I was just watching a documentary about the PRC (People's Republic of China). They were saying that Confucius taught that honesty is one of the highest human virtues. As part of the Communist Party's new plan to establish legitimacy, they are drawing on these ancient Chinese traditions. They showed a young girl drawing the Chinese character for "honesty". Obviously there is real irony in this.
But don't get me wrong, this is not a uniquely Chinese phenomenon. How about the perception that the United States is the "land of the free", when in truth it is the nation with the highest incarceration rate. Or the "American Dream", where what you set your mind to you achieve with hard work, when in reality you are more likely to move out of poverty in Old World Europe.
But it's not only a political thing. How about religion? People believe all sorts of ridiculous ideas, and not only that, but are willing to kill, and die, to defend them.
It happens on a much more personal level, too. Recently a client of mine insisted that I was only interested in money, despite the fact that this is not the case - I truly love my job, and I have sacrificed a higher salary in order to do something I enjoy. She was angry with me because she was not holding up on her end of the bargain, and I called her on it and asked for the payment I was due. She told me horrible, nasty things! I argued with her for a bit, but in the end decided not to fight it and just let her take her business elsewhere. I'm not sure what world she lives in, but it's clear that what she thought and said about me was not rooted in reality. She never apologized, but in the end I received my payment and she continues doing business with me. So I guess deep down she knew she was wrong even though she didn't have the humility to admit it.
It happens all the times in relationships. We treat every little thing as a "red flag" rather than recognizing that people are human and are doing the best that they can. We "cancel" people before giving them a chance, and 9 times out of 10 not because they deserve it, but rather because we are afraid of opening up about our own wounds and dysfunctions. It is a shield, but since people are not interested in truth, they go on throwing the blame outward.
This is quite simply how our society works. The whole thing is built on lies. Perhaps it's because those lies benefit those at the top, which is quite clearly the case in China, and even in the USA. But also because we as individuals are too afraid to face the truth. The truth is scary. The truth is painful. Because we are vulnerable, we are mortal, and we are all very, very powerless. These are not exactly fun things to try and digest.
But at the end of the day the journey is about you. It's up to you to open your eyes to the truth, not anyone else. That's not your job. Maybe by opening yourself up you can inspire others. But it's always about you first. The only benefit in realizing that the society is based on lies is that it allows you to know where you're coming from and also to see things with clear eyes. That way you can begin to function free from the chains of conditioning.
Is it scary? Yes. But as far as I know, we only get one shot at this thing called life. IMO, it's much better to live an honest life rooted in truth, rather than a half-hearted one rooted in lies. There is real satisfaction in this way. Perhaps that was Confucius was alluding to.

Hi reddit, im 24 male and im writing in to seek advice from you all regarding my and my family and how i should face them.
My points may be all over the place as im thinking about it as i write so please bear with me.
To start off, my family consists of my dad, my mom, my older brother (25) and me.
My dad and mom's relationship is not good at all. Dad did alot of inconsiderate things that drove my mom to have paranoia and have a fear of not having money.
For context, he used to gamble alot and was in debt when me and my brother was younger. He took out both of me and my brother's money that my mom was saving up for us to repay his debt.
There wasnt any communication between mom and dad as well which made my mom feel very alone and no one to go to to seek help for.
My mom's paranoia got very bad and very often accused my dad of having a mistress outside which i fully understand why. I trust my dad that he does not have a mistress outside as growing up, he is always by our side (he is a night shift taxi driver, so he's always not at home at night, which i suspect made my mom's paranoia worse)
Mom fully hates my dad currently and is filing for divorce which my dad do not agree to and its very hard for me to convince my mom that dad does not have any mistress outside. Even harder for me to persuade her to seek help from therapist as she firmly believes she does not have a mental illness.
When i was in my teen, 15 or 16, dad would talk to me everyday about my mom saying that she caused all of this problem. I basically got treated as a therapist for my dad and an outlet to vent his anger to. He did not physically abuse me, but mentally, he did. He does not know whatever hes doing to me is wrong, so I just listened to him, everyday, and developed a fear of going out with friends as, if im not at home, they would fight, and im afraid that it would lead to physical fights.
Back then, i used to hate my mom alot due to the constant rants from my dad. However, growing up, i realized that whatever dad is doing is wrong and slowly learned to "forgive" my mom. Right now, i do not hate her at all, but whenever i were to talk to her, a little bit inside of me hated her.
Dad got diagnosed with terminal cancer 1 month ago and can pass anytime even though he is under chemotherapy. Dad chose not to tell my mom and my brother about this, so i have to bear this secret alone.
Currently, he and mom is going through a divorce, and dad is very anxious about when the letter is going to come. I am forced to go to the hospital everyday, as if i do not show up for a day, dad would he very angry at me saying that i do not care about him which adds more stress on me. I do not want him to feel more upset, so no matter how tired i am, i always try to visit him every single day.
My brother has slight autism and does not knkw how to think for himself. Growing up, me and him were not close at all as I did not understand his condition and tend to throw my temper at him when dad throws his temper at me.
Now, my brother had mixed witb the wrong group of friends which resulted him learning all the wrong stuff (gangs), etc. He was taken advantage of by every single one he met due to his condition. He does not voice out his struggles to us as i suspect he does not know how to.
He moved out of the house 1 month ago with his then girlfriend to rent a room outside, and then the girlfriend left him, plus asking him to pay her 3000 dollars for god knows what.
Today, i talked to my brother about it and he kept saying he wanted to end it all, saying he wont come home. He kept persuading me to transfer him money to buy beer to drink at a bar. But I am still a student and recently graduated and stopped working and really have no money. I offered him to buy beer from local grocery shop as it was much cheaper, but he wouldnt listen. He wants me to go down to a bar to drink with him, but i must prepare a sum of money which realistically, i do have, but there are other things to prioritize on such as food, next month house bills.
Im afraid if i dont show up for him, he really will end it, so im forced to go down tonight after he ends work. He havent told my mom or dad as he is not close with my dad, and im pretty sure my mom wont lend him any money. So for now, im the only one that knows about this.
I feel so drained having to deal with all these stuff. I need some advice. Please help me

Is there a limit to how much money you can add to the Eshop per day? I wanted to add money to my account to buy games before the 3ds and Wiiu eshops close, but after I added 200 euros I kept getting an error message that I cant add more funds to my account.
The error code I keep getting also doesnt show up whenever I google it (2813-5509)

Hi everyone,
I hope this message finds you well. I am a engineering student eager to learn more about signal processing. This semester, I have the opportunity to work with RTL-SDR antennas and the GNU Radio software on Linux.
As part of my project, I will be using an RTL-SDR antenna to intercept a signal, perform some operations using GNU Radio, and then retransmit the signal back out to the antenna. However, I must admit that I am relatively new to this field, and I feel that I have a lot to learn before I can confidently tackle this project.
While I am following the tutorials on the GNU Radio website, I still feel that I have gaps in my understanding of the theory behind telecommunications and how to analyze signals. Additionally, I find that the GNU Radio software is quite complex, and it feels like it is designed for experienced users rather than beginners like myself.
If anyone has any recommendations for resources, tutorials, or guides that could help me better understand the fundamentals of signal processing and telecommunications, I would greatly appreciate it. Additionally, any tips or advice for working with RTL-SDR antennas and GNU Radio on Linux would be very helpful.
Thank you in advance for your help and guidance. I am excited to learn as much as I can about this field, and I appreciate any support you can offer.

I've been in this forum for a while now and never had the confidence to post or reply but some liquid courage has brought me here. Okay so for some background information I was recently (about a year ago) diagnosed with EUPD (the British equivalent of BPD). I knew quite alot about BPD before I was diagnosed because at 15 I had been hospitalised and made a best friend who was diagnosed, we stayed freinds after we left the ward and I took it apon myself to become educated on this disorder for her sake. It's ironic now because I remember thinking holy shit this girls doing some crazy stuff and would say things to our other freinds like "she's just doing this because of the BPD" while I simultaneously felt connected to her because she was the only person who reacted to things in the same way as me.
Anyways, years later during a hospital admission after a OD the mental health team came to talk to me about "why" and such and after telling them my (honestly bizarre) reasons they questioned if I was diagnosed with EUPD , which is strange in itself surely they have access to this information without needing to ask me, regardless i wasn't at this time. Then after another general hospital admission a month or so later I was sent to see the adult mental health team who I brought this up with and then concluded I did not have EUPD, I was to see that same doc again a few weeks later for a follow up but they were off sick, the new doctor spoke to me for around an hour and then concluded I had EUPD and that was final.
I guess my my question is, how can they dignose me in such a short space of time. I really do identify with the diagnosis or at least the symptoms, so much so it's impacted my whole life (can't keep a job ect ect). But I always assumed I would be tested for this disorder and they would look at my history and the decision would take a while and could require multiple peoples input. I was simply diagnosed face to face by a guy who I'd only spoken too for an hour and I just think that's bizarre and it makes me question the validity of my own dignoses as well as others.

This is my fourth try still asking for a GiftCard amounting to the same sale price of the game. I know copy paste is not appreciated here for re-attempts, but last time I really worked hard on the poem for three days (I Know the poem sucks) and people seemed displeased with it. Further I really don't have anymore to say. I have seen some old posts where this game was asked by people but was never gifted once, but some other games here are gifted again and again. I really don't know why this game doesn't get any love, but I would really appreciate you for gifting this to me. And I will one day pay you in some way or another.
What is MS Flight Simulator 2020 about?
Game (40th AE is the base game): MS Flight Simulator 40th Base Edition
Microsoft has a long history with Flight Simulators. Their first Flight simulator was released in 1982. While the previous games were fun, the new MS Flight Simulator does something incredible which no other game has ever done: It simulates the topography of the entire Earth as accurate as possible to real world through satellite data of Bing/Google maps along with Cloud Computing to generate better visuals and real data for air traffic and weather. Moreover, it also takes real wind and real-world time into consideration.
The game also has an active community-driven add-ons that only makes the game even more realistic and grander. If any game has the biggest world map of all, this is it. This game has the world map almost as big as the Earth itself. You can visit many of the world-famous attractions like Eiffel Tower, The Taj Mahal and even football stadiums! But you can also explore some famous landscapes as well, and if you fly low enough, you can experience some wildlife too. The game features Geese, Seagulls, Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, Elephants, Giraffes, Flamingos. You can experience the beautiful endless sea, but make sure you have enough fuel; You surely don't want to end up like Chuck Noland, and to make matters worse, you won't have your trustee, Wilson!
Microsoft Flight Simulator features 25 handcrafted airports, 4 classic commercial airports, 14 heliports and 15 glider airports. There are over 37,000 total airports in the game along with 37 airplanes, gliders, and helicopters with unique flight models, the likes of A320 Neo, Boeing 747, Cessna, DA62, and the cutest CTLS and A5, with detailed interiors of the cockpit. Isn't that the ultimate definition of simulation?
Why I want it:
I love exploring the world, something I am not financially able to do in real world. Every Time I watch something on TV, it's 90% of the time travel channels. The first time I tried Flight Simulator on my friend's PC, I fell in love with it. What I love about MSFS is the grand scale of the game. While in games like ETS 2 even a 4,000 KM journey can be completed in 3-4 hours, with MSFS, it would take real world time. For example, it takes ~1h 15m non-stop flight from Paris to London (Average), so it would also take almost the same amount of time in the game too (that is real world 1h 15m). Even staying in the cloudy sky is so much fun with sunlight shining, thunder and rain. I love playing simulation, tycoon games as they are the pinnacle of freedom in gaming world with no bounds. I remember when I played Flight simulator 2000 back in 2003 and wondered, what a shitty game. Seriously, at that time I thought who would play this game with 65% of the screen occupied by the cockpit? And here I am today.
What I love about the FS 2020 game:

1. There is nothing unlocked in the world. I don't have to pay extra or do specific tasks to unlock some part of the world. I can visit any place any time!
2. The scale is grand. This has the biggest map of any game.
3. So many different airplanes to choose from and they all act and feel different.
4. This game is very relaxing. I can just unwind and soak the beauty of the world from the comfort of my chair.
5. I love this game cause it takes up whopping over 150GB of Disk space.
6. I love pushing and flicking buttons. Especially the flick switches. They are so yumm to touch. And the clicky sound it makes is better than any orgasm. Basically, I am flicking and pushing buttons while flying around in a tube.
7. I can crash the plane without having to worry about anything.
8. Landing! Landing in this game is like going to final exam without studying anything. If you nail it, that feeling is amazing!
9. I can fly along with the birds!
10. I can land the plane anywhere I want. Even in a grassfields or your ex's backyard.
11. I am tired of playing the repeat levels of Fall Guys.
12. The full detailed cockpit is amazing!
13. Realistic ATC commands with interactions. If I am angry, I can choose to ignore the ATC.
14. I need to find more things I like after playing the game.

I am in touch with the MSFS community on Discord and YouTube videos, with always waiting for max737Ifly video to show up as his videos are so good and realistic (even my mom loves watching it). I just cannot get enough from this game.
I can play this game even when I am listening to Podcasts and it makes such an immersive experience. The tiny details the game provides, like waiting instructions from ATC before you move a muscle, dialing the knobs, flipping tiny switches in the cockpit only adds to the experience which I enjoy a lot. This game is enjoyed by both, casual gamers and professional pilots as well. The game sends me to another world and is like a therapy for me. And playing MS Flight Simulator makes me feel like a bird. The game brings me a joy I cannot express through words.
Here are some content from the game:

1. Some beautiful scenes (this is just a trailer)
2. Beautiful clouds
3. FS vs Real life
4. Montage
5. Hudson River

Here is me playing FS on my friend's PC:

1. Potash Ponds
2. Simpson Desert
3. The deep hole near Antarctica

why I can't get it:
I cannot afford it to be honest. I have taken some surveys to earn a bit here and there to collect for the game but it's such a long process and the reward is generally not worth it. My bad luck is that due to a technical mistake, the game was selling with 80% discount but due to time zone difference, I couldn't grab on the once in a lifetime opportunity. I also tried other giveaways for steam gift cards, but I never win them, and they are so rare to come by. I am really struggling with money and hence I am here.
Because I cannot afford the game, I tried to look into alternatives:

1. Xplanes really is the only contender, but it lacks the real-time aspect of weather, wind, terrain MS Flight Simulator provides. Moreover, it's more about planes and their simulation than exploration.
2. DCS World, which is a full-on military combat simulation game. Even though that game is extremely hard to play with a keyboard, I still managed to play some couple of hours in it. However, it's really not something I am interested in as It's not a game where you can explore the world and the Jet planes are very speedy and hard to control. Compared to that, Flight Simulator is more of an arcade style game and controlling it is fun and easy even with keyboard and mouse.

An explanation of why GamePass and MS Rewards ain't the way:
MS Rewards: In India, we can only get an Amazon gift voucher for Rs. 250 for 4,000 points. So only 162 points are allotted per day to farm. Given that, I get mere Rs. 250 in 25 days. So a total of something around 64,000 points required for a total of Rs 4000. This is what the game costs now post sale. So it would take me around more than a year to accumulate so many points. By then I might just lose interest in the game.
Game Pass: I don't have a card that can work with game pass. And in the long run it will cost me far more than what the game would have cost me. I also won 2 month free game pass key on reddit which I wasn't able to redeem due to card issue. It's a game that I plan to play for a really long time.
Also, I am saving to get a 500GB SSD just for this game along with some add-ons. I won't be asking here if I could have afforded all of these. I cannot get both of them. And SSD costs more than the game.
why you should gift it to me:
I will be playing this game everyday and you won't feel your money is wasted. This gift will bring such a big smile to my face that even Joker would feel ashamed. I know many people hoard games and don't play them, or they play for a few times and stop. I can guarantee you that once I get this game, I will be playing it every single day! This game is the reason I am for the first time requesting for a game here. And I promise I will do justice to the game and gifter. I am not requesting for any deluxe version or anything, just the base game will suffice for me. I can say it from my heart that the day I get this game, will be the day I will be flying in the air of joy! As this community works on the principle of making others happy with no selflessness! But I can never be happy unless I own this game. This game is the only game missing from my library of happiness.
If that's not enough, let me tell you something: you will feel on top of the world if you gift this game to me, even more than me. Don't ask me how. Be the first person to gift someone MS Flight Simulator on this sub and feel proud. If you don't feel on top the world, I will make sure to pick you up free of cost from your home in one of your choice of plane and will personally drop you on the top of Mt. Everest. I will also let you touch some buttons in the cockpit or let you control the yoke. But only you have to figure out how to get down from the Mt., as I will be flying all that time exploring the world. But if you don't like cold places, I can show you a secret place (This Secret place is a part of a DLC and there is a way to unlock this place)!
To anyone who gifts this game to me, I will forever remember you and engrave your name on my grave thanking you that I died in peace. And when I meet God, I will personally tell him that if it weren't for you, I would have gone to hell.
My steam ID
Price of base 40th Anniversary edition in India: Rs. 3,999. However, I will still ask for the discounted price of 2,999 which is $35. The rest I will try to manage from somewhere or use the MS Reward for 4 months.

