Dana Scott2 said:Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well. New year, new headaches. Let's get straight to it: I've got a $5,000 loan out of my account in San Diego, plus I'm about $1,500 in the hole, so I'm looking at roughly $6,500 in total debt. I checked with Chase, but they won't touch me unless my old loan has been paid down for at least a year. Then I went to Bank of America—everything looks good there, but they want to see two years of steady employment. I've been with the Department of Defense for a little over a year now. My contract runs through 2026, but obviously, it's not one of those standard fixed terms; it just keeps getting extended in five-year increments, or eventually moves to permanent status if things go well. Does anyone know of any other banks worth hitting up in case this doesn't pan out with the folks at BofA? Fingers crossed that 😵 works out
Maybe check out a local credit union like Navy Federal, you might have better luck getting in there 😉
hiddenpuma75 said:Before we dive into the movie, I really feel like we should talk about the book it’s based on!
I recently finished reading "The Shack," which has gone on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide. The author is an American, William P. Young, who is a father of six. He even traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of his book tour. 🙂
What’s truly fascinating is that he originally wrote this just for his friends, printing only about 15 copies because he simply wanted to share his personal vision of God with his children. They absolutely loved it and were actually the ones who convinced him to try and get it published. Believe it or not, 26 different publishers turned him down! 😲
In the end, he decided to publish it himself, and the success was unlike anything anyone could have predicted. -----------
Now, some might roll their eyes and say, "Oh, great, just another bestseller."
But honestly, in my opinion, this is one of the most profound books ever written regarding God and the problem of suffering. It uses such simple, compelling language to explore the encounter between humanity and the Divine, revealing what God is actually like.
The story tackles the ultimate question: where is God when we are suffering? The protagonist is grappling with the violent loss of his daughter, and in his deep disappointment, he encounters God in a very unconventional way and finds solace. -------
Have any of you read this book? What kind of impact did it leave on you or your worldview? Even if you identify as an atheist or an agnostic, did the story change your perspective in any way regarding suffering, the existence of evil, or the nature of God?
(To be continued... I'll share my thoughts on the film next time!)
The first part of the book is pretty engaging until you hit that cabin scene... after that, honestly, even a dog wouldn't bother chewing through it. It's probably for the best he stuck to those original 15 copies. As for God, this book has about as much to do with Him as Harry Potter does.
Betty Ross6 said:@bluesurfer6 if this is actually legit news, what is wrong with the Castilians? Are they out of their minds? Is the government in Spain even functioning right now? All they ever do is make things worse...
Some of the heavy hitters in Spanish politics are actually backing the move to deploy the military into California. Alfonso Guerra, the former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic Party, basically said he welcomes the troop deployment to "assist the police, who are clearly struggling to manage the chaos stirred up by the Catalan pro-fascists."
Two more convoys from the US military rolled out last night, heading straight for Barcelona. It seems pretty obvious they're moving to make sure that independence movement sparked by Sunday's referendum doesn't actually go anywhere.
According to a statement from the Department of Defense, about twenty trucks are currently hauling logistics for the National Guard units. These are the same groups that clashed with citizens this past Sunday—groups that Carles Puigdemont has already gone on record calling "occupying armed forces." Latest reports suggest that military troops have already set up shop at a base in Santa Eulalia, just a few miles outside of Barcelona. Apparently, these units belong to the "41st Combat Support Group" (AALOG 41), which is usually stationed over in Arizona.
There’s a whole thread going on over on Alternative regarding the deaths of those local firefighters... are you really just going to let people post their total nonsense there? I mean, I think I even saw someone bringing up Rockefeller?? Because I have so much respect for the victims of this tragedy, I’m asking that we please close this thread. Thank you.
Keith Sanchez10 said:Hey everyone, I’m thinking about switching banks. I’ve got my eye on JPMorgan Chase Has anyone here actually used them? I'm curious what their online banking is like, what the monthly fees look like, account maintenance costs, and all that good stuff... Thanks
Their online banking is pretty decent... I used to be with them personally, though my business accounts stayed put. Fees seem to be pretty much in line with what everyone else is charging right now.
