Daily Archives: May 20, 2020

As far as I can tell, what is now being referred to by Donald Trump and some of his more enthusiastic supporters as "Obamagate" does not involve a discrete scandal. Instead, umbrage is being taken at the fact that, in addition to refusing to throw his attorney general, Eric Holder, under the bus in 2011, Barack Obama did not shed many tears on behalf of right-wing 501(c)(3) groups on the receiving end of extra attention from the IRS or seriously object to the investigation of a presidential candidate he thought unlikely to win office.

Whatever one thinks of these things, there is no "gate" here. The conspiratorial framing is an implicit rejection of Obama's entire presidency, as if every aspect of it, from his famous speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention until the day Donald Trump took the oath of office had been part of a single overarching plot against the American people.

The gate suffix is nearly as old as the original scandal to which it owes in name. As early as 1974, William Safire (whose reputation as an authority on good English has always baffled me) was denouncing the iniquities of "Vietgate," which he would follow up with "Billygate," "Briefingate," "Contragate," "Debategate," and goodness knows how many more without his editors telling him to find another metaphor. The first of these was a reference to the issuing of presidential pardons for draft dodgers, a policy open to criticism but not a common-law offense punishable under any jurisdiction carried out at the behest of a sitting president. Like so many subsequent gates, it did not involve an underlying crime that became the object of a cover-up certainly not a crime as brazen as the burglarizing of a hotel room in the hope of obtaining a dubious advantage in an election whose outcome was never remotely in doubt.

It is astonishing how rare it is to encounter both of these conditions the specific offense and the conspiracy to obscure it from public view fulfilled in the vast gate-related literature. Instead one finds offenses that were never hidden from the world ("Hailgate," a video of white supremacists openly employing the Nazi salute at a conference) or simply crimes against taste ("Donutgate," i.e., the time Ariana Grande licked a doughnut); there are procedural offenses ("Emailgate"), accidents ("Elbowgate," i.e., Justin Trudeau's elbowing of a female member of the Canadian parliament), mean-spirited public remarks ("Faceliftgate," when President Trump asserted that MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski had undergone the aforementioned surgical procedure), embarrassments ("Fartgate," which doomed Congressman Eric Swalwell's never very serious presidential aspirations), and government policies worthy of criticism ("Pastygate," widespread disagreement with taxes levied in 2012 upon meat pies and other cooked snacks by the Conservative government in Britain). There are also cases in which there does not appear to be any underlying offense ("Russiagate") but in which attempts at journalistic investigation are met with resistance comparable to that of the Nixon administration. In some instances ("Gamergate") there is neither a crime nor a conspiracy but a kind of generalized resentment in search of an incident that might justify it after the fact. Obamagate most resembles the last of these: an insinuation of conspiracy so wide ranging that it cannot by definition be refuted, even by Trump's attorney general.

Why do we insist on appending this meaningless suffix to everything from using the profits of arms sales to fund right-wing militias to doubts about Hillary Clinton's ability to open a pickle jar? I suspect it is because Watergate is the founding myth of contemporary journalism, the lens through which we insist upon seeing all of reality. The urgency with which we lavish attention upon insignificant events (and journalistic attempts to place them inside an implied meta-narrative of cover-up) becomes self-justifying; the currency of scandal is thoroughly debased even as it remains the only acceptable journalistic tender. This is what made Trump's presidency possible: politics re-conceived not as the pursuit of the common good but as an agon of irreconcilable totalizing worldviews, each the product of its own bespoke mythology complete with heroes, villains, bards, noble deeds, and ancient wrongs. So far from being the perfect object of journalists' meta-investigative obsession, he is its totally predictable consequences.

Meanwhile the destruction of the post-war consensus on the mixed economy, the disastrous consequences of globalized free trade, the downside of unregulated instantaneous mass communication, the rise in drug addiction and so-called "deaths of despair" are all stories that became tragedies before they were ever seriously reported. A country whose attention was fixed instead upon Valerie Plame, Dan Rather, one of Janet Jackson's breasts, lane closures in New Jersey, and how Tom Cruise felt about being mocked in an episode of South Park was astonished to learn facts about ordinary life, such as the decline in the American life expectancy during the last decade.

When everything becomes a scandal, nothing is.

