#83 in total the same as last year

[gatheringbones]

best books of 2022 rec list:

fiction:

chouette by claire oshetsky

forty thousand in gehenna by cj cherryh

fierce femmes and notorious liars by kai cheng thom

sula by toni morrison

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily r. austin

jane eyre by charlotte bronte

villette by charlotte bronte

non-fiction:

gay spirit by mark thompson

we too: stories on sex work and survival by natalie west

transgender history by susan stryker

blood marriage wine & glitter by s bear bergman

love and rage: the path to liberation through anger by lama rod owens

gay soul by mark thompson

between certain death and a possible future: queer writing on growing up in the AIDS crisis by mattilda bernstein sycamore

the man they wanted me to be: toxic masculinity and a crisis of our own making by jared yates sexton

nobody passes: rejecting the rules of gender and conformity by mattilda bernstein sycamore

cruising: an intimate history of a radical pastime by alex espinoza

gay body by mark thompson

what my bones know: a memoir of healing from complex trauma by stephanie foo

the child catchers: rescue, trafficking, and the new gospel of adoption by kathryn joyce

the opium wars: the addiction of one empire and the corruption of another by w. travis hanes III

a queer history of the united states by michael bronski

the trouble with white women by kyla schuller

what we don't talk about when we talk about fat by aubrey gordon

the feminist porn book by tristan taormino

administrations of lunacy: a story of racism and psychiatry at the midgeville asylum by mab segrest

the women's house of detention by hugh ryan

angela davis: an autobiography by angela davis

ten steps to nanette by hannah gadsby

neuroqueer heresies by nick walker

the remedy: queer and trans voices on health and healthcare by zena sharman

brilliant imperfection by eli clare

the dawn of everything: a new history of humanity by david graeber and david wengrow

tomorrow sex will be good again by katherine angel

all our trials: prisons, policing, and the feminist fight to end violence by emily l. thuma

if this is a man by primo levi

bi any other name: bisexual people speak out by lorraine hutchins

white rage: the unspoken truth of our racial divide by carol anderson

public sex: the culture of radical sex by pat califa

I'm glad my mom died by jenette mccurdy

care of: letters, connections and cures by ivan coyote

the gentrification of the mind: witness to a lost imagination by sarah schulman

skid road: on the frontier of health and homelessness in an american city, by josephine ensign

the origins of totalitarianism by hannah arendt

nice racism: how progressive white people perpetuate racial harm by robin diangelo

corrections in ink by keri blakinger

sexed up: how society sexualizes us and how we can fight back by julia serano

smash the church, smash the state! the early years of gay liberation by tommi avicolli mecca

no more police: a case for abolition by mariame kaba

until we reckon: violence, mass incarceration, and a road to repair by danielle sered

the care we dream of: liberatory & transformative justice approaches to LGBTQ+ health by zena sharman

reclaiming two-spirits: sexuality, spiritual renewal and sovereignty in native america by gregory d. smithers

the sentences that create us: crafting a writer's life in prison by Caits Messner

#book recs tag #83 in total the same as last year

[ohsalome]

Again and again and again I see (mostly) westerners accusing Ukraine of "opressing russian-speaking minority" by our language law (without reading the language law itself, obviously). It really looks like people have some kind of pavlovian reflex to the word "minority", immediately jumping to the assumption that minority = opressed by the majority. But a minority by numbers does not automatically mean minority by power. Billionaires, too, make up a minority of population, does that mean that they are opressed by the majority class? Are gaelige speakers in Ireland priveleged in comparison to the English? Are Elon Musk's white emerald mine owning family opressed by the majority black African population?

For the 1000th time, the relationship between Ukraine and russia is that between colonised and coloniser. It is russian identity, russian language, russian culture, russian world that has been privileged on the territory of ukraine for at least last 400 years. It is ukrainian language, ukrainian culture, ukrainian identity that people have been repressed and killed for.

russian propaganda takes this assumption westerners have about how the world fuctions (minority=oppressed) and uses it to twist the reality. To make you believe that Ukrainians somehow "deserve" to be genocided. To make you believe that it's the best course of action for the West to abandon Ukraine to be raped and plundered by russia. But we can call it "peace", because russians won't allow western journalists to report on it, and we all know that if the west doesn't talk about something, it means it doesn't exist :))))

Here are statistics about the "opression of russian language" from 2012 - during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovich, russian puppet and a literal mafioso [source]:

More than 60% of the total circulation of newspapers, 83% of magazines, and about 87% of books (most of which are imported from Russia) are published in Russian in Ukraine.

In October 2012, only 28% of the prime time on the top 8 TV channels was devoted to Ukrainian-language programs, 44% to Russian-language programs and 28% to bilingual programs.

On the 6 top-rated radio stations, songs in Ukrainian account for only 3.4% of the total number of songs in prime time (last year - 4.6%). At the same time, songs in Russian account for 60% of the total number of songs.

Out of 290 restaurants in 29 cities, only 50% of them have signs in Ukrainian, 46% have menus in Ukrainian, and only 36% have employees who answer Ukrainian to Ukrainian-speaking customers (in another 11%, employees switched to Ukrainian during the conversation).

The "oppression of russian speakers in Ukraine" is nothing but the tyranny of russian chauvinism and imperialism losing its footing. Y'all had no trouble understanding how white ethnonationalists complaining about "the great replacement" is nothing but fear of losing the privilege. Y'all had no trouble understanding that "white cis male is the most opressed person" is a moral panic not grounded in the real power structure of the western society. But in this question, you've decided to ally with the opressor.

#ukraine #russia #war in ukraine #russophobia #isn't real #russian culture #language #russian imperialism #cultural genocide #language politics

[super-cosmic-library]

Okay, I started this a while back after watching a tiktok by @peter-pantomime on the same subject and have finally gotten around to finish it. Anyways 

                        _______________________________________

Steve has a tell for when he’s about to do something utterly stupid and heartbreakingly selfish. Eddie was surprised that no one else had picked up on it yet. Apparently they’d been fighting literal demons together since ‘83, right? How hasn’t anyone else realized it?

Of course, Eddie couldn’t keep his eyes off of the former Hawkins High royal. Sue him. If he was going to be torn limb from limb by sleep-paralysis Venus flytrap-looking motherfuckers, he was at least going to drink in the face of a god before descending to hell. Again.

He’d first seen Steve’s tell in the boat on Lover’s Lake, right before Steve had plunged into its murky depths. Eddie and the girls had been wrapped up in a discussion of their next moves while Steve had stayed silent. His eyes, dark pools of amber and more world wary than any nineteen-year-old’s eyes ought to have been, flitted off into space before coming back into focus. It was a split-second moment, but Eddie had caught it. Of course he had. Despite all of the horror he had been exposed to in the past forty-eight hours, he was surprised that he was able to look at anything but Steve when he was around. He was utterly hopeless when it came to Harrington.

Suddenly, Steve was standing in the boat, challenging it to capsize them. Then, he was tugging off his shirt (and making Eddie’s brain short circuit) and shoes and jumping into the icy waters below.

It was stupid and selfless and he had found the gate.

At the time, Eddie didn’t realize that that moment he had witnessed would be a recurring theme for Steve. But then it happened again.

Steve had changed the plans at the last minute. It was stupid, but, really, even with Buckley’s two left feet, did they really need to have three people throw Molotovs at an unconscious Vecna? Besides, Nancy Wheeler had her sawed off. Robin and little miss perfect Nancy Wheeler, who Eddie was quickly learning was a total badass, could handle it. So, Steve stayed back with him and Henderson to distract the bats.

And distract them they did. As long as he lives, Eddie knows he will never be able to top the concert he played in hell.

But then the bats came through the vents.

Eddie was about to scramble up the rope after Henderson when he saw it. Steve’s eyes were focused on something that wasn’t there, then they were back on Eddie. Then Steve was picking up their fallen weapons and bolting out the door, screaming at the top of his lungs.

The bastard was trying to lure the bats away from Eddie and the gate. He was going to get him and his perfect ass killed. Of course Eddie was going to follow him. 

Eddie doesn’t run toward danger. The sting of the wounds those bats had ripped in him reinforced that idea. But, he realized, as he lay on the ground, bleeding out and surrounded by hundreds of demobat corpses, he would run toward Steve.

Thankfully, the two of them had managed to hold off the demobats long enough for the girls to finish out the mission. They weren’t too too damaged when the demobats fell unconscious from the sky and the girls made their way back to the trailer park. Eddie shudders to think of their fate had they been completely immobile. Wheeler, Buckley, and Henderson may be tougher than they looked, but they wouldn’t have been able to drag his and Harrington’s sorry asses back topside.

After a week bound to a hospital bed in a room he shared with the object of many a wet dream, the two were discharged. Free to roam what was left of Hawkins. They ended up still spending most of their time at the hospital, though. Waiting with bated breath as Red’s injuries healed.

That’s where Eddie saw Steve’s tell a third time.

Jason Carver had, much to Eddie’s disappointment, had survived Vecna tearing the town apart with only a few bumps and bruises from his fight with Lucas. Lucas said that if Jason had been just a foot or two to the right when it happened, he would have been vaporized by Vecna’s death beams, or whatever. Really, that was more disappointing than the prospect of the semester being extended into the summer months as the town tried to clean things up.

Carver had caught whiff that Eddie and his gaggle of nerds were making frequent trips to the hospital. That deranged brain of his wouldn’t let him rest until he ended Eddie, it seemed.

Carver had appeared on Max’s floor with storm clouds and lightning behind him. Eddie had been picking up Will and El (who were both threatening to overtake Henderson’s place as Eddie’s favorite freshman), while Steve and Lucas were arriving for their visit with Red.

Eddie doesn’t even see him coming, too engrossed in brainstorming El’s character for the upcoming one shot with the two siblings. 

