The Off Topic Topic

[Razgovory]

apropos of nothing, I looked at the economic growth of the Philippines in the 20th century.  Man, we did not do those people any favors when the US governed the place.  Colonialism really sucks...

[Admiral Yi]

apropos of nothing, I looked at the economic growth of the Philippines in the 20th century.  Man, we did not do those people any favors when the US governed the place.  Colonialism really sucks...

We made it illegal for Americans to buy land in the Phillippines.  I've always thought of that as a kindness in comparison to some European colonial practices.

[Josquius]

Why did they do that?
It worked well for America in hawaii. They specifically wanted to avoid the potential for the Philippines to ever get thoughts of more rights in the us？ but then hawaii didn't have many then either.

[Admiral Yi]

wut?

[Admiral Yi]

That was a little flip Squeeze, I apologize.

I honestly don't know what you mean by the Hawaii reference.

I also don't see the connection between a prohibition on land purchase and Phillippino rights.

[Eddie Teach]

Americans move to Hawaii, push for statehood, native Hawaiians get more rights?

[The Larch]

The Canary Island has now doubled in size
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/30/canary-islands-lava-peninsula-in-the-atlantic-doubles-in-size

It's the additional land that has doubled, not the entire island. 

[celedhring]

In lighter news:

Shakira says she was attacked by purse-snatching boars

And this is why you shouldn't carry slop in your purse.

We have loads of boar-related incidents in Barcelona 

Now, the "park" she was in is essentially a forest in a small moutain range to the west of town. But boars often do wander into the urban areas.

[Josquius]

That was a little flip Squeeze, I apologize.

I honestly don't know what you mean by the Hawaii reference.

I also don't see the connection between a prohibition on land purchase and Phillippino rights.

Americans buying land in hawaii is core to why hawaii is part of the US.
I don't see the connection either. That's why its confusing.

[celedhring]

The Canary Island has now doubled in size
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/30/canary-islands-lava-peninsula-in-the-atlantic-doubles-in-size

It's the additional land that has doubled, not the entire island. 

Still pretty impressive, I wonder how much new land will be gained after all it's said and done.

[Syt]

The police in Vienna (like many polices) have a certain reputation, but their social media team is pretty good and often entertaining (though not as good as the one from the Wiener Linien, the public transports in the city). Once a year for the past few years they've been a 24 hour Twitter event where they tweet out a constant stream of police actions to illustrate what they're doing all day. Responding to domestic disturbances, getting called to noise complaints, responding to accidents, thefts etc. It's usually pretty interesting, and usually has a few, "wait, what?" moments.

This year they're joined by the other emergency services in Vienna (EMT dispatch, fire department), but also Wiener Linien, and the City of Vienna itself who showcases what their health inspectors do, their gardeners, their garbage disposal crews etc. It's always quite interesting to see how much stuff goes on you usually don't notice, and how busy these guys are that you take for granted.

I'm surprised how many disorderly drunks there are on a Friday morning (including having to break up an ad hoc party in a subway station with drinking and smoking and without masks), lots of mundane things (people getting a police visit because they didn't show up in court), some things have been cute (the forest service showing a baby hedgehog who is too small to winter by himself, so he's staying with them, police reuniting a dog with his owner) to "huh"? (police investigating persons impersonating police officers) to "LOL" (the same musicians getting repeatedly kicked out of subway trains) and "oh no" (a kid standing at the apartment window, crying, waiting for their mom who hasn't been home for more than a day).

Additionally, a lot of people are tweeting their everyday stuff, often in the style of the police twitter which adds even more to the "24 hours in the city" snapshot.

[Admiral Yi]

I don't see the connection either. That's why its confusing.

Think I got it.

1. European purchase of agricultural land (in Africa in particular--i'm thinking a lot of Kenya) led to a plantation class who's interests often lay in direct contradiction to independence and self rule.  I think preventing that class from forming was bound to make the transition to independence easier.

2. The land was often acquired through underhanded means, storing up grievances for later.

[Sheilbh]

Think I got it.

1. European purchase of agricultural land (in Africa in particular--i'm thinking a lot of Kenya) led to a plantation class who's interests often lay in direct contradiction to independence and self rule.  I think preventing that class from forming was bound to make the transition to independence easier.

2. The land was often acquired through underhanded means, storing up grievances for later.

Although - this was something I thought when Raz posted about colonialism and the Philippines - wasn't the US's colonial experience in the 19th century domestic and heading west (just like Russia's eastward colonisation of Siberia across Eurasia)?

I think there's also a bit too broad a brush in the African experience of colonialism. In Africa there's huge variation - so in very general terms southern and east Africa are large plantations; central and west Africa are not. There's probably a lot of factors that affect that (ease of access to the sea, climate, existing tribal structures, level of resistance etc) - but it lingers. Kenya still has some of the highest rates of land inequality in the world, while states in west Africa have some of the lowest. So, for example, there were British west Africa colonies that banned non-native land ownership and buying; at the other extreme there's Kenya or Rhodesia.

I think the Philippines has very high land inequality but that's not because of an American plantation/estate-owning class but the creation of a Filipino one - maybe a bit like other former Spanish colonies in Latin America?

[Sheilbh]

Just saw a story - haven't read much - about a French policeman in his late 50s who committed suicide and left a note in which he confessed (claimed?) to be a serial rapist and murderer whose been wanted in France for his crimes in the 80s and 90s. Striking that at the time survivors said he identified himself as a policeman but this was believed to be just a way to get women to comply but may have actually been true.

There's a really grim echo of that story, the day after Sarah Everard's killer was sentenced

[Razgovory]

Psychotic asshole Alex Jones will be forced to pay damages to Sandy Hook victims.