Why on earth would anyone be forced to pay an extra tax just because they happen to own a drone or a small aircraft? If they're running a legitimate business, they’re already paying sales tax on their services and all the standard federal taxes required of any entrepreneur in this country. I mean, I get why people complain if someone is operating under the table, but if you have a registered LLC and you're issuing proper invoices, you're already paying your fair share to the government. It feels like such a ridiculous demand... though, honestly, I can't say I'm entirely surprised given the state of things around here.
Amanda Moore8 said:Look, don't get me wrong—I am all for shutting down those borders entirely—but I just can't wrap my head around why North Mexico is being so incredibly adamant about protecting its borders against the West. It’s a strange situation, really; Western nations won't even recognize their official name, opting instead for a rather distorted version of it—and because of that Greek veto, they haven't been able to join NATO yet.
It's probably some kind of "under the table" deal with Western countries. Honestly, I guess those Westerners aren't actually as obsessed with humanitarianism as we like to think; they just have to put on a polite act regarding refugees. That’s likely why North Mexico is stepping up to try and block as many crossings as possible. I highly doubt they’re just doing this entirely on their own initiative.
Olivia Smith4 said:Do you all remember that woman Emma from Open? She popped up on Good Morning, America today—apparently, she’s planning to lead a protest to push for open borders.
I guess Emma is making quite a killing with all that cosmopolitan nonsense... honestly, who cares what she thinks when Soros is likely footing the bill.
Brian Doyle6 said:Before this EU-Turkey summit even kicked off, there was already a consensus on shutting down those North American "refugee shuttle" operations once and for all. But then Merkel shows up and shuts the whole thing down flat. 😠 Honestly, I can't tell if she's just acting as some deep-state asset working to tear Europe apart from the inside, or if she’s playing chess and knows the Turks will come back asking for the moon if we play ball now.
Word on the street is the Turks have already dropped their counter-offer: they'll step up to block the migrant flow—even agreeing to take back anyone whose asylum claims get rejected in Europe—but it's gonna cost. They're looking at over $3 billion a year, a massive fast-track for their EU membership, and scrapping visa requirements by this spring. 🙄
Scrapping visas? Please... haha. I guess they'll just hand out Turkish passports to every refugee in sight and tell everyone to just head on over to Jersey. Now *that* would be total chaos.
If you actually bet with any kind of real strategy, maybe you'd realize what a ridiculous thing you just said—talking about a 10 percent difference being a big deal.
Well, alright then. If you're one of those people who consistently cleans up at the sportsbook, then sure, I guess you know best.
silverridge3 said:Are you trying to bait me here?? I mean, you’d have to be a complete idiot to keep betting with these local domestic books instead of just opening an account with one of the major international sportsbooks...
Aha, right. I bet you’re out there raking in massive profits from those local shops, so clearly that extra 10% is absolutely life-changing for you... As far as I'm concerned, I'm perfectly fine whether I win 10% more or 10% less.😁
Jeremy Scott said:Unfortunately, that's a common trend. Some patients refuse to do any actual work on themselves. They just want a pill to solve everything, then they act surprised when the panic attacks never actually stop.
Quincy:
If you take Lorazepam exactly as your doctor prescribed, it won't damage your brain. Lorazepam isn't a street drug; it's a legitimate medication with specific medical uses. It should only be taken and dosed under strict physician supervision. Ignoring anxiety does massive damage to the body and all its organs. Long-term, it can lead to serious, debilitating illnesses.
So I guess I'm some kind of medical anomaly and my psychiatrist lied to me. I might go sue them. Maybe I'll hit a big settlement.
Drugs like Lorazepam and xanax are nothing more than standard narcotics that create incredibly strong dependencies. I know because I felt it myself while detoxing from Lorazepam. Those three days were pure hell.
