Used to be called “The School of the Americas” but apparently they rebranded as “The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation “

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Hemisphere_Institute_for_Security_Cooperation

Stupid shot is pretty much their only area of expertise!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/bernie-sanders-israel-gaza-democrats-vote-b2799185.html

He’s on record as supporting an arms embargo on Israel

Exactly - this is a pretty good overview of the idea and the research behind it. We’ve always wanted to believe that people are fundamentally rational beings but it just isn’t true lol.

Most people vote on vibes - that’s what the data always shows. They follow their peers, community, maybe a trusted authority figure. They are not, and have never been informed on issues, and they aren’t interested in learning more about them. I think those of us who do try to stay informed fall into the trap of thinking “if these folks were only better educated about this issue they would vote differently”. But that has never been and will never be true. Gotta project better vibes, baby!

I think the fundamental truth here is that any relationship requires conscious effort from both parties. One person alone can’t carry that weight. If your friend wants to salvage this relationship then I think they need to convince their partner to pursue individual therapy, and also they need to talk to a couples counselor together. Without professional help I think it’s going to be very difficult to shift the dynamic here. That being said, life is short, and you can waste years hoping that someone will change. Sometimes you have to make the hard choice to move on.

Are you like, on the Halliburton payroll or something?

It’s hard not to be angry at the legion of angry, scared, dimwits that voted for this. It’s also just not productive. In the end, what’s the point of that anger? We have to figure out how to reach those people, and how to cut through the fog of misinformation and propaganda that they are lost in. Things are just going to get worse and worse unless we do.

He’s right about one thing, he doesn’t deserve to be called “dad”. I think I speak for all us decent dads here when I say any one of us would be proud to have a kid who’s as smart, capable, and levelheaded as you sound. Keep your head down and get out as soon as you can.

This is kind of like a mix of HOMM and the Civ games.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/289130/ENDLESS_Legend/

Some Favorites from this year;

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the best - “The Final Architecture” series is also rad, and his standalone novel from this year “Service Model” was great.

August Kitko and the Mechas From Space by Alex White. “Evangelion by way of David Bowie”

Space Opera Catherynne Valente. A very literal play on the genre!

Fractal Noise & To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Christopher Paolini

Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells