I have to agree. Switching to USB-C is a big step, but I doubt Apple will become more interoperable unless they are forced to.

Attack on its sovereignty? More like an attack on the comfort level of its rulers.

probably because of lack of currency for imports

That makes sense. Russia is saving its money to pay smugglers to smuggle in weapons components.

Not mentioned in the article, but mentioned elsewhere - trains. Russia relies heavily on trains to move things. One part of train maintenance is the replacement of bearings. Russia can’t manufacture bearings for its trains and it can’t import them either because of sanctions. Russia has fewer and fewer operational trains and train cars. One very important thing that the trains haul is grain. There are reports that Russia could face starvation by the end of the year if it doesn’t get its trains repaired because they will be unable to haul food to the cities. Russia doesn’t have enough trucks and roads to replace the trains.

People heard about the original, now discredited study, which came out around the time autism diagnosises were increasing. People then either didn’t hear or chose not to believe that the OG study was discredited.

At least part of the reason is the people captured in the war on terror occupied a legal gray area. They are sort of like soldiers, so they are not subject to American civil or criminal law. But they don’t belong to a military organization with a formal chain of command, so they are not signatories to the Geneva Convention or any other treaties concerning conduct in war.

Even if they were tried and found guilty in a military court for ‘being terrorists’, eventually their prison sentences would end. So what do we do with them now? A lot of their home countries didn’t want them back (although now the Taliban government of Afghanistan will probably take back their citizens).

Basically, the entire Gitmo internment of fighters captured in the war on terror was a great big mess. It was really easy for Obama and Biden to say on the campaign trail that they would shut down Gitmo, but actually dealing with the prisoners in a politically acceptable way was very, very difficult. It was easier to hope people would forget about them.

BTW - some Gitmo detainees did get released over the years.

Oh hell yes! We need this!!

Slightly OT, but I want to give a shout out to Witcher 3 as my favorite fantasy RPG.

Early on in the game I kind of struggled with it. I found the UI and especially combat, to be ‘clunky’.

After I mastered the combat UI enough to survive, I started to wander and explore. In this wandering I found some old cave filled with some decent (but not overpowered) gear. As far as I know, there was no quest that would have sent me to this cave. Also, if I hadn’t been pointed in the exact direction I was going, I never would have seen the cave entrance. These little details made the world feel ‘real’ and lived in.

Later in the game, when I was much more experienced, I was following a faint path, in the snow, over a mountain and I see another cave entrance. I go inside the cave and I hear voices. I sneak closer and I hear a fart, Then I hear a voice complaining about the smell of a rotten onion. (it was 2 trolls cooking something). This was totally unexpected and I literally LOL’d. Once again, this little bit made the world feel more real.

In summation, I don’t need games to be ‘bigger’. They just need to be ‘good’.

As a professional baseball(?) player once said, “It’s not bragging if you can do it.”

Nor a Catholic belief…

Exactly. Johnny wins the contest, so he gets the fiddle. If he had lost, he would have forfeited his soul.

I too have seen cats do this. I assume it is one of two things - the cat hopes to draw the birds closer by mimicking their chirps or to alert other cats that there is prey nearby. Perhaps it is a combination of both.

OP: tell us your opinions about the Roma (aka - Gypsies).

I am justifying nothing. Israel doesn’t want a ceasefire and thus a return to the status quo, allowing Hamas (or its successor) to regroup and rebuild. They want Hamas destroyed (figuratively with a an unconditional surrender).

Hamas agrees not to govern if all Palestinians get to vote in Israeli elections? How generous of them. That is a ‘non starter’ from the Israeli point of view.

BTW, I will grant you that the reason the fighting has gone on so long is, apparently, Israel isn’t sure what to do once Hamas is removed from governing the Gaza strip. So yes, Israel is prolonging the misery.

Hamas could surrender… if they wanted to end the suffering of their people.

You are assuming they have land to grow those fruits and vegetables on.

Are you referring to ‘Victory Gardens’ in WWII?

If so, that’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison, since Poland had been at peace for over 35 years.

Other than Fortnite, what game is only available on Epic?

Edit: Thanks for the responses!!

The same was the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise grows so quickly - magic.

One pattern I have noticed in suspicious accounts is in their name. Adjective-Noun-Number is the format I see controversial posts by accounts newly made. The posts they make usually generate a lot of outrage.