BruceVC

I am hoping its something like that, I would be very disappointed in them if they did it for a misplaced SJ reason

I have to disagree but I think you joking but I am not. And I like Comrade so I hope he doesnt take this personally I would recommend he does study history because he is confused and conflates events of history in an unparalleled way and this makes many of his suggestions and views almost incoherent and difficult to take seriously So a course in history would only be good for him so he understands things like the history of his own country objectively and factually and then he will be more confidant to have debates and discuss societal changes based on some of the lessons of history

You may be joking but I am now considering the same thing and its not like they dont know how to create attractive women, like Isabella in DA2 and many other women in their games. So then the question is why? And I seriously hope, and I do find it hard to believe, it wasnt done in some well meaning but utterly misplaced "SJ campaign to change things wrong and unequal in society " ....so you make her unattractive so she isnt objectified by licentious and lustful men because she is "more than just a pretty face " ? Surly not ....I just cant think of other reasons to make the character look so different and ostensibly unattractive. I am hoping you guys can think of other legitimate reasons to do it ?

Sometimes people make relevant points on Youtube so I dont always dismiss everything and it can be very entertaining and true at the same time

Yes I was just joking with that post But that video is brilliant, I agree with most of what he says and its very humorous at times. Can you think of a bigger waste of time than attending a Robin DiAngelo seminar about " being less white " ... I knew it was going to be a good parody when he started off saying " and everything on social media is 100 % true "

My Cpt family is all away this weekend and I am not socializing with friends due to the potential and or real third wave so Im staying at home the whole weekend ....I have some good ideas for meal Sirloin steak with roast potatoes tonight Pork Belly tomorrow Homemade spaghetti bolognaise on Sunday with lots of extra mince for other meals and to freeze for later

Guys here is another story that disputes the claim that the USA is a fundamentally racist country and structural racism is prevalent in all states and countrywide. I am sure our American members already know this, yes their are some people in the USA that are racist, same as every other country, but the majority of US citizens arent Pittsburgh is about to elect its first black mayor, white people make up 67 % of the total population so in a country or city where all white people are racist or biased you would never see a black person elected to a position of political power. Its the same as the Obama victories....white racists dont vote for black people, trust me I know. I grew up in Apartheid This is just a minor good news story that sometimes we forget with the issues that we sometimes focus on in our countries and sometimes we miss the reality which is better than many think about many topics https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-19/meet-pittsburgh-s-likely-first-black-mayor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh#Demographics

Wow, I didnt know Miranda was based on that actress/model...she is very attractive. Bioware did mess up with the aesthetics

You dont need to be that good looking when you have a body like Miranda my friend

I agree, can I tell you something that will probably shock you. 12 years ago I worked with a Scottish women who was on a 5 year SA work contract. We got on really well and she was very good at her job as a project manager but she was hardcore Scottish nationalist and disliked the idea of the UK for irrational and anachronistic reasons which I didnt question because of the work environment She told me where she comes from,which are these small towns and villagers in northern Scotland, their are still people their that if they meet a visitor who is English they will be very aggressive towards them and that English person will " very likely " get beaten up ....in this modern age. Yes these are small rural northern villagers but still....come on that is completely unacceptable wanting to beat someone up because they English !!!

https://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-tips-classes-guide/ Here is a really informative reminder of the ME trilogy and why the Legendary edition is a good buy.....it has created some nostalgia for me and almost makes me want to buy this latest ME improvement ...but not quite

Mamie stop being sexist, I am sure you being sexist ...it sounds sexist ? I am currently attending courses on " white, male privlidege " and how men often are unintentionally sexist and objectify women. I am determined to not do this and also help other men ....I have been taught that the patriarchal system needs to end !!! And we all need to do our part as men but we mustn't be judgmental when we educate each other on unacceptable comments

Raithe what are your personal views on Scottish independence, I am opposed to it for several reasons that include Scotland is an important part of the UK and contributes and benefits economically from being part of the UK. So leaving the UK will not be in the long term interests of the UK or Scotland and I absolutely support the idea of the UK being united and no country leaving I am well aware of how the Scots were treated by the English hundreds of years ago, I have watched Braveheart and Rob Roy but we cant dwell on the past all the time and ignore the modern day changes to how Scotland is now positioned and respected as part of the UK I understand the sacrifice that Scottish army regiments like the Black Watch made fighting for the UK in wars like WW1 and WW2. Many people died in those wars from the UK and it seems disrespectful to ignore that sacrifice that made the world a better place And finally and most importantly the UK had a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 and the majority of Scottish people voted to stay. Now is not the time to have another referendum despite the new support for it after BREXIT. In fact BREXIT can be seen as a positive if you look how well the UK has addressed the pandemic compared to the EU

Yes I agree that historical problems and injustice often get raised and create degrees of instability but once you have a working Democracy, or at least a relatively peaceful country like you can see with the Gulf States, then you can discuss these things and address them or find solutions If you look at your valid examples in Northern Ireland, Ireland and the likes of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia you will see that despite political issues these are all working countries that have sustainable economies and offer a real quality of life for their citizens and they achieved this not with wars but with compromise and negotiation So like SA you had a foundation created and then the governments onwards maintained their countries without using the past as a way to sustain their countries despite some understandable frustration on the ground and real historical injustice being raised as way of creating political policies This is what is lacking in the ME generally, the foundation does not exist due to lack of political will and appetite to compromise and most important you cannot base your transformation goals only on the past and redress ....it does not work as we can see with the success stories of countries that come from a violent past of injustice and political inequality

Lexx why you being so sexist, if a women has a nice body why cant she be liberated and show it off? Lexx we mustn't feel uncomfortable by a confident women

But Gorthfuscious we have to be realistic and look at real solutions that can address problems now that can be resolved with political will and compromise primarily from the countries and leadership in the region . We cant keep saying " the ME is a mess because of something that happened hundreds of years ago or even after WW1 with the Balfour Declaration " ( as far as the Israeli vs Palestinian conflict is concerned ) I can understand your view is shared by many, for example GD cynicism and fatigue with the general ME is also not unique But I believe you can have peace and economic stability in the region but we need to focus on solutions that can be implemented now and not necessarily frame them on historical injustice and events because you get no where like that I often use SA as an example in this regard and its not like SA doesnt have major issues with corruption and a failure of governance nowadays. But when you look at how we achieved our first 1994 Democratic election despite the deeply flawed and immoral Apartheid system you will see we only achieved this preciously because people on both sides of the negotiation were prepared to compromise and their was reconciliation So we created a framework and foundation in 1994 based on a real Constitution and Democratic values, will SA achieve its economic and transformative goals I cannot say but I know we can if we address corruption and ensure accountability and governance But if the ANC and National Party had not created the foundation and compromised in 1994 we would not have achieved much and SA would just be another failed state by 2021 like Zimbabwe, Sudan , DRC and other African countries Thats why I vote and support the ANC , I realized about 10 years ago how much they did from 1988-1993 to ensure we have a chance to address the Apartheid legacy and I am very glad and supportive they took this path That is what is needed in the ME, compromise and political will

Thanks for the details, I appreciate your insight on these topics and several things make sense to me now around certain ideological developments that have confused me in the ME in the last 6-7 years. Its interesting because I have travelled to the ME since 2001 about 15-17 times and I have met and worked with people who work on contracts in the ME that are either expats or from the region. You not suppose to talk politics when you work for ME customers especially in the financial sector but what I have noticed is its very hard to find people who have a genuine interest in understanding the complexity and nuances of the region. People tend to not care or be aligned only to one group or view My family who do work in the ME dont care about politics which I understand because they have fiduciary responsibilities so I cant get their views in an informed way. So its been a struggle to find people like you who have knowledge and are prepared to share your views openly on these complex topics And its not about agreeing or disagreeing, its about information on the realities of the ME which I can research or confirm if I choose to So good post and thanks for sharing

What do you think the Founders would have thought about Socialism since this is a concern for you ?

Its a pity no one on this forum is particularly interested in this type of discussion around the various ideological alliances that exist in the ME that shape policy and conflicts. I support the Saudi block as you know but its in the interests of economic stability and sustainable peace in the long-term, its not personal or ideological. I dont always agree with you but I dont question your knowledge and understanding of the complexity of the ME You have raised some interesting points and I have some questions Why was Qatar thrown out of the Gulf States, its a Sunni country. Is it because of Al-Jazeera's coverage of the human rights abuses in Egypt and Saudi? How did Hamas betray Assad, I can understand how this would have annoyed Iran but what did they do that angered Iran? What is the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood, I know they fell out of the favor in Egypt with the Junta so I understand that but what is their broader objective in the ME ? And then separately I honestly dont ever support the killings of civilians but HAMAS continues to fire rockers from civilian houses and uses the loss of Palestinian lives as part of their campaign for global political sympathy so I find it hard to believe that HAMAS truly cares for the loss of Palestinian lives. They would recognize that Israel has a right to exist if they did because this would put additional pressure on Netanyahu to find a meaningful solution which I believe is still the 2 state solution. So both Israel and Hamas needs to take responsibility for the loss of civilian lives

You make some good points here. But this current violence has been about political expediency and survival for both Netanyahu and Hamas. I think Netanyahu and the Israeli right wing underestimated the backlash and outcome from wanting to forcibly remove Palestinians from those Jerusalem suburbs and the attack on the Al Aqsa Mosque was a miscalculation and egregious But you wrong about one thing, Saudi Arabia and Iran becoming long-term friends is not going to happen because of this. This is just a brief reprieve from the age old animosity and still needs to be resolved

Thats a good point Mamie, you right it is different in that respects

What about GOG Galaxy client, dont you have that installed ?

But also imagine the levels of bedlam if counties could just vote to join another state, peoples political views tend to vacillate so imagine if you allow this and 10 years from now the counties become more blue ....what then? Would they come back to Oregon ?

Its actually a very good idea using drones as opposed to only utilizing police to help subdue violent protestors....now we just need a state to test it on. I suggest California because they threatened to secede after Trump won the election and that is illegal and treasonous !!!! Remember Gfted1 you guys fought a civil war over secession ....people seem to have forgotten that https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/californians-campaign-to-secede-from-the-us-after-trump-victory/527-92f43ecd-15ac-4c38-8fb9-ed9a52ca9356 I am sure Hurlshot will agree it makes sense in the interests of the rule of law and order

Yes you have raised a good point, the hardliners in Iran also used the money ,$300 billion more or less, released by Obama after the Nuclear Deal to continue to stabilize the ME. For example they invested and tested ballistic missiles which now have the range to target anywhere in the ME . This is why both Israel and the Gulf States ( led by Saudi Arabia ) are united in their concern as seeing the current hardline government in Iran as the enemy https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/23/middleeast/iran-ballistic-missile-test/index.html https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iran-test-fires-ballistic-missile-capable-carrying-warheads-pompeo-says-n942586