I'm a single mother and I was working nights as a parking meter attendant while trying to provide for my teenage son, Ethan. It wasn't easy, but I had no choice. One thing that always bothered me was the toll my work took on our time together. I hardly saw him during the nights, but I trusted he would take care of himself while I was away.
One morning, as I returned home from work, I noticed Ethan sitting at the kitchen table, his eyes heavy with sleep. It seemed odd since it was still early in the morning. I brushed it off, thinking he must have had a restless night. But as the days passed, I began to notice more peculiarities. Ethan became increasingly irritable, forgetful, and exhibited strange behavior associated with severe sleep deprivation.
One night, when I accidentally walked in on him stepping out of the shower, I couldn't help but notice the numerous bruises covering his body. My heart skipped a beat, and fear gripped me. How did he get those bruises? What was happening to him?
The following morning, I found him with a bruised face, his eye blackened and his lip swollen. Panic surged through me as I realized something was seriously wrong. I rushed him to a doctor, hoping for answers, but all medical tests showed no signs of physical ailments. The doctor suggested it could be psychological and recommended a counselor.
Desperate for answers, I reached out to my brother, Detective Mark Collins, who was also Ethan's uncle. Mark promised to investigate and provide any help he could. As a detective, he had the means to delve into matters that others couldn't.
A few days later, while Ethan was at school, I received an unexpected visit from Mark. He looked weary and troubled. Without wasting a moment, he sat me down and informed me of the troubling developments. Other worried parents had been reporting similar cases of their sons disappearing at night, only to return home battered and bruised.
Mark had taken charge and started a dedicated investigation into the matter. He revealed that he had been working tirelessly for a whole week, following leads, interviewing witnesses, and searching for any clues. However, despite his efforts, he admitted that he had made absolutely no progress. The cases were shrouded in mystery, leaving him frustrated and filled with a sense of helplessness.
The weight of the situation settled heavily upon me. It wasn't just Ethan. There were other families going through the same ordeal, and no one had answers. The fear and anxiety grew stronger within me as the realization sank in that our struggle was far from over.
I thanked Mark for his dedication and his relentless pursuit of the truth. As he left, we exchanged a knowing glance, silently promising to continue the fight together.
Days turned into sleepless nights as I anxiously awaited any updates from Mark's investigation. Meanwhile, I juggled work, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for Ethan. But the underlying fear and uncertainty gnawed at my every thought.
One thing became clear—we were running out of time. The nights stretched on, each one bringing new nightmares and unexplained bruises on Ethan's body. I couldn't bear to see him suffer, and I knew that I had to be his protector, his shield against the darkness that threatened to consume him.
With every passing day, the sense of urgency grew stronger. We had to uncover the truth, find the source of this malevolent force that tormented our children. When the police put the investigation on hold - however - I was left with the fears from the beginning.
Frustrated and worried, I took time off work and stayed home, determined to uncover the truth. I kept a watchful eye on Ethan, making sure he didn't wander off during his sleepwalking episodes. One night, I followed him discreetly as he made his way to an abandoned house in our neighborhood.
My heart pounded in my chest as I peered through a crack in the wall and witnessed a chilling sight. Ethan stood among a group of other teenage boys, their eyes closed, their bodies moving with unnatural precision. As if puppets under someone's control, they began to fight, mercilessly punching and assaulting each other.
Fear overwhelmed me, but I knew I had to act. I called Mark, my brother and the detective, pleading for immediate help. By the time he arrived at the abandoned house, dawn was breaking, and the boys had dispersed, returning to their homes, leaving behind a trail of unconsciousness and injuries.
Realizing that no one else could protect Ethan but me, I made the difficult decision to quit my job and find new employment during the day. I couldn't risk leaving him alone anymore. I feared the unknown force that controlled those boys in their sleep, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it would come for my son again.
As the days turned into weeks, my desperation grew. I sought guidance from every possible avenue, determined to find answers and protect my son from the relentless onslaught of the somnpugilist. It was during one of my counseling sessions that a breakthrough, albeit a terrifying one, occurred.
The counselor, Dr. Simmons, had been tirelessly studying Ethan's case, and after numerous discussions and examinations, they finally approached me with a chilling revelation. Dr. Simmons explained that they had been consulting with experts in the field of sleep disorders and unearthed a disturbing theory.
With a serious expression etched across their face, Dr. Simmons told me, "Based on all the evidence we've gathered, the peculiar symptoms, the sleepwalking episodes, and the pattern of physical injuries, we believe your son is a victim of a rare and malevolent phenomenon known as the somnpugilist."
I had never heard of such a term, and the counselor continued to enlighten me. They described the somnpugilist as a mysterious entity or force that thrived on the vulnerability of sleep-deprived individuals, manipulating their subconscious minds to engage in brutal and uncontrolled acts of violence.
My heart sank as the weight of this revelation settled upon me. The realization that Ethan was not only a victim of his own body's betrayal but also a target of something otherworldly sent shivers down my spine. It was as if we were caught in a nightmare from which there was no escape.
Dr. Simmons assured me that they would continue researching possible remedies and solutions. However, their tone revealed a hint of helplessness, as if they too were grappling with the enigma that was the somnpugilist.
The knowledge that my son was being tormented by a malevolent force beyond our comprehension both terrified and galvanized me. I resolved to do everything in my power to protect Ethan, to shield him from the clutches of this insidious entity that sought to destroy him.
Together with Detective Mark Collins, we delved deeper into the lore surrounding the somnpugilist, seeking ancient texts and obscure references that might hold the key to its defeat. Each day brought us closer to understanding this dark force and formulating a plan to combat it.
The battle against the somnpugilist was far from over. We faced sleepless nights, relentless assaults on our sanity, and the fear that time was slipping through our fingers. But armed with newfound knowledge and unwavering determination, we pressed forward, ready to confront the somnpugilist head-on.
Now, I work at a small diner, my shifts aligned with Ethan's school hours. I rarely let him out of my sight, and I remain vigilant, constantly on guard. But deep down, I know that this battle against the somnpugilist, the sleep-fighter, can only last for so long. Darkness lingers, and the fear of the unknown looms, threatening to consume us both. With Mark's determination as both detective and uncle, we cling to hope, determined to unravel the mysterious and sinister forces that haunt our lives.
For Ethan's sake, for the sake of all the boys caught in this nocturnal nightmare, we would not rest until we unraveled the secrets of the somnpugilist and put an end to its reign of terror. Our journey would be treacherous, but the love of a mother, the devotion of an uncle, and the strength of our united front would serve as our guiding light through the darkest of nights.

