grannywils

We were on another thread regarding Foreign troops on national soil when we somehow became briefly sidetracked onto the subject of slavery. In response to someone else's post I reminded him that slavery was legally abolished in the United States under the Lincoln Republican government. I was reminded by another poster, tamujiin, that I had gone off topic with the following somewhat disingenuous post: "How did this debate get from forgein troops to slavery? What does that have to do with diddly squat in todays time? Really... Come one slavery is a thing of the past in most parts of the world. A majority of reasons why governments are changing also is to ensure womens equal rights..... And really im not saying women have em, im just saying things are changing.... Thats left for another debate though." I too will leave women's rights for another topic, and will also bite my tongue with respect to my need for spelling and grammar corrections. Those are my own personal pet peeves and have no place here. However, I am somewhat aghast at the naivete of this poster if he really believes that slavery is a non issue anywhere in this world at this time... There was also a follow up post from my friend csgators to whom I was actually responding with my Lincoln Republcan's statement: "In the US it did (America was the libertarian movement I was referring to) but slavery was not new to America. It was in fact very normal through most of history." Well, yes CS you are correct that it was in fact very normal throughout most of history; but I am not sure I get your point. Does that make it ok?? It still exists just about everywhere. Is that ok? Here are some facts for all our perusal. I am fascinated to know what everyone thinks. I have given a link to some further data, as I do not want to fill up this post with too much verbiage. Those who have an interest, please feel free to take a look. I believe you will find it rather distressing. The number of slaves today is higher than at any point in history,remaining as high as 12 million to 27 million,though this is probably the smallest proportion of the world's population in history. Most are debt slaves, largely in South Asia, who are under debt bondage incurred by lenders, sometimes even for generations. Human trafficking is primarily used for forcing women and children into sex industries. (Reference Wikipedia "Slavery") In addition I recently saw a National Geographic article on the web which stated that There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It further stated that the modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug trafficking in its global reach and in its destruction of lives. Following is a link which gives in broad detail just what kinds of real slavery still exist in our world today (including in the United States) http://www.antislavery.org/english/slavery_today/what_is_modern_slavery.aspx

Funny, I thought the Republican party (of Lincoln's day) abolished Slavery...

The initial question was somewhat confusing to me, but I will attempt a response. When giving feedback on a mod, I attempt to be as positive as humanly possible. If I have a problem with the mod and do want to use the mod, I will politely ask how I can go about resolving my issues. I never attempt to blame the modder, as I never know for sure that the problem lays with the modder or with my download or with my own game or load order. I believe most modders want to know if there are issues with their mods. At least most of them tend to say so in their comments. However, I also think it is important to give them credit for their hard work. I know for certain that I do not have the talent to do what they do, and they deserve credit for their efforts. I will give kudos and endorsements only when I think a mod is exceptional. If I don't like a mod, I leave it alone, and do not leave comments of any sort. On works of fiction I have only on occasion given feedback, and that has almost always been positive. I believe that those of you who post your works on the Nexus deserve to be given credit for "sticking your neck out" so to speak. If I like it, I will say so. If I really, really like it, I will give you a kudo on your profile page, something I have already done on yours, Maharg67. I must admit that I do not read the fiction pages as often as I do the debates section, as I have a limited amount of time. However, I have found a couple of writers that I enjoy, and I tend to follow them from time to time. I do not always leave them comments though. I have left a couple in the past, and have hoped that they would suffice. As with modders, I sort of hope that they know now how I feel, and if there were an "Endorse" button on those pages, I would click it, as I do on the mod pages. Regarding polls, they can be double edged swords. Some of the polls I have seen on Nexus have frequently contained confusing choices, or choices that in my opinion did not directly address the question at hand. Sometimes, I would like to see a "None of the Above" choice or a "Write In" choice on those polls. I do hope that I have addressed your questions satisfactorily.

I have been a fan of other single player games in the past that went to MMO, and I never looked back. One of my favorites was Final Fantasy. I guess it is still popular as an online game, but I don't really know or care. They lost my patronage the minute they made that decision; as will Bethesda. I will not play them on line, I will not pay to play them on line, and I will not support on line gaming. It is just not my cup of tea. Whether or not it is the death knell for the franchise is another story. I rather doubt that; but still believe it is a big mistake on their part. To take it a step further, it is my opinion that when Bethesda became involved with Valve I believe that they sort of lost their connection with their public, i.e. the gamers out here, and began to focus more on other aspects of their business. Of course there is nothing wrong with paying attention to your bottom line; but somehow I was not under the impression that they were suffering in that department. Anyway, I am just a bit disgruntled by their recent decisions; but doubt that they are overly concerned by my particular disquietude in that regard....:wacko:

