Staked: 193.15u, Profit/Loss: +8.41u, ROI: 4.36%, Parlay Suggestions: 51-21
Scroll down for UFC 289 Breakdowns. Below is just a review of last week’s bets.
UFC Vegas 74
Staked: 18.70u
Profit/Loss: -3.31u
Parlay Suggestions: 3-2
✅ 2u Alex Caceres to Win & Arlovski/Mayes Over 1.5 Rounds (+100)
❌ 2u Jim Miller & Jamie Mullarkey to Win (-125)
✅ 2.5u Jim Miller ITD (-105)
✅ 0.5u Jim Miller in Round 1 (+235)
❌ 2u Abubakar Nurmagomedov to Win (-105)
❌ 1.5u Andrei Arlovski to Win by Decision (+200)
❌ 2u Muin Gafarov to Win (-125)
❌ 3u Luan Lacerda to Win (-125)❌ 1u Luan Lacerda to Win by Submission or Decision (+100)
✅ 2u Philipe Lins to Win (+140)
Once again I was my own worst enemy, making some good reads once I initially dropped the preview (Lins, Caceres, Elliott) but consistently made tweaks in the build-up that sent things south. I really need to be more disciplined and block out the noise once I’ve made my initial conclusions. I remember when I started posting here I was tipping about four bets maximum…now I apparently have action across almost every fight.
Going forward I think I’ll stop analysing each bet in this section, as no-one seems to really comment on that stuff and it just eats into the overall character count.
So let’s get into the PPV.
UFC 289
This is a weird, weird PPV card. I guess they kind of have to have a title fight at the top of the billing over a number-one contender bout as co-main, but to see Mike Malott, Nate Landwehr and Eryk Anders perform before Charles Oliveira…and then Amanda Nunes as the main event, is quite funny. Canadian MMA has been in ruins since GSP and Rory MacDonald left the UFC, and none of the guys on this card are not the one to restore its glory.
I know I say it every time the PPV event rolls around, but MMA oddsmakers are very sharp for these higher profile events. Once again I find myself coming to very similar conclusions for a lot of the fights here, so I very much expect this one to be a much smaller slate for me. Definitely a good idea given what I said in the review of last week.
​
Amanda Nunes v Irene Aldana
There’s a very loud narrative surrounding Amanda Nunes these days, and it’s a hard one to ignore. Having been in the UFC for a decade and holding a title for 7 years, there’s literally nothing left for her to do. She’s had the big money fights that Women’s MMA can offer (Rousey, Cyborg & the “redemption” sequel with Pena), and she doesn’t seem interested in setting up another fight with Shevchenko (who, to be fair, she’s beaten twice). What else is there for Nunes to be motivated for?
Outside the cage, She’s started a family with Nina Ansaroff, who also retired very recently and has spoken about wanting a second child with Nunes. The Brazilian has spoken quite candidly about her aspirations to retire very soon as well, and I believe that she would have laid her gloves in the centre of the Octagon if she’d beaten Pena in their initial meeting. She had to right the wrongs in the sequel, but a victory over Pena at UFC 289 to make it 2-1 in the series was probably enough of a narrative for Nunes to put her career to bed then and there. It’s a bold prediction, but I have a hunch that Nunes has done this whole training camp knowing it’s going to be her last.
Unfortunately, Pena was forced to withdraw and Irene Aldana steps in to challenge for the belt instead. Mexican MMA is absolutely booming right now, with three champions in the last few months, and the stage really feels set for Aldana. She’s always had very impressive boxing, as well as some opportunistic submissions…but her inability to stuff takedowns has often been her undoing in her career. Given that Nunes has relied heavily on her wrestling in recent years (20 takedowns in her last 4 wins), I think it’s fair to say Nunes should once again be favoured here.
Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight have been underdeveloped weight classes for some time now, where the same names that were competing for the belt in like 2019 are still in the top 5 (looking at you Holly Holm!). The next generation seems to have broken through at Flyweight, with Valentina losing her last two title defences (not officially, but I scored the first one quite confidently for Santos). Nunes has been fortunate enough to govern over a division that doesn’t have many of those up-and-coming prospects yet, but those on the rise are still training and competing in a modern MMA context more frequently than the champion – which makes me think the changing of the guard could happen sometime soon. (For more on this, I asked a hypothetical question in the comment section).
So, overall, I think there are a lot of valid asterisks on Nunes’ name at the moment, and I think her career is coming to an end sometime soon, if not after this fight. However, if she’s fighting at her optimum then Aldana’s weaknesses can certainly be exploited, and are enough to deem her the Champion as favourite. With that said, I actually think Aldana could more than hold her own in the striking, so I would already be lining this one closer than Nunes normally is…and after adding in the narrative that surrounds the fight I think it gets even closer.
Therefore, I’ll be playing a 0.5u “value bet” on Aldana. It’s not something I expect to win, but I think her chances of winning are much greater than the odds available.
How I line this fight: Amanda Nunes -175 (64%), Irene Aldana +175 (36%)
Bet or Pass: 0.5u Irene Aldana to Win (+300)
Notable Props: I'd encourage you to play Nunes by Submission or Decision if you wanted to play her.
​
Charles Oliveira v Beneil Dariush
Oh this is a spicy one. Charles Oliveira holds a special place in my heart as being my favourite fighter of all time, and he’s the fighter I’ve definitely made the most money on in my time betting on MMA. At the start of that massive win streak he went on, you could get a decent price on Oliveira ITD against so many prelim guys, and the underdog prices available against Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier were even better.
But, as we know, Islam Makhachev exists and did a sensational job against Oliveira. Such a good job in fact, that I expect it to be footage that Beneil Dariush and his camp have dissected in great detail.
Dariush is an equally exciting fighter to watch. He’s got a brilliant skillset, but he’s not particularly athletic which makes him a very unassuming fighter. He looks like some bloke that works in HR in your office…not an elite Lightweight UFC fighter.
I think Dariush’s BJJ abilities are going to be the key to this fight, as we’ve seen many times in his career already. High level BJJ is a brilliant quality because not only does it make you dangerous at finishing fights, it also improves your defence and provides the platform for a wrestling based offence. We saw Dariush make full use of this in his wins over Tony Ferguson, Carlos Diego Ferreira (x2) and Thiago Moises, as well as his takedown defence on display against Gamrot. I feel like he’s going to be able to dictate where the fight takes place here.
What interests me is the competitiveness of the striking. If you’ve been watching this sport religiously for over seven years, you’ll still remember when Dariush was thought to have a glass jaw, where the likes of Alex Hernandez, Drew Dober and Drakkar Klose hurt him badly with strikes. I feel like Dariush has had quite favourable matchmaking against that weakness on his recent streak, and Oliveira is potentially one of the biggest threats he’s faced on the feet in recent years in terms of power.
On the flipside, Oliveira is still as reckless as ever, and has been knocked down or hurt in each of his last four title fights. Only Makhachev came away with a win in those fights, because his grappling was at a good enough level that he was happy to follow Charles down to the mat when he knocked him down, and capitalised fully to secure the submission soon after. Dariush has sneaky power himself, and if he is able to land a knockdown on Oliveira then I think we see him capitalise too.
The volatility is going to be massive in this fight, as both men are hard hitters with durability concerns (maybe not in a fight ending sense, but they frequently get rocked). With that in mind, I think any sort of finish is going to be very live in this fight. If not, I think you have to give Dariush the decision winning potential, as I think his ability to find top position is greater than Oliveira’s. It’s enough to make Benny the favourite, but not by a whole lot. I think the books have got this one priced spot on, actually.
How I line this fight: Charles Oliveira +110 (48%), Beneil Dariush -110 (52%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
Notable Props: FDGTD is probably a decent parlay piece at -200 or better
Live Betting Lean: I think the longer this fight goes, the more it favours Dariush due to his round winning superiority.
​
Mike Malott v Adam Fugitt
Honestly the fact that I’m breaking down this fight straight after Oliveira v Dariush is hilarious. I wouldn’t even question it if this was on the prelims of an Apex card.
I underestimated Mike Malott in his last fight against Yohan Lainesse, and my take was so bad that I looked like an idiot. He impressed me a lot, and I think he impressed the UFC too for them to give him this spot on the main card.
Malott looks to have really good submission ability, but I’m still a bit concerned that his striking might be a few too many steps behind. People will say things looked improved in the Lainesse fight, but I think that was more a case of Lainesse having no real interest in engaging or committing to his strikes in the early goings (he has become gunshy as to manage cardio). The fight against Mickey Gall was a massive, massive red flag for Malott…no one in the UFC should really be getting outstruck by Gall. That footage was from a year ago though, so there’s a chance he has improved things since then…but I don’t think you can really use the Lainesse fight as evidence of that.
Malott faces Adam Fugitt, who took the ‘sacrificial lamb’ approach to entering the UFC when he was paired up with Michael Morales – who is lowkey a very bright young prospect. It’s important not to judge a fighter by their performance in that type of fight, it’s best to instead treat their sophomore fight as their ‘real’ debut. We saw that with Fugitt, as he dominated Yusaku Kinoshita as a +260 underdog earlier this year.
I was quite impressed with Fugitt in his loss to Morales. His striking clearly wasn’t on Morales’ level, and he’ll have to be careful of Malott’s powerful hands, but he showed decent defensive awareness and had a couple of moments of his own. Fugitt’s a bit too kick heavy for my liking, but it looks like it confuses opponents and actually works well at establishing range. It did exactly that in his Solomon Renfro win.
Malott’s fight against Renfro however, despite only being 90 seconds long, really sums up his abilities as a fighter. He was getting tagged on the feet, but managed to find one moment to land a powerful shot and sinked in a choke in the blink of an eye. He was losing 98% of that fight convincingly.
The big question for this fight revolves around Fugitt’s grappling ability on bottom, and initial takedown defence, as that’s where most of Malott’s win equity is going to be. Unfortunately we have not actually seen him defensive grapple, so honestly it’s impossible to accurately line this fight given how integral it should be. The only inclination I have is that Fugitt’s takedowns have looked really good in his two fights. DC was very impressed with how he got Morales down, and his trips were also looking on point against Kinoshita. He did great work on top as well when he did establish position, and worked his way to a finish efficiently.
However, there can sometimes be a big disparity between a wrestler’s grappling ability on top vs on bottom, which is why BJJ is so important to MMA (see the breakdown of Dariush!). Therefore, complimenting Fugitt’s top position grappling doesn’t mean a whole lot, as he could be atrocious on bottom, and even if he does use wrestling himself he’s going to dive headfirst into Malott’s nasty guillotine.
So in conclusion, you can’t have super strong opinions on this fight, but you can deduce that Malott has more ways to win. If Fugitt isn’t winning via striking, it’s likely he’s not winning at all. Malott, on the other hand, could win with a big shot on the feet, through takedowns and top control of his own, or even from a guard submission on bottom.
Therefore, with Malott being the hometown hero and likely taking all the betting action on the moneyline, I think the books have the liberty to juice his odds a fair bit. -200 is probably an example of that, but it’s not too far off where I’d line this fight. There are still enough unknowns about both men that I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Fugitt pull off the upset, but I think the +170 available on him in return isn’t providing a whole lot of value. Smart work by the oddsmakers.
How I line this fight: Mike Malott -175 (64%), Adam Fugitt +175 (36%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
Notable Props: Malott by Submission would be the bet I’d make at +200 or better if someone told me I had to. Won’t be playing it though.
​
Dan Ige v Nate Landwehr
Well it seems the UFC matchmakers have confirmed their position on Dan Ige. He’s a top 15 gatekeeper now! His string of losses to Evloev, Emmett, Korean Zombie and Kattar did put one too many nails in his title aspiration coffin, but those bounce-back performances against Gavin Tucker and Damon Jackson were pretty impressive to me.
Ige is still a very, very tricky fighter to beat because he’s so well rounded, as most of the top 15 at Featherweight are. Ige faces Nate Landwehr, who has been on an entertaining run of form in the UFC – beating the likes of Ludovit Klein, David Onama and Austin Lingo. Whilst running through his record, it is important to note he went to a close decision in a striking bout against Darren Elkins, and also lost to Herbert Burns and Julian Erosa.
As I say quite often in higher level FeatheBantam/Fly-Weight breakdowns, they’re very tricky divisions to identify skill gaps in. The elite in the division are all very well-rounded offensively and defensively, so it often feels like you’re splitting hairs when you’re trying to find attributes that favour one fighter over the other.
The same can kind of be said here, except Dan Ige has the much better record in terms of actual wins and overall experience. If I imagine Nate Landwehr competing against Ige’s last eight opponents, I genuinely think he might win 1 or 2 of them…whilst Ige has won 4, not been finished in any of the losses and given a good account of himself on each scorecard (except the Evloev loss).
So honestly, the only real thing I feel I can reference here in terms of differentiating between both men is ‘levels’…but I genuinely think that’s enough for Ige to be about -200 here. You can’t go any further than that because this fight should still be reasonably competitive, but given what Ige has done to the opponents he’s stepped down in competition for (Damon Jackson, Gavin Tucker), I think you can have a certain degree of confidence that he should find that extra 10% to clearly win this fight. That equates to around -175 in my mind.
How I line this fight: Dan Ige -175 (64%), Nate Landwehr +175 (36%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
Notable Props: Ige ITD could be of some interest, as he’s started showing real power in his hands, and Landwehr is quite finish-able in his losses.
​
Marc-Andre Barriault v Eryk Anders
Eryk Anders is one of the most frustrating guys to watch. He had so much athleticism and decent skills, but just doesn’t put his best foot forward. Barely any evolution to his game, poor fight IQ…but the occasional glimmers of potential – enough to stop you from writing him off despite his constant underdelivering.
Marc-Andre Barriault is kind of the opposite really. He’s a jack-of-all-trades, master of none…but he will do everything in his power to maximise his advantages to turn the fight in his favour. He isn’t a physical specimen and doesn’t really have much power…but he can hustle hard for 15 minutes and use a mixture of striking, takedowns and clinch work to win rounds.
Anders has actually had some of his better performances in recent fights, looking in great shape and form against Kyle Daukaus, arguably beating Jun Yong Park by decision, and outpoint + KO’ing Darren Stewart (x2) beforehand.
If this fight was happening two years ago, MAB would be like -200 here due to his reliability to out-hustle Anders, but his recent performances have been a little bit lacklustre (Hernandez ragdolled him and Chidi Njokuani folded him like a deckchair). Couple that with the fact that Anders FINALLY looks to be growing into the potential he’s always been on the cusp of with a recent change in training camp…I think you’re looking at a closely lined fight here.
I predict this one ends up being a 29-28, possibly split decision type of fight. One man has activity whilst the other has power. The subjectivity of judging will be in full effect and everyone will call this one a robbery, depending on who they bet on.
How I line this fight: Marc-Andre Barriault +100 (50%), Eryk Anders +100 (50%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
Notable Props: Barriault by Decision would probably be my preferred choice.
​
Jasmine Jasudavicius v Miranda Maverick
Miranda Maverick is a Women’s MMA fighter that I hold in very high regard. The back-to-back losses put a real halt to her hype train, but I think she’s easily got Top 10 potential and got robbed against Maycee Barber anyway. I think her style is one that can very easily exploit a lot of opponents in her division. Her striking’s okay, but her wrestling and top pressure are very dominant tools.
She takes on Jasmine Jasudavicius, who has also used her wrestling ability to good effect in the UFC/DWCS so far. Neither woman is a particularly good striker, and I expect this one to turn into a bit of a scramble fest pretty quickly.
Their statures have been very important factors in their grappling successes so far, but for different reasons. JJ is basically a size bully at 5’7 and will have a 4 inch height advantage once again. Maverick, on the other hand, is going to be the stronger of the two during those close quarter engagements, because she’s pretty damn jacked.
I think Maverick should be favoured overall as I think her wrestling is the superior of the two and should lead to more time in top position, but I’m definitely not keen to play her at -275. Miranda’s strengths are also her opponent’s strengths, and facing the lanky size of Jasudavicius could cause her problems when it comes to securing the initial takedowns against those long legs, or keeping safe from guard submissions or maintaining that dominant position in the first place. Also, if they do somehow end up choosing to strike for significant portions, I can’t actually guarantee that Maverick is the better on the feet (reach disadvantage plays a part too).
I do however like Maverick to win this one, but not by the confidence of the current odds. I’m expecting this one to go the distance, but I highly doubt we get a good line on it as Maverick couldn’t even finish Shanna Young last time out.
How I line this fight: Jasmine Jasudavicius +188 (35%), Miranda Maverick -188 (65%)
Bet or Pass: Pass.
Notable Props: Fight goes to decision. It's probably like -400.
​
Blake Bilder v Kyle Nelson
There are a couple of fights on this card where one guy is clearly more populasuccessful/in-form than their opponent, but they’re still only around -200 (Dan Ige & Mike Malott are the best examples). Blake Bilder is the third. Before I jumped into research for all three of these bouts, I was instinctively thinking that I could easily want to bet all three at -200, as that didn’t seem short enough by my initial perception of their names. I came away from Ige and Malott agreeing with the line and feeling grateful that I looked into it…but I still think Blake Bilder’s odds are providing a bit of value.
Kyle Nelson is one of those fodder guys. The UFC are keeping him around to give to prospects and home-town fighters in the hope that they can invest in the future or the event itself. Jai Herbert notched a win for Team UK against Nelson on a UFC London card, Doo Ho Choi got given a softball to get him back on track for a card that was supposed to be in South Korea. Billy Quarantillo got given Nelson to put his name on the map with a highlight reel finish..and now Blake Bilder is being presented the chance to extend his UFC record to 2-0.
Bilder’s already fought a better opponent in the UFC when he beat Shane Young in February. We saw a very high pace being set in the third round of that fight, with both men landing 100+ significant strikes across the fight and Bilder also attempting 7 takedowns. His cardio is clearly quite decent, which will immediately give him the advantage over Nelson – who has often wilted in the latter half of a fight when the pace has been hectic.
Bilder’s a very well-rounded combatant, and has great BJJ once he gets established time on top. He’s a bit of a concern defensively though, where he can be taken down and can also get caught with strikes.
Kyle Nelson, on the other hand, doesn’t really seem to know what kind of fighter he is. He’s been a brawler for all of his UFC career, but comes out to land five takedowns and is seemingly not interested in striking with a Doo Ho Choi who has questionable durability. He didn’t do much at all with those takedowns either and actually put himself in danger in R1 by insisting on grappling.
If Nelson comes out looking to wrestle Bilder, I think they’re at different levels in the grappling and Blake should be able to turn things around in his favour. If they’re striking, I am aware that Nelson’s got fight ending power, but Bilder’s been much more patient and cerebral in his last couple of fights, so I trust him to stay safe and look for his openings. We saw him reactively find a takedown off of Shane Young’s kick, and Nelson’s offense is very body kick heavy.
Overall, I just think Bilder is the better fighter in pretty much every facet of MMA except one-punch power and, as long as he doesn’t get flash KO’d, I think he rolls here. -200 isn’t quite short enough, and I expect money to come in on him between now and fight night. I’ve already got my money down, just in case.
How I line this fight: Blake Bilder -300 (75%), Kyle Nelson +300 (25%)
Bet or Pass: 5u Blake Bilder to Win (-200)
Notable Props: Bilder ITD or R3 could be interesting. I'd probably be interested in that if I didn't have a lot of exposure already.
Aiemann Zahabi v Aoriqileng
There was a time where Aiemann Zahabi was considered one of the worst guys on the roster. Crazy that the standard of UFC fighter has gotten so much worse that that statement seems ridiculous now. To be fair, Zahabi did pull off a respectable upset in beating Ricky Turcios in his last fight..but it seems to be unanimously agreed that Ricky fought like an idiot in that fight and actually beat himself.
Aoriqileng is quite explosive and clearly hits hard, but he’s a bit too keen to hunt for the KO and it hurts his minute-winning ability. Against someone like Zahabi, who is quite composed and process driven (how could you not be when Firas is your family and coach), and I see that being a pretty key part to this fight. The big moments will side with the Mongolian, but Aiemann could just put together the more cohesive performance if he doesn’t get troubled by that explosiveness.
Overall this is just a pretty low level fight between guys who don’t compete very often. I didn’t have a whole lot to say prior to watching tape, and I’ve come away feeling equally uncertain of how this one’s going to end. An easy pass when there are more active and popular fighters for us to form a stronger opinion on.
How I line this fight: I don’t really know.
Bet or Pass: Pass
Notable Props: None
​
Nassourdine Imavov v Chris Curtis
This one instantly feels like a pretty close fight, solely based off both men’s most recent losses. Imavov getting outstruck by Sean Strickland across 25 minutes was a bit of a shock to everyone, myself included. I expected him to lose via cardio dump, but it was actually just lesser volume, a lack of takedowns being attempted and obviously not landing anything of significance on Strickland.
It’s widely known that Chris Curtis and Sean Strickland are close training partners at Xtreme Couture, which I think makes for an added element to this fight. On six days notice, Strickland and the team managed to devise a pretty genius striking gameplan with disruptive rhythm that completely threw Imavov of. Can Chris Curtis do the same? Probably.
Curtis himself has problems of his own in the striking though, namely that his volume and output just aren’t where they often need to be. I’m not sure whether it’s the managing of his gas tank or what, but he just doesn’t seem able to commit to matching his opponent’s tempo across 15 minutes. He threw the first round away against Gastelum, and it cost him the fight. He bitched and moaned about it on Twitter, but social media’s been telling the guy what his problem is for as long as he’s been in the UFC haha.
I do suspect that there’s a little bit of recency bias on Imavov here, as the guy was a pretty well-respected prospect prior to the loss to Strickland. Some will tell you it was misplaced faith, but he certainly doesn’t have tempo issues in the latter half of fights and should probably have the higher volume across 15 minutes. I don’t see him taking Curtis down either, given the 100% takedown defence and the fact Imavov seemingly abandoned it in his last fight. It would be great if he did though!
So yeah, it’s a bit of a close one this. Off pure skillset I lean towards Imavov at like -150, but the asterisk of Curtis’ team being able to easily design a gameplan against the Frenchman gives me enough pause to not want to pick a side here. I’d be more interested in betting overs, if a decent price is available.
How I line this fight: Nassourdine Imavov -137 (58%), Chris Curtis +137 (42%)
Bet or Pass: 1.5u Fight Goes to Decision (-137 or better)
Notable Props: I think this one goes to decision at a pretty high clip.
​
Diana Belbita v Maria Oliveira
My initial thought was “What would compel someone to bet on this fight?”, then I remember I placed 100 quid on Chase Hooper a few weeks ago…and it was a great bet haha! Given how most of my handicapping for this card has seen me in complete agreement with the books, perhaps looking into a lower level fight with significantly less interest could be the place to a strong opinion!?
Nope. I can’t do it. One quick glance at their records was enough for me. Belbita got 30-25’d by a wrestling Molly McCann and submitted by Liana Jojua, whilst Maria Oliveira got soundly beaten on the scorecards by Vanesa Demopoulos and voluntarily asked to stop fighting after 3 minutes against Marina Rodriguez.
This one isn’t good enough to open an Apex card, let alone sit on a PPV. I usually really dislike all the WMMA bashing on this sub, but this one isn’t worth the time.
How I line this fight: No.
Bet or Pass: No.
Notable Props: No.
Live Betting Lean: You could do something productive with that 15 minutes. Lift some weights, make some food, rewatch Ngannou v Lewis instead?
​
Bets
0.5u Irene Aldana to Win (+300)
5u Blake Bilder to Win (-200)
1.5u Imavov v Curtis Goes to Decision (-137 or better) (Might not get this kind of price).
Parlay Do’s: Dan Ige, Blake Bilder, Imavov/Curtis GTD, Maverick/Jasudavicius GTD
Parlay Don’ts: Amanda Nunes, Mike Malott, Miranda Maverick

If anyone knows therapists or social workers that write ESA letters please DM me. I am I desperate need!

I don’t know what it is about my dog but other dogs pick on him. He hangs around other dogs of the same age and breed and they don’t have these issues. Today we went on a walk at a popular park and dogs walking the opposite way kept lunging at him and it’s not like he was trying to interact with them at all. A few of them were able to make contact and be yelped a few times. In the last third of the walk he just started to hide behind me when any dog was near.
I’m worried he’ll become fearful. He’s such a happy go lucky, friendly dog. He has puppy energy and I know that can be annoying but sometimes he’s just minding his own business and dogs will lunge for him. But the other dogs I was with were entirely left alone. Everyone kept commenting “wow my dog never does that”, etc
Henry is 8 months, male, mini dachshund. Possibly the least intimidating dog ever.
This is just one example but this happens to him at puppy play class and just other random times. What could it be? And how can I ensure he doesn’t become afraid of other dogs?

Ever since I moved home, I had gained a lot of weight, and recently have been cutting back significantly.
I obsereved this pattern with my parents that anyone I come upstairs from my section of the basement, to come upstairs and get food from the kitchen. Rather it is snacks, a plate of dinner ect. They end up coming into the kitchen right away.
Like it happens almost every single time. I could be coming in the kitchen to be making some coffee, and then sooner or later here one of them come. As soon as the microwave stops, here comes my dad coming upstairs out of the blue for whatever reasons.
My mom is more quiet about it. My dad is more loud about it, and it is weird.
Like they monitor everything that goes on in that kitchen.
Then ironically, when I lose weight, they say. "Oh you don't eat no more. Oh I wish you would eat more. Eat more."
I remember one time I went jogging on the trails and my dad started mean mugging me wtf.
Like these are the same individuals who enabled their children to be "you know what" by our uncle and do nothing about it. I mean absoutely nothing about it.... Our uncle still walking the streets years later.
These are the same parents who were upset with me because I chose not to fight back to school bullies in 8th grade when I was getting jumped (kind of).
I came out as gay at 18 yrs old and my mom played the victim.
My dad make us all dependent on him, and then we all continue to crash over and over again.
This is a major lack of detail but just doing bullet points make me realize the state of my current situation living with them...
I am sorry just having revealtions after revelations make you... Need to get it off your chest you know?

I'm not sure if this warrants a tw? I'm sorry if it does. I'm not good at labelling it.
Luckily I had never experienced any overt Christian propaganda throughout my life, but I did attend a Christian primary school of unknown denomination and had faith up until I was 12. I was very much made fun of and bullied for my weight back in primary school (despite being at a healthy weight) and that gave me life long body image and self worth issues, but this was not caused by the religion itself but rather the institution I was in.
I continued believing in the religion even after transferring to a school that does not have religious affiliations, until one day I accomplished something and having the sudden epiphany that I did this with my own abilities, without a god, and thus started my doubt. I guess having one foot out the door of religion also means that I would have to carry the responsibilities that I would otherwise throw to god, for instance me failing to complete a task so instead of finding console in a god I now have to make up my own comfort. Because ever since life seriously took a nosedive to the extent it was almost comical because it all happened after I stopped believing, and I was resentful towards god because I felt that it was terribly unfair that just because I was ever so slightly doubtful, I was hit with a massive boulder by the higher powers by thinking this way. Prayers went unanswered and my depression never got better.
I was thrown a lot of comments by close relatives and even my partner at times, that I "suffered because you simply didn't believe enough." That "you just need Jesus in your life whenever you're feeling down." That with a religious support system, I can find console easier instead of putting myself in a constant state of anxiety. That I have to simply "find god again." All too many times.
These words have made me a very paranoid individual to the point I would see mention of prayers in some random comment section and it would send me to a near panic attack. I'm ALWAYS uncomfortable in a church or having thoughts about Christianity. It gets very bad considering as I've mentioned I have loved ones that are believers. I have a very difficulty time pinpointing what this massive anxiety I feel is like and the closest I can find is religious trauma, but I think that phrasing is a little too big as I haven't experienced anything that warrants PTSD.
I understand I definitely need a therapist for this but it's difficult to find one where I'm at. I just need a general answer from a community where I'm sure most people have been through it.
TLDR need a definition on religious trauma so I can understand whether the anxiety I'm feeling is that or something else.

our neighbour a few doors down has a cat that they don’t look after. they don’t feed her, their child abuses her, with help from the other kids in the street, she has fleas and think either a skin condition or a rlly bad case of fleas cus the fur around her bum and down her legs.
she’s being treated poorly. i want to take her in and take her to a vet but i live at home. i’m 19, not a child. i know how to look after animals and i have enough income to support her. the only problem is that i have to ask permission from my mum to take her in.
she’s telling me no and i simply cannot comprehend why. she says that “she’s not our cat” but in my opinion, the minute you abuse anything or anyone, you lose all rights to them. i don’t think it matters if it’s a child or an animal, it’s just as serious and i say that as a victim of child abuse.
i wouldn’t take a cat that was happy, well loved and cared for.
i feel like i’m being treat like a 5 year old that wants a new puppy but doesn’t understand the responsibility. i’ve had my own pets before and i have my own pet already at the moment. i clearly understand the weight responsibility more than the owners themselves.
is it just me? i don’t understand.

Hello, and welcome to Music’s Biggest Night!
That’s right, it’s the GRAMMYs. The year is 1994 and our category is Best Alternative Music Album. We’ll be rating each of the five nominees on Indieheads, but before we get to the nominees, a quick word about rates.
Hey, quick question, what are rates?
Obviously, if you're familiar with the process, skip this. But if you're new, I'll explain so this doesn't seem like a wild block of text!
Rates are a subreddit game in which a user scores a group of songs on a scale from 1-10, with each individual also given a single 11 and a single 0 to be used exactly once per rate. They will then message their ballot to the rate host, who will tally up all the points and then reveal the final results over a weekend, eliminating songs one by one until the last track remaining wins the rate and bragging rights forever. While there's just a bit more to know, I feel this is the basics of what you'll need to understand what's going on. I do recommend this video made by our popheads brethren to get a fuller picture; while some of the info applies specifically to the way popheads do their rates, the overall format is similar.

Introduction

The GRAMMYs are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry. The name derives from the trophy, which is shaped like an old-fashioned gramophone. The awards celebrate a variety of categories, but we’re going to be looking at Best Alternative Music Album or, as it was called at the time, Best Alternative Music Performance. The question of what "alternative" really means can be debated forever, but the original intent of this award was to celebrate non-mainstream rock albums which were heavily played on college radio. The category first appeared in 1991, so in 1994 the award is still pretty new.
And now, let’s meet our nominees!

Belly - Star

Belly are the act here that seem discussed least frequently on Indieheads, so I’m excited to see what everyone thinks of them. By the time of starting Belly, Tanya Donelly (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) had already been in two other classic indie rock bands. She was a co-founder of Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersch, contributing vocals and guitar for the band’s first decade, though she’d only get a handful of songs per album. Donelly would later start The Breeders with Pixies bassist and vocalist Kim Deal. The Breeders’ debut, Pod, featured Deal as the primary songwriter because existing record contracts prohibited the two from sharing primary writing credits. While they originally intended to alternate albums, Tanya had begun to form Belly by the time it was her turn to do a Breeders album. She recruited Fred Abong (bass) and brothers Tom (guitar) and Chris (drums) Gorman as they’d all known each other while going to high school in Rhode Island.
Belly co-produced most of their 1993 debut Star with Tracy Chisholm. Gil Norton, who’d previously produced Throwing Muses’ self-titled debut, produced four tracks, including singles "Gepetto," "Slow Dog," and "Feed the Tree." "Feed the Tree," one of the album’s highlights, would be the band’s highest charting hit, reaching 95th on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Modern Rock Chart. Star is an effective fusion of alternative rock with jangle pop, dream pop, "haunting" folk, and even some light country influences. At the 1994 GRAMMYs, Belly were also up for Best New Artist with Blind Melon, Digable Planets, and SWV, ultimately losing to R&B singer Toni Braxton. Belly released a sophomore album King in 1995 and Donelly released several solo albums before reuniting with the King lineup to release a third album in 2018. While Star may not have achieved the canonical stature of some of 1994’s other nominees, it is nevertheless a very enjoyable release from a strong songwriter who’d finally gotten the chance to make an album-length statement of her own.
Are Indieheads gonna feed the tree? Will this be an album to die for?
Tracklist:

1. Someone to Die For
2. Angel
3. Dusted
4. Every Word
5. Gepetto
6. Witch
7. Slow Dog
8. Low Red Moon
9. Feed The Tree
10. Full Moon, Empty Heart
11. White Belly
12. Untogether
13. Star
14. Sad Dress
15. Stay

Nirvana - In Utero

If you were wondering where "Heart Shaped Box" was in the Guitar Hero Rate, well I’ve got a treat for you!
Kurt Cobain (vocals and guitar) and Krist Novoselic (bass) met while attending Aberdeen High School in the late 1980s. They shuffled through various names, ultimately deciding on Nirvana because Cobain wanted a name that sounded beautiful and nice instead of mean and raunchy. In their early years, they worked with several different drummers, recording 1989’s Sub Pop debut Bleach with Chad Channing on drums. Channing left the band as they worked on their follow-up. Kurt and Krist met drummer Dave Grohl days after he’d moved to Seattle following the break up of his Washington DC band Scream. The addition of Dave solidified Nirvana’s classic lineup. The trio began seeking a major label to buy them out of their Sub Pop contract as they were dissatisfied with the label’s lack of promotion and distribution of their debut. They eventually signed with DGC Records per the recommendation of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Upon signing, they began work on their major label debut, Nevermind, with producer Butch Vig. 1991’s Nevermind was an unexpected success, bringing grunge and alternative rock to the mainstream and even surpassing Michael Jackson on the Billboard albums chart.
In the aftermath of Nevermind’s success, Cobain felt he needed to reclaim his punk ethic. Wanting to depart from Butch Vig’s slick production (don’t worry, we’ll still be hearing from Vig a little later), he sought to work with Steve Albini. Albini was famous in the underground for his work as frontman for Big Black and various production work, including PJ Harvey’s Dry. He sent a copy of Dry to Cobain to give him an idea of the acoustics in his studio. Albini dismissed Nirvana as "R.E.M. with a fuzzbox" (more on R.E.M. soon!) but decided to work with them because he felt bad for them, recognizing them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with." The band pushed for minimal label oversight and recorded In Utero quickly, wrapping recording sessions in as little as 13 days. The album was noisier and more abrasive than Nevermind, resulting in much dispute between the band, Albini, and the label. Cobain sought to make the kind of record he’d enjoy owning as a fan but began having second thoughts about the sound when listening to it at home. The press picked up on conflict about the album’s sound. The band denied this and DGC president David Geffen called Newsweek to explain they would release whatever Nirvana recorded. Behind the scenes, the band tried to fix the album’s sound in the mastering process, which Albini was strongly against. He’d later supply an alternate mix for the album’s 20th anniversary re-release. R.E.M producer Scott Litt was brought on to remix "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" which were intended to be the album’s singles.
In Utero was released in September of 1993 following a low-key release strategy which sent "Heart Shaped Box" as a promo-only single to various rock station formats but not Top 40. Walmart and K-Mart initially refused to stock the album due to its back cover and the title of the song "Rape Me." (A content note on that song, while it is interpreted as commentary on the invasive music press, it was intended to be a lyrically literal anti-rape song from the perspective of a victim. As this is a rate, you can score this song however you see fit, but I hope it goes without saying that everyone should please be respectful of this subject matter in their comments.) Despite In Utero’s abrasive sound and reduced mainstream promotion, the album still debuted at number one on the Billboard album charts and was well-received by critics. The music often hits harder and faster than Nevermind, containing more of the "punk" feel that Cobain was aiming for compared to the grunge of their early work and their Seattle contemporaries. Check out this MTV clip if you’d like to see how college students in 1993 received the album at the time. The band toured America shortly after In Utero came out. Their European tour that was cut short as Cobain suffered from a drug overdose. A couple weeks later, Cobain died by suicide. As with the subject matter of "Rape Me," I want to request that everyone is respectful of this in their comments, I will ask for edits (or omit comments myself) if they are inappropriate. Despite the tragic ending, Nirvana is still seen as one of American and alternative rock’s most important bands and In Utero remains highly regarded to this day.
Will our comments be all apologies? Are the results of this rate gonna be, uhhh, dumb?
Tracklist:

1. Serve the Servants
2. Scentless Apprentice
3. Heart-Shaped Box
4. Rape Me
5. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
6. Dumb
7. Very Ape
8. Milk It
9. Pennyroyal Tea
10. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
11. Tourette’s
12. All Apologies

R.E.M. - Automatic for the People

If there’s a band who can rival Nirvana’s stature in the American alternative rock canon, it’s gotta be R.E.M. They are often cited as one of the first "alternative" rock bands and were important for the college radio format. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), and Bill Berry (drums) released 5 albums with independent label I.R.S. Records. This run of releases showed them evolving from a jangle rock sound to a louder, more anthemic sound on their final record for the label, Document. After "The One I Love" became their first mainstream hit, the band signed to Warner Brothers, kicking off a second act that resulted in yet another 5 album run of great music.
At the start of the 90s, R.E.M. opted out of touring and became a studio band. The band recorded demos for the songs "Drive," "Try Not to Breathe," and "Nightswimming" at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios while mixing their 1991 album, Out of Time. Out of Time was a huge success, arriving as alternative rock was becoming mainstream. It spawned the massive single "Losing My Religion" and even ended up winning the GRAMMY award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1992. After concluding promotional duties in early 1991, the band returned to the studio to continue work on what would become Automatic for the People. It is the fourth of six records the band would produce with Scott Litt. The band traded off instruments in the studio, with Buck playing the mandolin famously featured on "Losing My Religion," Mills playing piano or organ, and Berry playing bass. Initial attempts to make a harder rocking follow-up did not pan out, as the band found they were writing better without drums. The material began to take on a more melancholic tone. The lush orchestration of Out of Time is rendered in a somber greyscale, with arrangements contributed by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Lyrically, the album muses on loss and mourning, prompting rumors that balding Michael Stipe was dying of cancer or AIDs. Luckily, he was not but that is the lens through which some critics and listeners received this work. The album also finds room for political commentary, most noticeably in "Ignoreland" which pushes against Republican politics of the time, but also in opener "Drive" which calls back to the group’s work with the Rock to Vote movement, for which they added a petition on the longbox packaging of Out of Time.
Automatic for the People released on October 5, 1992 (gotta love the GRAMMYs odd eligibility window) debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Unlike its predecessor, it never reached the top spot, thanks to Garth Brooks. Six of the album’s 12 tracks were released as singles including "Drive," "Everybody Hurts" which has unfortunately been diluted through years of ironic use in comedies, the cryptic, Andy Kaufman referencing "Man on the Moon," and "Nightswimming," an emotional piano ballad that has become a fan favorite. The album was critically acclaimed upon release and, while perhaps not as fun as their jangle material, this nocturnal bummer is regarded by many as one of the band’s masterpieces.
Will everybody hurt? Are R.E.M. going to get a raw deal?
Tracklist:

1. Drive
2. Try Not to Breathe
3. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
4. Everybody Hurts
5. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
6. Sweetness Follows
7. Monty Got a Raw Deal
8. Ignoreland
9. Star Me Kitten
10. Man on the Moon
11. Nightswimming
12. Find the River

The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins formed in 1988 when Billy Corgan (vocals and guitar, he prefers William Patrick Corgan now though) met James Iha (guitar) while working at a record store in Chicago, Illinois. They performed as a duo with a drum machine, eventually adding bassist D’arcy Wretzky after meeting her at a show by the Dan Reed Network. Jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was recommended by a friend of Corgan’s after the trio were booked for a show under the condition that they’d play with a live drummer instead of their drum machine. With Chamberlain on board, the band’s classic lineup had been formed and their sound began to shift in a harder rock direction.
Siamese Dream, the group’s 1993 sophomore album, expands on their 1991 debut Gish in every possible way. The band switched from Virgin subsidiary Caroline Records to Virgin itself. Butch Vig, who produced Nirvana’s massive Nevermind right after finishing work on Gish, returned to produce the follow-up. Where Gish’s $20,000 budget and month of recording time was "unprecedented" for Vig, Corgan and Vig spent four months on Siamese Dream and went $250,000 over budget. This is what happens when you let Billy overdub everyone else’s guitar and bass parts (something the rest of the band wasn’t particularly happy about) to get as many as 100 guitar parts compressed into one song.
The meticulous studio process paid off, as Siamese Dream was a bigger hit than Gish, peaking at 10 on the Billboard 200. The band’s influences from metal, dreampop, and shoegaze give the album a layered and unique sound compared to the grungier alternative music of the time. Singles "Cherub Rock" and "Today" have been featured in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band videogame series. While never released as a single, "Mayonaise" has become a fan favorite and won a Rolling Stone poll for best Pumpkins song, beating out singles from Siamese Dream. Judging from some early discussion since this rate was announced, some of you seem pretty excited to rate "Mayonnaise." While the double album follow-up Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness took the band to the height of their popularity, Siamese Dream is often regarded as their masterpiece and one of the best rock albums of the 90s.
Will we be sweet sweet to the Pumpkins? The rater in me is the rater in you, I’ll send this ballot over to you
Tracklist:

1. Cherub Rock
2. Quiet
3. Today
4. Hummer
5. Rocket
6. Disarm
7. Soma
8. Geek U.S.A.
9. Mayonaise
10. Spaceboy
11. Silverfuck
12. Sweet Sweet
13. Luna

U2 - Zooropa

Whoa hey is it U2sday??
Formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1976, U2 (Bono on vocals, The Edge on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass, and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums) have become the top-selling Irish musical act of all-time, with an estimated 170+ million records sold. Across the 80s, U2 evolved their early post-punk sound to the anthemic rock of The Joshua Tree. While touring America for that album, the band recorded Rattle and Hum, a hybrid live/studio record (and accompanying concert film) which documented the tour and the group’s fascination with American roots music. Despite the album’s commercial success, most consider it a misguided failure. Even Bono admitted at their final show for the album’s Lovetown Tour that "we have to go away and dream it all up again."
1993’s Zooropa catches U2 at their most adventurous. 1991’s Achtung Baby and its subsequent Zoo TV tour rebranded the band for the new decade. While they continued working with Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, they updated their sound with influences from electronic, dance, and industrial music. On stage, they dabbled in irony to counter the sincerity of their 80s output with Bono playing characters such as The Fly and Macphisto. Emboldened by the critical and commercial success of this album and tour, they began working on a promotional EP during a break between Zoo TV tour legs. Despite working quickly in the studio, this EP expanded into a full-length album, requiring the band to travel between concerts and the studio in Dublin to finish working on the album during the first month of the Zooropa leg.
Zooropa finally arrived in July of 1993 and it shows the band doubling down on their early 90s ideas. The sound of the album, built from loops of soundcheck jamming and leftover sketches from Achtung Baby, ventures even further from traditional rock instrumentation and songwriting, bolstered by production from Brian Eno, Flood (moving from an engineering to production role), and The Edge, who received production credits for the first time. The fragmented nature of the album’s production is reflected in the eclectic tracklist which bounces between the multi-movement art-rock of the title track, dancefloor fillers like "Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car," and ballads like "For the First Time" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" Unique vocal choices like The Edge’s spoken-word rapping on lead-single "Numb," Bono’s falsetto on "Lemon," and a Johnny Cash feature on closer "The Wanderer" help the album feel more varied than U2’s previous material. The album’s lyrics often examine Zoo TV’s concepts of "sensory overload" and technology more explicitly than Achtung Baby.
While U2 are reluctant to acknowledge Zooropa now (likely influenced by the failure of 1997’s Pop, a rushed, mixed bag of an album that stretched audience’s tolerance for 90s U2 to a Rattle and Hum-like breaking point) the album was successful when it came out. Zooropa debuted at number one in several countries and finished ninth on 1993’s Pazz and Jop poll. It would also go on to win this GRAMMY award for Best Alternative Music album, with Bono shrugging on stage, shouting out Smashing Pumpkins, and promising to "the young people of America" that they will "continue to abuse our position and fuck up the mainstream" in his acceptance speech.
Will U2 stay the champions in our rate or will they be faraway so close to the top?
Tracklist:

1. Zooropa
2. Babyface
3. Numb
4. Lemon
5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
6. Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car
7. Some Days Are Better Than Others
8. The First Time
9. Dirty Day
10. The Wanderer

Bonus Rate

While our rates often have a bonus, there is no bonus for the 1994 GRAMMYs since this rate is 5 albums instead of the usual 4.
Now, it’s time for the boring, but necessary parts:

Where to listen:

Spotify
Apple Music
Tidal Music
Rules - READ ALL OF THESE BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR SCORES

1. Listen to each song and assign each a score between 1 and 10. decimals are fine, but please refrain from giving decimal scores that have two decimal spots: giving a 7.2 is okay, but giving a 7.25 will give me a headache. This is because I'm using a computer program to parse the votes and print everything out (more on that later).
   
