Rookie Performance Evaluation 4

With so many players in the MLB, some of the newest players get lost behind some of the high profile names. We are here today to evaluate every rookie who has played this year and highlight the top performances of the last two weeks and for the entire year. This week Josh Jung murdered some baseballs, Grant Anderson struck out seven in his debut out of the bullpen, and Bobby Miller shut down the Braves (and Nats).

Top Bi-Weekly Performances

American League:

1. Josh Jung (TEX 3B): Josh Jung continues to dominate at the plate, winning back to back AL rookie of the month awards in April and May. Josh Jung ended the month of May by slugging for 5 doubles, 1 triple and 4 home runs. Jung leads all third baseman in runs and batting average and leads all rookie batters in runs (4), hits (61), home runs (12), and RBIs (37). In his last 10 games, Jung had 9 extra base hits. Offensively, Jung is already worth 2 WAR and has only gotten better throughout the year. Jung sees the ball well, hitting 50.5% over 95 mph (top 90% in the league) and has been able to barrel 12.2% of pitches seen (top 81% in the league). Defensively Josh Jung is in the bottom half of 3rd baseman, having negative -2 defensive runs saved and -1 outs above average. Despite his below average defense, Josh Jung has been one of the best third baseman in the majors all season.
2. Masataka Yoshida (BOS LF): The Japanese superstar is doing all he can to keep the Red Sox afloat. Yoshida continues his hot streak, batting .348/.412/.500 in the the last 15 days. After a somewhat slow start to the season, Yoshida has emerged as one of the two big favorites for AL rookie of the year (along with Josh Jung). Yoshida still only has 21 strikeouts and walks on the year through 48 games on the season. Yoshida will put the ball in play and will rarely kill a batting rally with a strikeout. He hardly chases the ball and is top in the league on whiff rate. Yoshida has adapted to MLB pitching very quickly and will remain a superstar for years to come.
3. Logan Allen (CLE SP): The Guardians have a loaded starting pitching staff with the return of Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie. Logan Allen, along with rookies Tanner Bibee, Hunter Gaddis, and Peyton Battenfield, has shined in the starting rotation. Allen had his best game of the season, going 7 innings against the Baltimore Orioles allowing only 3 hits, no earned runs, and striking out 10. Through 7 starts in the year. In his last three starts, Allen has only allowed 4 earned runs through 18.2 innings. Of the four rookie starting pitchers for Cleveland, Allen has pitched the most innings (39.2) and holds the lowest ERA (2.72). Allen’s next start is scheduled on June 3rd against the Minnesota Twins.
4. Louie Varland (MIN SP): Varland pitched seven shutout innings against the Houston Astros. Varland has pitched back-to-back quality starts in 4 of his last five starts. The only game Varland did not get a quality start was against the Angels, where he gave up only 2 earned runs in 5 innings. Varland primarily throws a 4-seam (42%) and cutter (30%) and goes to his slider (12%) and changeup (12%) to put batters away. Varland hardly walks batters but gives up a lot of hard contact. Nonetheless Varland has pitched effectively, limiting the damage done in most games he has started. Varland's next start is projected to be on June 6th against the Tampa Bay Rays.
5. Ryan Noda (OAK 1B): Ryan Noda powered a three-run home run to snap the Athletic’s 11-game losing streak. In the last 15 games, Noda has batted .256 with 3 home runs and 3 doubles on 11 hits. Noda hits 48.2% of balls 95 mph or higher and barrels 16.9% of pitches. Despite this, Noda ranks in the bottom percentile in whiff rate. Noda whiffs on 36% of fast balls, 42% in breaking balls, and 38% of offspeed pitches. Noda has struck out in 33% of his plate appearances (61 strikeout total) but simultaneously ranks in the top percentile in walks taken (35 walks total).
6. Zach Neto (LAA SS): Despite all the preseason hype for Anthony Volpe and Gunnar Henderson, Zach Neto has quietly emerged as the most consistent bat for rookie AL shortstops. Only 22 years old, Neto was the first player from the 2022 MLB draft to make the majors. Defensively, Neto has been steller. In 44 games, Neto has already racked up .8 defensive war and has generated 2 more outs above average than other shortstops. In the last 15 days, Neto has 11 hits with 4 doubles and a home run. Neto had small injury scare against the Marlins with a finger contusion, but has already made it back into the starting lineup.
7. Grant Anderson (TEX RP): Grant Anderson has only played in one game this season but I figured he deserved a special shoutout. In his major league debut, Anderson pitched 2 and 2/3rd innings out of the bullpen striking out 7 of the 9 batters. Anderson only gave up one hit and earned the win against the Detroit Tigers.

Pitchers	W / L	GS	ERA	IP	SO	BB	H / R / ER	HR	WHIP	HBP	GDP
Allen, Logan	1 - 1	7	2.72	39.2	43	11	41 / 13 / 12	3	1.31	0	1
Varland, Louie	1 - 0	7	3.51	41	39	8	39 / 16 / 16	9	1.15	1	2
Batter	Team	Games	At Bats	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI	SB / CS	SO/BB	2B / 3B / HR	Off WAR	Def WAR
Jung, Josh	TEX (3B)	52	207	.295/.341/.531	40	37	1 / 2	63K / 14BB	11 / 1 / 12	2	0.3
Yoshida, Masataka	BOS (LF)	48	186	.312/.389/.500	26	31	3 / 0	21K / 21BB	12 / 1 / 7	1.1	-0.6
Neto, Zach	LAA (SS)	44	147	.245/.319.374	15	18	3 / 0	32K / 7BB	6 / 0 / 6	1.2	0.8
Noda, Ryan	OAK (1B)	53	143	.231/.393/.448	28	19	2 / 1	61K / 35BB	11 / 1 / 6	1.3	-0.1​
Relief Pitcher	G	W - L	ERA	IP	SV / SVO	SO / BB	WHIP	H / R / ER	HR	GDP	HLD
Anderson, Grant	1	1 - 0	0	2.2	0 / 0	7K / 0BB	0.38	1 / 0 / 0	0	0	0​

National League:

1. Bobby Miller (LAD SP): The Dodgers #2 prospect has done nothing but impress. In his first two starts on the season, Miller has posted a 1.64 ERA through 11 innings. Miller equally throws a sinker, changeup, slider, and 4-seam fastball. On his fastball, Miller averages 99 mph on his sinkers and 4-seam and sometimes will go to his curveball to strike out batters. In his debut, Miller went 5 innings and only one earned run on 4 hits against the Atlanta Braves. He followed his debut by going 6 innings, allowing only 1 earned run on four hits. Bobby Miller's next scheduled start is June 4th against the New York Yankees.
2. Spencer Steer (CIN 3B): Spencer Steer uses every side of the field. In the last 15 days, Steer has batted .389/.424/.667 with 4 doubles, one triple, and three home runs. Steer currently leads NL rookies in hits (59), RBIs (T28 with Outman), and doubles (T15 with Tovar). Steer has recently returned to his 2022 self hitting 8 home runs on the season and putting the ball consistently in play. Steer has struggled greatly defensively with -8 outs above average at both first and third base and generating -.4 WAR on the season. He ranks in the bottom 1% of outs above average and, when fielding, is completely 7% of plays as expected at both first base and third base. Despite these struggles, Steer’s production at the plate has lead him to be named the National League Rookie of the month for May.
3. Matt McLain (CIN SS): The Red’s #5 prospect made his major league debut after TJ Friedl was moved to the 10-day injured list . In the last 15 days, McLain has the most at bats (57), hits (T21 Steer) and runs (T11 Steer) in the National League. McLain won this week’s player of week and continues to bat .329/.390/.486 in 16 games. McLain is primarily causing damage against fastballs and breaking balls, batting over .400 on such pitches. Defensively, McLain has been stellar. In only 16 games, he has generated 2 outs above average at shortstop and has added 5% success rate at the position off 43 attempts. If McLain can continue his success at the plate, along with fellow ROY contender Spencer Steer, then they can help Cincinnati compete for a relatively week NL Central division (who knows what may happen if the Reds call up fellow shortstop Elly de la Cruz).
4. Corbin Carroll (ARZ LF): Corbin Carroll continues to impress and at this point I feel like I am repeating myself. The 22 year old left-fielder has power, defense, and speed. Carroll has helped the Diamondbacks to take control (or at least tie) in the National League West. In the past 15 days, Carroll has slugged for 4 doubles and three home runs on 15 hits. He leads the national league in stolen bases and has a real shot at joining the 20 / 20 club as a rookie. On the year, Carroll’s slash line is .287/.372/.516. Of all rookies, Corbin Carroll leads in WAR, already accumulating 2.1 on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Carrol has generated 2 outs above average and has added 2% to the expected fielding average in left field. Expect to see Carroll on these lists for the rest of the season.
5. Patrick Bailey (SF C): Joey Bart was thought to be the replacement at catcher for the San Francisco after the departure of Buster Posey. With everyone’s focus on Bart, Bailey went under the radar. In 11 games, Bailey has batted .333/.350/.564 with 12 hits, of which 3 were doubles and 2 were home runs. In the minor’s. Bailey was praised for his framing abilities behind the plate. If Bailey can continue his success at the plate, San Francisco may be posed well at the catcher position for years to come.
6. Will Brennan (CLE RF) - Although he is not a batter that consistently hits the ball hard, Will Brennan, in the last 15 days, has 12 hits in 12 games including 3 doubles and 1 home run.. He is batting .364/.400/.515 and has been reliable at the plate when batters are at first base. Brennan has a batting average of .318 with a runner at 1st (23 plate appearances) and batting .500 with runners at 1st and 2nd (6 plate appearances). Though Will Brennan did kill a bird on a ground-ball single last week. So… he has that going against him.

