So, the headline that's making the rounds is that America has now "formally ended the war in Afghanistan." Of course, this end is formal and nothing more. We have no plans of actually leaving. In the DoD press release I read, Hagel quite clearly states that this is only the end of Operation Enduring Freedom, and that a new mission is beginning in Afghanistan immediately after. This is Bush's "Mission Accomplished" all over again. I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but it really pisses me off how we keep declaring that our wars are over, and then continuing to fight them.
It's one thing to say "the enemy is still there," but I would leave this part out. We still have a strategic presence in most countries we've been involved with: Germany, Japan, South Korea, Iraq. The US will always keep a "thanks for the help" foothold in Afghanistan, if only to help it stage its resources around the globe.
It's one thing to say "the enemy is still there," but I would leave this part out. We still have a strategic presence in most countries we've been involved with: Germany, Japan, South Korea, Iraq. The US will always keep a "thanks for the help" foothold in Afghanistan, if only to help it stage its resources around the globe.
It's one thing to say "the enemy is still there," but I would leave this part out.
What enemy? Who is a threat to us? The people who are hostile there are hostile because we are there. They wouldn't attack us if we left them alone.
Doubtful because we've already poked them, a lot. The amount of anger present could lead to attacks at embassies or other military bases - see USS Cole and the '98 embassy attacks.
It's one thing to say "the enemy is still there," but I would leave this part out.
What enemy? Who is a threat to us? The people who are hostile there are hostile because we are there. They wouldn't attack us if we left them alone.
Doubtful because we've already poked them, a lot. The amount of anger present could lead to attacks at embassies or other military bases - see USS Cole and the '98 embassy attacks.
We can militarize the embassies. Such a threat does not call for a full military occupation. As for the other military bases, I'm against having them in the first place.
What is the deal with those massive fires is Australia? Do you guys have a forestry service that manages your forests and clears out deadwood and the like to prevent fuel buildup?
What is the deal with those massive fires is Australia? Do you guys have a forestry service that manages your forests and clears out deadwood and the like to prevent fuel buildup?
Lackofcheese already covered a large part of it, but you're also half right. We do have a forestry service who does monitor and maintain as much as they can, but there's a problem of scale - we just have that much bush that it's practically impossible to monitor completely, let alone manage and clear.
This current blaze in SA is 13,000 hectares(and spreading). That's relatively small(at the moment), for our yearly fires - roughly the same time last year, we had the Gippsland fires, which ended up burning 166,000 hectares - about 640 square miles. Basically, if half-and-a-bit of New York City burned down. 2009 fires were four times that size again.
The offices of French Satire and reportage magazine Charlie Hebdo have just been attacked. Twelve dead at this time, Nine journalists, two police officers, at least one cartoonist. Five injured, including the Cartoonist Charb, who famously ended up on the AQ most wanted list for drawing cartoons about Mohammed. Attackers rolled in with pump-actions and Kalashnikovs, videos confirm automatic gunfire and attackers shouting "Allahu akbar". AFP reports that attackers were also shouting "We have Avenged the prophet."
Ralph Steadman speaks about Charlie Hebdo. Brings up several interesting points. I liked his observation about "responsible satirists" making sure that something is not only offensive but also funny. I liked the bit the author brought up about the anarchist cartoonist who was fired for submitting a cartoon offensive to Jews. I don't really know what to think of it as a whole, besides interesting.
I don't see this ending well for Syriza, or Greece: either they have to eat their words, or go into default and get kicked from the Euro. I don't see much of a middle ground.
Yet again the media is misleading people. Case in point, the recent $300M budget cut (over two years so $150M per year) proposed by Scott Walker in Wisconsin targeted at the school university system. It is widely being reported as a 13% budget cut which it both is and is not because the reporting does not differentiate between the University budget and the state funded portion of their budget.
After digging through the University financial statements the 13% reduction in state funds for the university is only a 2.5% reduction in the Universities budget of just under $6B.
The last mile was unbundled via the telecom act of 1996. Is there some new meaning to unbundling the last mile I am ignorant of?
I could be wrong, but the last mile was only unbundled for dial-up "copper wire" access. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, but what I meant to say is that I wish the FCC had gone farther and allowed more last mile competition on cable as well.
As someone who works in the last mile network I can assure you that on the telecom side the copper loop is unbundled. Cable is different because there is no real last mile loop or central office. I suppose they could put a competitors router in their office and split the traffic off at that point but cable has a shared architecture on the local loop side while telephony has a private local loop.
Obviously you know more about this than I do, but I guess what I'd like to see is a system more like the UK's and the Netherlands where there is more competition and cheaper prices.
Comments
Lackofcheese already covered a large part of it, but you're also half right. We do have a forestry service who does monitor and maintain as much as they can, but there's a problem of scale - we just have that much bush that it's practically impossible to monitor completely, let alone manage and clear.
This current blaze in SA is 13,000 hectares(and spreading). That's relatively small(at the moment), for our yearly fires - roughly the same time last year, we had the Gippsland fires, which ended up burning 166,000 hectares - about 640 square miles. Basically, if half-and-a-bit of New York City burned down. 2009 fires were four times that size again.
And related reading: the historical background to depictions of Muhammed.
I was going to copy and paste but ap has some bullshit that prevents copy and paste. King of Saudi Arabia dead at 90.
Instead, it looks like they are playing chicken with Germany over their debt (which doesn't matter), and they didn't saw off their steering wheel first.
I don't see this ending well for Syriza, or Greece: either they have to eat their words, or go into default and get kicked from the Euro. I don't see much of a middle ground.
After digging through the University financial statements the 13% reduction in state funds for the university is only a 2.5% reduction in the Universities budget of just under $6B.
wired.com/2015/02/fcc-chairman-wheeler-net-neutrality
Title II baby!
I wish he had gone further and proposed unbundling of the last mile to promote more competition.