BruceVC

I have been following this election Its more an indictment on Lula, the main issues are corruption and cost of living. Voting is mandatory in Brazil but still 20% didn't vote and 6% were null or blank votes Just this 6% could change the final outcome in the next round if they decide to vote properly but basically Lula lost 3.5 million votes and Bolsonaro gained 5 million from 2022 "The Numbers, Compared With 2022The TSE counts 125.1 million ballots cast out of 158.7 million registered voters, so turnout is 78.92%. In the first round of 2022, 123.7 million of 156.5 million voted (79.05%), and abstention was 20.95%, the highest since 1998, when it was 21.49%. The 2026 rate is above 2022 but still below 1998. Blank ballots are 1.84% of those cast (2.30 million) and null ballots 2.93% (3.67 million), together 4.77%. In 2022 the shares were 1.59% blank and 2.82% null, together 4.41%. Neither blank nor null votes count toward the 50% a candidate needs to win outright. Among valid votes, the PL candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has 56.07 million (47.06%) and Lula 53.76 million (45.12%). In 2022 Lula won 57.26 million (48.43%) in the first round and Jair Bolsonaro 51.07 million (43.20%). Lula is therefore about 3.5 million votes lower than four years ago, while the Bolsonaro camp’s candidate is about 5.0 million higher. Valid votes in total rose by only 0.9 million." The Rio TimesBrazil Abstention 21.08%, First-Round High Since 1998Abstention hit 21.08% in Brazil's first round, 33.4 million voters, over 14 times the Lula and Flávio gap. What it means for the 25 October runoff.

@alanschu Welcome back, good to see your posts again

Once Trump is gone the next president will change this and put more requirements on these companies that are actually substantive and measurable You cant expect Trump to care or understand the concern around unchecked AI Its too complicated for him and doesn't align with his views of what big business can or cannot do around necessary regulation and legislation

Hilarious as usual and its parody creates such a terrible impression of the NZ, its not only a racist country but its about to become a failed state @Zoraptor how can you live in NZ, how are you able to survive?

I bought it now and it will be the next game I play in that genre which I classify as horror, survival. I try to play games in an order with older games I buy being played first. That way I dont forget about games because of newer games I bought SOMA recently after all your recommendations so there are other games I needed to play first

A few days ago I completed What remains of Edith Finch. Its a quick adventure, mystery game where you return to your family's home to understand why so many of your relatives and older family members died because you pregnant and you concerned about your child's future. Was it natural deaths or a curse? The puzzles are really easy and the old house has some interesting secret rooms to find as you progress It has a fairly deep and interesting overall narrative as you discover how each person died. Its fun and another quick distraction type game, 60/00 Then I started The Lost Crown :A Ghost-Hunting Adventure which is a supernatural adventure game but its hardcoded at 1024x 768 resolution and it doesn't support widescreen or ultrawide which is my monitor. So there was this massive black bar around the HUD and Window option is also too small. So I stopped playing it after about 90 minutes So I moved onto Phasmophobia which is a survival, horror game. You investigate houses haunted by ghosts and the whole point of the game is to identify different ghosts using 3 types of evidence from different ghost hunting equipment like EMF readings and UV marks and for each of the 30 or so different ghosts they require different evidence The game has huge potential for anyone who enjoys this type of detective mechanics but it wasn't for me. I stopped after about 6 hours I am watching the new series A Tale of Two Cities and I felt like playing a game set in historical France and I decided to play AC Unity, its set in France in the 18th century during the French Revolution and I got it at a good discount because of the Ubisoft sales specials And I know what to expect from Ubisoft so no disappointments are expected 😎

Have you ever watched the series The Boys? I just watched it for the first time 2 weeks ago It takes some serious jabs at the current US political system and a dystopian future Homelander is the worst version of Trump around his objectives but with superpowers

I see Jagged Alliance 3 is on a huge GOG special @Malcador didnt you play this game? Do you or anyone else recommend it

https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/report-trump-rejects-irans-ceasefire-proposal-may-resume-bombing-after Trump has rejected Iran's ceasefire proposal ostensibly because he wants to wait till midterm results Interesting decision, I'm not sure it makes sense or is prudent. I assume if the GOP does well he will continue to make certain demands on Iran and continue the US blockade? Either way Iran will never be allowed control of the Straits But Iran's terms this time are more reasonable and don't mention control of the Straits Al JazeeraIran pitches seven-day roadmap to end conflict with USTehran seeks rapid implementation failed ceasefire deal, offering to open Hormuz if regional conflicts halted.

