On Tool Tuesdays, we take the opportunity to learn new tools from the Handbook together (or refresh our memory). Today we are focusing on the DISARM tool (Destructive Images and Self-talk Awareness and Refusal Method).
In the same way that your addictive behavior is only a behavior and not "you," an urge is merely a feeling or an impulse you experience, not the essence of you. Some people find it helps to cope with their urges if they give them a name, as if the urges were another being or something outside themselves.
Your might give your urge and its voice a name that describes what it feels like when the urge comes on (ie. "The Brat," "The Salesman," "The Whiner," "The Enemy"). Personifying your urge helps in a few ways: it serves as a reminder that you are not your behavior, it helps you recognize the urge sooner, and it puts you in a position of power over your addictive behavior.
Have you named your urge? If you feel comfortable, introduce it in the comments.

Many things are true of this fleshly life that are horrifyingly false in the new age of Christ. Hierarchies, fleshly differences are immaterial. But how do we bring God’s kingdom on earth where many fleshly things are reality - like trading with money as opposed to genuine sharing, societal formalities, governments Christian, heathen or secular. Some of what I listed may shock the reader. This is because many Christians pick and choose what part of worldly life is to be the focus of their judging eyes and the rest in the dark of blissful ignorance. Even the hierarchies of slavery used to be on this list! But why didn’t Paul declare a revolution to end slavery? Is it not immoral to force debtors to pay you by taking away their human rights?
But Paul doesn’t. Instead Paul shows how Christianity fights not by direct confrontation, but by turning things upside down. The higher must sacrifice for the lower. Are you a leader? Serve your followers. Are you a slave-owner? Sacrifice for your slave like Christ.
For there is only one hierarchy - Christ over all. And each person higher up the hierarchy must imitate him. By doing so, the very purpose of hierarchies vanishes, to the point where hierarchies exist in name only and can be dissolved with token resistance from the reformed society.
Let’s bring this into perspective of the husband and wife. We know that Paul didn’t have to protect this hierarchy since it seemed so self-evident in the world. But then he adds a clincher to effectively undermine this hierarchy - if you are a husband and think yourself in a position of authority, you must love your wife the same way Christ who is head of the household of God died for their members. You must lay down your preferences for the subordinate. It is therefore quite ironic that men demand respect from women, even if they think they deserve it. Because if Christ is the standard on how to treat women, Christ never demanded respect or worship, though he accepted it. He strove to earn our worship by dying for us, even though we were the guilty party. We owe him our very lives! If a man wishes to be a servant leader, he must serve his wife; he must wash his wife’s feet. He must relinquish his hierarchical rights like Christ did and not hold on to them. In his culture, he may have the privilege of the last word, but he is not obligated to his culture; he must strive to win his wife over and not force his opinions or decisions on her. Because the followers of Christ reign by serving their peers and subordinates, alongside their superiors. Also they recognize that their cultural privileges for their gender or status are truly null and void in Christ, and all men stand equal before Him. However do note, that I am only observing how to apply this verse to various contexts, but I will admit not having any expertise in marital counselling.
Of course, Christ challenges hierarchies differently. Now imagine, if the whole world becomes one family in Christ. Would there be any necessity for money? Would governments, borders or nations need to exist? Granted that the democratic nation state is better than a despotic monarchy, isn’t it still far from ideal to us Christians?

Hey everyone,
We're living in an era where we're more "connected" than ever before, and yet, it's common to feel more alone and isolated than our ancestors probably ever did. This paradox has profound effects, particularly for men who have historically relied on close-knit communities or "tribes" for support, camaraderie, and personal growth.
Such tribes provided a sense of belonging, a collective identity, and a space for sharing knowledge and experience. In today's modern society, where the focus is often on individual success and self-reliance, we're missing out on these vital connections.
The question then becomes: How can we, especially men, reconnect with this tribal spirit in the digital age?
One way I've been exploring is through online communities. These platforms can serve as a digital tribe, offering a safe space to share experiences, engage in meaningful discussions, challenge each other, and grow together.
I've started experimenting with this concept and created a Discord server that focuses on personal growth and development. The goal is to have a community where we support each other through various life aspects, from financial wisdom to relationship advice.
But I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
How do you think we can bring back this tribal sense of community in our modern world?
What aspects would you value most in such a community?
And finally, do you think digital platforms like Discord can serve as modern tribes? If not, why, and what alternatives might work better?
I'm eager to hear your ideas and experiences.
Remember, this isn't just a discussion.
It's a step towards creating a more supportive, interconnected world for us all.

Hey everyone, We're living in an era where we're more "connected" than ever before, and yet, it's common to feel more alone and isolated than our ancestors probably ever did. This paradox has profound effects, particularly for men who have historically relied on close-knit communities or "tribes" for support, camaraderie, and personal growth.
Such tribes provided a sense of belonging, a collective identity, and a space for sharing knowledge and experience. In today's modern society, where the focus is often on individual success and self-reliance, we're missing out on these vital connections.
The question then becomes: How can we, especially men, reconnect with this tribal spirit in the digital age? One way I've been exploring is through online communities. These platforms can serve as a digital tribe, offering a safe space to share experiences, engage in meaningful discussions, challenge each other, and grow together.
I've started experimenting with this concept and created a Discord server that focuses on personal growth and development. The goal is to have a community where we support each other through various life aspects, from financial wisdom to relationship advice.
But I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
How do you think we can bring back this tribal sense of community in our modern world?
What aspects would you value most in such a community?
And finally, do you think digital platforms like Discord can serve as modern tribes? If not, why, and what alternatives might work better?
I'm eager to hear your ideas and experiences.
Remember, this isn't just a discussion.
It's a step towards creating a more supportive, interconnected world for us all.

Introducing my first OC.
(Let me know if something is inconsistent.)
Rogert "Roth" Oberon
Gender: Male
Age: 25 during the Fall of Beacon, 26 or 27 during Atlas arc.
Birthday: 18th day of the 10th month
Height: 1,87 meters
Species: Faunus, Bear. Notable markers: Bear snout.
Family: Father and mother, lost a younger sister and brother in a Grimm attack.
Class: Tank. Speciality: Defense, taking and holding ground.
Colours: The symbol is Brown. Black armour. Varied colours in the rest of the attire intended for camouflage depending on the environment. Doesn´t care much for the colour rule.
Semblance: =Redacted under orders of Headmaster of Beacon= Authorized personnel only as follows:
Animal morphing, Roth Oberon can turn into a big bear and remain in full control after years of practice. However, to maintain control of his semblance he needs to change into a bear once every 2 weeks for at least 2 hours to avoid permanently damaging his body. Gained the semblance in his 3rd year as a Huntsman trainee during a hunting mission. Becomes stronger, aura takes more damage and is more animalistic in behaviour when in animal form.
=Classified information ends=
Profession:
Huntsman in training at Beacon Academy, team leader. (Former)
Trainee in Vale military. (Former)
Guardsman of Beacon Academy.
Appearance: Strong arms with strong legs, broad shoulders, gold brown bear eyes, and brown hair. Bear mouth/snout. Muscular torso. Note: Functional muscles.
Weapons: Student to Mistral arc: Spear, machine gun gauntlet, sword gauntlet, one-shot reloadable rocket launcher with ammo and a spear tip from a broken spear.
Graduate Huntsman in Atlas arc: Two gauntlets with automatic machine guns and a sword blade coming out of them, grappling hooks on both, a spear tip and spear adjusted for his height and physique that can be split into 2 pieces. Carries dust grenades with him with empty dust slots and different dust with him.
Strengths:
- Roth is very strong and durable allowing him to survive hits that would kill many others.
- Adaptable to changing situations and has strong willpower, keen intelligence, observant nature and a sharp mind.
- Versatile combat technique and knows how to use a variety of weapons or forms.
- His calmness and mastery of his emotions.
- Bear´s sense of smell.
Weaknesses:
- Is slower at dodging than most fighters even in his younger years.
- His darker impulses are close to the surface when he is in charge.
- Workaholic.
- Lack of double-moded weapons.
- Great anger towards Grimm makes him hunt them with abandon or lure them in relatively easily. (Weakness in academy years, in adult years unorthodox trapping and luring method against Grimm. Double-edged sword.)
Inspiration: What I want to be. A person who could beat Hazel Rainart and Brutes from Batman Arkham Knight. Gregor Eisenhorn of Warhammer 40k and Kratos of God of War in his Nordic life for personality with my self.
History: Born to a pair of bear Faunus, one of them a cop and the other currently a member of Vale council, Roth could have had an easy life if life was kinder to him or if he chose a different career. A survivor of a Grimm attack on Mountain Glenn, he made it his life mission to eradicate Grimm from the face of Remnant. He lost his sister and brother to the Grimm when they were trying to reach safety with their parents. His parents were able to survive with him yet he lost a piece of himself there.
Refusing to be weak and defenceless again, Roth´s sole focus in combat school became learning, discipline and bodybuilding. In a matter of months to a year, he became strong as a tree and became the unofficial enforcer of his combat school keeping it clear from bullies. He gained a reputation for being unable to be intimidated or bribed.
Rogert met Elena Nathara during the initiation and became her partner in it. He was made team leader of team REPR(Reaper) due to his calm and observant nature. Over time his team where considered to be among the deadliest Huntsmen teams in Beacon history despite the conflicting personalities of the team.
Rogert made a name for himself in Beacon like in his combat school and became often scary to new student teams who don´t know his history or became scared of him because they did know his past as time went by. He enjoyed being a student at Beacon and in some ways, Beacon became his second home away from home and wowed to protect it against any danger.
Rogert sometimes tested potentially capable students and challenged them to fight in an effort to prepare them for Huntsman´s life. Few lasted very long against him and fewer still managed to beat him. Because of his experience in fighting students with very different fighting styles, Rogert has become very adaptable to different attacks and styles of combat.
After graduation, Roth went to train in the Vale military for 3 years and was put under heavier training than everyone else due to joining the training older than normal recruits to get him into a military standard. Roth´s first year was basic training, the second year involved advanced training/conditioning and the third year was commando tactics training under the commando unit of the Vale military.
After joining Vale´s reserve forces, he joined the Guardsmen, a school security force of Beacon with her old teammate Raina Odell. Has been rumoured of working with Ozpin due to the steady fall of the criminal element in Vale and being seen in random locations around Remnant between school years after graduation.
Current location: the City of Vale working as a Guardsman.
Skills:
- Knows many melee weapon combat forms and has a lot of fist-fighting experience. After training and fighting in missions in a military unit for 3 years after graduation, he has learned to fight like a commando and how to shoot with military rifles.
- Is familiar with Vale military tactics.
- Knows how to make new weapons from the ground up with primitive equipment and knows how to maintain them effectively and how to repair them.
- Rogert knows how to survive in the wilderness. Building shelter, use of camouflage, hunting for food and foraging, how to lose a hunter, navigating etc. His speciality is tracking a target or missing supplies.
- Good stealth skills and ability to disappear enhanced by military education.
- Knows how to make grenades and bombs and how to defuse them. (Trained in the military and by Parish Broc.)
- Knows the basics of using military equipment, vehicles and weapons after graduation and training in the military.
- Interrogation skills enhanced by his physical presence and how to gain information by talking. And knows how to extract information by inflicting pain and suffering. (Trained with some success by Elena Nathara.)
- Knows psychological warfare and guerrilla tactics. Specializes in Grimm counter-tactics.
- Knows criminal psychology and how to establish a crime scene and how to gather evidence. (Trained by his father and Raina Odell.)
- Knows how to administer first aid. (Basic and Huntsman academy training.)
Personality: Rogert is a loner who was given the job of a leader despite not wanting it. He became more comfortable in the role over the years yet never truly believed he should be a leader. This dislike ironically might have made Roth a more humble person than he would have been otherwise. While a humble person, Roth has no illusions of his strengths and how powerful he can be when in battle.
Roth values loyalty and honesty, things he has shown to his team by having no secrets from them and has encouraged his team to do the same with great effect. Because of his values in honesty, Rogert does not forgive attempts to lie to him and tries to limit his words to be as truthful as possible.
Roth has a ruthless attitude when it comes to leadership and dealing with enemies. As a leader, Roth expects nothing but competence and giving 100% in combination with a firm chain of command and on-the-spot obedience.
Roth is a strong believer of learning from history and mistakes and is hard on himself when he makes the same mistake twice.
Desiring to always have the upper hand he learned to keep his emotions in check at all times and focused on his studies in his free time and school time. Other people often consider him emotionless, yet no one is willing to say it in his earshot, and he doesn´t mind this thought about him.
Rogert has mastered his emotions and he can make decisions that would make other people disgusted with themselves be it torture or cruel punishments without flinching as he got older. While his team reminds him about his better nature and while his actions have never been directed against an innocent, Rogert believes he can´t afford to hesitate to act when many lives are at stake.
His team REPR has helped him loosen up and he discovered his liking for playing the saxophone and driving. His team has helped him to become a better man than he thinks he needs to be as the years went by.
Facts about the character:

• Rogert prefers to be called Roth because the name is easier to pronounce and he prefers a shorter name.
• Rogert put the team to vote on whether they should stick together as a group. Ultimately, the team was split up, yet REPR occasionally would help each other on big operations. He voted No, yet never said why even when asked.
• Roth´s closest relationships are with his parents, Elena, and Raina and he thinks highly of Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck due to his teaching and wisdom.
• Rogert takes Huntsman missions between semesters and seasonal breaks other than holidays.

Overall she is very misunderstood on trans people, their beliefs, and that of allies. This misunderstanding as you will see has anti-trans consequences and is therefore transphobic hate speech.
Due to the 40,000 world limit of reddit which i surpassed, i will divide this into few parts (other parts in comments)

Part 1:

I’ve read all the arguments about femaleness not residing in the sexed body, and the assertions that biological women don’t have common experiences, and I find them, too, deeply misogynistic and regressive. It’s also clear that one of the objectives of denying the importance of sex is to erode what some seem to see as the cruelly segregationist idea of women having their own biological realities or – just as threatening – unifying realities that make them a cohesive political class. The hundreds of emails I’ve received in the last few days prove this erosion concerns many others just as much. It isn’t enough for women to be trans allies. Women must accept and admit that there is no material difference between trans women and themselves.

In my experience, as someone who is active in trans activism. Nobody says or invalidates that cis female experiences did not happen or shouldnt be talked about.

But, as many women have said before me, ‘woman’ is not a costume. ‘Woman’ is not an idea in a man’s head. ‘Woman’ is not a pink brain, a liking for Jimmy Choos or any of the other sexist ideas now somehow touted as progressive. Moreover, the ‘inclusive’ language that calls female people ‘menstruators’ and ‘people with vulvas’ strikes many women as dehumanising and demeaning. I understand why trans activists consider this language to be appropriate and kind, but for those of us who’ve had degrading slurs spat at us by violent men, it’s not neutral, it’s hostile and alienating.

JKR is specifically angry about "people who mensturate." (https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1269382518362509313) I'd understand the dehumanizing nature of "mensturators" but the addition of "people" just cuts out the dehumanising aspect of trans inclusive language.
And ofcourse, her experience of sexual abuse making this unacceptable is worth acknowledgement. A step towards language understanding of past sexual abuse, and using trans inclusion is not made.

However, as Magdalen was a great believer in the importance of biological sex, and didn’t believe lesbians should be called bigots for not dating trans women with penises, dots were joined in the heads of twitter trans activists, and the level of social media abuse increased.

Its completely okay to not want to date someone, its completely not okay for that to be because she is trans.
Trans people are not dangerous. You do not have to perform any sexual act that you dont want to. A completely acceptable reality in safe cis-cis relationships. But somehow impossible in cis-trans relationships.

I must have been on my fourth or fifth cancellation by then. I expected the threats of violence, to be told I was literally killing trans people with my hate, to be called cunt and bitch and, of course, for my books to be burned, although one particularly abusive man told me he’d composted them.

By believing and sharing in art (tweets, that is language; and books) that trans (women) are dangerous. She promotes the belief that trans people are dangerous, leading to stigmatization, and violence. (https://www.un.org/en/hate-speech/understanding-hate-speech/hate-speech-and-real-harm) And that doesnt account for the harm using unaffirming actions can have (https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/aap-voices/sharing-pronouns-matters-and-it-can-help-save-lives/)
This one is 5 quotes from sections of the essay.

They’re worried about the dangers to young people, gay people and about the erosion of women’s and girl’s rights. Above all, they’re worried about a climate of fear that serves nobody – least of all trans youth – well.
The UK has experienced a 4400% increase in girls being referred for transitioning treatment. Autistic girls are hugely overrepresented in their numbers.
American physician and researcher Lisa Littman set out to explore it. In an interview, she said: ‘Parents online were describing a very unusual pattern of transgender-identification where multiple friends and even entire friend groups became transgender-identified at the same time. I would have been remiss had I not considered social contagion and peer influences as potential factors.’
Her [Lisa Littman] paper caused a furore. She was accused of bias and of spreading misinformation about transgender people, subjected to a tsunami of abuse and a concerted campaign to discredit both her and her work. The journal took the paper offline and re-reviewed it before republishing it. However, her career took a similar hit to that suffered by Maya Forstater. Lisa Littman had dared challenge one of the central tenets of trans activism, which is that a person’s gender identity is innate, like sexual orientation. Nobody, the activists insisted, could ever be persuaded into being trans.
The writings of young trans men reveal a group of notably sensitive and clever people. The more of their accounts of gender dysphoria I’ve read, with their insightful descriptions of anxiety, dissociation, eating disorders, self-harm and self-hatred, the more I’ve wondered whether, if I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. I struggled with severe OCD as a teenager. If I’d found community and sympathy online that I couldn’t find in my immediate environment, I believe I could have been persuaded to turn myself into the son my father had openly said he’d have preferred.

