Whole family is stuck in a made up reality where my birth father isn't an abusive sociopath and excuse his actions by circling the wagons. I was able to see the truth and get out, but my siblings are all stuck in the cycle of abuse and likely won't ever leave.

The last film of the new trilogy as a whole. I've watched it three times now and I can not for the life of me remember the plot. There was a dagger thing and then Palpatine is in the end on a spooky crane and then they kiss and it's weird. That's seriously everything I can remember off the top of my head.

Some further evidence from playing just now. My friend was sailing the ship and the wind was at our backs, he had to take a phone call so I took over and the moment I sat down the wind abruptly spun around 180 degrees and is blowing in my face. Aaaaaaaaaa

I think he has a point that fixing the US is somewhat hopeless. There are many pieces that go into the puzzle that is the United States and its citizens and together they create such a hostile and undesirable place that is adamantly resistent to change. Not only were our cities literally demolished to make way for the car, the whole idea of driving and what that means is deeply engrained in our culture and identity.

This isn't just about removing stroads and designing some cutesy livable spaces and parks in cities. This is about changing the identity of what it means to be an American. Do you think you could convince even a portion of Americans that the European old way of living is better than the American way?

I really wish there was some ethical way of farming dairy cows, but have come to the conclusion that it just isn't with current methods and knowledge. I have some land and love cows so considered getting one or two for hobby-farming and just so I could have my own "cruelty free" dairy. Here are some things to consider about dairy farming:

• Only female cows produce milk.
• Female cows only produce milk for a brief period of time after giving birth.
• Every single cow requires at least one acre of grazing.
• You only need one bull on a dairy farm to provide sperm.
• Baby calves want to be near their mothers and will drink their milk.

The only way to fit these pieces together in any economical way is to: (a) forcefully impregnate cows as often as possible, (b) limit the amount of time calves can be with their mothers so they don't drink all the milk, and (c) slaughter male calves for veal. This is cruel no matter how you slice it. If you are born a cow you are taken away from your mother and given food you don't like and isn't as good for you as the milk that was produced specifically for you. If you are unlucky enough to be a female cow you will spend the next several years of your life being forcefully impregnated and having your own children taken away from you every year. If you are a male cow you'll only know life on earth for a short while before being put out of your misery. In the end, regardless of gender or age, you'll be sent into a long line of other confused and panicked cows to be slaughtered for your meat and organs at a factory staffed by strangers in scary masks you've never seen before with the smell of death and terror all around you. There is no such thing as ethical dairy and any company proclaiming otherwise is not being honest with you or themselves.

Edit: I should say that there are better ways of doing most of the steps in dairy farming that aren't as cruel. But unless consumers are okay paying something along the lines of $20 for a gallon of milk, capitalism will never permit those practices to actually happen.

Also wanted to say that I'm not necessarily against animal products. I have chickens. They are as happy as can be and give us delicious eggs every day. I feed them well and treat them like family and they don't mind me taking their eggs. I really don't see an issue with this exchange because there is no cruelty and both parties benefit. There are numerous examples of this with animals and animal products. However, I believe that dairy is one of those cases where there isn't really an ethical solution. Even if you take the unnecessary cruelty out of the process, you are still left with at least a little cruelty. Where do you draw the line?

You hit on every topic I am considering, Berlin is sounding more in line with what I want. While I am not a poc I still have no interest in living around racists. It would be such a welcome change to be around more queer people, vegan options and a general sense of peace. I wouldn't really consider leaving the US if it were not for the increasing sense of hostility around and the insane amount of anti-lgbtqia laws popping up. Workation is the next step I think, probably sometime around summer of 2024.

If I might ask, what is the acceptance of trans folks like within the queer scene in Berlin?