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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - - Posts by Arwon |
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Arwon Bazu                 Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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Originally posted by AdamantOriginally posted by Arwon Good point. That should read "aquire gun, hijack vehicle to Canberra" |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| But that's the thing, back in the day, Serbia didn't dominate Yugoslavia. Tito was, I believe, a Croat or possibly Bosnian. And really, the best thing about Yugoslavia was that for most of its history, it didn't matter where you lived or what you were. Redistributive policies and the protection of the federal Yugoslav constition meant it didn't matter which republic you were in or what ethnic group you were (And for once they actually recognised that Serbian and Croatian are the same damn language with different alphabets).
Then as soon as those policies went away, suddenly Serbs in Croatia (for instance) got real nervous and started remembering the Ustache. Everyone started to get nervous and even those of mixed blood (a lot of people, especially in Sarejevo) started identifying with one group or another. Things rapidly snowballed, helped along by communist leaders trying to maintain legitimacy. Don't make the mistake of denigrating and devaluing 40 years of ethnic peace, don't forget that once, cities like Sarajevo were models of multiethnic tolerance. It's unfortunate that the aftermath of this has made it look like the dream was impossible, but it was there, and despite being communist the regime was for a long time genuinely popular. That sort of de-emphasis on ethnicity is something that a lot of people from that area seem to value and look on with notalgia. It's worth noting that despite the fact that Yugoslavia actively encouraged identification with an ethnic group (you had to be a Croat to join the Croat Communist Party, etc) the last census had 1.6 million people identifying as Yugoslav rather than Bosnian or Croatian or Serbian. These policies of separate organisations for each group were designed to balance the ethnic groups but unfortunately they lay the foundations for an easy and violent split in the aftermath. Slovenia has less of a compulsion for a new unity in the Balkans becuase it's basically homogenous and seeking to identify more with Central Europe instead. But as for the rest, some degree of unity once more, particularly across Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia, would be preferable to continued ethnic strife in a nightmarishly complicated region. After-all, what was ethnic cleansing but a rather brutal and "democratic" (in the sense of majority rule) campaign from all parties to simplify these ethnic borders? The problem with these ethnically-identified states going it alone is that in every case except Slovenia there are substantial minorities within their borders... these are not groups with natural boundaries existing along ethnic lines. It's very unfortunate that the dream of a pan-Slavic state is dead for now... in south-eastern Europe, the more nation-states can get away from identifying with a single ethnic group, the better (that goes for Romania as well). It's my hope that eventual EU membership returns these places to a situation where it doesn't matter so much where you live. (edited by Arwon on 05-26-06 11:50 PM) (edited by Arwon on 05-26-06 11:51 PM) |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| It's funny how in the developed world it's mainly the US where there's substantial numbers of environmnetal skeptics who bleat about the politicising of science and the lack of evidence. It's mainstream bipartisan policy in most other places that emissions that lead to global warming need to be stabilisied and then reduced... and yet we have an administration in the US which doesn't even believe it exists.
Do you people just think the rest of us are dumb and brainwashed, or what? (edited by Arwon on 05-26-06 11:56 PM) |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| I haven't heard of the specific incident, but there's been similar incidents before involving checkpoints. This specific case sounds like it was a regerettable tragedy, but it should be pointed out that we know civilians are being deliberately killed as well.
Just today there's been new accusations based on the BBC footage about US troops deliberately killing civilians in a house? And there's already another incident with Marines rampaging against civilians, which has prompted the Iraqi government to call for new rules of engagement. Given the number of time these things have happened and what we've heard about the attitudes and behaviour of some of the soldiers, by now, we really do know that civilians are being carelessly killed and at times deliberately killed... the Iraqi government is having a go at the US forces, and other coalition forces (particularly the Brits) aren't happy. (edited by Arwon on 06-02-06 08:04 AM) |
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Arwon Bazu  Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| To be honest, kowtowing to the US's idiot foreign policy is, at this stage, pretty low on the reasons John Howard sucks. To me, Australia's lack of an independant or sensible foreign policy is a bipartisan bit of dumbness. Beazley probably would have joined the war and Crean never really outlined a Labor position.
Blaming Howard for our foreign policy situation is a bit silly. With things like: workchoices and all the shittiness that entails, refugees, the welfare system (middle class welfare and shockingly high effective tax rates and disincentives to work at the lower end), greenhouse emissions and fucking COAL IS THE FUTURE, the scorched earth approach to student unionism, his wretched cultural conservatism and jingoistic nationalism, the Australian Wheat Board shenanigans, the anti-terror and sedition laws, there's plenty other more salient reasons to hate the fucker than just Iraq. |
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Arwon Bazu  Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| 3 things.
