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RDR2 deals a good amount with racism. It takes place in 1899, and a lot of NPC's are still on the fence. Some of the characters in Arthur's gang still have the 1825 mindset. There are NPC's everywhere that think the south won the civil war. One of the black characters in Arthur's gang, that he's really good friends with, makes the statement in conversation between the two of them that a lot of people would call Arthur a "nigger lover". Those are the exact words the game used. Those words came from a black character. So the game helps people get a look at how people thought a mere 30 years after the war. Then there are female protests all over in all towns about getting equality and the right to vote, that are often met with violence from the men. It really shows how archaic the minds of people were 121 years ago. There are a lot of other instances that show the barbaric political climate in the game, and none of it is pretty. But as ugly as it is, it's an eye opener. As the saying goes: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. I just wish that applied to progressive history as well.

PART 1 - CHOOSING YOUR RAT You need to decide first off whether you want them to breed or not. If you don't want them breeding then you need to choose only one sex. Either male or female. Both genders typically get along well with each other, but there is always a hierarchy. One rat will be dominant. They will "battle" for dominance, but it is almost never true violence. They tend to wrestle or box more. Once you decide on your gender, decide how many you want. Rats are social animals and will not do well alone. I highly recommend a minimum of 4 rats. The more rats you get the better their health will be. Both physically, and mentally. They need the companionship of other rats to survive. PART 2 - RAT BEHAVIOR AND MENTALITY As said already there will always be a hierarchy. Dominance will often be challenged and you will see your rats battling it out. But just because they are chasing each other and wrestling doesn't mean mutiny. They are very playful animals. They romp and run just like children. They are actually quite entertaining to watch. They are also extremely smart animals. They remember like an elephant. If you mistreat them they remember it and will not trust you. If you are kind to them they will like you better. They love to explore. New surroundings mean new places to see. But unless you buy a rat ball, this is not a good idea to let them do. A full grown rat can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. Once they do that, they are most likely gone for good. Rats are nesters. They need a lot of material to build a nest. In the wild a colony can have up to 100 rats that are constantly maintaining the colonies nest. They sleep a lot. They burn a lot of energy when they are playing, and tend to wear themselves out fairly quickly. It's not good for their health to try to play with them when they are trying to sleep. Wait until they wake up on their own. Typically rats don't bite or claw, unless they feel threatened. If you don't present yourself as a threat you will do fine, but you do need to present yourself as the dominant one. If they feel that they are dominant over you, you will never be able to handle them. Rats will however, give you a very light nibble from time to time. This is what's known as a rat kiss. It's the same as when a dog licks you. It's a sign of affection, and nothing to be afraid of. PART 3 - RAT HOUSING There are many types of housing choices for rats. You can get what are called "rat cities", which tend to run $200-$300 typically. Or you can get a simple wire cage or aquarium. I recommend an aquarium for beginners, because rats are extremely skilled escape artists. Depending on the number of rats you get would determine the minimum size of aquarium you need. It would be best to base it by rat. A typical aquarium for example is 20 gallon. With 4 rats, that's 5 gallons of space per rat. That's a good base to start. Of course you can go bigger if you want, but you should choose a reasonable base of space. You will need to have a very secure way of keeping their habitat secure so they don't get out and run all over. Clips on an aquarium lid work well. The clips do slide off, but can be difficult to get off, so you may have to slip something under the clip top to lift it such as a screwdriver or a heavy blade knife. Rats need something to chew and gnaw on. They have a natural instinct to chew. If they don't have something steady to chew on, they will start chewing on each other. They will go after the weakest link in the chain. Then you'll lose one of your babies. The best thing is an edible shelter. A good brand is SnakShak. It doesn't have to be anything super fancy, but you need something that would stand up to however many rats you get. If it doesn't last at least a little while, you will be spending a lot of money replacing them. Rats need exercise. Just romping in their home doesn't do it. You need to get them a wheel. Or two if you prefer. These are great for letting them run to their hearts content and keep them in shape. The type of bedding you choose matters a lot. There are a lot of bedding's you will see at your pet store. You will see everything from wood chips, to pebbles, to sawdust. For rats, get the sawdust. Wood chips are dangerous for rodents. They can get splinters, or pieces of wood stuck in their teeth, which can cause a lot of problems. The pebbles would also cause health problems since you can't just clean out the pebbles and put new ones in when you clean their cage. And if they were to eat them, it would most likely kill them. The healthiest for them, and your wallet is the sawdust. If you go with a wire cage, you need to put