The Polls

MamboJazz said:
I agree :). But icy jupiter moons are harder to sell for Elon Musk. Moving paying customers to Mars is double income: once customers arrived on Mars, after a month there they will promise to pay him whatever he wants just for getting them back to earth.
Click to expand...
Somehow, I don't think any human can last more than a few days on Mars. With no proper atmosphere the suns ionizing radiation reaches Mars at full strength. For the Moon missions, the astronauts had some protection due to the earth's shadow and they only stayed a few days anyways.
But you are right, any talk of Mars is just to rev up money schemes.
 
MamboJazz said:
I agree :). But icy jupiter moons are harder to sell for Elon Musk. Moving paying customers to Mars is double income: once customers arrived on Mars, after a month there they will promise to pay him whatever he wants just for getting them back to earth.
Click to expand...

the other day, i was looking at the most uninhabitable continent on Earth, Antarctica, and its colonization, i think that something similar could happen on Mars, the day humans can colonize the Red Planet....several countries have claimed Antarctica, culminating in a territorial competition and international conflicts in the first half of the 1900s, when its interior was explored and the first Antarctic camps and bases were set up....at present, the population of Antarctica consists of scientists and staff of around 4,000 people in summer and 1,000 in winter, from 30 countries staying at about 70 bases (40 year round and 30 summer only) of those bases, two are civilian settlements, the Argentinian administered Esperanza Base and Chilean administered Villa Las Estrellas....without a doubt, Elon Musk's SpaceX and Eric C. Anderson's Space Adventures, Inc. could open travel agencies and send tourists missions to Mars, and also, open up moving companies to the Red Planet, to take advantage of the double income ;)
 
NASA accelerates Artemis II moon mission timeline, which could now take off and orbit the moon as soon as February 2026

 
Last edited:
Offbeat said:
“Public opinion” is what majority in the country favored? That’s generally good. Especially in democracies.
Click to expand...
Was just reading an article in a news weekly. A survey of 982 elected politicians from 11 different democratic countries, including Switzerland, Australia and many others. 178 members of the German federal parliament took part in the survey. The survey responses were kept anonymous.

What do the politicians think of their voters? According to the politicians, voters are more interested in personalities and charisma and not as interested in issues and programs. Voters are poorly informed, are egotistical, do not consider the "greater good" and the needs of the community/nation as a whole and think short term.

Some of the politicians interviewed for the article (they did not participate in the anonymous survey) disagreed that voters do not consider the greater good and the needs of the community/nation.

So to answer the question is public opinion always right? Definitely not. There are many decisions that politicians have to make to save the "greater good" from the demands of egotistical short term thinking voters. A good example playing out right now in France: the govt has to cut their overly generous social programs. Obviously they are very popular and the voters are resisting the cuts but the nation cannot afford to continue as is. French politicians have to lead by making unpopular decisions, i.e. go against public opinion.
 
MamboJazz said:
Oh, already in four months suddenly? It felt like it would never happen. Buzz Aldrin will be exited to witness.
Click to expand...

Buzz Aldrin, the surviving crew member from Apollo 11....the Artemis Program is reviving the Project Apollo's motto, listen to what Aldrin says in this video, however, 58 years after Apollo 11, Artemis 3 will also land humans on the moon....without a doubt, the Artemis 2 mission will revive memories for him, hope all are pleasant ones

 
salsim said:
Buzz Aldrin, the surviving crew member from Apollo 11....the Artemis Program is reviving the Project Apollo's motto, listen to what Aldrin says in this video, however, 58 years after Apollo 11, Artemis 3 will also land humans on the moon....without a doubt, the Artemis 2 mission will revive memories for him, hope all are pleasant ones

Click to expand...
This video is from 2009, Aldrin will be 96 years next february... The four moon astronauts still alive are all over 90 now. It would be special for them if they can happen to watch new landings.
 
www.bbc.com

Spain-Africa: Madrid's radically different approach to African migration

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is kicking against the prevailing mood among Western nations.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

Interesting approach from the left in Spain to solve migration challenge. Such approaches take a long time to work. The far right in Europe offers simplistic solutions that appeals to people. USA is seeing impact of blanket crack down which growing indiscriminate and abusive.
 
www.theguardian.com

Candace Owens: Australia’s high court backs minister’s decision to deny visa to US rightwinger

Home affairs minister’s 2024 decision to reject visa application for planned speaking tour on character grounds upheld
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

In his reasons, Justice James Edelman quoted the philosopher Isaiah Berlin: “Freedom of some must at times be curtailed to secure the freedom of others.”

“For instance, there is no freedom to make a serious threat to kill an individual in order to communicate a political message,” Edelman wrote.
 
Offbeat said:
www.bbc.com

Spain-Africa: Madrid's radically different approach to African migration

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is kicking against the prevailing mood among Western nations.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

Interesting approach from the left in Spain to solve migration challenge. Such approaches take a long time to work. The far right in Europe offers simplistic solutions that appeals to people. USA is seeing impact of blanket crack down which growing indiscriminate and abusive.
Click to expand...
The temp visas for agricultural workers is similar to the US H2A type visa. The issue with those is that the farmers need year-round help. It is not efficient for the workers to have to return to their country for several months between seasons.

Spain has always been very flexible with immigrants from Latin America. The basic requirements have been: Have 1500 Euros cash/credit card on hand and a return ticket and they let everyone from Latin America in with a wink. The officials know that these migrants will be constructing their homes, caring for their seniors or working in the restaurants they frequent. Spain has one of the lowest birthrates in Europe. They have to have immigrants and they know that. The last time I visited Spain (Madrid, Barcelona) in 2021, I only heard the taxi drivers and some restaurant owners speaking with Spanish accents. Everyone working in the airport, the hotels, the stores, the restaurants spoke with Latin American accents.

The quickest and most efficient legal immigration system has to be the UK. I have heard of university graduates in the UK that applied for their graduate visa online - it took 5 days - then they have two years to find a job and get their residency visa once hired. That is even more efficient than Canada. The US by contrast has always been one of the most restrictive countries and one of the least efficient and consistent at processing the submissions and that was before the current disaster administration.
Previous legal-immigrant-friendly administrations could have just cut/paste either the Canadian or UK systems into law, their laws are in English too, no translation needed.
 
Last edited:
MamboJazz said:
I agree :). But icy jupiter moons are harder to sell for Elon Musk. Moving paying customers to Mars is double income: once customers arrived on Mars, after a month there they will promise to pay him whatever he wants just for getting them back to earth.
Click to expand...
But are Pumpkin Spiced Icy Jupiter Moon Smoothies (with goji berries) easy to sell to white women? That is where the money is. They are full of anti-oxygen.
 
Offbeat said:
www.reuters.com

Putin-Trump summit on hold after Russia rejects ceasefire

Moscow's rejection of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine cast a cloud over attempts at negotiations.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

That’s strange. They were all against ceasefire where the conflict line is earlier in the year. Now they are backing it. Are they doing so because they think Putin won’t agree?
Click to expand...
EU politicians have some traits of people called "polarity responders":
"People who tend to automatically take the opposite stance or disagree with what others say. This communication pattern involves consistently contradicting, arguing against, or doing the opposite of what is suggested."
In my life I met two persons like this, one was a working collegue: hard to deal with, until you learn that if you want him to do A then you ask him to do B. I guess types like Trump can handle this manipulation well.
 
MamboJazz said:
EU politicians have some traits of people called "polarity responders":
"People who tend to automatically take the opposite stance or disagree with what others say.
Click to expand...
I haven’t heard of the terms but it is an apt one. It appears to me that rather look at their interests strategically through lens of being realists their response to anything Russia-Ukraine is very reflexive. It is like Putin is living rent free in their head.

MamboJazz said:
This communication pattern involves consistently contradicting, arguing against, or doing the opposite of what is suggested."
In my life I met two persons like this, one was a working collegue: hard to deal with, until you learn that if you want him to do A then you ask him to do B.
Click to expand...

