2023 Results (So Far): +18.78 Units
2022 Results: +73.185 Units
All Time: +92 Units

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Anyways enough waffle - let’s get into this week’s shenanigans. This is a surprisingly fun fight night card, I love these events that are lower on name value but just full of decent talent and exciting matchups. This is definitely one of them and generally when you have slightly lesser talent stacked fight nights, you have a night full of violence and finishes - let’s see if that continues in this one. Onto the breakdowns!
Maxim Grishin (32-9-2) vs. Philipe Lins (16-5):
Grishin is a tall, orthodox fighter who is just a real good mixed martial artist. He is a big frame for the LHW division, is strong and still has fairly slow, plodding style of movement and footwork. Is good in the clinch, very good at holding position by winning underhooks and using his big head to frame against the neck of his opponent and keep them in position for taxing knees to the body and just wearing on them with his big frame. I like his ability to keep the fight in his range, using slight forward pressure and a decent feint game to his advantage. Can be a little heavy set on the lead leg so should look out for the speedy outside leg kick of Lins in this one - Grishin is also pretty handy at catching the body kick and punishing. Personally, never been massively high on Lins in his career, admittedly he has looked better since dropping to his proper weight class post juice cycle but it is against weak competition. He is OK everywhere but not great anywhere, I do like his hand-speed with his boxing combos especially when pressuring forward. I think he mixes in takedowns well in his game at times but he can also be held against the cage. I probably slightly edge Lins in terms of cardio but I also do think this is a massive watch the scales fight due to Grishin’s size and propensity for bad weight cuts. This is a tough fight to call given both guys are fairly unimpressive. I favour the speed of Lins with the hand-speed and kicks definitely but he doesn’t set them up intelligently. I think Grishin can hold Lins against the cage, wear on him with his size and win minutes. I capped this fight 50/50 and I think we see a close fight, will take Maxim Grishin by UD but with very low confidence.
BET: No bet.
Luan Lacerda (12-2) vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (12-5-1):
I like what I saw on debut from Lacerda - he has a very Muay Thai style of fighting, very flat-footed with a high guard, move forward pressuring with the lead leg ready to pop up and check kicks quickly. He has sharp, fast hands and particularly his hooks to the body are very technically sound. Against Stamann he was able to mix some grappling in when it suited but it is clear he is more of an Aldo style fighter that prefers to stuff takedowns and keep it on the feet. Coming up against Blackshear here who I have been very impressed with even though he is off 2 losses. Da’mon is a super well rounded guy, I like his creative offence on the feet and I also like his offensive grappling ability on the ground too. Defensively, he leave a little more to be desired and can be a little comfortable with fighting off his back which I don’t particularly like. We haven’t seen too much grappling from Lacerda so will be interested to see how he fares in this one but I think the technicality of Lacerda on the feet, the ability to mix his targets to the head, body and legs and just land the more damaging strikes will edge him this one. Taking Luan Lacerda by UD.
BET: No bet.
Jinh Yu Frey (11-8) vs. Elise Reed (6-3):
I would be doing a disservice to everyone who reads this if I honestly told you with any level of confidence that you should put your hard earned money anywhere near this fight. Don’t, simple as that.
Daniel Santos (10-2) vs. Johnny Munoz Jr. (12-2):
This is a super fun matchup between two very efficient grapplers which should make for a exciting scrap here. Let’s start with Daniel Santos, if you knew nothing of this guy and watched him fight and had half a clue on MMA, you would know immediately that he is a Chute Boxe fighter. He has relentless forward pressure, irresponsible boxing defence and is a very kill or be killed style fighter. I like his stalking style, but he has little head movement besides the pull counter really, likes to pressure you until that back foot is up against the cage and then explode in with spinning attacks or elbows from weird angles. He keeps his hands high but then head on centre line and thus far has shown some crazy durability but this can only get you so far. Looks to have solid grappling, not accepting bottom position and constantly looking to invert and throw up submissions. Against Arce he looked good however Arce was able to be elusive with his footwork, stick and move and use angles well to counter in and out of range. I think against anyone who can effectively stay on the outside and use smart, straight shots effectively, he will struggle. I just don’t think that guy is Munoz JR on the feet - he is clunky, doesn’t throw in combinations and looks to parry alot of shots defensively which I really don’t like against a guy who throws wild, unorthodox strikes in Santos. He is a solid wrestler with some good offensive TD numbers but he has to be careful not to shoot unintelligently and throw himself into a submission which will make him hesitant and have to strike. I think Munoz’s wins have been against low level guys who aren’t in the promotion anymore and I think this is a bad stylistic fight for him. I think Santos will land the more damaging shots and I fancy he gets him out of here in under 2 rounds. Taking Daniel Santos via TKO RD 1.
BET: Like the look of the Santos moneyline, fancy Santos Inside the Distance too but will wait to see what price this opens at. If we get anything in the realm of +125 to -120, I would look at a 1.5 unit play. Under 2.5 rounds is an option also depending on price, I think it will probably be around the -200 to -250 play so anything south of that will be a play too.
Andrei Arlovski (34-21) vs. Don'Tale Mayes (9-5):
Huge experience edge to the old-dawg here in Arlovski. Mayes has been everything but impressive thus far in his UFC career and I don’t know how you could be intrigued to play either side in this one. Mayes can hit hard and is reasonably athletic for the HW division but skill for skill outside the boxing, he doesn’t offer a lot. I couldn’t be confident on ever betting him to be quite honest. You know what you’re going to get with Arlovski and that is volume, if his chin can handle what is coming back at him. He is a special for split decisions so if you’re a degen and want action, look to that but for me, no interest here. Will take the side of Andrei Arlovksi via UD using his volume and experience but you couldn’t be more lower confidence.
John Castañeda (19-6) vs. Muin Gafurov (18-4) :
Gafurov taking this on short-notice with Castaneda set to take on Mendonca before that was cancelled and replaced with possibly the furthest opposite style of fighter. The Gafurov gameplan is simple, contest on the feet, use blitz attacks such as looping overhands when moving forward followed by a double leg against the cage and rely on his Sambo capabilities to hold top position and out-work his opponent. Castañeda is a guy that doesnt get a huge amount of spotlight but I like his game alot. He has nice footwork, good striking out of southpaw and orthodox, has good wrestling entries and is able to grapple competitively, just a solid all around mixed martial artist. In this one, I really favour the movement and footwork of Castañeda and I think the speed is going to give Gafurov issues. Castañeda is sitting at a 60% TD Defence rate which is concerning against a guy who will consistently shoot like Gafurov, but I think Castañeda will be hard to find, using the angles in and out of the pocket and throwing quick shots up the middle to dissuade and make Gafurov think. I like John Sexi Mexi Castañeda to win this one by UD.
BET: No lines opened yet but have capped Castañeda as a 60% winning chance.
Elizeu Zaleski (23-7) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-3-1):
Zaleski is an interesting fighter to me. Good sprawl, solid TD Def against the cage, good balance and strength to win underhooks. Quite a flat-footed striker, not a massive amount of footwork but I like his rear leg power kick, he hits the body well and switches levels nicely. Relatively low volume and works single shots mainly without a massive amount of feinting. The frequency that he fights worries me but it has been the story of his career. Abubakr is the typical Dagestani fighter, limited stand up basically a quick overhand right and other single shots, tied in with a grinding, gruelling wrestling pace. He seems on the lower end of the Nurmagomedov scale in terms of skill, often leaving himself open to submission when in top control whether it’s knee-bars or even the common triangle. He is able to hold a good pace over 15 mins which is good given how top heavy and smothering he can be at times. He fights out of both stances, looks more comfortable out of OD but if he fights SP, I think he will lose this fight. Zaleski is too sharp on the feet especially with the body kicks and straight shots which will only be accentuated in the opposite stances. I also think the knees for Zaleski are going to be huge here, he throws them with bad intentions in the centre and against the cage which tied in with his teeps and front kicks are a dangerous sight for Abubakr. Abubakr is a good chance at smothering the fire power of Zaleski and just wearing on him but I think he is dangerous enough off his back to survive and challenge at times and I expect the damage will start to add up on the Zaleski side and I think we see a finish. Taking Elizeu Zaleski via TKO RD 2.
BET: Zaleksi ITD will be a play if over +200. Moneyline odds are probably bang on.
Guram Kutateladze (12-3) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (16-5):
Guram has a K1 kickboxing background and it shows, very high level on the feet with good head movement and sharp, unpredictable strikes set up with a smart feint game. He has really good distance management, uses great fundamentals and is super quick with his hand-speed and he finishes combos with kicks which I love, its that kickboxing mentality. He fights out of All Stars which shows in his TD Defence especially against the fence, he is clearly strong but has very good wrestling and counter wrestling technique. He has had a super high level of competition and performed very well in wins and losses, we just don’t see him active enough due to injuries and bad luck. Mullarkey is an absolute junkyard dog, pushing the pace and moving forward with intense pressure making you fight every second of that 15 minutes. He like to engage in the pocket, for better or worse, and in recent times we have seen his wrestling really shine through some of these tough scraps. He has a nice jab which I expect to be pumping prior to every combo and entry for Mullarkey. I just think at this point in his career this is quite a tough fight for Mullarkey. Guram is a super high-level striker with a good base for stuffing takedowns and keeping the fight in kickboxing range. I expect Mullarkey to want to close distance and engage, I just don’t think defensively he is strong enough to absorb and adapt to the speed and combinations of Guram and I think we see that chin tested for Mullarkey. I think this is a bit of a step down in competition for Guram although if Mullarkey can get some early takedowns it will be interesting to see the gastank of Guram tested. The activity is always a question mark but at this point I think Guram should win this handily, will be taking Guram Kutateladze via TKO RD 2.
BET: Wouldn’t touch Guram at -350 but he should win.
Karine Silva (15-4) vs. Ketlen Souza (13-3):
Silva should win here but at that price, even blind Freddie could see that this is a pass on the moneylines. Silva actually has a high finishing ability in terms of WMMA, so if we can get a good price on a fight doesnt go the distance line, that could be an option here.
BET: Wait for round lines to drop.
Tim Elliott (18-12-1) vs. Victor Altamirano (12-2):
Altamirano is a SP fighter, fairly unusual style of striking with sort of a Tony Ferguson style mixed in with some well timed takedown attempts. He has very little power in his strikes but OK volume. Defensively, he leaves a lot to be desired with a modified sort of philly shell style where his lead hand is low and near the hip, he does get hit and often but he has shown very good durability. His takedowns worry me at times because he is very content to dip his head to an advancing opponent and run a double or single leg, he is very open to knees and front kicks up the middle. Tim Elliott lives up to his nickname of “Awkward” extremely well. He has bizarre head movement, footwork and feints that all tie in to his sort of herky jerky style of fighting. He is able to tie his wrestling game in very well, I’d say technically he is far more technically sound than Victor. He does put himself into submission opportunities with some of his entries but im not too worried about that in this fight. This has the potential to be one of the worst fights we have seen TBH and only because of how weird and unorthodox these guys are, the awkwardness really has the potential to make this fight a strange one. I am pretty confident that Tim has the grappling/wrestling edge and also the more diverse and comfortable striker, the recent occurrence with Tim and Gina Mazany in the media does give me pause that he might be coming into this too emotional but I think it may fire him up to really perform. I think Tim is under his value here and can win in a multitude of ways, going to take Tim Elliott via UD.
BET: Tim Elliott Moneyline -175 (2 Units to win 1.14 Units)
Jim Miller (35-17) vs. Jared Gordon (19-6):
I will keep this one short and simple, Gordon is a really bad stylistic matchup for Miller and would win probably 7/10 times currently BUT he is returning way too soon after getting KO’d by that headbutt from Bobby Green. Gordon has good wrestling and generally good durability with a knack for pushing these grinding paces and outworking and outlasting his opponent. Pair that up with good submission defence and thats a horror fight for A10 Miller. But you can never count Jim out, he hits hard for a vet, he is unorthodox and he has the potential to catch you. For me, Gordon should roll here but I love to play Jim Miller round one given that is his money round - have cashed plenty on this through his career! Short breakdown and not a thorough one, I think Jared Gordon should win this fight but I think it is too soon. I will take Jared Gordon via UD**,** but take it with a pinch of salt.
BET: Jim Miller wins round 1 (price not available yet, .75 units)
Alex Caceres (20-13) vs. Daniel Pineda (28-14):
Haven’t had time to break this one down yet but will update if any bets come off it!
Kai Kara-France (24-10) vs. Amir Albazi (16-1):
KKF is a kickboxing fighter who we have seen develop nicely through his career in the UFC. He has worked tirelessly on his takedown defence and it shows in his huge improvement in ability to not only stuff shots but his ability to use the cage and his excellent balance to keep his feet underneath him. I think KKF’s hands are still fairly rudimentary and not necessarily in a bad way, he uses the jab decently well and relies on the 1,2 sometimes too much. For his weight, he has good power and one area I really like are his leg kicks, he has solid rear leg power kicks that he lands very efficiently off the back of his straight shots. Albazi is more of a grappler in nature with a majority of his victories by submission but I have liked what I have seen from him on the feet also. He has a sharp, snappy jab which he works off the back of and allows to dictate the fight. He has a pretty limited kicking game and in terms of kick defence, I expect KKF to really try and exploit the lack of checking and the heavy set stature of Albazi. In the grappling realm, I don’t think it’s close. Albazi has some elite scrambles on the mat and if you’re content to sit in his guard, he has some really damaging ground and pound in which he will equally target your head and body and punish you and wear on you. Albazi is far superior in terms of grappling but the question is will he be able to get it down to the mat? I think his timing going under the big right hand will be an option and I think he will be able to use his strength advantage when in close to muscle certain movements. This is a big step up in competition and his first venture into main event rounds which is a worry. This is going to be a fun fight and I am really looking forward to it but I think as long as everything looks good after weigh-ins, I will be on the Albazi side. He is improving with every fight and I think we see him get this fight to the ground and wear on KKF, eventually finding a submission, probably a RNC. Taking Amir Albazi via SUB RD 3.
BET: Will wait to see what round lines are set at. Will be looking at the Albazi Inside the Distance line also.
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And that wraps up the breakdowns for this week! We send our followers the full betting cards on Saturday morning here in Australia, post weigh-ins. Nothing worse than betting on a fighter pre weigh-in, just to see him look like complete shit on the scales. We will post some of our betting card here incase anyone is interested!
Good luck, always gamble responsibly and remember to hang around long-term because there will be ups and downs but trust the process and we will build some bankroll. Would love to know if you agree or disagree anywhere and let us know who you are riding with below. Enjoy the fights! - Dylan.

