BruceVC

Skarpen you know I am sympathetic to certain views you and Dark raise as I have changed some of my views around left and right and what this means based on current global events. I try to understand the reasoning behind a more conservative view that before Trump won in 2016 I would have ignored or dismissed as extremism or bigotry....but its better to understand the concern than to ignore it What is your concern with what Biden did, I am not really understanding the problem? For example are people saying that he acted unconstitutionally when he ordered the attack on Syria targets ....what are the other criticisms towards what he did ?

Yes you are correct and the distinction when it comes to certain global events does matter. What I noticed from 2001 onwards was sometimes you meet people who have a very negative view of the USA and only see the mistakes that sometimes the US and its allies have made but they will ignore other countries that have committed more or the same bad decisions. Also their are several conspiracy theories that have always existed around the USA and its alliances with countries like Israel and these false narratives still exist today when someone will make a statement like " the USA only intervenes in conflicts when it has concerns over oil " or what I use to come across fairly regularly after 9/11 was the view " the USA wants to destroy the Muslim world and is aligned with the Zionists and crusaders " which means for many Muslims outside the ME, like SA , they use to always phone in on talk shows and suggest that 9/11 was done by the USA to justify bombing the ME or that the US and UK are warmongers and just want to bomb everything back to the Dark Ages But that is not the truth about 9/11, we know AQ did it and why. So its not even worth being vexed about criticism towards the USA responding to Irans belligerence by occasional bombings when Russia has actively been involved in the systemic bombing and destruction of most parts of Syria not under Assad control. The Russians didnt send ground troops, that was QUDs militia and Shia fundamentalist's who committed egregious atrocities once Aleppo was razed to ther ground and slaughtered any Sunni militia left alive if they found them Sadly the same thing would have happened to the Shias in this conflict if the war had gone the other way. I have seen this in parts of the ME where their is hatred between sectarian groups of Sunni and Shia, its not everywhere but its real and brutal But I have to be honest I dont hold Russia to blame for its military strategy in Syria because that war had reached a true impasse before the Russian intervention and that impasse was spilling over to other countries and directly impacting the EU with the hundreds of thousands of refugees now looking for a new home. So you needed a country like Russia to take a side and help bring the war to an end But the reality of Syria is the West and most wealthy ME countries will offer limited resources to help rebuild Syria, you cant blame them because countries like Iran and Russia helped Assad stay on power so they must rebuild the country....and that is not going to happen in any meaningful way Nah, we dont know the actual numbers of civilian casualties in the Syrian war caused by the Russians bombing campaign but its not about the numbers because as you mentioned their have been several conflicts in the ME since 9/11 and thousands of civilians have died due to other events so Syria is just one example of needless death and truly broken country going forward But I hope you not comparing the USA and its efforts to stabilize Iraq with the Russian approach to end the war in Syria ? The objectives were different and the Russians have the finesse of a bull in a china shop when it comes to ensuring " minimal damage "

Good question, what is the drama? Their shouldnt be an issue from anyone with Biden ordering the bombing because it is retaliation for an Iran sponsored attack that cost American lives in Iraq last week Biden needs also to show the Iranian militants that he is not going to allow them to take advantage of his agreeable and avuncular nature and also its clear that the previous alliance that Trump and USA was part in the ME is no longer as important to the Democrats This unfortunately creates several problems in the ME but to honest the way Obama was treated by Netanyahu and Gulf States I am not surprised Biden is taking this new approach. But this creates uncertainty now about the best way to effectively deal with the hardliners in Iran......when Trump pulled the USA out of the Iranian nuclear agreement certain events were set in motion which I personally believe would have led to a better and more stable ME But in summary Iran has huge influence over most of the Shia factions and anti-American groups that exist in places like Iraq and Lebanon. So when American subcontractors are killed like last week the responsibility falls onto Iran as are the ones who can order these attacks. But Biden is getting criticized because he criticized Trump last year when the USA killed Soleimani in Iraq. But it was inevitable that someone like Soleimani would eventually be killed, he created and is responsible for the Iranian Quds forces and they have been both directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US and other coalition forces since 2003. So it was justice and understandable when Trump agreed to his assassination As most of us who followed the Iraq war would know Iran interfered literally from day 1 when the USA invaded Iraq and never stopped. Iran should have stayed out of that misplaced conflict because Iraq is a sovereign country and its is interesting that no one asked " what was Soleimani doing in Iraq in the first place " but instead some people were critical of the USA for what they did

