I was writing this story and thinking of turning it into a webtoon. Can you tell me what you think.
My mom finally caved in. “Fine, make sure you’re prepared and take the train to school. Make sure you’re careful and follow all instructions!”
“Don’t worry mom,” I grumbled. “It's not like any of us have superpowers anyway.”
I finished my food, grabbed everything I needed and rushed out the door.
Living here is expensive but it sure is amazing if you can succeed.
Even if the world was almost destroyed 250 years ago we sure were able to come a long way in that time. It was great enough that me and Thomas’ parents would try so hard to be able to live here.
At first glance it was beautiful like a dream. Sector 3 was one of the best Districts except 1 and 2.
It buzzed with life with people on their way to work and wherever they needed to go. Cars hovered over the ground at speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour.They made a sort of buzzing noise that was music to my ears. The smells of food cooking in fancy restaurants attacked my nostrils hoping to draw my attention and buy their food. Good thing I had a hearty breakfast because I don’t think I could afford any of them right now. Teenagers like me hung out with their hoverboards doing all types of tricks that could easily backfire in a nearby park. They had neon colored hair, mohawks along with other choices in fashion that my school and I just don’t agree with. Other businesses such as hospitals, hair salons, movie theaters also seemed to attract crowds like a magnet. I even passed by the hospital my mom worked at. It was a huge dark skyscraper with a spacious parking lot with its name Healing Haven Hospital in bright colored letters at the top.
Sector 3 was a great place to live if you could afford it. Although If you looked hard enough you noticed the people that failed to make ends meet. In the slums people slept in man made houses of trash and boxes. Others smoked and did drugs which was kind of illegal. Either they weren’t caught or the soldiers didn’t care enough to check. Children wearing dirty rags who were so skinny you could count their ribs rummaged through trash and fought over any spoils. It wasn’t fair that this greedy government would place laws and taxes that would force them to suffer this horrible fate. I need money whether or not it's legal as long as it can keep my family fed and happy.
15 minutes after I left the house I finally reached the train station. I got off my hoverboard and got in line and thankfully it wasn’t that long. When I reached the doors, I almost had a heart attack. Guarding the door where two sentinels armed to the teeth carrying large guns and dressed in their signature white bulletproof armor.
“Pay up please,” the one on the right said as he stretched out his hand. He held a device that would collect the money you need to take to ride the train.
“Okay,” I agreed with a nervous voice.
I took out my own phone and paid. I was able to get a seat on the train I was keeping all to myself with no troubles.
After we started moving I finally was able to let myself relax. I thought I was this close to being arrested before I could do anything illegal today.
Sentinels are usually stationed in places such as banks and homes of important people like governors. But this is the first time I’ve seen them deployed at a train station. I remember when I wanted to be one when I was a kid and go to District 2 to make lots of money but my parents made me give up that dream. District 2 specializes in military and security. That was where soldiers trained and lived. Higher Ups also had access to a luxurious life in a fancy mansion and more money than what they actually needed. This is where the hovercrafts that soared the sky providing surveillance were built and maintained. Where Epizon’s forces that would protect our country from its threats could prepare for any possibility. Prepare for what I always ask. Most of the world has been destroyed. Africa has never shown any hostility to us. No, they’re just here to enforce this tyrannical government and eliminate any that may possess abilities.
I grabbed my headphones from my backpack and played my favorite songs. At least I can enjoy the view.
It was like I was flying as the train soared through the sky on a railway that snaked throughout the city. Never actually touching since the train was connected through powerful electromagnets saving both energy and money. The city looked even more impressive when you had a bird’s eye view.
Couples and families enjoyed picnics on tables at the Liberty State Park. People walked in and out of the Interpretive Center where history from about 300 years was taught. It still had memorials dedicated to remembering events like what happened centuries ago at 9/11. Now there’s a huge memorial dedicated to those who fought to save us from the Enhanced. It's still so hard to believe that people with super powers exist. I’ve learned about them in history class but they seem so unreal. I’ve never seen somebody shoot fire or fly so either the military is really good at their job or this is all made up.
District 3 of the great utopia Epizon. Named after the Greek word for survivor. When the continents Australia, Europe, South America, and Asia were destroyed in World War Three. By the Enhanced who gained powers that almost destroyed the world. Thankfully, the remnants of North America were able to stand up and defeat all the Enhanced people and create the amazing paradise we live in.
It sounds so unreal it has to be propaganda to control the Sectors.
We flew over the Hudson River Walkway. It was my favorite view on the train ride because I loved the way sunlight would reflect off the pristine turquoise waters. It's a shame we don’t really get to swim or fish though. That’s probably for the best.
The rest of the train ride went fast and before I knew it I was at my stop. I grabbed my hoverboard and raced to school because the Victor can’t be late.
While this District has its downsides it could really get a lot worse from here. However, District 1 was the real paradise. It was where the most important people with the most standing lived. The President, his wife, and other high ranking government officials lived there. In enormous mansions separated by acres where all the other people who enforced laws and taxes that made it difficult for my parents to live and provide for us.
But District 3 was the best place where people who are more fortunate like me could live. As long as you were skilled enough and worked hard enough. My mom was a somewhat prominent doctor at one of the biggest hospitals in this District. District 3 specializes in a lot of fields but the one it specializes in is medical science. Medicine, prosthetics, you can get the best of them from here. And my dad was vice president at a company that released some of the best virtual reality games. Entertainment is just as important as health in Epizon. Which meant I sometimes received popular games before everyone else. I remember so many times my parents and I would play together exploring outer space, fighting monsters. My parents are so cool, right?
You’d think that our life would be a little more luxurious and it was. Unfortunately, the selfish government increased taxes and fees from school started to pile up. As the victor in sophomore year I was exempt from those rules as long as I remained Victor. But my parents have yet to completely finish paying all those debts.
It's dangerous to get lost in your thoughts when you’re traveling 3 feet off the ground at 15 miles per hour on a hoverboard because you might end up running into a moving car. Thankfully, I managed to stop just in time.
“So, the Victor almost crashes to a fatal stop. It would be sad, you know. I’d hate for my best friend to die like that.”
I knew that voice.
I turned around and noticed that mischievous grin with sharp teeth I was so familiar with. With his strong red eyes and messy black hair he could’ve been a criminal. Well he technically should be but we’re too smart to get caught.
“Thomas, how’re you?” I asked as I got off my hoverboard.
“Oh, nothing, just waiting for you,” he replied. “I knew you’d show up here to catch the levitrain.”
He gave me a hug and somehow managed to pick me up and spin me around like something a kid would ask their parents to do.
“How’re you doing my best friend? Did you actually get a huge extravagant meal because I just did. My mom just got paid and she didn’t save a single epi.”
“Yeah, I actually did and so I can actually keep my breakfast and not throw up let me down.”
“Sure!”
“How’re you so strong anyway? I know you work out but are you seriously that strong. Don’t tell me you actually have super strength.”
“I hope I don’t. Life sucks as is but it would get even worse if I suddenly awakened superpowers.”
I feel the same. It’s rough but we can make it better.
“Fistbump!”
We always managed to read each other’s minds.
“Are you ready for these physicals?” I asked.
“I’m so sick of those things,” he replied. “Oh, it’s time for us to cross.”
We both got on our hoverboards and raced towards school.
“Don’t worry about it, you're strong and you’re pretty muscular,” I assured him. “But, I hope you’re not strong enough to throw a car or something.”
“Don’t worry about it, I've already tried. Nah, I’m kidding.”
“So, are we doing that job today,” Thomas asked with a mischievous grin.
“You know it,” I said.
CHAPTER 2
Now you have to admit our school was pretty impressive.
First of all, it was gigantic. It sort of resembled a castle but really high tech in blue, red, and white colors. In the middle FutureTech was printed in red and blue and was highlighted in white. The dorms were on the left side. And the rest of the other facilities and equipment was in the other half. This was FutureTech, a place which was probably the best school a student could ask for. Less than 20% of those who apply here make the cut. And the majority of them were rich kids who could afford to pay the tuition. Me and Thomas barely made it and it was really tough. But we both worked hard and eventually I became the Victor. One of the perks of being a Victor that must’ve been in place for people like us was that the Victor could choose anyone who didn’t have as much money as the others to be their second in command. They would be exempt from the tuition and other crazy rules. Did you know you have to pay a security fee after a year?
Crazy.
But those only applied if the other guy had good grades and a clean track record. But only as long as I’m the Victor and if either of us do anything that breaks the rules we’ll both be kicked out. Talk about pressure.
But this was the best place to learn anything really. Law, business, art, engineering and other sciences. And it could all be done here.
The school had defenses in place to protect the lives of students and staff. An electromagnetic barrier surrounded the entire establishment. Stretching out a few acres across outside the building. If you wanted to get in you had to get through the one gate in the front. At the gate there were security cameras, x-rays, and 10 armed Sentinels just for extra security. The security was just as intense inside making it nearly impossible to do anything that violated the rules. They didn’t waste a single epi.
“Man, the security of this place is unnerving as always,” Thomas complained.
“It never fails to show me just how out of place we are.”
“Of course the security is advanced. The children of really important people receive education here. This helps them make sure they aren’t kidnapped. I do agree it's unnerving but at least it’s secure. Besides you and I both deserve to be here”
We walked through the sliding doors and saw just how beautiful the school was inside.
The place was illuminated by golden lights. Robots made clunky noises while drones wizzed over my head. I could barely hear myself think over the voices of other students. Girls argued over petty things like their hairstyles and whose boyfriend was better. While boys competed to see who’s stronger or more handsome. Rainbow colors flashed from the lab to the right. Future doctors practiced their skills on mannequins in the lab at the left.
“Hey, look, it's the Victor!”
Soon, the whole school had their eyes on me.
Girls and boys waved and applauded. Even the ones on the second floor whooped and jumped around. Not everyone felt the same though. Some students snickered and sneered while others glared with hatred and jealousy. Even when you work hard to be at the top not everyone will appreciate it.
“You’re popular,” Thomas remarked.
“Too bad not everyone is a fan. You still got the ladies cheering for you. You think you could give them a good word about me?” Thomas joked.
“You know that’s not how it is. We’re on different levels in society. I lose my title as Victor and I fade into the background.”
“Besides, you're smart and strong. Try hard enough and you could get a girlfriend. Just don’t let anyone catch on to our extracurricular activities.”
“Look at that smug smile on his face,” a voice rang out.
“It must be nice to be the Victor's lap dog. I could use that so explain why it is getting wasted on that idiot.”
“ He thinks he’s so strong and mighty just because of that stupid pin. Wait till I get my hands on it, fool.”
“He should watch out. It’d be unfortunate if an accident were to happen. No one would miss some commoners who couldn’t support themselves without that Victor title.”
“Who is that?” Thomas demanded.
“If I find out who they are they won’t have to worry about creating any accident.”
“Chill out Thomas. None of them have the guts or smarts to try anything. Besides, together there’s nothing they can do to either of us.”
“You’re right. We have brains and muscles,” he said as he flexed his arms.
I don’t blame some of them though. Kids who weren’t super wealthy but still made it could use the privileges I got from this title. There were also the selfish rich kids who had more money than they really needed. But I couldn't bear to see someone work hard to achieve something they couldn’t. It makes me so sick sometimes. Our parents do our best just to put a roof over our heads and pay taxes. But I became Victor and that’s a problem. I apologize but I’m not giving it up anytime soon.
“ So what’s first on Victor's schedule?”
“First, we have History class. Then, I have to give a report on quantum physics. Then we have lunch right before the physicals.”
“Well, while you’re doing your fancy report on quantum psychics I’m doing one on the state of this Sector. There’s so many children and families without homes. If I simply beg them nothing will happen. I’ll convince them why they should lend money and support to those who really deserve it. They can train adults to help reinforce the Walls. Add them to the military. Children can also be useful for things. Think about all the new medications they could try by using sick children. They could also put extremely smart children to work in engineering. Even the government can’t ignore the potential of children if given the right environment.”
Good old Thomas is always thinking of ways to help those in need. He takes every advantage and tool he can if it means he can improve the lives of his mother’s and others. More reason for me to fight to stay the Victor.
“Thomas, I have a question.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“Let’s say if you can do what you plan. What if some of those who you’re helping have powers?”
Thomas' face darkened as he stopped his stride.
I hate to do this to him but what if some of those he’s trying to help are Enhanced. People who have done nothing wrong superpowers or not don’t deserve to be hurt out of fear and hatred. Especially if it was because my best friend was only trying to genuinely help.
“I’m not sure. I can already imagine what the government would do if they got their hands on Enhanced people. But if I can only help people with no powers who actually need it. Am I wrong to try even if it could hurt others?”
Thomas’ statement really made me think. The government will hunt those with powers without question. But if he can help the others is that really so wrong? If only we could get the power and authority to change Epizon for the better. A place where rich or poor, normal or superpowered don’t matter. The only thing that you’ll be judged on is your character.
But I guess we’ve got to help our families and graduate first.
“Let’s go Thomas. We can both think about that later. But first let’s catch an elevator to the third floor and learn more history. YAY!!”
“Ok! I’ll race you!”
