DoNotRemoveBeforeFlight

How is it Europe when the jeep's a left-hand dri- oh. EU allows such vehicles.

If you can't donate, don't feel bad. Words of encouragement and support can go a long way, too. Even better, tell people about it! ...I forgot how much I have spent and donated to indies I support... *looks at passbook* Oh... that's a lot. But damn I feel proud. Edit: There are certain 'indies' that could be more well off or not as good as you think. Some can be obvious to spot. YouTube personalities are an example NOT to "donate" your money to. They've got sponsors. Then, there are indie games which are half-baked and lack any love in it, giving Steam Early Access a bad reputation when there are hidden gems among the goo. However, it's up to you to decide if something's a legit and worthy cause to advocate. I like playing on standalone flash player as well, gives me more freedom. Speaking of paywall, I've never quite understood why some people managed to get sucked into it when there are plenty of alternatives out there in the market. On trains and buses, I've seen plenty of commuters playing Farmville, Candy Crush etc. (even Candy Crush has a paywall...) and would nonchalantly tap on the 'Buy/Purchase' button. In the future, I might just research on that!

China & HK differ because of different economic conditions and characteristics. HK is already at its capacity unless it's able to expand its service sector and tourism. But China offers cheap labor, land, and a huge domestic market. The Chinese economy is expanding fast because of the multiplier effect. Example: http://geographyfieldwork.com/multiplier.gif If HK is done expanding the service sector in 2025 (a big if), we should see it climbing again. You can't grow an economy overnight. This should be helpful in addressing the protest: http://time.com/3471366/hong-kong-umbrella-revolution-occupy-central-democracy-explainer-6-questions/ "Well-educated" is over-generalized. I bet the protestors are after short-term gain rather than their long-term "future". Stability is also essential for the economy, too. Check out the losses during the protest.

Yep. Here's my (over-simplified) analysis of ThePest179's data: I'm sure you know why the proportion of HK's GDP in mainland PRC is falling, as we see in the chart. China is growing faster! It has been undergoing an industrial revolution, thus overtaking Japan as 2nd largest economy. And the chart above did not specify if it's nominal or adjusted for inflation. Plus, HK is a mature economy. High economic growth is unlikely. PRC's growth outpaces HK, thus the chart. Again, the chart is the proportion of HK's GDP as part of the entire China. You are right about unemployment. But I can safely say that the fault's on both parties. Government: Too much emphasis on tertiary education - leads to surplus of degree holders for white collar jobs. Youths: Same expectations. The result is shortages in job sectors that many refuse to work in. Construction, sanitary, or even service and retail. Google "Structural Unemployment". Macau's a no-brainer. Over there, it's a different culture. I know it sounds funny, but I've been there and it feels like almost a totally different world from HK. HK government is trying to change for the better anyway. http://www.chinadailyasia.com/business/2014-02/14/content_15118302.html

Right. HK's economy decline (it there's one) is often short term. That's not a valid point and is never in the spotlight in the protest. Corruption is in part with the legislators. Triads still exist, and it's no surprise there a few legislators may have connections with them. But fighting corruption in HK is a double-edged sword. On one side you are doing justice, but on the other side, some people will cry out that the government is being too hard (and un-democratic, following Beijing's order etc.). I've been there many times, I've mentors there, and I've used HK in my case studies. There is no way to satisfy these kind of people. That's the HK political culture.

Citation needed. The HSI is holding damn well after 2008, even with speculations. Claims of a rigged election is expected from such a political climate. Look at Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan... The protests claim to be for "Universal Suffrage" (hell if I know what they're talking about), bla bla bla. Mass media love to show what those people are "fighting" for, but rarely (or none) cover how businesses are affected. Rents are expensive, I tell ya. Police brutality against unarmed civilians? Then what are you going to have them do instead? Nicely walk up to them and ask them to return home in a sweet manner? Dude, the police warned them. Crowd control by smoke is inevitable, but at least it doesn't break your bones. Worse, this is civil disobedience (obviously illegal), and they would challenge the police. Yet, when angry citizens walk up to tell the protestors off (for disruption of business, life etc), guess what? The protestors want the police to pull them away (generalization here). Arresting the protestors is legal, and again, they'd been warned. Totally not political. Having observed Hong Kong for more than a decade, for the protests to reach this level is unreasonable and childish. Heck, academics everywhere agree that HK has so much freedom that the protestors claim not to have. Pick up a random HK newspaper and you can tell there's plenty of freedom of press & speech. Even better, rallies can be held on streets (except this case) any day (subject to permit and designated area of course) "The future of HK" I understand this legitimate concern, but Beijing like how HK is run right now, they do not want to make it worse. You can think HK as a testing ground for Chinese democracy and capitalism. No damn way Tiananmen Incident is going to repeat there. Life in HK today is much better without the Brits, even better without anarchy or selfish (and fake!) politicians. The trouble is, HK politics is too free. I don't understand how some rouge legislators got into office. They disrupt speeches and meetings, threw trash around like kids. One of them is leading the charge in this protest. HK protests leave as fast as they come. HKers will eventually move on as they lose the will. Edit: Don't forget that bringing down the government has huge consequences. Keep in mind that emergency services don't run by themselves, neither do utilities. Personally, I'd prefer stability over liberty. What the hell are social contracts for then? To comment on politics is no easy matter. The above is the simplest one I can give, a condensed summary of my opinions. Sit back, ponder over the questions, read more, check out the history, profiles of the players etc. Shit's a lot more complicated than you think. Mass media is sensationalist.