Al JazeeraUAE bars Iranian airlines as US sanctions squeeze Iran’s...UAE joins Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan in restricting access to Iranian airlines. The UAE has joined a list of regional countries that will now ban Iran's airlines. Another great outcome for Iran created by attacking its neighbours that its not at war with "The UAE has joined Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan in restricting or suspending access for Iranian airlines amid the new US sanctions threat. Dubai, the UAE’s commercial hub, is a major destination for Iranian carriers, with multiple daily flights, a large Iranian community and close business links. An Iran Airtour flight from Tehran to Dubai was cancelled shortly before its scheduled departure on Thursday morning, after tickets had already been issued, according to the AFP news agency. The UAE, which was repeatedly hit by Iranian missiles and drones throughout the US-Israel war on Iran, suspended trade and financial exchanges with Iran last month. On Wednesday, the UAE’s central bank blocked transactions involving Iran’s Bank Melli, claiming the financial institution had violated rules on money laundering, terrorism and arms proliferation." And Iran is now asking the US for a 7 day ceasefire to end the war where the Straits will be open, the economic consequence of the US blockade would be now impossible to ignore? The Times of IndiaIran offers US 7-day plan to end war, reopen Strait of Ho...Iran has offered the United States a seven-day plan to end the nearly seven-month war in West Asia, with Tehran proposing that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened by the end of the seventh day if certain

Yes, China has demonstrated how you resist Trumps inconsistent and mercurial policies You need an economic lever that talks his language But whats really interesting is how many African countries are using there critical and rare minerals resources to create new trade deals and investment that actually benefit the country and citizens. Its something I support because its not forced nationalization and it addresses the ongoing looting of resources from China and they creating new beneficial deals with Western countries. We not doing it in South Africa yet but the model is being discussed and its legal and aligns with international law. It has its implementation challengers depending on what country but it makes sense. It cant be the only thing these governments do that will be enough to transform there overall economies but its a constructive initiative for Africa @Malcador you should find this interesting Business Insider AfricaEast Africa’s largest economy joins African countries ban...Kenya will ban exports of unprocessed minerals and establish three gold refineries to keep more value from its natural resources

I finished my modded replay of GTA5 after about 100 hours I already mentioned what was disappointing about the game.This game gets a 60\100 on the globally respected " BruceVC game rating system " Its fun if you enjoy this type of GTA design and mechanics Then I played Murdered Soul Suspect. Its an action adventure game where you play as a detective who is...murdered and you come back as a ghost and you have to solve your own murder and find out who is the serial killer. Its got some clever mechanics like possessing people to progress missions and using other ghost abilities. The overall detective puzzles are easy and the only real danger is killing or avoiding demons The narrative is engaging but the game is short, I completed it in 10 hours It gets a 67/100 on the very popular " BruceVC game rating system " and its recommend as an enjoyable and quick game

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqm2mg34x2v7o As expected a judge has temporality overturned Trump's media ban on CNN and others. The WH has yet to comment "A judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate access to the White House for three news organisations barred from the building last week by the president. A District of Columbia court issued a temporary restraining order against the ban, meaning CNN, MS NOW and Politico must have their access restored for 14 days, after ruling the move "likely violated their constitutional due process rights". The three outlets launched a legal challenge after their reporters had their passes for the White House confiscated and were denied access. The Trump administration defended the move in court, accusing the outlets of publishing false information and threatening national security - an argument the court rejected. The White House is yet to comment on the ruling, and lawyers acting for the president may take further legal action. Judge Timothy Kelly ruled CNN, Politico and MS NOW were "likely to succeed" in showing the White House had not exercised "adequate due process" in implementing the ban. He also cast doubt on the Trump administration's arguments that the bans were motivated by national security concerns, pointing out the president made no mention of that in his initial announcement. " Nah, he is addicted to the coverage he gets from FOX. And he needs the main media houses for his campaigning messages It will be interesting to see if the WH decides to challenge this overturning because this could be his excuse to walk away from it now thats its created such resistance amongst all main media houses This solidarity demonstrates the reality of how the free media in places like the USA will unite when they face this type of unreasonable targeting of one of there members Its about the principle of " if it could happen to them it could happen to us " So they all drawing a line

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Trump Agrees to Support Ukraine's L...Ukraine could launch domestic production of missiles for Patriot air defense systems within approximately one to one and a half years, following U.S. support for the necessary licensingTrump has agreed again to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles. I wonder if he will renege like last time? It will take time to get this production going but its more a long term objective for Ukraine

But its also backfired horribly for Trump, now none of the main US media houses will participate in the WH pool until Trump reverses his decision. And that includes FOX Trump loves the attention from the media despite all his ranting. Now he will lose even favorable coverage, I cant imagine him lasting long with this impulsive and myopic decision https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/09/21/trump-ban-cnn-networks-suspend-white-house-pool/91872001007/ "Major television networks suspended their White House pool coverage and will no longer send camera crews to cover President Donald Trump's pool events, standing in solidarity with CNN after Trump denied White House access to reporters of three outlets. The move from the five networks that make up the television pool ‒ ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News, in addition to CNN ‒ means a broadcast television feed that is distributed widely for media won't be carried for most of Trump's events."

