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New Abortion Laws in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, April 4 2005 08:55 Profile #251
quote:
Originally written by Ash Lael:

If we can agree that killing people is wrong (I hope we can), and we can agree on the scientific facts, then we should naturally come to the same conclusion.
But doesn't your conviction on this issue stem from your religious beliefs?

I believe that murder is wrong, but not because the Bible tells me that it is. Murder is wrong because my society decided that it should be, and I am a willing member of this society. This pact was created in part to assure the personal security of the individuals it comprises; outside of the laws we've decided for ourselves, there is no right or wrong.

Because we are accustomed to the only laws most of us have ever known, we naturally are inclined to believe them universal; however, this is not the case, as history has demonstrated when cultures have come into conflict and war.

I would assert that because human beings created the laws, there is no reason that human life is inherently sacred or special outside of the value given to it and the protection afforded to it within societies. Should we decide to extend protection to fetuses, it will be due to a consensus within society, not because of some overarching inherent value.

With regard to science, we've determined that we genetically are not so distinct from the animals we regularly don't hold in high regard - consider the fact that the human genome is 98.5% identical to that of the chimpanzee genome. What is it about that 1.5% that is so distinct? How do a chimpanzee fetus and a human fetus differ? Is it not the case that some chimpanzees develop and demonstrate more intelligence than many mentally challenged humans? Are their lives more sacred than these individuals'?

To Stareye - I would posit that humanity isn't losing all that much productive capacity by allowing legalized abortions to occur - our worldwide population certainly doesn't show signs of waning!

[ Monday, April 04, 2005 09:33: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Improving attacks in Geneforge Series
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, April 4 2005 06:53 Profile #5
What stat should I raise so that Greta can cause more damage with her fire attack?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
New Abortion Laws in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, April 4 2005 06:50 Profile #248
I agree that the article omits some facts. Every calf that is conceived, after all, is likewise unique. We still kill and eat them though.

From a Biblical perspective, Adam became alive and a person when God breathed life into him. Could it not be the case that life as a person, acquisition of the soul, etc. occurs at the moment a newborn draws breath?

Why are fetuses or bodies any more than mortal shells to you religious types? How do you explain stillborns?

The trouble for me is that the scientific, genetic arguments are compelling, as well as discomforting. In truth, science is largely the reason for my skepticism toward the religious explanation for being. You can try to use the science as a tool to posit your beliefs, but I think that taken on its own, science points to a different conclusion about life.

[ Monday, April 04, 2005 06:51: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
And today is a very special day... in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, April 4 2005 06:11 Profile #7
Ha! It's but another Monday at work for me, however... it's a Monday sweetened by admission to G.W. Law, which is a Good Thing, as well as a personal best yesterday during the 33rd Annual Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, also a Good Thing. :D

Oh, and 500th post. wOOt!

[ Monday, April 04, 2005 06:12: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
5000 Posts! in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, April 4 2005 06:08 Profile #9
Laud and honor be unto ye.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Le pape est mort. in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, April 4 2005 04:18 Profile #22
quote:
Originally written by Ominous I'm in Us:

All of yous worrying about Terri Shiavo....She's dead, last week. What made go into hospital in the first place. I have the thought of that she wasn't always mentally crippled, as she has a husband and her husband wouldn't be able to marry a mentally crippled woman in a hospital bed.
???

Also, I agree with Alec that this Pope was one of the greatest men we'll see in our lifetimes. The rest of you should show more respect - John Paul II spent his life fostering peace, reaching out to Jews and Moslems as well as other Christians. Though I'm not Catholic, and I certainly don't agree with much of the church's dogma, John Paul II was a special man.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The Abominable Party-Building Topic in Blades of Avernum
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 12:29 Profile #34
Luck actually looks like a pretty good deal, what with all those resistances. Do they in reality help that much though?

[ Thursday, March 31, 2005 12:30: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Terri Schiavo in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 10:44 Profile #42
I don't watch television news either. For the most part, I gather my news online from the NYT, WSJ, and Washington Post. Sometimes I check my hometown paper, the Courier-Journal, to find out what's happening in ol' Louisville, KY. CNN.com is useful for stupid entertainment news. When I can, I listen to NPR.

My question is: Who owns the AP and Reuters? Almost all breaking news stories come from these services - everyone uses them.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The Abominable Party-Building Topic in Blades of Avernum
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 08:42 Profile #29
I guess what would be really useful is a quantitative breakdown of what affects what. For example, TM pointed out that raising a point in a given type of magic grants a +1 Bonus to that skill and +3 spell points, while a point in Intelligence grants a +1 Bonus to both types of spells and +3 spell points, in addition to some amount of magic resistance. What does an additional point in Dexterity/Strength/etc. do, and what does it affect? I know that some of this is detailed in the documentation (such as it is), but not really quantitatively. The side of the coin is: when does it become most efficient to start building something else?

