text stringlengths 1 330k |
|---|
2. Graphics |
3. Gameplay |
4. Storyline |
5. Multiplayer (Offline and Online) |
6. Weapons |
• Sound Effects: 8/10. The sound effects are one of the most realistic ever! A shotgun sounds like a shotgun, a pistol sounds cool when it goes through the flesh of a Chimera... just too bad most of the alien weapons sound the same! |
• Graphics: 9/10. They are too good to be judged. Everything looks so real and so vibrant, and it sucks you into the game as if you were the protagonist. Only one flaw... when you try to break glass by bashing it down... it only causes a small crack, it doesn't break like a realistic glass window. Plus... killing ali... |
• Gameplay: 9.5/10. The controllers where there to make it feel like a flow. Its not like in a middle of a battle, you want to throw a grenade then you accidentally hit the knife button and die! Everything is there to make the game go smoothly. |
• Storyline: 8/10. The storyline is great, but it doesn't give any emotion. Its full of action but the action itself if boring. The idea of an alternate history is great, but the way it expresses it is just not good enough. |
• Multiplayer: 10/10. Shooter games aren't complete without multiplayer. This is a great feature... up to 60 players online and 2 players split-screen offline for side missions in the storyline. Its intense, bloody, violent action between players. There are different online modes such as death-match, team death-match... |
• Weapons: 9.5/10. These are what you use to cause destruction, and Resistance 2 offers tons of them! There are the basic (shotgun, assault rifles, pistols, etc...) but there are also the alien versions of these (Wraiths, Bulleyes, Bellocks, etc...) all used to deliver the awesome action. |
• OVERALL: 9/10. If you like shooters, basically ANY shooter, and own a PS3 (who doesn't), Resistance 2 would be a classic and great addition to your games. |
Popular posts from this blog |
Ninja Gaiden |
Japanese Manga Cars |
By Jenni Wirtz | 24 April, 2018 |
How To Diagnose Top Strut Mount Issues |
Although often overlooked, top strut mounts are one of the most important parts of the suspension system, connecting the coil spring/damper strut assembly to the vehicle’s chassis. Despite their importance and the fact that on vehicles with all-round independent suspension they feature at both the front and rear, mount... |
Where it is easier for them to identify potential top strut mount failure is when their customers complain of clunking, knocking, grinding or creaking noises, in particular at low speeds when moving the steering lock to lock, hitting potholes, speed bumps or driving over rough ground. These are all symptoms that point ... |
As a consequence of use, the reality is that wearing parts, such as suspension components eventually fail. It is therefore advised that serviceable items like shock absorbers/dampers are replaced every 50,000 miles to ensure the vehicle’s suspension system remains in optimum working order. The most important point to r... |
On some vehicles however, it can be the case that the top strut mount fails prematurely at low mileage and there are several instances, particularly with a number of Fiat applications including the Fiorino/Qubo (and their Citroën Nemo/Peugeot Bipper/Bipper Tepee cousins), Doblo, Grande Punto and Ducato, where this has ... |
Failure to replace a worn top mount will cause it to deteriorate very quickly, which will have a knock-on effect to other components, such as the shock absorbers and even the tyres, as these can start to wear unevenly and may cause the vehicle’s steering to pull to one side, an effect that if left too long, can then re... |
Although it is not necessary to replace both top strut mounts together, it is however advised to change complete struts in pairs and therefore wise to replace the top strut mounts at the same time, not least because it is more economical, as it is a low-cost part in a high-labour process. The job naturally involves the... |
Finally, as is recommended following any steering/suspension related work, if the struts/mounts have been replaced, then it is best practice to check the tracking and ensure everything is aligned correctly to prevent further problems occurring and to set the vehicle to its correct specification. |
– Hans Blix, |
former IAEA Director-General |
June 2017 |
Edition Date: |
Thursday, June 1, 2017 |
Cover Image: |
Key Issues in Negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty |
Key Issues in Negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty |
June 2017 |
By John Burroughs |
The outlines of a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination, emerged in late March during the first week of negotiations among diplomats representing about 130 governments. During a second session, to take place from June 15 to July 7 at the United Nations, a text will be negotiated, based ... |
Supporters of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons stand outside the United Nations on March 30 as negotiations were underway inside the building involving representatives of about 130 countries. (Photo credit: Clare Conboy/ICAN)The envisaged treaty would be a relatively simple one, prohibiting the dev... |
The negotiations grew out of the initiative on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons use, particularly the governmental conferences in Oslo; Nayarit, Mexico; and Vienna in 2013 and 2014. During the 2016 UN open-ended working group on nuclear disarmament, deliberations led to adoption of the strategy of seeking a p... |
