I worked in a Police Department for 4 years, first as an intern and then as the assistant to the Chief of Police. Many of my friends are detectives. I will try to provide you with information on it.

• • A detective is a lateral promotion of a police officer. It is the same rank, just a different function of the organization. Thus, you need to be a police/patrol officer first. The amount of time spent on patrol varies widely with departments, but I would say you should anticipate on spending at least 5 years as a patrol officer. During that time you will be provided multiple opportunities to increase your skill set and get training for a lateral promotion to a detective. To emphasize this point, there are Patrol Sergeants (a real promotion) and Detective Sergeants (a leader of detectives). I hope this makes sense.
• Well on a regular basis you will spend your time analyzing multiple case loads (usually between 30-50 different cases) and compiling evidence for that case so your city can prosecute a crime. You will work with victims of crime to get testimonies, you will gather evidence at a crime scene, you will interview suspects, and you will be the point man for the entire life of the case. Your work week will vary wildly, and it is a reason many people have a hard time committing to it. You will likely work a regular week unless something major happens, and you will have at least one weekend a month where you are “on call”. That means you are compensated, marginally, and you cannot drink or be otherwise engaged in something that would limit your ability to roll out immediately.
• Again this depends wildly on your organization. I would say that it is definitely a position that allows for relative financial stability. You are compensated by the hour, and detectives often have a lot of overtime. You also get the on call pay. Furthermore, as a lateral position it will be based on your climbing the rank as an officer and you would maintain the same base hourly pay. Many of the detectives I worked with made around $80k-90k annually. You can decide if that is reasonable to live on.
• Police/Detective work undoubtedly interferes with your social life. Your job is to basically interact with some of the worst possible situations you can imagine. You will meet people who either don’t want you there or need you there because they are experiencing some of the worst situations they will in this life time. You will see regrettable and terrible things, but this is why a support cast and a social life is important. You don’t want to go down that black hole alone. You must have support. You will also work odd and long hours and it may be difficult to maintain consistent friendships outside of work. But this is really true of so many professions. I would definitely say that the camaraderie in a police department is second to none. I have many friends that I meant during my time in the PD, and I am still friends with them even though I left. It’s a very unique environment and a privilege to be a part of. It helps you bond. As one officer once said to me “Once your a part of our family you are a part of it for life.”
• I would say to skip Criminology as a bachelor degree. It’s not wholly respected, and you don’t really learn much that is useful for becoming a detective. Most contemporary Criminology degree programs focus on academic research, quantitative measurements, criminologic behavior, and some other items that are not really transferable. They are interesting, but not very practical. I would say focus on something you enjoy and can use for a career outside of law enforcement. To further this point I will add one more item
• Do not pin your entire hopes/dreams on becoming a detective. Getting into municipal or county law enforcement is not an easy proposition. You will likely apply to many, many different agencies and it will take a while. Most municipal agencies in Arizona average about 100 applicants per open spot. This is also assuming you can pass a very rigorous recruitment process including a polygraph, psych and medical evaluation. After that, you will have to complete a 16 week academy which is fairly tough as well. It can be done, but I would hate to see you get a Criminology degree and not be able to get into law enforcement and basically be stuck with an utterly useless degree. Get an internship. Or volunteer. Get your foot into the door with the PD as early and quickly as possible, that way by the time you graduate from college you will be half way there.

Im a 28 year old female from Australia. I decided to go dating online using Bumble after my breakup with my ex 7 months ago. I believed I was healed and excited to find someone, I knew what I wanted in my next relationship. The first day I was on there, I matched with a good looking Malaysian-Chinese man.

We chatted for an hour on the app and moved on quickly to use Whatsapp. He apparently fell in love with me after 3 days of chatting with me, and proceeded to love bomb me, promised me the world, wanted to make me his woman, give me everything he owns when we get married. Initially this was too much for me and I confronted him about it. He said he understands but its how he shows his love. He respected my boundaries, gave me a lot of compliments, promised me a bright future, encouraged my ideas and plans etc. I liked talking to him every night, this was all over text. We called once or twice but he was usually too ‘shy’ or ‘nervous’ to speak to me on the phone and meet up. I was also a shy and anxious person so I understood.

