BruceVC

Nothing unusual for Jews in Russia then, the Russian pogroms were the worst in the world https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/pogroms

0kay, you talking about the funding at the university. Now I understand, I thought you were talking about the ongoing violence in Gaza

Interesting, can you give me an example of what you mean? And go into details if you dont mind as far as its similar the Israeli vs Palestinian conflict, I just need to understand context?

But the much of the anti-US rhetoric is around things like " the US wants eternal war in the ME " and there is a constant expectation that the US needs to help find peace in the conflict But if countries wont meet with the US there is no chance of it playing any role and particularly this latest violence, the US is the only country that Israel will respond to. And Biden went to the ME now to meet with various parties and help find an immediate solution like getting aid through and opening of the Egypt border So I dont see how it helps by refusing to meet Biden ?

Have you evee been burthurt because of freedom of speech, I dont think I have but I have been wrong because of freedom of speech based on what I thought was true

Thats true, you just say someone else said it and I repeated it. You cant argue with that logic But then can we ever say " this is what I think about current geopolitical situation x or y " because isn't it always going to be someone else's view ? This doesnt apply to things like historical outcomes and events but it would apply to views for ongoing events like the hospital tragedy

Malc, what !!!!! Please tell me you joking, you cannot allow your mom to watch MSNBC, its a radical left and socialist propaganda station. Dont let her become manipulated Im just joking, all media houses have there good sides and its counterproductive and pointless to tell anyone what they can or cant watch Its interesting with the Biden visit and all the media attention but its also understandable considering only the US can influence Israel and the US still carries massive influence in the ME Ironic how people say the US is biased towards Israel but it was Arab countries and groups who cancelled meeting Biden when he was trying to mediate after the allegations of the hospital attack The US definitely cant play a constructive role in finding a peaceful solution to this latest violence if people cancel meetings

The only group missing from the list of the 33 University protests is CRT for Palestinian Arab Students I agree with some of what you saying but the issue is the University should have unequivocally condemned the students groups support for the attack by Hamas, its not the same as stopping the various groups from saying what they said because that's part of freedom of speech And failing to do that like they did I can completely understand American Jews from pulling their funding. These same American Jews have never had an issue with these groups and what they said until now and they always funded the universities. But this goes to far and the universities have a responsible to publicly say they don't support what these groups are saying I would have done the same thing if I was a funder considering the reality and brutality of the attack Students are entitled to say what they want but the university also needs to consider its funders and how they feel about the perception these statements and protests create. Its not ike any other attack on Israel outside of the 4-5 Arab vs Israeli wars

No, I worded it wrong. Literally Hamas said 5 minutes after the missile "Israel did it " without doing a proper investigation and people took that as the facts

Lots of evidence now that is was Islamic Jihad responsible for the hospital tragedy with a misfired missile. What I did find difficult to believe was how quickly Hamas was saying " Israel did it " and also how quickly so many people and the general media believed it was Israel And yet this allegation was coming from a terrorist group that has a history of being cavalier with the truth

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67135163 More information about this successful attack

https://www.samharris.org/blog/the-sin-of-moral-equivalence?utm_source=braze&utm_campaign=2023_w42_newContent_338 Here is a good read about the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians and how we reflect on it from both sides . Its got things that are controversial but it also has some truths I think @Zoraptor @xzar_monty @Gorth @Malcadorwill appreciate it

Mauritius is an amazing country and definitely worth retiring to if you can It has friendly people,beautiful beaches and its very well managed and governed . Its got lots of outdoor activities but its a small island. It doesnt have the busyness of a large city but I dont think that will concern you. It does have all the shops and restaurants you will need Its also a nice cultural mix of French, Chinese, Indian and the local peoples culture But very nice place to live

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-says-israel-has-restored-water-supply-to-gaza/#:~:text=A senior Israeli official confirms,Hamas terror onslaught last Saturday. Israel has restored water to Gaza and I would imagine this is from US pressure. Its definitely the right move, you cant use this brutal strategy of collective punishment on the whole of Gaza. The perception of what Israel does matters if it wants continued international and regional support at the same level

What a game between NZ and Ireland with NZ winning, 24-28. I was supporting Ireland and both teams played exceptionally well @Zoraptor You can never write-off NZ Fans must be happy Now tomorrow is SA vs France

