Is it really hard to fathom why many people despise the US?

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 20 May 2015, 15:45

Just saw this comment on journal.ie:

Shite beer, shite chocolate, and they’re all fat as fools. Not a terribly discerning bunch stateside.

One of the only sites where the comments are better than the articles. Above is a very tame example.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 22 May 2015, 11:05

Cheap shots are just that cheap.
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=A ... mp=yhs-004

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 22 May 2015, 16:56

biffvernon wrote:Today's reason to despise the US:

Federal authorities have granted permission to an American hunter to kill an endangered black rhino in Namibia, and then bring the so-called trophy back to the United States. This is the most recent development in a saga that began nearly two years ago, when the Dallas Safari Club auctioned off a permit to hunt the endangered creature. The winning bidder paid $350,000 for the chance to bag a Black Rhino, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) initially denied his request to bring the dead animal back to the U.S. However, upon determining that the proceeds from the auction and subsequent hunt will go towards conservation efforts, the agency has given the go-ahead.
http://inhabitat.com/u-s-approves-35000 ... n-namibia/

GM expresses some of what I feel in his article Megadeath.

the great beasts maintain a constantly shifting mosaic of habitats through a cycle of browsing and toppling and trampling, followed by the regrowth of the trees and the other plants they eat. They open up glades for other herbivores, and spaces in which predators can hunt. They spread the seeds of trees that have no other means of dispersal (other animals are too small to swallow the seeds whole, and grind them up). Many trees in Africa and Asia are distributed exclusively by megaherbivores.

They transport nutrients from rich places to poor ones and in some places reduce the likelihood of major bushfires, by creating firebreaks and eating twigs and leaves that would otherwise accumulate as potential fuel on the ground. Many animal species have co-evolved with them: the birds that eat their ectoparasites, the fish that feed on hippos’ fighting wounds (some of these species, I believe, are now used for fish pedicures), the wide range of life that depends on their dung for food and moisture, on their wallows for habitats, on the fissures they create in trees for nesting holes.

Funny how some people have pictures of their ancestors on their walls but heads of animals.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 22 May 2015, 19:46

Today's reason to despise America

US trade officials pushed EU to shelve action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility to facilitate TTIP free trade deal.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... nts-reveal

http://corporateeurope.org/sites/defaul ... by_edc.pdf

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 24 May 2015, 15:41

emordnilap wrote:
Funny how some people have pictures of their ancestors on their walls but heads of animals.

Some of us have both.

3rdRock · Post by **3rdRock** » 27 May 2015, 18:01

Here's a little 'toon' for all of those good ole, God fearin' Americans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iiv-6fMKyY

Political Science by Randy Newman

No one likes us - I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money - but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too

Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 28 May 2015, 19:04

A screen shot from my facebook timeling; it's quite typical:

3rdRock · Post by **3rdRock** » 28 May 2015, 19:10

There are none so deaf as those that will not hear and none so blind as those that will not see.

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 29 May 2015, 23:40

3rdRock wrote: There are none so deaf as those that will not hear and none so blind as those that will not see.

One of my mother's favorite quotes.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 31 May 2015, 08:07

Feras Morad

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 31 May 2015, 13:13

And it's hard to know who the sane people are in this story:
http://www.kentucky.com/2015/05/29/3874 ... ce-in.html

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Jun 2015, 23:11

Little to do with PO - but an interesting sign of the times - the recent arrest of FIFA officials.

Guilty as hell most likely... but I am intrigued as to the US involvement (well master plan) and their recent desire to extradite those accused, who could face 20 years in a US jail.

Why couldn't this have been dealt with in Europe?

And why does the US think they can stomp into a European country and call the shots?

Morally it *may* be right. But I still don't agree that globe-o-cop should be allowed to do do this.

If they had stayed out physically, but supplied information to the Swiss police; letting them try and if required, punish, well ... I would have felt a lot more comfortable.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 03 Jun 2015, 23:19

This is all about screwing around with Russia in the new cold war. I am quite sure the Yank XXXX are trying to push Europe into a military conflict, either by proxy or even directly, with Russia. Our European XXXXXs, it would seem, are so beholden to the Yanks that they seem to be willing to go along with this dangerous nonsense despite the fact that Russia and Europe have far greater strategic interests in common than either of them have with the USA.

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 03 Jun 2015, 23:24

maudibe wrote:Little to do with PO - but an interesting sign of the times - the recent arrest of FIFA officials.

Guilty as hell most likely...

Most definitely. FIFA is just about the most blatantly corrupt organisation on the planet.

but I am intrigued as to the US involvement (well master plan) and their recent desire to extradite those accused, who could face 20 years in a US jail.

Why couldn't this have been dealt with in Europe?

Two reasons. Firstly, the European nations were reluctant to take on FIFA because they'd probably never be awarded a World Cup in the future. But I suspect the main reason is that the US has much tougher laws regarding international crime. If an organisation uses American banks, or stores information on American servers, then they can be prosecuted for crimes like bribery and wire fraud under American laws. The same is not true in most European countries.

And why does the US think they can stomp into a European country and call the shots?

Because the people concerned have broken US laws. They haven't "stomped into Europe". It's a standard extradition process. Also, I think almost everybody in Europe who knows anything about football is thanking the US for doing this.

FIFA is not reformable, IMO. The corruption is so serious and widespread that the only solution in this case is to dismantle FIFA and start again - new organisation, new consitution, new people.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 04 Jun 2015, 09:32

Well U.E. - you seem to have that one well scoped.

I am not in disagreement with the need to sort such crime out, I am just (still) unsettled by the axeman.

The whole thing about data on servers for example… where do you draw the line?

For example, if data was stored in say Berlin by a business who operates perfectly legally (for europe) but then has its data temporarily transferred to a server stateside….. it then is liable to US prosecution?

Who is reading the data?