The "What Are You Thinking About Right Now?" PIP

[Lyla]

And what's your point with this info? I don't really get it. 

That it doesn't matter who's your president because not every power is in her or his hands? 

 

[Cult Icon]

3 minutes ago, RIP_Cabrini_Green said:

Well, then let's be thankful more optimistic people than you are running the SpaceX programs. haha.

 

He is referring to Musk's capital raising strategy (which involves extremely optimistic prognostications and basically corporate propaganda).  This draws investor funds.  I know that SpaceX relies on Gov't contracts and is financially OK but Tesla and Solarcity are a house of cards that rely on billions of borrowed funds.  They may succeed and become viable businesses eventually, but that time is not now.

[Cult Icon]

2 minutes ago, Lyla said:

And what's your point with this info? I don't really get it. 

That it doesn't matter who's your president because not every power is in her or his hands? 

 

 

The role of the US Federal government, in many respects, is not that strong in effecting the lives of US citizens than in smaller countries.  This could be considered an impediment to attempts for gov't or ideological reform.  There is also the issue that the gov't also holds sway over a vast variety of demographics (like Russia or the PRC) that have strong state gov'ts which effects things.  

[jj3]

10 minutes ago, RIP_Cabrini_Green said:

Well, then let's be thankful more optimistic people than you are running the SpaceX programs. haha.

 

SpaceX is shit, they will never do anything good, or historical. And i agree with what you say @culticon, it's a fact. They are transforming space travel and conquest into something financial, and they do that only in purpose to make money, for me they are vulgarising Space. They will screw that. Space travels have to stay romantic, and science dedicated. Not business, that's my vision. I'm not optimistic, at all. We're not stagnating, we're literally moving back ...

Space programms are IMO an absolut priority. But seeing the worl in whom we're living, all that in not understandable by more than 5% of the humanity, and pliticians are in the 95% right now i think... So no, all these business men from SpaceX are just running their own small and shitty dreams. fakely ambitious. They're selling dream, that's all. 

[Lyla]

22 minutes ago, Cult Icon said:

 

The role of the US Federal government, in many respects, is not that strong in effecting the lives of US citizens than in smaller countries. 

But strong enough to start wars and such little things, so I still stand by my opinion that it's a shame for your country and for the democracy that you're often so proud of. 

[jj3]

ETAM Fashion Show in Paris was just MUCH BETTER than the VSFS ! It's like the same, but for adults  

>> http://www.etam.com/defile

[elfstone]

1 hour ago, Lyla said:

But strong enough to start wars and such little things, so I still stand by my opinion that it's a shame for your country and for the democracy that you're often so proud of. 

  Thats because....

Its not within the power of state governments to declare war. Only Federal Government has the power to do that. And thats not just US, its the same in rest of the world.   Its one istance of what people call 'decentralization of power'

[gotportugal]

The US is fucked either way.. Trump gave a voice to all of the racists, xenophobes, idiots of America, and the worst part is that they won't shut up.

 

But it's not like every other country is fucked up either, South America doesn't look good investing-wise, Europe is getting an uprising from extreme right-wings almost Neo-Nazis. Africa never improves from its poorness and there's Russia, North Korea,.. 

[gotportugal]

23 hours ago, toodarnhot said:

Stumbled onto that horrendous skinnygossip forum and my god.  The harmful vitriol they spew there. Called Elsa flabby with a thick waist, and said Taylor should be so ashamed of her weight she should hide in her room. 

According to them, Sara has a thick waist, looks like a man and rough, looks like a chubby little man, needs to lose 10lbs. Seriously, I think she needs to get thicker not the other way around

[elfstone]

 

Elections dont mean much as you think. Sure they have some legitimacy but their main purpose is fulfilling people's cultural needs. LIke a set of rituals/festivities that the population engages in every 2-4 years for no tangible reason.  Its like election for the sake of election, an end-in-itself. Nothing changes at the level of policy.

 

[PrettyDeadThings]

Do they not even stop to think about how many people they're offending?

[elfstone]

4 minutes ago, Prettyphile said:

Do they not even stop to think about how many people they're offending?

Seriously Pretty, the constantUS bashing  is cringeworthy -_-

[Cult Icon]

2 hours ago, Lyla said:

But strong enough to start wars and such little things, so I still stand by my opinion that it's a shame for your country and for the democracy that you're often so proud of. 

 

A country is not a person Lyla.  

 

I think people expect way too much.  They see the imperfections (based on their own Kingdom of Heaven) but they do not and cannot see what excesses could have happened but have not.  

 

 

[elfstone]

2 hours ago, jj3 said:

ETAM Fashion Show in Paris was just MUCH BETTER than the VSFS ! It's like the same, but for adults  

>> http://www.etam.com/defile

I can imagine it being true.

Look at her! I dont know who she is, but its impossible for a model with that body to be cast for VSFS

[Limerlight]

World Cup Of Hockey Finals are on  

[toodarnhot]

7 minutes ago, Limerlight said:

World Cup Of Hockey Finals are on  

First goal for Canada!  

[Limerlight]

6 minutes ago, toodarnhot said:

First goal for Canada!  

Everytime you post I like you more  

I'm not a creep (maybe?)

 

Have a flower  

[Cult Icon]

5 hours ago, jj3 said:

 

SpaceX is shit, they will never do anything good, or historical. And i agree with what you say @culticon, it's a fact. They are transforming space travel and conquest into something financial, and they do that only in purpose to make money, for me they are vulgarising Space. They will screw that. Space travels have to stay romantic, and science dedicated. Not business, that's my vision. I'm not optimistic, at all. We're not stagnating, we're literally moving back ...

Space programms are IMO an absolut priority. But seeing the worl in whom we're living, all that in not understandable by more than 5% of the humanity, and pliticians are in the 95% right now i think... So no, all these business men from SpaceX are just running their own small and shitty dreams. fakely ambitious. They're selling dream, that's all. 

 

I actually did not expect to hear this perspective.  IMHO it would be interesting to see 'space' work as a business if it increases interest in space travel.  The space race took a big hit after the end of the cold war.  I do agree with the difference between genuine human accomplishments/basic research and what is salable- the gap can be gigantic.

 

The problem with Musk is that SpaceX is simply not that good and his companies' tendency to give very fantastic prognostications to investors make it very hard to get a feel for their actual progress.  They come across as a pack of liars.

[Cult Icon]

4 hours ago, elfstone said:

  Thats because....

Its not within the power of state governments to declare war. Only Federal Government has the power to do that. And thats not just US, its the same in rest of the world.   Its one istance of what people call 'decentralization of power'

 

I believe that the war in Iraq was caused by a class of warmongers in the elite echelons of the US military- kind of like the German general staff in the world wars.  They both failed.  It was part of the intellectual current of the times- similar to how academia has these trends in the social sciences.   A big aspect that I find staggering is how literally all US journalists ( save for Sebastian Junger), politicians, and poli scis don't quite recognize the fact that a portion of the US electorate wants war for the sake of war.  This includes members of the armed forces. They failed to educate the population in war, and most of them were anti-war left wingers anyway that repeated the same cliches.   A soldier does not have much of a place in society without a war to fight.  The US has the power to launch a small war but not enough political will to win the war and fight the peace.   Iraq, which needed the equivalent of an army group (which would have required some serious conscription) , only was able to secure the equivalent of an army.  And I feel that very few civilians understand the spirit and raison d'être of being a professional soldier.

 

On the flip side, it is interesting how a developing country like Russia can raise millions of men in arms and crush the Chechens and other enemies of their government in a ruthless manner.  And then occupy the Crimea with broad-based support. They inherited Soviet military operational art, which puts a great primacy on infantry and armor field strength/territorial security while American inherited a fetishism for technology, firepower, and small numbers elite troops to overcome their democratic limitations of raising armies.  The Russians have their own pro-war, nationalist propaganda (eg. Russia vs. the "evil west" and internal enemies) that keeps their security apparatus relevant.

[Limerlight]

This game is a hell of a lot closer then I thought.

 

Fucking Halak