Suddenly, Carver is crowding his space.

Suddenly, Steve is pulling the jock away.

Suddenly, Carver is spitting in Steve’s face.

And Steve does his tell.

And Eddie grabs the kids as Steve throws the first punch.

Starting a fight in a hospital is never a good idea, but Carver was really asking for it. As the two boys fight, Eddie notices another thing. See, he had seen Harrington absolutely obliterate a hoard of demobats. He not only has the looks of a Greek god, but the power of one too. But here, when fighting a mere human mortal, he is pulling his punches. He is showing undeserved mercy to this scab of a human. He is warning Jason to not mess with Eddie, and it is devastatingly hot. Suddenly, he understands why girls liked watching boys fight.

Security is called, and the two are forcibly pulled away from each other. Steve somehow uses the Harrington charm to convince hospital security to only kick Jason out of the building, despite the fact that he threw the first punch. Eddie has to force himself not to stare too adoringly at the spectacle. Seriously, he has a problem.

After that, things calm down exponentially. Life, for the most part, goes back to normal. Except now, the gaggle of freshmen that follow him around is doubled, and suddenly he is being invited to weekly movie nights with the people his age who also know about the Upside Down, and now he is spending most of his free time with the former King of Hawkins High and the man in question seems to want to spend time with him too.

The next time Eddie sees Steve’s tell, it’s a Friday night and they are sitting on the couch in the new government-issued trailer, the tv playing some forgotten movie in the background. Jonathan and Argyle had gone back to California with the rest of the Byers to pack up the rest of their things to ship back to Hawkins. Nancy and Robin had said they needed to work on college application essays, but from the lovesick looks on the girls faces, he had a feeling they had less academic pursuits in mind. 

So, it was just him and Steve and some comedy that Steve had checked out from Family Video that Eddie had forgotten the title of. He supposed it didn’t matter. Neither were paying any attention to the film. Rather, they had started talking about the kids and their friends and the future, slowly inching closer and closer together until their knees knocked against each other. 

Eddie tried to school the butterflies that always fluttered around whenever he was in Steve’s space. Eddie wants to make a move on him, he really does. However, he is about 64% sure that Steve is straight--the number decreasing by the day--and that is still too big of a risk to take if he isn’t. And Eddie doesn’t want to be wrong. So here he is, crushing on a straight guy not for the first time--staring longingly into said straight guy’s eyes, and--

oh.

Steve’s eyes flick away for a beat, then they meet Eddie’s eyes again. His tell. But what is he readying for--

oh.

Steve’s gloss coated lips brush his own chapped ones. Eddie doesn’t react in time, because Steve is pulling away, embarrassment painting his normally confident face.

That won’t do.

Eddie summons all of the bravado he has a Dungeon Master, and grabs the collar of Steve’s polo, pulling him back in. Their lips crash together, like waves in a hurricane. Eddie forces all of the feels he hasn’t dared show into their kiss.

The hand that had grabbed Steve’s collar relaxes and moves to cup his jaw. With his other hand, Eddie greedily runs his fingers through Steve’s legendary, perfect hair. Meanwhile, Steve’s hands delicately grasp Eddie’s waist, where their twin scars lie. Steve touches him as if he’s scared Eddie break. Like he will run away again. Doesn’t he know by now that he’ll never run away from him? He’s not going anywhere.

When they finally break apart, Eddie gets a good look at Steve and wonders if this is the first time he’s taken a stupidly brave risk and not gotten hurt.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #i love these dumb boys

[idyllphile]

I counted every time a Side said Thomas' name in every single episode of Sanders Sides

a few days ago I was watching "Selfishness v. Selflessness" (for the hundredth time because I love it) and I noticed, "hey, Janus says Thomas' name a lot in this episode; I wonder if that's an intentional thing because he's trying so hard to connect with Thomas and get him to listen?" and then I got to thinking, "I wonder how many times each Side has said Thomas' name throughout the entire series? I wonder which one of them has said it the most?"

so like the extremely casual fan of this show that I am, I decided to read through the transcripts for every episode of Sanders Sides (and Sanders Asides) and count every instance of a Side saying Thomas' name!

a couple things to note: I chose to leave out "The Return of the Jam!" and "Giving My Series to a Teenager" because they aren't actual episodes and exist unconnected to canon events, but "Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" is included, because even though it's a special I see it as a similar situation to "Sanders Sides Q&A." also, I did not count instances of Sides saying Thomas' last name only (so "You did a bad job, Sanders!" from "My NEGATIVE Thinking!" is out), nor did I count nicknames that only partially included Thomas' name; for example, "Tom," "Thomathy," "Tommy Salami" and "Tomalomadingdong" (all from "The Sanders Sides 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!") are out, but "Thomas the Dank Engine" (from the same episode) is in.

I've listed the number of times each Side has said Thomas' name, the number of episodes in which each Side has said Thomas' name, and the name-said-per-episode average for each Side, separated by whether or not Sanders Asides episodes are included in the total count. I've also got the 'Top 5' rankings for both Core and Dark Sides for the most times Thomas' name was said by a single Side in an episode and which Side and what episode it was, as well as a few details I just felt like pointing out! enjoy the numbers! :D

Counting Sanders Asides:

Logan has said Thomas' name 142 times across 24 episodes, averaging 5.91 times per episode

Roman has said Thomas' name 125 times across 24 episodes, averaging 5.2 times per episode

Patton has said Thomas' name 83 times across 23 episodes, averaging 3.6 times per episode

Virgil has said Thomas' name 61 times across 17 episodes, averaging 3.58 times per episode

Janus has said Thomas' name 53 times across 3 episodes, averaging 17.66 times per episode

Remus has said Thomas' name 16 times across 2 episodes, averaging 8 times per episode

Not Counting Sanders Asides:

Logan has said Thomas' name 121 times across 22 episodes, averaging 5.5 times per episode

Roman has said Thomas' name 108 times across 21 episodes, averaging 5.14 times per episode

Patton has said Thomas' name 77 times across 21 episodes, averaging 3.66 times per episode

Virgil has said Thomas' name 51 times across 15 episodes, averaging 3.4 times per episode)

Janus has said Thomas' name 53 times across 3 episodes, averaging 17.66 times per episode

Remus has said Thomas' name 14 times across 1 episode, averaging 14 times per episode

Top 5 (Core Sides):

Logan says Thomas' name 19 times in "Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning," Roman says Thomas' name 19 times in "Can LYING Be Good??" and Patton says Thomas' name 19 times in "Selfishness v. Selflessness." (it's a three-way tie!)

Logan says Thomas' name 16 times in "Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS"

Logan says Thomas' name 15 times in both "Selfishness v. Selflessness" and "Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" (he's tied with himself!)

Roman says Thomas' name 13 times in both "Selfishness v. Selflessness" and "Putting Others First" and Patton says Thomas' name 13 times in "Putting Others First" (it's a tie between two Sides but three episodes!)

Roman says Thomas' name 11 times in "Flirting with Social Anxiety"

Top 5 (Dark Sides):

Janus says Thomas' name 29 times in "Selfishness v. Selflessness"

Janus says Thomas' name 14 times in "Putting Others First" and Remus says Thomas' name 14 times in "Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS"

Janus says Thomas' name 10 times in "Can LYING Be Good??"

Virgil says Thomas' name 9 times in "EMBARRASSING PHASES: The Nightmare Instead of Christmas!"

Virgil says Thomas' name 8 times in "Can LYING Be Good??"

a couple of things I noticed or thought were interesting:

there are only three episodes in which Thomas' name is not said by any Side: "My True Identity!" "Taking on ANXIETY with Lilly Singh!!" and "The MIND vs. The HEART!"

Patton was the first Side to say Thomas' name (in "WAY TOO ADULT" which is the only episode to feature a single Side rather than two or more)

all four of the 'main cast' appear in "Alone on VALENTINE'S DAY!" but Logan is the only Side who says Thomas' name

all four of the 'main cast' appear in "Sanders Sides Q&A" but Virgil is the only Side who says Thomas' name

Logan was the first Side to say Thomas' name a double-digit number of times in a single episode (that episode being "MOVING ON, Part 1/2" where he says it 10 times)

all four of the 'main cast' appear in "Crofters - THE MUSICAL!" but Roman is the only Side who says Thomas' name

Logan is the only Side who has appeared in an episode of Season 2 without saying Thomas' name (that episode being "Crofters - THE MUSICAL!")

