Gorth

True. You could argue, that nobody really had any business in Afghanistan after Bin Ladens death

You can no more defeat the Taliban militarily than you could the Viet Cong. You would think people had learned the lessons from the 60's and 70's but obviously not. You want to fight a movement that is rooted in a population, you need to either genocide them away (like the English did with the Boers) or win over the population by offering them a notably better life. Building the odd water purification system for a village or a school here or there is not going to cut it. You have to really show them better alternatives worth striving for. So far, it hasn't happened.

I eventually got around to watch Deadpool. I know, I bought the DVD quite a while ago, but with about a 100 still unwatched DVD movies in my cupboards, I was a bit proud of myself of actually sitting still and watch an entire movie from start to end. Doesn't happen often these days. I supposed that is also a reason I don't have Netflix. What's the point if I can't endure that much passive entertainment that is watching a single movie? The beauty of watching old movies I've seen before, I can fast forward and just watch the "good parts", skipping the parts that makes me feel impatient to get on with it. Dusted off two Peter Jackson classics, which I'm going to have a go at this weekend. "Bad Taste" and "Braindead". Both from a time when Peter Jackson still made good movies Edit: Oh yeah, Deadpool... it was fun. Silly at times. Too silly at times. Overall, fun though. Didn't regret watching it. I do like silly humour (I'm not a Monty Python fan for nothing)

Maybe it's a painful phase a country just has to go through? As much as I dislike the Taliban and their (lack of) human values, they do have one thing in common with Mussolini's Fascist party in the 1920's... they are effective at stomping out corruption and organized crime (The Fascist party made mortal enemies of the Italian mafia by regularly decorating streetlights with dangling Mafiosi and their henchmen, summarily executed). The conservative part of Afghanistan actually appreciate the stability and lack of corruption in the areas the Taliban control, hence why it's at this point in time at least, a steep, uphill battle winning the hearts and minds of the rural Afghan population. The cesspool that is the established politicians were never going to be able to hang on to power. The corruption and inefficiency is simply too rampant. Every man for himself and his wallet.

Animated movie taking place during the Unity Wars (as in long before even the Horus Heresy)

The US doesn't need to cut Turkey loose... they seem to have managed quite on their own to distance themselves and trying to play the middle between Russia and US (as far as I can see).

As for why China invaded Tibet in 1950... the main reason I can think of is, the two rivers (and their river valleys) @Gromnirrefers to both originates in Tibet and so makes it a strategically important area. Yes, sometimes water is more important than oil or rare earths or anything else you can dig up from the ground. Wars have been fought for less reasons than controlling rivers and water sources. On a related note, it's going to be interesting to watch how this dam blocking one of the sources of the Nile is going to pan out. Will Egypt go to war over it. On a related note to the related note, looks like the Tigrayan people have had some success in kicking the Ethiopian army's butt and the leaders of the federal government are now calling for civilians to volunteer to fight for them... well, good luck with that. If you don't have a real national identity, it's hard to use nationalism as a tool to get gullible people to fight your wars on your behalf to stay in power. Edit: Because I haven't posted much in the way of links in the last few posts https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58163641 Edit2: link for the above, alliances being formed and lines drawn in the sand? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/7/saudi-supporting-egypt-sudan-water-rights-amid-gerd-dispute

The Polish government apparently doesn't like media they can't control https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58180761 Poland's parliament has passed a new media bill that opponents say is an attempt to silence a TV channel critical of the government. The government says the law is needed to stop hostile foreign powers taking control of its broadcasters. The "hostile foreign power" may get upset though. But critics say it is an attempt to push US company Discovery to sell the country's biggest TV network, TVN. The law threatens to sour relations with the US, a key ally, and deepen EU concern over media freedom in Poland. Maybe somebody should show the Polish leadership a history book. The US has a proven track record of throwing allies to the wolves the moment the relationship isn't beneficial enough. I'm sure Putin would love a Poland all alone in the world.

