#With other slight variances in between

[littlebirdy0301]

Trauma’s weird cause you can go Many Years thinking something was just a bit unfortunate but not out of the ordinary, like any other character-building but not Wrong negative experience. Just to one day think about it a little more critically & go “oh. oh that person did a fucked up thing. that should not have happened to me”

[charles-leclerc-official]

Monaco Qualifying: Mini Analysis

Just wanted to point out a few things about the field tomorrow with our top 10.

First is that Charles is in a league of his own, pole by more than 2 tenths, fastest qualifying lap of the session. Well deserved pole and he did it with a comfortable gap to P2.

The only other driver to break out of the 1:10.5 range was Oscar, who is a little over 2 tenths off Charles, and almost a tenth ahead of Carlos.

The next 4 drivers are all extremely close, as in they are off by hundredths not tenths. This really could have gone anyone's way. Slight variances and imperfections made the difference. No one is clearly ahead. So it really came down to a little bit of luck and also the skill in the little areas where it mattered.

Of this group of four drivers Carlos was ahead by the most, he was closest to cracking into the 1:10.4 territory, so the Ferrari's really were on top of it for this track.

After that between George and Lando it's a difference of literally 1/100th of a second, that is just down to luck, because it's essentially the same lap time. Like that margin is basically invisible. And Max is only off them by 20/100ths, which again is so small. Those three were basically matched and it was just down to the very little things with the car, the lap, and the conditions.

Lewis also wasn't too far off this group. Less than a tenth separating himself from Carlos, and about half a tenth off his teammate.

After Lewis the rest have a bigger gap to the rest of the pack.

I want to note that while this was an insane showing from Pierre, his best lap was actually his Q2 lap of 1:10.896.

This is certainly the most unusual starting order we've seen so far, for the whole grid and the top 10. Monaco will do that do you.

Quick look at comparing Charles' and Oscar's laps

What I am interested in is the fact that there isn't a clear point where Mclaren has the edge, I knew they'd be more evenly matched against Ferrari here but this is further off than I'd thought. These straights aren't even Mclaren's best sectors, where they were so strong at Imola it seems that significant lead didn't translate as well to the street track format. So good for Ferrari which overall was the strongest car on this track.

Also Charles really did bring it, no one really touched him when it came to that lap. He really did dominate.

Finally remember that Monaco is an extreme outlier of a track. So for drivers/cars that are not strong here it isn't a good metric to try to determine how things will go on other tracks. Yes Red Bull seem to be struggling, but on this track that's not as concerning for them performance wise as it would be at a more typical track. Similarly Alpine are doing well, which may or may not hold true in the future, same with Alex and Williams. An outlier track sometimes makes outlier results. One of the reasons Monaco is so cool.

Now we do know that Ferrari and Mclaren are strong, and these aren't outlier results for them, they've been fast and competitive, and they were here as well. So what this means for those teams is that their cars are very versatile and less track dependent than say some other top teams(Red Bull)

There is a lot more, but those were the things I noticed that were interesting to me from this session. But really all you need to know is that Charles put together a STUNNING lap.

[grappel-writes]

Fuck it: How BG3 Companions give massages Wyll: He may not be a professional when it comes to the martial arts, or the damages they can cause, but he knows how to ease an ache. Days and hours of posture practice, head up, shoulders back, yes that far - he had to learn or else his back would be as stiff as a board. Your armor allows for little variance in your posture, and taking it off at the end of the day has you feeling like you've been carrying the whole camp. He clears off the rug in front of his tent and guides you to sit, legs folded, knees out, and to lean forward. When you do, gently, he presses down on your shoulders to deepen the stretch. "Good." Then again, now with only one leg under you "Just like that. It doesn't hurt, does it?", then the other, then twist like this... Every time, his guiding touch is there to press you just a little further, to let go of just that little bit more that you can't seem to get on your own. Your back pops, your tensions loose, and your shoulders drop. He's conscious of your limits, never pushes you to pain, and when you're through and boneless on the ground, both hands find your back and rub slow, thoughtful circles all over. Up either side of your spine, under your shoulder blades, around to your sides. Not a single stretched muscle is going to go unattended. He just asks that you return the favor one day. Shadowheart: It's the end of a shorter, restful day. A glorious one, even, where you had a full bath and changed into clean clothes, and you're losing yourself to the hypnosis of the fire. Your eyes drift shut, and you jerk your head back up when you drift off. Shadowheart laughs at you, "come here." She's keeping watch tonight, and refuses to let you try and stay up with her. If she can't usse cleric magic to get you to sleep, she'll just have to try something else. She pulls your head into her lap and cards her fingers through your hair. Slow, trance like, over and over she pulls it up and away from you, letting it fall back where it will. The sound of your hair being combed, the crackling fire, her slight breathing all lull you to submission, and your eyes finally close. Slight, gentle fingerpads press between your brow, working away the crease you so often wore there, and over your brows to smooth them. They work down the side of your jaw with the lightest pressure, and then back up into your hair again. You don't know how many times she repeats this routine before you've drifted off to sleep. When you wake, your hair is a disaster, and she pretends she has no idea how it could have gotten that way. Astarion: You're holding one of your hands in the other, unconsciously, as you look down at the armor you're trying to mend. The tools set aside while you stretch out the small cramping muscles in your palm. Wordlessly, Astarion puts his book aside and holds his hand out to you as if asking for something. You're confused, looking around you for what he could want, before he just scoffs and takes your hand himself. You have to move closer so you're not bent forward awkwardly, knee pressed against his, as he flips your hand palm side up. He spreads it flat like he's opening a book, then gently even further so your knuckles curve back. Your shoulders drop at the sensation, and he continues, sparing no detail. His own soothingly cool thumbs work the heel of your palm, the muscles on each side, and dig into the very middle. He curls and opens your hand experimentally after he's finished each area to see the effect. Moving on to your fingers, each joint is given a full work over, even your fingerpads gently pinched and rolled in his own. His expression is gentle, nearly intrigued as if you're just another embroidery project. When your dominant hand is left feeling brand new, he lowers it gently to his knee and takes the other one, repeating the process. Once he's done, he takes them both in his hold and offers them back as if they're not attached to you. "There, and leave the armor alone. I don't want you wasting all my hard work."

Part: 1/2

[foxounderscorecube]

Another argument between myself and @jermagaunt. We're from different parts of the West Country so theoretically there should only be slight variance in how we speak but we both think the other's pronunciation is ridiculous. Help me prove him wrong

[n7punk]

When you write your fics do you have specific heights for Adora and Catra in your head?

sometimes, yeah! usually i just think of them as close enough in height it doesn't really matter (adora slightly taller), but sometimes i make the gap more quantifiable. I think you could make the case for their height gap ranging 0-3 inches canonically given 1) variation between panels, episodes, etc that just comes as a consequence of any handdrawn animation without a very rigid focus on maintaining things like this (something few TV shows have the production time to be even if they want to). 2) actual changes over the course of the show. all the characters "matured" in various ways through the seasons, which is partially down to the artists becoming more practiced with the characters, but there's also purposeful refinements and updates (seasons 4 and 5). 2) the visual complication factors of adora's boots and catra's hair. catra is (northern reach aside) always shoeless, so adora gets a slight boost she wouldn't have from her boots (but also this difference is usually still present in pretty much any scene or au i write, so whatever), but catra also has very big and fluffy hair (even when it's short it's still pretty fluffy) that might make her appear taller or shorter depending on how you mentally "correct" for that.

in addition to the canon case for it, there's also 4) au factors. i am generally of the opinion that any changes to characters should be genesis of the world setting and not feel like a deviation from the canon character but rather a variation of the canon character. some aus have more variance than others (for instance, things like lotd and isohm get closer to deviation because their world setup is just so damn different and i'm not satisfied with how those aspects of those AUs came out as a result). a great example would be strange disease, where i decided that by virtue of Being Werewolf™️Adora would be noticeably taller, not just from canon, but from how tall she was before the first time she wolfed out. she probably started like 2-3 inches taller, but by the time she comes back to catra she's more like four inches taller in that one. i think i decided to make her more like three inches taller in slas too? and probably a couple others.

anyway, you can usually assume adora is and inch or two taller in most of my fics, but sometimes i lean further towards one end. SYE adora is three inches taller so catra can make mental jokes about climbing her like a tree despite how it would be more like. stepping on a twig. standing on her toes. idk i ran out of metaphors

[amporella]

Kyle, Aggressiveness, and Anger

I see a lot of posts around about how Kyle is an aggressive character (as opposed to other characters in the show), and I was curious about how much that label actually applies as opposed to the more generalized one of angry. So, I figured the best way to go about it would be to take a look at all of the notable fights he's been involved in, in chronological order, and then draw a conclusion based on that. Let's take a look!

(Warning that this may not be as clean as some of my other metas; I am writing this in the actual Tumblr interface instead of Google Docs because I got 500 words in here and I am stubborn.)

First, as usual, some brief (<- lying) clarification:

The word "aggressive" actually has some slight variance in its definition, which I'm going to try and explain. I haven't done this in any of my past metas because the definitions tend to be very similar, but in this case, there are a few key differences; Merriam-Webster specifies that aggression is typically unprovoked, and often

Below are the definitions of 'aggressive' (or 'aggression') from the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary, respectively.

There are actually some key differences between the above dictionaries. Synchrony and diachrony are two different perspectives within linguistics; Merriam-Webster is synchronic, and Oxford English Dictionary is diachronic. Synchrony, within the context of linguistics, essentially boils down to taking the definition of the word within a modern lens. Diachrony is the opposite; it relates more to the history of the word rather than how it's currently used. This means that Merriam-Webster's definitions are more technically accurate within the modern day; when considering what someone is saying on Tumblr.com, for example, they are probably subconsciously using Merriam-Webster's definition. It's the one that's more ingrained into modern culture, while Oxford English Dictionary's definitions may quickly become antiquated.

Hence, because this post is referring to aggressiveness in the context of how it's used on the internet within the past ten years (which is considered recent within a linguistic timeline), we're going to be using the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition. Thus, for us to consider Kyle an aggressive character, he must not only engage in forceful actions, but they must also tend towards being unprovoked, AND he must have intention to dominate or master the other person involved.

That's your Linguistics fun fact of the day; let's move on!

Furthermore, we need to discuss what I meant by 'notable' fights in the intro paragraph. What makes a fight 'notable'? It's a very blurry line, so I'm going to try and set some guidelines:

For a fight to count as notable, it needs to involve Kyle and only one other person. This excludes situations such as in Tweek vs. Craig where all four of the main boys get into a fight played for laughs, and in Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society, where every boy engages in a huge fight over Bebe. Neither of those would apply as notable fights, namely because they're not Kyle-specific.

I'm also going to only be covering fights where they're at least somewhat plot-relevant. Kyle hitting Cartman once and not engaging further doesn't count as a notable fight, especially when it's exclusively played for laughs within the context of the show. Otherwise, there would be WAY too much content to cover, and this is already longer than I wanted the whole meta to be god dammit. That's the same reason why I'm not counting verbal insults as attacks; all of the boys sling insults at each other constantly, and most of Kyle's verbal insults (especially in later seasons) are a response to an insult rather than an initiation.

CONSIDERING ALL OF THAT, I've narrowed the fights we need to focus on down to nine, all within separate episodes. The episodes we're going to consider are Cow Days, Prehistoric Ice Man, It's Christmas In Canada, Cartoon Wars Part II, Tonsil Trouble, It's A Jersey Thing, Doubling Down, and Post Covid: Part 2. We're also going to take a brief look at a deleted scene from Gluten Free Ebola, which I'll touch on at the end because the events aren't technically canon.

Not all episodes are created equal, either, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Kyle. Matt and Trey have explicitly stated that Kyle's character was changed around season 6 (and likely even more later) because he was too similar to Stan; hence, while I do very much hold a flame for Kyle being a little asshole in earlier seasons, I'm going to take his behavior more seriously the later it occurs in canon. Doubling Down is a much more accurate portrayal of Kyle's current aggressiveness than Cow Days, for example, but I've chosen to cover all them anyway to try and paint the best picture that I can.

SO, one by one, let's talk about them! I'm going to give a few screenshots, summarize the events leading up to the fight, and then give my take on whether Kyle's behavior fits the definition of aggressive. Then we'll sum it all up!

Cow Days (Season 2, Episode 13):

The first episode in which Kyle gets into an Actual Real Fight is as early as Season 2, albeit in the second half. Seriously, does anybody even remember this episode? I didn't until I started looking. Here's a brief summary of the episode premise to jog your memory:

The main four are attending South Park's Cow Days festival, and they're trying to win Terrance and Philip dolls from a ball throwing game. However, the game is rigged and the festival sucks, so the rest of the episode consists of shenanigans as the main four try to rustle up enough money to win the dolls. The instance in which the fight occurs in this episode is when they run out of money to continue trying to win, and Kyle is pissed at Cartman for miscounting the money.

Okay, this was actually kind of a dick move. I don't think that Cartman miscounting the money technically counts as provoking Kyle, and in this instance, he is technically trying to assert himself over Cartman; the last few lines carry the implication that he will kick the shit out of him again if he doesn't figure out a way to afford another few rounds of the game.

In this episode, I would actually consider Kyle's behavior aggressive; yay? Whether that's a good or bad thing, that's a point for canonically aggressive Kyle.

Prehistoric Ice Man (Season 2, Episode 18):

Prehistoric Ice Man is an interesting one; I wasn't quite sure whether I should incorporate it, but it's also one of the only scenes on our list where Kyle fights someone other than Cartman (in this case, Stan) so I figured it was worth bringing up.

In this episode, Stan and Kyle fight over various aspects of a man frozen in ice, and eventually 'schedule' a fight. They then engage in the most unenthusiastic fight in the history of South Park.

To be honest, even calling this scene a 'fight' is a stretch; it's very obvious that neither one of them actually wants to fight, and it's actually Stan who implies that he wants a fight first; he's the first one to threaten Kyle, and Kyle only agrees to fight when Stan does. Kyle puts up his fists first in the actual fight, but not before both of them hesitate.

One of the reasons I included this fight was because if Kyle had been willing to attack Stan without hesitation, it would have been undeniable evidence that he was an aggressive character; he would have been feeling violent towards someone who he's close to, and it would have been fairly unprovoked; arguing over a name generally isn't a good reason to start a fight.

But Kyle doesn't attack Stan; despite being very obviously angry at him, that anger doesn't translate to the desire to fight him. For a seemingly aggressive character, Kyle rejects all expectations in this episode; therefore, that's a point for him not being aggressive.

It's Christmas In Canada (Season 7, Episode 15):

It's season 7! We're still not in modern South Park era, but we're past the seasons that are very dubiously canon. We can take the following episodes a little more seriously in the grand scheme than we did the prior episodes.