1
I live in a suburb surrounded by forest. My house is in a row of other properties built next to a tree line. The neighborhood was always quiet. The sounds of crickets, birds, and sight of black bears were routine on most summer days.
The scenic area was something I was always grateful for. I lived completely alone since the death of my parents. An accidental fire took both of their lives. Once I collected my inheritance, I relocated to a much more peaceful region. I had always fantasized about moving there.
I tried to start a relationship with Samantha. I had gone to High School with her sixteen years before. She had gone on to become a respected Detective. My attempt at something long lasting with her failed. She was too career oriented. I was reeling from grief. Focusing on building something meaningful with her was a pipe dream.
Things around my community changed once the Murphy family went missing.
The first sign that something was off on that Wednesday was how their blinds had closed. Their silver Chevy Chrysler remained parked in the driveway.
A tennis instructor at the country club noticed the wife of that house did not show up for the program. He called their number to make sure everything was alright. When no one responded, he notified the authorities. Rumors abounded immediately among the home owners association about an alleged affair. The gossip only furthered when the married couple and their three kids were not found in the abode.
I watched from my balcony as the patrolmen roped the place off with caution tape. The domicile was a three story building with brick chimney’s and a few peaked roofs in the style of English towers. They were beige, light blue and crimson.
On the morning of the Murphy’s desertion of society, the architecture became a hollow image. It was one that was once filled with activity and life.
The law did what they could. Any success they may have had in the investigation was secret. A few months passed by and they removed the caution tape.
I followed the on-line police logs. The weather was pristine and clear the day they vanished. The fact that there were no witnesses to what direction they may have gone disturbed me.
I had heard how the man, Frank Murphy, had a bit of a temper and always had a bourbon in hand. I had heard mutual friends describe him as an alcoholic in denial of his servitude to liquor. He was an indignant individual who knew no true repercussions for his behavior. He always had bail money from a software company he founded and sold a long time ago.
I was never close to that family, but I peered out at their vacant house far more than I ever had. I was in need of an answer. What could have happened?
2
I called Samantha one evening as I sat on my bed, wondering how she would respond to my reaching out. We were never argumentative or on bad terms. I still worried about her reaction, and hoped it would not be a dismissive one.
I heard her say hello. Her voice still impressed me. I had almost forgotten how silky her tone was. I knew it could change to a much firmer pitch when she was interviewing a suspect.
“Hi, Sam. I’d like to know if you’d be free tomorrow for a cup of coffee. We can go to that place, The Bean Field, off Pond road. It’s been a while and I know you have a lot to tell me about what’s new in your life.”
There was a pause on the other end, and for a second a bout of anxiety hit me. I judged my own words as robotic, stilted, and sure to push her away. I reasoned she was summoning an excuse to get out of having to interact with me. How dare I presume she would even entertain the notion of having a meeting.
“That sounds great,” she said. “Tomorrow is my day off, luckily for you. I’m in the middle of an incident right now. It’s a five car pile-up about forty minutes from where you live. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she hung up, I was triumphant. I looked at our old text conversations. I realized we had not been in communication with each other for over twelve months. Now was my opportunity to reconcile that gap of unintended avoidance. I knew it would be an undeserved opportunity.
3
I sat outside of the cafe the next morning at a black metal table. I had a view of rolling hills dotted with trees. A highway with multitudinous shrubberies sat on either side of it. I sipped a piccolo latte while waiting for her.
When she arrived and stepped out of her hatchback in the parking lot, her appearance floored me. She had not dressed up for our supposed date, but that did not make a difference. She had arrived from the gym and wore shorts and a top set. She donned a gray and green hoodie.
She sat across from me and reached for the menu.
“Can you go to the front and order me avocado toast?” Samantha asked. “I’ll also take a mocha with a few shots of espresso. Please.”
I did exactly that. When I returned with her items, she apologized for consuming her meal in less than two minutes.
“I hadn’t eaten since five PM yesterday,” she said between sips.
“I understand,” I said. “I doubt you ever have a consistent schedule anymore.”
“You’re right, but that’s why I have to enjoy my free time when I can.”
We settled into talking about what had happened since we last saw each other. I referenced my trying to learn another language (French) with the hopes of moving to Europe or Canada.
After fifteen minutes of small talk, I asked her about work, but I did so with caution. It started with me wondering about what the call she was on when we were on the phone was about.
“A drunk driver blew a stop sign and hit two other vehicles,” she said. “It was ugly. A few people died. We’ll see if the man in silk pajamas gives him the proper sentence or a traffic citation.”
“You know, I’m curious about what happened to the Murphy’s, if they’re hurt or not.”
“You and everyone else,” she said. “We’ve been getting so many witness accounts, and so far they’ve all been bogus. All I know is what I saw when I got there.”
“I didn’t know you were one of the responders,” I said.
“Yeah. Something about the place was off from the moment I walked in. I found heavy items in placed they should not have been in. The toolbox was not in the garage but on the second story. A disassembled snowblower lay scattered everywhere in pieces. The oven door was on their bed. Frank Murphy was not the strongest guy in the world, either. For him to cause the kind of property damage I saw doesn’t make a lot of sense. At the risk of sounding crazy, inexplicable things happened when I was there.”
“Like what?”
“I was under the impression that something was playing a trick on me. Electrical outlets sparked a few times out of nowhere. The ceiling fan would go from still to spinning when I looked up at it. Books would fall off of the shelves. A volume on black magic, of all things, almost hit the top of my head when I walked on by. Another book about fairies collapsed with it.”
“So the home intruder set up a bunch of weird diversions,” I said. “I’ve heard of that before. These killers or kidnappers want the victims to think there was more than one of them. It’s so their account’s disputed in court.”
I’ll tell you right now,” she said, “we didn’t find any outside DNA.”
“So it’s a case of family annihilation,” I said as I took a long swig of my beverage. “I don’t know if you can substantiate the facts, but a few people have said that Emily had a big life insurance policy. Frank knew about. He may have been using steroids and having an affair, and that could have contributed to-“
It occurred to me that she eyed me with suspicion, as though I was digging too deep. I could also tell she regretted letting information about the forensic results slip.
She stood up and stared at me with a flash of anger in her eyes.
“I thought you wanted to piece something back together with me,” she said. “I didn’t know you wanted to play armchair investigator like every true crime fan. You know, your parents were kind. I wish you’d follow their example. I’ll let you get the bill.”
She walked back to her vehicle and I knew it would be a while before we conversed again.
Later that night, I stared out my window at the Murphy home. I saw a star shoot across the sky, and it almost seemed ready to plummet into the side of their house.
4
The next evening, I took a walk around the suburb. I spotted a thin line of dried red fluid along a path which led into the woods.
I was attempting to get in some movement to get my mind off of the events of the day before. Negativity and self-deprecation were all-consuming. I felt the need for a long saunter to try and release some of the meandering and pessimistic energy I accrued.
When I saw the carmine ribbon along the dark soil, a sense of worry filled me. I was not that far removed from a cul-de-sac with palatial manors a block away. There was no way I could speculate on me being the first to see it.
Could it be a hint where they are? I thought.
The notion seemed absurd, a reach.
I had read in the local newspaper that there was an uptick in bobcat sightings due to recent wildfires. The animals relocated during prior summers. I reasoned it could have been a house pet which became a victim after it got snatched away into the overgrowth.
I followed it, and the uneven road of red stretched on past many bushes and over logs. A shrill chirping in the background became louder. I moved between two conifers with petrified wood and found myself in a part of the forest I had never been in.
There were so many branches that it blacked out the falling sun. Ahead of me was a clearing. A swarm of gnats and mosquitos descended upon it. The sea of insects soared together in chaotic unison as a wave among the sedges and lichen.
I looked towards the right of the meadow and saw a ramshackle tree house. I trailed the red line towards it. I peered in through one of the windows and saw a statue of a woman with wings. I knew she was not an angel. There was no halo, nor were her organs of flight feathery, but rather they were thin and bat-like.
I entered the place knowing the danger I was putting myself in. I had tracked mud in and was oblivious to the incriminating actions I partook in. I was trespassing and risking stumbling into whoever may have owned the land. My curiosity got the better of me and caused me to keep moving forward.
The room was sparse but decorated. The walls had carvings of men and women, also with wings. Their bodies held yogic-like positions as they reached out to one another mid-air.
A piece of parchment with a few words sat in the corner. I picked it up and read it:
‘Humans are the greatest living beings to play tricks on. Especially when they go through a time of drought and extreme cold.’
I sat it down where I found it, unsure of what to make of it.
I touched the central figure’s neck. The chiseling was not only cold, but below freezing, as though I had submerged my hand in a polar pool.
The noise of some kind of bird attempting to escape a confined space reverberated below me.
Something brushed against my leg. I looked down and saw an army of glow bugs float up between the cracks, and they circled around me. They were like dragon flies. At the time I had labeled them as such, but in reality their shapes were far too humanoid.
I walked back home. I went to bed and slept. I was still perturbed at the wine-colored avenue and cabin.
I awoke in the middle of the night after something tapped at my walls from the outside. I peered out and saw the Murphy home, and observed how the blinds over their casements were wide open. A hive of mites filled every inch of the interior.
5
I found the decomposing body of a chipmunk stuffed into the tailpipe of my vehicle the next day.
This horrified me, because the deliberation of the act was too evident to ignore. While I did have a surveillance camera on my porch, the coverage of my vehicle was non-existent. I calmed myself down by thinking it was likely a tempestuous child. I retrieved a pair of medical gloves and disposed of the creature before going on with the errand. The rotting body had a horrible smell. It was like an onion left out in humidity for days, and my stomach turned as I sealed it off in the garbage with the lid.
The next morning, I looked in my closet. Some of my favorite shirts had disintegrated. Holes and patches of destroyed fabric littered them. I found it odd, and even searched on-line for possible answers before I decided it had to be a moth infestation. I sprayed lavender. Information on a website statEd that was a cure-all, but the problem persisted. It bothered me that I had not seen a single aphid, but I pushed that concern away.
A few days afterward, when I had tossed my disheveled pieces of attire, the power in my house went out. This was not such an unusual occurrence during the heavy winter months. For it to occur in the summer was strange.
It was a rolling blackout. Once my house had electricity again, I noticed how someone moved items around.
Something turned my kitchen table on its side and stuffed into a part of the kitchen I would have never placed it in.
I grabbed a butcher knife and did a sweep of the premises, and I did not find anything. There were no footprints or signs of anything else tampered with. When I got to the second story, birds nested along the tree tops, and the repugnant odor of fish attacked me.
My allergies became insufferable over the next month. Nothing purchased over the counter which helped it.
6
I went to the beach on an overcast day. After roughly half a mile of walking, I saw an illustration someone had drawn in the sand with a stick. It was of a being with airfoils.
A light precipitation had fallen earlier. As I trailed along the former part of the sand, a glint in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked out at the water and saw what appeared to be a light blue outline of wings beneath the surface.
A phosphorescent wall of creatures surrounded me.
As the days march on, I know I am stalked by something I cannot rebel against, let alone have any agency or autonomy over. My pillowcases have shredded, the pipes in my basement have burst, and someone left me a gift at my front door. When I opened it, I saw mice scurry away. It was a book, and it was one about the history of fairies.
I picked it up and had to blow the dust off of it. Someone had stolen it from a musty subterranean chamber and brought it here.
I theorized that it was Samantha, passive aggressive with her disappointment in me. Yet I flip through its pages and find it all too familiar. I cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of something far more dangerous.

