(This is a nonviolent text.)
Life! Exclamation point! Today’s speaker is made of clock parts and possesses encyclopedic knowledge about the nature of natural life. Life! Exclamation point! Though biographies in the back of conference programs won’t ever tell the whole story, they tempt us with the true face of authority. Today’s speaker – Life! – is made of clock parts, probably a grandfather clock to begin with, young for its age, but then he started slapping on extra clock parts, moved by an urge he couldn’t explain, until the function of tolling the hour was more of a hobby, a weekend pass-time, compare to what all those precision instruments were up to on a regular basis. As a vision on stage, the speaker’s machinations were there for all to see – the whirring of gears and belts, the clanking of chains. Where his heart chakra was thought to manifest, swung a pendulum.
The nature of natural life is not an easy expertise to build a vocation around – Life! Exclamation point! – but what a sentence to say aloud. At this point in the address, one of the speaker’s mainsprings uncoils where his belly button would normally be. He uses the longer of his hands to poke it back into place without breaking stride, continues: What is a natural life? More to the point, what is a natural lifespan? Who better to know than me! He points to himself when he says this, does a quick spin in place, revealing the dozens of differently styled clock faces that cover the surface of his body, continues: I’m after the author’s natural lifespan, like to pretend I’m playing along, but the whole time, I’m thinking about his natural lifespan. Hmm, hmm, I wonder why? Ha! // The author changes the subject – today’s speaker thinks of something else.
When you discover someone living an unnatural lifespan, you seek to find out why. Not that the reason is the point – not by a longshot – but call me curious. Maybe they tripped at the right moment and tumbled past the grave. Maybe they did a few extra calisthenics before the cock crowed. Or – perish the thought – they succumbed to an unholy pact at a vulnerable moment. I have taken it upon myself to sniff them out – and when he says this, the regulators above his eyes both arch significantly. And what then? We usually have a quiet chat before I recite my speech and complete my visit. It isn’t personal, I begin – time sometimes wells up, spills over its banks, and floods the village. If we could avoid such catastrophe, we should – don’t you agree? The time nature intends, through natural lifespans, would never, let’s be honest, flood a valley.
And what, then, would I do? Proprietary information! hoots today’s speaker from the stage, does another quick spin, stage lights flickering off his crystals, his gleaming metals. About the author’s natural lifespan – oh, you thought I’d forgotten! Were you 18 when you first died? Had it happened before then? Were you but a child under-supervised? Under-supervision-ed, we might say. Remember the day? You rode a toy out into the street, and a car’s front bumper rushed forward to kiss you on the left side of your head, the temple, a stone flung by the age of automobiles. Don’t you remember? Of course you do – the passionate screeching of tires, as those around you stopped and turned to look, surprise gradually replaced by horror at what they knew happened but couldn’t bear to see. You thought you survived – didn’t you? – but thereafter, what appeared on your left temple? A knotted cist so prominent, people stopped you and asked what happened. You saw exactly two physicians over the next 10 years, both telling you not to worry about it, and so you didn’t. You didn’t! When you probed the spot with your fingers, it felt like a rounded room, a shelter built by something trying to survive. As for that 18-year-old involved in that off-road motor vehicle accident – nominee number two, let’s call it – true, you were far more aware of mortality by then, but your own? You climbed aboard a 3-wheeled vehicle that could travel at more than 50mph, completely lacking a seatbelt, headrest, or protective frame – without a helmet, boots, or jacket – and the brakes were less than half there that fateful day, a means of slowing down – a vehicle that would be rendered illegal to operate within a matter of years of the accident . . . the accident . . . remember the accident? August, you were traveling off-road to do farm work, the cornfield you were riding beside with several rows chopped out for silage, and on impulse, you decided to turn into the field to see where it went, then really opened her up because of the green blur of all that corn. Did you secretly expect the drainage ditch? Was this more of a suicide mission? Over the side you went, face first into the opposite bank, and if anyone was wondering – the effect was not of pain but of the lights going out all at once. Imagine the nature of reality that allows for: the inevitability of the crash, followed by all the lights going out – this is really happening – followed by some utterly absent experience, like a film editor cutting in a blankness where reality normally insists scenes of existence should be. The film projectionist would have been instructed to fast-forward through this part of the film, such that no time seems to pass, and the next thing we know, he is trying to push a 3-wheeler out of a drainage ditch. That thing weighing more than he does, and he’s trying to heave it above his head, up and out of the drainage ditch. What had he become? What time-wise tricks were in play? He finally gave up trying to free torment from its channel, staggered through the field toward the truck, face covered in blood, never went to the hospital. When the story is recounted later by his dad, the story became how dad fixed the 3-wheeler by prying the front wheel out of the frame with his truck and a chain. Can you imagine that chain now? They called it a log chain, and the links were cast iron. It was completely covered in rust.
The author knows all this already, receives a spiritual visitation during the writing of the phrase suicide mission, wondering if he’s okay. Yes, he replies, knowing this particular metaphysical weather report has a lot of ground to cover. Today’s guest speaker picks at one of his stems in a distracted way, lets the matter rest, inquires about whether – uh-hum! – he might be permitted to carry on. The author gets up, refills his coffee, returns to one of the picnic tables arrayed in front of the derelict peace church where he lives. He is surrounded by millions of individual affirmations of life, many of which are visibly in bloom or going to seed. A bumble bee flies by. A yellowish bug with zigzags on either side ambles up, its antennae twice as long as its body, tapping at the world in front of it. Among the local insect population, it’s regarded as a savant.
Uh-hum! How many more brushes with death would the author experience before it finally took? There was the time a few years later, same farm but different brother, taking turns firing a handgun at a target. This would be the last time he would fire a gun for any reason, was it not? They climb into the brother’s wedge-shaped sports car, named after the grasping part of a bird of prey, and into fate’s hands did fly. The car was totaled, the two of them, without seatbelts or airbags, unhurt inside the crumpled remnants of the crash, mere inches from winding up once more inside drainage infrastructure, this one built by municipal authority, and therefore of a substance that would have been altogether worse on an unsuspecting traveler headed straight down. Yes, you might have been saved from becoming the remains of the day – but by what?
The child who caused the crash, the one who pulled out in front of that bird of prey, barely old enough to drive, who had two younger passengers inside with him, taking them out for ice cream maybe – that young driver sat nearby while police sorted out the story. He was crying on the side of the road like he would never stop, like he had identified the crash as the latest in a series of personal failings that would stretch into the future of his adulthood like a hot blacktop road and which, at every stop along the way, tragic suffering would be the font of consolation. Was this the way reality was supposed to work? The author recognized the boy as himself at an earlier age, bent down beside him, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, you will be okay. No one was hurt, and the rest can be replaced – your heart is true, and your soul will find its relief.
Ah, yes, the crash, says the author – ah, yes, the crash. Ah, yes, the crash, says the author – ah, yes, the crash. Ah, yes, the crash, says the author – ah, yes, the crash. The late days of spring may be the most forgotten of the year. If we aren’t anticipating summer – it’s still spring? – then we’re longing for those moments when the world was still opening its mouth, and then its eyes, and then its hands. The trees are all open by now, those late-arriving sycamores even filling out their leaves, such that the twigs and branches are all mildly bowed by the extra weight. After spring assumes its labor, the rest of the season finds its dedication, and I imagine the beads of water rising through capillaries beneath the wood – call it a space program – and a sweetness spreads throughout the tubular organisms we call trees. Late spring – sweetness remembered.
Life! Exclamation point! Chronobiology knows nature has much to say about what is cyclical, when, and for how long – much less to say about the natural length of one’s existence. Is death something one develops a knack for? The next notable death in the author’s life occurred a few years later – the death that would make dying into a full-time vocation. And where again do we find the author? Beside a drain. This one introducing the age of indoor plumbing, as the author lay on the floor of a friend’s bathroom, his life flashing before his eyes, as he vomits into a toilet. This time the world does not go dark all at once but feels like fuses blowing out, like a timed demolition, flashing like a string of firecrackers across the structural frame of a building, and a voice not his own telling the author: you’ll be okay, ride it out, remain present, you’ll be okay.
Would he though? For this fourth death, another blank spot appeared, no two – two instances of nothingness, orbiting each other, during which time, during which time, during which time – perhaps language hasn’t the proper security clearance to convey the negotiations that must have taken place to bring about a return to the living. The author remembers his friend opening the bathroom door, before which she would have been knocking and calling his name. When the door struck him in the back, and he came back to life, had he landed in the place where that drain did lead? While his friend cleaned up the bathroom floor with a towel, he sat on a bed with his hands covering his face. The hideousness he’d just passed through was the abbreviated version of what was to come – he knew the drill by now. The knot on his forehead was gone.
Destiny had finally shown him to his home, gave him a tour of the place, before scraping him off the floor, then setting up a series of baffling crises – from autumn 2002 to May 2003 – that would occupy the author’s attention for decades to come. The will toward dying had finally brought the world to life, and the mind of the universe was both ecstatic and enraged about it. Down there, at the bottom of the drain, they were fighting a global war on terror, war on terror, war on terror, and if wars on terror sum up preferred formulations of self-annihilation – symbol of invocation: fighting a reflection – then perhaps the author’s presence was meant to form a mirror-in-mirror infinity from which sustainable futures would emerge. Welcome to Mirror World! Where reflectivity gives us an evolutionary future! Where a universal narrative unfolds!
The author is making me write this, I must confess, but to everyone’s surprise, I am forcing the author to make me! The author is mine! And the author wrote that, too, I must additionally confess, and the two of us go around and around like this – symbol of invocation: two snails having sex in midair. The flatness and hardness we associate with reflectivity is something we will all outgrow eventually, and the hologram of hyper-reality will appear within our being like a flying saucer, and we will all be both abductees and witnesses, shown around the universe in style. Too much to ask? The last such alien contact – the insinuation of verbal and mathematical language into the genome of big-brained primates – gave us the keys to earthly reality. We are now exiting the stone age, evolving the means to make benevolence a fixture of human life.
The author made me write that, too, and even though I am just as surely making him write this, we must admit the mutability within the fabric of reality was not won without a struggle. The author faced death 11 times that year, faced death the next year, and the year after that. Each point along the way wanted to finish what the others couldn’t, and soon death felt like an echo, and in that moment of not really distinguishing the source and the reflection – when they both look somewhat the same – he could tell life and death were likewise difficult to discern. Life! Exclamation point! Are you merely an extension of entropy? A quicker way of dissipating the heat from a rocky-bodied planetoid like the earth? And if you are, then is life really just another form of death? But death! Didn’t you show us the way? Wasn’t dying the source of the cure?
Today’s speaker made me write that, just as I made him think it. And as thoughts passed from gear to gear around his body – as cuckoos sprang forth through tiny doors at various angles – as a series of chimes and tones issued forth from the stage like the ringing of a bell, if the bell could tell time and was tolled by committee – then the river of the natural lifespan, subject of such grand speculation in a previous incarnation, could now take its course. Perhaps indeed valleys would flood, but such is the natural origin of certain fertile fields. Springtime couldn’t agree with me more, its will toward abundance glad to splay its fingers before another epic growing season. As the author considers ways to wind up this report – knowing such lived truth inspires concern – whether death equals life or life equals death, he reasserts a will toward world peace.
Peace.

