Section Zero: Background
Hello all, happy hoildays! I stumbled upon this subreddit not long ago and have enjoyed the commentary and experiences everyone's shared. Wanted to add another perspective from a mid-30s first-gen American. I've had some missteps regarding careers and finances, but I feel like I'm in a slightly better place now. I tried YNAB in the past but I wasn't consistent enough with it. These days I use Mint to monitor my finances and have a "Finance Friday" each month to review all my accounts and spending. I currently live with my partner TJ and his dog RR. We do not combine finances, but he has been unemployed since March. I have helped him with some bills and basic necessities here and there until he finds his next job or career.
My current financial goals are to just maintain a status quo and not get any debt until pandemic times are over. Then I will focus on a house remodeling fund and savings for taking care of my parents.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances? My parents taught us about money from a frugal perspective. They are immigrants who worked in food service/factories. There was always this “save save save” mentality. Even when they started their own small business, we saved like there was no tomorrow. In high school, my calculus teacher bought us all “The Millionaire Next Door” book and had us read it as an assignment - that was my first structured introduction to finances.
Did you worry about money growing up? No, there was always food on the table and a roof over our heads. I knew that our extended family would support us if needed.
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it? Yes. My dad didn’t finish the high school-equivalent in their country, while my mom did finish high school, but no college. My older and younger siblings took a different path in life after high school. I am the first and only in my family to graduate from college. My parents covered all tuition for my two bachelor degrees with the agreement that I support them fully during their retirement and send them gifts/extra money whenever I can. I feel very lucky and privileged that they were able to provide that education for me.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net? 24 when I went on a work holiday abroad. My family was always available to help when needed, but the experience abroad helped me stand on my own feet. As an adult, I also inherited that “save” mentality and put a lot of my earnings towards savings. I didn’t date until my 30s, lived frugally, didn’t go out to eat/hangout with people, shopped thrift stores, and had very few hobbies. I am starting to “live a little” now though.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? Aside from the tuition, my parents have helped with a down payment for my first house and living costs during periods of unemployment.
​
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance
If the place I was working at offered a 401k, I would always contribute up to the company match. I started my IRA in my mid-20s and would try to contribute the yearly max. I've stopped that the past 2-3 years though. My Other Brokerage is some play money, but I got tired of staring it and switched to index funds. I haven't contributed anything to it in a few years.

• 401k: $34,127 (5% company match on contributions)
• Brokerage: $22,421 ESPP
• Roth IRA: $40,615 VTIVX
• Rollover IRA: $15,760 VTTHX
• Other Brokerage: $7,235 VTI
• Coinbase: $1,286 ETH (mostly just playing around with it)

Equity if you're a homeowner
Purchased my first home for $382,000 with 20% down, right before lockdown earlier this year. Perfect timing, right?? I plan to live here until my retirement. My parents contributed $15k while I used most of my savings for the rest.

• Current Equity: $80,371

Savings account balance: $3,073
Checking account balance: $7,800
Credit card debt: I charge everything on my credit card for the points, then pay it off each month using my checking account balance.
Student loan debt: Traditionally no student loan debt as mentioned in Section Zero.
​
Section Two: Income
Income Progression (listed as gross income with cost of living area):
High School

• $11/hour MCOL - Helped with small family business.

College and first “career” job

• $12-19/hour MCOL - I did events/banquet serving after classes and had an internship doing software administration.
• $22/hour MCOL - Junior web developer. I realized after a year that programming was not my calling.

Mental health break

• $12/hour LCOL - Work holiday abroad. I got a steady banquet server job for that whole time. It was enough to live minimally in a hostel, do weekend trips, WOOF and figure my life out.

College (again) and second “career” job

• $12-15/hour LCOL - Decided to go back to school for a different bachelor's degree. While pursuing that degree, I worked at hotels and events as a banquet server again. I also did “search engine evaluation” whenever there were tasks available.
• $36,000/year salary LCOL - Software administrator at a casino after graduation.
• $39,000/year salary LCOL - Systems analyst at same casino. I left after 2 years, feeling disillusioned with the casino industry. I moved back home with my parents until I could get back on my feet again.

Third “career” jobs

• $20/hour HCOL - Entry level advertising role. I was applying to all types of office jobs and that was my only bite.
• $45/hour MCOL - Cold-called from a global company who needed someone with my software administrator experience from the casino job. It was an 8 month contract. Although I was starting to love my advertising job, the increase in pay was no question.
• $65,000/year salary MCOL - After the contract ended and a few months of unemployment, I landed my current job at the same company. It is an “early career” role according to their job levels.
• $66,900/year salary MCOL - Cost of living and merit increases after 2 years on the job. Pre-COVID we got a $5000 bonus each year. They have now stopped bonuses as well as all COL and merit increases.

​
Main Job Monthly Take Home:
Monthly Net (paid bi-weekly): $2,758
Deductions:

• Taxes: $1214
• (Pre-Tax) Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life) + HSA: $822
• (5% Pre-Tax) 401k: $256
• (10% Post-Tax) ESPP: $514

Side Gig Monthly Take Home:
No side gigs at the moment, but I am thinking of signing up on Upwork.com and doing Excel/data entry projects to help pay the mortgage.
Other Income: TJ’s friend will be staying with us for a month in January, who will pay rent of $800 including utilities. Depending on how that goes, we may take on a roommate in the spare bedroom long-term.
​
Section Three: Expenses
Mortgage - when I bought the house, the plan was that I would charge TJ a portion of the mortgage costs as “rent”, but since his unemployment I am now covering it all myself.
Regular Monthly Payment: $1677.57

• Principal: $501.31
• Interest: $849.74
• Taxes & Home Insurance: $326.52

HOA: $30/year
Retirement contribution: Nothing additional than what's been mentioned.
Savings contribution: I used to do $50-100/month, but since COVID I’ve stopped contributing to my savings account.
Investment contribution: None at this time.
Debt payments: $100/month towards TJ's credit card balance of $2,307.
Donations: $10-20/month, usually towards Omaze or Planned Parenthood.
Utilities:

• Electric: $45-65/month
• Water: $60-90/month
• Sewer: $30/month
• Garbage: $26/month
• Natural Gas: $30-80/month
• Xfinity internet: $60/month

Cellphone: On my parents plan.
Subscriptions:

• LinkedIn: $29.99/month for TJ’s job search - he’s found it very useful.
• Amazon/Netflix/Hulu: We piggyback off family and friends’ accounts.
• Nintendo Switch Online: 19.99/year
• Costco: $60/year

