Welcome to this course on Transition Metal Organometallics in Catalysis and Biology. We have been discussing a very important reaction in the context of applications of transition metal organometallics in catalysis, and this is about this repi chemistry or repi reactions, which have been developed by Walter Repi in the early 1900s. And this has been an effort, which has been absolutely developed in industry and has been a great contribution to the rich chemistry of transition metal organometallics catalysis that is being seen today. Now, in this context, in the earlier class, we have looked into various kinds of repi reactions, and to this extent, we have covered nearly three types of repi reactions, starting with vinylization reactions, and examples of this giving vinyl cyanides as well as with HCl and catalyst giving vinyl chlorides. The second reaction that we had covered is this catalytic ethanylation reaction reactions, and in this, we have looked into reactions of aldehydes giving alcohols of the kind shown as well as the same with two equivalents in presence of catalyst giving diols of the type the ones drawn over here. We have also seen the reactions with carbon monoxide and acid giving acrylic acid acrylates. Now, we have discussed these three reactions or type of reactions in great details, and where we had observed that these reactions all require intervention of catalyst and proceeds by a formation of organometallic species, and the catalyst used often involve nickel, copper, mercury, iron, ruthenium shown and so forth in getting the kind of chemistry that have been detailed over here. Now, I must also mention that these products are useful as important monomers for various polymerization reactions, and hence they are sort of very much in industry. Now, in this context, another very important reaction which comes into play, which is developed by Rithi, and this involves the formation of a vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl production synthesis. This is a reaction which is important from an industrial point of view, and the sequence is shown over here. Calcium carbide in presence of catalyst gives acetylene in presence of formaldehyde catalyst and 300 to 350 PSI gives this diol, which we had just discussed about that upon reduction, and complete reduction gives the 1,4 diol, and using ranonical that we had also discussed about, and this then undergo dehydrogenation of this cyclic lactide, which upon reaction with ammonia at 230 degree centigrade gives the cyclic amide, and that when further reacts with acetylene at 150 degree centigrade gives vinyl pyrrolidone vinyl. This is an important outcome of lepe synthesis, which was formally patented by lepe and was a big draw from outcome of different products, which had come up with the lepe synthesis in the sense that this simple acetylene compound was converted to this pyrrolidone moiety using lepe chemistry. So, this shows that how a very complex molecule, which is also an important feedstock in chemical industry can be synthesized using the conversion of acetylene using lepe chemistry. So, this was one of the big draw of lepe chemistry in overall, and there was a patent which had come out of it, and here is a picture showing lepe explaining the synthesis of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the board. Now, with this, we come to an very important aspect of lepe chemistry, which involves cyclopolymerization reactions or cycloligomerization reactions using mediation of metal. So, cycloligomerization reactions of acetylene are the fourth type of reaction that the lepe chemistry shows. For example, this also proceeds via the mediation of the metal. The first of it is shown over here with the catalyst gives benzene, and these are called conventional repereaction. The beauty of this synthesis can be seen that aromatic compounds can be obtained from acetylene moiety. There are different kinds of lepe reactions, which are called metallative lepe, which is shown over here, where it involves two different kinds of acetylenes. So, this requires a metal catalyst, and it also gives an aromatic compound with a metal X bond, which can further be functionalized, and these are called metallative lepe. So, what we see in today's lecture is that there is a very important dimension to lepe chemistry, where not only simple functionalized acetylene products in terms of vinylization, ethanylation, as well as hydrocarboxylation of acetylene moiety into simple elephatic compounds, not only can they be formed, but repereaction can be extended more conveniently to produce more complex and intriguing aromatic compounds. So, in the next few minutes, we are going to focus on different kinds of lepe, a cyclo oligomerization reaction, and to begin with, we are going to look at the formation of the benzene from acetylene fragment in a conventional lepe system. The formation of the lepe from this acetylene system is best elaborated by an active species, which is formed from the acetylene adduct of nickel. So, what is suggested that nickel triacetylene species is formed initially as a catalyst, which is the active species for this lepe cyclo oligomerization, and then once this species is formed, it undergoes this cyclicization reaction between these two acetylene to give acetylene bound nickel cyclometallated species. This has been extensively probed using DFT in a paper, which elaborates the pathway, where it says that this is the rate determining step for the reaction. Now, the reference for this study is given in this journal Chemistry European Journal 2004, volume 103081 to 8123090, so one can look up this study in bit more detail, if one were interested in see how this cyclo oligomerization proceeds. Once this is formed, that reacts with another acetylene moiety to give this nickel acetylene cyclometallated species, which then undergoes another insertion of the acetylene to give a 7-membered ring, and that then further undergoes insertion of this acetylene to give a species, which is a nickel bound 9-membered species of the type shown over here, and once this is formed in presence of another acetylene, this species undergoes reductive elimination to give the corresponding cyclo octatetraene bound nickel acetylene species. Now, this in presence of acetylene gives this acetylene species, and which eventually loses this cyclo octatetraene to give the nickel misacetylene species, and that finally in presence of acetylene comes back to give the acetylene active species. So, this is the resting state of the catalyst, and this is formed in this cyclo pathway. So, this is an interesting reaction, and what it seems that the first step of formation of this cyclo metallocyclopentene type complex is the redetermining step of such cyclo oligomerization reaction. Now, proceeding further another interesting thing about this repic chemistry is that when the cyclo oligomerization reactions are performed, the reaction sort of works well for symmetrical or singular substrate for the same substrate. For example, over here the oligomerization happened using the same type of acetylene. So, the repi reaction sort of works very good for the cyclization of similar kind of acetylene. For example, this is going to this. So, there is only one type of acetylene being used, or for the reaction giving in presence of metal catalyst M, where two different kinds of acetylene, one is this, another is this, kind of acetylene produced, but when one goes to use three different kinds of acetylene, for example, then things becomes complicated, becomes very complicated in terms of selectivity, loss of selectivity, and 48 different coupled products, 38 homo and cross coupled products are obtained, 38 homo and cross coupled products obtained. So, this is an inherent difficulty in repi synthesis. So, what we have discussed or seen today is that there is a repi chemistry has a dimension, which is unique and very interesting in terms of being able to use acetylene fragments towards the formation of aromatic compounds, and this is very different from simple vinylization reactions or ethylation reactions or even the reactions with carbon monoxide, where the functionalization of acetylene to various important small molecule functionalized elephatic feedstocks were synthesized, whereas by the fourth reaction that we have discussed today, cyclo oligomerization of acetylene to give aromatic compounds starting from benzene or cyclo octatetraene, what we have found that this indeed is a very interesting aspect of repi chemistry where the cyclo oligomerization has happened. Now, what we have discussed in today's class with regard to cyclo oligomerization, we have looked into the reaction of cyclo trimarization of acetylene to give cyclo octatetraene, and what we have seen that the formation of a tri acetylene nickel zero species is the active species, which is responsible for the catalysis, and what we had also seen the formation of a five membered metallocyclo pentane ring in that catalytic cycle is the red determining step for these. We have also looked into metallative refi, which involve again the formation of aromatic compound, but in this case there are two different kinds of acetylenes which are used in metallative refi, this is metallative refi two different alkynes used, whereas in conventional refi this is conventional refi one type of alkyne, and then we also discussed that as we move from one type of alkyne to two different type of alkyne to even three types of alkyne alkynes, then the gain become even more difficult with loss of selectivity, and a large number of homo and cross coupled products are observed, and then the system for the cyclization of these three different kind of becomes very challenging. Now we are going to take up these in a bit more detail as how this was solved in a nice demonstration of fine organometallic chemistry, where even the rapid coupling of three different alkynes to give highly selective aromatic products could be obtained, and this would be taken up in the next class. So, with this I come to an end to today's discussion, where we had looked into a very interesting aspect of repi chemistry, which are cyclo oligomerization of repi from alkyne producing aromatic compound, and in that we have discussed about the formation of conventional repi, where only one type of alkyne is used or even the metallative repi where two different kinds of alkynes are used, we have also looked at the mechanistic pathway in which the conventional repi towards cyclo tetramerization of alkyne to cyclo octatetraene was obtained using a nickel catalyst, and with this I conclude today's lecture, and in the next lecture we are going to be discussing more about using three different kinds of alkynes, even in the context of repi chemistry to produce highly selective aromatic compounds, which are indeed a challenge for repitence synthesis. So, with this I conclude today's lecture, and I look forward to be seeing you in the next lecture, where we take up this interesting portion of repi chemistry. Till then, goodbye and thank you.


Ever pondered how the Mongol Empire, one of the largest in history came to be? Let's journey back to the 12th century, to the windswept steps of Mongolia. A man named Temujin was born amidst the disparate Mongol tribes, a world marked by tribal conflicts and power struggles. Temujin, who we now know as Genghis Khan, was a man of extraordinary charisma and keen political acumen. His early years were marked by hardship, but he overcame adversity and began to unify the Mongol tribes. He leveraged his military skill and strategic genius, winning respect and loyalty from the tribes that once fought against him. As Genghis Khan emerged victorious in a series of tribal conflicts, he gained recognition not just as a leader, but as a visionary. His dream was to unite the Mongol tribes into a single, formidable force. And in the year 1206, he did just that. The disparate Mongol tribes, once at odds with each other, were now unified under Genghis Khan's rule. His leadership marked the dawn of a new era. With the tribes united, he was proclaimed the Great Khan. This momentous proclamation marked the birth of the Mongol Empire, an empire that would eventually span across Eurasia, from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe, and from Siberia to the Indian subcontinent. Genghis Khan's rise to power was not just the product of his military prowess, but also his ability to inspire and unite. His rule was characterized by a blend of military might, political strategy, and a deep understanding of human nature. He knew how to rally his people and inspire loyalty, a quality that would be instrumental in the empire's future conquests and expansions. So, with the proclamation of Genghis as the Great Khan, the Mongol Empire was born. From the windswept steps of Mongolia, it would grow to become one of the largest empires in history, leaving an indelible mark on the world. But that, dear listeners, is a story for another time. The Mongols known for their military prowess, but how did they achieve it? A question that has intrigued historians for centuries. The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, were not just conquerors. They were exceptional strategists and tacticians. Their military tactics were a blend of precision, innovation, and sheer audacity, which they wielded with unparalleled expertise. Picture this. A Mongol warrior astride his sturdy steed, his eyes focused on the horizon. He's not merely a horseman. No, he's an expert horseman, able to control his mount with just his legs, leaving his hands free to use his deadliest weapon. The composite bow. The Mongol composite bow, a marvel of medieval technology, was a compact weapon with a remarkable range and deadly accuracy. Each Mongol warrior was an archer trained from a young age to hit targets from the back of a galloping horse, a skill that gave them a significant advantage in battle. But their prowess didn't stop at horseback archery. The Mongols were masters of manipulation on the battlefield. They employed a strategy known as the feigned retreat, a deceptive tactic where they would pretend to flee and disarray, luring the enemies into a chase. Once their opponents were scattered and vulnerable, the Mongols would turn back with a devastating counter attack. Their strategic acumen also extended to sieges. The Mongols were quick learners, adapting siege warfare techniques from the many different cultures they encountered. They used a variety of tools, from battering rams to trebuchets, to break down city walls and fortifications, often with stunning success. These innovative strategies, coupled with their exceptional skill, made the Mongols an unstoppable force. It wasn't just their physical prowess or their technological advantages that made them formidable. It was their ability to think, to plan, to adapt. The Mongols didn't just win battles. They outsmarted their enemies, using every tool at their disposal to ensure their victory. Their military tactics, a blend of strategy and skill, were a key factor in the Mongols' rise to power, transforming them from a collection of nomadic tribes into an empire that spanned continents. From the steps of Mongolia, the Mongol Empire stretched its reach to the corners of the known world. Under the iron-willed leadership of Genghis Khan, the Mongols embarked on a series of military campaigns that saw their dominion grow exponentially. Genghis himself conquered vast swaths of Central Asia, China, the Caucasus, and parts of Eastern Europe, leaving behind a trail of conquest that would be etched into the annals of history. But the relentless expansion did not stop with Genghis Khan. His successors continued to widen the Empire's boundaries, their armies reaching as far west as Hungary and as far south as Vietnam. They rode on horseback across the Great Eurasian steppe, over mountains through forests and across deserts, fearless and undeterred. Their conquests were swift and brutal, their rule absolute. Through relentless conquests, the Mongol Empire expanded faster than any before it, weaving a tapestry of power and influence that spanned continents. An empire so vast required an efficient system of rule, one that the Mongols ingeniously implemented. At the heart of this system was the Yasa, a code of laws established by the Empire's founder, Genghis Khan. The Yasa served as the legal framework that governed the Empire. Its laws were comprehensive, covering everything from civil and criminal matters to military discipline. The Yasa was unique in its focus on meritocracy. It was a system that rewarded merit over birthright, ensuring that the best and brightest had the opportunity to rise through the ranks. This was a stark departure from the feudal systems of Europe and other regions, where nobility and power were often hereditary. The administration of the Mongol Empire was also characterized by its decentralization. The Empire was divided into several regions known as Khanates, each ruled by a member of Genghis Khan's family. This division allowed for local governance while maintaining overall unity under the Mongol banner. The most famous of these Khanates were the Yuan Dynasty in China, the Ilkhanate in the Middle East, the Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia, and the Golden Horde in Eastern Europe. Each of these Khanates had its own ruler, known as a Khan, who was responsible for the administration and governance of their respective region. Yet, despite this decentralization, the Mongol Empire was able to maintain a high degree of unity and cohesion. This was due in part to the Yasa, which provided a common legal and moral code for the entire Empire. But it was also due to the Mongols' unique approach to governance, which prioritized meritocracy and decentralization over centralized power. This system of administration allowed the Mongol Empire to maintain control over a vast and diverse territory from the steppes of Central Asia to the heart of Europe. It was a testament to the Mongols' ingenuity and adaptability and a key factor in their Empire's longevity. Thus, the Mongol Empire, though vast and diverse, was held together by a unique system of administration. Believe it or not, the Mongols were not just conquerors but facilitators of a great cultural exchange. During their reign, a period known as the Pax Mongolica unfolded. This era, translating as Mongol peace, was a time of relative calm and stability that swept across their vast Empire. But what made the Pax Mongolica truly remarkable? It was the incredible exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies across Eurasia. Imagine for a moment a world where cultures from the far corners of the known world could interact freely, sharing their unique perspectives and innovations. This was the reality under the Mongol rule. Silks from China, spices from India, scientific knowledge from the Middle East, and philosophies from Europe. All these traveled along the well-protected trade routes, fostering a rich amalgamation of cultures and ideas. So, in a strange twist of fate, the Mongol Empire, through its conquests, inadvertently became a melting pot of cultures. All empires rise and fall, and the Mongol Empire was no exception. The decline of this vast Empire began following the death of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, in the year 1294. Kublai Khan's passing marked the end of an era, a period of unprecedented expansion and consolidation of power. His successors were unable to maintain the unity and strength of the Empire, leading to its gradual disintegration. Internal strife played a significant role in the Empire's downfall, as infighting and power struggles among Genghis Khan's descendants undermined stability. The meritocratic system established by Genghis Khan began to erode, replaced by nepotism and corruption, weakening the Empire's administrative structure. But it wasn't just internal discord that led to the Empire's decline. External pressures also played a part. The Mongols were constantly at war, defending their vast territories on multiple fronts. Their military might, once invincible, was stretched thin, and their enemies began to learn and adapt to Mongol warfare tactics. By the late 14th century, the once mighty Mongol Empire had fragmented into various successor states. The Yuan dynasty in China, the Ilkhanate in the Middle East, the Chagatai Khanate in Central Asia, and the Golden Horde in Eastern Europe all disintegrated, giving rise to modern nations in these regions. Despite its downfall, the Mongol Empire left an indelible mark on the annals of history. It transformed the political and cultural landscape of Eurasia and facilitated significant cultural exchange and economic integration. The legacy of the Mongol Empire is still evident today in the languages, traditions, and political boundaries of numerous countries. So while Empire's rise and fall, their impact can resonate for centuries. The Mongol Empire might have crumbled, but its echoes still reverberate through time, reminding us of a chapter in history when the Mongol horsemen ruled the world. As our journey through the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire comes to an end, we are reminded of the transience of power and the enduring nature of cultural legacies. From the founding of the Empire by Genghis Khan to its golden age under Kublai Khan, the Mongols have left an indelible mark on the fabric of history. Their military strategies still inspire armies today, their administrative systems have informed governance models, and the cultural exchanges they facilitated have shaped the world as we know it. But as the Mongol Empire illustrates, even the mightiest empires can crumble under the weight of internal discord and external pressures. Yet their influence can echo through the ages, shaping societies and cultures for centuries to come. If you've enjoyed this journey through the Mongol Empire, we invite you to delve deeper into the annals of history with us. Like comment and share your thoughts on this fascinating chapter of history. And don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more historical explorations. As we continue to traverse the vast landscapes of history, we hope to bring you more insights and captivating narratives about the people, places and events that have shaped our world. Until next time, keep exploring.


Manor to Walk Man bound over for trial in Boy's Death. Two Rivers Man charged in Sheboygan Sexual Assault. Legislature considers homelessness initiatives. These stories and much more coming up on this edition of Community News Review. I'm Maddie Fister and this is Community News Review for Friday, February 22, 2019.  Andrew Schmaling was charged after the woman told detectives that she was assaulted in his car after he had promised her a ride to work. Her documents say a week before the assault she had started getting text messages from Schmaling.  The victim says he threatened her telling her that he could get her children taken away from her. And he could have her kicked out of the treatment facility reminding her that he was an active law enforcement recruit and no one would believe her story because she is a junkie. After the assault Schmaling said he couldn't tell anyone because it would negatively impact his police schooling. When investigators became involved they found text messages that confirmed the assault with an apology from Schmaling. He then crashed his car on I-43 and sent a message saying that he had done it on purpose because he wanted to kill himself. Schmaling is facing up to 40 years in prison if he is found guilty. A man charged with felony murder for the death of seven-year-old Ethan Haas-Schaltz was in Manitowoc County Court this week and he has been ordered to stand trial. Timothy Haas-Schaltz appeared for his preliminary hearing and will be back in court in March for his arraignment. The 48-year-old faces a total of nine charges including intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child causing death. His son Damien, who is 15, faces six counts including first-degree reckless homicide. The mother 36-year-old Tina McKeever Haas-Schaltz is charged with failing to prevent bodily harm. The criminal complaint says the child died last April after being forced to carry around a log that weighed more than he did in the family's backyard. He was also hit, kicked and repeatedly shoved into the ground and then was buried in a snow bank. A man found with explosives in his Madison apartment is now charged with planning an attack on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Brian Campbell entered a no-contest plea Wednesday to second-degree reckless endangerment and possession of improvised explosives. Authorities say Campbell had searched the internet for instructions on making explosives and drew maps of tunnels on the University's campus to identify where the bombs might be placed. Under a plea deal, prosecutors will request three years in prison and the judge has discretion to ignore that agreement. A sentencing memorandum prepared for the judge says Campbell was angry because of an incident in 2016 where he choked another student at the UW Sailing Club. The memo notes that Campbell's computer password was McVein, a reference to Oklahoma city bomber Timothy McVein. Kenosha Tremper High School cheerleading coach will not be handing out gag awards next month following accusations of body shaming and sexual harassment. And the American Civil Liberties Union say they may file a lawsuit over similar award ceremonies from the past years. Following a nearly year-long investigation, the ACLU notified the Kenosha Unified School District of concerns by parents and a former coach that the awards presented at last year's cheerleading banquet included such titles as Big Booty, Big Booby, and String Bean. According to a letter to the district obtained by the Kenosha News, Tremper principal Steve Neck had previously been made aware that the event was given out such awards for at least the last five years. The ACLU report from the group's Women's Rights Project concludes that the gag awards created a hostile environment through harassment and body shaming. The ACLU is also looking into a separate complaint from Kenosha Bradford High School where teachers suggested during a health lesson that sexual assault victims are sometimes partly to blame for their attacks. Assembly Republicans have introduced a package of legislation aimed at keeping people housed. It would double annual state funding for direct housing assistance, adding about four million dollars. Carla Thien's Executive Director for Porch Light in Madison says they would like to attain functional zero on homelessness. That does not mean that no one will ever become homeless. What it means is that our system will be the right size to adequately address homelessness when it does occur. Thien said, we have to do everything that we can to keep families housed so that our time and resources can be utilized for those sleeping in emergency shelters and sleeping on the streets. The