One is just one point to the right of 360/0 on a compass...

It's come full circle. That makes this release literally revolutionary!

Tom's Hardware has a good-enough gaming PC build for $600.

Concur. Blink is the episode everyone talks about. Great time travel and humor. And also some very suspenseful horror elements. Those angels are plain creepy.

People sign up to serve for many reasons. I'm sure there are some who seek war, but they are rare, thankfully.

No one prays for peace more than the soldier.

Qualifier: I deployed as a battalion S1 (human resources officer) whose responsibilities included the awards program for over 300 service members in three military branches.

There is a distinction if you know what to look for. Medals with "Star" or "Cross" in the name require action in a combat zone. Medals with "Service" in the name generally do not. Notable: The Distinguished Service Cross (Army award for valor second only to the Medal of Honor) is a combat medal that meets the first criteria, but the name is confusing because of the word "Service" in the title. Note that there are many non-combat service medals that rank above the Bronze Star Medal. Below the BSM, the service-specific Commendation Medals are also awarded in combat zones and can be affixed with 'V' devices for valor.

To add confusion to the debate, non-combat awards, such as the Meritorious Service Medal (non-combat equivalent to the Bronze Star) and service-specific Achievement Medals, have been awarded in Iraq and Afghanistan to service members who work exclusively inside the wire. Guidance is vague enough to cause great inconsistencies in award approvals across commands, and many complaints from service members.

Adding new awards like this adds further confusion to what many consider to be an arbitrary and subjective process, and are usually only welcomed by the few service members who were not recognized by previously existing awards.

Actually, by retiring before he dies, he gets a strong voice in selecting his successor. That, along with the fact that he's been carefully selecting like-minded cardinals the last several years, ensures the next pope will by very similar to Benedict.

There was this little incident called the Civil War, circa 1860.

Hmm... based on that maybe we should modernize it thus:

"The society that separates its politicians from its scholars and warriors will have its decisions made by foolish cowards."

"Reserve" makes sense in English for your situation. In the U.S. you would be in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), an inactive, non-paid status, but still on the military roles.

In the U.S. if you hold a current federal commission or enlisted contract, you're either active, reserve (to include the National Guard), or retired. If you lose your commission, by choice or not, or you don't re-enlist, you are discharged and officially a civilian. Depending on the nature of your service you may qualify for official veteran status for certain benefits, including medical care and education.

"The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools." ~Thucydides

Well said. Manning is facing the consequences of his choice. A court martial is inevitable for soldiers who choose to disobey. We'll see if Manning is deemed to have displayed honor and integrity, or to have foolishly lashed out in response to perceived misconduct in his unit.

I also am an Army vet and I disagree. He can't just claim "Army Values" and walk away. While as a soldier you are compelled to refuse illegal orders, there are consequences (i.e. court martial) for acting on that compulsion. He will get his day in court to explain his actions and, if found honorable, be vindicated for the treatment he's received these last several years. However, it's more likely that he'll be found in violation of his oath of enlistment and the oath of secrecy he swore upon accepting a high security clearance. He is plenty smart enough to have figured out the proper way to expose wrong-doing. This was not it.

The Dwarves had more than one home. The Blue Mountains (Ered Luin) west of the Shire are yet another.

Vietnam-era M16 had full auto. The A2 (Desert Shield/Desert Storm-era) and later models all have 3-round burst just like the M4 carbine. AR15 is only semi. I've fired them all.

I get your point about the app store competing directly with Steam. But Windows Live currently sucks and I won't buy there unless I have to because of exclusivity. That's my bigger concern. I was pissed when I discovered that Mass Effect III was not offered on Steam.

Re: ARM. We'll see. I have an iPad and have purchased many iOS games. While I've been playing a lot of Summoner Wars and Warlords Classic lately, I don't consider light games on iOS as a replacement for a PC game experience. I don't see ARM games threatening that either.

Good points about Metro and ARM possibly leading to exclusivity for titles also available on traditional x86. Steam does have reason to be concerned there. But how many AAA titles (and similar feature-rich indie games) will fall into that category?