Yeah, makes you wonder which country it was then, that invaded and occupied Tibet, forcing the government into exile. And then there were those naval vessels escorting Chinese, industrial grade fishing vessels into other countries territorial water so they can "strip mine" their traditional fishing grounds and chase away the locals. Seriously mate, enough with the lies and the CCP propaganda already. Edit: I'm sure the four existing military bases on Antarctica is only for "research" purposes... and the airport being expanded on Manus island to be capable of handling Chinese airforce planes or the naval base being built north of Darwin is definitely not there to enact a military blockade of Australia, oh no

Got no problem growing facial hairs. All my hair seems to grow on my head for some reason. I was once in the slightly awkward situation of having a girl asking me in all seriousness if I had wax jobs done to my arms (I was wearing a t-shirt and she was absolutely fascinated by my arms for some reason). Only after that experience did I become a bit self conscious and started looking at other peoples arms No, I really don't grow much in the way of body hair by comparison to a lot of other people and most of me could probably look like something that had had a wax treatment (never been anywhere near one). I've always had a mane on my head that made me look like a 70's hippie though.

How Russia's interference in other countries is more than the odd, botched poisoning of traitors... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58009514 A long read with "sub links". Excerpt of key parts (imho) The tablet was left behind by an unknown Wagner fighter after the group's fighters retreated from areas south of Tripoli in spring 2020. Its contents include maps in Russian of the frontline, giving confirmation of Wagner's significant presence and an unprecedented insight into the group's operations. ... Officially, it does not exist - but up to 10,000 people are believed to have taken at least one contract with Wagner since it emerged fighting alongside pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014. About 1,000 Wagner men are estimated to have fought with Gen Khalifa Haftar in Libya from 2019 to 2020. ... The BBC in Russia asked one of the ex-fighters to describe Wagner. He replied: "It is a structure, aimed at promoting the interests of the state beyond our country's borders." As for its fighters, he said they were either "professionals of war", people looking for a job, or romantics looking to serve their country. ... Andrey Chuprygin, an expert working with the Russia International Council, said the stance of the Russian government was - "let them join this thing, and we'll see what the result is. If it works out well, we can use it to our advantage. If it turns out badly, then we had nothing to do with it".

Not that I really needed any confirmation, that "anti vaxxers" suffers from one or more intellectual deficiencies... if it wasn't so sad and threatened the lives of other people I would laugh at them. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58164833 Last week, the New York Times reported that the owner of an eyewear store in the Bronx, New York, was struggling to persuade some of its staff to get a Covid vaccine, with one citing the plot of I Am Legend as a concern. "One employee said she was concerned because she thought a vaccine had caused the characters in the film I Am Legend to turn into zombies," the report said. Responding to the article, Akiva Goldsman, 59, who co-wrote the screenplay based on a 1954 novel of the same name, tweeted: "Oh. My. God. It's a movie. I made that up. It's. Not. Real."

Even Murdoch's (the guy who runs Fox News and Sky News) pet politicians in NSW is considering mandatory vaccinations in some government workplaces (health care). Going to be interesting to see how the Anti-Vaxxers and Flat-Earthers are going to react to that. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-10/nsw-considers-mandatory-covid19-vaccination-health-workers/100363250 "I've spoken to two union leaders this morning and indicated that I believe that if you want to work inside a health facility, if you want to care for patients, you should be vaccinated, because this particular virus is extremely dangerous," the Minister said. "There are precedents for compulsory, or mandatory vaccines in other areas so I've asked NSW Health to work with the unions." Edit: About the legality (in Australia) of requiring employees to get vaccinated: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/09/covid-vaccine-mandates-can-you-be-required-in-australia-to-get-the-jab Scott Morrison says mandating vaccines for workers will be left up to businesses Four states (New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia) have imposed public health orders requiring certain types of workers to get the vaccine. These include quarantine, transportation, airport, health services and aged care staff. The national cabinet has also agreed that by mid-September all aged care workers will need to have had at least one dose. Can employers require vaccination? Employment law experts, including barrister Ian Neil and Adelaide University professor Andrew Stewart, have argued that employers’ common law power to issue “lawful and reasonable” directions could allow them to require staff to be vaccinated."

