BruceVC

You can indeed still attempt to buy love with supposedly superficial trinkets, but I'm sure you also have to be nice to people in dialogue options. Can you be nice to NPC in dialogue options Gfted1? If so then true love awaits thee Are you saying that I cant bring the pimp hand and then drag her and her sister into my tent? ROLEPLAYING IN NAME ONLY! Funniest post of the week, definite winner of the much respected " BruceVC funniest post of the week" award

Good post, there have been several polls around age but nothing wrong with another one. Demographics change, so always interesting to see the results. But Indira is right your 36-40 option is broken, please fix so us "old-timers " can update the poll correctly

Interestingly enough with the arrival of DA:I just around the corner and that game having Romance it will soon be time to start discussing how we feel about the implementation of Romance in DA:I and will it be relevant for PoE 2? So good reminder Lilly

You can indeed still attempt to buy love with supposedly superficial trinkets, but I'm sure you also have to be nice to people in dialogue options. Can you be nice to NPC in dialogue options Gfted1? If so then true love awaits thee

He can use his blades as knives. To be fair its not a verdict where the race made any difference, if anything its based on wealth as Oscar basically got the best defence attorney money could buy. But even that couldn't get him off without real jail time or even better a " not guilty" verdict of all charges. Also his career is over, he will never run again. I can't see him getting a job on any kind of South African TV or radio show so I'm really not sure what he is going to do with this life after he has served his time? He could get into coaching but this trial has really tainted the image and perception of him for many people so the whole " motivational speaker " avenue is also not an option for him? So to

Indira are you happy that there is Romance in DA:I, do you follow Romance arcs or is it inconsequential for you ?

As I indicated in my past post my thinking, or rather that survey, is not naïve. Its based on fact that Western countries have the happiest citizens due to how there governments provide services and how stable the governments are Also you guys obviously didn't read the report that on the original link, its called World Happiness Report 2013 (PDF) The report is based not only on the GDP of countries but many socio-economic factors contribute towards this data So maybe read that report and tell me what parts you disagree with? In this case ideology just means the Western style system of governments and how they manage there countries. I should have been more clear on this, I apologize You did not respond to any of the points I raised. (Exception: You did define what you mean by ideology, which is helpful.) Explanation: I did not seize on GDP as a particularly problematic or representative metric, so I am not sure what you are responding to. The fact that it measured 'many socio-economic factors' does not actually answer anything here. My questions apply to all of their independent variables, because it is a question about the methodology itself. To clarify myself again, then: you have raised the argument that (1) Western nations are objectively happiest, and (2) this proves the objective superiority of Western ideology. In that case, the burden of proof is on you, not us, to show: (A) Objective evidence that they are happiest; (B) Rationale as to why A is a valid measure of happiness; © Rationale as to how logically A can prove 2. You have done A, but instead of moving on to B and C, you are repeating A again and again and again. Hence, I ask: where is B and C? I can go into detail and dig into the actual measures they used (including problems of self-reporting and variable aggregation in this kind of research), but it is better to deal with the basics first. Do you think the survey is a good index of happiness? If so, how so? And then, how do you go on to make your own inference that this proves the superiority of Western ideology? If someone says to me " are you happy living in South Africa " my answer would be "yes" But the answer "yes" is not based on my mood on the day I was asked or how I am feeling because I just got a promotion. Its based on a number of factors that could include corruption within my country, state of healthcare, economic opportunities, political stability , gdp per capita, do government services work and other points. So what I would do is weigh up the good and the bad and decide what is most prevalent, in my case the good outweighs the bad so I am still happy overall. Many of these considerations are based on the government being directly responsible for them Now you can say " none of these things might matter to someone's happiness" but that's not what the metrics of these surveys are based on. The assumption is that if you are living in a country and all these things are positive you would say you are happy. If you go to your average African person and say "what will make you happy ", the standard response will be something like " I want a job, a stable government and a future for my children ". And that's perfectly reasonable, because that would most make people happy So going back to the metrics of the survey that's what the socio-economic questions are based on. So to address your A and B questions A) Objective evidence that they are happiest : I have said I am happy based on the questions and considerations around the answers B)Rationale as to why A is a valid measure of happiness : That's been explained as these are things that directly would impact our happiness ( in other words thinking your government is profoundly corrupt is not going to make you happy living in such a country ) C) Rationale as to how logically A can prove 2: The two are directly related and I have explained the connection So then we get to conclusion " I am happy living in South Africa " and then I need to accept that this happiness is directly influenced by my government and its policies Now going back to the original point, the top 10 countries that have the best quality of life for its citizens are Western countries. Therefore why is so difficult to accept that Western governments are better than non-Western governments? Also do you have an issue accepting that Western countries have the happiest citizens or the point that this means Western government are the most effective governments in the world?

I doubt it, I don't think you are allowed to represent your country if you have this type of criminal conviction?

Here is the thing, as Monte alluded to you would be silly to not start getting excited and recognising that DA:I is looking impressive. Bioware is really taking this game seriously and wants to deliver the entertainment factor that many of us have been asking for from there games Plus you throw in Romance and its just faaaaaaaantastic

The part they're disagreeing with is that while a German would curbstomp a Brazilian in every socio-economic standard (health care, life expectancy, GDP, crime rate, poverty rate, etc), if you were to stereotype the two countries and try to represent the average citizen of both, the German would be grumpy and obsessed with rules while bitching about how people don't live correctly (aka his way) while wanting to be left alone, whereas the Brazilian would be cheery, friendly, and wanna throw a samba party. Yet according to that same list, Germans are happier people. That list does nothing to review the culture of the various countries and name which culture is most geared towards happiness, it focuses solely on the opportunities it's country provides it with. Yes those are nice, but I would still bet money that if we took a German and took a Brazilian and asked them to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale of 1 to 10, the Brazilians would beat out the Germans a lot of the time.....well maybe not this year since we kinda embarassed their national team in front of the world on their home turf, but you get the point. Yeah I do get the point and you probably right. Your average Brazilian may be happier than your average German even if the services that the German government provides are better

Well that's the thing, technically he didn't murder her intentionally So the charge is murder through negligence. Its the same as someone getting drunk, having a car crash and killing someone. They won't be charged with premeditated murder. That's culpable homicide and carries a lesser sentence which I understand? You mean there was no proof of intent, because his bs story was bought hook-line-and-sinker? Basically yes But as you know Nep a court case result is based on what the prosecutor can prove, not what we personally think should be a valid sentence Personally I think he did know she was in the bathroom and in a fit of rage and anger he fired shots to get her to come out of the bathroom and obviously he ended up killing her But the prosecutor despite doing an excellent just couldn't prove that Oscar knew Riva was behind the door

Well that's the thing, technically he didn't murder her intentionally So the charge is murder through negligence. Its the same as someone getting drunk, having a car crash and killing someone. They won't be charged with premeditated murder. That's culpable homicide and carries a lesser sentence which I understand?

Also some people love to see celebrities fail and fall from grace so some of the calls from the South African public to punish Oscar severely was more from an emotional perspective than looking at what the prosecutor could really prove during the trial Like when Paris Hilton came to watch the Football World Cup in 2010 and she was arrested for smoking a joint in the stadium, a big deal was made about "people that come to South Africa and don't respect our laws" ( basically anti-Western diatribe ) despite the fact that smoking weed is rather common throughout South Africa even though its "illegal "

Wow, he does sound rather arrogant. Lets hope he takes criticism objectively

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-pistorius-sentenced-five-years-740263 So he received 5 years for the charge of culpable homicide, some may think this is not severe enough as the maximum sentence in South African law for this crime is 15 years but I think its fair considering the circumstances I always wanted justice to be done and I think it has been. He will probably be out on parole in 2 years but trust me South African jails aren't a picnic especially considering the fact he is a celebrity So I am happy with the sentence overall

The designer (handle is Darth Vader) is a longtime and well known in the Total War community for his Rebalnce and gameplay mods. The guy is a bit of an ass and egomaniac though. Still he modded in some really quality stuff from Rome 1 to Shogun 2. Interesting, that's relevant to how good this game may be as the designer is experienced in the field

Yeah the details look amazing, let me know what you think once you play it. I have never really played a RTS before so this may be a good way for me to start

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/10/20/ultimate-general-gettysburg-release-date/#more-243001 Guys has anyone got an opinion on this game? Its a RTS, I am fascinated by the American Civil War and this game looks like a real comprehensive way to play the famous battle of Gettysburg

Good news, Nigeria has been declared Ebola free. We do loads of work in Nigeria so this is very reassuring http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/20/us-health-ebola-nigeria-idUSKCN0I90T620141020

These people are commonly referred to in layman's terms as "f***ing ridiculous." So people who commit suicide because of Internet abuse are being silly? You don't think real depression can be caused from the Internet and trolling?

As I indicated in my past post my thinking, or rather that survey, is not naïve. Its based on fact that Western countries have the happiest citizens due to how there governments provide services and how stable the governments are Also you guys obviously didn't read the report that on the original link, its called World Happiness Report 2013 (PDF) The report is based not only on the GDP of countries but many socio-economic factors contribute towards this data So maybe read that report and tell me what parts you disagree with? In this case ideology just means the Western style system of governments and how they manage there countries. I should have been more clear on this, I apologize

Let’s look at the poorest country in the Western hemisphere: Haiti. In 1915 the Yanks invaded them, massacred thousands of civilians, occupied the land, had the Haitian government dissolved and forbid elections. Of course America’s intentions were noble: “It was obvious that if our occupation was to be beneficial to Haiti and further her progress it was necessary that foreign capital should come to Haiti. Americans could hardly be expected to put their money into plantations and big agricultural enterprises in Haiti if they could not themselves own the land on which their money was to be spent.” After 20 years of occupations America offloaded the occupation onto their despotic puppet dictator Papa Doc and later his son ‘Baby Doc’. Under their rule (with CIA support) tens of thousands were executed, living conditions plummeted and foreign aid went directly into their hands (e.g. In 1980, the IMF provided $22 million to Haiti but $16 million of it ‘disappeared’.) By 1985 (with U.S support) 60% of Haiti’s population had an annual per capita income of $60 or less, sex-slavery was booming, child malnutrition had soared and infant mortality was at an all time high. In 1985 protests began, in 1986 Papa Doc was overthrown and in 1990 “free and fair elections” were held. Competing against 10 comparatively wealthy candidates, it was leftist priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide captured who captured 68 percent of the vote and within 7 months of office crime was beginning to reduce and the flow of refugees had dropped significantly. Unfortunately after only 7 months of office Aristide was overthrown by the American backed Tonton Machoute, Baby’s Doc’s police force, who proceeded a long reign of terror to stamp out those sympathetic to Aristide and those hostile to the previous Doc regime. Naturally the CIA had a active part to play; as popular opinion demanded Aristide’s return the CIA funded a smear campaign painting the priest as mentally insane. Also 300 Haitian refugees were intercepted and sent to Guantanamo Bay. In 1993 the chaos had gotten so bad that Clinton was forced to remove the Haitian military dictator Raol Cedra however rather than punishing military war criminals the Americans instead ensured their safety against the rabble and provided rich retirements. Whilst this was happening the CIA run terror group FRAPH conducted paramilitary death squads to spread terror throughout the countryside. In 1994 Clinton made a deal with Aristide and he returned to Haiti with an American led ‘peacekeeping’ force, the agreement being he can’t stray too far from policies that are acceptable to America. Of course being the lunatic he was Aristide did not stick to his word; instead choosing charge “human rights violators”, raise the minimum wage (which could not support a reasonable standard of living) and abolish the military believing they were simply doing more harm than good. According to Haitian law the President could not run for consecutive five year terms. Because Aristide was overthrown for three years during his first term, which ended in 1996 he should have been allowed these three years. America refused to allow his term to be extended for the three years that he spent in exile. In the 1995 parliamentary elections a pro-Aristide coalition won an overwhelming victory. In the 1996 Presidential elections a pro-Aristide candidate, Rene Preval, won with 88% of the vote. In 2000 another Presidential election was held, this time with Aristide running again. He won, this time with 92% of the vote. America was not fond of these results or Aristides policies and thus heavily funded the opposition parties and various right-wing paramilitary groups. Eventually in 2004 the Aristide government was outgunned (he had significantly shrunk the military) and was overthrown. Clearly this story (which is by no means a unique one) is simply a case of dumb brown people failing to implement the glorious virtues of Western wisdom. Had they done this Haiti would no doubt be an affluent liberal-democratic society. Certainly doesn't imply that imperial countries (and their allies) some how profiteer from the poverty, instability and exploitation of these 'unhappy peoples'. I'm not a expert on the history of Haiti so I'm going to assume that everything you said is true We already know that Western countries were involved in different degrees around colonialism and imperialism, your post is a terrible story and I'm genuinely sorry for how the Haitians have suffered. But how much do you think the looting, and I am not sure the USA actually looted Haiti it seems like they just influenced the political system, and mistreatment of Haiti contributed towards the stability of the USA government now ? Is that the reason that America is the strongest economy in the world? What were the resources that existed on Haiti, was it just land? People often make the point that the reason that Western countries are so economically powerful is due to Colonialism and the looting of Africa and other countries. This seems like a reasonable argument but its specious. Yes there was a time period where, for example, the Europeans generated real wealth from the misfortunes in Africa but the reason that Western countries have stable governments is not because of how they treated the Colonies. And this applies to your Haiti example as well Its because the majority of Western governments ensure there governments are well run and they respect the principles of what a Democracy means. They believe in Presidents\Prime Ministers have limited time in office. They can only serve a limited number of terms Free and fair elections Freedom of speech Freedom of religion A Constitution that is more important than the current government. In other words the Constitution is sacrosanct There are independent institutions that can indict and monitor the presidency The government can be criticised and there is accountability The press is free and not controlled by the government There are more factors than this but I am just highlighting what comes to mind when I think about what living in a Western Democracy means. All these points contribute towards a stable system of government and this allows a stable economy that encourages foreign investment which then leads to growth So the success of Western countries is not due to how they have treated other countries but rather how they do manage there own economies and the system of government is directly related to economic prosperity. And this leads to citizens in those countries being the happiest in the world. So my point and that survey is logical and valid

Before I respond to this I want to be clear I understand your point, are you saying you can't measure happiness because its very subjective. So there are different reasons for happiness and sometimes people create there own happiness at the expense of others?

Awesome news, I am looking forward to your first review of the game because I consider your reviews really reasonable and accurate. So if you say something is good once you've played it I know I will love it

Guys have I not been saying since the beginning that DA:I was going to be epic, it looks like I was right