2013 ford escape weight
O’ Pir Panchal
2023.06.07 12:41 Meaning-Plenty O’ Pir Panchal
After remaining invincible and impregnable for centuries, the mighty Pir Panchal is witnessing enormous developmental activity for a new expressway, a challenging railway line and most of the dam-fed hydropower projects involving an investment of tens of thousands of crores. At places, this is triggering the fragile range to cave in at the cost of homes and livelihoods of age-old villages, a situation that experts believe could have been avoided with better pre-feasibility studies and sophisticated project implementation, reports Masood Hussain
Anticipated for years, finally, the increased incidence of land subsidence and sinking in the Pir Panchal Mountains is Jammu and Kashmir’s new normal. The young fragile and unstable mountain range separating Kashmir from the rest of the world is in news frequently as the slopes housing small habitations for centuries are caving in.
On February 19, 2023, around 16 structures of Duksar Dalwa (Duksar Dal), a hamlet almost 45 km uphill from Ramban, suffered serious damage as the land caved in. It crippled road connectivity between Gool and Ramban where almost 500 meters developed cracks, tripped the electric supply and snapped the water supply. Three homes developed cracks forcing authorities to shift the impacted population to safer areas.
Officials said while they are working overtime to resume power and water supplies, they are also improving the Dharam-Salballa road to make it an alternative supply route to the “literally disconnected” area. In the sinking village, the official encouraged the residents to move swiftly to safer spots. For residents, however, the gradual 3-day sinking was a painful watch of their life earnings slowly cracking up and becoming black holes over hills.
It started with a crater that widened to almost 500 meters during two nights, making almost everything around unsafe, unstable and life-threatening. A mosque, Darsgah, the village seminary and the village graveyard were destroyed. Residents quickly exhumed a recently buried body and laid it to rest at a “safe” place.
Officials who visited the spot said the village’s agriculture fields were rendered useless, pushing residents into poverty. They lost homes and their livelihoods too.
The Duksar erasing came less than a fortnight after Doda lost a cluster of houses to a similar instance on February 3, 2023. Located on the foothills on the road to Kishtwar near Thathri, nearly 35 km from Doda, the volunteers, residents and government officials had to quickly shift 117 members of 19 families as the patch of slope housing the Nai Basti cluster gave in within three days. A total of 21 structures cracked and became unsafe.
Horrific Tunnel Collapse
The last horrific tragedy took place on May 19, 2022, when the workers were digging into an adit (minor access to the T3 tunnel) near Khooni Nalla at Ramsu’s Makerkot area. It collapsed over them killing ten workers including two local residents and eight Nepalese labourers. The tragedy struck during the day amid incessant rain but still, only two persons could be rescued alive.
The workers were on the challenging stretch of the national highway between Digdole and Khooni Nallah, which is otherwise notorious for frequent landslides and shooting stones due to fragile geology. It was part of the twin-tube tunnel that would connect Digdole to Panthyal and was implemented by Ceigall India Limited in a JV with Patel Engineering Limited. (The contractor has been imposed a heavy fine.)
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) that has taken over the Jammu Srinagar national highway from Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a few years back, is constructing at least five tunnels to bypass the highway’s 3-km “killer’’ stretch from Panthyal to Makerkote. Tunnel T3 is part of this intervention.
Unlike the rest of the highway, the 36-km Banihal Ramban stretch has been the most challenging one and that is why it is still under implementation. On this stretch are six “killer spots” located on a 14-km road stretch and NHAI intends to spend Rs 2000 crore to manage this. Implementation of this would offer some safety from frequent halts owing to shooting stones at Marog, Panthial, Digdol and Battery Chashma.
Triggering Instability
Implementation of these projects is triggering crises for the localities living around them. As many as 13 houses in Sujmatana village near Ramsu were literally devastated. The round-the-clock blasting for the tunnel projects and cutting work made these houses inhospitable after they developed cracks. Most of them have left their unsafe homes and migrated elsewhere. Though officials are looking into the crisis since 2017, it is yet to be settled.
On August 4, 2022, 36 families had a providential escape when their Bassan village in Reasi became the casualty of sinking and erosion at the same time. Without any notice, landslides carried down boulders and muck that crashed the houses and put the agriculture fields out of sight. It was so abrupt, villages said, that they had no time to take their belongings along.
Officials admitted that almost 60 kanals of land sank as another 400 kanals patch was rendered useless. Almost all the fruit trees, mostly walnut and apricot, were engulfed in mud. Almost 200 meters of a PMGSY road was also downthrown by around 25 meters from its actual alignment.
The earlier worst case was reported from Dalwas when on March 28, 2020, the residents fled when their homes and fields were literally buried by landslides. Almost 40 households were impacted.
The village has been there for ages and never experienced any such threat. Then one day it literally disappeared. Residents alleged that being away from Srinagar and Jammu, deep into the mountains they hardly were reported. At one point in time when they wanted to protest, authorities invoked Covid19 concerns to prevent it.
Response Protocol
Over the years, the government response has remained unchanged. Once the reports land that spots are sinking, they as the first quick reaction, send cops, paramilitary, SDRF and revenue officials to oversee and, in most cases, extend help in quick evacuations. In stage two, the respective Deputy Commissioner writes to geologists and the Department of Geology and Mining and, off late, to the Geological Survey of India, who rush their experts to these spots. In the subsequent few days, they study the local rock formations and submit reports, part of which goes to newspapers and by and large the files get closed.
At the same time, files start rolling about relief and rehabilitation. It takes its own time. In many cases, people who lose their homes and livelihoods are yet to be properly rehabilitated.
Invariably, the policymakers and the administrators avoid two vital ingredients of the story – the assessments that the local populations make about the crisis they land in and the wider angle that remains unchanged across the Pir Panchal range.
Resident Assessments
Affected populations are unwilling to accept that these crises are natural. They see them as man-made disasters. Raqeeb Wani, a former Sarpanch of Daskar Dalwa told The Telegraph that his village’s erasing is directly linked to the construction of two railway tunnels downhill, that would link a 3km rail track between Sangaldan and Chaddi. He attributed it to the “continuous blasting” that loosens the soil and adds to the instability of the mountain.
“A few years ago, we had a similar disaster in Sangaldan a few years ago when an entire market caved in,” Wani was quoted as saying. “That also was owing to the railway project.”
In the case of Dalwas, for instance, a former lawmaker from Ramban Ashok Kumar Dogra said the “unscientific planning” of the widening of the national highway is responsible. “The highway authorities started excavation of the road from beneath the village without raising any wall on the side of the village. As no concrete measures were taken by the NHAI to protect the village and debris was also disposed of at the same place, the tragedy was bound to happen and the houses collapsed and the village sank,” Dogra told Outlook. “I will not call it a natural disaster. It was the unplanned construction that destabilised the soil of the whole area, leading to its sinking.”
Right to A Road
Pir Panchal mountain range has remained literally invincible and technically impregnable for centuries. It took decades of thought process and a lot of resources to lay a foot track between Jammu and Srinagar, to have an alternative to Mughal Road. Known to history as the Banihal Cart Road, it was difficult and always retained by Dogra despots as a private route. It remained inaccessible to people till 1922. Till the Jawahar Tunnel was inaugurated, the road would pass over the Banihal pass, the abandoned remnants of which still exist.
This made Kashmir rely on the Jhelum Valley Road (JVR) as the main highway.
Almost 225 residents from 48 households who somehow survived the tragedy moved to another village and are still struggling to pick the threads of their lives. Though life has returned to the village, they are still fighting for an electric supply line and the rebuilding of the school building.
An Upcoming Railway
The road is just not the only thing that is happening deep inside the Pir Panchal mountain range. While the road is being upgraded, there is a railway project in an advanced stage of implementation.
Unlike the road that is being laid over the foothills not far away from the old alignment that also followed a foot track of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the railway track is passing through a virgin area, part of which has not seen even a bus. For making rail reach Baramulla from Udhampur, the 272-km project is going to cost a whopping Rs 37012 crore of which more than ninety per cent has already been spent.
Work on JVR started in 1880 and was formally thrown open in September 1890, when Maharaja Partap Singh was driven through from Baramulla to Kohala. The construction of this gigantic road project was implemented by a major British Indian contractor M/S Spedding, Mitchell & Co and was overseen by different British engineers at different stretches. While General de Bourbel oversaw everything as the Chief Engineer Kashmir, it was Alexander Atkinsonmanagedmost of the road up to Chakoti (on the other side of LoC now) and a few parts on the Kashmir side; Farrant was in charge of construction between Chakotiand Baramulla; as EG Hebbert supervised its completion in November 1889. Resources apart, it cost too many lives. Between Chakoti and Baramulla, 54 Pathans were killed in four years. Besides, 20 lives were lost to snake bites.
Post-partition, the Banihal Road became arterial and pressure built with a surge in population and demand in Kashmir. For seven decades, this road bore the brunt of all the pressures of travel, demand and consumerism and gave in. The rise of the Kashmir apple added another pressure factor so did the security requirements.
Finally, a stage reached that the health of the national highway was directly linked to the economic well-being of Kashmir. This paved the way for the decision by the Government of India that distances need to be reduced and the highway must be improved so that commuters do not end up spending a day on a 300-km highway.
More than a decade after the first spadework, it is emerging as one of the best roads. There are three major tunnels that have skipped dangerous patches while reducing distance and uphill driving: a set of four small tunnels near Nandni with a combined length of 1.4 km; 9.2 km Chenani-Nashri tunnel has bypassed a gruelling uphill drive and 8.5 km Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is going to tame dangerous Banihal Pass forever.
Distance has dropped from 300 to 270 km and the travel time from 12 to around 5 hours. But the Banihal-Ramban stretch remains a challenge. Earlier, it was merely a technological crisis, now it is a serious ecological issue.
These villagers were fortunate in comparison to the Sadal hamlet of Udhampur which was buried under a massive mudslide at noon on September 6, 2014. Following incessant rains for many days, it triggered massive floods in Kashmir and the rest of the erstwhile state. As many as 41 residents from 65 households were killed by the wee hour mountain collapse that brought an almost 30-foot-thick blanket of rafted rock fragments mud, sludge and rubble.
The rail is already chugging between Udhampur and Katra (25 km) since July 2014, Baramulla to Qazigund (118 km) since October 2009; and Qazigund to Baramulla (18 km) since June 2013. This leaves the most challenging stretch of 111 km between Banihal and Katra to be implemented.
However, the cost of the track does not define the project. It is the work that details the challenge. Nearly 119 km of the entire track will pass through 38 tunnels, the longest of which is 12.77 km long.
What is interesting is that in the 111-km Banihal – Katra track, 97.42 km are tunnels and most of the rest are bridges. Railway officials have to do 163.82 km of tunnelling in total – 66.4 km are escape tunnels – to make the track possible. For making these tunnel spots accessible to men and machines, there is a network of 205 km of roads, which remain busy round the clock.
This track will have 37 bridges – totalling 7 km in length, including the iconic Chenab Bridge, which is tipped to be the highest railway bridge on earth. While this bridge is ready, the current focus is on the first cable-stayed railway bridge on Anji Khad.
With thousands of people working deep inside the mountains with basic cutting and blasting machinery a lot of activity is generated.
There were dozens of instances in which the portions of various tunnels collapsed resulting in either changing the alignment or repairing the damage and restoring the tunnel. In July 2006, an almost 3 km long tunnel on the Udhampur-Katra track gradually started sinking after massive soil swelling on the two ends making it unusable and thus delaying the project. Northern Railways later hired an Austrian consultant, Geo Consult International (GCI), to salvage the project after many years of delay. The causes of the damage were visible to even the then Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who said he saw “a river flowing under the tunnel”.
A number of tunnels between Katra and Sangaldan witnessed “abnormal” water discharge making construction a challenging task. In Sangladan, the managers were shocked when they saw a 500-meter track between two tunnels actually missing one fine morning. Reported in 2006, it destroyed a vast stretch of land on a slope housing as many as 100 structures besides over 400 meters of the road connecting Mahore and Gulabgarh.
In 2016 summer of 2016, authorities shifted 124 families – almost the entire village of Dharam, after the vast patch of land that housed the hamlet caved in within three months. Though the officials attributed it to natural reasons, the residents linked the unprecedented situation to the ongoing work on the railway line passing close to the village.
Oceans In Gorges
Piercing the Pir Panchal mountains for smooth, faster and better communication is just not the only thing happening in the region. Owing to the mighty Chenab, the region is Jammu and Kashmir’s powerhouse. More than 90 per cent of the hydropower potential is restricted to the region owing to the availability of water and enough space to construct dams within the mountain gorges. This has led to a situation where the region holds a massive amount of water in its dams.
The region’s tryst with power generation started late last century with the implementation of the 900-MW Salal power project in Reasi in 1978. The project’s 1.45 million cubic meter dam has created the Salal lake which has the capacity to retain more than 28 million cubic meters of water.
Then came the 390-MW Dul-Hasti Power Project near Kishtwar. It was followed by the 900-MW Baglihar power with 1.8 cubic meters of the dam and an additional reservoir capacity of 39.5 cubic meters – a facility that has created a huge water body in the mountain gorges between Chanderkote belt and Thathri to the extent that certain localities and infrastructures had to be relocated. Quite a few people still live in the highway town of Pul Doda.
The region has many other power projects at different stages of implementation. These include 850-MW Rattle, 100-MW Pakal Dul, 624-MW Kiru, 540-MW Kwar, 800-MW Bursar, and 930-MW Kirthai-II. This is an investment of tens of thousands of crore in mountain gorges on a single river within a river length of fewer than 100 km.
Baglihar is the only project that Jammu and Kashmir’s fully-owned JKSPDC owns. Chenab Valley Power Projects Ltd, a joint venture between JKSPDC and NHPC, India’s hydropower giant, is implementing four power projects – Pakal Dul, Kiru, Kwar and Karthia-II. Salal and Dul Hasti owned fully by NHPC and Ratle is being executed under a fresh JV with JKSPDC in which the latter holds 49 per cent stakes.
Stakes apart, hydropower stations are gigantic projects. These need huge spaces for water storage – even in the case of run-of-the-river schemes, and a lot of tunnelling. All projects have main tunnels, both head race and tail race, and then there are a lot of additional adits and small tunnels for servicing. Even though most of the tunnels and the dams are concrete structures, having such critical infrastructure usually triggers soil erosion and soil swellings too often. The 110-km Batote Kishtwar road has been ailing for all these years. Never in a year could it operate for all 365 days.
Cause versus Consequence?
Science has fundamentally opposed the idea of correlating causes with consequences especially when there is no plausible explanation. In the case of the Pir Panchal region, however, there are striking correlations. For most of recent history, land sliding has been happening around the national highway only. However, in the last decade, land subsidence is a routine and it is happening at all places where developmental activities are going on.
Bhaderwah town and its surroundings are witnessing “region-exclusive” tremors almost every year. In August 2022, there were 21 tremors, reaching up to 3.9 on the Richter scale. Such summer tremors have been there in 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2018. In fact, 2013 was harrowing as the earthquakes touched 5.8 on the Richter scale.
Land patches are caving in at spots closer to some kind of major developmental activity. This is as true with railway projects as it is in road widening projects. Certain spots caved in because works were implemented without a detailed study.
In Sangaldan, for instance, when the railway track collapsed, it was pointed out by geologist Prof GM Bhat that it had been built “on a fossil slide”, which failed to withstand the weight and crumbled down. “We knew it for decades but we were never consulted,” Bhat said. “In this part of the Himalayas, rock types change after every half a kilometre.”
A respected geologist, Bhat insists that developmental activities can take place in any space that is as fragile as Pir Panchal but it needs adequate pre-implementation study and proper implementation mechanism.
“In the four-laning of the highway, the crisis would have been manageable had there been least vertical cuts,” Bhat said. “Impounding so much of water (in power projects dams) within a small patch has the potential of inducing earthquakes.” He insists that the managers of the water projects must ensure better maintenance of the tunnels or these could become a serious crisis in future.
Bhat, however, sees society also going unruly. “In Banihal near the Mahu Mangat side, a hillock is a completely populated town now,” he said. “Has anybody tried to verify where the waste goes? Are we expecting a major crisis in the coming days when the hill will cave in because of seepage?”
The region is a risky belt given its fragile geology. The upcoming railway line is built over three major active geological fault lines: the Main Boundary Thrust (between Udhampur and Katra), the Muree Thrust (between Baglihar and Sangaldan) and the Panjal Thrust (between Digdol and Mahu Mangat). “I never say railway tracks cannot cross fault lines but I believe that had local expertise been involved, extensive fieldwork would have reduced the costs and perfected the alignment”. Entire Jammu and Kashmir is classified as seismic zone-V, the highest earthquake-prone area. CAG has already done a thick report on the resources that were wasted because of the geological surprises that erupted after various rail projects were implemented. Parts of the alignment were changed and completed works were abandoned.
A fault line actually passes through the centre of the Baghlihar dam and most other reservoirs are very close to the fault lines underneath. “A dam burst will be worse than the earthquake itself,” Bhat, who retired recently after heading the University of Jammu’s Geology Department for a long time, said. Interestingly, the area is reporting an increased incidence of cloudbursts, seen as an indicator of climate change. “One major cloudburst near a dam can trigger unprecedented devastation.”
One such cloudburst on July 28, 2021, almost decimated Honzer, a hamlet concealed within inaccessible mountains of remote Dacchan, killing 26 residents. The bodies of almost 18 of the victims were never found.
Many geologists who studied Dalwa fall attributed the land subsidence to water seepage, and extensive cutting of steep slopes. They have suggested a robust urban land use plan, a prerequisite for any activity, especially in hilly areas.
https://kashmirlife.net/o-pir-panchal-vol-14-issue-49-311779/
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Anticipated for years, finally, the increased incidence of land subsidence and sinking in the Pir Panchal Mountains is Jammu and Kashmir’s new normal. The young fragile and unstable mountain range separating Kashmir from the rest of the world is in news frequently as the slopes housing small habitations for centuries are caving in.
On February 19, 2023, around 16 structures of Duksar Dalwa (Duksar Dal), a hamlet almost 45 km uphill from Ramban, suffered serious damage as the land caved in. It crippled road connectivity between Gool and Ramban where almost 500 meters developed cracks, tripped the electric supply and snapped the water supply. Three homes developed cracks forcing authorities to shift the impacted population to safer areas.
Officials said while they are working overtime to resume power and water supplies, they are also improving the Dharam-Salballa road to make it an alternative supply route to the “literally disconnected” area. In the sinking village, the official encouraged the residents to move swiftly to safer spots. For residents, however, the gradual 3-day sinking was a painful watch of their life earnings slowly cracking up and becoming black holes over hills.
It started with a crater that widened to almost 500 meters during two nights, making almost everything around unsafe, unstable and life-threatening. A mosque, Darsgah, the village seminary and the village graveyard were destroyed. Residents quickly exhumed a recently buried body and laid it to rest at a “safe” place.
Officials who visited the spot said the village’s agriculture fields were rendered useless, pushing residents into poverty. They lost homes and their livelihoods too.
The Duksar erasing came less than a fortnight after Doda lost a cluster of houses to a similar instance on February 3, 2023. Located on the foothills on the road to Kishtwar near Thathri, nearly 35 km from Doda, the volunteers, residents and government officials had to quickly shift 117 members of 19 families as the patch of slope housing the Nai Basti cluster gave in within three days. A total of 21 structures cracked and became unsafe.
Horrific Tunnel Collapse
The last horrific tragedy took place on May 19, 2022, when the workers were digging into an adit (minor access to the T3 tunnel) near Khooni Nalla at Ramsu’s Makerkot area. It collapsed over them killing ten workers including two local residents and eight Nepalese labourers. The tragedy struck during the day amid incessant rain but still, only two persons could be rescued alive.
The workers were on the challenging stretch of the national highway between Digdole and Khooni Nallah, which is otherwise notorious for frequent landslides and shooting stones due to fragile geology. It was part of the twin-tube tunnel that would connect Digdole to Panthyal and was implemented by Ceigall India Limited in a JV with Patel Engineering Limited. (The contractor has been imposed a heavy fine.)
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) that has taken over the Jammu Srinagar national highway from Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a few years back, is constructing at least five tunnels to bypass the highway’s 3-km “killer’’ stretch from Panthyal to Makerkote. Tunnel T3 is part of this intervention.