Patton was the last Core Side to say Thomas' name a double-digit number of times in a single episode (that episode being "Selfishness v. Selflessness" where he says it 19 times)

Janus and Remus are the only Sides who said Thomas' name in the first episodes they appeared in, and they both say it a double-digit number of times (10 times in "Can LYING Be Good??" for Janus and 14 times in "Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS" for Remus)

every Side appears in "Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" but Roman is the only Side who says Thomas' name

Virgil says Thomas' name the least amount of times in his Name Reveal Episode (2 times in "ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 2/2")

Janus and Remus say Thomas' name the most amount of times in their Name Reveal Episodes (14 times each in "Putting Others First" and "Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS")

Virgil has the highest number of episodes (11) in which he appears but does not say Thomas' name

Virgil is the only Side who has not said Thomas' name a double-digit number of times in a single episode

if you wanna know the number of times each Side says Thomas' name in every episode they appear in, keep reading under the cut! also, if anyone would be interested in a full 'compilation' of every time a Side says Thomas' name so you can know the various contexts, let me know and I'll make a post! I already have every single quote copied to my notes for ease of counting lol

Logan (appears in 29/33 episodes):

"My True Identity!" - 0

"A New Year of Lying to Myself... In Song!!" - 1

"I'M IN A DISNEY SHOW!!" - 2

"The MIND vs. The HEART!" - 0

"Alone on VALENTINE'S DAY" - 1

"Losing My Motivation" - 9

"Sanders Sides Q&A" - 0

"Am I ORIGINAL?" - 1

"My NEGATIVE Thinking!" - 9

"Growing Up" - 1

"Making Some Changes!" - 7

"Becoming A CARTOON!" - 1

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 1/2" - 6

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 2/2" - 6

"Fitting In (Hogwarts Houses!)" - 2

"MOVING ON, Part 1/2" - 10

"MOVING ON, Part 2/2" - 1

"The Sanders Sides 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!" - 3

"Can LYING Be Good??" - 7

"Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?" - 19

"Crofters - THE MUSICAL!" - 0

"Learning New Things About Ourselves" - 5

"EMBARRASSING PHASES: The Nightmare Instead of Christmas!" - 1

"Selfishness v. Selflessness" - 15

"Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS" - 16

"Are There Healthy Distractions?" - 6

"Putting Others First" - 2

"Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" - 15

"Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" - 0

Roman (appears in 31/33 episodes):

"My True Identity!" - 0

"Taking on ANXIETY with Lilly Singh!!" - 0

"A New Year of Lying to Myself... In Song!!" - 1

"The Dark Side of Disney!" - 1

"I'M IN A DISNEY SHOW!!" - 1

"Alone on VALENTINE'S DAY!" - 0

"Losing My Motivation" - 0

"Sanders Sides Q&A" - 0

"Am I Original?" - 4

"Growing Up" - 3

"Making Some Changes!" - 2

"Becoming A CARTOON!" - 4

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 1/2" - 4

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 2/2" - 5

"Fitting In (Hogwarts Houses!)" - 3

"MOVING ON, Part 1/2" - 1

"MOVING ON, Part 2/2" - 5

"The Sanders Sides 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!" - 6

"Can LYING Be Good??" - 19

"Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?" - 11

"Crofters - THE MUSICAL!" - 1

"Learning New Things About Ourselves" - 3

"EMBARRASSING PHASES: The Nightmare Instead of Christmas!" - 2

"Selfishness v. Selflessness" - 14

"Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS" - 2

"Are There Healthy Distractions?" - 4

"Putting Others First" - 13

"Flirting with Social Anxiety" - 11

"Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" - 2

"Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" - 3

Patton (appears in 30/33 episodes):

"My True Identity!" - 0

"WAY TOO ADULT" - 1

"A New Year of Lying to Myself... In Song!!" - 1

"I'M IN A DISNEY SHOW!!" - 1

"The MIND vs. The HEART!" - 0

"Alone on VALENTINE'S DAY!" - 0

"Losing My Motivation" - 1

"Sanders Sides Q&A" - 0

"Am I ORIGINAL?" - 1

"Growing Up" - 3

"Making Some Changes!" - 2

"Becoming A CARTOON!" - 1

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 1/2" - 2

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 2/2" - 1

"Fitting In (Hogwarts Houses!)" - 2

"MOVING ON, Part 1/2" - 3

"MOVING ON, Part 2/2" - 2

"The Sanders Sides 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!" - 1

"Can LYING Be Good??" - 1

"Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?" - 1

"Crofters - THE MUSICAL!" - 0

"Learning New Things About Ourselves" - 7

"EMBARRASSING PHASES: The Nightmare Instead of Christmas!" - 7

"Selfishness v. Selflessness" - 19

"Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS" - 9

"Are There Healthy Distractions?" - 3

"Putting Others First" - 13

"Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" - 1

"Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" - 0

Virgil (appears in 28/33 episodes):

"Taking on ANXIETY with Lilly Singh!!" - 0

"A New Year of Lying to Myself... In Song!!" - 0

"The Dark Side of Disney!" - 2

"I'M IN A DISNEY SHOW!!" - 0

"Alone on VALENTINE'S DAY!" - 0

"Losing My Motivation" - 0

"Sanders Sides Q&A" - 2

"Am I ORIGINAL?" - 0

"My NEGATIVE Thinking!" - 1

"Growing Up" - 0

"Making Some Changes!" - 4

"Becoming A CARTOON!" - 0

"ACCEPTING ANXIETY, Part 2/2" - 2

"Fitting In (Hogwarts Houses!)" - 1

"MOVING ON, Part 1/2" - 6

"MOVING ON, Part 2/2" - 1

"The Sanders Sides 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!" - 1

"Can LYING Be Good??" - 8

"Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?" - 1

"Crofters - THE MUSICAL!" - 0

"Learning New Things About Ourselves" - 2

"EMBARRASSING PHASES: The Nightmare Instead of Christmas!" - 9

"Selfishness v. Selflessness" - 4

"Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS" - 6

"Are There Healthy Distractions?" - 5

"Flirting with Social Anxiety" - 5

"Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" - 0

"Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" - 0

Janus (appears in 7/33 episodes):

"Can LYING Be Good??" - 10

"Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?" - 0

"Selfishness v. Selflessness" - 29

"Are There Healthy Distractions?" - 0

"Putting Others First" - 14

"Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" - 0

"Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" - 0

Remus (appears in 4/33 episodes):

"Dealing with INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS" - 14

"Are There Healthy Distractions?" - 0

"Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts" - 2

"Have I Grown? - Five Years Later" - 0

if you read this far (and if you want to), send me an ask and tell me your favorite joke, pun, quote or scene from the series! :D

#Thomas Sanders #Sanders Sides #Sanders Asides #Logan Sanders #Roman Sanders #Patton Sanders #Virgil Sanders #Janus Sanders #Remus Sanders #can you tell I like this series a normal amount #I'm looking at Logan and Janus' numbers so hard. they say Thomas' name the most and I love that for them #sparksposts

[rollsrocker]

Today marks 83 years since the Soviet annexation of Bessarabia from Romania

SOURCE - Deschide

Today marks 83 years since one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Romanian nation. On 28 June 1940, the USSR issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Romania, following the abduction of Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and Herta Land. Under political pressure dictated by the dirty diplomacy of the great global powers and advised by the 'allies' to accept the Soviet government's conditions, Bucharest ceded the requested territories, a total area of 50,762 km2 with a population of about 4 million inhabitants, mostly ethnic Romanians.

On 26 June 1940, the Government of the Kingdom of Romania received a final note from the representatives of the USSR asking it to cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina.

In the interest of "restoring the truth"

In that text, Soviet Foreign Minister Veaceslav Molotov argued that Romania had taken advantage of Russia's military weakness and severed the territory of Bessarabia from the Soviet Union in 1918, "thereby violating the centuries-old unity of Bessarabia, populated mainly by Ukrainians, with the Ukrainian Soviet Republic".

"The Soviet Union has never reconciled itself to the fact of taking Bessarabia by force, which the Soviet government declared not once and openly before the whole world. Now that the military weakness of the USSR is a thing of the past, and the international situation that has arisen requires the rapid resolution of the questions inherited from the past in order to finally lay the foundations of a solid peace between countries, the USSR considers it necessary and opportune, in the interest of restoring the truth, to work with Romania for the immediate resolution of the question of the return of Bessarabia to the Soviet Union," the document added.

The Soviet government asked the Kingdom of Romania to return 'at all costs' the territory of Bessarabia to the Soviet Union and to hand over the northern part of Bukovina to the Soviet Union, with the proviso that it expected a reply no later than 27 June.

Manipulation of history

Historical studies have repeatedly noted that the Soviet last note has no support in reality, for several reasons.

First, Bessarabia never had a Ukrainian majority, nor did it have any "secular unity" with Ukraine. On the contrary, ever since the annexation in 1812 by the Russian Empire, the ethnic majority has always been Romanian. The same was true of Bukovina.

Secondly, Bessarabia declared its independence in 1918 from the Russian Federal Republic. The USSR was created in 1922. So Romania could not 'untie' Bessarabia from the USSR for the simple reason that the Soviet Union did not exist.

If anyone should have been compensated, it was the Kingdom of Romania for 107 years of Russian occupation, not the USSR.

Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Romania was at that time internally collapsed, de facto, so it had no one to respond properly to this mocking final note from the USSR.

The notion of "surrender" was avoided

The Kingdom of Romania conveyed to the Soviet government that "immediate negotiations on a wide range of issues" were necessary, a response that did not please the USSR, which demanded Romania's absolute submission and unconditional acceptance, without negotiation, of the conditions imposed.

As a result, on 27 June, Russia issued a second ultimatum, demanding the evacuation of the Romanian administration and army from Bessarabia and northern Bukovina within four days.

The next day, the Romanian government led by Gheorghe Tătărescu, after receiving advice from Germany and Italy, agreed to submit to Soviet conditions.

The decision to accept the Soviet ultimatum and to carry out a 'withdrawal' (the word 'surrender' was avoided) from Bessarabia and northern Bukovina was taken in the Crown Council on the night of 27-28 June 1940.

The diary of King Charles II records that there were 6 votes in favour of rejecting the ultimatum, 20 votes in favour of accepting it and only one abstention.

The King bowed his head to Russian pressure

On the morning of 28 June, the population was officially informed of the existence of the ultimatum and its acceptance by the Romanian Army's General Staff, in communication no. 25.

According to the terms of the ultimatum, three key cities - Chisinau, Chernivtsi and White Fortress - were to be surrendered to the Soviets by 2 p.m.

By 2 July, the new border along the Prut River was permanently closed.

The Romanian government sought to avoid, if only temporarily, a war with the Soviet Union.

As a result, all military installations were surrendered without being destroyed and without a single shot being fired, the Romanian army having strict orders not to respond to any provocation.

More than 200,000 people of all ethnicities fled to Romania in the few days following 28 June.

Forced ideologisation and deportations

Only a small part of the population of Bessarabia and Bukovina greeted the Soviet annexation with positive feelings.

