Avalon (CVnU Enterprise/Location)

The Atomic Bombing happen before international law or at least against air bombing at least.

I'm allergic to stupidity. Nothing worse than one who doesn't realize they're not nearly as smart as they think they are. And then they try to treat you like some kind of...inferior being...

If you hear "bipolar" and "manic" and your first and only thought is to try and probe me for thoughts you think I may be having about killing you, we're going to have a problem. We're going to have bigger problems if you ignorantly dispute my attempts to educate you, with idiocy and fallacy. If you're not going to listen at all, don't come and speak to me because we're going to have a problem.

And even if I weren't falling into one of those states, how could I not be annoyed by you carrying on like...you?

Glad to see things are going so well today.

Oh, he's dangerous

@la_espada:

Yes it does matter, laws only matter if they are enforced. That's the entire reason law does matter. What's a law without enforcement? It's a nothing, that's what it is. Small economic sanctions which are only affecting apple farmers. They aren't being dealt anything major. It's simply blowing hot air to fuel the Anti-Russian sentiment, that's it. Nothing drastic is being done against Russia. Russia are not doing anything that every other western country hasn't done in the modern times. They are supporting rebels, we done that, we are doing that, and we will are always going to do that. It's like saying the UK are bad for supporting pro-British Irish people during the IRA attacks. Britain was trying to get Ireland into the UK (or keep it there) via supporting people who opposed the IRA. Nobody condemned Britain, well, America did, but they did not sanction them at all. Russia do the same and get sanctioned.

@antonia: Did I do something wrong again ?

@pyrogram: LMAO Pyro, are you not paying attention?

Did Russia violate international laws? Yes.

Are they suffering the consequences for doing so? Yes.

Debate over.

@la_espada: Such a simplistic view of the world, though. lol the world's not black and white like that dude, and you know it. C'mon.

@shadowswordmaster: You came to this conclusion, how?

@antonia: I'm always afraid of you killing me!

Haha, that's funny though. Manic murdering Zauby LOL

@antonia: It just something you said to me a while ago to be honest.I'm glad to see you back : )

Did I say that it was, son? Don't put words in my mouth. You "c'mon".

I'm not debating how morally ambiguous the world is with respect to society and politics.

I said that Russia violated international laws. Did they not? They did. And I said that they're now facing the consequences that come with doing so.

Debate over.

I kind of want to speak on that but I am in all the wrong ways right now and it would be a terrible move for stability.

@antonia: WOWWWWWWW

@la_espada: *Shrugs* I don't think Russia truly have even violated international laws because the UK have done the exact same and faced not a single sanction. They were not even said to have violated any international laws, it's all open to interpretation. Maybe they are going against treaties and illegally entering a country boundaries... But I could put up a good debate for why it's not breaking any laws apart from a few border ones. I like politics LOL It's all interpretation in things like this.

Yes they have LOL. The only reason the UK etc. haven't faced any sanctions is because they're in a greater position of power, culturally, politically, economically, geographically, and socially. You and a rich man can be caught for the same crime but he'll go to country club prison because his status is greater and he can exploit the system.

The moment you violate a country's sovereignty, you've violated international laws. That's why international military intervention exists.

@natalia_dante: Too many triggers all around.

@la_espada: I agree they have, but either way I could make an argument. They have and I agree, don't get me wrong, but there's little pieces of legislation here and there which could allow a foreign nation to enter legally under protecting their own citizens etc. Legality of war is quite complex.

@la_espada: Although I don't think they have broken the ones which have been implied. Only border disputes, nothing else.

@antonia: Love you <3

Hmm.. Falcao.

The reason Russia's actions are different than the actions of western nations is because Russia commits orders of magnitude more violations of human rights and has only pretended to embrace the classical liberalism that nearly all modern western nations subscribe too.

In other words they are the bad guys. Through and through. They have been for a long time and they probably will be for a long time. Ukraine is better off with the EU than with Russia so it is moral to root for that outcome and use your tools against the Russians.

That said I don't believe the US should intervene. Russia is a regional power now and their actions are in the Europe's back yard. Action or inaction should fall to Europe. It should be their call with Russian problems from now on.

Very true. America doesn't need to waste time dealing with this, the EU was put in place for a reason.

@pyrogram: Indeedy. Our engagement with Russia should decrease. I know its tempting for a lot of people to fall back into the Cold War thinking because they were raised on it but that's over now. Our objective needs to be China now.

@strigidae_23: Agreed, Russia should be left alone, they aren't doing anything too major anymore to be fair, not internationally. What makes you say that about China?

@pyrogram: They are doing a lot of bad stuff internationally, like in Ukraine lol. But Europe should lead any retaliation because they are the ones who have something at stake.

Hehee, I can tell you're not American! The 'pivot' and the envelopment strategy is widely discussed here. But basically we should pivot to China because most of Asia is rising as a center of global wealth. China will probably surpass us economically and become the most important market in the world. They're also the home of a totalitarian government that oppresses its people with shocking brutality. They have to be hemmed in and contained so that when they do reach the apex of their industrial power we don't have a country that's as powerful as we are throwing their weight around with the kind of global force projection that big economies can buy.

