BruceVC

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

They can be used to quell and subdue violent BLM\Antifa protests....you never know when you may get overrun !!!

I have never been convinced of arguments that countries like the USA are to blame for wars because US companies sell weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia or Israel The global arms trade exists because governments want weapons, if the US wasnt selling weapons to Israel dont you think many other countries would be more than happy to sell them weapons? Russia, China, France or the UK would happily sell them what they wanted You cant blame the company or country selling the weapons ....we should blame the people who want the weapons. Its the same as the war on drugs, it can never be won when their is demand

I must say I enjoyed that review, sure the guy is not a long term gaming review professional but he makes some honest and convincing observations I particularly found it interesting with the negative impact the pandemic had on development and how that would have eroded Q&A, I completely understand this as a real factor to some of the issues around the games release but then they should have announced this publicly and delayed the release for understandable reasons.....no point telling fans afterwards once the anger and frustration has been created by real subpar release issues I liked how shocked he seemed by the " bullying " statement ...." gosh that sounds serious " But the game is really improving and its future is looking good so well done CDPR !!

Geez.....50 GB is too much for you, what games do you play? MMO can easily utilize more than 50 GB I am happy with the specs required for the new ME trilogy and if I hadnt played the entire series I would invest in it. But I enjoyed the ME series, I didnt love it so its not worth the investment

Look at you, you little Nietzsche fanboy. Im impressed, I didnt think you cared or understood much about white, Capitalist literature but with you quoting it you have just proven me wrong. You see I do admit when Im wrong

I would say it can be both as its political in some countries without freedom of speech but its philosophical in Democracies with freedom of speech ?

Yes I can understand that view around preventative steps around stricter border control , personally I would support it until the pandemic is reasonably contained globally despite it ostensibly being draconian I agree with the possible Kiwi inbreeding option but then you will have change your current legislation to allow for the rights of sheep to be recognized as family members and partners....and this is something you guys outlawed years ago as I know ? Oh and as far as the latest India rules are concerned do you support this considering the reality of the virus running rampant in India ?

@Gorth https://ewn.co.za/2021/05/18/experts-warn-shuttered-australia-is-becoming-a-hermit-nation Is this accurate, I find it hard to believe that Oz strict lockdown measures are tantamount to the country becoming a " hermit state ". NK is a hermit state and once the virus is globally contained its not like Oz wont relax its current travel and border regulations ?

This game looks good so far, I'll be following its development

Serves you right for being nasty to Bioware fans who like to discuss important issues like what the sweat on Dragon Age characters might taste like

If I could fix your lack of interest in the Ubisoft client would you install it then ?

Yeah I agree, I have no concerns with Microsoft unintentionally diluting the overall gaming experience by taking over such prestigious companies as Bethesda, if anything the gaming experience should get better as more resources can be thrown at effective development Microsoft has a long history in gaming and they have learnt from their mistakes around things like their historical views about being a monopoly. I have mentioned this before but I use to work for Microsoft and its an excellent company that is very credible

What is the reason you dont want an Ubisoft login, I only use it when I play their games and I have found it works fine and be unintrusive ?

Watching as usual some great shows like a Penny Dreadful again, Your Honor, Clarice ( spinoff of Silence of the Lambs), Twilight Zone, FBI and Law & Order SVU Lots to keep me entertained

I have to be honest out all the reasons to not play a game as brilliant and captivating as RDR2 3rd party account requirements would be my absolute last reason As mentioned by others just create a spare email account that you never have to check or use unless its for password reset purposes and play RDR2....its the best game ever released by Rockstar and well worth it