kgambit

Wals, reread the experts quotes again, particularly the 2nd and 3rd ones I listed. They did not say that the rockets could not have been fired by the rebels. *I* am the one that claims that almost all the evidence points against it. The delivery systems do look similar (multiple launch tubes) but the rockets themselves are different, particularly the tail end assembly. On the other hand, there have been no credible reports that the rebels have used either the M14 (140mm rockets) or the 330 mm systems. Yes I'll concede that the 122mm systems are common terrorist fodder particularly in gaza, but not the others and the experts are fairly firm that these are M14 140 mm rockets and the large 330mm rockets but not the 122mm versions. And there has never been one solitary piece of evidence that the rebels possess anything even remotely similar to the Falaq-2 330 mm rocket system. Without that, I would probably concede that the delivery system doesn't likely prove much. The 330 mm rockets change that. The issue of the quality of the Sarin gas is key as well. Again it points to something other than a quick and dirty in-the-field brew up or even a cottage industry manufacture. Something that is likely to be beyond the scope of the rebels. I think you might find the following links interesting: http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-detailed-summary-of-evidence-on.html http://rogueadventurer.com/2013/08/29/alleged-cw-munitions-in-syria-fired-from-iranian-falaq-2-type-launchers/ Of particular note is that the larger 330mm munition is typically fired from an Iranian Falaq-2 launcher - which the Syrian government is known to have purchased. The Falaq-2 is a relatively recent design compared to the BM21 / BM14 systems. Again, the rebels are not known to possess anything like it. In the second link above, there is a video showing a launch of a falaq-2 330mm rocket likely being supervised by elements of the Syrian Republican Guard and the 155th Brigade, 4th Armoured Division, which is closely aligned with the Republican Guard. Both units are commanded by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad. The 155th Brigade’s base is close to Mezzeh airport. Which is at the approximate range and bearing of the southern most attack sites. Again a full analysis of trajectory data will help pinpoint the launching sites, but the range and direction are about right. Say what you will, I have maintained from the beginning that this was done by Assad and every new piece of evidence points reinforces that. The quality of the Sarin samples is the latest bit of the puzzle. The Assad apologists have not provided a single scrap of credible evidence to prove it was the rebels. @ Morgoth, Wow thanks. That's the first time I've ever seen a picture of 3 Horses a$$es at the same time - especially with 2 on the back of a 3rd. @Bruce You're right, It won't change anything unless Assad uses them again or he stalls on destroying them.

Rays up 6-2 thru 5; Garza pulled after 4.1 ..... looks like Game 1 to the Rays

Tampa has been limping home but the Rangers are on life-support ....lol Schedule favors the Indians I think ..... Cleveland has 3 against KC, 4 against Houston, 2 against CHW, then finish with 4 against Minn Rays has 4 against Texas, 4 against Baltimore and then 3 each against the Yankees and Toronto Texas has 4 against the Rays, 3 against KC and Houston, then 4 against LAA Texas needs to at least split with Tampa

Cute Kitten speaks for all Rangers Fans with regards to the 2013 season

We want to support custom portraits and make it very easy for players to drop in whatever they want. We're still playing around with portrait sizes but right now they're around 660x850 on the character/inventory screen and get downsampled for use on other parts of the GUI. Thanks Josh. Jpeg or TGA or other?

UN Report on the August 18th attack is now available: http://www.un.org/disarmament/content/slideshow/Secretary_General_Report_of_CW_Investigation.pdf Highlights of the report: Confirmed usage of Sarin Gas The likelihood of the attacks being caused by friendly fire (i.e. chemical gas drift arising from unfriendly atmospheric conditions) is unlikely: The delivery systems are M-14 rocket artillery (possibly launched via the BM-14 MLRS) and 330 mm Rocket artillery - both of which are known to exist in Assad's inventory Rockets were launched from the Northwest - detailed analysis of the trajectories is underway in an attempt to pinpoint the launch locations The report does not directly blame either the Syrian government or the Syrian opposition for carrying out the attack. The quality of the samples indicated that this was likely NOT a cottage industry attack:

My only interest in the fulfillment site is to upgrade my late back pledge to go from digital to boxed copy which a very nice lady at Obsidian has assured me will be possible. So yeah, I just want to throw some more money at the project.

True but in fairness, I never felt any urgency in retrieving the water chip in Fallout and I don't even recall knowing about the time limit. Not the 150 day water chip time limit (that was extendable by another 100 days if you made the right choice) or the mutant attack timers for various locations (including the 400 or 500 day timer for the mutant attack at vault 13). Although those timers ultimately affected your ending, there was no indication that any of them were in effect (iirc) or the consequences for failing them. Sense of Urgency = 0. In fact, I believe that a couple of the area dependent timers were designed in and then subsequently cut from the original release version. Disclaimer: It has been a long time since I played Fallout so my memory might be a bit shaky. I agree that quests could be set up properly so that a timer might make sense. My dislike for them is not from a belief that they can not be designed properly I simply do not agree that installing an artificial sense of urgency on a single quest or two really is going to add anything to making the game more immersive. As you said, if you make the time constraints too loose, then there's no point in having them at all. And making them too severe is punitive imo. Disclaimer 2: QTEs excepted of course - I simply do not like them - at all. If the designers opt to make multiple quests time dependent, then the obvious game play workaround for players is to trigger each time dependent quest independently. Then there are no time conflicts since hopefully the designers have allowed sufficient time to complete each quest. I could be convinced otherwise but I just don't see the value of timed quests.

3 points and barely 200 yds allowed and 5 turnovers forced is a major beat down. I agree; those guys are scary good.

The suckers get pretty big. Over ten pounds easily, perhaps up to 15 to 20. I used to see them all the time when we lived in New Orleans. Nutria as a meat source? Already been tried a couple of times with minimal success. "Road Kill - it's what's for dinner ......"

It will if you enchant the heads with Magic Mouth spells. Intruders! Intruders! Call out the guards! You will even get a discount on insurance premiums from Lloyds of Dyrwood or Mutual of Valian. We now resume our regularly scheduled programming ..........

That's not "after you do the first upgrade" but as soon as you gain the stronghold. So the populace is already in place. If you have issues as to why the populace is already there, take it up with Tim, not me. I'm calling it now: You'll lead them there. Just like Moses led the Israelites into the Holy Land. You'll not only be their lord, you'll be their holy savior as well. The event in the beginning of the game is the complete destruction of their hometown. (Obsidian have learned from their time with Bethesda that one town always needs to burn.) Just saying, it's a possibility that's still out there. Only if I get to part an inland sea. Just think of the cinematics! Hmm on second thought, you won't be able to enter the keep for 40 years, and then you die when spot the stronghold .... that's really going to put a crimp in game play. I will just settle for being to able to conduct my own inquisition! What good is a prison if you can not lock up Heretics!?

Any idea on how it did on DVD sales? I saw one years figures that came in around 50,000 units (plus or minus) and slightly over 1 million $ but can't find any cumulative sales figures. There was a comment attributed to Whedon that said that the dvd sales figures weren't installing confidence that a sequel would fly commercially.

