Spindrift
Time Person of the Year, 2006
Yes China is willing to accept a lot more pain than the west if it's in the long term interests.
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President Trump
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Yes China is willing to accept a lot more pain than the west if it's in the long term interests.
Minoosh
Penultimate Amazing
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China does seem able to play a long game.
I don't want to stereotype but IMO there has been a culture of stoicism that may be frayed at the edges but probably still endures. Chinese people have put up with a hell of a lot in the interest of doing what they are told is best for China. The CCP has been remarkable in its ability to keep a lid on such a huge public. I don't know how they do it.
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sunmaster14
Penultimate Amazing
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To paraphrase a maxim from finance, somebody who claims to be playing the long game, is just a loser at the short game.
That culture is long gone. The Chinese government has actually maintained stability by being quite flexible with its socialist principles. Still, though, the government is riding a tiger. With the enormous population shift from the countryside to the cities, keeping people employed and earning paper portraits of Mao in various colors remains key to postponing the day when government officials have to line up with their backs against the Great Wall.
thaiboxerken
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Actually, Trump wanted to meet her in person. However, she decided a phone call was safer as she didn't want to get grabbed by the pussy.
SezMe
post-pre-born
But that does not explain why it "is a good thing". What is your reasoning behind that assertion>
SezMe
post-pre-born
In fact, he is arguably at the peak of his power in this period. Everyone knows he's in power for four years and is now setting the first pieces of his administration's policies and players. Anybody who wants a piece of the action is now in full lobby mode. Decisions affected now may well influence actions for the next few years. And Trump is the maestro of this piece and he can ask for whatever he wants and have a reasonable expectation of getting it. If he can't act presidential now, lord help us in the years to come.
SezMe
post-pre-born
Quick, where's the fainting couch?newyorkguy
Penultimate Amazing
I have a problem with at least part of what Sarah Palin said:
Apparently unbeknownst to Sarah Palin, she's lamenting the 'invisible hand' that orchestrates "a free people’s free enterprise system," but what does she think is behind Carrier's decision to move assembly line jobs to Mexico? It's market forces. A major challenge American manufacturers face is producing products in the U.S. at a competitive price. Labor is only part of it. Also taxes. Probably just as important are utility charges -- power, water -- and other things as well. I'm sure Carrier looked at this carefully and decided they could lower their unit costs by a substantial amount by moving manufacture/assembly to a lower cost area like Mexico.
The solution, if there is one, is to convince the American public to Buy American. Be an economic patriot and only buy products with the "Made in America" logo. I don't see that working but I don't know what else they can do.
Apparently unbeknownst to Sarah Palin, she's lamenting the 'invisible hand' that orchestrates "a free people’s free enterprise system," but what does she think is behind Carrier's decision to move assembly line jobs to Mexico? It's market forces. A major challenge American manufacturers face is producing products in the U.S. at a competitive price. Labor is only part of it. Also taxes. Probably just as important are utility charges -- power, water -- and other things as well. I'm sure Carrier looked at this carefully and decided they could lower their unit costs by a substantial amount by moving manufacture/assembly to a lower cost area like Mexico.
The solution, if there is one, is to convince the American public to Buy American. Be an economic patriot and only buy products with the "Made in America" logo. I don't see that working but I don't know what else they can do.
newyorkguy
Penultimate Amazing
Trump and the Republican Party are going to court to try and block vote recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump's winning margin is falling however.
However I think the Clinton campaign staff still seems convinced that the recount will fail and Trump will still be the winner in the three states. I don't believe Hillary Clinton has made any comment at all.
The Pennsylvania Republican Party said the recount put the state at "grave risk" of not meeting the electoral deadline.
Trump's winning margin is falling however.
However I think the Clinton campaign staff still seems convinced that the recount will fail and Trump will still be the winner in the three states. I don't believe Hillary Clinton has made any comment at all.
Fast Eddie B
Philosopher
This just hit my Facebook feed from a friend in San Francisco:
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution earlier this week with nine votes in favor and zero against.
Here is the final version of the resolution:
RESOLVED, That no matter the threats made by President-elect Trump, San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one third of our population. This is the Golden Gate-we build bridges, not walls; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we will never back down on women’s rights, whether in healthcare, the workplace, or any other area threatened by a man who treats women as obstacles to be demeaned or objects to be assaulted. And just as important, we will ensure our young girls grow up with role models who show them they can be or do anything; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That there will be no conversion therapy, no withdrawal of rights in San Francisco. We began hosting gay weddings twelve years ago, and we are not stopping now. And to all the LGBTQ people all over the country who feel scared, bullied, or alone: You matter. You are seen; you are loved; and San Francisco will never stop fighting for you; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we still believe in this nation’s founding principle of religious freedom. We do not ban people for their faith. And the only lists we keep are on invitations to come pray together; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That Black Lives Matter in San Francisco, even if they may not in the White House. And guided by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, we will continue reforming our police department and rebuilding trust between police and communities of color so all citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That climate change is not a hoax, or a plot by the Chinese. In this city, surrounded by water on three sides, science matters. And we will continue our work on CleanPower, Zero Waste, and everything else we are doing to protect future generations; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we have been providing universal health care in this city for nearly a decade, and if the new administration follows through on its callous promise to revoke health insurance from 20 million people, San Franciscans will be protected; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we are the birthplace of the United Nations, a city made stronger by the thousands of international visitors we welcome every day. We will remain committed to internationalism and to our friends and allies around the world-whether the administration in Washington is or not; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That San Francisco will remain a Transit First city and will continue building Muni and BART systems we can all rely upon, whether this administration follows through on its platform to eliminate federal transit funding or not; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That California is the sixth largest economy in the world. The Bay Area is the innovation capital of the country. We will not be bullied by threats to revoke our federal funding, nor will we sacrifice our values or members of our community for your dollar; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we condemn all hate crimes and hate speech perpetrated in this election’s wake. That although the United States will soon have a President who has demonstrated a lack of respect for the values we hold in the highest regard in San Francisco, it cannot change who we are, and it will never change our values. We argue, we campaign, we debate vigorously within San Francisco, but on these points we are 100 percent united. We will fight discrimination and recklessness in all its forms. We are one City. And we will move forward together.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution earlier this week with nine votes in favor and zero against.
