Archaeologica.org

An excellent illustration of the attitude/mentality that's made me decide – and who knows how many thousands of others – to not visit the USA anymore (and spend my hard currency there).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XhnZlmL ... r_embedded

and who knows how many thousands of others

The US spends million trying to keep people out!

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source ... SA&cad=rja

Roy.

Unfortunately Digit, that is not true. We waste billions on that fruitless endeavor, not mere millions. We could learn a lot of lessons from the last days of the Soviet Union, but more likely, we'll spend our way into dissolution, just like they did.

Trillions.

Minimalist wrote:Trillions.

Imagine if that were to be spent on public healthcare and education...

Worldwide!

Can't imagine a more effective anti-terrorism strategy.

Yep RS, then I'd be able to buy land in Mexico and Columbia for 2 pence an acre as they all be in the US.
Stop the illegal immigration and the US would have the chance of doing what you say, wouldn't they?

Roy.

wouldn't they?

Of course not. The arms manufacturers and their lobbyists cannot allow that to happen. Eisenhower warned us about the military-industrial complex and we didn't listen.

I did na say thew would Min, only that they could, no country can spend as much as they might like to.
People's intentions my be good, but the road to hell is supposedly paved with them and it's time they moved into the real world.
This tweet is in reference to your 4 dead killed by the Somali pirates.

Why are these pirates not getting any of the money we raise each year for Comic Relief? SURELY that's why we do it? I even did a sponsored pub crawl last year to raise money for the poor. If they are not getting their FAIR share then no WONDER they feel the need to hijack boats etc. I think BOTH sides deserve sympathy.

Frankly I suspect he's still hung over from the pub crawl.

Roy.

African countries and peoples have been conditioned and transformed, over the past half century, into professional aid receivers. They know no better! They are junkies for western (and now Chinese) billions. And they invest nothing of it. They spend/waste all of it. Add civil (tribal!) wars, incredible superstition, epidemical disease, pervasive corruption, vast stupidity, and plain banditry, and it's clear that African countries south of the Sahara are totally fucked. And beyond help.

We're looking at evolution itself, in front of our very own eyes: the black race is in the process of going extinct as we speak. They simply can't hack it. In a few centuries there won't be any pure black Africans left.

Fighting evolution is useless. We can use those aid billions a lot better and more effectively ourselves.
Besides: we need them!

The problem is that a fractional reserve, usury-based economy has a lifespan.

The natural limit of it was hit back around 1910. Since then, it's been on life support (inflation) which, itself, has passed the point of no return.

In the mean time, as long ago noted, war-slash-defense spending stimulates the economy without introducing additional competition with existing goods and services. It's the modern analogue of pyramid-building, and just as essential in both cases.

Start from there and it makes better sense.

war-slash-defense spending stimulates the economy

As did the Moon race, and inflation is hardly a new phenomena Uni.

Roy.

They know no better!

Doesn't matter if they did or didn't, R/S. When the west reacted to the initial Ethiopian famine by dumping grain by the ton we did two things. One, prevent even more starvation and, Two, crush the price which local farmers got for their crops thereby ruining them and making absolutely certain that these countries would be unable to deal with future food production issues. It's a model we have followed ever since.

The Law of Unintended Consequences is a cast-iron bitch.

Minimalist wrote:

They know no better!

Doesn't matter if they did or didn't, R/S. When the west reacted to the initial Ethiopian famine by dumping grain by the ton we did two things. One, prevent even more starvation and, Two, crush the price which local farmers got for their crops thereby ruining them and making absolutely certain that these countries would be unable to deal with future food production issues. It's a model we have followed ever since.

The Law of Unintended Consequences is a cast-iron bitch.

Yeah, right! We did it to them, of course...
Come on, get real!

No. Climate change did it to them. We merely made sure that they would never recover.

Minimalist wrote:No. Climate change did it to them. We merely made sure that they would never recover.

Incomprehensibly ignoring their civil (tribal!) wars, incredible superstition, epidemical disease, pervasive corruption, vast stupidity, and plain banditry, of course. All of their own making. In what is still the most fertile continent on earth, climate change or not.