Why are you assuming that the keep is unoccupied before you are offered it? I can think of several scenarios for the stronghold before it becomes yours (feel free to flesh out any background info as you wish, these are only barebones ideas): the stronghold was recently governed by a heirless feudal lord who had died - you have been offered the keep (perhaps as a reward) the stronghold is occupied by a despot - a feudal lord who mistreats his populace - the populace pays taxes to the lord the stronghold is occupied by a bandit lord who is extorting the local populace in return for "protection" the stronghold is occupied by a group of cultists who are demanding sacrifices and gold from the local populace the stronghold is occupied by a group of intelligent monsters who demand tribute from the local populace the stronghold is occupied by a group of unintelligent monsters who make occasional forays to the local village tor "food" the stronghold is un-occupied and ruled through benign neglect the stronghold resides in an ungoverned area - the richness of the land has made it attractive to people who chose to settle in an area free from feudal governance the stronghold lies in a disputed border zone between two realms - each has a claim on the area but neither wants to risk claiming the area outright due to risk of war The first 5 scenarios would actually require clearing the keep of its current inhabitants before you take possession. The choice to assume management of it would still be optional. because the update stated "But the stronghold itself is old and dilapidated" , that is why. my immediate thought after reading that was that you would be offered a ruined and neglected stronghold that resides on land that has also been forgoten about. sure, maybe some rats or 'intelligent monsters' have moved in since its decay, but if that was the case id be asking "why is there a community surrounding a neglected stronghold housed by rodents, and why are they paying money to these rats to stay there?" i was speculating, as many people here are. i was curious as to why there was a commmunity there in the first place, or wether they inhibit the surrounding lands after you take ownership. there was no need to throw a bag of terrible ideas at me. also why do you assume there is a community there to begin with? do you know what "old and dilapidated" implies? i was speculating, you on the other hand are assuming. I didn't assume that the community was there; you mentioned it and more importantly, Tim Cain stated that the populace was there. Read the update again. I'll make it easy for you: look for the quote I've highlighted below. It's in the third paragraph under the Activities heading in case you are having trouble finding it. That's not "after you do the first upgrade" but as soon as you gain the stronghold. So the populace is already in place. If you have issues as to why the populace is already there, take it up with Tim, not me.

Yeah it sucks when a hitter gets a 90 foot pop fly up in one of those typhoon strength jet streams that let a ball carry 400+ feet.

Meh. Darvish loses his second straight 1-0 decision. Former major leaguer Wladimir Balentien hit his 56th and 57th home runs on Sunday, breaking the Japanese single-season record set by legendary slugger Sadaharu Oh 49 years ago.

Orders are nutria are to be shot on sight. Yeah they are huge pests in the gulf coast wetlands. They have voracious appetites and eat a lot of the coastal vegetation which controls erosion. There used to be a 5$ bounty per tail on them in Louisiana, (which I think was dropped to 4$). Texas used to have a similar program.

I think Joss Whedon retained the rights, so thankfully if it comes back, he'll be the one to do it. The cast was one of the major reasons it was so good though, so I doubt we'll see any sort of revival, and I'm ok with that. I'm not 100% sure but I don't think Whedon owns any of the broadcast rights. I think the rights to the franchise break down as follows: 20th Century Fox owns all the TV rights to anything Firefly/Serenity related and released the original 14 episodes of Firefly that aired in 2002 on DVD. IIRC, there was a proposed MMO video game that was to be developed by the Multiverse Network based on a license that they bought from 20th century fox in 2006. Universal Studios owns the movie rights to anything Firefly/Serenity related and released the movie "serenity" in theaters and, on DVD and VHS. Sci-Fi purchased the re-run rights from 20th Century Fox. I think Whedon might retain publishing rights related to novelizations and comics. I know that Dark Horse comics released a three comic mini series that bridged the gap between the film and the series. The lack of publicity was part of a factor in Firefly not garnering a better reception. The network also aired several episodes out of order which didn't help the continuity at all. The DVD set has them in the right sequence and the show flows a LOT better. I never understood the fascination with the series. I thought it was moderately interesting but severely overhyped. Oh I hated the intro theme music - it is the most grating piece of crap I've ever heard. I hit the mute button every time It played. I believe Whedon intended for that to be the pilot episode for the series but the network objected and made the train heist the first aired episode.

Why are you assuming that the keep is unoccupied before you are offered it? I can think of several scenarios for the stronghold before it becomes yours (feel free to flesh out any background info as you wish, these are only barebones ideas): the stronghold was recently governed by a heirless feudal lord who had died - you have been offered the keep (perhaps as a reward) the stronghold is occupied by a despot - a feudal lord who mistreats his populace - the populace pays taxes to the lord the stronghold is occupied by a bandit lord who is extorting the local populace in return for "protection" the stronghold is occupied by a group of cultists who are demanding sacrifices and gold from the local populace the stronghold is occupied by a group of intelligent monsters who demand tribute from the local populace the stronghold is occupied by a group of unintelligent monsters who make occasional forays to the local village tor "food" the stronghold is un-occupied and ruled through benign neglect the stronghold resides in an ungoverned area - the richness of the land has made it attractive to people who chose to settle in an area free from feudal governance the stronghold lies in a disputed border zone between two realms - each has a claim on the area but neither wants to risk claiming the area outright due to risk of war The first 5 scenarios would actually require clearing the keep of its current inhabitants before you take possession. The choice to assume management of it would still be optional.

