I don't know if this is allowed, If not, I'll happily delete. This is a recent comment on one of Jessica's articles about the Idaho Murders and...I can't. I just can't.
We are being lied to about what happened that night. Let's remember, law enforcement is allowed to lie to us and they are under NO obligation to share the truth with the public! Nothing about the official narrative makes ANY sense and there is indeed a cover-up of epic proportions taking place! They are protecting some very important people, as well as the University, the town of Moscow - and their profit$! Everything points to this being drug related and a lot of people on the peripherals are somehow involved - including some corrupt law enforcement. Here are some things I've learned about this tragedy that I wanted to share with everyone...
Please keep in mind that anything I share has not been proven as fact and this is only information I've gathered from different sources which I believe to be true (or very close to the truth) :
1. Everyone go check out the YouTube channel: Thou Shall Not Kill. He has been 'boots on the ground' in Moscow ID and his videos contain unique local footage, information and perspectives. His sources offer the best theory I've heard so far - the theory that makes the most sense - it's very eye opening!
2. This was about DRUGS. Apparently Maddie was upset because the drugs being sold out of the house were being cut with fentanyl (and could therefore kill people).
Allegedly Maddie flushed roughly $275,000 worth of drugs down the toilet and threatened to 'snitch' on the operation and the dealers and report it to the authorities if it didn't stop. Xana was the one responsible for stashing the drugs and this would explain why she had the lock fixed on her bedroom door and didn't want the other roommates (or anyone else) having access to her room. Maddie "told Adam everything" - and Jack S (who was acquainted with Emma Bailey and maybe others involved in the drug ring) knew she was in danger and that "they were gonna get her for this" - which they DID - just a few hours later. Word got back to the 'King Pin' of the operstion and he ordered the hit - a gruesome cartel-style slaughter - to send the message that you don't F around with them or this is what happens!
3. Research and look into the REAL owner of the Mad Greek restaurant, where both Xana and Maddie worked. His name is 'Constantinos' and allegedly he's an international drug King Pin with legitamite business fronts all over. His daughter is in the same sorority as one of the roommates and she's also the owner of the abadoned white Elanta found in Oregon apparently. (This statement about the Oregon Elantra could be incorrect and I'm not 100% certain of this).
4. The owner(s) of 1122 King Road are involved somehow - that house is owned by an LLC and they were VERY quick to just give their house away to the University.. who can afford to just throw away a WHOLE HOUSE?!
5. Dylan (and possibly Bethany) knew something was gonna go down, they were told it would be some kind of a shakedown - NOT that the four would be murdered. I believe this is how they were able to get Dylan to cooperate and play a part, and how they had someone 'on the inside'. D & B were fully aware their "friends" were being murdered at the time and her story in the PCA is BS. They were likely involved in the cleanup afterwards and the killers told them to wait until NOON to call 911 - but to first call over some of their friends to muck up the killers' tracks and taint the crime scene. These girls are scared for their LIVES and it's why they won't step foot near Idaho. It's really weird they don't talk to any of their sorority sisters or friends in Moscow ID anymore ... you'd think that after something so horrific and traumatizing you'd would want the support of your friends and especially your sorority sisters .. but I guess not if you have something to hide and to protect ...
6. That VSCO picture of Dylan gazing at the camera with a HUGE knife - is creepy AF! Who takes a picture like that? It's not done in a funny or jokey way - it's intense and kinda terrifying - and if you ask me - very telling. Kinda like the matching tattoos Dylan and Bethany got VERY SOON after the murders .. TOO soon IMO. Those tattoos come across as a 'badge of honor' more than a tribute to the victims. Super sketchy.
7. Emma Bailey, Demetrius Robinson, Quinn Kelley and Brent Kopacka had something to do with the murders - as did some corrupt law enforcement (local police officers/FBI?) Officer Payne of Moscow PD owns some kind of warehouse for a meat processing/packing business in North ID close to the border apparently.
Large scale drug rings require the involvement and protection of LE to be successful and make the kind of money they make. Payne and Kopaka are connected through the Military (?) I believe. It's alleged that Emma stashed drugs in the house with Xana (and possibly also in the empty room that was under Ashlyn Couch's name on the King Rd. lease). Emma Bailey lives super close just behind the King Rd. house - and would be a very close spot for the killers to flee to after the murders.
8. The leaked audio is REAL and shows there was some kind of ambush that night. The authorities have 'debunked' it as fake - because it is proof of what really transpired! It's not as if they would admit to the public it is real.. This was an ambush and the killers were KNOWN to the victims in one way or another. No one snuck in the back sliding door in the dark, like some ninja assassin, and stabbed 4 people on two separate floors, inflicting such horrific injuries in such a VERY SHORT amount of time - then just dissapeared into the night without so much as a trail of blood! Sorry but that just didnt happen. The victims were awake and things went from normal to deadly fast.
9. There were at least 3 people inside the house that night - and likely a few more outside and on the perimeters, keeping watch. The cops nearby at around 3 AM who were busting those kids for drinking were lookouts that night. The officer involved in that encounter has since left the Moscow PD force - which I find to be a strange and suspect coincidence (?) Those cops were in plain clothes and an unmarked/undercover car RIGHT NEXT to the King Rd. house at the SAME TIME as the murders. I find it really ODD that they busted those kids (who were being pretty responsible really) and held them up for SO LONG, asking them A LOT of unnecessary - and frankly dumb - questions, like: "what brand of beer were you drinking?" If you watch the bodycam footage you can tell the cops were trying to draw that encounter out for as long as possible and stall those kids to prevent them from going anywhere near 1122 King Rd! You can even see 3 or 4 dark silhouettes (people) running in single file from the direction of the murder house in the bodycam footage! I don't believe that Moscow PD has undercover officers in plain clothes and unmarked cop cars just lurking around Greek Row at 3 AM to catch drunk kids stumbling out of apartment buildings.. I just don't buy that.
10. Drugs are a HUGE problem in Idaho and a quick Google search will show there is solid evidence the Cartels operate in that area. This has been covered by their local media many times and it's not like it's a secret!
It's not like it's far-fetched to say that huge drug rings operate in Moscow Idaho. It's a FACT. And it's not like it's far-fetched to say college campuses are a HUGE market for these drug rings and can make them a TON of money! Fraternities and Sororities are well known for dealing drugs ... just think about this: if every person at that 150-person party at King Rd. (that took place the night before the murders) spent $$ on drugs - that would be thousands of dollars in profit - in just ONE night at ONE party. It's not far-fetched to assume that pretty sorority girls would be tasked with supplying drugs to all the college kids and all their friends - because who would suspect them?! Especially considering we now KNOW FOR A FACT that they were all connected to Emma Bailey, who is a convicted drug dealer! There is even bodycam footage of her leaving the King Rd. house on one occasion.
11. Where there's smoke - there's fire.
We must ask ourselves WHY do we keep hearing that this was a known drug house and all these things alluding to drugs and a shakedown gone wrong - if there's nothing to it? WHY have so many people that are close to the murders (Jack S, Inan Harsh, the surviving roommates) all left town, never to return? WHY are the locals still so scared if the guy who did it is behind bars? WHY is there such secrecy surrounding the case and WHY do they want to demolish the King Rd. House before the trial even starts?!!
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Ok, after a bit more digging through a pretty tricky rabbit hole , I found out that the Weird WNBA Subreddits, CandaceParkerist20 and candaceparkerist were not the work of one individual, but rather the collaborative effort of multiple (bizarre) individuals. If you dig deep and search socialgrep and other subreddits, you will find strange conspiracies about how Candace Parker will become the US president and how WNBA players are smoking. These follow through into even more bizarre pieces about Shortaki, one of the most outlandish conspiracy theories out there that has literally no meaning. I believe these grammatical errors are some kind of code, but this sure as heck can’t be an ARG with posts going back to 2021.
Here are some links that could help people understand who (or what) this is?
A removed post with comments telling what Shortaki could be about, features the theory getting mocked.https://socialgrep.com/post/qq9vdo
If you go to ask Reddit, and type in Shortaki, there are bizarre comments about the Zulu Language and future events.https://old.reddit.com/AskReddit/comments/ph3mdm/what_certain_object_or_image_brings_back_a_memory/
This one here is a Shortakian conspiring to make a conspiracy
https://old.reddit.com/antivax/comments/q6tg7l/shower_thought_on_reaching_antivaxxers/hglgg1c/?context=2
First use of Shortaki Strong (or a similar phrase)
https://old.reddit.com/RedditSessions/comments/oa6ydn/deleted_by_useh3fotvp/?context=2
Shortaki word salad that has some key points and ends in 9/11 conspiracy theory
https://old.reddit.com/teenagers/comments/rtm14the_shortakian_book_of_kindness/
SHORTAKIII and ShortakiMovement2 also exists, shows they were active through 2022.
This makes me think that there is something wrong with whoever is posting but it’s multiple individuals. Also, the conspiracy hole goes deeper, SocialGrep is a goldmine for some of this stuff and I do think that this may be a puzzle created by the Shortakians to confuse us and maybe divert us from their actual problem. I’m convinced that these subs are a 300 headed monster that wants to eat us alive from behind, and I don’t trust this creepy crawly at all. If anyone can provide any guesses or info, please feel free to comment. Also, the inclusion of private subreddits makes me think that this may be an elaborate troll. Weirdly, the conspiracies are all very liberal, unlike MAGA conspiracies.
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My partner m(30) and I f(25) are now going for 3 years together and I've been under the impression that we're deeply in love but apparently he "might have been unsure" about us a year or even 8 months ago - in his own words... this was said in a recent discussion we had
I know that both men & women have different opinions on this topic but my partner has agreed to change his ways regarding corn use as it's something I'm not willing to compromise on - don't shame me, I'm not insecure or anything. It was a problem as it influenced our s*x life and it was literally everywhere - note that he's been doing it from the very start of our relationship and we've had the corn discussion prior to starting the relationship and he also knew what it did to me in my previous relationship so it's not like he wasn't aware of how it would affect me.
What I want to know is: are the following things normal for men who LOVE their significant other in committed relationships without prior discussions with their partner:

