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Google politics. A lively discussion if you please.
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Egyptian Google executive arrives at Cairo square (AP) AP - A protest organizer says a Google Inc. executive who played a key role in starting Egypt'stwo-week-old uprising against President Hosni Mubarak has arrived at Cairo's central Tahrir Square.
You believe Google had something to do with the unrest in Egypt? I believe that it's been coming for quite awhile. I believe that his age and job point to the fact that he belongs to a higher economic status and more than average intelligence.
The despotism in Egypt probably had more to do with causing disaffection by the lack of good public education, health care and social services in giving rise to this uprising.
Nah. I don't believe they did. It's just a bit curious that one of the architects behind it is a Google exec. And you're right about it being long overdue. All throughout the middle east these rulers who have been in power for decades need to be ousted and the reforms put in place hopefully to ease the burden on the people.
The only problem I see is the US sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. Our form of democracy may not be in the best interests of those people be they in Egypt or elsewhere. Hell, it doesn't work that well here and they expect it to work over there? Arab nations have a different mindset. If other nations want to help they should do so with those cultures in mind.
My country's government has a bad habit of backing the wrong side. Always in favor of the authoritarian rulers and not the people themselves. Case in point. Noriega of Panama, the Shah of Iran, the President of South Viet Nam during that country's civil war. Dictators all. There are more. I just don't remember all of them.
Google has something to do with everything. 
Well, given the amount of data they collect and store, they know everything about everything.
Seriously, the populace will revolt when it has been deprived and mistreated often enough for long enough.
We in the Western world may have our gripes about our governments and stuff we don't like, but we don't know just how fortunate we are, compared to those who live under despotic rule and/or dictatorships.
Hopefully the US [and Australia, Britain] will mind its own business this time and not involve itself in the domestic affairs of others.... particularly this time because it is in the Arab world. The Arab nations would see it as being profit motivated and not appreciate the intervention, despite how well intentioned it was professed to be.
Regardless, it is time for Mubarak to go. Shoot, I'm 58 and can remember that he was in power when I was a kid.... so by now he's gotta be too senile to hold down any position of responsibility.
Agreed. Let them settle their differences in their own way. Hell ... they've been doing it for several thousand years long before the Western World was a gleam in somebody's eye. Things would be a helluva lot different if we hadn't interfered. Might even have been better but we'll never know that will we.
Interesting. The NYT told me Global Warming was responsible for it.
That's funny, my local rag is blaming subliminal messages on Egyptian radio saying that Hosni Mubarak is an alien from a distant planet who is considering converting to the Church of Scientology.
Obviously the locals don't like it and prefer that he converted to Hare Krishna.
Actually DrJBHL hit it on the proverbial head. This Google exec is among the high and mighty elite of Egypt. I read an article a little while ago that the ruling junta of Hosni Mubarak controls most of that country's wealth while the majority of the people live at or below poverty level. This is true of nearly all of the Arabian countries. These rulers have been in power for decades and now the people are getting brave enough to stand up to them. Also Egypt has been under a form of Martial Law for close on thirty years giving the government the power to jail those who speak out in opposition. The Google exec is 29 years old and is helping to fuel the protests.
As they do in too many other places/situations on Earth[space is next].... that's why Google gets away with a whole load of illegal shit [hacking into peoples unsecured wi-fi, etc] you and I would be imprisoned for.
Is that a recent article or an old one from about 30- 40 years ago? The reason I ask is that I read something about 40 something years ago on the subject. Back then the article was saying that average/everyday Egyptians were worse off than many in poor African nations... that Egypt's wealth was being horded by a very small minority. Sad, isn't it, that nothing has changed in nearly half a century.
Yeah, it took the peasants of Britain and Europe a couple of centuries to stand up to the landed gentry and feudal lords. Sadly, though, the replacement rulers in these countries are no better than their predecessors... and are just as despotic and greedy after a short time in power.
I know that I won't live to see it, but maybe one day mans inhumanity to man will end. Well here's hoping.
The article was a link from another thread from yesterday. A Jack Krugman I think authored it. Claiming global warming as the cause for Egypt's unrest. Which I do not find all that hard to believe considering the destruction to a great deal of agriculture lately.
Not all crop destruction is as a result of inclement weather conditions. I recently saw a thing on TV where farmers were plowing their crops back into the ground, rather than sell them to supermarket chains at below [their] costs. Yup, Woolworths here in Oz is slashing prices paid to farmers, then jacking up prices on fresh produce 400 - 500%, citing floods and cyclone damage for the increases.
Prior to the floods and cyclone Yasi, bananas were around $2.95 per kg.... post flood, anywhere up to $15.00 per kg.... yet the growers are being paid less for their produce. One group of farmers preferred to bulldoze their crops than allow the supermarket chains gouge consumers while paying considerably less for the goods
Why not sell it elsewhere? Because they are under contract and cannot sell to other wholesalers or retailers... not even beside the road. Now there's something that we used to see all the time... roadside fruit and veg stalls. Not any more, most growers are forbidden by their contracts, or the big supermarket chains lobbied local government to outlaw them under new rezoning laws
So no, food shortages are not just the result of bad weather.... corporate greed must bear some responsibility.
They do that in the states too. Have been doing it for years. I never could understand why though. To me if you plant something to harvest for food then that's what you should do. Not plow it under.
Trouble is, when the major retailers won't even pay what it cost to plant/cultivate, it hardly makes it worth bothering. Many once viable farms world-wide have gone to the wall because of the greed of corporate thugs who practically forced them into bankruptcy rather than pay fair prices for produce.
I have a brother-in-law down in Tassie who was forced to quit being a food supplier because Woolworths refused to pay any more than 29 cents per kilo for his lamb, yet they were selling it for $14.99 per kilo. Now he just caters to family and close friends, while his income is supplemented by hunters who pay to hunt on his land. A neighbour shut up shop for pretty much the same reason, and now his income comes from guests who pay for bed and breakfast type accommodation in his 150 year old farmhouse.
Both these farmers were major food contributors to the nation in their hey-day, but alas they are no more... along with thousands more who can no longer afford to operate.
As for plowing it under, if I was being offered less than a pittance while the supermarket was making major profits by selling it at 500% or greater markup, I'd be inclined to plow it in... or wait 'til it was absolutely putrid and rotten before tipping it on their doorsteps.
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