Unlike the rest of the highway, the 36-km Banihal Ramban stretch has been the most challenging one and that is why it is still under implementation. On this stretch are six “killer spots” located on a 14-km road stretch and NHAI intends to spend Rs 2000 crore to manage this. Implementation of this would offer some safety from frequent halts owing to shooting stones at Marog, Panthial, Digdol and Battery Chashma.
Triggering Instability
Implementation of these projects is triggering crises for the localities living around them. As many as 13 houses in Sujmatana village near Ramsu were literally devastated. The round-the-clock blasting for the tunnel projects and cutting work made these houses inhospitable after they developed cracks. Most of them have left their unsafe homes and migrated elsewhere. Though officials are looking into the crisis since 2017, it is yet to be settled.
On August 4, 2022, 36 families had a providential escape when their Bassan village in Reasi became the casualty of sinking and erosion at the same time. Without any notice, landslides carried down boulders and muck that crashed the houses and put the agriculture fields out of sight. It was so abrupt, villages said, that they had no time to take their belongings along.
Officials admitted that almost 60 kanals of land sank as another 400 kanals patch was rendered useless. Almost all the fruit trees, mostly walnut and apricot, were engulfed in mud. Almost 200 meters of a PMGSY road was also downthrown by around 25 meters from its actual alignment.
The earlier worst case was reported from Dalwas when on March 28, 2020, the residents fled when their homes and fields were literally buried by landslides. Almost 40 households were impacted.
The village has been there for ages and never experienced any such threat. Then one day it literally disappeared. Residents alleged that being away from Srinagar and Jammu, deep into the mountains they hardly were reported. At one point in time when they wanted to protest, authorities invoked Covid19 concerns to prevent it.
Response Protocol
Over the years, the government response has remained unchanged. Once the reports land that spots are sinking, they as the first quick reaction, send cops, paramilitary, SDRF and revenue officials to oversee and, in most cases, extend help in quick evacuations. In stage two, the respective Deputy Commissioner writes to geologists and the Department of Geology and Mining and, off late, to the Geological Survey of India, who rush their experts to these spots. In the subsequent few days, they study the local rock formations and submit reports, part of which goes to newspapers and by and large the files get closed.
At the same time, files start rolling about relief and rehabilitation. It takes its own time. In many cases, people who lose their homes and livelihoods are yet to be properly rehabilitated.
Invariably, the policymakers and the administrators avoid two vital ingredients of the story – the assessments that the local populations make about the crisis they land in and the wider angle that remains unchanged across the Pir Panchal range.
Resident Assessments
Affected populations are unwilling to accept that these crises are natural. They see them as man-made disasters. Raqeeb Wani, a former Sarpanch of Daskar Dalwa told The Telegraph that his village’s erasing is directly linked to the construction of two railway tunnels downhill, that would link a 3km rail track between Sangaldan and Chaddi. He attributed it to the “continuous blasting” that loosens the soil and adds to the instability of the mountain.
“A few years ago, we had a similar disaster in Sangaldan a few years ago when an entire market caved in,” Wani was quoted as saying. “That also was owing to the railway project.”
In the case of Dalwas, for instance, a former lawmaker from Ramban Ashok Kumar Dogra said the “unscientific planning” of the widening of the national highway is responsible. “The highway authorities started excavation of the road from beneath the village without raising any wall on the side of the village. As no concrete measures were taken by the NHAI to protect the village and debris was also disposed of at the same place, the tragedy was bound to happen and the houses collapsed and the village sank,” Dogra told Outlook. “I will not call it a natural disaster. It was the unplanned construction that destabilised the soil of the whole area, leading to its sinking.”
Right to A Road
Pir Panchal mountain range has remained literally invincible and technically impregnable for centuries. It took decades of thought process and a lot of resources to lay a foot track between Jammu and Srinagar, to have an alternative to Mughal Road. Known to history as the Banihal Cart Road, it was difficult and always retained by Dogra despots as a private route. It remained inaccessible to people till 1922. Till the Jawahar Tunnel was inaugurated, the road would pass over the Banihal pass, the abandoned remnants of which still exist.
This made Kashmir rely on the Jhelum Valley Road (JVR) as the main highway.
Almost 225 residents from 48 households who somehow survived the tragedy moved to another village and are still struggling to pick the threads of their lives. Though life has returned to the village, they are still fighting for an electric supply line and the rebuilding of the school building.
An Upcoming Railway
The road is just not the only thing that is happening deep inside the Pir Panchal mountain range. While the road is being upgraded, there is a railway project in an advanced stage of implementation.
Unlike the road that is being laid over the foothills not far away from the old alignment that also followed a foot track of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the railway track is passing through a virgin area, part of which has not seen even a bus. For making rail reach Baramulla from Udhampur, the 272-km project is going to cost a whopping Rs 37012 crore of which more than ninety per cent has already been spent.
Work on JVR started in 1880 and was formally thrown open in September 1890, when Maharaja Partap Singh was driven through from Baramulla to Kohala. The construction of this gigantic road project was implemented by a major British Indian contractor M/S Spedding, Mitchell & Co and was overseen by different British engineers at different stretches. While General de Bourbel oversaw everything as the Chief Engineer Kashmir, it was Alexander Atkinsonmanagedmost of the road up to Chakoti (on the other side of LoC now) and a few parts on the Kashmir side; Farrant was in charge of construction between Chakotiand Baramulla; as EG Hebbert supervised its completion in November 1889. Resources apart, it cost too many lives. Between Chakoti and Baramulla, 54 Pathans were killed in four years. Besides, 20 lives were lost to snake bites.
Post-partition, the Banihal Road became arterial and pressure built with a surge in population and demand in Kashmir. For seven decades, this road bore the brunt of all the pressures of travel, demand and consumerism and gave in. The rise of the Kashmir apple added another pressure factor so did the security requirements.
Finally, a stage reached that the health of the national highway was directly linked to the economic well-being of Kashmir. This paved the way for the decision by the Government of India that distances need to be reduced and the highway must be improved so that commuters do not end up spending a day on a 300-km highway.
More than a decade after the first spadework, it is emerging as one of the best roads. There are three major tunnels that have skipped dangerous patches while reducing distance and uphill driving: a set of four small tunnels near Nandni with a combined length of 1.4 km; 9.2 km Chenani-Nashri tunnel has bypassed a gruelling uphill drive and 8.5 km Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is going to tame dangerous Banihal Pass forever.
Distance has dropped from 300 to 270 km and the travel time from 12 to around 5 hours. But the Banihal-Ramban stretch remains a challenge. Earlier, it was merely a technological crisis, now it is a serious ecological issue.
These villagers were fortunate in comparison to the Sadal hamlet of Udhampur which was buried under a massive mudslide at noon on September 6, 2014. Following incessant rains for many days, it triggered massive floods in Kashmir and the rest of the erstwhile state. As many as 41 residents from 65 households were killed by the wee hour mountain collapse that brought an almost 30-foot-thick blanket of rafted rock fragments mud, sludge and rubble.
The rail is already chugging between Udhampur and Katra (25 km) since July 2014, Baramulla to Qazigund (118 km) since October 2009; and Qazigund to Baramulla (18 km) since June 2013. This leaves the most challenging stretch of 111 km between Banihal and Katra to be implemented.
However, the cost of the track does not define the project. It is the work that details the challenge. Nearly 119 km of the entire track will pass through 38 tunnels, the longest of which is 12.77 km long.
What is interesting is that in the 111-km Banihal – Katra track, 97.42 km are tunnels and most of the rest are bridges. Railway officials have to do 163.82 km of tunnelling in total – 66.4 km are escape tunnels – to make the track possible. For making these tunnel spots accessible to men and machines, there is a network of 205 km of roads, which remain busy round the clock.
This track will have 37 bridges – totalling 7 km in length, including the iconic Chenab Bridge, which is tipped to be the highest railway bridge on earth. While this bridge is ready, the current focus is on the first cable-stayed railway bridge on Anji Khad.
With thousands of people working deep inside the mountains with basic cutting and blasting machinery a lot of activity is generated.
There were dozens of instances in which the portions of various tunnels collapsed resulting in either changing the alignment or repairing the damage and restoring the tunnel. In July 2006, an almost 3 km long tunnel on the Udhampur-Katra track gradually started sinking after massive soil swelling on the two ends making it unusable and thus delaying the project. Northern Railways later hired an Austrian consultant, Geo Consult International (GCI), to salvage the project after many years of delay. The causes of the damage were visible to even the then Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who said he saw “a river flowing under the tunnel”.
A number of tunnels between Katra and Sangaldan witnessed “abnormal” water discharge making construction a challenging task. In Sangladan, the managers were shocked when they saw a 500-meter track between two tunnels actually missing one fine morning. Reported in 2006, it destroyed a vast stretch of land on a slope housing as many as 100 structures besides over 400 meters of the road connecting Mahore and Gulabgarh.
In 2016 summer of 2016, authorities shifted 124 families – almost the entire village of Dharam, after the vast patch of land that housed the hamlet caved in within three months. Though the officials attributed it to natural reasons, the residents linked the unprecedented situation to the ongoing work on the railway line passing close to the village.
Oceans In Gorges
Piercing the Pir Panchal mountains for smooth, faster and better communication is just not the only thing happening in the region. Owing to the mighty Chenab, the region is Jammu and Kashmir’s powerhouse. More than 90 per cent of the hydropower potential is restricted to the region owing to the availability of water and enough space to construct dams within the mountain gorges. This has led to a situation where the region holds a massive amount of water in its dams.
The region’s tryst with power generation started late last century with the implementation of the 900-MW Salal power project in Reasi in 1978. The project’s 1.45 million cubic meter dam has created the Salal lake which has the capacity to retain more than 28 million cubic meters of water.
Then came the 390-MW Dul-Hasti Power Project near Kishtwar. It was followed by the 900-MW Baglihar power with 1.8 cubic meters of the dam and an additional reservoir capacity of 39.5 cubic meters – a facility that has created a huge water body in the mountain gorges between Chanderkote belt and Thathri to the extent that certain localities and infrastructures had to be relocated. Quite a few people still live in the highway town of Pul Doda.
The region has many other power projects at different stages of implementation. These include 850-MW Rattle, 100-MW Pakal Dul, 624-MW Kiru, 540-MW Kwar, 800-MW Bursar, and 930-MW Kirthai-II. This is an investment of tens of thousands of crore in mountain gorges on a single river within a river length of fewer than 100 km.
Baglihar is the only project that Jammu and Kashmir’s fully-owned JKSPDC owns. Chenab Valley Power Projects Ltd, a joint venture between JKSPDC and NHPC, India’s hydropower giant, is implementing four power projects – Pakal Dul, Kiru, Kwar and Karthia-II. Salal and Dul Hasti owned fully by NHPC and Ratle is being executed under a fresh JV with JKSPDC in which the latter holds 49 per cent stakes.
Stakes apart, hydropower stations are gigantic projects. These need huge spaces for water storage – even in the case of run-of-the-river schemes, and a lot of tunnelling. All projects have main tunnels, both head race and tail race, and then there are a lot of additional adits and small tunnels for servicing. Even though most of the tunnels and the dams are concrete structures, having such critical infrastructure usually triggers soil erosion and soil swellings too often. The 110-km Batote Kishtwar road has been ailing for all these years. Never in a year could it operate for all 365 days.
Cause versus Consequence?
Science has fundamentally opposed the idea of correlating causes with consequences especially when there is no plausible explanation. In the case of the Pir Panchal region, however, there are striking correlations. For most of recent history, land sliding has been happening around the national highway only. However, in the last decade, land subsidence is a routine and it is happening at all places where developmental activities are going on.
Bhaderwah town and its surroundings are witnessing “region-exclusive” tremors almost every year. In August 2022, there were 21 tremors, reaching up to 3.9 on the Richter scale. Such summer tremors have been there in 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2018. In fact, 2013 was harrowing as the earthquakes touched 5.8 on the Richter scale.
Land patches are caving in at spots closer to some kind of major developmental activity. This is as true with railway projects as it is in road widening projects. Certain spots caved in because works were implemented without a detailed study.
In Sangaldan, for instance, when the railway track collapsed, it was pointed out by geologist Prof GM Bhat that it had been built “on a fossil slide”, which failed to withstand the weight and crumbled down. “We knew it for decades but we were never consulted,” Bhat said. “In this part of the Himalayas, rock types change after every half a kilometre.”
A respected geologist, Bhat insists that developmental activities can take place in any space that is as fragile as Pir Panchal but it needs adequate pre-implementation study and proper implementation mechanism.
“In the four-laning of the highway, the crisis would have been manageable had there been least vertical cuts,” Bhat said. “Impounding so much of water (in power projects dams) within a small patch has the potential of inducing earthquakes.” He insists that the managers of the water projects must ensure better maintenance of the tunnels or these could become a serious crisis in future.
Bhat, however, sees society also going unruly. “In Banihal near the Mahu Mangat side, a hillock is a completely populated town now,” he said. “Has anybody tried to verify where the waste goes? Are we expecting a major crisis in the coming days when the hill will cave in because of seepage?”
The region is a risky belt given its fragile geology. The upcoming railway line is built over three major active geological fault lines: the Main Boundary Thrust (between Udhampur and Katra), the Muree Thrust (between Baglihar and Sangaldan) and the Panjal Thrust (between Digdol and Mahu Mangat). “I never say railway tracks cannot cross fault lines but I believe that had local expertise been involved, extensive fieldwork would have reduced the costs and perfected the alignment”. Entire Jammu and Kashmir is classified as seismic zone-V, the highest earthquake-prone area. CAG has already done a thick report on the resources that were wasted because of the geological surprises that erupted after various rail projects were implemented. Parts of the alignment were changed and completed works were abandoned.
A fault line actually passes through the centre of the Baghlihar dam and most other reservoirs are very close to the fault lines underneath. “A dam burst will be worse than the earthquake itself,” Bhat, who retired recently after heading the University of Jammu’s Geology Department for a long time, said. Interestingly, the area is reporting an increased incidence of cloudbursts, seen as an indicator of climate change. “One major cloudburst near a dam can trigger unprecedented devastation.”
One such cloudburst on July 28, 2021, almost decimated Honzer, a hamlet concealed within inaccessible mountains of remote Dacchan, killing 26 residents. The bodies of almost 18 of the victims were never found.
Many geologists who studied Dalwa fall attributed the land subsidence to water seepage, and extensive cutting of steep slopes. They have suggested a robust urban land use plan, a prerequisite for any activity, especially in hilly areas.
https://kashmirlife.net/o-pir-panchal-vol-14-issue-49-311779/
2023.06.07 11:51 korea_viva The Sea Knows
https://all-movi.blogspot.com/2013/11/movie-167.html#sik
( Korean Dubbing , English / Italian Subtitles )
Plot summary : January 1944. Korean students are conscripted as student soldiers for a transportation troop in Nagoya, Japan. Among them are Arowoon and Inoue, who were on a blacklist for defying the proconsul. A veteran soldier Mori makes Arowoon lick the dirty sole of his combat boots or bark and act like a dog, maltreating him as a worthless being. The Japanese abuse them as they emphasize '50-years-long tradition of Japanese army' but Arowoon and Inoue sneer at them. Then Arowoon comes across Hideko who is Japanese and falls in love with her. He dates Hideko during his furlough or whenever he has time and is consoled by Hideko as they talk about what he goes through at the army. Hideko's mother is strongly against their relationship but they get married on their own. Then, Arowoon escapes the army immediately before the massed air-raid of the U.S. and wanders around the bombed streets. When the army base and the city became completely chaotic, Japanese soldiers performed group cremation for dead soldiers as they forbid families from seeing the corpse. People are enraged as they see dead bodies burn and Arowoon walks out amid burning bodies and gets to meet Hideko again.
submitted by korea_viva to W_Movie [link] [comments]
https://all-movi.blogspot.com/2013/11/movie-167.html#sik
( Korean Dubbing , English / Italian Subtitles )
Plot summary : January 1944. Korean students are conscripted as student soldiers for a transportation troop in Nagoya, Japan. Among them are Arowoon and Inoue, who were on a blacklist for defying the proconsul. A veteran soldier Mori makes Arowoon lick the dirty sole of his combat boots or bark and act like a dog, maltreating him as a worthless being. The Japanese abuse them as they emphasize '50-years-long tradition of Japanese army' but Arowoon and Inoue sneer at them. Then Arowoon comes across Hideko who is Japanese and falls in love with her. He dates Hideko during his furlough or whenever he has time and is consoled by Hideko as they talk about what he goes through at the army. Hideko's mother is strongly against their relationship but they get married on their own. Then, Arowoon escapes the army immediately before the massed air-raid of the U.S. and wanders around the bombed streets. When the army base and the city became completely chaotic, Japanese soldiers performed group cremation for dead soldiers as they forbid families from seeing the corpse. People are enraged as they see dead bodies burn and Arowoon walks out amid burning bodies and gets to meet Hideko again.
2023.06.07 11:48 monpagolrmf Gooby Escape Free Easy Fit Harness - Blue, Small - No Pull Step-in Patented Small Dog Harness with Quick Release Buckle - Perfect On The Go No Pull Harness for Small Dogs or Medium Dog Harness
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- Escape Free Blue Dog Harness - Our Escape Free Easy Fit dog harness no pull design reduces space around the back making harder for your dog to escape our no pull harness by backing away during the walk. Make sure our no pull dog harness is properly sized by checking to see if there is no space around the back of your dog when the harness is pulled fully. Incorrect sizing will lead to escaping of the harness.
- Step In Deasign for Easy on and Easy Off – Our Step in dog harness design makes it easy for your dog to step in and step out the gooby harness for small dogs without a hassle. Simply place the left paw of the dog on the left arm hole, and right paw of the dog on the right arm hole and pull up to fasten.
- Machine Washable – The Gooby escape free harness is very easy to clean. Just machine wash cold and hang dry.
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2023.06.07 11:39 Timballist0 2 months sober and counting after 7 years of use.
I've had some form of THC in my system every day for the last 7 years. Smoking, dabs, edibles, vaping, I've done at least one of these methods every day. When I got a boyfriend, I decided to stop: he's straight edge, never tried any intoxicant.
Before I quit, I was doing 10 - 15 dabs a session, 3 - 4 sessions a day.
I like the clarity, I was walking in a fog for years. I like dreaming again, so vivid! I like not getting the munchies, I've lost weight. My short term memory is even improving.
I originally got my medical card for chronic pain in my back, but since losing weight over the past few years, that pain has largely subsided. I realized I was using it as a mood stabilizer, or even as an escape from reality.
I mostly miss having my oil vape as something to do as I wait or have idle time, probably just an oral fixation. I must have reached in my pocket for the absent vape for weeks when I first quit.
I thought I would crave cannabis more, but I feel no want to do it. I suffered no withdrawal symptoms.
I'm happy with my sobriety!
submitted by Timballist0 to leaves [link] [comments]
Before I quit, I was doing 10 - 15 dabs a session, 3 - 4 sessions a day.
I like the clarity, I was walking in a fog for years. I like dreaming again, so vivid! I like not getting the munchies, I've lost weight. My short term memory is even improving.
I originally got my medical card for chronic pain in my back, but since losing weight over the past few years, that pain has largely subsided. I realized I was using it as a mood stabilizer, or even as an escape from reality.
I mostly miss having my oil vape as something to do as I wait or have idle time, probably just an oral fixation. I must have reached in my pocket for the absent vape for weeks when I first quit.
I thought I would crave cannabis more, but I feel no want to do it. I suffered no withdrawal symptoms.
I'm happy with my sobriety!
2023.06.07 11:02 Less-Document4584 I’m worried my little sister is going to commit suicide, and it’s taking a toll on my mental health
My little sister (22f) has been struggling with her mental health for years now. Among other things, she has severe anxiety, an eating disorder, and I suspect depression as well. Her mental health took a turn for the worse when she entered high school, and it has been bad with waves of even worse ever since.
She’s been seeing a therapist for a long time but it doesn’t seem to be helping. And I feel so guilty, but I am so angry because it just seems like she’s not doing anything to help herself either. She took herself off of her medication last year without telling anyone. She’s not eating nearly enough and is at a dangerously low weight. She doesn’t bathe regularly or clean her room. She doesn’t leave the house, ever. She doesn’t attend in-person classes or have friends at school. She has no hobbies, no interests, no aspirations. She sits in the dark playing video games every moment she’s awake. She doesn’t want to enter a program for help or change therapists. I am so, so incredibly and sickeningly worried about her and have been for years.
It’s terrifying. I’m terrified. I’m worried every moment of every day. Every time I get a text from her saying “I love you” my stomach falls through the floor. Every time she ignores a text message I start panicking. In the past, I’ve had to sit with her through nightmarish panic attacks. She’d be curled up on her bedroom floor, sobbing and tearing at her clothing. I’d sit with her and watch her every move, take every sharp object out of her hands the moment she grabbed one, pull her nails off her arm as she scratched at herself, and tend to her wounds once she was calming down. I’ve driven her to the ER in the middle of the night and sat with her outside until her panic attack subsided. I’ve had her scream at me on the phone to get over to her because she’s in the middle of a panic attack.
These days, she keeps far more to herself but we all know she’s not doing well. She still talks to me about her troubles from time to time and I say and do what I can to help, but she usually winds up ignoring me. I still get the random late night texts that make my blood go cold. I see her new clothing torn, holes ripped into them during recent panic attacks. And yet she doesn’t want help.
What’s been eating me alive lately is that I’m growing tired of offering it. I’ve found myself becoming more and more frustrated, more and more resentful of a situation I have no business being angry over. But I can’t help it. I’ve dropped so much to be there when she needs me. I’ve seen and dealt with things no young adult should have to. I’m in my mid twenties, I should be having the time of my life. I don’t want to have to worry about my little sister taking her own life every waking moment. I don’t want to worry about my father’s declining health because he can’t sleep out of worry for my sister. I don’t want to worry about my mother becoming more and more stressed as she watches her daughter grow skinnier and skinnier before her, with no ability to help. I don’t want the topic of every family meal, every gathering, every celebration to be how bad my little sister is doing, what are our next options, how can we help her, “we’re so glad she at least talks to YOU, OP”. I want to live my life without feeling like my family is being stalked by the grim reaper. I don’t want to play spy or therapist any more. I don’t want to lose any more sleep or decline any more plans.
I feel so guilty feeling like this, making this situation about me, but I am so, so tired. I am sickeningly frustrated. I have no tolerance for anything any more. Nothing is enjoyable for long. I would move away but the worry would only multiply tenfold. I just want her issues to vanish. More than ANYTHING. I want her to have a normal life. I can’t imagine how she must feel dealing with all her issues if I feel like THIS just from being around it all.
But also, I want my family back, I want my life back. I can’t deal with any forms of stress any more. I’m spent, absolutely exhausted. All I want to do is sleep. I’m seeing a therapist myself, which helps a lot, but at the end of the day I’m still living at home with all this stress and absolutely nothing I can do about it. I have no power to help beyond what I’ve been doing and that clearly isn’t enough.
I love her so much. I want her to get better and she won’t. I want to escape and I can’t. I spend every day terrified that today will be the day I get the call. I have never felt so trapped and so miserable as I have the last few days, and there is no end in sight. I’m being dragged into a tunnel that is just getting darker and more terrifying with every step, and I can’t escape. There is no way out.
submitted by Less-Document4584 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
She’s been seeing a therapist for a long time but it doesn’t seem to be helping. And I feel so guilty, but I am so angry because it just seems like she’s not doing anything to help herself either. She took herself off of her medication last year without telling anyone. She’s not eating nearly enough and is at a dangerously low weight. She doesn’t bathe regularly or clean her room. She doesn’t leave the house, ever. She doesn’t attend in-person classes or have friends at school. She has no hobbies, no interests, no aspirations. She sits in the dark playing video games every moment she’s awake. She doesn’t want to enter a program for help or change therapists. I am so, so incredibly and sickeningly worried about her and have been for years.
It’s terrifying. I’m terrified. I’m worried every moment of every day. Every time I get a text from her saying “I love you” my stomach falls through the floor. Every time she ignores a text message I start panicking. In the past, I’ve had to sit with her through nightmarish panic attacks. She’d be curled up on her bedroom floor, sobbing and tearing at her clothing. I’d sit with her and watch her every move, take every sharp object out of her hands the moment she grabbed one, pull her nails off her arm as she scratched at herself, and tend to her wounds once she was calming down. I’ve driven her to the ER in the middle of the night and sat with her outside until her panic attack subsided. I’ve had her scream at me on the phone to get over to her because she’s in the middle of a panic attack.
These days, she keeps far more to herself but we all know she’s not doing well. She still talks to me about her troubles from time to time and I say and do what I can to help, but she usually winds up ignoring me. I still get the random late night texts that make my blood go cold. I see her new clothing torn, holes ripped into them during recent panic attacks. And yet she doesn’t want help.
What’s been eating me alive lately is that I’m growing tired of offering it. I’ve found myself becoming more and more frustrated, more and more resentful of a situation I have no business being angry over. But I can’t help it. I’ve dropped so much to be there when she needs me. I’ve seen and dealt with things no young adult should have to. I’m in my mid twenties, I should be having the time of my life. I don’t want to have to worry about my little sister taking her own life every waking moment. I don’t want to worry about my father’s declining health because he can’t sleep out of worry for my sister. I don’t want to worry about my mother becoming more and more stressed as she watches her daughter grow skinnier and skinnier before her, with no ability to help. I don’t want the topic of every family meal, every gathering, every celebration to be how bad my little sister is doing, what are our next options, how can we help her, “we’re so glad she at least talks to YOU, OP”. I want to live my life without feeling like my family is being stalked by the grim reaper. I don’t want to play spy or therapist any more. I don’t want to lose any more sleep or decline any more plans.
I feel so guilty feeling like this, making this situation about me, but I am so, so tired. I am sickeningly frustrated. I have no tolerance for anything any more. Nothing is enjoyable for long. I would move away but the worry would only multiply tenfold. I just want her issues to vanish. More than ANYTHING. I want her to have a normal life. I can’t imagine how she must feel dealing with all her issues if I feel like THIS just from being around it all.
But also, I want my family back, I want my life back. I can’t deal with any forms of stress any more. I’m spent, absolutely exhausted. All I want to do is sleep. I’m seeing a therapist myself, which helps a lot, but at the end of the day I’m still living at home with all this stress and absolutely nothing I can do about it. I have no power to help beyond what I’ve been doing and that clearly isn’t enough.
I love her so much. I want her to get better and she won’t. I want to escape and I can’t. I spend every day terrified that today will be the day I get the call. I have never felt so trapped and so miserable as I have the last few days, and there is no end in sight. I’m being dragged into a tunnel that is just getting darker and more terrifying with every step, and I can’t escape. There is no way out.
2023.06.07 10:57 korea_viva Boogie
https://all-movi.blogspot.com/2013/11/movie-162.html#sch
( English Dubbing )
Plot summary : Boogie meets Marcia at a bar, the girlfriend of the mafia Boss Sonny Calabria, who asks him if he finds her attractive. Boogie points that she is fat in a very rude manner, and leaves. Some time later Calabria is sent to trial, threatened by the existence of a mysterious witness who could incriminate him. Calabria's people try to hire Boogie to kill that witness, but as he requests too much money they decide to hire Blackburn instead, a competitor killer. Angered by the situation, Boogie decides to kidnap the witness to force Calabria to pay him. The witness was Marcia, who had changed into a thin figure after Boogie's criticism, causing Calabria to leave her and get together with another fat woman, as he preferred fat women. Marcia falls in love with this seeming hero, despite his constant violence and lack of feelings, until she finds out his true plans. She tries to escape from him, but Boogie captures her back and negotiates giving her up to Calabria.
submitted by korea_viva to W_Movie [link] [comments]
https://all-movi.blogspot.com/2013/11/movie-162.html#sch
( English Dubbing )
Plot summary : Boogie meets Marcia at a bar, the girlfriend of the mafia Boss Sonny Calabria, who asks him if he finds her attractive. Boogie points that she is fat in a very rude manner, and leaves. Some time later Calabria is sent to trial, threatened by the existence of a mysterious witness who could incriminate him. Calabria's people try to hire Boogie to kill that witness, but as he requests too much money they decide to hire Blackburn instead, a competitor killer. Angered by the situation, Boogie decides to kidnap the witness to force Calabria to pay him. The witness was Marcia, who had changed into a thin figure after Boogie's criticism, causing Calabria to leave her and get together with another fat woman, as he preferred fat women. Marcia falls in love with this seeming hero, despite his constant violence and lack of feelings, until she finds out his true plans. She tries to escape from him, but Boogie captures her back and negotiates giving her up to Calabria.
2023.06.07 10:17 Ginserk420 (First Reddit Post) I Feel Overburdened by Life and I'm Lost (+ overview of my life)
If you want my primary concern and question for insight, it's below the TL;DR. Everything else is an overview of my life.
I'm a 25M American that currently lives with his disabled mother and autistic brother (18 months younger than me). My father is autistic and frankly not dad material (he's a gigolo in his spare time and I have 6 known half-siblings as a result, and only talk to one of them).The first house I ever lived in was shared between my mother, grandmother, my grandmother's fiancee and my father for the first two years of my life. My father left the household on my second birthday due to disagreements about my brother's birth (my mom and father weren't married and my father accused my mom of cheating since my brother was an "unexpected" pregnancy). Since it was my father that was doing the babysitting while everyone else was out at work, my mother would ask my great aunt and her daughter to babysit my brother and I to fill the void. They both eventually grew to be second household to me where I'd walk down the street to their house on the weekends and it was as if I had 3 moms. They'd often take me jet-skiing, on vacations, chuck-e-cheese and generally get me anything I wanted. My brother couldn't say the same because taking him out in public always ended poorly, he'd bash his head on pavement, punch himself in the face if he didn't get his way, wander off, and scream for no reason. At the time, we were still trying to get him properly diagnosed. So he'd usually stay home with one of them, and I'd go out and do the fun stuff (he still got toys and McDonalds).
My mother got her disability from a workplace incident when I was 4 years old (there was a settlement but it only covered expenses for medical procedures). She was told by multiple doctors that she'd remain bedridden on account of having broken multiple vertebrae in the lower half of her spine. Despite this, she would continue working to support my brother and I for an additional 2 years until she could no longer physically take the pain. We lost the first house shortly after my mother stopped working. My grandmother and her fiance got their own apartment while my mother, brother, and I moved in with my grandfather. Keep in mind, I'm still visiting my aunt's house every weekend at this time, and developed an obsession with Legos. Every week I got a new set that my brother and I would play with. Until early 2009.
My great aunt had passed away. I was devastated. Can you imagine someone in your life that absolutely spread no anger, who didn't yell at you no matter what you did, who was always a supportive character telling you that you can do anything while giving you everything you wanted and then some? She was the reason why I strove to excel in elementary school, scoring higher than the other students, why I was genuinely kind to everyone, why I could smile at the end of the week between the random bullying I got at school and the beatings my grandfather would give me at home to make me "a better man".That is what I had lost at the age of 10 years old.Her last gift to me was a Lego Indiana Jones set, a birthday present she had bought early. I assembled it and put it on a shelf. About a month passes before something in my life happens that I live to regret to this day.My brother had got home before me one day. He destroyed it. Just because he felt like it. I couldn't put it back together, pieces were missing. I was angry. I can't remember what I grabbed, but I remember lots of red. I scarred his neck, and it wouldn't stop. My mother called me a monster, my brother thought he was going to die. No cops were called, no charges pressed, but everyone at school knew what I did. DCFS was involved but they couldn't enter my grandfather's house without his permission, as my mom didn't pay rent. Both my mother and brother forgave me. You'd think I got off easy, but I look at the subtle mark I left him on his neck everyday and everyday I remember what I did.
I'd have a few more deaths in the family to people I was close to. My great grandmother in 2010, my grandmother in 2011 and eventually my grandfather passed away in 2013.My grandfather was someone I saw everyday for 9 years straight, up until he woke up at 6 AM to play cards, to when he went to bed at 10. He taught me what it means to be a true man, and that's not to give up on those who love you, and he had a huge emphasis on being a gentleman. Basically my father figure. And he always supported me, so long as I spoke my mind. He forced me into sports I hated, but when I told him I'd rather get into gaming, he goes and gets me a Wii near its original launch! This would spiral into a gaming addiction that I definitely have no intention of stopping anytime soon.
After losing so many family members I was close to, I had pretty much became disheartened and more cynical and apathetic towards life. Anyway, my grandfather had a reverse mortgage on his house, meaning staying was impossible. But he left my mother some cash to settle her up for a few more years until I could start working. Between both my mother and brother's disability checks (roughly 1.2k in total and the 200$ in child support my father would sometimes pay) we did pretty well to just barely afford an apartment. I was in high school around this time period, and in the IBO program (essentially AP classes but your coursework is graded internationally). I was proud and felt accomplished because my teachers would assure me the IBO program would "set me for life" should I finish it out. And I almost did, were it not that I had grown suicidal during my senior year and attempted to take my own life. This is in part to moving from an apartment to trailer between my junior and senior year, I was absolutely miserable. I was trying to balance the bullshit curriculum that is the IB program between working my first ever job in retail, and taking care of my mother and brother. Our extended family treated us as if we didn't exist and the family that did acknowledge us only did so when it was convenient. Luckily I made some really good friends during both middle school and high school. Were it not for them and some escapism via gaming, I definitely wouldn't be here today.
I was given an ultimatum for not finishing the IB program. I could try to finish the program with a max gpa of 2.9/4 or finish basic education with a 3.9 gpa and some college credit. I chose the latter, got majorly depressed and sat out school between 2016-early 2018. Between that time, our trailer was condemned due to the landlord's poor upkeep, so we moved into a duplex where I still live with my mother and brother. I got some proper therapy between this time period, from a life councilor that was an absolute chad. He helped me afford college by setting me up with some scholarships. Things were looking up until about 3 years ago. Between covid, my mother got a really bad MRSA infection which degraded her spine. She went from barely being able to walk to being unable to walk completely. I'm pretty sure its damaged her brain somehow, as she'll have these elongated periods of non-awareness for days, sometimes weeks, but whenever she gets it checked out, the doctors don't detect anything. It's like she has no clue what's going on, almost like she had a stroke or has Alzheimer's. She hasn't had it for a few months but after three years of it coming and going, I'm awaiting the inevitable. The infection actually got so bad once to the point that doctor's were calling to tell me she'd need to be in hospice (my grandmother died in hospice). I had a few panic attacks as a result.
TL;DR My mother will constantly remind me that "It's only a matter of time" before she passes, and frankly I just want to get my degree before then and find a stable and successful job to support my brother. I'm in my senior year for my computer science degree, completely demotivated, with 20k in debt even though I have at least 2 semesters to finish out. The thing is I've kinda grown to hate programming...or at least programming for assignments. I'm tight for cash to be able to change majors (on top of supporting two grown adults). I have a passion for game dev, but know how unreliable being a game-dev can be. I could get my associates through a special state program, but then all the time effort and money i put into my comp sci degree will go to waste. I feel lost as to what I should be doing.
submitted by Ginserk420 to self [link] [comments]
I'm a 25M American that currently lives with his disabled mother and autistic brother (18 months younger than me). My father is autistic and frankly not dad material (he's a gigolo in his spare time and I have 6 known half-siblings as a result, and only talk to one of them).The first house I ever lived in was shared between my mother, grandmother, my grandmother's fiancee and my father for the first two years of my life. My father left the household on my second birthday due to disagreements about my brother's birth (my mom and father weren't married and my father accused my mom of cheating since my brother was an "unexpected" pregnancy). Since it was my father that was doing the babysitting while everyone else was out at work, my mother would ask my great aunt and her daughter to babysit my brother and I to fill the void. They both eventually grew to be second household to me where I'd walk down the street to their house on the weekends and it was as if I had 3 moms. They'd often take me jet-skiing, on vacations, chuck-e-cheese and generally get me anything I wanted. My brother couldn't say the same because taking him out in public always ended poorly, he'd bash his head on pavement, punch himself in the face if he didn't get his way, wander off, and scream for no reason. At the time, we were still trying to get him properly diagnosed. So he'd usually stay home with one of them, and I'd go out and do the fun stuff (he still got toys and McDonalds).
My mother got her disability from a workplace incident when I was 4 years old (there was a settlement but it only covered expenses for medical procedures). She was told by multiple doctors that she'd remain bedridden on account of having broken multiple vertebrae in the lower half of her spine. Despite this, she would continue working to support my brother and I for an additional 2 years until she could no longer physically take the pain. We lost the first house shortly after my mother stopped working. My grandmother and her fiance got their own apartment while my mother, brother, and I moved in with my grandfather. Keep in mind, I'm still visiting my aunt's house every weekend at this time, and developed an obsession with Legos. Every week I got a new set that my brother and I would play with. Until early 2009.
My great aunt had passed away. I was devastated. Can you imagine someone in your life that absolutely spread no anger, who didn't yell at you no matter what you did, who was always a supportive character telling you that you can do anything while giving you everything you wanted and then some? She was the reason why I strove to excel in elementary school, scoring higher than the other students, why I was genuinely kind to everyone, why I could smile at the end of the week between the random bullying I got at school and the beatings my grandfather would give me at home to make me "a better man".That is what I had lost at the age of 10 years old.Her last gift to me was a Lego Indiana Jones set, a birthday present she had bought early. I assembled it and put it on a shelf. About a month passes before something in my life happens that I live to regret to this day.My brother had got home before me one day. He destroyed it. Just because he felt like it. I couldn't put it back together, pieces were missing. I was angry. I can't remember what I grabbed, but I remember lots of red. I scarred his neck, and it wouldn't stop. My mother called me a monster, my brother thought he was going to die. No cops were called, no charges pressed, but everyone at school knew what I did. DCFS was involved but they couldn't enter my grandfather's house without his permission, as my mom didn't pay rent. Both my mother and brother forgave me. You'd think I got off easy, but I look at the subtle mark I left him on his neck everyday and everyday I remember what I did.
I'd have a few more deaths in the family to people I was close to. My great grandmother in 2010, my grandmother in 2011 and eventually my grandfather passed away in 2013.My grandfather was someone I saw everyday for 9 years straight, up until he woke up at 6 AM to play cards, to when he went to bed at 10. He taught me what it means to be a true man, and that's not to give up on those who love you, and he had a huge emphasis on being a gentleman. Basically my father figure. And he always supported me, so long as I spoke my mind. He forced me into sports I hated, but when I told him I'd rather get into gaming, he goes and gets me a Wii near its original launch! This would spiral into a gaming addiction that I definitely have no intention of stopping anytime soon.
After losing so many family members I was close to, I had pretty much became disheartened and more cynical and apathetic towards life. Anyway, my grandfather had a reverse mortgage on his house, meaning staying was impossible. But he left my mother some cash to settle her up for a few more years until I could start working. Between both my mother and brother's disability checks (roughly 1.2k in total and the 200$ in child support my father would sometimes pay) we did pretty well to just barely afford an apartment. I was in high school around this time period, and in the IBO program (essentially AP classes but your coursework is graded internationally). I was proud and felt accomplished because my teachers would assure me the IBO program would "set me for life" should I finish it out. And I almost did, were it not that I had grown suicidal during my senior year and attempted to take my own life. This is in part to moving from an apartment to trailer between my junior and senior year, I was absolutely miserable. I was trying to balance the bullshit curriculum that is the IB program between working my first ever job in retail, and taking care of my mother and brother. Our extended family treated us as if we didn't exist and the family that did acknowledge us only did so when it was convenient. Luckily I made some really good friends during both middle school and high school. Were it not for them and some escapism via gaming, I definitely wouldn't be here today.
I was given an ultimatum for not finishing the IB program. I could try to finish the program with a max gpa of 2.9/4 or finish basic education with a 3.9 gpa and some college credit. I chose the latter, got majorly depressed and sat out school between 2016-early 2018. Between that time, our trailer was condemned due to the landlord's poor upkeep, so we moved into a duplex where I still live with my mother and brother. I got some proper therapy between this time period, from a life councilor that was an absolute chad. He helped me afford college by setting me up with some scholarships. Things were looking up until about 3 years ago. Between covid, my mother got a really bad MRSA infection which degraded her spine. She went from barely being able to walk to being unable to walk completely. I'm pretty sure its damaged her brain somehow, as she'll have these elongated periods of non-awareness for days, sometimes weeks, but whenever she gets it checked out, the doctors don't detect anything. It's like she has no clue what's going on, almost like she had a stroke or has Alzheimer's. She hasn't had it for a few months but after three years of it coming and going, I'm awaiting the inevitable. The infection actually got so bad once to the point that doctor's were calling to tell me she'd need to be in hospice (my grandmother died in hospice). I had a few panic attacks as a result.