In terms of gay people transitioning to escape homophobia (possible in countries such as India where homophobia is higher than transphobia, due to the deity status of trans people,) i find that's something to be addressed indeed, and i think all trans colleagues and allies would say the same. I dont think this was unaddressed when activism moved forward with self ID and easing access to HRT, Surgeries.
This response also applies to autistic girls, "social contagion," and he/him JKR.
The furore caused by her paper should be understood to be triggered "social contagion," being connected to "trans people should not be near you," not as evilness of trans activists.
In terms of "erosion of women's and girl's rights" i think i've addressed that this means for her already.

Im thinking of studying comsci in university next year, but i keep getting slightly put off the by the stories i hear of people doing bootcamps/being self taught and getting really good jobs and great companies. What do you SWEs/comsci students/ self taught people have to say about this?

Introduction

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects individuals' ability to read, write, and spell accurately. It is estimated that around 10% of the population worldwide experiences some level of dyslexia. Despite its prevalence, dyslexia is often misunderstood, and individuals with dyslexia may face challenges in academic and professional settings. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the causes, symptoms, and strategies for supporting individuals with dyslexia.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a neurological condition that primarily affects reading skills. It is not a reflection of intelligence or effort. People with dyslexia may have difficulty recognizing and decoding letters, sounds, and words. Dyslexia can manifest differently in individuals, and the severity of the disorder can vary.

Causes of Dyslexia

While the exact causes of dyslexia are still being studied, research suggests that genetic and environmental factors play a role. It is believed that dyslexia is hereditary, as it tends to run in families. Additionally, differences in brain structure and function, particularly in areas related to language processing, have been observed in individuals with dyslexia.

Common Symptoms of Dyslexia

Dyslexia can present a wide range of symptoms, which may vary from person to person. Some common signs of dyslexia include:

• Difficulty with phonological processing: People with dyslexia may struggle to identify and manipulate sounds in words, making it challenging to connect sounds to letters.
• Poor reading accuracy: Dyslexia often leads to reading difficulties, including slow and inaccurate reading, skipping words, or substituting similar-looking words.
• Spelling difficulties: Individuals with dyslexia may have trouble spelling words correctly due to challenges in decoding and remembering letter sequences.
• Slow and laborious writing: Writing can be a time-consuming task for individuals with dyslexia, as they may struggle with organizing their thoughts and translating them onto paper.
• Difficulty with sequencing and time management: Dyslexia can impact an individual's ability to follow sequential instructions or manage time effectively.

Diagnosis and Assessment

If dyslexia is suspected, it is important to seek a professional evaluation by a qualified specialist, such as an educational psychologist or speech-language pathologist. The assessment may include cognitive tests, reading and writing tasks, and interviews with the individual and their family. A comprehensive evaluation helps identify the specific strengths and challenges of the individual, enabling the development of targeted support strategies.

Strategies for Supporting Individuals with Dyslexia

• Multisensory instruction: Many individuals with dyslexia benefit from a multisensory approach to learning, which engages multiple senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) simultaneously. This approach helps reinforce connections between letters, sounds, and words.
• Assistive technology: Various assistive technologies can aid individuals with dyslexia, such as text-to-speech software, speech recognition tools, and dyslexia-friendly fonts. These tools can enhance reading, writing, and organizational skills.
• Accommodations in educational settings: Providing accommodations, such as extra time for exams, preferential seating, or access to audio versions of texts, can level the playing field for students with dyslexia.
• Specialized instruction: Dyslexia-specific programs, such as Orton-Gillingham or Wilson Reading System, can be highly effective in teaching reading and spelling skills to individuals with dyslexia.
• Supportive learning environment: Creating a supportive and understanding learning environment is crucial. Teachers, parents, and peers should be aware of dyslexia's challenges and employ patience, empathy, and positive reinforcement.

Building Self-esteem and Confidence

Individuals with dyslexia often face emotional and psychological challenges due to their learning differences. Building self-esteem and confidence is essential in helping them navigate their educational and personal lives. Encouraging their strengths, providing opportunities for success, and promoting a growth mindset can greatly contribute to their well-being.

Conclusion

Dyslexia is a complex learning disorder that affects reading, writing, and spelling skills. While dyslexia presents challenges, with appropriate support and interventions, individuals with dyslexia can succeed academically and professionally. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and strategies for supporting individuals with dyslexia is crucial in fostering an inclusive society where everyone can thrive, regardless of their learning differences.

