I’ve renewed my E-3 once and I’m approaching to renewing again and I want to see if I could move onto being a green card holder. What would the approach be to move from a non-immigrant visa, to an official immigrant green card holder. I’ve started building a life here now and made friends and enjoying my career. But not exactly sure on my next steps? Based in Baltimore, MD.

I am currently in the testing phase of my product. I've had no sales/add to cart. However, I have only ran Facebook Ads for about 2-3 days. The first 2 days I reviewed the Fb Ad analytics, and killed almost all my Ads except one because the CPLC was too high, and the CTR was too low, or none existent. I ran the one Ad that had decent results for one more day, but it didn't make much of a difference, so I killed that too. Here are my analytics:
(Best performing Ad): CPC - $0.66 CTR (link) - 3.75% CTR (all) - 7.50% CPM - $24.88 Visitors - 137 Sessions: 142
WEBSITE - https://shopecofriends.com/
I'm still completely new in reviewing analytics, and not knowing if this is a dead product I should move on from, or do I make the adjustments based on my analytics? Is my site the problem? Do I recreate my Ads? The price? Please let me know if I should provide any more info so I can receive the appropriate feedback. Thanks!

Hey everybody,
I was recently denied a VA home loan due to not meeting the requirements for it. I’m a little confused as the wording on the website is incredibly confusing.
Here are some stats for me: - Honorably Discharged - 632 days of active duty service (~21 months) - No medical issues - 4 year contract
I was denied because I did not have 24 months of service required for the loan. However, based on the information on the VA’s own site:
“For service members
If you’ve served for at least 90 continuous days (all at once, without a break in service), you meet the minimum active-duty service requirements.”
Can someone help me try to get to the bottom of this? I have done a lot of digging online and found a case somewhat similar to mine where the individual got a loan.
https://www.reddit.com/Veterans/comments/q54rft/do_i_qualify_for_va_home_loan/
Thanks everyone!

Hi gang,
Just after some advice/experience from fellow recovers. Managed to to completely rupture my ACL as well as tear both Meniscus' playing football in November, and being UK based and the state of the NHS over here only just had the operation on 1st June.
I'm almost a week post op, and just wanted to know what is the expected progress at this stage following such a complex Op (was taken from Hamstring)
Initial physio said the first 2 weeks were key to try and get to 90 degrees as quickly as possible, but feel quite a way off that currently. Can only manage stairs/any walk that's not just pottering around the house with brace and crutches, and without the brace it feels like it could give way at any moment. Worst time of day is late at night/first thing in the morning where it almost locks up completely and the first few steps of the day are always painful.
Am I being overly ambitious in terms of what is expected so early on or would you guys expect more than what I am currently able to do. I don't want to get to my physio follow up next week and them to say I'm behind already!
Cheers

I’m new to conan started a few days ago I’m currently level 26 with 2 tier 1 fighter thralls, a tier 2 taskmaster, 3 rhinos and a bear cub that I can’t use till later on. I use medium armour and I have an invisible greater rhino next to my base that caused me a few problems early on XD.

I'm a trans woman that has made a living on city stock photography for the past 13 years, taking photos including throughout red areas. I medically transitioned since 2016 and socially since 2018. My partner has been helping me to go throughout the country after I socially transitioned, the last time being in 2021 without a problem (even temporarily in the South.). Now I wonder if it has gotten bad enough to the point that it is too dangerous for me to continue making money doing city photography, since it relies a lot going into red states because the photo market for cities in blue states are far more competitive. All I really do is drive from city to city, taking photos, many times sleeping in the car. I tend to get ma'am'd 100% of the time but I'm 5'11. I'd like to hear what you all have to say, especially based on your experience in states.

Hi, all -- I'm working on pulling audit logs from a cloud app into Sentinel, and am having issues with the event date/timestamp. The native format is based on Unix epoch time, and I want to convert and use this as the "TimeGenerated" attribute in the Log Analytics table.
From what I can tell, I should be able to set up an ingestion transformation to do this, where "date" is the source column representing the event timestamp.

source project TimeGenerated = unixtime_milliseconds_todatetime(["date"]) 

However, this generates the error:

Error occurred while compiling query in query: SemanticError:0x00000009 at 2:27 : Runtime scalar function provider not found for function: unixtime_milliseconds_todatetime If the issue persists, please open a support ticket. Request id: 128567df-5e5f-46cf-9013-8e4299b13d60

I've tried a few variations on this theme with no success -- has anyone successfully done something similar?

