News Stories

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Mentar

He was dissing the German shareholders. Volkswagen is a huge corporation which is mostly held by itself (Porsche Holding), the German state of Lower Saxony and Qatar.

Well, no, he was dissing the Republicans, particularly the ones in Tennessee, who campaigned relentlessly against unionization. Still I thought his comment about the German shareholders was uninformed and gratuitous.

This leaves VW in a difficult situation. They still want to create workers councils, but (state? Federal?) laws may not permit them to do so without a recognized union to bargain with.

The real powers behind the opposition are the Kochs and their various affiliated groups along with the vast array of anti-union forces that have dominated American politics since Reagan destroyed the air traffic controllers union. Private sector unionization rates are under 10% in the US and continuing to fall. There are many and complex reasons for this, but relentless anti-union propaganda and financial support from the right has certainly played an important role.

[ganbaru]

In Indonesia, Kerry blasts climate change deniers
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...02-16-06-09-38

South Africa: dozens of illegal miners trapped
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/south...miners-trapped

[erneiz_hyde]

Originally Posted by Fireminer

Gladly to say that being an antheist saves me from many paradox.

No. To truly be exempted from paradoxes, one have to become an agnostic. Atheism has its own paradoxes and fallacies.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by erneiz_hyde

No. To truly be exempted from paradoxes, one have to become an agnostic. Atheism has its own paradoxes and fallacies.

Spoiler for hidden for being near off topic.:

Yep. What's important isn't whether there are deities, but whether worshipping them make any sense even if they do exist. And so far there is zero association between "there are gods" and "we should form a religion".

Religion exists independently of gods. Because religion never ask for god's opinion on anything; Religion just does what it needs to do to sustain itself.

This is why no one ever needs to prove their deity exist or not; they don't use their deity for any actual function, so it hardly matters if the deity is real or imaginary. Much like how North Korea say their long-dead supreme leader Kim Il-sung is their "Eternal President". It is just lip service; that has nothing to do with how the country functions.

[Haak]

China expands baby hatch scheme.

Thoughts on this? I don't know anything about the issue but it seems to me like a good idea. It's going to happen anyway so you might as well make it as safe as possible. Still very heartbreaking though.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Haak

China expands baby hatch scheme.

Thoughts on this? I don't know anything about the issue but it seems to me like a good idea. It's going to happen anyway so you might as well make it as safe as possible. Still very heartbreaking though.

Most Western countries have them already. People had been leaving babies at the doorsteps of Churches and Hospitals for centuries, the Baby Hatch is just the modern invention that ensure the baby's survival. It is not really argued against by anybody; most agree that it is better for the baby to be safe than be thrown in the dumpster.

[ganbaru]

Iran’s dead poets society: The execution of Hashem Shabaani shows the pen can be mightier than the sword
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/...d-9124516.html

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and interior ministry mandarins have been cut down by bombs in the Arab-majority province of Ahwaz for more than two years. Their revenge is absolute. Shabaani, needless to say, was accused of helping the “resistance”, presumably writing poetry in Arabic – and even translating Farsi poetry into the Arabic language – qualifies a writer as a subversive in Iran these days.

[RRW]

AN Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Rome has reportedly been hijacked and has now landed in Geneva after circling the air above the Swiss city.
Ethiopian Airlines flight 702 departed from Addis Ababa at 12.30am, and was supposed to land in Rome at 4.40am (local time).
As the plane was flying over Sudan it reportedly began broadcasting a 7500 alert call — which is airline code for a hijacking according to airlinereporter.com.

http://www.news.com.au/world/reports...-1226829564322

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Plane hijacking is a dangerous thing in this day and age. Do it wrong and they would just blow the plane out of the sky as a precaution.

[JokerD]

Five Japan divers found alive after days missing off Bali

Lucky ladies, here's to hoping that the other 2 are all right as well.

[Lord of Fire]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

Plane hijacking is a dangerous thing in this day and age. Do it wrong and they would just blow the plane out of the sky as a precaution.

Fortunately, this wasn't as 'serious' as a terrorist hijacking, as the co-pilot (the hijacker) landed the plane safely and didn't seem to have any intentions to bring harm to those on board. It could have ended disastrously if something went wrong along the way, but in this case, everything went rather smoothly and the man turned himself in upon arrival.

[Libros]

‘Why Have You Gone to Russia Three Times in Two Months?’—Heathrow Customs Agent Interrogates Snowden Lawyer

Denmark bans religious slaughter of animals

Homeless Hungarian man hits lottery jackpot with his last few coins

Bling bishop used charity millions for HQ: report

Rupert Murdoch's empire receives $882m tax rebate from Australia

Yemeni ‘global terrorist’ says he has counterterrorism advice for Washington

ART CASHIN: Central Banks Have Built Up 'A Very, Very Dangerous Situation'

Edward Snowden leak: Australia spied on Indonesian phones and data

China concerned at Japan holding weapons-grade plutonium

Neither U.S. nor EU has strategy for Ukraine

For those that know german and are following the NSA case, the following might be of interest to you: NSA-Affäre: Regierung plant Einsatz von Spionageabwehr gegen USA

11 arrested for serving human meat at Nigerian hotel restaurant: report

Finally: China's plan to clean up air in cities will doom the climate, scientists say

Eventful day isn't it?

[KiraYamatoFan]

Military's 'Iron Man' Suit May Be Ready to Test This Summer

Oh my... Since the time we sci-fi freaks think of Iron Man-style or Halo-style armors, this is a program I'd keep my eyes on for updates.

China concerned at Japan holding weapons-grade plutonium

Facepalms! What do they expect? To leave it open for hijackers during transport instead of locking it down safely on the spot?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

China concerned at Japan holding weapons-grade plutonium

And how does it matter with China already have nukes? And that other than the borrowed plutonium, Japan already have their private stockpile anyway.

It's public knowledge Japan already has plutonium, it's just the leftovers from the powerplants. And since plutonium powerplants are not popular, they can't use them. And of course, plutonium is poisonous AND not for sale internationally. So it is only sensible thing Japan CAN do is to lock them away safely. You can't destroy them, and you can't dump them. What else were they suppose to do?

Japan has enough plutonium for 200 nukes. We know this for years. Japan isn't a nuclear power purely by choice, not because they can't.

[SaintessHeart]

Put it out in open air and it will spontaneously combust.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Put it out in open air and it will spontaneously combust.

That classifies as nuclear testing. Japan doesn't do that.

[Ithekro]

Its the reserve to power the Space Defense Fleet.

[AnimeFan188]

Originally Posted by RRW

http://www.news.com.au/world/reports...-1226829564322

Swiss fighters grounded during hijacking as outside office hours:

"No Swiss fighter jets were scrambled Monday when an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot
hijacked his own plane and forced it to land in Geneva, because it happened
outside business hours, the Swiss airforce said."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/swiss-fighters...182241347.html

[monir]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

Swiss fighters grounded during hijacking as outside office hours:

"No Swiss fighter jets were scrambled Monday when an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot
hijacked his own plane and forced it to land in Geneva, because it happened
outside business hours, the Swiss airforce said."

See:

http://news.yahoo.com/swiss-fighters...182241347.html

haha.. nice! They sound like my small-town police department who don't work after 8 PM and get weekends off.

[ganbaru]

North Korea crimes evoke Nazi era, Kim may face charges: U.N. inquiry
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A1G0O720140217

Venezuela expels three U.S. diplomats, protests rumble
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A1G17T20140217