2. Yes, you have to listen to every song. We're all in this together. I will not accept your ballot if you have a score missing, because it will crash the program (more on that later).
   
3. Your scores should NOT be considered confidential. They aren’t. Feel free to shitpost about them in the general discussion threads whenever you feel like it - users over at popheads usually just talk about their averages of the albums and what 11 and 0 they gave (which I will explain on the next bullet point!)
   
4. You may give ONE song a 0 and ONE song an 11. This is ONE song TOTAL. Please reserve these for your least favorite and most favorite tracks; excessive sabotage ruins rate results and generally makes things less fun.
   
5. You can change your scores at any time! Feel free to PM me at any point after submission and I'll be happy to revise them for you.
   
6. I am using a computer program that the great and wonderful letsallpoo designed in order to parse these votes! While this will make things a lot more efficient and reduces errors on my part, this does mean that scores need to be sent in a very specific way. The easiest way to make sure your scores follow the necessary format is to use the pre-prepared link at the top & bottom of this post. PLEASE USE THAT. You can copy and paste it to a notepad file or something and fill in your scores there, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use that format to send in your scores.
   
7. Did a lot of copy and pasting here, so thank you thank you to all the raters of old, ily: roseisonlineagain; DolphLundgrensArms; R_E_S_I_G_N_E_D; stansymash; ClocktowerMaria; aerocom; themilkeyedmender; greencaptain; Crankeedoo; dirdbub; ThatParanoidPenguin; tedcruzcontrol; kappyko; FuckUpSomeCommasYeah; LazyDayLullaby; SRTViper; Whatsanillinois; NFLFreak98; freav; freeofblasphemy; RatesNorman; aPenumbra; idontreallycare4; p-u-n-k_girl; luigijon3; WaneLietoc; dream_fighter2018; darjeelingdarkroast; smuckles; PiperIBarelyKnowHer; welcome2thejam; imrlynotonreddit; kvothetyrion; thedoctordances1940; b_o_g_o; vapourlomo; and tons of people on popheads.
   

Formatting

Songs - This is correct:

Man on the Moon: 10

You may also and are generally encouraged to leave comments with your scores!
This is correct (single space after the score, no colon):

Man on the Moon: 10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice

Any of the following formats are incorrect:

Man on the Moon 10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: 10: Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: (10) Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice 10
Man on the Moon - 10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: 10/10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice

Albums - This is correct (add a colon after the album's title on your ballot if you're making a comment on the full album):

Album: Zooropa: Wow this rules, i wish they'd uploaded this album to my phone instead

Due Date: July 9

Reveal: July 14 - 16

Finally, here are the links you'll need to start rating again:

SUBMISSION LINK

A Pastebin link of the ballot can be found here
If you want a reminder of what rates are coming up soon, here is the link to the announcement post for the current cycle, and if you want to learn about all the past rates we have done, here is the rate history spreadsheet.

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 69%. (I'm a bot)

China's defense minister defended sailing a warship across the path of an American destroyer and Canadian frigate transiting the Taiwan Strait, telling a gathering of some of the world's top defense officials in Singapore on Sunday that such "Freedom of navigation" patrols are a provocation to China.
The Chinese warship intercepted the USS Chung-Hoon and the HMCS Montreal on Saturday as they transited the strait between the self-governed island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, and mainland China.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the same forum Saturday that Washington would not "Flinch in the face of bullying or coercion" from China and would continue regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea to emphasize they are international waters, countering Beijing's sweeping territorial claims.
The U.S. has said a Chinese J-16 fighter jet late last month "Performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver" while intercepting a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, flying directly in front of the plane's nose.
In the pursuit of such, Austin said the U.S. was stepping up planning, coordination and training with "Friends from the East China Sea to the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean" with shared goals "To deter aggression and to deepen the rules and norms that promote prosperity and prevent conflict."
"China seeks to develop a new type of major-country relationship with the United States. As for the U.S. side, it needs to act with sincerity, match its words with deeds, and take concrete actions together with China to stabilize the relations and prevent further deterioration," Li said.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: China^#1 us^#2 defense^#3 rules^#4 country^#5
Post found in /worldnews.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.

Hello!
I'm aware this is more of a person question than a dog question, but I wasn't sure where to go, so to this sub I have arrived.
My relative, bless her heart, has a lot of ways she takes care of her dog that make me nervous. She says she doesn't give him "human food" very often, but whenever we are hanging out (at least once a week), she insists on giving him five or six strips of bacon, or half a hot dog, or a whole bag of Starkist low sodium tuna.
Her dog, we shall call him Baby, is a little 12-13 pound Shih Tzu. His weight is normal for his size and his behavior (in terms of personality) seems very normal (he's playful and active).
However, he does not reliably eat his kibble, sometimes for two days at a time or more. He has a history of being exposed to Lyme disease via ticks, which is partially what she attributes to him not eating, the other being "pickiness".
Whenever Baby goes a day or so without eating his normal food, Relative gives him treats or human food (like hot dogs or cheese) to get him to eat. I believe this is the real reason why he does not eat. The longest she's managed to go without giving him human food is a week, and he ate inconsistently for that week.
The reason I believe he is holding out for "better" food is because I have witnessed him eating reliably and excitedly when he was under my care. I took him in for a few months while Relative was recovering from an injury, and I only gave him a few treats every couple of days, and almost no human food. He had two meals a day, and he reliably accepted them every day. Only after I gave him back to my Relative did he go back to not eating reliably.
I also believe this is because of a lack of routine. Relative does not have regulated sleep, nor do they have Baby on a regular feeding routine. Except for... when Baby gives her shiny puppy eyes and she gives him tuna.
Relative says Baby has tuna every day. She frequently says he either skipped meals or did not eat a full meal when I see her, and every time she says this she gets Baby some kind of human food to compensate and get him to eat. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to think giving her dog an entire bag of Starkist low sodium tuna in water is a bad idea. That's a full meal for a 13 pound dog. She doesn't seem to realize that the tuna IS his actual meal for the day.
I'm worried about this for a lot of reasons, but the primary one is worrying that Relative may be giving Baby slow-burn mercury poisoning. She has done lacking research in food she's been feeding him before - she almost poisoned him by feeding him broccoli every day. She gets sad and defensive when I bring up stuff like this, and acts like it's no big deal in retrospect - stuff like letting Baby walk around off leash as a puppy, including in neighborhoods and across neighborhood roads, without training him at all.
I worry she may be dooming her currently healthy dog to short-term or long-term health issues by doing this. I am worried about Baby having irreversible damage done to him via preventable mercury poisoning. I am aware this is not an issue if a dog just has a little tuna once in a while, but she feeds him an entire human serving of tuna every single day.
Maybe I'm just micromanaging Relative on her care of Baby, and this is just a nothingburger. I fully admit I may be in the wrong. I just need advice on this either way. What do I do?

Hey everyone, here is a link to my earlier post so you can see what happened(https://www.reddit.com/friendship/comments/13l0ae3/i_miss_my_old_friend_very_much_i_wish_he_would/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
The last time I wrote about how my friend Jake quit our group due to bullying. People said that because I didn't put a stop to the harassment and occasionally made fun of him, I was equally to blame. They all are right,i should have and i learned my mistake.We were recently invited, including Jake, to a mutual friend's birthday party on Sunday. Jake showed up against his expectations that he wouldn't. He simply wished everyone a good day when he came, but we could all tell he wasn't the same as previously.He wished my friend happy birthday and shook hands with me.Chris was present, along with Jake's ex-girlfriend, he chose to ignore them .Jake didn't respond to his ex-girlfriend when she said hello. Jake's interaction was with me and the birthday boy was the only one,while with everyone he was not interacting that much.He greeted my girlfriend as well after I introduced him to my girlfriend. After a little interval, my girlfriend requested a private conversation, and I consented.She said that Jake is such a great person, and I agreed. She was upset with Chris because she was aware of how he treated him.Everyone was taking pictures as soon as the birthday party was over. Jake responded that he isn't furious when I asked him if he was; however, he did say that I need to have stopped bullying.He told me that our generation is moving away from daily interaction.He urged me to let the past be the past and that if I wanted to keep in touch with him, he hadn't blocked me anywhere.I told Jake's ex-girlfriend that if she ever loved Jake, she would leave him alone as she was patiently awaiting the chance to speak with him.The entire group of friends saw Jake's ex-girlfriend urge him to take her back as they were all watching as she took him to one side. Even then, she cried and pleaded jake to become normal while getting down on her knees telling him"I have made a mistake, Jake.Forgive me my babe"She admitted to him that she wouldn't allow anyone to touch her, let alone kiss her. She was asking Jake to go to the hotel and she was so loud that it was audible to us. Even when she attempted to hug him, Jake did something unexpected and slapped her while just calling her a whore.Jake told her that she now wants him back because he is settled,good looking and earns more especially in a company she couldn't even get a job in. He told her that the reason he changed is because he was fed up from bullying. Everyone thought he was just doing drama,but he was damn serious. He told her that he was overweight and she and Chris made fun of him .He said that he joined a boxing gym and he started working out.He showed up every week like it was his workplace. At first he would want to give up but every time he remembered how Chris and his ex bullied her.He would channelize his anger.In 6 months jake lost a lot of weight.He claimed that an anime named "Hajime no ippo" inspired him on the day he was crying.He has been boxing for about 3 years, and in that time, he has transformed into someone he never could have imagined. His ex-girlfriend was making a scene and trying to stop him. She then passed out, so we had to take her to the hospital.Jake didn't give a damn.He just walked away.Chris later informed me that he was upset but that it was okay if Jake didn't want to chat. After I told Chris that what he had done was unacceptable, Chris began to defend himself.I told him nothing and i walked out. Thanks for bearing with me.

Why Congress is Anti-Hindu and Why I as a clueless nri became a supporter of Hindutva politics in India until India is completely ruled by Pro-Hindu politicians with Pro-Hindu Ideology.

📷
Brothers and sisters,
I grew up in the Indian diaspora as an NRI who didn't know too much about Indian politics or India's internal issues to begin with. I was never religious, I always thought of myself as a cultural Hindu. I thought that Hindus were mostly safe in India being a Hindu majority country with Hindu cultural values.
I thought that the Congress Party was a "normal" party. But when I read about the 2011 draft of the Communal Violence Bill and learned about the 2009 Right to Education Act's inapplicability to Christian minority schools (Pramati judgement), I quickly came to the conclusion that the Congress Party and Sonia/Rahul Gandhi are part of a Vatican/Catholic Church/Christian/Western conspiracy against Hindus and Hinduism. When Sonia Gandhi married Rajiv Gandhi, the Catholic Church saw this moment as its "Constantine" moment in India, when it could try to achieve its nefarious goals by controlling the Indian National Congress. Ever wonder why INC is aligned with Christian missionaries? Who did Rahul Gandhi meet first in Bharat Jodo Yatra? A hate mongering Catholic priest named George Ponniah who spewed vile hatred against the Hindus of Tamil Nadu.
See the following article:
https://swarajyamag.com/politics/is-congress-anti-hindu
In particular, I have a deep hatred of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who are Catholic Christians. They are evil, completely anti-Hindu, and the brainchild of laws like Right to Education Act and the 2011 draft of the Communal Violence Bill. It is painfully obvious that they are Vatican agents who have a deep hatred of Hindus and of Indians. That is why I pray for Sonia and Rahul's downfall each and every day.
Communal Violence Bill - Do all Hindus know that the Congress Party tried to pass a Communal Violence Bill in 2011 that assumed that all Hindus were guilty as default, just by being born as Hindus, while Christians & Muslims could freely attack Hindus without any consequences? Did you know that this plan involved creating a so-called "National Communal Commission" with a "minority" (read Muslim/Christian) majority that could somehow control the Indian armed forces and the police forces to bully and terrorize Hindus? Luckily the BJP under Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, along with Narendra Modi, blocked Congress from passing this anti-Hindu law. BJP and RSS successfully killed this law and then won 2014 in a landslide. Luckily since 2013, the genocidal anti-Hindu Congress Party has been destroyed in the Rajya Sabha and so can never do something like this Communal Violence Bill (CVB) again. Also, India has massive internet penetration now in 2023 compared to back then in 2013 when Congress tried to pass CVB, so if the Italian scum who rule the Congress Party try to pass CVB again they will be exposed and there will be bloody retaliation against them. Variants of the Communal Violence Bill appear in different Congress manifestos under cleverly disguised names and descriptions, but the anti-Hindu intent of the Italian scum is the same. Harsh Mander, who wrote this evil anti-Hindu law with genocidal intent, is still running free instead of being hunted down and punished.
Right to Education Act - We all know how this law discriminates against Hindus running schools while leaving Christian "minority" institutions completely exempt from its horrible requirements like 25% quota, teacher salaries (that are extremely high for no reason), infra requirements like playgrounds etc. Hindus need linguistic minority status or Jain minority status just to escape RTE on their school. This law is so evil and no other country in the world has laws that discriminate against their majority community in education. How dare a Catholic padre who is a filthy pedophile has more rights than a Hindu to run a school without government interference? This was the brainchild of Vatican agent and Catholic terrorist Sonia. People like @ realitycheckind on Twitter have been screaming about RTE since 2014.
Nowadays, wealthy Hindus get around RTE by running linguistic minority or Jain minority schools. In Maharashtra, for instance, the vast majority of Hindu schools owned by politicians or big businessmen switched to linguistic minority status (Hindi/Gujarati/Kannada/Sindhi/Marwadi/Punjabi/Malayalam) or to Jain/Buddhist minority status. For instance, you'll notice that Ambani school in Mumbai is a Gujarati linguistic minority institution, or that Lodha school school in Mumbai is Jain minority, or that Birla school is Marwadi linguistic minority, or that Walsingham school owned by the Mittal family is Hindi linguistic minority. If the top 1% can kill RTE in their schools, why should a mom-pop Hindu family running a school be forced to take in RTE quota freeloaders?
Given how hard it is to politically undo reservation-type laws, the solution to kill the Right to Education Act across the whole of India is to make all Hindu schools across India into Jain minority institutions on paper, throwing out the 25% RTE quota freeloaders who should be kicked out of non-minority private schools. Simply put, nobody has the right to "free" private school education, just because you are part of a particular caste (SC/ST) or community. RTE is also a tool to infiltrate Muslim kids into Hindu owned private schools to achieve the so-called "secularism" that leftists want. If you run a Jain minority institute for instance, you can avoid such "secularism" and "diversity" in your student body and can screen out certain types of students.
This law was so evil and was the reason why so many communities like the Lingayats etc want minority status. Because no other country in the world has laws that make it easier for "minorities" to run schools compared to the majority community. The Jains wanted minority status and got it from the Congress Party in 2014, solely to protect their private schools and colleges from the evil reservation laws that we have and the 93rd constitutional amendment. Nowadays, all wealthy Hindus/corporate India are running Jain minority schools and colleges in the private sector free from any type of caste based reservation. In the future, you will see a movement run by Upper Caste Hindus against reservation in private educational institutions. Pratap Bhanu Mehta (who is really a Jain) knew of the 93rd amendment back in 2005 and successfully got the Jain minority status from the Congress Party. I've seen really top-notch private schools that have linguistic/Jain minority status and are safe from RTE.
Despite this law there, RSS appointees like Priyank Kanoongoo (head of NCPCR - national child rights commission) continue to try to "enforce" RTE on hapless Hindu owned non-minority schools. I have no idea why RSS doesn't have a problem with RTE. If Mr. Modi himself wanted to end RTE, I could guarantee you that this whole "program" would have been shut down on Day 1.
Why should a Hindu school owner be forced to admit 25% "free" education, while a similar school run by a Christian does not have to do so? Is this secularism? If it isn't secular, why aren't Hindus coming on the roads, demanding RTE to be imposed on the schools that those Catholic rapists run?
The True Religion of All Top Congress Leaders (news-flash, Congress is Hindu hating group of individuals plotting against Hindu civilization). While Owaisi is a radical Islamist, people like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are the biggest threat to Hindus on our planet today.
Rahul Gandhi - Catholic Christian
Catholic Christian like his mother. Pretends to be a Hindu but hates Hindu culture and Hindu traditions. Is more of an Italian Catholic Christian who is more comfortable talking to Catholic padres in a Church. Is most at home in Kerala with a large Catholic population. Uses Muslims as a vote bank but is really aligned with radical Christian forces that are enemies of Hindu civilization. Ran away from a Hindu majority parliamentary constituency to go to a "secular" Wayanad where Abrahamics (Muslims + Christians) are over 60% of the population, knowing that Hindus would punish him electorally.
Sonia Gandhi - Italian Catholic Christian, whose real name is ANTONIO MAINO. How on Earth did the largest opposition party (Indian National Congress) get taken by an Italian Christian woman and a Vatican stooge?
Malikharjun Kharge - Buddhist Ambedkarite Dalit. Also has a hatred for Hindu Dharma, even when Hinduism and Buddhism are both Indian/Indic faiths in our civilization that are mutually compatible with each other. Hindus don't have any problem with Buddhism or Buddhists and even see Buddhism as an "improved" or "enlightened" version of Hinduism, yet the radical Ambedkarite ideology tries to instigate Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes from other Hindu castes when all Hindus across our country are equal and together. Hindus don't have a problem with anybody embracing Buddhism.
Manmohan Singh - Sikh who was the first non-Hindu Prime Minister of India. Under Mr. Manmohan Singh's tenure, the Congress Party tried to pass the Communal Violence Bill (2011 draft) which distinguished between "minorities" and Hindus in criminal law but was luckily blocked by the BJP who killed it. Now Sonia Gandhi could have chosen a Hindu in her Congress Party as the Prime Minister when Congress won in 2004 and 2009. But she deliberately chose a non-Hindu to implement her radical Hindu-hating agenda. A titular figurehead whose daughter was found working for George Soros and who has a Hindu hating agenda as well.
Others - Ambika Soni who is a Christian, Kapil Sibal who also seems to be a Christian and so forth.
It is painfully clear that Congress Party has an agenda against Hindus and Hinduism and that their national leaders are anti-Hindu. So, why does Congress still win in some state elections?
Himachal Pradesh - was very close in 2022. Also, the Congress Party in Himachal Pradesh seems to be led by people who are Hindus. Never saw Hinduphobia YET in Himachal by Himachal Congress.
Chhattisgarh - Suspect that there is a massive conversion of tribals to Christianity, particularly in forests. Would be very dangerous if Baghel wins a 2nd term.
Karnataka - BJP government in Karnataka was corrupt and had poor leaders, with massive anti-incumbency with a 36% vs 43% vote differential. Also, the Kharge factor was there and many Hindu Dalits who would have voted for BJP voted for Cong just because of Kharge's Ambedkarite credentials. If the Congress unit in Karnataka supports Christian missionaries or Muslim terrorist organizations like PFI, it's up to the BJP government at the center to act.
Rajasthan - anti-incumbency in 2018. BJP should win Rajasthan very easily in 2023.
I don't think BJP is favored to win Chhattisgarh but I don't want Congress to ever have more than 3 states (Himachal, Karnataka, Chhatisgarh) by the end of 2023.
____________________________________________________________________________
Congress, being a minoritarian party full of radical Muslim + Christian terrorists, should be reduced below 10% of seats in the Rajya Sabha (currently it's at 31/245 or 12.6%).
It is no surprise that Rahul Gandhi called for American/Western intervention in India's democracy to subvert the will of the Hindu majority (see the interview where this treacherous Rahul Gandhi asks American Nicholas Burns to "intervene" in India's internal affairs).
Hatred towards Hindus is Hatred towards India as a whole.
TLDR: Rahul Gandhi should come clean and disclose his real religion (Catholic Christianity). Why should Hindus let somebody who is completely hateful towards us continue to malign us in international forums, insult our people, our country, our government, and our civilizational nation? Go to the Vatican.
What is Congress's Idea of India and What Does it Really Mean? [Differential Laws on the basis of a person's religion, like Right to Education (RTE) and Communal Violence Bill (CVB). Apartheid laws that discriminate against Hindus]
When Rahul Gandhi or some Congress person like Shashi Tharoor (who also seems to be a crypto Catholic Christian) talks about the "Idea of India", they imagine an India where people are subjected to different laws on the basis of faith and where Hindus are 3rd class citizens compared to Abrahamics.
The "Idea of India" people want a world in which Christian schools are exempt from RTE, while Hindu schools suffer RTE; a world where Hindus suffer from a so-called Communal Violence Bill while minorities (Muslims + Christians) terrorize Hindus.
Does this "Idea of India" appeal to you? If you forcefully try to impose Christian or Muslim supremacy on a country with over a billion Hindus, we will retaliate and we will destroy you. In an era where people are connected via telecommunications/Internet and are becoming more literate and technologically savvy, if you do anything against Hindus, we will destroy you. Your fake "Gandhi" surname won't stop us from noticing that you are a Vatican terrorist along with your mother.

Hi All,
There are many styles of fighting that are these days, but one of the highest performing brackets is currently MMA and it has many talented stars within it. Fortunes are always changing so it can be interesting to recap the currently most talented fighters and those who are able continuously to project their net worth ever higher. Through winning fights or organizing shrewd business deals, it can often show a superior level of intelligence in the fighter if they are able to manage their finances well. Let's take a look at the current richest list.
#5 Brock Lesnar is a big fan of stardom and has had a lot of athletic pursuits through his life. These include being an amateur wrestler, professional American football player and MMA star. His most successful endeavor was becoming a WWE contender. His net worth is approximately $25 million.
#4 Georges St-Pierre is an actor but also took part in mixed martial arts in the past. Through his very varied life he has put together a net worth of $30 million.
#3 Khabib Nurmagomedov was born in Russia in 1988, since then he built a career as a professional mixed martial artist and managed to become the longest reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. He has accrued around $40 million in wealth during this time.
#2 Rorion Gracie might look unimposing, but do not be fooled - for he is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master, along with being a co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Among his many other pursuits he is also a lawyer, writer, producer and much more. His net worth is around $50 million.
#1 Conor McGregor is notorious for riling up his opponents and making some rather naughty escapades outside of the cage. However he is a former UFC featherweight and lightweight double-champion, making history by being the first ever UFC fighter to hold championships in two weight classes at the same time. His net worth is estimated at roughly $200 million.

I feel like they're always fighting or being passive aggressive with each other. It gets old.. I don't think that's normal. I feel like something went wrong with raising them if they're always fighting.
There's always a problem with them. Even when something is resolved, more problems come up. How many times can you fight?
Jordan has powers and now he's the cool one with friends and attention. Jordan saves a person and Jon gets seen with the saved person so he loses his job. Jordan is mad because Jon is being friends with Sarah when Jordan follows her around like a sad puppy. I feel Jordan is the son who's more likely to listen to Clark but Jon pushes him to go to a party. Stop being influenced by your brother. Is it that hard?
I wish there was a better way to put drama in their lives. Maybe someone is getting bullied and Jordan or Jon help them. Maybe someone at school has powers(I know they already did this).

So it’s become obvious to a lot of us that the main cast has become a bit of a mess. You have Olivia (whose characterization has become a bit of a mess), Fin, Carisi and then basically a bunch of newbies. And add to that the fact that Fin and Carisi don’t get as much screen time as they deserve.
Before I start, I’m just gonna say a lot of this is just me riffing on some ideas. So here goes…
But anyways, the point I wanted to make is how the main cast just is generally lacking in well written characters with actors who have at least a bit of chops. Honestly, as far as I can see it, they really had a great track record all the way through probably to Kat. That was the last time I felt we had an addition to the crew who had any dramatic weight behind them.
Every new detective since then has been a half-assed whatever that it’s hard to care about. Velasco is about as interesting as watching paint dry, Churlish was horribly introduced as a character and further appearances have seemed to try to walk back her being a rat, as if they knew they screwed up, and Muncy, hoo boy. Probably the worst written and acted main character in SVUs history. It seemed like watching an amateur. Just an embarrassing character. And Bruno, once again, it’s cute, nice idea, trying to bring some Munch like vibe, but it’s so obvious and the characterization we get of this guy is sketchy at best cuz he’s never around long enough for us to get to know him.
I think Wolf Dick has bought too much into the idear that the cast has to be young and pretty. Everybody on the cast is good looking. Compare that to the earlier years. Don Cragen and John Munch were grizzled cops, even Stabler, dude looked like a father of four with issues. Yeah, you had Mayhem as the babyfaced younger guy and Olivia was Olivia, but still.
Why not bring some more grizzled, experienced cops into the group?
Hey Wolf Dick, stop being so cheap and bring in Donal Logue as a main character, fuck….bring back Danny Pino. Bring in somebody like Jeffrey Donovan, who has done a fabulous job as a long time cop on the mothership. Even Jason Biggs showed some promise when working with the team, why wasn’t that pursued. Plus that woulda been interesting: “from American Pie to SVU.”
It doesn’t even have to be people from the Law & Order universe, just actors with some chops who would work on a show like this. People like those mention in the paragraph above. Maybe at one time people who were movie stars or at least character actors who have been around and could give some grit and experience to the squad. Somebody would actually be interesting to watch without having to rely on Mariska to make the show keep moving. It could be an actor that’s near or over 50. It’s okay Wolf, we don’t watch a police procedural for all the hotties. We’re not at an NSYNC concert.
Or we can just have Wolf Dick just pick out whoever he thinks is the new prettiest girl to replace which female he thinks is aging out of the show.