Ok, now that my internal screaming is done, I'm interested in the ongoing pattern we've seen for a decade now where Disney leadership and execs keep overruling Lucasfilm studio decisions (production, release schedules, even story points) often to disastrous results - and still learn nothing.

My V on her motorbike, feeling free on the road as she heads out into the badlands at dusk while Night City recedes behind her.

Women do not like the vehicle.

Another excellent essay from Sec Def Rock, with illuminating military history and a thorough take down of the sloppy work by The Free Press... yes please and thank you!

The influencer economy has been a disaster when not applied to skincare or vacation packages.

This is deeply embarrassing. I really don't see how US journalism pulls out of its death spiral when you have someone as nakedly corrupt, unqualified and partisan as Weiss installed at CBS as an explicitly ideological move, and then write "Girlboss persecution" nonsense like this.

We’re in a moment now where it would be worth people taking three hours to watch Gandhi, particularly the scene of the salt march. There is value to making the brutality of your opponent so plain as day that no one can argue with it. The clarity of that brought down an empire

The Fate of Ophelia slaps!

The lawless, sadistic and unconscionable Gestapo raid of an apartment building in Chicago turned my stomach. It is indecent, and prompted me to reup this contrarian.substack.com/p/the-americ...

The US is not going to see a single solitary Won of Korean investment after the shit they've pulled this year.

I can’t believe I’m watching interviews of city mayors talking about how they are coordinating with other mayors to discuss how to protect their residents FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES I know we are “used to it” but it is absolutely insane

This has less to do with creating games of a specific type, and has more to do with capturing large entertainment mediums. Sports games are an international staple, and much like the Saudi's golf aspirations the point is to get sports franchises, and players, to play ball on their terms.

Lord knows I've had many issues with EA over the years, but this is Bad on a whole other order of magnitude. Kushner and the Saudis as owners. Borrowing a colossal amount of money to even fund the purchase in the first place and then saddling the company with that level of debt. Just madness.

Hello there

Hegseth is putting all of the American generals and admirals from around the world into a single room. Why might Hegseth do such an extraordinary thing? Here I discuss four possible reasons. snyder.substack.com/p/hegseth-pu...

It annoys me to no end that the US is fulfilling the fucking Amy Chua thesis for hyperpower decline (turning rabidly against tolerance and diversity) to the letter.

"Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." Looking forward to seeing Jimmy back on the air.

Seemingly a small matter, but if Kimmel is reinstated, Disney/ABC must be the ones to offer a full a full apology and beg for forgiveness from Kimmel and the public, not the other way around. They need to be shamed and humiliated at a minimum.

My first academic article was on the dictatorship of Uzbekistan inventing a group called "Akromiya" that did not really exist but which they used to arrest anyone with whom they disagreed under the pretext of "terrorism". Just bringing this up for no reason whatsoever!

What we are witnessing is an outright abuse of power. This administration is attacking critics and using fear as a weapon to silence anyone who would speak out. Media corporations — from television networks to newspapers — are capitulating to these threats.

I had this exact same experience this morning. Same reporter as Heidi. This is *not* normal. I have spoken to the press on these issues for two decades. No government official has ever demanded to know my identity in order to give a comment on a story.

General pattern in regime change: the comedy gets better and then it gets banned.

At this rate, coming up next week: Disney orders Marvel to retcon Black Panther as a white dude from Rhodesia who fights for the rights of Afrikaner farmers.

What happens when comedians are held to stricter standards than vice presidents? An emergency Triad from JVL: www.thebulwark.com/p/emergency-...

Oh look, another step closer to Alex Garland's Civil War. How far away are we from regime paramilitaries massacring protestors and labelling them "Antifa"?

Foreign policy people, in the midst of everything else going on, please read this when you get the chance.

I would like to see the 'liberal center' as it were be a bit more aware that there is a distinction between 'doing debate' and defending the concept of debating. Liberalism isn't a call to intellectual neutrality, but an active commitment to specific principles of liberty, pluralism and rights.

“fascist government controls media and bans dissent” is a straightforward description of what’s happening in the united states

The wife and I regularly watch Colbert and Kimmel. We unironically love Kimmel as Oscar host! (hot take here i know) Between the audiences for the two of them, that's a lot of mostly normal everyday people getting popular entertainment taken away from them because of tyrannical Government pressure.

so many dead canaries and we just keep on mining

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say. This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand. All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

the hard line of 'racism is not part of any conversation' is the very minimum to maintain to have a civilized order, and the reactionary centrists are among the biggest quislings around when it comes to that.

Part of the problem with the idea of negotiating a modus vivendi with MAGA is that it's a movement driven entirely the political-entertainment industrial complex; what they want is to keep fighting you, forever, because that's the foundation of their business model. Government for and by podcasters.

This comes immediately after the chairman of the FCC threatened channels over carrying Kimmel.

The Free Speech President has now pulled two of the three major late night hosts off the air through threats and intimidation because of their jokes. Obviously I’m behind Jimmy Kimmel 100% in the face of this fascist garbage. Speech against this admin isn’t just being chilled, they’re freezing it.

ah, well

Alex Garland's CONTROL

The Post are fascist collaborators.

Union Band of brothers would solve this

It won't happen overnight, but the US is going to see foreign investment, travel and cooperation substantially decrease over the coming years. The damage will be long lasting. The US has opted for violently xenophobic isolationism, and that message has been received loud and clear globally.

A long-ish thread on this scandal and why it's so bad, which military historians and people interested in historiography may find interesting even if you're not Australian. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Holy wow, Foundation season 3 was so good I’m kinda mad about it. Damn.

On the countdown to watch the Foundation S3 finale! So curious how it's going to play out. Especially loved all the little touches and deep cuts from the books this season! Also hope we get a Bayta, Toran and Magnifico reunion because I want to see their galactic road trip continue.

dan bongino and kash patel lying unconscious on the ground after bonking their heads together as they both bent down to examine what is later determined to be their own footprints

Having a really great time lately adventuring, solving puzzles and punching Nazis in Indiana Jones & the Great Circle. It's a really uplifting fun refresher after my deep dive obsession with Cyberpunk 2077. Also, there's so many wonderful creative ways to take out Nazis as Indy! Highly recommend.

You know, now would be a really good time for people to check out or rewatch the excellent TV adaptation of The Man in the High Castle. Sometimes it can be worth seeing just how upside-down things can get to understand our own world today. And despite its obviously terrifying premise, hope remains.

the most important command decisions are carefully reviewed by Pete Hegseth’s wife, brother, & attorney.

The latest Alien: Earth episode was once again just outstanding. What a terrific treat this show is! And add to that the superb season 3 of Foundation has its finale this week. I cannot overstate how much I am loving this season. Just an embarrassment of riches in sci-fi TV lately!

Will ICE send guys to Boston looking for red hair and listening for brogues? Or stake out delis in Chicago to see who buys a kielbasa? No. This is about profiling people by skin color and language. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...