In 'It's Christmas In Canada', the boys end up in Canada to try and bring back Ike, whose birth parents suddenly want him back. Cartman is pissed that he's spending his Christmas in Canada (title drop), and he picks a fight with Kyle. Kyle ends it quickly.

Something notable to consider about this fight is that Kyle ends it as quickly as he possibly can; he doesn't pummel Cartman, or threaten him excessively; he clocks him enough to get him to stop posturing, and that's it. He may engage in a fight in this episode, but he's not violent.

Was Kyle provoked in this fight? I would say definitely! Cartman actively goads him into a fight and threatens him, and Kyle gives him a good amount of time to shut up before he ends up engaging. All things considered, this was a pretty reasonable reaction. I don't think this episode counts in favor of aggressive Kyle.

Cartoon Wars Part II (Season 10, Episode 4):

In Cartoon Wars Part II, Kyle and Cartman battle over Cartman trying to get Family Guy pulled from the air. In a previous episode, Cartman manages to stall Kyle by sabotaging his Big Wheels using Cheesy Poofs, and this fight picks up when Kyle tracks Cartman down again.

A few things to note about the actual fight in this one; Kyle makes the first threat, but Cartman is the first one to initiate the fight by pulling off his mittens. Furthermore, Cartman calls for a time out in the fight, and Kyle actually adheres to it; similarly to the fight just above, Kyle isn't particularly violent here. He doesn't want to fight; he's only doing it out of necessity, and he stops as soon as he thinks that Cartman's conceded. Kyle's not trying to dominate him here, as the definition of aggressive suggests; he's just trying to get him to stop.

But was Kyle provoked in this episode? Maybe not in the overarching plot, but considering the events of the previous episode, absolutely. Cartman knocks him off the side of the road, and does so viciously enough that Kyle injures his shoulder. Kyle very much has a reason to want justice; before Kyle even considers threatening or fighting Cartman, Cartman hurts him first.

Is Kyle's choice of adult comedy show absolute garbage? Totally. Was he justified in fighting Cartman? I would say so! Kyle has a good reason to be angered, and he's willing to let go as soon as Cartman ends the fight and concedes. This episode doesn't seem to contribute to aggressive Kyle.

Tonsil Trouble (Season 12, Episode 1):

In Tonsil Trouble, Cartman is accidentally infected with HIV during a routine surgery. When Kyle laughs at him, he gets revenge by sneaking into his room and infecting him during the night. Kyle finds out, and confronts Cartman to kick his ass.

I honestly don't think this fight involving Kyle needs much justification. Cartman gave him an (at the time) incurable disease; Kyle was absolutely provoked and well within his rights to kick the shit out of Cartman. Any character in his position would have done the same; it wouldn't be fair to consider his behavior in this episode aggressive. Cartman totally deserved it.

It's A Jersey Thing (Season 14, Episode 9):

In It's A Jersey Thing, a Jersey family moves into South Park, and it's revealed that Sheila conceived Kyle in New Jersey. This brings out Kyle's 'Jersey side', during which he has an angry, impulsive streak, similar to the other Jersey folks who are moving to town.

This also isn't technically a fight, but Kyle shoves Cartman against a tree, so I figure that it falls within the general category of Kyle 'attacking' someone.

Is Kyle provoked in this episode? I would say that he is. Cartman says that his blood is tainted and insults him for being Jewish; I don't blame him at all for being pissed, especially when the obviously bullshit concept of 'blood purity' to justify discrimination against Jewish people has been a thing since the 1400s. I doubt the mention of 'tainted blood' was unintentional.

And even beyond Cartman provoking Kyle, it's important to note that the way Kyle behaves in this episode is not his normal behavior. Were Kyle naturally aggressive, there wouldn't be a reason to differentiate him between normal Kyle and Jersey Kyle; seeing as aggressiveness is one of Jersey Kyle's primary traits, if Kyle was already aggressive, Jersey Kyle would have no point in existing.

It's a similar concept to Goth Stan; in Raisins, Matt and Trey take Stan's occasional tendency towards depression and turn it up a notch by making him a member of the Goth Kids. The same thing happens for Kyle; they take him exhibiting anger and turn it up to the next level of active aggression.

Did Kyle attack Cartman in this episode? Yes, he did. Did he attack him for less than Cartman usually says to him? Definitely; Kyle's dealt with much worse from him. But was he aggressive? No, and I'd actually say the very existence of this episode proves that Kyle isn't as aggressive as he's often made out to be.

Doubling Down (Season 21, Episode 7):

Season 21! At this point, we're pretty much in the modern era. That means we're almost done with this meta (<- lying)!

Doubling Down is the last actual episode we're going to look at. In this episode, Kyle convinces Heidi to break up with Cartman, citing his abusive behavior as a reason. She initially agrees and decides to date Kyle instead, and Cartman is furious; he responds to confronting Kyle in the school hallway and initiating a fight.

The key words here are that Cartman initiates the fight, and Kyle remains calm about it for an impressively long time. Cartman insults him and slams him into a locker, and Kyle only decides to retaliate when Cartman actively goes in to hit him. Even then, he takes him down in one punch; he doesn't shove Cartman, or kick him, or attempt to drag out the fight any longer than he has to. He ends it as swiftly as he possibly can.

Was Kyle provoked here? Definitely. It's implied he only even hit Cartman to defend himself; there's a reason he didn't try and hurt him until Cartman was swinging. Could Kyle be considered aggressive for what he did here? Definitely not.

Post Covid: Part 2

Post-Covid has a LOT to sum up, so I'm just going to sum up the part leading up to the fight; Cartman, who has seemingly converted to Judaism (which I hope we all know is absolute bullshit by now), wants to go back in time and kill Kyle to make sure he can't reunite their friend group as children. He does this under the justification of wanting to protect his family.

An important bit of context to consider here is that Kyle showed up here to stop Cartman from killing him. Did he necessarily punch Cartman in the face for that reason; maybe not, as Cartman was obviously taunting him directly beforehand, but it's worth considering. When determining whether Kyle was provoked in this scene, I ask you not only to consider Cartman's actual words - which taunt Kyle for his lack of a family - but the implications behind them.

This is Eric Cartman we're talking about - the same Cartman who's spent his entire childhood hurling antisemitic insults at Kyle, and going so far as to literally attempt genocide - and now he's calling himself a "real Jewish person". He's fetishized Judaism to the point where he's built his whole life around it after making Kyle's life absolute hell for being Jewish, and he's now rubbing it in. While simultaneously trying to send someone back in time to literally kill Kyle.

I don't think there's at all a debate on whether Kyle was justified here; responding to Cartman's antisemitic attacks is not aggressive.

Gluten-Free Ebola (Deleted Scene):

In this deleted scene, Clyde insults Kyle's startup company (from the previous episode, Go Fund Yourself) and Kyle punches him in the face. Woah, okay. Kind of an overreaction there. This is very out of character for Kyle; the HUGE majority of fights that he engages in are with Cartman after being provoked, and right now, he just clocked Clyde for a snarky comment. Wtf.

This would be great for aggressive Kyle (as his behavior up there would definitely be considered aggressive)... if the scene wasn't deleted. I don't know exactly why it was deleted, but it's worth noting that it was; I personally think it's because they acknowledged that Kyle's behavior in that scene was out of character. This is the first time (at least in fairly modern South Park era, early Season 18) where Kyle does something like this to someone he usually considers a friend with no provocation at all.

