James

[quote][i]Originally posted by Cloricus:[/i][b] What did you expect him to say? "Oh jolly good show my forces are putting up, fighting you old chaps but once I'm found I'm just going to give myself over to get my arse kicked." That is just moral boosting sort of talk, and chances are he was feed that stuff by advisors. As Samedi has pointed out he wasn't in a position to fight and even now he is more important alive than dead for the forces fighting for him, it could have been strategic, logical or he just didn't have a gun handy. You don't know the situation so you cannot call him a coward.[/b][/quote] [color=#707875]Cloricus, you're totally missing the point here. Firstly, you're telling me that I don't know the situation. Well, that's wrong. I do. Saddam was equipped with a pistol -- but he never used it. He never attempted to use it. So that's the first point. Secondly, Saddam frequently said that he'd "die as a martyr" for his country. Bzzt, wrong. And thirdly...I saw them interviewing an Iraqi on the street, who himself said that Saddam is an utter coward for giving up without a fight. It's a cowardly act, in the context of how this guy presented himself to the world in his public persona. How can you think that this guy is anything other than a coward? I mean, really? I don't see how you can. Are you telling me that gassing women and children isn't a cowardly thing to do? Attacking people who are weaker than you and who can't fight back? Please. Right now we're just getting into stupid hair-splitting stuff. The guy is a coward, pure and simple. If you want to continue defending him, or if you want to try and say that he somehow [i]isn't[/i] a coward...that's fine. But if that's the case, I think your definition of cowardice is really in need of review.[/color]

[color=#707875]I must admit...I see the concern here, but I don't know what anyone can really say about it. There are all sorts of crazy groups on the Internet. And there are some far worse than this one, in the sense that some groups will try to teach you how to build a bomb and attack people. But, again, this is what comes from having a truly "free domain" like the Internet. That freedom will provide some fantastic opportunities -- for both harmless and harmful people. Still, it's true that you aren't being forced to visit sites like this. The more you give extremists a voice, the louder they'll yell and the more they'll be heard. I think it's probably best to oppose extremism and fundamentalism by just following your own beliefs and not allowing people like this to sway you, etc. That's really all I can say. I mean, I think these people will only be as successful as their ideas are popular. It's unlikely that too many people will be interested in their message, I guess.[/color]

[color=#707875]How is it spam? Let me play it out for you. "Hi, I go to School X. What school do you go to?" "I go to School Y." "I go to School Z; it'z funkey!!!!" "Shut up, School Z is stupid. I go to School XYZ!!! XYZ 4EVAR!!!" See? These threads tend to attract the spammier types among us. ~_^ So, there you go. There's your answer. I find it surprising that you still don't understand the idea of "good post quality". lol Oh well. I will close this, but I won't remove it; I'll leave it here for others to see. Maybe they'll understand where I'm coming from.[/color]

[color=#707875]Glenn...I'm sorry, but you're really not getting it. lol The thread title has little to do with the content of your post. You're not providing any opportunity for [i]discussion[/i]. You're just telling us where you moderate and why we should tell you that you're better than us. Is it really that difficult to understand the concept of a discussion? You could easily have said something like "Do you Moderate a forum?" and then discussed the forum you moderate and talk about those issues with people. It's not that hard, really. Not to mention that this thread seems primarily designed just to be immature. You're just trying to provoke a closure -- which you will get -- because, rather than actually try and understand how we operate and participate in a beneficial way, you'd rather waste people's time. *shrug* It's a shame that you didn't at least make the effort; you seem to be reasonably intelligent. I guess this place just isn't for you.[/color]

[color=#707875]There's no contradiction with what we practice and what we preach, my friend. We do ask people to [i]discuss[/i] off topic stuff here; in other words, stuff that isn't covered in other forums. Secondly, our requirement is that discussions have some level of depth and thought involved. Saying something like "Oh I'm bored, so let's talk about how long our fingernails are" obviously wouldn't qualify. If you enjoy depth and intelligence in your discussions, then we hope you'll enjoy OtakuBoards. But if what we do isn't your type of thing...then we gladly encourage you to visit other anime-related forums out there. It's just a matter of finding what fits. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]sonicdivision...please. Keep this to PM. It is not appropriate to create this kind of thread in the forums. Anime is discussed in Anime Lounge, not Otaku Lounge. And as far as discussion goes...your thread was talking about the weather and you basically said "I don't know what to write, so I'm going to write this". At this site, we simply require that thought is put into threads; a little bit more depth, something that will encourage people to write multiple sentences or paragraphs, rather than just one word answers or very quick "Yeah, I agree" type stuff. Again, it's something that also comes in time -- we are different to most forums, admittedly. But that's the way we like it; we like to maintain high quality. So, again, hopefully you find your feet.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, a thread is closed because it violates the rules. Therefore, there's no need for anyone to respond. It may seem confusing at first, sonicdivision...but I assure you, we work very hard to maintain a high post quality here. I recommend checking out the OB Information Center at the top of your page for more info. Basically, it contains the requirements that we have for our forums; and we do require that members read it before posting. It's a bit tricky, but hopefully you'll get the hang of it. You seem to be a pretty intelligent guy, so I hope that you get used to the place. If you'd like to start a discussion thread on a topic that has a bit more depth to it, then by all means, we encourage it. ^_^ I'd also add, just in general...Moderators should be allowed to do their jobs. All too often, a member will scold someone for breaking the rules, but that member will actually get their reasoning wrong or something. It makes rule-enforcement very difficult for staff. Not to mention the fact that posting in a spam thread is pretty spammy in itself. It's nothing specific to you, Leh, it's just a general point of concern. So let's remember it.[/color]

[color=#707875]Yeah, I think this kinda borders on being spam. Wait, no. Actually, it is spam. I was really sitting on the fence about keeping it open, but really...if I were to leave this thread open, it'd mean that people would start other similar threads. But I tell you what; I'll compromise. I'll leave the thread open if people provide a short explanation of why they appreciate the items on their list. So you could just write a sentence after each item or something. That way, we can at least encourage some sort of discussion/detail.[/color]

[color=#707875]But why ruin what [i]is[/i] a good day? A violent dictator, who terrorized his people for thirty years and who killed hundreds of thousands of people is now under arrest. I don't know why that isn't a good thing. Using that as a launchpad to start your own spin machine about the war is pretty cynical. But if you really want to debate whether or not Saddam's capture is a good thing, then sure...I'll happily debate that. ~_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Okay guys. I've made my decision. Thanks for your input; the new banner will be up soon. ^_^[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B]I am aware they will be "heavily tested" and I do and continue to strongly disagree with you on this. I don?t hate this man so I am slightly less bias than yourself, I think this is playing a part in your reply so I am happy for you to opposite my posts and I will listen to your side but I will be taking it with a grain of salt. (Sorry if that sounds rude as I don?t mean it to be.)[/quote][/b] [color=#707875]When did I say that I hate Saddam? You are, again, pulling stuff out of thin air. You're only taking my posts with a grain of salt because you don't like being harshly challenged. But I will not have my posts misinterpreted like that. If you're going to interpret me incorrectly, I'm going to correct you.[/color][quote][b] Moral grounds are different for varying people so I will drop this; I?ve said what I wanted to say there. I can see what you?re saying I plainly just don't agree with it.[/quote][/b] [color=#707875]You don't agree with what? That Saddam is a coward? How utterly insular do you have to be not to agree with that? Do you think I have some personal reason for saying it? Geeze. It is a common and historical fact that Saddam Hussein is many things. Would you doubt that he is a coward/liar/cheater/etc? I doubt most would. Saddam has never demonstrated any measure of acknowledgement or accountability. He will quite happily race off somewhere to hide himself while his troops are out there dying -- even when they themselves don't want to be fighting in the army. For you to try and legitimately suggest that Saddam [i]isn't[/i] cowardly is really just flying in the face of history and news reporting over the last two decades. You can take my opinion with a grain of salt as much as you like -- but do you also take basic history with a grain of salt too?[/color][quote][b] Also I find it rather odd and silly that you hold the notion that they don't want him dead. Not only is he the reason they are there and possibly, if he was controlling attacks, the one that was responsible for killing Americans and others every day but now every one that goes near him in the future must fear terrorist attack on small or large scale. Another point is America has said the order was to capture "dead or alive" which means, from what I've picked up, kill the target if they resist violently (in an extreme manor). It would logistically have been better off if he had come out in a body bag I think even you will have to agree with that, sure it's nice to have some one to kill at a later date (once he's found guilty) but he is a liability til that time. (I?m interested in yours or others replies/opinions on this.) [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Oh, Cloricus...where do I start? If the Americans wanted him dead, [b]he would be dead right now[/b]. How hard is that to grasp? They had a clear shot. He was right there. He didn't resist. They could easily have killed him and [i]easily[/i] justified doing so. But they didn't. They wanted him alive, preferably. Why did they want him alive, preferably? Because they want him to be tried in front of an Iraqi court -- they want him to be accountable to the people of Iraq. And the humiliation that comes with defeat doesn't hurt either. Now, of course, an Iraqi court might sentence him to death. And I doubt that the Americans would care about that at all. But that's clearly not what we're talking about. Honestly, Cloricus. Sometimes I just don't know. You are often able to draw a [i]very[/i] long bow.[/color]

[color=#707875]Pretty cool second post, Ganon. Welcome to OtakuBoards; I hope you're enjoying the place. ^_^ You have some good ideas there. I haven't really thought much about my own ideas for AC2...so let's see. 1) I like the idea of choosing how your character looks; choosing hairstyle, eyes, colour, clothing and species would be great. 2) I would like to have multiple towns, rather than just one. That is...you'd start in your own town and it would have its own inhabitants, but there would be other towns that you could visit. So you could actually travel by road/sea/air, to other towns. So maybe there would be a kind of world map, with different regions. Perhaps you could go out and collect rare fruit from faraway lands yourself; or you could move from town to town, or own multiple houses in different towns. 2) Two player split-screen. I'm not sure how viable it'd be (the GameCube would have to load two games at once, basically), but it'd be interesting to say the least. Maybe some multiplayer games would be fun...perhaps a multiplayer fishing element (one person rows the boat, one person hooks the fish). 3) What about travel? I spoke about having many towns/villages interconnected in the one "world map". What if you could purchase cute little cars or airplanes? You'd need to pay for their fuel and maintenance though, of course, as with any other tools. 4) Expanded farming elements. Maybe you could keep pets...or cultivate a simple form of lifestock (chickens?). I guess that's getting into Harvest Moon territory though. But it'd be a fun way to earn cash. 5) On that subject, what if you could do other jobs to earn cash? I mean, maybe you could paint people's houses for them. Perhaps -- if we wanted to get a bit crazier -- you could become Mayor of your town. Maybe that way, you could actually "design" your town (you could build bridges and things like that). And that, in turn, would provide other benefits. Yeah. Those are just off the top of my head ideas. Some aren't that viable...but hey, it's a dream afterall. ~_^[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Leh [/i] [B][font=tahoma][size=3]I'll believe that when pigs fly. Sorry, but I don't have much faith in it.[/size][/font] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Even though the United States set it up and monitors it for them? Okay. And Cloricus...don't back out. You're not disagreeing with me on any substantive level. Your comment about America wanting any excuse to kill him was blatantly false and your objection to my criticism of Saddam was pretty silly. I just explained to you that I'm judging his cowardice based on [b]his own[/b] actions and words, both now and in the past. Your comment there is just a hollow dismissal. If you're going to make comments like that to me, you [i]should[/i] be aware that they'll be heavily tested. [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B]And you want him to fight a country that wants any excuse to kill him? I find that comment ?cheap? as you don't know what that situation is like; making a character judgement on some one you don't know. (And yes I would be making this comment in the case of any one just like I did with hicks.) [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I find [i]your[/i] comment "cheap". Why? Because you're attacking my post before even knowing about the news. Saddam Hussein indicated time and time again that he "wouldn't go alive". He kept making these bold and arrogant proclamations about himself. I'm not making a character judgement about his entire persona; I'm just repeating what Saddam himself said. So, he didn't kill himself. He didn't go out in a blaze of glory, like he said he would. He's a coward. Don't argue with me just for the sake of arguing; it should be obvious that I'm judging his character based only on how he himself has behaved. And we [i]know[/i] that the man is a coward/cheat/liar based on his previous actions. So don't even go there. Oh, and...a country that wants any excuse to kill him? Uh, Cloricus...didn't you hear that he was [b]captured[/b] and not killed? That statement itself is an absolute falsehood. Again, don't try to argue with me just for the sake of disagreement. It's really not worth it.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Leh [/i] [B][FONT=TAHOMA]Fine, James, they can try them first.. but we need to try them in our court too. I don't have too much confidence in the Iraqi court, mainly because it [i]is[/i] or [i]was[/i] corrupted.[/FONT] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]It was corrupted under Saddam. He isn't the leader anymore. A new court has been developed by the Iraqi Governing Council, which is based upon international standards. So the court is fine.[/color]

