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Blank

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Everything posted by Blank

  1. Christians can be the severest hypocrites in my opinion. Which is extremely unfortunate to say, because I consider myself part of the Church. I acknowledge and lament the poor decisions of so-called Christians who have treated others without the love of Christ. Christian hypocrisy comes in many forms, and I agree with Lord of Flies that the things Jesus says about riches and possessions should be taken much more seriously, not just ignored altogether as it seems to be done by several so-called Christians.
  2. I'll be Mortimer Stentzalder. Many have heard of his fame in the city marketplace, for he possesses expert crate opening skills. If there are any crates or boxes in the tunnels, he will open them, with the goods inside being preserved. Recently, the higher order families have been cramping his style, spreading rumours about his business being evil. Mortimer, obviously upset at this accusation, is done playing by society's rules which don't allow him to overcome his lower class upbringing, and he is driven to find better luck in the tunnels. He is hanging at The Filthy Crawdad, a shady pub near an entrance to the tunnels, hoping to join up with a group looking for whatever it is people look for when they decide to go into the tunnels. I'll PM the TM with MS's stats.
  3. Agreed. Added to the fact that the movie made me feel engrossed in the world and filled me with wonder and imagination for the next few days, I highly recommend the movie and give my full endorsement.
  4. I'm basically not a fan of sensationalism. I feel that the topic of "global warming" is handled this way too often, whether for or against it. My favorite way to approach issues like these is with rationalism. For example, I believe it is wise for people in any subject to be good stewards of their resources. In the long run, this approach is always cost-effective and morally appreciated. Whether or not there is sufficient evidence to conclude one way or the other about "global warming", should we not already be seeking to temper the wasteful use of resources and production of pollution? So when I hear people freaking out about what is true and what is not about "global warming", I say quit acting like diarrhetic pigs. Let's continue to assess the facts of "global warming" and make practical changes to things we already know need to change as we look to see if more drastic measures need to be taken in the near future. P.S. I'm mostly referring to major media sources that discuss the issue.
  5. I actually like his review; he agrees exactly with my point that the story is symbolic; it melodramatically shows how selfish people can be. We sit back and criticize the main character's actions toward the people around her, but on small levels every day we treat people like crap for our own benefit also. Of course you can justify the small things, because they are small. Oftentimes people don't even realize how inconsiderate they are towards how others feel. I think in this sense the story is a good reminder to not be selfish with one's emotions. Here's one of my theories about stories. In fantasy, normally unseen struggles are seen. In some stories, the struggles, internal or external, are subtle, as in real life. In others, the struggles are overt, even to the point of causing an audience to openly ridicule the characters' actions. But I think the strength of a story is when the story's conflicts are a good representation of reality's conflicts, whether they are subtle or overt. Some would disagree, as some hate melodrama. But I feel it's a whole genre they are missing out on, and to ridicule selfishness because of its magnitude seems to me like an excuse for selfishness of a lesser magnitude. Twilight's melodrama is an open invitation to consider one's own selfishness on a simple scale.
  6. Not to not brag, I'm very privileged to live in the Pacific Northwest. It really is that beautiful. I live close to the scene that has a large river in a valley, forest all over, and some meadows spread throughout.
  7. True, but at least there were things gettin' shot, sliced and blowed up good. I suppose Twilight must have something for it's target audience though, as it seems to be doing well. This is a good observation. I'd like to hear any guesses about why Twilight nails its target audience, and who that target audience is. My guess, as stated earlier, is that the story includes symbolic themes that people can relate to. For example, eternal life intrigues people, and that is what a vampire has; or another example, a vegetarian vampire struggles with bloodlust, symbolizing a human's struggle with wanting to do the right thing, but having internal conflict with his or her emotions, such as with an affair.
  8. That's definitely the cringe-inducing part for me. At least they poke fun of themselves a little in this one. This is somewhat true, and also a laughable part. There are many scenes of shirtless, ripped men. But I think of it as helpful to inspire me to hit the gym.
  9. I was not aware of the statistics, so good point. Regardless, I will keep what I consider my humorous option. Btw, I did see the movie. I would say I saw it with my girlfriend, but I wouldn't want to be disingenuous to you all; I would have seen the movie anyway if she didn't want to. I was tempted to dress as a werewolf because dressing up as something and going out in public is fun. On the one hand I find parts of the Twilight craze to be cringe-inducing and immature, but I feel the story overall has many classic, symbolic elements that numerous people can relate to; such is a factor I appreciate finding anywhere in the fantasy genre, whether or not people feel that story is "tainted" by popular culture or "preserved" in niche, elite circles. I would also like to anecdotally note that though I had heard reports of theaters on opening day being filled more often by those of the estrogen persuasion, when I went, a couple days later, I found several men, no particular outnumbering of gender going on. I figured the more dedicated wave, probably of females, passed through the screening as soon as possible, and by the time I got in with my friends, it was more of a normal crowd.
  10. Share your coloured opinions of the Twilight series below, including the movie if you've seen it.
  11. I think it's great that alcohol has health benefits. And I think it's funny that they would assume such terrible things about us in the article, "But these [studies] are often misinterpreted by people looking for a health reason to consume alcohol."
  12. This game made me laugh. I stayed up too late tonight and in a lapse of boredom and obsessiveness, decided to get to the finish line. I employed the method Hell Kitty and Kaftan alluded to above. Holding down W, and rhythmically pressing Q, using O to stabilize my head when needed. I never touched the P button. At this point I made it halfway. Pidesco was my inspiration. I feared I would not be able to get beyond the obstacle, but the method of relentless knee-ankle hopping I used seemed to bounce me over enough to continue. Almost to the promised land of 100 meters. I should be asleep. At 100 meters one finds a sign that says "Jump". I would do no such thing, as I didn't want to risk falling on my head at the very end. Instead I continued the shallow thigh powered hopping on my knee and ankle. Victory was sweet. Now I'm going to bed.
  13. Blank