The UN General Assembly in December 2016 adopted a resolution1 to convene the negotiating conference, put forward by lead sponsors Austria, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa. Proponents have emphasized that, like regional nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties, the prohibition treaty will be complementary t... |
During the first week, most governments endorsed the negotiation of a treaty focused on prohibition. The positions of countries such as Algeria and Cuba, although accepting the notion of a prohibition treaty, nonetheless in the sweep of their recommendations reflect the long-standing Non-Aligned Movement support for a ... |
Differences concerning scope remain even among strong proponents of the nuclear ban treaty process. In Mexico’s view, negotiators should focus on setting broad prohibitions on possession, acquisition, stockpiling, use, development, transfer, stationing and deployment, and assistance with prohibited acts. They should no... |
On the other hand, South Africa stated that although "the instrument would clearly be more limited than a Nuclear Weapons Convention," it does not "support the idea of turning a simple political declaration into a legally-binding instrument. [It] is unlikely to be taken seriously by those who may choose to remain outsi... |
Variety of Issues |
As these positions indicate, drafting the treaty is not as straightforward as might first appear. The participants are non-nuclear-weapon state-parties to the NPT, which bars their acquisition of nuclear weapons, and most are also parties to nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties. In certain respects, however, the prohibiti... |
Elayne Whyte Gómez (right), permanent representative of Costa Rica to the UN Office at Geneva and president of the United Nations conference to negotiate a nuclear weapons prohibition treaty, chairs a meeting of the conference March 30. (Photo credit: Rick Bajornas/UN)Moreover, the treaty will generally help establish ... |
This survey of key issues facing negotiators at the second session addresses prohibitions relating to development and manufacture, possession and stockpiling, transit, and use and threat of use; a prohibition on assistance; implementation of the treaty and positive obligations, for example, relating to victims of use a... |
Development and Manufacture |
During the first week of negotiations, there was wide support for including a prohibition on development of nuclear weapons as well as their manufacture and/or production. This would provide clarity as compared with the NPT, which only expressly prohibits "manufacture." It would also address a gap in the nuclear-weapon... |
Exactly what activities constitute development? It clearly includes engineering leading to production, but does it include research and design? The term "research" could embrace, for example, simply gaining knowledge about nuclear weapons. Accordingly, there may be reluctance to consider it as an activity of developmen... |
A related subject of discussion was whether to include a separate prohibition on nuclear explosive testing. Austria and Mexico contended that testing would be covered by a development ban. Further, they said, a separate testing prohibition would raise issues of consistency with the nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty... |
The above issues could be resolved by including definitions of "development" and other key terms. Yet, some states are opposed, observing that it would delay negotiations and that the NPT does not provide definitions. The issues probably also could be resolved in drafting the prohibitions. A prohibition of testing coul... |
There are strong reasons for being reasonably comprehensive. The nuclear ban treaty will set a normative standard for individuals and for future disarmament. It is not only about the legal rules for states that become parties in the near term. Further, specificity will clarify what activities parties must not allow tha... |
One aspect of a development prohibition that received little attention is that monitoring and verifying compliance would be challenging. There are numerous activities related to nuclear and military technology that may or may not be considered part of a nuclear weapons program.8 Additionally, if an activity is intended... |
These problems would be difficult ones even under optimal circumstances. In the case of a nuclear ban treaty initiated by non-nuclear-weapon states, a comprehensive verification regime beyond what is already provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and by the CTBT system is not envisaged. The treaty pr... |
Aside from the safeguarding of fissile materials and detection of nuclear explosive testing, verification of a development prohibition probably will not be possible over the near term. Monitoring will have to be done through peer review among states-parties, national intelligence, civil society monitoring, and whistleb... |
Possession and Stockpiling |
The nuclear ban treaty will include a prohibition on stockpiling, which is standard in weapons-prohibition treaties. In part, it will lay the groundwork for an obligation of nuclear-armed states to dismantle their arsenals. Also possible is a related prohibition on retention, which is found in existing treaties. |
A prohibition on possession of nuclear weapons likely will also be part of a nuclear ban treaty. It is contained in the nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties but not as such in other treaties prohibiting weapons. A prohibition on acquisition may be included in order to capture coming into possession by means other than man... |
