GoOB

After having played Black Thunder I am all over this mission, you did a proper god job on that one!

I've only played the first mission so far, but what a mission it was! Very immersive somehow... If there is anything I'd like to suggest for the mission is a radio command to halt the convoy independently of the "danger zones" that are already scripted in the missions - After clearing the second hostile village and giving the second radio command, the convoy began a deathrace down what was left of the road. I would feel the mission could be more realistic and indeed, more pleasing if we had the ability to halt the convoy at will. Another "issue" with the first mission is the Apache, it was awesome having it as cover, very effective in creating that atmosphere mentioned above, the problem was, atleast for me, that it blew away alot of the opposition, most noteably: As for the second mission, I haven't gotten very far, but perhaps removing the bar gate or making it permanently raised would make for an easier egress out of FOB Manchester... I spent atleast fifteen minutes trying to get the AI crewed Landrover past that checkpoint. Looking forward to playing through the rest of this tonight! Great job.

There is a scenario in ARMA II which, in my opinion has more "soul" to it than the entire Harvest Red campaign, it is the one where you and three other NAPA fighters are set to destroy a BRDM in a village - I sincerely hope that a future DLC will give us a NAPA (or ChKDZ) themed campaign, I'd even settle for a straight port of the Resistance campaign to ARMA II and Chernarus!

I for one welcome this - DLC, as long as it is properly priced in relation to the ammount of content is always welcome. And I for one, have to say that the contents of this package seems to be well worth the price. Looking forward to more DLC packages from BI!

I don't know what insights you have into the financial situation of BI... But unless they are significantly different to every other company in the world, releasing and developing new content is not a sign of "money troubles". If BI were dissatisfied with the sales of ARMA II, we would not be seeing the release of OA, if they were dissatisfied with the sales of OA, we would not be seeing any DLC. If they are happy with the sales of the BAF DLC, it is likely we will see more similar releases. My interpretation of the explanation we've had from BI is not that they haven't made a profit off of sales, but rather that the profit has not been big enough to fund free content like we've seen with patch 1.5. The lack of advertising for the ARMA series is, I think, not as lamentable as it may seem. Plenty of niche developers get by quite swell without it, Paradox Interactive, 1C and a handful of others are all pretty healthy by the looks of things.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Integration_women_in_IDF-March_2009 "Women represent a significant portion of manpower in the combat units that they serve in; in the Anti-Aircraft Division and in the Artillery Corps, women represent 20 percent of soldiers, 25 percent of soldiers in Search and Rescue units, 10 percent of the Border Police, and the Caracal Battalion - a combat battalion - is made up of 70 percent female soldiers. In addition, this year marked the first year in which women are eligible to serve in the Field Intelligence Corps." I don't care about what you define as a combat unit, or how much on the front line a unit has to be stationed to be one in your eyes, but it is rather clear that the Caracal battalion is one - Even if it's "just" border patrol it is a unit intended to carry out combat activity. Lest you want to argue the meaning of that concept with the authors of the above document. As to where your sudden urge to blurt out that petty little innuendo came from I have no idea - I rather just outlined the reason for why females are actively being recruited into front line duty (you asked for one, or rather said there are no reasons), there may be many other arguments against it, but that is one argument for it. It enables forces to communicate better with the local populace, and thus, carry out their job better. And whilst mine may well be a small country, my countrymen, and indeed women abroad do their jobs pretty damn well. Bearing in full mind that some of these jobs weren't really theirs to do in the first place. And once more I repeat (with some parts in bold this time around); Female soldiers in ARMA II, as a mod or as a part of OA. Or at the very least proper animation sets for females. I am all for it, regardless of the reigning protocol of the main faction portrayed in the game.

There are no (added) VAT or toll fees when importing goods from other EU countries - You only pay VAT once, and that is the VAT applied by the other EU member state. You can save alot of pretty pennies by shopping from websites like Technikdirekt.de, warehousexpress.co.uk or indeed Play.com.

It is strange then that the Swedish MoD has rather clearly outlined the need to raise the number of female soldiers in active duty abroad. The need has arisen from quite a few years of experience of places like Eritrea, Liberia and Congo where Swedish forces are and have been deployed in peacekeeping situations. In places like these, only deploying male soldiers more or less leaves half of the population (read: the female half) unheard and untouched by the mission. So where my statement may be patently false for other nations, it is quite valid for Sweden and other nations who deploy their armed forces to similar effect. In regards to females in the IDF, since 2001 females are allowed into combat roles - The last numbers I have however are a few years old, but at the end of 2004, 450 women were in combat units, primarily within the Caracal battalion, but also in the artillery corps, airforce, search and rescue units, field intelligence corps and the anti-aircraft division. So, to reiterate; Female soldiers in ARMA II, as a mod or as a part of OA. Or at the very least proper animation sets for females. I am all for it, regardless of the reigning protocol of the main faction portrayed in the game.

