I just pretended it was Shelob vs Orc.

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - thumbnail added by eric3579.

Upvote for Orcs Must Die 2. Really fun game; the art style reminds me of Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair.

As much as I think Pandas are fucking stupid, this trailer is brilliant. Maybe even better than the Wrath of the Lich King trailer. Love the slight comedy, and the very stylistic human and orc. Their cinematics are getting more stylistic now too, as opposed to diablo 3's more realistic style. This suits them better.

The two warships duking it out followed by orcs vs humans made me nostalgic for Warcraft 2.

Ayn Rand's Influence on Alan Greenspan
In The Age of Turbulence, Alan Greenspan describes the influence that Ayn Rand had on his intellectual development.

Ayn Rand became a stabilizing force in my life. It hadn't taken long for us to have a meeting of the minds -- mostly my mind meeting hers -- and in the fifties and early sixties I became a regular at the weekly gatherings at her apartment. She was a wholly original thinker, sharply analytical, strong-willed, highly principled, and very insistent on rationality as the highest value. In that regard, our values were congruent -- we agreed on the importance of mathematics and intellectual rigor.

But she had gone far beyond that, thinking more broadly than I had ever dared. She was a devoted Aristotelian -- the central idea being that there exists an objective reality that is separate from consciousness and capable of being known. Thus she called her philosophy objectivism. And she applied key tenets of Aristotelian ethics -- namely, that individuals have innate nobility and that the highest duty of every individual is to flourish by realizing that potential. Exploring ideas with her was a remarkable course in logic and epistemology. I was able to keep up with her most of the time.

Rand's Collective became my first social circle outside the university and the economics profession. I engaged in the all-night debates and wrote spirited commentary for her newsletter with the fervor of a young acolyte drawn to a whole new set of ideas. Like any new convert, I tended to frame the concepts in their starkest, simplest terms. Most everyone sees the simple outline of an idea before complexity and qualification set in. If we didn't, there would be nothing to qualify, nothing to learn. It was only as contradictions inherent in my new notions began to emerge that the fervor receded.

One contradiction I found particularly enlightening. According to objectivist precepts, taxation was immoral because it allowed for government appropriation of private property by force. Yet if taxation was wrong, how could you reliably finance the essential functions of government, including the protection of individuals' rights through police power? The Randian answer, that those who rationally saw the need for government would contribute voluntarily, was inadequate. People have free will; suppose they refused?

I still found the broader philosophy of unfettered market competition compelling, as I do to this day, but I reluctantly began to realize that if there were qualifications to my intellectual edifice, I couldn't argue that others should readily accept it. [...]

Ayn Rand and I remained close until she died in 1982, and I'm grateful for the influence she had on my life. I was intellectually limited until I met her. All of my work had been empirical and numbers-based, never values-oriented. I was a talented technician, but that was all. My logical positivism had discounted history and literature -- if you'd asked me whether Chaucer was worth reading, I'd have said, "Don't bother." Rand persuaded me to look at human beings, their values, how they work, what they do and why they do it, and how they think and why they think. This broadened my horizons far beyond the models of economics I'd learned. I began to study how societies form and how cultures behave, and to realize that economics and forecasting depend on such knowledge -- different cultures grow and create material wealth in profoundly different ways. All of this started for me with Ayn Rand. She introduced me to a vast realm from which I'd shut myself off.

From The Age of Turbulence, pp. 51-53. Omissions from the text are shown with bracketed ellipses. All other punctuation and spelling is from the original.

http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/bio/turbulence.html

>> ^bobknight33:

Its a cake. Lighten up. Is you IQ less than 100? Just wondering because your argument is is lame.
Lock up all the Bobs. I hate Bobs. Bobs are bad. Bobs are evil.


One day I was walking through town and a man asked me for directions to Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock). I was somewhat taken aback as I live in the south island of New Zealand also known as not fucking Australia (apologies to my bold-hating quasi-fan-club but sometimes I just gotta rock that shit). Anyway after explaining to said person that he had, in fact, arrived in an entirely different country, I proceeded to wax lyrical on the many wondrous qualities that make up the isolated little outcrop of the south pacific which I currently reside upon.

