(06-14-2018 09:38 PM)Super_Fire Wrote:  

(06-14-2018 09:01 PM)Leonard D Neubache Wrote:  That is not "more Chinese players means more Chinese hackers".

That's "cheating is a fundamental facet of the Chinese character."

It's true, even if it's not every last person, but it is highly pervasive. Even Taiwanese people have told me it's the "Chinese mind." It could be any little thing too, like exchange students going to the cafeteria in their school abroad and just loading up all of the buffet food and taking it back to their rooms for later, up to blatant intellectual property theft. Sometimes it reaches clown levels, like fake banks that set up, take people's money and disappear in the middle in the middle of the night (this has actually happened in China).

I'm sure there are reasons for this, no doubt stemming from millennia of most people being dirt poor, going through droughts, famines, tons of war, and competing with way too many other people, but there's no denying that a civic mentality is a new thing in these parts.

I was in real estate many moons ago in LA. My sister was a real estate agent too. She had a huge number of Chinese men who purchased through her. Why? They preferred to work with a caucasian woman because she would be honest and just do the job. ,Never ever would they work with a chinese real estate agent, because they knew they'd get screwed at the last moment. Chinese buyers are notorious for making an offer or cutting a deal...even in writing...then at the last minute trying to back down.

Again, it's the cut-throat me-first mentality in play.

Push hard for the best deal possible on five different places. Secure a price for each knowing you can only afford one. Decide which is the best deal and tell the other four "so sorry, my plans have changed".

In a smaller, more nationalist world this was a dead-end way to do business because your reputation could spread quickly enough that nobody would operate with you, but in this day and age there is an endless supply of new people to abuse with these kinds of immoral business practices.

As an aside, out here in the sticks we have a lot of people that sell stuff at the side of the road via the honesty system. Flowers. Eggs. Vegetables. Jam. Etc. Take the product and put your money in the tin. Talk to enough of these vendors who often have cctv pointed at the stall from their house, and they'll tell you that they can't tell a Nigerian from a Ugandan, but they can sure as hell tell Chinese from Japanese.

Here's the funny thing. Chinese tourists (who have enough money to travel to Australia, keep in mind) will take the products without paying, but not steal the money jar, even when it wouldn't be difficult.



I would love to hear from guys with more experience in China. It seem like stealing money is wholly different in their minds from stealing "stuff".

Chinese people steal money all the time. Just yesterday I was talking to a dude who works in the educational bureaucracy. A work unit consisting of about 10 people had an annual "reception events" budget equivalent to 50,000 USD.

The key is plausible deniability (in this case, meaning the ability to escape).

(06-14-2018 10:39 PM)Suits Wrote:  Part of the reason for this is simply the fact that China is a third world country.

China is no more a third world country than Russia is. China is highly developed, only in an extremely unequal fashion.

Third world are places where the total fertility rate is 6 kids per woman and where they use roads built when there was such as thing as the Belgian Congo.

Does anyone remember the film called The Interview that came out a few years ago where James Franco and Seth Rogen played reports recruited to assassinate Kim Jong-Un? I bet the cucks in Hollywood are pissed this didn't happen in real life with the recent negotiations.

(06-15-2018 06:39 PM)Kurgan Wrote:  Does anyone remember the film called The Interview that came out a few years ago where (((James Franco))) and (((Seth Rogen))) played reports recruited to assassinate Kim Jong-Un? I bet the cucks in Hollywood are pissed this didn't happen in real life with the recent negotiations.

Fixed it for you

(06-15-2018 03:38 PM)Lunostrelki Wrote:  

(06-14-2018 10:39 PM)Suits Wrote:  Part of the reason for this is simply the fact that China is a third world country.

China is no more a third world country than Russia is. China is highly developed, only in an extremely unequal fashion.

Third world are places where the total fertility rate is 6 kids per woman and where they use roads built when there was such as thing as the Belgian Congo.

Nope.





The definition of first world versus third world is complicated, because it's actually a misappropriation of an older model where the USA and its allies are first world, the USSR and its allies are second world and everyone else is third world.

More recently, at least since I was a elementary school student, second world has ceased to be used altogether and countries have been referred to as either first or third world, depending on their level of development. To avoid confusion, the trend has been towards simply using the two terms, "developed" and "developing."

Regardless, China absolutely does not fit the definition of first world (or developed nation) in the least. Not statistically nor characteristically. Beijing, Shanghai and the countries shiny new airports are not representative of the country as a whole and with the government only somewhat successful at stopping rural migration to major urban centers, you'll enjoy all the charm of unwashed backwater places even in modernish cities like Beijing!

For example, every Chinese city is filled with impoverished people who do whatever they can to scrape together a little money to survive on any way they can. So, at night, they raid all the garbage cans in the city looking for bottles and other materials that they can sell to recycling centers. In the morning, you'll be delighted to discover than this army of little recyclers have not only visited every public trash bin in the city, but they've simply thrown all the garbage from the bin on the ground and left it there.

Not a first world country.

^Is Russia a first world country?

(06-15-2018 08:00 PM)Suits Wrote:  More recently, at least since I was a elementary school student, second world has ceased to be used altogether and countries have been referred to as either first or third world, depending on their level of development. To avoid confusion, the trend has been towards simply using the two terms, "developed" and "developing."

That map is great.

Developed and developing works well for, say, the U.S. and Mexico, respectively, but there really should be a third term, though, for the reddish countries.

They aren't going anywhere, or at least it doesn't look like it.

(06-15-2018 11:52 PM)Pride male Wrote:  ^Is Russia a first world country?

Like most things on earth, it's a matter of degree.

Also, the HDI averages a lot of things, so if you have a country with a significant divide between the rich and the poor, you can end up with an HDI score than while high, doesn't account for the fact that many or most people there live in very 3rd worldesque conditions.

(06-16-2018 12:07 AM)Spaniard88 Wrote:  Developed and developing works well for, say, the U.S. and Mexico, respectively, but there really should be a third term, though, for the reddish countries.

They aren't going anywhere, or at least it doesn't look like it.

I believe the technical term for that category of country is "hell on earth."

I suspect "developed" and "developing" is as much political correctness writ large than anything else. The connotation of "third world " status would be seen as offensive by the heads of such states. "Developing" infers progress, even where there is none. It allows egos to remain in tact and political correctness to be maintained.

Hence the extreme vitriol about "shitholes" earlier in the year.

"Developed" also inherently infers "needs nothing and can spare all of its surplus".

Quote:Why I want to stop talking about the “developing” world
By Bill Gates | April 3, 2018

Quote:I talk about the developed and developing world all the time, but I shouldn’t.

My late friend Hans Rosling called the labels “outdated” and “meaningless.” Any categorization that lumps together China and the Democratic Republic of Congo is too broad to be useful. But I’ve continued to use “developed” and “developing” in public (and on this blog) because there wasn’t a more accurate, easily understandable alternative—until now.

I recently read Hans’ new book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. In it, he offers a new framework for how to think about the world. Hans proposes four income groups (with the largest number of people living on level 2):

Level 1: One billion people live on level 1. This is what we think of as extreme poverty. If you’re on level 1, you survive on less than $2 a day and get around by walking barefoot. Your food is cooked over an open fire, and you spend most of your day traveling to fetch water. At night, you and your children sleep on a dirt floor.

Level 2: Three billion people live on level 2, between $2 and $8 a day. Level 2 means that you can buy shoes and maybe a bike, so it doesn’t take so long to get water. Your kids go to school instead of working all day. Dinner is made over a gas stove, and your family sleeps on mattresses instead of the floor.

Level 3: Two billion people live on level 3, between $8 and $32 a day. You have running water and a fridge in your home. You can also afford a motorbike to make getting around easier. Some of your kids start (and even finish) high school.

Level 4: One billion people live on level 4. If you spend more than $32 a day, you’re on level 4. You have at least a high school education and can probably afford to buy a car and take a vacation once in a while.

You can read the rest at: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Factfulness

This seems like a better way of analyzing populations compared to past labels, but of course it doesn't capture everything.

Based on the above, or other definitions, how would you guys divide or classify the world these days?

(06-16-2018 02:03 PM)LeBeau Wrote:  Based on the above, or other definitions, how would you guys divide or classify the world these days?[/b]

1st World: Roughly the "Arctic" nations of the upper northern hemisphere. Includes all the economic and military great powers except for India and perhaps China. Criteria for inclusion here would be political centralization, implementation of state power, and technological development.

2nd World: Somewhat functional "Temperate" nations like Mexico, Thailand, Iran, etc. These countries might be characterized as places that have the basics down in terms of government, social stability, and the like, but aren't really there yet when it comes to projecting their power (relative to size) or securing the prosperity of their people. India is definitely in this category and China is probably somewhere between 1 and 2.

3rd World: Utterly dysfunctional and destitute places that are too messed up to even warrant the term "developing."

(06-16-2018 04:12 PM)Lunostrelki Wrote:  

(06-16-2018 02:03 PM)LeBeau Wrote:  Based on the above, or other definitions, how would you guys divide or classify the world these days?[/b]

1st World: Roughly the "Arctic" nations of the upper northern hemisphere. Includes all the economic and military great powers except for India and perhaps China. Criteria for inclusion here would be political centralization, implementation of state power, and technological development.

2nd World: Somewhat functional "Temperate" nations like Mexico, Thailand, Iran, etc. These countries might be characterized as places that have the basics down in terms of government, social stability, and the like, but aren't really there yet when it comes to projecting their power (relative to size) or securing the prosperity of their people. India is definitely in this category and China is probably somewhere between 1 and 2.

3rd World: Utterly dysfunctional and destitute places that are too messed up to even warrant the term "developing."

Why not rename it to the equator index?

Incidentally, the further from the equator you get the Whiter the population. The equator index is more useful for guessing if a city itself is rich or not as well.

^ And the one exception to the equator index was built by a Chinese man with a British education. Enough said.

