Hurlshort

You rolled a one, I'm not allowed to tell you anything. It's really not that much different than SR2 Reboot, but the graphics are polished. I'd compare it to going from a DVD to Blu-Ray. The pirates are also fleshed out a good deal more, they take over systems like the dominators, except you can still land on the planets and everything. I haven't started the quest line with them. For me it was worth the upgrade, but I played the original a lot and I figured they deserved my $20.

If we are just talking about preserving our own culture within the US, I don't see what the problem is. I'm incredibly proud to be an American and I travel the country every summer sharing as much of this country as I can with my kids. It does not make me insecure that there are other cultures around.

Shariah is a silly talking point for shock jocks trying to drive their ratings up. It preys on the ignorance of the average American about Islam. We have a separation of church and state, that isn't going to change because we have Muslims in the country.

Are these the same people that blew up the twin towers and shot JFK? I'm pretty sure egalitarianism is something to strive for.

Different people in this thread have latched on to their own definition, it's helpful to understand which one it is. So...I'm a bit confused. Do you feel that fits your definition? That seems to fit my definition pretty clearly, mainly the multiculturalism is a society “at ease with the rich tapestry of human life and the desire amongst people to express their own identity in the manner they see fit.” Do you really think that's a fair description of America? Try to cite something outside of your own anecdotal experience. Of course it isn't honest to say the US is some idealized wonderland of multiculturalism. The struggle to get people to embrace what is different is far from over. But you have a fantastic selection to look at for historical precedents. Do we really need to go over the history of New York, San Francisco, etc.?

If you re-read it you'll see there are several meanings offered there, you just picked the one you happen to like. And if your definition includes expressing you own identity in the manner you (not society) see fit, such as having a harem of wives and beating them to keep them in line, then I'm sorry for you. The definition I would pick involves the refusal to assimilate (as indicated in the last line) and refusal to conform to societal norms (because hey man, my culture is every bit as good as yours, so what if we burn widows and kill female children). I guess you want to address the legality of multiculturalism, how droll. We shouldn't have to even say that the laws of the land apply to everyone regardless of culture. Let's keep this conversation interesting instead of resorting to lazy what-if scenarios. I still really don't see how any of the definitions fit yours.

Different people in this thread have latched on to their own definition, it's helpful to understand which one it is. So...I'm a bit confused. Do you feel that fits your definition? That seems to fit my definition pretty clearly, mainly the multiculturalism is a society “at ease with the rich tapestry of human life and the desire amongst people to express their own identity in the manner they see fit.”

Japanese will serve you well in many business markets, so if that is an aim then I would go do it. Learning a language is not exactly that easy, especially at an adult age. I don't know a single second generation Mexican-American that does not speak English though, so I'm not quite sure where you are going with this. They move here for the jobs, their kids learn English, what is the big problem? Most of them understand English better than you'd assume, it's just a lack on confidence with speaking it. It's also your mother's job as an ESL teacher to help them speak English. You kind of make her out badly with your comments, I'm hoping that is simple hyperbole on your part. Does she teach children or adults?

My great grandmother was full blooded Italian. My wife's dad is full blooded Mexican. My wife has two grandparents that were full blooded French. My children dance ballet folklorico. They attend Eid celebrations at local mosques. We hang out with a family that runs a Japanese Grocery Store, and we go to Portuguese Crab Feeds with another. Our babysitter has us over for dinners regularly, her mom only speaks Spanish and she makes the best salsa I have ever tasted anywhere. My kids understand her perfectly. Multiculturalism makes my world a beautiful place, if you don't think it works, I feel extremely sorry for you. Also German Chancellors don't have the best track record when it comes to multiculturalism, I'd hesitate to use that as your tagline.

I would attend the heck out of that business conference.

That's a bit of a contradiction, isn't it? Multiculturalism implies they don't have much use for your culture. That's not accurate at all. Multiculturalism works best when all cultures are being respected and celebrated by everyone in the community. And...where has this happened? All over the US? I work at a school with any religion and ethnic group you could name. Sikhs and Muslims, Persians and Jews, Japanese and Koreans, Indians and Pakistanis. You name it, we got it. They keep their cultures and traditions, I get a wide selection of dining choices. edit: For a bigger example, you can look at how Mexican-Americans thrive all over the US, or how Vietnamese-Americans adjusted after coming over in large numbers after the Vietnam War.

