Sentynel wrote:

Post wrote:America is on the decline. Militarily, Diplomatically and Economically. That's what you get for electing a Cowboy.

America's fortunes have bounced up and down regularly over the years, as have most Western nations. They're not finished yet. Though if they elect McCain they might be well on the way..

The world's tallest builing is in Tapei. The world's top ten malls are all out of America. Cheap Chinese goods have pushed American trade deficient so into the red that it's unlikely to recover for the next 50 years. IT jobs have been bangalored by the truck load. Several American allies have collapsed during the past five months.

America is finished.

Apollo wrote: Also, Nostrodamus predicted it, and he was on the other side of the world, in no contact with the Mayan race.

Except that he didn't, any more than he predicted any of the other events he's credited with "predicting", *after* they've happened. It's very easy to claim his writings predict all sorts of stuff.
Naturally, if the end of the world does occur on December 21st, 2012, I shall issue a full and complete apology. >>

Post wrote: The world's tallest builing is in Tapei. The world's top ten malls are all out of America. Cheap Chinese goods have pushed American trade deficient so into the red that it's unlikely to recover for the next 50 years. IT jobs have been bangalored by the truck load. Several American allies have collapsed during the past five months.

America is finished.

Because tallest building and top ten malls are great indicators of a country's stability! I should point out that the effect of cheap Chinese goods and IT outsourcing is... more profits for the big American companies!
Which American allies, precisely?

Malls and Tall buildings are indicators of a country's prestige.

Since when? Those companies are paying foreigners to do their work, thus money is pulled out of the National economy. The workers spend their money in their own country, thus pushing money into it. Globalization weakens a country's credit economy and Gross product, but allows global corporations to remain competitive.

Well, Lebanon, Musharaf in Pakistan, that Australian prime minister guy. America has also been arm twisted to accept various treaties recently too, most prominently the Kyoto Protocol.

No they're not. Just because somebody has the tallest building does not make their country richer. Incidentally, the tallest building is now the Burj Dubai and it's not even done yet - when it is it'll beat Taipei 101 by over 200m, and according to figures released by a contractor, 300m.

Cheap labour means their costs are lower and thus their profits greater. Certainly it pushes a little money to their workers' nations, but due to globalisation they also make money from other nations, bringing it back into their base nation.

I'd hardly describe Lebanon as having been a US ally - they have a treaty with the EU, but no ties to the US. Pakistan, sure. John Howard was very much a *Bush* ally. There's no reason to count Australia as not a US ally, especially once Bush is gone.

Sentynel wrote: With all due respect to the victims of these attacks and natural disasters, the total number of people killed by that earthquake is a staggering 0.00027% of the world's population. It's not the end of the world yet, not by a long way (and technically, that'd only be the end of the human race. The Earth will carry on quite happily without us for approximately another five billion years, excepting the extremely unlikely possibilities that a similarly sized object hits it or it suffers total existence failure).

America's fortunes have bounced up and down regularly over the years, as have most Western nations. They're not finished yet. Though if they elect McCain they might be well on the way..

Reminds me of Linderman...
"'An explosion of that magnitude would kill millions, like that *snaps*'
'Come now Nathan, thats less than... point zero-seven percent.'"

McCain, ugh.
Hilary, *vomits*
Obama, ugh.

This year's selections suck.





Here:
Death is life's way of saying you've FAILED.

"Life is short, death is peaceful. It's the transition that's hard."

Dansariki wrote: McCain, ugh.
Hilary, *vomits*
Obama, ugh.

This year's selections suck.

Last time you had a choice of Kerry or Bush!

Sentynel wrote: No they're not. Just because somebody has the tallest building does not make their country richer. Incidentally, the tallest building is now the Burj Dubai and it's not even done yet - when it is it'll beat Taipei 101 by over 200m, and according to figures released by a contractor, 300m.

Cheap labour means their costs are lower and thus their profits greater. Certainly it pushes a little money to their workers' nations, but due to globalisation they also make money from other nations, bringing it back into their base nation.

I'd hardly describe Lebanon as having been a US ally - they have a treaty with the EU, but no ties to the US. Pakistan, sure. John Howard was very much a *Bush* ally. There's no reason to count Australia as not a US ally, especially once Bush is gone.

Yes. Yes, it does. Do you expect Sudan to put up a skyscraper? No.

The cheap labor does increase profit margins at first. But once your competitors are on to it, their profit margins also increase, allowing them to slash prices. All globalization does to make them competitive.


The US had pleged their support to Lebanon, billions in aid and now Hizballah rules the country. Same in Pakistan.

Maybe the problem is that too many countries are depending on the US. Well, it's a superpower and all that, but it's not like we have 200 hands to give out to other countries who are in need. We might be too busy trying to solve world issues and to help one country and then another, and when we're done helping that one country, it might not be enough to solve all their problems. Not to mention that some people here are corrupt whenever people donate money to help others, and we might possibly be the ones who are causing those countries' suffering...

I'm not being pessimistic or anything, but it's just that it might be the plain truth. Who knows?

Edit: Something very interesting: Iraq War to be won by 2013? :blink:

No body is dependant on the US. Heck, much of Asia and Africa now looks at China for leadership.

Old Warhorses never want to surrender. He may be right, Iraq may be stabalised by 2013, US troops would be back with 'Job done' by 2015. But does america have that much patience?

nope.

The Public doesn't.
And thank you for the quote...
And at least I agreed with Bush more than Kerry....
Eh, more like the least of two evils...

Getting back on topic...
For Burma, 38,491 confirmed dead, with estimates reaching 100,000 due to disease and famine (the hurricane wiped out rice crops).
Wiki says a poll estimated dead and/or missing at at least 70,000.

Death Toll for Sichuan earthquake is now at just over 22,000, with at least 160,000 injured.
Nearly four hundred dams were damaged, but the Zipingpu Dam, only 12.5 miles (20 km) have major cracks, and most of the buildings have collapsed.
Not good.

Post wrote: Yes. Yes, it does. Do you expect Sudan to put up a skyscraper? No.

The cheap labor does increase profit margins at first. But once your competitors are on to it, their profit margins also increase, allowing them to slash prices. All globalization does to make them competitive.


The US had pleged their support to Lebanon, billions in aid and now Hizballah rules the country. Same in Pakistan.

Presence of skyscrapers and big shopping malls is a pretty good indication of at least some people in a country having lots of money, sure. In no way does that mean that America not having the tallest skyscraper implies America is falling.

They're still ridiculously profitable.

The US giving Lebanon/Pakistan aid does not make them US allies.

Dansariki wrote:And at least I agreed with Bush more than Kerry....

"Would you like your slow painful death by drowning or burning, sir?" Not much of a choice.
Out of interest, what are your political views? What's your position on the Political Compass?

mine be hitler! or close to it...

edit: took it again (must...avoid...revision...)
Economic Left/Right: -1.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 2.21
if i keep going this way im going to end up as ghandi in a few years...

Abel wrote: if i keep going this way im going to end up as ghandi in a few years...

Gandhi was such a boring moderate. >>

Economic Left/Right: -9.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.85

wrote: Presence of skyscrapers and big shopping malls is a pretty good indication of at least some people in a country having lots of money, sure. In no way does that mean that America not having the tallest skyscraper implies America is falling.

They're still ridiculously profitable.

The US giving Lebanon/Pakistan aid does not make them US allies.

It's a question of prestige. America won't just 'fall', it'll decline. Which it is doing. In 1999, would countries such as Venezuela, Iran and North Korea have worked so opening to undermine American policy?

The profit does not strengthen the home country. Rather, it goes into the world economy.

You don't give a country Billions of dollars, Tanks and fighter bombers in 'Aid' out of the kindness of your heart.

Post wrote: It's a question of prestige. America won't just 'fall', it'll decline. Which it is doing. In 1999, would countries such as Venezuela, Iran and North Korea have worked so opening to undermine American policy?

The profit does not strengthen the home country. Rather, it goes into the world economy.

You don't give a country Billions of dollars, Tanks and fighter bombers in 'Aid' out of the kindness of your heart.

This is more a reflection of Bush being an epic moron than America itself. Especially as Bush has so neatly tied up so much of his army in Afghanistan and Iraq. People have been standing up to America for years, anyway; it's just news reporting is a lot better now, and obviously memory is fresher. Ten years after a conflict's over, people are only going to remember it if it involved actual shooting - nobody remembers who they had a little diplomatic bickering with.

Which in turn increases the number of people buying company x's products.. Look at the United States' GDP. It's vast, and it's growing. Only the EU taken as a whole entity exceeds the US' GDP, and even then not by very much.

Since when has the US given Lebanon or Pakistan billions of dollars, tanks and aircraft? O.o

Sentynel wrote: Gandhi was such a boring moderate. >>

Economic Left/Right: -9.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.85

uhh you shouldnt be saying that..lol....

Trillions in money isn't worth a damn with an idiot at the helm and trillions (or whatever) in debt...

*magykgurl* wrote:

Sentynel wrote: Gandhi was such a boring moderate. >>

Economic Left/Right: -9.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.85

uhh you shouldnt be saying that..lol....

he wasnt insulting him, he was insulting me (i think). pft, yeah, by the time i get to the grand old age of 18 i will be sitting smack bang in the middle of that graph.