World Politics

[Semper Fidelis]

I agree with you that it would be much better for the Greek’s to be bankrupt / default. There eventually comes a time when you have to stop floating checks to cover floated checks.

I am not trying to post nonsense so I hope no one thinks this next question and paragraph is a nonsense post. Does Greece produce anything that the world wants or needs? They have Olives, Tomatoes etc. Not sure how even if the reset and default what would that do?[/QUOTE]

I don't mean to be pedantic, but the question, as I see it, should be what has Greece given humanity?

How about the world's greatest patrimony of consciousness and aesthetics.

Now I know these immaterial things mean absolutely nothing to the world of the market economy we live with today.

But this is also why our existence has become infinately less noble and depressing, from those days when men contemplated things like beauty and justice.

In any case, the Greece debacle isn't just a regional economic tragedy, but one of a human patrimony in terms of a civilization and culture of incalculable worth.

On the bright side, we always have the comedy of Italia.

Thank you for pointing those things out to me. I had NO IDEA.

 

[blutto]

You don't like sports analogies because they blow gaping holes in your way of thinking in such a simple way that most five-year-old's can grasp it.

As for the rest? I can always tell when I strike close to what you know to be true because you get so pissy.

...you keep making the same mistake, and you know, for awhile it had a certain naive charm...but that charm certainly has tarnished...

...so let me spell it out for because you seem incapable of seeing the hints...simple is not the same as simplistic and you keep confusing the two....and yes you do the simplistic thang real good but you have get up to speed and learn how to do simple ( and then we'll teach you complex but you may have to change party affiliations for that and learn to use lots of really big words like the grown-ups do)...because this is a very sharp and fast crowd you're hanging with here and there is the real possibility that the next time you get dropped you'll never get back on...

Cheers

blutto

 

[blutto]

You don't like sports analogies because they blow gaping holes in your way of thinking in such a simple way that most five-year-old's can grasp it.


As for the rest? I can always tell when I strike close to what you know to be true because you get so pissy.

...so what you're saying is that you dumbed down the argument so that you could understand it....and in the way only you guys can do it, blame someone else for the embarassment of having to do it...


...and for the second part...oh this one is easy...its called projection...but not to worry because in really bad cases such as yours they can usually prescribe medication that really helps , so there is hope for you...and it come in several flavours...I prefer the Scotch variety....

Cheers

blutto

 

[redtreviso]

...so what you're saying is that you dumbed down the argument so that you could understand it....and in the way only you guys can do it, blame someone else for the embarassment of having to do it...


...and for the second part...oh this one is easy...its called projection...but not to worry because in really bad cases such as yours they can usually prescribe medication that really helps , so there is hope for you...and it come in several flavours...I prefer the Scotch variety....

Cheers

blutto

Sometimes the cure is the problem

 

[rhubroma]

You don't like sports analogies because they blow gaping holes in your way of thinking in such a simple way that most five-year-old's can grasp it.

As for the rest? I can always tell when I strike close to what you know to be true because you get so pissy.

I know, I have always known my head to be full of gaping holes. Like swiss cheese. Nothing new there.

But, as Elmer Fud used to say: "I smew a wat!"...as childish as this may seem.

 

[rhubroma]

Thank you for pointing those things out to me. I had NO IDEA.

Well that's good to know.

 

[Anonymous]

...and for the second part...oh this one is easy...its called projection...but not to worry because in really bad cases such as yours they can usually prescribe medication that really helps , so there is hope for you...and it come in several flavours...I prefer the Scotch variety....

Cheers

blutto

...so what you're saying is that you dumbed down the argument so that you could understand it....and in the way only you guys can do it, blame someone else for the embarassment of having to do it...

"you guys".... tisk, tisk.

BTW, how you doing on the question of the day?

...and for the second part...oh this one is easy...its called projection

Projection? No, it was just an accurate observation.

 

[Anonymous]

...you keep making the same mistake, and you know, for awhile it had a certain naive charm...but that charm certainly has tarnished...

...so let me spell it out for because you seem incapable of seeing the hints...simple is not the same as simplistic and you keep confusing the two....and yes you do the simplistic thang real good but you have get up to speed and learn how to do simple ( and then we'll teach you complex but you may have to change party affiliations for that and learn to use lots of really big words like the grown-ups do)...because this is a very sharp and fast crowd you're hanging with here and there is the real possibility that the next time you get dropped you'll never get back on...

Cheers

blutto

.because this is a very sharp and fast crowd you're hanging with here

Now whose projecting?

 

[blutto]

Now whose projecting?

...nah...that was just a stunningly sharp observation....