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Hi Everyone
I'm trying to start a local map with the command map de_overpass followed by exec nadepractice but no matter which side I choose, it always plant the bomb automatically.
I have searched both here and in Steam Community, but everything i have found so far are configurations close to the one I have. What am I missing here ?
my nadepractice.cfg:

sv_cheats 1 sv_infinite_ammo 1 sv_grenade_trajectory 1 sv_grenade_trajectory_time 10 sv_showimpacts 1 sv_showimpacts_time 10 mp_limitteams 0 mp_autoteambalance 0 mp_timelimit 0 mp_roundtime 60 mp_roundtime_hostage 60 mp_roundtime_defuse 60 mp_freezetime 0 mp_warmup_end mp_halftime 0 mp_halftime_duration 0 mp_round_restart_delay 1 mp_match_end_restart 1 mp_match_restart_delay 3 mp_maxrounds 9999 mp_maxmoney 60000 mp_startmoney 60000 mp_buytime 9999 mp_buy_anywhere 1 mp_items_prohibited 0 mp_drop_knife_enable 1 mp_drop_grenade_enable 1 mp_anyone_can_pickup_c4 1 ammo_grenade_limit_total 5 bot_kick bot_stop bind "p" "noclip" bind "F12" "give weapon_hegrenade;give weapon_flashbang;give weapon_smokegrenade;give weapon_molotov" mp_restartgame 1 

Thank you.

So, I am trying to swap a D15B VTEC engine into my 1990 EF civic (which had a D13B Non VTEC motor) and I do not know what things I need for example engine mounts, different fuel tank wireing etc. If someone could tell me everything that I would mostly need to swap it would be great. Any help is appreciated!

First post in this subreddit but!! I'm making a garden- sort of, its a small part of my mom's garden. There's going to be carrots, peas, and herbs in my little section. I even get to spray paint a tire that's going to contain the carrots and peas along with the tower that's going to have the herbs! I'm really excited as this is going to be my first time caring for a garden (no matter how small) pretty much by myself

Because if not, i might be forced to leave this world in a violent nasty way. And it seems that, my parents have some expectations of me looking after them in their old age, but i have no such intentions. My mom even told me today(kinda sounded in a joking maner): „That's why i take care of you, so you can help me“ I didn't say anything, but i have expressed my thoughts on the matter before, including suicide and she doesn't wanna hear it. I don't know how you guys plan to deal with all that, but it feels we are all fucked.

So i'm convinced my mom is retarded, she was told that when I was a kid that I had a small mouth and never did anything about it cause it doesn't matter, my bottom teeth r crooked. And it's not like she couldn't afford it, she just didn't care. She's saying "it doesn't matter it's unnoticeable" which I'm p sure this can affect how I breathe. Im 16 and my bone age is around 14, can I still expand my mouth with an expander or something?

I need to get a perfect squirrel pelt for a satchel, does it matter if it's a black, red, or a "regular" squirrel?

So, last November I bought an entry level gpu to get into star citizen. It was a bare minimum requirement buy. (RTX 2060). Over the past few months it's been working ok running at 1080 because you cant get much more than that. Definitely not the best. Seemed like after each gpu update I'd have more and more issues and it would perform less each time. People would tell me it's my rig because it was and older setup. So I spent some money and upgraded my board cpu and memory and everything was good. I logged many many hours in the ptu and pu with some friends having fun. Fast forward to the last day of Invictus out of nowhere it started Fram dropping like crazy. From around 60 fps to 0 then back up. Almost like waves every few seconds it would just freeze and come back. It was towards the end of the night so I decided to call it. Thinking the next day is defence con and I'd just wait til then because that's what I have been really waiting for. I really wanted to get a hold of a vulture and do some salvage missions. We'll, come the next day I turn on my computer and got nothing from the screen. Nothing. Just a power on no input on my screen. I checked the cables. Tried different ones. Even tried the different ports. Nothing. So begrudgingly I plugged into the motherboard and restarted. There it was. Working again. I could see my desktop again. I went into device manager and my card was there. It was reading like it should just no output. I thought to myself "great, it's dead" I tried updating bios, reinstalling drivers and tried different pcie ports. I got nothing. So here I am sitting looking at a game I can't play any farther than sitting in a room at spawn. Looking like an old 1920 fm stuttering away around 1-3 fps. "Just go buy another ome" *sad lol. Coming I to summer time in the desert my electric bill is about to almost triple. My income has been cut by almost $300 a month for some bs that I have no controll over. It seems like everything is catching up to me all at the same time. EVERYTHING has gone up in price. From gas and food to utilities and insurances. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be replacing it anytime soon. So for now my poor spaceman will be living out his foreseeable existence out at Beautiful Glen Station. Sitting in his hab knowing an ORIGIN 325 is sitting in the hangar not able to take him home. Not knowing when or if he will ever leave. Let this be a lesson to all that read this. No matter what your fiscal situation. Save up if you have to and think twice before making a purchase. And never ever buy a used gpu.

Honestly...nah
Even if Shakira's found innocent and her legal troubles are over by the time she starts recording it would be nice for another singer's fursona to get the spotlight
I mean, while the movie briefly showed there were other musicians in Zootopia, by how the movie portrayed almost everyone loving or being obsessed with Gazelle, you'd think she was the only musician in this world
So honestly, if the sequel is going to have a singer character, let it be someone else for a change and see them have the spotlight
Hell maybe have the singer be a Fox showing that there are some roles Foxes are allowed to have in society no matter how prejudiced Zootopia overall is against them
View Poll

Hi team,
​
Does Phnom Penh in Chinatown have vegetarian options?
I'm planning a work lunch there and we have a non meat eater.
​
I've reviewed the menu and it's not totally clear on this matter.
Thanks in advance - appreciate it.

