This is the most frustrating and stupid news cycle - the US government has been sending folks back to Colombia via commercial flights since like 2020. The Biden administration sent 124 flights last year. The only difference is that the Trump team wanted to make a big show of sending people in chains on a military flight, and the Colombian government wanted their citizens to be treated like human beings. Our media is shamefully inadequate to this moment.

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.

Can we stop using this Stephen Crowder meme? That guy is the worst

Great, now we’ll never be rid of these assholes…

They’re talking about the “Peace Prize” that FIFA gave him this week.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-world-cup-fifa-peace-prize-e14f95b8adaa197c869cad407b6ef604

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2057760/Esoteric_Ebb/

It’s so good! Inspired by Disco Elysium but in a fantasy setting.

Amazing to see the Boomer Humor live on in another generation.

There are plenty of Americans who suffer from the exact same kind of social anxiety and lack of social confidence that you’re describing. If you’re only meeting or observing Americans who are traveling or living in Germany then your sample is skewed towards the kind of people who have the confidence and experience to travel internationally.

It sounds to me like you would benefit from talking to a therapist who could help you manage your social anxiety, but if you didn’t want to do that for whatever reason, I would try treating small talk as a skill that you’re trying to get better at. Set yourself a small daily goal - like having one chat about the weather with a cashier while you’re shopping. You can’t skip right to being an expert at small talk; you need to gain confidence and experience. I would like to say to you, in my experience, it’s easiest to talk about things you’re interested in or passionate about. Are there any groups or clubs that meet to engage in hobbies you like? A group like that can help you break through the awkwardness of not knowing what to talk about.

Personally, I think you sound like a thoughtful, interesting person, and I bet you’d be fun to talk to. Don’t be so hard on yourself, and remember that everyone has these feelings; it’s perfectly natural and not something to get down on yourself about. Sorry for writing a whole novel, but I hope this was helpful in some small way!

Sure studio/publisher consolidation is trashing AAA development but I’d argue that the opposite is true of the indie scene - more and better games than ever.

I’m not trans, but I’m a parent of a trans kid, and I have to say this post breaks my heart to read. You deserve to be seen and accepted for who you are. I know you’re a grown adult but if you’d let me offer some parental advice I’d say you should find community - I think connecting in person or online with folks who are navigating these same complicated feelings would go a long way towards providing that validation that you 100% deserve.

He’s also trying to draw attention away from the illegal deportations they did over the weekend.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_of_Identity_Foundation

She’s in a cult

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/linkin-park-emily-armstrong-danny-masterson-scientology-1235096707/

Simply put, the Russians can’t be trusted to honor any agreement that’s not backed up by force. Their “terms” aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. They’ve never honored any agreement they’ve made with Ukraine, and as long as Putin is in power they never will.

Except, again, there’s no reason to believe that Russia was negotiating in good faith, and it sounds like the inclusion of security guarantees from the West is one of the reasons the talks broke down.

Again, Russia has broken basically every treaty and agreement they’ve ever made with Ukraine.

https://thedispatch.com/article/russia-history-broken-treaties-agreements/?signup=success

Gavin Newsom is everything that is wrong with the Democratic establishment. Phony-ass, performative, spineless opportunist.

You could always leave first and see if anyone follows you!

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!

Are you like, on the Halliburton payroll or something?

I know it can be frustrating to receive all this advice from strangers online, who don’t know the specific challenges you’re facing, but I just want to point out that this little community sees you and cares about you.

You deserve community; you deserve to be seen and loved for who you are. I’m sorry that your birth family was too stupid and cruel to see you for who you really are, but that doesn’t mean that that love and support is denied to you forever. I’m just some random dude on the internet, but I see you and I want good things for you. I guarantee there are people around you that want that connection with you. When you’re fighting just to survive it’s incredibly difficult to find the energy to search out those connections but I promise it’s worth it. Please don’t despair.