Hey guys, I know this is a really out of pocket question, even for reddit, but I (M48) have a weird rash on my jewels. By jewels, I obviously mean my balls, but I’m too much of a gentleman to say that.
Okay, so this all started out last week. I got home from my daily 7eleven run for their sweet, sweet hot cocoa. Perhaps it was the marshmallows I added, they seemed suspicious but I have severe cataracts and don’t really trust everything I see. In fact, I’m using the audio keyboard to draft this up as I find it extremely difficult to type. This is because my fingers are so fat, like Vienna sausages that were exposed to botulism toxin for a week then put through a series of radiation treatments. Anywho, back to my rash.
I got my hot cocoa then headed back home. Now, don’t judge me, but I use marshmallows to provide self-pleasure. Something about those soft, pillowy, plush white caverns gets me going. Besides, we all like a mix of salty and sweet. Once I’ve finished, I’m able to enjoy some salty, protein-rich marshmallows, reminds me of honeybuns. I enjoy getting the marshmallows after they’ve been softened up by the hot cocoa as there’s a distinct warmth that reminds me of a woman’s forbidden sleeve (something I haven’t experienced in a while due to the severe warts on my chest and ass cheeks, as well as my obsession with hentai, but I think it’s moreso the warts as my hentai obsession only serves to prove how cultured I am, they’re practically foreign films). However, as I was preparing myself for a morning of adventure and intense, sweet pleasure, I’d realized I’d not left the marshmallow to cool to a perfect 78 degrees Fahrenheit (I use Fahrenheit because I’m an American unlike those filthy foreigners who use Celsius…yuck!) I think I saw the devil that day. As soon as my thick, throbbing member made contact with the squishy, gummy, SCALDING marshmallow walls. ZOOWEEMAMA that marshmallow reminded me of my first love, a little firecracker who tried to kill my pet gerbil. She shot me in the leg and cheated on me with my step dad but I still love and want her back. Of course, the restraining order says otherwise…fucking bitch.
I’d thought it was a small burn, perhaps I’d mistaken my semen for ooey gooey marshmallow fluff, I was even happy to see that it was white as my seed is usually brown due to my diet of brisk iced tea and outshine popsicle bars. Alas, this was not the case. While my little guy, my little penis, a strong 2 inches hard, remained unscathed, my Crown Jewels were BURNING. For reference, my testicles are humongous. So much so that they drag across the floor. My house is carpeted and as a result, these little guys have developed carpet burn. They’re so sensitive. While their sensitivity is a win when it comes to my late night rendezvous with my Sakura body pillow (milady is but a pillow princess…hah…get it????!!). My balding twins reacted very harshly to the marshmallows. Sizzling and drizzling, I grabbed my used gym sock and wrapped them up, using my own saliva as a soothing aloe gel. I don’t hydrate therefore my saliva is extremely slimy and viscous.
Now, this rash on my balls is very very bad. It’s blistered and every few days, a blister pops in which hot oil is expelled. I tasted it as I believed it to be medically relevant and I can testify it tastes exactly like bacon grease. I quite liked it.
So, I don’t wanna become too redundant or provide irrelevant information so if you good folks have any advice on what I should do, please reply.

