4114k bulb cross reference
References for Pokémon Traders
2013.04.18 10:31 Luke_N References for Pokémon Traders
Leave your reference to prove you are a genuine Pokémon Trader!
2016.09.07 10:25 Fggkio Moe(Stash)
This sub is all about spotlighting the best and highest quality art pieces from other redditbooru network subreddits.
2012.02.29 03:59 vigilantpa1adin Celiac
All things related to living with celiac disease/coeliac disease.
2023.05.31 17:45 uwuucifer2 Looking for books with a somewhat specific type of MMC (unhinged but not too unhinged?)
Hi! I am new to romance books and I am looking for books that have a male (or female) love interest that I would personally be attracted to. Appearance doesn't really matter--I'm more concerned with the personality! I don't care if they're human either. I've discovered that I like something very specific. A male character that fits the villain trope but has specific characteristics. For example, someone unhinged but not too unhinged where it crosses into the jokey/Joker kind of unhinged. Simon Waite would be an example of this. I absolutely love the Harrow Faire series but Simon is a bit too goofy? for my taste.
The closest I've found to this was Tristan from Scarred. He was violent and a bit jokey without being a complete goofball. I also loved that he had tattoos. Where he kind of lost me a bit was when he sort of instantly fell in love with Sara and got all gushy. That was a bit too much of a swing in the other direction for me. I want someone who still keeps their edge even when they fall for the FMC. I love a bit of a cat and mouse game and it saddens me when it ends and the MMC has a change of heart because he's in love and suddenly now he's like a decent person. This is where the Harrow Faire series was perfect for me, as the game was still kept up after the two started a relationship because Simon is batshit insane.
I also didn't love the nephew/child subplot of Scarred. It felt a bit shoehorned in and like it was meant to give Tristan some kind of redeeming quality--I don't need my evil MMC to have a redeeming quality! Probably doesn't help that I'm not a huge fan of children haha.
Things I love: a villainous, murderous MMC--someone who would absolutely murder a woman without taking a breath but sexually assaulting a woman is absolutely beneath him. I don't know why but I love a violent man who would tear apart someone else for assault/attempted assault. Like it's his one and only redeeming quality. I also love reading extreme physical violence, like when the MMC tears someone apart/stomps on their skull, etc.
The only other man who has captured my heart this way is Kageyuki Shiraishi of Collar x Malice (otome game but still plenty romantic! And I believe otome games being visual novels have a lot of crossover with romance books). I love that he is flirty in a vicious sort of way.
Any book recs I would prefer to be clear of rape, CNC and full blown sexual assault. References to sexual assault/rape in the past is ok, I just can't stand graphic rape scenes. Oh and please no animal abuse. I can't stand it when animals get hurt/die either and that is an instant DNF. I'd prefer it if the violence stays between humans/humanoids. I'd also prefer if the dynamic is between a man and a woman or woman to woman (although I don't mind if there are others thrown in the mix or if it's a why chose title). I'm also not huge on contemporary romance but if there is something that fits the bill I'll check it out. I tend to prefer fantasy/paranormal/horror. Thank you for all the recs in advance!
submitted by uwuucifer2 to RomanceBooks [link] [comments]
The closest I've found to this was Tristan from Scarred. He was violent and a bit jokey without being a complete goofball. I also loved that he had tattoos. Where he kind of lost me a bit was when he sort of instantly fell in love with Sara and got all gushy. That was a bit too much of a swing in the other direction for me. I want someone who still keeps their edge even when they fall for the FMC. I love a bit of a cat and mouse game and it saddens me when it ends and the MMC has a change of heart because he's in love and suddenly now he's like a decent person. This is where the Harrow Faire series was perfect for me, as the game was still kept up after the two started a relationship because Simon is batshit insane.
I also didn't love the nephew/child subplot of Scarred. It felt a bit shoehorned in and like it was meant to give Tristan some kind of redeeming quality--I don't need my evil MMC to have a redeeming quality! Probably doesn't help that I'm not a huge fan of children haha.
Things I love: a villainous, murderous MMC--someone who would absolutely murder a woman without taking a breath but sexually assaulting a woman is absolutely beneath him. I don't know why but I love a violent man who would tear apart someone else for assault/attempted assault. Like it's his one and only redeeming quality. I also love reading extreme physical violence, like when the MMC tears someone apart/stomps on their skull, etc.
The only other man who has captured my heart this way is Kageyuki Shiraishi of Collar x Malice (otome game but still plenty romantic! And I believe otome games being visual novels have a lot of crossover with romance books). I love that he is flirty in a vicious sort of way.
Any book recs I would prefer to be clear of rape, CNC and full blown sexual assault. References to sexual assault/rape in the past is ok, I just can't stand graphic rape scenes. Oh and please no animal abuse. I can't stand it when animals get hurt/die either and that is an instant DNF. I'd prefer it if the violence stays between humans/humanoids. I'd also prefer if the dynamic is between a man and a woman or woman to woman (although I don't mind if there are others thrown in the mix or if it's a why chose title). I'm also not huge on contemporary romance but if there is something that fits the bill I'll check it out. I tend to prefer fantasy/paranormal/horror. Thank you for all the recs in advance!
2023.05.31 17:23 Reasonable_Pool5953 Can my OTR microwave share a 15 amp circuit with lights?
I'm in the middle of replacing a range hood with a over the range 1000w microwave.
In the middle of the project, I occured to me that the hood had been wired into a 15 amp circuit shared with the kitchen lights.
I don't have the nameplate for the microwave I'm planning to install (I don't have physical access to it at the moment), but the manual says it can be on either a 15 or 20 amp circuit, and recommends (but does not require) that it be on a dedicated circuit (on the other hand, on the product q & a page, a manufacturer rep answered a question and said it draws 16 amps--i can't square that answer with what the manual says).
The lights that share the circuit include:
A single incandescent light bulb (I'm guessing 60watts or .5 amps), 5 cans (LED bulbs are currently installed, so at most another .5 amps total), and two under -counter light ballasts that claim to be .5 amps each. So the lights, as they are, should draw at most 2 amps (though if you stuck 60 watt incandescents in the cans, that would go up), so I should have 13 amps for the microwave.
By my estimates the circuit should be able to handle this without tripping a breaker. Can I just put it in and cross my fingers?
The alternatives are:
Run a wire off the 20 amp garbage disposal circuit (garbage disposal draws less than 7 amps, per it's nameplate, but it doesn't list LRA if that matters, and note that that still only gets me 13 amps, basically the same as what I'd have on the lighting circuit), or draw off the fridge's 20 amp circuit (again, fridge is rated at 6.5 amps, so it would only leave 13.5 amps for the microwave). Either of those would be a lot more work. Even worse would be having to run an actual dedicated circuit for the microwave, which would completely change the nature of the project, as this is about as far from the breaker box as you can get.
Again, my inclination is to just use the 15 amp lighting circuit that is sitting right there and hope for the best, then reassess if I trip the breaker. At least by staying on the lighting circuit I wont have to worry about the startup draw of the fridge compressor or the LRA of the disposal.
submitted by Reasonable_Pool5953 to askanelectrician [link] [comments]
In the middle of the project, I occured to me that the hood had been wired into a 15 amp circuit shared with the kitchen lights.
I don't have the nameplate for the microwave I'm planning to install (I don't have physical access to it at the moment), but the manual says it can be on either a 15 or 20 amp circuit, and recommends (but does not require) that it be on a dedicated circuit (on the other hand, on the product q & a page, a manufacturer rep answered a question and said it draws 16 amps--i can't square that answer with what the manual says).
The lights that share the circuit include:
A single incandescent light bulb (I'm guessing 60watts or .5 amps), 5 cans (LED bulbs are currently installed, so at most another .5 amps total), and two under -counter light ballasts that claim to be .5 amps each. So the lights, as they are, should draw at most 2 amps (though if you stuck 60 watt incandescents in the cans, that would go up), so I should have 13 amps for the microwave.
By my estimates the circuit should be able to handle this without tripping a breaker. Can I just put it in and cross my fingers?
The alternatives are:
Run a wire off the 20 amp garbage disposal circuit (garbage disposal draws less than 7 amps, per it's nameplate, but it doesn't list LRA if that matters, and note that that still only gets me 13 amps, basically the same as what I'd have on the lighting circuit), or draw off the fridge's 20 amp circuit (again, fridge is rated at 6.5 amps, so it would only leave 13.5 amps for the microwave). Either of those would be a lot more work. Even worse would be having to run an actual dedicated circuit for the microwave, which would completely change the nature of the project, as this is about as far from the breaker box as you can get.
Again, my inclination is to just use the 15 amp lighting circuit that is sitting right there and hope for the best, then reassess if I trip the breaker. At least by staying on the lighting circuit I wont have to worry about the startup draw of the fridge compressor or the LRA of the disposal.
2023.05.31 17:22 Rustain What are the theologicial / philsophical references that Bataille are making in Sacrifices?
I’m going through the essay right now, and there are certain passages that have been tripping me up. I suspect that they are philosophical and/or theological references that fly over my head and which, I hope, you guys could fill me in. I’m quoting both the French and English texts below. English text is from the Visions of Excess anthology, French text is from Œuvres Complètes tome 1
Page 131 English / Page 90 French
submitted by Rustain to askphilosophy [link] [comments]
Page 131 English / Page 90 French
A choice between opposing representations must be linked to the inconcetvable solution to the problem of that which exists: what exists as profound existence liberated from the forms of appearance? Most often the hasty and ill-considered answer is given as if the question what is there that is imperative? (what is the moral value) and not what exists? had been posed. In other cases—where philosophy is deprived of its object—the no less hasty response is only the perfect and partial avoidance (and not the destruction) of the problem, if matter is represented as profound existence.Page 133-4 English, page 94 French
Un choix entre des representations opposees devrait être lié à la solution inconcevable du probleme de ce qui existe : qu'existe-t-il en tant qu'existence profonde liberée des formes de l'apparence? Le plus souvent la réponse hative et inconsidérée est faite comme si la question qu'y a-t-il d'imperatif (quelle est la valeur morale) et non qu'existe-t-il avait été posée. Dans les autres cas — où la philosophie est frustrée de son objet — la réponse non moins hative n'est que l'elusion parfaite et incompréhensive (et non la destruction) du problème : si la matière est représentée comme existence profonde.
Christian meditation before the cross was no longer rejected with simple hostility, but assumed in a total hostility that demanded embracing the cross—in hand-to-hand combat. And thus it must and it can be lived as death of the me, not as respectful adoration but with the avidity of sadistic ecstasy, the surge of a blind madness that alone accedes to the passion of the pure imperative.Page 134 English, page 94 French
La méditation chrétienne devant la croix n'était plus rejetée comme dans I'hostilité simple, mais assumee dans I'hostilité totale exigeant I'étreinte corps à corps avec la croix. Et ainsi doit-elle et peut-elle être vécue en tant que mort du moi, non comme adoration respectueuse mais avec I'avidité d'une extase sadique, l'élan d'une folie aveugle qui seul accède à la passion de I'imperatif pur.
In common circumstances, time appears locked—and practically annulled—in each permanent form and in each succession that can be grasped as permanence. Each movement susceptible of being inscribed in an order annuls time, which is absorbed in a system of measure and equivalence—thus time, having become virtually reversible, withers, and with time all existence.
Dans les circonstances communes, Ie temps apparalt enfermé - pratiquement annulé - dans chaque permanence de forme et dans chaque succession qui peut être saisie comme permanence. Chaque mouvement susceptible d’être inscrit à I intérieur d'un ordre annule le temps absorbé dans un système de mesure et d'equivalence : ainsi Ie temps, devenu virtuellement reversible, dépérit et avec Ie temps toute existence.
2023.05.31 16:55 Rustain Looking for help with Bataille’s essays “Sacrifices”
I’m going through the essay right now, and there are certain passages that have been tripping me up. I suspect that they are philosophical and/or theological references that fly over my head and which, I hope, you guys could fill me in. I’m quoting both the French and English texts below. English text is from the Visions of Excess anthology, French text is from Œuvres Complètes tome 1
Page 131 English / Page 90 French
submitted by Rustain to CriticalTheory [link] [comments]
Page 131 English / Page 90 French
A choice between opposing representations must be linked to the inconcetvable solution to the problem of that which exists: what exists as profound existence liberated from the forms of appearance? Most often the hasty and ill-considered answer is given as if the question what is there that is imperative? (what is the moral value) and not what exists? had been posed. In other cases—where philosophy is deprived of its object—the no less hasty response is only the perfect and partial avoidance (and not the destruction) of the problem, if matter is represented as profound existence.Page 133-4 English, page 94 French
Un choix entre des representations opposees devrait être lié à la solution inconcevable du probleme de ce qui existe : qu'existe-t-il en tant qu'existence profonde liberée des formes de l'apparence? Le plus souvent la réponse hative et inconsidérée est faite comme si la question qu'y a-t-il d'imperatif (quelle est la valeur morale) et non qu'existe-t-il avait été posée. Dans les autres cas — où la philosophie est frustrée de son objet — la réponse non moins hative n'est que l'elusion parfaite et incompréhensive (et non la destruction) du problème : si la matière est représentée comme existence profonde.
Christian meditation before the cross was no longer rejected with simple hostility, but assumed in a total hostility that demanded embracing the cross—in hand-to-hand combat. And thus it must and it can be lived as death of the me, not as respectful adoration but with the avidity of sadistic ecstasy, the surge of a blind madness that alone accedes to the passion of the pure imperative.Page 134 English, page 94 French
La méditation chrétienne devant la croix n'était plus rejetée comme dans I'hostilité simple, mais assumee dans I'hostilité totale exigeant I'étreinte corps à corps avec la croix. Et ainsi doit-elle et peut-elle être vécue en tant que mort du moi, non comme adoration respectueuse mais avec I'avidité d'une extase sadique, l'élan d'une folie aveugle qui seul accède à la passion de I'imperatif pur.
In common circumstances, time appears locked—and practically annulled—in each permanent form and in each succession that can be grasped as permanence. Each movement susceptible of being inscribed in an order annuls time, which is absorbed in a system of measure and equivalence—thus time, having become virtually reversible, withers, and with time all existence.
Dans les circonstances communes, Ie temps apparalt enfermé - pratiquement annulé - dans chaque permanence de forme et dans chaque succession qui peut être saisie comme permanence. Chaque mouvement susceptible d’être inscrit à I intérieur d'un ordre annule le temps absorbé dans un système de mesure et d'equivalence : ainsi Ie temps, devenu virtuellement reversible, dépérit et avec Ie temps toute existence.
2023.05.31 16:44 ptpwallet Blockchain: The Future of Business
Blockchain, originally created as the underlying technology for Bitcoin, has now emerged as a powerful and disruptive force that possesses the potential to revolutionize the way we conduct business, exchange value, and establish trust in the digital realm. This emerging technology has captured the attention and sparked the imagination of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and experts alike in the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary business.
In this article, we will delve into the potential impact of blockchain technology on future business operations. We will also explore its fundamental ideas, and look at how it's being used right now in many fields.
It also serves to authenticate the transaction and safeguard the data in the digital ledger. In simpler terms, the digital ledger can be compared to a network of computers sharing a Google spreadsheet where transactional records are kept according to actual purchases. The best part of blockchain technology is that while everyone may view the data, it cannot be altered or changed at will.
Decentralization
On the blockchain, communication between the parties is not at all reliant on a centralized authority. Instead, each node equally contributes to the processing and distribution of the data to every other node connected to the network. This inadvertently guarantees a high level of anonymity and security during the information exchange process.
Transparency
The blockchain enables the most transparent processing, exchange, and storage of information. Every user who joins the network has a special key, and each user has the option to divulge or keep their identity a secret at will. Additionally, because every transaction is made on a blockchain address, it is accountable, allowing the end-user to confirm transactions after the user initiates them.
Security and immutability
The blockchain creates a tamper-proof environment that guarantees that the data is stored with the highest level of security. Additionally, the network stores the transactions in an immutable manner that is resistant to reversibility. This minimizes the chance of data theft or tampering. Also, the data that is kept on the network is chronologically organized, and all parties participating in the transaction have access to it.
Financial sector
The financial sector has the most promise for incorporating blockchain. The common applications used in this sector are often for implementing financial regulatory supervision and record keeping. However, there are other possibilities as well. Blockchain technology can also help improve user data protection, speed up transactions (especially those that cross borders), and create a ledger that is more effective at preventing fraud and wrongdoing.
The applications of blockchain in the financial sector are so immense that popular financial organizations like Barclays and Wells Fargo have already made large financial commitments to developing new possibilities.
Supply chain management
Supply chains are complex networks that can cover the entire world. They are the organizational and logistical systems that move products from a manufacturer, extractor, or grower to the consumer. Since the import and export of raw materials and finished commodities have expanded globally, it has become much more difficult to keep a careful eye on supply chains. With blockchain technology, a majority of these systems that are made up of separate databases with centralized record keeping can be decentralized.
For instance, the person responsible for supply chain management can obtain verified information about shipments and process extremely challenging calculations with the blockchain. Since the blockchain is a single, decentralized ledger, all parties involved in a supply chain could enter their data there as long as they had the necessary permissions. This would make it possible to have a solitary, secure system via which every unit in the chain, particularly the overseer, could view the information in real-time.
Identity management and digital credentials
Regardless of your field, identity management and digital credentials likely come into play on some level. Although boards, shareholders, and employees are just three classes that require regular identification, the blockchain can also be used for nationwide identity management, especially during voting or elections.
Since the methods by which democratic tallying is conducted aren't always favorable to getting a meaningful or comprehensive ballot, blockchain technology can change the entire system. With it, votes can be issued safely and linked to an individual's distinctive identity metadata. This will speed up the procedure and ensure that democratic processes are implemented in a way that takes into account the geographical and financial limitations that the majority of people face.
It promotes trust and allows for cost-cutting measures
The nature of blockchain technology can enable companies to make financial savings. This will make transactions more swiftly completed and also decrease time-consuming manual processes like data collection and editing, reporting, and auditing. Blockchain can also be used to establish trust between people who have never met before when it is missing or untested. It allows businesses to engage in transactions or data sharing in ways that would have required an intermediary to complete them.
It promotes transparency and traceability
With blockchain, the origin of goods and their travel all the way to the final consumer can be traced using visibility and traceability features. Customers will be able to find out where their food, clothing, or other things are made.
Eliminates middlemen and promotes speed
Since blockchain eliminates middlemen and replaces any remaining manual processes, it can complete operations much more swiftly than traditional techniques. In some circumstances, blockchain can complete a transaction in a couple of milliseconds, enabling businesses and consumers to get swift information about their supply chain and also learn what is happening with their goods at any given moment.
Increased speed and efficiency
The final advantage of blockchain for the industry is its increased speed and efficiency. Blockchain automates labor-intensive processes to improve efficiency, eliminating human-caused errors. Also, the simplification and automation of operations imply that everything becomes incredibly efficient.
submitted by ptpwallet to ptpwallet [link] [comments]
In this article, we will delve into the potential impact of blockchain technology on future business operations. We will also explore its fundamental ideas, and look at how it's being used right now in many fields.
Understanding Blockchain Technology
Blockchain is a decentralized framework that securely stores public transactional data, known as "blocks," across multiple databases. It operates through a network of peer-to-peer nodes and is commonly referred to as a "digital ledger." Each transaction within the blockchain is meticulously validated and safeguarded against fraudulent activities through the use of the owner's digital signature.It also serves to authenticate the transaction and safeguard the data in the digital ledger. In simpler terms, the digital ledger can be compared to a network of computers sharing a Google spreadsheet where transactional records are kept according to actual purchases. The best part of blockchain technology is that while everyone may view the data, it cannot be altered or changed at will.
Core principles of blockchain
Understanding the blockchain's underlying fundamental ideas is critical for gaining a deeper understanding of it. The excitement surrounding blockchain technology stems from its fundamental principles, which enable a wide range of business applications. They include;Decentralization
On the blockchain, communication between the parties is not at all reliant on a centralized authority. Instead, each node equally contributes to the processing and distribution of the data to every other node connected to the network. This inadvertently guarantees a high level of anonymity and security during the information exchange process.
Transparency
The blockchain enables the most transparent processing, exchange, and storage of information. Every user who joins the network has a special key, and each user has the option to divulge or keep their identity a secret at will. Additionally, because every transaction is made on a blockchain address, it is accountable, allowing the end-user to confirm transactions after the user initiates them.
Security and immutability
The blockchain creates a tamper-proof environment that guarantees that the data is stored with the highest level of security. Additionally, the network stores the transactions in an immutable manner that is resistant to reversibility. This minimizes the chance of data theft or tampering. Also, the data that is kept on the network is chronologically organized, and all parties participating in the transaction have access to it.
Current Applications of Blockchain in Business
From consumer production to voting and even supply chain management, the blockchain offers numerous business applications. These applications include:Financial sector
The financial sector has the most promise for incorporating blockchain. The common applications used in this sector are often for implementing financial regulatory supervision and record keeping. However, there are other possibilities as well. Blockchain technology can also help improve user data protection, speed up transactions (especially those that cross borders), and create a ledger that is more effective at preventing fraud and wrongdoing.
The applications of blockchain in the financial sector are so immense that popular financial organizations like Barclays and Wells Fargo have already made large financial commitments to developing new possibilities.
Supply chain management
Supply chains are complex networks that can cover the entire world. They are the organizational and logistical systems that move products from a manufacturer, extractor, or grower to the consumer. Since the import and export of raw materials and finished commodities have expanded globally, it has become much more difficult to keep a careful eye on supply chains. With blockchain technology, a majority of these systems that are made up of separate databases with centralized record keeping can be decentralized.
For instance, the person responsible for supply chain management can obtain verified information about shipments and process extremely challenging calculations with the blockchain. Since the blockchain is a single, decentralized ledger, all parties involved in a supply chain could enter their data there as long as they had the necessary permissions. This would make it possible to have a solitary, secure system via which every unit in the chain, particularly the overseer, could view the information in real-time.
Identity management and digital credentials
Regardless of your field, identity management and digital credentials likely come into play on some level. Although boards, shareholders, and employees are just three classes that require regular identification, the blockchain can also be used for nationwide identity management, especially during voting or elections.
Since the methods by which democratic tallying is conducted aren't always favorable to getting a meaningful or comprehensive ballot, blockchain technology can change the entire system. With it, votes can be issued safely and linked to an individual's distinctive identity metadata. This will speed up the procedure and ensure that democratic processes are implemented in a way that takes into account the geographical and financial limitations that the majority of people face.
Benefits and Advantages of Blockchain in Business
Blockchain technology offers several advantages and benefits to today's businesses. These benefits include:It promotes trust and allows for cost-cutting measures
The nature of blockchain technology can enable companies to make financial savings. This will make transactions more swiftly completed and also decrease time-consuming manual processes like data collection and editing, reporting, and auditing. Blockchain can also be used to establish trust between people who have never met before when it is missing or untested. It allows businesses to engage in transactions or data sharing in ways that would have required an intermediary to complete them.
It promotes transparency and traceability
With blockchain, the origin of goods and their travel all the way to the final consumer can be traced using visibility and traceability features. Customers will be able to find out where their food, clothing, or other things are made.
Eliminates middlemen and promotes speed
Since blockchain eliminates middlemen and replaces any remaining manual processes, it can complete operations much more swiftly than traditional techniques. In some circumstances, blockchain can complete a transaction in a couple of milliseconds, enabling businesses and consumers to get swift information about their supply chain and also learn what is happening with their goods at any given moment.
Increased speed and efficiency
The final advantage of blockchain for the industry is its increased speed and efficiency. Blockchain automates labor-intensive processes to improve efficiency, eliminating human-caused errors. Also, the simplification and automation of operations imply that everything becomes incredibly efficient.
Conclusion
Blockchain offers a decentralized and transparent framework for recording and validating transactions, marking a revolutionary shift from centralized systems. It also offers a range of advantages that have the potential to upend conventional business structures, from managing supply chains and improving transparency in financial transactions to reinventing digital identity management. Without question, blockchain is enabling the businesses of the future.2023.05.31 16:41 superiorhp666 Dogs eating raisins
I wanted to share some advice on this topic based on a scare I had last night, since there’s not a lot of clear data online about the risks associated with dogs eating raisins (and grapes).
My 12 year old 45lb border collie mix ate 1 raisin last night. Immediately after seeing this I got super scared because I had heard this might be poisonous. I googled for 30 mins and read as much as I could from different sources. Unfortunately everything I could find was super vague. I use a lot of data science in my work so this felt unacceptable. Every website just said I should probably bring my dog in to have vomiting induced by the vet to make sure no reaction occurs (because kidney failure and death have happened for dogs who have eaten raisins and grapes). But every site also admitted we know very little about what is toxic about grapes or raisins and what a toxic dose looks like. And, again, no site cited any actual data.
Not wanting to put my dog through that trauma unnecessarily, I called a few vets. One pointed me to the animal version of poison control. (I found that there isn’t one official one, but the one run by the ASPCA is the most reputable.) I called them and got advice from a veterinary counselor. They charge a $95 fee for the advice, but if you’re unable to pay, they will still give you the advice. There’s a “pay what you can option.”
Anyway, I recommend calling the ASPCA’s Poison Control hotline (888-426-4435) if your dog consumes a raisin or grape because they will take your dog’s info and cross-reference it with all the cases they’ve seen to help you gauge the real risk. For example, they told me they have seen NO cases of a 45lb dog who consumed just one raisin never getting poisoning and kidney failure. So this made me feel way better about staying home instead of rushing to a 24hr emergency vet in another city at midnight.
Here we are the next day and my dog seems completely unaffected still. Of course I’ll watch her closely for the full 48hr period. But I’m so glad I didn’t rush to the vet to traumatize her with injections and forced vomiting in the middle of the night.
They say some dogs are randomly more affected than others and we don’t understand things well. So there’s always risk I guess. But my point here is to use the hotline to get real data similar to your own situation to make the most informed decision you can. Hope this is helpful!
submitted by superiorhp666 to DogAdvice [link] [comments]
My 12 year old 45lb border collie mix ate 1 raisin last night. Immediately after seeing this I got super scared because I had heard this might be poisonous. I googled for 30 mins and read as much as I could from different sources. Unfortunately everything I could find was super vague. I use a lot of data science in my work so this felt unacceptable. Every website just said I should probably bring my dog in to have vomiting induced by the vet to make sure no reaction occurs (because kidney failure and death have happened for dogs who have eaten raisins and grapes). But every site also admitted we know very little about what is toxic about grapes or raisins and what a toxic dose looks like. And, again, no site cited any actual data.
Not wanting to put my dog through that trauma unnecessarily, I called a few vets. One pointed me to the animal version of poison control. (I found that there isn’t one official one, but the one run by the ASPCA is the most reputable.) I called them and got advice from a veterinary counselor. They charge a $95 fee for the advice, but if you’re unable to pay, they will still give you the advice. There’s a “pay what you can option.”
Anyway, I recommend calling the ASPCA’s Poison Control hotline (888-426-4435) if your dog consumes a raisin or grape because they will take your dog’s info and cross-reference it with all the cases they’ve seen to help you gauge the real risk. For example, they told me they have seen NO cases of a 45lb dog who consumed just one raisin never getting poisoning and kidney failure. So this made me feel way better about staying home instead of rushing to a 24hr emergency vet in another city at midnight.
Here we are the next day and my dog seems completely unaffected still. Of course I’ll watch her closely for the full 48hr period. But I’m so glad I didn’t rush to the vet to traumatize her with injections and forced vomiting in the middle of the night.
They say some dogs are randomly more affected than others and we don’t understand things well. So there’s always risk I guess. But my point here is to use the hotline to get real data similar to your own situation to make the most informed decision you can. Hope this is helpful!
2023.05.31 16:26 Content_Ad_4516 Emerald set of 99. I confused, it appears that the emerald set has 3 of the tulip cards in it. They are positioned differently in the set, giving them different numbers. There are these two on eBay, 37 & 93. We also have our friend in the subreddit with one. What’s everyone’s thoughts?
 | submitted by Content_Ad_4516 to Currencytradingcards [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 16:22 Noblesse311 Character Concept [109]: SMS Prinz Heinrich (World of Warships)
Faction:
Ironblood Kaiserreich (Imperial Federation of Germany)
Class:
Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruiser
Background:
In an alternate timeline…
On 29 October 1918, a rebellion broke out amongst the sailors at Wilhelmshaven, with similar unrest breaking out on 3 November 1918 that led to the Kiel mutiny, these events, in which the sailors and workers in both cities began electing workers’ and soldiers’ councils modelled after similar councils of the 1917 October Revolution would be the catalyst that started the German Revolution of 1918-1919. By 7 November, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), specifically the pro-parliamentary Majority SPD (MSPD, to differentiate from the pro-Soviet-styled Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany or USPD) would take charge of the revolution, joining the calls for Wilhelm II to abdicate. Despite the Kaiser’s refusal, Germany’s chancellor, Maximilian von Zähringen, himself the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, would announce that the Kaiser and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm had already abdicated.
On 9 November, Philipp Shiedemann, the State Secretary under Max von Baden was dining with Friedrich Ebert. As an SPD member was late for the meeting at the restaurant, Philipp Scheidemann would dine directly at the same table as Friedrich Ebert. It was there that both men would receive the news that Karl Leibknecht of the USPD was to announce the establishment of a Soviet Republic. While Shiedemann wanted to maintain the initiative for the MSPD by proclaiming a German Republic instead, he was talked down from doing so by Ebert, citing that the decision must be decided by the constituent assembly. \1]) Regardless, Leibknecht would announce the establishment of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany, followed two days later with the signing of the armistice at Compiègne two days later.
The move not to align with the USPD led to a rift between the two wings of the SPD, that would dominate the German Revolution, a fact furthered by Baden and Ebert meeting with General Wilhelm Groener, leader of Germany’s Supreme Army Command. The Baden-Groener Pact, concluded on 10 November, ensured the loyalty of the military and its support against leftist forces, and ensured that the military, limited by the Treaty of Versailles, would remain fully in control by the German officer class. This would prove handy however, as the row between MSPD and USPD deepened when far-leftist groups in the latter broke away to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and launch what would become the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919. The uprising was put down by the Freikorps and their leaders were effectively executed, and with the affirmation of Ebert and Baden, those responsible were not court-martialed and the worst offenders suffered lenient sentences, which made the government unpopular with the far-left.
