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As Putin Threatens, Despair and Hedging in Europe https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/world/europe/europe-russia-munich-conference.html Vladimir Putin had a message for them: Nothing they’ve done so far — sanctions, condemnation, attempted containment — would alter his intentions to disrupt the current world order. Russia made its first major gain in Ukraine in nearly a year, taking the ruined city of Avdiivka, at huge human cost to both sides...And the American discovery, disclosed in recent days, that Putin may be planning to place a nuclear weapon in space — a bomb designed to wipe out the connective tissue of global communications if Putin is pushed too far — was a potent reminder of his capacity to strike back at his adversaries with the asymmetric weapons that remain a key source of his power. ...almost every available sanction has been imposed, and it was unclear if the United States and the Europeans would be prompted to seize the $300 billion or so in assets that Russia unwisely left abroad before the invasion. When a senior U.S. official was asked how the United States would make good on President Joe Biden’s 2021 pledge of “devastating consequences” for Russia if Navalny died in prison — a statement made in Putin’s presence at a meeting in Geneva — the official shrugged. “I feel underwhelmed and somewhat disappointed” by the debate here, said Steven Sokol, president of the American Council on Germany. “There was a lack of urgency and a lack of clarity about the path forward, and I did not see a strong show of European solidarity.” He and others noted that French President Emmanuel Macron did not attend. ...the warning did not appear to generate an urgent discussion of how to prepare for that possibility. The conference celebrated the fact that now two-thirds of alliance members have met the goal of spending 2% of their gross domestic product on defense — up from just a handful of nations 10 years ago. But a few acknowledged that goal is now badly outdated, and they talked immediately about the political barriers to spending more. Wow, how can anyone not read this and not think of Europe pre-WWII

Clearly, I'm playing "can't post in the right thread " Did finish Diablo III -- Eternal Edition yesterday. It was... okay. I don't know, just seemed like a let-down after Diablo II, which was released nearly 25 years ago!

Indeed, I assume this woman has some serious mental issues -- you're not exactly going to make bank by selling gum on ebay.

Edit:

Brand new Shantae Game coming out for... GBA

I do know that Kirby is named after the lawyer John Kirby who defended Nintendo (and won the case) in the Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. case

Is that actually true? If so, super cool edit: I mean not cool that the guy died, that's sad. But a cool inspiration for Mario.

Finished -- The Stepford Wives is arguably an early feminist novel. That said, it explores very "ancient" ideas such as beauty, vanity, changing of the guard. The plot (no spoilers) is that a young couple move from NYC to the idyllic town of Stepford for a better life. To me, this is interesting on many levels. First, back in the 70s you really could just "pack up and move" -- something basically impossible today. Also back in the 70s, living in Manhattan was far from ideal, and many middle-income and poor people resided in what today is basically a haven for the very rich. Not to mention back in the 70s as middle-class you could not only afford to purchase a house, there was ample supply, but you would do it on a single-person income (since women by and large were still not in the workplace)! Anyway, they move to Stepford where all the women seem... well, as if they were from the 50s. This doesn't fit well with our protagonist Joanna since she is a "modern American women" and involved in NOW and wants a career. She absolutely despises the Stepford Men's Association which is clearly antiquated (although in the 70s you could still refuse to let women in an organization). We have the new modern woman (Joanna) vs the older more docile housewives of Stepford. Another important plot point is that a black family is also moving to Stepford. The 70s were a time when integration was really happening across America, and while again I'm not going to spoil anything, Stepford overall seems fine with having their first black family move into the upscale town. The Stepford Wives has also been the basis for a number of films, two of which share the same name as the novella. The 1975 version follows in the spirit of the novella, although it drastically alters some plot lines. Overall, I recommend watching the 1975 film after reading the novella. The 2004 remake, despite having a stellar cast, is quite bad in comparison. It does not follow the novella and is honestly very forgettable. As for where to purchase The Stepford Wives should you be interested -- if you like to collect books I only know of one "fine press" (letterpress) limited edition, and it's still available for retail (and at an excellent price for a book of this quality) -- https://shop.suntup.press/products/the-stepford-wives-by-ira-levin-artist-edition Aside from the lovely typography and again wonderful letterpress treatment, the illustrations are just gorgeous! For example --

Most of the suspects were initially charged and released in the Times Square attack. The police union said Wednesday's developments prove that bail reform laws are failing to hold them accountable. The Manhattan district attorney called the attack "despicable." Well, I'm sure the people of NYC can rest easy now that the DA called the attack "despicable". Yup, those suspects they keep releasing to the streets thanks to bail reform are truly doing people a service -- and by people, I mean the criminals. Hell, even Mayor Adams, who is what most would call "woke" is tired and wants changes to NY's bail.

I didn't watch the interview, because Putler is evil and I don't agree to giving him an audience. That said, any "highlights" come to mind?

Awesome! I want a sealed copy too

Super cool! was it from Kickstarter? What's your boss?

And yet, the Orange Traitor wants to pull the USA out of NATO... what a disaster for the whole world that would be.

Jury finds Jennifer Crumbley guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/verdict-in-for-jennifer-crumbley-mother-of-oxford-high-school-shooter/ A jury has found Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, guilty of all four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Jennifer Crumbley will be sentenced on April 9. She faces up to 60 years in prison — 15 for each count. Excellent. From everything I gathered, it was clear the shooter (her son) was having mental problems and she along with her shite husband were just "Fuck it. We don't care." Bet they care now! Joe Tamburino, a legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, spoke with "CBS Evening News" and said the case "will create a huge precedent for further cases." If you're giving a minor a gun, then yes, you are at least partially responsible for their actions. In this case, it's clear they were BEYOND 100% irresponsible. Hope she rots in jail.

Ah got it, thanks

Is this thread someone's selling thread? Or is it a general graded selling thread? Or something else?

Posted in the what's new in your collection thread -- Game is new and sealed. Soundtrack is not, but that's okay, since I want to listen to the beautiful score, and it really is a beautiful score.

So... is this thread for selling/buying WATA graded games? I'm honestly a bit confused here

Sorry for the poor quality pic -- but super happy to add this to my collection! An unopened copy of the fabulous LucasArts The Dig The soundtrack is beautiful, and while today a video game soundtrack is nothing out of the ordinary, back in 1996 it sure was! A fabulous soundtrack to a fabulous game, and hey, the soundtrack even includes a "demo" in case you wanted to try the game out first

That Loom audio drama is awesome It was also released on cassette --

Good: +Music +Atmosphere +Cinematography +Robert Pattinson +Colin Farrell +John Turturro +First 30 minutes Okay: Zoe Kravitz Second 30 minutes Yawn: -Rest of the movie (all 115 minutes of it) -Plot, or lack thereof -Andy Serkis (great actor, but he's basically a plot device in the movie) -Jeffrey Wright (great actor, but his Jim Gordon character sounds like he would rather be anywhere but Gotham) -Political Commentary (really?) Overall, I would give it a 65 out of 100 -- it had some great ideas, great actors, great music, great cinematography, but poor dialogue, poor direction, poor plot. I honestly can not recommend it. However, it's a great starting place for a hopefully much better sequel!

With manuals?

Actually none of the story is "bunk" it's all correct. Here's a local paper espousing the same thing -- Colorado pastor facing fraud charges after targeting congregation in alleged $3.2 million cryptocurrency scheme https://denvergazette.com/news/crime/colorado-pastor-facing-fraud-charges-after-targeting-congregation-in-alleged-3-2-million-cryptocurrency-scheme/article_23a8f4d4-b899-11ee-8b9c-f353f03609f1.html As for the picture you're referring too, I imagine it's from some online meeting (service perhaps) that he was running. It's easy to add fake backgrounds to online meetings and the result makes any still image look photoshopped similar to the picture in the original article I linked.