😳

For real though, they aren’t unlike many other fundamentalist sects across different religions, so one going in should expect pretty strict adherence to their interpretation of biblical doctrine. That’s one of the things they’re famous for, besides the no technology, raising barns, and building quality wooden furniture. Nowadays, there’s a bit of flexibility regarding technology depending on which Amish community you live in, especially if it’s to promote an Amish business, but there are still limits. All that being said, most newcomers who leave do cite the religious aspects as growing tiresome over time.

But it’s not like the Amish are the kind of people who won’t let you leave or anything, they’re actually pretty big on the idea that one has to want to be a part of the Amish church and that it can’t be forced on anyone; they even have that Rumspringa thing where kids are sent out into modern society at 16 until they decide whether they want to formally join the church or not. They don’t believe in evangelism of any kind. I can’t claim to be any kind of expert, though, I’ve just had a personal fascination with them for awhile.

I didn’t intend for my first comment to come off that way, but I believe everything I’ve said is factual.

P.S.

I’ll add for OP that I’m not sure how your goal of continuing your math studies would mesh with the Amish community. Assuming you’d be attending some sort of higher education outside of the community to earn a degree, I’m not sure how they’d perceive that. The Amish do their own schooling and don’t offer classes at that level because they’re actually against higher education in most communities, plus a university would probably be too far for a horse and buggy, so you’d most likely need a car. In fact, it was actually by Supreme Court decision that allowed the Amish to stop education at 8th grade. They might feel you weren’t fully committed to the lifestyle.

If you were to stay after you earned your degree, what would you use it for? You’d likely have a job making furniture, doing some other handicraft, or farming. Your only option to use your advanced math skills would be to get a job in the non-Amish world, which might also ruffle some feathers. Hard to say for sure, though. I think even the more orthodox Mennonites are also a little more open to higher education, though, but I could be wrong.

Then again, you could still totally just get a degree, join whatever church you want, and live however rustically you choose.

The Amish tend to be pretty insular communities that have had the same extended families for generations, so being truly accepted might take a few years. Most “English” people who join tend to return to ordinary life within that time after the charm of the rustic lifestyle wears off. You’d also be required to learn Pennsylvania Dutch, as well as abide by all the other community rules, of course. Some Mennonite communities live pretty similar lifestyles, but are a little more relaxed in terms of strictness, so you may find them more forgiving, especially if it’s to continue studies.

Charles also said something like “the law must take its course” in reaction to the news, so I think he might just let it play out

deleted by creator

deleted by creator

deleted by creator

deleted by creator

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdred61epg4o

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/mock-house-cia-source-special-forces-us-operation-capture-maduro-2026-01-03/#%3A~%3Atext=The+CIA+had+a+small%2Csource+familiar+with+the+matter

Trump did make that cryptic statement “… the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have.” General Dan Caine said that US Cyber Command and Space Command “began layering different effects” to “create a pathway” for US forces. Not surprisingly, they did not elaborate on what those were, but we can be certain cyber warfare played a role.

The CIA first dropped a team into Venezuela in August, got an informant close to Maduro, and spec ops forces created a replica of the building Maduro would be in, which they drilled in repeatedly. So yes, months of preparation.

Since you asked and I haven’t seen anyone else answer, the most recent parallel to the Maduro situation is the 1990 capture of Manuel Noriega, the military leader of Panama. All around, it was a pretty similar situation. Just like Maduro, Noriega was accused of using Panama as a drug shipping hub and of being a dictator by the US. Relations deteriorated until in late 1989, Panama declared they were “at a state of war” with the US, prompting George H W Bush to launch a ground invasion into Panama with one of the goals being the capture of Noriega, which was achieved within a few weeks in early 1990. He was then flown to the US to face a trial over his drug charges and was held in prison until 2010, though he was then extradited to France and later Panama, where he spent his final 6 years in prison.

Like Maduro, while the capture was ostensibly over drug trafficking concerns, it was largely to further US interests in Panama and Central America as a whole. Namely, it was to gain outsized control over the running of the Panama Canal for the US and grant them special perks such as reduced costs to send goods through, something that saved US companies billions every year. Additionally, it allowed as many as 14 military bases to be established in the area.

Here’s a really fantastic and very thorough comparison between the two that goes into much more detail. https://brendonbeebe.substack.com/p/comparison-of-us-capture-of-nicolas

deleted by creator

deleted by creator

deleted by creator

This article is expressly anti voting at home, written by a conservative with an agenda to push and a book to sell, and is published by a rag that spawned out of the Heritage Foundation, which created Project 2025.

I’m sure the guy who wrote “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.” is going to have some very balanced and fair views on making it easier for people to vote, right?

The first thing I’ll say is to consider putting it off until you’re older.

That being said, if you don’t know anyone who smokes, you might find it difficult to get some yourself. Your best bet would be to make friends who already have those connections. Many dealers won’t respond if you can’t name a customer that referred you. That might be the biggest hurdle to start with if you aren’t willing to start conversations. Ask classmates about the stoners around school if you can’t think of anyone.

If you manage to make those friends who connect you, though, the actual exchange with a dealer is usually pretty chill. You meet at an agreed upon spot (perhaps a park or something, maybe their house, etc.), and you hand over the money and they hand over the weed. Then you go home. You can show up with a friend if you want, but it’s best practice to let the dealer know that before you show up. A first text might go something like, “Hey, my name is ___. Would it be cool if I bought a dime ($10 worth, often 1 gram)/dub ($20)? I got your number from ___. Would you be down to meet sometime soon?” Some more advanced dealers will offer things like dab cartridges and edibles. Weed smells, and so does paraphernalia, so be sure to keep it in an air-tight container. Don’t front money for drugs, ever. Also, be sure not to let it become too much of a habit. Limit yourself to a couple times a month, or only the weekends, etc.

A marijuana high lasts about 2-3 hours, so if you know you’ll have much more time than that, you’ll be ok. You can also go out to meet up with a friend for awhile, then both go to smoke elsewhere if their house isn’t an option. Most high-schoolers find a nearby, secluded place in some forested area to smoke in, at least where I live. Walking there and back (even while baked) is usually no big deal, unless it’s super far or something. If you don’t have a place like that nearby, any other little hidden spots you can find will probably do if they aren’t too high-key. Just be sure to clean up after yourself. Pack it in, pack it out. You might be able to smoke outside your house after your parents go to bed if you can manage your coughing. If you’re worried about the smell after smoking, smoke outside, change your clothes/put on a top layer first, and brush your teeth.

As for how to smoke, you have some options. Probably the cheapest, easiest, most concealable option would be a small pipe (I’d recommend glass). You can find cheap ones online that can be delivered to your door on websites like dhgate, if you aren’t worried about your parents opening your mail for you. There’s also bongs, joints, and vapes, which each have their own pros and cons. I’m sure there’s a million youtube tutorials for each of those options. When smoking, I think the key is to inhale properly and deeply, which may be difficult starting out. You often hear that people can’t get high their first time smoking weed, but I think this is due to improper smoking technique. I know my first time I definitely wasn’t doing it right.

I also want to add that evolution is a species-wide phenomenon over hundreds or thousands of generations, it’s not done individually.

deleted by creator

I think this is a pretty good representation of rams in pastry form. I can see the phallic resemblance, but honestly, I think this isn’t bad at all. If you wanted to be sure they wouldn’t be confused with anything other than a ram, perhaps you could get some food-grade paints and paint in eyes, nose, mouth, nostrils, etc. I think the faces being painted/frosted on would help eliminate the tendency to see a dick and make it less ambiguous.

You’ve changed the subject immediately, none of this has anything to do with a general strike. Did you seriously think I was talking about 2020 when I brought up Seattle? But hey, if you want to change the topic to another thing I’m pretty knowledgeable about, that’s cool, too.

Oh right, I just remembered you also used to complain all the time about BLM because you had to briefly sit in traffic a couple times and now are on the side of the police state. Way to remind everyone of your petulant pettiness, too.

It sounds as though you’re advocating against any kind of protest now. Your sentiment seems to indicate that if you don’t get every single demand met permanently, then it was a total waste and you should’ve just stayed home and stayed silent, but that’s ridiculous. It’s worthwhile to stand up and fight against an unjust system simply for the sake of opposing evil in the world. Getting crushed under the boot of the police doesn’t make you wrong for that. You don’t protest with the expectation of winning any concessions, you protest to stand up for what’s right.

Besides, cops having a way outsized budget was the case before the protests, too, so what’s your point? It’s still just as worthy of protest now as it was then. The protesters won concessions, but they were almost immediately and undemocratically reneged on. For all the “defund the police” hysteria the media threw around, it never really happened anywhere (not even Minneapolis), despite many promises from officials in major cities all over the country. It’s like if the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was dangled to get marches to stop and then it was thrown out as soon as they did. You make it sound like it was the fault of protesters that city councils nationwide voted to increase their police budgets after promising they’d decrease them.