Lexx thats so cynical I had to laugh

Im at the expected point in this latest violence where Im fatigued by developments and its almost depressing. I knew this was going to happen and as usaul with violence in the Israeli vs Palestinian conflicts its because Hamas doesnt really care about the lives of Palestinians and they knew there would be a severe response. They cant be negotiated with until they recognize Israel has a right to exist and they wont do that Israel has a right to defend itself and to destroy Hamas but as usual they are doing things which is heavy-handed and falls on the entire civilian population of Gaza which is unfair and cruel The response from Western countries is extreme and difficult to really justify , both the UK and US have moved battleships to the Mediterranean. Not sure why thats necessary considering how Israel is already getting additional military aid from US. In other words as usual Israel doesnt need battleships to completely defeat Hamas . The US only needs to do this if Iran suddenly attacked Israel and even then it would be complicated. But the Israelis have won the last 4 Arab-Israeli wars without Western armies getting involved so Im confidant they would defeat Iran in a conventional war Im also glad I have no direct ethic or ideological connection to either side because the situation would be more depressing if I did I have always maintained that the 2 state solution is still the best way to achieve sustainable peace but that requires good faith negotiations from leadership on both sides and thats lacking. So the conflict will continue interminably until that happens. Im glad I dont live in either region

Its funny you mention " what Stealth games have I played " because I was talking more about how I generally avoid the stealth option in RPG, so I dont really have any proper Stealth dedicated expose to say that with examples And I did play one of the older Hitman, 1 or2, and I finished it. But I think its because I generally dont use the stealth options in RPG unless I am forced to or with games like Far Cry and AC where it really makes sense to clear certain enemy camps

I have only played Deus Ex: Revolution on your list. I am not really a stealth gamer so I dont think Thief would appeal to me but those others look good

Im about 40 hours into Dying Light 2 and Im loving it, its improved on all the mechanics of DY1 and has provided exactly what I was looking for which is a easy to understand " zombie killing game " with simple and appreciated respawning features when you die so you dont get frustrated when you die I am running the game on maximum graphic settings and I have enabled Ray Tracing so the game is very aesthetically pleasing, its beautiful It has lots of fun activities and side quests and I am focusing on those until I get bored and then I will focus on the main quests similar to games like Far Cry and Assassins Quest It has a fun and progressive crafting system and I like how the economy works. And the level and skills advancement makes sense Also because its an East European game there is very little wokeness so you see normal, attractive female NPCS which I always appreciate The only real issue I have is a minor one and thats the jumping mechanics can be little frustrating in certain parts of the map. Some places it has taken me 15-20 minutes just to climb a certain building or windmill. But Im getting better at that But excellent game if you looking for a quintessential Zombie "hack and slash "

I have mentioned this before but I have an unusual gaming history considering my age, Im 49, and what I have played and what games I havent played Because of Apartheid sanctions and lack of gaming investment in SA the first games I played where from 1989-1994 but they only Sierra games like Kings Quest, Space Quest and Heroes Quest. Then I stopped gaming from 1996-2007 so I didnt play any games released from that time But from 2007 I invested in my first gaming PC and played Gothic 3 and Morrowind. So I subsequently played many games since then but mostly modern games. But the last 2-3 years I have started playing more CRPG and older games and I have come to appreciate them and there mechanics. I love older games and modern games for different reasons But I still am absolutely committed to play games like Wizardry, M&M, Ultima and the Gold Box D&D games. They all on my list

Add to that the whole " but the Jews control the world " and " its the Deep state" so " of course they knew, how could they not have known " is the expected response of many people And then the conspiracy theory sauce is not being sipped but quaffed

There is lots of people who assume Israel " must have known " or think " how could one of the worlds most advanced surveillance and military states not know " But I dont believe for a second that Israel knew because they would never have allowed the attack if they knew, they would never knowingly sacrifice Israeli lives. In 2011 Netanyahu was also the PM and he authorised a prisoner swop with Hamas of over 1000 Palestinian prisoners for a single Israeli soldier https://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/17/world/meast/israel-prisoner-swap-explainer/index.html Does that sound like someone who would allow an attack on Israel if he knew about it? And then the anger from Israelis towards the government security failures is also something that I doubt any sitting Israeli government would be prepared to risk. In latest polls 85% of Israelis say the surprise attack is the failure of leadership and 56% want Netanyahu to resign once the war is over https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-767880 So for me its much simpler than what many people think, the Israelis were caught by surprise and there was both a security and intelligence gathering failure which has already been highlighted but more details of these failures will be revealed once the war is over and heads will roll. I also think Netanyahu's divisive,imprudent and controversial attempts to change the Constitution and laws in Israel created a real distraction and weakened and divided Israeli society which meant less attention was focused on the normal things like intelligence gathering

Would you play any of these older games now? The reason I ask is on Codex there are people who have played similar older games and they still do Because I have realized that a good game doesnt mean you have to have the latest graphics and its more about the interaction and personal experience?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/years-of-subterfuge-high-tech-barrier-paralyzed-how-hamas-busted-israels-defenses Here is a really interesting link about how Israels defensive line was breached with Gaza and the overall sophistication and planning involved with the Hamas attack. No doubt in my mind that Iran was involved in the strategizing and resources Its reminiscent of the failures of the Maginot line in France