(06-20-2018 07:22 PM)BlueMark Wrote:  ^ And the one exception to the equator index was built by a Chinese man with a British education. Enough said.

You probably should name the exception and the Chinese man, and provide a brief background and interpretation for your point. Otherwise your post will have much less rhertorical power.

(06-20-2018 10:27 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:  

(06-20-2018 07:22 PM)BlueMark Wrote:  ^ And the one exception to the equator index was built by a Chinese man with a British education. Enough said.

You probably should name the exception and the Chinese man, and provide a brief background and interpretation for your point. Otherwise your post will have much less rhertorical power.

Hmmm it did seem obvious to me it was Singapore..

(06-20-2018 11:01 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

(06-20-2018 10:27 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:  

(06-20-2018 07:22 PM)BlueMark Wrote:  ^ And the one exception to the equator index was built by a Chinese man with a British education. Enough said.

You probably should name the exception and the Chinese man, and provide a brief background and interpretation for your point. Otherwise your post will have much less rhertorical power.

Hmmm it did seem obvious to me it was Singapore..

Now it makes sense to me, but the reference went over my head before.

Is anyone familiar with Caspian Report? Is he a reliable source of information?

Ive seen him before. Just another guy giving his opinion. It's not like he has some kind of insider information that would make his ideas more reliable than another person.

What he says in this video makes sense though.

Looks like Trump isn't winning.

North Korea continues construction of nuclear research facility despite agreement to 'denuclearize': report

Quote:Despite North Korea’s promise to work toward “complete denuclearization” following the historic summit with Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump earlier this month, new satellite imagery indicates North Korea is making improvements to one of its nuclear scientific research centers at a “rapid pace.”

The images published in a report from 38 North, a website that specializes in analysis of the Rogue Nation, are from June 21 and reveal construction of new buildings and the completion of a plutonium production reactor as well as other support facilities at the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Facility.
The center is North Korea’s main research facility, according to Sky News.

“Modifications to North Korea’s 5 MWe reactor’s secondary cooling loop, which began in March, appear externally complete,” according to the report. “A newly in-filled water channel (that includes a newly installed probable weir for controlling water flow) now leads to the pump house from the Kuryong River.”

The operational status of the reactor was not clear.

Although the images appear to show “improvements to infrastructure,” the report said the “continued work at the Yongbyon facility should not be seen as having any relationship to North Korea’s pledge to denuclearize.”

Trump and Kim signed an agreement in Singapore on June 12 stating that Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

Last week, the president underscored the point of “total denuclearization,” while noting that it “has already started taking place,” according to Reuters.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN Monday there is no timeline for when North Korea will denuclearize the peninsula, but said the U.S. is “committed to moving forward in an expeditious moment to see if we can achieve what both leaders set out to do.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met on Wednesday to discuss how to ensure North Korea abandons its nuclear program.

(06-27-2018 10:18 PM)Suits Wrote:  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN Monday there is no timeline for when North Korea will denuclearize the peninsula,

I see nothing wrong

(06-27-2018 11:48 PM)MrLemon Wrote:  

(06-27-2018 10:18 PM)Suits Wrote:  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN Monday there is no timeline for when North Korea will denuclearize the peninsula,

I see nothing wrong

UN weapons inspectors get the final say on those. We all know the drill by now.....

Could be civilian, could be something else. It's not like they never had any before.

Folks forget South Africa had 6 nukes at one point and now have none.

Just sayin.

Even if they still kept them, the standoff/war ending is what's most important.

(06-28-2018 05:30 PM)TravelerKai Wrote:  

(06-27-2018 11:48 PM)MrLemon Wrote:  

(06-27-2018 10:18 PM)Suits Wrote:  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN Monday there is no timeline for when North Korea will denuclearize the peninsula,

I see nothing wrong

UN weapons inspectors get the final say on those. We all know the drill by now.....

Could be civilian, could be something else. It's not like they never had any before.

Folks forget South Africa had 6 nukes at one point and now have none.

Just sayin.

Even if they still kept them, the standoff/war ending is what's most important.

Yeah that's what I meant. First of all they have no obligation to immediately start dismantling anything since we've only met a grand total of once. Secondly, who cares? The goal is NOT to achieve some random level of denuclearization. The goal is to get McDonald's and Starbucks and vacation condos in North Korea, to stuff their starving people with low cost American calories and add them to the American economic empire and have a lovely new way to piss off China. Nukes are only a smoke show and the God Emperor knows it.

I'm not sure if people are actually starving in NK. Like Cuba, they went through a phase after the fall of the Soviets with their support pulled, but it's not quite the same situation as Venezuela. Sure it's not a roaring economy like SK's but according to observers who've traveled there recently, they're a bit further up on the Maslow Pyramid than what we often hear about the country.

As well, their women aren't as far gone as the hamsters in the West. NK encourages traditional family values and traditional gender roles. There are no women with tats or piercings in NK.

Not sure if people are starving in NK? One google search can cure that opinion.