    Dollhouse

    I like when That was my favorite part.
  14. Similar to the first coat you posted. On the down side, this one might lack the quality, material, and/or middle belt you might want. On the plus side, it is about half the price, and looks like it's a little longer than the other. I don't know how you'd get it to your location though if it can only be shipped in the U.S.
  15. Glad you're out of jail, but I'm wondering how this changes the business deals established earlier. You know, inflation hasn't stopped since you were in the slammer.

  16. I was in a safe area on my run. The cold, crisp air was pleasant, and I felt a lot better afterward. I think my exercise would be more efficient if I got into a program or schedule of running and other exercises.
  17. You guys have inspired me to go on a 2am run right now. I'll tell you how it was later.
  18. Maybe that you have a purpose, and you will love or hate your purpose-giver depending on your actions, whether toward the purpose or against it. Or maybe that something you have given purpose to will love you or hate you depending on its actions, for your purpose or against it.
  19. I thought I'd add an interesting parallel to the Bible, as if I had this dream I would assume it spoke about my faith. In this passage we have Paul rebutting people who blame God for making them one way or another.
  20. I've got a way of knowing when something is right

    I feel like I must have known you in another life

    Cause I felt this deep connection when you looked in my eyes

    Now I can't wait to see you again

  21. You know how after you eat Captain Crunch and there is this nasty film on the top of your mouth that doesn't come off until you brush your teeth? Then you forget to brush your teeth and go to work, and then I feel this nasty film all day on my upper palate. I hate my life.

