BruceVC

I played BT1 as part of the BT Trilogy about 18 months ago, I have yet to play 2&3 I enjoyed BT1, its definitely a CRPG and should be judged on that fairly. The combat is repetitive most of the time but I enjoyed the combat mechanics. And I was also grateful for the Automap, I have no appetite for making my own maps I am planning on tackling BG2 sometime in the future

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/04/economy/monthly-jobs-report-preview-july/index.html The US has added 530k jobs in July, double what analysts were predicting. It really doesnt look like the Western sanctions on Russia is going to destroy the US economy

I have some bad news, I am in JHB till the 11/12 August for work so I am not gaming till I get back to CPT. Which means my "Saga of the Sword Coast " chronicles will be paused till then On Thursday and my last BG1 session I did complete the Cloakwood Mines and found some very useful items, the narrative is also becoming clearer. The nefarious forces behind the scenes will soon be revealed I am now on my way to BG and I have loads of money so it should be eventful and rewarding. I also found some underground tunnels inhabited by Ankhegs and once I killed them I am getting some Ankheg armor made in Beregost for my 2 x fighters which are Khalid and Kivan...this armor should be very useful in future battles

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prey_2022 Prey has received mostly favorable reviews and Im glad. I always thought it was going to be excellent based on the trailer and the unique setting I also rejected the whole " its bad because its woke " card because we shouldnt assume every movie nowadays with a female character is an example of wokeness You can only comment on something like a movie objectively when you have watched it. I plan to watch it later this week

Yes I do agree that Taiwan does contribute importantly towards parts of the global economy like semiconductors

And as usual these wont be the countries that can make the biggest and most significant difference to war or trade war with China Only the US can realistically challenge and change Chinas direction in war and regional hegemony . But its allies like Oz, SK and Japan will support the US But Gorthfuscious remember we wont to avoid wars\trade wars that destabilize the global economy unless absolutely necessary like an invasion of Oz Can you imagine how all our economies would suffer in a real war between China and the US with most of the West, like the EU, supporting the US? If you think the global inflation after the lockdowns was bad this would make that look like Mickey Mouse

I know China wants to invade\re-unify Taiwan , I was being sarcastic Thats why this Chinese outrage from Pelosi's visit and it " leading to a Chinese invasion " from some is just theater because China has been saying this for decades It will happen in the next 20 years but I dont think its worth the US\West going to war over it or a massive economic trade war. I dont think its worth it, Ukraine is different because its about the destabilization of the EU and an indirect attack on Western ideology Taiwan is not like that

You think there are Nazi and Nuke in Taiwan as well? It wouldnt surprise me, they tend to get around What about NATO, I heard Taiwan wants to join. China was never ever going to invade Taiwan but now because of Pelosi's visit they must invade. What other choice do they have, its provoked 101

Yes we did discuss Sinema but the reality is I am much more supportive of Manchin, I have listened to him on numerous occasions and he always comes across as reasonable and sincere about why he votes the way he does and why he supports or opposes certain bills To summarize his views, he doesnt get involved in culture wars or populist rhetoric. He respects Biden but also considers most of the Republicans his political friends, different to real friends, and not enemies in the sense he acknowledges the future of the US is about bipartisan agreements and both the left and right compromising on certain policies Here is a link that is an audio of the latest interview Jake Trapper on CNN had with Manchin, just listen to 7 minutes from minute 2 to understand why I like Manchin https://edition.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/state-of-the-union-with-jake-tapper/episodes/64e89250-f490-44de-88b2-aee3010ca9ee

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/02/politics/senate-vote-burn-pits/index.html Some good news and an example of Congress working together to get meaningful legalization done , the long awaited veterans burn bill has been passed by the Senate Its very important that governments look after there veterans and this bill is an example of that

I understand. This is one of those debates where we can agree to disagree, until the next one

Sorry I got distracted yesterday and didnt respond. I want to be clear on your point so I dont make an unnecessary response Are you saying the Western media response to monkeypox is racist or the actual government response in Western countries is racist?

From an African perspective and specifically SA it wouldnt have made a difference. During the time before anti-retroviral drugs HIV was causing real carnage and our government at the time, 2005-2009, had an ostensibly ill-conceived and misinformed policy that somehow healthy eating can prevent HIV or rather the development of AIDS The US anti-retroviral drugs are also supplied inexpensively to SA and they are free for people with a certain CD4 counts below 350. https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/southafrica/what/antiretroviral-treatment.htm

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/kansas-2022-primary-election-results-024200093.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall A interesting vote in Kansas around abortion and its going to be pro-choice that wins, to quote It was the first popular vote on abortion rights in nearly 50 years -- and the first since the demise of Roe v. Wade. In reversing Roe in June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion should be left to individual states. A "yes" vote to approve the Kansas amendment would have effectively overridden a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling and would have cleared the way for GOP super-majorities in the Kansas legislature to enact more stringent abortion restrictions. I wonder how much the overturning of R vs W could change the political fortunes of some of the failed policies of the Democrats? Will this matter in the midterms? It will be the Republicans fault if this does change things because they were set for a resounding victory, exciting times

She is brave, I wouldnt have gone to Taiwan now. Wait to Putins War is over and the global inflation has subsided then make these types of political statements

Woah, you using whiteness. Thats deep, what did I say?

You being honest and I appreciate that I do care about other countries and I want them to be stable and prosperous and the citizens happy because then there will be much less illegal immigration. But its governments of every country in the world that are responsible for this, its not the responsibility of other countries unless self-interests are threatened like Putins War and the destabilization of Ukraine. This has a direct impact to the stability of the EU so the EU and the West will care

Elerond !!! Stop being racist to Danish people, @Gorth Elerond is suggesting we name a virus after your country, aren't you outraged

Yes, there is a vociferous and global "anti-drone " view in the world which is well meaning by some and then based on badly informed and naïve views from others. On this forum we have had some anti-drone views. The global anti-drone view was common until other countries outside the US started using drones and then suddenly drones were okay Here is a link that summarizes this anti-drone view https://www.listland.com/10-reasons-the-u-s-should-stop-using-drones-in-warfare/#:~:text=Drones should be banned because they disguise human,they often use them on their own people.

Impressive, it was a very strategic killing. If its true its good to know this can be used in the future

https://news.yahoo.com/us-carries-operation-al-qaeda-215802129.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall Justice to 9/11 and AQ victims, the current leader of AQ has been killed in Afghanistan by a strategic US drone strike @Gfted1 we have been vindicated again about the usefulness of drones

A couple of things you not aware of about this outrage about the name monkeypox Firstly I should have been clearer, my first paragraph wasnt framed correctly. You right it doesnt make sense. I will go into more detail. When monkeypox was first seen in " white, rich " countries (as you frame it ) the initial photos of what it looks like were only of black people. So in SA there was the normal race card and knee -jerk reaction from some black people and other commentators of other races who said things like " this disease isnt even an African disease, its a white disease that Europeans\Americans are experiencing. These photos are clearly racist and biased and suggesting that only black people can get it and the monkey name is racist " These responses as usual were not based on any facts or understanding of this disease because firstly the only reason the photos were of black people is because it was initially only found in Africa so thats why most of the photos are of black people. But as we all know and more importantly any disease can effect any race. So the photos should have been irrelevant because thats not the point of how the disease spreads and its symptoms Secondly Africa has got its own media houses, WHO Africa and Africa CDC. The reality that none of them highlighted this disease, now they are, is not the fault of the media houses in " white, rich " countries. Again to repeat the point, the Western media is not responsible to update Africa about diseases that are spreading within Western countries And finally who are these people that should care? Governments will focus on developments within there country and its the WHO that is considered authoritative when it comes to global pandemics. And they are doing that now with monkeypox But as Zora said there are several uniquely African diseases that are not normally seen outside Africa. Africa WHO and CDC are responsible to inform Africa about this and we dont hear any outrage about this from people outside of Africa when people dont know about these diseases like most of us in SA had never heard of monkeypox or its origins But if malaria became mainstream in the US I can guarantee you the US media would highlight this So in summary the suggestion that monkeypox is a racist name is uninformed and ignores the history of this disease and how its spreading throughout the world

But people have a right to protest peacefully. Are you suggesting we start shutting down or penalizing protesters because we dont like the theme or message of the protest?

No thats not accurate, monkeypox origin is Africa and its been around since the 1960's and it is well known to epidemiologists and virologists who study viruses There are lots of diseases that none of us know about because they haven't been experienced in our country so when monkeypox started being seen in Europe and US the Western media would naturally report on it because its a real disease After Corona and the fact we live in a globally connected world I would think that any argument that a diseases is unique to an area is moot when that disease starts spreading The most important point is not creating outrage about a name that is 70 years old but rather how do we treat it and how infectious is it

My journeys continue in the " saga of the Sword Coast " Im deep in the Cloakwood Forest and having Imoen and detect traps is a huge benefit around avoiding spider web traps I also had an epic final battle around my Vienxay mod NPC quest which culminates in the Cloakwood Forest where you confront her former mistress, Luna, a powerful Shadowmage and her apprentices. Very hard to defeat Luna with all her summoning spells and apprentices so I had to be strategic I used Silence 15 Radius on her to stop her casting more spells after the initial spells and then used my Wand of Fear to confuse her summoned elementals and then I ran away and she chased me but her apprentices stayed behind because they were using shadow magic But once I separated Luna from the group I was able to kill her and then I returned to kill the rest I am about to enter the Cloakwood Mines, exciting times