Massdriver

Kim doesn't need to end up with Howard, but I could see the show going that way. I don't think it's the way the show should go nor do I think it is probable. As you said earlier, Kim doesn't need anyone. My ideal ending for Kim would be to see Jimmy for who he is and leave him and cut off all communications. We are all dreading that potential ending for Kim. The possibilities are actually much worse than just her being ruined professionally. Given the people Jimmy associates with, she could end up dead. I don't think that's what will happen, but it's possible. The main argument against it that I was going to type out is Jimmy seemed like himself in Breaking Bad, not like someone that just lost someone close to him. But we can now see that Jimmy may not be phased at all by losing people close to him. We can pretend like Jimmy is really hurting somewhere really deep down, but I don't think so anymore. Jimmy has situational empathy, but he doesn't seem to feel it at all the appropriate times. Maybe the black and white scenes are really about him absorbing not only the loss of his entire life for a fake one as a result of the events of Breaking Bad, but also the death of Kim and Chuck. I would be careful on how you interpreted that scene. I thought Kim was catching on earlier in the season multiple times. Jimmy refused to see a therapist, told Howard it was his cross to bear, and on and on. She has seen Jimmy's emotions out of whack multiple times but stays with him for whatever reason. She is a complicated character.

I'm late, but I caught up with a sick day from work and a cold. Jimmy conned me. I actually started to believe him in that last scene of the finale. That was excellent TV. I keep hoping Kim sees the warning signs and leaves. I thought it would have been enough to learn about his side business selling burners. I'm not sure what it'll take for her to realize what is in her best interest. I don't want to see her with Howard, but I do want to see her leave. Earlier I thought Jimmy was just in denial about how Chuck's death was affecting him, and up until that last scene of the season, I thought he was suppressing his emotions. I now think he actually doesn't feel anything about it.

PC Gamer doesn't like the price: https://www.pcgamer.com/geforce-rtx-2070-founders-edition-review/

You can get a Vega 56 for $400 right now. If you want bang for your buck 2560x1440 144Hz adaptive sync (you will save $150-200 on a freesync vs gsync monitor), there isn't a better deal right now.

I don't think this helps her at all. I have no idea why she released it. It's such a small fraction that Trump will just embrace it and continue to call her names.

I’m getting tired of supporting the Saudis.

under different turnout scenarios WHO WILL VOTE? EST. TURNOUT OUR POLL RESULT The types of people who voted in 2014 4.4m Cruz +15 People whose voting history suggests they will vote, regardless of what they say 6.3m Cruz +9 Our estimate 6.3m Cruz +8 People who say they will vote, adjusted for past levels of truthfulness 6.8m Cruz +8 People who say they are almost certain to vote, and no one else 7.3m O’Rourke +3 The types of people who voted in 2016 7.9m Cruz +5 Every active registered voter 13.2m Cruz +4 Every single other category has Cruz up. Do whatever you need to do to have hope, but it's done. I will come back here like a whipped dog in November and tell you I'm an idiot if Beto wins.

There should be reasonable doubt based on the evidence. I just don’t doubt it personally because of some of the things I’m seeing and hearing on the ground. I’m not going to convince anyone on my intuition.

I would go as far to say that a lot of people I know are angry at Beto. There is anger in Texas, and some fear a Beto victory. Out of everyone around me, I probably give him the least chance of winning because I see how his campaign has inflamed the Republican base here. Then I look at the evidence which indicates that Beto is behind. If the polls showed them within the margin of error more consistently, then I may be more open to a Beto win. The polls could be wrong and may be underestimating who is going to show up on Beto's side. Never underestimate the Republican base in Texas and never count on young demographics to show up to a mid term election in the state with the worst voter turn out stats in the country. There isn't a mail in ballot in Texas for people under 65. The early vote times and locations are a pain in the ass to get to. Employers don't give time off to vote.

Those are all reasonable points, but I predict Cruz will win and I have no doubt of the outcome. This is Texas. There is a ton of enthusiasm all around me to shut Beto down. His campaign has relied upon charisma and exciting the Democratic base in Texas. It will fail to garner enough votes from independents or "moderates" in Texas since they lean Republican, and his positions will excite the GOP base to show up to shut it down and keep Texas red. I won't be the least bit surprised if likely voter polls continue to show Cruz pulling away with a 7-9 point advantage.'

I would be very impressed if Beto managed to garner 48% of the vote given his political stances.

Ted Cruz leads Beto O'Rourke in new poll by nine points Beto is done at this point. Cruz's RLC average lead is 7 points.

Moral anti-realism has always been the popular flavor around here.

POLITICO race ratings: The GOP House is crumbling https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/09/race-ratings-congress-midterms-881099 Poll: Dems lead GOP by 13 points on generic congressional ballot https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/410575-poll-dems-lead-gop-by-13-points-on-generic-congressional-ballot What’s Behind Democrats’ Shrinking Senate Odds? https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/whats-behind-democrats-shrinking-senate-odds/?ex_cid=2018-forecast

She seemed like what one of the adults in the administration.

It looks awful, but the high audience score has me curious.

We will breach the prior 2 degree limit before it's all said and done. People will start to take action when they see and feel it more and more each year, but not before.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/8/17951170/midterm-elections-2018-polls-kavanaugh-texas-arizona The Kavanaugh battle may be helping the GOP in the senate while helping the Dems in the house.

Agreed. I think right energy will die down a bit, but it won’t be a blue blow out. The dems will take the house by a thin margin and the gop will easily keep the senate.

I'm really excited about this and LotR.

I agree that China doesn't want to be the global arbiter, but I think they want to advance their interests in the West and elsewhere as much as possible, and without a United States, it would be a lot easier for them to step on everyone else. As for it already starting, I think it doesn't really give a timetable. Anyone can see the United States is going to fall apart without giving a specific timeline. If it has started already, how long before it's done?

It could be argued that a right leaning court would weaken the commerce clause (or reinterpret it to give states more autonomy), and weaken other portions that support Federal supremacy which would result in more state autonomy. Let blue states be blue and let red states be red. It sounds good, but is it? I see issues with this in several respects. As you mentioned, a carbon tax needs to be national (while getting others to do the same). Things like universal healthcare would also work much better on a national scale rather than state by state. Many environmental and financial regulations have to be nationwide. However, given the way things are going, it' is certainly worth thinking about. I have always been interested in the idea of more state autonomy, and even combing the governments of many states into one entity, while having the Federal government focus on certain basic functions may be the best bet for our future. The divide and anger certainly seems to be growing.

When do you believe this will happen? While I see cracks forming in the system, I don't believe things are going to fall apart in our lifetimes, although things can change rapidly. If we did split apart into multiple nations, it would create a vacuum that China would be glad to fill. It would be the world power completely unchecked, and China's values are not even close to our own as it currently stands. Let's hope it doesn't happen!

I don’t see how that’s obvious at all. The solutions here amount to destroying the country just because the court will be right wing. It really isn’t that bad. Nothing that is happening right now calls for bloodshed or any sort of revolution. This is not even close to the sort of quality of life developing nations deal with. Everyone needs to chill.

I’m actually kind of curious what you all think is going to happen when you say they will “destroy everything”.