BruceVC

Interesting, where you going to be living in EU ? I assume you working for a different company in the EU than the company in Oz? You really are global citizen, I dont know anyone who has lived and worked in so many countries and is comfortable doing it That type of freedom must be great

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/11/ghana-to-botswana-why-african-voters-are-throwing-out-ruling-parties There is an understandable tendency to focus on the negative stories in Africa but as I often maintain the reality of Africa is a mixed bag of progress and erosion, success and failure And lately there have been several really positive election outcomes where elections were free and fair or the incumbent party accepted the loss and there was a peaceful transfer of power and this includes Namibia, Ghana and Botswana Its not so much about leadership change but rather free and fair elections that are accepted as credible and legitimate for citizens and for investors We have seen a disappointing reality of military coups in places like Mali and Niger and this type of authoritarian leadership just ensures less accountability and very little changes for citizens who grapple with massive economic and societal problems within these countries So even though it may seem arbitrary free and fair elections matter in the context of Africa and its transformation projects As I always say Democracy may not be perfect but its still the most effective and most sustainable system of government compared to others. And this applies to most countries with the exception of China or several ME countries which dont have a historical resonance around Democracy so its not as important or required to have a well run country

It never ceases to amaze me how selective people throughput the world become when it comes to revisionist history when it suits there ideological or political views

About 60 hours into Underrail and its still going exceptionally well I havent been to Core City yet and Im on level 15, I just completed the Beast quest in the Foundry. Great quest and I have now completed most of the side quests and I will going to Core City when I hit level 16 What I do is explore side tunnels and lower tunnels and get XP like that and you often come across Easter Eggs through exploring like the Hanging Rat pub I was looking up how many people work at Stygian software and its looks like a tiny number, 2 developers https://rocketreach.co/stygian-software-management_b72b3e40c44c5428 And then 5 if you count the artists https://stygiansoftware.com/about.html I would never have believed such an entertaining and brilliantly mechanically designed game would have only 5 staff members? Does anyone know confirmed staff numbers, is this accurate?

Modding is very limited which is a dealbreaker for me I like the idea of gamepass but it has these types of understandable constraints

Moving to Europe? Are you leaving Oz, what about your citizenship Did I miss this update?

Is that price in dollars or Euros?

You dont go around referring to any women in public as a "biological women", in a social environment you not going to ask any women you meet " are you a biological women " Its a technical term because of this ongoing debate. And the definition should be clear, a biological women is capable of having children. Of course some women cant have children for the reasons you mentioned but that doesnt change the obvious physiological differences between men and women and the real differences is the ability to have children. Thats the basic genetic reason how most species exist, women can have children and men cant But thats not the same debate as respecting someone's view to be referred to as a women and treated as a women but that doesn't make them a biological women unless they can have children? You seem to be conflating the culture wars debate with this technical debate? Im not talking about the personal reference. Trans people have every right to want to be referred to as women, I have no issue with that as I explained And then Im confused with your sports point, if an intersex athlete has elevated testosterone compared to other women who compete in the same event do you support them taking HRT to reduce there levels of natural testosterone? Because you say " let women play sport with women " and that does mean they should take HRT if required so its fair?

What has surprised me is how many people seem to be fine with this killing? I can understand the frustration and anger towards the medical aid industry but killing people in the streets is not going to change anything in the industry Why stop there, lets go around killing politicians and bank CEO?

Why we beating the " Assad is bad " horse Gee I dont know, maybe because his entire regime collapsed in 5 days when his Russian and Iranian allies didnt support him and his own army had to defend him Its not that hard to define effective and popular leadership when an advancing army can achieve the results in such a short time ? Add to that the oppressive and brutal nature of his government and it shouldnt be that difficult to understand the "Assad is bad " for Syria

What you talking about, I always maintained that Assad lacked legitimacy as a leader and Syria became a failed state under his leadership since the Arab Spring 2011 and its outcome I have been very consistent with that view

