Gavin

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']And Gavin, I highly doubt that these guys would be acquitted with all the incriminating evidence stacked against them. Chat logs (and I'm assuming tracing their screen name to their computer), them coming to "meet up" with these girls, etc.[/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]I'm not doubting the evidence Alex, what I'm saying is that because this was not a solely police conducted operation, there is a chance a skilled enough lawyer could argue that his client the pervert would be unable to get a fair trial because of non-judicial interference, leading to a potential mistrial. I'm not rooting for the perp, just saying it'd be better this was not a media driven thing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Well, well, my turn again. And I'm sincerely glad all your digits are intact JC. [B]My Four "Facts"[/B] [list][*]I have several scars on my hands. [*] I have broken my arm. [*] I wear contact lenses. [*]I am a Size 13 UK foot.[/list][/SIZE]

[quote name='Papa Smurf']We need smart censorship. Not non-existent censorship. Not total absolute censorship. Smart censorship.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Thank you Papa Smurf to have been the first person to make a reply based on the concept of censorship rather than the concept of Freedom of Speech. As I've said before, I really do admire the liberty Americans enjoy of freedom of speech, but as PS pointed out, with this liberty comes a responsibility to use it without abusing it, and allowing extremist groups who will abuse the liberty to continue spouting their hate or ignorance will undermine the whole system. I don't suggest that anything anyone might find offensive be censored, what I'm saying it that we need to reach a point where people can enjoy that liberty without having to see the work of people who abuse it just to push boundries. In answer to Morpheus' question, I'm not sure of the exact nature of Ireland's laws on speech, however I do know that they do not extent nearly as far as America's do. [2500][/SIZE]

[quote name='DuoMax']Yes, both of these groups ARE immature, hostile, and downright offensive. But what happens if say, Greenpeace is the next group labeled as immature and offensive, or the ACLU or the Young Republicans or any other political group? It is a long and slippery slope.[/quote] [SIZE=1]It's possible, anything is possible, but I think our generation of voters, who either are of age, or will be coming of age soon enough are mature enough to know the difference between preventing hostile racism or other form of hate crime and simply being childish and banning something we don't like. Maybe I'm too optimistic on that point, but I firmly believe that most people are mature enough to be able to judge what truly does need censoring and what doesn't on a realistic basis.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=DuoMax]The problem with lmiting one group's free speech is that this can lead to the limiting of other's free speech. Free speech for one means free speech for all. "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -Voltaire[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]While I agree with you Duo that limiting one group's, say the KKK for instance, freedom of speech may lead to the curtailing of another, say Neo-Nazis, aren't we all mature enough to admit neither of these groups deserve the right to express themselves and be protected by a liberty ? What I'm talking about is censoring groups who are extreme and hostile in their beliefs, I have no problem with someone calmly debating any issue so long as there's serious thought put behind it, and they're willing to be debated on the issue. But simply screaming "Heil Hitler" and parading around like an idiot is not the same thing. For instance, as a Catholic I found myself rather disturbed by certain extremists calling for the execution of the Pope for what he said about Islam and Mohammad. There are plenty of people who insult Catholics and the Pope himself, "Does the Pope **** in the woods ?" for instance and I don't go calling for that person to be beheaded. If we all acted like reasonable adults with our beliefs, there'd be no need to censor people, but so long as people are going to be juvenile about it, then I'm afraid I wholehearted support limiting people's right to say anything and everything. [/SIZE]

[quote name='visualkei']If you've watched it, tell me what you think. Do you think these guys deserve to be caught on national television? Or did they get what they deserved?[/quote] [SIZE=1]If by deserved you mean humiliated on national and international television for their crimes then no, I don't think they got what they deserved. Regardless of a person's crime, justice has not yet become another form of media entertainment, and this idea of "name and shame" justice doesn't sit well in my books. I'm not saying the guys didn't deserve to be caught, internet predators are among the lowest pond scum of the world, but justice would have been better served if the guy opened the door to come face to face with a big cop and a pair of handcuffs and not some presenter and a camera. I mean while these guys are sick, the case might not hold up well in court because they were actually not being inappropriate with a minor, as none of the people involved were under the age of consent. So it's possible, through legal loopholes and a decent lawyer, some of these guys could walk free more wary and paranoid than before, and easily more dangerous. Call me a cynic, but I prefer police work to be left to the professionals.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Shinmaru]Honestly, that's a total crock. I disagree vehemently with the viewpoint of Neo Nazis, but as far as I'm concerned, they're as welcome to discuss their views as you and I. So are the Ku Klux Klan. So are Al-Qaeda. And so on and so forth. The main problem with deciding whose beliefs should be censored is this: Who exactly is qualified enough to actually decide for [i]everyone[/i] who has the "right" opinion and who has the "wrong" opinion? There are so many, many different views in the world about everything under the sun, and if someone thinks that he or she can shuffle certain views into one place and declare them absolutely correct and all others absolutely wrong, then I would say that person has a very naïve, self-delusional view of the world. The world does not run on an absolute, black and white basis. All views should be protected by the liberty of Freedom of Speech, because all views are worthy of discussion. You don't get anyplace by banning everything that you think is bad and pretending that the world is one big, happy place where people with "undesirable" views don't exist; rather, you advance via confronting those views by allowing people to speak their minds, after which you rationally discuss the merits of those views. Getting people to understand the rationale behind Neo-Nazism, and how utterly insane it is, is much more beneficial than censoring their views, which is basically the equivalent of clapping your hands over your eyes and ears and shouting, "LALALA IF I CAN'T HEAR YOU THEN YOU DON'T EXIST!!" As for pushing the boundaries in regards to violence, drug use, sex, etc., I'll defend that, too, and for the same reason. It gets people talking about those issues. Given the choice between being exposed to something that makes me a bit uncomfortable and being ignorant of something, then I would choose the former every time. My views on those issues have changed so much, and for the better, in my opinion, as I've grown older, because I've been exposed to them and my naïveté regarding them has disappeared. Children are a whole different ballpark, but even then it's just up to the parent to decide what he or she wishes to have the child exposed to. If you think something is too racy for your child to watch/play/listen to/whatever, then do your best to keep your child from doing so until he or she is ready to, and if the child somehow [i]does[/i] see something of "questionable" content (which is almost inevitable, really lol), then do your best to put it in context. Banning and censoring is a cheap substitute for discourse, since things that we'd rather not see still exist and will continue to exist regardless of whether we ban them or not.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Mike you have got to be kidding me, anyone who preaches the murder of someone else because they're in some way, shape or form different to the person doing the preaching should not be allowed the right to express themselves. You can defend the idea behind the liberty all you want, but at the end of the day it's a complete crock to say that everyone no matter how extreme or morally objectionable should be allowed to express themselves regardless of how much that would offend someone else. If people can't be mature enough to discuss their beliefs rationally, then they don't deserve to be treated like an adult with the rights and responsibilities that come with it. As for defending someone who pushes boundaries for the sake of it, that's a crock too and we both know it. If someone has a genuine reason for doing it, in the same way a film like Reservoir Dogs was done then we can talk, because anything that is done for a reason can be explained logically and debated logically. But if someone's only reason for creating a film of gratuitous violence is because they could and wanted to get people talking, then I'm afraid it's simply a pointless form of "Look what I did" expressionism that I expect from retards and four year olds. I know the whole Freedom of Speech concept is so far ingrained into Americans that most of you don't even think about what it's like to live in a country where you can be punished for what you say. But think logically for even a moment and you have to realise that there are beliefs out there and people willing to express those beliefs which should not be tolerated in any forum of discussion, not because we want to simply pretend they don't exist, but because they're so juvenile they're not worth discussion.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I'm going to guess Number 2, simply because I don't want to be the one to make the guess you're missing a finger.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well seeing as the 80s series of Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles is on every morning before I go to school I've recently become addicted to the series again. The old Mutant Turtles movies were some of the earliest movies I saw in the cinema and I still have nostalgic memories, though given that I haven't seen the movies since then is probably a good thing as I'm a fairly harsh critic when it comes to movies. In terms of CG, really I prefer CG as the guys in the suits always looked, how shall I put this delicately... amateurish. The last fully CG film I saw was Advent Children, and if they can transfer that standard of quality to TNMT then I'd be very pleased, plus they could bring back James Avery, the original voice of Shredder. ^_^' [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Kudos to harukofan for the most amusing posts from a [strike]likely-to-be-banned[/strike] member since Prick Wizard. While most of the time I approve of censorship, as let's face it a young child should not be allowed buy a game like Manhunt for instance just because he wants to play it. There are times when censorship is taken to the extreme however, I mean to ban "To Kill A Mockingbird" from libraries ought to be a crime, regardless of whether the N-word is there or not, it's in fact a book highly critical of the time period and as such still has a lot of value in modern society. The main reason censorship is around is because there's always someone who wants to push boundaries of violence, drug abuse, sex etc. just because they can. There are also people out there who's beliefs should be censored, Neo Nazis for instance, which should not be protected by the liberty of Freedom of Speech. After all the United States is one of the few countries with such a firmly rooted liberty.