As for the far-right however, while there were still misgivings about the new government, the fact of the matter remained that the monarchy still existed as an official institution, and indeed, many Allied and German leaders, both in support and in opposition to the war, favored transitioning Germany into a full Constitutional Monarchy \2]), which would be achieved with the 1919 German Constitution, also known as the Weimar Imperial Constitution. (in reference to the 1871 Constitution also being known as Bismarck’s Imperial Constitution) \3]) Although there were considerations to install one of the male sons of Crown Prince Wilhelm to become Kaiser, their young ages (the eldest, another Prince Wilhelm was twelve at the time) and the danger of a regency in such trying times forced the decision to instead put the Crown Prince younger brother, and the Kaiser’s fourth son, Prince August Wilhelm as the new Kaiser, becoming August I of what became known as the German Imperial Federation. \4])
The 1920s in Germany would be dominated by the desire to restore the prestige and privileges as to be expected by a European nation, chiefly the withdrawal of Entente troops from the Rhineland. Citing the need to ensure the status quo, the chief negotiator, Gustav Stresemann would negotiate with Britain and France to recognize and abandon its claims to German territory lost during the Great War, in exchange for a loosening of its military restrictions citing the communist threats to the east in the form of Soviet Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the communist states that survived from it, the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The result from these negotiations nearly led to a break, as France (itself slowly falling into the grip of far-left politics) not only did not wish to see Germany rearm in any capacity, but was also still keen on trying to detach the Rhineland from Germany (with the far-right even desiring its integration into France) something that had been thwarted by the limited German authorities in the zone as well as by the British who saw an attempt in 1923 and 1925 off, causing financial and diplomatic damage between France and the British. In spite of everything, many of the sides did get something out of the deal in the Treaty of Locarno, with Germany repudiating its claims to lost territories and a loosening of military restrictions in order to assist in seeing off the Communist threat. As part of the Locarno Treaty was a Naval Agreement, ratified by British Parliament and the German Reichstag that would effectively bring Berlin into the Washington Naval Treaty system, setting its maximum tonnage at 35% of the current tonnage in service under the Royal Navy, a move that would anger the French and push them closer to the Soviet Union. \5])
One of the results from this was the revival of Germany’s capital ship program, largely left moribund following Germany’s defeat in World War I. Initially, designs were planned for a cruiser with pre-dreadnought-sized main guns to serve as a replacement for the older Braunschweig-class pre-dreadnoughts in order to remain compliant to the old treaty, but with the new naval agreement put in place. The planned ships were canceled and instead development shifted to the construction of a new battlecruiser which was to be laid down by 1929. The design used was to be the old Ersatz Yorck-class design, retaining the 380mm main guns in four twin turrets, as well as her secondaries, twelve 150mm guns in single turrets, but would see the inclusion of Anti-Aircraft armament in the form of 88mm Flak guns in twin turrets and 37mm guns, also in twin turrets. The reasoning for why the Ersatz Yorck design was chosen in a slightly modified form was mainly to avoid stepping on the shells of the British, a design that would largely be viewed as dated by comparison (the original design was completed in 1916, and the planned lead ship was laid down that year, but was never completed due to a shift to U-Boat construction and was ultimately scrapped in 1918) but would serve as a stepping stone towards Germany among equals with the other great powers. The lead ship, which would keep the provisional name as its official name, SMS Yorck, was laid down on 5 February 1929, launched on 19 May 1931 and commissioned on 1 April 1933. SMS Prinz Heinrich (named after the Kaiser’s uncle), originally readopting the old provisional name “Ersatz Scharnhorst” and the second ship in her class would in turn, be laid down on 25 June 1931 at the Kaiserliche Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven (KRW) shipyard. She was launched on 1 April 1933 and commissioned on 12 November 1934. Heinrich herself would be followed by the third and final ship in that class, SMS Friedrich Barbarossa (formerly “Ersatz Gneisenau”), commissioned on 6 January 1936. \6])
Heinrich’s career would be dominated by developments wrought outside of Germany. The French Revolution of 1934 by the French Communist Party and its sympathizers led by Maurice Thorez would see the final repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, and in essence began both a naval arms race between France and Germany (the Dunkerques being developed as a response to Germany’s Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers, which in turn, led to the development of the Scharnhorst-class and later Bismarck-class Battleships) and a diplomatic effort between the forces of democracy against the Communist threat posed by the Soviet Union and the newly established French Commune. This diplomatic effort would see a close friendship, though not a formal alliance between Britain and Germany. The alliance (formally known as the Central European Alliance, though informally known as the Tübingen Accord) however would be with a number of states threatened by the spread of Communism across Europe. The battlecruiser herself would find herself involved in affairs with Spain and their civil war and their participation in non-intervention patrols (in reality, supplying arms to the nationalists in the face of French arms and equipment, and ultimately, upon a near Republican-Communist victory, the withdrawal of the Spanish Nationalists and Carlists from Spain)
Heinrich would spend the second half of 1939 and much of early 1940 on drydock for repairs and refit, during which the Second Great War would begin on 6 October 1939 with the Soviet invasion of Poland, a member of the Tübingen Accord. The French, using their tanks to invade the Low Countries in order to circumvent the Westwall, attempted to catch the Germans by surprise in a move that seem like a reversal of the Schlieffen Plan the Germans used against the French in the last war, but this French thrust was kept at bay, with parts of the Province of Hanover and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg being captured by the Communards, with one instance seeing the titular Grand Duke, Friedrich August II, captured and swiftly executed for the crime of “being born into a family of tyrants.” Fortunately, Heinrich’s refit was to be completed in Kiel, and therefore, avoided having to be evacuated when Wilhelmshaven fell on 25 May 1940.
Upon Prinz Heinrich’s return to service on 6 June 1940, she would take part in a number of convoy escort operations between Germany and Norway after the northern part of the country was occupied by the Red Army. This would become the Mannheim Project convoys, in which Norway’s facilities specializing in the production of deuterium oxide, better known as heavy water would allow the materials to be shipped to Germany for the development of a nuclear reactor, a means to combat the Bolsheviks. Support for this endeavor would be furthered with Britain’s entry into the war in October 1940, and it would be often times when Heinrich would be joined by Battlecruisers HMS Hood or HMS Renown, two ships of whom Prinz Heinrich was originally designed to counter a quarter-century prior.
On 10 July 1942, one such convoy, Convoy WL 252 would be shadowed by French naval forces, led by French battleship Solidarité \7]). Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord ordered the covering force to engage this force, leading to the Battle of the Celtic Sea. This battle, which featured SMS Prinz Heinrich and HMS Duke of York as well as a number of destroyers and cruisers, saw Prinz Heinrich enter into a gunnery duel with Solidarité. While Duke of York was the one who knocked out the battleship’s superfiring and rear turret, it was Heinrich that knocked out Solidarité’s boiler room, leaving her vulnerable to a pummeling by the allied forces, with the battleship’s attempt to get away thwarted by torpedo hits from German torpedo boat SMS S223, which reduced Solidarité’s speed and allowing the battleships to continue their bombardment until, unable to flee and wracked with so many hits, Solidarité capsized and sank. Though a major surface threat was eliminated, WL 252 would find herself sunk by Soviet bombers.
The tide began to turn on the Comintern in 1943 as the British began their slog into Spain and Germany and their eastern allies began pushing the Soviets back, successfully pushing them out of Poland, with Heinrich taking part in bombardment duties in the Gulf of Riga, and providing fire support for the German aerial attack on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Leningrad. After another brief refit, Heinrich would be sent to Königsburg to retrieve the dead body of Kaiser August after a Soviet agent successfully assassinated the Kaiser on 20 June 1944, leaving the throne in the hands of his son, Alexander Ferdinand, now Alexander I of Germany. The last major actions Prinz Heinrich would take part in was in the Black Sea, supporting Allied incursions into the Black Sea coast of the Russian Soviet Republic, and was one of the few ships that made it into the Sea of Azov, albeit paying for it with a rocket strike that crippled the ship and would spend the immediate post-war years in drydock. The war ended with a defeat for the Comintern, with the communist governments toppled and some nations winning their independence from the defeated powers.
Rapidly made obsolete by newer big gun ships such as the Victoria Louise-class (originally the O-class) and the advent of aircraft carriers, Prinz Heinrich was decommissioned on 24 April 1949. By the request of Alexander I, she would become a museum ship in Wilhelmshaven, G.D. Oldenburg as part of the Friedrich August Memorial Naval Museum.
\1]: IOTL, Scheidemann would dine at a separate table from Ebert when he got the news. As a result, Scheidemann, of his own accord, would proclaim the German Republic, effectively ensuring that whatever happened, that the monarchy would be abolished entirely. The events in the paragraph serve as the Point of Divergence.)
\2]: While the German Empire [and in particular the Kingdom of Prussia] did have a Constitution, the Constitution of 1871, in reality the state was always run as a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with the Kaiser holding significant power in a system that would be popularly called “Prussian Constitutionalism.”)
\3]: To define the 1919 German constitution ITTL, it’s the Weimar Constitution of OTL, albeit with the powers attributed to the President of Germany in the OTL Weimar Republic instead being placed in the hands of the Kaiser. In essence, the Kaiser would still retain various powers, while losing a number of powers that the position held under the 1871 Constitution. While I could’ve went with something more akin to the 1949 Constitution and have the Kaiser serve in a more ceremonial capacity from the start, the Weimar Constitution was probably the most democratic in many respects for its age, only undone by the constitutional loopholes that would be expected by a constitution for its time, as well as the various extremist groups hatred for the Republic, chiefly the far-right [and in particular the Nazis] who constantly preached that the Weimar Republic was not created by Germans but was actually imposed upon them as part of the hated Treaty of Versailles.)
\4]: Prince August Wilhelm is, to put mildly, a fairly controversial figure among the Hohenzollern imperial family. Nicknamed “Auwi,” he was a close personal friend of Hans Georg von Mackensen, a diplomat and eldest son of Field Marshal August von Mackensen, said personal friendship implied to have “pronounced homophillic tendencies.” After the abolishment of the German monarchy, he would join conservative nationalist movements and ultimately the Nazi Party in 1930 against the wishes of his father. August Wilhelm’s adoration of Hitler would play a role in the man’s rise to power come 1933, and it was his hope that Hitler would install him or his son on the vacant throne, a hope that would be dashed after the Enabling Act and would be left in the political wilderness.)
\5]: IOTL, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was made in 1935, in part due to Britain seeking to limit German expansion by arms reduction, and Germany hoping for an Anglo-German alliance aimed towards the Soviet Union and France, as well as the former’s guilt over what was seen as harsh terms set on the Germans with Versailles.)
\6]: If the dates do not sound familiar to anyone, these are the dates that the first, second and third Deutschland-class Panzerschiff/Heavy Cruiser were laid down, launched and/or commissioned, with the Ersatz Yorck, now just the Yorck-class Battlecruisers all but replacing the Deutschlands in this timeline.)
\7]: Basically Communist Richelieu)
—
Prinz Heinrich is the Tier VII Battleship (Tier VI in World of Warships: Legends) representing the Battlecruiser tech tree in Wargaming’s World of Warships. Heinrich represents the Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruisers, the final battlecruiser design developed by the German Empire. Originally developed as Mackensen-class Battlecruisers, lessons learned from Jutland saw the gun increased to 380mm, utilizing the same guns as the Bayern-class Battleships. Like the Mackensen-class however, the ships were never laid due to the focus shifting to U-Boat construction, and the ships were canceled upon Germany’s defeat and the abolishment of the monarchy in 1918.
Namesake:
Prinz Heinrich is named for Prince Henry of Prussia), the second son of Kaiser Friedrich III and younger brother of Wilhelm II (not to be confused with two other Prince Heinrich of Prussia, one being the brother of Frederick the Great (famously known as the prince considered to take the throne of the United States when that was considered) and another the brother Friedrich Wilhelm II). Henry was a career naval officer, serving for some 45 years in the Kaiserliche Marine. During World War I, he was the commander of Germany’s Baltic Fleet, and while the fleet was considered inferior in means compared to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, was able to keep them on the defensive throughout the war until the 1917 Revolutions. After the war, and with the dissolution of the monarchy, Prince Henry left the navy and would live a largely quiet life until his death in 1929.
Historically, only one ship bore the name Prinz Heinrich, a unique armored cruiser launched in March 1900. She would serve as a scouting force flagship and gunnery training ship before World War I, and would take part in the Raid on Scarborough in 1915, before crew shortages led to her decommissioning in 1916.
Rarity:
SSR
Stat Spread:
As the last of the Imperial German Battlecruisers, Prinz Heinrich sports superb firepower (S) though suffers from fairly poor HP for a Battlecruiser (B) and an atrocious Anti-Aircraft capability (C). She also carries a fairly excellent torpedo stat (A). Her speed and evasion is about average for a battlecruiser (B).
Abilities:
Personality:
Prinz Heinrich is a woman who is shown to be very confident and inspires such confidence in others. A very sporty individual, she is an avid fan of yachting and formula racing (her namesake also being as such, with the latter having a contest named in his honor, and was the precursor to the German Grand Prix today). As such, she is very skilled in maintenance, both for her rigging and in regards to boats, planes and cars. Though she can talk at length about her interests, she does tend to space out when it comes to other matters.
Quotes:
Design:
Prinz Heinrich is depicted as a woman in her early twenties with short white hair and bright silver, almost supernaturally glowing, eyes. Her attire borrows greatly in its inspiration from that of the Scharnhorst-class designs (in-reference to the design being used as a base for the later Scharnhorst-class Battlecruisers/Battleships) as well as her in-game namesake. A sleeveless white sweater with a black collar (which contains a pair of gold iron cross pins on each side of the collar) that runs down her torso, with detached white sleeves with black cuffs, also sporting gold iron cross pins). Heinrich wears a white skirt with black trim on the hem that runs down to her lower thighs, with white stockings and gray shoes rounding out the attire.
Heinrich’s rigging is in essence, a larger version of Mackensen’s rigging (in reference to the Ersatz Yorck’s being originally ordered as three Mackensen’s) A pair of lifelike, mechanical fish like rigging, one on each side, and each sporting two pairs of 380mm guns, with secondaries lining the side, all in a gothic-styled architecture.
A/N:
With the release of Tier VII's Prinz Heinrich, that marks the end of the Imperial German phase of Operation Weissenburg, as the next three ships in the tech tree (of which only Tier VIII & X will be covered in upcoming CC's) are, according to Wargaming's Cinematic Universe, designed in 1944, in the tail end of the Nazi era in Germany...
...except not really, as all three ships were actually paper designs developed during the late Imperial era, specifically various battlecruiser draft designs dated to the early spring of 1918. Shoutout to u/Hamartia_CL08 for doing the historical basis of the PR ships, as he did the basis for the design of one of these BC's, KMS Prinz Rupprecht, who is the Tier IX Tech Tree Battlecruiser. Both KMS Zeiten at Tier VIII and KMS Schlieffen at Tier X also follow this mentality, and I will get to those when we get to their concepts in the coming weeks.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. Now about two years ago, I've covered a Character Concept of ARA General Belgrano, the story of USS Phoenix and her cursed career in Argentina, being on the recieving end as the second post World War warship sunk by a submarine overall and only ship to be sunk by a SSN at that. Well, it's funny how things pan out as we take a look at that self-same sub that fired its torpedoes into history, the third of the Churchill-class SSN's, HMS Conqueror (S48).
Link to the list of ships
submitted by Noblesse311 to AzureLane [link] [comments]
Ironblood Kaiserreich (Imperial Federation of Germany)
Class:
Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruiser
Background:
In an alternate timeline…
On 29 October 1918, a rebellion broke out amongst the sailors at Wilhelmshaven, with similar unrest breaking out on 3 November 1918 that led to the Kiel mutiny, these events, in which the sailors and workers in both cities began electing workers’ and soldiers’ councils modelled after similar councils of the 1917 October Revolution would be the catalyst that started the German Revolution of 1918-1919. By 7 November, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), specifically the pro-parliamentary Majority SPD (MSPD, to differentiate from the pro-Soviet-styled Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany or USPD) would take charge of the revolution, joining the calls for Wilhelm II to abdicate. Despite the Kaiser’s refusal, Germany’s chancellor, Maximilian von Zähringen, himself the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, would announce that the Kaiser and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm had already abdicated.
On 9 November, Philipp Shiedemann, the State Secretary under Max von Baden was dining with Friedrich Ebert. As an SPD member was late for the meeting at the restaurant, Philipp Scheidemann would dine directly at the same table as Friedrich Ebert. It was there that both men would receive the news that Karl Leibknecht of the USPD was to announce the establishment of a Soviet Republic. While Shiedemann wanted to maintain the initiative for the MSPD by proclaiming a German Republic instead, he was talked down from doing so by Ebert, citing that the decision must be decided by the constituent assembly. \1]) Regardless, Leibknecht would announce the establishment of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany, followed two days later with the signing of the armistice at Compiègne two days later.
The move not to align with the USPD led to a rift between the two wings of the SPD, that would dominate the German Revolution, a fact furthered by Baden and Ebert meeting with General Wilhelm Groener, leader of Germany’s Supreme Army Command. The Baden-Groener Pact, concluded on 10 November, ensured the loyalty of the military and its support against leftist forces, and ensured that the military, limited by the Treaty of Versailles, would remain fully in control by the German officer class. This would prove handy however, as the row between MSPD and USPD deepened when far-leftist groups in the latter broke away to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and launch what would become the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919. The uprising was put down by the Freikorps and their leaders were effectively executed, and with the affirmation of Ebert and Baden, those responsible were not court-martialed and the worst offenders suffered lenient sentences, which made the government unpopular with the far-left.
As for the far-right however, while there were still misgivings about the new government, the fact of the matter remained that the monarchy still existed as an official institution, and indeed, many Allied and German leaders, both in support and in opposition to the war, favored transitioning Germany into a full Constitutional Monarchy \2]), which would be achieved with the 1919 German Constitution, also known as the Weimar Imperial Constitution. (in reference to the 1871 Constitution also being known as Bismarck’s Imperial Constitution) \3]) Although there were considerations to install one of the male sons of Crown Prince Wilhelm to become Kaiser, their young ages (the eldest, another Prince Wilhelm was twelve at the time) and the danger of a regency in such trying times forced the decision to instead put the Crown Prince younger brother, and the Kaiser’s fourth son, Prince August Wilhelm as the new Kaiser, becoming August I of what became known as the German Imperial Federation. \4])
The 1920s in Germany would be dominated by the desire to restore the prestige and privileges as to be expected by a European nation, chiefly the withdrawal of Entente troops from the Rhineland. Citing the need to ensure the status quo, the chief negotiator, Gustav Stresemann would negotiate with Britain and France to recognize and abandon its claims to German territory lost during the Great War, in exchange for a loosening of its military restrictions citing the communist threats to the east in the form of Soviet Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the communist states that survived from it, the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The result from these negotiations nearly led to a break, as France (itself slowly falling into the grip of far-left politics) not only did not wish to see Germany rearm in any capacity, but was also still keen on trying to detach the Rhineland from Germany (with the far-right even desiring its integration into France) something that had been thwarted by the limited German authorities in the zone as well as by the British who saw an attempt in 1923 and 1925 off, causing financial and diplomatic damage between France and the British. In spite of everything, many of the sides did get something out of the deal in the Treaty of Locarno, with Germany repudiating its claims to lost territories and a loosening of military restrictions in order to assist in seeing off the Communist threat. As part of the Locarno Treaty was a Naval Agreement, ratified by British Parliament and the German Reichstag that would effectively bring Berlin into the Washington Naval Treaty system, setting its maximum tonnage at 35% of the current tonnage in service under the Royal Navy, a move that would anger the French and push them closer to the Soviet Union. \5])
One of the results from this was the revival of Germany’s capital ship program, largely left moribund following Germany’s defeat in World War I. Initially, designs were planned for a cruiser with pre-dreadnought-sized main guns to serve as a replacement for the older Braunschweig-class pre-dreadnoughts in order to remain compliant to the old treaty, but with the new naval agreement put in place. The planned ships were canceled and instead development shifted to the construction of a new battlecruiser which was to be laid down by 1929. The design used was to be the old Ersatz Yorck-class design, retaining the 380mm main guns in four twin turrets, as well as her secondaries, twelve 150mm guns in single turrets, but would see the inclusion of Anti-Aircraft armament in the form of 88mm Flak guns in twin turrets and 37mm guns, also in twin turrets. The reasoning for why the Ersatz Yorck design was chosen in a slightly modified form was mainly to avoid stepping on the shells of the British, a design that would largely be viewed as dated by comparison (the original design was completed in 1916, and the planned lead ship was laid down that year, but was never completed due to a shift to U-Boat construction and was ultimately scrapped in 1918) but would serve as a stepping stone towards Germany among equals with the other great powers. The lead ship, which would keep the provisional name as its official name, SMS Yorck, was laid down on 5 February 1929, launched on 19 May 1931 and commissioned on 1 April 1933. SMS Prinz Heinrich (named after the Kaiser’s uncle), originally readopting the old provisional name “Ersatz Scharnhorst” and the second ship in her class would in turn, be laid down on 25 June 1931 at the Kaiserliche Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven (KRW) shipyard. She was launched on 1 April 1933 and commissioned on 12 November 1934. Heinrich herself would be followed by the third and final ship in that class, SMS Friedrich Barbarossa (formerly “Ersatz Gneisenau”), commissioned on 6 January 1936. \6])
Heinrich’s career would be dominated by developments wrought outside of Germany. The French Revolution of 1934 by the French Communist Party and its sympathizers led by Maurice Thorez would see the final repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, and in essence began both a naval arms race between France and Germany (the Dunkerques being developed as a response to Germany’s Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers, which in turn, led to the development of the Scharnhorst-class and later Bismarck-class Battleships) and a diplomatic effort between the forces of democracy against the Communist threat posed by the Soviet Union and the newly established French Commune. This diplomatic effort would see a close friendship, though not a formal alliance between Britain and Germany. The alliance (formally known as the Central European Alliance, though informally known as the Tübingen Accord) however would be with a number of states threatened by the spread of Communism across Europe. The battlecruiser herself would find herself involved in affairs with Spain and their civil war and their participation in non-intervention patrols (in reality, supplying arms to the nationalists in the face of French arms and equipment, and ultimately, upon a near Republican-Communist victory, the withdrawal of the Spanish Nationalists and Carlists from Spain)
Heinrich would spend the second half of 1939 and much of early 1940 on drydock for repairs and refit, during which the Second Great War would begin on 6 October 1939 with the Soviet invasion of Poland, a member of the Tübingen Accord. The French, using their tanks to invade the Low Countries in order to circumvent the Westwall, attempted to catch the Germans by surprise in a move that seem like a reversal of the Schlieffen Plan the Germans used against the French in the last war, but this French thrust was kept at bay, with parts of the Province of Hanover and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg being captured by the Communards, with one instance seeing the titular Grand Duke, Friedrich August II, captured and swiftly executed for the crime of “being born into a family of tyrants.” Fortunately, Heinrich’s refit was to be completed in Kiel, and therefore, avoided having to be evacuated when Wilhelmshaven fell on 25 May 1940.
Upon Prinz Heinrich’s return to service on 6 June 1940, she would take part in a number of convoy escort operations between Germany and Norway after the northern part of the country was occupied by the Red Army. This would become the Mannheim Project convoys, in which Norway’s facilities specializing in the production of deuterium oxide, better known as heavy water would allow the materials to be shipped to Germany for the development of a nuclear reactor, a means to combat the Bolsheviks. Support for this endeavor would be furthered with Britain’s entry into the war in October 1940, and it would be often times when Heinrich would be joined by Battlecruisers HMS Hood or HMS Renown, two ships of whom Prinz Heinrich was originally designed to counter a quarter-century prior.
On 10 July 1942, one such convoy, Convoy WL 252 would be shadowed by French naval forces, led by French battleship Solidarité \7]). Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord ordered the covering force to engage this force, leading to the Battle of the Celtic Sea. This battle, which featured SMS Prinz Heinrich and HMS Duke of York as well as a number of destroyers and cruisers, saw Prinz Heinrich enter into a gunnery duel with Solidarité. While Duke of York was the one who knocked out the battleship’s superfiring and rear turret, it was Heinrich that knocked out Solidarité’s boiler room, leaving her vulnerable to a pummeling by the allied forces, with the battleship’s attempt to get away thwarted by torpedo hits from German torpedo boat SMS S223, which reduced Solidarité’s speed and allowing the battleships to continue their bombardment until, unable to flee and wracked with so many hits, Solidarité capsized and sank. Though a major surface threat was eliminated, WL 252 would find herself sunk by Soviet bombers.
The tide began to turn on the Comintern in 1943 as the British began their slog into Spain and Germany and their eastern allies began pushing the Soviets back, successfully pushing them out of Poland, with Heinrich taking part in bombardment duties in the Gulf of Riga, and providing fire support for the German aerial attack on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Leningrad. After another brief refit, Heinrich would be sent to Königsburg to retrieve the dead body of Kaiser August after a Soviet agent successfully assassinated the Kaiser on 20 June 1944, leaving the throne in the hands of his son, Alexander Ferdinand, now Alexander I of Germany. The last major actions Prinz Heinrich would take part in was in the Black Sea, supporting Allied incursions into the Black Sea coast of the Russian Soviet Republic, and was one of the few ships that made it into the Sea of Azov, albeit paying for it with a rocket strike that crippled the ship and would spend the immediate post-war years in drydock. The war ended with a defeat for the Comintern, with the communist governments toppled and some nations winning their independence from the defeated powers.
Rapidly made obsolete by newer big gun ships such as the Victoria Louise-class (originally the O-class) and the advent of aircraft carriers, Prinz Heinrich was decommissioned on 24 April 1949. By the request of Alexander I, she would become a museum ship in Wilhelmshaven, G.D. Oldenburg as part of the Friedrich August Memorial Naval Museum.
\1]: IOTL, Scheidemann would dine at a separate table from Ebert when he got the news. As a result, Scheidemann, of his own accord, would proclaim the German Republic, effectively ensuring that whatever happened, that the monarchy would be abolished entirely. The events in the paragraph serve as the Point of Divergence.)
\2]: While the German Empire [and in particular the Kingdom of Prussia] did have a Constitution, the Constitution of 1871, in reality the state was always run as a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with the Kaiser holding significant power in a system that would be popularly called “Prussian Constitutionalism.”)
\3]: To define the 1919 German constitution ITTL, it’s the Weimar Constitution of OTL, albeit with the powers attributed to the President of Germany in the OTL Weimar Republic instead being placed in the hands of the Kaiser. In essence, the Kaiser would still retain various powers, while losing a number of powers that the position held under the 1871 Constitution. While I could’ve went with something more akin to the 1949 Constitution and have the Kaiser serve in a more ceremonial capacity from the start, the Weimar Constitution was probably the most democratic in many respects for its age, only undone by the constitutional loopholes that would be expected by a constitution for its time, as well as the various extremist groups hatred for the Republic, chiefly the far-right [and in particular the Nazis] who constantly preached that the Weimar Republic was not created by Germans but was actually imposed upon them as part of the hated Treaty of Versailles.)
\4]: Prince August Wilhelm is, to put mildly, a fairly controversial figure among the Hohenzollern imperial family. Nicknamed “Auwi,” he was a close personal friend of Hans Georg von Mackensen, a diplomat and eldest son of Field Marshal August von Mackensen, said personal friendship implied to have “pronounced homophillic tendencies.” After the abolishment of the German monarchy, he would join conservative nationalist movements and ultimately the Nazi Party in 1930 against the wishes of his father. August Wilhelm’s adoration of Hitler would play a role in the man’s rise to power come 1933, and it was his hope that Hitler would install him or his son on the vacant throne, a hope that would be dashed after the Enabling Act and would be left in the political wilderness.)
\5]: IOTL, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was made in 1935, in part due to Britain seeking to limit German expansion by arms reduction, and Germany hoping for an Anglo-German alliance aimed towards the Soviet Union and France, as well as the former’s guilt over what was seen as harsh terms set on the Germans with Versailles.)
\6]: If the dates do not sound familiar to anyone, these are the dates that the first, second and third Deutschland-class Panzerschiff/Heavy Cruiser were laid down, launched and/or commissioned, with the Ersatz Yorck, now just the Yorck-class Battlecruisers all but replacing the Deutschlands in this timeline.)
\7]: Basically Communist Richelieu)
—
Prinz Heinrich is the Tier VII Battleship (Tier VI in World of Warships: Legends) representing the Battlecruiser tech tree in Wargaming’s World of Warships. Heinrich represents the Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruisers, the final battlecruiser design developed by the German Empire. Originally developed as Mackensen-class Battlecruisers, lessons learned from Jutland saw the gun increased to 380mm, utilizing the same guns as the Bayern-class Battleships. Like the Mackensen-class however, the ships were never laid due to the focus shifting to U-Boat construction, and the ships were canceled upon Germany’s defeat and the abolishment of the monarchy in 1918.
Namesake:
Prinz Heinrich is named for Prince Henry of Prussia), the second son of Kaiser Friedrich III and younger brother of Wilhelm II (not to be confused with two other Prince Heinrich of Prussia, one being the brother of Frederick the Great (famously known as the prince considered to take the throne of the United States when that was considered) and another the brother Friedrich Wilhelm II). Henry was a career naval officer, serving for some 45 years in the Kaiserliche Marine. During World War I, he was the commander of Germany’s Baltic Fleet, and while the fleet was considered inferior in means compared to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, was able to keep them on the defensive throughout the war until the 1917 Revolutions. After the war, and with the dissolution of the monarchy, Prince Henry left the navy and would live a largely quiet life until his death in 1929.
Historically, only one ship bore the name Prinz Heinrich, a unique armored cruiser launched in March 1900. She would serve as a scouting force flagship and gunnery training ship before World War I, and would take part in the Raid on Scarborough in 1915, before crew shortages led to her decommissioning in 1916.
Rarity:
SSR
Stat Spread:
As the last of the Imperial German Battlecruisers, Prinz Heinrich sports superb firepower (S) though suffers from fairly poor HP for a Battlecruiser (B) and an atrocious Anti-Aircraft capability (C). She also carries a fairly excellent torpedo stat (A). Her speed and evasion is about average for a battlecruiser (B).
Abilities:
- Eisen und Kohle (Iron and Coal): If this ship is equipped with the Twin 380mm Drh LC/1913 main gun, increase this ship’s crit chance by 10% (30%) and decrease this gun’s dispersion by 3.
- I’m My Own Master Now!: Decrease the loading time of this ship’s main guns by 20% (40%). When this ship fires her main guns, fire a unique barrage with damage based on skill level.
- Let’s Race!: If sortied with an Ironblood Destroyer, increase the Speed and Evasion of all Ironblood Vanguard ships by 3 and 5% (10%) respectively.
Personality:
Prinz Heinrich is a woman who is shown to be very confident and inspires such confidence in others. A very sporty individual, she is an avid fan of yachting and formula racing (her namesake also being as such, with the latter having a contest named in his honor, and was the precursor to the German Grand Prix today). As such, she is very skilled in maintenance, both for her rigging and in regards to boats, planes and cars. Though she can talk at length about her interests, she does tend to space out when it comes to other matters.
Quotes:
- Acquisition: Guten Tag, Kommandant! My name is Prinz Heinrich, Battlecruiser of the Ironblood. Hey, your port seems big enough to fit a racetrack in!
- Secretary (Idle) 1: It’s so dull and drab here, don’t you wanna cut loose and have fun?
- Secretary (Idle) 2: Heh, I wonder how many other factions have ships that didn’t get built.
- Secretary (Idle) 3: I’ve met the other Prinz Heinrich. I like her a lot, but man, it takes a while to explain things to her.
- Secretary (Touch): Hey, it tickles!!!
- Secretary (Special Touch): Enough! You will treat an Ironblood royal with respect!
- Skill Activation: Time to claim the checkered flag!
- Affinity (Disappointed): If you don’t want to race, then stay off the course!
- Affinity (Stranger): I didn’t have a history, Kommandant. But I don’t care about it. Today, history begins here!
- Affinity (Friendly): When you’re going high speeds, it doesn’t hurt to learn to drift, gotta stay the course, even if you need a little course correct, right?
- Affinity (Like): Whether in battle, out in the open sea or in a grand prix, sometimes you’ve gotta be in it to win it! Hehe, isn’t that right Kommandant?
- Affinity (Love): Life only lasts for a fleeting moment. So why waste time looking to the past and why waste time worrying about the future? As every racer should, seize the moment and live for today, because tomorrow’s another day!
- Oath: I’m glad to hold on to this ring, now come and take my hand, I wanna go drive off into the sunset, just you and me~!
- Sortie (Mackensen): Hey, I’m not joking!
- Sortie (Zeiten): Why do you have to be so cold?
- Sortie (KMS Prinz Heinrich): Woohoo! This is so much fun!!!
- Sortie (Hood): You look so graceful out there on the course, look at you!
- Sortie (Renown and/or Repulse): You two are like birds of a feather, just flocking together~!
- Sortie (Scharnhorst and/or Gneisenau): Nope, don’t look ugly to me!
- Sortie (Alaska): You look like you’re ready to punch someone’s lights out.
- Sortie (Graf Spee): Hey Deutschland, can I keep her?
- Sortie (König): I’ll show you my boat if you show me yours!
Design:
Prinz Heinrich is depicted as a woman in her early twenties with short white hair and bright silver, almost supernaturally glowing, eyes. Her attire borrows greatly in its inspiration from that of the Scharnhorst-class designs (in-reference to the design being used as a base for the later Scharnhorst-class Battlecruisers/Battleships) as well as her in-game namesake. A sleeveless white sweater with a black collar (which contains a pair of gold iron cross pins on each side of the collar) that runs down her torso, with detached white sleeves with black cuffs, also sporting gold iron cross pins). Heinrich wears a white skirt with black trim on the hem that runs down to her lower thighs, with white stockings and gray shoes rounding out the attire.
Heinrich’s rigging is in essence, a larger version of Mackensen’s rigging (in reference to the Ersatz Yorck’s being originally ordered as three Mackensen’s) A pair of lifelike, mechanical fish like rigging, one on each side, and each sporting two pairs of 380mm guns, with secondaries lining the side, all in a gothic-styled architecture.
A/N:
With the release of Tier VII's Prinz Heinrich, that marks the end of the Imperial German phase of Operation Weissenburg, as the next three ships in the tech tree (of which only Tier VIII & X will be covered in upcoming CC's) are, according to Wargaming's Cinematic Universe, designed in 1944, in the tail end of the Nazi era in Germany...
...except not really, as all three ships were actually paper designs developed during the late Imperial era, specifically various battlecruiser draft designs dated to the early spring of 1918. Shoutout to u/Hamartia_CL08 for doing the historical basis of the PR ships, as he did the basis for the design of one of these BC's, KMS Prinz Rupprecht, who is the Tier IX Tech Tree Battlecruiser. Both KMS Zeiten at Tier VIII and KMS Schlieffen at Tier X also follow this mentality, and I will get to those when we get to their concepts in the coming weeks.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. Now about two years ago, I've covered a Character Concept of ARA General Belgrano, the story of USS Phoenix and her cursed career in Argentina, being on the recieving end as the second post World War warship sunk by a submarine overall and only ship to be sunk by a SSN at that. Well, it's funny how things pan out as we take a look at that self-same sub that fired its torpedoes into history, the third of the Churchill-class SSN's, HMS Conqueror (S48).
Link to the list of ships
2023.05.31 16:10 chuckhustmyre [TH] 100 CEMETERY (Part Two of Two) by Chuck Hustmyre
When the old man got within range, John kicked at him with his good leg, but the old timer was quick, much quicker than he looked. He ducked to his right, side stepping John's lashing foot, then darted in and touched the tip of the prod to John's leg. Fire--that's what it felt like. White hot fire. A jolt went through John's body that made his eyeballs hurt. And just like that, the old man slipped in again and jabbed him in the stomach. Then, as John rolled onto his belly, the tip touched his back.
John curled into a ball and hugged his knees to his chest.
"Get through that door, boy," the old man said. "Move it, now!" Like herding an ornery animal.
And like an animal, John Burke responded, lifting himself onto all fours and crawling toward the exit. Halfway across the floor, the old man jammed the cattle prod against John's ass. He cried out and scampered through the door.
As soon they were out of the room, the old man clicked his cheek a couple of times like he was calling a dog. "Get on your feet, like a good boy." John struggled to his feet as the door closed behind him and the bolts slammed into place. He stood at one end of a narrow passage, dark, except for a single bulb hanging from the ceiling at the far end. Again, John felt the prod touch his back.
"Get!" the old man said.
John limped toward the light.
The passage emptied into a windowless room, low ceilinged and big. The old man forced him into a chute--a cattle chute. Horizontal steel poles on each side formed a walkway barely wide enough for a man's shoulders. The poles were stacked four high, the top pole about five feet off the ground. Every six or eight feet stood a vertical brace.
The old man closed and locked a sliding wooden door behind them, then bent and slipped between two of the horizontal poles. Outside the chute, he prodded John to keep him moving. As John walked toward the end, the old man thumped him two or three times with the prod but didn't shock him.
Suddenly, an overpowering stench hit John and his feet stopped moving. He looked to the right, toward the source of the smell, and saw a stainless steel table, on top of which lay a man's lifeless body. He was on his belly with his head turned and John could see the face of the man who'd been goaded out of the room just before him. The white-haired old lady stood beside the table gripping an electric carving knife in one latexed hand, while with her other gloved hand she pressed the man's leg firmly against the table. Bile gurgled up into John's throat as the old lady thumbed the switch on the carving knife and sliced a hunk of meat from the back of the dead man's thigh.
John spewed vomit and dropped to his knees. "Get up, boy," he heard from behind him as the prod juiced his lower back. John screamed in pain as he staggered to his feet. "Move it," the old man said. With legs like jelly, John stumbled forward.
The cut he'd worked into the leather belt was just to the right of the steel loop through which the handcuffs ran. Only an eighth of an inch of leather remained. Using his body, John shielded his hands from the old man's view while he tugged on the handcuffs and hobbled along.
The sides of the chute closed in on him as he reached the end. Near panic, John tried to turn around, but before he could the old man slid a gate closed behind him that penned him in.
Trapped.
From the corner of his eye, John watched the old man. Saw him step towards a workbench against the wall, fifteen feet away, and toss the cattle prod onto it. He pulled a ballpeen hammer down from a wall above the bench. It had a big stainless steel head with a foot long wooden handle. The old man turned and walked toward John with a casual, bored look on his face, just another day in the slaughterhouse.
Bent as far forward as he could, John thrust his hips back and jerked his cuffed hands forward, but the leather belt held. Behind him he heard the old man's shoes scrape the cement floor. Desperate, John twisted his hands to the right. The leather still held. Just an eighth of an inch between a chance for escape and a hammer to the back of the head.
A shoe scuff on the floor. Afraid to look, John stared at his hands. He groaned as he thrust his hips to the right and jerked his hands to the left. The leather tore and the belt pulled free from his waist.
"Where you think you're going?" the old man said.
John ducked and heard the top pole ring as the ballpeen hammer glanced off of it. With the belt still dangling from his handcuffs, John doubled over and stepped between the two middle poles on his left side. To his right the old man cursed him and swung the hammer between the bars. The hammer thumped into John's right hip but he didn't stop. Once through the bars he ran--hobbled on his painful ankle--toward the wall, trying to put as much distance between him and the old man as possible.
"Momma, momma, he got loose!"
"Catch him quick 'fore he gets away," the old lady screamed.
John Burke was lost. He didn't know where he was our how to get out. He turned, saw the old man race around the end of the chute, hammer cocked over his shoulder. John's back was to the wall. Wildly, he glanced around for something he could use. There was nothing.
To his left, twenty feet away was the corner of the room and a closed door.
The old man saw John looking. "You'll never get out." But he slowed down, approaching cautiously, angling toward the door to cut off John's only escape route.
The old man looked nervous about the door. John broke and ran. Waves of pain shot up his leg from his swollen ankle but he ignored it. The old man lunged toward the door to intercept. John tried to stop and start, throw a fake at the old man, but his ankle folded and he hit the floor.
The old man dropped to one knee beside him and raised the hammer over his head. "Got you!"
But as the killer blow came down, John shifted slightly to the side and the hammer struck the cement beside his head, sending tiny chips flying into his face. He lashed out with his good foot, missed the old man's head but caught him in the ribs. As the old man grunted and toppled over, John got to his feet and struggled to the door.
Locked.
John twisted the knob and screamed in rage. The old man stood up. Mounted on the wall next to the door was a gray metal circuit box, the handle protruding from its side angled up in the on position. An electrical shut off.
"Get him, poppy," the old woman screamed from the other side of the room. A nice old couple who called each other momma and poppy.
John grabbed the handle with both hands, shot a glance at the old man, saw him bearing down, and pulled.
Lights out. Total darkness.
Just in time John ducked. He heard the old man grunt as the hammer dug into the drywall. With his manacled hands, John shoved the old man, then ran along the wall to his left. Moving through the dark it felt like a mile. The old lady screamed.
Cuffed hands out in front with the torn leather belt dangling from them, John ran into the wall and turned right. He had no idea where to go or what to do. Just knew he had to put as much distance as he could between him and the old man. At the next corner he turned right again. Just up ahead he heard the old lady. "Poppy, I can't see."
He slowed down, tried to catch his breath. Then the lights came on. Poppy must have gotten to the switch. John found himself next to the stainless steel butchering table, and face-to-face with the old lady. With the power on, her electric carving knife started buzzing.
"I got him, poppy!" she said and chopped at him with the knife.
John jerked his head back as the humming blade passed less than an inch from his eyes.
"Momma!" the old man screamed.
John looked across the big room at the old man by the door. Hammer swinging from his hand, he started to run towards them but had to go around the cattle chute. The old lady again cut at John but this time he managed to catch her wrist in his hands. As he kicked her in the shin he heard one of his bare toes crack, but she loosened her grip on the knife and he was able to jerk it out of her hand.
The old man rounded the end of the chute and howled in rage as he saw them struggling. Momma clawed at John's eyes with both hands, but he managed to close them just as her nails raked his face. Carving knife in hand, he slashed at the old lady. The vibrating blade ripped into the side of her neck and cut across her throat. She gurgled up a foul smelling blast of air from her open trachea that made John gag. With her eyes wide open, the old lady looked stunned as her knees folded and she collapsed to the ground.
John Burke turned and the old man was right on top of him, screaming, swinging the hammer at his head. As John raised the carving knife, the hammer snapped the blade off and knocked it from his hand. The old man lunged closer, grabbed him by the throat with his left hand and raised the hammer again.
John threw an awkward jab with his shackled hands and hit the old man in the face with just enough force to stun him into losing his grip on John's neck. Then with a two-handed uppercut to the gut, this one with a little more behind it, he doubled the old man over, then ran for the door.
Standing in front of the door, he jerked down the power switch and again shrouded the room in darkness. He raised his good leg and kicked the wooden door as hard as he could. It gave just a little. Behind him he heard the old man crying, and something else--things being knocked over, things hitting the floor, the sounds of searching.
As John kicked again, his bad ankle screamed in pain, yet still the door held. He caught his breath, raised his good leg and managed one more kick. This time the knob splintered off and the door flew open. Stairs led up.
Behind him, a two-count metallic click echoed through the room. The unmistakable sound of a shell being chambered. A shotgun.
Fighting back the pain, John loped up the stairs as the shotgun blasted behind him. Upstairs he found himself in an empty kitchen. He moved down a short hallway that opened into a room he recognized, the den of the old lady's house. It was dark outside and only a few lights were on inside the house.
Footsteps on the cellar stairs.
Frantically, John looked around, seeing the big bay windows, but no door to the outside. He knocked the dead telephone to the ground, snatched up the end table, and heaved it through one of the windows.
Outside the air was warm and muggy, the ground soft like after a rain. Naked, except for the handcuffs and leather belt hanging from them, John staggered toward the woods just beyond the house. As he reached the first trees he heard another shotgun blast behind him, heard glass shatter, heard pellets tearing through the trees to his right.
Into the trees, getting some of them between him and the house in case the old man ripped off another shot.
"Murderer! I'll kill you," the old timer yelled through the trees. Almost funny, a minute ago the old man trying to bash his brains in with a hammer but still had the nerve to call him a murderer. Not to mention the sweet old lady carving a man like a Christmas turkey.
John turned forty-five degrees to the right. Choosing a zig-zag over a straight line. A minute later he heard another shot, then the pellets ripped into the branches off to his left. A frustration shot. The old man had guessed he'd turn but he'd guessed the wrong way.
He'd gotten out of shape. Just a few minutes into the woods he was puffing like a steam train, a stitch like a knife twisting into his side. John could feel his ankle starting to swell. Time for the zag so he turned left, crossed through what he guessed was fifty or sixty yards of woods, then suddenly burst into a clearing--the cemetery. The high three-quarter moon cast short, dark shadows from the tombstones. Blackness in a sea of night.
Something crashed through the brush behind him in the distance, followed by bark of a big dog. John had trouble as he stepped over the low spiked fence that surrounded the graveyard. For a second he had to put all of his weight on his bad leg and came close to impaling himself.
John remembered another fence, a six-foot iron one that spanned the front of the property, the half-inch thick bars thrust at the sky like black spears. If it circled the whole property, how the hell was he going to get out?
The barking grew louder.
As he limped between the gravestones, John heard the old man cursing in the distance, farther away than the dog, but getting closer. Terror's icy hand gripped John Burke's heart. His feet stopped moving and he dropped down onto a soft, moist patch of earth and leaned his back against a marble slab that marked someone's final resting place, someone whose troubles were over for good. John put his head into his hands as despair washed over him.
He wasn't going to get away. Not on a bad ankle. Not with his hands cuffed. Not from a madman with a dog and shotgun. A madman who kept humans like cattle, who beat men to death with a hammer, whose wife ran a human butcher shop. They were close, the old man and his dog. John could hear the dog tearing through the underbrush just inside the woods, just beyond the cemetery fence. In a minute it would all be over. He wondered if Gail would ever find out what happened to him? To die like this, in a bone yard, victim to a crazy old man and his even crazier wife.
Fear, despair, hopelessness--these feelings surged through John as a sob racked his body so hard it bounced his back off the marble tombstone and shot a bolt of pain down his spine. Then, as if cleansed by fire, those feelings melted like snow, replaced by something new, by something better, by something that fueled him--Rage.
Perched in front of the grave next to him was a thick marble urn, holding a bouquet of long dead flowers. John rolled to it, grabbed the urn in both hands, and dumped out the withered flora. He felt the comforting weight of the urn, heavy enough to crush a dog's skull, or a man's.
He wasn't going to make it easy. If they were going to kill him, they'd have to work for it. The headstones were too small to hide behind unless he crouched down and John didn't want to crouch down and hide. He was through hiding, besides, his ankle couldn't take much crouching. Better to let the dog see him, try to get rid of the mutt before the old man made it out of the woods.
The underbrush got quiet. The dog was out of the woods. No more barking. The moonlight and the shadows played tricks on John's eyes. A glimpse of movement at the fence then nothing. He strained his eyes, willing them to see through the darkness but it was his ears that responded, picking up the quick thumping of padded feet on the wet grass. The sound coming from his left. John raised the urn and turned, then heard it behind him, much closer. A throaty growl. He tried to spin around but the furry beast hit him in the back.
Claws raked his bare shoulder blades as he slammed face first into the ground and the marble urn flew from his hands, useless. Sharp teeth gripped the back of his head and shook it like the stuffed head of a doll. His scalp tore--he actually felt it--as the dog growled and bit harder.
"Get him, boy!" the old man shouted from somewhere near the edge of the woods.
John used his good left leg to push into the ground and roll. The dog tightened its grip on John's head and tried to roll with him but John used his arms to topple the German Shepherd off of him. As the brute tried to regain his feet, John kept rolling until he was on top with the dog pinned under him. The canine's jaws sprung open, looking for something to bite as John grabbed the animal's big head, one hand on each side, and forced the handcuff chain and part of the leather belt into the back of its mouth.
With his naked body pressing down on the dog, John forced the Shepherd's head back. The handcuff chain cut into the roof of the dog's mouth as John pushed back harder and harder. The beast's nails ripped at John's chest and thighs, but still he forced the big head back until the dog's agonized yelping was cut short by a loud crack, like the dry snap of a rotten branch, as its neck broke and body went limp.
John rolled off of the dead dog and struggled to his feet. The old man yelled, "Did you get him, Butch? Did you get him?" John turned toward the sound of the man's voice and saw him stumble out of the woods, just on the other side of the fence, shotgun held across his chest. The old man's eyes locked on the animal lying on the ground. "Butch!" he cried, voice cracked with emotion Then he raised his shotgun.
John dropped behind a headstone just as a blast ripped through the air. Pellets smacked into the other side of the stone. Then, as the double click of a new shell being racked into the chamber echoed across the graveyard, John scrambled away on all fours, keeping his head below the top of the tombstones.
By the time he reached the cemetery fence, John could barely move. His breath came in ragged gasps; his chest, shoulders, and thighs were on fire; and the back of his neck felt wet and sticky. He lifted his cuffed hands over his head and wiped at his neck. His palms came away covered with blood, blood that looked almost black in the moonlight.
One foot got tangled going over the fence and John fell, landing with a thud on the other side. Behind him, fifty yards at most, he could hear the old man's quick shuffle coming across the cemetery. The old man mumbling and cursing to himself. Once John got into the tree line he felt a little safer, something between him and muzzle of that shotgun. But the going was slow. Much tougher than before. He started to feel dizzy. The dog had torn him up and he knew he was bleeding badly.
He'd made it this far but knew there was no way he could make it all the way back home, at least not tonight. Too tired and too hurt. But with the dog dead, all he had to do was shake the old man off his trail, then hole up somewhere until daylight. In the morning he would parallel the road just inside the trees to keep out of sight. His house was only two miles away. He would make it even if he had to crawl on his hands and knees the whole way.
He ran into the fence. Six feet tall, made of pointed wrought iron bars, no more than ten inches apart. Impossible to slip between them. The bars braced by two thin rectangular, iron beams that ran the length of the fence. One, a foot from the ground; the other, a foot from the top.
John hadn't gained any distance on the old man. He could hear his thrashing back in the trees, his slow, steady pace, his mumbling punctuated by curses.
There was only one way to get out and that was over the fence. John set his feet on the bottom support and grabbed the top crossbar with both hands, but with his wrists cuffed he couldn't spread his hands out. He couldn't climb.
He managed to pull himself up so his chin was over the top of the fence and then swung his good leg up. It didn't go high enough. Arms straining, he swung it up harder and managed to hook his heel on the top support, between two of the bars. That's when he lost his grip.
John fell but his foot stayed. He heard his ankle crack and he screamed. Caught between the two vertical bars and the horizontal support, his bare foot was wedged in tight and he hung upside down, naked, like a stuck pig being bled in a slaughterhouse.
The old man stepped out from the trees, shotgun held across his chest like a soldier. Fifteen feet from John, he raised it to his shoulder and grinned as he pulled the trigger. CLICK.
"Goddamit!" He racked the pump, took aim, and pulled the trigger again. Another empty click. This time he slammed the pump back and stared into the open chamber. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled, then grabbed the barrel in a two handed grip.
He swung it like a baseball bat at John's head and all John Burke could do was close his eyes. Just before the wooden stock crashed into his skull, he heard himself say, "Gail."
* * *
Gail Burke was on the toilet, in the middle of peeing, when the doorbell rang. "John," she heard herself say. "God, please let it be John." She pulled on her jeans and ran to the door, didn't even flush. But it wasn't John. It was a man, old but distinguished looking in a dark suit with a pale blue tie draped in front of a starched white shirt. She glanced behind him and saw a van parked in her driveway. Not a minivan, but a full-sized, white work van, windowless except for the driver and passenger doors. No name on the side.
"Can I help you?" she asked, losing hope her caller had anything to do with John.
He raised his hands slightly and she noticed they held a round plastic container. Rubbermaid, or Tupperware, with a lid on it. "Yes," she said.
"Mrs. Burke?"
Gail nodded.
My name is Muller, Frank Muller. He nodded to the right. "I live on Cemetery Road."
She gave him a brief smile.
"I've read about your...your husband's disappearance in the paper."
At first she'd had a lot of visitors like this. Well-wishers, sympathizers, but it had been two weeks and people had stopped coming by. Mostly, she guessed they thought John's disappearance maybe wasn't so mysterious after all. Middle-aged man, married for a dozen years, suddenly takes off. Maybe found a young girl. No mystery there. But she knew that wasn't what he'd done. Something terrible had happened. She could feel it.
"Thank you," was all she could think of to say.
He raised his hands again. "I've brought you something. Chili, my wife's secret recipe."
She looked at the container. The two-gallon size. That's a lot of chili, she thought. She caught a whiff of it as he slipped one hand under the container and lifted part of the lid with the other. He said, "Chock full of beef and beans. Put some meat on your bones."
Gail felt her face flush. Her jeans hung loosely on her hips. She'd lost ten pounds since John disappeared and hadn't had it to spare to begin with. "Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr..." She couldn't even remember the gentleman's name.
"Muller," he said.
"Of course," she said quickly. "Thank you again, Mr. Muller." Gail reached for the container. "To be honest I haven't felt much like cooking and that smells delicious. Please tell Mrs. Muller that I said--"
Mr. Muller shook his head. "Buried her recently."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
As she took the chili from him, he forced a smile. "I made it but it's her recipe so if it's good she gets the credit." He laughed a more genuine laugh. "And if it's bad, I'll take the blame."
She felt the heat through the plastic. They said goodbye and Gail Burke went inside to eat a bowl of Mrs. Muller's secret recipe. She felt her stomach growl with hunger. If it tasted as good as it smelled, maybe she'd have two bowls.
THE END
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John curled into a ball and hugged his knees to his chest.
"Get through that door, boy," the old man said. "Move it, now!" Like herding an ornery animal.
And like an animal, John Burke responded, lifting himself onto all fours and crawling toward the exit. Halfway across the floor, the old man jammed the cattle prod against John's ass. He cried out and scampered through the door.
As soon they were out of the room, the old man clicked his cheek a couple of times like he was calling a dog. "Get on your feet, like a good boy." John struggled to his feet as the door closed behind him and the bolts slammed into place. He stood at one end of a narrow passage, dark, except for a single bulb hanging from the ceiling at the far end. Again, John felt the prod touch his back.
"Get!" the old man said.
John limped toward the light.
The passage emptied into a windowless room, low ceilinged and big. The old man forced him into a chute--a cattle chute. Horizontal steel poles on each side formed a walkway barely wide enough for a man's shoulders. The poles were stacked four high, the top pole about five feet off the ground. Every six or eight feet stood a vertical brace.
The old man closed and locked a sliding wooden door behind them, then bent and slipped between two of the horizontal poles. Outside the chute, he prodded John to keep him moving. As John walked toward the end, the old man thumped him two or three times with the prod but didn't shock him.
Suddenly, an overpowering stench hit John and his feet stopped moving. He looked to the right, toward the source of the smell, and saw a stainless steel table, on top of which lay a man's lifeless body. He was on his belly with his head turned and John could see the face of the man who'd been goaded out of the room just before him. The white-haired old lady stood beside the table gripping an electric carving knife in one latexed hand, while with her other gloved hand she pressed the man's leg firmly against the table. Bile gurgled up into John's throat as the old lady thumbed the switch on the carving knife and sliced a hunk of meat from the back of the dead man's thigh.
John spewed vomit and dropped to his knees. "Get up, boy," he heard from behind him as the prod juiced his lower back. John screamed in pain as he staggered to his feet. "Move it," the old man said. With legs like jelly, John stumbled forward.
The cut he'd worked into the leather belt was just to the right of the steel loop through which the handcuffs ran. Only an eighth of an inch of leather remained. Using his body, John shielded his hands from the old man's view while he tugged on the handcuffs and hobbled along.
The sides of the chute closed in on him as he reached the end. Near panic, John tried to turn around, but before he could the old man slid a gate closed behind him that penned him in.
Trapped.
From the corner of his eye, John watched the old man. Saw him step towards a workbench against the wall, fifteen feet away, and toss the cattle prod onto it. He pulled a ballpeen hammer down from a wall above the bench. It had a big stainless steel head with a foot long wooden handle. The old man turned and walked toward John with a casual, bored look on his face, just another day in the slaughterhouse.
Bent as far forward as he could, John thrust his hips back and jerked his cuffed hands forward, but the leather belt held. Behind him he heard the old man's shoes scrape the cement floor. Desperate, John twisted his hands to the right. The leather still held. Just an eighth of an inch between a chance for escape and a hammer to the back of the head.
A shoe scuff on the floor. Afraid to look, John stared at his hands. He groaned as he thrust his hips to the right and jerked his hands to the left. The leather tore and the belt pulled free from his waist.
"Where you think you're going?" the old man said.
John ducked and heard the top pole ring as the ballpeen hammer glanced off of it. With the belt still dangling from his handcuffs, John doubled over and stepped between the two middle poles on his left side. To his right the old man cursed him and swung the hammer between the bars. The hammer thumped into John's right hip but he didn't stop. Once through the bars he ran--hobbled on his painful ankle--toward the wall, trying to put as much distance between him and the old man as possible.
"Momma, momma, he got loose!"
"Catch him quick 'fore he gets away," the old lady screamed.
John Burke was lost. He didn't know where he was our how to get out. He turned, saw the old man race around the end of the chute, hammer cocked over his shoulder. John's back was to the wall. Wildly, he glanced around for something he could use. There was nothing.
To his left, twenty feet away was the corner of the room and a closed door.
The old man saw John looking. "You'll never get out." But he slowed down, approaching cautiously, angling toward the door to cut off John's only escape route.
The old man looked nervous about the door. John broke and ran. Waves of pain shot up his leg from his swollen ankle but he ignored it. The old man lunged toward the door to intercept. John tried to stop and start, throw a fake at the old man, but his ankle folded and he hit the floor.
The old man dropped to one knee beside him and raised the hammer over his head. "Got you!"
But as the killer blow came down, John shifted slightly to the side and the hammer struck the cement beside his head, sending tiny chips flying into his face. He lashed out with his good foot, missed the old man's head but caught him in the ribs. As the old man grunted and toppled over, John got to his feet and struggled to the door.
Locked.
John twisted the knob and screamed in rage. The old man stood up. Mounted on the wall next to the door was a gray metal circuit box, the handle protruding from its side angled up in the on position. An electrical shut off.
"Get him, poppy," the old woman screamed from the other side of the room. A nice old couple who called each other momma and poppy.
John grabbed the handle with both hands, shot a glance at the old man, saw him bearing down, and pulled.
Lights out. Total darkness.
Just in time John ducked. He heard the old man grunt as the hammer dug into the drywall. With his manacled hands, John shoved the old man, then ran along the wall to his left. Moving through the dark it felt like a mile. The old lady screamed.
Cuffed hands out in front with the torn leather belt dangling from them, John ran into the wall and turned right. He had no idea where to go or what to do. Just knew he had to put as much distance as he could between him and the old man. At the next corner he turned right again. Just up ahead he heard the old lady. "Poppy, I can't see."
He slowed down, tried to catch his breath. Then the lights came on. Poppy must have gotten to the switch. John found himself next to the stainless steel butchering table, and face-to-face with the old lady. With the power on, her electric carving knife started buzzing.
"I got him, poppy!" she said and chopped at him with the knife.
John jerked his head back as the humming blade passed less than an inch from his eyes.
"Momma!" the old man screamed.
John looked across the big room at the old man by the door. Hammer swinging from his hand, he started to run towards them but had to go around the cattle chute. The old lady again cut at John but this time he managed to catch her wrist in his hands. As he kicked her in the shin he heard one of his bare toes crack, but she loosened her grip on the knife and he was able to jerk it out of her hand.
The old man rounded the end of the chute and howled in rage as he saw them struggling. Momma clawed at John's eyes with both hands, but he managed to close them just as her nails raked his face. Carving knife in hand, he slashed at the old lady. The vibrating blade ripped into the side of her neck and cut across her throat. She gurgled up a foul smelling blast of air from her open trachea that made John gag. With her eyes wide open, the old lady looked stunned as her knees folded and she collapsed to the ground.
John Burke turned and the old man was right on top of him, screaming, swinging the hammer at his head. As John raised the carving knife, the hammer snapped the blade off and knocked it from his hand. The old man lunged closer, grabbed him by the throat with his left hand and raised the hammer again.
John threw an awkward jab with his shackled hands and hit the old man in the face with just enough force to stun him into losing his grip on John's neck. Then with a two-handed uppercut to the gut, this one with a little more behind it, he doubled the old man over, then ran for the door.
Standing in front of the door, he jerked down the power switch and again shrouded the room in darkness. He raised his good leg and kicked the wooden door as hard as he could. It gave just a little. Behind him he heard the old man crying, and something else--things being knocked over, things hitting the floor, the sounds of searching.
As John kicked again, his bad ankle screamed in pain, yet still the door held. He caught his breath, raised his good leg and managed one more kick. This time the knob splintered off and the door flew open. Stairs led up.
Behind him, a two-count metallic click echoed through the room. The unmistakable sound of a shell being chambered. A shotgun.
Fighting back the pain, John loped up the stairs as the shotgun blasted behind him. Upstairs he found himself in an empty kitchen. He moved down a short hallway that opened into a room he recognized, the den of the old lady's house. It was dark outside and only a few lights were on inside the house.
Footsteps on the cellar stairs.
Frantically, John looked around, seeing the big bay windows, but no door to the outside. He knocked the dead telephone to the ground, snatched up the end table, and heaved it through one of the windows.
Outside the air was warm and muggy, the ground soft like after a rain. Naked, except for the handcuffs and leather belt hanging from them, John staggered toward the woods just beyond the house. As he reached the first trees he heard another shotgun blast behind him, heard glass shatter, heard pellets tearing through the trees to his right.
Into the trees, getting some of them between him and the house in case the old man ripped off another shot.
"Murderer! I'll kill you," the old timer yelled through the trees. Almost funny, a minute ago the old man trying to bash his brains in with a hammer but still had the nerve to call him a murderer. Not to mention the sweet old lady carving a man like a Christmas turkey.
John turned forty-five degrees to the right. Choosing a zig-zag over a straight line. A minute later he heard another shot, then the pellets ripped into the branches off to his left. A frustration shot. The old man had guessed he'd turn but he'd guessed the wrong way.
He'd gotten out of shape. Just a few minutes into the woods he was puffing like a steam train, a stitch like a knife twisting into his side. John could feel his ankle starting to swell. Time for the zag so he turned left, crossed through what he guessed was fifty or sixty yards of woods, then suddenly burst into a clearing--the cemetery. The high three-quarter moon cast short, dark shadows from the tombstones. Blackness in a sea of night.
Something crashed through the brush behind him in the distance, followed by bark of a big dog. John had trouble as he stepped over the low spiked fence that surrounded the graveyard. For a second he had to put all of his weight on his bad leg and came close to impaling himself.
John remembered another fence, a six-foot iron one that spanned the front of the property, the half-inch thick bars thrust at the sky like black spears. If it circled the whole property, how the hell was he going to get out?
The barking grew louder.
As he limped between the gravestones, John heard the old man cursing in the distance, farther away than the dog, but getting closer. Terror's icy hand gripped John Burke's heart. His feet stopped moving and he dropped down onto a soft, moist patch of earth and leaned his back against a marble slab that marked someone's final resting place, someone whose troubles were over for good. John put his head into his hands as despair washed over him.
He wasn't going to get away. Not on a bad ankle. Not with his hands cuffed. Not from a madman with a dog and shotgun. A madman who kept humans like cattle, who beat men to death with a hammer, whose wife ran a human butcher shop. They were close, the old man and his dog. John could hear the dog tearing through the underbrush just inside the woods, just beyond the cemetery fence. In a minute it would all be over. He wondered if Gail would ever find out what happened to him? To die like this, in a bone yard, victim to a crazy old man and his even crazier wife.
Fear, despair, hopelessness--these feelings surged through John as a sob racked his body so hard it bounced his back off the marble tombstone and shot a bolt of pain down his spine. Then, as if cleansed by fire, those feelings melted like snow, replaced by something new, by something better, by something that fueled him--Rage.
Perched in front of the grave next to him was a thick marble urn, holding a bouquet of long dead flowers. John rolled to it, grabbed the urn in both hands, and dumped out the withered flora. He felt the comforting weight of the urn, heavy enough to crush a dog's skull, or a man's.
He wasn't going to make it easy. If they were going to kill him, they'd have to work for it. The headstones were too small to hide behind unless he crouched down and John didn't want to crouch down and hide. He was through hiding, besides, his ankle couldn't take much crouching. Better to let the dog see him, try to get rid of the mutt before the old man made it out of the woods.
The underbrush got quiet. The dog was out of the woods. No more barking. The moonlight and the shadows played tricks on John's eyes. A glimpse of movement at the fence then nothing. He strained his eyes, willing them to see through the darkness but it was his ears that responded, picking up the quick thumping of padded feet on the wet grass. The sound coming from his left. John raised the urn and turned, then heard it behind him, much closer. A throaty growl. He tried to spin around but the furry beast hit him in the back.
Claws raked his bare shoulder blades as he slammed face first into the ground and the marble urn flew from his hands, useless. Sharp teeth gripped the back of his head and shook it like the stuffed head of a doll. His scalp tore--he actually felt it--as the dog growled and bit harder.
"Get him, boy!" the old man shouted from somewhere near the edge of the woods.
John used his good left leg to push into the ground and roll. The dog tightened its grip on John's head and tried to roll with him but John used his arms to topple the German Shepherd off of him. As the brute tried to regain his feet, John kept rolling until he was on top with the dog pinned under him. The canine's jaws sprung open, looking for something to bite as John grabbed the animal's big head, one hand on each side, and forced the handcuff chain and part of the leather belt into the back of its mouth.
With his naked body pressing down on the dog, John forced the Shepherd's head back. The handcuff chain cut into the roof of the dog's mouth as John pushed back harder and harder. The beast's nails ripped at John's chest and thighs, but still he forced the big head back until the dog's agonized yelping was cut short by a loud crack, like the dry snap of a rotten branch, as its neck broke and body went limp.
John rolled off of the dead dog and struggled to his feet. The old man yelled, "Did you get him, Butch? Did you get him?" John turned toward the sound of the man's voice and saw him stumble out of the woods, just on the other side of the fence, shotgun held across his chest. The old man's eyes locked on the animal lying on the ground. "Butch!" he cried, voice cracked with emotion Then he raised his shotgun.
John dropped behind a headstone just as a blast ripped through the air. Pellets smacked into the other side of the stone. Then, as the double click of a new shell being racked into the chamber echoed across the graveyard, John scrambled away on all fours, keeping his head below the top of the tombstones.
By the time he reached the cemetery fence, John could barely move. His breath came in ragged gasps; his chest, shoulders, and thighs were on fire; and the back of his neck felt wet and sticky. He lifted his cuffed hands over his head and wiped at his neck. His palms came away covered with blood, blood that looked almost black in the moonlight.
One foot got tangled going over the fence and John fell, landing with a thud on the other side. Behind him, fifty yards at most, he could hear the old man's quick shuffle coming across the cemetery. The old man mumbling and cursing to himself. Once John got into the tree line he felt a little safer, something between him and muzzle of that shotgun. But the going was slow. Much tougher than before. He started to feel dizzy. The dog had torn him up and he knew he was bleeding badly.
He'd made it this far but knew there was no way he could make it all the way back home, at least not tonight. Too tired and too hurt. But with the dog dead, all he had to do was shake the old man off his trail, then hole up somewhere until daylight. In the morning he would parallel the road just inside the trees to keep out of sight. His house was only two miles away. He would make it even if he had to crawl on his hands and knees the whole way.
He ran into the fence. Six feet tall, made of pointed wrought iron bars, no more than ten inches apart. Impossible to slip between them. The bars braced by two thin rectangular, iron beams that ran the length of the fence. One, a foot from the ground; the other, a foot from the top.
John hadn't gained any distance on the old man. He could hear his thrashing back in the trees, his slow, steady pace, his mumbling punctuated by curses.
There was only one way to get out and that was over the fence. John set his feet on the bottom support and grabbed the top crossbar with both hands, but with his wrists cuffed he couldn't spread his hands out. He couldn't climb.
He managed to pull himself up so his chin was over the top of the fence and then swung his good leg up. It didn't go high enough. Arms straining, he swung it up harder and managed to hook his heel on the top support, between two of the bars. That's when he lost his grip.
John fell but his foot stayed. He heard his ankle crack and he screamed. Caught between the two vertical bars and the horizontal support, his bare foot was wedged in tight and he hung upside down, naked, like a stuck pig being bled in a slaughterhouse.
The old man stepped out from the trees, shotgun held across his chest like a soldier. Fifteen feet from John, he raised it to his shoulder and grinned as he pulled the trigger. CLICK.
"Goddamit!" He racked the pump, took aim, and pulled the trigger again. Another empty click. This time he slammed the pump back and stared into the open chamber. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled, then grabbed the barrel in a two handed grip.
He swung it like a baseball bat at John's head and all John Burke could do was close his eyes. Just before the wooden stock crashed into his skull, he heard himself say, "Gail."
* * *
Gail Burke was on the toilet, in the middle of peeing, when the doorbell rang. "John," she heard herself say. "God, please let it be John." She pulled on her jeans and ran to the door, didn't even flush. But it wasn't John. It was a man, old but distinguished looking in a dark suit with a pale blue tie draped in front of a starched white shirt. She glanced behind him and saw a van parked in her driveway. Not a minivan, but a full-sized, white work van, windowless except for the driver and passenger doors. No name on the side.
"Can I help you?" she asked, losing hope her caller had anything to do with John.
He raised his hands slightly and she noticed they held a round plastic container. Rubbermaid, or Tupperware, with a lid on it. "Yes," she said.
"Mrs. Burke?"
Gail nodded.
My name is Muller, Frank Muller. He nodded to the right. "I live on Cemetery Road."
She gave him a brief smile.
"I've read about your...your husband's disappearance in the paper."
At first she'd had a lot of visitors like this. Well-wishers, sympathizers, but it had been two weeks and people had stopped coming by. Mostly, she guessed they thought John's disappearance maybe wasn't so mysterious after all. Middle-aged man, married for a dozen years, suddenly takes off. Maybe found a young girl. No mystery there. But she knew that wasn't what he'd done. Something terrible had happened. She could feel it.
"Thank you," was all she could think of to say.
He raised his hands again. "I've brought you something. Chili, my wife's secret recipe."
She looked at the container. The two-gallon size. That's a lot of chili, she thought. She caught a whiff of it as he slipped one hand under the container and lifted part of the lid with the other. He said, "Chock full of beef and beans. Put some meat on your bones."
Gail felt her face flush. Her jeans hung loosely on her hips. She'd lost ten pounds since John disappeared and hadn't had it to spare to begin with. "Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr..." She couldn't even remember the gentleman's name.
"Muller," he said.
"Of course," she said quickly. "Thank you again, Mr. Muller." Gail reached for the container. "To be honest I haven't felt much like cooking and that smells delicious. Please tell Mrs. Muller that I said--"
Mr. Muller shook his head. "Buried her recently."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
As she took the chili from him, he forced a smile. "I made it but it's her recipe so if it's good she gets the credit." He laughed a more genuine laugh. "And if it's bad, I'll take the blame."
She felt the heat through the plastic. They said goodbye and Gail Burke went inside to eat a bowl of Mrs. Muller's secret recipe. She felt her stomach growl with hunger. If it tasted as good as it smelled, maybe she'd have two bowls.
THE END
2023.05.31 15:56 Adventurous-Dog8616 Can anyone explain me this Hadith? Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead? Over Mohammed (pboh)?
 | submitted by Adventurous-Dog8616 to Muslim [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 15:55 Tyler092015 3 year old escape artist!
Hey y’all, had an incident with my 3 year old this morning. Not sure how to handle it. For the second time in his life (the first being about a year ago), my son escaped the house. I believe he saw a school bus and wanted to go to school (he’s always talking about wanting to go). Im at work, my wife was asleep with our other son (just about 2 y/o). The first time this happened, we put an electric chime on his door and admittedly put a lock too. I know this isn’t suggested, and we took it off after a month or two because it gave me constant anxiety. For reference, I used very small screws, only used 2 out of 4 of them, and put them directly into his hollow core door. All of this ensured that it would be very easy to bust open in an emergency (even for him). None the less I really really don’t want to have to do this again, but he manages to get past every defense we put up. He’s figured out every baby gate we’ve ever bought and we theorize that he MAY have figured out the trick to those plastic door knob covers in his escape this morning. Which is a shame because the only idea I had was to put these on all of the exterior doors (seeing as he’s never been able to open them before (aside the possibility of this morning). I’m baffled. The good news is that he didn’t cross the road (he was very proud to tell us that much so we’d know he was being “safe”). My wife isn’t a heavy sleeper, however every now and then the door chime won’t work, and he literally sneaks past her so as not to wake her and his little brother up. He doesn’t want to get caught and have his morning fun spoiled. I don’t know what to do or how to prevent this. Help!
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2023.05.31 15:31 JohannesMeanAd2 The Centennial Series, S2E2: 1923 Indianapolis 500 - Indy goes international!
 | Hello everyone! I hope you all had fun watching the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, filled with many different strategic twists and turns and showcasing some of the finest displays of driver ability we've seen this season! submitted by JohannesMeanAd2 to formula1 [link] [comments] As we all know, the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most historic motor races on the planet, with a rich heritage going all the way back to 1929. However, there is one other open wheel race that has historically been run on the same day, but halfway across the world in America: The Indianapolis 500. With speeds in excess of 230 miles per hour and attendance soaring past 300,000 on race day, the Indy 500 boasts arguably the most impressive CV of any active motor race in the world with its over 110-year-long history. Makes sense, then, that this would be our next destination for The Centennial Series retrospective. The Start of the 1923 Indianapolis 500. Image credits to michaeljesse.net For those of you on this sub who don't know, I make a series of commemorative posts for Grand Prix-adjacent races that occurred exactly 100 years ago as their anniversaries pass by us. Here's my most recent one in case you're interested in reading further. This will be the second installment in this year's retrospective, so let's get into it! Just like today, in 1923 the Indianapolis 500 held a special place in the motor racing world as arguably one of the fastest and most exciting races out there. If we had a holy trinity of races in the 1920s, they would be the Italian Targa Florio, the French Grand Prix, and this race. Indy represented the peak of American motor racing since the end of World War I, when rival events such as the ACA Grand Prize and the William K. Vanderbilt Cup fell into abeyance and irrelevance. Aerial view of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 1923. You might be wondering, "this is a race that's still held today in the IndyCar series. Why would you do a retrospective on it if it's not a Grand Prix?" That's a great question and the answer lies in the past. Though it may seem strange, unlike in the 1950s, during the 1920s the Indy 500 was equally as relevant to the Grand Prix racing world as it was to that of racing in the United States. Quite often, many of the best manufacturers of Europe sought after victory in the Indianapolis 500 as a means of proving their race cars’ (and road cars) worthiness on a global scale. Some successful examples include Delage in the 1914 running, and Peugeot, who successfully won three times in 1913, 1916 and 1919. As such, it made sense that the then-organizers of the Indy 500 (and most auto racing in America), the AAA Contest Board, wanted to keep in touch with the latest developments in international racing to maintain that worldwide interest in the Sweepstakes. In the previous year's Indianapolis 500 (Which you can read my post about here), the technical regulations remained the same as they had been since the end of World War I, that of 3.0 liter engine regulations, on the grounds that the American auto industry still hadn't fully recovered a regular peacetime manufacturing capacity after The Great War. However, this would all change for 1923. In 1922, the Automobile Club de France, or the ACF, adopted new, 2.0 liter engine regulations with slightly smaller weight requirements as the first true "new" post-war regulation. In the pursuit of maintaining international interest in the Indy 500, the AAA decided to follow suit for the 1923 season. In recognition of unifying their formula, the folks in Europe known as the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus, the FIA of its day) designated the Indianapolis 500 as a Grande Epreuve (French for “big test”), which was back then the term for an "official" international Grand Prix race. And so, with the race now genuinely having international importance once more, it's time to see who's who and who the favorites were for the 1923 Indy 500: The Team of Bugattis lining up for a photo at the 1923 Indy 500. Image credits to Simanaitis Says. The first major European manufacturer to jump at the Indy opportunity would be Bugatti. Led by the great Ettore Bugatti himself, the Alsatian manufacturer had gained a reputation for punching well above their weight in the Grand Prix scene, with multiple voiturette victories to their name in 1920 and 1921, and making the step up to the Grand Prix races in 1922. Despite their gentlemanly lineup, their results were very promising, taking runner-up in France and third place at Monza. For 1923, they planned bigger and better things, but for the sake of getting their name out, Bugatti set out with their 1922-spec Type 30, modified to only have one seat (because back then Grand Prix racers still needed two seats). Their drivers would be led by Pierre de Vizcaya and the legendary Polish designer Count Louis Zborowski. They were joined by a series of other wealthy aristocrats interested in a flick of speed, including the Parisian Prince de Cystria, and the Argentinians Martin de Alzaga and Raul Riganti. With just 90 horsepower on tap, Bugatti's best chances came from capitalizing on attrition. But still it's quite incredible that they're out here having only made it to the big leagues a year prior. The Supercharged Mercedes M7294. Stripped down to only one seat for Indianapolis. Image credits to Supercars.net Christian F. Lautenschlager. Image from Fine Art America. And now for a manufacturer I'm sure everyone is familiar with: Mercedes! By this point, Mercedes were still virtually the "exiled genius” of the European racing world. Their status as a German car manufacturer left them banned from taking part in the French Grand Prix after The Great War, but that did not stop the engineers at Stuttgart from innovating and being ahead of the curve. At the 1922 Targa Florio, they introduced the world's first supercharged (and by extension, forced induction) racecars, capitalizing on a gray area for the Grand Prix regulations of the time. Seeing the potential of the supercharging device, Mercedes opted to take it one step further for 1923. In a design that complies with the 2.0 liter Grand Prix regulations, they introduced the M7294, designed by Paul Daimler himself. This 120-horsepower beast used centrifugal supercharging to make up for the below-average RPM compared to the naturally aspirated American racers they'd be up against, making this the first effort for a supercharged race car at Indy. As they were once again playing with hot stuff, Mercedes entrusted only their absolute best and most knowledgeable drivers with the M7294. The headlining driver would be two-time Grand Prix champion Christian Lautenschlager, alongside their top testers Max Sailer and Christian Werner. Duesenberg Special at Indianapolis, 1924. No good photos of their 1923 special exist. Image credits to Indiana Memory Collections. The rather abrupt nature of the switch from 3.0 liter engines to 2.0 liter engines for the Indy 500 sent a paradigm-changing shockwave to the balance of power among American racing teams. Many manufacturers found themselves largely underprepared or ill-equipped to handle making all new designs in such a short time for the 1923 Indy 500. One such example would be the Duesenberg brothers. High off of an incredible upset victory at the 1921 French Grand Prix, and a record-breaking Indy 500 win (both with Jimmy Murphy at the helm), it’s safe to say Duesenberg were a staple of American open wheel racing, and in 1923 their absence was very much felt. In the hurried rush to put together a special car in time for Indianapolis, they depleted most of their resources, and sent out three cars, mostly for relief drivers. Only one car would start the race, for their chief relief driver Wade Morton, making his Indy 500 debut. Quite the contrast to see only one car from such a big team. The Detroit-based Packard team were able to create a reasonably strong package for the 1923 season, managing around 115 horsepower from their new 2.0 liter special. Although not in as desperate of a situation as Duesenberg were, Packard still put together a strong team, fielding the legendary Ralph DePalma as their headlining driver, alongside Joe Boyer and 1916 winner Dario Resta. Others wouldn’t be so fortunate as Duesenberg and Packard to survive the sudden shift. The Frontenac Motor Corporation, a joint venture between Louis Chevrolet (yes, that Chevrolet), Joe Boyer and car salesman William Small, was the dominant force in Champ Car racing during and after The Great War, with Chevrolet himself leading the race team to glory. After a suboptimal 1922 race in which none of Chevrolet’s cars finished in the top 5, the devastating news that they’d have to rebuild everything they had was the nail in the coffin that would make the Frontenac project go bankrupt, ridding American open wheel racing of one of its strongest teams. Can you imagine that happening to Chevrolet and Team Penske today? Because that’s what this felt like at the time. Miller Type 122 Special, as entered by HCS. Image credits to ConceptCarz. However, where some had failed or struggled, others would absolutely thrive. In the immediate post-war years, The Wisconsonite Harry Miller was the owner of a very successful carburetor-selling business, generating over $1 million in yearly revenue. Miller would put this money to good use, developing a durable and fast racing engine for the Indy 500 (inspired by the old Peugeot engines), which in 1922 would be used by the overall race winner, Jimmy Murphy on his special Duesenberg chassis. The record-breaking pace of Murphy's win ignited huge interest in Miller's fast-growing racing team. Luckily for Miller, his team would stay ahead of the curve for the 1923 regulation change, developing a strong 2.0 liter engine for an elegant and functional design: the Type 122 (named such for the engine size in cubic inches). The Miller 122 was the very first dedicated single-seater race car in the United States. Talk about an innovative race car for the time, back in those days the top Grand Prix cars mandated two seats for driver and mechanic! However, as the need for a mechanic was now optional for the Indy 500, the 122 only had the one seat. The car also boasted a very impressive 120 horsepower. A similar power output to Miller's previous engines, but far more dense given the smaller engine size. Cliff Durant. With the promise of stability at over 110 miles per hour, and especially given the short notice of the regulation change hurting other American manufacturers, Harry Miller's design would have an explosion of interest from many drivers of the American Open Wheel racing establishment. There were no less than eleven of these bad boys lining up for the 1923 Indy 500, making this car a clear favorite for race day. There were two top teams fielding Millers this year, including Cliff Durant’s stable of eight cars with champion drivers such as Earl Cooper and Jimmy Murphy headlining his team’s attack. They would be rivaled by the Harry C. Stutz team (H.C.S. for short), who had just two cars, but packed a real punch by fielding two past Indy 500 champions: Howard “Howdy” Wilcox, and Thomas “Tommy” Milton. Headline for Indiana law prohibiting sporting events occurring on memorial day. Taken from The Daily Republican, January 25th, 1923. So now that we have the exposition out of the way, it's time for the race itself. Well, almost. You see, at the start of 1923, the Indiana State Legislature passed a law that prohibited all sporting events from occurring on Memorial Day, which included the Indianapolis 500 itself. This was done on the grounds that not enough respect had been given to the fallen American soldiers, and that the day was instead used for “games, races, and revelry.” Although this reasoning was sound, many people found this law un-American for limiting free expression. This included the organizers of the Indy 500, who relied on a holiday to guarantee maximal race attendance. There were talks of moving the race to the Saturday before Memorial day (May 26th in this instance), and even potentially making Saturday a special holiday! Honestly, it kind of reeks of making a town around the racetrack called “Speedway” (which actually happened). As no better solution could be found due to the organizers’ insistence on running on a holiday, the race would be held on a Wednesday, May 30th. Joe Boyer in the Packard Special, 1923. Now that we know when the race happens, it's time to actually get into the swing of things. Most teams used the entire month of May leading up to the race to get in private practice sessions, to have the best possible independent data regarding average speed and reliability. As such, there was a pretty clear picture of who had better overall speed, which turned out to be everybody. Before the 4-lap time trials began on Saturday the 26th, Harry Hartz in his Cliff Durant Miller car set a 106 mph average speed lap, which was nearly SIX miles per hour faster than Jimmy Murphy’s pole lap from the year prior. This speed would soon be matched by the likes of Murphy and Milton. Already this Indy 500 was promising to be a showstopper with these speeds. Qualifying began on Saturday, the 26th. Just like it is today, the starting grid would be set by doing 4 laps of the Indy oval at speed, with the average lap (measured in speed, not time) determining your placement. The gentleman Bugatti drivers had very consistent lap speeds, even if their trials were rather slow for the time. The best lap came from Raul Riganti, clocking in at a 95 mph average speed. The Mercedes cars fared only a little better. Lautenschlager and Werner both showed very strong speed in excess of 105 mph on the straights, but had to back off quite a bit in the corners. This evened out to give a lap speed of approximately 95 mph from Werner, and 93 mph from Lautenschlager. Cars lining up for the start of the 1923 Indy 500, ground view, pace car in front. As the European manufacturers struggled, the Americans fared much better. Packard and Miller would both have drivers that beat out Jimmy Murphy’s 100 mph qualifying record from 1922. For Packard, it was DePalma, at around 100.42 miles per hour, promising to the public that this wouldn’t be a Miller whitewash as far as speed goes. But even then, the Millers stood head and shoulders above the rest, particularly with the HCS-entered cars. Tommy Milton would throw down the gauntlet with a murderous speed of 108 mph for pole position! Talk about crazy improvement from the year before. For reference, this year’s record-setting Indy 500 pole speed improved on last year’s by only 0.2 mph. Really speaks to how much of a wild west era 100 years ago was like. Milton’s time would be closely matched by the top two from the past year, Jimmy Murphy and Harry Hartz. They would be joined in the top 5 speeds by Cliff Durant himself, and Packard’s DePalma. And now for the race itself. In front of a rambunctious crowd of over 100,000 strong (there were far less grandstand tickets back then), the pace car led the 24 cars to a rolling start as they roared into turn 1. Tommy Milton built up a very strong lead in the first lap, but Jimmy Murphy negotiated the cars in front of him from the third row to pass Milton by turn four, with Boyer and Hartz closely following. By lap three, Milton overtook Murphy to return to first place, setting the stage for the opening 50 laps of the race, which would be a constant back and forth tussle between these two drivers, both representing the top teams using Miller cars: Murphy for Durant Racing, and Milton for the H.C.S. Motor Company. The crowd could hardly believe such a close and fast battle, no one had ever seen anything like it (they would swap the lead 25 times). Joe Boyer and Ralph DePalma helped keep Packard within touching distance, and the supercharged Mercedes’ proved to surprise in race trim, with Werner reaching the top 10 very quickly. Leaderboard after Lap 10. Credits to goldenera.fi The first 50 laps would see several retirements, including two high speed crashes. On lap 14 Mercedes’ Christian Lautenschlager skidded into the wall at turn 1 at nearly 90 mph, with the driver mostly uninjured. His riding mechanic Jakob Krauss was less fortunate, as he’d suffer a left leg contusion. Lautenschlager was the only driver in the field with a riding mechanic, and the mechanic’s injuries called into question the safety of even having one at all. The other crash would come from Tom Alley, relief driver for former national champion Earl Cooper. Alley lost control at 105 mph entering turn 3, crashing straight into the fence and throwing Alley 20 feet from the car. Alley survived with serious lacerations to his back, but the sheer impact of his car on the catch fence would tragically take the life of a young local spectator, Herbert Shoup. I know it’s very upsetting, but in this day and age it’s always important to remind ourselves of, and respect, the consequences of the danger these drivers, and the people who watched them, faced when racing. A stillframe of actual footage of Howdy Wilcox, Tommy Milton, and Jimmy Murphy battling for the lead in the 1923 Indianapolis 500. Taken from the official Indianapolis Motor Speedway YouTube channel. Leaderboard After 20 out of 200 laps. After Joe Boyer hit the pits for an extended period of time by lap 30 to change spark plugs, Packard’s best hope of a win faded, making it a Miller show up front. But the battle for the lead ramped up considerably by lap 50. Now, joining Milton and Murphy were their team-mates at HCS and Durant respectively, making it a two on two battle. Howard Wilcox had recovered from a serious qualifying mistake putting him much lower on the grid and now was in the mix with Milton, and Murphy was joined by the owner of the team himself, Cliff Durant. The Mercedes of Werner slowly improved once more, now up to 6th, showing promise that the supercharger may really be the game changer Mercedes had made it out to be. Jimmy Murphy (right). Image credits to Sports Car Digest. Wilcox’s charge wouldn’t last very long, as by lap 60 his car had a broken clutch, dropping him out of the race. He would soon be followed by Murphy, who by the same time had problems brewing from within his Miller that slowed his pace a good bit. He went into the pits for nearly five laps to resolve these issues, which put him well down the order and hoping for a miracle for a repeat victory. This left only Durant and Milton up front, with only 10 seconds between them, and Harry Hartz half a track behind, though Durant began to ease off due to slowly-building exhaustion that would go on to affect several drivers throughout the day. Even though they showed promise early on, much like the Frontenacs from the year prior, Packard would have a devastating and sudden end to their 500 charge. On lap 59, they lost Joe Boyer due to a defective differential, and it would seem that some of the mechanics didn’t check the head gaskets on the other two cars, as those breaking would be the downfall of both DePalma and Dario Resta, on laps 69 and 88 respectively. Less than halfway through the race the biggest challenger to the Millers on outright speed would be gone in a flash. Christian Werner, circa 1924. His car was the strongest of the Mercs at Indy that day. Image from Mercedes-Benz digital archive. Where some challengers would flounder, others would silently surprise. By lap 80, the two remaining Mercedes’, piloted by Werner and Sailer, had found themselves in the top 5. Although not challenging race leader Milton for pace, it was as clear as day that the two Germans had consistent speed and utmost confidence with the M7294. With that being said, driving it at the pace they were proved extremely exhausting. Multiple stops had to be made to rotate drivers out of the cars, sometimes requiring assistance to even get out of the car. Despite all of that the Mercs maintained position, and by the halfway point had found themselves in third place. Howdy Wilcox in H.C.S. Special, 1923. By that point, however, the battle for the lead had cooled off. On the back stretch of the circuit, Cliff Durant came to a dead stop. The exact reasoning never got clarified, but eventually his car restarted and he rejoined the race more than 6 laps behind the leader. This left his more conservative team-mate Harry Hartz inheriting second place, one of the only cars left to not get lapped by Tommy Milton. With a huge lead now established, the HCS team pulled Milton in to give him a rest, as even he isn’t impervious to severe exhaustion. Milton had blistered, severely injured hands, which prompted the team to order Milton to have some rest, handing the car over to Wilcox, who remained on standby after his own car had dropped out. With only Hartz and Werner anywhere near their huge lead, Wilcox took over, with only one goal in mind: to keep the car on the track until Milton recovered. Leaderboard after 120 out of 200 laps Wilcox would relieve Milton for 48 laps, and the car remained firmly in the lead over Hartz, even extending it to one full lap ahead. In that time several other cars would be vanquished through spending countless dozens of minutes in the pitlane, fixing mechanical problems that developed over time. This included the Mercedes of Werner, which by lap 120 was the only good Mercedes left. Their race was compromised significantly when the car caught fire in the pitlane, though it would be extinguished very quickly. As Werner’s car left the pitlane, relieved by Sailer, the crowd gave the Germans a standing ovation! Talk about ways of catching people’s attention, a pitstop fire is definitely one of them! Although this frantic moment almost took them out, at its very next pitstop at 140 laps, Werner’s battered Mercedes came into the pits overheated and clearly in need of a rest. They would rejoin after spending dozens of laps in the pits, but with the dream of a supercharged podium at the fastest race in the world officially over. The excitement of the beginning of the race wore off by lap 150, as due to the high temperatures of the day, many drivers had to be relieved and substituted by their designated stand-ins, removing the grandeur from what started as such a competitive race. The high “driver attrition,” so to speak, caused the race to be significantly slower than the 1922 Indy 500. Although Milton had recovered in time to return to his HCS Miller, his lap speeds dropped off significantly, which did allow the catching Jimmy Murphy to unlap himself a couple times, but never enough to actively challenge for victory. Official Race Results as reported in The Indianapolis Star, May 31st, 1923. Tommy Milton crossing the line to receive the checkered flag for victory. After 200 laps, five-and-a-half hours, At an average speed of approximately 90 miles per hour, bruised and battered, but NOT beaten, the H.C.S. Special Tommy Milton crossed the finish line in first place, making him the first-ever two-time champion of the Indianapolis 500. The crowd roared in excitement for such a valiant effort, very deserving of over $30,000 in winnings he received. Cliff Durant’s team also performed admirably despite failing to win, with Harry Hartz once again finishing 2nd only one lap behind Milton, and Jimmy Murphy taking home third place. This Indy 500 would go down in history as a groundbreaking one, putting Indianapolis back on the global stage and providing the best framework in the world for close wheel to wheel racing at high speeds, just like the Indy 500 does today. Manufacturers left this race both brilliantly satisfied and extremely disappointed: Bugatti wasn't exactly the fastest manufacturer out there, having only one finishing car in 9th place, 56 minutes behind Milton. But the aristocrats that funded their entry had an absolute blast driving at speed down the fastest racetrack on Earth, and for that you gotta at least respect the effort. The independent work of Prince de Cystria and his fellow aristocratic racing enthusiasts helped put Bugatti on the map across the pond. Within one year, Bugatti had made their Grand Prix debut at home, raced in the first Grand Prix at Monza, and now raced at Indianapolis. It’s safe to say their future looked bright at this point in time. Packard, by the skin of their teeth, and thanks to a truly great driver lineup, had proven that they could come close to challenge Miller’s outright speed, but their mechanical shortcomings on the biggest stage would prove to be the most embarrassing. Just like Frontenac and Chevrolet before them, Packard would “pack up” their racing efforts at the end of the 1923 season, unwilling to spend more money on what they and the general public viewed as a losing effort. With this result, it became 100% clear that Miller 122 was the open wheel race car to beat not just in America, but the world over, having been the only car to complete the full 200 lap distance in less than 6 hours, and occupying the entire top 4. Although several of the top brass manufacturers in Europe hadn’t raced their designs properly yet, in the first year of American-European convergence, it seemed quite clear that the Americans had a real threat up their sleeve. Rest assured, this would not be the end of Miller’s escapades in Grandes Epreuves this season… It seems history is destined to repeat itself. Just like the Mercedes Formula 1 team of today, in this race Mercedes came with a vision, and despite a very slow start, they steadily improved their position, making the overall podium late in the race. This great result showed the world that a supercharged design really is a viable option in the racing landscape, and it’s safe to say that many in America took notice of their heroics. The M7294 sadly wouldn’t race again in 1923, but rest assured, supercharging would make a ferocious return later in the year… And that concludes my retrospective on the 1923 Indianapolis 500. I want to give a big shoutout to all of the online resources I have used to compile images for this post, to give a more visual aspect to the race we’re looking back on. I also cannot thank enough https://www.goldenera.fi/, the absolutely phenomenal interwar Grand Prix racing website, for the more obscure and detailed information that simply can’t be found anywhere else, especially with the intermediate leaderboards. I adored writing this up, but it wouldn’t be what it is without the invaluable research by the other incredible racing historians that came before me. I hope you guys enjoyed reading about this race as much as I did writing it up. Like I’ve always said, it's important that we remind ourselves of our history, especially with races as long ago as these, as they definitely deserve a fair shot in this fast-paced day and age. The Centennial Series will return in July, for the most important race of the year, and one which bears relevance even in today's racing world: The 1923 French Grand Prix. Until next time, folks! :) |
2023.05.31 15:22 Some_Guy_Existing Endeavor To Be Great, Little Humans! (5-6)
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In the cabins of each rusted-to-hell pile of scrap on wheels, their jury-rigged radio crackles to life. The constant whine of static and electrical buzzing is punched through by a haughty voice. “Hey good shit back there, boys!” the gruff voice barks. Over the din of motors and engines, the roar of various vehicles’ occupants punches through, their raucous cheers just as vicious and loud as their dilapidated chariots. At the head of the pack of these rusted raiders was a heavily modified pickup truck that looked more akin to a sheet-metal sarcophagus that crashed through a hot-topic, a fitting final resting place for their war chief.
“Shit,” he snickers to himself, reveling in his recently ill-gotten spoils as he plunges a hand through a roughly made sack made out of a mysterious hide; whether it’s human or an animal remains a mystery. “Dumbass motherfuckers. Why do these starry-eyed jackasses keep trying?” He pulls out a bottle of spirits, the label reading: ‘Whiskey Rose brewery--A Cassidy Venture.’ Rolling down the window, he breaks the top of the bottle like the fucking barbarian he is and downs the bottle. “Whatever, not so starry-eyed anymore,” he snickers to himself, recounting the way his latest victim’s eyes clouded as she lay bleeding on the half-built foundation of the colony’s brewing facility. “As long as the hive lords keep paying, there’s no need for me to ask questions. ‘Sides these colony upstarts need a fucking reality check anyways.” Tossing the bottle out the window and rolling it up, he stops midway and watches through the rear-view mirror as the empty glass bottle collides in the face of one the scouts. The man lets out a high-pitched yelp as he goes tumbling off his motorcycle and is quickly crushed under the wheels of the others. “Hey dipshits look out next time!” he shouts out as he finishes rolling up the window. Without another look back the war chief focuses on the sands in front of him, not bothering to notice the smaller cloud of sand blending in behind the group.
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“C’mon, come on!” Carmine hisses through gritted teeth. He lets go of the wheel, allowing the cruise control to stay on the path towards their target as he checks the chamber of his pistol. Meanwhile, Victor preemptively loads the makeshift crossbow with a tracker bolt, and Devin pulls back the bolt of the machine gun and begins assessing priority targets. “Devin!”
“Yeh chief? Devin answers back.
“I want a spotter report before we get any closer!”
“On it buddy!” With that, Devin pulls out a periscope and uses it to peek over without exposing himself from the safety of the gunner’s nest confines. He catches a glimpse of some poor bastard falling out into the desert sands and promptly being turned into a fine human pâté under the wheels of his fellow raiders. Devin winces at the sight but then smiles rather smugly. “Well, that’s one to scratch off the list. Fucker probably deserved it,” he mutters to himself. “Oi Carmine good news!”
“What is it?”
“Is god gonna smite them for us?” Victor interjects.
Devin shakes his head for no one to see. “Nah, I fucking wish. We were going to be dealing with eight scouts, six technicals, and king mong over there. However, it seems that we can scratch off a scout, cause the dumbass somehow managed to fall off his bike.”
Victor sucks air through his teeth at the news. “Bitch got smeared across the sand by his own buddies. Sucks to be that loser.”
Carmine snorts and chuckles to himself. “Bitch deserved it. Hey Devin, soon as a bunch of them group up give ‘em a taste of the beans. Save the actual HE round for king doitch bag over there.”
“Got it.” There’s a pregnant pause between all three of them as they see three of the scouts and a technical start slowing down from the main group and approaching them. “Oh shit, here comes a gaggle of them now.” Wordlessly, the trio goes to meet them, each of them readying themselves for the fight ahead. “Hey, Carmine, blast the radio; It’ll make us aim better.”
“Whose playlist is on right now?”
Victor rolls down the window and props himself out with his assault rifle at the ready. “Don’t know. It’s either yours, Devin’s, or any one of our granddad’s playlist. We all know that all your grandad listened to was ‘fortunate son’!”
“Oh, fuck off Victor!”
“The joke will never die! Besides, at least your grandad was different. Devin and my grandpa were practically the same person, they even had an on-going list on all the same ideas they had and even the same things they said... Well, what are you waiting for? Play that shit!” Victor shouts over the wind rushing past.
“They were brothers all the same, just as we are now!” Carmine shouts back. “Alright, playing that shit!” Carmine jams a finger into one of the old, faded buttons of the decrepit radio. It takes a moment before it comes to life. The static fading away until suddenly crisp, clear, energetic music starts blasting from the speakers, and the trio are greeted with the steady beat of a tambourine. “Fuck! Could be any one of ours!” Carmine shouts over as a guitar joins in on the fun, followed by drums hot on its tail.
“Bitching!” Devin shouts, loading in one of the makeshift rounds for the grenade launcher.
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Three scouts, having watched one of their own get crushed under the wheels of their fellow Rust Fiendz, group up together and begin to slow down to lag behind the rest of the pack, not wanting to take the chance of watering the sand in their own blood and viscera due to others’ disregard of life.
“Hey!” One of them shouts, getting the attention of the others. “Who the hell are those jobbers tailing us?”
“’ow the fack should I know?” One of them barks back.
“Well figure it the fuck out because they don’t look like one of ours. Their ride looks too clean and purdy to be one of us. You!” He points to the third, “Go flag one of the more sober guys up there and tell him to back us up.”
“Wait. What the hell why me dipshit?!” He protests.
“Because I said so fuckwad. Unless you want to be fly food smeared across the sand, I suggest you do it.” The third scout relents and goes to one of the technicals up ahead to request help. “Good, we have a new pecking order established now.”
The second scout looks at the self-appointed head incredulously. “The ‘ell there is! I never ‘oted yew to be boss of the scouts!”
“Your fault for not stepping up. Now shut up. From what happened up ahead I don’t think the boss wants anyone bothering him and those party crashers are getting closer. Get ready and bitch boy and motor cuck are coming over to back us up.” The self-appointed head turns around heads off for the armored car coming up on their rear.
“Mutha fucka!” the second bitterly swears. “The ‘ell is that music anyways?”
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Devin stands up and positions himself over the gunner’s nest, eagerly bobbing his head along with the music as he leads the shot on the approaching raiders. Carmine for his part begins steadily speeding up to meet them.
“I’m gonna show these fuckers what real desert heat is!” Victor excitedly shouts over the music. He racks the bolt on the assault rifle and begins taking aim himself.
