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The thing is, up to four years ago, Bush didn't know jack shit about foreign affairs, or even national government.Ã,  I was listening to NPR the other day, or maybe reading www.rotten.com/library (greatest library EVER) and they were talking about how when Bush began to run for office, Condoleeza and others put him through an intensive foreign policy "college"...starting from scratch to teach him the basics and then moving forward.Ã,  We're not talking review...we're talking learning from scratch.Ã,  This guy didn't know a thing!Ã,  For as much as Kerry doesn't impress me, and I bet he would do plenty of things I disagree with, he's been in the Senate for 20 years.Ã,  When Bush was snorting coke off hookers' red leather heels during his "down and out" period, Kerry was already immersed in foreign policy while in the Congress.

But hey, he's so plain spoken, and he believes what he says...I guess he'll protect us...from...the...TERRORISTS!!!!!

:

g'night folks,

Logan

You can BELIEVE that the best way to put out a fire is to dance an irish jig while wearing a coconut bra, but that doesn't make it true. 

Bush can believe he's right, and I have no doubt that he does in fact believe that he's right.  Zealots and fanatics also believe they're right.  Bush shares a rather disturbing form of unwavering righteousness with the very same terrorists he denounces.  Bush is a zealot, he's a radical, and he's surrounded by ideologues.  He scares the living shit out of me.

From an online encyclopedia:

"The U.S. Electoral College is the electoral college which chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. The Electoral College was established by Article Two, Section One of the U.S. Constitution, and meets every four years with electors from each state. The electoral process was modified in 1804 with the ratification of the 12th Amendment. The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution also modified the College, allowing electors from the District of Columbia to cast votes for the election of the president."

Basically what this means is, that the President of the US isn't elected by the popular vote. Ã, Each state and the District of Columbia is given a certain number of votes, depending upon the state's population. Ã, When a candidate wins the popular vote in a certain state, it is given that state's electoral votes. Ã, Whoever has the most electoral votes, wins the presidency. Ã, This means that candidates don't campaign in every state, but campaign strategically in a small number of states. Ã, For example, states like California, Illinois and New York are democratic strongholds, and for that reason, Kerry doesn't spend a lot of time campaigning there. Ã, He knows he's going to get those electoral votes. Ã, It's the same with Bush in states like Texas or most of the Midwest and South. Ã, In this particular election, there are very few states that contain sizeable numbers of undecided voters. So there are very few (relatively) electoral votes up for grabs. Ã, That's why the two candidates are spending most of their time in states like Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania.

The existence of the Electoral College resulted in Vice President Al Gore winning the popular vote in 2000, but losing the electoral vote. Ã, Thus, he “lost” the election. Ã, The story is more involved than that, with a great deal of corruption specifically in states like Florida, and a disturbing decision by the Supreme Court, but that's another discussion topic.

The Electoral College also allows for some fucking weird election outcomes. Ã, It's possible to have a tie in the Electoral College. Ã, It could theoretically happen in this election if the planets align correctly. Ã, If that happens, the vote for the president goes to the House of Representatives…in which case Bush would win (considering the likely outcome of this year's congressional races). Ã, But here's where it gets interesting. Ã, Electoral Votes also elect the Vice President, and if the Vice Presidential race ends in a tie, then the vote goes to the Senate. Ã, Now it's possible this year for the Democrats to take back the Senate, and if they did, then under this scenario John Edwards could be elected Vice President. Ã, Then there would be a Bush-Edwards ticket. Ã, That might seem almost acceptable for people in other countries that don't have a two-party system, but in America, it would be unimaginable. Ã, 

Anyway, hopefully that answers your question.

Darth, I see from you're profile you're from Florida.  Dude, you live in Florida!  You think your vote doesn't matter!?!  Were you around in 2000?  Every vote counts, especially in a swing state like Florida (even if they're not all counted).  The election in 2000 came down to just a few hundred votes.  Get your ass an absentee ballot!

I watched the entire debate. Ã, I was very impressed with Kerry's performance. Ã, He kept his cool during Bush's repeated attacks, and rather than taking a defensive position, he gave concise and (mostly) concrete answers regarding his positions. Ã, I still think his “plan” for Iraq sounds far too similar to Bush's, and perhaps unrealistic, but the situation in Iraq seems like a quagmire no matter which way you go. Ã, The international community is not going to send troops into Iraq. Ã, Bush burned too many bridges.