Gym membership: Pre-COVID I did Orangetheory for a year. I started to pick up free exercise equipment from Craigslist this year, so we have a small garage gym now and utilize YouTube exercise videos instead.
Pet expenses: $10/month. TJ has stockpiled some Costco canned dog food before unemployment, but once that runs out I will likely cover the costs. We also started to make homemade dog food to help supplement.
Car insurance: $460 every 6 months. Car is paid off.
Regular therapy: I will start in the new year. Not sure what the costs are yet, but I will use my HSA to pay.
Vitamins/Medications: $20/month
Groceries & household items: $75/month
Miscellaneous (eating out, house purchases, gifts, etc): $100/month
​
Section Four: Money Diary
Monday
6:30am Neighbor starts up their truck. We joke that it's our natural alarm clock. They idle for about 15 minutes before heading off. I go back to bed.
9am My real alarm goes off. I put the electric kettle on for some morning tea. While it's boiling, I do my morning routine: drink glass of water, take synthroid, use bathroom, brush teeth, quick shower. I then make tea - Jasmine Pearl English Breakfast with dark forest mix. I started ordering loose leaf tea in large amounts back in March instead of small bags or single serving packets. Seems more economical since I drink it daily. I let the dog out into the backyard so he can do his morning routine.
9:30am I go through my daily tasks for work. They entail checking processes and reports to make sure they ran successfully overnight. I then answer some emails and catch-up on Slack channels.
12pm Lunch is leftover roast chicken and quinoa from Saturday. I heat it up in the instant pot. Love that thing! Almost every meal of ours involves the instant pot. We hardly use the stovetop. We then walk the dog to the business park across from our neighborhood. There's a very short trail that runs along a drainage creek by the business park. It's quite muddy, but has a nice woodsy feeling. Over the summer, we saw sumac trees there as well. Free sumac spice!
1:30pm Department meeting on Zoom. Our director announces his resignation on the call. Everyone is shocked! Layoffs were announced for next year but this was not a part of it. I think it's a good move for him and he doesn't have to have this worry of layoffs over his head.
3pm I meet with an engineer from another team and talk about a data source they are in charge of. He helps me out in understanding it and we identify most of the fields that I need for a project I’m starting.
5:30pm I check in with my partner. He's been watching LinkedIn tutorials on internal recruiting, job coaching and general computeoffice skills. It's a career change that he wants to make - something where he can talk to and help people. He doesn't have a bachelor's, only an associates, and hopes these tutorials will get him a leg up in the job search. I sent him some entry level HR admin roles the other day and remind him to apply. I then heat up leftovers: homemade chana masala and rice. I add some butter and coconut milk to thin it out, so there's enough for both of us.
10:30pm I take some magnesium, vitamin D and Airborne. I say goodnight to the dog who sleeps in the office. Then I say goodnight to TJ. He sleeps in the spare bedroom on weeknights due to his snoring keeping me up. I'm a light sleeper while he is a pretty deep sleeper.
Daily total: $0
Tuesday
9am I check Reddit Secret Santa. My match seems like a really good person. Not sure what to get, but most likely will purchase something off their wishlist. I wish I was more creative with my gift giving.
11am Meeting with business stakeholder. She submitted a few changes to an existing data process about a month ago. I make the change while on the call and have her test. Success! Marking it off the todo list. I love when we can finish things directly on a call.
12:30pm I come out of my office to make lunch. I notice my partner is not home. I check my messages and see that he's stepped out to pick up a few things. I ask for celery, carrots, and kombucha. $17. I make a quick charcuterie board for lunch: Costco salami, cheese, homemade hummus and Triscuits. It's a simple, fast meal that’s always in our rotation.
2pm My partner is back and we take the dog out for a walk and quick round of disc golf at a nearby park. We mask up and play only a few holes. Disc golf is a pretty frugal activity, you only need 2-3 discs to get started. TJ remarks that my throws are getting better, but then again they weren't great to start with. We talk about Christmas/Birthday gifts on the way back home since he was born on New Years Day. He mentioned snowshoeing but asked to not spend that much. I'll do some research!
5pm I think about personal career projects. Should I put up a portfolio of projects somewhere? I decide to try and pull some Yelp data. There’s not a lot of data points that I was interested in. Regardless, I tinker with it for an hour. TJ asks if I'm hungry. I said not so much, but felt thirsty. Maybe some ginger soup tonight?
7:30pm Dinner is served - ginger carrot soup made in the instant pot. We eat some rice crackers with it. Lately I feel like we've been eating more vegetarian dinners. It definitely helps stretch our food budget. We end the evening by finishing Fargo season 3 on Hulu.
Daily total: $17
Wednesday
1:30am I'm woken up by the dog. He's been sneezing a lot and wheezes at random intervals. TJ doesn't have the money for a vet visit but I've offered to pay as long as he calls to make the appointment. I give the dog some coconut oil, rub his belly until he seems better and go back to bed.
7am Garbage day. We usually put it out the night before but I forgot. I get up to go, but TJ handles it. I think, at least. I'm too sleepy to pay attention and go back to bed.
9am I wake up and rinse some dishes that have piled up and put them into the dishwasher. We both grew up in households that had a home dishwasher, but forbade from using it. It was drilled into us that hand washing saves more water, unless you had a restaurant/industrial dishwasher. I think with modern home dishwashers, that's changed, so I wanted to try it out with our dishwasher and monitor the water bill. Don't have any dishwashing pods or powder, so I put some OxiClean in it.
12:30pm I overhear TJ on a call with a recruiting agency. It seems to be going well, lots of laughing. I heat up some taco lasagna that I freezer meal-prepped last month.
2pm Collaborate on a project at work with an engineer. My manager put me on this project since I was asking for an assignment on a more technical team. I'm learning tidbits here and there, but I don't feel like it's structured enough.
5pm I do an Orangetheory-At-Home workout and try to break a sweat. It's not the same as going to their studio.
6pm Charcuterie for dinner. Our fridge is full of store-bought and homemade pickles that go super well on a charcuterie board.
Daily total: $0
Thursday
7am I wake up tired. The house has been feeling more cold, which woke me up a few times. We keep the temp at 72F during the day, at night around 68F since we thought the bedrooms keep the heat in pretty well. My mistake!
9am I do my usual morning routine and login to work. My team mostly spends the morning sending each other emojis.
11:30am Lunch today is mini quiche, frozen chicken and veggie entree, and hot dogs. Not the most cohesive meal, but it fills the belly.
12:30pm TJ heads out to his mailbox that's 30 minutes away. He is still waiting on his tax return and a 401k withdrawal. His taxes had to be filed by mail for some reason, then the IRS office shut down due to COVID. So he wanted to see if it arrived yet at the mailbox. He also takes the dog to the vet's urgent care on his way. They didn't have any regular openings available until the end of the year, and the dog seemed to be getting worse. I give TJ $40 to mail a gift package to a friend in France and also reiterate that I'll cover the vet bill when he gets it.
4:30pm I pay some bills, my favorite activity (not)! Sewer bill: $59.44 (billed every 2 months). Geico bill: $459.60 billed every 6 months. Then I follow up with my mortgage officer over email. I had sent her some documents for a refinance quote last week, but haven't heard back. Rates keep dropping, so I'm told, but what does that really mean? I do some research on realestate.
5pm TJ messages me and says he'll be back for dinner. I ask him to pick up some Popeyes via drive thru since we both don't feel like cooking today. Popeyes is currently our fancy “going out to eat” food. $24.17 for a 4pc dinner meal and a 2pc dinner meal.
Daily total: $583.21
Friday
8:30am Busy morning at work. My phone is buzzing with emails and Slack messages. I try to answer them while I make tea.
10am Zoom Department happy hour. We reminisce about our director and then play those Jackbox party games. Some of them are hard!
11am TJ asks if he can make me anything for lunch. He suggests savory oatmeal, quick and easy. I tell him that I really appreciate him making meals/doing chores/etc without me prompting. We've been having conversations about "house project management" and mental load because I did most of the chores or I had to continually remind/tell him to do it. I'm really happy to see us progress on this front. I decide to work through my lunch break so I can end the day early. I don't often do that, but I'm ready to get the weekend started.
2pm I check on TJ in the spare bedroom and ask if the dog has been fed yet, since he was nipping at my feet. I notice something off about TJ and ask how he is doing. TJ is depressed about his personal life, career, finances. He doesn't know what to do, spends half the day meditating and reflecting on past trauma. I've been prodding him to get a therapist but he is confused about his insurance. He makes an appointment with a primary care doctor first. I feed the dog some homemade dog-friendly beef stew.
4pm My mom swings by the house (but doesn't enter). She currently works at a school who distributes free USDA food boxes since March. There's often many boxes leftover that would go to waste, so she will grab a box for us. Onions, potatoes, beets, turnips, eggs, cheese, butter, frozen veggies and frozen chicken. She also brought her vintage pasta maker. I asked last week if she ever used it these days and her reply was “no, feel free to have it”. I love pasta and noodles and figure it would be great to make it ourselves as a frugal hobby.
8pm We catch up on Mandalorian and watch silly Youtube videos before heading off to bed.
Daily total: $0
Saturday
9am I open up my web browser and look at Craigslist and NextDoor for free stuff. I've been scouring for free landscape rocks, pegboards, and wood for house projects. I had this grand ambition to redesign our backyard. It faces our neighbor and currently the fence is pretty low. They can see into our kitchen and bedroom and we can see them. But y'know, COVID and going from dual income house to single income means it all has to be put on hold. So I've been looking for free items in the meantime. Over the past months, I've gotten planter pots, plant cuttings, a raised bed, stepping stones, all from free listings. I don't see anything worthwhile so I go and make some tea.
11am I look at Amazon and make some purchases for Reddit Secret Santa. A foodie kit, DVD of their favorite movie, and some cute pens for their writing hobby. $54. I hope they like it!
12pm TJ heats up leftover stir-fry for lunch for us. I put on some Binging with Babish and we watch how to make pasta. We have a plan - TJ makes the pasta, I make the sauce. Perfect date night activity at home. We watch some more videos on pasta and noodles to educate ourselves.
4pm I start prepping veggies. Big batch of onions, canned tomatoes, ground beef and butter in the instant pot. Meanwhile, TJ works on the pasta by following Babish's instructions.
7pm We gorge on fresh made pasta and bolognese sauce. It's so good! We end up watching Fargo.
11pm Usually I'll be in bed by now, but it's a Saturday and not tired yet (probably because of all that pasta). We play some Kirby's Dream Course on the Switch.
Daily total: $54
Sunday
10am Quick walk around the neighborhood with the dog. He's on a new routine now with the medicine he's taking. It seems to be helping his breathing issues.
11am The pasta maker and flour is still out since we didn't clean up yesterday. There's some old pie crust in the fridge so I roll it out with the pasta machine for mini quiches. (Sally's Baking Addiction blog is my go-to place for her all-butter crust and quiche recipes btw). TJ helps by mixing up the eggs.
3pm I play some Genshin Impact (GI) on my phone while TJ plays Starcraft in the office. I don't usually play gacha games, but the Zelda BotW-style of GI appealed to me. A gacha game is a game with randomized characteitem boxes that you use real-money to purchase a “pull” or to spin the wheel. I know the gacha parts of the game can be a real money sink if you get addicted to them, it’s almost like gambling. My main team is Fischl, Bennett, Barbara and Noelle. I level up to AR 22 and look up free-to-play tutorials for the game.
6pm There's some leftover pasta from yesterday, enough for both of us. I throw in some roasted beets to round out the meal. We watch more Fargo while eating. Almost done with Season 3!
10pm I find a tour operator who offers a small, socially-distant snowshoeing tour up on the mountain. I reserve for two people - this will be TJ's Christmas/birthday gift. $75. Off to bed for another workday.
Daily total: $75
Weekly Total: $689.79

• Food + Drink: $41.17
• Fun / Entertainment: $75
• Home + Health: $59.44
• Clothes + Beauty: $0
• Transport: $459.60
• Other: $54.00

Section Five: Reflections
Aside from the car insurance bill, this was a typical week for me, COVID or not. We make the majority of our meals at home and usually splurge on drive-thru/delivery once every other week. I may have overspent on the Secret Santa gift, but I don't often give gifts out to friends. It's not something our family does either. For TJ’s Christmas/birthday gift, we usually talk upfront about costs. I’ve gifted him fancy restaurant experiences the past 2 years, since we can share that experience, but obviously can’t do that now. Snowshoeing is a nice change of pace.
The conversations with TJ this week have given me thought on how to approach him differently about finances and working together in a relationship. I’m still unsure about the future financially, particularly as my parents near retirement age and that TJ has pulled out his 401k to pay his debts. I don't know if I can support both my parents and TJ together, so I am finding ways to upskill and/or side hustles without becoming a workaholic or bogged down by stress.
Writing this money diary was also the first time where I really paid attention to my past income and current income. I might be contributing too much into ESPP that could go towards the 401k or mortgage instead? I also seem to have been underpaid for what I did in past jobs, even in a LCOL area.

https://www.reddit.com/TrueDetective/comments/6wlztq/true_detective_season_2_and_the_eastern_book_of/
Episode 7: Black Maps and Hotel Rooms
"I've been waiting my whole life to do that," Antigone tells Ray. They are in hiding at the Molera Motel, and Antigone is still feeling the effects of the MDMA she was dosed with, and has begun to recall her childhood abduction. The event she had been waiting for was to defend herself against an assault, to retroactively take back what was taken from her. Again, it is relevant that this occurs in the area where her childhood abduction occurred. A moment of foreshadowing occurs in this face-to-face, when Ray asks about "the woods," the setting for his own upcoming release from the third Bardo. Further, as she attempts to put the moves on Ray, she states that she thinks it would help her, that "...it usually does." This provides insight into her tendency for brief hookups without commitment: similar to her stabbing the goon at the party, these sexual behaviors provide her an opportunity to take back her power from her assault, to be the dominant partner via initiation of the act.
Shortly thereafter, Woodrugh receives the blackmail texts: undeniable photographic evidence of acts that he constantly blocks out. These provide the means to lead him to a showdown with who he was and is, to see it all face-to-face, and to reject his own principles. Only then will he be freed from his tortured existence in the third Bardo.
Next up, is Frank and Jordan. Jordan again attempts to be the voice of the anima, suggesting they pull together liquid assets and walk away. Of course, Frank won't. "That's 45 years of my life. You expect me to walk away?" The alternate path has been officially rejected; he is committed to the bitter end.
Following this is a scene with Woodrugh and his girlfriend. She outright asks him why he even ever asked her out. His response encapsulates his character perfectly: "I'm just trying to be a good man."
At this point I'd like to suggest that, after the presentation of Kali Ma and Sante Muerte in previous episode (which occurred in the opposite order from their appearance in episode 1, though still only one scene sequence apart in both), everything that happens afterword is a race to completion. The movement from mortificus to the rebirth process was initiated by the reverse appearance of the death-mothers. The circle was closed in the last episode, and now our 4 mains are now on the path that will lead them out. In other words, these final episodes are when Season 2 lays down its cards and gets explicit with its themes (see Woodrugh's line in the previous paragraph for example).
The mothemaiden dichotomy is given a nod in a later scene, when Woodrugh secures his girlfriend and mother in another hotel. Minor touch that will be developed later.
Another face-to-face occurs in the casino, at this point, between Ray and Frank. Again, the idea of the face-to-face in the Bardo Thodal is the priest sits across from the dying or dead person, and reads to them from the relevant chapter. This is to act as a guide through the Bardo states so the self can return for rebirth. In the show, the face-to-faces serve the same purpose, with each character providing info or impetus to move the other toward their own rebirth, either by providing a course of action, vital info, or a moment of self-realization. In this particular face-to-face, Ray provides Frank with the info that Osip was alway working against him. This moves Frank down the proverbial cattle chute.
Later, as Antigone talks to the girl she took from the party, she tells her that "Maybe you were put on this Earth for more than fucking." The girl looks at her with disdain before replying, "Everything is fucking.* This response draws a look of shock and confusion from Antigone. I'm not sure about this line. It could be a suggestion that all of life is the movement of dharmic lineage, which is symbolically carried out in the show via sex, conception, and childbirth. Antigone's response might also be due to the deep intertwining of sex and death for her. This seems possible, given her own rape and murder in childhood. The theme of sex and death is also explicit in the form of Kali Ma (again, her final act in the Hindu cycle of creation is to have sex with the dead body of Shiva to initiate the rebirth of the world. https://i.pinimg.com/236x/24/bd/3e/24bd3ecb20c268c430a32987c0347d1b--kali-ma-vel.jpg
During Frank's interrogation of Blake, he learns that Osip has moved into every aspect of Frank's territory: everybody is bought, no one is loyal (except good 'ol Nails, of course). The Bardo has all but collapsed around Frank now. His two options are to either go for Osip and his money at the handoff, or take the "alternative" path Jordan suggests. Frank never considers the latter. But, at the end of this scene, he is still watching as Blake writhes, dying on the floor. This may be a bit of foreshadowing, suggesting the violent men of the underworld don't get easy releases. Frank certainly won't.
Next up is a highly revelatory (if implicit) discussion between Antigone and her father. She is discussing the men in the photo which contains her killer. Note that any explicit identification does not occur despite the obvious opportunity to wrap up what many felt was a rushed and tacked on story component that should not have popped up at the end. This is an incorrect interpretation: when viewed with the knowledge of what happened to her in childhood, this story line reveals itself in her character the first time we see her in episode 1. When Antigone tells her father she remembers the face of the man who took her, he immediately becomes apologetic. "I wish I could...if I could just give you back...my father, you my father, he was..." he stutters, beginning to cry. "Goddamn everything," he finishes. "That's what I say," Antigone returns. At no time does he actually ask who the man was. This is, I believe, because he knows. This entire exchange has the feel of an apology and of catharsis, with those latter lines representing a rejection of all that happened before. Antigone is increasingly ready to move on, and is tying up her own karmic loose ends. Note that, in the close of this sequence, as she receives a hug from her former partner, she relents and reciprocates, but with a knife in her hand still. Some progress still to be made.
Following this, we return to Frank in casino. "Here we are," he tells Jordan, "under the bright lights. They are taking everything. Even what we got left. They'll come for me." Recall that line from Jacob's Ladder, the one about angels tearing your life away. If only Frank was willing to let it go...
Similarly, we see each of our 3 cops succumb to the narrowing gyre of the Bardo: Antigone and Ray are fugitives, and Woodrugh's blackmailer demands a meeting.
Later, Osip tells Frank the he is taking the clubs, and that Frank will be put on salary to manage them. Frank states that he, "...had ideas about getting out of this, you know?" Osip is amused, and tells him, "There is no such thing for you, Frank. That world isn't yours..." Recall the snake in the crocodile's mouth; Frank doesn't get to escape the underworld.
Woodrugh, of course, get ambushed here. Note the use of bright, blaring lighting during these scenes: it approaches him head on, reminiscent of his own motorcycle's headlight on the interstate at night. He raises his hand to protect his eyes, unable to behold it and who lies behind it. Ultimately, we see its the chief of police, a stand in for the gnostic demiurge, the small god of the microcosm that is Vinci, and an archon of the Bardo. Woodrugh's old military mate/lover bluntly tells him, "If you'd just been honest about who you are, nobody would've been able to run you. You know that, right?" It is at this moment that we finally see a spark of real character from Woodrugh, as he begins to lie about his allegiance to Ray and Antigone...perhaps this is close to who he truly is: a liar. The irony is rich.
Back at their hotel room, Woodrugh's mother and fiancé are watching Splendor in the Grass, a movie that dealt with themes of sexual repression. It is described as "old" by the fiancé, and "sad" by his mother: apt descriptions of the two women in Woodrugh's life. Notably, the movie drew its title from a poem with the same name:
What though the radiance which was once so bright Be now for ever taken from my sight, Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind...
Note the use of the terms relating to light. Woodrugh's escape, not from the ambush but from the Bardo itself, is nigh.
In a face-to-face scene, Ray tells Antigone that, at one point in his life he made a choice, and that "everything came from there." During their exchange Ray is finally owning up to his nature and to the way he has chosen to live his life. "You're not a bad man," she tells him. "Yes," he says matter-of-factly, "I am."
Further in this exchange, Ray asks, "Do you miss it?"
"What?"
"I don't know...anything?"
This moment is powerful: the two of them are fugitives, isolated and alone. The closeup camera work and reverb-heavy score evokes the feeling that they might as well be the only two people left in the world. More than that, that their entire world is gone: they are adrift with everything they were, everyone they cared about, removed from them.
Finally, we have Woodrugh's death. The man of principles who was also a brilliant killer, who strived for decency even as he lied to everyone (including himself) about what he was. Still, his commitment to living by principles, of always trying to be a good man, allowed him an early and clean release from the third Bardo. At the moment of his death, his fiancé looks around her hotel room for a moment, before returning her attention to baby and mother on the television screen. The dialog on the show she is watching goes something like, "Oh, what a fine boy...well, I have to go now...(second voice): You'll come back again sometime?" His fiancé, of course, later gives birth, and Woodrugh is remembered as a hero by the public.
Release and rebirth achieved. Three to go.
Episode 8: Omega Station
The title of the final episode references the Biblical quote, "I am the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end." Coupled with the railway reference (relevant to Season 2's plot), we are coming to the final stop.
We open with Antigone and Ray in bed. "Trees..." she begins, a bit of foreshadowing for Ray's upcoming run. She goes on to describe the events of her abduction, rape, and murder. "Four days?" Ray asks disbelievingly. Antigone appears confused by this as well and attempts to reason that "...maybe he gave me something?" This, of course, is a reference to the Classical Antigone and her 4 days in the crypt (discussed in part 1 of the analysis in her character breakdown). Antigone goes on to describe the abduction as something she voluntarily engaged in: it made her feel powerful to be seen as an object of lust. Also, she states that the man was a "stranger," which runs counter to my suspicion about it being her father.
Throughout this face-to-face (I think this qualifies, they are often not looking directly at each other), odd lighting shifts occur, from dim yellow of night to bright white of the morning. This, I'd contend, is a visual indicator that Antigone is digging into the essence of her own ego-constructs stemming from childhood trauma and laying that version of herself to rest. Note that her liaison with Ray was a game changer for her: she was prepared to engage in a relationship with him in later portions of the show. And while that obviously couldn't happen, that new openness suggests she has reinvented herself as something new, ultimately manifesting in the state of motherhood.
Ray also engages in confession during this sequence. He contrasts his story against Antigone's before beginning, telling her that her situation was not her fault. She has been paying for an error made in childhood (as her father tells her in the previous episode, "You are the most innocent person I've ever known."). Conversely, Ray's state of damnation occurred because of his explicit choices .
Again, there are frequent splices of scenes with lighting shifts from dim to bright. In one of these scenes, Ray is kneeling in a position akin to prayer; immediately following this he looks at a picture of his son, a Jesus-fish visible in the background. For Ray, it was always the chance of being a better father than he had that kept his head above water. However, that role had been cast in doubt throughout the season: with these brief scenes, we get a bit of foreshadowing regarding the ultimate legitimacy of his fatherhood, and of his ultimate redemption from what he had allowed himself to become.
Following this is Frank and Jordan at the train station (or Omega Station, if you like), and what will be the last time she sees him alive. They talk about time together, how they wanted more, and how maybe there could be more. The scenes here are filled with sad finality, but Frank, as a creature of pure ego and willfulness, would rather take death head-on in a fight than surrender to it. He tells Jordan that he can't leave it undone because they would keep coming for him; he does not consider that killing Osip will only enrage the Mafia further. "Baby," he tells her, "You made it all mean something. Everything before we met..." he trails off. From childhood, Frank met the brutality of his third Bardo with equal brutality, refusing to submit to its cruelty; in turn, the Bardo provided him with the personified manifestation of his anima, a true soulmate, in an attempt to guide him out via seduction into a better life with her. She will ultimately guide him out, but for now, she is only one more thing he is afraid to lose. "I'll meet you in two weeks or less," he tells her, and says to meet him at "El Obelisco" in a white dress. An oblelisco (or obelisk) is a monument typically built to honor the dead. She, in turn, asks him to wear a white suit with "a red rose in your jacket." More foreshadowing.
Afterward, we hear Ray's former lieutenant attempt to arrange a meeting with him, promising he can get Ray out of his situation, and to reward him for being agreeable. Ray's refusal highlights his new sense of functional morality. Discussing Woodrugh's death, as Antigone and Ray struggle to come to terms, she states, "He was better than us." This highlights that, though all 3 were cops, only Woodrugh attempted to be true to what that meant (for all the good it did him). As this sequence winds down, following the revelation of the identity of the Caspere's killer, Ray states that, "I was never really good at running, myself." More foreshadowing regarding his upcoming run through the trees.
At this point I'd like to suggest that, while Omega Station is a really good title, this episode could also have been justifiably called Buttload of Foreshadowing. Not as good, but it would have worked.
Later in the episode, after some plot development regarding the mayor's death and further info on Caspere's killer, some brief Bardo references occur. A small, debatable one belongs to Frank when he is speaking to Osip on the phone. "When the lights go out, that's me," he says. Later, the sister of Caspere's killer states that "My life ended that day."
"Except it didn't," Antigone replies. "You can lay it down. I'm giving you that." This character choice is sort of nonsensical from a logical perspective: Antigone needs the girl to testify to have any hope of getting out. But Antigone has come to represent as sort of redemptive agent for others through her own movement toward rebirth. When the girl asks her why, Antigone says, "Because whatever debt there was, you're not the person who needs to be punished now." This line highlights the capacity for change (rebirth) and the corresponding clearing of kharma. When the sister asks about her brother, Antigone tells her to "lay him to rest." This figuratively describes the importance of letting go of the parts of ourselves that hold us back from recreation.
In the following scene, we finally learn the name of the bar where so many of the most memorable scenes occur: The Black Rose, indicative of death and, again, as an in-between place between two states in its role as a human trafficking hub. "Everything's ending," Frank tells Felicia (the bar's owner). "Time to wake up."
Later, following the sequence in the airport (where we learn just how awful Caspere really was, and the resulting death of his son/killer), we are given a hard flash of white light, followed by shots of the desert/wasteland, while the soundtrack lyrics go:
The mystery that no one knows Where does love go when it goes? ...there's no future, there's no past In the present, nothing lasts Lately someone's missing from now on
Following this is a dialogue between Frank and Antigone, meeting for the first time. "Relationships are important," he tells her. "Maybe you disagree?" Antigone considers him intensely, recognizing he might be more than just a gangster, that this man who represents so much that she dislikes simultaneously carries the inherent knowledge she had to learn in the third Bardo.
Afterward, another face-to-face occurs between Ray and Frank. Significantly, a cross shares the screen quadrant with Ray, further signifying his redemption, and the impact this conversation will have. This is further reinforced by the alter candles behind him. Again, Ray is faced with a choice: get out easy but with no money, or murder to assure assets in the new life. Further, Frank sells it to him as justice for Woodrugh. Ray doesn't see that he his making the same choice that damned him in the first place. When Felicia asks Antigone how she knows Ray, Antigone tells her that they saved each other; Ray, unfortunately, is forsaking is on redemption.
During the attack on Osip's cabin, he begs Frank to spare him, saying, "You are like my son." Frank immediately becomes furious at this notion, suggesting a defilement of a sacred concept occurred when the older man said that, and also harkening to the idea of the son destroying the father (similar to the mayor's death earlier in the episode), a western interpretation of death of dharmic lineage.
"Beware the ambush of the Bardo" the text of the Bardo Thodal admonishes over and over. Ray, so close to escaping, has to see his son one last time. This last thread, holding him to his last life, provides the means for the ambush. His car, of course, is rigged with a tracker. Immediately following this is Frank's ambush by the cartel.
Cool piece of evidence for the Bardo theory: as the cartel is getting onto the interstate, a billboard is visible, advertising Tecate beer. The Tecate mascot is a black eagle, who's image is notably similar to the mask worn by Caspere's killer. When the text of the billboard is blocked so that only the words closest to eagle's head are visible, it reads "Behold the Light." After searching for Tecate billboard images, I cannot find any containing this text, and I'd suggest this was altered in postproduction for a little hint/easter egg. You can see at 1:01:13 (on my blu-ray, anyway).
Later, when Frank is stabbed in the desert, the acting rep of the cartel says, "We made a nice bed for you. Lie down, Frank." The grave is dug, there is no escape, but Frank will not give up while he has breath. He begins his walk through the wasteland, and is visited by one ghost from his past after another. As his father verbally abuses him, Frank says, "Shut up. Shut the #$@# up." This exactly what Woodrugh said to the voices in his own head following his suicide (attempt?) in episode 1. Further specters will keep appearing to him in further scenes each torturing him, showing him what made him and what he was; when faced with a man he executed begging for his life, he refuses to accept responsibility. "I didn't put you here," he says. Following this, he sees Jordan in a white dress.
"You made it," she says, "You can rest now."
"No rest," he says, "Never stop moving."
"Oh babe, you stopped moving way back there."
Frank looks at his body. Contrary to what Jordan says, its really pretty close to where they are standing; this is an indicator that he died long ago, in that basement.
Compare the place of Franks ultimate demise with Ray's: the desolation of the desert vs the verdant growth of the forest. Possibly a commentary on Frank's inability to produce offspring compared to Ray and his successes with conceiving/achieving redemption and rebirth? Not certain. However in Ray's final moment, he looks to the sky: a brilliant burst of lens flare occurs: Ray beholds the light, dies. We learn ginger-kid was always his son; the first mystery of the season now solved. Redemption, rebirth achieved.
Antigone is onboard "The Brief Escape" and begins to cry. Nonetheless, she is going to a "better place."
Plot stuff wraps up. Anitgone gives birth, Woodrugh is remember as a hero, Ray remembered as a villain, and Frank all but forgotten. "We deserve a better world," Antigone says as she tells her story to the reporter. Finally, we see Jordan has made the journey as well: similar to the brother and sister, she had to leave Frank as the worst part of herself to achieve her own rebirth (as proxy mother for Antigone's child).

