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[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

The Chinese think so too. So to American republicans.

Come to think of it, maybe all countries can do better with a fewer arm chair heroes?

Absolutely not. I prefer people venting their discontent online than to bombing embassies.

[ArchmageXin]

Originally Posted by kyp275

heh, that's pretty much what most Taiwanese people say about their government as well

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Absolutely not. I prefer people venting their discontent online than to bombing embassies.

Until it become an national mob that out to take control national policy.

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Absolutely not. I prefer people venting their discontent online than to bombing embassies.

or in Taiwan's case, handled with mass egging

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

Until it become an national mob that out to take control national policy.

Then that is a communication issue between the government and people - a sociopolitical issue. The national mob won't really unless there is a strong enough reason affecting all of them.

It is a paper barrier - all it takes is one mortality from teargas, watercannon, rubber guns, and it becomes a full scale riot.

Originally Posted by kyp275

or in Taiwan's case, handled with mass egging

Rotten eggs spread methane. Throw a sparkler.

[ArchmageXin]

Originally Posted by JokerD

I sure he wouldn' mind serving as a 'comfort man' since militaries around the world accept women in their rank...

Right now he should worry more his name will become the Japanese version of Todd Akins than start a war with entire Asia.

[willx]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

It is a paper barrier - all it takes is one mortality from teargas, watercannon, rubber guns, and it becomes a full scale riot.

Which is more likely to happen if the general populous didn't have so much to lose. Remember, 'MURICA is here with cheeseburgers, flat screen TVs and bikini babes! DEMOCRACY!!!!!

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by willx

Which is more likely to happen if the general populous didn't have so much to lose. Remember, 'MURICA is here with cheeseburgers, flat screen TVs and bikini babes! DEMOCRACY!!!!!

It is a psychological factor. Americans, IMO, fear losing one thing : freedom. In any form, be it speech, thought, gun ownership, etc, it is freedom they don't want to lose.

In poorer states, they would probably want their lives. Just enough food, water and their family, without being deprived of basic human needs. In the middling ones, they would probably want job security, like Greece and such.

Everyone wants different things. It is social culture ingrained into them that programs them to fight for what they think is being taken away from them.

[ArchmageXin]

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-...n-as-insincere

In the short term, Manila had particularly hoped to sustain migrant labor, which now keeps 88,000 Filipinos employed in Taiwan and contributes to remittances that made up 9 percent of the Philippine economy in 2011, political analysts say.

How much?

If this was China, half of the board would be howling economic blackmail right now

[HasuMasu]

The Philippines apologized on one hand but on the other emphasized that it wasn’t an intentional act.

In related news, Taipei has since added to their earlier statement.

After seeing the lack of decisive action in the Philippines, we realise our earlier statement may have lacked some clarity. We want the Philippine Government to outright say their coastguard was playing target-practice with fishermen.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Hasumi

In related news, Taipei has since added to their earlier statement.

The PH government should just say, "We will make that statement, but we cannot offer compensation in that case. If you take our money away how are we going to buy water cannons for our coastguard?"

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by Hasumi

In related news, Taipei has since added to their earlier statement.

any links? haven't been able to find any atm, if they did make that statement, they went way over the line, as that goes beyond apology and would make moot the investigation.

[HasuMasu]

It was a joke that popped into my head after reading their statement from the article.

Somehow, they didn't word it very well.

I know Captain Taiwan wants some macho points, but statements like that are not the way to go about it.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Hasumi

It was a joke that popped into my head after reading their statement from the article.

Somehow, they didn't word it very well.

I know Captain Taiwan wants some macho points, but statements like that are not the way to go about it.

Well they should just admit that they only have lethal arms. It would not only be seen as honest, it would be a great scare tactic to stop fishermen from hanky-panky actions since they would literally be risking their lives.

[kyp275]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Well they should just admit that they only have lethal arms. It would not only be seen as honest, it would be a great scare tactic to stop fishermen from hanky-panky actions since they would literally be risking their lives.

ultimately they do need to settle the fishing rights issue, or this kind of issues will just keep popping up. AFAIK the incident took place outside of PHL's 12 nmi territorial water, but are within both country's 200 nmi EEZ.

[HasuMasu]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Well they should just admit that they only have lethal arms. It would not only be seen as honest, it would be a great scare tactic to stop fishermen from hanky-panky actions since they would literally be risking their lives.

The problem is Captain Philippines also likes macho-points, admitting that our Coast Guard is equipped with stone-age arms is no good for his well-stroked ego.

They will continue to fish, weather it's an M16 or a railgun the fishing thing is done and done.

Not to mention they now have the Coast Guard* escorting them in that area.

*I can't remember if it's the Coast Guard specifically.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Hasumi

The problem is Captain Philippines also likes macho-points, admitting that our Coast Guard is equipped with stone-age arms is no good for his well-stroked ego.

They will continue to fish, weather it's an M16 or a railgun the fishing thing is done and done.

Not to mention they now have the Coast Guard* escorting them in that area.

*I can't remember if it's the Coast Guard specifically.

Taiwan also have Mainland-China backing on this. I wouldn't be surprise to see Mainland-China offering security help to Taiwanese fisherman.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

Taiwan also have Mainland-China backing on this. I wouldn't be surprise to see Mainland-China offering security help to Taiwanese fisherman.

