2012-04-15, 07:33 | Link #20861 |
Me, An Intellectual
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 33
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Taliban attacks in Kabul
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17719956
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2012-04-15, 08:10 | Link #20862 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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Kim Jong-un Gives His First Major Speech
In honor of this event, and the general festivities in the DPRK, I'm rewatching episode one of The Legend of Koizumi.
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2012-04-15, 09:09 | Link #20863 | |
Megane girl fan
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Age: 55
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Already something positive comes out of Myanmar since Aung San Suu Kyi's release and election to Parliament.
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As a military aviation history buff, this bit of news brings a tear of happiness to my eye. Being in crates and packed for storage for an extended period, these planes should be in near-perfect condition. While I doubt Mr. Cundall's dream of transforming these into a flying squadron (It's a very nice dream though) will be fully realized, as these classic machines are very expensive to maintain and fly just one of them, it would certainly be nice to see them fully assembled and displayed. EDIT: However, they are in a jungle environment, underground. Hopefully they aren't crushed, or worse. Endless "Nostalgic" Soul
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Last edited by Endless Soul; 2012-04-15 at 09:22. |
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2012-04-15, 09:24 | Link #20864 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Kim Il-Sung's 100th birthday celebrated in North Korea (1:26) 1. Why are they wearing western suits when they despise the "Western Imperialists" so much. 2. Why are they playing Western instruments in their military bands. 3. North Korea doesn't look that bad with .jsf format websites and widescreens, as well as English-speaking female chicks in their university. Or is it? It would be interesting to see the NKSOF in action. The only way to defeat them would be a Spectre....heck we might even need a Thor to take down a squad of them.
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Last edited by SaintessHeart; 2012-04-15 at 12:30. |
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2012-04-15, 12:36 | Link #20865 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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2012-04-15, 12:47 | Link #20866 | |||
Megane girl fan
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Age: 55
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Endless "Hipocrisy" Soul
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2012-04-15, 12:49 | Link #20867 | ||
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Of course, you don't piss off a tsundere until you call her pettanko......if I am not wrong a Spitfire can carry more ammuntion than a normal Bf109. Quote:
Of course the NKSOF is a real issue for the South Koreans, they have been doing alot to keep the UNSC at the 38th Parallel. The SKSOC has been hit by a serious manpower issue; I have heard tales of my local SWAT (called STAR) and NDU/CDO regulars quoting about how the 707th can mano-a-mano the ang mohs (SEALs and Royal Marines) and fight to a stalemate in hand-to-hand. And they are more thorough in urban assault courses while taking almost the same amount of time as the SEALs - these people practically trained to their deaths. If the NKSOF had the same mental toughness and outnumber them 10:1, it would be a pretty ugly sight should Kim Jong Un unleash them in a bid to stop the rest of the world from laughing at their "backward" army.
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Last edited by SaintessHeart; 2012-04-15 at 13:04. |
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2012-04-15, 13:19 | Link #20868 | |
Megane girl fan
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Age: 55
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Sure there was all that plus other things such as the change in bombing tactics by the Luftwaffe, fighters not being allowed to frie jagd etc. However, the Spitfire, with its elliptical wings, and smooth, graceful lines, makes it quite easy to caress its shape with your eyes, stirring your soul, and lighting the fire within your heart. One can't help but regard this fine aircraft as one of the most sexy creations of man ever devised. Erm...I think I got carried away and said too much. Endless "Spitfire love" Soul
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2012-04-15, 15:14 | Link #20869 | |
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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2012-04-15, 15:36 | Link #20870 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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How the Tech Parade Passed Sony By
Nice overview of the myriad of problems facing Sony. One of the more interesting aspects of the story is the continuing reliance on large corporations to power the Japanese economy. Unfortunately, according to the Times's reporter, Sony and many other large Japanese companies are simply short on new ideas, while beset on one side by lower-cost manufacturers like Samsung and on the other by innovators like Apple. Update: More bad news for Japanese manufacturers "The demise of Panel Bay [formerly the center of flat-panel manufacturing] is the latest sign of what many Japanese fear is the hollowing out of their heavily industrialized economy, which has been in a gradual but relentless decline since the bursting of its twin real estate and stock bubbles in the early 1990s. The decline is largely a result of growing competition from Asian rivals, an aging work force and merciless gains by the yen. But many officials and business leaders now fear that this trend has accelerated since last year’s nuclear accident in Fukushima, which has raised the prospect of higher energy prices and even power failures." Why has the Japanese central bank not intervened more directly to weaken the yen? At current exchange rates I can't see how Japan's exporters can hope to compete. Japanese autos are now substantially overpriced here in the US when compared to domestic products and Korean marques like Hyundai. In the past people were willing to pay a premium for the supposed quality advantage Japanese vehicles had versus their competitors, but that advantage has shrunk radically over the past decade. These days I'm much more likely to consider a Ford or a Hyundai than a Toyota or Honda.
