News Stories

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Pakistan Taliban vow to attack Indian targets over Mumbai gunman
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AL05120121122

When will enough reasonable people in Pakistan decide they've had enough of these retards? (and I don't use the word lightly).

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Vexx

When will enough reasonable people in Pakistan decide they've had enough of these retards? (and I don't use the word lightly).

Enough peoples with enough power.Thoses ''retards'' still have much power, support and influence so getting them out will need much more than will alone.

[Lord of Fire]

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

hardly matters.
if Hamas isn't capable of holding up their part of the agreement, then there's no point of reaching an agreement with them, is there.

Since when is everyone who fires a rocket at Israel automatically affiliated to Hamas?

And even if they are, how does one go around making sure everyone sticks to the cease-fire? I'm sure not everyone agrees to this temporary truce, but to label them all under the Hamas banner is a bit short-sighted, IMO. Some are probably doing this on their own volition.

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by Lord of Fire

Since when is everyone who fires a rocket at Israel automatically affiliated to Hamas?

And even if they are, how does one go around making sure everyone sticks to the cease-fire? I'm sure not everyone agrees to this temporary truce, but to label them all under the Hamas banner is a bit short-sighted, IMO. Some are probably doing this on their own volition.

No, but Hamas does have firm control over the Gaza strip, they're not exactly one of the other small no-name group in the area.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

for the record, at least in Israel, the general pubic opinion was in favor of CONTINUING the current round of violence rather then accepting the ceasefire.
Bibi may have lost himself the next elections over this.

The constellation of political forces might be even complex than that from what I've been reading. First, there is this intriguing article about how Bibi needs to make nice with Barack after backing the wrong horse in the American election. Still Netanyahu issued a very carefully worded statement on the cease fire that basically said "the Americans made us do it."

While it's pretty clear from here that Hamas was probably the big winner in the cease-fire negotiations, because it was acknowledged in the discussions via Morsi and gained ground against Fatah, the Israelis may have won, too. The agreement makes Gaza Morsi's problem now. I think you have to give credit to the Obama Administration for all this as well. Obama was on the phone frequently with both Netanyahu and Morsi even while he was attending diplomatic events in Southeast Asia. It also appears that sending Hillary Clinton may have helped move things along.

One thing we did learn is that, whatever it means for President Morsi to be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, he seems to realize that his longer-term future and that of Egypt continues to include a large role for the United States. Being the recipient of billions of dollars in aid tends to do that.

[Anh_Minh]

Melbourne bus abuse video puts Australian attitudes on trial
Woman singing in French was told to 'speak English or die' and threatened with stabbing, YouTube footage shows

Uh. WTH was that about? Though I suppose it's likely the tourists were being noisy assholes, it does seem rather excessive.

[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

for the record, at least in Israel, the general pubic opinion was in favor of CONTINUING the current round of violence rather then accepting the ceasefire.
Bibi may have lost himself the next elections over this.

If that is true then your people really believes that "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind" somehow does not apply to them.

[NoemiChan]

China puts Sea claims Map on Passports, Angering Philippines

China's on the news again!!!!

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/china-puts-...091121608.html

[ganbaru]

Israel pulls back from Gaza, invasion force intact
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AL0T720121122

- Israel began withdrawing the army on Thursday that had been poised to invade the Gaza Strip to go after Hamas, with both sides declaring they had won their eight-day battle.
Dust-covered tanks and armored bulldozers were winched onto transporters and driven out of the same groves of straggly eucalyptus where they camped in January 2009 before going in.

That conflict cost more than 1,400 lives, all but 13 Palestinian, while this time, some 160 Palestinians were killed in eight days of fighting, against six Israelis.

Hamas nevertheless declared it had come out on top.

"From the lion's den, we declare victory," said Abu Ubaida, spokesman of Hamas' armed wing, Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades. Israel's "security hallucination" had been exposed.

Islamist militants launched more than 700 rockets from Gaza by the end of October, Israel said, to explain its decision to set off the latest conflict by killing Hamas's top military commander with a precision strike from an F16 fighter jet.

[Ithekro]

Two things:

First: The Marine Corps is forming the first squadron of pilots to fly the next-generation strike fighter jet, the new F-35B.

http://news.msn.com/us/marine-corps-...r-jet-squadron

Looks like the Marines get to be the ones to combat test the new F-35 next year. There are a lot of hopes on this one as a lot of countries paid into the project, and if China does continue rattling sabers even after their government change over, than Japan will want to have some of these for their "helicopter destroyers".

And second: Mexican president wants to change his country's name

http://news.msn.com/world/mexican-pr...-countrys-name

Calderon sent a bill to Congress on to change the constitution to tweak his nation's official name from Estados Unidos Mexicanos, or United States of Mexico, to plain old Mexico.

So basically to call the country what practically the whole world calls it anyway. Even on most maps.

[bladeofdarkness]

Originally Posted by Lord of Fire

Since when is everyone who fires a rocket at Israel automatically affiliated to Hamas?

And even if they are, how does one go around making sure everyone sticks to the cease-fire? I'm sure not everyone agrees to this temporary truce, but to label them all under the Hamas banner is a bit short-sighted, IMO. Some are probably doing this on their own volition.

Heads, Spikes, Walls.
when Hamas took over the strip they tossed their political opposition off roof tops, and they used to execute suspected "collaborators" even WHILE this latest round took place.
they can enforce their will if they want.

Originally Posted by ogon_bat

If that is true then your people really believes that "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind" somehow does not apply to them.

not really.
what my people believe is that the ceasefire, under its current terms, is a victory for Hamas and a show of weakness on our part.
in the middle east, weakness invites farther attacks.
we'll be doing this dance again next year.

@SeijiSensei
the moment you said "While it's pretty clear from here that Hamas was probably the big winner in the cease-fire negotiations" - you just explained exactly why there is no desire to end the conflict under these conditions.

[FateAnomaly]

Indeed Hamas has won. And with the victory, you can be assured the same thing will happen again.

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Two things:

First: The Marine Corps is forming the first squadron of pilots to fly the next-generation strike fighter jet, the new F-35B.

http://news.msn.com/us/marine-corps-...r-jet-squadron

Looks like the Marines get to be the ones to combat test the new F-35 next year. There are a lot of hopes on this one as a lot of countries paid into the project, and if China does continue rattling sabers even after their government change over, than Japan will want to have some of these for their "helicopter destroyers".

Anybody thinks that Japan and south Korea will not have them some time down the road? Come on, don't be so naive.

[Ithekro]

Who said they won't have them. They just will want them sooner than later if the sabers keep rattling. They've not said what service their 40 or so F-35s will be in. Just that they will replace their old F-4 Phantom IIs. But they supposedly are buying F-35As, which are the conventional version, not the carrier model or the VSTOL model.

Israel is also purchasing the F-35 but of their own variant so they can install their own electronics.

Singapore also wants some (100 or so).

No word on if South Korea will purchase any (they have their own F-X project afterall). And Taiwan was refuse purchase of them in consideration of China's response. They are upgrading their existing F-16s though. At least not in the first production runs. Just that there will be thousands of these fighters around the world in the next decade or two.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

China puts Sea claims Map on Passports, Angering Philippines

China's on the news again!!!!

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/china-puts-...091121608.html

I think China is showing its "multi-headed" ... that the pretense of one united government voice is just that. Factions, factions, factions, bleh.

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Who said they won't have them. They just will want them sooner than later if the sabers keep rattling. They've not said what service their 40 or so F-35s will be in. Just that they will replace their old F-4 Phantom IIs. But they supposedly are buying F-35As, which are the conventional version, not the carrier model or the VSTOL model.

Now, their Hyuga class helicopter destroyers carries 11 helicopters, the new ones are said to carry 14. So, how many F35s can they carry? Why are they better than the land based aircraft considering the disputed area is well within the range of both sides? F35s are not Gundams, you know.

A few shiny hardware in the Japanese hands are not game changer. On the other hand, the 7th fleet matter much much more. However, all of the talk of weapons on either side are just chest-thumping. I don't see any reason for a serious conflict in the next decades or more. The Chinese are no match against the joint forces of Japan and the US (indeed, nobody is). On the other hand, it will most likely result in the destruction of Chinese and Japanese cities, and a huge hit to the Asia economy. So other than prolong and strengthen the American dominance on Asia and on themselves further, how does it help the Japanese anyway?

In conclusion, we are very far from the serious usage of weapons yet.

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Singapore also wants some (100 or so).

Oh, well, say a ground force suddenly strikes and enters Singapore, what will you have the 100 F35s to do? Bomb their own city to root out the invasion? You probably can have them to carry out a counter strike, but where do you have them refuel after that?

The number sounds ridiculous to me and I don't see the difference between 50 and 100. It doesn't matter. The security of Singapore relies on its alliance with a superpower (aka US). The number only matters to the defense industry in the US.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I think China is showing its "multi-headed" ... that the pretense of one united government voice is just that. Factions, factions, factions, bleh.

Once again they want their own Manifest Destiny.

Oh, a followup to the Gallup poll:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle...motionless-tag

"We have everything, and yet we have nothing. No one in this country actually lives life to the fullest; we merely exist. To our government, we are nothing more than a statistic."

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by sa547

Oh, a followup to the Gallup poll:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle...motionless-tag

Lol. I am surprised TRL hadn't replied. Probably got a gag order from his superiors.

I slightly disagree, though across life, I think that the statistic speaks volumes of truth. There isn't really time to worry, just press on, and what we would call, "chiong". And I think that Maslow and Alderfer are probably laughing in their graves right now.

And foreigners wonder why with a lauded education system, we are creatively bankrupt.

[aohige]

About that 100 car wreck pile in south-east Texas which started with an 18 wheeler crashing into back of a car, killing the passengers...
That highway speed limit around there is I believe 70 or 75mph, and it was thick in fog, with visibility of probably 30 feet.

Texans, and I know you do it because I see it all the time, when there's fog covering your view, that speed limit you see is for IDEAL CONDITIONS. Do no go by those speed limits. And certainly not "Hey it says 60, cops won't see me doing 80!".

All those time I had to commerce out in early mornings, covered in fog, and see trucks and 18 wheelers zip past at 70mph with no visibility past its OWN LENGTH, bumper to bumper, I sigh and get the hell off the road. Or off to the emptiest lane. Because those people are insane, and this was bound to happen.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

Heads, Spikes, Walls.
when Hamas took over the strip they tossed their political opposition off roof tops, and they used to execute suspected "collaborators" even WHILE this latest round took place.
they can enforce their will if they want.

THey are still doing it. The recent execution of thoses 6 palestinians in the street fully show it. Even if the Hamas isn't the only group than shoot rockets over Israel, they pretty much lets them do.