So I went through iron infusions in April. Hemoglobin had been 10.5, Ferritin was 4. I had follow up labs 4 weeks after I completed the infusions & everything was back in normal range. I just saw a hematologist for the first visit last week. She gave me zero guidance about how much oral iron to take & didn't want to see me for a follow up unless my iron drops again.
I don't have a straightforward cause for my anemia. I have a few small risk factors so it's likely one of those or maybe a combination of a few. I have an appt to discuss ablation next week even though I don't consider my periods to be that bad. Peri menopause has got me all out of whack though.
Bottom line is that I really really don't want to have to go through this ordeal again & I want to do everything I can to prevent it. How does everyone manage to maintain their iron stores after infusions?

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.

13 minutes of Armenia coverage by Transcaucasian Telegraph. Follow for regular updates.

US-AM-TR-AZ

• U.S. NatSec Jake Sullivan and Erdogan's Advisor Kilic (not that Kilic) discussed a range of topics including the "importance of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan."
• During a meeting dedicated to Turkey-Azerbaijan energy cooperation, Turkish President Erdogan welcomed the progress in the AZ-AM peace process and said he expects a peace agreement ASAP.
• Joe Biden's letter to Baku Energy Week forum participants: A durable and dignified peace agreement that ends decades of conflict would transform the South Caucasus and fundamentally change Azerbaijan's role in the region. The United States stands ready to support this noble ambition. We owe it to future generations to ensure peace and prosperity remain our guiding principles.
• Armenia has made amendments to the draft peace agreement and sent the 9th revision to Baku as part of the back-and-forth process.
source, source, source, source,

new or notable information from FM Mirzoyan's hourslong parliament presentation about diplomacy in 2023 and 2024:

• Armenia wants Turkey to display tangible progress on the ground by unblocking the border.
• Relations deepened with the US, UK, and France.
• Cooperation with the EU has expanded to include new areas including defense.
• FM Mirzoyan accused an ARF MP of parroting "imported" Russian "imperial" narratives after the ARF MP spoke against the border delimitation process with Azerbaijan.
• An ARF MP said the presence of the EU border mission makes Armenia more vulnerable. FM Mirzoyan countered it by saying there have been no incursions since the deployment of the EU mission. Mirzoyan accused ARF and its allies of "setting up a trap" for Armenia by advancing a dangerous foreign policy for decades which forced Armenia to be dependent on Russia. "It was a sweet strategy to ensure Armenia's captivity."
• A ruling party MP accused ARF, Levon Ter-Petrosyan's ANC, and Azerbaijan of being the only parties today that are attempting to revive the topic of Khojalu. The ARF MP disagreed. FM Mirzoyan said he sees synchronous activities between the Azerbaijani government, opposition-run media outlets in Armenia, and certain circles in Russia.
• FM Mirzoyan asked ARF MP to explain his vision for returning to Nagorno-Karabakh. The ARF MP said Nagorno-Karabakh must have a certain level of autonomy. Mirzoyan said that's what the Pashinyan administration was attempting to accomplish last year and that ARF rejected it. Pashinyan at the time said there was a need to lower the status bar from full independence to a lower level of autonomy in order to rally international support. That idea was sharply rejected by ARF and its satellites in Nagorno-Karabakh who controlled the parliament. FM Mirzoyan accused Nagorno-Karabakh's ARF wing of adopting a resolution that further entrenched maximalism and "from sea to sea Artsakh" during the blockade, instead of lowering the bar to increase international support.
• Armenia was able to significantly deepen relations with Georgia (Strategic Agreement in February) and Iran (economic relations).
• Relations with Russia are more transparent than ever.
• After decades of efforts, last year Armenia was finally able to establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
• Unprecedented: Armenia's Foreign Minister participated in the Arab League's ministerial meeting this year.
• Unprecedented: Armenia took part for the first time in Manama Dialogue.
• Armenia and UAE established a visa-free regime in February.
• Armenia won the elections in 5 out of 5 international organizations (UN, OSCE, UNESCO, Francophonie, etc.) where it submitted a candidacy.
• Still frozen with CSTO. No new developments.
• New diplomatic offices in Tabriz and Serbia, and an embassy in Cyprus. Diplomatic relations were established with Botswana and Trinidad and Tobago. Armenia has relations with 182 countries.
• Armenia and Hungary continue to restore relations; resident embassies will open. Belgium, Canada, and Qatar opened embassies in Yerevan. GIZ and KfW opened offices. Etc.
• Armenia sees a problem in Azerbaijan's constitution and Azerbaijan sees a problem in Armenia's constitution but the topic of constitutional changes is not part of the AM-AZ negotiation agenda and Armenia does not believe these constitutional issues can obstruct long-term peace.
• South Korea and Armenia have agreed to open embassies and other offices.
• Yerevan and New Delhi have agreed to hold direct flights. FM Mirzoyan sees great economic potential. He urged Armenian businesses to trade with India and not export exclusively to the "traditional markets".
• Armenia expects non-lethal technologies and mostly military medical-related assistance from the EU's Peace Facility.
• Two main channels of cooperation with EU: 1) The upgraded CEPA is currently being discussed, 2) April 5 Brussels programs for Armenia's resilience. These talks include the European Peace Facility, the visa-free regime, etc.
• Certain things could get delayed because of the June elections in the European Union, said a ruling party MP.
source,

Armenia's Deputy FM Hovhannisyan about Armenia-EU relations

• The EU remains the largest donor for Armenia.
• EU provided €12 million in aid to Nagorno-Karabakh refugees.
• Active discussions are underway to upgrade CEPA.
source,

France was one of the countries blocking the visa-free regime between Armenia and EU: ranking ruling party MP tasked with EU affairs

YEGHOYAN: Certain EU states do not want to deal with the potential problem of deporting more Armenians in the event visa liberalization leads to increased migration and illegal stays. We are negotiating to change that. Lately, a series of countries that had concerns have changed their stance and during recent official meetings, they have not opposed the launch of the liberalization discussions. There is only one group of states, 1-2 countries, that still oppose it.
REPORTER: Which country shows the strongest opposition?
YEGHOYAN: At this time... it's not the country in your mind anymore. There is a process...
REPORTER: We have information that it was France that strongly opposed it.
YEGHOYAN: Not anymore. France has withdrawn its objections. Yes, they initially objected to the liberalization because of the large Armenian community but we negotiated with them and implemented reforms in Armenia. There is another group of states, again with high living standards, who are currently on the fence. In any case, their opposition is not as strong as Hungary's veto to Armenia receiving military assistance from the European Peace Facility. These countries instead want Armenia to remedy more problems so they can show their own populations that having a visa-free regime with Armenia won't lead to their taxpayer funds being wasted on deporting Armenians. This is more of an internal political issue for them, and we understand that.

... here is why visa lines are so long to travel to EU for tourism or business

REPORTER: Why does it take forever to get a visa to a European country today?
YEGHOYAN: Many Russians are coming to Armenia to get a visa to Europe, so the lines got long. To this day the diplomatic offices have been unable to keep up with the demand; we are trying to find solutions. On top of that, some tourism agencies can use programs to reserve large numbers of visas and resell them to others at a higher price. I asked embassies to stop granting visas to individuals with other names, so whoever took the spot must be the one to use it. I think the German embassy has chosen that option; we are working with them right now.
REPORTER: Could the developments in Georgia have an impact on Armenia and EU?
YEGHOYAN: Yes. We hope Georgia finds a balanced solution.
REPORTER: And what about right-wingers gaining power in the EU during upcoming elections?
YEGHOYAN: The Right is improving its numbers but they do not have the numbers to form the government. I can't predict how much influence the Right will have on the new government and it's something that also depends on the performance of Right in their respective countries.
source,

Armenia's economy ministry is drafting a new export strategy; notable parts from Minister Papoyan's presentation in parliament

• The new Strategy is almost ready and will soon be presented to relevant committees.
• Every product with export potential has been examined by Armenian and foreign experts with the help of EU and USAID. The export potential and possible destination of each product were calculated.
• The experience of similar countries was studied. If Armenia currently produces A-B-C, the study reveals that certain countries similar to Armenia also produce D, so the advice is to expand the scope of production and exports, to include items not currently part of the chain.
• Armenia and Turkey are engaged in active trade via 3rd countries despite closed borders. The ministry doesn't expect a "shock" if it opens. What we need from them and what they need from us is more or less already being traded, at a higher price.
• The first truck arrived from China to Armenia through the Silk Road and Crossroads of Peace in 20 days. This is down from 35-40 days if the route is through Russia and other routes. The new route is much faster, said Papoyan.
• The Armenian government is taking steps to receive unobstructed access to seas with the help of WTO and EU. Armenia is a landlocked country so the access must be granted by WTO members Turkey and Georgia. Economy Minister Papoyan criticized the former governments for spending their diplomatic efforts on "other things" [genocide recognition] but not holding a dialogue with Turkey to grant Armenia access to the sea. Minister Papoyan implied that the ministry has employees who are going through a shock because of the rapid shift in policy to improve ties with Turkey.
• Georgia, too, is not properly complying with its WTO obligation of providing unobstructed access to Armenia to seas, said Minister Papoyan.
• Minister Papoyan explained why the Black Sea ferry project did not materialize. There was a time when Armenia was the one that desperately needed the ferry to transport the goods to Russia. Then Russia became the one that needed the Armenian goods, so Russia quickly expanded the Upper Lars capacity to accept the Armenian trucks. The ferry was no longer needed.
• To implement CEPA's economic component, a committee was formed, managed by the economy ministry. This committee consists of 3 sub-committees: geographical indication (GI) sub-committee, economic cooperation sub-committee, and customs sub-committee.
• The committee held a meeting on October 17 in Yerevan. They discussed 12 roadmaps for the implementation of CEPA.
• One of them is the renaming of Armenian cognac into Armenian brandy. Other topics relating to geographical indication and customs were discussed. The next meeting of the committee will be held this October in Brussels.
• The GI sub-committee recently discussed "cognac" and "champagne", the AM-EU legal framework around GI, etc.
• The economic cooperation and customs sub-committees held meetings in March 2023.
• Economic cooperation sub-committee has 12 roadmaps: trade of goods, customs, technical barriers, phytosanitary, services & electronic sales, payments and movement of capital, intellectual property rights, state purchases, trade & stable development, competition, state organizations, and transparency.
• Armenia informed the EU in October 2023 that it plans to rebrand Armenian cognac to Armenian brandy, which will be registered as an Armenian GI. This will allow Armenian producers to export and advertise domestic brandy. The EU has provided $2.9 million for the transition, which is in progress.
• Labs will be required to check the quality of exported brandy. The government must have a procedure for checking and certifying the quality.
• To sell a product under the GI Armenian Brandy, the company must meet the quality standards and use specific mechanisms of quality control during production. Every Armenian company that advertises its brandy as Armenian Brandy must meet these standards.
• Ruling QP MP urged the Government to ensure companies do not use cheap wheat spirit to produce low-quality alcohol and sell it as "brandy" under the new GI. The MP urged Armenia's inspection agencies to increase oversight of the wine industry as well.
• Some Armenian alcohol producers are taking additional steps to certify their goods to unlock exports to the EU, and this has raised their prices by ֏40 per liter, said Minister Papoyan. He wants the state to support Armenian laboratories that undergo processes to receive international accreditation. Many lab services are not available in Armenia, including due to a lack of specialists, so domestic producers are forced to send their products to European countries for certification, wait a long time, and pay a hefty sum.