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Last edited by SeijiSensei; 2012-04-15 at 23:41. |
2012-04-15, 18:33 | Link #20871 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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China stocks czar faces battle to win back investor trust
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...83E0FP20120415 DuPont's armored car kit a hit in Brazil http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...83E06I20120415
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2012-04-16, 03:55 | Link #20872 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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This whole thing looks totally like something out of a Hong Kong drama......or what the Chinese would call "the dark side eating the dark side" (黑吃黑).
Exclusive: Briton killed after threat to expose Chinese leader's wife: sources Quote:
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2012-04-16, 05:24 | Link #20873 | ||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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2012-04-16, 06:46 | Link #20874 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Smirking Norway killer Breivik refuses to recognize court
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...83F09F20120416
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2012-04-16, 09:24 | Link #20875 | ||
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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I guess I could see these events leading to a greater exposure of corruption in the top echelons of the Party, but don't most informed Chinese citizens know that such corruption exists already? It might also highlight the growing economic divide between rich and poor and urban and rural Chinese, but, again, those trends should be fairly obvious as well. I'm obviously not talking about the vast bulk of Chinese living in rural areas whose lives have hardly changed in the past few decades. But the disparities between wealth and poverty in the cities is not something that's easy to conceal.
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Last edited by SeijiSensei; 2012-04-16 at 09:38. |
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2012-04-16, 10:17 | Link #20876 | |||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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Bo had revealed, over the past few years in Chongqing, that there is a very clear faction of reactionary communists opposed to the more consensual, reformist faction headed by the likes of Wen. Will Bo's fall from grace mean a setback to the more hawkish elements in the Politburo? Is this an opportunity for more reform-minded individuals to rise to the top echelon? What is the potential impact on foreign policy, particularly with regard to military strategy? All these things are currently in flux. Quote:
The conceit is that as long as the Party makes sure that men of relatively strong integrity form the core, then the people can accept the lack of transparency over succession planning. If that myth is broken, will the people still remain compliant? If handled badly — and plenty of Chinese in Chongqing, fiercely loyal to Bo, are already plenty angry — the survival of the Party could be threatened. The bright side? At least things are being handled with a modicum of civility today. In the past, Bo would have either been made to "disappear" or be thrown into a gulag for reeducation through hard labour. |
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2012-04-16, 10:53 | Link #20877 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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I got the impression that Bo was a poster child for the Chinese Communist equivalent of "corporatist robber barons" .... to borrow some phrasing from the new ruling members in the novel Animal Farm: "Four legs good, two legs better!"
Striking him down by whatever means necessary (lucky tragedy there) .... the consensus people recover their edge. Quote:
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2012-04-16, 11:06 | Link #20878 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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2012-04-16, 12:30 | Link #20879 | |||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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I don't know if anyone had published a timeline of events. If not, this might be useful: Quote:
I had the opportunity to attend a short session with Mike Chinoy, former CNN senior Asia correspondent, a couple of weeks ago. Being an ex-journalist, he doesn't know any more about the scandal than the public does. But he did make an interesting observation: even those in US diplomatic circles who ought to know more aren't talking. Normally, he said, there would be some tidbit or two leaked to the press. In this case, you had a close ally of Mr Bo hiding in the US consulate, and not a peep emerged from the staff about what Mr Wang revealed. Nothing, zero, nada, zilch. That, to Chinoy, seemed highly unusual. Read into that what you will. (By the way, Chinoy was one of the few American broadcast journalists who was present in Tiananmen on June 4, 1989. He had some terrific insights to share, one of which surprised me tremendously, because it spoke volumes about the long-lasting harm of sloppy reporting. But that's another story for another time.) Chinoy's observation dovetails nicely with mine: Quote:
That is, for several weeks now, US news has been "nice to know", not "need to know", from our Asian perspective. This is just Singapore. Hong Kong has been distracted by its scandals of late, along with its electoral debacle, while Taiwan had just recently concluded its parliamentary polls. But I would bet that they've been closely following the scandal's development as well. Again, read into that what you will. |
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2012-04-16, 12:33 | Link #20880 | |
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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