Sooooo I’m just now infiltrating this community, I been looking, I can’t seem to find much posts on here about people who really go above and beyond with taking gabs. I’m talking 4000mg-5000mg+ and upwards of 10000mg+. Looking for people to relate to and/or who have advice in how I would go about a taper schedule. I literally don’t even know where to begin. I guess bad shit happens when you stay loyal to a drug you tried in prison. Currently my dose fluctuates between 4500mg-10000mg daily and for about 8 months. I realize this is fucked. I know this. That’s why I’m here begging my fellow gabatrons for help.
No I do not have a prescription. 😀
Thanks for reading

I beat the game with an STR build - Rusty Anchor into Great Stars. Jump attacking and staggering my way through. It was fun. And I intentionally left a lot of side content unexplored the a second playthrough. I didn't do Volcano Manor, the Depths, Haligtree, the belphries. Consecrated Snowfield, underground Leyndell etc. I killed a ton of dungeon bosses but hardly any field bosses. I wanted to save all of that for a second time so I had new and fresh things to discover.
Problem is I just can't get excited about a build. But maybe I'm not looking deep enough. I tried an INT sorcery build and a pure FTH build but magic is honestly not for me.
One thing I'd really like is to play with a setup that doesn't rely on jump attacks and staggering bosses over and over. I've thought about Reduvia with a shield but that seems like it would be more frustrating than fun. Ideally I'd like to run a build that allows me to fight bosses and really learn their movesets and conquer them rather than looking for openings to stop them from attacking. Love the Great Stars run I did but there were quite a few bosses I just pounded into the dirt on my first try and it felt kind of unsatisfying because I didn't really learn how to fight them first.
I looked up builds on fextralife but so much of that stuff feels clinical to read. So I'm hoping that some of you guys might be able to lend me some inspiration. Sorry for the long post.

I'm from a small town and have been living in Navi Mumbai for the past few years. I run my own business, and as a business owner, I know it's essential to carry myself in a modern and fashionable way. But, unfortunately, I'm still struggling with it even after all these years.
After my marriage, I gained almost 10 kgs and ended up doing housework only because my work is from home. I didn't focus on improving myself and my appearance, and now I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. I want to be more fashionable and modern, but I don't know where to start.
I've tried going through online fashion blogs, but it's not helping me much. I'm still confused about what to wear and how to style myself. As a result, I'm losing confidence in myself, and it's affecting my business as well.
So, I'm here to ask for your help. If anyone has any advice on how I can improve my fashion sense and become more modern, please let me know. Any tips, suggestions, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm looking to buy a website directly from a seller.
I have no experience with this in a financial/security sense so I'd appreciate any advice
I'm not looking for advice in terms of what to expect after buying it, monetization, work needed, or technology - I've got experience and know-how in that aspect.
I'm looking for advice on how to actually handle a purchase. Would you recommend using flippa or empireflippers or a similar service? How about escrow(dot)com - anyone with experience there?
Pros and cons of these services? Do I get an invoice from flippa and such or seller has to provide it?
Any help is very appreciated!

I got quite a lot of money from my grandparents on my 18th birthday. I spent a small part and I put the rest into savings. I haven't been getting any pocket money since September, so if I want to buy anything then I have to use my savings. I used to get 25$ monthly and it was enough for some expenses I had (makeup, cosmetics, food) Btw, I'm not from USA, work is not an option for me (they wouldn't even let me as I have finals in may)
Since I have a lot of savings, I also borrowed some money to my mum when she wanted to buy herself something, but didn't have her salary yet. My dad once paid for some stuff then(~100$) and took the money out of my account (I didn't have access to my money for 2 months but he could do this) so my mum could pay me back directly. I also had to withdraw some money for doctor etc. So they owe me around 150$ total which I haven't seen back.
When I asked about it back or wanted to at least to agree how much they owe me, my dad told me to not start arguments and dismissed me. I feel bad asking them for the money back but I don't like that they seem to forget about it. I don't want it know I just want confirmation that they will pay me back.
AITA for requesting that I get my money back?

I see a growing amount of posts about how they don't get teamed with lvl 100+ survivors. How they don't waste their time reviving low level survivors.
We all started at level 1. Just because you started before them doesn't make you better. Just because you play A LOT doesn't mean you should look down on people who don't have as much playtime as you. If you are seeing low level survivors it is a good sign for the game and that we will see season 3, 4 and 5! Give that lower level player support, water that seed so it will become a budding flower. Shoot them a message if you have advice for them.
Being a survivor is a team game. bettering and working with your allies improves all our chances at victory

Donate to his veterans support charity No Duff if you can, it will go to his daughtewhanau, to return his body and continue his enduring kaupapa, which will help other whanau in this conflict and others.

No Duff Charitable Trust Givealittle page:

https://givealittle.co.nz/org/noduff

​

Kane Te Tai remembered as man of honour committed to aiding Ukraine

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/486507/kane-te-tai-remembered-as-man-of-honour-committed-to-aiding-ukraine

Whānau and friends of slain soldier Kane Te Tai say he will return home as a warrior in life and death, and be remembered as a man who always fought for what was right.
RNZ understands the body of the slain New Zealand soldier has officially been identified as Te Tai and is now being transferred to Kyiv.
He is understood to have been killed while clearing a trench in the Vulhedar area of Ukraine.
Sources have told RNZ he had moved deeper into the trench, away from his team, when he was killed by Russian soldiers.
His team were forced to leave his body there, before Ukrainian marines went in and recovered him overnight.
Veteran support and advocacy group No Duff is now working to ensure a New Zealander can be available to escort his body through the country to the Polish border, before travelling with him for his final journey home.
Comrades and friends have said they believed it was important a Kiwi was always with him, but the process would not be simple.
Te Tai co-founded No Duff with Aaron Wood, who told Midday Report his mother had asked them to manage the journey home.
"We're pulling all the pieces together. A number of volunteers and interested people from New Zealand, all the way through to Ukraine and in between, are coming together to make this happen."
It was highly likely they would be able to bring him home, Wood said, but there were numerous jurisdiction challenges ahead.
Deeply respected during time in Ukraine
Te Tai joined the Defence Force after leaving high school and went on multiple deployments while serving in the 2/1 Royal Battalion.
He left the Army in 2010 and travelled to Ukraine in April last year, operating under the call sign 'Turtle'.
Te Tai was a prominent character in the warzone and was widely followed on social media.
His colleagues described him as well-known and deeply respected for his professionalism, skill, leadership and relentless sense of humour.
They said he never underestimated the importance of his job, or the lives he held in his hands.
His death marks the third New Zealander to be killed in the combat - after the deaths of his best friend Dominic Abelen and humanitarian Andrew Bagshaw.
Te Tai had become the unofficial expert for New Zealanders in Ukraine, often acting as the point of contact for Kiwis wanting to travel to the warzone. He would ensure people knew what they were signing up for, a way to get into the country and a unit to go to.
He admitted in an interview with RNZ his initial motivations for going there were selfish, but that changed quickly on arrival.
The soldier became an infamous figure in the war, often featuring on Russian propaganda sites - seen by RNZ - particularly the Wagner group, who put a NZ$11 million price tag on his head.
In a conversation with friends he joked about ratting himself out for the money, illustrating his sense of humour.
Te Tai always said to his friends he was not afraid to die, but he also was not afraid to live.
During nearly a full year in Ukraine, he garnered respect from people in all walks of life. He volunteered with Ukrainian families, taught civilians how to fight and eventually found a spot at the frontline as one of the team's leaders.
Te Tai said he was fiercely protective of his team and did anything to make sure they were safe.
During one mission in August 2022, his best friend, Abelen, was killed in trench warfare. In an interview after the mission, Te Tai said the team were unable to get his body back and it ended up in Russian hands, but that did not stop him from trying.
He told RNZ they only stopped because Abelen would not have wanted them killed in the process.
Just last week Te Tai posted on social media, revealing that while clearing a Russian position he had found a "long lost friend" who had wanted to visit New Zealand.
Te Tai had thought his friend was dead and was amazed to find him alive, describing it as a "Hollywood moment".
He said at first he did not recognise the man, who had been shot four times and was skinny.
"He'd been starved by Russians for two months and drinking anti-freeze because the Russians wanted a laugh."
The man did not want to be left with the Ukrainians, but Te Tai had to keep fighting. He promised he would return and walk him personally to hospital.
That was exactly what he did, he said.
'The people grow on you'
In that August interview with RNZ, Te Tai said he had fallen in love with the country and its people, and was deeply respectful of their resolve.
"I was sort of getting a bit bored of being at home... and coming into this conflict was just one of those things that selfishly I thought I could be close to the war without getting too entangled.
"But then that sort of changes... I've met so many people, I've been everywhere in this country and the place grows on you, the people grow on you, and their strength, and that's why I'm still here."
Te Tai said he was prepared to leave everything in Ukraine, but in the weeks before his death he had made moves to return home.
His mother said he always kept her up to date, ending the calls with "I love you Mum", but more recently it was like "I'll see you soon".
In a Facebook message to another friend he said he loved Ukraine, but it was time to start living a real life - "gotta put the toys away and start to build while I can", he said.
"That's enough war for me, I love this place, it's like a playground where I can do anything I want.
"But that's the problem isn't it? So before the game gets me or before I decide that life here is too easy, maybe it's time to start living my real life.
"This place is pure escapism, we are all trying to run from something, mine is from having a real life, but the time is near."
Passionate about the cause
Te Tai is being remembered by his friends and comrades as a man of honour who was passionate about his cause, always doing everything he could to protect people.
Longtime friend Aaron Wood described Te Tai as a beautiful man, who he loved to bits.
"He just wanted people to live their best lives and he wanted to help as many people as he could.
"That sounds like a cliché, but with him it's a truism. That's his whole life... Just serving people, that's what he did, that's what his message was."
That was what he died doing, Wood said.
His mum, Ngaire Te Tai, said there was never any talking him out of it.
"He never did anything by halves, my son. We tried to stop him, but he had his mind made up, that's just Kane.
"When you were around him, you just felt safe."
A gift she said she knew he spread much further than just Ukraine.
Ngaire Te Tai's final comment about her eldest boy was: "Don't let my son's death be in vain."
He leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find anything glorious about killing young mobilised Russian boys who are crying in their trenches”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/300777917/the-shelling-is-so-close-it-makes-you-puke-says-kiwi-fighting-in-ukraine