Cheers

blutto

 

[ramjambunath]

Greek Govt wins trust vote

153 MPs voted in favour of the govt.

 

[usedtobefast]

Greek Govt wins trust vote

153 MPs voted in favour of the govt.

for me this is so weird. as i understand it, if there was a referendum, the Greek
people would likely vote it down. so what we have here is an economic war. the
socalled G20 VS Greece. and really the German ,French and other banks want to cover there butts,at the expense of the Greek people. you are next, be ready.
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

 

[ramjambunath]

for me this is so weird. as i understand it, if there was a referendum, the Greek
people would likely vote it down. so what we have here is an economic war. the
socalled G20 VS Greece. and really the German ,French and other banks want to cover there butts,at the expense of the Greek people. you are next, be ready.
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

While I agree that govt would lose if there was an election today, the referendum would be only for the one policy which if shot down would have significantly weakened the govt and it would have lost the trust vote (I believe).

I think that the G8 is then only group of countries that is involved in the Eurozone crisis and seriously can't believe that India would be weighing in on this issue. I think that the banks and the future of the Euro itself are the two main reasons that the main EU powers don't want Greece to fail unlike Iceland which wasn't an EU country and most of the debts were held by Icelandic banks.

 

[ramjambunath]

Top Farc rebel leader Alfonso Cano killed in Colombia

The leader of Colombia's left-wing Farc guerrilla group, Alfonso Cano, has been killed, the defence minister says.

Juan Carlos Pinzon said Mr Cano had died in an army operation in mountains in the south-west of the country. Mr Pinzon urged Farc rebels to demobilise.

Colombia had offered a reward of nearly $4m (£2.5m) for information leading to Mr Cano's capture.

Security forces have killed a number of Farc commanders and arrested many others in recent years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15604456

 

[ramjambunath]

India not granted MFN status, says Gilani

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has made it clear that Pakistan has not granted the Most Favoured Nation status to India, saying the Commerce Ministry has only been tasked to move forward on the issue in bilateral negotiations.

“The Cabinet has only given its approval in principle to move forward on the issue (of MFN) and permitted the Ministry of Commerce, which is actively engaged in trade talks with New Delhi, to negotiate with it trade-related issues,” Mr. Gilani told reporters at his home in Lahore on Friday night.

“We will give it the go-ahead if the situation is quite favourable and in the national interest. Otherwise, proceedings on it would be withheld,” the Premier was quoted as saying by the media.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2600583.ece?homepage=true

That's a bit of a let down, just when things were seeming like moving forward.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Top Farc rebel leader Alfonso Cano killed in Colombia.

That actually is news. As one who tries to keep up somewhat with Latin American goings on, this is likely to cause celebration of sorts from President Santos. But I have no real reason to think this means FARC is dead. There are still many problems in Columbia, and one would have to think that financing of FARC through drug trafficking isn't going to go away either.

 

[ramjambunath]

That actually is news. As one who tries to keep up somewhat with Latin American goings on, this is likely to cause celebration of sorts from President Santos. But I have no real reason to think this means FARC is dead. There are still many problems in Columbia, and one would have to think that financing of FARC through drug trafficking isn't going to go away either.

FARC as a movement will go on, very similar to Al Qaeda without Bin Laden. The closest comparison to modern times that I draw with FARC would be the Tamil Eelam Tigers in Sri Lanka and their leader Prabhakaran was killed in an outright war against the LTTE. I'd believe to destroy a movement like the FARC a similar war may need to be fought and human rights excesses will be very likely mainly because of the steady revenue for the locals through drug trafficking carried out by FARC and other organisations.

 

[ramjambunath]

Alpe D'huez as you rightly pointed out his death has sparked celebrations in Colombia

Colombians celebrate killing of FARC rebel leader

Colombians rejoiced at the killing of top FARC rebel leader Alfonso Cano and hoped the biggest blow yet against Latin America's longest insurgency could herald an end to nearly five decades of war.

In a triumph for President Juan Manuel Santos' government, forces bombed a FARC jungle hideout in southwestern Cauca region on Friday, killing several rebels, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said.

Troops then rappelled down from helicopters to search the area, killing Cano in a gun battle a short time later.

Pictures of his dead body -- with his trademark beard shaven off -- were broadcast on television.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/05/us-colombia-rebels-idUSTRE7A40CV20111105


US General Peter Fuller fired as Afghan training chief

A senior US commander has been dismissed after he made disparaging comments about Afghanistan's leaders.

Maj Gen Peter Fuller, deputy commander of Nato's Afghan training mission, said in an interview with Politico the country's leadership was "isolated from reality".

It is not clear whether Gen Fuller will be reassigned or will retire.

The head of US forces in Afghanistan says Gen Fuller's comments do not represent the US-Afghan relationship.

Gen John Allen described the two countries as "solid", adding: "The Afghan people are an honourable people, and comments such as these will not keep us from accomplishing our most critical and shared mission - bringing about a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15604151

 

[pugdog]

I agree with you that it would be much better for the Greek’s to be bankrupt / default. There eventually comes a time when you have to stop floating checks to cover floated checks.

I am not trying to post nonsense so I hope no one thinks this next question and paragraph is a nonsense post. Does Greece produce anything that the world wants or needs? They have Olives, Tomatoes etc. Not sure how even if the reset and default what would that do?

Just to answer your question, Greece has the largest merchant marine in the world, and transports approximately 60% of Europe's merchandise. That's where the problem is. Tax the shipowners or ships, and they change flags in half a day.

Historically Greece has always been constructed by its emigrants. The Mediterranean and the Black Sea are peppered with Greek cities that were founded because they needed to get produce to their home markets. Essentially they would go and show the autochthonous people how to grow olives or grapes, how to make oil or wine, and then transport the resulting merchandise all over the known world. In modern times, Greece's roads, hospitals, and schools were often built by donating emigrants. Greece is not an industrial nation, and it is not an agricultural nation, it is a maritime nation, hence the difficulty in organizing finances, and hence the impossibility of following the German industrial model.

That's my two cents.

 

[rhubroma]

Just to answer your question, Greece has the largest merchant marine in the world, and transports approximately 60% of Europe's merchandise. That's where the problem is. Tax the shipowners or ships, and they change flags in half a day.

Historically Greece has always been constructed by its emigrants. The Mediterranean and the Black Sea are peppered with Greek cities that were founded because they needed to get produce to their home markets. Essentially they would go and show the autochthonous people how to grow olives or grapes, how to make oil or wine, and then transport the resulting merchandise all over the known world. In modern times, Greece's roads, hospitals, and schools were often built by donating emigrants. Greece is not an industrial nation, and it is not an agricultural nation, it is a maritime nation, hence the difficulty in organizing finances, and hence the impossibility of following the German industrial model.

That's my two cents.

Very elegantly expressed and informative. Especially the last line, which is the real issue. Our market culture expects that all participants will live up to the same standards, when, of coures, human society and culture simply doesn't work that way. It is certainly the case between the decline of the Western and the rise of the Eastern socities in the shift in global orientation, for example. While in many ways, as it has been elucidated here by others, the two camps are socially, culturally and economically incompatible.

Now this opens up a whole can of worms, but I thought I'd just mention it.

 

[ramjambunath]

Important news

2 Policemen and 5 Taliban militants Charge with Bhutto Assassination

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has charged two senior police officers over the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

They were charged with security breaches and failure to protect her, AFP news agency quoted a public prosecutor as saying.

Five alleged Taliban militants have also been charged with criminal conspiracy over Bhutto's death.

She died in a gun and bomb attack while campaigning for election.

One of the police officers charged was Saud Aziz, the chief of police at the time in Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was killed.

He and the other police officer were arrested nearly a year ago. AFP said the suspected Taliban members had been in custody for nearly four years.

Source

 

[pugdog]

Here's an interesting article that more or less describes what is happening in Greece.http://sturdyblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/democracy-vs-mythology-the-battle-in-syntagma-square/

Sadly nothing has changed since it was written, other than that Italy is now the target.

 

[craig1985]

I don't know why the Greeks think defaulting is a good idea, it will make everything worse. Oh and the idea of running to the bank and withdrawing every euro that you have, like what people where doing in Argentina with the peso and hiding it under the mattress, not a good idea either.

 

[The Hitch]

Top Farc rebel leader Alfonso Cano killed in Colombia

That actually is news. As one who tries to keep up somewhat with Latin American goings on, this is likely to cause celebration of sorts from President Santos. But I have no real reason to think this means FARC is dead. There are still many problems in Columbia, and one would have to think that financing of FARC through drug trafficking isn't going to go away either.

Agree that is big news .Don't know what to make of it atm though.

 

[redtreviso]

That actually is news. As one who tries to keep up somewhat with Latin American goings on, this is likely to cause celebration of sorts from President Santos. But I have no real reason to think this means FARC is dead. There are still many problems in Columbia, and one would have to think that financing of FARC through drug trafficking isn't going to go away either.

Hasn't Santos been involved in death squads, killing people who might have FARC thoughts?

just saying

 

[ramjambunath]

Bomb and Gun attacks in Damataru, Nigeria. A hospital reports that around 60 people have been killed.
It follows attacks on security forces in the nearby city of Maiduguri blamed on the Islamist Boko Haram group.

Agree that is big news .Don't know what to make of it atm though.

A pseudo govt group like the FARC, which controls a lot of the forest land, will not be wiped out without a concerted effort ala Sri Lanka. India also faces similar problems in poverty ridden states in the Central and Eastern parts with Maoism/Naxalism and the fact that some of these (Colombian) people have some sort of steady income through whatever means that there will be some sort of loyalty to the movement. I also believe that without a concerted effort (an end game), there will always be a number 2 in command. It may take years but the fact that is if FARC is weakening, according to the govt, may mean that either a 'ceasefire' is on its way or a final attack may happen (but I don't think they are that weak yet).

Though Sri Lanka's human rights excesses have been widely criticised, I don't think that most country's are in a position to do so. I think of the IRA and the problems the UK had, Sri Lanka's were magnified by a large amount.