Madison Press Conference was held at Porch Light's Men's Shelter at Grace Eposcopal Church directly across from the street of Capitol. There are no Democrats in attendance to discuss what Representative John Plumer called a bar partisan issue. The Republicans have spent a lot of the last year working on this topic, said Plumer, and I would love to have someone here, but I will tell you it is a bipartisan issue. Governor Tony Evers has appointed himself to lead the state's panel on homelessness, replacing former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Clefish. Governor Tony Evers' pick to head the State Department of Transportation says more revenue is needed. Craig Thompson told members of the state's Senate's Transportation Committee that despite efforts to stretch dollars, conditions on our state highway system continue to decline. Thompson, whose appointment must be approved by the full Senate, says another $360-400 million is needed every two years just to maintain the current conditions. And tolling is not an immediate solution. We are somewhat limited in our ability to fix what I think is today's problem with our system, through tolling, Thompson said. Governor Evers is expected to act on recommendations put forward by a task force he has appointed which includes Thompson. And finally, Chris Middleton's three-pointer with 32.5 seconds left broke $8.95 all-tie as the Bucks beat the Boston Celtics 98-97 in Milwaukee on Thursday night. Middleton finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds as Milwaukee ran its league-linning record to 44-14. Guyanis Anticompo had 30 points, 13 boards, and six assists in the win. Curie Irving led Boston with 22 points but missed a desperation drive at the buzzer. Ali Horford said had 21.17 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics who fell to 37-22. The Bucks entertained the Timberwolves on Saturday night. And that is all we have for today. Join me again next week for another recap of our local news on Community News Review.


Hey guys, welcome to Higan and Ruthio. So we're gonna have a summon Session here with one of the banners that are featured. I'm not gonna do this Iluya vs. Issa I have both of them already The next one is Iluya, Queen and Roku. I have them already, but I don't have these too So Iferia and Nuno. We're gonna do some sessions here. So I have 55k in Starlight Revelation roughly around 11 pulls right? 11 or 12 pulls of 10. So that's 120 summons coming my way And let's see what this banner is going to give me. So without further ado guys Let's go with the first 10 wishes. So again here is your summoning system You just have to choose a root here. It's gonna choose this one It's gonna give me 10 Then there's an artifact here moving around glowing and Changing colors or purple if you're gonna get the yellow it's gonna turn to yellow. So none for that one only got one purple At this point I just want to skip this but this is going to be Good gonna be Queen Okay, so at this point as well. I'm not sure if They have a pity system. So this is just the pull info of what you're gonna get So you're gonna be going after the ones that are in 3 star but every character here you can 3 star So let's go with the second 10 pull of the day So gonna choose this one as well There you go. So hopefully we could get a yellow here So I'm sure gonna get one purple for this one. No, you have three purples in this pool We have Issa Another copy of Issa which is good And a copy of Eupharia Let's do a skip here So far no luck with the yellow ones So Eupharia, this is I think another version of her a Bistle star, but let's keep on wishing that we get her. So we this is our Third 10 pull no luck. I'm gonna select the H here. I don't know if it's that's H But hopefully we could get a Yellow yellow one. Oh my god. Yeah purple No yellow so three purples at this point. We have no no here new one a New what do you call this new character that I don't have still? So so far again Glad I have Queen Oome then we have Issa. Okay, let's skip that one Okay, so we go to our 40th pulls of this session and Let's try this one out So far no luck guys no luck in the yellow department So we're gonna be having a Another purple Give me an no yellow So three purples again It's actually I'm it's I'm okay with the purples because I need to level up my team anyway So I think two of them are purple rarities Feria is here Queen is here Screamer is here Okay, so let's just skip this one nothing too special just a copies of Queen Okay, 50th This is my 50th pull Hopefully you could get Yellow this time from the 50th Blue Purple There you go. We have a yellow So two yellows in fact We have Iluia I've already Who's the other yellow in this batch? We have Queen and it's euphoria. Yes Got her Two yellows in this pool. What a nice pull. Let's move on guys Let's move on to the 60th. I'm gonna be Rolling out all of these summons. Let's let's have I have more luck inside So let's do again the pulls for the inside. Let's select the rune for the inside. So you have first one Blue Purple Then another yellow. Who could this be? So only one yellow. Let's just skip this one and who did I get? Oh, I got Sistel Sistel, right This is 70th pull. I'm gonna stick with that rune. It's giving me luck. It looks like a little M So blue purple and yellow. Oh three purples Let's skip it three purples. Okay, three purples here 80th pull 80 Gonna go with 80 here Still sticking with the M 80 80 blue purple And nothing more Only one purple. Let's skip. This is 80 80 pulls in and only one euphoria yellow So I think I have Three more pulls. I think That's a change rune here and see if I do better with this one blue Purple and yellow. Yes One yellow One yellow Loar Who is this yellow Creature that we got The last one So at this point I think this is it. Who euphoria another euphoria. Okay So try the other banners Luya Rocco Let's try this one. We have to get Rocco from the spanner Rocco Rocco. I say lab 12 I think I have Few more pulls left. I think this is the second to the last one Let's see what we have here blue purple and yellow very good Oh Nice pulls Iluya Iluya is the one the yellow one that I got Let's go with the last pull I think this is the last pull For today Let us stick with the middle one. The lucky ones are in the middle So far So far blue Purple Only one purple. I think that's it unless if I could summon more Oh, I could summon more I definitely could summon more Let's do one more summon here Let's go back to that lucky rune Okay Purple one more one more. Yes Definitely my last pull For today So hopefully I got Rocco here Oh, it's Gildan, which is good Okay, so I think that's it guys So thank you very much guys with those are my pulls at the end of the CBT I'll be reviewing all of The heroes that we have or the characters that we have and I'll put out a tier list To guide you for global launch. So thank you guys for staying this far. Stay care. Stay safe. This is the warden and I'm out of here


all forms of activity, so long as they're applied appropriately, will have a benefit, okay? Appropriately, that's the key word here. If it's appropriate, all movement is good for you. However, they're not all equal. Some are better for you on a time per time comparison than others. Strength training is in another universe in terms of the type of results that you get. Nothing comes close to its ability to affect your blood sugar. Nothing comes close to its ability to affect your hormones, your metabolism in a positive way in the sense that speeding up your metabolism makes it a lot easier to live in a world with lots of food. Nothing will positively affect your mobility like strength training appropriately. Nothing will impact your body's ability to deal with stress or even sedentary lifestyle like strength training will. In other words, strength training is when you look at all the forms of exercise, as you get older, if you only had to pick one, that would be the one to pick because it's going to give you by far the most paying for your buck.