Favorable tax policies for Armenian goods exported to the EU

• A QP MP asked if it's possible to revive or sign a new GSP+ preferential trade system. Armenia lost access to it after exiting the list of poor countries. Economy Minister Papoyan said there is currently the ATM (Autonomous Trade Measures) for some other countries, and as a result of Armenia's policy of strengthening ties with the EU, there could be an opportunity for Armenia to use ATM to export certain types of agricultural and industrial products without taxes. Armenia is negotiating for the EU to add Armenia to the list of beneficiaries of ATM.
• ATM would also allow Armenia to avoid major issues in the event of force majeure [if Russia cuts economic ties with Armenia].
• Countries that apply to receive tax waivers under ATM must submit a list of products they want to export to EU and negotiate with relevant EU agencies. Certain agricultural and industrial exports can be exported at 0%, and without quantity limits.
• Armenia has prepared a list of goods it wants to export to the EU under ATM and it will be submitted to the EU soon.
• The Armenian government and EU's Ambassador to Armenia recently discussed Armenia's possible inclusion in ATM.
• The GSP+ is a thing of the past unless Armenia becomes poor enough to once again qualify for it. The GDP per capita in Armenia is $8,200, which is above the average, let alone in the poverty zone [$4,000?].

Where does the EU plan to invest €2.6 billion in Armenia?

• €500M to 30,000 small and medium enterprises for a stable and competitive economy.
• €600M for North-South highway, tunnels, bridges.
• €220M digital transformation, science, and tech.
• €110M Syunik resilience.
• €170M to make Yerevan smart and green.
• €530M for accessible education.
• €470M water reservoirs, irrigation systems, landfills.
• The SME and infrastructure projects are still being developed. Some programs are already being implemented.

... Armenia is receiving technical assistance through the European Commission's TAIEX instrument

• TAIEX helps Armenian government bodies bring their legislation and standards closer to the EU.
• TAIEX sends expert groups for advisory and evaluation.
• The economy ministry developed and submitted TAIEX requests in 2023 to improve agriculture, capital markets, textile, tourism legislation, consumer protection, etc. Five have been approved and two have been fully implemented.
source, source, source,

PM Pashinyan receives the director of the European External Action Service

Pashinyan emphasized the consistent development and expansion of Armenia-European Union cooperation in political and economic directions.
Michael Siebert emphasized the EU's commitment and readiness to develop cooperation with Armenia. According to him, the EU will continue to actively contribute to the full implementation of the agenda for the expansion of relations with Armenia.
source,

Pashinyan forms an interdepartmental working group tasked with improving Armenia's position in the World Bank's Business Ready report

Business Ready (B-READY) is the World Bank’s new flagship report benchmarking the business environment and investment climate in most economies worldwide. The first B-READY report will be launched on September 25, 2024.
source, source,

pro-Russian opposition movement co-leader Bagrat Galstanyan says he discussed the situation in Armenia with ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan 15 days before the movement to oust PM Pashinyan

Galstanyan revealed that he is being advised by ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan's team on how to lead the movement.
REPORTER: Have you ever met any of the former presidents?
GALSTANYAN: I'm friends with the ANC party members and have close relations with many of LTP's associates. Throughout this process, they have given me advice on what to do, how to speak, where to place the emphasis, and I have followed it. I received advice on internal and external issues. They came and shared their stance; I accepted some and rejected others. I had relations with them prior to 2018 as well.
REPORTER: Do you plan to meet LTP?
GALSTANYAN: I met him before this movement. We held extensive discussions about the situation.
REPORTER: How long ago was that?
GALSTANYAN: About 15 days.
REPORTER: 15 days before May 9?
GALSTANYAN: No, [15 days] before Kirants. //
Bagrat Galstanyan went in front of the Human Rights Defender's office and demanded to meet her. She agreed to meet him and a group of protesters to discuss the issues in privacy. The meeting did not take place because Galstanyan demanded the meeting to be live-streamed.
In response to famous actor Hovhannes Azoyan's repeated criticism of his movement, Galstanyan urged journalists to wash their mouths after speaking Azoyan's name. He quickly apologized for his statement, before proceeding to call Azoyan a satan.
Authorities charged a protester with assaulting a police officer while the latter was attempting to remove a roadblock on the Yerevan-Meghri road. The incident happened earlier.
One protester is arrested for 1 month after the Friday clashes with the police in front of the foreign ministry. Another 4 are charged.
source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source,

Russia is no longer an attractive place for many Armenian migrant workers: Central Bank President Martin Galstyan

The share of remittances in GDP has gone from 18% a decade ago to 4.1% last year.
Last year the inflow was $5.7B (+9.7% YoY). Sources: $4B from Russia, $663M from USA, $141M from Switzerland, ...
Last year the outflow was $4B, so the net inflow was $1.7B.
source,

500-year-old Armenian church in Diyarbakir, Turkey, will be renovated

It was damaged during the 2023 earthquakes. The renovation project, approved and funded by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, aims to revive the church and will officially begin this month. The process will be supported by the Armenian community's resources and contributions.
source,

2 of the 8 sections of the railway destroyed during floods have been restored with the help of the Russian company that manages the Armenian railway: VIDEO

video, source,

at the request of the Armenian government, Switzerland deployed specialists to assess the structural strength of bridges and infrastructure in flood-affected areas

source,

Georgia's ruling party introduces another Putin-style law, this time to ban queer ‘propaganda’, gender affirmation treatment, and prevent queer people from adopting children

source,

Armenia and Serbia discussed defense cooperation

Defense Minister Papikyan met Serbian Ambassador and Defense Attaché. An agreement was reached to carry out work to sign an agreement between the Governments of Armenia and Serbia on defense cooperation. Topics regarding reforms being carried out in the Armenian Armed Forces and regional security were also discussed.
source,

the Road Department has acquired devices to check the reflectiveness of road paint and traffic signs: VIDEO

The M2 highway was checked to see if it meets the standards.
source,

anti-corruption: a customs agent is charged with extorting money from 11 Iranian cargo drivers

Pay or else you'll have problems.
source,

Armenian consumers continue to spend more: May 2024

Number of transactions with receipts: 60 million (+8 YoY)
Total value: ֏87 billion (+12% YoY)
source,

bear attacks a man picking plants in the field in village Arates

He noticed a bear and scared it away by making loud noises. However, he didn't notice the second bear nearby, which attacked the man, causing serious injuries. He is expected to survive.
source, source,

Hey everyone,
I wanted to share my initial experience with Amaryllo Cloud storage after using it for the past 24 hours. Here's how it went:

1. I transferred 5GB of data, which essentially includes my entire collection of important files. This process took quite a while, but that's understandable given my internet speed is around 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up (realistically, it's about half of that with even less upload speed).
2. My primary reason for switching was to get away from my old provider, whose servers were thousands of miles away, resulting in painfully slow transfer rates.
3. So far, I’m impressed with the speed of Amaryllo Cloud. It's on par with Google Drive and OneDrive, which is a significant upgrade from my previous experience.
4. The Android app is another highlight. It’s simple, intuitive, and easy to navigate, making it much faster and more user-friendly than my old provider's app.
5. I really appreciate that lifetime plans are the norm with Amaryllo Cloud. It gives me confidence that I'm not gambling on the company’s survival. After researching the company, they seem legit and have a positive, long-standing background.
6. There are a couple of areas where Amaryllo Cloud falls short:
   • Lack of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): I was disappointed to find that 2FA isn’t available yet. However, I reached out to support, and they assured me it’s on the way.
   • No Desktop Integration: Currently, there's no WebDAV or similar connection to sync directly with my computer. I have to use the web version, and I'm hoping they release a desktop app soon.
7. I did have some privacy concerns, especially about AI being integrated into my cloud storage. Thankfully, Amaryllo Cloud makes it easy to disable AI features, so that alleviated my worries.
8. I have yet to try out the encryption features, but I plan to test them soon. I'll follow up with my experience once I've had the chance to evaluate it.

Overall, my initial impression of Amaryllo Cloud is positive, with some room for improvement. Looking forward to seeing how they evolve!
Has anyone else here tried Amaryllo Cloud? What’s your experience been like?
Cheers!

Cancer Screening Part 1: Introduction and Overview of Common Cancers
Cancer refers to uncontrolled division of cells with the capacity for local invasion and distant spread (metastasis). Mutations develop in the DNA of normal cells allowing them to evade immune system surveillance, establish their own blood supply, breakaway from neighboring cells (niche), invade into lymph nodes and larger arteries, and ultimately metastasize throughout the body leading to the organism's death.
Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in the developed world. The main causes of cancer death varies by gender with lung, colon, breast (women), prostate (men), and pancreas leading the pack. Together, they account for about 50% of cancer mortality. Stomach, liver, ovary (women), uterine (women), melanoma, brain tumors, leukemias, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma are also important but less common causes of cancer mortality. The biggest risk factor for cancer is age. See this representative graph for colon cancer mortality by age: 9/100,000 deaths in the 45-49 group versus 100/100,000 in the 80+ group. That's a 10x increase in risk over 40 years. This is true for many cancers. The simple reality is that as we get older, more mutations develop in our aging cells, which can ultimately lead to cancer.
Genetics are another major risk factor for cancer. For example, having a BRCA mutation, common in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, confers a 45% to 85% for developing breast cancer in a women's lifetime, along with a 10% to 46% chance of ovarian cancer. This compares to a 13% percent and ~1% risk respectively for a women who does not have BRCA (or other high risk genetic mutation(s)). A family history of one or more cancers, especially in 1st or 2nd degree relatives, can clue a clinician into the possibility of a genetic syndrome that greatly increases a patient's risk for cancer in their lifetime, necessitating more frequent and detailed screening.
The American Cancer Society offers cancer screening guidelines by age. These represent evidence based best practices at the population level for patients at average risk. To me, they represent a jumping off point. I start with a comprehensive family history (see example here). For patients with a family history highly suggestive of a genetic cancer syndrome, I refer for formal genetic testing. For average risk patients without a family history, I offer consumer grade genome sequencing that specifically reports out on the most common cancer genes (see page 11 of sample report). Any mutations discovered are followed up with confirmatory, clinical grade testing. This will offer me a baseline for an individual patient, which together with medical history, lifestyle, risk tolerance, and other factors will determine intensity and modalities of screening.
In part 2, we will discuss colon cancer, a major cause of cancer mortality in both men and women that is increasingly being diagnosed in young adults.

Hello, wonderful sub members! Since we have had a recent influx of new members, we wanted to touch base quickly to remind everyone of some of our more “forgotten” rules, explain some of our newer rules, & answer some frequently asked questions🫶 Full disclosure, if this sounds like a robot wrote this, it’s because i used chatGPT to rephrase everything in order to hopefully make sense, rather than just word-vomit in a post. 😭

Quick Updates

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Hi,
After wasting money for meds that didn't work, I tried to look up food interactions for common antidepressants.
I realise my diet is extremely high in insoluble fiber, and my intake of ginger is sometimes likely higher than the 5g daily recommended limit before adverse effects kick in.
My daily primary meal is 25/30 times Beans (200g+), with some other strong source of carbs to get max daily calories.
My strong source of calories used to be Rice, which I switched out to something else.
My main focus here are Sertraline and Amitiptyline.
Amitiptyline reduced my hallucinations by a factor of 10, but stopped working after around 2 months. There were no diminishing returns, just stopped working as if I had suddenly stopped taking my meds.
Please 🙏 help me answer this topic,
Thanks

We’ve been married for 10 years (me 40F, him 40M) and have 3 little kids. Our relationship has been super rocky the last couple of months.
In March, I believe I had a nervous breakdown. I hated the job I was in and had interviewed for 3 different jobs in 1 day and was offered the one I wanted the most. My employer at the time threatened to “sue the shit” out of me unless I gave a 2 months notice. The new job wouldn’t hold it for me (of course not, who would?!) and I got extremely overwhelmed. I literally freaked out from anxiety and felt like I was dying. It all worked out except I don’t think I’ve recovered much from the anxiety and feel that it’s changed me a lot as I am extremely anxious and sad all the time now.
While all this job stuff was happening, my husband was not feeling (physically) very healthy. He ended up getting a lot of blood work and tests done and incidentally found out that he has some major risk factors for 2 serious health conditions that need to be dealt with. The causes of these major risk factors are likely genetics.
I will admit, I have not been an emotionally strong person the last few years as Covid really took a toll of my mental health and it’s just…really hard being a ‘perfect’ mom, wife, professional, friend, etc all the time. Having little kids is the best but also hardest job on the planet.
My husband and I are falling apart. Terrible fights daily. Everything I say offends him. IMO, he overreacts to literally everything. And everything just gets worse and worse from there. Since he found out about his medical issues (which we are working on with the best specialist in our area) he blames me. He says that he would not have these health problems if I wouldn’t have stressed him out so much that last 12 years. I know I am not the cause of his problems but he truly believes I am. He keeps saying he’s going to die sooner because of me. He will say horrible things like “once you marry someone else…” or “you’ll be happy when I’m gone”. It makes me insane. I lose my effing soul when he says those things. Tonight he told me that he knows he would have been happier with pretty much anyone else as I’ve made his life a living hill due to my emotional outbursts and that he hopes I remember this someday when he’s gone.
How do I not lose my husband both emotionally and physically? I can’t lose him. He is my person a million times over!!! I don’t understand why he hates me so much right now.
TL:DR - I’m super emotional, husband has some major heal to problems and is blaming me for causing the health problems and ‘ruining’ his life

7th: Ami Cusack 1.0 (Vanuatu - 6th)

