BruceVC

I am glad you responded in such detail as it demonstrates you have lived experience that explains your opinion or a view that is informed on other similar views I have heard around this negative view of the EU I am really glad you made the point in this way as I did some research around this and want to share some different realities on the EU but first I just want to clarify something so we on the same page, in summary you saying the EU is not a real success or representation of the power of unity of EU because The current EU actually reduces or limits the real power and choices of citizens because of how laws can change through the EU that immediately can make the citizens have less or no say The current Brussels HQ passes laws that can undermine the rights of countries and they end up losing sovereignty, so the EU becomes autocratic and less in touch with citizens right What would you solution be in summary, for example would you reduce certain Brussels law to grant more independence. You always need to provide a high level alternative to any existing government model if you accuse them of such egregious policies and outcomes Finally are you someone who may have real opinions of historical events based on work, levels of research and often lived experience that you naturally and normally believe and this view could shape other opinions which is how most of us formulate our views on topics, geopolitics and ideologies. But if you were presented with irrefutable evidence that gave you a different view of your old opinion would you update and accept the new information? This can be harder than you think because older views are sometimes trenchant or exist in worlds of " subconscious bias " but its always better to update views that dont represent all the facts ?

I finished Divinity 2 on Sunday and all I can say is what a brilliant and engaging RPG, I was reminded how my true gaming genre love is fantasy RPG. The game gets an impressive 81/100 on the highly respected and globally recognized " BruceVC gaming rating " system I have to admit I nearly stopped playing it after about 6 hours, I am very glad I persevered as quitting the game would have been denying myself an excellent experience of a new type of party based RPG. If I think back it was the combat and my lack of understanding the combat mechanics that led to me always losing certain battles. But you must understand the combat mechanics and rules because they great fun and complex but rewarding once you do this So the overall combat is a big part of the enjoyment but the quests were interesting and had alternative solutions. I enjoyed the narrative and often laughed at some of the cynical character dialogue choices, I generally say nice things but you could be rude I thought the way Larian addressed enemy levels as overall the best way any game can implement and address this factor. In Divinity there was no auto-leveling of enemies and it worked out fine because you learnt to avoid certain battles until later and that made battles and decisions more relevant I also enjoyed the way items made such a difference to defense and character skills so it made finding looting exciting And then they even implemented forms of Romance which was limited but convincing and that made it realistic and fun to pursue So in summary, excellent game and it bodes very well for Baldurs Gate 3, after playing Divinity I am very confident Larian will deliver on this much loved franchise

Just so I am clear can you summarize some of the issues some Polish people may have with the EU Gorthfuscious I have always been concerned with this negative view you seem to have of the EU....but then I realize I dont understand what you actually mean by " way when they decided they wanted to be a giant nation state rather than a trade block.though" and " proud "no!" voter to the Maastricht treaty 1992" as its before my time and how I can easily tell you all the reasons the EU is the worlds most successful economic union and works. But you have to accept to be part of the EU every country has to accept certain EU laws and regulations that are about the whole EU and not optional But this is a small price to pay for the advantages of the EU and the economic advantages of single market

I have made the very difficult but prudent decision to cancel my Xmas trip to see family and celebrate the best time of the year for me I am doing this to protect older family members from any unintentional exposure to the virus. I feel its the right thing to do but its going to be a lonely and miserable Xmas for me by myself in Cpt Anyway I cannot focus on the negative of my decision as Im doing this to protect people I love and its not about me

They do seem to be going against some of the basic human rights laws that exist within the EU and are mandatory for all member states

Guys I have a serious question that I would like feedback on I am suppose to fly to my hometown, Durban, on Sunday for our yearly Xmas family gathering at our beach cottage as we normally do The problem is we are seeing our second wave in SA and the virus increase is huge in coastal provinces where I am going to and where I live. I am now seriously considering cancelling my flight to DBN so there is no risk from my side by unintentionally spreading the virus to numerous older family relatives who are at high risk from the virus and will be there at our Xmas gathering I am not saying I have the virus but I risk exposure by flying to DBN....so what would you do if you were me? Would you cancel your Xmas holiday plans because of the reality of the pandemic spread in SA?

I can see how it may appear this is the end of the Republican party as we know it but I am confident that this will not be case, the GOP will survive but once Trump is gone there needs to be some honest reflections on certain political decisions certain politicians made in support of Trump and the GOP will address this internally You mustnt forget that Trump helped achieve core Republican objectives like tax breaks and the SC court placement. These do matter and people will remember this and continue to support the GOP which is the right thing to do because the bad things Trump did that caused major criticism is not enough to honestly destroy such a prestigious and historically important party Can you imagine if it was possible for a 4 year problematic president to really destroy any political party that has existed for over 150 years. If this somehow did occur it would be a travesty of justice and an idiosyncratic anomaly around reforms that all parties have to make at times But I do agree they will have to make some changes in there ranks and remove any extreme " Trump " politicians that use to deny the virus and question the things like proven science in a vociferous way

