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http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/europe/spanish-prime-minister-mariano-rajoy-punched/

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was dealt an eye-watering sucker punch by a teenager during a campaign event Wednesday.

The young man got up close to the Prime Minister, reportedly asking to take a photograph, before unleashing his left fist into the side of Rajoy's head.

The punch knocked Rajoy's glasses off of his face, leaving the leader of the People's Party bruised but otherwise "feeling good," he later said in a tweet.

The 17-year-old attacker was later shown being taken away in handcuffs by security guards.

I have a big family. I'm the oldest of 5 kids. I have something like 16 first cousins, maybe more. I have a mom, dad, and 'step-mom'. When we get together, it's a big crowd. Everyone smiles and pretends they are good friends, but in reality, no one really knows each other. We have this illusion of closeness, but it's just that - an illusion.

Everyone always presents their ideal self. For me, that means presenting my non-pot-smoking, non-vaping, non-poly version of my self. I can only assume that everyone (or at least a portion of them) are also hiding parts of themselves that they want to keep hidden, like I do.

As a result, we have a 'perfect' family. Everyone is happy, prosperous, and perfect, but it's all a facade. What appears to be a close family is actually a group of acquaintances that are all kept at arm's length.

This is true for both the extended family as well as the immediate family. My dad is a judge -- a high ranking judge that spends a lot of time working with drug offenders, and good man. I have a lot of respect for him. I smoke also lot of pot, so, naturally, I keep that on the down-low. He's conservative, so I'm not sure how he would react to my poly experimenting, so I hide that too. He wouldn't approve of my vaping, so I hide it. All this to keep up that perfect image that our family has.

I also still feel like a child to my dad. I place too much value on his acceptance of me, and that causes me to hide some of the less perfect truths, and as a result, we aren't all that close. I'm 32, make a good living, own my house and am married. I haven't borrowed money from him since I moved out almost 12 years ago. I am an adult who is fully independent, but for some reason still need that acceptance from my dad.

I'm sick of it. I'm tired of hiding my true self. I'm tired of my judgey family and the distance that it creates. I'm tired of walking on glass trying to meet their expectations.

Most recently my dad wants to schedule a ski trip for later in the winter. 3 nights, 2 days. I didn't really want to go for that long (because I feel uncomfortable being around him for so long holing up this fake image, and also I'm usually tired after one day of snowboarding, and the second day feels like a slog and is not as fun). I suggested that I go out with him, snowboard the first day, book a massage for the second day, and then leave after the massage (leaving a day earlier than originally planned). I think that dad wanted to do a boys weekend and because I want to cut it short, that hurt his feelings (I haven't heard from him since I suggested I leave early that weekend...).

So, yea. I feel bad and guilty if my dad feels bad about me trying to cut the weekend short, but I really don't think I can handle that much time being the 'perfect kid'. Maybe I'm just selfish. I want to smoke while snowboarding (because it's fun) and vape while drinking (because it's so satisfying) and not feel guilty. I'm tired of pretending to be something else.

I just want to spill the beans on everything and get it all out there. "No, this family isn't perfect! I smoke more pot than I care to admit, I love to vape because it feeds my nicotine addiction, and we are experimenting in poly. I don't care if you approve or not, this is how I choose to live my life."

Doing that is one of those things you can't undo though... My family is gossipy, and the poly news would spread like wildfire and would definitely result in some (a lot of) judginess. Plus, I don't know if I am far enough down that road to share it with the family... I don't know what to do. I'm tired of hiding. I hate constantly feeling guilty because I might/do disappoint my dad.

EDIT: So after writing this, I decided to call my dad. I better explained that I really didn't want to do a second day of skiing, and suggested we all do something else together on the second day. We'll be meeting this weekend and should be able to figure things out. I think everything will be okay.

I didn't mention the pot or vaping, but that will be something that I want to bring up either before the trip, or on the car ride out there. I'm pretty sure that I won't be sharing the poly thing for quite some time yet...

Anyways, the purpose of this journal was to help me organize my thoughts, and it worked. I also wanted to share a little about my family dynamic. I think it's weird that we are so concerned about appearances that we sacrifice the closeness that you get from showing vulnerability and trust. It bothers me. I think its because everyone in the family is relatively successful, everyone feels the need to present this image to 'keep up with the Joneses'.

The 5th Republican debate is underway, and most of the candidates that can remember what encryption is appear to be "against" it. Rewatch the first hour for some truly chilling comments. Only Ted Cruz or Rand Paul appear to deviate from the party line on security, and not that much in the case of Cruz.

Undermining these peoples' fantasies and law enforcement in general should be a top priority for our community.

In former (?) actor Shia LaBeouf's latest performance art stunt, he will be taking calls at a mini call center:

The Hollywood star has set up his own call centre in the city's Fact gallery, where he and his two artistic collaborators will field calls.

They will be at their desks between 11:00 and 18:00 GMT from Thursday to Sunday.

Those wishing to touch LaBeouf's soul can call the trio on 0151 808 0771.

Others can visit the gallery to see the event unfold in person, or can watch a live stream and see notes the trio are making on Touchmysoul.net.

Get in touch.

http://www.bbc.com/cymrufyw/34985536
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126915334@N03/ (higher resolution, watermarked)

From Obama's prime time speech:

This is our strategy to destroy ISIL. It is designed and supported by our military commanders and counterterrorism experts, together with 65 countries that have joined an American-led coalition. And we constantly examine our strategy to determine when additional steps are needed to get the job done.

That's why I've ordered the Departments of State and Homeland Security to review the visa waiver program under which the female terrorist in San Bernardino originally came to this country. And that's why I will urge high-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to use technology to escape from justice.

It sounds like Obama may be taking a U-turn. The Second Crypto War isn't over yet.

Canadian Liquor Stores Want You to Be Able to Buy Weed with Your Six Pack

Liquor stores in British Columbia and Ontario want to start selling weed once it becomes legal in Canada.

The two unions representing BC's public and private liquor stores announced a partnership this week—the Responsible Marijuana Retail Alliance of BC—through which they're advocating to sell recreational pot at retail locations by next Christmas.

Their logic seems to be that liquor stores already sell a controlled substance that gets people fucked up, so adding weed to their mix just makes sense.

"Just as with alcohol, there are legitimate concerns about access to marijuana by youths. Our stores are an over-19, age-controlled environment and our industry has demonstrated the strongest compliance with identification checks," said Stephanie Smith, president of the BC Government and Service Employees' Union, which represents the province's 200 public liquor stores.

It would also be cost effective. Because liquor stores already have a warehousing and retail system in place "there is no need to reinvent the wheel," she said.

Last month, Warren "Smokey" Thomas, head of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents LCBO employees, said LCBO outlets would be ideal weed retailers because they already have "social responsibility" covered.

"They do age checks, they do refusals if somebody's intoxicated."

[...]

Lobbyists, in Strategy Session, Conclude That Refugee Crisis “Helps Us” Defeat Regulations

In an audio recording of a strategy session obtained by The Intercept, major trade association lobbyists discussed how the refugee crisis has changed the political dynamics in Washington to their advantage.

In the conference call held last week, lobbyists representing a number of high-polluting industries agreed that the battle between Congress and President Obama on refugee policy will give them the cover they need to attach a legislative rider to the omnibus budget bill that rolls back newly expanded clean water regulation.

“I think that probably helps us,” one participant said, referring to the coming confrontation over refugee policy.

[...] “We’re suddenly not the big issue,” said one call participant. “I mean, this is all going to turn on refugees.”

“I think that helps us,” said another call participant. “I think it helps us with the White House being on defense,” another legislative strategist on the call said.

The remarks were made during a political strategy call hosted last week by energy utility industry lobbyists. A recording was sent to The Intercept by someone on the call.

Coal CEO Thanks Lamar Smith, Asks Him to Expand Probe of Climate Scientists

Koch "Alliance" on Criminal Justice Reform Exposed as Trojan Horse

How the Gates Foundation Reflects the Good and the Bad of "Hacker Philanthropy"

Black Friday 2015

Laptops

• $99: 11.6 inch Chromebook, Best Buy
• $300: Core i3, 15.6 inch, Best Buy
• $140: Celeron, 15.6 inch, Best Buy

Storage

• $100: 4 TB Western Digital My Book external hard drive, Best Buy
• $100: 4 TB Toshiba Canvio external hard drive, Office Max and Office Depot
• $120: 5 TB Seagate external hard drive, Costco
• $120: 5 TB Toshiba Canvio external hard drive, Office Max and Office Depot
• $40: 1 TB Seagate portable hard drive, Staples
• $200: SanDisk Ultra II 2.5" SSD 960GB, Newegg

Consoles

• $300: Dell Home & Office Black Friday: Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Bundle Plus Fallout 4 & Extra Controller
• $300: Target Black Friday: 500GB Xbox One Console w/ Gears of War Digital Download Code + $60 Target Gift Card

Categories

• Blank Media (CDs, DVDs)
• USB Flash Drives
• Hard Drives

Articles

Best Laptops: Holiday 2015
Best SSDs: Holiday 2015

Well, it finally happened. Last night, I had sex with someone new for the first time in 13 years.

I've been seeing this girl for about a month now, and it's been going surprisingly well. I've been seeing her once a week and she has been coming over to my place and I make her dinner and then we cuddle on the couch and talk. Last night we moved things to the bedroom.

It wasn't as awkward as I though it was going to be. After having sex with the same person for 13 years, I was really nervous to experience someone new. Anyways, I guess sex is sex. It all felt familiar, so it didn't feel as weird as I thought.

I haven't used a condom in a LONG time, and I remember how much condoms suck. I needed to pick up some non-latex ones, so that might be a factor. I also think that the condom was maybe too small, and also I think that it might be better if I add some lube to the inside. If anyone has a suggestion of a good non-latex condom, please recommend below.

We cuddled in bed after and talked, which was really nice.

After she left, I changed she sheets on the bed, and waited for my wife to come home. When she did some home, it wasn't really a big deal at all. I told her how things went (basically what I said above) and that I had already changed the sheets. We hugged, and then it was back to the routine. It really was like nothing had changed. (Thank god!)

We have been talking about this for so long, that it was nice to actually have something happen and see that everything is still okay. I showered before bed, and then cuddled with my wife as we fell asleep -- just like normal.

So far, so good.