Nothing special, just a copy of the current list (for the future) of what can be found at https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/mastebip-0039/english.txt
abandon,ability,able,about,above,absent,absorb,abstract,absurd,abuse,access,accident,account,accuse,achieve,acid,acoustic,acquire,across,act,action,actor,actress,actual,adapt,add,addict,address,adjust,admit,adult,advance,advice,aerobic,affair,afford,afraid,again,age,agent,agree,ahead,aim,air,airport,aisle,alarm,album,alcohol,alert,alien,all,alley,allow,almost,alone,alpha,already,also,alter,always,amateur,amazing,among,amount,amused,analyst,anchor,ancient,anger,angle,angry,animal,ankle,announce,annual,another,answer,antenna,antique,anxiety,any,apart,apology,appear,apple,approve,april,arch,arctic,area,arena,argue,arm,armed,armor,army,around,arrange,arrest,arrive,arrow,art,artefact,artist,artwork,ask,aspect,assault,asset,assist,assume,asthma,athlete,atom,attack,attend,attitude,attract,auction,audit,august,aunt,author,auto,autumn,average,avocado,avoid,awake,aware,away,awesome,awful,awkward,axis,baby,bachelor,bacon,badge,bag,balance,balcony,ball,bamboo,banana,banner,bar,barely,bargain,barrel,base,basic,basket,battle,beach,bean,beauty,because,become,beef,before,begin,behave,behind,believe,below,belt,bench,benefit,best,betray,better,between,beyond,bicycle,bid,bike,bind,biology,bird,birth,bitter,black,blade,blame,blanket,blast,bleak,bless,blind,blood,blossom,blouse,blue,blur,blush,board,boat,body,boil,bomb,bone,bonus,book,boost,border,boring,borrow,boss,bottom,bounce,box,boy,bracket,brain,brand,brass,brave,bread,breeze,brick,bridge,brief,bright,bring,brisk,broccoli,broken,bronze,broom,brother,brown,brush,bubble,buddy,budget,buffalo,build,bulb,bulk,bullet,bundle,bunker,burden,burger,burst,bus,business,busy,butter,buyer,buzz,cabbage,cabin,cable,cactus,cage,cake,call,calm,camera,camp,can,canal,cancel,candy,cannon,canoe,canvas,canyon,capable,capital,captain,car,carbon,card,cargo,carpet,carry,cart,case,cash,casino,castle,casual,cat,catalog,catch,category,cattle,caught,cause,caution,cave,ceiling,celery,cement,census,century,cereal,certain,chair,chalk,champion,change,chaos,chapter,charge,chase,chat,cheap,check,cheese,chef,cherry,chest,chicken,chief,child,chimney,choice,choose,chronic,chuckle,chunk,churn,cigar,cinnamon,circle,citizen,city,civil,claim,clap,clarify,claw,clay,clean,clerk,clever,click,client,cliff,climb,clinic,clip,clock,clog,close,cloth,cloud,clown,club,clump,cluster,clutch,coach,coast,coconut,code,coffee,coil,coin,collect,color,column,combine,come,comfort,comic,common,company,concert,conduct,confirm,congress,connect,consider,control,convince,cook,cool,copper,copy,coral,core,corn,correct,cost,cotton,couch,country,couple,course,cousin,cover,coyote,crack,cradle,craft,cram,crane,crash,crater,crawl,crazy,cream,credit,creek,crew,cricket,crime,crisp,critic,crop,cross,crouch,crowd,crucial,cruel,cruise,crumble,crunch,crush,cry,crystal,cube,culture,cup,cupboard,curious,current,curtain,curve,cushion,custom,cute,cycle,dad,damage,damp,dance,danger,daring,dash,daughter,dawn,day,deal,debate,debris,decade,december,decide,decline,decorate,decrease,deer,defense,define,defy,degree,delay,deliver,demand,demise,denial,dentist,deny,depart,depend,deposit,depth,deputy,derive,describe,desert,design,desk,despair,destroy,detail,detect,develop,device,devote,diagram,dial,diamond,diary,dice,diesel,diet,differ,digital,dignity,dilemma,dinner,dinosaur,direct,dirt,disagree,discover,disease,dish,dismiss,disorder,display,distance,divert,divide,divorce,dizzy,doctor,document,dog,doll,dolphin,domain,donate,donkey,donor,door,dose,double,dove,draft,dragon,drama,drastic,draw,dream,dress,drift,drill,drink,drip,drive,drop,drum,dry,duck,dumb,dune,during,dust,dutch,duty,dwarf,dynamic,eager,eagle,early,earn,earth,easily,east,easy,echo,ecology,economy,edge,edit,educate,effort,egg,eight,either,elbow,elder,electric,elegant,element,elephant,elevator,elite,else,embark,embody,embrace,emerge,emotion,employ,empower,empty,enable,enact,end,endless,endorse,enemy,energy,enforce,engage,engine,enhance,enjoy,enlist,enough,enrich,enroll,ensure,enter,entire,entry,envelope,episode,equal,equip,era,erase,erode,erosion,error,erupt,escape,essay,essence,estate,eternal,ethics,evidence,evil,evoke,evolve,exact,example,excess,exchange,excite,exclude,excuse,execute,exercise,exhaust,exhibit,exile,exist,exit,exotic,expand,expect,expire,explain,expose,express,extend,extra,eye,eyebrow,fabric,face,faculty,fade,faint,faith,fall,false,fame,family,famous,fan,fancy,fantasy,farm,fashion,fat,fatal,father,fatigue,fault,favorite,feature,february,federal,fee,feed,feel,female,fence,festival,fetch,fever,few,fiber,fiction,field,figure,file,film,filter,final,find,fine,finger,finish,fire,firm,first,fiscal,fish,fit,fitness,fix,flag,flame,flash,flat,flavor,flee,flight,flip,float,flock,floor,flower,fluid,flush,fly,foam,focus,fog,foil,fold,follow,food,foot,force,forest,forget,fork,fortune,forum,forward,fossil,foster,found,fox,fragile,frame,frequent,fresh,friend,fringe,frog,front,frost,frown,frozen,fruit,fuel,fun,funny,furnace,fury,future,gadget,gain,galaxy,gallery,game,gap,garage,garbage,garden,garlic,garment,gas,gasp,gate,gather,gauge,gaze,general,genius,genre,gentle,genuine,gesture,ghost,giant,gift,giggle,ginger,giraffe,girl,give,glad,glance,glare,glass,glide,glimpse,globe,gloom,glory,glove,glow,glue,goat,goddess,gold,good,goose,gorilla,gospel,gossip,govern,gown,grab,grace,grain,grant,grape,grass,gravity,great,green,grid,grief,grit,grocery,group,grow,grunt,guard,guess,guide,guilt,guitar,gun,gym,habit,hair,half,hammer,hamster,hand,happy,harbor,hard,harsh,harvest,hat,have,hawk,hazard,head,health,heart,heavy,hedgehog,height,hello,helmet,help,hen,hero,hidden,high,hill,hint,hip,hire,history,hobby,hockey,hold,hole,holiday,hollow,home,honey,hood,hope,horn,horror,horse,hospital,host,hotel,hour,hover,hub,huge,human,humble,humor,hundred,hungry,hunt,hurdle,hurry,hurt,husband,hybrid,ice,icon,idea,identify,idle,ignore,ill,illegal,illness,image,imitate,immense,immune,impact,impose,improve,impulse,inch,include,income,increase,index,indicate,indoor,industry,infant,inflict,inform,inhale,inherit,initial,inject,injury,inmate,inner,innocent,input,inquiry,insane,insect,inside,inspire,install,intact,interest,into,invest,invite,involve,iron,island,isolate,issue,item,ivory,jacket,jaguar,jar,jazz,jealous,jeans,jelly,jewel,job,join,joke,journey,joy,judge,juice,jump,jungle,junior,junk,just,kangaroo,keen,keep,ketchup,key,kick,kid,kidney,kind,kingdom,kiss,kit,kitchen,kite,kitten,kiwi,knee,knife,knock,know,lab,label,labor,ladder,lady,lake,lamp,language,laptop,large,later,latin,laugh,laundry,lava,law,lawn,lawsuit,layer,lazy,leader,leaf,learn,leave,lecture,left,leg,legal,legend,leisure,lemon,lend,length,lens,leopard,lesson,letter,level,liar,liberty,library,license,life,lift,light,like,limb,limit,link,lion,liquid,list,little,live,lizard,load,loan,lobster,local,lock,logic,lonely,long,loop,lottery,loud,lounge,love,loyal,lucky,luggage,lumber,lunar,lunch,luxury,lyrics,machine,mad,magic,magnet,maid,mail,main,major,make,mammal,man,manage,mandate,mango,mansion,manual,maple,marble,march,margin,marine,market,marriage,mask,mass,master,match,material,math,matrix,matter,maximum,maze,meadow,mean,measure,meat,mechanic,medal,media,melody,melt,member,memory,mention,menu,mercy,merge,merit,merry,mesh,message,metal,method,middle,midnight,milk,million,mimic,mind,minimum,minor,minute,miracle,mirror,misery,miss,mistake,mix,mixed,mixture,mobile,model,modify,mom,moment,monitor,monkey,monster,month,moon,moral,more,morning,mosquito,mother,motion,motor,mountain,mouse,move,movie,much,muffin,mule,multiply,muscle,museum,mushroom,music,must,mutual,myself,mystery,myth,naive,name,napkin,narrow,nasty,nation,nature,near,neck,need,negative,neglect,neither,nephew,nerve,nest,net,network,neutral,never,news,next,nice,night,noble,noise,nominee,noodle,normal,north,nose,notable,note,nothing,notice,novel,now,nuclear,number,nurse,nut,oak,obey,object,oblige,obscure,observe,obtain,obvious,occur,ocean,october,odor,off,offer,office,often,oil,okay,old,olive,olympic,omit,once,one,onion,online,only,open,opera,opinion,oppose,option,orange,orbit,orchard,order,ordinary,organ,orient,original,orphan,ostrich,other,outdoor,outer,output,outside,oval,oven,over,own,owner,oxygen,oyster,ozone,pact,paddle,page,pair,palace,palm,panda,panel,panic,panther,paper,parade,parent,park,parrot,party,pass,patch,path,patient,patrol,pattern,pause,pave,payment,peace,peanut,pear,peasant,pelican,pen,penalty,pencil,people,pepper,perfect,permit,person,pet,phone,photo,phrase,physical,piano,picnic,picture,piece,pig,pigeon,pill,pilot,pink,pioneer,pipe,pistol,pitch,pizza,place,planet,plastic,plate,play,please,pledge,pluck,plug,plunge,poem,poet,point,polar,pole,police,pond,pony,pool,popular,portion,position,possible,post,potato,pottery,poverty,powder,power,practice,praise,predict,prefer,prepare,present,pretty,prevent,price,pride,primary,print,priority,prison,private,prize,problem,process,produce,profit,program,project,promote,proof,property,prosper,protect,proud,provide,public,pudding,pull,pulp,pulse,pumpkin,punch,pupil,puppy,purchase,purity,purpose,purse,push,put,puzzle,pyramid,quality,quantum,quarter,question,quick,quit,quiz,quote,rabbit,raccoon,race,rack,radar,radio,rail,rain,raise,rally,ramp,ranch,random,range,rapid,rare,rate,rather,raven,raw,razor,ready,real,reason,rebel,rebuild,recall,receive,recipe,record,recycle,reduce,reflect,reform,refuse,region,regret,regular,reject,relax,release,relief,rely,remain,remember,remind,remove,render,renew,rent,reopen,repair,repeat,replace,report,require,rescue,resemble,resist,resource,response,result,retire,retreat,return,reunion,reveal,review,reward,rhythm,rib,ribbon,rice,rich,ride,ridge,rifle,right,rigid,ring,riot,ripple,risk,ritual,rival,river,road,roast,robot,robust,rocket,romance,roof,rookie,room,rose,rotate,rough,round,route,royal,rubber,rude,rug,rule,run,runway,rural,sad,saddle,sadness,safe,sail,salad,salmon,salon,salt,salute,same,sample,sand,satisfy,satoshi,sauce,sausage,save,say,scale,scan,scare,scatter,scene,scheme,school,science,scissors,scorpion,scout,scrap,screen,script,scrub,sea,search,season,seat,second,secret,section,security,seed,seek,segment,select,sell,seminar,senior,sense,sentence,series,service,session,settle,setup,seven,shadow,shaft,shallow,share,shed,shell,sheriff,shield,shift,shine,ship,shiver,shock,shoe,shoot,shop,short,shoulder,shove,shrimp,shrug,shuffle,shy,sibling,sick,side,siege,sight,sign,silent,silk,silly,silver,similar,simple,since,sing,siren,sister,situate,six,size,skate,sketch,ski,skill,skin,skirt,skull,slab,slam,sleep,slender,slice,slide,slight,slim,slogan,slot,slow,slush,small,smart,smile,smoke,smooth,snack,snake,snap,sniff,snow,soap,soccer,social,sock,soda,soft,solar,soldier,solid,solution,solve,someone,song,soon,sorry,sort,soul,sound,soup,source,south,space,spare,spatial,spawn,speak,special,speed,spell,spend,sphere,spice,spider,spike,spin,spirit,split,spoil,sponsor,spoon,sport,spot,spray,spread,spring,spy,square,squeeze,squirrel,stable,stadium,staff,stage,stairs,stamp,stand,start,state,stay,steak,steel,stem,step,stereo,stick,still,sting,stock,stomach,stone,stool,story,stove,strategy,street,strike,strong,struggle,student,stuff,stumble,style,subject,submit,subway,success,such,sudden,suffer,sugar,suggest,suit,summer,sun,sunny,sunset,super,supply,supreme,sure,surface,surge,surprise,surround,survey,suspect,sustain,swallow,swamp,swap,swarm,swear,sweet,swift,swim,swing,switch,sword,symbol,symptom,syrup,system,table,tackle,tag,tail,talent,talk,tank,tape,target,task,taste,tattoo,taxi,teach,team,tell,ten,tenant,tennis,tent,term,test,text,thank,that,theme,then,theory,there,they,thing,this,thought,three,thrive,throw,thumb,thunder,ticket,tide,tiger,tilt,timber,time,tiny,tip,tired,tissue,title,toast,tobacco,today,toddler,toe,together,toilet,token,tomato,tomorrow,tone,tongue,tonight,tool,tooth,top,topic,topple,torch,tornado,tortoise,toss,total,tourist,toward,tower,town,toy,track,trade,traffic,tragic,train,transfer,trap,trash,travel,tray,treat,tree,trend,trial,tribe,trick,trigger,trim,trip,trophy,trouble,truck,true,truly,trumpet,trust,truth,try,tube,tuition,tumble,tuna,tunnel,turkey,turn,turtle,twelve,twenty,twice,twin,twist,two,type,typical,ugly,umbrella,unable,unaware,uncle,uncover,under,undo,unfair,unfold,unhappy,uniform,unique,unit,universe,unknown,unlock,until,unusual,unveil,update,upgrade,uphold,upon,upper,upset,urban,urge,usage,use,used,useful,useless,usual,utility,vacant,vacuum,vague,valid,valley,valve,van,vanish,vapor,various,vast,vault,vehicle,velvet,vendor,venture,venue,verb,verify,version,very,vessel,veteran,viable,vibrant,vicious,victory,video,view,village,vintage,violin,virtual,virus,visa,visit,visual,vital,vivid,vocal,voice,void,volcano,volume,vote,voyage,wage,wagon,wait,walk,wall,walnut,want,warfare,warm,warrior,wash,wasp,waste,water,wave,way,wealth,weapon,wear,weasel,weather,web,wedding,weekend,weird,welcome,west,wet,whale,what,wheat,wheel,when,where,whip,whisper,wide,width,wife,wild,will,win,window,wine,wing,wink,winner,winter,wire,wisdom,wise,wish,witness,wolf,woman,wonder,wood,wool,word,work,world,worry,worth,wrap,wreck,wrestle,wrist,write,wrong,yard,year,yellow,you,young,youth,zebra,zero,zone,zoo

