Hello Reddit,
I got invited to a baby showefiesta by the Mom (future grand mom) of the baby’s father. Long story short, the mom is a coworker and she invited me to the baby shower.
The thing is, I don’t really know the son to well. The son and I went to high school together but never really talked. I don’t want to go to a baby shower or any event of the matter that I wasn’t invited by the actual hosts, it’s just weird. I don’t know what to do. Even worse, my coworker invited my parents, who are good friends with her, but they are going. Would it be weird that they go but not me? My parents and I don’t live together if that helps…. Idk.
My coworker and I get along very well, but I don’t want to have any awkward feelings should I skip the baby shower.
There’s a gift list on Target with all the things the future parents want. Should I at least buy some gifts and give them to my coworker to give to the parents? Maybe have my parents deliver the gifts on behalf of my name, or is this a stretch? Should I just go cold turkey and not say anything and not show up?
The baby’s parents themselves don’t know I’m going so I think I’m the clear?

I’ve been friends with this person for a couple of years, Well actually we stopped talking for a year and reconnected last year
Anyways, we were really close. But then we kind of drifted apart at least thats how i view it, because most of the time he’s too busy to hang out, or something like that to the point where i dont even ask to hangout anymore. and by “busy” i mean sometimes he’s out with his other friends, which are people that i had bad history with during highschool, i dont like them, and i’ll always have a bad view of them.
thing is i dont give a fuck who you hang out with, but for me there needs to be a mutual understanding, on what type of friendship we have. and he keeps on telling me that im his “day one” or whatever the fuck, but actions speak otherwise.
it feels like whenever im alone with this friend, compared to whenever im with him and his friends all sitting at a dinner table, feels like he’s completely 2 different person. first off with the bad history i had w these people i always feel like im being judged or something like that whenever im invited to go to any gatherings and what not, or when i meet them. sure, i couldve just said no to going, but i didnt really know what i was thinking all those times, and i guess i wanted to please people.
on the other side, he’s really a good friend, a good person, when i was ghosting him due to my bad mental state he called up everyone i know searching for me, but i dont know why i cant find it in myself that this person is not full of shit.
to cut the long story short, ive always felt like “damn, i dont really matter to this person, as much as they matter to me”.
and tbh nowadays when i hangout with him, feels like i cant be myself, i have to control the things i say or put up a character or something, just o be able to socialise with this person without being judged by him too.
made the decision to tell everything about how i feel to him last night, a long text, after ghosting him for about a week, cause i realised i shouldnt leave people hanging like that. right now its a mixed feeling between fear, regret, and being content with it. i told him how i feel, this is the second time, about the same thing too, im still considering whether or not i should cut this person off.
im just scared that i’ll regret it sooner or later.
i just wanna know if i made the right decision, or was i overreacting.

I'm stable atm with no acute kidney or liver damage, but this whole experience has been seriously traumatic. a very complex and circumstantial, post surgical procedure, situation, so please do not make any assumptions against anyone/me but: the doctors fucked up. they didn't double check anything and i guess ignored all my sx that I reiterated clearly, markedly as NEW and/or suddenly worsening.
i thought i was being EXTREMELY thorough researching, informed, and advocating for myself, throughout this entire past month but i didn't push hard enough when it mattered the MOST for my TRUE needs. because i was in so much pain and distressed and putting some "awkwardness" bs before my own needs: a more experienced dr and more thorough help. and more pre procedure questions! but i took the second shot because i didn't know and truly thought it would bring me full relief again since the drs also thought it made the most sense and was a good idea. I didn't know general anesthesia has a lasting effect.
side effects of NSAIDS can MIMIC a flare, and i just got an IV, then injection of the STRONGEST one. I felt like i was fucking dying, then realized that actually was an acute possibility after the second shot a week later (yesterday). was trying to "calm down" what seemed like a worse flare before the weekend to hopefully keep me out of ER - IRONIC
I'm home and lying in bed now recouperating and trying to soothe all my ulcery pains, and completely wiped out. so idk how active in responding I'll be for now, but i HAD to make this post. i do not want anyone else to have to ever suffer unnecessarily from this horrific reaction thinking they're having a really serious flare.
please read both articles to be informed. i wish i had seen this before. if anyone finds out anymore, esp about the platelet dysfunction, i'm def gonna be looking for more info when i'm feeling less effed up
https://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-treatment/lupus-medications/nsaids/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ketorolac-oral-route-injection-route/side-effects/drg-20066882?p=1
my symptoms after 2nd shot: (either significanly worsened/repeated/ NEW-but not unusual for lupus or for me- pains / NEW bleeding)
marked *: very acutely flared intensely in preceding hours/evening after 2nd shot & emergency ones better now. resolved at different rates.
achy, muscle aches, flu like sx - bad petechiae spreading (had very tiny few in multiple spots pre-procedure, i told them that my platelets had been normal, so did not mention to rheum before) *livedo reticularus-like 'rash' - very purply, mottled, marbled on legs, but more intense than recent times and spread to arms, chest w/ accompanying sunburn like face flushing *also sudden 2 days prior auditory hallucinations (first initially concerning sx for me, but thought it could be new neuro flare) severe worsening of supposed internal hemmorhoids, with some bleeding - to the point i couldn't sit, stand, walk, lie down without bad rectal pain random/easy bruising hoarseness, thirst, fatigue, *momentary vision weirdness, *momentary headache blue fingernails/toenails *very cold. very cold feet. suddenly hot face to chest *some loss of feeling in feet and slightly hands *cloudy urine, trouble finishing urinating *random stabbing muscle & joint pains *ABD, pelvic, stomach, RUQ, LUQ sharp stabbing pains *mouth ulcer in side of throat - bleeding - wisdom tooth issue suddenly hurting, bleeding *sudden worse joint knee pain with acute tenderness/swelling (never had joint effusion before) chest wall, rib pains, RT side minor chest pains, some costochondritis flare temp above >99 <100 (i usually run 96-97) pain at injection site *mild-mod nausea there's honestly more, but i'll update later. but hopefully you get the point
**i took activated charcoal & zeolite clay immediately when my partner started reading more of the rare side effects and i instantly made the connection
I was up all night trying to avoid going to the ER & ended up going to do my standing order labs this morning instead, and then finally got thru to a really great on call dr who i talked to for quite awhile. my labs looked okay but i will update when i get my dsdna, c3 c4 labs back. (my inflammatory markers are always normal low, only low wbc & monocytes high as abnormal is my typical)
very acute, worrisome symptoms from lastnght are resolved, but I'm unsure the exact immune interactions or lasting effect it could have since my entire situation could be also flare inducing as well. so lots of overlap. the IM dr i spoke with said these things without any prompt which i already had come to that possible conclusion on my own. and to f/u with rheum obviously about those specifics.
feeling the most tender, vulnerable, & also like i physically got put through a meat grinder even moreso now. but honestly am glad (now that i know my major organs are ok) that it was actually diagnostic to figure out some of my chronic symptoms are actually GI related, blood related, ?, etc. i thought some were endometriosis, etc.
just wish i hadn't been taking nsaids before but i thought i was helping my situation and have been in tons of unmanaged pain. trying to alernate things. really wasn't being pretty sparing with them actually. think I'll be sticking with other stuff and the steroids (i was trying to avoid >_<) now.. never taking nsaids again. i know the GI stuff will heal soon esp now that I def won't be taking any ibuprofen or Rx naproxen. good thing i'm already doing a gut healing protocol and already started doing all the barrier repair stuff. which is probably why my first round of abd pains mostly resolved a couple days ago!
more lessons learned. might need to edit this later? too exhausted to reread. had to write this in two sittings. glad my we're living next door to my mom currently, finally hit a point of actually seriously needing like home nurse level help. this journey has been really working on getting over asking for help. def took a long time for my mom to realize how serious this has been for me. but she made dinner i'm gonna finally eat now that i'm not worried bout my kidneys. she's also type I diabetic and been thru a lot. and grown a lot too since we've been here. love her

Are there any good stores in or around Central Florida? We are spoiled for saltwater stores, but don’t know good freshwater stores.

Hey guys! Is anyone here from Brazil? If you are please help me on this (if you aren't, help me too pls)
I have noise sensitivity and been using prohear ear defenders, but they do not have AC (Active cancelling) and the noise cancelation is passive, and is not electronic.
I'm looking for some noise cancelation earphones/defenders that are not extremely expensive or bulky, mostly things that I find are shooting defenders and are very bulky.
I intend to use it every time that I leave my house (and sometimes in my house too), so using it at college, medical appointment, etc. Thnx in advance!

Age: 27 Sex: Male Race: White/Caucasian Location: USA PMH: None (prior to these issues), now Hypertension, Hearing loss in left ear Current Medications: Amlodipine 10mg, Losartan 25mg Duration of Complaint: 10 months Symptoms: Many, see description. Family History: Heart disease (paternal grandfather, paternal uncle), dementia (maternal grandmother), migraines (mother).
Hey all,
I am a previously healthy 27 year old male, who has been having a strange collection of symptoms since the end of August 2022. I have seen numerous doctors without much success. Prior to the onset of these symptoms, I considered myself perfectly healthy beyond the occasional seasonal illness and stuff like that.
On 26 August 2022, I had an episode of vertigo. This felt very similar to a previous incident of vertigo that I experienced in September of 2019: all of a sudden, I felt like I was falling to the left. There was nothing preceding either of these events, in both cases I was sitting in a chair, reading / on the computer. For the incident in 2019 I went to the hospital, where the ED doc told me I had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and gave me some exercises to help relieve the symptoms. In both cases, I did the exercises and took a nap, and the acute symptoms went away by the next morning. Also in both cases, I felt kind of off/unbalanced for a few weeks afterwards. Not to the point where it impacted my motor skills, but I just felt ever so slightly off balance, especially in the dark. This feeling faded back to normal over the course of a couple of weeks.
This is where things changed between the 2019 incident and the incident from last year. Although the acute "spinning" sensation subsided as normal, a number of other symptoms appeared after the vertigo symptoms began to fade. Over the next few weeks, I began to experience a "fuzzy" feeling, as though my head had been stuffed full of cotton, like a moderate brain fog. I felt off balance, my vision seemed blurry, my eyes were constantly either watery or too dry. I had constant itchiness and dull pain in my left ear. Occasionally, I would have a brief (30-60 second) stabbing pain in one ear that would gradually fade back to normal. I started having headaches, especially the feeling that the top of my head was being squeezed, or a stabbing pain behind the eyes. It was hard for me to focus on objects, especially in the middle distance. My eyes felt tight or streched. I would see halos around lights at night. I felt a constant pressure in my ears (especially the left one), to the point where I would clear my ears by equalizing pressure 5-6 times per day, each time would be accompanied by an audible squeal of releasing pressure from the left ear. Perhaps most distinctly, when I would lay down and close my eyes I would have the feeling of falling: a sudden jerk (usually to the left or backwards), before I would immediately feel normal again. This would repeat randomly until I would fall asleep. I would have a "television static" across my vision all the time, when in low light I would sometimes see objects or patterns vibrating.
I went to an ophthalmologist in the middle of September 2022, who noted my eyes looked fine, with some mild signs of hypertensive retinopathy. They also noted that my blood pressure was quite high: around 150/110 when resting, up to 170/120 when not-relaxed. I went to my PCP and was prescribed lisinopril/HCTZ 20mg/25mg. This seemed to help my blood pressure somewhat, but caused me to have constant waves of nausea and gastroparesis such that I went back in November and asked to be moved to a different medication, at which point they started me on Amlodipine 5mg. This did not control my blood pressure, and in December I was moved to Amlodipine 10mg, and then recently Amlodipine 10mg and Losartan 25mg. I have not been on the most recent medication long enough to see any long term changes in BP.
I saw an ENT at the beginning of the year who noted that my ears looked fine, were not infected, and that sometimes pressure in the ear accompanies one sided hearing loss like I have. He recommended that I see a neurologist.
Over the recent months, my symptoms have settled somewhat. I no longer feel brain fog or motion when laying down. However, the following symptoms are still present:
Lots of eye gunk, eyes feel either dry or watery and tired all the time, I am constantly rubbing them. I see astigmatism beams around bright lights, even during the daytime, halos around lights and globes of color around colored lights at night. I have constant floaters across my vision, both small round clear ones and large darker linear or triangular ones. There is a constant "heat haze" or static effect across my whole vision. I have extremely noticeable diplopia (sometimes minor, sometimes severe where the words are 95% offset from the originals), but mostly with light colored writing on dark backgrounds. There is a constant tinnitus, which is fairly loud, and pressure in one or both ears, requiring me to clear them as mentioned before. I still see the vibration when looking at straight lines or patterns in low light. I have random headaches, usually behind my temple or on top of my head, but these tend to go away quickly.
None of this is debilitating, but it sure is very annoying and has tanked my quality of life. No One I have talked to has had any answers for me, even after a number of tests and blood work.
Here is what I have had done and the results:

• Basic Metabolic Panel and CBC with differential (9 September): All Normal
  
• EKG (9 September): Normal
  
• Eye Exam (19 September): Normal, signs of slight hypertensive retinopathy.
  
• Basic Metabolic Panel (22 November): All normal
  
• Urinalysis (23 December): Normal
  
• EKG (23 December): Normal, "t-waves more upright"
  
• Comprehensive Hearing Test (13 January): Moderate Hearing Loss Left Ear, no significant changes from baseline June 2018
  
• Head CT (temporal bone) without Contrast (1 February): Bilateral thinning of the tegmen tympani, otherwise normal.
  
• Basic Metabolic Panel (6 April): Normal
  
• Plasma Renin Activity (6 April) : Normal
  
• Aldosterone (6 April): Normal
  
• Brain MRI with and without Contrast (14 April): Normal except for trace right mastoid effusion and minimal mucosal disease in left sphenoid sinus
  
• Renal Ultrasound (26 April): Normal, renal arteries < 60% stenosis, everything within normal limits.
  

I'm kind of at the end of my rope here. Since I'm an American this has basically bankrupted me, even with my insurance. I'm moving to a new state in 2 weeks, so I haven't been able to make any appointments for anything else, and I don't know what my insurance will be with me changing jobs. The only other thing I have to go on is the ENT recommendation to see a neurologist, particularly one specializing in migraines.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hey all, as the title says, looking for something that's AWD but not huge. I had been considering a charger or Challenger but the salesman also mentioned a Chrysler touring L 300 and said it was a better deal.
I'm not looking at only those 3, those are just some options to give you an idea of what I am looking for. I'd be fine with anything that's reliable, even something like a Kona would be good if that's the best bang for my buck. It would be nice to have some power but not essential.

Hey comrades,,
I hope you're all doing as well as possible. I'm reaching out to you today with a mix of humility and urgency.
You see, not too long ago, I used to be actively involved in providing mutual aid to Adivasi villages. It was a cause close to my heart, and I believed in the power of community support. However, life has a way of turning things around, and now I find myself in a situation where I desperately need that very same aid I once offered.
After my father's passing during the chaos of COVID-19 in 2022, my family's financial situation took a nosedive. We had no savings to fall back on, and it's been a constant struggle ever since. Here I am now, studying art history and trying to make it as an artist, but money has become a constant worry.
To put it plainly, I'm barely keeping my head above water. I don't have enough money for food, and it's been two days since I've had a proper meal. The pain in my stomach is a harsh reminder of the irony that now I'm the one seeking aid. It's hard to focus on my studies or anything else when the basic necessities are out of reach. Moreover, my dear mother, who means the world to me, is elderly and ill, and I'm unable to give her the care she deserves. It's a painful reality to confront, and I'm desperate to find a way out of this situation.
So, I'm turning to you, my friends, my comrades, for your solidarity and support. I'm in urgent need of around 2000 rupees to make it through the next month. Every contribution, no matter how small, would bring me a step closer to some much-needed relief.
If you can spare any amount, please reach out to me directly. I'll provide you with the necessary information to extend your support. And if you're unable to contribute financially, I understand completely. Your solidarity, care, and sharing of this message within your networks can make a real difference in finding the help I urgently need.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It's humbling to ask for help, especially after being on the giving end not too long ago. Your solidarity and support in these challenging times would mean the world to me. Together, let's show the power of our community and remind ourselves that even in moments of vulnerability, we can come together to lift each other up.
Solidarity Aranya, from India.
Have a great day.

Hey!
I have pretty much build a few projects for my resume and currently looking for fall 2023 and summer 2024 internships.
I did get 3 interviews for fall 2023 already but sadly couldn’t turn them into an offer but that does mean that my resume is getting responses.
Should I focus on learning more tech by building projects or just grind leetcode in hopes of getting a good internship.
I am taking summer courses as well so can only focus on one thing atp

So, after the torture of NT17, i really needed this. People say that only Touma could stay sane after the events of NT9. But judging by the fact i survived NT17, i bet NT9s infinite hells would be child's play 😂
Tbf not ALL of NT17 was bad. Although still like 85% of it. Oh well... Moving on
Right from the cover art of NT18, i knew i was in for a treat. Who would refuse an arc elaborating on a mystery that has been intriguing us all for 40+ volumes at this point?
Okay so firstly, i did not expect at all for them to storm into the windowless building. At least not from the first chapter, considering the focus was on running away.
I love how the plot just switched up so fast and never stopped, just getting constantly more engaging.
Okay Kamachi really does have no limits huh. This man literally made a Tarot card deck into a Milf character. Like tf? 😂. Mina was pretty dope tho. Especially her attempt to hold off Aiwass for that like 30s.
Okay, Aleister's backstory. Love it. I like how there's obviously apparent contradictions in his logic, but his personality just goes so well with it, that it actually makes it even better writing. The whole Golden cabal lore, the explanations on how Crowley's magic works, watching him turn on all of his mentors and his complete downfall etc. was all so fascinating.
Aiwass is such a gangster. Bro literally pulled an NT4 Othinus on this poor man. Also, a pure world angel hmmm? Sounds like an interesting concept. Im looking forward to learning more about how this dude even came about and stuff. Also it was really heartbreaking how Crowley was using his wife's body to discover Aiwass.
The Sinner, saint, man, woman, Adult, child whatever descriptions that have been repeated 1000 times finally had some good use. This mf really stores multiple versions of himself within 1 container and faxes them. Like bruh what. Honestly how does Kamachi even come up with these stuff and still make me be fine with them lol?
The whole endless Void thing was pretty cool. I liked the flashing in and out of visions stuff and Touma feeling powerless. U could really feel how he was breaking inside because he couldn't change Aleisters fate.
Coronzon. So after all the crazy bs that's been introduced into this franchise, we finally make it to demons. Why did it have to be Waifu Lola of all people tho. Cmon man😭
I wonder how the dynamic between Lola Zaza Crowley and her dad will be. If they ever manage to exorcise Coronzon from her. And assuming she still stays alive and healthy after such a feat. Would be interesting to see if Aleister still has any humanity left in him if he sees a daughter of his back with her own will. Ik he embraces that he's "human" but you know what i mean.
Did this MF just turn arguably the most intimidating person in this series into a damn loli. I swear "she" better be phenomenal in NT19 or im never gonna forgive Kamachi for this lmao. There's a point where the weeb culture takes over too much. And this feels like one of those times. Like it would have been this easy to leave him with his standard appearance but nooooo u had to fanservice-ify him didn't you?
On a redeeming note for this Loli, he did manage to reverse checkmate Coronzon after seemingly getting checkmated initially.
Alright u want my city? Bet ill take ur country ij exchange.
The phase stuff and pure world lore here was also really a highlight. Man why is this series so amazing 😭
Ah yes MisaMisa first official team up. Ok Liquid proof railgun is really dope actually. Very creative powerup for the girls. Although i kinda like it rn, its only the first volume of this.
Ik from what people say, that this team up becomes a bit too frequent after this point, so im just hoping it doesn't become repetitive or boring.
Overall very enjoyable volume. And added a lot of fresh things to the series, including great characterization for one of the goat antagonists so far.
End Note : Can't wait for Aiwass return whenever that is.

I really don't know how to feel about this stuff as my parents are NOT reliable to talk to for things like this. I don't know if anyone will ever even read all this. I just want to know if I was the asshole for any of it ☹️
So, my (F25) and my brother (M22) were abused and neglected growing up. I left at 18 for college, and he lived at home. He has high functioning autism. He is able to work, drive, cook, clean, essentially everything, and I have seen him treat friends well, so I don't think his behavior was really because of his autism.
I asked my brother if he would like to live with my husband (M27) and I so that he could have a springboard for independence. I did not want him to be in that environment anymore, and he was not taking steps to leave until I asked. I felt it was my duty as a big sister to give him a healthy environment.
I was nervous for him to move in, because I have had very bad experiences with the majority of important men in my life with the exception of my husband, but I wanted to connect with my brother who I was unable to as a child because we were pitted against each other for competition. My husband loves him as a little brother, and we decided to charge him only 500 out of the 1900 for the apartment with zero utilities so that he could save.
I tried to hang out with him and cook with him! He told me he needed to learn more foods, and I love cooking, so I was very happy to spend the time with him. However, he would refuse to spend the time together. He'd do a little food prep, then go back to his room to watch videos, leaving me alone to cook our food until it was ready. I would ask to tag along with him to the grocery store, and he'd just say "no." My husband and I only have one car that he had to use for work, and my brother knew this.
He refused to even leave icecubes for me to use. It was like he was holding them hostage! We had to borrow the car my mom let him borrow for a bit, and one day I got a novel of a text saying verbatim "you will get your ice when every day doesn't turn into a frantic search for my work hat and when you stop leaving garbage in my car" he never told me where to put his hat in the car, and I think I left 2 receipts in there but didn't notice as he's a delivery driver and would THROW EVERY RECEIPT IN THE BACK SEAT AND NOT CLEAN IT. HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF RECEIPTS.
Stuff really never got better from there. I am recovering from cancer, and as my scar is on my neck, I struggle to breathe in the cold. I was also a CNA and worked long hours. I would ask him to take out the trash sometimes. I would ask him to wash his dishes and put them in the washer. I asked if he could maybe take our doggies out to the bathroom if I needed to get home late. Those were the only "chores" I had asked him to help contribute to the household with.
One day, I came home while he was cooking. I told him I emptied half the washer and asked if he would empty his half and put his dishes in. And if he could take out the garbage. He snapped and screamed at me that he was going to kill himself and that I'm using him as a servant. That none of the dishes or trash was his and that I'm taking advantage of him? I could understand that mentality if I asked him to do lots of stuff, but those are the only 2 things I ever asked for chores!! I asked him where his dirty dishes go, and he said IN THE SINK SO THAT I COULD DO THEM. He logic-ed it out that the dishes in the washer were his after that, but he then doubled down and started mocking me for asking him to contribute. Like, making a horrible voice and making fun of me.
Further explanation on how he looks: he is 6'4. I am scared of men yelling at me or being aggressive towards be because of our dad and an abusive long-term boyfriend, both of whom he knew about.
I was crying and begging my husband to walk through the door in my mind as he was doing this. He walked in 2 minutes after my brother stopped to find me crying. Later that night, my brother did apologize and hug me, but it was really scary.
He would ask for my husband to come home while he was working to take him to the store, which was only a 10 minute walk away. My husband loved him like family, so he'd always stop and help. He never once walked. And yet he would be mean about me asking to simply come with him to the store. Not even out of his schedule, just along for the ride.
My husband is Middle Eastern, and in his culture, it is extremely rude to have to do the chores of a younger person. My husband had to wash his dishes all the time.
In his culture, it is also very rude and disgusting to spit into the kitchen sink. My husband caught him doing that once, explained, and asked him not to do it again. He did not stop, and at one point, while we were both next to the sink, he came and spat in it in front of my husband.
The only thing my brother would help with was purchasing medical weed for my cancer recovery and massive amounts of cPTSD. After my medical card expired, I hadn't realized the renewal process, and getting a new card was expensive, so I asked if he could use his so that I could save a bit of money.
He flipped out on me for this after a while, because sometimes I would have to wait for a paycheck to pay him back because my husband and I were paying all the utilities and also my medical bills among all the other adult bills my brother straight up did not have. His only expenses were rent and gas and food. And he made more than me. I also have some memory problems (again from the cancer) that he knew about, but it really annoyed him having to remind me to pay him.
I told him that it was incredibly rude of him after all that my husband and I do for him to not help with one thing. The one thing that would minimize my PTSD symptoms. He told me something along the lines of that I was lazy, and if he didn't need to smoke every day, then I didn't either.
Apparently, he wasn't saving any money while he was living with us. He was spending it in video game stuff, I think skyrim was one of them. So he was freaking about me not paying him back quickly because he had nothing saved. It feels like he was taking advantage of our kindness.
We have since thankfully moved away and live in a different state. But before we left, I had breakfast with my mom and brother, and she brought up his screaming at me for the chores so that we could discuss him not doing that with significant others. He immediately blamed me for it and said he'd obviously never do that to anyone else, and the only reason he did was because he "was working up to 9 hours a day just so S(me) could smoke weed". A normal work day? Where he got paid $5 more per hour than me? And he was working full work days before I had to ask for his help? And then he started that mocking voice again, IN A RESTAURANT.
I'm just really hurt and could use validation if it's warrented because it took me 15 minutes to pry out of my mom how wrong it was of him to do that, to learn that she basically told him the same thing too. She refuses to be confrontational with him, which has always been a problem, as she would discipline me and not him.
Please help 😥

Having investigated the idea of UFOs being a psyop, and Project Blue Beam as originally described by Serge Monast, I'm inclined to think that, given recent headlines, we are almost definitely being set up for something or misled into a dead end, though what that thing is remains to be seen.
I don't fully accept Blue Beam, I must admit, because the idea sounds crazy and implausible, but I'm willing to keep an open mind considering people once thought UFOs were the product of fringe lunatics, and then 2017 came and went with GoFast and Tic Tac videos.
Minus some of the questionable ideas from Monast (i.e. the end of Christian religion, anti-vaxx ideology, NWO, etc) there are several coincidences I've noticed that bring certain aspects of Blue Beam and our reality now together, in such a way the theory may have some truth to it:

1. AI, LLMs, and AI generated imagery have exploded in popularity and prominence online within the past year or so, and its ability to deceive and exploit people has already become apparent (i.e. people being scammed by AI robocalls, people being misled by AI disinformation and fake images/videos, AI girlfriends, etc). AI is literally the ultimate tool of deception for a false flag alien invasion, or any kind of operation, and could probably find a way to produce a hologram if it were advanced enough. AIs already pump out plausibly real "hallucinations" that end up being completely made up.
2. This video from John DeSouza (a former FBI Special Agent) claims that Project Blue Beam was about to be unleashed, and the video was published on April 27 of this year, less than two months before the whole fiasco with David Grusch and the idiocy of the Las Vegas incident.
3. Simulation Theory has gained some traction in scientific and academic circles, alongside the concept of digital physics. The idea of NPCs has unironically resurged in popularity within meme culture.
4. Cryptocurrencies and central bank digital currencies are being floated around as potential future forms of money, as well as being implemented in some countries, which is downright terrifying and will only serve the interests of powerful elites (who will be able to enslave civilians and punish them economically, fulfilling one of the steps for world domination in Blue Beam).
5. The government has never been or ever will be above attacking and harming its own citizens for the sake of an agenda. If you think the government wouldn't try something like Project Blue Beam, even if they botched it, then you haven't read about MKULTRA, COINTELPRO, or Operation Northwoods.

What do you all think? Am I going nuts or do I somehow have a point? I ask this because the more I look into this week's madness around UFOs, the more skeptical and suspicious I am becoming. I smell bullshit, and if that makes me a paranoid maniac so be it.
DO NOT trust the government, and keep your eyes peeled. The fact Grusch has been allowed to say as much as he has about UFOs without being eliminated by the Powers That Be is a sign that there's either a controlled disclosure coming, or that there's disagreements or factions between world leaders as to releasing info or maintaining consensus reality, or that we're about to get screwed by government-controlled TR-3Bs and reverse-engineered manmade UFOs (after all, Grusch could have easily mistaken craft he thought was alien for secret black projects created by us far more advanced than known science).
REMAIN SKEPTICAL until the truth comes out, if it ever does. And if somehow Project Blue Beam turns out to be true (however unlikely), don't believe what you see on video or in the skies. If something sounds or looks too good to be true (like fake Jesus coming down from the heavens), it probably is.

(Oh boy, my mind is all over the place. Hope you can endure my crazed ramblings and make sense of it.) When I watched episode 5 recently(And then someone reacting to it and analyzing it from a different viewpoint) I came to realize something; Cyn's eldritch form had the barricade striping theme despite none of them being disassembly drones at that point in time. Additionally, Cyn was the only active drone with yellow eyes. All the other butlers and maids had white eyes. A strange thing consdiering we know Worker Drones can have all types of colours. And just as importantly, when Uzi possessed Cyn's form her eyes became purple to match Uzi's. When the Absolute Solver presumably activated at the end of the pilot Uzi's face flashed yellow for a moment. I believe the colour of the eyes show the direct intimate influence of one drone to another, accidentally overriding whatever affects the lights.(Or yellow could just be the general colour for error messages.) If all the drones Tessa picked up from the junkyard were undead, and if all zombies had white eyes upon reanimation.(Which could either be the factory default, or a reference to how eyes cloud over after death.) then why do all disassembly drones have yellow eyes? Because Cyn is in each and every one of them. Or atleast, a piece of her programming. As in part 2 Eldritch J had to relearn many of the hologram skills that Cyn had such an aptitute for.(And Eldritch J was far more adept at simulating social behaviour.) It is also possible that Cyn designed the disassembly drone's form, as in episode 5 V's memory self turned into a spooky fleshy drone similar to Uzi during the previous one. V also said in her fight with Uzi "New body, same horrors, huh, Cyn?" which is clearly saying that Cyn had many bodies. And all the disassembly drones shown so far all wore a badge with the letters CYN on them. Cyn also said she had backups of all of them. And I believe the blackholes created after Eldritch J's destruction were condensed data which had been used to rebuild her.
While this is pretty much it for now, I have some other possible implications and ideas I would like to add: Khan Doorman could be a Zombie Drone, as he is the only Worker Drone in recent times that seems to have white eyes. And it is very possible that he had reanimated himself in the past. I have no idea what could have happened though, If a Drone doesn't find a way to die, death always finds them.
The next idea is that Cyn is in pieces, stached away in the many. I don't think the whole Cyn entity exists anymore, but rather has been reduced to less capable pieces of her programming. Just don't trust me on that one.
Lastly, Cyn may have told the truth when she said "They are not broken, we can no longer be thrown out.", as technically speaking undead drones are not a malfunction. They are drones that managed to function despite damage done. And I believe Cyn herself is not locked into the Absolute Solver mode due to an error, I believe she is the absolute solver. And she hasn't fixed by now because she was never broken.
But then again, N's memories are interfered with and incredibly unreliable, so don't just be sceptical about my crazed conspiracy babbling but also what the show tells us. Though I hope it was atleast somewhat thought provoking, and that you were entertained by my ideas and observations. And remember, we're all Cynners, for Cyn is in each and every one of us. Fin~

I got two pairs of “customers” that came in and asked about the new Oily Bois. This would be fine—if their questions weren’t so specific.
“What’s in the drink?” “What does it taste like?” “Do you like it?” “Why add oil?”
Naturally, I’m not paid to lie on the job, so my answers were:
“Oil.” “The leaves on a branch.” “Not really.” “Because Starbucks wants to legitimize themselves as a coffee shop and made false claims of honoring the Italian tradition of adding oil to their drinks (which isn’t a thing).”
I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? Like are these just weird people or horrible spies? Do they always come in pairs?