This little octopus got a new home. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy at the end (and angry at the ****ing endless stream of plastic waste making it into the environment at the same time)

I don't see a conflict there. You're the one who seems to flip flop a bit about whether it's good or bad to have a free market economy, support entrepreneurs etc. but now that is suddenly bad and now you want the state to overrule private companies decisions. One moment you don't really like the EU and the next moment their data protection laws are suddenly a good thing. Not much point in a debate if you keep changing your mind. If I don't a work place, I'm happy to leave and have done so in the past. Edit: Explained in simple English: Yes, I do favour things like minimum wages to prevent workforce exploitation, I do favour work safety regulations to prevent workers from become a literally expendable asset, I do favour the enforcement of anti discrimination measures etc. No, I don't believe in a "top down" economy, where everything is decided by the those party members who are either the most ruthless or the most servile boot lickers. I do not believe people should be tied to hospital beds under guard while being forcefully injected with AZ vaccine. I do believe companies have the right to require people to get vaccinated as part of their employment conditions. It's a balancing act and we can disagree about where the sweet spot is between the extremes.

It's entirely optional. Unlike say skin colour or gender, getting vaccinated is a choice. You can chose not to work there if you don't like the job requirements. Part of living in a free market economy. Unless you want the state to control those companies. Edit: It's not like you're an Uighur (assumption on my part), so you're less at risk of getting sent to a government run company to do forced labour because you were born to the "wrong" parents.

Not entirely. It's also about the damage you can cause your workplace if not vaccinated. Like a bus driver without a license applying for a bus driver job. He may be perfectly capable of driving that bus, but if **** hits the fan, the insurance wont pay and the bus company is screwed. Hence, the company has to protect itself. The laws about what you can't use as an argument are rather specific (but in general stuff that are of discriminatory nature against things where people have no choice i.e. race, gender, sexual orientation etc.). Not that any of those things in reality impacts the workplace other than ruffling the feathers of a few bigots. Pregnancy is a special case, because most countries are interested in keeping population numbers up. Not that I really understand how that is going to solve the overpopulation issue, but for mysterious reasons they do *). Alternatively, women would just stop giving birth altogether, so you could argue there is a special case there. The task of giving birth is a bit unevenly distributed amongst men and women at the moment. *) Now I feel like watching Monty Pythons 'The Meaning of Life' again.

You don't need to "actively" punish people to get a point across. Sometimes rewarding those who embrace an idea can do the same. I.e. like some of the major financial institutions are doing in the US. If you want to work for us, you better prove you've gotten two vaccine shots or you are not a proper fit for this company. Then it's entirely up to the individual to prioritize what they want in life. A job for said institution or look for work elsewhere (and elsewhere is shrinking). Nobody is forcing them at gunpoint. It's a free country after all. Edit: Unless someone somewhere wants to argue that the government should prevent that and take over control of private companies in the old fashioned Soviet style. Edit2: Speaking of Soviet style... it does look like Florida has become a new Soviet Republic with the state government actively forbidding local authorities from trying to prevent the pandemic.

