Ball of Confusion

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 5:59 pm

Umm, this isn't good.

Post by **brian** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:06 pm

After the Chinese slaughter thousands of protestors, Trump will "joke" he wishes he could do that here. Book it.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:09 am

brian wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:06 pm After the Chinese slaughter thousands of protestors, Trump will "joke" he wishes he could do that here. Book it.

It seems so quaint looking back, how upset I was when Bush Jr. made a joke that his job would be so much easier if he was head of a dictatorship. I mean, of course he was joking but with Trump, there is a genuine affinity for and envy of strongman dictators.

Post by **brian** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:12 pm

howard wrote: ↑Fri Feb 28, 2014 7:56 pm Best article I've seen on the background for these current events: Everything you know about Ukraine is wrong.

Either yesterday or today, Russian troops were confirmed to be onshore in Sevastopol, confirmed by press release from the Russian Foreign Ministry (and Google Translate for me.) Not many, and only in limited parts of Crimea, so far.

And a word of criticism of Mr. Obama's vapid, dangerous foreign policy. There is nothing Obama and West can do to stop Putin from seizing part or all of the Ukraine. Nothing. When you spout empty rhetoric about 'red lines', consequences and costs, you degrade the power of your rhetoric to deter bad action by foreign nations when you can, and will back it up.

For example, there is some point at which Chinese aggression against Japan, Taiwan or the Philipines will be opposed. When you warn the Chinese, 'you better not, or else', they are gonna remember, 'yeah, the USA talked all that mess wrt Syria and Crimea/Ukraine, and didn't mean it, so we'll go ahead'. Then your WW3 starts.

Threaten only when you can, and will, back it up. Bluffing not only fails, but leads to failure when you aren't bluffing.

Obama is not the first leader to fuck up like this. Only the latest.

Update:

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu Oct 31, 2019 5:32 am

President of Brazil Implicated in Murder - Loses Marbles

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sun Nov 10, 2019 7:56 pm

Bolivia’s Morales resigns amid scathing election report, rising protests

I veer more to the left side of the political spectrum, even though I figure that I am a Centrist.

But I gotta say that this is not the first left winger who has come in to right the wrongs of decades of right-wing corruption, and who has been feted by intellectuals in the west, who turned out to be a dictator like all the rest.

I remember Jon Stewart practically slobbering over Morales when he visited "The Daily Show."

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:57 pm

Sure looks like a Trump-administration assisted coup:

Morales’ regime did a lot to improve the welfare of poor and working class people in Bolivia, and had a lot of success reducing poverty. But he was also planning to nationalize the country’s lithium resources. We all know how the US tends to respond when Latin American countries take actions adverse to US corporate interests.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Nov 11, 2019 7:37 am

Joe K wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:57 pm Sure looks like a Trump-administration assisted coup:

Morales’ regime did a lot to improve the welfare of poor and working class people in Bolivia, and had a lot of success reducing poverty. But he was also planning to nationalize the country’s lithium resources. We all know how the US tends to respond when Latin American countries take actions adverse to US corporate interests.

I didn;t even consider that possibility (foolishly, considering US history in South America). But I was thinking more of things like...

Morales' 34 Storey Presidential Palace

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:17 am

Pretty misleading headline because according to that article, the 34-story building housed a number of government offices and Morales’ residence was about 10,000 square feet. That’s a large private residence, for sure, but given the size and opulence of Buckingham Palace (or the White House) it’s a strange critique for a British paper to be making.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Mon Nov 11, 2019 11:46 am

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Tue Nov 12, 2019 12:49 pm

This is a scene from the University of Hong Kong:

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:35 am

Intrepid reporter on the scene as graffiti finds its way to BU campus.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Sat Nov 16, 2019 9:14 am

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Mon Nov 11, 2019 11:46 am

The right-wing Christian supremacists who seized power in Bolivia are now violently attacking journalists, farmers and indigenous people. (If you click on the Tweet below there’s a whole thread describing such incidents.) So I’d say things are right about on schedule.

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Sat Nov 16, 2019 12:12 pm

Joe K wrote: ↑Sat Nov 16, 2019 9:14 am
DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Mon Nov 11, 2019 11:46 am
The right-wing Christian supremacists who seized power in Bolivia are now violently attacking journalists, farmers and indigenous people. (If you click on the Tweet below there’s a whole thread describing such incidents.) So I’d say things are right about on schedule.

