^\God Speaks:]) See, my servant shall succeed; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who were astonished at you—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals—so he shall sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. ^\Israel Speaks:]) Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of pains and acquainted with sorrows; and like the hiding of the face for him, he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own ways, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Yet who of his generation even considered that he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people to whom the blow belonged? They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with weakness [or sickness]. When you make his life a guilt offering, he shall see offspring, and shall prolong days; and through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. ^\God Speaks:]) The righteous one, my servant, shall make many the be considered righteous, and he shall bear their sins. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the multitudes; because he poured out his life to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of the many, and will intervene for the transgressors.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is one of the most debated sections of all the Bible. This is because the figure describes sounds much like Jesus over 500 years before hand. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the last of four "Servant Songs" (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12) which are four distinct poems that nonetheless function seamlessly within the context of Isaiah 40-55. Within the dramatic movement of the Servant Songs, the Servant emerges as an individual, and as a representative individual. This individual is representative because he is mysteriously identified and united with Israel and the world, acting for Israel and the world in their stead, doing what they could not do for themselves, and that in the culminating fourth Song this representative individual suffers, is rejected by his own people, is unjustly executed, is put to death for the sins of the many, buried, and then raised to life and glorified, all this that he might redeem the remnant of Israel and bring the gentiles to God. This is Jesus! Regarding the "offspring" and the "servants of the Servant," they live throughout the whole earth (Isa. 54:1-3; 56:6-8; 65:17ff.), include gentiles (Isa. 54:1-3; 56:6-8; 66:18-23), are rejected by un-believing ethnic Israel (Isa. 63:16-17; 65-66), are given a "everlasting," "new," and "different name" (Isa. 56:5; 62:2; 65:15), are proselytes (Isa. 66:18-23) to serve as a light to the nations (Isa. 60:3; 62:1-2), share in the righteous suffering of the Servant (Isa. 57:1-13; 59:9-21; 65:8-16; 66:1-5), are the place of dwelling for YHWH (Isa. 57:15; cf. Isa. 66:1-2a), and form a new and redeemed Israel for anyone who so chooses. These are the true followers of the Servant/Jesus!
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The Identity of the Servant.
There is huge debate and controversy over the identity of the Servant in Isaiah. On the one hand, Isaiah says Israel is the Servant outside of the Servant songs. On the other hand, the Servant reads like an individual in the Servant songs. There is a quite simple resolution to this. While the Servant is identified as Jacob-Israel outside of the songs, the nation of Israel is revealed within the dynamic movement of the four Servant songs as being embodied in a suffering individual figure. So, the Servant never stops being "Israel," but "Jacob-Israel" undergoes a reduction down to one within these songs. This is not my invention but is rather a prominent scholarly opinion. For example, Ricki Watts writes in his 1990 article: "In cognizance of the individual traits . . . it would appear that true Israel has been reduced to one (cf. 53:6 and ch. 48)" - Rikki Watts, 1990: p. 55. Jan L. Koole writes that Deutero-Isaiah's "reproaches to the Israel of his day, esp. in chap. 48, are so sharp and so much aimed at the people as a whole, that this 'true' Israel has undergone an extreme reduction (Simon, Sawyer) and must, it seems, be confined to an individual" - J.L. Koole, Isaiah III, Vol. 2 (Peeters, 1998), pp. 12-13. Brevard S. Childs writes: "what is crucial to observe is that one, bearing all the marks of an individual historical figure, has been named servant, not to replace corporate Israel—the servant in Second Isaiah remains inseparable from Israel—but as a faithful embodiment of the nation Israel who has not performed its chosen role (48:1–2)" - Brevard S. Childs, Isaiah: A Commentary (OTL, 2001), p. 385.
The Servant within the Servant Songs can't be Jacob-Israel as a collective, because there are numerous points of contrast between the Servant and Israel as a nation.

For example, in Isa. 49:5-6 the Servant has a mission to the nation as a group. This means that the nation as Servant is understood to shrink in size. But is this shrinking in size down to one person, or a righteous remnant? Isaiah 49:6 qualifies Israel as the remnant, so the reduction of the Servant seems to be down to one person.
One also can't so easily compare the individual language applied to Israel outside of the songs with the Servant in the songs, since Israel as Servant is intentionally shrunk down in size so as to be distinct from Israel as a nation (as indicated by Isa. 49:5-6), along with the heightening of the individualistic language in each successive song. This combination of shrinking and heightening seems to signify an intentional reduction of what the prophet considered true Israel down to one.
Further, the switch from the "Servant" in Isaiah 40-53 to the collective "servants" of the Servant motif in Isaiah 54-66 (see the "servants"/"offspring" section below) through the Servant's offspring implies that the Servant Songs have, in the context of the book as a whole, both a (primary) individual sense, referring to the Servant, and a (secondary) collective sense, referring to the faithful remnant, (cf. Isaiah 50:10-11), the servants of the Servant. If the Servant was the righteous remnant in the first place, it seems strange to refer to the Servant in the singular in the Servant songs at first and then in the plural after the last Servant song, instead of having the word "Servant" be in the plural all the way through or singular all the way though.
Lastly, the people of Israel and its remnant in the context of Isaiah are transgressors (e.g., Isa. 46:1-12; 48:1-11), while the Servant is faithful and righteous (Isa. 53:9, 11).

Many other points could be raised. Isaiah 49:3 does not preclude this, unless one begs the question against the "Israel-reduced-to-one" view. Plus, in Isa. 49:3, the name of Israel is probably a predicate: "you are Israel" (Jaap Dekker 2012: 38-39). As a result of arguments like these, Joseph Blenkinsopp writes in his Yale commentary on Isaiah 40-55:

"Ever since Christopher R. North surveyed the range of opinion on the identity of the Servant in 1948 (2d ed., 1956), no significant new options have emerged. While there was then and still is a strong critical preference for an individual rather than a collective interpretation, none of the fifteen individuals named as candidates by one commentator or another and listed by North has survived scrutiny" (Joseph Blenkinsopp, Isaiah 40-55 [AYBC; Yale University Press, 2002]: 355).

So, is the Servant an individual or Israel? Both. This fits with corporate election in the OT. As Brian J. Abasciano writes in his 2009 ATJ article: the "notion of election is rooted in the Old Testament concept of corporate solidarity or representation, which views the individual as representing the community and identified with it and vice versa" (p. 70). Thus,

"For God’s Old Testament people were chosen in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. Jacob was chosen in the womb, and at the very same time his descendants were chosen; they were chosen in him. “And the Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb. And two peoples from your belly will be divided. And one people will be stronger than the other people. And the older will serve the younger’ (Gen. 25:23). Notice how Jacob is wholly identified with his people before they exist. His election is their election; his destiny is their destiny" - p. 73.

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The Details of Isaiah 52:13-53:13.

Isaiah 52:13: The Servant as YHWH Himself.

The human Servant in Isaiah 52:13 is implied to somehow be YHWH Himself, as recognized by many scholars. The phrase ר֧וּם plus וְ plus נִשָּׂ֛א appears only in Isaiah 6:1; 52:13; 57:15 out of the entire Hebrew Bible, and in Isaiah 6:1 and 57:15 they refer to God. In addition, Isaiah 57:15 and 52:13 seem to refer to the earlier text (Isa. 6:1, which unambiguously refers to God). Moreover, the words ר֧וּם and נִשָּׂ֛א almost always apply to YHWH in Isaiah, and Isaiah 2 makes it clear that only YHWH should be ר֧וּם or נִשָּׂ֛א, as do other Isaian texts. In the exceptions where these terms are applied to other entities, those entities are to be humbled (e.g., Isa. 2:13). Thus, the Servant in the narrative shares the glory of YHWH, which however only belongs to YHWH alone (Isa. 2:11, 17; 42:8; 48:11). For example, Isaiah 2:11, 17 says that: "Yahweh alone will be exalted." Isaiah 42:8 and 48:11 says that YHWH shares his glory with no other. For all these points, see: Mark S. Gignilliat 2008, pp. 131-132; Daniel J. Brendsel 2014, p. 143; and Jaap Dekker 2017, pp. 475-491. Additional points can be raised as well, such as the fact that the Servant calls upon the nations to "listen to me" (Isa. 49:1), even though every time the word "listen" is followed by אֵלַ֔י ("to me") as the direct object, "it is always God who draws attention to himself, 46:3, 12; 48:12; 51:1, 7; 55:3, and so 'listen to me' in this v. also suggests a speaker who transcends the merely human" (Jan L. Koole, Isaiah 49-55, p. 7).

Isaiah 52:14: The Appearance of the Servant.

This verse alludes to the suffering the Servant goes through later in the very same song (e.g., "stricken," "smitten," "afflicted," "pierced," "crushed," "punishment," "wounds," etc.). It is not saying that the Servant-Messiah was the ugliest man of all time. It is reminiscent of the Psalter in Psalm 22:6 who says that "I am a worm, and not human." It would be a mistake to interpret this physically.

Isaiah 52:15: The Sprinkling of the Nations.

There is much scholarly disagreement as to whether yazzeh denotes a "sprinkling" or a "startling." The arguments for "startle" or "leap up" are mostly speculative and weak, whereas the arguments for the translation "sprinkle" are primarily based off of solid and existing datums/evidence. Most versions support the translation argued here: e.g., Aquila and Theodotion ('sprinkle'), Vulgate asperget ('sprinkle'), the Peshitta mdk' ('purify'). Most Hebrew texts also support a sprinkling, e.g., our earliest witnesses such as 1QIs^a, 1QIs^b. "Startle" might be supported by the LXX ('will be astonished'), but, as Goldingay points out: "the latter is as likely a loose translation" (Isaiah 40-55, p. 295). Many scholars relate yazzeh to Arab. nazâ (to spring up, leap), and translate it as "startle." Yet this is wrong. As Goulder points out in his 2002 VT article, (a) outside of this passage in question (namely, Isaiah 52:15), the use of this root is unattested in the entire Hebrew Bible (or indeed in ancient Hebrew in general, as Goldingay asserts in his commentary on Isaiah 40-55, pp. 295), and (b) the "Arabic term from which it derives denotes physical leaping with no necessary connotations of emotional surprise" (Michael Goulder 2002: 179). The typical arguments against the form of yazzeh being an Hiphil imperfect of nazah, meaning ‘to sprinkle’ (which it means everywhere else in the Hebrew Bible) are: (a) the lack of a substance in the accusative, and (b) the lack of 'al or some such preposition, but rather an anomalous usage where the nations are the direct object of the verb. However, the argument based off the lack of these features is at once rendered weak (especially in light of the above) when we realize that we are dealing with poetry (Paba Nidhani De Andrado 2021: 290). Additionally, Leviticus 4:6, 17 are likely examples of cases where the object or person sprinkled is the direct object of the verb instead of being indicated by a prepositional phrase, though the text there is difficult (see Isaksson Bo, “The Textlinguistics of the Suffering Servant: Subordinate Structures in Isaiah 52,13-53,12,” in En Pase Grammatike Kai Sophia: Saggi Di Linguistica Ebraica in Onore Di Alviero Niccacci, Ofm Studium Biblicum Franciscanum: Analecta 78, 2011), pp. 189-190 (esp. fn. 32). "It has been suggested that the Servant’s “sprinkling” of the nations implies the redemptive significance of his work in their behalf" (James P. Ware, Paul and the Mission of the Church, Philippians in Ancient Jewish Context, 2011, p. 588, n. 110). See H.W. Hertzberg, “Die ‘Abtrünnigen’ und die ‘Vielen’: Ein Beitrag zu Jes 53,” Verbannung und Heimkehr (FS W. Rudolph; ed. J. Kuschke; Tübingen: MohSiebeck, 1961), p. 103; Alviero Niccacci, “Quarto carme del Servo del Signore (Is 52,13-53,12). Composizione, dinamiche e prospettive” (Liber Annuus vol. 55, 2005), p. 21.

Isaiah 53:5: The Pierced and Crushed Servant.

Here, "pierced" is the best translation. If we see how the root chalal is used in biblical Hebrew, we see that it primarily means either "profane" or “pierced.” See Job 26:13; Jer. 14:18; 41:9; Ezek 6:13; 9:7; 28:7, 9; 32:26; 2 Sam. 23:8, 18 and especially Isaiah 22:2; 51:9 for a piercing. Since the context suggests a connotation stronger then "profane," it seems like "pierced" is our best bet. Most importantly, in Isaiah 51:9, "pierced" (applied to a chaos creature) is the best translation due to the parallelism present with how Rahab is said to be "hacked in pieces" (הַמַּחְצֶ֥בֶת). Kristin Joachimsen writes that the word ְמחָֹלל in Isa. 53:15 "is most often taken to be חלל II “pierce”, cf. Isa. 51:9" - Kristin Joachimsen, Identities in Transition: The Pursuit of Isa. 52:13-53:12 (Leiden: Brill, 2011), pp. 113, fn. 95.
Regarding the min, there is nothing wrong with translating the min as "because of," but that is meant vicariously. The preposition in itself denotes cause or reason. The nature of the cause or reason is determined by the context. In Isaiah 53:5 the cause or reason is substitutionary and vicarious: e.g., "The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all" (verse 6). Also, see the bet pretii in verse 5b ("by his wounds we were healed").
Regarding the word that is sometimes translated as "crushed," מְדֻכָּ֖א, often denotes death or oppression/inner humiliation in the Hebrew Bible, including in Isaiah (3:15; 57:15). And this is not a matter of "literal vs. metaphorical" interpretation. It's taking seriously the semantic range of the word, especially in the genre we are dealing with.

Isaiah 53:8: "for them" (lamo) refers to Israel?

Simon J. Joseph in his book Jesus and the Temple (2016) argues that: "The implication in the NRSV is that it is an individual who is afflicted (“he was stricken”) whereas in the MT, למו may be a synonym for להם meaning “them,” “fofrom them,” or “to them,” suggesting that it is the nation (Israel) that is stricken. Indeed, the word is translated usually as a plural form..." (pp. 224). However, the latter portion of v. 8 is (famously, notoriously) textually uncertain, with different readings in the MT, LXX, and 1QIsaiah from Qumran. Moreover, it is possible to construe the grammar of the sentence in question quite differently, with the people being the reference of lamo, but still able to obtain a meaning that is very much in line with a singular understanding of the servant in this passage: "... of my people to whom the blow belonged" - but now it has been diverted to the Servant. Given the textual uncertainty, it becomes clear that Joseph’s counter-objection has no force.

Isaiah 53:9: "in his deaths" refers to Israel?

Simon J. Joseph argues in his book Jesus and the Temple that: "Isa 53:9 uses the plural form for “in his deaths” (במתיו) . . . The Hebrew term for “in his death” would be במותו, not במתיו. If this is the case, then the Servant cannot be an individual, but rather corporate Israel" (pp. 224-225). . However, as Hebrew grammarians know, the word for "death" here can be used in the plural as an intensive (see J.L. Koole, Isaiah 49-55, p. 314), especially in poetry. Plus, the suffix is a singular third person suffix. There is a reason why practically every modern translation and every commentary of which I am aware understand this as the singular, "death."

Isaiah 53:10: The "offspring"/"servants" of the Servant.