Interesting article. Thanks for the link.

Rangers are pulling a repeat of last year - a season ending death spiral. The difference is that this year the spiral started MUCH sooner. This time last year the Rangers still had the best record in baseball. This year? They're 4 1/2 behind the A's with 16 to play and hanging onto a 2 1/2 game lead on the Indians for the wild card. The team's pitching is in the crapper and the hitting (until last nights 8th inning outburst) has been just as bad. Washington has over-worked the pen and now it's struggling too. I'm not optimistic.

Ahhhh, it's the Marion Jones defense! Or did Marion use the Barry Bonds Flaxseed oil defense? lol Bonds took the following: human growth hormone, Depo-Testosterone, undetectable steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear," insulin Clomid, the fertility drug that enhances the effect of testosterone; modafinil, an anti-narcolepsy drug used as a stimulant the steroid trenbolone. Those are all verified by drug tests and confirmed by purchase receipts. So either Bonds is tremendously naïve, stupid or is lying thru his teeth. The thing that stands out about 2004 is the 232 BB and the phenomenal 1.42 OPS. Nobody wanted to pitch to the dude. Look at his career stats thru 1999. 3 MVP awards (plus 4 others in the top 5), 10 All star appearances, 8 golden gloves,. He was routinely putting up 40 HR, 110 rbi, 0.300+ BA seasons. The guy was a cinch to get to 600 homers without doping and was a freaking lock for the Hall. I think you're parsing words over not telling the truth versus lying. But no matter. Maybe they did want to make an example of him. He still got off on all but one charge and still got a slap on the wrist. I'll agree that the HoF consequences are going to hurt a lot more to Barry. I'm not convinced he and Clemens get in. We'll see how the next vote turns out.

Season 1 of the US remake was really good. Kevin Spacey as US Senator from S.Carolina Frank Underwood is fantastic. Haven't watched the full BBC series, yet..

No this wasn't a freaking witch hunt. The 2003 grand jury that called Bonds to testify was not investigating Bonds at all, but rather BALCO and Greg Anderson. Bond's steroid use started before any MLB official testing and sanctions were in place. At the time of the grand jury MLB had just started instituting full drug testing with suspensions for failed tests so Bonds wasn't subject to any punishment for his prior use. (The official steroid testing program went into effect at about that time based on a steroid test survey that triggered a 5% threshold) So what persecution was there again? The only charges that could be levied against the witnesses testifying before the grand jury were for perjury or obstruction of justice. And guess what? Barry obliged them and got convicted. The obstruction charge carries a recommended sentence of 15 to 21 months. Bonds got off with a hand slap. Bond's performance fell off after MLB testing was implemented in 2003 and his hr totals dropped precipitously in 2006 and 2007 after missing the entire 2005 season. He was 42yo in 2007. His career was at an end. I keep forgetting that you seem to think that you get to choose which laws you get to obey and which ones you don't. Things don't work that way. Learn to deal with it. @Hurlshot There are a lot of things I think the US wastes money on that are far more trivial than this. But point taken. @Lefered The big difference between Williams and Bonds is that Williams never padded his stats by cheating. He never felt he had to. Bonds did so because he hated being deprived of the limelight by cheaters like Sosa and McGuire. Bonds was a stone cold lock for the Hall of Fame without doping. Now? He's probably a 50-50 shot.

Yes, Zoe Barnes who exhibits Maddy same preference for older men. Although as of the end of season 1 in the US version, there's been no indication that the spunky US female reporter will ultimately have a "falling out" with gravity. lol PS: Zoe Barnes is played by Kate Mara, who fans of American Horror Story will recognize as Hayden Maclaine - the emotionally unstable lover and student of Ben Harmon.