TL;DR My mother will constantly remind me that "It's only a matter of time" before she passes, and frankly I just want to get my degree before then and find a stable and successful job to support my brother. I'm in my senior year for my computer science degree, completely demotivated, with 20k in debt even though I have at least 2 semesters to finish out. The thing is I've kinda grown to hate programming...or at least programming for assignments. I'm tight for cash to be able to change majors (on top of supporting two grown adults). I have a passion for game dev, but know how unreliable being a game-dev can be. I could get my associates through a special state program, but then all the time effort and money i put into my comp sci degree will go to waste. I feel lost as to what I should be doing.
2023.06.07 09:55 New-Application-8252 This Is Heresy...and I did it anyway.
soooooo....bored and playing with chat gpt. oh god....its so bad and yet....I want to keep going.
Chapter 1: Wings of Doubt
The swirling mists of the Warp slowly receded as Ciaphas Cain, Commissar of the Imperium, opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the deafening explosion aboard the Chaos battleship that had threatened to consume him. But instead of being cast into the embrace of oblivion, he found himself in a vast chamber of ethereal light.
Gone were his worn-out uniform and battered laspistol. Instead, he wore ornate golden armor that radiated a divine aura, its intricate details embellished with celestial motifs. He could feel the weight of a pair of immense wings on his back, their feathers shimmering with an otherworldly glow. As he surveyed his surroundings, Ciaphas realized he stood in the presence of a magnificent being—a massive figure seated upon a golden throne.
Ciaphas's breath caught in his throat as he gazed upon the enigmatic figure. Though the being was silent, an overwhelming sense of power and purpose emanated from it. He knelt instinctively, overwhelmed by the palpable force that seemed to fill the chamber.
A surge of emotions enveloped Ciaphas, an intangible connection that conveyed a mixture of approval, guidance, and unspoken purpose. But as his eyes met the celestial figure's, doubts and fear surged within him. The familiar voice of self-doubt whispered in his mind, reminding him of his true nature—a coward masquerading as a hero.
"How did I end up here?" Ciaphas thought, his mind racing with apprehension. "I've spent my entire career avoiding danger, always seeking the easiest way out. How can I, a false hero, possibly fulfill this monumental task?"
His inner monologue waged a relentless battle against the call to rise and accept his new destiny. He feared exposure, the revelation that his cowardice would be laid bare before the Imperium and the God-Emperor himself. The weight of the golden armor and the majesty of the wings felt like burdens upon his shoulders, symbols of a responsibility he doubted he could shoulder.
He questioned his worthiness, his ability to inspire others when his own heart trembled with fear. How could he rally the weak when he doubted his own strength? How could he strike fear into the hearts of enemies when he himself was a victim of his own fears?
Ciaphas's doubts multiplied, threatening to engulf him in a sea of anxiety. But even as the tumultuous thoughts churned within him, he couldn't deny the flickering ember of duty that remained. The image of those suffering under the weight of darkness, yearning for a glimmer of hope, pulled at his soul.
In the depths of his inner turmoil, he realized that perhaps his flaws were precisely what made him suitable for this mission. Perhaps it was his own experiences with fear and self-preservation that allowed him to understand the struggles of others. The false hero had survived countless battles, not through unwavering courage, but through cunning and calculated retreats. And maybe, just maybe, those experiences could ignite a spark of resilience within those who had lost hope.
With a deep breath, Ciaphas steeled himself against the doubts that threatened to paralyze him. He had always been a master of deception, skilled at projecting an image of bravery in the face of danger. If he could deceive countless soldiers and citizens, he could deceive even himself.
Embracing the unknown future, he rose from his kneeling position. The weight of the golden armor and the unfurled wings served as constant reminders of his role as the angel of the Imperium. But beneath the majestic facade, the doubts and fears still lingered, refusing to be silenced.
As he took the first steps towards fulfilling his new purpose, his inner monologue persisted, whispering tales of his true nature and the impending exposure of his cowardice. But Ciaphas chose to confront those doubts head-on, accepting them as a part of himself.
In the face of danger and uncertainty, he would strive to inspire others. He would wage a secret battle within, determined to overcome his own fears while shielding them from the eyes of those who looked to him for guidance. The false hero, now an angel of the Imperium, would navigate the treacherous path before him, forever haunted by the possibility of being unmasked.
And in doing so, he would forge a new legacy—one that transcended his own limitations and ignited hope in the hearts of those who needed it most.
Chapter 2: The Lurking Shadows
As Ciaphas Cain contemplated his newfound role as the angel of the Imperium, a familiar figure emerged from the ethereal light. It was Jurgen, his loyal aide, still alive and steadfast by his side. Clad in his ragged uniform, melta-gun in hand, Jurgen's presence offered a glimmer of familiarity amidst the overwhelming uncertainties that surrounded them.
"Jurgen!" Ciaphas exclaimed, a mixture of relief and surprise flooding his features. "I thought I had lost you."
Jurgen offered a lopsided grin, his eyes twinkling with the mirth of an old friend. "Thought you could get rid of me that easily, sir? Not a chance."
Ciaphas couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for Jurgen's unwavering loyalty. Despite the chaos and mysticism of their current situation, Jurgen's grounded presence provided a semblance of normalcy.
"We have a mission, Jurgen," Ciaphas began, his voice laden with determination. "We are to journey into the Eye of Terror, the heart of darkness itself, to face the treacherous Fulgrim, the first heretic. It will be a battle like no other, filled with unimaginable peril and ancient evils."
Jurgen's grin widened, revealing a glint of excitement. "Sounds like a right proper adventure, sir. Count me in."
Together, Ciaphas and Jurgen ventured into the inky abyss that lay before them, the Eye of Terror swallowing them whole. They traversed through a twisted realm of shifting shadows and malevolent energies, their every step fraught with uncertainty. The air crackled with an otherworldly malevolence, and the darkness seemed to whisper secrets that threatened to drive them mad.
As they pressed forward, guided by a sense of purpose and the distant echoes of Fulgrim's presence, the fabric of reality distorted around them. Eldritch abominations, spawned from the darkest recesses of the Warp, clawed at their sanity, testing their resolve. But Jurgen's melta-gun blazed with righteous fury, disintegrating the monstrosities that dared stand in their way.
Time lost all meaning as they delved deeper into the heart of the chaotic realm. Each encounter with the denizens of the Warp pushed them to their limits, the struggle between the divine presence within Ciaphas and the lingering doubts within his soul growing more intense with each passing moment. But Jurgen's unyielding faith in his commander acted as an anchor, grounding Ciaphas amidst the storm of uncertainty.
Finally, they reached the inner sanctum of Fulgrim's lair—a chamber shrouded in a sickly haze, where the air reeked of corruption and depravity. The fallen Primarch, once a paragon of martial prowess, now stood before them, his features twisted and distorted by the foul taint of Chaos. His eyes gleamed with malicious glee as he regarded the unlikely duo that dared challenge him.
"Fulgrim," Ciaphas declared, his voice steady despite the tremors of doubt that threatened to consume him. "Your heresy ends here."
Fulgrim's laughter echoed through the chamber, a cacophony of derision and mockery. "Ah, the false hero and his loyal lackey. How quaint. Do you truly believe you can stand against me?"
The room seemed to tilt, reality warping under the weight of Fulgrim's corrupted presence. But Ciaphas, bolstered by Jurgen's unflinching support, pressed on. He drew upon the divine power that coursed through his veins, unleashing a righteous fury against the fallen Primarch.
A battle of mythic proportions erupted, with Ciaphas and Fulgrim clashing in a dance of blades and raw power. The chamber crackled with energy as their weapons met, each strike shaking the very foundations of the Warp. Shadows writhed and twisted, merging with the chaos of the battlefield as ancient curses and whispered incantations swirled through the air.
Through it all, Jurgen stood by Ciaphas's side, his melta-gun blazing with righteous fire. His presence acted as a shield against the horrors that sought to unravel their resolve. The mystic energies that danced around them seemed to respond to Jurgen's unwavering faith, adding an element of divine protection to their cause.
The battle raged on, the clash of wills and steel reverberating through the abyss. Though doubts gnawed at Ciaphas's core, threatening to undermine his every move, he pressed forward, drawing strength from the unyielding support of his loyal aide.
In the end, it was a combination of Ciaphas's newfound celestial powers, Jurgen's steadfastness, and a touch of cunning that led to Fulgrim's defeat. The fallen Primarch crumbled before them, consumed by the forces he had once embraced.
As the echoes of the battle subsided, Ciaphas couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and lingering doubts. He had emerged victorious, fulfilling his divine mission, yet the shadows of his own insecurities continued to haunt him. He wondered if his true nature—a coward masquerading as a hero—would ever be laid bare.
But for now, he stood as the angel of the Imperium, a symbol of hope and resilience against the encroaching darkness. With Jurgen by his side, they would continue their journey, facing new trials and horrors, and perhaps one day finding the redemption they both sought amidst the labyrinthine realms of the Warp.
Chapter 3: The Illusion Unveiled
In the aftermath of their supposed victory over Fulgrim, a disquieting truth began to unravel around Ciaphas Cain and Jurgen. What they had believed to be their noble quest to defeat the heretic Primarch was, in fact, a cruel deception—a fabrication meticulously crafted by an ancient Necron Lord who held them captive within a sprawling tomb world.
As the haze of the simulated battle dissolved, the illusions that had surrounded them fell away, revealing the cold, metallic walls of their prison. Ciaphas and Jurgen found themselves confined within eerie, cocoon-like structures—creches designed to keep them in stasis while their minds were immersed in the nefarious virtual realm created by their captor.
Grim realization settled over them, intertwining with the lingering doubts that had plagued Ciaphas throughout their journey. The false hero had unwittingly played into the hands of a being far more sinister than Fulgrim himself. The very essence of their triumph had been a charade—a cruel manipulation of their hopes and desires.
But as their eyes adjusted to the harsh lighting of their prison, a hollow voice echoed through the chamber. It emanated from an unseen source, the ancient Necron Lord who had orchestrated their torment.
"Welcome, false heroes, to the heart of my domain," the voice reverberated, laced with a sinister undertone. "You have served your purpose well, unknowing puppets in my grand scheme."
Ciaphas's heart sank, the weight of his own inadequacies amplified by the cruel machinations of their captor. How had he been so blind? How had he allowed himself to be manipulated into playing the part of a hero when he had always been a reluctant coward?
The voice continued, its tone dripping with ancient malice. "You see, I sought to exploit your greatest weaknesses—the doubts that gnawed at your very souls. The false hero, plagued by self-doubt, and his loyal aide, burdened with unwavering faith. Such contradictions make for a tantalizing tapestry of despair."
Ciaphas and Jurgen exchanged somber glances, their spirits crushed by the revelation. Their struggles, their victories, all nothing more than a meticulously crafted illusion. The Necron Lord had seized upon their insecurities, manipulating their hopes and fears to further his own twisted agenda.
"And now, as the final act of my grand performance," the voice hissed, its words echoing within the chamber, "I shall leave you with the knowledge of your own futility. You are trapped within the confines of my tomb world, destined to live out your days in this simulated prison, forever ensnared by your own self-doubt."
The room fell into an eerie silence, save for the distant hum of machinery. Ciaphas's mind raced, desperately searching for a way to escape this nightmarish predicament. But the realization of their captivity weighed heavily upon him—every option seemed futile, every glimmer of hope a mere illusion.
In a final act of cruel mockery, the Necron Lord delivered a monologue to an empty room, its words directed at no one but the heroes ensnared within the simulation creches. His voice dripped with malevolence, a symphony of disdain for the beings he held captive.
"Know this, false heroes, you shall forever dwell in the shadows of your own failures. Your cowardice and unwavering faith, forever etched upon the annals of this tomb world," the voice intoned, relishing in their despair. "And as for me, I shall bask in the triumph of your defeat, reveling in the knowledge that even the falsest of heroes can be broken."
With those chilling words, the voice of the Necron Lord faded into nothingness, leaving Ciaphas and Jurgen alone in their simulated prison, adrift in a sea of despair. The weight of their captivity pressed upon them, their hopes shattered, their struggles rendered meaningless.
But amidst the darkness, a flicker of defiance stirred within Ciaphas's heart. A whisper of resilience urged him to confront his fears, to defy the fate that had been thrust upon them. The false hero, still burdened by doubt, resolved to forge a new path—one that would defy the expectations of the Necron Lord and reclaim their stolen destinies.
With Jurgen by his side, Ciaphas steeled himself for the arduous journey ahead. They would defy the odds, fight against the despair that threatened to consume them, and seek a way to escape the clutches of the ancient Necron Lord.
For even in the depths of their darkest hour, the spirit of heroism refused to be extinguished.
submitted by New-Application-8252 to TheAstraMilitarum [link] [comments]
Chapter 1: Wings of Doubt
The swirling mists of the Warp slowly receded as Ciaphas Cain, Commissar of the Imperium, opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the deafening explosion aboard the Chaos battleship that had threatened to consume him. But instead of being cast into the embrace of oblivion, he found himself in a vast chamber of ethereal light.
Gone were his worn-out uniform and battered laspistol. Instead, he wore ornate golden armor that radiated a divine aura, its intricate details embellished with celestial motifs. He could feel the weight of a pair of immense wings on his back, their feathers shimmering with an otherworldly glow. As he surveyed his surroundings, Ciaphas realized he stood in the presence of a magnificent being—a massive figure seated upon a golden throne.
Ciaphas's breath caught in his throat as he gazed upon the enigmatic figure. Though the being was silent, an overwhelming sense of power and purpose emanated from it. He knelt instinctively, overwhelmed by the palpable force that seemed to fill the chamber.
A surge of emotions enveloped Ciaphas, an intangible connection that conveyed a mixture of approval, guidance, and unspoken purpose. But as his eyes met the celestial figure's, doubts and fear surged within him. The familiar voice of self-doubt whispered in his mind, reminding him of his true nature—a coward masquerading as a hero.
"How did I end up here?" Ciaphas thought, his mind racing with apprehension. "I've spent my entire career avoiding danger, always seeking the easiest way out. How can I, a false hero, possibly fulfill this monumental task?"
His inner monologue waged a relentless battle against the call to rise and accept his new destiny. He feared exposure, the revelation that his cowardice would be laid bare before the Imperium and the God-Emperor himself. The weight of the golden armor and the majesty of the wings felt like burdens upon his shoulders, symbols of a responsibility he doubted he could shoulder.
He questioned his worthiness, his ability to inspire others when his own heart trembled with fear. How could he rally the weak when he doubted his own strength? How could he strike fear into the hearts of enemies when he himself was a victim of his own fears?
Ciaphas's doubts multiplied, threatening to engulf him in a sea of anxiety. But even as the tumultuous thoughts churned within him, he couldn't deny the flickering ember of duty that remained. The image of those suffering under the weight of darkness, yearning for a glimmer of hope, pulled at his soul.
In the depths of his inner turmoil, he realized that perhaps his flaws were precisely what made him suitable for this mission. Perhaps it was his own experiences with fear and self-preservation that allowed him to understand the struggles of others. The false hero had survived countless battles, not through unwavering courage, but through cunning and calculated retreats. And maybe, just maybe, those experiences could ignite a spark of resilience within those who had lost hope.
With a deep breath, Ciaphas steeled himself against the doubts that threatened to paralyze him. He had always been a master of deception, skilled at projecting an image of bravery in the face of danger. If he could deceive countless soldiers and citizens, he could deceive even himself.
Embracing the unknown future, he rose from his kneeling position. The weight of the golden armor and the unfurled wings served as constant reminders of his role as the angel of the Imperium. But beneath the majestic facade, the doubts and fears still lingered, refusing to be silenced.
As he took the first steps towards fulfilling his new purpose, his inner monologue persisted, whispering tales of his true nature and the impending exposure of his cowardice. But Ciaphas chose to confront those doubts head-on, accepting them as a part of himself.
In the face of danger and uncertainty, he would strive to inspire others. He would wage a secret battle within, determined to overcome his own fears while shielding them from the eyes of those who looked to him for guidance. The false hero, now an angel of the Imperium, would navigate the treacherous path before him, forever haunted by the possibility of being unmasked.
And in doing so, he would forge a new legacy—one that transcended his own limitations and ignited hope in the hearts of those who needed it most.
Chapter 2: The Lurking Shadows
As Ciaphas Cain contemplated his newfound role as the angel of the Imperium, a familiar figure emerged from the ethereal light. It was Jurgen, his loyal aide, still alive and steadfast by his side. Clad in his ragged uniform, melta-gun in hand, Jurgen's presence offered a glimmer of familiarity amidst the overwhelming uncertainties that surrounded them.
"Jurgen!" Ciaphas exclaimed, a mixture of relief and surprise flooding his features. "I thought I had lost you."
Jurgen offered a lopsided grin, his eyes twinkling with the mirth of an old friend. "Thought you could get rid of me that easily, sir? Not a chance."
Ciaphas couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for Jurgen's unwavering loyalty. Despite the chaos and mysticism of their current situation, Jurgen's grounded presence provided a semblance of normalcy.
"We have a mission, Jurgen," Ciaphas began, his voice laden with determination. "We are to journey into the Eye of Terror, the heart of darkness itself, to face the treacherous Fulgrim, the first heretic. It will be a battle like no other, filled with unimaginable peril and ancient evils."
Jurgen's grin widened, revealing a glint of excitement. "Sounds like a right proper adventure, sir. Count me in."
Together, Ciaphas and Jurgen ventured into the inky abyss that lay before them, the Eye of Terror swallowing them whole. They traversed through a twisted realm of shifting shadows and malevolent energies, their every step fraught with uncertainty. The air crackled with an otherworldly malevolence, and the darkness seemed to whisper secrets that threatened to drive them mad.
As they pressed forward, guided by a sense of purpose and the distant echoes of Fulgrim's presence, the fabric of reality distorted around them. Eldritch abominations, spawned from the darkest recesses of the Warp, clawed at their sanity, testing their resolve. But Jurgen's melta-gun blazed with righteous fury, disintegrating the monstrosities that dared stand in their way.
Time lost all meaning as they delved deeper into the heart of the chaotic realm. Each encounter with the denizens of the Warp pushed them to their limits, the struggle between the divine presence within Ciaphas and the lingering doubts within his soul growing more intense with each passing moment. But Jurgen's unyielding faith in his commander acted as an anchor, grounding Ciaphas amidst the storm of uncertainty.
Finally, they reached the inner sanctum of Fulgrim's lair—a chamber shrouded in a sickly haze, where the air reeked of corruption and depravity. The fallen Primarch, once a paragon of martial prowess, now stood before them, his features twisted and distorted by the foul taint of Chaos. His eyes gleamed with malicious glee as he regarded the unlikely duo that dared challenge him.
"Fulgrim," Ciaphas declared, his voice steady despite the tremors of doubt that threatened to consume him. "Your heresy ends here."
Fulgrim's laughter echoed through the chamber, a cacophony of derision and mockery. "Ah, the false hero and his loyal lackey. How quaint. Do you truly believe you can stand against me?"
The room seemed to tilt, reality warping under the weight of Fulgrim's corrupted presence. But Ciaphas, bolstered by Jurgen's unflinching support, pressed on. He drew upon the divine power that coursed through his veins, unleashing a righteous fury against the fallen Primarch.
A battle of mythic proportions erupted, with Ciaphas and Fulgrim clashing in a dance of blades and raw power. The chamber crackled with energy as their weapons met, each strike shaking the very foundations of the Warp. Shadows writhed and twisted, merging with the chaos of the battlefield as ancient curses and whispered incantations swirled through the air.
Through it all, Jurgen stood by Ciaphas's side, his melta-gun blazing with righteous fire. His presence acted as a shield against the horrors that sought to unravel their resolve. The mystic energies that danced around them seemed to respond to Jurgen's unwavering faith, adding an element of divine protection to their cause.
The battle raged on, the clash of wills and steel reverberating through the abyss. Though doubts gnawed at Ciaphas's core, threatening to undermine his every move, he pressed forward, drawing strength from the unyielding support of his loyal aide.
In the end, it was a combination of Ciaphas's newfound celestial powers, Jurgen's steadfastness, and a touch of cunning that led to Fulgrim's defeat. The fallen Primarch crumbled before them, consumed by the forces he had once embraced.
As the echoes of the battle subsided, Ciaphas couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and lingering doubts. He had emerged victorious, fulfilling his divine mission, yet the shadows of his own insecurities continued to haunt him. He wondered if his true nature—a coward masquerading as a hero—would ever be laid bare.
But for now, he stood as the angel of the Imperium, a symbol of hope and resilience against the encroaching darkness. With Jurgen by his side, they would continue their journey, facing new trials and horrors, and perhaps one day finding the redemption they both sought amidst the labyrinthine realms of the Warp.
