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Everything posted by Hurlshort
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Di, if the number of illegal immigrants has really gone up to 20 million, doesn't that mean the current attempts at controlling the border are completely ineffectual? Maybe the answer to a bulletproof opponent is not more bullets?
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I'm confused, are you saying if we just let everyone in, we won't need fences? Plus I thought billions was pocket change to you guys in government. Your confusion stems from the fact you see the entire immigration issue as an 'us versus them' scenario. Enoch was quite clear with his argument.
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WoW to become free-to-play in a few years
Hurlshort replied to Humodour's topic in Computer and Console
Very interesting. Lord of the Rings Online is going free to play this fall as well. Apparently the model was successful enough for DDO. The whole idea of microtransactions seems to be catching on. I still don't think you will see many MMO's going f2p in the initial release window, but I can see how as a game ages, it becomes a better financial model for a company. Basically you are running off a smaller subscriber base, but you have a chunk of them willing to spend a bit more coin to get extra stuff. -
I don't remember any self-flagellation in my reasons. We are already throwing money at the border issue. My idea is to pull back from that, as it has proven to be ineffective, and reinvest it in the Mexican economy. It is a long term investment. As Mexico grows stronger, the US benefits with increased trade dividends. Of course this is already happening, plenty of US corporations have already committed to Mexican growth. But it should be a priority to help Mexico strengthen their economy, as that will only strengthen the US in the long run. Again, look at Canada. The US has the ability to share a long border and create a successful economic partnership. US-Mexico is obviously a much more complex scenario than the relatively small population of Canada, but that is exactly why more emphasis needs to be placed on the building of relationships and less on giant fences.
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Very busy day. I'm excited the Sharks picked up Nittymaki, I think he will fill the starting job for next year and make it hard for their prospect to earn the job. He isn't as consistent as Nabokov, but he can steal a few games for a team. Maholtra went to Vancouver for three years and 7.5 million, and that is a good signing for the Canucks. Maybe a bit pricey, but the guy is one of the better third line centers in the game. He wins a sick amount of faceoffs and is great on the PK.
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I thought I'd start a new thread on the immigration angle of the Texas discussion, as we haven't discussed it in awhile. There has been a steady push recently against illegal immigration in the US. Arizona passed a very controversial bill, there has been conflicts over Cinco De mayo, etc. Now a lot of the pressure is brought on by the high unemployment rate in the US, currently hovering around 10% in some states. The idea here is that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from US citizens. We are looking at an estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants in the US, with California shouldering about a quarter of that and Texas coming in at about 14%. According to the research, about 57% of illegal immigrants come from Mexico. My belief is that the entire idea of patrolling borders and going after illegals is a waste of money. Here is why: 1. A large labor force is necessary for our agricultural industry. These are seasonal jobs. Compared to most jobs in the US, they pay poorly. Right now if we were to magically remove everyone that is in the US illegally, this entire industry would collapse. That would devastate the US economy like nothing we have ever seen before. With 10% unemployment, you might think that these jobs can be filled easily, but that is not the case. With our current welfare and minimum wage system, neither employers nor unemployed US citizens are jumping at the chance to work in the fields. 2. Patrolling the border is expensive. It is a gigantic border. Having law enforcement dedicated to illegal immigration is also expensive. It takes time and money away from dealing with violent crime. I understand the issue is large, 11.5 million is a lot of people. But are there other alternatives to lowering that number than aggressive deportation? Here are my solutions: 1. The Bracero program was a partnership between the US and Mexico that allowed a worker exchange for almost 20 years. At it's height, it brought nearly half a million workers over in one year to fill different gaps in US industries. This type of program is key to keeping US industries stable while legitimizing the needed Mexican labor force. We need many of these program, and they need to be backed by strong Mexican-US business deals that improve the the economies of both nations. This can even create more jobs for US citizens, as the programs themselves will become an industry and need an educated workforce to oversee and coordinate. 2. How much does the US spend on the Canadian border? It is an even larger border, so how come we never hear about millions being spent on fences between Seattle and Vancouver? There is a major problem with US-Mexico relations, and it needs to be addressed. First off, it is in the US's best interest to help Mexico become a stable and strong economic power. They are our third largest trade partner. Invest some of that border patrol money into stimulating the Mexican economy, and suddenly you have less people trying to leave Mexico. This is already done to an extent, but it needs to be full scale to make a real difference.