Bush, on the other hand, was mostly on the defensive. Ã, I felt that he was beating a dead horse with his “we can't send mixed messages” rhetoric. Ã, He also stumbled repeatedly, and hilariously pouted and grimaced during Kerry's rejoinders. Ã, He just came off as a dickhead. Ã, Of course, I already thought he was a dickhead, and this just reinforced my beliefs. Ã, 

The real question is how will the media spin it? Ã, I remember watching the Gore/Bush debates last time around and thinking that Gore held his own, but the talking heads convinced everyone that Bush kicked ass. Ã, It's like Jon Stewart said on the daily show, and I'm paraphrasing but it was something like, “I'm sure that by this time tomorrow, what we had thought happened, will not have happened.”

-Logan

When is the US election scheduled for?

November 2nd.

I might just vote this time.Ã,  Too bad I'm going to be in Las Vegas on Nov. 2nd.

Darth, vote absentee!Ã,  What state do you live in?Ã,  Check out Rock the Vote's website to request an absentee ballot: http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_primaries.php

I too play it a few times a year, but it always gets on my nerves.  It just devolves into the game of capitalism...buy more and better stuff to make your idiots happy.  And while I love Monopoly, and silly things like "morals" rarely prevent me from playing such wholesome games as GTA3, playing the sims for too long just makes me feel dumb.

I have a bad case of Ewing's Tumor.  Also, I see everything twice.

But seriously, I grew up having Night Terrors.  They know more about them nowadays, but when I was a kid, the doctors just couldn't get enough of my violent bouts of sleep-walking/running hysteria.  I would seriously get up in the middle of the night, convinced that my bed was upside down or dinosaurs were on the loose, and run around the house, smashing my head against the refridgerator and slapping around my sisters.  No joke.  They put me on epilepsy medication, the only side effect of which was "severe drowsiness and confusion."  AWESOME! 

I use taking that shit for fifteen years as an excuse for whenever I feel inadequate/less awesome than say, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Einstein, or maybe Tears for Fears.

Wow, this is getting personal.  AGS Forum, are you my lover now?

-Logan

That's awesome.  Promise us you'll over-act as much as possible.  Try and get right up in front of the camera, and do a Macauley Caulkin Home-Alone face slap scream.

The gremlins.  80's nostalgia won't die.

Yeah, you're right.  It's like what you said, you have to build up a reputation.

Here's another thing.  How can you help foster new talent, without shunning people for lack of talent...i.e., what if someone is starting out and tries to become a part of the guild, or an apprentice, or whatever the structure is...and is rejected because their graphics aren't up to par, or their story...is there potential for interpersonal conflict  :  Would that even be a bad thing?  I just wouldn't want to create some kind of class system, as James Kay said.

I guess my main concern is that if everybody were just encouraged to start their own guild, it could just be a free-for-all, diluting the actual effect of having them in the first place.Ã,  What I mean is, that if I were looking for a guild to be a part of, or seek approval/praise from, I'd want to be sure that its members/leaders were talented, knowledgable AGS/adventure game veterans.Ã, 

As it is, it seems like everyone has their own production company, even if just for kicks, and I don't personally don't know the difference between any of them...except for maybe Intoxicated Bunny and Gaspop which i think made Pleurbuerg...but both seem to have departed from the community...which brings me back to my initial point...is that people seem to come and go.Ã,  So how do we ensure that these guilds become a long-term thing?

I think maybe we could set a certain number of guildlines for a guild to be formally recognized by the AGS community.Ã,  Just off the top of my head, here are some suggestions:

1) the guild should have some kind of statement of purpose.Ã,  nothing extravagant, but a reason for being that separates it from other guilds.

2) a certain number of founding members, that are willing to take a stake in it.

3) some kind of long-term goals, like how they'll actually reach out to the community, or even better, how they plan to HELP or ADD to the community.

Just some ideas.

-Logan

P.S., Pelican, doesn't the AGS site have a rating system for games already?Ã,  I think the guilds would/should do more than that.Ã,  No?

It's an interesting idea, but here are a couple of potential questions/pitfalls:

1) who is a part of the guild?  anyone?  or will there be some kind of ranking system like all this elite-crew-veteran stuff?

2) people seem to come and go in the AGS community.  some of  you have certainly be around for a long time, but how can we ensure the longevity, and quality assurance, of the guild with porous membership?  Not that i'm saying we shouldn't try, it's just a question.

3) what kind of organizational structure should be used?  I think that would be key.  we would have to come up with various responsibilities, and then delegate those responsibilities (preferably democratically).  Perhaps this would help lead to the organization's longevity...if people had actual responsibilities and were invested in it, they would more likely stick around.

The more i think about it, the more I like it.  If it were done right, it could be helpful in a lot of different ways...and could possibly be fun.

-Logan

Wow, what a thread.Ã,  I came late to the table, but let me belatedly share some thoughts:

Sutebi, have you ever actually met someone from France?Ã,  I have.Ã,  Several times.Ã,  I can't say they were "snooty".Ã,  In fact, they were rather pleasant.Ã,  Perhaps you're just watching too much Sean Hannity.Ã,  Or is it Bill O'Reilly?Ã, 

And so what if they disagreed with our unilateral decision to launch a war in a sovereign country.Ã,  Good for them!Ã,  But what really pisses me off is all that wine dumped into the streets as a protest against france.Ã,  What a waste of good wine!

Regarding other topics discussed in this thread:

America is certainly host to a great deal of propaganda, more so than, say...Germany, which is the only other country I've lived in for any long period of time (but Germany is a special case, where patriotism/nationalism isn't exactly embraced.)Ã,  Ã,  Take a look at Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" and then think back to everything you were taught in school.Ã,  Ã, It makes you feel sick to think of all those times you actually celebrated a guy like Columbus...

In terms of patriotism, there's no question that America is rife with it, but so was Europe, prior to all of it's...unpleasantness.Ã, 

As for WWII, Russia certainly took the most casualties...9 MILLION people killed!Ã,  The US lost 300,000. Canada lost 42,000.Ã,  The UK lost 400,000.Ã,  Perhaps it's a bit gauche to rank things this way.Ã,  But regardless, it's damn near impossible to determine what would have happened if certain events or historical incidents never occured.Ã,  I think it's safe to say that Britain would have eventually fallen if the US hadn't supplied them with aid, and then actual troops (that is, if Germany would have actually conducted a land invasion of Britian, which in itself is questionable). They are an island, after all.Ã,  As for the rest of the war, could the USSR have defeated the Nazi's on their own?Ã,  Who the fuck knows.Ã, 

side note: Zell Miller is insane!Ã,  He (essentially) challenged Chris Matthews to a duel!Ã,  On TV!Ã,  He wanted to shoot a gun at Chris Matthews!Ã,  That's awesome!Ã, 

-Logan

lgm, thanks for those utility suggestions!  they're great!  I've always suspected there was tons of junk on my box, i just didn't know what to do about it.  And i was right, there was all sorts of crap on it.  so anyway, thanks!

I don't know, if I could get Bobbin Threadbare to moonwalk, I'd feel much better about myself as a person.

doesn't sound like a bug to me...it sounds AWESOME.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give an update.Ã,  A lot of progress has been made over the past week and a half.Ã,  Two more sprites have been drawn with animations, others have been cleaned up (but there's more clean-up to do).Ã,  I've moved whole-heartedly into the programming phase, and it's going well.Ã,  I've worked out the initial opening cut-scene dialogue after the intro (still haven't done the intro) and i've done two big dialogues with two characters, and i'm in the middle of another one.Ã,  I've also been playing around with a lucas-arts style status bar...and it looks pretty good, though very simple.

I'm still working on Emily's sprite, trying to get it just right...i think i just have to be in the mood to work on it, and I haven't been yet.

Speaking of Emily though...i came across this article about "emily the strange" and i kinda knew about this character...does anyone think that's problematic...that my chacter would share the same name as this other disturbed child?Ã,  I def. didn't do it on purpose...Let me know.

So that's all...I don't know how interesting it is...but the project is coming along very well, and I'm getting excited about how cool it looks...

-Logan

I have this same problem.  I have reached the limit of hotspots (19), and have more that I would like to do.  It's a large scrolling room, and most of these hotspots are just things that the character can look at and comment on.  I guess I could import more sprites as objects for the background, but that sounds like a big hassle. 

Why the limit on the number of hotspots you can have?!

-Logan

AH, that's what i was looking for.  thanks!

Well in the manual is says that you have to set the baseline at the lowest point of the walk-behind area.Ã,  And that's what I did, but since the couch is at an odd angle, I don't see how that's supposed to help.Ã,  Check it out.



This is the image as i drew it in paint shop, but the guy in the shorts is a character, and when i put him in the game he's behind the couch since i made the couch one big walk-behind.Ã,  now i can take out the walk behind shading around where he's sitting, but that's hard to do...and more importantly, his arm swings up to answer a cell phone, and since i need that ash tray to be a walk behind, it looks like his arm disappears for a second.Ã, 

I don't see how the baseline would have any effect on this problem.Ã,  There's no way to just make it so the charcter ignores the walk behind area?

How do I get an npc to be above a walk behind?  I've got a guy on a couch that needs to be sitting on it, but i need the main character to be able to walk behind the couch.

I feel like there is an obvious answer to this, but i've looked around and can't seem to find it...