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Google News Has Russian Army Invading Savannah, GA
theodp writes "If you checked out Google-wannabe Cuil, you learned that mapping search results to relevant images isn't a trivial task. But even Big Dog Google isn't immune to embarrassing graphics gaffes. Readers of Google News were shown that Russian troops are thrusting into the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, thanks to the Google Maps graphic accompanying a story about Russian incursions into Georgia — the nation-state in the Caucasus, not the Caucasian-pride-ridden state in the southern US. Yahoo! Answers also had some fun with the GA-Georgia mix-up — 'I live in georegia but i dont see rusia no where not even sound but they says theres tanks should i be worrie' (Google cache) — before a spoilsport deleted the question."
Where's the outrage against genocide of Ossetian people attempted by Georgia's "military"?
Caucasian-pride-ridden state in the southern U.S
I am actually quite amazed that /. would put such an inflamatory phrase like that into a summary. By using the word "ridden" are you implying that being proud of your race is a bad trait? I do believe that while we are at the olympics, many people are 'proud' of their country, heritage or race. However, in light of the olympics, this is a positive thing as we cheer in the name of sport and friendly competition. The usage in the summary, gives the impression that all Georgian's are Klansman. One should note that Georgia has a higher percentage of African Americans (29%) than the US average http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13000.html, and I'm sure they are proud of being from Georgia.
Why not describe other countries that are predominantly Caucasian such as Sweden, or Ireland in the same manner?
Other uses that you should try:
Arab-pride-ridden (Iraq)
Jewish-price-ridden (Israel)
Linux-pride-ridden (./)
I agree with you that this humor bit is just insulting but what do you mean outrage against an invasion? What are you smoking? Fox News? Find some real news and figure out that Georgia opened fire on ten UN-sanctioned Russian peacekeepers and executed the injured with a bullet to their heads rather than let doctors attend to them. Lets not forget about the military exercises Georgia and US partook in last month or that the Georgian president himself holds a US passport. I wonder who benefits more from this destabilization, the country that's fighting its neighbors (and evacuated the women and children from the region last week) or the country that's been screwing with the entire region for far too long.
First of all, let's remember that the Georgians and the Russians have been provoking each other for years over this issue. They have both violated the ceasefire and it will probably be a while before we know who violated the ceasefire lines first.
You lament the invasion, and similarly George Bush stated, "Georgia is a sovereign nation, and its territorial integrity must be respected... We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-down by all troops. We call for the end of the Russian bombings." Mr Putin expressed similar reservations about Iraq in April 2003:
Be sure to watch the media over the next few days - you'll see pictures of dead and wounded, buildings destroyed, and many other realities of war. Now ask yourself why you don't see any of those images from Iraq. Ask why we saw silhouetted shots of helicopters and long views of nighttime explosions instead of what was really happening on the ground.
We can see on both sides that morality is of little importance. Unfortunately, since we have taken Iraq unilaterally, Russia is free to take Georgia unilaterally, and any other province they can get away with. All they have to do is claim that their national security is threatened, which is a more grounded claim. Georgia is on the Russian border, not thousands of miles away, and they are dealing with their own problems in Chechnya.
It is time to give real power to the UN and the ICC in order to avoid more death and destruction. Unless states submit themselves to a common rule of international law, there will never be a chance for peace.
You are only partially correct. Georgia did start an offensive in South Ossetia against the independence movement there. However, Russia has most definitely gone beyond any peacekeeping role that it claimed. The Russians have bombed the Georgian town of Gori, which is well outside of the combat zone. If anything, it seems that Russia is using the Georgian attacks on South Ossetia as a pretense to invade the entire country. This has gone well beyond anything the Russians should be doing, regardless of what Georgia did in the first place. It is, as the Georgian president has put it, an act of war. Oh, and if you won't take this American's word for it, try the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7551595.stm
You sir, do not have a clue.
I have lived in Georgia for 14 eyars, having previously spent time in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. I can tell you that both northern states are by far-and-away more racist than Georgia. In 14 years, not once (NOT ONCE -- for emphasis) have I heard a white person use the N-word, while in both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, I witnessed not only frequent use of the word, but also blind, entrenched bigotry. Never have I seen whites and minorities live more harmoniously that in Georgia (the ghettoization of minorities in northern cities is NOT "harmony").
While there are white supremacists in Georgia (whom I have never met), I think it's safe to say they are a complete minority. Meanwhile, your own bigotry is available for all to see in the summary.
Georgian army shelled a sleeping Tskhinvali, killing more than 1500 people. Without warning.
Let me repeat: Georgia killed more than 1500 civilians by shelling a sleeping city.
That's a war crime.
Then Georgia moved in with tanks and infantry. And _only_ _then_ Russian forces moved in. You just can't blame this conflict on Russia.
Gori was not the target of bombing, a military base and ammo warehouses were targeted. The civilian losses were, probably, a result of a stray bomb or caused by exploding ammo warehouse.
I have friends in Georgia, one of them has been mobilized yesterday. So I watch the situation carefully (I also speak Russian).
Russia _definitely_ overstepped its peacekeeping mandate, sure. But by now nobody cares about it.
I lived in 'the South' for 31 years. I have JUST moved to NYC and have never encountered the racism, even while living in New Orleans, that I have encountered from Blacks towards Whites as I've seen here... and that's just hearing from strangers in the Subway - because they were purposely talking loud enough for every one on the car to hear them.
I have also heard racism come out of the mouths of the white, educated locals as well. Having heard it from them I suspect the racism goes deeper as well.
Overall, my experience here in the last 10 weeks is that New York City has more hate in it than any where I've lived, in the three states I've lived, in 'the South'.