I've been doing my research. A game where only 40% of the player base have actually got a pvp kill - I know it's going to be a hard learning curve and I'm going to need to be patient. I've watched YT vids but still only feels like I've scratched the surface. My plan is to do trials first to get used to the sensitivity and mechanics but I am eager to get good quick.
Any tips you'd wish you knew / found out later in your game would be welcome as well as sensitivity settings (I've found this particularly very hard to get right.. either turn too slowly to react to environment but then also can't aim accurate enough when shooting (too fast)).
I also have gear fear in losing items (what's the point of having legendary guns/characters if you just lose then so easily?).
Any/all tips welcome please and thank you :)
Looking forward to being bullet fodder for my first 40 hours

My head would NOT stop repeating it. It got scary after a while. Not schizophrenic, was just dehydrated and hugging my toilet for hours on end 😭 almost felt like a bad acid trip

Selling to try other putters, brand new. Pulled out of the Callaway Edge set I bought and hit five balls in my living room. Asking $150 after PayPal fees, shipped in CONUS. I'm basing my price off the fact that 2nd Swing is charging $150 for "Average" condition. Has factory Super stroke Mid Slim grip, headcover included.
Pics

I am currently feeling extremely numb and confused about this situation and would like some genuine and honest help. I met my current boyfriend when I was 18 years old. I had just gotten out of a narcissist relationship and I believed this would be nothing but a fling. He told me he was 34 at the time, leaving us with a 16 year age gap. I didn’t care much since it was just fooling around for the beginning of it. Well, the more we talked we developed feelings for each other. We actually had a lot in common and both went through traumatic childhoods, loved games and comics, and have the same tastes in music, movies, etc. we have tons of intellectual conversation and great debates over current event topics. I have never had someone show me so much love and treat me in such a healthy, loving, and caring way. He cooks for me when i’m sick, he’s there for me when i’m having a bad day, he hugs me when he sees i’m getting anxious, he supported me all throughout college, and he’s always been truthfully 50/50 in our relationship. Today, a week away from our 4 year anniversary, he comes to me after work in tears. Terrified, he confesses he initially lied about his age believing it would just be a fling as well (currently making him 44 years old). He broke down crying as well. He couldn’t muster up the strength to tell me so he showed me a letter he wrote confessing everything. in it he described how beautiful our relationship has been over the years and how the guilt built up in him after seeing how incredible of a relationship we had together. He said he loved always having a best friend and has never been treated this great in a relationship before. I broke down, hurt, feeling defeated. I don’t know what to do about this. This is truly a picture perfect relationship for me. we never fight, and if we do it’s mostly bickering about small things that we laugh at an hour later. We have discussions and communicate our feelings when something truly bothers us, this is the first time where I find myself unable to communicate because I don’t know how I feel. Any advice based on my situation? Part of me doesn’t want to care, but another part of me is hurt this lie was withheld for four years…
TLDR; my (22F) boyfriend (44M) lied about his age and confessed everything four years later.

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I'm in a position where my income has tripled in the last year. We've moved house, paid of all our debt and now I can plan for the future. My fixed mortgage runs out in November so I'm braced for the shock of the inevitable increase from my current 1.82% 😭 I hope my mortgage advisor will work his usual magic. That aside, I've been looking at my pension. I've spoken to one IFA and told them what I want to achieve. They have advised me to move my pension pot to a company called AJBell and they will manage the investments for me based on my risk appetite. There do seem to be disadvantages to my current workplace pension such as only offering an annuity option at retirement and the risk profile being higher than I would like. I'm finding myself to have an instinctive gut resistance to making what feels like a dramatic change. Has anyone done something similar?

All missions worth 2 program stars and all on veteran difficulty.

• Blake Treinen: 1 IP, 0 runs
• Eddie Rosario: 2 hits
• Spencer Steer: 2 hits
• Dauri Moreta: 1 IP, 1 K, 0 hits
• Owen Miller: 1 XBH
• Michael Wacha: 3 IP, do not give up 2 runs
• Christopher Morel: 1 HR
• Tanner Scott: 1 IP, 3 K
• Framber Valdez: 2 IP, 4 K
• Will Smith: get on base 2 times
• Felix Bautista: 1 IP, 2 K, 0 runs
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr: 1 XBH
• Nathan Eovaldi: 1 game, 6 K
• Riley Greene: 6 TB
• Luis Robert Jr: 2 hits, 1 XBH
• Mitch Keller: 3 IP, 0 runs
• Wander Franco: steal 1 base, 0 caught stealing
• Evan Phillips: 1 IP, 0 runs
• Freddie Freeman: 3 hits
• Aaron Judge: 1 HR

20 moments so 40 stars total.

