nation.
Here we go…

Is Israel committing War Crimes? Of course it is. And it tells you nothing, broadly-speaking.

If you’ve read my previous posts – it should be very clear to you by now that any war will inevitably have some number of errors, certain amount of sloppiness, and even its share of war crimes – some caused by incompetence, and other very much deliberate.
And yet… saying that IDF has “committed war crimes” tells you absolutely nothing other than that “War Sucks”.
Yes, Israel has and will continue to commit some unknown number of errors and even deliberate or accidental war crimes. So… if you’re the type of reader interested in “gotcha” types of factoids that align with your preconceived beliefs – read no further. Feel free to take this statement and start telling anyone that’ll listen that a “military expert” told you that Israel is committing war crimes.
But if you happen to be a thoughtful type of reader, you probably suspect that there is much more to the story. If you feel like sticking around – this will be a long one. Let’s go.

Not All “wars” are Wars. But Israel believes they’re at War.

(Note: this isn’t according to some law or international standard… I’m simply dumbing down a very complex topic to its pragmatic essentials to make it easier to process).
Not all wars are created equal. It’s not a precise science but, for ease of discussion, I will place them into two “buckets”.
(a) A Military “Operation”
(b) A “War”
Most Wars start as merely “Operations”. When you take Clausewitz's classic definition that “War is merely the continuation of policy by other means” – then every war begins first as an “Operation”… Player A decides there is a political objective they can achieve via controlled violence upon player B.
What happens next is determined by the following questions:
1. Are the objectives of the operation clear, defined, and narrow enough in scope?
2. Are the objectives actually achievable via the military means?
3. Does the initiator have the necessary competence to actually achieve those objectives?
Take the example of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. That was a good example of a “Military Operation”. The objectives were clear, defined, and achieved relatively easily. The follow-on politics, of course, eventually failed. But the failure was that of political ambition and hubris. The military operation itself was completed quite successfully.
Fail to adequately address the questions above, and the “Operation” becomes “War”. Barbarossa was supposed to be an “Operation”. It turned into a bloodbath that led to the demise of the fascist regime. The invasion of Ukraine started as operation. It is now a proper trench war. Etc. Etc.
Even botched operations don’t actually have to turn into quagmires. Typically, the aggressor begins the “operation” from a point of strength. Hence, extracting itself from the “operation” often doesn’t have that many negative implications for the stronger party, especially if the “operation” was optional to begin with (other than the political consequences for the leadership that launched the operation to begin with). Take America’s campaign in Vietnam – after extracting itself from Vietnam, the US didn’t suffer any catastrophic consequences other than the price already paid. There weren’t any massive consequences for the Soviet extraction from Afghanistan either. Etc. etc. But, because of the domestic political consequences, many regimes will not back down, and the botched “operation” will escalate into an all-out war unnecessarily.
Key Distinction: the above holds true, UNLESS the society decides that it’s a “WAR” from the start.
Let’s look at the invasion of Ukraine. To Russians – it was merely an operation. But to Ukrainians – it was a War from the start. A war for national survival. It wouldn’t have mattered of course, have the Russians been competent at conducting the operation to begin with. But you get the idea.
As far as Israel is concerned – they are at WAR. It’s quite clear from Israeli standpoint. Whether you agree with them or not – they believe that they are now in an existential fight. Hence, this isn’t a merely an operation for them, in terms of Israeli public opinion. It’s a proper war. In fact, I would argue, that the international outcry has only served to strengthen the perception among the Israelis that they are in an existential fight that they must win.
The Mindset of being at War inevitably sets the course for HOW the hostilities will play out – an “operation” implies limited objectives. This, in turn, limits your options and the level of pressure and violence you’re willing to apply. The mindset of a WAR removes many constraints. “Enemy Defeat” becomes the objective. Nations go about defeating the enemy in a much different way than achieving a limited geopolitical target – and there are a lot less “if’s” and “but’s” in terms of this objective.