[center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/killadam/KIlogo.gif[/img] [size=4]Chapter 1: Diaz and the Autostrada[/size][/center] [b]Summary:[/b] In this chapter -- the opening scene to the movie -- Jeanette Marie Diaz is preparing to meet up with an underworld figure in Rome. The meeting is on behalf of Adam, who is looking to expand his operations in Italy. At this stage, Lelia has already been murdered by Jamie; so she is unable to assist Adam in Europe. Jeanette goes to make the deal in a train station near Prima Porta, when she encounters Jamie and Joshua; it was a trap. This chapter deals with a car chase...and ultimately, it reveals Jeanette Marie Diaz's undoing. [b]Characters:[/b] Jeanette Marie Diaz, Jamie Kidd, Joshua (AKA Cowboy) [b]Setting:[/b] Prima Porta --> Autostrada --> Olympic Stadium I'd like Heaven's Cloud to write the first post. He will have to give is more information on why Jeanette is in Rome and how she gets there. This background information will help myself and Josh to write our responses and to play out the events. Jeanette will fight with both Joshua and Jamie at the station, but she will escape and drive back toward Rome. Joshua and Jamie will follow in their own car and they will catch her at the Olympic Stadium, where she prepares to make her last stand.

[color=#707875]Why should the United States try him? Iraq should. The Iraqis are the one who suffered for thirty years under this guy...they are the ones who were gassed and raped and tortured. They should try him and find him guilty in their own court -- I think the Iraqi people deserve that at the very, very least. Anyway, they captured him a few hours ago...I'm not sure exactly when. He was hiding in a little hole under the ground, quite literally. He gave up without a fight and has been cooperative so far, apparently. He also looks incredibly humiliated, I'd say.[/color]

[color=#707875]Yeah...I don't know what else to add. Seeing the Middle Eastern media cry out as they first showed his pictures was quite an emotional and historic experience. He was cooperative, too; didn't try to fight his way out, like he had previously hinted he would. Predictably cowardly.[/color]

