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| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - - Posts by Arwon |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35  Posts: 426/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| OOC: (PSST, Firemaker, I want the mortals to be ordinary people living in the modern world... I think there's more scope for amusement and drama that way. Care to edit your post?) | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 427/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| OOC: "Udder terror!" Heeeeee. I'll post later, I'm extremely busy today. And actually, is there somewhere I can read some background and explanation of this new place? Have we been physically transported, is my character now merely a representation of the other-world character in some kind of virtual reality? (edited by Arwon on 08-23-05 09:50 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 428/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Caboose: That's great! Actually it gives me a small idea I might use. Now if we could just have a few more Gods.... |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 429/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| (apologies for the continued delay, I'm out of town visiting mis padres for a few days and away from frequent interweb access for a few days, and am running on very little sleep... also have assignments I should be attending to...) | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 430/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Normalise the situation, since its an intractable solution you might as well make it work the best you can. By offering work permits and visas to these people, you bring them inside the law, inside the system, which will help to enforce civilised wage standards (well, inasmuch as California's minimum wage is "civilised" ...but America's "working poor" phenomenon is another topic altogether) and stop exploitation and so forth. It's the fear of the Law, the incredibly weak bargaining position, that makes them work in such crappy conditions. If, because of work visas and more open border flows, the people aren't afraid of the border patrol and immigration police, they're more likely to come and go as they please, and far less likely to take abusive conditions as is presently the case. This can only have an upwards affect on wages. This will probably also have the effects of enabling more economic development on the other side of the border - contrary to popular belief, most people in the world don't necessarily want to move to America even if it's so full of money. By letting people return home, and send money home, without fear of being arrested, being cut off from their jobs, etc etc, you'll see more money returning to Mexico which can only be a good thing for the standard of living there. Normalising the situation is the best solution here. (edited by Arwon on 08-27-05 04:30 AM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 431/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Don't forget, immigrants add a tax-base and consumption to an economy, too. They're not just a burden. Besides, what's that stuff about the tired and poor and he huddled masses? Bah, I shouldn't get too snotty, America's immigration policies, the untenability of the iron curtain with Mexico excepted, are far more enlightened and humane than Australia's. (edited by Arwon on 08-27-05 09:01 PM) (edited by Arwon on 08-27-05 09:04 PM) (edited by Arwon on 08-27-05 09:05 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 432/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Asperger's is often described as an extreme of the "male" form of intellegence - systems, logic, but by contrast, very little intuition, understanding of context, and so forth. I understand that it's mostly a male syndrome and that in females it is far less pronounced, perhaps because of different socialisation. So yes, brothers mostly. Also, I wonder why this board has so many "Aspies". Statistical fluke or is it something about the ostensible topic matter of the board (videogame modding, ROM hacking or whatever? I've never really figured out precisely what this boad was formed for...). |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 433/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| From NOAA, the National WEather Service: "MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FKitten Yiffer. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FKitten Yiffer IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FKitten Yiffer. HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK. POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED. Jesus, the Weather Service warnings sound like the Book of Revelations. They're straight-out saying that many types of buildings *will* be destroyed and using phrases like "human suffering incredible by modern standards" on a fucking weather service bulletin. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 434/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Printing Press? | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 435/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| I live in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney but I'm not a pretentious latte-sipping wanker. Actually, my suburb's mostly Indonesian and Chinese folks and students... | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 436/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Looks like it swerved a few miles east at the last minute, New Orleans dodged one hell of a bullet with regards to catastrophic flooding and mssive destruction. (edited by Arwon on 08-29-05 08:31 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 437/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Reports seem to be that inside the Superdome things are getting a little Lord of the Flies-ish because of the terrible conditions. Outside it doesn't sound like things are much better. And the Bikoxi area on the Mississippi coast got more or less wiped out, 9 metre storm surge. Pretty horrid, but if *that* had have hit New Orleans... http://www.brendanloy.com/ - good blog for info |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 438/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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Originally