Not very gaming related

Well, my intent had been to mainly post about Ramlar and do a final review of Card Sharp. My opinion of the adventure hasn't changed much, but I should stress I do still really like many of the mechanics of the game. My group is taking a break from Ramlar and we'll be doing more Arkham Horror and giving D&D 4th edition a shake (I'm not a D&D fan, but others are and it would make an interesting comparison to Ramlar).

Also, a word of warning. I'm applying for a job with a local game development company and if I get the position then my posting about computer games will become heavily curtailed or cease entirely. Wish me luck, I really want the job both because of it being a good gaming company and because my current job runs out soon anyways.

So hmm, can't talk about the RPG I've been playing. Can't talk about the minis game I've been playing, can't talk about computer games. So I'll talk about a recent pet peeve... Data Mining. Some sites have been data mining this blog for my personal info. If I really wanted your company to try and find out who I really am, I'd post that information publicly wouldn't I? On the other hand, my email address Thesallust@gmail.com is not that big a secret, feel free to at least get that part correct with the corporate world's attempts to know everything about us.

Finally, if you don't want to hear about war in the middle east stop reading NOW.

Urban warfare is interesting, but I'm very glad I've never experienced it first hand. It isn't gaming related, but this is my blog so I want to bring up some pet peeves as someone who has lived in the Middle East and is sick of current news coverage. The words "Disproportionate attack" are an oxymoron in any real war. What war was ever conducted with the expectation that both sides would fight exactly the same? This isn't some sparring match, war is simply not ever "proportionate". Stop using the words "Amateur Rockets", there is nothing amateur about them. The exact rockets being used are pictured below:

Those amateur rockets come loaded with shrapnel, ball bearings, and carry enough explosive to blow out an office floor.

It seems to me the press has decided not to support Palestinians and not to support Israel but to actively support Hamas.


Hamas has been dropping rockets on Southern Israel for years... ever since they stopped occupying the Gaza strip with settlers in fact. They launched the rockets because they had to further to find Jews to kill and no matter what happens, they will continue reaching out to kill Jews however they can. This organization is worse than Nazis, they just lack the power and effectiveness of them. For the record, the civillian casaulaties while taking out the Nazis % wise and number wise were far, far worse. Hordes of innocent civillian germans lost their lives and they weren't even used as human shields.

Case in point to both, in just the last week Hamas has proudly announced executing over 30 members of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. The English news isn't covering it, but they've covered it in the Middle East and Palestine and sadly nobody cares. Oh, and Gazans starving to death? it isn't news, Hamas has been starving people and depriving them of food, water, electricity and everything else since they took control. But the press will ignore THAT because Hamas tells them the enemy is -> that way.

There is no freedom of the press in the middle east. Egyptian and Israeli press come the closest, but even they have government censors who can stop things from going to print. The press in Gaza is directly controlled by Hamas, no reported allowed without escort "Stringers" and the PA directly controls all press companies in the West Bank. I would think the press would finally acknowledge their failures from Jenin where they broadcast a fake massacre and faked funerals as fact and we're later caught on film hundreds of deaths when it barely broke double digits. Then just 2.5 years ago faked photographs of Israeli damage in Lebanon. Doesn't anyone remember the photoshopped smoke clouds over Beirut? or the same woman throwing her arms up in anger at having lost her house... the same woman in 12 different regions of Lebanon?

The worst part is Militia "police" executioners that kill dozens of "collaborators" a week. It is why there are so many rockets fired from rooftops and such. If you don't allow them to, then you can be shot as a "collaborator". It also makes it easier for them to get dead bodies for photo shoots of destroyed areas. I recommend the Palestinian directed movie "Paradise Now" which talks about Suicide Bombers. I won't give it away, but it is a great glimpse into Palestinian life and the motivations over there.

But I could fill a library with what westerners don't know about the middle east and I'm not even a native of the region.

I'd like to thank and remember all my friends from over there. I miss my Lebanese floormates who used to play board games on the Sabbath to alleviate the boredom caused by a lack of transportation. You guys gave me wonderful insight and words of wisdom while playing chess... "What we have here is a total seperation between the sexes... (pause) ... it sucks:

To my Palestinian friends, probably still doing guard work on the border. I hope you've learned not to depend on words learned from watching R rated american films. (15 minutes lost trying to figure out how to explain the hilarity without offending some of my readers... don't think I can do it).

To my Israeli friends, sending you some better movies your way from my country this last summer. I really miss getting pulled over and "arrested", but I'm married now as a result of living over there and my wife wouldn't approve. In no other country has getting interrogated by female security/police/military officers been so much fun... in fact it is the only country it has been any fun in at all.

Yes, I spent a lot of time back then being pulled over for long talks with security guards. I developed a nice little nickname on both sides of the security border from my fun (and I'm not using that sarcasticaly) chats to ease the boredom of guards. It still puts a smile on my face that every guard on both sides of the border knew the nickname you gave me.

"Son of Unabomber" out