In the same vein, a likely prohibition of transfer of nuclear weapons, applying in the first place to possessors of nuclear weapons who join the treaty, would also imply that a member of the treaty may not accept nuclear weapons from a possessor state outside the treaty. Such an action would be barred as well by a proh... |
The issue of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles received little attention from governments during the first week of negotiations, perhaps because making prohibitions applicable to delivery vehicles for states that have never had nuclear weapons seems unnecessary and unduly complicated. Yet, arms control experience in th... |
Transit Prohibition |
A prohibition on transit, supported by some states, would require treaty parties to be proactive, going beyond the requirements of the nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties. It would require a state-party to ensure that nuclear weapons or their components do not traverse its territory and the air and water over which it ha... |
A counterargument is that all states are currently obligated by UN Security Council Resolution 1540 to adopt measures, including controls on transit and financing, to prevent nonstate actors from trafficking in nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and their means of delivery, including related materials. A prohibi... |
Use and Threat of Use |
The nuclear ban treaty will include a prohibition on use of nuclear weapons, probably on the model of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), in which states-parties undertake "never under any circumstances" to use chemical weapons. Another element of the CWC, a prohibition of engagement in any military preparations to ... |
There was some division of views during the opening negotiations regarding whether to include language prohibiting the threat of use. There is no such prohibition in the CWC and other treaties prohibiting and eliminating weapons, and there is a strong tendency to model the nuclear ban treaty on existing treaties. Furth... |
Arguments on the other side are powerful, and numerous states supported inclusion of a threat prohibition. As Chile said, the threat of use of nuclear weapons is the very foundation of nuclear deterrence, which has allowed the continued existence of the weapons jeopardizing security and survival. Nothing similar can be... |
The ban treaty negotiations grew out of the initiative on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons use. This photograph shows the devastated city of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped by a U.S. Air Force B-29 on August 6, 1945. (Photo credit: Stringer/AFP/Getty Images)A prohibition of threat of nuclear weapo... |
Assistance with Prohibited Acts |
There was widespread support for the inclusion of a prohibition on assistance with prohibited acts. As formulated in the CWC, states may not "assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a state-party" under the CWC. A similar prohibition in the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which est... |
In the view of some states, a prohibition on assistance with prohibited acts would extend to financing of nuclear weapons production, at least so far as the state’s own investments are concerned, as Ireland noted. Other states favored the inclusion of a specific prohibition on financing. Implementation of such a prohib... |
Implementation and Positive Obligations |
Some support was expressed during the first week of negotiations for a provision similar to that found in other treaties requiring states to take appropriate measures to prevent any prohibited activity undertaken by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction and control. Another obligation receiving some support wo... |
Based on precedents set by the treaties on landmines and cluster munitions, nuclear ban treaty advocates have called for positive obligations of states in relation to assistance to victims.10 States are wary of taking on such obligations, especially given the absence of the nuclear-armed states that have been responsib... |
Institutional Arrangements and Final Clauses |
Many states supported providing for periodic review conferences of a treaty. Brazil also proposed providing for possible extraordinary sessions, which could negotiate a general plan for destruction of nuclear arsenals and measures related to a non-discriminatory verification regime. |
There was also support for establishing an administrative body, which could prepare review conferences, assist states with implementation, and promote treaty aims. Based on the initial discussions, it likely would be quite modest in scope. As noted, at the outset there likely will not be a monitoring or verification ca... |
Discussion of provisions for nuclear-armed states to join the treaty reflected two premises: All states are welcome and encouraged to become parties, and the treaty aims to contribute to the establishment of a world free of nuclear weapons. Yet, nuclear-armed states becoming parties to the treaty is entirely theoretica... |
The two main mechanisms considered for accession of nuclear-armed states are that a nuclear-armed state would verifiably dismantle its arsenal before joining the treaty or, at the time of joining the treaty, a nuclear-armed state would be subject to a time-bound obligation to dismantle verifiably its arsenal; the oblig... |
Some attention was paid to final clauses, among them those relating to entry into force and withdrawal. Numerous states supported a clause on entry into force requiring only that a set number of states ratify the treaty, with proposed figures ranging from 25 to 80. |