THERE'S A ZERO IN THE DATE. WE'VE AVERTED THE APOCALYPSE 19 TIMES BEFORE. THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS THE ANTICHRIST. |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| The idea of Jesus as a father and husband is an old one. Dan Brown's just ripped off a bunch of old Gnostic texts and conspiracy theories for fun and profit. | |||
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Arwon Bazu  Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| Socceroos, obviously, then probably Spain and whichever African team decides to be the bolter. At the moment I'm going for the Paraguayans against England.
Going out on Monday night to watch us play Japan on a cinema-sized screen at the Harbour. Should be great. We drew with Holland in a warm-up and I think we're a chance of getting beyond the group stage, but Japan will be very very tough. (edited by Arwon on 06-10-06 10:03 AM) |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| Genesis 3:16, the one about women being made subservient and forced to endure childbirth as punishment during the Fall. Men, meanwhile, get to work for their food. It's been a central scriptural justification of mysogyny and gender inequality for the better part of 2000 years. | |||
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| Socceroos open their campaign tonight against Japan. Winnable, but very tough and we have a poor record against Japan. | |||
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| I for once agree with SS. Let topic drift be! | |||
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| But there hasn't been a decision?
Also, sex and Christianity is, very clearly, the topic of the thread. |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| "No other team has scored three goals in the last seven minutes in World Cup history."
I think that about sums it up. Just got through wandering around downtown Sydney singing and chanting and yelling as everyone ran around going nuts and people in cars honked horns and stuff. *runs around singing "3-1, 3-1, 3-1" and "Olé olé olé oléee, Aussie, Aussie" to the tune of that Brazillian "Olé" chant song thing* |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| OK so apaprently our crucial final group game against Croatia is scheduled for 4:30am local time. Bah! You'd think they'd try and schedule the games to accommidate the involed countries' time-zone differences. | |||
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| 2:30am would be fine, Colin. I've usually been watching the 2:30am game. But 5:00am AEST is pushing it. I'm just baffled as to why, with games starting at 11:00pm, 2:30am and 5:00am Australian time, they'd put our game that late. Croatia will get the game at a decent hour in any time-slot
Especially since the earlier game involves the US, for whom the latest possible time slot would be far better. I'd have expected better organisation from the Germans, that's all. Edit: Hang on, they have to play all the 3rd group games for each group at the same time, don't they? Group F is hopelessly scattered around the globe and I guess Brazil and Japan got preferential treatment in getting a decent timeslot for those two countries (late night but not early morning Japan time, probably early afternoon Brasillian time?). Bah. Means I don't get to sleep between the Aussie game and catching a plane to Melb for a debating tournament. Hooray for SLEEP MADNESS DEBATING STYLE. (edited by Arwon on 06-13-06 02:39 PM) |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| At least they didn't get a point out of it. | |||
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| Keep the HoR how it is, change the Senate to proportional rep. With Congress's disgustingly high incumbency rate, there needs to be a better circuitbreaker, a more dynamic and genuinely representative house, and a senate where every state just gets two first-past-the-post senators isn't it. | |||
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| ¡Viva España!
Feeling pretty good about putting a bit of money on them to win the cup yesterday. Spain have been comprehensively the best side I've seen so far, for mine. I know they're chokers, but I like to back a realistic longshot and 15-1 was too good to pass up. |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| Yeah I know the history, but they're really talented and I figured they've gotta do it eventually. Plus I might as well have my money where my emotional support is, if I'm gonna back a longshot... (edited by Arwon on 06-15-06 06:03 AM) |
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Arwon Bazu Since: 11-18-05 From: Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia Last post: 5909 days Last view: 5909 days |
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| White, where you see the two-party system as filtering out parties and views as a good thing, I see it as bad. It allows a single party to gain power and run rough-shod over everything, and makes a mockery of the principle of checks and balances on power.
A plurality of voices and the necessity for coalitions means that, essentially, parties have to negotiate and compromise and be pragmatic. It can tend to diffuse polarisation and absolutism as parties find themselves havign to actually work issues out instead of just passing whatever they want. Sure, it might make the system less efficient... but firstly, is what America has efficient? And secondly, why is efficiency in legislation such a valuable commodity? One-party states can efficiently and swiftly make decisions, why not just have that? |
| 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 27 28 29 30 31 32 |
| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - - Posts by Arwon |
