BruceVC

I can understand that sentiment and it can easily appear that there are double standards which can create frustration as it appears " Western countries are not held to the same standards " But its much more nuanced and complex than that. For example if you look at the worlds autocratic leaders and countries, that include Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia , you will see there is valid global criticism towards certain policies their leaders have implemented but end of the day these are sovereign countries and they play an important role in current geopolitical realties and it doesn't make sense to try to remove these leaders even if other countries had the appetite to do this which understandably they dont But Trump is not in the same league as these other leaders because despite some of his attempts to undermine or bypass the US Constitution he is still accountable and restrained by the laws of the USA and legitimate legal challengers The difference is in these other countries these leaders influence or control there own domestic legal systems so within there own countries their is very little accountability So the " double standards " concern is really just about the cosmetic view we have of Trump as is he really the same as Putin or Erdogan? He isnt because he is not above the laws of the USA. We can see evidence of this throughout his presidency especially how he lost basically every single challenge around all this baseless corruption allegations in the 2020 US election I do believe Trump would love to be able to operate in a more autocratic way around certain US policies but the good news is he has been legally prevented from doing so by the independence of the US courts...and this is a good thing that exists in most first world Democrat countries

This morning during my early walk I saw something really heartwarming, there was a man walking with his 2 dogs and one of the dogs only had 3 legs but was absolutely happy and content as it hobbled along with its owner and other normal dog It reminded me how fortunate we are to be living in such a progressive and advanced time of amazing science where maybe 30 years ago if " mans best friend" had lost one of its legs I am sure the normal suggestion and approach would be to have the animal put down because people would have believed the dog couldnt have a normal and happy life But nowadays this doesnt mean that anymore...and what I witnessed this morning is an example of this 🐶

No we dont know that at all, many things can change globally under Biden as the US has such an impact around Geopolitics and the US foreign and domestic policies are directly influenced by the president. We have been through 4 years of the most disruptive era, due to US politics, in living memory of exactly the opposite of what you suggesting ...." things can change and they do " if the US president wants to change things Zora's cynicism doesn't surprise me at all but try not to believe it as its demonstrably and patently untrue

Who has passed away from a members perspective, I assume this is members from the older days ?

Once again I have to disagree with your views on certain topics. For example you dismiss " Internet Forums " as the domain of irrelevant old timers .....just for the record do you consider SM a better medium for the exchange of valid and informative information? But my main point is there are many types of Internet Forums and many of them discuss topics that are not subjective but based on facts and data and they very relevant and yes you need " old timers " to contribute if you want to educate and inform people because of what is known as institutional\work experience and life experience. Young people and people without this experience quite simply wouldn't be able to constructively contribute towards topics that require this. So I think your cynicism towards Internet Forums is based on the forums you clearly frequent and that has lead to you being misinformed about the real benefits anyone can gain from the Internet and mediums like forums

Arent you concerned you cant articulate why you spend time on any particular forum?

Excellent post Gorthfuscious and these types of questions I always find pertinent when we reflect on certain societal questions like " why do people enjoy and participate in Internet forums and what is the most effective role social media should play in civil society " Anyway the answers to these types of questions matter in different ways and sometimes the work we do requires us to understand general " Internet behavior " for marketing, sales and ideological influence But going back to your question, why this forum? Several reasons for me that include I like the Moderation policy and think the moderators are very fair and encourage a culture of robust debate. I was use to being " banned " from most casual forums I use to frequent yet I have been active on this forum for more or less 10 years which is a record for me Due to limited available time in RL I decided several years ago to only participate in 1-2 non-work related Internet forums and this is one of them primarily due to relevant posts around certain topics that matter to me I enjoy the various anecdotal stories and posts that people share around real lived experiences and peoples personal views on many topics . Irrespective if I agree with them I do find many debates both interesting and entertaining. For example when you shared that link around the Oz banks it allowed me to understand ,from an Oz perspective, this global view around unfair, at times , " bank bashing " which cannot be ignored as public sentiment can drive political change which can lead to government overreach And then the general gaming feedback is excellent and informative. Its always interesting to get views on games and get peoples opinions on gaming mechanics and the reviews of games

This is a reality many of us grapple with and need to be cognizant of, its also one of the many advantages of living in the 21st century but also can be a problem. And that is a world where we are generally surrounded by numerous places to get takeaways and sometimes they cheaper, and mostly more convenient, than buying food from supermarkets and cooking. And its a real consideration around our diet which is a huge factor in our health The way I deal with this temptation is I try very hard to stick to my " gastronomic rules " which basically translates to where I dont get takeaways during the week but on the weekends I allow myself that luxury. I have to have these rules because I lack restraint to " not get takeaways " during the week if I was allowed

Yay for the weekend where I can cook my famous English Breakfast 🍳 This time Im having eggs, bacon, toast , hashbrowns and fried banana