This is going to be one of my more serious, long posts, so strap in, as they say (though I cannot possibly detail out everything you might need to know. That would require at least three posts). To quote -- and set the stage through -- Dostoevsky (from Notes from Underground):
'Is it [history] many-coloured? May be it is many-coloured, too: if one takes the dress uniforms, military and civilian, of all peoples in all ages--that alone is worth something, and if you take the undress uniforms you will never get to the end of it; no historian would be equal to the job. Is it monotonous? May be it's monotonous too: it's fighting and fighting; they are fighting now, they fought first and they fought last--you will admit, that it is almost too monotonous.
In short, one may say anything about the history of the world--anything that might enter the most disordered imagination. The only thing one can't say is that it's rational. The very word sticks in one's throat. And, indeed, this is the odd thing that is continually happening: there are continually turning up in life moral and rational persons, sages and lovers of humanity who make it their object to live all their lives as morally and rationally as possible, to be, so to speak, a light to their neighbours simply in order to show them that it is possible to live morally and rationally in this world. And yet we all know that those very people sooner or later have been false to themselves, playing some queer trick, often a most unseemly one.
Now I ask you: what can be expected of man since he is a being endowed with strange qualities? Shower upon him every earthly blessing, drown him in a sea of happiness, so that nothing but bubbles of bliss can be seen on the surface; give him economic prosperity, such that he should have nothing else to do but sleep, eat cakes and busy himself with the continuation of his species, and even then out of sheer ingratitude, sheer spite, man would play you some nasty trick. He would even risk his cakes and would deliberately desire the most fatal rubbish, the most uneconomical absurdity, simply to introduce into all this positive good sense his fatal fantastic element. It is just his fantastic dreams, his vulgar folly that he will desire to retain, simply in order to prove to himself--as though that were so necessary--that men still are men and not the keys of a piano, which the laws of nature threaten to control so completely that soon one will be able to desire nothing but by the calendar.'
-
I would only add that he was rather harsh on the soldier and his general. Many-coloured, is he! The eternal shine of the ten million blades, the wooden hilt; the forgotten hammer, the ships of our forefathers. Ah! Such a pity to see nought in it but blood and sand -- now, that is monotonous. If man is to mean anything at all, it must be finding some honour in life... and death. War, it must be known, is the great stage-play of time. Surely, then, the warrior is the greatest (male) part to play? Otherwise, it's all for nought!
If you're going to, as the author, gift your setting a military and its honour, you have to actually put yourself inside the mind of the general, the trooper, the law-maker, the wife at home, the child in the street; otherwise, it's going to be a hollowed-out system, a mere mote. It does not matter to me if you believe in war or not, or if all war is just (certainly, it's not): what matters is that you do your setting and peoples justice, regardless of what they may find themselves. After all, this is your job as the writer, as the artist. It's your job to let your characters and their stories free, and follow them, as to see where they may lead.
I'm not even going to dig into the elements at play, such as brotherhood, inter-national conflict resolution, national defence, social structure, and physical fitness. These elements ought to be known to you all: they are some of the clear benefits to warfare and boot camp/training, in general. I have not yet found a defeatist army, for example -- or yet a nation without some kind of guarder force, vast or not. (Note: there are some claims that actual warfare did not exist until around 9,000 BC, but I find this very difficult to believe, and have seen some counter-evidence. For example, Jane Goodall and de Waal find that chimps go to war (raiding parties, sometimes wiping out entire tribes); and there are strong indications that pre-historic human tribes were war-driven, just on smaller scales, and often using wooden weapons (thus, no direct evidence is found). We know that modern hunting (and fire-making, and related matters) existed at least 1.5-2 million years ago, according to the books I own and more recent research. That's the entire history of humanity, ultimately. There is no way these spears and slings were not used against man.)
Well, a big part of space opera is, indeed, warfare (typically in relation to defence of the Good [nation] and psychomachy). Anyway, without further ado, I give to you...
Part One: A Brief History of Battles, Great and Small
Let's begin with Alexander the Great, because why not (though I could have started with Sargon of Akkad many years prior). Alexander's army was a powerful, fast-moving, and relatively small force of 40,000 men (equal to a Napoleonic corps or so). Often credited with inventing genius 'shock' tactics (the so-called hammer and anvil tactic) to overwhelm equally-sized forces. He even managed to break up, and then defeat, the vast Persian army under King Darius III (around 1500,000 strong). Alexander the Great's army is as close to the cinematic glory of 300 (2006) as you're likely to find. Soon after, Alexander was crowned King of Asia in a lavish ceremony.
Moving forward a few hundred years, at its peak, the Roman military possibly had over 500,000 soldiers across its regions (around 0.5% of citizens -- which is a fairly reliable standard across history) by 306 AD during the reign of Constantine I. Compare this to the Roman conquest of Britain under Plautius, with just a 40,000-man force (four legions and 20,000 auxiliary troops, including Thracians) in 43 AD. (It's also worth mentioning, if you're in a long-term space war, individual companies, legions, or otherwise could stay outfitted for as long as 500 years at a time without issue. The Roman Legion, Legio IX Hispana, for example, existed for at least 150 years, and led the conquest of Britain. And, within the Warhammer 40,000 universes, a single Space Marine sees battle for about 400 years before he's KIA (killed in action).)
During the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, each side only had upwards of 5,000-8,000 men (around 15,000 in total). This was actually a common trend, from what I found: equally common was the notion of 'law of war' and related, which meant that each side wanted to be roughly equal to the other side. This is one of the most profound discoveries of my life (more on this later). (The Japanese invasion of China, for example, taught me that having too much control over your enemy leads to madness -- there must be an innate drive to some sense of honour, fair challenge in war-making. When men are without equals, they become titans, as it were. And, if you know anything about some of the Greek titans: they were not very friendly or sane.)
Around this time (960-1279 AD), the Song Dynasty of China had a remarkable standing army of over two million men, and made use of tank-like carts and newly-invented 'grandes' (known as 'thunder crash bombs'). However, this was financially exhausting, but it was sometimes capable of fighting against invading Khitans, Jurchens, and Mongols, largely thanks to the great iron industry. Individual battles, however, were quite small.
By the time of the First Italian War (1494 AD), Europe was really starting to take its modern shape, and there were hundreds of what are ultimately power struggle wars and rebellions across Europe as we moved out of the Middle Ages. This was the opening phase of the Italian Wars, which existed between 1494 and 1559 AD. The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai (aka the wars between 1508 and 1516 AD, within the Italian Wars. The main participants were the French, Papal States, and Republic of Venice) and took place in 1515 AD, southeast of Milan. The Battle of Marignano pitted the French army, led by Francis I and the best heavy cavalry and artillery in Europe, against the Old Swiss Confederacy (within the Holy Roman Empire -- this was the precursor of the modern state of Switzerland), whose mercenaries until that point were regarded as the best medieval infantry force in Europe. The French had German landsknechts (mercenaries famed for pike and shot formations) on their side. The French won and suffered just half the losses, and did so with a fairly stronger force -- possibly 35,000 men compared to 22,000 on the Swiss side. This led to the Treaty of Fribourg, which established the 'Perpetual Peace', and ensured good relations between the two nations for nearly 200 years. This event is largely what led to Switzerland's world-famous diplomatic autonomy and militaristic neutrality. Nonetheless, this battle -- and countless others at the time -- saw similar numbers to centuries past: roughly 20,000 on each side.