• having a discord account just to follow corn groups
• joining corn groups on reddit - specifically wife/gf sharing
• having it all over his social accounts - twitter, insta, discord, reddit, twitch, tiktok etc.
• having MULTIPLE browsers that are used to search for it - Google, Firefox, Duck-Duck Go, Brave, Samsung Internet - yep he used all of them...
• Literally begging your cousin to let you know who his girlfriend used for her fashion shoots because "wow, there are some pretty bitches/skanks in her catalogs" - this was only 3 months into our relationship?!

Furthermore:

• It concerns me that he can't be straight forward and tell me what he likes body wise/s*xually.
• Talking about s*x is also very uncomfortable for him
• He can't give me an answer as to why he did all of this
• After finding out about the corn the first time (about a year & a half into the relationship) I wasn't too phased - until I saw how excessive it was and found the reddit and discord groups etc. I then spoke to him and voiced my concerns and he promised he would stop, after 4 times of him proving me that he wasn't disciplined enough, I had the discussion with him again which led to him watching corn just to spite me because I "couldn't give him the recognition" - but what recognition? He would stop for 2 weeks then I'd find it again and discuss it again (this happened 4 times over) but I'm supposed to give him recognition?
• he used to always be on reddit but all of a sudden he apparently doesn't "like the app so much anymore" and has stopped using it.

I don't know what to think and I'm too ashamed to speak to the men and women in my life about this and I just want honest opinions.
Please understand where I'm coming from and if corn works in your relationship I'm happy for you but I just want to know if this behavior is normal or anything that can help me navigate the situation. What do I do? :( And can I trust him again?
Also: if it is a corn addiction, would the person be able to just literally go cold turkey one day and "not be interested in that stuff anymore"?
I hope I'm making sense and that you guys understand where I'm coming from. Thank you 😊

Hi, novice user here. I keep getting an email from WordPress that says I have a fatal error with my theme (Divi). I don't see any visible errors when checking my site. It says the error was caught on the login page but I am not having any trouble logging in on that page. When I look at my site health page there are no critical issues but it does list a recommended improvement for security. It says my authorization header is missing and the suggestion is to flush the permalinks. However when I click the link to flush the permalinks a warning message shows up that says:
WARNING: Changing your permalinks settings can seriously impact your search engine visibility. It should almost never be done on a live website.
So naturally I am hesitant to proceed because my site returns well in search engines. I am confused as to what I should do here. Should I flush them still? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I apologize if I am asking this in the wrong sub. TIA

