Walsingham

I don't think it's natural selection. In fact I don't believe mankind can suffer natural selection any more on account of our ability to be both victims and masters of Fate. But that's a different argument for another time. Speaking as a Hobbesian I feel that aid, while essential for stuff like earthquakes is very very bad for the states who receive it. That is it breaks the bonds of care between a govt and its people. Where the underlying problem is political instability I feel this is the cure feeding the disease. Personally I feel aid agencies shoudl try to engage with local govt officials wherever possible and have them shoulder the basic responsibilty of caring for their own people. Teach them logistics/planning/medicine.

Er... simply saying he ain't can't win you the prize, am afraid. I was under the impression that a munchkin was someone who was super-powerful, started all kinds of ridiculous fights, made infantile decisions and annoyed the other party members. I don't know much about him, but what I do know fits this perfectly. Particularly the business of being a good dark elf, which while believable on general principles sounds like an excuse for having a higher-powered character. It reminds me of our discussion about the half-dragon mindflayer.

Does anyone else remember the Furious George crazed-ape simulator? I loved that game, but post 9/11 they toned it right down. Took all the poetically violent crimes out.

Rosbjerg: Great post, for what my opinion is worth. Note that the fatwah aginst Salman Rushdie was issued years after the book was first published, when it suited the Ayatollah. It was not some spontaneous outburst of rage. It was orchestrated. It sounds to me like this was too. ~ I'm a huge fan of the radio comedy 'Old Harry's Game' on the BBC. A sitcom based in Hell, with Satan as the lead. Lots of fun poking at religion. Do I want this banned? Of course not. Do I think it needs to be banned? Not really. Equally, if you look at wacky hate rags througout history you find humour can be used to break taboos and demonise people far more effectively than standard dry debate. I don't like to hear 'jewish' or 'paddy' jokes. So as a precursor to violence I would prefer to see such behaviour prohibited at least to mass audiences. But overall, I find this whole question pretty odd and tricky. ~ As an aside I should add that while these countries may object to our treatment of the image of thier prophet I find the treatment of women in those same countries ten times more offensive. But I'm not dancing around burning flags. Of course, this could be because I'm just not very good at parties.

And what are your feelings on men? ...AH how I laughed....

I hear you. Mass transport in the States/Canada is a nightmare.

Ve haff a vord for people like you! And zat vord is: contrafibularations.

I discovered that it is cheaper to use mass transit on regular occasions, and hire taxis the rest of the time, than own a car. Insurance, fuel, AA membership. ...bleeccch.

What tosh! I happen to know for a fact that the worst book in existence is 'Revenge of the Giant Crabs', the sequel to 'Night of the Giant Crabs', the second worst book in existence. If by some unhappy chance you find a copy (I burned mine) I strongly suggest you do not read them. And I still fail to understand why I should like this munchkin dark-elf. Anyone who can convince me otherwise shall win a special prize.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4662232.stm Quite interesting piece on the causes of 'why Africa is so funted'.

My friends who use MMORPGS use Guildwars. Although I don't see how their economics work. Personally I stay well away from MMORPGs. I just recently had to eject a colleague from a project because he was spending too much time on one. Sad, really, but his entire attention was getting sucked in.

I would have thought getting hit by a train entails a death smear rather than an actual scene.

I was wondering about this game, also.

No white hair? As in dyed white, you sickos.

I just feel that if I am shown a foppish cretin dancing about I ought to be allowe dto kill him. And he ought to stay dead. The very notion that such a character might inspire such blind loyalty as to warrant his repeated resurrection is frightening. If it had been a pnp game, I would have cut his body into several dozen pieces, minced them up with some catnip and soy-sauce, and fed them to cat!

I can only assume you have never played either Baldur's Gate game. - I try to kill anything that says I can't possibly kill it. It's just encitement. - If it subsequently gets resurrected, then I really get angry. Then I have to kill it with extreme prejudice, and throw its equipment into the sea. - If it has an annoying English accent which it abuses to make annoying statements such as "Friends await while I must conduct this tiresome dance", then I fear he is besmirching my national heritage. I don't hate him for being a drow, being a good drow, or having neat swords. I have never even encountered a duel-weilding Drizzt wannabe.

Well, good luck. Although every other actor I've known has been as mad as a sack full of hermits.

Doughnuts and Earl Grey tea. EDIT: Under R Reagan the law on meat standards in the US was altered. Chicken carcasses were fit for consumption if they had two or less tumours on them, provided the tumours were removed. Needless to say with thousands of birds wizzing past, and it being unsafe to try and grab one as it went past, many of these lower qualtiy birds get through. Luck of the draw, am afraid.

I got quite annoyed by Morrowind having so much pointless walking in it. I seriously think many of the later adventures would have been vastly improved by your patrons having you teleported out to the region, rather than teh exciting travelk agent seuqences where you bus about. I also objected to being sent on amazing shopping trips for exquisite shoes. ALWAYS CARRY EXQUISITE SHOES. Having said that, I'm playing MW for the second time, and with my improved understanding of the geography, and knowing how to use the stilt-striders and teleporting, it moves a lot faster.

The Force is strong with this one.

X-Files? The US military has been obssessed with all forms of media since Vietnam. I shouldn't worry particularly. They haven't been able to control even centralised forms like broadcast media. Let alone the net. They have, however, taken to blogging as a means of telling their stories. And when you nuzzle up to the teats of screaming lefty journalists I recommend you have an equal sip from those.

Good thing you told me. Heaven forbid we should cross the street to help someone cause God tells us to...

tbh, with my players/friends they are so selfish they may as well be evil.

On further reflection I must agree with my learned friend and say that no violence, if instigated by the ref is a bad plan. If they can sharpen a stick and stick it into a beef patty they can be violent to people. And the harder you make it, the harder they will try. The only possible exception I can think of would be to involve them in some contest between Gods where they are literally incapable of causing harm by violence. Possibly as part of a debate on the relative merits of the god Bhaal (yay!) and some peacenik god. They get chosen to be the peacenik's champions, and the god puts a curse on them so they can't hurt anyone.

Happy new year! I got drunk last night, and had fun, so shall count this as belated celebration of the event.