2012-05-16, 00:28 | Link #21461 |
Kurumada's lost child
Join Date: Nov 2003
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That article on Mexico is so deluded of reality... It misses the most obvious point on Mexican conflict.
The reason why Mexico is in the mess it is today is because of 2 things: 1: After a bloody struggle, Colombia has finally managed to kick out most of its drugs lords out of the country. It still produces drugs, but no where near at the rate it once did ten years ago. Colombia was in the same bad shape as Mexico is now, if not worse, back then. The drug cartels migrated to the next most logical target, Mexico, and now that country got a taste of what Colombia was like 10 years ago. 2: As long as drugs are deemed illegal the vicious cycle will go on. I am sure Mexico will manage to get its crisis under control, but then another country will become the next major drug hub. My money is on Bolivia; that country will provide an excellent environment for the drug cartels to flourish should Mexico become too unstable for them. In conclusion, so long as there is a demand in the US, someone will provide the supply. The war on drugs in the biggest failure in history. It has ruined many countries, many lives, created organized crime and gangs, and it hasn't solved any problems. I am very sure, that government officials and corporations in the US are also under the influence of drug money. After all illegal drugs is the 3rd most profitable business in the world after OIL and arms. In other words, there is a good incentive to keep the "war on drugs" going.
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2012-05-16, 00:38 | Link #21462 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 67
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The enforcement and "law&order" faction in the US *likes* the War on Drugs because it gives them corrosive power, influence, and wealth. I'm certainly not denying that there are quite likely "on the take" connections... just saying that some people use chaos and uncertainty to improve their status, authority, and power. Peace would interfere with that.
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2012-05-16, 00:40 | Link #21463 | |||
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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2012-05-16, 00:55 | Link #21464 | ||
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2006
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In turn this feeds arms dealing, human trafficking, slavery, prostitution, human rights violations, well....you name it. Not many people understand that there is a very real, very disturbing, and very large network of human trafficking in the US for example. When you mention it, most people think it's illegal immigrants or something, but sadly it isn't. It's women, girls, often very young and underage, kidnapped and forced into doing things no human should ever be forced to do. It happens all the time, right under the noses of the population, and very few people talk about it. EDIT: @Vexx: It's notable that Star Trek has a history of social commentary, in particular the "Cold War" between Klingons and the Federation in "The Undiscovered Country". This line from General Chang in the movie came to mind when I read your post: Quote:
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2012-05-16, 01:10 | Link #21465 | ||
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 36
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2012-05-16, 03:50 | Link #21466 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Greeks pull funds from banks; emergency cabinet to be named
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...84D07X20120516 Key to Universal-EMI decision: Has music business lost control? http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...84F06120120516 edit: U.N. criticizes Canada for letting people go hungry http://ca.reuters.com/article/domest...84F0YR20120516
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Last edited by ganbaru; 2012-05-16 at 14:25. |
2012-05-16, 16:44 | Link #21467 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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"There are indicators that the run on Greek banks is already over, leaving many institutions near complete collapse. Depositors have pulled out a record amount of money in the last 10 days and there are reports that the ECB is no longer willing to lend to either them or the Greek central bank, which is also in a precarious situation. Since May 6, depositors fearful over a Greek exit from the Euro have taken more than $6.42 billion out of the nation's banks, with $898 million coming on Monday alone. May 6 was the day of the last round of Greek elections where anti-bailout parties received most of the votes cast. Monday was the deadline for Greece's political parties to form a government. Their failure to do that means a new round of elections will be held on June 17." See: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_1...lete-collapse/ |
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2012-05-16, 18:10 | Link #21468 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps
"People who don't finish college are more likely to receive food stamps than are
those who go to graduate school. The rolls of people on public assistance are dominated by people with less education. Nevertheless, the percentage of graduate-degree holders who receive food stamps or some other aid more than doubled between 2007 and 2010. During that three-year period, the number of people with master's degrees who received food stamps and other aid climbed from 101,682 to 293,029, and the number of people with Ph.D.'s who received assistance rose from 9,776 to 33,655, according to tabulations of microdata done by Austin Nichols, a senior researcher with the Urban Institute. He drew on figures from the 2008 and 2011 Current Population Surveys done by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor." See: https://chronicle.com/article/From-G...ool-to/131795/ |
2012-05-16, 18:54 | Link #21469 | |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Iran flouts U.N. sanctions, sends arms to Syria: panel
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...84F14520120516 Quote:
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2012-05-17, 08:09 | Link #21470 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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Questionable Police Procedures in Trayvon Martin Shooting
The Sanford police had Martin's body in the morgue for thirteen hours before identifying it, when Martin's father called in a missing-person report. If they had knocked on more doors in the gated community, they would have learned that Trayvon was visiting the apartment of his father's girlfriend that evening. They also spent days trying to get his cell phone password and having a forensics expert take the phone apart. Ultimately they subpoenaed Martin's phone records, but why didn't they do that at the outset? As one commentator to the Times wrote, maybe the Sanford PD needs to watch a few more police-procedural shows on TV so they learn a bit about investigation methods and forensics.
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2012-05-17, 10:54 | Link #21472 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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2012-05-17, 11:37 | Link #21473 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
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tidbits
Trayvon Martin update:
[...]New details emerged on Wednesday regarding the condition of Martin's body. Wounds found on the 17-year-old's knuckles may support George Zimmerman's claim that the unarmed teenager assaulted him before he was fatally shot, CBS News reports. A responder at the crime scene told CBS News that he and others saw wounds on the knuckles of one of Martin's hands as he lay dead on this lawn. This suggests that Martin had thrown a punch. |
2012-05-17, 13:07 | Link #21475 | |||||
formerly ogon bat
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Mexico
Age: 53
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Oh my, seems am a little late to the party, but here I go!
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2012-05-17, 15:14 | Link #21476 | |
blinded by blood
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Copyright math. Gotta love it. Do they seriously think anyone believes that the music industry only makes half of what it did in 2000, and it's the fault of piracy? Anyone who believes that load of horseshit I've got some oceanfront property on Mars to sell them!
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2012-05-17, 16:02 | Link #21477 |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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Most commentaries I read from people without an axe to grind attribute most of the decline in major-label revenues to the replacement of whole-CD purchases with sales of individual tracks. Piracy has little or nothing to do with that trend.
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2012-05-17, 16:21 | Link #21478 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Why Women Choose Bad Boys
"Women choose bad boys because their hormones make them, new research
suggests. When ovulating a woman's hormones influence who she sees as good potential fathers, and they specifically pick sexier men over obviously more dependable men." See: http://www.livescience.com/20294-wom...-bad-boys.html |
2012-05-17, 16:27 | Link #21479 | |
temporary safeguard
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Germany
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It's either stable or growing. Of course you should only trust the statistics, that you have faked yourself, but googling for some numbers brings up a pretty consistent trend. Random site with numbers from Google hits: http://grabstats.com/statcategorymain.asp?StatCatID=9 |
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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