@strigidae_23: I see Ukraine as a kinda isolated incident which won't do anything. Haha, just a me thing I think. I haven't really cared about it much to be fair. *Shrugs* Europe won't do anything, Ukraine doesn't effect anyone directly enough right now.

If China threw their weight around the same ways the USA threw their weight around (without repercussions) the world's fk'd lol Interesting!

@pyrogram: Its doing a lot already. And a lot of that stuff is bad for Putin. He kinda squashed a lot of his own plans with the Ukraine mess lol. Ukraine turned out to be a big problem for him and it may very well get worse for him.

I don't think it would be good for the world lol. Cold War 2.0 really isn't something that benefits anyone.

@strigidae_23: Trust, give it a few months and it'll blow over, I bet :P

Luckily a lot of the Chinese economical strength lies with US investors and buyers I think, so USA/China would mess each other up if any true things happened. Not likely, neither world power (or world power to be) would risk losing their strength in a renewed Cold War. It's too damaging for either side. Plus Russia, they'd find a way to help China lol just to spite USA.

Gonna join Arsenal :P

The same thing is happening to me. It's also on the mobile site.

@_grifter_: Try regular AdBlock. Right click the screen, go to 'block an ad on this page' and then click the ad you're trying to block. Can't help with mobile, unfortunately :-(

I had the flawless idea for the Drake Blog while in the Philosophy test... Forgot it cause I couldn't take notes.

Fcking Murphy's Law, it was plain badass! >_<

This.

Visiting today

@pyrogram: The only way it can blow over in that time frame is if Putin breaks the will of the Ukrainians to fight.

Ohhh yes we would lol. Especially if China is enveloped by our allies and we still have access to the rest of the global market. That's not to say that we would, obviously nobody wants that, but the rise of nationalism in China and the structure of our political system means that the potential is there.
Russia might but in a contest between the China of ten years from now and America they would be like a wasp getting between two elephants. They just don't have the mojo anymore and they're still declining in terms of economic clout.

@sir_frederick_richard_hawkwood: LOL that's the dream.

But it looks like he cryptically confirmed his transfer to Real Madrid. Which is absolutely insane when you think about how much money Florentino Perez is willing to throw into the transfer market. Cristiano Ronaldo. Kaka. Gareth Bale. James Rodriguez. And now Falcao? Apparently. All of those transfers were for more than 60 million euros, especially Ronaldo. In order to pluck Falcao from Monaco, Perez most certainly must have wasted in the excess of 60 million. It just goes to show you that while he's buying supremely talented players, he's not doing it to win La Liga or the Champions League or the Copa del Rey. This is a very clever marketing campaign designed to use the purchasing of big stars to make Real Madrid a more socially renown club (like it needs to be LOL) and essentially, to make Florentino a much wealthier man, and Real Madrid a much wealthier club.

@strigidae_23: @antonia It Worked! Thanks :-D

@_grifter_: Happy to help!

@strigidae_23: Thing is there are Pro-Russian Ukrainians. It's a civil war, not outright Putin taking over. If that were the case we would have intervened (possibly) by now. A strong case could easily be made to suggest Putin is helping rebels the same way the USA have done elsewhere. The only (albeit major) difference here is Russia may take the country over or annex it somehow. But pro-Russian Ukrainians are very real, and if we support democracy... How can we not allow the civil war to happen? It's a complex situation as is any war, or civil war, for that matter.

The USA needs to watch out. Amassing some very dangerous issues more and more. Russia, China, Middle East, no empire lasts forever and I see the USA eventually crumpling under it's own influence and power. Growing too large, too hated by proxy. But that's a long time in the future, or is it?

I feel your pain bro.

@la_espada: I would take him or Cavani.

Come on man, that was clearly a clone sending that tweet, picking Madrid over Arsenal is pure madness :p Madrid have always spent ridiculous amounts on players, even if sometimes they don't need that particular player or a willing to sacrifice someone more useful for someone more marketable. I'm actually scared that within a season or 2 they will throw in a huge bid for Ramsey especially if he keeps playing and improving. Let's be honest Madrid will continuously break the record for highest transfers spent on a single player. Still what a team, and what players they have. Roanldo, Bale, Modric, Benzema, Rodriguez and Kroos. Amazing.

@sir_frederick_richard_hawkwood: After seeing this name i'am going to retire. Thats the most british thing i have ever seen, i cant top that.

Man 10 attempts just to change some damn pics. Ridiculous. This place is lucky it has such a fantastic community.

@natalia_dante: The second episode of Doctor Who was SO much better than the first episode. Although I'm repeatedly starting to have a fond dislike of Clara LOL

@pyrogram: The difference is like the difference between a police officer running a traffic light on the way to an emergency and a criminal running the same traffic light while trying to expand their drug business. Western nations generally intervene with humanitarian ends, try to build infrastructure in the country, give them vast sums of money for food and medical supplies, help them create a stable government and leave. Russia is invading to prop up Putin's internal popularity, frighten other nations which are tempted to lean toward the EU and some other minor goals.

Its the motivation that matters here, not the strategy.

China needs to be our only issue moving forward. Our time with Russia and the Middle East needs to end. Nobody crumbles under their own influence and power, those are the things that keep you from crumbling under the weight of obligations, which we have avoided by not seizing territory the way the Romans did. Rome is commonly compared to America and its a solid comparison to a degree. However the important thing to remember is Rome was basically a hyper-regional power. There was no such thing as a global power in their era because the technology didn't exist for it. We're a hyper-global power and that changes both the opportunities and the dangers. As for how long we'll last.. I have no idea. Right now we are growing in two very important categories, namely oil production and population. Huge waves of immigrants from Latin america arrive daily. Our cultures are compatible, they are hard working, young, have large families and generally assimilate within one or two generations. They're fantastic so far as economic growth goes. We are also in the middle of an oil boom. Right now we produce something like ten percent of the entire worlds oil. I think the only countries that produce more are Russia and Saudi Arabia. Check this graph out. Look at the growth rate of that black line [that's the US]. I don't know how long we'll last but I do know that things are going in the right direction internally.

Clara is awesome :)

@sir_frederick_richard_hawkwood: I'd take Falcao over Cavani. Cavani's great but his World Cup campaign was very poor so I'm not certain about his current goalscoring form.

LOL. Oh they definitely do. £30 million for Toni Kroos. £63 million for James Rodriguez. £56 million for Kaka. £77 million for Gareth Bale. £80 million for Cristiano Ronaldo. And I don't even know how much they're going to blow on Falcao. That's a lot of money that Real Madrid have spent in recent years. Three of those transfers took place in the past two seasons and it seems like they're going to buy Falcao for what I'm certain will be in the excess of £60 million. Obviously Real Madrid will keep on breaking transfer records in purchasing big players. And while Real Madrid are buying these players for price tags higher than the majority of most clubs' squads, when you make an in-depth analysis of the situation, these purchases aren't made entirely on these players' judged footballing prowess.

An inflated transfer market in addition to other factors have forced clubs around the world into paying more than face value to ensure that they acquire the players that they want. Florentino Perez didn't blow that amount of money on James Rodriguez because he thinks James's ability as a footballer is that good. At least that's not the entire reason. The transfer was also made because of James' image. Nobody would've dared compared James to Messi or Ronaldo prior to the World Cup. He was always a talented player but never really revered as a genius so his reputation wasn't all that. Until the World Cup recently where he became the tournament's highest goalscorer and arguably its best player. Everyone was watching this year's World Cup, even people who don't watch football. So when James put in those game-changing performances consistently, his stock rose, and his image grew, suddenly everyone knew who James Rodriguez was.

When Real Madrid announced the transfer from Monaco, over 300,000 shirts carrying James' name were sold within 48 years of his arrival in Madrid. Real Madrid, and primarily Perez, expect James to make them merchandising and advertising profits, especially because James is coming off of a brilliant World Cup campaign. Every player they buy for these insane price tags is expected to be a merchandising and advertising juggernaut. Gareth Bale for example, there's a reason that heart celebration of his has become his trademark, it helps his star appeal and it'll make Real Madrid more money. This has been the common theme in Real Madrid ever since they signed David Beckham. In any case, what we know about Florentino Perez is that the man is a genius of a businessman. James is transferred to Real Madrid, and during James' presentation to the club, Perez even called the Colombian Ambassador for a patriotic speech to appease all of the Colombian fans who were there at the presentation, effectively capturing an entire market of South Americans for Real Madrid merchandise.

@la_espada: Whilst I agree he had a poor world cup, I've always believed the entire domestic season is a better marker on judging a player. He may not have had the greatest of season's, but 16 goals is not bad especially when you consider him playing out of position and second fiddle to Ibra. Rightfully so of course. I feel Falcao would be more of a threat in front of goal, but Cavani would do better with general hold up play and coming deeper. But as I said both would potentially be amazing signings.

Kroos is actually a bargain when you look at it. If he wasn't on the last year of his contract I have no doubt he would have gone for the same amount as Rodriguez, maybe a bit lower but not by much. The guy oozes class, the way he can dictate games is an art form. The fans have the exact same mentality. Always wanting the hottest new thing. I remember them getting rid of Makelele, a player the rest of his team viewed as one of the most important players, and yet Madris's own president could not see it. Zidane said it best. "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?" Then he joined Chelsea and helped them become a team of dominance within England.

It really makes you wonder how much players from the past would go for in today's transfer market. I know some people viewed James as a talented player, he had great stats at Porto and then at Monaco in his first and only season, and yet he was never placed in the same bracket as individuals like Neymar and Hazard in terms of young prodigies. Though you wonder how long it will be before another new superstar comes along and a player like James is forced out. I can already see Isco moving on within a couple of years. But hey we got Ozil that way so who am I to complain lol.

It's crazy, but hey if you make it work. Stick with it. Madrid will always have mouth watering squads to look at.

Power of resistance = resources x will

;)

@beremud: That's it, exactly :-)