04/01/2009

US balks at backing condemnation of anti-gay laws

UNITED NATIONS – Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.
In all, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration — which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with any-gay discrimination. More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution.
Co-sponsored by France and the Netherlands, the declaration was signed by all 27 European Union members, as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries. There was broad opposition from Muslim nations, and the United States refused to sign, indicating that some parts of the declaration raised legal questions that needed further review.
"It's disappointing," said Rama Yade, France's human rights minister, of the U.S. position — which she described as in contradiction with America's long tradition as a defender of human rights.
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According to some of the declaration's backers, U.S. officials expressed concern in private talks that some parts of the declaration might be problematic in committing the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In numerous states, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.
Carolyn Vadino, a spokeswoman for the U.S. mission to the U.N., stressed that the United States — despite its unwillingness to sign — condemned any human rights violations related to sexual orientation.
Gay rights activists nonetheless were angered by the U.S. position.
"It's an appalling stance — to not join with other countries that are standing up and calling for decriminalization of homosexuality," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
She expressed hope that the U.S. position might change after President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January.
Also denouncing the U.S. stance was Richard Grenell, who until two months ago had been the chief spokesman for the U.S. mission to the U.N.
"It is ridiculous to suggest that there are legal reasons why we can't support this resolution — common sense says we should be the leader in making sure other governments are granting more freedoms for their people, not less," said Grenell, who described himself as a gay Republican. "The U.S. lack of support on this issue only dims our once bright beacon of hope and freedom for those who are persecuted and oppressed." wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold,wow gold.

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More than 50 countries opposed to the declaration, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, issued a joint statement Thursday criticizing the initiative as an unwarranted attempt to give special prominence to gays and lesbians. The statement suggested that protecting sexual orientation could lead to "the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts" such as pedophilia and incest.
The declaration also has been opposed by the Vatican, a stance which prompted a protest in Rome earlier this month.
A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the Roman Catholic Church opposed the death penalty and other harsh repression of gays and lesbians, but he expressed concern that the declaration would be used as pressure against those who believe marriage rights should not be extended to gays.
A new Vatican statement, issued Thursday, endorsed the call to end criminal penalties against gays, but said that overall the declaration "gives rise to uncertainty in the law and challenges existing human norms."
The European nations backing the declaration waged their campaign in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Dutch foreign affairs minister, Maxime Verhagen, said countries that endorsed that 1948 document had no right to carve out exceptions based on religion or culture that allowed discrimination against gays.
"Human rights apply to all people in all places at all times," he said. "I will not accept any excuse." He acknowledged that the new declaration had only symbolic import, but said it marked the first time such a large number of nations had raised the cause of gay rights in the context of General Assembly proceedings. "This statement aims to make debate commonplace," he said. "It is not meant to be a source of division, but to eliminate the taboo that surrounds the issue." Although the declaration's backers were pleased that nations on six continents had signed it, there were only two from Asia and four from Africa.

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05/12/2008

Breakfast Topic: Local guilds

However, building a guild from the group up to be a "local guild" seems to be a different beast altogether. You're not meeting up with each other after having been in the guild for a while, or playing for family ties. Instead, you're looking to get actual benefits, game-related or otherwise, of being in a guild of other residents of your city, state, province, or what have you.

It's an interesting idea, and one I've sort of kept in the back of my mind since I saw the post. I like to think that most of us, these days, have started to realize that there really are other, living, breathing, flesh and blood people on the other side of the keyboard. In fact, many of us have met some of these people at conventions and guild gatherings. There's also many families and friends who have decided to play WoW together.

Unfortunately, the guild did eventually fell apart, primarily because they just couldn't expand their membership enough to take on the higher level raids. Existing members moved on to the uber guilds to have a chance at the content, and their stringent entrance policies meant there just wasn't a big enough applicant pool to replenish the ranks.

I do know it can work, at least to some extent. On my old Everquest server, there was a guild made up of people from the Bay Area of California. They required that you attend a live, in-person guild meeting once a month. Some people found the requirement a bit draconian, but it really seemed to work for them. Their people were considered friendly and helpful and some of the most knowledgeable and skilled people on the server. Perhaps it was just that had good leadership and synergy that would have worked regardless of where they lived, but perhaps being able to connect and discuss in real life gave them an edge in helping each other with skills and reminding each other that there were real people behind the pixels, and they should be treated with respect.

The idea of WoW Gold a local guild WoW Gold is an intriguing one all the same. Would face-to-face guild meetings help everyone keep perspective and treat everyone better? Or would they just mean that guild drama would take on a slightly more uncomfortable and personal tinge as people took feuds into meatspace? What do you think of the concept? If you were looking for a guild, would you join one specifically looking to recruit people in your area?