Hi y’all!
In my experience, this sub has historically been such a lovely safe haven in comparison to the rest of reddit. A place where we can share openly, feel seen and supported without the fear of that hair-trigger downvoting and emotionally reactive commentary we are so used to in the rest of reddit and in our daily lives.
Recently, I’ve been getting an uneasy feeling when I read some of our posts and comments. For instance:
1) Unnecessary downvoting. A recent example: One of our members posted about challenges in her relationship and was seeking advice from our community. Some were helping her see that the behaviors she described in her partner seem to align with abuse. She asked, “Do you think there’s any way he could be doing it unintentionally? I don’t think he realizes what he’s doing.” When I was in the thread, she had 26 downvotes for this. It was a genuine question, and one that is directly in line with the mentality of someone who has been in an abusive relationship. Why are we punishing her for this question? Also, downvoting is an RSD bombshell. Why pile on and downvote instead of moving past the post or comment and upvoting the sentiments we agree with?
2) Airing frustrations about the “Am I the only one?” posts, with lamentations about how we should search before posting. I understand it can be annoying to see the same queries over and over (I get annoyed, too, sometimes.) At the same time, the reason people come here is to learn about and connect their own experiences to others. Rote searching and reading does not provide the connection to our experience - that “click” - that so many of us have been missing for so long. Also, frankly, our brand of neurodiversity has a tendency to fire things off without doing deep research.
3) Harsh directives seem to sometimes be taking the place of gentle and open questioning, consideration of the other’s point of view, and offering support. We are a fabulous bunch, and we are also internet strangers - why not ask and consider vs. project our own experiences and judge/direct? Of course, this can fall into that behavior of firing things off impulsively that many of us can relate to. I just notice a tone that seems more…judgmental than I’m used to on this sub.
A gift many of us have is that we have gut feelings equivalent to emotion/tone Geiger counters. Any other Geigers going off? Also, is it beneficial for this sub to have a downvote option? Just a thought.
Love y’all, and you’ve helped me so much through my understanding and accepting of my own late diagnosis. Hoping to keep this place wholly supportive so we can all continue to benefit from our collective wisdom.🩷
Edit: Words, typos, formatting, yada yada yada, you get it.

The burning shell of a downed helicopter was put out when its killer, the small but dangerous Mi-2 Hoplite landed next to it. The fires gathered temporary momentum from the wind, but it was not enough to stop the flames from flickering out. Once the rotors of the Hoplite spun to a halt, three men emerged from it. Vityukha, Felka and Sokolov met their Redemption friends and free stalker allies, with Dimka and Sevka joining the joyous crowd soon after. Cashier, the local trader, gave Sokolov his finest bottle of vodka as a gift of gratitude, while Yar promised to help fix the Valkyrie with Sokolov to its final state. Sokolov explained that when he had seen the hostile chopper, he had began working tirelessly to get the Valkyrie up into the air, because he feared that it would be the only thing stopping the enemy copter.
Everyone was in a relieved and celebratory mood, with the defeat of the two opposing forces now clear and most of the crew in good health. Still, Boris looked around him and saw tired, wounded men. Sanyok, Dimuha, Felka and the other Ukrainian Securite Service survivor besides Yvanova, Kovalev, were all out of the fight for some time. To add to that, Dimka was barely standing, having been wounded by Khan during the death throes of the UNISG. With Vityukha and Stitch in the same place, however, Boris was confident the men would be able to recover. Another matter was their gear. The weapons, armours and other miscellaneous gear all needed proper repair and maintenance, or they would cease to work altogether.
Yet all these wordly worries alone could have been a headache, but despite all the pats on the back and relieved clinking of bottles, Boris couldn't help but eye Strelok and Degtyarev mingling with their respective groups. It was a powder keg waiting to blow, and any minute now rest of the men would realize that they never dealt with the whole SSU-Redemption standoff. Boris was not at all surprised to see Dima realize this first, shooting a glance at Boris. Boris nodded to confirm that there was indeed going to be some sort of scuffle soon. He saw Dima turn towards Vityukha and Sevka, whispering something as he did. Boris had intentionally sought out this position, sitting between the free stalkers and Degtyarev's remaining men. Now, with Dima, Vityukha and Sevka ready to help him if things got ugly, Boris was more confident to be the arbitrator. And as it turned out, he did not need to wait long.
"Now that we have finally settled the matter with your many enemies, Strelok, it is time to come back to the fold. Come peacefully, and the higher-ups have promised you your position back, no questions asked. Otherwise we will be forced to drag you back there. I think this is enough evidence of just how much you're wanted by certain individuals and states, and that leaves us no choice but to keep you safe and under watch.", Colonel Degtyarev ordered, making the room go from rowdy and celebratory to dead silent in a second.
"How about fuck you?", Rogue noted, and Yvanova drew his weapon, prompting all non-wounded stalkers in the room to do the same.
"Careful, pig. We don't take kindly to jarheads here, and if all cops are bastards, secret service are doubly so. Holster that gun or face judgement, suka.", Uncle Yar ordered in turn.
"Yar, Rogue, others. Calm down. Let us hear what Strelok has to say first.", Boris bellowed, and the men lowered their guns a bit.
"I will not come. I am done with the Institute, I am done with the power-hungry cleptocrats running it, I am done with the needless oversight. I tried to warn you, that something was deeply wrong in the Zone, and none of your government agents listened. It was down to us Zone-dwellers to fix it once more. And now you not only have an expanded Zone in your hands, but an international fiasco and three dozen unnamed bodies to dispose of. This is not the kind of "protection" I wish to have.", Strelok replied in a calm tone.
"This is not a matter of preference. You are too valuable to the state, and to many actors, to be let run free. If our enemies were to capture you, there is no telling what would happen.", Degtyarev retaliated in turn.
"And yet, your enemies were just repulsed, decimated, reduced to corpses and ash. We won. I remain free, and it is clear that I have enough allies for the situation to remain so for the foreseeable future.", Strelok responded.
"UNISG may have failed, but they will return. So will Omega. The latter has spies all over the Zone, in every faction. It would take years to dig all of their locations up and finish them off. Years we most certainly do not have.", Degtyarev sighed.
"There are places in the Zone they do not know of. Places I can easily hide in. Believe me, if they are so hellbent of finding me, they can spend the rest of their lives doing so.", Strelok commented, and despite the outlandish claim, Boris believed him.
"Bullshit. You're lying.", Degtyarev scoffed.
"Normally I would have said the same, but me and my boys have entered so many areas with practically no stalker activity. Areas so long abandoned and unknown that it would literally take decades to fully explore. So I do believe that Strelok is correct. The Zone is vast, UNISG are newcomers with little experience with it and Omega seems to lack manpower, not exactly the forces to comb it all.", Boris noted.
"What makes you think Omega lacks manpower?", Yvanova questioned, and unexpectedly, Sanyok replied to him.
"We have seen them possess a helicopter and two squad's worth of men. They have highly advanced gear and expensive weapons, yet could only spare a squad's worth of men to achieve such a massive task? For UNISG, it was a necessity caused by their casualties, but Omega was well-established here. Yet they seem to rely on mercenaries outside the payroll of Dushman, which are a rare breed these days, and on espionage and infiltration tactics, which are not very manpower-intensive tasks. In short, they most likely would have to go through great lengths to gather enough men to search for Strelok, and even then we have seen that two squads of their seemingly elite troops failed in the task."
"Uh... You raise good points. Still, they did locate Strelok here, and almost got him in a surprise attack.", Degtyarev commented in turn.
"That was because my platoon sold the information to them. We knew Strelok was here because a talkative stalker happened by our camp, but he didn't share the location and we did not care too much at the time. When Serbin's men arrived, we sold information about the surrounding territory to them, and that piece of information as it now became valuable. Still, they had to comb the entire city to find him first.", Meeker interjected, his monotone voice rising over the bickering.
"So there you have it. Wherever Strelok goes, he will always have allies to support him if more kozyols show up.", Boris tried to conclude the whole conversation, but Degtyarev was still sceptical.
"Uh-huh. Weren't you supposed to be a neutral arbitrator now?", Degtyarev asked.
"Listen, I was a stalker, most people here are stalkers. We live by the Zone, and to some of us, this is home right now. Some, like Strelok, are inseparable from it. You can take him out of the Zone, but you can't take the Zone out of him. He will survive this place, and any urod who tries to go after him, or take his secrets to the grave. He may not use your methods to protect the current status quo in the Zone, but he will protect it all the same. So I find it pretty fucking hard to be a neutral entity when it's so blatantly obvious that what you both want is the same thing.", Boris explained, voice full of anger, leaving the room in silence for a minute.
"Damn.", Degtyarev said slowly.
"You're one of the few cops of the Zone I actually respect. Why? Because unlike most, you've got the heart of a stalker too. You realize that while the government wishes all stalkers to disappear, we are vital to this place. And we need it to survive, because many of us have no choice but to be here. That is why I have held on not shooting you and your two men here to solve this problem, because I know you can understand Strelok's point of view. So at least try to do that.", Boris continued, calming down slightly.
Degtyarev looked stupefied. He was controlling his expressions to mask it, but Boris could feel the wheels turning inside the colonel's head. His two surviving comrades looked at the man in anticipation, gripping their weapons, loyal to fight even a last stand here. Finally, Degtyarev breathed out, raised his chin and looked Strelok in the eye. Whatever wordless communication passed between them, the meaning of it missed Boris until the army man spoke once more.
"I understand his point. And I cannot, in good conscience, detain him or cause a firefight over his arrest. Years ago, I helped you, Strelok, leave the Zone, yet now you wish to return. I should not stand between you and the Zone, if it is your sincere wish. And not only that, you saved my life earlier during this battle, and that is something I cannot overlook. What do you two think, Yvanova and Kovalev?", Degtyarev asked, and the two men shared a silent look before Yvanova answered
"We lost good men to detain him, but never to them. They have always waited for us to escalate, and even when we were attacked, they supported us instead of turning on us. That alone tells me that they have no ill intentions, and are merely committed to the protection of their ally. If they are willing to face the wrath of SSU by fighting it, they are willing to do so for the other actors too. I trust them to keep the VIP safe, and seeing him in combat, I doubt we need to worry too much, sir."
"Hopefully so. Going forward, you will be dead to the Ukrainian state, Strelok. I will mark in my report that you were killed by Omega agents during the battle, and that will be it. Keep yourself hidden, and do not let yourself get captured alive. Godspeed, old friend.", Degtyarev ordered, and the legendary stalker observing him nodded in agreement.
"There is a place up north not many people know of, where an old adversary of mine has retired to. I will go there, to be at peace for once. But Colonel. Remember that the Zone doesn't quite belong to the state either.", Strelok said mysteriously and nodded to his men to signal that it was time to leave.
As Rogue, Stitch, Yakut and Kamaz began packing things up and buying supplies for the trip, Strelok nodded to Boris and Dima to follow him upstairs. Boris agreed, but first asked Degtyarev in turn to wait for a little while longer. The colonel seemed surprised, but seemed to oblige. Boris and Dima followed Strelok upstairs, and entered the same office they had met the man for the first time. Strelok sat on the table there, and grabbed something from one of the drawers. It was a small file, with a pendrive inside it and a stack of documents, which Boris discovered when Strelok handed it to him. He looked at the folder, then up to Strelok, and raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"That's a collection of, eh, notes, you could call them, that my friend made of the various factions and locations of the Zone. It's incomplete, as he left to pursue other stories for a while, but it should give you more than enough knowledge. I'm giving it to you because I believe Redemption to be able to help fight the good fight in the Zone. The pendrive has an upgrade in it, which will allow you to utilize more recent military images of the Zone. These will reveal many previously unknown locations to you, which Rogue added descriptions of. We still lack data on all possible points of interest in the Zone, but I know of only one group who possesses such and I have been unsuccessful in convincing them to give it up.", Strelok explained.
"But why give this to us? I am grateful, of course, but also confused.", Boris asked.
"As a gift of gratitude for helping me and my team survive. And also because I trust your men to use the knowledge well. Take it as a parting gift from me, for I doubt we will see each other again any time soon.", Strelok offered and reached out his hand.
"Good luck out there, Strelok. And if you ever need help storming the power plant, give us a ring.", Boris said and shook his hand.
"Or if you're in need of excellent comedy relief, come on down to Meadow.", Dima chimed in, and likewise shook Strelok's hand.
"We shall see. I may take you up on those offers, but not soon. Goodbye, you two. It has been a pleasure to work with you.", Strelok replied, and gave them a faint smile before leaving.
"That's the end of it, then. Damn. Never expected for us to live to see this happen.", Dima wondered out loud.
"Same here. It's been a long time coming, too.", Boris muttered, when somebody knocked on the door.
"Care if I come in now?", Degtyarev questioned.
"Yes, indeed. We need to talk about a certain trip I have been planning. Do you perhaps have any connections to Belarussian authorities?", Boris asked, and the colonel gave him a surprised look again.

History

Google is a multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products. It was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University in 1998. The company's mission statement is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
Over the years, Google has grown to become one of the most influential and valuable companies in the world, revolutionizing the way people access and interact with information.
In the early years of Google, Page and Brin developed a search engine algorithm that ranked web pages based on their relevance and popularity, known as PageRank.
This algorithm was the foundation for Google's search engine, which quickly gained popularity due to its accurate and efficient search results. The company's name, "Google," is derived from the mathematical term "googol," which represents the number 1 followed by 100 zeros, signifying the vast amount of information the search engine aimed to organize.
In 2000, Google launched its AdWords advertising platform, which allowed businesses to display targeted ads alongside search results. This innovative advertising model became a major source of revenue for the company and contributed to its rapid growth. In the same year, Google introduced Google Toolbar, a browser extension that provided quick access to Google search functionality and other features.

Google Stock

Google's success led to its initial public offering (IPO) on August 19, 2004. The company offered shares at $85 each, and the IPO raised $1.67 billion, valuing Google at $23 billion. The stock was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "GOOG."
Following the IPO, Google continued to expand its product offerings and acquired several companies, including YouTube, DoubleClick, and Android, which have since become integral parts of Google's business.
In 2015, Google underwent a corporate restructuring and became a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., a new holding company. Alphabet was created to separate Google's core Internet businesses from its other ventures, allowing for more focused management and transparency. As part of the restructuring, Google's stock was converted into two classes: Class A shares (GOOGL) and Class C shares (GOOG). Class A shares carry one vote per share, while Class C shares do not have voting rights.
Google's stock has experienced significant growth since its IPO. In the early years, the stock price steadily increased, reflecting the company's expanding user base and revenue streams. However, it also faced some volatility during the global financial crisis of 2008, like many other companies. Nevertheless, Google's ability to innovate and adapt to changing technologies and user behaviors helped it maintain a strong position in the market.
Over time, Google's stock has consistently performed well, reaching new milestones. In 2013, the stock price surpassed $1,000 per share for the first time. In 2015, following the restructuring into Alphabet, the stock prices for both Class A and Class C shares were adjusted accordingly. The stock's growth continued, and in 2018, the price exceeded $1,200 per share.
As of the knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Google's stock has continued to rise, reflecting the company's strong financial performance and market dominance. The Class A shares (GOOGL) and Class C shares (GOOG) have consistently traded at high valuations. It's important to note that stock prices can fluctuate significantly over time due to various factors, including market conditions, investor sentiment, and company performance.
Google's success extends beyond its core search business. The company has expanded into various areas, including cloud computing with Google Cloud, hardware with products like Pixel smartphones and Nest smart home devices, and artificial intelligence research with Google AI. Google's influence can also be seen in the development of the Android operating system, which has become the most widely used mobile operating system globally.
Google's stock performance has been closely tied to its ability to innovate and maintain its dominant position in the tech industry. The company's revenue primarily comes from advertising, with its search engine and advertising platforms generating substantial income. Google's advertising business benefits from its vast user base and the ability to deliver targeted ads based on user data and search intent.
In recent years, Google has faced increased scrutiny and regulatory challenges related to its market dominance and data privacy practices. Authorities in various countries have raised concerns about Google's handling of user data and its impact on competition. These challenges have led to fines and investigations, which could potentially impact the company's reputation and financial performance.
Despite these challenges, Google has continued to invest in research and development, exploring emerging technologies and expanding its product offerings. The company's focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning has led to advancements in various fields, including natural language processing, computer vision, and autonomous driving.
Google's stock has also been influenced by broader market trends and investor sentiment. During periods of market volatility, technology stocks, including Google, have experienced fluctuations in their stock prices. Additionally, factors such as macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical events, and industry competition can impact the performance of Google's stock.
In recent years, Google has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and renewable energy. The company has made significant investments in renewable energy projects and aims to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. This focus on sustainability aligns with growing environmental concerns and investor demands for companies to address climate change.
Looking ahead, Google faces both opportunities and challenges. The continued growth of digital advertising, the expansion of cloud computing services, and the development of new technologies provide avenues for revenue growth. However, the company must navigate regulatory pressures, privacy concerns, and competition to maintain its market leadership.
As of the current date in June 2023, it is essential to refer to the latest financial information and stock prices to get an accurate understanding of Google's stock performance. Stock prices are subject to change due to market dynamics, economic conditions, and company-specific factors.

Final Words

Google's history is one of remarkable growth and innovation. From its humble beginnings as a search engine developed by two Stanford students, it has evolved into a multinational technology company with a wide range of products and services.
Its stock has experienced significant growth since its IPO, reflecting its market dominance and strong financial performance. However, the company faces ongoing challenges, and its stock performance will continue to be influenced by various factors in the dynamic technology industry.

• Related: Top Stock Investment Newsletters
• Access more profitable trading tips joining the Capitalist Exploits Insider Newsletter

What is the type of hoodies does Jesse wear? I've tried to search every single matching words aside from "Volcom" like streetwear, y2k hoodie and everything in between but i need this subreddit help.
https://preview.redd.it/hedfqylclz4b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e39cca0e02e64220ac9a995acbc9781ed17a521e

I really appreciate mods being presented, developed, etc etc. love em
but the way mod sites - even on the main modhub a- indexed , presented etc is abysmal.
no real filters, no real way to narrow down searches etc.
I ofetn times read "just search for x4 maps" and my response would be "how the F would I do that, if no mod site has a working / available way to filter / flag / tag 4x"
so unless you know exactlöy what you are looking for and can type some words of the actual mod name, you are bound to have to click for freakin ever. or am I only missing something ?
its kinda sad

Hi All,
I can't find an answer to this anywhere online or if I'm even looking in the right area. I have a basic WordPress plan and was told by my host that I could create what I needed. I explained what I explained below. I hope this makes sense, I'm at my wit's ends with working this out and literally spent 3 hours on a chat with my WordPress host and they led me on constantly to zero answers.
I want to create a directory like based website with minimal costs and without expensive plugins. I want a home page, directory page and contact us page. That's it.
The directory I essentially just want it really basic. I want it to look like a normal product catalogue, where you have the image, a title, and maybe a subtitle. Like an e-commerce store but without the sizing and price. I then want to be able to filter the products by category (eg. beauty, skincare, food) and country, allowing the users an easier search experience. Potentially as far as layout goes, maybe 3-5 products in each row.
A more complicated version I also wouldn't mind would be clicking on the 'directory' page, it comes up with a list of categories, for example, beauty, food, and fitness and then within each of those categories I could allow users to filter by country.
Here is the thing, I am not selling the products featured, obviously, it's a directory. I want the users to be able to click on the product and it directs them to the company website. I would ideally like the chance to add in affiliate links to these clickable products once I have it set-up. I don't want the user to click on the items in the directory for it to then go to some e-commerce style page.
A lot of the directory plugins are not what I am looking for at all and I really don't want to have to pay for a Woocommerce plan since I am not selling the product. If anyone has any idea how I could do this, I would be super grateful. I am working on putting this together to help people with allergies and intolerances easily find products/companies.
​

