BruceVC

Nice photos, I have always wanted to visit these little towns like Golden City. You see them in the movies, they always look so picturesque I have always wanted to walk into a shop like Cooky's and order Apple Pie ( or at least ask the waitress " what pie do you have " )

Heh, yes, that is a huge leg up. I worked my way through college and I'm still paying off one of my loans for tuition (10 years into my career.) I'm extremely thankful that my parents were able to help out with part of it. I would be struggling under even more debt without that. I worked my way through college (part of why it took me a decade to do). What they did though, was allow me to live at home while taking classes until such time as I could afford to move out. Which meant that not having to immediately deal with paying for housing, combined with starting out at a low cost two year college, getting part-time jobs and getting a scholarship, I was able to begin saving money towards being able to support myself when I did move out while also advancing towards my degree all the while not taking any loans out at all. Sounds like you also had a privileged background...you could stay at home much longer than others and hence could save more money which meant you weren't burdened and crippled by these excessive educational loans that the rest of us are inflicted with. Nice privilege there young grasshopper

Oh no...are you saying you have been retrenched? Sorry to hear

It seems to be a combination of charges but the Americans want them on the 2018 and 2022 world cup corruption charges http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/27/football/fifa-corruption-charges-justice-department/?section=money_news_international No Bruce, that's incorrect. The US charges are related to awarding of the 2010 world cup, the 2011 FIFA presidential election and the TV and marketing rights for 2014 (and other specific charges) The 2018 or 2022 world cups are not mentioned in the charges. The CNN article and several others state that the Swiss are conducting a separate investigation into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 world cups. Here's the summary from the US Justice Department http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-fifa-officials-and-five-corporate-executives-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and Looks like the folks below have already submitted guilty pleas (as part of a plea deals) - Charles Blazer, the long-serving former general secretary of CONCACAF and former U.S. representative on the FIFA executive committee waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a 10-count information charging him with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, income tax evasion and failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) Jose Hawilla, the owner and founder of the Traffic Group, a multinational sports marketing conglomerate headquartered in Brazil, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a four-count information charging him with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice Daryll Warner, son of defendant Jack Warner and a former FIFA development officer son of defendant Jack Warner and a former FIFA development officer, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with wire fraud and the structuring of financial transactions. Daryn Warner waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a three-count information charging him with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and the structuring of financial transactions. Traffic Sports USA Inc. and Traffic Sports International Inc. (pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy) Okay I'm wrong, so its the Swiss doing the 2018 and 2022 corruption charges. Thanks for clarifying

It seems to be a combination of charges but the Americans want them on the 2018 and 2022 world cup corruption charges http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/27/football/fifa-corruption-charges-justice-department/?section=money_news_international

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/05/27/fifa-officials-arrested-corruption-charges-extradition-united-states/27997783/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/27/fifa-officials-arrested-o_n_7447838.html So up to 14 FIFA officials have been arrested in Zurich and will face extradition to the USA to face real charges of corruption around the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 world cup games What do you guys think, do you think they see real jail time in the USA? Do you think FIFA is fundamentally corrupt ?

Yeah I have to say some of the complaints do seem rather petulant and unreasonable..its like you guys have become lazy?

You right, I don't see all cases of privilege as a bad thing as long as people are aware of it And yes I get the whole monopoly metaphor. Its valid in some cases, I just want to avoid generalizations about how or why people became successful because in my own country there is this constant vitriol and admonishment , from some people, towards anyone who has a certain perceived level of wealth...and it gets frustrating because those same people just don't understand basic economics and how people can uplift themselves...you cant do it by taking illegally from people who have achieved it through hard work and diligence

Okay my bad Since the cartoon is the making the same point you are making which is basically " people seem to ignore the fact the fact they have had help from parents or other means and this is reason they have succeeded " ..this is the same thing as the monopoly point which is " people ignore the fact they started the game with extra money and claim it is all skill that is the reason they won " Its the same principle so I assumed you were referring to the cartoon And yes I did get "extra money" in my life....if your parents paying for your education is considered " extra money" but everything I did around my career is what I did on my own

Well you read the cartoon I'm sure The basic message is Richard had supportive parents who had some money and Paula didn't. The result being at the end Richard implies that he had no handouts and his success is all his own work...well Paula suffers I'm saying financial success is a combination of things and just because your parents help you it doesn't mean you will necessarily succeed. And conversely just because your parents are unable to support you it doesn't mean you will end up as Paula The method and process of economic success is more nuanced than that

Read something in the comments there that I thought was interesting: "A study was done where some people started with more money than others in Monopoly, and upon winning they claimed it was because of skill." But TN we don't want this discussion to get to the point where its now a bad thing to have supportive parents who happen to have money to help there kids A person still needs to work hard to achieve a certain quality of life, your parents can generally only help you so far?

