Delhi, with its history and busy city life, is a great place. But sometimes, you need a break. Luckily, there are many lovely places nearby for a weekend trip. You'll find everything from old towns to quiet hill stations and exciting wildlife parks. From historical sites and serene hill stations to adventurous wildlife parks, there's something for everyone. And if you're in search of the ideal place to stay, look no further than Sundays Forever Stays, offering top-notch accommodation in Dehradun, Mussorie, and Shimla.
1.Neemrana
Neemrana is a charming town nestled in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, renowned for the majestic Neemrana Fort Palace. This historical place exudes a vintage charm and serves as a royal reminder of India's rich heritage. Whether you're exploring the centuries-old fort or walking through the town's narrow lanes, Neemrana's essence can be felt in its every nook and cranny. Delicious local cuisine and panoramic views are the icing on the cake, enhancing your overall experience.
2.Lansdowne
Situated amidst beautiful pine and oak forests, Lansdowne is a hill station that stands apart. Away from the touristy crowd, it provides a peaceful retreat to the weary city dwellers. The sweet chirping of birds, the rustling sound of leaves, and the quiet ambiance serve as a refreshing respite. Here, you can lose yourself to nature, take relaxing walks through the dense forests, or simply enjoy the tranquility.
3.Dehradun
Located in the heart of the Doon Valley, Dehradun offers something for every traveler. Flanked by the Himalayas, the city presents lush green landscapes, a variety of flora and fauna, and several trekking trails for adventure enthusiasts. It's also home to fascinating places like Robber’s Cave, Mindrolling Monastery, and the beautiful waterfall, Sahastradhara. To top it off, why not book your stay at Sundays Forever's properties in Dehradun? It guarantees a comfortable and memorable retreat amid nature.
4.Dhanaulti
Dhanaulti, a quaint town set between Mussoorie and Chamba, is an oasis of calm and serenity. It’s cool and pleasant weather, scenic vistas, and the simplicity of life make it a perfect getaway for those seeking peace and solitude. Visitors can spend their time exploring the Eco Park, trying out adventure sports, or simply relaxing and soaking in the town's natural beauty.
5.Shimla
Known as the Queen of Hills, Shimla offers a picturesque retreat with its scenic landscapes, colonial architecture, and pleasant climate. From the lively Mall Road and the adventurous Kufri to the scenic Jakhoo Hill, Shimla has plenty to offer. Make your visit even more special by booking your stay with Sundays Forever. Our properties promise a blend of comfort, luxury, and stunning views, ensuring a memorable vacation.
6.Alwar
Alwar, a city steeped in history and culture, offers a peek into Rajasthan's royal past. Its plethora of historical sites, including the grand Alwar Fort, City Palace, and the tranquil Siliserh Lake, make Alwar an exciting destination for history buffs and culture vultures.
7.Jim Corbett National Park
Home to a rich variety of wildlife, including the majestic Bengal Tiger, Jim Corbett National Park is a paradise for nature lovers. Embark on a thrilling jeep safari, traverse through its diverse landscapes, and lose yourself in the enchanting beauty of this wildlife reserve.
8.Mussoorie
Nestled amidst the Himalayan ranges, Mussoorie is often referred to as the "Queen of the Hills". It offers breath-taking views of snow-capped mountain peaks and lush green valleys. This hill station has many attractions like Kempty Falls, where you can enjoy a refreshing dip, Gun Hill, which offers panoramic views of the Himalayas, and Mussoorie Lake, a picnic spot with pedal boating facilities. Make your trip even more memorable by booking your stay with Sundays Forever. With our luxurious homes providing top-tier comfort and stunning views, you'll have an unforgettable holiday.
9. Kufri
Kufri, located near Shimla, is a beautiful hill station well-known for its adventure sports, especially during winters when it transforms into a skiing paradise. One can visit the Kufri Fun World amusement park for some exciting rides or take a hike up the Mahasu Peak to witness an incredible panoramic view of the surrounding Himalayas.
10.Dharamshala
Dharamshala is a beautiful hill station renowned for its Tibetan culture, thanks to the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in McLeod Ganj. You can explore the Tibetan monasteries, learn about their intriguing philosophies, or shop for Tibetan crafts in the local markets. Do take a stroll around the Dal Lake, enveloped in tranquillity, or visit the Bhagsunag Waterfalls, a place where nature is in its full bloom.
Conclusion
Delhi's nearby areas offer a rich diversity of experiences, perfect for a short and refreshing weekend getaway. Whether you are a nature lover, a history enthusiast, or an adventure junkie, these destinations will not disappoint. If your travels take you to Dehradun, Mussorie, or Shimla, remember to check out Sundays Forever's exquisite properties for a stay that will enhance your travel experience. Book your stay with Sundays Forever- a guarantee of comfort, luxury, and enchanting views that you'll remember for a lifetime. Plan your next weekend getaway now and create unforgettable memories!

Hi all, even if the game is not new anymore, is still one of the best game to play to relax in the evening. A lot of people is still playing and the queue for the aram is superfast, showing that this is still the favourite game for lot of people. Sometimes I’m playing normal match or ranked but this is asking for a lot of concentration and effort, so i prefer the ARAM mode for relaxing and having fun, and i’m so glad that developers decide to make a permanent mode.
I think that Aram is a mode with a lot of potential. I believe that this mode was added after, just to test it, but now that is a success and so many people are playing it i believe that it needs some adjustements to make it even more epic and enjoyable: ADDING A FAST RECAP FOR WHO DOESN’T WANT TO READ ALL:
​

• Like in league of legend the introduction of a hero swap system
• specular type of hero between the teams eg. 0 healers both teams, 0 tank both teams and so on
• only different hero pickable, not anymore 3 li ming 2 kealtas etc.
• better matchmaking even for the aram
• being able to choose the skin and mount
• beeing able to vote for surrend

And here the list with the explanation:
​

• The chance of switching the character with someone of the team during the hero selection (or having 10 additionals seconds after the aram countdown reach the 0 for the switch) - like in league of legends aram are part of the games, the difference is that in lol you cannot choose between 3 choices but you can reroll up to 2 times, and u can even swap the hero if someone doesn’t want that. I know that this requires a bit of development but it will be AWESOME to keep the choice between 3 heroes allowing the swap with someone of the teams that maybe really want to play that hero (of course after the approval of the owner of the hero)
  
• More balanced teams: By playing many and many arams we realized that sometimes it happens that if the healer is not pickable for a team is not pickable even for the other teams. The good thing is that the developer increased even the char in that case that can autoheal themself, balancing the game. The problem is that this is happening only with the healers, it happened for example that our team didnt have tank and the enemy teams got 2 tank. Putting bruisers in the team is not the same that having a tank! So i suggest that the developers will do the same as it is for the healers with tank
  
• Balancing with ranged and close range characters: it happens that enemy teams get 2 (even 3) li ming making the aram a living hell for the opposite team. I suggest to set a limit for each team to have only one of each character (not type) to avoid this, like: 1xchromie, 1xazmodan, 1xli-ming, 1xguldan, 1xkaelthas, 1xfalstad, 1xjaina, 1xkaeltuzad, 1xjunkrat and so on
  
• better matchmaking: while playing with a friend that sadly got problem of connection, he got reported many time and he got even silenced. When we are playing with him now, even if he is not silenced anymore we get ppl in team that are silence aswell or that are going immediately afk , like if the algorithm of matchmaking knows his situation and is matching with similar people, while should be totally random
  
• skin and mount choice in aram: this is not really important as the previous points but it would be a nice to have :)
  
• beeing able to vote for surrend : this in particular for the new game mode where all have the same pick and lot of ppl can't stand this and simply go AFK
  

I really hope that someone of the developers will read this thread, let me know if you (the community) wants to add more points, i believe that many people will have my same suggestions. Thanks for reading , and i’m really hoping to see this changes in the future!

2023 T20 Blast & Charlotte Edwards Cup
ECB Match Centre - T20 Blast - Charlotte Edwards Cup - Central Repository of Scorecards and clips of every boundary and wicket.
Full coverage of every ball of County Cricket and selected Women's Regional Matches on BBC Local Radio - T20 Blast - Charlotte Edwards Cup
T20 Matches in the Blast and Charlotte Edwards Cup start at different times which are listed against them below.
Where available, YouTube live streams are linked against each match below. These can also be found on the county and ECB websites. There's no free live stream of Hampshire vs Sussex as it's on Sky Sports.
BBC Local Radio coverage and YouTube streams should be accessible worldwide.
Double Header
AT EDGBASTON - Weather Forecast
14:30 - Central Sparks vs Southern Vipers - YouTube - Scorecard
18:30 - Warwickshire vs Nottinghamshire - YouTube - Scorecard
Other T20 Blast Matches
19:00 - Hampshire vs Sussex at The Rose Bowl - On Sky Cricket - Weather Forecast - Scorecard
T20 Blast Standings before today:
North Group

Pos	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Net RR	Points
1	Worcestershire Rapids	4	4	0	0	0	+1.345	8
2	Birmingham Bears	5	4	1	0	0	+1.134	8
3	Durham Cricket	4	3	1	0	0	+1.294	6
4	Lancashire Lightning	6	3	3	0	0	+0.269	6
5	Derbyshire Falcons	5	2	3	0	0	-0.417	4
6	Yorkshire Vikings	5	2	3	0	0	-0.426	4
7	Notts Outlaws	5	2	3	0	0	-0.454	4
8	Northamptonshire Steelbacks	5	2	3	0	0	-0.692	4
9	Leicestershire Foxes	5	0	5	0	0	-1.585	0

South Group

Pos	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Net RR	Points
1	Somerset CCC	5	5	0	0	0	+2.475	10
2	Surrey CCC	5	3	2	0	0	+1.136	6
3	Glamorgan	4	3	1	0	0	+0.240	6
4	Hampshire Hawks	4	2	2	0	0	+0.612	4
5	Gloucestershire	5	2	3	0	0	-0.626	4
6	Essex	3	2	1	0	0	-1.427	4
7	Kent Spitfires	4	1	3	0	0	-0.311	2
8	Sussex Sharks	3	1	2	0	0	-0.464	2
9	Middlesex	5	0	5	0	0	-1.994	0

Points: Teams receive 2 points for a win. 1 point for a Tie or No Result. Each team plays 7 of the 8 other teams in their group and 7 away. Top 4 in each group qualify for the Quarter Finals. Quarter Final winners qualify for Finals Day.
Charlotte Edwards Cup Standings before today:

Pos	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Net RR	Points
1	The Blaze	5	5	0	0	0	+1.478	23
2	Northern Diamonds	5	4	1	0	0	+0.351	17
3	Southern Vipers	4	3	1	0	0	+1.062	13
4	Thunder	5	2	3	0	0	-0.083	9
5	South East Stars	5	2	3	0	0	-0.032	8
6	Western Storm	5	2	3	0	0	-0.666	8
7	Central Sparks	4	1	3	0	0	-0.900	4
8	Sunrisers	5	0	5	0	0	-1.119	0

Points: Teams receive 4 points for a win. A bonus point for a win with a run rate of 1.25x that of the opposition. 2 points for a Tie or No Result. Teams play each other team once, home or away. The top three teams advance to Finals Day. The top team advances straight to the Final, whilst the other two teams play off in a semi-final.
If you've got a team in The Cricket Draft T20 Blast fantasy game, you can join the cricket league here

(Pun intended)
*** Effort Post ***
Whenever the topic of socialism or welfare comes up in Christian circles, the notion of Christian voluntarism is quick to follow. What is this Christian voluntarism? It is the idea that national welfare should be based on voluntary charity by the church, not the state. This idea seems to have influence in George Bush’s Compassionate Conservatism, and also to a lesser degree in David Cameron’s Big Society.
Two defenses of the concept are in “The Tragedy of American Compassion” by Marvin Olasky, and “Christian Charity vs Government Welfare” by Thomas Johnson[1]. In truth, elements of the idea itself has subtlety become accepted by a very many Christians, and is present in general Christian apologetics on economics (see bibliography). It must be noted that the proponents of the idea rarely embrace the term Christian Voluntarism[2], which seems to be rather a function of how generally accepted and non-sequitur the idea seems to be.
The theology behind Christian Voluntarism
Sadly, many of the texts linked do not have a strong theological basis; they are largely historical defenses for the idea (See Olasky 2008 and Johnson 1970). Thus, a strongman of their theology must rely on those aforementioned Christian apologetic sources rather substantially (see bibliography). Also, thanks to u/Laojac who provided a strongman here.
Christian voluntarism is fundamentally reliant on the charity practiced by the early Christian Church. We know that people in the church shared their property with each other and cared for each other; Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:32-37. We know they were commanded to care for their families, alongside the poor, and that there were fundraising efforts to send money over to people in need in the church (1 Tim 5:3,8, Galatians 2:10, Hebrews 13:2-3, 2 Corinthians 8-9). Christian Voluntarism takes this model for charity and attempts to nationalize it is a welfare system, for charity. It uses a few methods to support this.
First, it argues that bible tells us that giving should be voluntary. 2 Corinthians 8-9, and especially 2 Corinthians 9:7, exhort voluntary charity, not done under compulsion. Ergo, the state should not require taxation to fund welfare. Whilst the online tracts do not go much further than this, there is an interesting way that this can be extrapolated further. The particular significance of this verse, interestingly enough, is it is one of the key verses to refute the requirement of tithing. Tithing existed under the wholistic economic system of the old testament that did have many rather radical economic policies; the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee, etc. So to call in this verse against the requirement of taxation does provide a rather big challenge; this new idea of caring in the new testament is not a system of governance, like in the old testament, with taxes and regulations. It is a system guided by the holy spirit, whereby people voluntarily care for those around them. The requirement for people to care for families in 1 timothy 5 would definitely fall into this.
Second, it fundamentally ties welfare to work. To quote 2 Thessalonians 3:10 - “those who do not work shall not eat”. This can be taken in the more obvious sense of “there is no such thing as a free lunch” – people need to work to provide for a living, but for the Christian voluntarists, it is taken as a command of a mutual obligation – those who do not try to work shall not get welfare. (Olasky 2008, p 9-10). Unsurprisingly, this is where ideas of “deserving” and “undeserving poor” come from worthy (Olasky 2008, p 11-12). This also forms what welfare should look like – Welfare has a purpose to help people make a living for themselves (Olasky 2008, p 25, 29). But specifically, in practice it also means that those who don’t want to work should be excluded from welfare (Olasky 2008, p 12, 29, 228). Christian voluntarist tracts argue further that welfare itself is corrupting in that it enables backwardness and degeneracy to exist, encouraging laziness and the breakdown of families (for example, Olasky 2008, p xi -xvii, 222).
Third, supporting this is the argument that Biblical notions of property are explicitly in favor of Liberal private property. This is the belief that the owner of property, can do whatever they want with their property. This starts with an appeal to Exodus 20:15,17 as examples of OT Justifications for private property. It points to the various points in the bible that recognize private ownership. To reference a few; Genesis 4:4, Micah 4:4, Acts 5:4. A very notable verse is Mathew 20:15; “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?” – taking this statement at face value would suggest Jesus is very much in favour of liberal private property rights. The whole conclusion of this that people have the right to do with their property what they want. The most immediate implication is the government cannot seize property - This is used against the threat of state socialism.
The Problems with this theology
Of course, we need to recognize that the Bible doesn’t tell Christians to take over the state and implement a welfare state. The fact is that the bible doesn’t prescribe a structure for economic justice in the broader national community. But similarly, this means the bible doesn’t prescribe the Church as being the welfare system of the broader national community. There is a legitimate question about how to pursuing economic justice in light of biblical commands and examples, and the description of the New Testament church (Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:34-35) exists to show us what economic justice should look like in Christian communities specifically. However, it is a significant stretch to argue that this decentralised system of churches providing welfare is what the bible prescribes as the only legitimate national welfare system.
NT Christian communities were not set up to be a welfare system for the Roman state. They were examples of model Christian communities that we can look to guide us in holy living. They did exist as an alternate perception of economic justice to Old Testament Israel’s state-embedded system, certainly. However, this alternative state was for a few reasons; First Old Testament Israel was a sacrificial system, one that was no longer needed after Christ’s death and resurrection (Heb 10:1-18). Second, Old Testament Israel was a theocratic state, that would make a people for God who would be outwardly different from all around them (Deut 28:9-10). However, Christ did not come to establish a kingdom of this world (John 18:36), instead a people who would follow him due to their changed heart (John 18:36, John 3:5-8). The nullification of the theocratic state of Israel was not a rejection of the state’s interference in economic policy. Rather, it was a recognition that the theocratic state had fulfilled its soteriological and eschatological purpose.
With this context out of the way, we can refute the specific justifications of the voluntarists; The first, 2 Corinthians 9:7, which tells us that giving should be voluntary, not under compulsion, was in a specific letter given to a specific community responding to a crisis at the time. To transform it into a condemnation of state taxation for welfare is a substantial stretch. Paul made clear that it was also a test; he would not command this church to give charity but wanted to know the sincerity of their love, by comparing how much they gave compared to other churches (2 Corinthians 8:8-9).
He was not laying down a law about the state. Nothing in the passage suggests that the state cannot provide welfare. Nothing in the passage suggests that the state cannot demand taxation. Indeed, bible does not reject compulsion in terms of taxation as Christians are exhorted to pay their taxes (Mark 12:13-17; Rom 13:6-7). Contextually, the Christian Voluntarist must also grapple with the absence of a condemnation of the grain dole of Rome, both within this passage and within the broader New Testament. Now, one could argue that if the state gets involved in welfare then the sincerity of Christian love has failed – but that is a very different argument, an argument that needs to grapple with both the fallen nature of humanity, and the social implications of democracy. Nevertheless, the passage at hand does not refute state taxation or state provision of welfare.
Moving to the second justification – that, welfare should be tied to work. This specific passage, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, occurs within a context where there are believers who are “idle and disruptive” (v 6, 11) and who are “not busy; they are busybodies”. They are commanded to settle down and eat (v 12). To use this passage to encourage Christians to work is good. It is not the purpose of the passage to be used for a model of how a welfare state works. Unlike 2 Cor 9:7, which is deliberately misused by Christians to deny welfare to others – this passage can be used to form a welfare state system. Like Acts 4:32 for the Socialists, and 1 Corinthians 14:12-26 for the Corporatists, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 seems quite able to be derived to justify a political policy. However, to declare that 2 Thessalonians 3:10 necessitates a policy program on welfare is misguided – it was a teaching for a particular church at a particular time. The practical considerations of this particular section will get further treatment further on.
The final argument that the bible prescribes liberal private property. This argument has lies that it conceals in truths. Fundamentally, the bible does recognize property rights. It recognizes that we can own property and have liberty in using that property. However, the bible also recognizes two other things; First, that we are not the absolute owners of that property. God is the absolute owner of everything, not humanity (1 Cor 10:26; Psalm 24:1; Deut 10:14). The second is that any property we have, we steward for God; we are not allowed to use property for whatever purpose we deem fit. The OT system has a variety of restrictions on how we can use property, much of which existed for economic justice. There were prohibitions on taking interest (Leviticus 26:36-37); Gleaning laws that mean restricted the amount of produce farmers could get from their own harvest, requiring they leave some to the poor (Lev 19:9-10; Deut 24:19-21). Furthermore, there are the radical redistribution policies with the Sabbatical year and year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:1-7, 8-55). The commandment to not steal was situated within these verses about responsibilities, something noted by Both Catholics and Reformed Christians (See the Catholic Catechism, Westminster Larger Catechism and Heidelberg Catechism). The New Testament similar has a variety of commands about how to use property; (Luke 6:30, 1 John 3:17, 1 Tim 5:8, 6:17-18).
There is one verse that falls outside of the above explanation; Mathew 20:15 – “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?”. The context of the verse is that Jesus is teaching a parable. In the parable, the vineyard owner pays all his workers the same amount, no matter what they work. Parables have single purposes – the purpose of this parable is that it doesn’t matter however late you sign up to the gospel, you will still be saved. It is not a parable with prescriptions on wage payments. It is not a parable with prescriptions on private property.