What's up everyone? It's your girl Kenzie here from Layton Sports Cards, and I'm ripping a personal for Poyin L We've got a 21-22 Panini, Donress, Optic, Basketball, Holly Box. Best of luck here Poyin. Thanks again for hopping in See if we can get ya. Winning threes, Duncan Robinson Rockman, Garuba, Reded Rookie, Hollow, Chris Middleton, light it up Reded Rookie, Kisbert, Hollow, Brandon Clark, Kawhi, Tray Murphy, the third, Dominators, Westbrook Covington, 75 years, Julius Randall. Some nice color come out of here Christy Warthay Got blue the rookies, Kate Cunningham, 15 of 49 That's a sick color match there. Nice one there Poyin. That is really nice Grats on that one. We will make that. Wow. Love that blue against the pistons That's really cool. Randy, Rookie, Tray, Man, Hollow, Christy Warthay They just lost to the Rockets last night Who are the worst team in the league? So that's really big because now like it's closer, but who has the worst team? Bassy, we've got Red, Kemba Walker. That one is 7 of 99 And first overall pick this year is huge Because whoever gets the victor webinar is gonna be It's still way better Instant contender, Sharif Cooper, Lillard, Dirk, Raining Threes, Hollow, Jason Tatum Here's Silver, Tray Murphy, the third, Hollow Greater Rookie, little dimples right here on that. Bride, Hollow, Elite Dominators, Russell Westbrook Shingoon, got Green here, Luca Garza, got a Green, good luck, Poyin Green, Carmelo Anthony for the Lakers, one out of five That's a six.  We'll make that one, too OG Mellow. Yeah, I saw this thing and it was like asking kids The first basketball they think of, but first basketball player they think of when they hear word Mellow Oh, jeez.  Rated Rookie, Pink Velocity Rockets, a Usman Garuba That is 76 of 79. That's a nice box. It's a nice color coming out of here I was really hoping that was a Jalen Green Edwards, Kawai Leonard Lady Reggie Bullock, we've got our auto here. I'm pulling from the back Yannis and Anthony Davis Let's see, let's see Okay, see a Jeremiah Robinson Earl on the base, Rated Rookie It's on card out of there Yeah, right Kyle, me too Johnson, Curry, Zyra Williams, Hollow, Robert Covington, last pack here for you, Poyin Collins, David Johnson, and Theo Maldon That is 182 of 199 Alright, that'll do it for your box. Congrats again on those hits. Thanks so much. We'll get these right out to you


Love mangoes mangoes my favorite fruit actually I feel like sometimes you get like a best mango and then other times It's just complete trash Yeah, you need to know how to pick them you need to know the knockstrap There's certain spots of the mango you need to you need to feel them and massage it My mangas come from the supermarket Yeah, you have to obviously have to pick in the supermarket. I'll put you in like pick them from the tree I Didn't even know they grow So I was literally like question The supermarket you're gonna squeeze it bro like a plot in the supermarket


So you've been coding for a little while, but you're still running into a few little pesky bugs in your games and projects Or maybe just looking for a better way to structure and organize your code. We'll check out this simple state machine example that uses scratch I'll talk about what a state machine is through a worked example And then we'll build one together a really simple one all this coming your way Hello world surfing scratcher here teacher server programmer and on this channel I make how to coding videos for curious learners and educators if I need digging this content Be sure to hit that subscribe button down the bottom corner to stay in the loop if you want more information on anything That's mentioned in this video be sure to check out the show notes down below in the description So this is a high-level simple state machine a nice gentle introduction It's not your full-blown mathematical abstraction in programming that you'll see out there on the web And that's for two reasons one. I'm just not that dude And secondly, I like to keep things simple so that you can go down that rabbit hole. All right Let's go check it out All right, let's start talking about state machines first up We better define what one is so a state machine is just a condition that something is in at a specific time to help us with our Understanding this video. Let's think about something as some traffic lights This simple set of traffic lights can have three particular conditions That's stop the amber light that signals that we're about to stop and the green light to signal where go So that's all well and good at all, but how's that relevant to scratch? Well, we can take out something and we can think of it as a game now when we learn of a scratch game We're usually in an idle state and we click the green flag to get it going Then we've usually hit the state where we're playing the game And usually if we succeed or if we fail that triggers another event in the game That's when it's game over Usually to restart your game again, you'll press the green flag and the cycle just continues So you're probably wondering alright, how's this relevant the cool thing about the state machine is that we're not limited to three different states We can add in our own traffic light system We can add in as many lights as we want and when our games get a little bit more complex This type of approach is really helpful to organize at all You could use the state machine to control the states of the overall game So you might want like a poor screen or you could use the state machine to even control the states of characters So if you want a character is idle and then it goes into this sort of jump state here. All right That's enough drawing. Let's head over to scratch and I'll walk you through a game where I've used the state machine And then we'll go build one ourselves So we're going to use this whack a rule game that I built a little while ago There's a link in the description if you want to go check that out and I've got this little variable here on the stage And it is a state variable and here I've just set some text for different states Watch what happens as we play through this game and click the green flag and We're in a pregame state if you check down here in the code pane You'll see that I've got state here, which is the one that is on the screen I've got all these different variable states that I have created as we cycle through the tutorial and we can click on This box to go to a new level and we now into start game And then it quickly transitioned to this idle state here So idle state is this screen where nothing is happening and we've got some feedback here from this chick to do So we can click the chick to guess a number and see how I've just changed a ask for number So we can enter in a number there and then there's a new state validate number and it's just returned back to the idle state there We can also click a sign and that has changed the state to guess rule So notice how all these different events and user interactions are affecting the state of the game So remember when we're in that I'll state we could click these signs So now we're in this state. I can't click at those signs anymore. I can but nothing actually happens All right, now I've run out of lives and we've just hit the game over state So that's how we can use the state machine to code different states in the game. Let's now go build a simple state machine Okay, so I just created a new scratch project and I just used the traffic light emoji and I created three different states green Yellow and red for this project. I'm gonna be working in the code area of the stage First thing I'm gonna do is create my state variable. It's gonna right click on this my variable rename it to state So what we're gonna do in this project is create three different states a stop idle and go state That's to signify the red yellow and green lights of the traffic light and to create a function that sets the state We're gonna create an event that tells the listening sprites that status change And we're going to create events that set the state to specific conditions. Cool First thing we want to do is create our three state variables So click make a variable and I like to prefix my states by having a state underscore I'll have a state underscore stop have a state underscore idle We'll have a state underscore go. We've got our three states over here in the code pane We can just uncheck all those and let's check on state so we can see what it is Next thing we want to do is when the green flag is clicked We want to set the text variables of these states. Alright, so at the moment, they're all equal to nothing So we need to make them equal to a text value to differentiate them So let's go ahead and change the state underscore go to just go Would you look at that and let's now set idle to idle and we'll set stop to stop I do it this way So I only ever have to check the actual text value and set it once now I can just go ahead and check if the state variable is equal to either of these three states It just eliminates the chance that I'll misspell something now. We're ready to create a function that sets the state So jump over to your my blocks. Let's create a block and we'll call it change state To you put a call on that you put a space and we're going to add an input And this will be the state that we'll change to press okay, and now we're ready to set some instructions We're heading back over to the variables category and grabbing out a set state block. We're not setting it to zero We're going to set it to the state that we want to change to alright Let's test this out So I'm just going to drag out the change state to stack block and for the input I'm just going to type the word go I'm going to click it And you'll see up here in the top left hand corner of the stage our state is now set to go But this presents a problem because I've just inputted the text value myself I could set this to anything so I could set that to yet and it's going to change the state So the reason we set these states here before we create these variables is to eliminate the the chance of this happening So I can just go ahead and grab that state variable just there We're going to make sure that I press the green flag because that's going to set all these states here And now I can change the state to go and that works just as you'd expect if I drag in our idle state Our state is set to idle. We'll do the same thing with stop and boom just like you'd expect What I like to do now just to complete this change state to function is heading over to events and just creating a event to Tell every listener in the game that our state has changed So we need to broadcast the message and the message that we want to broadcast is anything that you want But it's pretty useful to be descriptive and I'll just say state changed Cool, so let's head back over to my blocks. So we can just drag out a change state to We'll set the game state to stop when the green flag is clicked now ready to hook up our traffic light to the state system So I'm going to jump into the traffic lights bright head over to the events Now we want to drag out when I receive event I've just connected this if control block with this building comparison We can use this when the status change to check if the state is equal to go Duplicate that if the state is equal to idle or if the state is equal to stop The move down is head over to the looks category and just drag out a switch costume stack block And I've just linked all the states with the costumes that they should show just back over here in the code area Of the stage we just created an event that tells listening sprites that the state has changed the last thing We need to do is create an event that sets the state to specific conditions Fortunately or unfortunately in scratch. We don't have access to this change state to function throughout the whole project So the workaround that we can use our events, of course We're going to create three new events and the names of these events are going to reflect the names of the states So we'll say set state to go then we can drag out our custom stack block and set the state to go to reflect What the event actually does and I've just gone ahead and done that for the other two states for idle and stop The reason we do it this way and not just set the state directly on the stack block is so that we can notify Every sprite that is listening if we have tens or hundreds of sprites in here We want them to know about it another useful advantage of doing this is we don't need to use heaps of forever loops Because if we use lots of forever loops, that's going to impact the performance of our game or program Okay, so just got a little demo and I've got ahead and modified our states a little bit inside the traffic light sprite I've added some sounds to each state So I've got a zoop sound for both the idle and the stop state And I've also got a little engine sound here in the go state if I were making a fully legit game I'd probably break these out into their own custom blocks But this will be fine just for now and I've just got a little sequence of instructions here as a demo So when the green flag is clicked, we'll wait a second set the state to stop Then set the state to idle and then set the state to go as a little countdown. Here we go So This has been a pretty novel example of the state machine in action in a future video I'll look at some games on scratch that I have included that you guys have and I will apply the state pattern to it Lastly, I'll make this project available down in the description So go check it out It's time for a scratchy question And I want to know do you have a project that's out there that you'd like to see implemented using the state machine If you do drop it down in the comment section below and I'll go check it out Also, if you think I've missed something then tell us about it in the comment section down below I'd love to hear about it Hey, thanks for checking out this simple state machine example that uses scratch Be sure to smash that like button if you found some value and have a scout of some of my other content on your screen right now Hey, if you're an educator and you want more then sign up to the surfing scratch You're mailing this link below in the description That's where I'll send news and resources straight to your inbox But until then I'm off to go find a wave. I'll catch you in the next one


Well, here we go. On the surface, military sci-fi doesn't seem like a particularly political genre. It's all about taking a group of people, putting them in a fictional setting with advanced technology, and then having them fight. But when you look at the reasons why people are fighting, how they're fighting, and what other sorts of political or social commentary are being made, the messages being pushed are rather obvious. And I want to put in at the beginning that I'm not calling any of the creators here fascists, because I don't know them, or their specific political beliefs personally. It is possible to send out messages unintentionally in your work, since after all, people interpret it differently. To them, it might seem innocuous, but when you look at it more critically, it's more... let's say interesting. Nor am I saying that the people who like these books are fascists. You can enjoy things as pure escapism while admitting there are some unsavory aspects to them.  Also this video probably won't have many visuals because there isn't much to put here. Just browse Twitter while you listen, we all know that's what you were going to do anyways. Let's start by figuring out what fascism is. Too many people use it to describe all sorts of authoritarian regimes where it doesn't fit. The Soviet Union was a totalitarian nightmare for most of its residents, but it wasn't fascist. Most French Empire was a dictatorship, but that wasn't fascist either. Fascism has long been a term without a hard and fast definition, and it's been used as a political insult for decades, which makes it even harder to pin down. In pinning down what it is, you have to point to the similarities that fascist regimes have had. The best definition I've ever heard goes like this. Fascism is a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood, and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints, goals of internal cleansing and external expansion. I would also add that it's a far-right ideology based on authoritarianism, deep-set social hierarchies often based on race and aggression. And it's strongly, even violently, against socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and decadence as they see it. None of these are exclusive to fascism, but the combination results in a blend that can broadly be referred to as such. There's more details we could go into, but for now, that'll serve. One of the grandaddies of the military sci-fi genre is Starship Troopers. It's a simple story all about human soldiers fighting a race of aliens simply called bugs. Earth at this time is under a single-world government called the Terran Federation, ruled by a military elite. At some point, democracies collapse due to their supposed inability to control crime or their youth. Now, citizenship is only offered to those who go through military service, during which they're treated as expendable cannon fodder. After that, they're allowed to vote and become politicians, but not before. Most people are familiar with Starship Troopers through the 1997 film adaptation, but the underlying themes of the movie are quite a bit different from the book. The movie is very much a criticism of militarism and fascism. The book is… not that. The author, Robert Heinlein, felt like the United States was being too conciliatory in its dealings with the USSR during the Cold War, and that they should have taken a harder, more militaristic stance. He used to refer to his own military service as an example for why young people should join up to learn about duty and sacrifice for America. Of course, this leaves out how he never served during any sort of combat, but we'll just sweep that under the rug. The bugs operate in a hive mind with no individuality, so there are pretty clear analog for communists. The Terran Federation is supposed to be an analog for the United States, since they're all about freedom, some terms and conditions may apply. An important cornerstone of fascism is that it rejects the idea that violence is negative. Things like war and imperialism are seen as a method of national rejuvenation, a way of redeeming themselves, cleansing society, and making up for past wrongs visited upon them, since, at the end of the day, they're obsessed with being victims. These invasions of Czechoslovakia and Poland were portrayed as retaking land and resources that rightfully belonged to the German people and punishing those who wronged them. The invasions weren't a necessary evil, they were intrinsically a good thing. Participating in the war against the bugs and starship troopers is seen as a positive thing that humans should aspire to do because being a soldier makes you a better person. More than that, they need to protect their people, and in this instance, the existence of the state is equated with the existence of the people. So the message here is that collectivism is bad, but you should also give up your individual desires in service of the state. This is the sort of double-think that fascism has always been known for, like the Nazi idea that the Jews secretly run the world by controlling businesses, banking, and politics, but also they're physically and mentally inferior to us Aryans so it'll be easier to exterminate them. In the end, starship troopers puts forth a worldview that is not only inconsistent but obsessed with armed conflict as a way of pushing a worldview on others, and if that sounds like something you've read before or something from real history, you might be starting to get my point. For an even better example of fascist ideals being promoted as good, let's take a look at a more recent series, the Starfire Books by Steve White and David Weber. As far as military sci-fi goes, the setting is very standard. It's a few hundred years in the future, humans have spread out to hundreds of planets, they've also met some alien races, and they spend a lot of time in space shooting missiles at each other. Also, humanity lives under one government called the Terran Federation because names are hard. I'm going to go over these out of order because the chronology is off and I think it works better this way. The first book in the timeline is called Crusade. Almost a hundred years before the story starts, the Terran Federation went to war with a race of aliens called Oryans. A group of humans fled through an unmapped warp point and were never heard from again. Turns out they ran into an alien planet called Thebes where the natives hadn't achieved spaceflight. They gave the Thebans their technology and told them all about how evil the Oryans were, which caused the Thebans to build up a religion around killing them all and liberating Holy Terra. As a brief aside, even though the book is called Crusade, and even though the Thebans are all speaking English, they only refer to their Holy War as a jihad. This was a conscious decision on the part of the authors, and I'm sure it had absolutely nothing to do with trying to demonize any real world religions. I'm sure the book was only trying to criticize religious zeal in general. I'm sure. So they attack, the good guys fight them, and eventually win. Pretty simple outside of the backstory, mostly. In the latter parts of the book, the Theban fleet has been completely wrecked and the Terrans are moving into their home solar system. By this point they've realized that the Theban leaders don't believe their religion and they're just using it to control their population. Their planetary defenses are extremely strong though, and while the military leaders are debating what to do, the Terran parliament is debating whether or not to order them wiped out. The tension in the climax doesn't come from whether the humans will beat the Thebans, but whether they'll beat them fast enough to prevent the parliament from ordering them to kill the entire population. Decades before Crusade takes place, the Terrans and their allies went to war with a race called the Regalians, and in the end they decided that genocide was the only way to ensure lasting peace. So they killed all the Regalians. Most of the human leaders look back on this as a source of shame and guilt, and those who advocate killing all the Thebans are the villains, rightfully derided as self-serving madmen. In the end, the Terran military defeats the Thebans without having to kill all of them, and this is treated as an unequivocal victory. So clearly this series is anti-genocide, right? Hang on. The actions undertaken by the Thebans are monstrous and resulted in the deaths of millions of people. But the reasons given for not committing a genocide on them aren't that punishing those who weren't involved in the acts as wrong, it's not even for cynical political reasons like no one will want to be allies with us if we act that way. The main reason is that most of the Thebans that committed the various atrocities were being manipulated by their leaders. The normal soldiers SHOULD have done what they were told without thinking. They aren't guilty, their commanders are. At one point, a couple of characters just straight up say that the Nuremberg trials were unjustified because the perpetrators of the Holocaust were just following orders and therefore they're absolved of guilt.  This makes even less sense when one of the Thebans follows his conscience, turns traitor, and helps the humans overthrow his old government, but I need to move on now. It gets worse than the next two books. In Death Ground and The Shiva Option. These are much simpler to understand. A race of insect-like aliens comes out of space and attacks humanity, then them and their allies fight back. The aliens are called arachnids and operate in a hive mind, but I'd call it more of an homage to Starship Troopers than a rip-off. It's an interesting look at what a hive mind really is. The arachnids aren't even really individuals, so much as one creature with the mind on the scale of an entire civilization. It genuinely makes them a great villain. I just wanted to say something positive before I tear into the underlying messages because on the surface, these are pretty good books.  They won't negotiate with anyone, and they never surrender, fighting on until they're completely destroyed. When they capture planets, they herd all the animals and begin eating them, including sentient races such as humans.  Now I know what you're thinking. James, if the last book was all about how genocide is bad, why is the perpetration of genocide seen as a victory here?  The authors seem to go out of their way to make the arachnids as bad as possible. They're completely merciless, unfeeling, robotic, have no real reason for doing what they do, and they eat people. The leadership and general populace of all the races of the Grand Alliance just take it for granted that the arachnids must be killed to ensure peace. There's not even any argument about it. I guess the message is that genocide is okay if the race you're doing it to because I'm pretty sure everyone who's ever perpetrated to genocide has thought that the group they're killing is evil. There's a brief one-off character in the Shiva option, a journalist named Vincent Steele, which sounds like an alpha male love interest from a romance novel who's tagging along on a navy ship to document the war. In the brief time we spend with him, we learn that he's angry that the war is happening at all because there was never an attempt to solve the issue diplomatically. The navy accidentally showed the arachnids how to get into Terran space and because he feels the Terran Federation is spending far too much money on its military. Now obviously the audience knows about how over the top evil the arachnids are, but clearly the denizens of the Federation don't have an omniscient narrator telling them what's going on. All they know is that first contact with a new race was violent and their government immediately mobilized for full-scale war. Millions of soldiers and civilians alike have been killed, and as far as this guy can see no one is trying to solve the problem without more death. As for military expenditure, well, yeah, no one likes paying taxes, and when your taxes go to what looks like a bloated military-industrial complex instead of things like education or infrastructure, you'd be right to be frustrated. But from a fascist perspective, they must be the biggest, strongest, most powerful, most masculine guy around. Just like how violence and conflict are seen as a way to make themselves better. In the fascist mind, might makes right, therefore they must be the mightiest, otherwise they won't be right. At the end of the journalist's brief appearance, he climbs into a torpedo tube and gets his legs torn off. He's mentioned by other characters and they all dismiss him as a dumbass who was getting in the way of the real fighting men.  Did I mention that this book came out five months after 9-11? Then we reach the final book in this series that we'll discuss. Insurrection, in which David Weber and Steve White talk about how democracy is bad. To clarify, I don't mean that they point out some of the flaws in a representative democratic system. I mean the heroes of this book rebel against their government for the specific reason that the democratic system isn't serving every demand they make. But they're also fighting for freedom, I guess. A few decades after the war with the arachnids, the Terran Federation is undergoing a political shift. For most of its existence, it's been a representative democracy split into hundreds of member states. The planets fall into three broad categories. Heart Worlds, the first, richest, and most populous planets that humanity colonized, including Earth. Corporate Worlds, strategically located planets that were first colonized by private companies and remain dominated by business interests. And Fringe Worlds, which are sparsely populated planets on the edges of civilized space. For centuries, politics in the Federation have been dominated by the first two groups, since that's where the vast, vast majority of the people live. Most Fringe Worlds that we hear about only have three or four million inhabitants, while the average corporate world has two billion, and the average heartworld has even more. There are literally thousands of times more people living in the core than the fringes. The Fringe Worlders are very upset that they don't get to run everything, which is kind of like being upset that the US government isn't dominated by the people of Baker County, Georgia. Around the beginning of insurrection, the population is beginning to shift. The Fringe Worlds are growing rapidly, and soon they'll have enough representatives to be able to have a bigger say in what goes on in government. They want to, quote, demand an accounting for two centuries of economic exploitation. I know it sounds like I'm summarizing, but this really is all the information that we get. There aren't any specifics given at all. The first problem with this setup is obvious. It ignores all political differences except for the regional ones. While regions can and often do develop political identities that distinguish them from others, there's never going to be a uniformity. People will disagree because we're individuals. Nor do we ever get any information on what these political identities consist of. Are the corporate world representatives, who apparently vote as a bloc, left or right wing? What are their thoughts on things like labor unions and tariffs? How do they feel on social issues like LGBT rights? What are their environmental plans? We literally never get any semblance of an idea what either side actually wants or what they disagree over, but we're supposed to side with the Fringe Worlders because that's what the authors want us to do. The second problem is that we never get any sort of idea how the Fringe Worlds are being mistreated. All we know is that they're apparently being economically exploited, but no information is ever given how. Presumably, the mega corporations dominate the economy and prevent smaller businesses from getting started on the Fringe and the lion's share of their wealth gets taken to other planets. That's a valid reason to be upset. However, it's also just how the game works. There are going to be losers in a capitalist economy. The Fringe Worlders never say anything bad about business in general, only about their perceived exploitation. Nor do they ever offer up any solutions to their issues, maybe like greater autonomy from member states of the Federation. It's just taken for granted that once they're in charge, everything will be fine. So the Fringe Worlders are criticizing capitalism, but only when THOSE people do it. They aren't against the principle they just hate being on the receiving end of unfair practices. The goal seems to be to punish the corporate worlds without making any significant changes otherwise. Using the rhetoric of the left to attract support and then never applying any policies to match while you violently purge your country of political dissidents? I have never heard of that, National Socialist German Workers Party. This setup is completely self-serving and contradictory.  There's some more double-think for you. So then the Fringe Worlders in the Navy mutiny and a civil war starts. Eventually, they manage to win their independence from the Federation. Along the way, millions of military personnel were killed, the economy of both countries was wrecked, and the resulting power vacuum during and after the war allowed several small dictators to pop up, and pirate raids became more common, resulting in many more deaths and some colonies being abandoned entirely. But the audience is clearly supposed to feel like this was a victory, like it was worth the cost. Oh yeah, and at one point the rebels launch a nuclear strike that bombards an entire continent and kills millions of civilians along with a couple of military facilities, but it was an accident, so it's perfectly fine. I'm reminded of a George Orwell quote here. The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them. The problem with this isn't that a minority is trying to assert itself. The problem is that we never find out what the hell they want. How are they being oppressed? What does this freedom they're constantly speaking of mean? That's rhetorical. Freedom, in their minds, is being in charge of all things at all times. I could probably do this all day. The island in the Sea of Time trilogy isn't outright fascist, but it does openly profess Christian civilization as being superior to others. The Lost Fleet has a very strong overtone of militarism. It openly espouses the idea that civilian entities are inferior to military ones since they don't fight. The powerful are the worthiest to rule. Caliphate is basically just 400 pages of Tom Kratman screeching about the evils of brown people in their phony religion, don't think I need to explain that one too much, and so on. Starfire and Starship Troopers are the most blatantly fascist examples of military sci-fi that I've ever come across, but they're far from the only ones to have aspects of that particular brand of cancer masquerading as political thought. Science fiction has always been, and likely will always be, a very political genre. It's an amazing vehicle with which to explore various societal issues from a safe distance, changing minds through art is a practice as old as civilization. People are allowed to put controversial messages in what they create. But just like you're allowed to say what you want, I'm allowed to criticize you for it. And if your professed ideology involves subverting democracy, suppressing free thought, killing those deemed inferior, concentrating wealth in the hands of a select few, and holding this all together with violence, don't be surprised when you encounter resistance. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The sorts of messages you consume or promote are very important, whether they're intentional or not. Liking Starship Troopers doesn't make you a fascist as long as you're aware of what's being pushed forward. You can come to your own conclusions about it and avoid falling into the traps that others have set. Thanks to everyone who watched, and to my patrons, without whom I'd be lost. Thanks especially to Oppo Savilainen, Brother Santoads, Christopher Hawkins, Joseph Pendergraft, and Tobacco Crow.  I'm fully expecting the comments to turn into a shitstorm after this, so I just want to ask everyone to be civil, and I hope most of you have a nice day. Bye.