u/Low-Cartographer-429

Strangely, I'm now seeing all one-way partner flights on Qatar Airways (Economy Class) going for 65K Atmos miles. They've been 42.5K for the last few years until now (because I've been booking them). Anyone know what may have triggered this sudden change? For the same route, I see 42.5K for other partner airlines. But Qatar has always had the most availability for my route. Also spot-checked several months out and I still see all 65K for one-way Qatar Economy seats.

EDIT: The route I'm looking at is the US to BKK; specifically JFK > BKK. Not US > DOH only (which is only half way to BKK).

Most of my retirement funds are in VTI; which is actually a Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, not the S&P 500, but performs almost identically to VOO. With the S&P 500 being concentrated in tech stocks, would it be a good idea to move some of my VTI to an equally weighted S&P 500 ETF like Invesco's RSP? My concern is that the AI mania won't last forever. I'm not predicting a crash (how could I know?), but I am concerned about the possibility of one. What's a good blend? 60% VTI, 40% RSP? Maybe 40% VTI, 60% RSP? Seems potentially unwise to go 100% RSP. What other factors should I consider? Again, I prefer indexing as a primary strategy. I have a small amount in VXUS, the Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF; but don't feel comfortable moving more to it due to potential currency risks.

I used to think "nondenominational church" was used in a neutral sense; but the few times I researched them, they always had roughly the same practices as Pentecostal / Charismatic churches (expecting people to display "gifts of the spirt," etc). Why is the name nondenominational even used? To make more extreme forms of worship appear more acceptable?

Eons ago, a Christian gifted me the C.S. Lewis book "Mere Christianity." At the time I was a Philosophy student and I remember marking it up every time there was a logical fallacy in it, which was frequent. I mentioned this to someone on r/Christianity after they invoked Lewis' name. This was decades ago and I tossed the copy with my handwritten notes in it. All I remember is that it seemed like a book created to strengthen the beliefs of Christians who were already believers. This user, u/michaelY1968 claims: "Lewis' arguments have outlived many of his detractors." Anyone remember the claims from Mere Christianity? I'll invite him here so he can participate since he's claiming Lewis is irrefutable.

I also vaguely remember the terrible Josh McDowell books that Christians were fond of gifting. Someone on the old USENET alt.atheism group wrote a fantastic take down of "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" but I don't know if there's anything like that for Mere Christianity. The one I do remember from McDowell's book is the "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" false trichotomy about Jesus as a historical character.

When I think of self-declared atheists, I think of people who probably know more about the Bible than many believers, who may have studied other religions, and have thought deeply before they arrived at their position and have some sophistication. I don't think of someone who may have been previously apathetic or largely uninformed about Christianity. I'd expect them to just say: "I wasn't religious." Are most people who claim they "used to be an atheist" of the informed, engaged, sophisticated variety or is it some sort misleading flex? If you label yourself an "ex-atheist" what kind of atheist were you exactly in terms of your knowledge of atheist arguments and awareness of the claims of other religions?

What does everyone think about preaching on airplanes? Anyone here actually support it? There was a lady doing this on a recent Alaska Airlines flight who got banned. She was probably trying to pump up her Instagram views and had a "martyr" complex. After the incident I heard she was saying things like: "See how poorly we Christians are treated?" I don't think anyone should be allowed to disrupt the peace in a confined space like an airplane cabin. Imagine if it was a Muslim preaching inside a plane saying: "Allahu Ahkbar." While technically not a sin, preaching to a captive audience seems wrong.

Do any Christians take seriously the idea that the hells of other religions may be real? Or are they simply not considered? Particularly Christians who weren't born into Christianity through family or in countries where Christianity is not the predominant faith. Like with any religion, I'm sure there are plenty of people who "choose" the religion of their parents and community since it's the default vs. seeking which religion is likely to be true among all religions.

Do you have a spouse or boyfriend / girlfriend who shames you into tipping when you don't want to? Anecdotally there seems to be a higher proportion of guys here saying they don't want to tip, but feel they have to due to pressure from a girlfriend or wife. Ladies, do you run into the same thing in reverse? You don't want to tip, but a boyfriend or husband shames you into it? If you are the one who doesn't want to tip, do you think you'll ever win your partner over?

Full integration won't happen until sometime in 2027 (e.g. won't have OW-status based lounge access or be able to choose better seats), but I'm already seeing Philippine Airlines award travel availability using Atmos miles.

Article excerpt: "At 1:06 p.m. on 30 July 2026, a joint team including Pol. Lt. Col. Prapda Suksunthree of Pattaya Police Station, Pol. Lt. Col. Thongthai Pairor of the Investigation Subdivision of Immigration Bureau 3, Pol. Sub. Lt. Atsada Charusombat, Pol. Sub. Lt. Apisit Phuengyaem of the Tourist Police Division, and officers from Pattaya Tourism Investigation and Chonburi Immigration, raided the residences of two men known as Suea Hoy (“Hungry Tiger”) and Phang.

The pair are suspected of helping two other men, known as Pong and Thong, break through a cordon of more than 200 officers late the previous night. The escapees allegedly boarded a covered three-wheeled saleng (utility vehicle) that was draped with canvas to conceal them."

Hungry Tiger and Phang, alleged associates of Pong and Thong.

UPDATE: Bangkok Post article from today on the same development:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3294082/two-men-arrested-in-hunt-for-young-russian-siblings

In the same spot where "Paws On Death Row" (another scam charity) used to set up outside of a Chipotle in Durham, there's a new scam charity: United Breast Cancer Foundation. Figured it was a scam the moment I walked out of the restaurant. Some lady by the door was aggressively barking at me. I didn't even see her and she was trying to make a sale. I turned around and saw her accosting everyone walking by. Legit charities don't have aggressive Hype Men / Hype Women getting in peoples' faces. Googled on: "United Breast Cancer Foundation scam" when I got back to my car and sure enough they're a scam. Out of 45M collected, only 0.28% went to breast cancer causes. Do these orgs collaborate with each other? I found it odd that another scam org would be working the same exact spot.

Who sells Kirin beer around Cary and Morrisville? Total Wine and More at Brier Creek does not. The only Japanese beer they stock is Sapporo. I imagine H Mart does but don't want to go if they only might stock it. Same with other stores. Can anyone tell me where they've seen it? I'm sure some people will say World Market, Fresh International Market, and Wegman's; but that's a "maybe" unless you've seen it there. I'd really like to buy some of the Kirin dark beer; had it semi-recently at the Kirin Brewery in Yokohama and really enjoyed it. Probably would be a special order for the dark.

SOLUTION: Wegman's in Cary had the regular Kirin Ichiban bottles in six packs. They didn't have it for sale individually in cans.

EDIT: Please downvote if you're triggered by Japanese beer.

* The Feverish Flux - Factory workers who solder circuits
* An Angular Mass of New Yorkers - avant-garde jazz covers of Rush songs
* Anika's Angels - all girl Rush cover band

Please downvote if you're humor-impaired and find the band members' goofiness objectionable.

How is "Born With a Tail" re: getting facts correct about LaVey's life? Are there any verifiably incorrect statements in it about LaVey's personal history? If so, what are they?

Do OneWorld Emeralds get free WiFi on long haul flights like JFK > HND? I think my aircraft will be a 787-9 but I'm not 100% positive. I'm flying AA in Economy using Alaska Airlines miles. What's the process for getting the free WiFi? My research says login with my AAAdvantage number at aainflight.com once I'm on the aircraft. Is it fast enough to stream video?

When you place a 24 hour flight hold it seems like it's always more than 24 hours, e.g. if you place a hold at 3 pm, doesn't it default to auto-cancel at 11:59 pm the next day. Is that the case? That's my interpretation of when it just gives you a calendar date for when to book the flight by. I don't think it's truly granular to the hour you book it at but wanted to know for sure.

What about extensions to initial 24 hour holds? I swear there used to be a button where you could request to extend a hold. Recently, I checked on a hold the day after booking it and suddenly it got extended by another 2 days. Must depend on demand. Any rules of thumb here or insight regarding hold extensions? I know you can cancel a hold and try to grab another one but you potentially lose seat selections; e.g. the type of seat you want (e.g. middle row aisle is my preference) may disappear.

What do we think about Cerebras? It's now hovering around its pre-market opening IPO price. How much potential does their tech have? Seems like it could be substantial considering their wafer chips reduce connectivity requires and have RAM onboard. Doesn't this greatly reduce energy use? But I don't know if it will remain ultra-specialized technology with limited adoption or use.

Yahoo Finance automated summary:
"Why is CBRS moving today?

Cerebras (CBRS) plunged 15.31% after a strong earnings report raised concerns about future margins, while the tech sector remained stable with a slight 0.16% gain.

• Market context: The technology sector saw only a minor increase of 0.16%, contrasting with Cerebras' sharp decline, indicating stock-specific issues.
• Earnings report concerns: Cerebras beat revenue expectations with $193.4 million but warned of a significant drop in gross margins, prompting investor panic.

Cerebras' steep drop highlights investor anxiety over profitability despite solid revenue growth."

Good time to add more GOOG? Bought a few more shares today. Will monitor and DCA if it goes down further.

"Why is GOOG moving today?

• Market context: The Communication Services sector fell 2.32% while the S&P 500 dipped only 0.24%, highlighting Alphabet's significant stock-specific issues compared to broader market trends.
• AI talent exodus: Alphabet's stock fell sharply after two prominent AI researchers left for competitors, raising alarms about its talent retention amid fierce industry competition.

Alphabet's steep decline reflects investor anxiety over its AI strategy and talent management, diverging from the overall market's minor fluctuations."

1. Peter Earnest - OG and best.
2. Mark / Vince - solid hosts; I rank them the same
3. Andrew - Couldn't understand him very well; hard to listen to.
4. Sasha - High register voice and has no intelligence background

I really miss Peter Earnest. Maybe it's time for another Case Officer to step in.

How do you rank the spycast hosts?

EDIT: How does everyone feel about the short format? I preferred it when episodes were an hour or longer.