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Originally posted here:

'Obamagate' and the end of scandal - The Week

There's only one military base in Grand Theft Auto 5: Fort Zancudo. The military base in GTA 5 is hidden on the outskirts of Blaine County, San Andreas, and there's good reason to pay it a visit. Head to Fort Zancudo and you can recquisition a P-996 Lazer fighter jet, a Rhino tank, or other military goodies. Just be ready for one hell of a reception: Set foot on the base or fly over and you'll quickly earn a 4-star Wanted Level, and the military will come out in force to greet you with bullets and heat-seeking missiles.

Here's how to get to the military base in both GTA 5's singleplayer and in GTA Online, and what to expect when you get there.

The military base is listed as "Lago Zancudo" on this nice satellite view depiction of GTA 5's map, and it's just south of the North Chumash beach. To the east is Mount Josiah and the small town of Harmony.

It stands out on the satellite image, but much more covert on the in-game GTA 5 map. Here's what you're looking fornotice how the tip of the base juts out of the shoreline. That's the quickest way to spot it.

There are a few ways to get into the military base, which is surrounded by fences and gates and heavily guarded.

By aircraft, like a plane or helicopteryou'll be given a two-star wanted level and a radio warning when you enter the base's airspace, which will quickly be followed by a four-star wanted level and guided missiles if you don't leave the area. You can still attempt to land, but it's better to jump and open your parachute when you're close to the ground. After you land you should have enough time to steal a military vehicle before you're shot to death by the army.

With a fast caryou can jump into the base at a few different spots: Just look for a nice hill or cliff near the fences (see above). Ideally, you want to try to land in between the two outer fences, which line a concrete road that circles the entire base. If you make it onto this road without being seen by the gate guards, you can drive along it without getting a wanted level. There are several exits from this road, and one is behind the vehicle hanger on the north side of the base. Once you leave the concrete path you'll be automatically given a four-star wanted level, but you'll have a little extra time to steal a vehicle before you're swarmed by the army.

By motorcycleyou can sometimes drive a motorcycle safely through the front checkpoint if the gate guard is looking in the other direction. If you slip past, you'll see an entrance to that same, safe concrete road on your right.

The military base is still dangerous territory in GTA Online. Fort Zancudo remains an off-limits military zone, which means you'll accrue a 4-star wanted level and the soldiers will open fire when you get too close. Unlike in singleplayer, the ground checkpoints are never open, so you'll need to either hop the fence or take air transport to get inside the base.

But in GTA Online, there's now a way for you to buy your way in.

The GTA Online Smuggler's Run update, released in 2017, added aircraft hangars to the game, and there are three purchasable hangars on the military base:

If you buy one of these hangars, you'll be able to enter the military base without earning a wanted level. Start firing a weapon or steal a vehicle, though, and you'll earn a 2-star wanted level and the military will still attack you. Behave, and you'll have the run of the base.

Read the original here:

Where to find the military base in GTA 5 - PC Gamer

Sheetal

There can be several reasons for us to get addicted to a particular game, but currently the lockdown seems to be the prime one. Badshah in one of his Instagram posts wrote, I downloaded PUBG and the rest is history. Na na karte pyaar tum hi se kar baithe.

Stand-up comedian Azeem Banatwalla joked about how hardcore gamers feel when they get an invite for Ludo. From re-visiting the old console games to exploring the new ones to trying out the popular ones, this lockdown has made us try out everything available on the table.

Echoing Taylor Swifts lyrics Look, what you made me do, students from across Punjab are playing video games like there is no tomorrow. Because, of course, the lockdown will eventually come to an end!

In control

For Amitoj, a PhD scholar at IISER-Mohali, playing a videogame was never about clearing-that-level or owning-that-item; its always about the experience. Currently in Amritsar, she explains, I had come home for a visit when the entire nation was suddenly placed under a lockdown. But the good thing was that I had my PS4, my Nintendo Switch, and my laptop with me. I finished playing Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag for the third time today. For the third time, I saved Edward Kenway from Duncan and from drowning. For the third time, I helped him impersonate an impostor to con the Templars. For the third time, we set sail to Nassau to meet up with the gang and gather a crew. And for the millionth time now, I fell in love with gaming all over again.

She adds, So, with this renewed love with video-gaming, I think Ill return to the ruthless and relentless world of Dark Souls 3 tomorrow or just go for a walk with Pikachu in Pokemon Sword and Shield. She speaks the language only a game lover would understand! For Amitoj, every game is an enigma. I love running wild in the crammed streets of The Witcher; dancing to Beethovens symphonies atop the Golden Gate Bridge in Watch Dogs 2; giving a hearty Dag Dag to my fellow vampires in The Sims; flinging Sushi across the room before time runs out in Over Cooked. And like every gamer, I also enjoy the occasional burning-things-into-a-crisp-with-a-flamethrower (read Far Cry).

Fortified!

Chandan Singh graduated from DAV College- Chandigarh and is an IAS aspirant. The lockdown forced him to leave Delhi, where he was preparing for the exams, and come back to his hometown, Ludhiana. He says, I am a library person when it comes to studies and I miss those days. But, like many other things that the quarantine has taught us, I have mastered the art of avoiding distractions while studying. I follow a routine, which includes game time as well. I look forward to playing Fortnite with my squad online. Those Victory Royales with the squad help me sleep better!

Roll the dice

For Dishant Arora, who is doing a nursing course from Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, lunch hour used to be the best time of the day before coronavirus took it all away and heres why. I enjoyed playing Mini Militia with my college friends during the break. Though it can be played online with the same set of friends, it is more fun when they are around, explains Dishant. He adds, Now, the combat game has been replaced with a board game, Ludo, which has become the usual evening affair for our family. We play it in the evening on the terrace while enjoying tea.

Yes to PUBG

Amritsar resident Suraj Mankotia is passionate about fitness. Besides pursuing graduation in commerce, he was working part-time as a gym trainer before the lockdown forced gyms to close down. He explains, There are many people, who want to turn around this forced quarantine to their benefit. For a week or two, I played PUBG day in and out. But now I have limited my game time and started giving online classes to my regular clients on Zoom or via Whatsapp video call.

More here:

Enter the battleground! - The Tribune India

Blizzard has been pushing out new builds and content for the alpha ofWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlands at an incredible rate. With so much that needs to be tested, the developers are constantly bringing more to the table for polishing.

Their latest set of changes comes with some additions to three separate classes. With the new build, Blizzard has added Anima Powers to the Death Knight, Monk, and Hunter classes.

Anima Powers are vital for the Torghast, Tower of the Damned repeatable dungeon that is intended to be a key point in content forWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlands. With these new changes, the three classes will be able to participate in the content.

Death Knights will have the following Anima Powers added with this newest build:

In the last Shadowlands Alpha build, we got our first look at Hunter, Monk and Death Knight Anima Powers, changed Covenant abilities and more! Check out our class changes build recap: https://t.co/UGUQo1oRQg pic.twitter.com/8TDj3TmLRw

Wowhead (@Wowhead) May 18, 2020

Hunters have been given 42 new powers rather than only six, a list much too extensive to write out here, though some are redundant. For example,Assassinate has been added twice, which gives Kill Shot a 25% chance to instantly kill a target.

Some are much more specific, such asScaredy Rat, which makes Scare Beast a fatal attack against only Mawrats, causing them to die after three seconds. Others, likeHardened Turtle Shell, provide some thorough survivability, with the ability in question doubling the duration of Aspect of the Turtle and allowing hunters to attack during it.

Monks also have a thorough amount of changes, with 29 new Anima Powers being added in this latest build. Many of these are defensive-minded or reactionary, such as Bad Karma, which causes Touch of Karma to be applied when Provoke is cast.

Buffs to AoE abilities have arrived too, such asRolling Tigers, which causes Roll to cast Tigers Lust on all nearby targets. Similarly,Flowing like the Chicauses Chi Wave to be cast on all enemies that you roll through. These, combined withRoll Out which gives an extra charge to Roll, can be used to take down a mob of enemies with significantly more ease.

The full list can be found on the list that Wowhead has fantastically compiled, linked in the tweet embedded above. Theres a massive number of changes with this build, and getting to see the first roll-out of Anima Powers for these three classes is only the beginning.

Original post:

Blizzard Reveals New Shadowlands Class Changes For World Of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Targeting Death Knight, Monk, And Hunter - Happy Gamer

Warning: This column contains ample spoilers for all seasons of Rick and Morty.

The adult cartoon has been popular for generations. The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, Archer animated shows have been analyzing the American family structure and gender for decades. As the popularity of South Park has calmed down, new shows have come to fill the gap it left behind Bobs Burgers, Tuca and Bertie, Adventure Time you name it.

Out of all of these new cartoons of the 2000s, no show has had quite the interesting impact of Rick and Morty. Spawning an intense cult fandom, the show stars a genius male alcoholic as he deals with the big questions of life. Why am I here? Does my life have any meaning? Will I be punished for playing Machiavelli and abusing almost everyone in my life?

That last question is the kicker. When we consider the fan base of this show and its general reception, we can learn something about the modern male fan. In Rick and Morty, Rick rarely faces consequences for his actions, and his might makes right smugness seems to have traveled over to a subset of the shows fan base the subset who bullied the shows female writers and went insane over dipping sauce. This type of misogynistic entitlement can have real-world consequences far worse than Reddit trolling this behavior can become Gamergate, can become the world in which a man prone to tantrums is the president. The showrunners, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, have 70 episodes left. They should use them to change their philosophical tune.

Granted, its not just men who devour this show. Women and nonbinary people like this show too, of course Im one of them! But this show does have a male-leaning fan base, and thats important to analyze. What draws so many men to it? I love Rick and Morty. I cant lie. At best, the show is a profound exploration of what it means to be conscious on this giant orb about which we know nothing. At worst, as much as its writers fight against this, its cosmic nihilism glorifies abuse. Binging the show over quarantine, I instantly saw the issue with its reception while theres enough obvious information here to know that Rick is not a role model, there are unfortunately people who will not see that no matter how you spell it out for them.

And the show, perhaps unknowingly, allows this fan subset to do just that place Rick as a role model, identify with him, see him and ergo themselves as gods. The issue lies in how Rick and Morty deals or rather, doesnt deal with consequences.

I was surprised, watching the first season of Rick and Morty, to find that Rick physically and/or emotionally abuses Morty in every single episode. This continues up to where we are now, in Season 4.

Rick rarely faces consequences for his actions. He drags Morty near death on an episodic basis, verbally degrading him. He makes fun of his son-in-law every episode as well, throwing out savage one-liners like, I dont like your unemployed genes in my grandchildren (Total Rickall). He doesnt let his granddaughter, Summer, go on adventures with him until later into the first season because he doesnt take chicks on adventures (Raising Gazorpazorp). His daughter Beth is an emotional wreck over the possibility of him leaving her again, leading us to believe he abandoned her as a child by jumping through portals among galaxies, nonetheless.

This is one face of the modern father, the modern genius man who enraptures so many young fans. Heres a man who faces no consequences, or rather, he can jump into another timeline to avoid them. Everyone he lives with is in some way or another at his whim. Isnt this the perfect male fantasy for 2020? Or perhaps, isnt this already part of our world? Where a man with power can get away with whatever the heck he wants, although in our reality its more Brett Kavanaugh and less causing the deaths of entire alien civilizations?

Rick is rarely reckoned with. Its any incels wet dream, a compelling fantasy to young men who feel powerless in the wake of this new era. Rick is fantasy fulfillment.

The closest we get to a thoughtful look at any pain Rick may have is when Rick tries to commit suicide, but his drunkenness ironically saves him he slumps over on his work bench, the death ray he set up missing his head by inches (Auto Erotic Assimilation). Moments like this are where the show is at its peak here are the consequences of living the way Rick lives. We do not want to be him. We should want him to get better.

But these moments are few and far between. More often than not, Ricks cosmic nihilist outlook wins. He does whatever he wants because he has the ability to, and thus should be able to, goes his philosophy and is lauded for it. Rick forces everyone to tell him what he wants to hear, to do exactly what he wants them to do.

In last Sundays episode, The Vat of Acid Episode, Rick creates a device that can stop and rewind time by branching all the stop points into alternate realities. He explains how the device works at the end of the episode, where Morty panics over all of the alternate Mortys who have died. Then, to add insult to injury, Rick proposes that Morty choose either to face all of the people hes hurt in these alternate realities, or to give in to a bit Rick used at the start of the episode that Morty made fun of Rick escapes from some antagonists by jumping into a vat of fake acid. Morty chooses to pretend-die in the vat of acid, foregoing responsibility. Like grandfather, like grandson. Rick never faces his actions and even pushes his family towards adopting this outlook.

I understand that once you put your art into the world, it belongs to your audience. But in the case of Rick and Morty, this shows popularity gives it a responsibility to avoid creating more Ricks, more of the entitled man-child the shows creators themselves loathe. This type of toxic masculinity breeds real-life violence and hate, breeds things like the entitlement of rape culture and mass shootings.This type of outlook, this bleak view of power, is shared by our current president and we all know how well his models for running the world are going.

Im not surprised that toxic fans are drawn to the outlook of Rick and Morty. The show prizes the exact type of behavior that causes the mocking of its fan base the entitlement, the belief that being smarter or having more power means you should be able to do whatever you want. Until Ricks character faces more obstacles, his avid fanboys will continue to believe he is God. They will continue to believe in Machiavelli, and adopt his ways in real time.