I live in a suburb surrounded by forest. My house is in a row of other properties built next to a tree line. The neighborhood was always quiet. The sounds of crickets, birds, and sight of black bears were routine on most summer days.
The scenic area was something I was always grateful for. I lived completely alone since the death of my parents. An accidental fire took both of their lives. Once I collected my inheritance, I relocated to a much more peaceful region. I had always fantasized about moving there.
I tried to start a relationship with Samantha. I had gone to High School with her sixteen years before. She had gone on to become a respected Detective. My attempt at something long lasting with her failed. She was too career oriented. I was reeling from grief. Focusing on building something meaningful with her was a pipe dream.
Things around my community changed once the Murphy family went missing.
The first sign that something was off on that Wednesday was how their blinds had closed. Their silver Chevy Chrysler remained parked in the driveway.
A tennis instructor at the country club noticed the wife of that house did not show up for the program. He called their number to make sure everything was alright. When no one responded, he notified the authorities. Rumors abounded immediately among the home owners association about an alleged affair. The gossip only furthered when the married couple and their three kids were not found in the abode.
I watched from my balcony as the patrolmen roped the place off with caution tape. The domicile was a three story building with brick chimney’s and a few peaked roofs in the style of English towers. They were beige, light blue and crimson.
On the morning of the Murphy’s desertion of society, the architecture became a hollow image. It was one that was once filled with activity and life.
The law did what they could. Any success they may have had in the investigation was secret. A few months passed by and they removed the caution tape.
I followed the on-line police logs. The weather was pristine and clear the day they vanished. The fact that there were no witnesses to what direction they may have gone disturbed me.
I had heard how the man, Frank Murphy, had a bit of a temper and always had a bourbon in hand. I had heard mutual friends describe him as an alcoholic in denial of his servitude to liquor. He was an indignant individual who knew no true repercussions for his behavior. He always had bail money from a software company he founded and sold a long time ago.
I was never close to that family, but I peered out at their vacant house far more than I ever had. I was in need of an answer. What could have happened?
*
I called Samantha one evening as I sat on my bed, wondering how she would respond to my reaching out. We were never argumentative or on bad terms. I still worried about her reaction, and hoped it would not be a dismissive one.
I heard her say hello. Her voice still impressed me. I had almost forgotten how silky her tone was. I knew it could change to a much firmer pitch when she was interviewing a suspect.
“Hi, Sam. I’d like to know if you’d be free tomorrow for a cup of coffee. We can go to that place, The Bean Field, off Pond road. It’s been a while and I know you have a lot to tell me about what’s new in your life.”
There was a pause on the other end, and for a second a bout of anxiety hit me. I judged my own words as robotic, stilted, and sure to push her away. I reasoned she was summoning an excuse to get out of having to interact with me. How dare I presume she would even entertain the notion of having a meeting.
“That sounds great,” she said. “Tomorrow is my day off, luckily for you. I’m in the middle of an incident right now. It’s a five car pile-up about forty minutes from where you live. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she hung up, I was triumphant. I looked at our old text conversations. I realized we had not been in communication with each other for over twelve months. Now was my opportunity to reconcile that gap of unintended avoidance. I knew it would be an undeserved opportunity.
*
I sat outside of the cafe the next morning at a black metal table. I had a view of rolling hills dotted with trees. A highway with multitudinous shrubberies sat on either side of it. I sipped a piccolo latte while waiting for her.
When she arrived and stepped out of her hatchback in the parking lot, her appearance floored me. She had not dressed up for our supposed date, but that did not make a difference. She had arrived from the gym and wore shorts and a top set. She donned a gray and green hoodie.
She sat across from me and reached for the menu.
“Can you go to the front and order me avocado toast?” Samantha asked. “I’ll also take a mocha with a few shots of espresso. Please.”
I did exactly that. When I returned with her items, she apologized for consuming her meal in less than two minutes.
“I hadn’t eaten since five PM yesterday,” she said between sips.
“I understand,” I said. “I doubt you ever have a consistent schedule anymore.”
“You’re right, but that’s why I have to enjoy my free time when I can.”
We settled into talking about what had happened since we last saw each other. I referenced my trying to learn another language (French) with the hopes of moving to Europe or Canada.
After fifteen minutes of small talk, I asked her about work, but I did so with caution. It started with me wondering about what the call she was on when we were on the phone was about.
“A drunk driver blew a stop sign and hit two other vehicles,” she said. “It was ugly. A few people died. We’ll see if the man in silk pajamas gives him the proper sentence or a traffic citation.”
“You know, I’m curious about what happened to the Murphy’s, if they’re hurt or not.”
“You and everyone else,” she said. “We’ve been getting so many witness accounts, and so far they’ve all been bogus. All I know is what I saw when I got there.”
“I didn’t know you were one of the responders,” I said.
“Yeah. Something about the place was off from the moment I walked in. I found heavy items in placed they should not have been in. The toolbox was not in the garage but on the second story. A disassembled snowblower lay scattered everywhere in pieces. The oven door was on their bed. Frank Murphy was not the strongest guy in the world, either. For him to cause the kind of property damage I saw doesn’t make a lot of sense. At the risk of sounding crazy, inexplicable things happened when I was there.”
“Like what?”
“I was under the impression that something was playing a trick on me. Electrical outlets sparked a few times out of nowhere. The ceiling fan would go from still to spinning when I looked up at it. Books would fall off of the shelves. A volume on black magic, of all things, almost hit the top of my head when I walked on by. Another book about fairies collapsed with it.”
“So the home intruder set up a bunch of weird diversions,” I said. “I’ve heard of that before. These killers or kidnappers want the victims to think there was more than one of them. It’s so their account’s disputed in court.”
I’ll tell you right now,” she said, “we didn’t find any outside DNA.”
“So it’s a case of family annihilation,” I said as I took a long swig of my beverage. “I don’t know if you can substantiate the facts, but a few people have said that Emily had a big life insurance policy. Frank knew about. He may have been using steroids and having an affair, and that could have contributed to-“
It occurred to me that she eyed me with suspicion, as though I was digging too deep. I could also tell she regretted letting information about the forensic results slip.
She stood up and stared at me with a flash of anger in her eyes.
“I thought you wanted to piece something back together with me,” she said. “I didn’t know you wanted to play armchair investigator like every true crime fan. You know, your parents were kind. I wish you’d follow their example. I’ll let you get the bill.”
She walked back to her vehicle and I knew it would be a while before we conversed again.
Later that night, I stared out my window at the Murphy home. I saw a star shoot across the sky, and it almost seemed ready to plummet into the side of their house.
*
The next evening, I took a walk around the suburb. I spotted a thin line of dried red fluid along a path which led into the woods.
I was attempting to get in some movement to get my mind off of the events of the day before. Negativity and self-deprecation were all-consuming. I felt the need for a long saunter to try and release some of the meandering and pessimistic energy I accrued.
When I saw the carmine ribbon along the dark soil, a sense of worry filled me. I was not that far removed from a cul-de-sac with palatial manors a block away. There was no way I could speculate on me being the first to see it.
Could it be a hint where they are? I thought.
The notion seemed absurd, a reach.
I had read in the local newspaper that there was an uptick in bobcat sightings due to recent wildfires. The animals relocated during prior summers. I reasoned it could have been a house pet which became a victim after it got snatched away into the overgrowth.
I followed it, and the uneven road of red stretched on past many bushes and over logs. A shrill chirping in the background became louder. I moved between two conifers with petrified wood and found myself in a part of the forest I had never been in.
There were so many branches that it blacked out the falling sun. Ahead of me was a clearing. A swarm of gnats and mosquitos descended upon it. The sea of insects soared together in chaotic unison as a wave among the sedges and lichen.
I looked towards the right of the meadow and saw a ramshackle tree house. I trailed the red line towards it. I peered in through one of the windows and saw a statue of a woman with wings. I knew she was not an angel. There was no halo, nor were her organs of flight feathery, but rather they were thin and bat-like.
I entered the place knowing the danger I was putting myself in. I had tracked mud in and was oblivious to the incriminating actions I partook in. I was trespassing and risking stumbling into whoever may have owned the land. My curiosity got the better of me and caused me to keep moving forward.
The room was sparse but decorated. The walls had carvings of men and women, also with wings. Their bodies held yogic-like positions as they reached out to one another mid-air.
A piece of parchment with a few words sat in the corner. I picked it up and read it:
‘Humans are the greatest living beings to play tricks on. Especially when they go through a time of drought and extreme cold.’
I sat it down where I found it, unsure of what to make of it.
I touched the central figure’s neck. The chiseling was not only cold, but below freezing, as though I had submerged my hand in a polar pool.
The noise of some kind of bird attempting to escape a confined space reverberated below me.
Something brushed against my leg. I looked down and saw an army of glow bugs float up between the cracks, and they circled around me. They were like dragon flies. At the time I had labeled them as such, but in reality their shapes were far too humanoid.
I walked back home. I went to bed and slept. I was still perturbed at the wine-colored avenue and cabin.
I awoke in the middle of the night after something tapped at my walls from the outside. I peered out and saw the Murphy home, and observed how the blinds over their casements were wide open. A hive of mites filled every inch of the interior.
*
I found the decomposing body of a chipmunk stuffed into the tailpipe of my vehicle the next day.
This horrified me, because the deliberation of the act was too evident to ignore. While I did have a surveillance camera on my porch, the coverage of my vehicle was non-existent. I calmed myself down by thinking it was likely a tempestuous child. I retrieved a pair of medical gloves and disposed of the creature before going on with the errand. The rotting body had a horrible smell. It was like an onion left out in humidity for days, and my stomach turned as I sealed it off in the garbage with the lid.
The next morning, I looked in my closet. Some of my favorite shirts had disintegrated. Holes and patches of destroyed fabric littered them. I found it odd, and even searched on-line for possible answers before I decided it had to be a moth infestation. I sprayed lavender. Information on a website statEd that was a cure-all, but the problem persisted. It bothered me that I had not seen a single aphid, but I pushed that concern away.
A few days afterward, when I had tossed my disheveled pieces of attire, the power in my house went out. This was not such an unusual occurrence during the heavy winter months. For it to occur in the summer was strange.
It was a rolling blackout. Once my house had electricity again, I noticed how someone moved items around.
Something turned my kitchen table on its side and stuffed into a part of the kitchen I would have never placed it in.
I grabbed a butcher knife and did a sweep of the premises, and I did not find anything. There were no footprints or signs of anything else tampered with. When I got to the second story, birds nested along the tree tops, and the repugnant odor of fish attacked me.
My allergies became insufferable over the next month. Nothing purchased over the counter which helped it.
*
I went to the beach on an overcast day. After roughly half a mile of walking, I saw an illustration someone had drawn in the sand with a stick. It was of a being with airfoils.
A light precipitation had fallen earlier. As I trailed along the former part of the sand, a glint in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked out at the water and saw what appeared to be a light blue outline of wings beneath the surface.
A phosphorescent wall of creatures surrounded me.
As the days march on, I know I am stalked by something I cannot rebel against, let alone have any agency or autonomy over. My pillowcases have shredded, the pipes in my basement have burst, and someone left me a gift at my front door. When I opened it, I saw mice scurry away. It was a book, and it was one about the history of fairies.
I picked it up and had to blow the dust off of it. Someone had stolen it from a musty subterranean chamber and brought it here.
I theorized that it was Samantha, passive aggressive with her disappointment in me. Yet I flip through its pages and find it all too familiar. I cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of something far more dangerous.

