BruceVC

Thanks for explaining in a summary because now I understand what you saying But just to add an additional question, since we know we dont have accurate data on the illegal guns in the US and also the illegal import of guns into the US, like how Mexican cartels do smuggle guns into the US, we cannot ever say how many illegal guns exist in the various black markets So therefore legislators and citizens wont be able to ban legal guns because then you are denying the legitimate right of citizens to protect themselves. You can only do this in countries that dont have established black markets . Do you agree?

Im not sure I understand what point you making? But the most important reality and point I assume you making is " banning guns wont really stop the gun violence or mass shootings significantly because their is an established black market in the US where you can buy guns from " so all you do is prevent legitimate gun owners from protecting themselves from people armed with illegal guns when you want to ban guns We have the exact same issue in SA so I understand it

That was a very good trailer, I am glad you posted it. Initially I thought I wouldn't enjoy it but the " talk show " type commentary works really well and the humor was not annoying I am very intrigued by this game, please update us when you play the demo

Mamie please stop using big words....now I am really confused by your point but Zora is to blame because he started using big words when said " idiomatically". Everyone knows we dont use speak like that on a gaming forum

I loved that show when it first came out, the daughter was smoking hot ....I use to fantasize about " marrying " her all the time About 5 years ago I tried to watch reruns of the series, it just wasnt funny anymore .....its an old style of comedy and I just dont enjoy it. But it was great in its time like the Cosby Show and Fresh Prince of Bellair

Also this is the first time I have heard about it and I follow the SA news about the virus and its current impact. Of course I may have missed it but I doubt it so you will find the story is true but the actual risk of this " Doomsday " variant is not necessarily true because until we see real cases and numbers And the good news is the SA vaccination rollout is going as well as it can so most of us should have vaccine resistance to the new virus even if it becomes the main variant which means we should avoid hospitalizations and deaths which is the main objective .....its not about getting exposed to the virus so much as we cant avoid that in most cases

Their are few " young uns "

But on a serious note I always appreciate your views on topics that we sometimes disagree on because I know anyone can be wrong or misunderstand certain SJ legal decisions. So for example we may disagree on public sector school problems around pass rate in different countries or the positive outcomes of Capitalism but I try to understand different opinions based on real examples and reference points in any country. So for example I am opposed to socialism but not the success of the Nordic countries and your hybrid socialist\capitalist models...they do work and I wish we could echo your system but in SA we cant

There are lots of these types of videos and I generally dont watch them anymore because they so frustrating and really show us the same reality....groups of people in the US who dont want to accept the irrefutable truth of the pandemic and now have the virus But this type of "anti-vaxxer " argument exists in many countries including SA and it is one of our greatest obstacles to achieving 65-70 % vaccination. Its not that we dont have the vaccines anymore so the old exaggerated " the wealthy countries are hoarding vaccines " is not the issue and never really was for us So I watched this video just to remind myself of the SA problem and its relevant

I am really impressed that you played BG1 at 6, I only started playing AD&D as a DM at about 10 but we only had access to PC games when I was in early 20's or so. I dont think I would have understood the RPG mechanics at 6, I might have but I dont think so as I think these types of games are specifically designed for a certain older age ?

That does sound unreasonable, it seems like it will create a system that will just lead to more illegal or secretive developments like backdoor abortion clinics

Elerond the truth is you cannot implement gun control in the US in the way you can in other countries, I know your post is raising another issue but I just saying that the reality and solution to mass shootings is not ever going to be about " banning guns " as this legislation will never pass Congress You can invest more in the US in mental healthcare but that is all that you can do that will be realistically implemented in the majority of states

Pidesco you shouldnt judge other peoples culture. We must respect the sovereignty of other countries.... rich Capitalist Western countries arent the judge and jury of the world. You must check your privilege Its not nice told being told you cant say the right thing about blatant laws in countries that are unacceptable and undermine human rights....now you know what I go through from liberals and SJ activists

@Wormerine and @Mamoulian War I have to tell you guys something, I havent started playing DS1 yet. I went away last weekend and the previous week I got spooked and for reason I didnt start playing DS1. But it is installed and configured with Mods I am going to be playing Assassins Creed Odyssey now but I will start on DS1 in the future but I felt I should mention this because I dont want to think I was wasting your time with questions earlier .....your advice was important

