BruceVC

Good post Gromnir and very good insights on this matter , especially this part " so ask self if the current kerfuffle were genuine analogous but it involved the malfeasance o' uk diplomats, cia agents, catholic priests or some other group you is justifiable suspicious 'bout. would you be defending all the innocent cia agents who the cia did not immediate fire when the story went public? would you be defending the larger organization who fired the folks caught doing something wrong? " Lets try not to defend and handwave this incident. Its a problem what happened and we should unequivocally condemn it like we do with all other similar things when the CIA is involved or UK diplomats

Yes but net profit is part of sales, you cant have any profit without sales And once a game is completed gross profit and net profit will be a big part of the overall revenue because operating costs and cost of sales arent much especially with digital downloads Thats why revenue is always at the top a standard P&L statement and then you deduct expenses and tax to end up with Net Profit

Correct and sales figures matter. They literally are the most important factor in the sustainability of any gaming franchise or development studio. Nothing matters overall as much as sales figures, marketing and reviews is only part of a products success

Monty Im surprised you of all people is commenting on something you havent experienced? You know how this works, objective criticism is fine but need to play a game before you can criticize it Its like a restaurant, would you take seriously a review of it from someone who has never been there before?

I cant explain enough how much Im loving PoE2, its almost like Obsidian listened to my criticisms with PoE1 and addressed them. Im only 9 hours in but already I can appreciate the differences There lots of small things I love which I consider an improvement for my gaming preferences and they include you can select a different class if you want for companions when they join which is a small but significant change. I decided to be a Cipher for my main class so I made Serafen a Barbarian and he is one of my tanks I prefer how the Heath mechanics work It looks like you have Romance, finally !!! I love Xoti and her cute Southern accent I like the whole idea of a ship and island exploration design, I have always liked Pirate RPG And then I did load the first 2 mods and Enhanced User Interface is a huge feature because now I can easily access lore and mechanics and I have much better understanding of these things I really enjoyed PoE1 but I completed it without a good understanding or remembering all the lore and how ruleset mechanics work together, now that uncertainty is easy to reference One of the best things about PoE2 is its apparently longer than PoE1 and Im planning on doing as many side quests as possible so I get a full experience with this game

Yes and the agency is not going to be shutdown because of this, they suspending people and doing an investigation. But its work must continue but the UN needs to ensure it has the right focus

No people who work for any UN agency work for the UN, they supposed to be apolitical as far as relief is concerned. They dont take sides, have you ever of famine relief where UN only gives food to who they like? And they definitely not supposed to get involved in helping support terrorist attacks Did you read the link I posted? These are the main points The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli authorities provided the agency “with information” alleging several of its employees participated in Hamas’ murderous rampage into southern Israel, when the militant group killed at least 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others. "These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began,” said Lazzarini. “Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world”.

I appreciate the post but this debate for me wasnt about who is right or wrong when it comes to our personal views The ICJ ruling for me is about a more important broader global narrative around things like the rules based order and how institutions like the ICC and ICJ have to rule on evidence presented and not on ideological or political bias or influence. And I do believe they do that in most cases So to summarize my view on this outcome this is a win for everyone because it demonstrates the independence of the ICJ and how it functions All I want to see from countries and people is consistency on opinions when it comes to outcomes from the ICC or ICJ And then countries must abide by these rulings if they say they support the likes of the ICJ and unfortunately for me South Africa has not been consistent But thats a seperate debate, I dont want to undermine or hijack this correct outcome from the ICJ

It doesnt concern you that several people within UNRWA could be involved in the 7 October attacks and apparently its a lot more than a few? There is an ongoing UN investigation and these people have been suspended The UNRWA is supposed to be a relief organization, its members shouldn't be helping a terrorist organisation plan attacks on Israel Maybe we should wait for the investigation from the UN before we pronounce on who is "evil " https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/26/middleeast/unrwa-fires-staff-members-october-7-attacks-intl/index.html

I just completed PoE White March 2 and like WM1 it was very entertaining, I prefered 2 to 1 overall. It also only took me 20 hours or so That means I have completed PoE1 in its entirety and I can share my views on the game. Some of this I have already mentioned in a previous post. The most significant positive about this game is Obsidian has been able to create a new fantasy RPG world and different mechanics around ruleset than most of us are use to compared to traditional D&D, I appreciated it but it took some getting use to. So for example any class can basically use any armour or weapon. The combat is a massive and main part of the game and I enjoyed it once you understand how abilities work, I didnt really like how you limited around healing in the normal sense and the whole health vs endurance mechanic was not preferable for me compared to normal D&D similar mechanics. But its not a big deal My favorite battles were with the Eyeless, I liked paralyzing them or using my Cipher and Stasis Shell to isolate them in combat and I really had fun with the strategic nature of hard battles Crafting was rewarding and made sense, there was nothing better than finding a high level ingredient like a Dragons Eye and knowing you can gain a major combat upgrade.I also liked how you can find important items to help in combat and increase stats and they not common so you really appreciate finding them The main narrative was one of the best parts of the game and I found it very thought provoking. I enjoyed most of the lore but I also found myself forgetting things like who a specific deity was, thank goodness for the encyclopedia ...it became my friend on a regular basis I can understand this game is an acquired taste, its not for all fans of fantasy RPG and the combat can sometimes feel draining, I dont like enemies appearing out of nowhere but its not all the time. I used pause and slowed the speed which allowed me to micromanage my party which I enjoyed. My main character was a priest and the game offered some interesting classes like Cipher which is lots of fun So in closing, great game and its gets a 75/100 on the globally endorsed "BruceVC game rating system " Now I plan to play PoE2 after a short break from this type of genre, how is PoE2? What is the consensus, better than PoE1?

Thats to be expected from the likes of Ben Gvir People play cards all the time and this is the classic anti-semitism card

Here is better summary of the rulings These are the provisional measures ordered by the court: 1. 15-2, Israel must take measures to prevent genocide 2. 15-2, Israel must ensure the military is complying with the prevention of genocide 3. 16-1, Israel must take all measures to prevent and punish incitement to genocide 4. 16-1, Israel must take measures to provision humanitarian aid to Gaza 5. 15-2, Israel must take measures to prevent destruction of evidence of genocide 6. 15-2, Israel must submit a report on it's actions toward these measures within 1 month

I didnt watch the ruling but I have read analysis , it seems very reasonable and fair https://www.nbcnews.com/news/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna135801 This is a summary " The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, a ruling that could have far-reaching consequences though the court has no power to enforce it. The United Nations' top court stopped short of ordering a cease-fire requested by South Africa while it hears the full case accusing Israel of genocide"

https://www.barrons.com/news/germany-uncovers-russian-disinformation-campaign-on-x-report-7254cfa6 Another story of Russian disinformation but this occured in Germany

Yes and I agree, things are generally much better now in the world if you look at numerous metrics like people living in absolute poverty, life expectancy or education levels So even though that's irrefutably true the positive side of that story tends to get lost because people tend to say things like "why do I care about life 100 years ago, I care about my salary now or the fact I cant own a house " or other similar things But I agree, the worlds a much better place than its ever been

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/china-presses-iran-rein-houthi-attacks-red-sea-sources-say-2024-01-26/ Now China is getting involved to end the terrorism and criminality we seeing in the Red Sea committed by the Houthis It was inevitable

Even though I disagree with your general cynicism about the rules based order and global politics I respect your consistency and the examples you listing Because you can make a compelling argument irrespective if its true or not around every example you have given But a serious question, the systems we have are flawed and imperfect. But whats the alternative to religious belief or even systems of Democracy. If you could wave a wand and immediately change anything in the world what would you change and the change must be sustainable and realistic? So the real point is "yes we have inconsistencies and failures in our modern age " but whats the alternative to something like the UN or religious conviction that helps most people cope with there problems in society?