For centuries, dealing with mental illnesses was done in a very inhumane way. You can't blame the doctors back then completely, they didn't know. In a way it was even comical that they thought that they could measure someone's head and say “yup, this person is an arsonist” or something. Heck, they used to think that staring at the moon would make people insane (Luna is another name for Moon and now you know where the word “lunatic” comes from).
What isn't funny about this, is that they thought the cure for schizophrenia was ice baths, mothers who were grieving from the death of their babies had to have electric shocks and people who had depression should be confined to a room and do nothing but stare at a blank wall (they literally thought that the nervous system was overtaxed and doing nothing was a cure, now we know that isn't the case).
And I didnt even mention the horrors Geraldo Rivera uncovered at Willowbrook or the frontal lobotomies that were all too common.
The reason I bring all this up is because I think I came across something much worse while doing some urban exploring in Goose Creek Sanitarium, a hospital in my hometown that had been abandoned long before I was born.
In one of the filing cabinets was the medical journal of Doctor Hogg that had worked in the hospital during the nineteen twenties. The name meant nothing to me at the time, but that didn't stop me from reading through it.
The paper had suffered from water damage over the years and was half eaten by silverfish by the time I stumbled across it. However, from those pages I was able to piece together a very menacing story.
Doctor Hogg was convinced that he could cure every mental ailment by performing questionable experiments on his patients. Most of the language he used was a bit over my head, but I understood that everything from mental afflictions, memory, personality to perhaps even the soul was not physically in the brain, but instead only existed electrically.
Because of this Hogg thought that if he extracted these electrical impulses and shared them with others who were connected to the machine of his own device, he could “cancel out” some qualities. He was sure that as long as he could find “polar mental opposites” his theory would work.
The way it was described it was as though all these patients didnt know where they ended and the others began, and personally, I couldnt imagine a worse kind of torture.
This went on for a full ten days. He noted every twisted detail for prosperity.
In my opinion I think the man was a sadist.
On the tenth day the patients stopped showing signs of their conditions and started to act like completely different people. More than that, they started acting like the same person. Not only would the patients finish each other's sentences but they would also talk in unison.
At first the doctor thought this was residual effects and that over time they would all readjust to the “cure”. However, it wasn't long before the patients started to show signs of precognition and in a few cases, “pyromancy” (the doctor's word, not mine). Seeing this in his patients, the doctor was convinced that the people he subjected to the machine he built were possessed by legion, even going as far as quoting scripture and blaming himself for “opening the door to damnation.”
Over the months, the doctor grew more terrified of his patients and in order to cover up any wrong doings, he brought a gun to work with the intention of killing those who he thought were possessed.
That was the last entry in the doctor's journal, but I had to know what happened next.
I searched the rest of the abandoned sanitarium for anything I could find, but there was nothing there. At least nothing I could read.
Down in the basement I found a monstrosity of brass and iron and copper, covered in rust. After cleaning it of rust and cobwebs, I tried posting it on Reddit (Whatsthatthing) but the best answer I got was movie props for a horror movie featuring a mad scientist. Though the user admitted that this was just a guess.
During my quest to discover the truth behind this bizarre tale, I traveled to the library in town and went through the microfiche in the back.
I was about to call it quits when I came across a headline from 1927. “Inmates Make Daring Escape.”
The rest of the article highlighted the fact that even though the patients lived in different cells and floors, and had no way of communicating to each other, they worked in unison to escape. Then, most puzzling of all, they leapt from a fifth story window and ran out into the woods where they were never seen again.
It sounds crazy, I know. However as I read that headline, a flood of memories came over me and for the first time in years I remembered a story that my grandmother used to tell me before bed. The one about the neighboring woods and how she would hear noises at night when she was a little girl.
Coupling this with the fact that the town already thought that the woods were haunted by ghosts and monsters of all kinds, convinced me that there was something to my grandmother's story.
The more research I did about doctor Hogg, the more disturbed I became. Years after he was about to kill the patients, he became incarcerated at the very hospital he worked at. There, he tried convincing everyone that he had opened a door and summoned demons.
The jury is still out on whether Hogg was insane or not. But that doesnt matter to me as much as getting the machine in working order. I am sure as long as I can get it to work that there would be someone willing to purchase it. Who knows? Maybe what he said is true and it really opens a door and allows demons into our world?
I hope it works. I had enough of this world and I want it to end.
Perhaps I should test it on my landlord? No one would complain if he went missing.
WAE

