We’re at the baby stages of planning a move within the next 2 years or so. One is a teacher from rural areas, the other is a pediatric therapist from a big Midwestern city. Currently in coastal NC and wanting to get out for a better quality of life, cooler temps/actual seasons (we have 2 seasons) and more of a place that we fit in better. Eastern NC feels 85% hardcore pro-j6, anti science etc and Covid really highlighted how much I’m a fish out of water here. Am feeling very uneasy about the political climate here. We have protested, wrote our reps, worked in public education for 20 years, done a lot of volunteering and feel that it’s time to go somewhere where things don’t feel so. Dang. Hard.
Furthermore, it breaks our hearts that we have trans and POC family members that are now uncomfortable to visit us here due to their past experiences visiting us and seeing all the confederate flags, casual and open racism, homo- and trans-phobia.
I admire your infrastructure, social programs, relative progressiveness and am honestly jealous of the weather.
I was hoping you kind folks could name some small to midsize towns that are fairly affordable. Somewhere where it would be possible to have a decent sized yard for our many rescue pups. It would really help us start looking and get away from the moldy, humid armpit of ENC. We assume that’ll be in the western part of the state, which is great by us. I know rural vs urban is a big cultural divide but I imagine your rural/small town is probably less scary than southern rural.
I’m really in desperate need of some hope, please be kind, if possible. We know nowhere is perfect but we are decent people just wanting a better life for our family.

Yesterday I got a betta fish and in the store he was really dull but he was the only fish that was the color I wanted, so I got him. He otherwise appeared healthy and didn’t look sick, so I assumed he was dull because of stress and being in a tiny cup with bad water parameters and no enrichment. I figured that once I had him home in my twenty gallon tank he would look better after a few days or weeks. I’ve seen some amazing transformations of people who have rescued bettas in really sad shape and they ended up having very bright, beautiful coloring once they had better care. Even if he doesn’t end up with brighter coloring, I’ll still keep him because he deserves a good home just as much as any other fish, but I’m still hoping his coloring will improve soon now that he’s in a better environment. Does anyone know how long it will take for that to happen/is that why he’s dull or is it just how his coloring is and I should accept it?

I’ve been fostering dogs since I bought a house in August. Having been a dog owner my whole life, I didn’t do a lot of research. I just snatched up the first pupper I saw that needed a place to go.
Well it turns out the rescue organization that I got the dog from is a bit of a mess. It’s really just two women (one of whom left the rescue rather dramatically recently) with a facebook page pretending to be a nonprofit. And while they take good care off the dogs, there are no resources, few supports for fosters, and their dogs get adopted very slowly because they aren’t really marketing them. They are nice people but they have no business running a rescue imho.
I found a forever home myself for the dog I had, and he’s doing great. I decided not to work with that organization again and I’ve been fostering for my local shelter ever since (much better relationship).
Well last night I had a friend call me because someone’s neighbor was going to euthanize a dog and they wanted to pull him before that happened. So I asked where the dog came from originally (hoping he could go back) and of course, it’s this rescue. I’m waiting to find out what they will do, but I know they don’t actually have the means to take this dog back.
So, advice? Should I recommend they surrender the dog to another rescue who is better equipped? Do I tell the well intentioned woman running this thing that she’s in over her head and she should stop?

Hello, it's been a couple of months of house hunting in Bangalore and it's been quite a bust. Hoping this post will help in finding a house.
I'm looking for a 1or 2 bhk in Bangalore with a budget of 20-25k. My office is in RMZ ecowrold and would have preferred something close by but clearly that's too much to ask and the rents are way too high. I don't know the city well so don't know what alternatives would work. Please do advice on the areas to look at or send across leads if you do have.
I have a small rescue puppy with me and would want a safe and secure house for her and me. If anyone here can help, please do. Thank you 💕

New Swans album The Beggar available for pre-order now. Here's what Michael Gira has to say about it:
“After numerous pandemic-induced cancellations of tours for the previous Swans album leaving meaning, and an apparent bottomless pit of waiting, waiting, waiting, and the strange disorientation that came with this sudden but interminable forced isolation I decided it was time to write songs for a new Swans album and forget about everything else. They came relatively easily, always informed by the suspicion that these could be my last. When I finally was able to travel, songs in hand, to Berlin to work with my friends recording this record, the feeling was akin to the moment in The Wizard of Oz when the film changes from Black and White to Color. Now I’m feeling quite optimistic. My favourite color is pink. I hope you enjoy the album!” – Michael Gira
SWANS have announced details of their sixteenth studio album, The Beggar, due for release on Mute / Young God Records (N America) on 23 June 2023. In addition, Swans have announced further dates for a tour across the UK, Europe and North America – full details below. The Beggar will be released on double vinyl in a brown chipboard sleeve with a download card for accessing an additional 44 minutes of music (also included on the album's CD version), as a double CD in a brown chipboard digi-pack, as well as digitally.
Listen to the first track from the album, ‘Paradise is Mine: https://youtu.be/HgtGHp2kfPQ
The Beggar was recorded and mixed at Candy Bomber Studio, Berlin, engineered by Ingo Krauss and mastered by Doug Henderson at Micro-Moose, Berlin. The album was written and produced by Michael Gira and features contributions from recent and former Swans, members of Angels of Light, as well as Guest Swan Ben Frost.
Primary contributors to The Beggar:
Michael Gira – Vocals, words, acoustic guitar, production. Gira started Swans in NYC in 1982 and has been the primary songwriter, singer and producer throughout the years. During the Swans hiatus (1999 – 2010), he released several albums by and toured with a group called Angels of Light. Gira recently published a book of his short stories, journals, and words for music, called The Knot. He lives in New Mexico.
Kristof Hahn – Lap steel, various guitars, vocals. Kristof first joined Swans in 1989 and was a principal contributor to Angels of Light, and a core Swans member 2010 – 2017. Kristof’s other musical ventures have included the Rock ‘n’ Roll Noir band Les Hommes Sauvages and Kool Kings (with Alex Chilton). When not making music Kristof translates books. He lives in Berlin, Germany.
Larry Mullins - Drums, vibes, orchestral percussion, Mellotron, various keyboards, backing vocals. Larry is a trained symphonic percussionist. He played through the ‘90s with Iggy Pop and later with The Stooges. He played with Swans in the late ‘90s and was a main contributor to Angels of Light. His current main job is playing drums with The Bad Seeds. Larry lives in Berlin, Germany.
Dana Schechter – Bass guitar, lap steel, keyboards, vocals, piano. Dana played bass in and was a core member of Angels of Light. She subsequently released music and toured as Bee and Flower. Her current band is the power-duo, Insect Ark. Dana is an animator and designer in the film industry and currently lives in Berlin, Germany.
Christopher Pravdica - Bass guitar, sounds, keyboards, vocals. Chris played bass as a core Swans member in 2010 – 2017. Chris has played with the bands, The Gunga Din, Flux Information Sciences, Xiu Xiu, Yonatan Gat’s Medicine Singers and has a project of his own called We Owe. Chris is a sound designer and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Phil Puleo – Drums, percussion, vocals, piano, exotic wind instruments. Phil played drums with Swans in the late ‘90s and was a core member in Swans 2010 – 2017 and contributed to Angels of Light. Phil’s early NYC musical venture was Cop Shoot Cop and has since played with Human Impact, among others. Phil is an extremely talented illustrator and lives in Chicago, IL.
Ben Frost - Guitar, synthesizers, sound manipulations. In his own work, Ben’s adventurous sound-craftings are sometimes harrowing and sometimes delicate and quite musical. His numerous albums and his powerful live shows have afforded him much recognition. He is also an accomplished composer and arranger of music for film and television. Ben lives in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Backing vocals are provided by Jennifer Gira, Lucy Kruger and Laura Carbone.
The Beggar tracklisting

1. The Parasite
   
2. Paradise is Mine
   
3. Los Angeles: City of Death
   
4. Michael is Done
   
5. Unforming
   
6. The Beggar
   
7. No More of This
   
8. Ebbing
   
9. Why Can't I Have What I Want Any Time That I Want?
   
10. The Beggar Lover (Three)
    
11. The Memorious
    

Pre-order The Beggar: https://younggodrecords.com/products/the-beggar
And be sure to check out the rest of younggodrecords.com for recent restocks of Soundtracks for the Blind, Public Castration is a Good Idea, Angles of Light “Sing Other People" and We Are Him, all shipping now.
SWANS LIVE DATES - 2023
20 May – Leipzig DE, UT Connewitz – SOLD OUT
21 May – Poznan PL, CK Zamek – SOLD OUT
23 May – Katowice PL, Kino Teatr Rialto – SOLD OUT
25 May – Zilina SK, New Synagogue
26 May – Llubljana SI, Kino Siska
27 May – Innsbrück AT, Heart of Noise Festival, Treivus
29 May – Bologna IT, Teatro Duse
31 May – Lyon FR, Transbordeur
2 June – Barcelona ES, Primavera Sound Festival
4 June – Lisbon PT, Culturgest – SOLD OUT
5 June – Lisbon PT, Culturgest
6 June – Faro PT, Teatro Das Figuras
9 June – Madrid ES, Primavera Sound Festival
11 June – Athens GR, Vraxon Theatre
13 June – Thessaloniki GR, Moni Lazariston
15 June – Antwerp BE, Bourlaschouwburg
16 June – Utrecht NL, Hertz Theatre – SOLD OUT
11 Aug – Brighton UK, St Georges Church
12 Aug – Manchester UK, Albert Hall
15 Aug – Newcastle UK, Boiler Shop
16 Aug – Glasgow UK, St Luke Cathedral
18 Aug – Bristol UK, Arc Tangent Festival
19 Aug – Leeds UK, Belgrave Music Hall
21 Aug – Dublin IE, The Academy
23 Aug – Norwich UK, Waterfront
24 Aug – London UK, Troxy
26 Aug – Lausanne CH, Nox Orea Festival
2 Sep – Dallas TX, Granada Theater
3 Sep – Austin TX, Paramount Theatre
7 Sep – Phoenix AZ, Crescent Ballroom
8 Sep – Los Angeles CA, Lodge Room
9 Sep – Los Angeles CA, Lodge Room
12 Sep – San Francisco CA, Great American Music Hall
13 Sep – San Francisco CA, Great American Music Hall
15 Sep – Portland OR, Revolution Hall
16 Sep – Seattle WA, The Crocodile Showroom
19 Sep – Omaha NE, Waiting Room Showroom
20 Sep – Minneapolis MN, Fine Line Music Cafe
21 Sep – Chicago IL, Cabaret Metro
23 Sep – Detroit MI, Magic Bag
24 Sep – Cleveland OH, Beachland Ballroom
26 Sep – Toronto ON, Phoenix Concert Theater
27 Sep – Montreal QC, Theatre National
29 Sep – Brooklyn NY, Music Hall of Williamsburg
30 Sep – Brooklyn NY, Music Hall of Williamsburg

