It is a mad, mad world

[InkaUtexas 26038]

I know there are posters on here who work in odd places doing odd things. Thought we could use a thread about world events not dominating headlines. Anyways, just wanted to make a thread where we can post small news tidbits others might find useful. I mean, we are Texas and what starts here does change the world. 

Ethiopia. Shits gonna get nasty. State Department is telling all US Citizens to GTFO. Not rare, but in this case this means all humanitarian staff are heading out. Could lead to a cluster adding to the further destabilization of East Africa. Two days ago I was on a call about this and no one seemed worried. Now groups are shutting operations down fast. Talking with my contacts they expect the rebels could take Addis and if they do there is a bit of payback coming. Sucks, I remember the Ethiopia famine in the 1980's and there was so much hope for the country three years ago.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/05/politics/state-department-ethiopia-task-force/index.html

On Wednesday, the State Department authorized the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members from the embassy in the capital "due to armed conflict, civil unrest, and possible supply shortages." 

The day prior, shortly after the Ethiopian government had announced a state of emergency, the State Department raised its travel advisory for the country to Level 4: Do Not Travel, warning that "further escalation is likely, and may cause supply chain shortages, communications blackouts and travel disruptions."

[HenryJames 66148]

[52-80 19222]

6 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

And we’re sending our love down the wellll

[South Austin 52553]

Dan Akroyd always seems to be an odd inclusion in USA for Africa.

[Fudge Nuggets 19211]

Ethiopia is one of those countries if it could get its shit together, and it was starting to, could be a really bad ass place to visit.  I spent a few days there back in 2018 and loved it. 

[RPM 26336]

Africa in general hasn't had it's shit together in centuries, if ever.

[InkaUtexas 26038]

49 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Ethiopia is one of those countries if it could get its shit together, and it was starting to, could be a really bad ass place to visit.  I spent a few days there back in 2018 and loved it. 

I was supposed to go for 2 weeks in January. looks like that project is not going forward. There was a lot of hope up until last year for Ethiopia. Does not sound like a peace deal is going to be worked out anytime soon. 

[AUS-97HORN 11813]

42 minutes ago, RPM said:

Africa in general hasn't had it's shit together in centuries, if ever.

TIA  eh Danny?

[Neonmoon 38130]

58 minutes ago, RPM said:

Africa in general hasn't had it's shit together in centuries, if ever.

 

15 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

TIA  eh Danny?

[Incredulity 11682]

3 hours ago, South Austin said:

Dan Akroyd always seems to be an odd inclusion in USA for Africa.

Blues Brothers?

[atomheartbevo 89775]

4 hours ago, South Austin said:

Dan Akroyd always seems to be an odd inclusion in USA for Africa.

Not when you realize how many Africans could feed off of him.

[Goofyboy 3293]

Seems like Africa was fine until the Europeans carved it up.

[phdhorn 6224]

13 hours ago, South Austin said:

Dan Akroyd always seems to be an odd inclusion in USA for Africa.

Totally by accident. He was in LA looking for a business manager but mistakenly walked into probably Ken Kragen's (talent manager) office. Kragen was responsible for a lot of putting together the video.

He recognized Aykroyd, who of course was very popular at the time, and Aykroyd said oh sorry I'm obviously in the wrong office. Kragen said hey, we're shooting a video down the hall with a bunch of music stars, you want to join them? Aykroyd said what the hell why not and went in.

That was it.

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

12 hours ago, RPM said:

Africa in general hasn't had it's shit together in centuries, if ever.

Do you even systematic racism bruh?

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

1 hour ago, Goofyboy said:

Seems like Africa was fine until the Europeans carved it up.

For a continent whose primary export was slaves. Pretty sure 90% of its GDP was from selling other humans to Arabs and Europeans.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Harrison Bergeron

[tx 3 putt 77284]

29 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

Totally by accident. He was in LA looking for a business manager but mistakenly walked into probably Ken Kragen's (talent manager) office. Kragen was responsible for a lot of putting together the video.