A deleted scene generally shouldn't be seriously taken into account when determining a character's personality trait, but I found the fact that it was deleted to be interesting enough to bring up!

Finally, we're done looking over the episodes: let's talk about what we've learned.

Conclusion

First, let's take a count: out of the eight non-deleted episodes I mentioned above, Kyle fits the definition of aggressive in one of them, and doesn't fit it in the other seven. Further worth noting is that the episode in which he IS aggressive is in Season 2, when Kyle's personality was not solidified yet. In fact, I'd go so far to say Kyle's behavior towards Cartman in that episode was much more similar to how Stan would behave; that's further solidified by Matt and Trey stating that Kyle was too similar to Stan before Season 6.

So, it doesn't look like Kyle really fits the definition of aggressive; he rarely if ever engages in a fight when he's not actively provoked (whether that's verbally, or with a character actually choosing to fight him), and even when he does, he typically doesn't drag it out. Kyle is not a character that relishes in fighting, or violence, or is impulsive enough to pick fights without being provoked; he simply isn't an aggressive character.

Is he an angry character? I think so! A great example of this would be in Post-Covid, when the doorbell won't shut up and he's getting increasingly pissed about it; he's absolutely prone to being riled up even by really little things, but he doesn't fight the doorbell. He interacts very politely with every person who comes to the door, even though the noise of it is pissing him off. His temper is fairly short, but he's not aggressive.

But why does it matter that we acknowledge the difference between short temperedness and aggression? Isn't it really just a difference in semantics?

No, it's not. The reason why we need to acknowledge that Kyle isn't naturally aggressive is because it plays a HUGE role in the tendency to diminish Cartman's attacks against him. If we say that Kyle is a naturally aggressive character, we can't blame Cartman's antisemitic insults for Kyle's hatred of him, and his tendency to fight him in particular; we can say that Kyle just happens to be that way, and that Cartman's insults don't actually have a significant effect on him. It forces the logical conclusion that Cartman and Kyle are actually on the same level, and that there's no difference in power between them. This is harmful for a myriad of reasons, the most obvious one being that it fuels the false concept that Cartman and Kyle are abusing each other, as opposed to Cartman merely abusing Kyle.

If Kyle attacks Cartman for no reason (which he would do, were he aggressive), then he's the abusive one. Calling Kyle aggressive hands Cartman apologists literally everything they need to claim that Cartman isn't that bad on a silver platter.

And even furthermore, calling Kyle aggressive for nearly any of the fights up there implies that someone being abused - or someone of a marginalized group - fight back against their abuser/oppressor is aggressive behavior. It's not. The word 'aggressive' carries the connotation of unprovoked behavior, and of irrationality; it's a terrible thing to imply that someone abused is for fighting back.

On the other hand, admitting that Kyle isn't an inherently aggressive character solves that issue; it acknowledges that when Kyle lashes out at Cartman, it's because of something Cartman did, as opposed to his natural personality. It acknowledges that Cartman's antisemitism is a serious issue that has legitimately traumatized Kyle.

Acknowledging the effects of Cartman's antisemitism and calling Kyle an aggressive character are not thoughts that can exist simultaneously; you have to pick one or the other, because the logical conclusion from one naturally contradicts the other.

South Park is a very long running show - there's leeway in determining personality traits for most characters. It's really hard to keep track of 25 years of character development! And the point of this essay isn't to say that Kyle is extremely passive, or that he's not opinionated, or strong, or prone to anger; he clearly is all of those things. But it is to say that Kyle's aggressiveness is not something that should should be up for debate, and that if you're about to make a post about a select number of Kyle's more 'powerful' personality traits, such as the above ones mentioned, choose your words carefully.

[mullverse]

Dark Matter, etc

I watched the first couple episodes of Dark Matter recently, and while I did, I started thinking about infinity. It’s kind of insane to think that the varieties among the different universes has something to do with conscious choice.

That wouldn’t make sense from a deterministic standpoint. Choices aren’t being made, our impulses just give the appearance of choice. We believe that we’re deciding to do things, because it’s kind of bleak to see it all as subconscious leanings based on predetermined circumstances. But study after study shows that when we have zero short term memory, we repeat an action exactly the same way every time. If our subconscious can’t learn from the outcome of our actions, we follow a set in stone deterministic path. So the illusion of choice breaks down, but the universe is unconstrained by it anyway. An infinite multiverse would therefore depend on a different source of random fluctuation to result in a splitting of universes.

I think that the multiverse is a result of the singularity being in a superposition. All possible universes formed as a result of there not being a universal standard. There’s no splitting, every universe is unique from the onset, with infinitely small variations between them, based on their proximity to each other as the universe expanded. The magnification of variance is minute, but at the macro scale, you would see the amplification of those differences, such as we portray in popular media.

So according to this hypothesis, what would happen in Dark Matter, and any other multiverse stories, like one of my all time favorite shows Sliders, would be very unlikely unless you could puncture thousands of universes in one shot. The universes merely adjoining ours would be indistinguishable from ours, the only difference might be a slight increase in the refractive properties of a silica. You might never see the difference. Universes adjoining that one are ours, and other possible atomic varieties, nested against each other.

The other consequence of this situation would be that humans would only be able to safely travel to universes where all of our constituent atoms work the same way! Otherwise you would need sufficient containment to maintain the physical laws of your universe, in a universe where they’re minutely different. Simply jumping, or say Sliding, into another macro spacial universe without that protection would result in total immediate atomic decay. No warning, no disease, just poof!

Of course, I could be wrong! It should be interesting to see if humans ever attempt to bridge the divide to another universe, like we keep dreaming of doing.

[a-midsummer-nights-dab]

Light and Shadows

To Live is the rarest thing in the World. Most people exist, that's all.

The Human Race as we know of it, can be viewed as mainly two denizenian taxa: People, and Humans. Although synonymically indifferent, the two entail a vast trench of variance amongst themselves.

The brief span of the equivalent of a drop in the ocean of time that happens to have been accorded to us, affecting it's entirety, nevertheless, is something often spent in two routes: by Existing, and by Living. People often opt for the former, choosing to be vapid than be thoughtful, to accept than to question, to travel the road oft taken. They, the multitudes of disingenuous and uninquisitive individuals of this very planet, Choose to lead a mundane existence, purely due to the pseudosecurity it entails, albeit the idiocy of the notion.

We Humans, on the contrary, are variant. We, literally, are Homo Sapiens, for we think, prod, and question the World we live in. We understand it in our own ways, on our own planes, though oftentimes dimensionally different from that of our fellow beings, and we are the ones that Endure. The ones that Carpe the Noctem. The ones that alter reality itself with what it is that we do. In effect, we are sentient, critical, ingenious, and catalytical, simply because the ordinary often happens to be insufficient.

The existence of People, in fact, is so redundant, its happenings, with very slight marginal errors, can be plotted on a Cartesian graph. They are brought into existence, they themselves try existing behind the screens of the Stage of the World, copulate and ergo, populate, age, and cease to exist in entirety. A semi-worthless entity, existence is, for it in essence, yields no result whatsoever. But us Humans, the ones that actually do Live, on the other hand, realise that Life really isn't about the ends, for we return to whence we came from. It is about the journey, the glorious, often unexpected Voyage that the soul endures, from a dawn to a dusk, along roads uncharted and seas unsailed. We often find happiness within in the most minuscule of entities, an ant scurrying along a branch, the morning dew on the Leaves of Grass, the sounds of the twilight. Even Death, to the well organised mind, is but the next great adventure, as Albus Dumbledore once said, for after the sun has set, the moon does rise.