queen shit
u/SMC0629:
Ami is easily one of the best villains the show has ever seen, and her time on Vanuatu is super important. From the swap to the final 8, she practically controls the entire game, seeming to be unstoppable. Her strategy and charm make her super entertaining to watch, but her downfall is just as good at the hands of Scout and Twila. Easily one of the best characters in Vanuatu, so happy she made endgame.
~
u/DryBonesKing:
I don’t think I can even do a small little short write-up like this on Ami and give her the justice she deserves. She is in contention for being the most complex character of all time, with her balancing out being probably one of the most empathetic people Survivor has ever cast while simultaneously playing one of the most ice-cold games the show has ever seen. Ami’s ability to turn off her heart and completely snow someone in the most ruthless way possible is second to nobody.
There is something truly beautiful watching this force grow and develop into the de facto leader of the Yasur all women’s tribe and become essentially a Queen that ended up taking herself out of the game; her biggest mistake ended up being a brief, fleeting moment of empathy that she had never displayed prior, and it makes all the more impactful to see that of all things lead to her end. Combine that with the grandness of Leann’s blindside the round prior to her own and Scout’s voting confessional for her, and you essentially are left with possibly the most dynamic vote-out in Survivor history, bar none.
My Dad is someone who barely remembers any Survivor seasons after they finish airing, but Vanuatu is one of the few he remembers. And while it probably helps that both my Mom and I are obsessed with the season, it probably also is mainly because of Ami, who just struck a real deep image in him as probably one of the most intimidating villains the show has ever produced. I think that’s probably my biggest takeaway regarding her and why she feels so important to me; if you watched Vanuatu, you should just simply know how amazing she is. God, how in the literal fuck is someone like her not even the best character on her season? Vanuatu truly is one of the most top-heavy, blessed seasons the show has ever produced.
Overall Rank – 10/821
~
u/Zanthosus:
Ah yes, the ice queen and star of Vanuatu. She’s a spectacular addition to an already incredible cast and the season wouldn’t have half the soul and complexity without her.
~
u/Tommyroxs45:
Ami’s the Ice Queen! Her leadership role on Vanuatu is just perfect, and her downfall at the hands of Chris, Twila, Eliza, and Scout is told so eloquently that you don’t hate Ami but you also understand why she’s being voted out. Now is Ami the most entertaining presence? No, but her role and story is just something not replicated by anybody else ever and it just makes it something so special.
~
u/ninjedi1:
What can I say about Ami that isn't going to be said already? As much as I hate the term with how often it's used for almost every survivor woman, Ami really the mother of Yasur, as she cares about all the women on it, showing her more caring side, but she can also show her claws when the men show up, ready to take them out as well. However, it's that personality and clashes with the other women that lead to her downfall, and it's overall a more unique and interesting villain story compared to others.
~
u/Regnisyak1:
Ami Cusack (Vanuatu, 6/18)
One of my favorite pieces of symbolism that occurs in Vanuatu is the motif of Ami stabbing coconuts with a pike. How can a story get any more perfect than that? And just like Bubba, just like Lisa, just like Rory, just like Sarge, just like Chad… each person gets their coconut on the pike. One at a time, one is frozen, iced out, and taken to the curb. The ruthless gameplay of Ami instantly becomes a classic aspect of her character. But, it’s the contexts behind her character that lead her to be such an exquisite character. One is her abundant feminism on the season, and how she advocates so hard for women's power, only to be destroyed by the existing fractures of the Yasur tribe. One is her kind-hearted soul, as we see countless times throughout the season, perfectly contradicting her ruthless nature. One is her brother watching over her, which leads to her vitriolic reaction against Twila swearing on her son’s life. One is her being the first lesbian (tied only with Scout) in the series who makes it to the stage where she can have a loved one run out to see her. The culmination of these character traits leads to a character that quickly becomes a legend, with some of the most intense complexity the show has ever seen, and much-needed representation the show needed.
Ami’s story on Vanuatu is a beautiful crescendo that depicts a rise to power and a fall from grace. Ami was in good on the tribe, had maintained a fantastic position, and was the mafia boss in the game, threatened by anyone who said her name, and eliminated thereby after. But the morality of Ami is what makes her so interesting. Ami is driven and determined, but her heart of gold shines through constantly. Her competitive streak came out on Survivor, but through her relationships, personal contexts, and incredible characterization, we get one of the most interesting villains in the history of the show and someone with a downfall that feels earned. It’s tragic, the way she’s eliminated, but the cockiness and arrogance she gets are incredible.
Undeniably, Ami’s story is wrapped around the concept of gender in Survivor. Her most important confessional explaining this fact is also her first confessional. At the ceremony at the beginning of the season, the women are put aside while the men are celebrated. Ami then states that she is not used to being put behind a man. At this point, the switch in Ami is already turned, and when the tribes are confirmed to be separated, Ami becomes a leading voice for feminism and keeps them together until the end. Adamant to create and maintain the first stable all-girls alliance, Ami’s determination becomes clear.
Even at the beginning, Ami is understood to be the one around camp, celebrating their gender, rather than tearing it down. She’s the leading voice against the men and beating them at the challenges. She is expressive toward Twila’s behavior on camp and becomes defensive when Twila states that she does not respect women who go around camp and just play with their hair all day (ask for your hair to be French braided!). She’s the first person to run up to Dolly when she breaks down. At first, during the pre-swap, Ami’s behavior is streamlined to supporting the women in the tribe, even if the cracks are already formulating quickly in the Yasur tribe, whether it is the division of women from young (+ Lisa) vs. old, or Twila and Mia’s behaviors further separating the two groups.
Preswap Ami shows her morals in the game - she deeply wants an all-women’s alliance to work, and there are clear good motivations for why she wants it to - it has never happened on Survivor from that point, and the culture expressed early by the Vanuatuans in the island made her volcano erupt and her determination set ablaze.
However, Ami’s motivations quickly begin to change, and that’s the moment that she comes into contact with the men. Yasur 2.0 has some new additions to the tribe, seen with Rory and Bubba, and that’s when Ami’s vitriol and desire to keep the women together becomes more harsh and unwelcoming than previously. Let’s start with Bubba and his ousting. Throughout the game, Bubba has been described as someone who is a well-meaning man who is out there for one reason - his family. His character is proven constantly to be a positive attribute of the tribe, and Lopevi 2.0 would have been shocked if it was him over Rory. But the issue is that Bubba gave a signal to Chris, leading to his spiral in the game.
Ami, at this point, is livid, and this is the most aggressive that we’ve seen her in the game. Immediately, the moniker “ice queen” becomes evident because after Bubba does that, there is 0 hope for him to reenter the good graces in Ami’s game. Ami doesn’t even need the extra 8 hours after the challenge to mull over the vote - it’s Bubba, full stop, and she doesn’t really have to do any more convincing. A man was going to go home anyway, so why even bother changing the vote around all day? Bubba’s boot represents the potential threat of the men making their leeway in the game, and the moment that signal goes off is when Ami gets lit up and she begins to play individually, in the best efforts to save the women’s tribe.
Or, so we think. It isn’t until the next episode, that we truly see Ami’s vision of the all-women tribe start to fall apart, with the leading domino - Lisa. I’ve mentioned before in this rankdown that I find Lisa to be an underrated character, just because of how integral she is to demonstrating Ami’s determination and no-nonsense attitude in the game. Lisa at the get-go was determined as untrustworthy because of her swing vote nature between the younger and older women on the tribe, and Ami’s loyalty and trust in her was already teetering on a thin line. It wasn’t until Lisa had a massive slip of the tongue, though, that her game imploded, and Ami again, iced out Lisa.
Lisa, asking Ami where the manioc is, in case something… happens to her, set off alarm bells within Ami, even if it was a clear slip, Freudian or not. With Lisa’s vote, we understand that the women’s alliance, while nice in concept, ultimately does not mean much down the line when Ami is threatened. Ami’s paranoia reaches an all-time high in this episode, and another switch is flipped when we see that she also understands that Survivor is an individualistic game at points, with the collectivist attitude allowing her to get to the end by helping her out when necessary. Lisa’s (and Bubba’s) vote also represents the beginning of the entitled Ami that we see and know throughout the season. She still talks about the women’s alliance with big eyes, but she comes cocky at this point, realizing that she is able to take people so easily out with her alliance and leadership role. The irony of Lisa’s vote, too, is that Lisa was a loyal soldier to Ami, even despite her previous behaviors before. We might never know what happened to the later portion of the game, but I can bet you that Lisa might have been more willing to keep Leann in the game and vote Eliza out. The shortsightedness with Lisa's vote is Ami’s game-losing move because her perception is changed, she loses a number, and the aura of Ami’s determination in the game becomes clear.
However, one character sees right through the bullshit of Ami, and how her ego is taking over her brain. Rory, the gruff crabass on the side who is doing anything to survive the little world of women on his tribe immediately clocks Ami for her behavior, and her brutal honesty about her wanting to keep the women together until the end becomes evident. Rory’s understanding that Ami is leading the vote him because he is a man, pisses Rory off, and he goes ablaze with the camp and Ami. Several slingshots later, Yasur skirts by tribal, but the merge is when the Ami vs. Rory relationship shines. Rory, fearing for his life in the game, is completely iced out by Ami, yet again, because of his gender. She wants to vote out all the men in quick succession and believes that the process should be easy and done.
But over Rory’s dead body will he go out without swinging. As soon as the other men come to the camp, Rory leaks Ami’s sour behavior toward him at the camp, and her complete cockiness and arrogance are evident as the women’s alliance becomes more and more true. Rory running around and throwing out that Ami is a massive threat in the game is important because it puts people on edge, and the other players begin to see what Ami is, even despite the misconstruals - she is a shrewd player who is potentially using the women’s alliance as protection for herself as the game goes on further. Scout, Twila, all the men, and Eliza at some point begin to see through Ami’s behavior in the game and realize that she is the kingpin in the tribe.
However, people continue to fall in line because Ami’s ice froze over the men at that point. Rory becomes the quick sacrificial lamb for their tribe, especially given Twila’s connection to the other men. Lea is a dead man walking following Twila’s fear against him lying to him. Chad… well Chad is a man, so sadly he needs to go. Ami (and Twila) are the leaders against the men, with Ami’s context being that she needs the men out as soon as possible and doing anything in her power to do anything for it.
This is why Ami’s next vote is so peculiar - she doesn’t go for Chris, she goes for Eliza. The moment Ami takes her eyes off the prize, she implodes and her closest ally, Leann, is immediately stabbed in the back by Twila, Scout, Eliza, and Chris. Her deviation seems peculiar when given how she played the game throughout the season - she wants the women to win, yet Eliza becomes so annoying it becomes obvious that Ami is a people pleaser at the end of the day. She wanted to help Twila and Scout by getting out Eliza, and yet they used that against her. Ami was ultimately never an ice queen, but she wanted to do what was best for the others around her, and ultimately her judgment in this moment was a negative.
Leann and Ami have an interesting relationship on the show too. I rewatched Vanuatu for this writeup, and Leann impressed me the most from the season. She has a tenderness quiet about her that I found to be really interesting because it actively went against Ami’s larger-than-life personality of being a freeing person. I loved Ami’s strategy in the season, where she was actively using a personal love language with being a touchy person with others around her, and the juxtaposition of the more reserved Leann leads to a power duo between them where one is based around their quietness and the other is drawing people in through comforting people with physical touch.
Following Leann’s final tribal council, Ami’s shining moment was the following episode where we see the catty side of Ami fly out, as she expertly tries to maintain herself into the game. In this episode, we see Ami’s vulnerability at an all time high. Ami has never been on the bottom of the game at this point, and the position is terrifying for her because she is a control freak, for lack of a better term. We see Ami have a lot of emotions in the episode - anger and bitterness toward Twila and Scout. Love and admiration for Julie and Eliza. Desperation to maintain in the game, and her ambitions at an all time high. The performance in her boot is one of the episode, and the emotional climax of her ousting is devasting in a lot of senses, even when Ami was treated as a villain. It shows the complexities of her character and how, even though we are not rooting for her, she is still a tragic figure.
Three important relationships exist within her boot episode, being Eliza, Scout, and Twila. With Eliza, we see her play her like a fiddle and attempt to get her to switch sides to keep Ami in the game. I love how Ami is brutally honest with Eliza because she was one of the leading voices to keep her in the game after awhile. Eliza is an annoying personality, but they always forged a big sistelittle sister, and I think Ami’s constant working on Eliza at the reward was really important characterization that shows her personal nature in the game. But at the same time, Eliza is aware of her position in the game, and I think while she was portrayed as a swing vote but knew that Ami was the ultimate threat. Eliza talking about how much she loves Ami at the end of the episode however, and their tears at the end was beautiful.
With Scout, we see her nasty side come out, which is especially strange given their initial perceptions of Scout and how she was seen as the wiser woman on the tribe. Ami was a person who perpetuated that belief with Scout, but as the episode went on she began to see through the ultimate bullshitter on the island, Scout. Ami yelling at Scout to put down her blanket was a great scene, but it was really their dualing voting confessionals. Ami basically saying that she was not apart of any rainbow she’s ever seen and Scout referring that Ami was arrogant with lightning striking the highest point was some beautiful characterization between the two.
But the relationship with Twila is the centralizing moment for Ami. Something that I have glossed over during this writeup was the death of her younger brother. That was depicted during the incredible reward with coffee and Rory earlier in the season, but we learn that Ami is guided by her brother in sky, who is looking down on her from above. The characterization of that seems random at first, but we learn how it fits into the story the moment that Twila swore on her son’s life when she offered to stay in the group with Leann and Ami, and then turned around and voted her that not. Ami’s vitriol following that tribal felt earned because she was genuinely hurt by Twila swearing on something so serious. Twila was not proud of what she did, but she had to do it to stay in the game, at least by her ways of thinking. Twila is a great character because she seemingly overthinks aspects of the social strategy in the game, but this time, the consequences were severe.
I loved their fight in the following episode because you can see Ami’s heartbreak. Ami blames Twila for getting pulled into their vacuum of nastiness, but also continually calls her a disgusting human being for swearing on her son and making that mistake. With Ami, it is a personal moment, and Twila’s flippancy with life and death actually has a severe negative consequence with her. It’s a great characterizing scene, one of the best fights of the season, and helps embellish both of them.
Twila and Ami culminate to an incredible jury speech in a sea of fantastic moments from the final tribal council of Vanuatu. With Ami, she needs to know about the lying and why Chris and Twila relied on it so much during their time on the Fire Islands. She wants them to refute the lying, but she also needs to know why she didnt have what it takes to make it to the end. I love what Chris says here, saying that she has too soft of a heart (the ice queen was just the exterior), but it was Twila’s response where Twila was playing the game in anyway possible, and that meant doing anything, even those idea that are considered unsavory. Twila’s answer of “a little colder, a little meaner. I wear my emotions on my sleeve” was an incredible moment for both characters, and I think there was a massive sense of closure between the two characters.
But it’s the fact that Ami respected Twila enough, and her answer, that we get her being the only other vote for Twila at this moment besides Scout. I think there are a lot of reasons for why Ami voted for her. It shows her kindness toward other characters and how ultimately the ice queen exterior can be melted. It demonstrates that she ultimately was pro feminism the entire time, and even with Twila, someone she detested at the end, she still supported that narrative, and her goals were not fake at all. And, at the end of the day, Ami’s narrative still supported that. I love that she ultimately reaffirmed her goals during the season, and it’s yet another layer in her complex character.
Unarguably, Ami has one of the greatest stories in the history of Survivor. There was a conciseness with Ami, where she was not overexposed on the beach, but her downfall felt well-planned, and her relationships were defined inciredibly with a sense of nastiness, love, and anger that blended into a set of emotional and pecuilar relationships. Her emotional, kind attitude created a unique villain that might never be replicated on Survivor again and the complexities of her brother, relationships, ice queen and harsh strategy, created a character that was a rolling amount of fun, intensity, and someone with a downfall that had everyone seated.
My last note on Ami is that she is a great confessionalist and can be quite funny at times. Vanuatu is filled with a lot of fantastic confessionals (and also ones where Chris belittles women again and again, ZING!), but Ami had a few that really stuck out to me. One was the great Michael Jordan one with Bubba, where she mentions that Michael Jordan would never talk to the other team. Another was about Scout in her slash and burn episode, mentioning that Scout put cayenne pepper down her pants and she is ready to DANCE! And lastly, one of my favorite quotes on Vanuatu was when Eliza matched the grapefruits in the memory challenges, and Ami so seductively yells “nice grapefruits!” No random moment makes me laugh harder than that one.
I was a little nervous when I got Ami’s writeup (she was last picked, lol), but I really am glad that I was able to experience Vanuatu again and watch it more from Ami’s perspective. Previously, I did it from other people, like Chris the first time, and Twila the next, but with Ami, we understand her villain arc so well because it is rooted in her real life contexts. Before writing this, she was already top 10, but at this point I am even considering moving her higher. Slay Vanuatu tho!
SMC0629: 8
DryBonesKing: 9
Zanthosus: 4
Tommyroxs45: 10
Regnisyak1: 9
DavidW1208: 19
ninjedi1: 10
Average Placement: 9.857
Total Points: 69
Standard Deviation: 4.525 (8th Lowest)

Bothers me so much, that I want him to either stop being friends with her or I want to break up over it. (They don’t hang out alone, but will occasionally be the only adults supervising their daughters (age 10/11). Her boyfriend is friends with them as well and often present during these playdates. I guess I think he’ll eventually cheat on me with her once she’s single. Background: his ex-wife was very jealous of this woman and had a big fight with him over it. He claims that he’s never taken interest in her but would text her to coordinate playdates and that was enough to set his ex-wife off one time so bad that it played a big factor in their divorce. Idk. He says he’s never hit on her, finds her boring, just thinks she’s physically attractive.