I dont want people to misunderstand me, I am not saying the CCP doesnt pose a threat to a Democratic world but its a different threat than what Russia presents and should be dealt with differently But your post really made me laugh and also highlights how sometimes countries like China misunderstand Western culture , why would you ever want to infiltrate a country like NZ and spy on them ? What would be the benefit....I can only imagine the Chinese feedback being being sent to Beijing by the local NZ " spymaster " Report 1 : November 23 2019 : " Very busy day in NZ, local farmer upset with how his neighbors sheep ran amok in the town square and upset his chickens ability to lay eggs at important framers market. Army deployed to address rogue sheep. Maximum restraint has been called for as sheep is an understandable beloved member of family "

I am having delicious, unctuous lamb chops..I fried them which is best for inside cooking I looooooove lamb....its just very expensive relative to beef and pork

You could be right, I hope you not but this could be about where he comes from...except Laos is definitely not a wealthy country. Its basically another failed Communist\Socialist experiment ...I dont consider the citizens privileged at all ?Its not in the same league as other wealthy or stable Asian countries like SK, Japan and Vietnam

This does seem very unfair....and I am surprised its happening in California which is notorious for sometimes being lax around enforcing correct immigration laws

Nice one, its only good news when I see a sequel to any gaming franchise I support

You make some good points here. Interestingly enough China liked Trump in the beginning of his presidency but Trumps natural impulsive, erratic and capricious nature made it very difficult for most world leaders to predict what he was going to do or say next around the way presidents are suppose to behave and act.....especially the US president considering the role the US plays in geopolitics Trump generally confused Asian leaders the most and China has never known how to read or placate him. Thats one of the things I will miss about Trump...it made a welcome change, at times, to see no normal obsequiousness towards China and to see valid public criticism towards the CCP But I dont think it was worth the negative Trump brought around his domestic policies for me to want to see this type of US global statesmanship continue

The Chinese are very effective at cyber-espionage, meaning they use state sponsored hacking to basically steal and hack IP from global companies. The Russians are very effective at cyber-warfare, meaning they use state sponsored hacking to directly interfere in countries elections and state controlled institutions like the US 2016 elections and the attacks on the Ukrainian power grid https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/19/justice-department-russian-hackers-notpetya-ukraine/ Its not that China cant do it but its not there normal way of engaging in hacking and general interference when it comes to the USA ....China generally commits other types of cybercrime but I dont believe at all they would interfere, or could even do it, in the way some Trump supporters are suggesting is the reason Trump lost Such widespread voting irregularities with not enough evidence is not at all realistic or should be convincing to anyone

Mamie.....stop being deliberately contrarian, you dont want people to think you being naughty again From what I understand Yakuza isnt a " real " open world and there only certain places you can go to. It is an excellent game from everything I have read and heard but is it true " open " world like RDR2 or GTAV ?

This may sound like we being pedantic but this is an interesting debate and relevant to all our Democratic elections and how to always try to improve them and insure the elections are respected and no foreign power interferes ....there are a few very rare example to this but that is a different debate The point you make "You can't create discord, you can only exploit it" is an appropriate one and also something I have been involved in years ago in my views and travels to the ME and specifically the various ideological conflicts in that region I believe there must be some historical precedent or political dichotomy already existing that allows the type of Russian interference to thrive and have any impact. The bias and mistrust between citizens in any country must be preexisting and then as you quoted you can exploit it I like that quote. I am going to start using it, if you dont mind , in some RL debates I have sometimes

I agree, as someone who has spent hundreds of hours on RDR2 single player and the online version Rockstar Games has currently the best modern open world gaming universe IMO The debate around fantasy open world is more subjective and nuanced. The Witcher 3 does indeed offer an excellent example of how CDPR created a compelling and brilliant open world but I do think Bethesda with the Elder Scrolls still has the advantage with open world mechanics and design ....slightly

Yes you raise a valid point that leads to unnecessary confusion around what civil society deems is " interference " in any Democratic election and should it be fair or reasonable to raise legitimate complaints or issues with what foreign powers do Russia interfered in 2016 but its impossible to say how much they really convinced US citizens to vote Trump. Personally I believe the " anti-Hillary Clinton " bias was always there and the Russians just fed and encouraged this bias ....but they didnt create it. Pizzagate, for example, was caused by choices US citizens made to believe misinformation that could easily have been disputed with common sense or a little research But end of the day as you mentioned you dont need to be found to have somehow hacked and changed the final voting numbers to be accused of interference

This is a really bad example and false equivalence, Russia did interfere in the 2016. This is an irrefutable fact Venezuela, Cuba and China have not interfered in even remotely the same way in this election and arent the reason that Biden won

Im sure he does feel appreciated but nothing quite feels like " appreciation " than breakfast in bed ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Men's_Day Thats right this relevant day is today, its important we celebrate this day as men play a very constructive role in the world I hope your girlfriends and or wives are planning to spoil you today ...maybe dinner or breakfast in bed ?

Very entertained at the moment with a plethora of great series that include Rookie, 2 x FBI ( both **** Wolf directed ), SWAT, Blue Bloods and the very interesting Good Lord Bird which claims to be historically accurate and tells the story of the violent abolitionist John Brown 💻

I have always loved the concept of the Lovecraft universe and I tried to get into one or 2 of the PC games that are set in this world I started playing Cthulhu : Dark Corners and I wasnt impressed, I stopped after about 3 hours Maybe the latest game, 2018, Call of Cthulhu will be better. I am not sure what game you playing ?