Just leave them be (definitely don’t get closer when you see one) and proceed on the trail (assuming they’re not obstructing it). Obviously be a little more defensive if you see cubs as mother bears are more protective.

If you suddenly find yourself right next to one, stand tall, arms out, booming noise is usually enough for them to scurry off a bit. But you should make tracks as soon as they go away.

I personally don’t carry bear spray but can understand why it’d be useful if you’re dealing with the rare, super aggressive bear.

I agree with you but you’re wasting your breath. Most people see their vote as promised to the blue party rather than something that needs to be earned. Also they think they can vote themselves to a better world and to a more secure democracy. Politics can’t do that, and they’re uncomfortable with the idea of taking further steps (not falling in line step with party, disruptive actions, etcetera).

Or it gives an excuse to finally do some real damage to the GOP

I do not plan to vote for Biden in November, especially after seeing what happened in Rafah. But I want to y’all to consider a couple of things instead of just absentmindedly responding “you’re a privileged troll who doesn’t give a fuck”.

1.) I’m still planning to vote Democrat for other legislative elections.

2.) many of the my peers (yes, this is merely anecdotal, nevertheless…..) who’ve encouraged not voting for Biden have been non-white, queer, or Palestinian, the same groups yall seem so concerned about. Do you what’s better for them then they do?

3.) Besides just losing support for Palestine, it’s worth considering that Biden has many other things that make him look weak, such as the continuing impact of inflation, the failure of his larger loan forgiveness promises, his age (yes trump is also old but Biden looks frail as hell), and the fact that he can’t even get a client state (Israel) to ease up even a little bit in the current conflict (I count this as separate from the moral scrutiny he’s under and moreso a critique of his foreign policy statesmanship.

4.) a line for bullshit and basic expectations has to be drawn somewhere, and this is my line. I voted for Hilary even though I voted for Bernie in the primaries. I voted for Biden even though I voted for Bernie in the primaries. But this? If Biden is the best the Democrats can aspire to and so many are willing to accept that like whelped dogs, then we deserve to lose. This is just horse shit.

As I’ve learned, your percent correct of UWorld isn’t as important as making sure you learn from the question. A higher percentage means you likely just have a stronger foundation but there’s still plenty to learn.

Personally, I’d wait to sit for it till at least October. Seems like maybe you need to do a decent amount of content Review. I gradually increased my UWorld questions per day, starting at 10-15 q’s per day 6 months out to 80 q’s the week before.

Obviously a complete pass is ideal (with a further pass of incorrect being the cherry on top), but don’t just strive to complete it for completeness sake. LEARN from it.

I want you to (figuratively) look me in my eyes and tell me you genuinely believe that Gaza can be completely cleansed of Hamas'/Iranian influence and the infrastructure restored (universities, hospitals, heritage sites, etcetera.) given the operations being undertaken.

As an American who heard those lines from leadership during the invasion of Afghanistan/Iraq War, I'm fairly confident it's a crock of shit, a lie of "aspirant intentions" and "a golden future" that's sold to keep the masses happy and the war machine going, with no real progress ever made.

Michigan is pretty similar. Lansing is the capital but the outsized influence is coming from the Metro Detroit Area (as well as GR and maybe TC)

Same here. My friend and I will be out there 31-3rd and this just makes things more complicated.

Anyone know why they closed it so suddenly? I don’t see anything on the .gov website

Anyone know of options for evening of the 1st?

Lord Bridgerton would've loved epi-pens lolz

Yeah, that's pretty clear cut.

I don't necessarily think it'll help Biden too much, though. As the article states, it's definitely going to elicit more positive recognition from younger voters (as well as more left-leaning Dem's), so it might move the meter a tiny bit. However, I think this is limited by two things:

1.) Rescheduling, while certainly an improvement (at least in my eyes), is kind of a half-measure for what a significant majority of the population wants/permits, which is full legality for recreational use (w/ regulation of course). Marijuana legalization is a fairly popular policy position on both sides of the spectrum, so only making incremental improvements when there's popular & political will for bigger change will probably elicit some disappointment as well.

2.) Younger voters are one of Biden's weakest voting blocs right now, one that I don't necessarily see changing unless his response to the situation in Gaza changes (as well as to the college protests). He can make inroads with them on this particular issue (albeit probably small) but it doesn't really matter if nothing changes foreign policy wise.

To be clear I don't necessarily disagree with the other points you raised!

Genuinely interested as to what makes you think Marijuana rescheduling is likely (let’s say slightly over 50%) by November?

The protests alone? No, it won’t move the needle very much. If anything, I could it see pushing some people towards the right/conservatism who think we need “more law and order”.

That being said, it’s bringing continued attention/salience to an event that many people already had opinions on and it’s likely to further strengthen those positions, or at least make them more durable.

What do I mean by that? If you’re someone who is particularly affected by what’s happening in Gaza/Israel this will likely remind you that, you know, it’s still happening and, whatever way you might’ve said/thought it would influence your vote in November, well now it’s more likely to actually do that.

There’s already disaffected voting blocs who are pretty dissatisfied with Biden’s handling of the conflict (think Michigan, Gen Z/Millenials, Arab/Persian-Americans), this just throws wood on a fire that was already 🔥 

Cid still hasn't received the karma she deserves for her bullshit.

I would say political affiliation will generally be a better variable to look at when coming considering what is/has/should happen.

Now, raised as a catholic (agnostic now) and somewhat aware of what goes on, I’d say a majority of “Western Catholics” (I.e American/European) likely support Israel simply because Western Catholics tend to be (by no means exclusively though) conservative, and that kind of thinking is predisposed to see Israel as our steadfast regional ally that’s promoting democracy and western values in the ME (obviously this is highly up for debate).

Now Catholics in the “developing world”, on the other hand, are a far different story. I think there’s a bit more of a left-of-center thought in this population as it relates to economics/government (certainly not social issues though). And as many of these countries have been the victims of colonialism and western intervention, I think they’re more likely to be sympathetic to the Palestinian people.

From a “official church” standpoint, Francis has urged a ceasefire and peace, but The Church usually never gets involved in real politics (except anti-communism/capitalist-critical commentary) so likely pushing for quiet status quo.

Ultimately, I don’t think the Catholic Church or average catholic has an official “religious position” on Israel/Palestine/Jerusalem/Nazareth/etcetera, at least since the failure of the Crusades. I think the political/geographical positions within the catholic community mean more.

What I love about this response is that it's basically saying:
- "Good on Israel for committing mass murder instead of genocide"
- "Highly disproportionate responses to violence are justified because that's how it goes"
- "Israel has a right to respond to attacks and infringements upon its people and identity but Palestinians do not have the same right because.....I like Israel"
- "I want violence.....I CRAVE violence.....if the U.S is attacked I really want to nuke the aggressor, blowback be damned"
- "All of this started on 10/7 - idgaf how many palestinians were killed by Israel before this, nor the effects of the occupation of the daily lives of Palestinians"

How many rockets shot by Hamas have injured/killed Israelis?

How many rockets shot by Israel have injured/killed Palestinians?

"Hamas just needs to release the hostages"
"These have actually been very tactical strikes"
"Israel is allowed to defend itself"
"We need to show we won't be bullied by Iran"
"It's unfortunate but that's war for you"
"Israel wouldn't have to actually mass murder innocents if Hamas stopped hypothetically doing it"

Did I get all the excuses for this senseless carnage out of the way?

Welp, now I need to give this a spin.

My interest in Protomartyr releases has waned over time (I've never listened to the latest album tbh), but there was a time where they were one of my favorite bands around (native Michigander). This album is probably my second favorite and I think a lot of it is simply informed by the fact that I got into it around my sophomore/junior year of undergrad (when a lot of ones music taste tends to be impressionable and expanding). Probably one of their hookiest albums.

I've always found their subsequent album (The Agent Intellect) to be my overall favorite, as it was a kind of sweet spot between their scuzzy, garage rock sound from this album (and their debut) and the talky post-punk that's come to dominate their sound. But this album represented a key moment in the band listener base growing - I even remember a song or two from this album appearing on internet commercials. When the "indie rock industry" was flush with money and your favorite local band could shoot to "national consciousness" in a couple of months, so to speak. Suffice to say: Solid Band, Great Album, Good Times. Long

Live the Memory of the "Relatives in Descent" Detroit Boat Release Party!!!

Current Medical student at CMU (not currently in Mt Pleasant though). Feel free to DM me if you want my detailed perspective!

I remember when CP0 was first introduced this arc, people were speculating whether Lucci would end up betraying the WG because he was asking questions about why they were terminating Vegapunk and Kaku basically told him it's best not to ask questions.

He's been a government dog since that time (I count his team-up with the Strawhat's against the Seraphim as purely pragmatic) and he's generally cold af, but this moment was in such contrast to his general character that Oda had to highlight it for a reason.

Kaku was the one who told him not to question the government's actions or he'd get in trouble. It'd be fitting if his death by the Gorosei, in spite of his loyalty, was the catalyst for Lucci to rebel in some way. I'm not necessarily saying he'll be "redeemed", but I think he could play a role in aiding the straw-hats somehow.

Need some help interpreting a part of the Zoro/Lucci fight:

How did Zoro's sword return to him after he lost a hold of it? It almost looks like someone/something threw it back to him, and his puzzled "hrm?" makes me think he wasn't responsible for it coming back. Did someone we know throw it back? Or is it a character we may meet in the next couple of chapters?

A couple things worth considering:

• Muslim Americans are not a monolith, they are a population of people who can have diverse viewpoints. Not all immigrants to the U.S support relaxed immigration policy ("I got here legally" sort of mentality). In fact, I believe there's been a noted increase in Republican support among the Hispanic community. Will a Trump presidency benefit them? I doubt it, but for some reason we're not discussing them.

• Threats are powerful and there was a time where votes were earned, not promised. If the Democrat Party sensed a weak resolve in those who voted uncommitted in the primaries (i.e they'll quickly convert to blue votes in November), they wouldn't give a damn. You basically have two groups who are bluffing until the final cards are dealt, and "good strategy" would suggest taking it as far as one can go to get the capitulation they want. In this case, all the way to election day. What happens on that day - well that's a whole other argument to be considered.

• Some people aren't motivated by vague ideas like "we'll lose our democracy" (which is a very unlikely outcome in my mind but open to discussion), "the economy is doing better", or "he passed infrastructure bills" that don't directly affect them. but when they see people they know or who look like them being treated so barbarically in Gaza without the U.S imposing some limits on the Israeli government (which yes, they can do - for example, stop selling arms to them), and despite a fairly strong international condemnation, why should they vote for Biden? Dude was casually answering questions on Seth Meyers in an ice cream shop. What horrible optics.

• There's also larger concerns that transcend the issues in the Middle East, like Joe Biden's age (yes, it's a legitimate concern).

I'll probably go there again when I'm in the area. Places near TC I've enjoyed and would return to again are Farm Club, Fresh Coast, and a recent discovery is Loco Boys, which is probably my favorite at the moment.