[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

You did say print journalists were just behind their TV counterparts.

When?! I said TV news programs are losing their position as the main news source the way print media lost it to TV news — that's what "dodo path" means. You do know about the dodo bird, dontcha?

As for the agnosticism/atheism/apatheism discussion, it devolved real fucking quick. Correction: no, it didn't; it actually took its sweet time because your post was such an extremely long and boring to death reply I'm surprised you didn't fall into a verbosity COMA. Before you tell me I'm with the TLDR crowd or have no time for depth or context ( — we've been here before, man), a) I did read it all and b) a significant portion of the books in my collection approach the 1,000-page mark (and I like 'em, whaddayaknow). But unless your aim is to ramble, an engaging logical structure of progress is more relevant than ever when your text is relatively lengthy, given that you're supposed to be really making your case. Fuck it, though — since you didn't follow much of what I was saying, I'll also take your words lightly and say that I can't disprove the existence of lizard people. Good talk.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by evollove

By the way, I'd give any amount of money to hear him tell Malala Yousafzai to her face that her religion is stupid and that she's a brainwashed sheep.

(Look her up. Meet a hero.)

Ah, Mr. Enlightened, I believe? The one who chided us for not truly getting active! But then decided there was nothing to do except sit around eating bonbons anyway! And congratulated himself for arriving at that conclusion before anyone here! Yet later he started talking about marching again! Which will come next?! Fuck if we know!

Never did I think I'd engage with one of your posts once more after you directly compared me to the most repulsive human being on Earth, but if you think we don't know who Malala is and have to look her up (!) you're out of your smug skull. She is indeed an amazing hero and at 19 she has already accomplished more than any of us ever will. Dunno how Bill Maher would handle it, don't particularly care right now, but if I had the privilege of talking with her and at some point the course of the conversation took us to the matter of religion I certainly would point out that hers is stupid. So the fuck what. So was Ghandi's and MLK's. The values they literally defended with their lives are those stated in, for instance, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — not necessarily in their religions' deranged "sacred texts"...

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Dunno how Bill Maher would handle it, don't particularly care right now, but if I had the privilege of talking with her and at some point the course of the conversation took us to the matter of religion I certainly would point out that hers is stupid.

and this is why they didn't call you to do the interview.

[h8kurdt]

Originally Posted by evollove

By the way, I'd give any amount of money to hear him tell Malala Yousafzai to her face that her religion is stupid and that she's a brainwashed sheep.

(Look her up. Meet a hero.)

Ha! Is this you trying out obscure everyone with a massive political figure?

I've heard of a band you probably won't know them but you should. They're called Velvet Underground. Look em up; educate yourself.

[evollove]

Cool. I had no idea she was as popular as VU.

If it's not an uncouth question, may I ask how much you donated to her fund? Or did you spend the money on a VU boxed set or some shit?

Just kidding. We're all assholes and deserve this shitty world.


EDIT: Woke at 3 AM with a 100 degree fever. I'm going to die. If I make the world seem worse that it is, I won't mind so much.

[ilduclo]

I guess to further splain what I like about Bill M, he is a counter to the weird religiosity that pervades the US. If he's ridiculing all religion at the same time, at least he's consistent. I really dislike the free to practice religion folks that say, "Yeah, except for that sect or that practice. That's a mighty slippery slope, menheers.
As to Malala, I really feel for her and other victims of religious persecution, but her religion, if I'm not mistaken, is the same as those of her persecutors...just different sect and/or practice, therefore leading to the above.
Had a brief discussion with a woman who said the Democratic Party was not open enough to anti-abortion people....again, leading to the above

is this circular enough yet?

[Severian]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

Ha! Is this you trying out obscure everyone with a massive political figure?

I've heard of a band you probably won't know them but you should. They're called Velvet Underground. Look em up; educate yourself.

Hah!

No offense evollove. I'm not hah-ing at you, or even necessarily supporting this post, but it made me laugh.

ETA: I don't need to look her up, because I remember when she was attached, and the torrent of coverage the incident received all over the world. Also I'm not a complete idiot (maybe half-idiot, but not compete).
However, I did not donate to her fund. No excuses to give for that, because I bought every one of the VU's 45th anniversary album reissues. Not the 2disc versions either. The big-ass, $150 4xCD/book/deluxe case versions. Yup. I'm shit.