Part Two: An Introduction to Military Divisions & the Numbering System
Enter Maurice de Saxe circa 1710 AD, whom you can thank, at least in part, for the modern military system, largely due to the major increase in soldiers by the 18th century, and his advanced thinking in response. A major battle felt by a young de Saxe was the Battle of Malplaquet during the War of the Spanish Succession. Battles pressed on in this manner, and at some point, de Saxe began to write about it. He wrote Mes Reveries, a profound work on the art of war, which was published after his death in 1757 AD.
He had the grand idea of reshaping the regiment system into large 'legions' (modern divisions), so that the effective officers were not wasted on smaller, single regiments. These divisions would consist of four regiments and would have a more even mix of veteran soldiers and new recruits, as well. On top of this, he -- along with some other key theorists at the time -- had the idea of simply numbering the divisions and regiments, replacing the traditional system of naming them by their commanders or by locations/regions: because that's a very temporary, rigid system that only works for small, tight-knit groups. The divisional system also allowed soldiers to climb the ranks, and effectively learn from the veterans.
The regimental system shatters command structure and weakens mobility, despite the fact you have smaller, often lighter units. Too many small, separate, disorganised units is highly ineffective when you're dealing with large armies, and quite an advanced enemy (be it the British or Prussians, in this case). What de Saxe noticed was a failing system of rigid tradition. He also hated this sort of grenadier mentality of the 17th and 18th centuries, as it displaced all the strongest and most experienced soldiers. Of course, de Saxe was not against the existence of grenadiers: the strongest soldiers, leading the assaults, such as storming fortifications. He simply wanted to evenly spread them out across all the regiments, and legions, so that every single unit was an effective tool. (This grenadier concept actually survives to this day, as a grenade launcher specialist of a typical four-man fireteam (traditionally, sharing much in common with WWII-era shock troops), and you see it all the time in movies, where he is still typically the biggest, strongest of the team.)
Battles were increasingly crossing the 100,000 mark in terms of soldier count; whereas, not long ago (that is, around 1650 AD), the numbers were more likely in the range of 20,000 for most battles, other than a few outliers.
Then, de Saxe died before he had the opportunity to actually implement his system, though the Duke de Broglie led some successful experiments with it during the Seven Years War, but it took until the French Revolution for the 'division' concept to be enforced, systematically. This ultimately fell at the hands of the French Revolutionary Army.
Enter Lazare Carnot. Like de Saxe, Carnot saw that some regiments were full of veterans, whilst others -- namely, the new revolutionary brigades -- were filled with barely-trained recruits. And, like de Saxe, his solution was to separate out the veterans and embed them within these new brigades. More importantly, he embraced de Saxe's idea of the 'division'. The new demi-brigades (regiments, as the Revolutionary Government hated and removed the term regiment) would be combined into brigades, and brigades would be combined into divisions. Later, under Napoleon, divisions themselves were combined into corps (which is and has always been the highest level of operational units for actual combat, with all units larger than corps being purely administrative, with a clear exception being Napoleon's Armee (i.e. modern field army), and a few other, smaller army groups).
This wonderfully created an intermediate level of control between the general and the brigade commanders. The Revolutionary Army became at once an army of mass and mobility. This allowed the army to move faster and more decisively than their enemies, who were still commanding at regiment or brigade level.
Full implementation of the divisional system was not realised until the French Revolutionary Government, in their centralising and anti-aristocratic ways, when they decided to entirely remove the old system of naming regiments after their commanders. They saw all of this as part of the 'ancien regime' (i.e. 'the System' or 'old system', language also used by Hitler in relation to what he called the 'Weimar Republic'. Not uncommon language from any new system). The second factor at play was that the French Revolutionary Government also didn't like the idea of merely naming regiments after regions of France. The final factor was scale: the Army was larger than ever, which made it very difficult to give specific names.
As a result, the Government began numbering their units by the late-1700s. Although the Roman legions themselves had been numbered, and de Saxe argued for it many years prior, some scholars believe that this was purely an administrative decision. (Obviously, your naming convention can be more on the religious/traditional or seculamodern side, depending on just how the entire system is set up. Warhammer 40,000 is a good example of a more Roman-inspired system, despite its far-future nature, so it's not uncommon to find very traditional, religious naming conventions within Warhammer 40,000, coupled with simple, administrative systems. And, again: Nazi Germany and other 20th-century powers, such as America and England, also shifted towards numbered and/or lettered systems for pretty much everything. Not shockingly, this is heavily featured in sci-fi, as well.)
Part Three: Napoleon & the Birth of Modern War:
Although the concepts of the 'corps' and 'battalion carre' (that is, four corps) existed, they were also not implemented until the time of Napoleon in the early-1800s. He began grouping divisions into corps, making the largest units in history -- equal to entire armies of older periods (three divisions and some cavalry regiments, for upwards of 30,000 men). He commanded dozens of these corps (I think, around 20 of them for his Grande Armee when he invaded Russia in 1812 AD -- or, 500,000-600,000 men, equal to the entire core Roman military at the height of its power).
Napoleon's genius -- despite his supreme failure to invade Russia -- was ensuring that these corps were typically independent fighting units. This meant they were self-sufficient armies unto themselves. This allowed for a vast force, without the whole system becoming sluggish and disorganised. Of course, as with Alexander the Great before him, this ultimately led to major decentralization and failure once the leader is defeated; thus, without a singular ruler, and without endless success, the entire system breaks down (unless there is something else binding them).
Nonetheless, by now, all the European powers had adopted the divisional system. The first British divisions were established by Arthur Wellesley in 1809 AD, for example. The Napoleonic corps system then became standardised, as well.
On the other hand -- and other side of the world -- the U.S. had its own 'legion', wholly separate from the European divisional evolution. They were independent units for the western wilderness, not sub-elements of a larger army. The U.S. finally adopted a more European system by WWI, however. (Mostly because the U.S. was simply not a large enough force yet, though it did have some major battles and unit examples.)
Regardless, the primary building block for all was still the regiment or division. This remained true through WWII and beyond.
Part Four: The Four Spatial Forms of Sci-fi
I shall skip modern history, because it's -- shockingly -- not much different to older history. This further tells me that there are some universal themes and elements to warfare, unless something changes beyond measure. As of 2023 AD, the basic building block of most armies is still the regiment or division, and 'shock' tactics, of smaller units are back in style, and have been since the 1960s or so. (I do have a few things to say about WWI and beyond, but I cannot fit it in this post, and it's not required reading.)
Technically, there is a fifth: space warfare proper (an admixture). But, we shall simply focus on the four primary. I use the term 'spatial forms' because I don't know a better term. See below.

• Space as an ocean (navy propeoceanic)
• Spaceships as submarines (navy/subaquatic)
• Spaceships as tanks (army/ground)
• Space as air with less stuff (air force/air)

You find, and should focus on, one of these as the primary mode (at least). This is true in most combative and non-combative contexts. All are workable and interesting, and have some notable examples, mostly in film/TV and novels. There is much psychology connected to each, and some innate differences to consider; and you have to think about such in relation to your nation/culture, as well, and their pre-spacefaring history.
An interesting, real-world example is America's Space Force. This is fundamentally army-and-naval driven (i.e. Marines), despite its primary air force-like nature in simple terms of the vessels and how it would function in a war. This is evidenced by the fact its ranking system and such is built around the Marine Corps. I guess, that means, going with American Marines (a complex admixture of both soldier and sailor) is not such a bad idea in sci-fi. We all know this is a decent idea, anyway, and it's seen heavily in sci-fi since the 1940s (hence, the term 'space marine'). Other marine forces are fairly in line with this, as well. The typical route here is space as an ocean. The ships are merely carrying the marines to their location (planet or otherwise). You see this with Star Wars' Stormtroopers (though I did not mention such above, I shall now: this stems from late-WWI when Germany created new advanced tactics for storming British trenches. But, most of all, it speaks to Hitler's Stormtroopers, fused with some kind of space marine position; thus, we end up with Lucas' forgetting Stormtrooper force). (Of course, the Rebels of Star Wars and the Empire's TIE Fighters go with the space as air with less stuff trope. And, there is a general sense of both army and navy from the Empire. You rarely get the 'submarine feel', in this case.)
Star Trek (at least, the original) takes the spaceships as submarines trope much of the time (other than the fact, their ships are far too wasteful, volume-wise -- but that's mostly for filming purposes, so I can accept it). I actually love this mode (though I don't care for Star Trek's version so much).
Battlestar Galactica (new series), among others, seems to take a mixed view.
Which form or mode you run with, primarily, really depends upon the exact setting, culture, story, theme, and style you're going with. I suggest figuring out which you want/which fits best, and then trying to stick to that singular vision as much as possible. To get ideas, you can research as much as possible -- both real science/history and fiction.

Had QuickSilver for 10 years, 1 and only card. No Negative remarks. 800 score. But just applied and got BofA Custom Cash (Prefered Rewards Gold) May 2023. But knocked my score down to 789. Will wait at least 6 months(?) before for next card.
I've evaluated the future cards I want to get based on MY spending. Im aware of the caps for each and that one is Comenity.
Which of these should I apply for next based on difficulty to get (that your aware of)? That has like 2/24 rules or whatever and that wants to see not many cards open? OR does it not matter much? (Citi's pre-approval system is useless, doesnt work)
U.S. Bank Cash+
Citi Double Cash
AAA Daily Advantage
Citi Custom Cash
BofA Custom Cash ✔

About a week ago, I had a little issue with my exhaust pipe. I needed to remove it, which involved loosening the bolts between the pipe and the cylinder head. Unfortunately, out of the four bolts, I managed to pull out only one successfully. The rest were incredibly rusty, and their heads ended up breaking off.
Here's the thing: I called a workshop to get it fixed, but they have an insane waitlist of over two months. So now I'm considering taking matters into my own hands and fixing it myself. The problem is, I have absolutely zero experience with motorcycle repairs.
So, here's my question for you all: Do you think I should give it a shot and try to fix it myself? Considering my lack of experience, would it be wise to purchase a drill and a tap and die set and attempt the repair on my own?
I appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have!

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ChocoPro 313: Best Bros Birthday Bash While we’re no longer “Under the Apple Tree” (since Mei’s Anniversary Show is now in the history books), ChocoPro isn’t letting the festivities end just yet! Just like in ages long past, the Best Bros will get one of the roughest birthday presents imaginable: a tag team gauntlet! ChocoPro is known for its solid tag division and intense team attacks, due to the rules of the promotion: Team pins & attacks are legal! If you're looking for a good time tomorrow, this episode will probably be wild all the way through with a chaotic variety of combinations presented. Can the Best Bros survive five different teams? Will we see an appearance from the new Trainee? Let’s Go, ChocoPro!
🍫 CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK! ChocoPro 313 🍫 Best Bros Birthday Bash (Special Tag Gauntlet)! It airs TOMORROW at 6 am EDT / 3 am PDT / 11 am BST / 7 pm JST, Live and Free on YouTube!
This link will be updated with a direct one when available

Don't forget to Adjust Your Volume, Wrestling is Loud!

Change the stage, escape the normal! ChocoPro is built different. Find out why wrestlers like it so much: Discover a new home on the bleeding edge. (This is not your regular wrestling show.) Join us for this episode, or check out the back catalog of 17 wonderful Seasons on the Gatoh Move ChocoPro YouTube channel...260+ episodes with stories and pro-wrestling like you've never seen. New to the promotion? It features a roster of skilled veterans, rising stars, and wonderful guests fighting in the ChocoPro Arena: Ichigaya Chocolate Square. Subscribe for more content than just the live matches! (AEW Watch Alongs, Discussions, Interviews, Food Challenges, etc) Even if you can't catch it live, don't sweat it! It will still be available on the channel.

Best Bros (Mei Suruga 🍎 & Baliyan Akki ♠️)

VS

Sayaka 👗 & Miya Yotsuba 🍀 , Kaori Yoneyama 🍚 & Minoru Fujita 🐦, EGG TART (Chie Koishikawa 🏵️ & Hagane Shinno ⚔️), Black Comaneci (Tokiko “Otoki” Kirihara 💃 & Antonio Honda 🍯), UMA (Sayaka Obihiro 💙 & kojio 🏰)

Best Bros Birthday Special Tag Gauntlet

We're going to be celebrating the birthdays of both the Best Bros once again! (Both of them were actually born on the same day: May 30th! Keep in mind, we're half a day behind Japan's time zone!) Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga are team with unrivaled chemistry, a pair of rivals turned partners that have risen to the top of the tag division of Ichigaya (in a string of spectacular bouts) and have even taken down some powerful guests! Mei Suruga is a pin specialist and submission connoisseur (not to mention a total goblin), having recently celebrated her Fifth Anniversary (and the appearance of her second Trainee!). Mei is incredibly gifted at pro-wrestling, undoubtedly destined for greatness in the Joshi scene...though she has her eyes set on a different prize: popularity across the world! Baliyan Akki is the Ace of the promotion, a breezy elite level technician who excels at everything that is put in front of him. The way he strings techniques together is truly breath taking. He is at the top of the food chain for a reason, and it is only a matter of time before he holds a belt again! The way these two different mentalities flow together creates a perfect synergy in the ring. Even with their excellent team attacks, individual specializations, and boundless creativity, they will still be in for a brutal challenge.
Just like most celebrations in the Chocolate Square, this one will be quite violent! While there isn’t the threat of a mystery team this time, the random order of enemies makes it hard to prepare. Can they take down five of ChocoPro’s great teams in one go? Can they beat their old score? Will Mei bite someone? Tune in to find out! They will be facing (in no particular order) in 10 minute bouts:
Sayaka & Miya Yotsuba in a first time pairing! Smiling Violence and Ichigaya’s Lucky Charms are both know for their powerful striking ability and tend to compete with one another on how hard they can hit! How will the Bros endure both of the Chocolate Square’s Heavy Hitters in one match?
Kaori Yoneyama & Minoru Fujita, Two of the most frequent guests of the promotion! These two crafty veterans have both held gold in Gatoh Move and together should be an absolute menace. Buckle up for some high technical ability and dirty tricks!
EGG TART (Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno) are one of the longest rivals of the Best Bros! With the speedhouse striker “Ace of the Fourth Generation” Chie and the merciless “Cold Killer” and Super Asia Champ Hagane, this will probably be one of the highest threats in the gauntlet. Expect some spice here!
Black Comaneci (Tokiko “Otoki” Kirihara & Antonio Honda) are entirely unpredictable and could very well show up in a form we’ve never seen. Though this team favors comedic antics, it should be noted that most of the comedy comes in the form of brutal slapstick and shocking weapons. It should be noted that Tokiko kicks very hard. Comaneci!
UMA (Sayaka Obihiro & kojio) represent the invading Monsters in this one. Can the charismatic veteran and the mysterious dark hero utilize their own unnatural chemistry against the Birthday Bros? These two have been impressing with their ability to adapt and overcome setbacks. Also, they are monsters.
Good Luck, Best Bros...and Happy Birthday!
Come and see the wild creativity that produced Two of the Seven AEW Women's World Champions! (Both of which have appeared on ChocoPro!) You'll be wondering if you're seeing future champs, as well. ChocoPro is the Frontier of Pro Wrestling! Match after match of hard hitting, chaotic, fun bouts with a friendly online audience. We're quickly growing, and you're welcome to come along!
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:

“What is this?”

ChocoPro is a free online promotion run by AEW's Emi Sakura, that takes place in the legendary Ichigaya Chocolate Square! It features a steady pace of live Episode releases, fan interaction, season long story arcs, and much more! A place where the turnbuckles are replaced with 14th floor windows, the ropes are often replaced with fans, unforgiving walls provide creative avenues for skills otherwise unthinkable, and you can take solace in knowing that the referees usually do nothing. While it might be a shocking change at first, the intensity and storytelling will leave you wanting more.

“Why are they fighting in ____?”