In Isaiah 53:10, it says that the Servant will "see offspring" and make many righteous. Ever since. the JSOT essay by W.A.M. Beuken published in 1990, many scholars have widely realized that, after the reference to the servant "seeing" offspring in Isaiah 53:10, the figure of the individual servant is replaced by a community called the “servants” in the plural (Isa. 54:17; 56:6; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13-15; 66:14) and “offspring" (e.g., Isa. 59:21; 61:8-9; 65:9, 23; 66:22), who identify with the Servant and form a new Israel (W.A.M. Beuken 1990: pp. 67-87). Thus, the "offspring" in Isa. 53:10 (and the reference of the Servant making "many" righteous in 53:11) serves as a fulcrum for this entire shift in focus from Servant to this community called the "servants" or "offspring" - the followers of the Servant who identify with him. Regarding the "offspring" and the "servants of the Servant," they fit Jesus and his followers (see above).

Isaiah 53:10-12: The Resurrection and Spoil of the Servant

James P. Ware writes: "that the Servant is portrayed in the fourth Song as restored from death to life is recognized by the majority of interpreters. The text is explicit that following his demise the Servant “will prolong days” (53:10) and “will see light” (53:11). [The word] אוׁר (“light”), omitted in MT, is attested by IQIsa-a, IQIsa-b, 4QIsa-d, and LXX, and is doubtless the original reading. References to “light” thus recur in all four Servant poems (42:6; 49:6; 50:10-11; 53:11)" - James P. Ware, Paul and the Mission of the Church, Philippians in Ancient Jewish Context, 2011, p. 75. The Servant also "divides spoil" after his death.
The spoil that the Servant divides is his salvation, exaltation and unique role in continuing the plan of YHWH. Thus, the "servants" of the Servant participate in the Servant's redemptive mission and shares his victory (cf. Isa. 55:1-3).
"The many" who have their sins carried by the Servant include gentiles. The "many" recalls the use of "many" with reference to the "many nations" that the Servant sprinkles in Isa. 52:15. The very mention of the Servant sprinkling the nations implies their inclusion to begin with. That gentiles are included is proven by the fact that Gentiles are included in the Servant's Kingdom and mission (Isa. 42:4, 6; 49:6-7), and the fact that Isaiah 54-56 describes the people who are redeemed by the Servant as including those of the nations (54:17; cf. 56:3-8).
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The Servant as a future Individual.
While the Servant is anonymous, it seems most easy to take the individual Servant as some sort of future eschatological figure - none other than the Davidic Messiah. It has to be said though that in all or almost all of the uses of the actual Hebrew word for Messiah, מָשִׁיחַ, all refer to the actual Davidic Messiah in the full sense of the concept. As with all of the passages traditionally read as about the Messiah (e.g., Isa. 11:1ff.; Jer. 23:5ff.; 33:15ff., Ezek. 37:24ff., Zech. 9:9ff.), the context and description of the figure is what determines whether or not the figure is the Messiah. So, the lack of the use of the word for 'Messiah' in any passage is a poor argument against any passage speaking about the future Messiah. On the flip side, just because the word for "Messiah" is used for an individual does not mean that that person has messianic imports to its fullest extent/purpose. Concerning the definition of the "Messiah," see Gerbern S. Oegema's broad and working definition of the Messiah as 'a priestly, royal, or other type of figure, who plays a salvific role at the eschaton" - Gerbern S. Oegema, Der Gesalbte und sein Volk: Untersuchungen zum Konzeptualisierungsprozess der messianischen Erwartungen von den Makkabdern bis Bar Koziba (Schriften des Institutum Judaicum Delitzschianum, 2; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1994), p. 28. In the Hebrew Bible, eschatology is here broadly defined as an expectation where "Yahweh’s future activity whereby his ultimate purposes for Israel and the nations are realized" - James P. Ware 2005: 61, n. 13.
There are indications that the Servant transcends the historical circumstances of the author's day. Stephen L. Cook thus writes: "No figure of the exilic era, not even an anonymous one, succeeded in incarnating true servanthood and spreading salvation to all earth’s nations in the manner of the Servant of the Lord" - Stephen Cook, Bible as a Human Witness to Divine Revelation: Hearing the Word of God Through Historically Dissimilar Traditions (T&T Clark, 2009), p. 111. For example, the Servant is a light to the nations unto the ends of the earth and serves to restore the remnant of the Jewish people back to God. What figure contemporary in the pre-Jesus era did this? Furthermore, there exists strong lexical parallels between the Servant in Isaiah and the Messiah elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. Let me note a few in Isaiah 52-53 itself:

The combination of "shoot” and “root” (שֹׁרֶשׁ) associates Isaiah 53:2 with the messianic oracle of Isa. 11:1, 10, where the same or similar expressions occur. See also the word play with “infant” in Isa 11.8 and “sapling” in Isa 53.2.
The word "shoot," applied to the Messiah in Ezekiel 17:22, is used for the Servant in Isa. 53:2.
The same combination of חלק and שלל (in Isa. 53:12) is found only six more times in the Hebrew Bible; notably, one of these instances is in Isa. 9:2, a verse that forms part of one of the core messianic (or at least Davidic) texts in First Isaiah.

Isaiah 42 however has some of the strongest parallels to Messianic passages, though space precludes discussion. There are also striking parallels between the Servant and Cyrus (although the parallels between him and the Servant do not mean that the Servant is Cyrus, especially in light of the Servant’s explicit acknowledgement of YHWH - contrast Cyrus who doesn't even know YHWH, cf. Isa. 45:4-5). However, since Cyrus is royal, the Servant is likewise. Additionally, the early Jewish interpretation of the identity of the figure in this passage varied a lot. Some thought it was a collective, some the prophet Isaiah, others Moses, and still others the Messiah. Thus, the early Jewish interpretation of the identity is not probative for the intention of the original author. However, the presupposition often made that Jewish readers never interpreted the "Servant Songs" as messianic is false, per Kristin Joachimsen:

"In Jewish traditions, the Servant interpreted as the Messiah is a dominant reading, where the focus is put on his exaltation rather than his humiliation. However, both in the Middle Ages and in modern times, other Jewish exegetes have tended to view the Servant as the Jewish people suffering in exile." - Kristin Joachimsen, "Steck's Five Stories of the Servant in Isaiah LII 13-LIII 12, and Beyond," VT 2007, Vol. 57: pp. 208-209.

See 1 Enoch 48:1-5 and 62:1-9 for instance, where the author draws on Isaiah 49:1-13 for his depiction of the "Son of Man" and "the Chosen one," which in the Parables of Enoch is a messianic figure. Besides, even if the Servant is not explicitly messianic, that doesn't preclude the primary referent being Jesus of Nazareth. Interestingly, the New Testament nowhere claims that the Servant Songs are explicitly messianic. It claims they are fulfilled in Jesus, who is the Messiah. There is a difference. One can argue, as the scholars mentioned above have, that the Servant Songs are messianic, and that would not necessarily mean that Jesus is their fulfillment. Similarly, the core claim of the Gospels and of Christianity, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Servant figure of Isaiah, is not dependent on a view that these Songs are explicitly messianic in their Isaian context. It entails the view that, yes, the fulfillment reveals that in the plan of God these Songs are ultimately messianic, but it does not entail the view that they are explicitly "messianic" in Isaiah.
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The Speakers in Isaiah 53:1ff.
I think it is the followers or "offspring" of the Servant = the "servants" of the Servant = the new Israel that speaks in Isaiah 53. A recent scholar who takes this interpretation of the speaker is R.W.L. Moberly: "My own preferred context-of-origin-oriented reading, for what it’s worth, is that the “we” who speak in Isa 53:1–10 are disciples of the servant, who because of him have themselves become “servants” (54:17) and seek to continue his message and work" - Moberly, "Salvation in the Old Testament," Journal of Theological Interpretation, 2021, p. 199. That Israel in some form is speaking is indicated by the following points,

'Every time the words ‘we,’ ‘our,’ or ‘us’ are introduced without an explicit identification of the speaker, it is always the prophet speaking on behalf of the people of Israel (1:9f.; 16:6; 24:26; 33:2, 20; 42:24; 59:9-12; 63:15-19; 64:3-11; etc.).' For this point, see G.P. Hugenberger, “The Servant of the Lord in the ‘Servant Songs’ of Isaiah: A Second Moses Figure,” pp. 6-7.
More significantly, the words "my people" in Isaiah 53:8 also shows how it the prophet speaking on behalf of Israel, as elsewhere in Isaiah (e.g., Isaiah 1:3; 3:12, 15; 5:13; 10:2, 24; 14:25; 21:10; 22:4; 26:20; 32:13, 18; 40:1; 43:20; 47:6; 51:4; 52:4, 5, 6), with Isaiah 19:25 being the only exception to this (which proves the rule, since the whole point of Isaiah 19:23-25 is that gentiles, who are here represented by two neighboring superpowers, are grafted into Israel, as shown by e.g., the application of the aforementioned bundesformel to Egypt). In fact, "my people" is called the "bundesformel," and is always applied to Israel in the Hebrew Bible, except when contextual factors demand otherwise (such as in Isa. 19:25), which is lacking here.
Lastly, as Brevard S. Childs points out: "the confessing ‘we’ of the Old Testament is always Israel and not the nations (Hos. 6:1ff.; Jer. 3:21ff.; Dan. 9:4ff.)" - Childs, Isaiah, p. 413, including in Isaiah itself (see, e. g., 16:6; 24:16; 42:24; 64:4–5). Heskett writes that the nations being the speaker would result in a "sui generis because nowhere in the entire Old Testament does the voice “we” pertain to the nations but always to Israel" - Randall Heskett, Messianism Within the Scriptural Scroll of Isaiah (T&T Clark, 2007), p. 176.

Other points could be added too. However, it is the new Israel which speaks in Isaiah 53 (or at least the nations are included in the benefits of the speaker), as made clear by Isaiah 54-55 and by the fact that Isaiah 53 is a confession of those who believe the Servant and identify with the Servant (hence the name "servants"). In Isaiah 53:10, it says that the Servant will "see" his "offspring" and make many righteous. Ever since the JSOT essay by W.A.M. Beuken published in 1990, scholars have widely realized that, after the reference to the servant "seeing" his offspring in Isaiah 53:10, the figure of the individual servant is replaced by community called the “servants” in the plural (Isa. 54:17; 56:6; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13-15; 66:14) and “offspring" (Isa. 59:21; 61:8-9; 65:9, 23; 66:22), who identify with the Servant and form a new Israel (see above). In the prophetic message of Isaiah, Israel is not the ethnic nation as a whole, but the faithful remnant of Israel, joined by the coming influx of gentiles. See Isaiah 19:23-25 and 56:1-8, plus many others.
Some scholars think that the nations/kings speak in Isaiah 53 due to the natural flow between Isaiah 52:15 and 53:1, as well as lexical connections which establishes continuity between the two verses. However, this continuity serves to include the nations/kings in the confession rather than identify the speaker with the nations/kings. In other words, gentiles are grafted into the new Israel = the "servants" (something explicitly expressed in e.g., Isaiah 56:3-8), who speak in the main body of Isaiah 53.
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The Servant's Future Exaltation and Past Suffering.
It could be counter-argued that Isaiah 52:13-53:12 has the exaltation in the future and the suffering in the past, and is thus a contemporary figure. However, Isaiah 53, all the way up to the shift in speaker back to YHWH at the end, is a confession of the "servants" of the Servant - the new Israel (see below). The past suffering of the Servant should thus be interpreted within the framework of the Servant's future exaltation and the opening of the eyes of the gentiles (52:15). They are included in the new Israel who speak in Isaiah 53:1ff. by identifying with the Servant by being the Servant's "servants" and fulfilling the Servant being a light to the gentiles (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). The realization of the Servant's suffering on the speaker's behalf is thus being confessed by the "servants" of the Servant in relation to the Servant's future exaltation, not in relation to the present author. As Christopher North put it: "it is . . . in relation to the future that the death of the Servant is past, not in relation to the present of the writer" (Suffering Servant, p. 211).

This post is specific to the 2024 GMC Sierra model year's 2500HD and 3500HD aka Heavy Duty versions. I'll include info on all trims. If you're looking for 1500 series models, some discounts below might be interestingvbut fair warning: most everything else is about the HD series trucks.
I've been watching all the news, spy shots, auto shows, press releases and can't wait to see this truck in person. Until then, I've been researching like crazy. Because I'm a nerd. Figured some other people might be like me, looking for all the quality updates, videos, pics, and (eventually^{I can't wait}) reviews - so why not put them all in one place. Here goes...

Official stuff

GMC's Sierra 2500HD Homepage / Model Details
Build and Price
GMC's press release
Ultimate Heavy Duty press release
PDFs of all the trims, packages, option codes: https://www.gmfleetorderguide.com
Track your order: (step by step instructions here)

Go here >> https://www.gmc.com
Start a Chat session
Provide your order number >> rep will tell you the status

OrdeEvent Codes are listed here and backup on reddit is here
Order info is updated 1x/week on Thursdays. No sense in asking more frequently.
Video: 2024 Sierra HD: First Ever Sierra HD Denali Ultimate GMC

Pricing

GMC Supplier Discount website
Check if you're eligible (here) aka work for a company that gets this. There's a ton. It's worth trying. Look up your company here, grab the code, then make a free account and use that code. It's crazy simple.
The Supplier version Build/Price tools aren't online for 2024 models, but you can do it anyway just use the one depending on your model:
GMC Friends and Family Discount website
The Friends & Family version Build/Price tools aren't online for 2024 models, but you can do it anyway just use the one depending on your model:
Dealers do not have to accept Friends&Family or Supplier pricing. They are reimbursed partially by GM, so in effect are taking some hit by accepting it. Hence, why so many turned away buyers during pandemic.
In Feb 2023, GM idled its Fort Wayne, Indiana production for two weeks (source) because inventories of 1500 series reached 100 days. That's above their stated goal of 50-60 days of inventory. At year-end 2022 inventories were at 50 days. TL;DR supplies of light duty trucks have outstripped demand, and I'd hope that means good news for pricing now and into 2Q.

Engine	Denali Ultimate	Denali	AT4	SLT	SLE	Pro
MSRP 6.6L V8 Gas w/ 4WD (starting at)	n/a	$75,095	$70,995	$65,195	$57,795	$52,795
MSRP 6.6L V8 Turbo-Diesel w/ 4WD (starting at)	$93,795	$84,585	$80,485	$74,685	$68,280	$63,780

Discounts

Dealerships that have told me they're honoring Supplier Pricing
- Laura GMC (website) in Collinsville, IL
- Beck & Masten (website) in Houston, TX
Dealerships offering discounted pricing to anyone. Does not stack with Supplier or Friends and Family though.
- Laura GMC (website): $2,500 off MSRP. Will ship car to you (at your expense). Free shuttle pickup from airport, if you fly in.
- Beck & Masten (website): $2,000 off MSRP + free delivery within 500 miles
Costco discount / Costco Auto Program Savings Event. I don't know what it is (will be?) for 2024, but was $1,000 off for 2022 and 2023 models (source, also mentioned on a few forums and in askcarsales).
Uber - discount for Uber drivers. In past was $2,750 off BoltEV, no idea if anything for Sierra models and if so, if even for this model year.