I am not sure what you guys are concerned about, maybe I am misunderstanding this debate We have real unnecessary comments from citizens in many countries that now people are questing the legitimacy of these vaccines, people are raising concerns that have been explained many times around how these vaccines " cannot be released so early as vaccines take 3-5 years " ....yes this is the normal time period but you can change this by simply reducing the number of live humans in the trials This is not compromising on the vaccine, its just making the sample numbers less but the most important thing is basically each vaccine has been tested on 100 K people which for me is good enough for me to take the vaccine Anyway I dont think anyone is going to deny the science behind taking the vaccine but we have to also accept there will be a small number of people who will have a bad reaction or no reaction but that is a not a reason to doubt the positive outcome

I like the way you think, I can work with you because I believe I can both empathize and understand what motivates you and its reasonable IMO

You may be waiting a long time....like never

I wouldnt quite frame BREXIT like that, many people didnt want the UK to leave the EU and appreciate the UK and its contribution and what it gains from the EU The EU loves the UK because of factors like all the money the English spend But if you have achieved no deal you must consider the real economic consequences from 1 January 2021 if they dont find common ground on a BREXIT deal, you will have no trade and tariffs agreements between the UK and EU for all goods and economic flow That means WTO general trade agreements which doesnt address anything close to the EU single market access....this will initially hurt both the EU and the UK but both will survive and become stronger. But its going to be 2-3 years of tumultuous economic growth until the UK negotiates new trade deals

Thats cute

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/12/08/trump-and-the-gop-have-now-lost-50-post-election-lawsuits/?sh=547edb512960 Gromnir since the election the Trump campaign has lost 50 lawsuits....its a huge number and should be an embarrassment to his lawyers and people trying to find fault with the election results Time to move on, it was an exciting and well supported 2020 election but Biden did win and everyone needs to accept this

I wasnt expecting such a damaging link that is an indictment generally of the pharmaceutical industry....at least in the USA In Africa countries get certain drugs at reduced prices or they subsidized by other countries like the USA, for example HIV drugs in SA https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa-hiv-aids-drugs-treatment-deal-under-threat-us-budget-cuts-a7960391.html Gorthfuscious I think you will agree going forward we should be focusing on the greed and unethical behavior of the drug companies and leave the banks alone ....its time to identify a new enemy to hold accountable for global inequality I want to get a shirt made that says " at least I dont work in a pharmaceutical company "

This is a terrible suggestion and doesn't make business sense....we dont want to do anything to jeopardize white, male privilege...you know how it goes But apart from that you cannot nationalize any listed company...there are myriad of serious issues around this illegal approach, like the cost to shareholders and the fact it will be unconstitutional ...so very bad idea you naughty socialist you

The funding from numerous governments for the vaccine was in the interests of survival of there own citizens and expediency in the objective for life to return to normal like it was before the pandemic , that has nothing to do with any pharmaceutical companies not now making profit. I am not sure if you have any links that support your point?

When I started questioning Santa's existence my dad told us " its okay if you dont believe in Santa....but dont be upset if he doesnt bring you presents anymore " I carried on believing in Santa till I was at least 14-15

But if no profit was made surly these companies would go out of business, this is the basic rule of all listed companies as investors only buy shares if they expect a positive return meaning they expect the company to be profitable which means the share price generally increases once these companies make there target? Also there are much more deadly diseases out there than Corona. If your point around profit is reasonable why should any pharmaceutical company ever make any profit at all on any product they sell? Why stop at Corona if the argument is " these companies are profiting on peoples need ".....why dont we demand that there is no profit ever made on any medicine ?

Elerond dont you like the global pharmaceutical companies ? Why what have they done to you ? Please share

Buy one made in China then if it fails you blame the Chinese and globalization? And you can always bring in the dependable and ubiquitous " its because of Capitalism" ....but at least you will be covered if a gift is deemed " not good quality " ?

Still loving and deep into Divinity 2, I am on the Nameless Isle and its going well

Nah, your biggest mistake was saying you support " ideology x " but then you cant explain what you mean and what ideology you actually support

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/06/politics/rudy-giuliani-coronavirus-positive/index.html Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for the virus, not a surprise considering his contempt for the prevention of known virus spread measures

This weekend we went to a small town 45 minutes outside Cpt for lunch at a gastro-farm called Rozendal Farm It was beautiful and picturesque and the lunch selection was delicious. They offered something unusual from normal dining choices where normally You can order from a menu with a choice of a variety of starters, mains and deserts You can feast from a tasting menu, 5-10 smaller dishes that demonstrate the Chefs creativity and skill A buffet where you can eat as much as you want from a variety of dishes This restaurant presented you with 3 or more set menu dishes for your starter and main so even though it was "semi" set menu everything was absolutely scrumptious and looked amazing. One of the mains was a beef and goat ragu

This is a pandemic and its impact is unprecedented and also how we try to understand all the grim lockdown news....so your observation is correct, I watch Sky and BBC and they always do a good job of being honest but on Sky they seem to present the news in a constantly negative way ....CNN is honest but hells bells the accurate virus updates are horrendous and make me feel ill...and I dont live in the US. For example many US citizens went away on planes for Thanksgiving celebration which wasn't advised at all because right now the virus is all over the place so when you fly there is a very good chance of exposure and then mass people getting sick and the inevitable deaths ....terrible and alone and sometimes on ventilators which never have a good survival rate They interview numerous doctors on CNN and all of them are exhausted at the moment and they said pleaded with all US citizens " please stay at home for Thanksgiving " .....you see doctors and nurse are the ones who have to try to treat many sick people who cannot be cured so just have to wait and hope people recover