Peaker

borshthbomber pretty much echoes my thoughts apart from the passive agressive crack at Obama. The only thing that is racial in this case is the fact that if Zimmerman was black, he would most likely have been condemned, which is unfair to black people, but the verdict rendered was the correct one.

The exact wording was actually "We don't need you to do that", which isn't a command. The shooting was also during an altercation, which by most witness accounts was likely started by the kid. While I won't defend Zimmerman on the issue since I think Stand your ground laws are pretty dumb, there was definitely a reasonable doubt as to the culpability of George Zimmerman, therefore the jury was right to let him walk.

The power to have all powers.

Very good, I think I'll buy my copy soon, it's a project worth backing up, and having dynamic combat instead of the Eve Online's "click on modules" gameplay would definitely be great.

Yeah, I'm just hoping they include some of the thing that made EVE awesome for me, like ownership of star systems and faction wars over territory and ressources. Also I'm intrigued to see how the FPS and Ship boarding part will work, because I would totally play a hardass mercenary specializing in ship assault.

So basically EVE online without having to wait ages for your skills to level? Yes please. I hope he takes cues from EVE regarding the economy and political aspects though, I would love a complex and politically dynamic world.

I'm definitely not cool with the idea of merging the US with Canada. Especially here in Quebec, where the position of the province within Canada is a somewhat contentious issue. Not sure we'd like trading that to be a "state". Not to mention your social policies concerning Healthcare, the army, banks and banking law, individual freedoms, the places of foreign cultures inside a host country etc... run in a somewhat different direction than ours, not to mention the gun issue. The US would gain, Canada (And Canadians) would lose.

That's hilarious Lafy. I wonder where the sign is located. By the way, a lot of people distrust Poles in Europe, at least that's what people told me when I was over there. Something about every object lost eventually finding it's way to Poland.

Actually I did read the SOP for Afghanistan and it's mentioned that the personal weapon must be worn at all time except during physical activity. If that doesn't qualify as Physical Activity, colour me red. Especially since none of them have their rifle on hand, which leads me to believe no one was in immediate or actual danger from an attack. Plus, as mentioned before, the weight would have given him an advantage. Maybe you should stop trying so hard to troll Richards, it's unbecoming, and you just sound like a sore loser, especially since it's not exactly that big a deal.

That and from the looks of it the US soldier outweighed the Canadian in body mass alone by about 40lbs......... Considering he could have taken off his flak jacket, harness and sidearm during the contest, i'd say it was his fault. Also being bigger would give him an advantage no? Especially if it's muscle mass.

In the same vein, from an excellent war movie:

That study was quite interesting Takel, but I don't think the genetic option is the best explanation. Who knows I might be wrong, it's still pretty much up in the air at this point. For example, to take a somewhat disgusting example, it's widely known in the psychiatric community that it's pretty much impossible to reform a paedophile, only to help them (Or make them, in the case of chemical castration) to control their urges. In a twisted way, paedophilia corresponds to the definition of a sexual orientation then. The obvious difference is that it's obviously illegal and harmful to society. At the same time, there is a higher preponderance of paedophiles amongst people who were abused as a child, suggesting that societal events may very well play a part in sexual attraction.

Just because the American public isn't fully aware of the exact going ons doesn't mean the higher leadership isn't. Besides, there's a limit to what military intel can do in a warzone like Syria. But I'm still betting they have full knowledge of the leaders of every rebel group operating there along with their ideologies and goals, as well as areas of operations, at the very least. Hell, after a 5 minutes search on Wikipedia I can tell you the names of the major groups involved, roughly what cities are in the hands of the rebels or the government, and an estimate of each faction's forces.

You choose to be gay the same way you choose to like strawberries lol, you do or you don't. It's also not a question of belief, but of scientific accuracy. I for one don't think that sexual orientation is genetic or set at birth, but I do think your early experiences contribute to shape your sexuality throughout your life. Now I don't mean that to say that depending on whether or not you give barbies to your kids means he'll grow up gay or not, but I don't think there's such a thing as a "gay or hetero" gene. I also don't think it's possible to turn a gay straight. The same way it's not possible to turn a straight person gay. Freud was incorrect on a lot of things, most of all his entire analysis of the womanly gender, but I do agree with him that you go through important episodes as you grow up that are influenced by/influence your subconscious. Also, just putting that out there, referring to a book that was written by a variety of authors from different time periods, that says the world is 6000 years old, that provides rules to sell your daughter into slavery, that talks about unicorns, the content of which was decided by a Roman conclave on orders of a Roman Emperor (Constantine) etc... might not be the best way to tackle complex scientifical and psychological issues.

The war on drugs is not very effective, so I'm all for decriminalizing all substances for users. Legalize weed and other Canabis products, keep the production of other more damaging chemicals illegal and go after the dealers rather than the junkies. While the revenue from marijuana probably wouldn't be that massive, it's a helpful boost, and more money that goes into the government's coffers rather than the crooks.

Honestly, I prefer to solve succession crises by force of arms, it's more decisive and you get payoffs that way. Plus, having many sons is a convenient security, and you can give them fiefs, which increases the prestige of your overall dynasty. I currently have a retainer army of 5000 and I can raise a 5000 men levy, more than enough to quell any small rebellion, and for a large one I can hire a mercenary company. One good thing to do is to prepare your heir to rule. Diplomacy is by far the most important skill for a ruler, since it directly affects his relations with everyone. You also might want to give them a fief of their own before they inherit, but make sure you married them off first. Try to have all the counties in the duchies you own, and never have more than 2 duchies. Sometimes I set up rivalries between my vassals on purpose as to get them busy with each other, for example granting a newly conquered county to an out of duchy lord. Always make sure your own holdings provide at least 25% of the soldiers of your kingdom. Eventually this becomes harder, but you can smooth over succession problems with a huge stockpile of cash.

If you want to play as the real Martells, there is a very good Game of Thrones Mod for Crusader Kings II where you can play as any of the Families and they go from the time of the original Seven Kingdoms, to Aegon's Conquest, Robert's Rebellion, and The War of the Five Kings. They even added special features like Incest, Magic(Like Melisandre), and the Night's Watch, no Essos yet though unfortunately. I don't know if they have fixed their problems with the latest release of Old Gods, but I heard its a very good mod, and I intend to get the updated version when I'm sure its ready. Then it'll be time to make my own Red Wedding of the Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters. King in the North! What year are you at in the main campaign though? The Mongols aught to deal with the Russians and maybe even the Germans if you're willing to be paitent. I'll definitely check that mod out, and i'm like, in 1190 or something I think. Once I unite Spain and create the empire of Hispania, I can probably take on the HRE though. My more immediate objective is to finish neutering France and to consolidate my lands in the kingdom of Aquitaine, since French lands are super rich and levy a lot of troops. I also happen to have fairly good relations with the Kaiser of the HRE, so I'm not in any immediate danger there.

This seems like a strange blend of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Godzilla.

I've been an avid fan of this game for a while, as with most Paradox games. Currently I invented a dynasty called the Martells in Aragon after my post season Game of Thrones craze. I've conquered most of the eastern side of spain and happened to inherit significant parts of Aquitaine through marriage, which allowed me to create the Kingdom of Aquitaine, which I made to have an elective succession because it's hilarious and Gavelkind sucks. So now I have the dual crowns of Aragon and Aquitaine, and when the last of the moors are chased out of Spain, a showdown with Castille will be incoming. The Holy Roman Empire is also goddamn bloated and there's a gigantic Russian Kingdom (Ruthenia).

Oh yeah, she just took the city. Oberynn is gonna be so awesome, and I can't wait for Doran. His daughter should be pretty hot too. If it's true that they're releasing book 6 this Christmas, I will probably disapear off the face of the earth for a week while I read it.

I've skipped the latest generation of consoles, I still have my trusty PS2, but I might very well buy a PS4 at this rate. The price is reasonable, the features are simple and not overwhelming, there's no messy internet check ins like the Xbox One, and I can bring my games to my buddy's house to play. One question I do have though, will the PS+ membership be obligatory to use the online features?

Bahaha. I love Alex Jones. Apparently he loved the taste of the British homeland he got from Piers Morgan, and he decided to enlighten Europe.

Who do I root for now? The Lion. Never

Yep, totally true. The level of competition to be an infantry soldier is higher than many nations' officer programs, because we have such a small army, yet plenty of people want to join. We get to pick the best of the best to be part of our armed forces. "In 2004, an estimated 40 members of JTF2 serving with Task Force K-Bar were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by the U.S. government for service in Afghanistan. While serving with Task Force K-Bar, commander Rear Admiral Robert Harward, a US Navy SEAL, stated that the JTF2 team under his command was his first choice for any direct action." (JTF2 is part of CANSOFCOM) Also, Leo Major: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Major

That's a tough call to make and I could go either way. It's very important that this vet gets counselling services though. I have several friends who have served in both the US and Canadian army in actual combat missions from Bosnia to Afghanistan. One in particular told me she wouldn't have pulled through without counselling and therapy. It's sad but your buddy might be doing the vet a service by reporting him, because one day there might not be an adult on hand to stop him from squeezing harder.