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Although this thread does not function under the same strict guidelines as the USPMT, it is still a general practice on TL to provide a source with an explanation on why it is relevant and what purpose it adds to the discussion. Failure to do so will result in a mod action. |
On October 05 2018 20:26 Acrofales wrote:Show nested quote +On October 05 2018 19:35 Big J wrote:
You can't beat Vladimir with a stick because Vladimir has nukes.
Solidarity is not a question of moral high-grounds, solidarizing against everyone who uses these methods is a simple, liberal value. Fair competition under equal rights. If you don't want it done to you, you must under no circumstances do it against someone else.
You can't pretend you are liberal while you play with double standards. Well, beating with a stick doesn't mean literally beating with a stick, just as he isn't literally stealing cookies out of the cookie jar. There's plenty of things we can do that won't provoke a nuclear retaliation, and we are doing some of them.
You are right.
As for the second part, "being liberal" isn't an on-off switch. There are many liberties and we can be in favour of some of them, and against others. Also, we're basically in agreement: we are ALL in agreement that stealing cookies is bad. Yet we are also all secretly plotting to steal cookies, because cookies are delicious, and the more we have the happier we are. Funnily enough, the one doesn't rule out the other. We can both (1) agree that stealing cookies is bad and agree to beat everybody with a stick who is caught stealing, and (2) steal cookies, because we think we are sneaky enough that nobody could possibly catch us! Or even accept that occasionally we'll get beaten with a stick, but cookies are too delicious not to steal them.
I think that is where the metaphor just doesn't fulfill its purpose. Stealing Cookies and preventing to steal Cookies is a question of laws being in place and then executing them. It is a question of optimizing your cost, how much surveillance you need for that and how gravely you punish/disencourage that behavior.
The same isn't true for American, Russian or Chinese high-tech espionage that you can hardly identify. Either the players have self-control in these issues, or the retaliation has to be overproportionally severe, even in single cases. And the second one is out of the question with nukes in the picture imo.
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Macron's launches charm offensive but gives offence neverthelessEmmanuel Macron is not only struggling to find a competent successor for Gérard Collomb to overcome the political crisis in the government. His charm offensive with the public is not going too well either. Earlier this week, a photo went viral on social media showing with him arm-in-arm with two young men on the island of St Martin, one of them bare-chested and showing the middle finger. + Show Spoiler [The photo in question] +![[image loading]](http://referentiel.nouvelobs.com/file/16636702.jpg) I thought it was a far-right fake at first, but no... lol Marine Le Pen did not miss the chance to express her vocal indignation, saying that France does not deserve this. Macron's brave response was that he loves all children of France no matter how troubled their past — one of the two youngsters had done some prison time. The second and probably more damaging incident, a classic Macron of-the-cuff comment, occurred yesterday. This time it involved pensioners, a group where Macron's polling rates has collapsed anyway. At a ceremony in tribute to De Gaulle for the 60th anniversary of the French constitution, the president found himself surrounded with pensioners complaining that their pensions were less as a result of his policies. Macron responded by sharing something De Gaulle's grandson, he said, had told him recently about a favourite expression of his grandfather: "You can speak freely, the only thing we should not do is to complain. I think that the general had the right idea. The country would be different if everyone took a leaf out of his book... We don't realise how lucky we are. We are seeing more and more elderly people in our country in good health." Never complain, never explain, has been a favourite maxim among stiff-upper-lips Brits. It may be a good maxim to live by. But it is unwise for Macron to lecture his electorate accordingly. The incident shows once more how unskilled Macron is in dealing with ordinary people. He was good at winning, but now comes across as patronising. Empathy is clearly not his thing
From http://www.eurointelligence.com/public/
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When Marine le Pen gets to look good, you done goofed.
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On October 05 2018 21:46 iamthedave wrote:
When Marine le Pen gets to look good, you done goofed.
I mean, he has done goofed but it doesn't make her look particularly good
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On October 05 2018 21:49 Nebuchad wrote:Show nested quote +On October 05 2018 21:46 iamthedave wrote:
When Marine le Pen gets to look good, you done goofed. I mean, he has done goofed but it doesn't make her look particularly good
In fairness... it's Marine le Pen. She could make saving the human race or curing cancer look bad. She'd look up from the vial with the final cure for ALL CANCER and exclaim into the camera "This doesn't work on foreigners too, does it?" With really suspicious, angry eyes.
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For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk)
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United States15275 Posts
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On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk)
Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population (poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%.
Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain
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Pretty sure access to some REMs was a strategic benefit of "bringing freedom and democracy" to Afghanistan. But China has a serious monopoly on some of the more useful ones, and moreover, has been buying up mines left right and center in Africa.
Ok, that's essentially what the article says too.
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United States15275 Posts
On October 07 2018 04:43 Acrofales wrote:
Pretty sure access to some REMs was a strategic benefit of "bringing freedom and democracy" to Afghanistan. But China has a serious monopoly on some of the more useful ones, and moreover, has been buying up mines left right and center in Africa.
Ok, that's essentially what the article says too.
I've also heard that China is positioning itself to seize strategic national assets - according to cynical analysts - by encouraging African nations to take on loans that will inevitably default on. This is already in play with the Zambian government in talks over selling off ZEWASCO. Would this type of takeover (or the looming threat) be enough to aggravate EU nations into direct action, particularly if China begins pushing their weight into areas like Burundi and Morocco?
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On October 07 2018 04:42 TheDwf wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk) Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population ( poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%. Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain
Oligarch is such a bad word. Why can't you use investor, or as we do in German, top performer? You know, those people who carry us all economically!
Those people have inherited private wealth very hard to be able to lend the state money, so that the state can tax the working class to pay back the debt contracts that these people have also inherited very hard.
Cutting a few benefits from useless pensioneer cockroaches, that just don't want to die like any decent human being would, to continue the Ponzi Scheme is really not too much to ask.
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On October 07 2018 04:42 TheDwf wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk) Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population ( poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%. Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain
Sure it works better with a 'man of the people' person, but then again if Macron would talk the impact down everyone would tell him that he's aloof and distanced and lies to the voters so no matter what he does everyone's going to complain so it doesn't matter much. I guess the most important thing for him would be to measurably improve outcomes in France before the next election. Doesn't really seem like any recent president in France won much popular support
On October 07 2018 04:59 CosmicSpiral wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:43 Acrofales wrote:
Pretty sure access to some REMs was a strategic benefit of "bringing freedom and democracy" to Afghanistan. But China has a serious monopoly on some of the more useful ones, and moreover, has been buying up mines left right and center in Africa.
Ok, that's essentially what the article says too. I've also heard that China is positioning itself to seize strategic national assets - according to cynical analysts - by encouraging African nations to take on loans that will inevitably default on. This is already in play with the Zambian government in talks over selling off ZEWASCO. Would this type of takeover (or the looming threat) be enough to aggravate EU nations into direct action, particularly if China begins pushing their weight into areas like Burundi and Morocco?
I mean, I honestly don't see what the long term goal here is. China dumping their large surplus on Africa seems more like a vanity project to me than some sort of evil masterplan. What's the end goal here, state run Chinese companies in Africa... doing what? Most value today isn't generated by exploiting the African continent
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On October 07 2018 07:37 Nyxisto wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:42 TheDwf wrote:On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk) Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population ( poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%. Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain Sure it works better with a 'man of the people' person, but then again if Macron would talk the impact down everyone would tell him that he's aloof and distanced and lies to the voters so no matter what he does everyone's going to complain so it doesn't matter much. I guess the most important thing for him would be to measurably improve outcomes in France before the next election. Doesn't really seem like any recent president in France won much popular support Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:59 CosmicSpiral wrote:On October 07 2018 04:43 Acrofales wrote:
Pretty sure access to some REMs was a strategic benefit of "bringing freedom and democracy" to Afghanistan. But China has a serious monopoly on some of the more useful ones, and moreover, has been buying up mines left right and center in Africa.
