Words of wisdom from ECH

[East Coast Hustle]

Just got back from two days in Nassau. China is pumping money into that place like money is going out of style. I did quite a bit of exploring with a particular eye towards the results of the heavy Chinese investment.

I gotta say, I feel sorry for all you suckers who are stuck in a country that won't just accept the inevitable. As for me, I'm writing in "NEW CHINESE OVERLORDS" for president in 2012.

[Triple Zero]

Nassau, Germany?? Probably not because that wouldn't make sense. Which Nassau?

[Cain]

Yeah, srsly.  China is investing every-the-fuck-where right now.  Shit, China just put forward plans for massive infrastructure investments across the Middle East...and everyone wants to be their friends.  That is, Israel, the GCG and Iran are all vying for China's approval and, more importantly from their POV, cash.

CHINESE OVERLORDS 2012 - at least their engineers are being paid to build and maintain shit!

[East Coast Hustle]

Nassau, Germany?? Probably not because that wouldn't make sense. Which Nassau?

Capital of the Bahamas.

And yeah, China has been quietly dumping a shitload of money into the West Indies. And for the most part, there has been a notable and marked improvement in the standard of living on the islands that have accepted their investment.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Yeah, srsly.  China is investing every-the-fuck-where right now.  Shit, China just put forward plans for massive infrastructure investments across the Middle East...and everyone wants to be their friends.  That is, Israel, the GCG and Iran are all vying for China's approval and, more importantly from their POV, cash.

CHINESE OVERLORDS 2012 - at least their engineers are being paid to build and maintain shit!

And if their bridges crack and then disintegrate, that's just the invisible hand of the free market at work.

[East Coast Hustle]

As opposed to anything built and engineered by West Indians? I'll take my chances with the Chinese stuff and be thankful for it. And at least they'll pay to have it repaired/rebuilt when needed. How is America's infrastructure doing these days?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

As opposed to anything built and engineered by West Indians? I'll take my chances with the Chinese stuff and be thankful for it. And at least they'll pay to have it repaired/rebuilt when needed. how is America's infrastructure doing these days/

Piss-poor, but that's not a regulatory issue, but rather that the American public is too fucking stupid to recognize that maintenance is better than repair.

Also, the Chinese have been involved in American bridge projects:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_span_replacement_of_the_San_Francisco_%E2%80%93_Oakland_Bay_Bridge

This was immediately followed by a re-closing due to a failed eye-bar (Chinese) and a series of incredibly shitty welds (American, pushed by American Bridge and Fluor to work too fast).

I'm going to add a personal anecdote, here:  I do not allow Chinese steel in the refinery I work at, because our experience with it is that it ablates when welded.  Cheap materials = shitty structure.  Likewise, I do not allow Chinese teflon under any circumstances, as its failure rate is obscene.  German, Japanese, and Canadian manufacture are preferred, followed by British and American.

[East Coast Hustle]

Oh, I understand, but I'm talking about a part of the world that doesn't have those options.

For most of the WI, it's Chinese or nothing, and "nothing" hasn't been working out so well. In fact, seeing what's being done in Nassau has caused me to do a complete 180 in my position regarding whether the USVI should seek independence. I used to think it would be catastrophic for us. Now, with Hovensa shutting down the refinery on St. Croix, the Feds absolutely REFUSING to give any oversight to the corruption of the territorial government, and the tourism industry poised to go down the shitter when Cuba opens up, I think that going independent and subsequently accepting all the investment the Chinese are willing to offer is probably the only way ot save the place in the long run.

[navkat]

Drinking "Lazy man's Mint Juleps" (my own li'l recipe) and avoiding packing. I feel like this should be the "drunk fread" for the forum.

Words of wisdom: Dried mint leaf tea will do in an absolute pinch. Just a brew fuckton of that shit into the same water you'll be using to make your simple syrup (or sirop, as the Canadians call it!) and shove some of the drained mint leaf shit into the glass before you load it up with ice. Substituting anything else for the Maker's Mark will not.

LOVE YUO GUISE!

[East Coast Hustle]

I would actually prefer this not be the general drunk thread for the forum, but if you can't be arsed to make your own I won't stop you.

[navkat]

No, I think I'm done.