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I have some thoughts on this. 1. The crisis will be mitigated by the retirement packages most teachers have to look forward to. It is easy to leave education in the first 5 years, but after that you are walking away from a fairly decent package, depending on the state. It will be important that districts continue to make that attractive. There have been 2 times in my 20 year career where I seriously thought about pivoting, and it was the long term picture that kept me going through the career itch. 2. The crisis is necessary. My salary schedule has barely changed in the last 10 years. I have moved up the ladder, but we are not even keeping up with COLA costs on a yearly basis. Some districts do better than others. But the reality is teachers need to make more money. It is the only surefire way to attract more people to the profession. It needs to be a decent living. My wife and I cannot afford houses on teacher's salaries, despite nearing the top of the salary schedule. When we started our career, it was possible. Teacher salaries were never fantastic to begin with, but they have stagnated while everything else has increased. I could easily go on about this. I also think we should go to a 4-day teaching schedule with the 5th day acting as a flex day. They want us having conferences, teaching social emotional content, and serving on committees, but then they also want us teaching all the educational standards to 180 students 5 days a week. It is exhausting. Every teacher I know enjoys being in the class with the students and teaching. It is the extra stuff that burns people out.

The bright side is people are seeing how the refugees are held. Sort of funny to see how people care so much about athletes, I'd never waste my time protesting for some millionaire

"Sad Belranga noise"

Sanguine Greatsword 20% and 30% Miss-to-graze is working for everything . @NotDumbEnough I continue my tests, do you want I create a topic that list every find from this one with the link to the initial discussion (this topic) ? I could do that next week

Lately I've been trying to get back into the habit of reading more books. I finished The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes, and now I'm reading the sequel: The Exiled Fleet. It's pretty enjoyable military space opera. The books mainly focus on Adequin Rake, a career member of the Legion, and Cavalon, a disgraced royal family member.

... so, tucker carlson is the gop's thulsa doom? ted cruz ain't a beautiful girl by any stretch o' the imagination, but with a few choice words from tucker, ted were nevertheless were willing to hurl himself off the cliff's edge. the fish stick fortune heir is giving lessons in power to a US senator? HA! Good Fun!

Komi Can't Communicate, episode 12. Second season coming in April, apparently. Phew. That's one very necessary break.

Warnings were given. I am retiring to the desert. This is my first week back to serious training. I have 12 weeks until my half Ironman race, so time to get serious. So far I have swam twice, run twice, and got in a good climbing road bike ride. I just need anothe swim, bike, and run to finish the week out.

About 10 minutes until Asylum decides to make a Fluronanado film then.

Lmao, I forgot about that - I laughed so hard about that, I thought that was perfect for a semi-parody like this. That episode was instrumental in making me realize I did actually genuinely like the show even if it wasn't necessarily the highest of art, . Negative, I've read issues 1-4 (of 16). I'll get back to it, haven't really felt in the mood for anything at all lately. I keep "correcting" Tamako to Tamoko in your quotes as well, so you can just pretend I did that one too, . If you had tried to describe what that outro song sounds like to me, I probably would've said "that sounds terrible", but somehow I actually like it. The animation, on the other hand, I was getting a little motion sick from watching the running bit. So there's that, .

For a few months now, neither local stores or Amazon Fresh have had my diet Mt. Dew in cans. Ever. Sometimes they have 16oz plastic bottles, sometimes not. I prefer cans. Strangely, whenever up at the new house, the stores around there have it/are apparently hoarding it, so whenever I go up I check and buy some. Hubby went up there last night just without me (just paying/checking in with a handyman dude, coming right back). He texted me a picture with a thumbs-up over four 12-packs of my caffeine addiction, with the word "SCORE" I love my man. Btw, he's not an adult, either. It's probably why we get along so well.