According to Professor Anton Moraru, PhD in history, the character of the occupation of Bessarabia in 1940 was very clearly and convincingly seen in the policy of the communist regime promoted towards the population of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and Herta Land, as archival documents show that the population of these territories rejected the occupation regime.

"The smallest protests were suppressed and suppressed by the Russian NKVD and KGB forces. According to some data, in 1940-1941 alone, the communist occupation regime arrested, ill-treated, fined, sentenced, deported and shot more than 300 thousand people in Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and Herta Land, including 32 thousand innocent people, who were deported on 12-13 June 1941," Anton Moraru said.

In most of the occupied territory, the Soviets proclaimed the Moldovan SSR, while the southern part of Bessarabia, Bugev, and northern Bukovina were annexed to the Ukrainian SSR.

With the proclamation of the Moldovan SSR, the RASSM, the autonomous "Moldovan" republic east of the Dniester, was divided between the two neighbouring Soviet republics, Soviet Moldova and Ukraine.

The losses suffered in the summer of 1940 affected the geopolitical and strategic role and weight of the Romanian state in the region. But the heaviest blow was a moral one. Only 22 years after the fulfilment of an ideal - a united Romania - Romanians had to resume the struggle for national unity from the beginning.

The annexation of Bessarabia by the Soviets anticipated the establishment of the communist regime in Romania after 1944. Since the ethnic Romanian majority in Bessarabia was made up of peasants, and this class was targeted by the measures of terror, the repression indirectly took on a pronounced anti-Romanian character.

#Romania #Moldova #soviet union #imperialism #ww2 #european union #as a descendant of people who endured such horrors #I hope it will be forgiven that I may bring them to light #history #СССР #ussr

[24-7-testing]

PHSI 2023 Is Officially Over!

I closed the submission form this morning and just mailed/emailed the fifth and final batch of cards! I sent everyone in the fifth batch an email today that either confirmed your Holiday Card has shipped or included your eCard, so double check your inbox and junk folders if you didn’t see anything come through. Please wait patiently for the delivery of your physical Holiday Cards; they can take up to 2 weeks to be delivered.

Also, thanks to everyone who has donated to my Ko-fi for this project so far! Your kindness has covered 61% of the postage and materials for everyone’s cards so far this year!

PHSI 2023 might be over, but not everyone's cards have been covered yet!

The percentage grew from last week again (thank you everyone who donated), however there's still a need to spread kindness and support PHSI by covering the cost of your card or someone else's! Over the course of PHSI this year I mailed almost $400 USD of Holiday Cards! As of today I have received just over $225 USD in donations. Ko-Fi doesn't take any fees out of donations, but PayPal does (about 20% on average), so the donated amount I receive to pay for the cards is even lower!

If you can help cover the cost of this wonderful fandom tradition, even in just a small amount, please consider donating so everyone’s cards can be covered this year. After all, doing something nice for others is what this initiative is all about! Please visit ko-fi.com/247testing and click the Donate button if you’d like to give $4 or more to cover the cost/postage of your card or someone else’s. There isn't a time limit, so you can donate at any time too; my Ko-Fi is always open!

Random Interesting PHSI 2023 Stats!

This year I mailed/emailed a total of 112 cards all over the world! These cards reached Portal Fans in lots of places, like the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Poland, India, the US, Romania, Italy, and New Zealand!

About 83% of people chose to receive a Physical Card this year, which is good feedback considering the change from making the cards myself to using an online service. While the cost per card ended up being a lot higher (just over 2x the cost of making them myself), it was definitely worth it to not have to print, cut, fold, type, label, and mail them all on my own!

I plan on running PHSI the same way next year, as well as looking for ways to bring the cost of the cards down while maintaining the same level of quality and novelty you're all used to! Thanks again to everyone who participated this year, and special thanks to @purrtal2 for providing the artwork for this year's cards!

This is 24-7-testing, wishing you all a wonderful end-of-year. Thanks everyone!

#please go donate #every bit helps! #psa #please boost #PHSI 2023 #portal holiday spirit initiative 2023 #5th year of phsi! #5th anniversary #portal fandom #fandom tradition #aperture science #aperture laboratories #portal #portal 2

[mystarmyangel]

[HOT-THEQOO] 231231 Minho x YoonA x Hwang Minhyun 2023 MBC Gayo Daejejeon Photowall

At time of posting 1 Jan 1pm KST: 21.6K views, 151 comments (will translate YoonA + non-repetitive comments) 1. Wow the sense of stability *trembling* YoonA is totally a princess-nim 2. Beautiful and handsome 3. The faces are insane 4. My eyes are opened. This is so good 7. YoonA is so pretty 8. The colour of YoonA’s dress looks like it is going to pop out 10. MBC knows what they are doing 14. There is a sense of stability among veterans who are in the industry for more than 10 years  ㅋㅋㅋ 16. YoonA pulled off this colour as well too. She is totally a goddess 18. The visuals of Minho and Minhyun are both luxurious and handsome, but YoonA is the insane one.... what is YoonA’s personal colour? She even managed to pull off this fuchsia colour. 20. YoonA’s dress is pretty 22. Even though YoonA looks really pretty in the photos, but she is insanely pretty when I watch the broadcast just now. Everyone looks goodㅠㅠ 24. Everyone looks really pretty and handsome *trembling* 26. I am watching the live broadcast right now, and everyone are so stable in hosting. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋMinho and YoonA especially look just like siblings ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 27. They are just like princes and the queen. So handsome and pretty 29. Minho and Minhyun at each side of YoonA. An eye-opening, insane. 31. There is no need to worry about them hosting. All three of them ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 32. The three of them fit so well together 35. I am watching the broadcast and it is so dazzling ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 38. They look just like family. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They look the same 40. YoonA is a goddess 45. The visuals of the princess and the two princes are insane. YoonA is freaking beautiful 67. It is so refreshing 69. The MCs are chosen well. An eye-opener.. 62. Insane.. Oh my god, YoonA is really so lovely. 74. Wow YoonA looks so good in this hot pink 76. The faces of the MCs are the most fun to watch 81. This is a kingdom 83. A feast for the eyes at year end 91. MBC, you did well 94. Let’s continue with this combination in the future tooㅋㅋㅋ The visuals are crazy and the hosting skills are stable. 101. I want to praise MBC so much!!! The hosting skill is stable, it is also a feast to the eyes. The best 115. YoonA’s dress isn’t that good today. But her face is really pretty and her chemistry with Hwang Minhyun is amazing. Let’s go for a drama together 123. This is it 124. Wow YoonA is so freaking pretty *trembling* It is such a pretty and handsome party ㅎㅎThe Gayo Daejejeon MCs are so pleasing to the eyes 125. No, but really guys, tune in to Gayo Daejejeon right now and watch it. You have to watch them in video form for this three. 126 (replied to 125th comment). For real. They look even more pretty and handsome in video. *trembling* YoonA is truly a goddess and a princess herself ㅠㅠㅠㅠ 127. The colour of YoonA’s dress is so perfect! You actually look so good in this pink colour shade. 130. All three of them are so pretty and handsome. I saw the best combination on the last day of this year 140. It is so good! The three of you, please continue doing this for the rest of your lives 144. I was so amazed when I tuned in to MBC and saw the MC’s faces. Source: TheQoo Trans: mystarmyangel

#YoonA #MC YoonA #TheQoo #Netizens' Comments #Trans #MBC Gayo Daejejeon #MBC Gayo Daejejeon 2023

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Natalie Cassase

Published: Jan 21, 2022

Over 20 major cities across the U.S. have either cut or shifted police budget funds since the death of George Floyd in May 2020. As a result, 2020 likely saw the largest homicide increase in American history, with high crime rates continuing into 2021.

The following are crime spikes in cities that defunded their police.

New York: During the summer of 2020, New York cut $1 billion from its police funds. In June 2020, the city experienced a 130 percent increase in shootings in one month. Killings in August 2021 were up 50 percent.

Chicago: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot claimed to be opposed to defunding the police while quietly cutting 400 police officers positions during 2020. Chicago saw 87 shootings over the 2020 4th of July weekend. The same year, carjackings were up 135 percent.

Los Angeles: Los Angeles cut $150 million from its LAPD budget last July. As of late November 2020, LA recorded 300 homicides. Killings were reportedly up 25 percent since 2019, and shootings were up more than 32 percent. Shootings in South LA rose 742 percent in the first two weeks of January.

Milwaukee: After cutting 60 police positions in 2020, Milwaukee proposed a budget to cut 120 police positions in 2021, cutting a total of $430,000 from the overall budget. Milwaukee experienced a 95 percent increase of local murders in 2020.

Louisville: Rather than directly defunding its police, Louisville voted to use portions of its funds for "recruiting a more diverse force" and "behavioral health professionals" to assist officers. They also boasted of sending millions to "disadvantaged and disinvested" communities. The city saw a 78 percent increase in 2020 homicides.

Seattle: Seattle reduced its police budget by 20 percent and saw a 74 percent homicide increase in 2020.

Minneapolis: Minneapolis cut $8 million from its police budget and saw a 72 percent increase in local murders during the 2020 year.

New Orleans: In 2020, despite seeing a 62 percent increase in 2020 homicides, New Orleans proposed a $16 million budget cut for 2021. It has now experienced an 11 percent increase from 2020 and 79% increase compared to 2019.

Atlanta: In 2020, Atlanta reallocated 50 percent of the corrections budget to social services and community enhancement initiatives and saw a 58 percent increase in 2020 homicides.

Portland: In 2020, Portland cut $15 million and disbanded a gun violence reduction unit, after which Portland saw an 83 percent increase in homicides in 2020. Source

Baltimore: Baltimore cut $22 million from its police budget in 2020 and has experienced a 17 percent increase in homicides compared to the same time last year. Thirty-seven businesses have requested a crackdown on low-level crimes. ​​Baltimore surpassed 300 killings for the seventh consecutive year.