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Fallout: New Vegas Collector's Edition Pre-Order
Hurlshort replied to SanadapridE26's topic in Obsidian General
How did you get blacklisted by Gamestop? -
I don't see why a person with an infectious disease can't be classified as disabled if the disease prevents them from living a somewhat normal life. I realize they are trying to target HIV, but that is a pretty broad stroke they are painting with. What about someone who has been severely mentally impaired by syphilis?
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Holy Moly, Space Rangers 2 is insanely addictive. I was playing it all day in between diaper changes and burpings.
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Dear Monte, My newborn son seems to have some acid reflux, what can I do about that? He has already spit up on my best t-shirts. His belly button also looks a bit odd.
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Played Space Rangers 2 for a bit, what a treat. I think I'll get my $7 worth on this one. I also played Dracula a bit, nice adventure game.
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No one cares.
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What's Happening at The Silver Lining Website?
Hurlshort replied to Graham of Daventry's topic in Computer and Console
I re-played King's Quest 5 about a year ago and was surprised how well it has held up. The hand drawn backgrounds have aged great. -
I thought the second one was pretty entertaining. It is a bit goofy, but the characters are good. The third one started off well but then turned lousy. Although I will watch Milla Jovavich in anything, so none of them is unwatchable.
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Youth in Revolt - Fantastic movie, funny and witty throughout. Michael Cera really is an oddly fantastic lead actor.
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Is there a big PC maker that doesn't pedal their computers with a ton of junk on it? Gateway, HP and Dell all do. Of course that is the price you pay for getting a great deal on them, I picked up two PC's the other day for my in-laws business and it was less than $500 total for two solid rigs.
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That seemed to be US's MO throughout the tourney, strong second half but weak at the start. Ah well, I'm not too disappointed, this group will be around for at least another tourney, and might even be a bit better.
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Landon Donovan just continues to get it done.
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What's Happening at The Silver Lining Website?
Hurlshort replied to Graham of Daventry's topic in Computer and Console
Well, the King's quest series is basically the Patriarch of the adventure game genre, and really the earliest blockbuster IP in the industry. It was the Super Mario of PC gaming, really. It was based loosely on a myriad of fairy tales and revolved around a royal family. While it was not overly adult in content, it was a fairly difficult series. If you failed to do something early on, it might come back and kill you in the late stages. TSL is a small development group that has redone the graphics of a few of the classic adventure titles to make them more modern. I believe they were making a new King's Quest, when they received a cease and desist letter from the owners of the IP. I guess something changed. -
I'm a little shocked at some of the crowds I've seen Bill Clinton in. I haven't even seen any sign of his security.
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The glory of beating a tough boss is lessened when my wife and kids just roll their eyes at all my awesome exploits.
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I'm pretty sure you can avoid sleeping with anyone in the Witcher. Geralt can't help it if all the ladies want a piece of his scarred and pasty behind.
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Acti-Evil, or Evil Arts strike again!
Hurlshort replied to Nightshape's topic in Computer and Console
Tax breaks are a pretty standard procedure when an area is trying to attract new growth industries. -
Alienware was bought by Dell, I'd stay away from them. Dell owns Alienware, but it still operates as a specialized gaming boutique. It is similar to the developer-publisher relationship, Alienware gets more exposure and resources, Dell gets to sell high end products under a more reputable name. They've been together for like 5 years now. I bought my desktop form them about three years ago and it has been a fantastic machine. It didn't have any junk installed on it, at least nothing noticeable.
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I play everything on easy. Takes away the frustration aspect and, wouldn't you know it, the games are still enjoyable.