Welcome to the post-american century: part 2

[East Coast Hustle]

sometimes, I hate being able to say "I told you so".

I'm too sick to write my own rant, so here's the link.

I'm confident that most of you will be able to see the real significance of this regardless of all the smiles and handshakes being shown in the media articles.

[Cain]

Read about the China-Venezuela-Iran pact?  Classic realism.  If one state becomes too powerful, many smaller states will band together against it.  It is probably burnt into the eyelids of every professional in the State Department, thats how obvious and basic it is. But no, someone decided they wanted more.  They decided they were the ones who would shape the future of the world.  And they royally fucked up by forgetting that basic rule.

[East Coast Hustle]

yeah, Venezuela is stepping on our balls pretty hard right now. Boosh has been all over Chavez's ass for not being a suck-up, going so far as to call him a human rights violator and basically accuse him of being a closet communist. Chavez may be a leftist, but he's still a democratically elected leftist, and last I knew he hadn't tried to do away with democracy and install himself as Prez-for-Life or anything like that. But Boosh and his cronies don't get it, so they've benn all over him lately and then just a week or so ago, Venezuela shut down the biggest oil refinery IN THE WORLD for "routine maintenance. Gas prices here spiked, jumping an average of around 15 cents a gallon in ONE DAY. I paid mroe wholesale for my last gasoline delivery than I was charging at the pump retail for the delivery before that.

but hey, that's life these days in the good ol' US of H.

[Eldora, Oracle of Alchemy]

Thanks, I feel like crap.  I can't think of anything intelligent to say.  Between all the diet pop and sudafed I feel like I have been doing cocaine, which sucks because I am the only person I know who has tried coke and didn't like it.  

But, is Unistat still at war with whatever wasn't Eurasia?

[Eldora, Oracle of Alchemy]

yeah, Venezuela is stepping on our balls pretty hard right now. Boosh has been all over Chavez's ass for not being a suck-up, going so far as to call him a human rights violator and basically accuse him of being a closet communist. Chavez may be a leftist, but he's still a democratically elected leftist, and last I knew he hadn't tried to do away with democracy and install himself as Prez-for-Life or anything like that. But Boosh and his cronies don't get it, so they've benn all over him lately and then just a week or so ago, Venezuela shut down the biggest oil refinery IN THE WORLD for "routine maintenance. Gas prices here spiked, jumping an average of around 15 cents a gallon in ONE DAY. I paid mroe wholesale for my last gasoline delivery than I was charging at the pump retail for the delivery before that.
but hey, that's life these days in the good ol' US of H.

With gas at 2.43 a gallon I realised that what I pay monthly for gas fill ups is costing me more than my monthly cable bill, or phone bill, or power bill.   Tourist towns are going to be hit hard this summer.  There was a town up north (in Michigan, that's where people go to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city) that reduced their prices to 1.99, all the other gas stations in town did the same.  If it had been any closer, I would have gone up there to fill up.

[gnimbley]

I read that story you linked to, Turd. Unfortunately they posted
in the "news" section. Should be posted in the fiction section.
Reminds me of Pan-Arabia.

[Horab Fibslager]

sw33t!

now we'll have soemthgni other than world war fuckin two to inspire video game designers!


w00t!

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

Venezuela is pretty fucking funny. I remember all the pro-Chavez demonstrators in the streets of Caracas but here in the USA the media outlets had labelled them as "anti-Chavez" protestors. Shit is funny. Chavez is the most popular president of Venezuela since the Spanish invasion over around 500 years ago...yet here in the US, he is called a dictator. ( I repsect the man and what he is doing...and I give him props for surviving an attempted military coup and kidnapping.)

[Cain]

Venezuela is pretty fucking funny. I remember all the pro-Chavez demonstrators in the streets of Caracas but here in the USA the media outlets had labelled them as "anti-Chavez" protestors. Shit is funny. Chavez is the most popular president of Venezuela since the Spanish invasion over around 500 years ago...yet here in the US, he is called a dictator. ( I repsect the man and what he is doing...and I give him props for surviving an attempted military coup and kidnapping.)

Yeah, he seems pretty good as far as leaders go and its nice to see he has the balls to stick to his words, even if it means throwing his lot in with some very nasty countries.  Probably get added to the axis of evil now.

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

Venezuela is pretty fucking funny. I remember all the pro-Chavez demonstrators in the streets of Caracas but here in the USA the media outlets had labelled them as "anti-Chavez" protestors. Shit is funny. Chavez is the most popular president of Venezuela since the Spanish invasion over around 500 years ago...yet here in the US, he is called a dictator. ( I repsect the man and what he is doing...and I give him props for surviving an attempted military coup and kidnapping.)

Yeah, he seems pretty good as far as leaders go and its nice to see he has the balls to stick to his words, even if it means throwing his lot in with some very nasty countries.  Probably get added to the axis of evil now.

Since when was Brazil a nasty country? (Hint: Brazil is nice. Just don't fuck with the police. Don't carry large amounts of cash when walking around, say, Rio. And speak a little Portuguese...they like that.)

[Cain]

I had a friend who went to Brazil, he said it was great. Closest I ever got was Lake Titicaca  I meant more like China  and Iran, who aren't exactly loving democracies either.  Then again, if you are hated by the worlds most powerful country and its current head, you can't be picky. I suppose most South American cities are similar to Rio anyway.  I remember waking up surrounded by armed police a couple of times in Peru. They were looking out for us, which was nice, its just waking up with a kalashnikov in your face is not a good start to your day.

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

I had a friend who went to Brazil, he said it was great. Closest I ever got was Lake Titicaca  I meant more like China  and Iran, who aren't exactly loving democracies either.  Then again, if you are hated by the worlds most powerful country and its current head, you can't be picky. I suppose most South American cities are similar to Rio anyway.  I remember waking up surrounded by armed police a couple of times in Peru. They were looking out for us, which was nice, its just waking up with a kalashnikov in your face is not a good start to your day.

Peru is fucked up. Probably because the Indians haven't yet kicked whitey out. Peru has quite a lot of pissed off Indians. I think half the country is Indian.

[Cain]

Peru is fucked up. Probably because the Indians haven't yet kicked whitey out. Peru has quite a lot of pissed off Indians. I think half the country is Indian.

Yeah, about that. We spent alot of our time out in the middle of nowhere with Indians.  Some of our guides for when we were in the rainforest were telling us about their history and native religions.  I think they have every right to be pissed off, from what I learnt.

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

Peru is fucked up. Probably because the Indians haven't yet kicked whitey out. Peru has quite a lot of pissed off Indians. I think half the country is Indian.

Yeah, about that. We spent alot of our time out in the middle of nowhere with Indians.  Some of our guides for when we were in the rainforest were telling us about their history and native religions.  I think they have every right to be pissed off, from what I learnt.

The best part is Peru is actually a place where the Indians have a chance to kick whitey (and his Spanish speaking cousin) out. Or they might just outbreed them.

Did you pick up any Quechua?

All I remember is "Napaykullayki."

And "Runasimi rimankichu?"

[Cain]

No unfortunately, the group I was with was very poor on language, I only had Spanish, and that was better than most, who only had English .  I saw one Spanish to Quenchya dictionary and when I went back the next day with money it was gone.