Calax

Uh, since when did a comment about a single person related to everyone of that nationality? And the russian population did install a democracy, but that democracy failed so hard it created the USSR. Although that was also the germans putting Lenin on a train back into Russia to kill off the german threat on the eastern front. You keep saying the "why am I being shown this story" shpeel, but when you get right down to it, you're using the news outlets that agree with you (particularly the ones that are hardcore right wing) in order to prove all your points. So how are we supposed to take you seriously if your entire point about the news is that "every source except my own is false"? As to the thrust of the thread, I think in part it's the fact that we are eating larger portions with more processsed sugars, but also that our diets are increasing in general nutrition overall, and with an increase in that, you end up with a general size increase. I find girl number 2 in the OP more attractive. I think one of the issues in general in america right now is not that we're getting larger. But more the social stigma on being stupidly thin while our bodies want to be larger. Right now, our bodies are actually evolving to deal with excess weight and generate body heat (brown fat).

Eh, 19% given rounding.

Played through all of the COD's recently... yes ALLL of them. Started digging into Killzone 3. Honestly? the game feels like a lot of wasted potential. They have such AMAZING graphics http://www.gaming411.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/killzone-3-20100531000750490.jpg but the story and gameplay are iffy. Basically you're the Space Good Guys (who have faces) against space Nazi's (who are the red-eyed yahoo's you'll see if you so much as google "killz"). Your main protagonists could fit almost all of dialogue into any other wargame and have it fit, and they decided to make "cover" a core mechanics. It's an FPS... If you gave that graphics fidelity to the people who made Metro or Spec Ops, even Treyarch (Black Ops2? Pretty interesting story and consequence design), and let them run with it? You'd have a game that's AMAZING with unique gameplay, a fantastic story, and a graphics system that just sucks you in.

I think that their point is that if a game studio wants to get people like Gary Oldman or Michael Caine and have them actually TRY at voice acting (Ok, Gary does try, but a good example of the lack of trying would be pierce Brosnan in the Everything Or Nothing) there needs to be a jump in the quality of characters and writing in most of the games that want/need that level of acting. RPG's don't NEED to have James Earl Jones as one of the characters, because most of the time, those characters won't be modeled or marketed around the voices in the games. Meanwhile something like Call of Duty, or Battlefield, or whatever, will want to attract the A listers to set itself apart from other games where you fire an M-16 at somebody elses face.

Oliver is about ready to stab somebody over his insurance issues. School terminated me academically, meaning I can't use the health facilities on campus. And thus my insurance is useless outside of an ER situation. I'm trying to get insurance through my WORK, but to get that I need a notification of my insurance being terminated... but the insurance company shows me as having an active plan through aug of this year. Also, the school isn't billing me for the health insurance, so I don't know WTF is going on (the school said my insurance would be terminated upon my campus termination). Calling four different people and submitting two sets of paperwork so far.

... At least you gave her a phone that has that function. Mine wanted to be in constant contact but I had to buy and pay for my own phone. "Well why didn't you call us?" "With WHAT!?"

Can somebody please explain to me how the ATF is a "corrupt organization" when they haven't had an increase in personell since the 1970's and they haven't been able to keep a registry of all transactions involving guns, or to enforce the federal laws upon gun sellers since 2006ish? Apparently 57% of all guns used in illegal activites/illegally owned can be traced back to 1% of gun sellers... but the ATF can't shut down or get rough with those sellers because they can't actually keep any sort of records of anything. AND the bearau doesn't even have a full director because the director has to be confirmed by congress. Makes me wonder if Obama could shut it down and re-open it under another name, to unrestrict them for enforcement purposes.

*sigh* My mom calls to "check up on me" and gives me some good support, and when I tell her "I'll do my best" in reference to getting back into school (which she'd spent the entire conversation dancing around, and again trying to talk about how work shouldn't define me etc), she said "I've heard that before". I promptly attacked her over the comment (which I felt was unnecessary, inflammitory, and relatively prejudice) and she acted like she'd just been saying the truth and that I was now sounding like my drama queen aunt (who's back hurt her so she couldn't go to NY but she could drive to Massachusets from Jersey)

In terms of content I think it's just 2 conversations with you and one that you walk in on/can shut down or something.

What do cops have against minorities? Don't they usually keep to themselves anyway. Or is it an american thing? Part of it's a hold over from the 70's, where the cops were a tool used to keep the minorities "in line". Part of it is also that the African American minority at least is fearful of the police because of the history of violence against them (including the Rodney King beating in the 90's). They're slowly adding more minorities to the police forces, but for the majority of police departments, the officers are white.

Me getting ejected has curtailed their controlling abilities because I'm paying for everything myself. RE:Locks. Look, it's not just the fact that I didn't have a lock, it's the reasoning behind it. "I don't want you to be locked in your room if a fire breaks out!" is not a logical reason. Also the locks on the bathrooms, if used, would just get unlocked via the Ikea key's that we had from the builder. And another part of it is that we lived in a seriously tucked away suburb of California, where the nearest grocery store was about 6 miles, and the only place to hang out was at school. I basically had no social life because of how attached it was to my parents (couldn't go out unless "homework" was done, when I didn't have any they'd accuse me of lying). Understand, they were overprotective of me, but thought I was a habitual liar. To the point they'd send me to school with a 101/102 temperature because "eh, you're not that bad" and "you're over exaggerating the symptoms!"

Also, had my parents call me when I was 20 and at work at 7 pm because they thought I'd died or something as I wasn't home. Also they've called me when I was just in another room. And understand, all of this wasn't when I was just 12/16 and living as their kid. This was when I was paying them rent for the upstairs room. So, I was an adult male, with no privacy, no ability to even try to have a romantic life, very little in the way of transportation... and all of that carries over to NOW where my parents are trying to tell me I'm a failure without saying "you're a failure".

That article was meant as a joke. Thing about cracked though is that they find humor in more truthful statements than falsehoods. That particular article was reaching in a few places however. I think one of the things people wanted out of far cry three was more of the psycho dude (I haven't played it).

For the most part the major interaction issue is with the parents. It's hard to change the relationship dynamic when they feel they have the right to force their ways in without being asked because they've been helping pay for school. Basically this really comes out when I call them and instead of anything else I start getting a lecture of exactly what I'm supposed to do. For the most part, those around me are interacted with on an equal basis. But my parents can be paranoid nutjobs, and are INCREDIBLY controlling just in general. To the point I couldn't even put a lock on my room growing up, or have a member of the opposite sex in my room with the door closed. This lasted until I was in my mid 20's because of my inability to find a cheap place of my own.

Right now the immediate goal is to get myself a degree and then get to Europe. However I don't even know where to begin with the second part of that, beyond exercising the german citizenship loophole, which will take me a summer of record hunting in Penn. Part of it right now is that I can't cut them out to much because then I lose any financial benefits I get when I'm in school. And to get back into school, I need 6 credits at a 2.25+ gpa... not hard except that I was informed of this to late for the Community college to accept me for this term, so at best I get to try to use my Mcdonalds training for 3 of em. If they're graded... and accepted.

Having myself isn't a great thing given my mental state tends to be more up and down than an elevator with flubber on it's bottom. As to Europe? Sure she may be right, but instead of saying "great! It's good you have a goal" it's instantly "Well, when you go you're ****ed son" as she points out the errors.

My parents are control freaks. My mom is trying to micro manage my life from 2000 miles away because "we're supporting you" and I had to point out that for right now, I'm supporting myself. And she gave me the "maybe you shouldn't be in college" speech again. And when I mentioned I want to GTFO of America for Europe, she basically said "I don't think you can because you'd have no job, and no support there!" So, she wants me to be basically a "bum" in america with no real future. Or, to get more to the root of the problem... I currently have 0 people in my life who have an optimistic view of my future and who are trying to actually help me get back in school and finish my degree.

I see, 29... that's bad. Life is almost over and you've got one foot in the grave already For anecdotal comparison, I started my current career path when I was around 31 (not pursuing a clear "path" before that). Still managed to squeeze a bit of mileage out of life. Yeah, but your parents didn't exactly see you as a total failure with no future because you'd been trying this **** for 9 years, and are still single because they wouldn't even let you close the damn door to your room if there was a member of the opposite sex within earshot.

Two complete years... and I'll basically be 29 before I start a career

I donno... the rediculous amount of stress in my life is starting to trigger a depressive state on my bipolar. This is combined with the fact that I will possibly be unable to enter school for the summer semester due to horrible timing, and thus will graduate around christmas of 2014 if not spring. Starting to feel like I have no future.

Well, if they disarm the military, there's no method by which to enforce the public will on the world sphere. So the 9/11 attacks? Just gonna have to suck it up biatch because you can't "Hunt em down" if you don't have the weapons to remove any power base found. WW2? You're screwed. Stalin? You're screwed even more. "Desperate to take guns away from alw abiding citizens" Well, assuming that the laws went into effect and totally yanked out the ability to own a gun, in theory there should be NO law abiding citizens with guns, so anyone caught with a gun is automatically tossed in prison as a criminal you see? Just like having black skin in the 70's. You realize that at least the Sandy Hook shooter had no run ins with the law prior to the actual shooting, so your "Law abiding citizen" tripe is just that. And by the same token, those who think that under the current system we have to many gun control laws will blow buildings up, so might as well take their guns and then tag them for future issues. (joke for the idiot)

That's a great idea Volo! The moment every other nation on the planet also disarms so I don't have to worry about a Mexican Drug Lord overpowering everybody from mexico to Canada with a butter knife.

I think Piers is more discussing "Why does the average person need an AR-15 or it's equivalents" rather than "why would the average person ever need any firearm except automatics".

It's relevant because it's the entire platform they're using for the sort of "primary springboard" of their arguments. The most right wing people fear that the governments expansion of federal powers will eventually lead to the Federal government being the only government, and then an oppressive president who uses the state apparatus to turn it into a dictatorship. How realistic this is is up for debate. But to a degree, it's the only argument they can really throw forward without having it countered by "Well if you're going to hunt, why not use a rifle?" or "If it's home defense, why not use something more portable like a pistol?" Instead it's really more "Whats' an AR-15 going to do against a Tank?" (although the insurgencies in Afganistan probably provide at least SOME backup to the anti-dictatorship thing)

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/secure-resources-and-funding-and-begin-construction-death-star-2016/wlfKzFkN A legit response.