Great news for this most enjoyable franchise They must stick to what works and not be too concerned with trying to appeal to everyone like those that expect MP in the DA universe

Yes, you also know how to defrost a fridge. Its more complicated than it sounds So my insurance callout can be for any " household internal problem" like a blocked drain, electrify tripping or failed kitchen appliance and you get the first hour of labor for free but you must pay for any required parts So I have only used them about 4-5 times for plumbing problems as I use the actual manufacturer , like Kelvinator in the case of my fridge , and the item warranty period to fix my appliances normally or I use a qualified electrical engineer if its out of warranty and pay him privately and pay for parts myself

Gfted1 I know you skilled at DIY generally which is something I admire when I met people like you. I mentioned I have zero DIY skills so I rely on always paying for electricians and other artisans which is a waste of money (okay my household insurance gives me 2 free services per year for any DIY calls but its only 2 ) I decided to take a massive step forward today to start doing my own DIY outside my insurance where appropriate....and guess what ? I am defrosting my fridge , by myself. Its going well so far and I will let you know how this project progresses

Okay I see what you mean about the perceived lack of depth with quests...thats a fair point But do we need complex quests in Bloodlines, dont we need good and captivating quests but not necessarily complex quests?Their is a difference

Shady !!!! Now I am truly shocked and almost speechless....but I am never quite speechless as you know I cannot believe you think both Larian and Bethesda are subpar development studios, remember Larian created the hugely popular Divinity series... I loved D:OS 2, it offered one of the most strategic and exciting combat systems ever released and it was a very engaging RPG. I must have spent about 150 hours completing it and their was a nice aspect of Romance besides all the other worthwhile RPG mechanics Also I am so use to you always supporting and endorsing my posts I just get a little surprised when you dont agree with my pithy words ...so I apologize if I seem unfairly critical

Lexx I think you must be honest, its always best I am getting the distinct impression that you dont like Bethesda games, sorry to sound harsh but that is definitely what I am picking up? Maybe you should reframe your posts so you dont create that impression

No its for several reasons like how much I love Elder Scroll games with their committed modding community and also Microsoft doesn't like to be seen to fail like most global companies and they have the resources to fund worthwhile projects so if a decision is made to take over such a prestigious title as Bloodlines then you can be guaranteed enough resources will be thrown at the game to ensure it works and works properly

Those would be brilliant options for another development studio. But because of the legacy and complexity of this game I would think Bethesda would be the slightly better choice..not by a long way way but better I dont mind if its wishful thinking..." hope springs eternal in the human breast "

Gorthfuscious !!! Im shocked and disappointed you dont speak or understand Arabic, its very important in the interest of cultural diversity and sensitivity that we learn multiple languages in life Their are so many English speaking people who only understand and speak English and its unacceptable !!! Please put effort in to learn Arabic, their will definitely be part time courses you can take in Oz, its not like we dont have time? Keep us updated around how its going, we can do an update in few weeks on how your courses are going

Al Jazeera and Qatar getting into trouble with the Gulf States and other ME countries like Egypt was always unfair and unnecessary But its because they do try to be consistent with the principle of a free media and most countries in the ME dont like the idea or concept of news channel being overly critical or raising valid issues like human rights. But they cant be too critical to the likes of CNN because of its direct links to the USA so AJ, and by extension, and Qatar became the target. Their are still AJ journalists being jailed in Egypt without trial , do ever think you would have seen any CNN journalists being held in Egypt without trial for years ? But as I have mentioned in the past the ME is a complicated place and sometimes mistakes happen so it doesnt help to dwell on these missteps that the Gulf States and their allies sometimes make. We need to always ask " what is best way we can respond to ensure their is sustainable regional peace and stability " and that means we have to move on from certain developments and not lose sight on the primary objective....dont let yourself become distracted Zora But going to back to AJ, its an excellent news channel and I continue to support it

