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The Off Topic Topic

Started by Korea, March 10, 2009, 06:24:26 AM

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Jacob

From what I've read, the Marcos family (who embezzled hundreds of millions of $ from the Philippine state) have been working on a successful white-washing project in the intervening time - with a focus on social media. As I understand it, the Marcos election pitch was an appeal to nostalgia "it wasn't that bad" / "there was stability" re: the dictatorship era, which resonated with voters who are too young to have actual experience of that period.

But this is just based on a few articles, so it's likely missing some complexities.

Eddie Teach

Maybe he's going out to kill her so he can be with Elizabeth Taylor.
To sleep, perchance to dream. But in that sleep of death, what dreams may come?

frunk

Quote from: Jacob on May 11, 2022, 11:36:50 AMFrom what I've read, the Marcos family (who embezzled hundreds of millions of $ from the Philippine state)

There's speculation that a motivation for running is stop the ongoing attempt to recoup that money, of which $3 billion has already been recovered.

Grey Fox

This week, I should find out if my son plays A or B little league baseball.

I've been refreshing my emails obsessively.
Colonel Caliga is Awesome.

CountDeMoney

Quote from: Jacob on May 11, 2022, 11:36:50 AMFrom what I've read, the Marcos family (who embezzled hundreds of millions of $ from the Philippine state) have been working on a successful white-washing project in the intervening time - with a focus on social media. As I understand it, the Marcos election pitch was an appeal to nostalgia "it wasn't that bad" / "there was stability" re: the dictatorship era, which resonated with voters who are too young to have actual experience of that period.

But this is just based on a few articles, so it's likely missing some complexities.

Not too far off the mark.

QuoteTheir popularity indicates that our past fight for democratic freedom has been largely forgotten, with 56 percent of the Filipino voting population now between ages 18 and 41. A 2017 poll found that half of us Filipinos favor authoritarian governance, and an alarming number of us even approve of military rule. Yet the same poll showed that 82 percent of us say we believe in representative democracy.

QuoteThroughout those three decades of our hard-won democracy, its most vital function — letting the people choose who will represent us — was perverted by entrenched politicians. Call it the dictatorship of dynasties. As of 2019, some 234 families, in a country of nearly 110 million people, held 67 percent of the legislature, 80 percent of governorships and 53 percent of mayoralties.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/06/opinion/philippines-election-marcos-duterte.html

Fascism: It's Now! It's Wow!

DGuller

Quote from: Josquius on May 11, 2022, 11:09:31 AMOh. And this is definitely a still from a horror movie.



Swedish pm gonna be pregnant soon :(
This is the look of a woman who is very unsure about making the return trip on that boat.

Threviel

Quote from: The Larch on May 11, 2022, 11:11:55 AMIs she wearing a life jacket?

Perhaps indicative of her level of trust for Boris...





Rowing in a small boat is a classical thing when Swedish politicians meet VIPs at the summer retreat like Magdalena did with Boris.

Zanza

She looks like Fredo Corleone.

viper37

QuoteGolf legend Greg Norman blew off the vile dismemberment murder of a journalist by Saudi agents saying "we've all made mistakes."


Yep, we all make mistakes.  It's so easy to get carried when you're beating a confession out someone. :(
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Eddie Teach

Why is Greg Norman being asked to comment on journalist killings?
To sleep, perchance to dream. But in that sleep of death, what dreams may come?

Barrister

Quote from: Eddie Teach on May 12, 2022, 12:24:25 PMWhy is Greg Norman being asked to comment on journalist killings?

Because he is CEO of a new competing golf "League" that is backed by Saudi money.
Posts here are my own private opinions.  I do not speak for my employer.

CountDeMoney

Quote from: Eddie Teach on May 12, 2022, 12:24:25 PMWhy is Greg Norman being asked to comment on journalist killings?

He's the CEO of a Saudi-funded firm that is promoting its invitationals in England this season.

Razgovory

CNN article with Headline "As US Navy falls behind China, it wants to scrap 3 of its newest warships"

Clicking on the article puts up a different headline

"US Navy chief defends plan to scrap troubled warships even though some are less than 3 years old"
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/12/politics/us-navy-scrap-warships/index.html

Okay, that's a real story.  There is a procurement problem if the Navy is given ships it doesn't want, but that isn't the first time that has happened. But that's not the shocking part in the first headline: That the US navy falls behind China.

In the article they link to a previous story from last year where they claim that China has built the world's largest navy: They have 360 ships compared to the US 298.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/china/china-world-biggest-navy-intl-hnk-ml-dst/index.html

They do mention a bit further down that the US navy has more tonnage and people but notes that the Chinese have more corvettes and patrol boats.  I'm sorry, these sort of click-bait articles masquerading as real news annoy me.

I've given it serious thought. I must scorn the ways of my family, and seek a Japanese woman to yield me my progeny. He shall live in the lands of the east, and be well tutored in his sacred trust to weave the best traditions of Japan and the Sacred South together, until such time as he (or, indeed his house, which will periodically require infusion of both Southern and Japanese bloodlines of note) can deliver to the South it's independence, either in this world or in space.  -Lettow April of 2011

Raz is right. -MadImmortalMan March of 2017

viper37

Quote from: Grey Fox on May 11, 2022, 07:55:00 PMThis week, I should find out if my son plays A or B little league baseball.

I've been refreshing my emails obsessively.
:showoff:
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

viper37

Quote from: Razgovory on May 12, 2022, 09:06:07 PMIn the article they link to a previous story from last year where they claim that China has built the world's largest navy: They have 360 ships compared to the US 298.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/china/china-world-biggest-navy-intl-hnk-ml-dst/index.html
If it's like the Russian tanks, bigger numbers don't seem to mean a lot...

But I'll let Grumbler comment on it for real.  I'm a decent armchair general, but I totally suck at manoeuvering my warships in combat ;)
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.