Hej! Just wondering if there was a resource out there that had a timeline of all the novels by era.
I was a huge player way back when - Decision at Thunder Rift just pulled me in, and later, Stackpole's 4th SW novels inspired me to be a game designer. I drifted away from BattleTech in the mid 90s as 40K occupied more of my time (with occasional dives back into the setting for the CCG from WotC, The clicky-base minis game, and Harebrained's fantastic PC game.
I finally picked up the current CGL main boxed game and a number of Inner Sphere lances, but... I really know nothing about the ilClan era. Really nothing past 3057, other than a vague idea of the Dark Age.
So I picked up the recent Humble Bundle of novels, and wanted to dive in, and maybe - if any of the novels in that bundle cover it - get a bit caught up in the world.

https://gamingballistic.com/2023/06/07/a-worthy-knight-felltower-character-build/
​
My character died in Felltower...so here's a replacement.
​
Opinions on yes/no are my own, but phrased as objective statements because I was feeling cheeky.

A Worthy Knight (Felltower Character Build)

When I sit down to use precious time to play an RPG rather than stress out over my RPG business, I am not looking to drag in a stack of rulebooks and play a complicated character.
I’m looking to hit stuff really hard in the face.
After out colossal frack-up and TPK with Felltower, we’re gearing up for a “felltower adjacent” game, and while many of my brethren are looking at clerics, wizards, and maybe even a martial artist … again, I’mma gonna hit stuff hard in the face.
So, I’m going to avoid the Holy Warrior route I took last time. Good character, but I feel like we need someone who does tremendous damage. “One shot, one kill” sort of output.
On the other hand, I do love me some shields. So let’s look at the options.

Shield-and…

If we’re looking at a one-handed weapon, let’s see the options.

• Mace has the best boost to swing damage (and what else is there, really?) but cutting is really the answer to almost every problem here.
• Axe/Throwing Axe is sw+2, which cutting effectively makes (1.5×sw)+3. So the old shield-and-axe guy isn’t too bad. If I can dump enough into ST to get (striking) ST 17, with Weapon Master we’re looking at a constant damage output of 3d+1+6, for 3d+7 cut. I can also throw the thing; or I can festoon myself with hatchets and “only” do swing, but it’s 3d-1 cut out to -6 penalty, which is respectable. So axe is an old fave for a reason. Dwarven is +4; Fine is +9 CF; so x14 cost on a $50 weapon is $700, which means I will need a bit of points-for-cash, but that’s what knights do.
• Ah, a longsword in one hand. Interesting. VERY expensive, though. I don’t have to worry about the Parry score, but Reach 2 with thrust isn’t bad.
• Of course, with a bastard sword (and the errata 0U out, I think) Reach 2 sw+1 is even better, and Reach 2 thrust for when you need to stab the eye. A Wait, with a thrust to the eye or vitals at Reach 2, then step to Reach 1 (or don’t) and cut to the leg as a Rapid Strike at only -3 is going to be pretty amazing. Actually, bastard sword has a much easier time with eyes, vitals, and such. ST 17 puts me at 1.5×ST for both weapons, but that doesn’t really matter. No dagger or double-daggers here. So I lose a point of damage on the axe, but pick up reach. And the weapons are much more expensive. Still: 3d+6 cut to Reach 2? Also, has the advantage that I can use a seax (long knife) at Skill-2 to get Reach C when I need it. 3d-2 cut is a heck of a close-range equalizer. Also, if I set aside 30 points for Weapon Master (knightly weapons), “anything used with Broadsword” skill counts, so that quickly becomes 3d+4 cut in close combat. AND better rapid strikes.
• Flail is always worth considering, because while it’s basically mace-on-a-chain, it’s inexpensive, you can dwarven it to parry with, and the huge defensive penalties (-4 to parry, -2 to block, and fencing weapons need not apply to parry at all). It’s one of those things where “flail to the head” is such a bell-ringer, it might be worth considering putting some points in there, because those Parry/Block penalties are the equivalent of always throwing a -8 or -4 to skill Deceptive attack on nearly every blow. That’s a lot of defensive mitigation. Worth thinking about.
• Spear is the only one-handed weapon that really remains here. But it’s thrust-only and a regular spear is not even a bit better than a bastard sword. Same Reach and impaling damage, 0U parry that is NOT errata. heavy spear is at least thr+4 imp, but then again loses out on swing damage, which is just stupid if you have weapon master. It also lacks not just C, but 1 as well, and we got an object lesson in “don’t let the bad guys into C” in the last fight.

So if I go shield and something, shield and bastard sword seems to be it.

Two-Handed Weapons

A much shorter list.

• We start with the polearms. The dueling halberd and glaive for a presumably high-ST character is “halberd.” The glaive is for getting the cool swing cut with low ST: naginata. The only other competitor will be the full-size Ditka (regular halberd), which does add +4 to the swing damage over the bastard sword for 3d+10 cut as a primary mode. The thrust mode gives you Reach 1 … but you’ll need an entirely new skill for in close. Still, a Reach 2 alpha strike, then step BACK to Reach 3 for a second shot – including a 3d+9 impaling attack, is brutal. That threatens a HP 12 person with a KO even through significant armor: 50% of the time you can punch through DR 13 (!) and still have enough injury left over to bring a fit, strong human to KO status. That’s a lot, but you need a lot to give up your block. Also, it IS really long, and in tight situations where you’re dealing with the equivalent of Bulk penalties, a halberd is -6 (2x Reach being a good measure).
• Even in two hands, the spears don’t add enough. If you use them with Staff skill … you still don’t get the +2 Parry (which is wrong, but the rules). Not worth giving up shield and swing damage. A sucker’s play unless you have a formation of them. Maybe even then.
• Great Axe doesn’t give you anything over a a dueling halberd. Long axe is lower ST but same deal. The rest of those are for folks who can’t switch a dueling halberd around to the other side (you get sw+4 cut, sw+3 imp in one weapon). Only the warhammer does a bit more imp damage, but you’re giving up versatility against things that resist imp.
• Bastard sword in two hands gives up block in exchange for a point more damage in either mode; if you could pull half-swording, you’d allow the +2 Parry (that’s what my golem-armor swordsman from Nordlond Bestiary does), but at lower damage, and thrust-only for cut (tip slash) and stab, but with extra precision on targeting chinks. Not enough to make it stand on its own, but combined with all of the other coolness with this, it’s yet another “all in favor.”

So, really, the only thing coming close would be the halberd, but shield-and-bastard-sword just has so much going for it.

Knightly Requirements

That brings me to what I need.

• Weapon Master (Knightly Weapons) for 30 points. That’s a chunk of change right there.
• ST and Striking ST equal to 17. ST 15 and Striking ST 2 looks like the right “out of the gate” play, assuming I can’t eke out ST 17 right away. I might be able to, but the 250-point template would eat up all of my discretionary points with ST +3 and Weapon Master (Knightly) right there. I will probably build up from Delvers to Grow though, so we’ll see. That will mean I give up standard knightly stuff elsewhere.
• I’m going to only need Broadsword and Shield in terms of primary skills. Again, with the core template I can probably throw down Broadsword-20 and Shield-16. That’s a respectable Block with a DB 2 shield (14), though not super-spectacular.
• I did not have a ranged weapon last time. That was not excellent. The right one here might either be crossbow (because of Acc 4 and 1d+6 imp) or throwing axe (3d-1 cut, but only Acc 1 and much shorter range). An atlatl with a javelin is pretty cool (3d imp to 30 yards)…but a plain-old heavy sling goes to 45 yards, will do 3d+1 cr. I can use a heavy sling in one hand with ST 12+, and that’s just cost of entry. It’s respectable damage and inexpensive to own and arm.
• I will need a close-combat weapon, but a seax defaulting to Broadsword-2 gives an 18 in CC, which is plenty good delivering WM-boosted swing cutting damage.
• I need to stay in the fight too, but armor is expensive. I may emphasize mobility on this one until I can afford a big score of protection. Speed and Move.
• Oh, I kinda wanted to play up the half-orc thing too, as a joke with Peter about “orc-orc-orc.” On the other hand, a half-ogre Knight walks out of the gate at ST 18 … which is tempting.

What do I maybe NOT need that’s on the template?

• Born War-Leader is on the template. Based on how we have been playing … only Tactics really gets frequent use. And it’s got Born War-Leader 2 on the template. I feel like I might be able to use 5 or 10 of those points elsewhere, and more efficiently. Like Striking ST 2.

Let’s Get Delving

📷So now we need to fire up GSC and Delvers to Grow.
I wound up starting with the 187 point Master Strong DelveKnight, throwing on half-ogre, and going to town from there, as it were.
So: Thor Hálfskepna (half-beast, which also translates to demigod in Icelandic, so…)

• That had me at my target ST 17 right out of the gate, so victory there.
• I upgraded the minimalist Weapon Master to (Knightly Weapons), meeting that requirement.
• I tossed in Striking ST 2 because I’m allowed to; ST 17/Striking ST 19 is brutal, and base thswing of 2d-1 and 3d+1 means weapon master now gives +4 to thrusting stuff. Still +6 to swing.
• 58-lb basic lift isn’t anything to whine about.
• My main sword skills in one hand are at 20 thanks to weapon bond; 3d+8 cutting in one hand ain’t all bad. Shield 16 and Enhanced Block 1 results in Block 15, which is nice.
• I may have overdid the DR here; I gave heavy mail on the torso, heavy leather sleeves and legs, heavy leather boots, segmented plate helm. I think I’d do better with about 10 lbs less weight. Let’s try for regular mail, light leather sleeves and legs. Yah, there we go. Still respectable DR but down to no encumbrance, Move 7. I think I still have $500 left over for “stuff I forgot,” or maybe a single point to drop somewhere that I ooped on.
• Oh, I need a seax. Heh. And a sling; the heavy sling is cool, but at 1 lb per stone I think I’ll pass. 10 lead stones, though? That’s cool…3d pi to 100 yards. My skill isn’t that good, but I can drop points there.