Hello, I would like to make a suggestion for changes to the rabbit mob in Minecraft. Rabbits are the 3rd most common household pet, but despite that they are not tamable like dogs, cats, and axolotls, but yet unlike these “pet” mobs rabbits drop their meat, hide, and feet. No other mob that is so commonly associated as a pet drops part of its body, you wouldn’t have a dog drop dog meat or dog hide even though in a survival situation they would serve the same function. I would also like to call attention to the color of the rabbits, wild and domestic rabbits are not the same. In a video game this shouldn’t matter, but this could be used to spread awareness of a real life issue, that as an owner of a rescue rabbit, is very close to my heart. Pet rabbits are abandoned outside all the time, and you would hope someone would see that animal was out of place and take action to rescue it, but this often doesn’t happen because they confuse a dumped domestic rabbit for a wild one. I believe rabbits should spawn into the game being white in snowy biomes and brown everywhere else, then change pattern once tamed like it used to work with ocelots and cats. This would draw a clear distinction between pet and wild rabbits. Also while being able to tame rabbits with carrots would be reasonable. Carrots are very high in sugar and should only be used as treats. In real life feeding rabbits ,especially baby rabbits, excessive amounts of carrots can be very dangerous for their health. I suggest their breeding food be changed to hay bales as that is the majority of a pet rabbit’s proper healthy diet. Thank you for your time, I hope you will keep this in mind.

First Part Start Previous Next

Dear Diary,

I was right, they are getting a whole new penal ship to deal with how many convicts are being made. The current mayor is trying to get us to turn over the convicts to the Jecauvian justice system. The people got even more mad about that. Something about hurting kids makes them not true Jecau in the first place, and not deserving protection. Protection from what? It's not like we're going to space the pickpockets or muggers. Just a few months of hard work at an unpleasant task for them. Only murderers and kidnappers have to worry about their lives, and not even the mayor isn't talking about those convicts. The penal ship will be here in a week, and hopefully we'll be gone by then. Did this gang really think we'd just do what they wanted after they attacked us like this? Don't they read history? Like, come on. How dumb can you get?
Interestingly, now that Dr. Doofus has a proper barrister, he's begging to enter a guilty plea. He's practically begging to talk to somebody with authority to go after the poachers. Turns out that he had gang connections, but not the kind that make him more guilty. One of the kids rescued was apparently the heir to his clan, and there are a lot of them on station happy to have the freedom to talk to the authorities now. I can't imagine what it must have been like for him to live with that kind of threat over him all of the time, and no power to deal with it. So that makes our lives a whole lot simpler. It's gross that they let it get this bad. They couldn't even join a better ship so long as the gangers had their clan heir.
Daddy commed back this morning, and Yoiv talked to him. He was upset that Greg was out scouting, so wasn't there to talk, but Daddy says that he's doing just fine with the stress. It makes sense from his story, but I'm still worried. It was good for Yoiv to see Daddy and Uncle Yaem were okay though. He said that the guys the other ships sent were good fighters, better than him. Well, Daddy's a good captain, that's not the same as being a good fighter, but he still rescued all of those kids before the other ships could put together their away teams. The We Sing might get a Star Mark for that. I hope Daddy doesn't refuse.
Still, Yoiv has reverted to wanting to go everywhere holding hands. He hasn't been like this since he was three, and I guess getting ripped away by a ganger would do that. I told him that Sneaky beat up that ganger so bad that he'll never kidnap anyone ever again, and that helped a little. I hope he can recover from it, he was SUPER brave on the planet, and we're all VERY proud of him. We tell him so, but there's something bothering him that he won't talk about.
The good news is that the gangers are surrendering in droves and droves. Possibly because they hope to let all of the justice fall on their leaders, or maybe they just don't like what it means to get in a real fight. Even pirates would have held out longer. Then again, Daddy says Sneaky thinks their tactics were dumb, so maybe they just didn't understand what they got themselves into.
Tomorrow. Please, let everything go back to normal tomorrow.

Log: 6000001.0.17, Personal, Captain Yormdrill

They broke.
We ambushed another large patrol, and the other squadrons took another, and directly after that, three lieutenants lead somewhere between three and four hundred men in a surrender to us, while the other squadrons received five captured lieutenants. It seemed that the lower levels of the gang had finally understood that this was not a law enforcement crackdown that they could scare off with a show of force, or a turf war with another gang that they could win by denying territory. We had come to get them, and their leaders in particular. Some of whom had realized that facing a Magistrate was preferable to taking a plasma bolt to the head the moment they caught a glimpse of the open sky.
One of them was weeping, or rather making a keening noise of relief and grief as they do not have tear ducts, and gazing at the local star. I didn't realize that denying people the sight of their sky could have such a profound impact on the psyche. I suspect Gregory had expected it.
After that, the sizes of the patrols was so small that Gregory ordered the supporting squadrons to hold their fire on the opening salvos of the ambush, to give the gangers a chance to surrender once they realized they were under attack. They invariably took the opportunity, such that Gregory ordered that all but one, himself in our case, Red Leader in the other, hold their fire in case that was enough to encourage a surrender. We disarmed thirteen patrols after inflicting a single casualty, and most of those not lethal.
Then, a group of three lieutenants surrendered with a captured "shot caller." We found them waiting, almost five hundred gangers were kneeling in a park (or what used to be a park at one point I could see some run-down play equipment in one corner) with their weapons in a heap a good thirty paces away from the closest ganger, while the lieutenants covered the female with pistols. Gregory instructed the low level gangers to march in a direction away from our area of operation, and once they were a good five blocks away, they began to split up to likely go to ground with either family or unaffiliated peers.
I spoke to one of the surrendering lieutenants, and he had confirmed that the gang's morale had broken. The mere thought of something as adorable as Gregory lurking in the shadows just waiting to take their heads off had been terrifying enough for over two thirds of the gang's lower members to suddenly be too "sick" to leave home.
The difference in treatment between those officers turned over by their men, and those who had surrendered of their own will was made evident in the view of those low level men being released. So long as they were cooperative, Gregory insisted that they not be physically moved at all, and he instructed that their cells should be furnished with a bed, and be given hot meals. "Honor should be met with honor, even from criminals," he said when someone from Green squad objected. Those who were turned over were treated with deliberate roughness, and Gregory took an opportunity to strike a few of them, which with his strength was likely vey painful.
The surrendering officers were more than willing to provide images taken from inside the building, which we used to create an almost complete map, and information on where further hostages were being kept. It was well that we did not leave yet. It would be wrong to leave innocents in their vile clutches.
The assault begins tomorrow, and apparently the remaining two shot callers and seven lieutenants only have a remaining fifty of their most fanatically loyal subordinates left. Gregory has cautioned us that these are the most dangerous, and least likely to surrender. We assault the building tomorrow.
Almost home.