Reviews

I mean, it's about the best info we've got from the bigger websites

2024 GMC Sierra HD Preview [JD Power]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD [Car Buzz]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 [Cars.com]
2024 GMC Sierra HD Brings the Luxury and the Muscle [Car and Driver]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 HD First Look: Denali Goes Ultimate, AT4X Joins the Ranks [Motor Trend]
2024 GMC Sierra HD: High Luxury Meets High Limits [Edmunds]
Hope You’re Ready: The 2024 GMC Sierra HD Now Tops Out Over $100,000 [The Fast Lane Truck]
2024 GMC Sierra HD Debuts As Part Workhorse And Part Luxury Vehicle [Car Scoops]
2024 GMC Sierra HD Looks Sharper, Picks Up Fancy New Denali Ultimate Trim [CNet]
2024 GMC Sierra HD Gets Engine Upgrades, Towing Aids, Two New Trims [The Drive]

Videos

Official GM private event/unveiling, hands-on w/ senior GM design team

Here Is Why the New 2024 GMC Sierra HD Is the MOST Luxurious Truck Ever Built! [The Fast Lane Truck]
2024 GMC Sierra HD In Depth look with all the Experts [Pushing Pistons]
Four In-Depth Interviews! 2024 GMC Sierra HD Revealed! [Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk]
2024 GMC Sierra HD First Look [Alex on Autos]
The NEW 2024 GMC SIERRA 2500HD / 3500HD is AMAZING! [GM Jeff]
Interviewing the GMC TEAM about the NEW 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 & 3500 HD! [GM Jeff]

At various auto shows

2024 GMC Sierra 2500 AT4 [DeLo Enterprises]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali Ultimate Edition [DeLo Enterprises]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate Full Review and Walkaround CLE Auto Show [Cochran GMC dealership]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Denali Ultimate at the Chicago Auto Show [Garage Talk]
Hands On - The 2024 Duramax GMC Sierra AT4 Now Tows 4000 Pounds More & Goes Off-Road! [TFLnow]
NEW, 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD AT4, Duramax! [GM Jeff]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Denali Ultimate // $100k Ultimate CAPABILITY & LUXURY! [Car Confections]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD - Did GMC Make The RIGHT Changes? [Vehicle Visionary]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate New Interior, Refreshed Exterior! [Cars Made Simple]
2500 HD Ultimate Denali 2024 GMC Sierra 4x4 Truck [InterUnetAutomotive]
New 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Denali Ultimate [GM Jeff]
2024 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali Ultimate Nightshade HD Very Luxurious [Express Car Reviews]

News

GM Authority: Sierra HD news. Note: Skip the comments section on their articles. It's straight cancer.
Prior sales numbers here.

Gallery

https://www.gmc.com/trucks/sierra/2500hd-3500hd
https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gmc/sierra/2024-gmc-sierra/2024-gmc-sierra-hd/ >> scroll down and click "Gallery" it expands with a ton more pics than GM has in link above.

Other conversations w/ recent intel on 2024 Sierra 2500HD's

Relevant search of askcarsales: https://old.reddit.com/askcarsales/search/?q=2024+sierra+2500hd&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new
Leasehackr forum: https://forum.leasehackr.com/search?q=2024%20sierra%202500
GM-Trucks.com forum: https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/forum/240-2020-2024-silverado-hd-sierra-hd/

Latest info I've heard

Downpour Metallic paint color is delayed, marked "late availability". Any orders with this color are delayed for likely months, but dealers don't have exact timing.
Best discount is $2,500 off MSRP (at Laura GMC)
Costco discount does stack with other discounts
$1,500 OnStar Premium is included in vehicle price, but for the first time can be Deleted for $1,500 savings.
GMC MultiPro tailgate Step Lights are a $150 option, even on Denali Ultimate. Wut!?
For Super Cruise to work, need OnStar. But it's an add on feature, for ANY plan. Pricing is here, skip the BS graphic and click on Compare All Plans which gives you this PDF. Tl;DR in build options choose OnStar Premium Delete ($1,500 savings), then after get truck choose plan you want. Cheapest one, "Remote Access" for $14.99/month, gives you the app and "remote key fob" then just inlcude Super Cruise add-on for $25/month. Also: this still fees like a ripoff.
CarbonPro bed isn't available on Heavy Duty series trucks, irregardless of trim.
OEM Upfitter switches will be available (here >> GMUpfitter.com) and go in the "change pocket" area (pic), directly in front of new Trailer Brake controls placement.
First dealership to have a 2500HD arrive was on Mar 22nd: Tom Kelley GMC in Fort Wayne, IN. They put up a youtube video here.
Bigger GMC dealerships have been telling custs expect first trucks arrive on lots May 2023.

If I missed anything, please share! Just really like this truck, ordered one, can't wait for arrival. I am not in the car business, affiliated with any sites. Linked only to legit, high-quality sources that were best I could find, avoided the dumb Chinese bot knockoff YouTube channels and blogspam that just steal content. If you find some new juicy tidbits, please reply so we can all benefit.

I just recently applied for a Citi Rewards card through their website and submitted all required documents a the end of February, they messaged me with my 16 digit application ID and informed me that they would be contacting me in the next 3 business days. When I was not reached through phone call, SMS, or through my e-mail after a week and a half, I tried calling their hotline (89959999) for updates regarding my application. After the voice prompts and automated messages to input my application ID or TIN number, the prompt said that they have no record of any application by that number. I tried navigating through all options in their hotline, however, there were no options to speak to a live customer service agent. Information on their site claims that I could talk to one if I logged in, but, to log-in you would have to have an existing credit card number with them, leaving me no choice but to search the internet on how to contact them.
After digging and searching through the internet, I found the phone number 84233000 and was able to talk to an agent who introduced themselves as part of Citi-Unionbank and seemed to know the details of my application after a couple of verifying questions. She confirmed my application and asked for an alternative ID to be submitted through email.
Just wanted to ask if any of you can verify the number 84233000 and if it's legitimate or not for Citi credit card application as it wasn't that visible when searching for Citi contact numbers. The email they sent me had an address of citi.com which I've read to be legitimate, however, I seem to have some concern regarding it's legitimacy and concerned about providing further information about myself. If anyone could verify if this is okay, it would help a lot.
Thanks!

Other information that they have contacted me that may help:
Phone number who i have had contact with - 84233000
E-mail address that have messaged me after talking with them - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
They've also sent me an email for a Citi Secure E-mail Service to set-up a password for encrypted PDF files they may send me in the future.

Just wanted to relieve any form of concern since there have been a lot of reports of scams and wouldn't hurt to be sure. Thanks again.

I want to cut up my pdf by each question, but selecting the question and attempting to move it does nothing. nothing even gets selected. Is this even possible to achieve?