There's also the whole honor deal, ronin or not. She might not get involved in anyhting willingly, but she does see things through. Can't very well stuff yourself without being able to pay for it just because your retarded martial artist friend stole from a shrine. That was shown to be something so low that not even hardened criminals would consider doing so for a reason. The episode was good, in the end, I just thought I accidentially started the wrong anime when the two guys were dancing naked for Myao, but that's the show being a parody. Can't really call that fanservice with the two retarded wannabe bandits. I mostly avoided your posts about Carried by the Wind (great how I have a typo in the name, I... edited it, but it's in your quote there, forever mocking me) by far and large because I decided early on that I want to watch too. I never thought it would be possible, but the past few episodes clearly made Komi worse than Discovery ever was. Discovery is a hodgepodge of bad writing, terrible direction, bad characters and annoying acting, but it doesn't make me want to stab the characters, myself, my eyes or my ears all the time. I can see that being something like Sailor Moon - the manga being much less problematic than Sailor Moon Crystal. The anime is just an all-out assault on my senses. That reminds me, are you done reading Sailor V? I'll see soon how much of a regular Shiori becomes, but regardless, even without Shiori in it I'm not sure I could recommend it. I was watching the episode, and the realization that the writing in in this anime is good struck me a bit out of the blue because that's not something I thought about in between the way the scene composition and animation wrecks my brain* (not in a bad way though, but it's very distracting). I still don't entirely like the setup, I don't really care for Tamako or any of the other characters that much (which is the anime's biggest issue, because since this is apparently about nothing in the same way K-On! is about, well, nothing, the characters are the most important part), but I had to appreciate the simple elegance of the scene that neatly and without saying a word conveyed so much exposition and a joke by repetition. It also followed from some setup in the first two episodes where Tamako followed her after school routine. *The closing credits of each episode are a really nice example: Not really sure what to make of the song, but that animation is really... uncanny at times. I start spacing out hard watching it for some reason. It kinda gets in the way of watching with subtitles. Hmm. edit: Actually, even that still preview image is uncanny and making my head spin. Baffling.

Why Education Is About To Reach A Crisis Of Epic Proportions (forbes.com)

I thought that episode was actually very good - it started out like it was taking its trashiness to a whole new level...and then just turned around and went the complete opposite direction instead, . It was a little bit of a stretch for Ran's character to go along with everything (although I'd say it could be justified by this being a sign of her becoming better friends with Myao, and also the fact that she ate and drank at Myao's expense...), but that's probably the worst I could say about it. If Komi and Discovery are any indication, it looks like there is a mercy rule in television after all, . @Tamoko Market: Oh wow, I'm super excited to watch this one next!

Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran, episode four. Uhm. What the hell is going on? Meow Myao steals from a temple, gets completely sh*tfaced, has two weirdo bandits who are about as retarded as her strip for her and ends up having to work off the bill. I mean, yeah, that's kinda funny to be honest, but... what... the hell is going on?

another thing 'bout reading history is it teaches us that a failed coup is rare the end o' the story. subsequent coup attempts is likely and the follow-up efforts tend to be more successful. HA! Good Fun!

Few end well. Fewer still accomplish anything.

You had some very fine people among the NAzi insurrectionist terrorists. I can't say the same about Congress.

Wut? What you just said (substituting dictionary definitions) was "I'm still not convinced we can call the violence in and at the building that symbolizes the government and which at the time had the government actively discharging its public duties a violent uprising against an authority or government; the meanings of words, phrases or systems do matter", or to put it plainly, you're saying the meanings of words matter while also denying the literal meaning of the word insurrection.

Mmm Now that I'm thinking. The purge functionnality was based on the fact that the purge happens BEFORE the new familiar is summoned. Since then I tweaked casting/recovery time. Maybe this affected synchronisation of both effects.

Yes I'm sure, I tested it several times with and without BPM enabled. I do get the 3 bonuses and the buff line appear in the Char sheet without BPM, but nothing shows up with BPM. Thanks-

That's why I said that an unusual shape of sale curve is something to consider. But we don't have full data. Poor Josh. He led what I consider a Masterpiece, didn't loose money (we're not speaking about Heaven's Gate or PS:T here) and still suffer from it. In a synthesis, I still believe that something about Marketing / calendar failed completely, but the game was still too good to actually fail.

You need new friends then Genital Jousting on Steam is just hilarious when played with the right friends. Sorry, can’t link to it. Search for it on the Steam site

Dire Talon's Tooth and Claw ( +10 cc and damage against beast) work on spells, abilities and weapons

[hint]Australia could use a regime change![/hint]

Four gunmen are standing in the woods, recently deputized by the new regime in the budding of a civil war. Before them, a gagged and hooded prisoner on their knees, sobbing at the edge of an empty grave. Behind them, nine already filled. The first looks nervous. "I've been counting the prisoners since we hooded them and loaded onto the truck. This must be Dr. Aaron. This man donated bone marrow to save my mother, if we kill him my parents will never look me in the eyes again." The next says "Dr Aaron? This man's son was my best man. If we kill him, his son will hate me to my core, and doubtless he will use his equally brilliant mind to find a way to take terrible revenge on my wife, maybe even my children. Jesus, he even knows where I hide my key." The third says "Dr Aaron called my little brother down from a rooftop ledge, and has treated his anxiety ever since. Wrote us a letter every year. If we kill him, my brother will walk off that edge once and for all, my sister will starve herself with grief and my father will hang himself in shame for what I've done. He treated all of them." The fourth checks his clipboard, brow furrowed. "Oh. ****. Guess I should have mentioned I've been bringing them out alphabetically.