Fundamentally, there is no biblical prescription against the state establishment of a welfare state. This, in itself, does not disqualify Christian voluntarism as an idea; rather it means that advocating Christian voluntarism requires making a different argument – that the Christian voluntarist form of welfare is the best form of welfare.
The Economics of a Christian Voluntarist welfare state
Gøsta Esping-Andersen’s seminal work “The Three Worlds of welfare Capitalism”, divides welfare states into three ideal types; “Liberal”, “Conservative” and “Social Democratic”. Of these, Christian Voluntarism is closest to the “Liberal” ideal type which is found in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. A liberal welfare state is one that aims to encourage the pursuit of employment, and so the state will provide as little as possible (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 42). Means testing and mutual obligation is often used to minimize the states ways to welfare provision. Those who cannot rely on government support must rely on charity (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 26-27).
Christian Voluntarism is essentially a Christian defense for the “Liberal” welfare state. However it does far more, because in practice it would mean the undermining of the liberal welfare state. The Christian voluntarist would tear down the last vestiges of a state led system so that people instead rely on Charity. They would attempt to further liberalize an already liberal system. The practical implications of this are that even a state led system that incorporates the principles of the “deserving and undeserving” poor, alongside the mutual obligations of “those who don’t work don’t eat”, are too much for the Christian Voluntarist.
This system fails both quantitatively and qualitatively. It fails quantitatively because a welfare state based on charity cannot support the entire population. Welfare encompasses old age, unemployment, workplace injuries, permanent disabilities and more. The amount of money needed to organise such a welfare system is unachievable by charities (Green 2017). Reviews of “The Tragedy of American compassion” point out that the historical charitable system championed did not provide welfare for all – it was very geographically dependent (Hammack, 1996, p 261-262).
This system also fails qualitatively. One would think that a Christian voluntarist would see that charity and welfare are symptoms of economic greater problems, and addressing those greater problems would reduce the burdens on charity.[3] But Christian Voluntarists don’t address the issues which lead people to need charity. Unaffordable healthcare and involuntary unemployment are two clear examples of structural economic problems; the former due to the various oligopolies that exist throughout the healthcare system, which is unsurprising given it is a market with high start-up costs, and the latter often due a deficiency in demand. The solutions to these factors require substantial economic reform by means of regulation and government spending, which is antithetical to the Christian Voluntarist ideal. Christian voluntarists are not advocating for these solutions to reduce the burden on charities.
Two further addendums need to be added to this analysis. The first is that there are flaws with regards to the policy derivatives of 2 Thessalonians 3:10. The idea of an undeserving poor has lead to many problems – for example this group has historically included beggars and criminals (Schmalz 2017). The definition of who is undeserving will inevitably both include and exclude people who may need help. Olasky, for example, includes Alcoholics and Drug Addicts as part of his ‘undeserving poor’ (p. 227-228), when, in truth, these groups could quite easily be seen as the most needing of support – albeit in a more compressive form then mere cash handout. The principle of mutual obligations behind this need to be thought through. Interestingly enough, the gleaning system in the OT seems to be a system that follows this idea; welfare is there, but people have to work to get it. This principles behind this are also evident in a full employment policy in the modern era. However, today’s governments generally prefer of “mutual obligations” for welfare, or forms of workfare instead. In the context where workers outnumber jobs these programs essentially act as punitive “full employment policy”.
The second is the Christian voluntarist claim that any welfare system should be orientated towards public morality alongside economic justice. This is a fair claim, and frankly welfare systems must be cautiously constructed with consideration of economic justice, and also the moral fabric of society. Here the example of the ideal type of the Conservative welfare state (historically found in found in Germany, Belgium and Austria), can be drawn upon. This welfare state, for example, is constructed with the family in mind (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 27). It also relies largely on decentralised system of welfare provision that incorporate religious providers (Esping-Andersen 1990, p. 27). Even with the focus on the moral fabric of society, other factors must also come into play; The conservative welfare state benefits married couples over singles; what does this mean for the economic situation of single mothers? Such a welfare system needs to counterbalance the social fabric of society with it’s economic needs.
To Conclude
Theologically, the claims of Christian Voluntarism do not stand up; there is not set biblical principle about the state’s involvement in welfare provision. Economically, the Christian Voluntarists fail to appreciate the quantitative size of charitable provision needed to match the welfare state, nor do they deal with the structural issues facing the economy.
Fundamentally, I am not a Christian Socialist. I do not believe that the descriptions of Christian communities in Acts can be described as socialist – I may write another piece like this later on. I’m not coming from a liberal, modernist or progressive Christian perspective. Rather I’m annoyed that Conservative Christians have accepted the claims of liberal economies and tried to make a more liberalized welfare system based on a misguided claim about following the Bible.
[1] The specific defense provided by Johnson is explicitly voluntarist, in that it draws on voluntarism as a philosophy. It is also Pelagian and so should be rejected; “Any Christian who does not openly and vehemently denounce all forms of government welfare, cannot, in truth, call himself a Christian, for government welfare is the antithesis of Christian charity.” - this is clearly heresy.
[2] Indeed, the term only seems to appear in online Christian Forums. However, Academics do describe this idea as voluntarist, and it is a Christian defense of Voluntarism, so terming the idea “Christian Voluntarism” is apt.
[3] This was the approach of the founder of the St Vincent De Paul society, Frederic Ozanam. He was an economics lecturer and argued that charity was insufficient to change the situation – what was needed was a change to the relationship between workers and capital (Moody 1953, p 129).
Bibliography
General:
Green, E., 2017. The Voluntarism Fantasy, Democracy A Journal of Ideas, viewed 22 October 2022, https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/32/the-voluntarism-fantasy/
Konczal, M., 2014. Can Religious Charities Take the Place of the Welfare State?, The Atlantic, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/budget-religion/520605/
Schmalz, M., 2017. Taxing the rich to help the poor? Here’s what the Bible says, The conversation, viewed 3 June 3, 2023 https://theconversation.com/taxing-the-rich-to-help-the-poor-heres-what-the-bible-says-88627
Zeiger, H., 2014. The voluntarism fantasy?, Philanthropy Daily, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.philanthropydaily.com/the-voluntarism-fantasy/
Christian Voluntarism & Compassionate Conservatism:
Olasky, M N, 2008, The Tragedy of American Compassion, Crossway Books, https://archive.org/details/tragedyofamerica0000olas/mode/2up - Olasky provides a specifically Christian Argument.
Johnson, T L, 1970 May 9, “Christian Charity vs Government Welfare”, Human Events,
Accessible: https://fee.org/articles/christian-charity-vs-government-welfare/, https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/christian-charity-government-welfare/ - Johnson also provides a specifically Christian Argument.
Weed D, 1977, The Compassionate Touch, Carol Stream, https://archive.org/details/compassionatetou00wead/mode/2up - Weed provides a secular argument.
Argumentative Sources
Esping-Andersen, GJ, 1990, The Three Worlds of welfare Capitalism, Princeton University Press.
Hammack, DC, 1996, ‘The Tragedy of American Compassion’, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
Kuyper, A, 2021, On Business and Economics, Lexham Press.
Lee, F.N 1988, Biblical Private Property Versus Socialistic Common Property, EN Tech.J. 3, pp. 16-22, https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j03_1/j03_1_016-022.pdf
Moody, J, 1953, Church and society : Catholic social and political thought and movements, Arts Inc
Christian Apologetics on Economics
Got Questions, 2022, What is Christian Socialism?, Got Questions, viewed 22 October 2022,
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-socialism.html
Groothuis D, 2021, CHRISTIANITY AND SOCIALISM: WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN BELIEVE?, Focus on the Family, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/church/christianity-and-socialism/
Jeremiah D, 2022, What does the Bible say About Socialism, DavidJeremiah.Blog, viewed 22 October 2022, https://davidjeremiah.blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-socialism/#:~:text=While%20the%20Bible%20encourages%20generosity,according%20to%20His%20sovereign%20will.
Miller C, 2013a, 2 corinthians 8, communism as an economic system, A little Perspective, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.alittleperspective.com/2-corinthians-8-communism-as-an-economic-system-2/
Miller C, 2013b, 2 2 corinthians 9, giving cheerfully (communism, part two), A little Perspective, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.alittleperspective.com/2-corinthians-9-giving-cheerfully-communism-part-two/
Piper, J., 2015. How Should Christians Think About Socialism, Desiring God, viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-should-christians-think-about-socialism
Understanding 2012, 2nd Corinthians 8: Charity or Socialism? (Love or Compulsion?), Understanding, viewed 22 October 2022, https://cutpaste.typepad.com/understanding/2012/08/2nd-corinthians-8-charity-or-socialism-love-or-compulsion.html
Hughes G, 2018, Was Jesus a Socialist, When we Understand the Text, viewed 22 October 2022, https://wwutt.com/was-jesus-a-socialist/
TOW Project, 2011, Sharing the Wealth (2 Corinthians 8:13-15), viewed 22 October 2022, https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/2-corinthians/sharing-the-wealth-2-corinthians-813-15

The thing about this case that doesn't make sense is the motivation. When people commit murders, they usually have a reason why. Here's some examples of cases I've seen/read about online.
- Sheila Eddy killed her friend Skylar Neese because she didn't like her anymore. Rachel was part of the crime too, either she was standing with Sheila or helped with the stabbings. Can't remember. - Gypsy Rose killed her mom to escape her bad home life. - Anissa and Morgan killed Peyton (one of their friends) because they thought Slenderman was real and had to kill someone. - Lori Vallow killed her kids because of her crazy religion and believed that her kids were "zombies" (if I remember correctly).
As we know, BK isn't crazy religious, neither was he best buds with any of the students in the house. He isn't related to them either.
My mom has a theory that BK's motivation was that he probably had a crush on one of them (specifically Maddie or Kaylee) and knew they were out of his league. So, he decided to stalk and kill them. Which I find it strange, due to the fact he decided to kill most of the people in the house (except for maybe two of them). Unless somebody heard him, like Xana or Ethan, and BK decided to kill them too.
Anyways, what do you guys think?

