http://jalopnik.com/5811839/libyan-rebe ... robot-tank
---still waiting for armor-plated Erector tanks...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Wed Jun 15, 2011 4:39 pm
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and analysis:
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/01/ ... Liberty%29
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:37 pm
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That's technically not the way to say it either in Chinese. Oh the language is correct, just too formal in grammar =9. Alcohol culture, despite how much it's tied into the business market, is still surprisingly casual in a sense.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:22 pm
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/f ... 470945.stm
and goddamnit Hillary, you're a fking piece of shit hypocrite diplomat that pisses me off... and I hope China responds by pouring oil into the Iran/NK fires
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Jan 21, 2010 5:26 pm
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The whole Chinese expedition probably went something like this:
Google Exec 1: We need to get into China, they have like 300 million internet users. It'll be a goldmine.
Google Exec 2: Yeah, but China has a really bad rep about censorship and whatnot. It'll hurt our image to work there.
Exec 1: Don't worry, i've got a plan...
Press Release: We're going into China to change the evil and oppressive system gradually from the inside!
--Later--
Exec 1: Baidu is cleaning up! We've got to get out of here or we'll just lose more money.
Exec 2: Great, I know the perfect way to spin it.
Press Release: Google cannot work with this evil censorship any longer! China must immediately stop censoring or we'll LEAVE!
--fin--
Im not sure if this is entirely accurate, but it does explain all of Google's actions very well without any irrational behavior on their part. As I said before, its actions are also explained well if you think that Google is acting entirely morally.
also,
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Source:
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Statistics: Posted by Mr_Praetorian — Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:48 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:43 pm
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REAL news
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:39 pm
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However, what is really puzzling to me is how people like Taibbi always see anything that benefits large corporations as "free market capitalism". Taibbi goes so far as to say that the health care bill is certainly not socialist because Big Pharma lobbied for it. I am mystified.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:17 am
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Yeah, pretty much...
Statistics: Posted by Mr_Praetorian — Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:19 pm
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Great letter to the prez
EDIT: I don't care if he's Michael Moore, his reasons on this are quite legit - a Military solution to Afganistan will lead only to Vietnam II
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Awesome.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Mon Nov 30, 2009 6:14 am
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Since we have plenty of discussions on morality and governance amongst us, I figure I'd drop this blog post of mine in to tickle your thoughts. If you don't know anything about Fate/stay night universe, scroll down to "Comparing to Fate/zero", which one should be able to follow even if you don't know the universe at all.
Post:
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:02 pm
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but I do agree on parts, America doesn't need to feel threatened MILITARILY from China. China's military buildup, IMO, is more aimed towards Japan, ROC, Vietnam, and India rather than other major powers half a world away. Yes, the PLA still spends like less than 1/5th DOD's budget and their equipment are still going to be rather outdated for a few years, but I don't think the military leadership cares as much: (1) the Chinese people themselves have no ambition for global military power projection - which has been the trend since, pretty much forever, as Admiral Zheng's trip to Africa proved centuries ago. (2) Nuclear non-first-strike policy. (3) they're much more interested in space programs anyways, as putting men into space and shooting down satellites have proven.
I also love how the US keeps pointing its fingers towards the Chinese army's size. In the west, Army = professionals whose primary training is to wage war. In China, Army = Government controlled labor battalions who don't even have guns most of the year. Something very noticeable whenever film credits roll - instead of computer generated or temporary standins for orcs, CCTV simply mobilize a few army divisions to fill those 200,000.
China's "global conquest" strategy in building a hedgemony, if you're looking at it from a long-range perspective, is economic (and slightly cultural). The govn't is busy gobbling up bonds from all over the world, using it to purchase large ownerships in major companies and civil infrastructure, not to mention the construction of entire foreign cities and ports in poor countries built solely to supply the chinese trade fleet / resource intake. This is also matching with historical trends, as China usually relies on subtle forms of assimilation to grow rather than outright conquest (which usually fail to achieve long-term gains).
besides Judson, how many times have I told you by now, military buildup isn't for war.
It's for another to realize how costly it'll be to simply war you...
yeah, I'll lose, but you're going to get hurt too. Now, do you still want to push that red button?
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:47 pm
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Any fears of China's military actually harming the US are hysterically overblown. America has more and better submarines, destroyers, and aircraft. We have a dozen aircraft carriers where China has yet to construct a single one. Our nuclear arsenal is more than five times the size of China's, and each missile has more range, accuracy, and power. Various commentators have began panicking about the buildup of the PLA because it means we can no longer seize China's principle cities on the same day that war is declared. It has even gotten to the point where we might be unable to completely conquer China at all. Horrors.
It is sheer folly to believe that America needs to have the capacity to conquer anyone at any time in order to be safe and prosperous. It is not even necessary to be able to conquer our neighbors, much less a country that is literally on the other side of the earth.
The only danger we face from China is that it will provoke our over-eager leaders to rush into an unnecessary conflict over an unimportant nation of foreigners on the far side of the world.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:15 am
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As much as I'm for supporting companies, copyrights are getting out of hand. Now how about we get some of that representation here in Corporate America <_<
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:15 pm
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http://www.major-arcana.net/zanaikin/20 ... ncentives/
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:32 pm
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http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playin ... -addiction
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:23 pm
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What this means is I cannot purchase one using the Druidsofthecoast budget surplus. Because there is no surplus. And cheaper alternatives exist. Namely, OpenRPG (or a variety of other softwares for that matter) with a 32" touchscreen ().
Statistics: Posted by Sajuuk — Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:29 pm
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This is freaking awesome... I wonder how much that table costs...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:07 pm
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I agree with this
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:06 pm
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Drew - that's not a fair comparison and you know it. You're making a classical American mistake of analyzing government without taking their culture and religion into account. For the Saudis and their devote Islam beliefs (I trust you enough not to say something stupid like separation between Church and State), this is like a leap to the moon. I would have expected it to at least take a decade.
I won't deny my preferences are more authoritarian than not, but I don't support Monarchy/Autocrats just because. The issue is that ANYONE can pick out a long list of why any variation of Republic is better than Authoritarian governments, few people can do the vice versa. So I'm just picking up the slack for the underdog. There's no need for me to talk about the other side which is deemed common knowledge anyways.
And the Saudi's case demonstrates a primary reason why I am an authoritarian supporter - it can get things done even if popular opinion is entirely against it, because sometimes, popular opinion could not be MORE WRONG.
Their prince can spend millions on a business to promote women's rights, while US presidents must spend several times as much just to campaign the idea to the ppl...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:16 pm
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Here's my interpretation of the original exchange:
Dai: "Saudi Arabia helped women, and is a monarchy. A democracy couldn't get this done. Hooray for monarchies!"
Drew: "America and Europe have helped women much more, like 50 years ago, and are democracies. Saudi Arabia's monarchy still oppresses women way too much. Go democracy!"
My point is that there are lots of other differences between the Middle East and Europe that affect outcomes. It would be better to compare Saudi Arabia to a Middle Eastern democracy, rather than compare it to a European one, to see whether democracies or monarchies deliver better results on equality and human rights.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:42 pm
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My point is that, given the tremendous differences between the Middle East and the West, saying that the Middle Eastern monarchies are "way behind" Western democracies in terms of human rights and equality doesn't really provide much evidence on the relative benefits of democracy and monarchy as forms of government.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:43 pm
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Having said that, I will yield that trying to force progress in countries with a regressive mindset is highly impractical. Thus, while I am quite pleased that these "small steps" are being taken, I do not feel that it is enough to redeem the Saudi's of all of the unwise things that have in the past, and therein give me cause to discern their leadership as "wise". Perhaps in the future, but they've a long way to go.
Statistics: Posted by Mr_Praetorian — Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:11 pm
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But once in office, Obama didn’t deliver. The promises disappeared, replaced by vigorous defenses of virtually every presidential power that the Bush administration invented for itself, including not only those that subvert domestic civil liberties, but also those that threaten the international rule of law.
And the withdrawal from Iraq? Delayed and partial. The latest word — received just as the peace prize was announced — is that it’s “complicated.†...
Our other war, in Afghanistan, continues to escalate... U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan continue to kill and maim the innocent, with very little to show in the way of stabilizing the country or defeating international terrorism. Withdrawal from Afghanistan is both possible and desirable... Yet our latest Nobel laureate doesn’t see peace as an option here either."
Drew: Comparing Middle Eastern Monarchies to Western democracies is hardly a fair comparison. Democratic experiments in the Middle East have hardly produced similar reforms.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:49 pm
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on another note:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 52,00.html
Saudis prove once again that they're amongst the most moderating of the Arab nations (alongside Egypt, in a different way though).
Ahh, the benefits of wiser authoritarians/heirs. I'd like to see a legislative body pass something like that without stirring up something as ferocious as the Healthcare debate.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Fri Oct 09, 2009 8:46 pm
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I don't even know what to say to this.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:55 pm
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This doesn't mean that the EU can't expand and gain more power, but I would say that its far from certain.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:55 pm
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Somali Pirates flip another table in rage.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:56 pm
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Roy Mustang's dream...
Obligated post for me:
http://www.major-arcana.net/zanaikin/20 ... nal-pride/
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:06 pm
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Since then, I wanted to shoot him
Heck is he doing, he'll lose support from even his own INDEPENDENCE party if he does that...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:09 pm
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http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090921/ ... rnet_rules
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now add a Media War to the mix:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/se ... ets-russia
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:43 pm
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Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:45 am
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I thought this kind of thing was banned in Germany...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:03 pm
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"Now ponder something that comes through even the party-line demonization of a crushed enemy -- this clear-cut and undeniable fact: Sauron's army was the one that included every species and race on Middle Earth, including all the despised colors of humanity, and all the lower classes.
Hmm. Did they all leave their homes and march to war thinking, "Oh, goody, let's go serve an evil Dark Lord"?
Or might they instead have thought they were the "good guys," with a justifiable grievance worth fighting for, rebelling against an ancient, rigid, pyramid-shaped, feudal hierarchy topped by invader-alien elfs and their Numenorean-colonialist human lackeys?
Picture, for a moment, Sauron the Eternal Rebel, relentlessly maligned by the victors of the War of the Ring -- the royalists who control the bards and scribes (and moviemakers). Sauron, champion of the common Middle Earthling! Vanquished but still revered by the innumerable poor and oppressed who sit in their squalid huts, wary of the royal secret police with their magical spy-eyes, yet continuing to whisper stories, secretly dreaming and hoping that someday he will return ... bringing more rings."
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:52 am
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No engineers, damit...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:55 pm
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Drew, its generally the rule that the party in power loves to spend money while the minority party criticizes them for not trying to balance the budget. Saying that any party which has increased the deficit has no right to oppose spending is a sure-fire way to get rid of all our money.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:58 pm
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@#$! RAGE @#$!
This guy is fking retarded...
also...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:54 pm
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Bartiromo is retarded. Bartiromo opposes the health plan. Therefore, the health plan is smart!
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:46 pm
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Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Sat Aug 29, 2009 11:39 pm
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To be fair, the Murdoch in question is James Murdoch, El Rupert's son and chairman of News Corp in Europe. The story is also FROM the BBC, but that just happens to be the source it showed up from in my RSS ticker.
Statistics: Posted by Sajuuk — Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:45 pm
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