James

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B][color=teal] There are several things you left out regarding laws, sanctions and benefits to the US.[/color][/b][/quote] [color=#808080]Such as? Once again, you're not providing specific examples. Tell me why it is more beneficial for the United States to go to war, rather than to drop the sanctions against Iraq. It's all very well to say "it's about oil". But people who make those arguments are frequently unable to explain [i]why[/i]. Furthermore, those same people often have a great deal of trouble explaining the relevant sanctions and resolutions in relation to Iraq.[/color][quote][b][color=teal] And 2) If you don't believe that the media would "restrict" some things, by means I don't agree with DuoMax saying all media, then you really have no idea what you are talking about. It is well documented and is accepted that the media is bias and any thing you do see can and most likely is from "someone?s" point of view. To the point were it is now part of school assignments to find the bias. So yes, they lie.[/quote][/b][/color] [color=#808080]Did I say that the media contains no bias? No. Read my comments again, please. I pointed out to DuoMax that just because one local station didn't cover one local peace march, that doesn't provide [i]any[/i] indication or logic to suggest that the rest of the media in general is pro-Government and is ignoring the peace movement. If you watch CNN, you will find that the channel is [i]quite[/i] anti-war biased. In addition, there is a difference between bias and lying. You need to remember that. A bias is not necessarily a lie, it's simply a frame through which information is presented. [/color][quote][b][color=teal] Gokents 60% of my country is against action against Iraq (40% of that will accept war with UN backing, I am one of those people ? ie, if we [b]have[/b] to go to war, I?d rather it with UN backing for Australia?s safety. I don?t want the war at all but yeah.), this is not just one poll these figures are on nearly ever poll taken so far. [/quote][/b][/color] [color=#808080]Recent polls indicate that around 60%+ of our citizens would support war if the United Nations authorized it. I myself would be far less supportive of war without United Nations approval. However, the United Nations needs to read its own resolution (1441). The French and Germans are spinning things to the point where they are missing the point of the original resolution that they [i]agreed[/i] to. Few people who argue about "more time" for inspectors understand 1441. I'm not saying that as a matter of being pro-war (because I'm not necessarily pro-war), I'm saying it as a matter of international law. The politics of the situation are another story, of course.[/color][quote][b][color=teal] Yet our priminister is still backing bush. Now this is interesting, because that means he knows some thing we don't eg he is lying to the Australian public, this is why the upper house passed a no-confidence vote on him. Effectively this means nothing except they formally told him he's doing some thing wrong. He is still continuing? (Reason I say he's lying, 60% of Australia. Not good for next election, so why would he risk it in less he knows some thing we don't.)[/quote][/b][/color] [color=#808080]Of course he's lying. That suits your conspiracy theorist views, doesn't it? I'm sure that the Prime Minister has probably committed our forces to action in Iraq. But you must also remember that it's quite possible that he doesn't know if he will or won't support action against Iraq. Remember; you need to have a certain amount of military resources in place well before you strike. It's prudent to position those forces before a second UN resolution, [i]just in case[/i] they are required. If they aren't required, they can return home. If we had not deployed any forces by now, then that would be an undeniable rejection of war under [i]any[/i] circumstance. Due to the time involved with deployment, it's necessary to deploy forces now if we are leaving the option of force open. So there [i]is[/i] a legitimate reasoning to this. It's unfair to attack the Prime Minister before a UN vote on the subject; if he wants to leave the question of support open (without committing), he [i]does[/i] need to pre-deploy forces to the area. This is a matter of simple logistics. If we don't get the UN vote, then it's quite possible that half or more of our forces will become a part of normal rotation (meaning that many will return). Let's try to keep things in perspective; Labor has absolutely played politics on this issue. I'm very disappointed with Simon Crean -- and I consider him to be the worst Labor leader in years. He's far too partisan on nearly every issue, to the point where his comments are extremely devisive and uncalled for.[/color][quote][b][color=teal] Also China for some odd reason has being bringing up capitalists and adding them to the "Party" to increase the countries wealth, most believe this is part of a long change over from their current system. So good on them.[/quote][/b][/color] [color=#808080]I don't really know how that is relevant...but yes, you're right. China is slowly moving toward democracy all the time. That's definitely a good thing for all involved.[/color][quote][b][color=teal] James North Korea is America's fault, just like the Cuba missile crisis. America cut NK's power supply and gave them an excuse to start their reactors. Therefore any result of that I don't believe Australia should be involved in and bad luck America, you?re bad.[/quote][/b][/color] [color=#808080]Ah yes, that's wonderful. A very predictable comment coming from you, Cloricus. First and foremost, you neglect to mention [i]why[/i] the United States cut North Korea's power supply. The USA cut support [i]after[/i] they discovered that North Korea had been in the process of systematically violating the 1994 international non-proliferation agreements. I thought you'd ignore that. The USA didn't create this situation; North Korea did. North Korea had [i]agreed[/i] to cease its nuclear development program. This agreement had been reached [i]without war[/i] (which, by your standards, should be absolutely wonderful). And now North Korea has been found to have broken that deal. Gee, imagine if the US had attacked North Korea for that! I'm sure you'd be arguing against that, wouldn't you? And yet, by the same token, you're blaming the United States for North Korea's proliferation. By your standards, even if the United States practices peaceful diplomacy, they can't win. And by your judgement, they'll [i]never[/i] win. Now, the USA is attempting to avoid war with North Korea and is trying to establish direct talks to ensure that the country gets back on track with its original promises. I suppose you will find fault in this non-violent approach, too? Yep, all America's fault. [/color][quote][b][color=teal] I feel sorry for Taiwan, I have a friend from there and its meant to be a lot worse than the snippets that get on the news.[/quote][/b][/color] [color=#808080]I feel sorry for them too. I really hope that China uses its better judgement and sees the benefit in partnering with Taiwan, rather than dominating that island.[/color][quote][b][color=teal] Also on a joking note ? America when you use your secretary of state to address the UN, do not make him try and link al-quada to Iraq when he doesn?t want to, and if you do make sure they aren?t the al-quada groups that have being trying to knock off saddam for the last 20 years? The was so funny. (Really al-quada has nothing to do with Iraq and Iraq wants nothing to do with them. Saying they do is just outright lying, and it really cheapened the American argument.) [/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]I see. And I suppose you're getting your "intelligence" from the Greenpeace website or something? Come on, Cloricus. You are constantly skeptical of Government in just about every situation. Where is the evidence that Al-Qaeda has been trying to knock off Saddam? That's news to me. Furthermore, I'd point out to you that Saddam Hussein has been actively supporting Palestinean terror groups (who unfortunately set back the crucial Palestinean independence movement by years with each bomb attack). There [i]is[/i] evidence of at least a loose connection between Al-Qaeda individuals and the Iraqi Government. I'm not saying that such links are conclusive, but the presence of links is far more likely than not. When you consider Saddam's provocation of violence in the Middle East via various terror groups, I think that it's a stretch to simply dismiss the Al-Qaeda connection altogether. It's okay to have a healthy skepticism on the matter, but I don't think it's useful to follow the traditional "If America says there's a link, then there can't possibly be" route.[/color]

[color=#808080]It's pretty simple, really. All you have to do is check if the thread is repeated on the [b]first page[/b]. If you don't see it on the first page...then you can go ahead and create it. Of course, it's more of a case-by-case basis. If we've had lots of threads about one subject in the past, we may close the new thread. But generally, we'll allow it to remain if there hasn't been a similar one in a little while. This is because we get new members who may not have seen the older threads anyway (much less participated in 'em). Generally, a Moderator [i]will[/i] link you to an existing thread if he/she thinks it appropriate. You won't be banned for making a thread that is repetitive; but you will be banned if you make something similar over and over again on one page. So it's mostly a common sense issue.[/color]

[color=#808080]Well, that bombing was an accident. There is nothing China [i]could[/i] do. I hope China's a weak country though...for Taiwan's sake. :worried:[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Ah yes...Aeon Flux had a very distinctive style. I remember watching it a little bit when it was on SBS over here. Anyway, I can't explain how much I'm now looking forward to this DVD. I'm a huge Matrix fan...and I can't wait for the next two movies. The idea of anime studios/creators combining with American production talent to produce The Animatrix is just mind boggling. O_O[/color]

[color=#808080]I saw bits and pieces of the first two films...but never really got into 'em. I never saw the third. So, who knows. I hope that they "modernize" the latest film though, because otherwise I don't think it will be seen as a very legitimate movie...in the sense that it'll be too retro to be taken seriously. [/color]

[color=#808080]Russia is very opportunistic. It will side with whoever is best at the time. In this case, Russia will side with the United States.[/color]

[color=#808080]Juuthena, I just want to pick up on a point of yours about China. China isn't going to side with North Korea [i]ever[/i]. Even though China has somewhat propped up NK (in terms of weapons trade and such), China doesn't want a challenge. China sees itself as the dominant power in Asia. And as such, it considers North Korea to be a threat. A North Korea with nuclear capabilities is something that China [i]definitely[/i] doesn't want. This is one issue where China will side with the United States, in terms of keeping NK under control.[/color]

[color=#808080]You still think that oil is a deciding factor, but still, you're providing no evidence to support that claim. I think you know that your oil argument is shaky at best. As for the "get on or hit the road", well, I somewhat agree. I'm not a blind partisan at all; I can definitely be critical of certain elements of Bush's policy. [/color] [quote][b]sorrrrrry if i don't get frickin' cable.[/b][/quote] [color=#808080]Who says you need cable? You are trying to tell me that just because [i]one[/i] local network didn't cover your [i]one[/i] peace march, that somehow [i]all[/i] local media is in the pocket of Government. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that your logic is a little wrong. ~_^[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by DuoMax [/i] [B]sorrry, but when i atttended a peace march in S.F. where there about 150,000 people, the local News channels didn't even blink!! [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Oh, so because the local news channels didn't cover that one peace march, they are somehow in the pocket of Government? Ah, I see. That makes sense. Even though I have seen hours of coverage of peace marches in Washington D.C. (and even in Iraq of all places) on CNN. Yeah, guess it doesn't count because you didn't see it yourself. ~_~[/color]

[color=#808080]That's your opinion? But you've provided no evidence that it's true. Of [i]course[/i] they're going to divide up the oil fields if they take over Iraq. Why? Because a reignition of the oil fields would provide an instant source of financing for that country. Thus, Iraq could be rebuilt and its new Government would have enough financing to get the country back on its feet. The idea that the United States will somehow take that oil and pump it all secretly to its own territory is absolutely ridiculous and contradicts every piece of evidence that I provided in my post above. The key here is to actually research the situation and understand the motivations. People who hate Bush or who are anti-war are [i]always[/i] going to find some pointless excuse to attack the situation, regardless of how right or wrong a war on Iraq might be. And that annoys me; it's like people who are blindly partisan...it's just stupid and it ignores the facts. At least allow yourself to be realistic. You can oppose war without getting into the predictable "it's all for oil" camp.[/color]

[color=#808080]I doubt that "the draft" would be imposed anytime soon. Let's keep ourselves rational, people. ^_^ Anyway...once again, this thread shouldn't exist. The War on Iraq thread might be about Iraq, but if you read it you'll find that it's taken on a somewhat more general tone. Please confine your comments to that thread. I don't want to see another one of these threads popping up. If I do, I will take significant action against the individual who starts the thread.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by DuoMax [/i] [B]I'm sorry, Gokents, but if you believe that th e western media would broadcast ANYTHING that would harm its government, youare sorely dissilousioned. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]Then how do you explain the often critical coverage by networks such as CNN's domestic providers? Australia's "A Current Affair" is about to air an anti-war piece. I've never seen a more clear-cut case of one-sided propaganda in all my life. Australia is a western country. There is one example of a local news organization broadcasting something that opposes Government. Thinking that the media is the lapdog of Government is far more naive.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Orien_Xel [/i] [B]I object to that statement. It is quite obvious that oil is what this war is about. Sorry. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]To the uninformed, perhaps. Let me list the reasons why the impending war is not about oil. 1) Why would the United States want oil from Iraq? For higher supply and thus, lower fuel prices. If that was the case, then the United States would not opt for a war. Rather, it would be far easier to simply lift the sanctions on Iraq and allow it to utilize its own oil resources to a greater extent. War is often unpopular with large sectors of society; why deliberately hurt your PR image when there is a much easier way to receive the same amount of oil supply? It doesn't make sense. The United States is not going to deliberately put itself out there and hurt its image to achieve something that could be done a lot easier without war. 2) One of the core principles of the Bush Administration's energy policy is an increase in energy production domestically. If the Administration planned to take over Iraqi oil fields, then such a plan would be redundant. Rather, the USA wishes to become more independent when it comes to oil and other energy sources; which is precisely why President Bush's energy policy is so focused on domestic power development. It's very easy to say "It's all about oil!!" and to spout off other ill-informed propaganda like that. Very easy -- and very effective for those who are not aware of Government policies or the substance of United Nations resolutions. Unfortunately, such arguments are irrelevant. The broad array of facts available effortlessly deconstruct such theories. And by the way...in your last post, you talk about getting rid of dictators and how good that would be. I hope you realize that getting rid of dictators is exactly what this war is about. Noobdy likes war and I don't think anyone is arguing that war is a good thing in itself. But sometimes war is necessary for whatever reason. I'm not telling you that this war should be supported by everyone, but I'm encouraging you to understand that we don't live in Never Land; sometimes we have to face the harsh realities of life. We certainly [i]aren't[/i] going to get rid of Saddam via weapons inspections and negoations over tea and crumpets.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Orien_Xel [/i] [B] Oh, yeah, here's something else: N. Korea has Nuke, and we're negoiating? Probably because there is no OIL in N. Korea. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#808080]The sooner people quit the utterly lame oil argument, the sooner this debate will have moved to a higher level.[/color]

[color=#808080]I received the GameCube version a while ago from Acclaim. And generally, I can concur with the poor impressions of it. Turok was never as good as many claimed, in my opinion. Turok II in particular suffered from utterly horrible and unfocused level design as well as vague and pointless objectives. Turok: Evolution tries to fix some of those issues, by changing the game significantly. And in some ways, it does do that. The level designs in Turok: Evolution aren't actually that bad; some of them are downright beautiful. But generally speaking, the levels are the [i]only[/i] good thing about this game. And about 70% of the game's levels are simply very poor. It's just that there are some impressive moments. Multiplayer levels are all horrible, too. The GameCube version supports four player, but there is a major problem; in multiplayer, you can't adjust the sensitivity of the control stick. This is a HUGE issue, because the default setting is ridiculously sluggish. It's horrible. Even on the highest settings, the responsiveness is really poor. The thing is, they focused it wrong. For instance, if you move the stick just a little...you'll feel a slight delay, and then your character will turn around very sharply. It's ...hideous. lol Weapons are all [i]okay[/i]. Some are pretty good, but don't have much of a point. AI is also incredibly bad. Initially, enemies will run from you and hide if you fire on them. But if you damage them significantly, guess what they do? They run right up to you at point blank range and stand still...and shoot. How stupid. Really, Turok: Evolution is a pretty bad game. I never thought the Turok games were [i]great[/i]...they always suffered from some major design problems. I don't think that any of them were worthy of a score of over 75%. [/color]

[color=#808080]Argh, another one of these threads? Heaven's Cloud, you're a Moderator. You should be aware that constant repeating of threads is against the rules. [i]Please[/i] discuss this subject in the other Iraq thread on this page. [/color]

[color=#808080]I don't know which I prefer. I tend to prefer subbed anime [i]if[/i] there are omissions in the dub (or if the dub voices are too annoying). I can read very fast, so I'm used to reading subtitles. It's not a problem for me. However...if the dub is good quality, I'd prefer to watch that. I can't wait to see/hear the dub of .hack//SIGN, having only heard the original Japanese voices.[/color]

[color=#808080]I'm not a fan of Eminem at all. After listening to quite a few of his songs (my little sister loves him) and seeing the way his career has moved, I totally dislike him now. First and foremost, many of his songs revolve around the same subject (often it's something to do with how cutting edge he is and how nobody can stop him talking). That in itself is incredibly egotistical and annoying. Secondly, Enimem constantly acts with this holier than thou attitude...as though he's not there for the fame or the money. And yet, here he is with a propaganda-laced movie...and now a [i]clothing line[/i] of all things. He's a hypocrite...and I think most of his popularity comes from the cheap shocks that he provides. Some of his songs do have interesting messages, but I would never class them as very profound or earth shattering. To me, Eminem is a disappointment. He's increasingly becoming a commercial production with very little substance whatsoever. Oh and...I love the way he says that nobody listens to techno anymore. I guess he hasn't been to Europe at any point in the last thirty years. Also, have you heard the actual music in his songs lately? Gee, I wonder what it is. It's techno...and extremely poor quality techno at that. Of course, that's just my opinion. I respect those who like his music, because I'm aware that we all have different tastes.[/color]