In 5 minutes we made it to History class before we could’ve been marked late. Seriously, why does Mr. Rodrigo’s class has to be all the way at the end of the hallway.
We took our seats in the front with Thomas right behind me and got ready.
Mr. Rodrigo was an intimidating man. He was 6ft 6 inches tall. He had an even more muscular body than Thomas and his platinum blonde hair was as tidy as always. But the most frightening part was his silver right arm prosthetic which I swore could punch through steel. No student turned in work late in this class. We had a Veteran soldier, not some pushover.
“Today, in class we’ll be discussing World War Three and what led to it 250 years ago!” Mr Rodrigo announced.
The projector in front turned on into an educational video to teach us about the history of Epizon.
This is how the story went. Over 250 years the Earth was a beautiful place. All the major continents and countries were still thriving and Epizon was known as North America. It was a place where all races were equal. And people could enjoy nature and the same standards of living. No one went hungry and people could afford anything they could ever want. Yeah right.
However, this peace and prosperity was interrupted when the Chosen rebelled. When the greatest scientists of North America were able to give selected people superpowers to make sure peace could continue to prosper. However, the Chosen got drunk on their new powers. They betrayed our country and killed those who gave them their powers to make sure no one could fight against them. After taking full control of our country they waged war on the rest of the world, Starting World War Three. However, other major world powers also developed their own Chosen. In the next 10 years Asia, South America, Europe, and Australia were completely destroyed.
However, our country’s usurpers had almost destroyed themselves in the war. While they grew complacent with their powers we built up our resources in secret. When they attempted to heal their wounds we launched a counter strike against them. Using whatever tactics it took from air strikes, snipings, and more. A major part was thanks to a specially created poison that could weaken those with powers and even kill them. We finally won over them and took our country back. To celebrate we named our country Epizon and split it into 20 Sectors. The most crucial people in the war effort against the former Chosen were elected to be governors, secretaries with the President on top. With their descendants guiding Epizon to greatness and equality centuries later.
What a load of bull.
This country isn’t fair or equal at all! My parents struggle just to pay stupid bills! I go on these stupid jobs just to make sure me and my best friend's family don’t have to sleep on the streets. The horrible fate of those who couldn’t make it haunts me everytime I go around the city. One doesn’t even have a fair chance of becoming a politician if they aren't related to one.
I got so mad I snapped my pen in half. A waste of a perfectly good pen.
“Mark, are you good?” Thomas whispered.
“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry just lost my temper-”
A metal fist slammed into my table.
“Mr. Mark, is there a reason why you and your friend are interrupting class. Do you perhaps feel that as the Victor you have nothing to learn from this topic.”
The rest of the class snickered and snorted.
“Actually no Thomas and I were comparing the earliest of Epizon to now to highlight just how much our country has grown. I apologize if we interrupted your class.”
“Oh really. Well since you already know this class backwards and forwards you can teach the class. In fact, you can educate them on the Bloody River Incident. Consider this a test. And I do hope you know your facts. After all, I was the only survivor of that horrible massacre ”
The Bloody River Incident was a catastrophe where 1,000 died. I only learned about it last year because whenever the aftermath turned on the news my parents removed it.
“I’d love to educate our class on Epizon’s history, Mr. Rodrigo.”
Three years ago the Sentinels launched an attack on a refugee camp of Enhanced in Sector 4. Unfortunately, the battalion of 1,000 Sentinels was all wiped out. It got its title for the color the Hudson River turned when the blood of fallen soldiers mixed in. The security for schools, banks, and other “important” places increased. Of course they never bothered with things like public transportation until recently.
“Anytime this year,” Mr. Rodrigo complained.
Why did I have to get a pop quiz today?
Chapter 3
“Finally, we get to go to lunch,” Thomas cheered.
“Did you bring anything today?”
“I was super lucky today. My mom made this huge spread so I’ve got some leftover pancakes, bacon and some eggs. What about you?”
“Oh nothing so special. My mom was still at work so I gathered up some things and made lasagna.”
“Your mom’s super awesome lasagna,” I wondered.
“I’ll share some with you if you share with me,” he said.
Thanks to the insulated lunch box Thomas’ food was still warm. The aroma of all the wonderful spices gave me delight.
“Sure. One of the special privileges I get to enjoy is your mom’s lasagna. After all the school lunch is too expensive and while it may be high class food. It still pales in comparison to homemade food made with love.”
“Isn’t that right? So Mark, what do you want to do once you graduate? We can’t be criminals forever.”
“I was thinking about starting a company using our inventions. I’ve been talking to my dad about it and if I can remain the Victor until I graduate. It will be a great sales pitch especially if we can improve our projects. Even Epizon can’t deny geniuses who can make their country even greater.”
“You’re right. How did your Dad like our skeleton key?”
“He wasn’t fond of it at all. He said he didn’t want us to use our intellect to make weapons. Instead, we should work with my mom to find ways we can help people. For example, my mom’s a neurosurgeon. Sentinels who’ve suffered grievous injuries in training exercises will be looking for someone who can really fix them. Paralysis, loss of motor control, even the prosthetics they use sometimes malfunction.”
I took out my laptop and typed a few buttons. In three minutes I pulled a sort of research paper I made in my spare time.
“I’ve heard that some nervous systems are unable to handle the stress of handling new prostheses. And the more prosthesis they implant the more the increase in side effects. Some soldiers sign up for weaponized implants to improve their combat powers. I heard they can even copy some powers like pyrokinesis or super strength.”
“That’s crazy. Anyways I’m hungry. Let's discuss this after lunch.”
We’ll need all the energy we can get.
We split the food both ways and chowed down.
Thomas took out a mini speaker and started playing rock music. Before we knew it we started using the forks and spoons we had as music instruments. We tapped and beat to the music. But we calmed down a little when we received glares. We can’t be looking foolish.
The cafeteria was big enough to carry two hovercrafts. It had gold chandeliers and pristine white walls. Tables ranging for 1, for 2, and 4 were scattered out. Robots taking orders, collecting checks, and bringing food raced around on high tech wheels. The air was packed with aromas from dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in Epizon. However, what I despised the most wasn’t the high cost of food that made me avoid relying on school lunch. But the snot nosed rich kids who went out of their way to bring their own fancy dresses and suits just for the cafeteria. I mean are you serious? And the school allowed them to do it as long as it was just for lunch. I pitied the other kids who stood out because they weren’t in the position to waste the few good clothes they had. I certainly could agree with that. These kids would dance, sing loud and do whatever else that was annoying.
On our table just for two that was far away from the majority we ate our lunch in peace.
“Your mom’s lasagna is just as good as it’s always been Thomas. I could never quite recreate it even when you gave me the recipe.”
“Of course you couldn’t. It’s a secret skill that can only be learned by my bloodline.”
HAAH! HAAH!! HAAH!!!
Would it be too much to ask if we could just laugh like this forever.
“I see you’re enjoying yourself Victor.”
Someone just had to ruin the fun.
I heard the tip tapping of shoes from right behind me. One girl, two boys.
“I hate this guy. Why’d he even come to this school? He should have just been homeschooled in his nice mansion in Sector 1.”
“Come on, commoner. You should be grateful to be blessed for me to come to you. Your lap dog should feel grateful too.”
“This guy,” Thomas growled.
He grabbed a chair and sat right in the middle of us. His lackeys stayed right behind him.
The aggressor was the son of the President, the most powerful man in Epizon. He was tall for 15 6ft 3 inches. His white skin had no freckle, zit, or pimple in sight. His red eyes went well with the red highlights in his hair. Usually dying your hair isn’t allowed but when you’re the President’s son you get to break a few rules.
His two lackeys are Merle, daughter of Sector 4’s Governor, and Sector 3’s Secretary Charles.
“Jason. It’s time for us to eat lunch. What would you like to order?” Merle asked.
“Knowing Jason he’s going to order whatever’s the most expensive thing on the menu,” Charles answered.
“That’s right I Jason Powers sit at the top of Epizon. I come from a line of great people like secretaries, governors, generals, and revolutionary scientists. Someone of my standing deserves nothing less than the best.”
“Very well, I shall place your order now.”
Jason pointed at me.
“But what are you eating Victor? What’s on your plate? Pancakes,eggs,lasagna. I won’t allow someone as esteemed as the Victor to eat from such a shabby diet. At this school you’re one of the only people at this school at my level. Maybe I should order the second most expensive thing on this menu.”
“Ok!”
“What-” both Thomas and him exclaimed.
“If possible, can I take it to go?”
Look I’m not passing up free high class food even if I don’t like the guy that’s offering.
“Guess I’ll order it then. I’ll take something to get Waiter-bot!”
In response a nearby Waiter-bot rushed over.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Thomas whispered.
“Look, I'm not turning down free food. Maybe I’ll give it to my parents.”
“And what about your third string?”, he addressed Thomas.
Thomas jumped out of his seat and looked like he was about to start a fight. Thankfully, his smart to know that’s a bad idea.
“Considering you’re the lowest person here. Should I buy you the fifth most expensive dish? Or did that restaurant your mom owns mean you don’t need it. It used to be so high-class you know but ever since Father placed those taxes you haven’t been doing so well. You’re still successful, sure but your mom must be struggling to run it.”
Thomas was about to raise his fist but I quickly smacked it down.
“He’ll take it and thanks for your kind consideration.”
“If you need anything, here's my card. I may take pity on you.”
In 20 minutes the Waiterbots brought our food after Jason and his lackeys left.
We had Massaman curry, wagyu beef, Japanese sushi and other delicacies.
“WHY! Why would you accept that he’s mocking us!”
“But he’s giving us free food Thomas,” I leaned in to whisper.
“We literally do all these illegal side jobs that could get us and our families in danger if we’re found out. So we can provide for them. You think I’m passing up free food.”
Thomas' expression finally relaxed.
“You’re right it’s like you said free food is free food.”
The loudspeakers in the cafeteria shouted out loud:
“Will the Victor please come down to the basement prepared for the assessment.”
Voices from the crowd erupted.
“So, the Victor is going first?”
“I’m glad it’s not me.”
“What if he has powers? What if the Sentinels can’t bring him down?” We can’t leave until the assessments are over.”
“I hope he doesn’t come back. Then, I can be the Victor.”
“You think it’s going to be you. It’s going to be me.”
Why did it have to be me first? I wish these kids would shut up, they're making it worse.
“What are these brats talking about? Half of these brats couldn’t hope to be as good as you or me for that matter so they shouldn’t get their hopes up. The only thing stopping Jason from being Victor is you so there’s that.”
Thomas is always there to cheer me up.
“Well, I’ll put this food in our lockers so we can eat them after school. That’s if I actually see you again.”
“Yeah, yeah I hope you can’t shoot fire or fly too because then I’d be in trouble.”
“HAAH!! HAAH!! HAAH!!”
“Don’t do your best Mark, I'll see you later.”
After changing into my gym clothes I was escorted by 4 sentinels to the basement. It was only accessible by a special elevator built for that purpose alone. After what was probably 4 whole minutes with people who were ready to fill me up with lead. We finally arrived at the basement.
The Basement was where the annual assessment to discover if a student possessed super powers.
You see Enhanced have this sort of bioelectric aura that they emit that couldn’t be recognized using the human senses. They can only only be recognized using incredibly advanced technology. if an Enhanced got enough experience with their abilities, they could hide their bioelectric aura from machines too. However, this aura is linked to their powers and are stronger when they are used or the individual is under extreme stress. So the government came up with an idea.
To set up a school system where students can be monitored and powered people can be identified. With Sentinels there to take them down. And that is why every kid in Epizon has to go to some kind of school or get an annual check up. It’s so they can kill powered people when they’re young.
Could this society be more wrong? It saddens me to know that it could.
We finally stopped and the doors opened wide open.
“Keep walking?” the Sentinel to my right demanded.
Guess it’s time to get this over with.
We arrived at the Vault. It looked just like some high tech bank but instead of keeping people out. It was made to make sure they couldn’t escape. With automatic machine guns on the walls, Sentinels, and 12 foot thick walls of high grade steel it wasn’t going to be easy to escape. And in the case of an incident the elevator upstairs would be locked. Leaving you trapped under bedrock unless you could teleport or had some other useful power for that situation.
One Sentinel walked over to the Vault's white doors and demanded entry.
“Open, Sentinel 1706!”
With a click and clank the doors started to open slowly.
It finally sank in just how nervous I was. I was just as nervous as last year. I’ve seen kids that took the physicals never returning. As if they never even existed. My heart started to race and I could feel the sweat crawling down my face.
Please don’t tell me I’m an Enhanced person. I don’t need superpowers. I just need to graduate and start an awesome company. Hanging out with Thomas and helping our families. That's all I want to do! I just want to be normal like everyone else.
“Relax, you’re hyperventilating. You’re the Victor , you should be calm and composed. I mean don’t give us a reason to suspect you before the assessment even starts.”
Crap, I let them see me weak.
“Of course not, I'm just planning this out that’s all.”
However, my focus was ruined by ominous threats.
“Let’s kill those kids.”
“They’ll all pay for what they’ve done.”
“The sins of the parents shall be held accountable by their children.”
“Let the Revolution begin!”
Hey, what are those voices? They just started flooding in my head.
I looked around but I couldn’t find any culprits. I’m sure none of those voices belonged to a Sentinel. No Sentinel would dare to harm a student here without approval. So where was that coming from?
“Hey, who was that? Are you playing some kind of game?” I asked.
“What are you talking about, kid. Don’t try anything, follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.”
“BUT!!”
The final part of the Vaults wall barely opened before I heard a deafening boom.
The ground started shaking and the ceiling began to collapse.
“Did something happen upstairs,” a Sentinel asked.
“What the hell is going on?”
My question was answered by a ginormous explosion.
​
Would it be a good idea to start the webtoon with how the world was destroyed. Like it's normal and boom everything's destroyed. Continents have fallen, North America was a wasteland, and 250 years ago Mark and his friend are on the run from gangsters on their way to school.