Pitchers	W / L	GS	ERA	IP	SO	BB	H / R / ER	HR	WHIP	HBP	GDP
Miller, Bobby	2 - 0	2	1.64	11	9	2	8 / 2 / 2	0	0.91	0	0
Batter	Team	Games	At Bats	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI	SB / CS	SO/BB	2B / 3B / HR	Off WAR	Def WAR
Steer, Spencer	CIN (1B)	53	204	.289/.358/.500	30	28	1 / 2	47K / 21BB	15 / 2 / 8	1	-0.4
McLain, Matt	CIN (SS)	2	65	.354/.417/.523	13	9	1 / 1	20K / 6BB	5 / 0 / 2	0.9	0.2
Carrol, Corbin	AZ (LF)	54	188	.287/.372/.516	27	24	16 / 2	43K / 23BB	14 / 1 / 9	2.1	-0.3
Bailey, Patrick	SF (C)		39	.333/.350/.564	4	12	0 / 0	11K / 1BB	3 / 0 / 2	0.6	0.2
Bae, Ji Hwan	PIT (CF)	51	149	.275/.329/.360	19	12	15 / 5	40K / 10BB	8 / 0 / 2	0.1	-0.4​

Worst Bi-Weekly Performances:

1. Brice Turang (MIL 2B) - In the last 14 games, Turang is batting only .077/.122/.154. In his last seven games, Turang only has one base hit. In his last 15, Turang only has 3. Turang, on the season, has struck out in 27% of his plate appearances and barrels on only 3.6% of pitches. Turang primarily is struggling in making contact with offspeed pitches, whiffing on 40% of those seen.
2. James Outman (LAD OF) - After starting the season hitting everything out of the park, Outman bat has cooled off immensely. In his last 10 games, Outman only has two singles and is batting .074/.182/.074. Outman hits the ball hard when he makes contact, but has whiffed on 40.4% of pitches seen. Outman has striked out in 35% of his at bats. Outman leads all rookies in strikeouts and 5th in the majors. Defensively, Outman has been above average in furling in the outfield. He is converting 3% more outs than estimated success rate and has created 3 outs above average in the outfield.
3. Anthony Volpe (NYY SS) - Defensively, Anthony Volpe has been phenomenal at shortstop. The Yankee’s #1 prospect is only 22 years old and already has .7 defensive war. Volpe has recently struggled at the plate. He is second among rookie pitchers in strikeouts (68) and 8th in the majors. On the season, Volpe is only batting .192/.270/.355. But when Volpe does get a hit, he hits for power and brings speed on the basepaths. Volpe has 13 steals on the season and has yet to be caught stealing.
4. Karl Kauffmann (COL SP) - Kauffmann made his major league debut on May 19th and has not had a good time. In three starts, Kaufman has posted an 11.37 ERA and earned 3 losses. In his first start, Kauffman went 4.1 innings against Texas and allowed 4 earned runs off seven hits. In his next start, Kaugment again went 4.1 innings against Miami ang gave up 5 earned runs on 6 hits. In his final game, he went 4.0 innings against Arizona and allowed 7 earned runs on 9 hits. In all three games combined, Kauffman only struck out 7 and walked 8. Kauffman is only averaging 90 mph on his fastball and has left too many pitches in the middle of the strike zone.

Shout out to Miles Mastrobuoni as well who is batting .053 in 9 games (19 plate appearances) and for having an ERA of 108.

Pitchers	W / L	GS	ERA	IP	SO	BB	H / R / ER	HR	WHIP	HBP	GDP
Kauffmann, Karl	0 - 3	3	11.37	12.2	7	7	22 / 17 / 16	3	2.29	1	4
Batter	Team	Games	At Bats	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI	SB / CS	SO/BB	2B / 3B / HR	Off WAR	Def WAR
Turang, Brice	MIL (2B)	53	156	.205/.253/.301	13	12	7 / 3	46K / 10BB	4 / 1 / 3	0	0.4
Outman, James	LAD (CF)	55	175	.234/.323/.469	28	29	6 / 1	70K / 19BB	8 / 3 / 9	0.7	-0.2
Volpe, Anthony	NYY (SS)	58	201	.194/.272/.358	20	24	13 / 0	68K / 21BB	5 / 2 / 8	1	0.7
Casas, Triston	BOS (1B)	48	149	.188/.301/.349	23	16	0 / 0	49K / 25BB	4 / 0 / 6	-0.7	-0.6​

My Early Rookie of the Year

American League:

1. Masataka Yoshida (BOS LF) - See my blurb above
2. Josh Jung (TEX 3B) - See my blurb above
3. Esteury Ruiz (OAK CF) - In 58 games, Ruiz is already at 28 stolen bases. ALthough Ruiz is not hitting for extreme power, his speed is turning almost half of his base hits into what is essentially a double. In most offenses that are not the Oakland Athletics, this would typically translate to more runs and have them take leads early on balls just put in play. Among qualified rookies in the American league, Ruiz ranks 3rd in batting average, T1st (with Jung) in hits, and 1st in doubles. Ruiz does rank in the bottom percentile for hard hit percentage (1%), barrel rate (5%) and walk rate (5%).
4. Hunter Brown (HOU SP) - In 11 games, Hunter brown has a 3.64 ERA and recently overtaken Kodai Senga for the lead in strikeouts for rookie pitchers. Brown struggled in his last start against Minnesota, giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits. This was after Brown had pitched back-to-back quality starts against the Oakland As (7 IP 2 ER and 6 IP 1 ER).
5. Logan Allen (CLE SP) - See my blurb above
6. Bryce Miller (SEA SP) - The Mariners #2 prospect dominated the league in his first five starts going at least 6 innings in each and allowing only four runs in total. Miller only had one hiccup game in which he allowed 8 earned runs in 4.2 innings against the New York Yankees. Miller's success has been largely in part in limiting walks and throwing many strikes for weak contact. Miller is top in the league in walk rate only allowing walks in 2% of at bats. Miller primarily throws his fastball 68% of the time and goes to his offspeed pitchers to put batters away. Miller is set to start on June 4th against Nathan Eovaldi of the Texas Rangers.
7. Yennier Cano (BAL RP) - In his first 9 innings of the year, Cano did not allow a single base hit. Can has 30 strikeouts on the season through 30 innings of relief. In 5 save opportunities, Cano has successfully earned 4 saves with a 0.93 ERA and a WHIP of 0.59. Cano remains the secondary closer behind Felix Bautista, used primarily to maintain leads in close games and as the set-up man for the 9th inning.

Pitchers	W / L	GS	ERA	IP	SO	BB	H / R / ER	HR	WHIP	HBP	GDP
Allen, Logan	1 - 1	7	2.72	39.2	43	11	41 / 13 / 12	3	1.31	0	1
Brown, Hunter	4 - 1	11	3.61	62.1	74	20	57 / 29 / 25	4	1.24	4	6
Miller, Bryce	2 - 0	6	3	36	31	3	24 / 12 / 12	2	0.75	2	0
Batter	Team	Games	At Bats	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI	SB / CS	SO/BB	2B / 3B / HR	Off WAR	Def WAR
Yoshida, Masataka	BOS (LF)	48	186	.312/.389/.500	26	31	3 / 0	21K / 21BB	12 / 1 / 7	1.1	-0.6
Jung, Josh	TEX (3B)	52	207	.295/.341/.531	40	37	1 / 2	63K / 14BB	11 / 1 / 12	2	0.3
Ruiz, Esteury	OAK (CF)	57	223	.269/.335/.350	24	24	28 / 5	44K / 10BB	13 / 1 / 1	0.4	-0.9​
Relief Pitcher	G	W - L	ERA	IP	SV / SVO	SO / BB	WHIP	H / R / ER	HR	GDP	HLD
Cano, Yennier	23	1 - 0	0.93	29	4 / 5	30K / 1BB	0.59	16 / 3 / 3	0	3	11​

National League:

1. Corbin Carroll (ARZ LF): See my blurb above.
2. Spencer Steer (CIN 3B): See my blurb above.
3. Kodai Senga (NYM SP): In his last start, Kodai Senga pitched 7 innings of 1 hit baseball against the Philadelphia Phillies. Senga ranks first among national league pitchers in strikeouts and second in innings pitched (behind Ryne Nelson). Kodai Senga strikes out 29.8% of batters but gives up lots of hard contact. Batters are still only batting .125 against his ghost fork and strikes out 59.1% of batters as a putaway pitch. This is primarily because batters have a 59.1% whiff rate on his forkball (66 PA) and his slider (7 PA). Senga is scheduled to pitch on June 4th against the Toronto Blue Jays’ Yusei Kikuchi.
4. Ezquiel Tovar ( COL SS): In 55 games on the season, the Colorado shortstop has accumulated 46 base hits in 55 games. Tovar leads all NL rookies in doubles (16) and is currently slashing .241/.286/.398. Defensively, Tovar has been exceptional at shortstop accumulating 0.9 defensive war. Tovar has 6 outs above average at shortstop and has successfully converted 3% more plays than the estimated success rate.
5. James Outman (LAD CF): See my blurb above.
6. Francisco Alvarez (NYM C): The Mets #1 prospect has taken the league by storm. Alvarez has been above average in framing especially above the zone and has 5 blocks above average. Alvarez however has struggled in maintaining run control having -3 CS above average. At the plate, Alvarez has 6 doubles and 8 home runs on the season in 35 games with a slash line of .252/.308/.523.

Pitchers	W / L	GS	ERA	IP	SO	BB	H / R / ER	HR	WHIP	HBP	GDP
Senga, Kodai	4 - 2	10	3.44	55	70	31	43 / 21 / 21	6	1.35	0	4
Batter	Team	Games	At Bats	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI	SB / CS	SO/BB	2B / 3B / HR	Off WAR	Def WAR
Carrol, Corbin	AZ (LF)	54	188	.287/.372/.516	27	24	16 / 2	43K / 23BB	14 / 1 / 9	2.1	-0.3
Steer, Spencer	CIN (1B)	53	204	.289/.358/.500	30	28	1 / 2	47K / 21BB	15 / 2 / 8	1	-0.4
Tovar, Ezequiel	COL (SS)	54	187	.241/.286/.396	19	23	2 / 1	57K / 10BB	15 / 1 / 4	0.8	0.9
Outman, James	LAD (CF)	55	175	.234/.323/.469	28	29	6 / 1	70K / 19BB	8 / 3 / 9	0.7	-0.2
Alvarez, Francisco	NYM (C)	35	111	.252/.308/.523	14	19	0 / 0	29K / 7BB	6 / 0 / 8	1	0.3​

MLB Debuts

• 5/19 Karl Kauffmann (COL SP) - u/TEX 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H
• 5/19 Patrick Bailey (SF C) - Mia 0-0
• 5/23 Bobby Miller (LAD SP) - u/ATL 5 IP, 1ER, 4 H
• 5/26 Randy Vasquez (NYY SP) - SD 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 4H
• 5/28 Andruw Monasterio (MIL 2B) - SF 0-1

Pitchers	W / L	GS	ERA	IP	SO	BB	H / R / ER	HR	WHIP	HBP	GDP
Kauffmann, Karl	0 - 3	3	11.37	12.2	7	7	22 / 17 / 16	3	2.29	1	4
Miller, Bobby	2 - 0	2	1.64	11	9	2	8 / 2 / 2	0	0.91	0	0
Vasquez, Randy	0 - 1	1	3.86	4.2	6	3	4 / 2 / 2	1	1.5	2	0
Batter	Team	Games	At Bats	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	RBI	SB / CS	SO/BB	2B / 3B / HR	Off WAR	Def WAR
Bailey, Patrick	SF (C)	11	39	.333/.350/.564	4	12	0 / 0	11K / 1BB	3 / 0 / 2	0.6	0.2
Monasterio, Andruw	MIL (2B)	3	4	.375/.444/.375	0	0	0 / 0	3K / 1BB	0 / 0 / 0	0.1	0​

The stats I used for this analysis were prior to any games on Friday May 2nd. If you want to see all the rookies I reviewed and their stats as of me writing this I have attached a (google sheet link here)[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hMB-Eu4fowNgdKSRHoBorhtCOKr8KaTx3kYXfcUvZvc/edit?usp=sharing\]. I am primarily a Chicago Cubs fan so you will likely know more about your team than me, so I apologize if I may have overlooked or underlooked anything. Let me know if there are any memorable moments I may have missed or your own hot takes.

My PA has been working on recovery and it’s been a rocky start. He got rid of all the triggering apps and deleted all his social media profiles. I make sure to monitor everything now as well.
Something clicked today and I can’t quite prove it yet but I can tell somethings up even with all the stuff we have in place.
I’m wondering if anyone has suggestions of what I might have missed or weird things to look for that I just might be oblivious to?
He keeps saying he’s staying up watching his favorite show in the evenings at work but his watch history on the app he logs into doesn’t show any progress for that show. It’s been the same episode and season for the last week. We share the service so I can see his profile and watch history whenever I login. He doesn’t know this yet, and I don’t plan on sharing anything. I sort of want to see where it goes.
One of his tells is when he talks a lot about something or shares lots of detail I know he’s lying. He knows I don’t watch the show or care to but he started rattling off today about the season finale. I think he needed to make sure I knew he was actually watching it. Thing is, I will sit through the work of verifying that shit down to the color of the shirt he might have described. He doesn’t even think that far so he just kept talking. Anyway, I watched the finale for myself. None of the shit he spent that rant explaining happened in that episode . It all happened in the episodes prior to and in the one his profile says he last watched. Which is halfway through the entire season.
I’ve pieced that part together now, but I can’t figure out what he’s doing during that time frame that isn’t actually watching the show. His screentime isn’t showing anything in the timeframe so I’m assuming it’s incognito but I need solid proof before he will admit to pretty much anything and work on it.
Another aha moment today was that I realized his work backpack was missing the towel he took for showers on the road(he’s a truck driver). It’s been missing for a bit, but I sort of let that slip under the radar I guess. He always had it just in case he was expected to have an extended trip and needed to wash up at the truck stop. I called him out for using socks to ejaculate into at work and I told him I never wanted to find that shit again. I’m thinking since I haven’t seen a sock in a long time, it’s got to be the towel now and he’s just been lying.
I will causally bring up the towel at some point and ask him to bring it home to launder. When it either doesn’t or he rushes to wash it before me I will know the answer to the MO at the very least. I just need to find out what the porn is.
Any clues or guesses?
I am in investigative mode to collect information for accountability right now. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

There's been much talk about BL's potential as a driver of tourism. And it's evident, as some of you have shared your stories here in this sub, while others have asked for help planning upcoming trips. But there still appears to be a lack of easily accessible information for people visiting Thailand for the BL. Here's an attempt to remedy that, with this guide to visiting Thailand for BL fans. I've taken the liberty to incorporate suggestions from several previous threads here, as well as various other sources, so thank you to everyone who's contributed to the discussion.

First things first

This will only touch on things specifically of interest to BL fans. For the other aspects of your trip, including most basic planning stuff, please consult the usual travel resources.
That said, firstly you'll want to consider the purpose of your trip, and how much of it you want to dedicate to BL stuff. Do you just want a regular vacation, with a side stop for some merch, or are you here to relive the all the scenes from your favourite BLs? It's very possible to come up with a weeks-long itinerary of nothing but BL locations, and you could spend as much time mall-hopping to catch artist appearances, but Thailand also has a lot of other things to experience, whether you want to stick to the major attractions or go off the beaten track. It's all up to you.
Also, this probably goes without saying, but if you want to attend a specific event, be sure to plan around it and make travel arrangements accordingly. Concerts and fan meetings usually have tickets go on sale a couple of months in advance at most, so you'll want to have flexible options if you book your travel and accommodation before then.

Destinations

Most of the BL-related things you can do will be concentrated in Bangkok, so it's where this guide will be mainly focused, but there are also several provincial locations that have featured in BL, especially Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north and Phuket in the south, all of which are major tourist destinations in their own right. Series have also spent time at plenty of beaches and resorts (particularly around Hua Hin and several towns in Chonburi province) as well as other popular excursions, most of which are short trips from Bangkok. Further out are the island resorts of Koh Samet, Koh Tao and Koh Lanta. The north-east Isan locations are rather off the tourist trail, but could well be worth the experience if that's your style of travel.

Getting immersed

Arriving in Bangkok, one of the first things you'll notice as a fan of Thai BL (or Thai dramas in general) is that you're surrounded by familiar faces everywhere, on banners and billboards and the back of tuk-tuks. Although BL actors aren't that well known among the general public (a surprise to some), the better known ones have a ton of brand endorsements and appear in ads for all sorts of products. Even if you're not planning your trip around BL, spotting actors you know in ads and fan projects can be an entertaining pastime.
Head into a 7-Eleven and you're pretty much guaranteed to see faces you recognize, perhaps on products you're already familiar with from all those series sponsorships and product placements. If the advertising worked and you're dying to know what that bottled green tea or that seaweed snack tastes like, this is your chance to give them a try.
Speaking of tasting, you'll probably be sampling plenty of Thai food while here, so why not include some of the food and drink items from the series you remember, be it som tam from What Zabb Man, the traditional desserts from UWMA, or the famous pink milk, known here as nom yen?
Meanwhile, if taking public transport, spend some time watching the people and see how BL imitates real life. Do you recognize the colours of the school uniforms? Or the university students in their white shirts and black slacks? You might even come across some engineering students in their workshop overshirts.
If you miss hearing the Raikantopeni disclaimer at the beginning of shows, be sure to turn on the TV to catch it as they air live. Be aware though that following shows in Thailand will be more difficult than at home, as they won't have subtitles on TV or on most local streaming services, so you'll likely need a VPN. On the other hand, if you have Netflix, you'll finally be able to watch all those shows that are geo-blocked elsewhere.

Merch stores & fan hangouts

This might be a bit of a letdown, but apart from GMMTV's, there aren't really any physical stores for official merchandise. But since you'll be in the country, you could check with your accommodation to see if they can arrange to accept local package deliveries for you, so you can place some online orders and avoid the international shipping fees. Be sure to check the processing and delivery times - this might be tricky (and won't work with pre-orders, only in-stock items).
GMMTV's shop is not a traditional giftshop as one might assume, but more like a kiosk at their office on the 30th floor of the GMM Grammy Place building - there's just a small product display and a cashier window. Apart from buying products, there's a good chance of running into some actors when visiting, though you're not allowed to linger and there's nowhere to hang out apart from some cafés on the ground floor. You will likely spot some fan-project displays (as mentioned above) outside and in the building, and the cafés will often have cup-sleeve giveaways by fans. Here's a very helpful guide by u/snuffles005: How to visit the GMMTV building and shop
Elsewhere, there's Wab Cafe' and Friends, by the Studio Wabi Sabi people. It's a café, so you'll be buying drinks there rather than merch, but it's very much a space created for fans, and there will often be something going on like fan projects and giveaways, or maybe mini-events with actors making an appearance. It's in RCA, Bangkok's main clubbing neighbourhood (and home to studios where many productions hold their workshops), which takes a bit of an effort to get to, but it's also probably the most dedicated hangout space for BL fans there is.
From Star Hunter, there's Hunter Village, a studio space (mostly used for dance classes) in MBK Center, one of Bangkok's most popular malls. It's a mostly open space, so you'll be able to see if there's someone coming in or something going on, but I'm not sure if it's really somewhere you can hang out at.
Other than that, quite a few actors have their own cafés or some other business, which you might want to visit to support them directly. Clothing and fashion items (perhaps from brands with your faves as presenters) may also be something you'd want to go shopping for.
For manga and anime (including BL/yaoi) there's an Animate store (the specialty chain from Japan), also at MBK Center. In addition to imported works, they also have an extensive Thai section, with both translated and original works.
If you want to observe the Thai novel scene, just walk into any major Thai book store, where you'll likely find rows, maybe entire shelves, of BL novels, prominently displayed - BL has very much gone mainstream in the Thai publishing industry. You'll also find glossy magazines featuring actor photoshoots here. You'll have less luck finding English translations, though, as most translated works are e-book only. For English-language (and Japanese) books in general, your best bet is Books Kinokuniya. They do have Japanese and Chinese translations of some Thai BL novels, as well as the English manga versions of SOTUS and Manner of Death, at international prices.

Catching events

Seeing actors up close (or at a distance) in real life will probably be the BL highlight of your trip for many of you. And unless you're ultra specific as to whom you want to see, there are ample opportunities to catch these actor appearances.
The biggest experiences will of course be the major events - concerts, fan meetings, and the like - that you'll have to buy tickets for. As mentioned above, you'll have to plan around them if you want to attend (which also limits how long you can plan in advance), and make sure to actually get those tickets. They're usually announced very publicly, so it's hard to miss them if you follow the usual news update channels. If you're around when one takes place but can't attend, it can still be worth dropping by if you want to get hold of the merch or just check out the crowds.
For more casual fans, you'll still have plenty of chance to see actors at smaller events, as there's pretty much always something happening somewhere, though there might not be much choice on who you get to see. These events vary a lot in scale, and can be anything from product launches to movie premieres. Most artist's agencies will announce them on their social media channels, usually on a weekly basis, and fan accounts may help share and/or translate them. You'll have to follow them to keep updated.
Most of these events will be held in Bangkok's plethora of malls. The biggest ones are mostly lined along the BTS Skytrain's Sukhumvit Line, so if you plan to do a lot of mall-hopping, whether for events or just shopping, consider getting accommodation with easy access to the BTS for convenience. Here's a great post by u/BumblingWombat that describes the experience in detail: What it's like to go to BL events in Thailand (Oh yeah, there are also top-spender events, which I won't go into, as I don't know anything about them. Those who're aiming for them probably won't need this guide anyway.)
Aside from these specific events, there are also annual book fairs that are partially or directly BL-related, where actors from various agencies may make appearances. The mainstream National Book Fair and Book Expo are usually held at the beginning of April and some time in October. Since last year, BL novels and publishers have had a large presence there, and GMMTV actors made daily appearances with fan gatherings in the car park. There are also smaller book fairs directly focusing on BL: Y Book Fair in July, and International Novel Festival at the end of November. They also feature actor appearances, but can also be worth seeing just for the atmosphere if you're interested in experiencing the literary BL scene here.
On the other hand, to experience more of the community side of the fandom, you might want to check out some fan-held events, such as the birthday projects that fan clubs often do, which may be in the form of café galleries or mini-gatherings. Info will mostly be on Twitter, though it may not be readily translated.

