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#21

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by viper37 - Today at 02:12:08 PM

Looks like the hateful, illegitimate Pakistani prosecutor at the ICC has fully rendered that court an irrelevant and illegitimate body by applying for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

The fact that this "British" guy, who based on being Pakistani and Muslim is 100% certainly a hateful antisemite, is even in this position shows a failing of the West. People like him have absolutely no business in the halls of power in Western backed organizations.

Of course.

You can't be a real British if you are Pakistani and Muslism.  Everyone knows that.

How many generations does it take before you are fully considered fully of one nation?  Is 6 generations enough or do you require more?  Do you consent to exemptions like your predecessors did?

Probably enough that your brother isn't a sex offender and your family aren't "Caliphs" in some weird branch of Islam.

So, you are an Israeli citizen the moment you set foot in Israel, but you can never truly be a British national until your skin is white, you become Christian and your whole family is without sin?

Fantastic double standard here.

I'd swear I've seen that kind of standards somewhere before, in some States.

#22

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by viper37 - Today at 02:10:31 PM

What have Israeli courts done against Bibi's grab for power?

#23

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Maladict - Today at 02:00:35 PM

I think it's interesting though because I think if Chinese had an alphabet based script, I don't think there'd be any argument because they'd be different letters in the alphabet that was being transliterated just because they're close. You think of k v q in Arabic. I think it says something about the way we give primacy to written text over the spoken.

Certainly. Although I'm reminded of T.E. Lawrence driving his editor mad in refusing to be consistent about transliterating personal names. According to Lawrence there was no point, as no satisfactory system exists because the languages are simply too different.

I suppose if you transliterate 'London' to Arabic and then back to English you'd get Lundun or Landan.

#24

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 01:31:16 PM

It sounds like shi to me.
The Chinese apparently have another subtly different shi...
But does that really matter when writing phonetically in English?
Does it cause admin headaches to have names be different in one language but not another?
I suppose having president Xi is rather useful for them in finally teaching the world it's shi not zee.

I mean it's wrong. Every phoneticism of Chinese distinguishes between sh and x/hs as different sounds. They are different.

I think it's interesting though because I think if Chinese had an alphabet based script, I don't think there'd be any argument because they'd be different letters in the alphabet that was being transliterated just because they're close. You think of k v q in Arabic. I think it says something about the way we give primacy to written text over the spoken.

(Also perhaps a distinctively English indifference to what we write having any link to what we say because, unlike most languages, there's no more than a nodding acquaintance in English )

#25

Gaming HQ / Re: New Paradox Tinto Game - "...

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 01:24:56 PM

Were Castille, England or Hungary really so much more centralised than France, Italy or Germany?

I think so for England - but I'm aware that to an extent the historiographical frame for English history is the combination of parliament and centralisation (and the two go hand in hand reinforcing each other).

No idea for Hungary (although I suspect it's similar), but also striking that with England and Castille there's been relatively recent conquest. So you have more or less total replacement of the established social order with a new (pretty coherent) elite dividing up the land.

#26

Gaming HQ / Re: New Paradox Tinto Game - "...

Last post by Tamas - Today at 01:19:18 PM

Were Castille, England or Hungary really so much more centralised than France, Italy or Germany?

You can argue against in the game's period, but in general I think yes. I remember reading (in a non-Hungarian source ) that 1100-ish for example, only Hungary matched England's level of centralisation.

#27

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by OttoVonBismarck - Today at 12:54:15 PM

While I wouldn't normally quote Lindsay Graham, if his allegations here are correct it shows manifest corruption and bias by the Pakistani ICC prosecutor:

This outrageous decision is truly a slap in the face to the independent judiciary in Israel, which is renowned for their independence.

We must not forget as a nation the International Criminal Court threatened to bring action against American forces in Afghanistan – and we are a non-member.

I will be issuing a detailed statement regarding the outrageous actions by the ICC against the State of Israel and I will feverishly work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in both chambers to levy damning sanctions against the ICC.

However, these are my initial thoughts.

Most importantly, I want the world to know that I, along with my Republican and Democrat colleagues, and members of the Administration engaged the ICC on this issue weeks ago.

We were told there would be discussions with Israel before any actions were taken. We stressed that the principle of "complementarity" should be applied in this case. Complementarity requires the ICC to let the nation in question's legal system move first before any action is taken by the Court.

Prosecutor Khan's team was supposed to be in Israel today to arrange a meeting for next week with the prosecutor's office about the allegations. I was told by ICC staff that the investigation would likely take months and not weeks, and that there would be meaningful consultation with the State of Israel.

Instead of the ICC following through with scheduled consultations with Israel, they announced the warrants.

I feel that I was lied to and that my colleagues were lied to. Prosecutor Khan is drunk with self-importance and has done a lot of damage to the peace process and to the ability to find a way forward.

Lying prosecutors never bring about just outcomes.

#28

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Josquius - Today at 12:14:03 PM

Just why is president Xi not called president shi?
Yeah yeah, because that's the way pinyin spelling rules go.
But why?
Seems curious they went this way. In Japanese they quite happily use shi for this sound: thought Incidentally I recently read in some official uses they use a system you'd never generally see and are only just killing this other system officially. Shibuya is Sibuya in many documents.

Why wouldn't transliteration rules be different for two distinct writing systems? Going out on a limb here, but maybe X doesn't fully equate to the English sh sound?

It sounds like shi to me.
The Chinese apparently have another subtly different shi...
But does that really matter when writing phonetically in English?
Does it cause admin headaches to have names be different in one language but not another?
I suppose having president Xi is rather useful for them in finally teaching the world it's shi not zee.

#29

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Josquius - Today at 11:59:41 AM

It was nice to see something finally coming of breaking ffp rules.
Albeit only on the less powerful teams.
Hopefully when man city's time comes it is Rangers level massive.
Leicester cheesing their way back up despite their rule breaking is a pain too.

#30

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by HVC - Today at 11:51:57 AM

Not having a sex offender brother or leaders in a religion also disqualifies King Charles as a British citizen