So how is Taiwan going to resist the urge of accepting it?

Autistic teen may be smarter than Einstein

Jacob Barnett, 14, is studying for a Master's degree in quantum physics.

What makes this story most remarkable is that his parents were told he'd never be able to read.

Jacob was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old.

"Oh my gosh, when he was 2, my fear was that he would never be in our world at all," Kristine Barnett, Jacob's mother, told the Indianapolis Star in 2011. "He would not talk to anyone. He would not even look at us."

Jacob proved his doctors wrong.

Now he's solving quantum mechanics problems.

With an IQ of 170, higher than that of Albert Einstein, the young genius from Indiana was tipped as a future Nobel prize winner after a Princeton professor confirmed that the then-9-year-old's mathematical models were groundbreaking, expanding on Einstein's famous field of relativity.

"I'm impressed by his interest in physics and the amount that he has learned so far," Professor Scott Tremaine wrote in an email to the family. "The theory that he's working on involves several of the toughest problems in astrophysics and theoretical physics. Anyone who solves these will be in line for a Nobel Prize."

Jacob taught himself calculus, algebra and geometry in two weeks. He can solve up to 200 numbers of Pi. He has a photographic memory.

At the age of 10, Jacob enrolled at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. In 2011, he became the world's youngest published astrophysics researcher — and gave a TEDx Teen talk about "forgetting what you know."

Jacob is now a paid researcher in quantum physics at the university.

Jacob's mother, Kristine Barnett, chronicled her son's story in the book "The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius." Warner Bros. has already acquired the rights to the story.

"He overcomes it everyday. There are things he knows about himself that he regulates everyday," Kristina told USA Today of her son's extraordinary accomplishments, and his determined to overcome the limitations of autism.

"Well, I hope it really inspires the children to actually be doing something, a science or physics — even if it is not science," Jacob said of the book and likely movie. "Just encourages them to do what they like doing. I just hope it is inspirational."

Kristine and her husband, Michael, run a Jacob's Place, a not-for-profit community centre for autistic and special-needs kids and their families.

Jacob is currently writing a book to help end the "math phobia" he's witnessed among his peers.

This is an abnormal kid. Let's put him in the Singaporean education system and watch him become normalised. This is why we have a great education system; to make abnormal students normal. [/sarcasm]

[SeijiSensei]

Hashimoto's comments on "comfort women" occasioned a virulent response in the opinion section of this morning's New York Times: http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/...comfort-women/

The author, Editorial Board member Carol Giacomo, concludes, "It’s hard to believe that anyone who espouses such outrageous views as Mr. Hashimoto has much of a political future in Japan or anywhere else."

I'm a bit surprised that someone who spent much of her career as a diplomatic correspondent for Reuters would make such a broad claim about politics in a country half the globe away.

[ArchmageXin]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

So how is Taiwan going to resist the urge of accepting it?

They should. Nothing better to tell the international stage you are taking marching orders from Bejing than to have PLA units providing maritime security. (See: Japan and America)

It is like the panda game Bejing played with Taiwan a few years back. Accept the panda as a international power and pay 1 million dollars/month (same price America pays), or accept it for free as a gift to a providence of China. Or not take it and watch your domestic politic explode.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

They should. Nothing better to tell the international stage you are taking marching orders from Bejing than to have PLA units providing maritime security. (See: Japan and America)

It is like the panda game Bejing played with Taiwan a few years back. Accept the panda as a international power and pay 1 million dollars/month (same price America pays), or accept it for free as a gift to a providence of China. Or not take it and watch your domestic politic explode.

And what would Taiwan get from it?

And here are some interesting views from TaipeiTimes :

Two governments should resolve the issue. Shouldn't make laws or alter labor policies that bring disadvantages to labor workers and their families - they are not totally related. Don't make them become victims of hurts. We and governments should do even more to help them.

It is definitely a Philippine Coast Guard fault.. Philippine Gov't owe an apology to that fisherman's family and should give financial support to them.. But please don't get mad or angry to all Pinoy's who are working their in taiwan.. They have nothing to do with that tragic incident.. My wife works their in taiwan. Both country must solve this problem peacefully in a very nice diplomatic way.

Yes, you have a point! Philippine Gov't owe an apology to that fisherman's family and should give financial support to them! But don't get mad or angry to all Pinoy's who are working in Taiwan! They have nothing to do with that tragic incident. I agree with you!

The nation of Taiwan needs to demand that the Philippines thoroughly investigate this incident before it jumps to hasty conclusions and starts resorting to Chinese-like threats of violence. We are not China....but Taiwan...a democratic nation of laws, and as such should not resort to inherently militaristic rhetoric and actions without a solid basis of evidential support.

Let's allow the investigators to conduct their investigation first before calling for blood. Something obviously went terribly wrong....let's find out why first...

I think both our governments should exercise tolerance and expedite unbias investigation. I believe Taiwan is a country of deplomatic citizens. We should wait and see the results of the investigation and see who the real cuplrit was. Both government should not jump any decision that might jupardize our good relationships. Taiwan is not China! Taiwan is a democratic country.

Well apparently there are sensible people in this world.