Three men have to share a hotel room in Chelyabinsk during a congress. Naturally, in the evening, they start drinking. One thing leads to another, and they find themselves telling political jokes. Concerns that any of the others may be KGB informants or that the room may be bugged are readily dissolved in alcohol. Everybody is having a great time. One is tired and really feels like sleeping; he decides to pull a joke on the others. He excuses himself, runs to the lobby and gives the receptionist a few bills. “Please send someone to my room with a bottle of vodka, some rye bread and salt in ten minutes.” He then returns to the room. After a few minutes, he notes to the others that stocks of refreshments are running low. “Not to worry, comrades! I have good contacts.” He leans over towards the potted plant in the corner, grabs it and loudly says, as if speaking into a microphone: “Comrades at the listening post, this is lieutenant Dyatlov! We urgently require a bottle of vodka, some rye bread and salt to our room! Make haste!” The others laugh their asses off – until a minute later, there’s a knock on the door and vodka, salt and rye bread is served. You could hear a pin drop. Our man goes to sleep, enjoying the quiet. When he wakes up in the morning, the others are gone. A note is left on the table. “Comrade! A couple of your jokes yesterday would easily get you to Siberia! (The one about Stalin’s maid, while hysterical, could get you in front of a firing squad!!!) However, we liked that room service joke so much, we’ll let you off the hook this time. Sincerely, KGB.”

It wouldn't be JoJo otherwise. No microwaved bananas though.

Who knows? Democracy has been thrown around so much it means very little these days. Virtually every country that isn't explicitly a monarchy likes to call themselves a democracy or republic. Almost all have leaders who live in ridiculous luxury as well. It seems very much that uprisings are becoming more widespread and more frequent. Maybe the 21st century just isn't working out? Regardless the people of Kazakhstan are in the right with this uprising. Let's not give someone any ideas here.

I really do not want you to think I'm soft selling the 1/6 riot. I'm not. When you use words like "insurrection" I think of Hugh Henry Brackenridge and his 7k militiamen marching on Pittsburgh and attacking the mail. I think of John Brown. South Carolina seceding and then firing on Fort Sumter. Now THAT was an overreaction to an election. Heck I'd even throw in the Cliven Bundy incident as an insurrection, albeit a bloodless one. But Jan 6, they didn't have a plan. Not the rank and file at least. There were certainly some true villains that day. The worst of which will likely never get his comeuppance. But most of them had to know there was nothing they were going to do that would change anything other than landing them all in prison. Or dead. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit. I don't want to paint them as innocent sheep who were manipulated into doing what they did. Although there is an grain of truth in that. They deserve prison time and most of them are already doing it. Probably less of it than they deserve. But to call it and insurrection? I just can't get there. It was a riot. A mob. If the BLM riots that DID turn violent and burn neighborhoods and attack police were NOT an insurrection how can 1/6 be? Like we've discussed before there are numerous scenarios where I would feel justified turning my guns against my government and countrymen. None of them have happened. None of them are even close! Rioting in the US Capital because you're mad your team lost an election is not rational. Rebellions are rational. They have goals. Actions with expected outcomes. Just criminals doing crime. Am I wrong here?

Well, you can also do it the long, slow way through influencing activists in the country. Can't kill ideas with bullets, and all. Although you can, but in that case the leadership you're trying to topple will kill all their people so not your fault.

For what it's worth: due to its long breath, Deadfire broke even and then made money for some time now - so according to Josh Sawyer it wasn't so bad after all. But the first disappointment after release and the following months must have been immense. You put all your energy and enthusiasm into a game and then it seems to bomb while competitors sell well. That must be really draining - and maybe lets you doubt that you actually know what you're doing. No wonder Josh didn't want to touch similar games for some time.

I think it goes back to expectations. Tyranny was a new IP in a new setting. So the field for establishing the game's identity was fairly wide. Deadfire not only had expectations to carry forward form the first game, it also was carrying the nostalgia (to some extent) from the old Infinity Engine games. So POE having established the expectation, or Brand Identity for what a game in this series should be like, the next title had less wiggle room if it wanted to be considered a legitimate successor. And to clarify, I think that expectations fall into 2 buckets; one is in the feel of the game (this is where setting and tone matter the most), the other is learning curve related; how much time do you want to spend learning how to play the game in some optimal way so that it is not frustrating. In a game like Tyranny, the first is open and the second, at least psychologically for the player, is to be expected. In a game like Deadfire, both were largely established in the first game (at least for those who enjoy more standard fantasy settings) so changing the setting can be jarring and re-learning how to play effectively can be off-putting to anyone who enjoyed the first game.