Mission Log: 6. Date: 1/6/5. Name: Gregory George

Mission: Planetary rescue
Mission objectives:
Rescue Linus from unknown hostiles connected to a shady lawyer
--Linus located on planet
--Shuttle company name determined: Shuttle by Green
---Gang identified
---Gang headquarters identified
---Likely information vector identified
----Information vector obtained
----Large number of gangers in hiding
----Linus has escaped
-----Linus secured
-----Linus has rescued other kidnap victims
-----Exfiltrate Linus and other kidnap victims
------Linus and hostages rescued.
Objective complete
Eliminate or neutralize all hostiles
--One hostile neutralized nonlethally
---One hostile eliminated
----Six hostiles eliminated
----One potential hostile neutralized
-----Eight hostiles eliminated
-----Nine hostiles neutralized
-----Three potential hostiles neutralized
-----Fifty three hostiles eliminated
-----Eight hostiles neutralized
------Fifty eight hostiles eliminated
------Nine hostiles neutralized
-------Two hundred twenty-four hostiles eliminated
-------Two hundred fifteen hostiles neutralized
-------One lieutenant captured
-------Forty three hostiles eliminated
--------Lost count of neutralized hostiles
--------Twelve lieutenants captured
--------One shot caller captured
Teach the criminal elements a lesson
--One example provided
---One demonstration provided
-----Three demonstrations provided
-----Nine examples provided
------Five demonstrations provided
------Eight examples provided
------Two demonstrations proveded
------Nine examples provided
------Two messengers sent
-------Thirteen demonstrations provided
-------Fifty-five examples provided
-------Twenty four messengers sent
-------One responsible party acquired
--------Mass surrenders have begun
--------Thirteen responsible parties acquired
Mission parameters:
Minimize collateral casualties
Minimize collateral property damage
Evade detection by station security
Minimize station damage
Protect allies
Potential Action Plan:
It is time for an assault.
Place Green squad on the exits
A fire team from Blue squad attached to each of the fire teams from Red Squad
Breach at points on third floor at shared walls in adjoining buildings.
Sneaky squad will insert via roof entrance
We will confer and go over the plan before dawn
Observations irrelevant to mission:
Green Leader is such a fucking cocktease. They have this sweet fucking magac that I could make this entire planet fucking tremble in fear with. Shit is, their machinist isn't as good as Uncle. Fuck.
One more day, and it's time to go home.
Jesus commanding a sustainment battalion, I can hardly wait to see Linus again.
It'll be nice to just fucking listen for a while.
First Part Start Previous Next

>!How Shin interacts with Kanki, or even when Kanki's name is said, Shin originally would be extremely aggressive, but when he met Kanki for the last time as Kanki entered the castle, Shin did the respectful hand gesture (fist into palm), and barely spoke - and when he did speak he wasn't just being overly emotional as he ALWAYS was prior.
It's a very small tidbit, but the details like this are awesome.
Originally when Shin saw soldiers mistreating innocence, Shin instantly went to throw down and was punished.
But for the 100k execution, Shin now being a general had to be sent far away, and given tasks. Which shows how his position has changed quite a bit, as a legit war would've broken out otherwise, which would've resulted in all armies dying.
But now, when re-reading we know that Kanki didn't only send Shin away to prevent that from happening, but that he was keeping Shin's "purity" safe. Kanki seems to like Shin, because like Shou despite all that he's seen, despite being given a cruel hand he does not use it as an excuse to run wild. (Granted Shin could've had things much worse.)
I'm so excited to see how this is going to change the characters and the verse.
I'm REALLY hoping Ten will finally develop/change. Her "?!" dialogue isn't a problem just for being "?!", but that she's supposed to know Shin better then EVERYONE else (excluding En). You wouldn't want your second in command to question your general, it makes him feel like he's not taken seriously as a general. What makes this even MORE goofy, is that this shows that Kanki knows Shin better - by placing the Saki by him, knowing that he'd do the right thing. However, I'm willing to bet with the potential of Maron now joining, he will be the "?!" character, to take that burden off of Ten, for her to develop more into her own. While he takes care of logistics, but also with the Saki joining, this kinda feels like either the start or the "end" of defining him as a General. It may be a weakness, though also a strength, knowing that your leader will make morale decisions to rescue his guys, will make his guys fight like demons for him even more. Now that SO many of his soldiers have died, that he was nearly wiped out, he's (potentially) gained two invaluable resources that all generals need. 1) Logistics (This has been noted to be an issue ever since Ten joined. That random people were having to do this, but who weren't really great at in, in Maron.
2) Medics / "home base" crew, in the Saki clan.
But they lost something also invaluable in Information/Scouts with Naki, I haven't even really seen the Whistle tribe in quite sometime.
!<
Excuse the rant - I jumped around quite a lot. Will probably edit and re-organize.