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect given the title, well I mean the nature of the graphic as the subject was pretty definitive, but this made me laugh a lot. The idea that you'd twist your kids to hate their mom's favourite type of apple out of pure spite is hilarious. Great little piece of work DS, I'd love to see a few other graphics on other topics in the future. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Same as White, last game I bought was [B]Animal Crossing: Wild World[/B] for my Nintendo DS Lite, though seeing as I bought the DS Lite at the same time as AC: WW I guess it was fair to say I could have bought the console to play the game. For those of you interested in a summary, read White's post as he's actually had the chance to play Wi-Fi which enhances the experience considerably, at least that's what I hear as I'm a non Wi-Fi user. I must admit at the back of it all, I feel a bit let down by Animal Crossing, it's really fun, no doubt there, but seems a bit shallow as without Wi-Fi you're really just playing a highly colourful version of moving to the countryside without the ability to leave. Oh and Blasé, enjoy your 6800, as a graphics card on Oblivion, it pwns.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Dear God, beets and sweet-potatoes ? This woman shouldn't just be fired, she should be tried and imprisoned for mass murder. I mean it's sickening, this woman is in a position of trust for millions of people, and abusing that trust to push some homeopathic agenda which will not work without many, many miracles. Personally I think "home-remedies" and "natural cures" should be used only in the event your doctor tells you that they might be better than the drugs he could prescribe because there is the same chance of success and less side effects. Of course this should only be in the cases of minor illnesses, nothing above a cold should ever be treated without properly tested and licensed medicines. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. In a handful of words, my family's birthday traditions are summed up thusly, cake, candles, sing happy birthday, give presents and eat cake, then if there happens to be a good movie on, watch said movie. Perhaps the only little quirk we have is that there's a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition to see who gets the second piece of cake, seeing as the first goes to the birthday person.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. My dad works as a supervisor in Final Pack for Guidant, the guys who make pacemakers who were in turn recently bought out by Boston Scientific and Abbot Laboratories. His job is to basically ensure that the different lines run smoothly and do their job properly, which is to ensure that all the pacemakers are properly packaged in the correct language, have the right materials and are in full working order, if there's even a single fault with one that means hours of overtime in recall. My mother has a simpler job, she's a senior banker in the local branch of Allied Irish Banks, or AIB for short. She's not a manager or anything fancy, but could definitely do the job if called to, probably the closest description would be "senior teller" although that's barely half her job.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Last movie I've watched would be [b]Taxi 2[/b], which for those of you not familiar with the film duology is basically set around the main character Daniel, a speed-loving taxi driver in Marseilles and his being invariably roped into whatever situation bumbling police detective Emilien finds himself in. The film is French with English subtitles but as you'll be glued to the action rather than the dialogue it doesn't really make much difference to the overall viewing, that said the DVD version comes with English dubs which you could turn on if you really wanted to laugh as they sound absolutely awful. Hmm, seeing as it's a Flash movie, I suppose this could count as well, but I've just been watching [B]Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny[/B], which has to be one of the funniest pieces of Flash animation ever. [B][url=http://uploads.ungrounded.net/content.php?id=285267&name=285267_ultimateshowdown.swf&title=The%20Ultimate%20Showdown&date=1158897600&quality=b&uj=0&w=400&h=300]Pwnage.[/url][/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Joint second eh ? Seeing as the winner and Des are both staff members any chance the Scavenger title might pass to say the next winning member ? ;) Just kidding. Really fun event, shame it's over.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Alright, seeing as 1 and 4 have already been guessed, I'm going to say 2 if only because your lack of capitalisation and full-stops indicate you're probably not an A-Grade English student. [/SIZE]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=WHITE][SIZE=1][LEFT]The blood coloured sunset on hallowed Korriban seemed appropriate for the occasion, Tain meditations in the Force were broken by his hours of lightsaber katas, refining the already powerful Ataru technique against his student's Makashi, a style he had taken with the intention of one day using it against Tain. Korriban was a nexus for the Dark Side, on this world more so than any other it was capable of almost touching it as though it were a tactile thing. He breathing slowed, drawing deep into the Force, bringing centuries of arcane knowledge to the surface, ready to be used at a moments notice. This was Tain?s greatest aptitude, the skill that had proven his own master?s undoing, whatever Tain learned, whatever secret no matter how obscure could never be forgotten. This was his heritage of the Nelvaan shaman caste, the one part of his people