A “War” is a Binary Proposition

Once a “war” becomes a real War – it also becomes a binary proposition even for the observers. Once society defines an “enemy” and declares itself at WAR with the enemy - the outcome is no longer “optional” or conditional.
(Note: again, I’m not talking about legal definitions of a “war”, requirements for declarations, etc. I’m simply dumbing down a complicated topic to its pragmatic essentials).
Of course, there are many questions to parse through – things are never entirely black and white. Etc. But it remains true that the “energy” of a military campaign… its tolerance for violence… its patience with critics – all of it changes once a nation decides that it’s time for WAR.
If you decide to take sides in a WAR – you need to understand a few things:
1. There are “Guardrails” – certain norms, ethics, and morals of the society waging the war will and should remain. It’s never (and shouldn’t be) a free-for-all.
2. Within the “Guardrails” – the room for nuance shrinks. As long you stay within the guardrails – you must be willing to “forgive” things that you wouldn’t forgive under ordinary circumstances.
Ultimately, a society that believes to be under an existential threat will prosecute a WAR in order to win it – not in order to appease the sensibilities of foreign observers.
As for the people observing from the sidelines, you have two options:
(a) You can engage in philosophical and intellectual discussions on the various nuances of the conflict. Perhaps this is intellectually stimulating for you – that’s fine. But understand that it’s ultimately a pointless exercise. Or…
(b) You can take a firm side. This means accepting the fact that this is a WAR. And in most wars, one side will do much better than the other (perhaps not in the long, political terms, but in terms of the outcome of the hostilities themselves).
What does “Taking a Side” entail? You can simply take a side based on “feelings”, of course… or whatever tribal instincts you may hold toward the Jews or the Arabs. But if that’s you – it’s unlikely that you’d be engaging in discussions on this particular forum – you’re more likely to be yelling at people and calling them “Zionists” or “Terrorists” on Twitter somewhere.
A thoughtful person will “pick a side” much differently. First, it requires some intellectual honesty. Because no nation is perfect – the side you support is probably deeply flawed. Delusional belief in the purity of “your team” will always lead to disappointing outcomes.
So, the decision ultimately comes down to a certain moral framework – a set of values and beliefs that inform your “pick”. In most simplistic terms, it goes something like this: “We now have ourselves a WAR. The side A is more aligned with my values. The outcome probably won’t be perfect… lots of people will die. But I would MUCH prefer to live in the world where side A prevails rather than side B”.
WAR simplifies things. (Slight personal detour) Frankly, for me, much of the discussions I read on the topic are interesting… from intellectual perspective… but entirely irrelevant. War is now a reality. It doesn’t really matter who came to the land first – the Jews or the Arabs. It doesn’t really matter how much the British had to do with it. I certainly don’t give even an ounce of sh—t about some obscure thesis on the “nature of oppression”. Far as I’m concerned – there is a Side A that (more or less) aligns with my values. And there is side B, which fundamentally does not. Side A goes to war with Side B. The outcome now has serious implications for the preservation of the core values based on which I support Side A to begin with. Thus, side A must crush Side B, far as I’m concerned. Lots of innocent people will die in the process. Yeah… that really sucks. I take no joy in this. But allowing Side B to win really isn’t an option either. In broader strokes – it’s really that simple for me on a personal level.
But you aren’t here for the “broad strokes” … so let’s dive into some nuance.

Everyone’s “Just War” is someone else’s “War Crime.”