The first one was funnier

Your exposure to Xi supporters seems to be very limited. Those who have seen something other than the Xi propaganda machine fears both Xi and his supporters. It can be deadly to them and their family back home in China if they don't tow the party line while abroad. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/12/chinese-students-in-australia-fear-reprisals-at-home-if-they-speak-out-inquiry-hears Chinese students in Australia are afraid to speak out on politically sensitive issues because of potential repercussions for relatives back home, a parliamentary inquiry has been told. Human Rights Watch has said its ongoing research into academic freedom in Australia had found anxiety and loneliness among Chinese students, with some engaging in self-censorship to avoid a backlash from Beijing. Addressing an inquiry into foreign interference in the university sector, Sophie McNeill, a researcher for Human Rights Watch Australia, said on Thursday there was “a very deep fear of being watched, of being reported on”. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/australian-campuses-chinese-students-fear-beijings-surveillance TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Chen Yun, a Chinese student at the University of Melbourne, has always been curious about different political systems. After she arrived in Australia, she started posting on social media about the push for democratic reforms in China. Then came the harassment. She started receiving emails warning that she should be “careful” because if she returns to China, someone would “give her a lesson.” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/30/theyre-being-watched-chinese-pro-democracy-students-in-australia-face-threats-and-insults Wu Lebao, 38, recounts receiving a string of insulting messages and calls from a fellow student calling him stupid and a traitor to China. The alleged harassment experienced by Wu – who is studying mathematics at the Australian National University in Canberra – recently took a disturbing turn. “He also said he would come to my door at night,” Wu, who lives in student accommodation, tells Guardian Australia. “It worried me a little bit.” https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/30/they-dont-understand-fear-we-have/how-chinas-long-reach-repression-undermines Surveillance, Harassment, and Threats The Chinese government maintains surveillance of Chinese mainland and Hong Kong students in Australian universities. Human Rights Watch verified three cases of students whose family in China were visited or were requested to meet with police regarding the student’s activities in Australia. While this number is low (though other cases may not have been reported to Human Rights Watch), the fact this occurs at all is enough to keep thousands of other students on edge and fearful. So yes, death threats to themselves and their family back home is what awaits those Chinese who dares mention such ideas like democracy to Xi supporters. we will have to disagree on that front as I think your view on Xi his reign of terror, is naive at best and dangerous at worst. Don't get me started on how the Uighurs might feel about daring to speak out about their misgivings to Xi supporters. Edit: Dangerous, because you are exactly that kind of "weak link" that XI supporters would love to recruit to track, harass and abuse people who are against the regime, in places where Chinese intelligence can't operate overtly.

There, fixed it for you. Both China and Russia are about as fascist as you get. Big business is *tolerated* as long as they dance to the tune of the presiding autocrat, whether Putin or Xi. Russian billionaires who thought themselves safe are wetting their pants, fearing the knock on the door from intelligence officers. Chinese billionaires are "disappearing" after mock trial and sentence according to the new Hong Kong rules (basically, anything critical of the regime is a crime punishable by whatever we can make up at the time).

I suppose there are hobbies and there are hobbies! https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58077039 "The defendant, 84, has been handed a suspended prison sentence of 14 months and has been ordered to pay a fine of €250,000 (£213,469). Officials found the tank and other World War Two-era military equipment at the defendant's house in the northern town of Heikendorf in 2015. The army had to help remove the items. On Monday, the court ordered that the defendant, who cannot be named under German privacy laws, must sell or donate the tank and an anti-aircraft cannon to a museum or collector within the next two years." No constitutional rights to have tanks and anti anti-aircraft cannons at home in Germany by the looks of it

DeSantis... "The Florida Butcher"? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58077209 "US health officials say 11,515 Florida residents are currently in hospital. Many are younger and healthier than patients seen earlier in the pandemic. On Saturday, Florida set a record for most new infections in a single day. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis opposes efforts to make vaccines or masks mandatory. Across the US, one in three new cases last week were recorded in Florida or Texas." Sort of a giveaway what parts of the US *not* to be in, at least at the moment I suppose.

I *think* they (or the wife at least) is a bit homesick for Serbia. They had planned to go back for an "extended vacation" this winter (that's summer time in Europe, i.e. July/August). Obviously not going to happen. We sometimes sit and watch pictures and google earth/streetview from her home town and hear the stories about them having to take cover when Nato planes were bombing the area.

For whatever reason my Serbian friends don’t like Djokovic and always cheers for his opponent. Even when we went to see one of his matches live at Australian Open. Something about him seems to rub people the wrong way.