Posts by recordari
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I'm still fucking working on it. I mean the being justified and ancient, at the same time. Why are we swearing?
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(Having a drink now.)
Ditto. This stuff sure makes your head hurt. Feel a bit more enlightened, or at least slightly less dimwitted ;-)
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That will, ahem, effect the mincing, superior i-person, the plain grey MS clone, and the ghostly attic-dwelling still-wearing-the-same-underpants-I-turned-13-in linux-fiend alike.
So what about the Mac User on a Linux server with Parallels desktop running Windows XP so they can use MYOB?
I'll just go change my underpants. You can watch my mincing arse as it climbs the stairs to the attic.
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How useful is an iPad?, by Mark Webster, and this from Sideswipe on Tuesday.
A poll of 20,000 consumers has found the average Apple iPad owner is a self-centred workaholic who doesn't care about others. The study looked at what type of person is likely to have bought the $800 to $1350 device, and found that people who were wealthy, highly educated, sophisticated and selfish were six times more likely to own an iPad.
Orly?
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Well, no, it's exactly the matter. Anybody can comment, but if it doesn't make any difference then what's the relevance?
I'm a bit surprised by this. Are you saying even people in high profile positions like HC should say nothing about Afghanistan because nobody is listening? I would have thought they should just shout louder.
No, in their view, the US and the Islamists and jihadis are in league.
They use a lot of terms like "Northern Alliance" and "National Front", and it takes a bit of unravelling as to whom they are speaking about. But, yes perhaps we are excluded from the 'lackey' tag. Would they distinguish our 'reconstruction' forces from the US forces, when push comes to shove?
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Why, do you think it's Helen Clark or UNDP that makes decisions about military strategy in Afghanistan?
No, but do you think the UNDP has no place in commenting on military strategies, or the role of reconstruction forces in Afghanistan? Whether anyone will listen, is another matter.
I also read the RAWA page earlier today. They are pretty militant, perhaps understandably. It sure presents an alternative view.
Let’s rise against the war crimes of US and its fundamentalist lackeys!
So I guess we are included in the 'lackeys' of whom they speak?
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Nobody is talking about the women, whose welfare is not now nor has ever been part of the strategic equation. They only get mentioned to justify the war to liberals.
You don't think this includes women's welfare?
In Afghanistan UNDP helps to strengthen local government and public administration; and undertakes many livelihood programmes, including working through communities and employing local labour to develop infrastructure such as schools and clinics.
I believe there is more scope for strategic collaboration between Japan and UNDP in Afghanistan. On this visit I have been discussing how we might scale up our already significant partnership there.
As part of its development mission, UNDP also works with its partners to strengthen human rights, justice and electoral institutions; help parliaments to develop their role of scrutiny; and support development of effective local, regional and national government.
Perhaps singling out 'women' was wrong, and it is possibly counter-productive to get drawn into a discussion of oppression on gender grounds. My bad, but I do believe humanitarian goals are part of at least some people's strategy. Well, I hope so. Naive, much? Probably.
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Christiaan I just read your post My mate the terrorist on your blog, and in comparison to your words here, it seemed kind of interesting, slightly humorous, and thought provoking.
And yet, possibly due to the cornering you received above, you have the world being blown to oblivion by 'diseased' western imperialist force who is no better than the Taliban, who, you may recall, stoned to death Afghan citizens (including women and children) in the town square in front of baying crowds, within our life-times.
It is widely acknowledged that America, particularly under Bush, has committed some pretty appalling acts during this 'war', but does it really compare to this?
So while there is also a known undercurrent of global dominance of natural resources, I don't really give a shit, because allowing the persecution of any group of people on religious, gender or cultural grounds is no better than driving past a road accident without stopping.
ETA: I thought there was a legal obligation for the first on the scene to stop at road accidents, but can't find link to substantiate it.
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I do think our PRT contingent has helped people and that they -- and Lt O'Donnell in particular -- should be permitted their pride in that.
Yes, that. I find some of the attitudes expressed around this, and not necessarily on here, a bit chilling. Our isolation is no excuse for callous indifference.
Helen Clark and Geoffrey Palmer are both proving that our world view is sufficiently broad, while at the same time determinedly impartial, to allow our representatives to contribute significantly to global events.
Our 'fallen soldier' was doing his bit too, in an arguably riskier and more selfless manor.
ETA: And along came Ian, and this all seems less relevant. Bring on the Band of Horses, the cavalry has fallen.
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Bush did a Christmas speech in the first year, paid tribute to the fallen -- and never once mentioned the loss of Afghan lives.
This is one of the more galling things about modern (Western?) body-count journalism. It's a bit off topic, but it bugs me that the flooding in Pakistan has come 1) after Riff Raff gaining residency in NZ and 2) Hone Harawira's latest brain explosion on consecutive nights.
And as Tom points out 'we' have now suffered our first 'combat loss' in Afghanistan, and I won't fault anyone on leading with that today, but please also appropriately acknowledge the lives of others that have been lost through tragedy, otherwise we do start to look just a little bit callous, IMhO.