I don't have anything against Sikhs, but if they refused to participate in the surrounding culture, that would be ultimately be harmful both to them and the nation. I don't see multiculturalism as merely the retention of certain cultural aspects which are not in conflict with the prevalent culture, I don't see why anyone but hardcore racists would be opposed to that. I understand multiculturalism as a refusal to assimilate into the prevalent culture. Using the word assimilate always conjures images of the Borg for me. WoD aren't you in Texas? Aren't you surrounded by a combination of Mexican, Native American, and Cowboy culture on a regular basis? Which one is prevalent? edit: Tsuga, it's easy to just say get rid of the rabble, but it's pretty tricky to siphon out just the bad immigrants from the good. Unless you are talking about closing the borders for good, in which case you don't understand how our economy works.

I'm not sure what the point is. If a game is good enough you'll see people buying at normal price and not waiting for a discount. Plus, is the argument about long term monetary or creative value? The guys seem to confuse the two. I need to avoid reading things from GOG. I like the company better that way.

That's a bit of a contradiction, isn't it? Multiculturalism implies they don't have much use for your culture. That's not accurate at all. Multiculturalism works best when all cultures are being respected and celebrated by everyone in the community.

I do question how different the standard of living is compared to 1984. I know people who make very little, yet they have smart phones and flatscreen TV's.

I love low level D&D. Every time you pull your sword out, there is a good chance you will die. I used to play on a NWN permadeath server called A Land Far Away and everyone was pretty much in the levels 1-5 range. When you met someone higher than that, it was like they were gods among men.

I trust my wife implicitly. Except with credit cards.

Excellent job researching your project beforehand! So is this the Widmer brewery that you went to? I haven't been to that one yet, I'll have to make a trip there. I've done tours at Gordon Beirsch and Deschutes, as well as a bunch of smaller breweries.

I'd probably compare this to upgrade a VHS to a DVD in terms of quality. The graphics are crisp and look more polished that SR2. I haven't got into the storyline much yet, but word is there are a lot of new quests. I was itching to play SR2 anyways, so it was worth the money for me. It might be a better upgrade on sale sometime.

I'm just loading it up now, but $20 for some new content is worth it to me. Graphically I thought the reboot version looked fine, the only graphics I notice being much better are the ground RTS part, and I typically skipped those parts.

I'm betting the Rangers will fade into obscurity pretty soon here. Two WS losses, then two late season collapses, and now management trouble. I don't follow them too closely, but it sounds bad. I laughed at this:

Space Rangers HD is out and none of you said anything!?! You have all failed me! Downloading it now.

Always happy to see the Bums lose.

I plan on using it for my kids whenever I decide they are old enough for phones. But I haven't set it up on my wife and our phone.

I am super wound up. My wife went to the homecoming game for her former High School. We live behind the school football field, so she walked. This was part of her 20-year reunion. A little after 10 PM I noticed that the game was over and the crowds were gone, so I sent gave her a call to make sure she was alright. Nobody picked up. So I texted, then I called over and over again for awhile. Finally after about 30 minutes without a response I got dressed and drove over to the school. There was nobody around. I then called her mom, and asked our neighbor if he had seen her, since he went to school with her. They hadn't seen her. So at this point I am pretty freaked out. I knew that most likely she had gone out with the alumni for a drink, but she wasn't answering and I had no idea where. I thought maybe her phone died. I had no contact info for any of the people she was with. I was pacing and hoping for a call, it had been over an hour. I went on facebook and looked for alumni stuff to see if an after party was planned. I sent a facebook message to the person in charge of the alumni page. Finally I rifled through her stuff and found her tablet. Then I checked facebook again with her account logged in, and I found a post by one of the alumnis saying many of them were at a specific bar. I called the bar, gave them my wife's info, and sure enough she is there. Her phone wasn't even dead! It was just loud at the bar. She said she just got carried away and forgot to text. We've been together for 12 years and I don't think that has ever happened before. I'm extremely relieved she is fine, but I'm also super pissed. I'm all hyped up and I really need to go to bed.