he held any respect for. Stilling his breathing, the Sith Master ventured deep into the heart of the Force, reflecting on the memories of countless beings across the galaxy, he focussed on a particular mind, a young Padawan in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Tain did this often, watched Jedi for hours, discerning new weaknesses that might be exploited. He knew very well the Jedi Council believed the Sith extinct, a folly of follies, though Tain eventually hoped to corrupt the galaxy to it?s true nature, he took a particular interest in the Jedi, part of him wanted to storm the Temple outright, letting his blade taste the vengeance of generations of built-up Sith hatred, the legacy left from one master to the next, the destruction of the Jedi Order. Other parts wanted him to slowly corrupt them from within, gently swaying those young and powerful in the ways of the Sith, until eventually the Jedi would fail to even recognise themselves. But he was not strong enough, and the Rule of Two meant the Sith could never again face the Jedi in direct martial combat. ?[b]You have finally arrived.[/b]? There was no distain in his voice, simply stated fact. The corpse-like Modus was all but dead on the outside, the only illusion of life was held in his eyes, they flickered like a dying candle. Modus crimson robes further augmented his emaciated form, but through the Force, his apprentice was difference, like a dark wind that stripped the life from all it touched, something demonic, truly he was as much as pinnacle of the Dark Side as his master. Modus? lightsaber hung loosely from his robes, Tain was somewhat glad his apprentice had not attacked outright, it did not seem necessary, nor in keeping with his apprentice?s measured nature. Perhaps they would talk, it had been weeks since they had last spoken, and after this confrontation they would never speak again. ?[b]Do you have any words to mark the occasion Modus ?[/b]? ---------- Well then, let?s begin.[/LEFT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well like every other gamer at some stage, I wanted to get into testing, but I have to admit playing a game just to look for bugs doesn't really sound a whole lot of fun now, pretty much half the reason I don't play KOTOR 2 any more. Still going from a Hygiene Technician, as I heard someone refer to himself to a Game Tester is pretty much the ultimate job change and I hope it goes really well for you and that you don't have to play too many suck-*** games. As for whether I've ever had a job that I felt would change me for the better, my short answer is yes, in every job I've had I've learned new skills that I didn't have before, which makes me better.[/size]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well there can only be one graphic and I'd like to at least make an attempt, so here goes: [IMG]http://zeitgeistglee.250free.com/OtakuIdol.jpg[/IMG][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Anyone who wants an explanation of my previous usernames is welcome to click [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=736744#post736744][b]this link[/b][/url] and be enlightened as I have absolutely no desire to waffle my way through six previous usernames again, just for the sake of a larger looking post. Currently I sport the username [B]Gavin[/B] on OB, and in reality the very simple answer for why I use Gavin is because it's my Christian name and as I've spent so long here on OB, no other name taken from any quadrant of reality makes as much sense to describe me. As I recall someone, whom I cannot remember at this point, took issue with me taking the name Gavin because Dragon Warrior, who is also Gavin may have wanted it for a future username. My response was pretty direct, I'm older than DW, therefore I was Gavin first, even if he's been on OB longer. Outside of OB, my MyO username is [B]Outcast[/B], taken from my OB username at the time when MyO was released. Elsewhere my username is either [B]Zeitgeist[/B] or [B]ZeitgeistGlee[/B] because it's my AIM handle and I prefer not to use my first name. On the few sites that I RP on outside of OB, my username is my character name, which I won't go into at this point, as they're just character names. Feel enlightened people, or confused, I really don't mind which.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]OK, it's been three days and unfortunately nobody guessed the right answer, that's right, I've climbed Mount Vesuvius in Italy. I don't speak fluent Irish, in fact I'm terrible at it, I'm not an amateur actor and I'm not an SW freak to the point where I'll buy anything with "Star Wars" on it, not earning nearly enough to do that. Seeing as nobody guessed the right answer, I'm going to pick someone at random to take the next turn... [b]White[/b]. Remember the rules, three [I]false[/I] and one [I]true[/I].[/SIZE]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue'] And here I was all ready to bonk you for that one Gavin. Looks like DeathKnight beat me to it. ;) Though I have to agree on the limiting what people can get gun wise. I can understand hunting, but I just don?t see a need for people to have the more lethal weapons.[/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Chalk it up to just another one of our humoured exchanges on the nature of gun-control ;). I have great respect for Americans, just not a lot of faith in the idea that arming one's self to the nines will provide the protection most people are looking for. Better to leave it to the trained professionals, the police to do their jobs.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Shy][size=1][b]NEW #2[/b] [i][indent]What's a locked thread? Who can you ignore? Here you can learn about these things, and so much more.[/indent][/i][/size][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]That little thing so many new members, and some old forget to read ? [b][url=http://www.otakuboards.com/faq.php?]The FAQ[/url][/b] of OtakuBoards.[/SIZE]