Visiting filming locations

If BL inspired you to make the trip to Thailand, no doubt you'd be interested in visiting some of the filming locations yourself. But while some of them are traditional tourist attractions in their own right, most aren't normally on the radar for general visitors, so it'll take a bit of investment (in time and travel) to include them in your trip.
If there's a single most iconic location to recommend, it must be the Rama VIII Bridge over the Chao Phraya River, which shows up in more BLs than anywhere else. It's not really a tourist attraction, but it's a major landmark of modern Bangkok that everyone knows, and isn't too hard to get to if you want. It's a bit of a walk (some 15 minutes, or just take a tuk-tuk) from either the Phra Athit or Thewet Pier if you're coming from the main riverside attractions and use the Chao Phraya Express (or Tourist) Boat. If you're into financial history, the Bank of Thailand Learning Center and museum is right next to the bridge. Otherwise, Suan Luang Rama VIII Park by its base is also nice, and also a filming location. The bridge itself is most photogenic at night, but make sure you have transport back if you stay late. Consider one of those dinner cruises if you want to experience it from the same angles as KinnPorsche and Cutie Pie.
For other locations, you'll need to do some research. If there's a specific series you want to follow, try searching to see if someone has already compiled a list of locations, which is likely the case for the more popular series. Most info will be on Tumblr or Twitter.
Filming locations may be public places, shops and businesses, private establishments, or purpose-built or converted studios, so remember to think of their ability to welcome visitors. Dress appropriately for the venue, take care to respect their regular functions, and be considerate to other people. Some of the most familiar locations are university campuses, and the grounds will generally be open to the public, but they're not usually equipped to deal with large numbers of visitors. So if you do visit, have fun reliving those memorable scenes but make sure not to disturb the real students who are there for class. Meanwhile, cafés, bars and restaurants would surely welcome your patronage, but please do not snoop around private offices or people's homes. It all boils down to following common sense, really.
A lot of the locations will be quite spread out and some distance away from downtown, so you'll have to plan carefully if you want to hit more than a few. You might want to hire transport for the day, but also take the traffic into consideration.
If you've always wanted to sleep in the same room that your favourite characters lived in (or at least an identical one), you might be in luck. Some of the apartment locations may have rooms available for daily renting, so check with them. As above, though, their location can be rather inconvenient transport-wise. On the other hand, you might want to opt for the hotels and resorts that featured as locations, which will be better equipped with tourist facilities.
For houses specifically, I have a post on The houses of Thai BL. Most of them are private property rented out as studios, but some will be happy to accept visitors (for a fee) on their off days. Contact their management to see if a something can be arranged. Or if you're serious about it and ready to pay, just rent the place at full price for your own personal photoshoot. If you try it either way, do let us know how it turns out. On the other hand, Wawa House (To Sir, With Love) has a café for visitors, Slōlē (Golden Blood, Bite Me, Enchanté, The Tuxedo, The Eclipse) is a real-life café when not filming, and Red Brick Kitchen (Not Me, KinnPorsche, War of Y) features a chef's table dining experience (reservations only, 4 persons minimum).
If you're just looking for some usual attractions that happen to have BL appearances as a bonus, here are a few (very non-exhaustive) suggestions for Greater Bangkok:

• Temples & shrines
  • Wat Arun (KinnPorsche)
  • Wat Kanlayanamit (KinnPorsche)
  • Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat, Nonthaburi (My Ride)
  • Wat Khemaphitaram (My Ride)
  • Rong Kueak Shrine (Our Skyy: Pete-Kao, Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go)
  • Bangkok Protestant Cemetery (KinnPorsche)
• Museums & art galleries
  • Warehouse 30 (Theory of Love)
  • Bangkok Sculpture Center (Vice Versa)
• Historic buildings & landmarks
  • Hua Lamphong Railway Station (Theory of Love)
  • Neilson Hays Library (Enchanté)
  • The House on Sathorn (functions as a restaurant) (KinnPorsche)
  • Ratchadamnoen Avenue & Democracy Monument (Enchanté)
  • So Heng Tai Mansion (Our Skyy: Pete-Kao)
  • Lhong 1919 (Gen Y)
  • Giant Swing (Boyband)
• Zoos, theme parks & activities
  • Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (UWMA, IPYTM)
  • Siam Amazing Park (My Ride)
  • Flick Skate Park (Cutie Pie)
• Themed markets & shops
  • Asiatique The Riverfront (Why R U?)
  • Kwan-Riam Floating Market (My Engineer)
  • ChangChui Creative Park & Plane Night Market (Vice Versa)
  • Chatuchak Weekend Market (My Ride)
  • Dragon Town (My Ride, Big Dragon)
  • Chomchei (Our Skyy 2: The Eclipse)
  • Khaosan Road (Boyband)
• Bridges & Parks
  • Rama VIII Bridge & Park (see above)
  • Memorial Bridge (& Chao Phraya Sky Park) ('Cause You're My Boy)
  • Bhumibol Bridge (& Lat Pho Park) (Not Me, KinnPorsche, LITA)
  • Chong Nonsi Skywalk & Canal Park (Chains of Heart, Bed Friend, The Promise)
  • Queen Sirikit & Wachirabenchathat (Rotfai) Park (Cutie Pie, My School President)
  • Santichaiprakarn Park (IPYTM)
  • Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (Enchanté, Vice Versa)
  • Benjakitti Forest Park (Vice Versa)
  • Suan Luang Rama IX Park (Vice Versa)
  • Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park Nonthaburi & access road (Miracle of Teddy Bear, LITA)

While Bangkok's malls are very much major attractions by themselves, I didn't include them as their appearances are quite too numerous to list.
Outside of Bangkok, each series will mostly feature locations relatively near each other (except Cupid's Last Wish, which went all over the country), so I'll just list the series by destination without going into each location's detail.

• Chiang Mai: Manner of Death, Triage, Dew, Grey Rainbow, Sky in Your Heart, On Cloud Nine, 180 Degree Longitude, A Tale of Thousand Stars, everything by Wayufilm
• Chiang Rai: A Tale of Thousand Stars, The Love of Winter
• Lampang: Bed Friend
• Khon Kaen: Love Mechanics 2022
• Khao Yai National Park (Nakhon Ratchasima): My Ride
• Chachoengsao: Remember Me
• Chonburi: Tonhon Chonlatee, KinnPorsche, Star in My Mind, Never Let Me Go, Moonlight Chicken; Cutie Pie & LITA (Bira Circuit), My School President (Institute of Marine Science)
• Koh Samet (Rayong): Hard Love Mission
• Chanthaburi: SOTUS S
• Ayutthaya: Boyband
• Amphawa (Samut Songkhram): Together With Me
• Kanchanaburi: UWMA
• Cha-am (Phetchaburi), Hua Hin (Prachuap Khiri Khan), & nearby: SOTUS S, Bad Buddy, My School President
• Koh Tao (Surat Thani): Even Sun
• Phuket: ITSAY
• Koh Lanta & Krabi: Why R U, Why You... Y Me?, Boyband

Further resources & suggestions

The Let's Talk BL podcast hosts talked about their experience in Thailand last year, covering a lot of the above points over several episodes at the beginning of season 3. Be sure to check them out if you want all the details, especially S3 EP3: Tips & Tricks for the perfect BL experience in Bangkok. Some of their main tips that I didn't mention above are not to overstretch yourself trying to go to everything, and to use a map to plan your days.
Colourme-feral on Tumblr has an incredible Google Map that plots locations from several series, and more in their blog, which a lot of the above is sourced from. For Bad Buddy specifically, Telomeke-bbs on Tumblr has a series of posts that analyse the locations at an insane level of detail.
I'm sure I haven't covered nearly everything in this post, so please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments. (I'll try to expand the locations list as I get around to digging for more series.) If you have questions or need help identifying a specific location, feel free to ask! (Though no guarantees there.)
For full disclosure, I'm receiving no compensation whatsoever for writing this. Any biases or omissions are purely unintentional.

[Release-Friday] - Die Releases am 02.06.2023
Einen wunderschönen guten Tag zusammen, ich begrüße Sie. Im Nachfolgenden sind die Releases der letzten Woche (27.05.2023 - 02.06.2023) aufgelistet.
Singles

Artist	Title	Info
Afrob, Die P	Show must go on
Airon	Besser (Nur der Drink)
Alies, Samra	3 Kugeln
Ataypapi	MAL HIER MAL DA
BABYJOY, Ahzumjot	Wenn wir viben
badchieff, MAJAN	STADT
BIBIZA	Hautevolee
Bonez MC	Alles nur kein Star
Bosca, Khrome	Sesampaste
Bouncy, Yung Ouzo	PTSD
Camaeleon	Dominospiel
CaSaSi	Dich nie vergessen
CDN	SÜDWESTEN
CRO	so bad
Dante YN	2020 est.
DCVDNS	Kein Damn
Dietrich	Reißverschluss
Domiziana, Juh-Dee, Young Mesh	HELLO KITTY / ELFBAR
Dú Maroc, PA Sports, Ra'is	Cohiba
DXVE	DENK NICHT AN UNS
Eddin	Sommer ohne dich
FiNCH, Tream	Liebe auf der Rückbank
Freshmaker, Dame, Chakuza	TIEFSEELTAUCHER
Giuli030	Why
GRiNGO, Kool Savas, Conway the Machine, Megaloh, Mashkal, YA	Half Baked
Haiyti	Leicht mit dir
HeXer	Messlatte
IMMI	OMG
IND1GO	OC CALIFORNIA
Jazeek	Drop it on me
Joje	MJ Freestyle
Jonesmann, Olli Banjo	Fully Armed
Justice J	11 Chancen
Kalazh44	Double Cup
KALIM	Airbnb
Karmo Kaputto	Fluchtweg
Keko-G	Cordon
King Keil, Xzibit	Nineteen Flows
Kontra K	Der letzte Tag
Kwam.E, Juh-Dee, Young Mesh	17
lilmido	Denim
lityway	fucked up love
LUIS	WOW
Marvin Game, Holy Modee, Lugatti	Elefant	Bereits erschienen
MC Rene	Alles temporär
Miami Yacine, Juh-Dee	GOLDGELB	Bereits erschienen
Milonair	Bakery Jatta
MiZeb, Zate	Trümmer
Mo Douzi	Ana Wiyak
Musso	Luft kocht
neji.mp3, Young Lime	coco
Okfella	1000 Fragen
OVE, NARU	LSD
PAPKE, MC Bomber, Sportler99	Haifische Remix
Paula Douglas	Chardonnay
Paulk	13. STOCK
Peat	DER SCHRECKEN
Peat, HAXAN	DAS WILDE VERDERBEN
Romero	FY Page
Rua	Schuld (Level Space Edition)
Saha Saha	Jargon
SAIM x CAN	Liebe
Schubi AKpella	Zeitraffer
Silva	Hakim
Smoothie 215	Gib mir deine Luv
Summer Cem, Ezhel	Kontak
Swiss, Swiss & Die Andern	Bombe	Bereits erschienen
Takt32, SIMONA	Ehrlich
Teven	Maria
t-low	Sucht
Ufo361, lucidbeatz	Match_3
Unterm Radar, OG LOCKE	Tausend
Verifiziert, Food For Thought	Rufnummer unbekannt
Yung Vision, absent	Beamer

Alben

Artist	Title	Info
Azzi Memo	Surf 'N' Turf 2
Dú Maroc	Gomorrha
GOTTI	PLAYA'S	Tape
Holy Modee	GOD BLESS HOLY MODEE II
Jazeek	One Hit Wonder	Tape
MOK	Ghettopicasso (Ghetto Picasso)	Re-Release; bereits erschienen
Yecca	KIDS

Wie immer, sollte irgendwas nicht gelistet seien, lasst es mich in den Kommentaren wissen und habt nen schönen Tag!

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-fires-space-satellite-skorea-military-2023-05-30/
​

SEOUL/TOKYO, May 31 (Reuters) - A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South's military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle.
The new "Chollima-1" satellite launch rocket failed because of instability in the engine and fuel system, state news agency KCNA reported.
The flight was the nuclear-armed state's sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016. It was supposed to put North Korea's first spy satellite in orbit.
It prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan but no danger or damage was reported.
South Korea's military said it was conducting a salvage operation to recover what is believed to be parts of the space launch vehicle.
The military shared pictures of a large cylindrical object floating in the sea about 200 km (124.27 miles) off the west coast island of Eocheongdo.
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the satellite flew less than 10 minutes, for several hundred kilometres. The launch occurred from the northwestern space launch facility and fell into the Yellow Sea, the official added d.
George William Herbert, adjunct professor at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a missile consultant, said the images showed at least part of a rocket, including an "interstage" section designed to connect to another stage.
It is most likely a liquid-fuel rocket, and a round, brown object inside is likely a propellant tank for either fuel or oxidizer, Herbert added.
Officials from the United States, Japan, South Korea held a phone call, where they "strongly condemned" the launch, Japan’s foreign ministry said.
"The three countries will stay vigilant with high sense of urgency", the statement said.
North Korea had said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities.
South Korea last week placed satellites in orbit with a domestically designed and produced rocket for the first time, and China sent three astronauts to its space station as part of crew rotation on Tuesday.
The North Korean rocket plunged into the sea "after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine," KCNA reported, in an unusually candid admission of a technical failure by the North.
Pyongyang's National Aerospace Development Administration will investigate the "serious defects" and take action to overcome them before conducting a second launch as soon as possible, KCNA said.
WARNINGS ISSUED
North Korea appeared to have rushed its satellite launch after Seoul's recent space rocket launch, a South Korean lawmaker said citing his country's intelligence agency.
Lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom told journalists that North Korea's leader was believe to have observed the launch and Pyongyang may need several weeks at least to fix its rocket's problems.
"Even if this satellite launch is a failure, General Secretary Kim Jong Un himself has made clear that this satellite is the first of many," said Atsuhito Isozaki, professor of North Korean studies at Keio University in Japan. "This won’t be the end of those efforts."
Lee Choon Geun, honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute, said it was a rare opportunity for South Korea to retrieve part of a North Korean rocket, and perhaps even the satellite. Analysts say North Korea's capacity for constructing sophisticated satellites remains unproven.
In data provided to international authorities before the launch, North Korea said the rocket would fly south, with stages and other debris expected to fall over the Yellow Sea and into the Pacific Ocean.
Air raid sirens wailed across the South Korean capital of Seoul as the city warned citizens to prepare for a potential evacuation. Later alerts said the city warning had been a mistake.
"I was so panicked," said Lee Juyeon, 33, a resident in the city of about 10 million who was preparing to shelter in a basement with her young child before learning it was a false alarm.
The Japanese government also issued an emergency warning over its J-Alert broadcasting system for residents of the southern prefecture of Okinawa to take cover indoors early on Wednesday morning.
It later said the rocket would not fly into Japanese territory and lifted the warnings. Japan had this week vowed to shoot down any projectile that threatened its territory.
The White House condemned the launch and said it was assessing the situation in coordination with allies.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said North Korea's rocket disappeared from radar above the Yellow Sea and did not make it into space.
Japan strongly condemns the launch and has lodged a complaint to Pyongyang through diplomatic channels in Beijing, he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the launch, a spokesperson said, noting any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology breached Security Council resolutions.

"Tomorrow's bill is a bunch of fake news." - Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), playing the GOP hits

Beg, Borrow, Or Deal

Anybody else getting pretty fucking sick of Republicans holding the global economy hostage?

• While the rest of us were spending our Memorial Day weekend thinking about the sacrifices American troops have made for their country (and the Succession series finale), the White House and congressional Republicans were in the octagon fighting it out over the debt ceiling as zero-hour for the government running out of money and causing a global economic crisis quickly approaches.
  
• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden reached a final agreement to raise the federal debt ceiling on Sunday, and it’s full of enough “compromises” that getting all necessary support in Congress may be a tough hill to climb for both sides. President Biden was circumspect in a statement outside the White House on Sunday evening, saying, “The agreement prevents the worst possible crisis, a default, for the first time in our nation’s history…Takes the threat of a catastrophic default off the table.”
  
• Okay, Joe, but [winces]…what else is in the agreement? The deal keeps non-defense spending basically stagnant in 2024 and limits its increase in 2025 to 1 percent. It also suspends the debt limit until January 2025, a key priority for the Biden administration, and ensures that we don’t have to go through this bullshit again in a year. The Congressional Budget Office released a report late Tuesday saying that the deal would cut $1.5 trillion from the deficit over the next decade. Democrats won some new expanded benefits for veterans, homeless Americans, and young people aging out of foster care. The GOP proposal to repeal many of the clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act also didn’t make it to the final deal, thankfully.
  

That’s about the end of the “good” news.

• The bad news? Well, McCarthy bragged that the bill in its current form would be the “most conservative deal we’ve ever had.” Not all of his caucus agrees, but most people to the left of oh, say, Mitt Romney would. The agreement rescinds about $30 billion in unspent coronavirus relief money previously-approved through congressional bills. The Inflation Reduction Act stipulated that the IRS would receive $80 billion in new funding over the next decade. This deal claws back $1.4 billion, and Biden agreed to take an additional $20 billion from the agency over the next two years. The deal also expands work requirements for SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), a long-held Republican obsession. But the CBO report indicates that the number of exceptions demanded by the Biden administration for SNAP recipients may mean that as a result of this deal, even more people will be eligible for the program than were before. In one final blow, the deal also kneecaps President Biden from extending the yearslong pause on student loan payments that began during the coronavirus pandemic.
  
• Congressional Democrats who would otherwise oppose the deal for giving too many concessions to the GOP mob are now put between a rock and a hard place, forcing them to either vote for the deal that gives so much to Republicans, or oppose the agreement President Biden created, putting the economy at risk. White House Budget Director Shalanda Young, who was one of the president’s lead negotiators on the deal, urged Congress to pass it nonetheless, saying, “This agreement represents a compromise, which means no one gets everything that they want and hard choices had to be made.” Gotta be honest, this doesn’t feel great!
  

Members of Congress are now reviewing the bill and the House will begin voting as soon as Wednesday. The far-right flank of the House GOP is already threatening to oust McCarthy as soon as they can, because even a deal this deeply conservative isn’t evil enough for them. Cool party!

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Under The Radar

Crowdsourcing tools have become central to certain aspects of our modern American dystopia, like paying for essential medical treatment that should be covered by (cough) universal healthcare, but it’s recently taken up an even more sinister function: as a fundraising tool for far-right extremists. People like Daniel Goodwyn, who pleaded guilty for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection, have raised tens of thousands of dollars in crowdfunding campaigns from other right-wing sympathizers who consider the indicted insurrectionists to be “political prisoners” instead of treasonous criminals, which…lol. So now, the Justice Department wants Goodwyn to forfeit the more than $25,000 he raised, and prosecutors in the over 1,000 January 6-related criminal cases are increasingly asking judges to impose fines on top of prison sentences to offset these donations. Most of those charged in these cases have taxpayer-funded public defenders, so it’s all but certain that they’re simply pocketing the money and using their criminal activity for explicit material gain. These crowdfunding efforts have mostly been orchestrated through GiveSendGo, the self-described “#1 Free Christian Funding Site,” because more mainstream sites like GoFundMe have barred January 6 defendants from using their platform.

What Else?

A New York federal appellate court ruled on Tuesday that OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma can shield members of the Sackler family, the company’s owners, from opioid lawsuits as an indirect protection of bankruptcy proceedings. The Sacklers will be forced to hand over an additional $6 billion towards fighting the opioid crisis they created as part of the agreement.
The trial of Robert Bowers, the man responsible for the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA in 2018 began on Tuesday. In opening statements, his own lawyer acknowledged that Bowers planned the attack, made antisemitic statements, and “shot every person he saw,” during the attack.
Ukrainian drones hit wealthy districts in Moscow, the first major military action outside of Ukraine, while Kyiv also suffered air strikes for the third time in 24 hours.
As artificial intelligence continues to develop at breakneck speed, deep-fakes and other easily-disseminated misinformation pose a huge threat to the 2024 election.
U.S. consumer confidence has reached a six-month low, particularly concentrated in the over-55 demographic.
Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) announced his plan to resign from Congress, possibly as soon as this week, due to his wife’s ongoing health issues.
The Carter Center announced that former first lady Rosalynn Carter, 95, has dementia.
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney gave a commencement speech at her alma mater Colorado College over the weekend. About half of the students turned their chairs around and sat with their backs to her in protest.

Be Smarter

Last week, retail giant Target acquiesced to the violence of far-right extremists in their stores over the company’s Pride collection by pulling some of the items entirely and relocating others to more removed corners of their locations. Now, the LGBT+ community is looking for answers about the dangerous precedent this sets. Progressive lawmakers and LGBT activist groups are lobbying corporations not to cave to far-right activism and develop new strategies to combat the rising tide of anti-LGBT violence. History has repeatedly demonstrated that kowtowing to far-right extremists doesn’t, uh, end well, and it’s clear that if corporations want to capitalize on their “allyship” during Pride month, they should not abandon the LGBT community and tacitly legitimize the views of violent right-wing bigots at the first signs of pushback.

What A Sponsor

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Light At The End Of The Email

Disgraced CEO of Theranos and overall weird blood lady Elizabeth Holmes reported to a Texas prison today to begin her 11-year sentence for overseeing the massive blood-testing fraud at her former company.
Researchers in Southern California used drones to observe great white sharks and found that they’re near and around humans in the water much more often than previously thought (scary!) but the overwhelming majority of the time, don’t bother anyone (okay, good!), meaning shark attacks could be even less likely than prior measurements indicated. Love that for us!

Enjoy

michael "cohost.org/lutz" lutz on Twitter: "USING AI TO EXPAND THE FRAME ON MICHELANGELO'S "CREATION OF ADAM" TO REVEAL BEHIND GOD A SECOND, LARGER, SCARIER GOD"

Hello everyone!
I've been following this subreddit for the past month, trying to find a suitable replacement for my trusty Gamesense Radar mousepad that I bought back in 2021. Overall, I'm satisfied with it, but there are times when it feels inconsistent. Since it has been two years, I think it's time for a change. I'm also concerned that my current Radar might be wearing down. I mainly play tactical FPS games like CSGO, and my sensitivity is 1.1 @ 800 dpi.
Initially, I considered getting a Zero/Saturn Pro in Soft, but after doing some research, I believe it might be too fast for my liking. Since I had a good experience with the Radar, I'd prefer something with more control. I'm looking for a mousepad that offers a bit more speed than the OG Radar but is still slower than something like the Saturn Pro. It should have stitched edges, no print, and overall good build quality. As a student, I'd like to avoid having to buy a new mousepad every six months, so durability is important. I live in the UK, so I have access to most of the mousepads discussed here.
Here are some mousepads I've been considering, but I'm uncertain which one to choose:

• QCK/QCK Heavy/QCK+/etc: These are classic options, but I'm looking to try something different, and they don't have stitched edges.
• Vaxee PA Black: This would have been my top choice, but I'm not a fan of the lack of stitched edges. I'm still open to considering it, though.
• LGG Jupiter: I've come across positive reviews, but I think it might be too slow for my preferences, even compared to the OG Radar.
• 2023 Radar: This is an option, but I don't know much about it, to be honest.
• Qinsui 2 PRO+: This one seems like a strong contender, but I'm unsure about its speed compared to the OG Radar.