The music starts ramping up now as Carmine floors the gas causing the RPM to sharply rise to the redline and all the men begin harmonizing with music.
“WHHHEEYYY OOHHH WHHEEY OH, AAAYYY OOHH WHHEEYY OOHH!” They sing together.
And like that the music dies down for a moment leaving only the strumming of the electric guitar and the methodical shaking of the tambourines. Everyone holds their breath while they focus on the four hostiles coming at them head on. Each one of the men’s eyes dilating like a cat’s, just waiting for the moment to pounce.
...
...
“Closer.” All that’s left is the tambourine, it’s rhythm in sync with the beating of their hearts in their eardrums.
...
...
“Closer.” They all think to themselves, their adrenaline and testosterone building up in anticipation. The guitars make their presence known drowning out the noisy racket of the raiders. Tensions continue to rise until suddenly!
Dun dododo dun dun
Dun dododo dun DUN
DUN DODODO DUN *THOONK\*
Devin fires the grenade launcher, and shots begin to ring out alongside the strums of the guitar. As if on cue, the singer returns, her voice coming in right on time as the bean can explodes, sending bits of tin and whatever else they could stuff in there as makeshift shrapnel, taking out the scouts and flipping over the technical on its side like a wounded ox.
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The sudden shots and the explosion bring the rest of the raiders out of their revelry as each and every one of them sobers up and checks their rear-view mirrors. They watch in surprise as one of their own is flipped onto its side by an unknown assailant. None of them are able to get a good look until the cloud of smoke passes and an armored car in better conditions than theirs rides up to the flipped technical and throws a firebomb onto it, followed by a staccato of gunfire from someone leaning out the passenger side window with nonsensical music playing.
You drop your drink, then they bring you more!
(That drink being the firebomb that was force fed into that poor fucker.)
There is a collective moment of “Oh Shit” between the Rust Fiendz as the single communal braincell bounces in out of the skulls of all the members. Some of them panic, while the drunker ones, angered by this party crasher, make a sloppy U-turn and go to face this suicidal nimrod head-on.
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Carmine pounds the wheel and shouts, “FUCK YEAH GUYS! GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE!”
“Hell yeah brother!” Victor shouts, all the while Devin begins cackling like a madman over the destruction they had caused. Devin’s cackling is quickly cut short as he hears the pained groans of a poor, unfortunate scout that was badly maimed by the dollar store dumpster frag. Nonchalantly, he brings out his carbine and double taps the raider for good measure and goes back to cackling.
A honk from the horn cuts Devin and Victor’s celebration short as they see two more technicals and the last of the scouts coming their way.
“That’s our cue guys, get ready!” Carmine calls out.
Devin fires another shot of the grenade launcher at the oncoming enemies, but the effect isn’t as spectacular as last time as the makeshift bean can round manages to dent one of the technicals but bounces off the hood and into the sand. “Fuck a dud!” Devin curses.
“Get on the turret and start blasting Devin!”
“Orders received!” Devin ducks back into the safety of the gunner’s nest right on time too as wild and erratic shots ping off of it. Before he can rack the bolt and begin firing, a thunderous blast disorients him and knocks him against the walls as the whole armored car shakes and sand rains down from above him. Drunkenly, he rubs the back of his head but is caught off guard by his helmet getting away. “Da fuckz wah that?” he slurred out.
Victor ducks down as bullets rattle on the hood of the car and junk rounds begin ricocheting off the armored grill covering the windshield, some of them managing to thread the needle and lodge themselves in the damaged bulletproof glass. “An explosion dipshit. Now-,” Victor covers his head and blind fires out the window towards the oncoming raiders. “GET ON THE FUCKING GUN!” he hurriedly shouts.
“Son of a-bitch goddamn mother *rrghh\*” Devin growls. Shaking his head and racking the bolt of the heavily bubba’ed FAL, he grits his teeth and takes aim. As the scouts get closer, they notice the gunner’s nest moving and begin concentrating their fire on the turret and spreading out. The sudden spray of bullets causes Devin to flinch and wince at the sparks and sharp sounds of scrap bullets on metal, but he clenches his jaw and fires an unfocused burst at one of the scouts. Devin’s shots go wide as Carmine begins speeding ahead and whipping the car violently left and right, either to try and ram some of the scouts or to throw off the aim of the technical firing the explosives.
The music is abruptly cut off as another explosion rocks the speeding armored car and the radio cuts off. “FUCK DUDE!” Carmine shouts out.
“What. What! WHAT!” Victor rushes out, dipping back in from the passenger window and narrowly avoiding a spray of bullets from a scout coming up on their rear.
Before Carmine could get out a sentence one of the technicals that had been acting as cover for the other slows down and positions itself on Carmine’s side. Several shots ring out and manage to get through the grate that acted as armor for the driver side window. Victor watches on in horror as three heavy *THUNKS\* can be heard following by Carmine groaning and buckling. Carmine’s head slams on the wheel violently and he ends up honking the horn before snapping back up and firing his pistol at the offending technical.
“ASSHOLES!” Carmine curses. “Devin light those fuckers up on our right!” A violent rhythmic roar can be heard above them as Devin sprays the machine gun with extreme discrimination at the flanking technical. The screams of the raiders are drowned out by the gunfire before their vehicle begins to slow down and all noise from the raider’s Humvee ceases, all except a pitiful mechanical sputtering. The spraying resumes as Devin now has a clear shot on the technical that had been launching the explosives at them. The Rusted Sedan tries to bob and weave out of the shots until something explodes in the back and the car cartoonishly bounces on the sand.
“Fuck,” Devin heavily breathes out. Checking the scuffed belt feeding ammunition into the machine gun, he grimaces at the count and shakes his head. “Eighty-four rounds left. Fuck eighty-four rounds left,” he repeats to himself. “Well let’s see if I can’t rat my out of this one!” Cautiously he peeks his head out from the nest and sees two scouts behind the car taking pot shots at the rear-view window. Thankfully Carmine had the foresight to mount his ballistic shield to the back, but how long it’d hold was the question that worried Devin the most. “Hey, Carmine!”
“Urgh! Ah-Y-yeah Devin?”
“I need you to start doing some shit!”
“What kind of shit!” Carmine takes another shot to the side of his enclosed helmet and one to the side of his chest plate, the bullets not getting through but still managing to cause him to flinch and bruise from the force. He snaps his head to the scout, and the scout, now realizing how much she fucked up begins clutching the break of her ATV. Her ATV doesn’t slow down in time as Carmine fires three shots at her. One of the shots goes wide and misses, the second grazes her arm, but the third pierces her throat. She clutches at her throat with one and falls backward, one hand still death gripping the brake, the uneven steering and the violent braking causes the ATV to flip.
“I need you start swerving around and make these bastards on our tail get closer so I can nail them with the last bean can!”
Victor fires another burst taking out a scout that had been harassing the passenger side of the car. Overhearing the conversation, he taps Carmine’s sides and gets his attention. “Or what we could do. Hey Devin, how close are they!”
“They’re pretty close Victor!”
“How close?”
“About mouth to exhaust pipe distance! Why?” The realization dawns on Devin as he ducks back down to avoid the shots and he promptly gets back on the turret and focuses on ahead.
“Okay, thank you!” Turning his attention back to Carmine, Victor says, “Slam the brakes, this is going to be funny.”
“Oh, fuck yeah!” Carmine laughs out. Carmine abruptly slams on the brakes of the car, it takes a moment as the wheels fail to find traction on the sand, but it isn’t too long as a violent crash and shake of the car tells them as much. “Shit, one of them had a brain cell to rub between their fingers.” Luckily fortune was on their side as the sudden jolt from one of the scouts crashing into them managed to jolt the radio back to life. Unfortunately, though, one of the scouts speeds past them.
The trio lets out an elated cry as the music comes back on, but the elation is short lived as a frustrated shout from Devin alerts them to some unfortunate news. “Fuck he’s getting away and the rest of those braindead barbarians are heading into that sandstorm!”
Carmine steps on the gas and starts chasing after him and Victor leans out the window and takes aim with the crossbow. “Yeah, no we don’t do that here,” Victor states matter-of-factly. “Carmine step on it I want to make sure I land this.”
Carmine nods and tightens his grip on the wheel as the RPM hits the redline once more. “Alright hold on!”
The last scout looks behind himself as the sound of death rumbles like an engine getting pushed to its limits. Seeing how quickly the armored car is gaining on him, he hunches over and begins silently praying for mercy. His prayers are cut short as he feels a sharp pain pierce through his lower back, and he begins swerving wildly into the sandstorm, following the taillights and silhouettes of the other technicals as best he can through the storm.
Victor brings out a tracker and begins monitoring the tracker bolt. “And now we follow him through the storm.”
Devin hunkers down and suddenly jolts, a new fun idea pops up in his head. “Hey Carmine, pause the music. We’re going to be making an entrance!”
-------------
In the middle of the sandstorm the Rust Fiendz bicker and panic amongst themselves through their radios.
“Who the fuck were those guys?!”
“How the hell am I supposed to know!”
“Are you retarded! The Hive lords probably had enough of our shit. They sent someone to kill us!”
“We’re all going to di-“
“SHUT THE FUCK YOU WASTERS AND LISTEN HERE!” Their warchief screams over the radio, the sheer volume of causing the sound quality to warp and distort the audio of their poorly maintained radios. “We probably lost those jackasses in the storm by now, just keep driving. Furiosa!” He calls out.
“Furiosa you useless bitch! Answer me!” he angrily shouts again through the radio.
A calm voice, much too calm and collected to be a raider answers him back, “We’re almost out of the storm boss. It won’t be too long now.”
The warchief throws up a hand in exasperation. “Now you fucking answer.”
“Apologies sir, I was focusing.” She replies, her voice showing no hint of emotion.
“Yeah, well next time do it quicker.”
“Yes sir.”
The Rust Fiendz keep a tight formation as they follow Furiosa’s dune buggy as it takes the lead and guides them out of the storm. Once they’re out of the storm, Furiosa circles around and parks next to the Warchief’s pickup truck. Her vehicle compared to the rest of the group is well maintained with only light rusting here and there.
“Wait holy shit! The hell is that coming at us!” One of the raiders shout out over the radio.
Everyone draws their respective firearms and aims it at the red blinking light coming at them from the depths of the sandstorm. The air is suffocating now as the red gets closer and closer; it’s blinking becoming more rapid and it’s light brighter and brighter. All of them tense up as they hear an engine’s rumble get closer until suddenly something bursts out from the storm and everyone begins indiscriminately blasting at whatever had made the mistake of fucking with their crew.
The gun fire and shooting lasts for a good solid minute, the bullets kicking up sand, the muzzle flash lights the midnight sky and the smoke obscures everyone’s vision. Eventually the shots die down and so does the smoke revealing.
“H-Holy fuck!”
“You GODDAMN IDIOTS!” The Warchief shouts as everyone takes a good look at the swiss-cheesed remains of the last scout and the unidentifiable heap of scrap that was his vehicle. Before the Warchief could shout anymore abuse and obscenities at his band of idiots and jackasses.
Furiosa, the only competent member, says something over the radio. “Listen!” Everyone stops what they’re doing and does as she says. They listen intently and all they can hear is the rumble of their engines, the howling sandstorm and...
“Whistling?”
The whistling is distant, but overtime it gets louder and louder until they also hear the sounds of-
“Are those fucking guitars?”
“I hear a rattle...”
“Is that singing?”
Everyone’s collective blood runs cold as the familiar tune starts playing through the sandstorm and the sound of an engine gets louder and louder.
Life is hard don’t you know
And then once more silence.
...
...
...
“The fuck did it-“
For once in the Rust Fiendz collective lives, they did something in unison. They screamed as an armored car with people shouting-
Landed on and crushed the occupants of a Cadillac, scratching another off their list of technicals.
“How do I always get myself into these sorts of situations?!” he desperately shouted his hands grasping at the air, helplessly reaching out for something that wasn’t. He asked the question over and over again, but his desperate cries were answered only by the deafening roar of the escape pods thruster as it hurtled through space.
The escape pod blared.
“W-what is it now!” Quickly Akali rushed over to the main console of the escape pod to see what else the universe wanted to add to his woes. His eyes widened and all the feathers on his cobra-like hood flared out, a primordial fight or flight response to scare off predators or to make oneself blend better with shrubs and bushes to ambush prey. However, this response would do nothing as he couldn’t scare a console, nor were there any bushes to hide in from the decrepit satellites.
And like that hope was reignited in Akali as he frantically reached for the glove compartment, his hands fumbling the latch to open it. Each time it did his heart rate would spike until. “YES FINALLY!” He triumphantly shouted as he opened up the glove compartment. Instantly he looked down and all that met him was a pocket of darkness as black as the void around him as the glove compartment was empty. Save for a hastily written note that read.
The User Manual is currently being inspected by Health and Safety Specialist: Orza T’igalma. Please DO NOT use the Escape pod during this inspection period.
~Yours truly Cleaning and Maintenance Specialist ‘Gumpy’
P.S. Stop calling me a Janitor. I am a Cleaning and Maintenance Specialist dammit!
The light in Akali’s eyes faded out upon reading the note. His mind shutting off completely, tuning out the rattling and occasional impact that shook the escape pod as it barreled through the halo of space debris and satellites that surrounded the dead planet that the escape pod was on a hell-bent collision course towards. However, his mind was able to think of one thing; the crewmember he had encountered during his rush to get to his uncle, the various signs that got knocked out during his collision with said crewmember, and even the janitor’s scrubs that the crewmember wore. Then the pieces started fitting together; and he realized that one of those signs looked oddly like the one used for escape pods back on the station he was previously on.
The feathers on his hood spiked up as he let out a primal screech, “LORD GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE SO THAT I CAN MURDER THAT MANGY LO’HAAANNN!!”
-------------
Meanwhile on the Great Endeavor.
Several members of The Great Endeavor’s security team rushed to the escape pods; the order had just been given. It was a ‘Centauri protocol’ which called for the security team’s best equipment and their best members.
“What in Hel’s embrace?” One of the Vicaik members exclaimed.
“What?” One of them asked.
“Where the Hel are the signs?”
“What signs?”
“The signs.” The Vicaik stated again, pointing at the empty mounts and missing placards. The other members began looking around and sure enough, the signs were gone.
“It shouldn’t even matter. We know where they are,” One of the members said dismissively.
“I know that, but isn’t the captain’s nephew new?”
One of the crewmembers pauses at this and strokes their chin at the observation. “By about... a little less than a week why?”
...
...
The Vicaik slaps a heavy paw to their forehead. “Shit, that explains it!” He exclaims.
“Explains what?”
“He probably didn’t even memorize the layout! Also, that janitor probably screwed up some of the electrical systems while cleaning and probably shorted out some of the signs.”
“And?”
“You know what he always does. He always takes the damn signs to electrical to ‘have them fixed’. Before the Vicaik can elaborate more on the topic, an alert on their PDA’s draws their attention.
A.N: Hope you guys liked this chapter.
Also, Question: Should I make the chapters their own separate posts or should I keep doing what I'm doing now? Any other feedback, critiques, or criticisms are very much welcome.
submitted by Some_Guy_Existing to HFY [link] [comments]
Chapter 5:Like a cackle of hyenas, the peaceful silence of the desert was broken by the despotic laughter of raiders (the ‘Rust Fiendz’ as they like to call themselves) riding in the night, their vehicles kicking up a large cloud of sand in their wake, and the smell of motor oil, sulfur, iron, and death tailing them as they drove off from one of their latest hits.
FALLING LIKE DOMINOS
They’ve got the moves!
In the cabins of each rusted-to-hell pile of scrap on wheels, their jury-rigged radio crackles to life. The constant whine of static and electrical buzzing is punched through by a haughty voice. “Hey good shit back there, boys!” the gruff voice barks. Over the din of motors and engines, the roar of various vehicles’ occupants punches through, their raucous cheers just as vicious and loud as their dilapidated chariots. At the head of the pack of these rusted raiders was a heavily modified pickup truck that looked more akin to a sheet-metal sarcophagus that crashed through a hot-topic, a fitting final resting place for their war chief.
“Shit,” he snickers to himself, reveling in his recently ill-gotten spoils as he plunges a hand through a roughly made sack made out of a mysterious hide; whether it’s human or an animal remains a mystery. “Dumbass motherfuckers. Why do these starry-eyed jackasses keep trying?” He pulls out a bottle of spirits, the label reading: ‘Whiskey Rose brewery--A Cassidy Venture.’ Rolling down the window, he breaks the top of the bottle like the fucking barbarian he is and downs the bottle. “Whatever, not so starry-eyed anymore,” he snickers to himself, recounting the way his latest victim’s eyes clouded as she lay bleeding on the half-built foundation of the colony’s brewing facility. “As long as the hive lords keep paying, there’s no need for me to ask questions. ‘Sides these colony upstarts need a fucking reality check anyways.” Tossing the bottle out the window and rolling it up, he stops midway and watches through the rear-view mirror as the empty glass bottle collides in the face of one the scouts. The man lets out a high-pitched yelp as he goes tumbling off his motorcycle and is quickly crushed under the wheels of the others. “Hey dipshits look out next time!” he shouts out as he finishes rolling up the window. Without another look back the war chief focuses on the sands in front of him, not bothering to notice the smaller cloud of sand blending in behind the group.
-------------
“C’mon, come on!” Carmine hisses through gritted teeth. He lets go of the wheel, allowing the cruise control to stay on the path towards their target as he checks the chamber of his pistol. Meanwhile, Victor preemptively loads the makeshift crossbow with a tracker bolt, and Devin pulls back the bolt of the machine gun and begins assessing priority targets. “Devin!”
“Yeh chief? Devin answers back.
“I want a spotter report before we get any closer!”
“On it buddy!” With that, Devin pulls out a periscope and uses it to peek over without exposing himself from the safety of the gunner’s nest confines. He catches a glimpse of some poor bastard falling out into the desert sands and promptly being turned into a fine human pâté under the wheels of his fellow raiders. Devin winces at the sight but then smiles rather smugly. “Well, that’s one to scratch off the list. Fucker probably deserved it,” he mutters to himself. “Oi Carmine good news!”
“What is it?”
“Is god gonna smite them for us?” Victor interjects.
Devin shakes his head for no one to see. “Nah, I fucking wish. We were going to be dealing with eight scouts, six technicals, and king mong over there. However, it seems that we can scratch off a scout, cause the dumbass somehow managed to fall off his bike.”
Victor sucks air through his teeth at the news. “Bitch got smeared across the sand by his own buddies. Sucks to be that loser.”
Carmine snorts and chuckles to himself. “Bitch deserved it. Hey Devin, soon as a bunch of them group up give ‘em a taste of the beans. Save the actual HE round for king doitch bag over there.”
“Got it.” There’s a pregnant pause between all three of them as they see three of the scouts and a technical start slowing down from the main group and approaching them. “Oh shit, here comes a gaggle of them now.” Wordlessly, the trio goes to meet them, each of them readying themselves for the fight ahead. “Hey, Carmine, blast the radio; It’ll make us aim better.”
“Whose playlist is on right now?”
Victor rolls down the window and props himself out with his assault rifle at the ready. “Don’t know. It’s either yours, Devin’s, or any one of our granddad’s playlist. We all know that all your grandad listened to was ‘fortunate son’!”
“Oh, fuck off Victor!”
“The joke will never die! Besides, at least your grandad was different. Devin and my grandpa were practically the same person, they even had an on-going list on all the same ideas they had and even the same things they said... Well, what are you waiting for? Play that shit!” Victor shouts over the wind rushing past.
“They were brothers all the same, just as we are now!” Carmine shouts back. “Alright, playing that shit!” Carmine jams a finger into one of the old, faded buttons of the decrepit radio. It takes a moment before it comes to life. The static fading away until suddenly crisp, clear, energetic music starts blasting from the speakers, and the trio are greeted with the steady beat of a tambourine. “Fuck! Could be any one of ours!” Carmine shouts over as a guitar joins in on the fun, followed by drums hot on its tail.
All the old paintings on the tombs
They do the sand dance don’t you know?
If they move too quick. (Oh Whey oh!)
“Bitching!” Devin shouts, loading in one of the makeshift rounds for the grenade launcher.
-------------
Three scouts, having watched one of their own get crushed under the wheels of their fellow Rust Fiendz, group up together and begin to slow down to lag behind the rest of the pack, not wanting to take the chance of watering the sand in their own blood and viscera due to others’ disregard of life.
“Hey!” One of them shouts, getting the attention of the others. “Who the hell are those jobbers tailing us?”
“’ow the fack should I know?” One of them barks back.
“Well figure it the fuck out because they don’t look like one of ours. Their ride looks too clean and purdy to be one of us. You!” He points to the third, “Go flag one of the more sober guys up there and tell him to back us up.”
“Wait. What the hell why me dipshit?!” He protests.
“Because I said so fuckwad. Unless you want to be fly food smeared across the sand, I suggest you do it.” The third scout relents and goes to one of the technicals up ahead to request help. “Good, we have a new pecking order established now.”
The second scout looks at the self-appointed head incredulously. “The ‘ell there is! I never ‘oted yew to be boss of the scouts!”
“Your fault for not stepping up. Now shut up. From what happened up ahead I don’t think the boss wants anyone bothering him and those party crashers are getting closer. Get ready and bitch boy and motor cuck are coming over to back us up.” The self-appointed head turns around heads off for the armored car coming up on their rear.
“Mutha fucka!” the second bitterly swears. “The ‘ell is that music anyways?”
-------------
Devin stands up and positions himself over the gunner’s nest, eagerly bobbing his head along with the music as he leads the shot on the approaching raiders. Carmine for his part begins steadily speeding up to meet them.
“I’m gonna show these fuckers what real desert heat is!” Victor excitedly shouts over the music. He racks the bolt on the assault rifle and begins taking aim himself.
All the bazaar men by the Nile
They got the money on a bet
Gold crocodiles (Oh whey oh)
They snap their teeth on your cigarette.
The music starts ramping up now as Carmine floors the gas causing the RPM to sharply rise to the redline and all the men begin harmonizing with music.
Foreign types with the hookah pipes say
“WHHHEEYYY OOHHH WHHEEY OH, AAAYYY OOHH WHHEEYY OOHH!” They sing together.
Walk like an Egyptian...
And like that the music dies down for a moment leaving only the strumming of the electric guitar and the methodical shaking of the tambourines. Everyone holds their breath while they focus on the four hostiles coming at them head on. Each one of the men’s eyes dilating like a cat’s, just waiting for the moment to pounce.
...
...
“Closer.” All that’s left is the tambourine, it’s rhythm in sync with the beating of their hearts in their eardrums.
...
...
“Closer.” They all think to themselves, their adrenaline and testosterone building up in anticipation. The guitars make their presence known drowning out the noisy racket of the raiders. Tensions continue to rise until suddenly!
Dun dododo dun dun
Dun dododo dun DUN
DUN DODODO DUN *THOONK\*
Devin fires the grenade launcher, and shots begin to ring out alongside the strums of the guitar. As if on cue, the singer returns, her voice coming in right on time as the bean can explodes, sending bits of tin and whatever else they could stuff in there as makeshift shrapnel, taking out the scouts and flipping over the technical on its side like a wounded ox.
The blonde waitresses take their trays
They spin around and they cross the floor
They’ve got the moves! (OOHHH WHHEEEYY OOHHH!)
You drop your drink, then they bring you more!
-------------
The sudden shots and the explosion bring the rest of the raiders out of their revelry as each and every one of them sobers up and checks their rear-view mirrors. They watch in surprise as one of their own is flipped onto its side by an unknown assailant. None of them are able to get a good look until the cloud of smoke passes and an armored car in better conditions than theirs rides up to the flipped technical and throws a firebomb onto it, followed by a staccato of gunfire from someone leaning out the passenger side window with nonsensical music playing.
You drop your drink, then they bring you more!
(That drink being the firebomb that was force fed into that poor fucker.)
There is a collective moment of “Oh Shit” between the Rust Fiendz as the single communal braincell bounces in out of the skulls of all the members. Some of them panic, while the drunker ones, angered by this party crasher, make a sloppy U-turn and go to face this suicidal nimrod head-on.
-------------
Carmine pounds the wheel and shouts, “FUCK YEAH GUYS! GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE!”
“Hell yeah brother!” Victor shouts, all the while Devin begins cackling like a madman over the destruction they had caused. Devin’s cackling is quickly cut short as he hears the pained groans of a poor, unfortunate scout that was badly maimed by the dollar store dumpster frag. Nonchalantly, he brings out his carbine and double taps the raider for good measure and goes back to cackling.
All the kids so sick of books
They like the punk and the metal band
A honk from the horn cuts Devin and Victor’s celebration short as they see two more technicals and the last of the scouts coming their way.
When the buzzer rings (OOHH WWHHEEYY OOHH!)
They’re walking like an Egyptian
“That’s our cue guys, get ready!” Carmine calls out.
Devin fires another shot of the grenade launcher at the oncoming enemies, but the effect isn’t as spectacular as last time as the makeshift bean can round manages to dent one of the technicals but bounces off the hood and into the sand. “Fuck a dud!” Devin curses.
“Get on the turret and start blasting Devin!”
“Orders received!” Devin ducks back into the safety of the gunner’s nest right on time too as wild and erratic shots ping off of it. Before he can rack the bolt and begin firing, a thunderous blast disorients him and knocks him against the walls as the whole armored car shakes and sand rains down from above him. Drunkenly, he rubs the back of his head but is caught off guard by his helmet getting away. “Da fuckz wah that?” he slurred out.
Victor ducks down as bullets rattle on the hood of the car and junk rounds begin ricocheting off the armored grill covering the windshield, some of them managing to thread the needle and lodge themselves in the damaged bulletproof glass. “An explosion dipshit. Now-,” Victor covers his head and blind fires out the window towards the oncoming raiders. “GET ON THE FUCKING GUN!” he hurriedly shouts.
“Son of a-bitch goddamn mother *rrghh\*” Devin growls. Shaking his head and racking the bolt of the heavily bubba’ed FAL, he grits his teeth and takes aim. As the scouts get closer, they notice the gunner’s nest moving and begin concentrating their fire on the turret and spreading out. The sudden spray of bullets causes Devin to flinch and wince at the sparks and sharp sounds of scrap bullets on metal, but he clenches his jaw and fires an unfocused burst at one of the scouts. Devin’s shots go wide as Carmine begins speeding ahead and whipping the car violently left and right, either to try and ram some of the scouts or to throw off the aim of the technical firing the explosives.
All the kids in the marketplace say
(WHEEY OHH WHHEEYYY OOHH, AAYY OH WHEY OH!)
Walk like an Egyptian...
The music is abruptly cut off as another explosion rocks the speeding armored car and the radio cuts off. “FUCK DUDE!” Carmine shouts out.
“What. What! WHAT!” Victor rushes out, dipping back in from the passenger window and narrowly avoiding a spray of bullets from a scout coming up on their rear.
Before Carmine could get out a sentence one of the technicals that had been acting as cover for the other slows down and positions itself on Carmine’s side. Several shots ring out and manage to get through the grate that acted as armor for the driver side window. Victor watches on in horror as three heavy *THUNKS\* can be heard following by Carmine groaning and buckling. Carmine’s head slams on the wheel violently and he ends up honking the horn before snapping back up and firing his pistol at the offending technical.
“ASSHOLES!” Carmine curses. “Devin light those fuckers up on our right!” A violent rhythmic roar can be heard above them as Devin sprays the machine gun with extreme discrimination at the flanking technical. The screams of the raiders are drowned out by the gunfire before their vehicle begins to slow down and all noise from the raider’s Humvee ceases, all except a pitiful mechanical sputtering. The spraying resumes as Devin now has a clear shot on the technical that had been launching the explosives at them. The Rusted Sedan tries to bob and weave out of the shots until something explodes in the back and the car cartoonishly bounces on the sand.
“Fuck,” Devin heavily breathes out. Checking the scuffed belt feeding ammunition into the machine gun, he grimaces at the count and shakes his head. “Eighty-four rounds left. Fuck eighty-four rounds left,” he repeats to himself. “Well let’s see if I can’t rat my out of this one!” Cautiously he peeks his head out from the nest and sees two scouts behind the car taking pot shots at the rear-view window. Thankfully Carmine had the foresight to mount his ballistic shield to the back, but how long it’d hold was the question that worried Devin the most. “Hey, Carmine!”
“Urgh! Ah-Y-yeah Devin?”
“I need you to start doing some shit!”
“What kind of shit!” Carmine takes another shot to the side of his enclosed helmet and one to the side of his chest plate, the bullets not getting through but still managing to cause him to flinch and bruise from the force. He snaps his head to the scout, and the scout, now realizing how much she fucked up begins clutching the break of her ATV. Her ATV doesn’t slow down in time as Carmine fires three shots at her. One of the shots goes wide and misses, the second grazes her arm, but the third pierces her throat. She clutches at her throat with one and falls backward, one hand still death gripping the brake, the uneven steering and the violent braking causes the ATV to flip.
“I need you start swerving around and make these bastards on our tail get closer so I can nail them with the last bean can!”
Victor fires another burst taking out a scout that had been harassing the passenger side of the car. Overhearing the conversation, he taps Carmine’s sides and gets his attention. “Or what we could do. Hey Devin, how close are they!”
“They’re pretty close Victor!”
“How close?”
“About mouth to exhaust pipe distance! Why?” The realization dawns on Devin as he ducks back down to avoid the shots and he promptly gets back on the turret and focuses on ahead.
“Okay, thank you!” Turning his attention back to Carmine, Victor says, “Slam the brakes, this is going to be funny.”
“Oh, fuck yeah!” Carmine laughs out. Carmine abruptly slams on the brakes of the car, it takes a moment as the wheels fail to find traction on the sand, but it isn’t too long as a violent crash and shake of the car tells them as much. “Shit, one of them had a brain cell to rub between their fingers.” Luckily fortune was on their side as the sudden jolt from one of the scouts crashing into them managed to jolt the radio back to life. Unfortunately, though, one of the scouts speeds past them.
The trio lets out an elated cry as the music comes back on, but the elation is short lived as a frustrated shout from Devin alerts them to some unfortunate news. “Fuck he’s getting away and the rest of those braindead barbarians are heading into that sandstorm!”
Carmine steps on the gas and starts chasing after him and Victor leans out the window and takes aim with the crossbow. “Yeah, no we don’t do that here,” Victor states matter-of-factly. “Carmine step on it I want to make sure I land this.”
Carmine nods and tightens his grip on the wheel as the RPM hits the redline once more. “Alright hold on!”
The last scout looks behind himself as the sound of death rumbles like an engine getting pushed to its limits. Seeing how quickly the armored car is gaining on him, he hunches over and begins silently praying for mercy. His prayers are cut short as he feels a sharp pain pierce through his lower back, and he begins swerving wildly into the sandstorm, following the taillights and silhouettes of the other technicals as best he can through the storm.
Victor brings out a tracker and begins monitoring the tracker bolt. “And now we follow him through the storm.”
Devin hunkers down and suddenly jolts, a new fun idea pops up in his head. “Hey Carmine, pause the music. We’re going to be making an entrance!”
-------------
In the middle of the sandstorm the Rust Fiendz bicker and panic amongst themselves through their radios.
“Who the fuck were those guys?!”
“How the hell am I supposed to know!”
“Are you retarded! The Hive lords probably had enough of our shit. They sent someone to kill us!”
“We’re all going to di-“
“SHUT THE FUCK YOU WASTERS AND LISTEN HERE!” Their warchief screams over the radio, the sheer volume of causing the sound quality to warp and distort the audio of their poorly maintained radios. “We probably lost those jackasses in the storm by now, just keep driving. Furiosa!” He calls out.
“Furiosa you useless bitch! Answer me!” he angrily shouts again through the radio.
A calm voice, much too calm and collected to be a raider answers him back, “We’re almost out of the storm boss. It won’t be too long now.”
The warchief throws up a hand in exasperation. “Now you fucking answer.”
“Apologies sir, I was focusing.” She replies, her voice showing no hint of emotion.
“Yeah, well next time do it quicker.”
“Yes sir.”
The Rust Fiendz keep a tight formation as they follow Furiosa’s dune buggy as it takes the lead and guides them out of the storm. Once they’re out of the storm, Furiosa circles around and parks next to the Warchief’s pickup truck. Her vehicle compared to the rest of the group is well maintained with only light rusting here and there.
“Wait holy shit! The hell is that coming at us!” One of the raiders shout out over the radio.
Everyone draws their respective firearms and aims it at the red blinking light coming at them from the depths of the sandstorm. The air is suffocating now as the red gets closer and closer; it’s blinking becoming more rapid and it’s light brighter and brighter. All of them tense up as they hear an engine’s rumble get closer until suddenly something bursts out from the storm and everyone begins indiscriminately blasting at whatever had made the mistake of fucking with their crew.
The gun fire and shooting lasts for a good solid minute, the bullets kicking up sand, the muzzle flash lights the midnight sky and the smoke obscures everyone’s vision. Eventually the shots die down and so does the smoke revealing.
“H-Holy fuck!”