We then started to speak about his tough financial background growing up and his journey into investments. I was heavily into property investing and understood basics of stocks and crypto. He told me about how he makes money by placing most of his savings in a mining pool, which generates roughly $7K a day. He has been doing it for an entire year. He showed the screenshots as proof, and the amount he had in his savings. I believed it and so when he asked about my finances, I told him about it thinking too much about it since he was also open about all of his finances. He convinced me to put my savings in a mining pool and I did that. Initially it was $8K usd.

Over the next week, I was able to see returns of about $400 a day. He mentioned that these mining pools are great, but they don’t last long. This particular pool will end in 2 months. This baited me to put in most of my savings. I liquidated my stock and crypto assets, and stupidly added it to the wallet, totalling $60K usd.

Then the mining pool sent out a notification to join this ‘Couple activity’ and pledge your funds to the pool for greater returns. The guy I was talking to mentioned how we have enough funds to join this activity since the requirement was wallets totalling $300K usd. Once we joined, he panicked and realised that to complete this activity, and release the funds, each account needed to have $150K usd. We didn’t understand the requirements fully. I just jumped into it without thinking. He then reassured me thats its fine and its possible to get this money. We just need a plan.

He told me he was short on money and was unable to help me. His friends won’t be able to assist. He has a bad record with the bank so he can’t get a loan. Trying to convince me that he’s exhausted all his options and no one can help him. He’s so tired from working 12 hour days, telling me that his only motivation to work is because of me. I brighten up his day etc. Don’t think too much about the problem, let’s be optimistic he would always say.

I was reassured by the customer support team and him, that this was all we needed to do to get our funds back. He said he has done it multiple times before but only participated individually, however the rules have now changed.

My stupid ass decided to add in all of my savings to this pool, apply for a personal loan and borrow money from my parents to make up this total, because there was no other option else I’d lose it in a couple of days. I made it happen, completed this activity, but was told that I needed 30% of the $150K in my wallet to ‘open the release fund channel’ to withdraw these funds. After hearing this and confronting him about it, he said he had forgotten this was a requirement when he participated before but promised that this was all we need to do to get our money back.

By then, I realised this was all a scam and started to find similar scams to this. I’ve also checked the wallet address he apparently pledged with me, and realised that no such funds were taken out like they did with mine. I lied to him that I had the money to withdraw the funds, but he had to prove to me that I was going to get this money back. He instantly flipped, turned on me, gaslighted me about how I don’t trust him after everything we’ve been through.

I never thought I’d be one to fall for one this badly, and lose so much. I work in IT and am usually so careful when it comes to these things. I went through feelings of self-blame, shame, guilt, depression and embarrassment. I was stressing out so much over my job before and thought about leaving but now I have no choice but to work to keep up with my mortgage repayments.

This situation messed me up really badly, and also caused me to have a lot of trust issues and not ever want to date again. There were so many red flags I missed but now see clearly. I was also isolated to not talk about this situation with my friends and parents because ‘they wouldn’t understand it’ and ‘we can fix this problem ourselves’ so I shouldn’t worry them with our matters.

I’ve seen a psychologist about this and spoke openly with my parents and friends about it to start the healing journey, but I’m still fairly shocked that it happened over a short amount of time. I save every dollar and don’t spoil myself at all, so this loss was painful. As a result of this, my parents are now having to revise their finances to retire comfortably. I understand that I was a victim of this and that these scammers use strong psychological tactics to bait you into getting scammed but my guilt is eating me up every time I see them stress out about their finances.

I’ve reported this to the police but I’ve accepted that this money is lost forever and I won’t be able to get it back. I’m hoping that sharing my story can stop others from making the same mistake.

– FormalLife5339

1. I’m terminal as fuck. I’ve got tumors in my heart, liver, lymph nodes, pancreas, abdomen, shoulder and neck.

Currently I’ve done a little over 7,000 hours of chemo along with 3 months of radiation and 8 surgeries so far.

Originally I was told that I’d have about 12-24 months to live.

If I make it to January 16th, I’ll have made it 7 years.

I’m just about to start the last approved treatment for my cancer (Colo-rectal). Currently I’m in pain, scared, and have just lost another friend of mine to this horrible fucking disease.

In addition to everything above though, I have run marathons on chemo, I’ve put together cancerous teams of people (Team Tumor) to compete in Triatholons, I’ve dressed up for treatment as a host of different things: everything from a turkey on thanksgiving, to Chemo cupid on valentines day, to a bunny (playboy kind) on easter.

As far as living out my final days, I’m doing some public speaking about the cancer, I’m selling “fuck cancer” shirts online. I’m writing poetry and essays. I’m doing silly shit and ending up on the news a lot. I’m spending a lot of time in chemo. I’m trying to do kind things for other patients and making too many friends who die too damn soon…

I’m also spending as much time as I can with my two young children, who understand waaay too much about death and cancer for their ages.

It has been a strange trip, being terminal, and it sucks that I’m coming to the end of the journey soon. I’ve had amazing times with it – I’ve gotten to speak to crowds of 35,000 people, and been cheered by the Beach Boys as I left the stage. – I’ve gotten to hit on a presidential candidate, -I’ve brought University cheerleaders and two houses of firemen over to chemo to pass out candy on valentines day. – I’ve brought a stripper into chemo – I’ve convinced a friend to dress as the grim reaper and come chase me around while im getting chemo.

Basically, I’ve lived while I’ve been dying.

I don’t regret a damn minute of life…except maybe the one where one cell in specific started splitting, again and again and again…

2. I’ve got Cystic Fibrosis. Growing up my sister who also had CF was always very sick. She was 5 years older than me and lost her battle at the age of 15. It really sucked because all I could think about was, “Well, only 5 more years.” I was pretty depressed for a while but then one day it came to me. I am going to live just as long whether I am happy or sad. My sister passing away really changed my outlook on life. Death is going to happen and you can’t do anything about it. Don’t stress about the things you can’t change, live in the moment and have the time of your life. Right before I die, I want to think “Damn, that was fucking awesome.”

3. I will die a slow, painful death.

I have CML, will progress to AML eventually, and then to death unless some miracle drug comes out in the next few years.

With the medication I take, the results are still relatively young – Gleevec has only been around for a short time, so it’s still hit or miss on how people will take to the medication, how long it will take them to build a resistance to the medication, etc.

I should have been dead a few years ago, CML progressing to AML usually only takes a year or two give or take, and then it’s a quick road down the painful death at the end.

I live my life rather slovenly, I quit working a few months ago as I kept getting sick, kept getting shit from work from being sick all the time, was tired of having to explain to people how somebody with cancer could appear to be so healthy i.e. not skinny frail and miserable all the time.

So now I spend my time at home, playing housemaid while my wife works. I read a lot, I play video games, I browse the internet for long periods of time, honestly pretty boring, but I’m just killing time as there really isn’t much else I could be doing.

4. I have cystic fibrosis. I’m trying to achieve so many things normal people have, but are harder because of my CF. I want a boyfriend, and to eventually get married before I’m too ill. I just got my first post graduate school job, after moving across the world. I’m very, very afraid of the future, but I have some truly wonderful friends I can vent to, and my parents are very supportive. There’s a lot of fear in my life- I’ve never pretended to be one of those patients who sets out to be a role model and an inspiration. I have break downs a lot. I struggle mentally and physically every day, and I may move back home soon, as my lung function has declined a lot in the past few months, but at least home has video games.

5. I have stage 4 colon cancer. Had a major surgery which lasted 8 hours followed by a 1.5 month hospital recovery. Currently I’m on my second regimen of chemotherapy (started back in July and I go in every other week) with no stop date. It is pretty much stay on chemo until the cancer stops responding to the treatment.

I stopped working after my diagnosis (I have a Ph.D. In Forensic Psychology) and have been spending time with family and my dog. I also enjoy playing video games online as it lets me interact with many friends I’ve met over the years (I still raid in World of Warcraft in a guild I helped run and have been in since 2004).

My biggest worry is my family and dog when I’m gone. I want to make sure they are okay.

6. Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I have maybe 5 years my heart function is down to 28%, I am bed ridden so I cant leave the house but my last day I want carried outside to lay on the grass and watch the sunset.

7. Stage IV colon cancer here. Age 35. I’m a single mum to a 1-year-old and there is a 94% chance I’ll be dead in 4 years. But there is still a wee bit of hope, so I try to hold onto that (hard to do most days). My days are filled with spending time with my baby and hoping that I live long enough that she’ll remember me. She’s pretty awesome and makes me laugh every day, so there is a lot of happiness in this life of mine.

8. I have a progressive neurological disease. The grey matter of my brain is slowly wasting away and after that the white matter will start wasting away. I am 21 and this is typical in… old people, haha. \

It causes me to have very very very early stages of dementia as well, go figure.

It will take maybe 10-15 years until I get to a very bad point though… You know, the point of no return. (I’ll be in my 30’s) Sorry, I use humor to cope.

I’m scared. I try not to think about it though. I just want to do something with my life before all of this.

I worked in EMS since 17 years old and I no longer can. I want to start some sort of scholarship fund or some sort of fundraiser for EMT’s who have been dealt a bad hand and are unable to continue EMS because of their neuro degenerative disease. This is going to be the final big thing I want to do and I hope it will continue years after I’m gone.

9. I have Motor Neurone Disease. Somewhere between 6 months and three years to live. More likely to be a year or so, since I was diagnosed late.

After the cold-shower-shock, there was no other option than to swallow it, accept the new state of my world, and look at what was left to me.

To my surprise, I found that there was nothing big/spectacular that I wanted to do. The bucket list had nothing on it.

Instead, I found that what I wanted was to spend what time was left living my life, as much as possible, normally. Seeing friends. Talking and laughing. Seeing the sunshine (or the rain) on the trees. I have tried to let those close to me know this, and understand it. I do not want to spend the rest of my days talking about my illness, in an atmosphere of gloom.

In many ways, it is easier for me than for them. I can laugh and be happy, and people think it’s marvellous. But for them, there’s the fear that they might appear callous or shallow – to be easy and cheerful when I’m dying.

Sadness? Not for myself. I might reasonably have expected a couple more decades of life, but I’m not young. I’ve managed to have a fairly full life, usually aiming at happiness rather than achievement – though I have achieved several of the things that were important to me: I have children, I have published a couple of books, I have made things I’m proud of. And I have friends that I love, that I value for the things they do and for who they are. I feel very lucky, and my diagnosis and the short life ahead of me do not alter this.

I have, to an extent, managed the news of my illness, telling those close to me, but asking them to be discreet. I have a wide circle of friends, for one reason and another, and I don’t want acquaintances asking me about my health in the local supermarket. I am trying (it’s difficult) to be quite ruthless about diverting talk away from me. It’s difficult because I know that they genuinely care – but I want to enjoy this small bit of life left to me. And that will not be helped by endlessly discussing my symptoms.

One further thing is that I am poised to quickly slip away if anyone starts lecturing me about ‘alternative therapies’ for MND, or talking about the effects of a positive mindset, or the power of faith or. . . any of the myriad of solutions that sound good and positive but actually are based more on ‘wouldn’t it be nice if’. . . rather than any genuine evidence.

I’m becoming less and less physically capable, but I’m determined to keep doing what I can do for as long as I can. Which means that sometimes I have to fend off over-helpful friends. It’s lovely to have things done for me, but I don’t want to get used to having things done for me. Until I genuinely can’t do them any more.

Most people here have it much worse than I. At least I don’t have one of those dreadfully painful diseases that tears the body apart. Nor does MND affect the brain. Stephen Hawking has a version of this disease, and his mind appears to be as sharp as ever.

I have no fear of stopping, as we all have to do that. Except now and then I realise that I’m effectively standing on the edge of a cliff – (what people call death) and I get a sudden fright.

And that’s more than enough. I haven’t had a chance to express these things at such length. Thanks for asking the question.

1. My dog was diagnosed with nasal cancer around this time last year. It took his life two months later.

We did daily trips to Wendy’s where he got his favorite (chicken nuggets) and as time passed and he got worse he started getting a kid’s meal. We started collecting the stupid toys. He played with them when they were appropriate, but mostly we collected them.

We took almost daily trips to the woods, sometimes with one of the other dogs, sometimes without them. We aimed to focus on recording memories. Not living them, recording them. Nobody wants to hear you cry in a recording, they want silly things. We recorded him in the woods. We recorded him eating his nugs. We recorded him playing the occasion he’d play. We recorded him with his tricks and recorded him downtown. I couldn’t live each day, I had to record each day, because living at that time was way too hard.