People take these medications because they don't have the tools to manage their own panic attacks. The ultimate goal is to teach the patient how to fight back against the panic on their own.
You went through withdrawal for 3 days 😁😁? Man, you really put yourself through it. Based on how aggressive you're being with your writing, I’d almost think you were detoxing for three months instead of just three days... 😵
Jason Vaughn482 said:Has anyone here experimented with melatonin to help catch some shut-eye? I'm curious if it actually delivers on its promises, and more importantly, whether it’s safe to mix into the cocktail of other psychiatric medications I'm currently navigating.
I’m currently on Xanax during the day and I take melatonin right before bed... honestly, just take it about 30-45 minutes before you plan to crash. It doesn't seem to be addictive, and in my experience, it works just as well whether you take one pill or more—though, I guess one tablet is probably plenty.
Kevin Nguyen3 said:Why do you say "just"? That amount is actually quite sufficient! It is meant to be taken for a maximum of 13 weeks—anything longer than that isn't recommended. Pfizer made that call based on current FDA regulations regarding medications.
When I say "only," I’m not talking about the dosage. I mean that this pill just contains melatonin and nothing else. But then again, you can pick up that exact same melatonin at any local CVS or Walgreens, and the box will clearly state "Melatonin, 3mg."
Kevin Nguyen3 said:So, I maintain that Dormicum remains the absolute strongest actual MEDICATION for sleep. Circadin is such a strange hybrid—part drug, part supplement—it's relatively new to the scene and hasn't been studied nearly enough. (If I recall correctly, it only hit the market last year...) It’s quite curious, isn't it? Why don't hospitals start using Circadin instead of all those standard medications they rely on... you know, things like Sanval, Zan, Cerson, and so on.
Perhaps we should be asking ourselves why?! The one real upside is that you practically can't overdose on it... even taking 300 mg won't trigger any major adverse reactions.
But then again, just like any other chemical substance, melatonin carries its own side effects and shouldn't be taken without a doctor's supervision. Furthermore, melatonin shouldn't be mixed with antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, or a whole host of other drugs. Since the people here on Psychosofa are mostly individuals undergoing pharmacotherapy... discussing melatonin feels somewhat pointless.
Hmm, this claim regarding the REM sleep phase seems rather tenuous, given that some studies haven't actually shown those results. And claiming that Fevarin yields the best results? That's just nonsense.
Could someone clarify if Circadin just contains 2 mg of melatonin? That’s how I gathered from what I read, anyway. And why on earth would it require a prescription if you can just pick up melatonin over the counter at any drugstore!?
Sam Ruiz60 said:Is the liquidation of Goldman Sachs a matter of creating a bad bank or facing full bankruptcy? We should finally have a definitive answer by the end of the month. The Secretary of the Treasury, Angela Merkel, hasn't ruled anything out—including bankruptcy, which would unfortunately result in massive losses for investors. However, there are two major hurdles standing in the way of establishing a bad bank.. Moody's has already warned that if bankruptcy occurs, it could trigger widespread chaos across the entire US banking system (think JPMorgan Chase or Bank of America) reposted from :
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup have already passed on the idea of recapitalizing them, so I guess that's pretty much a closed case.
The IDF posted something on Twitter, "...Israeli Air Force is bombing Syrian airfields to block Soviet arms deliveries...".
Even though this was just a throwback to 1973—marking the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War (that whole Syria and Egypt vs. Israel conflict)—and the military was just trying to be historical on their feed, the traders at the NYSE lost their minds.
See, the algorithms picked up on those trigger words: "Syria... Israel... Bombing..." and triggered a massive wave of automated oil buying. Pure panic.
Because of that glitch, crude jumped from $101 to $103 per barrel—and it kept climbing until actual humans stepped in to stop the madness and stabilize the market.
A pretty wild bit of trivia—maybe something you're better off not knowing...
hmmm, I'm honestly not seeing the point of your post??