“You GODDAMN IDIOTS!” The Warchief shouts as everyone takes a good look at the swiss-cheesed remains of the last scout and the unidentifiable heap of scrap that was his vehicle. Before the Warchief could shout anymore abuse and obscenities at his band of idiots and jackasses.
Furiosa, the only competent member, says something over the radio. “Listen!” Everyone stops what they’re doing and does as she says. They listen intently and all they can hear is the rumble of their engines, the howling sandstorm and...
“Whistling?”
The whistling is distant, but overtime it gets louder and louder until they also hear the sounds of-
“Are those fucking guitars?”
“I hear a rattle...”
Slide your feet up the street, bend your back
“Is that singing?”
Shift your arm then you pull it back
Everyone’s collective blood runs cold as the familiar tune starts playing through the sandstorm and the sound of an engine gets louder and louder.
Life is hard don’t you know
And then once more silence.
...
...
...
“The fuck did it-“
For once in the Rust Fiendz collective lives, they did something in unison. They screamed as an armored car with people shouting-
"OOOOHHH WWHHHEEYYY OOOHHH!"
Landed on and crushed the occupants of a Cadillac, scratching another off their list of technicals.
SO STRIKE A POSE ON A CADILLAC
Chapter 6:“OH BY THE COMMON GOOD WHY! WHY! WHY!?” Cried Akali as one of the buttons he pressed only caused the escape pod to accelerate even faster. He clutched the sides of his head and began pacing in circles.
IN AN ESCAPE POD WONDERING IF THIS TRULY IS THE LAST
静けさが追いつめる
“How do I always get myself into these sorts of situations?!” he desperately shouted his hands grasping at the air, helplessly reaching out for something that wasn’t. He asked the question over and over again, but his desperate cries were answered only by the deafening roar of the escape pods thruster as it hurtled through space.
The escape pod blared.
“W-what is it now!” Quickly Akali rushed over to the main console of the escape pod to see what else the universe wanted to add to his woes. His eyes widened and all the feathers on his cobra-like hood flared out, a primordial fight or flight response to scare off predators or to make oneself blend better with shrubs and bushes to ambush prey. However, this response would do nothing as he couldn’t scare a console, nor were there any bushes to hide in from the decrepit satellites.
And like that hope was reignited in Akali as he frantically reached for the glove compartment, his hands fumbling the latch to open it. Each time it did his heart rate would spike until. “YES FINALLY!” He triumphantly shouted as he opened up the glove compartment. Instantly he looked down and all that met him was a pocket of darkness as black as the void around him as the glove compartment was empty. Save for a hastily written note that read.
The User Manual is currently being inspected by Health and Safety Specialist: Orza T’igalma. Please DO NOT use the Escape pod during this inspection period.
~Yours truly Cleaning and Maintenance Specialist ‘Gumpy’
P.S. Stop calling me a Janitor. I am a Cleaning and Maintenance Specialist dammit!
The light in Akali’s eyes faded out upon reading the note. His mind shutting off completely, tuning out the rattling and occasional impact that shook the escape pod as it barreled through the halo of space debris and satellites that surrounded the dead planet that the escape pod was on a hell-bent collision course towards. However, his mind was able to think of one thing; the crewmember he had encountered during his rush to get to his uncle, the various signs that got knocked out during his collision with said crewmember, and even the janitor’s scrubs that the crewmember wore. Then the pieces started fitting together; and he realized that one of those signs looked oddly like the one used for escape pods back on the station he was previously on.
The feathers on his hood spiked up as he let out a primal screech, “LORD GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE SO THAT I CAN MURDER THAT MANGY LO’HAAANNN!!”
-------------
Meanwhile on the Great Endeavor.
Several members of The Great Endeavor’s security team rushed to the escape pods; the order had just been given. It was a ‘Centauri protocol’ which called for the security team’s best equipment and their best members.
“What in Hel’s embrace?” One of the Vicaik members exclaimed.
“What?” One of them asked.
“Where the Hel are the signs?”
“What signs?”
“The signs.” The Vicaik stated again, pointing at the empty mounts and missing placards. The other members began looking around and sure enough, the signs were gone.
“It shouldn’t even matter. We know where they are,” One of the members said dismissively.
“I know that, but isn’t the captain’s nephew new?”
One of the crewmembers pauses at this and strokes their chin at the observation. “By about... a little less than a week why?”
...
...
The Vicaik slaps a heavy paw to their forehead. “Shit, that explains it!” He exclaims.
“Explains what?”
“He probably didn’t even memorize the layout! Also, that janitor probably screwed up some of the electrical systems while cleaning and probably shorted out some of the signs.”
“And?”
“You know what he always does. He always takes the damn signs to electrical to ‘have them fixed’. Before the Vicaik can elaborate more on the topic, an alert on their PDA’s draws their attention.
A.N: Hope you guys liked this chapter.
Also, Question: Should I make the chapters their own separate posts or should I keep doing what I'm doing now? Any other feedback, critiques, or criticisms are very much welcome.
2023.05.31 15:16 theloserdowntheroad I think I might be trans but what if I'm just confused and faking it all?
I made a throwaway account just to ask for some advice. I'm (15) AFAB, and didn't know LBGT+ was even a thing until I was about 12 because my parents never bothered to tell me. Shortly after I realized I was pansexual, I started questioning my gender. I guess this whole inkling started when I was in 3rd grade and someone asked me if I would rather have been born a guy or a girl. Anyways, last year I tried being nonbinary with just a few close friends, but it didn't fit right.
This year I ended up presenting more androgynous, and I've been ecstatic both times adults have called me a guy on accident. It's to the point that people my age often automatically assume my pronouns are they/them or he/him and use those. When asked my pronouns, I respond 'any' in fear that if I used different pronouns, my family would overhear at some point and get suspicious. I hate being referred to with feminine pronouns because it feels wrong, and I've done what I can to get people to call me by my nickname rather than my feminine legal name, which I've always hated.
No matter what my gender is, I plan to get top surgery as an adult because I just can't stand it, and things like showering have been hell recently. I just want a flat chest and be able to reduce some of the curves I have so I can feel better. I'm terrified of senior year photos because they have a strictly male and female attire, and the female one shows way too much more than I'm comfortable showing. I would give up everything for the chance to start life over and be a cis guy. My friends are supportive either way, but every once in a while, I'll have a feminine urge and rethink everything over again. Sometimes I think this could all just be my brain overreacting to hating being sexualized as I have by being a woman. Sometimes my brain says I'm just striving for the attention I never really get. Despite all this, it crosses my mind on the daily, and I'm just so confused.
How did you guys ever get to that point of complete 100% sure that you weren't actually cis? I know it takes time, but I am just so unsure of how to go about this when I can't even tell if I'm a girl or not. What was the one thing that really made you go, "Damn, I'm a man", or what helped you finally figure out that you were, for sure, in the long run?
submitted by theloserdowntheroad to ftm [link] [comments]
This year I ended up presenting more androgynous, and I've been ecstatic both times adults have called me a guy on accident. It's to the point that people my age often automatically assume my pronouns are they/them or he/him and use those. When asked my pronouns, I respond 'any' in fear that if I used different pronouns, my family would overhear at some point and get suspicious. I hate being referred to with feminine pronouns because it feels wrong, and I've done what I can to get people to call me by my nickname rather than my feminine legal name, which I've always hated.
No matter what my gender is, I plan to get top surgery as an adult because I just can't stand it, and things like showering have been hell recently. I just want a flat chest and be able to reduce some of the curves I have so I can feel better. I'm terrified of senior year photos because they have a strictly male and female attire, and the female one shows way too much more than I'm comfortable showing. I would give up everything for the chance to start life over and be a cis guy. My friends are supportive either way, but every once in a while, I'll have a feminine urge and rethink everything over again. Sometimes I think this could all just be my brain overreacting to hating being sexualized as I have by being a woman. Sometimes my brain says I'm just striving for the attention I never really get. Despite all this, it crosses my mind on the daily, and I'm just so confused.
How did you guys ever get to that point of complete 100% sure that you weren't actually cis? I know it takes time, but I am just so unsure of how to go about this when I can't even tell if I'm a girl or not. What was the one thing that really made you go, "Damn, I'm a man", or what helped you finally figure out that you were, for sure, in the long run?
2023.05.31 14:24 Budweizer Dominik Szoboszlai interview - courtesy of u/321142019. Posting it here so not to swamp the Megathread
Source - https://index-hu.translate.goog/sport/futball/2023/05/30/szoboszlai-dominik-exkluziv-interju-rb-leipzig-jovokep-valogatott-futballcsalad-atigazolasi-pletykak/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Dominik Szoboszlai: If I can take another step towards Europe's top six clubs, should I say no to the challenge?
Dominik Szoboszlai took a big step in his career with his second full Bundesliga season: the national team player almost doubled his playing minutes at the club level and became a real regular in the midfield of RB Leipzig, who won the bronze medal, under his age and new coach, Marco Rose. In the meantime, he found another challenge back home as well, he received the captain's armband of the national team from Marco Rossi, the captain of the Hungarian national team, and his teammates. We conducted an exclusive interview with the player in Leipzig after the last match of the league season, but before the German Cup final. We talked about tolerance for pressure and failure, a well-executed coaching change and the magic of the name Marco.He also told us about having a dog, sometimes over-consoles and dilemmas related to building a career.
We talked with the youngest team captain in the history of the Hungarian national team about...
I try to bring them as much joy as possible with whatever I can. This is important to me. You should know about Gula's children, they are a bit more shy, especially the younger one. On the other hand, they like to play with me, whether we are after a game or somewhere else. We played a little ball last time, and now too. I get along well with them.
Is it because you didn't have a similar childhood?
I had some old friends here at the game and there was a point last night where we got into a really deep conversation about who's childhood was what. In addition, I have known four out of five of them since I was very young, so they have followed my path almost the entire time. It was interesting to hear that most of them would not have traded with me to be here today. In fact, I don't think anyone would want to change it. I didn't have an average childhood, but that's not necessarily a bad thing either. It was neither better nor worse, just different from the majority. But at that time I had no reference point, rather I realized with an older head that my life was not average.
Was there anything I really missed?
I had nothing to compare it to. Of course, I saw that the others were going to the cinema, and I went to training in the meantime. They went to a party, I went to training again. New Year's Eve came, they could go to bed at four in the morning, and sleep off the next day. My bus came at 7:50 a.m., I got on it and went to training. Seeing this, there were sometimes difficult periods where I thought, why can't I do what they do. But I was like, it wasn't written for me. From the outside, many people may think that success came easily because I was talented, but this is not the case at all. I don't think many people would have endured what I endured. And it's enough just to think about how much time I put into football, or what kind of upbringing I received - but all of this was needed to be where I am today.
That everyone has a talent for something, you just have to find what it is. And if you have it, and you dedicate every minute to being the best at it, then the talent will pay off. For me, this is football, and the biggest lesson for me was that if I do something, I should always do it with one hundred percent. I just read an interview the other day, with Balázs Opavszky, and I have to say, it really stood out to me!
Last year, we played in the age-group national teams together, we don't keep in touch, but when we meet, we usually talk. The fact that you can make a decision at the age of 22 that you no longer want to play football required enormous mental strength.
I THINK NINE OUT OF TEN PEOPLE COULDN'T DO IT. IN FACT, MAYBE MORE LIKE ONE IN A THOUSAND IF YOU CROSS IT.
But he thought differently. He wants to be the best at what he does, and he thought he didn't find that opportunity in soccer. Now he was looking for something else that he could really excel at in his age group.
Does Dominik Szoboszlai like that too? Does it motivate you to be the best on the football field?
Yes, and that's why I was wondering what was going on in his mind. Because I also think that I want to be the best. However, you have to see it realistically and make decisions that will make your own career and life more than just an unattainable fairy tale. But something in which you can find realistic goals. I'm living the life now, I can try to be the best in what I imagined for myself as a child.
📷
You were always expected to be the best, but no matter what level you reached, as an outside observer, you could feel that you took the obstacles with ease, in fact you didn't sweat that much. How easily did you actually live all this?
Whether it was easy or difficult for me, no one knows, except those who were really with me from the beginning. What I experienced cannot be told, because you would have had to be there to see that nothing came easily. Nor that I had to move to Salzburg alone at the age of 15 without any knowledge of the language to attend the academy, without my family and friends. This will either mentally eat you up or strengthen you.
It appears you have been confirmed…
I endured it, so it confirmed.
BUT THERE WERE HARD DAYS. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I CALLED MY MOTHER THAT I HAD HAD ENOUGH, I WAS BORED, I HAD NOTHING TO DO, I WANTED TO GO HOME.
But at the age of fifteen, I also knew that I shouldn't go home, because then I'd throw everything I'd built up until then, the work I'd put in, into the trash. I had to knock this down in myself, I had to think about what I really wanted. That's when I realized that this is what I want, and it doesn't matter how hard it is. If only because there are, were and will be many people for whom whatever you do, nothing is good. However, it doesn't bother me, it just drives me better that nothing fell into my lap, but that's why I worked for it. It feels good when I achieve something. For example, now, after a season like this, I go home and sit on the sofa, then I feel great.
It's hard, I think I still can't stand it very well. Until I was fourteen, I cried at almost every training session if I lost because I couldn't lose. I hate to lose. I can get really angry when it's up to someone else to lose. Dad taught me that because he never let me win at anything. If we had a running race, I had to run until he was tired and beat me. When we played soccer, he wouldn't give the ball to me until I took it or I kicked it to the ground, and then he looked at me badly. Then I left because I was afraid. So he never gave me anything and I could never win against him because he would have let it.In fact, that's why I learned that you have to fight really hard to win, because at eight years old, I won't be able to beat my father at anything.
The German Cup final is still ahead of you, but we can already evaluate the league season. He has played 45 games so far this season, in which he has received almost twice as much playing time as in the previous season. From the outside, this seems like a significant step forward, how did you experience it from the inside?
Thank God, I got a lot more opportunities than last season, but that's football. A coach change comes and suddenly you jump from last place to first. At least I had the same feeling.
Would he have been last in line with Domenico Tedesco?!
In my position, sure. We had a few conversations, sat down and gave our honest opinions. I told him I was 21 years old and wanted to play as much as possible. If I'm not the type of player you need, say so. He said I wasn't.
THERE WERE FOUR OF US AT MY POST, THE FOURTH FOR HIM.
That's when the coach changed, Marco Rose arrived. I have known him since I was a child, and it is not an exaggeration, we have a good relationship with each other.
How much did it matter that he became the next coach? Or would anyone have breathed a sigh of relief after Tedesco?
You can never tell in retrospect. The main thing is that I got the trust, I worked hard all the way and I was in the right shape to take advantage of the opportunity when I got it. Rose was a lucky choice from my point of view because he knew that if he gave me the confidence, I would do everything to thank him with my game. I'm glad it turned out that way, because it was good for him and for me.
Obviously, the situation is not that simple, but it seems that there is only one thing he really needs to pay attention to in his career, which is to always be Marco's first name coach. Did he really get the most trust from the two Marcos, in Salzburg and here from Rosé, back home from the national team captain Rossi? Which one did you learn more from?
This is a difficult question.
We are all the more curious about your answer...
I can't compare, because the two are completely different situations. Rossi was the first one who dared to put me in the national team at such a young age, and for whom I could become a regular player. Then, at the age of 21, I became team captain. So that's a very different story for me.
NOT TO MENTION THAT IT'S A NATIONAL TEAM, AND I GO HOME FEELING LIKE THE WHOLE TEAM, THE STAFF, FROM THE COACH TO THE MASSEUSE, IS LIKE A SECOND FAMILY TO ME.
Here, however, we are talking about a workplace. Of course, we are all happy to come here, but it is a different experience than the national team. Things happen much faster here, if you get the chance, then a worse match comes along, you might not get another chance for three matches after that.
I feel like I could live with it. For this, however, it is also necessary to know that my relationship with Rosé was not so good when I was younger. At sixteen, if I didn't play, I thought it was the end of the world. I had to learn that this is not the case. However, my career also needed him saying, no, I won't get a chance now, I'll play in the second team on the weekend. And then I got an opportunity again with the second team, and again with the second team. I had to think and realize that at this level the training work I had done up until that point was no longer enough - I needed more.
It was a very difficult time when I arrived at Leipzig. Really, it's probably the hardest period of my career, and I think he's going through something similar right now. When I heard that he was injured again, I immediately called him and told him that if he needed anything, he would just leave the house a little, I would be happy to come over to him in Berlin, and let's go for a walk and relax. He just wanted to be alone then, and I respected that, he's an adult, he knows when and what he needs. I've known him for a long time, it's true, we were clubmates in MTK only for a short time.On the other hand, a close friendship developed between us in the national team, which was only enhanced by the fact that Mátyás Esterházy is the manager, just like me, and then he moved almost next door, to Union Berlin.
In the past few weeks, he mentioned another good friend of his - whom he also owes to football - Karim Adeyemi, who plays in Dortmund.Have you talked since what happenedon Saturday ?
I wrote him a long message because we spoke before the game, but he hasn't replied yet. To be honest, I didn't expect him to call me back right away. Anyway, I wrote him that if he needs a friend, I'm here. I'm sure it will be difficult for him to process the fact that he didn't win the league title, even though nobody has pressured Bayern Munich like this for ten years. The situation would have been different if their fate was not in their own hands, but it can be very difficult now knowing that if they win, the gold is theirs. He was also injured in the match. It is not easy to process this feeling.
How can it be?
I have never experienced such a situation, but I think you have to hold on to the fact that life goes on, every match, every season is another opportunity.
The first half for sure. The second one, I don't remember if it sounded exactly like that. If I said he's the best, it's a mistake on my part, because you can't say that. Be a person on your feet who can objectively judge who is the best football coach in world history. Will it be Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, maybe Rose? We could list as many coaches who have been successful in the Premier League or any top league in the past. I don't think there is a single best football coach in the world. But there are many more brilliant and inspiring coaches. I would not venture to name who is the greatest of them all.
Is there someone under whom you would like to work and learn? Even at the cost of missing a season or two in the Champions League?
I guess what the question is about, so that we mentioned Klopp and next year there will only be Europa League starters... But believe me, I don't know that Liverpool's player observers were outside at our matches, and if they were outside , who was being watched from the team.
IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE TO WORK UNDER KLOPP, AS IT WOULD BE UNDER GUARDIOLA OR JOSÉ MOURINHO. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF ME.
Relatively few footballers are given all this, however, only the best. I believe I can reach that level and it would be great to work with any of them one day. With the proviso that I could list many, many more names here.
I think the public would be afraid of José Mourinho...
Why?
Because of his famously pragmatic, defensive strategies. While you are a much more creative soccer player than playing bunker soccer for years!
I can defend myself if I have to! I think it's been spectacular lately. And there is no need to explain what successes Mourinho has achieved in the last twenty years. It is no coincidence that he is the "Special One". It would be exciting, although it might be, it's just a theoretical question, what it would bring out of me.
But we see what Rose brings out of you!
But not what else it can bring in the long term! That is why it is a difficult question what to do next. My entire career so far has been built consciously, always reaching the next level in time, but never to a level that would be too risky to jump. You can fall from high, and it's rare that someone gets one chance at the highest level of football, let alone two. All options must be considered. I dreamed of a club for myself at the age of five, another as a teenager, seeing that it is not necessarily impossible to achieve these dreams.
IF THERE IS INTEREST, I WILL CONSIDER IT, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A GOOD TURN IN LEIPZIG, BUT BECAUSE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN CHALLENGES.
On one side of the scale is a good Leipzig, with a coach who trusts me and teammates who accept me and also believe in me. No footballer can wish for more than that. This is quite an extra situation. At the same time, on the other side, there is the question, if I can now take a step towards Europe's top five or six clubs, should I say no to the challenge? I've never been that type!
I am in a very good position, as I can play in a fantastic club. However, I don't want fifteen years from now to look back on my career as if I didn't get the most out of it.
Not really. I don't have time to sit and think about what my life really is, because I'm in it every day. My friends say that I don't live a normal life, but this has become normal for me, thank God. But that still makes me the same person, I can still go anywhere. One of my friends is a truck driver, for example. The other is studying, the third is a streamer, and the fourth is playing soccer in a lower league. I go to the lower league to watch my friend's game, sit out and hang out with my other friends, and I haven't changed enough to say that I don't go around people like that. I sit in a truck restaurant, where my clothes will unfortunately stink, but I sit anyway, because I didn't want to change that.By the way, my big plan for the summer is to accompany my friend on a ride or two, because I'm interested in what kind of life he has.
How can you relax?
Before the PlayStation.
Then FIFA, or something completely different, preferably unrelated to football?
I mostly play the Call of Duty series. Sometimes too much... But it's the only thing that allows me to turn off my brain for a few hours and get out of the rut. My problem with FIFA is that, as a football player, I often think faster than the game can model my thoughts. I'm not saying I'll never like it, but it's not one of my favorites right now. It's interesting, by the way, because I didn't have a console, an Xbox, a PlayStation, or even a phone until I was sixteen.
He and his girlfriend recently got a dog. Is the pet also an escape route from the squirrel wheel?
Yes, it helps me relax a lot. I'll be honest, sometimes I feel like we've had a child, regardless of the fact that I'm not the one doing most of it. However, you can't just spontaneously go to dinner here or there, you have to think about whether we can take it with us, if not, to whom we entrust it, etc.
I could not have imagined that 17-18-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai would want to keep a dog. Is this also a sign of character development?
Oh, I really wanted to! I had a dog when I was a child, but unfortunately it died a long time ago. I was still very young and could not deal with it as much as I would have liked. He was a big dog, I loved him very much. And I was actually thinking about the same thing now, but it would have been a lot of work, and it would have been very difficult to organize the many trips with him. Only animals weighing less than eight kilograms can be transported in the passenger compartment of airplanes, larger ones can only be transported in the luggage compartment.And I'm not the one who would do that to an animal.
Do you ever wish you wouldn't be recognized on the street?
That's what comes with being successful, and I accept that. When we are at home, I try to walk less. Either my girlfriend and I go to their holiday home in Siófok, or we are at home in Pest or Székesfehérvár. Where there is enough privacy. I don't usually go anywhere, sometimes I go to a party once in a while when we have a break, but I usually go to a restaurant if I'm not staying at home.
The dog is an important anteroom for this, and so far I feel that my girlfriend and I are successfully overcoming this obstacle. However, this does not mean that a child is already planned, and especially not that a child is already on the way. Don't write down such a conclusion! But if it turns out that I will be a relatively young father, I will face it. I used to always think that it would be given at a young age. I also thought how great it would be if my son was born and interested in football. Maybe she wouldn't have bad genes, with my dad and my experience added to it... but I'm not going to force anything on her. Of course, this will mean that I will definitely have a daughter.But the most important thing is to be healthy anyway!
If it's even further away, has it ever happened with the Hungarian national team that since you've been team captain, you've had to take on a bit of a "fatherly" role?
It was such that, for example, I told Milos (Kerkez - editor), who is a little younger than me, that President Sándor Csányi was also in the building, so maybe the music he was listening to should be quieter. I'm not a quiet child myself, everyone knows that, and I don't even want to start playing the adult, I just sit down and play cards with the others, but I also try to pay attention to as many details as possible . Apart from that, so much has changed that we have jointly prepared a kind of house rule.But this is also just about the fact that when we are in Telki, it really shouldn't be that someone is late for a meeting, because we have nothing else to do but focus on football and look at our phones to see when there is a video recording, when there is training, when you have to go knead and regenerate.
The new European Championship qualifying matches are ahead of us, in June the national team will first play Montenegro away, and then Lithuania will come to the Puskás Arena. What do you expect from these matches?
For now, I'm still focusing on my club and the German Cup final, which we really want to win again. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Marco Rose decided to give him a little rest in the last round and only send him on as a substitute. But I can't say that I don't think about what challenges await us at the national team afterwards. I agree with Marco Rossi, the Montenegrin match will be one-on-one, and if we can win it, we can be in a good position at the beginning of the qualifying series. If not, then we will have a hard time for second place as well. We want to get the three points, and this is not impossible at all, we have the team, the unity, everything that is needed for success.
And there will probably be a full house for both games. All guest tickets to Montenegro were snapped up in 15 minutes, and only a few thousand tickets remained for this week against Lithuania. After many years, it is your generation that was able to achieve that going to the matches of the national team is not a hobby of a narrow group, but rather a widely fashionable thing.
There was just a discussion about this in Telki, where the president remarked with a smile that, unfortunately, the Puskás Arena has become small, because they could probably have sold 200,000 tickets for our Nations League matches. In all seriousness, we are glad that we were able to change the thinking of at least some people. Even if you haven't and can't change everyone. It feels good that so many people are behind us and believe in our successes. I am happy if we can bring joy to many people, and even set an example so that they dare to take on bigger things in their own lives.
submitted by Budweizer to NUFC [link] [comments]
Dominik Szoboszlai: If I can take another step towards Europe's top six clubs, should I say no to the challenge?
Dominik Szoboszlai took a big step in his career with his second full Bundesliga season: the national team player almost doubled his playing minutes at the club level and became a real regular in the midfield of RB Leipzig, who won the bronze medal, under his age and new coach, Marco Rose. In the meantime, he found another challenge back home as well, he received the captain's armband of the national team from Marco Rossi, the captain of the Hungarian national team, and his teammates. We conducted an exclusive interview with the player in Leipzig after the last match of the league season, but before the German Cup final. We talked about tolerance for pressure and failure, a well-executed coaching change and the magic of the name Marco.He also told us about having a dog, sometimes over-consoles and dilemmas related to building a career.
We talked with the youngest team captain in the history of the Hungarian national team about...
- What can football teach any young person?
- How do you deal with failure and what did you draw strength from during the worse periods of your career?
- How many times did he stand with Domenico Tedesco and the former coach of Leipzig with him?
- What makes your relationship with the Marcos, Marco Rosé and Marco Rossi so special?
- Who do you consider to be the most inspiring coaches today?
- How can you escape the soccer ball's squirrel wheel?
I try to bring them as much joy as possible with whatever I can. This is important to me. You should know about Gula's children, they are a bit more shy, especially the younger one. On the other hand, they like to play with me, whether we are after a game or somewhere else. We played a little ball last time, and now too. I get along well with them.
Is it because you didn't have a similar childhood?
I had some old friends here at the game and there was a point last night where we got into a really deep conversation about who's childhood was what. In addition, I have known four out of five of them since I was very young, so they have followed my path almost the entire time. It was interesting to hear that most of them would not have traded with me to be here today. In fact, I don't think anyone would want to change it. I didn't have an average childhood, but that's not necessarily a bad thing either. It was neither better nor worse, just different from the majority. But at that time I had no reference point, rather I realized with an older head that my life was not average.
Was there anything I really missed?
I had nothing to compare it to. Of course, I saw that the others were going to the cinema, and I went to training in the meantime. They went to a party, I went to training again. New Year's Eve came, they could go to bed at four in the morning, and sleep off the next day. My bus came at 7:50 a.m., I got on it and went to training. Seeing this, there were sometimes difficult periods where I thought, why can't I do what they do. But I was like, it wasn't written for me. From the outside, many people may think that success came easily because I was talented, but this is not the case at all. I don't think many people would have endured what I endured. And it's enough just to think about how much time I put into football, or what kind of upbringing I received - but all of this was needed to be where I am today.
The decision that one in a thousand makes
What are the main values that football can teach a young person?That everyone has a talent for something, you just have to find what it is. And if you have it, and you dedicate every minute to being the best at it, then the talent will pay off. For me, this is football, and the biggest lesson for me was that if I do something, I should always do it with one hundred percent. I just read an interview the other day, with Balázs Opavszky, and I have to say, it really stood out to me!
Last year, we played in the age-group national teams together, we don't keep in touch, but when we meet, we usually talk. The fact that you can make a decision at the age of 22 that you no longer want to play football required enormous mental strength.
I THINK NINE OUT OF TEN PEOPLE COULDN'T DO IT. IN FACT, MAYBE MORE LIKE ONE IN A THOUSAND IF YOU CROSS IT.
But he thought differently. He wants to be the best at what he does, and he thought he didn't find that opportunity in soccer. Now he was looking for something else that he could really excel at in his age group.
Does Dominik Szoboszlai like that too? Does it motivate you to be the best on the football field?
Yes, and that's why I was wondering what was going on in his mind. Because I also think that I want to be the best. However, you have to see it realistically and make decisions that will make your own career and life more than just an unattainable fairy tale. But something in which you can find realistic goals. I'm living the life now, I can try to be the best in what I imagined for myself as a child.
📷
You were always expected to be the best, but no matter what level you reached, as an outside observer, you could feel that you took the obstacles with ease, in fact you didn't sweat that much. How easily did you actually live all this?
Whether it was easy or difficult for me, no one knows, except those who were really with me from the beginning. What I experienced cannot be told, because you would have had to be there to see that nothing came easily. Nor that I had to move to Salzburg alone at the age of 15 without any knowledge of the language to attend the academy, without my family and friends. This will either mentally eat you up or strengthen you.
It appears you have been confirmed…
I endured it, so it confirmed.
BUT THERE WERE HARD DAYS. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I CALLED MY MOTHER THAT I HAD HAD ENOUGH, I WAS BORED, I HAD NOTHING TO DO, I WANTED TO GO HOME.
But at the age of fifteen, I also knew that I shouldn't go home, because then I'd throw everything I'd built up until then, the work I'd put in, into the trash. I had to knock this down in myself, I had to think about what I really wanted. That's when I realized that this is what I want, and it doesn't matter how hard it is. If only because there are, were and will be many people for whom whatever you do, nothing is good. However, it doesn't bother me, it just drives me better that nothing fell into my lap, but that's why I worked for it. It feels good when I achieve something. For example, now, after a season like this, I go home and sit on the sofa, then I feel great.
The last became the first
How did you learn to deal with failure?It's hard, I think I still can't stand it very well. Until I was fourteen, I cried at almost every training session if I lost because I couldn't lose. I hate to lose. I can get really angry when it's up to someone else to lose. Dad taught me that because he never let me win at anything. If we had a running race, I had to run until he was tired and beat me. When we played soccer, he wouldn't give the ball to me until I took it or I kicked it to the ground, and then he looked at me badly. Then I left because I was afraid. So he never gave me anything and I could never win against him because he would have let it.In fact, that's why I learned that you have to fight really hard to win, because at eight years old, I won't be able to beat my father at anything.
The German Cup final is still ahead of you, but we can already evaluate the league season. He has played 45 games so far this season, in which he has received almost twice as much playing time as in the previous season. From the outside, this seems like a significant step forward, how did you experience it from the inside?
Thank God, I got a lot more opportunities than last season, but that's football. A coach change comes and suddenly you jump from last place to first. At least I had the same feeling.
Would he have been last in line with Domenico Tedesco?!
In my position, sure. We had a few conversations, sat down and gave our honest opinions. I told him I was 21 years old and wanted to play as much as possible. If I'm not the type of player you need, say so. He said I wasn't.
THERE WERE FOUR OF US AT MY POST, THE FOURTH FOR HIM.
That's when the coach changed, Marco Rose arrived. I have known him since I was a child, and it is not an exaggeration, we have a good relationship with each other.
How much did it matter that he became the next coach? Or would anyone have breathed a sigh of relief after Tedesco?
You can never tell in retrospect. The main thing is that I got the trust, I worked hard all the way and I was in the right shape to take advantage of the opportunity when I got it. Rose was a lucky choice from my point of view because he knew that if he gave me the confidence, I would do everything to thank him with my game. I'm glad it turned out that way, because it was good for him and for me.
Obviously, the situation is not that simple, but it seems that there is only one thing he really needs to pay attention to in his career, which is to always be Marco's first name coach. Did he really get the most trust from the two Marcos, in Salzburg and here from Rosé, back home from the national team captain Rossi? Which one did you learn more from?
This is a difficult question.
We are all the more curious about your answer...
I can't compare, because the two are completely different situations. Rossi was the first one who dared to put me in the national team at such a young age, and for whom I could become a regular player. Then, at the age of 21, I became team captain. So that's a very different story for me.
NOT TO MENTION THAT IT'S A NATIONAL TEAM, AND I GO HOME FEELING LIKE THE WHOLE TEAM, THE STAFF, FROM THE COACH TO THE MASSEUSE, IS LIKE A SECOND FAMILY TO ME.
Here, however, we are talking about a workplace. Of course, we are all happy to come here, but it is a different experience than the national team. Things happen much faster here, if you get the chance, then a worse match comes along, you might not get another chance for three matches after that.
I feel like I could live with it. For this, however, it is also necessary to know that my relationship with Rosé was not so good when I was younger. At sixteen, if I didn't play, I thought it was the end of the world. I had to learn that this is not the case. However, my career also needed him saying, no, I won't get a chance now, I'll play in the second team on the weekend. And then I got an opportunity again with the second team, and again with the second team. I had to think and realize that at this level the training work I had done up until that point was no longer enough - I needed more.
The dark sides of the footballer's fate
When he got to Leipzig, he was struggling with a long, stubborn injury. It is known that he is doing wellwith András Schäfer, who was forced to miss again, who had three operations this season, and as soon as he returned from one of the misses, the next injury almost came. Were you able to say something encouraging to him during his possible low points?It was a very difficult time when I arrived at Leipzig. Really, it's probably the hardest period of my career, and I think he's going through something similar right now. When I heard that he was injured again, I immediately called him and told him that if he needed anything, he would just leave the house a little, I would be happy to come over to him in Berlin, and let's go for a walk and relax. He just wanted to be alone then, and I respected that, he's an adult, he knows when and what he needs. I've known him for a long time, it's true, we were clubmates in MTK only for a short time.On the other hand, a close friendship developed between us in the national team, which was only enhanced by the fact that Mátyás Esterházy is the manager, just like me, and then he moved almost next door, to Union Berlin.
In the past few weeks, he mentioned another good friend of his - whom he also owes to football - Karim Adeyemi, who plays in Dortmund.Have you talked since what happenedon Saturday ?
I wrote him a long message because we spoke before the game, but he hasn't replied yet. To be honest, I didn't expect him to call me back right away. Anyway, I wrote him that if he needs a friend, I'm here. I'm sure it will be difficult for him to process the fact that he didn't win the league title, even though nobody has pressured Bayern Munich like this for ten years. The situation would have been different if their fate was not in their own hands, but it can be very difficult now knowing that if they win, the gold is theirs. He was also injured in the match. It is not easy to process this feeling.
How can it be?
I have never experienced such a situation, but I think you have to hold on to the fact that life goes on, every match, every season is another opportunity.
Give up an extra position for the dream?
There are many rumors about his future. In recent days, the press picked up on his statement from a few years ago about Jürgen Klopp, in which he called the German one of the most inspiring coaches in the football world and the best coach in the world. Do you stand by this statement?The first half for sure. The second one, I don't remember if it sounded exactly like that. If I said he's the best, it's a mistake on my part, because you can't say that. Be a person on your feet who can objectively judge who is the best football coach in world history. Will it be Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, maybe Rose? We could list as many coaches who have been successful in the Premier League or any top league in the past. I don't think there is a single best football coach in the world. But there are many more brilliant and inspiring coaches. I would not venture to name who is the greatest of them all.
Is there someone under whom you would like to work and learn? Even at the cost of missing a season or two in the Champions League?
I guess what the question is about, so that we mentioned Klopp and next year there will only be Europa League starters... But believe me, I don't know that Liverpool's player observers were outside at our matches, and if they were outside , who was being watched from the team.
IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE TO WORK UNDER KLOPP, AS IT WOULD BE UNDER GUARDIOLA OR JOSÉ MOURINHO. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF ME.
Relatively few footballers are given all this, however, only the best. I believe I can reach that level and it would be great to work with any of them one day. With the proviso that I could list many, many more names here.
I think the public would be afraid of José Mourinho...
Why?
Because of his famously pragmatic, defensive strategies. While you are a much more creative soccer player than playing bunker soccer for years!
I can defend myself if I have to! I think it's been spectacular lately. And there is no need to explain what successes Mourinho has achieved in the last twenty years. It is no coincidence that he is the "Special One". It would be exciting, although it might be, it's just a theoretical question, what it would bring out of me.
But we see what Rose brings out of you!
But not what else it can bring in the long term! That is why it is a difficult question what to do next. My entire career so far has been built consciously, always reaching the next level in time, but never to a level that would be too risky to jump. You can fall from high, and it's rare that someone gets one chance at the highest level of football, let alone two. All options must be considered. I dreamed of a club for myself at the age of five, another as a teenager, seeing that it is not necessarily impossible to achieve these dreams.
IF THERE IS INTEREST, I WILL CONSIDER IT, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A GOOD TURN IN LEIPZIG, BUT BECAUSE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN CHALLENGES.
On one side of the scale is a good Leipzig, with a coach who trusts me and teammates who accept me and also believe in me. No footballer can wish for more than that. This is quite an extra situation. At the same time, on the other side, there is the question, if I can now take a step towards Europe's top five or six clubs, should I say no to the challenge? I've never been that type!
I am in a very good position, as I can play in a fantastic club. However, I don't want fifteen years from now to look back on my career as if I didn't get the most out of it.
Sometimes it would be civil, and the dog would help
Doesn't it cross your mind to step back and look at what you've already built?Not really. I don't have time to sit and think about what my life really is, because I'm in it every day. My friends say that I don't live a normal life, but this has become normal for me, thank God. But that still makes me the same person, I can still go anywhere. One of my friends is a truck driver, for example. The other is studying, the third is a streamer, and the fourth is playing soccer in a lower league. I go to the lower league to watch my friend's game, sit out and hang out with my other friends, and I haven't changed enough to say that I don't go around people like that. I sit in a truck restaurant, where my clothes will unfortunately stink, but I sit anyway, because I didn't want to change that.By the way, my big plan for the summer is to accompany my friend on a ride or two, because I'm interested in what kind of life he has.
How can you relax?
Before the PlayStation.
Then FIFA, or something completely different, preferably unrelated to football?
I mostly play the Call of Duty series. Sometimes too much... But it's the only thing that allows me to turn off my brain for a few hours and get out of the rut. My problem with FIFA is that, as a football player, I often think faster than the game can model my thoughts. I'm not saying I'll never like it, but it's not one of my favorites right now. It's interesting, by the way, because I didn't have a console, an Xbox, a PlayStation, or even a phone until I was sixteen.
He and his girlfriend recently got a dog. Is the pet also an escape route from the squirrel wheel?
Yes, it helps me relax a lot. I'll be honest, sometimes I feel like we've had a child, regardless of the fact that I'm not the one doing most of it. However, you can't just spontaneously go to dinner here or there, you have to think about whether we can take it with us, if not, to whom we entrust it, etc.
I could not have imagined that 17-18-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai would want to keep a dog. Is this also a sign of character development?
Oh, I really wanted to! I had a dog when I was a child, but unfortunately it died a long time ago. I was still very young and could not deal with it as much as I would have liked. He was a big dog, I loved him very much. And I was actually thinking about the same thing now, but it would have been a lot of work, and it would have been very difficult to organize the many trips with him. Only animals weighing less than eight kilograms can be transported in the passenger compartment of airplanes, larger ones can only be transported in the luggage compartment.And I'm not the one who would do that to an animal.
Do you ever wish you wouldn't be recognized on the street?
That's what comes with being successful, and I accept that. When we are at home, I try to walk less. Either my girlfriend and I go to their holiday home in Siófok, or we are at home in Pest or Székesfehérvár. Where there is enough privacy. I don't usually go anywhere, sometimes I go to a party once in a while when we have a break, but I usually go to a restaurant if I'm not staying at home.
At the age of twenty-two, in a "fatherly" role
How are you doing with family planning?The dog is an important anteroom for this, and so far I feel that my girlfriend and I are successfully overcoming this obstacle. However, this does not mean that a child is already planned, and especially not that a child is already on the way. Don't write down such a conclusion! But if it turns out that I will be a relatively young father, I will face it. I used to always think that it would be given at a young age. I also thought how great it would be if my son was born and interested in football. Maybe she wouldn't have bad genes, with my dad and my experience added to it... but I'm not going to force anything on her. Of course, this will mean that I will definitely have a daughter.But the most important thing is to be healthy anyway!
If it's even further away, has it ever happened with the Hungarian national team that since you've been team captain, you've had to take on a bit of a "fatherly" role?
It was such that, for example, I told Milos (Kerkez - editor), who is a little younger than me, that President Sándor Csányi was also in the building, so maybe the music he was listening to should be quieter. I'm not a quiet child myself, everyone knows that, and I don't even want to start playing the adult, I just sit down and play cards with the others, but I also try to pay attention to as many details as possible . Apart from that, so much has changed that we have jointly prepared a kind of house rule.But this is also just about the fact that when we are in Telki, it really shouldn't be that someone is late for a meeting, because we have nothing else to do but focus on football and look at our phones to see when there is a video recording, when there is training, when you have to go knead and regenerate.
The new European Championship qualifying matches are ahead of us, in June the national team will first play Montenegro away, and then Lithuania will come to the Puskás Arena. What do you expect from these matches?
For now, I'm still focusing on my club and the German Cup final, which we really want to win again. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Marco Rose decided to give him a little rest in the last round and only send him on as a substitute. But I can't say that I don't think about what challenges await us at the national team afterwards. I agree with Marco Rossi, the Montenegrin match will be one-on-one, and if we can win it, we can be in a good position at the beginning of the qualifying series. If not, then we will have a hard time for second place as well. We want to get the three points, and this is not impossible at all, we have the team, the unity, everything that is needed for success.
And there will probably be a full house for both games. All guest tickets to Montenegro were snapped up in 15 minutes, and only a few thousand tickets remained for this week against Lithuania. After many years, it is your generation that was able to achieve that going to the matches of the national team is not a hobby of a narrow group, but rather a widely fashionable thing.
There was just a discussion about this in Telki, where the president remarked with a smile that, unfortunately, the Puskás Arena has become small, because they could probably have sold 200,000 tickets for our Nations League matches. In all seriousness, we are glad that we were able to change the thinking of at least some people. Even if you haven't and can't change everyone. It feels good that so many people are behind us and believe in our successes. I am happy if we can bring joy to many people, and even set an example so that they dare to take on bigger things in their own lives.
2023.05.31 14:21 ClayCrucible Instrument checkride write-up - success!
I passed my instrument checkride yesterday (yay!) and I thought it might help other folks who are working on instrument or thinking about it for the future if I shared my write-up. My flight school sends pretty much all of their students to the same DPE, so they had a tremendous amount of information about past checkrides to share with me, and they asked me to do a write-up of my own. An edited version of that is what follows!
TLDR: I started instrument training three months ago, did the written before any flight lessons, added 50 hours to my logbook in those three months, and passed the checkride with just barely enough instrument hours to qualify (I had to time build a bit in the past month). DPE said I did great, even though I had some nerves and we changed the flight plan a lot in the air!
Background: I began my instrument training about three months ago with the Sporty’s videos for ground school, Sheppard Air for test prep, and a perfect score on my written before my first instrument lesson. I started instrument training with another flight school in a simulator for a G1000 Cessna 172 for two lessons before I decided I wanted to be able to fly the Cirrus SR22, so I switched to NoVA Pilots (Leesburg, Virginia, KJYO) for instrument plus Cirrus transition training. I came into this training with about 110 total hours, most of the 50 PIC cross country I needed, but only 4.0 of the 40 hours of instrument time I would ultimately need. Zero hours in Cirrus aircraft, though I did have my high-performance endorsement from Cessna 182 training.
Instrument training: I started flying as much as possible throughout the end of March, all of April, and the first half of May. I did a total of 22 flight lessons, plus a handful of flights on my own or with a safety pilot once I had enough experience to solo the SR22. I did two flights that qualified for the long cross country, with the one I highlighted for the checkride going from Leesburg to Charlottesville, Baltimore, Harrisburg, and Martinsburg, with two ILS approaches, one VOR, and one RNAV GPS. I went into the checkride with 3.7 hours of actual instrument and 38.6 simulated, or 42.3 total. My logbook ended up with 160 total hours.
Checkride prep: I did four total mock checkrides, two each with two different instructors. The flights were exactly what the DPE planned for us to fly, though different from what we ended up flying! For the oral, I had all of the materials the DPE asked for in his email from ten days prior to the checkride, and I printed out everything that would otherwise be electronic (mainly a copy of my Foreflight logbook, the flight plan, performance calculations for the scenario flight, personal minimums). I arrived to the conference room an hour before the scheduled start time and arranged materials in four areas:
· Pilot qualifications: Pilot certificate, medical certificate, ID, knowledge test results, ground school certificate from Sporty’s, SFRA training certificate, Cirrus icing course certificate (not required, but nice to have), logbook with endorsements, printed copy of my IACRA form.
· Airplane qualifications: Engine logbook, propeller logbook, airframe logbook with Post-It notes for the relevant sections (annual / 100 hour, pitot-static inspection, transponder inspection, etc.). I also had the NoVA Pilots binder to show current hours on the engine, plus the POH (since no one else was flying the plane that morning).
· Documents for the flight scenario: Weight and balance, aircraft performance (takeoff and landing distances), ICAO flight plan, NAV log from Foreflight, Leidos Flight Service full briefing report including weather and NOTAMs (80 pages). I don’t think we used any of this during the test – for the flight plan we used Foreflight on my iPad, and we just talked through the rest.
· Reference materials: Physical copies of the FAAIM and ACS, printouts of diagrams for electrical, fuel, and pitot-static systems, PilotsCafe reference sheet. The latter came in handy and the DPE liked it – he had a copy of his own on hand.
Oral examination: We took around two hours total for the oral, starting with the qualifications and electronically signing IACRA. The DPE explained what he would ask about, the ability to take breaks, the plan for the day (oral, then a lunch break, then flight).
Questioning was straightforward. Beyond my flailing on whether the transponder inspection was required every 24 months or 12 months for a minute, I was able to answer questions satisfactorily. Lots of focus on risk and options.
· Always keep fuel in mind – if given a hold with a 30 minute EFC time, how does that affect planning? I might request a route elsewhere, and I would definitely let ATC know if I’m in a “minimum fuel” situation, which is different from “emergency fuel”.
· If my glideslope fails while on an ILS, I can fly it to localizer minimums, and I need to let ATC know about the equipment failure.
· Know about icing and where it can form. If there’s no AIRMET Zulu for icing even if it’s cold enough, there’s still risk of unexpected moisture or perhaps it’s only light icing, which doesn’t get an AIRMET but is still a problem. If there are no PIREPs, maybe that means no one else is foolish enough to fly! And even though I’m flying a FIKI certified aircraft, if I encounter icing the plan has to be to get out of it.
· If an ADAHARS fails, this aircraft automatically uses the other as a backup, showing an appropriate notification. What does the POH say about continuing flight in this scenario? Go to the Abnormal Procedures section and see.
· If Alternator 2 fails, what happens? Alternator 1 will keep things going, but the aircraft isn’t approved for IFR flight on one alternator, so getting to the ground where you can get it fixed is important.
· If the static ports somehow both become blocked, there’s an alternate air source.
· MOCA would typically only be used if I need to get low to avoid ice, for instance.
· If I’m flying on Victor airways using GPS and there’s a GPS failure, I can use VOR navigation.
· If I have a passenger who really needs to get to their destination, I’ll make sure I have an alternate way of getting them there (flying commercial, driving). GA means you need to be prepared to scrub a flight for safety at any time.
· Know about circling minimums, circling radius, and the inverted C (white C on the black background). Similarly, know about the inverted T symbol and inverted A symbol (bonus points for inverted A with NA – not authorized for use as an alternate airport, likely because of a lack of weather reporting).
· In the debrief, the DPE pointed me to AIM 1-1-17 to talk about being able to use an expired navigation database if you verify that your waypoints are all correct. I was extra conservative on that question, saying that I would need to update the database before flying.
Flight portion: The DPE fully briefed me on the flight plan ahead of time:
· Depart Leesburg on runway heading, climbing to 1,200 MSL (he originally said 1,300 in the conference room but said 1,200 in the runup area). Expect vectors to Martinsburg airport.
· Fly the ILS 26 at Martinsburg to minimums, expecting to go missed.
· Fly the published missed into the hold at MRB VOR.
· Fly the VODME-A approach to Winchester, circling to whichever runway is in use. Plan to go missed there and then expect vectors to the next approach rather than the published missed.
· Fly the RNAV GPS 32 approach to Winchester, likely starting at either JASEN or DORGY depending on which direction we went after the VODME. Expect to fly this one partial panel with no autopilot. Fly this all the way to a landing – full stop, taxi back.
· And then done! Fly back to Leesburg with no foggles.
That was the briefing, anyway! The DPE explained that he would play the role of Potomac Approach throughout. I didn’t realize at first that this meant that he wanted me to “check in” with him after departure (he had to prompt me for that when I asked if I could climb once we were past the 1,500 foot Bravo shelf).
I tuned Martinsburg weather in COM2 active in the runup area and Martinsburg tower in COM1 standby, with the hope of getting info about which KMRB runway was in use as early as possible. On departure from runway 35, we climbed out on vectors and then direct MAPEL for the ILS 26. No chatter on KMRB tower, and winds were light, but slightly favoring runway 8. As we approached MAPEL and the DPE had “cleared me for the approach” we heard another aircraft check in and receive runway 8. Mild oaths ensued from the DPE, and he “cancelled my approach clearance” and had me “request” the VODME-A to Winchester.
I flew that approach, starting at MRB VOR. Lots of traffic working out of Winchester, and runway 14 was in use. We were in a rough spot for actually squeezing into the pattern for landing, so I descended to pattern altitude (above minimums), turned right to enter left downwind for 14, descended to minimums by the time I turned base, and flew a low approach at minimums over the runway and away to the east.
One approach complete.
The DPE gave me an altitude to climb to and a vector, and cleared me for the ILS 32, cleared direct JASEN. I got myself re-situated with the foggles and the autopilot back on. As we approached JASEN he said we would actually fly this as a localizer approach instead of ILS (so, non-precision). I think this was largely so we wouldn’t get in the way of conflicting traffic coming back off 14, staying higher. I reset the minimums to LOC level and noted my step-down fixes and time component.
Between JASEN and CLADD, the DPE “failed” the autopilot and “failed” the PFD by covering it with an opaque film. I went to reversionary mode and flew the localizer approach by hand, using the MFD. As we got to minimums, another aircraft took off from 14 straight toward us without making a radio call of any sort until they were 200 feet above the ground. We diverted around them to the left (safety pilot call), then turned right over the airport and back to CLADD to fly the published missed.
Two approaches complete.
This was all still hand flying, and the DPE was figuring out his next move as I hand-flew the teardrop hold entry at CLADD. I did a second full lap in the hold (the first one I had to extend a bit to avoid traffic), stressing the whole way about maintaining altitude, airspeed, and the holding course, but I did it!
Hold complete (x2).
Finally, the DPE said that since we were flying a nice, fast SR22, we could fly all the way to the other side of the airport and do the RNAV 14 to LPV minimums for our precision approach (for the purpose of the checkride). Autopilot back on at last, as I navigated us off to the west.
Along the way, the DPE took me through a couple of unusual attitudes. I screwed up the nose low attitude at first, adding power before realizing my mistake and reducing it, but correctly leveling the wings and bringing the nose up. He noted that I jumped the gun a little there but I fixed my mistake, and he was satisfied. He then did a nose-high attitude, which I did fine with. Then back on course with the autopilot.
Unusual attitudes complete.
I had loaded the full RNAV GPS 14 from SOGBE, but the DPE cleared me to ZENDI, originally at 3,700. I requested 4,200 at ZENDI, which he gave me. From there, things were much easier! I correctly configured the autopilot in APR mode, confirming that GP mode was armed, and I babysat the speed and the checklist usage to get us fully on course. I flew the approach to LPV minimums, at which point the DPE told me to go visual and land. This was probably the best landing I’ve ever had in the Cirrus – super gentle and smooth.
Three approaches complete.
I did a full stop taxi back and pulled into the runup area to run my checklist to prepare to return to Leesburg. Then a nice, simple, visual flight back with no drama. The DPE actually pulled out his iPad to take a picture of the airport as we approached 17 on a three-mile final – it was a lovely day. One more nice landing at Leesburg, taxi to park, and my instructor met us at the hangar as the DPE congratulated me! Two hours on the Hobbs for this flight.
Debrief: After putting the plane in the hangar, refueling, and cleaning it up, the DPE and I drove back to the school and my instructor met us there. The DPE had surprisingly little for me in the debrief. He shared a couple of recommendations for continuing my IFR education – IFR Magazine and the Aviation News Talk podcast. He suggested I make my personal minimums a little more conservative. He explained the expired database usability issue. He noted that I could have used FPLN when in reversionary mode to have better awareness of when I had passed each checkpoint (I was a little unsure when hand-flying and started my next descent a bit late, but still got to minimums). That was really it! He complimented my flying and printed my new certificate, and posed for a picture shaking my hand. Wonderful day!
submitted by ClayCrucible to flying [link] [comments]
TLDR: I started instrument training three months ago, did the written before any flight lessons, added 50 hours to my logbook in those three months, and passed the checkride with just barely enough instrument hours to qualify (I had to time build a bit in the past month). DPE said I did great, even though I had some nerves and we changed the flight plan a lot in the air!
Background: I began my instrument training about three months ago with the Sporty’s videos for ground school, Sheppard Air for test prep, and a perfect score on my written before my first instrument lesson. I started instrument training with another flight school in a simulator for a G1000 Cessna 172 for two lessons before I decided I wanted to be able to fly the Cirrus SR22, so I switched to NoVA Pilots (Leesburg, Virginia, KJYO) for instrument plus Cirrus transition training. I came into this training with about 110 total hours, most of the 50 PIC cross country I needed, but only 4.0 of the 40 hours of instrument time I would ultimately need. Zero hours in Cirrus aircraft, though I did have my high-performance endorsement from Cessna 182 training.
Instrument training: I started flying as much as possible throughout the end of March, all of April, and the first half of May. I did a total of 22 flight lessons, plus a handful of flights on my own or with a safety pilot once I had enough experience to solo the SR22. I did two flights that qualified for the long cross country, with the one I highlighted for the checkride going from Leesburg to Charlottesville, Baltimore, Harrisburg, and Martinsburg, with two ILS approaches, one VOR, and one RNAV GPS. I went into the checkride with 3.7 hours of actual instrument and 38.6 simulated, or 42.3 total. My logbook ended up with 160 total hours.
Checkride prep: I did four total mock checkrides, two each with two different instructors. The flights were exactly what the DPE planned for us to fly, though different from what we ended up flying! For the oral, I had all of the materials the DPE asked for in his email from ten days prior to the checkride, and I printed out everything that would otherwise be electronic (mainly a copy of my Foreflight logbook, the flight plan, performance calculations for the scenario flight, personal minimums). I arrived to the conference room an hour before the scheduled start time and arranged materials in four areas:
· Pilot qualifications: Pilot certificate, medical certificate, ID, knowledge test results, ground school certificate from Sporty’s, SFRA training certificate, Cirrus icing course certificate (not required, but nice to have), logbook with endorsements, printed copy of my IACRA form.
· Airplane qualifications: Engine logbook, propeller logbook, airframe logbook with Post-It notes for the relevant sections (annual / 100 hour, pitot-static inspection, transponder inspection, etc.). I also had the NoVA Pilots binder to show current hours on the engine, plus the POH (since no one else was flying the plane that morning).
· Documents for the flight scenario: Weight and balance, aircraft performance (takeoff and landing distances), ICAO flight plan, NAV log from Foreflight, Leidos Flight Service full briefing report including weather and NOTAMs (80 pages). I don’t think we used any of this during the test – for the flight plan we used Foreflight on my iPad, and we just talked through the rest.
· Reference materials: Physical copies of the FAAIM and ACS, printouts of diagrams for electrical, fuel, and pitot-static systems, PilotsCafe reference sheet. The latter came in handy and the DPE liked it – he had a copy of his own on hand.
Oral examination: We took around two hours total for the oral, starting with the qualifications and electronically signing IACRA. The DPE explained what he would ask about, the ability to take breaks, the plan for the day (oral, then a lunch break, then flight).
Questioning was straightforward. Beyond my flailing on whether the transponder inspection was required every 24 months or 12 months for a minute, I was able to answer questions satisfactorily. Lots of focus on risk and options.
· Always keep fuel in mind – if given a hold with a 30 minute EFC time, how does that affect planning? I might request a route elsewhere, and I would definitely let ATC know if I’m in a “minimum fuel” situation, which is different from “emergency fuel”.
· If my glideslope fails while on an ILS, I can fly it to localizer minimums, and I need to let ATC know about the equipment failure.
· Know about icing and where it can form. If there’s no AIRMET Zulu for icing even if it’s cold enough, there’s still risk of unexpected moisture or perhaps it’s only light icing, which doesn’t get an AIRMET but is still a problem. If there are no PIREPs, maybe that means no one else is foolish enough to fly! And even though I’m flying a FIKI certified aircraft, if I encounter icing the plan has to be to get out of it.
· If an ADAHARS fails, this aircraft automatically uses the other as a backup, showing an appropriate notification. What does the POH say about continuing flight in this scenario? Go to the Abnormal Procedures section and see.
· If Alternator 2 fails, what happens? Alternator 1 will keep things going, but the aircraft isn’t approved for IFR flight on one alternator, so getting to the ground where you can get it fixed is important.
· If the static ports somehow both become blocked, there’s an alternate air source.
· MOCA would typically only be used if I need to get low to avoid ice, for instance.
· If I’m flying on Victor airways using GPS and there’s a GPS failure, I can use VOR navigation.
· If I have a passenger who really needs to get to their destination, I’ll make sure I have an alternate way of getting them there (flying commercial, driving). GA means you need to be prepared to scrub a flight for safety at any time.
· Know about circling minimums, circling radius, and the inverted C (white C on the black background). Similarly, know about the inverted T symbol and inverted A symbol (bonus points for inverted A with NA – not authorized for use as an alternate airport, likely because of a lack of weather reporting).
· In the debrief, the DPE pointed me to AIM 1-1-17 to talk about being able to use an expired navigation database if you verify that your waypoints are all correct. I was extra conservative on that question, saying that I would need to update the database before flying.
Flight portion: The DPE fully briefed me on the flight plan ahead of time:
· Depart Leesburg on runway heading, climbing to 1,200 MSL (he originally said 1,300 in the conference room but said 1,200 in the runup area). Expect vectors to Martinsburg airport.
· Fly the ILS 26 at Martinsburg to minimums, expecting to go missed.
· Fly the published missed into the hold at MRB VOR.
· Fly the VODME-A approach to Winchester, circling to whichever runway is in use. Plan to go missed there and then expect vectors to the next approach rather than the published missed.
· Fly the RNAV GPS 32 approach to Winchester, likely starting at either JASEN or DORGY depending on which direction we went after the VODME. Expect to fly this one partial panel with no autopilot. Fly this all the way to a landing – full stop, taxi back.
· And then done! Fly back to Leesburg with no foggles.
That was the briefing, anyway! The DPE explained that he would play the role of Potomac Approach throughout. I didn’t realize at first that this meant that he wanted me to “check in” with him after departure (he had to prompt me for that when I asked if I could climb once we were past the 1,500 foot Bravo shelf).
I tuned Martinsburg weather in COM2 active in the runup area and Martinsburg tower in COM1 standby, with the hope of getting info about which KMRB runway was in use as early as possible. On departure from runway 35, we climbed out on vectors and then direct MAPEL for the ILS 26. No chatter on KMRB tower, and winds were light, but slightly favoring runway 8. As we approached MAPEL and the DPE had “cleared me for the approach” we heard another aircraft check in and receive runway 8. Mild oaths ensued from the DPE, and he “cancelled my approach clearance” and had me “request” the VODME-A to Winchester.
I flew that approach, starting at MRB VOR. Lots of traffic working out of Winchester, and runway 14 was in use. We were in a rough spot for actually squeezing into the pattern for landing, so I descended to pattern altitude (above minimums), turned right to enter left downwind for 14, descended to minimums by the time I turned base, and flew a low approach at minimums over the runway and away to the east.
One approach complete.
The DPE gave me an altitude to climb to and a vector, and cleared me for the ILS 32, cleared direct JASEN. I got myself re-situated with the foggles and the autopilot back on. As we approached JASEN he said we would actually fly this as a localizer approach instead of ILS (so, non-precision). I think this was largely so we wouldn’t get in the way of conflicting traffic coming back off 14, staying higher. I reset the minimums to LOC level and noted my step-down fixes and time component.
Between JASEN and CLADD, the DPE “failed” the autopilot and “failed” the PFD by covering it with an opaque film. I went to reversionary mode and flew the localizer approach by hand, using the MFD. As we got to minimums, another aircraft took off from 14 straight toward us without making a radio call of any sort until they were 200 feet above the ground. We diverted around them to the left (safety pilot call), then turned right over the airport and back to CLADD to fly the published missed.
Two approaches complete.
This was all still hand flying, and the DPE was figuring out his next move as I hand-flew the teardrop hold entry at CLADD. I did a second full lap in the hold (the first one I had to extend a bit to avoid traffic), stressing the whole way about maintaining altitude, airspeed, and the holding course, but I did it!
Hold complete (x2).
Finally, the DPE said that since we were flying a nice, fast SR22, we could fly all the way to the other side of the airport and do the RNAV 14 to LPV minimums for our precision approach (for the purpose of the checkride). Autopilot back on at last, as I navigated us off to the west.
Along the way, the DPE took me through a couple of unusual attitudes. I screwed up the nose low attitude at first, adding power before realizing my mistake and reducing it, but correctly leveling the wings and bringing the nose up. He noted that I jumped the gun a little there but I fixed my mistake, and he was satisfied. He then did a nose-high attitude, which I did fine with. Then back on course with the autopilot.
Unusual attitudes complete.
I had loaded the full RNAV GPS 14 from SOGBE, but the DPE cleared me to ZENDI, originally at 3,700. I requested 4,200 at ZENDI, which he gave me. From there, things were much easier! I correctly configured the autopilot in APR mode, confirming that GP mode was armed, and I babysat the speed and the checklist usage to get us fully on course. I flew the approach to LPV minimums, at which point the DPE told me to go visual and land. This was probably the best landing I’ve ever had in the Cirrus – super gentle and smooth.
Three approaches complete.
I did a full stop taxi back and pulled into the runup area to run my checklist to prepare to return to Leesburg. Then a nice, simple, visual flight back with no drama. The DPE actually pulled out his iPad to take a picture of the airport as we approached 17 on a three-mile final – it was a lovely day. One more nice landing at Leesburg, taxi to park, and my instructor met us at the hangar as the DPE congratulated me! Two hours on the Hobbs for this flight.
Debrief: After putting the plane in the hangar, refueling, and cleaning it up, the DPE and I drove back to the school and my instructor met us there. The DPE had surprisingly little for me in the debrief. He shared a couple of recommendations for continuing my IFR education – IFR Magazine and the Aviation News Talk podcast. He suggested I make my personal minimums a little more conservative. He explained the expired database usability issue. He noted that I could have used FPLN when in reversionary mode to have better awareness of when I had passed each checkpoint (I was a little unsure when hand-flying and started my next descent a bit late, but still got to minimums). That was really it! He complimented my flying and printed my new certificate, and posed for a picture shaking my hand. Wonderful day!
2023.05.31 14:10 dankdiva420 Stacking calculator?
Hello all! Does anyone know if there's any sort of calculator or something to prevent stacking? Currently just looking up each ingredient in the Monash app to avoid stacking and spacing meals appropriately.
I feel like there should be some kind of recipe input app where it cross-references Monash guidelines against the ingredients and amounts you input from a recipe, but haven't found anything like it.
submitted by dankdiva420 to FODMAPS [link] [comments]
I feel like there should be some kind of recipe input app where it cross-references Monash guidelines against the ingredients and amounts you input from a recipe, but haven't found anything like it.
2023.05.31 14:01 Ta_Tea Changing school help
Out of area school enrolment help
Hi everyone, in 2020 I tried to enrol my son to a nearby school, it takes 5 mins by car and around 25 mins walk from house. Because of the suburb we lived in it was not considered to be in the zone. But the Principle said he will accept enrolment, all I need to do is go to the school in our area and ask that school to sign that they agree and he will also call the Principle of that school. But I got rejected by the receptionist at the in area school, she refused to sign or ask the principle for me.
Some time later we were called in for an interview with the Principle of our prefered school. He said he couldn't accept our enrolment because because my reasons were not up to their standards.
Before this, I asked my mother to come in office to asked about enrolment for me and because the receptionist translate incorrectly, she wrote down ' it's easier to drop off the eldest kid at highschool and then the primary school kids'.
So after we were denied. I have to enrol my son to the school in our area. It has around 100 students, very small, limited resources. NO disrepect just that I like the other school cos my eldest daughter used to go there from k-6. So my son start kindy. And then bullying happened. He got so scared he stopped school for 2 weeks. Teachers were told but you know how kids are. So yr 1, yr 2 still gets bullied. My son is shy so I don't know if thats their target. Then 2023 my youngest start kindy. And then now she told me some year 6 are bullying her. She gets pushed around, they hit her, and swear at her. I did contacted the teachers. But to this point I have enough. It hurts that my kids say they have to hide in the toilets. That they told teachers but teachers don't believe them. To add on to this matter I have a back injuries, my lower bones are so weak I can't drive. I have to start walking them to school. My eldest goes to high school near the school we like but the two kids current school are in opposite directions. It takes us on a good day 1 hour walking to and from school. My bad bones keeps me at a slow pace. The walking path to school has traffics and so much crossing. Just last night I tried to apply to enrol (online) at the school that rejected us 3 years ago. This were my reasons.
I could no longer drive. I have back injuries. I have to walk my kids to and from school. With the high school of my eldest just close by she can assist me with the two little ones. The distance to the school is so close to our house it will help us tremendously.
For references
Kids current school: 3.5km from home. Walking time is around 50-60mins. Lots of crossing, 7 stretch of long pathways to reach school.
School we want to enrol: 1.4km from home. Walking time around 25mins. We have to cross 1 traffic lights and from there 1 straight pathway to school. The pathway can always be seen by passing cars making us feel safer to walk.
Eldest daughter's highschool from the school we try to enrol: 10 mins walk. From the kid's current school to her school is 1 hr walk.
I don't have anyone to supervise me or my kids.
Here's my question. If my application gets rejected again, I'm going to appeal then I have to go in talk to Principle. Can anyone please help me? What can I say to convince them? I feel like I'm won't sound convincing enough and I get stuck for words when I'm scared.
I don't want to bother them with the bullied story because I tried it last year and got rejected by 3 nearby school. The reasons is the kids current school principle brushed it off. She said its all sorted and she told me them not to bother. I know this cos one of the principles from other school accidently told me over the phone when he call to tell me the form was denied. Alot of parents from my kids school also told us they tried to move their kids but principle stop them. Maybe she didn't want the population to go down.
I don't know who else to turn to for advice, I really want my kids to feel safe going to school. They all come to me ask if we could change school. They look so sad and it breaks ny heart.
I'm not sure if close proximity of school is enough of a reason but in the form it was listed as second priority. Then why did they reject me 3 years ago.
I am so sorry for making such a long post. I don't know if anyone will response. But if someone does, I truely thank you for helping!
submitted by Ta_Tea to Mommit [link] [comments]
Hi everyone, in 2020 I tried to enrol my son to a nearby school, it takes 5 mins by car and around 25 mins walk from house. Because of the suburb we lived in it was not considered to be in the zone. But the Principle said he will accept enrolment, all I need to do is go to the school in our area and ask that school to sign that they agree and he will also call the Principle of that school. But I got rejected by the receptionist at the in area school, she refused to sign or ask the principle for me.
Some time later we were called in for an interview with the Principle of our prefered school. He said he couldn't accept our enrolment because because my reasons were not up to their standards.
Before this, I asked my mother to come in office to asked about enrolment for me and because the receptionist translate incorrectly, she wrote down ' it's easier to drop off the eldest kid at highschool and then the primary school kids'.
So after we were denied. I have to enrol my son to the school in our area. It has around 100 students, very small, limited resources. NO disrepect just that I like the other school cos my eldest daughter used to go there from k-6. So my son start kindy. And then bullying happened. He got so scared he stopped school for 2 weeks. Teachers were told but you know how kids are. So yr 1, yr 2 still gets bullied. My son is shy so I don't know if thats their target. Then 2023 my youngest start kindy. And then now she told me some year 6 are bullying her. She gets pushed around, they hit her, and swear at her. I did contacted the teachers. But to this point I have enough. It hurts that my kids say they have to hide in the toilets. That they told teachers but teachers don't believe them. To add on to this matter I have a back injuries, my lower bones are so weak I can't drive. I have to start walking them to school. My eldest goes to high school near the school we like but the two kids current school are in opposite directions. It takes us on a good day 1 hour walking to and from school. My bad bones keeps me at a slow pace. The walking path to school has traffics and so much crossing. Just last night I tried to apply to enrol (online) at the school that rejected us 3 years ago. This were my reasons.
I could no longer drive. I have back injuries. I have to walk my kids to and from school. With the high school of my eldest just close by she can assist me with the two little ones. The distance to the school is so close to our house it will help us tremendously.
For references
Kids current school: 3.5km from home. Walking time is around 50-60mins. Lots of crossing, 7 stretch of long pathways to reach school.
School we want to enrol: 1.4km from home. Walking time around 25mins. We have to cross 1 traffic lights and from there 1 straight pathway to school. The pathway can always be seen by passing cars making us feel safer to walk.
Eldest daughter's highschool from the school we try to enrol: 10 mins walk. From the kid's current school to her school is 1 hr walk.
I don't have anyone to supervise me or my kids.
Here's my question. If my application gets rejected again, I'm going to appeal then I have to go in talk to Principle. Can anyone please help me? What can I say to convince them? I feel like I'm won't sound convincing enough and I get stuck for words when I'm scared.
I don't want to bother them with the bullied story because I tried it last year and got rejected by 3 nearby school. The reasons is the kids current school principle brushed it off. She said its all sorted and she told me them not to bother. I know this cos one of the principles from other school accidently told me over the phone when he call to tell me the form was denied. Alot of parents from my kids school also told us they tried to move their kids but principle stop them. Maybe she didn't want the population to go down.
I don't know who else to turn to for advice, I really want my kids to feel safe going to school. They all come to me ask if we could change school. They look so sad and it breaks ny heart.
I'm not sure if close proximity of school is enough of a reason but in the form it was listed as second priority. Then why did they reject me 3 years ago.
I am so sorry for making such a long post. I don't know if anyone will response. But if someone does, I truely thank you for helping!
2023.05.31 13:43 Ta_Tea Changing school
Out of area school enrolment help
Hi everyone, in 2020 I tried to enrol my son to a nearby school, it takes 5 mins by car and around 25 mins walk from house. Because of the suburb we lived in it was not considered to be in the zone. But the Principle said he will accept enrolment, all I need to do is go to the school in our area and ask that school to sign that they agree and he will also call the Principle of that school. But I got rejected by the receptionist at the in area school, she refused to sign or ask the principle for me.
Some time later we were called in for an interview with the Principle of our prefered school. He said he couldn't accept our enrolment because because my reasons were not up to their standards.
Before this, I asked my mother to come in office to asked about enrolment for me and because the receptionist translate incorrectly, she wrote down ' it's easier to drop off the eldest kid at highschool and then the primary school kids'.
So after we were denied. I have to enrol my son to the school in our area. It has around 100 students, very small, limited resources. NO disrepect just that I like the other school cos my eldest daughter used to go there from k-6. So my son start kindy. And then bullying happened. He got so scared he stopped school for 2 weeks. Teachers were told but you know how kids are. So yr 1, yr 2 still gets bullied. My son is shy so I don't know if thats their target. Then 2023 my youngest start kindy. And then now she told me some year 6 are bullying her. She gets pushed around, they hit her, and swear at her. I did contacted the teachers. But to this point I have enough. It hurts that my kids say they have to hide in the toilets. That they told teachers but teachers don't believe them. To add on to this matter I have a back injuries, my lower bones are so weak I can't drive. I have to start walking them to school. My eldest goes to high school near the school we like but the two kids current school are in opposite directions. It takes us on a good day 1 hour walking to and from school. My bad bones keeps me at a slow pace. The walking path to school has traffics and so much crossing. Just last night I tried to apply to enrol (online) at the school that rejected us 3 years ago. This were my reasons.
I could no longer drive. I have back injuries. I have to walk my kids to and from school. With the high school of my eldest just close by she can assist me with the two little ones. The distance to the school is so close to our house it will help us tremendously.
For references
Kids current school: 3.5km from home. Walking time is around 50-60mins. Lots of crossing, 7 stretch of long pathways to reach school.
School we want to enrol: 1.4km from home. Walking time around 25mins. We have to cross 1 traffic lights and from there 1 straight pathway to school. The pathway can always be seen by passing cars making us feel safer to walk.
Eldest daughter's highschool from the school we try to enrol: 10 mins walk. From the kid's current school to her school is 1 hr walk.
I don't have anyone to supervise me or my kids.
Here's my question. If my application gets rejected again, I'm going to appeal then I have to go in talk to Principle. Can anyone please help me? What can I say to convince them? I feel like I'm won't sound convincing enough and I get stuck for words when I'm scared.
I don't want to bother them with the bullied story because I tried it last year and got rejected by 3 nearby school. The reasons is the kids current school principle brushed it off. She said its all sorted and she told me them not to bother. I know this cos one of the principles from other school accidently told me over the phone when he call to tell me the form was denied. Alot of parents from my kids school also told us they tried to move their kids but principle stop them. Maybe she didn't want the population to go down.
I don't know who else to turn to for advice, I really want my kids to feel safe going to school. They all come to me ask if we could change school. They look so sad and it breaks ny heart.
I'm not sure if close proximity of school is enough of a reason but in the form it was listed as second priority. Then why did they reject me 3 years ago.
I am so sorry for making such a long post. I don't know if anyone will response. But if someone does, I truely thank you for helping!
submitted by Ta_Tea to breakingmom [link] [comments]
Hi everyone, in 2020 I tried to enrol my son to a nearby school, it takes 5 mins by car and around 25 mins walk from house. Because of the suburb we lived in it was not considered to be in the zone. But the Principle said he will accept enrolment, all I need to do is go to the school in our area and ask that school to sign that they agree and he will also call the Principle of that school. But I got rejected by the receptionist at the in area school, she refused to sign or ask the principle for me.
Some time later we were called in for an interview with the Principle of our prefered school. He said he couldn't accept our enrolment because because my reasons were not up to their standards.
Before this, I asked my mother to come in office to asked about enrolment for me and because the receptionist translate incorrectly, she wrote down ' it's easier to drop off the eldest kid at highschool and then the primary school kids'.
So after we were denied. I have to enrol my son to the school in our area. It has around 100 students, very small, limited resources. NO disrepect just that I like the other school cos my eldest daughter used to go there from k-6. So my son start kindy. And then bullying happened. He got so scared he stopped school for 2 weeks. Teachers were told but you know how kids are. So yr 1, yr 2 still gets bullied. My son is shy so I don't know if thats their target. Then 2023 my youngest start kindy. And then now she told me some year 6 are bullying her. She gets pushed around, they hit her, and swear at her. I did contacted the teachers. But to this point I have enough. It hurts that my kids say they have to hide in the toilets. That they told teachers but teachers don't believe them. To add on to this matter I have a back injuries, my lower bones are so weak I can't drive. I have to start walking them to school. My eldest goes to high school near the school we like but the two kids current school are in opposite directions. It takes us on a good day 1 hour walking to and from school. My bad bones keeps me at a slow pace. The walking path to school has traffics and so much crossing. Just last night I tried to apply to enrol (online) at the school that rejected us 3 years ago. This were my reasons.
I could no longer drive. I have back injuries. I have to walk my kids to and from school. With the high school of my eldest just close by she can assist me with the two little ones. The distance to the school is so close to our house it will help us tremendously.
For references
Kids current school: 3.5km from home. Walking time is around 50-60mins. Lots of crossing, 7 stretch of long pathways to reach school.
School we want to enrol: 1.4km from home. Walking time around 25mins. We have to cross 1 traffic lights and from there 1 straight pathway to school. The pathway can always be seen by passing cars making us feel safer to walk.
Eldest daughter's highschool from the school we try to enrol: 10 mins walk. From the kid's current school to her school is 1 hr walk.
I don't have anyone to supervise me or my kids.
Here's my question. If my application gets rejected again, I'm going to appeal then I have to go in talk to Principle. Can anyone please help me? What can I say to convince them? I feel like I'm won't sound convincing enough and I get stuck for words when I'm scared.
I don't want to bother them with the bullied story because I tried it last year and got rejected by 3 nearby school. The reasons is the kids current school principle brushed it off. She said its all sorted and she told me them not to bother. I know this cos one of the principles from other school accidently told me over the phone when he call to tell me the form was denied. Alot of parents from my kids school also told us they tried to move their kids but principle stop them. Maybe she didn't want the population to go down.
I don't know who else to turn to for advice, I really want my kids to feel safe going to school. They all come to me ask if we could change school. They look so sad and it breaks ny heart.
I'm not sure if close proximity of school is enough of a reason but in the form it was listed as second priority. Then why did they reject me 3 years ago.
I am so sorry for making such a long post. I don't know if anyone will response. But if someone does, I truely thank you for helping!
2023.05.31 13:20 Ta_Tea Out of area school enrolment help
Hi everyone, in 2020 I tried to enrol my son to a nearby school, it takes 5 mins by car and around 25 mins walk from house. Because of the suburb we lived in it was not considered to be in the zone. But the Principle said he will accept enrolment, all I need to do is go to the school in our area and ask that school to sign that they agree and he will also call the Principle of that school. But I got rejected by the receptionist at the in area school, she refused to sign or ask the principle for me.
Some time later we were called in for an interview with the Principle of our prefered school. He said he couldn't accept our enrolment because because my reasons were not up to their standards.
Before this, I asked my mother to come in office to asked about enrolment for me and because the receptionist translate incorrectly, she wrote down ' it's easier to drop off the eldest kid at highschool and then the primary school kids'.
So after we were denied. I have to enrol my son to the school in our area. It has around 100 students, very small, limited resources. NO disrepect just that I like the other school cos my eldest daughter used to go there from k-6. So my son start kindy. And then bullying happened. He got so scared he stopped school for 2 weeks. Teachers were told but you know how kids are. So yr 1, yr 2 still gets bullied. My son is shy so I don't know if thats their target. Then 2023 my youngest start kindy. And then now she told me some year 6 are bullying her. She gets pushed around, they hit her, and swear at her. I did contacted the teachers. But to this point I have enough. It hurts that my kids say they have to hide in the toilets. That they told teachers but teachers don't believe them. To add on to this matter I have a back injuries, my lower bones are so weak I can't drive. I have to start walking them to school. My eldest goes to high school near the school we like but the two kids current school are in opposite directions. It takes us on a good day 1 hour walking to and from school. My bad bones keeps me at a slow pace. The walking path to school has traffics and so much crossing. Just last night I tried to apply to enrol (online) at the school that rejected us 3 years ago. This were my reasons.
I could no longer drive. I have back injuries. I have to walk my kids to and from school. With the high school of my eldest just close by she can assist me with the two little ones. The distance to the school is so close to our house it will help us tremendously.
For references
Kids current school: 3.5km from home. Walking time is around 50-60mins. Lots of crossing, 7 stretch of long pathways to reach school.
School we want to enrol: 1.4km from home. Walking time around 25mins. We have to cross 1 traffic lights and from there 1 straight pathway to school. The pathway can always be seen by passing cars making us feel safer to walk.
Eldest daughter's highschool from the school we try to enrol: 10 mins walk. From the kid's current school to her school is 1 hr walk.
I don't have anyone to supervise me or my kids.
Here's my question. If my application gets rejected again, I'm going to appeal then I have to go in talk to Principle. Can anyone please help me? What can I say to convince them? I feel like I'm won't sound convincing enough and I get stuck for words when I'm scared.
I don't want to bother them with the bullied story because I tried it last year and got rejected by 3 nearby school. The reasons is the kids current school principle brushed it off. She said its all sorted and she told me them not to bother. I know this cos one of the principles from other school accidently told me over the phone when he call to tell me the form was denied. Alot of parents from my kids school also told us they tried to move their kids but principle stop them. Maybe she didn't want the population to go down.
I don't know who else to turn to for advice, I really want my kids to feel safe going to school. They all come to me ask if we could change school. They look so sad and it breaks ny heart.
I'm not sure if close proximity of school is enough of a reason but in the form it was listed as second priority. Then why did they reject me 3 years ago.
I am so sorry for making such a long post. I don't know if anyone will response. But if someone does, I truely thank you for helping!
submitted by Ta_Tea to AskAnAustralian [link] [comments]
Some time later we were called in for an interview with the Principle of our prefered school. He said he couldn't accept our enrolment because because my reasons were not up to their standards.
Before this, I asked my mother to come in office to asked about enrolment for me and because the receptionist translate incorrectly, she wrote down ' it's easier to drop off the eldest kid at highschool and then the primary school kids'.
So after we were denied. I have to enrol my son to the school in our area. It has around 100 students, very small, limited resources. NO disrepect just that I like the other school cos my eldest daughter used to go there from k-6. So my son start kindy. And then bullying happened. He got so scared he stopped school for 2 weeks. Teachers were told but you know how kids are. So yr 1, yr 2 still gets bullied. My son is shy so I don't know if thats their target. Then 2023 my youngest start kindy. And then now she told me some year 6 are bullying her. She gets pushed around, they hit her, and swear at her. I did contacted the teachers. But to this point I have enough. It hurts that my kids say they have to hide in the toilets. That they told teachers but teachers don't believe them. To add on to this matter I have a back injuries, my lower bones are so weak I can't drive. I have to start walking them to school. My eldest goes to high school near the school we like but the two kids current school are in opposite directions. It takes us on a good day 1 hour walking to and from school. My bad bones keeps me at a slow pace. The walking path to school has traffics and so much crossing. Just last night I tried to apply to enrol (online) at the school that rejected us 3 years ago. This were my reasons.
I could no longer drive. I have back injuries. I have to walk my kids to and from school. With the high school of my eldest just close by she can assist me with the two little ones. The distance to the school is so close to our house it will help us tremendously.
For references
Kids current school: 3.5km from home. Walking time is around 50-60mins. Lots of crossing, 7 stretch of long pathways to reach school.
School we want to enrol: 1.4km from home. Walking time around 25mins. We have to cross 1 traffic lights and from there 1 straight pathway to school. The pathway can always be seen by passing cars making us feel safer to walk.
Eldest daughter's highschool from the school we try to enrol: 10 mins walk. From the kid's current school to her school is 1 hr walk.
I don't have anyone to supervise me or my kids.
Here's my question. If my application gets rejected again, I'm going to appeal then I have to go in talk to Principle. Can anyone please help me? What can I say to convince them? I feel like I'm won't sound convincing enough and I get stuck for words when I'm scared.
I don't want to bother them with the bullied story because I tried it last year and got rejected by 3 nearby school. The reasons is the kids current school principle brushed it off. She said its all sorted and she told me them not to bother. I know this cos one of the principles from other school accidently told me over the phone when he call to tell me the form was denied. Alot of parents from my kids school also told us they tried to move their kids but principle stop them. Maybe she didn't want the population to go down.
I don't know who else to turn to for advice, I really want my kids to feel safe going to school. They all come to me ask if we could change school. They look so sad and it breaks ny heart.
I'm not sure if close proximity of school is enough of a reason but in the form it was listed as second priority. Then why did they reject me 3 years ago.
I am so sorry for making such a long post. I don't know if anyone will response. But if someone does, I truely thank you for helping!
2023.05.31 13:02 FelicitySmoak_ On This Day In Michael Jackson HIStory - May 31st
 | 1968 - The Jackson 5 perform a week long gig at the Capitol Theater (closed- 1985) in Chicago, Illinois submitted by FelicitySmoak_ to MichaelJackson [link] [comments] 1977 - Michael visits Studio 54, where he parties with Steve Rubell, Steven Tyler & Cherrie Currie among others, after opening day of Beatlemania, a Broadway musical revue focused on the music of the Beatles as it related to the events of the 1960s, in New York City https://preview.redd.it/n1imi1ykm03b1.jpg?width=307&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f20bc980b34b8b2bbe1c132e6822b46c9e84a749 https://preview.redd.it/vm17bdolm03b1.jpg?width=612&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73ef9676efd6f8668c470335d98dec2f83045f69 1993 - The World Music Awards, which was filmed on May 12th, airs with Michael winning 3 awards 1997 - Michael Jackson begins the second leg of HIStory World Tour, with a show at Waserstadion in Bremen, Germany, to an audience of 85,000 https://preview.redd.it/psw7krbrm03b1.jpg?width=144&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=593ef3efc57e24dd7827481d813164766261cc85 2005 - Trial Day 63 Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial had the day off as lawyers wrangled over the instructions they were to be given for their deliberations. Judge Melville announced that closing arguments would begin Thursday morning (in 2 days), while jurors would receive the instructions the afternoon before. Jackson was not present in court as lawyers hammered out the jurors written instructions. Spokesperson Raymone Bain said he "is going through a lot of emotions right now -- relief that it's over, but very nervous. Because, of course you know, a very major decision is going to be made within the next several days." In a move expected to favor prosecutors, Judge Melville said he would reduce the alcohol charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. The change in the charge came at the request of prosecutors and was met with objections from the singers defense. Prosecutors allege that Jackson supplied alcohol to his accuser and younger brother. Legal experts say the misdemeanor charge will be easier to prove, but would carry a lesser sentence, most likely a fine or a short term in county jail. The felony charge alone would have carried a 2- 4 year sentence in state prison. The Judge will also instruct the jury not to take the Living with Michael Jackson documentary for the truth of what is said except for certain identified passages. "The rest is considered hearsay and you can only consider that it aired and its impact if any on Mr. Jackson," said Judge Melville. He did not specify which passages were being referred to. Lawyers also argued about how jurors should determine the credibility of witnesses and how they should consider the past allegations against Jackson. The Judge said jurors would be told to consider the alleged past acts only if they "tend to show [Jacksons] intent" with regard to the current charges against him. The approved jury instructions read: "Evidence has been introduced for the purpose of showing the defendant committed crimes other than those for which he is on trial," the approved instructions read. "This evidence, if believed, may be considered by you only for the limited purpose of deciding if it tends to show a characteristic plan or scheme to commit acts." Judge Melville will tell jurors that they are entitled to ignore the testimony of witnesses who lied purposefully, but said they were not required to do so if they felt the witnesses were truthful in other regards. Today's arguments from lawyers went on for hours, prompting defense attorney Robert Sanger to say: "Your honor, if we had televised today's proceedings we could have deterred an entire generation of kids from going to law school." Later, during a discussion of an instruction to jurors not to bring cell phones into deliberations, Sanger quipped, "That replaced the old one that had to do with bringing Ouija boards in." The absence of both Mesereau and prosecutor Ron Zonen has led to speculation that the two attorneys are working on their closing arguments for Thursday. Court Transcript https://preview.redd.it/xovn26itm03b1.jpg?width=470&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9ca42132cec02b6845b9ced4e122342ee763233 https://preview.redd.it/ulpi709um03b1.jpg?width=408&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90118c868b63ecd297ee48ef145c6372770a4a28 2006 - Michael Jackson makes a surprise appearance on the popular SMAPXSMAP variety show in Japan. He shocks everyone in the studio as they cannot believe it is really him https://i.redd.it/kh44axlvm03b1.gif 2013 - Jackson v AEG Trial Day 21 Court is a half day today between the hours of 9 AM - 1 PM. Katherine and Rebbie Jackson are at court. Paul Gongaware AEG Cross Putnam asked Gongaware if he had any understanding as to why Michael was taking painkillers. "Before the 3rd leg of the Dangerous tour started, he had scalp surgery, hit nerve or something it was very painful; was treated for that .When he did the Pepsi commercial, his hair was burn at the top," Gongaware explained, saying they did surgery so hair would look natural. "I didn't know it was an addiction"Gongaware said & that he learned MJ had drug problems after Mexico City. Gongaware did a Rod Stewart tour in North America after Dangerous tour. He next worked with Michael in the HIStory tour in 1996/97 Gongaware said he did not have a general concern with Michael having a drug addiction. After shows ended in Hawaii, Michael had lost $27 million, was in debt $11 million to lighting and sound, Gongaware testified. He switched managers to fix things in the second half of the tour, Gongaware explained. Gongaware said he had to cut lots of expenses. They wanted to give Michael the same show, but he said there was so much excess to be trimmed. Second half of the tour, Gongaware was the tour executive and he worked directly for Michael. It netted $14 million, $11 million paid vendors. We got the tour to break even, Gongaware testified, saying he worked closely with Jackson on the second half of the tour Putnam: "Was there an ongoing concern Mr. Jackson was having problems with painkillers during the HIStory tour?"Gongaware said he didn't see anything that would suggest Michael was addicted to painkillers. He testified that Michael didn't have a doctor traveling with him on the second half of the tour and there was no tour doctor with the tour. Putnam: "How was Michael on the HIStory tour?"Gongaware said MJ only missed one show on HIStory tour when Princess Diana died. "He went to bed, knew about the accident.". Michael was told Diana was going to be okay and next morning he learned she died, Gongaware described. "That affected him greatly." Gongaware said he missed shows in Dangerous tour but not in HIStory tour. Putnam asked if there were signs MJ was using painkillers during HIStory tour. "No indication at all. I didn't think he was," Gongaware said. He said he would certainly notice if there was any problem during that tour. Gongaware said HIStory tour was pretty smooth. It ended in 1997. Right after, Gongaware said Michael called him and asked him to work for him. "He liked my work, he liked what I did," Gongaware said, adding that Michael wanted him to be his business manager. Gongaware said he didn't accept the offer and decided to go out on his own to promote concerts. He was tempted, Gongaware said, but he had lined up what he wanted to do. He worked with Yani next. AEG defense attorney Marvin Putnam then asked Gongaware to describe the founding of his company, and its purchase by AEG. Gongaware had co-founded a new version of a company called Concerts West. Gongaware and his partner, John Meglen, created Concerts West in the late 90s. Concerts West started out with concerts of Andrea Bocceli, Mariah Carrey, Eagles and Millennium at Staples Center. AEG acquired the assets of Concerts West around 2000, Gongaware said, and Concerts West became AEG Live. Randy Phillips is AEG's CEO.Gongaware said he made a deal that requires him to work only half time starting this year Putnam then asked Gongaware about plaintiff's contention that AEG was desperate for This Is It because it wanted to pass rival Live Nation. "It's so much bigger", AEG Live exec Paul Gongaware said of Live Nation. "It is so much more complicated"; He said that Live Nation has to find artists to fill the many venues it owns, and that AEG Live doesn't have that issue. Gongaware said AEG Live is the second largest concert promoter company. Live Nation is the first. "Our philosophy is different," Gongaware said, adding they choose what they want to do, whereas Live Nation has to meet their quota. Putnam: "Would you like to be number 1?"Next time Gongaware worked with Michael was on the This Is It tour. Peter Lopez, Michael's attorney, called Gongaware's partner in 2007, asked to meet. From 1997 to 2009, MJ did not do any touring, only a couple of shows. Gongaware said he went to Vegas to meet with Michael in 2007. The meeting was to discuss how AEG did tours, didn't talk about him touring. They met again in 2008, also in Vegas. "Paul Gongaware! I knew that if you came, things were going to be ok," Michael said about him. Gongaware said Jackson remembered him and told him regarding the HIStory tour, "Whenever I saw you, I knew things were going to be OK" Putnam asked about Gongaware's use of the term 'Mikey' to describe Jackson. Gongaware said he used it with Jackson. He described Jackson as getting in playful moods, and that's when he would call him Mikey; Said he wasn't mocking him. "Mikey was not meant as an insult", Gongaware said. Putnam: "Did he seem thin in 07?"Gongaware said Michael was alert, engaged, interested in what was going on in the meeting in 2007. He wanted to do a King Tut mini-movie. The next meeting with Michael was in NY. Gongaware didn't remember what they discussed. Sometime in 08, they began discussion of Michael going back on tour. Dr. Tohme, Michael's manager, approached AEG. Randy Phillips was primarily the one involved in the discussions with Dr. Tohme and Peter Lopez regarding the comeback tour. The meeting in 2008 began with discussion of a possible MJ exhibit at the Hilton in Las Vegas. Colony Capital is an investment company that bought the note of Neverland, Gongaware said. By 'note' he meant the 'mortgage'. "They (Colony) were trying to figure out what to do with Neverland" Gongaware talked about being at Michael's house at Carolwood when the singer signed the contract with AEG for the This Is It tour. "Michael read everything in the contract", Gongaware said. He remembered Michael being engaged, alert and paying attention. "He was good.I felt great about it," Gongaware said. "It was a Michael Jackson tour, it was a great thing." Gongaware said he watched Michael pretty carefully in the meetings, he knew Michael had went to rehab, but he didn't see any signs of drug problems. Gongaware said he was aware of the physical exam done on Jackson after the signing for the tour.Email on 2/11/09 from Bob Taylor to Gongaware: Thanks Paul. I now have the medical and blood reports. Looks good. I now need more info of what is available. This will help with the presentation to the insurers. I would like to offer insurers a medical update say every 21 days.Response from Gongaware: I'm not ready to put anything in writing.Gongaware said it was because he didn't have the answers. Gongaware said he did not have concerns with Michael abusing prescription drugs. "It just confirmed what I believed, that he was fine. He wasn't doing any drugs," Gongaware said about the results of Michael's physical exam. A February 2009 email between him and the insurance broker showed that insurers wanted med checkups on Jackson every 21 days. The broker also wanted details on the concert set, dates, and other details that Gongaware said weren't decided on yet. "The back to back shows WILL be a problem", the broker wrote Gongaware. Suggested adding them in after Jackson started performing shows. AEG produced/promoted the This Is It I tour. "We needed to front all the money," Gongaware said. "He didn't have the money, so he needed us to do it." Tohme, Michael's manager, told AEG about needing the money. Gongaware said Tohme emphasized several times that Michael needed to make money. Gongaware said Michael and Ortega figured out the creative elements they wanted and Gongaware had to figure out how to make them happen. Gongaware said the initial phase of rehearsal was done at Center Staging in Burbank, but venue didn't have room for production elements. They moved rehearsals to The Forum, which didn't have a high ceiling to hang the lights. Then they moved to Staples Center. After the morning break, Gongaware said Michael chose This Is It as the name because it was going to be his last. Gongaware: "You never know what kind of business a tour will do. We had no idea the demand, we wanted to make sure it was successful. Initially, they had 31 shows scheduled"Gongaware said Prince had done 21 shows at the O2 arena, and Michael wanted to do 10 more. "You didn't know what the ticket sales would be," Gongaware said. So they announced only 10 shows to test the waters. "Demand was there obviously in the presale," Gongaware said. He talked to Tohme, asked for more than 50 shows. Tohme said Michael would do 50. On March 5, 2009, Michael held a press conference in front of O2 arena and announced the comeback tour. Gongaware was present. Michael was not on time, late by a couple of hours. Gongaware said it didn't surprise him since Michael didn't like to do those things (press conferences) "His schedules don't always run like clockwork", said Gongaware, who was a little annoyed by it but not surprised. "Michael came up to me, gave me a big hug, whispered in my ear 'make sure the Teleprompter has big words, I don't have my glasses'" Gongaware said. Putnam: "Did he seem inebriated?"Gongaware thought the press conference was great. "The reaction of the press was really good, I think people liked he was returning." Gongaware said they asked people to register on a website and only people registered could get into the presale to purchase tickets. He said that based on the response, they knew the tour was going to be a major success "He was good," the AEG executive testified. "I think he was excited" One day after that, Gongaware said Michael called him to discuss the tour. He said Michael chose Kenny Ortega to direct the show. "Michael liked special effects", Gongaware said. He put together a presentation for Michael with the latest effects and made him promise he would show up. Demonstration was on 3/16/09 at Sony Studios. It had 3D on LED that was never done before, pyro and new type of flame. Putnam showed a clip of the This Is It documentary where there are the pyro effects that were going to be used. "He loved it," Gongaware said, adding Michael didn't seem to be bothered with pyro usage. Gongaware said there was a pretty cool water fountain effect shown and not used. "It was messy," he described. "He was really engaged, as he saw all the effects he got really excited." Gongaware said he had no concern that Michael had drug problems, didn't seem slow or lethargic in March of 2009. A meeting was scheduled for March 17, 09. Gongaware emailed Michael's assistant that only Michael and Kenny Ortega should be in that meeting. "They were the creative forces and needed to find the show's path before including everyone else", Gongaware explained Regarding Kenny Ortega watching out for Michael's health, Gongaware said no one at AEG asked him to do that. Gongaware thought Ortega watched out because they were friends and worked together. Gongaware will join The Rolling Stones tour this weekend, but will return on Monday to resume testifying Court Transcript |
2023.05.31 12:54 weedislifeman Daily Discussion Thread - May 31, 2023
Daily Discussion Thread - May 31, 2023
Welcome to the weedstocks Daily Discussion Thread!New to Reddit? Read This.New to weedstocks? Read This.Want to start trading? Read This.Use the search bar before asking any question. All questions that can be answered by these resources may be removed.Looking for research resources about which company to invest in? Please refer to our sidebar -- specifically our featured Investing References -- to help you in your research process.This thread is intended for the community to talk about whichever company with others in a casual manner.Unrelated discussion will always be removed (as per rule #3). Reddit is full of various other communities, and while we understand cross-discussion, unrelated topics should be discussed in their appropriate subreddits.Please remember proper reddiquette when participating in the conversation. As always, rule #1 ("be kind and respectful") will be strictly enforced here to prevent any uncivil discussion and personal attacks.
Submitted May 31, 2023 at 11:00AM
submitted by weedislifeman to weedstocksreddit [link] [comments]
Welcome to the weedstocks Daily Discussion Thread!New to Reddit? Read This.New to weedstocks? Read This.Want to start trading? Read This.Use the search bar before asking any question. All questions that can be answered by these resources may be removed.Looking for research resources about which company to invest in? Please refer to our sidebar -- specifically our featured Investing References -- to help you in your research process.This thread is intended for the community to talk about whichever company with others in a casual manner.Unrelated discussion will always be removed (as per rule #3). Reddit is full of various other communities, and while we understand cross-discussion, unrelated topics should be discussed in their appropriate subreddits.Please remember proper reddiquette when participating in the conversation. As always, rule #1 ("be kind and respectful") will be strictly enforced here to prevent any uncivil discussion and personal attacks.
Submitted May 31, 2023 at 11:00AM