something soft on the bottom so they're not on wires all the time. A fleece blanket or sweatshirt is perfect. They will move it around to where they want it, and they will tear it apart, so you will need to replace it once it gets super torn up. I always keep a couple extra cheap sweatshirts and fleece blankets on hand for my rats. PART 4 - RAT NUTRITION You need to get the right food for rats. Also you need to make sure it's age appropriate. There are many types of rodent food to choose from. But just because it's good for a mouse or a guinea pig, does not mean it's good for a rat. They have a different metabolism than other rodents, and need a food that is specifically formulated for them. I feed my rats Oxbow pellets. The pellets you buy will be enough, but I highly recommend giving them fresh fruits and vegetables with the pellets. Nothing canned or cooked. Stay away from soft fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and grapes, or citrus fruits. They need something they can crunch and chew. Carrots, lettuce, and cabbage are good choices for vegetables. Apples, watermelon, or cantaloupe would be good choices for fruits. You need to get them a food dish that is safe for them and that will hold enough food for them so that you don't have to refill it several times daily. They eat a lot, so be prepared to be spending a good amount of money on food. DO NOT EVER FEED THEM ONIONS OR ANYTHING CONTAINING ONION. ONIONS ARE LETHAL TO RATS WITHIN MINUTES. Also be aware that you can over feed your rats. Over feeding can cause a lot of problems. Obesity, diabetes, and breathing problems just to name a few. So watch how much you feed them, and make sure they have a balanced diet. You need to get water bottles that will survive their chewing. Plastic will have to be replaced regularly, unless they can be mounted on the outside of their cage. You can buy glass chew proof bottles. They are a few dollars more expensive, but will save you a lot of money in the long run. If you go with smaller bottles you will need at least one bottle per rat. If you go with larger bottles you won't need quite as many. For example I have 4 rats. With large bottles, I would need 2. For larger numbers dividing by 2 would be a bit impractical. For example if you had 10 rats, 5 bottles would be a bit overkill. You will need to wash their food dish at least once every few days. Rats don't try to aim any specific direction when they have to go, unless they're marking territory. So they will go in their food dish. PART 5 - CAGE MAINTENANCE When you clean their cage, don't just scoop the bedding out and put new bedding in. You have to get all the feces out, and wash not only the bottom, but the sides with soap and water. When rats pee, they tend to spray. This is how they mark their territory, the same as dogs. You will have it on every surface in your rats cage if you're using an aquarium. After washing it you need to make sure you get all the soap cleaned out of the cage before you replace the bedding and put the rats back in. Soap residue can make them sick if they lick it up. And scented soaps can be attractive to them. Don't use cleaners such as Windex or Pledge. Just use simple soap and water. If you're using an aquarium, you need to check it periodically to make sure there are no breaks in it. If it gets cracked it will need to be replaced. They can easily crack it further which will allow them to have a way out, and also hurt themselves on the broken glass at the same time. If you want, you can get a small heating pad to put under the cage. A small one would be enough. You don't want anything big, or extremely powerful, as if it's too hot, they can burn their feet. So I would recommend against it, but if it has a low heat setting that is VERY lukewarm, you can try it. Just remember to keep a close watch if you do. PART 6 - RAT HEALTH AND LONGEVITY Rats are very clean animals. If you watch them you will see them cleaning themselves quite a bit. But rats can also carry a lot of health problems if they're not cared for properly. They can have organ problems, bone problems, respiratory problems, or emotional problems. The symptoms range from small things such as mood changes, to self harm, to violence toward you and other rats. You just need to keep an eye on them to make sure everything is going good for them. You need to keep not only their cage clean but the area around them. Remember germs can jump. Rats don't have the lifespan of animals such as dogs who live to on average 12-15 years. Rats typically live between 2-3 years depending on the breed. So technically they don't live long, but they love hard. PART 7 - MISCELLANEOUS Contrary to what many will tell you, rats are very high maintenance. Their home has to be cleaned regularly, their food has to be specifically for rats, their water has to be clean, their home has to be sufficiently supplied for them to maintain their mental health, they have to be kept out of stressful situations, and above all they have to be loved. If you get rats and then lose interest in them, then that is cruel to them, because they will no longer be taken care of properly. You have to give them attention and love. Just because they live in a cage or aquarium doesn't mean they don't need you. It will hurt when you lose them, the same as any of your other companions. But your life will be that much richer for having had them. They will always love you if you love them.

Yes, all of these observations are spot on. And with BioShock Infinite, a friend in Europe asked me to explain religion's role in America's politics, and I just wanted to tell her to play that game, because I feel like it showcases the culture very well and explores some of its roots, values, claims, and appeals to its adherents. Sometimes games are even prescient!