Oakland: Oakland cut its police budget by $14.6 million in 2020. Homicides were up 500 percent, and shootings were up 126 percent in the first two weeks of January 2021.

Washington DC: Washington DC cut its police budget by $15 million, ending 2020 with a 19 percent increase in violent crime compared to 2019. In November, 2021 DC recorded its 200th homicide, a benchmark not reached since 2003.

Philadelphia: Philadelphia cut police funding by $33 million in 2021.  Since Jan 2020, 500 people were killed, and more than 2,240 were shot, 40 percent more than the police have ever recorded. In 2021, Philadelphia saw killings at a higher rate than in 2020. By September, killings were up 18% from the same time last year. In November 2021, Philadelphia reached 497 killings,13 percent higher than this time last year.

Hartford: After Hartford cut $1 million from its $4 million budget, it has experienced 20 murders through the first six months of 2021, The city experienced almost as many homicides in half a year as in each of the past three years.

Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City reduced its police budget by $5.3 million in 2020. By December, 2020 violent crime and property crime had increased more than 20 percent.

Austin: Austin cut its police budget by a third in 2020. By December 2020, murder was up 54 percent over the previous year, and aggravated assault was up 13 percent.

Dallas: Dallas cut $7 million from the $24 million overtime budget for police and by November 2020 surpassed 2019’s homicide rate, the highest on record since 1991. The city even experienced seven murders over a period of 24 hours.

Denver: The mayor of Denver claimed to be against defunding the police. However, the city's policies require healthcare workers to respond to domestic mental health calls instead of police. In 2020, the city recorded the highest number of homicides since 1981, a 51 percent increase.

San Francisco: San Francisco's mayor revealed her plan to  redirect $120 million into "health workers and workforce training.” San Francisco saw a double increase in shootings in the first half of 2021 compared to the past two years and a rise in aggravated assault.

In December, San Francisco Mayor, London Breed, launched an emergency police intervention in the downtown Tenderloin neighborhood. The mayor said, “it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement. More aggressive with the changes in our policies and less tolerant of all the bullshit that has destroyed our city.”

San Diego: After San Diego cut $4.3 million from its police overtime funds, the city saw a “disturbing” increase in violent crime with a 129 percent increase in gang-related shootings since Jan 1.

Unpacking the Cause of the Crime Spike

Lack of policing

Replacing police with unarmed civilians such as social workers.

Reducing or reallocating funds affects police activity. The Law Enforcement legal Defense Fund found that police activity such as arrests, stops, and searches declined by 48 percent since last June. In New York, for example, there were 40,000 fewer arrests made by July 2020. Consequently, during June of that year, murder was up 30 percent; burglaries were up 118 percent.; thefts were up 51 percent.

Police voluntarily leaving the force. In 2020, the NYPD saw a 75 percent increase in quitting or retirement. After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, close to 200 officers had left the Minneapolis police force by May 2021.

Lowered morale and hesitancy to police

The continuous narrative is that it is racist to enforce laws, particularly lower-level offenses.

Hostile rhetoric against police.

A lack of trust between police and prosecutors. Police go through the process of arresting criminals for them to be released and shortly re-offend.

Change in societal standards

The mass media continually downplayed and politicized the violence that took place during the summer of 2021. This sent a message of tolerance for violence, justification of vandalism, and explicit messages that law and order were not a societal priority.

==

Defunding the police had a body count. And it wasn't the elits who suffered.

Luxury beliefs are ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class, while often inflicting costs on the lower classes. -- Rob Henderson

#Natalie Cassase #defund the police #violent crime #vandalism #law enforcement #homicide #budget cuts #crime #religion is a mental illness

[mysticstronomy]

HOW LONG WILL THE UNIVERSE SUPPORT LIFE??

Blog#243

Wednesday, November 9th, 2022

Welcome back,

Just one second after the big bang, the universe was a few light years across (possible since the conjecture that physical objects cannot travel faster than light is often misconstrued to be that nothing can travel faster than light, which is not the same.) Bear in mind that when the universe was around one hundredth of a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second old, it was smaller than a subatomic particle.

In this same amount of time, the very first element, helium, was born.

But it took over 200 million years for gravity to pull clouds of dust into the first galaxies.

Earth was born 9 billion years later, and a few more billion years after that, humans walked the earth.

But the conditions for life won't be there forever. In fact, there's probably only 100,000,000,000,000,000 years of viable life time. That sounds like rather a long time, but hold your horses...

Eventually, the universe will fizzle out. The last stars will have died long ago, and their remains sucked into black holes. The work of the Second Law will be done - entropy will finally stop increasing, because everything will be maximally disordered. Nothing will happen, and nothing will continue to happen, forever. But that is going to take rather a long time indeed.

In fact, it's going to take around 10, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000 years - give or take.

So - going back to Professor Cox - what would that fraction of time that life is possible for look like on a timescale? Let's try and visualise that!

Let's start with the part where life is possible. We'll say that it's 1 cm long, and this represents the amount of time where life can exist. If Cox is right, then this 1cm section is one-thousandth of a billion billion billionth, billion billion billionth, billion billion billionth, of a per cent of the whole time line.

So that is, I think (I'm not a mathematician), 83 zeroes after a decimal point followed by a 1. Mathsy people might say 1x10^-83 (again, I think..!)

Or if you prefer: 0.000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,0001.

Knowing that, we can work out the length of time in total.

We would need a chart 1x10^83 cm long - or 1x10^81 m long - or 1 followed by 81 zeroes.

Or: 10,000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000! That's a lot of metres.

In fact, the observable universe is only 1^28 m wide, apparently, or 1 followed by 28 zeroes.

That's just 10, 000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000!

In other words, this graph would not fit into the observable universe, but the section representing the time within which life will be possible would be all but 1cm long...

Even if these numbers are a bit off because our science isn't perfect, or if my maths is a bit off , a little shift either way won't make any difference, there is no way we are going to be drawing this graph..!

Even if we say we're going to make the section representing "life possible" a fraction of a cm, it still isn't going to fit into the observable universe. We'd have to make divide the centimeter by 10, 52 times, in order to make the scale of the graph small enough to fit inside the observable universe (just..!) - and that is smaller than an atom (which is 1×10^−10), by quite a lot..! Not a very useful timescale.

Originally published on www.ruth-ng.co.uk

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, November 12th, 2022)

“WHERE ARE THE ALIENS??”

#astronomy #outer space #alternate universe #astrophysics #spacecraft #universe #white universe #space #parallel universe #astrophotography

[berenwrites]

Beyond the Battle - Chapter 16 - Stranger Things - Steddie

Beyond the Battle­: Action & Consequence

Click here for All Posted Chapters

Summary: Steve hits things with a bat or gets hit depending on who you ask. He definitely does not have anything to do with the psychic stuff. That is El’s domain. However, as Vecna is defeated, the rules change.

Pairing: steddie (Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson)

Other Relationships: Steve & Robin, Steve & Dustin, Eddie & Dustin

Rating: Teen

A/N: Multi-chapter story, updated regularly. Honestly not sure how many chapters it will have yet because it's still a bit hand wavy in the middle, but definitely more than 12. Thank you to my beta for find my mistakes and to all those who read/like/reblog.💖 Follow #st:beyond-the-battle for updates.

Also on AO3

Chapter 16. Come Down?

Food definitely made Steve feel a hell of a lot better, but when he almost fell asleep on the couch, he realised it would probably be a bad idea to attempt anything else that evening. After all, it had been a long day. He was also new at this and El had been adamant that like any other physical activity, it was easier with practice.

“And I think that is my cue to leave,” Hopper said as Steve yawned widely, totally unable to stop himself.

“Can finish tomorrow,” he said round another yawn.

“Kid, I haven’t felt this good in ten years,” Hopper replied with a grin. “If you never get to finish, I am more than happy.”

“Your ankle is still bad and the hearing in your right ear is out of whack,” he said, pausing as he realised he had no idea he had even had that information, “and I’m not clear on how I know that,” he added, “but I don’t like leaving it unfinished.”

It wasn’t like he had catalogued everything in Hopper that needed his help on a conscious level, but apparently part of him had.

“You have a very convincing bitch face,” Hopper said, clearly amused by his reaction. “When tomorrow?”

“Same time, probably,” he replied, “but Keith is supposed to be calling tomorrow to let me and Robin know if Family Video is reopening. I doubt I’ll have a shift, but I’ll let you know if I do.”

“I thought those stores weren’t touched by the gates?” Hopper replied.

“Mostly they weren’t,” Steve explained, “but Keith got a message to Robin to let her know the pipes in the store had ruptured, took out most of the stock. It’s all up in the air if they will reopen or if we’ll be looking for new jobs. Kind of shocked we didn’t get fired, honestly. Guess with all the excitement Keith never figured out we abandoned the store mid shift.”

Given everything else that had been going on, Steve couldn’t exactly find it in himself to get excited one way or the other. It was a problem for later.

“Any particular reason you did that?” Hopper asked.

“Well Dustin was adamant we go rescue Eddie and you have met Dustin, right?” Steve replied.

“You were on shift when you found me at Rick’s?” Eddie asked, eyes round with surprise.

Steve nodded.

“Did we not tell you that part?” he asked.

Eddie shook his head.

“Yeah, we used the company computer to figure out where you’d be and then abandoned ship to come find you,” he replied with a shrug. “We’ve kind of figured out when weird stuff starts happening in this town it’s best to get ahead of it and Dustin was adamant everything was weird.”

“Let’s hope this is the last time,” Hopper said.

“No argument from me,” Eddie replied. “Doing all this once is enough for me, that you’ve all been dealing with this shit since 83 still blows my mind.”

“Same here, Munson, and I’ve lived it,” Hopper replied, going to stand up. “But it’s time I got back. I told Joyce I just wanted to check in with Powell.”