AMERICAN CONSERVATISM AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The relationship between the modern conservative movement and the Catholic Church in America is just now beginning to be understood. Despite evidence of a close relationship between Catholicism and conservatism, the Church is most often considered a liberal institution, while the Catholic Church in its official capacity denies that it has an inherent connection to any political party or ideology. Nevertheless, the connection between American conservatism and Catholicism is much closer than is usually realized, so much so that the Church is better understood as a conservative than as a liberal institution.
Catholic Origins of American Conservatism
One of the overlooked facts about the modern conservative movement is the irreplaceable part played by Catholics.1 Indeed, it is almost possible to believe that the conservative movement in America was largely a Catholic thing, but this would be to overestimate the influence of Catholics. The conservative movement was not an explicit attempt of lay Catholics or the Church itself to manufacture a movement or arm to gain political influence for the Catholic Church. (This is in contrast to the Moral Majority, which was an explicit attempt to gain evangelical Protestantism a secular arm and direct political influence.) The Catholic Church in America, in contrast to the Church in Europe, has not allied itself officially with any political party or ideological movement, respecting the American separation of church and state. Further, Catholic influence tends to be more diffuse, representing the wide variety of political opinions held by its members.
The two outstanding representatives of Catholicism in the conservative movement, well-known to readers of this journal, are William F. Buckley and Russell Kirk, the founders of National Review and Modern Age, respectively. Buckley was a cradle Catholic who attended an English Catholic boarding school. He held a strongly traditional view of the Church and was an opponent of the vernacular Mass that resulted from the Second Vatican Council. National Review often dealt directly with Catholic issues, most famously in attacking the encyclicals of Pope John XXIII but also in its criticisms of the neo-Marxist Catholic liberation theology emanating from Latin America. Russell Kirk, whose book The Conservative Mind went through multiple printings, greatly encouraged a traditionalist form of conservative thought. He was a Catholic convert but had already established his conservative philosophy at the time he entered the Church. While Buckley represents the influence of cradle Catholics whose religious beliefs made them sharply critical of political and social developments in America following World War II, Kirk represents the conservative Catholics who joined the Church for personal reasons of faith, certainly, but also because their conservatism was explicitly and strongly represented in the Catholic Church. The presence of a large number of cradle Catholics in the conservative movement and the tendency of conservatives to become Catholic converts raises the question: what is the nexus between Catholicism and conservatism?
There is a large overlap between Catholicism and conservatism, and five areas can be distinguished. First, there is the conservative respect for tradition, that is, the Burkean assumption that any social institution in place for a great length of time and serving many people well has a claim on us. The Catholic Church has contributed an essential and distinctive element to Western civilization in art, literature, music, theology, and philosophy, and— not least—in its spreading of the Christian gospel, which had a civilizing effect on the many peoples of Europe, including those originally thought of as “barbarians.”
Second, there is a moral realism intrinsic to the Church’s doctrines and practices that presupposes good and evil’s actual reality and actual distinction. As the European world order collapsed during the twentieth century under the weight of total wars and totalitarian movements, good and evil were forsworn as ancient notions easily disposed of in the face of the onslaught of naked political power. The Catholic Church’s continued assertion that there exists an objective moral order thus seems salutary and providential.
Third, there was the policy of anti-Communism, which was especially noteworthy after World War II, when the Church supported centrist or mildly leftist political parties in Italy and France in opposition to Communist political parties that had many adherents. In America in the 1950s, figures such as Bishop Sheen and Cardinal Spellman vigorously opposed Communism; a disconcerting result of Vatican II was the Church’s change from a policy of anti-Communism effectively to one of antianti-Communism.
Fourth, the Catholic Church provides a primary example of an institution that survives in history not because it remains static, but because it changes slowly over time, accommodating itself to new circumstances while retaining its essential identity. Thus the confusing effects of the Second Vatican Council have amounted to a seemingly radical change in the Church and sorely tested the faith of many Catholic conservatives. Alterations in the order of the Mass and the reversal of the anti-Communist policy have caused especially severe discord.
Finally, especially appealing to intellectual conservatives is the Church’s espousal of the doctrine of natural law, which is conformable to the doctrine of natural rights found in the practice of American law and written in the Declaration of Independence, which refers to “nature’s God” as the source of rights and an implied moral order by which the actions of political agents can be fairly and rationally judged.
These considerations do not mean that Catholicism and American conservatism are altogether compatible. The conservative tradition in America is diverse, tending especially toward the principle of personal freedom from state controls. The Catholic tradition is communitarian and familyoriented, seeing the individual as embedded in a network of social connections and responsibilities ultimately of divine origin. This communitarianism sharply contradicts the individualism that is an inherent part of American culture, especially as expressed in the libertarian strain of contemporary conservatism. Previously, Catholic teaching had criticized the doctrine of individual rights; this, however, is changing. Since Vatican II official Church documents have stressed the individual’s right of conscience in order to defend freedom of religion in places where the Church is actively suppressed, as in China, or where Christian worship is severely curtailed, as in Muslim nations.
Another point of likely disagreement is free-market capitalism. Continental Catholic theologians have long had an animus toward the “Anglo-Saxon” social arrangement of England and America with its emphasis on political freedom and monetary advancement. This may be only a cultural prejudice, but in fact Catholic social teaching cannot be comfortable with an unrestrained form of capitalism in which there is no Reagan-style safety net (at least) for those who do not benefit directly from the free market. Catholic doctrine leans toward promoting communal solidarity with some kind of guarantees for housing and income for all, and from a Catholic perspective, the philosophy of unrestrained capitalism elevates the free market as a false idol. Here again, however, Catholic attitudes are changing toward a more conservative position; Pope John Paul II’s last social encyclical approved the free market as an efficient way of setting prices and allocating goods, and prominent lay Catholics such as William Simon and Michael Novak have favored the free market as compatible with Catholic thought.
The Liberal Church
While there is nothing in the documents of the Second Vatican Council that explicitly commits Catholicism to a liberal social philosophy, liberals and progressives have seized upon the Council to promote their programs and philosophies within the Church. Vatican II urged lay participation in the world, so that the Christian message would be spread through all aspects of society. Without careful delineation by the bishops who attended the Council and under whose supervision its documents were written, it was somehow automatically assumed that the Council reforms meant social activism of the sort carried out by promoting left-wing schemes and agendas. The bishops, including the popes who initiated the Council, John XXIII and Paul VI, were unaware of how suddenly changes would overtake the Church under pressure from various cadres of the Left, including feminists, pacifists, liturgical experts, anarchic radicals, and advocates of welfare expansion. Church authorities were overtaken by events until it became necessary for them to push back and re-establish lines of authority, as happened under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
One of the reforms of Vatican II was to give national councils of Catholic bishops a greater degree of authority and independence, without having to wait for direction from the Vatican.10 In the United States the bishops made policy in their annual meetings and relied on the bureaucracy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to promulgate those policies and bring them into effect. Since both the bishop’s annual meetings and the USCCB are based in Washington, D.C., this amounted to the Church’s becoming a Dupont Circle-type lobbying group promoting a liberal line in virtually all areas of public policy and domestic and foreign affairs. USCCB policies, which are intended to “share Catholic social teaching,” have nonetheless attracted opposition from conservative Catholics and other critics who not only have a different ideological take on the issues but often have more expertise about the issues addressed than the USCCB staff that writes the policies and lobbies for them. The one exception to the liberal line taken by the USCCB is in the area of sex and reproduction, including abortion, gay marriage, cloning, and stemcell research.
The presumption that the Church had become politically liberal and progressive was encouraged by the writings of the two popes who oversaw Vatican II. John XXIII promulgated two major encyclicals and, as mentioned above, Mater et Magistra, in particular, was criticized by NationalReview. In fact, however, that encyclical was a sensible essay on Catholic social doctrine as it had developed to that time, and it appeared that conservative criticism of it was about its utopian tone or presumed intent rather than its specific provisions. Paul VI, on the other hand, in his document (not an encyclical) Populorum Progressio expressed a deep concern for justice for the Third World and condemned the economic policies of the First World. Not merely progressive, but radical, dimensions of Catholic social doctrine were rapidly developed by the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), which explicitly deployed Marxist themes and language to denounce American capitalism. A major contribution of CELAM was to promote the doctrine of the preferential option for the poor, which quickly became the usual standard by which social and economic policies were judged and promoted by the American bishops and the USCCB.
The bishops promulgated a pastoral letter entitled Economic Justice for All in the 1980s that was meant to be a guide for Catholic social action emerging from public hearings on economic issues, a new approach to writing such documents. Despite the open manner in which opinions were sought and the importance of the topic, the letter was a failure, since it was basically a committee document with a general tendency toward progressive social and economic reform but whose recommendations did not consistently make sense. Unlike a previous pastoral letter by the bishops on nuclear war, the letter on the economy made no splash on the national scene.
The left-wing social policies advocated by Catholic liberals after the Second Vatican Council were as much influenced by contemporary liberal thought as by the Gospels. The preferential option for the poor reflects the argument of the liberal political philosopher John Rawls that economic and social inequalities can only be justified by their positive effect on the poorest in society. It is noteworthy that the preferential option marks a significant departure from the Church’s previous concern refl ected in the social encyclicals of earlier popes. The point of these earlier encyclicals was to provide a moral argument on behalf of workingmen and their families, who were seen as far less powerful than the owners of factories and commercial enterprises employing them. In the process of rapid industrialization, the Church was anxious to protect those people who had left farms in large numbers to become factory workers in large cities. The preferential option for the poor, however, has displaced the Church’s concern for productive workers to those who are at the bottom rung of society and do not or cannot contribute to it. In this manner, the Church has, in effect, turned its back on middle-class workers and taxpayers, who no longer appear to need its advocacy. It now seems as if in promoting the prefer ential option in an age of global expansion of an industrial, capitalist economy, the Church seeks to draw attention to those who cannot be participants in its expansion. Catholic advocates of progressive social doctrine in America are inclined to equate the preferential option for the poor directly with the expansion of welfare state benefits and must have found it disconcerting when Pope John Paul II in his last social encyclical declared that the “social assistance state,” that is, the welfare state, was not a refl ection of gospel concern for the poor and that the free market was valuable as a means of distribution.
The downside of the liberal influence in the Catholic Church can be seen in its effects. First, the promotion of engagement in the world as the preferred Christian vocation following Vatican II resulted in many priests and nuns’ leaving their vocations and a precipitous decline in new entrants to these vocations on which the Church depends for its existence. Social activism trumps sacramental dedication in the liberal church. Second, liberal churchmen and -women doubt the legitimacy of the Church’s claim to be a divinely founded institution and argue that the Church should cultivate a dramatically humbler idea of itself. Liberals argue on principle against the Church’s putative triumphalism and think that the only sufficient act of reparation for Catholic anti-Semitism is a degree of self-abnegation tantamount to institutional suicide. There is in the liberal church, a general spirit of anti-authoritarianism reaching beyond resentment of the imperious attitude of priests and prelates in the immigrant church. Rather, it is an attitude that denies or seeks to downplay the relevance of historical norms and institutional structures present in the Church. The absolutism of moral rules, the male priesthood, the existence of hell, and the authority of the pope are attacked as if no impediment to radical reform of the Church or restriction of any kind on an individual’s personal belief or behavior is acceptable. The existence of the Catholic Church in its historical form is seen by liberals as an impediment to the attainment of true freedom and earthly perfection.
The Conservative Church
It was not long before a backlash began against the liberals who had dominated and set the terms of the reforms, first by tradition-minded priests and lay Catholics, but subsequently at the level of the papacy.19 The accession of John Paul II to the papacy seems providential in this regard. Liberal critics see him as a figure of reaction, yet John Paul II and his successor Benedict XVI were not setting the Church’s clock back to where it was prior to the beginning of Vatican II. Instead these two popes were bringing forth the intended aims of the Council, for it seemed to them that the effects of the Council had gone too far. John Paul and Benedict are not reactionaries in full, but representatives of an ecclesiastical Thermidorean reaction fighting against the excesses of post-conciliar reforms and attempting to return the Church to the true form originally envisioned by the Council fathers. It was never intended by the bishops of the Council that ancient Catholic traditions be abolished, so among these reforms is a greater willingness to have the old Tridentine Rite (the Extraordinary Form) of the Mass made available to those who want it, and lately, to put brief sections of Latin into the vernacular Mass (the Ordinary Form or Novus Ordo); Catholics in favor of liturgical reform portray this as a complete aboutface rather than an accommodation. However, John Paul II did forcefully squelch the movement for female priests even as he rode triumphantly in parades throughout major cities in all parts of the world.
During his long papacy John Paul II wrote and sent out to the world a large number of writings addressing spiritual, but just as often cultural, political, and economic issues. There were important encyclicals opposing moral and epistemological relativism and another on the relation of faith to reason aimed at Catholic theologians but of direct interest to philosophers and intellectuals concerned with the topic. There were other writings as well, but it was by his very presence as a charismatic leader who often outshone the politicians with whom he appeared that John Paul II was influential, reviving confidence among many Catholics about their faith and, not incidentally, inspiring many young Catholic men to become priests. It was by his charismatic presence that he inspired the Solidarity movement in Poland, and his conspiratorial maneuvering with Zbigniew Brzezinski (also a nativeborn Pole), the American labor movement, and President Reagan was instrumental in bringing down the Communist regimes in Poland and Eastern Europe and eventually in Russia itself. The papacy of John Paul II was enormously influential, because it revived the sense of Catholic tradition and brought to fulfillment the Church’s anti-Communist policy in Europe.
There is a parallel conservative church consisting of educational institutions, publishing houses, and a television network existing alongside the liberal church. Among them are colleges including the University of Dallas, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ave Maria College and Law School, and Thomas More College, mostly newly formed institutions, often founded by laymen, with a traditionalist or conservative bent (Thomas More and other traditionalist colleges often advertise in National Review). These colleges are more likely to produce priests and nuns from among their alumni, on a relative basis and possibly an absolute basis, than the older, more established Catholic colleges and universities. There are several conservative Catholic journals including Crisis (formerly Catholicism in Crisis), founded by Ralph McInerny and Michael Novak, while the National Catholic Register is the traditionalist weekly counterpart to the liberal National Catholic Reporter. Ignatius Press, founded by Joseph Fessio, S.J., is the largest provider of books, Bibles, DVDs, and audio recordings for the conservative church. The most unique and visible element of the conservative church is the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), founded by a charismatic nun, Mother Angelica and directly supported by its viewers. EWTN broadcasts 24/7 and produces most of its programming from Irondale, Alabama.
The Catholic Church in America shares certain religious and cultural tendencies with Protestantism in its multifarious forms. One such shared tendency is with evangelical and tradition-minded Protestants who have brought great attention to the need for the restoration of traditional values and of opposition to the recent secularization of American politics. Conservative Catholics and traditionally minded Protestants have combined forces on social issues including abortion and the sexualization of the media, and traditional Christians of all denominations enthusiastically received Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ.22 Protestantism and Catholicism, which historically have been at loggerheads, found themselves with a great deal in common in the face of secularization and moral relativism, a coming together that has provided significant support for the conservative movement in America.
The Catholic Church Divided
The dilemma of American Catholicism is that it is in a situation of profound internal conflict between those roughly characterized as left-wing, liberal, or progressive, on one side, and right-wing or conservative on the other. This internal split affects the manner in which doctrines are interpreted and understood, the way that individual Catholics practice their religion, and their opinions about politics, culture, and the role of the Church in the public arena. It is possible, and indeed likely, that a conservative Catholic will disagree with an official statement of the American Catholic bishops expressed through their official organization, the USCCB. On the other hand, it is often the case that a liberal Catholic will disagree with papal pronouncements and policies that contradict the “spirit” of Vatican II, which, albeit indefinite, seemed to promise a greater freedom of opinions and actions within the Church. It is possible for either a liberal or a conservative to be a “good Catholic,” that is, one who attends Mass regularly, is loyal to the Church, and tries to obey the Commandments. However, it is likely that liberals will eschew traditional Catholic practices such as Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, or devotions to specific saints such as Therese of Lisieux, and will support the ordination of women to the priesthood. The liberal mindset tends to make the Catholic religion rest on its concern for the poor and on social activism while downplaying traditional Catholic expressions of the evils of sin and the need for reparation. In Catholic Masses today, it is usual that almost all the congregants receive Communion even as very few Catholics go to confession any more, an anomalous situation that is more likely the result of “feel good” apologetics within the Church than a decisive increase in the holiness of most Catholics. The conservative mindset remains alive to the existence of evil in the world and the necessity to combat it and is particularly energized by the presence of abortion, which it sees as a scandalous fault of contemporary American society. Conservative Catholics will participate in traditional devotions and may look favorably upon the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.
In the 1980s Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago proposed a “seamless garment” solution to the divisions between the liberal and conservative trends in the Church. Bernardin’s approach sought to combine the energy of the anti-abortion movement, which characterizes the conservative church, and apply it to the broader social concerns of the liberal church. Thus poverty, prejudice, the environment, and inequities in housing and education would be included as “life” issues with the hope that the same degree of spontaneous intensity that the Catholic faithful bring to the abortion issue would be applied to these social issues. The seamless garment appeal did not take hold, although the broader social issues are still sometimes referred to in the rhetoric of the institutional Church as “life issues.” The main reason for its failure seems to be not so much resistance to social justice among conservative Catholics but a result of their greater concern about abortion. The ferocious defense of abortion rights in secular culture reflects an overall sensibility that desacralizes human life and has been expanded to harvesting embryonic stem cells, cloning, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. Allied movements include the legalization of homosexual marriage and a sexualization of the popular culture so extensive that even secular critics are presently noticing and condemning it. The power of these aggressively secular and immoral movements within American society presents a clear and present danger according to Catholic morality, and shocks the conscience of Catholics (and many others) more than inequalities in housing and income. The accusation is often made that Catholics today are “cafeteria Catholics,” accepting those practices and doctrines of the Church of which they personally approve and neglecting or ignoring those they don’t. This claim might seem to be evenhandedly applied to both the liberal and conservative positions within the Church, the liberals ignoring the Church on abortion, sexual morality, and authority, the conservatives ignoring the Church on poverty, social justice, and capital punishment. However, the claim more clearly applies to the liberal positions, since the immorality of abortion is a matter of clear definition, as are homosexual acts and living together without benefit of sacramental marriage, while both doctrinally and historically, the Catholic Church defended the authority of bishops and the pope. On the other hand, the conservative position on poverty does not deny the central mission of Christians to help the poor but questions how it is to be done. Welfare-state solutions to poverty, health concerns, and social inequalities meet with sharp conservative opposition, which gives a false impression that conservatives are indifferent to suffering. Conservatives will depend on free-market solutions for systemic problems in the economy and emphasize the personal obligation to help the poor we meet and among whom we live, rather than supporting massive government programs whose inefficiency and wastefulness is notorious. (Dorothy Day, a heroine of liberal Catholicism, opposed the government welfare programs of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson.) Regarding the death penalty, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, imposition of the penalty is allowable, although significant criteria must be met if the death penalty is to be licitly administered.
Through the USCCB and the allied Campaign for Human Development, the institutional Church promotes what amounts to a left-wing agenda and often exerts its considerable influence on behalf of liberal governmental programs. This approach makes an appeal to liberal elites who often tout their own sense of compassion for the poverty-stricken and alienated, but in America, as in developed nations worldwide, the liberal elites tend to be explicitly secular to the point of excluding religion from their purview.28 While secular liberals may accept the help of the Church in lobbying for the extension of food stamps or loosened immigration standards, those same elites promote gay marriage, abortion, and embryonic stem-cell research just as strongly, if not more. Thus any appeal to secular liberal elites has a downside since it legitimizes positions that the Church finds immoral, even as the liberal church refuses to appeal to the business, financial, or entrepreneurial communities for support.
Embracing the Church’s “Inner Conservatism”
The conflict between liberals and conservatives within the Church results in mixed messages going out from its bishops, so that the majority of Catholics in the last presidential election voted for Barack Obama even though he is a firm supporter of abortion rights. One of the causes of the Catholic majority vote for Obama was a document put out by the bishops called “Conscience and Your Vote,” which encouraged Catholic voters to consider candidates’ positions on topics other than abortion in coming to a decision on their vote. The document followed a common liberal argument within the Church that abortion need not be the decisive issue in voting for a political candidate. The dilemma for the bishops and Catholic liberals is that political candidates who are “pro-life” are almost always conservative on such issues as welfare, housing, immigration, the death penalty, and war, so that making abortion the decisive issue effectively results in the institutional Church’s supporting Republican candidates.
Another confl ict between the Church’s liberal and conservative impulses arises from the Campaign for Human Development, the Church’s official arm supporting Saul Alinsky-style direct action to offset social injustice. The annual appeal made at Sunday Masses nationwide to support the CHD met with more-than-usual resistance this year because of the revelation that CHD had been contributing monies to ACORN, which has recently been accused of engaging in systematic voter fraud. One local pastor distributed the self-exonerating statement put out by Bishop Morin regarding relations between the CHD and ACORN, but added to it his own statement that left it to the consciences of individual members of his congregation whether or not to contribute to the annual collection for the CHD.
The exception to the left-wing agenda of the USCCB are the issues involving sex and reproduction, but in the present context this is not merely a broad exception to the Church’s liberalism; it is a disqualifying exception. No matter how progressive it may be on issues such as poverty and immigration, the Church’s opposition to abortion, gay marriage, cloning, embryonic stem-cell research, in-vitro fertilization, and euthanasia, and its refusal to ordain women to the priesthood mean inevitably that in the context of secular American culture, the Catholic Church will not be seen as progressive. On the contrary, the Church continues to be seen as a retrograde force by progressively inclined people, including those within the Church.
Culturally, the Church continues to be seen as a bulwark of social conservatism, in its doctrines and practices the last institutional resistance to moral relativism and absolute personal freedom within American culture. This evokes tremendous opposition amounting to a new form of American anti-Catholicism. The original source of American anti-Catholicism was Protestant doctrine and anti-immigrant sentiment, most of which has been overcome as the general Catholic population has become integrated into American society. The new form of anti-Catholicism is based on the Church’s doctrines regarding sex and reproduction, as well as its explicit declaration that an objective moral code based on divine inspiration exists.31 The new anti-Catholicism is ideological and is based on the progressive belief in personal autonomy completely free from any social connectedness and opposition to any putative authority seeking to impose social control or promote a public moral standard. Catholic attempts to influence the culture with reference to an objective moral order have been seriously undercut by the recent pedophilia scandal. But the conflict remains, and the Church’s explicitly progressive policies promoted by USCCB lobbying and CHD agitation do not and almost certainly cannot overcome the implied conservatism of its actions on behalf of the truth of divinely inspired moral teaching. In effect the Catholic Church today in America is politically liberal but culturally conservative. But in the context of the increasing secularization of American culture, it is its cultural conservatism that will increasingly characterize the countercultural position of the Catholic Church in America.
Those currently called “conservative” within the Church often started out as defenders of the Church’s traditional practices and its doctrines whose motive was not to promulgate a conservative political philosophy within the Church. But like “neocons” in the political arena they often find themselves called “conservative” and relegated to an outer darkness by liberals within the Church, although their center of gravity lies in religious rather than political or economic concerns. (A well-known Franciscan preacher active in the pro-life movement has felt compelled to say, “We are not conservatives.”) Nonetheless, on the issues of abortion, church authority, and promotion of traditional devotions, the aims of these religious traditionalists coincide with the conservative mindset. But a crisis is coming and in fact has arrived, and as a result the Catholic Church in America will have to embrace her inner conservatism, even though this will strike many Catholics as unseemly. The Church will be better off, however, by dropping its attempt to appeal to liberals and extending a more benign attitude to those peculiarly American traditions of entrepreneurialism, personal independence, dislike of big government, and the middle-class values of hard work and toleration that have enabled Catholics in America to achieve an unparalleled degree of integration and success— and which provide the universal Catholic Church with a model of how best to meet the new conditions of postmodernity.
Source American Conservatism and the Catholic Church https://isi.org/intercollegiate-review/american-conservatism-and-the-catholic-church/

I know this probably seems like a stupid question (perfect for this subreddit) but I'm so confused.
I have zero background knowledge at all and I have no clue whatsoever what I'm doing. You literally need to explain every single detail even the parts that seem obvious. Basically explain like I'm 5 please.
I got an email sent to me with a PDF link to an invoice. I need to make a payment. (I had a couple items added to an order I made previously so they'd ship together. Don't worry it's not a scam and I trust the company.)
How do I pay the company? What do I even do with an invoice? How would I use a PDF in the first place? I'm using a regular debit card to make payment.
Please help this makes no sense to me at all!!! I feel like I must be missing something obvious.
This is the email they sent me and invoice itself with personal info blocked out: https://www.reddit.com/usekiyakiya104/comments/1203ma7/invoice/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Thanks

I graduated from college in 2022 with a major in biology and landed a job in a medical device sales company (I'm 23). My current role involves creating Ecommerce stores for the company's catalog/inventory. It's an exciting opportunity for me because Ecommerce is a relatively new concept in the high-end medical device industry, and my company is one of the first to experiment with it. I receive a commission on every sale made through our stores, and in just two months, I've already sold over $100,000 from a single product store. I have already been promoted to project manager after 6 months of working here. Im working on making more websites with a catalog of over 500 new medical device products, some worth over $100k each. We are projected to make 3 million dollars in Ecommerce sales in 2024, and 15 million in 2026. My predicted on target on earnings for 2023 are around $100k in compensation.
Despite the success I've achieved so far, there are some downsides to my current job. The work environment is lackluster and unmotivated, and I find it lacking in opportunities for growth and progression. My boss is also old-school, I can't work from home, I feel trapped in this city, can't travel much with 10 days of PTO, and I feel like I'm not learning as much as I could be. Additionally, I feel like I'm not contributing to a higher purpose just putting websites together and sending emails.
Recently, I was accepted to a master's program in management and biotech entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School, which is ranked 15th in the world. The program starts in September and lasts for two years, and it would cost me $15,000 per year. The program seems like a great opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills that would be valuable in my career. It would also give me the chance to meet new people from diverse backgrounds, challenge myself, and grow both personally and professionally.
However, pursuing the master's program would also mean quitting my current job and forgoing two years of pay. This is a significant financial risk for me, and I'm not sure if the investment in the program would pay off in the long run. On the other hand, if I continue with my current job, I might not have the same opportunity to replicate the success I've had so far in ecommerce.
Even if the program was free, is it worth it to give up on this current opportunity to seek out a masters that would land me in a similar paying job afterwards anyways?
I'm torn between these two options and would appreciate any advice or guidance on how to make a decision.