When a society goes to war – in order to win it, society must mobilize around relatively simple core ideas. That society will then believe that their “ideas” are righteous. And they will view the “opposing ideas” (i.e. the “enemy”) as inherently criminal. I’m pretty sure that, was Germany to win WW2, they would probably have their version of Nuremberg trials.
Let’s look at Ukraine again. Ukrainians believe that nearly everything Russia does is criminal. Much of the “civilized” world agrees. Not because Ukraine is a perfect society (of course not – it’s a deeply-flawed country with track record of corruption and political turmoil). But the “civilized” world understands that intentions and aspirations matter. Ukraine aspires to be an independent, functional democracy. And Russia represents regressive, authoritarian ideas that are against the core values of other western societies. Hence, our support for Ukraine.
However, if we’re honest about it, we would also recognize that not all Russian territorial and historical claims are entirely without merit. We would recognize that Ukrainian hands aren’t entirely clean either. But ultimately, “we” don’t care – because a much larger war of ideas is at play. And so we accept some level of “hypocrisy” on our part in our support of Ukraine. Because intentions matter. And we recognize Ukraine’s intentions as far more aligned with “our” values than those of Russian Federation.

The Norms that a Nation abides by in War are a Reflection of the Society fighting the War (even if the War is existential).

Of course, in no way, shape, or form, would I suggest that once an “operation” becomes a WAR – then all rules go out the window. A ton of nuance remains – think the “Guardrails” I mentioned previously. Nor would I suggest that we automatically “forgive” any behavior of the nation we “support” just because that’s “our team”.
To illustrate the point – imagine a scenario where Ukraine develops a super-powerful weapon of mass destruction to which Russia has no counter. Imagine that Ukraine decides that, to avoid a retaliatory nuclear strike, they must wipe Russia off the face of the planet – and then they do.
Well… that would of course be crossing a very thick red line. Ukraine would quickly lose its “friend of the west” status.
But let’s imagine that Ukraine uses such a weapon for a partially strategic target that also ends up killing a million of civilians or so – say it drops a superweapon on Belgorod. Well… I could think of a number of reasons why it may be compelled to do so. But should they do it? Hmmm. I don’t believe so.
But now, let’s imagine that Ukraine’s back is against the wall – Kiev is about to fall… the nation is about to be overrun. Would I forgive Ukraine for dropping a super weapon on Belgorod then as a demonstration? Yeah… I probably would.
In other words – even in an existential war, a society waging the war should make an effort to abide by the norms that society deems acceptable.
Let’s go back to MENA. From a fundamentalist Islamist point of view – the very refusal of a secular society to submit to “Allah’s rule” is a crime. And that ideology has no problem with certain ways of waging a war that we’d describe as “genocidal”.
But the secular “West” (of which Israel is a part) has many more self-imposed Guardrails. That’s why we (the international community) have agreed to various sets of common “rules” – think Geneva Convention and such.
We (the secular West) also have much less tolerance for unrestrained violence on a cultural level. It is a spectrum of course – things like anger, the sense of existential threat, the “personal” nature of certain events will certainly stretch the limit “acceptable” for the nation at war.
However, I will tell you this from personal experience – if you order a platoon of western soldiers to execute a group of civilians – the vast majority of them WILL NOT pull that trigger. That is because the soldiers of in a modern western society represent the CURRENT generation of its citizens. And the basic norms, morals, and values of a modern society are deeply ingrained in the mindsets of soldiers fighting the war.
The bottom line to all the musings above is:
1. WAR is black and white in terms of its objectives: win or lose (from military standpoint)
2. But WAR is anything but black and white in terms of how it plays out. Things like resources, enemy’s nature, time, etc. – they all introduce countless variables into the equation. And so a nation must do what it can to achieve its objectives within the moral “Guardrails” that it abides by.
Which now brings me to the key point – that these “Guardrails” aren’t hard constraints. They are merely a “methodology” to decision-making. I will expand on this concept in the next part.