“Might want to come clean about that, Chief,” Eddie said and grinned, “I’m sure she’ll only kill you a little bit.”

“Yeah, gonna avoid that for as long as possible,” Hopper said, “at least until I can come up with a decent enough excuse.”

“Just tell her I was nervous it wouldn’t work and so asked you not to say anything,” Steve offered.

“Thanks, Kid,” Hopper replied, “but this is on me, not you. I will take the heat once I have worked up the courage.”

“Joyce Byers is a formidable woman,” Eddie said, and they all nodded in agreement.

“I’m not sure who’s scarier, Joyce on a mission or Nancy with a gun,” Steve commented.

“We’re agreed we’re never letting either of them team up with Erica, aren’t we?” Eddie added. “Because they really will take over the world.”

“Not sure that would be a bad thing,” Steve said with a laugh.

“Right,” Hopper said, smiling, “I really must go. Get some sleep, Steve, and thank you. I can never repay you …”

“You already did,” Steve interrupted him. “You took in a little girl who needed a dad, and she just saved the world.”

Hopper didn’t seem to know what to say to that, just nodding in that gruff way he had.

“See you tomorrow,” the older man said.

Steve went to get up to show him out, but Eddie got there first.

“Stay put, I got this,” Eddie said.

Normally he would have protested, but he was pretty comfortable on the couch, and he was sleepy. He heard Eddie and Hopper exchange words at the door. It was too low for him to make out what, so he closed his eyes for a moment.

“Come on, Sleepyhead.”

He opened his eyes to find Eddie right in front of him, at which point he realised he had dozed off.

“Sorry,” he said, rubbing his face with his hand.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Eddie told him. “You’ve been working hard. Time for bed.”

“It’s not even nine o’clock,” Steve did his best to object.

“And I woke you up at ridiculous o’clock this morning,” Eddie said, “you’ve been driving all over the place half the day, you just put back together a man the Russians tried very hard to kill, and let’s not even talk about the rest of the week. Sleep is just what the doctor ordered.”

“Awww, but I was hoping to make out now we’re finally alone,” he responded, making sure to put just enough of a whine into his voice.

The way Eddie’s cheeks coloured pink at his words was absolutely perfect.

“Oh, you did, did you?” was Eddie’s not so smooth comeback.

“Yeah,” he replied, reaching out to slide his hand into Eddie’s.

They had kissed for the first time that morning, but he already felt strangely comfortable with Eddie. To him it was as if the kiss was more a confirmation than a beginning, even though he hadn’t actually accepted he could feel this way until then. Robin had definitely been onto something when she told him this had been going on for a while. He might not have acknowledged what he was feeling, but it had been there.

“God, you make it hard to be a responsible human being,” Eddie complained, thumb stroking over Steve’s palm.

“Don’t you want to kiss me too?” he asked, doing his best sweet and innocent impression.

“Fuck, yes, of course I want to kiss you,” Eddie replied, leaning down and pecking his forehead. “How about we head upstairs, we get ready for bed, and then we make out until you fall asleep?”

“You inviting yourself into my bed, Munson?” he shot back with a grin.

“Well I can always go and sleep in my own, cold, lonely room, if you’re against the idea,” was Eddie very dramatic response, even going so far as to hang his head and look at the floor.

Steve stood, pulling Eddie towards him.

“I could never be so heartless,” he said, matching Eddie’s tone. “Forgive me for ever suggesting it.”

Eddie laughed, leaning into him.

“You are a giant dork, Stevie,” Eddie said, eyes flicking over his face and landing on his lips.

“Good thing we match then,” he replied, voice deepening at the thought of what was going through Eddie’s head.

Closing the remaining distance between them, he captured Eddie’s lips with his own, pulling Eddie flush to him at the same time. Eddie’s arms wound around him as they kissed slowly and gently. It was sweet and light, and it made Steve’s head spin.

“You are incorrigible,” Eddie said when they broke apart. “Come on, let’s take this upstairs.”

Steve could totally get behind that sentiment.

~*~

Steve reared off the bed clutching at his throat, the taste of chlorinated water clear in his mouth.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re okay, Steve, it’s just a dream.”

For a second, he didn’t remotely comprehend the words, but strong, firm, warm hands gripping his shoulders grounded him. He stared into the darkness breathing hard as the meaning slowly resolved in his brain.

“Eddie,” he half gasped, half said.

“Yep, it’s little old me,” Eddie replied, tone soft and calm, which was just what Steve needed. “Breathe with me, Sweetheart, before you start hyperventilating.”

Eddie took an exaggerated breath in while Steve did his best to imitate it. It took a few more deep inhales and exhales, but eventually Steve felt his heartrate coming back down towards normal and his breathing settling. He hated nightmares, but it was always better when someone was there.

“Want some water?” Eddie asked, gently rubbing his back.

“Please,” he said with a nod.

The phantom taste of pool water clung to his tongue, even though it was all in his head. Eddie disappeared into the bathroom for a few seconds and returned with a glass.

“Here,” he said, handing over the drink and climbing back onto the bed.

They’d fallen asleep tangled together an hour or so after they had come upstairs. Steve had hoped that would be enough to push his dark thoughts far enough away to have a restful night, but apparently not.

“Thanks,” he said, sipping the water and trying to push away the images in his head.

“Want to talk about it?” Eddie asked, going back to rubbing him on the back. “You were mumbling about something, but I couldn’t make it out.”

“Sorry,” he apologised, taking a few more little sips.

“Not a problem,” Eddie assured him. “My turn last night, your turn tonight. Just let me know what you need.”

Steve sat there for a little while longer. Sometimes it helped to talk, sometimes it didn’t, so it took him a few moments to figure out what would be best.

“Did you know Barb?” he asked in the end.

“Nancy’s friend who died?” Eddie checked.

Steve nodded.

“Not really,” Eddie said. “We didn’t run in the same circles.”

“She died in my pool,” he explained. “A Demogorgon took her and killed her. She was here because I invited Nancy to a small party: me, her, Tommy, Carol, and Barb.”

“That sucks,” Eddie said.

“Today,” Steve went on, “when I was out the back I was looking into the pool where the gate was. It occurred to me that the Demogorgon being in my yard might not have been as random as it seemed at the time.”

“Why?”

“Do you remember what El said the first day, about them suspecting that Henry took Will because he had dormant powers?” he asked.

“Um, yeah,” Eddie replied with a nod. “A lot of that day is a bit fuzzy, but I remember that.”

“So, what if the Demogorgon was here for me?” Steve said.

“Oh,” Eddie said, leaning closer to him. “But that’s not your fault.”

Steve smiled a tiny sad smile.

“Robin already rammed that into my thick skull,” he said, “but I guess my subconscious didn’t get the message. The Barb in my nightmares very much thinks it’s my fault.”

Moving in close, Eddie wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on Steve’s shoulder.

“Nobel of spirit, brave of heart, and far too willing to take things onto himself, my mighty paladin-cleric,” Eddie whispered in his ear. “How about this humble bard soothes you back to sleep with some music?”

Steve wasn’t sure he’d be doing much more sleeping that night. The mental image of a rotting and angry Barb trying to drown him in the pool was a little too raw. But Eddie looked so hopeful, so he nodded and smiled.

“Be right back,” Eddie said, scrambling off the bed and heading out of the room.

One thing Steve did notice was the house was pretty dark. There wasn’t much of a moon, but Eddie moved as if he could see perfectly. However, he filed that away for later, because it was possible that Eddie had always had good night vision. Steve knew his was pretty good, but Eddie had moved without any hesitation at all.

Less than a minute later, Eddie was back with his acoustic guitar.

“Any requests?” Eddie asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed and putting the instrument in his lap.

“You pick,” Steve said.

“Hmmm,” Eddie said, pretending to think very hard. “Okay, this is one my mom used to sing to me when I was little.”

Steve smiled as soon as he heard the opening chords. When Eddie’s husky tones started with the words of Bridge Over Troubled Water goosebumps broke out all over Steve’s skin and the nightmare dimmed in his mind. That they had lost Eddie, that no one, that he might never have had a chance to have this made the back of his eyes prickle. He couldn’t figure out how he had gotten so lucky.

End of Chapter 16

Chapter 17

#stranger things fanfiction #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #eddie lives #stranger things #st:beyond-the-battle #fanfic #post season 4 #vampire eddie #hurt/comfort #vampire eddie munson #steve harrington has powers #steddie fanfic #steddie fic

[melis-writes]

Okay, I've always liked older men, like even since I was 13 so it's definitely a real thing (I wasn't with any at that age) I'm 38 now and I still like older men BUT there's a limit, you know? Even as someone who likes Al I could never be with him at 83 years old, come on, how many of us could despite loving him? Nah, around 60 is a good cut off point for the older man thing.

But I will also say that in the last few years I'm getting really turned off by older men and it's because of shit like this happening. It just grosses me out so much and makes me look at older men as pathetic when they desperately start dating these super young girls who are so obviously only in it for the money/attention. Are men just too stupid to realise they're being taken advantage off or do they just not care? Either way, it's just such a huge turn off for me and it reeks of desperation when men act this way and I'm just over it. This honestly might be the final nail in my old man coffin, lol. So thanks a lot, AL! Have to start dating men my own age now, I guess. Bring on the divorced weekend dads, ugh..... (might just turn celibate in all honesty)

(sorry about this rant which is only partly Al related but I'm upset lol)

Lmao it's no problem at all, anon 😂😂 I get what you mean and that's totally valid!