No egg yolk, it had the raw meat and other ingredients but no egg. I think every Steak Tartare should offer the raw egg but this restaurant sadly didnt I remember about 15 years was the first time I had Steak Tartare, the global software company I was working for had some highly skilled banking software consultants from Luxembourg come to SA to train us on a product. On the Friday night afterwards we took them to a very famous JHB restaurant called the Butcher Shop which offered the full Tartare with egg and all the accompaniments I had no idea how the egg was suppose to be mixed in with everything else and the one guy offered to do it for me because they from the French side of Luxembourg and eat meals like Tartare regularly. It was a delicious experience and I have never looked back 🍻 The Butcher Shop is still hugely popular, here is the website and they still have Steak Tartare on the menu 🍖 https://www.thebutchershop.co.za/index.php

I have seen something interesting this week around the virus, for the first time in a TV series the directors have included the fact their is a pandemic. In both FBI and FBI: Most Wanted the characters wear masks and you see people wearing masks Nice one I thought to recognize Covid in this new world we living in

I dont think its as simple as that, Conservatives and people on the right are concerned with Islamic extremism and their established culture being eroded in the interests of integration. But you dont find that same effort to integrate when you go work or live in the ME so their is a sense of double standards But I dont think just because you have concerns with these points you are a racist or Islamophobic?

Gorthfuscious, language !!!!! .....their are young people on this forum and you dont want to use bad words like " got to hell " Remember us older forum members are highly respected and must provide a good example around decorum and etiquette for the youth

And his foundation the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation have donated and helped more countries and NGOs globally with venture philanthropy than any other organization in the history of philanthropy including helping many African countries who lack public healthcare resources with eradicating and addressing diseases that dont exist in our countries Bill Gates has really become an example of how wealth can be used to make the world better, its a pity some people cant or wont recognize this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

Good old Microsoft, I find myself generally aligning with what they stand for but in this case they were being a bit mischievous and taking advantage of the negative public attention on FB. They have been subjected to similar scrutiny through the years so they know this environment very well Gorthfuscious who do you think is in the right overall with this whole Oz FB debacle? FB or Murdoch

Yeah, nothing more convenient and myopic than playing the old " lets blame the Jews and Soros "card for all the woes of the world Only the " white, male privlidege " card nowadays gets played more

This is one of the serious benefits of living in a country that has a federal system of government, you can have different state laws and regulations in different states and that sometimes allows you to literally be able to look at each state and decide " I want to live in state x because of regulation y " You have choice and that choice is advantageous most of the time

Dont feel guilty at all, most economic sectors globally have been impacted by the economic lockdown but its also an excellent time to secure reasonable finance due to the reason you mentioned as most people aren't committing to loans until things normalize again in our respective economies. Now is the perfect time to get a loan if your job hasn't been effected...in fact if you wait you aren't necessarily guaranteed to get such good terms. This is one of those rare moments where you can almost negotiate terms with banks around finance and most banks would be agreeable to it ...take full advantage because it wont last forever And you never know, if you do buy in Tennessee you may live close to GD and you guys can meetup and socialize if you want 🍻🍗 (minus the alcohol of course if GD is still not drinking ) I thought you wife came from the Baltic states, I cant remember which one ?

I met my stepmom and her friend for dinner earlier and I had Steak Tartare as my main meal. Its hard to imagine until you have tried it but raw meat can be delicious 🍲

Maedhros I am really enjoying the Norwegian series Lilyhammer, I even got some of family to watch it and they loving it Is that series accurate around Norwegian culture ? Norway does seem like a great country to live in even if it is a little unusual for foreigners

Yes I share your concerns with Hungary, the only consideration to his actions is would he have become so soft fascist if the initial refugee problem was not forced on all EU countries ? As far as I remember that is when he really started becoming more authoritative around anti-EU laws and regulations