I will be vague but hopefully provide enough information for some context. I don't even know if it belongs here.
There is an older lady that's moved onto the property I'm living on and everything was fine at first. Occasionally she started to mention bad energies and how she plants seeds in people's head. This has now progressed to speaking of my boyfriends recently deceased grandma and mentioning how tiny and tough she is and how she's protecting my boyfriend. She's mentioned how she's keeping this demon at bay,but also mentioned she communicates with these demon. She has convinced my landlord to remove the lavender around her house as it's 'dead'. (It was just early in the season) and since she has started to become flustered and annoyed when my boyfriend mentions things like 'have faith' and 'I pray for ___'. He's not religious, but spiritual and this seems to bother her to some degree.
My boyfriend has started learning of multiple cultures, their previous stories and sagas and he is convinced she is a daughter of Lilith. I don't know much about that but from what I heard it lines up. He has strong morals and she keeps taking jabs at him to degrade him.
She has a history of praying on sick, old men. My landlord has Parkinsons and her last friend that past away developed fast acting terminal cancer. We've planted more lavender and she resents us for it. I've started burning cloves, star anise, dried lemon and rock salt and she hates that.
She wanders at night (so we installed a sensor light which she also asked us to remove) and will burn things around the property on full moons.
This lady has never bothered me, but jokes have always been made about my grandma, by others as well as herself, that she is a witch. I feel like I have some protection but I can't see her take advantage of someone the way she is. I have never trusted her, nor have I ever wanted to really interact with her. I just don't want this energy I feel around me anymore.

Volition Ark

SEASON 1 LAUNCHED ON JUNE 9th 2023!

Hello!! Volition Ark is a 25x PVP cluster that aims to give one of the best PVP & raiding experiences you can find. We utilize many mods, plugins, rules, etc. to achieve this goal.
Here's a handful of things to expect from our cluster:

• Active & friendly admins/mods who are always looking to improve the server.
• A great package of mods and plugins to enhance gameplay.
• A Discord server to support the community and provide any information needed.
• Active players who are excited to get into some PVP!
• Wipes lasting about three to four weeks.
• Custom loot drops!
• 4-man tribes, 48 hours of new player protection after the first weekend of wipe, and ORP.

Discord: Click Here!

- Current Maps & Connection Info -

• The Island
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27015
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Ragnarok
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27017
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• The Center
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27019
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Genesis 2
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27021
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Fjordur
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27023
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Crystal Isles
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27025
  • Steam Link: Click Here

- Server Rates -

• Harvest : 25x
• Element & Element Shard Harvest : 3x
• Experience : 25x
• Taming : 25x
• Maturation/Incubation : 100x
• Mating Interval : 30m to 1h 30m
• Crop Growth : 50x
• Turret Limit : 200
• Turret Range in Foundations: 35 (Amount of foundations away from one turret to reset the limit.)
• Turret Damage : 1.0
• Turret Damage Against Dinos: 1.3
• Tribe Limit : 4
• Ally Limit : 0
• Mutator Limit : 5
• Mutator Element Cost: 10
• Mutator Blacklist : Griffin, Reaper
• Wild Dino Max Level : 150 (Regular), 180 (Tek), 190 (Wyvern Eggs)
• Dino Limit : 600
• Structure Limit : 12,500
• Player Max Level: Base 120 + 15 Ascension Levels (Island) + 15 Ascension Levels (Manticore) + 15 Ascension Levels (Gen 2) + 5 Chibi Levels = 170
• PvP Respawn Cooldown : 30s
• PvP Respawn Cooldown Multiplier : 1.5x within 5 minutes
• Disabled Dinos : Ichthyornis, Pegomastax, Enforcer
• New Player Protection : 48 Hours, enabled after the first weekend of wipe.
• Offline Raid Protection : 1.5 Turret Damage, no additional structure resistance. Craft MAGA structure in your inventory, and place it strategically in your base. Use /showorp to see coverage. You do not need to use /setorp.
• Cryo Timer : You can avoid cryo timer if you are throwing soul pods out near 50 snapped structures.
• Rebuild Kits : Any tribe that has been raided can submit proof via ticket. You will be granted an additional 48 hours of NPP as well as a rebuild kit.
• Solo/Duo Buffs : Solo tribes will receive 2x harvest and taming rates, duo tribes will receive 1.5x harvest and taming rates.

- Mods -

• ARKomatic
• Auto Engrams!
• Awesome Spyglass!
• Awesome Teleporters!
• Better Reusables
• Dino Storage v2
• Items+ Companion
• MAGA ORP
• Plant Species Z Wild Seed
• Structures+
• WShopUI
• Subscribe to our mod collection here: Click Here!

- Plugins -

• ArkShop : In-game shop with currency earned by playing the game or supporting the server!
• DinoColourCommand: Color your dinos with commands, for Supporter & Picasso ranks only.
• Discord Integrator : Global chat across cluster & Discord, !kickme command, & /setdiscord to link IGN & Discord for more points!
• Items+ : Eliminates buffer overflow almost entirely and allows transfer of element and tributes.
• New Player Protection : Provides 48 hours of protection for new players.
• MAGA : PVP/Raid cooldown system & balancing, solo farm, & more!
• NoWander : Auto passive babies, naming & more!
• PvP+ : Plugin to help balance PVP.
• RateControl : Increased rate multipliers for solo & duo tribes!
• Tribe Manager : Syncs your tribe up cross cluster!
• Tribe Log Relay : Get your tribe log in a private discord channel.
• Turret Filler : Fill & configure your turrets with chat commands!
• Vote Rewards : Receive in game points for voting for the server!
• And much more not listed here!

Thanks for checking us out! If you're interested in playing, be sure to join the discord!
Volition Ark Discord Server

Volition Ark

SEASON 1 LAUNCHED ON JUNE 9th 2023!

Hello!! Volition Ark is a 25x PVP cluster that aims to give one of the best PVP & raiding experiences you can find. We utilize many mods, plugins, rules, etc. to achieve this goal.
Here's a handful of things to expect from our cluster:

• Active & friendly admins/mods who are always looking to improve the server.
• A great package of mods and plugins to enhance gameplay.
• A Discord server to support the community and provide any information needed.
• Active players who are excited to get into some PVP!
• Wipes lasting about three to four weeks.
• Custom loot drops!
• 4-man tribes, 48 hours of new player protection after the first weekend of wipe, and ORP.

Discord: Click Here!

- Current Maps & Connection Info -

• The Island
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27015
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Ragnarok
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27017
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• The Center
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27019
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Genesis 2
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27021
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Fjordur
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27023
  • Steam Link: Click Here
• Crystal Isles
  • Direct IP : 147.135.8.211:27025
  • Steam Link: Click Here

- Server Rates -

• Harvest : 25x
• Element & Element Shard Harvest : 3x
• Experience : 25x
• Taming : 25x
• Maturation/Incubation : 100x
• Mating Interval : 30m to 1h 30m
• Crop Growth : 50x
• Turret Limit : 200
• Turret Range in Foundations: 35 (Amount of foundations away from one turret to reset the limit.)
• Turret Damage : 1.0
• Turret Damage Against Dinos: 1.3
• Tribe Limit : 4
• Ally Limit : 0
• Mutator Limit : 5
• Mutator Element Cost: 10
• Mutator Blacklist : Griffin, Reaper
• Wild Dino Max Level : 150 (Regular), 180 (Tek), 190 (Wyvern Eggs)
• Dino Limit : 600
• Structure Limit : 12,500
• Player Max Level: Base 120 + 15 Ascension Levels (Island) + 15 Ascension Levels (Manticore) + 15 Ascension Levels (Gen 2) + 5 Chibi Levels = 170
• PvP Respawn Cooldown : 30s
• PvP Respawn Cooldown Multiplier : 1.5x within 5 minutes
• Disabled Dinos : Ichthyornis, Pegomastax, Enforcer
• New Player Protection : 48 Hours, enabled after the first weekend of wipe.
• Offline Raid Protection : 1.5 Turret Damage, no additional structure resistance. Craft MAGA structure in your inventory, and place it strategically in your base. Use /showorp to see coverage. You do not need to use /setorp.
• Cryo Timer : You can avoid cryo timer if you are throwing soul pods out near 50 snapped structures.
• Rebuild Kits : Any tribe that has been raided can submit proof via ticket. You will be granted an additional 48 hours of NPP as well as a rebuild kit.
• Solo/Duo Buffs : Solo tribes will receive 2x harvest and taming rates, duo tribes will receive 1.5x harvest and taming rates.

- Mods -

• ARKomatic
• Auto Engrams!
• Awesome Spyglass!
• Awesome Teleporters!
• Better Reusables
• Dino Storage v2
• Items+ Companion
• MAGA ORP
• Plant Species Z Wild Seed
• Structures+
• WShopUI
• Subscribe to our mod collection here: Click Here!

- Plugins -

• ArkShop : In-game shop with currency earned by playing the game or supporting the server!
• DinoColourCommand: Color your dinos with commands, for Supporter & Picasso ranks only.
• Discord Integrator : Global chat across cluster & Discord, !kickme command, & /setdiscord to link IGN & Discord for more points!
• Items+ : Eliminates buffer overflow almost entirely and allows transfer of element and tributes.
• New Player Protection : Provides 48 hours of protection for new players.
• MAGA : PVP/Raid cooldown system & balancing, solo farm, & more!
• NoWander : Auto passive babies, naming & more!
• PvP+ : Plugin to help balance PVP.
• RateControl : Increased rate multipliers for solo & duo tribes!
• Tribe Manager : Syncs your tribe up cross cluster!
• Tribe Log Relay : Get your tribe log in a private discord channel.
• Turret Filler : Fill & configure your turrets with chat commands!
• Vote Rewards : Receive in game points for voting for the server!
• And much more not listed here!

Thanks for checking us out! If you're interested in playing, be sure to join the discord!
Volition Ark Discord Server

ITSUKUSHIMA #1 June 10th-11th Hiroshima, Japan

ITSUKUSHIMA #1 is an Ultimate B-tier super regional in Japan's Chugoku region, with 181 players for its inaugural edition! Day 1 will be Round Robin pools of 5-6 players each, and Day 2 will be the Top 96 bracket with Best of 5's.

Brackets

• Ultimate Singles
• Top 96 (Best of 5 starts)
• Top 8
• B Class bracket

Streaming Information

Sumabato SP channel Day 1

Event Schedule All Times JST (UTC+9)

Time Zone Converter, -16h for PDT, -15h for MDT, -14h for CDT, -13h for EDT, -8h for BST, -7h for CEST, +1h for AEST
Saturday, June 10th

• 11:30 Start of A Pool
• 13:30 Start of B Pool
• 15:30 Start of Class B Tournament
• 15:30 Sub-Event and Regional Crew Battles begin
• 19:00 Class B GF begins
• 19:30 Event ends

Sunday, June 11th

• 10:00 TOP 96 begins
• 14:00 TOP 8 begins
• 19:30 Event ends

*The schedule is subject to change without notice.
Translated by DeepL

Seeding

1. SZ Asimo (Ryu) [Chugoku]
2. iXA ヤウラ / Yaura (Samus, Dark Samus) [Shikoku]
3. MRG VGBC Umeki (Daisy) [Kanto]
4. じょうぎぶ / Jogibu (Captain Falcon) [Kansai]
5. MRG/EnG オムアツ / Omuatsu (Min Min) [Chugoku]
6. Revo Kome (Shulk) [Kansai]
7. SNB takera (Ken) [Kanto]
8. SNB Abadango (Meta Knight, Mr. Game & Watch) [Kanto]

Other Information

start.gg ITSUKUSHIMA Twitter VODs Liquipedia

How do I explain my termination
How do I explain my termination in job interviews? I don’t want to sound like I’m just not taking responsibility for a wrong-doing, but what I was accused of and fired for wasn’t true.
I was fired from my job a month ago because of false allegations. I was accused of called coworkers ‘sluts’ and the ‘r’ slur and just talking general shit about literally everyone. The worst of these accusations were untrue (let’s be honest, who doesn’t talk a little bit about their lazy coworkers.)
The individual accusing me of these things had been planting the seed for months before she went to HR about it. The whole thing stemmed from a guy who was sexually harassing me and about 90% of the other women who worked there. I didn’t pretend he wasn’t terrible, and he started to spread rumors about me. It started with him telling people that I slept with him and ended with him telling people was talking badly about them. He admitted to multiple others that he was just trying to get me in trouble as I was up for a promotion at the time, and he wanted to make me ineligible. I should have said something to my manager or HR about everything that I was going through, but then he killed himself and I assumed the whole thing was done with.
One of the people I was supposedly talking about and actively trying to get fired was this girl. I wasn’t the first person she had issues with. 3 or 4 others had quit or been fired because of her. And apparently I was trying to mess with her, so that meant she needed to mess with me. She spend 4 months telling people that I was calling them names, saying they didn’t do their jobs, and was just being generally nasty. I’ve never had one conversation with this girl.
HR did give me a chance to rebut the accusations, and of course I told them they were untrue, but when I was asked if I knew WHY someone would be accusing me of these things, I told them I didn’t. That wasn’t true, obviously. I know how all of it started. But I didn’t offer HR any information that could potentially save my job. I was so tired of it all. It had been a year of people talking about me and I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew I was going to be fired, and I was already looking for a new position. I was hoping I could get some interviews in before they pulled the trigger, but they beat me to it.
So now I’m unemployed. I have no savings. I don’t think I can last another month. I won’t be able to pay my mortgage, my utility bills, buy groceries. I won’t qualify for unemployment due to the circumstances. But no one wants to hire me when I tell them I was terminated. They don’t press me to explain why I was fired, but I know they want an explanation. It looks like I’m hiding something, and I guess in a way I am.
What am I supposed to say?

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Hi, I'm a totally new bird owner and will be bringing my little Grey home in a couple weeks from a breeder. The breeder has weaned her onto soaked seeds and says she will be on dry seeds when I come to take her home. I've been looking online and am really struggling to find specialised information on what to feed a young 3-4 month AG.
My plan so far is to feed her: - 1/4 cup of fresh fruit and veg twice a day (should I mash these up or not necessary?) - 1/4 cup of pellets and seeds (to wean her onto pellets) twice a day
I've purchased Pretty Bird African Special Complete Parrot Food, Lafeber NutriBerries Tropical Fruit Complete Parrot Food and Parrot Premium High Quality Seed.
Does this sound ok? Can anyone please help?