First off, I’ll start off by saying, I’m on TikTok all the damn time and it feels surreal that I’m doing one of these but here we are. And yes quite literally that’s what happened. So there was a girl I started seeing, let’s call her C and in my mind things were going well. We really bonded, we shared intimate moments with each other. We cracked jokes like middle schoolers. and we attracted to each other. She was kind, smart, thoughtful, and compassionate. legitimately thought I got lucky with this girl. a couple nights ago, I started feeling depressed and down. For some context, I recently lost my best friend of 8 years. Her death still weighs heavy on my mind and certain days are harder than others to say the least. This was something C already knew, and despite me texting her and telling her this she somehow believed that I was upset over a woman i was involved with. Now upset over the fact that she’s accusing me of being with another girl while grieving the loss of my best friend, I tell her how that looks and that it isn’t fair for her to assume stuff like that especially when I communicated what was wrong in the first place. C apologizes and ask if we can talk on the phone. Still being upset but willing to hear her out, i tell her that we can talk tomorrow. So tomorrow comes and so I texted her what time she wanted to call and all of a sudden I’m blocked. On everything. Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok. I tried calling her and my number was blocked. now I’m stressed and freaking out. She explained to me her living situation and long story short, she lives with drug-addicted family members and i honest to god thought something crazy happened to her.

Introduction

It's widely believed that Canada doesn't really need a comprehensive defence policy. However, recent have clearly demonstrated that Ottawa could no longer rely on the status quo, as an open hostile Russia has been completely but an increasingly aggressive China.
While avoiding direct conformation, the Government of Canada is announcing a compressive package of retaliatory measures that are sent to enter into force within the next 12 months. This invokes proportionate reduction in Chinese diplomatic presence in Canada, as well significantly increased stringency of security screening for Chinese companies operating in Canada.
Ottawa continues to stand its ground on the newly announced immigration measures. However, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has also outlined a package of additional measures. This involve treating all Chinese nationals coming to Canada as de-facto asylum seekers in terms of security screening. While normally IRCC would do their best to cooperate with Chinese state authorises, when conduction background verifications, and security checks, now the Government of Canada shall suspend all current and future requests, as well as refuse to provide any information about Chinese nationals currently present in Canada or applying for Canadian Temporary or Permanent Residence Visas. Additionally, Canada shall cooperate with its allies to allow Chinese national visas in foil-less visas, as well as damaged or expired travel documents, so long an can provide a verifiable copy if their Chinese nationality.
Notably, current applicants for Permanent Residence in Canada will be eligible to apply for a Open Work and Study Permits in case their experiences in China may not be verified, to compensate for the loss of points on foreign experience with additional time in Canada.
Canada is also waiving quota of family reunification applicants for Chinese nationals, as well as removing income eligibility requirements, allowing Chinese nationality to bring their partners, parents, and grandparents, as well as dependents to Canada as temporary or permanent residents.
Additionally, Canada shall immediately declare a Chinese Ambassador Persona Non-Grata, as well as suspend Canadian non-diplomatic representation in China, including emergency evaluation of the IRCC office in Beijing, as well as a "stand-by" order for all Canadian diplomatic staff in China, eyeing possible retaliation by the PRC's government.
Canada shall also introduce major restrictions on Chinese investment into the country, requiring any investment coming from a Chinese national without TRV or PR status in Canada to be reviewed before approval, with identical requirements introduced for Chinese companies - incorporated in China or majority-Chinese owned - investing into Canada, including equity and public debt.
The Government of Canada also issues an "avoid all travel" advisory to Canadian citizens to the People's Republic, as well as its Special Administrative Regions. Global Affairs Canada is currently recruiting private companies for Canadian citizens and Permanent as well Temporary Residents to immediately return home.
Canadian companies are also advised to immediately suspend their operations in China, as well as disengage with their Chinese suppliers and customers for the fear of possible retaliation.
Furthermore, Ottawa is set to suspend security clearances of Chinese companies acting in the public procurement space, with an immediate revocation of all export permits for Canadian companies to sell to China, when it requires export authorisation. Canadian companies shall also be prohibited from holding or obtaining assets in China or Chinese companies.
Global Affairs Canada has also advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Canada shall considering introducing "external equivalence" when it comes to China and Russia. Any further escalation from the People's Republic shall be met by gradually increasing economic pressure on China, until the country shall face same resections currently experienced by the Russian Federation.
Canada shall also follow through with the Foreign Influence Registration & Monitoring - a document jointly composed by the Canadian Security & Intelligence Service, and FINTRAC - Canada's anti-laundering watchdog. FIRM aims to provide an open source database of foreign nationals an entities who've been suspected or proven to be interfering with Canadian domestic affairs or have employed illegal instruments to influence Canadian decision-makers. An entity or individual listed under FIRM shall be prohibited from acquiring Canadian assets, as well as using Canadian finical system anywhere in the world. Notably, while FIRM limitations kick in immediately when an entity or an individual entity the list, CSIS and FINTRAC still have to prove their case in court, with restrictions maintained until the court rules otherwise.
However, most importantly, Canada is announcing its desire to join AUKUS following closed negations with Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Under the terms of the brokered deal, Canada becomes an immediate member of the trilateral security agreement, with full access to AUKUS' non-nuclear Pillar II component, to foster greater technological and industrial cooperation. Access to Pillar I - pushing nuclear powered submarines - shall be temporary restricted for 2 years, allowing Canada and the original AUKUS members to negotiate both procurement and technology transfer with Canada.
CAUKUS would also see the Agreement's significant expansion of the agreement, including closer alignment of defence & procurement, as well as increased coordination of export controls and industrial strategy development.

Finance Canada has also declared Canada shall increase its defence spending immediately to exceed the 2 per cent target, with full indexing on unspent funds earmarked preciously.

Areas covered by C-AUKUS

The Agreement is largely focusing on allowing Member States to catch up with third countries in critical technologies, while straightening their existing lead in areas where either individual or combined competency of the Member Sates provides for a competitive advantage.
The agreement covers several technologies deemed to be critical for both national security of future competitiveness.
​

GENERAL DEFENCE

Autonomous systems - systems that can perform assigned tasks with our the need for human interference that included uncrewed underwater vehicles, industrial robots, as well transpiration units and weapon systems.
Advanced undersea wireless communication - includes equipment and techniques that ensure underseas communication with low error rates across longer distances, that are often used by submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. Specific technologies include extremely-low frequency (ELF) communications, as well as transmitting antennas, acoustic, laser, and LED communication, and maritime sound analysis.
Adversarial AI & reverse engineering - developing safeguards for excusing AI and neural networks for present their use by adversaries, including using original data clusters and utilising captured analysis techniques.
Air-independent propulsion - mainly through compact energy generation, mainly used ion underwater autonomous vehicles. Those include developments of hydrogen fuel cells and Stirling engines, to enable longer underwater operability.
Autonomous underwater vehicles that are able to operate over long distances, without human interference limited to basic route planning. Those vehicles are most widely used in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in addition to anti-submarine warfare.
Electronic warfare utilise electromagnetic spectrum to deny, degrade, disrupt, deceive, or destroy and adversary’s electronic systems or enable forces to operate in contested and degraded environments, such as electronic protection. This involves collection, analysis and processing of electromagnetic signals for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance to support targeting and operational planning . It also includes collection of foreign instrumentation signals intelligence (FISINT). Specific techniques GPS jamming, GPS spoofing, communication jamming, communication masking, and frequency-hopping communication.
Hypersonic detection, tracking, and characterisation for glide vehicles, including trajectory projection and early detection, with land, ship, air, and space-based sensors and algorithms for rapid trajectory analysis.
Sonar and acoustic sensors used to identify and locate underseas objects. Applications for sonar and acoustic sensors include monitoring marine wildlife, and threat detection, identification and targeting for defence.
​

ADVANCED MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING

Additive manufacturing (including 3D printing) - which is manufacturing physical objects by depositing materials layer by layer according to a digital blueprint or 3D model, regardless of their size or metal structures. Applications for additive manufacturing include rapid prototyping and making custom or small quantity components.
Advanced composite materials include new materials created by combining two or more materials with different properties, without dissolving or blending them into each other. Examples include carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics and laminated materials. Applications include vehicle protection, signature reducing materials, construction materials and wind turbine components.
Advanced explosives and energetic materials - materials with large amounts of stored or potential energy that can produce an explosion. Applications for advanced explosives and energetic materials include mining, civil engineering, manufacturing and defence.
Advanced magnets and superconductors - strong permanent magnets that require no or few critical minerals. Applications include scientific research, smartphones, data storage, health care, power generation and electric motors. While superconductors are materials that have no electrical resistance, ideally at room temperature and pressure that create strong magnetic fields, used for medical imaging, transferring electricity without loss, and hardware for quantum computers.
Advanced protection clothing and equipment serve to protect defence, law enforcement and public safety personnel and defence platforms from physical injury and/or chemical or biological hazards. Such as helmets, fire-retardant fabrics, respirators, and body armour.
Continuous flow chemical synthesis produces fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals using continuous-flow processes, rather than batches. Flow chemistry can make chemicals and pharmaceuticals faster, more consistently and with less wast. Applications for continuous flow chemical synthesis include rapid analysis of chemical reactions, and manufacturing industrial chemicals, agrichemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Coatings Substances are substances applied to surfaces to add useful properties like preventing biofouling, repelling water, reducing visibility to radar, enhancing thermal efficiency - for example in hypersonics - and preventing corrosion.
Critical minerals extraction and processing systems and processes to extract and process critical minerals that includes mining, concentrating minerals, and manufacturing battery-grade chemicals.
High-specification machining processes involve cutting and shaping raw materials into precise components using advanced tools such as, lathes, laser cutting, and water jet cutting. Those are used in aerospace manufacturing and other industries for high-grade precise production.
Nanoscale materials and manufacturing nvolve materials with features smaller than 100 nanometers and the technologies used to produce them. Applications include various fields such as pharmaceuticals, wastewater treatment, data storage, communications, semiconductors, carbon dioxide capture, and nanoscale tracking markers for important materials.
Novel meta-materials - new synthetic materials that have properties that do not occur naturally, such as the ability to bend light or radio waves backwards. Applications for novel metamaterials include energy capture and storage, radio antennae, and adaptive camouflage.
Smart materials that have properties that change in response to external pressures, such as shape memory alloys that change shape when heated and self-healing materials. Applications for smart materials include clothing, body armour, building materials and consumer electronics.
​

AI, COMPUTING, COMMUNICATIONS

Advanced data analytics involves systems, processes, and techniques for analysing large volumes of data (known as 'big data') to extract valuable insights with minimal human involvement. It is used in medical diagnosis, acoustic analytics, regulatory compliance, insurance, climate monitoring, infrastructure forecasting, national security.
Advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication focus on creating complex integrated circuits using process nodes below 10 nanometres. This includes designing systems-on-chip (SoC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), stacked memory on chip, and specialised microprocessors for the defence industry.
Advanced optical communications utilise light to transfer information over optical fibre, such as air or the vacuum of space. Those employ laser technologies and other means to achieve faster, more reliable, efficient, and energy-efficient information transfer. Applications for advanced optical communications include high-speed Earth satellite communications, short-range visible light communications, narrow-beam laser communications, and multi-gigabit broadband and corporate networks.
Advanced radiofrequency communications (including 5G and 6G) use radio waves to transfer information through free space. They employ novel techniques, advanced antennas, and beamforming technologies to achieve faster, more reliable, efficient, and energy-saving communication. Applications include satellites, cellular networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sensor networks, connected vehicles, medical devices, and public safety services.
Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and hardware accelerators perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as virtual assistants, process automation, virtual and augmented reality, creating realistic video game environments and characters, public transport planning and optimisation, crop and livestock management, and defence. AI hardware accelerators are specialised computer hardware designed to run optimised AI algorithms in smartphones, portable virtual and augmented reality systems, and low-power internet of things (IoT) sensors.
Distributed ledgers are systems that record transactions, contracts, across multiple systems or locations. They eliminate the need for a central authority, making transactions and records more secure against cyber-attacks and fraud. Blockchain is an example of a distributed ledger, and Bitcoin uses it for financial transactions. Applications for distributed ledgers include cryptocurrencies, supply chain verification, product provenance and emissions monitoring, tracking recyclable content, land records, and share trading.
High performance computing refers to computer systems such as supercomputers, that are significantly more powerful than consumer devices such as desktops and laptops that excel at processing large amounts of data and performing complex calculations that are beyond the capabilities of other devices, used in areas such as climate modelling, computational chemistry, and high-quality computer graphics for film and television.
Machine learning that included neural networks and deep learning. Applications for machine learning include computer vision, facial recognition, cybersecurity, media creation, virtual and augmented reality systems, media manipulation (e.g. deepfakes), content recommendation systems, and search engines.
Natural language processing includes speech and text recognition and analysis, refers to systems that enable computers to recognise, understand, and use written and/or spoken language in a manner similar to human communication. NLP is a branch of artificial intelligence. Applications for NLP include predictive text, language translation, virtual assistants and chatbots, summarizing lengthy documents, sentiment analysis, and enhancing the accessibility and inclusivity of technologies.
Protective cyber security include, algorithms and hardware that are designed to enable a cyber security enhancement. Applications of those technologies include but are not limited to: operational technology security, authentication infrastructures, protection of aggregated data sets, protection of AI systems and supply chain security.
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LIFE SCIENCES & HEALTHCARE

Biological manufacturing uses living cells to make useful chemicals or materials, especially in the pharmaceutical sector with fermentation products, biologic medicines such as antibodies and enzyme replacement therapies, and enzymes for environmental remediation and recycling plastics.
Synthetic biology creates biological systems and devices that have useful functions not found in nature. Applications for synthetic biology include creating microorganisms that can clean-up environmental pollutants and recycle plastics, manufacturing animal-free meat and dairy products, and biological computers.
Vaccines and medical countermeasures refer to technologies that allow quickly develop and manufacture vaccines, drugs, biologic products and devices used to diagnose and treat emerging infectious diseases and medical conditions caused by exposure to harmful chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear substances. Applications for vaccines and medical countermeasures include public health emergencies, industrial accidents and defence.
​

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Biofuels include fuels produced from biological or organic sources. Examples include biogas and biodiesel derived from plant biomass, and bioethanol from crops such as corn and sugar cane.
Directed energy technologies transfer energy between two points in free space. Applications for directed energy technologies include powering consumer electronics, recharging electric vehicles, powering aerial drones, ground-space energy transfer, wireless sensor networks and internet of things devices, and advanced weapons.
Electric batteries utilise various materials and chemistries (e.g. lithium-ion (Li-ion), nickel metal hydride battery (Ni-MH)) and form factors (e.g. flow batteries for stationary grid storage, polymer electrolytes for vehicles and personal devices). Applications for electric batteries include electrified road and air transport, smartphones and personal electronic devices, medical devices and grid energy storage.
Green, Blue hydrogen and ammonia involve production, storage, distribution and use of hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) for heat and electricity generation. Hydrogen and ammonia are potential low or zero emission, zero-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels and electric batteries. Applications for hydrogen and ammonia include energy storage and as a fuel source for aviation and marine transport, long distance road transport and heating.
Nuclear energy, including cost-saving nuclear technologies and Small Modular Reactors. Applications include energy production for self-contained and/or remote uses, such as space travel, submarines, scientific research and medical isotope production.
Nuclear waste management aims safely dispose of, or reuse or reprocess radioactive waste products from medical, industrial and research practices, i.e. converting radioactive liquid waste into synthetic rock to minimise leeching, and reprocessing spent radioactive fuel for use in long-life, low-power batteries. Applications include environmental protection and extending the useful life of nuclear material.
Photovoltaics convert solar energy into electricity using layers of semiconductor materials. Applications for photovoltaics include low-emissions power stations, rooftop solar power, spacecraft and personal electronics.
Supercapacitors can store large amounts of energy in small volumes. Supercapacitors store less energy and for shorter durations than rechargeable batteries, but can accumulate and deliver charge much faster than rechargeable batteries, and tolerate many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries before performance degrades. Applications for supercapacitors include regenerative braking, smartphones and personal electronic devices, grid energy storage and defence.
​

QUANTUM & AI

Post-quantum cryptography is based on mathematical techniques for ensuring that information stays private, authentic, while resisting attacks by both quantum and non-quantum computers. The leading application for post-quantum cryptography is securing online communications against attacks using quantum computers. Because quantum computers can efficiently solve the ‘hard’ mathematical problems we currently rely on to protect online communications.
Quantum communications (including quantum key distribution) allow to communicate quantum information at a distance, including cryptographic keys. Applications for quantum communications include transferring information between quantum computers and sharing cryptographic keys (which are like secret passwords) between distant people in a way that means it is impossible for anyone else to copy.
Quantum computing deploys algorithms that depend directly on quantum mechanical properties and effects to perform computations to solve particular types of problems much faster than existing computers, including problems that are not practical to solve using even the most powerful classical computers imaginable. Applications for quantum computing accurately simulating chemical and biological processes, revealing secret communications, machine learning and efficiently optimising very complex systems.
Quantum sensors utilise quantum mechanical properties and effects for high precision and high sensitivity measurements. Applications for quantum sensors include enhanced imaging, passive navigation, remote sensing, quantum radar, and threat detection for defence.
Photonic sensors use light to detect changes in the environment or in materials. Applications for photonic sensors are broad, ranging from mainstream photography, through to sensors for environments where electrical or chemical based sensors are impractical or unreliable, such as laser based gas sensors to detect explosive materials or flexible photonic sensors embedded inside the human body to monitor bodily processes.
​

SPACE, ROBOTICS, TRANSPORTATION

Advanced aircraft engines (including hypersonics) enable greater speed, range, and fuel-efficiency for aerial vehicles. Examples include hypersonic technologies such as ramjet and scramjet engines that allow aircraft and weapons to travel beyond Mach 5.
Advanced robotics are capable of performing complex manual tasks usually performed by humans, including by teaming with humans and/or self-assembling to adapt to new or changed environments, such as industry and manufacturing, defence and public safety, and healthcare and household tasks.
Civil autonomous systems technologies deliver machines that can independently perform tasks under limited direction or guidance by a human operator in passenger and freight transport, un crewed underwater vehicles, industrial robots, public safety and defence.
Drones, swarming and collaborative robots cover air, ground, surface and underwater vehicles and robots that can achieve goals with limited or no human direction, or collaborate to achieve common goals in a self-organising swarm. Applications for drones, swarming and collaborative robots include public safety, environmental monitoring, agriculture, logistics, and defence.
Small satellites are relatively low mass and size, usually mass under 500 kg and no larger than a domestic refrigerator or washing machine. Applications for small satellites include lower-cost earth observation constellations and wide area communications networks.
Space launch systems (including launch vehicles and supporting infrastructure) that are used transport payloads—such as satellites or spacecraft—from the surface of the Earth to space safely, reliably and cost-effectively. Applications for space launch systems include launching defence, commercial, and scientific and research payloads into earth orbit.
​

CHALLENGE-BASED INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION

However, some projects may not fall directly within the areas covered by the agreement, thus narrowing the impact of the deal. To ensure the funding streams remain available for the broader array of private and public sector actors, allowing preferential treatment of projects aimed to addressing shared concerns, even if formally falling outside of the scope of original agreement.

• Net Zero Stream - supports reproach, commercialisation, and diffusion for projects that may not necessarily develop new technologies, however result in sizeable reductions on greenhouse emissions, such as CO2 or methane.
• General Competition Consideration commits national governments to maintaining a more diverse of suppliers within the Alliance. This includes providing preferential treatment for procurement and business assistance programmes to companies to preserve more competitive domestic market or reduce market concentration.
• Critical Supply De-Risking mandates mandates governments to use subsidies, defence procurement, and other incentives to nurture within-the-block capacity to compete and effectively replace potentially risky suppliers, in areas that the government deems critical for national security, so long it remains in line with general non-discrimination treatment of supplies from other Member States. By Suppler Chain De-Risking applies to all industries covered by the agreement, as well as industrial equipment, intellectual property, food production, and healthcare.

Forging Closer Alignment

​

HARMONISED EXPORT CONTROLS REGIME

Since the agreement covers highly sensitive technologies and contains provisions pertaining to vital public services that may require export controls, the Member Sates agree to fully align their respective regimes. This necessaries a common information-sharing network between national security on trade bodies, with real-time flow of data and maximum transparency. Thus, no party shall grant and export permit to a legal entity for a product, asset - such as intellectual property - or service that have been explicitly denied a similar permit by another Member State, unless otherwise agreed by the parties concerned. All participating jurisdictions also oblige to notify all other Member Sates when issuing export permits, and suspending previously issued authorisations upon a request from another member country for further examination.
With a fully aligned exports regime, signature parties agree to suspend all limitations - unless otherwise agreed - for legal entities that may require a permit for a non third country, focusing on monitoring and sharing information about enemies, assets, products, and services concerned. Proper alignment also allows for for implied exchanges in human and intellectual capital, as well as accumulated expertise in the private sector across the Member Sate companies.
Notably, the export control alignment also applies to the movement of talent across Member States, committing national governments to maintaining a shared regime on both screening of potential human assets, as well as placing restrictions on the movement of potential persons or groups of interest.
This clause largely aims to alleging Member Countries with the United States' ban on American citizens working for Chinese semiconductor enterprises, while also helping member states to identify potential persons of interest in third countries.
​

PROCUREMENT COOPERATION

Despite committing to non-discrimination of foreign companies when it comes to public procurement, both Canada, the United Sates, and the United Kingdom have actively shilled their defence procurement and other sectors deemed important for national security.
However, as all Member States more closely align their export control regimes, the agreement also aims to level the playing filed, which would mainly intel accessing defence contracts and military procurement. Firstly, brings the principle of certification equivalence into play: a company that has obtained security clearance to participate in a defence or critical procurement project in one Member State can use that certificate for bids in all other countries, thus avoiding unnecessary duplication. Other member states however retain the right to request additional clearance or for the company to re-apply under their restive national procedure if the nature of the project involves is more sensitive, focuses on the field the company has not had clearance for, or if there's a reason to believe that company may pose higher security risk in different member state.
The parties also commit to prioritise applications and bids from Small & Medium Sized companies, and jointly support a diverse set of military contractors in every country through joint programmes and cross-border financing. The agreement also obliges defence procurement agencies to expelling security clearance and give the first priority to SMEs, defined as companies with less than 500 employees. National procurement agencies also commit to facilitating innovation delusion across the Member States, including through explicit authorisation for information and technology, as well as human capital sharing, among bidders for contracts.
All Member Sates also commit to facilitate scale-up funding and intellectual property acquisition when it comes to business assistance. Thus, national investment authorities, such as the British Business Bank, US Small Business Administration, Canada Growth Fund, and other business assistance bodies shall treat public investment projects into other Member States on par with their domestic markets, including equal access for companies operating in signature jurisdictions. The agreement also specifically outlines cooperation between the Advanced Research & Innovation Canada, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency in the United States, and Advanced Research and Invention Agency in the UK through permitting liberalised flow of human capital, intellectual property, and financial recourses, while committing those agencies to treating projects across member nations equally to their own domestic market.
The agreement also commits Member States at spend at least 5 per cent of their GDP on innovation policy, through public and defence procurement, business assistance, and tex credits.
​

R&D FRIEND-SHORING & SHARING

The proposal includes much closer cooperation between the parties when it comes to friend-shoring R&D, and reducing the block's dependence on both foreign expertise and technology. This would see Member Sates granting automatic domestic student status to anyone who is pursuing postgraduate eduction in one or more countries of the block, including the right to work in their field upon graduation in any member country, on the reciprocal basis. The Member Countries take it upon themselves to provide reciprocal access to postgraduate eduction and employment that is equivalent to that of their domestic students to anyone who has received their undergraduate eduction another member state, unless precluded by security concerns.
Additionally, each Member State shall mandate a certain percentage of their post-secondary support to be allocated for a new type of Partnership Scholarships & Grants. PSGs allow to for preferential treatment of research projects that are being conducted by individuals from several Member States jointly, including guaranteed full reimbursement of the research-affiliated costs and support for the cost of living. The programme also provides for funding whenever a postgraduate student decides to complete their eduction or research in more than one Member State. Notably, the programme also provides funding for research internships for current students and graduates, so long the internship takes place either with a company that operates outside of a Member State but remains incorporated within the alliance, or requires travelling to a different Member Sate, with respective costs covered by PSGs. Reattach institutions and private employers are free to apply for funding that shall cover up to 100 per cent of the cost of those kinds of internship, so long they hire a postgraduate student graduating from a Member Country, with the pay grade above the national poverty line. Employment authorisation requirements shall also be waived.
All signatories also guarantee an "immigration backstop" procedure, allowing those who participated in PSGs to obtain the right to remain in at least one the countries of the member states permanently.
PSGs also provide for the "domestic treatment" of research projects across Member Sates, allowing both individuals and research institutions seek funding through the Partnership Scholarships and Grants as well as other public funding channels. The agreement however, explicitly guarantees both researchers and institutions the right to be treated as domestic entries when submitting their applications regardless of which Member Sate they primary reside in.
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SHARED INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITIES

The deal provides for a joint Technology Intelligence & Assessment Centre to be launched by Member States as own standalone institution dedicated to monitoring critical technology development in third countries. TIAC also focuses on developing new intelligence capabilities when it comes to assessing third countries' innovation capabilities, including their capacity for monopolising critical technology fields, as well as the potential for engaging into technological espionage. The Centre is tasked with not only developing offensive capabilities, but also boosting the Member States' ability to detect and remove potential vulnerabilities in critical supply chains and R&D.
The proposal also allows for a more structured approach to communication with the public, through Member Sates agencies directly learning from each other's engagement startles and communicating with both the private sector and individuals on the importance of critical technologies and assets. While also promoting open-source intelligence sharing through joint analytical programmes and cross-departmental collaboration.

Impact on Domestic Politics

Canadian federal politics have been fairly polarised recently, especially following the Liberals' third in the row victory without winning majority in the popular vote. Initial in-action of there government has cause further sliding in Liberal approval ratings, as Canada aimed to secretly negative its entry in AUKUS.
However, the House has seen a rare moment of unity, as the Government present their agreement with Canberra, London, and Washington, following by the foreign influence registry, as well as new defence spending targets. Surprisingly, the latter item has seen the left-leaning NDP also supporting the motion, as Liberals has committed to massively increase spending on veterans and humanitarian assistance.
Public reaction for far has been fairly mixed, as Canadians remain fairly sceptical of an idea of more defence spending, yet much more amenable. Notably, the government had to explicitly rule out the idea of new nuclear capabilities to be located in Quebec, citing the province's long-standing opposition to foreign nuclear deterrence among French Canadians.

Acknowledgements

• https://www.csis.org/analysis/canadian-membership-aukus-time-action
• https://www.csis.org/podcasts/35-west/more-subs-urgency-aukus-canada
• https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defense-policy/aukus-flawed-by-design/
• https://www.cgai.ca/rethinking_canadas_security_strategy_how_canada_can_graduate_from_the_kids_table
• https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/170628_Obecny_USCanadianDefenseCoop_Web.pdf
• https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aukus-three-partners-two-pillars-one-problem/

There’s not many good binder brands left. i heard that gc2b has gone down in quality and some trans guys don’t like using their binders anymore. i mostly switch between my fytist and spectrum binder. i really like fytist but unfortunately they went out of business, which really only leaves gc2b and spectrum the only other few binder companies left. I like spectrum but they’re pricey and also international, but have a US store. Spectrum binders are also very tight and hard to get on compared to my gc2b binders and my fytist binder.

I originally typed out a long, long post that was basically my life story in relation to porn, but didn't want to bore anyone and get to the point sooner. This is still pretty long but I just need to get it out somewhere.
Basically, I have been watching porn since I was maybe 10 or 11. Like many people, it started with googling "boobs" and spiraled out from there. I believe it had a serious impact on my sexual and social development. It didn't help that I was already a shy and anxious kid on the spectrum.
For the longest time I didn't think it was a problem, just "what guys do". That's the thing about this drug, it insidiously disguises itself as something other than a drug, a cultural norm that is automatically expected of guys, and it disgusts me to see how it impacts young boys like it did myself, even moreso now.
Even when I started to believe it wasn't normal, my brain rationalized why it wasn't so bad or why I could have a healthy sex life coexist with it. Just like any addict trying to justify their next fix.
In college, though I improved socially somewhat, porn still had its tendrils tight on me. I got into my first relationship when I was 19 and lost my virginity, and my porn use caused me all kinds of sexual dysfunction. I could never finish in under 30 minutes, my girlfriend would commonly be sore or stop out of boredom and frustration. When our relationship soured (porn wasn't the main cause but certainly didn't help), I used porn as an escape until I worked up the courage to break things off. I'd choose whacking it in the bathroom over being in bed next to her. Not proud of it, believe me.
In college, my tastes got very niche/fetish-based. Things I never thought I'd be into. Like other porn addicts, I always had to keep pushing the boundaries for my next dopamine hit to feel just as good as the last. I hit rock bottom post-breakup. I would have marathon sessions with dozens of tabs open and playing at once(think "gooning"). I turned to discord and chan-sites because for some reason the facade of community resonated with me, especially during the pandemic, when I was the most isolated I'd ever been. There I could scratch the itch, as I could find servers and boards that served my niche. But of course, it was never enough, I'd jump server to server for better variety and more active users.
Unfortunately any community-based platform used for porn will attract people who should not be there. Moderation varied, but servers would quickly become liabilities with poor moderation. Chan sites, as we know, are a crapshoot and can never be trusted. I saw things I never wanted to see or seek out and still do not, that are still burned into my brain and cause me a lot of guilt that I even ventured there in the first place. I knew after than happening on several servers I needed to get off there for good. Many times I'd delete my account and be back days later. I finally managed to get rid of it and only stick to "mainstream" sites, but as we know it's no better, and I've definitely felt the "pull" back to those platforms.
I've since moved to a new city, have a full time job, and am coming up on a year with a woman I adore. She's amazing and sexy inside and out, and we have great physical and emotional chemistry. Yet, I still find myself turning to porn. We are long distance for another year or so, and I see her about once a month, and while the lack of physical intimacy can be frustrating sometimes, it's no excuse. At the minimum, I should be using her pics and videos. She says she doesn't mind and watches herself, though much less as since she started dating me. I wish I could say the same. I PMO and feel like shit every time, cause once that dopamine crashes, the memories of what I've seen and done and how I'm choosing pixels over my partner floods into me and overcomes me with guilt and shame. I haven't gone more than a week and a bit without porn. I've kept rationalizing why it's not bad, but after I indulged this morning, I felt like absolute shit more than I usually do. I need to admit to myself, I'm an addict. And I want to stop - for me and for us.
I don't know where to go from here. I've finally worked up the will to set up content filters and time limits on all devices. I'm in therapy. I don't know if it'll be enough. I still have trouble carrying the guilt around like a damn albatross on my neck. I feel some days as though I deserve more punishment for being such a degenerate, as if the mental torment isn't already enough. I need to learn how to fight off urges at the same time. I am open to any words of wisdom out there, just wanted to vent/put this out there and finally admit the truth to myself.
I will say that I will definitely be teaching my hypothetical future kids the dangers of porn and not just relying on public school sex ed to tech them about the realities of human sexuality. Which is something I did not get, beyond "this is where babies come from". I love my parents and don't hold it against them, at this point this is my responsibility. I think they just were naive to the realities of unrestricted internet and the sudden onset of personal devices and the digital age when I was a kid. After all, the most they grew up with was playboys and VHS tapes. It's just so fucking gross to me how the industry manages to target kids, even if they don't outright say it.

Hello,
I'm a software developer who wants to spend my free time on a new interesting challenge. I develop software for a company that takes in data of various forms, organizes it and makes it viewable via a nice browser page.
Would something in this theme be useful to anyone here? Maybe something that lets you input data with time/location and generates a visual timeline/map?
I tried looking for things like this that are easily available but I couldn't find anything which I found surprising.