Hi all, forgive me for asking such common/dumb questions, and I apologize in advance if this is not the preferred way to do so, but I can't seem to find answers anywhere else.
I've owned guns in Virginia my entire adult life but had to leave them behind when I moved to Manhattan 10 years ago. I'm now attempting to legally own and carry concealed in NYC and am willing to make my way through all of the red tape to make it happen. I'm halfway through the application process and have a few questions:

1. I'm not entirely sure of the exact start/end dates of the 4 jobs I've worked in the last 5 years. Would an approximate date work? Same goes for apartment leases.
   
2. Glock, Ruger, and Mossberg are not populating in the search for makes of the guns I currently own in Virginia. I'd like to bring them up from Virginia. Is there a reason why they aren't listed?
   
3. How likely is it that I'll be approved for a special carry permit? I have no military experience, nor have I ever been a police officer. I'd rather not pay the $340 application fee if I won't be approved. Is it better that I apply for a residential permit?
   

Your advice would be very much appreciated. I want to fully comply with the law and don't want to screw up the process.

Just recently, I have noticed Waxe keeps resetting navigation when I put one in.
For example, if I choose work as my destination, it will plot the directions and show everything as normal for the first 10 seconds. Then about 10 seconds later, it drops what I just put in and acts as if I don't have any destination set.
Have tried clearing cache, have rebooted phone, have not tried removing Waze yet, as I was curious if anyone has seen this behavior before.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Android 13, Google Play update May 1, 2023, 2022 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring.
Waze works fine on the phone, just when using Android Auto, does it have this problem.

Disclaimer: 2014 and below wouldn't appear since they don't have a rap and is difficult to rank them. The ranking will mainly have 3 parts:

1. Challenges. How are the challenges brought into the wotfi and how good and funny were the challenges executed and their representatives (looking at 2020 and up)
   
2. Raps. How are the rap brought to the wotfi, how decent is the music and are they even a rap at all (looking at you, 2021)
   
3. Overall. How much i enjoy them, and the ending
   

Challenges:
8: 2022. Absolutely ridiculous. There is absolutely no reason how did kirby just accepts what smg4 said, and i must say the teams are totally shit. They have a chance to make it wotfi again by making Nintendo mario fight smg4, but they go with every nintendo character EXCEPT mario. The challenges are also boring af and i couldn't get myself to laugh at all. This isn't a wotfi. There is no "war of the fat Italians" at all, just "conflict between nintendo characters and smg4 characters". Its all forced as fuck. As an arc finisher wotfi it isn't even climatic at all, since its the 4th arc finisher wotfi and the third one in A ROW. We all know this is going to win, and lawyer kong is way too comedic to be even climatic.
7: 2021. Another forced as shit wotfi. The challenges seems to be brought in at the last second to make it wotfi. the challenges are boring, but i got a few laughs. And also at least the opponent is a brainwashed mario so some scenes can still be called "war of the fat Italians", but the entire thing could be ended not with a wotfi. A simple movie will do. At least its more clinatic than 2022 with axol and mario being in stakes.
6: 2020 This wotfi isn't too bad compared to the last two. I'd say this is the turning point, but the challenges aren't that good either. At this point its just "battle of the two opposite sides" with almost no "war of the fat Italians" at all. It can be argued that smg3 is a fat italian, but none of the anti cast are. The challenges are good tho, at least better than the last two. Its the two sides that ruined this wotfi.
5: 2017 Ok, the rest on this list are now masterpieces in terms of challenges. Although it didn't elaborate on how they even started the wotfi, it doesn't matter since I'll take no reason more than a stupid and forced reason. The challenges are all entertaining and i almost never felt bored, tho imo it IS a bit forgettable at times, if you haven't watched it in a while. And X still exists
4: 2018 This is the first arc finisher wotfi, and it was one that was executed well. It was full on climatic, and the challenges are basically all good, and how they brought it in makes sense and feels natural. And it's also the only arc finisher where its mario vs smg4. The challenges are all good as well, an extremely good wotfi
3: 2019 This is the wotfi that is the perfect mix of modern and classic smg4, with modern characters with classic goals and startings. The challenges are all brought in well and X returned for the wotfi. The last classic based wotfi as well, and spoilers alert, my favourite wotfi of all time
2: 2016, 1: 2015 Both of these are way too good, and I'll talk about them at the same time. The way they brought in the challenges are very funny, and both challenges always had me laughing. 2015's challenges are much more chaotic, and that took my heart more.
8: 2021 THIS ISN'T EVEN A FUCKING RAP The song is decent tho, but its only a song. Never a rap and should never be said as one.
7: 2020 The raps get good starting here, but it still isn't my thing. I don't like Meggy's verses here, literally saying smg3 is the true villian and absolutely evil when smg4 started everything and drove him into this situation where he can be seen as evil. Other than that, i enjoyed the rap a lot. Nothing more to say tbh.
6: 2022 Despite coming from the worst arc in smg4 history, the rap was decent. I didn't really die inside in too much of the verses, and i didn't get bothered by F.K's tts. Still, there are much much better raps, and i still died inside from some verses. I love the part where they show the past arc villians tho.
5: 2018 Starting to get really good, the last stand against Waluigi. Almost no verses are bad, except for Meggy's verse which sounds like AAAAJAHAUQUSHDJDHQJAJSNSJAKAKDJDJ. Its still pretty good tho, especially Waluigi's lines
4: 2017 The arc is good, with a fast based rap. The first rap to include other characters as a team battle, yet still keeping wotfi's spirit in it. How inkling Meggy sounds still annoys me tho, yet still a very solid and good wotfi.
3: 2015 The rap is pure entertainment and chaos, and a full on mario vs smg4. Its just insults threw to each other, and that's what makes wotfi, wotfi. Amazing rap
2: 2016 Another rap with pure fun and chaos, with insults thrown everywhere. A boss battle really brings in the mood, and seeing that mario and smg4 joining forces and focus all insults to bowser is so darn good.
1: 2019 An absolutely beautiful rap, with a mix of classic and modern. Smg4 and mario are still the main focuses here, but they added the modern characters in as well. X just snapping and trying to get the 2 italians to calm down is pure gold. Amazing.
All in all ranking: 8: 2021. I couldn't get myself to enjoy this wotfi at all. Its so boring, and not traditional at all.
7: 2022. Almost the same story with 2022. I couldn't decide which one i hate more, but at least the rap is a banger. However, this is almost not a wotfi. Arguably worst, but i did like the rap.
6: 2020. I just don't like how its not really wotfi, but smg3 is quite fun and at least i don't hate this one, just think its a mid one.
5: 2018. A huge gap between mid and a close masterpiece, with one i enjoyed a lot. Arguably the only arc finisher with climatic elements, and an epic showdown between the 2 sides, without giving up the charm of wotfi.
4: 2017. A fun wotfi with fun challenges, one that i really liked from how good challenges was happening. Also a small step into close modern smg4 with the inclusion of meggy in the rap
3: 2016. 2: 2015. Talking these two at the same time again, bite me. two are just pure fun and stupidity, and that's the charm of wotfi. With chaotic challenges and insults in rap battles, these two are probably the ones that scream classic wotfi the most.
1: 2019. My actual favourite out of the bunch, a mix between modern and classic while keeping all wotfi elements of mario vs smg4 which started with a dumb reason, great challenges and the best rap out of all. This is a well balanced wotfi and the greatest one. I love this wotfi, and i appreciate it even more overtime being the last normal wotfi so far. Hope 2023 will be a traditional wotfi.
So here we go, all ratings. Take this opnion with a pinch of salt, and these are all my personal opnions. Scream at me if you want, it ain't gonna change my opnions much. Of course, if you gave a shit.

"When Su-Metal goes on stage, she is the tallest 5'1'' person in the world."
 
It is Su'nday, kitsune!
Everything which is related to our queen has its place here, new or old stuff.
 
Last week thread
Last week favourite post was a very nice picture posted by matmosmac
Congratulations matmosmac for your first title ever! You are now the Ultimate Su fan for the week!
 
Special flair
"Ultimate Su fan of the week" >> matmosmac, you can now wear this flair. As long as you keep the title, you can wear the flair! However, if someone else win the title, you'll have to remove the flair. There can be only one bearer of this flair!
here is the link to the thread by Facu474 where it is explained how to activate a flair, according to your system.
 
 
SUPERQUIZZ!!
Part 1 beginner ; Part 2 members questions ; Part 3 Lyrics & Songs knowledge questions ; Part 4 Pochette, Show knowldege & cultural questions ; Part 5 Various questions
 
 
Archives
I only link the last thread of each month. If you want to reach the second thread of a month (for example) just navigate through them by using the "last week thread" link. Andy1295 Su'nday threads! ; 09/2017 10/2017 ; 11/2017 ; 12/2017 ; 01/2018 ; 02/2018 ; 03/2018 ; 04/2018 ; 05/2018 : 06/2018 ; 07/2018 08/2018 ; 09/2018 ; 10/2018 ; 11/2018 ; 12/2018 ; 01/2019 ; 02/2019 ; 03/2019 ; 04/2019 ; 05/2019 ; 06/2019 07/2019 ; 08/2019 ; 09/2019 ; 10/2019 ; 11/2019 ; 12/2019 ; 01/2020 ; 02/2020 ; 03/2020 ; 04/2020 ; 05/2020 ; 06/2020 ; 07/2020 ; 08/2020 ; 09/2020 ; 10/2020 ; 11/2020 ; 12/2020 ; 01/2021 ; 02/2021 ; 03/2021 ; 04/2021 ; 05/2021 ; 06/2021 ; 07/2021 ; 08/2021 ; 09/2021 ; 10/2021 ; 11/2021 ; 12/2021 ; 01/2022 ; 02/2022 ; 03/2022 ; 04/2022 ; 05/2022 ; 06/2022 07/2022 ; 08/2022 ; 09/2022 ; 10/2022 ; 11/2022 ; 12/2022 ; 01/2023 ; 02/2023 ; 03/2023 ; 04/2023 ; 05/2023
 
Contribute
Want to participate or make one of these threads, partially or entirely? Any suggestion? Just PM me! ^{It's always welcome!}
 
And to start the thread, here is an album.
 
Enjoy your Su'nday

Question, I submitted and was granted 0% for tension headaches (unsure why it wasn’t migraines, it was changed once submitted). I am currently on migraine medication and submitted my headache logs as evidence for my claim. What other evidence do I need to show I miss work from my migraines? I have the meds through my VA doc, I submitted a personal statement, and I submitted my migraine logs. I’m just a bit confused.
Edit: should I just request a HLR? I submitted my logs back in 2022 because that’s when I submitted my claim. Obviously 8 months later it won’t show as of recent because I didn’t upload them as evidence every week because I thought that would prevent the claim from moving.

I (26f) want to divorce my husband of 4 years (26m) and I would like some advice. Here is some background. My husband, we will call him E, and I met in college and have been together for over 7 years. He was very different when we met and I believe major traumas from his childhood and his parents tumultuous divorce a few years back have made him become who he is. I only found out about his alcohol and weed problems and his childhood trauma AFTER we got married. The trauma part I found out about a month ago. I obviously don’t blame him for what happened to him when he was young and it’s not at all a reason I want to leave. 2021 we had our first child and the beginning of this year (2023) I found out I am pregnant again. We are both overjoyed but the timing is hard. 2022 he teetered the line from asshole to abusive. Verbally, sexually, and emotionally. He even threatened to kll me if I ever leave him or cheat on him. Other than his alcoholism problems and the many things he has lied to me about that I won’t get into he is genuinely just so mean to me and I have had enough. His family, my family, random people we come into contact with, friends all see how badly he treats me yet I have a hard time telling myself this is all justified. This past January I gave him the choice to get a divorce or for him to go to therapy and leave the house for 3 months only coming home on the weekends and staying on the couch. He did just that which I appreciated. But the way he treated me at home never changed. Those three months I realized how happy I was even though I was pregnant taking care of our toddler, dog, cats, and the home. He moved back in and still sleeps on an extra bed I got downstairs but still treats me terribly. He absolutely gaslights me and tells me everything is me and my fault and that I’m selfish.
I have been a SAHM since our first son was born but went back to work in February for a measly 9 hours a week (bringing my toddler with me) to save up money for myself in case I need to leave (he knows that). After 5 weeks of therapy by himself I started going with and we have been doing couples counseling for a few months now. I really tried for that time but ended up going to a few sessions alone (E relapsed and couldn’t make it) so I told our therapist that I wanted to start my “escape plan” as he calls it. Our therapist highly suggested E go to NA or AA and he went once and said it “wasn’t for him”. Our therapist is very worried for my safety, as am I, and we made a plan to confiscate Es guns. We also plan to tell him AT therapy and for me to take my son to stay elsewhere for a couple weeks so E can have the house to figure out where to live next. I guess what I want out of posting this other than to rant is any advice about going forward. Logistics is what is stressing me out. Having a newborn AND a toddler while navigating a fresh divorce (should I wait to ask for the divorce until after his paternity leave is up in Dec?). Our house mortgage is very cheap so it makes sense for me to stay in it with the kids and all our animals and for him to just find a room somewhere to pay cheap rent. He fully pays for everything and I guess he would expect me to get a job which would be extremely hard with a toddler and a newborn when he works mostly 6 days a week. Im worried how lawyers and court and child support will go. I would hope he could make it easy for us but I know he will feel very hurt by this all. I tried to find a way E wouldn’t feel used financially and how to make it easy on him but my therapist told me that he WILL feel used and there’s no way for it to be fair on him. Thank you guys in advance and I am happy to respond to any questions. I’m sorry I was all over the place. Your support and words will mean a lot.

I (26f) want to divorce my husband of 4 years (26m) and I would like some advice. Here is some background. My husband, we will call him E, and I met in college and have been together for over 7 years. He was very different when we met and I believe major traumas from his childhood and his parents tumultuous divorce a few years back have made him become who he is. I only found out about his alcohol and weed problems and his childhood trauma AFTER we got married. The trauma part I found out about a month ago. I obviously don’t blame him for what happened to him when he was young and it’s not at all a reason I want to leave. 2021 we had our first child and the beginning of this year (2023) I found out I am pregnant again. We are both overjoyed but the timing is hard. 2022 he teetered the line from asshole to abusive. Verbally, sexually, and emotionally. He even threatened to kll me if I ever leave him or cheat on him. Other than his alcoholism problems and the many things he has lied to me about that I won’t get into he is genuinely just so mean to me and I have had enough. His family, my family, random people we come into contact with, friends all see how badly he treats me yet I have a hard time telling myself this is all justified. This past January I gave him the choice to get a divorce or for him to go to therapy and leave the house for 3 months only coming home on the weekends and staying on the couch. He did just that which I appreciated. But the way he treated me at home never changed. Those three months I realized how happy I was even though I was pregnant taking care of our toddler, dog, cats, and the home. He moved back in and still sleeps on an extra bed I got downstairs but still treats me terribly. He absolutely gaslights me and tells me everything is me and my fault and that I’m selfish.
I have been a SAHM since our first son was born but went back to work in February for a measly 9 hours a week (bringing my toddler with me) to save up money for myself in case I need to leave (he knows that). After 5 weeks of therapy by himself I started going with and we have been doing couples counseling for a few months now. I really tried for that time but ended up going to a few sessions alone (E relapsed and couldn’t make it) so I told our therapist that I wanted to start my “escape plan” as he calls it. Our therapist highly suggested E go to NA or AA and he went once and said it “wasn’t for him”. Our therapist is very worried for my safety, as am I, and we made a plan to confiscate Es guns. We also plan to tell him AT therapy and for me to take my son to stay elsewhere for a couple weeks so E can have the house to figure out where to live next. I guess what I want out of posting this other than to rant is any advice about going forward. Logistics is what is stressing me out. Having a newborn AND a toddler while navigating a fresh divorce (should I wait to ask for the divorce until after his paternity leave is up in Dec?). Our house mortgage is very cheap so it makes sense for me to stay in it with the kids and all our animals and for him to just find a room somewhere to pay cheap rent. He fully pays for everything and I guess he would expect me to get a job which would be extremely hard with a toddler and a newborn when he works mostly 6 days a week. Im worried how lawyers and court and child support will go. I would hope he could make it easy for us but I know he will feel very hurt by this all. I tried to find a way E wouldn’t feel used financially and how to make it easy on him but my therapist told me that he WILL feel used and there’s no way for it to be fair on him. Thank you guys in advance and I am happy to respond to any questions. I’m sorry I was all over the place. Your support and words will mean a lot.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/7iL5CeM

1. Steiner TOR Fusion light/green laser combo. Was mounted and used once, no scratch, $340 shipped. If worried about holster see item #2.
   
2. Red River Tactical P320 full size (4.7) holster with Bladetech Tek-lok and “SLS,” compatible with #1. Used for a few days, no scratch, $80 shipped. 5% EXTRA discount on combo price and a new free battery if #1 and 2 are bought together.
   
3. SB Tactical SBA4 brace FDE, with color matching strap and buffer tube. Used once, no scratch, $120 shipped with FREE 1913 adapter for MCX, etc.
   
4. SilencerCo AC24 piston (.45, .578x28). Never used, in manufacturer alternative packaging, $72 shipped.
   
5. MDT M-Lok spare round holder. Never used, in original packaging, $42.
   
6. Hera Arms CQR grip FDE. Never used, in original packaging, $33.
   
7. HSGI Single Point Drop leg panel. Never used, $52 shipped.
   
8. This is NOT A FIREARM and CANNOT be modified to fire by any means. Blue Gun HK45. Used once, $51 shipped.
   
9. Aliengear Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB holster for P365 and Streamlight TLR-7 sub Sig rail. Used for a few days and never in direct contact with skin, very comfortable in winter. $55 shipped, all original small parts included.
   

Everything ships from Maryland on Monday. Trading with P320 full size 9mm parts (slide, recoil spring, 4.7 barrel, or 17+ rounds magazines to be shipped to Virginia to comply with laws) will reduce your price accordingly. I always pay for the shipping unless not mentioned. New user (me) rules apply so Paypal G&S only.

Near Vanilla is a close-knit community server where we’ve created an environment where players come together to build, collect, explore, and have fun. The perks of being a member can be seen in our cooperative builds, player competitions, vibrant shopping district, and other events. All play styles are welcome, from those who want to venture out on their own to those who want to work cooperatively with others. We’re sure you will find exactly what you are looking for in your SMP experience while making some great friends and builds along the way.
Near Vanilla is an international, community-driven server. There is constant communication on our Discord, both serious discussion and silliness. We constantly seek the opinions and views of the player base and large changes are made through player discussion. Suggestions are always welcome. A dedicated admin team is always on hand to make sure things are working smoothly, bad behaviour is squashed, and your time on the server is stress-free. Our DynMap, which can be viewed through the website, allows you to navigate to your favourite biome and see how close/far you are from your fellow players.
If this all sounds like your kind of place, grab your sword and pick and jump into NearVanilla and show us the creations you can make! We will be expanding our borders to accommodate the 1.20 update so there is no better time to join and meet the community. Apply now!

• IP: play.nearvanilla.com
• Website: https://nearvanilla.com
• Map: https://map.nearvanilla.com
• Watch our Season 5 Recap Video: https://youtu.be/SoJU47pZojY
• Some Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/CQtZzgE Currently in Season 6, started January 8, 2022 Hard difficulty

Requirements:

• 18+ only
• Be Nice

Zero Tolerance Policy: No hacking, glitching, or duping allowed. Any of these will result in a permanent ban. No griefing, stealing, bullying, insulting, discrimination, or prejudice behaviour is tolerated. Toxic behaviour is not welcome. Due to some of our chat plug-ins, Mojang's chat reporting is disabled. Chat will be moderated by our server staff.
The “Near” in “Near Vanilla”

• Deathlog: Lets you know where you died
• WanderfulAdditions*: control armour stands and make item frames invisible
• Kickafk: Kicks players who afk more than 3 hours
• Custom plugins created for our server
• A few Admin tools to help mods keep things friendly and welcoming Players can suggest Non-Vanilla additions if they do not remove from the vanilla experience which will be discussed on our Discord.

To apply through Discord, click the link below Apply here!

— This was during COVID. We virtually met on Slack in Feb 2021 when we were both doing an internship at the same start-up.
— Felt a connection so we connected on IG and later on WhatsApp (he never gets on calls). He was really good at flirting, especially in the beginning. But all we did was text/sext for the next 7 months.
— Although I really liked him, I believe the feeling wasn’t mutual. He would more than often ghost me for days or weeks which made me feel pretty shitty about myself (exception being sexting).
— I gradually disconnected from him. Met someone else who I dated on and off between Oct 2021 and May 2022.
— Now, this other person is really complicated when it comes to relationships. When I wanted to commit, he wasn’t ready and when he wanted to commit months later, my feelings had faded away. We only met once in-person in May 2022. Still in touch, but I’m no longer interested.
— Okay, back to the person we were talking about. So I obviously drifted away even more after Oct 2021 but we would still have small talks (on text, of course). He suddenly started showing more interest in April 2022, but still refused to get on a call with me when I explained that texts aren’t helping. We argued a little and I cut him off permanently (on a good note).
— Or did I? Well, he reached out to me on LinkedIn this February (cause he apparently lost all his contacts so he couldn’t WhatsApp me instead 🙂) to ask for a referral for his friend. I responded and referred his friend.
— We connected again on WhatsApp. Not a day since then when he hasn’t texted me “sup”/“whaddup”. The conversations are mostly one-sided sexts. Or him asking me to travel 800kms just to meet him 🙂. Still refuses to get on calls.
— We finally met in-person in April. Visted his place to watch a movie together. I didn’t feel a connection, but I was probably holding on to the residual feelings. Which is also why I believe I agreed to meet him.
— He says that he doesn’t want to force me into a relationship and wants us to go with flow. This was a big turn off for me. It felt like he was putting words into my mouth.
— And yes, I have discussed most of the issues at length with him. I’ve always wanted whatever this is to head in a meaningful direction, but I can’t help but feel like a sex doll or a backup on most days.
— He told me that if I want to know him better, I need to ask him questions. That’s the only way. Ummm?
It’s really hard to read a person in a long distance relationship as it is. On top of it, he wouldn’t connect on a voice call even.
As an individual, he seems to be a great person. Quite sharp and talented! But again, I’ve forgotten a lot about him over time and now it’s even harder to get him to open up to me.
I’m not sure how much of this is intentional or just comes from a place of immaturity. Would appreciate any guidance or thoughts.
TL;DR: All we have been doing for the past 2 years is text in a long distance. His actions make me feel like I’m just a backup plan. I’m hoping to be wrong about that.

First
Capes and Conundrums
“Alright, watch and learn kiddo.” Deadshot says as he brings his gun into position. “Most people think that a rifle is a point and click answer to their problems. Point, pull the trigger and problem solved. Those people are idiots.”
“Oh?” The Merc beside him says. Since Deadshot was categorically a solo act and maybe on occasion has some mooks to do the heavy lifting having someone hang around close would be an issue. So the excuse was he was training another sniper. Franchising as it were.
“Okay, really quick out of character.” Silicon says.
“Yeah?” Pavel asks.
“How the hell are you going to cause half of that construction to come apart with a bullet? I understand it’s not massively up to code, but at the same time. A bullet is small. It has only so much kinetic energy it can carry and if you bring Axiom into this you’re setting up a flare.”
“Architecture and physics.” Pavel says as he adjusts the gun and then leans away from it. “Look down the scope. It should start to make sense.”
“That’s one of the main cables of that sign. But there’s at least one more and it only needs one to stay upright.”
“Look at the angle, also remember I’ve got a reinforced bullet for this one. It’s designed to stay intact and ricochet.” Pavel says and Silicon rises up to look at the back of the sign again and mentally trace where the bullet will go.
“You’re going to shatter one support and weaken the other.”
“Yes.”
“That is an absurd level of accuracy.”
“When the Undaunted claim to be better than the best of the best, it’s not idle boasting.” Pavel states as he takes a full shooting position again.
“So what’s the event in question?”
“We’re going to move along five positions and they have to find our ‘safe house’ in the point between them all. For that we’re going to need to leave some clues at each one. This first position to let people know they need to look is going to have the bullet casing, the bipod and of course the imprints we’re leaving on the roof gravel. For the next one we’re butting a type of polish on our boots that will get easily rubbed off so they get that, the casing and the imprint.”
“Are we leaving three clues at each place?”
“Yes. Some more obvious than others. Which reminds me.” Pavel says before digging out and tossing a wrapped bar at Silicon. “Eat that. It’s the third clue for the third location. Each one gets a bullet casing and the imprint of us hanging around.”
“What’s the fourth clue then?”
“A novelty sticker from a nearby business. It’ll let all the girls on the case know that Deadshot is staying nearby and has at least a hotel room, if not a full on base of operations.”
“And the last one?”
“Hardest one of all. Only two clues. The imprint and the casing.”
“And the ultimate place is in the middle of all of it...”
“Not exactly middle, but a place where you can reach all five locations without being spotted on a camera. Which is why we’re going there and then back out to relocate each time. So I hope you’re ready to take the stairs, because we got cardio in our future.”
“Oh joy.” Silicon says before a small timer goes off and Pavel grins.
“Show time.” He says as he double checks the wind, tastes the air and then slowly squeezes the trigger on his rifle.
The rifle is silenced and therefore the first sound that the danger makes is the calamitous clang as the grip of the frist cable is shattered and the still very active bullet goes careening downwards and slams into the base that holds the second cable. Cracking it ever so slightly.
Even from their position on the building, both men can hear the screaming groan as the metal slowly gives before the sign suddenly collapses forward and slams into the ‘civilians’ that Deadshot was hired to kill.
“Time to go.” Pavel says rising up as he disengages the bipod mount.
“Really? We’re just going down the stairs?” Silicon asks.
“The elevators have cameras, and the stairwells only have camera’s above the doors. However, the five buildings we’re using are in the middle of a maintenance upgrade that was massively overbooked as about fifteen different buildings decided they wanted the upgrades all at the same time. So these five are at the end of the list.” Pavel explains as he walks down.
“But the older security networks...” Silicon says.
“Pardon, I should have been more clear. The removal of the old equipment is already done for these five buildings, the actual replacement parts are not currently available.”
“And since the stairs are rarely used the security cameras in here are the last of the last priority.” Silicon says and Pavel nods.
“That’s right. Now we need to be able to get to our next location in a hurry. So time to skip some stairs.” Pavel says as he jumps down one flight and then flings himself down the next.
Silicon teleports down to the bottom but only has a few moments before Pavel arrives. He then waves for Silicon to follow him and then leads him through the building in a very strange, roundabout manner.
“We’re avoiding all the cameras they have left aren’t we?” Silicon asks and Pavel nods as he casually exits the building. He also points up and Silicon sees many Sonir in the air, a lot of them in Batman outfits of some kind and clearly scanning the upper areas and completely missing the two men casually walking around dressed like Deadshot with one of them lugging around a gun roughly as big as he is.
“Hey! Hey hey hey! You’re one of the actors right? Playing a bad guy?” A young Sonir girl asks flapping up to them. She’s tiny, dressed in all pink and clearly has gotten into at least a small amount of glitter lately.
“That’s right. Is there something you want?” Pavel asks in amusement.
“Can I take a picture?” She asks holding up her communicator.
“Sure thing little lady.” Pavel answers and she all but throws herself at him and turns in midair.
“Say boogers!” She exclaims.
“Boogers?!” Pavel demands before he hears the little camera go off a few times and she slides down with a giggle to examine her new selfie with the supervillain.
“Thank you mister badguy! Have fun!” She says rushing off with a laugh.
“Well that was adorable. Let’s keep moving.” Pavel states before they cross the street and make it into an a mall. A mall where he immediately leads Silicon into a side passage that’s lacking any kind of signs whatsoever.
“Where are we?”
“The building layout had some design fails. There are unregistered rooms back here. Well... not so much rooms as unused space, gaps between the stores. No security, no cameras, not even on the registration.”
“So is this tresspassing?’
“Even if we hadn’t informed the owners and legally rented the space? No. The place isn’t technically on the building plans so even if we squatted here it wouldn’t be a crime. But since we’re renting it, as is, we’re not only allowed in here, but are the only ones allowed.” Pavel explains as he opens a semi-hidden doorway to reveal.
“A sniper’s lair.” Silicon notes.
“That’s right.”
“This is an almost unfair test. They have to figure out that you weren’t spotted because you avoided the cameras, then look at a building’s blueprints and find out that there’s one place with none whatsoever.”
“That’s right. This is what level four puzzle challenge is about. If they catch us, it’s a win. But catching us is the hard part.” Pavel says and Silicon considers.
“I mean... this seems a little... I don’t know? Unfair?”
“It’s a riddle. Not every problem is solved by shooting things or using brute force.” Pavel replies as he fetches his replacement bipod. “Alright. Time to go. After I fire my shot the girls will all be given a warning about the second crime scene. They can then trace the bullet trajectory to our new location.”
“I still say it’s asking a bit much of people.”
“It’s far more data than Batman in the comic gets.”
“I don’t think comparing people to a person who’s superpower seems to be hyper-intelligence and a hefty dose of denial is fair either.” Silicon notes before Pavel leads him out.
“Probably not.” He admits and they’re shortly out of the mall and climbing up the stairs of another high rise.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
She rushes to the scene of the next crime. It’s just like the last one. Massive collateral damage, one shot. A single attack, a single actioan and dozens of lives are done. It’s meticulous, it’s brilliant, it can only be Deadshot with that kind of aim and...
“Hey we got one too deep here!” Someone calls out and she’s pulled out of her head.
“What? That... I what?” She asks and looks around. The mannequins in a state of placement. The ‘explosion’ caused by the perfect unleashing of a gas valve that was sheered by a bullet. It blew out the front of a restaurant and left it a mess with all the mannequins in pieces.
“You were brooding girl! I could tell! You were forgetting to pull yourself out!” The other Sonir says and she holds her head.
“I was, wasn’t I?” Damn that’s not good.
“You alright there Batman?” The Undaunted playing the part of Jim Gordon asks.
“Fine, I’m... fine...” She says examining the area again. She lets out tiny pulses of sound and hears the place. The tiny hole where the bullet went through. The scalpel precise sheering of the pipe. No actual restaurants here used gas stoves, so it HAD to be part of the entire event. But still...
She lets out a little click and then imagines a straight line going backwards. Directly from the hole. She turns and sees the top of a large building nearby lines up nearly perfectly with it. “Up there!”
That said she takes off and gains altitude fast. Climbing upwards on the ash flecked wind until she crests over top. Empty already. She lets out a supersonic pulse and there’s a shape far different from the rest among the gravel atop the roof. A little cylinder. One that still stinks ever so slightly as she leans in close.
She steps around the slight indents suggesting where Deadshot laid and sees a slight smudging of some substance on the gravel as well. She doesn’t know what it is but...
“This... what is the puzzle?” She asks herself out loud. “There has to be some kind of answer to this.”
“There’s something up with you isn’t there?” Another Sonir asks as she alights on the landing. She looks back to where more are joining. “If you want it to stay private, keep it in your head. We all have good hearing sister.”
“I...” She begins before swallowing it.
“If you’re not up for these challenges then you’re not up for them and that’s that, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. These are for fun. No one’s lives actually depend on them. There’s no one getting hurt if you don’t do them.”
“Except maybe her ego!” One of the other Sonir calls out and there’s laughter from a friend that lands beside her.
There’s another indicator of the next part of the scene in just a few minutes and they all get the address. A police dispatch stating that a vehicle has had it’s tire shredded and gone wildly out of control.
She stays behind a bit as she thinks. Before sighing and deciding to fly away. Not really feeling her best today. Although completely unsure as to why. Something’s up, but she can’t figure out what.
She sends a message that she’s bowing out of the rest of the little context and will not be taking part of any more for the rest of the day. There’s a brief moment where she smirks as she confirms that no, it’s not something The Undaunted have done, she’s just not at her best.
She swoops downwards and lands at street level in a few moments.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
“Excuse me miss.” Pavel says as he moves around the freshly landed Sonir woman and she outright stares at both him and Silicon as they move towards the next sniping positin. “Something wrong?”
“I bow out of the competition and I stumble on you moving?”
“Life’s funny isn’t it? Sorry, but I have to go.” Pavel says before rushign away with Silicon in tow.
​
First Last
PS: I really need to figure out what's killing my motivation. My mind keeps wandering and I just can't focus. I don't want to start guzzling caffeine again... but this is getting out of hand.

The 3 basic parameters of hashtag #Valzubiriagenda:

1. We artists and everyone else can write and self-publish art- and artist-related books: memoirs, biographies, art books and art catalogs. Books are forever. Pamphlets and brochures are not books.
2. We announce a schedule of increasing prices of our art pieces, which includes quantities (scarcity numbers) per price point and overall (the total quantity of art pieces we might ever make). This helps art traders, art investors and art collectors speculate or even stop speculating and instead join a community of investors working together to hopefully skyrocket to the higher announced prices in a shorter span of time.
3. We can use the NFT world, because NFTs provide the tracking (who owns what) and trading.

We can also not be involved with NFTs. Stores and individuals can help sell art using online presence and our catalogs in the stores. If this trends, or once this trends, even expensive art can be sold by neighboring businesses, without exclusivity. Commission systems do not have to be standardized. Art investors can produce their own catalogs to leave at the cafés. Even the cafés can produce their own catalogs.
Valzubiriagenda NFTs
NFTs only came about a few years ago. But I had been working on this since the 1990s. I wrote a book, Valzubiriagenda, along with fellow artist Silverio Perez, and released it in 2018 (Amazon and elsewhere), tackling everything related to #1 & #2. We'll come up with #3 in a later book/ memoi marketing book.
Any artist, including tangible artists can release 10,000 NFTs if the artist chooses to do so. For tangible artists, the NFT first becomes an Art Commission Contract for sight unseen, yet-to-be made art. Once the art is made, the NFT becomes proof of ownership that the actual, tangible art is theirs.
Warehousing our tangible art
Another related idea is that the tangible art may be warehoused by the artist so that the NFT traders continue to trade. This means that even 10-ton 10-foot tall sculptures can be owned and traded by anyone without worrying about shipping, reshipping, scratches, smudges, parts breaking off, etc. The newness of the pieces remain because they are stored by the artist, source, gallery, etc. The art piece gets shipped to the art collector, the ultimate owner.
An artist who makes ceramic coffee mugs - smaller art pieces, can release 10,000 NFTs with a schedule of increasing prices so that NFT traders can trade immediately. The 10,000 coffee mugs can get damaged, so as they are made, they continue to be stored by the artist, until the time when art collectors decide to have the art pieces shipped to them.
Why only now?
I decided to write as many book-length memoirs as I can before I came out to promote this.
I'm an artist and an author. Both need time to "master." I would not even fully use "master" on myself, because there's always something new, even to my own art, my own writing and publishing.

I am now claiming that I'm the visual artist who has produced the most artist memoirs in the world. I have 5 on Amazon. I count Valzubiriagenda as both a marketing book and a memoir-of-sorts, because it has a lot of my own life lessons on writing and publishing. I would not care to contest my claim of having the most memoirs. I will release 5 more over the next 3 years.

