brenticus

joined 2 years ago
[–] brenticus 14 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Given his unpopularity, even among his own party, and his recent fumbling of the Freeland and Carney situation causing his cabinet to implode, this isn't exactly a surprise.

Unfortunately it's probably going to turn out similar to the Biden/Harris situation where the next Liberal leader won't have the time to sell themselves to Canadians nor will they be likely to separate themselves from Trudeau's policies in any real way. Which, since Singh has by and large failed to sell himself to Canadians, seems to be pointing us to Pollievre as PM. Ugh.

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor, bringing his time leading the country to a tumultuous end.

Trudeau, who became Liberal leader in 2013 and prime minister in the fall of 2015, announced his long-awaited decision outside his official residence, Rideau Cottage, on Monday morning.

Trudeau also said he asked Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to prorogue Parliament until March 24, and she granted the request.

The father of three said he told his children that he intended to leave the country's top job over dinner Sunday night.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it's become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," he told reporters.

Trudeau's decision will set off a competitive leadership race to replace him and find a contender to take on the Liberals' key rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, in the next federal election.

Trudeau said he's already asked the Liberal Party president to begin a "robust" and "nationwide" process to find the next leader.

"The Liberal Party of Canada is an important institution in the history of our great country and democracy. A new prime minister and leader of the Liberal party will carry its values and ideals into the next election," he said.

"I'm excited to see the process unfold in the months ahead."

Trudeau has been under mounting pressure to resign amid sinking public opinion polling, including from his own caucus.

At least two dozen individual MPs and several regional caucuses — including Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario — have called for him to step down since before the holiday break.

Trudeau addresses Freeland's departure

His political future was put into a tailspin when Chrystia Freeland, long seen as his top lieutenant, resigned as finance minister and deputy prime minister last month, the day she was scheduled to present the fall economic statement.

In a letter to Trudeau that was subsequently posted to social media, Freeland said she had no choice but to resign after Trudeau approached her about moving to another cabinet role. It was later revealed she had been offered a position in charge of Canada-U.S. relations.

Freeland took a jab at Trudeau's handling of the economy, denouncing in the letter what she called the government's "costly political gimmicks." She went on to write that she and Trudeau had been "at odds" in recent weeks about how to handle the incoming U.S. administration.

Trudeau addressed Freeland's bombshell departure for the first time publicly Monday, albeit briefly.

He told reporters he had hoped she would have stayed on as deputy prime minister and take on "one of the most important files" the country is facing.

"But she chose otherwise," he said. "In regards to what actually happened, I am not someone who's in the habit of sharing private conversations."

In a social media post Monday, Freeland thanked Trudeau for his years of service.

"I wish him and his family the very best," she wrote.

Trudeau's planned resignation adds a new level of chaos to Canada's response to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's tariff threat. Trump will officially take office in exactly two weeks.

The incoming administration has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports, which Trump claimed was in response to concerns about border security, migrants and illegal drugs, especially fentanyl. Tariffs at that level could devastate Canada's economy.

Canada then announced more than $1 billion to bolster border security, but it's not yet clear whether that will sway Trump to drop the tariffs.

Conservatives threaten non-confidence motion

The Conservatives, which have been riding high in the polls for more than a year, have promised to move a motion of non-confidence in the Liberal government as soon as possible in the new year.

In a statement, Poilievre said Trudeau's decision "changes nothing" and suggested Liberal MPs who revolted are acting out of self interest.

"Their only objection is that he is no longer popular enough to win an election and keep them in power. They want to protect their pensions and paycheques by sweeping their hated leader under the rug months before an election to trick you, and then do it all over again," he wrote, while renewing calls for an immediate election.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who ended his party's agreement to keep the Liberal minority government afloat back in September, suggested Canadians shouldn't support any Liberal leader.

"The problem is not just Justin Trudeau. It's every minister that's been calling the shots," he said in a statement on Monday.

"It's every Liberal MP that looked down their nose at Canadians who are worried about high costs or crumbling health care. The Liberals do not deserve another chance, no matter who is the leader."

[–] brenticus 3 points 2 weeks ago

This is what I use as well, although it was primarily out of laziness. Works well enough. I would say the Gluetun solution is a better recommendation, more robust and scalable, but the haugene container basically just works.

[–] brenticus 33 points 1 month ago (9 children)

I tried to read The Nightingale and had to drop it because Hannah seemed to simultaneously want to insist on how french everything was (ooo, they're drinking café noir, not black coffee) but also didn't seem to understand how a language works.

Like, the main character was reflecting on her mom calling them her little nightingales because their last name is Rossignol, the french word for nightingale, and I'm like... She called you nightingales because your name is literally nightingale, why does this warrant multiple paragraphs of internal monologuing?

The plot and characters were fine if uninspired, but she put so little effort into the setting that the whole thing felt poorly slapped together. Which I guess tracks well enough with this article, too.

[–] brenticus 2 points 1 month ago

Buckshot Roulette is fun. Not a lot to it, really, but a fun loop that I got a decent number of hours out of.

I bought Arctic Eggs after seeing a little bit of a playthrough but haven't actually played it yet. Seems weird, which I like.

[–] brenticus 3 points 1 month ago

The first few are available on standard ebooks and they're quick, easy reads, go for it! With the caveat that the standard ebook versions are the original 1920s versions so there's a bit of weird racial stuff now and then.

[–] brenticus 6 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I had to put down Fellowship of the Ring for a while due to a cascade of library books, but I'm finally back to it. God I just love how that book flows.

When I want something simpler to read I've been going to the Hardy Boys books lately. Read a bunch of them as a kid, they're still quite enjoyable now. Normally if I reread something 20 years later it's pretty clearly no longer my taste, but I'm on book 3 and still enjoying them quite a bit.

