Russia wants to pit the US and China against each other to distract and destabilize them both. So all of this is great for Russia’s bottom line.

Corps have been complaining for years already that people aren’t buying enough. Millenials are killing this industry and that industry because we don’t consume enough - “enough” being whatever level they’ve decided we should consume. They feel entitled to our dollars, whether or not their product or service is any good.

If they were smart, companies would lower prices to be more competitive and incentivize people to buy more. Instead they’ve doubled down and posted armed guards at the store exits to intimidate the customers they have left. They’ve slipped data collection into every interaction. It’s pretty obvious they’re not playing the long game anymore.

That’s why you flash your lights on and off at them, to get them to unfreeze before you get too close.

I hate to break it to you but almost every major corporation has a person whose entire job is to translate corporate copy into easy-to-parse, casual, friendly “conversation,” because they do want you to think of the brand as your trusted friend. They’re trying to manipulate us at every level, every interaction.

At 1.2 million, it’s overpriced. They’ve likely priced it that way because it’s now an Airbnb - “look at all the income you’ll make by buying this property!” But what really changed in the two years they owned it? Did they remodel the whole place? Possibly, but probably not enough to warrant adding $550k to the price. This house is now an investment, not a place to live.

I have noticed a particular attitude with a lot of sellers, though. They think because other sellers have been having great windfalls that they can just list for any high amount and it’ll work for them too. Those are the ones that sit, and they’re usually priced at 1m or more.

The homes flying off the shelves, so to speak, are the starter homes. You have both younger and older generations fighting for the same small affordable homes, and developers generally aren’t building as many of those.

When I am amazed by a piece of art, it’s because a person was able to conceive of a scene and then use techniques they’ve learned to bring that scene from their mind into reality. I think, “Wow, how did they decide to blend those colors together in such a way, and why? I wonder how hard it is to get that right? How long might it take me to learn the same technique?”

But when I look at a piece of art made by AI, I think, disappointedly, “Oh, they didn’t. Nobody leaned the technique to paint this, there may not be any feeling behind it, or any point at all, other than ‘it looks good.’” It’s just not impressive.

And I’m pretty sure that most people could learn how to prompt successfully in a matter of days or weeks. Real artists practice their craft for years, learning and perfecting techniques and often developing their own unique style.

That’s not where the surprise is coming from. The surprise is that the hospital failed to tell you there might be out-of-network staff that might be involved in your surgery, even though you were careful to choose a hospital that is in-network. So your insurance won’t cover the out of network doctors, and you don’t have any choice of how many or which other doctors (other than your scheduled surgeon) get involved. Those out of network staff then bill you separately from the whole procedure. That’s the surprise.

Ok doc, what do you suggest? I’m 40 and somehow my 80 year old mother has better mobility than I do. I can’t even tell you why I have pain, there is no injury. Doctors can’t tell me why. I’ve tried everything short of opioids and back surgery, and I know those aren’t going to help either. What the hell do you do when your body just doesn’t react normally to exercise, stretching, physical therapy, etc?? It’s not that I want to accept that this is my life now, but there don’t seem to be any other options. Just be glad this isn’t happening to you, I guess.

Right, but that would be a whole crowd’s worth of demand. Why would you raise the price of something after only one person shows interest? One person is not “demand.” And also, there probably isn’t a finite supply of the product in question like there would be for hotel rooms in one town.

Can she ask the coauthors how they’re dealing with it? Maybe ask the bosses if they can open the uploads earlier, especially if everyone is having a hard time getting their work uploaded in time.

Wikipedia lists Real Clear Politics as having become more conservative and right leaning in recent years. Their polls may not be as accurate.

Really think about what you are expecting of yourself at times like that. Sometimes nice restaurants make me feel pressured to have a good time or otherwise “fit in” with the other people eating there.

Maybe it’s less popular because so many people buy ice cream to eat with actual apple pie, or some other kind of pie which might taste weird with apple pie flavors.

I guess I don’t understand this “professional career oriented program.” Is it like a grad school? Is there a good chance all or some of you will end up working with each other at the same employer later? There should be lots of other places to find a partner. You must have some kind of social life outside of this program, right?

Dating is hard, but breaking up in a mutual way where both people can still respect each other is even harder. Imagine the drama there will be after you’ve dated a few people from this group. People in the program may take you less seriously because they think you’re just there to find dates. But this is your career. Shouldn’t you take it seriously?

If you really want to date someone there, you can, if you’re smart about it (and make sure it’s worth the risk, not just for any passing crush). But don’t try to manipulate the whole group in order to do that. Don’t use the chats to try to get close to someone. Do any non-professional stuff outside of the program, away from the others. Don’t bring your relationship drama into the program, especially if the relationship ends. Think of all these rules as practice for how you will need to act professionally in your future career. That’s what this program is for, isn’t it?

I want to be friends and stay professional overall, while tapping into potential with the guy I like

These things are not really compatible. The sooner you learn that, you will have a lot less workplace drama. Your professional workplace should not be a dating pool. There is no reason to exclude the other women. Who cares if one of them lied? Are you the moral police? Just chill, and let people do what they want. You don’t need to control the situation.

What exactly do you propose the “normies” do? Is there some non-corporation making road-worthy cars? No? Let me guess, you want a family of 5 to bike 2 hours to the nearest school/park/grocery store in the snow on rural roads with no shoulder just to avoid paying a corporation? Take the nonexistent train?

And I would disagree with OP’s definition entirely. What they describe sounds more like reputation or social standing, not honor.

The first four are remakes, but they’re done very well.

Tokyo Vice

Shogun (not exactly a crime thriller but it will suck you in)

Ripley (shot like a black and white film from the 40’s, good even if you’ve seen the Matt Damon movie)

Perry Mason

Yellowjackets

Altered Carbon

Big Little Lies

Nine Perfect Strangers

Dark Winds

If you like crime comedy, try White Lotus, Dead to Me, Search Party, Only Murders in the Building, Flight Attendant, and The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.

… Nah. As a woman, this is not a question I would ever think to ask anyone, regardless of how unsafe I felt. How does agreeing to murder someone AFTER something happens to you help you feel more safe? It doesn’t, at all. Besides, she could have called him from the Uber when she didn’t see him outside. It’s not like they just kick you out of the car immediately.

OP described this behavior as “the usual,” which means this is a thing she does regularly. I would say this isn’t normal for most people to do regularly. If the location is actually not safe, then the conversation should be centered around “when are we going to move somewhere safer?” rather than “how would you murder someone if they hurt me” and especially getting into the specifics of “what would you do with the cat while doing the murder…?” I think this might be some kind of recurring “daycare” or maladaptive fantasy that keeps playing out in her imagination. There are certainly steps she could take to keep herself safe. But because she doesn’t, she feels powerless and then blames OP for her perceived lack of safety. OP cannot be responsible for her safety 24/7. That is an unfair expectation to have of anyone.

I doubt any place will hire you for only one day a week. That will not be helpful for them.