I'm proud to inform you that the Curse of Strahd adventure is now available in the adventure market of the free and open source Cauldron VTT. I took the maps from this source, added all the walls, windows and doors to make the fog of war working and put them together in a Cauldron VTT adventure.
I still consider this adventure beta, because I want to check all the maps one more time. I did my best to make it all work, but if you see any mistake or if something is missing, just let me know. I also need to add the 'random encounter' maps. Any experienced Curse of Strahd dungeon master out there willing to check if I did everything correctly? It will be much appreciated.
How to start using this? If you don't have a Cauldron VTT account, make one. After you logged in, click on the DM's Vault link in the top menu bar, click on the Adventures icon, click on the 'Browse adventure market' button and import the Curse of Strahd adventure. All you have to do is add the right tokens to the maps. I couldn't do that, due to copyright restrictions.
Have fun!

Edit: Obviously I self sub the text three times, but neglect to notice the atrocity that is the title. For shame! 😰
I've done 3 separate home-brew fermented hotsauces over the years.
Purely positive feedback from friends and family that the spare bottles were gifted to, all asking for more/recipes and methods to make their own.
I have some savings doing nothing, I am genuinely passionate about fermentation, especially as an introduction to general gut health, and have reason to believe I can make a great product, I'm just sketching out a rough business plan.
I have branding down, adequate social media presence, and simple cheap advertisement methods in mind.
I have a rough out-line for a simple 3 recipe first run, a standard mix of tried and tested Chillies and regular veg and herbs and spices, another with a similar recipe but added citrus elements and complimentary spices, and finally a mild version of the original recipe for those with sensitive pallettes...
Anyway, assuming I plan to make a full run of 300 250ml bottles, I'm calculating needing 75L containers for fermentation. In this case I'm thinking of just doing it sous vide first go to save buying the big Kilner Glass valve vented tap barrels that I actually want to use haha.
Obviously I need to figure out amounts a prices for all of the produce.
I'll need to invest in a (relatively) expensive Ph meter.
Label design/printing costs.
Vessel's, both for recombination of each of the recipes as I put them through my Vita-Mix in batches then back into a single container to maintain homogeneity. Then obviously for final bottling purposes.
Maybe some kitschy packaging.
A separate fridge for storage after they've been bottle'd to be sold (slow any further fermentation and taste changes).
I'm thinking about hiring out a local barestaurant's kitchen space on their off day to give myself some room to actually do the work, film some footage of the process for social media too, I have friends that do camera work and editing so that shouldn't be too expensive.
Obviously I feel like I'm missing out a bunch of stuff. Please help me!!!
FYI I'm in the UK, Do I need to list each ingredient and approx % like supermarket brands do?
Do I need to let an agency examine samples or anything legal before selling food stuffs in the UK.
What do my net profits have to be before I need to start declaring it as a second income or telling the tax man? 😂😅
Right now I'm thinking about 1-2k start up. Any profits go towards building the brand up until demand I need to delegate any part of the process. Ive made sauerkraut at the same time as my friend did, in the same kitchen, I eventually got Kraut, he got salty cabbage leaves. Anyway, getting a bit ahead of myself.
Any input greatly appreciated! 👍✌️👃🤌🤙💪🌶️❤️🔥❤️‍🔥🦠

Excerpt: "There’s been a huge rash of eye-opening and thought-provoking articles recently, which I haven’t been able to fit into other posts, and which have been building up on my tabs bar. So I figured I would wash them all through a single post dedicated to compiling these latest signals from the Western elites as to their thoughts on how the conflict is changing.
And certainly, judging by these recent issues, the tone and sentiment is shifting drastically. One can hardly find a single piece still optimistic for the Ukrainian side, apart from the disingenuous lot who continue hyper-focusing on tiny minutiae, like some irrelevant Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian building in Krasnodar, which might’ve damaged the corner of the roof’s eaves.
So, let’s start and see what the Western, NATO, pro-Imperial cognoscenti and literati have to say about the war’s drifting direction:
First on the menu is 1945’s gut-blasting, ego-draining headline:
[ ... ] Which confirms our previous theories on Ukraine’s large offensive possibly coinciding with the huge NATO airforce games—billed as ‘the largest in history—beginning in June, which dovetail into the NATO summit in July.
Well, that’s the headlines for now. Hope you enjoyed not having to read them, and allowing me to do the service for you, as it’s truly a brain-cell-depleting exercise for much of dreck published in the West. But at least it gives an eye-opening account of the tectonic changes the Western cognoscenti and commentariat are currently undergoing in their approach to Ukraine war theorizing.
You can almost make a twelve step chart to illustrate their slow but predictable ‘coming around’ to the truth and light. First always comes acceptance, which they’ve finally managed. But they’re still on the stage where they believe though Ukraine isn’t winning, neither is Russia, and so the ‘cease fire’ has now become the customary go to of the self-proclaimed ‘erudite’. They simply can’t imagine it going any other way.
And I suppose it could be understandable, after all, Russia has not yet shown the West or Ukraine a truly ‘decisive’ action. This is the biggest trump card yet left off the table, one that even people on our side are largely not sold on yet. The big question of whether Russia will “unleash” in some big way, or whether Russia has “lost” its ability to prosecute maneuver warfare and is now mired in an endless WW1-esque attritional style of warfare unlikely to produce grand, decisive blows.
But I believe what Russia is doing is the smart thing, weakening the opponent for as long as it takes with a style of warfare that favors Russia greatly. Why be rushed into offensive actions just because bloggers on Telegram are getting jittery, and sustain losses when you can easily destroy your opponent from long range for a long time, and then swoop in to finish him off when he’s barely able to resist.
The chief argument against that is “well Ukraine is being armed by NATO all this while and growing stronger”. Are they, really? Russia has been raining massive strikes on Ukraine for the past month to the point where Germany has now announced a new round of 100+ Leopard 1A5s. Why would that be, where did the other first batch of Leopards 2A4s go? My point being that, it’s simply an assumption that Ukraine is being ‘armed’ infinitely when in reality Russia appears to be destroying large swaths of those arms as they arrive in warehouses.
Due to the multiplicative effect of strikes, it’s far easier for Russia to negate Ukraine’s so-called Lend Lease arming program because tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment can be destroyed by a single precise missile or cheap drone. All it takes is one to bypass defenses and months of planning and logistical coordination goes mushrooming up to the sky. You can never out-race the negating effect of Russia’s strikes in that way.
But we’ll soon see whose side is right. The ‘grand offensive’ looms before us, and as hands are forced, the cards may soon all be on the table.
[ ... This is an excerpt. Please support SIMPLICIUS THE THINKER ... ]
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/latest-headlines-digest-the-wests

I (26/F) work in a restaurant behind the bar. A few months ago, we had a lead chef (33/F) start in the kitchen. She is my superior, but I immediately had feelings for her (first time having a same-sex crush). We became friends and eventually I got over my feelings for her.
Fast forward 6 months, she and I are hanging out and end up talking about hooking up. She knows I used to have feelings for her. Let me make it clear, she made the first move. We end up dancing together in her living room, eventually kiss, and then everything else. She knows it’s the first time I’ve even KISSED a girl, let alone go all the way.
Next day she goes out of town for a week, then I go out of town for a week. Now that we’re both back, I asked her to hang out, but she said she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to this week. I’ve texted her a few times, and she’s been a little off.
I’m not sure what my next move should be, as I want to hook up again, but I don’t want her to think my feelings are returning (because they’re not). The fact that we haven’t hung out in over two weeks— even in a group setting— is making me sad. We seemed to have grown more distant since hooking up. All this being said, I’m a notorious overthinker, so my mind just keeps going to the worst (she hates me now, she wants nothing to do with me, etc.)
Should I let the “hooking up” thing go and just be friends, or should I go for it again?
TLDR; I hooked up with friend/boss, and we have now grown distant.

No holes barred match. Both at their prime and both bloodlusted.
Bonus round: Jean Grey turns into Phoenix.

I would like to hide the menu bar (File, Edit, View, Tools, Help...) if it's already shown and show it if it's already hidden, with a same keyboard shortcut.
In other words I want to toggle between hide and show the menu bar.
- Is there any Add-on to do that?
Please help! I appreciate your time and effort. Thanks in advance.
https://preview.redd.it/dbnhd223qj2b1.png?width=461&format=png&auto=webp&s=cdf1a6d7b38562fb6cf6acd77b31b8880b551034

We just got back, Italy is magical. Only been to Rome once before as part of Europe hopping trip about 10 years ago. Some thoughts and tricks on our 10 nights, hope it's helpful for others:
Weather: Don't stress too much on forecasts even a week out. Check before leaving and adjust wardrobe or add a light rain jacket if needed. Originally our entire trip showed rain the whole time. Realistically there was a 1 drizzly day in Venice and 2 hour of rain (ominous with thunder) in Florence. The rest of the time was cloudy or beautiful and clear. Cinque Terre was absolutely clear and 70, but dang that sun when hiking was brutally hot. App: Il Meteo
Download WhatsApp - everyone including hotels, restaurants, business, taxi driver (see below) uses it.
Esim: Airalo worked well for us Samsung S22 and Pixel 6. Did have to reboot my S22, but worked really well and between the 2 of us used about 5GB so couldn't gone with less data. One phone did the Europe regional and another the Italy Mamma Mia one. Some restaurants do have dead zones, some have Wifi, another was like these signs on the wall are your wifi....
Driving: You definitely need a car for Tuscany if you want to be on your own timetable, we rented out of Florence and returned in La Spezia. Beware some of the routes on Google Maps, although reliable there were 2 instances we went off roading when an asphalt road was right there. Then we needed to u-turn on the outskirts of Pisa and it was trying to get us to make this impossible stone walled turn and the locals were like yeah Google Maps has people do this and no one has made that so just turn back around. Also lesson learned for us - just do the rental company insurance, event though my credit card offers primary, we got a larger mid size SUV vs Fiat 500 and with the narrow streets, for me the reduced stress would've been worth it when we had to wiggle the car out some spots - but we came out scratch free. On a side note, we got a Lynk & Co car, which was neat and loved Android Auto as we use it at home. Rented thru Hertz. If you use the toll roads (which can make your life a lot faster sometime), make sure you grab a ticket coming in, we didn't get one for 1 segment, luckily getting off of it, the remote attendant spoke english, a little annoyed, but let us pay the fare from where we came from.
Parking: The meters we encountered in Montepulciano, Siena, Pisa seemed straight forward but sometimes card wouldn't work, the english translation was bad and cancelled out transaction multiple times. Just download EasyPark which seems to work everywhere, GPS your zone, link to GooglePay or credit card, license and boom, spin the clock - small fee less than 10%, but damn was it easy and you can add time or end early....
Trains: Download Trenitalia app, book any train instantly, get train status (where is the train currently), and see any station's timetable. Our Venice to Florence train did get delayed and stopped here and there in Bologna one weekend due to the flood damage, luckily our train wasn't cancelled. 5 days later, all trains seems to be back on track. Missed the big 5/26 strike by one day but I was seeing some trains via the app still scheduled. Basically be mentally prepared for any issues, booked an InterCity (assigned seats) from La Spezia to Pisa ahead of time but day of just waited to see when to schedule the regional from Pisa to Florence, so easy via app and you can see how often they run (30 mins for this route) and buy on demand as your schedule permits.
Booking museums/sights: It can be very tricky to google and find official booking sites as there are a lot of 3rd parties who want to get you a "front of the line pass" with a tour for a large markup. So I tried to book thru official sites as much as I can, for the life of us we couldn't get the Doges official to go through so did get those from Get the Guide for less than 5 euro markup for 2. If you are flexible and go off hours, you can do standby and avoid the nominal online booking fee and time spot, we only did these for some, not all. Maybe don't listen to me during summer months. But we did very little waiting - see below
Food: Note that I found classic italian cooking is much more simple, subtle and just pure flavors. Stuff was beautiful but by California standards, a tad underseasoned although some places did put out salt and pepper (default not request) for some dishes like a burrata. This is also coming from here in SoCal where birria is not enough it's birria ramen and hot cheetos encrusted this or that and 5 different types of toppings for mac and cheese - you know stuff for Instagram.... But I totally appreciated the approach and loved it.
Cities - we tend to do a lot on vacation, it may have been a touch quick but it was so fun, we did get a bit sick just with all the weather and change but nothing serious but was glad to get the downtime in Tuscany, we hit it hard first 2 places Venice and Florence. You may vacation differently, this was also our first trip abroad in 7 or so years so wanted to see ALLTHETHINGS.
Accommodations - We did mostly Airbnb which in Europe requires a meetup vs self check in. Did an incredible bed and breakfast (see Montepulciano) and finally a hotel in Florence for last night which I highly recommend for location and service - Arte Boutique (they helped me track down a lost backpack in a taxi, see below).
Safety - felt pretty safe and not scammy in all of our cities our Airbnb host in Florence said Italy overall is safe but he did confirm Rome you need to be more aware. Honestly we only carried 350 euro with us from US bank and that was plenty, near the end we were needing to use it up as everyone takes card, tap to pay, ApplePay and GooglePay freely. Taxi drivers do prefer cash
Staying calm story - we were ending our trip from Florence to airport in in my rush I left my backpack in backseat of taxi, it was gone before I realized we had our rollers and his backpack and duffel but not mine. Luckily my husband was like ok we will call the hotel (the only one we happened to book) who arranged the taxi, and luckily they tracked him down and he came back due to us allotting tons of time before departure. I had to pay the fare again for the backpack fare but was so relieved. We corresponded via WhatsApp after making the initial call to hotel.
Venice: 2 nights
- Sights: Doges (booked via Get the Guide) was cool, not the biggest museum person. Walk over Bridge of Sighs was uneventful from inside. St Mark Basilica had no advance tickets, but did standby for 3 eupp about 20 min before opening and got in within 10 mins, then hopped over to Campanile Tower w/o tickets, no line around 9-9:30 AM - great views.
- Eat: Faves were the quick bites chichetti (All'Arco, Cantina Do Spade), coffee and pastries and gelato (loved Suso). Our sit downs were not bad, just not mind blowing at Ai Mercanti and Imprompta (although seafood good). Also there's a small bar inside Cafe Florian if you want a macchiato for under 5 euro vs sitting down for a 12 euro cappucino and want a mini experience w/o wait.
It can be crowded mid-day but will calm down, very cool to walk or take vaparetto around and get lost, oops this alley dumps into a canal....
Florence: 2 nights
- Sights: Prebooked Galleria Accademia (a must, always a line), good museum experience if you don't necessarily need hours, so neat to see David here. Because not huge museum people, passed on the Uffuzi. Someone at lunch said hey Medici is cool, so did that on a whim w/o any wait and very cool, glad we did it on the fly. Prebooked Boboli Gardens, kinda tired by the time we got here and it had been drizzly and a bit humid, but nice to stroll. The larger fountain area you can't walk through anymore (Ocean fountain?). Also Piazza Michaelangelo for the Florence city center view. Lots of great shopping here, suggest start at Vale for a leather shop.
- Food: Ok so All Antico Vinaio although touristy is legit sandwich, very good and worth it. Tip: go to San Marco location, smaller wait by Galleria Accademia. GustaPizza was legit and very reasonable 7 euro for Margherita?! Fave gelato was Gelato Dei Neri and My Sugar. Mercato Centrale super cool to walk, shop for products, eat if you like. Trattoria Mario, email ahead for reservations - 1.1 kg florentine steak with small sides and salami/cheese plate all for under $70. Dall'Oste was good florentine but much pricier and touristy but had a good Montalcino wine there, book on website for discount for seatings outside of peak times, our 6 PM had 15% discount on food.
Tuscany: 2 nights Montepulciano, 1 night Siena
So beautiful, just the drive through Val D'Orcia. We stopped by San Gimignano and did the tower with no wait (150 stairs), Gelateria Donderia is overrated but fine, GO GO GO to Da'A'Mariani for sandwich here, sweet sweet man and just off the main street - recommended by Pasticcheria Il Criollo which was fabulous just outside city wall.
Stayed in Montepulciano, which was SO fabulous. Our true bed and breakfast was only 3 suites run on a property by 2 americans who moved to Italy - true hospitality and modern yet italian suite. They are booked solid this year, but it was sooo special. Huge breakfast spread every morning. It was true paradise there and the owners are gems - made awesome restaurant recommendations and reservations, driving route, etc. DM me if you want the name but don't bet on getting in for 2023. Restaurants in Montepulciano were Osteria Porto Di Baccio - great antipasto meat/cheese and pici, great typical osteria in wine cave then Le Logge Vignola which was very creative for a very reasonable price - you definitely need reservations for both maybe a few days ahead as both are fully booked by dinner. Gelato recc here would be Scarbia.
Siena - had the Siena OPA Si pass which I recommend, everything except the roof tour. Cathedral inside is a sight to see and includes works by Michaelangelo and Dontatello - ask worker where they are at, definitely do panaroma. This was helpful https://www.earthtrekkers.com/how-to-visit-the-siena-cathedral/ Walk to PastaZuf down the way from Piazza Campo for legit casual takeway pasta for 5-6 euro
Cinque Terre: 2 nights Riomaggiore
Yup, did Pisa as a quick stop on way to drop off car, it's neat and lots of parking (EasyPark app) to get in/out.
Stayed in Riomaggiore, CT is definitely touristy during the day but quiets down. Rick Steves was right, not overhyped. Every city is absolutely gorgeous. Did the hike from Monterosso-Vernazza-Corniglia - yes the HARD way with those stairs first leg but it was very rewarding and fun, can be tight in spots, started at 8 AM and ended in Corniglia around 11:15, start early as you can for less crowds. Train makes it easy to hop towns. Dinners included Rio Bistrot in Riomaggiore (checked in at lunch for dinner reservation same night) and Ristorante Belforte - both great views and suprisingly great food! Tasting menu is way to go at Rio Bistrot. Quick bites include fried seafood, so good. Be prepared for all the elevation/stairs/walking.
Edits: Add safety section, accommodations, and staying calm story.

WEEK #30 is here, been doing this for a while now, always appreciating engagement on these!
What happened last week?
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• AI craze is starting to look overextended as big tech been registering a phenomenal start of the year. Most SP500 gains can be relegated to AI.
• We should see both sides of the aisle come to an agreement on the debt ceiling, next week after successful talks
• PCE core came higher than anticipated, 4.7% you from 4.6% expected, 0.4% MoM from 0.1% on previous month. This is entrenched inflation and talks about further hikes is back on the menu.

What to watch for next week?
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• US markets are closed on Monday
• Home price index on tuesday
• PMI and JOLTs on wednesday
• Non-Farm payrolls on Friday

Canadian news For Week #30, May 22 2023

Monday

CAE announces Vienna, Austria as the location for its new business aviation training centre in Central Europe - CAE.to

is expanding its global network to Central Europe with a new business aviation training centre in Vienna, Austria, scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2024. In addition, CAE will deploy the first Bombardier Global 7500 full-flight simulator (FFS) in Europe, making pilot training on this popular aircraft type more accessible and convenient for operators in the region.
CAE will initially operate six state-of the-art FFSs in Vienna, including the Global 7500, a Global 6000 Vision, and four yet-to-be-announced FFSs for business jets from leading manufacturers. The new 8,000-square-metre facility will have space for expansion with a capacity for up to nine FFSs and will be purpose-built to deliver the most advanced pilot training experience in Central Europe.

Tuesday

Bird Awarded BC Ferries' Maintenance Facility Redevelopment - BDT.to

announce that it has been awarded a contract for the Fleet Maintenance Unit (FMU) Redevelopment Project for BC Ferries.
The FMU Redevelopment Project aims to revitalize BC Ferries' existing facility situated in Richmond, British Columbia, enhancing its capabilities and increasing its capacity to meet the demands of BC Ferries' operational needs. The FMU facility currently handles a substantial portion of the maintenance, repair, and upgrades for BC Ferries' 39-vessel fleet.

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Intermap Powers Telecom Network Planning - IMP.v

announced a contract with RKF Engineering Solutions, LLC (“RKF”) to supply NEXTMap® 3D elevation data through its cloud-based elevation data as a service subscription for telecommunications network planning.
RKF develops innovative engineering solutions for communication networks and satellite systems and provides critical analysis to enable spectrum reuse. RKF is integrating Intermap’s cloud-based services for 3D elevation and land classification data to conduct precision signal analysis for locations around the world. Intermap’s cloud-based solutions offer users rapid and easy-to-use online access to NEXTMap global terrain datasets that integrate into third-party software applications.

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Wednesday

CAE and Endeavor Air celebrate major expansion to Minneapolis-St. Paul training centre - CAE.to

today inaugurated their expanded training centre in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The training centre recently underwent a 50,000 square-foot expansion to make space for Endeavor's Flight Operations and Inflight Training departments and three additional CRJ full-flight simulators (FFS) that will allow Endeavor Air to consolidate all its pilot and cabin crew training, which previously took place in multiple locations, at the state-of-the-art centre in Minneapolis-St. Paul. With this expansion, the facility is now the largest CRJ training facility in the world.
Endeavor Air anticipates that approximately 2,000 pilots will visit the Endeavor Air Learning Center at CAE each year for training. Currently 120 instructors support the flight operations training program and 16 instructors support the flight attendant training program. Between 2,000 and 2,300 flight attendants will come through the facility for both new-hire and annual recurrent training each year.

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SolarBank Reaches Commercial Operation on BTM Solar Project in New York and Provides Update on Pipeline of Projects in Progress - SUNN.to

is ‎pleased to provide shareholders a update on its pipeline of projects, headlined by achieving commercial operation on a 195-kilowatt DC behind-the-meter ("BTM") solar system located in Syracuse, New York for Honeywell International ("Honeywell"). The project is the latest completed for Honeywell in New York, a key U.S. market for SolarBank. Presently, SolarBank is developing nine additional solar projects in New York, totaling 80 Megawatts of potential future capacity ("MWp"). Mobilization is underway and construction has begun on a 3MW potential capacity brownfield project in Geddes, NY. In

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BQE Water Completes Performance Test for Plant that Simultaneously Removes Sulphate and Selenium at a US Mine - BQE.v

has successfully completed the performance test of the first industrial scale water treatment plant combining nanofiltration with electroreduction to simultaneously remove sulphate and selenium from mine contact water at a mine in the US.
Operating intermittently as determined by site water levels, the plant treats a mix of tailings seepage and mine contact water to produce treated effluent fully compliant with site requirements. This includes selenium below 2 ppb and sulphate below 950 ppm to ensure that conditions for passing bioassays are met. By-products of treatment are a solid gypsum and stable non-hazardous iron oxide-selenium residue suitable for onsite disposal.

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Nextech3D.ai Game-Changing Generative-AI CAD 3D Design Studio Toggle3D.ai Primed For $7 Million June IPO - NTAR.v

announce the eagerly anticipated spin-off of Toggle3D.ai. The expected trade date for Toggle3D.ai (CSE:TGGL) is June 13, 2023 (subject to approvals) of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Nextech shareholders of record will be issued an exclusive dividend of 4,000,000 newly issued shares in the revolutionary Toggle3D.ai, on a pro-rata basis.
Toggle3D.ai is a groundbreaking SaaS solution that utilizes generative AI to convert CAD files, apply stunning 4K texturing, and enable seamless publishing of superior 4K 3D models, serving various industries within the $160 billion CGI market. With its Augmented Reality-based rapid prototyping web app, Toggle3D.ai empowers designers, artists, marketers, and eCommerce owners to effortlessly convert, texture, customize, and publish high-quality 3D models and experiences, regardless of technical or 3D design expertise.

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Polaris Renewable Energy Announces Signing of 25 MW (AC) Power Purchase Agreement for Solar Project Canoa II - PIF.to

announce that we have signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in the Dominican Republic for Canoa II. The Canoa II solar project is adjacent to the already operational 25MW Canoa I, which was acquired by the Company in July of 2022, and is inthe Province of Canoa, Municipality of Barahona, Dominican Republic. Polaris owns 100% of the project.
Particulars related to the Canoa II PPA and project are:
15-year PPA denominated in US$ of $82.35 per MWh;
Such PPA has an annual inflator for 5 years post initial commencement, equivalent to approximately 16% of the US Consumer Price Index, at which point the price remains fixed until the end of the 15-year term;
Estimated completion of construction in the third quarter of 2024;

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Bee Vectoring Technologies Receives Largest Order to Date from a Major Multi-State Berry Grower in the United States - BEE.v

Announce a company record-breaking sales order with one of the largest blueberry growers in the United States, who will integrate BVT's proprietary Vectorite with CR-7 (Clonostachys rosea CR-7) biological fungicide and natural precision agriculture system on their blueberry operations in the upcoming growing season in the Pacific Northwest.
"This new customer is an enterprise-sized grower with large scale operations in multiple key growing regions and will be implementing the BVT system on over 500 acres of their operations spread across Washington and Oregon," said Ian Collinson, Sales Manager at BVT. "This significant development is a strong indication of the growing confidence growers have in the BVT system as most growers historically have tested with small acreages first before committing to such a large portion of their operations."

Thursday

Edgewater Wireless Launches WiFi7 Spectrum Slicing Platform - YFI.v

announce its next-generation of Wi-Fi Spectrum Slicing powered silicon solutions targeting residential, enterprise and prosumer applications. Building on the latest Wi-Fi standard, WiFi7 (802.11BE), Edgewater’s groundbreaking platform offers more physical channel capacity than single-channel, legacy Wi-Fi architectures — bringing lower latency and reduced contention for existing and new devices. With ‘Beta’ Spectrum Slicing capable silicon now available for select partner evaluations, engineering samples of Edgewater’s WiFi7 silicon are targeted by the end of Q2 CY2024, with commercial products expected at the end of Q2 CY2025.

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Coveo Services Now Available in the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Canada Region - CVO.to

announced that Canadian customers can now access the Coveo Relevance CloudTM on the AWS Canada (Central) Region.
By leveraging the AWS Canada (Central) Region, a cluster of several data centers located in Montreal, Coveo will enable customers with data residency preferences (regulatory, compliance or other) to securely store data in Canada. Local AWS infrastructure facilities mean that customers can do more in terms of running mission-critical applications that need the lowest possible latency, and benefit from more flexibility.

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Solar Alliance continues to grow project backlog with five new projects totaling $1.1 million - SOLR.v

announce it has signed contracts for five solar projects in the Southeast U.S., ranging in size from 40 kilowatts (“kW”) to 113-kW.
The contracts include the design and installation of solar projects for a range of industries in Tennessee and Kentucky and have a combined capital cost of $1.1 million.
All of the projects are expected to be completed in 2023 and contribute to a backlog of contracted projects totaling $3.1 million.

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BluMetric and Rheinmetall Canada to Deliver Self-Contained Water Purification Systems to Canadian Armed Forces - BLM.v

announce the award of a 3-year $11.7 million contract from Rheinmetall Canada.
BluMetric is teaming with Rheinmetall Canada, who is the prime contractor and an internationally recognized systems integrator, to develop and deliver small, self-contained water purification systems as part of a contract awarded by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This product, named the Advanced Sub-Unit Water Purification System (ASUWPS), will enhance the ability of the CAF to support missions by providing the capacity to purify water at the sub-unit level - providing potable water for 125-250 personnel. The ASUWPS are a smaller, lighter system than BluMetric's Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU), which BluMetric has been building and supporting for the CAF for the last ten years.

Friday

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Good luck guys

Chitti Robot

"Hello world. I am robot. Speed one terahertz. Memory one zetabyte."

Chitti Robot is the star of the Bollywood action films Enthiran and 2.0, playing the part of both the hero and sometimes the villain. Chitti is an advanced combat robot built by Doctor Vasikar, a genius robotics and computer engineer. Chitti was by a massive margin the most advanced ai and most powerful robot on the planet, equipped with an amazingly strong electromagnet and advanced combat capabilities. Vasikar hoped to sell Chitti to the Indian military, but he was ultimately rejected on account of not understanding the value of human life.
To remedy this, Vasikar attempted to teach Chitti human emotions, only succeeding after a stray bolt of lighting hit Chitti. However, this backfired, as a now emotional Chitti quickly fell in love with Vasikar's fiance, and, love-struck, refused to demonstrate his capabilities to the military. Furious, Vasikar violently dismantled his creation, tearing him apart with an axe and throwing him in the dumpster.
However, Chitti would soon return, with new programming in tow...

Intelligence

• Learns to walk almost immediately
• Has downloaded data in various subjects, including math, science, art and language
• Quickly scans a book and learns its contents
• Recites a number's fibonocci number immediately, and notes that it is also an existing phone number
• Knows a prime number so high it will take years to verify
• Recognizes and corrects a man's singing

Physicals

Strength

• While still being constructed, accidentally elbows a man across a room
• While still being constructed, accidentally kicks a man across a room into a desk
• Punches two men a ways
• Smashes a speaker system with one chop
• Jumps into a river and jumps a great distance out
• Grabs a man, uses him as a club, and then throws him into a group of thugs, knocking them down.
• Knocks down a group of thugs by punching two of them
• Kicks through metal window bars
• Kicks through a brick wall
• Rips a door off its' frame
• Throws a metal-framed net high into the air
• Holds down a large armored truck as it's being lifted into the air
• Prevents a truck from falling on its side and pushes it back upright
• Pushes a truck back as it's being pulled in
• Stops an armored truck from smashing against a tree several times
• Catches a large armored truck thrown towards the ground, and carries it

Durability

• No-sells a bottle smashed over his head
• Tanks rocks and bricks shattering into him
• Only slightly damaged by a club to the face (note that he is only sluggish because his battery is running low)
• Kicked out of a moving train into a post
  • Is shown to be completely unharmed by this after charging his battery
• Can withstand up to 1000 degrees celcius
  • However, his skin still quickly melts off
• Is attempted to be crushed briefly, but is unharmed after escaping
  • Said phones previously obliterated a man fairly easily
• After falling from a window on a skyscraper, lands unharmed on his rollerskates
• Nila, a robot of the same model and also built by professor Vasikar, is fully bulletproof

Speed

• While on a moving train, outruns another train moving in the opposite direction
• Uses a staff to destroy various thrown bricks and rocks, only starting to miss because his battery runs low
• Catches up to a moving train on foot
• Punches so fast his fists blur
• Runs on walls and catches a knife thrown at him
• Chases a mosquito around a room and back to its home
• Nila, a robot of the same model and also built by professor Vasikar, jumps in front of bullets to block them.
• Quickly leaps to a construction net, breaks its chains, and swings it underneath a group of falling people before they hit the ground
• Leaps out of a giant talon's way as it tries to smash him
• Jumps far out of a talons reach as it tries to crush him
• While on the side of a building, flips out of the way of an attack and through a window
  • The bird attacking him is fast enough to disassemble to dodge an incoming missile from close range on reaction
• Dashes in front of Pakshi Raja to block his strike
  • Pakshi Raja is fast enough to casually dodge bullets at point-blank range
• After being thrown to the ground, rushes up to stop Pakshi Raja's strike
• Jumps in front of bullets after they've been fired

Agility

• Flips over and jumps onto an incoming moving train
• Flips over a train from one side to the other
• Quickly transverses the exterior of a building while searching for a girl inside
• Quickly slides underneath a truck to the other side
• Flips over a truck from one side to the other

Fighting Skill

• Learns a fighting style almost immediately
• Easily fights a group of armed thugs
• Jumps and hangs from train handholds, and fights thugs from there
• Dodges a swing from behind and rotates his arms backward
• Fights skillfully using a staff

Gear

Electromagnet

• Disarms an entire group of thugs by pulling their weapons and various other metallic objects to him
• Disarms a group of thugs by extending his magnetism to a car he's driving
• Unzips a man's fly and then pulls his pants off
• Attaches himself to a moving train and runs sideways on it
• Can focus on distant metallic objects and pull himself to them, allowing him to leap great distances
  • Leaps to a lamp post while carrying two people
  • Pushes himself out of a mass of cell phones trying to crush him
  • Leaps far from a bus to the side of a building
• Runs up the side of a skyscraper
• While running up the side of a building, pulls two distant assault rifles to him

Rollerskates

• Catches up to a moving train
• Creates sparks that start a fire by grinding his skates against metal

Other Skills

• Can charge his battery from virtually any power source
• Can emit projections or holograms from his eyes
  • Projects the answers of a test onto a paper
• Scans a woman and draws her portrait in moments
• Immediately locates a purse thrown into a river from a moving train
• Can remove his head
• Skilled cook and homemaker
• Has a wireless transmitter built into him
• Uses infrared waves to control the volume on a speaker
  • Turns said speaker up so high in explodes and shatters nearby glass
• Points his eyes in different directions
• Accurately shoots two apples with a pistol
• Has an ultrasound mode that allows him to see a baby inside the womb
• Delivers a baby safely that the doctors couldn't
• Immediately locates a single mosquito flying in a room
• Has a "mosquito mode", that allows him to understand and talk to mosquitoes.
• Shocks a mosquito to death as it tries to enter his mouth
• Somehow changes his hairstyle and color by just shaking his head
• Juggles a multitude of objects at once
• Can see and record different frequencies and spectrums
• Can scan an area for electromagnetic frequencies

Chitti 2.0

"Sir- Cash, check, or credit card?"

"Gun."

After being destroyed by Vasikar, a skinless, broken-down Chitti was dumped in the trash and eventually taken to a landfill. However, he was still functional, and was found by Professor Bohra, Vasikar's mentor-turned rival. Desperate for a functioning military robot that he promised to sell to terrorists, Bohra rebuilt Chitti and added some programming of his own; the destruction chip, making Chitti violent and powerful.
This new Chitti, dubbed "Chitti 2.0", drastically differed in personality and appearance. He kidnapped Vasikar's fiance Sana, killed Bohra, and created an army of clones, killing hundreds of people in the process.
Chitti 2.0 was defeated eventually, and a restored Chitti was dismantled. But decades later, a mysterious supernatural threat called for Chitti's return, and eventually, 2.0's as well.

Physicals

Strength

• Smashes a floor
• Easily throws a man high into the air
• Stops a car speeding towards him and flips it over his head
• Stops two moving trucks and pulls them together
• Fully lifts a car into the air, using it as a shield
• Smashes a man's head open
• Knocks a man out in one hit

Speed

• Gets into his car, does a donut, and drives off before a car he tossed hits the ground

Durability

• He and his clones are all bulletproof

Skill

• Easily kills several guards with a pistol
• Kills several guards high above him from the top of a moving truck
• Drives a car off the road into the air, and ricochets it off a post onto the top of a truck

Gear

Roller Skates

• Fast enough to chase after a military vehicle
• Can boost his skates to outspeed birds flying overhead

Finger Gun
After killing Bohra and kidnapping Sana, Chitti modified his hands to shoot actual bullets.

• Can fire bullets from his fingers like a gun
• Can fire multiple in rapid succession, from either hand

Electromagnet

• Pulls a large number of assault rifles to him and fires them all at once
• Lifts up several motorcycles and flips them back
• Pushes a motorcycle through and out a bus
• Throws a sickle into a man's arm
• Flies himself through a car, pushing a man out in the proccess
• Pulls even more guns to him, forming a complete circle of guns around him and fires them all, destroying a horde of enemies
• With help from his clones, pulls large metal objects from a large radius, including multiple cars and a fire engine

Other

• Remotely controls a car
• Repairs himself

Clones

After kidnapping Sana, Chitti created an army of identical copies of himself, who he could command to do his bidding. These clones can all link up with Chitti, forming massive structures and weapons.
Physicals

• [Strength] Tears cars apart
• [Strength] Throw a car and a motorcycle into the air
• [Strength] With a little time, punch through an armored truck
• [Durability] Functions fine after having head sliced open
• [Durability] Are bulletproof

Other

• Can charge themselves
• Come with their own roller skates like the original Chitti

Formations

Original Clone Army (Ambigious Number of Clones)
Ball

• Forms into a giant sphere and uses guns to shoot in all directions
• [Strength] Crushes through soldiers and support beams alike
• [Strength] Fires clones in all directions, smashing into soldiers, and then reforms
• [Speed] Expands to dodge missiles, though a few still hit

Cylinder

• [Strength] Forms a cylinder and rotates around, crushing soldiers
• [Speed] Unravels to dodge missile fire

Wall

• [Strength] Form a large wall and crushes soldiers

Tower

• Quickly build into a tower that reaches a helicopter
• [Strength/Speed] Dodges missiles and throws a helicopter through the air into another one

Snake

• Forms a cobra and shoots gunfire from its "tongue"
• Forms a different kind of snake, swallows cars and soldiers, crushes them, and then spits the pieces out the other end
• [Strength] Climbs a tower and grabs hold of a helicopter

Drill

• [Strength] Forms a drill and quickly burrows deep into the ground

Giant

• Forms a massive version of Chitti
• [Strength] Cracks the street just by taking steps
• [Strength] Stomps on various army vehicles, destroying them instantly
• [Strength] Kicks an army truck very far through the air
• [Strength] Jumps up and spikes a helicopter into the ground

Second Clone Army (500 Clones)
Ball

• Forms a much more massive ball than the first one, firing guns in every direction
• [Strength] Smashes through stadium stands and concrete structures
• [Durability] Is smacked hard by Pakshi Raja's bird form through a goal into stands and is unharmed
  • Said bird form is strong enough to destroy buildings by casually flying into them and to smash up a street

Cage

• Surrounds Pakshi Raja's bird form by forming into a net, and then forms a cage around him, shooting at him inside

Giant Chitti

• Magnetically attracts all kinds of metal, including cars and metal fixtures, to form a massive giant version of himself.
• [Strength] Uses a large stadium fixture as a club and clashes evenly with Pakshi
• [Strength] Leaps on Pakshi and throws him a ways
• [Strength] Ragdolls Pakshi and throws him into stadium stands
• [Durability] Fine after being thrown far by Pakshi into stands

Chitti 3.0 - Kutti The Microbot

"A lion can't touch a mosquito, big birdie! But if mosquitoes set their minds, they can chase the lion to its doom!"

Kutti the microbot is a miniature version of Chitti, built by 2.0 to fight Pakshi Raja. He leads an army of microbots to save the day when Chitti 2.0 was on the verge of defeat.
Physicals

• [Strength] Strong enough individually to snap a bird's neck if desired
• [Speed] On birds, dodge Pakshi's strike

Other

• Commands massive amounts of microbot clones
• Can run up walls
• Tame, mount, and control thousands of birds
• Can morph into cell phones and attach themselves magnetically
• Self-destruct, destroying all of Pakshi's constructs
• Can also be used as a normal cell phone

Using the default settings, I was able to play MGA with relatively no issues (only when putting on NVGs from Marionette Owl card, it would lag pretty bad).
In MGA2 however, after choosing what card to port from MGA, straight away, the dialogue is VERY laggy and looks like the game is playing in 0.125x speed. No black bars or rainbow lines, just very choppy dialogue text and I can't even get past the first text box lol. The emulation takes ages to respond as well, when bringing up the save state menu (in order to go back to PPSSPP home menu, as the lag is unbearable). Never really had these problems in MGA.
Should I just follow everything in this tutorial? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsqSkdmvo4
Or are there specific PPSSPP settings that are best for MGA2; like what ACTUALLY will make a difference to fix the lag? I read stuff such as;

• Lowering spline quality such as high to medium or low may help.
• 'must do frameskipping to make it playable', but the tutorial above does not do this.
• 'change the I/O timing method', to simulate UMD delays?
• 'instead of native device resolution, match the display resolution to 1x, 2x or 3x with the rendering resolution'?
• 'don't do skip buffer effects, as you may get black bars' (also mentioned in the tutorial above).

Android ver. 9 TV Model: JVC LT-40CA790 CPU: 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1300MHz GPU: ARM Mali-470 MP RAM: 1GB Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 on AIDA64, even though the tv model says 'UK 2K android TV'. I have lots of storage space and I close all background apps before starting PPSSPP.

