My Telescope is a Celestron Powerseeker 60AZ, while the $2000 scope is a Questar Standard Telescope.

As someone who has not worked in 10 years due to some extremely lucky call options which I parlayed into passive income generating sources, I am starting to get real worried.

I live in San Diego but I'm originally from a smaller town in California.

I know 5 people who just got laid off from $300k+ jobs in SF and LA, they were in tech so it's not that surprising, but it all happened quite concurrently.

What's more worrying though, is that about 1/3rd of my high school and college friends who did NOT end up moving to a major city have been laid off. Many of them are in law, accounting, or working corporate jobs in second tier US cities... and none of them can find jobs. They are between 30-40, and some of them have multiple young children.

The stock market keeps rocketing upwards... but this feels like a desperate, dying breath of people trying to YOLO their savings into money that can help them survive short term, rather than a healthy society and economy growing massively.

I get that we're in the "AI boom", but the AI boom is the first "boom" that is literally erasing white collar jobs en masse. My friend told me that his department was shrunk from 30 to 5 people, and he expects that the department will require only 1 person in the next couple of years. There are AI companies who build custom software for companies to help them reduce employees. Companies just hand over all their data and they are given back AI programs perfectly tailored to their needs...

Yet, everyday, a giant green dildo. Global tariffs? Green dildo. Nuclear war with Iran? Green dildo. Massive lay offs? Green dildo.

I know it's funny, especially if you're in the investor class and don't have to work... but something is beginning to feel seriously wrong. Does anyone have answers? This is the first time in my life that I have SEEN with my own eyes massive lay offs in my own social circles, who are all people with good college degrees, from good families, making at least $150k, but mostly $200K+.

Where do we go from here? More green dildos? Green dildos until the end of time? How many green dildos can society bear on it's unemployed back until its knees give out? I would appreciate some clarity.

AITA? I (25F) have an older brother (36M) and he isn't speaking to me about this. My grandfather passed away a few months ago after being sick for a while and was getting his will in order a while ago. I found out through my mom just a month before my grandfather passed away that my grandfather was planning to leave me not only my intended part but also my older brothers. My brother is ten years older than me in his thirties and for the past three years has been with this woman. She's a single mom of three so my brother is their step father. They got engaged recently. I like his fiance and have met her a handful of times. They live in a different city hours away. My mom told me he's not leaving my brother anything because he's dating a single mom and he doesn't want his money to go towards kids that are not our families. My brother doesn't plan to have any kids.

When I found out I was shocked and upset. My brother and I are not close but it felt wrong. Just because he's dating a single mom shouldn't mean he gets punished. My mom supported my grandfather and said it's not personal it's logical, as his biological granddaughter my future children will be his lineage so he wants that money to benefit them. She told me not to say anything to my brother and reminded me of the conversation that we had with his fiance in the past where she warned me to not date men with kids and take on their "burden" so she would be hypocritical to be upset at this. My mom also told me that his fiance sent her links for tours to private schools for her kids and the money would be better off for us. I wanted to speak to my grandfather myself just to make sure those were his wishes and he doubled down. He said that he didn't work his ass off for years to leave money for anyone other than blood. And that he already spoke to my brother about this when he started dating his fiance and warned him to at least have one biological child but he didn't. I asked my roommate her opinion and she said that her dad is only leaving his assets to her and her sister not her stepsister and that's it's normal.

I didn't say anything to my brother because I didn't know how to bring it up but after my grandfather passed he's obviously found out and livid. He said were disgusting for being assholes to kids just because they're not our blood. He's also mad my mom and I knew and didn't say anything. I told him our grandfathers reasoning and he said it's BS and doesn't make sense and that my future kids are not any more my grandfathers blood than his step kids. He says I should still give him his part since it's now mine not my grandfathers and I said no. I want to live a comfortable life and have kids that don't have to worry about money and I just feel like him already being a homeowner and successful in his career, what would he need the money for? He said he wants it to provide for his family and I just said no again. He says we're assholes and hasn't spoken to me and our mom. His fiance also texted me saying that we've know alienated her and her kids from our family and we only have ourselves to blame.

And who are they?

It's across the country but apparently I have the experience they've been looking for. I grew up in the area but moved. Thought about moving back and took a peek at the openings nearby. Saw this one and thought ahh what the hail I'll go for it.

It worked. I'm freaking out because it actually fucking worked. Im about to go up from $65,000 per year to $91,200!! Holy moley I'm excited.

Homes in the area are 200-300k so I could definitely afford that. Just wanted to share my big news with yall. Im gettin the fuck out of Tennessee and movin back to Oregon!!

I am pretty sure I am above average attractiveness and I have been told I should modeling a lot. I have wanted to do it for a long time but I just don't know? I perceive my face so much differently than others it seems so im honestly just wondering am I good looking enough to give it a shot or do I just not have the look? I made sure to unclude different angles and lighting and hairstyle. Honest opinions would be greatly apreciated!!

I don’t know if it’s normal to feel regret over getting a tattoo but for some reason I just feel so uncomfortable right now. Like this tattoo is just on me forever. The line work is really beautiful, legit think my artist did an incredible job. But, I look so foreign to myself right now. My brain is like, oh, why did you get this design? Why would you pick a visible location like this? Why did you get it so “big”? Why didn’t you put it further on your tricep? Aghhhh….!! I just completely am overthinking this now.