BruceVC

It looks so serious and watchful of what's around it

Yes as predicted it became a completely useless initiative The idea from Trump's rhetoric was that it was going to " replace " the shortfalls of the UNSC\UN because it would act quickly and decisively and its initial focus was the rebuild of Gaza As I often say, it's easy to criticize and malign the UN but its not ever going to be effectively replaced So the entire idea of the Board of Peace was always a waste of time particularly because no Western countries wanted to be part of it

I laughed when you explained this reason because it shows how far off we were around our assumptions We were guessing anti-Trump sentiment, Greenland and I thought it could be because of unhappiness with your new domestic migration policies and how some Danes dont want to support the national team because they don't like the current governments policies But its about something much more obvious and historical. FIFA is linked to corruption and yet we have " normalized " it because nothing seems to change and everyone wants to watch the WC In the 2010 WC South Africa paid a bride to get WC because FIFA basically demanded it , Africa deserved to get a WC but a bribe was still paid But going back to your original point, it demonstrates how sincere and ethical Nordic countries generally are. As I mentioned we were guessing it was about some complicated , nuanced geopolitical\political issue but it was just about a real criticism of FIFA and how you can force real change Sometimes we dont see what is right in front of us

Trumps United States’ 250th anniversary has had 6 of 9 musicians refusing to participate Its a pity that these events become politicized but this is an example of how unpopular he is amongst musicians and this is self-inflicted because being part of this event sends a message and clearly many people dont want to be associated with anything he organizes https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/28/trump-concert-series-musicians-drop-out "At least six of the nine featured musical acts set to play in a concert series organized by the Trump administration to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary have dropped out, just one day after the lineup was announced. The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” he added, before casting doubt on the claim from Freedom 250, the group created by Donald Trump to organize the celebration of the US’s semiquincentennial, that the series was nonpartisan."

I had to post this, cutest war cat video ever 😺

Sorry Im still not sure what you mean? Are you talking about issues with FIFA like there support for Trump or how they have made the WC larger and included teams that shouldn't really be playing at this level? Its not about Greenland like @rjshae mentioned because that was a good suggestion I never thought of but I would be surprised if that would be a reason?

Good question @Gorth why would Danes boycott there national team in the World Cup? I can guess but I dont want to because it will annoy me if Im right

I understand the point but that concern applies more to groups like the Palestinians and the Israeli conflict. The Israeli's will kill civilians, family members and destroy houses and that often does just radicalize people But Iran and this article is a different reality. This is more about the severe economic hardships that exist in the country and how the war has made them obviously worse Ostensibly its not make the average Iranian more militant but it will increase unhappiness with the state once the war is over

We all tend to discuss the events of the war with Iran but what is understandably ignored is the reality of how broken the Iranian economy is and how much worse it will be once this war is over It was in a terrible state before the war, this was the initial reason we had all those protests that were brutally crushed So the Internet shutdown has been partially lifted and now we seeing how normal Iranians are grappling with the economic realty and the levels of inflation https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ons-reveal-iranians-anger-over-food-inflation "The partial lifting of internet restrictions in Iran has revealed a rising tide of anger about food price inflation as ordinary Iranians decry annual price increases of 308% for vegetable oil, 190% for chicken, and 170% for rice Everything is so expensive. It has become a disaster,” wrote one user on social media. “You leave the market with a broken heart after spending all your savings. It is unbearable. We have no patience left to lead a normal life. The government announced the launch of a “resistance economy committee” to crack down on price gouging and address surging shortages, but hyperinflation is now endemic in Iran owing to trade sanctions, exchange rate pressure, and moves taken to reduce subsidies given to traders in January. Data from the International Monetary Fund showed food inflation had risen to between 140% and 200%, pushing overall inflation to 70%."

The World Cup is less than 2 weeks away, its time to get excited Full schedules are now available and South Africa is playing in the first game against Mexico https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/match-schedule-fixtures-results-teams-stadiums

I am watching lots of series as usual but Dutton Ranch is excellent and S3 of The Terror is really good From season 4 is still my favorite series of all time and its now on E5 Dutton Ranch is another spinoff from Yellowstone but its nothing like Marshalls which is predictable and banal. Its at the same level of creativity and depth as Yellowstone Its all about what happens to Rip and Beth and there new life in Texas @kanisatha hopefully you able to watch it because its as good as Yellowstone around writing and the complexity of all the characters

Im about 45 hours into Subnautica 1 and its time for a detailed update Its one of the best survival games I have ever played, only the Forest and Sons of the Forest is better The things I love about it its quintessential open world. You can go anywhere you want to find resources and progress the game but certain regions carry massive risk around sea monsters and requiring the right vehicles for deep water exploration its clever how the game advances using lifepods in safer areas. There is no map so the lifepods have become my main way of navigating to certain regions the crafting is brilliant. You really see the benefits of creating better vehicles and getting upgrades the constant food and water usage means you always have to aware of those resources. You cant just ignore them and explore. A good mandatory survival mechanic I have built a base but its all over the place with random tunnels, a moonpool and areas that are not connected but they all in the same area. Its very chaotic but it works for me I have built the Cyclops and now Im upgrading my Prawn suit so I can explore the deepest parts of the ocean so I can get the resources for the Neptune rocket The games has a myriad of different ways you can craft and survive but you have choices. So for example I now use the battery charger instead of making batteries Finding blueprints is one of the best ways to force you to explore, a very clever way to motivate exploration which I love anyway Really great game and highly recommended if you like this type of survival genre

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-22-2026 https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-21-2026 Massive pushback, a " mutiny", from GOP senators around Trumps $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund Good to see some backbone from Congress

Massie lost in Kentucky and Cassidy lost in Louisiana in both primaries These were both considered GOP representatives who opposed Trump in different ways These clear Trump primary victories confirm Trump still has real influence and support amongst GOP voters. This is not about his support in the midterms because then its about how all Americans will vote Here is good link that summarizes Trumps recent wins around candidates he supports NBC NewsTrump notches more GOP primary wins, but big midterm ques...The president unseated one of his biggest Republican foes Tuesday in Kentucky, while a Trump endorsement in Texas concerned GOP senators.

This is one of the dumbest and most myopic ideas Trump\DOJ has ever come up with The fund will be used for " victims of political prosecution from the Biden presidency " So whats the bet people involved in the 6 January Capitol attacks who broke the law, were jailed and then pardoned will now claim they were " unfairly prosecuted " and want to claim from this fund

Yes, this all looks fundamentally correct Governments that own US bonds cant sell them until maturity but they can sell them on secondary markets which some countries have been doing which he mentions Just something interesting, governments like Japan and China only own 20% of the total $39 trillion US debt The rest of the US debt is called domestic debt and is owned by domestic holders and investors in the US. The Federal Reserve for example is the largest single debt holder of this domestic debt with $4.6 trillion Here is a good link that summarize this debt breakdown Peterson FoundationThe Federal Government Has Borrowed Trillions. Who Owns A...Most federal debt is owed to domestic holders, but foreign ownership is much higher now than it was about 50 years ago.For me its not foreign governments selling US bonds that could really crash the US economy because it wont have enough impact even if all countries did it at the same time. It would hurt the US but not crash it But if the overall US economy fails to grow and US companies are suddenly no longer profitable that will hurt the US much more because now domestic debt holders will mass sell bonds on secondary markets and because thats 80% of who owns the US debt that will have much worse economic consequence So if you see a real lack of belief and confidence because of real negative economic data that will become the real crisis But then the US survived the 2008 financial crisis despite being the creator of that global crisis so you can never predict when it comes to the future of the US economically I still think it always goes back to the fundamentals of the success of the thousands of US listed companies as the most effective way to understand investor confidence in the US and the sustainability of the US economically?

TRT World - Polls vs prediction: The Kentucky primary tes...In Kentucky’s crucial primary, Trump is backing challenger Ed Gallrein, a Navy SEAL, to defeat firebrand Republican incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie in Tuesday's consequential GOP contest. An interesting primary election in Kentucky tomorrow, its really just a bellwether election around Trumps influence within GOP voters Massie has become one of Trumps biggest " critics" especially around the war in Iran. His Trump endorsed challenger, Gallrein, is heavily funded by AIPAC because Massie is seen as anti-Israel Its very close the polling data But we will know who won by Wednesday.

I just completed Hero-U after about 35 hours and I had a great fun. Its an excellent successor to the Quest for Glory games and highly recommended if you enjoy these types of adventure\RPG hybrids The mechanics around increasing your skills is well done and its exciting exploring the catacombs and sea caves. The combat is more complex than I first assumed, especially when you use certain items to fight undead I ended up winning Rogue of the Year, I completed most of the main quests like ending the Drat invasion I hope we see a Hero-U 2 someday 🐲

Atari is going to allow you to import your characters from W1 to W2 Now its time for me to play the new version of W1 because the series has a future that is supported from the same company 🐲

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260506151146/en/Atari-Acquires-Rights-to-the-Legendary-Wizardry-RPGs Atari has bought and now owns all the IP for Wizardry 1-5 I have never played any of these games so maybe we will see new releases of these iconic games for modern PC?

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has overall changed things within Russia for the worst, its not just the carnage and protracted outcome of the war or the economic reality because that takes years and isnt the same for everyone Its the enforcement of authoritarianism to ensure Putin remains a leader for life, this is the worst long-term outcome for Russian citizens This is realized in different ways and what is a real concern now is how Russia is going to be trying to control and restrict Internet access and create its own "Internet " where all access can be monitored and controlled . I dont think most of us realize how depressing this type of future must be Hopefully the Russian state fails in its endeavors to achieve this https://jamestown.org/russia-continues-creation-of-sovereign-national-internet/ The Russian State is seeking to massively expand its ability to surveil and filter internet traffic by upgrading systems to deal with increasing traffic volumes and increasing fines for providers who do not fully comply. Russia is also pursuing further restrictions on virtual private networks (VPNs) by pressuring platforms to block those using them and requiring mobile operators to charge higher fees for those using more than 15 gigabytes of traffic from abroad. The Kremlin is aiming to restrict civilian use of digital encryption and create full-spectrum internet surveillance, which will likely expand further in the coming years. " The Russian state is continuing its rapid creation of a sovereign national internet space. It has established new funding and initiatives to block civilian use of virtual private networks (VPNs), expand internet surveillance, and consolidate control over telecommunications providers. The Russian Ministry of Digital Technologies announced plans at the end of March to dramatically increase the computing power of the Technical Measures for Countering Threats (TSPU) system through 2030 by 250 percent, reaching 954 Terabit per second (Tb/s), with estimated costs of 15 billion rubles ($200 million ) (Kommersant, March 25). The new set of technologies is intended to fill gaps in the current monitoring system, which now covers nearly 100 percent of all traffic, from broadband providers to mobile providers to nodes connecting the Russian segment to the broader global internet (see EDM, November 25, 2024). This is an improvement over 2023, when only 80 percent of traffic was subject to the system’s filtering (Habr, October 27, 2025).

I'm now playing Hero-U : Rogue to Redemption, its an adventure RP game where you are a rogue learning to become a hero in a school for adventurers Its from the same developers that created the iconic Quest for Glory so it has very similar narrative humor and mechanics Initially I thought I would get bored but its really fun especially how you increase your skills, explore and solve puzzles and quests Im only 8 hours into it so its early days but so far so good 🐉

I have completed the main quest of AC Valhalla and it took me about 190 hours I finished the main quest where you end up in the machine with Siguard but I was still having fun so I decided to complete the last few quests like killing all the Order and the Asgard quests The Order assassinations were all easy to find, I had most of the clues and it was just about finding the last few. And the Asgard quest was different and entertaining with all the ties to Norse Mythology like fighting Fenrir and the Jotun magic And then the game ends after you find the last memory shards I found some interesting stats on Steam around overall completion of this game 6.6 % of players killed the entire Order 5% of players got the settlement to level 6 6.4 % of players finished the Jotun quests So the majority of people never finished this game. I was a little surprised by these low overall numbers? But great AC game overall, its gets a solid 68/100 on the globally respected "BruceVC game rating system " Its your quintessential AC type design and mechanics but you cant play these types of games all the time but they definitely fun every now and then Really good value for money

But what about the current Cuban blockade, thats been ongoing for longer than 60 days There is Congressional concern about that but is that an act of war?

I hear you around the blockade but I dont think that is considered part of a military campaign requiring Congressional approval This is more about being actively engaged in fighting Iran through daily bombing campaigns like the US was doing So Hegseth and Trump are saying "there is a ceasefire, we not fighting anymore " But I think its legally confusing and unclear