Short answer is that it is a cost effective, unique venue with a better availability schedule and allows the roster access for training. Emi Sakura has been using this place for a long time, and you might be surprised at some of the names that have used it (even outside of ChocoPro!). There are a few in-ring Episodes and Gatoh Move has in ring shows with crowds on the YouTube channel. Think of it like the Hart Dungeon but as a promotion, if that helps!

”What are the rules?”

While special match stipulations will usually be explained before the respective matches, the general rules of ChocoPro are simple. Pins only count on the Chocolate Mat and are not broken by the edge or Wall. Submissions usually only count on the Chocolate Mat, and ARE broken by reaching the edge or wall (sometimes ceiling...). Double pins and Double submissions are legal (and encouraged) in ChocoPro Tag matches, meaning cohesive teams will always have the advantage! Count Outs only exist if specified, since many matches stray from the comfort of the Chocolate Square into the streets (and the rest of the building itself!) There is a Time Limit for each bout (based on card placement and importance) and the Referee has discretion (even if they tend to do nothing most of the time!). Every Ref is different, some have different levels of bias and speed.

“How can I support them?”

Watch the show! Even if you can't see it live, the views matter! Like & Subscribe! You can join the Channel's membership for different tiers of perks...but also, you can buy single episode Sponsorship, Digital autographed photos, and more on their shop site as well as purchase shirts from PWTees (which features some great options!) If you'd like to donate or purchase a main wall sponsorship, you can via Paypal or Patreon...and don't forget to cheer for your favorites! (especially if you want to do a superchat!)

”How come there aren’t a lot of comments on the threads?”

ChocoPro is a YouTube show, meaning the discourse happens live...in the chat! Those that comment in the threads on here tend to do so in order to help new viewers that might be intimidated by the fast moving chat. Don’t be afraid to just dive in though, the community is friendly.

“Why are you posting this here? / Are you paid for this?”

This is a wrestling forum, and I'm trying to broaden the horizons of others! There is a lot of good wrestling out there...Plus growing the fan base means more people for me to joke around with! I honestly do believe this is what a lot of fans are looking for, even if it is too different for some! But different tastes are good. Variety is the spice of life. This is a labor of love (it really doesn't take that long) considering how much work they do to put on so many shows...for free!
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me on here or on Twitter, where I’m probably a bit tired! ChocoPro is a Gauntlet again!
Season Tracker: We're 13/18 into Season 18! (Each Season is usually around 18 episodes)

It seems like a lot of people are very confused about why Shiv did what she did. Citing bad writing or a twist for the sake of the twist and that it makes "no sense" that all of a sudden she decides to vote no in the boardroom.
First off, I think it's been pretty clear that the siblings are all incapable of letting just one of them end up on top. From when Logan first goes into a coma season 1 all the way up until the finale, they are all bickering about which of them is best for the job, why they deserve it, but its always the same arguments. It never changes. Even in this season, when all the siblings are on the same team and they find the piece of paper with Kendall's name, Shiv's immediate response is that the paper is "mute". It doesn't matter.
But above all else, the beauty of Kendall's inevitable loss, is it's all his doing. Shiv and Roman both look uncomfortable when Kendall sits in Logan's chair. Being all cute and anointing him the night before is one thing, but as soon as it starts getting real you see both of their faces change. During the board vote, it's clear even Roman is hesitant to vote for Kendall, but does so because he's not the deciding factor and it's in his character to bend, similar to the board vote of no confidence in season 1. Shiv is the last vote, it's all up to her and she knows it.
And she doesn't even vote no (right away at least). Her mind is not made up. She steps into another room to think about it more because she is clearly incredibly torn. She starts airing her hesitations towards Kendall and I really think if Kendall had stayed calm, him and Roman could have settled Shiv into still voting yes, but Kendall is unable to. Kendall is erratic and the thought of losing this sends him into a panic and he seals his fate. He lies about killing the kid.
The siblings newfound bound, their new relationship is all built in the season 3 finale after Kendall finally admits to his incident with the kid. It causes the siblings to band together in a way they never have. But Kendall lies about the kid and when he does, Roman and Shiv immediately decide Shiv should vote no. Their entire relationship, their new sibling comradery, they now believe is built on a lie and manipulation.
I love that this plotline of Kendall and "killing" that kid is the reason he loses. That season 1 finale has an impact throughout the entire show and in the end is the deciding factor in the finale. It really represents so much of what the show and these characters are about. Living a life with zero consequences, and a complete inability to be honest about who they are and what they've done.
Kendall was so terrified of losing the CEO position when he finally has it so close, that he panics, he lies, and effectively fucks himself.

Hatari Uoka was not having a pleasant time. He had not had one for several years now, as his existence been broken up into periods of boredom, inense work, and utter horror. The young man had been a semi-star economics student and slid comfortably into a fashionable think tank when he launched into his job search—in politics, but apolitical. Moving in the ranks of society that were considered cosmopolitan and especially liberal, he had no particular to connection to much of anything other than people without those connections, and Mr. Uoka considered this to be how things should be. He was free from those concerns, which had not done much for him, and he could attach himself to other things, like nebulous ideas. Since there was little in terms of immediate connection to fill his day to day life with, Mr. Uoka filled his life with such easy to grab things as money, himself, and ideas that he took a shine to. Some would say that he was rather plump, in a few sentences that contained profanity and some comments about his short-cut main and stupid hat. To be frank, whatever charges one could level about his character were secondary to how poor his taste in hats was; it is up to the reader to infer the scope of these defects of person.
Hatari Uoka was offensive in that bland way that he was inoffensive to anyone of strong conviction who needed a useful body to throw into an assignment, and so he was a shoe-in to monitor Chancellor Hay Rekk's modernization efforts. Mr. Uoka had expected to be lecturing, informing people of the importance of the types of accounts used to accumulate investment capital, the training of the right kind of engineers, and the introduction of unsubsidized market rates; he had not expected to see public whippings, dirt roads, unrefined drug use, or child labor. This ensured that he was subjected to an endless train of genuine unpleasantness, paired with isolation and cheap wine. It reflected in his reports back to parliament, who likely had a small chuckle at his objection and injured bleating. And it reflected in his final report.
Mr. Uoka had nothing good to say about Chancellor Hay Rekk. He was an offensive man, who did not care for anything but clone power. He was a racist and a fascist, vile and pernicious, a sadist who delighted in the suffering of lessers and the destruction of beautiful things. He had no value for life, no respect for effort, and no care for anything but his own gluttony. Rekk's persistence was near demonic, his smarts a brute's cunning, his speaking abilities rabble-rousing, his leadership nothing but cunning manipulation, his height the adjustments of hydraulic lifts, his gastronomic prowess wasted on eating fuel station sausages. Hatari's advice fell upon ears determined to do the opposite of what he suggested and shut out the non-clone who only wanted to exercise their inherent right to commercial freedom. Rekk, he concluded, was man opposed to the idea of freedom. All persons must be underneath the clone bootheel.
Their majesties, on the other hand, were much more in line with Mr. Uoka's ideas. They were aware of the abusive practices of the Shining Lords of old, and sought to end them with the power of the market. This had been most beneficial for food supplies, and had eliminated famine according to his analysis; it had also been enormously helpful for giving peasants access to their basic life needs. There were sticking points with clone industry—which Hatari had decried as 'robbing the people of their future' and 'dull, stultifying communism-lite', but he had generally said excellent things about their majesties policies. Encouraging more trade, supporting urbanization, and breaking down the social structures that he didn't like were all very good things in Mr. Uoka's opinion. He found that their majesties were somewhat anemic with their fiscal policy, as well as their need to avoid inflation in order to keep real economic growth doing things that he didn't see as super important—a little financialisation never hurt anything, you know? And so, he prepared to publish a report recommending that Kabria be heavily and thoroughly invested in as a potential developing market. The clones must be bypassed, he said—their friendship-communism would allow them to cripple the entire economic block that the Soverignty was putting together with endless dumping. They must be contained to protect the market.
And then the press conference happened. Epistocide was revealed. Mr. Uoka edited his report. There was no market here. No chance of one emerging for maybe five generations. The Kweens were ripping out thoughts, not customs. Only the clones were here, making everything, putting together nutrient paste for when the societal preserve failed. No wonder they saw the peasants as scum. The serfs, the petty nobility, the others—they were all locked in. How much had he seen those wild eyes, squinting in suspicion, gasping in fear—how much had they been genuinely locked in, stuck in impulse and reflex, blurting words that had been trauma-conditioned into them? He had seen pictures of slaves before, or some of the Shining Lord's thralls—but he hadn't seen it firsthand. Shortly after putting out his report, Hatari went to find himself some gutter ale,something with enough kick that could get him blackout drunk.
But as he hedged Kabria-related investments and watched the market dip on opening two days late, Mr Uoka found that the clones were of the same mind as him. They filed into makeshift canteens, drank horrible brews, cursed, burned the Shining Lords in effigy, snorted pills, talked solutions and damnation. Hatari consumed four glasses from the rop bucket, stumbled outside black out drunk, and then came to calling Hay Rekk 'like a fucking fat ass bitch yo, but he's still dummy thick, ya know what I mean? He got tha-that p-policy thiqqness, yeah!! Thiqq with TWO! Qs! He can...sit...on...those...holy...shit...what am...I saying...oh...balls. Front-nuts. I'm not...blackout. Fuck my ass.'
The front nuts in question vomited in the trashcan, then laughed hysterically and took a stimulant. 'You breeders are so weird! I don't even have those!'
Hatari got a hangover of unusual size, but he ate his way out of it by mid-afternoon. Shortly beforehand, he messaged Chancellor Rekk and asked for a meeting. He was the leading face of clone power, and clone power was now in shambles over the awful things it had uncovered. There was one chance for him to influence the situation to ensure that something good could come out of it. And Mr Uoka wanted to be remembered for influencing it when he could...

I’m the proud father of a baby boy born on May 4th after an unexpected C-Section at 34 weeks. Unfortunately my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but the rapid treatment plan we received caught it early enough to have it surgically dealt with during the delivery procedure and no further treatment appears necessary. An absolute miracle after a month of terror.
Unfortunately our tenure at the NICU started as soon as the last rollercoaster started slowing down. We’re now nearly 4 weeks in and I’ve never been so emotionally and mentally exhausted. Balancing the few chores we have, keeping the dog going, and driving into the NICU twice a day every day with us there from noon until 10pm every day has me about to throw myself off a bridge. Add in the fact that the area the hospital in is not a place you want to be at night, there’s been a shooting in the hospital itself by a janitor against a coworker, and I’m sure I’m asking for another miracle to hope I don’t get into an accident or find my car sideswiped in the parking garage by the end of this. Tomorrow I get to go back to work just to throw another wrench into things.
We are just waiting on maturation of feeding and his Brady’s to stop. Never had a Brady that wasn’t self limited, which we are told is great but doesn’t matter because each event resets our clock of discharge to a minimum of a week. He can eat a full 60mL of bottle every 3 hours one day but the next he won’t wake up for a feeding or can only half eat 2 or 3 of his bottles. “Just waiting for the lightbulb to go off” we keep getting told, but frankly I’m at a point where I’ve stopped being excited for that day because I am losing faith we can string together 7 consecutive days of perfection. No indication anything else is wrong, he’s very health we keep getting told, just not healthy enough to go home. Our updates are always the same “he’s doing great, he only had 1 (or 2) Brady events and he did okay eating. Doctors just want to see him keep improving and gaining weight”. Every. Day.
Is it awful I do t even want to go anymore at this point and just wait the 2 or 3 or however many weeks until we can bring him home? I’d rather that than just feel like I’m putting my whole life through the wringer to get a disappointing update being framed like it’s a positive. I won’t even be able to be there all those hours anymore, just the couple of hours in the evening I can spare between work, getting home to take care of the dog, and driving back to the hospital to catch the very tail end of the evening. I don’t feel like a Dad, I don’t feel like a meaningful contributor, and I’m just exhausted at trying to hope we can get our lives back on the rails again.