He passed away on December 4th, 2020. Now, I get daily memories of my dog through my phone. Some are tearjerkers, some are happy. All are authentic and show how much my shelter pitty I got from the shelter one day because he caught my eye was loved.

2. My boy is also 7, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor back in August, and is scheduled to be put down in a couple of days, as he’s had a sharp decline within the past week.

Every decision makes me feel guilty too. Not only a lot of what-ifs, but small things. Earlier this month I had a breakdown at the store when I realized I had decided to buy the smaller pack of food instead of the usual big one. Every day I have to look at all his toys, and blankets, and other things he no longer interacts with, and I can’t even bear to think about going through them while he is still around. I’ve done my best enjoying the time I have left, but like you say, it’s very difficult.

I don’t have an answer for you, but just wanted to say you’re not alone. Everyone who loves and cares for their dog will, or have already been through this. I try my best to rationalize my decisions in my head, as there’s often a huge disconnect between rational and emotional decisions. It seems to help. I also try to keep bouts of crying in the shower, so I don’t upset him too much.

3. The thing about dogs is they have no idea that they’re on borrowed time, or that they’re getting palliative cares.

Dogs live in the present. They don’t sit there and say, well I should live to be 14 and this really sucks that I won’t. They’re who they always were. They’re with us and they’re happy.

Most of us will outlive most of our dogs. And sometimes we get lucky and they live to be really old and sometimes we aren’t as fortunate. But the dog doesn’t know the difference.

I don’t sit there and say well you won’t be here for whatever. I just assume he will be, and if he isn’t, then at least we did everything we could to keep him happy, comfortable and not scared.

And even with the best medical care, no one knows how long our dogs have. Just hope for more than promised and help them live each day in the moment, which is what dogs are best at.

4. Years ago my heart dog was diagnosed with bladder cancer and given 2 months, give or take. We took everyday as it came. He got pizza, chicken stew, beach walks, chasing after whatever he wanted as long as he could. It’s hard, really hard. My other dog was fit and healthy then had 3 weird breaths and died. Better for her, worse for us. You get to make those special memories and do the all the things you and they like doing.

Make every day the best you can and your dog will be forever happy.

5. The advice my vet gave me was not to cry in front of them. They will expend much-needed energy in trying to cheer me up! And that is exactly what happened with my Catahoula, Elvis. He was given 2-3 weeks to live with hemangiosarcoma. He ended up going on for 4 months before letting us know it was time. The one time I lost it in front of him, he practically crawled into my lap trying to make me happy! It sounds like with your boy it stresses him out, which is still using up much-needed energy. If you need to cry, do what I ended up doing….many times….and going out to the car to bawl until I could get a grip again.

We put off an anniversary trip but he kept on ticking so we ended up taking it at a different date with my friend acting as dogsitter. We spoiled him with whatever he would eat. Taco Bell?? Okie dokie! It was a hoot watching him pick the lettuce off we forgot about. My neighbor would cook him food and treats. He liked a toy? He got it! Anything to make him happy. And when he passed, he was cremated with his favorite toy. The rest got put away until the next dog because we just can’t live without one.

Stop thinking about his death. We are ALL gonna die. No one wins this game of life. It is the QUALITY of the life that counts. So do what you can to give him quality time. Love on him, take him out and about, give him treats if you have to leave him behind if you have to go out. Take selfies with your boy! And just love him.

6. My dog was diagnosed and given 4-5 months with treatment. We spent 5 figures on surgery before the diagnosis and could no longer afford treatment. Instead we had him on a steady supply of pain killers and cbd. Which seemed to work better than the treatment.

Everyday and week would go by and we’d be asking us this the one. We would take him on all the walks and drove him two hours away to get white castle with him for his birthday. We fed him all the things we withheld worrying he’d get to fat. We gave him hundreds of water bottles to chew and dozens if toys to destroy. We gave him all the bones and treats we could afford. When we worked long days we would give him to my parents so he was never alone.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months and it seemed like he was never going to go. 20 lbs later and a year in a half past when he was supposed to go he let out a yelp when getting up, then stopped moving. When we got an ultrasound we found his cancer had spread and cut off his urethra and butt. At that point we had to make the hard choice. We put him down because we didn’t want him to suffer.