Yes, thats an important distinction. I keep saying they not binding which is not true, they not enforceable And I make this same point on Codex which no one has corrected. But you right

Gorthfuscious if you ever worried about people deceiving you then ask me, you know you can trust me

But what about the moral and legal success of the ruling, so SA " winning " the ICJ case matters in that sense and how people will reflect on it In other words its not binding action because the ICJ cant enforce that but the ruling matters around sentiment and the evidence presented. I am literally basing my future views on that in this conflict in the same way I reflect on all ICJ and ICC cases As you know Im critical of the inconsistency of SA foreign policy outrage but Im not questioning the validity of this case, the ICJ needs to make a ruling and we should all accept that ruling

I agree with most of this, Netanyahu is done politically once the war is over so dragging on the war is his way of thinking he can avoid the inevitable political consequence of his failures to protect Israel But if the hostages are released this puts more pressure to end the war because its been over 3 months since the invasion started and Hamas is still fighting but if you could release all the hostages then it becomes much harder for Netanyahu to motivate the war continuing even if thinks its better for his political survival But if the hostages are not released that continues to be a legitimate reason to continue to fight because Netanyahu can claim " Hamas is holding hostages " we must fight for them And then of course Hamas has zero interest in whats best for the Palestinians, it truly boggles my mind that since 7 October anyone could argue things are better for the Palestinians. Things are worse for both Israel and the Palestinians in different ways but much worse for the Palestinians But a permanent ceasefire is needed and new leadership in Israel is required for serious discussions about a 2 state solution which I still maintain is the only real solution for sustainable peace for both Israel and the Palestinians

But there wont be ceasefire or any chance of a ceasefire if the hostages arent released Surely you must realize that? And saying something like " there must a ceasefire without this or Netanyahu must be jailed " is like thinking Putin is going to hand himself over to the ICC Its completely unrealistic, Im talking about practical and realistic solutions. Not emotional ones

I wouldnt call it a myth, I would say the outcomes of the rules based order cant always be enforced But the rules exist and they have to exist. And the entire belief in the rules based order matters to any conflict and how people reflect on it And the ICJ and ICC are examples of part of the rules based order, there are no other institutions to rule on international crimes without these institutions And I realize its easy and probably correct to say "large countries can do what they want " but the rules still matter Just take this case of Israel being taken to the ICJ, I dont know how its been reflected on in Oz but in SA there is lots of positive sentiment and support for the case and people saying things like " SA has finally given the world a conscience " and " this is about highlighting our common humanity " And I dont want to be negative and mention that the ICJ rulings arent binding, for example Russia ignored the ICJ to end the invasion of Ukraine So I do understand the cynicism because there is legitimate point you making about a lack of action in the case of the ICJ but as I mentioned it still matters to the people involved Imagine this, the UN is part of the rules based order and that includes all its humanitarian institutions. Think how immeasurably worse off the third world and impoverished countries would be without it Almost every single critical humanitarian mission in Africa or the ME is funded and implemented by the UN

Fair enough, I have heard that sentiment expressed before. So whats your suggestion, the war should continue and no ceasefire ? Because Netanyahu has a legitimate argument to say " we wont stop the invasion until the hostages are released " but if the hostages are released it creates even more domestic and international pressure on him to end the invasion of Gaza and pressure is real for a permanent ceasefire So in other words isnt it better to release the hostages for the Palestinians than to not release the hostages? Its not better for Hamas but Im sure we mostly concerned about the Palestinians and not a terrorist organization like Hamas?

Do you support the rulings of institutions like the ICJ and ICC as legitimate? I do because they the qualified and authoritative international bodies that rules on matters like war crimes and genocide and I trust there understanding of these things because Im not a lawyer or remotely qualified to decide when something is a valid legal point based on the presented evidence So what Im asking is lets say they rule that Israel is not committing genocide, not this ruling tomorrow, will you accept it as a legitimate outcome?