Instead of Program Files (x86), on a Mac it should be: /Users/(Your User Name)/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/sourcemods Well, time for me to reinstall HL2...

Damn it. I feel really bad now. Pardon me, I've been rushing through the episode as far as to not watch the credits and actively think about the lines. Thanks for the subtitles, by the way. Clears up a lot of things now.

Is that a hint? That better be one. *Speculations!*

I've just read about Uplink. Well, unless Ross is playing the '06 extended remake. But still, he has to somehow get back to the labs.

Gordon managed to waltz through the portals while high. A true scientist on drugs! Some viewers identified the episode to be on HL:Uplink. Ross, is this true? EDIT: Oops, I didn't see kingkolton9 spoiler tag. And stupid me didn't watch the credits in full. The FOV sure seems different. I'm not sure if it was intended or not, but the sat dish wasn't exactly pointed at USNRC...

Here's a quickie: Besides all those news about the civil war in Iraq that is going on right now, I came across this tweet supposedly by a member/supporter of ISIS. I am proud to be running a Tor relay, but not for this! Quite a few countries are concerned about their own citizens flying over to Iraq to "fight the jihad". It's not surprising that remnants of Al-Qaeda and its subsidiaries in many countries far away from Middle East exist till today. That's one heck of a skewed Islamism. This also reminded me of those random door-to-door preaches you might encounter. (cue “Excuse Me Sir, Do You Have a Moment to Talk About Jesus Christ?” meme) Very intrusive, and brainwashed. By the way, a similar case... anyone who trolled the Scientology centers a few years back probably know how far such people can go. Anyway, thanks to assholes who abuse tools meant for good (as always), more governments and ISPs are scrutinizing Tor. I'm not sure how one determines the risks they would be taking when running Tor with the best intentions in mind, but what happens if innocent relays are unknowingly and involuntarily helping evil like terrorism?

I don't remember finding any corporation in my country that has ties with the media to intentionally cover things up, but I guess we're seeing much of this in the States. Can anyone shed some light on how the banks and the big names are being reported by the mainstream media? I only knew of the scandals from the internet and documentaries. Sprinkle some Monsanto for flavor. Damn, only fines and no jail. And more deregulation! Yay.

I can't help but notice the CGI cinematic of Tyrian, Strife, and (incoming game request!) Shattered Steel bear a striking graphics similarity. Were they made using the same software or happen to be outsourced to the same company?

They are not the only ones you know. This breed of humans is everywhere.

What about the telepathic voices? Would he play it out thinking it's a drug withdrawal?

You see, the President doesn't have all the power. Let's say, hypothetically Mr. Obama is a good man and wish for a better USA, but Congress doesn't let him sail smoothly. It's sort of democratic because there is voting within Congress, but... perhaps the decisions are simply for-profit and not truly beneficial for the country? Even if Obama is "trying to ruin the country", and if he did, it means the majority of Senate and Congress backed him up as well. I figure US governance & politics can go a lot complex than this.

LOOK AT THAILAND. That is an example of failure of citizen responsibility. If this occurs in the USA, it's anarchy. Look at the losses, economically and socially. IF education doesn't work because it's too been gutted (to quote Ross), then the educators have the responsibility to teach their students well. Like I said before, if you want to follow the Swiss, learn from the Swiss. I won't bother to repeat myself again.

I'd hate to disappoint you, but I'm not here to prove who's right or wrong. But you're welcome nonetheless. As long as humans remain as the most complex social creatures on Earth, the answer is elusive. You see, we're susceptible to tons of environmental factors that will influence our mindsets. Say, iirc back during the 60s or so, the typical American family held traditional values which are fairly conservative but family-oriented and thrift, not because of religion, but socioeconomic factors. Today, USA is very divided. Don't forget we are now living in a post-consumerism society led by the baby-boomers. We have the conservatives (probably consists of evangelists, I don't know), "republicans", "democrats", the rising independents (who still have little power) etc etc. The spread of information isn't uniform throughout the States, so we get people of diverse (and possibly backwards... we still have flatearthers??) backgrounds. How they see politicians, the wealthy, and the corrupt can be very different. The demographics of the Occupy Wall St. movement is very interesting. (last accessed 26 May 2014) But survival and rights to oneself are independent of such factors. What do cannibals and us have in common? We want shelter, food, water... all the basic necessities. Now if a leader (say, a bastard senator or mayor) takes one away for himself, damn well we'd protest and deem him as corrupt. It's natural. Of course, today the issue is mainly surrounding how poorly the country's economy is managed. (ref.) We have economists and politicians allow strictly uneconomical decisions to pass, which would lower the standard of living and ultimately the quality of life of the low-middle classes. Basic instinct of the average citizen? Getting upset. Hang on. Check out the number of casualties during the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. Official figures stand at 106 deaths & 1811 injuries (16 April). It is highly likely that violence and threats DO come with deaths. Even the protest marches in Thailand have rogue frag grenades tossed into the crowd.

To be fair, culture can be an influence and sometimes a motivating factor. But then, remember that there are some people who play politics with cunning. For culture: 1) Philippines: Highly Catholic-oriented due to colonial history, but politics are usually tied with popularity. See Joseph Estrada. Even so, knowing that the country is still far from First World, the awareness of "Pork Barrel" led to protests which led to a court ruling against it. Culturally, they know what are the moral codes, but ironically they make the wrong political decisions thanks to lack of education and the herd psychology. 2) Hong Kong: Highly "democratic & independent" due to the 1996 Independence from UK, and whenever there's some scandal/corruption case exposed, people can organize protests. (I don't like the way they work however. It's friggin' messy and pushy.) You can say that the Hong Kong democratic culture is... take it to the streets, carry your megaphones, banners, and crates of eggs. Non-culture: 1) Canada: Independence stems from politics and aboriginal rebellions. My viewpoint is that the Canadian Independence is more of a very big economic decision. Eventual peaceful resolution? Perhaps... but culturally... not so much as a participating role. 2) USSR/Russia: Again, out of economic concerns. Gorbachev first pushed for reforms & liberalization from within the communist government. However, the eventual political influence (plus riots) led to the independence of many states. After the 1991 coup, the CSPU had little influence over the power structures and Gorbachev ordered a dissolution. So, those "50 years" weren't very peaceful.

China has an interesting background. Why there's so much emphasis on education is because of its past and "shame". China had suffered a lot of setbacks and was bullied for centuries (yep!). The leaders (utilitarian ones, of course) learned their lessons and are pushing to strengthen itself. Besides pumping out an absurd number of graduates, the South China Sea crap and some other territorial dispute also arise from the reforms. But realize that academics and scholars have been respected since ancient times, which means the culture of education is already there for at least 2000 or so years. Right now China has a culture of priding itself as a country reviving itself from the ashes. But USA, sadly, although powerful, became incompetent and lax, too damn proud to stay ahead of its "puny" competitors. And there you have it, China is now a threat to USA. Nevermind the political/military debates about USA vs. China you see on the news, USA is a sore loser just because China's financial power took over. Did I mention that besides the taxpayers, USA owes China the most debt? Anyway, the point is, as long as the government (and with the help of some other influential figures, like academics, philosophers, religious leaders etc.) highlights the importance of educating the kids, there is hope for the country. This is part of the cultural and social engineering process. Well, culture does affects ones way of thinking. Take Bulgarian nodding as an analogy, where nod = no, shaking = yes. Or if you like, honking on Indian streets is perfectly acceptable (and encouraged?), but in USA that dude's probably flipping the bird too.

I've been to one when it was organized in my country back in 2008. The orchestra may vary from country to country as it's more economical to just hire the local orchestra. The only traveling musicians are probably the hosts, the Blindfolded Pianist (if he's available), and possibly other famous ones if given the chance. If you're interested in live music, by all means, go ahead. I don't recommend getting the front seats, however, because you won't be getting better sound there thanks to electronic amplification depending on your theater. And don't bother to buy the CD, you can find plenty of such music online. It's worth the experience, though.

Spearheader! This game is pretty challenging already, with mixed reactions about the amount of realism in this game. Some say it fulfilled the promise of immersion, but others complained about their character not being able to aim still after some running. But hey, what you pay is what you get. I love sneaking around during the dark phases.

How about now? metal head[/i]!

True to a certain extent. But we're taking shortcuts right now. Agreed. Historically, there's never a higher level of CO2 than today. Not to mention other toxic gases like NOx, SO2 etc... sure, geysers and volcanoes produce them too, but we're producing even more! Exponentially! In fact, I'd rather have a volcano eruption over thousands of factories producing worthless crap! I think so, too. Therefore, I shall throw out some contrasting news from today: Baby Prince George visits New Zealand Four bombs killed 2, injured 23 in Southern Thailand. Radical group Boko Haram killed 17 in Nigerian village. Polio detected in Iraq. Now, tell me, which one gets more coverage over the others?