News roundup for the previous week.
In International news

1. Ice cream gift from Vladimir Putin to Xi Jinping warms ties between Russia, China at G20 summit
   
2. French stage anti-racism protest after Chinese man's death
   
3. China’s Advance in Latin America: Geostrategic Implications for Europe, the US, and the Region Itself
   
4. G20 ‘staircase snub’ for Obama was United States’ decision, reveals Chinese official
   
5. Asia's Most Innovative Universities (China has 22 among top 75, the most of any country, India has only 2.)
   
6. Yao's pivot from China to U.S. became center's biggest move: Eight-time All-Star became a gracious global ambassador of game
   
7. To become a global leader, China must first be ready to do some heavy lifting
   
8. Thousands rally in Paris to protest crime targeting Chinese | At least 13,000 people attended a rally in Paris on Sunday to protest against what they say is a crime wave targeting the Chinese community in France, police said, after a Chinese textile designer died after being mugged last month
   
9. Russia Supports China’s Stance on South China Sea
   
10. Chinese Tourists Targeted by Upcoming Las Vegas Casinos: “The Chinese do quite enjoy a very Chinese experience,” Fitch Ratings gambling analyst Alex Bumazhny stated. “They do gravitate toward Asian amenities.”
    
11. Made in China G20 and its geoeconomic significance
    
12. China’s Sports Diplomacy in Africa: Who Gets What?
    
13. Chinese Red Star scores 6 goals to win in first KHL home game: The KHL’s first Chinese team is formed by a mix of Russian, European and North American skaters, and only includes five Chinese players at the moment. The team was set up as a vehicle to promote and popularize ice-hockey
    
14. Canada joins Alibaba's new online hub in bid to access Chinese market: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alibaba founder Jack Ma announced the launch of a Canadian "pavilion" on the Tmall platform
    
15. China, Turkey pledge to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation
    
16. Russia, China Building Yuan-Based Alliance Against Dollar: According to Andrei Ivanov, head of the trade financing department at Sberbank CIB, shifting to national currencies should be considered in the perspective of Silk Road integration plans
    
17. Saudi Arabia ‘ready’ to meet China energy demand: “The Kingdom is ready to fulfil the rising energy demand in China in the coming decades,” the SPA quoted Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih as stating
    
18. Turkey, China sign energy, nuclear security agreements at G20
    
19. Giant panda no longer endangered - WWF: The giant panda's population grew by 17 percent in the decade leading up to 2014, announced the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
    
20. Kyrgyzstan says Uighur militant groups behind attack on China's embassy
    
21. China's metro tech takes Iran onto faster track - Business
    
22. Australia’s growing fear of Chinese business is drenched in hypocrisy
    
23. PH, China eye intensified trade, financial ties: Specifically, the Philippine and Chinese governments would like to “revitalize” cooperation in five key areas: agricultural trade; bilateral financial cooperation through currency swap; customs; project financing; and tourism
    
24. UAE, China trade to hit $80b in two years: The UAE is one of China's top trading markets in the Middle East and is a strategically important trading hub in terms of imports, exports and re-exports. UAE's open visa policy for China has indeed been a huge boost to the business and trade
    
25. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insists Australia's friction with China is modest, despite being given "disproporionate attention". Mr Turnbull insists Australia has an independent foreign policy and does not have to choose between China and the US, amid growing tensions between the two super powers
    
26. The broad relationship between Singapore and China is in "working shape", with bilateral cooperation progressing on many fronts including a new government-led project in Chongqing, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
    
27. Taiwan Tourism Companies plan massive protest on 9/12 (mainland tourism to Taiwan declined 55% overall, "Free"/No-Guide tourists from mainland declined 16%)
    
28. Jack Ma: I'm not worried about anti-China sentiment on US campaign trail, people will come to their senses after the election. (lol)
    
29. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that Britain and China were enjoying a 'golden era' and the strategic partnership would not be derailed by her decision on whether to back a part-Chinese funded power station at Hinkley Point
    
30. India, China plan military drill on terror
    
31. Yao Ming, the 'emperor' of Houston and Chinese basketball
    
32. Obama's Pivot to Asia Fails to Deter China
    
33. Russia and China Taunt NATO with Show of Friendship in the South China Sea
    
34. Indonesia leans toward China: China, Indonesia’s top trading partner, is seen as a friendly counterpart with strong innovation in its digital economy, especially in e-commerce and financial technology, said Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice chairwoman for international relations
    
35. China claimed seven gold medals to top the standings after the first day of competition at the Rio Paralympics
    
36. Careless Consumption: Developed Countries Responsible for Worsening Pollution in East Asia ''Although global pollution is largely generated in developing countries, it is foreign demand that drives much of the goods production and associated pollution.''
    
37. China’s military arrive in Syria to help Russia!
    
38. China has bought back to the country one-third of those on its top 100 list of most-wanted corruption suspects who have fled overseas. Over the past 2 years, since setting up a team to chase graft suspects across the globe, returned 1,915 people from more than 70 countries along with $1.12 billion
    
39. China, the US, and Europe have pledged their support for a new deal to cut down carbon dioxide emissions by airlines, which is due to be finalized at a meeting of the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organisation in September and slated to go into effect from 2021
    

In Domestic news

1. China wary after record voter turnout for crucial Hong Kong election
   
2. Hong Kong election: Youth protest leaders win LegCo seats - BBC News
   
3. 60 per cent of Chinese women control family finances: Report
   
4. China blames "dark shadow of the Stars and Stripes" for Hong Kong independence push
   
5. China warns Hong Kong democracy activists after election - BBC News
   
6. China Opens First Space Travel Theme Park, Hopes to Take Tourists to Near Outer Space
   
7. Liu Yang, 38, hailed as the first Chinese woman in space, became one of the three new part-time vice-presidents of the All-China Women's Federation. Liu credited its efforts in promoting women's development as a major reason why the country began to enroll female astronauts
   
8. China is making "big stride" in quality education: UNESCO chief
   
9. Luxury clubs closed in China amid graft crackdown
   
10. China Pushes Ahead with Independent Committees to Select Top Court Officials
    
11. How one man is saving China's endangered bees
    
12. Should Genetically Modified Foods Be Legalized? A crop of genetically modified corn found in western China has brought the controversial topic of genetically modified foods back into the national conversation
    

In SciTech news

1. Science-led economies: China is focusing on collaborative centres that tap into the success of it's basic research labs and spin out their findings into practical technologies (S8)
   
2. Nvidia partners with Baidu to build a self-driving car AI
   
3. China Pushes Coding for Kids in Effort to Tackle Innovation Gap
   
4. Is China the world's new scientific superpower? - Technology & Science
   
5. Revival of Aging Ukrainian Aircraft AN-225 May Serve Chinese Space Program: AN-225 is currently the biggest aircraft in the world, with a takeoff mass amounting to 640 tons and a working load of 250 tons
   
6. China: High-tech transformation. Chinese researchers are benefiting as the government looks to science to lead the economic transition to become a world-leader in the production of high-value technology
   
7. Chinese scientists convert sand into soil with new method
   
8. Huawei talks up cloud ambition, rides IoT elevators with Schindler: Chinese networking equipment vendor outlines future cloud deployments it says are necessary to facilitate enterprise transformation and inks new partnership to build "smart" elevators
   
9. Terminator-like liquid metal machine now can 'jump' and 'run': new discoveries on liquid metal made by a joint team of scientists from CAS and Tsinghua University that were published in global academic journals this year
   
10. JD's first-ever self-driving delivery vehicle to hit roads soon: The company formed a partnership with robot maker Siasun earlier this year to automate its logistic network and to develop delivery drones and driverless vehicles
    
11. Lowering the cost and environmental footprint of white LEDs: Kuang-Lieh Lu, Yang-Fang Chen and colleagues developed more cost-effective and environmentally friendly white LEDs using graphene and a strontium-based, metal-organic framework (MOF) that does not include rare-earth elements
    
12. China's homegrown AI sector takes off: China looks to build a native artificial intelligence industry reaching 100 billion yuan ($14.9 billion) by 2018, with over 100 such firms materializing so far
    
13. China's Quantum Science Satellite is operating well in orbit after testing and will begin its experiments this month, according to the project's lead scientist Pan Jianwei
    
14. The Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled 60 new science and technology projects to accomplish in the next 5 years. The areas cover organ repair and reconstruction, water pollution control, research on Moon samples, a low-frequency radio telescope and a ground application system for the Mars mission
    
15. China successfully develops quantum radar system
    
16. First gravitational waves form after 10 million years: Technology Islamabad, the University of Heidelberg and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has now calculated this for the first time using an extensive simulation
    
17. Nobel Winner Says China Should Not Build Particle Collider: ChenNing Yang called costs a bottomless pit, comparing to US project that cost $3b then scrapped. Wang Yifang believes collider will attract overseas talent, cultivate young scientists at home, and be a leap for China in high-energy science
    
18. Nano-lipid particles from edible ginger could improve drug delivery for colon cancer: according to a study by researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University...and Southwest University in China
    
19. Chinese scientists are developing a family of high altitude airships that can help with Earth observation, maritime monitoring and communication signal relays
    
20. China betting on advanced robots. According to the International Federation of Robotics, Chinese are creating an “industrial internet” which gathers information and uses it across manufacturing networks. Their robots are connected systems with advanced sensors, sophisticated software and actuators
    
21. China Plans To Build A Deep-Sea ‘Space Station’ In South China Sea: If the plans go ahead, the station would be located 3000 metres below the surface, inhabited by humans, and would be used to hunt for minerals. There are also concerns that it would be used for military purposes
    
22. The new breed of cutting-edge catalysts Advances in catalyst research could create a superhighway to clean energy sources and more-sustainable chemical industry. Chinese Academy of Sciences Can Li has used platinum and cobalt oxide nanoparticles to create a catalyst for splitting water with sunlight
    
23. Sugar transforms a traditional Chinese medicine into a cruise missile: tests of triptolide in human cells and mice are vastly improved by the chemical attachment of glucose to the triptolide molecule. Preferentially seeks out cancer cells
    
24. More Chinese contestants active in robot competition- China.org.cn
    
25. China Accomplishes Five Petawatt Laser Pulse Output
    

In Economic news

1. China Holds Three High Cards In Hand To Gain Bigger Say In Global Economy At G20 Summit: "Beijing is betting on its key role in a new multilateral bank and in an alternative currency, as well as its pull with the rest of the developing world"
   
2. Four Considerations on the Chinese Economy
   
3. China Box Office: Growth Returns in August After Prolonged Downturn
   
4. Microsoft to sell off MSN China
   
5. China Is About to Get Serious With Bad Debt
   
6. China's banks had provided a total of 7.26 trillion yuan ($1.09 trillion) in "green credit" by the end of June this year, part of its efforts to steer its economy onto a more environmentally friendly course
   
7. Taiwanese travel firms feel the pinch with fewer Chinese tourists
   
8. China's Export Machine Is Grabbing More of the Global Market - China’s global export share climbed to 14.6, the highest proportion of exports ever in IMF data going back to 1980, "All the talk we have heard over the last few years about China losing its global competitive advantage is nonsense"
   
9. Russian, Chinese Investment Funds Set Up Joint Fund Worth $500Mln: the joint fund will invest in agriculture, transport, retail and tourism projects
   
10. Jim Rogers on Oil, Gold and Why China Is a Buy
    
11. Behind China’s E-Commerce Success Story: Economists agree that consumption is the most stable component in GDP composition as compared to investments and exports. More significant is the sheer size of the retail market, with e-commerce in China estimated to reach USD 899.09 billion in 2016
    
12. ‘Created’ in China: Shenzhen is making hardware like Silicon Valley makes apps
    
13. Charting China’s rise to trading superpower
    
14. Fast Food Giants Unload Their China Units Amid Increased Competition
    
15. The Man Who Incubated Drone Giant DJI Wants China To Fly High On Tech: Prof. Li Zexiang of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has funded a number of student-led projects, including electric boat engine maker ePropulsion and robotics start-up Quotient Kinematics Machine
    
16. China's Reform of SOEs May Look a Little Odd to the West: Goldman
    
17. China's evolving trade picture, in charts: China now accounts for more than 12 percent of world exports, more than any other single country in the world, according to the IMF. Domestic value added has grown sharply, and especially so in "knowledge intensive" production
    
18. In North Korea, China's Xiaomi gets the people's pulses racing
    
19. Cashing In On Low Prices, China's Oil Imports Surge: reports indicate that reserves may now be reaching full capacity
    

In Military news

1. War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable (August 2016 RAND Study on War between China and United States)
   
2. PLA Navy eyes China’s deep-sea underwater glider after successful test shows it rivals US vessel: Chinese military’s interest piqued after Haiyi-7000 makes it 5,751 metres down world’s deepest ocean trench
   
3. China's Air Force Apparently Receives First L-15 Jet Trainer
   
4. China Holds Military Drill with "Local Fishermen": A joint operations system involving the navy, coastguard, and local fishermen has been fine-tuned in recent years through joint drills,” a PLA Navy media outlet said
   
5. China says developing new type of long-range bomber
   
6. China’s Surface-to-Air Defense Missiles Get Major Upgrade
   
7. China: Military deployment along Indian border non-aggressive
   
8. Picture: PLZ-05 below firing the ERFB-BBBRA. Rocket Assisted Norinco 155mm projectile has a range of 53KM. It can be GPS guided and with a maximum rate of fire of up to eight rounds a minute
   
9. The People's Liberation Army has equipped all of its ground force aviation units with advanced WZ-10 combat helicopters
   
10. The US, China, and Anti-Satellite Weapons: Skewed Perceptions, pre-emptive attack on satellites as asymmetric warfare China could use. China’s military dependence on satellites may be greater than US. Perhaps why some US officials argue the US should refuse limits on use of anti-satellite weapons
    

Other Notables

1. Obama urges Beijing to avoid flexing its muscles in South China Sea (lmao @ the comments. "oh but it's RT", same thing on CNN actually)
   
2. How Modern Cleanses Are an Ancient Taoist Tradition: ‘Bigu,’ a method where people purge their bodies of harmful toxins through fasting, has been practiced by the Chinese for over 2,000 years
   
3. Meanwhile in China: Over 100 excavators dismantle overpass bridge
   
4. Is rural China safe for living?
   
5. The Heat— China Peacekeeping 09/01/2016
   
6. Sinophobia, the last acceptable racism
   
7. A young construction worker has shot to fame on the internet after videos of him performing death-defying acrobatics on construction site equipment wowed Chinese netizens
   
8. G20 in China: Performance and fireworks on 1st day of summit
   
9. English-language books on China's Rise?
   
10. Italy-China movie cooperation dominates talks in Venice: Current status and future chances of filmmaking collaboration between the two countries were widely addressed at special event "Focus on China" promoted by Italy's National Association of Cinematographic Audiovisual Multimedia Industries
    
11. Chinese soldier is hailed as the 'prettiest bodyguard' after being spotted at G20 summit
    
12. British Pub Claims Its Ghost Was Stolen, Demands Chinese Artist Return It. Lu Pingyuan said the ghost agreed to be captured for an art exhibition (lol)
    
13. Answer on Quora Regarding Chinese Technologies
    
14. Exhibition on "ever victorious" Chinese general opens in U.S.: Sun Li-jen, known as Jungle Fox or Rommel of the East during World War II
    
15. Shariah With Chinese Characteristics: A Scholar Looks at the Muslim Hui
    
16. A 24-year-old graduate from a rural village in central China's Henan Province posted her calligraphy works online recently in an attempt to raise money for her badly-injured mother who is recovering from a traffic accident
    
17. A Chinese dad who runs a factory used his resources and nearly $70,000 to build a 13-foot-tall working mecha robot suit for his son
    
18. Higher Brothers - Black Cab (Official Music Video) | China
    
19. unified moral code of China
    
20. How did the Ottoman Empire successfully fight against Western powers when the Qing Empire failed, despite both having inferior technology?
    
21. Treasures of the Tang trail - The influence of ancient China on Kyoto and Nara is now attracting more Chinese visitors keen to glimpse their own past
    
22. 100 more state-of-the-art 4D cinemas coming to China: 4D cinemas provide audiences with a 360-degree immersive viewing experiences and seats that can simulate scents, rumbles, wind, water and other sensory phenomenon, as well as having full motion capabilities
    
23. The History of China (Youtube series)
    
24. WWE Signs Seven Chinese Recruits Ahead of Shanghai Live Event
    

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