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LOL

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It's an open notes test and some dense motherfuckers still can't figure out the answers.

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Food for thought

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Guy freezes his hair and it stands tall part 2

Part one here

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Source

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Lula's Government May Tax Tech Companies If Trump Imposes Steel Tariffs

The measure is already under study, but it could be brought forward in response to the U.S.

The Brazilian government is considering taxing U.S. digital platforms if U.S. President Donald Trump officially announces raising tariffs on steel and aluminum from all countries by up to 25%.

Trump's measure directly affects Brazil, which is the second-largest steel exporter to the U.S.: 48% of the total exports from the country go to the U.S. market, totaling $5.7 billion in 2024.

Lula's government is cautiously awaiting the finalization of the announcement, understanding that the best course of action is not to enter into an open trade war with the U.S.

Continue reading.

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"Live, Laugh, Luigi"

Sticker spotted in Ypsilanti, Michigan

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Book Review: Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson and Tatiana Hill (2024)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review though Netgalley.)

-- 3.5 stars --

"Friends come and go. But teammates are forever ... Especially if most of them are undead."

Romanian tween Mina is under immense pressure from her parents to qualify for the Olympics. But, when she wipes out in a most spectacular fashion during a competition, her dreams are shattered - along with her arm. Mina's identity has been wrapped up in ice skating for as long as she can remember; who is she without it?

Mina has precious little time for self-reflection before she's kidnapped and conscripted into the Vamps - just one of many teams competing in the Blood City Paranormal Roller Derby. Each team is comprised of one human jammer, who plays alongside her extra-human teammates. Led by their hundreds-year-old captain Val, the Vamps are - you guessed it - vampires. With ghost judges looking on, they go up against all manner of supernatural foes, from witches to werewolves.

But this seemingly fun game has a much darker underbelly - the teams are literally playing for their lives, since getting dropped from the ranking makes you a nomad without union protection. Can Mina learn to trust her teammates and play nice with others, after a lifetime spent viewing other athletes as competitors?

BLOOD CITY ROLLERS is a fun middle-grade graphic novel about vampires, roller derby, self-confidence, and letting go - with a sapphic romance thrown in for good measure. (This is an all-girls' team, after all!) Think: ROLLERGIRLS meets BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER with a dash of VIKINGS. (What can I say, Val is giving strong teenage Lagertha vibes.) Overall I enjoyed it but it did start to drag a little in the middle - I feel like it could have been ~30 pages shorter. The messages sometimes feel a bit heavy-handed but are admittedly age-appropriate (at 45 years young, I'm not quite in the target audience lol).

I was surprised to find that the story ended with a cliffhanger - I'll definitely be checking out the next book in the series.

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Book Review: Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Omnibus, Volume 4 (2023)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

The fourth volume of the SPACE BOY omnibus collects volumes ten through twelve, or episodes 144-195, the main plot line of which concerns what REALLY happened to the Arno - how a very young Oliver came to be alone, wandering Earth in a robotic body while barreling towards the Artifact in space.

As always, SPACE BOY is a sweet and wholly original science fiction comics, perfect for tween readers and up. As horrifying as this particular plot line is, McCranie balances the more tragic elements with moments of levity.

Volume 10 - 4/5 stars

Told entirely in flashbacks, Volume 10 picks up the teaser from Volume 9 and runs with it. It's six years ago, and the Arno is just days from entering the Aquarii Beta system. Oliver's dad Wyatt, an engineer, is clued in to an anomaly in the ship's readings, thanks to the family heirloom - a compass - that he gave his son. Despite a heroic effort to power down the ship so that they can run full diagnostics - a move that cost Wyatt his job - the crew can't find anything wrong with the ship. That is, until a fateful placement on the maintenance crew leads Wyatt to a long-forgotten part of the ship. But has the discovery come too late? (We already know the answer to that, sadly.)

There's also a super-cute subplot about a high stakes dodgeball game at Arno Elementary, in which Oliver channels Space Boy to bring his ragtag team to a near victory.

Volume 11 - 4/5 stars

As rolling blackouts rip through the Arno, Wyatt hides Oliver in the meridium core - the heart of the ship - for safekeeping. A blast knocks him out and, when Oliver awakens, it's to a ship that's curiously devoid of people.

Back on earth, the First Contact Project - helmed by Langley - crafts its response to the tragedy. When Oliver makes contact with them, the group of scientists and engineers begins to fissure, with concern for Oliver's well-being pitted against literal world peace.

Meanwhile, the mysterious, one-eyed alien (which Oliver christens a "warble") tries - and fails - to assume control of Oliver's body, and so goes in search of a new host on Earth. A visit with Langley in the book's final pages makes clear who's really calling the shots here. Though Langley is as nefarious as ever, we get a glimpse of a much softer and more compassionate Saito, as well as a ten-year-old Qiana and a promising scientist named Dr. Kim.

Volume 12 - 4/5 stars

With a newly orphaned Oliver committed to the mission, the FCP helps him ready one of the smaller ships to get him to the artifact, some five to six years in the future.

After his takeoff, we zip forward in time, to the day after the prom. The media is abuzz with news of Amy's kidnapping, while Tammie remains missing, Cassie is in the hospital with a head injury, and the Kokomo PD is in possession of one of the robots that chased down Amy and her classmates. Cut to the FCP, where Langley persuades Amy to join the team, at least for the next six weeks - which is how far out Oliver is from the artifact.

Amy knows not to trust Langley; not just because he's a government spook, but because he has the same copper and iodine taste that's seemed to have infected so many of the agents at the FCP. A smell that reminds Amy of ... her nightmares?

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he's coping. (x)

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Book Review: Stephen McCranie's Space Boy, Volume 16 (2023)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

As in many of the previous volumes, the story lines in SPACE BOY, VOLUME 16 unfold at a leisurely snail's pace. On the surface, nothing much happens, and yet McCranie manages to elicit ALL THE FEELINGS.

In South Pines High, the students are left reeling by the altercation at prom - particularly Amy's disappearance/presumed death. The newly "rescued" Tamara has become a bit of celebrity, as has Cassie - who believes Tammie when she insists that Amy isn't dead. Along with a reluctant Schaffer and Meisha, the group continues to investigate Amy's disappearance, while another group of students lean into the conspiracy theories and form Truth Seekers Anonymous.

Meanwhile, Amy and Qiana take a deeper dive into the murder of Aleksander Lesnik. A cryptic dedication in his homemade book leads them to Sophi Brix. THE Sophi Brix, wife of and heir to the founder of Net Gear. (This results in one of my favorite exchanges in the book, i.e., Qiana and Amy arguing about whether Lesnik was a gold digger.)

And, struggling with his feelings for Amy, Oliver goes to Dr. Kim for advice - who helps him solve his love life with calculus. (Another favorite panel.)

The only thing I didn't much care for? The return of the Animal Agriculture Club. You're telling me we have 3D printers to make clothing on a whim, but not lab-grown or plant-based meat? Maybe even spit out by said printer? C'mon now.

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Book Review: Stephen McCranie's Space Boy, Volume 15 (2023)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

In Volume 15 of SPACE BOY, the covert ops really start to heat up: Cassie and Schafer visit the newly "rescued" Tamara, who insists that her memories were stolen by a bright light. A light against which she struggled, valiantly, and managed to guard two convictions - that Amy is still alive (despite news reports to the contrary!!!), and that James Silber is absolutely not to be trusted. Meanwhile, Amy finds a new sense of purpose at the First Contact Project: helping Qiana uncover the truth behind Aleksander Lesnik's murder - and the seemingly mundane archaeological work preceding his entanglement with the FCP. Meanwhile, Oliver comes to his own (in some ways tragic) realization, which sends him to Dr. Kim for advice.

Finally, for a touch of levity, the volume ends with a super-cute Lil' Amy strip wherein she and Jemmah attempt to ... make a baby (it's all about the jeans).

As always, SPACE BOY is a sweet and gentle - yet utterly compelling - scifi read.

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Book Review: Stephen McCranie's Space Boy Omnibus, Volume 3 (2022)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Minor/vague spoilers ahead.)

I've been an on-and-off reader of Stephen McCranie's Space Boy for a few years now. Though the single episodes are available for free on Webtoon, I tend to wait for the collected editions. Never mind that these are a few years behind the strip and contravene my impatience when it comes to waiting for new installments of my favorite media. Idk, blame the poor wifi in my house (Webtoon is slow af on my iPad).

The third SPACE BOY omnibus - which collects Volumes 7 though 9 of the trade paperbacks - finally reveals Oliver's BIG SECRET, which I won't divulge here. Suffice to say, Amy's suspicions and persistence finally pay off in a reveal of epic proportions. So many mysterious threads come together to form a narrative that's both satisfying and compelling.

Volume 7 - 3.5/5 stars

When Amy discovers that Dr. Kim and Oliver are moving out of Kokomo - hastily, with little warning, and seemingly with a military escort - she borrows Tammie's drone to spy on them. The drone is shot down, but not before Amy spots a cybernetic man in Dr. Kim's dungeon basement. (The plot thickens!) Weirder still, that night she dreams of an alien being with a purported connection to Oliver.

Oh, and she finally shoots down poor Zeph. And it's still Spirit Week!

Volume 8 - 4/5 stars

The military, led by the increasingly erratic Commander Saito, puts a hit out on Amy, who they've mistakenly identified as a spy. We learn that Oliver is their connection to the Artifact and thus instrumental to the First Contact Project.

Volume 9 - 4/5 stars

Saito's story line wraps up, and then we're treated to a flashback of the Arno six years ago, not long before its fateful accident in the Aquarii Beta system. The volume ends with a few super-cute Little Amy strips, for both balance and levity.

As always, the art in SPACE BOY is lovely, with an almost disconcerting juxtaposition of adorable (the people and nonhuman animals; the many Jetson-esque space gadgets) and bleak (the cold Nothing of space). The narrative is still moving at the speed of molasses (did I mention that it's still Spirit Week!?), though the story gets super interesting in Volume 8, once Oliver's past/present/future is finally revealed. (If you're sticking with SPACE BOY for the scifi elements, you will LOVE Volumes 8-9.)

Continuing with my habit of critiquing the speciesism in this series - Amy enjoys a lobster dinner with nary a mention of her so-called vegetarianism, so I guess the Agricultural Club hasn't started raising baby lobsters yet, either.

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Book Review: Witches of Brooklyn #4: Spell of a Time by Sophie Escabasse (2023)

4/5 stars

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

The summer has sadly come to an end, and Effie and her friends are about to start middle school (junior high?): Berrit is studying drama, while Oliver is enrolled in school that offers robotics classes. Effie and Garance are off to the same school, one that emphasizes sustainability (and magic?). For these two undercover witches-in-training, their twelfth year is especially significant: this is when young witches consult a seer to evaluate their potential for developing dangerous magic. It's witch law, after all.

Effie's evaluation goes sideways pretty quickly. Her seer, Becky, is a mermaid - which catches Effie off guard, especially so since she just heard the seagulls at the beach gossiping about a mermaid's return. (Ever since she accidentally awakened a dragon in S'MORE MAGIC, Effie can understand some animal species. Nbd.) As it happens, Becky's sister Iruna went missing a month ago, not long after the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. Becky implores Effie, Selimene, and Carlota to investigate - and lends Effie the talents of her turtle friend, Professor Sir, to aid in her communication with the gulls. The path to Iruna is paved with heartbroken illusionists, combat magic, and time travel (!).

I've been devouring the WITCHES OF MERMAIDS series, and SPELL OF A TIME might be my favorite one yet. (Although, how do you compare dragons to mermaids? It's a toss up ... until you throw in time travel, that is.) Escabasse manages to introduce one new mythical creature in each installment, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. (Sasquatch, maybe?)

I don't love that the kids are mostly scattered this year, but hopefully Escabasse will devise plenty of hijinks to throw the Scooby gang back together. As always, Effie, Selimene, Carolta, Garance, Francis, and Lion are an engaging, eclectic group, and Escabasse expands the 'verse with the addition of Becky, Iruna, Walter and - of course! - the very boopable Professor Sir.

She also introduces a darker, more worrying element in the form of Effie's evaluation, which should be an interesting avenue to explore in future volumes.

I especially love the environmental bent this series has taken; the caper kicks off when Effie and her classmates are cleaning up the beach, which leads her and Garance to wonder about using their magic to rid the ocean of microplastics. And Effie's ability to communicate with animals is especially promising, doubly so in light of Carlota and Selimene's vegetarianism.

https://www.librarything.com/work/30508434/reviews/236360918