Concerning withdrawal, New Zealand expressed a preference for having no clause contemplating that states might withdraw, given that the treaty will set a global norm prohibiting nuclear weapons. South Africa opposed a withdrawal clause on the ground that the matter is adequately regulated by general rules of internatio... |
Other states favored having a withdrawal clause subject to strict requirements, such as a lengthy period of notification and review, consideration by a meeting of states-parties, and exclusion of its exercise during armed conflict involving the withdrawing state. Brazil stated that the NPT withdrawal clause could serve... |
Clearly, the question of how to handle, indeed whether to permit, withdrawal would be crucial for a global treaty eliminating nuclear weapons. It perhaps is less important in the case of a treaty focused on prohibitions, given that there seems no near-term prospect of participation by nuclear-armed states. Nonetheless,... |
Preamble Content |
The preamble is important in a typical treaty because it provides guidance as to interpretation and application of the treaty. In the case of a nuclear weapons prohibition treaty, the preamble assumes added importance because the treaty in part is aiming to affirm and advance normative standards and, in so doing, educa... |
Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow told ban negotiators March 27 that “no human being should ever have to experience the inhumanity and unspeakable suffering” caused by nuclear-weapons use. “We hibakusha have no doubt that this treaty can, and will, change the world,” she said. (Photo credit: Ari Beser/ICAN)From both g... |
Austria urged that the preamble reference the findings of the Oslo, Nayarit, and Vienna conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons use, including "that impact of a nuclear weapon detonation, irrespective of the cause, would not be constrained by national borders and could have regional and even global co... |
Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and others proposed that the preamble recognize or reflect the incompatibility of use of nuclear weapons with international humanitarian law. Citing the late Judge Christopher Weeramantry, Sri Lanka said that the "illeg... |
An affirmation of the illegality of use would reinforce the norm of nonuse of nuclear weapons. The norm arises out of a broad but not universal recognition that use of nuclear weapons is incompatible with international humanitarian law and the practice of nonuse of such weapons in war since 1945. Also, the core operati... |
Another important means of underlining that states outside the treaty cannot escape the fundamental prohibitions it codifies would be to include the famous Martens Clause found in international humanitarian law treaties and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Here it would provide that, in cases not covered by the nuc... |
During the first week of negotiations, diplomats and civil society were energized, even passionate, and worked constructively. A fresh wind is blowing in the stagnant nuclear disarmament sphere. All signs are that the energy will carry through into the demanding second session of negotiations. It will be needed to succ... |
1. UN General Assembly, "Taking Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations," A/RES/71/258, 11 January 2017. It was adopted by a vote of 130 to 37, with 15 abstentions on December 23, 2016. |
2. For statements on the positions of governments, see Reaching Critical Will, "Statements from the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty Negotiations," n.d., http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/disarmament-fora/nuclear-weapon-ban/statements; United Nations, "United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to... |
4. For a useful analysis of many of the issues under negotiation, see John Borrie et al., "A Prohibition on Nuclear Weapons: A Guide to the Issues," International Law and Policy Institute and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, February 2016, http://unidir.org/files/publications/pdfs/a-prohibition-on-nuclear-w... |
5. A prohibition of development is not contained in the Treaty of Tlatelolco or the Treaty of Rarotonga. |
6. Treaty of Pelindaba and the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia. |
7. This is the approach taken by the Central Asian nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaty. |
8. See United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards Their Total Elimination, "Topic 2: Core Prohibitions," A/CONF.229/2017/NGO/WP.18, March 31, 2017. |
9. See also International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, "Selected Elements of a Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons," IALANA Discussion Paper, March 24, 2017, http://lcnp.org/pubs/2017/IALANA/IALANA%20Discussion%20Paper%201.0final.pdf. |
10. See United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards Their Total Elimination, "Positive Obligations in a Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons: Stockpile Destruction, Environmental Remediation, and Victim Assistance," A/CONF.229/2017/NGO/WP.10. March 27... |
11. See United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards Their Total Elimination, "Withdrawal Clauses in Arms Control Treaties: Some Reflections About a Future Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons," A/CONF.229/2017/NGO/WP.13, March 31, 2017. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.