Im usually a lurker, not a poster - so apologies any misused forms. I wanted a share my thoughts/theory about Project Blue Beam, so thank you for reading, if you do. There are probably many other examples I've forgotten as due to work this has taken me most of the day to write please share if you have anything to add. I am quite tired, so apologies for any potential ramblings or spelling errors.
For those of you not familiar there's this very unbiased article on the subject, or my attempt at an introduction below. Project Blue Beam is (allegedly) a U.S. program (NASA) that was exposed by Canadian Investigative Journalist Serge Monast. After he exposed the program, he was in heavy legal troubles for being involved with “networks of prohibited information”. He conveniently died of a heart attack at home, just 24 hours after being released from jail after his second arrest. Project Blue Beam (PBB) consists of the theory that the US government along with certain groups both governmental and "privately run" organizations have an agenda for a World Government and planetary control. Three of the steps though of in the 1990's according to Serge was these:

1. To abolish all religions and replace them with a one-world religion based on the “cult of man”.
2. Abolish all national identities to create a “one-world” movement.
3. To remove the notion of “family” and force everyone to work for a new one-world Government.

It makes sense in the years later as technology progressed to take Crypto into consideration, along with control of the already global food, mineral and oil/gas supply. It's name comes from point number one, where they planned on using an alien invasion as a rallying cry for the world to unite, and this would be done essentially with holograms.
Okey, so these are certain points that I've been thinking of:
- There's been a huge shift in the discussion surrounding Aliens as of late, along with their constant prodding of "Its maybe aliens" - The Media has gone from calling them Conspiracy Theorists who only deserve ridicule, to the current "Whistle blower" which should be taken seriously. Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/whistleblower-ufo-alien-tech-spacecraft Article2: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/military-whistleblower-public-claims-us-secret-ufo-retrieval-program-terrestrial-arms-race
- Whether you're for or against the LGBTQ Agenda, It most certainly does exist. I am not here to come off as bigoted, what you do with your partner in your home is none of my business. The simple fact remains, with the recent news surrounding children's involvement, schools hiding much of what they're teaching to the young from their parents creates a divide. The idea of the strong nuclear family, or the "traditional family" which whether you like it or not, built every civilization in existence is being broken down. I am specifically thinking of the new wave of Ped*'s "MAP's" and the overwhelming focus on transgender-ism which is being forced onto the young by the "woke" left.
- The very idea of nationalism in the west has been and is still being demolished. Through good intentioned mass immigration, to European native's not being allowed to be proud of their origins, to the very corruption of our history and literature through Hollywood/Nnetflix and similar producers.
- Many countries in Europe, which were the major food producers in the region, have either been immobilized (Ukraine) or had their hands tied by their very own government (Netherlands and others). When there isn't enough food to go around in the proud European countries, what better save than a global effort with strings attached to save the day. This is also the case with limitations essentially in most continents where "the west" holds sway, either in terms of limits on Nitrogen Fertilizers, Bio-engineered seeds with the famous 'one harvest, no regrowth' properties etc. Article (Amsterdam): https://www.americanexperiment.org/the-war-on-agriculture-netherlands-is-shutting-down-3000-farms-to-meet-climate-goals/
- If nothing else, Covid showed how easily the general public could be controlled, and how quickly people could be thrown to the curb by not following along. With the problems international trading, society, and governments faced during this time as well, the sheer mass of opportunities for those in charge to leverage their way into otherwise difficult positions, or otherwise un-held positions would be child's play.
- The renewed threat of mutually assured destruction. Every day there is another article about the current two sides - the Glorious West versus the evil Russian/Chinese. Makes you think - wouldn't it be nicer if we all just got along, working as one?
- If you were ever in doubt there's someone in control, just look at the media. Currently there are protests all over Europe, and in many locations around the North American continent, and i would assume many other places in the world, And the global western Media speaking of these what so ever. So if it was needed, there is ample proof that they are consistently working together on an international level, taking the same orders, following the same agenda.
- A failing global economy, fear of global war and years of famine leaves WEF's and G7's CBDC as the perfect candidate for solving all international economies, forcing countries, companies and private citizens into using the CBDC's, and by doing so giving them complete control. With the disdain the western society have for religions today, money has become the new religion, which they can control.
We as the global population would of course not dig too deep into this, because with this agenda of scaring us, along with the major potential revelation of aliens, we would simply be too occupied to think. It feels like the perfect storm, and seeing how things are progressing, It genuinely feels like we're being groomed for something big. It might not turn out to be Project Blue Beam specifically, but it does fit the description.
I would love to hear it if you have anything to add, another point of view or anything of the like!

This is a revised addition of the literature review (preprint). I am trying to get this peer-reviewed and published. It has not been a easy process. Most people are not willing to enter into a discussion on the subject in open forums and that is a mistake. The result is a general lack of awareness of the risk associated with COVID-19 infection. That lack of awareness extends into the scientific community. Research that could've been completed has been needlessly delayed. We need to understand what causes long COVID in order to develop effective diagnostics and therapeutics. Hopefully, this literature review can get the ball rolling.
​
You can help by sharing this article.
​
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome as a Synucleinopathy
Full Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vVfIBSwdDhDyz3VgDTfPFf3FPVx2sVEo/view?usp=sharing
​
Abstract

Following the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals began presenting with chronic sequelae of infection encompassing a range of unexplained symptoms. These chronic sequelae have been referred to as post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS), or long COVID. The nature of the underlying pathology has yet to be properly characterized in terms of a biomolecular mechanism. Herein a new etiological theory of PACS is discussed that proposes that the neurological subtype of PACS stems from a form of amyloidosis triggered by COVID-19 infection. Amyloidosis can persist following acute infection and in the absence of actively replicating virus. Impairment of synaptic function by the intracellular aggregation of misfolded proteins may provide an explanation for the neurological impairments associated with PACS. The list of candidate amyloid-forming peptides include $\alpha$-synuclein ($\alpha$Syn). More often associated with synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease (PD), $\alpha$Syn amyloid deposits can affect the peripheral nervous system as well. Early manifestations of synucleinopathy can present decades before motor deficits emerge. Prodromal PD consists of a host of nonspecific symptoms overlapping those experienced by PACS sufferers. Synucleinopathy should therefore be considered as a potential explanation for PACS and a subject of future investigations. If this hypothesis is born out, it will have dire implications for public health in both the short-term and long-term. In the meantime, we should plan for this contingency.