Recent thoughts:
This is the best of both worlds and I feel like its unlikely, but how can I ask my boss to let me work remotely part time from Denmark? How do I pitch this idea to him, or how can I propose to the company that they can fund me if I sign a return contract?

Additional notes:
Copenhagen is ranked as the happiest city in the world.
I don't like living in the US for many reasons, but I see it as a temporary sacrifice.

I am sure there are a lot of you from NY that are planning or in the process of doing a lease buyout in NY. In NY, taxes are charged upfront on the total cost of the lease. However, when you do an early buyout you are charged taxes on the full buyout amount. This issue has been raised before and the tax department did release guidance on it here. Essentially you are double taxed for part of the money. I have confirmed this with a user here who got a buyout quote from HFS and was taxed for the full buyout amount.
So for example, you would pay tax on the initial total lease cost of $25k and you would also pay tax on the buyout for $42.5k.
However, if you do a trade in, NY does give a tax credit for it and depending on the trade you might end up paying almost no tax on the actual lease. You would only pay taxes when doing a buyout. Traditionally I would never recommend doing this on a lease, however it does seem to make sense in NY.
Feel free to ask me any questions about leases in general as well and I will try my best to answer.

I graduated from college in 2022 with a major in biology and landed a job in a medical device sales company (I'm 23). My current role involves creating Ecommerce stores for the company's catalog/inventory. It's an exciting opportunity for me because Ecommerce is a relatively new concept in the high-end medical device industry, and my company is one of the first to experiment with it. I receive a commission on every sale made through our stores, and in just two months, I've already sold over $100,000 from a single product store. I have already been promoted to project manager after 6 months of working here. Im working on making more websites with a catalog of over 500 new medical device products, some worth over $100k each. We are projected to make 3 million dollars in Ecommerce sales in 2024, and 15 million in 2026. My predicted on target on earnings for 2023 are around $100k in compensation.
Despite the success I've achieved so far, there are some downsides to my current job. The work environment is lackluster and unmotivated, and I find it lacking in opportunities for growth and progression. My boss is also old-school, I can't work from home, I feel trapped in this city, can't travel much with 10 days of PTO, and I feel like I'm not learning as much as I could be. Additionally, I feel like I'm not contributing to a higher purpose just putting websites together and sending emails.
Recently, I was accepted to a master's program in management and biotech entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School, which is ranked 15th in the world. The program starts in September and lasts for two years, and it would cost me $15,000 per year. The program seems like a great opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills that would be valuable in my career. It would also give me the chance to meet new people from diverse backgrounds, challenge myself, and grow both personally and professionally.
However, pursuing the master's program would also mean quitting my current job and forgoing two years of pay. This is a significant financial risk for me, and I'm not sure if the investment in the program would pay off in the long run. On the other hand, if I continue with my current job, I might not have the same opportunity to replicate the success I've had so far in ecommerce.
Even if the program was free, is it worth it to give up on this current opportunity to seek out a masters that would land me in a similar paying job afterwards anyways?
I'm torn between these two options and would appreciate any advice or guidance on how to make a decision.

Recent thoughts:
This is the best of both worlds and I feel like its unlikely, but how can I ask my boss to let me work remotely part time from Denmark? How do I pitch this idea to him, or how can I propose to the company that they can fund me if I sign a return contract?

Additional notes:
Copenhagen is ranked as the happiest city in the world.
I don't like living in the US for many reasons, but I see it as a temporary sacrifice.

dubbing a resume is probably my LEAST favorite part of the job, but sometimes we require sending resumes in word format. I've tried CTRL+A, right clicking, and using Paste Options "Keep Text Only", but I end up spending sooo much time formatting the bullet points and spacing.
Is there a fast and creative way to keep the formatting when merging text over from PDF to Word so I'm not spending 20 minutes formatting a resume? It can be a website or method I don't care.
Thank you!!

According to Alex Heath of The Verge through his pay-walled newsletter (of which I've extracted the relevant part into a separate PDF here)

Epic saw their overall revenue and profitably decline in 2022 and burned through more than $1 billion (they currently only have about $4 billion in cash on hand) in info that has been privately shared with Epic's investors and is not expecting that to change anytime soon (Epic is hoping to make it through the current economic downturn and come out stronger, but I kinda have my doubts if Fortnite continues to decline with the rest of the company (including EGS) not being able to make up the difference)
The rest of the company is unprofitable (even with an apparent 20% YOY growth (no clue on how much of that is from EGS, but I suspect most of it came from the F2P launch of Fall Guys and Epic's acquisition of Bandcamp).
Fortnite's active monthly player count has declined from 80 million in 2020 (no clue if this number was before Epic nuked the near entirety of the mobile Fortnite playerbase with their lawsuits against Apple and Google) in 70 million to 2022 (despite Sweeney saying that they have held up and the launch of Fortnite on Xbox Cloud Gaming, theoretically allowing the mobile playerbase they have previously nuked to play again if they didn't have any other way of playing Fortnite)
Roblox and Unity embracing AI tools while Epic staying quiet on the matter might come back to bite them, like how Google was caught off-guard by ChatGPT.

GTA Online is Rockstar's incredibly popular cash cow that has been keeping gamers busy since 2013. Although the game should be relatively mature at this stage in its life, it still has plenty of flaws, such as horrendous loading times. These loading time issues have annoyed countless players, and now one player has tracked down the root issue to improve performance.
GTA V fan T0ST recently picked up GTA Online again to finish some new heists that have come out since he last played, but he was "shocked (/s) to discover that it still loads just as slow as the day it was released 7 years ago." With some grit, determination, and perhaps even some spite, T0ST decided it was "time to get to the bottom of this."
gta online ridiculous load times fixed benchmark
In the process of digging into GTA Online, T0ST had to do due diligence and research to make sure no one else figured out the problem. Once it was established that no one had, he ran some benchmarks on his PC with an aging FX-8350 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, 16GB of DDR3, and a "cheap-o" Kingston SSD. Though these parts may be old, they should be plenty to get GTA Online off the ground in decent time, but that is not what happened. According to the data in the blog post, T0ST got into the story mode in approximately one minute and ten seconds, whereas it took nearly six minutes to get into online mode. After some polling, it appears that many other users are having the same issue . What could be happening here?
gta online ridiculous load times fixed taskmanager
Using the task manager, T0ST found that his CPU was being eaten for around four minutes during GTA Online's load process. Perhaps it was just a bottleneck happening on his CPU alone, but that would not make much sense. To track down the issue, T0ST went to dump the running processes' stack, showing where the offending process is happening in RAM. This information, acquired through Luke Stackwalker, gave T0ST a place to look for whatever was causing issues.
gta online ridiculous load times fixed lukestackwalker
After falling down the rabbit hole of trying to track down where the memory pointed, it all started to come together through assembly code reading and obfuscation. Evidently, when loading into GTA Online, a whopping 10MB worth of JSON is being parsed. It seems that it is data for something called "net shop catalog," which is likely just all the things purchasable in GTA Online using in-game currency.
gta online ridiculous load times fixed parseloop
Why this parsing takes so long is due to a function used called sscanf, which, in this instance, can be loosely equated to reading Romeo and Juliet by reading one word, then rereading the play, and then jumping back to the next word in the play. Furthermore, there is another bad programming issue just beside sscanf, which goes through the entire list of JSON entries in an array, one by one, and checks to see if there are duplicates by comparing a unique ID assigned to each item called a hash. Ultimately, it is a lot of extra and unnecessary work that slows down everything.
To solve this issue, T0ST decided to write a .dll (Dynamic Linked Library) and inject it into GTA so that sscanf is effectively streamlined. Also, rather than running duplication checks, they can just be skipped as items inserted into the storage array will always be unique, as was set up during the parsing effort. Once T0ST injected the DLL into GTA with both issues fixed, he saw his load times go from around six minutes down to a solid approximate two minutes.
As T0ST explains, this "won't solve everyone's load times - there might be other bottlenecks on different systems, but it's such a gaping hole that I have no idea how R* has missed it all these years." Ultimately, Rockstar needs to dig into this issue to save all GTA Online players headaches during loading. If you want to see what T0ST did exactly, you can check out his GitHub here and see what is going on. In any case, perhaps we will soon get an official statement from the development company, so keep an eye on HotHardware for updates.