So he’s an ugly clod, but he’s a hard-hitting ugly clod. At range, he can ring folks’ bell with a few seconds aim to 10-15 yard about half the time. 3d piercing is no joke; against humanoids they’ll at least have to take cover or risk a serious think if it hits.
Someone steps into Reach 2, they’re looking at 3d+8 cut or 2d+5 imp; that imp attack could easily be vitals giving up to 36 injury. On a cleave, it’s more like 27 injury, which ought to make an impression.
At Reach 1 I lose the imp, but retain the cut. If I fast-draw my long knife (14), I still have a 3d cut swing attack … hmm. That may need the Weapon Master bonus, but I think strict rules say no (it’s Shortsword not Broadsword). Still, 3d cut is as hard as a regular joe hits at ST 15 with an axe (2d+3)…
And I can keep that 3d in close combat.
His defenses are good: Block-15, or 16 with a retreat against missiles or big stuff. Parry 14 core, +2 for shield, +1 with a retreat, for Parry-17 if I’m willing to fade. Weapon Master (Knightly) definitely lowers my repeated Parry penalty to -2; since Shield is included in Knightly weapons, if Vic allows multiple blocks, it’s -3 each for that, which could be important.
Also, his DR isn’t bad (6/4 on the body, 8 on the head, and 3 elsewhere except for DR 1 on the eyes), and in combat he’s at None for encumbrance, so while his Step is still 1, his Move is 7. Finally I’m quick. A respectable Dodge 11 also.
So Thor here is formidable. Don’t ask him to calculate the tip at dinner, though.

Human Instead?

The half-ogre template carries a lot of weight in the build, and Felltower doesn’t allow them. So if I have to get rid of that, I can still get most of what I want, but need to nix Striking ST 2, the half-ogre disads, boost IQ back to 10, etc. I still need all five quirk points for cash, but I’m also Move 7 still.

Welcome to the Living Soul Osiris Guide! In this Aether Gazer guide, we will explore how to effectively play as Living Soul Osiris, focusing on team composition, sigils, functors, skills, and aether codes. Living Soul Osiris is a powerful character in Aether Gazer, known for her wind-based abilities and versatility in battles. By understanding the best team setup, choosing the right sigils, utilizing the unique functors, mastering her skills, and selecting suitable aether codes, you can unleash the full potential of Living Soul Osiris. Check it out: Living Soul Osiris Guide
I have a simple request just like the last time, I would like you to comment on this Reddit post and share your tips and advice for using Living Soul Osiris. If you have any suggestions about different ways to play, alternative team formations, sigils, special abilities, or any other helpful tips related to Living Soul Osiris, please share them below. If your tips are useful, I will include them in a section called "Bonus Tips" in my guide. Additionally, I will mention your Reddit username on my website for providing these bonus tips. Thank you :D

Hello everyone! I'm planning explore India more and I'm looking for recommendations on places to visit where I can experience the diverse cultures, stunning architecture and serene nature the country has to offer.
I arrived to India a week ago officially for a business trip and now planning to extend and spend my holidays here. I am currently in New Delhi and was suggested to go North and experience the Himalayas. We are three women together and would love your suggestions.
I'm particularly interested in visiting places with beautiful temples, traditional architecture, and vibrant markets where I can try local delicacies and shop for souvenirs. I also want to explore the natural wonders of India, such as picturesque landscapes, lush green forests and mesmerizing lakes.
As this is my first time visiting India, I would love to hear from people who have traveled or lived there about destinations that are must-visit, and any useful tips on how to make the most of my trip.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions!
Also any precautions we need to take? We're already cautious so far based on our experience here.