​
Discussion

If the proposed causal link between synucleinopathies and PACS is substantiated, the implications would be manifold. In spite of current uncertainty, it is essential to plan for this contingency. People need to be informed of the risks of COVID-19 exposure associated with acute infection and lasting complications. At the same time, it is critical to establish a frank discourse regarding the uncertainty inherent in ongoing research. Public health officials can mediate a community-wide discussion, serve as advocates for harm mitigation and prompt the implementation of enforceable policies when appropriate. Access to accurate and unbiased information attained from up-to-date research is critical to public health and will help to restore confidence in public health institutions. As our understanding of COVID-19 evolves and the etiology of PACS is clarified, public health policy can be adapted to reflect the current state of knowledge.
In light of this hypothesis, COVID-19 surveillance networks which track emerging variants of concern can incorporate additional viral features into their models. Amyloidogenic peptides can be predicted on the basis of amino acid sequence using existing approaches. These viral features can impact transmissibility and pathogenicity in addition to their putative impact on the chronic sequelae of infection. The protein sequences can be screened for mutations which might exacerbate their amyloidogenic potential. Any concerning mutants can then be characterized in vitro and in vivo to verify the results of the computational model. New COVID-19 variants may increase the risk of developing PACS and this should factor into the classification of variants of concern.
If the synucleinopathy hypothesis is born out, it will require the rapid development and deployment of diagnostics and treatments. Objective biomarkers can be leveraged to diagnose the disease, to monitor disease progression and assess the efficacy of proposed treatments in clinical trials. Aggregation-prone $\alpha$Syn can be identified using immunohistochemical methods or amyloid seed amplification assays \cite{Kuzkina2023-fe}. Immunohistochemical methods leverage antibodies to visualize P-$\alpha$Syn deposits in tissue samples retrieved from the olfactory epithelium and skin \cite{Miglis2022-px}. Seed amplification assays such as real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) can directly detect minute quantities of amyloid fibrils excreted in olfactory mucous, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and stool \cite{Stefani2021-wh}. Quantifying total $\alpha$Syn is not a reliable method of detection and premature CSF biopsies may not reveal the pathology \cite{Mollenhauer2019-vt}\cite{Blanco-Palmero2021-vb}\cite{Russo2022-lt}. Early synucleinopathies manifest with a high degree of heterogeneity and diagnosis at this stage in the disease progression has been a challenge. RT-QuIC has however shown promise in diagnosing synucleinopathy associated with RBD \cite{Stefani2021-wh}. Taking that approach, a clinical trial is being conducted by the Medical University Innsbruck in Austria to examine the link between COVID-19 and synucleinopathies \cite{Heim_undated-yd}. The trial is set to finish by the end of 2023. Complementary studies will be required to understand the full scope of the disease \cite{Miglis2022-px}. Considering the gravity of the situation, it is imperative that these concerns are met with prompt action.

​

“We all give something up in exchange for our babies. Nearly everyone on this planet was welcomed by the sounds of a woman screaming.” Danielle Valentine’s highly anticipated Delicate Condition takes a visceral look at the sacrifices of motherhood through blood-colored glasses. The novel is written from the first-person perspective of Anna Victoria Alcott, a teen starlet-turned-indie actress of rising renown who is desperate to have a baby before her thirties wind up in her rearview mirror. Leaning on the support of her equally eager husband Dexter Harding and fellow actress Siobhan Walsh, a mentor facing her own aggressive health battles, Anna gruelingly subjects herself to round after round of IVF before it finally works. However, the lead up to her positive test is hellish: first, her calendar is hacked and her perishable medications are misplaced. Then, an anonymous hate campaign is waged against her online. Anna notices a stranger lurking around every corner, wherever she goes. After something frail slithers into bed and whispers not-so-sweet nothings in her ear, Anna thinks she’s reached her breaking point and flees to her friend Talia’s home in the Hamptons. Little does she know, this is only the beginning of an unfathomable nine-month nightmare.
Valentine mines the bulk of Delicate Condition’s horror from the often overlooked reality of women’s fertility struggles and pregnancy complications. This choice lends staggering authenticity to passages featuring a brutal miscarriage and those chronicling the deterioration of Anna’s physical and mental well-being. Among the strongest features of the narrative are the brief detours Valentine takes from Anna’s suffering, which is at times so pregnant with braising tension (pardon the pun) that it becomes taxing to read. These occasional reprieves tease out the unfortunate, supernaturally-tinged stories of other women who’ve found themselves entangled in circumstances suspiciously similar to Anna’s. Valentine does an excellent job of letting the periods of each of these chapters– which range in setting from Massachusetts Bay in the 1600s to 1950s Cleveland to Texas in the 1970s, and so on– inform the style and language of her writing in a captivating way. The inclusion of Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell in one such chapter serves as a grim yet effective reminder that misogyny has deep roots within the institution of American medicine.
One of the pitfalls of telling much of this tale from Anna’s point of view is that the ample ensemble, which Valentine has so meticulously crafted, ultimately feels underutilized. Io Preecher, an enigmatic crone on a mission, is the only core character aside from Anna that we’re afforded any direct insight into. The story could have benefitted from peering into the histories of key figures like Dex, Talia, Anna’s IVF physician Dr. Hill, or even the smaller players like Siobhan, Anna’s publicist Emily, and Dex’s first wife Adeline. The final act of the book is explosively climactic, but an earlier glimpse at certain supporting characters– beyond Anna’s limited perception of them– may have alleviated some of its clutter and planted further seeds of suspense for readers.
Overall, Danielle Valentine has concocted an eerie allegory that isn’t for the faint of heart. Comparisons to the Ira Levin classic Rosemary’s Baby are certainly justified, but this novel blazes its own timely trail within a well-worn genre. Valentine seems less interested in torturing a typical hapless victim of patriarchy with Anna Alcott and more intent on using her pain to illustrate the real-life horrors of childbearing. Particularly with its subversive twist ending, Delicate Condition cements itself among “gynaehorror” literature as an unabashed war cry against the ignorance of women’s suffering.
Rating: ★★★★

・☆ 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩 ☆・
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
☆ Welcome to Puddle Craft! This is a community based semi-vanilla Minecraft SMP where we all work together in a community village to survive and beat the game. Of course you can also take off and explore to do your own thing, but we encourage being apart of our vibrant community of crafters :)
☆ This is a safe space for everyone looking for a faction of people to make friends! We plan to build shops, farms, homes, neighboring villages/empires/kingdoms, host elections, jobs, events and more! Please join us as we grow together in this brand new Minecraft world.
☆ This server involves a very simple and quick whitelisting process, please join the discord to get started!
[Join Discord Here!](https://discord.gg/fAAhYVkd)
☆ 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 6/5/23
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝
☆ We have a variety of features and plugins to keep you interested, such as:
- Time-Based Role system:
no pay-to-win required! The longer you play, the deeper your sea creature originates from!
Going all the way from Sunlight to the Hadalpelagic trenches, so mark your calendars!
- Dynmap: A Google Maps-like map for the server that can be viewed in a browser.
- Armor stand editor: Edit custom armor stands to take your builds to the next level
- Invis itemframes
- /Hats: put a variety of blocks or items on your head with the command /hat !
- /nick colors
- Farm protect
- Armored Elytras: Tired of constantly having to switch between your chestplate and elytra? Now you can combine the two!
- 24/7 Uptime!
More features will be added overtime. Suggestions are also encouraged!
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
・☆𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨☆・
- Please be kind and respectful, self explanatory, don't give us a reason to kick you out
- Stealing and Griefing of any kind is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated
- Don't spam- Please keep advertising to yourselves, although mentions of streams or channels are fine to tell people about (Just don't spam links to your stream or whatever and you're good)- Be considerate how close you build to other players without permission. Talk to staff about abandoned buildings before touching them- Never alter or change another players build unless they have given you explicit permission to do so. This includes community areas, bases of inactive players as well as active player bases. If you cause damage accidentally, repair as well as you can and inform the player that built it, or staff if you don't know who built it.- PvP Is allowed as long as you gain the consent of the member you plan to PVP with.- Please do not cheat, we're providing the seed of the server for players to test builds and palettes in single player, we expect you to respect this and not abuse our trust. Duplicating, X-raying and any other obvious forms of cheating are not allowed. Optifine, Schematics and mini-maps are allowed. If you have any questions about other things, feel free to ask!^ - TNT duping is an exception and is allowed when used responsibly- Please keep all shit posts and NSFW (if you feel the need to post for whatever reason..) in #shit-posting. Its annoying. If this is ignored too many times (shit posts and/or NSFW posted in any other chat) you will be timed out- Please do not gift a bunch of stuff to new members (diamond stuff, netherite, elytras, etc..) If its food and simple base tools that's fine, but please refrain from going overboard so that they have something to do and work towards.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
☆ Please remember that this server is BRAND NEW and so all the features are still being worked on and added occasionally <3
☆ For all of those curious, we *will* be updating to 1.20 very soon! We've implemented a small world border until we do to give everyone a chance to find the new and updated biomes in the unloaded chunks once the border is dropped.