Noticed one of my fans wasn't spinning. Took the side panel off to check the header was plugged in and while holding the panel it exploded everywhere. It never touched nor knocked anything.
Hoping I can get a replacement sidepanel if not its a whole new case for no reason whatsoever even worse il end up buying the one I already have because its great.
Anyway how long can I use it safely with no sidepanel?

I think about this every now and again, and I get so upset all over again.
Years and years ago, I was maybe 12 or 13? I had a friend whose mom bought sugar gliders, and told me they came from this little “exotic pet store” on the outskirts of town. This town wasn’t big either, and so in retrospect, having an exotic pet store there was weird even if it had been on the up and up.
I went there only once, and saw a red panda for the first time. It was in this WAY TOO SMALL enclosure. I remember thinking “omg it’s so cute… but this cage seems really small”. It wasn’t long before the store had closed down.
But I still think about it. I hope the little guy, and the other animals, were all rescued :( And now I donate to red panda conservation efforts. Ugh, humans are the worst.

Hey hey… I read some of our chats today
I wish our work relationship transitioned to a real life relationship. I know there’s nothing in the real world that we would talk about for eight hours. I bet I could fill a lot of it whinging about someone tho haha
I’d like to just experience life with you? Find things to talk about. Our conversations were my favourite thing for a long time there. I read through them today for work reasons and it’s clear there’s still nothing in my life that fills the gap you left. You probably think that’s lame. It’s not as lame as it sounds. You’re such a wonderful person to have around. I guess it must be tiring? To be so adored by all the wimmenz.
I miss you. I want to be near you. I want to hold you. Touch you. Kiss you. I want you to want to kiss me. I want you to choose me. I want to feel your skin on mine. Hear your heartbeat. I want to stroke your skin. Kiss your gorgeous neck all over. Pinch your earlobes. Make you sweaty lol
I know it’s a pipe dream. It would be a waste. For you. :( a waste of your potential.
I want to know if you consciously try not to lead me on. I also wonder if you ever flirt with me? I wouldn’t have realised. Many times I wished you were. But I would assume not.
In a way I am glad you didn’t show up. Because I can still hold out hope that there’s some kind of spark. Something. Or without work and without that connection are we literally nothing? We might hang out 1–2 times a year? So… I get to see you maybe sixty more times if we stay friends? Ugh. That’s not enough. I want more even if you’re sweaty and hot and drunk. I want more of you.
I’m scared of seeing your relationship status change. I’m so fucking invested in you. I know that’s annoying. You’re not the only thing in my life. I do get pleasure elsewhere but there was nothing like being near you. I felt safe. Aligned. Happy. You made me so happy just with a single fucking word sometimes. A picture. Even just typing indicator… It was crazy. You made me so happy.
I loved being on the same wavelength as someone.
I loved you.
I miss having you near. Do I even cross your mind?
Fuck I wish I meant more to you.
Over and out, il mio ragazzo.

Today is the day that my best friend (since elementary school) was born, but it isn’t about him (at least for the most part). I loved you both so much, and yet, not enough at the same time. Both of you have another thing in common today… you’re dead. It was only five months between your deaths and I'm still in shock. I don't know when I'll recover.
He hated you. You hated him.
But dad, you were the only one who held my hand and drove me to my rabies shot appointments after I got bit rescuing a dog from traffic. (No one else could take the time out of their day for my scared grown ass when I didn't wanna drive myself.) I’ll never forget you being asked by the guy for change for a $5 bill and you telling him, “man, if I had change for a five, I’d stay up all night watching it just to make sure it didn’t leave.” He was dumbfounded, but I laughed so fucking loud that I thought hospital security would show up. (But I also knew if you had change, or even any money on you, you would've helped him.)
But then... I think back to how you beat the fuck out of me for half of my life. I hated you. I wished you dead on Christmas when I was 7. That was all I wanted that year, especially after you busted my lip and I had to lie to the cops at school.
My best friend was there for me and he knew what actually happened. He never told a fucking soul... he hated you too. We grew up together for almost 15 years. Him and I had a lot in common, but now, you and him do... you’re both fucking gone.
I’m so sorry. I take what I said back. I was a kid and you were hurt too. By the time the cancer took over your brain, my sister and I lied to you and said you never hurt us. Truth is, I told my best friend the same shit when we watched the limos go by on prom night. "You never hurt me." But you both did and I lied. I loved you both so much. And you both hurt me on a molecule level.
I know you did what you did because you were raised different and were an immigrant here. You went through so much as a kid and I know that it was mostly generational abuse... I mean, your dad did make you walk on two broken legs… but I digress.
One of you was my best friend for the first half of my life... but you, dad... you became my best friend for the rest of your time. As I grew up and lost the guy who loved me most (when I didn't love him), you became the man I loved and looked up to most.
You both changed me but unfortunately, you both fucking left me and now, I’m stuck hoping my son will grow up to be the man you both fought so hard to be.
Most of all, I wish you were a $5 bill because I’d stay up all night to make sure you would never leave. May you both find peace. And may I find the change in my heart to complete that $5.
And I'm going to be the girl you guys believed in too.
P.S. Dad, tell beej happy birthday and let him know I did love him. And I love you too.

Hello I’m 26 year old guy living London looking to learn French, in particular speaking. Please let me know if you are serious about learning. I am intermediate but my speaking is lacking so I was hoping to find some people who would do some calls where we speak for 30 mins in English then 30 mins in French and correct each other. thanks!
Bonjour, je suis un mec de 26 ans et je cherche à apprendre français. Je voudrais parler avec quelqu’on parce que mon parler est pire que mon lire et écriture. Mon français est très moyen. Alors, j’espère que nous pouvons parler en Anglais pour 30 minutes et puis français pour 30 minutes.
Sur moi. j’aime lire - tous les types de romans comme murakami, Hemingway etc. Je passe trop de temps à la salle de blocs -j’aime escalade beaucoup. J’aime regarder MMA et boxing. Cyril gane est un de mes combattants préférés (si tu sais qui il est). Alors… Merci !

We adopted him quite young - maybe 7-8 months old (we don't know as he was a rescue). He was a ball of anxiety and quite/very reactive.

• He snapped and bit quite a lot - each friend got bitten once (although don't attempt to take food out of a dog's mouth if you don't know it and heed growls - don't attempt to pick up a growling dog)
• Barked at anyone who walked past
• screamed the house down for the doorbell
• And all hell broke loose if you left him alone

We paid a lot of money for training which has helped immeasurably. His overall anxiety has dropped significantly. Our trainedaycare owner estimated 80% drop.

• He walks well
• Listens 90% of the time
• Recall is coming along - just need to improve when he's with other dogs.
• He's sleeping outside the bedroom - hoping to move this from the hall to the living room in the next few weeks.
• I've gotten better at noticing when he's over-stimulated and can remove him before people have a chance to annoy him.
• And my partner and I are much more consistent with him.

​
Our Issue - We can't leave him
We have him in daycare the 3 days I'm in the office - which is costing a bomb. If we want to do anything that's not dog friendly at the weekend he's back in again. I've had to ring in sick, when he was sick because he can't go to daycare. I had to put him in daycare for an hour-long therapy session.
We set up a zoom call with him the other day (I know, lol). Just to see how long he would cry for when we left and if he would calm himself down.
Put him in his crate, gave him his favourite long-lasting treat and he howled and cried and whined for 40 minutes.
He doesn't want us to leave - ever.
I don't want to make his anxiety worse again but at the same time I'm wondering if we're strengthening his need to have us around by him never being alone.
​
About Doggo
Young - around the year mark.
Thought to be a pomeranian-spitz mix. Abandoned by previous owners for not being a purebred pomeranian.
Not neutered - trainer has said doing so will affect confidence/anxiety - said to wait until he's fully trained before doing so.
Walked 2x daily, played with regularly
Food changed to avoid additives - apparently, this affects anxiety too
​
I just need too be able to go to the local shop or a fitness class or go for dinner with my fiancee without having to pay for daycare - half-day rate for two hours.
​
HELP!

After hundreds of Exfils, just had the most amazing game to date. Felt like being in a movie. Hoping someone else from my squad reads this and comments.
We complete a mission and decide to head for the Weapons Case. On the way there I try to shortcut our vehicle over the mountain but screw it up and land us right in the middle of a bunch of armored soldiers. Both my squadmates go down and I cant get to them. I'm trying to dodge bullets and thin the crowd and near death several times. About 10 minutes go by and my squaddies are still there waiting. Can't let 'em down. The armored soldiers finally take me down but I have a self revive. A few more minutes of attrition and I finally am able to revive them.
We head to the buy station and I grab the LTV. Then we get jumped by another squad. We take down 1 guy who immediately pleads for help. A second guy has us almost mowed down. Just as his is about to kill me and end our chances I jump for their downed squaddie and hit rescue. Thankfully a rescue doesn't take any time so as he pops up, I die, but he unloads on his former squaddie. The third member of their squad, we see run off, never to be seen again.
We then head to the weapons case which is no longer moving. They must have gotten wiped by the bots. I grab it, and we head to the exfil. Just as the chopper is about to fly in, radiation sweeps in. We head to the final exfil. 30 seconds to go and we finally can pull this thing off. Another squad comes roaring in, firefight, we come out on top and away we go.
Sorry for the self indulgent post and I realize now, words don't do it justice, but if you've been in a DMZ and had stuff go down like this, I think you get it. Man that was a blast.

Hi everyone, I’ve been trying keto off and on for over a year now, hoping to treat PCOS and some other health conditions. The thing that I’m really struggling with is the electrolytes.
I’ve read the main keto FAQ, and I track my food and supplements pretty religiously through Cronometer, so I know roughly what I need to be getting in terms of sodium, potassium and magnesium.
I think my issue is that I’m drinking too much water / other drinks (like tea and coffee) so the salts are being flushed out of my system? I get keto flu symptoms like achey muscles, pain in my chest and muscle twitches, as well as sometimes feeling light headed. How much roughly do you drink in a day, with/without electrolytes?
Do you have a ‘rescue’ formula that you use if you start feeling rough?
At the moment I have some LMNT sachets so I’m making use of those, and I have also tried to make my own ketoade in the past using a 1/4 tsp salt and a 1/4 tsp lite salt in around 600ml water.
I’m sorry this isn’t super coherent but I just feel like I haven’t got the hang of this yet, and I really want keto to work for me. Any tips would be much appreciated, thanks.

