And he always proudly points out that he himself has never been personally bankrupt. Somehow, the fact that he always manages to bankrupt his investors instead of himself was seen as a good reason why America should become his next big investor.

I would say that:

-O’Brien keeps the machines running

-Bashir keeps O’Brien alive

-The black markwt keeps the economy running

-Quark keeps the black market running

-Rom and Leeta keep Quark’s running

-Odo keeps Quark in check

-Sisko’s reputation for DGAF ruthlessness keeps the Cardassians away

-Garak keeps an ear to the ground for the rare occasions when the Cardassians dare to plot fuckery

-Keiko keeps the kids from turning feral

-Kira keeps Bajor happy with the Federation setup

-Dax is also there

I would develop some city neighborhoods and set up some community land trusts to run them.

Alternatively, and I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but maybe there was more concern that someone might try to assassinate Luigi. After what happened with Jeffrey Epstein, authorities might have figured “the people will lose their minds if Luigi dies in custody, so let’s not take any chances”.

Interesting! Added to my wishlist.

I honestly think it would be interesting to play a game by sound alone, where you play as a blind person (maybe Daredevil or Zatoichi or something) and you navigate the world by listening. Ironically, it’d probably need to be on a VR headset so that the game can detect you turning/tilting your head and adjust the stereo balance accordingly.

Maybe Zatoichi would be best, as you could hear an enemy swinging a sword like “SHING” and “SWOOSH” etc, and maybe that would give you enough information to block or dodge. You’d probably also need haptic feedback to tell you when your blade connects.

Maybe there could be graphics, but only to recreate the sense of smell, like the screen is pure black except when you smell something and then a word appears on the screen like “rose” or “blood” etc.

Remember that MAGA can’t empathize with someone unless they identify with that person. To MAGA, the struggles of immigrants are unimportant so focusing on them is targeting the wrong audience if we want to change minds.

More Americans need to watch The Grapes of Wrath.

“A red is any son-of-a-bitch that wants thirty cents an hour when we’re payin’ twenty-five!”

I still maintain that as great as DS9 was, it started Trek on a self-destructive path of constantly trying to go even darker and edgier. Gene had utopian rules for a reason, and although some of them were probably too restrictive, the whole point of Star Trek, the unique selling point it possesses that no other franchise has, is that it offers us a vision of the future that isn’t a dystopian hellscape. A positive look at what the future could be for us if we follow our nobler instincts. DS9 eroded that by suggesting that it was all bullshit, that the Federation was just as unenlightened as we are today, and although it made for a great show in the short term, in the long term it hurt the franchise because darker and edgier yields ever diminishing returns.

In fairness I think the memetic virus was meant to stimulate individualism and perhaps general revolt in the Borg, and Picard and co didn’t think it would result in the collective simply purging entire cubes remotely just to keep the contagion contained. The memetic virus was meant to be the nonlethal option. It turned out to be lethal only because Picard and co underestimated just how ruthlessly it would be crushed. Of course, then again, perhaps I’m misremembering.

Page 21 of the ruling:

First, the Enforcement Guidance contravenes Title VII’s plain text by expanding the scope of “sex” beyond the biological binary: male and female. Although Title VII defines “sex” to also include “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions,” §2000e(k), the Enforcement Guidance concludes that “sex” under Title VII "includes ‘pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions’ and sexual orientation and gender identity." Enforcement Guidance, §I(A)(5) (emphasis added). Notably, the Guidance uses quotation marks around “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions”—but not “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.” Because neither the plain text of Title VII nor Supreme Court precedent defines Title VII “sex” this broadly. Thus, the Enforcement Guidance lacks statutory or jurisprudential authority to expand Title VII’s definition of “sex” to include these new categories.

Interestingly, this also seems to provide a legal basis to discriminate against straight people and cis people. It’ll be interesting to see how Republicans attempt to close that extra loophole without also closing the loophole for discrimination against LGBTQ people.