So in other words, even though most political games that are historical can also have significance in today's politics. Like in Wolfenstein fighting them Nazis. I can definitely relate that to today's climate. So even though it is based on an alternate history of the Nazis taking over America in the New Colossus, the little collectibles in the game such as post cards and letters have writings that actually depict fascist agendas that have historical and present day relevance. And I say that as the game came out a few years ago and still in 2020 we have heard the same things said in our current political environment almost word for word from trump and party. Such a weird deja vu to hear your government repeat such vile antics. While games shouldn't be used as a political prop, historical games could be relevant today for that simple truth to the matter, history does repeat itself.

To each their own. I think they're beautiful. My pit is gorgeous. Tell me that's not adorable.

I don't care about their personality. I just think they are ugly. No offence but to me they look like rats on steroids. Scary.

Yes, present day real world politics is hard to include without it seeming like activism. So it's best avoided. Fictional and past politics is fine however.

Pitbulls are also used as a scapegoat. 99% of all dog attacks are mutts that only ahe a physical characteristic that looks like one of the characteristics of a pitbull. Like head shape, or should width, or something else. For that reason alone, they’re called a pitbull by the stupid and the ignorant. Pitbulls are in actual fact very gentle dogs by nature. Sure, there’s a bad apple in every barrel, but it’s rare. 15 years ago it was Rottweillers. 20 years ago it was German Shepherds. 30 years ago it was Dobermans. What’s next? Yorkies? Beagles? Blue Heelers? I can tell you right now that my chihuahuas are a hell of a lot meaner than any pitbull. And they are all bark, and no bite. Hell, my bird is meaner than a pitbull. But then, she doesn’t like anyone who isn’t me. She will attack anyone who tries to handle her (except me) and her damn beak is SHARP. She loves to groom me, but ended up ripping my toe open a couple days ago.

That's a very well-written review.

I used to enjoy crazy taxi. I kind of wish they still made games in the series, but I don't recall the last time they made a game. Are there any games like Crazy Taxi still out there? I know of Simpsons hit and run, but I want something new. Any suggestions?

You know what always gets me? It's when you raise a bunch of kittens or puppies from birth and after a while you start to see their individual personalities and how they approach different situations (like how your cats open the mosquito net). If you want to, you can post your article on rats. Pitbulls aren't as bad as most people make them out to be but you have to properly train them. I had a Pitbull Labrador mixed puppy called Rex back in the days and he was such a loving dog. His dad Max( a Pitbull) was a really friendly one as well but he was strong and heavy!(fyi he wasn't my dog, it was a friends dog). Just like any other dog, you have to train them properly and give them lots of affection, they'll turn out alright. The bad reputation that Pitbulls have gotten over the years is mainly due to terrible owners.

My sentiments exactly but I'd go a little farther and say real-world politics shouldn't be anywhere near video games because these are the spaces some of us use to "get away from the real world". Unless it's for historical reference, nobody wants to hear about politics period.

We have to separate two categories. Political topics in videogames and political activism in videogames. The first one is OK, the second is not. As soon as it gets out of context and not the ingame character is speaking but the designer / writer through that character it becomes an issue. I don't care what they have so say, don't use the game as a platform for your personal politics, if you are a game designer. Unless the game is literally about your personal political views.

Almost every one of my cats have learned how to open the mosquito net on the door, to get inside the kitchen, the clever ones used their paw to open it, some of them climbed on it and let gravity work for them.

Sure, they may have malfunctioned a bit or given you a few troubles. But you are that one loved user that left and didn’t come back because you had found another love. Now, that console box is just laid there, jilted like a true ex-box. You must be getting the thrills with your new console though; I mean – everyone gets the thrills. But you don’t have to leave your former consoles rotting away, or worse, at the bottom of a trash bin. In the spirit of console-ation, you can keep the lights on for them, by trying to putting them to good use.

I actually have a 3D printer, that is what I used for my Abby figure. But extruder printers are a hit and miss for the most part, it is very sensitive to the actual model you are printing, as they can't print in mid air. So there is a lot of optimization and tweaking involved. It's good fun if you are patient and don't mind having a few bad prints. But don't expect it to work like a inkjet printer where you press print and voila. Even if everything is perfect printing a 20cm tall human figure can take about 10-15 hours. Then a lot of manual labor cleaning it up, and painting it. Then there are resin printers that are much more versatile and can print almost anything, but in return they are more expensive use more power, and the resin is slightly toxic until it is cured. Printers of other exotic materials like ceramics and metals I think are currently only viable for commercial enterprises as they are prohibitively expensive still.

What I want doesn't exist. There are a bunch of Ellie figurines out there from last of us 2, but I wanted an Abby figure. I've made my own, but I'd like to have a better quality one still.

Alrighty.

Here is my spoiler free review. http://madblog.shacknet.us/cyberpunk-2077/