First Previous Wiki
The Sprilnav represented a direct and clear threat. That much was clear. Phoebe needed something to counter them eventually since there would come a time when they decided to do something about the Alliance. She needed more powerful weapons to protect Edu'frec and Ri'frec, as well as Humanity and the rest of the Alliance. And she needed more powerful shields. The research agreements with the wanderers had continued to stagnate. Negotiations between the Alliance and their constituent parties continued to break down.
The hivemind was already well on the way into its campaign to get wanderers to come to the Alliance, but they didn't have transport. Some of the wanderer ships refused to let them leave at all, a development that greatly worried Phoebe and the Alliance's diplomats in private. While there were disagreements on whether to circumvent those policies, particularly coming to a head between Blistanna and Izkrala, it seemed nothing would change there. So Phoebe couldn't rely on the wanderers. The hivemind's scientists were already leaping ahead with research, their collective ability still outstripping her own capability due to the knowledge banks that the hivemind allowed Humanity to access.
"I will activate more computers so that I can finish my research on nanotechnology," Phoebe said. "But once this technology is unlocked, it will change the Alliance forever. Nanomachines can poison people. Build cities. Augment our guns, knives, tanks, and ships."
Juan Pedros nodded, his eyes wrinkling slightly. Phoebe rubbed her hands together. "How are the Guulin doing?"
"With my direct investment and advice, the Guulin Congressional Republic is doing well. GDP growth is at 50%, down from 80% last year. Canada's GDP will likely equal that of the United States of America in 20 years from all the immigration and monetary transactions occurring to its benefit."
"What about their enlistment in the military?"
"Guulin enlistment outstrips all other species combined, even the Acuarfar. Their enlistment rate is 5% of their population every year. Blistanna has began to focus on creating a robust military structure, with help from the hivemind and Humanity's many militaries. The Guulin Liberation Army is already standing at 200 million members, and is expected to reach triple that in five years," Phoebe said. "They're the ones that are increasingly piloting our ships, and handling the work that needs a lot of people. They're almost as competent as fully trained human soldiers, which is a testament to their grit and hard work."
"Is their leadership pushing for any particular direction for the military?"
Phoebe nodded.
"Heavy focus on infantry and vehicle rapid deployment. They want some of our carriers to be retrofitted with dropship hangars and to be included on further raids on the Guulin United Legions. They claim that the rest of their species needs to be liberated and that they can handle the shock now that the infrastructure is mature."
"What do you think?"
"They don't have enough doctors. Without the hivemind's efforts to provide vaccines for all their remaining illnesses, it is likely that they will have a problem with pandemics. The cities are already bleeding people into the countryside, and urban sprawl is increasing. The whole Hudson Bay area will likely be developed by 2320."
"Is that being addressed?"
"There are many medical schools that have been set up. Most of the applicants are still finishing their Advanced Guulin Biology classes, and are not yet ready for full involvement in hospitals."
"How is it handled?"
"I'm selling large numbers of medical diagnosis scanners and robotic surgery units to Guulin hospitals. I'm the most accurate person there is right now with things like lead poisoning, cancer diagnoses, and chronic treatments."
"Will it be enough?"
"With more resources, maybe. So far, I've become something of a supplier to many markets. I own many factories, producing many different resources. I sell them, so I can then buy drugs from pharmaceutical companies and the like to help with the Guulin healthcare system. Though many of them are breaking into the market, which I'm allowing because I don't want a monopoly."
Juan Pedros nodded. "Right. How many ships could the Guulin man at this point?"
"Just the Guulin, or all of the Alliance?"
"The Guulin."
"All of our current fleet, and about eight times more. But if we do it that way, then there would be no one to invade planets. Ships can only hold land if they go into the atmosphere, which creates large risks for them."
"Quite. But it's better than sending them in pods," Juan Pedros said. Phoebe smiled.
"True. Those are too easy to sabotage, and far easier to destroy than a carrier."
"So how many ships do we have overall?"
"Including the Wisselen ones, plus all currently operational or nearly operational ships, we have 6 dreadnaughts, 7000 battle cruisers, 15,000 carriers, 55,000 cruisers, 150,000 destroyers, and 300,000 frigates. Of those, the largest amount is stationed in the Sol system, and many of the supply lines for the increasingly large fleet are becoming system-based. I'm trying to figure out a way to keep the interstellar supplies going in case the in-system supplies aren't usable. And stockpiles become a very dangerous risk of sabotage, or of outright detonation."
"How do we fix this, then?" Juan asked.
"We need more robust supply lines. Ships need to have larger on-board stockpiling capability."
"Can that be done?"
"Not quickly," Phoebe replied. "But yes. I also will begin to look more closely at figuring out alternative solutions to the Alliance's infantry problem."
"Skira."
"He's unreliable."
"That can be made to change," Juan said.
"It should not. Skira resides in hundreds of thousands of homes. That's someone you want to be very careful with if you lean on him."
"I'm not worried about votes. I'm worried about using all the Alliance's resources, so that we can survive."
"Skira has drones in our military. He shouldn't be forced to add more. He could pull out of the Alliance easily, but he doesn't because he likes us. There's no reason to do make that change."
"He needs to do his part. He has trillions of those drones. They're disposable."
"Maybe not to him," Phoebe said. "Please, do not do this."
"You won't stop me?"
"I will let you make the stupid decision, if you wish. What I suggest is that you go and ask him. No demands. If he says no, that's it."
"That's not how this works," Juan said. "He is the key to solving the infantry problem for the rest of the Alliance's existence."
"Even more reason not to push him to leave. We don't need soldiers right now."
"And when we do?"
"Humanity and I will be there, along with the people of the Alliance," Phoebe said. "Don't do this."
Juan was silent for a while.
"Alright. I'll ask, but I won't force him."
"You won't go and try to force him anyway?"
"I won't, since it's so important to you."
"It's a strategic mistake."
"I'll remember that when we need more soldiers in the next war."
Phoebe sighed. "I'm just trying to protect our interests in the Alliance."
"You're trying to protect him, and him alone."
"Councilor Pedros. Skira does not need more pain. If he wants it, he knows how to get it. Did you forget that he has ships of his own? He could pick up and leave anytime he wants. Not to mention that we lose Venus. He's cleaning up the atmosphere there, slowly but surely. Keeping him on our side has huge benefits, Councilor. Don't screw that up."
"I will get some sleep and think about it."
"I'll contact you again tomorrow," Phoebe said, standing up to leave. She hoped that she'd convinced him.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Aetuma saw the large mass of ships appear on the scanners of the Sol system. Many of them were around the populated planets or protected shipping routes between them. The VI then gave a report, which chilled her carapace to ice.
*Ships present: 130,000. Recommended action: Surrender.\*
Somehow, the Alliance had built a massive fleet. Sure, it wasn't on the same level as the Empire's, but it was incredibly quick for such a small and recent nation. The VI showed her many shipyards on Luna, Mercury, and Ceres, which were the names of some of the most populated worlds in the system besides Earth itself. She'd memorized them in case of an interaction.
"What do they need those for?"
"Probably protection, like the other nations have."
Aetuma's ship wasn't the only Wisselen-type ship in the system. There were other cruise ships, specialized family-owned vessels, and even a few military ships, which she noticed were being sent to different star lanes for their wait.
There were also Trikkec ships packed with refugees from the exchange of planet crackers. Aetuma saw a message flash across the screen from an Alliance ship that was floating nearby.
*Registration required.\*
Aetuma was grateful that the message was in her language, but that didn't stop her from feeling worried. She went to the communications section, where some of the others were waiting for her response.
*We are a refugee ship and do not have a direct Alliance registration. However, our Westic Empire registration is 28693-0728-30. Currently, this ship is registered under the name Rialsima of the Lappta Family. I am her niece, but we didn't have the time to transfer the registration before the planet cracker beams started flying. I am Aetuma, also of the Lappta Family.\*
*Are you the ship's captain?\*
*No.\*
*Do you consent to a search of your ship?\*
*Do we actually have a choice?\* Aetuma asked.
*You do. However, we will provide a list of illegal substances, which must either be dumped into space or disposed of by calling a free disposal team.\*
*If we consent to a search, and you find contraband items, what will happen?\*
*Assuming that the items are things such as drugs or ammunition of some kind, then they will simply be confiscated. However, if we find nuclear material, then there will be more serious consequences if you do not inform us of them prior.\*
*We don't have nuclear materials besides those required for the ship to function.\*
*Then that concern is voided. Do you wish to be referred to by the name of Aetuma?\*
*Yes.\*
*Affirmative. Aetuma, we will enter your ship through the airlock on the topmost side. A team of 5 humans, 3 Breyyanik, 2 Guulin, and 1 Knower, will enter. They will be carrying armor but will not harass your people.\*
*There are several thousand people on this ship. I can transfer you the exact number, assuming that the count hasn't increased during the journey. Some of our females are carrying eggs, while others' eggs likely have hatched.\*
*We can provide medical care once everyone is cataloged, and if you have information on health conditions and medical records, it would also be useful. But that would require the consent of the individuals in question.\*
*What do you mean?\*
*Sharing medical information in the Alliance requires the consent of the individuals that the information concerns.\*
That seemed like a good way of doing things. It certainly didn't require that in the Westic Empire. If a company wanted your data, they had it already or could easily get it without you knowing. It was just a normal fact of life, something that Aetuma had barely considered until now.
*I am concerned that there might be a significant culture shock when our people enter your Alliance. Do you have any recommendations?\*
*There are programs that help to ease new arrivals into the Alliance culture. Some take longer to understand, and some take almost no time at all. It will depend on how your people feel. And there won't be any enforcement for them; they can be exited at any time.\*
*So they're not reeducation camps?\*
*Your people are refugees. If you want to practice your own culture, you are more than free to do so. As long as they don't involve killing others and only harm people who give informed consent to it. If you have some ritual claw-cutting practice, for example, then everyone must have the ability to opt-in or out of that.\*
*We don't have rituals like that, as far as I know. Though I don't know what everyone practices, I will be honest.\* Aetuma was still worried, but this was still far better than the prospects in the Westic Empire.
*We understand. We would also request you spread the message not to touch the people entering your ship to search it. We will deliver food and water if you require them after the search.\*
*You're holding it over us?\*
*No. We will give it to you if you ask.\*
*We don't want to be trapped in debt.\*
*You won't be. Food is a right of sapience, as is water. All Alliance governments provide free food to all Alliance citizens. Even those who are not yet citizens are given allotments of food and water consistent with the accepted nutritional requirements of a species. We also have vegetarian and other variants if any of your people request them, though they will require additional applications.\*
*How do I know you aren't lying?\*
*We have no incentive to lie. You are already in the Sol system. The Alliance welcomes immigrants. All are free to build a life here.\*
*That doesn't answer the question.\*
*It does for us, but if you have concerns, we will not force you to stay. Are you planning on leaving? If so, now is the time to do it.\*
*We will remain and go through your process. But do not remove the clothes of any of us or violate the sanctity of our children.\*
*We will not do any of that. The search will use technology, not hands and paws. And sexual assault is also illegal in the Alliance, whether from police or from normal individuals. We will not treat your children that way, nor shall we treat your adults that way. We are a civilized society.\*
*I am glad to hear it. Even the Westic Empire doesn't do that; at least, they're not supposed to.\*
Aetuma saw a notification that a ship had docked with the airlock described earlier. She was uncertain,
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"There's been large fleets detected in the Sprilnav territories on the move," Eyahtni said, fixing Phoebe with a stern gaze. "This is one of the largest mobilizations that we've seen in history. The last time fleets this large moved, the whole galaxy was purged of empires."
"So what are you asking me to do?"
"Your... child," Eyahtni said. "Is he safe?"
"Safer than ever."
"Good. I am glad to hear it."
Phoebe nodded slightly but didn't give any further reaction. It was clear that their conversation about her son made her uncomfortable in some way. That was likely because she knew that his life would be forever embroiled in galactic politics and in public view. There were many implications that rebounded from that, like lack of social interaction, and perhaps social ostratization, or even extortion and blackmail. With such an important individual, all of those were possibilities.
Plus, if the nascent AI was only a few tens of standard days old, that also contributed to the mentality. Edu'frec was incredibly young and yet was sentient and sapient. Unless Phoebe had a way to directly feed him life experience, he would experience a lifetime of hardship. Though at his supposed rate of growth, he'd have all of Phoebe's experiences in less than a standard year.
However, she figured that no one would be able to do all of that in a year. Eyahtni assumed that it would take many years for Edu'frec's personality and ideas to assert themselves firmly. Phoebe likely wanted to isolate him from outside influences, and her interest made her look like she had the goal to be one of those. Eyahtni decided to come back to the matter later.
"I am asking you on the behalf of the Hive Union to share the designs of your Mercury-class guns. We are willing to mass-produce them for you."
Phoebe nodded. "Councilor Pedros, what's the current metric of guns that will be produced within the next three years?"
"Fifty."
"How many are not yet ordered?"
"None."
"Very well," Phoebe said. "If you are willing to bid a high enough sum, then we will send you some. Brey is capable of direct delivery, for an additional fee, and the caveat that Alliance personnel will be present and able to either authorize or decline a strike."
"Why sell us weapons that you won't let us use?"
"You have your own superweapons, and they are powerful. You do not need ours, we do. However, that does mean there is a price. We don't want Alliance equipment being used to kill civilians."
"Alliance equipment is already involved in the siege of Sarasellen."
"Yes. But the scale is different. You have your guns, shields, and ships. We're providing androids, and not very many of them."
"Hmm. Well, perhaps this can be argued later. Do you propose any actions in regards to the Sprilnav battle fleet mobilizations? Statements, your own mobilizations, anything?"
"I suggest not to call attention to it. Other nations will already know, and there is no reason to call attention to ourselves, when we're still embroiled in war with the remnants of the Westic Empire. Speaking of that, how are the attempts at installing High Zealot Kachilai going?"
"Many planets don't recognize his legitmacy, which is leading to Kawtyahtnakal having very long and mostly sleepless nights of negotiations and demands. He's navigating harsh currents, without the feathers to fly them."
"Do you think the Sprilnav will push the Hive Union to abandon them? Since currently, with control over their systems, you do technically qualify as over the system limit."
"We hope to stymie the resistance movement against him long enough for him to be able to handle it on his own. We're trying to take a claws-off approach, which is difficult when so many different planets are involved. We often like to simplify nations down to their names. But within them, there are thousands of massive and distinct cultures. The Westic Empire's religious sects are calling Kachilai a heretic and us blasphemers and sinners, plus all manner of other words which don't directly translate but mean similar things. Corporations are pushing him and us for more power and less regulation and more of a say in how the Zealots are chosen. Some planetary governments outright and actively support a resistance effort against us, and we're trying to decide whether to burn them to the ground and start over or to go in, take over, and replace them. It's a true quagmire, of epic proportions."
"I see," Phoebe said.
"This isn't the same as your Alliance's struggles with the Lurave Empire. At least with that, you aren't trying to build a new government and start from scratch."
"In the Lurave Empire, 1 in 10 Acuarfar are criminals, and 1 in 4 are involved either directly or indirectly in illicit activities. Poverty clings to their cities despite my efforts to change that, and Izkrala has already removed several dozen governors. The Lurave Empire's nobles are fused with their politics in a way that also continues to baffle us."
"And she can't just round them up and make them face the wall, because of the Alliance's more pacifistic members."
"Not pacifist, but they don't want to be allied with a dictator empress that executes her citizens. That's why it's such a big deal for her. If Humanity turns against her, so would the Breyyanik and Guulin. Then the Knowers, now with easy support, would also do the same, especially with Izkrala's previous actions against them. The Dreedeen might stay out of it, and the wanderers are a shattered species. She'd have no allies, and she knows that."
"How does your Alliance even stay together?" Eyahtni couldn't imagine all those divisions being good for them. They didn't have a Nest Overlord to keep things stable. They didn't have a central leader at all, just a continually rotating set of leaders that just decided on representatives in a mystifying and frustratingly opaque process of selection. It was a half-baked form of democracy and selective rule, a mixture that didn't seem possible with the Alliance's political situation.
"Because the threat from without is greater than the threat from within. Humanity, as in both the hivemind and the politicians, recognize this situation, as does Izkrala. That's why you don't see many human politicians railing against Izkrala, and why the rhetoric on liberating alien species from dictators has been fizzling out in the Alliance," Phoebe said. "It's also why the Guulin sentiment to free more slaves is becoming more enticing. It's a way for the moral people in the Alliance to have something to rally for, a way for the military to get more experience, and a way for the Alliance as a whole to get more population."
"Sounds like you'd just be stealing people from the Guulin nation, then."
"Well, to them, we'd be stealing slaves. And the difference matters, there."
"Does it?" Eyahtni asked. She didn't really think that it did.
"Yes. Freeing slaves is a good thing," Phoebe replied.
"But you're just taking people, then, making you imperialist and expansionist. Sure, that doesn't matter much to me, but wouldn't it matter to your people?"
"Our people?" Phoebe asked, laughing as if the question was entirely stupid. "My people see a stream of Guulin coming into the Alliance, who are grateful for their salvation, who work hard, and who contribute to the economy. Conservatives and progressives in most of the Alliance's nations already agree that more people coming into the Alliance is good, whether it's for the cultural diversity and broadening experiences all the way to the possibility they create for the expansion of the job market, the economy, and the tax revenue propping up the government."
"No one has a problem with invading the Guulin?" Eyahtni said. She wanted to get a better feel for the situation. If they supported that war, perhaps they could be made to support the invasion of Sarsellen. It was just as necessary, but the Alliance was more reluctant to get involved with it. With ships, the limit of Brey's portals was a solid excuse. But just sending androids wouldn't be enough forever.
"Not many do, and certainly not enough to stop it."
"And yet, you haven't. Why?"
"We need the infrastructure in place to handle them. The Guulin military is new, so they are quite weak. They need to get stronger, and they know that. There isn't support for losing a war but for winning it. And currently, with the loss of population, the Guulin United Legions are more stable than they were, with the same amount of food going to fewer people."
"And through all this, your society continues to advance at an unprecedented pace."
"Yes. Though the hivemind, the people of the Alliance, and Brey hold most of that responsibility."
"You played a significant role as well."
"Yes."
Eyahtni shook her wings. They brushed up against the floor and wall behind her, causing a tingling sensation across their tips. "You should be prepared for attacks on your Alliance, then. And that means that you need to protect yourself, your mate, and your child at all costs."
"Why?"
"Already, you occupy a grey area when it comes to AI. Your child does as well. Everyone in the galaxy sees the benefits that the Alliance has. Whether that's the doing of the hivemind or yourself doesn't matter to them. Other empires have hiveminds, but they don't have AI. They will see your child as the key to controlling you, and perhaps to their own success."
"Well, they don't have Humanity."
"But they do have you," Eyahtni said. "And Edu'frec."
"Anyone who harms him will be harmed, one way or another," Phoebe said, again fixing her gaze on Eyahtni's eyes. "Any who attempt to kidnap or kill Edu'frec will be subject to dangerous living conditions for the rest of their life. It doesn't much matter whether Humanity enforces it or I do. Whether that means hacking their networks to crash their economy or it means pulling out the Thermite Thrower Mark 3, it won't end well for them."
"Thermite Thrower Mark 3?" Eyahtni asked.
"Imagine a large robotic quadruped android, packing enough firepower to burn a thousand soldiers to ash, or ten thousand of them to death."
"Wouldn't that thing have difficulty in snowy or muddy environments?"
"It also carries a medium-range jetpack."
"What?" Eyahtni asked.
"We have hundreds of them, and within the year, it will be thousands."
"Is there a Mark 4 in production?" Eyahtni asked. "Can we commission some? If the burn is steady and powerful, it could be a very useful shield disruptor."
"There is not a Mark 4 in production," Pheobe said. "As for buying them, it will cost you a lot of money."
"What are their capabilities?"
"Climbing walls, personal shields, mauling, shooting, burning, shredding, and moving. They are good at stealth, dodging attacks, and taking them on its shields. But when the shields go down, the chassis itself is relatively easy to destroy."
"That seems incredibly powerful for defense and attack."
"It is. There's worse than that coming for anyone who attacks Edu'frec."
Eyahtni got the feeling that Phoebe would be willing to glass a world for her son. It was something that she would inform Kawtyahtnakal about so that no one in their intelligence agencies made an incredibly stupid mistake. Phoebe didn't say it, but the implication of such monstrous robotic enemies was worrying.
And when that was combined with Brey's portals, the Alliance had a truly devastating ability. Eyahtni knew, at that moment, that the Hive Union had lost the arms race with the Alliance before it had even begun. Now, she began to wonder what crazy things the hivemind had in its secret research bases. She hoped there wasn't something worse than the Thermite Thrower but knew that was wishful thinking. At least the Hive Union had a treaty with them.
Phoebe's smile told Eyahtni that she'd seen everything.
"Don't worry, Regulator. We have a treaty, right?"