Which one are you ? Richard or Paula...maybe a combinatation, most of us are a combination

I agree....why do people derail threads Bring out the pitchforks....lets tar and feather them !!! Derailing threads is like an institution here. Except when people request that threads be derailed and everyone ignores that call and studiously posts on-topic. Very true

I agree....why do people derail threads Bring out the pitchforks....lets tar and feather them !!!

Its weird but there is something about your post I find inordinately depressing

In all the seminars and serious discussions about the importance of gay rights I have read or seen I can't ever recall people supporting the LGBT community ever saying " homosexuality is a mutation " It comes across as negative so yes in this case the word " mutation" could and would offend people who don't understand the valid scientific relevance. So this is a good time to practice the old " politically correct " principles

Ants have proven to be quite successful with the upbringing of offspring, despite not being raised by their biological parents On a more serious note, I simply regard homosexuality as one of many mutations (like red hair, white skin, a 6th toe, high IQ, whatever) that evolution applies to test new approaches to life. If it turns out to provide advantages, the gene will become dominant over time, if the disadvantages are greater than the advantages, it will not become a successful branch and will either become extinct or reduced to insignificance. We just need to be a little concerned about the words we use, to describe homosexuality as a "mutation " , even if it true, isn't very sensitive ?

I have to say the ads seem much less vitriolic and personal than the USA ones during elections. I really like both of them but I prefer the Liberal one because it seems really sincere Or does this change and get more malicious the closer to the election?

Y'think? And what is needed to change one's situation from unsuccessful to successful? Have you met many people that freely, consciously made the choice to be poor, unhappy, unsuccessful or otherwise miserable? Is this a strength of character thing or it depends on acquired or innate insights? And are those inheritable or environmentally influenced traits? Actually yes. I knew a lady when I lived in South Florida. She worked two jobs making near minimum wage and was so deep in credit card debt she had almost no hope of getting out. But she smoked 2 cartons of cigarettes a week and blew $200 a week in the Seminole Indian Casino. I told her to stop smoking and stop gambling and her financial situation would improve immediately. She wouldn't do either. Sometimes she won a few hundred bucks but spent thousands to do it. If you ever find yourself in a hole the first thing you need to do is stop digging. When I lost my business and my home I was not buying booze or steak dinners or stuff like that. With limited resources I bought only what was needed to turn one day into the next. When I couldn't find work in Ft. Lauderdale I moved to West Palm Beach. When I couldn't afford a better place to live in town I moved out to the sticks. There are no end to the possibilities available to folks in the US today. If your education is what is holding you back there is low cost and even no cost alternatives. Community colleges, trade schools, adult education... free in many cases. All you have to do is show up. Don't buy unnecessary things if you can't afford them. If you need work and there is none to be had nearby, then go where the work is. Start your own business. Do work on the side for cash. It's everyone's first responsibility to take care of themselves and their families. To tell the truth I don't know who I resent more. The ones who get on public assistance and stay there forever because it is always easier to do nothing than do something or the folks who tell me it's people like me who are responsible they are in the predicament they are in and demand I pay their way from my hard work. Good post GD, you make some excellent points I live in a country where there is real sense of entitlement from some people who were previously disenfranchised under Apartheid and now expect the government to give them everything for free....housing ...electricity, you name it. Many of them don't work and this bill is expected to be carried by taxpayers like me, its a massive drain on our economy and very annoying. It basically boils down to people expecting things without having to work for them and I reject this idea vociferously I just have to say I find you saying these things so very, very ironic considering how you present yourself as constantly pointing out to others how privileged they are as white males... So very, very ironic. How am I privileged again ? Because I work hard at my job and can afford to purchase a house and pay for services like electricity Also I very seldom play the " white privileged male " card, that's more other people who support SJ causes. We don't all agree on everything