Kita looks back to Raya who tosses her a bag. Snapping her out of the momentary daze that had overcome her. Inside the bag are some clothes Raya got from the raiders, as well as some coin.
"The weather will get strange to the East," Raya says.
Kita looks down to the strip below, noticing that no one has reacted to the shooting that just took place. No security or armed guards are on their way to investigate this massive crime scene.
"Why haven't we drawn any attention?" Kita asks.
"Shootouts between raiders are probably common. Most cities can barely afford to maintain their leadership, let alone armed guards,"
"Lucky us,"
"It won't be the same in the East. The city he spoke of is far wealthier than this one?"
"You've been there?"
"No. But I've heard they conduct trade in meats, medicines and vegetables. I'm not sure what their wealth may look like, but I'd presume it includes security,"
"I'll keep that in mind. Ready to go?"
"Go?" Raya asks, startled. "We're not ready yet,"
"Of course. Because we obviously need…"
"A tipi. Food and water, too. I'm surprised food isn't the first thing on your mind," Raya jests.
"Right!," Kita chuckles. "Are you doubting my love for a good meal?"
"I would lose that bet," Raya responds. "We'll buy enough to get us to the next city- It will take two or three nights for us to reach it,”
"I was thinking the exact same thing," Kita says, shrugging her shoulders.
They both make their way back to the strip, where they've bought themselves a two-person tipi that will keep them covered in case they run into the myst. The few bottles of water they bought cost more than the tipi, which surprised Kita considering everyone needs water. How could the poor people possibly afford this?
They walk amongst the passing bodies of the busy street, scouting for a store that sells food that would be good for travelling. The storefront Raya steps up towards is selling pastries, nuts and dried fruits- so boring. But it's travel food so it'll work best.
"How much for the creamy tomato soup?" Kita asks the chef.
"12 coin," He grunts, passing a glance between the both of them. "Should I ring you up for some of that too?" He asks Raya.
"Yes," Kita answers, glaring at Raya to agree.
"I'm askin' the responsible one," The chef dismisses Kita's answer.
"What are you trying to say, old man?" Kita grits her teeth, returning eye contact.
"We'll take two of the soups as well," Raya responds, placing more coin on the counter. "For travel," She adds.
"Understood, You can wait at one of the tables over there and I'll bring it all out for you," He points at the shared dining area.
"Much appreciated," Raya says.
"You better use love when you make it too," Kita scolds as the man walks away, ignoring her.
"Looking for love, sweetheart?" Says a seductive voice from over her shoulder. Kita turns to lock eye contact with a bright pink set of pupils. It's the tall, orange-haired girl with a white fringe. Her tight skirt hugs her curving body as she towers above Kita.
"Uhh…" Kita stammers, overwhelmed by her beauty as she recognizes it's the girl from before. The nerves are getting to her, and saying anything is proving to be more of a challenge than anything she's faced thus far.
"Smooth," Raya scoffs at Kita's response.
"Did the mission go as planned?" The petty lady says, leaning closer to Kita as she caresses Kita's arm.
"Y-yeah... I'm a hero now," Kita responds.
"Not mine, though," The lady frowns, placing a hand on Kita's.
"Well… I could be," Kita smiles. "Right now, even,"
"You're quick like that, are you?"
"When I need to be," Kita responds, "I often like to take my time,"
"You can take all the time you need, sweetheart"
"Does your, uhhh, friend still need saving too?"
"He does, he would be very disappointed if I didn't bring you back with me… To save him,"
"Then I better not disappoint," Kita responds, prompting the lady to take Kita's hand. "I'll be back," Kita says to Raya.
"Mhmm," She mumbles, "Don't take too long,"
Kita walks behind the tall lady, holding her hand as she watches her rear sway from left to right with each step. The high heels she's wearing make her legs and bottom look so firm. It's quite a seductive sight.
Kita takes one last look at Raya before she enters a tipi, behind the orange and white-haired lady, where she sees the man with the latex pants and stunning pecs.
He passes her a smile, "Welcome home, babe,"
•°•°•°•
The sun peaks over the hills, radiating heat across the barren land as Kita and Raya hike to the next city. Fully supplied with food, water and a change of clothing in the event the weather cools down.
Kita's going through a lot of lengths to get to this kid. She wasn't expecting him to have been taken to a whole different city but by this point, there is not much she can do besides follow the trails. There's not much else for her to do anyway. From everything that Raya has told her, she wouldn't stand a chance against the dark one right now. She needs a minimum of two hundred souls by the time she decides to do that. It's a bigger challenge than she's prepared to deal with right now.
"Will the myst pass over us?" Kita asks Raya.
"Not yet," Raya responds, pointing to the horizon on her right. "When it does it will come from the South,"
"How do you know that?"
"The stars. Depending on their alignment. The myst will generally travel from East to West, or North to South. But this can vary slightly,"
"I was told it also grows larger with each rotation," Kita adds.
"This is true, although not many are aware of it."
"How are you aware of it? Must be because of that fancy, royal education you got,"
"It is primarily from experience," Raya chuckles."But my fancy education did teach me a lot,"
"You can probably do large calculations and stuff with your mind, huh?"
"Something like that," Raya replies.
"Well then, you can manage our coin," Kita chuckles.
"That's a given. Unless we want all of our coin spent on an assortment of soups," Raya quips.
"That wouldn't be a bad use of coin," Kita answers, licking her lips. "A meat soup would be amazing,"
"And expensive," Raya adds.
"Coin is made to be spent, no?"
"On more than just food, Kita,"
"Sure. There were a few pretty men and women I wouldn't mind spending my coin on either,"
"Of course," Raya grunts, "And after the sex we can die of starvation,"
"Were all of your kind immune to having a good time?" Kita asks sarcastically.
"I'll have you know that our national celebrations were unrivalled. People would travel from distant regions to attend them,"
"Such a well-mannered princess could never participate in such antics,"
Raya chuckles, reflecting on her days of royalty with a smile prancing on her face. "Back then, I wasn't the most well-behaved Princess,"
"Oh? You were a rebellious heir?"
"I would often drink to the point of inebriation. Whether I was at a celebration, at the castle or even on the battlefield,"
"A drunkard princess. I'd love to see that," Kita laughs.
"I've reformed since then," Raya chuckles.
"Did Mother and Father approve of your behaviour?" Kita asks with her impression of Raya's posh voice.
"They did know... No one did. In my drunkenness, I would successfully win battles, entertain my family at the dinner table, socialize with my citizens, and spearhead the council on behalf of my Father,"
"All whilst alcohol was plaguing your body?" Kita asks, stunned that this polite, patient princess is a productive alcoholic.
"I presume you don't drink?" Raya chuckles.
"Ugh, no," Kita scoffs, "I prefer to alter my consciousness, rather than dull it,"
"The expectations everyone had for me were overwhelming." Raya says, scratching the back of her neck, "My family expected me to always be the shining example. Always smiling and strong. My soldiers expected me to be Brave… And ruthless in the face of any foe. And my people expected me to understand them and their needs. Despite how they would ebb and flow." She shrugs, "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't overwhelming… Dulling my mind was the only way I could cope with it all,"
"Are you drunk right now?" Kita squints in suspicion.
Raya laughs, "I no longer carry that burden. I only drink for leisure when it is available,"
"Way to dodge my question,"
"You'd know whether or not I was drunk. I'm much more susceptible to its effects these days,"
"No longer reliable in combat?" Kita asks.
"I still fight with skill… But I'm clumsy under the influence,"
"A drunken, warrior princess," Kita laughs, "There has to be a joke for this," She adds, rubbing her chin as she contemplates.
^{AUTHOR'S NOTES
Read ahead on RoyalRoad [https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/68702/soul-stealer-anti-hero-reincarnation-fantasy](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/68702/soul-stealer-anti-hero-reincarnation-fantasy})
^{Kita's thoughts - Post Chapter 13
"mmm, I needed that,"}

Thought it would be interesting to start a discussion on what people think are the pros and cons with the current Everton Squad. Not including the board because that's just one big con.
And after all what is Everton but balled up optimism and pessimism, bouching all over the place, leaving a mess wherever it's been.
So let's start with the Defence
Pro: When it comes to goals conceded, Everton were 13th, had we conceded 5 less we would have been 10th, putting us at average to just below average (it's depressing when that is a pro) although who knows how much of that was down to Pickford
Con: Losing both Mina and Coady. Not for their defensive contributions Mina barely played (and although he was influential in the last 4 games, he wasn't throughout the majority of the season) and Coady couldn't jump over a matchstick. But for their personalities in the dressing rooms both were massive characters.
Concern: All eggs in the Braithwaite basket, I really hope he does well when he comes back, we'll enough to be our starter, but he has come back from a weaker league, and if it doesn't work out, who is taking his place as it stands? Most likely Keane
Now onto the Midfield
Pro: arguably our strongest position with the most depth as well, Doucoure, Onana, Garner, Gana and Iwobi are on paper fairly solid for mid table but...
Con: Scoring goals, excluding Doucoure, the other 4 scored 3 goals over the course of the season. I'm not belittling them because of this, we have all known Gana isn't a goal scorers. But we need player who can chip in with a goal every now and then. Even Doucoure before the last 4 games only managed 2 goals. Had each of Iwobi, Gana, Onana and Garner scored just 2 goals each this season we would have finished with 5 extra goals.
Speaking of goals onto the forwards
Pro: Dwight Mcneil's resurgence under Sean Dyche. Not too much to say, bit apart from Pickford he was probably our best player under Dyche and finished with 7 goals, which for where we are right now, is good for a winger.
Con: Everything else, DCL not staying fit, lack of goals again, our 3 centre forwards combined with a massive 4 goals in the League last season. Let's be honest this is by far and away our weakest part of the field and the main reason (on the pitch) we were where we were.
Obviously there is much more to talk about (such as our lack of depth and injury conerns in the wing back positions) but this post is long enough already. So what are your opinions.