[–] brenticus 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

IIRC New Zealand returned to actual normal, as in COVID was a relative non-issue, faster than many other countries. Their restrictions were more severe and weren't lifted very quickly, but when they were lifted things were actually fine.

Places like the US and much of Canada dropped restrictions while things were still pretty bad in terms of infection rates and strain on health care systems, and really they hardly enforced them to begin with. You could see this as a return to normalcy since restrictions were gone, but in Alberta they lifted restrictions when we were still dealing with plenty of deaths, severely impacted health care, and on top of that we were still figuring out the implications of the whole long COVID thing. That's not a return to normal, I don't think, it's pretending things are normal when they're not.

[–] brenticus 3 points 2 months ago

I blasted through a couple this week to try and kick my reading slump.

The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 12 was great, dealing with the fallout of the previous volume plus dragging Maomao into new situations. Mostly I appreciate that she does actually recognize what's going on between her and Jinshi. She's purposefully ignorant, not totally ignorant.

The Misfit of Demon King Academy: Volume 7 was by and large what I expect from the series. Goofy stuff being OP, Anos being OP, and so forth. Good fun in the same way the rest are good fun.

[–] brenticus 3 points 2 months ago

I've been a bit out of the loop on LNs for a bit, but All-Works Maid seems kind of interesting, if only because the heroine is apparently unaware that it's an otome game. Noce change of pace from trying to manipulate every interaction because it's a game.

[–] brenticus 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

To some extent this feels like episode 2; the last few episodes didn't feel like they really moved along the main conflict with Marcus, but this one really sets up a proper encounter between Veltol (with more of his power available) and Marcus' minion(s). There's a point that ties back to everything else, not just a semi-SOL episode dealing with something random.

Not that I didn't enjoy the last few episodes, but clear progress towards the main conflict is always appreciated in this medium.

[–] brenticus 2 points 2 months ago

I find pan frying them works best if they're leftovers, the dough fries up better after it's boiled and then dried out a little. It's a very good option for sure.

[–] brenticus 7 points 2 months ago

Potato and cheese is classic, and honestly it hits the spot better than you might expect. Toss with butter after boiling. Keeps them from sticking and tastes great.

Commonly topped with sour cream, green onions, other onions, and/or bacon depending on what you have handy. A nice fatty sour cream with grilled yellow onions is my favourite, especially served with a nice hunk of garlic sausage.

122
submitted 7 months ago by brenticus to c/dogs
 
2
Gacha is cruel (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago by brenticus to c/grandorder
 

150 pulls, so I figured one Kriemhild and no Charlemagne would be reasonable, but nooooo, here's NP3 of a servant I didn't really want and 0 of the goth waifu.

 

Should have known not to get too excited about warm weather, that's on me.

10
submitted 10 months ago by brenticus to c/books
 

I just keep starting books lately. Yeesh.

Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force: I have a fairly decent collection of Star Wars books, and recently my dad gave me all his old books plus a bunch from when I was a kid. Wanting to read one but not wanting to start YET ANOTHER book that would take a week to finish, I picked this up yesterday. 9% done.

I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I'll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time, Vol. 2: I read volume 1 last week. Blew through it. I loved it. I started volume 2 this week rather than finish off anything else. Genius move. 11% done.

Whalefall: Library surprise! Put it on hold months ago, got an email that it was ready just before the library workers went on strike, rushed to pick it up, read a few pages. It is now in the pile. 2% done.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: Sometimes I just want to read on my kobo. My kobo book for a long time has been Ulysses. Ulysses is a hard and long read. I needed a break from it so I started reading this... and am still reading it three weeks later. 54% done.

Ulysses : I've been reading this for a long time and wondering whether I understand it, like it, or generally have the slightest clue why I'm reading it, but when I pick it up and my brain doesn't bounce I am just enthralled by whatever the hell Joyce is doing. I'll get back to it eventually. 40% done.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: I got these lovely hardcovers a while back which are beautiful, feel lovely to read, have fantastic illustrations, and my god it's just a wonderful story... but lately I've been pretty lethargic and don't want to hold a hardcover. So it's been sitting by my bedside for ages. 37% done.

What do I start without finishing any of my other books next?

9
Chainsaw Man – Ch.155 (mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp)
submitted 11 months ago by brenticus to c/[email protected]
 
 

'Tis the season and I figure I should finally put up some Christmas lights on the house, but ideally I'd like something I can leave up and change colours for other holidays, shots and giggles, etc. So getting some RGB LED strips sounds reasonable.

The problem, potentially, is that it gets below -30° here pretty much every winter. I know this is problematic for batteries, and sometimes other electronics depending on the build, but for a bunch of LEDs with some sort of ZigBee controller I'm less sure.

So: outdoor RGB LEDs when it's really freaking cold. Anything I should worry about? Any recommendations?

 

I avoided web novels for ages because I knew this would happen to me, but then a friend recommended Shadow Slave to me last weekend and god damn it my life is over.

You read a chapter, around a thousand words. It ends on a light cliffhanger. You swipe to the next chapter. Repeat ad infinitum. Sometimes it takes me a long time to get through a longer book – I've been reading Don Juan for, like, a month now – but this? 300 chapters in a week. Around 300k words. Like nothing.

I have over 700 chapters to go before I catch up, but then what? I can hardly imagine a world where I stop at just one series, even though it has a new chapter every goddamn day. Maybe I check out the sources for other manwha and light novels I've read. Maybe I dive into that one where Florida Man is selling bath salts in another world. There are too many options. How many years of my life will disappear into reading mediocre but addicting progression fantasy a few hundred words at a time?

TL;DR I have a problem but at least I'm not on Reddit.

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