posted by beneficiiOriginally posted by Arwon I dunno man, can you imagine what 9 metre (30 foot, i guess) storm surges and rapidly smashed levees would have done to New Orleans, a city below sea level? And that level of rapid flooding, on top of the level of destruction that we've seen the strongest part of the storm could do? You'd have had a lake of smashed debris where NO is now. I'm not marginalising the destruction in Mississippi by any means... I mean, it looks like it has been nuked, but I'm just thinking about just how much bigger and more vulnerable the Big Easy was because of its position. How many people were still in the 'bowl' who would've been utterly fucked by that scenario of über-destruction PLUS massive multi-storey-high flooding? We'd be talking deaths in the thousands (assuming we aren't now). (edited by Arwon on 08-31-05 02:59 AM) (edited by Arwon on 08-31-05 02:59 AM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 439/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Hey, Hugo Chavez pledged aid. Slay: The evacuation order was given, but people without cars weren't really given much help. Where were the army convoys? It's a bit rich to tell the elderly, homeless and destitute, or even just people who don't have cars, that it's their fault they couldn't escape and had to make do with "places of last refuge". |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 440/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Army Corps say: "Water has become level with the Lake in the city so no more water should flow into the city, except at high tide." This is gonna take months or years to clear up, surely. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 441/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| It'll be there if the US asks, and some offers have been made, but the general perception is that the US would feel like it doesn't need aid, partly due to the idea that large parts of the worl only survive on US handouts. A "WE give aid to THEM, not the other way around" sorta thing. There's also the problem of effective warehousing and delivery - the Mayor of NO is already complaining about the confusion and lack of coordination of aid agencies, "too many cooks in the kitchen". Plus, materially, the US as a disaster-prone nation is already extremely well equipped - what can other countries do that 15000 national guardsmen and the US Navy cannot? And financially... well, I'm assuming there'll be plenty of donations to the Red Cross and so forth. I can see a need for experts in relevant fields (Australian firefighters routinely travel to America to lend their expertise to help them in fighting forest and grass fires, for example), for example I have heard that levee experts from Europe have already flown over to help the engineers figure out how to plug the gap. But aside from advisors and knowledge-based aid, there doesn't seem to be much call for material or financial aid given the US's disaster relief resources. I would also ask - How much aid has the US sent to victims of massive flooding in Europe over the last week? Developed countries tend to have the resources to cope themselves, aid is for countries who don't have such well developed resources. Anyways, it's diplomatic politeness to offer help in times of great natural disaster and I am almost certain that such offers have been made - but because they're routine they don't get blasted all over the headlines. If the US makes specific material requests people will answer, but until then there's no point in just blindly throwing money and resources in the American direction - they don't need it. FINALLY: Hugo Chavez offers aid fuel, clean water, discount petrol for the poor and free eye surgery for those without health insurance... And Canada's sending help including urban rescue teams that were requested. I'm sure there's others. This self-obsessed bleating is a non-issue. (edited by Arwon on 08-31-05 09:56 PM) (edited by Arwon on 08-31-05 09:59 PM) (edited by Arwon on 08-31-05 10:05 PM) (edited by Arwon on 08-31-05 10:06 PM) |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 442/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| Well that's supply and demand for you. | |||
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 443/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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Originally posted by Guilty Grey X Supply = amount available in the marketplace, ie, amount produced. The term as used in economics is subltely different to the term used elsewhere. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 444/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| This guy and others are holed up in a building in the CBD running off their own power. According to their first-hand information from an NOPD officer, the police are basically non-functional and impotent, many have quit or left the city, they have no idea what's going on, most of their resources and equipment is under-water, and some cops have been joining in the looting at points. Until they get an effective military presence it's a dangerous free-for-all, and it sounds like things are getting pretty Lord of the Flies-ish. |
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Arwon Zora Level: 35 Posts: 445/506 EXP: 278115 For next: 1821 Since: 03-15-04 From: Terra Australis Incognita Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 10 min. |
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| From what I've been seeing and hearing the media is dropping the ball on reporting just how dire things are. They're talking about "looting" but they don't really seem to be impressing on people just how bad things are, and that there's a need to send in an organised military presence to restore order, distribute supplies properly, and get everyone out. I also dunno that they're making clear just how uninhabitable the city is going to be for months - effectively, it seems like NO will have to cease to exist as a city for quite a while but they don't seem to be making the point too successfully. (edited by Arwon on 09-01-05 08:09 AM) |
| Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 |
| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - - Posts by Arwon |