Ok, in spite of basically agreeing with most everything that HeyYou says as a rule, I am going to intrepidly step out here and say that I must agree with Tidus44 on this one. Those of us who live in democracies cannot expect to take a vote on every single step that is taken by our elected governments. While I do largely agree with HY on what he has to say about our current government in the USA and the government we have had for the last several years; that is our own fault. We elected them all and continue to do so. The OP is apparently distressed over the Australian government's decisions regarding the placement of foreign troop bases on their soil without specifically requesting a referendum from the Australian people approving such a step. I am not an Australian, but I do not see this as the same kind of issue that he apparently does. I do not agree that as a United States citizen I would have a problem if we had foreign troops based here for the purpose of training and preparation with our military's full knowledge and guidance. By the same token, I recognize that I do not live on an island nation and perhaps do not feel the same sort of isolation that he does. However, if anything, I might think that having friendlies around would give me a sense of comfort in such a situation. Don't know if I have addressed any of the concerns originally expressed, but I did my best....

I may have to look for a sponsor... :ohdear:

Once again, I find myself inclined to agree with you on all counts, HY. This is becoming something of a habit... :whistling:

Must be the grits that you have it with..... :whistling: No doubt you are correct!!! :sleep: :smile:

Liked smooth as a youngster. Now that I am considerably older and have fewer teeth, for some reason I prefer it crunchy. Go figure... :confused:

Thank you for your above post, Nintii. It was so refreshing, and to the point. In my opinion it is all that needed to be said on this subject. You have hit the nail on the head. If we want to use the work of these modders, then it behooves us to take the time to do a bit of homework ourselves. Period. The end. :thumbsup:

Have you picked up your robes? I understand there is a new version coming out :rolleyes:

In a sense it seems we are almost getting a little bit off topic here; or maybe I just misunderstood the topic. There are mods of all different types. For example, if you are looking for an armor mod and you happen upon one that is obviously not to your taste, i.e. too skimpy or not skimpy enough, you can simply bypass it. Case closed. No need for commenting at all, one way or the other. That seems fairly obvious to me. On the other hand if you come across an armor mod that you do like and you download it, and it has some sort of a negative impact on your game or does not appear to work in the way that it was intended, you might want to either mention it to the modder or at least question him or her to determine if you might have done something incorrectly in your installation. In any event, I believe that all communication with the modder needs to be polite and non-abusive, as he or she has taken a great deal of time in an attempt to provide us with something for our enjoyment. Just rudely attacking someone is pointless and non-productive. Not to mention the fact that it certainly make you look like a butt... :whistling:

@Kvnchrist said: "Why if we are in a global economy have we not yet concentrated on the world we live in and created an entity, with the teeth and the power to bring order to a world beset by greed, power mongering and poverty. " Kvnchrist, unfortunately I believe you answered your own question with the second half of the very same question...

I agree that saying something like, "this mod sucks" is totally non-productive, and just plain rude and immature. However, I see nothing wrong with making a polite and positive suggestion for an improvement or a request for something that would make the mod work better if it is not working properly in your game. I have noted that many modders actually request that you let them know if something does not work well. I try to make a habit of giving postive comments wherever possible, as I admire the work of all the modders and so much wish that I had the talent and the abilities that they do.

I cannot stay on long, as I have a rather important conference to attend regarding lollipops. However, although I have deliberately remained out of this particular debate I have now decided to step in just briefly. I had a talk last night with a good friend who actually made some valid points for what I consider to be the other side of my position. Most of you know me to be what might be referred to as a "flaming" Liberal. And, yes, in general my nature opposes the death penalty. But this is a topic with which I have often struggled, as I do believe that their is evil in this world for which there is no recompense. Long before this debate I have debated with myself over whether or not these people might not just be better off removed from the planet. Better off not only for us, but for themselves as well. Living inside of such a body and/or soul has to be the epitome of misery, in my opinion. Someone brought up Charles Manson. To my mind he is such a person. I cannot even look at photographs of him without feeling as though I am looking into the soul of the Devil. However, I digress. With respect to the OP's original thesis, I'm not sure about an eye for an eye, but in my conversation last night my friend used a phrase that got through to me. He pointed out that when someone commits a heinous crime against an innocent victim, he/she automatically gives up his humanity. He becomes somehow something less. When we, i.e. the State execute such a person, we must look at him/her under those conditions. In a sense we must step back our own moral judgements and look at this from a different perspective. I thought about this for awhile, and at first thought, well are we just trying to make it easier on ourselves. But, no I don't think so. I think that the perpetrator's behavior has in fact lessened his humanity in some very basic way. He is no longer "one of us", he has become something different. I feel as though I need to stop now as I have become inarticulate. But I have tried to be as honest as I can on the subject....