The shelling is so close it makes you puke, says Kiwi fighting in Ukraine

A Kiwi soldier fighting under Ukraine’s military intelligence says he’s prepared to die.
Kane Te Tai, code name Turtle, is fighting in a secretive reconnaissance unit on Ukraine’s front line in the eastern Donetsk region.
After deaths, injuries and resignations, Te Tai now leads the Foreign Reconnaissance Team after only joining in July.
A December article in The New Yorker magazine revealed the existence of the unit and featured Turtle.
It’s the same unit that 28-year-old Kiwi Dominic Abelen was fighting in when he was killed in August, and the two were like brothers.
Te Tai’s unit has set up a PayPal to fundraise for vehicles it needs to move around its area of operation, near the town of Pavlivka.
As Te Tai was interviewed, he had to be careful his phone wasn’t too bright, so as to not give his unit away to any Russian drones flying overhead.
“We live on the line, we just occupy whatever place we can find at the time. If it gets too hot we just find somewhere else,” he told Stuff.
His unit’s job is primarily reconnaissance, a small mobile force that could reach into Russian land or no-man’s land between the trenches, and destroy a tank or hold a position, before the Ukrainian army moved in.
“Find it, locate it, observe it, report it, attack it.”
Good 4x4 vehicles are a necessity.
Donetsk is known for farming and coal production, and Te Tai described the land as similar to the Canterbury plains.
Soldiers try and use the tree lines separating the fields for cover, and trench systems are built through them.
During the winter, the roads and fields are muddy, pocked by craters from Russian artillery barrages.
The Foreign Reconnaissance Team can get the necessities of war – food, bombs, clothing, bullets - just fine.
Reliable working vehicles and parts, and enough for an emergency stockpile, are harder to come by.
The Foreign Reconnaissance Team is reliant on vehicles driven into Ukraine from throughout Europe by volunteers and paying for them with donated money.
“You can use that vehicle until it is blown up or you crash it, unfortunately both those things happen all the time,” Te Tai said.
“The last three vehicles we’ve had, in the last month, they’ve been hit with artillery. Holes in the front, s... just smashed through.”
Unlike the famous International Legion Battalion, which tens of thousands of foreigners have joined since the start of the war, the Foreign Reconnaissance Team is for some of the highly-trained foreign few.
Te Tai served a tour in Afghanistan for the New Zealand Defence Force and thinks of himself as having spent his whole life training to fight.
His team is given autonomy, building trust with local Ukrainian commanders to find out what they want and then formulating missions.
Te Tai was able to talk about one operation the Foreign Reconnaissance Team conducted during a December battle in Pavlivka, first described in the New Yorker article.
Te Tai and a small team of a half-dozen were set to cross a bridge at night and enter a tree line which ran into the centre of the town.
The mission was to see how close they could get to the Russian positions before they were fired on.
“The moment that we got onto the bridge, everything just opened up, rockets, missiles everything. We ran across this bridge and were just trying to scramble to the safest nearest spot.”
Te Tai’s team managed to get into the tree line and into a trench – all in the dark – but the Russians began to shell progressively towards them down the tree line.
“I remember just looking at everyone in the pit and we all had this look on our faces like, ‘well, the party had to end some time’. We had this feeling of acceptance.”
But, just as the next shell was set to kill the team, it flew off somewhere else and the Russians then began to bomb regressively back along the tree line.
“By divine intervention we missed getting smashed... We all knew we were supposed to die that night.”
Before joining Foreign Reconnaissance, Te Tai was working for a church training Ukrainians in basic military skills.
He was open with people back in New Zealand about what he was experiencing, including old army colleagues.
Te Tai described an environment where Kiwis in Ukraine often stayed in touch and worked together, including Dominic Abelen who contacted Te Tai before making the trip.
When Abelen said that he was set to join the International Legion Battalion, Te Tai told Abelen he was hearing bad stories.
“You go there as a foreigner, you get given a weapon, some ammunition, and sit inside a trench and you fight or die, that’s how it’s portrayed.
“People would tell us: 'Thank you for training my son, he didn’t make it back, but I felt he was better off than he was before’,” he said.
Abelen, now with the nickname Tolkien, made his way into the Ukrainian army, but managed to get taken into Ukrainian military intelligence.
Talking to Abelen about what he was doing, Te Tai had had enough of training soldiers and the 37-year-old felt like he was running out of time to fight.
“I told him [Abelen], ‘I’ll jump in with you too’.
“And he [Abelen] was like ‘thank God, cool man’,” said Te Tai.
He ended the volunteer work and a recruiter told Te Tai to get to Lviv where he entered a secretive military intelligence training camp.
Recruits weren’t allowed to use their phones and were closely evaluated for a two-week period.
“Pretty much from the second they take you into the camp, they don’t tell you what’s going on.
“They operate it like a psychological test, to see if you can be just told what to do and not know any other parameters,” he said.
Access to weapons was heavily restricted and there was heavy scrutiny as Ukrainian officials went through candidates’ records and social media, trying to weed out spies and the weak.
“When you talk to someone, it’s always a cover story, you’re never talking to who you think you’re talking to,” Te Tai said.
Then, one morning in July, officials gave Te Tai a contract and drove him to the Foreign Reconnaissance Team in Donetsk.
“As soon as we pulled up... Dom had no shirt on... he said, ‘let’s do some work’.”
“I was like ‘my man!’.”
Abelen had put in a good word for him with Ukrainian intelligence, Te Tai said.
He gave Te Tai the code name of Turtle, after he had originally named himself Talon. Talon was too cool, Abelen said.
Te Tai described new troops arriving for the unit as a big event, a celebration of strengthening the group after the fighting took its toll.
“There’s a high attrition rate either by death, injury, or guys wanting to leave.”
The Foreign Reconnaissance Team currently operates out of a house, planning their missions on a whiteboard.
“We’re normally strapped for time. If we’re not out working we are resting, or we are giving instructions.”
Te Tai said there aren’t ranks in the unit, so while he is the team’s leader, he sits on the same step as the other foreigners in the unit.
He eats Ukrainian food: soups like borscht, and two-minute noodles and toast.
At night Te Tai watches Netflix and YouTube fail compilations to decompress. Sometimes, he hears the Russians shelling, keeping him awake.
When you’re fired on by artillery, you can hear the lifespan of the shell, he said.
He described how shells left the Russian gun with a distant duh-boom, screeching through the air, before exploding somewhere on the Ukrainian side of the line.
Some shells landed far away, but some hit so close to soldiers that the concussion made them puke and made them feel sick for the next day, he said.
“That shit happens like every week.”
About six weeks after Te Tai joined the unit, Abelen was killed during a mission.
“It pissed me off more than anything, it just consolidated for me that I’m not leaving any time soon.”
Te Tai said Abelen didn’t have a death wish, but he was a soldier and fighting was what he had trained for his whole life.
“I could have told him, ‘you are going to die today’ and he would have been like ‘it’s a good day to die’, that’s just who he was.”
Killing didn’t weigh on Te Tai’s mind, he said. He described it as part of the job, and said his views hadn’t changed since Abelen’s death.
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find anything glorious about killing young mobilised Russian boys who are crying in their trenches,” he said.
“I’m willing to die, for sure, but I don’t want to die.”
Te Tai has no plans to leave and wants to attend a victory day parade in Kyiv.
“I know we’re going to win, I know that for sure,” he said.
“I’m staying here until I can’t take it any more, or I am dead.”

Hi folks, I am currently level 10 at ACN ASG with a base annual salary of ~60k. I am currently looking to move up to level 9 in the upcoming promotion round. My performance on the project is good to very good and have received only good customer feebback. Have also been able to gain first experience as a Team Lead as I have a small team (4) people.
Important for me would be to understand how to best prepare for promotion. Do you have any tips on what is important? I have set as a goal last year to pass a certificate, since it is very stressful on the project I will probably not manage to complete it. How much are certificates weighted for promotions?
And my last question would be regarding the raise. What percentage can I expect to get?
Really hope that the current market situation doesn't affect the promotions too much and there are enough spots for promotions.
Thanks all wish you all a great day!

I recently purchased an 2023 A4 Premium Plus 45 TFSI S Line with brown leather interior. Much to my disliking, only the 40 TFSI comes with the brown walnut wood inlay, which I think really pulls together the interior with brown leather.
I’m now looking into how easily I can swap my brushed aluminum inlays with brown walnut. How difficult is it to do this? Is this something a novice should undertake?
Anybody want to trade trim?

TLDR: Freecash usually pays more for most "get-paid-to" sign up and game offers, but sometimes other offerwalls beat them. At the time of writing, Freecash is beaten by:

• Earnably on RevU
• Swagbucks and ySense on AyeT
• Earnably on OfferToro

Freecash is a "get paid to" site, where you can earn money doing sign up and game offers, and surveys if that is you jam. I recommend joining all of these kind of sites (Inbox Pounds, Swagbucks, etc), and checking them all to find the highest paying for any particular offer. Often, Freecash pays more than anywhere else, including a direct referral.
Sign up with the link below, to get a bonus ticket worth either $0.05, $0.25, $2.50 or $250 when you join:
Freecash - bonus ticket link

How Freecash works

Companies pay Freecash commission to get people to sign up to various sites/services, and Freecash pass some of that money back to you. Its exactly the same way Quidco and Topcashback work, except there are also a lot of get-paid-to-play game offers available. Refer your friends for and Freecash will pay you an amount equal to 5% of what your friend makes (your friends make the same whether or not they sign up via a referral link).
Payment is via PayPal, or various gift cards, or various cryptocurrencies.

Check if there are better offers available

Most of the offers available on Freecash are available on several other get-paid-to sites. I wanted to know where to get the highest payment for each offer. So I made some updating dashboards for three of the main offerwalls. They allow you to compare how much you get from each site.
​

RevU OfferWall

• RevU Offerwall Comparison.
  

  Probably the best offerwall there is.
  

AyeT Studios OfferWall

• AyeT Offerwall Comparison. ​ > Another good offerwall.

OfferToro OfferWall

• OfferToro Offerwall Comparison. ​
  

  Tracking fails for a lot of people with OfferToro, and their support is reported to be absolutely useless. If you are not lucky with OfferToro after trying it out, just give up and avoid it.
  

​

Tracking GPT offers

My main tip for doing these, like any sign up site: use a fresh internet browser with cookies enabled, and no adblockers installed. I use a separate Google Chrome browser for this. iPhones/iPads require a setting to be changed to allow tracking. See instructions for enabling tracking here.

Issues with Freecash?

Sometimes Freecash lose their ability to support their customers. If this happens to you...

• Be polite and send their support a message via the chat function.
• Failing that, be polite and ask the mod on Freecash for help.
• Failing that, be polite and leave honest reviews on TrustPilot, and the app store of your choice.

Links

• Freecash - bonus ticket - Using this link (code: 60e911a68a) will get you a ticket for a random bonus amount ($0.05, $0.25, $2.50 or $250):
• Freecash - no ref, no bonus

I have always been so confident and secure in being alone. But these past few years, especially these past few months, a hole in my heart appeared that I do not know how to fill. I find myself wishing at least even once to experience what it is like to be seen, truly seen, but to be loved in spite of all my insecurities and things that I do not like about myself. I am afraid that I cannot keep up with the initial relatively good impressions people have of me, because I feel I will disappoint them later on when they get to know more things about me. I have been feeling bound to disappoint people I grow fond of.
Is it because I also feel this way towards others? Something seems wrong with having left off important and vital friendships of my life these past few years and going almost radio silent. The main reason I tell myself is my heartbreak from an unrequited love I have been keeping to myself for almost 7 years. Can somebody help me explain these feelings and how to cope?
I see my high school friends growing up all around me getting married and having kids. I feel like the world revolves while I am standing still. Nevertheless, being radio silent gave me insights on what I wanted my future relationship to be like, albeit aching as I witness people have these kinds of love in their lives while I don’t.
One of these things is a (healthy) letting go of physical beauty. I envy couples who get bigger when they get into a relationship, because it shows they still love each other’s souls no matter what shape their physical bodies take form. It’s like letting go of heavy expectations on what we must look like, because we know we will still be loved. I think it also inspires the right kind of exercise and working out—because then we can confidently do it for health, as vanity gets out of the picture with this healing kind of love.
Another thing that I would want in my future relationship is the space for independence. I ache as I witness my life devoid of this kind of love, of having found a home in another person after going out there in the world. It is like loving and embracing another person’s freedom to have other fulfilling friendships in their life without being threatened. My god, how beautiful must that be? To have a love that helps you keep a well-rounded life.
Anyway, I am still extremely aching as I type this. Please share with me your insights. I am looking into visiting a therapist to help me deal with my problems with myself. Any help will be appreciated.