Current state of mind. Anxious, curious and alone with my thoughts.
While sitting at the computer my mind starts to wonder. I am unsure on which journey I will be going on today. My imagination has been running wild. But it continually comes back to one thing. Religion and the ongoing spiritual war between God and the Devil. I look up videos for hours and extract all the “messages and paths” that I am able to. I know this is likely unhealthy and delusional thoughts but I believe what I am experiencing is larger than myself. I am deeply entrenched in the fact that I am being led by God on my destined path. It is truly frightening.
The question I guess my mind keeps replaying is why am I here. Then my mind goes into overdrive assessing all the wild theories. I sit everyday and watch youtube videos and look up conspiracy theories, current events and anything else that will feed my overactive mind. This goes on for years(around 15 -20 easy). Trying to answer a question that seems to have no answer. Then I have a mental breakdown due to stress.
Now things just seem to look different and everything has a significance that I cannot explain. I know what I just experienced according to my therapists were delusions but it was the most real thing I have ever felt. As much as I try not to think about the events that happened during my breakdown it seems as though it is my destiny to do so. To replay them, analyze and try to understand what occurred. To everyone else it looked as though my mind had malfunctioned and shut down. But to me, it was the exact opposite. I felt spiritually awake and things have never made more sense.
I never knew if God truly existed and it ate at me my entire life growing up. I was a very sick child growing up and very religious. I saw poverty all around me and consistently wondered why God would allow this to happen and why won’t he come and help. I would pray every night and ask him to help. I always yearned to understand why things were the way they were and would regularly attempt to communicate with God. I don’t believe I ever got an answer. I tried less and less as the years went by and eventually at the age of 14 I gave up my devotion to God for selfish purposes. I became envious of those with success and was sick of being looked down upon by the successful judgemental people in my community. I turned to weed heavily and began selling to fuel my addiction.
Then I went through a home invasion and got a spinal injury and PTSD. I withdrew from society but would still maintain social ties through weed sales. I quit school due to the PTSD and money from selling weed. I worked hard labor jobs(masony,roofing,factories). Then I went into the service and got kicked out for…you guessed it weed. I was also a loan shark in the Marines but they never caught that lol. I withdrew from my family after I got kicked out due to the shame that came along with my discharge. I had two friends-one my cousin and my parents(my mom and step dad). I would sell weed and job hop to try to increase my bank account. I did pretty well and landed a job for a big pharma company that helped me save up a decent chunk. Then I was offered a management position there. I almost took it but instead gave it to a co-worker that was horribly mean to be. I learned that his wife had cancer and that he was having a horrible time. For some reason I got it into my head that I needed to resign and make sure this man gets this good paying job. I believe this was the first time god was using me to get a desired result on someones life. Long story short I made sure the dude got the job and I left.
Fast Forward to my mental breakdown. During this time I believe I was led by God to the mental hospital to escape a demonic group that was trying to kill me. While at the mental hospital I felt surrounded by this demonic group. I believed they drugged me and planned on sacrificing me initially. Then further into my stay I was able to gather that for some reason I was important to them and that they were afraid of God. I began reading the bible again and putting on the armor of god on a daily basis. I would also pray and use positive music to make the demons cower while I was around. I noticed they would always try to use sound as a weapon. Like have someone just talking nonsense when you were trying to talk or distract you while you were trying to think…etc. I met a couple other residents there that I believed were sent there to help me. The oddest thing of my entire stay was that I felt like I knew everyone.
One morning while waking up the entire room showed a hue of green. A nurse walked in and there was an aura around her that I cannot explain. Nothing you could see, but feel. I asked her if she was God and she said yes. I then asked her if I could walk with her and she allowed me to. We walked up and down the hallways admiring the art on the hallway walls. We came to a picture of a wooded area that contained a dock that led to a lake. For some reason I believe that she wanted me to jump into this lake. I asked her if it was real and she said yes. I asked her if there were other ways and she also said yes. I humbly declined to jump into the lake at the time and told her I wanted to try to save everyone else( I don’t know what I meant by this).
There was an rn there with the name of **** that was the devil. He wore tactical clothing and wore a masonic ring. Through conversation with him when he was attempting to get me at my weakness he revealed himself and his motives. We had a conversation and he was attempting to terrify me that he was going to torture me. I stayed stone faced knowing that I was now walking with god. And was not afraid anymore. This earned his respect and I believe he was at a loss on how to get my soul. I showed him how powerful God could be by destroying his demons that were laid before me. I did this by protecting myself with the armor of god and using prayer and positivity to get rid of the darkness that existed in that place.
After talking with God I went to the devil to tell him about my encounter and my plan. I told him that there was another way that was not written and that God had confirmed things could change. I told him I was not making a deal with him and wanted to be a mediator between him and God so they could potentially reason with each other. My ultimate goal was to save the devils soul. I believe that if I could do this that his minions would follow and that we would change the current paradigm on how things “have to be”. Imagine a world where the Devil understands the errors in his ways and aligns himself once again with God. This would eliminate the evil period. Something that imo needs to be done. We spend our energy fighting with each other and competing with each other on a constant basis. I can’t get it out of my head the possibilities of a perfect world. I know with God this is possible due to all things being possible with God. Revelations is terrifying to me and I think through diplomacy maybe, just maybe that could be avoided. He just laughed, shook his head and then shook my hand. I told him no hard feelings and that my ultimate goal was to erase the evil that plagues this world.
Not like I had the answer though. But with my new found abilities I felt like I was able to communicate with God on a daily basis and follow the path laid out to complete this mission. I got out of the mental hospital and for the first month I would receive heavy messages through youtube videos letting me know I was on the correct spiritual path. The friend I was staying with initially was very helpful. Eventually The messages and disinformation started appearing on my screen again and I instantly knew it was the devil. I would be selective in what I chose to watch and read and never give him the time of day like I did in the past. I believe this angered him and eventually he had no choice but to hit me in an unexpected manner.
Two months into my treatment I was well enough to the point where I no longer needed the medication. I communicated this to my doctors and therapists and refused treatment. I was doing very well and was positive and hopeful on most days. Then my friend who initially was helping me started to turn on me. I would attempt to talk to him but I would only receive negative attitude and demeaning statements from him. I attempted to help him to the best of my ability and made the choice to move out to a more positive environment. I told him this and he personally attacked me a lot. This ended our friendship. I thought to myself how can i not help him? I used the same tactics that I used in the mental hospital but it seemed to have no effect on him at all. Then it hit me, he was possessed by a powerful demon. Which immediately led me to another realization. I am being set up.
I believe my entire life since I have been a child is a facade. The possibilities are endless but the most likely scenario is that I was brought up as part of a cult that I was unaware of my entire life. Like everyone is in on it. It all hit me when I was able to get this from a different post on here. Now my brain sits and attempts to pick apart who am I and why am I here. I believe this is the path that God currently has me on. To figure out the rest of this story.

I’ve got a nice pair of Polk monitor 7c speakers that i got at a yard sale years ago. I upgraded the tweeters. Recently got two pioneer 5w8mk2 subs for $20 each at restore. Then today at restore I got a pair of like new Polk RT600i in Cherry for $72. Stopped at Goodwill on the way home and found a pair of psb AlphaB1s for $5 each. Not the epitome of audiophile, but they sound great. I’m trying the RT600is up front with the psb speakers as rear surround.

yá át tééh!
I'd like to go a little bit into my childhood today, and ⚠️trigger warning ⚠️ the things I talk about are traumatic and hard to read. My writing is all over the place so, yeah deal with it. I'm also in the process of figuring out my own childhood and I'm remembering as I go. You're welcome to share your stories as well if you can relate. My goal is to help others know they're not alone. I'm tired of being ashamed of this, and I just want to talk about what happened to me. Plain and simple.
For most of my childhood I grew up on the Navajo Nation reservation located in New Mexico. The Navajo Nation, also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It falls on northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. I'm a half Navajo women, my mom's full Navajo and my father is African American and Mexican. I seen my family struggle with alcohol mainly. My whole family now that I think about it has had a problem with alcohol. My mom's dad, died from freezing to death because he passed out before he could make a fire. My grandma has been drinking since she was a child but, I believe when she was around the age of 70 she quit. I had only seen my grandma drunk once and she fractured her hand. My mom drank since she was a preteen and has been sober now for 12 years. My dad was in and out of my life. He was secenteced 7 years in prison so I never got the chance to bond with my father since it happened when I was a little girl. Maybe 4 years old? I have two older sisters and no brothers. We moved around alot from my grandma's, to my aunt's then sometimes off the reservation but we always went back. We never had a stable home life. We were poor also so alot of times it was rough going without. I grew up feeling afraid, I was afraid of what was going to happen next. I was anxious because I had no control of my life and the choices of my mother and family. Anxious about the anger that just lived in everybody and I'f it was going to be taken out on me. Seeing my mother drunk beyond help and then having to deal with her wrath. Or worse, she would leave. We'd be left with my grandma or alone for a few days or weeks.( Never left alone for weeks though) I couldn't focus in school because I was always worried about my mom. I would be 5,8,10 years old. Just wondering if my mom is drunk, sober, is she angry? Are we moving again? Will mom be home? Is grandma mad that we're still there? Why is everyone so mean to me? Just these anxious thoughts I've always had since I can remember. Now I'm an 27 year old woman and I still feel like that scared child. That's just a really basic summary of my childhood. But it is basically just alcohol, fear and family problems. Living on the rez makes you feel so isolated and it's terrifying. You think sometimes you're never getting out. Might as well just start drinking too.

Up for sale is twilight princess HD for Wii U disc plays great and is from a smoke free home, if paying by PayPal friends and family is preferred😃
$130 shipped
Picture proof
https://imgur.com/a/2sd0V77
Any questions please ask

Get the course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/copy-paste-agency-iman-gadzhi/
[Get] Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency Full Course Download Instant Delivery
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You’ve stumbled across this page for a reason.
It’s not because you’ve heard of this crazy new business model called ‘SMMA’ and it’s not because you’re struggling to sign your first client.
It’s because you’re exasperated. You’re frustrated. And you know you can do better.
You’re stuck in a pair of “golden handcuffs”: running a mildly-successful agency but beholden to your clients, your staff, and your phone.
You’ve broken the one inviolable rule of running an agency and not kept a full pipeline.
You know that you can reach the upper echelon of agency owners making six-and-seven figures, whilst working less than six-and-seven hours a week.
You just don’t know how…
My name’s Iman Gadzhi and since 2017, I’ve run IAG Media. In this time, I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, enjoyed six-figure months and made my clients millions.
I’ve also lost multiple clients in a row, been over-worked and chained to the agency that I started to give me freedom.
All the while, I’ve refined, tweaked and optimized my agency whilst also creating GrowYourAgency.com – the world’s largest education company for agency owners.
But in early 2020, I realised there was a problem. For every beginner agency owner desperate to sign their first client, there were three experienced agency owners desperate for guidance, systems and processes, and a solution to their broken agency model.
It’s why I created Copy Paste Agency…
…not so I can show you how to sign a client or perform basic outreach.
So you could take, copy and paste the exact methods I use in my own agency into your agency.
Copy Paste Agency students learn:
How I continue to run a multiple-six-figure agency from home with a skeleton staff and minimal expenses.
How to command higher retainers… and retain those clients for longer.
How to automate, delegate, and optimize every area of your agency from lead generation and sales to service delivery and client communication.
Plus get access to the latest tools and software used by my own agency, IAG Media such as reporting templates.

So I am looking for a second opinion if I am missing something here...
I want to sell my 1 bedroom apartment in a desirable area and switch to a 3-4 bedroom house/semidetached suburban house in the near future. I want to sell to take advantage of the last legs of current peak prices.
However, I feel where I live the prices are only just starting to come down due to rate increases and are only down 3-4% from peak prices (prices went up about 20-30% in last year alone...hardly a discount).
My plan is that perhaps instead of buying a replacement property straight away, I'd take a rental for a year or so and wait what the market brings.
At the moment, buying will cost 1200 EUR interest + about 400 EUR principal in monthly payments.
I can actually rent a roughly equivalent property for around 1200 EUR.
My thinking is - I can't lose, since what I pay for property rent will be the same as the interest payment. However, I won't need to lock into the high prices and pay the principal back.
Longer term play is to use my current sale proceeds to buy outright 1 or 2 rentals in the next year, and use one of them as a collateral for the new home.
Seems like a way to go or am I missing something?

A nice little surprise for you all on a day of less pleasant surprises!
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Daniel sat on his bed as he looked at the neural patch Hannah’rah had given him earlier, wondering if she had used hers yet. He shrugged, stuck the patch to the nape of his neck, and laid down in his bed, staring at the underside of the bunk above him as an overlay appeared in his eyes. He waited a moment until he saw two completely sets of images in his eyes, at which point he then closed them. There was a slight moment of disorientation as he continued to see the new world despite his eyes being closed, and then his brain corrected things based on his former experience, and it no longer felt strange. As he began to move his hands around, he began to feel the slightly strange feeling as the signals were intercepted to prevent his limbs from actually moving while his eyes were closed, and he then took a moment to look at his avatar.
His real body had been recreated with high accuracy, including most of the exterior details of his prosthetic arm. He began to think about the time it must have taken for her to recreate this, and he began to wonder if the reason for her fatigue in the morning wasn’t solely because of her snoring roommate.
He began to look around, taking in the recreation of a small village in the Western part of Angland, filled by Elves. The forest surrounded it, but there were small breaks for the roads and rivers. He’d only been here a couple of times, but-
“Boo!”
Daniel turned around to see Hannah’rah smiling at him, standing in a traditional loose fitting long Elven dress. She had her fiery hair let down, and it and her dress blew in the faint breeze that he could feel simulated on his skin. For a moment, he felt like they were back in Angland, walking through the forest and petting herds of deer while watching Dragons soar above them.
“Have I ever told you that I love you?” he asked, bringing her in for a hug.
“24 times now,” she smiled as she gestured for him to walk. “Anything you want to discuss, or should I start?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you miss being home?”
“Which home? England, or Angland?”
“Angland.”
“... Yeah, I do. There’s just something about that place that draws me in.”
“Do you want to go back?”
“I mean, kinda, but that’s just homesickness really. I of course want to go back eventually, but we’ve just managed to start seeing the rest of what’s around us. Do you?”
“... I would have liked to do a bit more before we left,” Hannah’rah admitted, sitting down on the edge of a bridge that overlooked a stream.
“Hmm, woulda liked more free time with you in public and whatnot, rather than just as your travelling partner,” he told her, sitting next to her.
“Yeah, but my Dad-”
“Please, let’s not get worked up over him now.”
“Right, sorry. It’s just that It’s going to be difficult to be together….”
“Please don’t ask that question again. Not now.”
“Sorry…. With any luck, he will come to his senses and see things the same way my Mum does, but I’m not holding out on hope right now.”
“'Ain't a lot we can do from here.”
“No, I suppose not,” she sighed.
“As always, I’m here for you.”
“I know, it was just difficult during basic. We couldn't really see each other and talk it through, and now I just feel like I need to dump it all somewhere now that I can.”
“You can if you want to.”
“I don’t. You don’t deserve to be hit with my family issues, and I’m just going to get worked up over my Dad. I brought you here to talk, and here I am dumping my problems on you.”
“It’s fi-”
“It’s not fine,” she cut him off. “Ugh, I wanted to have a moment, and I’m just going to ruin it at this rate.”
.-.-.
"Lieutenant Commander, your request has been completed," Affinity's voice came from outside the simulation.
"Perfect, thank you," Daniel replied, opening his eyes for a moment so his real mouth worked, before closing them again.
.-.-.
"Don't worry about the moment. We sparred earlier to relieve some stress, but we got cut short, so why don't we try something else?" he suggested, opening a menu with his hand and adjusting the settings. "Naval Marine 2150?"
"Won't be the same without everyone else…."
"I know," he smiled, joining a voice chat.
"Wait, what!? Hannah'rah? Daniel? You're online!?" a voice came out of nowhere.
"Hey, Xailin. Hey, everyone. We ain't exactly got a tonne of time, nor can we really do this again later, nor should we be doing this now to be honest, but we've got a Comms Gate to Earth, so we can play tonight!"
"Sweet! We can break our losing streak! Come on in!" Xailin told them, sending them an invite a moment later to join the group of their old university friends.
"But, how did you get that approved?" Hannah'rah asked Daniel, muting them for a moment.
"Affinity worked her magic. The comms gate was just sitting there on the station, active and underutilised, so I managed to push a request through for therapy."
"Therapy?"
"What? Wiping the enemy team is therapeutic, isn't it?" he asked, getting to his feet and offering her his hand. “Level 5 and above VIs have a therapist mode, and they can pull a few strings if they conclude it’s necessary.”
“There’s the Techboy I know,” she smiled as she accepted his hand, unmuting them and hitting join.
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Daniel dove for cover as his shield hit zero, managing to get behind a pillar before he took another hit from the pulse repeater the drone nearby was unloading on him. He plucked a magnetic grenade from his belt, armed it, and blindly tossed it roughly where the shots were coming from. He heated an explosion, followed by a second one when the drone impacted the ground. He then looked out of cover, confirming the drone's destruction, and then checked to see how the golden Dragon was getting on with the tank, realising that the torn up turret was already halfway down the street, and Xailin was just tearing it into chunks to, which quickly become cover destroying projectiles.
He looked up to see the enemy team's silver Dragon diving down on him, only for a missile to silently launch from the building Hannah'rah had gone into moments before. The missile impacted the enemy Dragon, and they were taken out of the fight, their body despawning before it hit the ground. Daniel used the momentary distraction to break from cover and cross the street, making it almost all the way before a machine gun lit him up, cracking his barely restored shield and bouncing a couple of rounds off of his armour before he reached his next piece of cover. There was a loud crack as Mark’rah took out the machine gunner with his 50mm rifle, and Daniel managed to push his momentary clearing to dive into the target building.
As he began to run up the stairs, he managed to make out a frantic scrabbling as his target prepared to run, which only confirmed which floor his target was on. He stopped and turned, facing directly towards the source of the noise, and began to charge, relying on his power armour to demolish the walls as he ran. He heard someone let out a small scream as he reached his destination, and brought his armoured fist down on his target, crushing the skull of the Dwarf and quickly forcing their body to despawn. He then quickly dropped down on one knee and picked up their uplink, inserting a datajack into the port. A few moments later, the holo display returned ‘Access Granted’, and he linked the enemy’s drones to his link, assuming full control over them. Most of the enemy team began to fall back and destroy their drones once they realised what had happened, knocking out around a quarter, but it wasn’t enough, and Daniel managed to wipe out almost all of the enemy team in seconds.
Daniel heard a noise nearby, and he quickly readied his SMG, only to see another power armour user running towards him through the hole he made. He raised his weapon and dumped the mag into them, breaking their shield but not penetrating their armour. He dropped his weapon and readied a grenade, but he was knocked to the ground before he could make use of it. The two of them began to roll around, fighting to lock the other down, but he was dismayed to find that his opponent was using premium power armour, and was therefore stronger and harder to shake off.
Cursing the poor game design, he decided to take the easy victory for his team, and primed one of the grenades still in his pouch. His opponent realised what was happening, and quickly pinned his arms down, allowing Daniel to headbutt him instead, but there was little effect on either of them. He then wove a leg between the enemies, and managed to make their footing slip when he straightened it. Pushing his advantage, he rolled them over and managed to get one hand free. He finished arming his last grenade, but his opponent managed to knock it from his hand before it went off.
Out of ideas, Daniel prepared to break away and head for a window where a drone could help, but before he could, an armoured fist slipped down past his head, and the tip of the large spike fixed to the attached arm touched the helmet of his opponent, causing it to deploy a sharp metal spear that pierced clean through their armour and skull. He looked up at the owner to see Hannah’rah, happy, but also slightly displeased.
“Yeah, I should have called for help,” he told her, knowing exactly what was coming.
“Knowing and doing are two different things. You do that on the job, and you won’t be able to know that you should have afterwards.”
“Thanks for the assist, though.”“You’re welcome, just please don’t try that grenade stunt IRL,” she pleaded.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on it,” he assured her as she helped him to his feet.
“Well, that’s the game,” she told him, looking at the victory screen in front of her.
“Back to the lobby we go,” he replied.
The area around them quickly faded and brought them into an armoury with Xailin and Mark’rah, and the avatars of Casillia, Kilakthen, Stalika, and Ttragtum respawned.
“That was amazing!” Kilakthen exclaimed. “Hannah’rah, that Dragon kill! And Daniel, actually holding out against that BS OP power armour! How did you manage that?”
“The skill supplement system doesn’t have shit on real experience. It’s not flexible enough to deal with someone fighting competently without the system. Throw an atypical move at them, and it doesn’t know what to do,” Daniel explained.
“And since when was the Silent Striker so effective, Hannah’rah?”
“When I was trained to actually use it, or the real weapon it’s based on anyway,” she replied.
“I suppose you’ve both had your hands on the real stuff, haven’t you? You both know how to use everything effectively,” Xailin commented.
“Not so much me. I mean, I’ve had CQC training, but not heavy weapons,” Daniel replied, bringing in Hannah’rah for a hug. “My little arm breaker here on the other hand….”
“Arm breaker?” Casillia asked. “Hannah’rah, did you break his arm while sparring or something?”
“Not his, and I didn’t break any arms, just dislocated the shoulders of a few people who really didn't know when to stop,” she told her.
“Hannah’rah…” Casillia trailed off.
“What? Don’t tell me there’s never been a situation when you just want to punch an asshole in the face to make them go away.”
“Well, of course, but-”
“Well, I was ordered to fight them, so I did, and they didn’t tap out in time,” Hannah’rah shrugged.
“Anyway,” Xailin began, shaking his head. “Are you both up for another round?”
“Love to, but it’s getting late, and we’ve both got a busy day tomorrow,” Daniel apologised. “This will probably be the last time we see each other for a fair while.”
“How long?” Xailin asked.
“Sorry, we can’t disclose details of our mission,” Hannah’rah apologised.
“Ah, damn. Well, bring us all something cool back from another planet, would ya?”
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What? I already posted one extra episode.
You weren’t really expecting two, were you? You’ll get it tomorrow, as per the normal schedule.