Introduction

I've been a part of this community for long enough that maybe 3 people recognize the color of my shave towels when I post on /wicked_edge (they're purple). In /wetshaving, I occasionally make dick jokes with mammothben.
As a result, I've spent about an hour ruminating on this post and how to make the Maggard Meetup as awkward as possible. These are my memes and mine alone. I have rejected several cash offers to not post these findings, and I will not be stopped.

Grievance #1: Ending the Base Race

Background

In the before-fore times, the meta for soapmaking that every soapmaker followed was to get a handful of main scents that they keep the same, and release small tweaks to their soap base every 6 months to render the community's collection obsolete and generate a buying spree where people now had to get their favorite scents in the "latest and greatest" soap base.
Many consider this era the golden age of wetshaving, and Barrister and Mann was an active contributor to the base race. White Label/Black Label base, Glissant base, Latha base, Reserve base, Soft Heart base, and Excelsior base all helped encourage wetshavers across the world buy Seville multiple times in the hopes for better slickness, improved cushion (which is totally a thing), and the ultimate post-shave feel.
Then everything changed when the Omniberries attacked.

Omnibus

On September 29, 2021, a nuclear salvo was unleashed from the halls of barristerandmann.com. Leviathan was released in the Omnibus base, and soapmakers around the world waved the white flag on the base race.
Declaration Grooming's Milksteak, Sus Artisan Accoutrement's CK-6, Boob-label & Evans' Kaizen K2. These mainstays of American soap bases have remained stagnant ever since. Omnibus effectively ended the base race across the entire market, and led to the community consensus becoming "chase scents, not bases."

Why This Matters

This alone isn't problematic, having a stable set of great bases to choose from and allowing premiere soapmakers to focus on releasing more interesting scents in smaller batches is good for the community, for the industry, and the world.
The problem arises when old, established brands like Tabac take the end of the base race as a signal from the market that they can cut costs by moving their soaps onto to inferior bases. I'm not saying that it's Will's fault that tallow Tabac is now unobtanium, but you could make the argument that it's Will's fault that tallow Tabac is now unobtanium.

The Solution

The best way the community can address this issue is to write daily letters to Maurer & Wirtz that they need to bring back the tallow base for Tabac, and buy out Maggad Razors' stock of 4.1/4.2 base Saponificio Varesino soaps so they can restock everything in the 4.3 base.

Grievance #2: Financial Abuse

Background

Every few years, the copyright expiration date on Mickey Mouse looms near and Disney lobbies the US government to extend the copyright expiration date so that Disney can maintain their stranglehold on The Mouse, despite their eager use of public domain IP like Sherlock Holmes and King Arthur. Is Will literally Big Soap? I'm not saying he is, I'm just asking questions.

Mousse de Saxe

Will has a whole blog post on how he came about his formulation of Mousse de Saxe, and while it's a very interesting story and his formulation of MdS has become catnip for wetshavers, it's also become something of a crutch in his soapmaking. MdS features in Beadelaire, Full Measure of Man, Lavanille, Le Grand Chypre, and most recently in Vespers.

Why This Matters

Although many of us in the community have no thrill anymore, MdS remains the inimitable constant source of thrill at all of /wetshaving cannot resist. L'appel du mousse is the compelling urge one feels to buy at least a sample (I just need a taste!) of Will's latest release featuring Mousse de Saxe. Will knows this fact about us. He knows it well. My sources tell me Will has bought several jetskis with the money he's earned from abusing this fact about us. And he can't keep getting away with it.

The Solution

Since the turn of the new millennium, sex strikes have proven effective in Colombia, The Phillippines, South Sudan, Togo, and elsewhere. By withholding that which their oppressors desire until behavior is changed, peace can be achieved. So to everyone at the Maggard Meetup, I call upon you to refrain from complimenting Will's scent-making until he releases Mousse de Saxe as a standalone dropper that can be added to soaps and aftershaves a la Declaration Grooming's menthol dropper. Si se puede!

Grievance #3: Olfactory Abuse

Background

It is at this point in the post that I must concede, Will is the superior meme-meister. This absolute madlad is at the gigabrain Dr. Manhattan level of the soapmaking world, except instead of moving to Mars he's decided to dead-ass fuck with us. Seville prints more money than the Nintendo Switch, he's got MdS for whenever he wants the cash to buy another jetski, and Omnibus ensures no other soapmaker will encroach on his soap base superiority. How do I know he's decided to stunt on our noses? Because of 2 scent notes.

Cilantro and Cum

Let's start with Cilantro. When the Four Horsemen series was announced, the wetshaving community was awash with curiosity and speculation about what each of the four horsemen would smell like. Would it be like how Noble Otter tackled the "Firefighter" theme without actually making a soap that smelled like a fire?
No. War would smell like an actual war crime. How does one scent a war crime? Apparently with Cilantro. I have it on good authority that Will devised the scent profile for War when eating tacos for taco tuesday and the topic of how cilantro tastes like soap to some people with a specific gene. "Well what would happen if I added an ingredient that tastes like soap to my actual soap?" and off he went. His friends and family didn't see him for days. The Cleveland Browns found a post-it note that had "Cilantro No Matter What" scribbled on it. And some time later, a scent that could curdle Wholly Kaw's Creme Fraiche base was brought to market. Will knew that we'd buy all 4 scents, get all matchy-matchy, and even dickhole the aftershaves. And then the SOTD's began. "My wife hates this," "my cat peed on the tub when I left it open to dry," "why has god forsaken me?" Guess who was laughing his ass off from Mars? Our very own Dr. Manhattan.
For those of us familiar with Pear Tree blossoms, they have a very particular scent. The kind of scent that makes guys inspect their pant leg and say "I'm fairly certain I didn't miss." The kind of scent that makes women think "Oh gross, honey I told you to change your underwear after last night." That's right, Pear Tree blossoms smell like cum. So when Will was considering what scent to re-release for Spring 2023, did he select fan favorite Paganini's Violin or the fruity fougere Passiflora? (Both of which he relased bath soaps for in February). No, he chose the cum soap. The soap that's supposed to remind you of the time you took a walk through Central Park and rounded a corner only to be accosted by a masturbating homeless man.
I tried to give Will the benefit of the doubt, and asked point blank "Is the pear blossom accord in Rhapsody going to be as, well... pear blossom-y as the original Rhapsody formulation?" to which he responded "Why would I change it?" He knew. He knew what he was doing when he originally released the soap, and he knew why I was asking if he had changed it in the re-release. Dr. Manhattan was laughing on Mars again.

Why This Matters

This matters because Will still hasn't re-released Roam and I need the matching aftershave in my life. There are only so many fresh tubs of Roam out there that j33pguy13 can source for me. Instead, Will chooses to re-release Rhapsody and put together what may go down in history as the most infamous multi-scent meme soap release in history with the Four Horsemen. This is a personal attack on my love for Roam and I will not stand for it.

The Solution

Will, re-release Roam and all is forgiven.

Grievance #4: Feet

Preface

I'm a heterosexual male, but that shouldn't matter when it comes to shaving products or labels. Yes, we drank beer. My friends and I. Boys and girls. Yes, we drank beer. I liked beer. Still like beer. We drank beer.

The Problem

Lavender, Interrupted has been to Will as At the Mountains of Madness has been to Guillermo Del Toro. Everyone wants to see it. Will wants to make it. But the creative ambition of the project makes the promised project almost un-makeable. Lavender, Interrupted had been long promised as an evolution of the lauded Lavanille scent, but faced delays and reformulations, and further delays.
And now, today, many of you will go to the Maggard Meetup anticipating getting a full bottle or sample of the long awaited fragrance. And I can't say I'm not jealous.
I'm really jealous.
But lets wind the clock back to Tuesday March 21, 2023 and remember the Deals/New Products thread from that day.
"Happy Tuesday!
Just wanted to drop in quickly to let you all know that the Q2 2023 Release Schedule is now posted on our blog and that it features a sneak peek at a mockup for Lavender, Interrupted packaging."
Will wanted us to see the packaging. Not a new blog post on how he put the final touches on the fragrance. Not a picture of the bottle it would be sold in. He wanted us to see the picture of sexy feet he put on the box. He postponed Lavender, Interrupted and strung us along just so that his feet pics could get maximum exposure with minimum heat. Are those Will's feet on the box of Lavender, Interrupted? Why does will want us to see pictures of his feet in thigh-high stockings? I'm not saying they are Will's feet on the packaging of Lavender, Interrupted. I'm just asking questions.

The Solution

Nothing really to be done about this other than be mad about discovering new about ourselves. Just accept that we're all going to love this fragrance and that the box with sexy feet on it will be in many wetshavers' dens, delighting Will that his feet pics are going to be all over the sub's mail call threads for years to come.

Conclusion

I'm not sure why you read this far. It's lot to take in, I know. I'm intentionally avoiding a few smaller topics of less import, like... Night Music having poo notes. I'm not going to critique Will/Barrister and Mann beyond that, because it's already been established that he's straight up fucking with us with some of these scents and I am 100% here for it.
I've been wracked with guilt holding onto this knowledge while wetshavers around the world continue to buy Will's wonderful products, but I realized the potential hilarity of pointing out Will's sexy feet pics the morning of the Maggard Meetup was too much to pass up. My intention is just to meme on everyone tangentially related to what I've posted here, and to get Roam a proper re-release. I will not source any of my claims, and I expect you to do your own research. Take my word for it.
After all of this though, I am convinced that Will is an absolute gigachad in the wetshaving world. Please join me in encouraging Will to re-release Roam.
TL;DR Does this sub even have mods anymore? Why is this post still up?

/collegebaseball General Discussion Thread - REGIONALS WEEK: Part III (2023)

— Rules

— Guidelines

— Get Team Flair

— Inline Flair List

— Line Score Template

Regionals Week Games

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon
29th	30th	31st	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th

Streaming Threads

— Saturday

2023 Postseason Top 25

Mean+Median 3-Poll Composite

Rank	Team	Conference	D1B	BWA	USAT	Prev.	Δ
1	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	ACC	1	1	1	1	—
2	Florida Gators	SEC	2	2	2	2	—
3	Vanderbilt Commodores	SEC	4	3	4	6	↑3
4	Arkansas Razorbacks	SEC	5	4	3	5	↑1
5	Clemson Tigers	ACC	3	6	5	8	↑3
6	LSU Tigers	SEC	7	5	6	4	↓2
7	Stanford Cardinal	Pac-12	6	7	6	3	↓4
8	Miami Hurricanes	ACC	8	8	10	10	↑2
9	Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	Sun Belt	9	9	8	7	↓2
10	Virginia Cavaliers	ACC	11	11	9	11	↑1
11	Campbell Fighting Camels	Big South	12	10	11	15	↑4
12	ECU Pirates	American	15	12	12	12	—
13	Connecticut Huskies	Big East	10	13	14	9	↓4
14	Oklahoma State Cowboys	Big 12	16	15	13	17	↑3
15	Dallas Baptist Patriots	C-USA	18	14	15	16	↑1
16	Southern Miss Golden Eagles	Sun Belt	13	17	19	21	↑5
17	Oregon State Beavers	Pac-12	14	21	17	13	↓4
18	Tennessee Volunteers	SEC	21	18	16	14	↓4
19	South Carolina Gamecocks	SEC	NR	16	18	19	—
20	Maryland Terrapins	Big Ten	19	19	25	25	↑5
21	Alabama Crimson Tide	SEC	22	20	23	NR	↑6
22	Indiana State Sycamores	MVC	23	23	20	NR	↑
23	Kentucky Wildcats	SEC	NR	22	21	23	—
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	Big 12	NR	25	22	18	↓6
25	Auburn Tigers	SEC	20	27	NR	NR	↑1
NR	Duke Blue Devils	ACC	NR	24	NR	24	↓2
NR	TCU Horned Frogs	Big 12	17	28	NR	NR	↑
NR	Oregon Ducks	Pac-12	24	26	NR	NR	↑
NR	Boston College Eagles	ACC	NR	29	24	20	↓9
NR	Texas A&M Aggies	SEC	25	30	NR	NR	↑

BA – Baseball America
D1B – D1Baseball
CBW – National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
USAT – USA Today

2023 Division 1 League Champions

Conference	Regular Season	Tournament
ACC	Wake Forest	Clemson
America East	Maine	Maine
American	ECU	Tulane
A-10	St. Joseph's	George Mason
ASUN	Lipscomb	Lipscomb
Big 12	Oklahoma State, Texas, & West Virginia	TCU
Big East	Connecticut	Xavier
Big South	Campbell	Campbell
Big Ten	Maryland	Maryland
Big West	UC San Diego*	ɴᴏɴᴇ
CAA	UNCW	UNCW
C-USA	Dallas Baptist	Charlotte
Horizon	Wright State	Wright State
Ivy League	Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
MAAC	Fairfield	Rider
MAC	Kent State	Ball State
Missouri Valley	Indiana State	Indiana State
Mountain West	San Diego State & San José State	San José State
NEC	Central Connecticut	Central Connecticut
Ohio Valley	Morehead State	Eastern Illinois
Pac-12	Stanford	Oregon
Patriot	Army	Army
SEC	Arkansas & Florida	Vanderbilt
SoCon	Samford	Samford
Southland	Nicholls	Nicholls
Summit	Oral Roberts	Oral Roberts
Sun Belt	Coastal Carolina	Southern Miss
SWAC	Alabama State	Florida A&M
WAC	Grand Canyon	Sam Houston
West Coast	Loyola Marymount	Santa Clara

*ineligible to receive automatic qualifier; Cal State Fullerton was rewarded the bid

TWBS Previous Next
-
--- Hr3101m973S’s perspective---
---Tuesday, 31st of October, 2682 Terran Calendar---
---Southwestern Scotland---
I ride the speeder at an altitude of 307m over the rural landscape.
I have 158 other bodies making similar deliveries across Britain right now, as well as 29 in Ireland and 11 in Doggerland. Though, none of them have quite as spectacular a view as this one does so, for the moment, this is the body whose sensory feed I’m paying the most attention to.
I see a large herd of mammoths walking at the edge of the Galloway Forest.
Though it has a better view, the news I’m carrying with this body is just as grim as all the rest.
In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing that I was such a spendthrift with regard to my fleet of courier bodies… If I hadn’t been, if I’d selected abilities that let them do much more than deliver things, they may well have been requisitioned for military use… which, I suppose, they were anyway… but there’s a big difference between delivering notices on Earth and fighting on some distant planet!
Still, if sacrificing my replaceable bodies would save even a single irreplaceable life, I would definitely have done it.
The city comes into view.
Calling it a ‘city’ may be a little generous… it only has 2,507,963 inhabitants.
That may have been a respectable city in the 22nd Century but, for context, nearby Dumfries has 7,491,509 and Glasgow has 24,339,192!
Stranraer occupies a rare middleground between the historic hamlets that are allowed to exist in the countryside and the megalopoleis where around 98.32% of people on Earth live.
I land in the northern part of the town and step off my speeder.
I get some raised eyebrows as I walk from the landing pad to the residential home.
I don’t blame them!
Before the War, every single one of my courier bodies had a full suit of elastomer over their entire body, to make them seem more lifelike… Now, though, that’s considered a luxury and, so, this particular unit is walking around with its metal endoskeleton bare, bar its uniform.
The effect can be a little offputting… though, in truth, it may also have to do with the news they’ve inferred me to be delivering to some unlucky soul.
I cross the wall into the garden and begin walking up the steps, through the mosslawn shrouded by pinus sylvestris trees, to the house on top of the little hillock.
It takes me 12 seconds to reach the door from the gate… I can’t rush, I need to give this girl her due respect.
I rap on the door 3 times and hear the knocks echo through the cavernous hall behind.
A man opens the door.
I begin, speaking in the most popular local dialect of Lallans Scots that I know to be this man’s primary speech register “Greetings, Mr Baird. I don’t know if you remember me but…”
“I remember you! I’m organic, not daft! You’ve been here enough times already…” interrupts the residential care manager, his demeanour gruff and no-nonsense “…Come in, Hermes… You can wait in the kitchen while I go get her.”
I step into the building, passing below the lowest of 5 balcony walkways into an open space with a skylight ceiling, allowing in the natural light.
I let the man lead the way to a large kitchen.
He pulls out a chair for me.
“Thank you, Sir, but I believe I ought to remain standing to make this delivery.” I respond, politely.
“Suit yourself…” he shrugs before walking off, presumably to fetch the girl he knows I’m here for.
I wait several minutes before he reappears.
The girl he has in tow is the perfect match of the file photo (though a few years older). She is average height, 178cm, and has an average build. Her skin is pale, her eyes are emerald green and her hair is long, absurdly voluminous, curly and vividly red.
She looks to be in fine physical health and is making no pretence of illness or injury, though she is scowling at me.
The grey bearded man shuts the door, leaving me alone with the girl.
“Could you tell me your name, please?” I ask, already knowing.
“Esme Reid.” she answers, truculently.
“And your date of birth, Ms Reid?”
“31st of October, 2664. Come to give me a birthday present, have you(?)” she says, folding her arms, pursing her lips and looking away to the kitchen counter by the window.
“Thank you…” I say, reaching into my bag to withdraw a letter and a large holopad with a stylus attached.
I hold the letter out to her and say “This is your conscription notice, Ms Reid. Please sign receipt of it here.” indicating the holo.
Her eyes flick from the paper to the screen before she drily answers “I don’t suppose, if I don’t take that or don’t sign for it, that’d mean I couldn’t be drafted, would it(?!)”
I shake my head and respond “I’m afraid that no such loophole exists, Ms Reid… If you have a conscientious objection to fighting, you could request a nonmilitary national service. However, you would be asked to provide some proof of your conscientiousness and…”
“I’m no bleeding heart…” she says, snatching the letter from my hand, irritably “…I’ll sign for my bloody death warrant!” scrawling her name on the pad.
Without looking at the pad, I check the signature she provided against the one on file and find it a close enough match to proceed.
“Thank you, Ms Reid. Please report to your local recruitment office in Stranraer within 14 days for your physical and psychological fitness assessments. They’ll then interview you regarding your preferences for training and deployment and they’ll try to take those into account when assigning them.
“Great(!) Maybe if I can convince my evaluator that I’m cracked enough in the head, I won’t get sent off to die like my mam and dad did(!)” she quips, sarcastically.
“I don’t think you’ll have much luck with that strategy, Ms Reid… Sol’s government have had quite the interest in weeding out malingerers these past few years… I would put the odds of success below 1%.” 0.75619902%, actually, but that’s too many decimals for most biologicals’ patience(!)
She frowns up at me and demands “I’m being such a brat about this… Why are you still being so friendly!?”
I laugh “Ms Reid, though I strongly encourage you not to express the same demeanour to your drill instructors as you are with me, you are far from the worst person I’ve delivered this news to in even the last half hour!… Right now, I’ve got a draftee in Leeds who’s explaining a hairbrained scheme involving unethically cloning a replacement to fight in his stead, I’ve got one in Bristol who’s trying to beat up my body but only really succeeding in hurting herself, I’ve got one in Edinburgh that’s run away in an attempt not to be served… by comparison, a bit of scowling and sarcasm is rather tame!”
“Huh!… Guess I’m not quite the bad girl Ms. Larch always told me I was, am I(!)”
“It seems you shall simply have to work harder(!) I believe there is a leather jacket emporium in Stranraer that still does business…”
She smiles and laughs for the first time that I’ve seen.
That’s the real reason I don’t get touchy about the attitudes expressed to me by draftees: It makes my job so much easier when I soften the blow with good manners and good humour.
As unfair as it is that so many choose to shoot the messenger, it’s understandable when you consider the messages I carry.
“Ms Reid…” I start, seriously but softly “…if you truly do not wish to fight, you know there are alternatives? You can discuss them with your recruitment officer but…”
“I got no special skills, Hermes… Nothing I can do that an AI couldn’t do faster and better… The Merchant Navy’s basically as dangerous as the Navy Navy, just less armed… the Humanitarian corps has a waiting list so long that the War’d be over (one way or another) long before they got to the point of considering me… I know where I’m going… no use in fighting it…”
“Alright, Ms Reid… I wish you the best…” I say, turning to leave.
Mr Baird shows me out of the house.
Rather than walking back to the landingpad, to retrieve my bike, I walk the other way.
My bag is still heavy with conscription notices… it only makes sense to deliver all the ones in this town first…
---Oskar’s Perspective---
---Southern Doggerland---
The evening sun plays off of the calm waves of the North Sea.
It should be raining on a day like this…
This gorgeous weather is slapping me in the face and telling me to be happy, to be content…
I know the weather does not care for the happenings of people… I know that, if it rained everywhere and every day there was a funeral, the whole world would flood… I know this… and still… I hate this contrast between my grim, internal misery and the tranquil sun drenched beach where I stand, this autumn day… There’s barely even any snow on the grass…
When this War started, I was fourteen and had two loving parents…
My Father was too old to serve, at 51…
At 37, my mother was not…
Yet, it’s not my mother’s funeral I am attending right now. That was two months ago.
No… the strongly built 55 year old man, dressed in a long white robe and clutching a Norse langsverð, despite having been a fishfarmer and not a warrior, is my father… Lars ‘Walker’ Taylor.
His eyes are closed and he lies within a wooden boat, around 80cm wide and 3m long.
This boat was never meant to touch the water… I bought it from a supplier in Bankland that specialises in funerary boats for Doggerland’s Forn Siðr community.
I already recited a poem… there’s nothing else for me to do until the singer begins.
I’m not listening to the Goði prattle on about Valhalla and Ragnarök… I’m just looking at my father’s face… oscillating between hating him for doing this to me and hating myself for doing this to him.
The sermon concludes and a blonde woman, like everyone else present, dressed in snow white funeral clothes, steps forward.
One of the three men behind her brings his bow to the three strings of his tagelharpa, another raises a flute carved out of a cow’s leg bone to his lips, the last begins banging out a slow beat on his drum.
The band would definitely be larger if so many of the Hof’s musicians hadn’t been called up to serve.
The men begin playing a mournful tune and the woman begins a wailing, melismatic melody, not in English, the first language of most here, not in my father’s native Frisian, not even in New Norse, the liturgical language of his faith…
She sings in a strain of Norwegian that was spoken centuries ago, when there were barely any Forn Siðr practitioners living.
mf♫ Eg songane søkte
Eg songane sende
Då den djupaste brunni
Gav meg dråpar så ramme
Av Valfaders pant♫mf
I have a final part to play in this ritual.
The Goði picks up the torch and lights it against a flaming brazier before beckoning to me.
I step forward from the small crowd.
In contrast to most, whose clothes are pristine white robes and tunics and such, I wear the same simple white suit that I wore two months ago.
I may be a nonbeliever but no one at my father’s Hof challenged the idea that I was the most fitting person to perform this last rite for him.
I take the torch from the man and walk to my father’s side.
I hesitate before I touch it to one of the mounds of high energy, smokeless fuel that surround his body… but only for a moment…
The flame quickly takes and, before the current verse of the song is even finished, the entire boat is engulfed in fire.
I toss the torch in and step back from the conflagration.
Minutes pass as I watch the inferno consume the entire pyre.
I barely notice the music stop.
I barely notice the crowd thinning as people leave.
I just watch as the man’s existence is wiped from the Earth.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do now, brother?” asks a voice from beside me.
Without looking at the Pagan cleric, I dully answer “I have.”
“And, what is that… if I may ask?”
“My birthday’s in January… I’ll be drafted… but I don’t have to wait… I’m going to go to the recruitment office and request an early start to my training… by the time it’s done, I’ll be 18 and they’ll be legally able to deploy me.”
“I… see… that’s certainly… an option… Have you thought about…?”
“I haven’t, Tormund. This is what I’m doing.” I state, still looking at the blaze.
“I see… I wish you well then, Oskar…” Tormund says, sincerely.
---
Support me on Patreon for to access the entire series, now.
---
TWBS Previous Next

