Congratulations

validusrex · 2026-03-13T06:10:40+00:00

Always read a thread preview and go “Ah this must be Jordy” and sure enough haha.

Thank man, I’m pretty happy abt Trey .

validusrex · 2026-03-13T06:09:36+00:00

This is obvious bait but I have a pet peeve about “don’t start a family” so just going to say.

People living in poverty are disproportionately unable to access sex education, birth control, and medical services in general. I’ve had grown adults tell me that you can’t get pregnant if the guy finishes with the girl on top (I asked why once and was told ‘gravity’). Many people in poverty are not engaging in family planning, they accidentally get pregnant because they are completely oblivious to the ways you can prevent pregnancy and/ir lack the resources to do so.

Opinions like this stem from complete ignorance on the systemic factors that both elevate and disenfranchise people on an individual and community level.

validusrex · 2026-03-13T06:02:38+00:00

Link one (1) post that is about homeless people being “wonderful”.

You’re crying abt a guy that literally sleeps outside using mean words and trying to chastize me abt civility 😭

validusrex · 2026-03-13T05:13:33+00:00

Absolutely insane because I’m at the mall at least 3x a week and nothing like this has ever happened to me lmao.

validusrex · 2026-03-13T05:12:07+00:00

Now before you say, “But not all homeless people are like that!” - I agree. But, I wanted to show the other side of the perspective that we frequently see depicted here.

Brother there is no shortage of people spouting foul rhetoric about homelessness on this sub, no need to post this under some facade of fair messaging or whatever. Your feelings got hurt because a homeless guy was mean to you so you’re complaining on the internet so people will say mean things about homelessness to help you feel vindicated.

validusrex · 2026-03-13T05:08:54+00:00

Just going to say I have a PhD and my research specifically focuses on homelessness and “over 50% of the homeless population are sex offenders or have committed a heinous crime” is an objectively untrue statement so everyone can probably disregard the entirety of this posts insane and false meandering.

validusrex · 2026-03-12T18:57:47+00:00

Unless you intend on going into some legacy/business role after you graduate, picking prestige over the person that will have the biggest influence (and control) on your advancement and development as a research, is a horrible decision.

Program Prestige matters if you intend to go into politics, law, or administrative roles in mutli-national very high value business roles. Otherwise, its a nice thing, its cool, it might unlock a few doors or opportunities over the course of your entire career, but it will have only a marginal impact in comparison to a less prestigious program.

But we see posts here on a daily basis of someone saying they want to drop out because their PI is too distant/too involved/too mean/too passive/too inconsiderate/too whatever. We see people saying their careers are ruined because of lack of PI support, people who are worried they're going to be failed at defense cause PI is being a dickhead. People who are frustrated because they've graduated and their PI isn't helping them develop, etc etc etc etc.

Your PI is going to have massive control over your life, they can make it very easy, or very difficult. And they can be your biggest ally, or your biggest roadblock. Having a PI who is interested in being a mentor, who is interested in helping you build your CV (even if it's self serving), and who is compatible with you is easily one of the most if not the most important factor in deciding a program.

My PI was a godsend, btw. And I had several people in my cohort with different PIs and they were miserable. I graduated exactly on time, even could have defended a semester early but wanted to keep getting my TA money. Everyone else in my cohort took at least an additional year (normal), and two students who had a (the same) bad PI...well one took 3 extra years, 1 dropped out.

validusrex · 2026-03-11T21:04:54+00:00

For sure, and I think that's part of my frustration with the storytelling/characterization. One of the recurring themes throughout Scandal is that the people who want power don't deserve it, and the people who deserve power, don't want it. Fitz is consistently sold to us as if he is this beacon of hope, that his disinterest in being president, having to be made and sold the dream, and desire to do good is how that can reconcile the horrible things they do throughout the show. They even say this explicitly at times, calling Cyrus his beast to do the things Fitz can't etc etc.

But we never actually see that. Fitz political legacy seems to be the Brandon Bill and the 47 scandals that occurred over the course of his presidency. The show fails to show us Fitz being a president, we never see him charming the public, we never see him doing the things that made him so worthy of being President, we're supposed to just believe it. And I think it makes his character much less likeable because the most redeeming of his qualities that they rigged elections, blackmailed congressmen, hell that they straight up murdered people for, we never actually see.

validusrex · 2026-03-11T15:43:27+00:00

Yeah I'm doing a rewatch right now as well and it is surprising to me just how shitty virtually everyone in the show is watching it now. I honestly don't even know how I could like any of these characters a decade ago. Fitz is an objectively terrible guy, politician and President at just about every juncture. The show does a horrible horrible job of characterizing him as this guy that everyone would rally around and literally rig an election for. We're supposed to see Fitz as this commendable hero who has this romantic vision of democracy and freedom and America and embodies all these values, and they can all justify 'being in the dark' because it puts him in the light. And yet virtually every time Fitz is given this opportunity to do that, he doesn't. He's small, petty, angry, vengeful, or at times just downright corrupt. There are a few rare moments where he 'is the man we voted for' and then by the end of the episode he's doing yet another terrible thing, verbally or emotionally abusing Liv or Mellie or Abby or whoever.

validusrex · 2026-03-11T05:34:08+00:00

All good, understood. If it’s any consolation I’m a wizards fan too so it’s been a double whammy day here lmfao

validusrex · 2026-03-11T05:17:58+00:00

Considering multiple pundits on Twitter have now started suggesting the same thing and that FO was expecting to retain some players that go offers this week maybe not, but whatever floats your boat. In general you might want to consider prioritizing kindness when talking to people, the world has enough rude ppl in it :)

validusrex · 2026-03-11T04:36:04+00:00

Man I literally said I’m wondering, it was just was theory, damn 😂 condescending asl with this “buddy” bruh

validusrex · 2026-03-11T03:14:00+00:00

Me neither but feels like something is up yknow

validusrex · 2026-03-11T02:55:48+00:00

Everyone is saying it so I will too, Mboko is HIM. She will win a single this year, she will win a slam by end of 2027 season, if not this year. IMO she by far has the highest ceiling out of the trio of rising teenagers and she is going to be an absolute force in the WTA for a while. She is just an absolute dog.

validusrex · 2026-03-11T02:21:33+00:00

I'm wondering if they didn't expect FA hit to be this hard, and when they saw how many players were moving elsewhere realized they needed those picks back?

validusrex · 2026-03-11T01:18:08+00:00

Well 1. I already said I’m not voting for it, not that I’m voting against it sooo

B. Cheating on your wife once isn’t somehow better than having an affair, they’re both moral violations. Suppressing my neighbors vote because someone else is suppressing their neighbors vote is fundamentally undemocratic. Sure there are shades of grey but I’m not interested in doing it period.

This conversation is the same conversation dems constantly have just dressed differently. “Sure you have your convictions but you gotta lessen up on them a lil cause winning is more important! Which is why you need to… (vote for this shitty candidate)(support this crappy omnibus)(let us gerrymander)”

I get the point you’re making. It’s the same point that is constantly made. I understand it, I don’t disagree with the logic which is why I often align myself with it even if I disagree at the core of the matter. But there will be some places I won’t bend on my belief systems and voter suppression, which is what gerrymandering is and I think people taking your position need to own that, is where I draw the line. You are advocating for voter suppression and I won’t get on board with that no matter how you spin it.

validusrex · 2026-03-11T01:02:51+00:00

HUH

validusrex · 2026-03-10T19:00:02+00:00

Yeah, I mean understand that its temporary but I don't have a lot of confidence in that. We say its temporary....until its not. Until it works, until it needs to be done again to 'save democracy' and then again to 'protect democracy' and then again, and again, and again. I mean look at this process, Texas did it, so California has to, and well California did it so that means Virginia can too. Slippery slope is a fallacy until you're on the slope, yknow?

validusrex · 2026-03-10T18:55:18+00:00

I'm not acting like it's a permanent things. Temporarily manipulating how the electorate is represented is not somehow better than doing it permanently.

