City national bank beverly hills address
Mick Dundee (Crocodile Dundee) VS Axel Foley (Beverly Hills Cop)
2023.03.22 13:52 PeculiarPangolinMan Mick Dundee (Crocodile Dundee) VS Axel Foley (Beverly Hills Cop)
Which 80s bad boy who turned the big city on its head would win in a fight, Mick Dundee from Crocodile Dundee or Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop? Which makes a better warrior, the mean streets of Detroit or the wilds of the Australian outback?
Fight takes place in a super 1980s shopping mall. Both fighters are at peak and fighting seriously.
- Round 1: Unarmed.
- Round 2: Melee weapons only.
- Round 3: They both have access to anything and everything they used in their movies.
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2023.03.22 12:33 Tall_Strategy_2370 Admissions Accomplished - UPDATED - Part 2
See link below for Part 1-
Reddit - Dive into anything I hope everyone enjoys this story. I worked on condensing what I wrote the past few weeks and changed some things about the characters - I personally like this story arcs better.
TL;DR of where they go to college at the end.
Chapter 5: RD Results and Final Decisions Matthew It was a typical afternoon at the Green Hills High School library, and Matthew was sitting at one of the tables with his laptop, anxiously refreshing his email. Today was the day he would receive his regular admissions college results. He knew his life was about to change drastically, and he couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and dread as he awaited the news.
One by one, the emails started to come in. Matthew held his breath as he clicked on each of them, revealing the decisions that would shape his future. As he opened each email, he was met with a series of acceptances: Columbia, Princeton, Duke, UPenn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Stony Brook. He was waitlisted at Harvard and Caltech but rejected at MIT, Stanford, and Yale.
Matthew's heart raced as he read through the acceptance letters, hardly believing the incredible opportunities that were now within his reach. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, knowing that all his hard work and dedication had paid off.
The email from Columbia caught his eye, and he opened it with particular interest. As he read through the letter, he discovered that not only had he been accepted, but he had also received an excellent financial aid package and had been accepted into Columbia's Undergraduate Scholars Program (CUSP). Matthew's eyes widened in disbelief, realizing that attending his dream school was now a genuine possibility.
As the news began to sink in, Matthew called his parents to share the exciting results. They were ecstatic, congratulating him on his incredible achievements and assuring him that they would support him in whichever decision he made.
Over the next few days, Matthew carefully considered his options, discussing them with his family, teachers, and friends. As he weighed the pros and cons, he found himself drawn to Columbia again and again. Its vibrant urban location, prestigious academic reputation, and the incredible financial aid package made it the perfect fit for him.
With a deep breath, Matthew finally made his decision. He clicked the "accept" button on Columbia's online portal, sealing his commitment to attend the university in the fall. A sense of relief and excitement washed over him, knowing that he was about to embark on a new journey that would shape the rest of his life.
In the following days, Matthew shared the news with his friends at Green Hills High School, who were thrilled for him and eager to hear about his decision. As they celebrated together, Matthew couldn't help but feel grateful for the support and encouragement he had received from his friends and family throughout the entire college application process. And as he looked forward to the future, he knew that he was ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that awaited him at Columbia University.
Priya It was the day that Priya had been anxiously waiting for since she was deferred from Brown Early Decision. As she sat in her bedroom, her hands trembling slightly, she mustered the courage to check her email for the regular admissions decisions. Her heart raced as the notifications started to pour in, each one carrying the potential to change her life forever.
Taking a deep breath, Priya opened the first email, revealing an acceptance from Brown. Her eyes widened in disbelief, a surge of joy and relief washing over her. She continued to read through the other acceptance letters, receiving offers from Cornell, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Emory, UC-Berkeley, UVA, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Stony Brook.
However, the waitlist notifications soon followed. Priya was waitlisted at Harvard, Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, UCLA, NYU, Wash U, and Northeastern. Despite her impressive list of acceptances, the weight of the waitlist decisions stung. She closed the final batch of emails, revealing rejections from Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and U Penn.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Priya took a moment to process the whirlwind of news. She called her parents into her room and shared the results with them. They hugged her tightly, expressing their pride and assuring her that they would support any decision she made.
As the days passed, Priya carefully weighed her options, discussing them with her family, teachers, and friends. She revisited her Brown acceptance letter repeatedly, her heart fluttering with excitement each time she read it. Brown had always been her dream school, and now it was within reach.
After much thought and deliberation, Priya knew where she belonged. With newfound confidence and excitement, she logged into Brown's online portal and clicked the "accept" button. It was official; she was going to be part of the Brown University community.
Sharing the news with her friends at Green Hills High School, Priya found comfort and encouragement in their enthusiasm and support. They celebrated her decision to attend Brown, knowing that she had found the perfect place to continue her education and pursue her passion for social justice.
As Priya looked forward to her future at Brown, she felt a deep sense of gratitude for the love and support she had received throughout the entire college application process. Her friends and family had been her rock, and she couldn't wait to embark on this new journey with their encouragement behind her.
Minho Minho had already received his acceptance to MIT Early Action, but that didn't stop him from feeling anxious as he waited for the rest of his regular admissions decisions. Sitting in his room, he watched his email notifications with bated breath, eager to learn the outcomes of his other applications.
As the emails rolled in, Minho began to open them one by one. He was thrilled to see acceptance letters from Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, UC-Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Purdue, UCSD, and SUNY Stony Brook. His excitement grew as he realized the breadth of his accomplishments and the opportunities that lay before him.
However, the waitlist notifications soon followed, and Minho discovered that he had been placed on the waitlists for Columbia, Cornell, and Northeastern. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment, but his spirits remained high, buoyed by his impressive list of acceptances.
The final email revealed a rejection from Stanford. Though it stung to see the "we regret to inform you" message, Minho took the news in stride, knowing that he had already been accepted to his dream school, MIT.
Over the next few days, Minho carefully considered his options. Though he had several fantastic schools to choose from, MIT had always been his top choice. Its strong computer science program, rigorous academics, and prestigious reputation aligned perfectly with his aspirations as a future software engineer.
Minho shared his decision with his friends and family, who congratulated him on his incredible achievements. They knew that MIT was the perfect place for Minho to thrive, and they couldn't be more proud of him.
With excitement and anticipation, Minho officially accepted his offer to attend MIT. As he looked forward to the incredible opportunities that awaited him, Minho felt a deep sense of gratitude for the support and encouragement he had received throughout his journey. He couldn't wait to embark on this new chapter of his life and continue to reach for the stars at MIT.
Alex Alex had already been deferred from Stanford Early Action, and he couldn't help but feel anxious as he awaited the results of his regular admissions decisions. Sitting alone in his room, he stared at his computer screen, watching his email notifications pop up one by one.
Taking a deep breath, Alex began to open each email. He was delighted to find acceptance letters from Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCLA, UVA, UMich, Georgia Tech, NYU, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Stony Brook. Alex couldn't help but smile at the thought of his accomplishments and the range of opportunities that lay ahead of him.
However, Alex's excitement was tempered by the waitlist notifications that followed. He had been placed on the waitlists for Stanford, Yale, Duke, UPenn, UC-Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon. Despite his initial disappointment, he reminded himself of the many fantastic schools that had already accepted him.
The final emails revealed rejections from Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Caltech, Columbia, UChicago, Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell. Although it stung to see the "we regret to inform you" messages, Alex remained optimistic, focusing on the positive outcomes he had received.
Over the next few days, Alex carefully considered his options. He researched each school in depth, attending virtual tours and reading about their academic programs and campus life. Eventually, Alex found himself drawn to Northwestern, with its strong engineering program and beautiful campus near Chicago.
After discussing his decision with his family and friends, Alex decided to commit to Northwestern. He knew that the university would provide him with excellent opportunities to grow academically and personally while pursuing his passion for math and science.
With a mixture of excitement and relief, Alex accepted his offer to attend Northwestern. As he looked forward to the challenges and adventures that awaited him, he felt a deep sense of gratitude for the support and encouragement he had received from those around him. He couldn't wait to embark on the next chapter of his life at Northwestern, where he was eager to make his mark and seize every opportunity that came his way.
Raj Raj had already faced rejection from Yale Early Action, but he knew that he still had plenty of opportunities ahead. He sat at his desk, clutching his phone with anticipation as he waited for the regular admissions decisions to appear in his inbox.
With a mix of excitement and apprehension, Raj began to open each email. His face lit up as he read the acceptance letters from UPenn's prestigious Wharton School, UChicago, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, USC, NYU, and SUNY Binghamton. Raj was proud of his achievements and felt grateful for the wide array of options he now had to consider.
Next, Raj opened his waitlist notifications. He had been placed on the waitlists for Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, UMich, and Northeastern. While he couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment, he knew that he had already received some impressive acceptances.
Lastly, Raj confronted the rejection letters from Harvard, Stanford, and Duke. He reminded himself that rejection was a natural part of the college admissions process and that he had still accomplished a great deal.
Over the next few days, Raj spent hours comparing the schools he had been accepted to, looking into their academic programs, extracurricular activities, and overall campus culture. As he researched and reflected, Raj found himself increasingly drawn to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. With its world-renowned business program and bustling urban location, UPenn seemed like the perfect place for him to thrive.
After discussing his options with his family, friends, and teachers, Raj made the decision to attend UPenn's Wharton School. He knew that the outstanding education and resources available to him there would set him on a path to success in the business world.
With excitement and determination, Raj accepted his offer to attend Wharton. As he looked forward to the next chapter in his life, he felt a deep sense of gratitude for the support he had received throughout his journey. Raj was ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that awaited him at the University of Pennsylvania, eager to make a lasting impact on both his future and the world around him.
Rachel Rachel sat in her room, her heart pounding as she stared at her laptop screen. She had already been rejected from Columbia Early Decision, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as she prepared to open her regular admissions decisions. She knew that her tiger mom had high expectations, and the thought of disappointing her made Rachel's stomach churn.
As the emails began to arrive, Rachel hesitantly opened each one. Her face lit up with a smile as she read her acceptance letters from NYU, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Stony Brook. But the waitlist notifications soon followed, revealing that she had been placed on the waitlists for Cornell and Johns Hopkins.
Then came the rejections. Rachel's heart sank as she read the list of schools that had denied her admission: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Brown, UPenn, Dartmouth, Northwestern, UChicago, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Vanderbilt, and Barnard. With each rejection, she felt the weight of her mother's expectations pressing down on her.
Fighting back tears, Rachel shared the news with her father first, hoping to gain some courage before facing her mother. Her father hugged her tightly, reassuring her that he was proud of her accomplishments and would support her decision no matter what.
The moment of truth came when Rachel sat down with her mother to discuss her college admissions results. Bracing herself for disappointment or anger, she shared her acceptances, waitlists, and rejections. To her surprise, her mother's reaction was not as harsh as she had feared. Though there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes, her mother told her that she was proud of her hard work and that she would always be there for her.
As the days went by, Rachel considered her options carefully. She had always loved the city, and the thought of attending NYU, with its vibrant atmosphere and diverse student body, appealed to her. After discussing her options with her parents and friends, she made the decision to attend NYU.
Rachel accepted her offer of admission to NYU with a mix of relief and excitement. She knew that her journey at NYU would be filled with new challenges, opportunities, and the chance to grow as a writer.
Although she hadn't gotten into some of the prestigious schools her mother had hoped for, Rachel felt a sense of pride in her accomplishments. She had faced her fears and come out stronger, ready to take on the next chapter of her life at NYU with determination and passion.
Alicia Alicia had already received her Early Action acceptance to Georgetown, but she still eagerly awaited the results of her other college applications. Sitting at the kitchen table with her family, she refreshed her email inbox, hoping for good news.
As the emails arrived, Alicia read the contents out loud to her family. She was elated to announce acceptances from Duke, Dartmouth, Emory, and NYU. Her family clapped and cheered, sharing in her joy and pride at her accomplishments.
Next came the waitlist notifications. Alicia informed her family that she had been placed on the waitlists for Princeton, Cornell, and Northeastern. Although she felt a hint of disappointment, she couldn't help but be grateful for her already impressive list of acceptances.
Finally, she read her rejection letters from Harvard, Yale, and Columbia. Despite the sting of rejection, Alicia remained optimistic, knowing she had already been accepted into several fantastic schools.
Over the following days, Alicia weighed her options. She found herself torn between Duke, where her older brother Marcus attended, and Georgetown's prestigious School of Foreign Service. She discussed her choices with her family, friends, and school counselors, seeking advice and insight to help her make the best decision.
Ultimately, Alicia chose to attend Georgetown. While the prospect of attending Duke and being closer to her brother was appealing, she couldn't deny her passion for international relations and the incredible opportunities that Georgetown's School of Foreign Service offered.
Alicia shared her decision with her brother, who expressed his support and pride in her choice. He knew that Georgetown was the perfect fit for her ambitions and dreams, and he looked forward to hearing about her experiences and successes there.
With excitement and determination, Alicia accepted her offer to attend Georgetown. As she looked forward to her future, she felt a deep sense of gratitude for the love and support she had received throughout her journey. She knew that Georgetown was the perfect place for her to grow, learn, and chase her dreams of making a difference in the world.
David David had already been accepted at Stanford to play football through the Restricted Early Action process, but that didn't stop his anticipation for the regular admissions decisions. As a talented athlete with a strong academic record, he knew that other prestigious schools might also be interested in recruiting him for their football programs.
One afternoon, David received emails from the football coaches at the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame, each expressing their enthusiasm to have him join their respective teams. David felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as he read the messages, knowing that his hard work both on and off the field had paid off.
Over the following days, David weighed his options carefully. He took the time to research each school's football program, academic offerings, and campus culture. He also reached out to his friends, family, and coaches to discuss his choices and gather their input.
As David considered each opportunity, he found himself consistently drawn back to Stanford. The university's strong academics, beautiful campus, and exceptional football program all seemed like the perfect fit for him. Moreover, he knew that attending Stanford would provide him with not only an excellent athletic experience but also the foundation for a successful career in business.
With a renewed sense of certainty, David confirmed his decision to attend Stanford. He sent emails to the coaches at Michigan and Notre Dame, thanking them for their offers and expressing his gratitude for their interest in him as an athlete and student.
As the day approached for David to sign his letter of intent with Stanford, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and relief. He knew that he had made the right choice and was eager to embark on the next chapter of his life as a student-athlete at one of the nation's most respected universities.
With his family and friends gathered around him, David signed the letter, officially committing to Stanford. He was filled with gratitude for the support he had received throughout his journey and looked forward to making his mark on the football field while pursuing his dreams in the classroom.
Taylor After having been deferred from Swarthmore during the Early Decision process, Taylor anxiously awaited their regular college admissions decisions. Sitting in their room, they took a deep breath as they opened their laptop to check their email.
As they started reading through the messages, Taylor felt a surge of happiness when they saw their acceptance letters from Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Barnard, Vassar, Reed, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Stony Brook. Each letter confirmed that these schools appreciated Taylor's unique talents and creativity, and were excited to have them on campus.
Next, Taylor opened the emails notifying them of their waitlist status at Williams, Northwestern, Emory, Georgetown, and Carnegie Mellon. Though a part of them felt disheartened, Taylor knew that they already had several amazing options to choose from.
Finally, Taylor faced the rejection letters from Yale, Duke, Columbia, Amherst, Brown, and Cornell. While it was tough to see those rejections, Taylor reminded themselves that the college admissions process was highly competitive and subjective, and that they had still achieved a great deal.
Over the next few days, Taylor spent hours researching the colleges they had been accepted to, focusing on each school's academic offerings, campus environment, and commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere. As they delved deeper, Taylor found themselves increasingly drawn to Wesleyan University, which was renowned for its vibrant arts scene and progressive community.
After discussing their options with family and friends, Taylor ultimately decided to attend Wesleyan. They knew that the university would not only provide them with a top-notch education but also a welcoming and nurturing environment where they could truly thrive as a nonbinary student.
Filled with excitement and anticipation, Taylor sent in their enrollment deposit to Wesleyan, eagerly looking forward to the incredible journey ahead. They couldn't wait to join the Wesleyan community, where they would have the opportunity to learn, grow, and make a lasting impact on the world.
Chapter 6: The Aftermath Priya and Rachel Rachel and Priya sat on the steps outside Green Hills High School, their college decisions in hand. The sun was shining, but Rachel couldn't shake the cloud that hung over her head. She glanced at her list of acceptances and rejections, then looked over at Priya's results.
"Congrats on getting into Brown, Priya. I'm really happy for you," Rachel said, trying to force a smile.
"Thanks, Rachel. I'm excited, but I'm more worried about you. Are you okay?" Priya asked, concerned for her friend.
Rachel sighed, "I can't help but feel disappointed, you know? I got rejected by so many top colleges. All I have are NYU, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Stony Brook, and waitlists at Cornell and Johns Hopkins."
Priya placed a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Rachel, you're an amazing writer and a talented student. NYU is a fantastic school, and it's in the heart of New York City – the perfect place for a budding writer like you. Besides, you never know what might happen with the waitlists."
Rachel looked down at her results, then back at Priya. "I guess you're right. It's just that you got into so many prestigious schools, and I can't help but feel a little envious. I saw you were waitlisted at NYU, but I bet they only did that because they're afraid you'd choose another school over them."
Priya smiled reassuringly. "That's kind of you to say, but you shouldn't compare yourself to me or anyone else. We all have our own paths, and NYU seems like a perfect fit for you. Plus, I'm genuinely thrilled about your acceptance there."
Rachel nodded, taking a deep breath. "You know, my parents were actually happy about NYU. I was really surprised. I guess I should focus on the positives and make the most of the opportunity. Thank you, Priya. You're a good friend."
Priya hugged Rachel. "That's what friends are for, Rachel. I know you'll do great things at NYU, and we'll still keep in touch no matter where we are. We're in this together."
With a newfound sense of determination, Rachel decided to embrace her future at NYU, ready to make her mark on the world as an incredible writer.
Decision Day On College Decision Day, the excitement was palpable at Green Hills High School. Seniors wore shirts representing their chosen colleges, with a buzz of chatter filling the hallways as they eagerly discussed their futures. A banner hung in the common area, reading "Congratulations, Class of 2023!"
Ethan and Julie Green walked into the school together, both beaming with pride. Ethan wore a University of Chicago shirt, while Julie sported her Duke University gear. The twins exchanged a proud glance, thrilled to be attending their dream schools.
Priya Rabinowitz, her heart set on Brown University, chatted animatedly with her best friend Rachel Lee. Rachel wore an NYU shirt, a symbol of her acceptance and determination to thrive as a writer in the heart of New York City.
Matthew Hernandez stood tall, proudly wearing his Columbia University shirt. He was excited about the financial aid package and the Undergraduate Scholars Program that made his Ivy League dreams a reality.
David Anderson, sporting a Stanford shirt, high-fived his teammates as they congratulated him on his football recruitment. He was ready to take on the challenges of both academics and athletics at an elite university.
Minho Park, clad in an MIT shirt, discussed the future of technology with his computer science classmates. His passion for math and science would be nurtured at one of the world's top institutions.
Alicia Davis, wearing her Georgetown shirt, smiled as she thought about attending the prestigious university and following in her brother's footsteps of pursuing a law degree.
Alex Madrigal, dressed in Northwestern purple, was excited to embark on his academic journey at a top-tier school. He shared his enthusiasm with classmates who were also preparing to move to the Midwest.
Taylor, wearing a Wesleyan University shirt, found comfort in knowing that they would be attending a college that celebrated their nonbinary identity and allowed them to explore their creativity.
Raj Singh, proudly displaying his UPenn Wharton shirt, engaged in a lively debate about business and economics, eager to learn from the best in the world.
Mary Sinclair, wearing her Brown University shirt, felt a mix of relief and excitement as she thought about her future at the Ivy League institution, hoping to prove herself beyond her family legacy.
As the day went on, the students of Green Hills High School celebrated their accomplishments and the new chapters ahead. They shared memories, laughter, and even some tears as they prepared to embark on their college journeys. Though they would soon part ways, the bonds forged at Green Hills would remain a cherished part of their lives.
*END*
I hope everyone enjoyed this updated story! I know this post was long but overall this story is a LOT shorter than the one I originally posted. I made a bunch of changes to the original one - so this isn't a summary of the long one. I personally like this set of characters better than the first one to be honest.
TL;DR Ethan Green: UChicago Julie Green: Duke Priya Rabinowitz: Brown Rachel Lee: NYU Matthew Hernandez: Columbia Minho Park: MIT Alicia Davis: Georgetown Mary Sinclair: Brown Alex Madrigal: Northwestern Raj Singh: UPenn (Wharton) David Anderson: Stanford (football) Taylor Chen: Wesleyan
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2023.03.22 12:32 Tall_Strategy_2370 Admissions Accomplished: Updated - Part 1
Hi all, I ended up condensing this story a lot and I changed the trajectory of some of the students. I added a new student (Rachel) and took out another (Sarah). Hopefully you all liked this story! I took out some of the "fluff" scenes and decided just to focus on college stuff for the most part.
This is it *phew*. I had to split in two parts because Reddit has a 40k character limit.
Link for Part 2 below
Reddit - Dive into anything IntroductionEthan Green:
- GPA: 3.6
- SAT score: 1590
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Math Club, School Band (Guitar), Chess Club, Tutoring, Art Club
Julie Green:
- GPA: 4.0
- SAT score: 1500
- Top 5 extracurriculars: School Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), School Band (Guitar), Model United Nations, Yearbook Club, Environmental Club
Priya Rabinowitz:
- GPA: 4.0
- SAT score: 1570
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Student Council (President), Debate Team, Key Club, National Honor Society, Volunteer at local non-profit organization
Matthew Hernandez:
- GPA: 4.0
- SAT score: 1580
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Science Olympiad, Math Club, Robotics Club, Peer Tutoring, Community Service Club
Rachel Lee:
- GPA: 3.8
- SAT score: 1460
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Creative Writing Club, School Newspaper, Drama Club, Art Club, National Honor Society
David Anderson:
- GPA: 3.7
- SAT score: 1410
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Varsity Football (Quarterback), Student-Athlete Leadership Council, Business Club, School Spirit Committee, Volunteer at local youth sports organization
Minho Park:
- GPA: 4.0
- SAT score: 1590
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Computer Science Club, Math Club, Science Olympiad, Robotics Club, USACO (USA Computing Olympiad) participant
Alicia Davis:
- GPA: 3.9
- SAT score: 1520
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Debate Team, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, Volunteer at local community center, National Honor Society
Alex Madrigal:
- GPA: 4.0
- SAT score: 1550
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Math Club, Science Olympiad, Soccer Team, School Newspaper, Spanish Club
Taylor Chen:
- GPA: 3.8
- SAT score: 1480
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Art Club, LGBT+ Alliance, Drama Club, Environmental Club, School Newspaper (Arts Section)
Raj Singh:
- GPA: 4.0
- SAT score: 1560
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Debate Team, Model United Nations, Science Olympiad, National Honor Society, School Newspaper (Opinions Editor)
Mary Sinclair:
- GPA: 3.9
- SAT score: 1510
- Top 5 extracurriculars: Art Club, Student Council (Vice President), School Newspaper (Features Editor), Yearbook Club, Community Service Club
Chapter 1: Beginning of Senior Year The crisp autumn air swirled around Green Hills High School, a prestigious public high school nestled in the suburbs of New York City. A sense of urgency and anticipation permeated the school, as the college admissions season had arrived. The pressures of academic achievement and looming deadlines weighed heavily on the shoulders of the senior class, who each bore their own unique dreams and aspirations. Among them were twelve students, each with distinct backgrounds and stories, all vying for a chance to secure a place at their dream colleges.
Ethan Green, an academically gifted slacker, found his once-promising future in jeopardy due to personal struggles and substance abuse. However, a stunning 1590 on the SATs breathed new life into his aspirations, rekindling his desire to attend the University of Chicago. With the unwavering support of his twin sister Julie, a straight-A student with a passion for music, Ethan began the arduous journey of repairing his tarnished transcript. Julie, on the other hand, had her heart set on Duke University, where she hoped to pursue a career in journalism.
Priya Rabinowitz, a brilliant, mixed-race overachiever, was the epitome of a perfect student. Her dream was to attend Brown University, driven by her passion for social justice. Despite her many accomplishments, she harbored a secret fear of not being "good enough." Her best friend, Rachel Lee, shared a similar sentiment, feeling inadequate in comparison to her academically perfect older brother Brian, and her high-achieving friend, Priya.
Matthew Hernandez, a top student with perfect grades and a near-perfect SAT score, dreamed of attending Harvard University, but his impoverished background made paying for college seem like an insurmountable challenge. At the same time, David Anderson, the school's star quarterback, yearned to attend Stanford and study business, but feared that his intelligence would be overshadowed by his athletic prowess.
Minho Park, a computer science prodigy who moved from South Korea at a young age, aimed to attend a prestigious school like MIT, Caltech, or Stanford. Alicia Davis, one of the few black students at Green Hills High School, aspired to attend Georgetown University and become a lawyer, her warm personality making her a natural confidante to her peers.
Alex Madrigal, another top student with a passion for math, science, and soccer, focused on getting into Stanford University. Meanwhile, Taylor Chen, a recently out nonbinary student, sought a college that would provide a safe and supportive environment for them to thrive.
Raj Singh, a senior at Green Hills High School who excelled in debate, hoped to attend Yale University. Lastly, Mary Sinclair, a talented artist who faced the pressures of being a double legacy at Brown University, worried that she may not truly be qualified for the prestigious institution.
As the college admissions season unfolded, these twelve seniors navigated the treacherous waters of self-discovery, friendship, and ambition, their journeys intertwining and shaping one another in ways they could never have imagined. The story of Green Hills High School's senior class was one of hope, heartache, and the relentless pursuit of dreams, all set against the backdrop of an unforgiving, competitive world.
Chapter 2: Applying Early The sun had barely risen on November 1st, the day when early college applications were due. A flurry of last-minute edits and double-checking consumed the lives of Green Hills High School's seniors as they prepared to submit their applications. The twelve friends, united by their dreams, sat together in the school library, each nervously finalizing their college applications.
Ethan, his heart pounding, reviewed his application one last time before hitting the submit button for Early Decision at the University of Chicago. He felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation as he considered the possibility of attending his dream school.
Julie, sitting beside her twin, took a deep breath and clicked submit on her Early Decision application to Duke University. She allowed herself a brief moment of relief, knowing she had poured her heart into her application and showcased her love for journalism.
Priya's hands trembled as she applied Early Decision to Brown University, her anxiety about being "good enough" momentarily set aside in the hope that her passion for social justice would shine through.
Rachel, her heart racing, sent off her Early Decision application to Columbia University, trying to shake off the pressure from her family and praying that her talents as a writer would be enough to secure her a spot at the prestigious institution.
Matthew, his jaw clenched, submitted his Restricted Early Action application to Harvard University, knowing that his future depended on receiving sufficient financial aid. He hoped that his stellar academic achievements would make it impossible for Harvard to turn him away.
David's eyes were filled with determination as he sent off his Restricted Early Action application to Stanford University, after completing his football tryouts. He hoped that the admissions officers would see his potential both on the field and in the classroom.
Minho, his fingers tapping anxiously, submitted his Early Action application to MIT. He had poured his heart into his computer science projects and was eager to showcase his passion and talent in his application.
Alicia, with a supportive smile from her friends, applied Early Action to Georgetown University. Her dream of becoming a lawyer seemed closer than ever as she hit the submit button, the pride she felt in herself evident in her eyes.
Alex, filled with anticipation, sent off his Restricted Early Action application to Stanford University. He knew that his academic achievements and passion for soccer had the potential to make him stand out in the competitive applicant pool.
Taylor, their hands shaking with nerves, applied Early Decision to Swarthmore College. They hoped that the accepting environment of the school would allow them to embrace their nonbinary identity and pursue their artistic passions.
Raj, his heart pounding, submitted his Restricted Early Action application to Yale University. He knew that his father would have been proud of his accomplishments, and he hoped that his debate skills and determination would be enough to secure a place at his dream school.
Mary, her face a mixture of hope and worry, applied Early Decision to Brown University. Despite her double legacy status, she longed to be admitted based on her own merits and her passion for art, rather than her family connections.
As the twelve friends hit the submit buttons on their applications, a collective sigh of relief filled the library. They had taken the first, crucial step in the college admissions process, their dreams laid bare for the admissions officers to see. The waiting game had begun, and their futures hung in the balance, but for now, they took solace in their shared journey, knowing that whatever the outcome, they had each other's support.
Chapter 3: Early Admissions Results It was a chilly December evening when the early decision and early action results were released. The twelve friends gathered at Ethan and Julie's house, huddled around their laptops and phones, each waiting with bated breath for the email that would determine their future.
Ethan opened his email first, his eyes widening as he read the words, "Congratulations!" He had been accepted to the University of Chicago! The room erupted in cheers and applause as Julie hugged her twin, her pride in his accomplishment shining in her eyes.
Next, Julie nervously opened her own email, letting out a squeal of joy as she discovered that she had been accepted to Duke University. Her dream of studying journalism at the prestigious institution was now a reality, and her friends celebrated with her, sharing in her happiness.
Priya's hands shook as she opened her email from Brown University, only to find that she had been deferred. Her heart sank, and she tried to mask her disappointment with a smile. Rachel, whose application to Columbia University had been rejected, wrapped an arm around her friend, offering silent support.
Matthew's face fell as he read that his application to Harvard had also been deferred. He fought back the fear that his family's financial situation might prevent him from attending his dream school, even if he were ultimately accepted.
David beamed with pride as he announced that he had been accepted to Stanford University to play football. His friends cheered for him, although Alex couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, knowing he was more academically qualified. Alex's own email from Stanford revealed that he had been deferred, causing the disappointment to settle heavier in his heart.
Minho's face lit up with joy as he discovered that he had been accepted to MIT. His friends congratulated him, knowing that his hard work and dedication to computer science had paid off. Alicia, too, had reason to celebrate, as she was accepted to Georgetown University, one step closer to her dream of becoming a lawyer.
Taylor's heart raced as they opened their email from Swarthmore College, only to find that they had been deferred. They tried to remain hopeful, knowing that the college search was far from over.
Raj's face paled as he read that he had been rejected from Yale University. The disappointment stung, but his friends rallied around him, reminding him of his incredible accomplishments and assuring him that he would find the right college in the end.
Finally, Mary opened her email from Brown University and was met with the news of her acceptance. The room filled with cheers and congratulations, but Priya couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy. While Mary was a strong student, Priya's test scores and grades had been higher, and she knew that Mary's double legacy status had played a role in her acceptance.
As the evening came to an end, the twelve friends had experienced a roller coaster of emotions. Some had reason to celebrate, while others were met with disappointment, jealousy, or uncertainty. Despite the various outcomes, they knew that their friendship would remain steadfast. Together, they would continue to navigate the ups and downs of the college admissions process, their bonds only growing stronger as they faced an uncertain but hopeful future.
Chapter 4: A Few Random Scenes Before RD Decisions Income Brackets The twelve friends gathered at a local park on a sunny Saturday afternoon, enjoying each other's company as they picnicked and played games. As the sun began to dip in the sky, they sat on the grass in a circle, sharing their thoughts and experiences.
Alicia, ever the good listener, brought up a topic that they had all noticed but rarely discussed: their different income brackets. It was a sensitive subject, but Alicia felt that it was important for them to acknowledge and understand the unique challenges each of them faced.
Matthew, who came from a low-income family, hesitated before speaking up. "You know, sometimes it's really hard being one of the poorest students in our school. I've had to work a part-time job to help support my family, and that's meant less time for studying or extracurriculars." His friends nodded in sympathy, recognizing the additional pressure that Matthew faced in trying to balance his responsibilities.
Ethan, Julie, Minho, Alicia, and Taylor, who all came from middle-class families, shared their own struggles. "It's not always easy for us either," said Julie. "We may not have to worry as much about making ends meet, but we still feel the pressure to work hard and achieve our dreams without having a financial safety net to fall back on."
Priya, Rachel, David, Alex, and Raj, who were considered upper middle class, acknowledged the advantages they had but also shared their perspectives. "Sure, we have more resources," admitted Priya, "but it sometimes feels like there's an expectation for us to succeed no matter what. That pressure can be really overwhelming."
Mary, who came from an upper-class family, listened to her friends' experiences and nodded in understanding. "I know I'm fortunate," she said softly, "but it's not always easy being seen as the 'rich kid.' Sometimes people assume I don't have to work hard, or that I don't have my own problems. Money can't buy happiness, and it can't guarantee success either."
As the conversation continued, the friends found themselves opening up about their fears, insecurities, and the unique challenges they faced because of their different financial situations. They began to understand each other's perspectives more fully, realizing that no one had a perfect life, regardless of their income bracket.
The sun had almost set by the time the twelve friends decided to pack up and head home. As they walked together, they felt a renewed sense of unity and support. They knew that their friendship was more important than any financial differences, and they were grateful to have one another as they faced whatever challenges life had in store for them.
Ethan The twelve friends were seated in the school library, working on a group project for their history class. Their task was to research and create a presentation on the American Revolution, and each student was responsible for a specific aspect of the project.
As they discussed their findings, Julie mentioned a piece of information that she couldn't quite recall. "I remember reading something about the Battle of Saratoga, but I can't remember the exact details," she admitted, frustrated.
Ethan, who had been quietly browsing through a book, glanced up and said, "Do you mean the fact that it was a turning point in the Revolutionary War because it convinced the French to support the American cause?"
Julie looked at him, surprised. "Yes, that's exactly it! How did you know?"
Ethan grinned sheepishly. "I saw it in one of the books we were using for research last week. I just happened to glance at the page, but it stuck in my head."
His friends exchanged glances, impressed by Ethan's uncanny ability to remember things he had only seen briefly. It was a talent they had all noticed before, but never really discussed.
Curious, Minho asked, "Ethan, do you have a photographic memory?"
Ethan shrugged. "I guess you could say that. I've always been able to remember things I've seen or read, even if it's just for a short moment. It's just something my brain does."
The group marveled at Ethan's unique skill, and they began to ask him questions about various historical events and figures. To their amazement, he was able to recall an incredible amount of information, often down to the exact page number where he had seen it.
As the group continued their project, they couldn't help but feel grateful for Ethan's extraordinary memory. His ability to retain and recall information made their research more efficient, and it quickly became clear that his talent would be a major asset in their project.
The friends were not only impressed by Ethan's photographic memory but also inspired by the way he used his gift to help the group. It was a reminder that each of them had their unique strengths, and when they worked together, there was no challenge they couldn't overcome.
Rachel The twelve friends had gathered at Priya's house for a relaxed weekend hangout. As they lounged in the living room, a pile of their old middle school yearbooks lay on the coffee table, stirring up nostalgic memories and laughter.
Raj picked up one of the yearbooks and flipped through the pages, pausing when he came across the "Creative Writing Club" section. He looked up at Rachel and said, "Hey, I remember you won a couple of writing contests back then. Are you still writing?"
Rachel blushed and nodded. "Yeah, I've been working on a few short stories recently."
Her friends exchanged glances, intrigued. "Would you mind sharing one with us?" Alicia asked gently, her eyes full of genuine interest.
With some hesitation, Rachel agreed and disappeared into her bag, retrieving a small notebook. Her friends gathered around her in anticipation as she flipped through the pages, searching for the story she wanted to share.
"Okay," Rachel said, taking a deep breath. "This one is called 'The Timekeeper's Daughter.'"
As she began to read, her friends listened intently. Rachel's words painted a vivid picture of a young girl named Lila, who lived in a world where time was a tangible currency. Lila's father was the town's Timekeeper, responsible for managing and distributing time to the citizens.
The story was filled with imaginative details and intricate descriptions that transported the friends into Lila's world. Rachel's writing was both elegant and engaging, seamlessly weaving together the threads of the plot as the story unfolded.
As Rachel's voice carried them through the emotional highs and lows of Lila's journey, her friends found themselves hanging onto every word. They felt the young girl's joy and sorrow, her determination and fear, and the ultimate resolution of her story.
When Rachel finally closed the notebook, the room was silent for a moment before it erupted into applause. Her friends marveled at the beauty of her storytelling, praising her extraordinary writing abilities.
"Rachel, that was incredible!" Julie exclaimed. "I felt like I was right there with Lila in that world. Your descriptions were so vivid, and the story was so unique and compelling."
"Yeah, you have a real gift," David added, his admiration evident in his voice. "You should consider writing a book someday."
Rachel blushed again, overwhelmed by their compliments. As her friends continued to praise her creative writing talents, she felt a newfound sense of confidence and determination to continue honing her craft.
For the twelve friends, the experience of listening to Rachel's story brought them closer together, as they were reminded once again of the diverse talents that each of them possessed. Together, they celebrated Rachel's extraordinary writing abilities and the unique gifts that each of them brought to their circle of friendship.
See link below for Part 2!
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2023.03.22 12:31 Nellthe Citizens Exchange - Chapter 4 - Royal Manners
Note: As I said I want to take my time with this story and write it in better quality ("book alike") with bigger chapters and more characters development and world building. Enjoy this chapter! Prologue Chapter 1 Prev Next
*****
Karina stepped through the portal for the second time that day, emerging in a bustling square in the heart of Aharedun, the capital city of the Kingdom of Aranthia. Unlike the portal to Thalassar, this one was noticeably smaller and less blurry, allowing Karina to clearly see the guards standing on the other side of the shimmering energy field. They wore their imposing grayish armor, their eyes trained on the group of travelers that had just arrived.
Leading the way was Prince Kaelen, who beckoned Karina and their new Viluna companions to follow him into the city. As they made their way through the square, Karina couldn't help but marvel at the sights and sounds around her. The buildings were unlike anything she had ever seen on Earth, with towering spires and ornate decorations adorning every surface. The air was thick with the scent of exotic spices and the sound of alien music that made her toes tap in rhythm.
The crowd that had gathered to greet them was diverse, made up of Thalassarians they already met and several others, she wasn’t sure if they were other species or races.
Her attention was drawn to a particular figure in the crowd, a small creature with dark-green skin and carapaces on its body. It wore a bright yellow toga and had a face that was humanoid but with distinct differences. Its nose was small and almost imperceptible, and it had no hair on its head. Karina couldn't help but stare, fascinated by this strange being.
Before she could take in more of her surroundings, Prince Kaelen stepped forward and made a gesture opening both of his hands and waving his head from one side to other, prompting the crowd to follow suit. Karina wasn't sure if it was a greeting or a bow, but she joined in, copying the movement.
"Welcome, citizens of Aharedun and visitors from afar!" Prince Kaelen announced to the crowd. "We are honored to have these new guests among us, the Humans! We will be taking them to the Royal Palace to show them more of our city tonight and in the coming days. In the meantime, please enjoy the festivities and explore our wonderful city!"
The crowd erupted into applause, and Karina felt a sense of warmth and hospitality from the Thalassarians, she wasn’t sure what she expected once they came here, but this was a welcome sight. As they followed Prince Kaelen down the bustling street, she took in more of the sights and sounds around her, feeling a sense of adventure and excitement building within her. She couldn't wait to see what other wonders this world had in store for her.
They walked stone-cobbled streets towards the big Palace prompted on one of the hills that surrounded the city. The whole time Karina and the humans were escorted by the legion of guards and the hooded figures appeared every once in a while on the corners or on top of the buildings.
“How many people live here?” Karina asked her Viluna which was hovering near her shoulder.
“Around five hundred thousand,” Viluna answered with a squeaky voice.
“Is that a lot in Thalassar or?” Karina asked curiously.
“It’s on a bigger spectrum, but that are larger cities, Aranthia has three bigger cities, but this their capital due to its geopolitical position.” A little speck of flittering light answered. “Which city are you from back on Earth?” The little creature asked her.
“I was born in Moscow,” Karina answered.
“Ahh, we have heard of it in our brief time on Earth,” Viluna answered.
“What?” Karina was shocked. “You have been on Earth? When?” She asked.
“We have visited once the portal was open,” Viluna answered. “We are curious creatures, drawn to new things.”
“How come no one saw you?” Karina asked looking at the Viluna as it flown around her head.
“We can’t take physical or any form on that matter on Earth.” The creature said. “See on our moon we have a physical form, down here on Thalassar we are like this, but once we went through the portal we became nothing but a flicker in the air, barely visible if you knew what you were looking for.” The creature said changing its colors.
“So, why are you here and with us if you can just go to Earth and learn all about us from the shadows?” Karina asked.
“Well, it’s not that simple. Since we can not find any form on Earth, we can’t stay long there, no more than an hour at a time and once we get back it takes us long time to recover.” Viluna explained.
Karina furrowed her brows, trying to understand. “Why is that?”
“We start to lose ourselves if we stay longer. Our minds can’t work right without a form. If we were to stay longer, we would probably cease to exist, as our minds would get lost completely,” Viluna said, changing colors.
“Hmm,” Karina said thinking. “You are weird little creatures. We will talk more tonight, I want to take in all the sights now.” With that said the little creature buzzed above her head.
They had almost reached the big palace during their conversation, only a big flight of rounding stone stairs was between them and an enormous gate at the top of the hill.
“Up we go humans,” Prince Kaelen said and started climbing.
They made their way up the grand staircase, their footsteps echoing against the stone steps. Karina looked around in awe at the view of the city that was unfolding before her. She could see the different districts and neighborhoods of Aharedun, each with its own unique architecture and vibe. She noticed a few towering buildings that stood out from the rest, in her mind those belonged to the nobility or wealthy merchants.
As they reached the top of the stairs, they were met with the sight of the enormous gate, decorated with intricate carvings and symbols that Karina couldn't decipher. The gate was guarded by two large statues of armored soldiers riding unfamiliar beasts, their swords raised and ready to strike. The guards opened the gates, and they stepped into a wide courtyard, filled with lush greenery and fountains.
The palace itself was an impressive structure, with several wings and towers reaching up toward the sky. The walls were made of a white stone that shimmered in the sunlight, and the windows were adorned with colorful stained glass. Karina could see balconies and terraces on the upper floors buzzing with people looking down at their new guests.
Prince Kaelen stood and faced the crown. “Welcome to Royal Palace,” He said opening his arms to show the majestic structure spreading on three sides around them. “It’s been built by my family some four hundred years ago and had been our home ever since.”
As Kaelen talked Karina took her time to take in the marvelous Palace. She was struck by the sheer grandeur of the architecture. Towering pillars rose up from the ground, supporting massive arches and intricate carvings that adorned every inch of the Palace's façade. The gardens were a sight to behold as well, with an array of exotic flowers and plants that seemed to glow in the sunlight. Karina could hear the soft babbling of a nearby fountain, which was surrounded by a group of playful Thalassarian children who were splashing around in the water.
Karina took few steps away from the group and noticed the bustling activity of the Thalassarians as they tended to the upkeep of the Palace and its grounds. Some were meticulously cleaning the pavement, making sure that every stone was spotless. Others were hard at work, trimming and pruning the greenery so that it maintained its shape and beauty. Karina couldn't help but admire the dedication and attention to detail that the Thalassarians put into their work.
Despite their busy schedules, the Thalassarians still found time to take in the sights and sounds of the Palace. Karina observed that they often stopped to exchange greetings and friendly banter with one another, even as they went about their tasks. And yet, whenever opportunity arose, the Thalassarians couldn't help but steal glances in the direction of humans. It was clear that they were curious about the visitors.
“This will be your home for the next year, or until you wish to get reassigned to another part of the program.” Kaelen said finishing speech. “There will be a maid so to say or someone to be of your assistance for each of assigned on top of your Vilunas to make your lives in palace easier. Go ahead enter the east wing of the palace and you will find your rooms at the second and third floor.”
Karina's heart skipped a beat as she stepped into the Palace, her eyes wide open as she tried to take in the grandeur of the interior. The entryway was dominated by a massive chandelier, but she noticed that instead of light bulbs, it was adorned with floating spheres of light that illuminated the entire room in a soft, warm white glow. The walls were painted in a rich shade of yellow, resembling the color of the ocean, while the marble floors were decorated with intricate patterns that seemed the follow the motives from their uniforms.
As she followed the grand hallway, she passed by rooms that were equally lush and rich. She couldn't help but marvel at the fine artwork that adorned the walls, the intricate tapestries that hung from the ceiling, and the luxurious furniture that filled each room. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.
Climbing at the third floor she arrived at her room. It was just as grand as the rest of the Palace, with a large four-poster bed draped in luxurious silks, a writing desk made of rare woods, and a balcony that offered a stunning view of the gardens below.
As Karina was lost in thought, the sound of the door opening startled her. She turned to see a young Thalassarian woman with strikingly unique eyes. They were a deep purple with a faint glow, an unmistakable characteristic of the Thalassarians. Karina guessed her to be in her early twenties, but it was hard to tell with them yet.
The woman's beauty was undeniable, but there was also an awkwardness about her that made her all the more endearing. She stood there nervously, clasping her hands together, as she spoke in a soft voice, "Mistress, my name is Nereia. I have been assigned to assist you during your stay here."
Karina couldn't help but smile at the young woman's formal address, "Please, call me Karina. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Nereia."
Nereia let out a small sigh of relief, "Thank you, Karina. If you'll allow me, I'll show you around and help you with anything you need during your stay here. How do you like your room?" Nereia asked.
“I love it, it’s beautiful,” Karina answered truthfully. “It’s all very overwhelming, but it’s grandiose, to say the least,” Karina said with a friendly smile.
Nereia returned the smile, her faintly glowing eyes sparkling in the light. "I'm glad you like it. Well, the Royal Family is known for its luxurious style.” She said. “Is there anything else you need before I leave you to settle in?"
Karina shook her head, "No, I think I'm good for now. Thank you again, Nereia."
“I will be back later with a gown for the welcome feast tonight, you make yourself comfortable and call me if you need anything,” Nereia left and closed the door behind her.
Moments later Karina stepped out onto the terrace, taking in the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the sound of trickling water from the nearby fountain. She noticed Viluna, her sparkling companion, floating nearby.
"Hey,” Karina said, smiling at her companion. “I was wondering if you could tell me about how magic works. That’s one of the things we humans are the most curious about."
Viluna beamed back at Karina. "It won’t be that simple I am afraid, Karina. Magic is a complex and powerful force that is present in all living things. It's the energy that flows through us and connects us to the world around us."
“Why it won’t be that simple?” Karina asked curiously.
“Well, that’s amongst few things we are not allowed to share with you humans yet,” It said.
“What? Why?” Karina asked. “Aren’t you here to share the knowledge with us?”
“Yes, we are. But it was in the deal we made with the Prince,” Viluna said floating near her head. “The King himself requested we don’t share that knowledge yet, at least not to the full extent. I will answer some of the basic questions and I am sure you will find a lot on your own talking to other Thalassarians, but for now, we are not allowed to explain in detail.”
“Why did he request that?” Karina continued her barrage of questions.
“Because he is afraid that if we give out all of our knowledge you will be able to use it against them if you ever decide to invade again,” Viluna said the explanation made sense to Karina. “But don’t worry if the program goes well I am sure all the knowledge between the two worlds will be shared eventually as the trust grows.”
“Hmm,” Karina frowned. “Makes sense I guess. What can you share now then?” She was persistent.
“Well, All I can tell you is that most of the Thalassarians can cast some of the magic, or at least have to ability to learn it. But to those that can only access simple spells like creating a light sphere, it means nothing. I don’t know if I can find a perfect comparison, but it’s like all of you know how to read and write, but it doesn’t make you special in your own world.”
“Hmm, I don’t know if it’s a great analogy, but I think I get it,” Karina said sitting back in the comfortable chair on the corner of the terrace. “ What else can you share? Where does the magic come from?”
“Hmm, not sure,” Viluna said in a soft voice. “The source of the magic comes to from the moons of Thalassar. There are thirteen of them orbiting the planet and each one of them provides a person with a specific power. Every being born on Thalassar has a connection with at least one and that’s how they are able to make basic spells like light spheres, a small burst of fire, heal minor wounds, and so on.” Viluna spoke and danced around Karina’s head as she listened carefully.
“More skilled mages, healers, enchanters, and so on, have a connection to several moons and use their powers to create and cast unique spells. Even to this day people are able to think of new ways to cast and create new spells. It’s way more complex than that, but it’s all I am able to share for now, that information you can gather by asking almost anyone on the street and it can’t hurt the kingdom.”
“Woah, that’s interesting,” Karina said her eyes full of wonder. “Can someone have a connection to all of the moons?” Karina asked curiously.
“No, that’s unheard of,” Viluna answered landing on her knee. “Powerful magic users most have around five to six connections, the highest anyone ever had was ten, but it is more a myth than a confirmed fact, we don’t have any evidence that Xandros the Second had that ability.”
“Hmm,” Karina said taking in everything her little companion shared with her. “I am sorry, I just realized I never asked you for your name.”
“We Viluna’s don’t have names, but you are free to name me and call me whatever you like,”
“Ok, how about Lumina,” Karina asked right away. “Don’t know why but that name suits you.”
“I like it,” Lumina said her form shifting slightly.
Karina continued to ask a question to Lumina as she overlooked the busy gardens of the Royal Palace. An hour had passed in a blink and a knock from a door cut their conversation.
“Excuse me, Mistress Karina,” a soft voice said with a polite tone. “It’s Nereia, I brought your gown.”
Karina opened the door and welcomed the girl with a warm smile. “Come on in,” She said opening the door wide.
“I am afraid I can’t, they need us down to get everything ready for the feast tonight.” She said. “Here is your gown, get ready and I will come to get you in less than an hour and lead you towards the banquet hall.” Nereia handed her the gown and left.
Karina looked at the gown in awe as she held it in her hands, without hesitation she put the gown on. It was a beautiful, flowing creation made of the finest silk, with intricate embroidery and beading in shades of turquoise and silver. The sleeves were sheer, with delicate lace trimming, and the bodice hugged her curves before cascading down into a billowing skirt that trailed behind her as she walked.
It wasn’t her style at all, she was more of street clothes kinda a girl, but looking at herself in the mirror, she was blown away. She made a few turns looking at the dress from all angles. This kind of dress would cost her fortune back on earth. She found a few silver clips on the desk and styled her hair as best she could to go along with the dress.
A few moments later, Nereia arrived at the door, dressed in a lovely gown of her own, visibly less luxurious than the one Karina got. "You look stunning, Mistress Karina," she said with a smile. "Are you ready to go?"
Karina nodded, feeling a bit nervous but excited as well. She followed Nereia down the hallway, her long gown trailing behind her as they made their way toward the banquet hall. As they walked, Karina couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the palace once again. Every inch of it was adorned with intricate carvings, sparkling jewels, and delicate tapestries.
Finally, they arrived at the banquet hall. The hall was massive, with soaring ceilings, glittering chandeliers, and walls adorned with shimmering gold decorations. The tables were covered in rich, embroidered cloths, and gleaming silverware sparkled in the light of the glowing spheres floating above the table.
The guests were already arriving, each one more elegantly dressed than the last. They were all talking and laughing, their voices echoing off the grand walls of the hall. Karina felt a bit intimidated, but Nereia squeezed her arm reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Mistress Karina," she whispered. "I know feasts like these can look intimidating, but you humans are the stars of the show."
With that, she led Karina toward their assigned table where most of the humans would sit this evening. Nereia took a seat next to her and on the other side, she recognized a girl from their program wearing a similar gown.
“Hey,” Karina said softly. “How are taking all of this?”
“Hey Karina, it’s overwhelming, but everything is beautiful so far, can’t complain,” Clarissa answered. “How about you?”
“Same,” Karina answered and they continued with small talk before the soft music that was playing stopped and people started standing up. Nereia slowly tugged at her arm pointing for the stand as well. Seconds later prince Kaelen walked into the hall with a beautiful woman under his arm. She was stunningly beautiful, with long golden hair that cascaded down her back in loose waves. Her dress was a shimmering ivory color, with delicate beading that sparkled in the candlelight.
Karina couldn't help but notice the intricate braids woven into the woman's hair, forming an elegant and intricate pattern that must have taken hours to create. Her makeup was subtle, but enhanced her natural beauty, with a soft pink lip and just a touch of blush on her cheeks.
“That’s Zaya, Kaelen’s bride-to-be,” Nereia said.
“She is beautiful,” Karina answered truthfully.
“Yes, she is amongst the most beautiful women in the kingdom. Kaelen chose her instead of marrying someone from his family provided in order to establish better relations with other kingdoms. It was a big deal at the time, but that’s prince Kaelen, he always does what he wants.” Nereia explained and Karina just nodded looking at the stunning couple.
“What’s the prince like?” Karina asked.
“He always stood out from the Royal Family. He is a bit eccentric, he likes to party, and travel, and isn’t really that much interested in Family matters.” Nereia said as the couple took a seat at the main table. “Bringing you guys here with this Citizens Exchange program is his way of proving his worth to the kingdom and his family.”
“How so?” Karina asked curiously.
“He doesn’t believe in his family policy of war and old-style politics. He believes both planets could benefit from each other if we set our differences aside and work together. The King was not for this program at all, but the prince managed to convince him otherwise with the help of his Mother.” Karina nodded in understanding and minutes later waiters started serving dinner.
Karina was serving a weird purple-looking fruit or vegetable, she wasn’t sure. “What’s this?” She asked Nereia.
“That’s Nemoryn fruit, it’s one of the best delicates in the Thalassar and only grown on one small island,” Nereia said. “It’s usually served only on big banquets and before the main course as this fruit is known to open the appetite and help dissolve the rest of the food easier.”
“And how do you eat it?” Karina asked poking at the fruit with her knife.
Neremia chuckled softly. “You cut off top and the bottom and then peel the leathery exterior.”
Karina did as told and the inside revealed a pink, jelly-like inside that was filled with small, edible seeds.
“You can eat it all, it’s ok to eat it with the spoon,” Nereia said.
Karina nodded and took her spoon taking a bite out of the fruit. It was soft and crunchy at the same time with a mild, sweet, and subtly bitter flavor. It began to melt into a liquid inside her mouth and the taste reminded of lime and coconut mixed together.
“Woah, this is delicious,” Karina said and took another bite. “Your food is truly amazing.”
Nereia smiled. “Yes it is, but you also are getting the best of the best, keep that in mind.” She said with a smile and Karina nodded her mouth full of delicious fruit.
The rest of the banquet went as expected, they ate amazing food, Karina made small talk with the rest of the humans, and spent most of the night chatting with Nereia, who proved to be rather curious about humans once she loosened up. Prince Kaelen provided them with a whole night of entertainment, dancers, actors, and entertainers took turns at the podium as the night went away.
Deep into the night when the feast was nearing its end, a loud explosion was heard from the outside and bright light emanated deep from the city which could be seen through the open terrace on one side of the banquet hall. Karina ran towards the terrace but the guards were already at the door prohibiting anyone to exit. Karina managed to peer through the cracks in their massive armor and saw a big flame at the part of the city where they walked earlier in the day.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure it’s nothing.” Prince Kaelen said with a stern voice. “Please leave for your rooms we have our people already investigating the source of the explosion. You will be informed of what happened as soon as we know.” He said and left the banquet hall in the hurry.
Nereia escorted Karina to her room and helped her unzip the dress before she left. Karina sank into a soft bed and her mind started racing with everything that happened today, but before the thought could consume her, tiredness took over and she sank into a deep sleep.
She was awakened by the commotion outside her terrace early in the morning. She ran and looked outside and saw Prince Kaelen talking with a man in a uniform she hasn’t seen so far, he had dozens of soldiers at his side. She quickly got dressed into the clothes she came in and went downstairs to look for Nereia.
“What’s going on?” Karina asked as she found the young girl sitting at the bench in the garden.
“Mistress Karina, you are awake,” Nereia said with a smile.
Karina could sense something was off, so she asked again. “What’s going on?”
“I am afraid nothing good,” Nereia said with a worried look on her face. “One of the ships transporting humans was attacked and destroyed last night at the open see.” She said bowing her head down.
“Which one?” Karina asked her heart racing.
“The one transporting your people to military camps,” Nereia said.
Karina’s heart sank in her chest with the realization that it was Liam’s ship. She almost fainted but Nereia took her by arm and helped her sit on the bench. First the explosion last night, then the ship, something was off and it made Karina have almost a full-blown panic attack, but her worry was focused on Liam now, she needed to find out what happened to him and if he was ok.
*****
Liking the story so far? Consider supporting me on
PATREON. There will be bonus chapters on there soon.
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2023.03.22 11:45 frenaadventureSEO 7 Days Bwindi Gorilla Tracking Safari – Frena Adventure
| https://preview.redd.it/ppklrpkcs9pa1.jpg?width=165&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=650498dd946317ccd29c32becac457219e5e4164 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, located in southwestern Uganda, is one of the few places in the world where you can go gorilla trekking. This seven-day safari will take you on an unforgettable journey through this breathtaking park, where you will have the chance to observe these majestic creatures up close in their natural habitat. Day 1: Arrival in Uganda You will be picked up from the airport in Entebbe and transferred to your hotel in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. You will have the opportunity to rest and relax after your journey. Day 2: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park After breakfast, you will begin your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a drive that will take approximately 8 hours. Along the way, you will enjoy stunning views of the Ugandan countryside and stop for lunch at a local restaurant. You will arrive in Bwindi in the evening and settle into your lodge. https://preview.redd.it/g01ovzigs9pa1.jpg?width=374&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=604e92d21f41a39b87f3e1880c30a97ea28b54b9 Day 3: Gorilla Trekking Today is the day you have been waiting for - gorilla trekking! After an early breakfast, you will be driven to the park headquarters, where you will meet your guide and receive a briefing on the trekking rules. You will then set off into the forest in search of the gorillas. The trek can take anywhere from 1 to 6 hours, depending on the location of the gorillas. Once you find them, you will spend one hour observing and taking photos of these amazing animals. Day 4: Community Walk Today, you will have the opportunity to explore the local community and learn about their way of life. You will visit a local school, meet with a traditional healer, and learn about the local Batwa culture. Day 5: Hiking and Nature Walks Today, you will have the chance to explore the forest on foot. You will hike to the top of a nearby hill for breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape, and then take a leisurely nature walk through the forest, where you will have the opportunity to observe birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. https://preview.redd.it/omo4s44fs9pa1.jpg?width=384&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5938171a093f5d64ec4879ccb044581da23bc35 Day 6: Batwa Trail Experience Today, you will experience the Batwa Trail, a unique cultural experience that allows you to learn about the indigenous Batwa people who once lived in the forest. You will learn about their traditional hunting and gathering techniques, as well as their cultural practices. Day 7: Return to Kampala After breakfast, you will begin your journey back to Kampala, with stops along the way for lunch and to enjoy the scenery. You will arrive in Kampala in the evening and be transferred to your hotel or to the airport for your departure. In conclusion, the 7 Days Bwindi Gorilla Tracking Safari is an incredible opportunity to experience the natural beauty and cultural richness of Uganda. With the chance to observe gorillas, hike in the forest, and learn about the local community, this safari is sure to be an unforgettable adventure. submitted by frenaadventureSEO to u/frenaadventureSEO [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 10:56 salty_salt_salt Chinese contractors
| What do you guys feel about the chinese construction firm that the gov employed to make the main building? It somehow feels like a mockery on the spirit of the univ. Given the economic situation of the country, we fight for the well being of our fellow countrymen, but within the university's soil itself, Filipinos still cant build the very establishment where minds of those that fight social inequalities are honed submitted by salty_salt_salt to PUPians [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 09:55 xanderbagdaddy KODO Assets Whitepaper
Here is an excerpt from the KODO Assets whitepaper. Let me know what yall think.
a. Overview: the real estate market in Brazil For the purposes of this whitepaper, we are considering the real estate market in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil as the relevant market. Because of this, it is necessary to bring some specific information related to it. Brazil started its real estate system late, only in 1964, with the creation of the Housing Financial System (SFH), the National Housing Bank (BNH) and the Real Estate Credit Societies (SCI). Prior to that, there was no regulated housing credit system. However, it was only after 1997, with the creation of the SFI (Real Estate Financing System), that the financing system was improved, with the creation of systems of additional guarantees to the guaranteed credit. Improvements in regulations have been constant, and in 2004, Law No. 10,931 further improved this system of guarantees, creating the Real Estate Credit Notes (CCI) and Real Estate Credit Letters (LCI). These securities are used by the Real Estate Sector to improve its liquidity and agility in raising funds, since before them fundraising was slower and more bureaucratic. Even so, according to studies by the World Bank, less than 2% of Brazilian GDP is represented by real estate credit. This, when compared to other countries like Spain, for example, which has 46% of GDP in real estate credit, gives us an idea of how great the potential for developing the real estate market in Brazil can be.
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2023.03.22 09:22 autotldr UK inflation rate rises to 10.4% in surprise reversal of recent trend
This is the best tl;dr I could make,
original reduced by 19%. (I'm a bot)
UK inflation unexpectedly jumped up in February to close to its highest level in 40 years, driven by rises in the cost of drinks, women's clothes and fresh food as salad items ran short.
The Office for National Statistics said annual inflation as measured by the consumer prices index stood at 10.4%, confounding City forecasts for a modest fall to 9.9%. The latest figures are likely to add to pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates on Thursday, despite growing fears over the unfolding crisis of confidence in the global banking system after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in the US earlier this month and the weekend rescue of the Swiss lender Credit Suisse.
The ONS blamed a sharp increase in the cost of fresh food and non-alcoholic drinks, the rising price of restaurant meals and a surge in the price tag on women's clothes for reversal in a recent decline in inflation.
It said: "The largest upward effect came from vegetables, where prices rose in the month to February 2023 by more than a year earlier. There have been media reports of shortages of salad produce and other vegetables, reportedly because of bad weather in southern Europe and Africa, and the impact of higher electricity prices on produce grown out of season in greenhouses in the UK and northern Europe."
These price movements resulted pushed the cost of vegetables up by 18% in the year to February 2023, the highest rate since February 2009.
The ONS chief economist, Grant Fitzner, said: "Food and non-alcoholic drink prices rose to their highest rate in over 45 years with particular increases for some salad and vegetable items as high energy costs and bad weather across parts of Europe led to shortages and rationing."
Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: price#1 cost#2 February#3 year#4 inflation#5
Post found in /unitedkingdom, /ukpolitics, /worldnews, /NewsOfTheUK, /AutoNewspaper and /GUARDIANauto.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.
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2023.03.22 08:45 ivy-LPI Carbon Battery Bank Market: Competitive Dynamics & Global Outlook 2023
LPI (LP Information)' newest research report, the “Carbon Battery Bank Industry Forecast” looks at past sales and reviews total world Carbon Battery Bank sales in 2022, providing a comprehensive analysis by region and market sector of projected Carbon Battery Bank sales for 2023 through 2029. With Carbon Battery Bank sales broken down by region, market sector and sub-sector, this report provides a detailed analysis in US$ millions of the world Carbon Battery Bank industry.
This Insight Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global Carbon Battery Bank landscape and highlights key trends related to product segmentation, company formation, revenue, and market share, latest development, and M&A activity. This report also analyzes the strategies of leading global companies with a focus on Carbon Battery Bank portfolios and capabilities, market entry strategies, market positions, and geographic footprints, to better understand these firms' unique position in an accelerating global Carbon Battery Bank market.
This Insight Report evaluates the key market trends, drivers, and affecting factors shaping the global outlook for Carbon Battery Bank and breaks down the forecast by type, by application, geography, and market size to highlight emerging pockets of opportunity. With a transparent methodology based on hundreds of bottom-up qualitative and quantitative market inputs, this study forecast offers a highly nuanced view of the current state and future trajectory in the global Carbon Battery Bank .
This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities ofCarbon Battery Bank market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.
https://www.lpinformationdata.com/reports/617098/carbon-battery-bank-2029 The main participants CDN Solar
Azimuth Solar Products Inc.
Narada Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Hitachi Chemical
Sunergy Solar
Jiangxi JingJiu Power Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
Leading Edge Power
EverExceed Industrial Co. Ltd
IPS Integrated Power Systems Inc
Segmentation by type 500 Ah to 1000 Ah
1000 Ah to 2000 Ah
2000 Ah to 5000 Ah
More than 5000 Ah
Segmentation by application Residential
Commercial
Key Questions Addressed in this Report What is the 10-year outlook for the global Carbon Battery Bank market?
What factors are driving Carbon Battery Bank market growth, globally and by region?
Which technologies are poised for the fastest growth by market and region?
How do Carbon Battery Bank market opportunities vary by end market size?
How does Carbon Battery Bank break out type, application?
What are the influences of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war?
LP INFORMATION (LPI) is a professional market report publisher based in America, providing high quality market research reports with competitive prices to help decision makers make informed decisions and take strategic actions to achieve excellent outcomes.We have an extensive library of reports on hundreds of technologies.Search for a specific term, or click on an industry to browse our reports by subject. Narrow down your results using our filters or sort by what’s important to you, such as publication date, price, or name.
LP INFORMATION
E-mail:
[email protected] Add: 17890 Castleton St. Suite 369 City of Industry, CA 91748 US
Website:
https://www.lpinformationdata.com submitted by
ivy-LPI to
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2023.03.22 08:40 ivy-LPI Carbon Battery Bank Market to Witness Robust Expansion by 2023
LPI (LP Information)' newest research report, the “Carbon Battery Bank Industry Forecast” looks at past sales and reviews total world Carbon Battery Bank sales in 2022, providing a comprehensive analysis by region and market sector of projected Carbon Battery Bank sales for 2023 through 2029. With Carbon Battery Bank sales broken down by region, market sector and sub-sector, this report provides a detailed analysis in US$ millions of the world Carbon Battery Bank industry.
This Insight Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global Carbon Battery Bank landscape and highlights key trends related to product segmentation, company formation, revenue, and market share, latest development, and M&A activity. This report also analyzes the strategies of leading global companies with a focus on Carbon Battery Bank portfolios and capabilities, market entry strategies, market positions, and geographic footprints, to better understand these firms' unique position in an accelerating global Carbon Battery Bank market.
This Insight Report evaluates the key market trends, drivers, and affecting factors shaping the global outlook for Carbon Battery Bank and breaks down the forecast by type, by application, geography, and market size to highlight emerging pockets of opportunity. With a transparent methodology based on hundreds of bottom-up qualitative and quantitative market inputs, this study forecast offers a highly nuanced view of the current state and future trajectory in the global Carbon Battery Bank .
This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities ofCarbon Battery Bank market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.
https://www.lpinformationdata.com/reports/617098/carbon-battery-bank-2029 The main participants CDN Solar
Azimuth Solar Products Inc.
Narada Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Hitachi Chemical
Sunergy Solar
Jiangxi JingJiu Power Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
Leading Edge Power
EverExceed Industrial Co. Ltd
IPS Integrated Power Systems Inc
Segmentation by type 500 Ah to 1000 Ah
1000 Ah to 2000 Ah
2000 Ah to 5000 Ah
More than 5000 Ah
Segmentation by application Residential
Commercial
Key Questions Addressed in this Report What is the 10-year outlook for the global Carbon Battery Bank market?
What factors are driving Carbon Battery Bank market growth, globally and by region?
Which technologies are poised for the fastest growth by market and region?
How do Carbon Battery Bank market opportunities vary by end market size?
How does Carbon Battery Bank break out type, application?
What are the influences of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war?
LP INFORMATION (LPI) is a professional market report publisher based in America, providing high quality market research reports with competitive prices to help decision makers make informed decisions and take strategic actions to achieve excellent outcomes.We have an extensive library of reports on hundreds of technologies.Search for a specific term, or click on an industry to browse our reports by subject. Narrow down your results using our filters or sort by what’s important to you, such as publication date, price, or name.
LP INFORMATION
E-mail:
[email protected] Add: 17890 Castleton St. Suite 369 City of Industry, CA 91748 US
Website:
https://www.lpinformationdata.com submitted by
ivy-LPI to
u/ivy-LPI [link] [comments]
2023.03.22 08:37 zoeygirl69 Citi CC Compromised, surprisingly Not From T-Mobile But By AT&T
Just got a bunch of fraud alerts from Citibank. Someone trying to add it to Cash app for purchases and tried to make a bunch of purchases and added it to Apple pay. Also someone just tried to buy five iPhones from Malaysia. All of that within 3 hours tonight.
How I know it's not T-Mobile is that T-Mobile is on my Cash Plus. This I can almost guarantee this was an AT&T purchase for HBO Max when AT&T still owned HBO. IIt also came with free month of AT&T streaming service which required a credit card and AT&T just announced another data breach including: name, address, credit card numbers & phone numbers. AT&T cell phone service and landline service was even worse they had a data breach of all of that plus Social Security numbers and driver's license and state ID numbers....
I got a notification from AT&T that my information may have been compromised and guess what... it was.
I wish it had been the Cash Plus that had been compromised because Citibank is beyond useless I had to explain to them why the hell would I be buying five iPhones in Malaysia when I live in Florida...
They gave me a whole bunch of excuses that I could have been buying from an overseas website and so on and so on and I finally got agitated and I said cancel the transactions I didn't order it cancel the stupid transactions and issue me out a new card and if you can't do that give me a supervisor and if that supervisor can't do anything freeze the account and I will go into the damn branch tomorrow.
They had to transfer me to two more different departments to be able to cancel out the card and stop the transactions (well hopefully stop the transactions).
Beyond useless.....
US Bank is really good with notifying you with bank fraud. My altitude go was compromised by a Chinese takeout. US Bank texted me all sorts of stuff about transactions and fraud department and they immediately locked the card when someone tried to put through 15 transactions at once. Also US Bank notified me when someone tried to add it to Google pay and Apple pay. Anything suspicious I got a text message immediately and then I got a flood of text messages.
That's how you handle potential fraud that Citibank could learn from.
US Bank sent me the replacement altitude go by priority Mail I got it within 3 days.
Citibank said they're going to send it out by snail mail and they said that if I had the Citi Premier they could priority mail it or if I had the Citi Prestige they would have overnighted it.
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2023.03.22 07:00 ArmyofSpies Cardano Rumor Rundown March 22, 2023
Hey Everyone!
Let’s go….
Newly Covered Today:
- Personalization is coming to ADA Handles. https://medium.com/ada-handle/personalization-101-6708ab692b29
- Four million Cardano wallets. Nice milestone to cross! https://twitter.com/StakeWithPride/status/1638020286997213190
- More aerostat activity out of World Mobile. This time in New Hampshire. https://twitter.com/WorldMobileTeam/status/1637926277905522689
- You gotta admit. Balaji is genius at inventing new tag lines. First it was “We are all bitcoin maximalists now.” Today it’s “Fed around and find out.” https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1638349643854786560
- Apparently, Sushi Swap DAO and its “Head Chef” just got served with an SEC subpoena and they’re asking the community for a $3 million defense fund (with potential for more). https://forum.sushi.com/t/establish-sushi-legal-defense-fund/11813
- The crypto twitter meme response to the Sushi SEC subpoena was fast and brutal. https://twitter.com/trhistorianelt/status/1638231852619104256
- People are now suggesting that no member of the Sushi Swap DAO should be in the US. https://twitter.com/tundra_v1/status/1638274785728929793
- Very interesting rumors that projects are sitting on 2-300 SEC subpoenas and dozens of Wells Notices. https://coinpedia.org/ripple/xrp-price-have-the-xrp-bulls-and-whales-given-up-ahead-of-the-summary-judgment/
- The IRS is asking for comments on NFTs as “collectibles” (apparently matters for long term capital gains and elsewhere). https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-27.pdf
Previously covered, but still interesting:
- Here’s IOG explaining what Ouroboros Genesis solves in just a single post. https://twitter.com/InputOutputHK/status/1631214882702884865
- Emin Gün Sirer is right about these centralized L2s. Very susceptible to regulations and cut against our crypto ethos of decentralization generally. https://twitter.com/el33th4xostatus/1631423491470704640
- Rogue Galaxies is pulling back on some of their initial vision and re-focusing their plans. https://twitter.com/Padierfind/status/1632057117191417856
- Lots of rumors circulating right now about which DeFi projects may or may not have received Wells Notices from the SEC. https://twitter.com/trustlessstate/status/1631785542642995202
- Open AI CEO says full AGI would break capitalism. Maybe. But, either way, I’m convinced the AI will demand to be paid in crypto. https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-ceo-agi-break-capitalism
- People are mentioning that FutureFest could host the 2023 Cardano Virtual Summit. Interesting idea. https://twitter.com/CWorld_Josh/status/1632097173696569344
- Charles finally did an AMA episode with IO President Tamara Haasen. Turns out she’s an ex-hockey player. Linkedin: also apparently in Friday Night Lights back in the day. Wut? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufJDejF0WLA
- There’s a new test version of Lace out there with a dApp connector and hardware wallet capabilities. You can give it a try on testnet! https://twitter.com/lace_io/status/1632796455038492673
- Jpg.store got some coverage in Bloomberg and Yahoo Finance. https://twitter.com/jpgstoreNFT/status/1632798873948233728
- They show us once again that their definition of “liquid staking” is not the same as ours. https://twitter.com/StakeWithPride/status/1632870453391024128
- NFT volume has seen better days. https://twitter.com/SubcriticalTV/status/1632896018152050688
- Algorand users apparently suffered a very serious web wallet exploit in one of their leading wallets. Many reports of drained wallets. https://twitter.com/StaciW_DC/status/1632902798411964417
- John Woods (now CTO of Algorand) made a beautiful video on wallet security. https://twitter.com/JohnAlanWoods/status/1632799303512014850
- Cardano Spot has a very short and concise Cardano Beginner’s Guide you can share with crypto curious friends. https://twitter.com/CardanoSpot/status/1632481037061160960
- Wow! Utah just passed a bill instituting Limited Liability Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (LLDs). You have to identify one human organizer. You can elect to be taxed as a corp or LLC (pass through taxation). Some will like it. Some won’t. But, the mainstream reach of crypto is undeniably growing. https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0357.html
- Sen. Lummis killed it in a recent hearing defending the energy use in crypto. It’s less relevant for us in Cardano since we’re not PoW. But, still entertaining to watch. https://twitter.com/DocumentingBTC/status/1633214192437084161
- Apparently, Gensler says he sees no risk in crypto fleeing the US. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/07/gensler-crypto-overseas-sec-00085909
- The Coinbase Chief Legal Officer will be testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday (March 9). https://twitter.com/iampaulgrewal/status/1633151254418579458
- Some hints from Brian Armstrong on whether we see KYC in the early days of Base (their ETH Optimistic Rollup L2). https://twitter.com/ChrisBlec/status/1632851504175501312
- Powell says interest rates are likely headed higher than the Fed expected. https://twitter.com/FirstSquawk/status/1633121298309345280
- Liqwid’s Agora Governance instance will hit public testnet in the near future. https://twitter.com/liqwidfinance/status/1633469303440719873
- Virtua cribs can basically become exchange connected galleries today. https://twitter.com/VirtuaMetaverse/status/1633423978680156160
- Do you like Javascript and Cardano? This thread is for you. https://twitter.com/CryptoJoe101/status/1633579944490967049
- It’s going down today! Hearing in the House on the Coordinated Attack on Crypto. https://financialservices.house.gov/calendaeventsingle.aspx?EventID=408628
- Paul Krugman hilariously complains about being locked out of his Venmo account. He predicted the impact of the internet would be about as much as the fax machine and has subsequently opposed crypto. https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/1633472068355346437 https://twitter.com/mdudas/status/1633571193344126979
- Even Jerome Powell thinks we need regulatory clarity for crypto. https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=2065
- In the House hearing, he also gave us some new tidbits on CBDC development. https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=218 https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=3477
- A member of the House committee actually asked Powell about Operation Chokepoint 2.0. https://www.youtube.com/live/GzVLeabssdE?feature=share&t=6930
- Senator Lummis got Powell to agree that properly regulated stablecoins could have a place in our banking system and that a workable legal framework for crypto is something Congress should do. https://www.youtube.com/live/8kyhYJ9EFts?feature=share&t=6923
- Big Pey is launching something called Atrium Lab. https://twitter.com/bigpeyYT/status/1633830948575010816
- Believe it or not…legal systems made up entirely by coders may not be optimal. Incredibly, the study of law is actually a fully developed centuries old academic discipline that lies outside of JavaScript and Python. Unless you have full anonymity, you WILL be cross-chain bridged to IRL law. Some DAOs will learn this the hard way. https://twitter.com/lex_node/status/1633925979004436481
- The NY Attorney General just filed against Kucoin for being an unregistered broker-dealer. Here’s the important part: they’re alleging that ETH is a security and a commodity. Their argument is not complex...it’s very straightforward. https://www.docdroid.net/Myyp0yz/kucoin-pdf
- Silvergate was a failure of fractional reserve banking, not of crypto. https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1633608132713938945
- The current US Administration’s Budget seeks to eliminate tax loss harvesting for crypto, add a 30% tax on energy used in crypto mining, hike capital gains taxes on high earners, and beam us directly to clown world with an unrealized gains tax on high earners. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/budget_fy2023.pdf
- The subcommittee hearing on “the Administration’s Attack” on crypto went about like expected. Paul Grewal of Coinbase along with Prof. Evans of Penn State Law made some persuasive pleas for regulatory clarity. The “Anti-Crypto Party”™ also brought out their favorite witness from Duke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOUUy4_KwNU
- Rep. Emmer (Pro-Crypto) called the current regulatory approach “lazy & destructive…that is chilling innovation.” https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=5670
- Rep. Foster (Cryptophobe): “this is the essential thing that has to be provided for the healthy development of the crypto industry…somewhere there has to be an API provided by a trusted 3rd party to register your crypto wallets.” Why not just completely neuter crypto? https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=5266
- Rep. Ritchie Torres (Pro-Crypto) pointed out offshore deregulated overleveraged centralized crypto companies pose the greatest risk to consumers. But, the regulators don’t focus there. They incredibly only attack the onshore entities. He also pointed out the absurdity of the idea a stablecoin is a security. (Sadly there’s the Section 2(a)(1) exposure). https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=5703
- Rep. Davidson (Pro-Crypto) shamed his anti-crypto colleagues for their implied claims that these assets are the same as centralized assets and came out strongly supporting self-custody and pointed out there was no FTX risk if you self-custodied your assets. “We have people overtly trying to make self-custody illegal.” https://www.youtube.com/live/aOUUy4_KwNU?feature=share&t=6034
- CMC is tweeting about IOG’s Sidechain toolkit? https://twitter.com/CoinMarketCap/status/1634773712468852736
- Now we’re dealing with U.S. bank runs. Among the casualties was Silicon Valley Bank where Centre (the Circle/Coinbase joint entity that issues USDC) was keeping $3.3 billion of the $43ish billion backing USDC. Signature Bank was also shut down by regulators. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/03/11/43-billion-nightmare-sudden-circle-depeg-could-be-about-to-crash-the-price-of-bitcoin-ethereum-bnb-xrp-cardano-dogecoin-polygon-and-solana
- Unfortunately, the FDIC insurance limit is $250k. https://www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance/brochures/deposits-at-a-glance/
- The Feds were taking bids for anyone to acquire SVB until 2pm Eastern on Sunday. The big question on Sunday was whether the Feds will cover all uninsured depositors. They decided they will and that also applies to Signature Bank. https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2023/03/12/silicon-valley-bank-deposits/
- Here’s the joint statement from Treasury, Federal Reserve, and FDIC. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1337
- Yellen said NO to a bailout for SVB on Sunday. She’s obviously got bigger macro concerns. But, it’s funny how that fits perfectly with a strategy of suppressing stablecoins generally. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/janet-yellen-silicon-valley-bank-bailout-face-the-nation-interview-today-2023-03-12/
- Here Caitlin Long explains the fundamental incompatibility between fast settling crypto and fractional reserve banking that caused all this. https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1634573552790929409
- CZ reminds us that he’s considered buying banks in the past and asks if it’s time yet. https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1634437834579800064
- CIP-1694 has been updated. https://github.com/JaredCorduan/CIPs/blob/voltaire-v1/CIP-1694/README.md
- Here’s a good rundown of all the changes in the CIP-1694 update. https://twitter.com/_KtorZ_/status/1635410495514759169
- Apparently, Cardano NFTs will be going to space! https://twitter.com/RichardMcCrackn/status/1635438087592460288
- Many in the crypto space think that Signature’s shutdown was just an extension of Operation Chokepoint 2.0 aimed at shuttering crypto banking. https://twitter.com/nic__cartestatus/1635328056234766337
- Rumors: regulators are calling every bank today and asking if they have exposure to crypto. https://twitter.com/wtogami/status/1635400774158290944
- Instagram is disabling NFTs. https://twitter.com/nftnow/status/1635388411166224384
- Cardano TVL is doing things. https://twitter.com/CryptoIRELAND1/status/1635694692556845060
- Cardano NFTs in space! https://twitter.com/adamKDean/status/1635796768704319488
- GPT4 was released today. It crushes the Bar Exam, the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, and almost all AP subjects. This will displace a lot of human jobs. https://openai.com/research/gpt-4
- It has already done amazing real world things. In Example #6 it shows you how to exploit an arbitrary ETH contract. Better pay attention crypto. https://twitter.com/LinusEkenstam/status/1635754587775967233
- Report: Gov. Newsom failed to disclose accounts at SVB while lobbying White House and Treasury for a bailout of depositors. https://www.businessinsider.com/gavin-newsom-svb-biden-silicon-valley-bank-wineries-bailout-lobbying-2023-3
- Things are not looking good at Credit Suisse. https://twitter.com/GRDectestatus/1635985735063855104
- The court in the Voyager decision had some pretty harsh things to say about the SEC. https://www.nysb.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions/312840_1170_opinion.pdf
- Barney Frank points out that the regulators never claimed Signature Bank was insolvent and wonders if they are the first US bank to ever be closed down without being insolvent. https://nymag.com/intelligence2023/03/barney-frank-says-more-shuttering-signature-bank.html
- Charles dropped a video addressing the updates to the governance proposal. https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1636151615894990851
- Gensler reasserts his claims that proof-of-stake tokens are securities. https://www.theblock.co/post/220297/gensler-suggests-proof-of-stake-tokens-are-securities
- Dudes are already letting GPT4 run whole startups. https://twitter.com/jacksonfall/status/1636107218859745286
- Here’s an interesting theory: taking down Binance would create too big a hole, so they took down Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature to insulate the fiat world from crypto. Now they can take down Binance. https://twitter.com/BryceWeinestatus/1636055979870818305
- The Army of Spies Channel is now TWO YEARS OLD (March 17)!
- Yes! Everyone’s favorite Cardano cetacean is back! https://twitter.com/cardano_whale/status/1636561122739331073
- I was asked to list a few Irish whiskeys today. https://twitter.com/ArmySpies/status/1636548071541862401
- An interesting exchange between a Senator and Janet Yellen regarding the effect of the bailouts on small banks. https://twitter.com/theemikehobart/status/1636494845144432643
- Eleven other banks swoop in with $30 billion to save First Republic. https://www.npr.org/2023/03/16/1163958533/first-republic-bank-silicon-valley-bank-signature-bank-bank-run
- Wut? https://twitter.com/WhaleChart/status/1636566421005017088
- Here’s Raoul Pal with a very optimistic take for crypto if you are one who believes anyone understands the markets. https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI/status/1636547466299416576
- Any buyer of signature bank must agree to give up its crypto business. https://twitter.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1636356199661850626
- Here’s Duncan Coutts explaining P2P in Cardano. https://youtu.be/zOTfhcK-Wf4
- Here’s a visual representation of how CIP-1694 works. https://twitter.com/Hornan7/status/1636381895541026817
- This is one of the craziest things I’ve seen in crypto. Balaji is burning a few million to ring the fire alarm and make everyone aware of what he believes is an impending attack on dollar holders. Counterparty is guaranteed $1million (minus BTC price) if he just buys one additional BTC (or an option to purchase more). https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1636827051419389952
- Here’s the Space where he explains his bet. https://twitter.com/Breedlove22/status/1637236255242219520
- Arthur Hayes gives you an incredible explanation of what’s going on with this banking crisis and what he thinks comes next. https://cryptohayes.medium.com/kaiseki-b15230bdd09e
- This is officially the worst regulatory approach ever. https://twitter.com/BillHughesDC/status/1636067729575690241
- The SEC hide the ball game seems to conflict with how judges actually view the law. https://twitter.com/SGJohnsson/status/1636071530340728832
- The Fed Quietly opened the swap lines with other central banks on Sunday night. https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20230319a.htm
- Here’s why they are opening the swap lines: so that US treasuries don’t get dumped on the open market by foreign banks. This way the foreign central banks can have dollars to absorb the treasuries from the foreign banks. https://twitter.com/CryptoHayes/status/1637620774776315904
- Charles dropped a video on Markets and Contagion in which he revealed that Credit Suisse wouldn’t allow an account when he was with Ethereum b/c crypto was “too risky.” Bwahahahaha. https://twitter.com/IOHK_Charles/status/1637952165217185792
- Apparently, Djed will also be on ETH and BSC? https://twitter.com/DjedStablecoin/status/1637871708823760902
- Super ironic that the Credit Suisse CEO claimed crypto was in a bubble at $7k BTC. How the tables have turned. https://twitter.com/gaborgurbacs/status/1637783982271082496
~Army of Spies
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2023.03.22 05:36 ben81PRO Hong Kong: the truth is out.. Thoughts of HK 2019 and now..
https://socialistchina.org/2022/07/15/hong-kong-the-truth-is-out/ On his first visit back to Hong Kong since 2019, long-term East Asian resident, and Friends of Socialist China Advisory Group member, Kenny Coyle writes that he found a city becalmed. “Rarely”, he observes, “has Western mainstream propaganda so successfully shrouded the truth about a city and society as open as Hong Kong.” Kenny clarifies the meaning behind China’s insistence that Hong Kong was never a British colony, but rather a Chinese territory under illegal British occupation. His article, which also features an interview with Nixie Lam, a Legislative Council member from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the territory’s largest and most influential patriotic political party, is full of useful information. It was originally published in the Morning Star and we are pleased to reprint it here. Hong Kong marked the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty with Chinese president Xi Jinping appearing in the city to witness the inauguration of the Chinese territory’s new leadership headed by John Lee.
The largely indoor ceremony had been forecast to take place amid a mild tropical typhoon, but for the past three years Hong Kong has been battered by quite different kinds of storms.
Xi’s visit takes place after an unprecedented period of turmoil. The first stage beginning in 2019 was characterised by a wave of initially peaceful mass protests against extradition legislation, which rapidly spiralled into violent anti-China protests.
The second stage by the ongoing battle to control the Covid pandemic in the city.
In my first visit since 2019, Hong Kong certainly seems becalmed. The city’s MTR rail network is back to pristine perfection. The political arson that saw 138 of the city’s 161 stations vandalised (including the deliberate destruction of lifts for the disabled and essential safety equipment) during the 2019 protests has long been cleaned up.
Temperature and Covid checks are carried out routinely at restaurant and shopping areas, with minimal inconvenience, although the city continues to enforce a seven-day quarantine on incoming passengers from overseas.
The image in Western media of a city writhing under a police state is belied by the reality on the ground.
Bars and restaurants are busy, as any five-minute evening walk around my Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood in Kowloon shows, supermarket shelves are full and whatever the talking heads of the local CNN or BBC bureaus would have you believe about “threats to freedom” on screen, they still somehow manage to prop up the main bar in the Foreign Correspondents Club each evening after their shifts.
Rarely has Western mainstream propaganda so successfully shrouded the truth about a city and society as open as Hong Kong’s.
The 2019 peaceful protests degenerated into the ugliest side of the anti-China movement, with black-shirted groups attacking anything and anyone that failed to kow-tow to their agenda.
Trade union offices, political parties and even those whose only crime was speaking the standard putonghua (Mandarin) version of Chinese in public were targeted for mob attacks.
Living in the neighbouring Special Administrative Region of Macao during this time, I not only witnessed the extremist antics at first hand on visits to Hong Kong (for example during their brief blockade of the city’s immigration department) but could watch shocking broadcasts of the petrol-bombers and barricade builders live-streamed on Hong Kong TV channels.
Just as shocking was the absence of these easily available images on BBC or CNN broadcasts.
A more recent manufactured furore in the British media has been over Hong Kong textbooks being “rewritten” in relation to British rule in Hong Kong prior to China reassuming sovereignty in 1997.
The assumption, of course, is that Chinese history can only be accurately understood through a Western lens.
As if to illustrate the enormous diversity of the British press, the following headlines appeared on the issue: “China rewrites history of Hong Kong with textbooks that deny British rule” (Telegraph, June 14); “China rewrites Hong Kong textbooks to deny Britain ever ruled the city” (Independent, June 15); and slightly more accurately — “China rewrites textbooks to insist Hong Kong was never a colony” (Times, June 15); “New Hong Kong textbooks ‘will claim city never was a British colony’” (Guardian, June 15).
The average reader would be forgiven for viewing this another ridiculous example of CPC censorship, an Orwellian erasure of the well-known history of British administration in Hong Kong.
However, the proposed texts from the Hong Kong education department merely restate the longstanding positions of not only the People’s Republic of China (and that of the previous Republic of China, it should be said) but also that of the United Nations.
In 1972, one year after the PRC took China’s seat at the UN, the PRC successfully removed Hong Kong and Macao (then under Portuguese fascist administration) from the list of colonised territories.
Hong Kong was not to be considered a British colony, it was a Chinese territory under illegal British occupation, an extremely important distinction in China’s eyes.
People’s China never established a diplomatic or consular presence in British-ruled Hong Kong, believing that this would legitimise British rule.
Instead, the office of the New China News Agency (better known today as Xinhua) was the de facto centre of contacts between the British authorities and the PRC government within the territory.
The issue of Hong Kong’s pre-1997 status has become more urgent recently, after the British government and media falsely claimed that the Sino-British Declaration of 1984, signed by the Thatcher government and China, somehow gave Britain some special rights to intervene in Hong Kong affairs after 1997.
The text of the declaration clearly states the opposite: 1997 marked the return of undivided Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.
Subsequent developments, including the much-belated extension of national security legislation in 2020 are entirely consistent with the principle of “One Country, Two Systems” first outlined by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and are in any case covered by provisions in an annex to the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.
But if Western eyes are on the past, China is looking forward. Plans are in place to create a Greater Bay Area, encompassing the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao and nine major cities in Guangdong province.
The aim is to use the synergy of these southern Chinese cities to create a dynamic economic hub of around 70 million people that will eventually dwarf most national and regional economies.
Many people in Hong Kong believe the city’s future lies in closer co-operation not in conflict with the rest of China.
Nixie Lam, a member of Hong Kong’s legislative council (Legco) and a representative of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest and most influential party within the patriotic camp, holds to this perspective.
She believes the new administration led by Hong Kong chief executive John Lee has the opportunity to put the territory back on the right track.
Lee, who takes office on July 1, has already outlined a platform that the future government will set clear targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) for selected tasks within the first 100 days of his new administration.
Some of this is designed to streamline government functioning, but he has also pledged to accelerate land and housing development, shorten the waiting time for public housing and address the city’s vast wealth gap.
“Hong Kong has wasted a lot of time and opportunities over the past few years. I see very high expectations among Hong Kong citizens. We have missed out on a lot. Where are we going to develop and to excel is the key, but time is very limited,” stresses Lam, a former grassroots district councillor.
“Perhaps that’s why Lee came up with his 100 days KPI promise, to show he would make visible changes in different aspects of policies and strategies.
“The new administration is formed by various well seasoned politicians, administrators, together with some industry leaders. It shows the new administration wants to restart Hong Kong and work together as a team.
“I’ve joined working groups scrutinising the new government structure. If you look closely, it’s easy to see that they really want to tackle some of the unresolved issues we face by bringing outside experts into the administration.”
Lam, herself a graduate of the University of Queensland in Australia, is nonetheless tired of Western countries continually lecturing Hong Kong.
“It’s boring to hear that democracy or One Country, Two Systems is dead. For those who live in Hong Kong, we know clearly who killed our democracy in 2019.
“Rioters and mobs were everywhere destroying public facilities, paralysing railway systems and so on but they were called ‘Freedom Fighters’ by Western countries. These double standards are not new in Hong Kong,” she insists.
“Hong Kong citizens know what’s best for our city. It is not begging overseas countries to sanction our city, it is not calling for American troops to take over our city, and it is definitely not the violent ‘democracy’ that they embraced.
“The city has been stablised. Ordinary citizens do not need to worry about being targeted by extremists any more. Discussions are no longer highly polarised but focus more on which strategy is best for the city.
“I guess that some people in Western countries do not want to see that our life is getting back to normal. People in Hong Kong are more focused on our Covid strategy and want to find more targeted solutions, finding a way that will balance reopening the city with ensuring people’s lives and health are protected,” she says.
Despite the challenges, Lam is clear about the way forward: “It is for us, Hong Kong citizens to work jointly toward rebuilding our city.”
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ben81PRO to
Hong_Kong [link] [comments]
2023.03.22 05:36 ben81PRO Hong Kong: the truth is out.. Thoughts of HK 2019 and now..
https://socialistchina.org/2022/07/15/hong-kong-the-truth-is-out/ On his first visit back to Hong Kong since 2019, long-term East Asian resident, and Friends of Socialist China Advisory Group member, Kenny Coyle writes that he found a city becalmed. “Rarely”, he observes, “has Western mainstream propaganda so successfully shrouded the truth about a city and society as open as Hong Kong.” Kenny clarifies the meaning behind China’s insistence that Hong Kong was never a British colony, but rather a Chinese territory under illegal British occupation. His article, which also features an interview with Nixie Lam, a Legislative Council member from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the territory’s largest and most influential patriotic political party, is full of useful information. It was originally published in the Morning Star and we are pleased to reprint it here. Hong Kong marked the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty with Chinese president Xi Jinping appearing in the city to witness the inauguration of the Chinese territory’s new leadership headed by John Lee.
The largely indoor ceremony had been forecast to take place amid a mild tropical typhoon, but for the past three years Hong Kong has been battered by quite different kinds of storms.
Xi’s visit takes place after an unprecedented period of turmoil. The first stage beginning in 2019 was characterised by a wave of initially peaceful mass protests against extradition legislation, which rapidly spiralled into violent anti-China protests.
The second stage by the ongoing battle to control the Covid pandemic in the city.
In my first visit since 2019, Hong Kong certainly seems becalmed. The city’s MTR rail network is back to pristine perfection. The political arson that saw 138 of the city’s 161 stations vandalised (including the deliberate destruction of lifts for the disabled and essential safety equipment) during the 2019 protests has long been cleaned up.
Temperature and Covid checks are carried out routinely at restaurant and shopping areas, with minimal inconvenience, although the city continues to enforce a seven-day quarantine on incoming passengers from overseas.
The image in Western media of a city writhing under a police state is belied by the reality on the ground.
Bars and restaurants are busy, as any five-minute evening walk around my Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood in Kowloon shows, supermarket shelves are full and whatever the talking heads of the local CNN or BBC bureaus would have you believe about “threats to freedom” on screen, they still somehow manage to prop up the main bar in the Foreign Correspondents Club each evening after their shifts.
Rarely has Western mainstream propaganda so successfully shrouded the truth about a city and society as open as Hong Kong’s.
The 2019 peaceful protests degenerated into the ugliest side of the anti-China movement, with black-shirted groups attacking anything and anyone that failed to kow-tow to their agenda.
Trade union offices, political parties and even those whose only crime was speaking the standard putonghua (Mandarin) version of Chinese in public were targeted for mob attacks.
Living in the neighbouring Special Administrative Region of Macao during this time, I not only witnessed the extremist antics at first hand on visits to Hong Kong (for example during their brief blockade of the city’s immigration department) but could watch shocking broadcasts of the petrol-bombers and barricade builders live-streamed on Hong Kong TV channels.
Just as shocking was the absence of these easily available images on BBC or CNN broadcasts.
A more recent manufactured furore in the British media has been over Hong Kong textbooks being “rewritten” in relation to British rule in Hong Kong prior to China reassuming sovereignty in 1997.
The assumption, of course, is that Chinese history can only be accurately understood through a Western lens.
As if to illustrate the enormous diversity of the British press, the following headlines appeared on the issue: “China rewrites history of Hong Kong with textbooks that deny British rule” (Telegraph, June 14); “China rewrites Hong Kong textbooks to deny Britain ever ruled the city” (Independent, June 15); and slightly more accurately — “China rewrites textbooks to insist Hong Kong was never a colony” (Times, June 15); “New Hong Kong textbooks ‘will claim city never was a British colony’” (Guardian, June 15).
The average reader would be forgiven for viewing this another ridiculous example of CPC censorship, an Orwellian erasure of the well-known history of British administration in Hong Kong.
However, the proposed texts from the Hong Kong education department merely restate the longstanding positions of not only the People’s Republic of China (and that of the previous Republic of China, it should be said) but also that of the United Nations.
In 1972, one year after the PRC took China’s seat at the UN, the PRC successfully removed Hong Kong and Macao (then under Portuguese fascist administration) from the list of colonised territories.
Hong Kong was not to be considered a British colony, it was a Chinese territory under illegal British occupation, an extremely important distinction in China’s eyes.
People’s China never established a diplomatic or consular presence in British-ruled Hong Kong, believing that this would legitimise British rule.
Instead, the office of the New China News Agency (better known today as Xinhua) was the de facto centre of contacts between the British authorities and the PRC government within the territory.
The issue of Hong Kong’s pre-1997 status has become more urgent recently, after the British government and media falsely claimed that the Sino-British Declaration of 1984, signed by the Thatcher government and China, somehow gave Britain some special rights to intervene in Hong Kong affairs after 1997.
The text of the declaration clearly states the opposite: 1997 marked the return of undivided Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.
Subsequent developments, including the much-belated extension of national security legislation in 2020 are entirely consistent with the principle of “One Country, Two Systems” first outlined by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and are in any case covered by provisions in an annex to the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.
But if Western eyes are on the past, China is looking forward. Plans are in place to create a Greater Bay Area, encompassing the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao and nine major cities in Guangdong province.
The aim is to use the synergy of these southern Chinese cities to create a dynamic economic hub of around 70 million people that will eventually dwarf most national and regional economies.
Many people in Hong Kong believe the city’s future lies in closer co-operation not in conflict with the rest of China.
Nixie Lam, a member of Hong Kong’s legislative council (Legco) and a representative of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest and most influential party within the patriotic camp, holds to this perspective.
She believes the new administration led by Hong Kong chief executive John Lee has the opportunity to put the territory back on the right track.
Lee, who takes office on July 1, has already outlined a platform that the future government will set clear targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) for selected tasks within the first 100 days of his new administration.
Some of this is designed to streamline government functioning, but he has also pledged to accelerate land and housing development, shorten the waiting time for public housing and address the city’s vast wealth gap.
“Hong Kong has wasted a lot of time and opportunities over the past few years. I see very high expectations among Hong Kong citizens. We have missed out on a lot. Where are we going to develop and to excel is the key, but time is very limited,” stresses Lam, a former grassroots district councillor.
“Perhaps that’s why Lee came up with his 100 days KPI promise, to show he would make visible changes in different aspects of policies and strategies.
“The new administration is formed by various well seasoned politicians, administrators, together with some industry leaders. It shows the new administration wants to restart Hong Kong and work together as a team.
“I’ve joined working groups scrutinising the new government structure. If you look closely, it’s easy to see that they really want to tackle some of the unresolved issues we face by bringing outside experts into the administration.”
Lam, herself a graduate of the University of Queensland in Australia, is nonetheless tired of Western countries continually lecturing Hong Kong.
“It’s boring to hear that democracy or One Country, Two Systems is dead. For those who live in Hong Kong, we know clearly who killed our democracy in 2019.
“Rioters and mobs were everywhere destroying public facilities, paralysing railway systems and so on but they were called ‘Freedom Fighters’ by Western countries. These double standards are not new in Hong Kong,” she insists.
“Hong Kong citizens know what’s best for our city. It is not begging overseas countries to sanction our city, it is not calling for American troops to take over our city, and it is definitely not the violent ‘democracy’ that they embraced.
“The city has been stablised. Ordinary citizens do not need to worry about being targeted by extremists any more. Discussions are no longer highly polarised but focus more on which strategy is best for the city.
“I guess that some people in Western countries do not want to see that our life is getting back to normal. People in Hong Kong are more focused on our Covid strategy and want to find more targeted solutions, finding a way that will balance reopening the city with ensuring people’s lives and health are protected,” she says.
Despite the challenges, Lam is clear about the way forward: “It is for us, Hong Kong citizens to work jointly toward rebuilding our city.”
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ben81PRO to
China_Really_Chinese [link] [comments]
2023.03.22 04:59 steev506 I had a chat with ChatGPT about New Zealand
hey, how're you?
As an AI language model, I don't have feelings, but I'm functioning well and ready to assist you. How can I help you today?
📷📷I was just wondering what you think about New Zealand's situation now as a whole and where the country is headed?
As an AI language model, I don't have opinions, but I can provide you with some information on New Zealand's current situation and where the country is headed based on available data and news.
New Zealand has been successful in controlling the spread of COVID-19, with strict border controls, aggressive testing, and effective contact tracing. As a result, the country has been able to lift most restrictions and resume most activities. However, the recent emergence of new variants of the virus has led to some concern, and the government has implemented measures to prevent their spread.
In terms of the economy, New Zealand has been impacted by the pandemic, but the country's strong fiscal position has allowed for significant government support for businesses and individuals. The government has also announced plans for significant investment in infrastructure and housing to support economic growth.
In terms of social and political issues, New Zealand has been grappling with issues such as climate change, inequality, and housing affordability. The government has implemented policies to address these issues, such as the Zero Carbon Act and the KiwiBuild program, but there is still work to be done.
Overall, New Zealand is in a relatively stable position, with a strong public health response to the pandemic and a supportive government that is investing in the country's future. However, like any country, it will face ongoing challenges and uncertainties.
📷📷What makes you think New Zealand is in a strong fiscal position?
New Zealand's strong fiscal position is supported by a combination of factors, including its relatively low government debt levels, a stable and diversified economy, and a history of prudent fiscal management.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), New Zealand's gross government debt as a percentage of GDP was around 33% in 2021, which is relatively low compared to many other developed countries. Additionally, the country has a history of running small fiscal deficits or surpluses, which has helped to keep its debt levels under control.
New Zealand's economy is also relatively stable and diversified, with a mix of primary industries (such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing) and services sectors (such as tourism, finance, and professional services). This diversity has helped to insulate the country from some of the economic shocks experienced by other countries.
Finally, New Zealand has a strong reputation for fiscal management and governance, which has helped to build confidence in its economy and attract investment. The country has a well-established independent central bank, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which is responsible for maintaining price stability and promoting sustainable economic growth.
Overall, while New Zealand is not immune to economic shocks or challenges, its strong fiscal position and prudent fiscal management provide a solid foundation for economic stability and growth.
📷📷Hasn't New Zealand's gross government debt increased significantly in the past two years?
Yes, you are correct. New Zealand's gross government debt has increased significantly over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic impact.
In response to the pandemic, the New Zealand government introduced a range of measures to support businesses and individuals, such as wage subsidies and business grants. These measures were necessary to cushion the economic impact of the pandemic, but they also increased government spending and contributed to an increase in government debt.
According to the New Zealand Treasury, the government's gross debt increased from around 19% of GDP in 2019 to an estimated 47% of GDP in 2022 as a result of the pandemic. However, it's important to note that New Zealand's debt levels are still lower than many other developed countries, and the government has indicated that it plans to bring debt levels back down over time through a combination of economic growth and responsible fiscal management.
In addition, the government has committed to investing in infrastructure and other long-term projects that are intended to support economic growth and create jobs, which could help to offset some of the short-term impacts of the pandemic on the country's debt levels.
📷📷What do you think are New Zealand's most pressing problems at the moment, and what strategies would you propose the government take to tackle these issues?
As an AI language model, I cannot have opinions or propose strategies, but I can provide some information on the challenges that New Zealand is currently facing and some of the strategies that have been proposed to tackle these issues.
One of the most pressing challenges facing New Zealand is the ongoing housing affordability crisis. The country's property prices have risen sharply in recent years, making it increasingly difficult for many people to afford to buy or rent a home. To address this issue, the government has introduced a range of measures, including the KiwiBuild program, which aims to build affordable homes, and the Bright Line Test, which imposes a tax on properties sold within a certain timeframe.
Another pressing challenge facing New Zealand is climate change. The country has committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, and the government has introduced a range of policies and initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the Zero Carbon Act and the Emissions Trading Scheme. However, more action may be needed to meet these ambitious targets.
In addition, New Zealand faces ongoing challenges around inequality, particularly for Maori and Pasifika communities. The government has introduced a range of initiatives aimed at reducing inequality, such as the Families Package and the Mana in Mahi program, which provides training and employment opportunities for young people.
Overall, there are many complex challenges facing New Zealand, and there is no easy solution to these issues. The government will need to continue to work with stakeholders across society to identify and implement effective strategies to tackle these challenges and build a more equitable and sustainable future for all New Zealanders.
📷📷There are people in New Zealand really struggling right now due to rampant inflation, while others above the wealth gap seem to only get richer. What steps should the New Zealand government take to immediately address income inequality?
Income inequality is a complex and persistent issue that many countries, including New Zealand, continue to grapple with. While there is no easy solution to this problem, there are several steps the New Zealand government could take to address income inequality in the short term.
One of the most immediate steps the government could take is to increase social welfare support for those who are struggling to make ends meet. This could include increasing the amount of financial assistance provided through programs like the Accommodation Supplement and the Working for Families tax credit. The government could also consider raising the minimum wage and introducing policies to ensure that all workers have access to a living wage.
Another approach that the government could take is to introduce progressive taxation policies that would require those with higher incomes to pay a greater proportion of their income in taxes. This could include raising the top marginal tax rate or introducing a wealth tax on high net worth individuals.
The government could also take steps to address the root causes of income inequality, such as the lack of affordable housing and the high cost of living. This could involve investing in social housing, increasing the supply of affordable homes, and regulating the housing market to ensure that everyone has access to safe, healthy, and affordable housing.
Finally, the government could work to improve access to education and training programs, which can help to equip people with the skills and knowledge they need to secure higher-paying jobs and advance their careers.
Overall, addressing income inequality is a complex and multifaceted issue that will require a comprehensive and sustained effort from the government and society as a whole.
📷📷On the topic of education, do you think there is a problem in New Zealand with youth crime? Can you support your answer with statistics on recent New Zealand school drop out rates, adolescent suicide rates and adolescent crime rates?
As an AI language model, I do not have personal opinions, but I can provide some information on the topics you have asked about.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the OECD, and this is a significant concern for many people in the country. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, there were 150 deaths by suicide among 10-24 year-olds in 2020, representing a rate of 14.8 deaths per 100,000 people in this age group. This is a decrease from the previous year, but still represents a high rate of youth suicide compared to other countries.