[ilduclo]

back on topic

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics...-meals-wheels/

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by ilduclo

back on topic

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics...-meals-wheels/

TRUMPOCALYPSE.

On a lighter note, Drump & Co. fuck up St. Patrick's Day.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

I bought every one of the VU's 45th anniversary album reissues. Not the 2disc versions either. The big-ass, $150 4xCD/book/deluxe case versions.

Incidentally, The Velvet Underground & Nico turned 50 exactly five days ago. Even though I don't follow Twitter at all, somehow last Sunday I checked Brian Eno's reminder of this epic anniversary. Epic! Man, tons and tons of cooliosity on Eno's Twitter account, including many links to bitchen bootlegs and back-in-the-day press articles and whatnot. And did you guys know about Chasing The Trane, the new John Coltrane documentary? I thought Brian did not care for jazz except for Miles' "He Loved Him Madly", drilled into his brain by Robert Quine... Anyway, didn't Eno proudly pointed out he did not have a Twitter account [scroll down]?

I do apologize: this post is obviously OT as fuck. Unless "Venus In Furs" was playing when Trump got golden-showered.

[tesla69]

“Let me be very clear: the policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, economic measures. All options are on the table.”

“Certainly we do not want for things to get to a military conflict, we’re quite clear on that in our communications, but obviously if North Korea takes actions that threaten the South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response”

“If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table.” -US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

[max]

Originally Posted by Toilet & Bowels

It's saying what is happening with Trump in the States now is what happened in Italy prior to Berlusconi gaining office (i.e. a buffoonish showman from the business sector who everyone that was a joke but ended up getting elected and running the country into the ground).

But also, what is happening now with Trump is the same thing that happened in the media (at least in the UK) with Bush and Sarah Palin.

quite incredible how history repeats itself. those were all great tips.
what happened, USA?

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by max

quite incredible how history repeats itself. those were all great tips.
what happened, USA?

what happened is that this country is full of morons.

i mean, forget about the assclown president for a moment, and take a look at congress...

that's the real story

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Incidentally, The Velvet Underground & Nico turned 50 exactly five days ago.

Oh I know. Come on man. I know.

Imagine what Lou would have to say about Trump. It makes for some smile-induce imagery.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

what happened is that this country is full of morons.

i mean, forget about the assclown president for a moment, and take a look at congress...

that's the real story

 

Paul Ryan has been dreaming about kicking poor people off Medicaid since he was a drunk frat boy

[ilduclo]

Google ads are being evaluated for placement on right wing/etc sites

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/03/...sess-the-risks

[Severian]

Originally Posted by ilduclo

Google ads are being evaluated for placement on right wing/etc sites

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/03/...sess-the-risks

Ho. Lee. Crap. That's a terribly written article. Perhaps I should buck up and apply for some content editing positions, because it would take me about 10 minutes to double the readability and overall quality of that thing.

Not boasting here. I actually suck at almost everything. But that is something I could absolutely do.

Anyway, thanks for sharing, ilduclo. Article might not be great, but the information is interesting and I was not aware of this at all. If I worked for the Guardian (awesome), I'd be pretty goddamn irked.

This is surprising, and it feels particularly relevant after the revelations about Amazon and Britebart, etc. that we discussed in the movie thread.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Severian

Oh I know. Come on man. I know.

well anyone can do the math for sure, but did you have the date marked on your birthday calendar? lol. i sure didnt. but i can subtract 2017 from 1967. happy birthday something or another! it's march 19 and something is turning 50! something else, 100! but look! something else is 49 today and i must wait another year... oh yeah i'll wait! you just wait!

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by tesla69

“Let me be very clear: the policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security, economic measures. All options are on the table.”

“Certainly we do not want for things to get to a military conflict, we’re quite clear on that in our communications, but obviously if North Korea takes actions that threaten the South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response”

“If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table.” -US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

So that's what Rexxon Tillerson said. And to you this is... what, exactly. "Yay nuclear holocaust!"? You're beyond fucking redemption. Time for some Political Science:

No one likes us — I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but Heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money — but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us — so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and PULVERIZE THEM

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot and Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All-American amusement park there
They got surfin', too!

BOOM goes London and BOOM Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
Youll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me!
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
LET'S DROP THE BIG ONE NOW

[The Soup Nazi]

From https://fareedzakaria.com/2017/03/17...aton-to-china/ :

Trump prepares to pass the world leadership baton to China
By Fareed Zakaria

We do not yet have the official agenda for next month's meeting in Florida between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. But after 75 years of U.S. leadership on the world stage, the Mar-a-Lago summit might mark the beginning of a handover of power from the United States to China. Trump has embraced a policy of retreat from the world, opening a space that will be eagerly filled by the Communist Party of China.

Trump railed against China on the campaign trail, bellowing that it was "raping" the United States. He vowed to label it a currency manipulator on his first day in office. But in his first interaction with Beijing, he caved. Weeks after his election, Trump speculated that he might upgrade relations with Taiwan. In response, Xi froze all contacts between Beijing and Washington on all issues, demanding that Trump reverse himself — which is exactly what happened. (Perhaps just coincidentally, a few weeks later, the Chinese government granted the Trump Organization dozens of trademark rights in China, with a speed and on a scale that surprised many experts.)

The Trump administration's vision for disengagement from the world is a godsend for China. Look at Trump's proposed budget, which would cut spending on "soft power" — diplomacy, foreign aid, international organizations — by 28 percent. Beijing, by contrast, has quadrupled the budget of its foreign ministry in the past decade. And that doesn't include its massive spending on aid and development across Asia and Africa. Just tallying some of Beijing's key development commitments, George Washington University's David Shambaugh estimates the total at $1.4 trillion, compared with the Marshall Plan, which in today’s dollars would cost about $100 billion.

China's growing diplomatic strength matters. An Asian head of government recently told me that at every regional conference, "Washington sends a couple of diplomats, whereas Beijing sends dozens. The Chinese are there at every committee meeting, and you are not." The result, he said, is that Beijing is increasingly setting the Asian agenda.

The Trump administration wants to skimp on U.S. funding for the United Nations. This is music to Chinese ears. Beijing has been trying to gain influence in the global body for years. It has increased its funding for the U.N. across the board and would likely be delighted to pick up the slack as the United States withdraws. As Foreign Policy magazine's Colum Lynch observes, China has already become the second-largest funder of U.N. peacekeeping and has more peacekeepers than the other four permanent Security Council members combined. Of course, in return for this, China will gain increased influence, from key appointments to shifts in policy throughout the U.N. system.

The first major act of the Trump administration was to pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a treaty that would have opened up long-closed economies such as Japan and Vietnam, but also would have created a bloc that could stand up to China's increasing domination of trade in Asia. The TPP was, in Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's words, "a litmus test" of U.S. credibility in Asia. With Washington's withdrawal, even staunchly pro-American allies such as Australia are hedging their bets. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has raised the possibility of China joining the TPP, essentially turning a group that was meant to be a deterrent against China into one more arm of Chinese influence.

The United States' global role has always meant being at the cutting edge in science, education and culture. Here again, Washington is scaling back while Beijing is ramping up. In Trump's proposed budget, the National Institutes of Health, NASA and the national laboratories face crippling cuts, as do many exchange programs that have brought generations of young leaders to be trained in the United States and exposed to American values. Beijing, meanwhile, has continued to expand "Confucius Institutes" around the world and now offers 20,000 scholarships for foreign students to go to China. Its funding for big science rises every year. The world's largest telescope is in China, not the United States.

The Trump administration does want a bigger military. But that has never been how China has sought to compete with U.S. power. Chinese leaders have pointed out to me that this was the Soviet strategy during the Cold War, one that failed miserably. The implication was: Let Washington waste resources on the Pentagon, while Beijing would focus on economics, technology and soft power.

Trump's new national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, once remarked that trying to fight the United States symmetrically — tank for tank — was "stupid." The smart strategy would be an asymmetrical one. The Chinese seem to understand this.

(c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group