These are just a few mousepads I've been looking at. I'm aware that there are others out there, such as the MM540 or GP4, which adds to my confusion about what to buy next. I would greatly appreciate any advice you can provide on which mousepad I should choose.
Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone could provide some guidance for me because I'm feeling a bit lost lol. TLDR: I'm feeling very stuck between pursuing neuropsychology through a clinical psych PhD, going MD/DO route, or PA/NP (either in psychiatry or something else). ANY advice/insight is welcomed!!!
About me: I graduated a year ago with my B.A. in psych with a neuroscience minor and concentration in research. I have completed some basic sciences in undergrad and done well (Anatomy & Phys I and II, Gen Chem I and II, Bio, and some upper-level neuroscience courses). I now work in a well-known research lab that studies different neurodegenerative diseases; my main job is administering neuropsychological batteries to our participants but I also help with some research protocol as well. By this point I have a lot of experience in research as well as some clinical experience and feel much more drawn toward the clinical aspect of things - I enjoy working alone but value my time with patients much more.
I had been on track to apply to clinical psych PhD programs this year (probably with a concentration in neuropsychology) but lately have felt very drawn to the medical field. I find the hands-on aspect of healthcare more aligned with what I want to do. I have been a bit all over the place but here is my thinking about each track I'm considering:
MD/DO: I love that I can still go into psychiatry if I want but I will also get to learn about the rest of the body and see if there is anything else I am more interested in pursuing. However I see the whole residency process as a huge downside as well as the enormous debt I would acquire. I also still have a lot of outstanding pre-reqs (ex. Physics, Biochem, Orgo, etc.) so that would take up a huge chunk of my time before I can even begin the application/MCAT process (but maybe this is worth it since I'm still early in my 20s and have no undergrad debt? Let me know your thoughts please!!) I also don't like that psychiatrists spend considerably less time with patients than a psychologist would, but again would be open to any specialty if I went this route.
PA/NP: I started considering these paths when I started researching med school. As of right now I would probably choose NP over PA if I did either of these, mostly because I value autonomy and that would feel like a loss to me if I went PA. I like that for either of these I can begin working much sooner than if I did med school or a PhD. Work/life balance is huge to me so that is why these are still on my radar. I have also been told I'd be a great nurse by multiple friends (but think my interpersonal skills that make people say that could be applicable to any of these other fields too, so I don't know how seriously to take that)
Clinical Psych PhD: this would be the straightest shot for me. It's what I've been preparing for for years and have the most mentors available to help me. I also genuinely love learning about the brain and find my neuropsych work very interesting. I see not going into debt and doing a funded program as a huge plus. I think if I did neuropsychology in a hospital setting, that could possibly satisfy my medical interests. The two things that I cannot get past, however, is that a) what if I find something in another healthcare job (ex. med school) that I am more interested in? and b) I have tried research in multiple different settings and while I don't hate it, I don't feel super excited by it. My favorite part of my current job is working directly with participants and talking about their various medical/psychiatric needs. I think I could get through a PhD program, but don't know if it's worth doing research for that many years if I'm not ecstatic about it.
Also should add that I've considered PsyD programs too, so that I could focus less on research and more on clinical, but hate the idea of graduating with essentially the same degree as my PhD counterparts but being in $100k+ debt while they are not.
Anyone with experience in any of these fields, or anyone who has had the same considerations as me, please give me your thoughts or provide any additional knowledge if you can. I know ultimately only I can know what's going to be best for me, but I really want to think this decision through extremely thorough and consider every different scenario/perspective. If you've gotten this far in reading this thanks so so much! :)

Hi All,
First post here, please be kind. Posted in ausproperty but realised this is likely better :)
TL;DR: At what point do you cash out IP's?
Bought/built two IP's over the last 10 years. Both have now converted to P&I loans and have been quietly paying down but now with interest rate increases, I am paying quite a bit out of pocket each month to continue paying these down. Both properties have nearly doubled in value over that time.
Note, the payments are manageable, we are fine.
But considering we still have a mortgage on the PPOR, it does leave me wondering at what point would you sell and clear your debts to start a fresh investment journey with the remaining monies? The prospect of no monthly payments and DCA'ing into ETFs for an early retirement does appeal. Of course the selling costs and CGT implications need to be considered as well.
My wife can't understand the idea of selling, but the monthly payments for the mortgages doesn't enter her radar at all; it's entirely on me. I wouldn't say the stress causes me to lose hair, but the appeal of selling is front of mind.
At what point did you consider selling? I suppose I should have had a strategy on this from the beginning.
P.s., please no 'Oh nO, tHe PoOr ProPaDeE InVeStA' type responses, I would have posted this to australia for that.

Type 054B

As it stands, the Type 054A/054A+ is one of the pillars of the People’s Liberation Army Navy Surface Fleet, with roughly 30 such vessels having been constructed for service within the People’s Liberation Army Navy. At the time of development, the Type 054A was at the very forefront of innovation and capable for a vessel of its size, however as China enters the 2020s, it is clear that a new, more capable frigate must be designed. This new frigate will be a quantum leap in capabilities for the People’s Liberation Army Navy, and promise to safeguard Chinese territorial integrity and national sovereignty far into the 21st Century. The new frigate, which will be known as the Type 054B, will begin to enter service around 2026. The development costs are around $1 billion, due to this design being a variant of the Type 054A/054A+, and not a completely new system. Due to this upgrade having been in the works for a relatively long time, it can enter production sooner than would be expected if this design were created from scratch.
It will have enhanced combat systems, including the integration of advanced sensors, to allow for a more comprehensive understanding of a complex battlefield. The command and control (communications system,data-sharing capabilities, network-centric warfare capabilities) capabilities of the Type 054B will also be upgraded, as will the radar suite. These improvements will allow the Type 054B to better coordinate with other vessels and make for more efficient joint operations. To make room for these improvements, the Type 054B will have an increased displacement and size compared to the Type 054A. The VLS utilized will be of the HT-1E standard, which will allow the Type 054B to utilize quad-packed FM-3000N medium-range surface-to-air missiles, while retaining the ability to launch all other missiles in the Chinese arsenal. Additionally, 8 VLS will be added, upping the total number of VLS to 40.
The Type 054B will make use of enhanced stealth features. It will have a reduced radar-cross section compared to the Type 054A, as well as a new system which will increase the efficiency of the ships acoustic signature management. It will also see an increased level of automation and have integrated systems, which serve to reduce crew workload and improve the operational efficiency of the vessel. For instance, advanced monitoring and control systems, as well as integrated machinery control systems, will be installed on all Type 054Bs. Lastly, for increased protection, the Type 054B will field increased CIWS.
Specifications
​

Specification	Type 054B
Type	Frigate
Displacement	4,500 tonnes (full)
Length	150m
Beam	16m
Propulsion	CODAD, 6 × SEMT Peilstick 16 PA 6V 280 STC diesels, 2 shafts
Speed	30 knots
Range	3,800 nautical miles at 19 knots
Sensors and processing systems	Type 382A Radar (Improved)
	Type 344A Radar (Improved)
	4 × MR-90 Front Dome SAM fire control radars
	MR-36A surface search radar, I-band
	Type 347G 76 mm gun fire control radar
	2 × Racal RM-1290 navigation radars, I-band
	MGK-335 medium frequency active/passive sonar system
	H/SJG-206 towed array sonar
	ZKJ-4B/7 combat data system
	HN-1000 data link
	SNTI-240 SATCOM
	AKD5000S Ku band SATCOM
Electronic warfare & decoys	Type 922-2 radar warning receiver
	HZ-100 ECM & ELINT system
	Kashtan-3 missile jamming system
Armament	1 x 40 HT-1E VLS
	2 x 4 YJ-83 anti-ship missiles
	1 × PJ26 76 mm dual purpose gun
	3 x Type 1130 30 mm CIWS guns
	2 × 3 324mm Yu-7 torpedo launchers
	2 × 6 Type 87 240mm anti-submarine rocket launcher
	2 × Type 726-4 18-tube decoy rocket launchers
Aircraft carried	1 x Harbin Z-9C