:) It could also be the shortcut at Koopa Troopa Beach...

Monet’s garden must be beautiful—at least, that’s how it looks in many of his paintings. Normandy sounds great, too—I hope you have a truly wonderful trip!

If you ever find yourselves traveling in Spain: A few years ago, I visited Salvador Dalí’s house in Portlligat, which now houses a museum. From there, it’s not very far to his hometown of Figueres, where the Dalí Theater and Museum is located. It’s definitely worth a visit—in true Surrealist style, it’s quite a psychedelic experience. The country and its people are also fantastic.

So if you’re ever in the area, I’d recommend stopping by.

Ah, that's interesting. So it seems Monet's paintings have also triggered a tourism spillover effect, similar to what we see on beaches teeming with social media influencers. Well, it's certainly a beautiful scene. Too bad you weren't allowed to go there.

A friend of mine is a teacher, and he told me the following story a while back:

A student had an oral exam and was so nervous that he couldn’t get a word out. So my friend coordinated with the “exam committee” to give the student a second chance, which, fortunately, was possible that very same day thanks to some persuasion among his colleagues. After my friend worked with the student to help him regain his confidence, the second attempt at the exam went better - the student was still very nervous, but overall, it was enough to barely pass the exam. The student was absolutely thrilled, and the examiners were reasonably satisfied.

My friend thought to himself: All right, that turned out well after all - but unfortunately, no: The student’s parents sued the school because they were dissatisfied with their son’s exam grade. The lawsuit was based on the claim that the exam regulations weren’t strictly followed, since the student had to take the exam twice (with different exam topics, so the other students wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, of course). The parents won the lawsuit, and the court ruled that the oral exam must be repeated.

So now the completely dismayed student had to take the exam again - a nightmare for the poor guy. The examiners were the same ones who, despite the absurdity of his parents’ demands, remained well-disposed toward him. However, the student was understandably even more nervous the third time - so much so that he once again couldn’t get a single word out. This time, my friend’s hands were tied, since everything had to be completely correct from an administrative standpoint. So, unfortunately, the examiners had no choice but to fail the nervous student, meaning that, thanks to his parents, he ultimately did not receive his diploma.

So here too: insane parents who even ruined their own son’s graduation because of their unrealistic expectations.

It’s a real shame, but unfortunately that’s how it went all thanks to the student’s crazy parents...

It’s really remarkable how blatantly corrupt a government can be. Well, not really, because it’s just the logical consequence of the fact that even the most serious crimes go unpunished in the U.S.

What’s almost funny is that so many U.S. citizens still insist they live in a country governed by the rule of law. I have no idea how they can still believe that, given what happens there every single day.

But then it’s not funny anymore, because the consequences for the whole world are so dire.

In essence, the world (and the media as well) should treat the U.S. exactly as it behaves: as a failed state that, like Russia, is ruled by organized crime, tramples on international law, and blackmails its former allies. One should not do business with such a country, especially since it is committing the most egregious war crimes alongside its genocidal allies in Israel.

It is a reflection of the lack of integrity in the political systems of other countries that no sanctions have been imposed on the US in response to its brutal actions in Iran - this war is just as much a war of aggression in violation of international law as the one Russia is waging against Ukraine.

Sanctions against the U.S. will, of course, not happen. But the barbaric behavior of the U.S. should at least ensure that Western countries turn away from the U.S. in the future, so that it cannot continue to exploit its power to blackmail the world.

Germany.

However, the complaint was not directed at the grade itself, but rather at a violation of the examination regulations, which do not allow for a retake of an oral exam simply because the student is too nervous to pass. That is why my friend was unable to secure another exception on the student's third attempt - everything unfortunately had to be strictly correct.

I don’t teach myself, but I’ve heard from various friends that lawsuits over the most absurd things are definitely a thing in Germany, too. As a result, teachers have far fewer freedoms than they did ten years ago - and also face much more bureaucratic red tape to document everything in a way that reduces the risk of lawsuits.

I’m not really familiar with that area myself, but unfortunately, I can easily imagine how frustrating it must be for the teachers.

Edit: Here is an article that describes the problem (in German).

Let's hope for OP's sake that Peter Dinklage isn't hanging out in the Fediverse. You know why...

For the Attorney General, an incredible amount of what Bondi is doing is absolutely illegal.

As a lawyer, she is of course aware of this, but she does it anyway because she has no other choice anymore.

In a constitutional state, she would undoubtedly be sentenced to life imprisonment for all her crimes, because what she is doing is in fact high treason.

However, like the rest of this administration, she seems to assume that the rule of law no longer exists, which is indeed the case under this regime.

So I think: The blantant criminals who are in charge in the US not only will, but must establish an autocracy, following failed states like Russia, for example, because otherwise they will go to prison. This would be the logical consequence of a new, democratically elected government, even in a legal system as corrupt as that of the US – the people would quite rightly demand at least some consequences, and leaders like Bondi are not nearly influential enough to undermine the rule of law in the way that the current president is doing.

However, this is merely my assessment as a European - perhaps I am underestimating the degree to which the obviously absurdly corrupt political system in the US is undermining fundamental democratic functions. So maybe people like Bondi could somehow still get away with their crimes under new administration.

There is no other word for it than barbaric. This country should be internationally isolated for the heinous atrocities it commits. It is yet another reminder that we must also sever ties with the US, because they have been enabling Israel’s crimes for decades - and now their own fascist regime are even actively participating with their own heinous war crimes. Fuck Israel, fuck the US, and all their accomplices.

I couldn’t agree more, especially since, for anyone not from the US, even the most moderate White House posts are so utterly absurd that these days it’s really hard to tell the difference between satire and real-life clown show.

I can assure you that everyone is trying their best to adjust somehow, but it’s really hard given this level of absurdity.

What about the war crimes and the thousands of Iranians the U.S. is murdering? What about the more than a hundred schoolchildren who were torn to pieces by bombs during a direct U.S. attack on a school? Of course, those aren’t worth mentioning to this guy - only the U.S. "service members" and gas prices matter.

All too typical. This country makes me sick...

So the U.S. is bragging about having sailed through the Strait of Hormuz while peace negotiations were underway - and then they wonder why Iran is threatening them - and why the peace negotiations are failing? Seriously?

That’s actually a solid rule of thumb when you’re not sure: if the plan aims to do the exact opposite of what the orange mob boss says, it can’t be anything but a good plan.

Well, it’s hardly surprising that such propaganda has been successful, especially since it contains more truth than most U.S. media outlets dare to publish these days.

I mean, the Secretary of Education is a wrestling promoter and she’s by no means the only completely unqualified member of the administration. The entire cabinet is like that: from MMA fighters to conspiracy theorists - it’s a grotesque, full-blown clown show.

But hey, it won't be easy to find even halfway decent lawyers for this job anyway, given that working for this attorney general will most likely make you liable to prosecution.

Yes, it is unfortunately becoming increasingly clear that even in the EU, billionaires and their companies are above the law. The legal situation should be clear here and there should be consequences - but there apparently aren't any.

Unfortunately, this applies not only to Twitter, but to most US tech giants in particular, to meta, for example. I have already stopped counting the massive violations of the GDPR that meta and others are constantly committing, because nothing happens anyway. If anything, the fines are so low that violating the law brings these companies far more revenue than it costs them.

So unfortunately, the same major issue that brought the US to the brink of a straight up dictatorship also applies in Europe: even the most blatant violations of the law have no serious consequences for the richest of the rich – and that is why billionaires are becoming more and more powerful.

The situation may be better in the EU for now than in the US, whose legal system obviously no longer even maintains the appearance of fairness, but even in the EU, the enforcement of the law is miles away from anything that could even remotely be called justice.

The reason seems to me to be the same as in the US: concentration of power in a tiny billionaire class that asserts its influence through corruption.

I think that if things continue like this, and I see no indicators that they will not, it will not be long before even the appearance of justice is abandoned in the EU as well.

Edit: Here is an example of how this is possible - it's just plain old corruption, but in the highest ranks of our institutions: From Meta to the EU Parliament: Former chief lobbyist negotiates data protection (German article)

Aura Salla was Meta's chief lobbyist in Brussels for many years. Her task: to convince politicians to weaken EU digital rules such as data protection in order to generate even higher profits with Facebook, WhatsApp, and other platforms.

The prominent hacker Kevin Mitnick, on the other hand, was sentenced to a long prison term, with the judge perhaps slightly overestimating the danger he posed:

Mitnick served five years in prison—four-and-a-half years' pre-trial and eight months in solitary confinement, because, according to Mitnick, law enforcement officials convinced a judge that he had the ability to "start a nuclear war by whistling into a pay phone",[36] implying that law enforcement told the judge that he could somehow dial into the NORAD modem via a payphone from prison and communicate with the modem by whistling to launch nuclear missiles.[37]

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