:D we all know one or two of that type

MamboJazz said:
I guess types like Trump can handle this manipulation well.
Click to expand...
I don’t think Trump is that intelligent that he can use manipulation as a strategy. He is too transactional for that and selfish. Only time he used manipulation as a strategy was in bombing Iran by making them think he was negotiating. The rest of behaviors is typical of his personality and character. Rather it is easy to manipulate him if you know which buttons to press. That’s what EU leaders have been trying to do with him without much success.
 
The story of the weekend in headlines.


www.nbcnews.com

Trump urges Ukraine to accept peace plan by Thanksgiving after Zelenskyy warns that Kyiv risks losing U.S. support

The White House wants Kyiv to sign off on a “framework” to end the war in Ukraine based upon the U.S.-crafted 28-point peace plan by Thursday, according to three U.S. officials.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com




Story of the weekend:

- Trump doing Moscow’s bidding
- Rubio was hardliner for sanctions against Russia till he joined Trump admin. He is not the main person interacting with Moscow. Yet trying to sell the plan to EU and Ukraine in Geneva this weekend.
- EU trying to insert itself again and change the terms. How much are they willing to stand up to Trump who is pushing this.
- Moscow can stick to its guns and refuse any concessions. It will argue that DC had proposed the 28 points and Moscow has not seen any details.
- If EU demands for concessions makes Russia walkout, not sure how mad it will make Trump.

Trump might think EU is snatching away his peace prize :)
 
Offbeat said:
The story of the weekend in headlines.


www.nbcnews.com

Trump urges Ukraine to accept peace plan by Thanksgiving after Zelenskyy warns that Kyiv risks losing U.S. support

The White House wants Kyiv to sign off on a “framework” to end the war in Ukraine based upon the U.S.-crafted 28-point peace plan by Thursday, according to three U.S. officials.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com




Story of the weekend:

- Trump doing Moscow’s bidding
- Rubio was hardliner for sanctions against Russia till he joined Trump admin. He is not the main person interacting with Moscow. Yet trying to sell the plan to EU and Ukraine in Geneva this weekend.
- EU trying to insert itself again and change the terms. How much are they willing to stand up to Trump who is pushing this.
- Moscow can stick to its guns and refuse any concessions. It will argue that DC had proposed the 28 points and Moscow has not seen any details.
- If EU demands for concessions makes Russia walkout, not sure how mad it will make Trump.

Trump might think EU is snatching away his peace prize :)
Click to expand...
"Security guarantees" are meaningless if Putin is still in charge. He will just continue the war and taunt the "security guarantee" force into action and potential escalation which won't happen.
 
www.theguardian.com

EU leaders race to save Ukraine funding deal as Kyiv’s cash runs low

‘Future of Europe’ at stake with Von der Leyen and Merz desperate to persuade Belgian PM to allow use of frozen Russian assets
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

I don’t understand why Merz is so hell bent on spending his political capital to fund Ukraine. Do plurality of Germans agree with him. If he is really so serious why doesn’t Germany foot the bill. Or at least bigger part of it.

Both Merz and von der Leyen have been pushing Belgium for a few months to let frozen Russian assets be used as security for loans. The European Central Bank has refused to act as backstop. Most legal and economic experts in the west (who do not support Russia) agree with Belgium that it is illegal and against international law. Which makes it sounds like Merz and von der Leyen are pushing to break or bend the international law. Same thing they accuse Putin of.

I also don’t understand Stammer putting his political capital. I don’t see how anything in Europe really endangers UK. After all UK brexited.

How would anything that happens in Ukraine makes Europe safer. That is one argument I can’t understand and no one in the west questions it. Whether Ukraine wins or loses, how would it change anything in Europe. I don’t think Russians are going to instigate a war with NATO. Putin says he has no interest in fight a war with Europe.

For once I think Trump had a more realistic approach. European approach is to keep fighting in Ukraine till Russia feels weakened. Sort of like Cold War end ? But that took decades.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top