I am so glad there is a sub here where we can exchange techniques and add to our skills and develop more. When I found this sub, it was as if I had finally found a vacation home.
The idea of being a medium is an appealing one in popular culture although the stereotype is misleading. It can be daunting for a child. I struggled with my mediumship for cultural and religious reasons. I had parents at home who listened and who tried to help, but, who really did not get it. They were supportive. I know sometimes I scared them. I had to come to terms with the knowledge I had to hold back some things from people I loved. I took years to fully reveal the scope of my psychic talent. I took years to find a two mentors who helped me immensely. I had to break with concepts and traditions. It did not happen overnight. Life also got in the way. I had to have patience.
So much for sharing.
I have been considering why so many beginner mediums make mistakes with spirit and make mistakes that cause themselves harm, mistakes that can range from encountering spirits that are a shock, to an upsurge in trauma rooted in earlier events in life. This my current side quest.
It seems to be a lack of knowledge and a lack of patience.
There are archetypes in media that add to the misconceptions about mediums.
There are so many people of all ages who want to do this work. It IS work in a service capacity. It is often is mistaken for fun, a way to be famous and as a self-fulfilling. It can be very rewarding. It centers in spirit and in the clients. It really isn't about the medium, but what a medium can do for others.
That when new and intermediate prospective mediums rush the process.
There are innate mediums who have no option but to learn coping mechanisms and discernment for survival. The same goes for intermediate and advanced mediums.
Be patient with the process. Read. Study. Take the time for self health and self care. Speak with colleagues that you can trust or practice solitarily as some of us did. Be patient with yourself and with others. Find mentors who have less interest in making money that in inspiring other psychic individuals. A moral mentor will tell you when you need more time before you practice on your own.
I recommend coping with mediumship and psychic development in increments. Slow down after every major change or revelation.
Rest in between downloads and upgrades. That allows a psychic time to process and to develop a sense of purpose in that mediumship.
BE patient with the process of learning to be a medium. patient with the work and dynamics of how complex it can be. There are no shortcuts. We all make mistakes.
I recommend these steps in your journey. Develop after self reflection and self healing. This takes time. It can take more than a few months or a couple of years. While you begin this healing, you will still have psychic experiences. You don't need to accept all of them It is alright to send souls and spirits elsewhere for awhile. it takes time to develop a tougher exterior so you can handle dissatisfaction in spirit and in clients. If you have the propensity to assist spirits with severe trauma you need to understand that you can say, "No. Not me. Not now. Wait there. Find "this particular medium, or go where a medium agrees to help you."
All of that is alright.
Most of all. I can't stress this enough. It is one thing to do practice for friends and family. It is a good place to begin. Look at validation, though. Accept the creative criticism where you are more comfortable. it is easier to read for people you know and the temptation i great to cold read based on prior knowledge of the volunteers. BE patient. Practice is practice. It isn't mediumship in the early stages, it is development.
Don't assume that creative cold reading of friends, relative or friends of friends is mediumship. Be willing to be patient.
Patience requires honesty. Start doing readings for strangers slowly and be patient. Your readings will vary in accuracy due to so many factors and outside influences. Take your time. You won't be 100% accurate if you are honest with yourself.
You should not read into a state of exhaustion and you should trust your instincts about some people who ask you for readings. You can say, "No."
Have enough patience to not recommend yourself as more experienced than you really are.
Keep in mind. Many of the most well respected mediums, including the celebrity mediums took several years to come forward. One worked in a hospital for years. One was a housewife. One became a psychic detective through a friend telling her to ask about helping solve a cold case. One was a teacher. One practiced in a small town strip mall. One was being visited by a missing child and felt compelled to go to the police after interactions with a deceased victim of a serial killer.
it has been financially lucrative for a very few. Financial gain is not enough of a goal for honest and valid mediumship. In fact a few of the better known celebrity mediums become entranced with their own misconception that they start to believe they are infallible. They become aware of mythology surrounding themselves and, they can 't admit they have made mistakes. We all have bad days and failures in this field.
Even well known mediums have learned to have patience with the process.
They had patience with themselves and had to develop for years before coming forward. It didn't happen all at once.
May you have good journeys and lovely spirit encounters.

The piece is titled "Startup Brings New Hope to the Pursuit of Reviving Frozen Bodies", with the subtitle: "Laura Deming sees potential in a corner of longevity science with decades of failed promises."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-03/cryogenic-freezing-finds-new-hope-from-cradle-healthcare?leadSource=uverify%20wall&embedded-checkout=true
The piece concludes with "The most famous cryonics organization is the nonprofit Alcor Life Extension Foundation, founded in 1972. It has a couple hundred bodies and heads stored in specialized containers in Arizona. The organization, however, has yet to show that it can revive anyone or any brain. “It’s like people have built a rocket, put it on a pad and left it there and said, ‘We did it,’” Deming says. “But the question is, ‘Does it work?’ Just cryopreserving something is not enough.”
Twitter media from Deming emphasizes "reversible" cryo, and involves invocation of images/references of torpor rather than cryonics. This does not appear to be a torpor project though, they don't seem to be intending to keep a heart beating with blood, or metabolism at all, per that Bloomberg piece, they seem to be intending on cryoprotectants and extreme cold.
Discussion:

1. Will the product/technologies (of whole body cryo specifically) not be available until revival is proven (given the emphasis on "reversible cryo"), or, just when there is enough of a hunch that it could be reversed. It's an important question because in the former case the product might not be available for decades, centuries, if ever, whereas the later puts it in a more similar camp to the current cryo situation. Given the VC investment, I imagine at least a few tangible products and timelines are envisioned, so it would be good to know more details.
2. Are they pursuing any problems in cryo that are not yet on roadmaps or in experimentation by 21st century medicine, Advanced Neural Biosciences, Resurgence Biomedical, Biostasis Technologies et. al? Deming talks about how Alcor isn't working on revival, but things that are mentioned in the article, like non-toxic cryoprotectants and different ways to rewarm, these are things the industry at large is either working on or is on the roadmap (with about $10 - $12 million investment per year with major players BRLS/Tomorrow Bio, not to mention upcoming CryoDAO research -- Deming having $48 million after 3 years is positioned similarly to the reset of the industry, effectively doubling the industry effort towards the issues if continuing the same investment pace.

Would be great to hear more about their plans, and hear from industry researchers like Aschwin, Fahy and others as to any finer details or perspectives that us non-specialists may be missing in observing the media on this new venture. Not thrilled about thinking about cryo apart from Cradle as being "unconcerned with reversibility" and having delivered "failed promises". Better cryoprotectants, proof of concept with organs, research with neural tissue, rewarming technologies -- as mentioned, the research component of the industry at large has been concerned with these things, while service providers sell the preservation component. If attracting more funding requires spin or a different set of people, I get that. Finding a way to do the research for-profit is probably the biggest distinguishing factor, give BRLS is a non-profit funder.
What will be the first product, and what do investors think they can make money on? Given the magnitude of the investment raised, those are the biggest questions I have .... In other words, if you were an investor, why would you not put that money somewhere else? It seems like there *has* to be a tangible product and timeline.

This is in the regards of the prop hunt game that was played during the twitch rivals event on 6/4/2024 - just a heads up if people don’t know what’s going on
Okay so from my understanding (which I apologize if it is wrong) Here are all the things that happened that made it unfair

• The rules for the hunters changed after round one (from what I heard it was the kill cool down)
  
• people not getting points for surviving at least the first 5 minutes of round one
  
• hunters having unfair advantage by theoretically being able to get 50 points a round (5 points a kill, 10 minute game with a 50 second cool down in between kills) while max points props could get were 19 a round (5 from each quest completed (3) and 4 for surviving the whole ten minutes)
  
• props wanted to become hunters seeing as they thought it would be easier to get points that way so they were seeking out hunters so that made it easier to get easy points for hunters. I think this happened so much by the time the props would become hunters then all the props left were people who were genuinely hiding. (So doing that might have not been the best strategy)
  

So how do we make it fair?
Realistically it would have to be everyone gets hunter right off the bat at least once. However this wouldn’t be possible with how many people are in this event still. It would drag on with how many rounds there would be. So here is what I purpose :

• props get 5 points for lasting 5 minutes instead of 2 (remember that props have to move every minute so they don’t get the outline where hunters can see them) this makes it more fair for the point difference between the two roles
  
• there should be a point bonus for doing all the quests for props wether this be during one round (don’t know if it is possible to do it all in one round) or it being across all rounds . This would incentivize people to stay props longer to complete this. Would only be able to get it once during the game
  
• hunters should get a cool down if they hit something that isn’t a prop. (Kill cool down) This might already be a thing however from the few povs I have watched I didn’t see this. However a lot of people I watched didn’t hit anything that wasn’t moving
  
• props that turn hunters should only have to wait a minute before turning or should be spawned into a random location rather where the hunters originally come out. Gives them more time to be able to score points. (I think this should maybe be added if they don’t change the amount of points per 5 minutes survived)
  

Once again I think the most fair thing that wouldn’t be able to happen is that everyone being hunter at least once. However with an event this size maybe just saying it being rng is fine as long as being a prop is able to compete points wise
A few details may be wrong. I’m just trying my best to understand
Feel free to add your own thoughts. I’m sure I might have a few tweaked ideas by the morning

