You are approaching this from the perspective of a rational peaceful person from the west, where usually the economy is number one in everything.

Xi has achieved unrivaled rule over the party. He has successfully established a police state that ensures that any domestic dissent is immediately crushed with brutal efficiency. He has subjugated the provinces that dared to think about self rule and cultural differences, and is in the process of ethnic cleansing without any significant opposition or consequences. He has gained colonial influence all over Africa through economic means. He has taken over Hong Kong. He has significantly modernized and expanded the military, including nuclear weapons. He had made China into a global economic superpower, which other countries, including rivals, depend on for a significant amount of manufactured goods and resources.

So what is left for him? Surely he is not a man who can be content with what he has.

The obvious next step is to make China into a military superpower. For that you need to exert power abroad. What better place to begin with than that small island just off your coast that has been a challenge to Chinese supremacy for decades?

Of course, Taiwan is kind of protected by the US, the dominant superpower of the time. But they are struggling, looking weak. If China manages to take Taiwan, they will not only have removed that thorn in their side, they will also have punched the biggest, meanest kid on the block on the nose and gotten away with it.

Yeah, but it’s not insider trading. Everyone knows they fucked Medicare up.

I wouldn’t ever.

If he has really changed, he will understand and accept neither of you having any contact. That is the best future for you and your son and he should know that.

On the other hand, for some abusers therapy can be like a training to improve their abuse skills and to hide it much better. And for what should you take that risk? Does he have anything to offer (not talking about material things here)? What could he possibly add to your life?

Worst case, he has not changed or relapses and traps you and your son again in his abuse. And no, a 12 year old usually does not have the facilities to handle abuse against themselves or to prevent themselves from being used against the non abusing parent.

Best case is what? Your son can meet someone who is a stranger at that point. And you can never have a normal friendly relationship to the guy, because the risk of new abuse is always there. So what’s the point?

I would say even contacting you was an act of selfishness. He want to „check up on you“ to fill a hole he has left in himself, not to do you any good. If it was for your benefit, a simple message of regret would have more than sufficed, without pushing for a meeting.

I am just glad Harris was not elected. Otherwise Gazans would be in a very dire fight for survival.

Obvious /s

No biggie. No fleet left, no fleet admiral needed.

“I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”

• John Boehner

„Everyone hates Ted“

• Donald Trump

Audible

JD: This one time, at band camp …

Maybe. Wanna kiss my neepee?

Probably trying to be all official and presidential and stuff.

You probably can use your tv without it using you, or probably not.

I, too, use pihole. But it does not prevent your data from leaking 100% and never will. And it’s easily circumvented by using other DNS servers or even by connecting to hardcoded IPs. I dont know specifically about TVs, but some manufacturers do that.

The only way to make sure that TV can never spy is to never connect it to the internet.

Hundreds of snapshots a second? So my tv has at least 200 Hz? Or do they snap the same frame multiple times just for fun?

I despise ads because they steal time, and their very existence is an insult to the people that are exposed to them. All ads tell me is „your time is worth very little and we believe you are easily manipulated“.

Based on average ad length and cost on YouTube, ChatGPT has calculated that advertisers pay about $9 per hour of ads. While that seems a bit high to me, it is plausible. My time is worth more than that.

Yes, I do pay for YouTube premium. Though in a cheaper country, because the normal price is excessive imho.

Können wir?

If that someone is a misogynist, homophobic, murderous regime of religious fanatics hellbent on making the world an even worse place, yes.

He is. She is a Russian asset.

Have some tacos, too. 🌮

Oh, you mean the guy who invented the thing that works on child labor, takes children’s pocket money and exposes them to predators?

Mental compost, got it.

Fischstäbchen müssen mindestens 65% Fisch enthalten. An der Grenze sind sie schon lange. Bei anderen Bezeichnungen (Rösti-Stäbchen, Bachfisch-Stäbchen usw) sind es in der Regel noch weniger.