I have been “dating” this girl for almost four years. The relationship transitioned into long-distance after 2 years due to work reasons.
From the get go I knew she was the one for me personality wise, we had very similar personalities and really bonded over small things. This was the kind of girl that I would stay up till 3am doing homework, so I could have my weekends free for her. We went on quite a few dates and really had a good time, I would bring her coffee, dinner, flowers, etc and tried to make her feel appreciated. The first signs of negativity were when she told me to ease up on this as it was making her sister who she lived with jealous, because she had never experienced a boyfriend like this. So I eased up.
We were in college at the time, so money wasn’t the easiest to come by. She started liking going out less and less due to studies, so we transitioned into me making her dinner and watching movies. She got really upset about this, because I was only cooking dinner for her and not her brother and sister as well. I started cooking for them as well. Every time I asked her to go on dates on the weekend, whether putt putt or whatever, she would get upset that I didn’t want to include her family or that I was pulling her away from school. This went on for the remainder of the time we spent together, where I planned dates, brought her coffee, made her fun baskets for halloween and easter, and regardless of all of this she would still find ways to be upset at me. If I went golfing alone and didn’t invite her brother she would be mad. If I brought her coffee or dinner and not everyone else she would be mad. This is my first relationship and I didn’t know what to expect.
Long distance was rough.
She called me twice a day when she was going to work and leaving work. She wasn’t the best at responding to texts and often would get back to me within a few hours at a time. If I called her late at night to chat about my day or say goodnight oftentimes she was on the couch watching a show with her mom, so she would make it a 1 minute conversation and hang up.
When she visited me I wanted her to feel like her time was valued, so I really made an effort. I took her to all of my favorite restaurants, let her pick restaurants, took her to NFL, MLB, MLS sporting events. Took her to the zoo, our local amusement park 2 times, kayaking, fireworks shows, shopping at the malls, to our world famous grocery store whenever she wanted. I basically wanted to make sure that if she was visiting she was getting her moneys worth. I was very much a “yes man”, where if she wanted breakfast, coffee, to go to the grocery, etc I would do it. If she needed something from the store, I would go get it, if she wanted to do something we did it. However, this was pretty much expected from me I guess, the only thing I wanted was once to hear wow I had a great day thank you so much. Instead usually it was pointing out some mistake I made earlier in the day that I forgot about or something I did that upset her, that I didn’t intend to do. There was always something for me to improve on in her eyes.
When I would visit her and her family, I didn’t really expect a lot. I used about 10 days of PTO visiting a year and the majority of the time we spent with her family. If I brought up that I’d really like to go on a date with her, she would make me feel bad and ask why I didn’t just spend time with her family. I eased up on this as well and just decided it was better to let it be. Oftentimes visiting consisted of household chores followed by relaxing inside then going to dinner. I helped them with landscaping for hours in the Texas heat, moving furniture, putting together furniture, getting groceries, etc. They would all go golf, but my girlfriend liked to ride with the girls in a 3 person group while the boys went in another 3 person group.
During this time when we spent it with her family I felt like things always went alright, I wouldn’t say they went the best as I have trouble with my social battery, but let me tell you my girlfriend didn’t let it go unnoticed. I would always be made to feel like crap for any mistake I made around her family or if I just wanted to take a minute alone to recharge and didn’t want to be surrounded by her family constantly. It was ironic I guess though because her brother would take a break in the day or when she would visit she would take naps or time away, and I didn’t criticize her. To get to the point of all of this, I feel like no matter what I do I am always wrong and have never felt more unappreciated and unloved by someone. It’s taken me four years to realize this, but I don’t care about the lack of effort on her end as I’m not here to change her I just want her to appreciate the things I do. She always claims how much she loves me and says I don’t do enough to make her feel loved via words, but I think I’m in such an emotional whirlwind constantly or not knowing what’s right and wrong that I feel emotionally closed off.
How do I discuss this without losing the relationship?
TLDR: During 4 years of dating I take my girlfriend on countless dates and introduce her to numerous experiences, but she always finds a way to find a flaw in me or one of my actions. It’s become a vicious cycle where I’ve became more and more emotionally distant. I just wanted her to appreciate me more. How do I bring this up without losing the relationship?

We've heard on numerous occasions that as the game moves forward, the levels and numbers will continue increasing which prompts an additional squish. So far I like what they've done with the 60/70 squish and keep all expansions even, but it does seem a bit incomplete (not to mention how bonkers scaling is with lower levels).
But I also don't want to have a game where levelling is removed because I feel it's great for getting to know new classes.
So what if we had expansion specific levels?
Levelling to 60 in the zones we have now, but having extra levels specific to new expansions.
Example:
I level to 60 with a simple talent tree and continue into Westrend (idk) where I can now level to 80. Each of the new talent points affects a previous talent point or adds a new ability that replace a basic ability (think fireball).
The talents in said expansion are in line with the current class design that the devs have in mind, and any expansion level reworks can be implanted im the future within their own level brackets.
This could provide a fun interaction where doing old content allows you to have a different playstyle than you're currently playing. Even if a class was badly designed in an expansion, they could just leave it there and have the new design work differently in current content.
In terms s of what is considered 'current content', you could have the current expansion go from 60-80 (with item level going up ofcourse), while squished expansions going up to 70 with each level giving 2 talent points.
It could be really fun to implement time walking more and have a different gameplay experience.
Naturally there are several issues that arise from both the implementation and updating of such a system, but with so much past content in the game it's such a shame that all we have right now is a 3(2? 1?) Monthly cycle of time walking events to bring us back.
Don't think too much on it. I've left out a lot of fetails but this is just nonsensical rambling from a guy who watching a rugby game with the boys (ah yes someone scored).
Im curious to see what the rest of you think

Hello,
My name is George, and I work as an Academic Tutor.
I believe that Education is all about passion. As a student, you should be able to choose and prioritize what is important. That is why I am here to allow you to do things that motivate/interest you.
Learn how fast and convenient it is easy to acquire a perfect essay with minimal effort by contacting me.
Email: [email protected]
Discord: Mypenservices#8500
WhatsApp/SMS; +1 (912) 214 9581
Services
Writing- As an expert, I write from scratch any type of assignment based on the provided instructions.
Editing- I also edit and proofread any type of text to eliminate all grammatical and syntax errors.
My Values
​

• I am available 24/7 on the different platforms pinned on my profile.
• Security- I care about safety and confidentiality.
• Achievements- I am results-oriented.

Quality- I double-check everything (Plagiarism free papers, reports attached).
My name is George Brent, and I work as an Academic Tutor.
I believe that Education is all about passion. As a student, you should be able to choose and prioritize what is important. That is why I am here to allow you to do things that motivate/interest you.

Hello,
My name is George, and I work as an Academic Tutor.
I believe that Education is all about passion. As a student, you should be able to choose and prioritize what is important. That is why I am here to allow you to do things that motivate/interest you.
Learn how fast and convenient it is easy to acquire a perfect essay with minimal effort by contacting me.
Email: [email protected]
Discord: Mypenservices#8500
WhatsApp/SMS; +1 (912) 214 9581
Services
Writing- As an expert, I write from scratch any type of assignment based on the provided instructions.
Editing- I also edit and proofread any type of text to eliminate all grammatical and syntax errors.
My Values
​

• I am available 24/7 on the different platforms pinned on my profile.
• Security- I care about safety and confidentiality.
• Achievements- I am results-oriented.

Quality- I double-check everything (Plagiarism free papers, reports attached).
My name is George Brent, and I work as an Academic Tutor.
I believe that Education is all about passion. As a student, you should be able to choose and prioritize what is important. That is why I am here to allow you to do things that motivate/interest you.