Interestingly, the Bible clearly says God’s New Earth (Jerusalem) will be ruled by children. Greta Thunberg represents this new generation, striving to promote and sustain life on our planet. Here, I share my notes on her most recent (February 2023) work The Climate Book, with the hope in my heart that her voice will be carried far. *[My own Christian perspective is weaved into her scientific outlook.]
To begin, Carbon Dioxide (C02) is a basic building block of life, some of which has been stored underground from plants from long ago. Over 2 million years ago, too much C02 caused a mass extinction. Afterwards, trees were virtually gone. It took millions of years for Earth's biosphere and life to recover.
People have been farming for over 10,000 years, depleting the nutrients of the land. Between 1945 and 2000, the number of people tripled. Since the 1990s, we have dumped more climate changing toxins into our environment than throughout all of human history. We consume more, due to this “great acceleration.” In the 20th century, people accelerated their use of fossils fuels.
The science is solid. The great acceleration occurred with the industrial revolution. We have filled our oceans with plastics, and are destabilizing our own ecosystem. This is like sawing off the branch we are sitting on!
Nature cycles carbon, but global warming can be exacerbated by the release of carbon from the soil due to warming. We have knocked the natural balance off, due to our use of stored fuels and our own carbon emissions. Since the industrial revolution, our economy is reliant upon fossil fuels and non-sustainable practices.
We must rebalance our planet by controlling our own behaviors and emissions. If we continue with current practices, we will warm our planet by 4 degrees by the end of this century.
What will this be like? Extreme heat waves will occur yearly, along with drought and famine. Sea ice will disappear, revealing more of the ocean.
Climate change directly causes the death of coral reefs, and if they collapse they will also take with them millions of ocean species. We may be causing the 6th extinction. Coral reefs become bleached due to warmer waters as their colorful algae is expelled, threatening over 30% of ocean species. Right now, three billion people rely upon our oceans for food. We need to farm our oceans sustainably (such as for seaweed). Fishermen are currently exploiting 90% of available fisheries. One billion people depend on fish for omega-3 fatty acids and more.
Why don’t more people care? Many do not perceive a threat because it is slow and complicated. We have exploited and distanced ourselves from Nature. Even our religions have promoted the false notion that this world is to be devalued, and we are separated from our Creator. Many feel a void, with no God within. Many try to fill this emptiness with ceaseless products. Our entire worldview and our daily habits must change.
Today 20% of California’s power use goes toward providing water. We can take better measures, like drawing from ocean water.
Factory and human waste is polluting our waters. Riots have broken out, such as in India, over access to water. Who is taking this seriously? The public? The government? It seems almost no one.
Our government could pass new laws, but they do not. People are also self-interested, and rarely act for the social good if it takes from them in any way. This age is characterized by selfishness and greed, as even the Bible warns in Revelation. Tragically and shockingly, the fossil fuel industry is receiving 11 million in subsidies each minute.
The Industrial revolution, rise of science and decrease in religious morality have all compelled these trends forward. We need a new ethic prioritizing life. Religious leaders must support life, not the Death Culture which exalts the self (no matter the consequences).
We are literally obsessed with culture wars that distract us from our common interests in protecting our planet and making future generations possible.
What stands in the way of a sustainable future for human life? Should consumers even have a choice to purchase destructive products, like plastic containers for single-uses? Should meat even be available? If we really took this seriously, what measures would we take, and what laws would our government pass?
One problem is how some lives are valued more than others, and a select few are exploiting and making life impossible for many. Those in power do not tend to question their privilege!
GLORIFICATION OF THE SELF We have convinced ourselves that we deserve our carbon-rich lifestyles. If we remain hedonistic and not prudent, the poorest and most vulnerable to climate change will suffer the most.
And, Christ will judge us based on how the least among us is treated. Do we contemplate this with each plastic bottle we toss out, or plane trip we take? Isn’t living sustainably Christian behavior, reflecting the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and our living God?
Our future grandchildren will pay and suffer for our convenience now. But, we glorify the self. We glorify the pleasure of the individual and freedom to drive our species over a cliff. Many arguments from the ‘other side’ boil down to a call for the freedom to die.
CORRUPT LEADERSHIP Our leaders are taking us over a cliff. George W. Bush pulled out of the Kyoto protocol, given it was not ratified prior to his taking power. He chose to serve corporate interests (even over human life). Bush declared that the American way of life is not negotiable (1992). Since he spoke these words over 30 years ago, our emissions have increased by 60%, creating an existential crisis.
Given such attitudes and priorities, we have a limited carbon budget to spend in the next few years if we wish to avoid the most dire consequences of global warming. We need to raise the cost of carbon, forcing consumers to pay more for products that are heavy in carbon pollution. We also need to change our diets. We must get our priorities straight.
In 2009, corrupt lobbying destroyed an act that would have helped. But the fossil fuel industry, driven by greed, spends billions on disinformation and distraction. They poison public debate with dirty money. Leaders set non-binding targets, then fail to reach the goals. Their true priorities are economic growth and profit. It seems to the public that actions are being taken, but they are not taking serious measures at all.
The richest ten percent contribute 50% of our total C02 emissions. We need to restructure our economy to be sustainable. The idea of infinite growth is not possible on our finite planet.
We are all in the same crisis, but not the same boat. The only hope is in speaking truth to power and adjusting our behaviors accordingly.
CURRENT SITUATION There is about 1 carbon molecule for every 2,000 other molecules in our atmosphere, so carbon is difficult to locate for removal. To stop putting carbon into our air is much cheaper and better than paying for carbon removal later, which would cost trillions upon trillions. Why should we allow companies to continue business as usual, passing cost and problems to future generations?
Climate change is responsible for over 2 trillion in economic costs. Economic damage from climate change will cost over 3x the amount the pandemic cost. For example, insurance rates will rise and the real estate market will suffer due to not being able to sell in coastal and impacted areas.
Worldwide, waste is increasing at an alarming rate and 20% of methane emissions are due to our waste. We need to engage in more intelligent practices. For example, we can compost (which reduces waste in landfills that leads to methane emissions). Composting will also nourish our gardens.
Methane removal, through oxidation, is needed. Half of our methane is produced from human behaviors like cattle agriculture.
C02 is forever, while methane is temporary. Methane is 20-30x more potent in warming our atmosphere than C02, but it dissipates over 40 years while C02 will remain thousands upon thousands of years. C02 is also cumulative.
Given this, we must stop our emissions of greenhouse gases immediately. If we reach zero emissions, it will drastically reduce global warming. Carbon dioxide is at its highest in 2 billion years, due to our behaviors. We are experimenting with our own lives and planet!
Toxins accumulate in sea creatures, damaging the whole ecosystem. C02 enters the blood of fish, affecting acidification. Acidity has already risen 30%, producing hazards for marine life, like for coral reefs and in decreasing calcification in the shells of sea life. Shopping bags can strangle sea animals and their stomachs are found full of microplastics.
The Amazon forest works as a giant air conditioner, cooling our planet. It absorbs C02. But temperatures in the Amazon are increasing and it is getting more dry due to the expansion of farming and deforestation.
Aerosols like smoke and other tiny particles in our air affect our global temperature. Some cool our atmosphere by reflecting the sun, even dropping temperatures by 0.5 percent. Without aerosols, our atmosphere would be hotter. But air pollution is also hazardous, coming from our cars and factories, for example.
Clouds reflect sunlight back into space, but can also insulate heat like a blanket. Reduced clouds over our oceans force the ocean to absorb the sunlight, thus contributing to global warming.
Melting ice caps no longer reflect the sun, leading even to more warming. Our glaciers are melting. The Himalayas provide drinking water to billions, yet will melt by 1/3. We have enough ice to raise our ocean levels the equivalent of a 20 story building. We have already lost the equivalent of Mt. Everest in ice sheets. This melting will lead to coastal devastation for those living near our oceans. Our oceans will rise by a meter by 2100.
Oceans absorb about 90% of the excess heat produced by global warming. While oceans absorb about ¼ of C02, warming produces less absorption. We must enhance our oceans ability to absorb C02. Even a 1.5 degree increase in temperature is a great risk to our future survival. Our weather has extremes, like the freezing waters and the heatwave that killed many in 2021.
Human made climate change has devastating consequences. For example, Hurricane Harvey cost billions and the severity was 15% greater due to human made climate change. Sadly, 20 million people were displaced by flooding in 2020.
Distressingly, we have all witnessed that even minor disruptions in our supply chain are devastating. Thus, climate change must be averted at all costs.
Our temperature has already warmed by 1%, which all reputable science agrees upon. This is already causing damage right now. Heat waves and air pollution lead to heart related and respiratory deaths, not just heat strokes. Millions die per year due to air pollution. The warming climate also triggers diseases like Maleria and will kill millions. These diseases are being seen in areas not seen before.
The increase of C02 in our atmosphere is even making our crops less nutritious. Specifically, soils lack zinc and protein. Zinc deficiency then leads to a reduced immune system. Millions more will have an iron and folate deficiency due to current C02 levels. Iron deficiency leads to premature births.
GOING FORWARD So then, what is our best path forward for survival? We have to stick to a carbon budget per year to reach our goal of only increasing the temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius. The carbon budget, to stay within the agreements of the Paris accord, will be used up in a few years. But noone seems to be sounding any alarms. Is this because our media is controlled by the elite?
Politicians still respond to mammon ($) with no concern, really, for life. Congressman Manchin singlehandedly rewrote climate legislation in 2021, even with all aware that he has millions invested in fossil fuels, like the influential Koch brothers.
Exxon Mobil has been well aware of the consequences of their actions for decades, yet put forth false discussions into the public sphere. They purposefully stalled for time, which we do not have.
The King of Saudi Arabia has unbelievable wealth and power, but when we move to solar and wind energy power will not be so concentrated. This may lead to a more hopeful and democratic future that serves the actual interests of the people. We need to turn to our Sun. We need to now rely upon energy from heaven, not from hell. It is not that we do not have the money to change. It is that those benefiting from our current Death Economy do not have the will to change.
Many will promote carbon capture technologies, but the reality is hidden. There are only about 20 carbon capture facilities operating right now, some shown to produce more carbon than they capture. We can use fossil fuels only until around 2050, unless technology like carbon capture is seriously invested in (and not just used as a talking point). Many CEOs deflect attention from change right now, promising (like snake oil salesmen) to develop sustainable technology in the future. (Interestingly, blue hydrogen can be made from carbon capture.)
Solving our crisis calls for us putting less demand upon our energy system, such as in consuming less. We need to return to more of a natural, Earth based way of life. Do we all really need to extend our days, with artificial light, past the natural hours of sunlight? Must we eat meat? Wherever there is a roof, there is a potential for a solar panel. Wind parks can also be built in offshore locations, where they are less disruptive.
Green hydrogen is a fuel that leaves only water behind and is usually produced by methane. But it costs more to produce than it makes. Thus, green hydrogen requires an abundance of cheap energy.
Hydropower facilities use water flow to produce energy, while nuclear power splits elements for energy, and produces around 10% of the world’s energy. But, a nuclear power factory that just opened in 2022 took 16 years to open. And, nuclear power can have disastrous consequences and can be the target of terrorism.
Biomass energy creates energy by burning wood or other biological matter. But, it can take hundreds of years for forests to regrow. Thus, we need to slow down this process and aim to stop burning things on Earth for energy.
Geothermal heat takes energy from the Earth's heat, producing around 17% of greenhouse gases. But it is limited in that there are limited planetary hot spots. In air capture measures, carbon is pumped underground, like in BECS. BECS pumps carbon underground and provides electricity from the burning of plant matter, which is cost effective compared to other measures. Enhanced weathering is also a promising technique, such as exposing crushed rocks and minerals to the carbon in the air to facilitate natural processes.
Finally, some promote geoengineering, which is the manipulation of our atmosphere, such as reducing the warming effects of our sun. Some support spraying sun-blocking aerosols or coating ice to protect it. This is actually risky to our ecosystems. Solar engineering is too dangerous, given once the process is started it must continue indefinitely (and political regimes can change). If suddenly stopped, warming will occur to an even greater degree than if no measures were ever taken.
REAL SOLUTIONS Elites consume and produce more than most. Our problems are that of inequality as much as pollution. If the top 10% (financially) only produced the carbon footprint of the bottom 90% of global emitters, 1/3 of carbon would be reduced. Thus, carbon budgets will affect the filthy rich the most. The most wealthy are contributing a shockingly disproportionate amount of pollution. The average person produces 6.5 tons of emissions per year, with the wealthy producing 75 tons.
Rich countries know they are liable for their pollution. They, of course, do not want to focus discussions on responsibility. The global economy could shrink by 18% due to the climate crisis.
We need to reduce emissions, restoring soils and forests. We need to protect our soil from tilling, pesticides and depleted nutrients. We have found that enriching soil with nitrogen has polluted our water. We need new practices. How can we sustainably grow food? How can we facilitate new ideas?
PLANT-BASED DIET We know that as affluence increases, so does meat consumption. But more efficient use of water and land, such as in transitioning to plant-based diets and farms, is our only viable path forward. This would support health of our land, souls and bodies!
Plant-based foods have the lowest impact, while meats can impact our environment over 20x more. Every 50 calories that go into meat (feed) produces 1 calorie as human food. 4x the size of Brazil in land is used for grazing cattle, the greatest use of land (even above forests). And, 20% of gas emissions are due to how we use land, mainly for agriculture. Our current food production also causes 30% of greenhouse gases. We need to shift to a plant-based diet. We can feed our communities using 76% less land. One burger, which gives 10 grams of protein, uses resources like land and water that would provide many more nutritious calories if the same land was instead devoted to vegetable and fruit gardens.
Turning away from meat would not only help us feed more people, it would also help reduce diseases in our bodies and help reduce carbon pollution. Specifically, 350 million tons per year in emissions would be reduced if we shunned meat. Becoming vegetarian is the single most impactful action you can take to help.
We are eating more calories, when we need to consume less. Specifically, we need to reduce pork and beef calories by 80% in wealthy countries. Currently, 1/3 of all food produced is not consumed. We must make smarter use of our land and reduce our food consumption and waste. Humans have directly reduced biodiversity in shaping the land for our purposes, such as in agricultural practices. We farm around 30% of land now. It would take far less land to farm if we stopped using land for food for cows and other “products” for the meat industry.
Given all of this, how can it be that $500 billion in government subsidies go into agriculture that is not sustainable? We need a political and spiritual revolution. We need significant behavioral and technological changes immediately. For example, if we lowered the speed limit, we would save over 5 tons of carbon emissions annually (just in Germany). We also need cities that are efficiently constructed, and need to reduce unnecessary travel. We can use online meetings rather than physically traveling to meetings.
We can also encourage college students to prepare solutions for our problems, instead of preparing for the job market! This kind of free thought would be supported by a Universal Basic Income.
Even in 2021, 95% of transport relies upon oil (including cars, planes and ships). We need to curb the sale of SUVs, which produce great emissions. Why are they so popular? We need to encourage lighter vehicles, banning SUV advertising. We need to wake up!
Renewable energy is now the cheapest form of energy. Renewable energy makes more sense, yet those who have vested interests in fossil fuels do not want change and actively work against change. Still today, 1.446 billion vehicles run on petrol. EVs are a good step, but we really need electric public transit.
We need to outlaw all petrol engine vehicles starting 2025, and more. By 2035, there will be 2 billion private vehicles. We need free public transportation, like trains, trams, busses and ferries.
We also really need to buy less. We can reuse and repair our items and vehicles, rather than buying new things. Americans spend $5,400 per year on impulse purchases, and studies show that more ‘stuff’ does not equate with greater levels of happiness. We can share and borrow items, as a true community. This is also Christian behavior.
We can wear second-hand clothing. The clothing industry fills landfills! Electric bikes are also good alternatives to our current ways. We can buy only energy efficient appliances and can avoid over packaged foods, meat and dairy.
We need to transform our food system and plant green gardens everywhere possible. We need home garden and trees and biodiversity in cemeteries, parks and public areas as well as home backyards.
Biodiversity protects us by removing C02 from the air and purifying our waters. It helps mitigate disease and even protects our health. We need to support biodiverse land because it absorbs more C02. This is a real action we can take.
We also need to let forests grow and stop cutting young trees for wood. Before the Industrial revolution, people burned mostly wood for energy. Industrialization did relieve the deforestation occurring at the beginning of the 19th century by turning to fossil fuel energy instead of wood burning. After the development of coal burning machines, pollution killed more people than we realize. We do have to stop burning fossil fuel.
Today the ability of a forest to store carbon depends on many factors. First, we need to replace trees at the rate carbon would have been captured if wood was not harvested. If a tree is not cut, how much carbon would it capture over its lifetime?
We need to reduce wood harvesting. Specifically, we can harvest from constructed tree farms, but also allow other trees to grow old, to support biodiversity. We need no till farming, a plant based diet, biodiverse forests and more. We need drastic carbon emission cuts now.
We have already reduced the populations of birds, reptiles and insects by 2/3 since the 1970s. Sadly, 60% of all songbirds have disappeared in the last decades.
We are killing our ecosystem. Pollinators (like bees) are dying, thus leading to our deaths due to not being able to eat vegetables (which increases heart disease due to poor diet and high meat consumption).
But, are people even able to respond to new information? Are we able to act on new data? We will see.
Buying less means we do not have to earn as much. Our world will be better and we will feel better. We need to take the status away from consuming products. There are websites devoted to revealing the true carbon footprint of popular products, like: www.ethicalconsumer.com
Profits motivate corporations to distract the public from the truth. We are not told how unhealthy certain common things are, even in the long term. It is not in their interest (they mistakenly think) to be honest and change to a more sustainable economy. Of course, God sees all.
Politicians are short sighted and are not addressing the crisis at all. We need “honesty, integrity and courage” (Greta Thunberg). But, many are still driven by mammon (money) to the point of our death. Many politicians are corrupt, with our blood on their hands. They have the blood of all future children who will never breathe in God's air of life, given lobbying, on their hands. How is lobbying legal? Our government does not work for the people, but for power and mammon. The rich are served and our Death Culture continues, while we continue to consume dead flesh.
Our politicians must lead us in a new direction, no matter if it is aligned with popular public opinion. Politicians need to communicate our true situation and our media needs to direct us to a more healthy future.
“The time for little steps in the right direction is over. We are in a crisis” – Greta.
Promises to become climate neutral by 2050 puts everyone back to sleep. If they really cared, drastic changes would be made right now instead of distracting our focus, according to Greta Thunberg.
“It matters what we say, but it matters even more what we do” - Greta.
We cannot act only nationally, given we are on one planet and are all affected. For example, the pandemic could not be kept to one nation. We must address our crisis as a world, not as isolated nations.
Geopolitical tensions stand in the way of true international negotiations. Nations are driven by a will to power. We need a new base ethic of valuing life and caring about each other (across nations and groups).
We need to work together to address the planetary crisis. Instead, each nation is actually preparing for conflict, based on the finances devoted to building military forces. Our money shows our true priorities.
Greta Thunberg says we need to just simply “tell it like it is.” We need to stand on our moral ground and be open to innovative ideas and solutions. She suggests many ideas for change.
First, we must start treating this climate crisis like a crisis. We must get our priorities straight. We must also admit our economic systems have failed. We need to face reality to be able to create a better world.
The best way to absorb more carbon is to leave forests alone. “A living tree must be valued more than a dead one,” explains Greta Thunberg. Scientists recommend we protect at least 30% of nature. Currently, only 3% of the Earth’s surface is unharmed.
We must spread the facts; 5.9 trillion dollars are spent annually in subsidies for fossil fuels, which is insanity. Do not fly; avoid air travel. The tourist economy is responsible for 8% of our yearly emissions. Instead of subsidies for air travel, we need to pay subsidies to encourage train travel. We can invest in wind and solar power, and scientific advances like farm-free food grown in a laboratory.
Science can shed light on how to nourish our soil and stop depleting it. Thus, we can go forward with science and morality as our guiding forces. The ‘is’ and the ‘ought’ will be complementary.
We need to educate ourselves and become climate activists. We can institute justice through protests and civil disobedience. We need to fight for democracy in non-violent ways. We need new laws to protect us.
Be disruptive. Look for common ground, using love and not hate to shed light into the darkness. Avoid culture wars that only distract us from survival with endless debates. Very simply, we must also buy less and use less. We can also stop purchasing single-use plastics, like bottles for water.
Plastics that are disposable have been available for 20 years, and thus have accumulated in our oceans. Companies that used to offer glass bottles and also clean them have now moved to disposable products and thus have passed on costs to us.
Coca-cola actively acts against legislation that would have them offer reusable bottles again, as they did before single-use plastics. Companies blame consumers for bad habits yet shoot down laws against single-use plastics. The UK is the second highest trash producer, after the US. Most plastic is counted as recycled but is not. It litters deserts and waters, affecting our climate. Transit companies disguise the true origin of waste as it is relentlessly burned in the cover of darkness.
Countries like the UK, US, Japan and Germany export waste to places like Southeast Asia, where it is often burned at night. People now suffer respiratory illness due to these common practices. Plastic produces greenhouse gases, as it is derived from oil.
And, even today, we do not have accurate data on carbon emissions. The Washington Post found that our current path to climate solutions is not even credible nor viable, given the reported numbers are so distorted. Countries report only a fraction of their true emissions, like Sweden, who reported 50 million tons of greenhouse gases when in fact they emit closer to 150 million tons per year. So, even now, only 1/3 of emissions were even included in reports in Sweden. This is seen internationally as well. We need a proper road map, based on data and our moral ground, that we actually follow!
But “Who do you vote for when the politics needed are nowhere to be found?” poignantly asks Greta Thunberg. Even in progressive countries like Sweden, only 10% of ‘recycled’ products are actually recycled. Much is burned, causing further pollution.
So, recycling is a huge greenwashed myth. Most plastic will never be recycled. It is all made so cheaply that it is made to be disposed of. So, plastic litters landfills and our waters, especially in poorer areas. Micro plastics are now everywhere, even inside us. 8 million tons per year of plastic waste is dumped into our oceans.
We can reduce packaging, to start. We need a major system change. Greenpeace is calling for a 50% reduction in plastics in coming years, given our situation.
Specifically, we already also have 40 years of carbon built up in our atmosphere and our C02 emissions are on track to rise 16% in the coming years.
We are set to increase our global temperature, yet the media is not covering this crisis. We cannot negotiate, for we value life itself while those in power prioritize profit; “They speak to flowers in the language of US dollars” says Greta Thunberg.
We need regular press briefings on our climate crisis and many discussions on how to solve our problems. For example, we can institute a #UBI as part of the transition in our economy and as jobs related to fossil fuels diminish.
Communist China is using over 70% of our carbon budget, and still will in 2030. This, while developing countries are affected the greatest by climate issues. How can developing countries move forward in a sustainable way? Capitalism also contributes to our crisis by encouraging increasing GDPs, despite the true costs to our planet. This economic system demands growth. Yet, high income nations do not need more growth. We need a new economic system based on our ecosystem. No current systems lead to life.
We need to educate ourselves. We need both individual and systemic, market change immediately. We must restructure our economy around renewable energy, less meat consumption and less SUVs, for example, to ensure our future. In fact, 80% of energy used in 2019 was still derived from fossil fuels.
Frequent flying and eating meat are some of the most destructive activities an individual can do in terms of the climate crisis. Some have made an oath to never fly and to become vegetarian, given our situation.
We need to phase out private jets, mega yachts and other egregious displays of wealth and status. We can make these displays shameful and not glorify them. We can take public transport and move away from fossil fuel based engines. For example, in Vienna, 60% of people live in community housing.
Should we shame those who live an unsustainable lifestyle? Should we offer softer signals that change is needed, like having our family over for a vegetarian dinner?
We can encourage others to live with less of an environmental impact. As one neighbor gets solar panels, so do others. We can share plant-based recipes. We can participate in social actions and protests.
Government also (on the macro level beyond the individual) needs to lead and set examples for a new way of living, following through with laws. We need to meet the basic survival needs of all humans on our planet with current resources.
The richest 20% need to reduce their consumption to 1/10th of 2015 levels, making room for others basic needs. Christ stood up for the needy and the powerless. But are we too unloving and selfish to survive as a species? What will happen to our souls, as we turn our backs to the most vulnerable?
Psychology has been used to advertise toward people’s deepest desires to inspire their purchases. Ads create (or play upon) a deep need, promising to fill the inner void. Products promise to make us feel better and to lead to our acceptance by our social groups. But, without God, people remain empty inside while landfills overflow.
For example, 73% of textiles (clothing) produced ends up in landfills. Can we start identifying with God, and not by our outer appearance and the latest fashion?
We need to phase out excess for a few, while expanding access to basic resources to all, like healthcare and housing. This is in line with instituting a Universal Basic Income (#UBI) for all, to help people of all identities survive the upcoming transitions on earth.
Our excesses are a clue into inner poverty. Many do not have solid community ties, even if they have material wealth. We are actually happier when we are connected to others, giving and sharing. Our efforts to help others and transition from our selfish society will lead to deep joy, not poverty. We will be blessed as we use our voices and hands to carry forth God’s will.
As a start, we can choose (given our morals) to buy only 3 new pieces of clothing per year, take less trips, rid ourselves of personal vehicles and eat a plant-based diet. What else can we do?
We need the Holy Spirit to guide our souls and hands as we create a new day! We can change if we hold hope, as the eloquent theologian Jurgen Moltmann has shared. We can shift from unhealthy social norms, and these healthy changes will allow all of us to thrive.
We need relationships based on love and reciprocity instead of greed and a will to power. We need less selfishness and more sacrifice for others whom we share with because we actually care. We need to restructure our world based on love, as Christ taught.
When we take action for a sustainable society, we will find new meaning in our daily actions. Our community bonds can grow stronger as we change. And, as sociologist Emile Durkheim found, strong community bonds lead to less suicides. We have the opportunity to promote life and even joy in coming together to change our world for the better!
We do not wish to conserve the world, but create a new one. We need more community control over resources and a guaranteed income for all, regardless of group affiliation. We need energy efficient public housing and to restructure the economy to a more just system. We need to align our economy with our ecosystem as well as our morality. As the brilliant Martin Buber wrote, we need to develop I-thou relationships, based on a recognition of others and not an exploitation of them. Equity and sustainably go hand in hand; there can be no sustainably without equity. Instead of asking who owns land, we need to ask who is responsible for the land. We need a politics of love.
CONCLUSIONS: CARETAKING IS A GREEN JOB! We need to transition to a care-taking society, where all are cared for and treated with love. We need to dismantle the call to endless growth and greed.
“We need to redefine hope and progress, so that these words do not translate to destruction” – Greta.
We need to prioritize people over profits. Green jobs, like caretaking, can be recognized as we turn away from jobs based on over-consumption of unneeded products. Carework is climate work! We need to not only repair our relationship with our planet, but also with each other. We can become a global family.
Solutions involve community actions in helping each other, just as Christ called for. Also, our youth must be a global force of change. We must learn from our mistakes and challenge the status quo and those with interests in the current Death Culture.
Truth, justice and morality are on the side of creating a sustainable future, explains Greta Thunberg. In our Postmodern age, where some claim all views are valid, what is Truth? Both sides of an issue are not equally valid. Survival is not a story with two sides.
We need to end our Death Culture by following the path of love (set by Christ) and carrying out God’s will, for God is Truth. When we recognize this, we will move from the Postmodern Era to the Pre-Utopian Era, as we prepare the ground for God’s New Earth.
Takethejump.org

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I graduated with a BS in neuroscience in 2021. Was planning on going to medical school but decided against it because I was burnt out and didn’t want to sacrifice the rest of my 20s. Since then I’ve been working as an in-patient hospital pharmacy tech. I just moved home and started at a new hospital and absolutely hate it. This is not what I want to do with my life. I’ve looked into other jobs like medical sales, but every neuro related sales job requires multiple years of sales experience. Are there any options available that have the potential for good pay and don’t require additional schooling?

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Greetings,
An elderly neighbor passed away and I was invited to take any items that were being tossed after the estate sale. In these was a collection of old blown up photographs from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in what looks like the 70s… very interesting but not necessarily something that I have a place for in my home. I was going to call the EBR Parish Library archive Monday to see if they can think of anyone that has any use for them, but does anyone have any other suggestions of places to call or post? It feels like such a waste to just throw them away.
Thanks!

Currently have a 2004 f150 with 326k on it. It's running alright with a couple of issues, vacuum leak causing rough idle and some issues with the 4x4 etc, abs not working but nothing majorly detrimental at this point although there are some sounds that from some research are likely 3kish to repair. It's older, rusty lacks new features such as blue tooth etc but works although questionable for how much longer but does not have payments.
I could potentially do the repairs to my my truck for around 1k or so but my truck would be down for a couple weeks and my wife would not be happy and it's pretty involved which is a bit scary.
Also want to keep a truck so we can tow a travel trailer and do various yard work. Previously had a car and used it a bit too much like a truck for its liking...
Prior to covid I had opened and ran a business that through covid, over extending myself and holding on for too long after i had checked out took a decent hit on my credit. I own our home with a large amount of equity, now make around 120k per year and through the sale of the business have pretty well leveled my debt other than the mortgage and have been starting to build savings back up although it's not a ton right now. Credit is starting to come back up although there's a fair amount of late payments previously.
I have been looking around a bit at options and with the used market the way it is there's not a lot out there within what I realistically want to pay cash for at around 10k. At that range with what I would get for mine (3kish) I would realistically be in a similar situation but with a slightly nicer looking truck and maybe 100k less on the odometer.
Due to a previous purchase ford has approved me for loan on a brand new truck but the thought of 70- 80k and 1k a month for 7 or 8 years is more than a bit off putting to me. Also approved for a used loan for around 35k but 14% with possibility of refinance after a couple years. Not a palatable option either.
I found someone looking to transfer financing of a 2019 f150 with 130k on it and warranty to 150k at $360 bw 4% for another 4 years through ford wich from the dealer sounds like would not be an issue to transfer. Would likely be eating 3 or 4 k in depreciation but with used vehicle prices maybe not.
So do I hold on, hope nothing catastrophic happens to my truck until prices come down or I have enough cash to buy something newer or do I look at getting into a 4 year financing for something that would likely drive for a long time and I could afford?

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Happy Saturday everyone! Welcome back to season 3 of Who To Root For!
Thanks to u/roastedhambone u/jocro and u/Squidpsyco for the suggestions and help with the format changes! Hope this is better for everyone!
For those who missed the first post I’ll summarize briefly: dual focus on these daily posts looking at the day’s schedule, with a chance of OKC still making the 10 seed (or higher), but also jumping as high as 9th in the Tankathon standings. I’ll cut out the focus on the tank if they get to 3 games ahead of Utah (or whoever is in 9 in the reverse standings). If there’s a backslide that put 7 or 8 within a game I’ll put the focus on those spots again.
Also because of how clumped the West is, here is the official NBA tiebreaker rules
Here are the current standings out West:

	Record	GB	OKC H2H	Conference
4. PHX	42-35	—	1-2	27-20
5. LAC	41-37	1.5	3-1	24-24
6. GSW	41-37	1.5	1-2	27-21
7. LAL	39-38	3.0	1-2	23-24
8. NOP	39-38	3.0	1-3	27-21
9. MIN	39-39	3.5	1-3	27-22
10. OKC	38-40	4.5	—	23-25
11. DAL	37-40	5.0	2-1	27-23
12. Utah	36-41	6.0	2-1	23-25

OKC’s magic number is 4 over DAL and Utah - any combination of 4 OKC wins or DAL losses, and 4 OKC wins/Utah losses would clinch a play-in berth for OKC. There’s potentially some multi-team tiebreaker shenanigans with both so ideally OKC win at Utah in their second-to-last game (or clinches before that) and are a full game ahead of both teams.
To sum up the reverse standings, OKC is projected to be in 12th (reminder that there are no tiebreakers for draft positioning, it’s a random drawing). Utah in 9th at 1.5 games back is the highest that’s reasonably still within reach if things fall apart. One more loss for IND/ORL and OKC officially cannot catch them.
Recap of last night’s games: … F***. That one hurt.
In the other games, BOS beating Utah was probably the best outcome of the night for the play-in. Second-best was definitely MEM getting revenge on LAC on the first of a B2B for the Clippers. LAL won the coin flip game with MIN, and the rest of the results all went pretty poorly for OKC (ATL/TOR losing potentially makes OKC’s pick worse if OKC ties or has a better record than them, while PHX and GSW winning separates them and just about puts 4-5-6 out of reach officially).
Here are tonight’s games with OKC coming home for PHX tomorrow, and only two games tonight:
GAMES TO IGNORE: None!

MATCHUP	TANK RESULT	PLAY-IN RESULT	REASON
DAL-MIA	DAL	MIA	Pretty straightforward both ways
LAC-NOP	NOP	NOP	With the pick swap always root for LAC to lose

Have a great day everyone and stay safe!

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Preface
Episode 3 is more of a stand alone story than part of the main arc. One thing I find intriguing is that several stories in the "Main Arc" are more like side stories. I am not sure if it means anything, but Episode 3 is one of the best written stories in MOM.
Analysis
Kamigawa is probably my favorite plane, and the characters on it are also some of my favorites. It was quite galling for me when I saw a Phyrexian Tamiyo; I loved her character and was sad to see her go. But one thing I enjoyed about Lukka's story in ONE was how Phyrexia twists his desires into becoming Phyrexia's desires. The same thing holds here: Tamiyo opens one of her iron bound scrolls and reads a story...it's one about Urza and how he bequeathed his legacy to Karn. Well, Phyrexia twists Tamiyo's story, to the point where the "Oil seeps from her fingers onto the parchment. Before long it will be impossible to read any of the characters." Tamiyo lives for stories: and Phyrexia takes them from her, as "someone who knows these stories better than she knows her own" they become twisted weapons against her home plane.
The damage done to Kamigawa is surprising. Boseiju is "rent asunder" and "oil runs from between the splinters, dripping onto the thirsty earth" as Phyrexia slowly transforms the plane. Kami attempt to fight back and civilians flee the assault. One of the best moments in the MOM story is Kaya saving a little boy and his dog, trapped in a building. Kaito then saves them both as they attempt to figure out how to stop Tamiyo from continuing her assault on Kamigawa.
Nashi finds Kaito and they both attempt to reason why Tamiyo which is, of course, impossible. Tamiyo manages to defeat Kaito, but they are saved first by Kaya and then by Kyodai and The Wanderer who defeat Tamiyo. Which brings me to the moment of the story I cried:

Another hand alights on his shoulder, oddly light and cold. Kaya never seemed the type for tearful reunions, but maybe after what they saw on New Phyrexia she's singing a different tune. Any comfort is welcome now. Even Kyodai wraps around them all. For a moment it feels as if they're trying to hold the plane together. Perhaps in the case of this one young boy, they are.

I love this: existential victory in the face of defeat. Perhaps they cannot save the plane, but in this moment for this boy: things are temporarily OK.
It is later revealed that the part of Tamiyo which had not been compleated chose death at the hands of the Wanderer instead of killing her family and friends. Tamiyo unleashes her last iron bound scroll, and a part of Tamiyo is revealed to survive. A spirit made of Tamiyo's stories survives to embrace Nashi, while Kaito & the Wanderer prepare imperial forces for a counter assault. The story then ends with another of Tamiyo's stories:

Once upon a time there was a great evil, one that threatened to swallow the planes of the Multiverse whole. Unfeeling and uncaring, it infected the hearts of those it encountered.
There was someone who fought against it.
There was a protector in white.

Overall I have ambivalent feelings about this: I like that Tamiyo's individuality is what undid her assault on Kamigawa (the price Norn paid to compleat planeswalkers biting her in the rear). I also like that Tamiyo gets a bittersweet ending: she survives, but not as she was, which I think makes sense for a Wizards story. The part I am less keen on (and this became a trend over the side stories) is how Kamigawan forces were slowly able to resist Phyrexia. I feel like they set Phyrexia up to be too powerful to resist, which leaves a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth.
Conclusion
I still liked this story; one thing I liked about many of the stories, and the side stories in particular, is how they are self-contained versions of stories from that plane or character. This story reminds me of Tamiyo's story in Shadows Over Innistrad "Stories and Endings" where Tamiyo uses her scrolls to help her skate by and perform her work. I also like how they continue the theme of Phyrexia twisting your wants and desires to match the goals of Phyrexia. It reminds me of how the One Ring works in Lord of the Rings twisting your wants and then slowly taking them away. In the end: nobody in Tolkien's work is powerful enough to resist the ring, and it's only by chance and the will of Eru that the ring is destroyed at all.
Phyrexia, in some ways, cannot be stopped.
This also reminds me a bit of Mark Rosewater's comment that Phyrexia is at its best when it infiltrates planes, less when it's at the height of its power. One problem, which will continue throughout this story, is that Wizards set up Phyrexia too powerfully, which means they will need a particularly potent power to resolve it. However, for this story, seeing Tamiyo get a bitteersweet ending is fine on its own.
Grade: A-