Para ponerlos en contexto, me gusta una chica que conozco hace un mes, por cuestiones de proyectos universitarios nos desvelamos juntos como equipo dos veces a la semana, compartimos cerca de 12 horas de seguidas, cenamos juntos, y después coincidimos en todos los cursos, la conozco bastante bien diria yo, y eventualmente me enamoré, somos buenos amigos, pero ella me contó acerca de un chico que le gusta, me cuenta que este le comenzó a escribir de la nada, las conversaciones fueron fluyendo dia a día hasta que se convirtio en su "crush", ella me cuenta maravillas del chico, que por mera casualidad es un amigo mío, y parece que el sentimiento es recíproco, ya que cuando hablan en persona (1 o 2 veces a la semana creo) , porque no coinciden cursos, se notan todos los signos de atracción recíproca, y me siento feliz de verla asi, tanto como ver a mi amigo forjando una relación sana, lo que pasa es que justo el dia que me contó que tenia un crush yo la iba a invitar a salir, eso además de dolerme, me dejó un mal sabor de boca y me impidió seguir con mi plan (ademas de que soy introvertido o tímido), ya me resigné a que no lograre nada por el momento con ella (apenas vamos en el 3er ciclo de 10) al menos quiero decirselo, pero no se si nuestra amistad, tanto la de ella como la de mi amigo se verán afectadas, me di cuenta que la estaba idealizado hasta el punto de menospreciarme, pero aún así una pequeña parte de mi sigue sintiendo cosas por ella, he decido que dejaré de tenerla en un pedestal y enfocarme en mi mismo, ya que me he descuidado bastante últimamente, no he ido al gimnasio, mi apariencia me importa a veces, y sobrepienso mucho todo, por ende quiero mejorar como persona para poder intentar algo luego, y si no se logra, al menos ya superaría todos mis problemas actuales y estaria dispuesto a intentar algo con alguien diferente y no sufrir como ahora, estoy motivado, mis amigos me apoyan, pero el dolor de aceptar la realidad es inevitablemente, otro factor que creo yo es el ser tímido y no haber tenido novia hasta el momento (18), como sea, creo que estoy haciendo bien al darme cuenta de mis problemas y cambiar, que creen ustedes? Lo intento y me arriesgo a un rechazo casi asegurado? La dejo ir y veo dos buenos amigos mios felices juntos, a pesar de que yo quiera algo así?. Estoy progresando como persona, hasta diría en términos vulgares "desahuevando" cosa que me han jugado en contra años pasados, ya que no es la primera vez que me pasa que veo a mi crush queriendo a otro, pero si la primera en la que geniunamente me atrajó tras conocerla profundamente. Los leo :).

New Aura Fury Fear the Night Fossil Edition Server Gregtech Balanced Pack

New Infitech 2u: Fear the Night Fossil Edition server launching June 7th, 2024 at 5 PM Central. Server is whitelisted so join our discord to get whitelisted. 40+ players plan on joining so far making it one of the largest gregtech server in existence! Server is run by the Aura Fury non-profit and a dedicated box, experience the difference
Join our discord here to join the server and say you are here for Fear the Night: discord.gg/aurafury
Pack can be downloaded on the prism launcher or manual install files are avalible in our discord.
Aura Fury is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to bring you a relaxing community you can call home on the internet
-We run with the Aura Fury promise so no worries about world resets or wipes, single worlds run for years
-Visit us at conventions such as Dreamhack Dallas, HGX, Galveston Esports Summit, and more
-Level 3 Boosted Discord for high quality audio/video and direct chat with VS server through discord
-Content creator friendly servers and discord (many youtubers/streamers in the group)
-Worlds completely built in survival and by the players, the players decide how the world looks and run our events
-Dedicated bare metal servers with dedicated internet lines for little lag for everyone around the world even with 30+ players on
-Not a pay to win community, donating to help the community gets you nothing but a thank you
-Community has been around more than 10 years and has grown to 1000+ members
-Main spoken languages are English, French, Russian and German but all languages are allowed
-Players on around the clock
We play multiple games including: Minecraft, Vintage Story, Starbound, Eco, Ark, Among Us, Overwatch, Squad, Medal of Honor Allied Assault, Phasmophobia, Factorio, Cryofall, Rise of Nations, Command and Conquer, Diablo, and Valheim. We add games as the community is interested
Join our discord here to join the server and say you are here for Fear the Night: discord.gg/aurafury