Chapter 3: The Illusion Unveiled
In the aftermath of their supposed victory over Fulgrim, a disquieting truth began to unravel around Ciaphas Cain and Jurgen. What they had believed to be their noble quest to defeat the heretic Primarch was, in fact, a cruel deception—a fabrication meticulously crafted by an ancient Necron Lord who held them captive within a sprawling tomb world.
As the haze of the simulated battle dissolved, the illusions that had surrounded them fell away, revealing the cold, metallic walls of their prison. Ciaphas and Jurgen found themselves confined within eerie, cocoon-like structures—creches designed to keep them in stasis while their minds were immersed in the nefarious virtual realm created by their captor.
Grim realization settled over them, intertwining with the lingering doubts that had plagued Ciaphas throughout their journey. The false hero had unwittingly played into the hands of a being far more sinister than Fulgrim himself. The very essence of their triumph had been a charade—a cruel manipulation of their hopes and desires.
But as their eyes adjusted to the harsh lighting of their prison, a hollow voice echoed through the chamber. It emanated from an unseen source, the ancient Necron Lord who had orchestrated their torment.
"Welcome, false heroes, to the heart of my domain," the voice reverberated, laced with a sinister undertone. "You have served your purpose well, unknowing puppets in my grand scheme."
Ciaphas's heart sank, the weight of his own inadequacies amplified by the cruel machinations of their captor. How had he been so blind? How had he allowed himself to be manipulated into playing the part of a hero when he had always been a reluctant coward?
The voice continued, its tone dripping with ancient malice. "You see, I sought to exploit your greatest weaknesses—the doubts that gnawed at your very souls. The false hero, plagued by self-doubt, and his loyal aide, burdened with unwavering faith. Such contradictions make for a tantalizing tapestry of despair."
Ciaphas and Jurgen exchanged somber glances, their spirits crushed by the revelation. Their struggles, their victories, all nothing more than a meticulously crafted illusion. The Necron Lord had seized upon their insecurities, manipulating their hopes and fears to further his own twisted agenda.
"And now, as the final act of my grand performance," the voice hissed, its words echoing within the chamber, "I shall leave you with the knowledge of your own futility. You are trapped within the confines of my tomb world, destined to live out your days in this simulated prison, forever ensnared by your own self-doubt."
The room fell into an eerie silence, save for the distant hum of machinery. Ciaphas's mind raced, desperately searching for a way to escape this nightmarish predicament. But the realization of their captivity weighed heavily upon him—every option seemed futile, every glimmer of hope a mere illusion.
In a final act of cruel mockery, the Necron Lord delivered a monologue to an empty room, its words directed at no one but the heroes ensnared within the simulation creches. His voice dripped with malevolence, a symphony of disdain for the beings he held captive.
"Know this, false heroes, you shall forever dwell in the shadows of your own failures. Your cowardice and unwavering faith, forever etched upon the annals of this tomb world," the voice intoned, relishing in their despair. "And as for me, I shall bask in the triumph of your defeat, reveling in the knowledge that even the falsest of heroes can be broken."
With those chilling words, the voice of the Necron Lord faded into nothingness, leaving Ciaphas and Jurgen alone in their simulated prison, adrift in a sea of despair. The weight of their captivity pressed upon them, their hopes shattered, their struggles rendered meaningless.
But amidst the darkness, a flicker of defiance stirred within Ciaphas's heart. A whisper of resilience urged him to confront his fears, to defy the fate that had been thrust upon them. The false hero, still burdened by doubt, resolved to forge a new path—one that would defy the expectations of the Necron Lord and reclaim their stolen destinies.
With Jurgen by his side, Ciaphas steeled himself for the arduous journey ahead. They would defy the odds, fight against the despair that threatened to consume them, and seek a way to escape the clutches of the ancient Necron Lord.
For even in the depths of their darkest hour, the spirit of heroism refused to be extinguished.
2023.06.07 09:04 Snoo93135 TIFU by turning my back on a 1,800Lb bull which proceeded to ram me in to the corral panels
Context: First, we have our cows and bulls in closed corrals, which are enclosed by a recently built metal pipe fence around our house. Since we didn't have a fence around the house, we had to keep our cattle inside these corrals. Yesterday morning, I woke up to discover that one of our pregnant cows had given birth to a very handsome male calf. In the corral, there was the new mother with her newborn, as well as the father, a 1,800-pound Black Angus bull.
Now, this bull and I have had our problems, mainly on his part, as I have been mostly responsible for feeding him and providing water. This is why we had to put a nose ring on him to control his temperament. Since the newborn calf was only a few hours old, it kept mistaking the bull for its mother and tried to suck milk from him even though there was none. My mom saw this and was worried that the calf might get sick, as we had experienced the loss of previous young calves. She suggested that it would be a good idea to get the bull out of the corral and tie him somewhere else ( not let him roam free due to a welder working on our fence). I followed her suggestion since I had done this before when we needed to clean the corrals. However, I didn't consider that the bull was much younger during those previous instances.
As before, I opened the corral doors and grabbed the rope attached to the bull's nose ring to lead him outside. I held the rope close to his face to maintain control and prevent any dangerous behavior. I managed to pull him all the way to the metal pipe fence that surrounds our house, although he resisted. All that was left was to make a knot, and it would be done.
Here's where IFU. I let go of the rope slightly and turned my back on the bull to make the knot, and that's when he attacked me. I'm not sure how it happened since my back was towards him, but I ended up on the ground with my back against the second lowest pipe, and the bull ramming his head into my abdomen. All I could do at that moment was scream (manly scream) with the little air I had left in me.
I'm trying to recall how it felt, and all that comes to mind is one of those movie scenes where a character falls into rapids and is helpless against the overwhelming force. There are two things I remember from that moment. First, I thought to myself, "Wow, I can't believe this is happening to me." Second, I looked down at my abdomen and saw the bull's eyes staring at me while he exerted his weight on me. This went on for at least ten seconds until I suddenly felt lighter and quickly pushed myself to the other side of the fence through the openings between the pipes. I spent the following minute trying to catch my breath.
It turns out the welder had pulled the bull's tail, causing him to let me go for a moment. Luckily for me, Angus bulls are naturally hornless; otherwise, this post might not exist. As of now, I'm sore in my abdomen and back. Dont feel like theres anything broken, and if there's bleeding its internal which is where blood is supposed to be, jk of course. Needless to say, this incident will not be tolerated, and we will be having carne asada this Saturday.
TL;DR: I tried to move a bull to protect a newborn calf, but the bull charged at me, ramming my abdomen. I escaped through the fence and now I'm sore. Carne asada planned for this saturday.
submitted by Snoo93135 to tifu [link] [comments]
Now, this bull and I have had our problems, mainly on his part, as I have been mostly responsible for feeding him and providing water. This is why we had to put a nose ring on him to control his temperament. Since the newborn calf was only a few hours old, it kept mistaking the bull for its mother and tried to suck milk from him even though there was none. My mom saw this and was worried that the calf might get sick, as we had experienced the loss of previous young calves. She suggested that it would be a good idea to get the bull out of the corral and tie him somewhere else ( not let him roam free due to a welder working on our fence). I followed her suggestion since I had done this before when we needed to clean the corrals. However, I didn't consider that the bull was much younger during those previous instances.
As before, I opened the corral doors and grabbed the rope attached to the bull's nose ring to lead him outside. I held the rope close to his face to maintain control and prevent any dangerous behavior. I managed to pull him all the way to the metal pipe fence that surrounds our house, although he resisted. All that was left was to make a knot, and it would be done.
Here's where IFU. I let go of the rope slightly and turned my back on the bull to make the knot, and that's when he attacked me. I'm not sure how it happened since my back was towards him, but I ended up on the ground with my back against the second lowest pipe, and the bull ramming his head into my abdomen. All I could do at that moment was scream (manly scream) with the little air I had left in me.
I'm trying to recall how it felt, and all that comes to mind is one of those movie scenes where a character falls into rapids and is helpless against the overwhelming force. There are two things I remember from that moment. First, I thought to myself, "Wow, I can't believe this is happening to me." Second, I looked down at my abdomen and saw the bull's eyes staring at me while he exerted his weight on me. This went on for at least ten seconds until I suddenly felt lighter and quickly pushed myself to the other side of the fence through the openings between the pipes. I spent the following minute trying to catch my breath.
It turns out the welder had pulled the bull's tail, causing him to let me go for a moment. Luckily for me, Angus bulls are naturally hornless; otherwise, this post might not exist. As of now, I'm sore in my abdomen and back. Dont feel like theres anything broken, and if there's bleeding its internal which is where blood is supposed to be, jk of course. Needless to say, this incident will not be tolerated, and we will be having carne asada this Saturday.
TL;DR: I tried to move a bull to protect a newborn calf, but the bull charged at me, ramming my abdomen. I escaped through the fence and now I'm sore. Carne asada planned for this saturday.
2023.06.07 08:57 CompetitionShot4106 jack you should buy these!
 | submitted by CompetitionShot4106 to JackSucksAtLife [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 07:06 purplelyphilly City Council Update
Hey everyone, I'm looking to ease access to local politics in our community. I wanted to share with all of you a project I am working on to inform and connect Philly residents and communities with their local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Philadelphia City Council meetings. My goal is to make important government proceedings accessible so busy people can understand what is going on in their city and how they might be affected by new policies. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on the Philadelphia government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Philadelphia. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
submitted by purplelyphilly to Drexel [link] [comments]
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
- Amendments to The Philadelphia Code (230435, 230437, 230440, 230443, 230448, 230454, 230455, 220865, 230152)
- 2024 Fiscal Budget
- Improving Residential Housing
- Applications for Affordable Housing Grants
- Neighborhood improvement programs
- Signed:
- Bill No. 230251
- Approval and specification of the financial aspects regarding a neighborhood transformation.
- Bill No. 221017 and Bill No. 221018
- All relating to terms of the Preservation of Affordable Housing Chapter
- Bill No. 230127
- Amending The Philadelphia Code: Compensation for Members of Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Councils,
- Bill No. 230251
- Transmitting for Consideration:
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1625-41 North 10th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 372, 702 Cantrell Street, 613, 625, 723 Mercy Street, 737 Tree Street, 535, 537, and 602 Winton Street located in the 1st Councilmanic District.
- Deeds for 2335 & 2337 N. 6th Street in the Seventh Councilmanic District sent and executed by the proper authorities.
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community.
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services.
- Approving the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Budget.
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024.
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
- Relating to the financing of a home repair program
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement.
- recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills:
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Contracts and Procurement,” to reflect the change in contractor reporting obligations related to women and minorities. (230435, Council Member Phillips)
- Establishing Two-Hour Parking Regulations. (230436, Council Member Jones & Council President Clarke)
- Amending Section The Philadelphia Code, entitled “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District,” by amending the East Falls Neighborhood Commercial Review Area. (230437, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan Nos. 230 and 289 to create an opening. (230438, Council Member Jones)
- Adding a NO PARKING ANYTIME parking regulation. (230439, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “SP-STA, Sports Stadium (Special Purpose) District,” by expanding how many public signs are allowed. (230440, Council Member Johnson)
- Establishing NO TRUCK OR TRAILER PARKING ANYTIME and Two-Hour Parking regulations. (230441, Council Member Johnson)
- Amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps to add Industrial Light. (230442, Council Member Lazada)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts'' by creating a new subsection entitled “Warrington Affordable Housing Overlay District.” (230443, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 4333 Spruce Street, Philadelphia. (230444, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing Brandywine Realty Trust to construct, own and maintain various right-of way encroachments. (230445, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to split the use of commercial areas. (230446, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to reflect additional residential areas. (230447, Council Member Gauthier)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts,” to create regulations for Medical Marijuana. (230448, Council Member O’Neill)
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community. (230449, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services. (230450, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230451, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority; relating to the financing of a home repair program. (230452, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement. (230453, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Right of Way Management,” by revising requirements for obtaining access to and permits; and amending “Communication,” by deleting provisions relating to poles and overhead wires. (230454, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps, adding more residential space; and amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Zoning and Planning,” to revise “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District” by creating more open spaces. (230455, Council Member Bass)
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
- Honors:
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Tomeka Jones-Waters, Richard W. Allsop, Linda B. Williams, Karen Ford-Woods, and Stacy Raleigh. (230457*, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council Member Thomas)
- Honoring Mural Arts Philadelphia for the organization’s Porch Light program and Asian American and Pacific Islander mural series. (230469*, Council Member Harrity)
- Congratulating Officer Mark Kenneth Moore on his retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department and recognizing him for his service. (230471*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Confirming the appointment of Elinor Haider to the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. (230456, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Calling for the creation of the Community-Temple Safety Partnership Zone and a Response Resource Task Force in hopes of safer neighborhoods. (230458, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of multiple parcels located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (230459*, Council Member Jones)
- Thanking the School District of Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services for taking part in a roundtable meeting with schools in the 4th Council District, creating better-prepared students and facilities in Philadelphia. (230460*, Council Member Johnson)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230461*, Council Member Brooks & Council President Clarke)
- Declaring the Summer of 2023 the Summer of Hip Hop in Philadelphia. (230462*, Councilmember Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Urging the Administration to improve the ease of doing business. (230463, Council Member Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Recognizing and celebrating the 2023 Philippine Independence Week Celebration from June 3rd to June 17th. (230464, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of land in the 1st Councilmanic District. (230465, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver deeds conveying fee simple title in the Seventh Councilmanic District. (230466*, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings regarding the escape of two inmates. (230467*, Council Member Vaughn)
- Declaring June 5th to 11th, 2023 as Disability Pride Week in the City of Philadelphia (230468*, Council Member Brooks)
- Urging the Administration to improve access to good-paying jobs. (230470, Council Member Harrity)
- Declaring June 2023 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia. (230472*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Calling on the Administration and School District of Philadelphia to address and expand financial literacy education in the City of Philadelphia. Unanimously adopted. (230420, Council Member Phillips)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Housing Authority a deed conveying a fee simple title on multiple addresses on 31st, 32nd, Diamond Street, and W. York Street. Unanimously amended. (230423, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Commerce,” by adding a section on “Workforce Development Activity and Reporting,” in hopes of promoting workforce development activity. Unanimously passed. (220865, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Continuation of the Roxborough Neighborhood Improvement District beyond its termination. Unanimously passed. (220940, Council Member Jones)
- Continuing a neighborhood improvement district, known as the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District. Unanimously passed. (230080, Council Member Squilla & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Cashless Retail Prohibition,” by providing an exemption for gym membership transactions. Unanimously passed. (230152, Council Member Squilla)
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s mayoral election.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- Use this link to access the city council meeting agenda and meeting minutes.
- Use this link to get these newsletters sent to your inbox
- Follow us on Instagram @purplely.info
- If you have any questions you would like answered by the city council or any feedback on this newsletter, please email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
2023.06.07 07:05 purplelyphilly City Council Update
Hey everyone, I'm looking to ease access to local politics in our community. I wanted to share with all of you a project I am working on to inform and connect Philly residents and communities with their local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Philadelphia City Council meetings. My goal is to make important government proceedings accessible so busy people can understand what is going on in their city and how they might be affected by new policies. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on the Philadelphia government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Philadelphia. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
submitted by purplelyphilly to Temple [link] [comments]
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
- Amendments to The Philadelphia Code (230435, 230437, 230440, 230443, 230448, 230454, 230455, 220865, 230152)
- 2024 Fiscal Budget
- Improving Residential Housing
- Applications for Affordable Housing Grants
- Neighborhood improvement programs
- Signed:
- Bill No. 230251
- Approval and specification of the financial aspects regarding a neighborhood transformation.
- Bill No. 221017 and Bill No. 221018
- All relating to terms of the Preservation of Affordable Housing Chapter
- Bill No. 230127
- Amending The Philadelphia Code: Compensation for Members of Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Councils,
- Bill No. 230251
- Transmitting for Consideration:
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1625-41 North 10th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 372, 702 Cantrell Street, 613, 625, 723 Mercy Street, 737 Tree Street, 535, 537, and 602 Winton Street located in the 1st Councilmanic District.
- Deeds for 2335 & 2337 N. 6th Street in the Seventh Councilmanic District sent and executed by the proper authorities.
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community.
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services.
- Approving the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Budget.
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024.
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
- Relating to the financing of a home repair program
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement.
- recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills:
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Contracts and Procurement,” to reflect the change in contractor reporting obligations related to women and minorities. (230435, Council Member Phillips)
- Establishing Two-Hour Parking Regulations. (230436, Council Member Jones & Council President Clarke)
- Amending Section The Philadelphia Code, entitled “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District,” by amending the East Falls Neighborhood Commercial Review Area. (230437, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan Nos. 230 and 289 to create an opening. (230438, Council Member Jones)
- Adding a NO PARKING ANYTIME parking regulation. (230439, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “SP-STA, Sports Stadium (Special Purpose) District,” by expanding how many public signs are allowed. (230440, Council Member Johnson)
- Establishing NO TRUCK OR TRAILER PARKING ANYTIME and Two-Hour Parking regulations. (230441, Council Member Johnson)
- Amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps to add Industrial Light. (230442, Council Member Lazada)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts'' by creating a new subsection entitled “Warrington Affordable Housing Overlay District.” (230443, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 4333 Spruce Street, Philadelphia. (230444, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing Brandywine Realty Trust to construct, own and maintain various right-of way encroachments. (230445, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to split the use of commercial areas. (230446, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to reflect additional residential areas. (230447, Council Member Gauthier)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts,” to create regulations for Medical Marijuana. (230448, Council Member O’Neill)
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community. (230449, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services. (230450, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230451, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority; relating to the financing of a home repair program. (230452, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement. (230453, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Right of Way Management,” by revising requirements for obtaining access to and permits; and amending “Communication,” by deleting provisions relating to poles and overhead wires. (230454, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps, adding more residential space; and amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Zoning and Planning,” to revise “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District” by creating more open spaces. (230455, Council Member Bass)
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
- Honors:
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Tomeka Jones-Waters, Richard W. Allsop, Linda B. Williams, Karen Ford-Woods, and Stacy Raleigh. (230457*, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council Member Thomas)
- Honoring Mural Arts Philadelphia for the organization’s Porch Light program and Asian American and Pacific Islander mural series. (230469*, Council Member Harrity)
- Congratulating Officer Mark Kenneth Moore on his retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department and recognizing him for his service. (230471*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Confirming the appointment of Elinor Haider to the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. (230456, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Calling for the creation of the Community-Temple Safety Partnership Zone and a Response Resource Task Force in hopes of safer neighborhoods. (230458, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of multiple parcels located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (230459*, Council Member Jones)
- Thanking the School District of Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services for taking part in a roundtable meeting with schools in the 4th Council District, creating better-prepared students and facilities in Philadelphia. (230460*, Council Member Johnson)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230461*, Council Member Brooks & Council President Clarke)
- Declaring the Summer of 2023 the Summer of Hip Hop in Philadelphia. (230462*, Councilmember Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Urging the Administration to improve the ease of doing business. (230463, Council Member Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Recognizing and celebrating the 2023 Philippine Independence Week Celebration from June 3rd to June 17th. (230464, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of land in the 1st Councilmanic District. (230465, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver deeds conveying fee simple title in the Seventh Councilmanic District. (230466*, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings regarding the escape of two inmates. (230467*, Council Member Vaughn)
- Declaring June 5th to 11th, 2023 as Disability Pride Week in the City of Philadelphia (230468*, Council Member Brooks)
- Urging the Administration to improve access to good-paying jobs. (230470, Council Member Harrity)
- Declaring June 2023 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia. (230472*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Calling on the Administration and School District of Philadelphia to address and expand financial literacy education in the City of Philadelphia. Unanimously adopted. (230420, Council Member Phillips)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Housing Authority a deed conveying a fee simple title on multiple addresses on 31st, 32nd, Diamond Street, and W. York Street. Unanimously amended. (230423, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Commerce,” by adding a section on “Workforce Development Activity and Reporting,” in hopes of promoting workforce development activity. Unanimously passed. (220865, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Continuation of the Roxborough Neighborhood Improvement District beyond its termination. Unanimously passed. (220940, Council Member Jones)
- Continuing a neighborhood improvement district, known as the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District. Unanimously passed. (230080, Council Member Squilla & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Cashless Retail Prohibition,” by providing an exemption for gym membership transactions. Unanimously passed. (230152, Council Member Squilla)
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s mayoral election.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- Use this link to access the city council meeting agenda and meeting minutes.