[color=#808080]That's really cool. I think games can teach a lot about certain things; physics being one of them. GTA's physics are somewhat exaggerated in most cases, but the vehicle movement is pretty good. It [i]can[/i] teach you a lot about physics if you analyze it. It's interesting...games like GTA are getting closer and closer to those professional crash test simulations, in terms of the reactions that cars have to one another. It seems obvious to me that some teachers will start using video games as a way of demonstrating realistic physics. It's probably cheaper and easier than building some complex model or something like that.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Medra [/i] [B]Ever seen something explode? Notice that things go out and up when they explode. THAT'S what was going down in my post. Silly Jeh-Jeh. ;P [/B][/QUOTE] Ahh, yeah, but you have to remember a few things. First, despite the size of the explosion...it would still only cover around 2 to 4 "city blocks" of MHHQ. The key is to remember the sheer scale of the MHHQ territory. It's not just one building; it's like a city within a city, as I mention in my post. Even those in the mid-sector areas of MHHQ would not see any debris. They'd certainly see the explosion (and probably hear/feel the impact), but it wouldn't affect 'em. So, for those outside the MHHQ barrier...well, they would probably see the bursts of light in the distance...but even then it would be very remote. An explosion of that size is large, but how large is it from over 100 kilometers away? You could probably see a flash of light, especially at night...but it wouldn't be very devistating. Also, the people who live inside the MHHQ barrier are all MHHQ staff. Even excluding the reploids, there would probably be thousands of human staff. So, anyway...I'm sorry for that long response, but it's really important to be accurate. I did my best to describe the HQ in my post (considering that I had to do so relatively briefly). So if you ever need a reference point, my post has that paragraph in it. Also, hopefully we can get a scaled map of the place soon...and then everyone can see how it goes. ^_^ But yeah, let's get back to the RP posts. We don't want to disturb the story too much.

[color=#507AAC]Spikey, the reason that Tsukasa and Elk look similar is that they are both in the same character class. Remember, the characters you see in The World are the digital creations of real-world players. So, the real world counterparts are obviously different. For instance, the person who controls the character "Bear" is actually a lonely guy in his mid 40's who writes novels for a living. Though he has yet to get anything published. So he spends a lot of time online. Early on, you do get to see who Mimiru is in real life. That's very cool; but you have to look carefully. That's why taping these episodes (or better yet, buying them on DVD) is [i]really[/i] worthwhile. I forget which episode it is...I think it's about six or seven, where we see a real life glimpse of Mimiru. It's very cool. The mystery behind Tsukasa is indeed very complex. I haven't seen the entire series yet (haven't had time to keep watching lately)...but I can tell you that there are some MAJORLY unexpected things happening. In other words...you will be [i]totally[/i] flawed when you find out some of the details surrounding Tsukasa. I can't think of any other anime with such a massive plot surprise. lol[/color]

[color=#808080]This sounds like one of those weird early 20th century laws that are still on the books, but that nobody enforces. There is some law for the city of Brighton in my state, which says that ladies shall not wear swimsuits above their ankles or something...it's really funny. It's one of those odd laws that is still on the books (I think it first came into practice in the late 1890's). Of course, it isn't applied today. Nobody has [i]ever[/i] been charged under that ordinance, to my knowledge; even back in the day when it was created. Still, you know how it is...the city councils are too lazy to strike these laws from the books (probably afraid it'll cost them too much money or something -_-). Oh well...I hope the situation in London is changed. Dancing and pubs go together...stopping people from dancing is just insane.[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Ginny's hit the nail on the head. ~_^ That's what I'm referring to. The level of customization for your character is much higher than you'll get with other Final Fantasy games. Having said that, not everyone wants to sit there and develop their character's tiniest attributes. For newer or less experienced players, I can see how this might be daunting. Even some more experienced players may still prefer to develop characters via a slightly more automated system. So that's fine; I'm not trying to say that the Sphere Grid is necessarily the best system (because that's subjective), I'm just saying that it's probably the most in-depth...which is why I personally enjoy using it. ^_^[/color]

[color=#507AAC]Welcome to OB. ^_^ Unfortunately, we don't allow intro threads at all. So, feel free to introduce yourself to other members within the course of discussion. Please also remember to read our rules, as they are incredibly important to our site. Thanks again for joining and I hope you enjoy your stay![/color]

[color=#507AAC]Ahh, you said "Afterburner" in the thread title. I'll fix that for you. ~_^ I read this today at Lik-Sang. It's great news! Hopefully I'll be able to import one within the next few days. [/color]