I want to have this debate with you and I welcome others views because the debate about Transgender rights is not going away and it manifests in our societies in different ways and its motivated from a wide range of reasons that go from bigoty to genuine concern around fairness in women sports events I will summarize my views on this and then if you can comment and agree\disagree that would be appreciated Firstly there are 2 main talking points around this and both these points sometimes get hijacked from people on the left and right to suit there own agendas but that doesnt change the legitimacy of both these 2 talking points First point is the whole US culture war debate that includes things like the pronouns debate. Do you believe that there is a valid definition as a biological female ? Its a loaded question because its easy to say "what do you mean by a biological female " ? And to me thats obvious, a biological women is capable of having children But thats not the same as someone wanting to be defined as a women because thats a gender reference based on what a person believes or they identify with and I support that. If I met you in RL and I know you a man but you explained to me you want me to refer to you as a female I would have no issue with that But that doesn't make you biological female. 2% of the world population are born with intersex traits and then gender dysphoria is a reality and I will always support how people want me to personally identify with them But for me the term " biological female " is not a dog-whistle in any of our Democratic societies , it should be an absolute agreed on definition for everyone. But that doesnt mean you cant recognize and respect someone's personal reference around gender if they want to be called a women And then sports is the second talking point and this is a different debate because its about fairness for women and everyone competing fairly If Trans athletes are taking HRT I assume that lowers the levels of elevated testosterone that many Trans athletes would have? If so then there is no reason they cant compete in womens events Because thats my only concern, the elevated testosterone I made a post in 2019 about Caster Semenya but back in those days she didnt want to take HRT and there was legitimate criticism about how she had an advantage compared to other women in the events she competed in I have included the original post I made below, if you can through it that would be great so you can understand my view in this specific South African story But to summarize from the link below "Her intersex trait means she has elevated, natural testosterone compared to other women. this is not her fault as she was born like this. We measure natural testosterone in the human body on nanomoles/liter. Women have between 0.12-1.79 nanomoles/liter and men after puberty have 7.7-29.4 nanomoles/liter Caster has over 5 nanomoles/liter and this means elevated testosterone so the IAAF ruling wants her take medication to reduce her nanomoles/liter to below 5 " But the main point Im making around sports is there is no reason that any Trans athlete should not be able to compete in female events if there testosterone levels are in the same range as other women but in Casters case it was more than double than any level a women could have and thats not fair or right

I never noticed you raise the obvious failed state of Syria under Assad when it was a staunch Russian and Iranian ally? And these government failures were a contributing factor around the predicted overthrow of Assad But now you dont have much faith in the future of the country? Interesting what motivates you to be "concerned "

Hows your maps doing Comrade, is Aleppo still resisting

Lets wait and see, based on everything I have seen on Al-Jazeera from numerous Syrians and commentators there was complete frustration and lack of belief that Assad had any legitimacy especially since the last 5-6 years and how things in Syria have just got worse This is evident not just around the collapse of his army, it is about what the citizens of the country and in exile think If you have access to Al-Jazeera watch it for an hour or so to see what I mean I think you underestimating just how unpopular Assad had become But you right, Syria could become Afghanistan v.2 I am hoping it doesn't and the new government delivers on a better Syria for its citizens Outside of that objective this leadership change is a massive blow mostly to Iran and weakens Russias influence in the ME but thats not my main concern or interest Millions of Syrians are living in refugee camps, I would like them to return home and the country to start being functional again Lots of work to be done

Probably end up in Iran?

Yes its a terrible and completely unexpected outcome A failed state in the ME propped up by Russia and Iran that didnt deliver on any political or economic reforms to the majority of its citizens despite numerous commitments and promises gets overthrown. What a surprise UNSC resolution 2254 was adopted by UNSC members way back in 2015 I watched an interview on Al-Jazeera last night with Lavrov and he claimed this was the resolution that Russia "supports " and believes in and was the basis for the Astana talks "Within 18 months, free and fair elections would be held under U.N. supervision. The political transition would be Syrian-led. The UN Resolution 2254 was invoked by Iran, Russia and Turkey as the legal basis for the political process required to solve the Syrian conflict, at the first round of the Astana Talks in January 2017 " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_2254 It sounds great to hear Russia talk about supporting this type of UNSC resolution in Syria except when Assad did nothing over the last 5-6 years to create a new inclusive Constitution or have an election within Syria because he doesnt care and his only concern was staying in power And Russia could have and should have much more to pressure Assad to deliver on this resolution. We dont know the future of Syria but Im more than happy to give a new government a chance At the moment anything is better than Assad and the collapse of the Syrian army and popular support for HTS from most Syrians is evidence of this

Talk shows are great but they tend to represent a segment of any society who listen and participate by phoning in So you dont want to assume what people say on any talk show is necessarily what the majority of people listening think or what the general population think. Its sometimes just the views on a particular topic which is not widespread

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-832323 Its look like Iran has started evacuating its personnel from Syria "The report also cited prominent Iranian analyst Mehdi Rahmati, who claimed that Syria's army doesn't want to fight, and that the Islamic Republic doesn't want to fight as "advisory and support" despite their previous backing and military support to Assad. He also said that Syria is unmanageable for the Islamic Republic - even through military operations. Iran has used Syria as a I route to supply weapons to Hezbollah in the country's west. " I would find it strange if Iran gave up on Assad considering the significant importance Iranian proxies play in the region for Iran but Iran also has a much bigger concern, after 7 October war with Israel is more likely than ever so the current Iranian government would be considering its own survival and they wouldnt want to dilute there military too much to help the failed government of Assad

Thats a reassuring interview and I like what he is saying "Inside rebel-controlled territory in Syria, it’s clear he operates less like a wanted man and more like a politician. After forces loyal to him took control of Aleppo, he made a public appearance in the city’s historic citadel. Jolani says he has gone through episodes of transformation through the years. “A person in their twenties will have a different personality than someone in their thirties or forties, and certainly someone in their fifties. This is human nature. Jolani’s interview with CNN on Thursday was an about-face from the hardline rhetoric that he used during his first-ever televised interview in 2013, when he was interviewed by Al Jazeera with his face in shadow. At the time, his remarks were focused on furthering al Qaeda’s branch in Syria. On Thursday, Jolani projected a different vision for the war-torn country. In a sign of his attempted rebranding, he also publicly used his real name for the first time – Ahmed al-Sharaa – instead of the nom de guerre by which he is widely known. " They clearly want understandable Western recognition and to change the narrative they are a terrorist organisation Im cautiously optimistic and I hope they continue on this path of wanting to be seen as legitimate

Yes the Russians made a big difference by bombing Aleppo and other cities to the ground from miles up in the air or using artillery The Russians are very effective at airpower and launching missiles at civilian infrastructure and they very good at cannon-fodder and meatgrinder strategies to gain ground But dont underestimate the ground troops contribution that both Iran and Hezbollah provided in the last Syrian war, they ended up playing a huge part in the land offensive once Aleppo had been bombed back to the stone age And thats whats lacking in this latest offensive from Assad's perspective. The Russians will still bomb but it remains to see how much Iran and Hezbollah can change the tide

Yes this is a good point, DeSantis is clearly motivated to become the next GOP presidential nomination and everything he decides will be influenced by this

