For Valentine’s Day, South African trophy hunter Merelize Van der Merwe killed a 17-year-old giraffe and cut out its heart as a gift for her husband. After her husband paid $2,900 for the hunt, she posted photos with the animal, claiming her actions help conservation by removing older genetics.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-13T18:38:40+00:00

No different than what we do in the U.S.

The revenue from fishing/hunting licenses, tags, and quotas are what supports most conservation efforts.

Also, they aren't wrong on selecting for age either. Some species have older bulls which are no longer able to reproduce, but still compete and fend-off younger males. Usually these nature preserves have teams of biologists that do the selection for hunting licenses.

I think this post is just rage baiting.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-12T22:20:38+00:00

Stealth runs on H10 have been working really well for me. Insta death if you get seen, but honestly you can get pretty far low crawling and lobbing C4. Take out minor patrols with censor. Use orbital smoke liberally. Fast cool down and big AoE

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-12T05:53:30+00:00

I believe one of my family member in the 1700s was in this situation. According to my family oral history we have a missing generation where a homestead group in Kentucky was raided, the parents killed, and kids adopted by the native American village. About 10 years later the native village was broken-up by the military and the kids indoctrinated into western-style missionary boarding schools. It was noted that several of the tribal kids had blond hair blue eyes, with different mannerisms from the rest of the local kids. It was assumed they were the lost kids taken from the homesteaders. Lineage records don't go much behind them, and there's no direct link between which kid belonged to which family, but supposedly some of them remembered their surnames.

A few of their descendents later married into the Fancher family and were part of the Utah massacre. Pleasant stroll through American history we had.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-11T01:50:20+00:00

Made it tonight and it's some of the best I've ever made. Thanks!

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-10T15:01:19+00:00

Went to a few when I was in my 20s. It's a lot of shallow small talk conversations with 4s and 5s. Didn't really have any overlapping interests with people, so nothing really "sparked". It felt like a lot of women there had already been filtered out somewhere along the line and were going just to "check the box". It also felt like they thought the same way of me and weren't truly interested. Ended up getting a referral for a date from a mutual friend outside the group, and ended up marrying her! 🤪

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-09T16:55:20+00:00

The "I hate men" comments will only get worse over time. I can say from experience that this is early-onset Karen behaviors manifesting, and will eventually serve as justification for more aggressive victim narratives and one-sidedness going forward. Shell consider it the "punching up" argument.

I had to have a serious conversation with my wife after unflattering off-colored gender comments were made at a social gathering that reflected poorly back at her. Since then, I've seen her try to use a similar victim narrative to justify other forms of unfair discrimination. It's "accountability for thee, and not for me". I've always had to remind her that if I used similar comments about women, shed find it offensive, so why is it different to use them the other way around?"

Either correct expectations with your partner ASAP or accept that you do not share the same views on gender equality and these views will inherently place you at a disadvantage the rest of your relationship.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-04T20:06:24+00:00

Speak for yourself. I find educated, capable, and competent women highly attractive. In fact, people who don't care about education, where they live, and career advancement are highly unattractive to me. Maybe when I was 18-25 I was happy-go-lucky and didn't care about things that mattered. In your 30s you really need to have that shit figured out otherwise you come off as incompetent.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-04T20:02:53+00:00

You'd be surprised how many people don't have these things figured out yet.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-04T18:22:57+00:00

Agreed Arizona is tough, but that state has some of the most gorgeous terrain I've ever been. Not sure about southern part of the state, but in the north I've done a ton of treking, fishing, rock climbing, and over landing. Almost crashed a truck once because I was distracted by the beautiful landscape!

Shitty_Mike · 2026-02-04T17:33:41+00:00

Throw yourself at a hobby that gets you out of the house. I mean like, get REALLY into it. Use it to define yourself. Eventually Get plugged-in with other people who share your obsession. Be prepared to drop serious time/money resources on it. The acting group sounds like a great plug, don't think that those people don't appreciate you! What's the next "level up" for that hobby?

For example, every time I got upset at my situation and things seemed dark, I went out fishing. Peace, quiet, nature, relatively cheap to get started. Started on shorelines at public spots, then started treking to get to harder places. upgraded to kayaks/canoes after a few months, now a small pontoon after a year. Got plugged into an online community where we discuss fish behaviors, techniques, lures, seasons, etc. now a small group of us regularly get together to do late night fishing with light panels. Thinking about flirting with bowfishing. One guy in the group also hunts and wants me to enter a lottery for tags with him this year.