In 1957, when the Soviet people were called upon to study and discuss Khrushchev’s ‘Theses on Economic Reorganization,’ we witnessed a truly remarkable operation. The underlying theme of it all was, of course, that everything is being decided by the people. How can the people then not be in agreement afterwards? How can they fail to comply completely with what they have decided in the first place? The Theses were submitted to the people first. Naturally, they were then explained in all the Party organizations, in the Komsomols, in the unions, in the local soviets, in the factories, and so on, by agiton-propaganda specialists.
Then the discussions took place. Next, Pravda opened its columns to the public, and numerous citizens sent in comments, expressed their views, suggested amendments. After that, what happened? The entire government program, without the slightest modified-tion, was passed by the Supreme Soviet. Even amendments presented and supported by individual deputies were rejected, and all the more those presented by individual citizens; for they were only individual (minority) opinions, and from the democratic (majority) point of view insignificant. But the people were given the immense satisfaction of having been consulted, of having been given a chance to debate, of having—so it seemed to them—their opinions solicited and weighed. This is the democratic appearance that no authoritarian government can do without.
Beyond that, such practices lead the government to embrace a method which derives logically from the principle of popular democracy, but which could develop only as a result of modem propaganda: the government is now in the habit of acting through the masses as intermediary in two ways. First, it goes to the people more and more frequently for the support of its policies. When a decision seems to meet with resistance or is not fully accepted, propaganda is addressed to the masses to set them in motion; the simple motion of the mass is enough to invest the decisions with validity: it is only an extension of the plebiscite.
When the People's Democracy installed itself in Czechoslovakia after a police coup, gigantic meetings of the working population were held—well staged, organized, and kindled—to demonstrate that the people were in full agreement. When Fidel Castro wanted to show that his power was based on democratic sentiment, he organized the Day of Justice, during which the whole population was called upon to sit in judgment of the past regime, and to express its sentiments through massive demonstrations. These demonstrations were meant to “legalize" the death sentences handed down by the State courts and thus give a “democratic sanction" to the judgments. In doing this, Castro won the people’s profound allegiance by satisfying the need for revenge against the former regime and the thirst for blood. He tied the people to his government by the strongest of bonds: the ritual crime.
That Day of Justice (January 21,1959) was undoubtedly a great propagandists discovery. If it caused Castro some embarrassment abroad, it certainly was a great success at home. It should be noted that such provocation of popular action always serves to support governmental action. It is in no way spontaneous, and in no way expresses an intrinsic desire of the people: it merely expresses, through a million throats of the crowd, the cry of governmental propaganda. Second—and this is a subtler process—governmental propaganda suggests that public opinion demand this or that decision; it provokes the will of a people, who spontaneously would say nothing. But, once evoked, formed, and crystalized on a point, that will becomes the people's will; and whereas the government really acts on its own, it gives the impression of obeying public opinion—after first having built that public opinion.
The point is to make the masses demand of the government what the government has already decided to do. If it follows this procedure, the government can no longer be called authoritarian, because the will of the people demands what is being done. In this fashion, when German public opinion unanimously demanded the liberation of Czechoslovakia, the German government had no choice but to invade that country in obedience to the people. It yielded to opinion as soon as opinion—through propaganda—had become strong enough to appear to influence the government. Castro's Day of Justice was cut from the same cloth: it was prepared by an excellent propaganda campaign, and the people who had been aroused with great care then demanded that their government carry out the acts of “justice." Thus the government did not merely obtain agreement for its acts; the people actually demanded from the government incisive punitive measures, and the popular government merely fulfilled that demand, which, of course, had been manufactured by government propaganda.
This constant propaganda action, which makes the people demand what was decided beforehand and makes it appear as though the spontaneous, innermost desires of the people were being carried out by a democratic and benevolent government, best characterizes the present-day “Mass-Government" relationship. This system has been put to use in the U.S.S.R. particularly, and in this respect Nikita Khrushchev liberalized nothing—on the contrary. However, the emergence of this particular phenomenon was predictable from the day when the principle of popular sovereignty began to take hold. From that point on, the development of propaganda cannot be regarded as a deviation or an accident.
If it follows this procedure, the government can no longer be called authoritarian, because the will of the people demands what is being done. In this fashion, when German public opinion unanimously demanded the liberation of Czechoslovakia, the German government had no choice but to invade that country in obedience to the people. It yielded to opinion as soon as opinion—through propaganda—had become strong enough to appear to influence the government. Castro's Day of Justice was cut from the same cloth: it was prepared by an excellent propaganda campaign, and the people who had been aroused with great care then demanded that their government carry out the acts of “justice."
Thus the government did not merely obtain agreement for its acts; the people actually demanded from the government incisive punitive measures, and the popular government merely fulfilled that demand, which, of course, had been manufactured by government propaganda. This constant propaganda action, which makes the people demand what was decided beforehand and makes it appear as though the spontaneous, innermost desires of the people were being carried out by a democratic and benevolent government, best characterizes the present-day “Mass-Government" relationship. This system has been put to use in the U.S.S.R. particularly, and in this respect Nikita Khrushchev liberalized nothing—on the contrary. However, the emergence of this particular phenomenon was predictable from the day when the principle of popular sovereignty began to take hold. From that point on, the development of propaganda cannot be regarded as a deviation or an accident.
The State and Its Function. From the government point of view, two additional factors must be kept in mind—the competitive situation in which democracy finds itself in the world and the disintegration of national and civic virtues. Why a totalitarian regime would want to use propaganda is easily understood. Democratic regimes, if we give diem the benefit of the doubt, feel some compunction and revulsion against the use of propaganda. But such democratic regimes are driven into its use because of the external challenges they have to meet. Ever since Hider, democracy has been subjected to relendess psychological warfare. The question, then, is which regime will prevail, for both types claim to be of universal validity and benefit; this obliges them to act upon each other. As the Communist regime claims to be the harbinger of the people's happiness, it has no choice but to destroy all other regimes in order to supplant them. But for the Western democracies the problem is the same: in their eyes the Communist regime is a horrible dictatorship.
Thus one must intervene against one's neighbor, mainly through propaganda and also, so far as the Communists are concerned, through Communist parties in non-Communist countries. This in turn forces the democracies to make internal propaganda: if they are to prevail against those Communist parties and against the U.S.S.R., economic progress must be accelerated. In fact, the competition between the two regimes unfolds pardy in the economic realm. We all know Khrushchev's economic challenge. This acceleration of the economic development demands an organization, a mobilization of the latent forces in the heart of the democracies, which requires psychological work, special training; and a permanent propaganda campaign on the necessity for increased production. It is one result of the competition between regimes. But this competition takes place on another level as well: no man in the world can remain unaffected by the competition of the two regimes. Unfortunately, this is the result of global solidarity that some welcome: no people can remain outside the conflict between the Big Two. Democracy feels that it must conquer and hold all the small nations, which otherwise would fall into the Communist orbit. In the pursuit of this objective two means are used in conjunction: the economic weapon and propaganda.
In the days of classic imperialism, the economic weapon, supported on occasion by brief military action, was sufficient. Nowadays, the successive failures of the United States prove that the economic weapon is ineffective without propaganda. For example, in i960 the United States gave three times as much assistance to underdeveloped nations as did the Soviet Union; thanks to propaganda, it is the Soviet Union who is regarded as the great helper and benefactor in whom one can put one’s trust. The hearts and minds of the people must be won if economic assistance, which by itself has no effect on opinion, is to succeed.
Similarly, propaganda by itself accomplishes nothing; it must be accompanied by spectacular economic acts. Without doubt, the democracies have lost out so far in the contest for the African and Asian peoples only because of the inferiority of their propaganda and their reluctance to use it. Thus, the democracies are now irresistibly pushed toward the use of propaganda to stave off decisive defeat. Psychological warfare has become the daily bread of peace policy. The psychological conquest of entire populations has become necessary, and nobody can escape it. One no longer must decide whether or not to use the propaganda weapon; one has no choice. Good reasons exist for analyzing this new form of aggression. Military aggression has been replaced by indirect aggression— economic or ideological. Propaganda saps the strength of the regimes that are its victims, depriving them of the support of their own public opinion.
Austria and Czechoslovakia had been reduced to impotence by Nazi propaganda before they were invaded; other countries with not a single expansionist aim are constantly subjected to this aggression. They cannot defend themselves except by using the same means of psychological warfare, for no international organization or court of justice can protect them against this form of aggression; psychological action is too protean, too hard to nail down, and cannot be legally adjudicated. Above all, in legally defending against psychological aggression, one must not deny the freedom of opinion and speech guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The problem thus springs directly from the given situation. Every State must accept the burden of defending itself against propaganda aggression. As soon as one country has taken this road, all other countries must eventually follow suit or be destroyed.

“They understand that one cannot permit a man of free choice to let himself be captured by a doctrine that would reduce him to an object. . . . They know that a possible future war would include an attack against the mind, more precisely against one of the minds functions: the will. . . . Psychological action in the army aims only at furnishing the men with adequate means for the defense of freedom where it still exists. To this end it is enough to strengthen the will of the resistance if that will to resistance comes under attack. The endangered men must be taught our aims, our mission, and our means of attaining them.”

Here psychological action is presented in its most favorable light. We cannot even object to the reasoning: it corresponds to the feelings of most liberals. Here psychological action presents itself as a sort of national education. According to another French writer, psychological action “is designed to shape and develop and sustain the morale, and to immunize the soldiers against enemy psychological attacks.”
This is intended for wartime, when the first task is to shape an army which “must preserve its proper internal spiritual cohesion.” It is described thus: . . . a civic and moral education of all people placed under military command, within a context of objective information, opposed to propaganda, designed only to spiritually arm the citizen of a free democracy. . . . The methods employed are those of education and human relations; their principal aim is to engage the cooperation of the individual to whom they are addressed, to explain to him and make him understand the different aspects of problems that confront him.”
In other words, the aim is the civic education of the troops. The soldier must learn the civic realities and the values of civilization. This is not just a French problem, incidentally; in Germany we find precisely the same orientation. But it is obvious that the education of the army cannot restrict itself to the troops. Such work becomes infinitely easier if young recruits are already indoctrinated. On the other hand, if the army were alone in maintaining the civic virtues, it would feel isolated. For such work to be effective, it must be done by the entire nation. In this fashion the army will be tempted to become the nation's educator; a psychological action by the State on the entire nation then become a necessity.
The Provisional Proclamation on Psychological Action of 1957 stated that neutralism on the part of the government invited subversion and placed it in a perilous position; that the absence of civic education leads young people to a lack of patriotism, to social egotism, and to nihilism. This shows the perfectly good intentions, the legitimate concerns, and the serious objectives behind psychological action. But is there not a considerable amount of illusion in the rigorous distinction between psychological action and propaganda, between the enemy’s methods and one’s own? In fact, one is faced with a mass of individuals who must be formed, involved, given certain nationalistic reflexes; a scale of values must be introduced by which the individual can judge everything.
If one had a great deal of time, a vast supply of good educators, stable institutions, and lots of money, and if France were not engaged in war or in international competition, it might be possible to eventually rebuild civic virtues through information and good example. But that is not the case. Action must be fast, with few educators at hand; therefore only one way can be taken: the utilization of the most effective instruments and the proved methods of propaganda. In a battle between propagandas, only propaganda can respond effectively and quickly. As a result, the effects of one’s own propaganda on the personality are exactly the same as those of enemy propaganda (we say on the personality, not on some specific opinions). These effects will be analyzed at length later. In any event, one cannot possibly say: we act in order to preserve man’s freedom.
For propaganda, regardless of origin, destroys man’s personality and freedom. If one were merely to say: "The enemy must be defeated, and to this end all means are good,” we would not object. That would mean recognizing and accepting the fact that democracy, whether it wants to be or not, is engaged in propaganda. But the illusion that one engages in psychological action as a defense, while respecting the values of democracy and human personality, is more pernicious than any cynicism which looks frankly at the true situation. A thorough study of Information, Education, Human Relations, and Propaganda reveals that in practice no essential differences exist among them. Any politically oriented education which creates certain "special values” is propaganda. And our reference to “special values” leads to yet another consideration.
The inclusion of such special values as patriotism in the struggle for civic reconstruction excludes such others as internationalism, anarchism, and pacifism. One assumes that one's national values are given and justified in themselves. And from that one concludes that one faces only the problem of education because these national values are the only values. But this is not so. In reality, the affirmation of certain values which one wants to inculcate, and the rejection of others which one wants to eradicate from the minds of the listeners is precisely a propaganda operation. Thus, by different roads, we keep arriving at the same conclusion: a modem State, even if it be liberal, democratic, and humanist, finds itself objectively and sociologically in a situation in which it must use propaganda as a means of governing. It cannot do otherwise.

So, I have a full base inside the mountains (Just mined everything and moving the stuff from outside). I'm considering defenses and been thinking of gassing the intruders on the entry hallway with tox (And also shooting them of course). But my question is this: Does tox gas have any enviromental damage? If I do what I said, will I fuck myself in the long run?
EDIT: By the way, right at the entrance of the base (Where I'd be trowing the gas) is a river.

Female, 18 years old, 5’3, 150lbs, vapes
Day 1: * Sore throat * Swollen tonsils with red streaks * Low fever 99.5 * Fatigue * Dizziness and headache * Nausea and vomiting * Muscle weakness * Ear pain * Can’t sleep * Abdominal pain
Day 2: * Fever 100.5 * Confusion/disoriented * Nausea and vomiting * Muscle weakness * Ear pain * Sore throat * Fast heart rate * Trouble breathing * Dizziness and headache * Fatigue * Can’t sleep
Day 3: * Fever 100.5 * Nausea * Vomiting food, liquids, stomach acid, and bloody mucus * Muscle weakness * Ear pain * Sore throat * Fast heart rate * Trouble breathing * Dizziness and headache * Fatigue * Mucus/phlegm overload * Cough * Chest pain, sharp breaths in, (center of chest), that spread when breathing out * Can’t sleep
Day 4: * Nausea * Vomiting food, liquids, stomach acid, and mucus * Muscle weakness * Sore throat * Fast heart rate * Trouble breathing * Dizziness and headache * Fatigue * Mucus/phlegm overload * Cough * Chest pain, sharp breaths in (center of chest) * Stomach burning and cramping

• Went to hospital for dehydration, stomach burning and chest pain.
• Was given fluids.
• Blood test, ekg, and urine samples were fine

Day 5: * Very mucusy * Persistent cough * Intense diaphragm pain, worse when I breathe in, sharp pains.
My diaphragm is in a lot of pain and I get intense sharp pains when I breathe in. Do you think I should go back to the ER?