Worst day of the twentieth century remembered

[Sickbag]

And only the US President did the decent thing and stayed at home for private mournful reflection.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2 ... ebrates-20

[Verbal]

Could you a least attempt to be brill-yunt?

[Cam]

Sicky, you are no fun.

[PurduePilot]

Yeah I wish we could go back to the old days where it was the capitalists versus the commies and we were up to our eyebrows in nukes.

[David Hilditch]

.....we were up to our eyebrows in nukes.

Aren't we still ?

[PurduePilot]

.....we were up to our eyebrows in nukes.

Aren't we still ?

Theoretically only to our tits...

[Sickbag]

Yeah I wish we could go back to the old days where it was the capitalists versus the commies and we were up to our eyebrows in nukes.

it still is, China is a communist country last time I looked, and will extend its influence to secure strategic resources worldwide much as every empire has since the Akkadians.
Maybe the best is yet to come?

[PurduePilot]

Yeah I wish we could go back to the old days where it was the capitalists versus the commies and we were up to our eyebrows in nukes.

it still is, China is a communist country last time I looked, and will extend its influence to secure strategic resources worldwide much as every empire has since the Akkadians.
Maybe the best is yet to come?

Yeah but we aren't nearly as afraid of the Chinese as we were the Soviets. Probably because we like cheap electronics more than we liked Stoli.

[Peter_K]

[quote="PurduePilot"
Yeah but we aren't nearly as afraid of the Chinese as we were the Soviets. Probably because we like cheap electronics more than we liked Stoli.[/quote]
Not quite the case.

Western Support of the Soviet Union

American and European industrialists rushed to the aid of the Russians. The International Barnsdale Corporation and Standard Oil got drilling rights; Stuart, James and Cook, Inc. reorganized the coal mines; General Electric sold them electrical equipment; and other major firms like Westinghouse, DuPont and RCA, also aided the Communists. Standard Oil of New Jersey bought 50% of their huge Caucasus oil fields and in 1927 built a large refinery in Russia. Standard Oil, with their subsidiary Vacuum Oil Co., made a deal to sell Soviet oil to European countries and even arranged to get them a $75 million loan.

[PurduePilot]

Yeah but we aren't nearly as afraid of the Chinese as we were the Soviets. Probably because we like cheap electronics more than we liked Stoli.

Not quite the case.

Western Support of the Soviet Union

American and European industrialists rushed to the aid of the Russians. The International Barnsdale Corporation and Standard Oil got drilling rights; Stuart, James and Cook, Inc. reorganized the coal mines; General Electric sold them electrical equipment; and other major firms like Westinghouse, DuPont and RCA, also aided the Communists. Standard Oil of New Jersey bought 50% of their huge Caucasus oil fields and in 1927 built a large refinery in Russia. Standard Oil, with their subsidiary Vacuum Oil Co., made a deal to sell Soviet oil to European countries and even arranged to get them a $75 million loan.

Was that all in the 1927 time period? My comment was referring more to the post-WWII time period. You know, the "Cold War", back in Sickbag's heyday when the Berlin Wall was standing.

[Peter_K]

Was that all in the 1927 time period? My comment was referring more to the post-WWII time period. You know, the "Cold War", back in Sickbag's heyday when the Berlin Wall was standing.

It ended around late forties, early fifties around the time of Stalins' death, so you if meant the Cold War period only, you are correct.

[Schorsch]

Yeah I wish we could go back to the old days where it was the capitalists versus the commies and we were up to our eyebrows in nukes.

it still is, China is a communist country last time I looked, and will extend its influence to secure strategic resources worldwide much as every empire has since the Akkadians.
Maybe the best is yet to come?

When did you look, 1973?
China is not a communist country by standards of a true communist.
It ...
> does have a market-economy (at least where it counts)
> does not use its influence to make the rest-of-the-world communist
> generally gives a shit on world revolution

The only thing: Its economy is often state-controlled and nothing is free. What China shares with classic communist countries is a single-party rule with people having no legal option against there government.
For security China is less dangerous than the Soviet Union.
When it comes to wealth and economic growth, China is much more dangerous (we simply had no economic relationship with the Soviets apart from some raw materials). In the end, we are fueling Chinese economy by spending our entire discretionary money on their products. Just check the "Made in ..." label next time you buy an electronic gadget.

[David Hilditch]

....... China is much more dangerous (we simply had no economic relationship with the Soviets apart from some raw materials). In the end, we are fueling Chinese economy by spending our entire discretionary money on their products. Just check the "Made in ..." label next time you buy an electronic gadget.

But that 'fueling' results in the Chinese having substantial monetary assets lodged in the West. So the Chinese are just as dependent on the West (primarily the US, of course), as we are on them. My point is that the two are mutually interdependent and probably neither will want to destabilize the other.

[Schorsch]

....... China is much more dangerous (we simply had no economic relationship with the Soviets apart from some raw materials). In the end, we are fueling Chinese economy by spending our entire discretionary money on their products. Just check the "Made in ..." label next time you buy an electronic gadget.

But that 'fueling' results in the Chinese having substantial monetary assets lodged in the West. So the Chinese are just as dependent on the West (primarily the US, of course), as we are on them. My point is that the two are mutually interdependent and probably neither will want to destabilize the other.

Maybe so, I don't disagree on this, but the Soviets could "only" threaten us with their nuclear weapons, while the Chinese can start economic crisis in the West, and by that changing election results. Imagine next time before an US election the Chinese attack the USD (which would be pretty pointless, but let's just assume). They have an influence on US and Western economy unprecedented, and this is "soft power", means nobody gets killed. Nuclear annihilation sounds worse, of course.
I think the chance for an all-out armed conflict with the Chinese is limited, maybe some skirmish, but the odds are too high for either side. Only if the West becomes desperate on escalating public and private debt, spiraling costs of health care and retirees, and no growth perspective for the economy.