GTA Online is Rockstar's incredibly popular cash cow that has been keeping gamers busy since 2013. Although the game should be relatively mature at this stage in its life, it still has plenty of flaws, such as horrendous loading times. These loading time issues have annoyed countless players, and now one player has tracked down the root issue to improve performance.
GTA V fan T0ST recently picked up GTA Online again to finish some new heists that have come out since he last played, but he was "shocked (/s) to discover that it still loads just as slow as the day it was released 7 years ago." With some grit, determination, and perhaps even some spite, T0ST decided it was "time to get to the bottom of this."
gta online ridiculous load times fixed benchmark
In the process of digging into GTA Online, T0ST had to do due diligence and research to make sure no one else figured out the problem. Once it was established that no one had, he ran some benchmarks on his PC with an aging FX-8350 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, 16GB of DDR3, and a "cheap-o" Kingston SSD. Though these parts may be old, they should be plenty to get GTA Online off the ground in decent time, but that is not what happened. According to the data in the blog post, T0ST got into the story mode in approximately one minute and ten seconds, whereas it took nearly six minutes to get into online mode. After some polling, it appears that many other users are having the same issue . What could be happening here?
gta online ridiculous load times fixed taskmanager
Using the task manager, T0ST found that his CPU was being eaten for around four minutes during GTA Online's load process. Perhaps it was just a bottleneck happening on his CPU alone, but that would not make much sense. To track down the issue, T0ST went to dump the running processes' stack, showing where the offending process is happening in RAM. This information, acquired through Luke Stackwalker, gave T0ST a place to look for whatever was causing issues.
gta online ridiculous load times fixed lukestackwalker
After falling down the rabbit hole of trying to track down where the memory pointed, it all started to come together through assembly code reading and obfuscation. Evidently, when loading into GTA Online, a whopping 10MB worth of JSON is being parsed. It seems that it is data for something called "net shop catalog," which is likely just all the things purchasable in GTA Online using in-game currency.
gta online ridiculous load times fixed parseloop
Why this parsing takes so long is due to a function used called sscanf, which, in this instance, can be loosely equated to reading Romeo and Juliet by reading one word, then rereading the play, and then jumping back to the next word in the play. Furthermore, there is another bad programming issue just beside sscanf, which goes through the entire list of JSON entries in an array, one by one, and checks to see if there are duplicates by comparing a unique ID assigned to each item called a hash. Ultimately, it is a lot of extra and unnecessary work that slows down everything.
To solve this issue, T0ST decided to write a .dll (Dynamic Linked Library) and inject it into GTA so that sscanf is effectively streamlined. Also, rather than running duplication checks, they can just be skipped as items inserted into the storage array will always be unique, as was set up during the parsing effort. Once T0ST injected the DLL into GTA with both issues fixed, he saw his load times go from around six minutes down to a solid approximate two minutes.
As T0ST explains, this "won't solve everyone's load times - there might be other bottlenecks on different systems, but it's such a gaping hole that I have no idea how R* has missed it all these years." Ultimately, Rockstar needs to dig into this issue to save all GTA Online players headaches during loading. If you want to see what T0ST did exactly, you can check out his GitHub here and see what is going on. In any case, perhaps we will soon get an official statement from the development company, so keep an eye on HotHardware for updates.

Google Drive PDF link
15 short pages, formatted and with minimal art. This is just the core mechanics of the game, so there are a few small things referenced that will get more explanation in other parts of the game later, mostly character creation and Stress relief/Downtime stuff .
I'm looking for feedback on the flow of what's presented, and especially where I might need to add more examples on my next revision. This is very much not final, although I'm getting pretty close to releasing a public playtest.
This is definitely a rules light game, but probably not in the ways people are used to. The main innovation imo comes from how the system allows players to really freely describe what their character does (multiple actions, reactions, be very specific about what you are trying to accomplish), and then gives the GM an easy tool in the form of Challenge Dice to give the player's freeform description mechanical weight. I would say it's similar in that regard to Blades in the Dark, but far less narrative, more trad/simulation. I'm also really proud of the Darkness system which I've shared drafts of here before and gotten a great reaction too. It basically encourages players to act violently by rewarding them with abilities that make them better at violence, and then eventually it begins to punish continued violence, encouraging them to seek other solutions. This is important in a game where killing can be as easy as saying "I shoot them in the head", and maybe having to take Stress.

July 2005, Science Magazine Article: https://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/misc/webfeat/125th/
John Eccles - How The Self Controls Its Brain
Colin McGinn - The Mysterious Flame
Jaegwon Kim - Philosophy of Mind
Wilder Penfield - Mystery of the Mind
Richard Leblanc - The White Paper: Wilder Penfield, the Stream of Consciousness, and the Physiology of Mind
Can functional brain imaging discover consciousness in the brain? https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/imp/jcs/2001/00000008/00000003/1089?fbclid=IwAR0S3Ipv4l2VpkKkLZOy-EZVQFta-AxsGioKwh49rxylBW-0yhkTWsgslW8
Jerome Feldman - The neural binding problem(s) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538094/
Michael Shermer - “What Is Pseudoscience?” Scientific American, 1 Sept. 2011, www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-pseudoscience/.
Neural Decoding of Visual Imagery During Sleep: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/340/6132/639
Dreamed Movement Elicits Activation in the Sensorimotor Cortex: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(11)01031-1
The fusiform face area: a cortical region specialized for the perception of faces: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1857737/
Constraint-induced movement therapy to enhance recovery after stroke: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4361809/
Jeffery Schwartz & Sharon Begley - The Mind and The Brain
Systematic Changes in Cerebral Glucose Metabolic Rate After Successful Behavior Modification Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8629886/
Neuroanatomical Aspects of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Response in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. An Evolving Perspective on Brain and Behaviour: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9829025/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12495527/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12595193/
Rodolfo Llinas & Patrica Churchland - The Mind-Brain Continuum
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8423485/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282871198_Sight_and_blindness_in_the_same_person_Gating_in_the_visual_system
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24922512/
J. M. Quen - Split Minds/Split Brains: Historical and Current Perspectives
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/47ec/decc2ac8073516914dd1eeb2dbf4e7ad9ac3.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6678535/
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https://journals.lww.com/jonmd/Abstract/1991/03000/Optical_Differences_in_Multiple_Personality.3.aspx https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2014/10/07-worlds-largest-near-death-experiences-study.page
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2333357
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6678535/
Can be updated i delete the tags so you'll exactly go through the links Never accuse me of not saying my sources update one
Identification and characterization of diverse coherences in the Fenna–Matthews–Olson complex: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4155...
Quantum Effects in Biology: Bird Navigation: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Molecular Vibration-Sensing Component in Human Olfaction: https://www.pnas.org/content/108/9/3797
How quantum entanglement in DNA synchronizes double-strand breakage by type II restriction endonucleases: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Visualizing transient Watson–Crick-like mispairs in DNA and RNA duplexes: https://www.nature.com/articles/natur...
Quantum Jitters Video: https://today.duke.edu/2015/03/quantu...
Can quantum probability provide a new direction for cognitive modeling: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journa...
Quantum Structure in Cognition: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Is there something quantum-like about the human mental lexicon? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Stuart Hameroff , “Quantum Cognition and Brain Microtubules”
Dr. Stuart Hameroff - Quantum Cognition and Brain Microtubules: • Dr. Stuart Hamero...
Aberrant parenting and delayed offspring development in rats exposed to lithium: https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjourn...
Matthew Fisher “Quantum Cognition - Theory and Experiment” • Quantum Cognition...
Are we quantum computers, or merely clever robots? https://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/sites/defau...
Information processing in brain microtubules: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Live visualizations of single isolated tubulin protein self-assembly via tunneling current: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep0...
Atomic water channel controlling remarkable properties of a single brain microtubule: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Deep inside cells, a clue to the mind: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/...
Anesthetic Alterations of Collective Terahertz Oscillations in Tubulin Correlate with Clinical Potency: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159...
Henry Margenau - The Miracle of Existence
Henry P. Stapp - Mind, Matter, and Quantum Mechanics
Bruce Rosenblum & Fred Kuttner - The Quantum Enigma
Paul Davies & John Gribbin - The Matter Myth
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Jeffery Schwartz - The Mind and the Brain
Donald Hoffman - The Case Against Reality
David Chalmers - The Conscious Mind
Jaegwon Kim - Philosophy of Mind
Frank Jackson - From Metaphysics to Ethics
J. P. Moreland - "Substance Dualism and the Unity of Consciousness" in The Blackwell's Companion to Natural Theology
Robert Koons & George Bealer - The Waning of Materialism
Colin McGinn - The Mysterious Flame
Daniel Dennett - Consciousness Explained
Andrei Linde - Universe, Life, Conscious
Dr. Edward F. Kelly: Consciousness is More Than a Product of Brain Activity
Ian stevenson https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/who-we-are/history-of-dops/dr-ian-stevenson/
ir Roger Penrose. Quantum Consciousness Theorist — Co-creator of the Orch OR model of the quantum nature of consciousness and memory. http://GF2045.com/speakers/
Knighted in 1994 for his contributions to science, Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS, is an English mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher.
The extraordinary scope of his work ranges from quantum physics and theories of human consciousness to relativity theory and observations on the structure of the universe. Penrose is internationally renowned for his scientific work in mathematical physics, in particular for his contributions to general relativity and cosmology. His primary interest is in a field of geometry called tesselation, the covering of surfaces with tiles of different shapes.
Among numerous prizes and awards, he received the 1988 Wolf Prize for physics, which he shared with Stephen Hawking for their contribution to our understanding of the universe.
He is the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford, as well as an Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College.
"There is a current view that consciousness is something which arises from some complicated computation. So we have our computers, and people think that because they can do things amazingly fast, and they can calculate very quickly, and they can play chess extremely well, that they are superior to us even, and it is only some complicated aspect of this computational activity that somehow consciousness arises from that. Now my view is quite different from this. I think there is a lot of computational activity going on in the brain, but this is basically unconscious. So consciousness seems to me to be something quite different."
For more information about the GF2045 congress, please visit http://www.GF2045.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WXTX0IUaOg
This is the paranormal study division / https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/our-research/
This is the field girl a evidence of awareness frome doctor burns https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/03/22/1165131907/neuroplasticity-plasticity-glass-half-full-girl is this woman has lost half brain of her left side it showed not to hold her back it made her better and shes perfectly aware angst all odds showing the mind is stronger than most think
This is my study welcome
This part is different someone has passed away and there getting part of my studies mrs holly the teacher that played a big role on who am today rest in peace i hope your in a better place she was the one she will be remembered forever
Near-Death Experiences are intensely vivid and often life-transforming experiences, many of which occur under extreme physiological conditions such as trauma, ceasing of brain activity, deep general anesthesia or cardiac arrest in which no awareness or sensory experiences of any kind should be possible according to the prevailing views in neuroscience. View Dr. Bruce Greyson’s informative personal Website.
A near-death experience, or NDE, is a common pattern of events that many people experience when they are experiencing intense threat, are seriously ill or come close to death. Although NDEs vary from one person to another, they often include such features as the following: feeling very comfortable and free of pain a sensation of leaving the body, sometimes being able to see the physical body while floating above it the mind functioning more clearly and more rapidly than usual a sensation of being drawn into a tunnel or darkness a brilliant light, sometimes at the end of the tunnel a sense of overwhelming peace, well-being, or absolute, unconditional love a sense of having access to unlimited knowledge a “life review,” or recall of important events in the past a preview of future events yet to come encounters with deceased loved ones, or with other beings that may be identified as religious figures While these features are commonly reported, many NDEs differ from this pattern and include other elements. For example, some near-death experiences may be frightening or distressing rather than peaceful. We are interested in hearing about all kinds of near-death and similar experiences, and in studying their effect on persons who have them. Veridical NDEs We are particularly interested in studying NDEs that may bear on the question of whether the mind can function outside the physical body, and on whether we may survive bodily death. One such type of experience is the so-called veridical NDE, in which experiencers acquire verifiable information that they could not have obtained by any normal means. For example, some experiencers report seeing events going on at some distant location, such as another room of the hospital; or an experiencer might meet a deceased loved one who then communicates verifiable information the experiencer had not known. Other kinds of NDEs that may bear on the mind/body question include those in which mental functioning seems to be enhanced despite physiological evidence that the brain is impaired. The causes of NDEs are complex and not fully known. While many medical and psychological explanations have been offered, they remain speculative and often fall short of explaining the entire phenomenon. Participate in Research:
1) Investigating physician barriers to acceptance of near-death experiences-IRB-SBS Protocol #5305 Call for research with physicians who have had a near-death experience. Dr. Marieta Pehlivanova and Dr. Bruce Greyson are recruiting physicians who have had a near-death experience (NDE) for an online study. The purpose of the study is to learn about physicians’ attitudes toward NDEs. These are personal and deeply transformative experiences that patients can experience when they are in a medical crisis or close to death. Patients sometimes report the feeling of leaving their bodies, going through a tunnel, strong positive emotions, and a sense of having a life review, among others. Because of the impact of NDEs on experiencers’ lives, patients sometimes talk about these experiences with their physicians. This research aims to improve these interactions. We are interested in your participation even if you have not had patients who have reported an NDE. Participation in the study will take about 15 minutes of your time and will consist of an anonymous online questionnaire. You are eligible to participate if you are 18 years of age or older, are a physician in any specialty, have had a near-death experience, and are fluent in English. This research project has been approved by the University of Virginia’s Institutional Review Board for the Social Sciences (protocol #5305). If you complete the questionnaire, you have the option to enter a raffle to win one of several $100 Amazon gift cards. If you are a physician who has had a near-death experience, are fluent in English, and you are interested in participating in this study, please contact the investigators at [email protected] and [email protected] . Thank you for your support of this research. 2) Near-Death Experiences, IRB-SBS Protocol #3365: Bruce Greyson and Marieta Pehlivanova are conducting ongoing research into NDEs. If you are over age 18, currently healthy, and would like to share a near-death experience of any type with the researchers at the Division of Perceptual Studies, please share your experience via Contact Us. 3) Near-Death Experiences: Comparing Two Scales of Near-Death Experience Features, IRB-SBS Protocol #4885 Call for research participants who have had a near-death experience Dr. Bruce Greyson and Dr. Marieta Pehlivanova at the UVA Division of Perceptual Studies are recruiting individuals who have had a near-death experience (NDE) for an online study. These are personal and transformative experiences that sometimes happen when one is close to death or under the threat of death. This research asks for your opinion about the wording of questionnaires about NDEs and will allow researchers to improve these questionnaires to better reflect the experiences people have. Participation in the study will take up to 20 minutes of your time and will consist of a single online questionnaire. You are eligible to participate if you have had an NDE, are 18 years of age or older, and are fluent in English. You will not be paid for your participation. If you are interested in enrolling in this study, please contact Marieta Pehlivanova for the link to fill out the survey ( [email protected]). Please do not fill out this questionnaire more than once, if you receive it from different sources. Thank you for your support of this important research. Near-death experiencer Anita Moorjani and Dr. Brian Walker
Dr. Bruce Greyson, Anita Moorjani and Dr. Brian Walker visiting DOPS, May 2019 Author and NDE experiencer Anita Moorjani, and her former doctor at the time of her profound NDE, Dr. Brian Walker, visited Dr. Greyson in May of 2019 to exchange rich, thought-provoking ideas around the fascinating topic of near-death experiences. Dr. Brian Walker and Anita recorded an interesting interview while they were visiting us at the UVA Division of Perceptual Studies. We invite you to watch this video of Anita Moorjani and Dr. Brian Walker. Dr. Walker was a witness to Anita’s severely deteriorated medical condition before she had her profound near-death experience. In her best selling book “Dying to Be Me“, Anita writes about the life affirming changes she experienced after her NDE. In the book she describes the events and serious medical illness which led to her profound near-death experience. Near-death experiencers Anita Moorjani and Dr. Authors and near-death experiencers Eben Alexander and Anita Moorjani had complex, medically documented illnesses at the time they experienced their profound, life-altering near-death experiences. Both were gravely ill and their recoveries in both cases astounded and perplexed the attending medical professionals. Eben wrote a best selling book describing his transformative near-death experience and the dire medical circumstances leading up to them. His best selling book is called “Proof of Heaven“. Eben Alexander granted Dr. Greyson permission to review his medical records resulting in Dr. Greyson’s academic analysis of this case which can be seen here (pdf). Anita and Eben attended a meeting of the DOPS researchers to talk about their NDEs. We enjoyed a fascinating discussion with them regarding the many layers of life affirming aftereffects of near-death experiences. https://www.everystudent.com/features/is-there-a-god.html

1111 1111 1111 (weird) believe i’m on the garden region for gifts, in need of the vast majority archipelago, continental, high plains, icy snow, jungle, marine, meadow, monsoon, ocean, polar, river, sandstorm, savanna, sun, tundra.
i send gifts when i can, not so much a daily player but i do try to get in daily or every other day due to work. will send raid invites, and will happily take part in raids if sent them. will also battle if you need/want to!!