"It just grosses me out so much and makes me look at older men as pathetic when they desperately start dating these super young girls who are so obviously only in it for the money/attention" THIS RIGHT HERE. 👀🙌 You know what, I really don't think every man in that same or similar situation is completely stupid. Like, no way that's the case 100% of the time. I think deep down they know they're being taken advantage of and like you said, either don't care, live in denial, or are blinded by their own love. Maybe they've convinced themselves this is true love or the only love they're going to get again in their lifetime, so they just go with it? Honestly, there's probably a whole psychological science behind all of this which sounds super interesting to research lmao.

#al pacino pregnancy

[martinpeter200]

Moving Past ERTC: Asure (NASDAQ: ASUR) Reports Meaningful Growth in Q4 and FY 2023

The growth engine continues to fire on all cylinders at Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR). Despite the IRS’s pause of the employee retention tax credit (ERTC) program in September 2023, Asure reported total revenue of approximately $100 million during the full year 2023 when excluding ERTC figures. For the full year 2024 ahead, management estimates total revenues expanding between 25% to 29% to reach a range of $125 million to $129 million. To put the core business growth into perspective, the company’s main businesses grew 19% y/y in 2023. With an average estimated growth of 26% for the full year 2024, the driver is ARR.

Since its halt in September 2023, ERTC seems to have stolen the spotlight, but the core growth of Asure is clearly in the hands of its key HCM services and offerings. No doubt Asure saw benefits from the ERTC program when it was active, but management was smart to seize the opportunity to generate additional revenue to help pay down costly debt and build a war chest for acquisition opportunities for the year ahead.

Let’s break down Asure’s Q4 and FY 2023 results a little further.

Asure’s Financial Results

Q4 2023 Results

On February 26, 2024, Asure reported fourth quarter and full-year 2023 financial results. For Q4, the HCM services provider reported revenue of $26.3 million, which represented growth of 15% y/y (without ERTC). Recurring revenue came in at $25 million, which was also up 15% y/y without ERTC.

On the bottom line, Asure did report EBITDA of $1.1 million, compared to $5 million during Q4 2022. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $2.8 million compared to $6 million during last year’s period. On a positive note, non-GAAP gross margins held up at 72% versus 76% during the same period last year. This shows that without ERTC’s high-margin revenue, Asure’s core businesses are still able to produce meaningful gross margins of their own.

Asure management’s previously-issued guidance for the quarter was a revenue range between $25 million and $27 million. Adjusted EBITDA was forecasted to come between $2 million and $3 million. Revenue and adjusted EBITDA for the quarter were in line with management’s previously-issued guidance.

FY 2023 Results

For the full year 2023, Asure reported revenue of $119.1 million, which represented a y/y growth of 19% without ERTC. Recurring revenue was at $99.7 million, which was also a y/y growth of 19% excluding ERTC.

The company reported an overall net loss of $9.2 million, which was a meaningful improvement from last year’s $14.5 million loss. EBITDA came in at $14.3 million, which was up 63% y/y, and adjusted EBITDA was reported at $23.3 million or up 97% y/y. Non-GAAP gross profits rose to $90.3 million compared to $67.3 million in 2022.

Q4 & FY 2023 Takeaways

The recent financial results once again prove that Asure’s core businesses continue to see meaningful growth. For the fourth quarter of 2023, recurring revenue (core businesses) saw 15% y/y growth and accounted for over ~95% of total revenue during the quarter. On the full-year 2023 basis, recurring revenue jumped 19% y/y and accounted for over ~83% of total revenue.

On a forward-looking basis, management’s issued Q1 2024 and full-year 2024 top and bottom-line guidance once again call for another year of strong growth. The management team sees Q1 2024 revenue coming in between $30 million and $32 million with an adjusted EBITDA range between $6 million and $7 million. For the full year 2024, Asure estimates total revenue in a range of $125 million to $129 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin between 20% and 21%.

This proves once more that it is time to move on from ERTC and focus on Asure’s core businesses. These forecasted outlooks are operating under the assumption that ERTC will continue to be paused for the foreseeable future and thus are not a part of management’s guidance.

In our article published 1/11/2024 entitled “Asure’s (NASDAQ: ASUR) Core Business Delivers Meaningful Growth Without ERTC,” we break down how the company’s core businesses have continued to provide an overwhelming proportion of Asure’s top and bottom-line growth, even during ERTC. Between Q4 2022 and Q3 2023, Asure’s core businesses accounted for at least 75% and as high as 84% of its total revenue. The HCM provider continued to prove these points with the results of the Q4 and FY 2023 financials.

Wall Street Remains Bullish on Asure

As of the end of February 2023, Asure holds an overall “strong-buy” rating among seven Wall Street analysts. Six analysts rate the stock a “buy” with one maintaining a “hold” position. Overall, the average 12-month stock price forecast among the analysts estimates ASUR trading at $14.33, which implies a potential additional upside of just under 50% from its current price. The highest price forecast is set at $20 per share, while the lowest analyst reading estimates shares at $8.00.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Asure Software’s financial performance throughout 2023 and the outlook for 2024 emphatically underscore the company’s resilient growth trajectory, largely independent of the ERTC program’s impact. Despite the IRS’s pause on the ERTC, Asure’s core businesses—encompassing a broad spectrum of Human Capital Management (HCM) services—have not only sustained but also significantly contributed to its revenue and profitability. The full-year 2023 results highlight a robust 19% year-over-year growth in recurring revenue and a substantial improvement in EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA figures, showcasing the underlying strength of Asure’s business model.

The company’s forward-looking guidance, projecting continued revenue growth and an improved adjusted EBITDA margin, further cements its position as a strong contender in the HCM market space. With Wall Street maintaining a “strong-buy” rating and anticipating considerable upside potential in Asure’s stock price, it is evident that the investor community recognizes the company’s value beyond the temporary ERTC benefits. As Asure continues to navigate forward, its focus on core business offerings and strategic growth initiatives promises to deliver meaningful value to its shareholders.

Disclaimer:

Spotlight Growth is compensated, either directly or via a third party, to provide investor relations services for its clients. Spotlight Growth creates exposure for companies through a customized marketing strategy, including design of promotional material, the drafting and editing of press releases and media placement.

All information on featured companies is provided by the companies profiled, or is available from public sources. Spotlight Growth and its employees are not a Registered Investment Advisor, Broker Dealer or a member of any association for other research providers in any jurisdiction whatsoever and we are not qualified to give financial advice. The information contained herein is based on external sources that Spotlight Growth believes to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. Spotlight Growth may create reports and content that has been compensated by a company or third-parties, or for purposes of self-marketing. Spotlight Growth was compensated four thousand dollars cash by Asure Software for the creation and dissemination of this content by the company.

This material does not represent a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Certain statements contained herein constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Company’s plans and objectives, projections, expectations and intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management.

The above communication, the attachments and external Internet links provided are intended for informational purposes only and are not to be interpreted by the recipient as a solicitation to participate in securities offerings. Investments referenced may not be suitable for all investors and may not be permissible in certain jurisdictions.

Spotlight Growth and its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees may have bought or sold or may buy or sell shares in the companies discussed herein, which may be acquired prior, during or after the publication of these marketing materials. Spotlight Growth, its affiliates, officers, directors, and employees may sell the stock of said companies at any time and may profit in the event those shares rise in value. For more information on our disclosures, please visit: https://spotlightgrowth.com/disclosures/

[soyezheureux]

happy long holiday for people who have started holiday! for those who haven't started holiday, calm down guys! just a few days left hahaha. the vibes of the streets, in the school or in the office area has begun to feel different. bring the feel of welcome a long holiday hahaha. welcome back home to all the nomads too! 🎉

this time, my family and i won't be traveling to my parents' hometown because we already went on vacation (to my mom's hometown) at the end of last year.

in this post, i'll share the highlights of my recent vacation as a journal. and my travel journal starts here:

it started with a road trip from central java to port in east java via the toll road. yup, for the trip at that time our family chose to use the ship to go to sulawesi. twas a very pleasant trip coz usually we as a family use airplanes for transportation, but at that time we decided to use ships. the last time i went on a ship was when i was in the 2nd grade of elementary school (around 2004) and i went on a ship again in 2023-2024. wow, 20 years passed. there are things that have changed and still remain the same because i can still clearly remember the details of the atmosphere on the ship.

for the departure trip, the total land and sea journey took about 83 hours. crazy right? if by plane, i usually leave home at 8am and arriving at my grandma's house at 3 or 5pm (depends on the flight schedule). but if by ship, i leave on tuesday and arrive on friday aka 3 sunrises and 2 sunsets that i enjoyed at sea hahahaha. i was really lucky, twas like there were no waves at all! even the wind was like nothing hahahaha. so i'm pretty sure no stories of seasick people that day 😎

----------------------------------------------------------

arriving at my grandma's house in the morning, my brother i had already decided to go riding around the city immediately after finishing breakfast. this was my first destination, a reclaimed island designated as a recreational area in the city center.

and we back again to the same place at the afternoon hahah. it appears that the tide's beginning to rise. the sunset's clearly visible at the end if seen directly with the naked eye.

the next day, the last day of 2023! still at the same location, i took a morning walk to exercise with my bro. not bad, we walked 5km.