- Use this link to get these newsletters sent to your inbox
- Follow us on Instagram @purplely.info
- If you have any questions you would like answered by the city council or any feedback on this newsletter, please email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
2023.06.07 07:03 Illustrious_End4481 [IPAD][2013-2017] TEXT BASED HORROR GAME ESCAPE FROM LAB MONKEYS
Ok so I remember this game so distinctly but cant find it to save my life. When I was a kid my friend had a game on their iPad that was completely text-based about the protagonist escaping a lab full of mentally or physically altered primate monsters? Like really messed up gorillas or something. The protagonist is also altered in some way? As they have a telekinetic conversation (?) at some point. The logo is what stuck with me the most vividly, since it freaked me out so much. It was a bloody handprint on broken glass, fitted to the screen so it looked like the screen was broken and someone put their bloody hand on it.
submitted by Illustrious_End4481 to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 07:03 purplelyphilly City Council Update
Happy Pride Month Folx!
I'm a college student looking to ease access to local politics in our community. I wanted to share with all of you a project I am working on to inform and connect Philly residents and communities with their local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Philadelphia City Council meetings. My goal is to make important government proceedings accessible so busy people can understand what is going on in their city and how they might be affected by new policies. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on the Philadelphia government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Philadelphia. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
submitted by purplelyphilly to queerphilly [link] [comments]
I'm a college student looking to ease access to local politics in our community. I wanted to share with all of you a project I am working on to inform and connect Philly residents and communities with their local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Philadelphia City Council meetings. My goal is to make important government proceedings accessible so busy people can understand what is going on in their city and how they might be affected by new policies. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on the Philadelphia government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Philadelphia. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
- Amendments to The Philadelphia Code (230435, 230437, 230440, 230443, 230448, 230454, 230455, 220865, 230152)
- 2024 Fiscal Budget
- Improving Residential Housing
- Applications for Affordable Housing Grants
- Neighborhood improvement programs
- Signed:
- Bill No. 230251
- Approval and specification of the financial aspects regarding a neighborhood transformation.
- Bill No. 221017 and Bill No. 221018
- All relating to terms of the Preservation of Affordable Housing Chapter
- Bill No. 230127
- Amending The Philadelphia Code: Compensation for Members of Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Councils,
- Bill No. 230251
- Transmitting for Consideration:
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1625-41 North 10th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 372, 702 Cantrell Street, 613, 625, 723 Mercy Street, 737 Tree Street, 535, 537, and 602 Winton Street located in the 1st Councilmanic District.
- Deeds for 2335 & 2337 N. 6th Street in the Seventh Councilmanic District sent and executed by the proper authorities.
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community.
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services.
- Approving the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Budget.
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024.
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
- Relating to the financing of a home repair program
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement.
- recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills:
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Contracts and Procurement,” to reflect the change in contractor reporting obligations related to women and minorities. (230435, Council Member Phillips)
- Establishing Two-Hour Parking Regulations. (230436, Council Member Jones & Council President Clarke)
- Amending Section The Philadelphia Code, entitled “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District,” by amending the East Falls Neighborhood Commercial Review Area. (230437, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan Nos. 230 and 289 to create an opening. (230438, Council Member Jones)
- Adding a NO PARKING ANYTIME parking regulation. (230439, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “SP-STA, Sports Stadium (Special Purpose) District,” by expanding how many public signs are allowed. (230440, Council Member Johnson)
- Establishing NO TRUCK OR TRAILER PARKING ANYTIME and Two-Hour Parking regulations. (230441, Council Member Johnson)
- Amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps to add Industrial Light. (230442, Council Member Lazada)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts'' by creating a new subsection entitled “Warrington Affordable Housing Overlay District.” (230443, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 4333 Spruce Street, Philadelphia. (230444, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing Brandywine Realty Trust to construct, own and maintain various right-of way encroachments. (230445, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to split the use of commercial areas. (230446, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to reflect additional residential areas. (230447, Council Member Gauthier)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts,” to create regulations for Medical Marijuana. (230448, Council Member O’Neill)
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community. (230449, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services. (230450, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230451, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority; relating to the financing of a home repair program. (230452, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement. (230453, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Right of Way Management,” by revising requirements for obtaining access to and permits; and amending “Communication,” by deleting provisions relating to poles and overhead wires. (230454, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps, adding more residential space; and amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Zoning and Planning,” to revise “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District” by creating more open spaces. (230455, Council Member Bass)
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
- Honors:
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Tomeka Jones-Waters, Richard W. Allsop, Linda B. Williams, Karen Ford-Woods, and Stacy Raleigh. (230457*, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council Member Thomas)
- Honoring Mural Arts Philadelphia for the organization’s Porch Light program and Asian American and Pacific Islander mural series. (230469*, Council Member Harrity)
- Congratulating Officer Mark Kenneth Moore on his retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department and recognizing him for his service. (230471*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Confirming the appointment of Elinor Haider to the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. (230456, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Calling for the creation of the Community-Temple Safety Partnership Zone and a Response Resource Task Force in hopes of safer neighborhoods. (230458, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of multiple parcels located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (230459*, Council Member Jones)
- Thanking the School District of Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services for taking part in a roundtable meeting with schools in the 4th Council District, creating better-prepared students and facilities in Philadelphia. (230460*, Council Member Johnson)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230461*, Council Member Brooks & Council President Clarke)
- Declaring the Summer of 2023 the Summer of Hip Hop in Philadelphia. (230462*, Councilmember Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Urging the Administration to improve the ease of doing business. (230463, Council Member Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Recognizing and celebrating the 2023 Philippine Independence Week Celebration from June 3rd to June 17th. (230464, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of land in the 1st Councilmanic District. (230465, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver deeds conveying fee simple title in the Seventh Councilmanic District. (230466*, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings regarding the escape of two inmates. (230467*, Council Member Vaughn)
- Declaring June 5th to 11th, 2023 as Disability Pride Week in the City of Philadelphia (230468*, Council Member Brooks)
- Urging the Administration to improve access to good-paying jobs. (230470, Council Member Harrity)
- Declaring June 2023 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia. (230472*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Calling on the Administration and School District of Philadelphia to address and expand financial literacy education in the City of Philadelphia. Unanimously adopted. (230420, Council Member Phillips)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Housing Authority a deed conveying a fee simple title on multiple addresses on 31st, 32nd, Diamond Street, and W. York Street. Unanimously amended. (230423, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Commerce,” by adding a section on “Workforce Development Activity and Reporting,” in hopes of promoting workforce development activity. Unanimously passed. (220865, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Continuation of the Roxborough Neighborhood Improvement District beyond its termination. Unanimously passed. (220940, Council Member Jones)
- Continuing a neighborhood improvement district, known as the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District. Unanimously passed. (230080, Council Member Squilla & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Cashless Retail Prohibition,” by providing an exemption for gym membership transactions. Unanimously passed. (230152, Council Member Squilla)
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s mayoral election.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- Use this link to access the city council meeting agenda and meeting minutes.
- Use this link to get these newsletters sent to your inbox
- Follow us on Instagram @purplely.info
2023.06.07 06:58 purplelyphilly City Council Update
Hey everyone, I'm a looking college student looking to ease access to local politics in our community. I wanted to share with all of you a project I am working on to inform and connect Philly residents and communities with their local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Philadelphia City Council meetings. My goal is to make important government proceedings accessible so busy people can understand what is going on in their city and how they might be affected by new policies. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on the Philadelphia government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Philadelphia. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
submitted by purplelyphilly to philly [link] [comments]
If you want these newsletters sent to your email inbox, fill out this link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNRmA31Loz25rSn55FCtVZ1KdX5Xk_YDD5qyYH1sfOy8fkVA/viewform
This newsletter is from 5/25/23. I will post the last one sometime soon and continue to post them weekly as they come out!
Philadelphia City Council Meeting — 5/25/2023
Meeting length: 1 hour and 58 minutes
Notable Legislation
- Amendments to The Philadelphia Code (230435, 230437, 230440, 230443, 230448, 230454, 230455, 220865, 230152)
- 2024 Fiscal Budget
- Improving Residential Housing
- Applications for Affordable Housing Grants
- Neighborhood improvement programs
- Signed:
- Bill No. 230251
- Approval and specification of the financial aspects regarding a neighborhood transformation.
- Bill No. 221017 and Bill No. 221018
- All relating to terms of the Preservation of Affordable Housing Chapter
- Bill No. 230127
- Amending The Philadelphia Code: Compensation for Members of Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Councils,
- Bill No. 230251
- Transmitting for Consideration:
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 1625-41 North 10th Street located in the 5th Councilmanic District.
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 372, 702 Cantrell Street, 613, 625, 723 Mercy Street, 737 Tree Street, 535, 537, and 602 Winton Street located in the 1st Councilmanic District.
- Deeds for 2335 & 2337 N. 6th Street in the Seventh Councilmanic District sent and executed by the proper authorities.
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community.
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services.
- Approving the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Budget.
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024.
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.
- Relating to the financing of a home repair program
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement.
- recommendation of the City Planning Commission on the following bills:
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Contracts and Procurement,” to reflect the change in contractor reporting obligations related to women and minorities. (230435, Council Member Phillips)
- Establishing Two-Hour Parking Regulations. (230436, Council Member Jones & Council President Clarke)
- Amending Section The Philadelphia Code, entitled “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District,” by amending the East Falls Neighborhood Commercial Review Area. (230437, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan Nos. 230 and 289 to create an opening. (230438, Council Member Jones)
- Adding a NO PARKING ANYTIME parking regulation. (230439, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “SP-STA, Sports Stadium (Special Purpose) District,” by expanding how many public signs are allowed. (230440, Council Member Johnson)
- Establishing NO TRUCK OR TRAILER PARKING ANYTIME and Two-Hour Parking regulations. (230441, Council Member Johnson)
- Amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps to add Industrial Light. (230442, Council Member Lazada)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts'' by creating a new subsection entitled “Warrington Affordable Housing Overlay District.” (230443, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing a sidewalk café in the vicinity of 4333 Spruce Street, Philadelphia. (230444, Council Member Gauthier)
- Authorizing Brandywine Realty Trust to construct, own and maintain various right-of way encroachments. (230445, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to split the use of commercial areas. (230446, Council Member Gauthier)
- To amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations to reflect additional residential areas. (230447, Council Member Gauthier)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Overlay Zoning Districts,” to create regulations for Medical Marijuana. (230448, Council Member O’Neill)
- Authorizing the Director of Planning and Development to apply for housing-related grants and programs to help the Philadelphia community. (230449, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City Treasurer to enter into an agreement with Citizens Bank National Association for the provision of payroll banking services. (230450, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230451, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Approving the Supplemental Service Agreement between the City and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority; relating to the financing of a home repair program. (230452, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Authorizing the City to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement. (230453, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Right of Way Management,” by revising requirements for obtaining access to and permits; and amending “Communication,” by deleting provisions relating to poles and overhead wires. (230454, Council Member Bass & Council President Clarke)
- Amending the Philadelphia Zoning Maps, adding more residential space; and amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Zoning and Planning,” to revise “/NCA, Neighborhood Commercial Area Overlay District” by creating more open spaces. (230455, Council Member Bass)
Those marked with a star are privileged and were unanimously adopted in the same meeting.
- Honors:
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Tomeka Jones-Waters, Richard W. Allsop, Linda B. Williams, Karen Ford-Woods, and Stacy Raleigh. (230457*, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council Member Thomas)
- Honoring Mural Arts Philadelphia for the organization’s Porch Light program and Asian American and Pacific Islander mural series. (230469*, Council Member Harrity)
- Congratulating Officer Mark Kenneth Moore on his retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department and recognizing him for his service. (230471*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week for their commitment to public service.
- Confirming the appointment of Elinor Haider to the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. (230456, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Calling for the creation of the Community-Temple Safety Partnership Zone and a Response Resource Task Force in hopes of safer neighborhoods. (230458, Council Member Jones)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of multiple parcels located in the 5th Councilmanic District. (230459*, Council Member Jones)
- Thanking the School District of Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services for taking part in a roundtable meeting with schools in the 4th Council District, creating better-prepared students and facilities in Philadelphia. (230460*, Council Member Johnson)
- Approving the Rebuild Project Statement for Fiscal Year 2024. (230461*, Council Member Brooks & Council President Clarke)
- Declaring the Summer of 2023 the Summer of Hip Hop in Philadelphia. (230462*, Councilmember Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Urging the Administration to improve the ease of doing business. (230463, Council Member Lozada & Council Member Squilla)
- Recognizing and celebrating the 2023 Philippine Independence Week Celebration from June 3rd to June 17th. (230464, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of land in the 1st Councilmanic District. (230465, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver deeds conveying fee simple title in the Seventh Councilmanic District. (230466*, Council Member Lozada)
- Authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings regarding the escape of two inmates. (230467*, Council Member Vaughn)
- Declaring June 5th to 11th, 2023 as Disability Pride Week in the City of Philadelphia (230468*, Council Member Brooks)
- Urging the Administration to improve access to good-paying jobs. (230470, Council Member Harrity)
- Declaring June 2023 LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the City of Philadelphia. (230472*, Council Member Gauthier)
- Calling on the Administration and School District of Philadelphia to address and expand financial literacy education in the City of Philadelphia. Unanimously adopted. (230420, Council Member Phillips)
- Authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Housing Authority a deed conveying a fee simple title on multiple addresses on 31st, 32nd, Diamond Street, and W. York Street. Unanimously amended. (230423, Council Member Jones)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Commerce,” by adding a section on “Workforce Development Activity and Reporting,” in hopes of promoting workforce development activity. Unanimously passed. (220865, Council Member Gilmore Richardson & Council President Clarke)
- Continuation of the Roxborough Neighborhood Improvement District beyond its termination. Unanimously passed. (220940, Council Member Jones)
- Continuing a neighborhood improvement district, known as the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District. Unanimously passed. (230080, Council Member Squilla & Council President Clarke)
- Amending The Philadelphia Code, “Cashless Retail Prohibition,” by providing an exemption for gym membership transactions. Unanimously passed. (230152, Council Member Squilla)
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s mayoral election.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- Use this link to access the city council meeting agenda and meeting minutes.
- Use this link to get these newsletters sent to your inbox
- Follow us on Instagram @purplely.info
2023.06.07 06:46 CornerCornea Old Traditions for a Night Wedding
I had been contacted by the magistrate to investigate a night wedding in the countryside that had involved the loss of human life. There seemed to be a recent rise in tourists involved in ghost dowries over the years. However, from my research I believe it was a man in search of night weddings for personal gain that was the cause of so many deaths.
When I received the request, I was nearby on Green Island, and addressing a rather unique matter even for my line of work. A little girl from the mainland had arrived two weeks prior and claimed to be the recently deceased husband of the grieving widow.
The child claimed to have woken up in the hospital where the doctors informed them that they had drowned and was clinically dead for 4 minutes when the body inexplicably sat upright in the gurney. This would have seemed to be great news, except when the child looked into the mirror, it was not their face staring back at them.
In old Taoist texts I have read of such events, where the bodies of the recently deceased are not put to ground quickly enough, and their souls are left to wander. They could get carried away by the Northeast or Southwest wind. Depending on the location from where they died. And possibly attach to an empty host.
This seemed to be the case, as the wife acknowledged that due to the wet season, they did not bury her husband's body right away. Because the grounds were so wet, that any graves would wash away, leaving corpses laying in the street. Still, I had the responsibility of testing the child. Whom passed a simple test of naming names. Where they used to live. The wife's habits. A conversation they recently had, and even childhood memories. All were confirmed by friends and family. But it would be the child's handwriting that ultimately convinced me. They were a perfect match, down to the signature.
Upon my approval, the villagers had no choice but to accept that this child was indeed the man come back to life. And when I left, he was sitting outside of his house cleaning fish as he had always done for 32 years, except now in the body of a 10 year old girl.
I didn't have much time to dwell on this case as I was needed at the aftermath of the failed night wedding. Ghost dowries have been in use for thousands of years, and traces of it can be found in many different cultures. From the Aztec to the Egyptians, and more recently from old Spain to the streets of Southeast Asia. Though in recent times, only a few remote places continued the practice, and there are a limited number of priests today who are qualified enough to handle such a case. Luckily, I had plenty of experience in this matter.
In my early years, I had married many ghost brides.
And was often asked, "But you're a priest, how can you get married?"
"Zhengyi Taoist priests can choose to take a wife or not. In fact, in order to pass on my Celestial title, I must have an heir."
The man looked distraught, "And you're sure this will stop her from whispering into my ear every night?" He clutched the bag rather tightly.
"Don't you worry," I took the bag from his hands. "Everything will be fine."
We would perform the customary vows and the following night the man reported no more whisperings from his daughter, yet a week later, the police raided my hotel in a different district. The man had claimed that I had swindled him. That his daughter had returned and continued her whispering of terrible, horrible things that he dare not listen. Clanking and banging away in the walls as he covered his ears in fear until sunrise.
Fortunately, I was allowed to prove my innocence.
I returned and stayed in the man's room, waiting with him for signs of his daughter. And surely enough, late in the hour, I heard the wretched scraping and dragging in the walls. The man stopped breathing in his bed and laid perfectly still. Even I was afraid to move as the most dangerous aspects of my job are in the unknown. My mind began racing, wondering if I had somehow botched the night wedding. Or worse, that the ghost bride wasn't his daughter at all, and I had inadvertently given this mysterious entity a special anchor to this world, a holy man.
The walls shook without reason. And a tiny noise could be heard near the man's bedside. He jumped off his mattress and ran to my side. The two of us watched as the noise traveled back and forth against the back wall like wooden clogs.
"My daughter did always carry around a rattle drum when she was little," the man whispered.
"Hush, don't let it capture your breath," I warned him. "Whatever this is, I don't believe it is your daughter. And because of the ritual, we may have increased its hold on this realm."
He whimpered, "Not my daughter?"
I held up my finger and traced the noise as it traveled in an odd form. I began to wonder if the entity was creating some sort of symbol.
"What are you drawing," the man cried.
"It may be creating a portal," I told him. "Now hush before it turns its attention toward us."
"Please, there must be something you can do?"
I reached into my bag and pulled out some incense. I lit the ends and began chanting. From my waist I pulled out a long yellow parchment. And drew on it a sealing spell. "Spirit," I called as I stepped forward. "I am a guiding light." The noise rattled with conviction as I drew closer. "Let me lead you to peace!" And with one quick motion I punched my hand into the wall, clutching the sealing spell in my palm, at the last place I heard the noise. To my displeasure I felt something wriggling in my grasp as something long and thin wrapped itself around my wrist, its end clawing at my forearm. I screamed when I felt its teeth sink between the soft flesh of my thumb and index finger. But I did not let go. Instead I pulled out this demon from the wall and threw it roughly to the ground.
The man screamed as he jumped onto a chair and screamed, "Rat!"
Yes. A simple field rat. That had a trap stuck on its tail which caused its movements to rattle in the wall. That had been rummaging near the man's nightstand because in one of the drawers he had left a bag of watermelon seeds.
Not all cases are this simple, and plenty are true to life supernatural encounters. Over the years my experience has taught me to be more cautious in my evaluations. Which was why when I finally arrived at the house of the massacre due to a failed night wedding. Every hair on my neck stood on end as I tried to be objective as possible.
But there was no denying that something heinous had occurred here. Bodies were still laying on the floor. Some with their faces in the dirt. Some missing their heads completely. And those with their faces up, were unrecognizable. And my first wife leaned into my ear and whispered to me, "This is the work of a ghost bride."
"How do you know?"
"I recognize her anger. It was mine before we were married."
"How do I know what?" A man walking toward me asked. "Are you the priest they called out here?"
He was average built, and in plain clothes, "Detective, why yes. I am here to assist you in anyway that I can."
The detective spit on the ground, "Assist me? As far as I'm concerned we're wasting valuable time carrying on with this hocus pocus bullshit. The killer's trail will be cold by the time we get through all this religious tape." He wafted the air in front of his face, "And the dead bodies boiling out here. This is all your fault as far as I'm concerned. Assist me," he snorted.
"Where there any eyewitnesses, Detective?"
"Several. But they're all saying the same damn thing. Spouting a bunch of nonsense. Which is why those religious nuts down at the station dredged you up."
"All non-relatives to the home owners?"
He snorted again, "Coincidence."
"Let us hope so," I told him. "Because the alternative is much worse." I walked the scene, going around the upturned tables, tracing the steps of carnage in the courtyard, to the main living room. There I saw the body of an old man, both hands clutching his chest, his face was completely missing. "Any surviving family members?"
"Some are still left," he grunted. "But we've gathered most of them under police protection."
"Have you located the husband?"
"Yeah, we're trying to extradite him."
"Extradite?"
"The foreigner took off in the middle of all the commotion. Boarded a flight back home according to our investigation. We've contacted the airline, and the airport security in America will hold him when he lands. As he is currently my number one suspect."
I circled the area in front of the shrine. Noting the spilled bowl and its contents on the ground. The position of the spoon next to it. Before standing in the spot on the left side where the effigy would have stood. "What about the bride?"
The detective shook his head, "What bride?"
"It was a night wedding," I told him. "There must have been a physical object acting as a stand in for the daughter's soul."
"Nothing more than bags of cotton usually," he paused. "But they did report that the stand-in this time was some sort of department figurine. A mannequin of some sort."
"Have you looked into that?"
"Why would I look into that. Are you crazy?"
"Right, you're right of course. You'd have to wait until after sunset to be able to figure out which mannequin serves as the ghost bride's earthly form."
The detective stormed off as if I had said something outlandish. Leaving me to my own devices, I interviewed a few of the neighbors who attended the night wedding, gathered some evidence and sorted with the other officers at the site, and then left for the nearest hotel in the city.
It had been a long month for me and I couldn't think of anything better than I would enjoy more than a cold beer. So after checking in I went down to the bar, where an ethereal creature sat alone. She was beautiful to say the least and I had to strike up a conversation lest I live a life of regret, "S'il te plaît ma chérie, dis-moi comment on t'appelle pour que quand je sois perdu dans les ténèbres. Puis-je demander la lumière."
"What?"
"Oh, American. I apologize. I thought you were French."
"On my mother's side," she brushed away her hair.
I noticed the ring, "Ah, you are married. My sincerest apologies miss."
"Newly married," she told me. "My husband speaking with the concierge."
"Activities on vacation," I mused. "How wonderful."
"It's nothing like that. It seems someone has left him a note. And we're technically on our honeymoon." She paused, "Though this isn't where we're supposed to be. We're supposed to be in Hawaii."
I ordered a beer with the bartender and sipped my drink, "Hawaii is wonderful, but this is also a beautiful island. In fact, when the Portuguese came here, they named it Formosa. Which translates to beautiful island. It may not be where you're supposed to be, but perhaps you'll find that this is exactly where you need to be."
The woman sighed, "I don't even know anymore."
"Ah, I know what this is. I've great experience in these matters. Having been married many times. You feel doubt."
She laughed, "How many times have you gotten a divorce?"
"Divorce?" I laughed. "I never leave a woman after we have been wed."
She looked taken aback, "Oh. I didn't know polygamy was so common in these parts." She glanced behind her to where a tall man was standing with what looked to be the hotel's concierge. "I guess we're in the same boat."
"It's not what you think," I told her.
"Where have I heard that one before," she rolled her eyes.
"Larissa!" The man called for her.
She stood up, "Well, it was nice meeting you. Tell your wives I said hello."
I smiled as she left, glancing at my sides. "If only you knew," I said while sipping my beer.
Now in hindsight, if I were not so fatigued after nearly a month of hard work and constant traveling. I would have perhaps picked up on the fact that she too was familiar with the concubine lifestyle. Which was unusual in itself for an American. Or perhaps I would have picked up on the fact that Larissa was an uncommon name. As I had read Jim's article. But there was no such luck, which is why, when I say that I am deeply regretful of what I read on the news later about the couple, I am truly at a loss for what I could have prevented. But that is not my story to tell.
After I finished drinking at the bar I made my way to the elevator and got in. When a man came towards me to hold the door, I called out, "It's full." He looked at me bewildered as I was the only person he could see in the elevator, before sticking his hand out to stop the doors from closing. Huffing and puffing as he glared at me angrily before pressing his floor number. Except the elevator pinged. The weight capacity light had turned on above our heads. "Like I said, it's full." The man shook his head in amazement. Pressing his floor number again. The elevator pinged again. Unwilling to budge. I sighed and got out, "I'll wait for the next one."
And wait I did, even in my room I waited for night fall instead of resting. The thoughts of a botched night wedding swirling in my head. For the many things that could go wrong. Because even though I had much practice in these matters, I was still always nervous before a fight. So when night fell, I was red eyed and exhausted, but better mentally prepared than before.
But when I arrived back at the scene of the crime, I was not prepared for all of the commotion.
"Ka-kin-eh Ka-kin-eh," a man shouted as the fire blazed.
I grabbed one of the men running by with an empty bucket, "What happened here?"
"T-the villagers, they set the p-place on fire. Trying to rid the evil demon."
I let him go and shook my head. The fools! I made my way toward the courtyard where I saw the detective from earlier moping his forehead as he was helping put out the fire. "Detective! This is terrible," I yelled as the flames licked the night.
"No shit dumbass, it's a fire."
"You don't understand," I told him. "Now the entity has nowhere to return. We may never find it."
He threw the bucket to the floor and whirled around, "Enough! I've had enough! Listen here, there is a fire. F-I-R-E. This a real problem. If it catches to the fields, it could light the newly laid fertilizer on fire and catch the entire mountain!"
"Detective!"
That was the only word I had to say before he punched me. It was a dark night out, but stars had suddenly appeared. He hovered over me and I thought he would strike me again but then suddenly he froze. "What is that?"
I turned my head and looked out into the field. The heat of the fire burning the back of my head as I tried to stop my nose from bleeding. "Where?"
Neither one of us moved as we watched the tall field.
"Right there." He pointed.
I reached up and threw his hand down, "No! You never point at entities," I told him. "Now you could be marked!"
He ignored me and reached for his gun, "Stop! Hey you! I order you to stop or I'll shoot!"
I looked into the field, scanning the endless rows before my eyes stopped and froze in horror. At one point in time the thing must have been a simple plastic mannequin. Standing in a department store perhaps. But now, it was twisted and gnarled. It's first dirty and unrecognizable. It stood on all fours sometimes threes as it swayed slowly back and forth. The thing was also without form because it didn't need to bend or move as normal people. It was still objectively, plastic. It swung its arms behind it and used that as leverage to run, turning its head - cracking the seams that had somehow still held and took off.
The detective rung a shot out at it. I think it struck but it didn't matter. Though the mannequin was gone. The detective must have lost his mind because he gave chase.
I couldn't let him go alone so I followed. Pulling out my long yellow parchment as I wrote on it the symbols for sealing, hoping the simple spell would work. As we entered the tall field.
It was chaos. The ground was mushy beneath my feet, and the smell of fecal matter assaulted my senses further. In the brush I had lost the detective, so I was forced to tell my wives to help me locate his whereabouts. They didn't often leave my side, and some were reluctant but ultimately agreed.
I stood in the field, waiting with bated breath as I heard further gunshots in the distance. I couldn't wait for my wives to gather as I tore after the detective. And just in time as I saw him standing, looking absolutely terrified as he shot blindly into the fauna until his pistol clicked. The mannequin lunged for him. But I got there first. Pushing him to the ground, causing both of us to tumble.
He was eating a mouth of dirt as I pulled him to his feet. "We have to get out of this field! The ghost bride will pick us off in this thicket!"
Stumbling, and running, the two of us were covered in more than dirt. Several times we heard rustling nearby as if something were running alongside us. But eventually we made it out into the open plain. The detective trying to catch his breath as he reloaded his pistol.
"Shooting it doesn't work," he panted. "But maybe I can disable it from moving."
"Shut up," I told him. "Listen."
He stopped for a moment and we waited. Then all of the stalks before us shook wildly as if a hundred people were running through it. The detective raised his arm but I stopped him as my wives ran out of the field.
They were terrified as they ran right through us.
I hadn't experienced the feeling in awhile but the coldness as their ghostly forms went through our bodies was cold as ice. It was enough to bring us both to our knees, clutching our chests as we struggled to breathe. I had passed through one or two in a row before. But never 10 or 20 at a time. I lost count.
"What was that," the detective managed to gasp, his fingers in a death grip around his gun.
"A blue procession," I told him. "Something caused all of my dead wives to flee."
We looked up as the leaves in front of us rustled.
"Is it..."
I shook my head, running forward to catch her. My 13th wife, Ah-ren. Her arm was missing, and a part of her shoulder. She was an innocent girl that had drowned when she was alive. Her innocence carried on with her to the afterlife where many souls generally grew up embittered. But never her, always sweet my girl, just weary of water.
"I didn't want to go," she told me.
"I know," I held her. "I'm sorry."
"It got some of the others too. But Meita got in its way and told me to run." She cried.
"Don't cry I told her. You know how you hate getting wet."
"I don't want to go. I wanted to stay with you. All of us together."
I watched as her soul splintered and disappeared forever.
I had never felt such fury. In all my years, a womanizer, a liar, a cheat at cards, a scoundrel, a bastard even. But an undutiful husband? Never.
Without thinking I approached the field and cast a spell that was been forbidden.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm purging the field. All beings alive or dead will forever feel displaced when they enter here. A feeling of unending dread and doom will overcome them, causing madness if they do not leave or are unable to. But I have no other choice." I reached into my side and threw a handful of salt. It landed on the ground as I chanted. The winds carrying it into the field, the small white morsels rolling obediently into the darkness.
"Nothings happening," the detective's word stuck in his mouth as a horrible scream echoed into the night. It sounded like two pieces of steel being twisted together.
"There," I took off after it. The jumbled figure of the mannequin fled toward the village.
We followed it through people's homes, and between alleyways; the villagers screamed and fled when they saw it. We barged through home after home as we chased it. Until we cornered it at an abandoned building at the edge of town.
"It was supposed to be a mall," the detective told me. "But the developers ran out of money."
We walked quietly into the empty building. Shells of stores stood in various degrees of construction. Checking a few of the fronts before venturing further inside.
"You've got to be kidding me," the detective said as we came near the center of the complex. There next to the escalators and the fountains was an army of mannequins of all shapes and sizes lined up like terracotta warriors. "They must have stashed them all here when the place was being built, and forgot about them when it closed."
"There are hundreds."
"We'll go through together. Quickly and quietly." He added, "Stay alert."
We moved through the rows, staring at all of the stuck faces, searching for one covered in grime and bullet holes. But it was more difficult than it sounded. Many of the mannequins were in bad shape, weathered, broken, laying in pieces on the ground. It was hard to tell if a pile of parts was indeed our culprit.
Slowly we began to clear the rows and I could see the other side in sight.
"There!" The detective shot his gun. The surrounding mannequins dropped like dominoes when the entity scattered. Falling down all around us, drowning in a sea of plastic arms and smiling faces. I was struggling to stand as I looked up and saw the entity come rushing toward us. The detective fired his gun blowing out a knee cap. I hurriedly reached for my parchment but could not find my pen. Another shot, but the scorned bride kept on charging unable to feel pain.
It jumped into the air and another shot blew a part of its face away. The detective screamed as it tore at him. Pieces of his sinew was launched into the air as he was torn apart. I rushed forward trying to help but the creature grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. My feet searching for the ground as my lungs folded trying to breathe. The thing turned its head toward me and said, "Will you marry me?" As the darkness closed into the corners of my eyes.
The fight was leaving my body as I saw several of my wives rushing forward. Their ghostly forms ethereal as they began tearing at the mannequin, slowly pulling out pieces of her soul, causing the mannequin's arms and legs to go limp as they dragged her out.
I scrambled the floor blindly with my fingers searching for my sacred parchment but could not find it amongst the rubble and the ghost bride was fleeing, leaving the shell of her mannequin in a heap on the floor. My wives chasing her, screaming their fury for killing the others. For destroying their souls.
I chased after them into the open air, where she was being cornered. Crying as I approached, trying to escape into the Southwest wind. I knew what I should have done, but could not bring myself to do the right thing. Instead I bit my finger and drew symbols on my forearms with my own blood. Approaching the bride that never was and tore her soul into pieces.
When I was done my wives sat down around me before slowly dispersing as the sun began to rise.
"We did it huh?"
I continued staring at the sun, "Yeah."
"Well then," the detective said before disappearing. "Maybe in the next life I'll be sooner to trust you."
Later they would find his body in the abandoned mall. Still clutching his gun. The department gave him a 21 gun salute at his funeral and a medal as commemoration. I was just glad that his soul had not been eaten.
I, on the other hand, went back to the hotel. To the bar and ordered a well deserved drink. Where I saw a pretty woman sitting alone, "Did you know that in order for me to pass on my Celestial title, I must bear an heir?"
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submitted by CornerCornea to nosleep [link] [comments]
When I received the request, I was nearby on Green Island, and addressing a rather unique matter even for my line of work. A little girl from the mainland had arrived two weeks prior and claimed to be the recently deceased husband of the grieving widow.
The child claimed to have woken up in the hospital where the doctors informed them that they had drowned and was clinically dead for 4 minutes when the body inexplicably sat upright in the gurney. This would have seemed to be great news, except when the child looked into the mirror, it was not their face staring back at them.
In old Taoist texts I have read of such events, where the bodies of the recently deceased are not put to ground quickly enough, and their souls are left to wander. They could get carried away by the Northeast or Southwest wind. Depending on the location from where they died. And possibly attach to an empty host.
This seemed to be the case, as the wife acknowledged that due to the wet season, they did not bury her husband's body right away. Because the grounds were so wet, that any graves would wash away, leaving corpses laying in the street. Still, I had the responsibility of testing the child. Whom passed a simple test of naming names. Where they used to live. The wife's habits. A conversation they recently had, and even childhood memories. All were confirmed by friends and family. But it would be the child's handwriting that ultimately convinced me. They were a perfect match, down to the signature.
Upon my approval, the villagers had no choice but to accept that this child was indeed the man come back to life. And when I left, he was sitting outside of his house cleaning fish as he had always done for 32 years, except now in the body of a 10 year old girl.
I didn't have much time to dwell on this case as I was needed at the aftermath of the failed night wedding. Ghost dowries have been in use for thousands of years, and traces of it can be found in many different cultures. From the Aztec to the Egyptians, and more recently from old Spain to the streets of Southeast Asia. Though in recent times, only a few remote places continued the practice, and there are a limited number of priests today who are qualified enough to handle such a case. Luckily, I had plenty of experience in this matter.
In my early years, I had married many ghost brides.
And was often asked, "But you're a priest, how can you get married?"
"Zhengyi Taoist priests can choose to take a wife or not. In fact, in order to pass on my Celestial title, I must have an heir."
The man looked distraught, "And you're sure this will stop her from whispering into my ear every night?" He clutched the bag rather tightly.
"Don't you worry," I took the bag from his hands. "Everything will be fine."
We would perform the customary vows and the following night the man reported no more whisperings from his daughter, yet a week later, the police raided my hotel in a different district. The man had claimed that I had swindled him. That his daughter had returned and continued her whispering of terrible, horrible things that he dare not listen. Clanking and banging away in the walls as he covered his ears in fear until sunrise.
Fortunately, I was allowed to prove my innocence.
I returned and stayed in the man's room, waiting with him for signs of his daughter. And surely enough, late in the hour, I heard the wretched scraping and dragging in the walls. The man stopped breathing in his bed and laid perfectly still. Even I was afraid to move as the most dangerous aspects of my job are in the unknown. My mind began racing, wondering if I had somehow botched the night wedding. Or worse, that the ghost bride wasn't his daughter at all, and I had inadvertently given this mysterious entity a special anchor to this world, a holy man.
The walls shook without reason. And a tiny noise could be heard near the man's bedside. He jumped off his mattress and ran to my side. The two of us watched as the noise traveled back and forth against the back wall like wooden clogs.
"My daughter did always carry around a rattle drum when she was little," the man whispered.
"Hush, don't let it capture your breath," I warned him. "Whatever this is, I don't believe it is your daughter. And because of the ritual, we may have increased its hold on this realm."
He whimpered, "Not my daughter?"
I held up my finger and traced the noise as it traveled in an odd form. I began to wonder if the entity was creating some sort of symbol.
"What are you drawing," the man cried.
"It may be creating a portal," I told him. "Now hush before it turns its attention toward us."
"Please, there must be something you can do?"
I reached into my bag and pulled out some incense. I lit the ends and began chanting. From my waist I pulled out a long yellow parchment. And drew on it a sealing spell. "Spirit," I called as I stepped forward. "I am a guiding light." The noise rattled with conviction as I drew closer. "Let me lead you to peace!" And with one quick motion I punched my hand into the wall, clutching the sealing spell in my palm, at the last place I heard the noise. To my displeasure I felt something wriggling in my grasp as something long and thin wrapped itself around my wrist, its end clawing at my forearm. I screamed when I felt its teeth sink between the soft flesh of my thumb and index finger. But I did not let go. Instead I pulled out this demon from the wall and threw it roughly to the ground.
The man screamed as he jumped onto a chair and screamed, "Rat!"
Yes. A simple field rat. That had a trap stuck on its tail which caused its movements to rattle in the wall. That had been rummaging near the man's nightstand because in one of the drawers he had left a bag of watermelon seeds.
Not all cases are this simple, and plenty are true to life supernatural encounters. Over the years my experience has taught me to be more cautious in my evaluations. Which was why when I finally arrived at the house of the massacre due to a failed night wedding. Every hair on my neck stood on end as I tried to be objective as possible.
But there was no denying that something heinous had occurred here. Bodies were still laying on the floor. Some with their faces in the dirt. Some missing their heads completely. And those with their faces up, were unrecognizable. And my first wife leaned into my ear and whispered to me, "This is the work of a ghost bride."
"How do you know?"
"I recognize her anger. It was mine before we were married."
"How do I know what?" A man walking toward me asked. "Are you the priest they called out here?"
He was average built, and in plain clothes, "Detective, why yes. I am here to assist you in anyway that I can."
The detective spit on the ground, "Assist me? As far as I'm concerned we're wasting valuable time carrying on with this hocus pocus bullshit. The killer's trail will be cold by the time we get through all this religious tape." He wafted the air in front of his face, "And the dead bodies boiling out here. This is all your fault as far as I'm concerned. Assist me," he snorted.
"Where there any eyewitnesses, Detective?"
"Several. But they're all saying the same damn thing. Spouting a bunch of nonsense. Which is why those religious nuts down at the station dredged you up."
"All non-relatives to the home owners?"
He snorted again, "Coincidence."
"Let us hope so," I told him. "Because the alternative is much worse." I walked the scene, going around the upturned tables, tracing the steps of carnage in the courtyard, to the main living room. There I saw the body of an old man, both hands clutching his chest, his face was completely missing. "Any surviving family members?"
"Some are still left," he grunted. "But we've gathered most of them under police protection."
"Have you located the husband?"
"Yeah, we're trying to extradite him."
"Extradite?"
"The foreigner took off in the middle of all the commotion. Boarded a flight back home according to our investigation. We've contacted the airline, and the airport security in America will hold him when he lands. As he is currently my number one suspect."
I circled the area in front of the shrine. Noting the spilled bowl and its contents on the ground. The position of the spoon next to it. Before standing in the spot on the left side where the effigy would have stood. "What about the bride?"
The detective shook his head, "What bride?"
"It was a night wedding," I told him. "There must have been a physical object acting as a stand in for the daughter's soul."
"Nothing more than bags of cotton usually," he paused. "But they did report that the stand-in this time was some sort of department figurine. A mannequin of some sort."
"Have you looked into that?"
"Why would I look into that. Are you crazy?"
"Right, you're right of course. You'd have to wait until after sunset to be able to figure out which mannequin serves as the ghost bride's earthly form."
The detective stormed off as if I had said something outlandish. Leaving me to my own devices, I interviewed a few of the neighbors who attended the night wedding, gathered some evidence and sorted with the other officers at the site, and then left for the nearest hotel in the city.
It had been a long month for me and I couldn't think of anything better than I would enjoy more than a cold beer. So after checking in I went down to the bar, where an ethereal creature sat alone. She was beautiful to say the least and I had to strike up a conversation lest I live a life of regret, "S'il te plaît ma chérie, dis-moi comment on t'appelle pour que quand je sois perdu dans les ténèbres. Puis-je demander la lumière."
"What?"
"Oh, American. I apologize. I thought you were French."
"On my mother's side," she brushed away her hair.
I noticed the ring, "Ah, you are married. My sincerest apologies miss."
"Newly married," she told me. "My husband speaking with the concierge."
"Activities on vacation," I mused. "How wonderful."