We care, because we love. We hope, because we think. We endure, because we seek. In all of our persona, the minds and the hearts happen to be the ones often valued the most. We understand, that true happiness does not originate from greatness, but from goodness, not from intricacy, but from simplicity, and find hope and peace and love between the pages of book, which is one of the best places to just Be.

And perhaps, one day, it'll all make sense, why we Live, and why do people lead on with their miserable mugglesome existence, a pathetic and vain replication of Life as it truly is. Then again, perhaps not. It is to this very matter that Existence and Life stretch, that truly determines everything. It is up to us to decide to choose to be spectators to the play, or to be the actors on the stage, for we have indeed been gifted with the ability to think.

For as Oscar Wilde once famously said, "We are all in the Gutter, but Some of us are looking at the Stars."

Godspeed.

[shinraapologist]

time to ante up to the promised essay in your shinra post on which characters in drrr are autistic. NOW

short answer they all are. long answer with receipts under the cut (sources: my autistic ass)

mikado- has trouble navigating social situations and responding "appropriately" to them, and his vocal inflection that doesn't necessarily "match" feelings,. his special interest is the dollars and watching the interactions between them and studying what impact his actions have on them. hes just like izaya fr. i feel like the paralels between them dont get talked abt enough. mikado is izaya if he got scared straight at the end of his middle school homoromantic friendship that resulted in him being stabbed instead of going hm. this will have long term consequences on me actually

masaomi- has trouble understanding the motivations and feelings of others. he masks strongly with his confident "ladies man" persona.

anri- she has a lack of vocal inflection, doesnt make eye contact, has trouble navigating social situations, her vocal inflection doesnt necessarily "match" her feelings. she has sensory issues (wears her her hoodie dress because she likes the sensory input, not to little and not too much.) relies on a routine (nothing ever happens nothing ever changes).

celty- uses strong body language yet struggles to read the body language of others. mirrors extensively. she mirrors everyone to a degree but especially shinra and shizuo. this should not be news to anyone just LOOK at them. i love them.

her dramatic body language is 100% mirrored from shinra. since she spends a lot of time with him and he emotes so strongly she's memorized his body language in association with certain emotions and performs them when shes feeling that emotion. (in SH she's even depicted as rolling around on the floor when shes upset, which is something shinra does 18436 times.) is shown to occaisonally wear regular clothes (mostly pajamas) when shes capable of making anything with her shadow which to ME implies she's seeking the sensory input from the soft fabric. she also tends to think in extremes, everything is very black and white for her.

shinra- has trouble regulating his emotions and helps himself regulate by stimming (dancing/wiggling when hes happy, rolling on the ground when hes upset, getting very still when hes concentrating or anxious.) over emotes to match the intensity of his emotions regardless of the situation. his neutral expression and tone of voice are hyper and excitable. has trouble understanding social cues and social norms. wears the lab coat ALL the time to the point that other characters comment on it. not something a neurotypical man does. his special interests are surgery and human anatomy. he genuinely loves his job in part because even though there's an anatomy "standard" no human body ever actually looks like the illustrations. he loves to study the variances he notices in his work and loves to perfect surgical techniques.

shizuo- has trouble regulating his emotions. his neutral expression and tone is said to be flat and without affect. struggles with overstimulation (wears the blue lens sunglasses to avoid the bright sunlight, wears his vest fitted at the chest for the slight compression) (because hes TRANSGENDER and really liked how his binder felt. brought to u by me who had a phase where i was binding unsafely purely for the stim of it. dont do that btw i can no longer bind at all 🤪) he has meltdowns when he gets too overstimulated. he enjoys uneventfullness and routine but from a combination of powers that be and his tendency to escalate situations when hes upset, he doesnt get much of that. escalates situations due to losing his emotional regulation. he also has trouble reading situations as well as trauma that leads him to constantly feel on edge and anxious.

izaya- somehow the only canonically autistic character. he has a strong mask in his usual calm vaugely smug demeanor that slips when he feels strongly about something. (stomping on the cell phone, laughing when he's delighted by human behavior, punching the telephone pole.) he has very black and white thinking that often gets interpreted as being morally grey. (he is btw. literally everyone in drrr is. its the morally grey fucked up characters media idk what you want) he would describe his special interest as humanity (and does, in canon) but its more sociology and human behavior. just like shinra, hes always in that damn coat. autism behavior.

walker and erika- they are autistic in the same font. twins. besties. wear comfortable clothes for sensory reasons (although erika's interest in fashion is enough incentive for her to sometimes dress up despite the sensory issues it causes. me too tho.) both have a special interest their light novels. both dont understand social norms and theyre both aware of that and neither of them care. legends.

saburo- struggles with social interactions. special interests in his van (possibly cars in general) and ruri hijiribe. had no idea he was autistic until he met walker and erika who assumed he already knew. looked at one (1) website and suddenly his whole life made sense.

seiji- his usual speaking voice is very monotone and his facial expressions are typically pretty reserved. like izaya and celty he thinks a lot in black and white.

mairu- her speaking voice is very monotone and she doesnt tend to express her emotions outwardly. she's selectively verbal also. likes her gym clothes for sensory reasons.

kururi- autism/adhd combo platter legend and we love that for her. special interest in martial arts. she doesnt quite get social norms nor does she care.

manami- i dont have solid evidence for this one i just know that is the hairstyle of an autism hero.

kasuka- speaks in a monotone, has one facial expression, doesnt outwardly show his emotions (altho ppl close to him can still read them). doesnt comprehend neurotypical socialization but gets along really really well with other autistic people.

ruri- she is just like kasuka fr. walker and erika moment with these two.

saki- masks really heavily but is bad at it. me too girl. when shes comfortable and not masking she somehow seems less stiff.

akane- really struggles with figures of speech. hates eye contact. special interest in art and drawing and i hope she starts making art again. i love akane thats my child and the entire awakusus child and shizuos child also.

vorona- she speaks in a monotone and HATES eye contact. she gets away with not making any by always looking at her book instead. reading as a special interest. she has an amazing memory.

slon- struggles with figures of speech and emotional regulation.

kasane- also speaks in a monotone. takes everything very literally. another strong black and white thinker. special interest in cats and cat behavior. cats LOVE her. cats always love autistic legends. also the yellow pantsuit? a slay. no nt person would ever pick that up.

dokusonmaru- got it genetically from his father kasuka. also all cats are autistic inherently.

characters that arent autistic but definitely have adhd: KADOTA. aoba. mika. tom. chikage.