TL:DR
I had a conversation with my roommate after she got upset about me going to the store without her. When she got home, we had a conversation on why I could go to the store to get food for me but didn't want to go with her to Dentist/doctors visits, or to go to the store for hours when I feel constantly sick from being pregnant. She was upset I couldn't handle certain smells, or was scared of being sick in public. The last straw was a comment on how much food I was eating, and making me feel self conscious.
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For context I am 20yrs old and my roommate is 39yrs old, We'll call her Mandy. I had gone on Vacation in a different state to go see my now fiancée and learned shortly after I came back that I was pregnant. In the beginning everything was fine but slowly the toll of morning sickness really hit me. My mother had a hard time with morning sickness and I did not realize how hard it would hit me as well. It has been bad enough there are somedays I can't eat at all and just have to sleep it off so I can eat again, and there are days that I can not leave the house because I feel scared of getting sick in public places. Also to note, I am extremely allergic to Peanut Butter, I have to have Epi pens on hand, and break into hives just by touching it. It used to not be that bad but it got a lot worse after I found out I was pregnant. This is all important later. On to the story!
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It all really hit the fan about a week or so ago, I was getting really sick, constantly having a trash can by my bed, and trying to keep down crackers and soda. After a couple days it would pass and I would be able to eat again, but about 4 days later I would go through another 2 day spell of it. The cycle continued for about 2 weeks (As of yesterday it finally calmed down) before I got to a point where I felt comfortable to go to the store. I had left shortly after my roommate left for work and got home about 3 hours later, I guess what my mistake was, was having my mom take me to the store instead of waiting for my roommate to have a day off and to take her with me. I had gotten home about 3 hours after I left originally and had just put the groceries away when I laid down to fall asleep as being out that long just made me amazingly tired. When I woke up I had a message from her asking me if I was mad at her. I had said no and that I was asleep. This is how the rest of the conversation went.
Mandy: So what all did you get?
Me: Just food for me so I can stop eating out so much, and try to help with my morning sickness. I did get myself some paper plates and bowls though.
Mandy: Why?
Me: I can't wait for your days off to have dishes done. You make peanut butter sandwiches and I can't touch that with how bad my allergy is. I tried doing the dishes when I had my entire arm covered and I can't risk that when I am home alone.
Mandy: We need to talk on my next day off
*Skip trying to figure out what it was and just being told "Things"*
Me: Lets just talk when you get home.
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I had left the conversation at that. I had asked my fiancée who was on the phone at the time if he would be awake for me when she got home. (We are long distance right now since he is serving in a different country and we are hours apart) He said of course and I took a nap with him on the phone while I waited for her to come home. I had woken up before she got home and realized he was still asleep, but I wasn't going to wake him. He was still on the phone and that was good enough for me. So, she comes home and I go to talk to her. I had cleaned up the living room as much as I could since I can't lift anything over 10 pounds right now (doctors orders because of how rough this pregnancy has been) and I was proud of what I had done. My roommate instantly berated me for not cleaning more than I did and I had to remind her yet again, I couldn't do much more than I already had.
She let that go and then went on about how I never wanted to go anywhere with her anymore and how I have stopped talking to her when she gets home. Now keep in mind, she gets home at 2 in the morning, right about when my nausea really tends to hit and all I want to do is try and sleep/lay down and avoid getting sick again. So of course I really don't want to talk very much then. As for going out with her, she spends an easy 4-5 hours in the store when we go, or she wants me to go to the dentist with her or something along those lines. Normally sure, I don't have a ton to do since my job put me on one day a week as to keep me unstressed (Which I had agreed to). Lately I have had issues with certain smells and I politely decline to go as to not stress my body more than I already have.
She gets upset trying to convince me to go to the store with her because she needs help finding cute shoes so she can start walking again, or she misses spending time with me. I told her she didn't need "cute shoes" to go walking around (especially in our neighborhood as it gets extremely muddy after it rains). As for spending time together I get it can be frustrating, but I can't spend time at 2am anymore, and she sleeps up until she goes to work at 4pm the next day. Now, I will admit that I do stay up past 2am, but nausea is amazingly hard to sleep with, and if I fall asleep too early I end up getting sick when I wake up. Strange I know, but it is something I am going to mention when I see the doctor in a few weeks.
Today was my last straw, I had just made a small lasagna (my second one of the day, just one of those little microwave one) and was trying to cut it up. She walks in the door and her first response as I go to start eating it was "How many does that make for you today?" as if I was eating a ton. I just quietly said it was my second one and slowly put my fork down, pushing my plate aside. She went back in her room and I just kinda sat there almost in tears. I know I picked up on how much I was eating but I didn't think it warranted that.
So tell me, AITJ for not spending as much time with my roommate? Or being upset for comments on how much I am eating?

Hello! I'm not always outside to buy coffee from coffee shops because it's expensive but I recently want to go outside to change my environment and hopefully, can focus more.
What is more suitable coffee shop for a college student? Are cards/reward cards worth buying?
I'm around SM Fairview and these 3 are the only coffee shops I know that serves good coffee. Please recommend more shops and cost range of coffee if possible. Thank you!

Trying to not be specific and not using any pronouns in case they accidentally find this... My cousin is currently in 11th grade, they're 16, and very academically inclined. They have been throughout their life very hard working and studious, and I respect them so much for it. And their hard work is always measured by their report card and exam results, i.e. they are praised by the family when they top and get A+, but they are not praised or even said 'proud of you' to when they are putting in the effort or working hard. This past year I've started noticing, or you can say assuming, that they've started measuring their efforts only by the outcome. They've developed a 'only a 100 is acceptable, anything below that is failure' mindset. They're not going around telling this to their peers or being arrogant or anything, but anytime you talk to them after an exam it's always 'I'm crying because I messed up a half mark answer' and it's almost as if the rest 99 1/2 doesn't amount for anything... They had their 10th grade exams a few months ago and it was such a stressful time for everyone (even more so for them), and it was scary because they'd hyperventilate and get panic attacks the night before MOCK tests. I'm in an entirely different country with a major time zone difference and it took a massive toll on me as well because they only feel comfortable talking to me, and there were instances where I was trying to calm them over the phone in the middle of the night, telling them that it's okay to go to their parents and that they will not be angry or think you're disturbing them. I'm 3 years elder to them and I know the impact my words have on them and I try to be mindful of everything I say, along with the way I say it. For instance, after so many of their tests I'm trying to explain it to them that exams are not your life and that they don't even test your knowledge of the subject and only test your knowledge of certain questions etc... but then they talk to every other family member (because they feel the need to tell everyone about the 1/2 mark lost) (I'm sorry I sound like I'm criticizing them, but I don't mean to, I'm just tired) and everyone tells them a version of 'you can do better next time'. It's like taking one step forward and 5 steps backward. I have been an average student all my life, even failed 6th grade at a point, and exams were my weakest pursuit. It's not that I tried hard and didn't succeed, it's simply that I only tried hard enough to get by. I was so occupied with just staying alive that I did not care enough to put in the effort. It built a mindset that it's ok to fail and all that matters is to keep believing in yourself and not dismissing even the smallest of accomplishments. I'm in a much better place now and I have learnt to enjoy studying and putting effort into my studies while also knowing that marks are important but only for scholarships and don't determine my self-worth. I don't know how to make them understand this. I feel like I'm angry at them because of their privilege... They have both their parents by their side, they have two sides of their extended family, they have access to everything and all their wishes are fulfilled, they get to have yearly vacations, and they have me, I.e., they have an adult in their life trying to keep them grounded and putting emphasis on their mental health. I didn't have any of this, and it hurts me so much that they can't acknowledge any of these things because they're on thinking about that half mark. They call me every second day, if not every day, and talk for hours. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy talking to them, it's just exhausting because they can't bring themselves to value my time and I am left trying to take baby steps with the way they think. They're looking into stuff like colleges and building a nice CV these days and I'm just so frustrated. I was in a boarding school with no access to any resources and I managed everything from volunteering, to being a student council member, to being on every single extracurricular that crosses your mind, to doing really well in my academics, all for University. I'm not saying I did something mind blowing or praise worthy because every kid does it if not more. But I don't understand why they can't do it, or at least try to. They are never taking the initiative and always saying that they don't have the resources or the opportunities, not once are they thinking of creating them themselves. They talk to me in what feels condescending when they say how easy it was for me to do all these things, it's like everything I did was nothing at all. I told them about taking initiative and they proceeded to emails 10 top universities in the world (not going to name them but it isn't exactly difficult to guss) stating their interest in subject xyz and that they'd be a good fit for their internships, and now they are asking me why some of them haven't replied back, or if they have, why have they rejected them... I don't even want to say anything at this point but I also know that I'm the only source of reliability for them, even if they don't care enough to understand that relying to much starts feeling like a burden. I don't want to bring this up with my parent or their parents because I know they'll feel like I'm attacking them or breaking their trust, and from my own experiences I know that once that sense of safety is gone it doesn't really come back. I've suggested therapy but my family is living in God knows which era and sweeps it under the rug everytime I mention anything along the lines of it. I know if my cousin brings it up, they'll agree to it but even my cousin doesn't acknowledge that therapy will help them, the only thing they care enough about is that god dann half mark....I don't know how long I can support or how much longer I'll want to support them. And I'm just looking for any advice. Any advice on how to respond to their 'why don't universities want me for their internships even when I expressed my interest in the subject' question and advice on how to indirectly establish boundaries with them will be very very appreciated because I think if I try to respond the only thing I'll say is 1) I have no idea why they are not preferring you over literal University students and PHD candidates who have probably put years into the specific research topics. 2) Contrary to what you might believe I happen to exist outside of your existence and have thoughts and tasks and work of my own and am not here to solve your life. I know, must be surprising to find out that I'm not an all knowing ever giving NPC and have a storyline of my own!
I sound so critical of them but I do care for them, but it just feels like such a blow everytime I talk to them because I'm jealous of why they get the freedom to ask for help when I never did, and why they get to overlook this privilege... it sounds so childish and thoughtless of me but I can't help but feel this way... And I'm really sorry for the word count, I didn't think it was going to end up being an essay... I'm grateful for any and all advice. Thank you so much and really sorry for this lengthy rant...

I had another ticket for 860 off $20 and it missed on the gabe Vincent points @ 12.5 he got 10 🤦‍♂️

I'm wanting to develop my abilities. If I really have them.
This is insanely long read. Like, holy wall of text batman. My apologies. (*/ω＼*)
I think whatever I'm experiencing goes as far back as my Oma, my grandmother. She always had a sense of just 'knowing' things. She told my mother when she was 16 years old that she knew everyone else but my mother would be coming to look for money when she dies. She said she'd never live past her father's age, always said she'd die in a hospital. She delayed her healthcare (12 years post Chernobyl metastasized thyroid cancer) in order to see us one last time, a friend of hers later revealed to my mother. She knew she was dying and she knew Christmas of '98 was her coming to say goodbye. (I was 8 years old)
When she was with us back then, my mother knew she was dying. Somehow she knew this was the last time she'd see her mother. She knew she was sick but not terminally.
Maybe it was the screams. My mother said two nights in a row Oma was screaming bloody murder in her sleep. She said she never wanted to hear those screams ever again. No one knows why it happened and she never woke herself up w/ them. My dad confirmed it as he was the first to hear it. He woke my mother up the second time so she could hear it for herself. !<
When she was back home in her own country, my Oma went in for surgery a month later. Complications struck. Somehow, this made my mother panic and she called her siblings saying they needed to go see her. She told them she was going to die. They told her the weather was bad, too much snow, ice. She was dead the next day. In the hospital. And not older than her father.
My mother called in and got the news from the hospital; complications post surgery took her. That same night, I saw my Oma. Mind you, I'm an ocean away. It was super late, middle of the night, taking a wee. I'm on the commode, door is open. In front of me lies a hallway spanning left to right, left my bedroom and my sister's, right my parents' bedroom. I was rubbing my eyes and then I look up again and see what I'm assuming was the ghost of my grandmother standing there, as if she was just coming from my parents' bedroom.
She was in one of her nightgowns. She was a sort of misty, pale, hazy beige but not opaque. Hard to describe. In that moment, everything stopped. For that split second, I felt nothing, thought nothing, heard nothing. I wasn't breathing. And then I blinked and it was all over. As if she had never been there at all.
I slept with all lights on in my bedroom until I was roughly 16 years old. I don't know how I got the courage to leave that bathroom but I remember RUNNING back to my room.
My mother had three nights of dreams in which my grandmother, her mother, told her she was ok where she is now, that she should never leave me or my sister alone in America in order to attend to a funeral, that she couldn't stay here anymore and that this was goodbye. My mother never dreamed of her again after the third night.
She called a bunch of those toll free hotline psychics (Not sure why exactly) and they all had various things to tell her. The third call, the psychic was saying that she had something really important to tell her but that she wasn't supposed to. The line suddenly went dead. My mother tried calling back and it was as if the number never exist. And they were never billed!! Trust me they went way past the first free few minutes you got. Didn't make a lick of sense. Should have been expensive asl. But nothing showed up on their bill. And they kept waiting for it lol
We moved a year later; my dad had to go back in the house the last night we were in town. I'm not sure what he went to grab but when he came back out he looked spooked. I had never seen my dad scared before. My mom asked him wth was going on and he said the house had a bunch of banging and muffled yelling. In the attic. No one lived there but us and no one had moved in as of yet. We still had keys ffs. He said it sounded like someone was 'throwin shit around' lol
Since then, I've felt stuff. Like, I get what I like to call good or bad juju from people or places 😂 I can 'feel' if someone is ok to be alone in a room with. I can pick up things. Emotions. From strangers, and I hate it so much. I was 15, walked right past this man at the grocery store and a thought crossed my mind; this man was going to take his life tonight. That TERRIFIED me. I questioned myself, like, are you makin this shit up? I wasn't but man, I questioned every single thing I was feeling.
I went to this new school once; one of MANY over the years. The gym teacher ; something felt OFF. Something said , felt, like I should not be near him, ever. He was looking friendly enough, selling cookies in the morning before the bell rang. Innocent, right? I was terrified of him; went out of my way to walk as far away as possible when passing him.
Few weeks later and I'm playing hooky, his face coming on the headline news; arrested for assaulting students. :')
I have always judged the 'vibes' correctly with every individual I've met. I've doubted myself so much; gaslit myself for YEARS only to be double crossed by the very same people I was trying to convince myself were angels. I kept telling myself it's just my anxiety or my introvert trait shit or anything! Anything but 'knowing'.
Oh, the shadow people. I've seen them for years. Out of the corner of my eye. One time, I was SO convinced they were my sisters playing pranks on me while I was doing housework. Come around the dining table, lift up the tablecloth, fully expecting two of them to be under there hiding in order to screw w/ my vacuuming efforts. There was nothing there. 🙃
One of my sisters (roughly 8 at the time) (in the same house w/ the dining table incident lol), was at the dining table one morning saying a blonde haired lady sat at the table was waving at her. She said it so casually, like she was talking about school or her breakfast. We were all like, lol, yeah, ok, blonde haired lady, gotcha.
Always felt the 'someone's watching me' vibe. On/off. Some places stronger than others. Some places more frequent than others. Have felt like my cats had climbed into bed w/ me and looked to find them across the room. Have felt like someone's sat down next to me on the bed even when I'm the only one in the room. I have felt my blanket move a couple times; no one was there in order for that to have happened.
One time, I had gotten an award for improving my GPA a lot in high school in my junior year. On the stage you came up, you'd say something in the mic and then double back to accept a bunch of certificates and coupons from a few important people on stage. One of them, a senior gentleman, instead of simply shaking my hand as he did the others, held my hand between the both of his and said to me, "there is a presence about you".
Why did he say this? No one knows. My mom noticed it happen; him holding my hand. Because he didn't do that with ANYONE ELSE. In the moment he did that, the noise was sucked out of the room. I felt like I had when I saw my grandmother that one night. I couldn't move, didn't think, judge, feel, hear. It was the strangest thing.
I've heard stuff go bump in the night. Some basements feel scarier than others. Some people give me the heebie jeebies. Cupboards slam in the kitchen but no one's there. Something feels like it might chase me away from a playground at night. Sometimes, I feel like someone or something is 'there'. But then it goes away.
Am I nuts? Or is there something here I can work with? I'm always hesitant to embrace it because of a few things;
I'm absolutely terrified of seeing anything , talking to anything. But that sucks cos like, if it's real, if this is real, something is ALREADY THERE. My not seeing them doesn't change jack shit! a concept!
I'm worried it's just mental illness; that it's all hallucinations because of emotional dysregulation and paranoia and anxiety.
How does one tell the difference?
Edited to add a few more nuggets:
mother was 16yo, bf cheated on her. She 'wished' him to death, as most emotionally dysregulated will w/ zero self awareness and anger management problems. He died that same night in a car crash. Sadly, his friend did, too. She has been afraid of her own anger ever since. She felt she was the reason he died.
she's heard voices speak to her in her sleep, as if in her ear, whispering to her.
I've heard a little girl run down a hall, like the voice getting louder as it passes you, fading again, but in my ear. There was no girl, no hall, I'm in my bed, asleep LOL
Sometimes I know some things will happen. I see them happen, like an intrusive thought. One time, it was a dish that broke. As I saw that it would because I did not move it somehow. Or the time I cut my foot on a broken dry erase board. The same board I saw, w/ the corner of the sheet exposed. Something told me to move it or someone would get hurt. I said I would later. Cut my foot on it that night LOL
My dog had to be euthanized recently. Two days before I got the call, I was having what can only be explained as an out of body experience. I felt like I was floating ahead of myself when I would walk through the house. Two days later, I'm going to the vet w/ my dog, the out of body experiences not there anymore and they haven't returned since. He was my baby. I used to be the only one he would allow close to him for the first eight years of his life. My mom said the night before he was being overly sweet and cuddly. Very schmoozy and affectionate. He suffered a stroke and there was nothing we could do.
Coincidence or did I feel him leaving already?

If you are interested in insects, art, science and culture and want a fun and exciting breadth subject to take in semester 2, you should think about Insects Shaping Society UNIB10018
Insects Shaping Society (ISS, UNIB10018) is an exciting University Breadth Subject that exposes students to human interactions with insects and our impact on each other. ISS prepares students to understand our complex relationships with insects from a variety of perspectives, such as social, cultural, artistic and scientific. Lectures are provided by a range of experts from within the Faculties of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Arts, Science, and Architecture Building and Planning. We will also include prominent external experts as lectures within this subject. Each week is composed of a compact module containing both theoretical and practical components with the aim of developing academic expertise and knowledge in the fields of history, literature, culture, biology and architecture. Students will also develop an aptitude for continued self-directed learning, becoming adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies. Watch the trailer for this subject below, and share it with your fellow students. We welcome all that have an interest in and are curious about insects!
https://youtu.be/Z2G339NDnCA
We have a lot of fun - from watching insect horror movies, to taking a behind the scenes tour of the museum, to tasting different honeys and trying different insect products this subject is sure to peak your interests in how cool and fun and important insects are. 📷

Chat GPT can help improve personal productivity in several ways. Here are some examples:

• Motivation and Accountability: Chat GPT can act as a virtual accountability partner, providing encouragement, reminders, and helping you stay motivated toward your goals. It can also offer productivity tips, success stories, or inspirational quotes to boost your motivation.
• Personal Organization: Chat GPT can help you organize your personal information, such as contact details, important dates, or notes. It can serve as a digital assistant, storing and retrieving information as needed.
• Workflow Optimization: Chat GPT can assist in optimizing your workflow by suggesting automation tools, productivity apps, or efficient processes. It can provide recommendations based on your specific needs and preferences.
• Reflective Practice: Chat GPT can support reflective thinking and self-improvement by asking thought-provoking questions, guiding you to analyze your performance, and identifying areas for growth.

Hi peeps,
Happy to announce that I finally passed on my second attempts on the exam. On my second try, it only took me about 8 hours or so to finally obtained domain admin access to the domain controller.
I learnt the hard way since my first attempt ended up in a big fat fail. I then took myself to relearn pivoting (this time around utilising chisel instead of proxychains via meterpreter). If I could perhaps provide a few insights to help you acing the exam, it would be:

1. Everything is within the courseware (PEH). Redo everything on the AD section part, and you would have a better grips within the internal domain network.
2. WPE and LPE only served as a booster but I do not think you need them. At the very minimum, just go through the first few videos of how to find potential exploits would be sufficient.
3. Enumeration. I cannot stress this enough, but do enumerate as much as you can, such as going through every ports, accessing every single folders/shares/files to check if there's any leaked sensitive information/credentials and etc. Do this in a hacker mindset instead of a CTF mindset. I spent most of my time digging into the machines/shares after I got access to, you just need to glance through the things that are there. In which, I did not do so in my first attempt.
4. Practice wise, I believe wreath and post exploitation rooms on THM would be sufficient. In general, I only utilised the courseware, self-built AD lab and THM (these 2 rooms only).
5. Lastly, do your notes on the exam properly, such as preparing a cheat seat for potential commands to be fired on the terminal. This will save most of your time. Trust me.

​
In all, I could not really think of anything else that would help you to pass other than these. Do spend your time well, and manage your personal expectation. If you are committed to it, then just do it, no question.
After I failed, I took a one week break to celebrate my failure and another week to focus on the exam and practice portion. Was it tough? Yes, it was especially when I thought I have enumerated enough. When I finally passed it, I was like, that's it? IT WAS ALL IN THE COURSE haha!
Just do it, to be honest, would be the best mindset to push through the exam.
I hope you all have a great read, but please don't dm me for exam answers or tips. All the tips are here, do not want to find myself repeating.
Have a great day. Cheers!

Education is not solely confined to the four walls of a classroom. It extends beyond textbooks and lectures, encompassing a multitude of experiences that shape students’ overall development. Co-curricular activities play a pivotal role in enhancing student learning and growth, offering a realm of opportunities that go beyond the detection capabilities of AI text detectors. These activities provide a platform for students to explore their passions, develop new skills, foster teamwork, and cultivate invaluable life experiences.

1. Holistic Development

Co-curricular activities contribute to the holistic development of students by providing avenues for their physical, intellectual, emotional, and social growth. These activities complement academic learning, nurturing various aspects of a student’s personality and helping them become well-rounded individuals.

2. Practical Application of Knowledge

While classroom learning provides students with theoretical knowledge, co-curricular activities allow them to apply that knowledge in practical, real-life scenarios. Whether it’s participating in science exhibitions, debates, or robotics competitions, students can see how their learning translates into tangible outcomes.

3. Skill Enhancement

Engaging in co-curricular activities helps students develop a wide range of skills that are crucial for their personal and professional growth. Whether it’s leadership skills, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, or time management, these activities provide a fertile ground for honing and refining these essential skills.

4. Emotional Intelligence

Co-curricular activities provide opportunities for students to explore and understand their emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Through participation in activities such as drama, music, or counseling initiatives, students develop empathy, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills, enhancing their emotional intelligence and fostering healthier relationships.

5. Self-Discovery

Co-curricular activities enable students to discover their passions, talents, and interests beyond the academic realm. Whether it’s joining a sports team, engaging in creative arts, or participating in community service, students have the chance to explore their potential, uncover hidden talents, and gain a sense of purpose and direction in their lives.

6. Cultural Appreciation and Diversity

Co-curricular activities often celebrate cultural diversity, fostering an environment of inclusivity and appreciation for different traditions and perspectives. Through events like cultural festivals, language clubs, and international exchange programs, students gain exposure to various cultures.
Read more: Tech Skills and Education in India: Nurturing the Next Generation of Innovators

7. Networking and Social Connections

Engaging in co-curricular activities allows students to connect and collaborate with like-minded peers who share similar interests and passions. These activities provide a platform for networking, building relationships, and developing a sense of camaraderie, creating a support system that extends beyond the classroom and fostering lifelong friendships.

8. Building Confidence

Participating in co-curricular activities helps students build confidence and self-esteem. By overcoming challenges, taking on leadership roles, and showcasing their talents and abilities, students develop a strong sense of self-belief, empowering them to face future endeavors with resilience and determination.

9. Career Exploration

Co-curricular activities offer students the chance to explore different career paths and gain practical insights into various industries and professions. Whether through internships, workshops, or mentorship programs, students can gain valuable exposure and make informed decisions about their future career choices.
Conclusion
Co-curricular activities are an integral part of the educational journey, providing students with a rich and diverse set of experiences that go beyond the reach of AI text detectors. These activities enhance student learning and growth by fostering holistic development, practical application of knowledge, skill enhancement, emotional intelligence, self-discovery, cultural appreciation, networking, confidence building, and career exploration. Educational institutions must recognize the power of co-curricular activities and create a supportive environment that encourages students to engage in these experiences, unlocking their full potential and preparing them for success in all facets of life.
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