Callie

The ability to absolve one's ethical quandaries is a common spoils of war. The Americans had been fighting against an opponent that launched a vicious attack without any declaration of war. The Japanese forces had notably committed crimes against humanity such as the Nanking Massacre and the Bataan death marches. Iwo Jima was an incredibly bloody affair. The U.S. government interned its own Japanese citizens and riled the public with virulently racist propaganda. Although Japan had certainly committed much greater atrocities at such point, America was also responsible for a great deal of dehumanization. This dehumanization allowed for a great deal of complicity on part of the American people following the war. I question the so-called military necessity of the bombings. Japan had attempted to establish peace with Russia the very day before the Potsdam Declaration1. Russia declared war on August 8th, crushing hopes that Russia would stay out of the war. I ultimately think that had more of an impact on Japan's surrender than anything else. The U.S. already had superior air capacity; why couldn't it continue to conduct traditional bombing raids? Why not a submarine blockade (or both)? I find it damning that generals such as Eisenhower and MacArthur deemed the bombings unnecessary. The U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey concluded that (p. 26): 1: Tsuyoshi Hasegawa

I believe that healthcare is a right, and that accessing such care should not impose financial duress. Knowledge is one of the greatest social goods, so education and knowledge via the internet should be readily accessible. Reproduction: I strongly oppose any restrictions on reproduction; as a society becomes more prosperous, more educated, healthier, and less violent it will generally reach a state of demographic transition whereby the birth rate matches or is less than the death rate. I find it far more productive to improve society with social welfare and education. Capital punishment: I consider the death penalty to be the ultimate denial of human rights. Execution is a kind of barbarism that humanity will eventually grow out of. Torture: Torture should be prohibited under all circumstances. I am appalled by my country's Orwellian labeling of water boarding as an "enhanced interrogation technique". Euthanasia: Denying a terminally ill person the right to die is cruel. In other circumstances, mental health and/or life circumstances should be addressed with therapy and whatnot before considering euthanasia. Abortion: On request. Determining when humans begin to gain rights is problematic. Birth seems to be appropriate for legal purposes. Nuclear weapons: I don't accept America's traditional interpretation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I would go so far as to say that the use of nuclear weapons is a war crime.

Fortunately, IP lets one edit polls. What do you think would be a better wording?

Note that for question 8, if you choose "upon request", please mark the other circumstances as well. I recognize that question 7 is a bit of a doozy; I chose the responses based on the laws of existing countries (I omitted things like apostasy).

It's just filler detail, as you say.

Sounds about right. I don't think my results have changed since last time.

Oh dear… the chain mail bikini is still a thing.

Ah, the sweet air of oneupmanship. Surely Randomizer is not the only contender in the ring?

Sam Harris - Free Will: this book isn't very thorough as to its implications. The prose isn't the greatest, either. Jean-Paul Sartre - Existentialism and Human Emotions: I cannot adequately summarize my thoughts on this book. I find it interesting how Sartre phrases the idea of carrying the weight of the world by oneself. American Corrections: This is a textbook borrowed from a friend. It was surprisingly objective and pleasantly informative.

Correct

Thanks for pointing that out! One can trade cards from the hand, deck, and discard, but cards from the hand cannot be played.

I attempted to start a complex forum game a while ago, but it failed to generate sufficient interest. There have also been two recent attempts to revive Northern Isles, which unfortunately failed. In such cases, I think that the complexity turned people away. I am proposing what I feel to be a simple, Avadon-themed deck-building game for six to ten players. I have posted the rules below. Please provide feedback if you have any; I'd love to moderate a game that everyone enjoys! If I feel there's enough interest, I will post a signup after Labor Day weekend. Rules:

The impression I get from friends who have taken it is that the class requires a great deal of accuracy in the laboratory. Lab is two days a week, so there's a lot of writing and data analysis to do. I hope I'll survive, since it's my only strenuous class this semester.

It's that time of year again! School is starting at many learning institutions and now is the time to share your educational activities. I was supposed to graduate last semester, but wound up in the hospital and had to withdraw. I have to wait to take my needed spring classes again, so this is a free semester for me. I'm taking: First Year Spanish I Mechanics of Solids Linear Algebra Computer Science I Analytical Chemistry I'm also finishing my Principles of Bioengineering course that I took an incomplete in.

It'll be like OkCupid, but with fewer pictureless people saying hi.

It ended badly because people did not follow the communication rules and dead players wouldn't remain silent. The game was never completed.

That didn't work out very well...

I'd love to play Northern Isles again, but fifteen players is quite a bit with the current level of activity.

Ooh cool! I get Frostbite at number 1, Tales from the Tabard Inn at 2, and surprisingly, the Za-Khazi Run at 3.

Marmara is at the caravan east of the central entrance to Goldcrag.

1. Hard determinism, and I'm a puppet who doesn't like his strings. 2. Both, but in moments of great angst I wander towards skepticism. I'm also a fallibilist. 3. I never really understood Plato's forms and whatnot. Nominalism 4. Morals are constructs, but useful constructs; I think that constructed morals should be applied universally, so I'm sort of a combination of nihilism and universalism. 5. Consequentialism 6. Physicalism and naturalism. Our minds are matter and are little more than complex clockwork. 7. I'm a nihilist; meaning is constructed. Hmm… sugary utilitarianism.

This poll is silly, of course, because it attempts to condense the broad spectrum of philosophical views into a few poll responses.

There is little in the way of flaming and Blades is all but stagnant, so I doubt there will ever be a huge spike in activity, unfortunately.

That just shows how little I know about the military.

The title says all. Don't feel obliged to answer all (or any) of the questions, only what you feel comfortable sharing. Feel free to add any information that you think is relevant. (See Slarty's poll for a detailed analysis of the Spiderweb community) 1. What is your age? (Be approximate, if you'd like) 2. What part of the world do you live in? In which part of the world were you born? What countries have you lived in? 3. What is your native language? In what languages are you proficient? 4. Describe your ancestry. 5. Describe your gender identity and sexual orientation. 6. Do you have any religious or spiritual beliefs? If so, describe them. In what religious tradition(s) were you raised, if any? 7. What is your relationship status? Do you have any children? 8. Describe your social class. Have you always been in this class? 9. Have you ever served in the military? If so, what division? 10. What is your occupation (or former occupation)? What is your highest level of education (and your degree, if applicable)? Me: