It's been a while since I read Sun Tzu, but this seems appropriate: "Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
I'm out of modpoints, but fortunately you're already at a +5. Thanks for writing that. It was one of the more informative comments I've seen on Slashdot in a bit.
Say it with me now "tax exemptions are not the same as subsidies." Unless of course you believe that the government has some inherit right to our money solely on the basis of its existence.
I can't decide if you're a troll or just dumb. You do realize most of those troops are Federal troops, right? As in, they take orders from the US government, not the government of California (National Guard excluded). Do you really think the entirety of the Pacific Fleet is going to suddenly start taking orders from the newly-elected President of the Republic of California? Hell do you think the training units out at 29 Palms or Fort Irwin are going to just switch allegiance?
The Wikipedia page on the Islamic Golden Age makes for some interesting reading on that. I remember a talk I heard a while back given by a Saudi Arabian science fiction writer on the downfall of literature in Arabic culture. You have 1001 Nights and then....mostly nothing. The author blamed it on a particularly reactionary Caliphs who felt people were neglecting spiritual matters in their pursuit of worldly knowledge. Unfortunately I've misplaced my note from that lecture and my Google-fu is failing me so I can't provide you any further sources at the moment.
In addition, China would be dealing with a surge of refugees / defectors / dissedents coming across its eastern border. Right now the NK state manages most of the border security on its side but in the event of war, I expect border security might become a lot more lax. Much of China's wealth is concentrated in the eastern provinces, but the provinces directly bordering NK aren't particularly wealthy and would have a hard time absorbing the influx of NK people. The Chinese government might be willing to resettle some of them but I doubt it's willing to take as many people as would probably come across the border.
Interesting tangent, the Pentagon and the IRS estimate the cost of the last 16 years of war to be about $7740 per US citizen. That's a low-end estimate, certainly, but it's interesting to think about.
I don't have mods points today (and you're at a +5 anyway) so allow me to add a quote instead. "Our civil liberties are not burdens, they’re what make our country great". Rep Will Hurd (R-TX)
The solution to ending Facebook is simple: stop using. Well, simple in theory anyway. Facebook only has as much power as we (I'm speaking in the collective sense here) give it. Stop using it. Convince others to stop using it.
While you're at it, perfect cold fusion.
Two questions: 1) How are you defining middle class? 2) What do you consider construction jobs? General contractors who do their own work? Project managers? Architects? Day-laborers?
I still maintain contacts with some folks I know in Texas who are involved in light (domestic) construction. No one's getting filthy rich, but they've put kids through college and no one's going hungry. I'll grant that day-laborers are a different story, but qualified and competent skilled workers (electricians, concrete men, carpenters, roofers, etc) make decent wages.
I'd estimate at least 50% of construction, in terms of money made, is remodeling of some kind, not repair work. This can be anything from deciding your backyard needs a patio or a deck to upgrading your kitchen with new cabinetry and fixtures to adding a new room to the house. Remodeling is generally only done by people with enough disposable income, so in that sense construction can be economically good.
Speaking as an American (USA-ian?), there's an element of our population that seems to think that government solutions are the only ones worth pursuing.The idea that the tools and powers they give the government may one day end up in the hands of people they dislike or who dislike them seems to have not occurred to them, or at least dismissed.
I'm assuming you're referring to the 2002 Millennium Challenge Exercise. The popular accounts are incredibly one-sided (Malcolm Gladwell is a particular offender here) and ignore that many aspects of the war-game were unrealistic. For example, the red team leader, Van Riper, had small boats firing missiles that were physically beyond the capability of the boat to carry and having those same boats move as if they were unencumbered. While there is a lot to be learned from the reports of the exercise, it's not as bad as many people make it out to be.
Mein Kampf has been available in English since about 1933 in one translation or another. You're thinking of the German language publication. The copyright held by the state of Bavaria expired in 2016, which places the text in the public domain. A group of German academics got together and released a version with notaions to get ahead of neo-Nazi groups who might try and publish their own version for propaganda purposes. Wikipedia has more information.
Not quite true. While the Schengen Zone largely eliminates visa & passport controls between member-nations, airlines still require a form of ID when checking in and boarding the plane.* You can generally cross borders via rail or automobile without issue, but recently Austria & Germany have instituted temporary border controls, to include random** spot checks of passports.
*Source: I've flown between the UK, Italy, Germany, Finland, Malta, Greece, and Portugal multiple times in the last 18 months. **If you pay attention to whom gets asked for identification, it's pretty clear what kind of profiling is going on.
Slashdot Mirror
Grandpa, did you serve in the Great Meme Wars of 2018?
It's been a while since I read Sun Tzu, but this seems appropriate: "Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
I'm out of modpoints, but fortunately you're already at a +5. Thanks for writing that. It was one of the more informative comments I've seen on Slashdot in a bit.
Say it with me now "tax exemptions are not the same as subsidies." Unless of course you believe that the government has some inherit right to our money solely on the basis of its existence.
I can't decide if you're a troll or just dumb. You do realize most of those troops are Federal troops, right? As in, they take orders from the US government, not the government of California (National Guard excluded). Do you really think the entirety of the Pacific Fleet is going to suddenly start taking orders from the newly-elected President of the Republic of California? Hell do you think the training units out at 29 Palms or Fort Irwin are going to just switch allegiance?
Right, because anyone asking for an explanation automatically voted for Trump.
The Wikipedia page on the Islamic Golden Age makes for some interesting reading on that. I remember a talk I heard a while back given by a Saudi Arabian science fiction writer on the downfall of literature in Arabic culture. You have 1001 Nights and then....mostly nothing. The author blamed it on a particularly reactionary Caliphs who felt people were neglecting spiritual matters in their pursuit of worldly knowledge. Unfortunately I've misplaced my note from that lecture and my Google-fu is failing me so I can't provide you any further sources at the moment.
The Soviets, not the US, invaded Afghanistan in 1979 following a communist-led coup that spiraled out of control. Things were pretty nasty before the US got involved. Try to keep some perspective.
Well, we would but don't actually have any idea who they are...
So...the anti-mdsolar? If they reply to each other do we get the destruction of the Internet?
Forgot to include the link in my comment. See for yourself.
I can't speak for Australia, but I know pig breeders in the US made a concerted effort to breed leaner pigs as a result of the low-fact craze.
In addition, China would be dealing with a surge of refugees / defectors / dissedents coming across its eastern border. Right now the NK state manages most of the border security on its side but in the event of war, I expect border security might become a lot more lax. Much of China's wealth is concentrated in the eastern provinces, but the provinces directly bordering NK aren't particularly wealthy and would have a hard time absorbing the influx of NK people. The Chinese government might be willing to resettle some of them but I doubt it's willing to take as many people as would probably come across the border.
Eh, I figured we were going when NK started shelling population SK islands back in 2010 and yet here we are.
Interesting tangent, the Pentagon and the IRS estimate the cost of the last 16 years of war to be about $7740 per US citizen. That's a low-end estimate, certainly, but it's interesting to think about.
Cite your source on that. And don't tell me to "go do my homework". You made the claim, you back it up.
I don't have mods points today (and you're at a +5 anyway) so allow me to add a quote instead. "Our civil liberties are not burdens, they’re what make our country great". Rep Will Hurd (R-TX)
The solution to ending Facebook is simple: stop using. Well, simple in theory anyway. Facebook only has as much power as we (I'm speaking in the collective sense here) give it. Stop using it. Convince others to stop using it. While you're at it, perfect cold fusion.
Two questions: 1) How are you defining middle class? 2) What do you consider construction jobs? General contractors who do their own work? Project managers? Architects? Day-laborers?
I still maintain contacts with some folks I know in Texas who are involved in light (domestic) construction. No one's getting filthy rich, but they've put kids through college and no one's going hungry. I'll grant that day-laborers are a different story, but qualified and competent skilled workers (electricians, concrete men, carpenters, roofers, etc) make decent wages.
I'd estimate at least 50% of construction, in terms of money made, is remodeling of some kind, not repair work. This can be anything from deciding your backyard needs a patio or a deck to upgrading your kitchen with new cabinetry and fixtures to adding a new room to the house. Remodeling is generally only done by people with enough disposable income, so in that sense construction can be economically good.
Damn! Where are my mod-points when I need them? Any chance I can get compensation for my now coffee-soaked keyboard?
Speaking as an American (USA-ian?), there's an element of our population that seems to think that government solutions are the only ones worth pursuing.The idea that the tools and powers they give the government may one day end up in the hands of people they dislike or who dislike them seems to have not occurred to them, or at least dismissed.
I'm assuming you're referring to the 2002 Millennium Challenge Exercise. The popular accounts are incredibly one-sided (Malcolm Gladwell is a particular offender here) and ignore that many aspects of the war-game were unrealistic. For example, the red team leader, Van Riper, had small boats firing missiles that were physically beyond the capability of the boat to carry and having those same boats move as if they were unencumbered. While there is a lot to be learned from the reports of the exercise, it's not as bad as many people make it out to be.
Source: Conversations with a participant of MC02.
Mein Kampf has been available in English since about 1933 in one translation or another. You're thinking of the German language publication. The copyright held by the state of Bavaria expired in 2016, which places the text in the public domain. A group of German academics got together and released a version with notaions to get ahead of neo-Nazi groups who might try and publish their own version for propaganda purposes. Wikipedia has more information.
Sorry, if he won? Trump did win. He didn't win the popular vote, but he did win the election by the rules of US elections.
Not quite true. While the Schengen Zone largely eliminates visa & passport controls between member-nations, airlines still require a form of ID when checking in and boarding the plane.* You can generally cross borders via rail or automobile without issue, but recently Austria & Germany have instituted temporary border controls, to include random** spot checks of passports.
*Source: I've flown between the UK, Italy, Germany, Finland, Malta, Greece, and Portugal multiple times in the last 18 months.
**If you pay attention to whom gets asked for identification, it's pretty clear what kind of profiling is going on.