At this point, and I shit you not, he asked me a) had I been an extra in the lord of the rings and b) where he might go orc-hunting.

What, the average reader might relevantly inquire, does this have to do with the conversation at hand?

Well, until today, that was the most retarded conversation I have ever had the misfortune to take part in. Thankfully, @bobknight33 has reminded me that there is always someone even more idiotic out there.

>> ^shinyblurry:

The parameters of marriage was determined by God at the beginning of His creation. We have turned away from God in these United States, and so we have turned away from the biblical standard, however, not as much as gay marriage proponents have stated. Even with the media saturation and the constant infiltration of gay special interest groups into the national discourse, we have these realities:
1. A gay marriage amendment has never passed at the ballot box. It has failed everywhere it has been tried, with the voters rejecting it 32 times since 1998.
2. Constitutional bans on gay marriage have been successful 100 percent of time at the ballot box, passing in 31 states, typically with wide margins. This includes liberal strongholds like California and Hawaii. 38 states ban it to some degree.
The people don't appear to want gay marriage, and they are strongly in favor of the biblical definition of marriage. If you don't want to accept the reality that God has defined marriage, then accept the reality that most people are not that hot for this, and they don't want to take the country in this direction.
>> ^petpeeved:
>> ^shinyblurry:
If polygamy were legal, would it be a civil rights issue if he refused to bake one for a polygamous wedding? How about a cake for someone wanted to marry their dog, or their car? He believes marriage is between a man and a woman and refuses to make a cake for any other kind of wedding. This has nothing to do with their sexual orientation, it has to do with his moral opposition to the corruption of the institution of marriage.
>> ^petpeeved:
>> ^shinyblurry:
Don't try that shit, it's discrimination, you know exactly why he was refusing to make a gay wedding cake that type of lying isn't going to help your argument. 2nd it's not a double-standard to hand someone their ass when they say something stupid. You do something counter to the way a society has been going you get shouted down in the public square. We're moving towards legalizing gay marriage and giving equal rights to all americans, you go counter to that you're gonna get yelled at.
Sorry but you're wrong, it isn't discrimination. They were still able to do business there if they wanted another kind of cake, and I'm sure they're still welcome to do so. The man doesn't want to make a gay wedding cake because he believes marriage is between a man and a woman, and that gay marriage is immoral.
Also filth posted on message boards? Is this your first day on the internet? I'm pretty sure Justin Beiber hasn't done anything to anyone on the internet and still he's talked about worse than Hitler. You're in hyperbole country mother fucker, deal with it.
Now you want to continue discriminating against people and not doing your job to make cakes or hand out birth control pills than yeah your life is gonna be made harder. Too bad because you're lives are already way too easy as it is. Complaining about christian discrimination, bitch there's children dying in Africa, shut the fuck up.
So discrimination against Christians is okay, because people talk trash all the time and children are dying in Africa? In other words, you just wave your hand and make excuses..proving that you don't really think discrimination is wrong, so long as its against people you disagree with. It's clear you want equal rights for everyone except Christians.
>> ^Yogi

So blacks weren't being discriminated against on the buses and water fountains, because, hey, they could still ride...just not in the front of the bus and hey, they could get a drink...just not at this particular water fountain.
Sounds like the sequel to separate but equal.


You know what is the main flaw in the argument of Christians who claim that they have the sole right to define what the institution of marriage represents and who is permitted to access it?
Simply this:
Christians don't own, didn't invent, and have no right to control marriage. They don't hold the patent on it. Not the idea of marriage, not the word of marriage, nothing. The concept of marriage belongs to the human race and predates Christianity by millenia and continents. Therefore, they have no special rights or privilege to impose their definition of it upon the rest of the nation.
But don't take my word for it. You have google at your finger tips.



As much as I want to applaud you for shifting to a "fact" based argument with elements of reasoning as opposed to your pure belief based system of thought, I'm greatly confused as to where your statistics are coming from. I'm also a little irked that you forced me to do all the googling by the way. There are mountains of evidence that on every front, from the popular vote to constitutional challenges, that gay marriage is gaining support, not losing it.

Here, let me google it for you.

Just a few rulings on the constitutional level:

November 2003: the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that barring gays and lesbians from marrying violates the state constitution. The Massachusetts Chief Justice concluded that to “deny the protections, benefits, and obligations conferred by civil marriage” to gay couples was unconstitutional because it denied “the dignity and equality of all individuals” and made them “second-class citizens.” Strong opposition followed the ruling.

August 4, 2010: Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Proposition 8, the 2008 referendum that banned same-sex marriage in California, violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. "Proposition 8 singles out gays and lesbians and legitimates their unequal treatment," Vaughn wrote in his opinion. "Proposition 8 perpetuates the stereotype that gays and lesbians are incapable of forming long-term loving relationships and that gays and lesbians are not good parents."

February 7, 2012: the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled 2–1 that Proposition 8, the 2008 referendum that banned same-sex marriage in state, is unconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In the ruling, the court said, the law "operates with no apparent purpose but to impose on gays and lesbians, through the public law, a majority's private disapproval of them and their relationships."

On the popular opinion front:

A June 6 CNN/ORC International poll showed that a majority of Americans support same-sex marriage being legalized at 54%, while 42% are opposed.

A May 22 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed that 54% of Americans would support a law in their state making same-sex marriage legal, with 40% opposed.

A May 17-20 ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that 53% believe same-sex marriage should be legal, with only 39% opposed, a low-water mark for opposition in any national poll so far.

A May 10 USA Today/Gallup Poll, taken one day after Barack Obama became the first sitting President to express support for same-sex marriage,[14] showed 51% of Americans agreed with the President's endorsement. A May 8 Gallup Poll showed plurality support for same-sex marriage nationwide, with 50% in favor and 48% opposed.

An April Pew Research Center poll showed support for same-sex marriage at 47%, while opposition fell to an all-time low of 43%.

A March 7-10 ABC News/Washington Post poll found 52% of adults thought it should be legal for same-sex couples to get married, while 42% disagreed and 5% were unsure.[18] A March survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found 52% of Americans supported allowing same-sex couples to marry, while 44% opposed.

A February 29 - March 3 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 49% of adults supported allowing same-sex couples to marry, while 40% opposed.

One last note on a slightly different topic: religious groups funding anti-gay legislation, most notoriously, the Prop. 8 campaign in California. If Christians are going to use their funds as a group, not individuals, why are they being given tax-free exemptions? Why should people, such as myself, who don't share their beliefs, subsidize their political ambitions?

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

I don't want the government to curtail the ability of the religious to practice their faith but I don't think the first amendment was intended to give religions the overwhelming competitive advantage of tax-free money at the ballot box.

This could be solved two ways: no more organizational level contributions to political campaigns, i.e. the close to 200k the Mormon Church donated to support Prop. 8, OR remove tax-exempt status from religions.

By the way, it might seem impossible to conceive of a time when tax-exempt status for religion wasn't taken for granted but it's been a controversial issue from the inception of America. For example, even President Grant and Madison were against tax-exemption for religions.

Here's the law, my highlights added:

Ohio Revised Code Title [29] XXIX CRIMES - PROCEDURE Chapter 2917: OFFENSES AGAINST THE PUBLIC PEACE
2917.11 Disorderly conduct.
(A) No person shall recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by doing any of the following:

(5) Creating a condition that is physically offensive to persons or that presents a risk of physical harm to persons or property, by any act that serves no lawful and reasonable purpose of the offender.

(E)(1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of disorderly conduct.
[http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2917.11]

So, were they (A) causing inconvenience, annoyance or alarm? I think annoyance/alarm is fair.

Was it (5) physically offensive? Certainly -- notice the test isn't whether the person is urinating or not, but whether someone is physically offended by it. Seeing someone peeing -- whether they happen to be actors or not -- is physically offensive.

Did the act (5) serve a lawful and reasonable purpose to the offender? Well, he was making a TV bit by being physically offensive and annoying/alarming people, which is useful because it's his job. Does that count as "serving a purpose"? Going 'round in circles here.

I'm going to love it...whats up with the wisps? Are there Orcs too?

=)
In reply to this comment by Deano:
In reply to this comment by smooman:
when the commentators/comedians were like "what the hell is all that about? no idea" i had an epiphany: i'm fluent in a second language!!

85 smf orc warrior main, full season 11 gear (diehard PVPer). fury since vanilla. still have my tony-the-tiger zg claws with double crusader i dps'd with back in classic. fury or go home

if you understood that, you too, are fluent in wowgeek =D


I love this comment, worthy of the best of Reddit!

In reply to this comment by smooman:
when the commentators/comedians were like "what the hell is all that about? no idea" i had an epiphany: i'm fluent in a second language!!

85 smf orc warrior main, full season 11 gear (diehard PVPer). fury since vanilla. still have my tony-the-tiger zg claws with double crusader i dps'd with back in classic. fury or go home

if you understood that, you too, are fluent in wowgeek =D


I love this comment, worthy of the best of Reddit!

>> ^kceaton1:

>> ^smooman:
>> ^poolcleaner:
>> ^smooman:
when the commentators/comedians were like "what the hell is all that about? no idea" i had an epiphany: i'm fluent in a second language!!
85 smf orc warrior main, full season 11 gear (diehard PVPer). fury since vanilla. still have my tony-the-tiger zg claws with double crusader i dps'd with back in classic. fury or go home
if you understood that, you too, are fluent in wowgeek =D

I dig the proc on those zg claws.

before they changed dual wielding from being a class skill to being a spec ability at the end of wotlk, i used to dual wield em but as arms for fun and when they proc'd i'd hit bladestorm and it did the most intense animation youve seen. lightning everywhere!

Reminds me of the VERY OLD windfury proc's, so sad they killed the timing of the sound and animation--I have NO CLUE why they did that it was PERFECT as working!?!? Maybe they thought the newbies would get scared off by the pretty lights and sounds, I know I run for a ditch and /cover.
Second, as is said elsewhere in a different fashion, I'd like to point out that once they really start talking I have no idea what language they are talking in. It sounds like Sumerian, but I don't specialize in languages that old and dry...


oh god, i remember the original windfury totems when it didnt increase melee haste but instead gave a chance to proc a second attack. it was crack for fury warriors. i'll never forget one zg run we did and windfury proc'd during a huge trash pull on a whirlwind.....after i had popped recklessness....giant yellow crits filled my screen, i pulled mass aggro, and promptly died. but it was badass

not long after i completed the claw set i met a failadin out in epl, they proc'd halfway through the fight, and he bubble hearthed lol

>> ^smooman:

>> ^poolcleaner:
>> ^smooman:
when the commentators/comedians were like "what the hell is all that about? no idea" i had an epiphany: i'm fluent in a second language!!
85 smf orc warrior main, full season 11 gear (diehard PVPer). fury since vanilla. still have my tony-the-tiger zg claws with double crusader i dps'd with back in classic. fury or go home
if you understood that, you too, are fluent in wowgeek =D

I dig the proc on those zg claws.

before they changed dual wielding from being a class skill to being a spec ability at the end of wotlk, i used to dual wield em but as arms for fun and when they proc'd i'd hit bladestorm and it did the most intense animation youve seen. lightning everywhere!


Reminds me of the VERY OLD windfury proc's, so sad they killed the timing of the sound and animation--I have NO CLUE why they did that it was PERFECT as working!?!? Maybe they thought the newbies would get scared off by the pretty lights and sounds, I know I run for a ditch and /cover.

Second, as is said elsewhere in a different fashion, I'd like to point out that once they really start talking I have no idea what language they are talking in. It sounds like Sumerian, but I don't specialize in languages that old and dry...

>> ^poolcleaner:

>> ^smooman:
when the commentators/comedians were like "what the hell is all that about? no idea" i had an epiphany: i'm fluent in a second language!!
85 smf orc warrior main, full season 11 gear (diehard PVPer). fury since vanilla. still have my tony-the-tiger zg claws with double crusader i dps'd with back in classic. fury or go home
if you understood that, you too, are fluent in wowgeek =D

I dig the proc on those zg claws.


before they changed dual wielding from being a class skill to being a spec ability at the end of wotlk, i used to dual wield em but as arms for fun and when they proc'd i'd hit bladestorm and it did the most intense animation youve seen. lightning everywhere!