Ok, that's essentially what the article says too. I've also heard that China is positioning itself to seize strategic national assets - according to cynical analysts - by encouraging African nations to take on loans that will inevitably default on. This is already in play with the Zambian government in talks over selling off ZEWASCO. Would this type of takeover (or the looming threat) be enough to aggravate EU nations into direct action, particularly if China begins pushing their weight into areas like Burundi and Morocco? I mean, I honestly don't see what the long term goal here is. China dumping their large surplus on Africa seems more like a vanity project to me than some sort of evil masterplan. What's the end goal here, state run Chinese companies in Africa... doing what? Most value today isn't generated by exploiting the African continent
The DRC is estimated to have well over $20 Trillion in mineral wealth. The DRC's current GDP is ~35 Billion, so you're talking about hundreds of years of their current GDP that other countries want to get while losing as little as possible to the DRC.
$20 Trillion might not be much compared to how much wealth has already been stolen from Africa but it's basically the biggest prize left for mineral extractors. Which for perspective the biggest mining companies combined bring in about 660 Billion in revenue a year.
A mining company landing a contract for the DRC could potentially produce decades of record revenues for a particular mining company.
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On October 07 2018 08:18 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 07:37 Nyxisto wrote:On October 07 2018 04:42 TheDwf wrote:On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk) Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population ( poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%. Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain Sure it works better with a 'man of the people' person, but then again if Macron would talk the impact down everyone would tell him that he's aloof and distanced and lies to the voters so no matter what he does everyone's going to complain so it doesn't matter much. I guess the most important thing for him would be to measurably improve outcomes in France before the next election. Doesn't really seem like any recent president in France won much popular support On October 07 2018 04:59 CosmicSpiral wrote:On October 07 2018 04:43 Acrofales wrote:
Pretty sure access to some REMs was a strategic benefit of "bringing freedom and democracy" to Afghanistan. But China has a serious monopoly on some of the more useful ones, and moreover, has been buying up mines left right and center in Africa.
Ok, that's essentially what the article says too. I've also heard that China is positioning itself to seize strategic national assets - according to cynical analysts - by encouraging African nations to take on loans that will inevitably default on. This is already in play with the Zambian government in talks over selling off ZEWASCO. Would this type of takeover (or the looming threat) be enough to aggravate EU nations into direct action, particularly if China begins pushing their weight into areas like Burundi and Morocco? I mean, I honestly don't see what the long term goal here is. China dumping their large surplus on Africa seems more like a vanity project to me than some sort of evil masterplan. What's the end goal here, state run Chinese companies in Africa... doing what? Most value today isn't generated by exploiting the African continent The DRC is estimated to have well over $20 Trillion in mineral wealth. The DRC's current GDP is ~35 Billion, so you're talking about hundreds of years of their current GDP that other countries want to get while losing as little as possible to the DRC. $20 Trillion might not be much compared to how much wealth has already been stolen from Africa but it's basically the biggest prize left for mineral extractors. Which for perspective the biggest mining companies combined bring in about 660 Billion in revenue a year. A mining company landing a contract for the DRC could potentially produce decades of record revenues for a particular mining company.
When you put it like that the numbers are pretty enticing, yes. How come they've never managed to take advantage of that wealth themselves? Incompetence, or embargos or suchlike?
Obviously at one point we were nicking it all, but at this point they've had the place to themselves for decades.
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Corruption, Western mining company's using basically slave labour and turning a blind eye and even furthering the corruption.
The country is poor as can be while the people are even poorer and elites are rich.
All profits go to companys like Glencore, little goes to the current administration and workers shall be happy they didn't die.
I suspect the setup costs and know-how needed is both too much for a country empoverished by colonialism and civil war
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On October 07 2018 07:09 Big J wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:42 TheDwf wrote:On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk) Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population ( poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%. Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain Oligarch is such a bad word. Why can't you use investor, or as we do in German, top performer? You know, those people who carry us all economically!
Macron used a funny expression for them, calling them premiers de cordée, literally "first of cord" (as in, the first guys leading the mountain climb). I am not sure that associating "overlords" and "rope" was a very good idea considering the times we're living in. It might give unpleasant ideas to some serfs.
On October 07 2018 07:37 Nyxisto wrote:Show nested quote +On October 07 2018 04:42 TheDwf wrote:On October 07 2018 04:11 Nyxisto wrote:
For what it's worth telling people to their face that they should stop complaining might work better than sugarcoating reforms, depending on the circumstances and context of course. It's a rhetoric that can work with 'ordinary people' (who generally respond better to honesty rather than PR-talk) Not when you're perceived as arrogant and authoritarian by 70+% of the population ( poll p. 12), and you already have a "serial contemptuous" image. Also note the very weak score for the "understands people like you" item: only 22%. Plus a pensioner getting 1300€ per month and losing a part of his pension to feed Macron's oligarch friends has every right to complain Sure it works better with a 'man of the people' person, but then again if Macron would talk the impact down everyone would tell him that he's aloof and distanced and lies to the voters so no matter what he does everyone's going to complain so it doesn't matter much. I guess the most important thing for him would be to measurably improve outcomes in France before the next election. Doesn't really seem like any recent president in France won much popular support
The point is, when you belong to the top class and had a privileged life, you just don't lecture that way ordinary people, it's obscene
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United States15275 Posts
On October 07 2018 18:27 iamthedave wrote:
When you put it like that the numbers are pretty enticing, yes. How come they've never managed to take advantage of that wealth themselves? Incompetence, or embargos or suchlike?
Obviously at one point we were nicking it all, but at this point they've had the place to themselves for decades.
The "wealth" of Africa in contemporary times is skewing towards elements essential to building and maintaining advanced technology. Previously it was accumulating wealth/consolidating wealth according to the monetary standard (gold, silver), raw materials for construction (wood), or commodities for discretionary spending (diamonds, exotic produce). The likes of columbite-tantalite and samarium weren't a priority as foreign parties didn't recognize or pursue ways of utilizing them. Post-colonial period, the majority of rare earth mining was concentrated in Brazil and India - and later Mountain Pass in California.
African countries never stood a chance independently of leveraging their reserves of REMs. The infrastructure and expense required for REM mining, extraction, and purification is a struggle even for modernized nations due to all the complications involved. REMs are usually mixed in with other elements, rarely concentrate in one place, and contaminate the environment if mining isn't performed slowly and carefully. The permit process alone can take decades even if the paperwork filed. Since the conscientious approach is needed to prevent flagrant externalities, it takes patience to bide one's time until opportunity costs can be recouped let alone if the investment produces profit in the long run; most companies don't have that luxury. Not to mention nations like Zimbabwe aren't the ones manufacturing the flatscreen TVs, semiconductors, SAMs, industrial magnets and other gadgets that heavily utilize REMs.
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Failure of the conservative ayatollahs (including "social-democrats") to distract the Romanian people from the corruption
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The theme which should occupy 90% of media time:
We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN
Urgent changes needed to cut risk of extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty, says IPCC
The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.
The authors of the landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released on Monday say urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to reach the target, which they say is affordable and feasible although it lies at the most ambitious end of the Paris agreement pledge to keep temperatures between 1.5C and 2C.
The half-degree difference could also prevent corals from being completely eradicated and ease pressure on the Arctic, according to the 1.5C study, which was launched after approval at a final plenary of all 195 countries in Incheon in South Korea that saw delegates hugging one another, with some in tears.
“It’s a line in the sand and what it says to our species is that this is the moment and we must act now,” said Debra Roberts, a co-chair of the working group on impacts. “This is the largest clarion bell from the science community and I hope it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency.”
(...)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report
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I don't believe we have 12 years anymore. This is a conservative bullshit statement because the truth would be too inconvenient. The ship has sailed. The forecasts of the last years seem to indicate that we are going for 3-4 degrees, 2-3 if immidiate action is taken and conservatives are killed in the thousands to make political change possible.
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EPT