Its interesting and complicated whats happening in Syria and its influenced by several different geopolitical realities and history But we also know how the term terrorist group gets defined but its selective around how people accept it. Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US and I consider them a terrorist group but lots of people opposed to Israel for different reasons consider Hamas freedom fighters who are fighting against an oppressive and "Apartheid" Israel And then the incorrect comparison gets used with the real struggle against Apartheid in South Africa and a legitimate argument gets made similar to " was the ANC and Mandela really terrorists " For me Mandela was a terrorist in the technical definition of terrorism which is using violence to achieve a political change but because the Apartheid state was never a legitimate government, it didnt represent all citizens in the country, I dont consider him a terrorist and the ANC did fight against an oppressive and unsustainable type of government Syria is more complicated but I try to keep it simple Assad had a choice when the early Arab Spring protests started, he could have avoided the war by allowing inclusion and more political and economic representation of all Syrians and allowing something as simple as a free and fair election . As your link mentions " Pedersen added that there had been "a collective failure to bring about a genuine political process" to implement UN Security Council resolution 2254, which was passed in 2015. That laid out a roadmap for peace, with the principle in the text that “the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria”. The objective was a future shaped by free elections and a new constitution. But that meant Assad and his family giving up a country that they treated for years as their personal fief. More than half a million dead attest to their determination not to let that happen." But he refused and decided to stay in power and unleash the full might of his military on his citizens and the civil war started Then Iran, Russia and Hezbollah intervened and kept him power by helping to defeat the rebels\insurgency\militants\extremists But he could have avoided all of this And yet he has failed to change much in Syria both politically or economically since the civil war ended in most parts of country He is truly a reprehensible leader who only cares about one thing, staying in power at the expense of whats best for his country so this latest uprising was almost guaranteed I dont think there is an alliance between Israel and Turkey\rebels around this latest insurrection but I do think the rebels were motivated by what has happened since 7 October where Israel has vastly weakened and eroded Iran and Hezbollah in the region and they taking advantage of that. Russia is also deeply mired militarily in Ukraine so there additional support is questionable Israel's current biggest security concern would be Iran and its proxies and since Assad is considered a staunch ally of Iran they would support him being overthrown And this calculus would be because of 7 October which has obviously had a huge influence around Israel geopolitical views in the ME

Its interesting and complicated whats happening in Syria and its influenced by several different geopolitical realities and history But we also know how the term terrorist group gets defined but its selective around how people accept it. Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US and I consider them a terrorist group but lots of people opposed to Israel for different reasons consider Hamas freedom fighters who are fighting against an oppressive and "Apartheid" Israel And then the incorrect comparison gets used with the real struggle against Apartheid in South Africa and a legitimate argument gets made similar to " was the ANC and Mandela really terrorists " For me Mandela was a terrorist in the technical definition of terrorism which is using violence to achieve a political change but because the Apartheid state was never a legitimate government, it didnt represent all citizens in the country, I dont consider him a terrorist and the ANC did fight against an oppressive and unsustainable type of government Syria is more complicated but I try to keep it simple Assad had a choice when the early Arab Spring protests started, he could have avoided the war by allowing inclusion and more political and economic representation of all Syrians and allowing something as simple as a free and fair election . As your link mentions " Pedersen added that there had been "a collective failure to bring about a genuine political process" to implement UN Security Council resolution 2254, which was passed in 2015. That laid out a roadmap for peace, with the principle in the text that “the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria”. The objective was a future shaped by free elections and a new constitution. But that meant Assad and his family giving up a country that they treated for years as their personal fief. More than half a million dead attest to their determination not to let that happen." But he refused and decided to stay in power and unleash the full might of his military on his citizens and the civil war started Then Iran, Russia and Hezbollah intervened and kept him power by helping to defeat the rebels\insurgency\militants\extremists But he could have avoided all of this And yet he has failed to change much in Syria both politically or economically since the civil war ended in most parts of country He is truly a reprehensible leader who only cares about one thing, staying in power at the expense of whats best for his country so this latest uprising was almost guaranteed I dont think there is an alliance between Israel and Turkey\rebels around this latest insurrection but I do think the rebels were motivated by what has happened since 7 October where Israel has vastly weakened and eroded Iran and Hezbollah in the region and they taking advantage of that. Russia is also deeply mired militarily in Ukraine so there additional support is questionable Israel's current biggest security concern would be Iran and its proxies and since Assad is considered a staunch ally of Iran they would support him being overthrown And this calculus would be because of 7 October which has obviously had a huge influence around Israel geopolitical views in the ME

Yeah, without the previous degrees of support from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah things are not looking good for Assad Hopefully he falls this time but its too early to predict