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That whole Bill Maher piece on China being better than the US is alright for a comedy bit, but he basically brushes over all the problems in China and then only looks at the silly parts of the US. Going after the University system in particular is ridiculous, since you still have a huge number of Chinese students leaving their country to study abroad. That huge middle class that is growing in China is also super interested in products designed by American companies. I'd say that is a huge difference between the Cold War and the current power dynamic between the US and China. Our economies are completely tied together at this point. We have benefited from their rise. The US government also may be a total mess, but I certainly wouldn't trade it for the one in China. So yeah, Maher had some laughs but it is easy to poke holes in.

I get to play my first hockey game today in about a year and a half. There is a bar above the hockey rink, and I was in there the other day while my son played hockey. I asked the bartender if he has enough kegs ready for the adult leagues starting back up on the weekend. I told him the hockey will be ugly after so long away, but the drinking game will be on point.

Firaxis is working on an Avengers game with Xcom style gameplay. I mean, I will get it, I guess. Honestly I would rather have a Freedom Force type game where we could build our own heroes, but I guess I can get into sending a squad of Marvel characters in. I wonder if they will keep the breach and story style of Chimera Squad. I still would rather see Xcom 3, but I would guess that is in development.

7 people in 4 days?

The first round in the NBA finals is usually pretty boring. This year it looked like that might be different, since many of the lower seeds were considered dangerous. But it played out like every other year.

Yeah, the Bay Area is crazy. I think we've been over that before.

Yeah...but Sacramento is super hot. I'd go up a bit higher into Placerville area if I were you. Granted, they catch fire every year.

Kristen Stewart was very good in some Christmas movie I saw this year. She just needs to be cast right.

It sounds like the father gave an interview to the Federalist, so it wasn't like he accidentally disobeyed the court order. Also interesting to note that it was the father that started the entire legal process in this case.

A is the part that isn't going to hold up to criminal prosecution, I'd imagine, so I don't think you need to be too scared of it. I believe family courts directing parents on how to act in the best interests of the child is pretty common. The B part is what is going to stick. Pretty difficult to convince anyone you are acting in the best interests of the child when you keep running to media outlets with sensitive information about said child. I'd imagine he has a lawyer that keeps telling him to shut his trap.

Again, father of the year material.

What article did you read that said that?

I refunded it, so I guess not. I might put the funds towards that Solasta game.

It looks like he was found to be in contempt of court. So no, he isn't going to prison because of a pronoun. He went to the media before his arrest, despite the court telling him not to do so. Father of the year material, for sure. That article was crap, btw. Sadly most of the coverage seems to be pretty heavy on the bias.

The sea truck gets cooler as you start to unlock the modules.

It is just a gender neutral term. Seems pretty simple.

That is quite an essay you just wrote.

This is really just standard 'back in my day, things were better' rubbish. Back in what day, exactly? Do you really think the 60's and 70's had less promiscuity and self gratification? People are definitely waiting longer to have kids in the US. It has way more to do with financial implications than any hokey 'cultural decline'. Wake up sheeple, kids are expensive and the middle class is shrinking!

Good point. They are also predominantly catholic, so you have very little religious strife. Plus we all eat the same unhealthy foods, for the most part. Plus we all drink the same cheap light lagers.

Hah, I am way more patient with my students than my own kids.

Yes. Hence my complete infuriation with Indy and the spaceship. Indy is a historical fiction series. Mysticism and myths, relics and treasures. It doesn't need aliens and science fiction. I don't know where Indy 5 is going, but I am not confident.

Heh, definitely life choices. Once you choose to have them, it gets pretty hard to not give them everything.

Fun story: I had zero debt until I had kids.

I realize this is taking away from the funny, but this is a fantastic chart that shows the breakdown: 6,700 kids locked up over technical violations.

It's more politics. The restorative justice is the one that gets me. It amazes me how many people can't grasp that. Let them rot in prison.