BARTER! Get help to write, photograph art and publish your books!
Anyone can hire 11 ghostwriters for 11 memoirs. If you can make art, but you cannot write, then barter your forever art with those who can help you produce forever books.
I don't feel the pressure of writing and publishing because I feel my focus should be on art students and art experts who would study my art and my books 100 years from now. Don't expect relatives and friends to read your books.
I call myself the Dollman
For my NFTs, I am proposing to make dioramas - my original, costumed, bejeweled porcelain dolls in backdrops that will also have precious metals and gemstones. This way I can incorporate precious metals and gemstones in my work, to make sure that people perceive my art as expensive, just in case I myself don't become "famous" - there's no need to get world famous. We are artists and all we need to do is to satisfy the art niche.
Use your laptop now!
I will encourage you to start writing your book-length memoir. Write, Edit and then Self-publish it. Get help. Why wait a hundred years for someone to write about you when all you need is a laptop and a nearby coffee shop.
Don't start counting chickens before the eggs hatch. I have encountered a lot of would-be writers who immediately see themselves as bestselling. world famous assets to society. Two even wanted me to sign NDAs (Nondisclosure agreements), because they did not want me to steal their book ideas.
Here's a suggestion. I would not personally do it. From one manuscript can come 2 books: The Original Draft (unedited, with misspellings, considered to be an art piece, scanned pages(?) of your handwritten original effort), and The Final Edition (edited).
PROVENANCE!
Another way to enhance our investability, tradability and collectability is PROVENANCE - how art ownership proceeds through time. The way this can be done is also through publishing books. Everyone can write their memoirs, biographies, art books and art catalogs, including traders, investors and art collectors. In effect, we artists can continue to be included or mentioned in even more books, without any additional effort by us.
You as an investor, reseller, trader, art collector should be able to publish a catalog with 250 works by 250 different artists, but they need to agree to this right from the start - it's your money, you should require them to follow your version of the hashtag #valzubiriagenda parameters, which preferably should include permission for you to publish their art. Why would you track down 250 artists later?
No exclusive contracts
If you're a café, you can call for artists, and come up with a book with for example, 30 artists, with a chapter devoted to each artist's profile and images of the artist's art.
You can distribute your catalogs to businesses and individuals near and far and online.
The book Valzubiriagenda even cites that funeral homes and janitors closets can sell art, with or without exclusivity. Airline catalogs can include million dollar art pieces. Car manufacturers, showrooms and even car repair shops can sell art as well. Everyone should be able to do this, anywhere in the world, especially not just because of the pandemic, but right now, we are in really bad economies.
What's with the name #Valzubiriagenda
I was into conspiracy theories in 2018, and this term, "The Mandela Effect," was popular. I had read many times that an artist coined the term, but I had to research online, for her name, many times, before remembering it. I'm not good at remembering names. It took me a year and a half to finally tell you that Fiona Broome coined "The Mandela Effect."
I also thought I might have to research trademarks and copyrights just to come up with a generic name. So I decided on "Valzubiriagenda." I was not really sure at first, but I decided to use it as the title for my book (with co-authoartist Silverio Perez) so that there would be no turning back and I can move on.
Am I a FUTURIST?
Someone I recently met this May 2022 just called me a futurist.
In the 1990s, I proposed to a pension fund that they can raise billions of dollars, especially for emergencies, or as needed, or out of desperation, if the pension fund purchases a quantity of art from an artist who not only has a current, reasonable price, but an announced future price that the artist wants to reach.
That future price would obviously be higher than the current price. The art commission contract for multiple art pieces can be taken to the fund's financial lender for a loan. The higher future price can be used for financing purposes.
The pension fund's treasurer, a publicly elected official, said this idea might work, but we had to keep this a secret and discuss this some more, because other pension funds might copy and do this prematurely. This idea had to come from the two of us. The treasurer needed his votes and I needed credentials.
Added into the pot was my idea that I, as the artist, will also write one book-length artist memoir. This was and still is a strong factor, because the leadership and marketing books I had read then mentioned a strong tip. If you want to advance in your field, write a full-length book that is related to the field.
Unfortunately, the elected official, the treasurer of the pension fund, who was also a friend, passed away - he was old and had ailments. At that point in time, I cannot just approach another pension fund treasurer to share this idea with.
I realized I had to write a few memoirs. I needed to set an example for other artists, so I needed to write more than one memoir. Then I felt I should also make ready another book - the how-to of what I'm up to. I wrote Valzubiriagenda, which was a memoir of sorts. I knew how long it would take me to write a book, so I had to make sure I can also consider this book a memoir.
In 2008, I imagined that someone like Bernie Madoff, or a fund like Lehman Brothers, would be desperate enough to use this to save themselves and their companies. I was not ready. I had only written 1 manuscript for a memoir.
In 2012, I released Dollman the Musical, A Memoir of an Artist as a Dollmaker. Once again, I was not ready because writing it depressed me a little, and I knew I had to write more.
In 2014, I released 3 memoirs, and re-released Dollman the Musical. Besides releasing regular books, I released special editions of the 4 books, which had a "Special Secret Insert for Bankers," which explains my ideas of an announced schedule of exponentially increasing prices, to satisfy investors, and the publication of artist memoirs, to satisfy art collectors.
In 2014, I also issued out a press release. Google "Can Billion Dollar Artist Save Investors and World Economy Valentino Zubiri PRWeb August 19 2014" and you will see the press release.
What I did was stake a claim on my ideas. I did not promote my books and the press release. I just wanted them to stay online, like a sleeping giant or a dormant volcano. I even designed 3 of the book covers to look like indie books from the 1980s. I was planting the seeds, thinking they will eventually grow and bear fruit in the future.
In 2015, I was interviewed by Richard Syrett, about one of my memoirs, Hocus Pocus Lately. This book is my memoir with paranormal stories. I could have pursued promoting my paranormal stories, but I wanted to be known first as a visual artist and memoirist, so I allowed myself one interview related to Hocus Pocus Lately. Richard Syrett has(had?) his own syndicated radio show, The Conspiracy Show with Richard Syrett, about the paranormal. He also guest hosts on Coast to Coast AM, another internationally syndicated show about the paranormal.
In 2018, I released Valzubiriagenda (co-authored by artist Silverio Perez, a fellow artist). Finally, this book is "the how-to of what I'm to."
I'm going to end this with some strangeness. In 1986, a lady at a religious gathering went into a trance and left a good number of messages. Supposedly, anyone who got into a trance would have messages, but once the trance was over, the person would not remember what was said.
I was not part of the group, but the lady turned her head to face me. She "foretold" that whatever I would decide to do in the future, it will take time, but it will be the right thing. This is one of my stories in one of my memoirs, Hocus Pocus Lately.
The Tulipmania of 1634-37
I discovered that there was this incident of rare tulips becoming collectible during the Dutch Golden Age. There were tulips so rare and so well-desired that their prices equaled to that of a house. You can read more about this online (Wikipedia) or watch a few YouTube videos about it.
Here is the most useful idea that I gleaned from the Tulipmania. The tulip bulbs remained safe inside nurseries. The traders were carrying the deeds of ownership to the tulip bulbs.
Then NFTs came to the forefront
I started learning PHP, an HTML scripting language, and MySQL, the database that PHP can connect to in the background, in 1999, when there were only 3 books about PHP and MySQL at the bookstores.
By 2014, I was trying to figure out how to make the "ledger," or database that can be used to update ownership and who can be contacted. If we are trading art, then the art ownership should be updated.
Then NFTs came about. This can be used as our ledger. Everyone can immediately trade NFTs of future, yet-to-be made art pieces, especially because it takes time to make tangible art.
NFTs actually went a step ahead, by allowing digital art to be traded.
The only setback with NFTs, in my opinion, is that it still lacks a commission system for resellers and representatives.
For example, if a café wants to represent me, then they can promote me at their café and on their online pages. If I make one piece of art that will be exclusively represented by a gallery, then that commission will be different and more specific. As ownership is transferred, the subsequent owners should be able to reset the commission. We should also have the option of giving commissions to hundreds of representatives at one time with different percentages if need be.
The recent crypto crash
Lately, we have observed that NFTs and cryptocurrencies have been behaving like the stock market and other markets. They have been fluctuating.
I believe that it is time for a trend which discourages fluctuation of prices.
I have also seen YouTube videos where social influencers are encouraging us to be on the lookout for exponentially profitable ventures, because we have all seen this happen with the exponential increase of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Let's see if #Valzubiriagenda trends
We can announce present and future art prices. The galleries won't do this (yet?) because they follow a more traditional approach to the business of art.
We have a choice of using incrementally or exponentially increasing prices. We still reserve the right to change things in the future, so everyone should know to follow the latest update.
If this trends, if you as an artist simply announces that you will write an artist memoir, or that you will include the future works in future art books, you might have more art traders, investors and collectors approaching you.
Get your pen, paper and calculator
Imagine yourself as an artist, where you are right now. Let's just say you still do not have a book about yourself and your art yet. Imagine now that you have a memoir out there. Don't you think it makes sense to charge more than what you are charging now? Writing and publishing books is just the beginning. I'm just standardizing this approach. The books also say to do other related projects. In my case, getting Dollman the Musical onstage is one idea. You will have other related projects, but the publication of memoirs, biographies, art books and art catalogs will help all of us.
You can also imagine that a law firm that has meeting rooms, with someone who wants to form a local #valzubiriagenda group, can have meetings. A local café can do the same. Local photographers for your art, writers, editors, book designers, proofreaders and others can join in.
I suggest have printed books to share. 15 copies of your memoir or art books will be better than an e-reader or laptop or your phone to show. These gadgets can be stolen, sabotaged, broken, have coffee spilled on them, etc. 15 printed books means simultaneously showing to 15 people. You can even give them away to potential resellers, investors, traders and collectors.
When it rains, it pours, as in the days of Noah
There's a saying, "When it rains, it pours." There is a negative interpretation and a positive interpretation.
Negative: When trouble comes, they cascade to even more.
Positive: When opportunity comes knocking, more follow suit. We can assume that if one gets our art because of #valzubiriagenda, more want to do it now, because of the rising prices, and FOMO - fear of missing out. What will they lose if they miss the boat?
As I have said earlier, if the #valzubiriagenda trends, if you announce a future memoir or art catalog, you might have an increase of investors, traders and art collectors who would want to check you out. You might encourage more sales. Just remember to write and publish that memoir and art catalog.
There's this saying, "As in the days of Noah." Imagine Noah, building his ark, with members of his own family, putting all his time and effort into it. Noah was a nice guy. I'm sure every once in a while a neighbor offered him coffee, or chai latte, or whatever refreshing drink they might have back then.
Here's the lesson to be learned. Just because they offered him some type of bubble tea drink, or coca cola, they still didn't make it to the ark. Rubbing shoulders with actors does not make you an actor. I have told my artist friends to write their memoirs. They told me that once they see me succeed, after all these many years of seeing my seemingly useless efforts, then they will write their memoirs and follow the road that I had paved for them.
Good luck to them, but if I were you, act now, get my art or make art. Support the 5-year old artist whose parent promised to release a comprehensive art catalog. If you get that 5-year old's art, and mine, I would be honored to be in the same art catalog that you will produce. I'm already successful at that point. You have gotten the mission just right.
I have already claimed to have written the most book-length artist memoirs in the world. Dethrone that claim. Barter. Use ghostwriters. Success to me means facing God one day and saying, I wrote my memoirs and left the world a legacy of books and art. I will not tell God, smiling and proudly, that I encouraged a run for my art by announcing a schedule of exponentially increasing prices that reached 9 figures. I'm sure God knows we had fun.

JOIN THIS GROUP

If you want to try out #valzubiriagenda, in any capacity, join this group. Let others know about this group as well.
If you are an artist, you can let everyone know here that you will produce your memoir, art catalogs, etc. It's okay if you don't know how to go about publishing yet, I will discuss this. Please be honorable enough to produce what you promise to produce.
If you want to meet fellow artists, investors, resellers, etc., join us here.
If you are a book writer, editor, proofreader; if you can photograph art pieces; if you are a book designer, etc., join us here. Let us know if you charge, barter for art, or both.
If you have your own tips and knowledge to share, join us here.
If you have underaged artists you are managing (parents, etc.) join us here.
Join this group if you want to sell works. Post your works. You web links. I'm sure I will.
You can announce meetings in your area. You might have meeting rooms, a café, restaurant, etc. where people can meet. In the future, you can have the regular show and tell, where books can be shown and shared.
​
Thanks for reading. Please let me know if I need to edit some parts. Please share and join this group. - Valentino Zubiri, Dollman, Artist, Memoirist
Underaged artists are welcome here, so please be mindful of your language. We cannot post your adult-oriented art pieces, but you can direct us to a separate page or community. There will be limits to your posts, and there will be adult-oriented art that we cannot allow to be posted.
Thanks for reading. Please let me know if I need to edit some parts. Please share and join this group. - Valentino Zubiri, Dollman, artist & memoirist

I never really got the help I needed when I was SA'd in 2020. I was SA'd again in 2022 and honestly I'm starting to realize I do need help...
I'll become close with a guy, and I enjoy intimacy... But not sex. Not all of the time. I've had encounters where me and the guy would kiss, maybe do some heavy touching... I'd always say no sex and I'd be firm but they'd push and push, even something as subtle as stepping in front of me or showing even a little sign of aggression, I'll cave. I'll let them do what they do for a little bit until I come up with an excuse and be like I have to go or I've even told them I'm not feeling it and leave. What is this? And I always stupidly find myself in situations with guys who aren't hard up for sex but then they act differently in person.
I don't know how to stop this...I go through waves like this all the time and i don't wanna call it hypersexuality because I don't want to have sex with them...

TL;DR: read the bold for the tl;dr: basically, use chatGPT to learn more about the eras/figures in bold.
Unfortunately, meaningful study of history starts at the undergraduate level. It is a shame that they don't teach this in high school, and it is a shame that the vast majority in undergrad temporarily rote memorize the knowledge in their history and history-related courses just to pass the exam and then forget it after, especially because for most students these courses fall under electives. I already studied the below extensively in numerous courses in university and critically analyzed and connected the concepts across courses over 100s of hours, so I am picking a practical summary that you can use chatGPT to learn more about in less time.
As you read this post, remember that our neoliberal capitalist politicians and bankers and CEOs, who are our leaders and run the country, barely know any of the following knowledge. Even the most educated of them, their education is limited to isolated narrow specializations like economics (of capitalism) and modern law (which was shaped by many of the incorrect thinkers/ideologies named below). Isn't it bizarre? How can you run a country when you don't even understand the validity and morality of the ideology and systems your rule is based on? Also, the vast majority of the electorate is unfortunately largely unaware the vast majority of the knowledge below.
I highly recommend everybody to study world history since the beginning of humanity around 200k years ago, and especially European history since the 1500s, and try to see how everything logically connects in each specific era: geography, art, technology, political philosophies/systems (this will also make you realize that "determinism" makes more sense than "free will"). This would reduce ignorance and racism, and also shed light on how the modern failure of a neoliberal capitalist system came into place. If more people realized the incorrect pillars this system is based on, they would be less likely to continuously vote for the politicians who prop it up, and we can finally take a step toward meaningful change, toward meaningfully fixing issues such as the economy and environmental degradation and damage.
I highly recommend you use ChatGPT to learn about the following periods/people:
​
The Renaissance.
The Protestant Reformation.
The Scientific Revolution.
The Age of Enlightenment. (This one is particular useful in terms of showing why we have the incorrect modern neoliberal capitalist system, because the thinkers of this time erroneously thought that humans are rational, which has been proven false by the modern literature. This kind of thinking is what led to bizarre concepts such as US gun laws. I would also recommend you check out "negative freedom/liberty" vs "positive freedom/liberty".)
As you learn about each era, you see how each one builds on each other. They are in chronological order.
Some important figures (that modern neoliberal Western capitalism is built on) you can research:
Thomas Hobbes (incorrect thinking: mistook his immediate environment as human nature; this is where the modern incorrect capitalist notion of "humans are selfish and have unlimited greed" comes from. no, humans are not selfish, humans are built for self-preservation: this is NOT the same thing as "humans are naturally hardwired to accumulate unlimited wealth that they can't even use while starving billions for it". It depends on the nature of the society, if society is built in a way that punishes selfishness and rewards altruism, then in order to self-preserve, people would have to show a degree of altruism. Modern capitalism mistakes cause and effect: obviously, if the system you live in rewards selfishness and punishes altruism, then people will have to act selfish to self-preserve, this does not mean that this is "human nature". Unlimited greed is not consistent with evolutionary theory and makes no rational sense.)
John Locke (much of the US constitution is based on his largely incorrect thinking, people like Ted Cruz act consistent with his thinking; his ideas serve the bedrock for the bizarre idea that "a central state should not have too much power otherwise it will automatically be corrupt"= but in practice this lead to neoliberalism= the government becomes so weak that corporations practically hijack it run it/use it solely for their own benefit, which is even worse than an oppressive central state, because corporations have absolutely 0 regard for humans and the environment, whereas a central state would be motivated to please people at least a little bit, even the worse dictators please their people to some degree due to fear of being toppled, whereas corporations would literally let the world burn for 1 cent more profit)
John Stuart Mill (mostly good thinking)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (mostly good thinking)
The stuff in parentheses above is my interpretation/opinion based on thinking about this stuff critically for 100s of hours. You don't have to agree. I just hope you do your own research on these timelines/historical figures.