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Rob_Hob

Listed below are comments made by Rob_Hob between Thursday, 16th October 2008 and Sunday, 28th June 2009.

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Raw emotion of dolphin kills 09:47am on 28 Jun 2009 honestfedup if you were an isolated person on Earth interacting with no-one and depending on no other, your argument would be correct. However, you are WRONG precisely because we ALL live in an increasingly interconnected global society where we all AFFECT each other.

The Japanese, or in particular the Japanese conducting the killing of whales and dolphins, depend on and interact with, in one way or another, with the rest of the world. Thus the opinion the rest of the world has on them matters. They gain benefit from being part of a global society and thus should accept the RESPONSIBILITIES that go with being respected world citizens.

Without insulting any specific culture, I think we can all agree that certain behaviours are not acceptable anywhere in the world, irrespective of how long they have been an established part of a culture. I am sure we can all think of UNACCEPTABLE practices ALL OVER THE WORLD that have been part of culture for very long, and yet are clearly wrong. Thus to say that criticising behaviour in other cultures is biased or racist is disingenous and simply WRONG.

The Japanese can close off their islands and cut themselves off from the rest of the world... and in that case they would be treated as aliens and outsiders, purely on their effects outside their territory. Clearly this first option is not going to happen as the Japanese want to be part of the wider world, and just about all of them would agree on this point.

Accordingly those Japanese still WHINING about cultural bias in the criticism of whaling and killing of dolphins should realise that the MAJORITY of the outside world they deal with finds these activities WRONG and ABHORENT... irrespective of whether these moral conclusions were arrived at emotionally, logically, or in a combination of both. They should accept their responsibilites as world citizens and morally shape up. Clearly they want to be part of the world so it is time to pay up this social contract and stop whale and dolphin killings in a way as return for respect in and being part of the wider world.
Franco-German alliance growls 4:18pm on 02 Apr 2009 I have read through the BBC news on the G20 summit. Hidden in a paragraph among many of copious description is the mention of creating $250 billion worth of SDR for the IMF... OUT OF THIN AIR, without backup in corresponding lending from member governments. I am totally confused and perplexed by this development. I think the reporters share my reaction because this information was not explained at all.

It sounded to me like the IMF wants to join the ranks of governments in being allowed to print money (or create it digitally - without the need for even the cost of the paper and ink). To my mind this would enforce inflation on the whole world! Especially so if they are allowed to do this again and again later.

CAN SOME ONE EXPLAIN THIS ONE TO ME? This is somewhat beyond my meager understanding...
Whispers of the Dalai Lama 04:16am on 13 Mar 2009 heyone, the point is not as straightforward as you put it. For example we do not want the Nazi party to get back into power today even though what happened in WWII was a long time ago. The Nazis are still the same as they were and capable of the same things.

The key, to me at least, is to look at the CURRENT state and behaviour of groups.

Thus the Tibetans sould not be judged on how Tibet was a long time ago PRECISELY because CURRENTLY they stand for a democratic system and the rule of law.

The CCP SHOULD still be blamed for what it did in the past because it is THE SAME organisation that did those things, and still quite capable of opressing and killing people on a large scale.

This pragmatist approach clears it all up. I always ask myself what the result of each choice would be in the HERE and NOW and the future. I do not play propaganda games like the Chinese government does, comparing past to present, or apples to oranges, etc.
Whispers of the Dalai Lama 01:21am on 13 Mar 2009 Howardddd it is NOT my PARANOIA that the Chinese government PAYS online posters and bloggers to spread propaganda and opinions favourable to itself. They are social engineering public opinion and while I would not call these people agents, they are working for the Chinese government. They are undermining free speech by distorting real opinions and taking over discussions/blogs. Similar tactics appear on other foreign language news sites and blogs.

I am not saying that all Chinese posters are working for their government, but a lot ARE... and a lot of the rest are "patriotically" repeating what they are spoon fed.

This is an interesting challenge to democracy and free speech when it is being undermined like this by in effect a hostile government.

A few months ago BBC ran an article describing exactly this way of Chinese government paying people to influence opinion online. The same story came up elsewhere on the net. Look it up.
Whispers of the Dalai Lama 01:05am on 13 Mar 2009 ktwar2009 it is not that hard to look up information on the internet. The Dalai Lama has NO intention of introducing theocracy in Tibet, he supports democracy up to and including the choosing of the next Dalai Lama in a vote of the Tibetan people.

As I adressed above, Tibet would be better off economically RIGHT NOW if the Chinese were not stealing its resources. Repeating Chinese propaganda and imperialist dogma that says otherwise does not REFUTE my point.

NEXT item in Chinese propaganda that is being repeated ad nauseum by paid online Chinese propagandists: freedom for Tibet means theocracy and feudalism. NOT TRUE. Look it up and STOP repeating it when the Tibetan government says and acts otherwise.

One has to wonder why Chinese LIKE to repeat these LIES when it is so easy to look up the facts... especially fot those Chinese that are in the West right now with free access to multiple sources of information and the net.
Whispers of the Dalai Lama 1:46pm on 12 Mar 2009 ... one Chinese government argument I find totally STUPID and yet very pervasive on the net is: the Tibetan people are better off economically than they were before the Chinese came.

This is true as stated, but it is a misinterpretation.

The Chinese people themselves are better off than China from 50 or 60 years ago. It is not a valid comparison to put a Tibet from long ago next to modern China and compare the two... and yet this argument is spouted endlessly and in HUGE volume all over the net.

The VALID question or comparison is if Tibet would be better off economically and in terms of freedom with or without China RIGHT NOW!

I think Tibet would be MUCH BETTER off without China RIGHT NOW both in terms of economy and freedom. Especially since the Dalai Lama supports DEMOCRACY, while China is a CORRUPT dictatorship whose leaders are saying that it will never have democracy or a multi-party political system.
Whispers of the Dalai Lama 1:39pm on 12 Mar 2009 There is no point debating issues critical of China online because the long arms of the Chinese government stretch everywhere. I have to wonder what is going on when the same arguments that sound point by point exactly the same as Chinese propaganda are repeated over and over... then I remember that the Chinese government PAYS surfers to post opinions supportive of its views. They are engineering public opinion online, and in that case it all makes much more sense.
Climate change plan under fire 5:53pm on 16 Oct 2008 #35 briton, LOL Science IS REPEATED not made up on a blog. Discoversies are repeated, based on work done by experts, and the work quoted (i.e. repeated). This is the WHOLE point. Real events need proper interpretation, assessment, science and scientists do this... and BLOG posts do not... whatever one may go for or prefer.

OPINION or personal interpretation does not matter on facts - proper science and research does matter and provides them.

However, I am beginning to think it is pointless arguing about how science works with those who have no idea about it, or are unwilling to learn. Though why I am surprised when even Italian prime ministers make the same mistake...
Climate change plan under fire 5:35pm on 16 Oct 2008 #34 mcdv, this is just getting into an arguemnt for argument's sake. YES, science says it is so. NOT just science that agrees with me... SHOW ME the science (not opinions or polemic) that says otherwise.

STOP throwing facts at me without making an argument, and tell me WHICH established and reviewed scientists say otherwise. Like I said I am not qualified to PROPERLY assess climate science... I doubt you are qualified either.

SO, show me the science! Prove it... but do not TORTURE my intelligence by repeatng the same kind of stuff over and over again. Full arguments, papers, research, NOT disjointed claims I do not even have a way of checking.

HOW does Al Gore come into it?! Does the world begin and end with America? I am only vaguelt familiar with the person, and ONLY from what I hear posted on the net.
Climate change plan under fire 4:08pm on 16 Oct 2008 mcdv-1975 I base my arguments on the available science. The science says: man made global warming is real and significant. It is not a greenie or dogamtic argument.

What you said is not a counter argument either, you just mentioned some real events without explaing how they are supposed to counter the evidence on global warming. You have not presented a scientific argument. I DO NOT try to make a scientific argument - I TAKE the established science facts, and keep repeating them: human caused global warming is real, and GREATER than any natural effects happening at the same time.

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