(Maybe this is something I could figure out and contribute to the community...)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Is GF3 worth for the waiting after you play it? in Geneforge Series
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 08:14 Profile #14
quote:
Originally written by Mr.knowitall:

This question is for MAC user. After playing GF3 is it worth it for many months of waiting?
I can't answer this question, because I'm a window user,so I have to wait 'till summer....
Would we have had a choice anyway? Technically, we all wait for everything, whether we want it or not.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Terri Schiavo in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 08:13 Profile #40
I think that would only make them stronger - imagine an Undead News Network! :eek:
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Terri Schiavo in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 06:51 Profile #36
True, but she wasn't exactly moving around, expending energy the way you or I would, nor was she exposed to the elements. Much of our dehydration is the result of perspiration.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
New Abortion Laws in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 06:33 Profile #228
quote:
Originally written by Thuryl:

There's no reason why laws can't prevent citizens from doing things to non-citizens; in many jurisdictions there are laws to prevent you from going overseas with the intention of having sex with someone who'd be legally a minor where you live, for example.
That's the first time I've heard of that - I don't think it's on the books here. Is that an Aussie thing? :P
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Terri Schiavo in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 06:18 Profile #34
She dead.

(Sorry for reviving a somewhat old topic! :) )
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
New Abortion Laws in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, March 31 2005 05:04 Profile #226
Looking at it from a purely legal perspective, I don't see how government can intervene at all. This is because technically, citizenship is only applied at birth, and the laws of a nation don't apply to non-citizens.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Geneforge 3 available for Macintosh in Geneforge Series
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Wednesday, March 30 2005 09:39 Profile #41
Okay, I started over and picked up Greta, and she also seems to be pretty weak sauce - my new fyoras hit with more frequency than she does.

Is there really any point to picking up NPCs, other than for variety?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The Abominable Party-Building Topic in Blades of Avernum
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Wednesday, March 30 2005 09:32 Profile #13
So Intelligence doesn't matter for a mage or priest until you're done building your particular spell-related skill, and dexterity doesn't matter at all for anyone?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Spring Break in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Wednesday, March 30 2005 06:11 Profile #2
quote:
Originally written by -:

So what'd you do over spring break or are still *doing*.

I had to do this. this place is getting real dull.
I'm out of school, in the "real world," so I don't get spring break.

I object to your remark about it being dull - there've been a number of interesting and relatively impassioned dialogues about all kinds of issues. General has been hopping!
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Geneforge 3 available for Macintosh in Geneforge Series
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, March 29 2005 12:19 Profile #33
Anyone else think Alwan is kind of a waste? He's supposed to be a guardian, but seems to be lacking in the shaping-skills department. Not to mention he can't carry anything, which is frustrating, and he's a boiling cauldron of moronic rage in all the important dialogues.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Custom Titles: How Did You Get Yours? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, March 29 2005 12:14 Profile #44
Actually, I think Kel started in 2004, not long before me.

I reckon I still qualify as newbie.

EDIT: Any ideas for a new moniker for me? I could always use my college telnet logon (yes, we used telnet back then), Milleran. It's a bit weak though...

[ Tuesday, March 29, 2005 12:16: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Magery v. Priest-ery in Blades of Avernum
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, March 29 2005 09:17 Profile #2
I suppose that's true... the demon-things I summoned (I'm pretty sure they were demons) in my third battle with Vakhos(sp?) made the fight pretty simple.

EDIT: Is there a character building F.A.Q. anywhere? I find I get a little confused when trying to decide what to put points into. Normally, I just stick with boosting main stats - it seems you get the most benefit for that - though I have boosted priest spells and mage spells for each of those characters up to level 20. Was that too far?

[ Tuesday, March 29, 2005 09:20: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Magery v. Priest-ery in Blades of Avernum
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, March 29 2005 08:23 Profile #0
Drakefyre in another topic commented that he never buys mage spells. Though I don't play regularly, I've noticed that I seem to get a lot more combat use out of my priest character than my mage - repel spirit, for example, sees heavy use, and the priest seems to run out of spell points much more slowly than my mage character. Priest spells, I believe, also aren't affected by armor. Given this, is there really a reason to use mage spells outside of haste, open locks, and light? How do y'all feel about the two different schools o' magic?

[ Tuesday, March 29, 2005 08:24: Message edited by: andrew miller ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Geneforge 3 available for Macintosh in Geneforge Series
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, March 29 2005 05:56 Profile #30
quote:
Originally written by *i:

There are only two "sects" in GF3, the Shapers and the Rebels.
So it's essentially "A Small Rebellion" on a game-wide scale, complete with moral dilemmas associated with both sides? Yay. :rolleyes:
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Riddles in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, March 29 2005 04:30 Profile #83
quote:
Originally written by Zephyr Tempest:

Originally written by Zephyr Tempest:

Don't forget...
They say I am only in your thoughts.
No one can truly contemplate me.
They say I don't exsist.
But when I do, I could destroy everything that exsists.

This could be very hard or very easy.

God is not the answer to this riddle.

I'm going to have to give a hint to what the answer is, aren't I?
paradox?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Riddles in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, March 28 2005 11:58 Profile #68
quote:
Originally written by Zephyr Tempest:

The vulture is the child's mother.

Don't forget...

quote:
And another one of my own:

They say I am only in your thoughts.
No one can truly contemplate me.
They say I don't exsist.
But when I do, I could destroy everything that exsists.

This could be very hard or very easy.
God is not the answer to this riddle.

I'm going to have to give a hint to what the answer is, aren't I?
Fear? Pain?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00

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