[joshuaalbert]

was literally like. ok not to take it TOO seriously but seeing especially early season wesley who is so caught up in being presentable and doing what everyone expects/wants of him meeting his mirror self would be Interesting Actually. BUT YOU GOT THERE BEFORE ME 🤝🫂 solidarity

oh im obsessed with taking this too seriously now so i fully encourage it but like. it's interesting because (in my professional opinion of having skimmed the comic this afternoon and of having comics formatting generally just bounce off my brain) he seems like he's actually one of the more recognizable characters between the two universes. it feels like he retains the core characteristics of “smart kid seeking approval above all else”; he’s careful to ensure he’s deferring to the correct person in situations where captaincy is disputed, he’s willing to work through injury in order to prove himself, and in the bar scene with his gay little drink, he waits for an explicit invitation to sit down with the senior officers. he doesn’t seem to have the kind of independent ambition to the point of bloodthirstiness that defines most of the mirrorverse characters. he does question the practicality of some orders, but it’s not because he’s acting out of his own self interest, and it doesn’t really stop him from buying into a cause he grew up in enough to do his job as well as he can. like.....that’s just wesley. in both universes, he is just trying to be what he feels he is expected to be.

so then i think that makes it really easy for wesley prime to separate himself out from mirror wesley on a surface level because that version plays into the look and follows these orders that seem unconscionable under wesley prime’s values, but makes it really hard to separate himself out on a deeper level if they actually have the chance to talk for any length of time. like, he’s great at denial and repression, that’s his entire fucking arc, but something would be at work subconsciously that he cannot get rid of, because it’s hard to shake the feeling that this really is just him under other circumstances despite the surface level variances. in the context of gay wesley theory, the set of rules mirrorverse wesley is following just doesn’t happen to include 24th century internalized homophobia, or at the very least a slight degree of homosexuality as ‘rebellion’ is encouraged.

[mscdatasciencecoursera2]

Week 2: Regression Modelling in Practice- Test a basic Linear Regression Model

Model Performance:

Mean Squared Error (MSE): 1.3589. This indicates the average squared difference between the observed and predicted values. A lower MSE suggests better model performance.

Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE): 1.1657. RMSE is the square root of MSE, representing the standard deviation of the residuals. It helps in understanding how much the predictions deviate from the actual data points.

R-squared (R²): 0.9827. This value indicates that 98.27% of the variability in life expectancy is explained by the predictors in the model. This high R² suggests a strong fit, meaning the model explains most of the variance in the response variable.

Coefficients Interpretation:

 Health Expenditure Per Capita (US$): A coefficient of 0.000659 suggests that, holding all else constant, a one-unit increase in health expenditure per capita is associated with an increase in life expectancy by approximately 0.000659 years. Though positive, the impact is very small per dollar.

Access to Electricity (% of Population): The coefficient is -0.004003, indicating a slight negative relationship with life expectancy. For every 1% increase in access to electricity, life expectancy decreases by about 0.004 years, which might suggest collinearity or other complex interactions with other variables.

Improved Sanitation Facilities (% of Population): A coefficient of -0.007653 indicates that as the percentage of the population with access to improved sanitation increases by 1%, life expectancy decreases slightly by about 0.0077 years.

Improved Water Source (% of Population): The positive coefficient of 0.015261 suggests that better access to improved water sources positively impacts life expectancy, with a 1% increase in access leading to an increase in life expectancy by about 0.015 years.

Fertility Rate (Total Births Per Woman): The coefficient is -0.1281, showing a negative relationship. Higher fertility rates are associated with lower life expectancy, with each additional birth per woman decreasing life expectancy by approximately 0.128 years.

Mortality Rate Under-5 (Per 1000): The coefficient is -0.0260, indicating that higher under-5 mortality rates negatively impact life expectancy. A one-unit increase in this rate decreases life expectancy by about 0.026 years.

Fixed Broadband Subscriptions (Per 100 People): The coefficient of -0.0119 suggests a slight negative relationship, where increased broadband subscriptions slightly reduce life expectancy by about 0.0119 years.

Survival to Age 65, Female (% of Cohort): A positive coefficient of 0.5028 indicates a strong positive relationship. Higher survival rates to age 65 among females are associated with an increase in life expectancy.

Rural Population (% of Total Population): The coefficient is -0.0134, suggesting that a higher rural population percentage is associated with a slight decrease in life expectancy.

GDP Per Capita (Current US$): The coefficient is -5.4523e-07, indicating a very small negative impact of GDP per capita on life expectancy, which could be due to other factors in the model.

Insights and Inference:

Strong Predictors: The survival rate to age 65 for females is the strongest predictor of life expectancy, with a significant positive impact. This suggests that regions with higher female survival rates tend to have higher overall life expectancy.

Economic and Social Indicators: While health expenditure per capita positively impacts life expectancy, its effect is minimal compared to other factors. Fertility rate and under-5 mortality rate are significant negative predictors, implying that higher fertility and child mortality rates reduce life expectancy.

Infrastructure and Access: Surprisingly, improved sanitation, water access, and electricity access have mixed effects, which might be due to multicollinearity or the interaction of these variables with others in the model.

Population Inference: Given the high R² value, the model explains a significant portion of the variance in life expectancy, making it a robust predictor. However, some coefficients' signs and magnitudes suggest the need for further exploration, potentially indicating complex interactions or collinearities within the dataset.

Policy Implications: Improving healthcare access, reducing fertility rates, and lowering child mortality should be key focus areas for policymakers aiming to improve life expectancy. Investments in female health and survival rates are particularly crucial.

[homedecor-shop-online]

Tips to use home decor items to decorate a modern home

The modern home is more than just a place to live in today's fast-paced society; it's also a haven, a showcase for one's particular style, and the centre of modern living. A contemporary home's decor should embrace simplicity, clean lines, and practical design while adding warmth and character. Adding handmade home decor items and wall décor options online for your space can be the best option.

Here are some ideas to help you create a contemporary and welcoming ambience, whether beginning from scratch or giving your home a makeover.

Types of modern home décor items to decorate and design your home

Spice up your living room, bedroom, and home corners with a few choice pieces that reflect your style.

Modern Colourful Horse Bust by Satgurus: Handmade goods frequently have slight variances, inconsistencies, and defects that are testaments to the artistry of their makers. Accept these distinctive qualities as a part of their innate beauty rather than defects. This colourful, trendy horse statue gives any room a pop of colour and modern flair.

It is a unique piece with a distinctive design and vibrant colour scheme, and its delicate craftsmanship guarantees a long-lasting display. Ideal for anyone looking for a chic and striking piece of home décor.

Ambari Elephant with Stone Work By Satgurus: Presenting the magnificent Ambari Elephant statue skillfully carved by Satguru’s using stone craftsmanship. This item, which was expertly crafted, features beautiful stonework that would elevate any area. A distinctive and striking touch can be added to a modern home by decorating it with an elephant statue.  

When adding a statue like this, consider positioning it to command attention as a focal point, like a console or side table.  This is a stunning addition for anyone who appreciates exquisite art.

Shivaji Maharaj On Singhasan in Black by Satgurus: In the sixteenth century BC, Shivaji Maharaj, a courageous Maratha monarch, defended the western regions of India against the Mughal invasion. Introducing the Shivaji statue on Singhasan. 

This bold Maratha king statue is made of resin and has a sleek black finish, giving it a regal appearance for home decor. This exquisite piece represents caution and pride. Show respect for Shivaji Maharaj while giving your interior design a refined touch.

The Namaskaram - Yoga Series 2022 by Satgurus: One excellent would be to add calm and awareness to your home is by decorating it with a Namaskar yoga statue. These exquisite sculptures, which frequently show someone in the classic namaste stance, can be arranged throughout the house to create a relaxing atmosphere. To give your area a unique touch, try your hand at some of the specially crafted, hand-painted ceramic statues.

Show off your passion for exercise and yoga with this lovely statue of a yoga asana. One common location for the statue is on a bookshelf or side table, which can be a beautiful addition to your yoga room. To further improve the contemplative atmosphere, consider arranging the statue creatively with other natural objects like plants, candles, or crystals.

Winding Up

Achieving the ideal balance between form and function, sophistication and simplicity, minimalism, and personality is crucial when decorating a modern home. There are several home decor shops in Mumbai, but decorating your home with decor items from Satguru's is the best option. You can also shop online and get your items home-delivered.

Satguru's is your one-stop shop for home décor and ideas on what to give your loved ones as gifts. This online store prioritises quality above all else, so you can be sure you'll receive the best. Visit Satguru's and check out some of its excellent home decor collections online.

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Hart and Hunter - Chapter 13 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Julian Hart

After a brief argument over who will drive what, Halloran and I ride with Dane while Ingrid insists she can handle my beetle.

It's only about a ten-mile drive to Chloe's house but a 1968 VW is not the car I'd pick for my first time driving manual and all I can do is I pray my transmission gets home in one piece.

No one says much on the way.

Halloran sits in the back seat with his eyes closed and I'm too focused on the pain in my arm to make conversation.

Dane keeps glancing at me, probably ready to turn around and speed for the hospital at the first sign of distress, so I keep my mouth shut, not trusting myself to speak.

Chloe and Grace greet us when we arrive and Chloe insists on assessing our injuries before we're even out of the car.

"You don't happen to have kept the knife, did you?" she asks, examining Halloran's wound.

He produces it from his pocket and she inspects it carefully.

It's about six inches long, including the hilt and has a slight curve to it.

Intricate, vine-like engravings cover the handle and trail down the blade.

"Appears to be solid silver," she says admiringly.

"Blade is roughly... ten centimeters. How deep did it go?"

"To the hilt, I think," Halloran says, biting back a sound of pain as she presses lightly on the skin surrounding the wound.

"It's nearly stopped bleeding," she says.

"And you've got a good layer of muscle. Still, it's nothing to take lightly. I can disinfect the wound and close it up but you should see a doctor as well."

"You're likely right," Halloran says, smiling grimly.

"Though I've had worse and cared for it less."

Chloe moves on to me and gently examines my wrist.

"Everything's where it should be, at least," she says.

"But you've probably got at least one hairline fracture. Probably not serious but you should get an x-ray to be sure. For the moment, I can immobilize it and give you something for the pain and swelling. Come on inside and let's get you both cleaned up."

In short order, we're situation in her living room.

Ingrid helps Grace prepare some coffee and light sandwiches, while Chloe washes her hands and lays out what she'll need.

She starts with Halloran, helping him to remove his shirt and cleansing the area around the wound.

Then, with deft and practiced motions, she disinfects and sutures the wound shut before taping a bandage over the site.

"You're sure you're not a doctor?" Halloran asks, admiring the neat work and Chloe smiles.

"No. I'm more interested in alternative healing, really but practical skills come in useful from time to time."

"I can imagine," he says, glancing my way.

At my side, Dane stiffens and I reach over to grasp his hand with my uninjured one, sensing the guilt already setting to work in him.

Accident or not, he'll be blaming himself for hurting me, nonetheless.

Finished with Halloran, Chloe moves on to me and as she gently cleans and immobilizes my wrist with a brace, I study the other man more carefully.

From the way Ingrid and Dane have been staring since they caught up to us, I get the sense that his 'glamour' has slipped and they now see him as I do or near enough that there's no denying the resemblance.

He looks a lot like my father, in fact, except his eyes are blue instead of amethyst like mine, which makes sense except.

"How old are you?" I ask, wincing as Chloe carefully manipulates my arm and places an ice pack under my wrist.

Halloran gives me a crooked smile and swipes sweat-dampened hair away from his brow with a slightly shaking hand.

"It's difficult to say, really, with the time variance between realms. I'm what we call a 'world walker' one who spends about equal time in this world as I do in Faerie. When I'm here, I call Ireland home and I earn my living as a detective there. Everything I told you about myself and why I'm here is true."

"You just forgot to mention we're related," I say drily.

Grace and Ingrid join us then, carrying trays with coffee and sandwiches, expressions of intense interest lighting their faces and Halloran sighs.

"I'd have gotten around to it but I'm sorry it came out the way it did. It must be a shock."

"I thought my grandmother was dead," I say, shaking my head.

"If she's alive, where has she been? What was she doing creeping around in those tunnels and why did she throw a knife at you?"

Halloran turns the silver blade over in his hands, studying it thoughtfully.

"To understand that, you'll have to understand the history as well. How much do you know of Faerie?"

"Not much," I admit and he nods.

"I'll start at the beginning, then. 'Faerie' is what your more philosophical physicists might call a parallel dimension. It exists alongside this world, occupying more or less the same space and time. All around the globe, there are special places 'thin places' where, if one knows how, one may pass between the two."

"You said something about an 'underworld' in the cave,' I say.

"Is that part of Faerie, too?"

"No. It's a third space, yet another 'dimension' if you will. We call it the 'underworld' or the 'shadowlands.' On earth and in Faerie, thin places are stable, once you know where they are, you can find them again. In the underworld, they come and go, disappearing and reappearing randomly. It's easy enough to enter but quite difficult to leave. Traditionally, it's served as a useful place to banish people who need to be punished with something other and possibly worse, than death. For example, Rogue wolf-slayers who happen to be the niece of the Summer Queen."

"Rhiannon," Dane mutters, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"What did she do?"

"Well, that..." Halloran says with another sigh.

"Is a long and very sad story, indeed."

[college-buz]

Electoral Bonds Struck Down Ahead Of Polls In Big Supreme Court Order

In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court today struck down the electoral bonds scheme for political funding, holding that it violates the citizens' right to information. The electoral bonds scheme, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, was unconstitutional and arbitrary and may lead to a quid pro quo arrangement between political parties and donors.

The Constitution bench of five judges held that the stated objective of fighting black money and maintaining the confidentiality of donors cannot defend the scheme. Electoral bonds, the court said, are not the only way to curb black money.

The Chief Justice of India said State Bank of India shall stop issue of these bonds at once and provide details of donations made through this mode to the Election Commission of India. The poll body was asked to publish this information on its website by March 13.

The five-judge bench, also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, came up with a unanimous decision. "We have arrived at a unanimous decision. There are two opinions, one by myself and another by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Both arrive at the same conclusion. There is a slight variance in the reasoning," the Chief Justice of India said.

The electoral bonds scheme was introduced in 2018 with the stated objective of blocking black money from entering the political system. Then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had then said the conventional practice of political funding in India was cash donations. "The sources are anonymous or pseudonymous. The quantum of money was never disclosed. The present system ensures unclean money coming from unidentifiable sources. It is a wholly non-transparent system," he had then said. On the confidentiality clause, he had said the disclosure of the donors' identity would make them go back to the cash option.

Soon after the scheme was implemented, multiple parties challenged it in court. These included CPM, Congress leader Jaya Thakur and non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms. They argued that the confidentiality clause came in the way of the citizen's right to information.

Senior Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for ADR, said the bonds promote corruption as they are opaque and anonymous. "The bonds do not allow a level-playing field between political parties which are ruling versus political parties which are in the Opposition or between political parties and independent candidates." He also said ever since this scheme was introduced, contributions made through this donation method had exceeded all other modes.

In fact, the Election Commission, too, had opposed the scheme when it was brought, calling it a "retrograde step" with regard to transparency in political funding. Later

The government had gone all out to defend the scheme in the Supreme Court. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta had said it was a deliberate attempt to ensure that funding received by political parties was clean money. He had said disclosing the donor's identity could disincentivise the whole process. "Suppose, as a contractor, I donate to the Congress Party. I do not want the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to know because it might form a government," he had said. When the court asked how this confidentiality can be reconciled with the voters' right to information, Mr Mehta had replied that voters do not vote on the basis of who is funding which party but on ideology, principles, leadership and efficiency of a party.

Countering the right to information argument, Attorney General of India R Ventakaramani had said there "can be no general right to know anything and everything without being subjected to reasonable restrictions". "Secondly, the right to know as necessary for expression can be for specific ends or purposes and not otherwise," he had said.

The Supreme Court also struck down the amendments to company and tax laws. Earlier, companies needed to be at least three years old to donate and had to disclose the amount and name of the party to which it was donating. These conditions that ensured transparency in corporate donations were done away with under the new law.

"A company has graver influence on the political process than contributions by individuals. Contributions by companies are purely business transactions. Amendment to Section 182 Companies Act is manifestly arbitrary for treating companies and individuals alike," the court said.

"Before the amendment, loss making companies were not able to contribute. The amendment does not recognise the harm of allowing loss-making companies to contribute due to quid pro quo. The amendment to Section 182 Companies Act is manifestly arbitrary for not making a distinction between loss making and profit making companies," the court added.

[freddie-data-analysis]

Milestone Assignment 3: Preliminary Results

Results

Summary Statistics

The summary statistics from my preliminary analysis show that my target variable, out-of-pocket health expenditure, has a mean of 31.39%, a standard deviation of 17.44%, and a range of 74.36%. FDI has a mean of 5.74%, a standard deviation of 11.78% and a range of 147.76%. GDP per capita has a mean of $14,751.38, a standard deviation of $21,611.52, and a range of $148,916.56. Under-5 Mortality rate has a mean of 35.93 per 1,000, a standard deviation of 35.46, and a range of 170.1. Finally, population aged 65 and older has a mean of 8%, a standard deviation of 5.4% and a range of 23.44%.

Bivariate Analysis

The scatterplot for the association between GDP per capita and Out-of-pocket health expenditure shows that, despite a lot of variability in the lower income ranges, there is a moderately strong negative relationship, as the correlation coefficient of -0.43 indicates. The p-value of 9.14e-11 tells us that this result is statistically significant.

The scatterplot for the association between FDI and Out-of-pocket health expenditure shows almost no relationship between the two variables. The correlation coefficient of -0.10 tells us that the relationship is negative but very weak. The p-value of 0.13 tells us that this is not statistically significant.

The scatterplot for the association between Under-5 Mortality Rate and Out-of-pocket health expenditure shows that although there is a lot of variability, there is a slight positive relationship between the two variables. The correlation coefficient of 0.35 tells us that the positive relationship is weak to moderate and the p-value of 2.02e-07 tells us that this finding is statistically significant.

The scatterplot for the association between Population Aged 65 And Above and Out-of-pocket health expenditure shows a lot of variation but a negative relationship between the two variables. The correlation coefficient of -0.32 tells us that the negative relationship is moderately strong and the p-value of 2.91e-06 tells us that this finding is statistically significant.

Multivariable

The results of the Lasso regression analysis indicate that GDP per capita is the best predictor of out-of-pocket health expenditure, followed by FDI, Under-5 Mortality Rate, and then Population Aged 65 and Above.

The MSE for the training set and test set are fairly close, indicating that our model is fairly well fit, although the training MSE is lower so it is more accurate at predicting the percent of health expenditure that comes out of people’s pockets than the test set. The r-squared for the training set tells us that the selected data explains 22.6% of the variance in out-of-pocket health expenditure. It is significantly greater than the r-squared for the test set, telling us that the model is likely overfit.

The above graph shows us that as variables are added to the model the regression coefficient for GDP per capita, the orange line, decreases, as does FDI, the blue line. The green line, Under-5 Mortality Rate, increases as variables are added but with a much lesser slope than the other two.

The above graph shows us that as variables are added to the model, mean squared error first decreases until it levels out around 250. The slope of these curves are not very significant, telling us that most of the explanatory variables probably are not good predictors of the target variable and don’t do much to improve the accuracy of the model.

[kamana-mishra]

Difference between Murder and Culpable Homicide

Students often get confused between culpable homicide and Murder. These two concepts are relatably different. There is a thin line that separates the two of them. This frequently causes problems for advocates and legal professionals when deciding how to present the case because of the slight variance. Culpable homicide and murder concepts are important for law postgraduate and judiciary exams.

We have outlined the differences in this article and provided a clear explanation. Therefore, this article would be your pinnacle if you were aiming for either of these two examinations. So, let’s get started!

Culpable Homicide

The word “culpable” comes from the Latin word “CULPE,” which signifies punishment. The Latin word “HOMO + CIDA,” which means “human being + killing,” is where the term “homicide” originates.

According to Section 299 of The Indian Penal Code, 1860, “whoever causes death by doing an act with the intention of causing death or with the intention of causing such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, or with the knowledge that he is likely to cause death by such act, commits the offence of culpable homicide.”

Murder

The Germanic word “morth,” which denotes a covert killing, is where the word “murder” started. Murder is only an aggregated form of culpable homicide. Murder is defined as killing a person by another person or a group of people who have the deliberate intent to take the life of the former.

If an offence does not contain one that qualifies as culpable homicide under the IPC definition of “murder,” it does not constitute “murder.” All killings are punishable by law, but not all homicides are murders. Murder is covered in Sections 299 and 300 of the Indian Penal Code.

Example

A sharp weapon was used by an offender, “X”, on “Y’s” essential organ. The perpetrator is also aware that his actions will result in death. Naturally, Y will die as a result of this damage. This type of death is referred to as “murder.”

On the other hand, Y killed X with a blunt instrument like a stick or stone. The likelihood of causing mortality is lower since injuries are more likely to occur in the strong parts of the body. This type of death is known as a Culpable Homicide.

“Every murder is culpable homicide, but every culpable homicide is not murder.”

The assertion that every murder is a culpable homicide but not every culpable homicide is the distinction between culpable homicide and murder, which explains murder.

As was already said, murder is simply an aggravated version of culpable homicide, regarded as the first degree of culpable homicide.

Culpable homicide takes murder’s special characteristics. The concept of the gravity of the purpose serves as the foundation for the distinction between culpable homicide and murder.

Reading the word “likely,” which signifies one probability that it may or may not cause death, in section 299, will reveal the degree of guilt. It is a component that draws attention to the fact that there is uncertainty regarding whether the accused’s alleged deed killed the deceased or not.

While there is no room for ambiguity on the part of the accused in a murder case as defined by section 300 of the IPC, the accused is certain that his act would undoubtedly result in death.

The degree of responsibility makes a significant difference; when the probability of death is great, murder is considered; when it is low, culpable homicide is considered.

Knowing whether the accused’s actions “caused” the victim’s death is crucial for assigning an act under the culpable homicide statute.

Understanding and interpreting the second key distinction between Knowledge and Intention is important. In the case of Basdev v. Pepsi, the Supreme Court considered the distinction between the two and determined that a motive causes a man to form an intention. Understanding the effects of one’s actions is known as knowledge. In many situations, intention and knowledge are interchangeable terms that essentially mean the same thing, and knowledge can be used to infer intention. Although the distinction between knowledge and intention is tenuous, it is clear that they signify different things.

Meaning of beyond reasonable doubt

Real and reasonable doubt is required to prevent the conviction of guilt. The trial judge must rule against the party with the burden of proof if the evidence raises questions in his or her view. The adjudication panel has a duty to acquit the accused if it cannot decide with certainty whether or not the accused is guilty.

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