Why does my drinking Bud Light offend you?
May 30, 2023 4:39 pm • Last Updated: May 30, 2023 4:41 pm
By Mike DiMauro
Day Assistant Sports Editor
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
News item: Anthony Bass, a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, shared a video Monday via Instagram endorsing an anti-LGBTQ boycott of brands such as Target and Bud Light.
​
"Here's the reason biblically why I believe Christians have gotta be boycotting Target, Bud Light, and any other corporation that's pushing the things they're pushing,” Bass said. “I think a lot of people make this into a political issue, or they say, 'Oh, what's the big deal?’
​
“This is evil, this is demonic, we won't stand for it, we're not going to go to the stores anymore and we're not going to give you our money.”
​
It would be impolite to wish that Mr. Bass, who throws a ball for a living, blows out his elbow. Perhaps then he could simply blow it out his tailpipe.
​
Because I’ve grown tired of sanctimonious and hypocritical moral outrage over what Target and Bud Light are “pushing,” while it’s permissible that Bass and his ilk get to “push” their beliefs on the rest of us.
​
Example: In the last two months or so, I’ve been questioned a half dozen times in public as to why I’m drinking Bud Light. Seems people like Bass have objected to Anheuser Busch’s marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Their boycott of Bud Light has led to a decrease in sales both locally and nationally. (Local bar and restaurant owners say Bud Light sales are down almost 30 percent.)
​
It is their right, of course, to boycott the product. I’m just curious as to why what I’m drinking is their business. I drink Bud Light because I like it. And I’m still drinking Bud Light because I will not marginalize people based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I’m respectful enough to support someone else’s desire to evolve into another gender. And I’m not stupid enough to believe that my decision to drink Bud Light changes who I am or what I stand for in any possible way.
​
But I wonder why it’s so important for people — and the questions to me haven’t all come from men — to announce their disdain for a bottle of beer, tacitly implying their sexuality is “normal.” Remember this one and write it down: If you are truly comfortable with who you are, you needn’t announce anything to anyone.
​
And yet to further illustrate how screwed up this country really is, there’s this: Anheuser-Busch hasn’t merely been accused of alienating its traditional customer base with the partnership, but some LGBTQ+ campaigners have also criticized the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.
​
Amid all the finger-pointing and fear-fanning, the truth hides in the corner, too scared to emerge. The truth is that we are supposed to think critically, weigh evidence from both sides and then make up our own minds. Instead, we’ve become a country hell bent on legislating whatever cause we think is right and just, while burying the other side from all consideration.
​
It’s political tribalism. All or nothing. One side or the other. If you’re not in agreement with every morsel of the transgender movement, you are a snarling, hating, infidel. If you’re not in total agreement with Anthony Bass and his beliefs, you’re going to wither in hell.
​
But what if — and hold on to your ascots here — two conflicting positions can still be true? Example: What if I support Bud Light’s decision to use a transgender influencer, but also believe that transgender high school athletes belong in their own division?
​
I disagree with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s policy complying with a state law that requires all high school students be treated according to their gender identity. We should consider a sports-centric law that acknowledges sports' unique challenges and accommodates the physical component for success that exists virtually nowhere else in society.
​
Sex discrimination in education, health care, housing and financial credit have no place in this country. But we must — must — realize and accept that sports require a physical component to succeed that calls for different guidelines.
​
Put it this way: Applying to a school or for health care, housing or financial credit requires no physical component to succeed. Sports require speed, strength and agility and do not fit under the same umbrella. And yet sports are routinely shoved into the same arguments about unfair treatment. Injustices get piled on for rhetorical usefulness, even though they're not applicable.
​
The male born composition has inherent physical advantages, rare exceptions noted. But in the aggregate, there are physiologic differences between biological males and females. I don’t believe writing that makes me transphobic. We should respect a person’s pronoun of choice. But that doesn't mean we have to blindly agree with claims that are not supported by science.
​
Yet that appears to be the new end game in this country. Blind agreement. Their side or yours. And here I sit, sipping my Bud Light, trying to figure out why so many of us act like the last three letters of Anthony Bass’ last name.
​
This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro
​
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
READER COMMENTS
Philip BroseJune 1, 2023 at 16:30Report
Robin great points the right can’t even keep track on who to be mad at. Why are they so sensitive? I here Chick-fil-a is evil now for they “ensuring equal access,” “valuing differences,” and “creating a culture of belonging,” under the title, “Committed to being Better at Together.” what monsters!
​
Philip BroseJune 1, 2023 at 16:27Report
William Peter the guidance councilor?
​
Joseph B De La CruzJune 1, 2023 at 15:15Report
This article pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about the situation. Bud Light basically sent someone a can with her image celebrating a milestone. The fact it turned the beer into enemy number one doesn’t surprise me considering the vitriol that has become commonplace in our country. I have had plenty of private messages regarding a video I posted supporting a beer, and more importantly a human being. Most have been vehemently against my support of both and relish the chance to send me a screen shot of Bud Lights stock on a daily basis with a “Go woke, Go broke” ending. I believe much of the vitriol comes from news and talk radio which is why Spotify now fills my vehicle with music instead of talk. I ask everyone to limit their news intake to 30 minutes per day regardless of your party affiliation to center your life. Sometimes my radio will land on a “news station”, and I can feel my blood pressure rise as the most divisive topic of the day is being discussed with a majority of the facts not being considered. I am not recommending folks to ignore what’s happening in our world, but would point out that our country has survived many decades without the need for “up to the second” news reports. Most of the things we worry about will never happen and it seems our country is living in a constant state of fear which is certainly to blame for the vitriol. There will never be a point where everyone in the country will collectively say we are all happy with everything, but I still have a deep believe that with constructive conversations and true empathy we can get us close. When I get my boat in the water I would love to have an ice cold Bud Light while listening to my relaxing boat playlist, and of course talking with my favorite sports writer. That’s an invitation Mike. Great article.
​
Robin DaudaJune 1, 2023 at 13:41Report
“Bud Light sales are down between 26% and 35% nationwide additionally Budweiser and other AB brands (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Natural Light to name a few) have also taken a hit of around 11%.”
​
All the more reason to explain what set this off. Completely unhinged.
​
“My take, buy Coors stock now”
And that statement reinforces my point since Coors has been a decades long supporter of LGBT rights probably the biggest supporter (it all began with a workegay alliance boycott ironically… or not)
“Coors Light has been a sponsor of The Center and Denver PrideFest for decades,” says Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax. “The work we have been able to do at The Center over the last four decades would not be possible without this support and we are grateful for it.”
Beyond supporting Denver PrideFest, Molson Coors has a distinguished history of supporting LGBTQ communities across the country, with significant support for organizations such as Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Matthew Shepard Foundation, National Amateur Gay Athletics Association of America, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, LGBT Victory Institute, Out & Equal, and One Colorado.
In addition to these partners, Molson Coors works with local LGBTQ organizations in key communities through its Tap Into Change program. Annually, the summer program donates more than $100,000 to these organizations with a consistent growth in impact each year. Events take place in each city to help raise additional funds, awareness, and support for the missions of these local organizations. Over the past 10 years, Tap Into Change has raised nearly $600,000 for local LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS nonprofits.
https://denverpride.org/coors-light-supports-the-lgbtq-community/
​
This is even though like 2006, 2010 and 2014 they had to go through boycotts for this. And they did shrink back in response, but also came right back and didn’t move backwards for long.
​
And what will I do?
Continue drinking Corona because I drink what I drink.
It’s damn near impossible to do a successful boycott long term. The web of corporate connections means when you think you’re hurting one, it’s actually benefitting another one connected to it.
The beverage brand that owns Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois, is suing US beer-maker Constellation Brands for using the Corona brand name in a hard seltzer, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
​
Beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) acquired Corona’s parent company, Grupo Modelo, in 2013, but US antitrust regulators required it to sell the company’s US-based business to Constellation. AB InBev retained rights to the products in other markets, and the deal gave Constellation the rights to produce Corona and other Modelo brands in the US.
​
William PeterJune 1, 2023 at 13:36Report
The virtue signalers didn’t like my harmless comment. I guess being offended by an opposing view is reason enough to silence someone in 2023
​
Richard GoldenJune 1, 2023 at 12:57Report
Robin- not certain this article nor all the comments will move the needle. Bud Light sales are down between 26% and 35% nationwide additionally Budweiser and other AB brands (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Natural Light to name a few) have also taken a hit of around 11%. Bud Light has been the best selling beer in the USA for over 20 years and the normal volume of sales is 27 million barrels a year or 1134 million gallons. A 30% drop equals a loss of 340 million gallons a year. My take, buy Coors stock now
​
Chris JawakaJune 1, 2023 at 10:12Report
People are allowed to drink or not drink whatever beer they want and for whatever reason they choose. End of story.
​
Robin DaudaJune 1, 2023 at 09:05Report
Do people realize that Bud Light sent a pack of specially made cans with the person’s face on it and did a minute long or so bit released on like TicTok? It wasn’t some big nationwide PR campaign yet it rubbed someone the wrong way (or so they would like us to think) and it snowballed into this.
​
I don’t ever want to hear about people calling “the libs” snowflakes or use their center liberal stances as a weakness. These champions of “conservatives” are gullible whiny babies.
​
I watched in real time a bunch of idiots blow something up out of nothing and then saw them flocking to the internet people with their influencer pages and podcasts and publications where immediately they were being hawked “anti-woke” beer and all these other wares, often made by the same places they are boycotting for double the price.
There is a whole market opening up to people that will only get their businesses off the ground (temporarily for a quick cash grab) by using these outrage tactics and capitalizing (literally) on impaired brains that as Mr. DiMauro correctly observed “Blind agreement. Their side or yours”
Bless your little void of empathy and common sense hearts. Don’t spend all your money in one place now, spread the wealth to these people selling you overpriced junk.
​
Paul LevasseurJune 1, 2023 at 07:47Report
Mike is discussing one of this election cycles right wing culture war hot spots.
If you can’t get elected because of your governing skills you’re going to have to try to get elected by getting people angry and hateful. The right wing loves doing that. It’s their bread and butter.
​
TOM DONNEEJune 1, 2023 at 06:46Report
Preaching hate and preaching tolerance ARE NOT the same Evan
​
DANIEL STORMSJune 1, 2023 at 05:56Report
I always liked this formulation: “In the first place, what makes it any of you business? And in the second place, my reasons for saying yea to [whatever it is that offends you] are at least as valid (and maybe more so) than yours for nay. And in the third place, what makes it any of your sodding business in the first place?” I agree wholeheartedly with your plea for reason and tolerance. Not to seem argumentative but rather to add information to the discussion, though, you might be interested in this blog post from a biologist about the supposed physiologic advantages a trans man or woman has over a cis athelete: https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2023/05/31/we-hunted-the-rabbit/
​
Evan AndriopolousJune 1, 2023 at 03:10Report
For me… Bud Light as a “beer” sucks. I would rather support local breweries that provide far better beers. As far as this column… as far as AB selecting this influencer in their campaign I have no opinion on it or that person. Up to each to decide for themselves.
​
Regarding this column actually Mike what you are writing is basically the same as the boycott and the changes in attitudes (political divide) of the country. Often used by politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle screaming to be open, defending one´s right to choose, freedom of speech etc.. and this is the most important part..”unless it does not validate their opinion or view”. This is exactly what you are writing. So if someone elects to boycott something and we know the WOKE police and Leftists enjoy not only condemning opposing viewpoints to the point of boycotting, attacking employers for the “views” of their employees etc… and demanding they be removed from the position their are in. So if someone boycotts something let them… I would ask you… why does it offend you that others are using their constitutional right by boycotting (freedom of speech). I always respect other´s opinions and even when we do not agree. Sadly we live in a world where people are afraid to speak up due to the potential ramifications. None of us will always agree and I know the powers to be are trying to “force” us to all be uniform in our opinions which is sad. And btw Bud Light is terrible anyway… How about you focus on sports.
​
Benoit BenoitMay 31, 2023 at 20:12Report
Ironic you drink because you like it but will continue to drink it because “ I will not marginalize people based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.” Not just because you like it.
​
William PeterMay 31, 2023 at 17:46Report
This comment has been removed for violating The Day’s commenting policy.
​
JAY DEMPSEYMay 31, 2023 at 16:53Report
TY Mike….. I drink Bud Light most all the time unless in Ireland…and support Levine Distributors in our area and my friends that work there. I think the cancel culture is terrible whatever your political party of choice is. Very sad that social media has done this to us. I have good friends that I can no longer talk politics with because of the “great divide” that enriches social media giants.
​
ROBERT WARNERMay 31, 2023 at 16:45Report
I suppose a similar question could be asked, “Why does a person wearing a MAGA hat bother some people?”
​
David NowakowskiMay 31, 2023 at 14:30Report
great column, Mike. I’d like to think there are far more folks who see this subject and all its nuances the way you do…but you are probably right again in saying that it is tough to go against your chosen tribe on any component, regardless of how you might actually feel. thanks again!
​
Andrew RogersonMay 31, 2023 at 13:33Report
Mike DiMauro – well said sir, on all counts.
​
Lynn YoungMay 31, 2023 at 13:28Report
Drink what you like. Be who you are. Live and let live.
​
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 12:36Report
Light Beer is like Sex on the Beach….****ing near water.
​
Paul NUNESMay 31, 2023 at 11:44Report
Does anyone remember the first light beer and the commercial featuring a slice of bread?
​
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 11:05Report
Richard, must have been some other brand light. Bud Light? It was probably 10 years ago. But he could have been messing with me.
​
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 10:17Report
Malcolm- The moral of the story is; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
​
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 10:16Report
Thomas- as far as I knew and as far as I can tell Guinness is the most popular beer in Ireland holding a full 25% of the market share. Bud Light does not even show up in the top ten (https://www.beer100.com/best-selling-beers-ireland/) I think the guy was pulling your leg. Bud Light only became available in Ireland in 2020.
​
Malcolm JulesMay 31, 2023 at 09:32Report
A corporation decided to target one of their products to a specific community and failed….end of story.
​
Margaret KliseMay 31, 2023 at 09:12Report
Agree/agree. Good article, Mike.
​
SUSAN HOTCHKISSMay 31, 2023 at 09:06Report
I always enjoy Mike’s opinion pieces. In total agreement about the transgender athlete issue.
​
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 09:00Report
Tom, hope all is well with your daughter.
​
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 08:57Report
A Bud Light story: Several years ago while in Ireland my son and I toured the Guinness brewery. Of course there’s a pub on the top floor and while getting a pint of Guinness the bar I notice several taps Bud Light. I asked the bartender “why in God’s name are you serving THAT stuff in here?” He replied that it’s the best selling beer in Ireland. Go figue!
​
THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 08:51Report
Good column Mike. These anti “woke” zealots claim to support democracy but would be no different from the Taliban if they had their way.
​
Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 08:42Report
All this talk of beer makes me thirsty…but I have found that drinking beer has become an unwelcome undertaking. No beer allowed at the beach, nor while night fishing in Waterford, nor surf fishing at Avery Point, nor at any state boat launch, nor is state parks- try walking down the street with a cold one….
​
Chris JawakaMay 31, 2023 at 08:08Report
IMO The left loves their cancel culture but gets all grumpy when the right does the same. Hey it can go both ways. That said I really don’t care about the Bud thing. Its not like they sold beer with its face on it.
​
Matther TookerMay 31, 2023 at 07:35Report
Thoughtful piece as always Mike. Perhaps the best offset for the 30% decrease in Bud Light sales would be a 30% increase in church attendance. I am betting that won’t happen. (Matt Tooker)
​
KEITH J. ROBBINSMay 31, 2023 at 06:11Report
You drinking Bud-Lite does not offend me, although it is a horrible beer. What is my concern is a guy using the ladies room that my nieces use!
​
TOM DONNEEMay 31, 2023 at 05:55Report
Agree Phil. Well done Mike!! Waiting for my daughter to come out of surgery. Then we’ll stop for a cold one, think I’ll make it a Bud Lite!!!
​
Philip BroseMay 30, 2023 at 16:59Report
Mr. DiMauro is always thoughtful and intelligent. The best writer at the day. Give the guy a raise.