First Previous Wiki
Paizma stood in front of Edu'frec and Gaia. Both of them had grim looks on their faces. She'd been briefed on what they expected of her but worried over exactly what could go wrong. The age of the object was the first problem. The second was that it had some fourth-dimensional properties, like herself.
That meant it could damage her, which she didn't want to deal with. Damage could mean collapse or death, since she might actually be attacked. Paizma pulled in some of the three dimensional matter in the area from an asteroid a few billion miles away.
The extra material fattened her tail, increasing her reserves. The extra weight didn't show in the form she presented before the two, though. Despite that, Edu'frec's brows rose. It seemed he really could monitor her partially in the fourth dimension, which meant he might be accompanying her along the way.
"So is it doable?" Gaia asked again. The young concept entity looked worried. Paizma supposed that made sense since Gaia had named herself after an old word for Earth. And with the planet threatened, they were worried.
Paizma could see it in the subtle shaking of Gaia's hands and the posture they kept, which wasn't as proud as usual. Paizma wondered where Brey was.
"She's making additional preparations for the Psychic Investment Plan," Edu'frec said.
"What?" both of them asked.
"Paizma was wondering where Brey was."
"I don't like my mind being read."
"I can't read your mind, I just predict it," Edu'frec shrugged.
"Are you really going to be like this?" asked Paizma irritably. She inflated her form, increasing its size and height to exceed that of the android. More matter poured in, which Paizma regulated. She missed John already. But keeping two avatars in this way was taxing on her reserves. Plus, he was sleeping.
"Whatever. I am going to take a short look, that is all for now. Do you have your devices ready?" Paizma asked, shimmering with psychic energy. She mustered the force in the third dimension.
"Yes."
She moved it to the fourth. An invisible and massive body surrounding her curled and lashed out, up, and through reality. The vibrations came with a single android in its wake. He made a small mental connection to her, the only way to talk clearly for him in this space.
Paizma took him down to the approximate location of Earth. In the mindscape, it was a nexus of incredible power in two ways. The first was a mere blip, which was the alien facility they were so concerned about. It was sending out a constant pulse of power, as well as a thinner modulated one.
The second nexus of power was the Source. While it didn't really correspond purely to Earth in the third dimension, higher locations were different. With the fourth coordinate point, the Source sat almost directly below the facility. It opened a great eye.
Psychic power smashed into Paizma, then pulled back. The massive weight of the Source pressed her down and out, without moving at all. The psychic energy swirling around it was so immense she could barely survive it. All from its eye opening to look at her. The power of its gaze would have cooked her flesh, if that was possible in this dimension. Instead, the atoms shifted and moved, growing and shrinking in the fourth dimensional equivalent of temperature changes.
And then the eye closed. The nexus of power that was the Source buried itself deeper and lower, where she could still see it. But the swirling array of psychic energy was mostly drawn downward and inward, along with glimmers of darker things Paizma knew better than to pursue. She checked that Edu'frec had survived.
So far, he had. Paizma disgorged him from her mouth, so they could look at the object in Earth. Paizma shared what she was with him. The image was massive, bloating their connection to a large degree. She could see thousands of processors work on deciphering her sight, and then the connection narrowed again.
Now he understood.
"I won't be able to see anything myself," Edu'frec admitted. "You'll have to share your sight."
"How does it feel?"
"Immense. This would definitely break a weaker and smaller mind than mine. Do you filter it, or is this the natural vision?"
"I can expand it, if you can handle it."
"I certainly can. I'd like to see all I can. Can you show me the view you have of the facility from 'above' please?"
"Yes," Paizma said. She moved him closer and around the top. The facility's walls partially stretched to block her sight, but not entirely. She drifted closer, moving in and around. Slices of Earth's crust and mantle popped up in her vision, along with an increasing whole of the facility. With her higher dimensionality, she didn't just see the inside of the facility. She saw all of it, light or not, exposed or not. She saw everything inside the walls, everything on and around the walls, and every single atom within.
Her connection with Edu'frec swelled to fifty million times its normal size. Programs filed away the data neatly into an almost infinite quantum memory. They noted a small siphon of psychic energy from the facility, which seemingly connected downward somewhere.
Paizma followed it, searching and sniffing out everything she could. Something attacked her, throwing Edu'frec out and away. The connection between them snapped.
She moved back, feeling something dig into her side. She let off a flash of psychic energy, and a thousand more of them appeared. She recognized them, too. Reavers.
She lifted herself back to the third dimension, becoming too small for them to detect properly. Her real body appeared above Earth, thrashing for a moment before she steadied herself. She shrunk back down to her normal size and met up with Edu'frec and Gaia again. The android she'd left was rubbing its head.
"What happened?" Gaia asked.
"This was a military research facility for the Sprilnav faction you seem to be from. I think they might still exist, or their guardians do."
"What would that mean?"
"An extreme danger to all of you, if you poke the facility. But the same if you leave it be, now that it is active."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The Council Director weathered the silence in the virtual meeting, which Phoebe had called upon reestablishing contact with Penny. Penny was wearing battle armor and had a distinctly cold aura about her. Juan had felt a shiver when first witnessing her, and the hivemind, through him, analyzed her appearance.
She looked incredibly angry. Clearly, something had eaten away at her, and she'd gained even more psychic energy in the process. Her skin glimmered with it.
"I'm sorry," Blistanna said, looking at the hologram Phoebe was projecting of Penny. "Can you repeat that? I mean, it almost sounds like you started a war against the Sprilnav in the middle of a Judgment by the same species that determines whether we all live or die. Surely I misheard."
Beside her, a Skira drone turned to gaze at the Guulin with an inscrutable expression. Penny took the question in stride, her firm demeanor not lessening like it usually would when confronted by her allies.
Something's definitely changed, Juan thought.
"You did not," Penny said. "The gangs enslaves billions of innocents, and they killed my friend. So they will be wiped from the planet."
"Perhaps you aren't getting with the program," Izkrala added. The matronly Acuarfar stood in her seat, her wings flapping involuntarily. The Empress was incredibly upset, but keeping it contained. But even she couldn't keep the slightest of a buzz out of her voice. "We actually need to win this Judgment, Penny Balica."
"Elder culture works differently," Penny said. "By declaring an official war, I will be capable of garnering more respect among their people and their elite class. I will show that I can and do act within their rules, artificial or stupid they may seem to all of us. I understand I've been playing it fast and loose beyond the Alliance, but I am not your slave. None of you have any true right to order me around. I am taking steps to help the Alliance in my own way, and that may be counter to your opinions."
"Well then," Dilandekar said. "Her ideas are set. It appears ours are as well. The recourse in this situation is clear. Penny currently has an Alliance citizenship, and is still subject to our laws. While no law exists to incarcerate her, and she hasn't done anything truly worthy of that, there is still the possibility of treason charges. Or, perhaps, stripping her of Alliance citizenship."
"That is a poor idea," Juan said. "I will not stand by and allow that. She is a member of Humanity and a citizen of Luna. Before the Alliance, and after the Alliance, if there is such a thing. While your outrage is shared by me, you must recognize the situation. Penny is what links us to Kashaunta in truth. She is also the one actually going to the Judgment. Given the lawyers and legal analysts that Kashaunta has access to, do you really presume this would harm her so massively in the Judgment? We could call down Kashaunta herself to have this discussion, though I am loath to breach the security status of these meetings to do so. But the presumption that she has no plan is one that I find objectionable."
"Of course you would defend this," President Iontona said. "She is your kind."
"Yes, I would, not only because of that, but because she actually is doing exactly what we want. Getting rid of slavery is a good thing. She has an Elder in her head, too. Do you really think she's entirely out of control, merely because she doesn't wish to be controlled right now by us? To the Sprilnav, she is the weapon, not us. All we can do is look divided and weak to make them want to overlook us. And who knows. If you don't like the way we do things, you can continue your internal discussions on whether this is worth it for you."
Juan stared at the wanderer, his unhappiness clear.
"What are you referring to?" Blistanna asked.
"They plan to cut and run," Izkrala said. "If it looks like we'll lose the Judgment. That's what he's upset about. Granted, I was pissed when I heard of it, because of all the trouble we've gone through to try and help you."
"What trouble have you gone through, Izkrala? You sit on your ass and eat all day. All of us wanderers are looking at death because of your human, even more so than the painful cancer the Sprilnav already cursed us with. She's the one who garnered the anger of Yasihaut. You want to know why we want to run? It's because of their sadism. What's to say that they don't put a cancer gene in all of you, or make ours even more excruciating? I have stood at the side of thousands of hospital beds, watching my people wither away. Each ship is looking at resorting to different things. But for you to sit here and pretend you know the fear we're facing is the height of arrogance, disrespect, and rudeness. I will not stand for this. The Sprilnav are going to roll over us if they choose. Penny is nothing to them, and we are nothing to them. They don't care. They're all evil alien animals, which would gladly feast on all our bones if they happened to taste good. This ludicrous idea of provoking them that the Council Director appears to support is exactly why these conversations are happening in the Wanderer Confederacy."
"Look, I know you all want to argue," Penny said. "But really, we should try to be united on this."
"Oh? How will you help with that, then? Perhaps by abandoning another agreement to help us with our cancer? Maybe making more of them, even? I'm sure you can tell us all what unity looks like. Go ahead. Look me in the eyes, and tell me I'm wrong for wanting what's best for my people."
Penny strode over to him. "You don't know what's best for your people."
"See? She-"
"You presume that because you are the President, that you somehow are more capable of understanding the needs of your species. You are a politician more than a person. Everyone here is. Do not forget what the Sprilnav have done to you, but remember that things are different now. We do have the backing of Kashaunta. That is a boon that few nations have possessed in the past. I have power that they respect, so they respect me in turn, or respect my power. Why complain that I am not here to complete my end of the deal when I am actually fighting for the Alliance? The ideas of freedom and liberty are not things to be tossed aside when convenient. I am not trying to insult you. I am trying to understand why you are so upset with me, when this is according to the plan of a Sprilnav elite of the highest order. Kashaunta needs me for my power, so she would tell me which actions are the most beneficial to my position. The same would apply to your position, which is linked to my identity among the Sprilnav. The Progenitors are a non-issue now."
"Considering that they are the gods of all civilization, they are hardly a non-issue."
Penny smiled. "I beat the absolute tar out of Twilight a while back. So yes, they are a non-issue."
"I think it is time to continue the heart of the discussion," Fyuuleen said. "Penny, you need to actually consult us on these things before you do them. While we can't tell you off like a mother Vuureensleev, we still are the rulers of the Alliance. If you don't respect us, who can you respect?"
"The people who put their money where their mouth is. You're not here, dealing with a dead friend. You're there, dealing with passing laws, catching spies, and signing bills. While yes, that job is important, it isn't nearly as stressful as being surrounded by aliens, and only knowing few of them. I can't make friends here without them being killed. There's a war across the planet right now, and I've freed tens of millions of slaves. The Judgment is in one day, and I've been preparing for that, too. I can't really say that I haven't been doing anything right."
"I understand, Conclave Leader. Recent days have been... difficult for me. Perhaps as a war veteran, you can understand my mindset right now. I know that you all expect to serve as some sort of oversight on me. I am willing to accept that, but your advice needs to be useful. Insulting me over avenging my friend is not the path to reconciliation. Nilnacrawla is telling me to keep your interests in my mind, and I am. But I will listen, not bow. I am not a soldier. I am not a general, or a commander. I am not part of any chain of command. I will ask Elder Kashaunta to establish better contact with you all, and will have Phoebe relay reports of what is going on. I do not plan to begin any major offensives before the Judgment."
"You do not think capturing a city is a major offensive?" Izkrala asked.
"Not compared to capturing hundreds of them," Penny said. "I am the Liberator. That means that I am fighting for everyone."
"But fighting for the Sprilnav is a waste of your time, effort, and talent," Iontona said.
"They are people too," Penny said. "This mentality of us and them is what has destroyed every nation of our kind before us. We need to accept that we need Sprilnav allies to win this war. To turn their strength against them, I must help them too. Kashaunta is a brutal despot, but she is fair in her rule, as much as many of you. She has fought wars of grander scale, which necessitates larger death tolls."
"You are not here to play defense for Kashaunta. You are here because you are threatening our future with your antics."
"I know," Penny said. "But my actions will have a positive impact, not a negative one. We have a plan in place to exploit the traps Yasihaut will seek to set. We have lawyers capable of defending us. I know you do not trust me, not truly. But that is acceptable. I will not let us lose this Judgment."
"And if you do?"
"There are plans in place for that, as well. The nuclear option is not something I will talk about now, and will only discuss if things get far worse."
"Very well, Penny," Fyuuleen said. "Do what you must."
"If you don't, billions of people will die," Iontona added.
Penny nodded again. "That weighs on me every day."
She left the meeting. The rest of them followed. Juan led Blistanna aside before she exited.
"What is it? I have things to do."
"Yes, we all do. But I wish to know what suggestions you have. I can tell that you are upset, and I believe it would be better for me to present your ideas to her."
"It is not anger at her, not really. I am upset that we have to forgo freeing slaves because of the Judgment. I am angry that it might endanger our own freedom and continued survival, because of this situation that has been concocted. Most of all, I am angry because they can just do this again and again. Nothing stops them. The Sprilnav have us at our throats, without having to lift a claw. All with one court case. They can just arbitrarily decide to kill us, and there's nothing we can do."
