TheGreatGodPan on 11/5/2006 at 01:18
Quote Posted by PigLick
how the fuck do you figure this?
Agriculture has become of less and less importance, so moving borders and grabbing land is less of a pressing concern. We have fewer hereditary kings who effectively consider their territory to be their property. The idea of total national mobilization for warfare got popular, which increases costs and for the most part eliminates quick raids for booty as infeasible. Governments are now supposed to represent the "will of the people", whatever that means, and get the people to fight by saying it is for some higher idea or cause. Related to that, there were a lot of revolutions and civil wars that followed the French Revolution, although these seemed to have peaked in the 20th century. It has become easier to make lots of money by staying neutral and doing something abstracted from geography like managing money, as Switzerland has done for a long time and Japan has after they weren't allowed to have a military anymore. Related to this idea of the cost of war versus profitability of peace is the McDonald's Peace theory and Greens Peace (not Greenpeace, it refers to golf-courses). Israel has incited anger far out of disproportion to its rather small territory, with heads of state spending massive amounts of oil money over an area with no oil. The major "clash of civilizations" going on now is essentially over whether there will be a new caliphate that unites all Muslims (although certain sects might be deemed not real Muslims) regardless of geography colliding over a Wilsonian push for democracy which even if not religious is also idealistic and rather separated from reality. There are plenty of backward war-torn regions nobody seems to care about except the (
http://www.exile.ru/archive/by_author/gary_brecher.html) War Nerd fighting over acres of dirt, but these are fights that have been going on practically forever and can only be said to occupy a larger share of wars in that much of the rest of the world has stopped warring. In that sense I wouldn't consider them to be more important, just that wars of greater importance have declined as of late.
BEAR on 14/5/2006 at 01:29
Quote Posted by BR796164
Now seriously. Does any environmentalist wacko have some chances to become a president of the most industrially developed country?
Wacko? Define wacko if you would. Would a wacko be a scientists who actually understand the problem? Are wackos people who pushed for safer building regulations because it was seen that there were serious risks posed by insufficient exits? How could we do that, in a nation full of buildings?
Its just one of those arguments where you cant imagine there are still people stupid enough to consider that we might think of doing a little something. I'm not advocating doing incredibly drastic things (ok so I am, but I dont expect them to happen), but the gov. wont even officially admit that global warming has been proven, whatever the consequences might be.
I think it boils down to this: this is our only planet. We ARE fucking it up, in plenty more ways than just carbon emissions. If we could just make a start by agreeing that global warming exists, regardless of its repercussions, things could start happening, as long as there is this fake argument as to whether it even exists or not nothing will happen. The government is going to have to step in, as long as people can pretend that its disputed people in positions of power arnt going to do jack because it costs too much.
I'm far from being a "OMG GLOBAL WARMING" doomsayer, but jesus if we cant even get on board with something like this we really are fucked. Hmm, no I'm pretty sure all those smokestacks and millions of cars gives the air a fresh smoggy scent and nothing else! The environment is fine!
Mingan on 14/5/2006 at 02:39
Is it normal that I totally knew that this would be the Fallout box when only a quarter of an inch of the pictar was showing? Am I that sad of a geek?
Epos Nix on 14/5/2006 at 04:12
I overheard the tail-end of a conversation between a lady and her 6 ~ 7 year old daughter the other day. It went something like this:
Quote:
Daughter: "...but why do the gas prices go up anyway?"
Mother: "Because dear, the more oil we use the less there is available for us in the future. That means it gets more expensive."
Daughter: "Does that mean cars won't exist in the future cause there won't be any gas?"
Mother: "No honey. We have other sources of energy like solar energy that we can use."
Daughter: (panicked) "But mommy! If we use too much solar energy won't the sun go away?!"
...anyway, not exact but you get the idea ;)
Rogue Keeper on 15/5/2006 at 08:32
Quote Posted by BEAR
Wacko? Define wacko if you would.
(...)
Ask those who call ecologically thinking people "environmentalist wackos", as I was paraphrasing them.
Those would be mostly Conservatives.
If you want the question to be more politically correct and lacking irony, here you are: "Does a person with strong ecologist agenda have any real chances to become a president of the most industrially developed country?"
If you ask me, I don't think so. If he even managed to get significant public support (I doubt he would), he wouldn't get much support from private sector and corporate circles.
There is one possibility for such person to become a president, though... theoretically. Turn all Conservatives into Liberals. :sly:
Convict on 15/5/2006 at 10:13
Quote Posted by BR796164
Turn all Conservatives into Liberals. :sly:
(
http://www.liberal.org.au/) :eek:
Rogue Keeper on 15/5/2006 at 10:23
What? Bad idea? :confused:
Convict on 15/5/2006 at 10:40
I had a link embedded in the smily because I'm so pr0! ;)
Rogue Keeper on 15/5/2006 at 10:43
oh so! :cool:
Quote Posted by Mingan
Is it normal that I totally knew that this would be the Fallout box when only a quarter of an inch of the pictar was showing? Am I that sad of a geek?
Yes, it is normal. I have my Fallout box (and some others) standing on the shelf next to my bed and every morning I wake up, I have it almost in front of my eyes. :thumb:
hopper on 15/5/2006 at 12:34
Quote Posted by Mingan
Is it normal that I totally knew that this would be the Fallout box when only a quarter of an inch of the pictar was showing? Am I that sad of a geek?
What's really sad seems to be your connection speed.
