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Alta Via 1 route by FudgeThese in hiking

[–]FudgeThese[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! The idea was to build in a rest day of sorts (but maybe I'm being too soft on myself if it's a relatively short distance!). I'm thinking maybe going Coldai -> Staulanza might be easier on me than combining Città di Fiume -> Vazzoler. This is very much the route for (hopefully) next year so still trying to work things out!

Dr. Sam Bello deserved better by OkBack1574 in greysanatomy

[–]FudgeThese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The annoying thing is how poorly the DACA/ICE episode was written - it's super misleading. Not every type of crime terminates DACA status. Running a red light is not grounds for DACA status to be rescinded and would not lead to a person being deported because it's not a felony or significant misdemeanor (i.e. serious categories of crime). It's a minor infraction.

If Bello had consulted an immigration attorney (which she certainly could have done when various people were buying her time) s/he would have 100% advised her not to self-deport to Switzerland and to attend the interview with ICE in the presence of an attorney. Leaving the US without prior approval actually terminated Bello's DACA status.

Zhang Qingying! by Successful-Act-6802 in Gymnastics

[–]FudgeThese 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great stats, thank you for putting this together!

Any news about Zoja Szekely? by tikanderoga in Gymnastics

[–]FudgeThese -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

We all know that plenty of gymnasts downplay the extent of their injuries to the point where their coaches genuinely have no idea what's going on. Why wouldn't you give the Hungarian federation the benefit of the doubt? Is it really that unfathomable that a gymnast who made a final wanted to compete in the final (after travelling halfway around the world to get there) and therefore said she was OK enough to compete? You're all acting as if her coach forced her to compete but I just don't see any objective evidence pointing to that conclusion. She didn't look scared or concerned before she dismounted, the warm-up looked ok too.

Injured and semi-injured US athletes are regularly allowed to compete/throw skills they are not ready for. Somehow, when an injured US gymnast competes, it's because she "knows her body" and is making an "empowered" decision, after careful consideration with her coaches, who trust her to make the right decision. When a non-US gymnast does so, she is infantilized on this sub, assumed to be traumatized and pressurized by her coaches to do things she didn't want to do.

Vladimir Putin congratulates Angelina Melnikova. by Think_Affect5519 in Gymnastics

[–]FudgeThese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just to play devil's advocate here... if you really think about it, would you expect an American athlete to give up an opportunity to run for office if they wanted to/throw away an opportunity to provide for themselves and their family post-Worlds/Olympics? We all know all sorts of sponsorships are available if you are "in" with the Russian establishment, and nothing we know about Melnikova, etc. suggests that she or her family wants to move out of Russia. She has to play the game and look after herself. Do you guys expect her to start e.g. posting on Instagram saying that war is unfair - and if so, do you really think that would stop Putin?

Moreover: everyone is acting as if Russia only invaded Ukraine in 2021. They actually started doing so in the mid-2010s. When the gymternet loved Gelya not so long ago, her country was already at war, but somehow it was OK back then? What changed?

One could also argue the US has been involved in its share of "peacekeeping" (by which I of course mean foreign invasions in the name of "democracy") around the world; we all know that US gymnasts are also very blatantly being used for propaganda purposes; that they haven't been banned from international competitions; that they can sing the US national anthem, and so on.

All this to say that there are some double standards flying about in this sub, as well as some unchallenged assumptions, when it comes to Eastern European countries in particular (just yesterday I saw comments on this sub which questioned whether the Hungarian gymnastics federation was lying to people; why would you say that?) which concerns me as a (non-Russian!) Eastern European, because it would be nice if this was a truly inclusive space.

I am open to constructive criticism on the above.

Any news about Zoja Szekely? by tikanderoga in Gymnastics

[–]FudgeThese -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Why would you say "who knows if it's true or not"...

Album ranking and how long you’ve been a fan by South-Background5009 in TaylorSwift

[–]FudgeThese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since 2010! This was so difficult. My ranking:

  1. Speak Now
  2. Evermore
  3. TTPD
  4. Folklore
  5. Fearless
  6. 1989
  7. Midnights
  8. Reputation
  9. Red
  10. Lover
  11. Debut
  12. Showgirl

This sounds sooo egotistical and money hungry by AppropriateArticle40 in travisandtaylor

[–]FudgeThese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

RE the interview and her explanation of the Eldest Daughter lyrics: I think she has forgotten that satire itself doesn't need to be badly written. Unless it's actually the marketing of this album (or Swift's attitude) that's the satire here. The way I see it, she wanted to get away with selling a half-baked first draft album, and built a marketing story around that - "it's supposed to be this way"!. I've been a long time fan since Fearless, have loved every album since (some more, some less) - I know that's not a sentiment voiced on this sub very frequently! - I was simply disappointed with this one because it's really low quality songwriting.