  22. So I picked up a copy, as I am a shooter fan. Overall I like the game, as I liked the other Halos. The developers didn't break a great working formula, and there were some interesting additions and changes to the story and gameplay. The story takes a slightly different approach than the other Halo games. Instead of being a genetically enhanced super-soldier, you are simply a well-trained special operations soldier. Instead of traveling to ringworlds and alien locales, the action takes place primarily in some good-looking landscapes of a futuristic earth. Half the campaign, you play at night, as a rookie spec-ops soldier who was separated from the rest of his team, having just regained consciousness after a orbital drop. He slowly pieces together their story by finding artifacts in the city. When players find an artifact, they are transported to the time earlier in the day to play out some of the story as a fellow squadmate the rookie is separated from. Eventually players see how events unfold to the current moment, the rookie trying to reunite with the squad. If you loved the other Halo games, do not be alarmed. These are all healthy digressions from the normal model of the games. I could see how running around the city looking for artifacts might get annoying after a while for some people, but usually there are enough enemies interspersed in the areas to keep things interesting, and a map system with sandbox choices in searching for artifacts might keep some happy. There's also a graphic novelish side-story players can puzzle together. Playing the campaign co-operatively has always been a strength for the Halo games, and I had fun going through the game with my brother. Characters in the game are voiced by some familiar actors you might know from Firefly: Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk. So the voice-acting had some talent in my opinion, although some of the lines can be poorly written at times. Overall, for an FPS, I thought the acting and plotline were usually on par with the current day successes in those areas, e.g. Bioshock. I thought the musical score was delightful. From a noir-P.I.-of-the-future style of sound, to the orchestra crescendos Halo fans would be familiar with from the other games. The gameplay also differs from the other Halos in some slight ways. First, because the player's character is human, movement is somewhat slower, and jumps are somewhat shorter (I would know, because I played Halo 3 much). Along with the health issues I'll discuss later, these features cause players to take cover more often and force them to plan out movement more deliberately in battle. Second, the battle rifle is mysteriously gone, but I find it joyfully replaced with a pistol akin to Halo 1's 2x zoom butt-kicking hand cannon. It has less power per bullet than Halo 1's, but has a 4x zoom and it shoots much faster. I really enjoy this additional gun. The Submachine gun from Halo 2 and 3 is replaced with a suppressed, somewhat recoil-modulated, and 2x scoped one. I also feel like the gun shoots more accurately than the other game's versions, but I have yet to compare. Third, the player-character's suit has an infrared/shape-outline vision that helps tremendously in the darker, nighttime settings of the game. Fourth, because the character's suit is not a Spartan one, there are no shields. Instead, a stamina/health system is used. The stamina aspect is similar to Call of Duty or Gears of War, depending on the difficulty (on legendary, your stamina is done usually after being shot once or twice). The health system is similar to Halo 1's conventional health bar. Once the stamina is gone, your screen is reddened, and any additional damage takes away from a health bar. This is where I found my most hated aspect of the game: a beeping noise any time the player's health is not a 100% bar. Wow, I cannot stress how annoying this beeping is. *Boink* *Boink* *Boink* *Boink*... This part of the game is worse than the invasive semi-cutscenes of Cortana and the Gravemind in Halo 3 during the campaign. It is worse because it also takes place during the multiplayer aspect of the game. Which leads me to fifth: firefight. The best comparison of this is Gears of War 2's horde mode. Waves of enemies get dropped into a map of choice at mounting degrees of difficulty, but the difference is that gameplay gets altered (easter-egg skull alterations for those familiar with Halo) every few waves, rounds, and sets. My only disappointment about this multiplayer setting is that only 4 players can play together at a time, which is surely less than the normal 16 players for Halo's multiplayer . I know there are technical/hardware issues with having too many players at once, but seriously, I at least expected 6 players, like Gears' Horde mode. The game comes with an extra disc containing all of Halo 3's multiplayer options, including all online downloads and updates ever made for the game. That would be a nice addition, but I think it is to be expected so as to not make people angry for having to buy a $60 game that could be accused as a Halo 3.75 expansion instead of a separate, full game. I'm not bashing the developers. I'm sure they worked their butts off to make the game. I'm just saying they are charging for a full-priced game, so they are expected by people to make it a worthwhile purchase juxtaposed to the last game. I think the Beta-invite to Halo: Reach, the next game being developed in the series, might help alleviate critics too. Lastly, the shotgun is still crap at mid-range. I'm sick of this misrepresentation of shotguns. A military shotgun would do significant damage to a human being who is simply 20 feet away. Halo 1's shotgun was more realistic to me, as it's supposed to be a shotgun from the future, and it could do what I expected at mid-range. Yet, in Halo 2, 3, and ODST, the weapon is only effective at 5 feet, after which the spread seems to widen into infinite. Weaksauce. I'm done now. Share your opinions/reviews too if you feel like it.
  23. I liked that. Good find.
  24. Do you have the swine flu? Because my mom says then I can't come over and play.

  25. Im a pretty pragmatic guy, I might throw my keys in the basket... if she had any money. But she doesnt, so.. I guess these wild oats will remain untamed. I think you should trade your pragmatism for romantic idealism and put your rubber ducky in the tub if you and her fall in love, regardless of money.
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