He recognized Aykroyd, who of course was very popular at the time, and Aykroyd said oh sorry I'm obviously in the wrong office. Kragen said hey, we're shooting a video down the hall with a bunch of music stars, you want to join them? Aykroyd said what the hell why not and went in.

That was it.

 

i forgot he was in the video, had to re watch it 

 

[CycleTex87 2981]

Just following up, but did the music video take care of all the famine in Africa?

[Trey3216 15352]

19 hours ago, Goofyboy said:

Seems like Africa was fine until the Europeans carved it up.

The Muslims beat the Europeans to carving up Africa by several hundred years, unless you claim the hybrid societies of the Roman Empire that were Euro/Egyptian/Mesopotamian 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Trey3216

[InkaUtexas 26038]

Just now, Trey3216 said:

The Muslims beat the Europeans to carving up Africa by several hundred years.  

North yes. Along the east coast they stuck to the coast building just enough buffers to control their trade towns. There never was a Congress of Jeddah like the Congress of Berlin. 

 

[Captainant 27722]

18 hours ago, Harrison Bergeron said:

Do you even systematic racism bruh?

Africa is pretty fucked up from imperialism/colonialism still. The European powers destroyed all the cultural structure and leaders and basically reset those civilizations

Edited November 7, 2021 by Captainant

[InkaUtexas 26038]

29 minutes ago, Bravo said:

Romans say hi. 

Yes they did, but in the north, creating part of the broken structure that Islam took advantage of. Don't remember any stories of the Centurions fighting in the Kalahari 

[Deej 76883]

I miss the rains down in Africa. 

[phdhorn 6224]

5 hours ago, Bravo said:

Africa was messed up way before the Euros getting in there and screwing it up more. That was my point. 

Intertribal killing, taking of slaves, raping, pillaging, and all that other good stuff has been around in Africa long before Giovanni Whitebread showed up. Same as in the pre-Columbian Americas. If there's anyone who still believes the myth that the societies were edenic before Europeans showed up fails history miserably.

Here's a goody talking about such  a massacre in Africa -10,000 years ago.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-01-21/ancient-massacre-site-in-africa-reveals-violent-tribal-past/7102222

Edited November 8, 2021 by phdhorn

[Kyrie Eleison 9312]

16 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Intertribal killing, taking of slaves, raping, pillaging, and all that other good stuff has been around in Africa long before Giovanni Whitebread showed up. Same as in the pre-Columbian Americas. If there's anyone who still believes the myth that the societies were edenic before Europeans showed up fails history miserably.

Here's a goody talking about such  a massacre in Africa -10,000 years ago.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-01-21/ancient-massacre-site-in-africa-reveals-violent-tribal-past/7102222

was that at a shopping mall?

[Harrison Bergeron 1798]

On 11/7/2021 at 7:34 PM, phdhorn said:

Intertribal killing, taking of slaves, raping, pillaging, and all that other good stuff has been around in Africa long before Giovanni Whitebread showed up. Same as in the pre-Columbian Americas. If there's anyone who still believes the myth that the societies were edenic before Europeans showed up fails history miserably.

Here's a goody talking about such  a massacre in Africa -10,000 years ago.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-01-21/ancient-massacre-site-in-africa-reveals-violent-tribal-past/7102222

The anti-factual talking points that pass as "history" among the woke narratives may be worse than the artificial American jingoism of the 20th Century ... especially among people that ostensibly have an academic credential. Even the concept of "indigenous people." Whoever was there when Europeans arrived took their land from someone else. Despite the horrific treatment, still not sure there were not many American Indian tribes that would be relieved to see an American show up vs. some Apaches or Comanches. The world has been a brutal, violent place filled with oppression and slavery since Creation.

[Trey3216 15352]

On 11/7/2021 at 1:31 PM, Bravo said:

Romans say hi. 

The Romans weren't completely European either.  Hell, Rome and Alexandria were so intertwined at the time that nearly all modern people of Italian and Egyptian descent have double digit DNA markers from the other.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 21920]

On 11/5/2021 at 11:43 PM, InkaUtexas said:

I know there are posters on here who work in odd places doing odd things. Thought we could use a thread about world events not dominating headlines. Anyways, just wanted to make a thread where we can post small news tidbits others might find useful. I mean, we are Texas and what starts here does change the world. 

Ethiopia. Shits gonna get nasty. State Department is telling all US Citizens to GTFO. Not rare, but in this case this means all humanitarian staff are heading out. Could lead to a cluster adding to the further destabilization of East Africa. Two days ago I was on a call about this and no one seemed worried. Now groups are shutting operations down fast. Talking with my contacts they expect the rebels could take Addis and if they do there is a bit of payback coming. Sucks, I remember the Ethiopia famine in the 1980's and there was so much hope for the country three years ago.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/05/politics/state-department-ethiopia-task-force/index.html

On Wednesday, the State Department authorized the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members from the embassy in the capital "due to armed conflict, civil unrest, and possible supply shortages." 

The day prior, shortly after the Ethiopian government had announced a state of emergency, the State Department raised its travel advisory for the country to Level 4: Do Not Travel, warning that "further escalation is likely, and may cause supply chain shortages, communications blackouts and travel disruptions."

So does this mean the Ark of the Covenant is in danger?

[Guest Lobo]

2 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

So does this mean the Ark of the Covenant is in danger?

yes, but we have Top Men on it as we speak..............

top men

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

 

On 11/7/2021 at 1:19 PM, Captainant said:

Africa is pretty fucked up from imperialism/colonialism still. The European powers destroyed all the cultural structure and leaders and basically reset those civilizations

 

On 11/7/2021 at 7:34 PM, phdhorn said:

Intertribal killing, taking of slaves, raping, pillaging, and all that other good stuff has been around in Africa long before Giovanni Whitebread showed up. Same as in the pre-Columbian Americas. If there's anyone who still believes the myth that the societies were edenic before Europeans showed up fails history miserably.

Here's a goody talking about such  a massacre in Africa -10,000 years ago.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-01-21/ancient-massacre-site-in-africa-reveals-violent-tribal-past/7102222

 

These two things are not mutually exclusive.

 

[phdhorn 6224]

Just now, High Plains Drifter said:

These two things are not mutually exclusive.

Agreed, and of course the Euros had much more technological advantage and could affect much larger groups of people than the indigenous peoples on each other.

But the bullshit comes in when it somehow thought that Europeans were meaner or nastier than indigenous peoples. They were not.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

On 11/7/2021 at 8:19 PM, Deej said:

I miss the rains down in Africa. 

Ya haaaaaad to go there didn't you ?  Toto (spit spit spit), a pox on those fuckers mothers, and fathers for ever having procreation sex.

Yeah, Africa was fucked by pretty much the east, and west, it's never stood a chance.

[bschoolprof 6271]

On 11/7/2021 at 7:19 PM, Deej said:

I miss the rains down in Africa. 

isn't it "bless" the rains down in Africa?  

[Hate 20130]

Remember that time in human history when there were no wars between different groups?  Yeah, that was great. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

52 minutes ago, Hate said:

Remember that time in human history when there were no wars between different groups?  Yeah, that was great. 

I remember as a kid watching the NBC 7:00 news one night, and Tom Brokaw reported  there were no active conflicts/wars anywhere. It was like the first time in decades.  At least I remember him reporting it that way.

Before European dominance the world was a happy people place just like that song by R.E.M.

[GopherRock 1765]

I'm still waiting for the big W.

[Parliament 14283]

It was in a book I read, "God, Germs and Steel" perhaps, where the author compared 1500's Europeans to the rest of the World.  He said technology, nutrition, health, life expectancy, etc. were all similar.  Where the Europeans differed was in their ability and willingness to make war.  To a large degree, fights amongst the other people of the World were just skirmishes.  Each party would bluster, then there'd be a gang fight, then they'd go home.  Europeans, otoh, would load cannons, mow people down, reload and repeat.  For months on end.  It totally appalled the people they fought.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Parliament