I just cannot see how coal, gas and oil is the optimum solution. It certainly is a convenient solution, we already have the powerplants to burn these resources. But the fact of the matter is that these resources will dry up, atleast when it comes to oil and natural gas that point may be rather close for two large suppliers of European oil. Relatively speaking ofcourse, but Denmark and Norways own figures say that their oil exporting jig will be up by 2015. So that means atleast two of the most reliable and comfortable exporters of raw oil will rather soon be out of the game. And when they are indeed out of the game, Britain for instance will once again be reliant on dealing with the middle east and or russia for it's oil and natural gas. Something you cleary do not want, as seen by the fact that you moved away from middle eastern oil in the late 70's. I still do not see the benefits of not developing and changing the way we extract electricity from this earth. And as said, I am discounting the "enviromental scare" here. There is more to gain from developing new sources of energy than sticking to the old ones like they were some ancient, underground gospel from the cretaceous period. Not changing or evolving because you might have the option to comfortably sit back also "gains mistake". But I am sure you know energy policy better than the British government that aims for 20% renewable energy by 2020, the Danish government who already uses 17% renewable energy, the German government that has acheived 15% renewable energy (with the aim of reaching a 100%) and ofcourse the Swedish government who uses 39% renewable energy. It would seem these nations, amongst many others disagree with the "optimum solution" of continuing to burn fossilated matter for energy. Renewable energy is cheaper and cleaner... The only positive thing about coal, oil and gas is that the infrastructure for these energy sources is already in place - That however does not make them in any way superior, it just makes them first.

The interesting thing is that most if not all industrial companies save money by moving towards polluting less, this goes for both greenhouse gases and more directly harmful pollution like mercury and so on and so forth. Companies will save in two ways; Increased efficiency of production and having to pay a smaller emissions tax, a tax that atleast in Sweden was in place long before the "climate scare". It might cost companies money to move towards these changes, but in the long run it will save them money as opposed to costing them money. In the long run I think there will be more benefits in striving to shift towards less emissions than wallowing around in the same coal infused mud that we started to wallow in during the industrial revolution. Even if there is no truth behind the scientific consensus that seems to have been established, what exactly can be bad about shifting towards energies and industry models that strives to minimize pollution? Without having to buy oil, gas or coal nations without these resources save money, there is no need to rely on (sometimes shaky) relations with Russia or the middle east. That and we can hopefully continue to enjoy nature that is still somewhat unspoiled. I just cannot see the benefits of not changing and developing means to pollute less. Except the fact not changing, and instead stagnating seems to be a rather comfortable route to take.

I don't know about frontline combat, but peacekeeping and similar missions see alot of female soldiers in active duty performing the same duties as males. In fact one of Sweden's special operations branches, the SIG (Special Recon) currently on deployment in Afghanistan actively seek to recruit female operatives. And quite recently the first female applicant passed the qualifying tests and was accepted into training. Besides that rather unique case, out of all the 847 Swedish soldiers' stationed abroad in peacekeeping missions, 70 are female. Not a shockingly high number, but it is a number that is growing and will continue to grow. Denmark for instance just recently decided to make a "recruiting day" of sorts mandatory for females aswell as males. The idea that the only role females can play in a military organisation is support, administration or maintenance is slowly becoming outdated. We might not be seeing a sudden explosion in female soldiers performing the same duties as men, but those numbers are slowly growing in the same pace at which military officials realize that there is a need for female soldiers on the modern battlefield. And quite frankly, I cannot see the difference between a woman who is able to go through basic training in order to perform duties for her country and a man who is able and willing to do the same. But erh - Yeah, female soldiers in ARMA II, as a mod or as a part of OA. Or at the very least proper animation sets for females. I am all for it.

I have both Forza 3 and Dirt 2 for the XBOX 360 and I am loving them both, Forza 3 slightly more than Dirt 2 but both are in my opinion very qualified racing games. There are games that have more beleivable and engaging physics, like the aforementioned Simbin games and so on and so forth. But few games rival Forza (except maybe the GT series) in how much you can play it, alot of tracks and alot of cars.

Like with the effects of the influenza itself, the effects of the vaccine varies from person to person - My mate, who works as an ER nurse took the shot and suffered no side effects, nor did I. Then there are the people who get sick for a few days, then there are more serious reactions most commonly suffered by those already weakened by old age and or other ailments. In regards to the cost... The cost for Swedens vaccine is 1,3 billion SEK (18 million shots of vaccine), a bill the government was willing to pay because the alternative of having roughly 20-30% of the population sick (even if it is just for one day) is quite a bit more costly. Even if the vaccine only puts a dent in the expected minimum of 400 000 sick it will have been worth the cost. And this isn't because they expect the flu to be deadlier than ye olde seasonal variation, it is because they excpect it to be alot more prolific than the seasonal influenza - Preventing deaths is just one factor to take into account, economy is another and preventing even short term lapses in public services like transportation, government, healthcare, schooling and so on and so forth is a third.

Seventy years since the outbreak of Talvisota today - A fine day for everyone to remember those who fought and died in the cold winter of 1939. I know I will, a candle in the window and a shot of Koskenkorva on the dinner table.

Some units in M/90 camoflague, either desert or temperate would be swell - To represent Swedish special forces groups like the SSG (Congo, Afghanistan) or the SIG (Afghanistan)

And obviously you failed to pick up on my sarcasm in turn ;)

Travelling by foot is also a hell of alot safer - I remember taking my AI buddies for a spin in the HMMV in the Manhattan mission.... We were made into instant AKM fodder without the gunner having a chance to return fire. On foot however we laid waste to all opposition.

Haha, yes, having a chronic condition like astma, diabetes or a neuromuscular disease makes you a great big pussy, not to mention a weakling. The same applies for leukemia, and ofcourse the biggest pussies of all - Those little queens "suffering" from high blood pressure.

I got the shots together with my surgery about a month ago - They came recommended, and just like the surgery they were free of charge. I didn't really care either way, especially since I was juiced up on free, government funded opiates for the better part of that weekend

For the brave man who first put kebab on pizza, and for the person who decided to bring Red Stripe to Sweden.

I agree that the statement is perhaps simplified, far from all of Rwanda's and the rest of sub-saharan Africa's problems are related to exploitation of natural resources, the underlying conflicts are complex matters. But that doesn't change the fact that foreign interest, or rather the lack of demands from foreign interests on increased stability and or origin control makes the situation quite a bit worse. And in some instances, more or less funds and fuels continued madness and conflict. And bear in mind, DRC isn't the host of "a couple of diamond mines", it produces 80% of the worlds coltan, quite a bit of tin, cassiterite and even more gold... The proceeds from which are rarely seen by populace or even the government. Foreign interest might not have been what started the conflict (unless we go down the road of taking history, and with that colonialism into account) but it is foreign interest that allows it to continue. In any case - I must pose the same question as Baff1 did in regards to the Mumbai bombings, what did the Mumbai attack change? Will it change anything? Will the ongoing operations against the Taliban in Pakistan change things for the better when it comes to relations with India? I don't think so, but I do hope so.

The real problem in Africa does not exist in the countries without valuable natural resources - The real problems seem to exist where there are natural resources, look at the DRC for instance, it's one of the most notorious hotspots of violence on this earth since what... The 1960's? And indeed, what does many of it's problems revolve around nowadays? That's right, the oppurtunity to exploit the wealth of natural resources the nation posseses, natural resources is not a success formula for a country when it's being consistently raped by foreign interests because of those resources. Strangely enough, the nations of Africa that are without natural resources seem to thrive better (atleast in terms of improvements in quality of life, or indeed, sustaining human life) than the ones that do possess them - Why? Because farmers are not being pushed around by militias, warlords and rogue government troops chasing the allmighty dollar. And indeed, foreign aid like medicine and food shipments don't get interrupted quite as often. One of the major reasons why many third world countries are in the shitter is our need to consume, plain and simple - But that same need to consume is paradoxically their way out of the shitter aswell. That of course provided that we actually commit to giving a shit about where the coltan in our circuit boards and the diamonds in our engagement rings come from. Or rather, what crimes were commited in order to bring us those items at such bargain prices. The DRC should by all means be a thriving country, atleast if one judges from the ammount of natural resources and fertile earth it hosts - Yet, it is the home nation of the most deadly conflict since world war two, a conflict that hasn't killed with bullets or bombs, but rather with hunger and common, easily treatable diseases. Why? Because cheap consumer goods are apparently more important than 5,4 million (and counting) African lives. But really, who am I to talk? I am sitting infront of a computer, just like the rest of the world.

Krautrock is a lovely, lovely genre. At the moment I am listening to alot of NEU!, La Düsseldorf and Chicken El Diablo but other great acts are Can, Faust and Guru Guru - And generally far too many to namedrop. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiMQ5r5y78g&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiMQ5r5y78g&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlgcnJVWIkk&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlgcnJVWIkk&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as2o__uUMrM&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as2o__uUMrM&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5316ZsVYSs&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5316ZsVYSs&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

The abuse of the term foot-mobile is even worse - It was used everywhere and all the bloody time.

I agree that politicians should have experience outside the political sphere - Far too many politicians in Sweden are strictly politicians (I think the record is held by a woman that has spent 45 years in a parliament seat), and in many ways they loose track of what it's like to have a more regular job. But fifteen years is a bit too much, as young people could no longer engage in politics where they can truly make a difference. Another thing... Politicians should have alot lower wages than what they have currently - Hell, high level politicians in Sweden get payed even after they loose an election! In my opinion, politicians and their families should be supplied with room and board near or in the capital where they must practise their job, then on top of this they should be given a slightly higher wage than that of the average worker, and perhaps a small cash bonus when they leave the political scene. Politicians making 25.000 euros plus each month really cannot be excpected to be very much in touch with the day to day lives of the people they govern.