Telling your audience that might makes right and consequences are of no matter is intensely problematic. There are 70 episodes left, so theres more than enough time to veer this show toward a better philosophy. As a fan, as a woman, I pray that Harmon and Roiland do as such.

Genna writes about culture, media and gender politics for The Pitt News. You can email her at gee9@pitt.edu.

Read more from the original source:

Opinion | What Rick and Morty can tell us about American masculinity - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

SnowRunner hasnt been out for very long, but its quickly gaining a huge following amongst the gaming community. It lets gamers put their trucking skills to the test in some precarious situations involving snow and ice.

The mechanics are authentic and the vehicle variety is very impressive. However, its the games modding support that is taking a lot of the headlines. Early on, Saber Interactive wanted to make it clear they were getting behind modding efforts 100% right out of the gate. That essentially opened up the floodgates for a lot of creative mods.

One of the more recent thats drawing a lot of attention is the introduction of Elon Musks Cybertruck. Screenshots of this futuristic truck show it decked out in camouflage and beefy tires. It definitely looks fully capable of taking the abuse that the extreme environments will throw at it.

When the Cybertruck was first revealed, it was very polarizing. Many felt it to be a bit too boxy and others couldnt believe it was actually classified as a truck. And yet after seeing early visuals in SnowRunner, it looks like an incredible truck that the community is in full support of.

This is just one of the many mods currently available in SnowRunner. It doesnt look like there will be a shortage of them either as creative gamers are looking to take their turn at changing up the game in novel ways.

SnowRunner already showed a lot of promise in the visual and gameplay departments, but the modding support just takes it to the next level.

And its insane to think about the modding activity when this game hasnt even been out that long. Aside from the plethora of mods, there are so many things to do in this game. You can take on important gigs and get paid big money.

When youre not advancing your career, you can just go exploring around some incredibly detailed open-ended environments. Theres a vehicle for every type of situation youll find out in the forests, rivers, and thick mud.

SnowRunner also rewards players for sticking around and learning the mechanics. What will first be tough jobs can be completed with maximum efficiency and safety once you get down the physics and vehicle mechanics.

And thanks to the mod support, there is always new content that players can look forward to every week. Theres never been a better time to jump in the driver seat and experience ice-road trucking like never before than now.

Read the original here:

SnowRunner Has Added The Tesla Cybertruck Thanks To Its Stellar Modding Support - Happy Gamer

Today weve got a pair of Razer Opus wireless headphones in the house, rolling with THX certification, hybrid ANC, and a button that allows switching between modes. Thats an oversimplifcation of whats going on here its radical. When youre wearing these headphones, youve got the option to switch between active noise cancellation and external sound enhancement, using four dedicated ANC microphones to make it happen.

These headphones dont look or feel like your average gamer headphones. Theyre not brightly colored, theyre not explosively toned, there arent any LED lights. Theyre made to be a perfect blend of high-quality industrial design and high-quality sound delivery, in a package thats uniquely Razer.

Razer Opus work with plush leatherette foam ear cushions and cushioning on its headband and they are, indeed, comfortable right out of the box. They fold down to fit in a carrying case thats included in the box, and the whole package is quite low-key classy.

THX Certified For clear vocals & dialog, no distortion, and great noise isolation Advanced ANC Hybrid active noise cancellation with 4 dedicated ANC mics Crafted for Comfort Plush leatherette foam ear cushions and headband Opus Mobile App THX-tuned EQ presets, automatic settings, and battery status Quick Attention Mode For situational awareness whenever you need it Auto Pause / Auto Play For seamless media playback On-the-Go Design Up to 25 hours with ANC on, 3.5mm jack, and carrying case Drivers: 2 x 40mm dynamic drivers Weight: 265g Frequency response: 20 Hz 20 kHz Microphone: 4 for hybrid ANC, 2 for voice chat Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2 & 3.5mm Codecs: AAC & APTX, 4.2, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP

Right out the gate these headphones feel like a surprisingly high-quality blending of all the good bits of past Razer-released headphones, and the pricing seems to be right on the mark. Well be giving them an extended try in a variety of listening situations through the future and will give you a full review soon!

The Razer Open headphones weve got here will be made available starting this week for approximately $200 USD through Razer online, Razer Stores around the world, Amazon online, and through authorized 3rd-party retailers.

See original here:

Razer Opus wireless headphones hands-on: One button to switch - SlashGear