The mods predictably shut comments down, as this topic is polarizing, but as a professional dog trainer, I had this to say. I wanted a to reach a larger audience so I'll share this here.
I commend you and respect your decision more than you know. I've been a balanced trainer for almost two decades, and it's one of my biggest hopes that we will see the stigma surrounding behavioral euthanasia lift because I don't have enough fingers and toes to equal the number of times I've weighed and laid out for owners and concluded that BE was the kindest, most responsible, and most of all, the RIGHT choice. But the owners chose to disregard and even accuse me of being an animal abusers or "just not knowing how to train a dog is all" because they have a Disneyfied view on life and animal behavior in particular and believe that love will change an animals fundamental and instinctive nature. Newsflash: nature always overcomes nurture. Any trainer who tells you that can train out genetic aggression or that "every dog can be saved" is full of shit and is a snake oil salesman. Any person that thinks cramming a cornucopia of pills down their dogs throat then keeping it under lock and key is any way to live is out of their damn mind and not really an animal lover regardless of what they may preach.
And before anyone gets sand in their ass crack about it (and I would hope my fellow honest professional dog trainers will back me up on this), the majority of which are pit bull type dogs, must meet certain criteria to meet that places them snugly in the category of "Irreparable - Too Dangerous". For anybody with logic, the pit bull and it's close cousins are bred for fighting and bull baiting or hunting. It's just common sense that a type of dog created for that type of activity are going to have alheightened aggression. Terriers in general were all need for one reason, and that is to kill. Every single breed. And they're all quite scrappy anyway. To have a dog that possesses this as a genetic trait takes accepting and rearranging your life and learning to keep people safe from your dog and vice versa.
It's not a decision that I take lightly (although when I come to a conclusion it is made there on the spot - it's very easy to assess what you should do with a dog in terms of training or medication, and of course, BE. And I'm not biased in terms of being heavy handed when I give them my professional opinion, it doesn't matter the breed. I have told owners of 5lb dogs that unless they were willing to put up with it, that was on them, but that my recommendation is that they elect for behavioral euthanasia. I had a couple of veterinarians in area the area whose numbers I'd provide them with who were willing to perform the operation, because a surprising number of vets will not help ease the mental pain suffered by a dog who cannot voice it's anguish. As long as it is physically healthy, it shouldn't be out to sleep, is their logic.
But a life spent constantly tense, in a perpetual state of hypervigilance, finger snap personality changes, anxious, told by your brain something is wrong and the answer is violence, or just being true to it's nature as a dog, which is where a dog is just wired to carry out the cycle of predation; locate , stalk, chase, bite, maul, kill. This genetic trait can be more problematic to ever solve since it is a self rewarding behavior; tack that on a breed already predisposed to genetic aggression and you can have a dog that is far too dangerous for anyone less than a seasoned trainer to own and those types of unicorn homes with no other dogs, other animals, kids, frail people, or close neighbors and are super vigilant when they're out and anal retentive when it comes to keeping the dog contained securely are as rare as their namesake.
** Part of our job as canine professionals is to not only evaluate and trainer a dog, it is also to make sure you are not putting everyone in the community in danger. Even if your dog "just" kills the neighbors cat, it wasn't "just" a cat to them just as your dog isn't "just" a dog to you. That cat was family to somebody. **
Scenario:Now imagine you didn't rationalize that your dog killing something without provocation. Your dog is out of control. You consult with a trained professional (say, me). We talk and establish that your dog checks of the majority of the boxes in the section marking candidates for BE.
You allow the trainer to see the dog in it's home environment, in it's territory (a short 5-6 blocks up and back around and back (hopefully coming across some triggers so I can observe and see if it is manageable, and in an unfamiliar place, where we get in the car and drive somewhere the dog has never been and observe the behavior then, then assess the owners training and management ability. A weak or incompetent trainer simply is not acceptable and not everyone is good with animals. They simply cannot read body language, pick up cues, exert enough authority over the animal, or effectively communicate with the dog in a way it will understand, or come across to me as chronically irresponsible, lazy, wilfully ignorant and refuse to take direction, too constitutionally weak to handle a dog that represents a safety concern, that is all take into consideration when I offer you my final decision. Behavioral euthanasia is the best and kindest option and that I can walk you through it. I help you to understand it is not a failure on your part, or what you could or shouldn't have done. Sometimes a dog just isn't wired right. It could seriously hurt or kill someone including you in the blink of an eye. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't, and when a clear pattern of dangerous behavior. Every single owner of a dog that seriously injures or kills someone says "But he never did that before."
You decide to disregard this advice, thinking it cruel or evil, or thinking I'm taking the lazy way out, question the trainers integrity and judgment and skill because "So-and-so from YouTube doesn't give up on his clients. All dogs can be fixed, I just need a different trainer, a better trainer
I see you around on FB, your feed is a continuous documentary of your catastrophic attempt to own and safely manage a dog that's a walking time bomb; " Today Zeus almost killed another dog for no reason at the dog park today. I just don't understand we've been working with trainers and he was doing pretty good, he even played with this same dog last week now I'm asking for prayers for all of us"
You almost don't want walk him anymore, but he needs to go out, right?
The walk is lovely until you turn the corner and uh-oh! Zeus literally turns you into a human kite soaring along behind you as it pursues a particularly tasty child with their faithful object of your dogs fixation originally. It tears the into other dog, being at eye height, the child is severely bitten, mauled or even killed. Yes, it happens. At least once in the 60 ish on average canine inflicted deaths in my country, the US.
When I recommend BE, it is for the sake of the dogs mental health because a life of severe neuroses you neither understand nor can explain, or spend you life doped to the gills under lock and key 24/7, or warehoused and forgotten to languish and take up resources for years. You should ALWAYS be present during the euthanasia of your pet, even if it breaks your heart. One, because you need to be there to provide emotional support and hold your dog while they administer the sleepy time juice. And if you don't stay with your animal and leave it anxious and confused to be PTS in the already stressful vets officer, you're a dick, full stop.
AND AND AND. You also NEED to be there and see for yourself that your dog really has passed on, check for a pulse when the vet announces TOD to you. There really are vets out there who will go as far as deeply sedating a dog when an owner they gauge naive enough to have their dog pumped full of enough anesthesia to knock out a horse and it suppresses respiration, they tell the owner the dog is gone and sneak it out the back door to take home because again, they're ARAs, which is much different than the superior support of Animal Welfare. If you're not there for the procedure, there is a high chance of some do gooder who just takes the dog and flips it and puts it in some random home, where oftentimes someone is hurt severely.
ATTENTION: Did you know there are only two freaking states in the entire US where it is *required by law for shelters to give the dogs bite history to you?* That's right, 48 states don't have to tell you your new pet was in the shelter for almost ripping the previous owners kis face off. Sickeningly, there is even a "non-profit charity" called "The Lexus Project" who devotes MILLIONS to slimeball lawyers whose purpose is to represent dogs who have SEVERELY hurt or killed people, one such famous case is with Mickey pit bull in Arizona who almost ripped his owners young kids face off because he was a resource guarder. People blamed the kid for a dogs bad behavior and they came and the mayor of some town nearby adopted the mutt and gave it a lavish life while anti human pit worshippers sniffed his farts for rescuing a "poor innocent pibbles tortured into having to fight for his life from an evil six year old". It's pretty sick and you can Google it; it's pretty bizarre and sick to me. Most of the dogs are, surprise... Pit bulls.
The reason I never advocate rehoming these dogs, not only is it irresponsible as fuck to place a dog whose unpredictable aggression is so bad that a loving owner decided it wasn't safe to have anymore, but again you have to weigh the risk to a community. Sometimes even one attack is enough to take a life.
It's a difficult choice to make. Don't beat yourself up. You are releasing your dog from it's mental prison and taken a lot of anxiety and stress surrounding your dog lifted from not only yourself but the entire community. I'd suggest finding a reputable breeder next time who knows what they're doing mixing genetics and breeding animals. An ethical breeder will produce animals that will always have the same, breed specific temperament as described in the breed standard (so make sure you always research your breeds and make sure the breed is one you're prepared to take on even with their downsides, like a predisposition towards animal aggression and ready to adjust your life as necessary to accommodate the breed.)
I am always available to consult for free for anyone looking to add a pedigreed purebred friend to their lives. I can put you in touch with ethical, responsible breeders of pretty much any breed you can think of nationwide. Don't ask me for recommendations for ethical Doodle or designer dog breeders; ethical breeders of such don't exist. I can recommend you a fantastic substitute for a Doodle and you can choose from about ten different purebreds that are virtually indistinguishable from Doodles when not shaved down, and have all the qualities and more people predictably pull out when I ask them what it is that draws them to Doodles in particular.
Have a good night and keep your chin up. More people support your decision than you know. :)
Sincerely, an appreciative dog trainer.

Note: Reddit will not let me save a draft of this more than once for some reason, so I am posting prematurely in hopes I can edit it after posting.
I'm constantly on the lookout for an expandable rolltop style backpack, but that has additional access. I was inspired by this post (https://www.reddit.com/backpacks/comments/114hmlz/20222023_everydaymultipurposeversatile_clean/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Most of the bags here were listed in other reddit posts, so thank you to everyone that contributed. And please comment if you have more suggestions :)
Need: EDC backpack that can expand to fit my jacket, or another small child size backpack / kids snow gear.
​
Requirements

• Minimal design (few straps, hangie bits, etc)...
• <1.5kg
• 18 - 35L range
• Roll top style backpack with additional access zip or panel
• Laptop compartment (does not need its own external access)
• Max 200 USD / 200 EUR

Bonus:

• External carry straps
• External water bottle pocket
• External secret pocket
• Self standing (but this is really more of a must have. I hate when my backpack falls over, or can't stand up when I'm filling it.)

​

Brand and Model	Volume (L)	Weight (kg)	Access	Link
Aevor Trip Pack	26 - 33	0.65	Rear panel
Aevor travel pack	38 - 45	1.4	Rear panel and side panel
Victorinox Altmont Active roll top	20 - ?	0.6	Quick side zipper
Heimplanet Commuter Pack	18 - ?	0.9	Quick side zipper
⁠Patagonia Arbor Roll Top Pack 30L	30	0.7	Via side laptop zipper
Prvke 21 / 31	21 - 25 31 - 35	1.3 / 1.5	Rear panel and side panel
Minaal Rolltop Bag	15 - ?	0.9	Front roll zip
IL Equipment⁠
Welldone - Chips Bag 30	30		Front roll zip
Sayama Works - Fast Backpack⁠		0.6	Front roll zip
Cayl - Mari Rolltop	27 - 32	0.5	Front roll zip
Ikea - Starttid rolltop	18 - ?	0.4	Via side laptop zipper
ULA - Camino	30 - ?	0.8	Front panel
⁠⁠WAYKS - Daypack Compact⁠	17 - 24	1	Rear panel and bottom panel
WAYKS - Dayoack Backpack	25 - 40	1.5	Rear panel and bottom panel
Donut Christopher	18 - ?		Front panel
Osprey Metron roll	22 - ?	0.8	Front roll zip
Thule subterra 34	34 - ?	1.4	Side zip
Kifaru MiniKeg	45	1.3	Front zip
Alpha 31	31 - 34	1-2 - 1.51.3	Front panel
Attitude supply atd1	23 - 55	1.7	Rear panel
Mission workshop Radian	? - 42	2.1	Front panel
Crumpler The Trooper	38 - 30	1	Bottom bucket
Crumpler Conversion Rolltop	19 - 23	1.7	Rear panel (small)
Pinq ponq komut medium	32 - 37	1.3	Front Panel
Snap Roll Top	25 - ? 34 - ?	?	Front Zip Bottom Bucket

​

... (self) hate. That's normal, right?
And then an instantaneous immediate disconnect and numbness, at the flip on an internal switch.
Because feelings are counterproductive.
I kissed my 12+ year old "death row" shelter pull rescue dog and told her I hoped the life I've given her (11+ years) was better than euthanasia (but I'm honestly not sure?). I apologized to my Labrador (he could have gone anywhere but he was stuck with me).