International Events IX: I feel like a mushroom

[Larry of the Lake]

Pelosi is prepping for an appropriations bill loaded with defense spending if shit fizzles out with Manchema before the midterms.  

[The Anti-Targ]

Won't someone please free these poor young women from the shackles of Islamofascism?

 

[Zorral]

The reason I posted that 'sky is falling' bit regarding China and catastrophe, is this is the chassis of its political-historical-legislative organization as an ethical philosophy, reception of the Mandate of Heaven, a new one for each dynasty and age -- Confucian if you will. This is Chinese vision of history and rulership from the time Chinese began thinking in these terms sometime within the first millennium B.C.E.  It's the Chinese version of history as a cyclic process, which is something Chinese people as a whole, throughout Chinese history, have understood and believe. 

Their perception differs, then, from that if the "Western" and Islamic historical process thinking, with its foundation in monotheism, has operated.  "It comes, it goes, it returns as it was."  This applies equally to movement within a lifetime as well as to movement in longer, dynastic cycles.

 Not that I am any sort of expert in Chinese historiography by any means.  But one picks up things helping Asian students formulate research strategies for their Asian history courses.

[The Anti-Targ]

Disney believes it too, ref The Lion King, it's the circle of life.

So China has the Mandate of Heaven and the USA has Manifest Destiny. Let's hope we don't get to see if one tries to prove it's right and the other wrong.

[Zorral]

The Lion King's Circle of Life isn't quite the Chinese outlook. There's all this ethical philosophy to deal with, either trying and wrestling with it in reality, as some rulers did, or not observing it at all, but it still didn't matter since a better one will come along, and it is most important to maintain ORDER in the cosmos, which is the purpose of the Mandate.

Just because it isn't dwelled on for some incomprehensible reason, the Circle of Life is the Eater and the Eaten, and that's all she wrote, folks -- unless, you know, Hamlet, which then turns it -- or should -- into a revenge tragedy. 

Edited Thursday at 10:27 PM by Zorral

[HoodedCrow]

You must not disrupt the wa( harmony) by acting out of your role.

[HoodedCrow]

I have signed up to volunteer with Ukrainians improving their English( except spelling, lordess help me:)
 

I have lots of experience volunteering with ESL at all levels, but since I am limited to my bed with an ankle break, I had better learn some Ukrainian. I need hello, thank you, no, yes, please and good. I need a crash course on cyrillic, though I used to know it. Any takers!:) Suggestions? I also need to know a few words in Ukrainian that I will butcher. It helps people laugh and relax.

[maarsen]

2 hours ago, HoodedCrow said:

I have signed up to volunteer with Ukrainians improving their English( except spelling, lordess help me:)
 

I have lots of experience volunteering with ESL at all levels, but since I am limited to my bed with an ankle break, I had better learn some Ukrainian. I need hello, thank you, no, yes, please and good. I need a crash course on cyrillic, though I used to know it. Any takers!:) Suggestions? I also need to know a few words in Ukrainian that I will butcher. It helps people laugh and relax.

The only Ukrainian phrase I know is 'care for a beer?'

[dog-days]

Duolingo might be helpful for Ukrainian? I don't use it myself, but quite a few of the Welsh learners I know seem to. 

I was looking up the rates of inflation by European country (the UK somewhere in the middle, though higher than Germany and France, its closest analogues) and saw that Turkey's inflation rate is at a 79.6%. Apparently, Erdogan has been doing the opposite of most countries and slashing interest rates. Will be interesting to see what happens there over the next couple of years. 

[Which Tyler]

9 hours ago, HoodedCrow said:

I have signed up to volunteer with Ukrainians improving their English( except spelling, lordess help me:)
 

I have lots of experience volunteering with ESL at all levels, but since I am limited to my bed with an ankle break, I had better learn some Ukrainian. I need hello, thank you, no, yes, please and good. I need a crash course on cyrillic, though I used to know it. Any takers!:) Suggestions? I also need to know a few words in Ukrainian that I will butcher. It helps people laugh and relax.

Duolingo will give you the basics, and relatively quickly, for free: https://www.duolingo.com/learn. I've been using it on and off for about 8 years now.

It won't get you conversational, but it will get you understood, and able to understand anyone trying to be helpful.

 

If you go for DL, don't bother with the app (that's optimised at gamers rather then learners), away from apple (which I can't comment on), then Chrome works best, with the Duo Strength add-on (which enables your microphone for speaking exercises, or if speaking is more relevant for you than typing): https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/duo-strength/oghbejipobmlmgfbdjmfgnnhepngcmle

Once you've got the very basics, or are a more natural linguist, then you can go into settings and switch off the word bank (so you have to type what you want, rather than simply identifying the right 4 words from the 6 in front of you).

 

Oh, and I'd recommend setting your account to "private", to get out of the leagues - which encourage gamers chasing a dopamine high, rather than learners trying to get better at the language.

Edited Friday at 08:38 AM by Which Tyler

[HoodedCrow]

I love Duolingo. Thanks!

[Toth]

https://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/2483755/85934364.png

[Zorral]

It's beyond description, how one feels, utterly helpless and hopeless, watching Cuba, a society that one has known for so long, so well, from which one has received so much joy, among whose people there are so many long-time close friends and colleagues, literally collapsing.

Not only no power, not only having dengue fever, not only having not even basic items like cooking oil and light bulbs -- now something that must have been an oil storage facility outside of Matanzas, blew up around 6:30 AM -- the pillar of fire in the video sent us just keeps getting higher and higher.  People are feeling rumbles underground -- they all must be evacuated as the wind, which is strong, is blowing the toxic fumes at them. Havana -- quite far away, is under a cloud from the explosions. 52 injured so far.

Cuba and Haiti both -- the world -- THE USA -- has thrown them out to die in the charnel house of history.

Edited Saturday at 03:47 PM by Zorral

[Zorral]

It was a lightning strike from a series of severe thunderstorms that caused the explosions.

3 of the 5 storage facilities have blown, so far.

Havana is now getting the toxic fumes too, blown in on the winds.

[Zorral]

My goodness, somebody in US media noticed.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-fire-cuban-oil-facility-lightning-storage-matanzas-missing-hurt-20220806-asvqu4yqxrbrpcn73qymqtngea-story.html

Despite the USA, Mexico is sending help -- and not just this.

https://california18.com/pemex-team-will-go-to-cuba-due-to-fire-in-crude-oil-tank/6102822022/

Russia isn't, though.  At least as far as we know, though so many Russia yachts are all over the place there.

 

Edited Saturday at 09:41 PM by Zorral

[Wade1865]

8 hours ago, Zorral said:

It's beyond description, how one feels, utterly helpless and hopeless, watching Cuba, a society that one has known for so long, so well, from which one has received so much joy, among whose people there are so many long-time close friends and colleagues, literally collapsing.

Not only no power, not only having dengue fever, not only having not even basic items like cooking oil and light bulbs -- now something that must have been an oil storage facility outside of Matanzas, blew up around 6:30 AM -- the pillar of fire in the video sent us just keeps getting higher and higher.  People are feeling rumbles underground -- they all must be evacuated as the wind, which is strong, is blowing the toxic fumes at them. Havana -- quite far away, is under a cloud from the explosions. 52 injured so far.

Cuba and Haiti both -- the world -- THE USA -- has thrown them out to die in the charnel house of history.

Oh, Cuba. Cuba. Cuba. Such a tragedy! I can see it now: mega casinos, luxury resorts, underdeveloped nature, fast boat rides between my home in Florida and Havana, cigars, culture, sport fishing, financial opportunities, friendly people, beutiful women.

And I've been ready and willing to help Cuba for about 10 years now -- just as soon as they open wide their arms to America, and embrace the warm light of capitalism. There's always enough time, but the sooner the better. I'd be one of the first to buy up some beach front poperty and develop a small piece of that country. It would be mutually beneficial, really.

[DMC]

*Gets some popcorn for Zorral's response*

[Wade1865]

Come on, PRC, let's go! We can't move on the next New(ish) World Order 2030 (NishWO 2030) without something more than military exercises and missile shows. Tai. wan. is. right. there. Sitting, just waiting for reunification.

Nancy didn't just whip out her dick and wave it in front of your face, she gave it a soft, but noticeably loud, tap to the forehead. The whole world saw it, and we're waiting for a sincere response. Russia invaded a whole sovereign country -- but you are too scared to occupy your own territory? That's not very hegemonic.

[Zorral]

51 minutes ago, Wade1865 said:

I'd be one of the first to buy up some beach front poperty and develop a small piece of that country

Enjoy losing it to hurricanes, since the nation's collapsed, so there will be no hurricane defense system any longer.  Not to mention rising sea levels. Why not invest in crypto instead?

Also, you know, it's spelled  'property'.   providing additional recognition that you merely are another in the series of jerkwaddy clowns! Yay!

Holy cow -- the latest is the US is also sending aid, since humanitarian aid isn't proscribed. Despite Bolton & Co.  Biden etc. say.

And every Gulf state in the USA -- who seem to primarily be red red red -- think of what this is adding to the toxins of the Gulf, all of which is washing up on your shores, into your air, etc. Not so good for your shrimp poboys. But then, you all probably don't even know where Cuba is, geographically.  Or even the Gulf or the Caribbean. 

Edited 23 hours ago by Zorral

[Wade1865]

11 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Enjoy losing it to hurricanes, since the nation's collapsed, so there will be no hurricane defense system any longer.  Not to mention rising sea levels. Why not invest in crypto instead?

Also, you know, it's spelled  'property'.   providing additional recognition that you merely are another in the series of jerkwaddy clowns! Yay!

Holy cow -- the latest is the US is also sending aid, since humanitarian aid isn't proscribed. Despite Bolton & Co.  Biden etc. say.

And every Gulf state in the USA -- who seem to primarily be red red red -- think of what this is adding to the toxins of the Gulf, all of which is washing up on your shores, into your air, etc. Not so good for your shrimp poboys. But then, you all probably don't even know where Cuba is, geographically.  Or even the Gulf or the Caribbean. 

Interesting that the US will send aid. Cuba really is hurting, as you accurately described. No doubt, the assistance -- like my selfless willingness to invest in Cuba sometime in the future -- will be mutually beneficial.

Sending Cuba aid really is a good news story. Should help restore some American soft power.

And of course I don't know where Cuba is -- I'm an American.