Here is the final version of the resolution:
RESOLVED, That no matter the threats made by President-elect Trump, San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one third of our population. This is the Golden Gate-we build bridges, not walls; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we will never back down on women’s rights, whether in healthcare, the workplace, or any other area threatened by a man who treats women as obstacles to be demeaned or objects to be assaulted. And just as important, we will ensure our young girls grow up with role models who show them they can be or do anything; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That there will be no conversion therapy, no withdrawal of rights in San Francisco. We began hosting gay weddings twelve years ago, and we are not stopping now. And to all the LGBTQ people all over the country who feel scared, bullied, or alone: You matter. You are seen; you are loved; and San Francisco will never stop fighting for you; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we still believe in this nation’s founding principle of religious freedom. We do not ban people for their faith. And the only lists we keep are on invitations to come pray together; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That Black Lives Matter in San Francisco, even if they may not in the White House. And guided by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, we will continue reforming our police department and rebuilding trust between police and communities of color so all citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That climate change is not a hoax, or a plot by the Chinese. In this city, surrounded by water on three sides, science matters. And we will continue our work on CleanPower, Zero Waste, and everything else we are doing to protect future generations; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we have been providing universal health care in this city for nearly a decade, and if the new administration follows through on its callous promise to revoke health insurance from 20 million people, San Franciscans will be protected; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we are the birthplace of the United Nations, a city made stronger by the thousands of international visitors we welcome every day. We will remain committed to internationalism and to our friends and allies around the world-whether the administration in Washington is or not; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That San Francisco will remain a Transit First city and will continue building Muni and BART systems we can all rely upon, whether this administration follows through on its platform to eliminate federal transit funding or not; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That California is the sixth largest economy in the world. The Bay Area is the innovation capital of the country. We will not be bullied by threats to revoke our federal funding, nor will we sacrifice our values or members of our community for your dollar; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That we condemn all hate crimes and hate speech perpetrated in this election’s wake. That although the United States will soon have a President who has demonstrated a lack of respect for the values we hold in the highest regard in San Francisco, it cannot change who we are, and it will never change our values. We argue, we campaign, we debate vigorously within San Francisco, but on these points we are 100 percent united. We will fight discrimination and recklessness in all its forms. We are one City. And we will move forward together.
newyorkguy
Penultimate Amazing
philly.com is reporting that Jill Stein and her Green party will drop the effort to get a statewide vote recount in Pennsylvania. Attempts to get a county-by-county recount will continue.
Stein called the judge's action undemocratic.
Stein called the judge's action undemocratic.
And this is the thing that no politician dares tell the electorate, that they are partly to blame for the decline of US industry. The voters cheerfully turned a blind eye to sweatshop conditions in factories in Mexico and Asia so they can save a few bucks on a pair of jeans or a mobile phone.
Andy_Ross
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President-elect Donald Trump has once again taken to Twitter to criticize "Saturday Night Live," this time slamming the show over a sketch about him compulsively tweeting.
"Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable!" Trump tweeted. "Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad."
Trump didn't even wait until the show was over to give his opinion, tweeting his take during the live NBC broadcast on Saturday night.
Alec Baldwin, the man who has played Trump all season on the longtime sketch comedy series, responded directly to Trump.
"Release your tax returns and I'll stop," Baldwin tweeted during the broadcast.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/04/media/donald-trump-alec-baldwin-snl-tweet/index.html
"Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable!" Trump tweeted. "Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad."
Trump didn't even wait until the show was over to give his opinion, tweeting his take during the live NBC broadcast on Saturday night.
Alec Baldwin, the man who has played Trump all season on the longtime sketch comedy series, responded directly to Trump.
"Release your tax returns and I'll stop," Baldwin tweeted during the broadcast.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/04/media/donald-trump-alec-baldwin-snl-tweet/index.html
acbytesla
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I think Baldwin is hilarious as Trump. If Trump didn't want comedians making fun of him, why the hell did he run for President? Hasn't he figured out yet that ALL politicians are made fun of. Where has he been the last 70 years? It has aways been OK as long as it was somebody else.
Andy_Ross
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Seems so.
phiwum
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I don't know much about Sagan's contribution to science, but he was a brilliant populizer. He made science accessible and exciting.
I'm a scientific illiterate, aside from what he taught me.
phiwum
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Can we not do butt-*********** jokes? Goodness, at some point, let's have the decency to put these aside?
Much thanks.
steve s
Philosopher
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thaiboxerken
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He must have missed the skit that made fun of Hillary, later, in the same episode. Because..of course he did.
Hopeful Parallel
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I'm not biased but I don't understand the reasons why people can't move on about a reality. I just think, everyone else need to accept it and just help each other improve the country. Let us not waste time with it thus it create more problems than peace and development.
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