MTG Salvation

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Quote from Quilt

So, we don't know who (there are 80 mln people on the Arab peninsula), where and when, and this is 'the most specific and credible threat'

This does not make sense whatsoever. Am I the only one who sees it like that? (I'ld certainly say that the KGB informing the FBI that the Tsarnaevs were radical islamists was 100% credible, in retrospect.)

Al-Qaeda doesn't go around on open channels saying "okay, at five o'clock on Tuesday the 29th, we'll bomb the American embassy in Madrid. Everyone ready?"

You know what this information probably is? Someone credible (a mole, perhaps, or a very well-placed bug) saying that they don't know exactly what's going on, but everyone's suddenly gotten tense and they keep hearing something about how August is the month that will show the Americans. Maybe they heard that a certain person (who they know is involved in terror attacks) is traveling to the Arab peninsula. Maybe they heard a casual reference to C4 or something worse.

You don't get a plot delivered to you and wrapped up in a bow. You get hints, and you do your work as best you can.

Quote from Quilt »

Less than a month ago, we heard that 50 plots were foiled because of the NSA spying, but I still haven't heard of a single case. Shouldn't there be arrests or convictions? Or at least drone strikes or deportations to Gitmo?

We hear about a lot of drone strikes and deportations to Gitmo. But they don't announce "these are terrorists we foiled using our secret mole in Islamabad." You release as little information as you possibly can, so that they don't know what information you have and can't work around that knowledge.

Quote from Von

This is just like that book I read, by that guy about that police state thingy.

Fun rubric: if you're in a state where you can cite 1984 as an analogy, you aren't in a 1984-style police state.

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I am actually curious about the current threads you'd see being put in there, though, because I must admit I don't think there are enough US-specific threads in WCT main to really justify it.

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Erin - "I thought about it, and decided that I'm the god of disorder, I can trample on another god's purview if I want to. So I did. I brought you some things too, if you want them, from the house of that ******* elf who sent you down there. I figure, why not?"

**In a flash, a pile of stuff appeared at their feet.**

1 LP = 2 gold; 100 LP each

Five-Fingered Fantasy - 25 LP - Two plate steel gauntlets, the backs of the hands designed to look like fiercely-scowling faces. Greatly increase the wearer's manual dexterity, allowing him to learn a level of a Red Deck skill involving hands for free so long as they are worn. (Lord's Accoutrements set, unique)

Single-Minded Solution - 30 LP - A gold circlet with a tiny scowling face displayed on the front. Greatly enhances the wearer's eyesight, allowing him to see well in low light and telescopically. (Lord's Accoutrements set, unique)

Traveler's Cloak - 25 LP - A midnight blue hooded cloak made of thick, dense wool. Impervious to wind and rain, and also to Water-based magic. Also allows the wearer to blend into the shadows undetectably, even deeper than a shroud spell. (Unlimited)

Jade Artifacts - 40 LP each - A longsword, cuirass, and boots out of magical jade, modifier 3. Has a Darkwood-like effect, but only for plant and earth effects. (1 of each)

Erin's Blessing - 30 LP - An extremely random magical skill bestowed upon you by Erin. High risk, high reward.

Silent Night - 35 LP - High black leather boots. Muffle your footfalls, making them near-totally silent. (1/2 pairs)

Music of the Birds - 35 LP - Scroll for a rare level three Beastial spell, 'Music of the Birds.' Calls any birds in the area to the caster, though he does not gain control over them. (Unique)

Spirit Totem - 40 LP - A small marble figurette of a figure that is clearly meant to be Erin. Contains potent spirit magics. (Unique)

Eggsac Ichor - 10 LP - Luminous gunk from the inside of the eggsacs. Useful in imbues and potions, but the latter only for your worst enemies.

Binding Shard - 25 LP - Shards of the sword which was used to bind Erin. A competent smith can reconstitute them, turning them into a modifier 3 material with unique powers.

Crystal Fragment - 50 LP - Shard of crystal from the Geode Chamber's walls. Twice per encounter can be used to amplify a single spell, making it three times as strong for a single post.

Also, those coins, one each and don't cost LP:

Erin's Boon - A small silver coin, on one side depicting Erin smiling and winking at you, on the other side an engraving, somehow, of the shapeless and formless chaotic void. Grants the skill "Touch of Moonlight."
Touch of Moonlight - The world may be a messed up, ****ed up, chaotic place, but somehow you know how to find your place in the scheme of things a little better than most people. Things tend to go well for you, so that random chance events are tipped just that little bit toward your side. You're a little lucky to be alive, and you can feel it.

Quote from Wraith223 »

I have a hard time believing that 90% of kids died from not taking a vaccine. There has to be outliers in data and other factors that led to the death (cancer, other medical conditions, birth defects, unknown ifections).

What he's saying is that 90% of children who died from the flu were not vaccinated.

Quote from Galspanic

Context is a thing. This, however, is not really what this thread is about. It is not illegal to sign posts even if it is generally regarded as a waste of space.

(I have an ex that signs her text messages :facepalm:)

I know eh?! She drives me nuts!

Quote from Commons

SDP is for 'Unenumerated rights' argued as 'implicit' BY not IN the constitution.

You seem to be taking a bunch of different constitutional concepts and smashing them all together. SDP does not have much to do with unenumerated rights.

Quote from Commons

As opposed to enumerated rights e.g. Gun ownership via the second amendment, which are explicit writ of law.

And a state law authorizing police officers to search people's homes and confiscate their guns would be overturned on the grounds of substantive due process. As opposed to police officers searching people's homes and confiscating their guns without a law, which would be a violation of procedural due process.

Quote from Commons

For example if US Constitution(a) derives rights from 'natural law'(b)
Then 'Natural law'(b) dictates 'implicit' rights of the US constitution(a)
Like i said, unenumerated rights are fallacious 'implicit' by the constitution.

If the Ninth Amendment didn't exist you might have a point. As is stands, though, there's no "implicit" about it: the Constitution states explicitly that people do have unenumerated rights.

Quote from Commons

If Kennedy really believed is opinion the very act of marriage at all would be unconstitutional. As it creates 'inequality' between them and those who aren't married. But marriage is actually a privilege not a right... by law. Like driving a car. But instead of admitting this they just decided to legislate from the bench.

Driving a car is a right. If a state passed a law prohibiting gays from driving, that would be unconstitutional. Due process means that any time the state wants to take something from you, or tell you you can't do something, or harm you, they have to furnish a justification of why this is within the state's legitimate power and interests. So the state can regulate driving to make sure that only safe drivers are on the roads, because public safety is a legitimate state interest. But it can't regulate driving to make sure that only straight drivers are on the roads, because it has no interest in doing so. Ditto marriage.

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Oh, hey, it's almost like ad hominem arguments directed at individual members of large and diverse movements are fallacious.

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Quote from 9909

Also, I honestly don't understand why you — Sen, Brandon, or others — have engaged him/her or bit down on that. It is clearly demonstrable that he/she is doing one of two things: first, being completely facile and facetious; or, two, wilfully and/or through ignorance, sowing discord.

Speaking for myself, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt whenever possible and treat opinions accordingly. In addition, responding to criticisms or alternative viewpoints -- even if I believe or know that they are outlandish or incorrect -- can strengthen the original claim by demonstrating its completeness.

@Wraith223: I've never heard of gene translocation syndrome, and a quick Google search demonstrates that this thread is actually the only result for that exact phrase. Is there another name for it? When you say 1 in 2 million, is that the prevalence (number of people living with the diseases) or the incidence (number of people newly diagnosed per year)? In either case, that should be plenty of cases for it to be reported in the literature.

Roshem's Weapon Grab Bag nets him:
1 Flashbang
1 Implacable Hammers Seal
1 Bag of Devil Dust (throw handful at target, causes burning, painful sores wherever it touches skin, last five posts. 4 handfuls.)

Roshem's Potions Grab Bag nets him:
2 vials Icarian Elxir - Drink to gain wings capable of flight for 7 posts.
1 vial Arctic Compound - Throw to coat everything around the point of impact with a thick layer of ice.
1 vial Scionic Solution - Apply to an item to amplify its effects for the next 10 posts.

This is the metal weapon FellEarth and any weapon Death Fang imbue effects, would have different effects on different types of items.

Antoninus's Axe gains the following effects:
> The axe can absorb blood it spills. Its blade turns red, increases in modifier by 2, and gains mass in a way of your choice, be it length, width spikes, etc... This effect lasts until the end of combat.
> Whenever the axe takes a life, it may gains a power based on that's person's essence. Any new ability added will remove the prior. These do not count towards enchantment limit.

Quote from Senori

Not necessarily.

The mere act of getting vaccinated only protects a certain percentage of those who receive the vaccine. This is a pretty large percentage, to be certain, but the percentage that doesn't receive immunity from this kind of vaccination is sizable, and there's no way of determining who has the immunity and who does not without infecting them. There's also a sizable population of people who, for various reasons, are unable to receive vaccines, especially the immunocompromised and pregnant women.

The point of vaccinating a whole population is to make it so that the odds of anyone coming into contact with someone who doesn't have immunity are low enough that effective spread of the contagion is extremely unlikely. Every person who refuses the vaccination, however, dramatically increases that likelihood. After a certain critical mass, the vaccination becomes essentially useless for a large percentage of the population, whether they received it or not.

That's a very good thorough summary from someone in the Classics, but duly note that there are multiple 'points' of vaccination.

In addition to this, in describing herd immunity, it could be additionally edifying if you dropped the term 'herd immunity' in there. Furthermore, the "certain critical mass" is termed the 'critical immunisation threshold'.

Quote from Jay13x

Thoughts on this inclusion? I know public health as a whole is now cringing in terror, now that McCarthy has a popular outlet to share her beliefs.

I was initially dismissive of this, but I realize that The View does in fact have viewers, some of whom mightn't be the most discerning or critical people, by a combination of factors within and without their control.

I think McCarthy is a symptom of a greater problem, and that she should be gagged — not in some sort of kinky sense — so that she doesn't spout her nonsense. Goodness knows that there's enough malarkey without her and her learned medical opinions.


Could a petition be circulated to have her position seriously considered?