So I am seeing real interest in this party and I dont need to know much to about it to recognize it appeals to people I know and that means it must be credible which I would guess is always a good thing to have choices in the US Something else I have noticed and its more on this forum is that some members criticize the possibility of a serious Libertarian candidate as an alternative to the established parties and I remember Gromnir pointing out how uninformed Johnson was in a video when he didnt know much about Syria. Now was that a fair criticism of any potential US president .....some may think its petty and unfair because do Americans know much about the Syrian conflict ? Why would most people when its not a primary US conflict and the US was not going to illegibly go to war with anyone. He was asked about Aleppo and yes its part of the Syrian war but I dont think many Americans followed that conflict ? But their are some valid concerns towards both the Democrats and Republicans and what they seem to support ideologically. I want to support the GOP but not under any Trumpism ....I believe Trumpism undermines the real Republican ethos which is more convincing and reasonable And when I want to support the Democrats I feel they need to be more realistic about the SJ problems and ways to reduce inequality. I dont see how they can become a party for all types of transformation and they should consider cutting ties with the more " progressive " members like the comments from Ihan Omar which still concern me because most US forum members dont seem concerned about what she said.....and that surprised me but people see things differently but this what she said "Here's the truth. For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. Cair was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." And this type of uninformed and revisionist history you dont come across it much anymore. But what it translates to indirectly and by using innuendo is How is she second class citizen in the US and in what way do US muslims live with it? Of course US Muslims are US citizens and people will be rude and generalize through ignorance. But its not the majority of Americans who act like this? And then the most offensive thing anyone can say but especially when you immigrated to the US is when you deny or claim to not understand 9/11 and how the US was attacked by AQ Surly this should be included in the US citizen tests to become a citizen, its not complicated or something that can be questioned?

GD dont feel bad about being a Libertarian because its not so much about them finding a winning candidate but rather the right candidate at the right time. I remember Gary Johnson and he seemed okay but didn't inspire confidence and if someone is going to change to vote Libertarian then the candidate must represent the value system and come across as sincere ....and of course believable But I am not sure if Libertarian's expect a presidential candidate to continue to support the ideology , surly you must have candidates that people must vote for if they believe in Libertarian values, other US friends of mine who are also Libertarian dont seem to concerned about this?

I also thought it seemed really good but I like most trailers and sometimes miss problems.....but if you agree its got potential then its more credible because you tend to be more circumspect about getting excited. So it bodes well for how good this game will be This could become our first game we both love, it would be nice to connect in that gaming special way. And of course we do have lots in common like German food but this is different

https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2021/08/27/elden-ring-impressions-exploring-the-open-world-dungeons-and-more Here is a good video of gameplay in Elden Ring...I think it looks great but I dont know much DS similar games and their normal design

You not wrong in the sense that I do absolutely believe that all countries in the world can become places where the positive foundations of constitutional democracies are recognised and practiced and people are happy and the country is prosperous. So I try not to frame this view as it being about " the West " because its not just Western countries that follow these systems of governance and also in RL discussions in SA people misunderstand and misuse that term which is really an arcane product of the Cold War because if you look at this list of 20 happiest countries you will see many non-Western countries so the idea of why Democracies work is not my opinion but the reality of the world and happiness levels https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2021/03/19/the-20-happiest-countries-in-the-world-in-2021/?sh=6551d6d370a0 And then of course the free market principles that our economies run on also work as it evident in economic data So I would argue I believe in systems of government where people are happy and have quality of life. What would be your concerns with most Western governments and how would eastern countries change this reality. And I am not suggesting their are no reasons but I am honestly unsure of one reason I can think of that is convincing?