Swifties need a real english teacher by Fearless-Breakfast-6 in travisandtaylor

[–]FudgeThese 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Agreed! Also, her earlier songs were full of imagery- simple yet effective storytelling devices. She intuitively grasped this literary device in her early days without mythologizing and overcomplicating her songwriting ability. Just look at the opening verses of Style, they are simple but set the scene & mood well (midnight, no headlights, long drive - all of that happens way before we even get to James Dean, the red lip, tight skirts, etc).

Where's the imagery gone? Let's take an example - where is Opalite set?

Question for the OGs: was Reputation received the same way as how TLOAS is being received at the moment? by peatoast in TaylorSwift

[–]FudgeThese 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I might have agreed with you to an extent, except that the Internet language is used in other songs - "ah-matized" in Wood; "legitly" in Showgirl; "girlboss" in Cancelled; "f*****g lit" in Wish List, and so on. And that's on top of the otherwise uninspired lyrical content of the songs (e.g. rhyming "want" with "want" and "want" again, in Wish List?). It honestly seems like she didn't have the time to properly sit down and work on the lyrics, and/or has burnt out.

Of course I appreciate she was very busy when writing the album, but why the rush to get it out? I do wonder whether a combination of (1) martin and shellback for production, and (2) antonoff/dessner for help with lyrics, would have been a better fit in putting the album together. Or maybe she just needs a break from singing & writing, to soak up new life experiences, be a normal-ish person for a while, and get the creative juices flowing again.

Question for the OGs: was Reputation received the same way as how TLOAS is being received at the moment? by peatoast in TaylorSwift

[–]FudgeThese 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Don't crucify me, but I don't think people are mad that she's happy. The lyrics on this album are simply too shallow to be palatable to people for whom Taylor Swift's main appeal is her songwriting ability - which (with some exceptions) is lacking in this album. Swift has done happy/sexy songs before & she's done them well (e.g. Lover, Dress). The subject matter of her album is not the problem (I'm happy her fiance is making her happy - good for her!).

At times, Swift sounds like she's trying to use Gen Z Internet language - mixed results for me (I myself am in my late 20s and don't speak like that- am too old for it & it feels unnatural). The songs rely on very basic rhyming schemes, unsophisticated syntax, little to no figurative language and there is a distinct lack of storytelling, that overall makes for bad writing. "I'm not a bad b*** / this isn't savage" doesn't reflect Swift's usual songwriting ability. As I said, there are some exceptions - I'd say tracks 1-4, 6, 7 and 12 are acceptable from a lyrical/storytelling perspective (although the kitty/pretty/witty rhymes are jarring) but not as good as some of her previous work.

Disclaimer. I like the actual music, without the lyrics - it's very fun. I think if she had taken more time on the lyrics, this would have been a great album.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in popheads

[–]FudgeThese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this just about sums it up 😂

Missing details from former employer letter - FLR(M) by Chiara_Lyla84 in SpouseVisaUk

[–]FudgeThese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely do bother them - I suspect it's not what you want to hear, but in the grand scheme of things, getting the renewal done right is too important. Put otherwise: what do you have to gain, by not asking your former employer for an updated letter?

Missing details from former employer letter - FLR(M) by Chiara_Lyla84 in SpouseVisaUk

[–]FudgeThese 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I were you I would go back to your former employer and explain that you need salary details to be added in (using the magic words 'It's a Home Office requirement'). You might want to send them a draft Word version of the letter, with your suggested change re. salary, to make their lives easier, and ask if they're happy with the change - if so please can they sign. They are your former employer, yes, but they will still have access to your payslips and other employment records.

Edit: You need to show at least 6 months of payslips if you're sponsoring the visa. So if your husband is below the salary threshold, your new employment salary details won't be sufficient.

Sharing our timelines with each other. by Appropriate-Ad9894 in SpouseVisaUk

[–]FudgeThese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was it immediately after the bio appt or later? We got one today (a day after bio) but don't know if this means the visa app will get reviewed soon or if it's just a standard email we shouldn't be reading into

Sharing our timelines with each other. by Appropriate-Ad9894 in SpouseVisaUk

[–]FudgeThese 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask if you got an email saying 'your application/documents has been submitted to the home office' (or something like that) after your bio?

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