Blistanna's tentacles shook with anger. Her skin was paled in distress, and she stared at the place Penny had left. "Truth be told, maybe she's doing it right. But the politics of all of this is just nasty. Iontona's a coward, Dilandekar's cold, and Izkrala is too angry over the principle instead of the situation. We can't have more of these sorts of National Exchanges, Juan. If we do, we'll either drive Penny away entirely or rip ourselves apart. Maybe that's what the Sprilnav want. The more we bicker and argue, the worse it all gets. This is exactly how nations crumble."
"So we need to do something about it, then," Juan said.
"What grand idea do you have for this one? I hope it's not bringing Earth into this. They'll really tear it apart."
"No. We need an outward facing front. So what we need to do is push the youth against the leaders that are problematic, or the ideas that are. We showcase this division on the national stage, plug it with Phoebe's propaganda, and those in power will be forced to look like they're working together. The resentment won't last. We can get Kashaunta on board, if possible."
"Bad idea. She only speaks to her own interests."
"Not entirely," Juan said. "Tell me, what do you know about Sprilnav Soul Blades?"
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Penny watched the massive doors of the Fort Court swing open. Hundreds of thousands of guns, lasers, and missiles fixed upon her as she gently walked forward. The facility was mostly bare bones, with high amounts of alloy and stone visible in the upper layers. But at the lower levels, there was a large amount of holograms showing various symbols and golden overlays. It reminded her of the patterns on lace.
The Court was twenty miles tall, larger than a mountain. Even the doors went up for nearly two miles. They swung using unknown means, letting a second layer of sunlight fall upon the hardened floor.
Behind Penny was her own entourage. The Refined Elders, Pundacrawla, Phoebe, Kashaunta, and a few of her retainers were followed by guards, a thick shield, and several Correctors. But not just them. In a gradually widening triangle, tens of thousands of freed slaves also followed.
Penny had explained what she planned to Kashaunta to get this to happen, and the Elder enthusiastically accepted. While they would not be let within a certain radius of the Court, and their camps were widely spaced to prevent hiding anything of interest to the security, it would help to show the support Penny had of the people.
They were already tailgating. Music played from alien boom boxes and even a band Kashaunta had hired. Guides and security drones watched from afar but had already ensured the security threat would be minimal.
There were shields in place to prevent anything serious. In the distance, smoke from the dormant volcano the Court was built atop rolled out of specialized vents. The Sprilnav apparently could control when volcanoes erupted, which wasn't surprising to Penny once she'd learned of it. The Court was gigantic, and there would need to be a lot of stability for it to exist for as long as it had.
Inside, the chamber was circular. The Court was shaped like the Coliseum, complete with some pillar designs that held up the area where the High Judges were sitting. The twenty seats had been prepared ahead of time, and featured holograms below them on the sheer wall that supported them above the columns. The holograms read out various names in both Justicar Standard Script and in English.
Penny could see the High Judges themselves, but her gaze went to the 'empty' stands. The only people inside were either Guides, Correctors, or holograms of spectators. The holograms had a distinct unrealistic orange glow, probably some security apparatus.
Two house-sized tents were in the center, separated by a black and purple painted line. Above the line was a triple layer of shields: one yellow, one purple, and another yellow. The purple shield was so strong that Penny couldn't sense anything on the other side. It also surrounded her half of the Court in a bubble that met the ground in the same painted lines, suggesting that the shield went underground. The mindscape dropped away as soon as Penny crossed the threshold behind the massive doors.
The Court quieted. Millions of eyes, real or not, were all fixed upon Penny's waist. When Penny had passed the purple barrier, the Soul Blade had appeared on her hip. Penny didn't react, continuing to move forward to reach the Defendant's Booth. She could faintly see the Challenger's Booth on the other side through the shield.
Yasihaut had entered the Court first, as was tradition. Clearly, Justicar had decided to limit the contact between them. A sound decision. Penny didn't want to have to see her anymore.
The thick shields became more transparent, revealing Yasihaut's delegation. Elders and various Sprilnav, all wearing conceptual power blocking armor, stood in front of the Challenger's booth. The eerie silence soon ended when an Elder stood. Justicar wore an incredibly elaborate armor set, with designs that looked a lot like lace.
"In the name of Justicar, this Court is brought to order. I am High Judge Justicar. I am one of the 20 presiding High Judges over this case, appointed in this role by my birthright. This is the 4th day of the 18th year of the 803rd Age of Justicar. Let the record reflect that this trial's start time is exactly midday."
Justicar's imperious expression passed over them.
"Now, with that out of the way, I shall introduce the Challenger and Defendant, along with their submitted arguments for this Judgment. In summary, Challenger Elder Yasihaut, 1st Named in the Everlasting, has opened this Judgment claiming that the Defendant and her home nation, the Sol Alliance, should be classified as Class 9 Hostile Alien Threat and Class 7 Hostile Alien Threats, respectively.
The justification she provides for this is that the Sol Alliance hosts two psychic-variant AIs, has shown a willingness and future interest in attacking the Sprilnav people, and the capacity to carry out a destructive attack against Sprilnav civilians. Additionally, she claims that the influence of the Defendant has grown to a state unmanageable by any other party, including both the Elders and the Progenitors due to the backing of Elder Kashaunta. She claims the Defendant is capable of mass-casualty terrorist attacks and has shown continued interest in killing Sprilnav, with no regard for civilian lives lost in the process.
She claims the Defendant's conceptual and psychic power represents an active and severe danger to her life and those of her friends and family, the Defendant is disrupting the current order, and is conspiring with Elder Kashaunta to assassinate her enemies by illegal means. The sentence the Challenger requests as a result of this Judgment is the execution of every current member of the Sol Alliance, as well as the execution of the Defendant immediately upon the conclusion of the case by Conceptual Suffering doses. She cites Judgment 1826 of the 9th day of the 7th year of the 803rd Age, Judgment 662 of the 336th day of the 93rd year..."
As Justicar continued talking, Penny looked at Yasihaut, who smiled smugly back.
The death penalty, Penny thought. How fitting, considering what I will do to her.
"...the 28300th year of the 730th Age. It is important to note that this Trial by Majority will not only determine the guilt or innocence of the Defendant but also the means of the sentence within the realms of law according to the severity of the possible sentence found. It is also important to note that this Judgment will be the final matter between Elder Yasihaut and Penny Balica that will be approved for 30 years. An appeal of this decision will not be allowed, as this trial is of the highest jurisdiction possible, and I am already a High Judge involved in its arbitration. No lower courts or extraplanetary courts may argue this issue again for the same 30 year period, or sanctions will be placed on the offending party with extreme prejudice."
"The Defendant is Penny Balica, a human from the Sol Alliance with the title of Liberator, Champion of Humanity, and... holder of a Pact of Blades with Elder Kashaunta, 1st Named in the Everlasting."
He allowed for the proper amount of time for people to absorb the sentence.
"The Defendant has opened a counter case, suggesting that the Challenger is misrepresenting the Sol Alliance and herself as a threat to the Sprilnav, citing her cooperation with Elder Kashaunta, the Alliance's cooperation with the Van family, and her record of following and upholding treaties with Elders. Furthermore, she has opened a counter case, suggesting that the public statements the Challenger has published fall against the Justicar Defamation Law, notably Sections 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 20, 46, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 154, 155, 162, 177, 192, 201, and sixty-seven others, and is requesting 2 billion credits and a 30 year censure on public statements from the Challenger and affiliated parties on the Defendant."
"Now that the stakes of this Judgement are laid out, I will instruct the parties in this case on decorum, as neither of them are Justicar natives. The Court expects that the Defendant and the Challenger will hold to the rules of decorum, as will their company. The Court also wishes to avoid unfortunate incidents, so it has hired Progenitors Filnatra and Arneladia to uphold the security of the Court."
"It is also important to note that this Court is backed by the full might of the Elders of Justicar, the Status Quo Party, the Sprilnav Freedom Party, the Justice and Security Party, Elder Lilliana, Elder Napei, Elder Mashae, Elder Aryacrawla, Elder Nulyihaut, Elder Poleia, Elder Crissi, Elder Olei'paushe'ani, Elder Taubelibelibax, Elder Somalia, Elder Aneyti, Elder Wuseniau'palacrawla se Hautni'pelshinomalia, Elder Commu nar Galvi, Elder Commu nar Jelpha, Elder Radia, Elder Hwe'iaspehaut, Elder Maggracrawla, Elder Tishaunt'pali, Elder Kashaunta, and the Progenitors. Its legitimacy is their legitimacy."
Some of those names were downright hilarious. Penny kept her face straight. Justicar said basically the exact same thing Tassidonia had said weeks back.
"I shall instruct the parties of the rules of decorum. High Judges within this room are to be referred to either as 'High Judge' or 'Elder.' No other names or titles apply, with the exception of Progenitor Indrafabar, who is allowed his aforementioned title. No parties may threaten or influence the Challenger or the Defendant and their retinues. Camera drones and other news equipment are to be kept outside the main court chamber the allotted section at all times, unless the express verbal permission of at least 6 High Judges is given to allow a specific instance.
The Challenger and Defendant are to remain on their given sides of the shield, though they may be required to exit their booths upon request. They are not to engage in any actions construed as attacks upon their counterparts under any circumstances. Challenger Yasihaut and Defendant Balica may request breaks to consume food or water within reason.
The booths are equipped with bathrooms compatible with human and Sprilnav physiology, and the Challenger and Defendant are both allowed to declare their retirement to a bathroom and enter it for a period of 1000 pulses, or 1020 human seconds, which is also 17 minutes. Challenger Yasihaut and Defendant Balica are allowed to use Justicar-provided lawyers or may utilize those they have brought here today to assist with their arguments.
These conditions will not be changed by petition from either claimant but only upon the agreement of 16 High Judges and the condition of necessity to the point of impeding the progression of the Judgment.
Devices are to remain within booths unless they are direct admissible evidence in the case. Furthermore, they are to be silenced to prevent any interruptions. Documents to be displayed will be given to the Guides or Correctors standing by both booths. These documents will be shown to the entire Court with translations in both Justicar Standard Script and Post Modern North American English."
Justicar stepped back and moved to his seat. Progenitor Indrafabar stood and moved to the podium.
"Do either of you request additional clarifications on the rules of the Court? If so, indicate it verbally."
His voice was almost hypnotic. Penny resisted the effect. "I wish to know the punishments for violating these terms so both of us have an impetus not to."
Microphones carried her voice to the ears of everyone inside the Court, as if she was right next to their ears, with remarkable quality for such a massive room. Penny wondered if shields were aiding in the sonic feedback.
"This would have been stated in the next section of this proceeding, but I shall say it now for the Court. The punishments will vary based on the severity of the infraction. For this case, under the authority of Justicar, we have decided to fully reinstate Section 4 of the Justicar Common Case Conduct Law. It states the following:
'When any contempt is committed in the immediate view and presence of the Court, the Court may punish it summarily by fine, or imprisonment, or both. If any contempt occurs outside the immediate view and presence of the Court, the Court may levy the same punishments as before after an opportunity for defense has been given. Punishment for Contempt of a Judge, High Judge, or their Court will result in a 1% fine of the violating party's assets, 10-day imprisonment, a rescheduling of the hearing, a published apology to the aggrieved party, an update of their legal record to reflect the fact, and 4 days of community service. If the alleged misconduct has caused an actual loss or injury to any person, the Court shall order the offending party to pay the aggrieved party a sufficient sum to indemnify them, in addition to the other penalties that may be imposed. The payment and acceptance of this sum is an absolute bar to any action by the aggrieved party to recover damages for the loss or injury.'
The full law section is provided below. If either party wishes to read the law, time shall be allotted within reason. Express the decision verbally. When you are finished, you may give the tablet back to your assigned Guide."
"I wish to read the law," Penny said.
"I wish to view the law," Yasihaut said.
Guides carried a tablet to both of them. The display was purplish, and it had a hologram feature available upon selection. Penny took hers, reading the top, and then the next lines one by one. An information note at the top said 'Translation Available,' so she picked it. The English became Justicar Standard Script. The word count changed from 19,283 to 8,740. Justicar Standard Script had been built from the bottom up, so it could express broader concepts in fewer words.
Though her psychic energy enabled her to read incredibly fast, Penny took the time to understand everything that was said. Pundacrawla's tablet beside her showed the same law, though it looked like he'd finished it using his implant. Penny reached the bottom of the list in 10 minutes and handed the tablet back to the Guide.
Five minutes later, Yasihaut finished also.
"Do either of you have additional requests of the Court? If so, express them verbally."
Penny didn't. The more questions she asked, the longer this would take and the less favorable it would look. In a case like this, perception was everything. She didn't even pretend it had to do with fairness under the law.
"Now. The High Judges came to an agreement for this trial. Exactly 197 full laws will be relevant to this trial. We will peruse each relevant section, and each party will confirm their understanding until they move on to the next one. While this level of guidance is not normally necessary, interested parties want to ensure that no breaches occur during this trial."
Indrafabar gave them both a pointed look.
"The reason we are doing this here despite these sections being included in the necessary reading for the trial is for the interest of transparency."
Really, it was Justicar establishing his dominance over them. By making them sit for hours and read in front of millions of people, he was attempting to show that he was above them. Or to convey another message to his backers.
She also suspected Yasihaut's side had influenced this, trying to make Penny look worse by taking longer. It would set her up as the 'slow barbarian alien' in the High Judges' brains, which would unconsciously prejudice them against her a little more.
Unfortunately for them, Nilnacrawla was carrying the definitions for every single unfamiliar legal word in his memories. If each of the laws took her ten minutes, it would require almost 34 hours of reading to finish them all. Whoever took even a few seconds longer would lose respect in the Court, adding more time to the length of the Judgment.
Penny would win even this tiny, petty battle and set the tone for the rest of the Judgment.