We make their lives better until we can’t, and when we can’t we make them comfortable. I understand its hard to enjoy the time you have with them given the circumstances. But when its all over you’ll regret not taking that last walk, or throwing that last ball. Do this for them now so you don’t feel bad later. This may go on a while. Or if could be done in an instant, treat every moment as it could be the last.

7. I have had to live with my cat being terminally ill- not any of the dogs I’ve lost, they’ve all been short illnesses.

In the end, what they need from you is comfort, good food, enjoyable activities within their limits, pain relief as needed, and love.

The rest is for you. Like my vet pointed out- they don’t know they’re dying.

I’ve had a lot of loss in my life. Humans, pets. We all have to go someday.

So, how do you enjoy your time left with your pup? Work on focussing on the now. Remind yourself that pup can enjoy this toy now. Your company now. You can enjoy his company now.

Now is all we have, and leaning into being right there with your pup is all you can do.

8. It’s the little things that count so make the best of them. My pup was never a cuddler and we had always respected that. He wouldn’t even let you hug him. As soon as a pet/scratch advanced into anything more, he was out. With that being said, a memory I’ll always cherish from his last few months was when he spooned my leg to sleep. I sat on the floor against the couch, legs stretched forward and pet him from a few inches away. He crept closer and closer until his legs were stretched across mine. I probably sat there for an hour with a butt cramp and a numb leg before he woke up and moved to another more comfortable spot. It was worth every second. Make happy little memories like this with your pup and you’ll always have something positive to look back on.

9. My bestest girl, Sofia, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and the best-case scenario was 2 months with prednisone. She ended up lasting 6 months died just before her birthday.
It was devastating to know that I was experiencing her last Thanksgiving, her last Christmas, my last birthday with her… All of it was joy and agony rolled into one.

The best advice I can give is just to love everything. Do everything you want to do, buy the goddamn toys because even if you have to deal with them after the fact you will know he will have enjoyed every minute with his toys and with you. It sucks knowing that things are coming to an end but you, at the back of your mind (and much like me with Sofia), always knew your time would end at some point…it just happens to be sooner than you think. Give him the extra treats, buy him all the toys, take him everywhere you want to go, and practice all the agility you feel like. He isn’t gone yet so LIVE with him.

With Sofia, I did as much as I could with her. I spent every minute I could with her and gave her the most unhealthy shit because she was dying and deserved to have whatever the fuck she wanted. We cuddled in bed and binge-watched Stranger Things, shared some chicken soup, buried ourselves under the blankets on cold days… I regret nothing. I lost her and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her, even though it has been years and I have another heart (wolf)dog that I love more than I have words for. She will forever be my lovey and if there is something after this life then I hope I am greeted by her waiting for me to cuddle in bed and give her cheese.

Here’s how AWFUL Oakland, California is Today. Is it Unfixable?

Tell me, please how the United States has NOT yet collapsed.  It’s obvious. Look! The United States isn’t even a nation any longer. Must watch.

Col. Douglas Macgregor: UKRAINE IS DONE. Putin will MARCH ON Kyiv

The most terrifying force of death comes from the hands of Men who wanted to be left Alone. They try, so very hard, to mind their own business and provide for themselves and those they love. 

They resist every impulse to fight back, knowing the forced and permanent change of life that will come from it. They know that the moment they fight back, their lives as they have lived them, are over. 

The moment the Men who wanted to be left alone are forced to fight back, it is a form of suicide. 

They are literally killing off who they used to be. Which is why, when forced to take up violence, these Men who wanted to be left alone, fight with unholy vengeance against those who murdered their former lives. 

They fight with raw hate, and a drive that cannot be fathomed by those who are merely play-acting at politics and terror. 

TRUE TERROR will arrive at these people’s door, and they will cry, scream, and beg for mercy… but it will fall upon the deaf ears of the Men who just wanted to be left alone.” 

– Author Unknown

Koulourakia (Greek Butter Twist)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 to 3 teaspoons sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Cream butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of electric mixer.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add vanilla extract; beat until blended.
4. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing after each addition.
5. Chill dough for 1 to 2 hours.
6. Divide dough into fourths. Divide each fourth into 16 portions. Roll each portion into a 4-inch rope; fold each rope in half, and twist. Place twists 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Combine egg yolk and water; brush over twists. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sesame seeds.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown.
8. Immediately transfer to wire racks to cool.