Using the default settings, I was able to play MGA with relatively no issues (only when putting on NVGs from Marionette Owl card, it would lag pretty bad).
In MGA2 however, after choosing what card to port from MGA, straight away, the dialogue is VERY laggy and looks like the game is playing in 0.125x speed. No black bars or rainbow lines, just very choppy dialogue text and I can't even get past the first text box lol. The emulation takes ages to respond as well, when bringing up the save state menu (in order to go back to PPSSPP home menu, as the lag is unbearable). Never really had these problems in MGA.
Should I just follow everything in this tutorial? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsqSkdmvo4
Or are there specific PPSSPP settings that are best for MGA2; like what ACTUALLY will make a difference to fix the lag? I read stuff such as;

• Lowering spline quality such as high to medium or low may help.
• 'must do frameskipping to make it playable', but the tutorial above does not do this.
• 'change the I/O timing method', to simulate UMD delays?
• 'instead of native device resolution, match the display resolution to 1x, 2x or 3x with the rendering resolution'?
• 'don't do skip buffer effects, as you may get black bars' (also mentioned in the tutorial above).

Android ver. 9 TV Model: JVC LT-40CA790 CPU: 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1300MHz GPU: ARM Mali-470 MP RAM: 1GB Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 on AIDA64, even though the tv model says 'UK 2K android TV'. I have lots of storage space and I close all background apps before starting PPSSPP.

Using the default settings, I was able to play MGA with relatively no issues (only when putting on NVGs from Marionette Owl card, it would lag pretty bad).
In MGA2 however, after choosing what card to port from MGA, straight away, the dialogue is VERY laggy and looks like the game is playing in 0.125x speed. No black bars or rainbow lines, just very choppy dialogue text and I can't even get past the first text box lol. The emulation takes ages to respond as well, when bringing up the save state menu (in order to go back to PPSSPP home menu, as the lag is unbearable). Never really had these problems in MGA.
Should I just follow everything in this tutorial? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsqSkdmvo4
Or are there specific PPSSPP settings that are best for MGA2; like what ACTUALLY will make a difference to fix the lag? I read stuff such as;

• Lowering spline quality such as high to medium or low may help.
• 'must do frameskipping to make it playable', but the tutorial above does not do this.
• 'change the I/O timing method', to simulate UMD delays?
• 'instead of native device resolution, match the display resolution to 1x, 2x or 3x with the rendering resolution'?
• 'don't do skip buffer effects, as you may get black bars' (also mentioned in the tutorial above).

Android ver. 9 TV Model: JVC LT-40CA790 CPU: 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1300MHz GPU: ARM Mali-470 MP RAM: 1GB Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 on AIDA64, even though the tv model says 'UK 2K android TV'. I have lots of storage space and I close all background apps before starting PPSSPP.

Using the default settings, I was able to play MGA with relatively no issues (only when putting on NVGs from Marionette Owl card, it would lag pretty bad).
In MGA2 however, after choosing what card to port from MGA, straight away, the dialogue is VERY laggy and looks like the game is playing in 0.125x speed. No black bars or rainbow lines, just very choppy dialogue text and I can't even get past the first text box lol. The emulation takes ages to respond as well, when bringing up the save state menu (in order to go back to PPSSPP home menu, as the lag is unbearable). Never really had these problems in MGA.
Should I just follow everything in this tutorial? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsqSkdmvo4
Or are there specific PPSSPP settings that are best for MGA2; like what ACTUALLY will make a difference to fix the lag? I read stuff such as;

• Lowering spline quality such as high to medium or low may help.
• 'must do frameskipping to make it playable', but the tutorial above does not do this.
• 'change the I/O timing method', to simulate UMD delays?
• 'instead of native device resolution, match the display resolution to 1x, 2x or 3x with the rendering resolution'?
• 'don't do skip buffer effects, as you may get black bars' (also mentioned in the tutorial above).

Android ver. 9 TV Model: JVC LT-40CA790 CPU: 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1300MHz GPU: ARM Mali-470 MP RAM: 1GB Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 on AIDA64, even though the tv model says 'UK 2K android TV'. I have lots of storage space and I close all background apps before starting PPSSPP.

Using the default settings, I was able to play MGA with relatively no issues (only when putting on NVGs from Marionette Owl card, it would lag pretty bad).
In MGA2 however, after choosing what card to port from MGA, straight away, the dialogue is VERY laggy and looks like the game is playing in 0.125x speed. No black bars or rainbow lines, just very choppy dialogue text and I can't even get past the first text box lol. The emulation takes ages to respond as well, when bringing up the save state menu (in order to go back to PPSSPP home menu, as the lag is unbearable). Never really had these problems in MGA.
Should I just follow everything in this tutorial? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsqSkdmvo4
Or are there specific PPSSPP settings that are best for MGA2; like what ACTUALLY will make a difference to fix the lag? I read stuff such as;

• Lowering spline quality such as high to medium or low may help.
• 'must do frameskipping to make it playable', but the tutorial above does not do this.
• 'change the I/O timing method', to simulate UMD delays?
• 'instead of native device resolution, match the display resolution to 1x, 2x or 3x with the rendering resolution'?
• 'don't do skip buffer effects, as you may get black bars' (also mentioned in the tutorial above).

Android ver. 9 TV Model: JVC LT-40CA790 CPU: 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1300MHz GPU: ARM Mali-470 MP RAM: 1GB Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 on AIDA64, even though the tv model says 'UK 2K android TV'. I have lots of storage space and I close all background apps before starting PPSSPP.

Using the default settings, I was able to play MGA with relatively no issues (only when putting on NVGs from Marionette Owl card, it would lag pretty bad).
In MGA2 however, after choosing what card to port from MGA, straight away, the dialogue is VERY laggy and looks like the game is playing in 0.125x speed. No black bars or rainbow lines, just very choppy dialogue text and I can't even get past the first text box lol. The emulation takes ages to respond as well, when bringing up the save state menu (in order to go back to PPSSPP home menu, as the lag is unbearable). Never really had these problems in MGA.
Should I just follow everything in this tutorial? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsqSkdmvo4
Or are there specific PPSSPP settings that are best for MGA2; like what ACTUALLY will make a difference to fix the lag? I read stuff such as;

• Lowering spline quality such as high to medium or low may help.
• 'must do frameskipping to make it playable', but the tutorial above does not do this.
• 'change the I/O timing method', to simulate UMD delays?
• 'instead of native device resolution, match the display resolution to 1x, 2x or 3x with the rendering resolution'?
• 'don't do skip buffer effects, as you may get black bars' (also mentioned in the tutorial above).

Android ver. 9 TV Model: JVC LT-40CA790 CPU: 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1300MHz GPU: ARM Mali-470 MP RAM: 1GB Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 on AIDA64, even though the tv model says 'UK 2K android TV'. I have lots of storage space and I close all background apps before starting PPSSPP.

So I just started bartending at a highly rated Latin restaurant downtown. Food is amazing, cocktails are superb, the team is friendly and cooperative. Compared to the rest of the market in my area it has its own pillar to stand on in terms of brand recognition.
It’s very early for me to have a definitive say on how everything is within the restaurant but so far it’s been exceptional well.
With that being said there’s one main hurdle that has been a hinderance to me.
The food menu.
99% of the dishes are Latin themed. I am very unfamiliar with majority of them which has been rough in terms of me having to remember what the recipes are and issues pronouncing the words correctly.
Since I started last week I’ve mandatory training as different positions throughout the restaurant from food runner to host to familiarize myself with the menu and the flow of the establishment (I had to do this before I could start bar training). I have also been studying when I’m not at work but it’s just not enough for the restaurant’s expectations.
I’ve only been at the restaurant for a week and the head manager is expecting me to have the food menu memorized 100%. So much so that whenever a manageowner ask me what goes in a particular dish I can recall every single detail. The past couple of days the head manager has approached me on several occasions and quizzed me on the spot.
Earlier tonight during closing we were discussing the cocktail menu when I got quizzed on the entire menu again. I had at least half the food somewhat memorized but it just wasn’t enough. There’s been a few times the head manager has gotten a little annoyed with me not remembering which has been disappointing. I’ve apologized to him and said that I’m more of a visual/hands on learner and it will take me a little more time to remember the food menu, especially with having to study and memorize the bar menu as well.
If it took someone else just a week to remember the restaurant’s menu then congratulations to them but that’s just not me.
Tonight during he made a comment that if I can’t remember the menu by at least this upcoming Wednesday/Thursday then I will not be scheduled at all. This nuked my mood for the remainder of my night after work.
Honestly I don’t know if it’s because of the sudden pop quizzes but it causes me to not think clearly and mispronounce the Latin dishes like an idiot. It’s gotten to the point I just freeze up or say the wrong ingredient.
In my 8 years of bartending I have never had this much trouble with a new food menu before.
I am getting extremely discouraged because I wanted to be a part of this restaurant’s bar so badly but having to remember the food menu will be the end of me even before I can begin. I honestly don’t know if I am capable of remembering the entire menu by the middle of next week.

I (22F) had a fight with my (22F) sister after we went to a bar and grill with our friend (22F) who I'll just call Faith in this post.
The way the night started is Faith suggested we go out to this bar and grill about 30 minutes away from our town just to hang out. It's an outdoorsy type thing where a live band will play. While we were there, we all had drinks. My sister and Faith had one, I had two. They had told me to try two drinks on the menu so I did, and Faith made a joke about how I needed more drinks because of how stiff I was -- I'll admit I was buzzed but I definitely wasn't drunk by any means.
When the place was starting to close, I asked if we could go somewhere to play pool. I was just wanting to hang out more with them and pool seemed fun. I wasnt wanting to drink more or anything. Faith and my sister both said that they didn't have makeup on and they were just wearing sweatshirts and shorts, so I suggested we could just go to a bar or somewhere in our town rather than in the actual city where we normally go out. When they said they weren't dressed up, I took that at face value, not as "I don't want to go out at all." Then they were talking to each other about the time, and my sister checked her phone and said "Oh, well, it's only 10:30." And we decided to go back to our house and get my wallet to go somewhere in our town.
On the drive back to our they kept making jokes saying "if we keep giving OP drinks at the house maybe she'll just fall asleep." This REALLY hurt my feelings. Like this was said a few times. When we got back to the house, it was said too, and Faith said "you wanna drink here? I'll drink with you here," and tried opening a seltzer for me and left it on the front table. It just made me feel awful, so I just went to my room.
I tried talking to my sister at like 12:45 that same night after I finished working on a project and she was on the phone, so I left her alone. Later in the night I messaged her and told her that what they said about giving me more drinks had really hurt my feelings and that I felt annoying by even suggesting to go to another bar.
My sister replied the next day that I was overthinking it, that they just wanted to chill, and that it was just a joke. She said that I didn't listen to them about not wanting to go out, and that she was sorry that I "feel that way but that's not how the conversation happened." I told my sister that an actual apology wouldnt be "Im sorry but." My friends agree with me that they'd be hurt too, but my step mom thinks I just need to drop it and I'm being sensitive and that my sister cant keep apologizing and I just need to forgive. The argument happened yesterday and I feel like it is my fault for being offended at what they were joking about and then dragging out the argument, but I just didnt read it as a joke. I just need impartial people I guess. AITA?