QuoteCommunism in China led to millions of dead. In the late 1980s, Deng adjusted policies to allow foreign partners to come in, but with the Party still dominating. The result was that in two decades, they were able to lift 800 million of their people out of poverty with an ave. economic growth rate of 7 pct per annum. Some say that what they did is a variant of the East Asian model, which Japan used after WW2.
I think several months ago some Harvard professors conducted face-to-face surveys in China, with full assurance of anonymity and decreases in extraneous factors, etc. They found out that most Chinese aren't Communists but vote for the Party because the latter has been promoting the right economic policies, which in turn benefits them. In short, all the while for them it was all about doing business, but that shouldn't be surprising because early on Deng himself called for more prosperity.
What about Vietnam? It was part of containment policies promoted by the U.S., following what Kennan said, throughout the Cold War. The problem is that after the Cold War the U.S. switched to encirclement, and needed to protect the U.S. dollar by keeping other countries weak and thus dependent on the U.S. (That's what those 700+ military installations are for.) Kennan warned the government that if they kept pursuing that then red lines would be crossed and would lead to war. That's what happened in Ukraine, and the U.S. is pushing the same in Asia by using the Philippines, Japan, and even Australia to counter China.
Vietnam is caught in the middle but has been trying to play both sides. It's bullied by China but works with China on various projects, like oil exploration. It has Russia as a military ally but the U.S. has been trying to sell armaments to it. It's ruled by a Communist Party but the U.S. has an approval rating of almost 80 pct in the country. Here's the punch line: it has the most installations in the West Philippine Sea, which is claimed by the Philippines as part of its EEZ, and the Philippines is an ally of the U.S. Go figure.
Meanwhile, that's the same Philippines that's been acting as a martyr for the U.S. for many decades. The U.S. has very high approval ratings in the Philippines, with various U.S. Presidents of either party also receiving similar, and with ratings that are in several cases higher in the Philippines than in the U.S. itself. And yet the same Philippines has been abused by the U.S. for many decades, with the Bell Trade Act, support for the Marcos dictatorship to maintain bases, and then pro-U.S. politicians who followed for the same reason.
By following U.S.-style neoliberalism and liberal democracy, the Philippines de-industrialized across decades (like Ukraine), and ended up as one of the poorest in the region. Even Vietnam, a Communist country, is doing better than it on multiple factors.
It gets even weirder: recently, the U.S. told China that it will not recognize Taiwanese independence because it does not want to anger its trading partner. But it will continue arming Taiwan anyway. And remember China's claim that it owns most of the West Philippine Sea? The claim originates from Taiwan, which still maintains it. That means U.S. ally Taiwan is going against U.S. ally the Philippines.
Maybe that's the other side of the madness depicted in RGPnet and others, but I don't think even they are aware of the points above.
QuoteSo you're telling us that NERDS wouldn't have bought big tiddies space babes?
QuoteNow riddle me this, how are you going to prevent the same bores (or the satanic panic ones) from spoiling your creation without copyright?
QuoteWhich is MY point, putting your setting in the public domain allows ANYONE to use it in whatever way they so choose, and if they have more money/influence than you outsell you thus supplanting your work from the public conscience.
QuoteAs I've said, don't copyright your IPs. You're signing a death warrant. If you want your IP to survive and not be ruined by corporate, release it into the public domain. You can still trademark it and derivative works aren't automatically in the public domain, so it's still attractive to publishers if you ever need funding. For comparison, Dracula is in public domain and still gets adapted all the time.
Quote from: Mishihari on Today at 03:40:18 AMI'm going to offer a little unsolicited support to SHARK's position. It really is about context. In Luke 10:3-4, the Lord instructs his apostles
3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
4 Carry neither a purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
In Luke 22:35-26, he tells them
35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
At first glance, these say opposite things. And note in the second he told his apostles to carry a sword. The scriptures are full of things that might seem contradictory when interpreted without an understanding of how, where, and why they are supposed to be applied. IMO understanding the scriptures requires reading ALL of them repeatedly until you have the whole picture in your mind.
Quote from: Domina on April 23, 2024, 06:00:20 PMIn what way does it harm the hobby?
Why is storygaming bad?
Quote from: Neoplatonist1 on Today at 12:41:52 AMQuote from: SHARK on April 23, 2024, 06:03:38 AMGreetings!
Well, my friend, I personally oppose the Woke based on two things--(1) My Christian faith; and (2) Traditional American Values.
The Woke are Marxist, evil, and traitors to our nation, our Republic, and our people.
And yes, as long as Americans are divided, distracted, and brainwashed with weakness, then the Woke Marxists will win. Americans need to unite, and become hard and fierce. Americans need to harden themselves in doing what needs to be done to heal our land, our nation, and our people.
"Voting harder" will not cleanse our great land, and make us strong. The hard times are coming, and America will need hard men to restore our nation if we are to have any kind of future. Otherwise, we will be choked in diverse rainbow jello and enslaved to a Marxist elite tyrant mommy-state.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
SHARK,
How do you square your Christian faith with the commandments, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good", and "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."
How can we defend the West from evil, without violating these commandments? This paradox vexes me. What are your thoughts on it?
Neoplatonist1
Quote from: SHARK on April 23, 2024, 06:03:38 AMGreetings!
Well, my friend, I personally oppose the Woke based on two things--(1) My Christian faith; and (2) Traditional American Values.
The Woke are Marxist, evil, and traitors to our nation, our Republic, and our people.
And yes, as long as Americans are divided, distracted, and brainwashed with weakness, then the Woke Marxists will win. Americans need to unite, and become hard and fierce. Americans need to harden themselves in doing what needs to be done to heal our land, our nation, and our people.
"Voting harder" will not cleanse our great land, and make us strong. The hard times are coming, and America will need hard men to restore our nation if we are to have any kind of future. Otherwise, we will be choked in diverse rainbow jello and enslaved to a Marxist elite tyrant mommy-state.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Quote from: Eric Diaz on April 23, 2024, 09:10:50 AMGURPS kinda recognized this by publishing the "lull" supplement I mentioned but unfortunately can't find.
Quote from: Anon Adderlan on April 22, 2024, 10:37:59 PMSo I've read the latest beta watched a session, and I have thoughts.
[editing]