Many action games are power fantasies that let players step into the shoes of beings who can accomplish feats beyond imagination, some of which are downright scary. While it might not always be the main selling point, these games shine in their ability to empower, and a brilliant way to show that is by having AI enemies react out of pure fear. They might scream, beg for mercy, run away, or act irrationally; either way, the outcome is the same. They are scared of you. To be most effective, this mechanic needs to be triggered by the player’s direct actions…

When you’ve spent hours swinging a Pulaski or hauling chainsaws through the forests of the North Cascades, quality sleep isn’t a luxury. While leading backcountry trail work hitches requires packing light, running a front-country crew demands a different strategy. In those setups, weight doesn’t matter, but quality sleep does. Over a full summer of testing, bouncing between extended work hitches and casual weekends, the REI Co-op Westward Dreamer Self-Inflating Bed became my go-to basecamp setup. At 4 inches thick, it provides the restorative sleep needed for working hard outdoors, and at $199, it’s affordable enough to snag on even a…

It’s been nearly four years since gun control activists were able to put a permit-to-purchase law and “large capacity” magazine ban in place in Oregon, but Measure 114 has been tied up in court ever since.  Since then, voters haven’t had any firearm-related referendums on their ballot. This year, though, a group of animal rights activists introduced Initiative 28, which would (among other things) remove the exemption for hunting, fishing, and trapping from the state’s animal cruelty laws. The backers of I28 proudly state on their website that “any practice that involves the intentional injury…

A new report from the Crime Prevention Research Center argues that America’s murder problem is far more geographically concentrated than many people realize. According to researcher John Lott Jr., more than half of all murders recorded in 2024 occurred in just 63 counties nationwide. At the same time, more than half of all U.S. counties didn’t record a single murder. The report is based primarily on the FBI’s 2024 Supplementary Homicide Report, with Florida data supplemented using the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s incident-based reporting system because of incomplete FBI submissions from that state. Murder remains heavily concentrated The numbers…

BEIRUT (AP) — The United Nations’ human rights chief said Monday that Israel must end its occupation of large areas of southern Lebanon and halt the demolition of homes, days before Lebanese and Israeli officials are set to hold another round of direct talks. Volker Türk spoke to The Associated Press as he wrapped up a visit to Lebanon, his second in just over a year. He met with government officials, civil society representatives and Lebanese people displaced by the war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. The visit came about a week before Lebanese and Israeli officials are…

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