I meant to comment on this misunderstanding of the geopolitical significance of Afghanistan, its more of a cliche based on certain historical realities where much of the reasons for some parts of colonialism was based on the mineral wealth of continents and countries But nowadays just because a country may have significant reserves of gas, oil or minerals this definitely doesn't make it automatically important to governments and foreign policy decisions. The country has to be stable, believe in the rule of law and international laws and support investment from international energy companies or you wont see the investment you imagine. Lots of examples like this in Africa like the DRC which really does have huge reserves of mineral wealth that are not accessed at the moment because the country has never had a functional and sustainable government since the end of colonialism when Belgium left in 1912 or so. So parts of the DRC are controlled by militant tribes and strange groups linked to other African countries. You do have several established international mining companies invested in some parts of the DRC and I have worked at one of this before but this is only a fraction of the minerals that could be mined So going back to Afghanistan its significance has more or less been the same for the last 500 years, its situated strategically between many superpowers but it has never been a wealthy or even even remotely " normal " country where all citizens benefit from things we all take for granted. And I am not sure it can change because the tribal structures that exist are maintained by people who generally dont care about the principles of Democracy and dont see much benefit in things like freedom of speech and LGBT rights And I cant imagine anyone wanting to try to change that? So the reality of the future of Afghanistan is not looking good for people like me who have always followed the events of 9/11 and I always wanted Afghanistan to succeed but the reasons it didn't achieve all its economic and social goals is complicated and not something a US troop presence can fix But whatever people believe the Chinese can do I have no idea what that means because China cant run the country or prevent draconian laws being implemented that will destroy most foreign aid which comes from Western countries primarily ....the Taliban also have no institutional experience in any kind of governance or how to run a country which they are aware of which is why they are trying to be inclusive and more inclusive And I wanted to add I dont agree with some the comments and views from many sides towards Biden and basically blaming him for this " collapse and Taliban takeover " . As I said in the beginning a phased approach and withdrawal would have been better but considering how the Afghan security forces basically acquiesced I dont see what difference it would have made. What some members of the UK parliament said was unfair and inaccurate and it ignored the obvious hypocrisy....what has the rest of the world been doing to help Afghanistan in the last 6 years when Obama announced a US withdrawal in 2014. But as usual most of the world did nothing extra but now because of the quick collapse of the official Afghan government people are "outraged " and blaming Biden for doing what he said he was going to do. Their was nothing stopping the UK or the EU from sending large amounts of additional troops if they were so concerned by the US withdrawal But I think the reason for most concern is legitimate and similar to my fears, I dont want the human rights and other changes to be eroded. So we dont want the Taliban to implement the anachronistic and medieval polices of the 1990's which is unlikely but you never know And I dont want to see womens rights vanish but I dont blame the US for that because the Afghan government was responsible for that.... @ComradeYellow Sometimes I am not sure if you being serious with your posts but I generally respond as if you are being serious and are raising a legitimate talking point And I do sometimes agree with you so you right about the unreasonable criticism from some in the UK towards Biden but you wrong that Afghanistan is significant in the world of geopolitics because its untapped mineral wealth doesn't help anyone if it cant be accessed and I would support China if somehow it helped Afghanistan become a functional country but I cant see how anything either Russia or China meeting with the Taliban is going to change the real problems ? No one can change the historical reality of the tribal nature of the country and how that impacts transformation to improve peoples lives .....that was the lesson I learnt from the 20 years of real nation building the US and its allies attempted

I am leaving this morning for a long weekend away from Cpt at the coastal town of Hermanus https://www.hermanus.co.za/ Exciting offcuts of food await me and this is a town famous for whale and dolphin sightings so it should be a good one

Nice one, now you dont need to worry about things like UBI....you can retire early and live off your wife's salary

You right as usual, if China can stabilize Afghanistan they will win because Afghanistan is of such geopolitical significance. I have been waving my Chinese flag and I want to start learning Mandarin because of this possible outcome

One of brothers in DBN has 2 kids Zach and Julia who are 5 and 3 years old. The last 2 weeks his wife has been mentioning on the main family WhatsApp that Zach hasnt been eating all his food because he has been complaining about a sore tooth My brothers wife is 30 and is studying an office admin course so they have hired an au pair to help out 3 times\week. Yesterday was the first day and the au pair updated my brothers wife about what Zach said. She asked him during lunch " how is your sore tooth " and he answered " I just tell Mommy and Daddy my tooth is sore so I dont have to eat the yucky food that mommy cooks " Shame she is feeling a little upset because she feels manipulated by her 5 year old son I told her not to take it personally because Zach is learning the art and artifice of the financial sales world

Overall how would you rate your gaming experience, so out of 1-100 where would it sit with anything lower than 50 means you wouldn't recommend it ?