BruceVC

But I always thought the general scientific consensus was that it was a Zoonotic disease and it originated from the Wuhan animal market ? Thats what I always believed because of all the other various viruses transmitted from animals, the lab story was more a theory but not as credible as the animal market?

Memories and history is not passed down physiologically , you can learn what happen historically if someone tells you about it but historical trauma is not physically transferred to a baby. For example if your father is a Vietnam Viet and has PTSD that doesnt mean his children will have PTSD because lived experience creates PTSD Colonialism in Africa was started in the 1600's and there were different outcomes of Colonialism but you cant make a blanket statement that says " inequality and poverty in Africa is due to Colonialism " (and Im not saying you saying that but others do ) when there are direct and current reasons for numerous problems in Africa and these have nothing to do with Colonialism Thats what most people mean when they say " they tired of hearing about colonialism as the reasons for many and current problems " Oh something else interesting about the end of Colonialism, most African countries got there independence from the early 1960s. That was over 60 years ago so the era of Colonialism is not part of living memory for most people unless you 70 years or older https://www.thoughtco.com/chronological-list-of-african-independence-4070467

The killing and deliberate targeting of civilians is always unacceptable irrespective of what side you on And war crimes are war crimes

I think its important that all kids who learn history realize that most nations of mankind have either been enslaved at some point or used slaves, thats the most important thing. The pyramids for example were built by slaves and Arab slave traders were prolific in Africa before the Europeans Because there is definitely a false narrative where many young people think only Europeans\white people were involved in the slave trade This is one of the aspects of selective history that concerns me

So the West funded pyramids of severed human hands, we all make mistakes ?

Or after saying " I was raped " they say weeks later " I wasn't raped, I was misunderstood " and that was only after they disappeared for those weeks between

I have had some unintentional party changes in BG1, Kagain threw his toys and left the party because I still haven't found the noblemen's son. I was going to kill him for his insolence but I believe in Democracy and if he wants to leave the GREATEST adventure in his life and miss the opportunity of spending many nights around the fire with the beautiful and seductive Viconia thats his problem So I was left with a fighter\tank shortage but I enlisted Kivan, a ranger, and Im very impressed. He is effective in battle and offers some good dialogue lines and some hilarious interaction with Imoen I also have changed my combat strategy. With Kivan I now have 3 x archers who initially can inflict long range damage and then I use the party formation of 3 x 2 rows while exploring. So I moved my wizard to row 2 which means when I see a group of enemies from a distance I can quickly cast AOE spells like Color Spray which is finally making my wizard add real value in combat Im also having some really exciting battles with named bandits in the maps south of Beregost, they tough and the combat literally goes down to my fighters winning with 3 HP left after using all my healing potions. I get good loot and scalps from these battles My party is still mostly on level 2 but Imoen is on level 3 and the adventure is progressing nicely

Do you have any links to confirm the veracity of this post ?

We mustnt be in any doubt that Putin wants to impact the EU gas storage for winter. Thats why the EU must get as much gas as possible

I understand, BG1 EE with mods makes a big difference I also played BG2 first and without EE and mods I doubt I would have played BG1

Why did you quit BG1 so soon?

Absolutely https://sorcerers.net/community/threads/xan-bg2-mod-released.23839/

Agreed, Chinas aid and loans to Africa can be very problematic and unhelpful. Not in all cases but in many countries and especially when African countries end up being dictated to by China, its neo-colonialism 101 So China ends up building infrastructure and then been given mineral rights concessions, therefore repeating the cycle of " foreigners own our resources ", or they provide loans to dictators without reforms but nothing gets better for the citizens of the country when you see this. Because without economic structural reforms giving loans to any badly run country is like a bucket with holes in it But end of the day its not Chinas fault that some African leaders have mismanaged there own country. We should never forget its always bad governments that must take first responsibility for requiring foreign assistance without ensuring how this assistance is managed

So I imagine you going to be disappointed when we see sweeping GOP victories in the midterms? The reality of the success of the GOP is because Americans who vote for them are more concerned with the failures of the Democrats and some of there ideological views than the issues you raise because the issues you raise are not everything the GOP stands for and delivers on So the Democrats have failed to deliver on numerous policies and outcomes that Biden promised. He has had some unfair criticism but perception is reality but we will have to see how the undecided voters go. They are always the dark horse in US elections because US polling data doesnt include there views because they literally make up there mind in the last week or so and they much less partisan https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/01/upshot/so-just-who-are-these-undecided-voters.html

why do you want to see the GOP destroyed, you used the wrong word? Didnt you mean reformed and free from Trumpism ? Did you have issues with the GOP before Trump and if so what were they?

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/07/23/Saudi-Arabia-Iraq-come-to-the-aid-of-Europe-s-oil-refiners-amid-Ukraine-war Its good to see the Saudis assisting the EU to end all dependence on Russian energy and not surprising considering the Iranian " friendship " with Russia

Talking about nice Austrian fruit, the first time I had a blueberry milkshake was in Austria

There is a Romance mod I loaded, Im not sure if its with NPC but I have experienced some promising dialogues options with my party members https://www.gibberlings3.net/mods/npcs/bg-romantic-encounters/

My BG1 EE adventures are progressing nicely and the game is great fun and reminds me why D&D party based RPG are overall my favorite type of RPG. I have reached Nashkel and Im still on level 1 which is fine. I have disabled Party AI because that option is for the weak and I want to manage my own battles. I have 6 people in my party that include the following (just for the record I choose party members first on there combat role and effectiveness and then on there companion quests, dialogue and Romance arcs ). The BG1 NPC mod adds some hilarious and detailed new dialogues Imoen :Shes cute but annoying at the same time, she is like a glowie on steroids Khalid : Hes fine as a tank but what a spineless obsequious toady to Jaheira. I am seriously considering letting him die just so I can try Romance her, she is hot Jaheira : She is my healer at the moment and effective in combat Vienxay : She is a mod NPC and a NE Elven Shadowmage and she is very arrogant and supercilious but useful in combat so she stays for the time being Kagain : He doesnt say much but he plays a good fighter role Further updates to follow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Duel_(2021_film) This is an excellent movie based on a true story set in 14th Century France, its about 2 men of wealth who fight a duel to the death over allegations one of the mens wife was raped by the other The filming and recreation of medieval France is superlative and its the best fight I have ever seen between knights

https://www.starship.xyz/ Estonia's capital has a working system of these robots that deliver groceries to peoples houses. They common and all over the place. What a good example of mechanization and robotics making life easier We were joking how they would never work in SA, the robots would end up in the scrap yard within 1 day But they make sense in a first world country with low levels of crime

Dont we need access to some sunlight to survive? Or would we adopt like the Drow to living underwound?

It surprises me that some of you guys in the US still espouse UBI after what you have seen as the risk with what this kind of social stimulus has caused in the US during the lockdowns There are lots of examples of companies employees in low earning jobs not wanting to come back to work because they were either earning more or could survive on stimulus. That was never the point of stimulus, it was suppose to help people who couldn't work. Not let people decide they didnt want to work Stimulus checks were not taxable and UBI is the same and even though I admit not everyone will abuse it we now see evidence that there was rampant abuse and the same thing will happen with UBI which will create inflation in the US because if many people dont want to work in certain sectors around production and manufacturing, albeit on minimal wage, you will have pressure on supply chains and the availability of goods. And one of the reasons for inflation is linked to a shortage of goods...basic supply and demand mechanics Here is a good article that summarizes the tax and other issues with UBI https://www.niskanencenter.org/universal-basic-income-is-just-a-negative-income-tax-with-a-leaky-bucket/#:~:text=“Universal Basic Income” is Just a Negative Income,of how much they earn on their own.

No its not, they might not find jobs and contribute towards the tax base outside of VAT, I think you call it sales tax, so they could just end up being recipients of social grants and a burden to the state without contributing properly And no country would allow unrestricted immigration because no country has unlimited resources Malc nothing beats work experience, lets not be negative

The Wagner group have also been linked to atrocities on the African continent, it shouldn't surprise us. If Russian soldiers have been committing wanton acts of rape and killing civilians in Ukraine you can only imagine what Russian mercenaries are capable of doing https://adf-magazine.com/2022/04/russian-wagner-group-tied-to-atrocities-in-mali/ https://adf-magazine.com/2022/04/russian-wagner-group-tied-to-atrocities-in-mali/