Y'think? And what is needed to change one's situation from unsuccessful to successful? Have you met many people that freely, consciously made the choice to be poor, unhappy, unsuccessful or otherwise miserable? Is this a strength of character thing or it depends on acquired or innate insights? And are those inheritable or environmentally influenced traits? Actually yes. I knew a lady when I lived in South Florida. She worked two jobs making near minimum wage and was so deep in credit card debt she had almost no hope of getting out. But she smoked 2 cartons of cigarettes a week and blew $200 a week in the Seminole Indian Casino. I told her to stop smoking and stop gambling and her financial situation would improve immediately. She wouldn't do either. Sometimes she won a few hundred bucks but spent thousands to do it. If you ever find yourself in a hole the first thing you need to do is stop digging. When I lost my business and my home I was not buying booze or steak dinners or stuff like that. With limited resources I bought only what was needed to turn one day into the next. When I couldn't find work in Ft. Lauderdale I moved to West Palm Beach. When I couldn't afford a better place to live in town I moved out to the sticks. There are no end to the possibilities available to folks in the US today. If your education is what is holding you back there is low cost and even no cost alternatives. Community colleges, trade schools, adult education... free in many cases. All you have to do is show up. Don't buy unnecessary things if you can't afford them. If you need work and there is none to be had nearby, then go where the work is. Start your own business. Do work on the side for cash. It's everyone's first responsibility to take care of themselves and their families. To tell the truth I don't know who I resent more. The ones who get on public assistance and stay there forever because it is always easier to do nothing than do something or the folks who tell me it's people like me who are responsible they are in the predicament they are in and demand I pay their way from my hard work. Good post GD, you make some excellent points I live in a country where there is real sense of entitlement from some people who were previously disenfranchised under Apartheid and now expect the government to give them everything for free....housing ...electricity, you name it. Many of them don't work and this bill is expected to be carried by taxpayers like me, its a massive drain on our economy and very annoying. It basically boils down to people expecting things without having to work for them and I reject this idea vociferously

Nonek you do realize that just because a particular women hasn't experienced sexism in the gaming industry that doesn't mean that sexism doesn't exist in that industry, you know that right? Its not just her though. Jade Raymond said she didn't have much experience with it either, and they are the only established female game devs to have really commented on it. The ones complaining about rampant sexism in the games industry are people who have never held a real game dev job nor produced anything worth a damn. Yes, that doesn't mean there isn't sexism, but if women who have been in the industry for decades haven't had any experiences of note regarding sexism throughout their career, it can't be as rampant as the LW's claim. I can produce an excellent link that was posted on Polygon that goes into great detail around the systemic sexism that has existed for decades in the gaming industry. This is from the publishers as well. I have posted it before but can post it again ? Yes its not rampant but it still exists and Nonek was suggesting it doesn't exist. I was challenging that view

Nonek you do realize that just because a particular women hasn't experienced sexism in the gaming industry that doesn't mean that sexism doesn't exist in that industry, you know that right?

I'm not Barothmuk, but I think I can answer some of those. For instance, despite the fact that I'm a male, I'm being discriminated against by the justice system since the passing of a law in 2004 to protect against "gender-based violence". It's hilarious really, because the then-incumbent minister that is responsible for the law, has been himself a victim of a bogus complaint. Just a single complaint, mind, could mean that I would lose the right to see my kids, if I had any, without the need for the complaint to result in a conviction. Yes, that is sexism. Regarding civil liberties, a new "public safety" bill has been passed that, for instance, makes it illegal to record police interventions under certain circumstances*, and to protest in front of public institutions and buildings, which has resulted in such absurd occurrences as a "virtual protest". I can also be fined or even imprisoned for burning the flag or otherwise "offending Spain". Thankfully, our Interior minister clarifies: "offense is that which offends". Well I'm so ****ing relieved. Yes, this is in the mother****ing 21st century. Other countries' flags are fine, though. As for unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, it affects me directly, for instance with fish prices. Just three weeks ago our local fishing grounds were functionally exhausted for the season due to, among other things, bottom trawling, which is cheap, indiscriminate, but not illegal despite the fact that it destroys the ability of the ecosystem to recover from fishing. This leads to our fishing fleets having to travel deeper into sea or into other countries' fishing grounds, which raises prices for me. This is without going into how contaminated** food is in general (and fish in particular) due to industrial activity, which raises the risk of cancer, food poisoning, allergies, etc for me. Want me to go on? Look, I get it, the sun's shining, you're in love, everything's great for you and it could be for me too if I just smiled more. I just can't stop thinking that no matter how hard I smile like a moron, things aren't getting better for future generations. Sorry to rain on your parade. *to be determined... by the police. I don't know 2133 but your points don't seem that serious enough to suggest that we don't live a the greatest era of mankind. To me this is probably unique to Spain so its doesn't really change the broader message which is positive

Isn't Romance sweet

Yeah I enjoyed that game, I just found parts of the story confusing so I had to research it at the end