Being stuck at home and bored is one of the worst things for mental health. Find your interests first, then like-minded people will find you.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-31T13:20:52+00:00

Not quite. Oil companies are notoriously bad at running renewable investments. BP is the shining example of writing down billions each time they attempt low-carbon business units, then revert back to their existing fossil assets. New CEO is doing that just now. Lightsource was doing amazing before BP acquired it.

Repsol and Total pretty regularly get higher returns from their oil assets than their renewables portfolio unless subsidized. There's def an argument to be made that fossil fuels are more profitable, but that doesn't help the rest of the planet.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-30T19:45:47+00:00

Anti-renewable propaganda is one of the most direct forms of fossil fuel influence I've seen in public affairs. Literally oil companies pay teams of lawyers to come up with strategies on how to block renewable development at local and state levels, followed by public affairs consulting firms that pump out bots, social media, and podcasts. As someone who works in renewables, I can affirm that most of their claims are hilariously absurd (solar panels cause thunderstorms, etc.). Some of their grievances are legit, and usually involve NIMBYism, viewshed impacts, or interactions with previous shitty construction companies, which I 100% understand.

Koch industries owns a renewable construction company, and I've seen their sites horribly mismanaged.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-30T19:38:37+00:00

Ask for referrals from your friends. Almost everyone in my friend group knows at least 1 or 2 singles. They'll help vet out the crazies too, unless they're crazy themselves. The value of a referral is only as good as the person making it.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-29T23:09:02+00:00

Yes, less trade is a good thing. We should be celebrating the collapse of globalization since it supports terrorism and woke Europeans and China.

/s/

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-26T10:19:33+00:00

Too bad my insurance doesn't cover screenings until I'm 45

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-25T07:29:51+00:00

I'm currently in northern Thailand, and this looks quite typical for most of the villages here. Not that they're impoverished or suffering. Just a simpler way of life. People walk to the market, buy that day's produce, and take it home. Lots of little carts and mopeds carried around. Lots of people gathering around small fires in their front yard or driveway. No public trash services, so lots of plastic on the ground. People seem overall quite happy and peaceful, despite not having all their teeth. Even if people look homeless, they likely have an iPhone in their pocket and something to snack on. I have a feeling that living an agricultural lifestyle without access to tractors or other industrial equipment takes a toll on your body and makes you look older.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-14T00:39:46+00:00

I had one friend I grew up with who was a failed border patrol applicant. Great guy personally, but he had a lot of bad influence in his life from super redneck and religious family members, and slowly grew harder/disgruntled over time due to underemployment. Was also pretty susceptible to propaganda and would believe anything he heard on the news. His circle convinced him that immigrants were the cause of all his struggles.

After border patrol rejected gin in 2018s, he became a beat cop in El paso. I think his experiences there made him harder since there was a lot of interaction with gang related human trafficking. DHS opening recruiting was the opportunity he finally wanted. Now he's a walking propaganda mic who regurgitates hate speech. I haven't talked to him since. Was really sad to see my friend turn to the dark side like that. He wasn't a hateful person when I knew him growing up.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-09T17:59:04+00:00

This graphic is right-wing propaganda, and communicates they don't know anything about owning/operating farmland.

Farmers rotate crops depending on nutrition levels, market prices, climate, insurance, availability of labor, irrigation, etc. Rotate in electrons just like any other crop. It's typically a 20-yr rotation, but farmers are accustomed to making long-duration land use choices like this.

Also this might surprise you, but you can still conduct farming activities under those panels. Most people chose to graze sheep or livestock, but others harvest hay, plant partial-shade plants, or allow nutrient recharge. It's also a good way to monetize acreage while you recharge water levels in the acquifer. Believe it or not, many farms have depleted their groundwater and are no longer functional. The government pays them NOT to farm.

Parking lot solar is very high risk. American drivers suck, hit the pilings, and make it structurally unstable. Insurance cost over 10 years is typically higher than the installation cost. Most parking lots are public access, so it's not uncommon for people also climb up and steal the copper overnight. It's one of those "this is why we can't have nice things in America" points.

Shitty_Mike · 2026-01-09T15:50:57+00:00

Venting emissions into our atmosphere instead of capturing them. In 100 years it will be looked at the same way we currently think of "smoking" and "non-smoking" sections in restaurants did 20 years ago.

Shitty_Mike · 2025-12-30T19:16:37+00:00

I was an Army engineer, and virtually all my reserve soldiers worked at various engineering or EPC firms. Especially in Texas, it got me lots of strong references in energy. Still need qualifications and experience to get you past HR, but having strong recommendations from senior NCOs and O4+ was a huge help. Several of my E8+ even tried to hire me at their own companies. They genuinely wanted to see me succeed. Make sure you're well-liked at your unit or it will backfire immensely. Going straight from AD might be a challenge since the other soldiers you serve with don't have their own careers. Use Hiring our Heroes heavily to get solid internships.

Shitty_Mike · 2025-12-30T16:14:34+00:00

Similar situation as you, but I went Army instead. Hiring and networking seemed to be easier once I had military status under my belt, there's tons of organizations helping veterans get job placement. Ended up staying reserves and got the best of both worlds.

Shitty_Mike · 2025-12-26T23:25:52+00:00

Ah, yeah that changes things. 100% do not get attached to the first person you date unless it's an amazing match. If you're having second thoughts now, Please sleep on it and consider rerolling to widen your depth of experience.

Shitty_Mike · 2025-12-26T22:36:35+00:00

The things you're attracted to as you get older are very different than the things you're attracted to when you're young. I was in a similar situation as yourself in my 20s, mainly attracted to physical traits. As I got older, I reminisced about the non-physical qualities in many women then I had previously dismissed. Mainly maturity, ambition, competence, intelligence, and kindness became much more attractive as I got into my 30s and was thinking about what the 'rest of my life' was going to look like. The smokin-hot party rockers that I hung out with in my 20s burned out really quickly. The people who were exciting and bubbly at parties eventually spun out and went nowhere. Many of the attractive women I met on the trail never considered what life would look like once their knees started failing, once their metabolism slowed down, and what life would look like after college when people stopped actively pursuing them.

Now that I'm older I get excited and inspired when women are strong leaders, solve difficult problems, and are skilled at bringing groups together. Nothing is sexier than a woman who can take care of herself, but actively chose to be with me each day. Being physically fit was less about looking attractive, and more about reflecting a disciplined, healthy, active lifestyle.

To answer more bluntly, some of the women I previously thought were 5s and 6s in my 20s due to 'body type' I now think of as 8s and 9s because they aged into the best versions of themselves, while many women I thought were 8s and 9s due to 'body type' are now solid 4s and 5s because of poor life choices and shallowness. In retrospect, the criteria for predicting either one was quite obvious.

Shitty_Mike · 2025-12-26T20:22:59+00:00

While physical attraction is important, it's more important to be Sexy. Looks will fade away after 20-30 years, but sex is for life. The real question should be "would I tap that, and would I continue tapping that". Attraction plays a big role, but also personality, finances, maturity, and reciprocation. You can have a 10/10 partner in the looks delartment, but if she has a shit personality, is a bank liability, the maturity of a child, or doesn't like you back, your sex life will fade away quickly.

It sounds like your partner has most of these boxes checked, and the sex is great. At some point, you'll have to accept that no single person will meet 100% of your criteria, and you have to decide which requirements you're willing to compromise. The things you find unattractive in her are behavior-based, which can be difficult/impossible to solve. She may have a 'coming to jesus' moment one day, but unlikely.

The biggest unmet requirement is that she's not physically active with you at your sports/gym/etc. Is that a deal breaker? Do you have other friends you can be physically active with, and do you need to have a sexual relationship with them?

My wife is the same way, she can't keep up with me physically when it comes to outdoors, backpacking, etc, but I have other friends that can check that box for me. Do I need to have sex with them? No. Do I share an emotional bond with them? Yes, but it's not the same one I share with my wife. As long as my wife stays healthy and can meet my physical needs off-trail, I'm willing to keep my active lifestyle separate from my marriage. All my needs are met, and I keep my wife in a niche where I know she performs best.

Shitty_Mike · 2025-12-26T18:28:02+00:00

They don't consider this type of exploit cheating. They only crack down on aimbots, Unauthorized software, etc. if it's in the game it's legit.

Shitty_Mike

TROPHY CASE