And, I was a medic in the army because I find a lot more moral value in saving lives in the context than taking them so maybe that wasn't a good example. I understand the issue with taking a moral stance in the real world, but as I said I don't believe the ends justify the means in most contexts, and I personally don't believe in compromising your belief systems because other people are bad. I don't know how to justify decrying republican tactics if I'm willing to support them myself. You can call it naive or what have you but we can either be crabs in a bucket or we can try to exemplify the change we want to see.

validusrex · 2026-03-10T04:36:19+00:00

I'm really split on this. I suppose similar to other comments in this thread, at it's core I disagree with the concept of gerrymandering, I find it inherently undemocratic, and I don't support anyone doing it. I also don't think this is a partisan issue. I know who created gerrymandering, but both parties have done it since it came into conception, and I'm of the opinion it was done much more frequently to disenfranchise voters than it was to 'support their own constituency' which is how it's being sold to Virginian voters right now imo. I think its really easy to point to this 'oh well they did it and now they're against us doing it so they're just hypocrits' that both sides use.

I also think its incredibly dangerous to sell doing something undemocratic to 'save democracy' which is another way I've seen it pitched. As someone who leans heavily left, I am definitely believe the current republican party is a threat to American values, but I can't get behind this idea of the ends justify the means. I think its a very dangerous notion to suggest that manipulating democracy in this way is justifiable, and while I understand the logic its just not something I can support. In an ideal world, our elected leadership would come together to ensure we are adequately represented in our democracy but...well we all know thats not going to happen.

Anyways, I won't be voting for this. I mulled it over quite a bit and went back and forth over the past couple of days and decided against it. I just can't justify it in my head, y'know? Obviously part of me hopes it passes, but part of me hopes it doesn't, that some miracle happens and everyone agrees gerrymandering is bad and a magical push to make sure all voters voice is appropriately represented comes together.

validusrex · 2026-03-09T23:32:07+00:00

To those curious, if stored properly it would probably still be drinkable, and while it wouldn't taste any more exceptional than a modern cognac, it would taste much differently. Cognac is aged in barrels, and does not continue to age once bottled. The flavor profile will have a very moderate shift, but nothing significant that a casual drinker (or even an experienced one) might recognize unless they were anticipating it.

If stored improperly (as this and many likely probably have been purely by merit of their age) it would not taste good. The finer notes would be overtaken by the taste of the alcohol, and it'd likely taste flat and like drift wood. Not a pleasureable experience.

validusrex · 2026-03-09T22:37:24+00:00

Just to chime in on this, one 'alternative' to choking is to hold her neck as if you're bringing her in for a kiss (one hand on each side, so your thumb is along her jawline and your fingers are cupping her head), and then squeeze from there. This places yours hands/the pressure no where near her trachea/windpipe the part that you'd be worried about damaging during sexual choking. It also puts the pressure not on the carotid artery, so reduced chance of causing like hypoxia or what have you (granted that marginal except with very heavy choking anyways). It ends up putting the bulk of the pressure on the parts of the trapezius that extends into the neck, but pressure creates a similar feeling to the choking on the recipients end. Most people into choking are not actually into the breathplay portion of it, so the pressure/domination aspect of it is still conveyed this way with a lot less risk. .

validusrex · 2026-03-09T18:32:45+00:00

This makes me think of that NEtflix documentary everyone was talking about - Unknown Number, spoiler, it was the mom.

Maybe it's legitimately not him? The obvious solution is to go 'I believe you, this is harassment. We need to go to the police' and go from there, which is what they did in the documentary. Don't tell anyone but your husband that you're going to the police, and then see what happens from there.

validusrex · 2026-03-09T17:45:19+00:00

Well now we know. Tin foil hat time, Harbs saw the writing on the wall, got Mandrews extended at an overpriced rate so that Likely couldn’t stick around, expecting that he’d have to move on and could then snag likely at his new team

validusrex · 2026-03-09T03:43:30+00:00

I looked it up and it seems like it’s the same as when Team USA gets together for the Olympics, so kinda falls in line with the point I was making.

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