Part 4.1 follows shortly.
P.S. If you're interested in reading previous posts, you can find them here (huge thanks to u/nar_tapio_00)
* [The Realities of War (let's kill some sacred cows)](https://new.reddit.com/IsraelPalestine/comments/1cwvbna/the_realities_of_war_lets_kill_some_sacred_cows/) * [Part 1.5 - On Killing and Morality in War](https://new.reddit.com/IsraelPalestine/comments/1cxkfmf/part_15_on_killing_and_morality_in_wa) * [The Realities of War - Part 2 (How to invade a place... if you must)](https://new.reddit.com/IsraelPalestine/comments/1cz26en/the_realities_of_war_part_2_how_to_invade_a_place/) * [The Realities of War - Part 2.1 (how to think about a military operation pragmatically)](https://new.reddit.com/IsraelPalestine/comments/1cz8hf8/the_realities_of_war_part_21_how_to_think_about_a/) * [The realities of War - Part 3 (on "Proportionality")](https://new.reddit.com/IsraelPalestine/comments/1d3gtjt/the_realities_of_war_part_3_on_proportionality/) * [The Realities of War - part 3.1 (on Hostages)](https://new.reddit.com/IsraelPalestine/comments/1d3kk1the_realities_of_war_part_31_on_hostages/)

If you do not have time to read this, or would like a video explanation for this article that will help you understand this better, here is the link:
https://youtu.be/68K0gzYXnlE?si=IE4tnlLjB6e1PT8h
Foreword
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for showing interest and trusting me enough to share the challenges that you are facing during this difficult journey. Before we dive in into answering the questions in regards to getting through the withdrawal symptoms, let’s dive into what is happening to your brain and body that is making it seem like you are going through these withdrawals in the first place, shall we? Let’s do this.
It All Starts in Your Brain
It is important to understand what is happening in your brain in order to explain why the withdrawal symptoms happen in the first place. We are going to briefly go through this explanation, yet if you would like a more in depth look in regards to this process, please watch this video FIRST, before continuing with this article. Here is the link:
https://youtu.be/ThiGc8ZyDew?si=gjS4_N5Vmwd4mW0A
Your brain has a REWARD and a PUNISHMENT system. One system is rewarding an individual when the individual is placing effort in areas of self-improvement (Going through school, getting a better job, going to the gym, eating healthy food, instilling a positive mindset, reading books, building a business, starting a blog, etc.) and also punishing individuals when those tasks are not done (cloudy thoughts, tiredness, fatigue, out of shape figure, low libido, lower levels of testosterone, no sex drive, in some cases loss of hair (due to the lower levels of testosterone, etc.)
How does this reward system work.
When an individual is indulging in healthy habits (listed earlier) your brain starts to release small amounts of dopamine, this dopamine chemical drives and motives the ACTION of self-improvement. Once the action has been COMPLETED, the brain then rewards the individual with the serotonin chemical which makes the individual feel “accomplished” or “fulfilled”. This whole process increases the individual’s confidence hence then this individual starts ATTRACTING other individuals and becomes “magnetic”. Hence naturally we want to be around and look up to people who are “positive” and have good, productive HABITS.
How pornography use hijacks the reward systems of your brain that drives reward and punishment.
What did a man have to do thousands of years ago to mate and reproduce an offspring with a woman who had large breasts, hips, butt, and had a pretty face? Well, that man had to BE someone, and in order for the individual to BE someone, they had to WORK on themselves first. For example: That man had to be strong enough in order to outlive and out survive other hunters, warriors, environmental challenges, etc. That man had to become a LEADER of a tribe that created an environment of safety and protection that would place that woman in an environment where she can be vulnerable for 9 months that it takes to go through the pregnancy period that leads to birth and not fucking die. (Does that make sense?)
Understanding that is crucial to understanding how adult content completely twists that process in your brain. Let’s take a look at what happens when an individual starts watching porn and how it leads to what you are experiencing now (keep reading, we are getting close.)
When a man starts watching porn, your brain (since it does not have eyes) thinks that you IMMEDIATELY became that LEADER, that MAN of MEN, that GOD walking amongst this earth. Since you have access to all these “hot”,”busty”,”prime” women that only the top of the top elite men has access to that have WORKED on themselves and BECAME those top elite men, now your brain perceives that you are now that and no longer need to be DRIVEN to do anything else, since it believes that you have already WON. (Does that make sense?)
Hence, now your brain is REWARDING you for being around all of these “prime” women, and not rewarding you for the PROCESS of becoming that man in order to be with those women in real life. How does your brain reward you in this instance? Your brain rewards you with a HUGE amount of dopamine when you are starting to indulge in the sexually explicit material, and because the dopamine chemical is responsible for the ACTION (remember what dopamine is responsible for instilling from earlier) you find yourself endlessly scrolling and going from page to page to page to page (sounds familiar)?
This process keeps going on and on and on until your brain is so overstimulated and is swimming in so much dopamine that you end up “releasing” or “relapsing” in this case. This repeated action over time leads to the brain starting to counteract this overstimulation by releasing enzymes that start to block and fortify your receptors in the brain from further damage and stimulation. Keep that in mind because this process ties into EVERYTHING that you are experiencing right now and is crucial to understand in order to answer your questions.
After years and perhaps decades of this repeated behavior, your brain is no longer able to RE-ABSORD the dopamine that is getting released during the indulgence in explicit material due to the fortification that it has built up in the billions upon billions of receptors that drive the behavior of confidence, fulfillment, motivation, drive, and achievement. This leads to the next step in the process of this abyss of misery. The individual then finds themselves not being interested in the content that they were indulging in, now they start seeking more erotic content, more extreme content to get the same “feeling” or “euphoria”. You find yourself watching more content that is more aggressive, more violent, more extreme (BDSM, Orgies, Trans, Gay, Shemale categories, etc.)
This cycle continues until your brain has built up so much defenses around itself to the point of where it starts shutting down your sexual organs (hence the occurrence of the porn induced erectile disfunction symptoms that is starting to be widely recognized today) that you no longer feel like human being anymore. You start thinking that you are not worthy of life, you start getting depressed, you start getting anxiety, and start avoiding other individuals (sound familiar?) Alright, we are getting closer, keep reading.
You will not find motive to conversate with other individuals thinking that something is wrong with you. Regular woman will be of no interest to you. Your dick will not work, hence the reference to the “flatline” term to describe this occurrence.
When you decide to stop this destructive habit. Your brain will start PUNISHING you for this since it now thinks that you have lowered your value/status (remember what it was thinking when you were “impregnating” all those “hot” women on the screen) and is not able to attract those women any longer. This is when you start feeling the symptoms of a “flatline” and withdrawal.
What and individual must do to reverse this destructive process and what causes the withdrawal symptoms to happen.
The FIRST step an individual MUST do in order start the process of recovery is getting rid of ANYTHING that overstimulates the reward system of your brain. That entails:

• Social Media Accounts that portray and give you access to soft-core pornography (half naked people, girls in bikinis, models, images of attractive individuals, etc.)
  
• Links to any sexually explicit material sent to you by “friends, associates, buddies.”
  
• Movies, Books, TV Series with sexually explicit material or soft-core pornography (such as sex scenes, half naked individuals, etc.)
  

You must rid and abstain from ANYTHING that gives your brain an idea that it is now in a state of “reproduction.”
Turn on adult content blockers on your Internet browser, and search engines. On your personal computer as well as your PHONE.
You MUST get RID of anything that keeps your brain in this over stimulated sexualized state.
Over time, after about month 2-3 of COMPLETELY abstaining from such material, and it will be so hard, oh so difficult to do this. (This is where majority of men FAIL) You start experiencing body aches, mood swings, psychotic mental events, depression, absolutely no libido, etc. On top of all of that the absolute fortresses that your brain has built up around its dopamine receptors over decades do not allow any amount of dopamine to be absorbed if at all, leading to an even darker hole of misery. (Following me so far?)
At this moment is when an individual is starting to recognize that this is becoming a problem and start seeking solutions whether it be online, in person therapy sessions, doctor visits, etc. This is very crucial to recognize since when you realize that this is a problem, getting rid of it is going to be much, MUCH more difficult, and hence why this is going to be the most difficult journey that a man will go through perhaps even in their life. (Hence 95% of men fail, and do not go through this process.)
Alright, understanding this is what comes down to answering the questions in regards to how to get through the process of withdrawal.
What to do in order to get through the withdrawal process.
After getting rid of EVERYTHING that overstimulates the reward system in your brain (social media, links, magazines, tv series, movies, anything that makes you think of going back) your brain starts to chisel away at those fortified walls it has built up around itself. (Described in the Month 2-3 state in the “Gentlemen, holy shit” article) hence this being the crucial moment to stat instilling better habits during this time (start eating healthier foods, start reading books, start going to the gym, start going to dance classes, etc.) Since after about months 3-6 of abstaining from overstimulation your brain starts to reabsorb some of the dopamine that it REWARDS you with when you are instilling those BETTER HABITS. (Does that make sense?)
This results in the seeing the “light at the end of the tunnel” moments after months 3-6, since your brain is starting to re absorb the dopamine that it is rewarding you with due to you putting in the ACTION of improving yourself.
As your brain is starting to chisel away more and more of the fortifications, you will start feeling more driven, more inspired, more motivated to do things that before you had absolutely no motive to do. (Look at what I am doing now, I have never done this before.)
Your brain starts increasing testosterone production and releasing dopamine when you put effort into what is improving you.
When your body is increasing your testosterone and releases dopamine, your sexual drive starts flying through the roof. This causes other individuals to be ATTRACTED to you (whether its women, men, whatever you are into.) You NATURALY start attracting other individuals, you become more confident as a result of seeing other individuals be attracted to you.
What does that lead to? This leads to OTHER individuals RELEASING that sexual tension for you, and the whole process begins again.
Self-Improvement à Confidence à Sexual Tension à Release by Other Individuals.
Now, what happens if you DON’T get other individuals to release that tension for you. Well, that is where WET DREAMS come into play.
What does it mean to experience a “Wet Dream”?
A wet dream is a term that describes your own body releasing the sexual pressure that builds up over time of self-improvement in a healthy desexualized brain when the individual does not attract another human being to do it for them.
This process happens when the individual is sleeping and going through the Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep (also referred to as REM). This is usually the stage when an individual experiences vivid dreams. What happens during this stage of sleep when that individual has high sexual tension? (I am glad you asked.)
Your brain simulates a sexual experience through the process of dreaming. This is when you might see yourself with another individual engaging in sexual activity which results in what? You guessed it, sexual release.
Now, this release is perfectly natural and results in a HEALTHY amount of dopamine and serotonin production in your brain.
Does this make sense?
Conclusion
Alright, let’s go back to the questions and see if we have answered them:

• Do you now understand what causes withdrawal symptoms in the first place?
• Do you now see that there are no “shortcuts” or “quick steps” to take in order to get through them?
• Is it now more clear in regards to how instilling and re-training your brain with better habits drives the brain back to its healthy desexualized state that leads an individual on a natural path of self-improvement and reproduction?

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions in the best possible way I can. Please let me know if there are still some areas that perhaps I did not cover and I will sure to do my best to cover them in the next article/video.

Any guy struggling with dating has been told to “get off the apps”, as if meeting women in real life will somehow provide better results.
This is an asinine and completely irrational point of view that has no semblance to reality in 2024.
The truth is, apps ARE reality now.
Whether social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, or swipe apps like Tinder, they have shaped and programmed the way the overwhelming majority of women view and treat men.
Telling a short man for instance to “get off the apps” won’t increase his chances of finding a partner who won’t significantly downgrade him due to his height. All women do that, online and off. He may as well throw out the biggest net he can in hopes of catching a woman looking to settle.
The idea that he’d be better off just interacting with women in his near vicinity who also despise a core aspect of who he is just limits his options.
Just because that girl at work is polite, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have ludicrously exacting filters set up on her Tinder, and if she’s not on Tinder, in her mind.