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/20/media/cnn-trump-white-house-pool-ban Trump has decided to ban several media houses from the WH and the WH press pool that includes CNN Its always a sign of desperation when any government decides to limit or prevent a free media from asking the president or PM questions And the WH press pool banning also limits the access of other media houses to get information Hopefully this gets challenged and overturned in the courts

Trump takes aim at Russia's energy sector with sanctions...The bill is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch advocate of aid for Ukraine.Trump has signed in the most sweeping sanction\tariff bill we have seen in ages against Russia, its primarily about targeting there energy sector and companies associated with it The late Lindsey Graham was one of the main architects of this legislation and its named after him It was supported in the Senate 86-11 and the House 262-159 and it received bipartisan support Russia is not happy with this signing "Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov explicitly labeling the congressional move an "unfriendly action" and a hostile step that will severely complicate efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in Ukraine" 😮

Ubisoft 40th Anniversary Sale40 YEARS OF UBISOFT Celebrate four decades of gaming with savings up to 90% on games and DLC. Promotion ends on October 1st (10AM PDT) All deals :Ubisoft has a massive sale of 90% on most of there games This is the perfect time to buy any Ubisoft game you have always wanted 🥳

Why would you think any EU country would seriously want to ditch the Euro outside of the exaggerated and sensationalized arguments? Its the worlds second most traded currency and its the second most common currency as a foreign reserve? There are many attempts and aspirations by blocks of countries like the African Union or BRICS to create there own currency but they never go anywhere because it requires sacrificing your own monetary sovereignty and for that you need strong political and legislative ties between countries and institutions like a Central Bank But the idea of a strong and common currency is an objective for many countries. The economic advantages of the Euro ultimately are greater than criticism of it and the logistics of any EU country now abandoning it dont make much sense considering the risk?

There is BEE in South Africa and apart from it being a failed policy that typically enriches many of the same people it does discriminate against whites on the most basic level. You can't apply for certain jobs if you white But there is no white genocide, discrimination outside of BEE or nationalization of land which is what these latest restrictions are mostly about So most of what Rubio is saying is either selective or inaccurate. But what also annoys me is they keep saying " white Afrikaners " as the white minority. All white people in SA are obviously a minority that include Anglos like me

There is no doubt in my mind that Trump only issued this executive order to hopefully reduce the amount of Dem votes because the new restrictions would disqualify some voters until its implemented properly But as usual this type of decision wasn't well thought out and worst of all it was rushed to be implemented before the midterms. Its something that possibly could be done later once the Postal Service and states can support it Kavanaugh mentioned this in his opinion " Justice Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion that there was "at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service's statutory authority". But he argued that "applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious". But for me whats the obvious constridition in saying " mail voting is fraudulent " is 24% of GOP voters used mail voting in the last election which Trump won, so is he saying he actually won that election by cheating and relying on mail in voting because that 24% is more than enough to make winning the difference Of course he wont say that because its obviously only the Dem mail voting that is somehow fraudulent

It looks excellent, exactly the type of horror\supernatural shows I like 👻

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/14/supreme-court-rejects-mail-ballot-restrictions @rjshae I imagine you happy with this positive ruling from the SC Its a win for Dem voters, 35% or so use mail voting compared to 24% of GOP voters But the main win is its yet another example of how the US is not an autocracy and there is a clear distinction between what the president wants to do and what the courts will allow and ultimately rule on You will never hear in Russia or China any example where the judiciary blocks any decision or law that leadership decides to implement Democracy is still standing and enduring despite Trumps best efforts 👍

Im 60 hours into my modded replay of GTA5 and its a good reminder of what I can expect from GTA6 Im having fun but at times it becomes uninspiring or meh I am trying to understand why Im having a good but not fantastic time and I think its primarily about the overall narrative and repetition of activities? The map is massive but end of the day you need a reason to want to explore, yes there are side missions and points of interest you can discover but they limited. I came across an Easter Egg which was a ghost women and some kind of murder but I have no idea how to progress this event The main fun Im having is all the various races and activities like parachuting but you can only do those so many times. I also dont really connect with any of main characters and there overall lifestyles. Franklin being the only one I like. In RDR2 I connected with Arthur and you could make choices for him that improved this emotional connection. I was genuinely sad at the end of RDR2 Another issue is there is no real consequence for death or mass killings of police. You respawn and even your assigned vehicles are restored. I don't see how this will change in GTA6? A better way to motivate people would be where you need to get a certain amount of money or some prestige level to progress the story. At least then you have something to work towards as opposed to just doing missions to advance the story Anyway I expect a similar experience from GTA6, fun game but not fantastic

https://www.nexusmods.com/thebloodofdawnwalker/mods/10 There is already a mod that basically removes the timer for Dawnwalker, that didn't take long 👍