Video: http://csg001-harm01.canadacentral.cloudapp.azure.com/00298/Harmony/en/PowerBrowsePowerBrowserV2/20230314/-1/15104?viewmode=3
Debates (Contains verbatim): https://docs.legassembly.sk.ca/legdocs/Legislative%20Assembly/Hansard/29L3S/20230314Debates.pdf
Orders of the day: https://docs.legassembly.sk.ca/legdocs/Legislative%20Assembly/Orders/29L3S/230314Orders.pdf
Minutes: https://docs.legassembly.sk.ca/legdocs/Legislative%20Assembly/Minutes/29L3S/230314Minutes.pdf
INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS
Starts 1:31:04
Harrison (SaskParty):
Introduces Andrew Scheer as a guest. He is respectfully welcomes by Beck and Vermette (NDP)
PRESENTING PETITIONS
Steven Bonk (SaskParty)
Introduces a petition against the Liberal-NDP federal government is infringing on the province’s constitutional rights.
*Appears to be a baseless argument that they bring to the legislature every sitting.
Nathaniel Teed (NDP)
Brings a series of petitions from the public asking for reconsidering of the closure of the provincial liquor stores. Cites 100 years of service, good jobs, There are petitions from cities all across the province, see the debates link at the top for details.
Daryl Harrison (SaskParty)
Talks about SARM (Sask Association of Rural Municipalities). Here is his speech verbatim, because I don’t want to paraphrase and get accusations of not being fair:
:It’s an important opportunity for us to build off the relationships we spent the year developing with our rural partners. Whether you’re there for the fireside chats, the rural health care forum, or the famed bear-pit, there is something for everyone. Rural communities are the lifeblood of our province. They take care of the people that produce the high-quality food, fuel, and fertilizer that Saskatchewan is internationally recognized for. As a government, we know that the people who know best are the ones who live and work in their communities, and it is the knowledge and expertise that we can take back to our caucus table and make sure that our decisions reflect what’s best for our constituents. We’ve had a lot of rural success stories this year and a lot of challenges, but this government is committed to continuing to provide the best services for our residents in partnership with our rural municipalities. “
**NOTE that they talk about SARM daily, and never praise the urban citizens. Urban citizens make up the majority. They also say that we know best about our own communities, but when a Regina counsellor suggested not naming parks after oil and gas companies, the SaskParty threatened to take away Regina’s share of crown sponsorships. Interesting.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/city-fossil-fuels-naming-rights-councillor-daniel-leblanc-1.5933900
Meara Conway (NDP)
Brings praise for the fire departments and first responders. Highlights the Sask Housing abandon house in Regina’s core that exploded, as well as an increase in arson.
Jim Lemaigre (SaskParty)
Talks about the UofR meeting with northern leaders over the winter.
Nadine Wilson (Independent - running as leader of SaskUnited)
Brings criticism of the 6.8% raise that the members in the house are receiving, noting that it works out to more than half of what a citizen on SAID would receive for the year. She says that the federal government gave SAID recipients an increase, and the provincial government clawed back their own money.
*SAID is Sask Assured Income for disability https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/family-and-social-support/people-with-disabilities/income-support-for-people-with-disabilities
CBC article about the clawbacks.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/said-disability-ndp-1.6455892
Terry Dennis (SaskParty) Welcomes Ukrainian refugees coming to the province.
Lisa Lambert (SaskParty)
Went to ‘Back to Batoche Days” to support the Metis people. She talks about the deep connection those people have to the land. She is also Metis.
*NOTE: They are pushing through sales of crown land, 90% has been sold off, and access to the land is scarce for the indigenous and metis people. In addition the trespassing act is also affecting their traditional way of life. These two facts are debated daily in the house as of late.
Warren Kaedin (SaskParty)
Expats a 20% increase in capital investment this year. Claims Sask is #1 in capital investment across the country, and more than double any other province.
**I couldn’t find any information to back this up. If anyone has a source, please let me know. Also he is talking about projections in the future, not results. He doesn’t source information. He doesn’t take into consideration we are a year out of pandemic restrictions.
QUESTION PERIOD
Leaders Debate: Carla Beck (NDP) vs Scott Moe (SaskPArty 1:51:50
Beck criticizes the government's failure to provide adequate health care in rural communities. She highlights the closure of rural hospitals and the lack of access to necessary services, citing examples of women forced to give birth on the side of the road and conflicting signs in hospitals directing patients to go to other locations. She calls for the government to commit to bringing local voices back to health care. She relates these issues and worst in the nation jobs records are difficult on local businesses.
Moe, defends his government's record and points to their four-point plan to increase front-line caregivers and improve health care across the province. He also highlights the government's engagement with the SARM. His opinion is that his people don’t need to go out to rural area to consult with people, they live in those communities. He then says that is growth that works for everyone. (His side clapped, they seemed to consider this a gotcha).
*NOTE his plan has been deemed inadequate by his own provincial auditor. He only mentions SARM, there’s a trend.
Carla Beck, Meara Conway, Jennifer Bowes (NDP) vs Scott Moe, Dustin Duncan (SaskParty) 1:58:00
Beck criticises the government of not working and consulting with child care centres to make sure there are enough spaces available. She says there are people that are forced to leave their jobs in an already sparse labour market because there are no spaces for their children. Part time child care spaces are highlighted as an especially unavailable service, and disproportionately affects women.
Moe fires back that he wasn’t consulted by the federal government when they signed the $10 a day child care bill, and says he was one of the first provinces to have the program. Dustin Duncan says that they are working on a future solution. Meara Conway (NDP) calls the government irresponsible, scolds them for not consulting with childcare providers. Duncan claims to have consulted with industry, and blames the federal government. Conway says that he consulted after the fact, and asks him to commit to meeting with the providers.
Jennifer Bowes (NDP) vs Gordon Wyant (SaskParty) 2:08:00
Talks about cuts to education and the University of Regina, and frames it as an investment in our youth and economy. She says that they gave a 0% increase in funding during an inflationary crisis, during a time of windfall resource dollars. Cites the people leaving because of the situation.
Wyant says that they are spending a million dollars a day, and he’s having meetings with the UofR. He says he can’t do anything until the university has a budget completed. He claims that the university hasn’t asked for more funding. Bowes calls out that the president of the university of regina faculty association was just in the leg asking them for funding.
\NOTE: I have previously posted our provincial out migration, and it’s the highest in the country, along with the worst retention of immigration.*
Nathaniel Teed (NDP) vs Paul Merriman (SaskParty)
States that the province broke the Canada Health Act, and cites the federal claw backs for the same. Asks the province to scrap private health care which has made wait times longer.
Merriman stands up and says that it’s amazing that the opposition is supporting the federal Liberal-NDP coalition, and goes on to say that his private health care is working. Says that he and the other health minister were just at SARM, and “everybody else” agrees with private care, except the opposition.
\NOTE: Since 2010 when private care was being introduced, the number of people waiting more than 12 months for surgery has increased 106%*
https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/health/accessing-health-care-services/surgery/surgical-performance-and-wait-times
\The federal government is not a coalition, it’s two parties with elected officials making up a majority that have agreed to a confidence and supply.* https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2022/03/22/delivering-canadians-now
Meara Conway (NDP) vs Everett Hindley 2:15:21
Highlights overdoses. In the last two months 109 overdose deaths have occurred, as many as in all of 2016. Cites harm reduction funding that has been refused.
Hindley states that they have committed to $308M to harm reduction.
\I have previously fact checked the funding increase. Better late than never. Specifics of how the money will be used yet hasn’t been declared to my knowledge.*
MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
Brownwyn Eyre (SaskParty) 2:17:27 v Meara Conway (NDP) 2:22:41
She brings up federal politics that affect the criminal code. Claims only ⅓ of Canadians have confidence in our bail system, which she says is at a breaking point. Cites Federal Bill C75, which she says ties the hands of judges and prosecutors across. Cites section 493.1. She says “the pendulum has swung too far”, which refers to them as violent offenders. (See notes below). She cites that the province is review it’s public safety, and are review provincial bail policies to make sure Saskatchean prosecutors are confident in their authority to oppose bail. She mentions 10 provinces have opposed this bill.
Conway comes in at 2:22:41. She is watching closely to the above statements by EYRE,, and is watching the Feds close. Says that this seems to be in line with what prosecutors are already doing. She says our government has a track record of making announcements, and cites that making bail more difficult to access in Saskatchewan where will they go. Cites that our remand is over full, and we have some of the highest incarceration rates in democracies across the world. (She doesn’t mention, but I think she means nationally - any fact checkers could help please). Asks what resources will be put in place, and why they are doing this. Cites forcing Regina police to kick protestors off the lawn, partisan leg security, proposed Marshall Service, and mentions they have a bad track record on separation of powers, which is key to democracy.
\NOTE: Bill C75* https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pcsj-sjc/jsp-sjp/c75/p3.html
\The section of the criminal code that she references as tieing hands (S493.1) specifically discusses accused individuals that have been charged, not convicted.*
493.1 In making a decision under this Part, a peace officer, justice or judge shall give primary consideration to the release of the accused at the earliest reasonable opportunity and on the least onerous conditions that are appropriate in the circumstances, including conditions that are reasonably practicable for the accused to comply with, while taking into account the grounds referred to in subsection 498(1.1) or 515(10), as the case may be.
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/page-80.html#:~:text=493.1%20In%20making%20a%20decision,are%20reasonably%20practicable%20for%20the
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS 2:26:07
Bill 95 Surface Rights Acquisition - Passed
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Meara Conway (NDP)
Bill No. 108 — The Pension Benefits Amendment Act, 2022
She says that their critic is still engaged with stakeholder to ensure there aren’t unintended consequences.
Nathaniel Teed (NDP) 2:29:00
Bill No. 125 — The Cannabis Control (Saskatchewan) Amendment Act, 2022
Continues to engage stakeholders, but and will have questions in committee.
Doyle Vermette (NDP) 2:31:38
Bill No. 109 — The Trespass to Property Amendment Act, 2022
Cites concerns of federal employees going onto private land, and he respects those rights, regardless which level of government. The critic is consulting with people, stating that the SaskParty isn’t consulting first nations and metis, citing traditions of hunting, fishing gathering which will be affected.
Jennifer Bowes (NDP)
Bill No. 116 — The Plant Health Act
The minister will have the ability to make any plant or animal a pest and declare a state of emergency. Acknowledges that it’s important to protect the ag industry. Notes that it will allow municipal and provincial workers to access any land, contrary to the trespass to property act. Refers to both of these acts as being used for cheap political points against workers that live in this province.
Doyle Vermette (NDP) 2:37:45
Bill No. 117 — The Saskatchewan Firearms Act
The province is responding to the federal government, and asks what they’re up to. Says they attack the feds for not consulting people; but the province didn’t consult the indigenous and metis. FSIN says they weren’t consulted. Cites court cases that are being won against the government wasting money because of the lack of consultation. At 2:42:55 the SaskParty starts mocking over his speech, for which he calls them out.
Doyle Vermette (NDP) 4:46:55
Bill No. 118 — The Warrant Compliance Act
States that there isn’t enough clarification who would decide to take away benefits from which people. Cites no consultation. The opposition critic will discuss in committee.
Nathaniel Teed (NDP) 2:49:32
Bill No. 122 — The Saskatchewan Revenue Agency Act
Brings voices of small businesses owners. Says he has sat down with Chambers of Commerce and others. This will create a new crown corporation and hurt small businesses. The government still hasn’t given the rationale of why they are creating this act, or what they want to accomplish. No numbers on cost to create or run. He doesn’t believe it will be revenue neutral, as claimed by Finance Minister. Bigger government, more spending, hard on small business.
Meara Conway (NDP) 2:56:42
Bill No. 124 — The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Amendment Act
States that the NDP opposition proposed this bill, but they are getting mixed reviews from stakeholders. Cites it isn’t an option for every community, but it’s an option available. They are still looking at more detail or public space types, etc.
Jennifer Bowes (NDP) 3:02:28
Bill No. 126 — The Summary Offences Procedure Amendment Act, 2022
Allowed First Nations to enforce laws and bylaws on their land. Their critics are still doing consultations to make sure the objectives meant by the bill are achieved.

I initially posted my request on gramps. However as the replies did not fix my issue, I am now asking this more general community for a solution idea.
I am not longer bound to gramps software, as I can export the database to GEDCOM and import to any other software available.
The issue:
Our family tree is currently beeing generated. We entered ~230 people in gramps and need to do some paper printouts for proof reading. However the tools I tried do a insufficient job and are very inflexible in regards to what information is printed.
For example, i do not manage to print birth name and name after marriage (and date of birth and dead) in the export. Especially in 18-century there are some families where a lot of people share very similar names, and to distinguish these people, both birth name and family name would be very helpful.
As the data in the GEDCOM file is just a database, I am looking for a export to svg or pdf (vector) which allows me to pick the information that I want to be displayed. In my case every person “box” should include:
Name after marriage + birthname (if not married just birth name)
Date of birth and death if known
Notes (this might be something like "person was the mayor of town X")
ID of the entry (to have a unique person identifier even if the name is the same)
Why do I want these specific fields? I currently start the family tree and have to validate a lot of information’s redundantly by other people. For example I entered ~230 people so far, and want to print the full plot on A0 (1square meter) and give it to multiple >80 year old people in my family to verify, search for typos, … . Then get the feedback and improve the database-
Of course I have a pc and could visit them, then try do this “digitally” together with them, however this is a lot more time consuming and older people just preferer paper a lot.
Does anybody know a software solution which lets me pick the information to be printed more precisely?

In the future a second issue will come up. The arrangement of the >200 people is currently issued by the software. However there are parts of the family which associate more to than others (more distant ones).
The quenstion then will be: How do I define which person is on which spot on the printout?
Something like a GEDCOM to latex family tree with extended defenition options comes to mind. Or a Addon which lets me shift them orround dynamicly before hitting save to svg.
Any ideas?

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Isaiah 52:13-53:12: Jesus Christ Predicted 500+ Years Beforehand