2011-01-31, 11:10 | Link #11741 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Brilliant political move.
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2011-01-31, 11:32 | Link #11742 | |
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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It's rather hard to think long term when politicians have to worry about elections every two years or so. Is it any wonder, therefore, that the US tends to focus more on short-term gains than long-term objectives, to the detriment of its own welfare as well as that of the world in which it is forced by historical circumstances to intervene? That's not to say major things don't happen in the US, but rather that such initiatives are carried out more often by civil or private-sector movements than by political will. Government in the US is so endlessly complex that any kind of meaningful change more usually bubbles up from the grassroots level than by top-down directives. Which is great if creativity and innovation is what you want. It's not so great when long-term vision is what you'd rather have. As for China, of all the things that could possibly happen, chaos is the one scenario that Beijing would want to avoid at all costs. So, yes, while the Chinese Communist Party loves to see the US distracted on multiple fronts, it is also savvy enough to understand that turbulence elsewhere around the world would eventually come back to bite China. Like all other self-interested countries, China is no more eager than others to see a collapse in world order. Last edited by TinyRedLeaf; 2011-01-31 at 11:45. |
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2011-01-31, 12:37 | Link #11743 | |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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I also expect these bills to die a quiet, or perhaps not so quiet, death in the Democrat-controlled Senate. I also can't really see Obama signing a bill that would so undermine the "rape and incest" exclusion from abortion funding. It's all about "symbolic politics."
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2011-01-31, 12:50 | Link #11744 | |
Um-Shmum
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: at GNR, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts
Age: 40
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how about maintaining a clear policy at any give time ? supporting dictators and promoting democracy at the same time, is kinda counter productive.
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2011-01-31, 13:15 | Link #11745 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 67
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Quote:
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2011-01-31, 13:20 | Link #11746 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 47
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United States foreign policy at least use to have a consistant nature to it...help the enemy of my enemy. In the long Cold War the United States supported whoever they thought would be against the Soviet Union's interests...thus supporting both democracy and dictatorships at the same time. After the Cold War a bunch of those places turned against the hand that fed them, so to speak. The remaining policies post-Cold War have been a mix of keeping the region stable by supporting whoever is stable unless they are backed by someone that has become an enemy. This leads to a lot of problems since the changing world dynamic shifted who was allied to who and those we supported against the communists turn out to be not all that good either (shocker on the dictators,eh?).
Also setting up a dictator usually means you know who you will be dealing with for several decades as oppose to setting up a democratic system where the people might choose someone who is against you at any time. Irony abounds.
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2011-01-31, 13:22 | Link #11747 | |
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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Quote:
For a start, try thinking about the many possible stakeholders in the formation of US foreign policy, from the White House to the various intelligence agencies and the ever-present military-industrial complex, not to mention countless other lobby groups. It's a motley crew. And you expect them all to sing the same tune? It's a tall order, even for much smaller states, let alone one as large as America. |
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2011-01-31, 13:45 | Link #11748 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Engine on a chip promises to best the battery
"MIT researchers are putting a tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about
the size of a quarter. The resulting device could run 10 times longer than a battery of the same weight can, powering laptops, cell phones, radios and other electronic devices." See: http://www.physorg.com/news77890657.html |
2011-01-31, 16:15 | Link #11749 |
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
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I'ld be more interested in the efficiency of these devices. If it is better then fuel cells, then the development of mini powerplants using miniaturisation makes sense, otherwise not. Anyway it will be a good contribution (in terms of knowledge) to nano-mechanics. A very interesting field in my oppinion.
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2011-01-31, 20:49 | Link #11750 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 47
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Hmmm. So the new Federal Health Care is being considered unconstitutional.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news...constitutional- Probably because the justices think Congress overstepped their bounds. If this system was handed out at the State level if would likely pass without judicial comment. I'm guessing this is the Tenth Amendment being used.
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2011-01-31, 22:21 | Link #11751 |
Banned
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Egypt goes dark as last Internet company pulls the plug.
Egypt is now totally offline. Our thoughts go out to the brave Egyptian men and women, standing up to fight for their rights, liberties, and a better life. They were using social networking sites and twitter to organize protests, and the most recent one was a one-million man march on Cairo. Viva la Revolution. |
2011-01-31, 22:43 | Link #11752 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Boston, MA
Age: 33
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Has the internet become a right? o.0 I guess I missed that.....I haven't been paying much attention to their 'protest' and such...but could someone fill me in? :S Why the sudden outburst to someone whose been in his position for years now..? o.o
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2011-02-01, 00:15 | Link #11754 | |
Banned
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In response, he ordered the ISPs offline. What you're seeing is a revolution in action, and so far it's just Tunsia and Egypt. If Egyptians are successful, some are predicting it will spread to much of the Arab world, as everyone follows suit. "Hey, Tunsia, Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan got rid of all their crummy dictators... let's get rid of ours, too!" If so, it would mirror the fault of communist nations at the end of the cold war. Oh, note that the US is trying to get an internet kill switch, too. |
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2011-02-01, 02:17 | Link #11755 | ||
Um-Shmum
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: at GNR, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts
Age: 40
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say that in the U.S, hundreds of thousends start protesting, and in response, the U.S gov, shuts down the internet. they will then have to face around 20 MILLION protesters. and the protest won't be about "Jobs, food, corruption" anymore, but rather "we want our internet back" Quote:
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2011-02-01, 06:36 | Link #11757 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Some recent news in Japan:
Japanese powerbroker Ozawa indicted over scandal Japan volcano blast smashes windows |
2011-02-01, 06:50 | Link #11758 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Pakistan court blocks handing over of U.S. "diplomat"
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...7101FK20110201
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2011-02-01, 07:37 | Link #11759 | ||
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Allow me to spoil the Chinese New Year mood for our fellow forum members :
PMI surveys hint at deeper-seated inflation Quote:
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+ oil scare due to Chaos in Egypt and Tunisia (rising oil prices) + Chinese factories closed down for one-month CNY (which leads to lower production and available supply of goods in market) = inflation. Spend that CNY money ASAP or invest it, because it is going to worth much, much less towards the middle of the year. I am betting that April is when the real change in prices due to lack of supply can be seen and felt. However, I think this could be weathered by - eating out less often - eating less processed food (cook yourself!) - driving less - staying at home more Then again, the real hurt could be felt because there are plenty of elections around the world this year. I seriously wonder what the politicians are going to use to leverage against us to vote for them - oil prices, food prices or empty promises?
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2011-02-01, 11:35 | Link #11760 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Quote:
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime committing acts of violence and looting in an attempt to stoke fear of instability as demonstrations grew stronger Tuesday against the autocratic leader." See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...020100903.html |
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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