This is a HUGE issue I have with BG3.

Relevant because January: RLM needs to do another one of these.

Oathbreaker's End Found Guilty (and Innocent) proc on death from every way. Scoring a crit on some ennemies and killing them with a big spell add a big raw flat "lash" to the AoE!

I do remember reading those critique points before, yes

Btw, I'm 53 now. I was still in my (late) 30's when I first started showing up in this forum. How bizarre. ...y'know how I didn't quite shave my head earlier this year? It's all maybe 4 inches long now. I think it grew back way more grey than before. I became used to not having to "take care" of hair and it's super annoying having to consider it again. I may buzz it off again in early summer.

It is finally done : cl.rogue.Perplexing_Sap.gamedatabundle I changed the " Boolean is friendly" to nothing in the Perplexing_Sap_SE_EnemyConfused chapter, like for the Frenzy Applyonevent. That mean you get a StaggeredOnEvent-like effect with attack, only on attack (no on AoE buffing friendly spells). Work as intended for every Perplexing Sap target : an ennemy Sapped is going to confuse your team on attack. Like for Frenzy, a not ennemies-only spell (great maelstrom for exemple) cause now Confused to everyone. On yourself, if you remove the regular Confusion effect from Perplexing sap by Intellect resistance, you will not confuse your party anymore with Foe-only spells. Really like Berserker Frenzy. The "Boolean is friendly" is weird because even confused, an ennemy doesnt become Friendly.

I love the idea of Koi Scale Roof. What if the different building materials has different properties... I mentioned in an earlier comment that birch bark for example is water proofing, this could be great for buildings around the sprinkler area. Maybe the Koi could have reflective properties and deter or attract certain insects maybe even for some sort of trap or protection.

I would love to see some of the resources already in the game (or known to be coming soon) available for building construction. Primarily for added Color, Variation, and Creativity in our Building. Shingled Roof Additions - Flower Petal Roofing ... also keeping the colors of the flower petal before they are picked up... being able to have flower roofs in different colors would be awesome ... - Acorn Shingles - Koi Scale Shingles - Hammered/Fired Clay Shingles Thank You ~ Love Your Faces #NoTaming

In order to have a successful transition to Democracy you need certain things to be present. Most of which aren't in Kazakhstan. You need lots of CIA involvement and slush money aid promises, a border with a western aligned country for agents provocateur to cross and a convenient figurehead to have been set up to 'win' the 'election'. See Guiado, Hadi, Karzai etc. Kazakhstan has none of that. Minus the sarcasm, in order to have a successful transition to Democracy you also need certain things to be present. It's kind of pointless listing them because none are absolutely necessary, and in this situation they're irrelevant anyway. The practicalities and realpolitik are that they cannot succeed. Revolutions work when the ruling party/ class either cannot or will not fight effectively, or when the military and police refuse to act. You can supplement either of those with not having a far more populous neighbour who is willing to prop up the status quo (or tear it down, though that doesn't apply in this case). In this case the leadership won't go, the military and police won't switch sides, and Russia doesn't want anarchy- and, inevitably, another islamist insurgency- on its southern flank and in a country where a quarter of the population is Russian. And Kazakhstan, especially with Afghanistan gone, is strategically irrelevant to anyone who would actually support them, except as a way to poison the well for Russia. And that means Syria 2.0, ie no real attempt to change things positively for the general population beyond lip service and self serving White Man's Burden fabulism such as the myth of the 'moderate democratic opposition' which would sweep to power on the wings of hot air and wishful thinking vs the reality of the opposition being nutbar islamists armed by the- and to be fair to them, they did a fantastic job of their actual aim of asterisking the country semi permanently- CIA with TOWs etc from day one; but an awful lot of anarchy generation and maintenance because it will cause trouble for others. Theoretically yeah, aux armes citoyens formez vos bataillons go chop up some kleptocratic oligarchs and hooray for all that good liberté fraternité and egalité stuff. Practically, anyone encouraging the protesters is supporting a bunch of people committing suicide, at best, or who are going to get another 250k people pointlessly killed at worst (though this won't happen though, for the above reasons).