BUT in the evening, i had an accident! 🤣 i swear, of all the parts of my body, only my head is completely safe from open wounds or bruises. so this year's new year's eve, i spent my time lying down enjoying the roar of the fireworks while in pain HAHAHAH

the morning of january 1st, the streets were very quiet. it seemed like people were just starting to sleep after the new year's eve party. before the tragedy of the accident happened, i had promised my mom to accompany her on a morning walk (like with my bro the day before). there's no need to upload an image for this part as the location's still the same. i'm not lying, my whole body hurts! but i'm too embarrassed to tell my mom or anyone else HAHAHAHA. i got into an accident because of my own carelessness too. so i don't wanna show my pain to others, i've to be strong 🤣 because the track was the same as the day before, so the total distance i walked was also the same 5km. the difference was that i couldn't enjoy the morning walk because yeah HAHAHAHAHAH.

my torment that day didn't stop there. in the afternoon, i went to the beach to swim with my fams. swimming with the sensation of death! 🤣 i couldn't stop myself from moaning in pain, but my dad encouraged me to keep it in coz it would help dry out all the open wounds faster. it did, but the pain was incredible.

the view is still beautiful even though the visitors are very very crowded. promised myself never to go to this beach again on holidays or weekends even though this is the closest beach to my grandma's house. fyi, this beach is only 10 minutes from home. on previous vacations, i would go to this beach once a day to swim. leave early in the morning and be back home before 9am. but on this vacation, i went to the beach once a week coz the weather was so hot! even just 5 days there, my skin was already a lot striped and burnt. geezz

but since i often travel with my big family there, it's hard not to choose to travel on sundays because on other days they have to work. but it seems like i was lucky, the tourist spot i visited at that time was deserted. my aunt's said, besides the location which is quite far from the city center, the tourist spot's also a bit past trend. that's great! i can enjoy the beauty of the place comfortably. i really spent time from morning to evening including the road trip.

if you look at the 2nd pict, it's clear that the place i'm visiting is on top of the reef. and when the piece of reef's gone, it becomes clear that it's part of the deep sea. it's a passenger ship route to pass to the port in the capital, btw. you can imagine how deep it is, right?

my activities for the next day? of course splashing around on the beach AGAIN! there's a real difference between holidays and weekdays, right?

there was one moment where my fams and i were driving to the top of the island. however, my brother and i accidentally found a new spot to see airplanes. as a aviation lovers, we were both very happy and excited about it. so the next day we went to that spot twice in the morning and afternoon according to the airplane schedule to observe planes taking off and landing. the place is really high coz we had to stand on the rocks and twas definitely not blocked by anything! the track to the rock was also quite steep, there was a certain fear if i couldn't stop my footsteps and fell into the ravine on the other side of the rock 🤣 but it didn't dampen our happiness and enthusiasm at all. it's just that because i'm in a small island, planes go in and out only 3-5 times a day.

with the maximum zoom capability on my phone, i caught the body of ATR72 operated by wings air.

until finally it was sunday again and time for a vacation with my big family again. leaving early in the morning like school students going to the morning flag ceremony, we set off for the ferry port. our destination that day was… i forgot. but for sure twas a sub district town on the other side of the island. a 15 minute sea trip and about 8 hours for road trip coz we literally circled the whole island. what did we find there? of course the beach, the beach, and the beach! 🤣 unfortunately twas a cloudy day, so the beach we visited wasn't very good coz twas affected by dark clouds. we then returned home just before sunset.

but even though twas tiring, i still liked the idea of traveling that day. twas my very first time travelling to other side of the island (in sulawewsi area) by ferry.

----------------------------------------------------------

i spent almost a whole month in the land of sulawesi. finally twas time to go back home. still the same as when we left, our family used the ship to return to the land of java. actually my ship's schedule at that time should have left at 3am. coz at that time the wind was strong and the waves were getting bigger, the ship could only leave at 5am (the ship had to sail against the current, so it couldn't sail quickly).

(i tried my best to take a stable pict, but coz my left hand has to pull a large luggage + 1 carry on bag, so this is the only photo i could get while walk to board the ship).

once i got into the ship and found my bed, i laid down right away coz my head was so dizzy. the last 2 days while at my grandma's house, i really couldn't get enough sleep coz there were a lot of things to do. made even worse by the ship's delayed makes my sleep schedule have to be postponed so that my head gets even more dizzy. i was already a bit panicked at that time.... i was afraid of vomiting! hahahaha

boarding a ship with big waves and a headache from lack of sleep is a perfect combination for seasickness. thankfully i still have 50% seafaring blood from my mom, so i was safe again after 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep 😎 oh God, please forgive me, i have missed all the obligatory prayers on time because of my inability to even open my eyes, let alone stand up 🤣🙏🏻 dude, my head's really spinning hahahaha. i remember that afternoon my dad woke me up coz i had to eat, especially since i had missed my 2 scheduled meals. my dad said i had to eat so i wouldn't get dizzy, so i did! besides, i'm starting to get hungry too :D

30 minutes after going through the meal procession, all of us (except my dad) decided to walk to the outer deck of the ship. we think that being outside and enjoying the fresh breeze will really help relieve the symptoms of seasickness. apart from that, i also had to walk to find a prayer room to carry out all the prayers which had been delayed coz i was sleeping 🤣🙏🏻 my dad? hahahaha he was no longer able to sit upright, so he just stayed in bed. believe me, when the storm started to hit our ship, only my mom could sit upright with a fresh face out of the four of us. me, my bro, and my dad? we're all just able to lie down on our beds. i think having 100% seafaring blood's never a lie.

(the two photos are only 20 minutes apart. suddenly our ship entered a storm area. strong wind, heavy rain! the ship seemed to be swinging hard).

but since we saw the dark clouds were about to pass, i immediately called my family back into the room. my instincts told me something bad was gonna happen. sure enough, a rainstorm! hahaha. i had not yet started praying, the prayer room door was still locked coz (according to ship regulations) it wasn't yet the prayer schedule.

after a very longgg sea journey, we finally arrived safely on the mainland of java. if i recall, i should have arrived at 8/9pm on saturday, but in fact i only arrived on sunday at 9am. a dozen hours late due to the ship that couldn't speed up against the sea current. we got off the ship in a hurry because we had to get to the station. at that time we hadn't booked any train tickets at all because the time of arrival in java was very gambling. it'd be a pity if we had already booked and missed it because our ship hadn't docked yet hahaha

thankfully all my family members were still able to run because as soon as we arrived at the station, i immediately bought tickets for the fastest train to my hometown and there were only 8 minutes left. running while pushing a 24-inch luggage with a full load has never been easy for me. thankfully (again) we all arrived on time and once we found our seats, the train took off.

the train ride took 3 hours. i wanted to sleep, but the scenery outside the window was beautiful! so i just leaned back to enjoy the blue sky combined with the mountains, a very typical scene in java. at 12pm, we arrived at our destination city and i already booked a taxi home. it was an exciting sunday because in just one day, i had experienced 3 different types of public transportation hahaha.

but i felt like my arrival at that time was unwanted, why? because the sky that was originally so blue and bright suddenly turned black and the rain fell very heavily as soon as our taxi approached the house. nah, i'm joking. i believe that rain brings blessings 😇🙏🏻 the first few hours after arriving home, i still felt like i was on a ship. my body suddenly felt like it was swinging on its own. i even had to hold on in the bathroom while brushing my teeth. you know, it felt like i still had to keep my body balanced like i was on the ship hahahah. of course the next thing i do is sleep sleep sleep! gosh, i really miss my room and everything in it. i can't imagine if one day i've to live alone and after a long time my room will have to turn into…. an extra room for storage maybe?

in the end, everything that has been started will definitely reach its end. including this short travel journal to my mom's hometown. thank you to all parties involved in the journey, especially to my uncles, aunts, grandma, brothers, sisters, and even my ex who were very kind and patient. i've had a lot of new experiences that i can use as lessons. i'm waiting for you guys return visit, i'll take you to many exciting places which are definitely quite difficult to find in sulawesi 🤣

i'm a happiness seeker, until next time!

[ultrajaphunter]

BURN RATE:

UKR Forces have Destroyed 332 Enemy aircraft and 325 Russian helicopters since the war began.

Added to this total are a trio of fighters: a pair of Su-34 and an Su-35. https://msn.com/en-us/news/other/russia-loses-two-su-34-fighter-bombers-and-an-su-35-jet-in-a-day-ukraine/ar-BB1iqV8Y…

Last week holds 73 documented Vehicles lost (incl. 17 MBTs, 33 IFVs), quite on a par with 76 week before (went up to 83 now due to post mortem discoveries), although much fewer than 129 over exact same Period Last Year.

10+ Confirmed Losses a day are pretty much in a ballpark of 2023 avg daily Losses (11.1) indicating no signs of negotiation readiness despite any claims that could have been made during hypothetical interview with self-proclaimed journalist.

No relation to actual events.

[sonyatiffany696]

NIO Delivers Over 15,000 Vehicles in December, Hitting a New Monthly Record

<h2>NIO Shares December 2022 Delivery Results</h2> <p>NIO recently released their delivery figures for December 2022. The data showed that in December, NIO delivered 15,815 new vehicles, setting a new monthly record with 50.8% growth year-over-year. Deliveries continued increasing for their three core models - the ET7, ES7, and ET5 from their second generation technology platform, totaling 13,127 vehicles and accounting for 83% of last month's deliveries. This marked a successful transition to these newer vehicles in the market.</p> <p>For the fourth quarter of 2022, NIO delivered 40,052 new vehicles overall, rising 60% compared to the same period last year and setting a new quarterly record. In all of 2022, NIO delivered a total of 122,486 new vehicles, growing 34% year-over-year. As of December 31st, NIO's cumulative deliveries reached 289,556 new vehicles.</p> <p>According to an announcement from NIO, deployment of their third generation swapping stations and 500kW ultra-fast charging capabilities will begin in 2023. Their plan is to build over 1,700 battery swapping stations and more than 20,000 charging piles across China. In 2022, NIO established 538 new swapping stations globally, bringing their total network to 1,315 stations. This included 346 highway swapping points across China, completing battery swapping coverage along "five vertical and three horizontal" routes connecting eight major city clusters. To date, they have installed around 13,384 charging stations.</p> <p>It's understood that NIO's third generation stations will utilize an improved three-stall collaboration model for swaps, reducing exchange times by 20%. Battery compartment capacity is increasing to 21 packs as well, allowing each station to service up to 408 vehicles daily - a 30% gain versus previous designs.</p>

#NIO models