[color=#707875]My thought has always been simply that music is a very personal thing. I mean, I would say that the majority of music I listen to would probably be classed by most people as "techno". Although, this would not really be accurate. I say that because "techno" is a 1980's American term, for a very specific style of music. People use it as a general word these days, to describe most electronic-sounding music. But really, "techno" is actually a specific style. When I first began to listen to electronic music, it was usually in the dance genre (in the early 90's). And it was around that time that dance was becoming an actual genre unto itself. But if you compared my song library today to what it was ten years ago...you'd see something vastly different. I mean, the closest thing to dance that I listen to might be Faithless. Many of Faithless' most popular tracks are very dance-like. But if you listen to a track like Tarantula or Evergreen...you'll find that you're hearing something quite different. It's not your usual "thump thump" dance or techno number. It's a more developed style of music, incorporating sophisticated sampling and other elements. For me personally, I don't think that I could really ever say that I prefer a single genre the most. I mostly listen to electronic music -- but again, that encompasses a very wide spectrum of styles. It goes from something like Faithless and Paul van Dyk, to Hybrid and Aphex Twin. In between those four artists, there is a massive variety. And yet all are "electronic music artists". And at the same time, I enjoy bands like Rammstein, Marilyn Manson and Audioslave. I also enjoy certain pop music and modern R&B at times. It just depends on my mood. As for my parents...my dad is pretty much an "all new music is crap" kinda guy -- even though he loves half my CD collection and he usually enjoys what I purchase. He particularly likes modern new-age stuff, like Deep Forest or Delerium. And my mother...well, she's generally pretty up to date. She actually went out and bought Mechanical Animals for herself; she has it in the car. She also has a strong leaning toward modern R&B and neo-classical music. So yeah, it's nice to have parents who don't yell at me for my taste in music. I remember a time when I used to react far more harshly to music that I disliked. I generally rejected it off-hand. But I don't do that anymore, because my own tastes have evolved so much over recent years...but also because I've developed a real hunger for "new music" -- that is, music that is different to what I usually listen to. Rather than reject music that I don't understand, I [i]try[/i] to explore it and experiment with it. This has generally been a really positive experience for me. For example, I really used to dislike R&B. And yet now, through exploring it myself, I've discovered quite a few R&B tracks that have become recent favourites. So yeah. I think it's like anything personal; either you are willing to explore things outside your personal space bubble, or you're only willing to stick with what you know. But if you stick with what you know (which is fine), you shouldn't go around shooting down everyone else's opinions on stuff they like. Because honestly, music [i]is[/i] that personal. I know that a lot of people listen to music primarily for its lyrics -- whereas the music is more an afterthought in their mind. For me, it's the opposite. For me, music and melody are paramount; I love something with a good rhythm and strong percussion, for example. It doesn't send me a particular message or story at all times, but it does something pleasing to my brain. lol And that's what it's all about. It's about what pleases you. It's why I find that I do my best creative work when I'm listening to a beautiful piece of neo-classical, or an upbeat and percussion-driven piece. I know that my own performance can be directly affected by what I'm listening to. And my own creativity can be affected by it; I can produce a totally different image based on what music is playing. I've definitely discovered that in my own work. So...that is my own experience and opinion on music in general, I guess. The bottom line is that I think we should try to celebrate musical diversity as much as we'd celebrate anything else; [i]all[/i] genres and styles of music have their history and artistic merit, afterall.[/color]

[color=#707875]I honestly don't know what he wants based on his original post. I don't know if he wants the password for Kyo no Ryu's account via PM or what. If Kyo no Ryu has lost his OB password [i]and[/i] his email password, then there isn't much I can really do. I can't send him his password any way other than email. I don't actually have access to passwords; nobody does. Our site is setup so that nobody can see the password, not even me. The only way to give anyone their OB password is to send it to them via email, through an automated function. So unless he's more clear on what he wants from me, I can't help him.[/color]

[color=#707875]What are you talking about? What's your Yahoo password got to do with OtakuBoards?[/color]

[color=#707875]When I get the time, I will email Kyo no Ryu his password.[/color]

[color=#707875]Very nice. ^_^ I finally downloaded that second video clip from the press conference. I must say, it's pretty impressive. In particular, I'm quite amazed at the facial detail on the real-time models; it effortlessly outclasses Final Fantasy X in terms of looking very soft and natural. You can see that they worked on the real-time models first, which has apparently turned out to be a very good move. I also noticed that the battles (from what can be seen, anyway) seem to be very fast-paced and quick. It also looks like they might finally be eliminating random battles, just by looking at a few areas where battles took place -- it seemed as though the party would stop to fight a monster upon encountering it (like that little fight in the hallway that you see). I'm also wondering about this idea of timing your attacks and stuff. It definitely appears to be more "real-time" than previous Final Fantasy games. Either way, I'm very excited by what I see. This game has a very fresh look and feel, based on what I've seen so far.[/color]

[color=#707875]Why would I use the one in your sig as a submission? It doesn't say "Seasons Greetings", it has no navigation links and it has no logo.[/color]

[color=#707875]You can use any font for the links. And you can have as many entries submitted as you like.[/color]