"It's nothing like that. It seems someone has left him a note. And we're technically on our honeymoon." She paused, "Though this isn't where we're supposed to be. We're supposed to be in Hawaii."
I ordered a beer with the bartender and sipped my drink, "Hawaii is wonderful, but this is also a beautiful island. In fact, when the Portuguese came here, they named it Formosa. Which translates to beautiful island. It may not be where you're supposed to be, but perhaps you'll find that this is exactly where you need to be."
The woman sighed, "I don't even know anymore."
"Ah, I know what this is. I've great experience in these matters. Having been married many times. You feel doubt."
She laughed, "How many times have you gotten a divorce?"
"Divorce?" I laughed. "I never leave a woman after we have been wed."
She looked taken aback, "Oh. I didn't know polygamy was so common in these parts." She glanced behind her to where a tall man was standing with what looked to be the hotel's concierge. "I guess we're in the same boat."
"It's not what you think," I told her.
"Where have I heard that one before," she rolled her eyes.
"Larissa!" The man called for her.
She stood up, "Well, it was nice meeting you. Tell your wives I said hello."
I smiled as she left, glancing at my sides. "If only you knew," I said while sipping my beer.
Now in hindsight, if I were not so fatigued after nearly a month of hard work and constant traveling. I would have perhaps picked up on the fact that she too was familiar with the concubine lifestyle. Which was unusual in itself for an American. Or perhaps I would have picked up on the fact that Larissa was an uncommon name. As I had read Jim's article. But there was no such luck, which is why, when I say that I am deeply regretful of what I read on the news later about the couple, I am truly at a loss for what I could have prevented. But that is not my story to tell.
After I finished drinking at the bar I made my way to the elevator and got in. When a man came towards me to hold the door, I called out, "It's full." He looked at me bewildered as I was the only person he could see in the elevator, before sticking his hand out to stop the doors from closing. Huffing and puffing as he glared at me angrily before pressing his floor number. Except the elevator pinged. The weight capacity light had turned on above our heads. "Like I said, it's full." The man shook his head in amazement. Pressing his floor number again. The elevator pinged again. Unwilling to budge. I sighed and got out, "I'll wait for the next one."
And wait I did, even in my room I waited for night fall instead of resting. The thoughts of a botched night wedding swirling in my head. For the many things that could go wrong. Because even though I had much practice in these matters, I was still always nervous before a fight. So when night fell, I was red eyed and exhausted, but better mentally prepared than before.
But when I arrived back at the scene of the crime, I was not prepared for all of the commotion.
"Ka-kin-eh Ka-kin-eh," a man shouted as the fire blazed.
I grabbed one of the men running by with an empty bucket, "What happened here?"
"T-the villagers, they set the p-place on fire. Trying to rid the evil demon."
I let him go and shook my head. The fools! I made my way toward the courtyard where I saw the detective from earlier moping his forehead as he was helping put out the fire. "Detective! This is terrible," I yelled as the flames licked the night.
"No shit dumbass, it's a fire."
"You don't understand," I told him. "Now the entity has nowhere to return. We may never find it."
He threw the bucket to the floor and whirled around, "Enough! I've had enough! Listen here, there is a fire. F-I-R-E. This a real problem. If it catches to the fields, it could light the newly laid fertilizer on fire and catch the entire mountain!"
"Detective!"
That was the only word I had to say before he punched me. It was a dark night out, but stars had suddenly appeared. He hovered over me and I thought he would strike me again but then suddenly he froze. "What is that?"
I turned my head and looked out into the field. The heat of the fire burning the back of my head as I tried to stop my nose from bleeding. "Where?"
Neither one of us moved as we watched the tall field.
"Right there." He pointed.
I reached up and threw his hand down, "No! You never point at entities," I told him. "Now you could be marked!"
He ignored me and reached for his gun, "Stop! Hey you! I order you to stop or I'll shoot!"
I looked into the field, scanning the endless rows before my eyes stopped and froze in horror. At one point in time the thing must have been a simple plastic mannequin. Standing in a department store perhaps. But now, it was twisted and gnarled. It's first dirty and unrecognizable. It stood on all fours sometimes threes as it swayed slowly back and forth. The thing was also without form because it didn't need to bend or move as normal people. It was still objectively, plastic. It swung its arms behind it and used that as leverage to run, turning its head - cracking the seams that had somehow still held and took off.
The detective rung a shot out at it. I think it struck but it didn't matter. Though the mannequin was gone. The detective must have lost his mind because he gave chase.
I couldn't let him go alone so I followed. Pulling out my long yellow parchment as I wrote on it the symbols for sealing, hoping the simple spell would work. As we entered the tall field.
It was chaos. The ground was mushy beneath my feet, and the smell of fecal matter assaulted my senses further. In the brush I had lost the detective, so I was forced to tell my wives to help me locate his whereabouts. They didn't often leave my side, and some were reluctant but ultimately agreed.
I stood in the field, waiting with bated breath as I heard further gunshots in the distance. I couldn't wait for my wives to gather as I tore after the detective. And just in time as I saw him standing, looking absolutely terrified as he shot blindly into the fauna until his pistol clicked. The mannequin lunged for him. But I got there first. Pushing him to the ground, causing both of us to tumble.
He was eating a mouth of dirt as I pulled him to his feet. "We have to get out of this field! The ghost bride will pick us off in this thicket!"
Stumbling, and running, the two of us were covered in more than dirt. Several times we heard rustling nearby as if something were running alongside us. But eventually we made it out into the open plain. The detective trying to catch his breath as he reloaded his pistol.
"Shooting it doesn't work," he panted. "But maybe I can disable it from moving."
"Shut up," I told him. "Listen."
He stopped for a moment and we waited. Then all of the stalks before us shook wildly as if a hundred people were running through it. The detective raised his arm but I stopped him as my wives ran out of the field.
They were terrified as they ran right through us.
I hadn't experienced the feeling in awhile but the coldness as their ghostly forms went through our bodies was cold as ice. It was enough to bring us both to our knees, clutching our chests as we struggled to breathe. I had passed through one or two in a row before. But never 10 or 20 at a time. I lost count.
"What was that," the detective managed to gasp, his fingers in a death grip around his gun.
"A blue procession," I told him. "Something caused all of my dead wives to flee."
We looked up as the leaves in front of us rustled.
"Is it..."
I shook my head, running forward to catch her. My 13th wife, Ah-ren. Her arm was missing, and a part of her shoulder. She was an innocent girl that had drowned when she was alive. Her innocence carried on with her to the afterlife where many souls generally grew up embittered. But never her, always sweet my girl, just weary of water.
"I didn't want to go," she told me.
"I know," I held her. "I'm sorry."
"It got some of the others too. But Meita got in its way and told me to run." She cried.
"Don't cry I told her. You know how you hate getting wet."
"I don't want to go. I wanted to stay with you. All of us together."
I watched as her soul splintered and disappeared forever.
I had never felt such fury. In all my years, a womanizer, a liar, a cheat at cards, a scoundrel, a bastard even. But an undutiful husband? Never.
Without thinking I approached the field and cast a spell that was been forbidden.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm purging the field. All beings alive or dead will forever feel displaced when they enter here. A feeling of unending dread and doom will overcome them, causing madness if they do not leave or are unable to. But I have no other choice." I reached into my side and threw a handful of salt. It landed on the ground as I chanted. The winds carrying it into the field, the small white morsels rolling obediently into the darkness.
"Nothings happening," the detective's word stuck in his mouth as a horrible scream echoed into the night. It sounded like two pieces of steel being twisted together.
"There," I took off after it. The jumbled figure of the mannequin fled toward the village.
We followed it through people's homes, and between alleyways; the villagers screamed and fled when they saw it. We barged through home after home as we chased it. Until we cornered it at an abandoned building at the edge of town.
"It was supposed to be a mall," the detective told me. "But the developers ran out of money."
We walked quietly into the empty building. Shells of stores stood in various degrees of construction. Checking a few of the fronts before venturing further inside.
"You've got to be kidding me," the detective said as we came near the center of the complex. There next to the escalators and the fountains was an army of mannequins of all shapes and sizes lined up like terracotta warriors. "They must have stashed them all here when the place was being built, and forgot about them when it closed."
"There are hundreds."
"We'll go through together. Quickly and quietly." He added, "Stay alert."
We moved through the rows, staring at all of the stuck faces, searching for one covered in grime and bullet holes. But it was more difficult than it sounded. Many of the mannequins were in bad shape, weathered, broken, laying in pieces on the ground. It was hard to tell if a pile of parts was indeed our culprit.
Slowly we began to clear the rows and I could see the other side in sight.
"There!" The detective shot his gun. The surrounding mannequins dropped like dominoes when the entity scattered. Falling down all around us, drowning in a sea of plastic arms and smiling faces. I was struggling to stand as I looked up and saw the entity come rushing toward us. The detective fired his gun blowing out a knee cap. I hurriedly reached for my parchment but could not find my pen. Another shot, but the scorned bride kept on charging unable to feel pain.
It jumped into the air and another shot blew a part of its face away. The detective screamed as it tore at him. Pieces of his sinew was launched into the air as he was torn apart. I rushed forward trying to help but the creature grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. My feet searching for the ground as my lungs folded trying to breathe. The thing turned its head toward me and said, "Will you marry me?" As the darkness closed into the corners of my eyes.
The fight was leaving my body as I saw several of my wives rushing forward. Their ghostly forms ethereal as they began tearing at the mannequin, slowly pulling out pieces of her soul, causing the mannequin's arms and legs to go limp as they dragged her out.
I scrambled the floor blindly with my fingers searching for my sacred parchment but could not find it amongst the rubble and the ghost bride was fleeing, leaving the shell of her mannequin in a heap on the floor. My wives chasing her, screaming their fury for killing the others. For destroying their souls.
I chased after them into the open air, where she was being cornered. Crying as I approached, trying to escape into the Southwest wind. I knew what I should have done, but could not bring myself to do the right thing. Instead I bit my finger and drew symbols on my forearms with my own blood. Approaching the bride that never was and tore her soul into pieces.
When I was done my wives sat down around me before slowly dispersing as the sun began to rise.
"We did it huh?"
I continued staring at the sun, "Yeah."
"Well then," the detective said before disappearing. "Maybe in the next life I'll be sooner to trust you."
Later they would find his body in the abandoned mall. Still clutching his gun. The department gave him a 21 gun salute at his funeral and a medal as commemoration. I was just glad that his soul had not been eaten.
I, on the other hand, went back to the hotel. To the bar and ordered a well deserved drink. Where I saw a pretty woman sitting alone, "Did you know that in order for me to pass on my Celestial title, I must bear an heir?"
s
2023.06.07 06:45 TheGhostOfTheNight Unimpressed with my 2023 Ford Escape Active
I got a 2023 Ford Escape Active as a company lease and I’m not very impressed with it. Here are some of the things that bother me:
The driver seat is very uncomfortable. It feels hard and stiff, and I can’t seem to find a good position. Does it get softer over time? (My previous car was a 2022 Honda CRV and it was much more comfortable.)
The build quality is not the best. The volume and temperature knobs are wobbly and rough, and they don’t turn smoothly. Some of the interior trim pieces have sharp edges and gaps. It feels cheap and poorly made.
The Sync 4 system has issues. It often fails to reconnect to my phone via wireless Apple CarPlay, so I have to plug it in instead. Sometimes it freezes or glitches out.
I could go on about some more minor issues, but that starts to come down to personal preference I think.
I know no car is perfect, and I know a higher trim level would have better quality and comfort, but for the price of the vehicle I expected more. And before anyone says “you shouldn’t have bought the car if you didn’t like it”, I didn’t buy it, it’s a company lease, but I’m stuck with it for the next three years.
So, anyone else having similar problems with their 2023 Ford Escape Active? Or am I being too nit-picky?
submitted by TheGhostOfTheNight to fordescape [link] [comments]
The driver seat is very uncomfortable. It feels hard and stiff, and I can’t seem to find a good position. Does it get softer over time? (My previous car was a 2022 Honda CRV and it was much more comfortable.)
The build quality is not the best. The volume and temperature knobs are wobbly and rough, and they don’t turn smoothly. Some of the interior trim pieces have sharp edges and gaps. It feels cheap and poorly made.
The Sync 4 system has issues. It often fails to reconnect to my phone via wireless Apple CarPlay, so I have to plug it in instead. Sometimes it freezes or glitches out.
I could go on about some more minor issues, but that starts to come down to personal preference I think.
I know no car is perfect, and I know a higher trim level would have better quality and comfort, but for the price of the vehicle I expected more. And before anyone says “you shouldn’t have bought the car if you didn’t like it”, I didn’t buy it, it’s a company lease, but I’m stuck with it for the next three years.
So, anyone else having similar problems with their 2023 Ford Escape Active? Or am I being too nit-picky?
2023.06.07 05:24 Kikari93 FORD 2020 Escape
 | Usually when It dies I have to put a clamp on the battery to restart. Now apparently shutting the door made it turn on again. submitted by Kikari93 to MechanicAdvice [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 05:15 Dianna000 A Nightmarish Encounter
It was my first Sunday duty at the hospital, and the late-night shift had already enveloped the building in an eerie silence. As I sat alone in my office, diligently writing a hospital report, a sense of unease settled upon me. The flickering fluorescent lights cast dancing shadows on the walls, adding to the ominous ambiance.
Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly noticed a chilling sight—a shadow, dense and inky, appeared before me, blocking the faint light that illuminated my desk. Panic surged through my veins as I fought the urge to scream and run away. My heart pounded in my chest, and my palms grew clammy with perspiration.
Nervous tremors gripped me, making it difficult to think straight. Instinctively, I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them, the disturbing image before me would be gone. Taking a deep breath, I slowly counted to three and cautiously opened my eyes once again.
To my dismay, the shadow remained, still hovering menacingly in front of me. Its shape seemed to twist and contort, as if mocking my feeble attempts to escape its clutches. Dread washed over me, and I felt as if an unseen force was taunting me, relishing in my growing fear.
As minutes dragged on like hours, I felt an overwhelming presence nearby. Just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, the office door creaked open, and the hospital guard stepped inside. A brief flicker of relief washed over me, and I couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh.
"Don't scare me like that again," I said half-jokingly to the guard, trying to alleviate the tension that gripped me. But his response froze the blood in my veins.
"What do you mean? I haven't done anything," he replied, his voice tinged with confusion.
I stared at him, my heart sinking. If the guard hadn't opened the door, then who—or what—had? The realization hit me like a tidal wave, erasing any remnants of doubt that lingered in my mind. The stories I had dismissed as mere superstitions were, in fact, true.
The guard's face turned pale as he noticed the terror etched on mine. Slowly, he began to recount his own spine-chilling experience, the stories of shadowy figures and inexplicable occurrences that haunted the hospital during the late-night hours. I had heard those tales before but had brushed them off as exaggerated rumors.
Now, in that moment, the weight of those stories crashed down upon me. The presence I had felt, the shadow that blocked the light, it was all real. I had become a witness to the haunting that plagued this hospital, a firsthand experience of the supernatural.
From that day forward, I knew that the hospital held secrets far darker than anyone could imagine. The veil between the living and the dead was thin, and I had unwittingly crossed into a realm of nightmares. As the guard and I exchanged fearful glances, we realized that our lives would never be the same.
submitted by Dianna000 to nosleep [link] [comments]
Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly noticed a chilling sight—a shadow, dense and inky, appeared before me, blocking the faint light that illuminated my desk. Panic surged through my veins as I fought the urge to scream and run away. My heart pounded in my chest, and my palms grew clammy with perspiration.
Nervous tremors gripped me, making it difficult to think straight. Instinctively, I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them, the disturbing image before me would be gone. Taking a deep breath, I slowly counted to three and cautiously opened my eyes once again.
To my dismay, the shadow remained, still hovering menacingly in front of me. Its shape seemed to twist and contort, as if mocking my feeble attempts to escape its clutches. Dread washed over me, and I felt as if an unseen force was taunting me, relishing in my growing fear.
As minutes dragged on like hours, I felt an overwhelming presence nearby. Just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, the office door creaked open, and the hospital guard stepped inside. A brief flicker of relief washed over me, and I couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh.
"Don't scare me like that again," I said half-jokingly to the guard, trying to alleviate the tension that gripped me. But his response froze the blood in my veins.
"What do you mean? I haven't done anything," he replied, his voice tinged with confusion.
I stared at him, my heart sinking. If the guard hadn't opened the door, then who—or what—had? The realization hit me like a tidal wave, erasing any remnants of doubt that lingered in my mind. The stories I had dismissed as mere superstitions were, in fact, true.
The guard's face turned pale as he noticed the terror etched on mine. Slowly, he began to recount his own spine-chilling experience, the stories of shadowy figures and inexplicable occurrences that haunted the hospital during the late-night hours. I had heard those tales before but had brushed them off as exaggerated rumors.
Now, in that moment, the weight of those stories crashed down upon me. The presence I had felt, the shadow that blocked the light, it was all real. I had become a witness to the haunting that plagued this hospital, a firsthand experience of the supernatural.
From that day forward, I knew that the hospital held secrets far darker than anyone could imagine. The veil between the living and the dead was thin, and I had unwittingly crossed into a realm of nightmares. As the guard and I exchanged fearful glances, we realized that our lives would never be the same.
2023.06.07 04:52 Shat2014 Car wobbling/2014 ford escape
My car recently started feeling a little wobbly. I thought I was just being a little paranoid and everything was probably fine so I didn’t do anything about it for maybe a week. Then, the wobbling seemed like it was getting worse and coming on more frequently. After two days of it feeling worse I took it to the mechanic and they said one of the weights on my back right tire had moved to the side of the tire somehow. They rebalanced all of my tires and said they didn’t find anything else wrong. The mechanic took it up and down the street real quick and said it was fine. When i first got in, it did feel fine. About 2 minutes down the road it started feeling wobbly again but I once again thought I must be feeling things since he said everything was fine. It’s been 4 days since and it just seems like it’s getting worse. I have no idea what to do. I’ve been scouring the internet trying to find what could be causing it with no luck. The wobbling is felt under my left foot (not my driving foot) and in my body like it feels like I’m rocking. No vibration in the steering wheel at all. I have heard absolutely no noise from it. It happens at any speed with seemingly no rhyme or reason, getting better or worse at any point. I have looked over every tire multiple times to see if it could be a broken belt since that’s the only real answer I’ve seen and I can’t find any sort of lump or tear in any of the tires. Air pressure is great on all of them. I truly don’t know what the issue is and I would love to know what to tell the mechanic since they thought everything was fine.
submitted by Shat2014 to mechanic [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 04:50 Shat2014 Car wobbling/2014 ford escape
My car recently started feeling a little wobbly. I thought I was just being a little paranoid and everything was probably fine so I didn’t do anything about it for maybe a week. Then, the wobbling seemed like it was getting worse and coming on more frequently. After two days of it feeling worse I took it to the mechanic and they said one of the weights on my back right tire had moved to the side of the tire somehow. They rebalanced all of my tires and said they didn’t find anything else wrong. The mechanic took it up and down the street real quick and said it was fine. When i first got in, it did feel fine. About 2 minutes down the road it started feeling wobbly again but I once again thought I must be feeling things since he said everything was fine. It’s been 4 days since and it just seems like it’s getting worse. I have no idea what to do. I’ve been scouring the internet trying to find what could be causing it with no luck. The wobbling is felt under my left foot (not my driving foot) and in my body like it feels like I’m rocking. No vibration in the steering wheel at all. I have heard absolutely no noise from it. It happens at any speed with seemingly no rhyme or reason, getting better or worse at any point. I have looked over every tire multiple times to see if it could be a broken belt since that’s the only real answer I’ve seen and I can’t find any sort of lump or tear in any of the tires. Air pressure is great on all of them. I truly don’t know what the issue is and I would love to know what to tell the mechanic since they thought everything was fine.
submitted by Shat2014 to CarHelp [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 04:39 akindnesshighness Transmission Fault Service Now
2014 Ford Escape, 140k miles. I had my transmission replaced two weeks ago, I was driving on the highway this past Sunday with no issues when suddenly I received the “Transmission Fault-Service Now” error and then lost acceleration. I pulled over and turned the car off for a few minutes then restarted it and it was okay for like ten minutes-then the same thing happened. I was like 3 hours into a drive, but decided to turn around and go home. If I would stop and let it sit for a few minutes it would drive fine for awhile before I would get the same error and low acceleration. It’s at the shop again now but I haven’t heard from them yet—any advice on what this could be?
submitted by akindnesshighness to fordescape [link] [comments]