gamer45413, you are a new name, at least to me, on these discussion forums, and I think maybe some responders may not think that your question was a serious one. I think perhaps it is a serious question, but one that is somewhat difficult to answer simply, in such a structure as this one. My feeble attempt will be as follows. War results after mankind has (hopefully) attempted to come to an agreement over some issue* by more peaceful means and has determined that neither side is willing to make the concessions requested and/or required by the other. Eventually one side decides to take the matter to a more aggressive level, and voila... WAR!!! It is a constant in our lives, because unfortunately too many governments have learned that it works or that it is the easiest and/or the quickest means to an end. In many cases that proves to be true; but in many more cases it does not, and the wars are endless and pointless. *The issue may be land, religion, politics, all of the above, or none of the above. Sometimes it just does not matter.

@HeyYou

:rolleyes: The Fake diaries wasn't Spiegels story it was Stern. And Spiegel isn't owned by Springer its owned by Bertalsmann. And you too, you are also own3d. -.- @grannywils Before you chearleeding people be sure they say the right things. - I have responded to this remark in a private PM.

:thumbsup: Silver

@A-We have heard much from the anti administration voices I would really like to hear from some of it's advocates and why that is the case. @Me-Who, me??? I will admit to being somewhat hesitently/partially still pro administration. However, I am leaving in about 15 minutes and will be gone for most of the day. I promise to attempt to post something when I get back, but please understand that I too have misgivings. They however, are in many cases entirely different from those being shouted from the rooftops by many of those whom I believe never really understood what Mr. Obama stood for in the first place. Anyway, I will try to get something posted later. Ta ta for now... @A-If the shoe fits..post. Ok, this will not be easy, but I will give it a try. Mr. Obama became president at what I consider to have been one of the more difficult crossroads of our history. He took on more than just a war and a huge financial burden. He took on a country so at odds with itself that people didn't know anymore what it meant to be an American or if there was any future worth striving for. Since you asked about my reasoning for still being an advocate for this administration I will leave off any commentary regarding the prior administration, but suffice it to say that I believe a great deal of what exists today is still a result of what was left behind... In any event, when Mr. Obama took office I believe that he and many, many others may have been expecting some sort of miracles to occur overnight. Maybe they saw him as a Messiah. Maybe even he did, although I doubt it. I certainly never did. What I said at that time and have continued to say to anyone who would listen, is that this was a man who was willing to sacrifice himself in the name of change. What I mean by that is that his victory was such a huge step in our history, and some of the issues that he was bringing to the table and speaking out loud were so important, that even if they did not get resolved during his time in office, the mere fact that we as a Nation were finally willing to elect someone who wanted these things and spoke of these things was a "beginning". I never believed for one minute that he could get it all done. You may say that in the beginning he had a "democratic" Congress, why couldn't he get them to go along. But it was going to take a lot more than that. It was going to take more people with the courage to stand up and speak the truth and suffer the slings and arrows (sorry, couldn't help that one :tongue: ), and make the compromises and be willing to be accused of hypocrisy when they did. Government is what it is, and politics are what they are. We don't have to like it. I certainly don't. But if you really are a patriot and really care for your country and more importantly for your people, sometimes you must be willing to be a scapegoat and to take a stand and to fail if necessary in order for people to at least hear some things that no one else is saying. I guess that is why I still sort of like the guy, even though I would like to see him accomplish a little more...

If the shoe fits..post. See above

Who, me???:whistling: I will admit to being somewhat hesitently/partially still pro administration. However, I am leaving in about 15 minutes and will be gone for most of the day. I promise to attempt to post something when I get back, but please understand that I too have misgivings. They however, are in many cases entirely different from those being shouted from the rooftops by many of those whom I believe never really understood what Mr. Obama stood for in the first place. Anyway, I will try to get something posted later. Ta ta for now...

HeyYou, although I have heard that one before, you have picked the best rendition ever, and once again I repeat.... HEYYOU FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!:biggrin: :thumbsup:

@A, Utor minor lacuna

Silver, since in my humble opinion you are probably one of the most intelligent and well read posters on the Nexus, it is hardly necessary for you to attempt to explain any of your answers. Your command of English and your ability to take that test is far superior to my command of German or my knowledge of any German civics or history. You are one of my heros in so many areas. Don't even be concerned for a moment. It seems to me that all responders but one gave us their scores, and everyone of them did better than the National average. I find this to be quite an impressive fact, and think most of our posters deserve kudos just for that!!! :thumbsup: