Interesting thing about Jolly Rogers is that people attribute them to specific famous pirates but very few of them can be confirmed as being used by each purported pirate. Some of my favorites from left to right: brethren of the coast, Stede Bonnet, and Thomas Tew.
This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.
The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.
I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.
She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.
Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.
When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.
Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):
50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.
I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.
The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.
We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.
This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.
You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.
To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.
As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.
It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.
Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️
Ah yes, human economics. Very fascinating. Very concerning.
*wheeze*
“Who does Earth owe $350 trillion to?”
Mostly itself.
You owe money to pension funds, banks, insurance companies, investment funds, foreign governments, central banks, corporations, and millions of individual investors.
*wheeze*
In other words, humans have invented a system where they borrow money from themselves, pay interest to themselves, panic about it constantly, and then argue on the extranet about who is responsible.
As a Vølüs, I find this arrangement delightfully profitable.
The more interesting question is not who you owe. The question is whether the debt grows faster than the economy that supports it.
* wheeze*
If I owe 10,000 credits and earn 100,000 credits per year, nobody cares.
If I owe 10,000 credits and earn 12 credits per year, suddenly C-Sec starts asking questions.
Hah hah hah…* wheeze*
So when a human says, “We owe $350 trillion! Who do we owe it to?”
The answer is:
“Mostly other humans. The real question is whether future humans can keep making enough money to convince everyone not to panic.”
* wheeze*
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have several sovereign debt instruments to sell to the Elcor. They take a very long-term view of investments.
Westminster realising their billion pound propaganda machine is going to be derailed over and over again by some derisive variant of "I don't think they were" or "I don't think they have, mate" that was uttered by an organ of the state itself until they go mad.
Fate loves irony.
“If killing babies bad, how come I can lie to you?” has gotta be the dumbest pro-abortion argument of all time. That’s saying a lot cause all their arguments are incredibly stupid.
Wokeness is the most successful rebranding of evil in human history
It takes racism, division, and hatred, wraps them in the language of compassion and justice, and calls it moral progress
It made people cheer for the destruction of their own societies while feeling morally superior for doing it
Haven't watched Mindhunter but BTK was possessed by a demon as well. Something that doesn't get mentioned much. Most serial killers are btw. That or involved in some form of satanism/occult shit. There's also a fairly strong correlation with serial killers and military/intel.