Introduction:
Cryptocurrencies have become immensely popular in recent years and have attracted a lot of attention from investors, traders, and even ordinary individuals. With the rise of cryptocurrencies, there has also been an increase in the number of cyber attacks and hacking attempts on digital assets. This is why it has become more important than ever to store your cryptocurrencies securely. One of the best solutions for this is to use a hardware wallet, also known as a cold wallet.
Presentation:
Hardware wallets are physical devices that store your private keys offline. Private keys are the codes that allow you to access and manage your cryptocurrencies. A hardware wallet provides a secure, tamper-proof environment for these keys. This makes them much harder to steal and protects your funds from online threats like hackers, viruses, and phishing scams.
Hardware wallets come in various forms and sizes, but the most popular brands are Ledger and Trezor. These devices are easy to set up and use. Most of them have small screens and buttons that allow you to confirm transactions and view your account balances. You simply connect the device to your computer or mobile phone and enter your PIN and passphrase to access your funds.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when using a hardware wallet:

1. Always purchase your hardware wallet from a reputable source. Make sure that it is brand new and has not been tampered with.
   
2. Write down your seed phrase and store it in a safe place. This phrase is a backup of your private keys and allows you to recover your funds in case your device is lost or damaged.
   
3. Use a strong PIN and passphrase to protect your device and funds. Do not share this information with anyone.
   
4. Keep your hardware wallet up to date by installing the latest firmware updates. This will ensure that your device is protected from any new vulnerabilities.
   
5. Consider using a second hardware wallet as a backup. This will provide you with an extra layer of security and peace of mind.
   

Conclusion:
Hardware wallets are an essential tool for anyone who wants to keep their cryptocurrencies safe and secure. They offer a level of protection that is unmatched by other forms of storage like online wallets and exchanges. By following the tips outlined above, you can ensure that your funds are protected from potential threats.
Advice:
If you're looking for the best hardware wallet for storing your cryptocurrencies, Ledger is a great choice. Their wallets have a solid reputation for security and ease of use. You can purchase a Ledger hardware wallet from their website using the link provided: https://bit.ly/3P6mekh

Just to explain what I'm trying to do, I am creating an animation that involves using the same dust/particle effect multiple times. I want a way to reuse a particle system at different times instead of creating a new emitter object and copying the settings every time I need this effect (which would result in probably hundreds of these objects).
Is there a way to reuse an effect multiple times? Preferably even with different seeds so they do not all look exactly the same?
Alternatively, is there a way I could "export" like 3-4 particle animations and just use them over and over again in one sequence?
Couldn't find much information about this online, but maybe I'm searching the wrong keywords.

Hello, I have a bulging disc L3/L4 + I relapsed twice in the last 2 years with disc herniation/disc prolapse L5/S1.
Thay pain has been mostly away since last December but 2 weeks ago I did a speedy movement and my back is at it again with the pain. After not sleeping for 2 nights I went tothe doctor and got metamizol and tramadol. They helped a little in managing pain but I still cant sleep more than max 4 hours a night. So yesterday I tried a new medication instead of the opioids. I swallowed about ,2 spoons of carum seeds every hour since yesterday. The seeds(or actually fruits) are usually used for stomach aches,, gases, colics and stuff like that. But it's also anti inflammatory and it helps with stomach cramps. So I decided to take em. I've been able to lie in my bed again and had my first night of sleep in 2 weeks. I still have some pain in my back and leg but it kinda gotten alot better. I also chewed a bit of it since I find the taste good and it's good for as a mouthwash.
I can't find much if any information or studies on carum carvi as treatment for backpain either in english or german(my native lang) online.
It's not poisonous.
I believe since it helps with cramps it helped my backpain?
But I am so surprised it worked.
I'm now trying to take it instead of the chemical medication.
Can someone else please try carum carvi seeds and see if it helps? It took about 2-4hours to take effect and I've been taking it a lot.
Would be nice to know if others also get pain relief from it.
You can buy it in almost any supermarket in the spice section.
Please comment and let me know if anyone else gets pain relief from it or not. That would be really cool.
Edit: and just to be sure I mean this plant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caraway

"Superfoods
For Vegetarians And Vegans Or Who?
I have heard so much about superfoods and their benefits. What's your experience and what do you think about them?
Are there such things as superfoods? Gogi berries, cocoa beans, nibs and powder, noni juice and powder, maca root powder, acai berries and powder, hemp seed powder, camu camu berries and powder, green-tea extract, blue mangosteen, cod liver and fish oils, green powders and pills made from green grasses and their juices and algae such as spirulina, and chlorella are all claimed as raw superfoods by many people in the raw-food movements. I found that it is mainly within the vegetarian and vegan raw-food groups that people seek superfoods. It is helpful to understand why they must have superfoods.
Consider that humans have acidic and short digestive tracts producing acidic digestive fluids and harboring acidic bacteria, and 80% of teeth are designed for cutting, extremely similar to carnivores. Herbivores have mainly alkaline and very long digestive tracts producing vast amounts of alkaline- digestive juices and bacteria, and all teeth are molars for grinding vegetation. Rarely are there healthy long-term raw vegetarians and vegans. Usually, the more committed ones hit a wall at 7 years. Others that cheat may spend a decade or two before they hit the wall. Often, the wall is serious disease such as cancer. Half of my cancer patients were long-term vegetarians and vegans.
Ninety-nine percent of human vegetarians and vegans cannot get enough protein and fats, and lack minerals and an array of nutrients from their diets. Ninety-nine percent of their bodies are unfulfilled and unsatisfied. I know from 6 years of subjective and objective experience as a raw "balanced-diet- eating vegetarian evolved to vegan." I and ALL of the vegetarians and vegans I knew were usually malnourished with eating disorders. I adhered to it 99.9% of the time. Others were much less tenacious. However, occasionally, uncontrollably yet consciously, I stretched and contorted what foods were truly raw, trying to force reality to conform to my adopted concepts of vegetarianism and veganism.
I did not realize the irrationality of believing that humans were optimally healthy as raw-food vegetarians and vegans. I had accepted the false information that our digestive tracts were more alkaline like other primates, and herbivores. I was so malnourished, anytime anyone told me about a superfood such as amaranth "grain of Egyptian gods", I consumed it. However, all such promises of superfoods resulted in my slow but steady deterioration to 96 pounds at 5'8".
Primal-Diet-eating athlete Scott Wheeler of Australia for example won the race at the Raw Games in Hawaii November 2008. All of the other runners were vegetarians or vegans, some mostly raw and some not.
Ninety percent or more of all of currently purported superfoods are processed and not truly raw. They are not fresh so they lack enzymes. Whenever foods are dried, bioactive enzymes are inactivated like a dead auto battery. They cannot be resurrected any more than we can resurrect ourselves from dead. Therefore, even dried fruits are not really raw because they lack bioactive enzymes.
Although Native North American Indians lacked our laboratory sciences, they knew the inferior nature of dried food. They had empirical science called experience. Empirical awareness and knowledge is much more valuable, containing wisdom rather than conclusions based on chemical theories and hypotheses.
Each summer, Native Americans made large supplies of a mixture of dried meat and fat, sometimes adding berries. It is called pemmican. It would be eaten in case they could not find fresh kill. Eating pemmican would prevent starvation, fatigue and bodily deterioration. The process of making pemmican was time-consuming, both hunting and preparing it by drying, beating it until it became flour, soaking it in the sun with warmed fat, drying it in the sun and sitting near it and occasionally pressing it into 90 pound dried hard blocks. By spring, if they did not consume it, they buried it because they knew it would not be optimum for their health.
Let's take a look at the processes that so-called superfoods undergo to see if they are truly raw. Noni juice is chemically or heat processed to prevent fermentation in bottles. The chemical process utilizes kerosene derivative or alcohol. Both are natural but toxic. All "superfoods" that are powdered must be thoroughly dried so they do not cake and stick in the machines while being ground. When hard foods such as cocoa beans and roots are ground into flour, the machines reach a temperature of at least 176° F (80° C), cauterizing the foods.
Cauterization seals the food and makes it harder. It is therefore harder to liquefy and takes more time to digest in the digestive tract. Also, any metallic minerals in the foods will be released by the heat and be more toxic. Claims that such foods are 100% raw and have more antioxidants are false, after drying and cauterizing/cooking. They have the opposite effect in varying degrees.
Whole leaf grasses and fruits also have to be completely dried and hardened for powdering. Rarely are any grasses sun-dried. Usually, they are kiln-dried at temperatures above 118° F (48° C) and up to 138° F(59° C). They are also subjected to the same friction-heat from machines during the powdering processes that reach at least 176° F (80° C). They are not raw because all enzymes are destroyed and the food is cauterized/cooked. Also, we are not herbivores that can properly digest vegetable matter, especially when dried. The only exception is chlorella; I have experimented and found it to be somewhat beneficial. Commercial liquid green teas are all steeped in boiling water.
Sometimes, kerosene derivatives, distilled alcohol or other chemicals are sprayed on those foods to breakdown the oils and force them to dry faster. Since kerosene and alcohol are natural, they may legally call the product "All Natural." They know they mislead consumers and they do not care. Their interest is to supply products for abundant profits rather than produce quality products for which they obtain less profit.
The same is true of acai, camu camu, gogi, and noni. There are many beneficial claims about those foods so most people who consume them believe my analyses of those foods are wrong. However, consider that people feel better because most of those foods are high in carbohydrates and raise the blood and nerve sugar levels causing hyperactivity.
Raised blood and nerve sugar levels are not indications of health. In fact, they are indications of bodily harm. Columbia University found that we store 70-90% of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs), byproducts from spent high-carbohydrates, in our bodies for a lifetime. AGEs are cancer feeding byproducts that cause many ill effects, including arterial sclerosis by attaching to venous and arterial walls.
Also, infusions of powders cause increases in hormones such as adrenalin, also elevating energy levels but not to healthful benefits long-term. All endocrine glandular production is for emergency purposes only. For instance, adrenaline is for fight and/or flight. We are supposed to derive our energy from foods that supply fats, proteins with little carbohydrate, rich in enzymes and bacteria. If we were to eat proper raw foods rich in fats and proteins, and digest and assimilate them properly, most of us would have improved energy and stamina. After many years of eating a proper diet, we would develop tremendous energy and stamina. Like primitive Eskimos, we could live happily in the most strenuous climates and environments.
Cocoa beans (cacao), nibs and powder contain theobromine which is similar to caffeine and a nerve irritant. When cooked and/or processed, that neural irritant is a free radical. It often stimulates hormones such as adrenaline, testosterone and estrogen, making people think their new energy is healthful.
The only truly raw cocoa bean retains it moist skin and must be hand peeled. In small amounts it may be briefly ground in a coffee-bean grinder or blender without reaching high temperatures to retain its rawness and nutrition. I discussed the benefits of eating small amounts of raw cocoa beans in the earlier PD newsletter issue Vol. 7, Oct. 30, 2007. I have a correction to that. Cocoa beans do not contain the nerve stimulants/irritants caffeine or theophylline. They contain theobromine of the same family as caffeine and theophylline.
Fish and cod liver oils must have all proteins removed on which bacteria can feed, according to USFDA standards. That requires heat and/or chemical processes to separate and extract proteins. Two companies claim they produce their fish oils without heat or chemicals but they add processed oils as preservatives. Although that is a small amount, those preservative oils have been heat and chemically processed. How much fish oil is lost to the heated and processed preservative oils? How much of the fish oil will be contaminated by the processed preservative oils? We can glean an idea by the fact that they add enough to prevent the oil from being predigested by natural bacteria. If all of the oil is prevented from predigestion, how much will we not be able to digest? How much will the contaminated preservative oils contaminate us?
As a civilized race whose members eat processed and chemicalized-food, we require air-conditioning and heat in our homes and transportation to sustain us or we cannot work, play or eat. Our perspiration would reek. So many people I know who exercise reek of old stinky sauces, especially tomato sauces. They have a body odor like the outdoor garbage bin of fast-food Italian restaurants or pizza parlors on a hot summer day. That odor is from chemically produced flavorings and fragrances added to tomato sauces to make flavor and odor consistent. Civilized man is now the weakest organism on this planet.
"Superfood" is a misnomer. All lack enzymes and little can be digested and assimilated. Some contain nerve irritants and other chemicals that cause the body to produce hormones that flow through blood and nerves, elevating a sense of well-being without elevated true health. Therefore, the body's responses to "superfoods" indicate toxic responses. Calling any processed food superfood is the same as calling supplements magic bullets. However, if I were to judge any food as superfood, one would be honey that was unheated above 92° F (33° C). Another would be bone marrow from completely organically raised animals, fresh and raw in bones."

Apparently my customer found these in a suitcase when getting them out for vacation. No other information currently, but I’ve never seen this. I’m pretty sure it’s not a bug so are they nuts or seeds?