First
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Memory Transcription Subject: Supervisor Tern, Constellation Capital Ship*
Date [Standardized Human Time]: 20 October, 2136
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Aliens can't see below the surface.
That fact is as true now as it was when the aliens first invaded us. That fact has also been the saving grace for Ranghals for 150 years. Act like a herbivore, act like you're in a "herd", act "cured", and hide underground when you think you can't act as convincingly, and the aliens will be unable to see your true self. Because aliens can't see anything beyond what's on the surface.
Captain Korman's briefing is a testament to that.
He, along with the captains of all the other ships, have decided to leave the expedition before establishing a settlement, citing dangerously ineffective ship maintenance and predator diseased behaviour from settlers and crew. And not just the captains, most of the staff on their bridges and even some of the doctors and mechanics no longer want to be in this fleet anymore. All in all, 65 aliens, roughly one-third of the crew, will be departing shortly after this briefing, in the two ships this capital ship has been housing. Just like how you'd expect a prey species to react, running at the slightest hint of danger.
Our plan to secure the fleet from the Nevok worked perfectly, more than perfectly, in fact, since there was always the possibility of the command being shifted to the exterminators instead of us. The sabotage that was meant to take away the exterminators' primary weapon also seemed to break any trust the soon-to-be former command had on them. So the captains didn't want to transfer power to any of them, especially after the tantrum some of the exterminators threw when their flamethrowers were taken for inspection, instead they relied on the supervisors, most of whom were Ranghals, fortunately.
And here was where one of the more infuriating prejudices of the aliens reared its ugly head. It's no secret they consider Ranghals primitive by their standards, the constant berating by the captains and the alien crew members remind us of that every single day. But it seems they saw us like some moss-licking cave dwellers who have never even seen a spaceship much less be inside one. Talking to us like we were academy freshmans who never touched a simulation in their lives, trying to teach us basics like engine control, sensor data readings, proper landing procedures, and how to avoid collision with other ships. It was like they hear the word "primitive" and all that pops up in their minds are barely sapient animals who just discovered tools for the first time in their history.
The look of surprise on their faces when we showed them that the ones to replace them were already experienced in piloting ships and managing crews from our days in commanding orbital defense and patrol ships was as amusing as it was frustrating. I guess Captain Korman and the others conveniently glanced over that part when they read our files when they sent me and a few others in this room for a "predator disease" screening. Hearing that, the inexperienced alien mechanics and officers the captains did select to be their replacements backed out, clearing the way for us Ranghals to take their place. The captains seemed uneasy about that development, but didn't refute it. I had to commend them at least for that, for trusting us "primitives" over the exterminators. Otherwise, taking over the bridges, and subsequently, the fleet, would've been a more difficult and bloodier endeavor.
The second infuriating aspect of the aliens showed when Captain Korman discussed how to start our settlement should this planet be deemed suitable for it. His last act as captain was to send atmospheric and surface probes to survey the planet, to get more detailed readings of the planet's atmosphere and geology to see if it was really inhabitable, and also to look out for signs of sapient life. And this was where the discussion got interesting, as before we were just nodding along to the captain's words, since commanding ships was a familiar topic.
Apparently, if this planet did contain sapient life, we were supposed to not make first contact. Instead, we were to inform one of the founding species of this planet's location and leave in search of another planet. When I asked why we weren't allowed to make first contact, the captain said it was standard for Kolshians or Farsuls to take on first contact projects.
"It is most likely that whatever new species we find will be a herbivore species", Korman elaborated, "Usually they're peaceful, as we all are, but they could be especially prone to violence if they're too primitive, like the Yotul".
He said "Yotul", but he eyed all the Ranghals in this room as he said it, clearly trying to implicate us too, but without being too blatant about it.
"In that case, if something goes wrong with first contact, it could sour the potential relationship between that species and the Federation"
"And what if the new species is a predator?", Supervisor Heda asked the obvious question that was in all our minds.
The aliens in the room gasped and clutched their fur in shock. Their eyes went wide and their mouths hung agape, acting like we committed some grave blasphemy. While we Ranghals just looked at them with confusion. It was a simple question, but judging the aliens' reactions, it seems even bringing up the topic of sapient predators sends them into a mild panic.
"W-well th-there's nothing to worry about", Korman reassured himself and the others, "Predators don't possess the ability to cooperate as well as we do, unless it is for killing and hunting. So it is near impossible that we'll find an entire civilization of predators, if they even reached sapience, that is. Maybe just a few tiny primitive colonies here and there", the aliens all flicked their ears in acknowledgement.
Korman continued, "Of course, there are fringe cases, like the Arxur and Human, but they're just that, fringe. Whatever new species we do find, it'll most certainly be a herbivore species, like the rest of the galaxy"
Lies. The alien was lying. More than 300 species in this galaxy, and including us, they're only 3 species of sapient predators? It didn't feel right. If what the aliens tried to do to us Ranghals is any indication, what happened to other omnivores like us is abundantly clear. And so is the reason for not initiating first contact. Either "cured" or wiped out, the founders of the Federation have been modifying entire species to be herbivores for thousands of years, and changing their history to be hateful towards all meat-eaters. We are the only ones that apparently managed to prevent this, at great costs. The Southern Strip Massacre, the loss of our cattle, the vilification of our deity, and now the collapse of so many of our forests. The aliens are a scourge on the existence of life and nature. It's abundantly clear just hiding from the aliens isn't enough anymore. It's time we took Rangha back from the invaders, however risky it may be. This is the first step towards it.
The meeting concluded, the captains transferred leadership to their replacements, and headed to the return ships as they were being prepared for the 9 day journey back to our home planet. As for me and my crew, we headed to the bridge to assume our new positions, as did the rest of the replacement crew in their own respective ships. The fleet was now ours, however, there was still a dangerous element in it that still remained. The alien exterminators will need to be dealt with for us to be in complete control.
As we entered the bridge, we were greeted by the only alien officer who decided to stay behind instead of leaving like the rest of his crew. Rimik, a Nevok, sensors officer, and apparently the only one of the previous crew with a big enough mental constitution.
Even then, by his mannerisms and fidgeting, it was clear he was a bit intimidated by us. The crew suddenly changing from of his own people to one of a different, unknown species must be a little unsettling. But then again, it could be his instincts telling him something is wrong. He is a prey species, after all, and we are predators, we are about to ambush them. Rimik may not have succumbed to his instincts like the rest of the aliens, but they still affected him.
One of the more troubling and confusing aspect of the alien's psychology was the fact that they never seemed to have evolved past their base instincts. Uncontrollable stampedes, running or fainting at the slightest hint of fear, a voracious appetite for expansion, often to the detriment of their own ecosystems, and the mindless tendency to kill anything even remotely threatening to them. All these are your typical herding prey species behaviour. But these are what you'd expect from mindless animals, not from a sapient, intelligent, spacefaring species. Their instincts don't explain the callous disregard for the natural order they have, nor their refusal to learn anything about predators that doesn't reinforce their prejudices. Sometimes I wonder whether the aliens were really like this, or some elaborate act to take our planet for themselves. I made a note to myself to make learning about the aliens' nature a secondary goal of this mission.
"So, Rimik, how's the planetary survey coming along?", I asked the alien, who was sitting in his chair already pouring over the data the probes were sending back.
"It'll be another hour until the survey is complete, er… captain Tern", the sensors officer answered, "But from the data we have by now, this is looking promising", his voice got slightly more cheery as he continued, "Breathable air, farmable, non-toxic land and water, stable geology, this could be it, the planet we're looking for"
"That's good to hear", I said while silently signaling the others to start the operation. 3 officers got up and left the bridge to inform the others.
"It's a shame Captain Korman and the others decided to leave now. We're so close, I wish they stayed until the end of the expedition", Rimik spoke somberly.
"It's a shame indeed", I pretended to agree with the alien. My screen showed cam footage of the two ships where the aliens who would be leaving were. They were lounging around near the hangar and inside the ships, waiting for the final food crates to be loaded for departure, completely unaware of what was about to unfold.
"What made you stay then, Rimik? Why not go with the others?", I asked him.
"Oh… um… I just wanted to find new planets, I guess", Rimik staggered as he was not expecting this question, "Also… er… gaining favor with the Imperium, better financial opportunities, maybe even a title..."
Rimik rambled on about the Imperium and the potential good that can come out of being in their good graces. But I didn't pay attention to any of that because my mind was focused on what was happening on my screen. Several bright flashes of light curtained the footage of the hangars and ships for a split second as several LS bombs went off in the aliens' vicinity. The disoriented aliens there didn't have time to react to the white smoke that quickly filled the room, and the aliens collapsed where they stood one by one.
Alarms started blaring on all sections of the ship. The white sleeping gas seeped out from the vents and spread throughout the ship.
Toxic gas alert! Toxic gas alert! All personnel, equip your gas masks and stay clear of affected areas
The automated voice kept repeating itself. Not that it'd do much to help, since most areas of the ship were affected and I doubt a lot of the aliens will get to their gas masks before the sleeping gas gets them. Security cams showed aliens and Ranghals alike scrambling to get to their living quarters or the nearest utility room to get their gas masks. A lot of them did not manage to do so before they fell unconscious. The hangars and social rooms were the most affected, while the crew in the generator and engine rooms were mostly intact since they already had gas masks NV nearby.
"Wh-what the…? What's h-happening? Why now?", Rimik got up from his chair to get his gas mask, only to freeze in place as he saw his crewmates, including me, pointing their firearms at him.
"Wh- wh- wha… er… C-captain? Wh-what i-is…", all blood drained from Rimik's face and fur stood up on end in fear, he ducked his tail between his legs, which were now shaking uncontrollably.
I ordered two of the officers on the bridge to tie up the alien. They lowered their guns, donned their gas masks and left the bridge to find something to tie up Rimik with.
"Th-this is a j-joke, r-right?", the alien was sobbing, "W-why are you d-doing this?"
"You're getting your wish, Rimik. No-one is leaving this expedition", I said with a threatening glare, "Don't move. We don't want to hurt you unless we have to"
I guess we should stop calling this an expedition now. It was an insurrection, our first real fight against the aliens since the Southern Strip Massacre. The last thing we want is the larger Federation knowing about this, especially when we still can't take them on in a head-on-head fight.
I addressed the communications officers, "Open channels to all ships. Tell them we're moving to Stage 2"
The two officers came back with wires and began tying up Rimik, who looked like he was ready to scream his lungs out, but the officers shut his muzzle so all that came out of Rimik was loud muffles.
With the only alien in the room subdued, we relaxed a little.
"I'll lock the bridge now. Don't open the doors for anybody until Fria and her team arrives", I closed my eyes as I sat on my chair.
This was it. Our first step away from living under the aliens' claws.

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Which pieces would you say have a “pulse”? I had never used that word to describe classical music, but it suddenly came to me when describing Martinu’s music. There aren’t many composers with such a flagrant pulse in their music as Martinu, but please share any examples you know of!
Is a "pulse" something you appreciate and search for in classical music, whether it's a few moments in a bigger work or an entire piece?
​
​

Earlier this year, I got a new cell phone. My old one was getting unreasonably slow, and I was way overdue for an upgrade. And, if I’m being honest, I was tired of not having all of the cool new features that my friends had. So I went online, browsed around and found a fantastic new phone I could use to make all of my friends jealous, at least until they upgraded again.
My new phone’s great. It’s got twice the storage of my old phone, it’s running the newest OS, and basically just has all the bells and whistles. Top notch cameras, hotspot mode—you name it, this phone can do it. It’s even got built-in voice-to-text on voicemails, so that when someone leaves me a message, I can just read what they had to say instead of having to actually dial in and listen to it. It’s not perfect, but it gives me the gist of the message, at least. Given that most of the voicemails I get are robocalls asking me to vote for some candidate, or scams telling me that the IRS is coming to arrest me, this feature has saved me a bunch of time.
A few weeks ago, however, I got a voicemail transcript that just said “Hurt.” One word, nothing else. The timer bar showed that the call was over three minutes long, though, which was particularly weird. Obviously, I played that one back to hear what was going on. Had the caller just said “hurt” and then hung around on the line? Had I been butt-dialed, and just caught the very beginning of a conversation at the end? It wasn’t from a number I recognized, but that didn’t necessarily mean I didn’t know the caller.
Except there turned out not to be a caller. I listened to the entire voicemail, all three minutes and forty-two seconds of it, and it was completely silent. I mean, there was a little bit of static, enough so that I knew that my phone hadn’t just cut off, but there wasn’t even the sort of background noise you get when you’ve been called from someone’s purse or pocket. There was nothing, and there definitely wasn’t anyone saying “hurt.”
I listened to the voicemail twice more before deleting it. It was weird, but I didn’t give it any more thought after that. Technology does strange things sometimes, you know? Makes it interesting. I used to have an iPod that would skip songs it didn’t like. It made me laugh. I appreciated that it had a bit of personality.
But then a few days later, I got another long, blank voicemail. This time, the transcript said, “You there? Helm.” This one was a minute and six seconds long, and just like the first one, there was absolutely nothing on it even remotely like a voice. I closed myself in a silent room, turned the volume all the way up and pressed my ear to the phone, and there was nothing. Just that quiet static, like a white noise machine playing from the next room over. Not even any real variations in that sound. Nothing.
The day after that, there was another one. This one was two minutes long and it said “miss you,” according to the transcript. I downloaded the voicemail that time and played it back on my computer. Not only could I still not hear anything, but the spectrogram showed absolutely no spikes. There just wasn’t any sound in there, but my voicemail was convinced there were words.
I tried a few things then. I borrowed a friend’s phone and called mine, left myself a blank voicemail. No transcript. Then I called again, played the recording I’d made of the “miss you” blank voicemail into the phone. My phone faithfully reported it as “miss you” again, even though I could see on the computer that the speakers hadn’t produced any sound other than that quiet hiss.
My friend’s phone had voicemail transcription too, so I swapped the phones, called his, and left him a recording of that blank voicemail. I just wanted to prove that it was something weird with my phone, but when his phone popped up with the voicemail notification, his transcript read “miss you,” too.
We both got kind of freaked out at that point, but we decided to try it with one more. I still had the “helm” one from the previous day saved, so we transferred it over to the computer, called his phone and let that blank recording play through, too. This time, the transcript wasn’t quite the same. I don’t know if his phone had better speakers or better transcription software or what, but his voicemail transcript read, “You there? Help me.”
So my friend bailed out at that point, and I couldn’t really blame him. Silent calls from nowhere were bad enough, and now that they were getting creepy on top of it? Time to get out, for sure.
Only when I thought about it, it wasn’t really that creepy, was it? If anything, it was sad. Someone, something, was trying to contact me, and I couldn’t even hear it. Him. It. And it couldn’t hear me, because all it ever got was my voicemail.
I decided to start answering the phone when I got calls from unrecognized numbers. The first few were more robocalls, and I hung up on them as soon as they started talking. There was always a brief moment of hope when I said “Hello?” to an empty line, and then a letdown as the telemarketer or automated message cut in.
And then one time, after I said “Hello?”, there was nothing but silence and a faraway hiss. I listened, straining my ears, but heard nothing but that soft susurrus.
“Can you hear me? I want to help you,” I said. I felt like I was calling out over a great distance, and fought the urge to raise my voice. I heard no response.
“Tell me what I can do for you,” I pleaded. Still, there was nothing. I stayed on the line, listening, until it clicked dead a couple of minutes later.
Since then, I’ve been getting voicemails almost every day. They’re always of varying length, some as short as forty seconds, one almost five minutes long. I don’t usually bother to listen anymore, because I know I’ll hear nothing but that quiet, continuous sigh. But I read the transcripts, fragmentary and occasionally garbled as they are.
Hurts said one, which I think is what the first one was supposed to say, too.
Searching, said another.
Come find me.
Ever tomb.
Marking light for dark.
Smiles.
Hurts dark.
Peace.
Help, help you.
Invitation commit accept.
Blood, water.
As you can see, they don’t usually make a lot of sense. They veer between creepy and peaceful, lost messages getting tangled trying to make their way out of a labyrinth. It’s been a fascinating view into something, even if I’m not sure what I’m seeing.
But today, my phone’s been ringing off the hook. Every time a call ends, a new one starts ringing. I answered a couple of times, and it’s always that same eerie silence. And today, every time the voicemail notification beeps, the transcript says the exact same thing:
See you soon.

Critical thinking skills, reasoning skills, arguments, reasoning, argument mapping, premises and conclusions, implied premises, how arguments are communicated, how different presentations of information affects learning outcomes, cognitive biases affecting people's conclusions, logical fallacies, how people word statements and questions that affect how much they recognize their logical fallacies and cognitive biases, how priming affects educational goals, how to navigate dialogue with people who hold false conclusions so that their errors are revealed to them and they reevaluate their conclusions, how people handle uncertainty, outcomes of teaching critical thinking skills in various ways, and/or educational outcomes of adding explicit teaching of any of these topics.
I want to learn how to improve critical thinking skills and the rates of correct conclusions, incorrect conclusions, and recognition of no clear conclusion to accept with confidence yet — both in the classroom and outside of classrooms.
Any advice on how to figure out which labs/professors are working on what I'm interested in would also be appreciated if you don't have specific suggestions I have been looking up research articles on these topics, scouring reddit posts, and trying to search online for information on labs but progress has been limited so I'm reaching out!