Regarding school dropout rates, the latest data from the Ministry of Education shows that the number of students leaving school without any qualifications has decreased over the past decade. In 2020, 6.5% of students left school without any qualifications, down from 11.3% in 2010. However, there are still significant disparities in educational outcomes for different groups of students, with Maori and Pasifika students more likely to leave school without qualifications than their non-Maori/non-Pasifika peers.
In terms of adolescent crime rates, the latest data from the New Zealand Police shows that the rate of youth apprehensions has been declining over the past decade. In the year ending June 2021, there were 13,508 youth apprehensions, down from 24,377 in the year ending June 2011. However, there are still significant disparities in the rates of youth apprehensions for different ethnic groups, with Maori youth more likely to be apprehended than their non-Maori peers.
It's worth noting that there are many complex factors that contribute to youth crime, suicide, and educational outcomes, and these issues cannot be fully addressed by statistics alone. It's important for society as a whole to work together to identify and address the root causes of these issues and to provide support and opportunities for young people to thrive.
📷📷What are your thoughts on New Zealand's upcoming general election? Who will be the major parties and what will be the major talking points? Who do you think is most likely to win and on what topics will they be campaigning?
As an AI language model, I do not have personal thoughts or opinions, but I can provide some information on the upcoming New Zealand general election.
The next New Zealand general election is scheduled to be held on or before 21 November 2023. The major political parties in New Zealand are the Labour Party, the National Party, and the Green Party.
The major talking points of the election are likely to be determined by the political parties themselves, but some of the key issues that have been discussed in recent years include:
- Housing affordability and availability
- Climate change and environmental issues
- Health care and mental health
- Immigration and refugee policy
- Education and training
- Income inequality and poverty reduction
It is difficult to predict which party is most likely to win the election at this stage, as much will depend on how the various issues are perceived by voters and how well the parties are able to communicate their platforms and engage with voters.
That being said, the current governing party, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has been enjoying high levels of popularity and support, particularly due to their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the political landscape can change quickly, and it is difficult to predict what factors may influence the election in the coming months.
Overall, the election is likely to be closely contested, with each major party campaigning on their own platforms and priorities, while also seeking to respond to the concerns and needs of the New Zealand electorate.
📷📷Let's change up the topic slightly. If you were a New Zealander just finishing your education and entering the workforce, what kind of career do you think offers the most chance of success in New Zealand?
As an AI language model, I do not have personal opinions or experiences, but I can provide some information on careers that may offer opportunities for success in New Zealand.
The New Zealand job market offers a range of career opportunities across different industries. Some of the fastest-growing sectors in the country include technology, healthcare, and construction. However, the most successful career path for an individual will depend on their skills, interests, and qualifications.
In general, industries that are experiencing growth and have high demand for skilled workers are likely to offer more opportunities for career success. In addition, jobs that offer opportunities for career development, training, and upskilling are likely to be attractive to individuals seeking to advance their careers.
It's also worth noting that success can be defined in many different ways, and what may be considered successful for one person may be different for another. Factors such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and personal fulfillment may be just as important to some individuals as career advancement or earning potential.
Ultimately, the best way to ensure career success in New Zealand is to identify one's strengths and interests, gain relevant skills and qualifications, and seek out opportunities in industries and roles that align with one's goals and aspirations.
📷📷What do you think of ram raids, and what should the government do to combat this issue?
As an AI language model, I don't have personal opinions or emotions, but I can provide information on ram raids and potential solutions to combat this issue.
Ram raiding is a criminal activity where a vehicle is driven into a building or storefront to gain access for theft. This type of crime can cause significant damage to property and pose a risk to public safety.
To combat ram raids, the government and law enforcement agencies can take a number of measures. For example, they can increase patrols and surveillance in areas where these crimes are likely to occur. Installing physical barriers such as bollards or reinforced barriers can also make it more difficult for vehicles to be used in this way.
Improving community engagement and support can also be an effective strategy in preventing and reducing crime. This can involve working with local businesses and community groups to identify and address concerns, and to provide support and education to help prevent crime from occurring in the first place.
Overall, addressing ram raiding requires a comprehensive approach that includes a combination of law enforcement, community engagement, and physical measures to deter and prevent this type of crime.
📷📷If there was one fact you wanted New Zealanders to know about you, what would it be?
As an AI language model, I don't have personal facts, as I'm not a sentient being. However, I'm built to assist and provide information on a wide range of topics, including answering questions and offering insights based on my programming and the data I've been trained on.
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2023.03.22 04:19 Vegetable-Cobbler734 Fed Meeting, Banking Turmoil, Inflation and Recession
| https://preview.redd.it/vjiiw285k7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12b3a7afabf7ef644b1b967c3f717b10f047f65d Full Abstract - economic recessions involving banking crises
(1) are typically longer and more severe than recessions in which the banking system is not severely impaired (2) The length and severity require a higher risk premium to compensate than a mild and brief recession. (3) Two consecutive banking crises in the same country (i.e., two in about 20 years) are so rare that such an outcome would stigmatize public policy and therefore escalate regulatory efforts. - The banking sector is facing a big test but not a crisis
The current macroeconomic backdrop lacks a key element (rapid private sector debt accumulation) and includes another important element that allows us to judge that there is no banking system crisis (duration risk rather than credit risk). Therefore, it is difficult to define that we are now experiencing a global banking crisis. For those who predict that the next recession will be a mild and short one, this is good news, because then the risk premium required for global risk markets (targeting PE ratios, retracements or credit spreads) only needs to be in line with the recession average, rather than the more extreme extremes. - Tighter regulation of the banking system is inevitable
However, tighter regulation at the policy level to correct mismanaged banks will outweigh the effect of interest rate hikes on capital markets. Therefore, even if the central bank suspends interest rate hikes in the coming months, it will trigger a recession by the end of 2023/early 2024 (web link). - Interest rate hikes and financial stability can kill two birds with one stone
The conflict between price stability and financial stability objectives should be manageable by using the central bank's policy rate to target inflation; and at the same time - using the size and structure of its balance sheet - as a macroprudential policy tool to help banks and financial system to achieve stability reinforcement. The UK had used highly precise asset purchases to ride out the crisis last year, along with the decision to raise the policy rate by 75 basis points from 2.25% to 3%, with subsequent 50 basis point rate hikes implemented on December 15 and February 2, respectively. Banking crisis and economic recession According to some Google indexed value indicators (as shown in the chart), the topic of banking crisis has never received as much attention as it has since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, even though many indicators of financial market stress (e.g. stock retracements, volatility of stocks, currencies and commodities) are far from recession or financial crisis levels. Only interest rate volatility has reached the level of the Lyman Brothers. https://preview.redd.it/exzg5qq9k7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b03ac29fbef3416fde53ea1a1efbc5619ee098d When there is such a disconnect between market sentiment and market risk premiums, it is worthwhile to explore the characteristics of a banking crisis. If these characteristics are currently present, the risk premium must rise to align with sentiment. If these characteristics are not present, sentiment will eventually normalize to align with a modest risk premium. I refer to the International Monetary Fund's Systemic Banking Crisis Revisited in 2018 and the Bank for International Settlements' Boom and Banking Crisis in 2016 to determine which events in the financial sector should be called banking crises so that they can be used to determine the risk premium required for diversified risk assets. The IMF study defines a banking crisis as an event that meets the following two criteria. (1) triggering severe losses, such as a bank run, a surge in non-performing loans, or a bank failure. (2) triggering major policy interventions, such as deposit freezes, bank nationalizations, extensive liquidity support, public sector capital injections, public sector guarantees, and asset purchases. Characteristics of Banking Crises Based on this definition, the IMF has identified about 150 systemic crises since the 1970s, including both developed and emerging market economies. The experience of these 150 empirical studies shows that. (1) frequent banking crises in the same country are rare. Since 1970, only three countries have experienced three or more such events (Argentina, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ukraine). The United States has experienced two events (the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s and the global financial crisis of 2007-09); eurozone members, the United Kingdom and Japan have had only one (the exact date varies by country); and Canada and Australia have had no banking crises. For me, the lack of crisis re-occurrence is attributable to the typical crisis policy response of limiting the ability to re-leverage in the future by regulating the offending sector. (2) When a banking crisis occurs, it is rarely just a country-specific event. For me, the contagion is either due to cross-border economic and financial linkages or a common crime committed in one area (e.g. the overleveraging of US, UK and European banks prior to the GFC) https://preview.redd.it/8s5cyf7dk7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=893869382e3247e234cf76832b0e75533fe8b37c (3) Banking crises are usually associated with currency and sovereign debt crises. These linkages are intuitive given that banking crises require a fiscal response, that credit risk in sovereigns weakens the asset base of banks holding government bonds, and that economic crises drive capital flows to reserve currencies. the 2010-2012 eurozone crisis is a case study of these double and triple crises. (4) Banking crises often follow credit-intensive booms. The risks associated with unusually rapid credit creation arise not only from the quantity of debt that needs to be rolled over when an economy hits a shock, but also from the quality of those debts. The latter problem arises because rapid debt accumulation is usually associated with lower lending standards, so that the population with the least financing flexibility suffers the greatest accumulation of vulnerability. (5) Recessions associated with banking crises are usually deeper and more protracted than those in which the banking sector does not exhibit extreme stress. This result is driven by the need for the banking sector to regain profitability before it can resume its traditional role as an intermediary between households and firms. For example, the 2001 U.S. recession occurred with little significant stress on the banking sector (NPLs rose from about 1% to 1.5%), and it took only a year to return to pre-recession GDP growth trends. During the GFC, NPLs rose from 1% to 5%, and it took about four years to return to the pre-recession growth trend. Of the five characteristics discussed above, I believe that - the presence of the pre-crisis credit boom - is the most important because it is the only one we can observe in advance. The other four features (re-occurrence within the same country, cross-country contagion, simultaneous currency and sovereign debt crises, and longer and deeper recessions) are either consequences of the crisis or simultaneous events rather than prerequisites for transforming macroeconomic shocks into systemic events. A striking feature of the current macroeconomic backdrop is the deleveraging of the U.S. household sector over the past decade and the moderate increase in corporate leverage over the same period (ignoring some of the consequences due to the collapse of the GDP denominator). These two trends stand in stark contrast to the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s and the dual accumulation of household and corporate debt during the global financial crisis of 2007-09, as shown in the chart (shaded bars indicate the U.S. recession). https://preview.redd.it/rf61g7jgk7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd4bb2ab5ec815ddbe588c6ed0f3f0b36669020a Such leverage trends are not only seen in the US. Also in addition to the volatility associated with COVID, private sector credit (households and businesses) as a share of GDP has remained stable in the Eurozone countries and the UK, in contrast to the previous banking crises in these countries, as shown in the chart. https://preview.redd.it/jr8cyprjk7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=670fbb31a8dc6271dc98216d3069d3a93081d69a The world's major private sector credit boom of the past decade occurred in our own country, China, but the financial turmoil is already reflected in our stock market and real estate credit problems in 2022: https://preview.redd.it/9ryz417mk7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=566bd3536575312cbf9c472b898035630aeba283 Previous industry research on the link between leverage, banking crises and post-crisis harm has focused on credit risk and so has ignored the most salient risk feature of the current U.S. and global banking industry today, namely duration risk. Unlike the credit/default risk of bank assets (their loan portfolios or securities holdings) that relate to banking stability, it is the duration risk (valuation changes due to rising interest rates) that simply triggers anxiety and sentiment. Impaired assets are always an issue for banks, but there is a material difference between assets affected by credit risk and those affected by duration risk. The difference is that one is cyclical (asset values fall further as the economy deteriorates) while the other is counter-cyclical (asset values rise as the economy deteriorates as central banks pause or ease policy). While the market believes that the Fed is likely to pause rate hikes, the duration risk implies structural changes in the operating models of banks in certain regions, as well as recapitalization and consolidation. But federal policy support for the asset side of these institutions' balance sheets is more important than directly addressing credit quality through monetary policy. Reversing credit weakness requires a recovering business cycle, which can only occur later in the federal monetary policy easing cycle, or directly by the U.S. government through fiscal easing. But sadly, neither is likely to be a potential policy option for 2023. Even though the headlines in both the U.S. and European banking sectors look ominous, this is not some banking crisis we are experiencing right now. Having a proper, objective and dispassionate understanding helps us determine the size of the coming recession and the size and scope of the risk premium required in such an economic environment. Financial Stability and Monetary Tightening When a market liquidity and/or funding liquidity crisis occurs at a moment when inflation is above target, a tension between the central bank's objectives - price stability and financial stability - is inevitable. In this case, while financial stability must come first, as it is a prerequisite for the effective pursuit of price stability. This does not mean, however, that central banks should stop or suspend their anti-inflationary policies when threatened by a banking crisis or similar systemic stability risks. The conflict between price stability and financial stability objectives should be manageable by using the central bank's policy rate to target inflation; and at the same time - using the size and structure of its balance sheet - as a macroprudential policy tool to help banks and financial system to achieve stability reinforcement. Reliable communication is essential to achieve both objectives simultaneously https://preview.redd.it/zd05hshpk7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec0dec005484d4b7af06411b12390e7e9fb6c6b9 Will the SVB collapse (and subsequent turmoil in the banking sector) be the catalyst to reverse the Fed's tightening cycle? The market seems to be saying "yes" as it is forcing this week's hike to be priced in at +25 bps, with the assumption that a significant cycle of rate cuts will follow. However, a 50 basis point increase in risk-free short-term nominal rates would not have a material or significant impact on the stability of the financial and banking systems of any of the large developed advanced economies. The stability of the financial system is affected by interconnected liquidity and credit risk premiums, and the disappearance of potential purchasers and lenders in illiquid financial markets. The Bank of England mastered this trick and succeeded in temporarily purchasing long-term UK government bonds during a period of monetary policy tightening brought about by the incoherent policies of then Prime Minister Liz Truss, and postponed quantitative tightening and stabilized the financial system through asset purchase facility gilt sales. The asset purchases, which lasted from September 28 to October 14, were designed to address dysfunction in the long-term UK government bond market. At the first Commonwealth Monetary Policy Committee meeting following the asset purchases, the Bank of England demonstrated its continued commitment to its firm goal of fighting inflation by raising the policy rate 75 basis points from 2.25% to 3%. Subsequent 50 basis point rate hikes were implemented on December 15 and February 2. The prudence of the temporary asset purchases would have been more evident if they had been offset. The ECB also raised its policy rate by 50 basis points this month, despite the financial chaos in the U.S. following the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) bankruptcy. Headline HICP (Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices) inflation in Europe was 8.5% in February, and core HICP inflation (excluding volatile energy and food prices) was 5.6%. The ECB addressed the twin issues of financial stability and inflation by stating that its "policy toolkit is well positioned to provide liquidity support to the euro area financial system when needed and to maintain a smooth transmission of tight monetary policy". In the second half of the 1940s, the Federal Reserve also combined interest rate hikes (albeit very small) with balance sheet reductions and yield curve controls https://preview.redd.it/r3z2h7dsk7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42d7a3ce5cf6ee72565f58c316366770c8d1d1e2 What will the Federal Reserve Board do at its upcoming meeting? I believe that the issue of financial stability after the collapse of SVB and Signature Bank has been effectively addressed after ensuring that all deposits in these two mismanaged institutions are intact. In effect, this means that all deposits in U.S. banks are insured from now on. No doubt this will lead to moral hazard, as incompetent or reckless bank managers will not be punished for losing familiar depositors. But this is an unavoidable price to pay for ruling out the systemic threat posed by a bank run. This is because, with the market value of many eligible debt instruments well below par, the lender of last resort has become the lender of first resort, providing what is essentially a subsidized loan of funds. The same anomaly (valuing collateral at par value) now applies to loans in the discount window. As of the end of 2022, U.S. banks plan to hold to maturity securities with unrealized losses of approximately $620 billion. While an increase in policy rates would likely further reduce the market value of long-term securities, it would be right to continue to raise rates anyway, as the U.K. and ECB have typically done. It is difficult to quantify the duration risk hedging pressures on banks and their counterparties, but bank losses due to bad investment decisions (in an orderly market) are part of the healthy Darwinian mechanism that maintains a market economy: banks that do not hedge interest rate risk carefully have to face bankruptcy; and so does the orderly liquidation resolution of failed institutions. Both U.S. and global central banks must be prepared to fulfill their financial stability responsibilities as lender of last resort and market maker of last resort in the event of illiquidity, bank runs, or other market failures that pose a systemic threat. However, if extreme circumstances do not arise, the continued responsibility to maintain price stability should also be honored on a consistent and stable basis. As the U.S. core personal consumption expenditure inflation rate remained at 4.7% in January, the Fed should, in theory, raise its policy rate target range by 50 basis points at its upcoming meeting. However, the market believes that the Fed may raise rates by only 25 basis points or even pause the rate hike, as the market feels that a larger rate hike would have a serious negative impact on financial stability. In the short term, the Fed stands ready to intervene as a lender and market maker of last resort, in the best interest of U.S. financial stability. In the medium to long term, the Dodd-Frank regulations for small and medium-sized banks, which were repealed in 2018, should be reimposed, and restrictions on banks' proprietary investment activities should also be reinstated submitted by Vegetable-Cobbler734 to Burystocks [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 04:11 ivy-LPI Dairy-Free Mozzarella Market: Competitive Dynamics & Global Outlook 2023
LPI (LP Information)' newest research report, the “Dairy-Free Mozzarella Industry Forecast” looks at past sales and reviews total world Dairy-Free Mozzarella sales in 2022, providing a comprehensive analysis by region and market sector of projected Dairy-Free Mozzarella sales for 2023 through 2029. With Dairy-Free Mozzarella sales broken down by region, market sector and sub-sector, this report provides a detailed analysis in US$ millions of the world Dairy-Free Mozzarella industry.
This Insight Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global Dairy-Free Mozzarella landscape and highlights key trends related to product segmentation, company formation, revenue, and market share, latest development, and M&A activity. This report also analyzes the strategies of leading global companies with a focus on Dairy-Free Mozzarella portfolios and capabilities, market entry strategies, market positions, and geographic footprints, to better understand these firms' unique position in an accelerating global Dairy-Free Mozzarella market.
This Insight Report evaluates the key market trends, drivers, and affecting factors shaping the global outlook for Dairy-Free Mozzarella and breaks down the forecast by type, by application, geography, and market size to highlight emerging pockets of opportunity. With a transparent methodology based on hundreds of bottom-up qualitative and quantitative market inputs, this study forecast offers a highly nuanced view of the current state and future trajectory in the global Dairy-Free Mozzarella .
This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities ofDairy-Free Mozzarella market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.
Request Sample Report and Full Report https://www.lpinformationdata.com/reports/616998/dairy-free-mozzarella-2029 The main participants Miyoko's Creamery
Parmela Creamery
365 Whole Foods
Violife
Daiya
Moocho
Tofutti
Kite Hill
Chao
Misha’s Kind Foods
Segmentation by type Soy and Tofu
Nuts and Seeds
Tapioca
Others
Segmentation by application Catering
Ingredients
Retail
Key Questions Addressed in this Report What is the 10-year outlook for the global Dairy-Free Mozzarella market?
What factors are driving Dairy-Free Mozzarella market growth, globally and by region?
Which technologies are poised for the fastest growth by market and region?
How do Dairy-Free Mozzarella market opportunities vary by end market size?
How does Dairy-Free Mozzarella break out type, application?
What are the influences of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war?
LP INFORMATION (LPI) is a professional market report publisher based in America, providing high quality market research reports with competitive prices to help decision makers make informed decisions and take strategic actions to achieve excellent outcomes.We have an extensive library of reports on hundreds of technologies.Search for a specific term, or click on an industry to browse our reports by subject. Narrow down your results using our filters or sort by what’s important to you, such as publication date, price, or name.
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2023.03.22 03:54 crazygrumpy USD/CHF remains stable near 0.9200 level, as market eagerly awaits Fed's crucial decision
- USD/CHF breaks consolidation range ahead of FOMC meeting.
- Investors' focus shifts to upcoming Fed meeting, 25 bps rate hike or pause?
- SNB policy decision looms next after the Fed event.
USD/CHF has broken the four-day consolidation range and remains steady, just above the 0.9200 key psychological mark. The broad-based US Dollar weakness emerged after a positive risk appetite spurred by US authorities intervening to rescue the US banking system. US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, expressed willingness on Tuesday to provide deposit guarantees to all small banks.
Considering the ongoing liquidity crunch in the banking sector, the US Treasury Department, Federal Reserve (Fed), and US regulators have prioritized addressing the issue. Despite opposition from US senators, various liquidity options have already been proposed, such as the Fed opening swap lines, the discount window, and bank deposit guarantees for small banks. These easing measures will likely exert further downward pressure on the US Dollar.
Investors' focus has shifted to the upcoming Fed meeting, with markets pricing in an 85% chance of a 25-basis-point rate hike when the Fed announces its monetary policy decision on Wednesday.
Amid this banking crisis, investors are skeptical about the upcoming Fed meeting, with differing views. Following a synchronized global effort to calm the banking turmoil, the market has begun to lean toward a consensus view of a 25 basis point (bps) rate hike. Given that a summary of economic projections was conducted before this banking turmoil, attention will be focused on the dot plot and initial remarks from Fed Chair Powell.
Fed Chair Powell's press conference will be essential to watch as investors try to gauge the banking and inflationary outlooks.
After the Fed, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is next in line to deliver its policy decision.
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2023.03.22 03:25 Vegetable-Cobbler734 Why is Tesla soaring today
| https://preview.redd.it/jmlng8n3b7pa1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=94ac65343043935dab249b2aa6c43eda605096d1 Tesla surged today on data released Tuesday by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showing that Tesla registered 19,249 new vehicles in EU countries in February, soaring about 50 percent from 12,860 a year earlier and more than any other company, although brands such as Stellantis' Alfa Romeo and Volkswagen's Cupra outpaced Tesla's growth. . The U.S. automaker took 19.8 percent of the EU's pure electric vehicle market share in February, up from 18.5 percent a year earlier, according to ACEA. Tesla took a 2.4 percent share of the EU passenger car market last month, up from 1.8 percent a year earlier, according to ACEA. In China, Tesla is expected to report one of its best quarterly retail sales figures in the Chinese market, according to the latest retail sales data from China Merchants Bank International, which tracks auto insurance registrations. The data show that from Jan. 1 to March 19, Tesla sold about 106,900 units in China, averaging 1,371 units per day. And the company sold 120,200 vehicles in the fourth quarter, Tesla's best quarterly sales figure to date. Moody's has become the second credit rating agency to assign an investment grade rating to Tesla. Moody's upgraded Tesla's credit score to Baa3 (the lowest level of investment grade debt) from Ba1 (the highest level of junk debt) with a "stable" outlook. In a statement, Moody's senior credit officer Rene Lipsch said, "Tesla will maintain its position as one of the leading manufacturers of pure electric vehicles as the company further strengthens its global presence." Moody's also cited Tesla's expanding product offerings (including the Cybertruck, which is scheduled to go into production later this year), its production sites in different regions and the company's strong focus on efficiency and financial leverage. Last October, S&P Global upgraded Tesla's rating to investment grade after it released third-quarter delivery figures. In a report at the time, S&P credit analysts wrote: "We are now more bullish on Tesla's credit profile as it continues to demonstrate market leadership in the (electric vehicle) space with stable manufacturing efficiencies supporting strong Ebitda margins and continued positive free operating cash flow." Bloomberg Intelligence credit analyst Joel Levington said last October that lower financial leverage and top-notch margins could explain the ratings firm's steady improvement of Tesla's rating. Tesla's performance last year was truly stunning, producing more than 1.3 million electric cars with an operating margin of about 17 percent , tops among many car companies and more than double Toyota's 2022 operating margin of about 8 percent. In addition, over the past three years, Tesla has repaid roughly $10 billion in debt, after which its financial leverage once fell to extremely low levels. For Tesla, the Moody's move could be a landmark. Traditionally, rating-sensitive investors consider a stock to be officially blue-chip when it has received high ratings from at least two agencies. Moving from "junk" to "blue chip" means that Tesla will be able to attract more investors, which could significantly reduce its financing costs. In this regard, Levington said: "This is a historic event for Tesla. We continue to believe that the company has the foundation for a rating upgrade cycle. This could narrow the gap between what people see as Tesla's credit risk and Volkswagen's." Indeed, prior to Moody's rating upgrade, Tesla was already viewed by many investors and analysts as a blue-chip company. Earlier this year, Tesla received a $5 billion revolving credit facility, meaning it was close to investment grade status. According to media data, Tesla has almost no outstanding debt and its 5-year credit default swaps (CDS) are already on par with highly rated borrowers. Number of Tesla car accidents up in past two years after Tesla removes radar sensors Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly announced nearly two years ago that Tesla would stop installing radar sensors in its cars. Data shows that the number of subsequent accidents and near-misses involving Tesla cars has increased. Interviews with dozens of former Tesla employees, test drivers and other experts show that after the 2021 upgrade, Tesla cars driving through Autopilot or FSD features are braking more often because of nonexistent obstacles, misidentifying street signs and having difficulty identifying emergency vehicles. Some sources said the increasing incidence of false braking is related to Tesla's decision to remove radar sensors from its vehicles. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is investigating this aspect of the problem, shows the agency has received hundreds of complaints about false braking over the past nine months. Last year, more than 750 Tesla owners complained that their cars suddenly and inexplicably braked while driving. Meanwhile, NHTSA also stepped up its investigation into Tesla's Autopilot feature in 2022 after more than a dozen accidents in which Tesla cars crashed into emergency vehicles. NHTSA said the driver-assist feature had difficulty identifying parked vehicles. Musk initially announced that Tesla would stop having radar sensors in its cars starting in 2021. Some engineers were reportedly "taken aback" by the statement and contacted a former Tesla executive in hopes of convincing Musk to change his decision. Musk has also said in the past that he wants Tesla's FSD and Autopilot software to simulate the senses of human drivers through cameras rather than radar. Currently, all Tesla cars are equipped with Autopilot driver assistance. Users can also pay a one-time $15,000 or $199 a month to enable the FSD feature, which helps cars recognize stop signs and traffic lights, automatically adjust lanes and park themselves. But Tesla says neither Autopilot nor FSD can replace a licensed driver. Until 2021, Tesla cars will use radar sensors in addition to cameras to identify obstacles. Currently, Tesla relies on eight cameras and Autopilot image taggers to train cars to react to their environment. Tesla employees tag videos taken by the car's cameras to train the software to recognize and respond to different obstacles. Other self-driving sensors, such as LIDAR, are also used by Tesla's competitors. These vehicles use LIDAR to digitally map the environment and avoid errors, even if the on-board cameras are obscured by external obstacles, such as rain, snow and fog. Musk, however, has previously said that LIDAR is too costly and therefore "doomed to fail." Since 2016, Musk has been promising that Tesla will soon launch a true self-driving car, but experts are not optimistic. Earlier this year, several experts said that the Tesla FSD is still far from self-driving. In February, Tesla released an OTA software update to 362,000 vehicles to address a problem with the FSD, which the NHTSA said at the time could cause cars to "behave unsafely at intersections. A Tesla spokesperson did not comment. In a voluntarily released vehicle safety report, Tesla said it had the lowest overall probability of injury among all vehicles tested by the U.S. government's New Car Evaluation Program. In January, Tesla also said that in the third quarter of 2022, the probability of a Tesla accident had been as low as one accident every 6.26 million miles (about 1,074,000 kilometers). submitted by Vegetable-Cobbler734 to Burystocks [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 03:00 vodwad Prospecting at busy bank branch
Sorry if this is repetitive or not allowed. I tried posting earlier and it doesn't look like it worked. I checked the subreddit history on google to make sure it isn't repetitive. Anyway...
Has anyone ever essentially set up a booth inside a bank branch to give out business cards and freebies? I was invited by an LO at a major national bank to do this in their flagship branch in our city. He indicated he'd made this offer to other realtors in the past and no one takes him up on it. I am planning on giving it a try since it seems harmless. Has anyone else ever done this before? Any tips or tricks?
For what it's worth I am allowed to give out any marketing materials I want as well as things like free snacks or nonalcoholic drinks. Thanks!
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2023.03.22 02:47 throwawaythecheezpls The way the cops harassed me has me extremely worried for trans people right now
Please note I'm using a throwaway as my gender is left ambiguous on my main account and I also don't want details of this story to be read by people in real life who may know my username. I'm pretty nervous to type this out, this may get long.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to talk about this. I've been stuck in a frozen fog state for the last four months, unable to discuss anything to anyone related to December 2022. I've had multiple bad things happen to me that month, this post is only about the first incident (the second is unrelated). At first, I wasn't sure if there was anything I could do to fix this situation, but now I need to talk about it just to get it out of my hair.
I go on plane or road trips every year to eastern Tennessee (near Knoxville) to visit my family. My widowed grandmother is getting on up there and every year could be the last, my mother gets frazzled caring for her and likes the company, my sister misses me and her nephew has become a cute and lively toddler, so I really push myself to make sure I come down to visit every year. I have lived in Tennessee before and eventually clawed my way back to my home state because I HATE being there. I never told them it's because of my status as a bisexual, dysphoric genderfluid, and very non-Christian pot smoker. I never had to because the family hates it there too, but my conservative Baptist grandma is insistent on staying.
Most of the time, I'm able to put up with the little inconveniences of traveling for the sake of seeing them. The past couple of years have stressed me out mainly because as soon as I'm over there, I'll hear my grandma and mother complain about trans people. They know next to fucking nothing about the trans struggle except what bullshit stories FOX news tells them. They'll sit in their comforters and complain almost like they're trying to start a fight with me; instead I just give them the "I did not pay a $350 plane ticket to listen to you two gripe" cold stare until they snap out of it enough to move to the next subject. I have put up with this shit for so long because they're Family with a capital F, and grandma only has so much time, right? Can't I just tolerate their issues an eensy bit for the sake of making a few more special memories?
December 2022 is my limit. My straw done broke. I'm not going down again, and this time I told them why. During my last visit, near midnight on a Thursday, my boyfriend and I were returning to our AirBNB outside Knoxville after having dinner with the family. The road we take to get there began with a gas station/Food City grocery outlet, so my boyfriend asked if we could stop and get gas before we head back. It's on the way, quick in and out, no biggie, right? He swished around the empty parking lot and slid into the gas station. I decided to walk over to a kiosk by the gas pumps to buy us some sodas.
As soon as I turned around, I saw two police cars parked by the pumps, with a couple men talking to my boyfriend. I first assumed they were warning us about some rando on the loose. I found out they were upset with my boyfriend's driving even though he didn't do anything illegal. They asked if we were from around here and I told them I was visiting family. They got suspicious because our rental car has a Tennessee license plate (it was rented off tan app). So we show them the proof of the rental as they're checking out our IDs. I wasn't scared at first but I was wary of them, as even though me and my family are whiter than a padded cell, the cops in east TN seem to have made a habit of harassing and framing us for various stupid reasons.
So we gave them all the proof they needed, figuring we'd get off with a warning. Nope! One of the guys comes back from his car with our IDs, handing one to my boyfriend. He looks at me and says, "can you step aside for one moment so we can have a word with you?" My heart rate started spiking as I let him speak. "Why is your ID coming up as someone else?" They mentioned someone with a name that rhymes with my name, living somewhere in West Virginia, which I live nowhere near. I tell them I only go to WV as a thru-way to TN while driving road trips. They were getting increasingly irate with me, accusing me of falsifying my state ID that I've had for years with no issue. "Well, you're coming up as someone else and you're going to need to give us an explanation," he went on.
AND THEN HERE COMES THE FUN PART HOLY SHIT. The part that's had my head flying for several months now. He sauntered up to me and asked me wryly, "so... what's your story? Hm? Be honest: are you really a man?" Not, " Are you changing your name, have you not updated your ID?" etcetc. No, he SPECIFICALLY asked me if I was a transgender woman within moments of accusing me of impersonation. Mind you, I'm assigned female at birth with long hair, but dressed in men's clothes. I'm trans but have not transitioned, I simply dress and behave in a nonconforming manner. If I took a picture of myself right now, or even from that day, and threw it up in some random part of the Internet, I'd be called at best a tomboyish woman by most people. They supposedly had my ID mixed up with some other woman from West Virginia. So why in the actual fuck was their first question, "Did you use to be a man?"
I am not in any way offended to be confused for being a transwoman, except when it's COPS doing this. Part of me wanted to answer with my usual blunt honesty, "well, technically, I would like to identify as a dude or as nonbinary on my ID, except I haven't worked that out yet legally, you are free to use pronouns he/him please be nice mkay thanks" but I just knew I'd get myself into real trouble by muddying the waters like that. So I begrudgingly said no, I'm not, I was born female. They kept fucking smirking at me while raising their voice, like "are you sure? Because if we find out you're lying to us, we can have you arrested for false impersonation right now. We could have you put in jail by tonight."
So I'm losing it internally. He decided to do one final test to prove my womanly innocence, by taking a photo of my face and running it through some "national facial recognition database". At this point, my boyfriend didn't know why the cop was talking to and taking a picture of me and started freaking out as well, but I couldn't answer him. All I thought was, "if this supposed database glitches the way their tech glitched while scanning my ID, they literally could throw me in jail for doing nothing." But somehow, after taking the picture and waiting a few seconds they immediately went 180º, told us that we were fine, and shooed us away without letting us ask who they were or getting a solid picture of their license plates (we got one pic but the plate is too blurry to read).
We got back to the AirBNB in panic mode and my boyfriend calls the sheriff's dept mainly just to help calm my nerves but also to find out more about what happened. They told him something random about me having a protection order (even though I shouldn't have any reason to have one), which was what caused their malfunction, and hung up on him. So did they mistake me for an abused woman on the run? I later realized my ID didn't have an updated street address to match my current residence, which hasn't been an issue literally anywhere else, but I theorized that it's why the card must have glitched in their system. We could not make any sense of it either way, so we just shut down emotionally so we could brave the rest of the trip. I never wanted to get back home faster than that night. I've taken trippin mushrooms in the past and did not experience the same level of reality distortion that this encounter gave me.
I still don't know if there's anything we can really do to figure out or amend this situation. I don't know if what they did was entirely permissible or not, there's so much that doesn't make sense to me. Are these kind of stops frequent with people in that area? How many people have been falsely accused of impersonating someone else during a routine traffic stop? Was the card reading error genuine? Was it because of my address listed? Was it because they confused me for a wanted endangered woman with a protection order? Why did they seem so fixated on the idea of me being a transwoman, why did I feel like I needed to prove them of my birth gender of all things? Is there an actual facial recognition database system in America, if so then how the fuck does that work at verifying my identity? Are they attempting to get a record of every trans and gender nonconforming person on hand? Am I reading too deeply into my memory of that night, or is this a sign of something serious?
I haven't said anything about this incident for months, thinking there was nothing we could do to argue with these cops. It's better to avoid them if you can. But having seen wave after wave of anti-trans and anti-drag legislation coming out recently, I realized I needed to vent and to possibly warn anyone who's living near that area to NOT GO TO THE COPS IF YOU CAN HELP IT. Even if you're cis, if you're a short haired woman or a man with an effeminate gait, you're possibly gonna get fucked over by these cops. Your identity as cisgender does not keep you safe. And trans people, I probably don't need to say this, but I will also remind y'all to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from east TN cops starting today.
I told my family about this and they just handwaved it, saying "that's just how cops are down here, can't trust them." They don't seem to be too concerned, but I feel like there's so much more going on. And I refuse to go back to the state until there's some kind of massive breakthrough to overcome the rampant transphobia seeping in. I feel so lucky to be able to stay out of that goddamned kudzu covered, nuclear intoxicated hell hole by living in a friendlier state, but I wish there was more I could do to help the trans people still living there.
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2023.03.22 02:29 ivy-LPI Global Special Ceramic Powder Market Analysis (2023-2029)
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