A few weeks ago while I was browsing the official forums, I noticed an interesting guild recruitment post. Someone was recruiting for people WoW Gold not based on class, skill WoW Gold level, or preferred play style, but rather on geographic location. He was hoping to create a guild of people from Portland, Oregon.
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09/10/2008

The Art of War(craft): Battleground Achievements part I

I'm excited for Achievements to make it into the game because I'm looking forward to the impact it will (or will not) make on Battlegrounds play. Unless teams are coasting, Achievements won't figure highly into Arena play, where teams are focused on ratings and Achievements will come naturally rather than be pursued actively. On the other hand, the Battlegrounds are the domain of solo players and small groups, and many Achievements can and should be pursued by individuals. In theory, when these goals are pursued, it should make for better Battlegrounds games.

On the surface, it looks as though the various Battlegrounds WoW Gold Achievements are designed to WoW Gold improve World of Warcraft PvP. Achievements like Frenzied Defender, which requires players to return the flag five times in a single Warsong Gulch battle, seem like the perfect solution to get players to actually try and win the game. The Achievements also add a little spice to every WoW Gold game, where players can pursue personal goals which contribute to the overall objective.

You've seen it happen. Players fighting on the road or midfield, ignoring the Battleground's objective. WoW Gold Or sometimes the opposite, such as Alterac Valley races where players ignore each other in a mad rush to the opposing army's General. In Wrath of the Lich King, Blizzard will introduce Achievements, a system that measures a player's... well, achievements in the game. There's a category that tracks PvP Achievements, as well, including some interesting goals for the Battlegrounds. The question is, will these Achievements actually improve the Battlegrounds PvP experience or ruin it?
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25/08/2008

Immer wieder lustig

Immer wieder lustig sind aber die Flüsternachrichten die man bekommt, wenn WoW Gold man mit dem T1 Set irgendwo rumsteht.

Was nun noch fehlt sind Vorschläge für zukünftige Umfragen, also immer her damit!

Danach war Arathistammgruppeneinladung da und wir gingen rocken!

Es hat sich aber auf WoW Gold jeden Fall gelohnt, sich mal nen Stündchen hinzusetzten für das Update. Sieht wesentlich angenehmer aus, das Backend

Das geht von “lol, was hast du für einen crap!!^^” WoW Gold bis “omg, wo gibts das set? plx!”.

Die Erlebniss um Arilao gehen weiter. Nachdem ich mich zuletzt mit Level 40 und dem WoW Gold Paladin-Mount gemeldet habe, ist es an der Zeit einen weiteren Bericht zu liefern.
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04/05/2008

The Man With The Twisted Lip - 8

"This discovery, and the evident confusion which the wow gold -- wow gold -- wow gold -- wow gold cripple showed, made the inspector realize that the matter was serious. The rooms were carefully examined, and results all pointed to an abominable crime. The front room was plainly furnished as a sitting-room and led into a small bedroom, which looked out upon the back of one of the wharves. Between the wharf and the bedroom window is a narrow strip, which is dry at low tide but is covered at high tide with at least four and a half feet of water. The bedroom window was a broad one and opened from below. On examination traces of blood were to be seen upon the windowsill, and several scattered drops were visible upon the wooden floor of the bedroom. Thrust away behind a curtain in the front room were all the clothes of Mr. Neville St. Clair, with the exception of his coat. His boots, his socks, his hat, and his watch -- all were there. There were no signs of violence upon any of these garments, and there were no other traces of Mr. Neville St. Clair. Out of the window he must apparently have gone for no other exit could be discovered, and the ominous bloodstains upon the sill gave little promise that he could save himself by swimming, for the tide was at its very highest at the moment of the tragedy.
"And now as to the villains who seemed to be immedlately implicated in the matter. The Lascar was known to be a man of the vilest antecedents, but as, by Mrs. St. Clair's story, he was known to have been at the foot of the stair within a very few seconds of her husband's appearance at the window, he could hardly have been more than an accessory to the crime. His defense was one of absolute ignorance, and he protested that he had no knowledge as to the doings of Hugh Boone, his lodger, and that he could not account in any way for the presence of the missing gentleman's clothes.
"So much for the Lascar manager. Now for the sinister cripple who lives upon the second floor of the opium den, and who was certainly the last human being whose eyes rested upon Neville St. Clair. His name is Hugh Boone, and his hideous face is one which is familiar to every man who goes much to the City. He is a professional beggar, though in order to avoid the police regulations he pretends to a small trade in wax vestas. Some little distance down Threadneedle Street, upon the left-hand side, there is, as you may have remarked, a small angle in the wall. Here it is that this creature takes his daily seat, cross-legged with his tiny stock of matches on his lap, and as he is a piteous spectacle a small rain of charity descends into the greasy leather cap which lies upon the pavement beside him. I have watched the fellow more than once before ever I thought of making his professional acquaintance, and I have been surprised at the harvest which he has reaped in a short time. His appearance, you see, is so remarkable that no one can pass him without observing him. A shock of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which, by its contraction, has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present a singular contrast to the color of his hair, all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants and so, too, does his wit, for he is ever ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which may be thrown at him by the passers-by. This is the man whom we now learn to have been the lodger at the opium den, and to have been the last man to see the gentleman of whom we are in quest."