Trump bops his baloney to this shit.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Nov 25, 2019 7:07 am

Hong Kong voters deliver landslide victory for pro-democracy campaigners

I am stunned that they clearly had a free and fair election in Hong Kong.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:39 pm

The Amoral Pit That Is Malta

Perhaps one of the most discouraging and despicable things about our world are tax havens.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 11:16 pm

Pruitt wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:39 pm The Amoral Pit That Is Malta

Perhaps one of the most discouraging and despicable things about our world are tax havens.

Such a shame. Malta is one of the most beautiful and probably the strangest place I've ever been. Absolutely loved it there. The people are incredibly friendly as long as you aren't English.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu Dec 12, 2019 4:23 pm

Have you ever seen a headline like this one:

Pakistan protest: Patients die as lawyers ransack Lahore hospital

At the risk of being accused of racism, I will make the following statement:

It doesn't take much to piss off groups of people in South Asia.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:42 am

Update on Bolivia:

Yup, Morales’ ouster was definitively a Trump-administration backed coup.

Great job by the Democratic Party, which as we’ve learned this week cares deeply about the political rights of people in Latin America, in supporting the Trump coup en masse.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 1:46 pm

Meanwhile in Lesotho...

Lesotho PM under police investigation deploys army to 'restore order'

The murder of the prime minister’s wife two days before his inauguration sent shockwaves through the kingdom of 2.2 million people.

Thabane’ current wife Maesaiah Thabane, 43, whom he married two months after Lipolelo’s death, is considered a co-conspirator and has already been charged.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:37 pm

Lesotho's getting a lot of run in The Swamp the last week or so.

Post by **brian** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:01 pm

What in the actual fuck?

Post by **brian** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:04 pm

Might be able to get a house in Houston pretty soon for the price of a Hyundai.

Post by **brian** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:16 pm

Trading at a NEGATIVE price right now, which I have no fuckin' idea how that works exactly and I consider myself a pretty smart guy.

Post by **brian** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:28 pm

OK, I guess it makes sense a little if there's no storage, but if I'm understanding this if you somehow had the capacity to store a few million barrels of oil you could actually basically just get it for free, which...wow.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:30 pm

Fuck, my garage is full of stuff from Target but it's only been 4 days since we ordered it.

GoodKarma · Post by **GoodKarma** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:55 pm

I wish I knew how to trade futures...

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:07 pm

GOOD KARMA'S HOUSE - SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE

MRS. KARMA
Honey, there's a large truck out front and they said you'd be expecting this delivery?

GOODKARMA
[looks directly into camera]
Uhhhhhhh-oh!

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:10 pm

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:11 pm

But, I don't get it.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:04 pm

So this was not a good time for me to decide to focus my practice on oil and gas work?

Post by **brian** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:13 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:04 pm So this was not a good time for me to decide to focus my practice on oil and gas work?

I was just going to get my real estate license and move to Williston, ND.

GoodKarma · Post by **GoodKarma** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:06 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:07 pm GOOD KARMA'S HOUSE - SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE

MRS. KARMA
Honey, there's a large truck out front and they said you'd be expecting this delivery?

GOODKARMA
[looks directly into camera]
Uhhhhhhh-oh!

I laughed.

Not related but somewhat still I do have a case of TP & paper towels coming tomorrow...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 10:05 pm

So much energy dominance. Sick of energy dominance. Such dominance. Wow.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 10:48 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 10:05 pm So much energy dominance. Sick of energy dominance. Such dominance. Wow.

Hm. Serious question, doesn’t oil being free mean we *do* have energy dominance? We clearly won’t be importing oil for a while, right?

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:51 am

Bad things appear to be happening in Beirut right now...

Post by **brian** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:58 am

rass wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:51 am Bad things appear to be happening in Beirut right now...

Good news it appears to have been a fireworks warehouse, not terrorism. Bad news is:

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 11:05 am

Good lord that looks CGI'd.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 11:17 am

brian wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:58 am
rass wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 10:51 am Bad things appear to be happening in Beirut right now...
Good news it appears to have been a fireworks warehouse, not terrorism. Bad news is:

Nevermind then. Nothing to see here folks, just move along.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 11:45 am

Another angle: